CS - 21

Lin Zhe Xia steadied herself by gripping the armrest of the sofa and stood up. Before she could fully regain her balance, she hurriedly stepped back.

Her nose still throbbed faintly with pain.

Aside from the pain, she thought she caught a whiff of detergent—just like the scent she’d smelled outside the alley when she fought with Chi Yao that day.

Once she was fully upright, she explained: “…I just lost my balance earlier.”

“And no one wants to cling to you. Not even a dog would want to.”

After that incident, she no longer cared about changing the nickname.

She slowly added: “Fine, I won’t hold it against you. I’ll let it slide this time.”

But Chi Yao wasn’t planning to drop the topic of the nickname.

He looked at her, stretching out the hand she had pressed on, and said: “Give me your phone.”

Lin Zhe Xia: “?”

Chi Yao repeated: “Let’s see what you’ve nicknamed me.”

“…”

Lin Zhe Xia opened her mouth hesitantly, wanting to say something but unable to get the words out.

Because whatever nickname she had given him probably wasn’t any better.

“Forget it,” Lin Zhe Xia began to feel guilty, clutching her phone and trying to hide it behind her back. “I already said I’m not making a big deal out of it. Why are you still harping on this?”

Chi Yao asked: “What did you nickname me?”

Lin Zhe Xia blurted out: “Chi Yao the Handsome Guy.”

Chi Yao clearly didn’t believe her.

Lin Zhe Xia emphasized: “It’s true. You should be more confident about your looks.”

Although Chi Yao didn’t buy it, he was too lazy to press further. Sitting with his legs bent, chin resting on his hand, he felt drowsy after taking the medicine.

“I’m confident enough. You’re dismissed.”

Lin Zhe Xia seized the moment to make her escape: “Check your temperature again in the morning to see if it’s gone down. The cake is in the fridge—don’t forget to eat it.”

As she reached the door, she suddenly remembered something.

“Also,” she paused, “about yesterday… thank you.”

She rarely thanked Chi Yao so sincerely. More often than not, even when he helped her, she’d act ungrateful and they’d bicker endlessly until both forgot why they were arguing in the first place, leaving things unresolved.

But yesterday was different for her.

She truly, deeply appreciated Chi Yao from yesterday.

After returning home, Lin Zhe Xia started working on her homework diligently.

Aside from her “rebellious” phase as a child when she loved picking fights, her personality was actually quite obedient. For instance, she disliked procrastinating on assignments meant to be completed the same day.

However, after only answering a few questions on an English test paper, she found it hard to concentrate.

Because she couldn’t stop thinking about the scene from earlier.

They had been so close.

She had inadvertently noticed a faint mole near Chi Yao’s neck, close to his ear.

…

Wait.

Why should she care if he had a mole?

Why was she distracted by something so trivial?

How annoying.

She set her pen down.

She stared at the test paper for a while before finally giving up and deciding to scroll through her phone.

Just then, she received a WeChat call from Chen Lin.

Chen Lin got straight to the point: “Did you finish your homework?”

Lin Zhe Xia responded knowingly: “…If I did, do you want to copy it?”

“Hehe,” Chen Lin replied, “You know me well; being desk mates wasn’t for nothing.”

She added: “I knew you’d definitely have finished it.”

Lin Zhe Xia, lying on the table, said: “I haven’t finished yet. Ask Tang Shuxuan.”

Chen Lin: “You actually haven’t done it?”

Lin Zhe Xia: “Today’s my mom’s birthday, and then I went to visit Chi…” She trailed off instinctively, skipping over the part. “Anyway, I was busy all day and just started preparing to do it.”

Chen Lin: “Oh, alright. Tang Shuxuan is hopeless. Looks like I’ll have to write my own homework today.”

With that, Chen Lin prepared to hang up.

Suddenly, Lin Zhe Xia said: “Wait!”

Chen Lin paused: “Huh?”

“I have something I want to ask you.”

Lin Zhe Xia hesitated: “So, I have this friend.”

She fiddled with her pen and continued: “This friend has another close friend, a guy. But recently, she feels like their relationship has become a bit… strange.”

Chen Lin cut straight to the chase: “What’s weird between you and Chi Yao?”

Lin Zhe Xia nearly snapped her pen in half: “…”

Lin Zhe Xia: “Start over.”

Chen Lin: “Cough, let me rephrase: What’s weird between your friend and her friend?”

