Feng Yuan was shorter than Qin Xun. He had never been tall since childhood.
It seemed all his nutrients went into making him chubby, so no matter how much milk he drank, it never helped him grow taller.
“Yuan Yuan, have you lost weight?”
Qin Xun held Feng Yuan in his arms and, with a slight exertion of strength, lifted him completely.
After lifting him, he even gauged Feng Yuan’s weight.
This weight felt a bit too light.
“Hmm, have I lost weight?”
Feng Yuan loved hearing people say he had lost weight. He narrowed his eyes, his little face beaming with pride. “Then I might have really slimmed down. This is what they call ‘stretching out’!”
Feng Yuan had been a chubby kid since he was little. He was always worried about growing up to be a big, fat adult.
In their phoenix clan, the beauty standard was a well-proportioned figure, not one that celebrated plumpness.
Feng Yuan was overjoyed. He took Qin Xun’s hand and deliberately made him feel his waist.
“Look! Isn’t this slimmer, too?”
Feng Yuan used to be so chubby that he didn’t even have a waist!
Qin Xun: “…”
Qin Xun looked at the slimmer little one, pursed his lips, and didn’t seem particularly happy.
“Xiao Xun, Yuan Yuan, let’s go.”
“Coming!”
Feng Yuan responded and pulled Qin Xun back with him.
When they returned, they saw that the three little ones from the Yu family and Rong Rong had already arrived.
Rong Rong and Feng Yuan weren’t in the same class. Rong Rong was in the school’s advanced class because of his excellent grades.
Although the two weren’t in the same class, their relationship remained as strong as ever.
At the moment, Rong Rong was playing with models alongside Xiao Ze.
You You was holding a tablet, watching anime.
Eggy hovered around Rong Rong, occasionally poking him.
He wasn’t interested in the models. He just wanted Rong Rong to pay attention to him.
After being pestered by Eggy for a while, Rong Rong simply offered one of his hands to Eggy to play with.
Meanwhile, Rong Rong used his other hand to study the models with Xiao Ze.
“Rong Rong! Little brothers! Big brother is back!”
Feng Yuan called out loudly as he returned and saw the group.
As soon as he finished speaking, Xiao Ze sprang to his feet.
“Brother Qin Xun.”
Xiao Ze and You You used to call Qin Xun “big brother” when they were younger. But as they grew older, they naturally dropped one “ge”.
When Xiao Ze saw Qin Xun, his eyes lit up slightly.
He had so many questions he wanted to ask Qin Xun!
Seeing Xiao Ze’s expression, Feng Yuan knew he was about to engage Qin Xun in what he considered boring topics.
“Hey, Rong Rong, let’s go play games.”
“Brother, I want to join, too!”
Eggy, who had been playing with Rong Rong’s hand, quickly raised his hand to join when he saw that Rong Rong was going to play games with their big brother.
“Sure, let’s trio queue.”
After mentioning the trio queue, Feng Yuan looked down and noticed that You You had also turned off his tablet and was blinking at him.
Feng Yuan: “…”
Feng Yuan’s heart sank into a difficult struggle.
His little brother You You also loved playing games, but he was really bad at it.
Whenever Feng Yuan played games with You You, he ended up getting scolded every single time.
“Big brother.”
“Yes!”
Hearing You You call him big brother, Feng Yuan’s heart instantly softened.
“Come on, big brother will carry you!”
Feng Yuan had zero resistance to the soft and adorable You You.
You You had been a little angel since childhood, warm-hearted and incredibly cute.
Feng Yuan adored him deeply.
“With four of us now, we need one more person. Let me see if Little Deer or Uncle Xiao Bai has time.”
Feng Yuan had sent messages to both of his uncles, but neither of them replied.
With no other choice, Feng Yuan had to call Cheng Cheng.
He had considered asking Xu Jiale. But as soon as Xu Jiale heard that You You was also there, he immediately declined.
Only Cheng Cheng was willing to join them for a five-player team.
Soon, Feng Yuan was holding his phone and shouting excitedly.
“You You, come back! You’re a squishy character. You can’t take down this tank!”
“Eggy, as the support, you should stick with me! Why are you following Rong Rong?”
“Eggy, Rong Rong is at full health! Stop giving him health packs. Look at Cheng Cheng next to you with his health almost gone!”
Cheng Cheng: “…”
Cheng Cheng: “I’m done. Let it all burn.”
Cheng Cheng managed to endure three rounds of the game. But by the fourth, he truly couldn’t take it anymore.
“Yuan Yuan, I have to go pick up my grandpa from middle school. See you later!”
Cheng Cheng left immediately after saying this, giving Feng Yuan no chance to persuade him to stay.
