Chapter 27
After measuring his height for a full month in a row and finally confirming that he had grown a whole centimeter taller, Lin Huaixi let out a breath of relief.
He could not wait to share the good news with Qi Wang, so he grabbed two custard buns and ran outside.
He took a huge bite, stuffing his mouth so full that even his cheeks puffed out. It was only when he was nearly choking that he saw Qi Wang walking out from the neighboring yard.
Lin Huaixi thumped his chest hard a few times and only after struggling to swallow the food did he scamper eagerly over to Qi Wang’s side. “Qi Wang, you were right. Eating candy really doesn’t affect height. I grew a whole centimeter!”
Only then did Qi Wang’s gaze focus on Lin Huaixi, and a faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. “So now you can finally relax. You can eat whatever you want, but still pay attention to moderation. Don’t get cavities at this age.”
Hearing Qi Wang use such an older-brother-like tone to instruct him, Lin Huaixi huffed in dissatisfaction. “I’m already grown up now. I know how to control myself. I’m not like when I was little anymore.”
Qi Wang smiled but did not expose him.
Lin Huaixi’s gaze fell on Qi Wang’s hand, and confusion appeared on his face. “Are we walking to school today? But there won’t be enough time!”
Only then did Qi Wang realize that he had forgotten to bring out the bicycle. He quickly walked back into the yard. “Wait here for a second. I’ll be right back.”
Looking at his back, Lin Huaixi vaguely sensed something.
Qi Wang was always so thoughtful and careful beyond his age. He had never been this careless before. So… what exactly was wrong with him?
Qi Wang returned with the bicycle, interrupting Lin Huaixi’s thoughts. “Get on.”
Lin Huaixi lightly hopped onto the back seat and, out of habit, grabbed hold of Qi Wang’s shirt.
Qi Wang was wearing only a dress shirt. The thin fabric held his body heat, giving it a soft warmth, and Lin Huaixi could not help rubbing it between his fingertips. But he accidentally pulled too hard and tugged the hem free from where it had been tucked into the trousers.
“…”
Qi Wang had always paid close attention to neatness, to the point of being obsessive about it. Lin Huaixi pressed his lips together in embarrassment and thought he would definitely stop the bicycle to fix his shirt, but Qi Wang merely stared ahead with dark, distant eyes, as if he had not even noticed.
Lin Huaixi stared at him blankly for more than ten seconds, becoming even more certain of what he suspected.
Something must have happened to Qi Wang for him to be this distracted.
Lin Huaixi carefully thought back over everything that had happened recently, but he still could not find the root of the problem. Because he was so preoccupied with Qi Wang, his mind drifted several times in class, and he nearly failed to answer the teacher’s questions.
At last, the long break came. Lin Huaixi borrowed a little mirror from his deskmate and secretly used it to watch Qi Wang sitting in the last row.
Qi Wang had his head lowered, apparently reading seriously, so Lin Huaixi quietly slipped out through the front door.
He did not waste even one second. He immediately went downstairs to the second floor to find Sun Baiyi.
Sun Baiyi was very popular among the boys in class, and the thing he liked doing most was bragging about his friendship with Lin Huaixi. The moment Lin Huaixi’s figure appeared on the second floor, someone immediately ran to report it, and Sun Baiyi dashed out the front door like a happy little puppy, bumping straight into Lin Huaixi.
Sun Baiyi’s eyes swept around, and when he failed to spot that annoying Qi Wang nearby, the invisible ears on top of his head perked right up, his mood written plainly across his face. “Xixi, how come you came to find me all by yourself? Where’s Qi Wang?”
Lin Huaixi did not understand the hidden meaning behind those words. Looking deeply worried, he said, “I’ve noticed Qi Wang’s not in the right state. It feels like something bad happened to him.”
Sun Baiyi raised a brow and said carelessly, “What bad thing could possibly happen to him?”
At last finding someone he could talk to, Lin Huaixi spoke at lightning speed. “He’s been distracted ever since this morning. He forgot the bicycle, and he didn’t even finish his homework. The teacher called him out by name this morning too.”