“They start feeling awkward when they’re too close.”

Chen Lin leaned in, expecting some juicy gossip. After waiting a long time, she heard: “That’s it?”

Lin Zhe Xia: “That’s it? Isn’t that enough? Me and Chi Yao—no, my friend and her friend—we used to share pants without feeling awkward!”

Chen Lin fell silent.

After a pause, she asked: “How long ago was this ‘before’?”

Lin Zhe Xia: “When I was eight—I stole his pants to wear.”

“…”

Chen Lin fell silent again.

Lin Zhe Xia: “And when I was ten, I braided his hair, and he was mad at me for ages.”

Lin Zhe Xia: “And…”

Chen Lin: “Stop. That’s enough.”

Lin Zhe Xia: “?”

“Classmate Lin Zhe Xia, you’re not eight or ten anymore. You’re sixteen now.”

Chen Lin sighed deeply: “It’s not that things have gotten weird. It’s that you’ve grown up. You’ve finally realized that Chi Yao is a boy—a boy whose pants you can’t just steal anymore. Do you understand?”

Lin Zhe Xia: “…”

After a long silence,

Lin Zhe Xia said: “I get it.”

In truth, she had vaguely sensed this before, but Chen Lin articulated it much more clearly.

Ever since she saw the new side of Chi Yao,

She realized she couldn’t act as freely around him as she did in childhood.

“No,” she quickly added, “My friend probably gets it.”

________________________________________

Chi Yao’s fever wasn’t serious—it subsided after a good night’s sleep.

Lin Zhe Xia didn’t believe it and insisted on checking his temperature again.

Chi Yao returned to his usual nonchalant, slightly arrogant demeanor: “I told you, I’m fine.”

Lin Zhe Xia: “Maybe it’s because you took the medicine yesterday.”

Chi Yao: “Even if I hadn’t taken it, I’d still be fine.”

Lin Zhe Xia: “…”

This person was stubborn in certain ways.

In the end, staring at the thermometer, she had to admit that he had indeed recovered quickly.

________________________________________

Midway through winter break, Lin He went to the hospital for another prenatal checkup.

The results weren’t optimistic.

“At your age, having a child carries significant risks,” Lin Zhe Xia accompanied Lin He to the hospital, where the doctor, holding the results, said, “I can’t make any promises. As I said last time, think carefully.”

Lin He sat outside, looking distracted: “Mom is conflicted right now. Logically, I shouldn’t have this child. In fact, your Uncle Wei and I had already decided beforehand, but…”

Lin Zhe Xia understood how she felt.

Over this period, she had grown accustomed to the idea of Lin He’s pregnancy. Thinking about losing the potential younger sibling made her feel empty, let alone how Lin He must feel.

Suddenly, she realized she was seeing Lin He’s vulnerability.

Or rather, growing up had gradually made her realize that “adults” weren’t the superheroes she thought they were as a child.

Life was full of unexpected challenges that even adults couldn’t always withstand.

“Mom,” she held Lin He’s hand, “don’t be sad. Let’s go home and think carefully. Whatever decision you make, Uncle Wei and I will support you.”

Lin He came back to her senses and squeezed her hand in return.

In the end, they followed the doctor’s advice, prioritizing Lin He’s health and avoiding unnecessary risks.

Since the timing of her pregnancy was just right, the surgery was scheduled quickly.

That day, Wei Ping prepared many things for the hospital stay, and Lin Zhe Xia accompanied them.

Because she was so worried about the surgery, Chi Yao sent countless messages before they left, so he ended up coming to the hospital too.

This day felt endless in her memory.

The long hospital corridors, the lingering smell of disinfectant, doctors in white coats coming and going. Wei Ping’s pacing figure.

It was like a silent black-and-white film, stretched out endlessly.

Lin Zhe Xia’s final impression of the day was her uncontrollable anxiety, gripping Chi Yao’s hand tightly.

By the time the surgery ended successfully, she realized she had been squeezing his hand for a long time.

She quickly released it.

“So you’re done with one hand,” Chi Yao spoke, pulling her out of the seemingly never-ending silent film. “Are you planning to switch to the other hand?”

“…Can I?” Lin Zhe Xia asked.

Chi Yao pulled his hand back: “Nice try.”

The surgery went smoothly for Lin He.

Later, Wei Ping called her to the ward, and she scrambled to pack up some things.

