“?”
“??”
“???”
After firing off three lines of question marks in rapid succession, Xi Jiajia didn’t even care what Lin Xing was doing and called him directly on voice chat. It was already close to eleven at night, and Lin Xing didn’t pick up.
So Xi Jiajia sent more question marks.
Jiajia Eats Watermelon: Are you kidding me? You met Half Pool, added his WeChat, and already arranged to go out for dinner together???
Only Xi Jiajia knew the full background and all the details of the situation, and Lin Xing had naturally been the first person he shared his excitement with.
But what Lin Xing said sounded so unbelievable it was practically on the level of a phone scam. No wonder she couldn’t process it at first.
After a moment to calm down, she finally regained her composure.
Jiajia Eats Watermelon: Explain it to me clearly, word by word!
Lin Xing then walked Xi Jiajia through the entire process of meeting Half Pool, though he left out the part where Half Pool had gotten into a conflict with someone. He figured that wasn’t something Half Pool would want others to know.
Jiajia Eats Watermelon: If this level of coincidence isn’t the universe personally delivering you a man, then I don’t know what is.
Jiajia Eats Watermelon: To be honest, did you go pray at some temple or something?
Xingxing the Noob: …
Jiajia Eats Watermelon: Online worshipper here, praying for you to get lucky [1]a joky internet blessing ritual, offering up one’s own fertility to boost a friend’s luck jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_2795323_1_1').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_2795323_1_1', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });.
Jiajia Eats Watermelon: Damn it, typo, I mean, ptooey, may I trade my fertility for your good luck.
Xingxing the Noob: Stop pretending. Your autocomplete already gave you away. I’m going to hit you with 108 babies all at once 【evil】
Lin Xing didn’t even get to trade many more jokes before Xi Jiajia cut through his clowning around.
Jiajia Eats Watermelon: So now that you’ve added his WeChat, how are you planning to pursue him?
Lin Xing looked around. His roommates had already climbed into bed, though some were still scrolling on their phones or playing ranked matches. He also climbed into bed, hugging a thin summer blanket, and had to admit his own shallowness.
Xingxing the Noob: You make it sound like I have any experience pursuing men.
Xingxing the Noob: 【crying and running away】
The balloon that had only just inflated had already been popped by his own hand. Just thinking about how he’d stood in front of Half Pool with that cat-like messy face made Lin Xing want to bang his head against the wall.
Xi Jiajia would laugh if she heard that, and after a round of “hahaha,” she switched to comforting him.
Jiajia Eats Watermelon: On the bright side, even looking like that, he still added you, right? Wow, if you think about it that way, Half Pool actually has a pretty big heart hahaha.
Annoyed by her laughter, Lin Xing sent several angry sticker packs. Only then did Xi Jiajia slowly stop laughing.
Xingxing the Noob: The main thing is, I’m worried he only added me out of politeness, or as a polite way to turn me down. Maybe if I message him now, I’ll just get a red exclamation mark [2]WeChat’s failed-to-send icon, it means he’s deleted or blocked me jQuery('#footnote_plugin_tooltip_2795323_1_2').tooltip({ tip: '#footnote_plugin_tooltip_text_2795323_1_2', tipClass: 'footnote_tooltip', effect: 'fade', predelay: 0, fadeInSpeed: 200, delay: 400, fadeOutSpeed: 200, position: 'top center', relative: true, offset: [-7, 0], });.
That red exclamation mark was something Lin Xing hadn’t been able to get over for at least two years.
Xingxing the Noob: Also, even if he hasn’t deleted me, I don’t even know how to naturally start a conversation. Peppering a stranger with all sorts of questions feels kind of weird.
Jiajia Eats Watermelon: You really don’t have any experience at all, huh 【compassionate stare】
That said, Xi Jiajia herself didn’t have much experience either, so there was only so much advice she could give.
So much so that even by the next afternoon, Lin Xing still hadn’t sent a single proper opening message after adding him.
“What are you up to?”, deleted.
“I don’t have class this afternoon. Do you have time to grab a meal together?”, deleted.
“Which day this week are you free?”, he deleted that too.
Lin Xing kept his phone under the desk, sitting in a corner of the lecture hall with his head lowered. He typed and deleted over and over, unable to find an appropriate opening no matter what. Everything he wrote somehow felt wrong.
In the end, it was his own nerves getting in the way. He both wanted to talk to Half Pool and had no idea what to say that could raise the other person’s goodwill toward him.
But beyond the anxiety, what he felt more strongly was excitement and anticipation. He had a good impression of Half Pool, he probably liked him. To Lin Xing, having the chance to get closer to someone he liked was already very lucky.
Whatever the outcome, it was better than overthinking and letting the opportunity right in front of him slip away.
Lin Xing took a breath, exhaled, thought for a moment, and finally typed again. This time, he successfully sent it.
Xingxing the Noob: Hello, my name is Lin Xing. Could we set contact notes for each other?
It was a safe, standard message, no issues. Most importantly, it didn’t trigger a red exclamation mark after being sent.
Even after a long while, though, there was still no reply.
Chi Tong’s phone lay on the desk in the upstairs bedroom, its screen lighting up and dimming, over and over.
Meanwhile, things downstairs were far from calm.
Chi Yu’s mother stood in the living room without even taking off her coat, her eyes red as she complained to Aunt Liu: “I wouldn’t care if they were just kids fooling around, but Xiao Tong really went too far this time. Xiao Yu got a concussion from being hit by him, and his face is badly swollen. In public, no less, how can he treat his own brother like that?”
