Chapter 38
Another second of eye contact between Qi Wang and Zong Nanze would have been a devastating blow to Lin Huaixi’s fragile nerves. In his panic, he grabbed Qi Wang by the wrist, trying to pull him away.
In the past, Qi Wang always went along with him. But this time, he stayed where he was.
Lin Huaixi grew so anxious that sweat came out. Without meaning to, he exposed his little trick. He shook Qi Wang’s wrist in a way that was almost coquettish, lifted his eyes to look at him, and under the hazy night light, his eyes seemed veiled in mist, pitiful beyond words.
“Qi Wang, come on, let’s go. Hurry and come with me!”
Qi Wang lowered his eyes and looked at him, his fingers curling as he gently rubbed the back of Lin Huaixi’s hand in a soothing way.
Only then did Lin Huaixi realize that Qi Wang had finally given up. He let out a breath of relief and tugged him backward.
After following him for several steps, Qi Wang sensed a strong gaze on him. He turned his head and cast over a warning look.
Lin Huaixi misunderstood his meaning at once. His brows knitted even tighter, and bitterness filled his mouth.
So this was the legendary natural magnetic pull between the protagonist and the scum gong?!
Just from a first meeting, they had already noticed each other’s specialness. Lin Huaixi understood Qi Wang’s personality better than anyone—if he had no interest in someone, he would not spare them even one extra glance.
But this could not be blamed on Qi Wang. Lin Huaixi shifted his anger toward Zong Nanze, lumping old grudges and new together. He turned around and glared fiercely at him too.
Zong Nanze: ???
The two of them were both giving him warning looks, yet the things they were warning him about were completely different. There also seemed to be misunderstandings and hidden matters between them.
Zong Nanze found it fascinating. Arms folded, he leaned casually against the tree trunk, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly, his whole expression lazy and relaxed. He even raised a hand and waved at the two of them.
!!!
That scum gong was radiating his damned charm again!
Lin Huaixi’s heart gave a jump, and he instinctively looked toward Qi Wang. Seeing that Qi Wang was looking at him too, with a strangely tense expression in his eyes, Lin Huaixi blinked in confusion.
He didn’t understand Qi Wang’s reaction, but at least Qi Wang wasn’t looking at Zong Nanze anymore.
Leading Qi Wang, Lin Huaixi wound this way and that out of the grove. The streetlamps on either side of the field cast bright pools of light, illuminating only small patches of ground.
After becoming a disciplinary committee member, Lin Huaixi had often gone around catching students violating rules. Thanks to that, he knew many hidden corners of the campus. He didn’t let go of Qi Wang’s hand and, before Zong Nanze could come out, led him to a pitch-dark corner at the edge of the field.
His eyes had not yet adjusted to the darkness. Lin Huaixi raised his head and carefully studied Qi Wang’s expression. “You…”
“You…”
The two of them spoke at the same time.
Lin Huaixi pressed his lips together. “What were you going to say?”
“Nothing. You go first.”
Lin Huaixi nodded, but having lost his train of thought, he suddenly didn’t know what to say. Looking down at the ground, he wore a deeply troubled expression.
Only after a full three minutes did he finally lift his head. “What do you think of Zong—the person we just saw?”
Qi Wang shot him a look with an unreadable meaning. Instead of answering directly, he asked, “What’s his name?”
Lin Huaixi felt conflicted.
Instinctively, he wanted Qi Wang to stay as far away from that trash as possible, and he felt the less Qi Wang knew, the safer he would be. But this kind of thing couldn’t be hidden forever. Trying too hard to conceal it might have the opposite effect.
“His name is Zong Nanze,” Lin Huaixi blurted out quickly and vaguely, then immediately looked at Qi Wang with pleading eyes. “You still haven’t answered my question.”
“I don’t have much of an impression of him.”
Lin Huaixi had not expected that answer at all. He stared blankly at Qi Wang.
Actually, this was the best possible answer. It meant he could freely badmouth Zong Nanze as much as he pleased.
Lin Huaixi gave a light cough, feeling a strange guilty sensation like he was speaking ill of someone behind their back, but when he opened his mouth, he was merciless.
