Chapter 8

Xi Zhui slept soundly that night, surrounded in his dreams by a sweet, fragrant scent. The thing he was hugging felt even softer and warmer than the square blanket at home.

Birdsong and insect chirps echoed through the woods once more.

Xi Zhui woke naturally, still groggy. He lifted a hand, and his palm brushed against a tuft of soft, curly hair.

“…”

A question mark popped into Xi Zhui’s mind. He raised his head slightly and found Wen Chaosheng’s small face right in front of him. The scene from before he fell asleep flashed back:

He hadn’t been able to sleep and had kicked off his blanket. Worried he’d catch a chill, Wen Chaosheng had tucked him back in and even told him a bedtime story.

Had he been snuggled in the other boy’s arms the whole time?

Xi Zhui wasn’t used to being this close with kids his age. He quickly scooted over to his own side of the tent, but he couldn’t help stealing glances at Wen Chaosheng—

The other boy was still sleeping deeply, his fair, delicate cheeks flushed pink with warmth. His closed lashes were long and curled, making him look especially adorable.

Morning wake-up music began playing outside the tent.

Xi Zhui had slept plenty, so he sat up right away and changed into the standard summer camp camouflage uniform.

Soon, noisy voices started drifting in from outside.

“Mm…”

Wen Chaosheng was the type who loved to sleep in.

With the “heavy” weight in his arms suddenly gone, he burrowed his head deeper into the blanket in his sleep, trying to block out the clamor from outside.

Xi Zhui stared at his exposed forehead and the little curls peeking out. That thought bubbled up again: Always hiding away like this—what else could he be but Little Turtle?

Xi Zhui didn’t rush out to wash up. Only when the teachers’ wake-up calls echoed from outside did he lean closer and pat the bundled-up lump under the blanket. “Wen Chaosheng, time to get up.”

Wen Chaosheng mumbled through the covers. “I don’t wanna…”

“No more whining,” Xi Zhui said helplessly. “If you don’t get up soon, the teachers will come yell for you.”

The word “teachers” hit Wen Chaosheng’s good-boy instincts like a switch. His eyes flew open, and he scrambled upright out of the blankets.

“Ah!”

“…”

Xi Zhui’s lips quirked up, though he said nothing.

He thought Wen Chaosheng seemed a bit dim-witted at times, but he was undeniably cute.

Wen Chaosheng blinked for several seconds, rubbing his eyes. “Xi Zhui, why are you sitting over there?”

They had clearly gone to sleep together last night.

Xi Zhui wasn’t about to admit he’d mistaken Wen Chaosheng for Abebe. He lied straight-faced. “I went back to my own bed later. You were sleeping too soundly to notice.”

“Oh.”

Wen Chaosheng’s messy curls stuck out every which way, but he accepted it without question, innocent as ever.

Xi Zhui slipped out of the tent first. “Get up quick. I’m going to brush my teeth and wash my face.”

Wen Chaosheng nodded eagerly, fighting off the last of his sleepiness as he climbed out of bed.

He changed into his camouflage uniform, neatly folded both blankets, then grabbed his toothbrush and towel before dashing outside.

…

It was the first official day of summer camp. The morning was devoted to lectures on various outdoor survival skills. After lunch, the lead teacher announced the day’s activity.

“Everyone come get your nets and buckets from me. We’ll be fishing in the stream in small teams. The group with the most catch at the end wins a big red flower point and a little gift for today.”

All camp activities were pre-notified, properly registered, and supervised by safety staff. The stream section was midway up the hillside, with the deepest pools less than half a meter.

The group soon reached the site, where many kids were already raring to go.

Wen Chaosheng stood at the back of the line, clutching his little bucket. He eyed the nearby stream with a worried frown.

Xia Fengyi had been chatting animatedly with Shen Zhaoye, gesticulating wildly. Spotting Wen Chaosheng’s tense expression, he bounded over. “Chaosheng, what’s wrong? Unhappy or feeling sick?”

Wen Chaosheng shook his head. “No.”

“Let me tell you, fishing is super fun!” To back up his claim, Xia Fengyi called out to Xi Zhui. “Right, Xi Zhui?”

Xi Zhui had already noticed Wen Chaosheng’s low mood. “Mm, it’s okay.”

Wen Chaosheng bit his lip and admitted honestly, “…I can’t swim. I’m scared of water.”

