My brother has been acting really strange lately, unbelievably so.
In the cafeteria of Changcheng No.1 High School, Lin Wan sat at a stainless steel table in the corner, absentmindedly poking at the rice grains in her bowl with her chopsticks.
She had little appetite.
Although her brother often used to work late, the feeling he gave her these days was completely different.
He seemed utterly exhausted, as if he had been drained dry; she had never seen him like this before.
Lin Wan could even smell a faint perfume lingering on her brother recently. The fragrance was rich, so out of place in their world, it hardly seemed real.
Suddenly, a lively girl’s voice rang out.
“Wanwan! Why are you sitting here daydreaming all by yourself?”
Qin Qing skillfully navigated through the crowd with her meal tray and plopped down on the seat opposite Lin Wan.
Her tray was piled high, which was just her style.
“Qin Qing?”
Lin Wan lifted her head, looking at her friend, wanting to say something but hesitating. In the end, she only let out a soft sigh.
“It’s nothing, just… I don’t really have an appetite.”
Lin Wan forced a small smile.
Qin Qing tilted her head and looked her over carefully. “Come on, it’s written all over your face that something’s on your mind. Did someone bully you again?”
Her eyes instantly turned sharp.
“Was it Li Shasha again?”
“No, no!” Lin Wan quickly waved her hands, “No one’s bullying me, really. I don’t know what’s up with Li Shasha, but she treats me like she treats God these days. She stopped bothering me a long time ago…”
“Then what’s wrong?”
“It’s… it’s my brother.”
“Your brother?” Qin Qing frowned. “What’s wrong with him?”
Lin Wan fell silent for a moment. In front of her best friend, it was hard to hide her feelings completely.
“He… he’s been really strange lately.”
Lin Wan looked up, “Recently, there have been a lot of things at home that only girls use—whether it’s clothes or perfume. Qin Qing, I’m scared… I’m afraid my brother is going down the wrong path.”
Lin Wan’s voice started to choke.
Her brother was her only support. She couldn’t imagine what she would do if something happened to him.
Qin Qing didn’t say anything. She reached out and held Lin Wan’s slightly cold hand.
“Wanwan.” Qin Qing’s voice was calm, but soothing. “Don’t scare yourself. Lin Luan isn’t that kind of person. He always has his reasons for whatever he does.”
“But…”
“But what? He’s your brother! If anything happened to him, what would you do? He would never leave you alone—trust your brother.”
“You’re right…” Lin Wan nodded gently as she listened to Qin Qing’s firm words, “Yeah… You’re right. He should be fine.”
“Exactly!” Qin Qing grinned and changed the subject. “Eat up, eat up! We’ve got P.E. class this afternoon!”
She picked up the chicken drumstick from her own bowl and dropped it into Lin Wan’s.
“Come on, eat!”
Then she started eating heartily herself.
Lin Wan looked at the drumstick in her bowl and whispered a soft thank you, then began to eat as well.
However, under her lowered eyelids, Qin Qing’s gaze was lost in thought.
Only a bookworm like Lin Wan would be so naive, believing whatever was said… Was it because Lin Luan had protected her too well?
The respectful tone, the expensive perfume, the mysterious women’s things, and Lin Luan’s obvious exhaustion lately…
All of it pointed in one direction, too obviously.
While eating, Qin Qing’s fingers unconsciously tightened around her chopsticks.
He must be doing it for money—trying to please some wealthy woman.
Just like those men on TV who find themselves a rich patron.
Qin Qing could hardly imagine that the Lin Luan who had once protected her without hesitation from bullies would now show such a humble attitude to someone else.
She quickly glanced at Lin Wan, who finally seemed at ease as she started eating.
No, she definitely couldn’t let Wanwan know her guess.
Qin Qing chewed her food with force, but it tasted like wax in her mouth.
The day passed quickly, and before she knew it, class was over.
After saying goodbye to Lin Wan, Qin Qing walked home alone with her backpack.
She kicked a stone by the roadside, sinking into a strange, low mood.
Lin Luan… would even sell his body for his little sister?
Most of her low spirits were due to worry, but… deep inside, Qin Qing also felt an inexplicable jealousy.
She was jealous that Lin Luan would go this far for Lin Wan.
When she opened the door, her mother, Liu Minghui’s, loud laughter drifted from the living room.
“Oh, it’s Chanel’s latest collection, of course! I’m telling you, the cut, the texture—no way anyone else will have the same outfit…”
Liu Minghui was reclining on the sofa, admiring her new manicure, her phone sandwiched between her shoulder and cheek as she chatted animatedly with a friend on the other end.
Qin Qing changed her shoes, tossed her backpack carelessly at the entrance, and went to the living room to pour herself a glass of water.
She deliberately made some noise in front of her mother.
“Qingqing’s home? Make yourself something to eat.”
