But five-year-old Lin Shi didn't understand one thing: children had limited stamina.
They hadn't gone far before little Yan Xianjue could no longer walk.
He squatted on the ground and tearfully told Lin Shi to leave him behind. Lin Shi stared at him for a long while, then finally forced him onto his back.
"Big brother, I'm sorry," little Yan Xianjue said sadly by his ear.
Lin Shi didn't make a sound. All his strength was spent carrying him as they ran; how could he spare the effort to respond to his pointless chatter?
Perhaps his stamina and recovery had naturally been better than those of children his age. Under circumstances that had been nearly impossible, he had actually carried Yan Xianjue down to the road at the foot of the mountain and asked passersby for help.
But in the end, the only one who had been rescued was him.
Lin Shi remembered what his mother had told him: "That other child has already been taken home by his family."
Lin Shi had believed her.
And he had sincerely looked forward to seeing Yan Xianjue again.
Even though his studies had become far more demanding than before, Lin Shi had still waited with hope in his heart.
He wanted to play with him again, just as they had that day, but this time he didn't want to play house anymore.
Until he saw the young master of the Yan Household attending a Lin Household banquet.
Lin Shi finally realized he had been deceived. Yan Xianjue's gaze toward him was entirely unfamiliar and indifferent.
In retaliation, he deliberately skinned a hamster alive in front of Yan Xianjue.
As expected, Yan Xianjue had been frightened by him. From then on, he never attended another Lin Household banquet.
That night, Lin Shi put