interactive

As he stepped out of the ward and gently closed the door, his back slid against the cold door panel, and he finally collapsed helplessly to the ground.

He raised his trembling hand, abruptly ripped off the mask that was already soaked with tears, and buried his face deeply in his palms.

The tears that had been suppressed all afternoon finally burst forth like a flood breaking through a dam, shattering all his pretense and defenses, flowing out silently and violently.

There was no sound, only violently trembling shoulders and scalding liquid seeping from between the fingers.

Just a door away, his sister, whom he had lost and then regained, yet lost forever, was resting peacefully in the arms of another "brother".

Outside the door was his real older brother, who, like a child who had lost everything, cried his heart out in a corner where no one could see him.

Xiao Jue didn't come out immediately. He listened to the extremely suppressed, and therefore even more heartbreaking, faint sounds outside the door, and silently tightened his arms around Qing Ran.

He lowered his head, pressed his face against Qingran's soft hair, closed his eyes, and concealed the deep, unfathomable pain and exhaustion surging within them.

They took that first step.

In such a cruel and twisted way. But what will the future hold? How long can this fragile, bubble-like calm last? Nobody knows.

They were like walking on a tightrope over a bottomless abyss, with a broken past and unknown turbulent waves beneath their feet, and in their hands, a blood-soaked trust in each other, and a vow of "protection" so heavy that it was almost unbearable.

That door, which was initially a cold barrier, gradually became a fragile yet resilient link.

Since that afternoon, when Qi Shuo, posing as a "kind stranger" and wearing a mask, completed his first almost ritualistic contact with Qing Ran under Xiao Jue's guidance, he began to appear at the hospital "regularly".

Xiao Jue, along with his attending physician and psychological counselor, repeatedly discussed and carefully evaluated the case, and finally settled on an extremely demanding, step-by-step plan.

Qi Shuo was allowed to visit, but only when Xiao Jue was present and Qing Ran was emotionally stable and in good condition. Each time he came, he had to wear a mask and simple, unremarkable dark clothing to avoid any visual elements that might evoke bad memories for her.

He cannot bring up any words related to "past" or "family," cannot show overly excited emotions, and cannot make sudden movements or excessive noises.

He was no longer "Qi Shuo," or even a person with a specific identity; he was merely a code name, a vague, harmless, benevolent "shadow" that appeared only occasionally.

Qi Shuo adhered to all the rules with near-devout devotion, even to the point of being harsh.

He always arrived ten minutes before the appointed time, stood outside the ward, and waited for Xiao Jue to confirm that Qing Ran was in good condition and give him a look that he could enter before gently pushing open the door.

Once inside, he would stop three steps away from the bed, nod to Xiao Jue first, and then turn his gaze to the girl curled up on the bed, hugging a rabbit doll.

At first, he simply "existed".

Like a quiet, breathing decoration. Xiao Jue would smile and say to Qing Ran, "Ranran, look, that big brother from last time has come to see you again."

Qingran would usually just lift her eyes from her toys or storybooks, glance at him quickly, and then lower her eyes again. Her long eyelashes would flutter like the wings of a startled butterfly, her little hands would unconsciously clench the ears of her doll, and her body would unconsciously lean slightly towards Xiao Jue, showing an instinctive wariness and dependence on strangers.

Every time Qi Shuo saw her reaction like this, his heart would feel as if it were being gently pricked by a fine needle, a dense, fragmented pain spreading through it.

But his face was expressionless; he merely nodded very slightly through his mask, the movement so subtle it was almost invisible. He would sit in the chair that Xiao Jue designated, a little distance from the bed, sitting upright with his hands on his knees, like a disciplined schoolchild.

Then he sat there quietly, motionless, his gaze fixed on a point in the void, or, as long as he was sure not to disturb her, he would greedily and carefully trace her outline with his peripheral vision—her drooping eyelashes, the tip of her small nose, her lips that were pale from illness, her slender fingers that would occasionally curl unconsciously.

He doesn't speak, he doesn't approach, he simply exists.

In this silent, almost static way, he announced his "presence," attempting to let her gradually become familiar with the aura and presence of this "stranger" in the gentlest and most harmless manner.

Xiao Jue would accompany Qing Ran as usual, telling her stories, playing simple puzzles with her, or simply holding her hand and talking to her softly.

In the ward, only Xiao Jue's gentle, deep voice and Qing Ran's occasional, indistinct monosyllable responses could be heard. Qi Shuo was like a silent background figure, blending into the air.

Sometimes, when Qingran is engrossed in playing, she will temporarily forget his presence and her body will relax.

At times like these, Qi Shuo's tense back would relax almost imperceptibly, and his fingers hanging at his sides would curl slightly.

Time flowed slowly in this almost frozen, cautious silence.

Once, twice, three times... Qi Shuo's visits gradually became fixed, two to three times a week, without fail, rain or shine.

He turned down all possible scheduling conflicts and even declined Sister Jin's invitation to come home for dinner, all for this brief, silent companionship.

The changes were extremely subtle, so slow that they were almost imperceptible. But Xiao Jue was the first to notice them.

