Huo You had not expected Lin Zong to turn his head back so quickly, failing to shift away the gaze that had just landed on his face in time.
Consequently, his entire eye-aversion movement turned out rushed and awkward.
He had already guessed that Lin Zong would ask him why he was staring, but he certainly did not expect Lin Zong to ask why he was rolling his eyes.
Did he?
Huo You earnestly recalled his own behavior just moments ago.
He had not intended to roll his eyes, but.
Since Lin Zong was so certain, perhaps he really had done it by accident?
“Spit it out!” Lin Zong threatened, pinching his arm. “If you play mute again, I am letting go. You can fend for yourself.”
Huo You was slightly stunned, and then felt a sudden urge to laugh.
He had never seen anyone issue a threat quite like this; even if Lin Zong had said “if you do not talk, I will push you down the stairs,” it would have carried more intimidation than what he just said.
“No,” Huo You said.
He had a suspicion.
To test it, Huo You raised his eyes to look at him, keeping his gaze steady for about a second before shifting it away just like usual.
True to form, Lin Zong exploded. “You are saying no while rolling your eyes at me?”
Huo You sighed inwardly.
It seemed his facial expression really was not very pleasant and tended to be easily misunderstood.
He wondered if other people felt the same way, though after all this time, no one had ever chased him down for an explanation; they would simply keep their distance of their own accord.
This was the first time someone had ever blocked him at a doorway demanding an explanation.
Huo You felt a somewhat complicated mix of emotions and said in a low voice, “No, I just. My eyes were a bit uncomfortable.”
He chose a relatively generalized explanation. In truth, he was simply afraid that making eye contact for too long would trigger discussions about his eyes.
Yet if he completely avoided other people’s gaze, he would be labeled as arrogant.
That was why he had developed the habit of a fleeting glance followed by looking away.
Who could have known it looked like rolling his eyes?
Lin Zong showed no sign of sympathy or embarrassment whatsoever, tilting his head instead and leaning even closer.
“Are your eyes not like that naturally?” Lin Zong asked, puzzled. “I heard from your classmates that it is congenital and does not affect your vision.”
“Yes,” Huo You did not want to elaborate.
Lin Zong waited for a long time, but no further explanation came.
With no other choice, he packed away his curiosity. Since Huo You was going to be staying at his house anyway, he would have plenty of opportunities to figure it out later.
“Hold onto this,” Lin Zong said, grabbing Huo You’s hand and placing it on the entryway cabinet. “I am going to get your wheelchair.”
Skin-to-skin contact made Huo You’s fingers jump, causing him to instinctively pull his hand back as if by reflex.
Even though Lin Zong touching him felt very comfortable, he did not want to form such a habit. He was only here to recover from his injury and would not be staying long.
“My hands are not dirty,” Lin Zong muttered as he let go and turned around. “Even if they are, it is just from hauling your suitcase. Why are you so particular?”
A slow-forming question mark appeared over Huo You’s head.
It seemed he had been misunderstood again.
The wheelchair was a lightweight model and not very heavy. With a sullen expression, Lin Zong hauled it up and placed it in the entryway, raising an eyebrow to signal Huo You to sit down.
He was genuinely angry this time and refused to speak.
Huo You thought for a moment and asked, “Would you like to sit in the wheelchair and try it out?”
His aunt’s child quite liked sitting in it; he wondered if Lin Zong would enjoy it too.
“Huh?” Lin Zong crossed his arms and looked at him sidelong, seemingly pondering. “Can you still stand?”
Huo You nodded.
Lin Zong lifted his chin. “Fine. Since you invited me, I will sit down and give it a try.”
A wheelchair was not particularly interesting, but Lin Zong had never tried one and felt a bit curious. Treating it like a vehicle, he scooted forward a short distance.
Li Jianbing emerged from the bedroom and saw that the person in the wheelchair had been replaced by Lin Zong.
His immediate reaction was to yell toward the second floor, “Auntie, your son is bullying the weak, sick, and disabled!”
Before he could even warm his seat, Lin Zong sprang up in a flash, stepped forward, hooked his arm around Li Jianbing’s shoulders, and pulled him downward.
Li Jianbing laughed foolishly, wriggling out from under his arm like an eel.
At the second-floor spiral staircase, Ms. Shen poked her head out and swept her gaze across the room. “You two really know how to make a ruckus. Tonight, both of you are taking the dog out for a walk.”
