Yang Xiaoyu waited not far from Wan Qiu, but Wan Qiu never made a move.
He stood in a beautiful, brightly colored world, yet he seemed gray.
A vague idea popped into Yang Xiaoyu's mind.
—Does Wanqiu not know how to play?
Based on their understanding of Wanqiu, there were very few things to do in Wanqiu's life.
Yang Xiaoyu could only remember things like 'tinplate'.
Wanqiu, however, only had it, but rarely played it.
During the time when Wanqiu and Chu Yigui were together, Wanqiu's definition of 'play' was entirely limited to the games played by Ning Qiaozhen and Ning Hai.
Wanqiu has no friends, no time, and no opportunity to play.
Wanqiu is very obedient; if you tell him to go play, he will definitely go. But standing here...
Is it because you don't know how to play?
Among so many people, Wanqiu, who had no friends and didn't know how to make friends, couldn't get along with others.
Yang Xiaoyu sat on the edge of the bubble pool, thinking carefully. Could it be because Wan Qiu wouldn't dare to play without her?
Should we go back now, or stay here and play?
Yang Xiaoyu looked at the cream-colored crossbody bag in her hand.
"Wanqiu, wait for Mom here." Yang Xiaoyu finally made a decision. She walked out from beside the bubble ball pit and turned back to tell her, "Mom will be back soon, don't wander off."
Wan Qiu stood there, wanting to see Yang Xiaoyu's face, but Yang Xiaoyu turned around too quickly, and Wan Qiu didn't see anything.
Wan Qiu only remembered one word—wait.
Yang Xiaoyu's figure disappeared from his sight so quickly that Wan Qiu didn't even have time to react.
The money that was taken away, the departing figure, those familiar memories that would cause Wanqiu heartache, clamored from the corners of his memory, threatening to overwhelm his emotions and reason.
Wanqiu stands in a black-and-white animated film that plays on repeat. Scenes of leaving and abandonment are constantly playing. He is the protagonist of the animation, always standing in the frame, while those who leave him never return when the animation ends.
But Wanqiu remained standing in the same spot.
Even as the bright colors turned black and white, and his legs felt as if they were being swallowed by mud, Wan Qiu still stood there, watching the place where Yang Xiaoyu had left.
Be smarter.
Or be abandoned.
We need to do something, and do something smart.
Wan Qiu's mind was filled with thoughts of what he could do. He wanted to take a step, but his body wouldn't obey him.
Wan Qiu lowered his head, trying to move his feet, trying to get rid of the thing that had been covering his whole body and seemed to be binding him.
Wan Qiu even raised his hand, bent down, and tried to tear off the black things that were entangled around his legs.
Suddenly, however, something shimmering with silver light, in a circular shape, came into Wanqiu's view.
That's a bracelet.
The bracelet lay quietly on his wrist, and he vaguely seemed to see a hand moving it.
The bracelet was lifted up and then fell down.
Chu Yigui's voice suddenly appeared in my ear.
—No matter where you are, I can find you. Mom is very afraid of not being able to find you.
Yang Xiaoyu did not take the bracelet with her.
If the bracelet is still there, then will his mother come looking for him?
—I can find you even without this.
Wan Qiu stood still.
Those hard, restrictive things no longer seemed so hard as to cause him pain; they were like soft rubber, gradually melting away.
Wanqiu's cold hands and feet felt a return to normal, and the world was gradually shedding its dense grayness.
The sounds of laughter and merriment returned to his ears.
This small sense of reassurance helped Wanqiu step back into this world.
Not far away, Yang Xiaoyu's figure was reflected in Wan Qiu's eyes again.
The stunningly beautiful mother strode up to him.
My mother's body is like a paintbrush filled with vibrant colors; with each step she takes closer to me, she refills the world with bright new hues.
Wanqiu stared intently and greedily at his mother, only to discover that both his small handbag and his mother's bag had disappeared.
Yang Xiaoyu, on the other hand, took off her high heels right next to the bubble ball pit and tied her hair up with a hair tie.
