Because we are all afraid of being alone.

     The

    moment the scores came out, Xiao Teng received a call from Chong Chong. They exchanged the scores, and to their surprise, the difference was only seven points. Xiao Teng was overjoyed; she had always worried that the score gap would be too large to get into the same school. Now, she asked Chong Chong, "Which school should we apply to?

    Let's stick to what we agreed on before, Dalian." Chong Chong was decisive. "

    Really that far?" Xiao Teng hesitated, wondering if it was too far—from childhood to adulthood, Xiao Teng always hesitated at crucial moments.

    "Haven't you always wanted to go to a northern city with the sea? What's there to be afraid of if it's far? I'm here!" Chong Chong's tone was firm; Xiao Teng could almost picture Chong Chong patting her chest on the phone.

    Xiao Teng's heart immediately calmed down. Over the years, these were probably the three words Chong Chong had said to Xiao Teng the most. And whenever Xiao Teng heard these three words, she immediately felt reassured. The first time

    Chong

    Chong said "I'm here" to Xiao Teng was ten years ago. It was the first time Xiao Teng and Chong Chong met. Xiao Teng was eight years old, with her father, and Chong Chong was eight and a half, with her mother. They met at a hotel.

    Xiao Teng's single father and Chong Chong's single mother had been dating for six months before this meeting. The reason they brought Xiao Teng and Chong Chong along was that they were planning to get married.

    Actually, Xiao Teng knew everything—her parents had been separated for two years, and her mother had gone abroad with another man. Children raised in single-parent families are often precocious and sensitive. However, she instinctively disliked Chong Chong's mother; she was brightly dressed and wore heavy makeup. But Xiao Teng didn't show it, only pursing her lips and keeping her thoughts to herself.

    Chong Chong, on the other hand, looked up and asked before the adults could even speak, "Mom, are you going to marry this uncle?"

    Only then did Xiao Teng notice Chong Chong; he was a little taller than her, with short hair, wearing a cotton plaid shirt with rolled-up sleeves and baggy overalls—he looked like a little boy. After saying this, Chong Chong suddenly winked playfully at Xiao Teng.

    Xiao Teng was startled and took a step back. Chongchong's unfiltered remarks made the two adults slightly embarrassed. After a short while, Chongchong's mother patted Chongchong's head, saying, "That little rascal!" Then she introduced the two children, saying, "Xiaoteng is half a year younger, she should call Chongchong 'sister'."

    Xiaoteng was taken aback, glanced at Chongchong, and somehow actually called her "sister."

    Chongchong grinned, thinking, "This child is so well-behaved." It was as if she herself wasn't a child. After that, Chongchong kept chattering, while Xiaoteng remained silent until Chongchong nudged Xiaoteng's arm, asking, "Want some ice cream?"

    Xiaoteng loved ice cream, but since it wasn't summer yet, her father wouldn't allow it, so she had to endure it. Chongchong's question made Xiaoteng unable to resist anymore; she wanted some, but her father wouldn't allow it.

    Before her father could respond, Chongchong patted her chest, saying, "It's okay, I'm here!" Then she called out to the waiter, "Two banana ice creams!"

    Xiaoteng glanced at her father, who smiled awkwardly but didn't say anything. Xiaoteng felt a surge of joy at the ice cream she was about to receive. It was the simplest joy of an eight-year-old child. She was a little grateful to Chongchong, and she glanced at her and smiled.

    Chongchong pouted, an expression that reminded Xiaoteng of the "bad kids" in her class who liked to play pranks.

    That

    day, after Xiaoteng finished her ice cream, Chongchong dragged her to the hotel lobby to play. Chongchong seemed completely indifferent to her mother and Xiaoteng's father, only interested in Xiaoteng and the tropical fish in the lobby. Later, Xiaoteng couldn't help but timidly ask, "Chongchong, your mother and my father... who knows?" Chongchong still pressed her face against the fish tank, "I've met many uncles with my mother." Then she turned to look at Xiaoteng, but neither of them had ever brought a child.

    Xiaoteng lowered her head even further and asked again, "Are they really going to get married?"

    Chongchong turned back, "Don't be afraid, I'm here."

    For some reason, Xiaoteng felt at ease. After her mother left, Xiaoteng's little heart seemed to be constantly worried about something, worried that one day her father would bring a strange woman home. Now, that day has come, but what Xiao Teng didn't expect was that Chongchong would arrive with it.

    That evening, after returning home, her father tentatively asked Xiao Teng if she liked Chongchong's mother. After a long silence, Xiao Teng asked, "Will Chongchong come to our house with Mommy?" After receiving an affirmative answer from her father, Xiao Teng said, "Okay."

    Four and

    a half months later, Chongchong moved to Xiao Teng's house with her mother. When Chongchong arrived, she only brought two teddy bears, giving one to Xiao Teng before quickly climbing onto the bed.

    Xiao Teng looked up and asked, "Chongchong, whose house did you live at before?"—For some reason, Xiao Teng felt that Chongchong hadn't had her own home before.

    Chongchong shrugged, "Grandma's house, Uncle's house, and other uncles' houses, many places."

    "Will you leave again?" Xiao Teng couldn't imagine what that life would be like. "

    I don't know." Chongchong said indifferently, "My mom leaves when she wants to, and she doesn't leave when she wants to." "

    Then I'll tell my dad, I won't let your mom leave." Xiao Teng said firmly.

    Chongchong laughed, "Okay, then I won't leave. I don't like him, but I like you.

    " "Him?" Xiaoteng wondered, "Does he mean Dad?" Xiaoteng didn't like Chongchong's mother either, but she didn't say it.

    Xiaoteng's life changed drastically. Although she wasn't in the same school as Chongchong, she was no longer lonely when away from school, and she didn't have to stay with relatives when her father was away on business or working overtime. Sometimes, when both adults were away, Chongchong would take Xiaoteng to eat at a snack shop outside the neighborhood. Because of

    Chongchong

    's presence, the "bad boys" in the neighborhood would deliberately ask Xiaoteng, "Does your new mom love you? Does your new sister hit you?"... Even older children would be chased by Chongchong, and she wouldn't be afraid to fight. Then one time, Chongchong picked up a sharp stone and chased a boy all over the yard until the boy begged for mercy.

    Gradually, no one dared to mess with Xiaoteng anymore. That was the most peaceful time Xiaoteng had ever experienced—not lonely, not afraid. Years later, Xiao Teng finally understood that all of Chongchong's "bravery, wickedness, and indifference" back then were merely defensiveness and resistance learned prematurely from experiencing life's upheavals. At that time, she simply enjoyed the days with Chongchong.

    However, this good time didn't last long. Just over a year later, conflict erupted again in Xiao Teng's home—the same kind of conflict as her parents, but this time, Chongchong's mother's voice was sharper and more piercing. Xiao Teng was terrified, her voice trembling as she said, "Sister, sister, they're arguing." Chongchong,

    lying on the bed reading a fairy tale, didn't share Xiao Teng's panic, simply saying calmly, "I heard it."

    What should we do? The noise outside grew louder, and Xiao Teng felt her little heart pounding.

    Chongchong didn't speak, threw down her book, got out of bed, and pulled Xiao Teng straight through the living room where the two adults were locked in a tense standoff. They walked until they reached a quiet corner of the neighborhood, where Chongchong stopped, looked at Xiao Teng, and softly said, "Xiao Teng, maybe I'll have to move again."