Aunt Liu didn’t know the full details, and she was surprised too that such a conflict had broken out between Chi Tong and Chi Yu. She’d worked as a live-in maid in this household for many years and had spent more time in the old residence than even Chi Yu’s parents. Still, she couldn’t take sides or comfort either party too openly: “Sir has gone out. If you’re waiting for him, please have a seat in the living room. Xiao Tong came back yesterday and didn’t say anything, so we don’t even know how such a thing suddenly happened.”
Hearing the phrase “suddenly happened,” Chi Yu’s mother wiped away her tears, understanding which side Aunt Liu was leaning toward. She let out a cold laugh. “If my father isn’t home, then Chi Tong is usually here. Where is he?”
At this, Aunt Liu’s tone became less straightforward than before. “Xiao Tong, he…”
“Aunt Liu, I just want to know what happened yesterday. And even if I don’t come now, Guangxu will be over tonight anyway.”
Hearing this, Aunt Liu immediately knew there would be more commotion at the old residence that night. She sighed inwardly. The evening before, when Chi Tong had come home early, she’d even felt relieved, she never expected it to involve the brothers fighting each other.
“Xiao Tong is swimming.”
As soon as Aunt Liu finished speaking, Chi Yu’s mother strode quickly toward the backyard. Her high heels struck the floor like bursts of rain.
But when she actually reached the poolside and saw Chi Tong calmly wiping the water off his body with a dry towel, her aggressive momentum wavered slightly.
Chi Tong glanced at her. “Aunt.”
He was distant and polite, as always, stopping just at the edge of formality, but at this moment there was an added layer of indifference and coldness.
“Chi Tong, how can you beat your brother like that and then act as if nothing happened, staying at home as usual?”
Chi Tong replied, “So you want me to go visit my brother in the hospital?”
Chi Yu’s injuries weren’t severe enough to require hospitalization, but he had indeed booked a VIP ward and was lying there, waiting for the news to reach Old Master Chi so it could be used at the right moment.
The way Chi Tong spoke made Chi Yu’s mother feel as if he knew everything. The word “brother” was deliberately emphasized when he said it, even carrying a hint of mockery.
Despite maintaining the façade of a gracious extended-family member for so many years, her face nearly flushed with humiliation. Being spoken to like this by a younger relative made her feel deeply insulted.
Moreover, she believed she was in the right this time.
“Whatever the case, you should apologize to Xiao Yu. What you did this time, your grandfather won’t be at ease either. He’ll think your childhood condition has relapsed…” Chi Yu’s mother went on, “The one who always suffers is Xiao Yu. You’re both grandsons, so it shouldn’t be this unfair. This is practically criminal.”
She said this expecting Chi Tong to lose his temper, but he didn’t.
“What counts as criminal, Chi Yu probably understands better than I do. There is, however, one message I’d like you to pass on to him,” Chi Tong said, then smiled faintly. “Tell him not to come to the old residence for a while, or I might have another episode.”
With every sentence she spoke, Chi Tong countered head-on, even openly threatening her.
Chi Yu’s mother’s hand trembled with anger. “How can there be someone like you? Your uncle has treated your father well, and treated you well too. How can you be so ungrateful? How can this family have someone like you, a murderer!”
If the conversation had stopped there, Chi Tong might still have had the patience to answer casually.
“Aunt, the real murderer is the one who handed a noose to her own younger brother. And you’ve already married into that family.”
Before his death, Chi Guangze had been locked alone in the attic. There had been no rope up there thick enough for hanging, the rope had been passed in from outside. As for the person who passed it in, whether their intent was to end the younger brother’s suffering or to hasten his death, it couldn’t be settled in a few words. Over the years, vague rumors had circulated among the long-serving household staff.
Chi Yu’s mother froze. She didn’t expect Chi Tong to know about this at all. His cold gaze made her deeply uneasy.
She suddenly remembered how, as a child, Chi Yu would wake from nightmares, crying in her arms: “Mom, his eyes are the eyes of a murderer!”
Children lacked the vocabulary to express their fear precisely, but the word “murderer” had been used with unsettling accuracy. At least, that was how she had always felt, otherwise she wouldn’t have blurted out those words earlier.
Now, with Chi Tong’s eyes holding a dead, oppressive stillness, having them fixed on her made her heart race uncontrollably. Under that gaze, she instinctively took a half step back despite her earlier confidence on her high heels.
As Chi Tong stepped forward, her momentum collapsed completely. She forced herself to keep her composure, turned, and quickly left the oppressive atmosphere behind.
The elegant staircase with its polished handrails spiraled up toward the second floor. Chi Tong only felt exhaustion. The house had a physical form, but the emotional prison was invisible.
He sat down at his desk and leaned back slightly, covering his eyes with the back of his hand. After a moment, he picked up his phone. On the home screen was an unread message waiting to be opened, tentative in tone yet light and upbeat, as if it had suddenly torn a small opening through his tightly wound emotions.
Xingxing the Noob: Hello, my name is Lin Xing. Could we set contact notes for each other?
Behind it was an emoji, a small white doodled pig framed by a heart.
Chi Tong recalled what they’d said the day before: the mosquito that had been swatted, the popsicle just taken from the freezer, the quick reflexes for dodging bites. In an instant, the trivial details of summer life were bundled together and delivered to him like a cool breeze.
The deeper he sank into the pathological undercurrents in his mind, the more astonished he was by such simple beauty.
Like a lost traveler using the stars to find his way, Lin Xing had gently pulled him back into reality the night before.
The moon shines over everyone, but the countless stars in the universe, each one belongs to only a single person.
Chi Tong added a note for Lin Xing: “Star.”
Then he replied: “Hello, my name is Chi Tong.”
References[+]