Chapter 271 - 6 Departure
That day, Lin Xiaoguai was called out by Zhu Huixi to go shopping; to her surprise, Yang Xiaoli also came.
"Xiao Li..." Lin Xiaoguai subconsciously wanted to ask how she had been recently but stopped herself realizing the topic was sensitive.
Yang Xiaoli looked over, puzzled, and then smiled, "Surprised to see me?"
Lin Xiaoguai smiled awkwardly, "Not really, it’s just that Huihui didn’t mention you were coming on the phone, and I thought you were busy."
"Busy" was a euphemism; Lin Xiaoguai felt that Yang Xiaoli probably wasn’t in the mood for shopping.
Yang Xiaoli’s expression was indifferent. She looked at her two friends for a long time before saying softly, "I’m going back to my hometown."
At this, neither Zhu Huixi nor Lin Xiaoguai felt like shopping anymore. They took her to a teahouse, chose a private room, ordered a pot of tea, and sent the waiter away.
"What on earth is going on? You should at least tell us," said Zhu Huixi, her eyes reddening, "You’re always like this, keeping everything to yourself, swallowing all the hardships alone as if someone would laugh at you if you spoke. We respect your pride and always hold back from asking. But with such a big issue, it’ll be hard for us three to meet in the future; you owe us an explanation about what happened recently."
Lin Xiaoguai also felt sad and nodded, "We know you’re strong, but don’t you think we worry when you keep silent? Even if we can’t help, we can at least offer some comfort. It’s not good for you to keep everything bottled up inside; aren’t you afraid of making yourself sick?"
Yang Xiaoli started crying at this, "I’m sorry for always making you worry." She knew her friends cared, but her pride and resilience had become a habit; she really didn’t want to show her vulnerabilities.
Seeing her starting to suppress her feelings again, Zhu Huixi got somewhat angry, "Then speak up, what exactly happened! Do you want us to die worrying?"