Fu Zhengyu wanted to play with Wan Qiu during break today, but Wan Qiu went to sleep as soon as get out of class ended.
However, Wan Qiu was sleeping every time get out of class ended, which puzzled Fu Zhengyu.
During lunch, Fu Zhengyu asked, puzzled, "Why are you sleeping so much today?"
"I want to not be so sleepy in the afternoon and evening," Wan Qiu said truthfully.
"What are you doing... Oh right, tomorrow is Brother Chu's birthday, are you going to celebrate Brother Chu's birthday?" Fu Zhengyu immediately thought of this.
Wan Qiu looked somewhat bewildered.
He then nodded.
"You were acting all crazy last time it was Chu Ge's birthday, and this year it's even more exaggerated than last year."
Fu Zhengyu was just joking; he wasn't actually interested in whether Wan Qiu slept or not, he was just asking casually.
Wan Qiu didn't seem very enthusiastic in his reply and was even more silent than usual.
As soon as the last period of school ended, Fu Zhengyu would run to the playground to play basketball, and he immediately went to find Wan Qiu first.
But Wanqiu refused today.
"Where are you going if you're not going to the playground?" Fu Zhengyu knew Wan Qiu's schedule very well. "Your second brother shouldn't be here yet, right?"
Wanqiu said, "I'm not leaving the school. I'm going to wait for my younger brother to get out of school together today."
"Then why didn't you wait on the playground?" Fu Zhengyu usually asked Wan Qiu to watch his schoolbag.
"I want to wait at the school gate," Wan Qiu said.
Fu Zhengyu scratched his head.
"Then let's go to the school gate together and wait."
Fu Zhengyu finally put his backpack back on, even though he had originally planned to put it down.
Wan Qiu shook his head.
"But your family doesn't allow you to go alone, right? Aren't you afraid your family will be angry if you go to the door alone?" Fu Zhengyu asked, as he had been asked to keep an eye on Wan Qiu.
"I will not leave the school gate," Wan Qiu said.
Fu Zhengyu scratched his head, puzzled. "What's wrong with you today? You're acting so strangely."
Wan Qiu remained silent.
Fu Zhengyu finally had no choice but to say, "Then don't leave the school gate. Just wait for Chu Yigui there?"
"Um."
Fu Zhengyu couldn't persuade Wan Qiu otherwise, so he put his schoolbag down again: "Then I'm going to play, okay?"
"Hmm," Wan Qiu said.
Fu Zhengyu watched Wan Qiu's departing figure. Although he didn't know what Wan Qiu was planning to do, he felt that Wan Qiu seemed more difficult to talk to than usual today.
Is there something very important to do?
Fu Zhengyu thought for a moment, then took out his phone and sent a message to Li Shuo.
Wanqiu arrived at the school gate with his schoolbag on his back and sat down on the edge of the green belt.
This is a dead corner outside the school gate, and usually no one gathers in this corner after school.
Wan Qiu took out his textbook and started reciting, but the neat characters became messy and illegible because he was distracted.
There are always many people at the school gate after school, bustling around.
Some were playing around together, some left alone, and some were picked up and dropped off by others.
Wan Qiu held his textbook and looked at everyone.
When almost all the students from the primary school had left, but the junior high students were still in get out of class, Wan Qiu gradually became discouraged.
Fu Zhengyu also left, but he ran out of the school gate so fast that he didn't notice Wan Qiu in his blind spot.
Wan Qiu did not speak to Fu Zhengyu.
Wanqiu sat quietly.
His gaze remained fixed on the vehicles that kept arriving at the school gate, watching the people get out of them.
Finally, Wanqiu found the person he wanted to see.
Wan Qiu stood up, picked up his schoolbag, and strode towards that person.
The tall man had somewhat thin shoulders, indicating that he was not young.
The man turned around and immediately saw Wan Qiu.
His gaze was fixed on Wan Qiu, and Wan Qiu also raised his head.
The man walked towards Wanqiu with his back to his car.
Wan Qiu held her schoolbag in both hands and looked up at the tall man.
Ran Yongrui spoke first: "You look like you've been waiting for me."