Sun Baiyi did not feel the slightest sympathy. When he heard the last part, the corners of his mouth nearly stretched all the way to his ears, and he burst into loud laughter. “That good student actually got called out by the teacher too? Hah! His face must have looked awful. It makes me so happy. Why am I not in the advanced class? I actually missed such a great moment…”
Lin Huaixi smacked Sun Baiyi on the shoulder and deliberately put on a dark expression. “Can you focus on the important part?”
Seeing that Lin Huaixi was about to get angry, Sun Baiyi finally reined himself in and tucked his metaphorical tail between his legs while coaxing him. “Don’t get mad. I didn’t mean anything by it… You’re right. Qi Wang is definitely acting weird.”
Lin Huaixi’s attention was diverted again, and he continued, “But I can’t figure out why. Hurry up and help me think.”
“I think…” Sun Baiyi rested one hand under his chin and put on a wise expression, striking a pose very much like The Thinker.
“This…” Then he folded his arms too. “Mm.”
Sun Baiyi changed positions eight times in one minute, staring at the sky, then the ground, but his brain still stayed completely empty, unable to squeeze out even a single sentence.
He and Qi Wang were not close at all. In fact, he wished Qi Wang would disappear completely from the world he shared with Lin Huaixi. How could he possibly pay attention to him?
“Could it be…” Sun Baiyi’s eyes swept around, and suddenly he lit up when he saw a classmate coming out. “The monthly exams just ended recently. How did you do?”
Lin Huaixi could not keep up with the sudden jump in topic and blankly answered, “Top three.”
“Top three in the advanced class means top three in the whole grade!” Sun Baiyi’s mouth nearly flew into the sky. He looked even happier than if he himself had gotten a high score. “Xixi, your improvement is way too huge. You were born to be an academic genius. That’s awesome!”
Seeing that Sun Baiyi was about to go off into endless praise again, Lin Huaixi anxiously pawed at him with his hands. “Stop talking about me. Worry about Qi Wang first.”
Sun Baiyi flattened his mouth and reluctantly asked, “Then what rank did he get?”
Lin Huaixi shook his head. “Qi Wang didn’t do well this time. He only made top twenty in his class.”
!!!
Qi Wang’s good grades had always been a thorn in Sun Baiyi’s heart, yet Qi Wang had always been too steady to ever give him a chance to attack. Now that he had finally caught a weakness, Sun Baiyi wanted to throw back his head and laugh madly—but seeing the worried look on Lin Huaixi’s face, he could only silently swallow his mocking words.
“Well, that explains it. Qi Wang must be depressed because his grades dropped so badly, to the point that he couldn’t even do his homework.”
But the knot between Lin Huaixi’s brows did not ease. “That’s not right. The rankings were announced in the morning, but Qi Wang was already distracted first thing in the morning.”
Sun Baiyi shrugged carelessly. “Maybe he went to the teacher’s office yesterday afternoon and found out the rankings in advance.”
Lin Huaixi looked at Sun Baiyi without speaking.
This was the most plausible answer so far, but he still felt that the drop in grades was not the real reason, only one symptom.
Besides, they had grown up together. Lin Huaixi was one of the people who understood Qi Wang best. Qi Wang would never have such a huge emotional reaction over something this small.
Sun Baiyi looked extremely certain and kept trying to drill the idea into Lin Huaixi’s head, but Lin Huaixi still felt as though his heart were suspended in midair, and his whole state of mind remained off.
Sun Baiyi had originally wanted to brush it off, but seeing Lin Huaixi so worried, he could not help starting to care about it too.
After the two of them separated, Sun Baiyi spent the rest of class with his chin propped on one hand, still thinking about it nonstop.
Qi Wang really was making a fuss over nothing. What problem could he possibly have that would make Xixi worry this much?!
Sun Baiyi felt extremely dissatisfied with Qi Wang, and, as luck would have it, enemies really did meet on narrow roads.
