Chu Yigui stood in front of Wan Qiu, with only a step between them. Wan Qiu was also looking up at him.

Even amidst the noisy playground after school, Chu Yigui's voice remained clear to Wan Qiu.

"It would take about a class period to walk from here to the hospital. I think your brother would like to go see Fu Zhengyu, right?"

Wan Qiu nodded.

"Let's go, brother?" Chu Yigui turned slightly to the side and extended his hand to Wan Qiu.

Wan Qiu stood up and brushed the dust off his school uniform.

They arrived at Chu Yigui's side.

He reached out and grasped Chu Yigui's hand.

At the same time, Chu Yigui returned the handshake to Wan Qiu.

The familiar, delicate touches—these sensations that he had always kept hidden—returned to his palm.

From the window of the teaching building, he could see Li Shuo and Wan Qiu sitting together. All he was holding was empty air, which, though warm, brought only coldness.

Perhaps even if it wasn't him, someone else could guide Wanqiu's thoughts, which surfaced in Chu Yigui's mind.

As a party involved, Chu Yigui did not want his personal interests to affect Wan Qiu's thoughts.

From afar, he could see Wan Qiu's trusting and inquisitive gaze as she looked at Li Shuo.

The older brother, who wasn't good at speaking, was saying something to Li Shuo, his lips moving as he spoke in a way that Li Shuo couldn't hear.

Chu Yigui was unable to suppress her emotions with reason as she had done in the past.

Chu Yigui eventually walked up behind the two of them.

He was too dependent on his brother.

She became so dependent on him that the thought of her brother needing someone else filled her with dread.

Holding Wanqiu's hand again and reclaiming the place that rightfully belonged to him beside Wanqiu, Chu Yigui finally regained his peace as he walked away from the campus.

"Brother, did you get any answers?" Chu Yigui asked.

Wan Qiu asked, "What?"

Chu Yigui pressed on, "What you and Li Shuo were talking about must have been about yesterday, right? Did you get the conclusion you wanted?"

Chu Yigui seemed to hear her own heartbeat.

It was a jumbled, complex, anxious sound.

He did not want anyone else to help Wanqiu.

Wan Qiu fell silent, a silence that seemed to gradually tighten the nostrils of Chu Yigui.

“No,” Wan Qiu said.

At this moment, Chu Yigui slowed down.

They gradually drifted away from the campus, away from Li Shuo, whom Wan Qiu had almost relied on.

Chu Yigui knew that Wan Qiu shouldn't be feeling this way when he was in a state of confusion.

But receiving this answer felt like a sudden relief.

Some of the tension and anxiety were dispelled by wicked thoughts.

—Only I can.

Chu Yigui did not want to fall into such emotions.

"Brother, would you like to hear what I have to say? Perhaps I have no right to speak, but I still hope I can help you."

“…Hmm.” Wan Qiu also felt that perhaps he would prefer to hear Chu Yigui tell him.

On the road after elementary school, there are always students in school uniforms passing by.

People rarely hold hands, but the two boys did so naturally, even gripping each other's hands tightly.

As I passed the shops with their colorful neon signs, the air was still filled with the aroma of cumin wafting from the roadside barbecue stalls on my way home from school.

None of this came into Wanqiu's view.

He looked at Chu Yigui.

Chu Yigui looked ahead.

“Brother, everyone acts from their own perspective, and everyone is unique; they all have different perspectives.”

As always, Chu Yigui's voice was slow; he would pause and wait for Wan Qiu's understanding.

"Whether it's Dad or Mom, they both act based on their own ideas."

"Brother, do you remember when I told you that Mom and Dad were both emotionally ill?"

Wan Qiu nodded.

This event still seems like it was just yesterday for Wan Qiu.

He told himself that on the day Chu Yigui fell ill.

Chu Yigui saw Wan Qiu nod, then looked away and continued speaking.

"My brother was also sick at that time."

“Different illnesses cause pain in different places, and my brother and parents may never be able to understand each other.”

"What my brother needs to care about is not understanding Mom and Dad, nor is it about arguing about right and wrong."

"Brother, you just need to focus on your own feelings."

