Chapter 7: Whirlpool Two

  Two

  We who yearn for love often meet someone in an indefinite period, his smile warming the chilly land in our hearts. At first, we naturally accept the goodness he gives, but this is the greatest conspiracy he has designed. When his goodness to you has become a habit, as the days go by, you don't even know on which day he has already occupied the most special place in your heart. It's only then that you realize leaving him is the hardest thing to accept at this moment.

  The feeling in her stomach was getting stranger and stranger, thinking that a small life was growing inside, Xiao Yi felt more fear. Every time she wanted to discuss this matter with Zhang Chongyu, seeing his painful and evasive eyes made her swallow the words in her throat.

  At the beginning, I wasn't sure if I was really suitable for him, but that day's lighting was beautiful, his eyes were gentle, and his palm was warm, then I agreed with him in a daze.

  That night, she couldn't sleep, tossing and turning, still unable to believe that she was with him. It wasn't until the next morning when she saw Zhang Chongyu waiting for her at the school gate that she snapped out of it. You could say they were together in a daze from the start, maybe there was also a desire to get back at Lan Yu in the beginning, but all that's in the past now.

  The thrill of going on adventures together, the flustered look in his eyes when he's angry, the occasional smile when turning around during class, the silly grin when holding her hand, and every time standing outside the court with a bottle of water waiting for him to take a break at halftime, then handing it over to him, watching him gulp down the water she had fetched, the way it trickled down his throat and onto his chest, these unintentional moments have already taken up the most special place in her heart.

  Later, she discovered that she was pregnant with his child, and all the previous sweetness was shattered. Panic and fear took over her mind, and she wasn't psychologically prepared for it. Heaven had suddenly dropped such a huge bombshell on her without warning.

  The stars in the midnight sky twinkled and were embedded in the dark sky, and in this small southern city, except for the streetlights, all households had already gone to sleep, and the south city had entered a deep sleep.

  The only thing that can be vaguely seen is the light of Xiao Yi's house, Xiao Yi holding a remote control nestled in the sofa, the TV was muted, and the pictures kept changing, unable to understand the content.

  Xiao's mother opened the door and saw her daughter still sitting on the sofa, reminding her in a low voice that it was late and time to sleep. Xiao Yi smiled obediently at her mother and promised to go to bed right away.

  When his mother returned to the room and closed the door, Xiao Yi took a deep breath, gathered his courage, picked up the phone on the table, and dialed a familiar number. The long ringing tone made people feel anxious, just as Xiao Yi was about to hang up the phone, a voice came from the other end of the line.

  "Hello?" was the tired voice of a middle-aged woman.

  Xiao Yi's heart suddenly rose to her throat, and she hurriedly gripped the phone and said in a low voice: "A... Auntie is good."

  "Who are you?"

  "I... I'm a classmate of Zhang Chongyu's, can you get him to listen to this phone call?"

  "So it was Chong Yu's classmate after all. It's just that it's so late now, he has already gone to sleep. Can you talk about whatever it is tomorrow?"

  "I..." Xiao Yi gritted her teeth, unsure of what to do. At this time, Zhang Chongyu's voice came from the other end of the phone: "Mom, who is it?"

  The phone was silent for a while, Xiao Yi held her breath and listened to the movement on the other end. Then, Zhang Chongyu's familiar breathing sound came from the other end, and he softly called out her name: "Xiao Yi, is that you?"

  "It's me." Like a pair of lovers who hadn't been in touch for many years, Xiao Yi said this sentence and tears fell onto her hand.

  The boy on the other side sighed and said, "What's wrong? Still not sleeping so late?"

  She trembled and suppressed her voice: "I... I couldn't sleep, I'm so scared, you know? I have nightmares every day, how can you ignore me?"

  “…don’t cry.” Zhang Chongyu walked to the balcony with the phone, looking at the starry sky, and suddenly realized that he couldn't think of any other words to comfort her except for telling her not to cry. Thinking of her tearful eyes, he irritably rubbed his forehead.

  Xiao Yi looked at the constantly changing images on the TV screen and tightly grasped the microphone to ask: "Do you still love me?"

  The tense breathing sound came through the phone, and Zhang Chongyu's eyes suddenly became moist, "Love."

  "I love you too." Two lines of hot tears fell, Xiao Yi strongly held back the sourness surging at the tip of his nose, fiddling with the phone cord, "You also love our baby, right?"

  "Love, however, is Xiao Yi..."

  Before Zhang Chongyu could finish answering, Xiao's mother rushed over from behind and snatched the phone, shouting into it: "What baby? Who are you?"

  "----- Mom!!!" Xiao Yi cried as she snatched the phone from her mother's hand and hung up, then sat on the sofa sobbing.

  "Child, tell mom what's going on..."

  Xiao Yi's dry, cracked lips opened wide as she lowered her head and sobbed: "Mom... it's like this... I'm pregnant."

  Upon hearing this, Xiao Mu's mother suddenly slumped onto the sofa, her face pale as she stared at her daughter's innocent face. Her right hand trembled as she raised it to slap her daughter's face: "You're killing me! Are you trying to take my life?"

  Xiao Yi's left cheek instantly swelled up, she covered her scorching hot face with her hand, and looked at her mother with tears in her eyes: "Sorry, mom. If someone has to die, it should be me."

  Xiao's mother finally couldn't hold back her tears, and the heartache for her daughter occupied this usually strong-willed mother's nerves. Xiao's mother painfully hugged her daughter's frail body and patted her back: "Tell Mom who he is."

  Xiao Yi buried her face in her mother's neck and didn't say a word.

  "It's Zhang Chongyu."

  Xiao Yi's body stiffened slightly, and she looked up at her mother, saying hastily: "It has nothing to do with him, I did it of my own free will!"

  Xiao Mu suppressed the flames in her heart and slowly spoke with sorrow, "Are you stupid? You're still so young... This will make people laugh at us for a lifetime. How could you not think of this before? Let's call your dad, he knows many doctors, let's schedule an appointment to have the child aborted."

  "Mom, don't tell dad, he's so proud, he'll definitely beat me to death!"

  Tears on her face had not yet dried, and two lines of scorching hot tears fell uncontrollably again. The inexplicable taste in her heart swept through her body. Her mother wiped away her daughter's tears and said, "You know how to cry now, why were you so foolish back then?"

  The phone rang busy, Zhang Chongyu stared blankly at the phone in his hand, then slowly put it back to its original place. It was Xiao Yi's mother who just spoke, it seems that this matter can't be hidden anymore.

  "Is there something wrong that your classmate called so late?"

  Zhang Chongyu heard the sound and turned his head back. His mother's thin and small body was leaning against the door, looking at him with a worried face.

  Zhang Chongyu forced a smile and said, "It's nothing, she's not feeling well and wants me to help her ask for leave tomorrow."

  "Oh." Zhang's mother looked at her son worriedly and said: "It's late, hurry up and go to sleep."

  That night, Zhang Chongyu looked at the shadow cast by the street lamp on the ceiling and tossed and turned, unable to sleep all night.