"Really? Second Brother really likes me?"

Wan Qiu desperately wanted to receive another affirmation from Chu Yigui.

"Yes," Chu Yigui replied to Wan Qiu.

Wanqiu's low spirits were soothed by a simple "I like you".

Nothing else mattered to Wanqiu.

"Do I have a way to make my second brother happy?"

In Wanqiu's mind, family members are people who bring joy to others.

Wanqiu also hopes that he will be the same way in front of his family.

"Perhaps it is, but it will take a very, very long time," Chu Yigui said.

"What should I do?" For Wan Qiu, time is not hard to pass when there is hope.

"As long as it's the same as before, that's fine," Chu Yigui said.

Wan Qiu tilted his head.

“There’s no need to do anything special,” Chu Yigui said to Wan Qiu. “Just do what your brother wants to do.”

As long as Wanqiu exists, as long as Wanqiu returns to the Chu family, everything will get better.

Wanqiu is the final piece of the puzzle.

After seeing a puzzle piece missing a piece for a long time, people will get used to it, and some people may even appreciate the missing piece as unique and beautiful.

When the puzzle is complete, you might feel a little uncomfortable at first, but you will eventually admire its beauty.

They are ultimately one, and will gradually become whole.

Chu Yigui lowered her eyes.

He kept staring at this huge, complex puzzle, longer than anyone else.

Suddenly, a pair of slightly cool hands touched Chu Yigui's forehead.

Chu Yigui snapped out of her reverie and looked at Wan Qiu.

"It seems the fever hasn't returned," Wan Qiu said.

"Perhaps the soup my brother made for me was very effective?" Chu Yigui smiled as she looked into those eyes that framed her.

Wan Qiu withdrew his hand, still gazing at Chu Yigui, his clear eyes seemingly holding only him.

"Little brother," Wan Qiu said, "don't get sick."

Chu Yigui smiled faintly: "I'll try my best."

"I want to stay with my brother forever, but it won't be good to be together when he gets sick."

Chu Yigui knew that Wan Qiu relied on him a lot.

He deliberately let it go; that's what he wanted.

But perhaps Wan Qiu didn't realize the weight of those words when he said them.

Chu Yigui vaguely sensed that perhaps he was looking at this jigsaw puzzle.

But is he actually included in the real painting?

He was looking at the puzzle pieces; he and the puzzle pieces entered the scene together. They might not be one, but they were in the same world.

"Mm." Chu Yigui replied to Wan Qiu, "I understand, brother."

——

Chu Yigui's illness came on quickly and went away quickly. Yang Xiaoyu teased Chu Yigui, saying that his body was still that of a young man, full of energy.

Chu Yigui told Wan Qiu that the other people in the family might be a little different from ordinary families, but Wan Qiu didn't really feel it.

Wanqiu has always lived in different families.

Wanqiu only knew that every family was different.

And now, this is the happiest place for Wanqiu, and Wanqiu does not want to pursue the ordinary.

What Wanqiu wants to find is simply a home where everyone can be happy together.

Although Wan Qiu didn't know how to coax Yang Ze, Yang Ze seemed to have returned to his usual self.

After Wan Qiu and Chu Yigui go to class together, they will not be able to see Yang Ze for a period of time.

It was as if that brief accident had suddenly been turned over.

On his first day back at school, Fu Zhengyu immediately detained Wan Qiu.

When asked why he hadn't replied to his message, Wan Qiu even took the day off, making him think he'd been discovered. Wan Qiu was beaten up and then put in solitary confinement.

However, when Fu Zhengyu learned that Chu Yigui had caught a cold and missed class because she had gone out in the rain, he was somewhat envious.

Look at other people's families, when one parent has a cold or fever and needs to take time off work, another parent can take time off work to stay home with them. He is extremely envious of their open-minded parents.

Fu Zhengyu was very happy to receive the gift Wan Qiu brought back, so he didn't mind that Wan Qiu hadn't replied to his messages.

Wanqiu really did come on a tricycle, carrying a large bag of things.

At noon, Wan Qiu distributed all the food to Li Shuo and the others, and then Wan Qiu was given a good beating by everyone.

