Chapter 12

There was a pause on the other end of the line, the rustle of clothing against the receiver. Only after a long while did Lu Qingyuan ask, “Why are you sending him away?”

Lu Wenyuan rested a hand on top of Chen Annan’s head. “Dad feels like you two don’t get along well. Since you don’t like him anyway, Dad is afraid you’ll feel you’re being treated unfairly.”

Chen Annan listened intently. From wherever Lu Qingyuan was, the surrounding noise was chaotic, and you could faintly hear a few weak cries of “Brother.”

That kid was calling him again. Chen Annan turned over, blinking once. His fingertips unconsciously rubbed against Lu Wenyuan’s pants. Who knew what he was mulling over in his little mind.

Lu Qingyuan said nothing.

Lu Wenyuan continued, “It just so happens Dad has friends in Suzhou, a couple who are high school teachers. Their family situation’s pretty good and everything. They’ve always wanted a child. We met up to have a look, and we didn’t expect them to be very satisfied with Nannan either.”

Another pause on the other end. “Chen Annan agreed to this?”

“You don’t like him and treat him poorly. There’s no reason for him to stay even if he wanted to,” Lu Wenyuan said. “Alright, alright, I’m hanging up. Dad still has to pack his things. Their train back is tomorrow afternoon. They’ll probably come pick him up in the morning.”

After saying that, he didn’t give Lu Qingyuan any chance to interject, hanging up decisively.

Chen Annan listened to the ‘beep-beep’ tone from the phone, blinking again. He was completely absorbed in his own little world of thoughts. He didn’t even react when Lu Wenyuan pinched his cheek.

“Thinking about something, Cub?” Lu Wenyuan cupped Chen Annan’s soft little face with both hands. With a slight squeeze, Chen Annan’s mouth puckered up a little.

“We agreed we were just bluffing him. Why are you still so glum?” Lu Wenyuan was thoroughly amused by Chen Annan’s expression. He supported his chin, making Chen Annan’s mouth pucker and then relax, completely failing to grasp the labyrinth in the child’s head.

After that phone call, Chen Annan’s entire being was in a state of stupor.

Brother had another little friend…

Brother had a five-year-old, cute little friend who he also played with.

Chen Annan slipped off the sofa with a ‘woosh.’ Unaware, his foot stepped right on a building block. The pain made the rims of his eyes instantly turn red.

He rubbed his eyes, forced an air of calm, and hobbled back into the room, closing the door. He pulled out a picture book of The Story of the Mole.

This matter stuck in his craw like a knot. Thinking about it made him miserable, and not thinking about it also made him miserable. For a child this age, the brain and heart are isolated from each other. Once a twisted emotion arises, if it doesn’t get feedback, the sense of loss only deepens.

Especially since he was separated from Lu Qingyuan by such a vast distance, he was even more unable to sort through the jumbled mess in his heart. Chen Annan stared at the picture book for a very, very long time. He stared until the illustrations seemed to waver unbidden, until everything looked like it was submerged in water.

He used the back of his hand to quietly wipe his eyes.

This negativity lasted until the next morning, when it was abruptly interrupted by a series of urgent knocks on the door.

At five in the morning, the sky still held the last shade of crow-blue. The moment Lu Wenyuan opened the door, he thought he was still dreaming.

His son, Lu Qingyuan, was standing at the doorstep, his forehead covered in sweat, travel-worn and weary, gasping for breath. Standing behind him were two older men.

“Good heavens…” Lu Wenyuan slammed the door shut, then opened it again, confirming in disbelief—it really was his son standing at the door, along with two police officers!

The older police officer’s tone was stern as he reproached him. “How could parents be so careless watching their children?! Do you have any idea how many child traffickers are out there now? If he’d gotten lost, you’d have nowhere left to cry! Letting a child come back from Beijing all by himself—do you think this is a joke?!”

Only then did Lu Wenyuan learn that Lu Qingyuan had come back alone.

Nine-year-old Lu Qingyuan had run all the way back from Beijing. He’d asked people for directions until he reached the train station. Back then, high-speed rail hadn’t yet developed as it has now, and train tickets weren’t sold to children. He’d originally planned to call his father, but after patting this pocket and that, he couldn’t find his phone.

A pickpocket had swiped his phone. His pocket money, he gave away after seeing an old woman, gray-faced and begging by the roadside. He felt pity for her. By the time he came to his senses, there wasn’t a penny left in his pocket.

In the end, he could only secretly tag along with a group of people heading home, taking the nearest long-distance bus. Alone, he endured the ride on a coach for over ten hours, all the way back to Nanjing.

The summer heat was deadly. The entire bumpy journey, Lu Qingyuan had been steeped in the foul smell of cigarette smoke. The traces of sweat had stained through his shirt, line by line. His thin jacket had been wrinkled into a crumpled mess, tied around his waist. He looked exactly like a lost child.