This was the first time Wanqiu had taken the initiative to strike up a conversation with a stranger.
But because he had a reason to support him, Wan Qiu did not show any fear: "Hello."
Ran Yongrui lowered his head and said to Wan Qiu, "Is there something you want to tell me?"
Wan Qiu quietly took a breath: "Are you taking your younger brother with you?"
Wan Qiu held his breath.
We await Ran Yongrui's reply.
"yes."
The overly affirmative answer caused a brief moment of blankness in Wanqiu's vision.
"Why?" Wan Qiu continued to ask.
"Because he is my child."
"But...you abandoned him."
"I am not the one who abandoned him."
Wan Qiu quietly tightened her grip on the strap of her schoolbag: "But he's doing very well at home."
Ran Yongrui looked at Wan Qiu.
The frail child made no attempt to hide his inner panic, yet he still forced himself to stand before him.
It looked like a squirrel stretching out its thin claws, trying to block a wild cat.
Ran Yongrui, however, did not have the idea of treating other people's children with kindness.
“That’s your home, not that child’s home, is it? You and your mom, dad, and your brothers are related by blood, but that child isn’t. The person related to him by blood is me. I’m the only one who is his family.”
“He is my younger brother,” Wan Qiu said immediately.
"You're too young to understand. You don't know how important blood ties are. You and he aren't brothers at all, and he can never be a member of your family."
Wanqiu knew he was stupid, and there must be many important things in this world that he didn't know or understand.
For example, the blood ties this man mentioned.
But there was one thing he knew very well.
"He is my brother, my family, and the most important person in my life!"
Wanqiu told the man in front of her with certainty.
“He is very important to me too. He is my son, the child who was born because of me.”
Ran Yongrui's expression was always calm, and his tone was unhurried.
He didn't see Wan Qiu, who forced him to face him, as an equal conversational partner at all.
"Did you come here specifically to protect that child?"
"He is my younger brother, and I must protect him."
Ran Yongrui smiled.
An adult laughs as he watches a child saying something funny.
Ran Yongrui never took Wan Qiu's seriousness to heart, nor did he treat Wan Qiu's concerns equally.
Even when negotiations were necessary, Wan Qiu was never within the scope of his negotiations.
"Don't joke with your uncle."
Ran Yongrui's voice was cold and indifferent.
"This is a decision that the child himself wants to make. You are just a brother who is not related to him by blood."
Wanqiu is sensitive to emotions.
Wan Qiu couldn't even see the way this person looked at him directly.
Wanqiu didn't understand that this meant he was being disrespected, and he couldn't find a way to retort.
Wan Qiu, who is always easily influenced by the emotions of others, has been constantly influenced by Chu Yigui.
In my dream, in a world pieced together from memories and cigarette ash.
Wan Qiu sensed Chu Yigui's emotions.
—He left the Chu family.
It's not that 'he was happy to leave the Chu family'.
His brother wasn't doing anything enjoyable.
Wan Qiu raised her head and told the man seriously, "No matter how many times my brother sees you, he is never happy."
"You definitely can't take your brother with you."
"I will protect him!"
Wanqiu remained steadfast in her conviction.
"You're such an arrogant child. You come from a wealthy family, yet you haven't been taught proper manners?"
Ran Yongrui frowned.
He extended his hand.
The tall, middle-aged man, like a huge shadow, gradually swallowed up the evening glow that enveloped Wan Qiu as the hand approached.
Wan Qiu stood firmly in place, showing no fear.
However, a hand suddenly reached out from behind Wan Qiu and directly slapped away the hand that was reaching for Wan Qiu.
The crisp sound abruptly shattered the cold atmosphere that permeated the entire space.
Ran Yongrui's hand remained in the open position, his eyes filled with surprise.
"What are you doing?" Chu Yigui's voice came from behind Wan Qiu.
After realizing who was behind him, Wan Qiu opened his arms.
It was as if he wanted to use his height to stand between the two people and separate them.
Ran Yongrui's expression returned to calm as he asked Chu Yigui, "What did you say to him about me? He treats me like an enemy."