"Whether you're sad, angry, or furious, it's all your right as a brother."

Wan Qiu blinked, as if tiny glimmers of light were trying to illuminate his path, which was filled with darkness.

"What Mom and Dad want is not for my brother to understand this, but for him to understand their emotions."

"Whatever you do, brother, is fine, as long as it's based on your own feelings."

The feeling of eternal autumn.

One's own emotions.

Wanqiu couldn't understand why these things were happening.

However, Wanqiu was not indifferent to these matters.

My brother is always right.

Therefore, he doesn't need to think and understand so carefully.

Wan Qiu looked up and suddenly asked, "What about my younger brother?"

Wan Qiu couldn't figure out what role Chu Yigui was playing in this matter.

“I can only see myself when I look at my brother…”

Chu Yigui said things that Wanqiu couldn't understand.

But for some reason, Wanqiu's intuition told him that this sentence must be very important to Chu Yigui.

Wan Qiu wanted to ask, but Chu Yigui interrupted him.

"I just want to watch over my brother. No matter what emotions he has, he just needs to focus on his own thoughts right now."

Wanqiu lowered his head.

Chu Yigui led him at a very slow pace, as if to give Wan Qiu the time and energy to sort out his emotions.

Once given power, it seemed as if something was growing in Wanqiu's heart.

Those fine black threads, silently hidden within Wanqiu's emotions, were stirring and beginning to reveal their true forms.

Footsteps, traffic, hawking, laughter and chatter were all shut out of Wanqiu's world.

Wanqiu seemed to be walking alone on this road, the destination of which he did not know.

His emotions...

Wanqiu wants to understand everyone.

But there's one thing he just can't do.

He was terrified.

I'm so scared.

He was terrified of being abandoned.

Regardless of the reason, regardless of whose good it is, regardless of whether it is to leave Ninghai and Ning Qiaozhen.

Wanqiu was simply afraid of being abandoned.

Chu Yigui took Wanqiu's hand and led her to the hospital.

After that, Chu Yigui didn't say anything more to disturb Wanqiu's emotions.

When Wan Qiu arrived at the hospital, Fu Zhengyu was sitting alone on the bed.

Fu Zhengyu said his mother went out to buy him what he wanted to eat.

“Being sick is good, being sick is really good!” Fu Zhengyu grinned slyly in front of Wan Qiu. “I’ve never seen my parents so indulgent towards me. They agree with everything I say.”

Wan Qiu sat next to Fu Zhengyu, looking at the exaggerated bandages on Fu Zhengyu's head.

“But you’re injured,” Wan Qiu said.

“I don’t feel any pain anymore.” Fu Zhengyu even reached out to touch the bandage, which made Wan Qiu’s heart tremble with fear. “This is a great opportunity. My mother has been buying me the expensive things I’ve always wanted to eat.”

Wan Qiu watched as Fu Zhengyu sat on the hospital bed with his legs spread wide, looking very relaxed.

"Wouldn't this be a bit unfair to Mom and Dad?"

Chu Yigui, who had been sitting on a bench not far away, seemed to have noticed something and fixed his gaze on Wan Qiu's profile.

"What's wrong?" Fu Zhengyu didn't understand what Wan Qiu was trying to say.

Wan Qiu lowered her eyes and said, "It will annoy Mom and Dad."

Fu Zhengyu was taken aback, somewhat bewildered: "No, my parents seem to be doing fine?"

"If you cry and make a fuss too much, it will affect your parents' mood. If your parents are unhappy, they will feel bad."

“But I’m injured! Patients have special privileges!” Fu Zhengyu said with complete confidence.

Wan Qiu might not usually argue, but every family is bound to have its own differences.

But for some reason, perhaps after listening to Chu Yigui's words, Wan Qiu was very persistent this time.

"Aren't you afraid of making them angry?" Wan Qiu pressed.

Fu Zhengyu said, "My parents have been angry more than once or twice. I'm used to it. Anyway, they'll be fine in a couple of days."

Wan Qiu stared wide-eyed at Fu Zhengyu.

"Is it okay to make Mom and Dad angry?" Wan Qiu asked.

