Chapter 26
The facts proved that there was absolutely nothing wrong with Lin Huaixi’s body. He had simply hit his growth spurt later than others. During the whole first year of junior high, he shot up a full twelve centimeters. Sometimes when he slept, he almost felt as though he could hear the sound of his bones growing.
His height had basically caught up with the other students in his grade, though he was still a little behind Qi Wang and Sun Baiyi. The three of them were always together, which made Lin Huaixi look especially small by comparison, so most people did not notice at first that he had grown taller.
At the beginning of second year, there was a placement exam. The students with the best scores went into the advanced class, while the rest were divided according to ranking.
The exam was very formal. Student numbers were scrambled and the test rooms reassigned. Unfortunately, Qi Wang and Sun Baiyi ended up in the same exam room, while Lin Huaixi was alone in a room at the other end of the corridor.
The grade dean was invigilating. Standing to one side with a stern expression, he supervised everyone as they put away their textbooks and unrelated items.
When he happened to glance back, he caught sight of a face that felt both familiar and unfamiliar. Narrowing his eyes slightly, he looked more carefully and only then realized it was Lin Huaixi.
Lin Huaixi had grown taller and slimmer. The lines of his face had finally begun to emerge, his jawline smooth and clean, his Adam’s apple faintly visible. Though there was still some childish softness left, he had already become a boy entering adolescence.
After slimming down, his eyes looked even larger. The curve of his pupils was especially full, and the outer corners tilted slightly downward, making him seem innocent and harmless, yet the overall shape lifted upward, inheriting Lin Yunmi’s bright and delicate beauty. Even in a crowd, he stood out at once.
The grade dean patted him on the shoulder and said with a smile, “You’ve grown quite a bit taller this year.”
Lin Huaixi had been praised by different people in turn lately. Hearing this, he pressed his lips together shyly and smiled. “Not that tall.”
“It’s all right. You’ll keep growing.” The grade dean glanced at the time and encouraged him. “Do your best on the exam. I’m looking forward to seeing you in the advanced class.”
Lin Huaixi’s grades were good. If he performed well, he could rank among the top students in the grade. On top of that, he was the most obedient and sensible student in class, so all the teachers liked him very much.
Lin Huaixi smiled and nodded before entering the exam room.
When the bell rang, the room fell silent. Only the soft rustling of pen tips against paper remained, and the atmosphere was tense and heavy.
The placement exam lasted the whole day. Lin Huaixi had prepared thoroughly, and the papers were not difficult for him. Each time, he still had enough time left to check his work, and he felt quite confident about his results.
After the papers were collected, he walked out of the exam room holding his pen. He had just found his backpack when he saw Sun Baiyi come running over, panting hard.
Sun Baiyi was exactly the same as when they were children. Whenever he ran through the hallway, the whole floor seemed to shake beneath him. Lin Huaixi looked at him helplessly. “Be quieter.”
Sun Baiyi patted his chest, and only then did his breathing smooth out. “H-how did you do?”
“Pretty well.”
The moment he heard that, Sun Baiyi’s face fell. “It’s over. Looks like you’re going to end up in the same class as Qi Wang.”
Lin Huaixi kindly tried to comfort him. “Just do your best. Try to get into the advanced class with us.”
The light in Sun Baiyi’s eyes dimmed. He lowered his head slightly, and his somewhat stiff hair bobbed around like the stubborn fur of a big dog growing the wrong way. “With my grades, there’s no chance.”
Sun Baiyi was extremely sensitive to numbers, and in math he could almost score perfectly every time, but he was seriously imbalanced in the other subjects, where he hovered only around the passing line. He was at least several hundred places away from the advanced class cutoff.
Lin Huaixi knew his situation perfectly well and sighed. “You’re so smart. It’s not like you can’t learn. Then why don’t you put a little more effort into the other subjects?”
Sun Baiyi scratched his head and smiled awkwardly.
In truth, he treated every subject equally—he had never studied seriously at all. His math scores were only being held up by natural talent.
His father hated seeing iron fail to become steel and had gotten so angry several times that he had laid hands on him, but Sun Baiyi never changed his ways. He would get scolded one second and forget it all the next. That brainless way of his made people around him both love and hate him.
Lin Huaixi’s words were not heavy, but they struck exactly at the softest part of Sun Baiyi’s heart.
Six years had passed, and he had matured a little. Only now, from his current perspective, did he realize just how serious the mistakes he had made back then truly were.
