Hearing the busy tone, Jiang Jingxing immediately put down the phone and leaned against the table, his breathing becoming heavier.
The office lights were off, but moonlight streamed in from outside, illuminating his defeated expression.
Seeing this, Wang Xiaoxin quickly came over to support him, both anxious and angry. "Commander, your wound has been bleeding for two days. Dr. Deng said there's a risk of infection. You should have gone to the hospital to treat your wound as soon as you got off the bus. Why did you have to make this phone call? Is this more important than your life?"
"If I hadn't come back just now, I would have missed her call." Jiang Jingxing took a deep breath. "I'm fine, let's go to the hospital now. Also, next time you see her, don't mention this, understand?"
Wang Xiaoxin curled his lip, "Look at you and your sister-in-law, you're dating, and you're already spending little time together. How can you maintain your relationship if you don't make her feel sorry for you?"
Jiang Jingxing smiled nonchalantly and patted him on the shoulder, "Let's go, stop talking nonsense."
Since she's not going to die anyway, why worry her?
...
Su Yan didn't think much of it after hanging up the phone.
There was something on her mind.
After taking a shower, she went downstairs and headed straight for Su Lei's room.
"Knock knock—!"
"Xiao Lei, it's your sister."
A short while later, the door was opened a little bit.
Su Lei lowered his head and called her softly, "Sister."
Su Yan raised an eyebrow, squatted down to look him in the eye, and saw his reddened eyes. Her heart suddenly ached.
She didn't show it, but held his shoulders and smiled, "I'm a little hungry, will you come with me to get something to eat?"
Su Lei's nose tingled, and his hands unconsciously clenched into fists as he suppressed his emotions and refused, "Sis, I still have homework to finish. Why don't you let Big Brother go with you?"
From beginning to end, he didn't dare to meet Su Yan's eyes, afraid that she would notice something amiss.
Su Yan's heart sank.
After a two-second silence, she feigned dissatisfaction and said, "Why? I just want you to come with me. When I went to buy late-night snacks before, you were the most enthusiastic. Or is it that you don't like me as your older sister, so you're avoiding me?"
"no!"
Su Lei reflexively retorted loudly, raising his small face to look at her anxiously.
Seeing his sister's angry expression, he couldn't help but feel a lump in his throat.
The next second.
Tears were completely uncontrollable, falling to the ground in large drops like a broken pearl necklace.
Su Lei frantically wiped away the tears, but they flowed like a dam breaking, the more he wiped, the more there were, and he didn't stop even when the skin around his eyes turned red.
This behavior made Su Yan think of two words...
——Self-abuse!
She quickly stopped him, hugged him tightly, and cried while blaming herself, "It's all my fault. I've been too busy lately and haven't had a chance to talk to you properly. I'm sorry, Xiao Lei. I should have realized this sooner."
She should have realized the seriousness of the situation from the moment Su Lei became taciturn and irritable.
Based on Su Lei's behavior, she had already guessed pretty much everything.
Because the eldest brother returned, the whole family's attention shifted to him, neglecting Su Lei and making him feel insecure and abandoned.
The reason he became irritable was because he wanted to get his family's attention back to him, but he was scolded by his mother and misunderstood by everyone, which made him more uneasy and increasingly withdrawn.
He's just a child under ten years old. He used to be so sensible and considerate, but now he's become so sensitive.
The thought of all this made her feel so heartbroken she could hardly breathe.
"Xiao Lei, I'm sorry, I've neglected you." She patted Su Lei's back and choked up.
Su Lei suddenly panicked; he hadn't expected his sister to cry.
He stopped crying, feeling his sister's body trembling slightly, and said with a pout, "Sis, no, it's not your fault. I'll be good and obedient from now on, and I won't throw tantrums anymore. Please don't cry, okay?"
He didn't want to make his sister cry; it was his lack of consideration.
Su Yan shook her head, looked away from him, and gently wiped away his tears. "Go outside and talk to your sister, okay?"
Su Lei hesitated for a moment, but seeing his sister's red eyes, he pursed his lips and nodded.
The siblings left home hand in hand.
Second floor.
Su Yu stood by the window, watching the two figures, a smile curving his lips.
If you walk about 200 meters forward, you'll find many late-night food stalls.
Normally, Su Lei would have already excitedly run to the fried food stall to choose his favorites.
Now that he'd arrived at the stall, he picked an empty table and sat down.
Su Yan sighed silently, selected a few of his favorite foods, paid for them, and then sat down next to him. She said gently, "Xiao Lei, do you not like your older brother?"
Su Lei suddenly looked up, his face turning pale!
"No, no! I don't dislike him!"
Su Yan raised an eyebrow, feigning doubt as she looked at him, "Really?"
He quickly lowered his head and remained silent.
Su Yan reached out and patted his back gently, speaking slowly and deliberately: "You feel that since your older brother came back, Mother and I have always cared about him and not about you, right?"
"I……"
"If you still truly consider me your older sister, you're not allowed to lie to me."
Su Lei's body stiffened, then he raised his head, his eyes already brimming with tears.
He nodded vigorously, "Yes!"
He paused, then continued, “When my older brother came back, my sister and mother didn’t like me anymore. I got a perfect score on my test, but my mother didn’t praise me. She just kept talking to my older brother. My sister spends every day with my older brother. When I want to talk to my sister, my older brother is always there for you.”
I couldn't sleep at night. I kept thinking about why my older brother had to come back. If he hadn't come back, my mother and sister wouldn't have stopped caring about me. That's why I hate him; I don't like him at all.
Su Yan could hear the resentment in his voice, and felt helpless and heartbroken.
She didn't refute his words, but said, "Xiao Lei, your older brother is a hero who protects our country. He went on a mission and was gone for five years without any news. Everyone said he was dead. Your mother didn't say it on the surface, but she cried herself blind in private. We missed him a lot during those five years, so we were very happy when he came back. We didn't expect to neglect you. It was my and your mother's fault."
Actually, your older brother likes you a lot, but he senses that you don't like him. He's afraid of your resistance, so he doesn't dare to get close to you and usually just observes you secretly.
For example, last night, you wanted to get a lamb chop, but it was placed in front of him. You put your chopsticks away, and when you stood up to get some beef, he secretly switched the lamb chop with the vegetables in front of you. You didn't know that, did you?
Upon hearing this, a hint of confusion flashed in Su Lei's eyes.
He thought it was his grandmother who had switched them.
"Really? Really?" he asked uncertainly.
"Of course, I wouldn't lie to you," Su Yan said with a smile. "If you don't believe me, try it again at dinner tomorrow and see if he secretly switches them."
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