“My brother doesn’t reject someone without a reason. It’s either because of me, or because Mr. Ran seems like a bad person, or both.”
Chu Yigui appeared calm, showing no joy whatsoever in facing her blood relatives.
"Sigh." Ran Yongrui seemed to regain some patience after seeing Chu Yigui. "Want to have dinner together tonight?"
"I'm sorry, but I need to go home from school with my brother tonight," Chu Yigui said.
"Are you going to refuse your father?" Ran Yongrui asked.
Chu Yigui didn't even answer the question, seemingly not thinking that the question was being addressed to him.
Chu Yigui simply took Wan Qiu's hand and walked directly past Ran Yongrui.
As they passed each other, Chu Yigui said to Ran Yongrui, "I don't think I told you I wanted to meet you. I only ate with you out of politeness. Please don't misunderstand."
Ran Yongrui turned around and looked at Chu Yigui, who was not turning back.
However, Wan Qiu, who was being pulled away, looked back at him.
"At least say goodbye to your dad."
Ran Yongrui's voice did not seem to reach Chu Yigui's ears.
However, you can definitely hear it at this distance.
Ran Yongrui and Chu Yigui have met many times, and he has been visiting frequently lately.
The other party's attitude remained neither soft nor hard, leaving Ran Yongrui somewhat uncertain.
He seemed to have no intention of leaving the Chu family, yet he also seemed to have little attachment to the Chu family.
But today he saw Chu Yigui looking different than usual.
What was particularly striking was that Ran Yongrui had truly grasped Chu Yigui's emotions for the first time.
Is it because they are close in age that they are closer?
Ran Yongrui frowned in thought.
Wan Qiu was pulled away by Chu Yigui.
The junior high school uniforms are quite different from those of the elementary school, making them look more like brothers of opposite ages.
The junior high school students were dismissed at this time, and Chu Yigui was among the first to leave.
When Wan Qiu turned around, he saw a large group of students leaving school next to Ran Yongrui.
Wan Qiu turned his head and looked at Chu Yigui beside him again.
In the sunset glow, Chu Yigui's fingers, which were holding Wan Qiu's, seemed even redder than usual.
Bright colored lights and streetlights that have already been turned on are illuminating the road.
Looking at Chu Yigui's back, illuminated by colorful lights, Wan Qiu seemed to see complex and magnificent colors.
"What were you talking about with that person just now, brother?"
Chu Yigui slowed her pace and spoke to Wan Qiu.
Wan Qiu truthfully said, "I was telling him that I would protect you and not let him take you away."
Chu Yigui stopped walking and turned around.
The headlights of passing vehicles seemed to be reflected in Chu Yigui's pupils, flickering on and off.
How did you know he would be at the school gate?
“I don’t know, I’m just waiting for him, because my younger brother sometimes eats with him, and I think he might come,” Wan Qiu replied.
Chu Yigui gazed at Wanqiu.
Suddenly I laughed.
Wan Qiu felt Chu Yigui ruffle his hair with both hands.
"My brother is getting smarter and smarter."
Wan Qiu peered longingly at his younger brother through the gap between Chu Yigui's arms.
"Does my brother hate him?" Chu Yigui asked.
"Um."
"Why?"
“Because my younger brother is always unhappy.” Wan Qiu grasped Chu Yigui’s arm. “My younger brother will always be unhappy whenever he sees him.”
Chu Yigui opened her mouth, then chuckled, "Brother, do you even know how many times I've met him?"
“But now my younger brother… is very happy,” Wan Qiu said.
Although Chu Yigui's smile had faded, it hadn't disappeared.
"I'm happy because of my brother, not because of him," Chu Yigui said.
Wan Qiu pursed her lips, seemingly a little proud: "My brother is always happy when he's with me."
Chu Yigui raised her eyebrows and said with a smile, "Yes."
Wan Qiu and Chu Yigui walked hand in hand on their way home.
They usually go to school together, but they haven't left school together in a long time.
"I'll be sixteen after midnight tonight," Chu Yigui said.
"Happy birthday in advance," Wan Qiu said.
"Aren't you going to talk to me at midnight tonight?"
I will say it again at 12 o'clock.
