Chapter 67
Lin Huaixi’s gaze landed on Sun Baiyi’s face. He stared at him for a full three seconds before the reality of it finally sank in. “What are you doing here?”
Sun Baiyi was like a little dog guarding its food. Just a moment ago he had been baring his teeth at Zong Nanze, but the instant he turned to Lin Huaixi, he broke into a silly, goofy grin. “School’s been in session for so long already, and we still hadn’t seen each other once. I happened to have some free time, so I came to see you.”
Lin Huaixi was overjoyed. “Why didn’t you tell me? I could’ve gone to the station to pick you up!”
“I wanted it to be a surprise.” Sun Baiyi waved it off. “I was supposed to have dinner with you, but my flight got delayed… forget it, never mind that. The second I got to campus, I spotted you right away. Isn’t that unbelievably fated?”
Like the good buddy he was, Sun Baiyi lifted a hand as if to sling it over Lin Huaixi’s shoulder, but under the glares of the other two, he slowly withdrew it.
Dragging his suitcase behind him, collar crooked and hair a little messy, he looked dusty and travel-worn. Yet there was not the slightest trace of fatigue on his face, and his eyes were shining far too brightly.
Lin Huaixi’s attention was completely on him. Smiling, he said, “The cafeteria still has food at this hour, but there won’t be many options left. How about I take you outside to eat instead?”
Hearing that, Zong Nanze’s expression turned subtle. He arched a brow, as though accusing Lin Huaixi of blatant favoritism.
Lin Huaixi ignored him completely and just kept chatting happily with Sun Baiyi.
Zong Nanze, however, had no intention of considering the atmosphere. He chose to play the aggrieved party instead. “I’m your old classmate too. So is he. Xixi, how can you treat us like this?”
The moment Lin Huaixi heard that, his vision went black.
He had finally managed to redirect Sun Baiyi’s attention and calm him down, and yet Zong Nanze had gone and thrown himself right into the line of fire!
He really had no idea what Sun Baiyi was capable of.
Sure enough, Sun Baiyi’s invisible ears sprang straight up. He turned and glared at Zong Nanze with utter disgust written all over his face.
Sun Baiyi was reckless and carefree, but he always trusted his instincts. Whenever he looked at Zong Nanze, it felt like ants were crawling all over his body. He was deeply uncomfortable.
How strange. He had actually met someone he disliked even more than Qi Wang.
“Who are you supposed to be? What kind of old classmate are you?” Sun Baiyi jerked a thumb proudly at himself, arrogantly declaring his claim. “This is the tenth year I’ve known Xixi. You could say I practically watched him grow up. I’m his bamboo-horse sweetheart. I know exactly what classmates he’s had. There’s no way there’s anyone I’ve never seen before!”
With a few light words, Zong Nanze found Sun Baiyi’s weak spot exactly. “If that’s how we’re counting it, then you’ve known Xixi for less time than Qi Wang. So wouldn’t that make him the real bamboo-horse childhood sweetheart?”
Lin Huaixi’s temples started throbbing. Silently, he covered his face with one hand.
The scene was too bloody. He did not dare watch.
Qi Wang had always been Sun Baiyi’s natural enemy. They could fight when they met, and even when they did not meet, Sun Baiyi could still flare up just at the mention of his name. It was a massive trigger.
As expected, Sun Baiyi exploded. “He doesn’t count for anything! One year with me is worth two years with him! Ever since he was little, all he ever did was act cool. He doesn’t understand Xixi at all, and he’s never been able to play with him properly. I’m the one who’s the real bamboo horse!”
Zong Nanze slowly nodded, looking completely convinced. Then he gave Sun Baiyi a friendly smile. “I happen to feel exactly the same way. Let me introduce myself. My name is Zong Nanze. Xixi and I were classmates for a brief two months, so by that logic we count as friends too. Since you’ve just arrived in this city, why don’t Xixi and I show you around tomorrow?”
