Everything I bought on online shopping platforms was genuine.

Just as Cui Xue said, everything yesterday seemed like an exceptionally beautiful dream. Before they, the outsiders, could even detach themselves from it, the protagonist had already left.

The letter also reveals some changes in Cui Xue's state of mind. It turns out that she is not as optimistic as she appears. She also feels anxious and afraid. She has not truly let go of her seven years of paralysis; she has only accepted it.

When she was 24, her boyfriend married someone else the same year she was injured. It wasn't his fault, nor was it because she wanted to avoid being a burden to him and chose to leave. Rather, she couldn't accept her paralysis and became anxious, afraid of being dumped. In the end, she chose to leave while preserving her dignity rather than be disliked in the future.

She knew she had run away seven years ago, but seven years later, she decided to be brave this time.

Many times, when you hesitate, you'll find that once you take that step, the path ahead has already been paved for you.

It is often said that courage is the true hymn of humanity, and this is indeed true. In the end, what is lacking in many things is just that little bit of courage.

Meanwhile, on a high-speed train, Cui Xue looked at the photos she had taken yesterday on her phone, a slight smile playing on her lips.

She seemed to have forgotten how long it had been since she had laughed so genuinely.

But at the same time, she felt a pang of sadness. Yesterday's beautiful dream was too short-lived; she wished it could have lasted longer.

She could certainly choose to stay a few more days, and her ticket really was for the day after tomorrow. However, after everyone left yesterday, when she realized she had woken up from the dream, she secretly changed her itinerary.

She had to leave today, otherwise, she feared she would become trapped in this fleeting emptiness and unable to extricate herself.

Just like the last thing she said to Chuanmei yesterday, she was really, really, really happy.

She feared that the determination she had finally made would be eroded by this sudden sweetness, causing her to lose her last bit of courage.

Since that's the case, it's better to end it now than suffer for a long time. She'll take a gamble, even though she knows it's wrong to leave without saying goodbye. But she has no other choice.

Her abrupt departure seven years ago was an escape, but this time, seven years later, it's not; she's heading towards a new life.

As for her encounter with Chuanmei, she could only attribute it to fate. But the cruelest thing about fate is not that they never met, but that it generously granted her a meeting, yet silently allowed them to part ways.

It's like the wind in your palm; it feels real as it brushes past, but when you open your hand, all that's left is a cold emptiness.

She thought it was fate's arrangement, only to realize in the end that the brief and thin interaction was its predetermined time limit.

To save money for surgery, she used to work hard to save money. She would feel heartache if she spent even a little more money, but she was completely unaware of losing a day of her life. This feeling is terrifying.

She had never felt this way before. It wasn't until yesterday, after the party was over, that she realized she had wasted seven years. Seven years! How many seven-year periods does one have in a lifetime?
If she could only live to seventy, then she would have wasted one-tenth of her life. So, she wanted to gamble with the rest of her life and see if she could break free from her cocoon and explore the world on her own two feet once again.

She vowed that if one day she could stand up again, she would run, jump, and feel the rhythm of life.

She can choose not to get married, not to have children, and live her life for herself.

"Hu~~"

She let out a heavy sigh. The last image on Cui Xue's phone was a photo of her and Li Shiya together, taken in the car on their way back to the hotel. She was smiling brightly.

"You're so cool, as great as a hero, so authoritative!"

After saying that, he found Li Shiya's account and followed her. Although he couldn't see her for the time being, she seemed to have become his pillar of support.

She put down her phone and looked at the white bouquet in her hand. On the table, there was a plastic bottle filled with flower petals.

That was the wedding headpiece she took from Li Chuan's car yesterday; she kept the petals.

She only took two bouquets of flowers with her when she left Jiangning, but she was already very satisfied.

"Goodbye Jiangning, goodbye Li Chuan!" It seemed only this woman, whom he had only known for a day, would shout such a serious name.

Lin Mo and Director Wang now call him Chuanzi, and Miss Yuan and others call him Chuanmei, but Li Chuan is his real name.

Noon, at the studio.

Miss Yuan yawned and came in through the back door. As soon as she entered, she shouted, "I'm starving! Someone, is there anything to eat? I don't need any!"

This is so typical of Miss Yuan; she cries out for food the moment she opens her eyes.

"Sister Yuan, you're here! Almost there, Lao Mo and the class monitor are cooking, it'll be ready in a bit!" He Xiaoyue said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Miss Yuan's eyes lit up, and she immediately ran to the kitchen door, where she indeed saw two busy figures inside.

"Mo Zai is very diligent today, he even came down to cook. Not bad, Sister Yuan, I have high hopes for you!" Miss Yuan said with a smile.

Lin Mo sighed helplessly, "If someone wasn't in a bad mood, I wouldn't bother doing it!"

"In a bad mood? Who is it? I'm not?" Miss Yuan asked, puzzled. Hearing this, the class monitor, who was cooking, gave Miss Yuan a look, indicating that the person in a bad mood was inside.

