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Perhaps the few sentences they exchanged before bed had worked.
That night, Lin Zhe Xia slept soundly without any dreams and woke up refreshed the next morning.
Lin He had made her a sandwich for breakfast. She took a few bites, then packed the rest into a bag and grabbed it as she hurried out: “Mom, I’m going to Chi Yao’s to bring him breakfast. You know, since he’s sick, I thought I’d check on him.”
When she arrived at Chi Yao’s place, he was still tidying up.
Chi Yao had a band-aid on his hand, and the collar of his school uniform was unbuttoned, leaving it slightly open.
Lin Zhe Xia respectfully handed over the food bag: “A gift for you, sir.”
Chi Yao glanced at it briefly: “I’m not hungry right now. Just leave it there.”
Lin Zhe Xia: “Got it.”
She placed the sandwich down and sat in the living room to wait. After a while, she suddenly said, “Chi Yao, I had a dream last night.”
“In my dream, I fought sixty people, one punch each. I was so strong.”
“Those sixty people were all super muscular, but none of them could stand up to me, Young Master Lin. In less than three minutes, they were all on the ground.”
Chi Yao smirked faintly: “As long as you know it was just a dream.”
Lin Zhe Xia had only been trying to cheer him up. After finishing, she cautiously asked: “How are you feeling today?”
“Not great,” Chi Yao replied. “I feel like killing someone.”
“...”
Lin Zhe Xia thought to herself that it had already been a whole night: “Why are you still mad?”
Chi Yao’s tone was calm: “I have a bad temper. I get angry easily.”
Lin Zhe Xia: “...”
She had already apologized, and she didn’t know what else to say to make Chi Yao forgive her.
After much thought, she said, “I swear, this is the last time. Next time, no matter what happens, I’ll tell you immediately.”
After saying this, she noticed a slight reaction from Chi Yao.
Thinking for a moment, she added, “I won’t hide anything from you. If you don’t believe me, we can pinky swear.”
Lin Zhe Xia made a gesture of hooking her pinky finger.
Chi Yao didn’t extend his hand. Instead, he looked past her and said, “Childish.”
The tone of this “childish” was different from his earlier words—lighter at the end. Others might not have noticed, but Lin Zhe Xia immediately knew that he wasn’t angry anymore.
When the two walked to the bus stop, He Yang was already waiting there.
The three of them swiped their cards and got on the bus.
Chi Yao often napped on the bus, and as usual, Lin Zhe Xia snatched one side of his earphones to listen to his music. She sipped her milk as she listened, and when she finished the bottle, she looked around to see if there was anywhere to throw it away.
The bus gradually filled with more passengers.
Glancing around, Lin Zhe Xia couldn’t find a trash can, but she did notice several students wearing Second High uniforms.
And these people seemed to be glancing in their direction, or more accurately, in Chi Yao’s direction.
When the song in her earphones ended, there was a brief pause of silence.
In that silence, Lin Zhe Xia followed their gazes and glanced sideways.
Chi Yao was sitting by the window, and the light from outside fell perfectly on him, resembling the widely circulated photo of him from the start of the semester.
Under such scrutiny, Lin Zhe Xia suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of discomfort.
She didn’t want to inadvertently become the object of attention herself, so she removed the earphones, picked up her backpack and empty milk carton, and moved to sit in the front row with He Yang.
He Yang was still copying homework and asked absently, “What are you doing here?”
Lin Zhe Xia: “...Just checking on you. How’s the homework coming along?”
He Yang: “Almost done with math. Just English left.”
“But seriously, try to do your homework yourself next time,” Lin Zhe Xia advised. “It looks pretty pathetic copying it on the bus.”
After saying this, she couldn’t help but add, “By the way, those people in the front—they seem to be from our school.”
He Yang didn’t stop writing, quickly glanced back, and said, “You mean those who keep staring at my bro Chi Yao?”
Lin Zhe Xia hummed in agreement.
Before He Yang mentioned it, she thought she might have been mistaken.
But He Yang took it in stride: “What’s surprising about that? Back when I used to go to school with Chi Yao, it was even worse. Some people who didn’t take this bus home after school would still ride it for an entire semester just to see him.”
Lin Zhe Xia: “Huh?”
He Yang turned his head to glance at the backseat again, noticing that Chi Yao was napping and hadn’t heard what he said. Then he continued, “Our classroom was at the end of the hallway near the water dispenser. Every time we got water, there was a huge line of people pretending to fill their bottles but actually sneaking peeks at him. Sometimes I couldn’t even get water, and I wanted to twist his head off and kick him out of the classroom.”
“Do you think that sounds too cruel?”
