Chapter 35
Students normally boarded at school, but every weekend they were allowed to go home.
Before, Lin Huaixi had always relied on having Qi Wang by his side and never learned how to ride a bicycle. Now the downside had fully shown itself: without a school bus to pick him up, he could only walk home.
Fortunately, the distance was not that far. It only took half an hour to get back.
Lin Huaixi had looked at the map only once and already memorized the route completely. He had even deliberately copied down a shortcut and was weaving through the narrow alleys between old residential buildings.
He had already been walking for fifteen minutes. This area was far from school, and the chance of running into classmates was practically zero.
Lin Huaixi let out a breath of relief. His shoulders were no longer drawn tight in a single line, and he slipped one hand into the narrow gap between his collar and neck, tugging at the shirt collar.
He was still worrying about Qi Wang and that scumbag.
Ever since becoming a disciplinary monitor, he had practically chased after Zong Nanze deducting points. The points Zong Nanze had lost by himself were more than the combined total of all the other second-year students. Yet the strict head of grade had not called Zong Nanze in for a talk, nor was there any sign of further punishment. On the contrary, Zong Nanze had only become more brazen, almost provocatively appearing in front of him and deliberately exposing flaws so that Lin Huaixi would deduct more points.
Lin Huaixi’s brows were knitted tightly, and his whole face puffed up with displeasure, making the smooth lines of his cheeks look even fuller.
He wanted to use this weekend to think the matter through properly, find Zong Nanze’s weak spot, and finish him off in one stroke instead of continuing to waste time like this.
Lin Huaixi sank into thought and ignored the world around him, until a flicker of white entered the corner of his eye.
He was walking through an old neighborhood. The buildings on either side had to be at least forty or fifty years old. Their once-colored paint had peeled away in patches, exposing dull gray walls underneath. The surrounding walls had also been worn down by time, their edges no longer straight and neat. This little square world was wrapped in age and fadedness, without a trace of living color—except for a little white lump on the ground… Was that a rabbit?
In the city, Lin Huaixi had seen stray dogs and stray cats, but never a stray rabbit. It had probably run away from someone’s house.
Lin Huaixi stopped walking, his gaze following that little patch of white. Perhaps like drew like. The rabbit slowly lifted its ears, its pink little three-part mouth twitching as it caught Lin Huaixi’s scent, then hopped straight toward him, its fluffy body bouncing all over.
It ran to his feet, the two long ears swaying gently twice before it accurately found his shoelace and bit down on it, chewing away.
Lin Huaixi had no idea what possible attraction shoelaces held for rabbits. He slowly crouched down, as though afraid of startling it, and reached out a finger to lightly brush against its fur.
…Too cute!
Lin Huaixi had loved little animals since he was small. He was immediately charmed out of his wits and forgot everything else.
In order to maintain the cool image of a disciplinary monitor, he always wore a long-sleeved white shirt, buttoned right up to the top, without allowing even a single wrinkle in the fabric. But this restricted his movements too much, and Lin Huaixi found it uncomfortable, so he casually pulled his shirt hem free and undid two buttons.
Completely without regard for his image, he squatted on the ground, pinched the little rabbit’s ears, and chatted to it with great interest. “Little rabbit, why are you chewing my shoelace? This isn’t grass, and it’s not kelp either.”
The rabbit ignored him. Its little split mouth kept moving busily, but it still could not actually bite through the shoelace.
“Why are you still chewing on it? Are you hungry? Wait a second, I’ll go find you a blade of grass.”
As if it had understood him, the little rabbit obediently let go of his shoelace. Lin Huaixi did not even stand up. Still crouching, he awkwardly shuffled around on the ground, his eyes carefully searching every hidden corner until he finally found a little sprig of grass.
He placed the tender grass in front of the rabbit and coaxed it with shining eyes, “Try this and see if it tastes good.”
This rabbit was a strange one. Compared with grass, it liked his shoelace more. Tilting its head slightly, it looked almost as though it were showing disdain.
Lin Huaixi held the grass out closer and deliberately used the blade to tickle under its chin.
The rabbit lifted its head and looked at Lin Huaixi, and perhaps out of consideration for his feelings, it reluctantly took a bite of the grass.
Lin Huaixi kept chattering to it. “Little rabbit, did you run away from home by yourself? If you did, your owner must be really worried. And if you hadn’t run into me, you probably wouldn’t even have gotten a mouthful of grass. You’re way too silly, you know that?”
After finishing the grass, the rabbit looked up at him. It was very cute, but strangely enough its expression carried a hint of disdain, as though it found him too talkative.
Lin Huaixi wrinkled his nose and muttered, “I’m saying this for your own good. So where exactly is your home? Let me take you back.”
Before he had even finished speaking, a little child came running over.
With two little legs as thick as baby radishes, the child wobbled while running, looking as though he might trip himself at any second. His cheeks were plump and rosy with health, and his big round eyes were fixed on Lin Huaixi, full of curiosity and not a trace of fear.
“Big brother, this is my little rabbit. Can you give it back to me?” The child still could not speak very smoothly, but he worked hard to finish the sentence, and his voice was sweet and babyish.
Lin Huaixi’s gaze moved between the bigger rabbit and the little one, and he smiled as he asked, “This is your rabbit?”
The child nodded in a very small motion. “It’s mine.”
“Then how about big brother walks both of you home?” Lin Huaixi smiled, and his dimples seemed full of sunshine.
