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Chen Fei was admitted to the prestigious university without taking the entrance exam, and he is studying actuarial science, which has an incredibly high admission requirement. Subjects like life insurance, general insurance, data science, and mathematics, which others find dry and difficult, are a walk in the park for him. He has always been the most outstanding among his peers, but no one would believe that, except for those who blindly follow him around. In reality, Chen Fei has no friends, not a single one. This is related to a secret he has kept for many years.
What is Chen Fei's secret? Shh! He has claustrophobia!
When Chen Fei was seven years old, he went back to his ancestral village, Matou Village, with his parents to visit relatives. The children in the village were all very curious about this city child and gathered to stare at him. Since his parents were busy, they let him play with the village children and told him not to go too far. However, the adults did not know that sometimes, children's malice is the most blatant. Some older children, who couldn't stand Chen Fei's new clothes and envied the remote-controlled car in his hand, lured Chen Fei to an old factory nearby, snatched the remote-controlled car, and locked him in a small abandoned workshop.
With a bang, the white daylight was blocked from the outside and couldn't come in, making the pitch-black workshop terrifying. The residual chemical reagents in the workshop emitted an unbearable stench, which rushed over and choked Chen Fei's nose and mouth, making him cry directly. He couldn't see anything, and didn't care that his snot and tears mixed together and entered his mouth. After feeling around for a while, he finally touched the wall, squatted down, and hugged himself.
Xiao Chen Fei (crying in fear): "Dad... Mom... Dad... Mom... Feifei is scared! Dad... Mom..."
The crying inside the door was loud, but outside it was as weak as a mosquito's cry. The factory is three or four miles from the village and has been abandoned for ten years. Normally, no one would come here.
Clang! Click! Bang! The wooden stick jamming the workshop door handle was pulled out, and someone from outside opened the door. The crying abruptly stopped as Chen Fei stared blankly at the beam of light turning into a wall of light. A small figure appeared at the doorway, dropped the wooden stick in hand, and just looked at him. The quiet atmosphere was suddenly broken by a hiccup from Chen Fei, and the figure walked towards him. It wasn't until the figure got close that Chen Fei could see clearly. It was a child about his age, looking relatively clean but clearly wearing ill-fitting clothes, too big and with short pant legs. The back of a pair of Ultraman sneakers was already worn out. Another untimely hiccup.
Young Chen Fei (tearfully): "Who are you? Can you take me to find my mom and dad?"
The stranger child didn't speak, but just went forward and pulled Chen Fei up. The close distance was enough for Chen Fei to notice the difference in the other person, a red birthmark that almost covered half of the face, like a burning fire. Sensing Chen Fei's quietness and gaze, the stranger child lowered their head even more, just enough to hide the half of the face, and then silently led Chen Fei out, not forgetting to take a big bag of empty bottles and cans placed at the door.
By now it was dusk, Chen Fei's parents found that their child was missing, and they were extremely worried, calling on the villagers to help search, fearing that Chen Fei had encountered human traffickers. The children who had locked Chen Fei up realized they had caused trouble and were afraid of getting beaten, huddling to the side and not daring to say anything. One of the children shivered and wanted to go tell the adults, but was glared at by the leader and shrank back.
They didn't know that the truth would eventually come out. Just as the village was in chaos and preparing to call the police, Chen Fei returned. Chen Fei's mother hugged the child and burst into tears, and Chen Fei's grievances also erupted once he returned to the familiar embrace. After some questioning, everything became clear. Those few naughty kids received a solid beating and finally ended with a bowing apology. Due to the ties of the hometown, Chen Fei's parents didn't want to make a scene, so they didn't say anything. Originally planning to stay for a night before leaving, they immediately packed up and prepared to return to the city.
The whole time, the unfamiliar child who came back with Chen Fei stood outside the crowd, as if not really involved in the commotion. To show her gratitude, Chen Fei's mother gave the child's parents a few hundred yuan, making them very happy. As they were leaving, Chen Fei, who had already been lifted into the car by her father, struggled to get out of the car and handed something yellow to the child.
Little Chen Fei: "This is my favorite little yellow duck, I'm giving it to you! From now on, we are friends! Goodbye!"
Chen Fei left the Ma Tou Village in a small car, leaving behind two tire tracks in the dust raised by the last light of the setting sun, leaving behind the most beautiful memory in a small heart. Friends? It turns out that there are people in this world who are willing to be friends with oneself. Looking at the little yellow duck in her hand, Huang Xiaoxiao revealed a long-lost smile.
On the way back to the city, Chen Fei curiously learned some things about that child from her mother.
Chen Fei Mother: "Alas, what a pitiful child."