Wan Qiu returned to the classroom with her hair all messed up, and Fu Zhengyu laughed all the way from the junior high school to the elementary school.

After school in the afternoon, Li Shuo skipped a self-study period and took Wan Qiu and Fu Zhengyu out of the school gate to play. The group of people gathered together.

Wan Qiu hadn't realized that Li Shuo had skipped class and asked blankly, "Where's my brother?"

"The teacher wants to talk to him." Li Shuo said casually, and he wasn't wrong. The teacher did ask Chu Yigui to manage the class discipline.

Anyway, it has nothing to do with him.

Li Shuo took Wan Qiu to a milk tea shop, and the group sat together. Li Shuo taught Wan Qiu how to play games.

"He's really bad at the game." Li Shuo expressed his disdain for Wan Qiu's gaming skills.

Wan Qiu only knows how to play games because Chu Zhang taught him.

Suddenly, Fu Zhengyu asked, "Wanqiu, didn't you say you wanted to prepare a birthday surprise for Brother Chu? If it gets discovered, doesn't that mean Brother Chu already knows what you're going to give him?"

Wan Qiu's shoulders stiffened, and his interest in playing the game immediately vanished.

"Chu Yigui's birthday?" Li Shuo didn't care about Chu Yigui's birthday. They were just classmates, and classmates didn't necessarily have to celebrate birthdays together.

"A couple of days ago, Wan Qiu said she wanted to surprise Brother Chu for his birthday and even secretly went out to buy a gift, but she was caught." Fu Zhengyu didn't know the details, and Wan Qiu herself didn't give a detailed account either.

Even now, Wan Qiu's memory of what happened that day is still hazy.

"Oh, so what if they found out? It's just a gift." Li Shuo thought for a moment. "I'll pretend I don't know anything about it, and you can all pretend you never mentioned it."

"Why? Don't you want to attend Brother Chu's birthday party?" Fu Zhengyu didn't know.

Li Shuo curled his lip: "I hate giving birthday parties and having to buy gifts. I'd rather just give money."

"But Brother Chu's family seems to be very rich, huh?" Fu Zhengyu also thought of Wan Qiu's very beautiful and elegant mother.

"You think I have no money?" Li Shuo sneered. "If you have no money, give me the money for the milk tea you ordered."

"Brother, I was wrong, brother." Fu Zhengyu immediately surrendered.

Li Shuo looked at Wan Qiu, who was staring at them longingly from the side, looking as dejected as the puppy, and thought for a moment.

"Gifts are gifts, and surprises are surprises; they don't conflict."

Even so, Li Shuo still didn't know how he could give Chu Yigui a surprise.

That guy seemed unmoved by anything.

Ultimately, his relationship with Chu Yigui wasn't really good enough to be called friends.

Li Shuo, biting his straw, looked at Wan Qiu, whose eyes had brightened with anticipation for his next words...

The pressure is immense.

"Well..." Li Shuo racked his brains trying to come up with a good idea...

Li Shuo's mind was full of bad ideas, but just thinking about them made him think that Chu Yigui would probably be angry.

"Well..." Li Shuo wanted to avoid Wan Qiu's gaze, but even Fu Zhengyu's eyes began to look expectant.

With a heavy heart, Li Shuo said, "How about you buy a bouquet of flowers and send them to the classroom?"

flower?

"I'm thinking of making a handmade flower for my younger brother." Wan Qiu had been secretly preparing it at home for the past two days, without letting Chu Yigui find out.

"Then come early in the morning, put flowers on his seat, and write his name all over the blackboard, wishing him a happy birthday and stuff like that..."

Li Shuo could only think of the tricks he used to use to woo girls; he really couldn't think of anything else.

However, Wanqiu, who had never experienced anything like this before, gradually brightened up.

Li Shuo seemed to see the dog's ears stand up, but then quickly droop down again.

Wanqiu couldn't do that.

Now we can't sneak out like we used to.

Upon hearing Wan Qiu's reasoning, Li Shuo was utterly astonished.