"I have to go to class on my birthday, so the celebration time in the evening will be very short."
"I will sing 'Happy Birthday' to my younger brother."
The conversation was rather pointless, merely an expression of anticipation for a happy and joyful tomorrow.
The two walked at slightly different paces, one taking larger steps than the other, but at the same speed.
They walked along the roadside, their clothes occasionally brushing against the leaves of the green bushes beside them, causing a slight sway.
"Does my brother want to be with me?"
"Um."
Wan Qiu responded, turning his head to look at Chu Yigui.
Soon, the sky will probably be reduced to just a sliver of white on the horizon.
Just before nightfall, Wan Qiu asked.
Will my younger brother stay with me?
Chu Yi returns, gazing upon ten thousand autumns.
"Um."
Wan Qiu quietly tugged at Chu Yigui's hand.
A gust of wind blew by.
It stirred up the dust around my feet.
Wanqiu lowered his head, but it seemed as if he could see the lingering ashes.
——
Wan Qiu was looking at the stairs.
Wanqiu felt that the things that happened in dreams could not be tolerated.
Just like in my dream.
There is a real possibility that Chu Yigui might leave the Chu family.
The appearance of Chu Yigui's biological father is the biggest evidence.
Therefore, it is possible that Chu Yigui will also break his leg and curl up on the ground in pain.
However, the house near the school was actually just a high-rise duplex, and it didn't have the wide staircase that I had in my dream.
Because the stairs are narrow, the handrail should be easy to hold onto.
Will I get hurt?
Wan Qiu still remembers that in his dream, he was standing on the stairs, and Chu Yigui fell down the stairs.
--'Happy birthday. '
He said this.
At midnight, Wanqiu would wish his younger brother a happy birthday.
Then the younger brother fell down.
This should be avoided.
If you want to avoid the stairs, then you can just not go upstairs on your birthday, right?
Therefore, Wan Qiu asked Chu Yigui to do her homework on the first floor today. Although Chu Yigui was puzzled, she did not refuse.
Wan Qiu sat on the last step of the stairs, deep in thought.
"Brother, what are you doing?" Chu Yigui asked.
Wan Qiu's expression was extremely solemn, so solemn that Chu Yigui could not ignore it.
Wan Qiu refused to give a reason.
"Alright," Chu Yigui said somewhat helplessly, "So, does that mean I'm not going home to sleep tonight either?"
Wan Qiu nodded.
Chu Yigui's smile was somewhat subtle: "Then where should we sleep?"
"The sofa," Wan Qiu said.
"There's only one row of sofas, so only one person can sleep on it," Chu Yigui said.
“I can sleep on the floor.”
There's a carpet on the floor, and the weather isn't too cold now, so a blanket will suffice.
Chu Yigui asked, "What about a change of clothes?"
"You can ask my second brother for help," Wan Qiu said.
"Um……"
Although Chu Yigui didn't understand Wan Qiu's reasons for doing this at all, but...
"All right."
Chu Yigui compromised.
When Yang came downstairs with the clothes in his hand, he looked at Wan Qiu, who was standing guard at the top of the stairs like a guardian deity, and then looked at Chu Yigui with a puzzled expression.
Chu Yigui spread his hands, indicating that he didn't understand either.
Wan Qiu sat on the carpet, gazing longingly at Chu Yigui, who had already changed into her pajamas and was on the sofa.
If we get through today safely, it proves that those words that I thought would definitely happen will not actually happen.
Therefore, the memory of him being abandoned will not happen.
Chu Yigui rested her chin on her hand and looked at Wan Qiu: "Am I not allowed to go upstairs all day?"
"Yes." Wan Qiu nodded with absolute certainty.
Chu Yigui smiled and asked, "Why?"
Even though Chu Yigui asked many times, Wan Qiu still wouldn't answer.
Chu Yigui thought for a moment and said, "Could it be that brother can foresee the future? Could he have predicted that I would fall down the stairs?"
Wan Qiu's eyes widened: "Predicting the future?"
"Knowing in advance what will happen in the future is foreseeing the future," Chu Yigui explained.
