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  "How's Taozi?" Xia Xue looked at me with pleading eyes, her tone filled with worry and exhaustion.

  I don't know how long Xia Xue had been squatting here, if it were usual, I would have gone over to hug her without saying a word, but now... I calmed down and said: "Taozi is fine, Su Xiaobai will be detained for 15 days." During the time I was dizzy at the police station, Hu Jianmin, Dai Zude and many others had come, so the fact that "Taozi was kidnapped by Su Xiaobai" should have spread throughout the entire city, but not many people knew the details.

  "That's good." Xia Xue lowered her head, looking relieved, then raised it again, and hesitated to speak.

  It just so happens that I also have something to say to her, and it's better to clarify some things early on. "Let's head back to the dorm first, I'll talk to Xia Xue for a bit." The Four Heavenly Kings went upstairs, Ye Zhan sent Su Wan to the girls' dormitory, leaving only me and Xia Xue at the scene.

  Xia Xue stopped crying, the tears on her face hadn't dried yet and it was heart-wrenching to look at. This incident had a great impact on her, especially after witnessing me being hit by several bricks in the cafeteria, she was really frightened at that time.

  I didn't know how to respond to Xia Xue, so I just remained silent. Xia Xue suddenly asked: "Don't you want to give me a hug?"

  I continued to remain silent, without speaking or moving, isn't this a good way of expression already?

  "Shall we go back to Taozi's side?" Xia Xue lowered her head, twisting her clothes, and couldn't see her expression, but could hear the trembling in her voice: "Starting from tomorrow, I'll take care of Taozi, right?"

  "Uh-huh." I responded softly, and my heart started aching slightly: "Can you understand me?"

  "It's okay." Xia Xue lifted her head and smiled: "Peach is the one who needs more care, I'm fine here."

  "Really?" I looked at Xia Xue with emotion.

  "Really?" Xia Xue continued smiling: "There are many boys who have a crush on me, it doesn't matter if there's one less."

  I knew she was joking. But the fact that she still had the mood to joke around meant her spirits weren't too low after all. I let out a gentle sigh of relief, things were going to be easier than I thought. I also smiled: "The charm of believing."

  "Hehe." Xia Xue smiled: "Peach is fine, nothing's wrong, I'm relieved. Then I'll head home now."

  "Alright, I'll send it."

  Xia Xue had already turned around and taken two steps, I hastily followed behind her. Xia Xue turned back and said: "Oh no need, I know the way."

  I stubbornly followed her, recognizing the road it was already past midnight, and I didn't feel at ease with her going home alone.

  "Oh no, I don't want to go!" Xia Xue stamped her foot: "Stay there, don't move!"

  I stood there in a daze, having no idea why Xia Xue was so insistent that I shouldn't see her off.

  Xia Xue finally turned around and started to run. I watched as her figure gradually disappeared into the darkness, and my heart was still not at ease, so I followed along the road after her. After running for dozens of meters, I saw Xia Xue crouching under a streetlight.

  "Xia Xue, what's wrong?" I walked over and squatted down too.

  Xia Xue lifted her head, already a tearful person, and suddenly rushed towards me, hugging my neck and crying: "Wang Hao, let's not break up, okay? Let's go take care of Taozi together, let's be with Taozi together, no matter what. We'll secretly be together, without letting Zhu Tou find out, without letting anyone find out. Let's not break up, okay?"

  What can I say, what else can I say? It turns out that Xia Xue's calmness before was just an act, she had been suppressing her emotions and ran tens of meters before squatting down to cry, only having a true emotional explosion after seeing me.

  My hands slowly rose, gently stroking Xiaoxue's hair. What could I say? "Be with Taozi and also secretly be with Xiaoxue" was something I couldn't bring myself to say, nor could I do it. So I remained silent.

  Xia Xue cried and begged me non-stop. She had made the greatest concession, willing to swallow her pride, hide in the dark, and even be my secret lover, just to avoid parting with me. But I couldn't do that, it would only lead me further down a wrong path, making this already complicated problem even more entangled.

  "We're breaking up." I let out a long sigh, and that was the only decision I could make.

  "What?" Xia Xue stared at me in surprise.

  "No matter who I'm with, it's hurtful to the other person." I said sorrowfully: "What's even more terrifying is that until now, I still haven't figured out who I really like. I couldn't let go of either of them, nor could I accept this kind of myself."

  "No, don't." Xia Xue stuttered: "Taozi just went through something like that, she must be very vulnerable now, whatever you do, don't... I'll go keep her company instead, me, I won't make a fuss, I shouldn't have made a fuss in the first place..."