“Let Jianbing go,” Lin Zong pushed the wheelchair over and steadied Huo You so he could sit down. “I have to take care of your new son.”
Li Jianbing: “?”
Lin Zong pushed Huo You inward, passing through the living room and turning right toward a vacant guest room.
“You are staying here.” The door was unlocked and pushed slightly ajar. Pushing the wheelchair forward, Lin Zong used Huo You’s legs to shove the bedroom door open.
Huo You could not help turning his head to look at him.
What kind of person uses the legs of someone with a broken bone to open a door?
Only after the door was already wide open did Lin Zong realize what he had just done, offering a slightly sheepish smile.
“Sorry about that. I keep forgetting your leg is fractured.”
Li Jianbing chuckled silently nearby, his shoulders shaking.
Lin Zong rewarded him with a kick, then clumsily pushed Huo You into the room.
This room did not have a walk-in closet and was slightly smaller, but its great advantage was being on the first floor, making it convenient for the weak, sick, and disabled.
“Shall I help you unpack your things?” Lin Zong pointed to the suitcase and cardboard boxes. “There is nothing in there I am not allowed to touch, right?”
Lin Zong considered himself an easygoing person. Since Huo You had already explained that he was not rolling his eyes on purpose, he naturally would not harp on it.
Besides, his mother had caused this colossal mess, so as the son, he would certainly do his best to make up for it.
It was just that perhaps he had tried a bit too hard and scared Huo You, startling him into speaking with far fewer pauses than usual.
“No need,” Huo You’s voice tapered down. “Thank you.”
Lin Zong rarely ever hit a wall.
His overflowing enthusiasm had been poked full of holes, so he raised an eyebrow. “Suit yourself then.”
Li Jianbing had been loitering at the doorway watching the entire scene. Once Lin Zong came out, Li Jianbing stepped away from the doorframe and casually closed it for Huo You.
“You are really just going to leave him be?” Li Jianbing asked.
“You go on then, see if he lets you touch his stuff,” Lin Zong yawned. “I am done for. If I do not sleep right now, I feel like I am going to drop dead and transmigrate into a book.”
“I am not going either,” Li Jianbing lowered his voice. “I cannot handle the cold shoulder.”
Lin Zong’s eyes lit up as he gave a thumbs-up.
Spot on.
Lin Zong was genuinely exhausted; the moment his head hit the pillow, he collapsed as if knocked out cold.
Yet he failed to realize that mealtime was fast approaching. Not long after he fell asleep, Auntie Zhang, the cook, came knocking on his door.
Lin Zong rolled over and kicked Li Jianbing off the bed. “You go, I am not eating.”
Li Jianbing had just drifted off to sleep, rubbing his rear end in a dazed haze. Without processing what was happening, he drifted right back to sleep on the mattress.
Auntie Zhang received no reply and raised her hand, intending to knock one last time. Across the hallway, the bedroom door opened from the inside.
Someone glided out in a wheelchair.
It seemed this must be the person right in front of her.
“You must be Xiao Zong’s friend,” Auntie Zhang stepped forward. “Lunch is ready, let me push you to the dining room.”
Huo You’s reason told him they were not friends, and Lin Zong probably would not want to be friends with someone of his personality either.
However, he did not feel much like talking.
Nor did he want to deny it.
He would just pretend he wanted to orbit around the sun for a little while.
When Huo You arrived, Lin Zong’s parents were already seated. Neither of them had picked up their chopsticks yet, as if they were waiting specifically for him.
He suddenly felt somewhat at a loss, unsure whether he should say something.
Clearly, however, Lin Zong’s parents were nothing like the parents in his stereotypes.
Before Huo You had even managed to slide from the wheelchair to the chair or offer a greeting, a wine glass was pushed toward him from across the table.
“Come on, have a drink,” Mr. Lin smiled. “Your coming here makes both me and Auntie Shen very happy.”
The wine arrived so abruptly that Huo You had no idea how to refuse.
Just as he was racking his brains for a way out, a hand reached out from behind him and pushed the glass back.
Lin Zong leaned over and slumped into the chair beside Huo You, his voice thick with an inescapable wave of drowsiness.
“Dad, you are unbelievable. His leg is already like this and you are still making him drink? Do you want him crippled for life?”