Chapter 65
Lin Huaixi hurried toward Qi Wang, with no one else left in his eyes but him. Even so, he could still feel Zhong Chongqiu’s gaze fixed on him the whole time.
Youyou had gone missing, and as the only adult who knew the full story, he ought to give Zhong Chongqiu, her guardian, an explanation.
He had no choice but to stop, quickly leaving behind one sentence: “Give me a little time. Once I’ve handled everything, I’ll come explain it all to you.”
He spoke very fast, and it only took three seconds. But when he looked up at Qi Wang again, all Qi Wang left him was a cold, indifferent back.
Lin Huaixi pressed his lips together and truly panicked, hurrying after him without stopping.
Qi Wang was not walking particularly fast. Lin Huaixi only needed to quicken his pace by a couple of steps to catch up and walk beside him. But like a child who had done something wrong, he felt too guilty to face Qi Wang. His hand lifted, then dropped again. He could only obediently trail behind him, afraid of making him even angrier.
Qi Wang went straight back to the tent. Lin Huaixi lingered outside for a full minute. Seeing that Qi Wang had not zipped the flap shut, which probably meant he was not trying to keep him out, he finally edged forward and carefully slipped inside.
The tent was cramped. Lin Huaixi did not dare approach rashly. Half crouching in the corner, he unconsciously clutched at the hem of his clothes. Along with his guilt, there was also a sense of grievance he himself could not understand.
He had been the one who ran off without telling Qi Wang, making him worry like this. What right did he have to feel wronged at all?
Lin Huaixi felt he was being far too melodramatic. He bit hard on his lower lip, trying to use pain to force himself back to his senses.
Qi Wang had been facing away from him the whole time, and Lin Huaixi thought he was still angry. But very soon, Qi Wang turned around. His gaze was calm as he walked toward him, a medical kit in hand.
Lin Huaixi looked at him blankly, not understanding.
Qi Wang opened the kit, took out iodine, and extended a hand toward him.
Lin Huaixi froze for a moment, then hurriedly grabbed a cotton swab and handed it over to him with a sycophantic smile, trying to ingratiate himself.
Qi Wang did not take it. He finally lifted his eyes to look at him, but his gaze was pitch-dark, and Lin Huaixi could not read what he was feeling.
A few seconds later, Qi Wang reached out and lightly caught hold of his wrist.
Under Lin Huaixi’s puzzled stare, Qi Wang gently rolled up his sleeve. His brows gradually drew together, and his expression turned grave.
Following his line of sight, Lin Huaixi finally noticed that his arm was covered in many tiny cuts. They were only minor scrapes, but the blood had dried against his pale skin, making the streaks of red look especially alarming.
He must have gotten them from the brush.
On the way there, he had been frantic with worry. On the way back, all his attention had been on taking care of the older one and the younger one. He had completely ignored the faint pain in his own body.
Considering the risk he had taken, ending up with nothing more than superficial scratches should have been something to be thankful for. But looking at Qi Wang’s face, Lin Huaixi felt as if his heart were being squeezed.
It had always been like this, ever since they were little. Qi Wang knew he was afraid of pain, and because of that, he had always been especially protective of him. Every time Lin Huaixi got hurt, Qi Wang’s expression would turn severe.
In the past, Lin Huaixi would take advantage of being injured and whine that it hurt. That way, Qi Wang’s attention would be diverted. Qi Wang could never bring himself to scold him, and once Lin Huaixi cracked a couple of jokes to make him smile, the matter would pass.
He had just been about to do the same now when he suddenly noticed a faint tremor in Qi Wang’s arm.
For a moment, he thought Qi Wang himself had been injured and his breath caught in alarm. But when he looked closer, Qi Wang was only forcing himself to endure.
In front of him, Qi Wang had always been used to burying his negative emotions. But this time, it seemed as if he had gone beyond the limit of what he could bear. Not only was his hand trembling uncontrollably, the corners of his eyes had been steamed into a faint red.