Upon seeing this, Miss Yuan turned her head and immediately spotted the somewhat dejected Chuanmei sitting on the sofa.

There was no way to miss it; with the Sichuan girl looking so miserable, it was impossible not to notice!
"Hey, I heard you're in a bad mood. What's wrong? Tell me, Sister Yuan, so I can cheer myself up too?" Miss Yuan kicked the Sichuan girl's foot, put her hands on her hips, and looked down at her from above.

Upon hearing this, Chuanmei opened her mouth, unsure of what to say. It was He Xiaoyue and Director Wang who, taking turns speaking, briefly recounted the events.

Soon, Lin Mo and his companion finished preparing the meal and brought it up.

"Huh? Just because of this? You're so pathetic. She left, so what? Do you expect her to kowtow to you?"

Besides, he was getting ready for surgery, not jumping into the river, so why are you so emotional?
"Maybe she'll be able to stand up when we meet again next time," Miss Yuan said nonchalantly.

Hearing this, Chuanmei frowned: "But...her circumstances aren't good. I was thinking of giving her some of the money I received from yesterday's live stream tips so she could have the surgery without any worries. I've already prepared the money; consider it her appearance fee. But she..."

"If she leaves, it proves that she doesn't need it, or rather, she doesn't intend to. Besides, since she was able to come out, it proves that she wasn't in a difficult situation. Put away your compassionate heart. There is too much suffering in this world. Can you handle it all?"
"There are still people who can't get enough to eat. If you don't believe me, you can ask online. Why think so much?" Miss Yuan rolled her eyes at him.

Lin Mo, standing to the side, nodded in full agreement: "That's right, how can you force yourself to put pressure on yourself? Sister Yuan, is there any way to help him get out of this mood quickly?"

He meant the pain transfer technique: as long as Miss Yuan punches seriously, she can definitely make the Sichuan girl ruminate, and then the pain will be offset.

But Miss Yuan clearly misunderstood. She was taken aback for a moment, then laughed and said, "Yes, of course! I know of something that will make you happy if you eat it!"

Upon hearing this, not only Lin Mo, but also the others, including Chuan Mei, looked over curiously.

"What is it, Sister Yuan?" He Xiaoyue asked.

Upon hearing this, Miss Yuan said mysteriously, "There's something sweet that bounces when you put it in your mouth. Can you guess what it is?"

"Popping candy!" He Xiaoyue was the first to raise her hand.

The others nodded in agreement, clearly agreeing with the answer, as they had all eaten this when they were children.

Miss Yuan shook her head: "No, besides, why is popping candy happy even when you're at a disadvantage?"

"Huh? No? Are there any other sweet things that bounce when you put them in your mouth?" Lin Mo asked.

The others shook their heads. After racking their brains, the class monitor finally spoke up: "Sister Yuan is definitely not here!"

"Exactly, there's no such thing as sparkling water, right? Don't tell me it's just sparkling water?" the Sichuan girl said.

Upon hearing this, Miss Yuan reached into her pocket and, to everyone's astonishment, pulled out a giant bullfrog and shoved it directly at the Sichuan girl's face: "Of course it's a toad dipped in sugar!!"

Holy crap!!!

Immediately, everyone saw the Sichuan girl jump up from the sofa, her bottom moving as if it were made of springs, which was quite against the laws of physics.

Lin Mo and the others were also startled, and immediately took two steps back, isolating Miss Yuan.

"Where did this come from? It's such a huge toad!" the Sichuan girl exclaimed in a trembling voice.

For the first time, everyone realized that when people are extremely scared, their hair really does stand on end.

"Where did it come from? I had a buffet yesterday, they had some there. I had too many things to take, so I just put one in my pocket."

I was planning to eat it later, but I forgot and brought it back. By the way, Mozi, do you know how to cook toads? Miss Yuan asked.

Hearing this, Lin Mo rolled her eyes at her: "This isn't a toad, it's a bullfrog. Have you ever seen anyone eat a toad? Toads are poisonous, okay? Unless you remove the poisonous parts, you can't just put everything in your pocket next time. Why are you eating and carrying things at the same time? That's too scary!"

"Huh? I thought it was a bullfrog. It's boring and doesn't make any sense. Here, you can play with it, Chuanmei!" With that, Miss Yuan tossed the bullfrog in her hand to Chuanmei.

"what!!!"

Then the Sichuan girl suddenly made a loud bang; anyone who didn't know better would have thought a fire alarm had gone off!

Miss Yuan wanted to eat it, but Lin Mo didn't want to cook it. Chuan Mei, class monitor He Xiaoyue, and the other two were scared, so in the end they asked Director Wang to release the bullfrog back into the wild.

At the dinner table, the Sichuan girl was startled twice in a row and was no longer in her so-called emo state. She was left with only lingering fear on her face, and even the food in front of her lost its appeal.

"See, I told you this toad would work! It works even without sugar. If I dipped it in sugar and gave it to Chuanmei, I guarantee she'd jump for joy!" Miss Yuan said with certainty.

Everyone:
(End of this chapter)