The first thing I did when I got home was to hand over the final exam paper to my parents and adults for a look, and then gritted my teeth and received the scolding. From that day on, we ignored each other. The two sides were at a stalemate for nearly a week, and as the last vestiges of pride and dignity were worn away, I finally couldn't help but bow my head and admit my mistake. People need to communicate, and I can't stay silent for a long time, let alone endure loneliness for a long time. After the holidays, everyone is busy and the contact is not as frequent as when they were at school. Even in the group chat of the string orchestra, there are only a few messages sent and received in a day. I am neither interested nor able to interject as to who bought new clothes, who ate good food, who went to play where, and so on, and I cannot reply to anything in-depth except to echo the admiration of others. At the same time, due to the monotony and boredom of my life, I can't provide a topic worth talking about. Luckily, people don't mind my thin presence, maybe that's exactly what they need. In a group, the roles of echo worms and followers are indispensable, and everyone can't be the protagonist, right? It is said that such meaningless communication, which has no substance, is called ineffective communication, and cannot satisfy people's emotional needs. But can cold words, conversations that have to be carried out just for the sake of everyday life, fill the emptiness in people's hearts? Obviously, it's not as soothing as a bowl of hot soup and a mouthful of hot rice.

Not long after I got home, I started to miss my dorm life. Admittedly, I felt lonely in the dormitory without Xingyuan, but at least I was free to spend my time. At home, I was only allowed to eat, sleep, and study. My parents once told me that before I went to elementary school, they made the difficult decision to let my mother quit her job and focus on taking care of the family. One of the tasks of taking care of my family is to supervise my studies, so the two long holidays every year have become the most painful days for me. My mother would go to the market every day to buy us fresh meat and vegetables to cook, so I could relax my nerves during those two hours of solitary time, but when my father was on vacation, I lost the only opportunity I had.

I don't remember when I had had enough of their inquiring gazes, so I would close the door as soon as I entered the room. They didn't stand in the way. With the soundproofing of the door, they no longer have to worry about the noise in the living room getting in the way of my studies, and I can finally turn on the TV and watch it with peace of mind, so naturally there is no reason to object. Unfortunately, a door didn't help me escape their grasp. You can close the door, but you can't lock it! My father was very stern and resolute when he made this request to me. In my opinion, he doesn't have to be angry. After all, they had the keys to all the doors in their hands, and the locks were nothing more than decorations to them. They probably thought that they had the right to open the unlocked doors at will. I don't know if I'm more disgusted by the occasional glance outside the open door, or the unsuspecting sound of the door opening and the scrutinizing that comes with it. Ironically, their excessive attention and companionship did not warm me, but deepened the sadness in my heart. It was my choice to close the door, but somehow, I had a vague feeling of being trapped.

After two weeks at home, I was so depressed that I was depressed. I realized that I urgently needed to get out for a walk, to get some fresh air, to let go of the boredom in my heart. Anyway, as long as you don't stay here, it's fine. The only reason to convince them to let me go out was to go to Xingyuan's house to study. The problem is that Xingyuan didn't invite me to ...... Knowing that it is not popular, I still have the cheekiness to mention it, which is too uninteresting...... At the moment, all I can ask about is knitting a scarf. Thinking of this, I silently deleted the entire edited text. I pondered the words over and over again, trying to show a casual tone. In fact, I've asked her the same question three times over the course of two weeks, but I haven't gotten a clear answer each time. I asked too much, but I was more anxious than her, but I didn't ask, and I was afraid that she would change her mind...... Just when I was struggling, Xingyuan sent a message to the group of the string orchestra, to the effect that we should go out for a party next week. I was the first to reply with a "yes" expression, but my heart was not as cheerful as that expression. I should have been glad she gave me a chance to make amends, but the thought of having to wait until next week to get out made me sad...... In fact, if you are skilled enough, you can weave the simplest style of scarf in one day and one night, and even if you are a novice, it will not take you more than a week. The reason I didn't tell her this was because I wanted her to come to me sooner to teach her. If I teach hard enough, maybe she will be impressed by my sincerity. I even thought about putting down my face and crying and begging her for forgiveness. In any case, it is better than relying on information contact now...... If all goes well, I can tell her I'd love to learn the violin. As long as she is willing to let me hide in her house and let me practice all day, I will be willing.

I finally looked forward to the appointed day. When my parents heard that I was going to Xingyuan's house to do my summer homework, they immediately showed the most open-minded attitude, not only agreeing to let me go, but also telling me to learn from Xingyuan well.

"It doesn't matter if you come back later." So they say.

I sighed, picked up a workbook, and left without looking back.

That morning, the sky was cloudy, it was dark all around, and it was raining heavily. I strolled down the street with my umbrella in my hand, inhaling the fresh air and feeling happy. The weather forecast said that the rain would stop around 5 p.m., and we would have been eating and shopping in the mall before, so the heavy rain outside could not affect our itinerary and mood. Besides, it's rare for Xingyuan to ask us out, even if the weather is bad, we will go to the appointment, let alone a mere rain?

