Chapter 34
The corners of Lin Huaixi’s mouth had not come down all night. He was still immersed in the joy of beating up Scum Gong Number Two, right up until he returned to the two-person dorm and saw the empty upper bunk.
The good news was that he and Qi Wang had been placed in the same class and even the same dormitory. The bad news was that Qi Wang had not come to school.
The school explicitly forbade students from bringing phones, but there was also an unspoken rule—as long as you didn’t get caught, everyone could turn a blind eye.
Taking advantage of the half hour of free time before bed, Lin Huaixi lay on his bed and called Qi Wang.
It took only three seconds for Qi Wang to pick up.
The moment he heard that warm, familiar voice over the phone, Lin Huaixi relapsed into his old habits and began complaining, “When are you finally coming to school?”
Qi Wang coaxed him softly, “There’s only a little bit left to deal with. Once I’m done, I’ll come find you at school immediately.”
Lin Huaixi rolled over and pushed his feet against the upper bunk, as though Qi Wang were lying there. “Fine then. No need to rush too much.”
Qi Wang tried to read his mind. “You don’t want me to come to school sooner?”
“I do…” Lin Huaixi stopped halfway through the sentence.
He had only just made contact with Scum Gong Number Two today. If he wanted to get him properly under control, it would probably still take some time.
“Anyway, you don’t need to rush too much,” Lin Huaixi said, though in his heart he still hoped Qi Wang would come soon.
“Are you bored?” Qi Wang asked.
Having grown up with him, Qi Wang understood Lin Huaixi’s social abilities very well. On top of that, his personality was likable, so no matter where he went, he was always popular and could make plenty of good friends.
Lin Huaixi couldn’t very well say that he was currently pretending to be a cold and aloof disciplinary committee member, so he answered vaguely, “The dorm is a double room. It’s just that being the only one here is kind of boring.”
Qi Wang gave a light laugh. “That’s okay. I can keep you company and talk to you. But only for half an hour. Go to sleep early—there’s still class tomorrow.”
Lin Huaixi was never the type to stay still. Like a duck paddling on the bed, he flailed around and asked, “What exactly are you dealing with? Is it very hard? Why won’t you tell me?”
Qi Wang fell silent for three seconds. “Sorry. I wasn’t deliberately hiding it from you. I just didn’t want to ruin your good mood. Once this is dealt with, it won’t come bother us again. There’s no need for you to know.”
Lin Huaixi sighed and sincerely wished Sun Baiyi hadn’t transferred away. “Sigh… if only Sun Baiyi were here.”
Since Sun Baiyi and Qi Wang had never liked each other, this touched Qi Wang’s sore spot, and the phone suddenly fell silent.
“…”
Lin Huaixi’s survival instincts came online a beat too late, and he clutched the phone while trembling.
“Why do you want him by your side?” Qi Wang’s voice was still warm, but full of danger.
“I…” Lin Huaixi licked his dry lips and laughed awkwardly. “The three of us are good friends, and we have the most fun together. You’ve been away this whole time, and as for Sun Baiyi… we’ve already known each other for a full nine years. How are you two still like this!”
Lin Huaixi truly could not see through either of them.
Had the plot, even after being changed by him, still somehow left their relationship fated? Was peace between Scum Gong and Qi Wang simply impossible forever?
Qi Wang said nothing.
Sun Baiyi was like some brainless big dog, and Lin Huaixi seemed to be his favorite “bone.” He was always shamelessly sticking close to Lin Huaixi, and even guarded him jealously. The way Sun Baiyi looked at Lin Huaixi made Qi Wang feel instinctively uncomfortable.
Nine years had passed. Lin Huaixi had constantly tried to smooth things over, yet their relationship had never changed. Now that they were no longer in the same school, Lin Huaixi felt there was no point in making Qi Wang angry again. “All right, let’s not talk about Sun Baiyi anymore. It’s late, you should go to sleep too.”
They said good night to each other, and only then hung up.
After washing up, it happened to be lights-out. Lin Huaixi lay in bed and looked at the round moon hanging at the edge of the sky.
Sigh, so boring. I still miss Qi Wang so much.
Lin Huaixi forcibly suppressed the thought, rolled over, and made himself sleep. The moment he had just shut his eyes, the phone beside him vibrated.
It was a message from Sun Baiyi.
Zi Xiao Mu Bai Tu: Xixi, I hate this school! The teachers all look miserable every day, and the homeroom teacher is basically an exterminator nun! With you not around, I don’t even know who I’m supposed to talk to anymore, and even the snacks don’t taste good!! Xixi, I really, really miss you. Your grades are so good, you should obviously be at a provincial key high school. Can’t you think of some way, aaaahhh?!
Looking at the screen full of exclamation marks, Lin Huaixi automatically pictured Sun Baiyi bristling with fur.