Wan Qiu paused for a moment, then pursed his lips and said, "Yes, I can foresee the future."
Chu Yigui couldn't help but chuckle.
He looked at Wan Qiu, who was hugging a sofa cushion, and said, "Then I must be careful not to go upstairs today."
"Yes!" Wan Qiu nodded.
Chu Yigui lay down.
Midnight should be bedtime long ago, but today is a special case.
They waited together for midnight to arrive.
The two of them watched the time tick by, second by second.
Chu Yigui curled up her legs and looked at Wan Qiu, who was equally serious.
The lights in the living room have been turned off, leaving only a dim light, which is neither dim nor bright.
The moment the clock struck twelve, Wan Qiu took a breath and said, "Happy birthday."
Once again, it was that not-so-pleasant Happy Birthday song.
Chu Yigui tilted her head, listening with a smile on her lips.
Wan Qiu pushed the wrapped gift to Chu Yigui, who looked at the square box with a smile in her eyes.
"May I open it?"
"Hmm," Wan Qiu said.
Chu Yigui carefully opened the outer packaging and saw the small house inside.
This time it's a Japanese-style little house, decorated in a warm and lovely style.
"But we can only make them together during summer vacation," Chu Yigui said with a smile. "We'll have to wait."
"It's alright," Wan Qiu blinked and said, "I'm waiting too."
Chu Yigui's laughter echoed.
Wan Qiu looked at Chu Yigui and saw a beautiful, happy expression on her face.
Like...
Like the moon.
"Brother, come here," Chu Yigui said.
Wan Qiu put down the cushion in her hand and walked to Chu Yigui's side with a puzzled look.
However, Chu Yigui suddenly pulled Wan Qiu's hand and pressed Wan Qiu down onto the sofa.
Wan Qiu lay on the sofa, still looking bewildered.
"Although it's a bit of a stretch, it's not entirely impossible."
Chu Yigui turned to the side, completely enveloping Wan Qiu in the gap between him and the sofa.
They pulled a thin blanket over the two of them.
Goodnight, brother.
Wanqiu dawdled and slowly poked his head out from under the covers.
She blinked and looked at Chu Yigui.
Chu Yigui had already closed her eyes, her expression brooking no refusal.
Wan Qiu looked at it for a long time.
The sofa wasn't big enough; it would be a struggle for two people to sleep together.
Therefore, there is no longer any distance between them.
Wan Qiu touched Chu Yigui's chest and pressed down.
It is warm and springy.
It's true.
Just as Chu Yigui had embraced him, Wan Qiu also hugged Chu Yigui back.
He closed his eyes.
He bowed towards Chu Yigui's neck, the scent of her bath emanating from her body intertwining with her own fragrance, creating a very hypnotic effect.
Surrounded by the warm, fragrant aroma, Wanqiu let herself fall asleep peacefully.
When Yang Ze came down to look at the two of them, he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
Amidst a mix of amusement and exasperation, I turned off the last light that was still on.
Then she went upstairs and back to her room.
——
On his way to school, Li Shuo saw Wan Qiu and Chu Yigui getting off the bus.
Both of them happened to see each other. Although they wanted to run away, Li Shuo held back.
Although he was tormented by Wan Qiu on this day last year, he probably won't be this way this year.
Li Shuo has been skipping classes less often lately, and he has only met Wan Qiu a handful of times.
However, Fu Zhengyu would often send him messages.
For example, yesterday, Chu Yigui, unusually, did not stay in the classroom to discuss the questions with her classmates after class. Instead, she rushed out of the classroom because Fu Zhengyu had sent a message to Li Shuo.
Fu Zhengyu told Wan Qiu about her unusual behavior, and then Li Shuo relayed the message to Chu Yigui.
but……
This was the first time I'd ever seen Chu Yigui so nervous.
"Brother Li Shuo." Wan Qiu greeted Li Shuo politely.
Wan Qiu had always learned to call Li Shuo "brother" from Fu Zhengyu, but Fu Zhengyu hadn't even started growing taller yet, while Wan Qiu had grown quite a bit taller.
Ultimately, it's still an age gap.
"What happened to you yesterday?" Li Shuo asked, also curious.
