CS - 10

Looking back now, the young Lin Zhe Xia had briefly been mesmerized by this face.

But the enchantment lasted no more than ten seconds.

Because ten seconds later, this person spoke in a tone that sounded like he wanted to pick a fight.

“You,” he said, eyes lowered, “are in the way.”

“…”

“Move.”

In that instant, Lin Zhe Xia decided that this face wasn’t actually all that handsome.

At that time, her personality was very different from now—she was exceptionally sharp.

If this person had spoken politely, she would have felt embarrassed about sitting there and blocking someone’s path.

But clearly, this person might as well have said the word “get lost.”

Lin Zhe Xia didn’t give him a friendly look either: “Do you even know how to talk properly?”

The boy: “Can’t you understand human language?”

“I can understand human language,” Lin Zhe Xia replied stiffly. “But I couldn’t understand that earlier bout of barking.”

Since Lin Zhe Xia also carried an attitude that screamed “you’re asking for a beating,” the two fell into a standoff at the building entrance.

“I’ll say it again—move.”

“I’m not moving. If you’ve got the guts, jump over me.”

“Crazy.”

“Well, be careful—I bite when I go crazy.”

…

Her first meeting with Chi Yao was far from pleasant.

The two engaged in a childish argument for over ten minutes until Lin He noticed the situation and called out: “Xia Xia, what’s wrong? Come on, we can go inside now.”

Lin Zhe Xia responded.

After answering, she felt this matter couldn’t just end like this, so before leaving, she coldly said: “Let’s fight.”

“Tomorrow at noon, I’ll wait here for you,” Lin Zhe Xia delivered her challenge in a cold, childish voice imitating TV dramas. “If you don’t come, you’re a puppy.”

Later that afternoon, the weather suddenly changed—a typhoon passed through.

Fortunately, the strong winds came and went quickly, and by early the next morning, the skies had cleared.

Lin Zhe Xia took this appointment extremely seriously and waited until noon the next day.

Before heading out, she even ate an extra half bowl of rice.

“Good appetite,” Wei Ping chuckled. “Uncle was worried you wouldn’t adjust to the new place.”

Lin Zhe Xia pushed her rice bowl away and said: “I’m full. I’m going out for a bit.”

“Where are you going?” Lin He asked.

“…To get some sun.”

Lin Zhe Xia sat at the entrance of her building, watching the opposite building.

Noon.

No one entered or exited the opposite building.

Half past noon.

Still no one.

One o’clock in the afternoon.

The door opened, and an elderly man walked out.

She waited until evening, but the boy never showed up for the challenge.

Lin Zhe Xia hadn’t expected him to actually refuse to be human.

He was just… a dog!

That evening, the old man went out to take out the trash and quickly returned. Lin Zhe Xia seized the opportunity to approach him and ask: “Grandpa, do you have a boy about my height living in your building? He has very pale skin. Is he home today?”

At that time, Grandpa Wang was still quite spry and answered every question posed by the little girl: “Is it the boy who’s pretty handsome?”

Forcing herself to nod for the sake of finding the person, Lin Zhe Xia replied: “Yeah, he’s alright.”

“That must be Xiao Yao. He lives right across from me,” Grandpa Wang said. “He’s in the hospital right now.”

Lin Zhe Xia: “Huh?”

She hadn’t even fought him yet—how did he end up in the hospital?

Grandpa Wang quickly explained: “Wasn’t there a typhoon yesterday? Seems like he caught a cold.”

“…”

Lin Zhe Xia found it hard to imagine the scene.

Just yesterday, this boy had strutted around in front of her, looking like he could take on five people. One gust of wind outside, and overnight, he was bedridden.

What kind of frail child was this?

As Lin Zhe Xia secretly mocked him in her heart, Grandpa Wang shook his head and said sympathetically: “That boy is quite pitiful. At such a young age, his parents are often away, and he lives alone.”

“He’s also in poor health, frequently visiting the hospital. I don’t know what his parents are thinking, how can they be so at ease… Work is important, but children are more important…”

Hearing this, Lin Zhe Xia suddenly felt like letting him off the hook.

Her second encounter with Chi Yao happened a week later when she returned from the supermarket with Lin He.

After a week, she still hadn’t fully adjusted to life in the new home.

Carrying a bag of snacks, she spotted a somewhat familiar figure in the distance.

The boy’s silhouette was thin. Despite it being summer, he was wearing a black windbreaker, opening the unit door.

Lin He went inside first. After pondering for a moment, Lin Zhe Xia ran over to the opposite building.

She called out: “Hey.”

The boy paused while opening the unit door. There were clear needle marks on the back of his hand.