"There's nothing wrong with that, right? Sometimes they make me angry too, don't they? Sometimes they're the ones who made the mistake, but they still get angry. I'm right, so I can't admit defeat!" Fu Zhengyu deliberately clenched his fist and swung it in the air.

Chu Yigui could tell that although Fu Zhengyu was mischievous, his family background was quite normal.

She had ordinary parents and was surrounded by their ordinary love in an ordinary family.

Chu Yigui looked at Wan Qiu, who was still clearly hesitant.

Chu Yigui rarely saw Wan Qiu show overly negative emotions towards others.

Just as there is day and night, light and shadow, success and failure, these natural laws that naturally apply to everyone should also apply to Wanqiu.

Wan Qiu is still learning; for example, he's afraid of ghosts, and he worries about Jiang Chengfeng's weekly summaries...

Wanqiu still has a lot to learn.

Fu Zhengyu's mother brought back the food that Fu Zhengyu liked. Wan Qiu watched as Fu Zhengyu happily sat cross-legged on the bed to eat.

While asking Wanqiu if he was bored today since he wasn't in the classroom, Wanqiu asked him if he was bored.

Wan Qiu answered casually.

Even after leaving, Wan Qiu remained in a daze.

Wan Qiu rarely has the concept of having his own feelings.

Before he died, Wanqiu could hardly remember how he felt.

Now, Wanqiu always pays attention to others.

For Wanqiu, this was normal life. But for a moment, Wanqiu wondered if he was actually abnormal.

What if...?

Thinking back to when Wan Qiu was by Ning Hai and Ning Qiaozhen's side, Wan Qiu didn't dare to show too much of his own emotions, because Ning Hai and Ning Qiaozhen didn't like it.

They needed an obedient Wanqiu, so Wanqiu was very obedient.

What about now?

Is it really true, just like my brother said, that my parents really need his emotional support?

When they reached the roadside, they found Yang Xiaoyu's car parked next to them.

Chu Yigui looked down at Wan Qiu and found that Wan Qiu was staring intently at Yang Xiaoyu, who was getting out of the passenger seat.

"Baby, Mommy's here to take you home."

Tomorrow is the weekend; Wanqiu would normally go home.

Yang Xiaoyu carefully touched Wan Qiu's hand.

Wan Qiu looked down at Yang Xiaoyu's beautiful fingers and her neatly manicured nails.

She hooked her fingertips around his.

Yang Xiaoyu tentatively asked, "Can I go home with Mom?"

Wan Qiu followed Yang Xiaoyu into the car.

Chu Yigui sat in the passenger seat.

Chu Jianshu was in the driver's seat, looking at Wan Qiu sitting in the back seat through the rearview mirror.

As the vehicle moved forward, the only sound in the silent car was stillness.

We moved from the sweltering outdoors into the cool interior of the car.

Looking out the car window at the scenery rushing past.

Wanqiu seemed to hear a sound.

It was the sound of a lock, the faint metallic clanging of keys against each other, and then, with a click, the lock opened.

The sound of a door creaking open.

Wanqiu seemed to have returned to that narrow, enclosed space.

From that pitch-black world, a faint ray of light shone into the small cabinet door.

When Wanqiu looked up, he did not see the blurry scene from his past life.

Instead, it was Yang Xiaoyu who stood beside him and opened his car door.

"Honey, we're home. Aren't you getting out of the car?"

The setting sun hangs on the horizon, leaving the sky with its last rays of light.

The stars had already eagerly taken over the not-yet-completely-dark sky, surrounding the still somewhat dim moon.

Wan Qiu looked at Chu Yigui, who was standing outside the car.

Chu Yigui's voice echoed in Wan Qiu's mind, but Wan Qiu wasn't quite sure what Chu Yigui's voice was saying.

"Baby?" Yang Xiaoyu wanted to touch Wan Qiu.

As Wan Qiu watched Yang Xiaoyu's hand getting closer and closer, he suddenly turned to the side and moved away from where Yang Xiaoyu was touching him.

He leaned against the other side of the vehicle.

