Grandma Song's reaction was akin to a mouse meeting a cat when she spotted Wei Qian; her face bore an expression of impending doom.
With a leap that seemed to defy gravity, Grandma Song launched herself in front of Wei Qian, brandishing a piece of paper she had picked up from the ground, and shouted at the top of her lungs, "Look at this! Absolutely outrageous! What kind of person is this? Are all the products of your education system such shameless scoundrels? You tell me who this is, and I'll have a word with them!"
Wei Qian took the paper and skimmed through it, finding it utterly absurd.
Without a doubt, what Grandma Song handed over was a love letter.
As for how Grandma Song, who couldn't read, discerned this, credit must be given to the letter's creator, who ingeniously crafted it to resemble a primary school teacher's typical "class newspaper" layout.
At the top was a gigantic title "For Xiao Bao," encircled in some crude hand-drawn vines, each segment colored with watercolor as if attempting to mimic a neon light effect.
In the bottom left corner was a large heart pierced by an arrow, while on the right were two figures, one male and one female...
Grandma Song pointed at the two figures, flaring up like an angry hen, "Kissing each other!"
Compared to its elaborate form, the contents of the love letter were surprisingly straightforward, with just one line: "Song Lili, you are a beautiful girl, and I like you very much."
The cause and effect were laid out plainly, without any ambiguity.
Finally, perhaps to showcase some literary flair, the author, amidst the dizzying array of decorative edges, added two lines of ancient poetry, seemingly copied without much understanding, leaving one utterly puzzled.
On the left was "If you return someday, don't forget our meeting place, pour a cup of wine, and moisten the earth of my grave," while on the right was "Eternal as the heavens and the earth, yet sometimes fleeting, this sorrow lingers endlessly."
Well... this seemed more like a farewell.
Wei Qian knew he should maintain a serious demeanor, but he couldn't help but suppress a chuckle, his lips trembling between restraining laughter and bursting out; his expression, visually speaking, was probably closer to a smirk.
However, he couldn't help but recall the magazine he found in Xiao Yuan's room, and suddenly, he didn't have the heart to mock this "poetic expression of adolescent feelings."
He finally managed a wry smile, glancing at Wei Zhiyuan, and said to him, "Stop spectating here, go do whatever you need to do. As for you..."
He turned to Grandma Song.
Grandma Song roared, "Always messing around in school! I think you'd better drop out!"
Wei Qian stepped back, sighing, "Could you please calm down? You're spraying me with spit."
Grandma Song also realized her barrage was veering off course, immediately shifting her attention to the dejected Xiao Bao, continuing her tirade, "No, today you must give me an explanation. Are you here to study or to chase boys?"
In truth, Xiao Bao was quite innocent this time. She had no idea who this eccentric newspaper fanatic was. With her backpack slung over her shoulder, she was jostled around in school during dismissal, and someone slipped something into her bag when she wasn't looking. How could she have noticed?
Although her vanity and curiosity were piqued when she saw it, she considered her reaction to be within normal bounds, definitely not as exaggerated as Grandma made it out to be.
Despite Grandma wielding her broom knot to whack her, Xiao Bao wasn't afraid of the old lady; instead, she feared her older brother more. She glanced at Wei Qian's expression and explained in a subdued tone, "I really didn't know who put this in my bag."
Grandma Song insisted, "This can't be the first time! No, I'm going to your school to find your teachers."
Xiao Bao pleaded, "Oh Grandma, if you do that, I'll never be able to show my face at school again!"
Grandma Song's mouth, with its rapid opening and closing, bore a resemblance to the iron teeth of an Amazon piranha, her speech so swift that one couldn't catch her lip movements. "You think it's okay to neglect your studies and focus on romance? Let me tell you, Song Lili, in the past, this would be a matter of character. Character is serious business, you understand? Fool around too much, and the court will convict you!"
Xiao Bao was getting frustrated. "I already said I didn't do it!"
Grandma Song retorted, "Then why didn't someone else write this for you? Clearly, you're also at fault!"
Faced with her unreasonable grandmother, Xiao Bao couldn't help but blurt out recklessly, "He's chasing shadows, what do I know!"
