I have few friends, but many childhood sweethearts.

Chapter 298. Hiding the truth in a lie.

Let's rewind to five days ago.

"Can't you be nicer to me? Stop bullying me. No, delete me!"

"Can't you treat me like you treat Wan Ning? You're always so mean to me! Ugh, so annoying!"

After scribbling haphazardly on the draft paper, Xia Xiaoxiao tore it off, crumpled it into a ball, and casually tossed it on the ground.

There were more than a dozen crumpled pieces of paper like these on the floor of the girl's room.

This was already the umpteenth draft paper Xia Xiaoxiao had written. She had so much she wanted to say to Xu Qingfan in person, but when it came to actually doing it, she was always too shy to say it.

Xia Xiaoxiao slammed her pen on the table in frustration, perfectly capturing the moment with Sun Wukong's catchphrase from the 82 TV series "Journey to the West": "So annoying!"

"I've told you, but you never change. You always just smile and try to smooth things over. What's the point of saying anything?" She stood with her hands on her hips, talking to herself in the room, extremely angry.

In truth, Xia Xiaoxiao knew in her heart that she was too ashamed to say what she really wanted to say. Saying these things was just an attempt to shift the blame onto the stinky dog, a self-deceptive act of burying her head in the sand.

It's not that I, Xia Xiaoxiao, am unwilling to speak, but you, Xu Qingfan, are inhuman and ignore what I say!
She might be able to fool others, but she can't fool her own heart!

Xia Xiaoxiao pouted, feeling wronged. All the things she really wanted to say were written in these five thick diaries, so how could she not know what she wanted to say?

She wanted to say, "I was the first person to meet you, so you should treat me better than others."
She wanted to say, even though you're a jerk and a nuisance who always bullies me, I'll still always love you;

She wanted to say, "You stinky Xu Qingfan, can't you tell that I've been saying the opposite of what I mean?"

She also wanted to say, "You're so stupid! I like you so much, can't you see that?"

"Say it, say it, what's there to say!" Xia Xiaoxiao lay on the desk, embarrassed and annoyed, her fingers tapping out a rhythmic beat.

After a moment, the girl slammed her hand on the table and stood up abruptly, "Fine, I'll talk!"

The television screen switched again, eventually settling on Xia Xiaoxiao's room, as expected.

A grain of rice remained at the corner of the girl's mouth, and she was making swallowing motions, indicating that she had just finished lunch.

However, the expression on her face at this moment was one that Xu Qingfan rarely saw—serious and earnest.
After swallowing all the food in her mouth, Xia Xiaoxiao shrugged her shoulders and suddenly spoke in a gentle tone she had never heard before:
"Xu Qingfan, do you remember? When I was little, I used to call you Xiaofan. I don't know when I started calling you by your full name."

Xiao Fan, we've known each other since we opened our eyes. You were born six months earlier than me. Mom told me that you used to cry a lot when you were little, but you would stop crying when you held me in front of you.

The first thing I'll say is your name. Even if you don't eat any of the good food yourself, you'll always save half for me.

We've known each other the longest, shouldn't our bond be deeper than anyone else's? Why do you always bully me and treat me so badly?
"Xiao Fan, can you be a little nicer to me? Can you stop being so mean and bullying to me? If you were even half as nice to Wan Ning and the others, I'd be perfectly happy."

Tears welled in the girl's eyes, as if she had truly touched a raw nerve. Her eyes dimmed, and she continued sobbing:

"Even though you always bully me, scold me, and treat me badly, I still can't help liking you, you know that?"
Every word I said when we argued was sarcastic, couldn't you tell? The wind had no shape until it met you, Xiao Fan. From the moment I opened my eyes and saw you, I've loved you, but you've never known.

After Xia Xiao finished speaking the last sentence, her eyes dimmed completely. At this moment, she was like a loser in love, humble to the core.

Xu Qingfan sat blankly on the sofa, unable to calm his mind for a long time. In an instant, scenes from his past life flashed through his mind.

If Xia Xiaoxiao truly liked him since childhood, then why did she repeatedly reject his confessions in high school? Why did she still refuse to be with him after they went to university? Why did she leave without saying goodbye to study abroad after graduation? And why did he never receive even a single letter from her until his death?
Countless possibilities suddenly popped into Xu Qingfan's mind as he tried to find a suitable reason for the girl from his previous life, but he couldn't figure it out no matter how hard he tried. She had already given him her first kiss, so why wouldn't she agree to be with him?
Xia Xiaoxiao remained silent for a long time in the video, and Xu Qingfan, sitting in the living room, also remained silent.

A single, glistening tear slid down Xia Xiaoxiao's cheek. Xu Qingfan could no longer suppress his emotions and wanted to say something, but his lips moved slightly and he couldn't utter a sound.

The two seemed to be gazing at each other across time and space, speechless, with tears streaming down their faces.

Xu Qingfan suddenly felt an urge to pull Xia Xiaoxiao out of the screen, hug her tightly, and tell her, "I've loved you for two lifetimes, do you know that!"

Fortunately, he didn't have time to do that.

Why do I say that? Because Xia Xiaoxiao, who was originally sad on the screen, suddenly winked playfully and a sly smile appeared on her face.

The girl pointed at the camera and burst into laughter: "Hahaha~ You stupid idiot Xu Qingfan, are you moved? Are you crying? Hahaha, it was all a lie. Nobody likes you. You're a super annoying jerk!"

"Boiled!"

Xu Qingfan broke through his defenses and slapped his thigh, the physical pain instantly making him howl in agony.

"Xia Xiaoxiao, you son of a bitch! I'll fuck you! You dead Xia Xiaoxiao, come out here!" The two curses he wanted to unleash were interrupted because they involved Aunt Lin Jing, which made Xu Qingfan even angrier.

He really wanted to pin that brat Xia Xiaoxiao down on the dining table and spank her until her bottom was swollen.

The thought that she had actually believed it made her feel both ashamed and angry!
Xia Xiaoxiao's mocking laughter on TV didn't last long; the screen suddenly went dark again, but quickly came back on.

In the picture, five girls are holding a huge cake together, with fifteen lit candles arranged in a heart shape on top.

Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you!

The sound of five girls singing "Happy Birthday" came from the speakers, growing louder and louder.

[No.] Xu Qingfan suddenly realized something.

He turned around abruptly and realized that five girls had been standing behind him at some point.

Xu Qingfan involuntarily swallowed, no longer caring about Xia Xiaoxiao's teasing of him.

why?
Because at this moment, five beautiful girls dressed in black stockings, cat ears, and maid outfits were standing prettily in front of him!

(End of this chapter)