“Zong Nanze has a huge number of problems. For example, he’s always late and leaves early, never does homework, doesn’t respect teachers, and doesn’t care about classmates. Most importantly, even though he does look pretty good and has some kind of special vibe about him, and he’s really good at sweet-talking people, he’s shamelessly promiscuous and not faithful in the slightest. He switches boyfriends and girlfriends even faster than he changes clothes! And the people he dumps by force somehow still don’t hate him!! Anyway, he’s just a total scumbag. If he’s already this bad in high school, then what’s he going to become after adulthood? Qi Wang, listen to me—stay far, far away from him in the future.”
Qi Wang listened seriously from beginning to end. Feeling very satisfied that Qi Wang had taken all of it to heart, Lin Huaixi was just about to strike while the iron was hot and continue brainwashing him when Qi Wang asked in return, “You think he’s good-looking? Did he sweet-talk you?”
Lin Huaixi: …
Lin Huaixi: ???
Was that the important part?!
Though to be fair, there truly was nothing to criticize about Zong Nanze’s looks. Lin Huaixi coughed once and continued, “Of course he’s good-looking. Otherwise how could so many people like him? And are you joking with me right now? Why would he sweet-talk me? I’m not his latest boyfriend. I only know these things because I’ve caught him in the grove so many times. Otherwise I wouldn’t have brought you there.”
Qi Wang paused, then asked back, “So you brought me there specially today just to let me see him?”
Once again, Lin Huaixi fell silent.
Why was everything Qi Wang said today so strange…
“That’s not important. You just have to remember one thing: in the future, stay far away from Zong Nanze. Don’t talk to him either, and absolutely don’t give him any chance to be nice to you!”
Qi Wang nodded, then asked, “What about you? Will you stay far away from him?”
Caught off guard, Lin Huaixi thought for a moment before answering, “I’m a disciplinary committee member. I still have to chase after him and deduct his points, so I can’t avoid him.”
The evening breeze blew past. Out of habit, Qi Wang reached out and smoothed down the strand of hair that had been lifted, asking quietly, “Why did you become a disciplinary committee member?”
Because I want to protect you.
Lin Huaixi didn’t know how to explain it. But the two of them knew each other too well, and Qi Wang guessed his thoughts from his expression alone. “Actually, you don’t really like being a disciplinary committee member that much, do you?”
Lin Huaixi nodded instinctively, then shook his head again.
In the book, Zong Nanze was like a piece of sticky gum—impossible to shake off. Keeping Qi Wang away alone was not enough. He had to keep an eye on him too.
Lin Huaixi smiled and said, “Being a disciplinary committee member does mean more work, but it doesn’t affect studying, and there are a few perks too. For example, when everyone else goes to the flag-raising ceremony, I can go inspect classroom hygiene. During exercise routines, I get to stand at the very back… More importantly, disciplinary committee members can enter the auditorium too. In the future, I can secretly take you there to study. It’s especially quiet. And because of this role, I’ve gotten to know the whole school really well. If there’s anything you want to know, you can just ask me. Oh right, I’ll lend you my notes from these past few months. You’re so smart, you’ll definitely catch up with the lessons!”
As Lin Huaixi spoke, he gradually drifted off topic and started happily imagining their school life together.
He talked and talked, but Qi Wang never responded. Lin Huaixi slowly began to sense something was wrong and looked at him in confusion.
Qi Wang’s eyes were dark and heavy. He opened his mouth, then closed it again. His expression was also extremely grave.
“What’s wrong?” Lin Huaixi wanted to sound relaxed, but his voice came out somewhat dry.
“Xixi, I’m sorry. Actually, I wasn’t able to resolve that matter. After this, I’m going to attend high school in the provincial capital. I only came today to handle the transfer procedures.”
There was a buzzing in Lin Huaixi’s ears. Qi Wang’s voice seemed to come from somewhere very far away, torn to pieces by the wind and gradually turning into a blur. He could only see Qi Wang’s lips moving, but could no longer truly understand the meaning.
