CS - 34

The next day, Lin He and Wei Ping finalized their flight tickets, preparing to travel during the short holiday.

Lin Zhe Xia, who had no intention of going out, saw them off at the door: “I know, remember to bring your keys, and remember to eat well.”

Before leaving, Lin He still couldn’t help but worry about her: “How’s your knee feeling today?”

Lin Zhe Xia: “It’s just a scrape, not deep at all. The scab is forming quickly. After resting for a day, it doesn’t hurt anymore, and walking isn’t much of an issue either.”

Lin He: “Be sure to stay safe while you’re home alone—”

“Got it.”

After Lin He and Wei Ping left, Lin Zhe Xia went back to bed and lay down for a while.

Chen Lin called: “Tang Shu Xuan and I are planning to go out. How are you feeling today? Do you want to come with us?”

“Where to?”

“Not sure yet. Any ideas?”

Lin Zhe Xia thought for a moment: “Let’s go to a temple.”

Chen Lin: “Huh?”

Lin Zhe Xia began searching the map: “There’s one nearby, only a 20-minute drive.”

Chen Lin: “I asked for your opinion, not for you to get so creative. I thought everyone would prefer places like dessert shops. Why did you think of a temple?”

Lin Zhe Xia: “Because Chi Yao is going to participate in the physics competition.”

Chen Lin: “So?”

Lin Zhe Xia: “So I want to pray at the temple. I’ve heard that the lucky charms there are very effective.”

Chen Lin: “...”

After a long pause, Chen Lin said: “Alright, let me ask Tang Shu Xuan. If she wants to go, we’ll go, but I think she probably won’t—”

Chen Lin paused mid-sentence.

Chen Lin: “She replied. She’s very willing and wants to go to pray for a romantic match.”

Lin Zhe Xia was silent for two seconds: “That’s exactly something she’d say.”

Chen Lin sighed: “Then I’ll pray for a smooth college entrance exam.”

Chi Yao was leaving at 2 p.m., so their trip to the temple was rushed. Lin Zhe Xia was worried that by the time she returned with the items, he might have already left.

So before heading out, she sent him a string of messages:

• Let me know when you’re boarding -

• I’m coming to see you off -

• Even if I have to use crutches, I’m coming to see you off [smile]

But to her surprise, the temple was unusually crowded on this holiday, and the line for lucky charms stretched far.

Away from school, everyone was dressed casually. Tang Shu Xuan wore a dress today, looking especially elegant.

Tang Shu Xuan consoled her: “Don’t worry, we should make it in time.”

Lin Zhe Xia felt a bit guilty: “If I’d known, I would’ve come yesterday.”

Tang Shu Xuan: “... Your leg wasn’t fully healed yesterday. How could you even come?”

Lin Zhe Xia: “Rent a wheelchair?”

“...”

As the three stood in line, they chatted a bit.

Chen Lin tried to lighten the mood, teasing: “Shu Xuan, what kind of romantic match are you praying for? Is it for that senior?”

Tang Shu Xuan didn’t deny it: “I hope we can attend the same university after graduation. I hope that when he decides to date in the future, he considers me first.”

She continued: “At first, when I asked for his contact info, it was just casual. I never expected so many things to happen afterward—though it’s mostly my own story.” Pausing briefly, she added, “I really, really like him.”

Lin Zhe Xia listened quietly. She glanced at the seemingly endless queue ahead, the incense smoke curling around, and the devout believers bowing before the Buddha statues.

The temple was somewhat old, with a centuries-old tree in the courtyard, its branches lush and full.

Pulling her gaze back, she suddenly asked Tang Shu Xuan: “What is love?”

She pressed further: “How do you know when you truly like someone?”

Tang Shu Xuan was momentarily stunned by the question.

After a long while, she finally said: “I don’t know how to explain it, but if you fall in love with someone, you’ll definitely realize it.”

That day, the line was extremely long.

