Hearing Su Yao’s words, Lin Qing immediately raised his left hand.

It was healthy and intact.

There wasn’t a single wound on it.

And with the two teachers from the infirmary as witnesses, Lin Qing hadn’t imagined the wound disappearing.

So Su Yao was lying.

She’d witnessed the wound disappear with her own eyes, yet she was pretending not to know. The reason… It seemed she didn’t want to keep digging into the matter.

He also knew he wouldn’t get an answer.

But Lin Qing didn’t believe Su Yao had really given up investigating.

She was a very curious woman.

After seeing something that defied common sense with her own eyes, the flames of curiosity in her heart would definitely be kindled.

If she couldn’t put them out, then all she could do was hide them away.

And wait for the right moment to let those flames loose…

Still, none of that posed much of a threat to Lin Qing.

He’d been prepared for this for a long time.

Su Yao would keep hounding him for a long while. Since he was stuck with her either way, there was no point worrying about anything else.

Besides, he had nothing left now. All he had was his life.

What did he have to fear?

Lin Qing wasn’t thinking this way because he’d given up on everything. He knew why Su Yao couldn’t kill anyone.

To avoid any problems when she eventually took over the company, Su Yao had to maintain a flawless public image.

They both knew perfectly well that the wound had disappeared, but they still pretended not to.

“You didn’t know? Then forget it. I’ll keep wearing bandages for the next couple of days anyway.”

Lin Qing’s reply was perfunctory, though. He couldn’t even be bothered to put much effort into the act.

That made Su Yao let out a soft laugh. It came clearly through the phone and into Lin Qing’s ear.

Bright and sweet.

“You weren’t at school today, so you missed quite a show. But there’ll be another one tomorrow~”

“A show?”

“That’s a secret for now.”

After Su Yao finished speaking in that mysterious tone, she hung up before Lin Qing could ask again.

Lin Qing heard the ‘beep, beep’ of the disconnected call and suddenly felt like skipping school tomorrow.

If Su Yao called something a show, it definitely wasn’t going to be some little spectacle. It would cause quite a stir.

But even if he didn’t go, that wouldn’t solve anything.

Su Yao had countless ways to make him go to school on his own, without a fuss.

Thinking about it all, Lin Qing couldn’t help sighing. His body felt weak as he sank onto the sofa.

The steady ticking of more than a dozen clocks lifted his mood a little. He stopped wondering what exactly Su Yao’s ‘show’ would be.

The wound had vanished quickly, but perhaps because he’d lost too much blood, Lin Qing felt utterly exhausted.

Sitting on the sofa now, he felt wave after wave of sleepiness rushing over him.

Like waves at sea, they came one after another, pounding him down.

Earlier, his curiosity about the Red Skull had kept Lin Qing awake. Now that everything was over, he didn’t need to force himself to stay alert anymore.

He’d better get some sleep and let his body recover!

…

At first, Lin Qing thought he’d only dozed off.

In reality, when he opened his eyes again, it was already six in the morning.

He’d slept for quite a while.

Thankfully, once he opened his eyes, all his earlier exhaustion had vanished. He felt great now.

In fact, with his energy restored, he felt more alive than ever before.

It seemed his curiosity about the red skull had been affecting his daily life.

Now that it was taken care of, his life could get back on track. There was no need to dwell on anything else.

As for Su Yao sticking so close to him, he’d just play it cool. If he didn’t respond, maybe she’d get the hint and back off.

Clinging to that unrealistic hope, he racked his brain over how to avoid Su Yao today.

At the same time, Lin Qing got moving. He quickly washed up in the bathroom, which had no mirror, then left the house at once.

Lin Qing hadn’t forgotten what Su Yao had said yesterday.

Since he had to go anyway, he might as well get to school early and see what was going on.

“Little Qing, heading to school this early? What a diligent boy!”

“Woof! Woof! Woof!”

Just after Lin Qing left home and started down the stairs, he ran into Aunt Wang from next door again.

Aunt Wang was retired. Aside from going square dancing, she liked taking the poodle she’d had for several years out for walks.

She was holding the little dog fondly. She must have just gotten back from a walk and was about to head inside.

It was an ordinary encounter, and Lin Qing didn’t think much of it. He simply nodded at Aunt Wang.

Having Su Yao enter his life was enough. There was also Wu Gang, a former fellow patient he’d thought he’d never see again. Lin Qing didn’t want any more people entering his little world.

He wasn’t ready to let anyone else in.

His fear of other people wasn’t social anxiety. It was an unconscious rejection shaped by his past experiences.

“Oh! Little Qing, have you gotten taller?”

But before Lin Qing could take another step, Aunt Wang called out in surprise.

She looked him over carefully, making sure her eyes weren’t playing tricks on her.

The last time she’d seen Lin Qing, just a few days ago, he hadn’t changed at all. He’d been as short as ever… But looking at him now, he must’ve grown four or five centimeters!

He’d been only a little over 1.6 meters tall, but now he looked about 1.7 meters.

Aunt Wang was fairly tall herself. In her youth, she’d stood at 1.75 meters. She’d shrunk a little with age, but with shoes on, she was still a full 1.7 meters tall.

Puzzled, she immediately carried the dog over to Lin Qing. Then she confirmed it: he really had grown taller!

Kids these days grew so fast. You’d look away for a moment, and they’d shoot up in no time.

Still, he was a boy, so it made sense that he’d grow quickly.

Especially since Lin Qing had been so skinny. It was a good thing if he could grow a little sturdier.

“I have grown a little, Aunt Wang. I’d better get to school now.”

“All right, off you go!”

Aunt Wang’s comment didn’t faze Lin Qing much. After replying politely, he walked away while she watched him in amazement.

Once he was farther away, Lin Qing suddenly stopped in his tracks.

He quickly took off his school uniform jacket and found that his shirt sleeves were indeed too short.

Lin Qing looked down at his legs again. His uniform pants had gotten shorter too.

Had he really grown taller?

Back at home, Lin Qing had been so focused on Su Yao that he hadn’t noticed the changes in his body.

Now he stared at his changed body in disbelief. During the ten years he’d been imprisoned, his height had stayed a little over 1.6 meters.

It hadn’t changed at all.

After he was released, no matter how much he ate or how much calcium he took, he hadn’t grown a single centimeter.

It seemed the hunger and deprivation he’d suffered while imprisoned had stunted his growth, leaving him unable to get any taller.

And yet, after kissing Su Yao, he’d grown taller?

Had anything else changed?

At that thought, Lin Qing glanced at the convenience store around the corner. Its spotless glass windows were clear enough to use as a mirror, so he could get a good look at himself.

He hadn’t seen his own face in ten years.