Wan Qiu turned to Li Shuo and said, "I'm waiting for someone at the school gate."
"Have we gotten there yet?" Li Shuo asked.
"We've arrived." Wan Qiu nodded obediently.
"Who are you waiting for? Did someone bully you, classmate?" Li Shuo asked seriously, though his tone was nonchalant.
“No, I’m waiting for an uncle,” Wan Qiu said.
"Oh." If it's not a school matter, then it has nothing to do with Li Shuo.
Li Shuo hasn't dared to skip classes much lately and has been studying diligently.
The high school entrance exam is just over a month away, and if I don't do well, things will get complicated.
Li Shuo still knows what's important and what's urgent.
“I haven’t had much time to deal with other things lately. If you need anything, do you know who to contact?” Li Shuo turned his head and asked Wan Qiu.
Wan Qiu nodded and said, "Find someone from the second year of junior high."
Li Shuo responded.
Chu Yigui stopped walking, and Li Shuo stopped as well. The two of them looked at Wan Qiu.
However, Wan Qiu held Chu Yigui's hand tightly, showing no intention of letting go.
They looked up at them longingly.
"Brother, we've arrived at the primary school. Hurry up and go to class," Chu Yigui said.
Wan Qiu shook her head: "Today I want to take my younger brother to his classroom."
Li Shuo raised an eyebrow. Was there going to be another surprise?
However, Wan Qiu did not seem to have a very expectant expression.
"Alright." Chu Yigui turned around and continued walking with Wan Qiu.
Li Shuo looked on in confusion, but after seeing it so many times, he actually got used to the two boys walking hand in hand.
Students around them were already greeting them, and everyone had a good impression of Chu Yigui, who loved to share.
Even Li Shuo was actually trying to curry favor with Chu Yigui at this point, hoping that Chu Yigui would take good care of him.
Li Shuo took out a bag of chocolate biscuits from his backpack.
It was thrown to Chu Yigui.
Chu Yigui was somewhat bewildered when she suddenly received the cookies.
"Happy birthday," Li Shuo said.
The cookies were simply taken from some corner of the supermarket, casually stuffed into my backpack, and then forgotten in my backpack for three or four days.
The packaging bag was creased all over, and the cookies inside were clearly not spared either.
But Chu Yigui smiled and said, "Thank you, you gave me a birthday present last year too."
Li Shuo thought for a moment. Was he referring to that breakfast?
Even though these could be considered birthday gifts, he himself felt they were too shabby.
only……
Li Shuo noticed the sparkling look in Wan Qiu's eyes as she looked at him, seemingly very happy that he would actually give Chu Yigui a gift.
Ultimately, Li Shuo's ability to remember Chu Yigui's birthday was truly thanks to Wan Qiu.
The first time was at Wanqiu's request.
The second time was because Wan Qiu had mentioned it to Fu Zhengyu, and Fu Zhengyu told him about it.
It was just like something friends would do, although he still felt that his relationship with Chu Yigui was barely acceptable.
"If I have the chance, I would also like to give you a birthday present," Chu Yigui said to Li Shuo.
"No need." Li Shuo's birthday is usually during summer vacation, and he usually spends it with familiar friends. He hasn't contacted these two people during the summer vacation.
Chu Yigui didn't dwell on this topic.
As they went upstairs, Wan Qiu let go of Chu Yigui's hand.
He stood behind Chu Yigui.
Chu Yigui stood on the stairs and turned around: "Brother, are you going to walk me to the classroom door?"
Wan Qiu nodded as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Li Shuo watched from the sidelines with a complicated feeling. What was this all about?
Chu Yigui had her back to Wan Qiu, so she couldn't see him, but Li Shuo could see him clearly.
Wan Qiu's gaze was fixed intently, as if he were looking at a rickety vase about to fall off the corner of the table.
When Chu Yigui paused slightly as she brushed past someone, Wan Qiu nervously opened her arms as if afraid that Chu Yigui would fall.
Li Shuo: "..."
In such a big school with so many people going up and down the stairs every day, he hasn't seen many people actually fall.