At the time, Lin Huaixi had seemed to be clashing with him, but in truth, he had pulled him back. Sun Baiyi did not even dare imagine what kind of person he would have become by now if he had continued growing up in that wrong environment and mindset.
And besides…
For no reason at all, he just wanted to be a little closer to Lin Huaixi. Seeing him or thinking about him always made him happy, and he wanted to occupy a place at Lin Huaixi’s side.
In first year, Qi Wang had been assigned to the very distant Class Ten. Whenever he had time, he would run over to interrupt Sun Baiyi and Lin Huaixi, but most of the time, Sun Baiyi had still managed to be Lin Huaixi’s “best friend.”
Sun Baiyi felt that it had been the happiest period of his life. Unfortunately, the placement exam brought it all to an abrupt end.
The thought that he would no longer be able to see Lin Huaixi every second from now on stung him like a needle. He straightened up sharply and patted his chest. “Xixi, don’t worry. I’m definitely going to study hard. I’ll get into the advanced class at the next placement exam. Then I’ll stay with you every day. For now, just bear with it a little. Staring at that robot Qi Wang all day must be so boring.”
“…” Lin Huaixi did not know how to handle the force of Sun Baiyi’s momentum and could only smile. “What is it with you and Qi Wang? After all this time, you still don’t get along.”
As if to prove his point, Qi Wang walked over carrying his backpack. He cast Sun Baiyi a cold glance, ignoring him completely. His eyes reflected only Lin Huaixi alone. “Let’s go. We’re going home for dinner. Grandma made Yanduxian. It won’t taste as good once it gets cold.”
The moment Sun Baiyi heard that, his brows twisted tightly together. “How do you even have the nerve? You freeload dinner at Xixi’s house every single day. That’s Xixi’s grandma, not your grandma!”
Qi Wang glanced at him and killed him with one sentence. “Weren’t you the one who first called her Grandma directly? No, wait. You called her Auntie.”
As soon as he heard that, Sun Baiyi’s ears turned red on the spot.
Back then, in order to win Lin Huaixi over, the very first time he went to his house, his little mouth had seemed smeared with honey. One moment he was praising Grandma for being beautiful, the next he was saying she looked so young he wanted to call her Auntie. Grandma had laughed so hard at him and given him lots of snacks.
His goal had been achieved, but now that he thought back on it, he realized just how childish and ridiculous he had been. It had become the lever Qi Wang used to crush him every single time. Whenever Qi Wang brought it up, Sun Baiyi’s fire was instantly snuffed out, and he became so ashamed he could not say a single word.
Seeing this, Lin Huaixi sighed inwardly.
Bickering again, why are they arguing again?!
He stepped forward, trying to mediate. “The exam’s over, so just relax. What is there to be unhappy about?”
But right in the middle of speaking, his expression suddenly stiffened. His crow-feather lashes trembled twice, though he quickly adjusted himself and lifted a smile again. “Come on. I’ll treat you both to drinks.”
Sun Baiyi’s two greatest loves—good food and Lin Huaixi—had both appeared at once. He immediately abandoned Qi Wang and happily crowded up to Lin Huaixi like a cheerful little dog. “Can we eat ice cream?”
“No problem.” Lin Huaixi waved a hand and deliberately put on the air of a rich young master. “Whatever you want to eat, I can afford it!”
Sun Baiyi laughed and chatted as he walked beside him.
For once, Qi Wang ignored his enthusiasm. His gaze had settled on Lin Huaixi’s back, and his brows slowly drew together.
Sun Baiyi was careless and had not noticed the brief stiffening in Lin Huaixi just now, but Qi Wang had caught it exactly.
On the surface, Lin Huaixi looked as sunny and cheerful as always, yet somehow gave the feeling that the smile in his eyes did not reach the bottom, as though even his happiness were only an act.
Qi Wang had already noticed this problem some time ago. He had not questioned him rashly, wanting first to figure out why Lin Huaixi was unhappy.
Worried, he followed after them, his gaze never leaving Lin Huaixi for even a second.
The three boys walked together to the little shop. Sun Baiyi was naturally familiar with everyone, and after greeting the owner, he went straight for the ice cream freezer.
“Xixi, do you want some ice cream?” Sun Baiyi held one up and waved it warmly toward Lin Huaixi.
It was Lin Huaixi’s favorite, but he did not even spare it the corner of his eye. Out of habit, he said, “Too sweet. I don’t eat it.”
They had already heard that answer many times. After hesitating for a few seconds, Sun Baiyi probed, “Xixi, don’t tell me you’ve cut out everything you like just for the sake of growing taller. Wouldn’t that be way too miserable?”