Once, Qi Shuo had just sat down in a chair when Qing Ran was fiddling with a music box. Xiao Jue got up to pour her some water. Just as Xiao Jue turned around, Qing Ran seemed to be stumped by a small mechanism in the music box. She subconsciously looked up, her gaze searching blankly for Xiao Jue, but unexpectedly met Qi Shuo's eyes.

Caught off guard, Qi Shuo's heart skipped a beat, and he almost reflexively looked away.

But he forced himself to hold back, and through his mask, he tried to make his eyes appear softer and more harmless, even blinking very slightly, almost imperceptibly.

Qingran looked at him without immediately looking away.

Her clear eyes were filled with confusion and a hint of curiosity. She stared at him for a few seconds, then lowered her head and continued to fiddle with the music box, as if the eye contact had never happened.

But Qi Shuo saw it.

He noticed that before she lowered her head again, her long eyelashes seemed to flutter a little more than usual. It wasn't a startled, evasive movement, but rather... a simple return after observing.

On another occasion, Xiao Jue was reading a story to Qing Ran when he came across an interesting part and couldn't help but chuckle softly.

Qing Ran also smiled slightly, letting out a soft whisper. Just then, her gaze unconsciously swept over Qi Shuo, who was sitting to the side.

Qi Shuo was looking at her, his gaze focused and calm. The moment their eyes met, Qi Shuo's heart tightened, afraid of disturbing her.

But Qingran only paused for a moment, and then, extremely slowly, she turned her lips to him, revealing an extremely blurry arc that could hardly be called a smile.

It was very faint, and disappeared quickly, as fast as Qi Shuo's illusion.

But Qi Shuo knew that it wasn't an illusion.

His heart pounded in his chest, blood rushed to his head, and his ears were ringing.

He forced himself to remain still, but when those clear eyes looked over, he nodded slightly, the movement still slow, but clearer than ever before.

Xiao Jue also noticed this subtle interaction.

His voice never faltered as he read the story, but his fingers gripping the pages tightened almost imperceptibly for a moment.

He lowered his eyelashes, concealing the complex emotions surging within his eyes—a mix of heartache, relief, and an indescribable, heavy sense of release.

The silent fortress has begun to show cracks.

Qi Shuo began to try to "make a sound," of course, with Xiao Jue's tacit approval and guidance. Initially, it was just extremely simple agreement.

"...Then, the little rabbit jumped across the river and found its good friend, the little squirrel." Xiao Jue closed the storybook and asked Qing Ran with a smile, "Ranran, wasn't the little rabbit great?"

Qingran nodded and mumbled softly, "Great..."

At this moment, Qi Shuo, who had been silent all along, would say through his mask, in a very low voice, making sure not to disturb her, "Yeah, great."

The sound came through the mask, sounding a little muffled and indistinct, but clear enough.

Qingran usually doesn't react in any particular way; she seems to just treat it as part of the background noise.

But occasionally, when she is particularly calm and relaxed, she will look up again at the source of the sound—the "big brother" sitting not far away, wearing a blue mask.

Later, Xiao Jue began to try to get Qi Shuo involved in a little bit of interaction.

For example, when playing with a simple toy that requires two people to cooperate, Xiao Jue would "casually" say, "Ranran, can big brother help you carry this block?" and then gesture to Qi Shuo.

Qi Shuo immediately understood and, with extremely slow and gentle movements, picked up the building block and handed it to Xiao Jue, who then passed it on to Qing Ran.

Throughout the process, he tried to avoid direct eye contact or physical contact with Qingran, acting as a silent and efficient assistant.

Later, the interaction was upgraded.

Xiao Jue would deliberately stop halfway through a story, pretending to think: "Hmm... what happened next? Ranran, ask your big brother if he remembers."

Qingran obediently turned her head to look at Qi Shuo, without saying a word, but just blinked at him.

Qi Shuo was slightly taken aback, and then, under Xiao Jue's encouraging gaze, he tried hard to recall the plot he had just heard, and continued in the simplest and calmest tone: "The little squirrel... invited the little rabbit... to eat pine nuts."

He spoke slowly, carefully choosing each word, afraid of using the wrong word and startling her.

Sometimes Qingran would listen, and sometimes she would play with her toys by herself.

But Qi Shuo noticed that when she listened, she would be very quiet, her beautiful big eyes would stare unblinkingly at Xiao Jue, or occasionally drift towards him.

The real "dialogue" took place on a sunny afternoon.

Qingran seemed to be in good spirits, leaning against the headboard, holding a rabbit doll in her arms, watching the sparrows hopping on the branches outside the window. Xiao Jue was peeling an apple, while Qi Shuo remained in his usual spot.

Suddenly, Qingran raised her finger, pointed out the window, and mumbled, "Birds...fly."

Xiao Jue immediately replied with a smile, "Yes, it's birds flying. They have wings and can fly very, very high."

Qingran blinked, then looked at Qi Shuo, as if waiting for something.

Qi Shuo's heart leaped into his throat. He received an encouraging look from Xiao Jue, took a deep breath, and tried to make his voice sound calm and natural: "They...go to find friends, or...go home."

It's a very simple explanation, even a bit clumsy.

But Qingran nodded slightly upon hearing this, then lowered her head and repeated in a very soft voice, almost to herself, "Go home..."