My Sister Is Acting Strange - Chapter 25 - The Story of Tang Huaijin and Lin Ruoxi

Xia Xinya stood in silence, surrounded by the stillness of the area, devoid of students after school. The only sound was the rustling of autumn leaves being swept across the ground by the wind, creating a lonely atmosphere. She stood there, staring blankly at Tang Huaijin’s departing figure, feeling a strange sense of emptiness.

She had been wronged, and she should have been shouting at Tang Huaijin, venting her anger. But the cold, disdainful look in his eyes pierced her heart, making her want to cry. Her usually sharp tongue, always ready for a verbal battle, felt stitched shut, unable to utter a word to defend herself.

A ridiculous thought crossed her mind: rather than endure Tang Huaijin’s cold gaze and harsh words, she’d prefer him to spank her again. After a while, Xia Xinya moved her feet, licking her lips, tasting the metallic tang of blood-she had bitten her lip hard enough to draw blood.

Tang Huaijin’s words were heavy, essentially cutting ties, suggesting they go their separate ways. But Xia Xinya felt defiant. Why should it end like this? Why was Tang Huaijin so sure it was her doing? She hadn’t done anything, so why was he severing ties with her?

Anger welled up inside her. She wanted to find out who was behind this, to prove herself to Tang Huaijin, to look him in the eye and tell him it wasn’t her. Xia Xinya wasn’t as annoying as he thought.

Thinking about this, her eyes reddened, she sniffed, tightened her jacket around herself, and walked in the opposite direction.

Meanwhile, under the club building, Bai Yuerou was comforting the distraught Lin Ruoxi, pulling a tissue from her pocket. “Here, wipe your tears.”

Lin Ruoxi didn’t take it, her eyes blankly staring in the direction Tang Huaijin had left, silently crying, lost in thought.

Bai Yuerou sighed, hesitated for a moment, then spoke, “Do you really think he doesn’t care about you anymore?”

Lin Ruoxi finally reacted, turning to Bai Yuerou, her voice hoarse, “What do you mean?” She coughed violently, her nose blocked from crying too hard.

Bai Yuerou gently patted her back, her expression complex, “In my impression, Tang Huaijin has always been a steady person. No matter what happens, he seems to handle it easily, with a relaxed smile.”

She paused, then continued, “And I can tell, he’s very thoughtful. No matter who he’s with, he usually wears a gentle smile, rarely losing his temper.”

“I’ve only seen him so emotional twice-once in the cafeteria, and just now.”

Bai Yuerou looked at Lin Ruoxi with a meaningful gaze, softly saying, “Both times were because of you.”

A glimmer of hope appeared in Lin Ruoxi’s dim eyes, “You mean…”

Bai Yuerou nodded, “Though I don’t know what happened between you two, I can see you’re important to him.” She sighed inwardly, unsure if she should be saying this.

After hearing Bai Yuerou’s words, Lin Ruoxi nodded lightly, her gaze still wandering, but her mood improved.

“If you don’t mind, could you tell me about your story?”

Lin Ruoxi glanced at Bai Yuerou, didn’t refuse, looked up at the sky, her eyes filled with nostalgia, and began to speak softly:

“We were classmates in middle school. He was mischievous, relying on his intelligence to avoid homework, while I was the study representative, assigned by the teacher to be his desk mate and keep him in line.”

“Of course, he didn’t want to be managed by a little girl, always finding ways to bully me.” Lin Ruoxi smiled slightly, recalling those days.

“But I was stubborn, even when bullied to tears, I refused to change seats. Eventually, he gave up, resigned to handing in his homework daily.”

Bai Yuerou imagined a stubborn little girl with a ponytail scolding a mischievous boy, finding it amusing, she chuckled softly.

“So when graduation came, he wrote in my classmate book with a red marker: ‘The one who taught me in middle school wasn’t the teacher, but you, the annoying little girl.'”

Lin Ruoxi laughed, as if complaining, “He was so annoying. I was the first to ask him to write, and he messed up my classmate book so much that others were embarrassed to write.”

“Was he really that mischievous?” Bai Yuerou laughed, finding it hard to believe the mature Tang Huaijin had such a playful side.

Lin Ruoxi nodded in agreement, continuing, “Then we ended up in the same class again in high school. When he saw me, his expression was indescribable.”

“Later, he told me that when he saw my familiar ponytail, he almost cried.”

Lin Ruoxi laughed heartily, wiping her eyes, “I was surprised too, because over the summer, Tang Huaijin had grown so much taller. I suddenly realized the mischievous boy had grown up, tall and handsome, just sneaking a glance at him made me blush.”

“But at that time, I didn’t know it was called liking, just wanted to look at him more, to be near him, so I became his desk mate again.”