  "Don't worry." I patted Xiaoxue's head: "Peach is not as fragile as you imagined. Her inner strength and outer weakness are in reverse proportion. And, I'm with her, but it doesn't necessarily mean we have to be together."

  I smiled bitterly: "I even feel that in the end I won't get either of them and will lose both at the same time."

  "Don't talk nonsense." Xia Xue patted me: "I don't know about the peach, but I..." Xia Xue raised her head and looked into my eyes. Her eyes were really beautiful, with pupils like a pair of autumn water, like the two brightest stars in the night sky.

  Xia Xue looked at me like this, saying word by word: "I will love forever, waiting."

  Such a simple sentence, yet it surpasses countless warm words in the world. I couldn't bear it anymore, and stretched out my hand to pull Xia Xue into an embrace.

  "I don't deserve to be treated so well." I said with a heavy heart: "I'm so wishy-washy, one day I'm in Qin and the next I'm in Chu, I..."

  "Nonsense." Xia Xue said: "What I see is sincerity. Sincere to me, sincere to Taozi, sincere to everyone around her. If this were ancient times, Taizi and I would have become sworn sisters and married off together."

  "You're so silly." I tapped Xiaoxue's forehead: "What's always on your little mind?"

  Xia Xue giggled and looked at me: "Come on, dare to say you've never thought of it? Dare to say you've never thought of having two beautiful women as wives at the same time?"

  "No, really no." I raised my hands: "I will strictly enforce the Marriage Law of the People's Republic of China..."

  "Hahaha..." Xia Xue burst out laughing. This girl who cries one moment and laughs the next really has me at a loss. Xia Xue continued, "I was just joking too, who would want to share their loved one with someone else?"

  "Alright, let's not talk about this anymore." I pulled Xiaoxue's hand: "Let's head back home. From now on, I don't dare to be with any of them easily. We just made up for a while and look what happened to Taozi. Luckily Su Xiaobai didn't have time to do anything before we burst in, or else it would've been a lifelong regret. I think I'm just a jinx, better off being alone."

  Xia Xue muttered: "Let's just wait and see. Maybe in a few decades, the country will allow polygamy, and by then it'll be just right, happily embracing two beauties."

  "Decades later? Both of them will be called old ladies, right? I'll have to find two young and beautiful ones..."

  I was teasing Xia Xue all the way, this is probably the most relaxed breakup in history. When we arrived at Xia Xue's house, she looked at me with a flirtatious gaze and said in a seductive tone: "My family isn't home yet, do you want to go up? This time you don't have to sleep on the sofa."

  Xia Xue's words almost made my body go limp, but we're not a couple anymore and just had that thing with Taozi. I don't have the mood to talk about this now either. I shook my head: "Forget it."

  Xia Xue smiled again: "Really? Once you pass this village, there's no such store!" Still teasing me tirelessly.

  I shook my head and smiled at Xia Xue: "I won't go up anymore, let's just go home."

  Xia Xue poked my waist with her finger: "Okay, okay, I have some good news. My parents called and said they're going to travel for another ten or so days, so there's still no one at home during this time. You can come over whenever you want."

  "Hmm." I smiled at Xia Xue, these few words really were tempting, but I couldn't, really couldn't.

  Xia Xue waved her hand at me and went upstairs. I stood downstairs, watching the lights in the corridor turn on one by one, and then go out one by one. Then the light in Xia Xue's room turned on. After a while, the window opened, and Xia Xue's head poked out.

  "I knew you weren't leaving yet." Xia Xue said: "Are you coming up or not? You can even smoke if you want to."

  "No." I waved my hand at her and left. Above was the gentle village, but I stepped onto the desolate road without looking back.

  Back to school, still climbing over the wall. The dormitory gate had been closed for a long time, but tonight it just so happened that Fan Wenfeng was on duty and could easily get in. Back to the dormitory, quietly taking off clothes, shoes and socks, going to bed to sleep.

  But for a while, I still couldn't sleep. Emotional issues are secondary, at least, Xiaoxue, Taozi and I are all kind-hearted children, no one will intentionally hurt anyone, so we can put it aside for now and think about it slowly later. What makes me more puzzled is why Su Xiaobai dares to speak to me in that tone, isn't he afraid of being dealt with after coming out of detention and returning to Chenggao?

  What's Su Xiaobai's trump card that he hasn't played yet, and what does he plan to rely on to compete with me? He has a pair of parents in Beiyuan City who can turn a blind eye, but I really don't think the two of them would use underhanded means to deal with a sixteen-year-old kid like me.

  This question kept flashing in my mind, but eventually succumbed to the onslaught of drowsiness and fell asleep.

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