After the Sickly Child Differentiates into A - Chapter 11

Contrary to everyone’s concerns, Lin Li didn’t struggle with adjusting at all. To be precise, she showed no signs of sadness, reluctance, or discomfort.

It was no different from being at home.

No one bothered her either.

The fact that the Wen family had personally escorted her in spoke volumes. The children studying here all came from wealthy or influential families, raised with elite education from a young age. They knew how to read the room, who they could mess with and who they couldn’t. No one was foolish enough to pick a fight with Lin Li.

Among the nine- and ten-year-olds, she was the shortest, a tiny figure who occasionally coughed weakly, her frail health obvious to anyone with eyes. The teachers’ hearts softened at the sight of her. During lunch break, one dutifully warmed her meal and medicine, watched her finish them, and then personally led her to nap.

The other kids were naturally curious about the new arrival and wanted to chat with her, but Lin Li spent every break resting her head on the desk, making them hesitate to approach.

The coursework wasn’t difficult for her. They were on the second semester of third-grade material, and her home tutor had already covered the basics up to fourth grade over the past few months. She had no trouble keeping up, absorbing the lessons quickly and smoothly.

But her body ached, and gripping a pencil made her fingers hurt even more, so she grew lazy listening in class without taking notes, just lying on the desk.

The teacher noticed but said nothing.

Her deskmate was an adorable, chubby-cheeked girl. After hesitating for a long time, watching Lin Li lie there looking uncomfortable, she finally poked Lin Li’s shoulder lightly during the last class of the afternoon and asked, “Do you want to look at my notes?”

Lin Li blinked, then instinctively smiled. “No need, thank you.”

The girl’s face flushed instantly. Shy but earnest, she said, “But you haven’t written anything. The teacher will get mad.”

Lin Li lifted her eyelids, studying her for a moment before chuckling. “Alright then, thanks.”

“You’re welcome~” The little girl slid her notebook over, flipping to the title page and pointing at her name. “I’m Sun Xiaoxiao.”

Lin Li stared at the unfamiliar characters and nodded. “I’m Lin Li.” But she didn’t open the notebook or make any move to write.

Sun Xiaoxiao beamed. “I know!”

The teacher had introduced her during the first class.

For the rest of the lesson, Lin Li listened to the lecture while watching Sun Xiaoxiao scribble notes, all the way until dismissal.

Yawning, Lin Li stuffed her book into her desk, slung her backpack which only held an empty lunchbox over her shoulder, and prepared to leave. Sun Xiaoxiao tugged lightly on her backpack strap. “Aren’t you going to do your homework?”

“Ah!” Lin Li had forgotten. She pulled out her workbook and stuffed it into her bag. “I’ll do it.”

Only then did Sun Xiaoxiao smile again, reaching for Lin Li’s hand only for Lin Li to dodge. The little girl’s face immediately fell, her lips puckering. “Can’t we walk together?”

Lin Li: This kid is way too friendly.

Wait, hold on, why does she look like she’s about to cry!?

Sun Xiaoxiao’s lower lip trembled, golden tears threatening to spill. Lin Li instantly felt a headache coming on and reluctantly took her hand. “Fine, let’s go.”

Sun Xiaoxiao brightened immediately.

Waiting at the school gate, Wen Xize spotted the two children holding hands from afar and breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed Xiao You was adapting well, she’d already made a friend.

Lin Li released Sun Xiaoxiao’s hand upon reaching Wen Xize and called out softly, “Brother.”

Sun Xiaoxiao greeted him cheerfully, “Hello, Brother Wen~”

It was the youngest daughter of the Sun family.

Recognizing her, Wen Xize smiled and picked Lin Li up, asking Sun Xiaoxiao, “Where’s your family’s car?”

Sun Xiaoxiao pointed to a black vehicle by the roadside. “Over there.” She waved at Lin Li. “I’m heading off then. Bye, Lin Li~ Bye, Brother Wen!”

Lin Li glanced at her. “Bye.”

Wen Xize nodded. “Take care on your way home.”