Lin Zhe Xia imagined the scene: “Not cruel at all. I completely understand how you feel.”
She paused, then added hesitantly, “But—”
But Chi Yao had always been quite noticeable.
She just hadn’t realized it until last night.
He Yang: “But what?”
Lin Zhe Xia didn’t continue: “Nothing. You’re almost at your stop. Hurry up and pack your things.”
________________________________________
When Lin Zhe Xia arrived at school, she found her desk drawer stuffed full of snacks.
All kinds of snacks, neatly packed.
“What’s going on?” At that moment, Chen Lin walked into the classroom, looking puzzled. “I think someone confessed to me. Who bought all these snacks?”
Chen Lin’s expression was complicated: “Actually, it was me.”
Lin Zhe Xia: “...”
Chen Lin: “I just wanted to thank you guys, but I didn’t dare give them to Chi Yao. Could you pass them on to him?”
Given the opportunity to keep them all to herself, Lin Zhe Xia certainly wasn’t going to share with Chi Yao: “He doesn’t need snacks. It’s better for boys not to eat too many sweets.”
When they talked about yesterday’s incident, Chen Lin added, “I went to see the teacher this morning. The teacher said they’d communicate with Experimental Affiliated High and report it to the school. That girl probably won’t dare send anyone over again after this.”
Lin Zhe Xia thought this resolution was reasonable.
After all, if things escalated, they could trace the red-haired guy back to the student from Experimental Affiliated High. Especially since the two seemed to have a close relationship—the red-haired guy had mentioned “his sister” yesterday, possibly some sibling connection.
However, what she didn’t know was that this matter had a small follow-up in places she couldn’t see.
________________________________________
In Class One, Grade Eleven.
Chi Yao was sitting in the back row while the teacher solved problems on the blackboard.
He twirled a pen in one hand and held his phone under the table with the other, scrolling through the constant stream of new messages.
He Yang: I found her.
He Yang: She’s a second-year girl. She has a few “older brothers” outside of school, one of whom is famous—the red-haired guy.
He Yang: She’s bragged to others about knowing people outside of school. It’s definitely her. No doubt.
He Yang: The school sent out a notice, but they couldn’t pinpoint who it was. During break, I brought some people to warn her. She probably didn’t expect to be found out and was pretty panicked. She said she knows she was wrong.
He Yang: Anyone who dares to bully our Xia Xia will regret it as long as she stays at Experimental Affiliated High.
In a top-tier class like Class One, openly using a phone during class might make him unique.
Even his deskmate couldn’t help but be shocked by his audacity.
Chi Yao tapped lightly on the screen with his bandaged hand, replying with a punctuation mark to indicate he understood: .
________________________________________
After much deliberation, Lin Zhe Xia decided to share some snacks with Chi Yao during lunch break.
Chen Lin: “Didn’t you say boys don’t need snacks?”
Lin Zhe Xia replied frankly, “It’s mainly because they’re taking up space. I can’t fit my books anymore.”
Chen Lin: “...”
Class One was downstairs.
During lunch break, the corridors were bustling with activity. Every classroom door was crowded with students, except for Class One’s, which was unusually quiet.
Aside from students from Class One entering and leaving, few others approached.
Lin Zhe Xia had visited Class One a few times before but hadn’t noticed how deserted it was until now.
Carrying her things, she stopped by the back window, as usual.
Chi Yao was sitting by the window, napping with Xu Ting’s jacket draped over him to block the sun. The black hood covered his entire head, and from her angle, she could only see his hand resting on the edge of the desk.
She knocked twice on the glass and called out, “Chi Yao!”
As soon as her voice faded.
That hand reluctantly moved, lifting up to cover his ear.
Lin Zhe Xia: “...”
Taking a deep breath, she shouted louder: “--Chi Yao, Chi Yao, Chi Yao!”
Chi Yao, woken rudely from his nap, was in a foul mood: “What do you want?”
“I’ve come to spread warmth,” Lin Zhe Xia handed him a bag of snacks through the gap in the window. “No need to thank me. Try not to get too emotional.”
Chi Yao glanced at it but didn’t take it: “Thanks. You specially brought over a bunch of things you don’t like to eat. I’m touched.”
Inside the bag.
Indeed.
She had carefully selected things she didn’t like to eat.
Lin Zhe Xia simply let go, placing the bag on his desk: “The things I like, you don’t like. And besides, it’s not the gift itself that matters—it’s the thought behind it.”
After saying this, she asked, “Why is no one outside your class today?”
Chi Yao: “Aren’t you a person?”
Lin Zhe Xia: “Besides me. I just feel like everyone’s avoiding your class... Don’t you notice, sitting by the window?”
