Chapter 16
Sun Baiyi was filled with the kind of anger that came from being made a fool of. The tiny little boy was puffing with rage, the corners of his mouth drooping so low they nearly reached his chin. He stamped hard on the ground, kicking pebbles flying everywhere and even leaving several shoeprints on the spotless white wall.
He fumed the entire way down the path. At the end of the lane, more than a dozen little boys were waiting for him.
Even in the world of children, there was a trace of adult complexity mixed in. Sun Baiyi often handed out chocolate at school, came from a relatively well-off family, and liked bragging about his round-the-world travels. That made him something like a “big boss” at school, with a whole group of little followers and admirers around him.
They had all been craving chocolate. The moment they saw Sun Baiyi, they licked their lips, eyes lighting up as they ran over, practically one step away from reaching out their hands directly. “Sun Baiyi, do you have chocolate today?”
The moment Sun Baiyi heard the word chocolate, he thought of that hateful Lin Huaixi and immediately took it out on them. “No chocolate. I threw it all away. I’m never bringing chocolate to school again!”
The children were all stunned, their mouths dropping into round O’s.
Most of the boys only stayed by Sun Baiyi’s side for the chocolate. Hearing that, they all puffed up their mouths and left one after another in disappointment.
Sun Baiyi did not know how to describe the feeling in his heart, but watching their backs as they walked away only made him angrier. He panted like a little calf, huffing and puffing nonstop.
The little boy standing in the very front remembered what his parents had taught him. Though he did not really understand it, he still obediently edged closer to Sun Baiyi. “Baiyi, what’s wrong?”
“Lin Huaixi lied to me. He already has two milk candies, and he still wanted my chocolate. I threw it away before giving it to him.” At last, Sun Baiyi found an outlet to vent. He shouted loudly, “I hate Lin Huaixi the most!”
That name sounded a little familiar. The little boy frowned slightly and tried hard to search through the hidden corners of his memory.
Sun Baiyi took the drain cover on the ground as if it were Lin Huaixi and stomped on it furiously. Fortunately, he was light enough that even if he really collapsed it, the unlucky one would only be himself.
After that burst of madness from Sun Baiyi, even the children who had stayed behind were frightened off, leaving only that one little boy.
Once Sun Baiyi had calmed down a bit, he looked blankly around him. Suddenly, his heart felt empty, and he even felt the grievance of someone who had been wronged.
He had no chocolate anymore, and no one wanted to play with him anymore either…
Sun Baiyi sniffled, trying hard to hold back the urge to cry. He looked with great appreciation at the little boy who was still willing to stay, but since he did not know how to express his feelings, he could only imitate his father and glare at him fiercely. “Why aren’t you saying anything? Do you want to go play with Lin Huaixi too?”
The little boy scratched his scalp and said blankly, “I think I’ve heard that name before. My cousin was in the same kindergarten as him.”
Sun Baiyi instantly became interested. He rushed over at once, staring at the little boy with bright burning eyes. “Then did Lin Huaixi cry in kindergarten? Did the teachers ever scold him?!”
Once he found out some embarrassing thing about Lin Huaixi… Sun Baiyi imagined himself standing proudly in front of Lin Huaixi, pointing at Lin Huaixi’s nose and unleashing a wild stream of mockery. Lin Huaixi would only be able to lower his head like a trembling little quail, too scared to speak, too wronged to dare argue back.
Just thinking about it made Sun Baiyi nearly laugh out loud. He was sinking into the fantasy so deeply he could not pull himself out, until someone tugged at the hem of his clothes and dragged him back to reality.
“Doesn’t seem like it. My cousin said Lin Huaixi really loves to smile, and everyone likes him a lot. The teachers have only ever praised him. They’ve never criticized him.”
Sun Baiyi: “…”
His expression froze, and for a long while he could not say a single word.
“Then why did you tell me all that?!” Sun Baiyi burst out in exasperation. “If Lin Huaixi is that great, then go play with him! Don’t eat my chocolate anymore!”
The little boy panicked the moment he heard there would be no chocolate. He stammered, “I-I remembered something. My cousin said Lin Huaixi doesn’t have a dad.”
Sun Baiyi’s first reaction was disbelief. In his mind, every child had a father and a mother, so how could Lin Huaixi possibly not have a dad?
“Then where did his dad go? Did he also go away on a business trip?” Sun Baiyi pressed.
The little boy looked very blank. “I don’t know. Lin Huaixi said his dad is a star in the sky and won’t ever come back.”
Sun Baiyi tilted his head back to look at the sky. After staring blankly for a few seconds, he suddenly puffed out his mouth in dissatisfaction.
The only ones who could fly in the sky were great heroes who saved the world. How could the father of an annoying pest like Lin Huaixi possibly be that amazing?!
