Chapter 2 — Perfect Body

5 "I lost 10 pounds in 20 days, that's 0.5 pounds per day..." I calculated how long it would take to be completely skinny. The white sheet of paper in front of my eyes suddenly turned into a soft, fragrant loaf of bread. The smell of food from the canteen drifted far away, penetrating into the classroom. If I lose less than a pound a day, then with this progress, my goal is considered lost. Current weight: 170 pounds. Number of days remaining: 60 days. Weight to lose per day: (170 – 100) / 60 ≈ 1,166 pounds. Oh my god, I have to lose more than a pound every day to keep up! My face full of "boring" was seen by the homeroom teacher passing by. I don't know when, the teacher was standing next to my desk, his sharp eyes like a knife scanning the numbers on scratch paper. The teacher's eyebrows furrowed tightly, his voice carrying undisguised contempt: "Are you counting that weight again? I admit that you have lost a little weight." The whole class turned to look at me. Some people whisper that I'm really skinny. But the teacher's words immediately changed direction: "But just a little." "This depends on genes. Even if you want to be skinny, you can't be skinny." The teacher's eyes glanced towards the slender back in the front row: "Some people are born beautiful and favored by God." “As for you, this figure… alone is enough to replace two people.” Laughter echoed throughout the class. Being compared and ridiculed made me feel numb. But in reality... The homeroom teacher was the first person to take the lead in bullying me. In the past, it was clear that everyone secretly brought breakfast into class. Only I was pulled out by the teacher, setting an example for the whole class. Sentenced to stand for half an hour, carrying a thick dictionary on his head. “Look, this is the end of the ‘gluttonous pig’.” My sweat dripped to the ground, forming streaks. The whole class said it was... the spot where I wet the bed. Thinking of this, I glared at the teacher's side profile, full of hatred. “Ah, by the way, I'll announce something important.” The teacher cleared his throat and waved the file in his hand: "The results of selecting the representative for the school's promotional video are out." The whole class immediately fell silent, waiting anxiously. “The chosen one is— … Lam Chi Tinh's friend!” Loud applause rang out. “Wow—!” “The beauty queen is so amazing!” “It's so worthy!” I raised my head. Lam Chi Tinh's perfect face under the lights attracts all eyes, like a proud white swan. As expected, in two weeks, the director team invited by the school will come to film. As a beauty queen, Lam Chi Tinh is perfect in every aspect - family, achievements, beauty, height... Even her weight, after I lost 10 pounds, she also reached perfection. Behind him, a classmate's voice was heard admiring: "Lin Chi Tinh seems to be even more beautiful." "She's so self-aware, how can she be any thinner?" I leaned back, wanting to hear more clearly what they were saying. But the person sitting in the back ducked to the side as if avoiding an epidemic. The low whisper still reached my ears clearly: "Oh my god, that's so creepy." They tried to clean the table, then fell silent. 6 For two weeks straight, I only ate porridge and lettuce. Jogging 20 km at school during the day, and persistently livestreaming aerobic dancing at night. At recess, I jump rope, and in the evening I jump rope. “I will definitely lose weight!” Under the sunset, my shadow stretched very long. Today's goal: 20,000 pieces. “Family, the streamer will jump rope 20,000 times, help the streamer get 20,000 likes.” Language The strings strike the background, echoing steadily and heavily. Luc Duong walked past me holding a basketball: "Hey, why are you trying so hard?" He pouted, seemingly about to let out a sarcastic comment. Seeing me livestreaming, he turned around and left. I didn't pay attention to him, just mechanically continued jumping. The face on the livestream screen, the lines gradually become clearer. The chin that was once hidden by fat is now visible, still round but no longer as vague as before. After dancing for a while, I started to feel exhausted. On the screen, the audience looked worried: "Streamers must pay attention to their health." "Don't lose too much weight, be careful not to fall into a state of semi-thinness." This time, I risked my life to lose weight. Many times I fainted due to low blood sugar during morning self-study hours. One time during the flag raising ceremony, I fell forward. Thanks to that... I am famous throughout school. Every time I practice, there's always someone pointing: "There, that's her!" “For losing weight without needing to live…” Their eyes always had a strange look. But there were also many kind people who encouraged me. I don't know when my drawer has a few more boxes of chocolate, on which it is written: "How to use: Eat when hypoglycemia." The phone also received thousands of messages of encouragement from netizens. The scale shows — exactly 160 pounds. Lam Chi Tinh — 80 pounds. There are 40 days left until the art exam. 7 On schedule, the director team arrived. The hallway