Sharp as ever, Grandma Song caught onto her slip of the tongue. "Oh, you finally decided to tell the truth, huh? Chasing shadows? Found the right one, didn't you?"
Xiao Bao fell silent.
Whether speaking or writing, whenever she tried to use allusions, idioms, or proverbs, nine times out of ten, she got them wrong. She never thought it was a big deal, often jokingly attributing it to her creative use of language. But this time, she had creatively buried herself.
Seeing her lack of remorse, Grandma Song rolled up her sleeves, ready to resort to physical force, but Wei Qian calmly intervened, saying to Grandma, "You have to get up early tomorrow, right? Get some rest, and I'll talk to her... Alright, it's not that serious. Don't get yourself worked up into high blood pressure again—you, come with me."
Thanks to Wei Zhiyuan's influence, nothing seemed too serious in Wei Qian's eyes anymore.
With a resentful glance at the troublesome tabloid in her brother's hand, Xiao Bao made up her mind. She would find out who this idiotic author was and cut ties with them.
Entering what looked like her brother's bedroom but doubled as an office for disciplinary matters, Xiao Bao closed the door and launched into a detailed account of her day, providing reasonable speculation on how the embarrassing love letter ended up in her bag. Finally, she swore by the heavens to declare her innocence, "I'm not having an early romance! I really don't know what's going on, Grandma's just unfairly accusing me!"
Finishing her explanation, she anxiously observed her brother's reaction. "...Brother?"
Wei Qian had been keeping his head down as if listening to her, but Xiao Bao, knowing him well, knew he wouldn't be this patient. After a moment of silence, she realized he must have been lost in thought.
Summoned back to reality by her call, Wei Qian lifted his head abruptly and blurted out, "The one who wrote this for you, is it a guy?"
Thinking her ears were playing tricks on her, Xiao Bao couldn't help but stretch her neck, bewildered. "Huh?"
Wei Qian: "Was it a male classmate who wrote it for you?"
Xiao Bao felt like she had entered the wrong channel and inexplicably replied, "Th-that, it should be, right? What else could it be?"
Wei Qian sadly realized that he didn't feel any anger at all, and there was even a strange sense of relief, like a bizarre comfort of "Thank goodness, it's a guy."
He flicked his fingers, craving a cigarette again, then waved his hand weakly at Xiao Bao, "Alright, I understand. You can go now. If there's nothing, there's nothing. I believe you this time, but don't let it happen again."
And so, Xiao Bao was granted a pardon and released into the world. As she left, she noticed Wei Qian pulling out his cigarette box again. Pausing for a moment, she couldn't help but add, "Brother, the doctor said to smoke less. He also said your lungs are as smoked as a couple's lung slices."
Wei Qian grumbled impatiently, "Get lost already. You all try not to cause any trouble, so I can live a couple more years."
Wait a minute... what did he mean by "you all"?
Xiao Bao's ears perked up, feeling like she had just heard some incredible insider information—could it be that her brother, who was always gentle and frugal like a model in inspirational texts, had also gotten into trouble?
The thought filled her with indescribable jubilation, a certain schadenfreude bubbling up inside her.
Ever since Xiao Bao ran away from home once, she had become increasingly carefree... or rather, shameless. Seeing her brother let it slide, she quickly brightened up whenever there was a glimmer of sunshine.
This brightness in her heart was like the intestines of a bird, unable to hold back for too long.
The next day, which happened to be Saturday, Xiao Bao, upon Mrs. Xiong's recommendation, found a relatively professional dance teacher and started learning in earnest. So, early in the morning, she had to catch the bus to her teacher's place. She hitched a ride on Wei Zhiyuan's bike to the bus stop.
On the way, Xiao Bao couldn't resist teasing her dear brother.
Xiao Bao: "Brother, what trouble have you gotten into recently? Why don't you tell us and let everyone learn something new?"
Wei Zhiyuan realized his little sister was acting as a spy from the King faction to report on the situation. Keeping his composure, he dodged the question and changed the subject, "What could I have done? Did he not scold you last night?"
"Haha, not at all," Xiao Bao swayed in the backseat, "I was so scared last night, my legs were cramping up, but Brother was surprisingly easygoing."
Without waiting for Wei Zhiyuan to ask, she voluntarily recounted the whole incident from start to finish.