After returning to Nanjing, he’d first gone to the local police station, clearly reported his home address, and asked the police to help escort him home.

Even someone as worldly-wise as Lu Wenyuan was stunned at that moment.

As the officer continued his long-winded lecture, Lu Qingyuan suddenly grabbed his father’s hand. His voice betrayed a flustered unease. “Dad, please, can you not send Chen Annan away?”

The moment that phone call had ended, he’d desperately started rushing home. He hadn’t even notified Xiao Qingxiang, afraid that even a single second’s delay would mean he wouldn’t make it.

“I don’t dislike him. I promise I’ll treat him well from now on. Can you call that couple and tell them we’re not sending Chen Annan away after all?” Seeing his father not say anything, Lu Qingyuan became so anxious his words came in gasps. “You know he’s shy around strangers. He even cried and blubbered just going to kindergarten! If you send him to some strangers’ house, won’t he cry himself sick?”

Looking at his son’s uplifted face, Lu Wenyuan felt a wave of indescribable mixed emotions and deeply regretted the words he’d spoken last night. What a terribly wicked plan he’d concocted!

How could a young child withstand being tricked like that?

But before he could explain, Lu Qingyuan, convinced he couldn’t reason with his father, simply ran into the bedroom to find Chen Annan. Lu Wenyuan wanted to call him back, but was stopped by the two police officers, who continued their lecture.

All Lu Wenyuan could do was thank them repeatedly while inviting them into the house for some tea.

Chen Annan had actually been awakened by the commotion long ago, but hearing the door open, he hurriedly lay back down, straight as a log.

When Lu Qingyuan entered the bedroom, he saw him facing the wall, presenting only the back of his head.

“Chen Annan.” Lu Qingyuan called his name.

Chen Annan huddled in his little blanket, eyes closed, not making a sound.

“Chen Annan, don’t stay asleep,” Lu Qingyuan patted him, frantic with urgency. “Hurry up and tell Dad you don’t want to go! Quick! If we wait any longer, it’ll be too late.”

Chen Annan buried his head in his little blanket and said, muffled, “Go play with someone else. Leave me alone.”

Lu Qingyuan froze. Slowly, it dawned on him. Ms. Xiao’s advice really had worked. But if this was why Chen Annan wanted to leave home, then he himself had gone too far.

Lu Qingyuan stood by the bed, a knot of anxiety and frustration in his stomach. He offered an awkward explanation. “That was my mom’s colleague’s kid. His mom also went to work and didn’t feel comfortable leaving him home alone, so she asked me to keep him company and play.”

He touched his ear and added, “Having one at home is already a lot of trouble. Why would I want another.”

Rarely did he make his words so soft. Lu Qingyuan just felt the weather was far too hot; running all this way could flush a person’s face all the way up to their ears.

Chen Annan abruptly sat up, the little blanket draped over his head. “But… it was you who told me to go live at someone else’s place…”

The words Lu Qingyuan had said that day had genuinely hurt him. Chen Annan felt like a little rubber ball, kicked around carelessly by anyone.

Lu Qingyuan was choked by those words. He turned his face aside, fumbled in his pocket for a while, and finally pulled out a Ferrero Rocher, melted soft by body heat. Thankfully, the pickpocket hadn’t taken this.

“I’m sorry.” He shoved the chocolate towards Chen Annan and said stiffly, “I shouldn’t have said that.”

The conversation between the police and Lu Wenyuan continued outside. Chen Annan heard it clearly. His older brother had always been this kind of person—he didn’t like to talk and wasn’t good with pretty words.

All the little pre-sleep grievances immediately skittered away. He couldn’t maintain his reserve any longer. Chen Annan’s mouth drooped again. He pulled a corner of the blanket and wiped his eyes. “I thought you didn’t like me, that you didn’t want me anymore.”

Those words were far too mushy. Lu Qingyuan couldn’t find a response. He just raised a hand and pinched Chen Annan’s cheek. “Are you stupid? Someone gives you a tiny little benefit, and you just follow them? What if they’re just pretending to be nice people? Once you’re there, maybe they’ll force you to do homework—do it every day, not let you play until you’re finished. By then, you’ll have cried yourself blind, and neither Dad nor I will be able to hear you. See what you do then!”

With things spoken openly, the little bee in their bonnets naturally melted away. Chen Annan let out a little “Ah,” feeling both a bit frightened and a bit guilty.

Lu Qingyuan let go of his hand, still completely in the dark. “Don’t go. Let’s go talk it out with Dad.”

Chen Annan didn’t move. He blinked, then scooted up next to his brother like a little puppy. He wrapped his arms around Lu Qingyuan’s and shook it. Lu Qingyuan, sharp as ever, sensed something off in his coddling behavior.

Just as he suspected. When Lu Qingyuan learned the truth, he could only think that Ms. Xiao’s scheme wasn’t even a thousandth as insidious as his father’s! For a teacher, how could his father be so wickedly crafty?!