In the quiet of the night, he almost laughed out loud and sent a comforting sticker.
Bunny Cake: There’s no helping it. High school really is this miserable. Our lights are already out here. bored.jpg
Zi Xiao Mu Bai Tu: Why do you guys go to sleep so early!
Bunny Cake: Because we have to get up early. Morning self-study starts at six. smile.jpg
Zi Xiao Mu Bai Tu: Completely inhumane. You should just go to sleep already. Good night.
Bunny Cake: Good night.
After chatting with his two best friends, Lin Huaixi suddenly didn’t feel things were quite so unbearable anymore. Ever the fair one who kept the water perfectly level, he also sent Qi Wang a good-night sticker.
Qi Wang replied with a question mark.
Lin Huaixi pressed his lips together and snickered, feeling certain that Qi Wang must be very confused right now.
But he didn’t get to enjoy himself for long before Qi Wang immediately exposed him.
Wang: Were you chatting with Sun Baiyi too, and even telling each other good night?
“…”
Lin Huaixi sat bolt upright, nervously glancing around. For a moment he genuinely suspected Qi Wang had installed a camera in the dorm and could see his every move.
Luckily, Qi Wang did not make an issue of it and only sent back a good-night sticker as well.
Only then did Lin Huaixi finally relax and slowly lie back down.
How strange. This guilty feeling was just like being caught sneaking food.
The last class of the afternoon was P.E. After they finished running laps, the sports committee member led everyone through warm-up exercises.
The P.E. teacher truly couldn’t bear to watch. For the sake of his own blood pressure, he quietly turned around.
These students were still so young, yet every one of them looked like a walking corpse hanging on by a single breath. Their faces were gray, their movements stiff.
Since it was already almost time for dismissal, he couldn’t even be bothered to waste more effort. With one big wave of his hand, he said, “Go do free activities.”
The “zombies” instantly came back to life. The leading boy called out to his brothers, “Let’s go, let’s go, let’s play basketball.”
Lin Huaixi happened to be standing right beside him. Out of politeness, the boy asked, “You want to play too?”
Lin Huaixi thought about his cold and aloof persona and decided it didn’t conflict with this. He gave a slight nod. “Okay.”
The boy had not expected Lin Huaixi to agree. He froze for a few seconds before saying, “I’ll go borrow the basketball first. Wait on the court.”
When Lin Huaixi walked over, the other boys were all dumbfounded too, exchanging glances.
It wasn’t that they didn’t welcome him. It was just that Lin Huaixi was usually too cold and distant, and on top of that he was the school’s disciplinary committee member with endless tasks to deal with. That left even his own classmates unsure how to get close to him.
Luckily, basketball didn’t require much socializing. On top of that, Lin Huaixi’s skills were especially good, and being on his team meant scoring again and again. The boys’ eyes all began to shine whenever they looked at him.
The only problem was that Lin Huaixi got carried away too easily. Every time he scored, he instinctively wanted to clap hands with people and then run a whole lap around the court.
But just as the corners of his mouth began to lift, he suddenly remembered his persona and forcibly changed it into a pressed-lip expression instead, even taking a sip of water as cover.
Even so, it did nothing to damage his handsome aura. The boys watched him act as though scoring were an ordinary thing, calm and unbothered, and their admiration only deepened.
There was only one basketball court, so people had to rotate in and out. Lin Huaixi took the chance to make an excuse and slip away first. Just as it happened, no one was by the railing. He shot over in a flash and, at top speed, bought spicy gluten strips from the auntie running the snack stall.
The auntie was so startled by his sneaky behavior that she almost thought he was there to rob her and had already gone on alert. Then she saw that the hand he stretched out held only a few coins.
“…”
She looked at this handsome yet strangely behaving student in silence for a few seconds before putting the spicy strips into his hand.
The study pressure nowadays was really too much. Just look at what it had worn a perfectly good student down into!
Lin Huaixi was on edge the whole time, afraid of being discovered, so he didn’t notice the odd expression on the auntie’s face. Once he got the spicy strips, he stuffed them into his clothes, circled the field in a huge roundabout route, and only then found a deserted corner where he happily tore them open.
Ahhh, this was the taste.
Hiding behind a statue, Lin Huaixi enjoyed his snack to his heart’s content, his lips turning red from the spice.
This was supposed to be his own private happy moment.
But then an unwanted guest came walking over.
“Brother Zong, what was that disciplinary committee member called again, Lin Xixi? Sounds kinda girly.”
Hearing his own name, Lin Huaixi thought he’d been discovered, and his heart nearly jumped straight out of his chest.
A few seconds later, he heard a pleasant voice that was somehow still incredibly punchable. “He’s not called Lin Xixi. He’s called Lin Huaixi.”