Zong Nanze had abruptly joined his side, speaking as though they were brothers in arms against a common enemy. The emotional whiplash stunned Sun Baiyi into silence, and for a few seconds he forgot what he had originally wanted to say.
Sun Baiyi was reckless, not actually stupid. A few seconds later, he immediately caught on to Zong Nanze’s scheme.
“Don’t try confusing the issue. You think that kind of trick can fool me? What do you mean, two months?” His voice suddenly paused, as realization hit him. He turned to look at Lin Huaixi. “Was it… the first two months of first year?”
Lin Huaixi nodded. “That’s right. He was my… at that school…”
The mess between them was too tangled to explain in a sentence or two, so Lin Huaixi picked the more precise title. “Senior.”
Now that the suspicion of Zong Nanze forcing closeness had been cleared away, Sun Baiyi found himself unable to save face. He edged closer to Lin Huaixi, his voice full of grievance. “Why have you never mentioned this what’s-his-name to me before? He doesn’t look like a good person.”
…You really are a warrior, Lin Huaixi thought. You actually dared say that someone looks like a bad guy right to his face.
Zong Nanze was another strange one. He did not mind in the slightest. With a smile, he said, “I didn’t know Xixi had a good friend like you either. All I knew was that he had Qi Wang, his bamboo horse.”
The second those words came out, Zong Nanze stepped squarely into every single one of Sun Baiyi’s minefields.
“You knew about Qi Wang but not me? On what grounds?!” Sun Baiyi was like a fighting rooster, neck stiff as he charged forward. Lin Huaixi reacted fast enough to grab him by the collar.
“I have mentioned you before. He just has a bad memory, so he didn’t remember.” Lin Huaixi tried to smooth his feathers. “You’re my good friend. That’s an objective fact. It won’t change because of anyone else.”
“Xixi, I knew you treat me the best.” Then he turned, glaring viciously at Zong Nanze so fast it was like a face-changing act. “Did you hear that? Objective fact!”
Zong Nanze remained perfectly calm, clearly treating him as nothing more than the golden retriever Lin Huaixi had raised, teasing him with a “meaty bone.”
“Of course. The moment I saw you, I could tell you had a very special aura. You’re handsome too. No wonder you became friends with Xixi. And what I said just now still stands. Tomorrow Xixi and I can show you around together.”
Sun Baiyi had just been about to shoot back with Who needs you? when every word was jammed back into his throat.
“Qi Wang has been pretty busy lately, so we won’t call him. Quite a lot has happened recently, and I can explain it all to you properly.” Zong Nanze deliberately dragged out his words, expression meaningful. Sun Baiyi instantly understood the hidden message.
Qi Wang would not be there.
And Qi Wang certainly would not tell the truth. But Zong Nanze might secretly complain behind his back. If Qi Wang had already taken the lead under the banner of being the childhood bamboo horse and had gotten handsy with Lin Huaixi, Sun Baiyi would be able to find out right away.
That kind of temptation was enormous to Sun Baiyi. He almost agreed on the spot, but reason stopped him.
This Zong Nanze was probably cut from the same cloth. He absolutely could not let his guard down.
“Better not. How could I trouble you like that?” he replied, all fake politeness. “Tomorrow it’ll just be me and Xixi. We can chat privately some other time.”
Still smiling and looking easygoing, Zong Nanze bared his fangs. “But I won’t have time some other day.”
Sun Baiyi: “…”
He was the sort who could not tolerate troublemakers, and he was just about to charge forward again when the long-silent Zhong Chongqiu suddenly spoke.
“I actually happen to be free tomorrow too. Huaixi just got to school and has been busy with classes and military training. He hasn’t really had the chance to familiarize himself with campus properly. I’ve already been here for two years, so I know both the school and the surrounding area very well. If we have enough time, I can even take you to some nearby tourist spots.”