Wan Qiu refused to be touched by Yang Xiaoyu.

Yang Xiaoyu's hand was outstretched in mid-air.

Wanqiu heard his own heartbeat.

The intense pounding of his heart pounded against his nerves like drumsticks, sending waves of violent vibrations through him.

When Wan Qiu saw Yang Xiaoyu curl her hands, Yang Xiaoyu simply bent down slightly.

A portion of her long, curly hair fell down her shoulders.

"Honey, are you angry?"

The absolute anger that Wanqiu had imagined was not the same.

Yang Xiaoyu's voice was not irritable or impatient; it was a gentle, flowing sound, like a babbling brook, which eased Wanqiu's fear.

"I'm sorry, baby." There was not a trace of resentment in Yang Xiaoyu's eyes. "It was Mom's fault."

Suddenly, it seemed that what Wanqiu saw in the opened door was not the impending pain.

It wasn't the mother whose face he couldn't even remember.

He could see Yang Xiaoyu's beautiful face, her long, wavy chestnut hair that he loved so much, and Chu Jianshu's tall figure standing not far away, as solid as a majestic mountain.

"I hate it."

When the first word was uttered, the suppressed emotions that had been held back inside were like a balloon filled with water and inflated to its maximum size, suddenly punctured by a tiny hole.

All the clear water burst through the small hole and poured out instantly.

"I hate being abandoned, I don't want to be abandoned, why are you abandoning me?"

Wanqiu curled up.

"I don't want to, I don't want to, don't abandon me."

Yang Xiaoyu was already half-kneeling on the car seat, and from there, she could hear the tremor in Wan Qiu's voice more clearly than anyone else.

"I've always been obedient, so why don't you want me?"

"Don't leave me behind, take me with you."

Wanqiu curled up, and the fear he had felt when facing death finally poured out.

When Ning Qiaozhen abandoned her, Wan Qiu cried and was afraid, but she still dared not let herself go.

Wan Qiu dared not complain, dared not get angry, dared not show his unease, which was now almost completely broken.

Even though Wanqiu tried to comfort her by saying that there was somewhere to go if she was abandoned, Wanqiu was still afraid of being abandoned.

"Don't abandon me, why are you abandoning me?"

Why are you doing this? Will you abandon me sooner or later?

Wan Qiu didn't even look at the people around him.

Wanqiu felt someone touching him, but such a touch only filled him with fear.

Even if you don't understand.

Even if you don't understand what death is.

However, the instinct of life to face death cannot be eliminated.

The feeling of life slipping away from one's body was terrifying for Wanqiu...

"I'm sorry, baby, I'm sorry, it was Mommy's fault."

Yang Xiaoyu climbed straight into the car, completely abandoning her usual composure, and went forward to hug Wan Qiu.

Wan Qiu did not want Yang Xiaoyu to touch him. In his completely agitated state, this accomplice who had participated in abandoning him became the target of Wan Qiu's anger.

Wan Qiu tried to push Yang Xiaoyu away, but Yang Xiaoyu was determined to get closer to him.

As Wan Qiu's hand brushed against Yang Xiaoyu's smooth clothes on her shoulder, he suddenly grabbed a strand of Yang Xiaoyu's hair.

Her fingers were tangling and tearing at the hair.

Yang Xiaoyu winced in pain and tilted her head back as Wan Qiu pulled her, but she was unwilling to go out like that.

Chu Jianshu opened the other car door and hugged Wan Qiu from behind.

Chu Jianshu grasped Wan Qiu's hand that was pulling on Yang Xiaoyu's hair, but he didn't use any force.

"I'm sorry, Wanqiu."

Chu Jianshu's expression was tense; his usually calm demeanor finally betrayed a hint of panic.

"I'm sorry, Wanqiu, Dad was wrong. Dad will never abandon you, never. Please believe Dad just this once, just one more time, okay?"

Wanqiu suddenly struggled.

He, who had always loved being hugged, had never struggled so fiercely before.

Like a hedgehog covered in quills, instead of curling up, it struggles to prick everything around it, chasing away the beasts that symbolize fear that chase it, struggling frantically and without any order.