Feng Yuan didn’t dare to invite strangers to play either.
Once, he had invited someone he didn’t know. That person ended up cursing during the game.
“You You, let’s play a racing game instead!”
Feng Yuan switched to another game. The group started playing again.
You You was having a great time.
They played straight until noon when the adults called them for lunch. Only then did they put down their phones.
Qin Xun and Xiao Ze also paused their research to come and eat.
At the dining table, Qin Xun sat next to Feng Yuan.
You You sat on Feng Yuan’s other side. Among Feng Yuan’s three younger brothers, he was the most clingy.
Eggy, now older, still adored his eldest brother but was even more attached to Rong Rong.
None of the adults at the table brought up unpleasant topics.
Everyone was focused on asking about Qin Xun’s college life.
Li Sheng had ordered a car for Qin Xun, which had just been delivered the previous week.
“Xiao Xun, take it for a spin later and see if you like it.”
The car Li Sheng had ordered was not only expensive but also one of only a few in the world.
Such an extravagant gift would usually prompt most people to decline, but Qin Xun didn’t.
Over the years, Qin Xun had been treated almost like a biological son in the Li family.
Every elder in the Li family doted on him.
Qin Xun felt completely at ease around them.
“Thank you, Uncle.”
Qin Xun expressed his gratitude to Li Sheng and even personally served him some food.
Li Sheng lowered his head and ate it.
Feng Qi, sitting nearby, raised an eyebrow and teased, “Xiao Xun, since I didn’t buy you a car, does that mean you won’t serve me any food?”
Qin Xun: “…”
Qin Xun helplessly placed a large chicken drumstick on Feng Qi’s plate. “Uncle Feng, whether you buy me a car or not, I’ll still serve you food.”
Feng Qi chuckled, amused by how fun it was to tease the kid.
Just as Feng Qi was about to continue teasing, Feng Yuan leaned in eagerly.
“Qin Xun, the shrimp.”
“Alright.”
Qin Xun picked up a few shrimp and began peeling them.
Feng Yuan loved eating shrimp but hated peeling them.
Unless someone peeled the shrimp for him, he would stubbornly refuse to eat any.
Feng Qi had once commented on this: “What a lazy but principled Yuan Yuan.”
Feng Qi didn’t indulge this little lazy Yuan Yuan either.
If the lazy Yuan Yuan didn’t want to eat, so be it. He wouldn’t peel the shrimp for him.
However, Li Sheng spoiled him terribly.
When Qin Xun wasn’t home, Li Sheng would often peel shrimp for his son.
Of course, Li Sheng didn’t just peel shrimp for his son. He also peeled them for his wife.
The whole family ate together, creating a lively and warm atmosphere.
After the meal, the three Yu children were reluctant to leave.
Eggy, now in his third year of middle school, had inherited his dad’s and uncle’s height and had already shot up to 1.8 meters.
Feng Yuan and Rong Rong hadn’t yet grown to 1.8 meters tall.
When Eggy was little, he loved hugging and cuddling with his big brother and Rong Rong, but now…
Whenever he tried to snuggle up to them, it always looked comically like a large bird acting cute and dependent.
“Rong Rong.”
Eggy knew that his big brother had just returned and would definitely want to spend the evening with Qin Xun, so he sensibly didn’t cling to his brother. Instead, he set his sights on Rong Rong: “You haven’t come to my house in days. How about staying over tonight?”
Rong Rong thought for a moment, intending to refuse.
But Eggy came up with a reason that was hard to turn down.
“I’m about to take the high school entrance exams, and there are still so many types of questions I don’t understand. Could you help tutor me?”
Rong Rong: “Alright.”
Rong Rong took tutoring Eggy’s studies very seriously.
After telling his Bo Han, Rong Rong left with Eggy.
When Chi Shui learned that his son was going to the Yu family’s house again, he frowned.
“Can’t the Yu family hire a tutor?”
“That Eggy is way too clingy with Rong Rong.”
Chi Shui was quite displeased with Eggy. For some reason, he had never liked this kid since childhood, even though everyone else adored him.
Bo Han, on the other hand, was quite fond of Eggy. He shook Chi Shui’s arm gently, soothing him: “Alright, let’s not interfere with the kids’ affairs.”
“Rong Rong will probably be at Eggy’s place for a few days. Why don’t we go out and have some fun ourselves?”
Bo Han asked, “Are you interested in glaciers? I’d like to go see one.”
“Sure.”
Chi Shui never refused any place Bo Han wanted to visit.
The couple headed home affectionately. With their son away, their time alone became even sweeter.
