The office door opened.
In the next moment, a cheerful little puppy with bright eyes peeked out.
As soon as Lin Wangye saw who it was, his face broke into a wide, happy smile. He released the railing and walked up excitedly. “I’ve been waiting for you for so long! What were you doing in the office?”
Although the transfer seemed almost finalized, the headmaster still hadn’t signed off, so nothing was set in stone. Considering that if things went wrong, it might disappoint Lin Wangye even more, Shi Yuan decided not to tell him immediately and save the surprise for later.
He left the door slightly ajar and walked over to Lin Wangye, smiling.
“Nothing, just a small matter regarding the recent results.”
Upon hearing this, Lin Wangye immediately pouted, his eyes filled with reproach. “Did I affect your studies…?”
“No.” Xu Suinian grabbed his wrist in front of the stairs and pulled him down step by step. “It’s normal for results to fluctuate, it’s my own issue. What about you? How did you do this time?”
Lin Wangye immediately perked up, raising his arm high and signaling excitedly, “I passed math! I got a 92!”
Shi Yuan didn’t hold back his surprise and praise.
“It’s really impressive!”
“It’s all those sleepless nights paying off!” Lin Wangye clenched his fist, feeling a sense of relief, as if finally freed from a long struggle. He muttered, “I still don’t know the things I should, but like you said, the things I can do, my accuracy improved and I got them right!”
“You’ve done great, you’ve made significant progress.”
As they walked down the stairs, Shi Yuan didn’t immediately let go of Lin Wangye’s wrist, almost as if he had forgotten, holding it while nodding as Lin Wangye rambled on.
Lin Wangye continued, “I have this feeling that my upper limit is probably around this score. All the flashy stuff, I really can’t learn it, no matter what! The moment I start learning it, I get a headache, I just can’t understand it!”
At the end of his words, Lin Wangye stomped his foot in frustration, looking as if he wanted to argue with the air.
He wasn’t joking.
He really couldn’t learn it in two lifetimes!
Shi Yuan spoke in a calm tone, comforting him, “If you really can’t learn it, don’t force yourself. Keeping up with your current grades is already very good.”
The ‘angry little puppy’ instantly calmed down.
But when he remembered passing the math exam, he couldn’t help but start feeling happy again.
The two of them bought some lunch on the way and, after packing it up, headed to the hospital.
After sorting out the financial situation temporarily, Xu Suihe was immediately sent to the hospital for treatment. At this point, chemotherapy hadn’t begun yet, and they were still in the initial examination stage.
The doctor said that the timing of their arrival was crucial—if they had come any later, it could have been dangerous.
Once the examination was done, Xu Suihe would likely be sent to a higher-level hospital to begin chemotherapy, which would inevitably lead to hair loss.
At such a young age, facing this was heart-wrenching to think about.
Luckily, the little girl was obedient, not crying or making a fuss in the hospital. Even without her parents around, she listened to the doctors, as if she understood that this was the rare opportunity for her to save her life.
So even when it came to blood tests and bone marrow aspirations, she cried but still cooperated.
When Lin Wangye and Shi Yuan arrived at the ward, they were surprised to find that Lin Shen and Lu Chengxuan were already there. To cheer up Xu Suihe and lift her spirits, Lin Shen had brought his favorite game console, and was playing a co-op game with her.
Lu Chengxuan and Grandpa Xu were chatting while sitting side by side on chairs against the wall.
When Lin Shen saw the two of them approach, he didn’t even look up.
“What took you two so long?”
“We went to the teacher’s office after school. Got held up a bit.” Lin Wangye walked in carrying food and stopped by the bed to cheer up the little girl. “Did Suihe stay happy today?”
“Brother Xiao Lin.” Xu Suihe put down her game controller and greeted Lin Wangye in a soft, sweet voice, answering obediently, “I stayed happy.”
Lin Wangye nodded repeatedly. “That’s so good!”
“Did Brother Xiao Lin stay happy?” Xu Suihe asked, imitating him.
“I did!” Lin Wangye gave her a playful wink. “Brother Xiao Lin passed his math exam today!”
Xu Suihe raised her little hand and clapped. “Amazing!”
Lin Shen and Lu Chengxuan had only come to check on her and hadn’t eaten yet. Lin Wangye hadn’t bought them anything either.
Seeing that Xu Suihe was being taken care of, Lin Shen didn’t stay long. He said his goodbyes and left the hospital with Lu Chengxuan, heading to find a place to eat. On the way, they passed an arcade, and Lin Shen grabbed Lu Chengxuan’s arm and dragged him inside.
The arcade was part of a city-wide chain, and they had been members for a long time.
After Lin Shen finished playing a game, he casually shook the cup of tokens in his hand, his eyes settling on the two-player racing game. He turned to Lu Chengxuan. “Want to play a couple of rounds?”
Lu Chengxuan nodded, and they headed over.