When it was Lin Zhe Xia’s turn, she solemnly held the charm pouch and bowed several times before the Buddha statue.

As she bowed, she silently prayed:

May Chi Yao’s competition go smoothly.

No, not just the competition—may everything in his life go smoothly.

And health and safety are also important... Would praying for too many things be overdoing it?

The highly praised “lucky charm” online was actually a small red charm pouch strung with a red rope, resembling a small pendant.

However, just as Lin Zhe Xia stood up holding the lucky charm, she received a message from Chi Yao:

• I’m boarding now.

……

Lin Zhe Xia: I thought you were leaving in the afternoon. It’s only noon now.

Chi Dog: Teacher Liu came to pick me up early.

“What’s wrong?” Chen Lin asked her.

“Chi Yao left earlier than planned,” Lin Zhe Xia put down her phone, feeling a bit disappointed. “I didn’t make it in time.”

With no need to rush back to give Chi Yao anything, the three decided to dine at a restaurant with a pleasant ambiance after leaving the temple.

After ordering the dishes, Chen Lin noticed Lin Zhe Xia still staring at the charm pouch.

Putting down the menu, she said, “It’s fine. His grades are excellent. Participating in a competition is just a small matter for him.”

Tang Shu Xuan chimed in: “Yes, think about his scores. Even if he faces competitors from Lianyun No. 1 Middle School, he has nothing to fear.”

“And even if you don’t consider his scores, think about his personality—”

Tang Shu Xuan shook her head, “With such an impenetrable character, it’s always him affecting others, not the other way around.”

From Tang Shu Xuan’s perspective, she couldn’t imagine Chi Yao needing anyone to worry about him for a competition.

In fact, she thought others should be more concerned about Chi Yao’s opponents instead.

Lin Zhe Xia, holding the charm pouch, said: “No, he…”

Sometimes, he’s too proud.

He gets nervous. He even has trouble sleeping sometimes.

These words, known only to her, lingered on the tip of her tongue but remained unspoken.

At the same time, Lin Zhe Xia’s memory drifted back to years ago.

By then, Chi Yao’s health had improved, and he had returned to school normally, though he wasn’t particularly liked by his classmates.

In the eyes of other students, Chi Yao was difficult to approach.

He rarely interacted with others and always seemed to exude an “avoid me” aura.

Only she would chatter incessantly behind him after school:

“Chi Yao, today’s cafeteria food was terrible.”

“Chi Yao, I don’t know how to do my labor skills class assignment. I know someone as helpful as you will definitely assist me.”

“Our teacher mispronounced my name in class today. He called me Lin Chai Xia.”

“Now my classmates have started calling me Chai Xia—”

“...”

The path from elementary school back to Nanxiang Street was short, shaded by trees. Back then, Lin Zhe Xia, carrying the pink backpack gifted by Wei Ping, walked alongside Chi Yao.

She changed topics several times before remembering something and exclaimed: “Oh yes, I heard you’re participating in the Olympiad math competition next week.”

Lin Zhe Xia continued: “Don’t be nervous.”

At that time, Chi Yao stopped walking. With his hands in his pockets, he spoke in a cold and aloof tone: “Nervous? Me?”

She didn’t understand the meaning behind his words and simply said: “Everyone gets nervous.”

Chi Yao cut her off: “Not me.”

“A small competition like that? I don’t care about it.”

Even though she was naive, she vaguely sensed Chi Yao’s unusual persistence.

It seemed that being underestimated or seen as weak was something he couldn’t tolerate.

This suspicion was unexpectedly confirmed the day before the Olympiad competition.

Coincidentally, Chi Yao had lost his house keys that day.

The locksmith had already finished work and wouldn’t come until the next morning, so Chi Yao had to temporarily stay at her place.

Lin He and Wei Ping initially wanted to offer him their bedroom, but Chi Yao refused to trouble them. In the end, they set up a makeshift bed for him on the sofa.

As Lin Zhe Xia watched Lin He prepare the bedding, she said, “He could sleep with me.”