He’d taken swimming lessons when he was younger. For one thing, he had no talent for it; for another, the coach’s negligence had led to him choking badly on water.

He hadn’t learned to swim. Instead, he’d been left with a serious psychological scar.

Wen Chaosheng was terrified of getting in the water.

Anywhere the water reached past his knees, he felt utterly unsafe.

“Ah?” Xia Fengyi glanced at Xi Zhui, his teammate, now that he knew. “What do we do?”

Wen Chaosheng looked over too.

He’d been fretting the whole way that he’d hold Xi Zhui back, since the other boy seemed great at everything.

Before Xi Zhui could respond, though, someone slammed into Wen Chaosheng’s back. A cocky voice rang out right beside him:

“Tch, scaredy-cat, out of my way!”

“Ow!”

Wen Chaosheng stumbled, nearly falling flat. Xi Zhui caught him just in time.

Xia Fengyi whirled on the culprit. “Zheng Jiaxing, what was that!”

“I didn’t do anything! You guys were blocking the path, standing there like statues!”

Zheng Jiaxing, leveraging his bigger build, looked utterly fearless. He even pulled a face at Wen Chaosheng.

He beckoned his teammates into the water with his net, then yelled louder on purpose. “How can someone be scared of this little bit of water? Totally useless!”

“…”

Wen Chaosheng knew that was aimed at him. He felt embarrassed and mortified.

Xia Fengyi got mad on his behalf and flung his bucket to the ground. “He’s such a jerk! Bumps into Chaosheng and doesn’t even apologize!”

Shen Zhaoye held him back. “You trying to start a fight? Teachers are watching.”

At “fight,” Wen Chaosheng grew nervous and chimed in. “N-no fighting!”

Zheng Jiaxing was burly, even taller than Xi Zhui, and had a bad temper. Getting punched by him would hurt!

“…”

Xi Zhui eyed Zheng Jiaxing’s retreating back, a flash of disgust in his still-youthful brows.

The next moment, he stepped forward and took Wen Chaosheng’s net. “Stay by the stream edge somewhere you’re not scared. I’ll catch fish and bring them to you.”

Wen Chaosheng asked uncertainly, “Is that okay?”

“Why not? No need to force yourself if you’re afraid.” Xi Zhui met his eyes and added more than usual. “Come on. If the teacher asks later, just say we’re dividing up the work.”

They weren’t adults, after all. Safety came first.

Wen Chaosheng thought that made perfect sense. Most of his inner worries melted away. Clutching his bucket, he followed, his voice bright with rare cheer. “Thanks, Xi Zhui!”

…

It was peak summer, so stream fishing was a perfect way to beat the heat.

Wen Chaosheng found a safe spot where the water barely covered his ankles, shaded by a canopy of leaves overhead.

His gaze followed Xi Zhui nearby as the boy expertly scooped with his net, time and again.

After a while, Xi Zhui returned with his bucket. “Here.”

Wen Chaosheng peeked inside. There were already seven or eight stream fish—small ones, but their scales glittered in all colors under the sunlight.

“Wow, so pretty.”

Wen Chaosheng let out a soft gasp of awe, praising him with starry eyes. “Xi Zhui, you’re amazing.”

Xi Zhui met those sparkling eyes and played it cool. “Eh, what’s so hard about that? Just a few scoops.”

Wen Chaosheng insisted, “That’s still super impressive!”

Xi Zhui couldn’t help it; a smug twitch of his lips vanished in a flash. “Watch the bucket. I’ll check upstream—maybe there’s a big one.”

Wen Chaosheng nodded. “Okay!”

He watched Xi Zhui’s back wistfully, suddenly tempted to follow and try. But the other boy walked too fast.

Still, Wen Chaosheng didn’t dare venture out alone. He set the bucket on a large, flat boulder and scanned left and right from his spot.

Sure enough, he spotted a stream fish hiding in a rock crevice—half a handspan long!

Delighted, Wen Chaosheng grabbed his net and edged forward carefully. Before he could act—

In a blink, another net swooped in first. “Ha!”

The splash was huge. The fish darted away in a flash.

Wen Chaosheng watched it happen, disappointed as he looked at the net’s owner.

“What’re you staring at!”

Zheng Jiaxing met his gaze and puffed up his chest, turning it around on him. “I found that fish first! It’s your fault—you got too close and scared it off!”

“…”

Wen Chaosheng was speechless.

