At this moment, it felt like the world had been paused, silent and still.
Shi Yuan didn’t turn around, but it wasn’t hard to guess who was behind him. Slowly, he lowered his gaze and saw the boy’s fingers, knuckles sharp, lightly touching each other, as if subconsciously trying to hold him in place.
But there was no force, a quiet trust that he wouldn’t pull away.
Lin Wangye’s height was only slightly shorter than the person in front of him. He tilted his head up and gently rested his chin on Shi Yuan’s shoulder.
“Have you been happy today?” he asked in a soft voice.
Shi Yuan, unwilling to lie in front of him, stared out the window in silence.
After a long moment of no reply, Lin Wangye stepped back, loosening his hand.
He looked at the person in front of him, the familiar back that seemed to overlap with memories from his past life.
Uncle Shi didn’t like formal clothes, only wearing a suit and tie for important events. In everyday life, he preferred casual clothes made from soft, comfortable fabrics.
These clothes were usually soft and fitted, and in the summer, when they were lighter, they traced the powerful lines of his back muscles, subtly visible through the fabric. It often made Lin Wangye’s heart race.
When he was a teenager, he would often muster up the courage to jump onto Shi Yuan’s back when they went out together, clinging to him and asking to be carried.
Uncle Shi would always hold him steadily and easily.
He would only let him down once they reached the elevator or the car door, those temporary destinations.
Lin Wangye’s throat bobbed as he spoke in a rare calm tone: “Turn around.”
Shi Yuan closed his eyes for a moment, took a deep breath, and slowly turned around.
“Have you been happy?” Lin Wangye asked again.
Face to face, there was no more avoiding the question. Shi Yuan lifted his eyes, answering honestly, “I might need some time to adjust.”
“I was going to say I understand how hard these years have been for you, but the truth is, I haven’t experienced it myself. I’ve never truly put myself in your shoes, and no matter how well I understand, I might still find it hard to truly empathize with you.”
Lin Wangye kept his eyes fixed on Shi Yuan, his voice quieter now, but still clear enough to hear.
“Tell me, what can I do to make things a little easier for you?”
Seeing the raw sadness and care in his eyes, Shi Yuan felt his breath catch, his chest tightening, and his heart dropped, as though it had been shattered.
He didn’t want Lin Wangye to bear this for him.
Lin Wangye had already taken on so much for him, things he shouldn’t have had to endure.
Lin Wangye, sensing his distress, furrowed his brow, his eyes a little watery, and spoke with a slight nasal tone: “Everything can be solved, don’t make me feel like you’re standing in front of me every day, but one touch away from breaking.”
Shi Yuan’s forced calm shattered instantly.
In front of someone who seemed on the verge of tears, his emotions erupted like a landslide. He pulled Lin Wangye into his arms, his voice trembling uncontrollably.
“I’m sorry… it’s my fault…”
Lin Wangye stayed still, letting Shi Yuan hold him.
After a moment, he slowly raised his arms and wrapped them around Shi Yuan’s back, whispering in his ear: “Don’t stay tense all the time, relax a bit, stay happy. If Suihe and I can do it, and you can’t, the happy puppy will look down on you.”
Lin Wangye buried his head in Shi Yuan’s shoulder, his voice muffled.
Shi Yuan thought he was crying, and guilt washed over him.
He raised his hand and gently stroked Lin Wangye’s hair, speaking in a soothing tone: “I just didn’t adjust well. It won’t happen again, give me another chance.”
Lin Wangye wasn’t crying. He was faking it.
No matter how well he disguised it, there were always cracks, especially when it came to this person. Lin Wangye understood him like no one else—he knew all the secrets from two lifetimes.
Shi Yuan had never truly let go of the pressure in his heart.
These days, he acted carefree, but Lin Wangye could see through every forced smile. He never said anything, playing along as if it was all just a game.
The plan was Lin Wangye’s way of dealing with it.
In his previous life, when he became more mature, he never cried in front of Uncle Shi.
Back then, he believed crying was a sign of weakness, a way of showing vulnerability.
He always wanted to prove to Shi Yuan that he was growing, becoming stronger. So, after learning to control his emotions, he began intentionally holding back his tears.
But after everything that happened, he found it harder to control his emotions.