Liu Minghui waved her hand absently, then kept chatting into her phone, “Yes, I’m planning to check out that Hermès bag tomorrow—it’ll go perfectly with my new dress!”
Qin Qing’s fingers tightened around her glass.
“Yes, yes, that’s the one…”
Liu Minghui didn’t hear her daughter calling her.
In that moment, all the grievances Qin Qing had bottled up exploded.
“Mom!” Qin Qing suddenly raised her voice, interrupting Liu Minghui’s call.
Liu Minghui jumped, hurriedly told her friend “I’ll call you back,” and put down the phone to look at her daughter.
“What’s with you, child? Why are you so sudden?”
“Can’t you stop making phone calls?” Qin Qing’s voice trembled uncontrollably.
Liu Minghui was taken aback.
“What’s wrong… Are you upset about something? Is your allowance not enough? Should Mom give you a bit more?”
“You don’t understand anything!” Qin Qing’s eyes reddened all of a sudden, “Can you stop talking about money! Can you just look at me for once!”
Liu Minghui paused, then went over to touch her daughter’s forehead. “What’s wrong? Are you feverish?”
“No!” Qin Qing brushed her mother’s hand away, her voice thick with tears.
“Ever since Dad divorced you, all you do is go shopping! Every time I want to talk seriously with you, you’re busy talking about clothes and handbags!”
Qin Qing’s parents had divorced when she was very young. During their marriage, the two of them worked hard to buy several buildings, becoming landlords and achieving financial freedom.
But they soon realized they weren’t right for each other, so they divorced peacefully.
In other words, Qin Qing came from a single-parent family. All the things she’d told Lin Wan at parent-teacher meetings were lies.
“I wanted so badly to be a reliable grown-up, just because you never were! Can’t you… Can’t you just, even just once, care about me like a real mother?!”
Just like Lin Luan cared about Lin Wan!
The last sentence caught in Qin Qing’s throat, left unsaid.
Ever since her parents’ divorce, Qin Qing had never felt parental love.
She could only keep fooling herself, pretending she’d seen through the world’s warmth and coldness, until even she believed she was a mature adult.
That’s right, she didn’t need her parents’ company—she was a reliable grown-up now.
But ever since Lin Luan had saved her that day, she realized the small adult inside her had been shattered long ago. She was just a child all along.
Liu Minghui was stunned, staring at her daughter’s tear-streaked face.
She’d always thought she’d given her daughter the best material conditions, enough pocket money, nice clothes—what more could she need?
After all, in her world, problems solvable with money weren’t real problems, and money really had solved most of her life’s troubles.
But now, it was clear she’d been wrong.
Completely wrong.
She watched Qin Qing’s trembling shoulders as she cried, seeing the helplessness there.
Guilt welled up in Liu Minghui’s heart.
She had been absorbed in shopping and socializing to fill the emptiness after her divorce, neglecting the fact that her daughter was quietly growing up, needing someone to fill her own spiritual world.
She slowly stood up, walked over to Qin Qing, her eyes showing a rare trace of panic.
“Qingqing…” she said softly, reaching out to hold her daughter’s hand, “I’m sorry… Mom… Mom didn’t know…”
“From now on, Mom will pay more attention to you… Let’s skip class tomorrow and go to the amusement park together, okay?”
The words came out a bit awkward.
Qin Qing lifted her tearful eyes, seeing the earnest, struggling-to-understand expression on her mother’s face.
She could sense her mother’s desire to make amends, but… going to the amusement park really wasn’t something that would make her happy anymore.
She shook her head, saying nothing, but didn’t push her mother away. Instead, she stepped forward and gently leaned into Liu Minghui’s embrace, burying her face in her mother’s perfumed shoulder.
This quiet hug made Liu Minghui more flustered than any tantrum.
She instinctively hugged her daughter tightly, patting her back gently, just like when Qin Qing was a little girl.
But now, Qin Qing was no longer a child, and Liu Minghui could clearly feel that the child in her arms had grown up.
The living room was silent. Liu Minghui held her daughter close, her heart in turmoil.
What should she say? What should she do? Apart from spending money and providing material things, she’d never really learned how to truly accompany and guide a child through adolescence.
After all—
She couldn’t just gossip and chat about the latest fashion like she did with her girlfriends, could she?
This sense of helplessness left her a little lost.
At that moment, a figure flashed inexplicably through her mind.
That boy who was so mature it was heartbreaking.
Right, Lin Luan!
He was young enough to understand how someone Qin Qing’s age thought, but had already taken on family responsibilities, possessing a maturity and steadiness beyond his years.
He would know how to talk to kids their age, know what they truly needed.
Liu Minghui tightened her hold on her daughter, quickly making up her mind.
She had to find a chance to ask Lin Luan for some advice.
She lowered her head, looking at her daughter, who quietly leaned on her, and whispered:
“It’s alright, Qingqing. If you don’t want to talk, you don’t have to. Mom is right here with you.”