In 2011, two major events happened in the family.
The first: a professor from the School of Law personally took an interest in the pervert’s case. Since Lu Qingyuan hadn’t obtained his legal professional qualification certificate yet, he could only audit the trial. The courthouse was right across from Nanjing University. The case proceeded very smoothly—the other party’s appeal was rejected, and the original verdict of the first trial was upheld.
Lu Qingyuan published insightful commentary on this case in the journal Modern Law Science. It was brilliantly written.
Beneath those standard rhetoric phrases, his own substance always seeped through. Not forceful, yet possessing the persistence and tenacity of water dripping through stone. This quality earned him great admiration from his advisor.
Almost without any surprise, Lu Qingyuan received the university scholarship. Now, his scholarship combined with the money he earned from odd jobs had finally reached his ideal amount of savings!
The second event: Chen Annan was truly planning to take the exam and go to Beijing!
Lu Qingyuan selected a few decent art schools for him. If he was willing to work hard, and with Xiao Qingxiang pulling some strings, getting in wouldn’t be a problem.
Initially, Chen Annan was unwilling. Like most kids here, his idea was simply to attend a school close to home, which would have been perfectly satisfying.
What changed his mind was a very small incident.
Ge Manman came to Nanjing to visit.
Thunderstorms had swept through for days. The street-side flowers were beaten limp by the rain. Only the aged sycamore trees at the intersection still flourished, standing tall. They were rooted here, as if this had been their domain for centuries, patrolling the passersby.
A thunderstorm trapped the two of them inside the museum.
Bean-sized raindrops smacked loudly against the glass windows. The humidity in the air was so stifling it felt like mildew would grow on one’s heart.
Luckily, the museum’s air conditioning was strong. It was like cutting a slit into the damp air, letting a dry, refreshing atmosphere seep in. Chen Annan bought two cans of cola from the vending machine, barely reviving them both.
“Your Nanjing and Suzhou seem pretty much the same,” Ge Manman said.
Chen Annan nodded in agreement. “Right? All the tourist spots are pretty similar now. The snack streets are all one-to-one replicas.”
“Such bad luck. Rain every day I’ve been here. We can only tour indoor spots,” Ge Manman said, sitting down on a rest bench. “So, the Gaokao next year, do you have any ideas yet?”
Chen Annan sat down with one chair between them and said, “No clue. I’ll probably stay in Nanjing.”
Ge Manman laughed. “I originally wanted to go to the Shanghai Conservatory of Music. Close to home. You know, around here, everyone cares about being close to home. Even going to Shanghai, my mom thought it was too far.”
“So you don’t want to go anymore?” Chen Annan asked.
Ge Manman stared straight ahead, her posture casual. “Not going there anymore. I’m preparing to go to Beijing.”
Chen Annan paused. Truthfully, at that moment, he didn’t understand what was so great about Beijing. Why did everyone want to go there? He thought staying close to home was great—familiar people, familiar friends.
“Why do you all want to go to Beijing so badly?” Chen Annan asked.
“Ha, because my girlfriend is planning to go,” Ge Manman said. “We made a pact: if we can’t get into the same school, we go our separate ways. But I don’t want to part ways with her, so I’m going to work hard and get in.”
A layer of confusion rose in Chen Annan’s eyes. “Why does not going to the same school mean going separate ways? Can’t you have a long-distance relationship?”
“Dummy,” Ge Manman chuckled softly. “If people walk in different directions, the scenery they see naturally differs. She’ll meet people who understand Chopin better than I do. I can’t just tie her down with a rope, can I? University life is rich and colorful. Since I like her so much, naturally, I should work hard and move in her direction.”
Troubled, Chen Annan said, “But schools in Beijing are so hard to get into.”
“So if it’s hard, you just don’t try? You haven’t even given it your all, and you already know you can’t make it?” Ge Manman said. “You know, when you like someone, you want to give them everything, all the best you have. If I can’t even do that, then what right do I have to say I like her?”
“My Debussy Etudes used to be a complete mess. Now they’ve improved, haven’t they?” Saying this, she shot Chen Annan a smug glance. “Hey, Student Chen Annan, you gotta work hard.”
Chen Annan was infected by her smile. “Then I’ll go to Beijing too!”
“Let’s go together, then.”
“So the next time we meet, we’ll meet in Beijing.”
“Sure, see you in Beijing.”
At this point, the two exchanged a knowing smile.
The weather today was truly strange. Just moments ago, it was thunder and rain, without a single ray of light. Now, an evening glow emerged, dyeing the horizon in deep and shallow shades of orange-red. The pale gray clouds retreated from the sunlight, and the orange sunlight was as clear as amber.