The jacket draped over Chi Yao slid down slightly. He raised a hand to tousle his hair and casually replied, “I don’t care enough to notice.”
Fair enough.
Very much in line with his personality.
On her way back to Class Seven from Class One, Lin Zhe Xia noticed many people staring at her. Feeling both confused and awkward, it wasn’t until she returned to her classroom that a few unfamiliar girls hesitantly approached her: “Did you just go to Class One?”
“...”
Lin Zhe Xia assumed they were asking for contact information again.
She wanted to say, Why don’t you ask Tang Shuxuan?
But after looking around and realizing Tang Shuxuan wasn’t in the classroom, she had to deal with it herself.
“Ah,” she said, “but he...” He doesn’t like adding strangers.
Before Lin Zhe Xia could finish, the girls interrupted: “So is it true? After school, he likes to go to that street behind the school to fight. Yesterday, he beat up three thugs after school?”
She didn’t know where the rumor originated.
But given the circumstances, it wasn’t surprising that it spread.
And... specifically speaking, it wasn’t entirely a “rumor.” A large part of it was fact.
“It’s spreading privately,” Chen Lin whispered after Lin Zhe Xia returned to her seat. “Chi Yao was already getting a lot of attention, and now that the news of the fight is out, everyone thinks he’s some hidden delinquent. Before, some people wanted to get his contact info, but now they’re too scared to even approach him.”
Lin Zhe Xia: “Why is it being exaggerated so much? I tried explaining, but it didn’t work.”
Chen Lin: “You’re close to Chi Yao. Anything you say, they’ll think you’re covering for him.”
Chi Yao’s fame had taken on a different flavor after the fight.
Fighting and climbing walls weren’t the same thing. A boy who fights after school is someone most people wouldn’t dare approach.
More people were paying attention, but fewer dared to step forward.
Over the following days, every time Lin Zhe Xia went to Class One to find him, she noticed other students casting curious glances. Sometimes, when Chi Yao carried water to the office, many people would carefully avoid him. But after passing him, they’d turn their heads to steal a look.
On a whim, she logged into the school forum and clicked into the discussion thread about Chi Yao.
Recent posts were all the same: [He, so, handsome, but now I’m too scared to even look at him.]
[Upstairs, you’re not alone.]
[Though it’s not nice to say this, I kind of want to see a hot guy fight...]
[Let it go, let it go. Just take a distant glance and leave.]
...
Lin Zhe Xia, rarely registering an anonymous account, left a comment in the thread: “Actually, he was just helping someone in need—it’s not what you think.”
But her comment went unnoticed, quickly sinking into the sea of replies like a stone dropped into deep water.
________________________________________
Summer faded away, and the weather gradually turned cooler.
At some point, the cicadas stopped chirping altogether, leaves turned yellow, and the temperature kept dropping sharply.
Soon, everyone at school bundled up in thick winter uniforms. The Second High winter uniform consisted of a single heavy red coat, while students could wear their own pants underneath.
While Lin Zhe Xia wrapped herself tightly in layers, Chi Yao seemed unfazed by the cold. Under his coat, he wore only a thin sweater, still looking slim. Below, he wore jeans that accentuated his long, slender legs.
“Aren’t you cold?” On their way to school, Lin Zhe Xia couldn’t help but ask.
“Are you insinuating something?” she added. “When everyone else is all bundled up, are you trying to look cool on purpose by wearing less?”
Chi Yao glanced at her.
The girl in front of him, fearing the cold, had buried most of her face in her beige scarf, leaving only her clear, bright eyes visible.
“Do I look like I have a death wish?”
“...Who knows? Maybe you do,” Lin Zhe Xia said thoughtfully. “Maybe you’re freezing your ass off right now, but because of your pride, you’re pretending to be fine.”
Chi Yao responded with a cold laugh: “With this weather, you should worry more about whether your brain has frozen.”
Lin Zhe Xia wanted to test her theory: “Your brain might actually freeze. Give me your hand.”
Chi Yao found her antics tiresome, but he still extended one hand toward her.
Lin Zhe Xia touched the back of his hand and was surprised to find it wasn’t cold at all.
Unbelieving, she touched it again.
This time, she lingered longer.
Long enough to notice the faint scar left on his hand and the warm temperature of his skin.
This warmth unexpectedly reminded her of the moment when she applied medicine to his hand before.
“...” Lin Zhe Xia withdrew her hand. Her breath escaped through the woolen scarf, creating a puff of warm air that traveled up to her ears. “Well then, the bus is here.”
________________________________________
Time flew by as they prepared for final exams.
They studied textbooks, reviewed key concepts, and squeezed in a monthly exam before finally facing the finals.
