A cry of Si Nian Ge

Dong'an was just as prosperous a decade or so ago.

Chen Chi was still young and weak back then. He spent his days in the cramped attic, looking at the outside world through the tiny window.

Watch the falling flowers, watch the drifting snow, watch the lush greenery, and watch the withered leaves fall.

Seeing his father's disgusted face, the servant's disdainful expression, and Xiao Sinian's arrogant demeanor.

What he saw most often was Xiao Sinian's barely suppressed smile and arrogant demeanor when he was constantly picking fights with him.

He disliked smiling faces, and even more so, he disliked Xiao Sinian's arrogance. He loathed it, rejected it, and avoided it, yet he still couldn't stop the other's increasingly intense enthusiasm.

The day before, he was giving Xiao Sinian the cold shoulder and refusing to speak to him. The next day, he was speechless as the cage full of rats Xiao Sinian brought him tried to pry open his head to see what he was thinking.

That day, he could tell that Xiao Sinian was very afraid of mice, because when he came, he saw through the window that the other party was carefully moving away, yet had to carry the cage.

Xiao Sinian's face was filled with fear, yet he forced a joyful expression because of his bad deeds, making him look like a complete fool.

Xiao Chenchi watched silently as he walked to the door, opened it, and tossed the cage in like a swarm of insects. The cage was of good quality; even with such vigorous shaking, the latches did not loosen.

Xiao Sinian had no choice but to put on a haughty and bullying act as he walked in, his hands trembling as he opened the gate. He then retreated with an air of superiority, loudly proclaiming, "Serves you right for pinching me! Serves you right for ignoring me! You scared me to death, didn't you!"

No matter how provocative the noise outside the door was, he simply watched the rat hiding in the cage, staring at him, too afraid to come out. After a few seconds, he walked over and reached out to throw the cage outside.

But in that instant, he saw a fragile neck covered in finger marks and round eyes red with fear in his mind, and then he silently closed the gate without saying a word.

A burst of gloating laughter erupted from outside the door: "Hahaha! You were scared to death, weren't you! Why didn't you yell?! Say something!"

After a moment of silence outside the door, someone said, "Are you really scared to death? No! Say something!"

The silence remained unsettling. Little Sinian couldn't bear it any longer and cried out, "Don't die!"

—

Chu Sinian was slightly taken aback; he had never expected him to bring it up.

He harbored hatred ever since their brief encounter as children, and he had sought revenge on Chen Chi without reservation.

As a child, he didn't understand what likes and dislikes were, and simply bullied others based on instinct.

He smashed the model that Chen Chi had been making day and night, and not content with just smashing it, he also stepped on it and destroyed it in front of Chen Chi, gloating and showing off.

When Chen Chi was in elementary school, before he moved away from the manor, Chu Sinian would always tease him during his teething period, saying that his teeth looked like an alien's.

He would carry cold food every day, arrange it to look like leftovers, and travel a long distance just to humiliate him by feeding him leftovers.

These events happened so long ago that he would have almost forgotten them if they hadn't been brought up suddenly. Now, thinking about them feels like a lifetime ago.

Chu Sinian was stunned for a moment, but by the time he came to his senses, Chen Chi had already disappeared.

When he came to his senses and looked at Yu, he saw that she was no longer crying and had calmed down considerably.

Chu Sinian said, "I'll handle this. They won't cause you any trouble."

Yu Shi nodded. "I'm sorry to trouble you again." His voice trembled as he spoke.

Seeing that she was about to cry again, Ning Zicheng quickly stepped in and said, "Alright, don't be sad anymore. I'll help you with the troublesome things, okay? Don't cry. Are you made of water? What can't a grown man overcome? Be strong. It's just a matter of feelings. Don't act like you're dying."

Yu Shi listened to his overly masculine words of comfort and forced a smile. "I'm not crying anymore. I want to go home."

Chu Sinian patted him on the shoulder and led the two to his home.

Yu Shi cried until she was exhausted, then collapsed on the sofa and fell asleep almost immediately.

Chu Sinian brought him a blanket to cover himself, while Ning Zicheng furtively beckoned him to the guest room.