He stepped forward and took Wanqiu's hand.
Wanqiu felt the bubble ball impacting his legs again.
But the mother holding his hand seemed to have splashed an even more intense color onto this colorful world, making it impossible for Wan Qiu to look away.
"Come on, Mom will teach you how to play today!"
——
Chu Yigui's tutor was grading Chu Yigui's homework, and the clean, perfect paper made the tutor very satisfied.
It is indeed very fulfilling to teach students who can learn quickly. The biggest problem is that the students are too smart, which may occasionally make them feel inferior.
Although today was a bit late due to a sudden test, the male teacher was very satisfied with Chu Yigui's homework.
The male teacher said to Chu Yigui, "You seemed a little distracted today, yet you still managed to get all the questions right. It seems you've really mastered the material."
"It's because the teacher explained it so thoroughly that it's easy to understand," Chu Yigui replied calmly, while tidying up his desk, even though a servant would come to clean it up for him.
"Compared to that Wanqiu, you are definitely more suitable to be the child of this family," the male teacher couldn't help but sigh.
The male teachers all felt that Chu Yigui was not worth it. Chu Yigui was excellent in every aspect, but she was just a substitute for this family.
Now the real person is back, but he's an idiot. If he weren't an idiot, Chu Yigui would be in a very awkward situation. Luckily, luckily.
"Chu, if you have anything bothering you, I'd love to hear from you." The male teacher, with a touch of friendliness towards his student, tried to have a heart-to-heart talk with Chu Yigui.
Chu Yigui's expression was calm; she neither refuted what the male teacher said nor showed any desire to communicate.
“I’m doing very well right now, so don’t worry, teacher.” These simple words made the male teacher, who was about to have another long talk with Chu Yigui, swallow back the words of comfort that were about to come out of his mouth.
"You've been very distracted today, daydreaming a lot. If something's wrong, would you like to take a break?" the male teacher said.
"Nothing special happened. I wrote down everything the teacher taught today."
Chu Yigui's voice was very calm, as if it was just an occasional bad day. Based on today's test results, Chu Yigui was not lying.
"That concludes today's lesson." The male teacher packed up his lesson plan and asked Chu Yigui, "Are you really not planning to skip a grade? At your current pace, you don't need to continue attending school in the usual way."
"That's better," Chu Yigui said with a smile.
The male teacher's expression stiffened slightly; he felt powerless to do anything about this outstanding yet somewhat unfathomable student.
With a silent sigh, the male teacher bid farewell to Chu Yigui.
Chu Yigui got up to see the person off. As she reached the door, she saw a car approaching in the distance. Upon seeing the car, the male teacher knew that the person returning was most likely Chu Jianshu. He also wanted to show off in front of Chu Jianshu, so he slowed down.
The car stopped at the entrance. The male teacher's face broke into a smile, and he even tucked in his slightly protruding beer belly. He stepped forward, about to greet the teacher and say something, when he saw Chu Jianshu, who had gotten out of the driver's seat, glance at him.
Although Chu Jianshu didn't speak, that one glance was enough to silence the male teacher.
Chu Jianshu opened the back door, and Chu Yigui looked over as well.
In the back seat were Wan Qiu and Yang Xiaoyu.
Wanqiu is probably asleep.
Leaning on Yang Xiaoyu's shoulder, the pink hat she had worn that morning was now on the back seat. Even in her sleep, she didn't forget to tightly hold onto the closure of her cream-colored crossbody bag.
"Can I carry it out?" Yang Xiaoyu asked in a breathy voice.
Chu Jianshu lowered his voice and replied, "Tell him to move a little closer."
Chu Yigui stood at the door, and in front of him stood the male teacher. Under the slanting sunlight of the evening, the man, who had always been serious, restrained, rigid, and conservative, actually took off his suit jacket and bent down to pick up Wan Qiu from the back seat.
Chu Yigui's gaze fell on Wan Qiu.