Sun Xiaoxiao skipped happily to the car, where the driver opened the door for her. Before getting in, she waved enthusiastically at Lin Li again.

Carrying Lin Li toward their own car, Wen Xize chuckled. “You made a friend so quickly, Xiao You?”

“No,” Lin Li replied, covering a yawn. “Not a friend.”

The girl had latched onto her, if Lin Li refused to hold hands, she’d start crying.

A headache.

Wen Xize paused, settling into the back seat with her. Only after the car had driven for a while did he snap out of his thoughts, giving Lin Li a puzzled look.

Why did Xiao You seem, a little cold?

Back home, Wen Xihe and Wen Chende were waiting in the living room. The moment they returned, the two swarmed around Lin Li, asking if she was keeping up with lessons, if she was adjusting well, and if she felt unwell.

Lin Li answered each question with a soft smile.

Watching her cheerful expression, Wen Xize wondered if he’d misread her earlier.

Wen Jingzhi had an unavoidable event that night and returned very late, by which time Lin Li was already asleep. She went to Wen Xize to ask about Lin Li’s day and only went to rest after confirming there were no issues.

A month into school, Wen Chende decided to buy Lin Li a phone.

Initially, they’d worried she might play with it instead of resting, but over the past month, Lin Li had completed all her homework diligently, even earning praise from her teacher multiple times. She went to bed right after finishing assignments, behaving impeccably, so Wen Chende concluded a phone would be useful in emergencies.

Once she got the phone, Wen Xihe personally taught her how to use it, helped her set up a Feishu account, added all the family members, and included her in the family group chat.

Contacts for everyone at home were saved in her phone.

Lin Li showed little interest in the device. After learning the basics, she kept it on silent in her backpack, rarely using it since no one called her.

Wen Xihe returned to the family home whenever she wasn’t traveling for work, and Wen Xize was usually around unless he was out sketching.

Only Wen Jingzhi was frequently absent, but she wasn’t the type to video-call just to check in. Now that she’d joined a new film crew shooting in a remote mountainous area with poor signal, she barely even sent Feishu messages.

By March, temperatures rose, and the snow began to melt yet it felt even colder.

Lin Li always bundled up in thick fleece jackets or down coats, looking like a plump little ball that drew second glances from everyone at school.

Sun Xiaoxiao remained an overly enthusiastic child, inexplicably fond of chatting with Lin Li and clinging to her. She often invited Lin Li to her house, but Lin Li always declined.

One day, Wen Jingzhi suddenly sent her a message on Feishu asking how school was going. While replying, Lin Li was spotted by Sun Xiaoxiao, who got so excited her little face turned red. That’s when Lin Li learned Sun Xiaoxiao was a fan of Wen Jingzhi.

From Sun Xiaoxiao, she learned about actors, acting, roles, and filming finally understanding what Wen Jingzhi’s job actually was. Under Sun Xiaoxiao’s guidance, she even downloaded the Hongbo app and learned how to search for entertainment gossip.

Unfortunately, she wasn’t interested in any of it.

Sun Xiaoxiao was warm and adorable, but she was also overly clingy. Lin Li found it a bit troublesome, but she was too lazy to refuse. Besides, Sun Xiaoxiao would start shedding tears the moment she felt slighted, and Lin Li simply didn’t have the energy to deal with it. So she resigned herself to letting the girl chatter noisily in her ear.

Thankfully, Sun Xiaoxiao knew Lin Li wasn’t in the best health, so she didn’t throw herself at her for hugs like she did with other friends, otherwise, Lin Li would have genuinely ignored her.

Between keeping up with schoolwork and managing the Wen family, Lin Li’s energy was already stretched thin. Now, with an extra clingy Sun Xiaoxiao around, she had even less to spare. She often ended up slumped over her desk to rest as soon as class ended.

By late April, Wen Jingzhi had reached the halfway point in filming.

The other lead in the production was Zhou Shao, a veteran actress, a female Omega who had long retired from the spotlight but took on this role as a favor to the director, an old friend of hers.