Xiao Bao concluded her remarks, "Actually, I think Brother was a bit off yesterday. He seemed absent-minded, and later he asked me a particularly funny question."
Wei Zhiyuan: "What did he ask you?"
Xiao Bao: "He asked me if the person who wrote me the love letter was a guy, and if not, then what? You can imagine how fresh that was... Ouch!"
Wei Zhiyuan's hands trembled on the handlebars, and the bike veered into a pothole by the roadside. Luckily, his excellent riding skills allowed him to stabilize the bike with a foot and ride out of it, ensuring that Xiao Bao didn't fall in.
Patting her chest with lingering fear, Xiao Bao asked, "You scared me! What were you doing, Brother?"
Wei Zhiyuan propped up the bike with his foot and simply said, "We're here. The bus is here, hurry up."
Xiao Bao looked and saw that the bus she needed to catch had just arrived at the station. Without further inquiry, she grabbed her backpack and jumped off the bike, sprinting away like an unleashed wild dog.
Wei Zhiyuan narrowly maintained his composure, but his palms were already soaked with sweat.
He suddenly understood the source of his brother's unusual behavior the day before, and he couldn't believe he had been so careless and dared to steal a kiss from him!
But... did his brother actually notice at the time?
The thought of his own oversight made Wei Zhiyuan's scalp tingle.
The question was, how did his brother find out in the end?
Something's not right.
In the following days, Wei Zhiyuan dared not make any rash moves. It wasn't until a week later that there was a notification from Mr. Zhang's side, stating that the pre-sale permit could be obtained within a month.
The three shareholders needed to gather for a phase of work soon. Wei Qian felt that he was almost recovered and rushed off to another city. It was only then that Wei Zhiyuan found his chance.
In the quiet of the night, Wei Zhiyuan sneaked into Wei Qian's room alone, thoroughly searching every nook and cranny. Finally, he found that damning magazine hidden at the bottom of a drawer.
Among the few books he had ever opened and flipped through, Wei Zhiyuan recognized it instantly.
Try as he might, Wei Zhiyuan couldn't understand how this thing had escaped his thorough searches, akin to a carpet search of his entire family line. Even more baffling was the coincidence that something he had searched his own territory for several times without success had somehow ended up in his brother's hands.
As he put everything back in place, a phrase flashed through Wei Zhiyuan's mind, perfectly describing his current mood—
Alas, Heaven has forsaken me, and I am innocent of this non-battle crime!
Wei Qian didn't return until it was time to submit his thesis. He hurriedly dropped by, completed the thesis defense, and then left again.
But this time, even though he was only back for two days, he actually brought gifts for everyone.
It's worth noting that "gifts" was never in Wei Qian's dictionary to begin with, so when Wei Zhiyuan took the basketball with a basketball star's signature on it, a name he wasn't interested in knowing, he was genuinely taken aback.
But as Wei Zhiyuan turned his head, he noticed his brother observing his reaction with a probing look. Reflexively, the young man put on a somewhat naive smile to reassure him, pretending to be pleasantly surprised and pleased.
At the same time, Wei Zhiyuan seemed to understand—his brother, somehow, believed he had taken the "wrong path" due to lack of love.
The continuous familial conflicts, apparent and hidden, seemed to have dealt a considerable blow to Wei Qian, as he attempted to improve his image as the authoritarian figure at home.
While Xiao Bao bounced around the house in the new clothes Wei Qian brought back, Wei Zhiyuan watched as his brother tried hard to force a smile despite his furrowed brows, attempting to portray a benevolent demeanor.
...Though he might have misunderstood the concept of "benevolence," as his expression looked more like "a smile with no warmth," as if he were ready to stand up at any moment and resume his usual sarcasm.
Xiao Bao had grown accustomed to her brother's coldness and sarcasm, always waiting for it, but this time, it never came. She couldn't get used to that.
Before Wei Qian left once again, Xiao Bao approached him, almost asking for a scolding, "Brother, why didn't you scold me last time you were back?"
Wei Qian: "What would I say about you? What did you do this time?"
Xiao Bao blurted out without thinking: "Oh, I failed my mid-term Chinese exam by one point, so I had to get my parents to sign, and Second Brother signed for me."