Lin Huaixi was liked by people of all ages. Even though the child had just met him for the first time, he showed no caution at all toward a stranger and even hooked his little fingers around Lin Huaixi’s finger. Every now and then he stole little glances at him, and when Lin Huaixi caught him, he shyly pressed his lips together.
“What floor do you live on?” After walking them to the entrance of the building, Lin Huaixi smiled and asked.
The child lowered his head and stared at his own fingers, then with difficulty held up three. “My home is on the second floor.”
Lin Huaixi laughed. “Then do you want big brother to take you up?”
The child thought for a moment and shook his head. “No need. I’m waiting for big brother too.”
Lin Huaixi guessed that by big brother, he meant a family member. He gently patted the child’s fluffy head. “Then do you want me to wait with you?”
The little boy puffed out his lips in hesitation, but because he wanted to show that he was a little man, he firmly shook his head. “No need. I can do it myself.”
Lin Huaixi still wanted to say something, but suddenly the little boy looked upstairs, his eyes instantly lighting up with excitement. Stretching out both little arms, he ran into the building. “Big brother, when did you come back?”
The rabbit followed after him too.
Lin Huaixi curiously glanced upstairs and only caught sight of curtains fluttering in the wind and a hand disappearing in a flash.
He did not think much of it. Seeing that the child had already found his family, he relaxed and turned to leave.
The child stumbled and scrambled up to the second floor, using both hands and feet, then threw himself straight into his big brother’s arms, rubbing all over him until his fluffy hair was a mess. “Big brother, I missed you so much.”
The one he hugged was a tall young man with broad shoulders and a long, well-built frame. His smooth hair fell naturally onto his shoulders, and he had already begun to carry the physique of a mature man.
The big brother laughed softly, crouched down, and gathered the child fully into his arms. His movements were very gentle, and he even indulgently let the boy play with his hair. “Who brought you back just now?”
He lightly patted the child’s back, his voice lazy and deep.
The child suddenly lifted his head and looked at him with starry eyes. “It was another big brother. I like him so much!”
“I like him a lot too. He’s even my classmate.” The young man’s brow rose slightly, and his smile carried a hint of amusement.
“My classmate?” The child tilted his head in confusion. “Brother Nanze, then what’s his name?”
“His name is Lin Huaixi.”
Zong Nanze deliberately dragged out the words, while in his mind there surfaced the way Lin Huaixi had looked just now.
The white shirt with two buttons undone, the hem no longer stiffly tucked into his trousers, the dimples that appeared when he smiled, the way his eyes were no longer cold, the way he deliberately softened his voice when talking to a child, and the way he squatted by the roadside to chat with a rabbit.
This Lin Huaixi was entirely different from the one at school, so unfamiliar that even he could not quite tell whether they were the same person.
Seeing Zong Nanze gazing ahead in a daze, the child pouted unhappily. “Brother Nanze, what are you thinking about? Why are you ignoring me?”
Only then did Zong Nanze’s gaze return to him. He easily picked the child up in his arms. “That brother is amazing, you know. He can do martial arts, and he can act too.”
“Martial arts… act?” The child clumsily imitated the sounds, his little face full of confusion. “What’s that?”
“If you eat your dinner properly first, I’ll explain it to you.” Zong Nanze’s voice was very gentle, and the care he showed the child was thoughtful and patient, so different from the version of him at school.
The rabbit looked at the backs of the two of them, its long ears twitching once. It gave two little hops before finally clearing the high doorway.
The door slowly swung shut under the push of the wind, sealing off both the sight and the voices inside.
—
On Monday, during flag-raising, Lin Huaixi had to inspect the hygiene areas for each class, so he hurried across the empty campus with brisk steps.
His efficiency was so high that by the time he finished, the ceremony was only halfway through.
Going back to his class lineup now would be too obvious. After thinking for a few seconds, Lin Huaixi decided to return to the classroom first.
Just as he passed around a corner, he suddenly spotted a fluffy little cat lying on top of the high wall.
Small animals had always held tremendous appeal for Lin Huaixi. His eyes instantly changed, and his feet moved of their own accord. By the time he came back to himself, he was already standing at the foot of the wall.
The cat had fallen asleep on top of it, its fluffy fur swaying gently in the breeze. It seemed to be dreaming of catching mice, because one of its hind legs suddenly kicked. But while its upper body still lay draped over the wall, the movement threw off its balance, and it toppled from the high courtyard wall.
Lin Huaixi’s pupils shrank sharply. Without thinking, he stepped forward and stretched out both hands, wanting to catch it.
The cat woke up in midair, and its eyes instantly turned fierce. Not recognizing Lin Huaixi’s good intentions in the slightest, it stretched out a sharp paw and slashed in a straight line through the air.
“…”
By the time Lin Huaixi came to his senses, the cat had already landed lightly on the ground and vanished headfirst into the bushes without looking back. He lowered his gaze to his own completely uninjured arm, then slowly lifted his head and looked at Zong Nanze standing beside him with a complicated expression.
There were two long scratches across Zong Nanze’s arm, and beads of blood kept emerging from the wounds. It looked quite serious.
Yet he seemed not to feel it at all. Instead, he looked at Lin Huaixi with concern, and only after seeing that Lin Huaixi was unhurt did he let out a breath of relief. As if afraid Lin Huaixi might feel guilty, he even smiled gently. “It’s okay. I’m used to this sort of thing already. It doesn’t really hurt.”
Looking at the curve of Zong Nanze’s mouth, Lin Huaixi’s brows furrowed even tighter, and his heart filled with confusion.
Had Zong Nanze taken the wrong medicine or something? What exactly was he trying to pull now?