In the eyes of the villagers in Matou Village, Huang Xiaoxiao's birth was a great injustice. On the wedding night, the woman was forcibly taken by the lustful drunkard Eldest uncle. Absurdly, this Eldest uncle actually died of a heart attack due to excessive excitement at the climax. When the groom, who had sobered up in the middle of the night, entered the room, he saw a bride with a vacant look in her eyes and a mess below, as well as a brother whose body had already turned cold but whose manhood was still standing tall.
Ma Tou Village is just as small as a palm, and this ugly incident cannot be suppressed, especially since it resulted in a loss of life. The eldest uncle died cleanly, at least he had a romantic fling before he passed away, but the newlyweds suffered terribly. What's even more fatal is that, a little over a month later, the woman became pregnant. Enduring her husband's silence and neglect, the woman gave birth to a child with a red birthmark covering half of its face, and then jumped into the river, leaving no trace of her body. Faced with the so-called son, who was actually his nephew, the man had no choice but to raise him, but he didn't care about anything, not even the name. Even the name "Huang Xiaoxiao" was given by the registration officer when the child was small.
The man spent some money to have the villagers take care of Huang Xiaoxiao, while he went out to work and save money. In less than two years, the man saved enough money to marry a new wife, and they only got married when she was pregnant. From the day the stepmother entered the house, Huang Xiaoxiao's nightmare began. He had to do all the dirty and tiring work at home and in the fields, he could only eat the leftovers from the family, and his clothes were hand-me-downs from other children. Whenever something went wrong at home, he was the one who got scolded and beaten.
As Huang Xiaoxiao grew taller, so did the birthmark on his face. The children in the village found him ugly and called him a "monster," bullying, mocking, and teasing him openly and in secret. Huang Xiaoxiao, who was weak and powerless, dared not fight back because he knew that even if he complained, his parents would not stand up for him. They might even scold him for causing trouble. Moreover, among the children who bullied him was his younger brother, who was the apple of their parents' eyes and never cared about his older brother.
When suffering became a normal part of life, everything became a habit. It wasn't until he was eight years old that Huang Xiaoxiao first realized that life wasn't all suffering. The little yellow duck given to him by a city child became his motivation to keep moving forward. However, he didn't know the name of the city child and didn't dare to ask anyone, hoping that he would have the chance to meet again when he grew up.
Returning to the city, Chen Fei encountered some setbacks in life. Perhaps because the memories of being locked in an abandoned factory were too deep, he developed claustrophobia, where any enclosed space felt like hell to him. He would experience rapid breathing, increased heart rate, profuse sweating, and even difficulty breathing.
In order to seek treatment, Chen Fei's parents moved to the provincial capital, City H, where there are top domestic mental health departments and psychologists. Moreover, a change to a larger environment would likely benefit Chen Fei's physical and mental health. Since then, Chen Fei has never returned to his hometown, and the little yellow duck that was sent away has remained sealed in his memories.
Several years have passed, and the little boy who used to huddle in the abandoned factory workshop has grown into a handsome and well-proportioned young man, carrying the high expectations of his parents. Chen Fei, with the qualification of being a "sent student," has stepped into the gate of a prestigious university, and has become a popular figure in the school's online community, known as "school grass," " male god," and "academic overachiever." His claustrophobia rarely recurs now, of course, because he consciously avoids those confined spaces.
In his sophomore year, he met a boy in an elective class. Although the boy's entire face was covered tightly with a hat and a mask, the subconscious timid and shrinking appearance, along with the small yellow duck pendant on his backpack, made him inexplicably feel a sense of closeness. Due to the instant good impression, he began to pay more attention to this boy.
After attending a few classes, Chen Fei learned that the male student is called Huang Xiaoxiao, majoring in civil engineering. Since entering the school, he has always been alone, rarely speaking to others, and does not live in the dormitory. After class, he leaves immediately without staying for an extra minute. As a result, everyone thinks Huang Xiaoxiao is a weirdo, and there are many rumors about him. The most discussed rumor is that he is an ugly monster, otherwise why would he cover himself up so tightly every day? After discussing it, they realized that not a single person knows what he actually looks like.
Huang Xiaoxiao is aware of the gossip, but he ignores it. Even when faced with difficult classmates, he endures it all. After witnessing several instances of bullying, Chen Fei couldn't bear it anymore.
Someone maliciously recommended Huang Xiaoxiao in class to solve extremely difficult problems, leaving Huang Xiaoxiao feeling embarrassed and awkward. Chen Fei took the initiative to help him out and comforted him with a smile. When Huang Xiaoxiao was seen repeatedly eating cold vegetarian rice balls, Chen Fei thought he might be struggling financially, so he pretended not to want his own drink and gave Huang Xiaoxiao a $20 bottle of flavored milk to help him get some nutrition. When it was discovered that someone had put paint in the drink given to Huang Xiaoxiao, Chen Fei quickly took the drink away and privately warned the pranksters. Chen Fei never imagined that his well-intentioned actions would be seen as malicious by Huang Xiaoxiao.
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