I left the house earlier than I had planned and ended up being the first to arrive at the restaurant. The waiter took me to the long table that Xingyuan had booked and handed me the menu. After flipping through the menu, I began to worry that I wouldn't have enough money to pay for the meal. Sharing the cost of meals is our tacit understanding of the string orchestra, and today is no exception. I can't stop other people from ordering their favorite food, which means that even if I don't order anything, it's hard to keep the per capita cost down...... Because of my anger with my parents, I lost two weeks of living expenses. A few days ago, I was able to make ends meet thanks to the small savings I had saved before. Looking at the beautifully printed menu in front of me, I sighed secretly. With little savings left, and no living expenses during the summer vacation, I simply didn't have the capital to go out for dinner.

"Yin Ran, it's so early." Xingyuan's soft voice woke me up from my distress.

Seeing her sit across from me without thinking, my voice became choked. "Xingyuan, long time no see......"

Before I could brew tears of emotion, the others arrived.

"Look at what you're going to eat." Xingyuan winked at me and continued, "I'm having a treat today, everyone can order whatever you want." ”

"Wow!" "Great!" We couldn't help but let out a series of exclamations.

"Why do you want to have a treat?"

"Is something good happening?"

"I know, it must have something to do with Xu Mingyao, right?"

A series of questions made Xingyuan a little overwhelmed.

She waved her hand helplessly and said softly, "I just want to invite everyone to a meal and make a memory......

"Is it because you're going to be divided into classes next semester?" Xin Tian frowned, pouted, and looked sad.

"What about the class, as long as our friendship remains, the string orchestra will not be disbanded." Yu Menghan crossed his hands in front of his chest, looking a little angry.

"Yes, even in different classes, we can still play and learn together as before."

"Winter vacation, summer vacation, weekends, there is time!"

"Hmm...... Yes......" Xingyuan smiled indifferently and responded absentmindedly.

"Speaking of class division, Xingyuan, what subject are you going to choose?"

"Xingyuan wants to follow in the footsteps of her parents and practice medicine, of course choose science!"

"Xingyuan, do you plan to become a doctor in the future?" Seeing that Xingyuan didn't reply, I couldn't help but ask, "Do you want to choose chemistry?" ”

"Maybe......" Xingyuan put one hand on her cheek and looked at us quietly.

"What about Xu Mingyao?" Yu Menghan asked curiously.

I secretly glanced at Yu Menghan. I really envy her for being able to ask so directly......

"He plans to take the entrance examination to the School of Architecture, probably physics......" Speaking of Xu Mingyao, Xingyuan's eyes will always become very gentle.

"Is it to inherit his father's company?" A mysterious smile appeared at the corner of Yu Menghan's mouth.

"What company?" The unknown person hurriedly asked. So, Yu Menghan told them the identity of Xu Mingyao's father's partner.

"So, Xu Mingyao is the future domineering president?" Xin Tian covered his mouth and screamed.

"I can't imagine how he can become a domineering president......" Everyone was instantly amused by this sentence, and they laughed back and forth.

"Although it is not necessarily overbearing, it can be regarded as a president! Xingyuan, I really envy you to be the president's wife, how can you be like us...... Alas......" Xin Tian leaned on Xingyuan's shoulder and said coquettishly aggrievedly.

Hearing this, we followed suit.

"What is the president's wife...... How can anything ......" Xingyuan lowered her eyes shyly, her cheeks crimson.

"Actually, I haven't decided what I'm going to do in the future......"

"Me ...... too"

"I really don't know what subject to choose......

"I'm going to take science!" Xingyuan cast an inquiring glance at me, as if she was very interested in my sudden speech. I clenched the fork in my hand, met Xingyuan's gaze, and continued, "I want to choose chemistry like Xingyuan!" ”

"Then I'm going to choose chemistry too!"

"It's good to study chemistry, and there are many majors that you can apply for!"

In this way, people who had not made up their minds before all followed Xingyuan and chose chemistry.

"I really want to go to chemistry class with you, but Yang Fan said that he wants to study physics...... I ......" Speaking of this, Xin Tian burst into tears.

"What are you crying about, it's not like you won't be able to see you in the future......" Yu Menghan held Xin Tian's hand and comforted softly.

"Shouldn't I choose physics...... Xin Tian asked in a crying voice.

"As long as you follow your heart's choice, it's worth sticking to, and there's nothing you should or shouldn't do." Xing Yuan stared at Xin Tian and said firmly.

"Don't choose physics for Yang Fan!" Yu Menghan touched Xin Tian's head and continued: "Don't choose a chemistry ...... just to be in the same class as us."

"Hmm...... Looks like I'll have to think about it......" Xin Tian muttered.