But considering Wanqiu's special circumstances, it doesn't seem so outrageous.

Looking at Wan Qiu, Li Shuo gritted his teeth one last time.

"Then come early, I'll tell Chu Yigui to go out."

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Shuo wanted to slap himself.

When did he become so nosy?

Does he like small animals?

But seeing Wan Qiu's eyes light up again, Li Shuo suddenly understood what it meant to be caught in a dilemma.

——

"Yi Gui, how do you want to celebrate your birthday tomorrow?" Yang Xiaoyu called Chu Yi Gui in advance to ask.

"Just like before, we can prepare things at home," Chu Yigui said.

"Mom bought you a bicycle." Yang Xiaoyu said with a smile on the other end of the phone. "When our Yigui grows up, Mom will buy you a bicycle."

Chu Yigui continued writing her homework without stopping, and spoke fluently: "Thank you, Mom."

"Do you know what gift your baby has prepared for you?" Yang Xiaoyu asked.

"My brother wrapped all the gifts in plastic bags when he brought them back, so I didn't see them very clearly," Chu Yigui said.

"Really?" Yang Xiaoyu smiled. "I have class tomorrow, so how about we celebrate my birthday at your little house today?"

"good."

After hanging up the phone, Chu Yigui didn't seem particularly excited about her upcoming birthday.

To be honest, he wasn't really looking forward to a lively environment.

If you were to ask what you want for your birthday...

It was probably quiet.

Chu Yigui's birthday is not his birth date, but the date he entered the orphanage.

He didn't want to commemorate the day he truly became an orphan.

but……

Chu Yigui paused slightly in his hand, holding the pen.

The words Wan Qiu had spoken to him in the orphanage, in that dark corridor, on a cold, snowless winter night, came to mind.

From that time on, Chu Yigui felt that perhaps going to the orphanage wasn't so hard to accept.

If I really had to choose between my date of birth and my date of admission...

Perhaps the admission date will be better.

The pen twirled between his fingers, and Chu Yigui realized that he was actually thinking about these meaningless things.

At this time of day, Wan Qiu should already be asleep.

But Wanqiu hasn't come out to wash up yet today.

Chu Yigui had already finished her homework and opened the other materials she needed to study.

I just noticed that today, for some reason, I didn't seem to be able to concentrate as well as usual.

Chu Yigui glanced at the alarm clock beside him; it showed that his birthday was in ten minutes.

Chu Yigui had to admit that those ten minutes really felt like an eternity.

When Chu Yigui saw the second hand point directly to twelve, she noticed her heartbeat quickening.

He also knew very well that this was probably a sense of anticipation.

When Chu Yigui heard Wan Qiu open the door, the words on the book in front of him were completely unreadable.

Chu Yigui turned her head and saw Wan Qiu standing very close to their doorway, holding something in her hands.

That box was actually quite big.

Today, Chu Yigui finally saw the full picture of the box.

Wanqiu stood at his door, softly humming a happy birthday song.

When it was just the two of them at night, Wan Qiu's voice sounded particularly abrupt, and Wan Qiu didn't seem particularly shy.

Chu Yigui listened until Wan Qiu's "Happy Birthday" song ended.

"Happy birthday, little brother," Wan Qiu said.

"Thank you, brother." Chu Yigui smiled slightly.

Wan Qiu placed the gift in his hand on Chu Yigui's table.

A pretty little house was printed on the rather large box.

This is a DIY handmade cottage.

Chu Yigui was somewhat surprised, as she had originally thought that such a box would be a plastic toy that children would like.

He even wondered if it might be a water gun or something like a plush toy.

"This needs to be made, right?" Chu Yigui thought, teasing Wan Qiu, "Is brother planning to let me do it all myself?"

“I’ll do it with you,” Wan Qiu said immediately.

Chu Yigui was somewhat surprised. Clearly, Wan Qiu was not unaware that this was a handmade item, but rather genuinely intended to make it.

"It will probably take a long time," Chu Yigui thought for a moment. "I estimate it will take at least one or two months."

“It’s alright.” Wan Qiu stood in front of Chu Yigui and said very seriously, “This way, I can have a home with my brother.”

