Chapter 80
At first, Lin Huaixi had been very nervous, but Qi Wang never made any further intimate moves. On top of that, the two of them knew each other extremely well and had always spent plenty of time alone together, so Lin Huaixi quickly found his usual rhythm again and relaxed.
The two of them had a wonderful time and did not return to the guesthouse until dusk.
The place was filled with young people. After dinner, with nothing much to do, everyone gathered at the bar on the first floor to look out at the sea.
Lin Huaixi and Qi Wang joined them as well. Since they were all around the same age and had plenty in common, they quickly got familiar with one another, chatting while enjoying the night view.
Lin Huaixi’s personality and looks were a tremendous advantage. Ever since he was little, he had always been popular, so he was immediately surrounded by people. Some wanted to talk to Qi Wang too, but Qi Wang gave off such a strong keep-your-distance aura that no one dared approach him.
After finishing a round of the tabletop game, Lin Huaixi instinctively looked for Qi Wang, wanting to celebrate with him. But after scanning the room, he still could not find the person he wanted most.
His brows drew together slightly, and he immediately took out his phone.
Qi Wang answered the call. “I went back to the room first. Don’t worry about me. Stay and play a little longer, but remember to come back before nine.”
Lin Huaixi smiled and nodded.
The people around him were all very curious about their relationship and crowded closer to ask, “Is he your brother? He cares about you so much. My parents can’t even be bothered to remind me like that anymore.”
Lin Huaixi caught the teasing hidden in the words. He pressed his lips together, and although his voice was soft, he said with certainty, “He’s my boyfriend.”
The sentence landed like thunder out of a clear sky. Everyone turned toward him at once, eyes shining.
Just from meeting all their gazes, Lin Huaixi’s scalp went numb. Sure enough, questions surged over him like a tidal wave.
“When did you two meet?”
“How long have you been together?”
“Who chased who? I’m guessing it was definitely him. During the conversation just now, he never once took his eyes off you. Your boyfriend really loves you.”
“Of course all the handsome people keep things in the family. You two look so good together. Can you tell us your love story?”
Lin Huaixi could not help leaning back. With a dry little laugh, he said, “Please don’t get so excited. I can barely even hear the questions anymore.”
His skin was far too thin for telling their love story in front of strangers, but the group of young people had him tightly surrounded and clearly had no intention of letting him off. Left with no choice, he could only force himself to briefly summarize their past.
Lin Huaixi did not go into any details, but everyone looked utterly melted by sweetness, all wearing fond, auntie-like smiles.
Seizing an opening, Lin Huaixi slipped out of the crowd. Afraid he would get trapped again, he did not dare go upstairs and instead sneaked out through the entrance.
The wind at night was colder, but since he had just come from inside, his body still felt warm, and the chill did not bother him much. Wearing his fluffy earmuffs and scarf, he wandered along the shore.
The sea at night was not truly black but a deep, rich blue, quietly swelling and shifting, with waves occasionally sending over crisp little splashes. There was no one around but him. Visibility was low, and in such surroundings Lin Huaixi should have felt lonely or afraid or some other negative emotion. But the sea at night felt gentle, and as the sound of the waves brushed against his thoughts, something strangely soothing happened.
Lin Huaixi breathed warm air into his hands, then tucked them into his pockets to warm them. After standing there quietly and watching the sea for a while, he was just about to continue walking when his fingers touched a hard edge.
He pulled it out.
It was the plan sheet he had written overnight on the night he decided to “try being together with Qi Wang.”
For all these days, he and Qi Wang had been following that plan, moving ahead step by step.
This trip was supposed to be a time to relax. Lin Huaixi had not wanted to mix in any extra thoughts, yet for some reason that sheet of paper had found its way into his pocket again.
Almost automatically, Lin Huaixi unfolded it. In the moonlight, he could only vaguely make out some red marks.
Every time they completed one of the items, Lin Huaixi would put a red checkmark beside it. The checkmarks now covered nearly half the page. That meant his and Qi Wang’s progress had been going smoothly. All they needed was about the same amount of time again, and then they would truly be together.
Lin Huaixi frowned slightly, a strange, subtle feeling rising in his heart.
Did other people go through this stage too? Were they also as strict and methodical as the two of them, moving step by step without straying even half a pace?
Before now, Lin Huaixi had never thought much about it. But standing there with the waves in his ears, he suddenly quieted down and began looking back over every scene of being together with Qi Wang.
Yet he failed to catch that fleeting thought. His mind was a tangled mess. After trying a few times and getting nowhere, Lin Huaixi could only give up. Even so, that strange, delicate feeling still lingered stubbornly in his heart.
After standing in the night wind a while longer, he turned back toward the guesthouse. He did not want Qi Wang to worry. But when he lowered his head, the moonlight reflected something sparkling on the ground.
Curious, Lin Huaixi crouched down and picked up a star from the sand.
It was a glass star, chubby and adorable. Lin Huaixi held it up in front of his eyes. The glass star glimmered softly, almost stealing the moon’s place.
Taking it as a pleasant little surprise, Lin Huaixi rinsed it in the seawater and tucked it into his pocket. But as he walked back, he found another glass star.
