When I was little, there was a chubby boy living next door.
His house was noisy, with his parents constantly arguing.
My dad went over to confront them, saying, “What’s going on in your house? It’s so late, how are others supposed to sleep?”
I hid behind my dad and caught sight of the chubby boy.
His face was streaked with tears as he sobbed and wiped his eyes.
That was the first time I met him. I handed him a candy.
Because my mom always said that children wouldn’t cry after eating candy.
However, when his chubby little hand took the candy, he cried even harder.
Later, when I started primary school, I discovered he was in the same class as me.
But it seemed like none of the classmates liked him. They even gave him the nickname “Chubs.”
The nickname was cute, but he didn’t like it. He always walked home alone with his schoolbag.
One day after school, he was being bullied by kids from another class. He was cornered against the classroom wall.
He looked so pitiful.
I didn’t have time to run to the office and tell the teacher.
On my own initiative, I shouted, “Hello, Miss!” and scared the bullies away.
Chubs looked up at me, his eyes still brimming with tears.
“Are you okay?” I extended my hand to help him up.
He stuffed the snacks he was holding into my hands.
“I’m not here for your snacks. I just wanted to help you up.”
“I’m giving them to you. I want… to thank you.” He wiped away his tears with his sleeve as he spoke.
“Jason, if no one wants to be your friend, I’ll be your friend.”
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I held his hand as we ran together on the grass. When we were tired, we lay down on
- it.
“If you lose some weight, you’d definitely be handsome.”
“Then I’ll give you all my snacks to eat, so I can lose weight.”
I laughed out loud. “That’s great! Let’s be best friends forever.”
Jason gave me snacks every day. I couldn’t finish them, so I stored them in my house.
Jason would give me whatever I wanted.
Before long, the whole house was bursting with things.
He took me away, saying he had built a castle for me.
It was filled with toys and riches.
One day, he suddenly disappeared. I looked for him for a long, long time.
I found him lying in Sleeping Beauty’s crystal coffin. I kissed his lips.
Miraculously, he woke up. Even though he didn’t remember who I was, he still loved
- me.
He brought me a diamond ring, the biggest one he could find, and knelt down to propose to me.
“Will you marry me and be the happiest bride in the world?”
“Yes, I will.” My eyes brimmed with tears, trembling with excitement.
I was surrounded by flowers and applause, with everyone offering their blessings.
I truly became the happiest woman in the world.
I woke up from my dream, only to realize it had been a whimsical fantasy.
Stretching lazily, I felt the lingering warmth of the sheets and an inexplicable sense of contentment.
Looking at the wedding photo on the wall, I realized I was already married to Jason.
Holding a spatula and wearing an apron, Jason looked like the perfect husband as he slowly walked into the bedroom from the kitchen.
He leaned down and said gently, “I didn’t want to disturb your sleep, but you ended
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up sleeping until noon. Lunch is ready–come and eat.
“Aren’t you curious about the dream I had?” I asked him, craning my neck.
“A fairytale love story between a prince and a princess.”
He guessed correctly in one go.
“How did you know? In my dream, I was the happiest woman in the world.”
“Was it because of me?” Jason couldn’t hide his smile.
“Of course.”
“I made roast chicken, your favorite. After lunch, I’ll go with you to your prenatal checkup.”
At the hospital, both of us nervously awaited the results.
The doctor adjusted his glasses and said, “The baby is doing well. There’s still half a month until the due date. Just be careful–avoid greasy food, stick to a light diet.”
I patted my belly and turned to Jason. “See, I told you there’s no need to overdo it. My body isn’t that weak, and the baby is getting enough nutrition.”
Afterward, I suggested we take a walk by the lake.
“It’s windy. I’ll go to the car to get you a jacket so you don’t catch a cold.”
I nodded, waiting for him by the lake as a gentle breeze brushed my face, bringing a slight chill.
A little boy ran past me, then suddenly stopped and ran back, looking at me curiously.
“Ma’am, is it a boy or a girl in your womb?”
I patted his head. “I don’t know yet. What do you think? Will it be a little boy or girl?”
“A little girl! Little girls are well–behaved!” He tilted his head, his eyes twinkling as he waved his hands excitedly. Then, he reached out, wanting to touch my belly.
I didn’t refuse his innocent curiosity. As he touched my belly, the baby inside seemed to respond. I felt a warm and magical sensation.
“It’s definitely a little girl!” The boy jumped with joy.
He pulled a delicate butterfly hairpin from his pocket, holding it carefully in his hand. “This was my sister’s hairpin. Now I’m giving it to this little girl.”
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“Thank you, little one,” I said, deeply touched as I accepted the hairpin.
The boy ran off, his father chasing after him. Picking him up, they waved goodbye to me as they left.
Jason jogged over. “What were you talking about just now?”
“About whether it’ll be a boy or a girl. What do you think?”
“A girl, for sure. She’ll have big, beautiful eyes like yours and be so sweet and pretty. ‘Jason didn’t hesitate, gently draping the jacket over my shoulders.
“And what if it’s a boy?” I asked; curious about his response.
“If it’s a boy… I’ll raise him to become a millionaire.”
“That’s your dream, not his! No way!”
“Of course, we’ll let him do whatever he wants.
Looking into Jason’s eyes, I was suddenly overcome with emotion. “If it weren’t for
you,
I wouldn’t have known marriage could be so happy.”
“Don’t think about the unhappy times anymore. Now that I’m here with you, happiness is guaranteed.” He wrapped his arms around me, speaking softly.
“If it weren’t for you, I might have ended up living alone abroad for the rest of my life.”
“Exactly! Good thing I changed your tragic fate.”
We embraced each other tightly, quietly watching the sunset cast its golden glow over the lake.
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