The weather was bitterly cold, and Lin Zhe Xia caught a cold, sneezing her way through three days of testing.
After finishing her exams and collecting her winter break homework, she returned home in a daze and collapsed into bed.
Half-asleep, she heard Lin He enter her room and say, “Xia Xia, your Uncle Wei and I are going to the neighboring city tomorrow.”
She vaguely remembered something about this.
Wei Ping was going on a business trip to the neighboring city for a few days, and Lin He had taken leave to accompany him. It was a rare chance for them to travel together.
“You’ll be home alone. I’ve made dumplings for you—you can boil them yourself. There’s also noodles and other things in the fridge.”
“Be careful. Lock the doors and windows, and remember to bring your keys when you go out—no one will be around to open the door for you. Remember that!”
Lin He continued listing precautions.
Lin Zhe Xia murmured an acknowledgment.
When she woke up after a nap, she found herself alone in the house.
She opened the fridge, staring at the neatly arranged rows of dumplings for a long while, then pulled out her phone to send Chi Yao a message.
-Ding ding ding.
-Have you had dinner yet?
-If not, let’s eat together (^^*).
Ten minutes later.
Lin Zhe Xia sat at Chi Yao’s dining table, holding chopsticks and watching the kitchen.
In the kitchen, Chi Yao, wearing only a sweater, was adding dumplings to a pot of boiling water. The same hand that had beaten up three thugs was now carefully placing dumplings into the pot.
He didn’t have the face of someone who belonged in the kitchen. If anything, he looked more like someone who was used to being served—
Just as Lin Zhe Xia was thinking this, the owner of that face asked:
“Do you want vinegar or soy sauce?”
“Vinegar!”
“Do you want chili oil?”
Lin Zhe Xia nodded: “Yes.”
“Do you even dare?” Chi Yao said. “Is your cold not lasting long enough? Not coughing hard enough?”
“...”
Then why did you ask?
Midway through the meal, Lin Zhe Xia said, “How about I wash the dishes later?”
Chi Yao didn’t respond.
Lin Zhe Xia reminded him: “I’m just being polite. You’re supposed to refuse me.”
Chi Yao: “Why would I refuse?”
Lin Zhe Xia slowly replied: “Because I’m a guest in your house. You can’t really make me wash the dishes.”
“Sorry,” Chi Yao said. “We don’t have those kinds of rules in my house. I don’t stop guests from washing dishes.”
Lin Zhe Xia closed her mouth, deciding not to continue the conversation.
She ate slowly, chewing each bite meticulously. When she finally finished, she glanced at the clock—it was already almost 8:30.
As they ate, the TV in the living room was playing the weather forecast, though the volume was low, reduced to background noise: “...The aforementioned areas may experience short but intense rainfall at night, with possible thunderstorms and strong winds. Citizens are advised to stay safe when traveling.”
________________________________________
At 1:30 AM that night.
Lin Zhe Xia was startled awake by a loud clap of thunder.
“BOOM—”
The thunder sounded like a blade slicing through the ink-black sky.
Wherever it passed, lightning flashed and thunder roared.
Buried under her blanket, she vaguely remembered having a nightmare earlier. Opening her eyes, she shuddered uncontrollably at the sound of the thunder.
But the trembling wasn’t because of the nightmare.
It was the thunder.
Lin Zhe Xia thought to herself, the weather was fine during the day, but now it was thundering at night.
Then she remembered she was home alone.
...
She rarely had specific fears, except for thunderstorms.
“BOOM BOOM—”
The thunder continued in rapid succession, showing no sign of stopping.
It felt like multiple claps of thunder were looping endlessly in her ears. Deep in her memory, flashes of lightning struck down in her mind.
It was another stormy night.
A child’s voice, around four or five years old, cried out:
“Dad.”
“...Dad, don’t go. Dad.”
The fragmented voices in her memory shifted, replaced by Lin He’s deliberately firm tone.
“If you want to leave, then go. From now on, you have nothing to do with us. Don’t contact us, and don’t ever show up again.”
“—Take your things and get out!”
Her head felt heavy. By the time she realized it, she noticed her body trembling under the blanket.
Lin Zhe Xia reached out for the light switch on her bedside table, wanting to turn on the light, but she couldn’t find it.
Finally, she lowered her hand, feeling the phone next to her pillow.
Grabbing it like a lifeline, she used the bright screen to open the familiar cat icon. Curling up under the blanket, she slowly typed: Are you asleep? If not, can I...
Can I come over to your place?
Before she finished typing, a voice call came through.
[‘Chi Dog’ is calling you...]
“I’m at the door,” Chi Yao’s familiar voice came through the phone, drowning out the thunder outside. “Open the door.”
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