He and Qi Wang had known each other since they were five years old. They had played together at kindergarten during the day, talked on the phone at night, and said good night to each other through the little window between their rooms. Later they had gone to primary school together, then junior high together. In every one of Lin Huaixi’s happy memories, Qi Wang was there. He had also long since grown used to—and even become dependent on—the feeling of having Qi Wang by his side. He had never once imagined that one day they would be separated.
And yet he also knew perfectly well that there was no banquet in the world that never ended. But the topic of parting had come far too early, too suddenly.
Lin Huaixi’s heart dropped straight to the bottom. His chest felt empty, and even his stomach turned uncomfortable, but he didn’t try to make Qi Wang stay. Instead, he forced a smile.
“That’s a good thing. The key high schools in the provincial capital have a high advancement rate, and I heard the environment is especially good too. Sun Baiyi’s there as well. The two of you will be together on your own in the future, so don’t keep fighting, okay? Sun Baiyi doesn’t really mean any harm—he just likes stirring things up. If you ignore him, he’ll be fine after a while…”
Lin Huaixi let his thoughts wander wherever they wanted. Whatever came to mind, he said aloud, trying to cover up what he was truly feeling.
But his face was far too pale, and the disappointment and sadness in his eyes were far too obvious. Seeing it, Qi Wang felt sharp pang after pang in his heart. In the end, he couldn’t hold back and interrupted him. “Do you really want me to go to the high school in the provincial capital?”
Lin Huaixi nodded without the slightest hesitation.
If Qi Wang wasn’t at this school, then there would be no need to worry about him being pestered by Zong Nanze anymore. This was far more effective than Lin Huaixi becoming a disciplinary committee member and keeping watch over Zong Nanze. No matter how one looked at it, it was a very good thing.
As for him…
He would be fine. Even if they weren’t at the same school, they would still be the best friends who had grown up together. The school allowed students to go home once every two weeks, and when that time came, he would get to see Qi Wang again.
But the more Lin Huaixi tried to reason with himself like this, the worse he felt. It was as though his stomach were being burned by acid. He pressed his lips together hard, barely managing to keep the churning inside from spilling out.
Qi Wang knew Lin Huaixi was doing all this for his sake. But in his own heart, there had never once been an option where the two of them separated.
Qi Wang extended a hand toward Lin Huaixi and invited him seriously, “Xixi, would you like to go to high school in the provincial capital with me?”
Lin Huaixi froze. His mind went blank, and all he could do was follow Qi Wang with his eyes.
Qi Wang had already made his plans. “As long as you agree, I’ll talk to Auntie about it. And you don’t need to worry about any of the transfer procedures. I’ll handle them.”
Qi Wang was only pretending to be calm too. Only after saying all this did he lift his eyes to look at Lin Huaixi, and in his gaze was both care and pleading. “Xixi, I still want to study with you, go to and from school with you, and eat meals with you.”
“I…”
Lin Huaixi’s lips moved. A smile rose on them before he even realized it. The whole of him relaxed, as though he had come back to life. “Of course I want to!”
In excitement, he pressed both hands to Qi Wang’s shoulders and jumped half onto him. “Then it’s a promise—we’re staying at the same school for all three years of high school, and neither of us is allowed to go back on it! After that, let’s work hard to get into the same university and stay together another four years. Then we’ll work at the same company. Later, when we buy homes, we’ll still be neighbors. After work, I’ll come over carrying chips and drinks, and we’ll watch movies together!”
Lin Huaixi tipped his head back to look at the stars in the sky, endlessly imagining the future that belonged to the two of them. His body swayed lightly as he spoke. Qi Wang held him by the waist, and eventually simply rested his arms on either side of Lin Huaixi so that Lin Huaixi’s legs hooked around his waist.
When Lin Huaixi finished speaking, he lowered his head to look at Qi Wang. “What do you think?”
The night sky was full of stars, and the round moon shone with a clear, bright glow. But at that moment, Qi Wang felt that Lin Huaixi’s eyes were the brightest thing of all.
Qi Wang let out a soft laugh. “Good. Everything sounds good.”