Sun Baiyi looked Zhong Chongqiu up and down, but instead of responding, he turned to Lin Huaixi with a questioning look: And who is this one?
Lin Huaixi tugged at the corners of his mouth and forced out a dry smile. Even he could not explain the mess of his social life clearly.
If he let Sun Baiyi keep improvising, the whole thing would turn into utter chaos. So as soon as Zhong Chongqiu finished speaking, Lin Huaixi stepped forward and planted himself in the middle of the three of them, physically separating them while taking back control of the situation.
“I got so happy just now that I forgot to introduce everyone. This is my good friend Sun Baiyi. He studies in another city and came to visit me while he had the time. This is my senior from the same university. We met through the astronomy club, and he’s always taken good care of me. And this is Zong Nanze. We were briefly schoolmates for two months in high school. We went hiking together before, and some things happened. Senior was the one who called him here today.”
Zhong Chongqiu was taller than the other three of them, broad-shouldered and clearly muscular. His face looked a little fierce, but compared to Zong Nanze, he came off like some honest, simple-minded man with no schemes at all.
Sun Baiyi disliked anyone equally if they got close to Lin Huaixi and tried to compete with him for his attention. He frowned and immediately wanted to pick a fight again. “Astronomy club? Since when did you suddenly become interested in astronomy, Xixi?”
Seeing that Sun Baiyi was about to start digging again, Lin Huaixi took a deep breath. Deciding to save him at least a little face, he snatched the suitcase from his hand and said through a smile that was all teeth and no warmth, “It’s getting late. I’m taking you back to the hotel to rest. Tomorrow morning at nine, we’ll meet here. Anyone who has time can come.”
With that, he forced his expression into something manageable, said goodbye to Zong Nanze and Zhong Chongqiu, and strode off without looking back.
Sun Baiyi had gotten too fired up earlier and lost all reason. Now, seeing Lin Huaixi in a bad mood, he instantly came back to himself and hurried after him in a panic.
Once they turned onto the little side path and there was no one around to bother them, Sun Baiyi quickened his pace a little and asked carefully, “Xixi… did I embarrass you just now?”
Lin Huaixi stopped walking. His face did not show much, but his expression was incredibly complicated.
After a full minute, he finally said, “It wasn’t your fault.”
Sun Baiyi felt there was something left unsaid in that answer. He had the strong sense Lin Huaixi was hiding something important from him, so he kept pressing. But Lin Huaixi would not answer, only staring ahead with a dark look in his eyes.
A moment ago Sun Baiyi had been like a machine gun, firing at everyone he saw. Caught in the middle of it, Lin Huaixi had lost his own bearings and had not even realized how astonishing the scene had been.
That was the first time all three scumbag suitors had gathered in one place.
In the book, they were love rivals, tangled up with all sorts of grudges and hidden conflicts. Considering that, it would have been impressive enough if they had merely exploded like a barrel of gunpowder, sparks flying everywhere.
A shiver of delayed fear suddenly ran through Lin Huaixi. He patted his chest lightly.
Thankfully, he had handled things fairly well just now. There had only been a few minor sparks. But tomorrow…
He regretted it all over again. If he had known, he never would have made that casual promise just to calm the three of them down.
He had been thinking so seriously that he completely ignored Sun Baiyi beside him. Sun Baiyi finally had no choice but to shout his name loudly right by his ear.
The sound made Lin Huaixi’s eardrums sting. Dizzy from the blast, he clapped a hand over the left side of his face and stared at him in alarm. “What are you doing?”
Sun Baiyi’s gaze traveled inch by inch across his features. “Xixi, what were you thinking about just now? Why were you so serious? …No, you’re definitely hiding something from me!”
Lin Huaixi had not expected Sun Baiyi to be this sharp. Feeling guilty, he looked away. “What could I possibly be hiding from you? I was just thinking about where to take you tomorrow.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
Sun Baiyi trusted Lin Huaixi’s words unconditionally. The invisible tail behind him began wagging like a helicopter rotor, and he was instantly moved. “Xixi, you’re so good to me.”