was filled with excited students, everyone poking their heads around, looking for adults carrying cameras and wearing baseball caps. In the dance studio, the makeup artist is applying lipstick and makeup to Lam Chi Tinh. “Huh, are you skinny again?” "I remember the last time I tried makeup, it was perfect. The director even praised your face on camera as much as a star." “But… this time I have to adjust my cheekbones a bit.” Lam Chi Tinh glanced at me, her eyes full of warning. “Wow, Chi Tinh is truly a fairy!” The female students shouted in jealousy. The boys were like a bunch of lovesick people, secretly standing outside the window and peeking. After applying makeup, Lam Chi Tinh is still flawless as always. The slightly protruding cheekbones and pointed chin have been adjusted to be softer and more rounded. When she went to the gym to film, almost the whole school came. She stood next to the director, attentively listening to his instructions, always smiling sweetly at the corner of her lips, occasionally waving to her juniors, causing screams to ring out in waves. The sunlight falling on her body seemed to cover her with a layer of gentle light. “So perfect.” The director continuously looked at the frame in the camera. Friends around also couldn't take their eyes off, their whispers were full of admiration: "Oh my god, Chi Tinh is so beautiful! Just like a star!" “The great director even said she was born to do this job!” "It's true that she's the class beauty, no, it should be called the whole school beauty queen!" Hearing these words, Lam Chi Tinh raised his head even higher. Her eyes scanned the noisy crowd, looking straight at me. I want to see a little gratitude from that. Result — none. Just looks triumphant. Suddenly — “Be careful!” When turning around, Lam Chi Tinh almost fell. Luckily, the assistant next to him was able to reach out his hand to help, so he could barely keep his balance. "Tieu Tinh? Are you okay?" — the director asked worriedly. "No... it's okay! Director, sorry, I was a bit distracted just now." Lam Chi Tinh forced out a smile, her voice trembling slightly. When feel With no strength left in her body, she instinctively looked towards me again. The exquisite sheath dress, draped over her excessively thin shoulders, looked both empty and heavy. The girl in front of her eyes flashed with a flash of awakening. — Her weight… will forever be half of mine. Which means... I'm skinny again. At this moment, Lam Chi Tinh is the center of attention. The sunshine was bright, the lens focused, and the compliments of the director and friends echoed around. But… after today, she will fall straight into the abyss. Art exam countdown: 30 days. 8 I turn on hell mode. Because when I went to the gym for consultation, the coach expressed dissatisfaction with my previous plan. "Ly Do, you're in the weight loss phase, right? Stuck at 160 pounds, right?" “Must increase the intensity!” “If you want to lose weight further, you have to break your body's comfort zone!” "Okay!" Slow running in the morning turns into alternating uphill running. After running, I collapsed on the asphalt, my eyes dark. In addition, two swimming sessions a day. Each stroke of the hand waving underwater feels as heavy as lead. When I got to shore, my whole body trembled and convulsed uncontrollably. The most painful thing is when tying a sandbag to your ankle — at least 2,000 times, alternating thigh raises and burpees. In the middle of the night, sweat fell onto the carpet in dark patches, and even the strength to raise my head was almost exhausted. The number of livestream viewers is decreasing day by day. “I would like to leave first, good luck to the streamer and the ladies.” By the time I finished training and dried my body, it was four o'clock in the morning. The livestream room only had a few people left. The moment the begonia flower is not sleeping. I glanced at the clock — there were only two hours left until I had to wake up. The moonlight filtered through the window, cold and lonely. I really don't know... whether I will have enough strength to continue tomorrow or not. Six o'clock in the morning. The alarm rang and I turned over. Huh... My whole body felt like it had been run over by a truck. His limbs looked like they had just been reattached, his elbows and knees could barely move. Anywhere there is a joint, the pain is excruciating. I just wanted to pretend I didn't hear the alarm, then bury my head and fall asleep in bed. But when I opened my eyes, I was staring at the planner hanging above my bed. The number above is getting smaller and smaller. Countdown 28 days – 157 pounds. Countdown 27 days – 153 pounds. Countdown 26 days – 150 pounds. … Absolutely cannot give up. I gritted my teeth, crawled up, and continued yesterday's harsh schedule. "Good news for everyone, the streamer has successfully lost 50 pounds." But the bad thing is… this month, my period was almost three weeks late. The sanitary pads in the corner are covered with a thick layer of dust. Losing too much weight is wearing down my body. 140 pounds. I stared at the number on the scale. It has to be me! Art exam countdown: 20 days.