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Lin Xu suddenly opened her eyes and found herself lying on the bed in the infirmary. Sunlight streamed through the curtains, casting dappled shadows on the white sheets. She blinked, trying to recall what had happened. "You're awake?" a familiar voice came from beside her.
Turning her head, Lin Xu saw Ye Feng sitting at her bedside, concern evident in his eyes. Her heart raced, and her cheeks flushed slightly. "What... what happened to me?" Lin Xu asked softly, her voice a bit hoarse. Ye Feng handed her a cup of water. "You fainted. The doctor said it might be due to emotional stress and lack of rest lately."
Lin Xu took the cup and sipped slowly. Suddenly, memories of what had transpired before she fainted flooded back, and her face turned crimson. "Ye Feng, I..." she stammered, unsure how to face her confession.
Ye Feng shook his head, interrupting her. "Lin Xu, you don’t need to explain. I understand that you might have acted impulsively..."
"No!" Lin Xu raised her voice suddenly, then shyly lowered her head again. "I... I meant every word." Ye Feng fell silent for a moment before speaking softly, "Lin Xu, I really appreciate your feelings for me. But..."
"But you already have Xia Mo, right?" Lin Xu interrupted with a bitter smile, feeling a sharp pain in her heart. Ye Feng hesitated before nodding. "Yes. Xia Mo and I..."
"I understand." Lin Xu fought back tears and forced a smile. "You don’t need to explain; I... I will wish you both happiness."
Watching Lin Xu's forced smile made Ye Feng feel uneasy. He opened his mouth as if to say something but didn't know where to start.
Just then, the infirmary door swung open, and Xia Mo walked in. "Ye Feng, you're here." Upon seeing Lin Xu awake, a complex expression flashed across Xia Mo's face. "Lin Xu, are you feeling better?"
Lin Xu nodded. "Thank you for your concern; I'm fine now."
The atmosphere became awkward for a moment. Ye Feng stood up. "Well... we should head back to class now. Lin Xu, take care of yourself." As she watched Ye Feng and Xia Mo leave, Lin Xu finally couldn't hold back any longer; silent tears streamed down her cheeks. "Why does it have to be like this?" she asked herself. "Why am I always one step behind?"
Wiping away her tears, Lin Xu forced herself to calm down. She picked up her phone and noticed several unread messages from Ji Jiumei.
"Xu Xu, are you okay?"
"The doctor said you just need some rest."
"I've helped you get your leave sorted; just relax at home for a few days."
Lin Xu replied with a simple message: "I'm fine, thank you," then got up to gather her things to go home. As she stepped out of the school gate, she took a deep breath and looked at the familiar streets, suddenly feeling lost. She wandered aimlessly until she found herself at Green Island Park near her neighborhood. The park was quiet, so Lin Xu chose a secluded bench to sit on. A gentle breeze rustled the leaves overhead as if they were whispering secrets.
"Lin Xu?" A voice broke through her thoughts. Lin Xu looked up to see Ji Jiumei standing in front of her with a worried expression.
"Jiumei? What are you doing here?" Lin Xu asked in surprise.
Ji Jiumei sat down beside her. "I thought you might come here. How are you feeling now?"
Lin Xu forced a smile. "Much better... just a bit tired."
After a moment of silence, Ji Jiumei suddenly said, "Xu Xu, do you know? I've also developed feelings for someone unattainable."
Lin Xu stared at her friend in surprise. "What? Who is it?"
Ji Jiumei shook her head with a bitter smile. "It’s not important. What matters is that I understand how you feel right now—the helplessness and the pain of knowing something is impossible yet still thinking about it..."
Listening to Ji Jiumei made tears well up in Lin Xu's eyes again. She whispered, "Jiumei, do you know? I feel just like Lin Yue Ru from 'The Legend of Sword and Fairy.' In Li Xiaoyao's story, I'm always an unnamed supporting character."
Ji Jiumei took Lin Xu's hand gently. "Xu Xu, don’t think like that. You are the protagonist of your own story. Ye Feng is just a passerby in your life; he’s not everything."
Leaning against Ji Jiumei's shoulder, Lin Xu finally let herself cry freely as Ji Jiumei gently patted her back to comfort her. After crying it out, Lin Xu felt somewhat lighter inside. She lifted her head and noticed a banner at the park entrance that read: "Congratulations to Ye Xiao for being accepted into Peking University!"
"Ye Xiao... Ye Feng's brother?" Lin Xu murmured.
Ji Jiumei nodded. "Yes! I heard he ranked first in the city."
Lin Xu gazed thoughtfully at the banner before suddenly declaring, "Jiumei, I've made up my mind."
"Made up your mind about what?"
"I want to study hard and get into a good university! I want to prove that I, Lin Xu, can also be outstanding!" Determination sparkled in Lin Xu's eyes.
Ji Jiumei looked at her friend with delight. "That's great! This is the Xu Xu I know!"
Just then, Lin Xu's phone rang—it was her mother calling.
"Hello, Mom."
"Xu Xu! Where are you? The school said you fainted; I just found out!" Her mother's voice was filled with worry.
"I'm fine, Mom! I'm at the park; I'll be home soon."
"That's good to hear! By the way, your dad and I discussed it and thought it would be good for you to get tutoring from Ye Xiao. What do you think?"
Lin Xu froze at the mention of Ye Xiao—Ye Feng's brother?
"Mom... I..." she hesitated, unsure how to respond.
"What’s wrong? Isn’t Ye Xiao going to Peking University? Learning from him will definitely help you."