Wei Qian looked up at her with a heartache expression, and Xiao Bao suddenly realized what she had done, panicked, and covered her mouth in dismay.
It's easy to imagine that, due to Xiao Bao's relentless disruptions, Wei Qian's facade of "benevolence" eventually met a tragic end.
When Wei Qian had leisure time to return again, it was already the end of the year, transitioning from midsummer to the year's end. Their residential project's pre-sale had been packaged by Mr. Zhang to a high standard. As autumn passed, only some finishing touches remained to be done. With the coming of spring in the new year, they could immediately inspect the project, and sales were nearly completed.
They invested 30 million initially, and Old Bear managed to bring in over 10 million more later on. In total, they invested over 40 million, and from the current situation, they had basically doubled their investment.
Old Bear was as happy as a lark, returning with Wei Qian and San Pang in high spirits.
They barely managed to hop over the threshold, but eventually, they crossed it.
On the day they returned, Old Bear stood tall and proud, feeling emotional as he said to San Pang and Wei Qian, "You two have really made me proud this time. I can hold my head up high in front of my wife from now on! From now on... sigh, I won't expect her to greet me like those Japanese women with slippers ready every day. At least give me a few smiles, isn't that fair? This is how real men should live!"
San Pang and Wei Qian both turned their faces away at the same time—how embarrassing!
Old Bear: "Alright, we've made a good start in life, us brothers. Everyone's been working hard lately. Let's take a few days off at home to rest, and we'll celebrate this weekend! Oh, Wei Qian, dress nicely. Your sister-in-law has been wanting to introduce you to someone."
San Pang's eyes lit up: "Boss Bear, what about me?"
Old Bear patted his stomach: "I'll introduce you to an advertising agency. You can star in a special effects weight loss pill commercial—40 million! Just 40 million! Lose ten pounds like a dream! No refunds even if it doesn't work..."
When Wei Qian arrived home in the afternoon, Grandma Song greeted him: "You're back! What do you want to eat? Grandma will make it for you."
Just as Wei Qian was about to respond after setting down his things, he saw Wei Zhi Yuan's door open. His increasingly worrisome yet increasingly challenging younger brother flashed him a warm smile: "Brother."
Wei Qian paused for a moment, then reacted: "Hey, why are you at home? Aren't you supposed to be at school?"
Grandma Song chimed in: "He won several awards in competitions! Oh, I don't understand what awards they were, but they're definitely first place, right, Xiao Yuan? Just like you, he doesn't have to take the college entrance exam. Ah, we need to celebrate this grandly!"
"Then it's a raging forest fire." Wei Qian turned to Wei Zhi Yuan. "When did this happen? Why didn't you tell me?"
Grandma Song continued: "This kid said you were busy and didn't want to bother you with such trivial matters... Ai, this child, is this a trivial matter? Back in our hometown, we would have thrown a feast for this!"
As Wei Zhi Yuan bent down to help Wei Qian carry the suitcase into the house, he casually said, "It wasn't a big deal."
Wei Qian couldn't help but feel a pang of bitterness at how indifferent he seemed. What made him even more bitter was that Wei Zhi Yuan, of all people...
Speaking of which, did he ever get over that issue of his?
While helping him unpack, Wei Qian casually tested him: "You've graduated from high school now, you're practically an adult. From now on, I won't interfere with what you want to do... Hmm, getting a girlfriend is also okay."
Wei Zhiyuan reached out towards a pile of scattered paper documents, but as soon as he heard that, his hand dropped mid-air, landing squarely on Wei Qian's back of the hand. "Brother, I don't plan on finding a girlfriend," he said.
Wei Qian's heart tightened.
Wei Zhiyuan glanced up at him, his eyes profound, as if hiding a world of depth within them. After a moment of silence, he withdrew his hand, giving a very healthy and uplifting reason: "Isn't studying and gaining more professional experience more important? Time is precious, and I don't want to start dating so early."
Wei Qian nodded with subdued emotion, feeling a bit of stomachache: things weren't settled yet, troubling indeed.
Meanwhile, Wei Zhiyuan lowered his eyes, somewhat melancholy, thinking to himself: He didn't even react at all when I touched his hand like that. Does he not even consider it? Troubling indeed.