He’d completely fooled the child into being a wreck!

In the days that followed, Nanjing was hit by torrential rain. The Yangtze River swelled, and the sky was so gloomy not a single ray of sunlight could break through. But even that was nothing compared to the look on Lu Qingyuan’s face.

Chen Annan and Lu Wenyuan were cold-shouldered by Lu Qingyuan for the better part of a week. The two of them, one big and one small, took turns trying to coax him, but neither could thaw this iceberg.

Xiao Qingxiang was even more incensed. She’d had a performance at the National Theatre that day. Right before going on stage, she’d called Lu Qingyuan, telling him to wait for her obediently at home. Who could have guessed that by the time she got back, her son would be gone, his phone off? She’d searched everywhere he frequented, inside and out, and even filed a police report. It wasn’t until the next morning that she was notified by Lu Wenyuan that the child had returned home.

“I guarantee nothing like this will ever happen again. I’ll keep a good eye on Xiao Yuan. You take care of yourself too, and don’t always be so busy you forget to eat.” Lu Wenyuan stood on the balcony, talking on the phone with his ex-wife. After days of rain, the air was sticky and greasy, thick with heat.

As he spoke, his gaze fell on the living room. Chen Annan was lying with his little rump stuck up in the air on the sofa, grunting and groaning, shaking Lu Qingyuan’s leg. “Don’t be mad anymore. Let’s go watch cartoons?”

Annoyed by the shaking, Lu Qingyuan simply got up from the sofa and headed for his own room. Chen Annan chased after him, sticking to his brother like a little tail.

So incredibly annoying. Lu Qingyuan pushed him away, but couldn’t resist when Chen Annan happily latched on again, leaning on him and acting cute, saying, “Don’t be mad anymore. Please don’t be mad. Please, pretty please…”

He had an innate ability: no matter how much your fur bristled, he could smooth it down along with your mood.

Chen Annan’s heart was like soft crepe paper. Only from up close could you observe how every single wrinkle was written with his contradictions and sensitivity.

The truth was, Lu Qingyuan didn’t really dislike Chen Annan’s good friend. The matter of the “Little Bro” title was, in the end, a trivial, nitpicky thing, like a speck of dust in the eye—small, harmless, yet still irritating.

To Lu Qingyuan, it had shaken his position. And that was a matter of monumental importance.

Still, he gave Chen Annan an opportunity to redeem himself.

Summer vacation passed in a flash. A bottle of sparkling water taken from the fridge would, in under two minutes, bead with condensation like falling rain, just like the thunderstorms outside. Lu Qingyuan did practice problems at home. When the old residential buildings were soaked by water, they emitted a damp, musty smell that made the heart feel equally stuffy and restless.

The rain hadn’t completely stopped yet when the sun poked out from the edge of the clouds. The heat from the ground was all steamed upwards by the sun. Glaring puddles reflected the surrounding scenery. A car wheel crunched through one with a ‘clang,’ splashing dark, muddy water onto Chen Annan’s little white sneakers.

Chen Annan stood before the two-story western-style house, his mouth agape, unable to close it for a long time.

Xie Xi’s house was huge. Near the embassy district on West Beijing Road, the two-story standalone western-style house was concealed by towering French plane trees and covered in climbing ivy.

After the rain, the air was stifling and damp. But inside Xie Xi’s house, it was completely different. The air conditioner hummed, pouring out cold air, as if slicing through the muggy atmosphere, letting in fresh, crisp air that was incredibly pleasant.

The housekeeper gave them each a cone of ice cream.

Chen Annan licked his ice cream into a tiny pagoda shape. After thinking it over, he finally said to Xie Xi, “From now on, I won’t call you ‘Little Bro’ anymore.”

Xie Xi had cream smeared all over his mouth. “Huh? Why? Did I do something wrong to you?”

“Because I already have a Brother at home,” Chen Annan didn’t quite know how to explain. “Everyone can only have one Brother.”

Xie Xi didn’t understand, but he felt the statement made a lot of sense. Because he also only had one Brother, and his Brother was much older, always abroad for university, only coming back once in a very long while.

Xie Xi’s big-brother itch hadn’t yet been satisfied. Reluctantly, he asked, “Are we still good friends?”

“Mm-hmm,” Chen Annan said.

“So, can good friends use the ‘Little Bro’ nickname?” Xie Xi asked.

Chen Annan was stumped by the question. He frowned his little brows in thought, licking his ice cream clean and smooth, unsure how to answer.

But then Xie Xi seemed to suddenly think of something. His eyes instantly lit up, and he leaned right into Chen Annan’s face, excited. “What if I change my name to ‘Little Bro’? That way, you can still call me Little Bro!” He raised an eyebrow at Chen Annan. “Am I smart or what?”

Chen Annan scratched his head, feeling something wasn’t quite right. After thinking for a long time, he said with admiration, “Wow! Xie Xi, you’re so smart.”