It wasn’t that Lin Fengqi was overthinking things, but Wen Xia’s actions, combined with just a few sentences of dialogue, contained way too much information.
Was this conversation reasonable? Was it normal?
Lin Fengqi was still in a daze when he heard Wen Xia say, “Who said that? I really want to see you. If time allowed, I’d come here every day just to wait for you.”
Lin Fengqi started to feel a bit disoriented.
Fang Huai, disgusted by Wen Xia’s words, turned even more sour-faced and snapped, “Are you crazy?!”
Wen Xia responded, “Yes, lovesick.”
Lin Fengqi began to have an out-of-body experience.
Seeing Fang Huai’s expression, as if he’d just swallowed a fly, Wen Xia felt quite pleased. By now, he had fully mastered the art of annoying Fang Huai. If Fang Huai thought he could win a verbal battle, he was sorely mistaken.
As Wen Xia’s gaze swept across the group gathered around Fang Huai, many of whom were familiar faces, he thought to himself how ironic it was. They were all people who used to follow him around, and though he had treated them to many things in the past, he had never taken these superficial friendships seriously. Treating them was more about avoiding the hassle.
But Fang Huai had made it his life’s goal to outdo Wen Xia, even collecting the friends Wen Xia no longer wanted.
Sometimes, Wen Xia really didn’t know whether to commend Fang Huai’s competitiveness or just call him plain stupid.
The initial diagnosis? Probably the latter.
As Wen Xia’s gaze fell on a few of them, those individuals awkwardly averted their eyes.
“Well, isn’t this Little Fang? What a coincidence,” Zhou Boyan suddenly reappeared with a cue stick in hand, draping an overly friendly arm around Fang Huai’s shoulder. “What a coincidence, you specifically came looking for us?”
Unlike Lin Fengqi’s polite and respectful “Little Fang,” Zhou Boyan’s version was dripping with sarcasm, emphasizing the “Little” in a slow and drawn-out manner that was pure mockery.
Fang Huai felt his chest tighten. He shook off Zhou Boyan’s arm with force, scanning the area until his eyes landed on Lin Fengqi, who had been unusually quiet.
It finally clicked for him—Lin Fengqi and Wen Xia were together!
But why would they be hanging out together?
Fang Huai vividly remembered his father’s birthday banquet. He had gone to great lengths, reconnecting with a friend he almost fell out with, just so he could be introduced to Lin Fengqi.
He knew Lin Fengqi was impressive. His father had been eager for them to meet, hoping that one day their relationship might lead to some business dealings. That sounded reasonable, but Fang Huai had his doubts. After all, if making friends was so useful, why didn’t anyone step up to help when the Wen family was in trouble? Instead, they all kept their distance, afraid to get involved.
When Fang Huai mentioned this to his father, the old man wasn’t pleased, telling him that Wen Shan Hai had simply misjudged people and warning Fang Huai not to be so pessimistic about their own future.
Fang Huai didn’t care much.
So, when his father started suggesting he hang out with Lin Fengqi instead of those no-good loafers, it only made him more resistant. The more his father insisted, the less Fang Huai wanted to reach out to Lin Fengqi.
But now, in this moment, everything had changed.
The realization that Lin Fengqi and Wen Xia were together flipped a switch in Fang Huai’s mind.
He couldn’t let Wen Xia win!
Wen Xia must have heard something and acted first, trying to get close to Lin Fengqi. So sneaky!
Determined, Fang Huai decided to momentarily set aside his issues with Wen Xia. Winning over Lin Fengqi was the real priority. So, he adjusted his approach, aiming to get Lin Fengqi on his side. “Lin Fengqi…” he began, moving closer.
But just as he approached, Wen Xia placed a hand on Fang Huai’s shoulder, stopping him. “Where do you think you’re going?”
Fang Huai snapped back, “What business is it of yours?”
Meanwhile, Lin Fengqi, who had finally returned to reality, watched Wen Xia’s hand resting on Fang Huai’s shoulder, feeling an intense urge to burn a hole through Fang Huai’s shoulder with his gaze.
“Lin Fengqi,” Fang Huai ignored Wen Xia, calling out to Lin Fengqi instead. “Come hang out with us over there. It’s too quiet here; it’s much more lively on our side.” He pointed to a cluster of tables far from where they were.
Lin Fengqi lifted his gaze to meet Fang Huai’s, but there was nothing friendly in his eyes. His stare was cold, prickly, and even carried a hint of… resentment?