“My favorite thing during school was watching Tang Huaijin’s profile while he dozed off during morning reading.”

“But in freshman year, many girls liked Tang Huaijin. They weren’t shy like me; his desk was always filled with love letters, even seniors waited after school to confess to him.”

“Luckily, Tang Huaijin’s sister found out, and walked arm-in-arm with him around the school, making those girls quiet down.” She glanced at Bai Yuerou, adding, “Tang Huaijin’s sister is very pretty, really pretty.”

Bai Yuerou nodded, not mentioning she knew about this.

“Later, boys seem to get smarter in high school, while girls become foolish. Tang Huaijin hardly studied but always ranked first, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t catch up.”

“He wasn’t mischievous anymore, always smiling warmly when answering questions, well-liked in class.”

“But somehow, I missed him teasing me.”

“In sophomore year…” Lin Ruoxi’s gaze dimmed, her tone lowered, “Tang Huaijin’s parents went on a trip, and on the way back, they had a car accident and died instantly.”

“What?!” Bai Yuerou gasped, covering her mouth in disbelief.

Though Tang Huaijin had mentioned his father’s love for calligraphy, the word “late” had caught her attention, but she hadn’t found the right moment to ask. Hearing this now, she was shocked.

“This hit Tang Huaijin hard.” Lin Ruoxi’s expression was somber, “He was absent-minded for a month, and classmates didn’t know why. Eventually, under my questioning, he took me to a café and tearfully told me.”

“I didn’t know what I was thinking, just seeing him so sad made me sad too, and impulsively, I kissed him.”

Lin Ruoxi blushed, not noticing Bai Yuerou’s somber expression, shyly continuing:

“He was stunned, asking if it was my first kiss.”

“I didn’t answer.”

“Seeing me silent, he wasn’t satisfied, pulling me close and kissing me for half an hour.”

Lin Ruoxi’s face showed a hint of happiness, reminiscing, “And then we were together.”

“He gradually emerged from the shadow, we often met at the café where he worked, drinking coffee, doing homework.”

“Our relationship grew stronger, never arguing, sometimes I’d ask myself.”

“Is he the one for life? It seemed rash, but I couldn’t find a reason to deny it.”

“One day, Tang Huaijin suddenly said, ‘Come meet my sister.'”

“He said his sister was his only family, and once she approved, I’d be part of the Tang Family.” Lin Ruoxi’s voice was sweet, her eyes filled with hope.

“I was nervous but agreed.”

“The night before visiting his home, I was so nervous I couldn’t sleep, but luckily his sister was kind, friendly, chatting warmly.”

“But somehow, I felt his sister’s attitude was strange, though warm, it seemed distant.”

“I asked Tang Huaijin if his sister was dissatisfied, he paused, smiled, and said I was overthinking.”

“After meeting his sister, I was happy, always wanting to be with Tang Huaijin.”

“But he seemed busier, often leaving early from our dates.”

Lin Ruoxi’s gaze darkened, her voice sorrowful, “Later, he took a week off, telling the teacher he was sick. I sent him many messages, but he didn’t reply.”

“The day he returned…” Lin Ruoxi’s voice trembled, her face growing pale, “A woman I’d never seen came to school looking for Tang Huaijin.”

“I saw her intimately holding his arm and rushed over to ask who she was.”

“She told me she was Tang Huaijin’s girlfriend, and asked who I was.”

“I said I was his girlfriend, but when I looked at Tang Huaijin, seeing he didn’t deny it, my heart sank.”

“The woman was furious, cursing me, while Tang Huaijin stood aside, silent, watching us argue.”

“Finally, when the woman couldn’t win verbally and tried to hit me, Tang Huaijin stopped her, pushing her aside.”

“After they spoke, I saw the woman slap Tang Huaijin hard.”

“Then she left without looking back, and Tang Huaijin ignored her, walking over to me.”

“I thought he’d say something, but he just turned his other cheek, asking me to hit him.”

“I raised my hand, tears in my eyes, but couldn’t bring myself to hit him.”

“There were many onlookers, and when I didn’t hit him, Tang Huaijin gave me a difficult smile and walked away.”

“Since then, Tang Huaijin never sought me out, never explained that day.”

After finishing, Lin Ruoxi’s face was covered in tears, sobbing, “I really love him, if he’d just give me an explanation, even if it’s a lie, I’d forgive him.”

“But he won’t even give me that.”

Bai Yuerou listened quietly, her eyes narrowing in thought, then seeing Lin Ruoxi’s tear-stained face, she opened her mouth but said nothing, instead embracing her.

The wind blew, sweeping up the fallen leaves, shaking the branches slightly, even the small fresh leaves trembled. But after swaying for a while, they remained firmly attached, vibrant and green.