Chapter 6, Section 006. This is the first time I've seen him speak so gently to someone…
After hanging up the phone, He Yan met Wu Yuejiang's probing gaze.
The two were longtime friends, having grown up together climbing trees and catching fish for over twenty years; their bond was practically unbreakable. The Wu family was lucky; on the day of the factory accident, Wu Yuejiang suddenly developed a high fever, and his parents hurriedly took leave from work to take him to the hospital, thus saving him from certain death.
Under his parents' supervision, Wu Yuejiang had good grades. In those years, despite his heavy workload, he still insisted on tutoring He Yan, hoping to help his brother. Unfortunately, the results were minimal. He did well in the college entrance examination and was admitted to a prestigious university. He was just waiting to graduate with a certificate and an offer. At this critical moment, He Yan approached him. The two drank a lot of beer at a food stall near the university town. In a moment of passion, he agreed to help He Yan without saying a word.
Looking back now, I realize that everyone has selfish desires.
If you can be your own boss, who would want to work for someone else their whole life?
They were fighting for brotherhood and for a bright future, which is why he wouldn't allow He Yan to lose heart and his fighting spirit.
"A heater?" Wu Yuejiang looked at him suspiciously, but her tone was very certain. "It's definitely not for you to use, nor did you buy it to give to me. Wen Xue moved it over?"
"Stay in the room upstairs from me."
He Yan said, "If anyone in the company asks, just say she's my sister."
He Heng has passed away, so it's no longer appropriate or necessary for him to introduce Wen Xue as his younger brother's girlfriend to people he knows.
He thought, since Wenxue used to call him brother, from now on, he would treat her as her brother.
Wu Yuejiang's feelings were mixed. "Is she alright?"
He Yan had only seen Wen Xue a few times before, let alone him. He only vaguely remembered that during those days at the Haicheng Funeral Home, Wen Xue was completely numb. Sometimes she would silently shed tears, crying until she trembled without making a sound, and sometimes she would sit aside staring blankly at the portrait.
He always felt that six months had passed, and the young woman should be feeling better.
But now it seems that's not the case.
If Wen Xue is doing well, He Yan won't bring her here.
Because she has a long future ahead of her, and their relationship is quite delicate, her deceased boyfriend's brother shouldn't get too close to her. After all, she's too young and might encounter other possibilities in the future. He Yan wouldn't be unaware of this... Unless Wen Xue needs his help, he won't rashly appear in her life.
"Not good."
These three words perfectly encapsulate Wen Xue's current state.
He Yan paused and said, "When I'm not at the company, please keep an eye on things for me. You should take care of Xiao Heng the same way you took care of her in the past. They make no difference to me."
Wu Yuejiang was stunned for a long time upon hearing this.
In fact, He Heng's passing was a significant blow to him as well. In his heart, He Heng was like his own younger brother. It was He Heng who made the decision for He Heng to choose between arts and sciences in the past, and it was He Heng who recommended the major He Heng should apply for in college.
He always felt that he would still need to help He Heng with advice in the future, whether to pursue a master's degree or to go straight to work, and if he wanted to work, which big companies to apply to.
However, an unannounced death is what is considered an accident.
"Okay, sure, it's my duty." Wu Yuejiang lowered his head, hiding the pain in his eyes, and agreed softly.
He Yan stopped talking, took the key, opened the drawer, and returned to his work.
…
Inside the tenement building, Nana hardly let Wenxue lift a finger. She quickly spread out the bedding, saying, "There are still several sunny days ahead. We can air out the blankets tomorrow. Don't let our place fool you; the sunshine is great. I have a friend who works in the city and can only afford to rent a basement apartment. She has to turn on the lights even during the day, otherwise it's pitch black and you can't see anything."
"Okay." Wen Xue paused, then added, "Thank you."
Nana was amused and turned to look at her, saying, "You've said thank you to me seven or eight times."
The two looked at each other, and perhaps because Nana's smile was so infectious, Wen Xue smiled as well. "Thank you so much. You must be in a hurry to leave, right? I can handle the rest myself. You go ahead with your work."
"I'm not busy," Nana said. "My boyfriend hasn't come back yet; it'll probably be no later than six o'clock."
Does he work here too?
“Yes!” Nana said with great pride. “He was the first driver to start driving with Brother Yan. Back then, it was just the two of them; even Boss Wu wasn’t here yet!”
Zhao Na was a young woman, not very shrewd, and her thoughts were written all over her face. She chattered on about this topic, "Later, I often came to Xicheng to see my boyfriend, but I could never stay for more than a few days. Every time I left, we would cry our eyes out. Brother Yan probably couldn't bear to see us like this, so he had my boyfriend ask me if I wanted to stay here. And so, I've been doing odd jobs here. Oh, right—"
Wen Xue opened the wardrobe, and the smell of mothballs wafted out.
She was momentarily stunned. Scent was a key to unlocking memories. In this building, which resembled her childhood home, she opened her grandmother's wardrobe. Many people thought the smell was unpleasant, but she inexplicably felt relaxed and at ease.
"Why?"
Nana realized that no one was answering her question. She turned around and saw Wen Xue standing in front of the wardrobe, seemingly lost in thought.