“Brother Zong, how about I get some guys to teach him a lesson? You got a full ten points deducted on Monday. That’s way too many. Sooner or later the grade dean’s going to come looking for trouble.”
“No need.” Zong Nanze actually spoke up for him on his own. “He was just doing his job according to the rules. Don’t cause trouble for him.”
The underling was startled by Zong Nanze’s attitude and stared at him blankly.
Zong Nanze looked like some large feline basking in the sun, his eyes slightly narrowed, his posture lazy and relaxed, as though he were in an exceptionally good mood.
The underling’s brain finally came online. Lowering his voice, he said, “That Lin Huaixi’s name sounds girly, but he really is good-looking. Bro, are you maybe thinking…”
Only then did Zong Nanze lift his eyelids and grant him a casual glance.
As he spoke, Lin Huaixi’s image surfaced in his mind, along with the memory of Lin Huaixi pinning his arm.
Lin Huaixi looked thin and narrow, but his strength was surprisingly great, and his temper was fierce too.
Zong Nanze was so annoyed he laughed. “He’s got no meaning to him. I like the cute, lively type. The kind who has two dimples when he smiles, feels soft all over when you pinch him, and won’t fight back even when bullied.”
When Zong Nanze finished speaking, his lackeys began laughing crudely. Lin Huaixi, however, frowned deeply.
Not one word Zong Nanze said matched Qi Wang. They were completely opposite, poles apart. So then why had he clung to Qi Wang so stubbornly, even to the point of refusing to let go?
And besides, the boy he’d been with yesterday wasn’t that “cute” type either.
In an instant, Lin Huaixi saw straight through Zong Nanze.
Zong Nanze had no idea what he actually liked. He didn’t deserve to talk about liking anyone. To him, romance was just a form of entertainment.
What truly filled his heart was malice. He simply liked breaking the wings of heaven’s favored ones. To him, the thrill of conquest was far more seductive than love.
The more Lin Huaixi thought about it, the angrier he became. He rolled his eyes so hard he nearly gave himself a cramp.
A few more minutes passed. One of the underlings twitched his nose. “Where’s that spicy-strip smell coming from?”
“How come I don’t smell anything? You’re hallucinating.” Another one said, “This is boring. How about we go… Brother Zong, are you going to find that little boyfriend of yours?”
“Boyfriend…” Zong Nanze paused for a few seconds, then asked back, “By the way, what’s his name again?”
Lin Huaixi: “…”
That was way too scummy. If he were the boy from last night, he’d definitely beat Zong Nanze until he was crawling all over the ground looking for his teeth!
The voices of Zong Nanze and the others gradually faded away. Lin Huaixi came out from behind the statue, but after only a few steps, he met a pair of red-rimmed eyes.
He recognized him as the boy who had been with Zong Nanze last night, and he could guess that the boy had definitely overheard what Zong Nanze said.
Seeing the boy look so heartbroken he was about to cry, Lin Huaixi kindly tried to comfort him. “Don’t worry. Last time I didn’t write down your name. He isn’t serious about you either. You shouldn’t keep—”
The boy cut him off. Tears trembling in his eyes, he looked at Lin Huaixi with an extremely complicated expression. “Since you weren’t willing to accept me, then why are you still treating me so kindly?”
Lin Huaixi: …Huh?
Accept, accept who, you?!
He vaguely realized something, and his face went blank with shock. The rest of the boy’s words pushed him so deep into silence that he couldn’t say anything at all.
“The first time I saw you, I liked you. I wanted to add you, but you never accepted. Then I wrote you a love letter, and you never wrote back either. If you had accepted me, I would never have chosen to be with him!”
The amount of information in that sentence was far too much, more than Lin Huaixi’s brain could process. He genuinely could not believe that he had somehow been caught right in the middle of this whole couple drama!
Seeing that Lin Huaixi still refused to respond, the boy misunderstood and angrily said, “I don’t even like Zong Nanze at all. So what if he doesn’t know my name? But you—do you know my name?!”
Lin Huaixi opened his mouth, but no words came out.
Inside, however, he was screaming:
I let you off out of kindness, which is exactly why I didn’t remember your name! If I had known it, Monday’s disciplinary report would’ve included you too! Do you want points deducted?!
After finishing this one-man tragedy, the boy said, “Forget it. I don’t need an answer. Don’t worry—I won’t keep getting together with Zong Nanze and adding to your workload anymore.”
With that, just like a scene from a melodrama, he turned away without a single look back, the hem of his shirt cutting through the air in a heartbreakingly resolute arc.
Leaving Lin Huaixi behind like some wronged scapegoat, completely disordered on the spot.
Wuwuwu, Qi Wang, please hurry and come already. The people here are all so weird. I’m scared.