Sincerity really was the deadliest move of all. The fact that he was still hiding things made Lin Huaixi feel so guilty he could not even meet Sun Baiyi’s eyes.
“Also…” Sun Baiyi hesitated. “As for Zong Nanze and Zhong Chongqiu—even if you can’t all get along, tomorrow can you not question them like suspects?”
“I can’t help it.” Sun Baiyi looked aggrieved. “I just don’t like the look of them.”
Scumbag suitors repelled each other on sight, which made it very difficult for him to form any favorable impression.
Lin Huaixi understood that perfectly. He sighed inwardly and decided he would shoulder the storm alone.
“Then ask me instead. I’ll tell you everything I know.” Lin Huaixi held out a hand toward him. “But I have one condition.”
“What condition?” Sun Baiyi licked his dry lips and suddenly looked a little nervous.
Lin Huaixi said expressionlessly, “Buy me a bottle of water. If my throat goes hoarse tomorrow, I’m not going to wander all over the place with you.”
Sun Baiyi thought Lin Huaixi looked exactly like some little animal fluffing up in anger. It was adorable. He gave two silly little laughs and immediately ran off to buy him a bottle of water.
Lin Huaixi held almost nothing back and told him everything that had happened recently.
Only two and a half months had passed since school started. Most of that time had been spent in class, so there had not been much worth telling. He had thought he could explain the whole thing in a few sentences.
But Sun Baiyi kept digging and digging, asking nonstop, and from angles so strange they nearly left him speechless.
By the time Lin Huaixi drained the last swallow from the bottle, Sun Baiyi finally, albeit unwillingly, swallowed back all the words that had been on the tip of his tongue. After hesitating a few seconds, he twisted awkwardly and said, “I have one more… request. Even if you don’t agree, don’t get mad.”
“What is it?” Lin Huaixi had already run out of temper.
“Tomorrow… can you not call Qi Wang?”
“Okay.”
Nothing upset Lin Huaixi more than seeing Sun Baiyi and Qi Wang clash, so Sun Baiyi had been fully prepared for him to try persuading him yet again, gently but endlessly urging them to get along.
He had not expected Lin Huaixi to agree so easily.
“Huh? What did you just say?”
Lin Huaixi replied calmly, “I said I won’t call Qi Wang tomorrow.”
“How… how could you?” Sun Baiyi looked him up and down as if he had suddenly become a stranger.
Lin Huaixi made up an excuse on the spot. “Qi Wang’s been busy moving out lately. He’s packing up his room, so I won’t bother him. Once he’s free the day after tomorrow, we’ll invite him out for a meal.”
At the second half of that sentence, Sun Baiyi’s brows knotted hard. He wanted to say No meal needed, but considering Lin Huaixi’s feelings, he could only grit his teeth and agree.
Lin Huaixi escorted Sun Baiyi back to his hotel. Worried about him, Sun Baiyi insisted on walking him back to campus too. In the end, Lin Huaixi stood downstairs outside the dorm and waved at him, watching him leave the school gates again.
Once Sun Baiyi’s figure disappeared, Lin Huaixi no longer had to pretend. He let out a long sigh.
Tomorrow was definitely going to be a bloodbath. He probably would not be able to withstand it. But he was not so arrogant as to drag Qi Wang into it too.
He might have changed the plot, but those were still the three scumbag suitors. If they all met the protagonist, who knew what kind of unnecessary sparks would fly.
Lin Huaixi sighed again and decided he would not think about it anymore.
After a full day of running around, he was exhausted. Once he got back to the dorm, he washed up and went straight to sleep.
When he opened his eyes the next morning, he stretched lazily and felt completely refreshed.
Sure enough, there was no problem that could not be solved by sleeping on it. In his sleep, he had thought of the perfect solution.