Wan Qiu had a new haircut, which made her look less frizzy than before. She was leaning her head against Chu Jianshu's neck with her eyes closed, which made her look rather cute.
Wanqiu was probably too light. When Chu Jianshu held her, it seemed like she used almost no strength, and Chu Jianshu's back remained straight.
Wanqiu's pink clothes were clearly a bit dirty, looking somewhat dusty.
After being picked up, Wan Qiu probably lost Yang Xiaoyu's warmth, and his instinct made him grab the person next to him.
His collar was grabbed, and a large expanse of skin was exposed from his unbuttoned neck. Disheveled, wrinkled, and dirty—words that would never normally be associated with Chu Jianshu—were all present now.
This was a level of affection that none of Chu Jianshu's brothers had ever received.
The male teacher was clearly a little embarrassed. Chu Jianshu simply nodded to him, while Chu Yigui opened the door to let Chu Jianshu in.
Inside the door, Butler Bai was jogging towards the entrance.
"This is exhausting," Yang Xiaoyu's complaint reached Chu Yigui's ears.
Yang Xiaoyu, who got out of the back seat, was completely different from the Yang Xiaoyu with exquisite makeup in the morning. Not only were Wan Qiu's clothes dirty, but Yang Xiaoyu's white clothes were also dirty.
Yang Xiaoyu is always impeccably dressed, a habit that her acting career instilled in her. However, she now appears visibly disheveled.
My meticulously styled hair is now quite messy. You can tell I've done a simple combing, but it can't be restored to its original state. It's probably because I sweated. My makeup also looks a bit smudged.
"Did you teach until this late today?" Yang Xiaoyu asked the male teacher. "It's really unfortunate that you saw me like this."
"How could that be? You're beautiful at all times." The male teacher's words weren't just a compliment; they were also true.
"How is Yi Gui's study?" Now that they had run into each other, Yang Xiaoyu naturally asked a few questions.
"Very good, he works very hard..." The male teacher began to praise Chu Yigui to Yang Xiaoyu incessantly.
Yang Xiaoyu listened, occasionally laughing, seemingly very proud that her child could receive such high praise.
Chu Yigui listened quietly.
"After a while, I'll start to doubt whether I have anything left to teach him. I feel a lot of pressure every time I come to teach," the male teacher said deliberately.
Yang Xiaoyu raised his eyebrows. The male teacher was someone they had selected and hired, so he was at least worthy of recognition in terms of knowledge. This was mostly a humble statement, but it indirectly showed that he was very satisfied with Chu Yigui.
"Yi Gui did such a good job, is there anything you want? Mom will reward you." Yang Xiaoyu was probably happy.
Chu Yigui looked at Yang Xiaoyu. Today, Yang Xiaoyu was different from usual. She was like a desert plant that had taken deep root in the desert and was now full of vitality after a long time of rain.
Although Yang Xiaoyu said she was very tired and disheveled, and leaned against the car while speaking, her relaxed expression and the absence of a forced smile indicated that she was actually in good condition.
What happened?
Chu Yigui never expected this.
All he knew was that Yang Xiaoyu had at least one happy day, and the joy in her eyes hadn't yet faded.
The male teacher left, and Yang Xiaoyu stood in front of Chu Yigui.
Yang Xiaoyu brought back gifts for Chu Yigui and Yang Zedu.
It's fruit tea.
The fruit tea was also discounted to 25 yuan a cup, something Yang Xiaoyu would never normally drink.
It's highly likely that Yang Xiaoyu didn't drink it either, as she has always been on a sugar-free diet to maintain her figure.
However, if someone specifically buys it, then the person who drank the fruit tea is clearly Wanqiu.
"I had a drink." Yang Xiaoyu said to Chu Yigui expressionlessly. Chu Yigui didn't realize that she had raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Yes, that's right, Yigui, I had a cup of fruit tea."
Chu Yigui held the fruit tea, her expression quite subtle.
"But I'm so tired today, I should have had some exercise, it's okay." Yang Xiaoyu stretched and went through the door. "Go take a shower quickly, I'm so dirty."