Lin Huaixi’s ears rang. His mind went blank in an instant.
They had grown up together. He had almost never seen Qi Wang cry.
When he had been forgotten in kindergarten for an entire night, Qi Wang had not cried.
When the nanny bullied him and his mother ignored his pain, Qi Wang had not cried.
When his father, who had neglected him all through childhood, tried to drag him back into that mire after everything had finally started to improve, Qi Wang had brushed it off with a laugh and shown hardly any emotion.
And now, Lin Huaixi had only suffered a few scratches, yet Qi Wang, who had always been so strong, looked as if he were so worried and upset he was on the verge of tears.
Lin Huaixi felt as if something had struck hard against his heart. It was like some tart fruit had burst open inside him, sending a sour ache flowing through all four limbs. His nose stung, and his eyes turned red.
Qi Wang had been keeping his head lowered the whole time while applying medicine, hiding his complicated emotions. But the moment he heard the faintest change in Lin Huaixi’s breathing through his nose, he immediately looked up.
Lin Huaixi had been managing to hold it in up until then. But the moment Qi Wang looked at him, his lashes trembled twice, and tears began rolling down unstoppably.
Qi Wang froze for a few seconds, then instantly panicked. He raised a hand as if to touch him, then hesitated, worried there might be other injuries on Lin Huaixi’s body. His hand hung stiffly in midair. He opened his mouth, but he was so flustered that no words came out.
Qi Wang had always been precocious. As the years passed, he had only become more composed and self-controlled. But right then, he seemed to have gone all the way back to childhood. Lin Huaixi’s tears alone were enough to break him. He was thrown into utter confusion, not knowing what to do with his hands or feet.
“Did I hurt you? Or was my attitude too harsh? I’m sorry. Xixi, I didn’t mean—”
The moment Lin Huaixi realized Qi Wang’s first instinct was to blame himself and apologize to him, his emotions finally broke completely, and his tears came even faster.
He lifted his hand and touched Qi Wang’s eyes, speaking in a broken, tearful voice, “I’m sorry. From now on, I’ll never act on my own again. If anything comes up, I’ll talk to you about it first. Even if I do make my own decision, I’ll definitely tell you. I won’t let you worry like this ever again. And I’ll become stronger and stronger too. I’ll take good care of myself. Next time, I won’t even get tiny little scratches. No, no, no—I promise there won’t be a next time at all!”
Lin Huaixi’s voice shook with tears, his shoulders twitching every now and then. He was the one crying, yet he was the one acting like he was wiping tears for Qi Wang.
Qi Wang looked at him quietly and listened in silence. All those tangled emotions in his heart, all those thorns that had grown into his body, all those barbs that had nearly pierced through flesh and blood, seemed to be smoothed over by a gentle hand, one that pulled him back into a safe and hopeful human world.
When he first realized Lin Huaixi was missing, Qi Wang had not actually let his imagination run wild. He had been the only one there who had not lost his head, the only one who had still been able to calmly and rationally analyze the situation. Yet at the same time, he had felt as though he were a kettle about to boil over, bubbling furiously inside, already past the critical point, the lid nearly forced open, ready to shriek. And then, at that very instant, Lin Huaixi had appeared.
Lin Huaixi was safe and sound. He was sitting right there beside him now. And he was crying because of Qi Wang’s emotions.
Qi Wang finally found his voice again. He did not say much. He only gave a soft hum of acknowledgment, lowered his head once more, and gently continued applying medicine to Lin Huaixi’s arm.
Sniffling, Lin Huaixi said through tears, “I already cried for you, so you can’t…”
Qi Wang understood what he meant.
—I already cried on your behalf, so you’re not allowed to be sad anymore. Don’t let your eyes go red again, and don’t let your hands shake either.
Qi Wang gave another soft hum in response.
The tent fell quiet once more, so quiet they could hear each other breathe. But the silence was not awkward. A quiet warmth flowed between them, still and gentle.