Lin Huaixi, who had always once been a little glutton, showed not the slightest bit of longing on his face. “There’s nothing miserable about it. It’s only ice cream. If I don’t eat it, then I don’t eat it.”
“It’s not just ice cream…” Sun Baiyi’s voice grew quieter and quieter, and he swallowed the rest of his words.
Lin Huaixi had completely quit sugar. Snacks and ice cream did not even earn a glance from him. Lately, he had gone so far overboard it was almost like being possessed. He had even quit his beloved little bunny cake.
Something stirred in Qi Wang’s heart. He suddenly realized where the problem lay, but because Sun Baiyi was such a brainless alarmist, he kept himself from speaking no matter how many times he wanted to.
Sun Baiyi walked out of the shop contentedly holding two ice creams. After tearing off the wrapper, he shoved one straight to Lin Huaixi’s lips. “Just try a bite!”
Lin Huaixi could already feel the coldness on his lips. He turned his head helplessly away. “I’m really not eating it.”
Sun Baiyi waved the ice cream again. When he saw that Lin Huaixi’s attitude was firm, he finally took it back regretfully and bit off a huge mouthful, wearing the blissful expression that only a true foodie could show.
Watching him, Lin Huaixi instinctively licked his lips.
Sweetness seemed to linger on the tip of his tongue. Lin Huaixi had gone too long without sugar and had almost forgotten what sweet even tasted like. He froze for a few seconds and then licked the corner of his mouth again, carefully, like a child who had gone too long without candy.
Seeing that expression on his face, Qi Wang became even more certain of what he had guessed, and his heart ached all the more for him.
The three boys walked side by side to the intersection. Sun Baiyi’s home was in a different direction from theirs. Reluctantly, he waved at them and left, turning back every few steps.
Lin Huaixi turned to Qi Wang with one of his habitual smiles. “Then let’s go home too.”
But Qi Wang remained standing where he was, unmoving, staring at him with dark heavy eyes.
At first, Lin Huaixi only felt puzzled, with a huge question mark popping over his head. But when he met Qi Wang’s pitch-black pupils, guilt suddenly welled up inside him, and he lowered his head slightly.
Qi Wang felt the matter had to be dealt with. He reached out and pinched Lin Huaixi’s chin between his fingers, leaving him no room to avoid him.
The two boys stood very close. Lin Huaixi had grown a lot taller, but he was still half a head shorter than Qi Wang. Staring blankly at his own reflection in Qi Wang’s eyes, feeling the warm yet unyielding pressure on his chin, he finally could no longer force himself into one of those habitual “smiles.”
“Xixi, I remember that you love sweets the most, and you love little bunny cake the most too. Then why haven’t you touched any of it lately?” Qi Wang softened his tone. It sounded less like questioning and more like a heart-to-heart.
Lin Huaixi pressed his lips together and said in a very small voice, “The doctor told me to change my bad habits… so I can’t eat sugar anymore… and I did get taller… I want to grow even taller.”
His words came out broken and uneven, but Qi Wang still pieced the logic together.
Though Lin Huaixi had acted as if he did not care, “being short” had actually put a great deal of pressure on him and had even become something he feared. In order to solve the problem, he had strictly followed the doctor’s advice, but had overcorrected. That overcorrection had itself become a form of fear shackling him.
On top of that, he had in fact grown taller lately, and had received a lot of praise for it. Deep inside, he had subconsciously linked “not eating sugar” with “growing taller.” In order to become taller still, he had no choice but to keep suppressing himself. Thus, the little glutton of the past had turned into someone who would not touch sugar at all.
Even though he had achieved the goal now, Lin Huaixi himself had become unhappy.
Qi Wang was full of self-reproach, feeling that he had been too careless not to notice sooner.
“Do you think that if you eat even a tiny bit of sugar, then you’ll never grow tall again, and you’ll go right back to how you were when junior high first started?”
Lin Huaixi had been completely struck at the center of his thoughts. He widened his eyes in shock and looked at Qi Wang with confusion and helplessness.
Qi Wang sighed inwardly and coaxed him softly. “It’s not like that. Growing taller has no direct connection to eating sugar. There’s nothing wrong with your body at all. In the future, you’ll definitely keep getting taller and taller.”
“Really?”
Something so small, yet Lin Huaixi had been suppressing it for too long. After receiving only the tiniest bit of comfort, he felt so wronged that it was almost unbearable.