Ge Manman’s eyes reflected that golden light. She said, “Hey, the rain stopped. Let’s go to the next spot.”
Chen Annan tossed his empty cola can into the trash, smiling as he said, “Okay.”
Ge Manman only stayed for three days before heading back. Before she left, Chen Annan saw her off at the train station, listening to the train’s long whistle carry his good friend away. Then he got up and went home.
At night, Chen Annan lay in bed, eyes open, staring at the pitch-black ceiling, listening to Lu Qingyuan’s long, steady breathing in his ear—sometimes soft, sometimes heavy. After a while, he turned on his side and quietly gazed at the figure before him.
His brother had been very tired lately from studying. He knew that.
Hearing the rustle of him turning over, Lu Qingyuan, still half-asleep, reached out and patted his back, keeping a rhythm as if lulling him to sleep. But soon, the strength in that hand gradually stilled.
Clingy, Chen Annan burrowed into his arms, a surge of emotion rising in him so strong it almost moved him to tears.
This person was his older brother. A brother separated by a layer of blood relation.
He was only four years his senior, yet he was like his little father, taking care of him with all his heart and soul. He remembered when he got sick in winter, it was his brother who carried him to the hospital. Back then, his brother was barely nine years old.
Later, when school started, he was slow-witted, got poor grades, and lacked any ambition. He’d often come home with scores of thirty or forty. His brother only ever taught him patiently, secretly helping him sign his papers.
His brother had always taken excellent care of him.
Even later, when he grew a bit older, his brother still chose a school close to home for his sake, even living at home—washing his clothes, knitting him scarves, tending to his every daily need.
His brother never said nice things out loud, but his love nourished every single day of their silent growth.
They were both inconspicuous seeds in this city, growing in this narrow, small patch of soil, drawing nutrients from the city, and under the refining rain, sprouting tender green shoots.
Though their bloodlines were different, their roots and stems were intertwined.
Chen Annan finally told everyone his decision. Lu Wenyuan was overjoyed, exclaiming that his cub had actually become so ambitious! They absolutely had to celebrate properly!
So, he booked a private room at the Jinling Hotel and truly threw an early celebration for the two kids.
But on the day of the dinner, Lu Qingyuan’s expression was unexpectedly grim. Chen Annan also kept his head down the whole time. The atmosphere was momentarily awkward.
Lu Wenyuan couldn’t figure out what was going on, but matters between kids had their own solutions. The relationship between the two at home now no longer allowed him to meddle.
The meal wasn’t enjoyable. Back home, the two retreated to their respective rooms.
Lu Qingyuan read in his room, while Chen Annan practiced the piano in the room downstairs.
Soon after, the piano stopped. The sound of footsteps gradually approached on the stairs and stopped outside the bedroom door. Lu Qingyuan deliberately rustled the pages of his book loudly and turned his study audio to maximum volume.
Those footsteps paused for a moment, then departed.
Lu Qingyuan’s pen point, resting on the paper, halted. From the corner of his eye, he glanced toward the door and saw a small note slipped underneath.
He picked up the note. The graceful handwriting was clearly Chen Annan’s: Can you come to the terrace for a sec? Pretty please, pretty please >_<
A slight smile tugged at the corner of Lu Qingyuan’s mouth, but he suppressed it. He tucked the note into his book, then adjusted his expression in the mirror before pushing the door open.
When Lu Qingyuan reached the rooftop, he didn’t see anyone, but he could see Lu Wenyuan loosening soil in the yard outside.
The summer night breeze was still hot and humid. Just as he was about to turn around, a hand suddenly and silently reached out from behind, covering his eyes. “Guess who I am?”
“Not guessing,” Lu Qingyuan said coldly.
“Guess, just guess,” Chen Annan urged. “If you guess right, I’ll pluck a star for you.”
“You’re Chen Annan.”
“Bingo! Correct, you get a reward!” Chen Annan laughed, pulling out a large glass jar from a spot he’d prepared earlier. It was stuffed full with paper stars, in all sorts of colors.
He handed the jar to Lu Qingyuan, saying, “These are all stars I plucked. Took me quite a few days.”
Lu Qingyuan was still angry about the events from a few days ago. He didn’t take the jar. He just said, “Chen Annan, are you a child or what?”
Chen Annan let out a soft “Ah,” his lashes dropping, masking the disappointment in his eyes.
He just wanted to cheer his brother up.
Lu Qingyuan said nothing. Watching the kid before him already starting to pout, he had no choice but to take the jar. He said, “Chen Annan, you don’t even know why I was angry, do you?”
Pitifully, Chen Annan said, “You don’t like anyone liking me.”
“…” Lu Qingyuan felt helpless at his bizarre train of thought. He beckoned him over. “Come, come here.”