It wasn’t their first time here, so they quickly selected their cars and the track. Before starting, Lin Shen looked at Lu Chengxuan.
“Wanna bet something?”
Lu Chengxuan adjusted his gears to get a feel for it and then turned to him. “You decide.”
Lin Shen thought for a moment and then suddenly asked, “Does the school beauty still go to your house every week to learn vocal music from your mom?”
Lu Chengxuan nodded. “Yeah.”
Lin Shen stretched and relaxed his muscles. “If you win, I’ll quit gaming for a month and watch the news with you.”
“And if I lose?” Lu Chengxuan asked.
“If you lose…” Lin Shen cracked his knuckles, the sound sharp as he smiled brightly, like the warmth of spring. “This weekend, you won’t go home. You’ll stay in an internet cafe with me playing games.”
Before Lu Chengxuan could confirm the bet, Lin Shen quickly hit the start button as the host, and the countdown to the game began.
The noise of the arcade machines filled the air, loud and chaotic. Neither of them paid any attention to anything other than the screen in front of them, fully immersed.
Though it was a two-player race, the game still included computer players on the track, which made things even more difficult. The city map track, with its random red lights and flowing traffic, was hard enough without the added challenge of the computer racers.
Halfway through the race, both of them were neck and neck, neither able to shake the other off.
However, Lin Shen’s luck wasn’t great. On a sharp turn, a computer player nudged the back of his car, causing him to lose control for a moment. His speed dropped dramatically.
In that split second, Lu Chengxuan pulled ahead significantly.
Lin Shen quickly shifted gears, slamming the accelerator down and speeding after him.
This was a very risky way to race—if he hit any obstacles at that speed, it would flip his car and he’d have no chance of catching up.
But Lin Shen knew Lu Chengxuan’s skill. Whatever he set his mind to, Lu Chengxuan would master it flawlessly with zero mistakes. Lin Shen couldn’t afford to race cautiously; he had to take risks if he wanted any chance of winning.
If he played it safe, there was no way he’d catch up.
If he crashed, he’d lose embarrassingly, but if he took the chance, there was a slim chance of victory.
Lin Shen never played it safe.
As long as there was even the slightest chance to reach his goal, he was willing to take a gamble.
However, the bump on the turn had caused him to fall too far behind.
Even though he floored the gas and chased after Lu Chengxuan, the gap remained constant as they neared the finish line.
Lin Shen’s palms were sweating, and he sighed internally. He was already thinking of switching to a map with fewer obstacles for a more skillful race when he suddenly saw Lu Chengxuan’s car wobble on the final turn and crash into the barrier.
Instantly, Lin Shen’s adrenaline surged. He slammed the gas pedal and executed a perfect drift around the turn, crossing the finish line in a flash.
“YES! I won!”
Lin Shen slapped the steering wheel, still sweating, but energized as he turned to Lu Chengxuan. “This weekend, you’re staying at the internet cafe with me!”
Lu Chengxuan exhaled lightly, nodding casually.
The two-player racing game took nearly ten minutes to finish a single round, and Lin Wangye had been highly concentrated for that long, which already made him a bit tired. Not wanting to give Lu Chengxuan a chance to win back, he decisively stood up.
“Treat me to a meal. I want to go to a restaurant.”
*
“Suihe, eat your food, okay? When you get better, brother will take you out for a meal.”
Though Xu Suihe remained obedient, like any child, she wasn’t without her little quirks.
If they were to be picky, Suihe had a bit of a fussy eating habit.
Usually, in such situations, Shi Yuan would pretend to be stern and insist she eat, but Lin Wangye believed it was natural for children to have little flaws.
He didn’t let Shi Yuan scare the little one with fake sternness. Instead, he took the bowl and spoon, gently coaxing Xu Suihe, helping her eat slowly, bit by bit.
Even after so many days had passed, every time he saw this scene, Shi Yuan still felt it was unreal.
Lin Wangye had told him things would get better.
In a situation where he had never dared to hold much hope, things had indeed been moving in a positive direction.
But the life they had lived for so long still made him feel tense, always keeping him on edge.
It even made him question the authenticity of all of this.
He stood there watching Lin Wangye and Xu Suihe for a moment. In order to avoid being noticed by the young man, Shi Yuan quietly turned and left.
He walked to the end of the hospital corridor, leaned against the windowsill, and gazed at the scenery outside for a long while. Then he lowered his head, slowly closing his eyes, trying to calm his emotions through controlled breathing.
After a while, the sound of footsteps behind him made his eyelashes tremble. As he lifted his head, thinking about leaving, two arms suddenly wrapped around his waist from behind.
Someone had embraced him from behind.
Hello, everyone ヾ(＾∇＾). I hope you enjoyed the story! If you’re feeling generous, please buy me a coffee, share/comment on my translated works! Check out the link below for early chapters. (๑>ᴗ<๑)