Not long ago, in the hospital, he cried in front of Shi Yuan for the first time since he became more mature, and the effect was immediate.
If crying could solve some problems, Lin Wangye wouldn’t hesitate to use his tears as a tool.
He had never before so wholeheartedly believed in the power of tears.
“I’ll give you a month to prove yourself. If this continues, I’ll get angry,” Lin Wangye said.
Shi Yuan, relieved from the bottom of his heart, quickly answered, “Okay, I’ll try my best.”
This corner was rarely visited by anyone, but just beside it was the cleaning staff’s break room. When the sound of a lock clicked, the two of them, in perfect sync, let go of each other.
The janitor slowly pushed a cleaning cart down the corridor.
Neither of them knew what they were so nervous about, but neither dared to make eye contact.
Shi Yuan turned his head to look out the window, and Lin Wangye glanced at his watch before speaking, “It’s about time we head back to school.”
“Mm.” Shi Yuan nodded, turning to walk toward the patient’s room. “Let’s just say goodbye and head back.”
Lin Wangye jogged a few steps to match his pace, asking, “Got any plans for the weekend? Want to hang out?”
“I’m going to the ceramic shop this weekend. Where do you want to go? I’ll take the day off.”
“Ah, no need for that.” Lin Wangye immediately shook his head when he heard this, then thought for a moment and said, “Then I’ll just go to your shop! I’ll be a customer, and you’ll have to serve me. Is that okay?”
Shi Yuan couldn’t help but laugh. “It sounds like some special profession.”
Lin Wangye lifted his chin and teased, “Do your job well, and this little master will come and make you work this weekend.”
Shi Yuan nodded along, his tone polite. “Thank you for your patronage. You’d better come!”
The two of them laughed as they returned to the ward and greeted Suihe before heading back to school.
With the year-end approaching, most elementary schools were already on winter break.
High school classes ran longer due to the pressure of exams, but with only two weekends left until the Lunar New Year’s Eve, there was just one more week of school.
For seniors, the winter break was the last time to rest before the final sprint toward the college entrance exams.
The class transfer application was approved the next day after being submitted to the academic director. When the transfer would happen was up to the two parties to decide.
Shi Yuan and Fu Xuexue were perfectly in sync, not revealing a word beforehand. They planned to switch classrooms the following week without anyone knowing.
Until Saturday afternoon, when the last period of the day happened to be the homeroom teacher’s lesson.
After receiving a message from Fu Xuexue, just as the bell rang and the whole class started to stir, preparing to leave, the homeroom teacher clapped his hands on the podium and said solemnly, “I need to announce something. Our classmate Fu Xuexue will be transferring to Class A starting next week. You can give her a simple farewell and best wishes.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the class erupted in a wave of exclamations.
“What! No way, oh my god.”
“That sudden?!”
“I thought Class A didn’t have any more space?”
“Yeah! I heard they didn’t accept anyone even after the first-place exam results.”
“Great, now who’s going to help me with functions? I can’t ask the math teacher!”
“We’re going to be without a class rep now?”
“She has to leave? I thought we’d all split up after graduation!”
“…”
Everyone knew that top students could apply to join Class A, and although it was clear that Class A was usually full, they had mentally prepared for the possibility.
But when it really happened, it left them feeling quite reluctant.
After all, they had been together in the same class since the division of the arts and science tracks in the second year of high school, working together countless times to maintain the class’s honor. The sense of unity had long been established.
Moreover, Fu Xuexue not only excelled academically but also had a great temper.
Whenever anyone didn’t understand something in class and couldn’t find the teacher, they’d turn to her.
Lin Wangye and Lin Shen were also shocked.
After what had happened before, they had become much closer to Fu Xuexue, and unlike Lin Shen, who was always smooth-talking, Fu Xuexue would sometimes joke around casually during conversations.
Class transfers had to be applied for in advance, but Fu Xuexue hadn’t said a word.
Confused, Lin Shen turned to her and asked, “What’s going on? This is so sudden.”
Surrounded by curious and pleading classmates, Fu Xuexue listened silently to their words before explaining, “I’m really going to miss everyone, but with the college entrance exams coming up, I want to go to Class A and solidify my grades.”
Once these words were spoken, the classmates naturally understood everything.