Sun Baiyi had skipped class to play basketball in the gym. By the time he finished, he was covered in sweat, and his mouth felt so dry it was practically smoking.
He tossed the basketball to one of his buddies and hurried down the steps while tugging at his collar, planning to go buy water.
But halfway down, he suddenly noticed a familiar figure standing in a remote corner.
Sun Baiyi stopped in his tracks, then walked over with a deep frown. “Why is it you? So even a good student skips class too?”
Qi Wang turned his head and looked at him expressionlessly. “School’s already over.”
Only then did Sun Baiyi realize that he had been playing basketball for a very long time, to the point that the sun was already close to setting. “Fine. Then why are you here all by yourself? Where’s Xixi?”
“Xixi went home first.” Both Qi Wang’s expression and voice were calm, revealing no emotion at all.
Sun Baiyi had known ever since first grade that Qi Wang was very good at putting on an act, and he could not help rolling his eyes. With his hands shoved into his pockets, he looked down at Qi Wang from above and said, “I’m not going to play those fake games with you. Whatever bad mood you’re in has nothing to do with me, but I’m begging you—don’t let it show so much that Xixi gets this worried!”
Qi Wang’s expression paused, and he abruptly lifted his eyes, staring fixedly at Sun Baiyi. “What did you say?”
Sun Baiyi curled his lips, his dissatisfaction written all over his face. “Xixi’s very loyal, and he’s more observant than you think. He noticed a long time ago that something was off with you, and today he even came to find me specially to ask…”
Before he could finish, Qi Wang turned around without the slightest hesitation and strode away, panic written all over his back.
“Hey, I wasn’t done yet.” Sun Baiyi waved an arm and muttered under his breath, “So rude. You’re way worse than me. Xixi is only this close to you because you’re his neighbor. Just wait. One day, I’ll definitely become Xixi’s best friend!”
When school ended, Lin Huaixi had gone to find Qi Wang so they could go home together. Qi Wang had said the teacher wanted to see him and told Lin Huaixi to head back first.
Lin Huaixi nodded, but the moment he turned around, the smile vanished from his face.
How could he not know that was only an excuse? But if Qi Wang needed some time alone, then he would cooperate.
On the way home, Lin Huaixi kept thinking about it too, his whole face scrunched up.
Time suddenly seemed to pass extremely fast. By the time he came back to his senses, he was already standing at the mouth of their lane.
Lin Huaixi froze for a moment. Just as he was about to continue inside, unfamiliar voices drifted from the far end of the lane, mixed with the sounds of things being moved.
Most of the people who lived here were elderly, and the neighborhood was harmonious. The lane was almost always quiet all day long. Realizing something was wrong, Lin Huaixi quickened his pace and headed inside.
The farther he went, the closer he got to their house. Though a courtyard wall blocked his view and he could not see clearly, his heart lifted uneasily, and a faint feeling of foreboding rose in him.
Sure enough, the sounds were coming from Qi Wang’s house.
Wen Qianshu’s situation was rather special. Her social circle was extremely limited, and no guests had ever come to the house before. So why were there suddenly so many people in the yard now?
Lin Huaixi was worried about both Qi Wang and his mother, and his feet moved on their own. But he had only taken one step forward when a long-fingered hand reached out from behind and gently covered his eyes.
Lin Huaixi could no longer see, but his hearing became extraordinarily sharp. From the breath echoing beside his ear, he recognized Qi Wang, who had run over in haste.
Qi Wang stood close behind him, pressed tightly against him. His breathing fell beside Lin Huaixi’s ear like feathers brushing against it, light and ticklish. The palm over his eyes was damp with heat, as though he had clenched his fist for too long, leaving even his fingers slightly curled and stiff.
Lin Huaixi could still see the scene in front of him through the gaps between those fingers, but he guessed what Qi Wang meant. He took the initiative to close his eyes, then raised his own free hands to cover his ears too. His fingers playfully scratched at Qi Wang’s fingertips, using that small gesture to comfort him:
Don’t worry. I won’t look, and I won’t listen either.