Chi Yao immediately rejected: “Who would want to sleep with you.”

“...”

Lin Zhe Xia: “Allowing you to sleep with me is already an honor. Don’t be ungrateful.”

Lin He turned to look at her: “You talk less.”

Lin Zhe Xia closed her mouth.

Later, when she got up at night and passed through the living room, she found that the bedding Lin He prepared was untouched. The entire living room was dimly lit, and through the faint light, she saw someone sitting on the carpet.

After returning to her room, she deliberately checked the wall clock. The hour hand pointed to “2.”

… Why wasn’t this person asleep at 2 a.m.?

Just as Lin Zhe Xia pondered this, the waiter happened to serve the dishes: “Hello, all the dishes are served. Please enjoy.”

She snapped out of her thoughts and said: “Thank you.”

By then, Chen Lin and Tang Shu Xuan’s attention had been drawn to the newly served dishes.

Since she didn’t intend to continue the conversation, she seized the opportunity to skip the topic: “Let’s eat.”

Before eating, she took a picture of the dishes on the table and sent it to Chi Yao with the caption:

• Don’t envy Dad too much.

Chi Yao was likely still on the road and replied quickly:

• Can you walk now?

Lin Zhe Xia replied: It doesn’t hurt anymore; I can walk.

She continued typing: And stop making it sound like I’m actually disabled.

After Chi Yao went to the neighboring city, their communication relied solely on the internet.

But even through the screen, she could roughly track his movements. She knew the school had rented a hotel for them and that they’d undergo intensive training for three days.

After Chi Yao sent a photo of the hotel, Lin Zhe Xia messaged him on WeChat: Your hotel looks so big. I’m so envious. I’ve never stayed in such a luxurious hotel in my life.

Chi Dog: Stop exaggerating.

Lin Zhe Xia: Oh, I was just trying to flatter you.

Chi Dog: Not needed.

“...”

After a while, she prodded him again: What are you doing?

Chi Dog: [/photo]

Chi Dog: Solving problems.

Previously, Chi Yao would share these things with her, but back then, she was too busy arguing with him to pay much attention to the content.

Unlike now.

Strangely, she stared at the photo Chi Yao sent for a long time.

In the corner of the photo, she could see Chi Yao’s hand resting on the test paper.

She had to admit, knowing every detail of his life made her inexplicably happy.

Inside the hotel—

“We originally booked a classroom,” the supervising teacher explained while guiding their training session, “but due to some miscommunication, we’ll make do here in the hotel for now. There are six of us in the team, and two tables should suffice.”

Chi Yao and Xu Ting sat together.

One hand gripping a pen, Chi Yao spread out a test paper in front of him.

On the edge of the test paper, a phone was blatantly placed.

Xu Ting: “I admire you. You can still reply to messages.”

Chi Yao, finishing his reply: “Don’t you have a phone?”

Xu Ting: “No one’s messaging me.”

Chi Yao ignored him.

Xu Ting joked casually: “You two are such good buddies—can you get Xia Ge to send me some messages? My phone feels rusty without notifications.”

This time, Chi Yao reacted. With one hand, he snatched Xu Ting’s test paper along with his pen and slapped it onto the opposite side.

“Change seats,” Chi Yao said, “Sit over there.”

Xu Ting: “...”

The day-long training session quickly passed.

At night, the team members returned to their rooms to rest.

The supervising teacher reminded them: “Go to bed early, don’t stay up late. Rest well.”

Back in his room, Chi Yao took a shower but didn’t go to bed afterward.

The single suite was quiet, and outside the window, it was pitch black. He sat cross-legged on the chair by the window, still holding a pen. Occasionally, he would write on papers balanced on his knees.

But most of the time, he simply held the pen and stared out the window.

The black ballpoint pen spun idly between his fingers as time passed, and the clock on the wall ticked away.

The hour hand soon moved past three.

3 a.m.