Before, he had cornered himself mentally, believing he needed to deal with all three scumbag suitors. But now that he thought about it, none of this had anything to do with him.
All they did was fight out of jealousy anyway. So let them fight.
Qi Wang was not even going to be there.
In the original book, Lin Huaixi was only a tiny supporting character. There was no way the shura field would affect him. He just needed to do his job properly as a guiding tool, show Sun Baiyi around campus, and as for whether Zong Nanze and Zhong Chongqiu showed up or whether they fought if they gathered together—that had absolutely nothing to do with him.
He was going to shut off all five senses and absolutely not ask for trouble.
Having thought it through, Lin Huaixi stopped dwelling on it. After breakfast, he arrived at the agreed meeting place fifteen minutes early.
He was not late, but the other three were already there waiting for him, and the atmosphere was terrible.
Lin Huaixi pretended not to notice. Smiling, he greeted all three of them and then turned to Sun Baiyi. “Come on. Our campus is huge. We’ll be lucky if we finish touring it before lunch. In the afternoon I’ll take you outside the campus to look around too.”
The moment Sun Baiyi heard the first words out of Lin Huaixi’s mouth were directed at him, his spine straightened instantly. He happily sidled closer. “Xixi, you really are the thoughtful one.”
The four of them set off, each carrying their own hidden agenda.
Lin Huaixi fulfilled his role dutifully as a campus guide. They had already toured most of the grounds when they passed the internet-famous maple street. Thinking that it would be a waste if Sun Baiyi came all this way and did not at least get a good picture, Lin Huaixi turned and called him over.
All along the way, the background noise had been Sun Baiyi and Zong Nanze trading sarcastic remarks and open attacks, with Zhong Chongqiu occasionally cutting in.
He did not speak much, but every time he did, he drove the knife straight into the sorest place. So Sun Baiyi ended up snapping at him too, while Zong Nanze cleverly shifted between the two of them, going from the main target of attack to the one stirring more oil into the fire.
Lin Huaixi listened to a few rounds of it and thought the three of them quarreled in a way that was actually kind of entertaining. But his eardrums were starting to hurt faintly, so he turned his head toward the scenery and pretended to know nothing.
Now, when he turned back, he found Sun Baiyi red in the face from arguing, eyebrows raised and eyes wide as he pointed a finger right at Zong Nanze’s nose, rattling out a stream of fire.
Worried the three of them might actually come to blows, Lin Huaixi finally stepped in. “Sun Baiyi, the scenery here is amazing. Come over here—I’ll take a picture for you.”
Sun Baiyi had been right in the middle of the fight and had only just managed to gain the upper hand. He would have loved to press the advantage and argue with those two until one side died. But Lin Huaixi’s words broke his momentum, and without a second of hesitation he trotted over like a little puppy. “Sure! Xixi, let’s take one together.”
Lin Huaixi did not overthink it and simply nodded.
Sun Baiyi slung an arm over his shoulder and stood under the maple trees. Then he held out the phone and said, “You two, whichever one—take a photo for us.”
Arms folded, Zong Nanze stood there smiling sweetly, blatantly pretending not to hear.
Zhong Chongqiu’s psychological endurance was not nearly as strong. He immediately walked off to the side and lowered his head to fiddle with his phone.
Sun Baiyi: “…”
Lin Huaixi: “…”
His vision went black again. He had a strong feeling a world war was about to break out, and, as expected, Sun Baiyi went charging like a cannonball while all Lin Huaixi managed to do in time was snatch back his own phone.
This was no longer a situation he could control. At least he had the self-awareness to admit that. So after a quick glance around, Lin Huaixi found himself a perfectly legitimate excuse.
They had walked so much he was getting thirsty anyway. He could go buy them some drinks.
Keeping his footsteps light, Lin Huaixi quietly slipped away and bought four bottles of lemonade from the milk tea shop next door. Then he dawdled shamelessly on the way back.
He was being extremely considerate. Since ten minutes surely was not enough time for them to finish quarreling, he figured he ought to return even later.
