Guardian: Returns

2

"Ge," Jiang Xin Bai smiled, seeing his brother up and fully dressed. "How are you feeling?"

"Back to normal, Didi." Jiang Feng frowned and fixed his glasses. "What happened? You're flushed. Did someone bully you? How can you let them-"

"No, it's not it. I ran a little bit. There was this... student. He made me run from the principal."

"Are you in trouble already?"

"No, trust me. This school. I don't know. Things can be fun there."

"Fun?" Jiang Feng reached and touched his brother's forehead. "Did you hit your head?"

"Ugh, stop that. I'm serious. The people I met seem to be... not bad. I'll show you around. Now to the more pressing matter."

"Which is?"

"Ge, I'm starving. I forgot to take my lunchbox with me today." Xin Bai pouted like a small child. His brother patted him on the head.

"You are already sixteen. How can you be so forgetful."

"Sorry, Ge... Have you eaten?"

"No, I was waiting for you. Come."

They were sitting in a spacious kitchen, slowly eating dinner.

"Ge? When is Uncle Ming coming back?"

"In a couple of days. He left us some money to buy the food."

"And by some, you mean..."

"I think it would be enough to buy a small car."

They both sighed. Their uncle was a good man, and he took care of the boys in the only way he knew how to. Their first year after the accident was the toughest. With constant trips to the hospitals, Feng's migraines and Xin Bai's sudden change in demeanour, the man was doing his best to keep the boys alive and drag them both far from depression. He organized trips, bought books, sent them to all kinds of extracurricular activities to keep their minds busy. However, as an old bachelor, he had no idea how to treat small kids. So he treated them like adults and made sure they had everything they needed, always fearing he wasn't giving enough.

 As a successful businessman, he travelled a lot and took the twins with him whenever he could. Unfortunately, his constant trips abroad meant that the boys were often left completely alone for days. Both brothers kept to themselves, trying not to worry him nor each other. Jiang Feng's migraines were scary enough. And Xin Bai...

After he had woken up in the hospital three days after the accident, he would only cry. The moment he saw his brother, he jumped out of bed and fell to his knees.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Gege," he wailed. It took him a week to calm down. Since then, he had always been distant, silent, often lost in thoughts.

Jiang Feng cleaned the dishes and looked at his brother, who was once more lost to the world.

"Didi. Want to sleep in my room tonight?"

Xin Bai looked up with a hopeful smile. "Can I?"

"Sure thing. I preferred when we shared one room. Those large rooms we have now make me feel..."

"Lonely?"

"Yeah."

"Don't worry, Ge. I believe that quite soon, you will stop feeling that way."

Jiang Feng looked at his twin suspiciously. "What did you do?"

"Me? Nothing!" the younger sibling's face was all innocence. "I just think that you'll make some friends at school."