Chu Yigui felt that perhaps he shouldn't overthink it.

Just like he has always done.

However, having spent so much time with Wan Qiu, and being so focused on her, Chu Yigui almost instantly understood Wan Qiu's unspoken thoughts.

His older brother was always sensitive and intelligent.

"Thank you, brother." Chu Yigui finally returned Wan Qiu's smile, calm, just as she always had.

Everyone will show affection in front of people they are familiar with.

Chu Yigui knew that she was just an ordinary person.

Has his calm demeanor already been torn open by Wan Qiu, allowing him to see into his deepest depths?

At midnight on his birthday, as he was watching the clock, his brother gave him his first punctual birthday greeting.

Wanqiu said he had to go out early to do his morning duty and swapped duties with someone in his class.

Chu Yigui didn't say anything, but instead attended class with Wan Qiu.

When they arrived at the classroom, they found Li Shuo sitting at his seat looking tired, and he looked disgusted when he saw Chu Yigui.

"Come out with me." After seeing Chu Yigui put down her schoolbag, Li Shuo tapped on Chu Yigui's desk.

The few early-arriving students were all looking over here with curiosity.

Chu Yigui didn't say anything and followed behind Li Shuo.

The temperature difference between day and night is significant during this period, and the cold air in the early morning can still make people's hair stand on end.

When they arrived at the playground, Li Shuo gave Chu Yigui a bag of breakfast.

Chu Yigui looked down at the steamed buns and hot porridge that had become condensed inside the plastic bag due to the heat, and still took them from Li Shuo's hands.

Chu Yigui ate her steamed bun slowly and politely, while Li Shuo sat by the basketball hoop, gazing blankly at the cloudy sky.

The sound of Chu Yigui's plastic tube piercing through the hot porridge cup interrupted Li Shuo's daze.

"Were we friends before, speaking of which?"

Li Shuo thought about it carefully for a long time, but he still didn't know when he and Chu Yigui had become close.

However, Chu Yigui remained silent.

The two stood in the cold morning wind, only Li Shuo, who hadn't had breakfast, was gradually losing his warmth.

"But now it seems we're friends," Li Shuo murmured, then looked up again, "Do you really have friends?"

Chu Yigui still did not answer Li Shuo's question.

Li Shuo thought that Chu Yigui must have no friends to be silent.

But thinking about it carefully, I feel that Chu Yigui seems to get along well with the other classmates and has participated in group activities. She is not a loner.

As he spoke, Li Shuo suddenly narrowed his eyes and asked, "You don't actually consider me your friend, do you?"

Li Shuo wouldn't normally say cheesy things like "You're my friend" or "Let's be friends."

But for some reason, Li Shuo felt a chill when Chu Yigui leaned against the basketball hoop.

I don't usually feel cold when I'm playing around with other people, but now, even though it's not that cold, a chill is creeping into my bones.

Chu Yigui let out a rare burp. He had finished all his breakfast and unconsciously covered his lips, clearly feeling a little uncomfortable.

"What's wrong with you? Did you throw up? I had the same steamed buns from this place this morning, they were pretty good!" Li Shuo's attention was immediately diverted.

"I've already had breakfast," Chu Yigui said, throwing the trash in her hand into a nearby trash can.

Li Shuo followed behind, tilting his head in confusion: "You've already eaten, why are you still eating?"

After calming down for a while, Chu Yigui said, "But if this is a birthday present, I have no reason to refuse."

Li Shuo's expression changed several times before he finally clicked his tongue.

Chu Yigui continued, "It's already unusual for you to arrive at school early, let alone treat me to something to eat so early in the morning."

Li Shuo had no way to refute it.

The two of them quietly watched as the bustling crowd of students in the early morning had now dwindled to a large number of students on their way to school.

Chu Yigui asked, "Can't we go back yet?"

Li Shuo stretched his body to warm it up: "Your personality is very boring."

Chu Yigui did not deny it: "If you don't like it, I can go along with it."

"That's enough." Li Shuo curled his lip in disdain, then asked with some curiosity, "Did you know from the beginning?"