Chu Yigui inserted a straw, and the sweet taste of fruit tea immediately filled her mouth.
The ice inside had melted down to just a little bit, but it still perfectly preserved the coolness of the fruit tea.
The sweetness of the fruit and the not-so-high-end aroma of the tea blended together, which didn't quite suit Chu Yigui's taste, but for some reason, he couldn't put it down.
It's like someone who doesn't like sour fruits but loves strawberries, trying hard to find the unique sweetness of strawberries amidst the obvious tartness.
Chu Yigui knew that this must be a flavor that Wan Qiu really liked.
As if possessed, Chu Yigui finished the fruit tea, ate the fruit, and threw away the cup.
——
It was already dark when Wanqiu woke up.
I was in bed, my clothes had been changed, but they were still a bit dirty.
He was so dirty, yet he was sleeping on the bed.
Wanqiu suddenly crawled out from under the covers, tiptoed, and took big strides, as if afraid of dirtying the soft, clean carpet beneath her feet.
Wanqiu sat in the bathtub, the warm water from the showerhead washing over his body, his expression blank.
His brain is having trouble processing everything that happened today.
It was on this day that Wanqiu truly understood the meaning of 'play'.
Those happy laughs and noises still seem to echo in Wanqiu's ears.
This was the first time he had stood amidst happiness, enveloped in boundless joy. When his mother smiled, she seemed like an angel bringing happiness.
So playing is...
Happy things.
That's why everyone tries to find ways to have fun, just like their parents used to.
Wan Qiu unconsciously covered his chest with his fingers. The joy of 'playing' still lingered in his body, deliberately speeding up his heartbeat and making him yearn for it.
It was fun.
But that's not good.
Playing can bring joy, but if you play all the time, you'll get tired of it.
Will Mom dislike him today because he's been playing all the time?
After drying her hair, Wanqiu tried to find her dirty clothes to wash, but couldn't find them anywhere.
His clothes vanished into thin air.
Wan Qiu stood in the bathroom, somewhat bewildered.
He remembered that when he was washing up this morning, water droplets splashed onto the mirror. He tried his best to wipe it, but he still couldn't get the mirror sparkling clean.
Now the mirror is sparkling clean, with no trace of me wiping it.
Someone is still cleaning his room.
I'm very hungry; I overslept and didn't eat dinner.
Can he go out and find something to eat?
Wan Qiu quietly opened the locked door and peeked out. The quiet corridor was lit by corridor lights, which allowed him to see everything clearly without being too glaring.
Wanqiu wanted to sneak into the kitchen. The chef wasn't there, nor were his parents. Even if he went to eat, it wouldn't bother anyone.
However, when they went down to the living room, they found bright lights and a figure sitting on the sofa.
Just from his back view, Wan Qiu was certain that it was his younger brother, Chu Yigui.
Chu Yigui appeared to be reading a book. In his hands was a thick book, and under the gentle, non-glaring light, the bright white book seemed to illuminate Chu Yigui's face as well, making everything appear gentle, as if it were slightly glowing.
Chu Yigui seems to be able to blend into any world, and even become the protagonist of a certain world.
Wan Qiu, however, withdrew his foot from the stairs, as if his intrusion would destroy Chu Yigui's comfortable world.
"Brother." However, Chu Yigui's voice stopped him in his tracks. Chu Yigui closed the book, placed it on the table, and stood up from the sofa. "Are you hungry? Come down."
Chu Yigui's expression wasn't smiling, but Wan Qiu knew he always smiled when he looked at others.
But Wan Qiu never felt that anything was wrong, because even though Chu Yigui was smiling, he was still unhappy.
Wan Qiu looked at Chu Yigui standing in the soft light, as if even the light itself couldn't bear to look at him, casting a gentle glow on Chu Yigui's face, making his calm demeanor soften.
"The chef said he was worried you'd be hungry when you woke up, so he made some sushi for you. Sushi is cold, so you don't need to heat it up."