Chi Yao disappeared at some point—she only realized afterward. But as she packed, she belatedly reflected that he seemed to be involved in every major and minor event of her life.

Winter break was short, and soon after Lin He was discharged, the Spring Festival arrived.

The streets, previously bare, transformed overnight. Red lanterns were hung everywhere, lighting up the roads.

After dinner that evening, Lin Zhe Xia dragged Chi Yao out for a stroll.

“This street had nothing on it yesterday,” she wore a thick cotton coat, looking like a moving white ball from afar. “Today, they’ve hung so many decorations!”

Chi Yao strolled slowly behind her and remarked: “Anyone would think you live in the Arctic.”

The white ball stopped and retorted: “Unlike someone who likes to show off by wearing ultra-thin jeans in winter and refusing to wear thermal underwear, I’m not the same.”

Chi Yao ignored her and kept walking.

Lin Zhe Xia chased after him and asked: “It’s almost the New Year—are your parents coming back?”

“I don’t know,” Chi Yao replied.

Lin Zhe Xia: “You didn’t ask them?”

Chi Yao shrugged indifferently: “Too lazy to ask.”

Lin Zhe Xia muttered quietly: “They’re so busy with their business outside. They didn’t come back last year either—at least they could’ve visited briefly.”

Chi Yao’s parents were often away from home.

Balancing family and career was evidently a difficult challenge for adults.

Her impression of Chi Yao’s parents wasn’t deep, nor were they particularly familiar.

The most interaction she ever had with them was during an argument.

That was years ago.

As a child, she was immature and had a shorter temper than she did now.

Watching Chi Yao endure hospital stays alone, with only a hired nurse for company, she couldn’t help but wonder why his parents never came to see him.

One day, she happened to catch Chi Yao’s parents returning home. She stormed to the entrance of Nanxiang Street to confront them.

Chi Yao’s parents were merely passing through to pick something up.

Their car was temporarily parked at the entrance of Nanxiang Street.

As they finished retrieving their items and prepared to leave, a little girl suddenly rushed out from the street corner, blocking the car door: “Chi Yao was hospitalized last month. Did you know?”

“Why didn’t you come to see him?”

“Being hospitalized alone,” young Lin Zhe Xia said, “is very lonely.”

She tried to maintain a serious expression, putting on a brave face in front of the adults: “Even though he doesn’t say it, when he’s alone in the hospital, he must really hope to see you.”

The outcome of this incident was Lin He dragging her back home after hearing the commotion.

Lin He repeatedly apologized: “Sorry, she’s still just a child.”

Once they got home and closed the door, Lin He gave her a proper lecture: “No matter what, this is ultimately someone else’s family matter. How could you go and confront their parents like that? You need to learn tact and not be so impulsive.”

As she grew older, Lin Zhe Xia gradually understood the words Lin He had spoken that day. The adult world required discretion.

She no longer rushed to confront people as she had when she was a child. When she encountered Chi Yao’s parents, she greeted them politely.

…

Thinking about all this now, Lin Zhe Xia couldn’t help but feel childish inside:

But whether as a child or now,

She still thought it was wrong for Chi Yao’s parents to act this way.

________________________________________

The two strolled down the bustling street, following the long stretch of red lanterns that extended cheerfully all the way to the end of the road.

The streetlights elongated their shadows.

Lin Zhe Xia was short, so her pace was naturally slow.

But Chi Yao always adjusted his speed to match hers.

Halfway down the street, Lin Zhe Xia turned around to face Chi Yao.

Chi Yao watched her standing beneath the bright red lanterns, her eyes crinkling with a smile: “It’s okay if they don’t come back. I’ll keep you company anyway.”

Her crisp voice blended into the lively noise surrounding them.

“You can come over during the New Year, and we can stay up late together again.”

Chi Yao lowered his gaze, hesitating for a moment. He wanted to respond, “You always fall asleep by ten o’clock like a log—how are you going to stay up?” But the words died on his lips before he could utter them.

In the end, he averted his eyes and murmured an acknowledgment from the back of his throat.

Lin Zhe Xia walked backward, oblivious to a child zooming past on a small bicycle.

Before she heard the “ding ding” of the bicycle bell, Chi Yao grabbed her arm and pulled her toward him—

At the same time, fireworks were being set off on the street to celebrate the upcoming Spring Festival.

Amidst the crackling sounds of firecrackers, she clearly heard Chi Yao say four words:

“Idiot, watch where you’re going.”