Lin Zhe Xia was woken up by her alarm, which she had specially set.

Still half-asleep, she reached for her phone beside the bed and, in a daze, found the familiar cat icon—

Are you asleep?

After sending the message, she tried hard to open her eyes. In the brief haze, she saw the words “the other party is typing” flash once at the top of the chat box.

It literally flashed—once.

It seemed like he had accidentally opened the chat intending to reply but immediately realized and started pretending to be asleep.

It wasn’t until 8 a.m. that the other party replied as if timing it perfectly: Just woke up.

Lin Zhe Xia stared at the word “just woke up” for a long time.

She felt a bit angry, but more than that, it was a feeling called concern.

Concerned that he stayed up all night again.

Concerned that he pretended to sleep to avoid worrying her.

Concerned that it might affect his competition the day after tomorrow.

And it was physics—a competition very important to him.

Suddenly, Lin Zhe Xia felt an overwhelming surge of courage and impulsiveness. She opened a travel app and looked for train tickets to the neighboring city.

It was over 1,500 kilometers from here to Haicheng City.

A high-speed train ride would take more than six hours.

The nearest departure was at 3 p.m.

“Xia Xia,” Lin He, still worried, called her every day: “How are you doing at home?”

Lin Zhe Xia: “Mom, I’m fine.”

Lin He: “Why is it so noisy where you are? Where are you right now?”

Alone in the bustling train station, surrounded by people coming and going, with the arrival and departure screens flashing constantly, Lin Zhe Xia hesitated: “I… I’m out playing with classmates.”

Lin He: “Classmates?”

Worried that the station announcements might reveal her location, Lin Zhe Xia dared not say much: “Yes, it’s too noisy here to talk. I’ll send you a WeChat message later. That’s all for now; I’ll hang up.”

Lin Zhe Xia hurriedly ended the call.

Then, holding her ticket from Lianyun City to Haicheng City, she searched for the platform entrance on the flashing screen.

Lin He usually kept a tight leash on her, so this was her first time traveling alone.

Traveling over 1,500 kilometers alone.

Haicheng City was a coastal city in the north, completely different from Lianyun City.

But thinking about the person waiting 1,500 kilometers away—Chi Yao—she felt no fear at all.

Looking back, the time on the train that day seemed both fleeting and endless. The scenery outside the window kept changing, leaving behind the Jiangnan water towns, passing through vast farmlands and mountains, stopping intermittently in various cities along the way.

Finally, she emerged from the crowd at the train station and stood at the exit of Haicheng City Station, gazing at this unfamiliar city. Only then did she feel slightly overwhelmed.

Chi Yao had sent her photos of the hotel before, but she didn’t know its exact location.

It was already past 9 p.m.

The sky was dark, and the accents of people talking around her seemed foreign.

Someone noticed her standing at the exit and tried to strike up a conversation, but they spoke in a local dialect she didn’t understand.

Lin Zhe Xia ignored everyone.

Finding a corner near the exit, she crouched down and called Chi Yao.

“Chi Yao.”

After the call connected, she asked: “Are you asleep?”

On the other end of the phone, Chi Yao sat on the chair by the window, glancing at the untouched bed, and said, “Just about to sleep.”

Lin Zhe Xia thought to herself, Yeah, right.

She didn’t press the topic further but suddenly asked: “Do you believe in magic?”

There was silence on the other end.

It seemed that in those few seconds, he heard some background noise.

“So late and not home yet. Where are you?”

Lin Zhe Xia didn’t answer his question but continued: “I can do magic. Share your location with me, and I’ll appear by your side.”

The boy’s tone on the other end changed.

Chi Yao’s voice lowered as he repeated: “Where are you?”

Lin Zhe Xia immediately realized Chi Yao was upset.

Or rather, worried.

Lin Zhe Xia didn’t dare to joke anymore and honestly said: “I’m in Haicheng City right now.”

“Exit 2 of Haicheng City Train Station, near the pillar.”