Little by little, Lin Huaixi’s emotions subsided, and his reason returned. This time, it was not only his eyes that had gone red. Even the tips of his ears felt as if they were burning.
Wait. What had he just done? How had he ended up crying?
He could not even remember the last time he had cried. He already considered himself an adult now, yet he had actually cried over something this small. It was too embarrassing to bear.
But in that moment, he truly had not been able to control himself.
Dimly, an image flashed through his mind of Youyou, who had been lively and bouncing around just moments before, her recovery ability at one hundred percent, and yet the instant she saw her brother, she had burst into loud sobs.
Youyou was still little, so it made sense for her. But Lin Huaixi was already eighteen!
Qi Wang was the same age as him. Surely he had not started treating Qi Wang like a parent too?!
Just as Lin Huaixi’s thoughts boiled over, Qi Wang had already finished dressing the wounds. Then he naturally reached up and lightly touched Lin Huaixi’s burning red ear.
Caught off guard, Lin Huaixi startled like a frightened rabbit, almost leaping off the chair. He glared at Qi Wang with a pair of tear-reddened eyes.
Qi Wang smiled, as though this kind of thing had happened hundreds of times before, and said with complete ease, “It’s fine. I’ll keep it a secret for you.”
At once, Lin Huaixi relaxed.
In front of Qi Wang, he could be wholly himself without any reservations. He did not have to care about face, nor about image. No matter what happened, Qi Wang would always cover for him.
Lin Huaixi held out his little finger. “Pinky swear.”
Qi Wang indulged him in such a childish gesture, as if the two of them had gone right back to being kindergarten children again.
Lin Huaixi’s emotions came quickly and went quickly too. Qi Wang stared at him for three full seconds, making sure he was not merely forcing himself to be alright. Only then did he finally let out a breath and murmur to himself, “Good thing. Otherwise I would have had to do the little duck apology dance.”
Lin Huaixi knew exactly what he meant. He hmphed twice. “But you didn’t do anything wrong. Why would you need to apologize?”
That was what he said aloud, but after sneaking a few more glances at Qi Wang, he found himself imagining it. Little Qi Wang doing that dance back then had actually been pretty cute. But present-day Qi Wang…
The image popped into Lin Huaixi’s head, and the corners of his mouth shot upward. He had to bite back hard to stop himself from laughing.
Qi Wang thought nothing more of it. He handed him a warm damp towel and said, “Wipe your face. Sleep here tonight. I’ll sleep in your tent.”
Lin Huaixi did not object.
Under Qi Wang’s care, he had practically turned into an infant again. Other than taking off his clothes, there was nothing he had to do himself. Once he lay down, Qi Wang even pulled the blanket up for him.
“Sleep,” Qi Wang said with a smile before leaving the tent.
Lin Huaixi did not fall asleep right away. At first, he had meant to explain everything clearly to Zhong Chongqiu as well, but Zhong Chongqiu never came looking for him. He guessed Zong Nanze must have already explained it on his behalf, and he closed his eyes in relief.
After so much commotion, and with his emotions having gone through such violent swings, he had not felt the exhaustion in his body before. But now, lying in warm, safe bedding, Lin Huaixi drifted almost instantly into deep sleep.
Time passed quietly. No one knew how long it had been when Lin Huaixi suddenly opened his eyes without warning.
Aside from the three scumbag suitors, there had also been other side characters in the original story who had coveted Qi Wang. There had been one malicious person who had tried to sneak into Qi Wang’s tent and take advantage of him.
In the face of life and death, nothing else seemed important. Earlier, Lin Huaixi’s mind had been entirely occupied by Youyou’s safety, so he had temporarily forgotten about that part of the plot. But a taut string had always remained stretched in the back of his mind. Even in sleep, reason had kept reminding him.
He checked the time and found he had woken up early enough. Only then did he breathe easier.
He immediately got dressed, intending to go find Qi Wang before anyone else could. That way, no one would dare lay a hand on him.
Hmph. Walk the scumbag’s road and leave the scumbag with nowhere to go.