Wan Qiu followed Chu Yigui to the kitchen, where the lights suddenly shone brightly, reviving Wan Qiu's somewhat intoxicated spirit from the darkness.
There was a lot of sushi on the square plate. Wan Qiu looked at it with some hesitation.
"They're all edible; you can just pick them up with your hands and eat them." Even in such bright light, Chu Yigui's voice still sounded like a seductive whisper in the shadows.
Wanqiu put a piece of sushi in his mouth, and the novel and unique taste filled his mouth. Wanqiu liked this taste.
One bite was too much; his cheeks bulged, and Wanqiu chewed for a long time.
This plate full of sushi was far beyond Wanqiu's appetite. There were several of each kind, but Wanqiu's way of eating was to start from the very edge and never choose a piece from the middle that looked the best.
As Wan Qiu was about to take a piece of sushi, a piece of sushi was placed in his hand.
Chu Yigui brought Wanqiu a new flavor that she had never tried before, and let Wanqiu try it.
"Did you have fun today?" Chu Yigui asked after Wan Qiu slowed down his eating.
“…Mmm.” Wan Qiu’s mouth was still full of food as he chewed slowly.
Chu Yigui could tell that Wan Qiu's slow response was not because of eating, but because he was genuinely hesitant.
Is there anything that's bothering you?
Wan Qiu looked up at Chu Yigui, not to observe, because Wan Qiu never knew what Chu Yigui was thinking.
"Can you tell me?" Chu Yigui asked again, her tone slow, not urging, but more like guiding.
"..." Wan Qiu held a small sushi in both hands, but slowly said, "It's not suitable."
"kindness?"
"I didn't laugh."
Wanqiu stood in a world of joy, surrounded by laughter and smiles on everyone's faces. It seemed that the fun games were meant to wash away all sadness and spread happiness throughout the world.
But Wanqiu standing there is like fruit tea, where the aroma of tea and fruit blend together, each infused with the other's flavor, yet the tea remains tea and the fruit remains fruit.
Happiness doesn't just come together so easily.
Wan Qiu learned how to express his happiness; he should curl the corners of his lips into a smile.
But Wanqiu couldn't do it.
Those things didn't seem like things he should have.
He stood amidst happiness, immersed in it, yet longed to sever himself from it.
Unfamiliar words like 'fun,' 'game,' and 'play' flooded Wanqiu's world. He laughed loudly and wildly, the joy of playing seemed to devour him, leaving him feeling fear after he calmed down.
He was more exhausted than ever, as if resisting his own immersion in a world of 'play' and 'happiness'.
"Have you been punished?" Suddenly, Chu Yigui's voice flooded into Wan Qiu's mind again, and Wan Qiu raised his head blankly.
Was he punished?
No.
He wasn't in pain, he had slept, and he could stand here comfortably, eating food specially prepared for him.
The word "specialized" jolted Wan Qiu awake. Looking at the exquisite plate of sushi, Wan Qiu blinked in bewilderment.
“If you do something you shouldn’t do, you will be punished.” Chu Yigui tapped Wan Qiu’s forehead with the end of the chopsticks she was using to pick up sushi, and Wan Qiu shrugged.
However, Chu Yigui knocked very lightly, only touching it once.
“You haven’t been punished, have you?” Chu Yigui guided, gradually drawing out Wan Qiu’s worries.
Wan Qiu blinked, bewildered, unable to refute.
“You did something that won’t be punished, proving that it’s something you can do,” Chu Yigui said. “You dared to try, that’s really great.”
The sudden praise was like a piece of candy that had been thrown into Wanqiu's mouth; she hadn't even had time to taste the sweetness.
Looking up blankly, Chu Yigui's smile swept away Wanqiu's timidity.
“No.” Wan Qiu said to Chu Yigui, seemingly able to express his inner panic more clearly, “It’s not like that.”
Chu Yigui waited quietly for Wan Qiu to explain his reasons, patiently waiting for Wan Qiu to sort out his thoughts.
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