And another one farther ahead.
???
Lin Huaixi suddenly realized that the stars formed a path leading somewhere, clearly arranged by someone.
As if possessed, he followed it, walking along the trail of stars toward some other shore.
The stars grew closer and closer together, as though signaling that the end was near. Lin Huaixi took another step forward, and suddenly, in the darkness, he saw a figure with his head slightly lowered. The handsome profile had been dyed a porcelain-pale white by the moonlight. His high nose cast a heavy shadow. Light and dark flowed over him, making him look like a person from a black-and-white film—mysterious and solitary.
The night wind blew the clouds away, and the pure moonlight poured down once more. Something was glittering. Lin Huaixi focused and realized it was that glass star.
Everything immediately became clear. The glass stars that had guided him here had been placed by him.
Lin Huaixi’s throat suddenly went dry. His Adam’s apple bobbed, and a name almost left his lips—but the phone vibrating in his pocket broke his train of thought.
With the wind and waves roaring all around them, the two stood front and back, unable to hear each other at all.
Lin Huaixi answered the call and looked at the person ahead of him. “Qi Wang.”
The voice that was gentle only with him came through: “Xixi, where are you?”
At last, Lin Huaixi could no longer suppress the emotions surging up in his heart. He shoved the phone back into his pocket and ran straight at Qi Wang.
The sea hid his movement as much as it could, but Qi Wang still caught the faint rustle of fabric and instinctively started to turn around. Before he could, someone leapt onto his back.
Qi Wang had not seen his face, had not caught his scent, had been given no clues at all, yet he knew with absolute certainty that this was his Xixi.
The surprise faded from his face, replaced by a smile in his eyes. He had no idea what sort of madness had seized Lin Huaixi this time, but he was more than willing to play along. He reached back with both hands and firmly supported Lin Huaixi’s legs, carrying him steadily on his back just like when they were children.
Lin Huaixi wrapped his arms tightly around Qi Wang’s neck, like some sneaky little animal. He buried his face against Qi Wang’s neck and inhaled deeply, and it felt as though he had come alive again.
To him, this was like catnip—irresistible. Just taking in that scent soothed both body and heart, leaving him unable to stop himself from rubbing closer, completely entranced.
Qi Wang did not notice what he was doing. He spun around once with Lin Huaixi on his back, and their laughter scattered into the wind and drifted toward the horizon.
Qi Wang had only just finished setting everything up when Lin Huaixi caught him in the act. The surprise he had prepared was rendered useless, but other than a sense of helpless amusement, he felt no disappointment at all. Feeling the solid weight on his back, he only found his heart overflowing.
“Why are you still outside so late?” Qi Wang asked.
Lin Huaixi gave a soft laugh and deliberately stretched out his hand to let Qi Wang check it.
Though Lin Huaixi was afraid of the cold, in winter he was practically a little furnace. Qi Wang only had to hold his hand once for his tone to soften. “Weren’t you just downstairs playing?”
Lin Huaixi huffed through his nose. “And didn’t you say you were upstairs? Then why are you out here too?”
Having caught each other red-handed, neither of them could keep pressing the question, and they burst into laughter together.
Lin Huaixi kicked his legs lightly. “Am I too heavy? Want to put me down?”
Qi Wang bounced him a little higher on his back, answering with actions instead of words. “Not heavy at all. I’m not tired in the least.”
Leaning close to his ear, Lin Huaixi whispered, “I followed the stars all the way here. Did I come too early?”
Qi Wang glanced at the surprise at their feet and laughed softly. “A little too early. I was planning to bring you here tomorrow morning.”
“Tomorrow morning?” Lin Huaixi looked surprised. “Then why did you start setting it up now?”
“I was afraid getting up early tomorrow would wake you.” Qi Wang said gently, “You’ve been too tired lately. You need proper rest.”
The words were ordinary enough, yet Lin Huaixi felt deeply moved by them. Warmth slowly spread through his heart.
Sniffling lightly, Lin Huaixi buried his head in Qi Wang’s neck. Feeling his warmth and breathing, he finally found the place where he could truly settle, and his whole body relaxed. The tangle in his mind came apart on its own.
It was not that he had never liked Qi Wang. It was only that he had never looked closely and seriously at those feelings. Or perhaps that plan sheet had numbed him.
The truth was, he had fallen for Qi Wang long ago.
Maybe Qi Wang had already seen it; maybe he had not. But Qi Wang had always put him first, always willing to give way, always willing to move at his pace and match his rhythm.
But love was never meant to be something followed step by step according to a chart.
It was as if fireworks exploded beside Lin Huaixi’s ears. The barrier lodged in his chest collapsed soundlessly, and all his emotions came rushing out.
From his pocket, Lin Huaixi pulled out that plan sheet, loosened his fingers, and let the sea wind carry it away into the deep blue ocean.
Qi Wang only caught sight of a corner of white and asked with concern, “Did you drop something?”
Lin Huaixi did not answer directly. With one arm looped around Qi Wang’s neck, he tilted his head back to look at the night sky, the corners of his mouth lifting uncontrollably.
“Mr. Qi Wang, I am officially informing you that you have passed your trial period. You are now my boyfriend.”