Lin Zhe Xia pulled out a bag of her favorite milk-flavored cookies from her snack bag and shoved it into his hand: “Here.”

The other side obviously wanted to say, “Take it back.”

With a stern face, Lin Zhe Xia said: “I heard you’re sick. Hurry up and recover, or I won’t be able to defeat you properly.”

The other side didn’t expect her to come up with such a reason and was momentarily stunned, failing to return the cookies immediately.

________________________________________

A month after moving into Nan Xiang Street.

Lin Zhe Xia got into a fight.

This fight was highly sensational, directly making her famous throughout the neighborhood and earning her a scolding from Lin He. However, her opponent wasn’t Chi Yao—it was He Yang.

That day, she was wandering around the neighborhood.

Lin He had found a new job nearby and left early in the morning for work. Wei Ping was off that day.

Not wanting to stay with Wei Ping, she said after eating: “Uncle Wei, I’m going out for a walk.”

Wei Ping was also at a loss. Having no children, he didn’t know how to interact with kids or win Lin Zhe Xia’s favor: “Then… be careful, don’t leave the neighborhood. It’s dangerous outside.”

Lin Zhe Xia nodded: “Mm, got it.”

There was a simple basketball court in the neighborhood. Older folks usually came to play in the evenings after work or school.

In the afternoon, there were more kids her age on the court.

Back then, He Yang was a chubby kid with a domineering personality, self-proclaimed “king of the neighborhood.”

Perhaps because of his middle-school immaturity, he really had a group of kids who followed him as their “boss.”

“Boss, your shots are so high.”

“Boss, your aim is so accurate.”

“Boss! Let’s go buy popsicles from the convenience store!”

“…”

Lin Zhe Xia sat on a swing nearby, finding these kids incredibly childish.

After sitting for a while, the sun became too hot, and she prepared to go home. She heard someone finally break from the “boss” pattern and say: “Look—isn’t that Chi Yao?”

Following the gaze, she saw a face she had recently encountered.

The pale, frail boy was carrying something, passing by the path outside the basketball court.

He Yang, the chubby troublemaker, found amusement in teasing others: “Call him over and let him play basketball with us.”

Someone said: “He can’t even hold the ball.”

Another added: “He’s always sick and can’t play with us.”

The group burst into laughter.

He Yang, hands on his hips, arrogantly shouted: “I want to see him make a fool of himself. He definitely doesn’t know how to play basketball. Let’s see what he does. Call him over.”

Then they threw the ball in their hands—

“Bang.” The ball hit the frail boy squarely.

Chi Yao indeed looked rather “fragile” at that time.

Wearing a jacket in the summer heat, his brows and eyes exuded a sickly aura.

Though his temper seemed unapproachable, it didn’t stop some from wanting to bully him due to his weak constitution.

He Yang: “You, the always-sick one, come play basketball. Do you even know how?”

This bullying scene was too much.

Lin Zhe Xia, who hadn’t developed gender awareness as a child and didn’t know how to be reserved or fear, acted purely on instinct.

So, before Chi Yao could react, an unfamiliar girl stepped forward.

The girl of the same age shielded Chi Yao behind her, picked up the ball from the ground, and without a word, hurled it back at them.

They were many, so throwing randomly would surely hit someone.

—The unlucky one this time was He Yang.

He Yang covered his face, nearly crying from the impact.

Considering his dignity as the “big boss,” he endured the burning pain in his nose: “Who are you? Why did you throw that at me?”

Lin Zhe Xia pointed to the frail boy behind her: “Me, his big brother.”

“You want to fight him,” Lin Zhe Xia said coldly, seriously, “you have to get through me first.”

He Yang was dumbfounded by this relationship: “When did he get a big brother?”

Lin Zhe Xia: “It’s none of your business.”

“You’re a girl,” though mischievous, He Yang wasn’t completely unreasonable. “My mom says you can’t hit girls. Move aside.”

Lin Zhe Xia: “If you can’t beat me, just say it. Don’t make excuses.”

“…”

That night, Lin Zhe Xia was kicked out of the house for fighting.

She stood outside the building entrance, hungry and punished.

Wei Ping kept pleading for her: “It’s so hot, she’s been standing for an hour already. Let her in.”

Lin He’s voice became shrill: “Let her stand! Who taught her to fight with people!”

Lin Zhe Xia stood for an hour, her legs numb.

After Lin He’s voice subsided and she thought Lin He wasn’t watching her anymore, she slacked off a bit, sitting down on the steps.

While pounding her legs, she sighed at how difficult it was to be a “big brother.”