He didn’t like the guy anyway and had no intention of arguing. He turned and went back to his bucket.

Zheng Jiaxing was a little tyrant at home and wanted to be top dog at camp too. Seeing Wen Chaosheng ignore him, he sidled up to mock. “Nyah nyah, weren’t you scared? Think you can catch anything?”

As he spoke, he spotted the seven or eight fish in the bucket and gaped.

The teacher had said the team with the most fish would win prizes.

Zheng Jiaxing had thought his team’s six were plenty, but these guys had more!

“…”

No way!

He had to have the most!

Seeing his team trailing, Zheng Jiaxing got sneaky. He dashed forward and “accidentally” kicked the bucket.

—Bang!

The bucket toppled into the stream.

Wen Chaosheng’s voice rose in panic. “What are you doing!”

He snatched it up at once, but it was too late. Several fish had slipped out.

“You left your bucket wherever—didn’t watch it. Not my problem!” Zheng Jiaxing denied everything and bolted.

“You…”

How could someone be like this?

Wen Chaosheng stared at the two remaining fish. Thinking of how Xi Zhui might blame him when he got back, he felt at a loss, tears pricking his eyes.

But what was done was done. He had to make up for it somehow.

Wen Chaosheng sniffled, gripping the bucket in one hand and the net in the other. He shuffled two steps into the shallows beside him.

…

When Xi Zhui returned with his bucket, he saw Wen Chaosheng actually fishing too—still in the same shallow spot by the edge.

Xi Zhui waded closer. “Wen Chaosheng.”

Wen Chaosheng looked up and immediately hid the bucket behind him with awkward fidgeting. “Xi Zhui.”

Xi Zhui noticed the beads of sweat on the tip of his nose. “What’s wrong? I just caught two more decent-sized ones. Hand over the bucket—I’ll put them in.”

“…”

Wen Chaosheng handed the bucket over slowly and spoke the apology he had prepared. “Sorry. I wasn’t paying attention earlier, and someone kicked the bucket over. Most of the little fish got away.”

He had tried desperately to make up for it, searching for ages without catching a single pretty little fish. He was just too clumsy.

Xi Zhui glanced at the remaining fish in the bucket, utterly calm. “Oh.”

Wen Chaosheng watched his face closely. “You’re not mad?”

Xi Zhui dumped his new catches inside. “What’s to be mad about? We can always catch more. Besides, all these fish are getting released back into the stream anyway.”

Wen Chaosheng pressed on. “But Teacher said the team with the most fish today gets a prize. You don’t want that?”

“Nope.”

Xi Zhui’s family had toys galore. He turned the question back on him. “Do you?”

Wen Chaosheng shook his head vigorously, like a rattle.

He just felt terrible for failing to protect their team’s little fish.

“…”

Only then did Xi Zhui realize Wen Chaosheng was beating himself up over it. He furrowed his brow.

After a moment of silence, he asked, “There’s a spot upstream packed with little fish. Feng Yi and the others are there, and the water’s not deep. Want to check it out?”

Wen Chaosheng lowered his eyes to the fish in the bucket. He knew he had to make up for his screw-up. Besides, the stream didn’t seem nearly as frightening as he’d feared.

Xi Zhui repeated himself. “You in?”

Summoning his courage, Wen Chaosheng nodded. “Yeah.”

In the next instant, Xi Zhui took the rather heavy bucket from his grasp. “I’ll carry it.”

Wen Chaosheng’s right palm felt suddenly empty and light—strangely disorienting.

With one hand, Xi Zhui managed his net and the bucket, freeing up the other to take firm hold of Wen Chaosheng’s. “I’ll lead the way. No need to be scared.”

“…”

Wen Chaosheng stared at their tightly clasped hands, a sudden wave of security washing over him.

He gave their joined grip a tentative shake, and an inexplicable bubble of joy welled up inside. “Xi Zhui.”

Xi Zhui glanced back. “What? Quit dragging your feet.”

Wen Chaosheng fell obediently into step beside him, curiosity bubbling over. “Are there really tons of fish? Why can’t I catch any?”

Xi Zhui shot him a look but kept their hands linked. “Plenty under the rocks. I’ll show you how in a bit.”

“Yeah!”

Xi Zhui was just so nice!

Wen Chaosheng ducked his head to hide a grin, gave their hands another little shake, and proclaimed it loudly in his heart—

From this moment on, Xi Zhui was his absolute best friend in the whole wide world!