After all, being able to transfer to Class A was a good thing—it would surely benefit her grades. Given the opportunity, Fu Xuexue had to seize it. She couldn’t possibly sacrifice her future for the sake of classmate bonds.
Such a simple truth was easy for everyone to understand.
In the end, what remained around Fu Xuexue was only reluctance and well wishes.
Lin Wangye, unable to join the conversation, sat at his desk, packing up his things while trying to wrap his head around a very important question.
That question was: If Class A was full, how did Fu Xuexue manage to get in?
A vague premonition seemed to hover in his mind, but he couldn’t pinpoint the answer. Sitting there, lost in thought, he suddenly noticed someone knocking on the window from the corridor.
Through the mist on the glass, he could see it was Shi Yuan, waiting outside.
Without a word, Lin Wangye immediately stood up and rushed out of the classroom, asking, “Fu Xuexue’s transferring to Class A, but I thought there were no spaces in your class. Did someone transfer out?”
Since Lin Wangye already knew, Shi Yuan gave up on the plan to surprise him by walking into class next week and confessed, “I transferred.”
Thinking back to the day the grades came out, when both Shi Yuan and Fu Xuexue had been in the office, Lin Wangye immediately understood what was going on. He widened his eyes in surprise, “What! Did the teacher kick you out because you didn’t do well on the exam?!”
Shi Yuan quickly explained, “No, I applied for the transfer myself.”
Lin Wangye, still unable to process the situation, was confused. “Why? Is there something wrong with Class A?”
“There’s nothing wrong with it.” Shi Yuan fixed his gaze on him and said, “But 7th class has you, and that’s what really draws me in.”
Lin Wangye was completely taken aback by this answer. He stood there dumbfounded for a long while, and when he finally came to his senses, his heart skipped a beat and began racing, almost leaping out of his chest.
At the same time, a new possibility suddenly formed in his mind.
He stared at Shi Yuan, blinking rapidly, then stammered, “You… You didn’t… You didn’t intentionally fail the exam, did you?”
“Well, I didn’t fail the exam…”
Shi Yuan chuckled softly, watching Lin Wangye’s silly expression. His heart felt a little ticklish, and he couldn’t help but reach out and pinch Lin Wangye’s cheek.
“When the mock exam results came out, Fu Xuexue’s score made me feel like she had the ability to get first place, so I gave her more space. I didn’t expect her to really do it. Even if I performed normally, I might not have beaten her.”
Lin Wangye was stunned. He froze for a moment before muttering, “Is this the legendary ‘academic master’ controlling the scores?”
Shi Yuan’s smile deepened, and he looked at him playfully. “I guess so.”
The delayed joy finally surged in Lin Wangye’s heart. He grinned brightly and, without a second thought, jumped up and threw his arms around Shi Yuan’s neck, cheering, “Yay! We’ll be in the same class now! Very good! GG Bond!”
The momentum from his leap made Shi Yuan take a step back. He carefully caught Lin Wangye in his arms, afraid that he might lose his balance and fall.
Lin Wangye seemed to take full advantage of this and climbed up, like a koala bear, wrapping his legs around Shi Yuan’s waist. He rocked back and forth, singing a little song, “La la la la! La la la la! Brave forward, there’s a prize ahead! I want to run first, fly an airplane, and get a TV, but not too greedy!”
This unexpected combination of actions completely caught Shi Yuan off guard.
Faced with such an active behavior, he felt both surprised and a little flustered. Since Lin Wangye wasn’t staying still, he had to use a lot of energy just to keep his balance.
It took him several seconds to stabilize his posture, and when he finally looked up, he noticed two people in Class 7, visible through the window, were watching them.
One was Zhao Youyou, her hands cupping her face with an expression of utter awe.
The other was Lin Shen, his expression a mixture of confusion, holding his forehead, looking like he couldn’t bear to watch but still sneaking peeks through his fingers.
*
Lin Shen (smiling): “Seeing is believing. Xiao Lin, come over here. We need to have a serious talk.”
Lin Wangye: “I’m not talking to you, I want to talk to Xu Suinian.”
Lin Shen: “?”
*
Author’s Note:
The song referenced is the theme song from ‘Zhu Zhu Xia,’ a popular Chinese cartoon.
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)