Lin Xu bit her lip as conflicting thoughts swirled in her mind—on one hand, she wanted to improve her grades; on the other hand, she didn’t want any connection with Ye Feng at all.
"Xuxu? Are you listening?" Her mother's voice pulled her back to reality.
Lin Xu took a deep breath. "Alright, Mom. I... I'll give it a try." After hanging up the phone, Ji Jiumei curiously asked, "What happened?" Lin Xu smiled wryly and shook her head. "My mom wants me to get tutoring from Ye Xiao."
"Ye Xiao? Ye Feng's brother?" Ji Jiumei exclaimed in surprise. "Did you agree?"
Lin Xu nodded. "Yeah. Maybe... this is an opportunity. An opportunity for me to become better, to no longer be just the unnoticed Lin Xu." Ji Jiumei patted Lin Xu on the shoulder. "You can do it, Xuxu. I believe in you."
Lin Xu stood up and gazed at the distant sunset, her eyes shining with determination. "Yes, I can definitely do it."
When she returned home, Lin Xu sat at her desk and opened her textbook. Her gaze fell on a photo on the table, a snapshot of her and Ye Feng during a school event.
"Ye Feng..." Lin Xu whispered softly, her fingers gently brushing over the photo.
Suddenly, she shook her head and flipped the picture over. "No, Lin Xu, you need to be strong. You have to live for yourself, not for anyone else." She picked up a pen and wrote in her notebook: "My goal: Get into Peking University!"
Just then, her phone rang. It was an unfamiliar number. "Hello?" Lin Xu answered.
"Is this Lin Xu? This is Ye Xiao." A gentle male voice came from the other end of the line.
Lin Xu paused for a moment. "Ye... Ye Xiao?"
"Yes. Your mom contacted me and said you need tutoring. I wanted to ask when would be convenient for you to start?"
Lin Xu bit her lip, her heart racing. She took a deep breath and tried to keep her voice calm. "Tomorrow... would tomorrow afternoon work?"
"Sure, let's meet at three o'clock tomorrow at my house. I'll send you the address shortly."
After hanging up the phone, Lin Xu sat in her chair with mixed emotions. She looked at her textbooks again and then glanced at the photo she had turned over. "This is a new beginning," she told herself, "a new story for Lin Xu."
The next afternoon, Lin Xu stood hesitantly at Ye Xiao's front door, debating whether or not to ring the doorbell.
"You can do this, Lin Xu." She encouraged herself before pressing the doorbell. The door opened, revealing a tall figure standing in the doorway. Lin Xu looked up and saw a face that bore some resemblance to Ye Feng.
"Hello, I'm Lin Xu," she said nervously.
Ye Xiao smiled and welcomed her inside. "Welcome, Lin Xu. Please come in."
Lin Xu followed Ye Xiao into his study and was taken aback by the walls lined with books.
"Wow, so many books," she exclaimed involuntarily.
Ye Xiao chuckled softly. "Do you enjoy reading?"
Lin Xu nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, especially literary works."
"That's great," Ye Xiao replied. "Learning isn't just about rote memorization; it's more about developing critical thinking and creativity. Literary works are excellent materials for that."
Lin Xu looked at Ye Xiao in surprise, thinking no wonder he got into Peking University. Just then, her gaze fell on a highlighter sitting on the desk. That highlighter... she recognized it all too well.
"That is..." Lin Xu instinctively said.
Ye Xiao followed her gaze and said, "Oh, that's Ye Feng's pen. He sometimes comes here to study with me."
Hearing Ye Feng's name, Lin Xu's heart skipped a beat. She forced herself to calm down and replied, "I see." Ye Xiao seemed to notice her unease but did not press further. He began explaining the day's material, and Lin Xu made an effort to concentrate.
Two hours of tutoring passed quickly. Lin Xu was surprised to find that Ye Xiao's explanations were very clear, giving her new insights into many difficult concepts.
"Let's stop here for today," Ye Xiao said. "Do you have any questions?"
Lin Xu shook her head. "No, thank you, Ye Xiao."
Ye Xiao smiled and suddenly said, "Lin Xu, I heard that something happened between you and Ye Feng recently?"
Lin Xu's body stiffened instantly; she lowered her head, unsure of how to respond. Ye Xiao sighed and said, "I'm not trying to interfere in your matters. I just want to say that no matter what happens, don't give up on your dreams." Lin Xu looked up in surprise at Ye Xiao.
Ye Xiao continued, "You know, I once liked someone too, but she didn't like me back. I was very hurt at that time and even thought about giving up on my studies. But later I realized that my life shouldn't change because of someone else."
Listening to him, Lin Xu felt her eyes slightly moisten. Ye Xiao picked up the fluorescent pen and handed it to Lin Xu. "Here, take it. Maybe it will hold special meaning for you."
Lin Xu hesitated for a moment but ultimately accepted the pen. She looked at the fluorescent pen in her hand and suddenly felt a wave of relief wash over her.
"Thank you, Ye Xiao," she said sincerely. As she walked out of Ye Xiao's house, Lin Xu took a deep breath. Looking at the fluorescent pen in her hand, she recalled Ye Xiao's words.
"Yes, my life shouldn't change because of someone else," she murmured to herself.
Lin Xu tightened her grip on the fluorescent pen, determination shining in her eyes. She knew that this pen represented not only her feelings for Ye Feng but also her hopes for the future.
"This feeling is something I cannot refuse," Lin Xu whispered softly. "But I will turn it into motivation to move forward."
She looked up at the sky, a faint smile appearing on her lips.
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