With nothing to do, Lin Huaixi swung the drinks back and forth in his hands. Every five or six seconds, he slowly lifted a foot and took one tiny step forward.
He had gone that far for them already, yet by the time he reached the corner and caught sight of the three figures from afar, they were still gathered together. He could not hear what they were saying, but the sword-drawn tension in the air was unmistakable.
Lin Huaixi sighed, wavering over whether he ought to go break it up.
A breeze swept in from the distance. The tree shadows swayed. Bright sunlight filtered through the gaps and fell across his face.
Lin Huaixi’s heart gave a small jump. When he lifted his head, all he could see was a bright white halo of light and the blurry outline of a profile.
Someone had caught hold of his left wrist.
Strangely enough, the instant he felt the other person’s warmth, he knew who it was. He obediently let himself be pulled aside.
“Qi Wang? What are you doing here?” They had only gone one night without seeing each other, yet Lin Huaixi already missed him terribly. His eyes were full of delight.
Qi Wang looked at him silently, not saying a word.
Lin Huaixi blinked at him for three seconds, then instantly understood. “You want to ask why I didn’t call you to come along today, right?”
Qi Wang did not answer directly, but the deep crease between his brows gave him away.
Lin Huaixi could not tell him the real reason, but his concern was genuine. “Sun Baiyi’s acting like he swallowed a gun. He’s quarreling nonstop with Zong Nanze and the others even though this is their first time meeting. You and he already snipe at each other often enough too. I was worried that if I called you over, he’d lose his temper even more. And don’t you prefer quiet anyway?”
Qi Wang’s frown did not ease, and his face seemed to have the words I’m angry written all over it.
After thinking for a moment, Lin Huaixi bumped his shoulder playfully and said with a grin, “I’m really fine. Sun Baiyi treats me very well. Even when they fight, they never drag me into it. So stop worrying. I’m perfectly okay—look how happy I am.”
He held out a cup of lemonade to him. “I didn’t know you were coming, so I didn’t buy one for you. Just drink mine. Leave me half a cup.”
After thoughtfully sticking in the straw, he handed it to Qi Wang.
Qi Wang looked at him deeply, then, resigned, took the lemonade.
A moment earlier he had been on the verge of losing control of his temper. Yet Lin Huaixi had used only a few simple words to soothe the wild beast in his chest that had been about to break out of its cage.
To spare Lin Huaixi’s feelings, Qi Wang took a few sips before handing it back. His tone was not forceful, but there was no room to refuse. “Today, I’m staying with you.”
“No!” Lin Huaixi’s expression changed at once, and his refusal was absolute.
The two of them froze in a deadlock. Lin Huaixi frowned at him, his mind spinning rapidly. He had just come up with a plausible excuse when he noticed Qi Wang’s expression shift. Qi Wang’s gaze moved over his shoulder toward something behind him.
“…”
A dreadful feeling came over Lin Huaixi. Like a rusted machine, he slowly turned his head—and the first thing he saw were three shadows on the ground.
Thank goodness. Sun Baiyi and the other two were still standing where they had been. They had not noticed them. But Qi Wang, who was normally the one who stayed calm and composed, suddenly looked as though something had snapped in him and started walking straight toward them.
What was this if not a sheep marching willingly into the tiger’s jaws?!
Lin Huaixi’s pupils shrank. Panic exploded through him. He lunged forward, grabbed Qi Wang, dragged him into a corner, and pinned him against the wall.
Trying to look fierce, he threatened, “I’m doing this for your own good. Today you have to listen to me, or else…”
He got stuck there. Meanwhile, Qi Wang looked at him with a deep, unreadable gaze. Lin Huaixi could actually see a flicker of anticipation in his eyes. “Or else what would you do to me?”
Lin Huaixi: “…”
The four of them really were worthy of being the main characters—there was not a single one of them who was easy to deal with.
