Because Chen Muxue had done a big job at school, and Chen Yunqi had also "helped the dragon," the siblings had the most homework they'd ever done during the summer vacation.

A few days later, one evening, Chen Muxue, who had just finished sleeping in, came out of her room and then slipped into her brother's room around the corner.

Chen Yunqi was scratching his head in front of a stack of test papers when he saw her come in. He gave her a disgruntled look, then buried his head and continued to suffer.

"Where are our parents?" Chen Muxue asked softly.

"Mom went to the movies with Dad," Chen Yunqi said without looking up. "Because you made a mistake, you're not taking us this time."

Chen Muxue took a deep breath, "...I suddenly really want to go back to school."

Her mother had stopped being angry with her that very night.

Anyone with a brain knows that Mom and Dad simply don't want to have two third wheels with them.

"Me too."

Chen Muxue sat down on the edge of the bed and whispered like a devil, "Brother, let's go out and play."

"I'm not going." Chen Yunqi patted the thick stack of papers on the table, which Chen Lu had given him as extra assignments. "I haven't finished my homework."

He really didn't want to talk to this adopted younger sister. He worked hard to get into the top five so he could have a good summer vacation, but because of Chen Muxue, he had twice as much homework as usual this summer.

"Isn't there already an answer?"

"Don't be fooled by the high quality of these test papers. We still don't know where Dad printed them. Do you dare look at the answers?"

Last year, Chen Lu didn't tear off the answer key from the test papers he gave us.

He and Chen Muxue only discovered after they actually copied it that Chen Lu had prepared a fake one. The fill-in-the-blank and essay questions were all correct, but the answers to several multiple-choice questions were deliberately wrong.

They were immediately recognized and the two were sent to their aunt's place for a beating.

Who knows if I'll get a few numbers wrong on this big question?

"Am I not the answer?" Chen Muxue said casually, unwrapping a lollipop and putting it in her mouth. "I'll write it down and then let you copy it."

Upon hearing this, Chen Yunqi turned around abruptly and saw his sister wearing an extremely proud smile.

Is this really true?

"Hmm." Chen Muxue patted her brother's shoulder. Her parents usually only left their phone numbers with her brother before leaving the house. "I'm so bored. You should tell Dad."

Chen Yunqi: Dad, I want to go out and play with my sister.

Chen Lu: Do you remember what I told you?

Chen Yunqi: Don't go too far, don't go to places without lights or surveillance cameras, and don't talk to strangers.

Chen Lu: Okay, come back soon.

...

The nights in late summer are extremely hot and humid, and the cicadas' chirping is noisy and irritating.

Jiang Nan sat alone at the piano, quietly listening to the cheerful laughter of a group of children outside, her gaze unfocused, her expression calm and undisturbed.

Even though we're only separated by a window, I always feel like we're in two different worlds.

A moment later, she slowly walked into the study, gently pursing her lips: "Mom, I want to go out and play..."

Liu Yan looked at the file without raising her head and said, "How about we finish learning this piece first?"

Jiang Nan didn't say anything, but silently returned to her bedroom.

After learning this song, I still have homework to do, and after that, I definitely have dance practice to do...

Adults are best at telling one lie after another and making one empty promise after another.

But I'm so tired.

After a few melodious notes, the piano suddenly emitted a piercing sound, as if it had been struck hard.

Jiang Nan lay on top of it, tears sliding down her cheeks and gradually forming a continuous stream.

They turn into gems in the air, and then into splashes of water when they fall to the ground.

The room was silent, except for a few clear and melodious mournful notes from the piano when the girl's body twitched.

As night fell, the bedroom grew increasingly dark.

The cell phone on the table rang.

"Sis, what are you doing?"

Jiang Nan leaned against the window, looking at the twinkling stars in the sky, and answered truthfully, "Looking at the stars."

Chen Yunqi's tone became somewhat puzzled: "Are you crying?"

Jiang Nan rubbed her eyes and said coldly, "No."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, and then the sounds of other children playing gradually faded away.

"My sister and I are outside now, we're coming to find you."

"But... I can't get out."

"You don't need to come out."

The other end hung up without explanation. Jiang Nan listened to the regular dial tone for a long time before she came to her senses and put her phone back on the table.

Before long, a childish and cheerful voice came from the other end of the phone again: "Look outside!"

Jiang Nan hung up the phone, went to the bathroom to wash her face, and then went to the terrace.

Before long, she stood on the second-floor terrace, her arm resting on the railing, one hand supporting her chin, looking up at the brother and sister who were looking up at her.

Let's quietly see what kind of trouble they're planning.

He acts on a whim; what a foolish little brother.

Chen Yunqi clenched his left fist, raised his right hand high above his head, smiled and waved at her, panting, "Sister, make a wish!"

Jiang Nan frowned slightly: "Why would you make a wish?"

"I caught a star for you!"

"Naive," she said coldly, without making any move to leave.

As soon as she finished speaking, Chen Yunqi slowly opened her small hands like a flower.

Then, green light slowly rose from his palm.

Before long, it flew to the middle—the place where their eyes met.

Jiang Nan saw green fireflies floating gently in the night, like a dream; and behind the light, Chen Yunqi's gentle smile.

"I didn't lie to you, did I?"

Her eyes trembled incessantly until a layer of mist covered her vision, making it completely blurry.

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