Outside, the moon hung high in the sky.
After washing up, Feng Yuan looked at Qin Xun, who was already in his pajamas on the bed. He blinked his eyes and then pounced over.
Qin Xun opened his arms to catch him, letting Feng Yuan press all his weight onto him.
“Qin Xun, do you still think I’m light?”
Feng Yuan pressed down with his full weight, then giggled as he asked Qin Xun.
Qin Xun locked his arms around Feng Yuan’s waist and, in the next moment, used the strength in his arms to swing him forward slightly.
Feng Yuan’s body was lifted into the air for a few seconds.
Feng Yuan: “!”
Feng Yuan looked at him with admiration: “Qin Xun, you’re so strong!”
As he spoke, he reached out to feel Qin Xun’s arms.
The muscles on Qin Xun’s arms were firm and solid.
After feeling his arms, Feng Yuan poked his chest.
“Let me see your abs.”
Qin Xun: “…”
Qin Xun lifted his pajama top.
Qin Xun had a habit of working out. His muscles were well-defined but not exaggerated, exactly the type Feng Yuan admired most.
Feng Yuan reached out and touched his abs.
The more he touched, the more envious he became: “Your muscles are so perfectly toned.”
Feng Yuan wanted such beautiful muscles, too.
But he couldn’t handle the hardship of going to the gym at all.
The two of them lay on the bed, touching arms and abs. Just as Feng Yuan was about to study the abs further, Qin Xun grabbed his hand, stopping him from continuing.
“Yuan Yuan, it’s time to sleep.”
Feng Yuan: “I’m not sleepy.”
Feng Yuan was so engrossed in touching the abs that he had no desire to sleep.
He felt quite energetic.
Though Feng Yuan showed no intention of sleeping, Qin Xun reached out and flicked off the room’s light with a click.
“I’ll tell you a story.”
Qin Xun planned to use an English story to lull Feng Yuan to sleep again.
Feng Yuan shook his head.
He clung to Qin Xun like an octopus, finding a comfortable sleeping position.
“Qin Xun, I don’t want to hear stories anymore. I want to chat with you.”
“Alright, what do you want to talk about?”
Qin Xun cooperatively engaged in conversation with him.
Feng Yuan paused for a few seconds in the darkness before casually bringing up the topic of Qin Xun being confessed to.
“You’re already in college. Why haven’t you accepted anyone’s confession or started dating?”
“I don’t like them.”
Qin Xun turned the question back on him: “Yuan Yuan, do you really want to be in a relationship?”
Feng Yuan hummed softly, neither confirming nor denying it.
His non-answer made Qin Xun’s heartbeat quicken in the darkness.
“Yuan Yuan, you’ll be taking the college entrance exam next year. At a time like this…”
“Don’t think about dating.”
“Then can I think about it after the exam?”
Feng Yuan asked, “I’ll be in college soon. Once I’m in college, can I date then?”
Feng Yuan’s longing for romance weighed heavily on Qin Xun’s heart.
Qin Xun had no reason to stop him.
He could only hold the young man tighter in his arms and nod gently.
“If Yuan Yuan finds someone he likes, it’s okay to date in college…”
“Great! I’ll start dating as soon as I’m in college!”
Feng Yuan said cheerfully, then nuzzled his head against Qin Xun’s chest.
“Qin Xun, lull me to sleep.”
Feng Yuan and Qin Xun should have started sleeping in separate rooms long ago. There was a room for Qin Xun right next to Feng Yuan’s.
But Feng Yuan refused to be apart.
When Feng Yuan was in fourth grade, Qin Xun insisted on sleeping in the adjacent room.
In the middle of the night, Qin Xun opened his door.
As soon as he did, he found Feng Yuan standing pitifully outside, clutching his pillow, unsure how long he had been waiting.
Qin Xun’s heart ached at the sight.
He pulled the boy into his room and wrapped him in a blanket to warm him up.
From that night on, he never dared to sleep apart from Feng Yuan again.
As Feng Yuan grew older, the adults in the family intervened several times.
But it was no use.
No matter who tried to intervene, it didn’t work.
As long as Qin Xun was around, Feng Yuan refused to sleep alone.
Once, when Feng Qi intervened too forcefully, Feng Yuan got upset and ran away from home.
The little guy took his pocket money, hopped on his bicycle, and rode for an entire day.
In the end, Feng Qi had to go find him and bring him back.
The little one was too stubborn, so the adults had no choice but to compromise and let him continue sharing a room with Qin Xun.
Time passed quietly.
Feng Yuan fell asleep quickly, gently patted on the back by Qin Xun.
But he was a restless sleeper.