"Then, brother, shall we go to the classroom?" Chu Yigui, who was already standing at the door, turned around and said to Wan Qiu.
Wan Qiu nodded.
"See you tonight, brother." After receiving Wan Qiu's reply, Chu Yigui entered the classroom.
Li Shuo was about to go into the classroom without thinking when he suddenly felt a slight, barely perceptible force on his clothes.
Li Shuo: "..." He had a bad feeling.
Li Shuo turned around expressionlessly and looked at Wan Qiu.
Wan Qiu clearly had something to say, but he seemed very hesitant.
"Speak your mind," Li Shuo said expressionlessly as he stepped out of the classroom.
"You can't let your younger brother go near the stairs today," Wan Qiu said to Li Shuo earnestly. "Please."
"...Why?" Li Shuo asked.
But Wanqiu couldn't answer.
Just looking into Wan Qiu's eyes, Li Shuo realized he couldn't refuse.
"Okay, hurry back, class is about to start, you don't want to be late, do you?" Li Shuo said.
After receiving Li Shuo's consent, Wan Qiu visibly relaxed a lot.
Then Li Shuo saw Wan Qiu rummaging through his schoolbag and placed a carton of milk in his hand.
Li Shuo, holding the milk: "..."
"Thank you." After saying that, Wan Qiu turned and ran away, as if she were already late.
It was indeed getting late, and we needed to hurry, as Wan Qiu clearly knew.
Li Shuo entered the classroom with the milk, looking dejected.
Chu Yigui clearly noticed that Li Shuo seemed to have said something to Wan Qiu, and her eyes never left Li Shuo.
It's like a silent question.
Li Shuo placed the milk on Chu Yigui's desk; he didn't like drinking milk.
"He was acting suspiciously this morning, so that's what he was doing with this?" Chu Yigui looked at the milk and suddenly laughed.
Li Shuo asked, "Did you two go to have your fortunes told?"
"Why do you say that?" Chu Yigui asked.
"Your brother told me not to go near the stairs." Li Shuo had absolutely no sense of secrecy.
"I'm also very confused."
Chu Yigui picked up the milk, the square box of milk swirling in his hand.
“But if my brother doesn’t want me to do that, then I won’t go near him.”
Chu Yigui recalled how Wan Qiu had been telling him to get rid of the staircase since last night.
She sat at the top of the stairs, carefully keeping him at bay.
I don't know why.
But he will do as instructed.
"Not even going to the toilet?" Li Shuo teased.
Chu Yigui thought about it seriously for a moment, put the milk in her schoolbag, and decided not to drink it.
Li Shuo chuckled.
As soon as get out of class ended, Fu Zhengyu went to Wan Qiu's side: "Aren't you going to give your brother a birthday surprise today?"
“My younger brother already knows it’s his birthday, so there’s no way to prepare a surprise,” Wan Qiu said. “I gave him a gift yesterday.”
"When did you prepare this gift?" Fu Zhengyu asked in surprise.
"During the holidays."
"What did they give you?"
“A handmade little house,” Wan Qiu said.
Fu Zhengyu thought carefully for a moment: "Didn't you give me this last year too?"
"Um."
"Isn't it bad to send duplicates?"
“My younger brother asked for it himself,” Wan Qiu said.
“That’s fine too. I asked my parents what I wanted, but they wouldn’t give it to me. They just gave me things I didn’t like.” Fu Zhengyu lay down in front of Wan Qiu.
However, Fu Zhengyu noticed that Wan Qiu's expression was somewhat subtle: "What's wrong with you?"
Wan Qiu shook his head.
Fu Zhengyu scratched his head, completely baffled.
It was supposed to be such a happy day, so why did Wanqiu seem so lost in thought?
As soon as school was over, Fu Zhengyu instinctively went to find Wan Qiu, but Wan Qiu still refused to go to the playground with him today.
If Wan Qiu hadn't acted as usual, Fu Zhengyu would have thought that he had offended Wan Qiu and that Wan Qiu was giving him a hard time.
But just two days ago, Wanqiu brought him back holiday gifts and gave him snacks.
"Where are you going? I'll go with you today," Fu Zhengyu said generously.