As soon as Chu Sinian left, Ning Zicheng closed the door and whispered, "What's going on between you and Chen Chi?"

Chu Sinian originally thought he would ask about Yu Shi's affairs.

He sat down by the table. "I've known him since I was a child."

"How come you have so many childhood friends? Kong Bo is one, Yu Shi is another, and now Chen Chi has joined us."

Chu Sinian touched the end of his eyebrow after hearing this, "Chen Chi is... a little different from them."

Ning Zicheng leaned forward suspiciously, "How is it different?"

"He hates me."

Ning Zicheng straightened up, swaying her shoulders nonchalantly, "I know that, I can tell."

Having spent some time in close proximity, he had gained a rough understanding of Chen Chi.

This person is quite indifferent to everyone and rarely shows emotional fluctuations.

But when he encountered Chu Sinian, he was like an automatic program, acting strangely and treating Chu Sinian with a completely new demeanor, leaving Ning Zicheng stunned.

It's not quite like to say I hate it, but it's even less like I'm indifferent to it.

Chen Chi was like that, and Chu Sinian was even more so.

Chu Sinian was considerate to everyone, always thinking things through before speaking, but when he encountered Chen Chi, he seemed to lose his mind, resorting to sarcasm and completely disregarding manners.

Seeing their way of getting along, Ning Zicheng got goosebumps more and more.

It's just inexplicable and incredibly strange.

"What exactly happened between you two? As soon as you see each other, it's like you've blocked out everyone else. You two have to exchange sarcastic remarks. I really don't understand you."

Chu Sinian's lips moved slightly, as if he found it somewhat amusing, "Is that really how you see it?"

"Yes, tell me what kind of things they are?"

Chu Sinian said, "I was his neighbor when I was a child. I couldn't stand him and often bullied him. I used almost all the little tricks that kids use."

"Damn, he should be taking revenge on you, he should hate you! That's not how it is at all."

"What are you talking about?" Chu Sinian asked, puzzled.

Ning Zicheng scratched her head. "You know I told you that I saw them arguing at the bar the other day, right? It was the time Zhao Jiechao was kicked out."

"Damn it, Chen Chi doesn't drink at all. Zhang Xiu told me that Chen Chi came on purpose. He knew that Zhao Jiechao had a long-standing grudge against him, knew that he would lose his temper after the finals, and knew that he would lose control when drunk, so he took the opportunity to kick Zhao Jiechao."

Chu Sinian was quiet for a moment, then said, "Chen Chi won't make up a reason if he wants to kick someone."

Ning Zicheng said, "Perhaps that's true in other aspects, but Zhao Jiechao got in because of his connections. When Chen Chi's software was first established, it needed the support of Zhao Jiechao's father. It would have been fine if the two of them had mutually benefited from each other."

"His father insisted that Chen Chi bring his son along, and Chen Chi agreed for some reason. It is said that Chen Chi had long been unhappy with this condition, and he didn't care about him when he brought him into the team, never giving him a second glance."

Ning Zicheng paused for a moment, then said, "Actually, I think this is a kind of subtle revenge."

He looked at Chu Sinian, walked over and sat down on the chair next to him. "Chen Chi is vindictive. If you really offend him, you won't even know how you died."

"I don't believe you if you say he hates you."

Chu Sinian thought for a long time, then said, "You have a misunderstanding about him."

“How could Chen Chi not hate me? Maybe he doesn’t have the energy to take revenge on me, but he did threaten me and almost dragged Yu Shi into it.”

"What threat?! What does Guan Yushi have to do with this?"

Chu Sinian blinked. "Do you want to wake him up so you can hear him crying again?"

Ning Zicheng fell silent for a moment, then leaned on the chair and said, "I'm just worried that you'll get taken advantage of."

Chu Sinian said, "Don't worry, I won't provoke him."

Ning Zicheng glanced at him twice, looked at him a couple of times every few seconds, moved her lips several times, but in the end she didn't say anything.

It's not that you're the one who'll cause trouble, it's that I'm afraid Chen Chi will provoke you.

—

The day after attending the wedding banquet, Ning Zicheng flew back to Dong'an.