Fang Huai was momentarily taken aback, but when he tried to study it further, any oddity seemed to vanish.
“No, thanks,” Lin Fengqi replied coolly. “I don’t care for lively places.”
Fang Huai was stumped.
Wen Xia was delighted.
Of course, Wen Xia knew exactly what the Fang family was like. So, he patted Fang Huai’s shoulder, smiling. “You heard him, right? Little Fang, you’re excused.”
Fang Huai’s face turned various shades of green and white before he angrily shrugged off Wen Xia’s hand and stormed off.
Meanwhile, Lin Fengqi seemed to be drifting off again.
Wen Xia had smiled, but not at him.
He smiled at Fang Huai…
He smiled at Fang Huai…
Just seeing Fang Huai made Wen Xia that happy?
After finally getting rid of that annoying idiot, Wen Xia turned back and said, “Shall we continue… Wait, what’s wrong with you?”
Why had Lin Fengqi’s face turned so pale in such a short time? He looked as if he’d just suffered a major blow, completely out of it.
“I’m… fine,” Lin Fengqi replied, avoiding eye contact.
Under the lights, his side profile looked rather melancholic.
Zhou Boyan leaned over to whisper to Wen Xia, “I was only gone for a moment—what happened?”
Wen Xia replied, “You’re asking me? Who should I ask?” He had no clue why Lin Fengqi’s mood had taken such a sudden nosedive.
Could it be that Fang Huai and his crew were just too annoying, putting Lin Fengqi in a bad mood?
Thinking along those lines, Wen Xia tried to reassure him, “Fang Huai is just…”
But Lin Fengqi interrupted him. “Do you care about him?”
Wen Xia was baffled. “Huh?”
Lin Fengqi hesitated before continuing in a strained voice, “You said you wanted to see him. Did you mean that?”
Wen Xia felt bewildered both inside and out. The question was so… strange. It was almost enough to give someone goosebumps.
Who in their right mind would want to see Fang Huai, that idiot?
Zhou Boyan, who overheard, shot Wen Xia a look of disbelief. “No way, Xia, have you really fallen so far?”
“Fallen, my ass,” Wen Xia snapped back. And then, a lightbulb went off in his mind.
Something was definitely off with Lin Fengqi’s behavior—he was acting like someone nursing a broken heart. Wen Xia recalled how just a few days ago, Liao Xingcheng had mentioned that Lin Fengqi mistakenly saw him as a love rival.
Wen Xia suddenly had a hunch, though it might be wrong—could it be that this time, Lin Fengqi had mistaken Fang Huai for a love rival? What else could explain his strange reaction after Fang Huai’s visit, along with his unnerving questions?
Wen Xia’s prolonged silence felt like a tacit admission to Lin Fengqi. As he waited, Lin Fengqi desperately hoped for Wen Xia to deny it. But Wen Xia seemed to sink into his thoughts because of Lin Fengqi’s question, remaining silent for a long time.
Lin Fengqi felt a bitter ache in his heart.
This time, he shouldn’t have misunderstood, right?
It wasn’t going to be another mix-up, was it?
He had asked the question so plainly.
No, he needed to calm down.
“Earlier, when you saw him, you took off your ring,” Lin Fengqi pointed out. “Why?”
Why?
To prevent that idiot from running his mouth to Old Wen, of course!
Wen Xia wasn’t ready to break the news about his marriage to Wen Shan Hai just yet—he wasn’t sure if the old man’s heart could handle such a shock.
“Can we not talk about him anymore?” Wen Xia sighed. “Let’s just continue.”
His tone was casual, tinged with a bittersweet smile.
Lin Fengqi felt his heart clench. He closed his eyes briefly, responding with difficulty, “Okay.”
Wen Xia decided to play along. He thought, Since your blockhead loves to jump to conclusions, let’s see just how far you can take it!
One of them was intentionally provoking, while the other was lost in misunderstanding. And Zhou Boyan, who had no clue what was going on, decided to give up trying to understand.
Forget it. He had never really understood Wen Xia’s methods of chasing someone anyway. The mind of a young master was beyond comprehension; that was just normal.
•
The strange atmosphere lingered until about six in the evening.
In just a few hours, Zhou Boyan had already become best buddies with the guys at the next table. When it was time for Wen Xia and Lin Fengqi to leave, he just waved them off, saying he wanted to stay a bit longer.