“Brother doesn’t lie.” Chu Yigui thought of Wan Qiu’s shifty eyes when he lied about doing chores. “But thank you for teaching brother how to lie.”

"Isn't lying something we're born with?" Li Shuo scoffed.

Chu Yigui did not explain to Li Shuo.

There is no need for explanation.

Wanqiu has so much to learn, and even Chu Yigui hopes that Wanqiu can learn some negative emotions and ways of thinking.

Only by understanding and experiencing it can one truly grasp the meaning of negativity.

He introduced Li Shuo to Wan Qiu in the hope that Li Shuo's reckless behavior could have some influence on Wan Qiu.

These are things he could not teach Wanqiu.

Li Shuo glanced at Chu Yigui sideways: "You act all proper in front of Wan Qiu. Are you some kind of brother-obsessed person?"

However, this time, Chu Yigui still did not refute.

However, this was different from her previous nonchalant answer.

"I really like my older brother."

Li Shuo didn't know how to interpret this sentence, but he felt that it was probably the truth.

It just sounds a bit strange for some reason.

"Let's go, it's freezing." Li Shuo rubbed his hands together and hunched his shoulders as he headed towards the teaching building.

When the two arrived at the door, there were only five minutes left before class started.

The teacher had arrived at the classroom early and smiled at Chu Yigui when she saw him.

Chu Yigui immediately noticed that the blackboard was covered with his name and birthday wishes.

Colorful chalk of different colors, and different colored writing, filled the entire black space.

Chu Yigui also saw it; it not only contained Wan Qiu's childish chalk writing, but also blessings from other classmates.

This is somewhat childish, yet also somewhat interesting.

Chu Yigui looked at his name written in a different font.

Standing here, under everyone's gaze, for this brief moment, he is unique in everyone's eyes.

When Chu Yigui returned to his seat, he saw a bouquet of flowers on it.

It's a handmade flower, just like the one I made for Wanqiu's birthday.

only……

There are ninety-nine red roses.

Each rose was made with bright red colored paper, carefully and meticulously crafted to look its most beautiful.

The black outer packaging clusters them together, showcasing their vibrant appearance.

Wan Qiu probably doesn't understand what ninety-nine red roses represent.

Chu Yigui picked up the bouquet of flowers, intending to place it on the windowsill at the back of the classroom.

What reached my nose was a faint fragrance, not the smell of perfume, but more like the scent on Wan Qiu.

Chu Yigui remembered that Wan Qiu had kept the door closed every night for the past few days.

Chu Yigui's hand tightened unconsciously, but then she heard the sound of the wrapping paper ripping.

He immediately let go, without even noticing his own caution.

Chu Yigui placed the handmade rose on the windowsill; he would bring it home tonight.

The teacher sitting on the podium asked the class representative to start singing "Happy Birthday," and the class representative didn't refuse.

The classroom was filled with the whole class singing "Happy Birthday".

Chu Yigui's expression was somewhat unnatural.

In the end, he simply smiled, and he smiled happily in everyone's eyes.

When everyone saw Chu Yigui smile, they started to cheer her on.

When the homeroom teacher asked the students on duty to come up and erase the blackboard, Chu Yigui volunteered to get the eraser.

He personally wiped away the surprise his brother had given him.

Every time a piece of chalk was erased, Chu Yigui carefully examined the words again.

Until they disappear.

When Wan Qiu finished class, she secretly sent a message to Li Shuo.

Wanqiu: Was my younger brother surprised?

Li Shuo: I'm pleasantly surprised.

Li Shuo replied quickly, and Wan Qiu also tried to speed up his typing.

Wanqiu: Is he happy?

Li Shuo didn't reply, but instead sent Wan Qiu a photo.

It looked like a candid shot, but Wan Qiu saw it on Chu Yigui's face.

Chu Yigui is very handsome. He looks uniquely handsome no matter what angle you shoot him from. Surrounded by a group of people, he also smiled happily.

But at least at this moment, Wanqiu felt that in the instant the photo was captured, her younger brother, who had always seemed out of place, no longer appeared so abrupt.