“Of course it’s true. I promise you—even if you eat sugar, you’ll still keep growing taller, and Auntie and the others won’t have to worry about you anymore.” Qi Wang had also found the root of another problem.
Lin Huaixi had seen how worried Grandma and the others looked, and so he had quietly taken on that burden himself, feeling that growing taller was not only his own matter.
Lin Huaixi sniffled, his voice trembling. “So I can eat sugar?”
“You can.” Qi Wang’s voice carried a sense of reassurance that settled straight into the heart.
Lin Huaixi loved sweetness like his life depended on it. These past days without sugar had been absolute torture for him. And it had not only affected him emotionally—there had been a physical aspect too. Now that the false belief in his heart had collapsed, all the feelings he had been suppressing for so long burst out at once. A layer of mist formed in his beautiful eyes, and the rims turned red, making him look like a wronged little rabbit.
“I want to eat sugar.” He looked at Qi Wang with wide pleading eyes, tears gathered in them, as though if Qi Wang dared say no, he would cry on the spot.
Qi Wang: “…”
He immediately reached into his pocket, only for his fingertips to touch empty air.
He had the habit of carrying sugar on him at all times so he could soothe Lin Huaixi whenever necessary. But the last piece in his pocket had been forcibly taken away by Sun Baiyi a week ago. Since Lin Huaixi had quit sugar recently and would not touch even half a piece, he had carelessly forgotten to bring new ones.
Now that they had grown up, it had been a very long time since Qi Wang had seen Lin Huaixi cry. The huge tears about to spill from those beautiful eyes utterly threw him into panic. His mind went blank.
“I—I, that, don’t cry…” It was as though the two of them had returned to childhood. Every single tear Lin Huaixi shed landed straight on Qi Wang’s heart and hurt. Qi Wang’s cold, aloof image could no longer hold up at all. He began turning in circles in flustered confusion, and even his voice stammered.
Lin Huaixi himself did not really understand why he was crying either. He felt it was ridiculous and embarrassing. Sniffling, he tried to force the tears back.
The tears blurred his vision. He blinked, trying to make out Qi Wang’s expression, but the next second, his lips touched something with a fine delicate texture.
Instinctively, he opened his mouth and held the flower between his lips.
The petals spread open freely, lovely and enchanting, gorgeous to the extreme, nearly covering the lower half of Lin Huaixi’s face. In the evening glow, his beautiful eyes sparkled like crushed diamonds. A tear slid from his lashes, rolled like a dewdrop over the petals, and was stained purple-red by the color.
“Suck on it,” Qi Wang coaxed softly.
It was as though Lin Huaixi’s soul had been taken. Qi Wang’s face was reflected in his eyes, and he gently sucked once. A faint sweetness of nectar spread over the tip of his tongue.
“Is it sweet?” Qi Wang’s brows and eyes curved. The ice and snow seemed to melt from him, and he became warm as the spring breeze.
Only then did Lin Huaixi come back to himself. He nodded lightly and finally stopped crying. “It’s sweet.”
Qi Wang placed the remaining flowers into his hand. The petals overlapped layer upon layer, so many that one hand could barely hold them all.
Lin Huaixi lowered his head to look at the flowers in his hand, then lifted his eyes to Qi Wang. In his gaze was a dependence even he himself had not noticed.
Qi Wang saw it clearly. Reaching out, he pulled Lin Huaixi—who had squatted down like a little mushroom on the ground—back to his feet. Then he carefully adjusted the straps of his backpack, gentle and attentive like an older brother. “Bear with it just a little longer, okay? I’ll make you little bunny cake when we get home.”
Lin Huaixi knew perfectly well that Qi Wang was only using that little bit of sweetness from the flower nectar to comfort him. Feeling a bit embarrassed, his eyes darted all over the place, not daring to look at Qi Wang. “Um… I really didn’t mean to cry. I don’t know what happened either. I just couldn’t control it.”
Qi Wang let out a light laugh and asked on purpose, “You cried? How come I didn’t know?”
Lin Huaixi understood what he meant. His mood cleared from cloudy to sunny, and he finally smiled again. “Maybe somebody cried, I don’t know who, but it definitely wasn’t me!”
After saying that, he held the remaining flower between his lips and ran a few steps ahead. Then he suddenly turned back around. His eyes and hair had both been dyed amber by the sunset. His whole body seemed almost fused with the evening light itself. Even the flowers blooming at their most splendid could not compare to the force of life radiating from him.
With the flower in his mouth, Lin Huaixi could not speak. He only waved at Qi Wang, silently urging him:
Hurry up too!
