"You really scared me, this child! Thank goodness it's nothing serious. I really don't understand, I don't know when your body became so weak. It must because you eat too much junk food without me knowing. How can you be so careless?" Mrs. Zhao packed up, as Zhao Xing had been discharged from the hospital.
Zhao Xing had nothing to say, she just let her mother talk. She had already missed her for so long, a little nagging wouldn't hurt.
Mrs. Zhao paused for a while and thought about it.
It couldn't be just junk food, right?
'Exams! Right, exams.'
"Exams are approaching, as a high school student it's hard on you, I know, but you also have to pay attention to health! Mom didn't ask you to be the best of the best. All this time has mom ever put pressure on you?" Mrs. Zhao nagged and nagged. She just felt it was weird, Zhao Xing was a healthy girl, and it wasn't like she didn't monitor her well. It might seem that she overlooked certain things she did, but she knew most of what her daughter did, whether it was staying up late, or reading comics, and so on. She just wanted to give her some freedom, at least kids her age should have fun at times. And have experience breaking certain rules. It was the fun of childhood. Zhao Xing was after all pretty hard working for someone with all those unhealthy hobbies. These days she noticed Zhao Xing had been changing. She studied more, and slept earlier. But who would have known she'd suddenly collapse?
Mrs. Zhao talked until she could talk no more. She stared at the silent Zhao Xing who looked back at her with a big smile, that was really annoying. "Look, you're not taking what I'm saying seriously…forget it. Let's go, we still have to pick up Xiao Yun."
When Zhao Xing returned she felt surreal, like she was in a dream. But after spending some hours here, her heart gradually settled. She just needed to see that brat Xiao Yun to be completely assured that all this wasn't her hallucinating.
There wasn't much distance between Xiao Yun's school and the hospital, and so they quickly arrived. That time school was about closing and by the time they arrived they could see the kids running out the building in to school field.
It didn't take long for them to spot Xiao Yun in the distance. The little boy had his head bowed as he slowly made his way towards the school gates, the straps of his backpack occasionally fell off, and he'd pull hard to put them back in place as if he held a grudge against them.
"Eh? What's that boy sulking for? Did he get into a fight?" Mrs. Zhao thought out loud as she prepared to call out to him.
"Xiao Yun!" Mrs. Zhao waved at him.
Zhao Yun's head immediately raised. One could even claim to have seen his ears perk up like that of a little puppy. He spotted them almost as rapidly as he raised his head. He saw his mother, and then next to her someone who rarely came to pick him up. His sister.
That morning he had been the first to realize that Zhao Xing had collapsed, since he was usually the one that woke her up. He really didn't want to go to school that day. But his mother insisted. He wondered if his sister would also disappear like his father, so he felt a little unsettled. But seeing his big sister standing there leaning against the taxi, with her usual expression, he felt relieved.
His small feet moved at a faster pace, he soon made his way to his mother's side.
"Xiao Yun, what happened? Just now you were sulking, did something happen at school, did people bully you?" Mrs. Zhao bombarded him with questions the moment he reached them. But Zhao Yun's eyes turned and met that of his sister's, quietly staring, even forgetting to answer his mother.
Zhao Xing stared back at him.
The feelings between the siblings was very complicated, sometimes the relationship was fine, other times it was like they couldn't bare each other's presence.
Mrs. Zhao realized what was going on and smiled. It turns out Zhao Yun was worried about his sister, but even after seeing her, he didn't even say a word to her and just kept staring.
Zhao Xing was no different, she also didn't say a word to Zhao Yun. She hadn't seen him for so long. And yet..
Mrs. Zhao shook her head. Indeed, if they weren't like this she might have doubted whether the two were related by blood, or if she had picked up the wrong baby. After all the two of them had very contrasting characters.
"Xiao Xing, Xiao Yun was very worried when he saw that his sister had fainted. He even refused to go to school." Since no one wanted to break the silence Mrs. Zhao decided to do it for them.
Zhao Xing suddenly smiled teasingly. "Did he cry?"
Hearing this Zhao Yun frowned. "Why would I cry..?"
"Tch, your face is all red, your eyes as well. Nothing happened, yet you were so scared."
Zhao Yun though enraged didn't know how to counter her attack, and so he turned to his mother with an aggrieved look.
His mother had only wanted to help him express his feelings, who would have thought they'd start arguing? 'I only wanted to help…who would have thought I'd shoot myself in the foot?' Mrs. Zhao sighed.
The driver urged them, and they quickly got into the car.
The ride back home was quiet. To Zhao Xing it felt peaceful. She hoped from deep within that she wouldn't have to return to the other world at nightfall. This was her home, the place where she felt most secure. And this feeling made her even more determined. Whatever obstacle she faced, she would do her best to return to her normal life. She didn't want to be stuck between two worlds anymore.