Fang Huai’s side was even more lively. Wen Xia took just one glance in their direction, but that single look added yet another layer of bitterness to Lin Fengqi’s heart.
By the time they stepped outside the club, the sky had already darkened.
Wen Xia had been to the barbecue restaurant that Lin Fengqi and Zhou Yixian had chosen before. Just a couple of months ago, they had gone there to celebrate Ah Deng’s birthday, and the place had a nice ambiance.
They arrived half an hour early. The restaurant was always packed year-round, and Lin Fengqi had made the reservation too late to get a private room. Fortunately, the table they booked was still decent, located in a quiet corner by the window, away from the bustling crowd.
Since Zhou Yixian hadn’t arrived yet, a subtle awkwardness hung between them.
This awkward silence stemmed mainly from the gloomy Lin Fengqi, who seemed to be surrounded by his own personal rain cloud. A metaphorical downpour was washing over his soul, unable to wash away the sorrow of love.
Watching Lin Fengqi’s behavior, Wen Xia tried to put himself in Lin Fengqi’s shoes and make sense of it. But the more he thought about it, the more amused he became.
His frustration was giving way to curiosity—what exactly was going on in Lin Fengqi’s brilliant brain? How could he take a situation and twist it into something so completely unrelated?
How did he even manage to score 148 in the language section of the college entrance exam? Those missing two points must have been deducted from the reading comprehension section!
But still… Wen Xia found that he rather enjoyed seeing Lin Fengqi get jealous.
“Ahem,” Wen Xia cleared his throat, catching Lin Fengqi’s attention. “Since Zhou Shixiong isn’t here yet, why don’t we order something to drink first? I’m thirsty.”
Lin Fengqi nodded. “Sure.”
Wen Xia flipped through the menu and called the server over. “Excuse me, we’d like to order two lemon waters first.”
“Alright,” the server said, jotting down the order. “Would you like to order anything else now?”
“No, that’s it for now. Thanks.”
Lin Fengqi was momentarily taken aback. “You’re ordering lemon water?”
“Yeah, why?” Wen Xia asked.
Lin Fengqi looked at him. “I remember you didn’t used to like it.”
Back in their second year of high school, there was a day when Wen Xia returned to the classroom after playing basketball and found a cup of lemon water on his desk—iced. It was nearly summer, with the sun blazing and the days growing hotter. For someone who had just finished exercising, this iced drink was like rain in the desert.
There was also a note under the cup, unsigned, but the neat handwriting and the tone of the message made it clear it was from a girl.
Someone nearby teased, “Ooh—”
“Ooh, my foot,” Wen Xia shot back, pocketing the note. “You guys are just jealous because no girl’s bringing you drinks.”
After the teasing subsided and everyone returned to their seats, Lin Fengqi heard Wen Xia sigh, muttering under his breath, “What do I do? I don’t really like this…”
But despite his grumbling, Wen Xia poked a straw through the seal and slowly drank it all.
Occasionally, he’d wince at the sourness, just like he had with that sour tangerine before.
A few days later, Lin Fengqi accidentally overheard Wen Xia talking to a girl. They were standing alone, and Lin Fengqi didn’t recognize the girl—she wasn’t from their class. Instinctively, he stopped in his tracks, stepped back, and hid behind the wall.
Wen Xia’s voice was quieter than usual, lacking its usual bravado, and sounded much softer.
“Was it you who sent me the lemon water that day?” he asked.
The girl responded with a timid “Mm,” then asked nervously, “Did you… not like it? I’m sorry, I just thought you’d be really hot after playing basketball, so…”
“No, I really liked it. Thank you,” Wen Xia replied casually, with a light tone that wouldn’t make anyone feel pressured. “I’m sorry for the trouble. How much was the lemon water? Let me pay you back.”
The girl quickly said, “No, it’s okay…”
“I insist. Taking advantage of someone isn’t right,” Wen Xia said with a smile. “Or how about this—I’ll buy you a lemon water too. That way, we’re even.”
It was the teenage boy’s gentle way of turning her down.
He was polite in the face of a stranger’s kindness, and in the delicate dance of teenage romance. Like the early summer breeze, warm but not scorching, brushing past your hair and skin but never lingering for long.
After that, no more anonymous lemon waters appeared on Wen Xia’s desk.
Lin Fengqi carefully tucked away that soft breeze into the depths of his heart. From that point on, no matter how cold the world became, it always felt like he was living in that early summer day, untouched by the chill.
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