Yang Xiaoyu was being pulled by the hair, looking quite disheveled, but she gritted her teeth and didn't utter a sound.

No one knows what that abandonment meant to Wanqiu.

No one knew how much of a shock the word 'abandon' would have on Wanqiu.

Wanqiu persisted in everything, even things she didn't like, simply to avoid being abandoned.

This time, amidst the chaos, everyone saw Wan Qiu's undisguised terror.

Wan Qiu almost lost his mind.

His voice sounded like he was crying, but no tears came out.

Butler Bai and the other servants wanted to go up and help, but Yang Xiaoyu stopped them.

Chu Yigui stood aside, watching the chaotic scene.

It's as if I've seen the sandcastle that Wanqiu painstakingly built, which eventually collapsed and lost all its shape.

Chu Yigui wanted Wanqiu to know about the negative aspects, to know about the darkness.

But at this moment, Chu Yigui realized once again that he was wrong.

He was like a frog at the bottom of a well, seeing only a small patch of bright sky, unable to fathom the vast world beyond the well's edge.

His brother was a flower that bloomed from the ruins.

His brother, in the most wicked and rotten world, displayed the most beautiful colors.

His brother chose beauty only after he learned everything.

Chu Yigui stepped forward, her steps unsteady.

It was as if the frog wasn't standing on the ground, but rather using its limbs to try and climb to the top of the well.

He wanted to know what Wanqiu saw in the world.

“Brother.” Chu Yigui’s voice seemed to break through Wan Qiu’s anger and fear, seizing the last vestiges of Wan Qiu’s rationality, “You have a family.”

Wanqiu seemed to have sensed something.

Before his eyes appeared the paper house he and Wanqiu had made together, with its tiny light bulb twinkling.

Wan Qiu blinked, and everything in front of him seemed to be gradually returning to normal.

Something seemed to be wrapped around my hand.

Wan Qiu loosened his grip, and something was pulled from his palm.

Wan Qiu looked over and saw Yang Xiaoyu's hair.

Chu Jianshu held him around the waist and grasped his wrist; it wasn't a restraint, but rather a gesture of envelopment.

Wan Qiu vaguely realized what had happened.

In that instant, Wan Qiu sensed something was wrong.

Was he just as hysterical in those almost forgotten memories deep in his mind as he is now?

Wan Qiu only reacted to Chu Yigui's voice because he remembered to protect Chu Yigui.

In that instant, Wan Qiu seemed to see the unpleasant memories of the past turning into impending consequences, about to befall him.

The next moment, Wanqiu was suddenly hugged.

Before Wan Qiu's eyes, the strands of hair that had just been torn from his hands were now wrapped around him.

Chu Jianshu loosened his grip on his waist slightly, but did not let go.

Wanqiu's hands hovered in the void, lost in mid-air.

The punishment that was expected never came.

"I'm sorry, baby. This will never happen again. Mommy will never abandon you. I'm so sorry, baby." Yang Xiaoyu buried her face in Wanqiu's neck.

Chu Jianshu opened his mouth, but in the end, he could only sigh.

"How could your father abandon you?"

Wan Qiu leaned against Chu Jianshu, but was being held by Yang Xiaoyu.

It looks like it's been wrapped up.

Wanqiu gradually calmed down.

That brief outburst was nothing more than a sudden torrent of water that quickly dried up.

Wan Qiu was stunned and unable to respond for the time being.

Chu Yigui, who was very close to him, grasped his fingertips.

It's very light.

Wan Qiu looked up at the sky, where the curtain had completely fallen.

The weather is great tonight.

The stars twinkled.

From the villas in the suburbs, you can even see the Milky Way clearly.

Wan Qiu looked up, and it took him a long time to react.

Wan Qiu felt that he was probably going crazy.

Wan Qiu never imagined that he would be so willful one day.

He also pulled his mother's hair.

Even his father couldn't stop him.

Wanqiu couldn't even remember what he had said.

It was only by chance, after things calmed down, that I realized I had probably done something very wrong.

When Wanqiu was released, he suddenly ran away, pushed open the door, and ran towards his room.