The rich aroma of chocolate milk tea hits your nostrils.
The sweet smell seems to make the air softer.
His hands slowly grasped the enamel cup.
Carefully, slowly, he raised the cup.
...
The rich chocolate milk tea slides into your throat.
The slight burning sensation dispelled the coldness in his limbs.
His expression also softened a bit.
"……Thanks."
Only then did he realize that it was really good that he was willing to talk.
…
"Later, when I got a little older, I finally understood..."
The man smiled bitterly.
His fingers rubbed the side of the cup and he looked down at his face reflected in the chocolate milk tea.
In a daze, he seemed to see the pale and childish face from more than twenty years ago.
The child's unique big dark eyes showed no movement at all.
He could no longer remember the initial appearance of these eyes.
In his impression, these eyes had always been so...dark, empty and full of panic.
Even now, not much has changed.
"It turns out they can't even see..."
…
The man let out a long breath.
"How stupid am I..."
"It's been such a long time..."
"After going through so much hardship, I discovered..."
"If I had discovered it earlier..."
Everything will change.
Mom and dad are still the same as before.
He won't take a break from school.
He will not be ostracized by others and become a lonely person.
He's not... so afraid of the hospital.
His past... has no memories that he cannot bear to look back on.
Everything will be fine.
At least it won't be worse than he is now.
…
"When I finally realized what the problem was..."
The man opened his mouth and took a few breaths, "Do you know?"
"Those terrible experiences...the indifference of my parents...the alienation from my surrounding classmates and friends...always being alone...none of these...did knock me down."
"Although it's just a little bit..."
"But until I realized I could have avoided all of this..."
"As long as I pretend not to see it...as long as I behave normally..."
"Very simple, isn't it?"
The veins on the back of the man's hands are crisscrossed, just like his tangled and depressed heart at this time.
"It's such a simple thing, I haven't discovered it, I haven't done it..."
The man's chest heaved violently, and he was panting even more.
"At that time..."
The man clutched the clothes on his chest, "The regret in my heart... really almost knocked me down."
…
"Hu~hu~"
The man rested his forehead on the back of his hand.
My whole body was shaking.
"I……"
"I can't wait to beat myself up."
"I wish we could turn back time..."
"I……"
The corners of the man's eyes were burning.
My vision became blurry.
…
"It was not too late to find out later."
Xiao Xiao's voice was gentle.
The aroma of coffee and chocolate milk tea mixed together makes you more and more relaxed.
…
"……No."
The man's voice was hoarse, with a hint of choking.
"late."
"Even though... I later realized what the problem was..."
"But it's too late..."
"I have been abnormal for too long..."
"Even if I seem to be back to normal later, no one knows whether I will relapse..."
"and……"
"Not only them, they are used to treating me as a mentally disturbed person..."
"I don't know how to get along with them normally."
"No."
"How to get back to the relationship we had at the beginning."
"Even if I get back to normal..."
He was still the same silent and reticent person.
There is no difference from before.
He couldn't get in the middle of the family's jokes.
He seems to be a transparent person.
The family also habitually ignored his existence...
...
He... doesn't know how to break this situation.
"I'm not that smart..."
Because of that experience, everyone seemed to have ill intentions toward him, and he kept a distance from everyone.
He no longer knows how to approach someone and how to express his kindness.
Even if the other party is one's own family.
...
He hesitated in place.
No one was willing to reach out to him.
Including his family.
so……
...
"It's too late..."
"Even if I find out..."
"Nothing can be changed..."
"Plop~"
There was a light splash on the chocolate milk tea.
Circles of ripples spread out.
His face was so broken that he couldn't see clearly.
…
The man's whole body froze.
But he didn't dare to take any action.
He kept his head down, hoping that the other party wouldn't notice his current embarrassment.
…
"It can be changed."
Xiao Xiao smiled.
…
The man blinked.
There were a few more splashes in the cup.
…
"As long as you have the intention to change, you will change."
"...Maybe it's a cliché."
Xiao Xiao also knows that everyone understands the truth, but...
Knowing it is one thing, but actually doing it is another.
"But instead of maintaining a pessimistic attitude, it is better to take positive actions."
"You don't have to change too much all at once."
"Come little by little."
"Even if you can't change your family's ideas in a short time, or even for a long time, you can still make new friends."
"You just have to live your life according to your own ideas."
"One day, your family will notice your change."
"Your relationship will slowly improve."
…
The man raised his head and looked at Xiao Xiao.
The eyes are red.
There was a bit of confusion in his expression.
…
"Since you don't know how to face your family, then don't face it for the time being."
Xiao Xiao's eyebrows are slightly curved.
"Don't force yourself."
Because his heart has been haunted by the shadows of the past, Wei Xinhai's behavior may never have changed much in the eyes of his family.
Wei Xinhai's image has always been like that of a child in hospital at that time, pale, gloomy and silent.
The more he cares about his family, the more cautious he becomes.
But where do we need to be cautious about family relationships?
Didn't his cautiousness inadvertently increase the distance between him and his family?
…
“Many times actions speak louder than words.”
It's a cliché again.
Xiao Xiao raised the corners of his mouth.
"As time goes by, your family will naturally understand your changes."
…
"can you?"
The man's eyes lit up with a faint light.
Because he knew it was his negligence that caused his family to misunderstand him.