In the evening, Xiao Bao came back clamoring for gifts as soon as he returned home.
Wei Qian self-mockingly smiled, "Fine, gave it once, next time you'll figure it out yourself—thrown it on your bed, go see for yourself."
Song Xiao Bao was overjoyed.
Song Grandma couldn't help but ask, "Why so late today? Have you eaten?"
"I did, had dinner with Lulu Sister. Oh, and I saw Old Xiong too. He seemed to have some problem today, came home with a pouty belly, lips pursed, looking like a rich landlord. Then Lulu Sister flicked her hand and told him 'go cook', and in a second, Old Bear turned into a laborer, slinked off to wash vegetables and cook."
"Lulu Sister" referred to Old bears wife, Old bears wife's name was Chen Lu, her name sounded fresh, reminiscent of a bud awaiting the first light of dawn.
But...names could be deceiving.
"Lulu Sister is doing well. But she told me today, 'Xiao Bao, you're seventeen, I'm thirty-four, I have two kids your age, don't slickly call me sister like them, call me godmother instead'...Oh my! This looks really nice, thank you, Brother—then I said to her, 'Hahaha, sister, don't tease, isn't that like skipping a generation? You indirectly took advantage of my brother!'"
This girl's way of talking, while taking off her coat and changing shoes, then running to her own room to see the gift, seamlessly continuing her narrative, with a series of actions and background sounds, she became another chatterbox in the family after Grandma Song, there was hardly any room for others to interject. She alone could perform a solo drama of love and hate.
At first, it sounded quite endearing, but later on, Wei Qian wished he could sew up her incessant chatter.
In the blink of an eye, it was the weekend. Wei Qian first accompanied his squawking sister out to buy a new pair of dancing shoes, then took his love-starved brother to the community center to play a one-on-one basketball game—though it later turned into Wei Zhiyuan accompanying him. Wei Qian's skills were just not there, his time spent playing with peers almost zero, his only exposure to basketball during his student days limited to a few physical education classes.
In all his activities, he was only truly adept at street fighting, yet he spent his days confined to an office in a suit and tie, suspecting that even his sole proficiency might wither away after a few years.
Of course, that wasn't important. What mattered was that Wei Qian hoped to spend more time with Wei Zhiyuan, to better understand what was going on in his mind.
After a fulfilling day, Wei Qian attended Old Bear's banquet in the evening.
Old Bear's wife didn't show up, citing some last-minute business, and the matchmaking matter was naturally left unresolved... Wei Qian inexplicably breathed a sigh of relief.
He suspected Old Bear had been too cocky at home and was given a good scolding by his wife, looking particularly haggard, with swollen eyes.
Throughout the evening, only San Pang cracked jokes. Old Bear's spirits remained low, and he ended up drinking too much.
Even when drunk, Old Bear didn't make a scene. He silently sat on the side, as if his ears had stopped working, ignoring everyone.
As the event ended, San Pang nudged him, "Brother Bear, can I call a cab for you? With this much booze, will your wife let you in the door? How about finding a hotel to crash for the night?"
With a shove from San Pang, Old Bear toppled over to the other side, bumping into Wei Qian.
Wei Qian was taken aback, but the next moment, Old Bear grabbed his coat and covered his own face, bursting into uncontrollable tears without warning.
He cried bitterly, his cries rending hearts, until his voice became hoarse, almost inhuman, an indescribable and unbearable wail from the depths of his soul.
Both Wei Qian and San Pang were stunned.
They waited until he cried himself into exhausted sleep before they together carried Old Bear to a nearby hotel for the night, contemplating countless tragic possibilities—bankruptcy, terminal illness, loss of parents, being cuckolded, and so on.
Anxious and uneasy the whole night, they were surprised to find the next morning that he had no recollection whatsoever.
Apparently, crying when drunk was his personal trademark. Feeling their concern had been wasted, both San Pang and Wei Qian, indignant, joined forces to give him a beating before going their separate ways.
Wei Qian had to deal with Wei Zhiyuan's headache. He decided that even if it meant a prolonged tug-of-war, he would pull this lad back from the wrong path.
This was a battle.