Little Dwarf Star Falls into Starlight

On the military training grounds at A University, 150-centimeter-tall Lin Xiaoxing was the most conspicuous “little dumpling” in the ranks. She got dizzy from low blood sugar when standing at attention, always fell behind when running, and shrank into a tiny ball in a crowd. She carried her ever-present stuffed toy, “Xingxing,” in her arms and spoke in a voice barely louder than a mosquito’s buzz. Then one day, she grew dizzy and stumbled, only to be caught securely by a pair of strong hands. She looked up and met Lu Xingmian’s eyes. Dressed in a crisp instructor’s uniform, the 188-centimeter-tall man blocked most of the sunlight, leaving her with just one deep-voiced reassurance: “Stand steady. I’ve got you.” From that day on, Lu Xingmian became her very own “starlight.” During training, while everyone else stood at attention for forty minutes, he would send her to rest in the shade after just twenty, under the pretext of “straightening her uniform.” When she fell behind on runs, he neither hurried nor scolded her. He simply slowed down to stay by her side and said softly, “Take your time. I’ll wait for you.” When someone mocked her height, he broke the “instructor’s code” for the first time and fiercely stood up for her: “Her height is just right in my eyes. I only have to look down to see her.” When training ended, Lin Xiaoxing thought her starlight would disappear. But then she ran into his arms at the library. As it turned out, he was a top student at the military academy next door, and he came to A University every week to “bump into” her. He took her grocery shopping and let her sit in the child seat of the cart, shielding her from the crowds. He bought her a frilly dress and told her she looked “like a little princess,” helping her overcome her insecurity about her height. When depression made her hide in her dorm, he sat on the steps downstairs with a strawberry cake, waiting for her. He said nothing, offering only a steady sense of security. Lin Xiaoxing secretly filled her notebook with chibi drawings of