Qin Xun had to hold down his arms and legs, making his own sleep uneasy as well.
The next day.
Feng Yuan woke up full of energy and eagerly started packing for their outing.
He gathered a pile of things, but most of them weren’t practical.
After Qin Xun woke up, he repacked everything properly.
The adults already knew the two of them were going hiking.
Only Eggy and You You wanted to tag along.
Feng Yuan, who usually doted on his younger brothers, didn’t let them come this time.
He asked Xiao Ze to play with You You and Eggy to take Rong Rong out.
Then, he and Qin Xun set off for the hike.
Feng Yuan was usually full of energy when playing, but hiking proved too much for him.
He was exhausted halfway up the mountain.
Seeing him slow down, Qin Xun handed the backpack to him to carry.
Feng Yuan took the bag, looking confused.
“I can barely walk as it is. Why are you making me carry the bag?!”
“Get on.”
After taking off his backpack, Qin Xun slightly bent down, signaling for Feng Yuan to climb onto his back.
Feng Yuan: “…”
Feng Yuan: “No, no, you won’t be able to climb while carrying me.”
Although Qin Xun had said Feng Yuan was thin, he was actually quite heavy.
Since childhood, Feng Yuan had been the type who could hide his weight well.
He didn’t look chubby now, but he actually had quite a bit of flesh on him. His weight wasn’t light.
His dad always said he was a solid little one!
“Hold onto me tight.”
Qin Xun hoisted Feng Yuan onto his back and began climbing upward.
At first, Feng Yuan was very nervous about being carried.
He kept asking, “Qin Xun, are you sure you can do this? If not, just put me down. I can climb on my own for a while.”
Feng Yuan’s incessant chattering made Qin Xun pause for a few seconds before he spoke: “Yuan Yuan, be quiet for a bit.”
Feng Yuan: “Okay then.”
Feng Yuan finally shut his mouth.
He lay on Qin Xun’s sturdy back, tilting his head to look at Qin Xun’s profile.
Qin Xun was sweating.
But his breathing remained steady.
Feng Yuan watched the beads of sweat rolling down Qin Xun’s forehead, gradually becoming lost in thought.
During their climb, they encountered quite a few fellow hikers.
At this time of day, there were many people hiking.
Feng Yuan was so focused on watching Qin Xun that he didn’t notice at all—
He was being watched.
“Hey, is that Yuan Yuan? He looks a bit like him.”
“I think it really is him. Who’s carrying him?”
“I don’t know, maybe his childhood friend?”
“Should we go take a closer look?”
“Better not, let’s not disturb them. I’ll just sneak a photo…”
The ones who recognized Feng Yuan were a few girls who had also come hiking during their holiday.
These girls had been following Feng Yuan for a long time.
Feng Yuan used to update his social media accounts frequently when he was younger. But after starting middle school, his posts became much less frequent.
In recent years, numerous variety shows and film projects had approached him for appearances. But Feng Yuan had turned them all down.
He didn’t want to be a celebrity.
When his dad and Uncle Bo Han were celebrities, they were always so busy.
They were both busy and exhausted. Feng Yuan didn’t like that kind of work.
Feng Yuan loved having fun and enjoying life. He didn’t like suffering or hardship.
His family fully supported Feng Yuan’s wishes.
Therefore, aside from occasionally posting videos on his accounts, Feng Yuan couldn’t be found in any other media appearances.
After what felt like a long time.
Feng Yuan finally reached the mountaintop. After getting down from Qin Xun’s back, he used his hand to wipe the sweat from Qin Xun’s face.
Their eyes met. The smile in Feng Yuan’s eyes made Qin Xun feel like he could climb the mountain all over again.
“Qin Xun, we made it!”
Feng Yuan said cheerfully, “Let’s set up the tent!”
“Mm.”
Camping naturally involved setting up a tent. The two of them worked together to pitch the tent and then began their picnic.
They had brought food from home.
The scenery on the mountain was beautiful. Feng Yuan ate, drank, and lounged around, feeling utterly content.
“Qin Xun, I wish I could live like this forever.”
Feng Yuan lay outside the tent, gazing at the azure sky, and spoke from the heart: “I really don’t want to go to school!”
High school nowadays has evening self-study sessions every day.
He felt it was just too competitive!
Qin Xun patted his head and comforted him in a low voice: “It’ll get better once you’re in university.”
“Some majors are very relaxed and don’t require evening self-study.”
“You’ll be able to rest properly then.”
Qin Xun had always been painting a picture of a happy, relaxed university life for Feng Yuan.
But Qin Xun’s own university life was extremely busy.
Feng Yuan fantasized about days without evening self-study sessions and constant exams, letting out a low chuckle.