“He must be lying.” Sun Baiyi stamped his foot.
The little boy shook his head again and again. “He’s not lying. My cousin has never once seen Lin Huaixi’s dad. Have you?”
Sun Baiyi thought carefully about it, then slowly shook his head.
His own dad also went away on business often and was not home to keep him company, but every time he came back, he brought him toys and took him to amusement parks. Lin Huaixi’s dad, though, could never come back. That was kind of pitiful.
That was what Sun Baiyi thought in his heart, but he was stubborn with his mouth. “It must be because Lin Huaixi is too annoying. That’s why his dad doesn’t want to come back.”
Thinking he had finally gotten hold of Lin Huaixi’s weakness, Sun Baiyi immediately grew happy again, his nose almost sticking up into the sky.
The little boy only had chocolate in his heart. He gave a silly little laugh. “Sun Baiyi, will you still bring chocolate to school in the future?”
“Of course I will.” In some ways, Sun Baiyi had an instinctive talent for winning people over. “I’ll give you three pieces—no, five pieces. But from now on, if you hear anything about Lin Huaixi, you have to tell me too.”
The little boy was so happy his eyes turned into slits, already savoring in his mind that silky sweet taste of chocolate. “Okay, I’ll tell you everything.”
For the first time in his life, Sun Baiyi had suffered a setback. He wanted revenge on Lin Huaixi. Snorting twice through his nose, he said maliciously, “Later I’ll tell everyone that Lin Huaixi doesn’t have a dad. Then no one will want to play with him anymore.”
Sun Baiyi could not help laughing aloud, but this time, he got no response.
Opening his eyes, he saw that at some point the little boy had already run far away, his back looking terribly flustered, as if some monster were chasing after him.
Sun Baiyi frowned involuntarily. Suddenly, he felt a chill run down his back, and even the hairs on his body stood up.
He vaguely realized something and turned around very, very slowly, only to meet Qi Wang’s pitch-black eyes.
!!!
He was so frightened that he began trembling all over. At the same time, there was that guilty feeling of having done something wrong. He lowered his head stiffly, not daring to look at Qi Wang at all, while he could feel Qi Wang’s footsteps getting closer and closer.
…
It was almost time for class. Lin Huaixi looked everywhere for Qi Wang, assuming he had gone back first to read.
But after returning to the classroom, Qi Wang’s seat was still empty.
Lin Huaixi’s delicate brows drew together. He wanted to go look for Qi Wang, but the teacher had already stepped into the classroom right on the bell.
Through the entire math lesson, Qi Wang never came back. Lin Huaixi could not focus, and every now and then he would glance at the empty seat beside him.
Time suddenly seemed to crawl. It felt as though the stool were burning hot beneath him. Lin Huaixi kept shifting his little bottom left and right, utterly unable to sit still.
The moment the bell rang for the end of class, Lin Huaixi sprang up from his chair before the teacher had even left and ran outside to look for Qi Wang.
He ran to the restroom and the water room, but he did not see that familiar figure.
Qi Wang was nowhere to be found.
Sweat beaded on the tip of his nose. Lin Huaixi felt like he was about to shut down inside. In desperation, just like last time when he had mistakenly thought Qi Wang had gone missing, he squatted down in the corner of the corridor like a little mushroom and stared pitifully in the direction Qi Wang might come from.
Qi Wang did not come.
Instead, he felt the floor begin to tremble slightly.
Hearing those heavy footsteps, Lin Huaixi knew Wang Xiaohu had come looking for him.
Wang Xiaohu came charging over, grabbed Lin Huaixi’s wrist, and panted so hard he could not get out a full sentence. “Qi Wang, he… he…”
The moment Lin Huaixi heard Qi Wang’s name, his wilted little cowlick immediately sprang straight up. He asked anxiously, “What happened to him? Say it clearly!”
Wang Xiaohu slapped his chest and finally managed to catch his breath. Pointing in the direction of the teachers’ office, he said in broken gasps, “Qi-Qi Wang and Sun Baiyi got into a fight! A-and they even called the parents!”
In students’ hearts, calling parents was a very serious matter. Even Wang Xiaohu, who usually feared nothing, now had eyes full of fear, and his face had gone pale.
“It sounds like they’re not going to let Qi Wang come to school anymore. Xixi, what are we going to do? Hurry and go save him!”
The moment Lin Huaixi heard that, he shot to his feet, puffing out his chest like a little fighting rooster, his eyes nearly shooting fire.
He had known it—he truly had not identified the wrong person. Sun Baiyi really was Scum Gong Number One, a genuine big bad guy!
Hmph. As long as he was here, nobody was allowed to bully his little childhood sweetheart!!