Wan Qiu shook his head: "I'll go myself."
"Why? Don't you like playing with me anymore?" Fu Zhengyu asked, puzzled. "Did I do something to upset you?"
Wan Qiu, clutching her schoolbag, shook her head: "I'm going to find my younger brother."
"Ah...right, I forgot it's Brother Chu's birthday today," Fu Zhengyu remembered. "Then call me if you need anything."
"Hmm." Wan Qiu paused before leaving.
He turned around and looked at Fu Zhengyu, who was standing there blankly staring at him.
"Um, thank you for your concern." Wan Qiu's fingers secretly gripped the edge of her schoolbag. "I'll bring you something delicious tomorrow."
Fu Zhengyu suddenly became happy.
I wasn't unhappy just now, but compared to now, I'm not so unhappy at all.
Wan Qiu said goodbye to Fu Zhengyu before turning around and running towards the junior high school building.
When he arrived, the junior high school classes had already started, and Wan Qiu was waiting outside Chu Yigui's classroom.
He didn't peek into the classroom, but listened carefully to see if any sounds were coming from inside.
There was no sound of a teacher lecturing.
Are they studying?
Are you still doing a test paper?
Throughout his time in the primary school, Wan Qiu always thought of Chu Yigui.
Wan Qiu had been on edge ever since midnight.
He could only relax a little when he was by Chu Yigui's side.
Wanqiu placed his schoolbag on the windowsill, took out his homework, and began writing on the windowsill.
Wan Qiu unconsciously looked up and saw that from here he could see the edge of the playground where they usually waited.
The sun was still shining brightly, illuminating the campus.
The elementary school students wearing the same school uniform as him were gradually leaving the campus.
You can't hear the noise outside from here; in the quiet corridor, you can only hear the teachers lecturing from other classrooms.
Wanqiu lowered his head and diligently did his homework.
"This question is wrong, you calculated it wrong, here." A strange voice suddenly came to Wan Qiu's ear.
Wan Qiu turned around and suddenly saw a completely unfamiliar man standing behind him.
The man wore glasses, had short hair standing on end, looked very young, and was dressed in a white shirt and suit pants.
In this school, anyone not wearing a school uniform is a teacher.
Wan Qiu immediately stammered, "Hello, teacher."
"Look at the question," the male teacher said sternly to Wan Qiu.
Wan Qiu immediately lowered his head and listened attentively to the teacher's explanation of the problem.
"How could you get such a simple question wrong? Didn't your teacher tell you the important points?"
"You're not using an elementary school formula, are you? Did you learn middle school material in advance?"
"You shouldn't have gotten this question wrong. Your steps were all correct, so why is the answer wrong?"
Wan Qiu listened blankly as the teacher explained the problem to him, even though the teacher was a complete stranger.
Finally, Wanqiu got all the questions right, and the teacher asked, "What are you doing standing here?"
"Wait...wait for my brother," Wan Qiu said.
"Your brother? What's your brother doing here?" Then, the male teacher suddenly realized something, "Are you Chu Yigui's brother?"
Wan Qiu nodded.
"Are you waiting for Chu Yigui?" The male teacher looked at Wan Qiu's homework. "I haven't seen you waiting here before."
"Today is my younger brother's birthday," Wan Qiu said.
"Like this?" The male teacher patted Wan Qiu's textbook. "Pack your things."
Wan Qiu packed up his books with a blank expression.
Can't we wait here?
However, the male teacher entered the classroom with his hands behind his back, legs apart, and said to the students, "Chu Yigui, pack your things."
The students who were doing their tests looked up curiously, wondering what the teacher was going to do.
"Your brother is waiting for you outside. You should go home first today."
As the male teacher finished speaking, Wan Qiu, who was holding his books and preparing to put them away, looked up blankly.
Wan Qiu waited for a while and then saw Chu Yigui come out with her schoolbag on her back.
The male teacher sat back down at the podium and showed no intention of leaving.
"Good afternoon, brother." Chu Yigui said with a smile, clearly amused by the unexpected turn of events. "Let's pack our things and go home."
Wan Qiu immediately
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