Just as she was spacing out, suddenly, a good-looking hand and a bag of her favorite milk-flavored cookies appeared in her line of sight.

The cookies were her favorite brand.

The frail boy still spoke arrogantly, though this time he averted his eyes, deliberately looking elsewhere: “Here, returning it.”

It was around this time that she and Chi Yao gradually became close—at this special turning point in her life.

The sense of unfamiliarity brought on by the move began to dissipate from this moment.

“Lin Zhe Xia,” she accepted the bag of cookies and introduced herself, “the name of your big brother.”

“…”

“Zhe as in ‘fold,’ Xia as in ‘summer.’ What’s your name?”

The frail boy hesitated, ultimately swallowing the title of “big brother,” and indifferently tossed out two words: “Chi Yao.”

Lin Zhe Xia: “Have you ever considered changing your name?”

“?”

“Your health isn’t great to begin with, and your name sounds like ‘medicine.’ Doesn’t seem very auspicious.”

“…”

From that day on, she started visiting Chi Yao’s house frequently.

Chi Yao’s house was empty—no adults nagging in their ears.

Although Chi Yao’s temper was unbearable at times, spending time with him was infuriating enough.

After moving to Nan Xiang Street, she transferred to another elementary school.

Most of the kids in the neighborhood attended this school because it was close.

Coincidentally, she and Chi Yao ended up in the same class, with He Yang’s class next door.

When she was little, her relationship with He Yang was terrible.

Every time she saw He Yang, she cursed him.

He Yang, leading his gang of followers, also despised her.

Before the nickname “Summer Brother” was born, the chubby He Yang called her “Tigress.”

Thus, she learned that Chi Yao sometimes didn’t even go to school, often hospitalized, to the point where classmates barely remembered him.

Lin Zhe Xia’s grades as a child were consistently mid-range. Once, during Chi Yao’s hospitalization, she volunteered to tutor him.

“In third grade, I scored 80 points last week,” Lin Zhe Xia proudly declared, head held high. “Final exams are coming up soon. I’m afraid you’ll fall behind, so reluctantly, I’ll teach you.”

Chi Yao lay in the hospital bed, receiving IV fluids, and put down the book in his hands.

Lin Zhe Xia didn’t notice what book it was. If she had glanced, she would have realized it was a middle school textbook she couldn’t understand.

She took out her notebook.

And the test paper she was quite proud of, which scored 80 points.

Noticing Chi Yao’s gaze on the 80 points, she said: “You don’t need to envy my score. As long as you work harder, you can score 80 points too.”

Her confidence shattered when the final exam results came out.

The teacher smiled on stage: “Our class’s top scorer this time is still Chi Yao. He got full marks in every subject.”

Full marks.

Full. Marks.

Lin Zhe Xia held her 78-point test paper, two points lower than before, and suddenly fell silent.

Where did she get the confidence to go to the hospital and teach Chi Yao so many problems?

She was such an idiot.

…

As she ran closer to the infirmary, Lin Zhe Xia panted heavily. She had thought these memories would fade over time due to their distant past.

But they hadn’t.

Every single event, every vivid image from nine years ago, remained crystal clear in her mind.

She also remembered how Chi Yao’s health gradually improved over time. As he grew older, he stopped visiting the hospital frequently. Slowly, he grew taller than his peers and started playing basketball.

Later on, his health even surpassed that of others his age.

During flu season, when many around him fell ill with colds, he remained unscathed.

The frail, sickly Chi Yao of the past never reappeared.

…

Without realizing it, she, Chi Yao, and He Yang eventually became friends after all those fights.

Lin Zhe Xia pushed open the door to the infirmary, her voice trembling with tears as she called out Chi Yao’s name: “Chi Yao—”

When she opened the door, she saw Chi Yao lying on the simple bed inside the infirmary.

The young man had his eyes closed, no longer resembling the boy he once was. He wore a T-shirt tucked into loose military pants, looking less like someone who was sick and more like a student who had sneaked into the infirmary to nap and avoid following the rules.

Lin Zhe Xia, her eyes red and voice trembling, said helplessly: “I’m sorry… If I had known, I would’ve starved myself. I shouldn’t have let you run those laps…”

“You mustn’t be seriously hurt,” Lin Zhe Xia’s hands and feet felt icy. “Modern medicine is so advanced now. No matter what illness it is, it can be treated. You’ll definitely be fine.”

The person on the bed stirred.

This movement manifested as the young man raising one hand rather impatiently and placing it over his ear.

“…”

The next second.

Lin Zhe Xia heard Chi Yao say: “I just sprained my ankle. It’s not like I’m going to die tomorrow.”