Chen Annan didn’t move. In his line of sight, those black shoes were slowly approaching him.
Lu Qingyuan said to him seriously, “It’s a good thing that people like you. But when you received a love letter last time, not only did you not tell me, you secretly hid it from me, afraid I would see. That was wrong. Do you understand?”
Falteringly, Chen Annan said, “But… I hid it because I was afraid you’d be angry if you saw it.”
“If you had just openly shown it to me, I wouldn’t have been angry at all. It’s the sneaky hiding, the lying, that makes me angry.” Lu Qingyuan was exasperated. Usually, this kid was quite sensitive, so why did he become dull about such matters?
“I care about you, that’s why I get mad when you lie. Understand?”
Chen Annan made another “Oh” sound. “So, are you still angry now?”
Lu Qingyuan asked back, “Do you know where you went wrong?”
“Yes.”
Lu Qingyuan stepped forward and said, “Then let me ask you: If a handsome guy, or a beautiful girl, offered to treat you to ice cream, what would you do?”
Chen Annan’s eyes shot up. “I’d want two scoops!”
“…” Lu Qingyuan pinched his cheek. “You should refuse him—or her. Unprovoked kindness is often laced with ill intent. Got it?”
Covering his cheek, Chen Annan mumbled, “Got it, got it. Pinch lighter, alright.”
Lu Qingyuan asked again, “And… if a classmate said to you, ‘Chen Annan, let’s go to a concert together this weekend,’ what would you do?”
“Oh—!” A lightbulb went off for Chen Annan.
Lu Qingyuan’s gaze followed his movements.
“I know this one!” Chen Annan said excitedly. “If it’s not a Jay Chou concert, I’m not going! If it is, I’ll grab the tickets!”
“Chen Annan!” Lu Qingyuan grabbed his face, pulling it outward. “Is your heart made of fickle weeds? Why do you go running off with anyone who’s a little nice to you?”
“Ow, ow, ow, ow—” Chen Annan hissed.
Lu Qingyuan said, annoyed, “How can you sneak off on dates with others behind my back? Any friends of yours that I don’t know—if anyone invites you out, you’re not allowed to go. They just want to secretly take you out and deepen their feelings. Understand? You still have to refuse them!”
“Fine,” Chen Annan said, rubbing his face pitifully. “Not even guys?”
Lu Qingyuan reiterated firmly, “No! You’re so good-looking; do you think only girls would like you? Please, for my sake, use your head a little, okay?”
As he spoke, he bent his knuckle and lightly tapped Chen Annan on the forehead. “Remember that clearly!”
“Remembered, remembered,” Chen Annan muttered. “Little Lu sure gets pickier with age.”
“If one day, someone says to you, ‘Little Student Chen, you sing so beautifully,’ showering you with praise, and then asks you to sing a song for them—what should you do then?” Lu Qingyuan asked.
Without a second thought, Chen Annan grasped the principle. “Refuse him!”
Lu Qingyuan was very satisfied with this answer. He nodded and then asked, “And what if it’s me?”
“Refuse!”
“Chen Annan—” Lu Qingyuan yanked him over, fiercely rubbing his face. He squished Chen Annan’s cheeks so hard his mouth puckered out. “Do I even exist in your head? Huh?”
Chen Annan’s words were all garbled beneath his tongue as he nodded frantically. “Yesyesyesyesyes.”
“Yes, my foot.” Lu Qingyuan let go. “If you get it wrong one more time, I’m not talking to you for the rest of today.”
Chen Annan said, “But it’s already 11:59 PM.”
“…” Lu Qingyuan was thoroughly conquered by him.
There were no chairs on the rooftop, so both simply sat on the ground. The Nanjing summer was too hard to endure. The crow-blue sky pressed down; even at night, it was as hot as a steamer.
Chen Annan scratched his arm. “Brother, the mosquitoes keep biting me.”
“Let me see.” Lu Qingyuan grabbed his arm, examining it carefully in front of him. Indeed, a few small bumps had been bitten, all scratched red.
He said, “Go back and put some floral water on it.”
Chen Annan didn’t move. He stared at his brother’s profile, watching the moonlight trace the outline of his face—clean and handsome.
Lu Qingyuan seemed to sense that gaze. He also turned his face to look at Chen Annan. The kid blinked at him; his thick lashes, illuminated by the light, were like two butterfly wings resting on his lower eyelids.
Their breathing involuntarily drew closer. Chen Annan closed his eyes, tilting his head slightly.
Lu Qingyuan took off his glasses and leaned in.
Hot breaths intertwined. Their thin lips were just about to touch when Chen Annan suddenly heard a noise.
Immediately after, Lu Wenyuan’s voice came from the terrace entrance: “What are you two doing up here?”