The time spent on the mountain was not only relaxing but also incredibly sleep-inducing.
Lying on his back and gazing at the sky, Feng Yuan soon drifted off to sleep.
After he fell asleep, Qin Xun sat beside him, finally allowing himself to relax completely.
That night, when Feng Yuan woke up, he and Qin Xun, wrapped in thick coats, admired the beautiful night sky from the mountaintop.
They were lucky.
They even witnessed a meteor shower that occurs only once every two hundred years.
Legend has it that if you make a wish when a meteor passes by, your wish will come true.
Feng Yuan closed his eyes and earnestly made a wish.
He also urged Qin Xun to make one.
Qin Xun didn’t believe in meteor showers. But since Feng Yuan asked him to, he closed his eyes and made a wish with a pious expression.
After both had made their wishes, Feng Yuan looked at Qin Xun and asked curiously, “Qin Xun, what did you wish for?”
Qin Xun replied, “For you to score six hundred points on the college entrance exam.”
Feng Yuan: “…”
Feng Yuan fell silent for a few seconds, then turned and ducked into the tent.
He was furious.
Such a romantic meteor shower, and Qin Xun had wished for something like that!
That wish was anything but romantic!
Feng Yuan was so angry that if it weren’t for the cold mountain temperatures, he would have locked Qin Xun out of the tent.
“Yuan Yuan, what did you wish for?”
Qin Xun, watching the fuming boy, leaned closer and asked.
Feng Yuan didn’t want to answer him.
“Yuan Yuan, tell me.”
Qin Xun held his hand, gently scratching his palm as he coaxed, “I want to know.”
“Just because you want to know, I have to tell you?”
Feng Yuan snorted loudly, his tone resolute. “I won’t tell you! Don’t ask anymore. You won’t get an answer.”
Despite this, Qin Xun didn’t give up.
The two of them bickered and teased each other until Feng Yuan’s anger finally subsided. But he still didn’t reveal his wish.
His wish was related to Qin Xun.
And for now, he couldn’t say it out loud.
This mountain climb and this National Day holiday were the last of Feng Yuan’s high school years.
By the following year, in his final year of high school, he no longer had the chance to come.
Feng Yuan was preparing for the domestic college entrance exam, which was far more challenging than studying abroad.
Throughout his final year, Feng Yuan didn’t dare slack off anymore.
He put all his effort into aiming for a university.
After the final motivational rally, their homeroom teacher asked them to write down the university they wanted to strive for.
When Xu Jiale saw Feng Yuan’s choice, he was stunned for a moment.
“Yuan Yuan, you’re really daring to dream.”
The university Feng Yuan had written down was none other than the one Qin Xun attended.
It was the top-ranked university in the country and notoriously difficult to get into.
Even Xu Jiale hadn’t considered aiming for it.
“Yuan Yuan, you’re really going all out for Qin Xun.”
This notoriously difficult university was Qin Xun’s school.
By setting this goal, Feng Yuan clearly intended to attend the same university as Qin Xun.
“My dad says I’m really smart.”
“If I study hard, I’m sure I can get in!”
Feng Yuan had absolute confidence in his own intelligence.
When he was younger, he often ranked at the bottom of his class. But it wasn’t because he was dumb.
He just didn’t like studying.
Unlike You You from the Yu family, who loved studying but found everything confusing.
You You would study hard for an entire semester and still end up at the bottom of the class.
The adults in the Yu family sometimes found it quite frustrating.
“Yuan Yuan, ah, never mind. Let’s do some practice problems together. I bought another new set of questions.”
With the college entrance exam approaching, Xu Jiale didn’t allow himself to be distracted anymore.
He and Feng Yuan began their daily routine of solving problems.
The two of them worked through the exercises, completely losing track of time.
After they finally emerged from the sea of exam questions, the college entrance exam arrived in the blink of an eye.
During the exam days, Qin Xun wanted to accompany Feng Yuan to the test site.
But Feng Yuan wouldn’t let him come.
Feng Yuan was very insistent, adamant about not seeing Qin Xun until after the exams were completely over.
In fact, they hadn’t seen each other for three months already before his exams began.
Qin Xun didn’t understand why Feng Yuan was avoiding him.
Fortunately, today was the final day of the exams. Qin Xun could finally appear before Feng Yuan.
The post-exam students were visibly exhilarated, their spirits soaring.
They cheered the moment they stepped out of the examination hall.
Groups of three to five students gathered together, making plans for all-night celebrations.
Among the excited crowd of students, Qin Xun spotted Feng Yuan at first glance.
Sam Williams On TYMIMA Chapter 152