Chu Sinian had also planned to leave on this day, but Yu Shi needed someone to accompany her. While he was busy cleaning up Yu Shi's mess, he tried his best to make Yu Shi think less about Liang Jingsi to avoid feeling sad.

This caused Chu Sinian to be delayed in Beijing for too long, so long that his school counselor called him and said that if he took any more leave, he wouldn't have to take any exams this semester and would fail directly.

Having no other choice, Chu Sinian took Yu Shi and traveled a long way back to Dong'an after finishing his business.

Upon arriving at the school, he immediately went to class. Afterward, he worked tirelessly, catching up on his back-to-school papers while handling other tasks. Seeing that there were no signs of a counterattack from Yu Shi, he traveled thousands of miles to Terralmay Island to conduct observational experiments.

This trip was very sudden, because the asteroid that the professor had been paying close attention to suddenly showed signs of landing. The professor hurriedly pulled his team there and set up a simple studio. It was so simple that there was no cell phone signal, and he spent nearly half a month without a signal.

However, Chu Sinian was used to it; this wasn't the first time such an example had occurred.

Nearly a month later, Chu Sinian got off the plane and returned to Dong'an. He arrived home, dusty and tired, dragging his suitcase. Before he even stepped out of the elevator, he was startled by Ning Zicheng standing at the door.

"What are you doing here?"

Seeing his horrified expression, Ning Zicheng exclaimed, "Do you know what happened after you left?! Where's your phone? Why didn't you reply to my messages and calls?"

Chu Sinian had a vague feeling that something was wrong. He opened the door, went inside, and took off his coat. "You should know that if you can't reach me, it means you've gone to observe the heavens. What's wrong?"

Ning Zicheng sat on the sofa, rubbing her hair. "You'll know once you open your phone."

Chu Sinian turned on his phone, and calls and messages started popping up like crazy, causing the phone to freeze for a few seconds.

He scrolled through the messages and clicked on a shocking news article that read: Shocking! A gay man in Beijing disrupts a wedding banquet at the Tang family's home!

The photo clearly shows Yu Shi's entire body. The people standing next to him are so small that they are not even visible, which makes his handsome face stand out even more.

The comments section sparked an unprecedented level of disgust towards homosexuality.

—Can gay men please stay away from normal people? It's so malicious to destroy other people's marriages!

—Damn, this pretty boy is really something else. You can't judge a book by its cover.

—Going up Mount Kongtong overnight, does this world not allow heterosexuality?

—Holy crap, where the hell did this gay guy come from? Doesn't he feel disgusted to be interfering in other people's relationships?

Chu Sinian frowned, flipped through a few pages, put down his phone, and spoke quickly, "Has Yu Shi contacted you?"

"No, I contacted him. He hasn't been to school since the news broke. His story is all over Dong'an. His roommate also spoke out, saying that he's a disgusting homosexual."

Chu Sinian started putting on his overcoat. "Is he home?"

“Yes, I visit him whenever I have time. He’s not doing well; he’s afraid to leave the house and doesn’t want to eat. He’s lost a lot of weight.” After saying that, Ning Zicheng looked Chu Sinian up and down. “Hey, you’ve lost weight too?”

"The food is bad." Chu Sinian rubbed his temples. Long-term sleep deprivation had made his senses increasingly acute, causing him to suffer from sudden migraines and become more emotionally sensitive.

He took a sip of mineral water from the refrigerator, and went out without stopping for a moment, saying, "I'm going to check on him."

Ning Zicheng nodded, "Go ahead, I'll cook dinner at your place, and you can bring Yu Shi with you later."

Chu Sinian didn't have time to inform Uncle Huang, so he took a taxi directly to Yu Shi's house.

Yu Shi's home is nearly 60 kilometers from the school, located in a secluded wooded area on the outskirts of the city. This house was specially bought by Yu Shi's mother for recuperation. Due to chronic illness, she frequently travels for treatment, from Nanjing to Japan, Switzerland, and then to Germany, year after year without stopping.

Yu Shi was still young when his mother entrusted him to Chu Sinian. Despite the small age difference, Chu Sinian treated him like his own brother and took good care of him.

Who knew that he would become Brother Si Nian for nearly ten years after that one address?