She also came over and looked in the direction Wen Xue was looking, and was immediately disappointed.
I thought there was money in the closet...
"You haven't answered me yet," Nana nudged her with her elbow, urging her on.
Wen Xue snapped out of her daze. "What?"
Worried that the other person might be upset, she added, "Sorry, I didn't hear you clearly."
"I just want to know your relationship with Brother Yan," Nana laughed. "I'm just really curious. I've known Brother Yan for quite a while, but this is the first time I've ever seen him speak to someone so gently. It's unbelievable."
Wen Xue was stumped by the question: What is her relationship with He Yan?
Since no one has ever asked this question before, what about now?
She no longer wanted to mention He Heng to strangers she had just met, and she didn't even want her relatives and friends to mention him anymore. He Heng had become a scar on her body, and every time she mentioned him, she had to show it off. But her body was hers, her skin was hers, and the scar was hers too; she didn't want others to see it.
She didn't want to explain who He Heng was or where he had gone.
“He’s my brother.” When she was in a dilemma, Wen Xue remembered that He Yan and Sister Mei introduced him like that at lunch.
Nana exclaimed in surprise, "Brother and sister?"
“We are not related by blood,” Wen Xue explained. “We are both from Haicheng, so he took good care of me.”
"Understood!"
Nana stopped asking about their relationship, her eyes lit up, and she excitedly asked, "So, are you here to work?"
Everything here is great, but she has no friends.
Sister Cai and her friends are ten years older than her, so there's a bit of a generation gap. Her peers work in the city, and some only get two days off a month. Even when they do get off, it's not on the weekend, so they can't really coordinate their schedules.
"I don't know if it counts," Wen Xue said thoughtfully. "He said they were short-handed here, and I happened to be on winter break so I could come and help out."
"winter vacation?!"
Nana looked at her in surprise. "Are you a teacher or a student?"
Terms like "winter vacation" and "summer vacation" can only be used for these two identities. Anyway, she hadn't heard this term for several years, and it felt a bit unfamiliar to her for a moment, as if it were something from a past life.
“…a student.” Wen Xue thought for a moment. “I haven’t graduated yet.”
"undergrad?"
After receiving a nod of approval, Nana exclaimed in admiration, "Wow! That's amazing!"
Knock knock knock—
The knocking interrupted their conversation, and both of them turned to look at the door.
Wang Yuan stood with his hands on his hips, panting, his words broken and fragmented, "It's...it's here..."
"What's been moved here?" Nana walked over and was shocked to find a pile of things at his feet. "What is all this?"
"Hello."
Wang Yuan greeted Wen Xue first. He was so hot that his zipper was open. "Brother Yan asked me to buy these. Here they are: a heater, foot warmers, a hot water bottle, and a kettle and thermos. I'm exhausted!"
The boxes, large and small, almost blocked the corridor; I have no idea how he managed to carry them up there.
Not only Nana, but Wen Xue was also stunned.
After catching his breath, Wang Yuan finally had time to observe Wen Xue carefully. The young girl had a scholarly air about her, with delicate features and a graceful figure. She was wearing a down jacket with a white fur trim around the edge of the hat, which made her face look small. She was the kind of girl in youth movies who would be stared at by boys as she walked through the corridor outside the classroom carrying books.
Suddenly, a hand with nail polish blocked his view.
Nana rolled her eyes: "Your eyes are practically glued to that little sister's body. If you keep looking, I'll poke your eyes out!"
Wang Yuan blushed, his mouth almost reaching his ears, "No, no..."
"Did Brother Yan ask you to send these over?" Nana asked.
"Uh-huh."
"Okay, you can go now."
Wang Yuan: "..."
He scratched his head a little embarrassedly, the blush still lingering on his face. "Well, if you need anything, just let me know. My name is Wang Yuan, Wang is the 'Wang,' and Yuan is the 'Yuan.' I live at—"
"Get out." Nana pointed, "Go back to your room and look in the mirror!"
After Wang Yuan left, glancing back every few steps, Nana snorted and turned to Wen Xue, saying, "Don't pay him any attention. But he's not a bad person, a bit simple-minded. He's Yan Ge and President Wu's assistant bodyguard, usually running errands. Don't let his thin frame fool you, he's a very good fighter."
Wen Xue nodded thoughtfully.
She seemed to have stumbled into a world she had never been to before, strange yet inexplicably harmonious.
"I'll help you carry it in!" Nana bent down and easily lifted the heaviest heater, carrying it into the room. "You're going to put this by the bed, right?"
The two girls moved all the heating devices from the doorway into the room.
Before I knew it, the once empty house was filled with hot water. The kettle was whirring and steam was billowing from its spout. The cute cartoon hot water bottle was lying on the bed like a pug, while the foot warmer was lying on the ground like a docile sheep.
With a click.
Nana turned on the heater, and it went from dark to bright, and then to as bright as if it were illuminated by fire.
The two squatted down to the side and simultaneously warmed their hands.
"Is it warm?"
Wen Xue quietly felt the warmth of her palm; it was indeed very warm. A smile appeared on her lips: "Mmm."
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