Wen Jingzhi respected Zhou Shao deeply, but given her naturally reserved personality, she rarely initiated conversation. Zhou Shao, however, took a liking to her and often sought her out to discuss the script, offering guidance during filming as well.

Tonight, they were shooting a night scene at the foot of the mountain. The darkness deepened, and the mountain winds carried a chill.

After finishing her scene, Wen Jingzhi stepped aside, cradling a cup of warm water in her hands. The next shot involved a group scene, so Zhou Shao wasn’t needed. She settled beside Wen Jingzhi with her own drink and struck up a conversation.

After a few exchanges, Zhou Shao’s assistant arrived with her phone. Zhou Shao answered the video call with a smile on the screen was an adorable girl in her early teens.

Wen Jingzhi excused herself under the pretense of refilling her water and stood at a distance, watching for a while. Zhou Shao was beaming as she spoke, even asking her assistant to fetch a woven bamboo rabbit to show her granddaughter.

Wen Jingzhi wasn’t particularly interested in the older actress’s conversation, but her gaze lingered on the bamboo rabbit.

Suddenly, she thought of Lin Li.

She wondered if the little one at home would like something like that.

It had been a month since their last exchange had her health improved at all?

Remembering that soft, fleeting hug from the child that night, Wen Jingzhi lowered her eyes, a faint smile tugging at her lips.

“What’s got you smiling?” Zhou Shao asked after ending the call, intrigued. “It’s rare to see you so happy.”

“Ms. Zhou.” Wen Jingzhi pressed her lips together briefly before replying, “It’s nothing.” Her gaze flicked to the bamboo rabbit in Zhou Shao’s hand, and after a brief hesitation, she asked, “Where did you get that rabbit?”

Zhou Shao blinked in surprise. “You’re interested in these?”

“No.” Wen Jingzhi shook her head. “I was thinking of getting one for the child at home.”

Zhou Shao chuckled, looking like she wanted to say more but held back. Wen Jingzhi clarified, “My sister. She just turned ten in January.”

“Ah, your sister.” Zhou Shao had been worried about overstepping, but now she relaxed. “My granddaughter is a few years older than her already presented as an Omega. She loves these little animal trinkets.” She lifted the bamboo rabbit and gave it a playful shake. “I bought it from Sister Yang in the village. She makes other animals too. What does your sister like?”

What kind of animals does Lin Li like?

Wen Jingzhi froze she genuinely didn’t know.

Thinking back carefully, Lin Li had always been passive, never making any requests of her own. What she liked to eat, what she enjoyed playing with none of them knew.

The only time she had taken the initiative was when she asked to be held.

The little girl’s most frequent phrases were “thank you” and “it’s okay.”

Soft-spoken and even-tempered, she never got angry even when woken up, just rubbing her eyes and yawning before letting it go.

On the surface, she seemed close to her family, but now it was clear she hadn’t truly opened up.

Wen Jingzhi recalled the strange feeling she had the first time she saw Lin Li’s gentle smile that hazy, elusive sense of distance around her, as if veiled behind a curtain of water, washed over her again.

This child really was a little unusual.

“What’s wrong?” Zhou Shao had never seen the young award-winning actress spaced out like this before. “If you’re not sure, you can just ask the little one directly.”

Suddenly, the director’s voice crackled over the loudspeaker: “The weather isn’t cooperating, we’re wrapping for tonight.”

Zhou Shao chuckled. “Perfect timing. It’s just past nine, you can call and ask when you get back. Once you decide, I’ll take you to see that Sister Yang.”

Wen Jingzhi nodded. “Alright, thank you, Teacher Zhou.”

“No need for formalities.” Zhou Shao turned to leave but couldn’t resist her curiosity. Glancing back, she asked, “Do you have any photos of your little sister?”

“I’m really curious, just how sweet and adorable must this child be to have you so concerned?”

“My granddaughter’s a little troublemaker, always giving her parents and me headaches.”

Wen Jingzhi paused. “I’m rarely home, so I haven’t taken any pictures.” Then, thinking of Lin Li’s signature squinty-eyed smile, she curved her lips slightly. “Sweet might not be the word, but she’s definitely adorable.”

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