Wei Qian had no interest in what was in Wei Zhiyuan's room.

Wei Zhiyuan's increasingly frail character once worried him, but he still believed that the boy was already that old and should know his limits in everything.

In Wei Qian's eyes, Xiaobao and Xiaoyuan are always different.

Song Xiaobao is a girl after all, so it is difficult for Wei Qian to understand her. She looks too young and her personality is not very mature. Wei Qian sometimes knows that she can barely be considered a grown-up girl, and at least she knows how to look good and should not say and scold as freely as she did when she was a child, but he can't help but treat her as a child.

This problem does not exist for Wei Zhiyuan.

Whenever Wei Qian saw him, he would occasionally think of what it was like when he was his age. Strangely, he only felt that Wei Zhiyuan was "young", but felt less and less like he was a child.

Since he is not a child, he doesn't want to appear to be talkative.

So Wei Qian sent Song Xiaobao away, closed Wei Zhiyuan's door from the outside, and left.

In the evening, Wei Zhiyuan came back to inspect the great achievements of the silly girl Song Xiaobao, but when he pushed the door open, he knew that no one had been in the room.

He left a few marks in the room to judge what happened when he was away. I won't talk about the ones inside, but there are two in the room that are more obvious - when he left in the morning, the chair in front of the desk was deliberately placed crooked, and the square chair legs just stuck in a crack in the floor. The crack in the floor was his reference scale. If someone wanted to look through his bookcase, they had to straighten or move the chair that was in the way.

In addition, he had put a very thin layer of plastic film on the door handle on the inside side of the house. The plastic film was like a mobile phone screen, and was usually covered with fine dust that was invisible to the human eye. So when you touched it with your hand, it would leave clear fingerprints visible to the naked eye. When someone entered his house and came out, they would of course pull the door handle, which would leave traces.

The chair had not been moved, and the inside handle was as clean as when he left.

Only a hair tied in the crack of the door was pulled off. If the door was pushed open gently, the hair would fall off and break directly, which meant that someone had pushed his door open with brute force. It was unlikely to be his eldest brother, but most likely that reckless guy Song Xiaobao.

And the eldest brother...he probably just glanced at him, drove Xiaobao away, and closed the door behind him.

At this point, Wei Zhiyuan had guessed almost exactly what had happened in the morning.

Wei Zhiyuan's mood instantly became complicated - he was not a heartfelt person, in a way, he was even a little lonely, and most of his interactions with others were for the sake of face, and he rarely showed sincerity.

Even though he was deliberately guiding his brother, he was still a young man with a blank slate emotionally. When he showed part of himself to his elder brother, he was inevitably apprehensive, embarrassed, and even a little worried.

But Wei Qian didn't even look at it!

Has brother’s curiosity been taken away by the dog?

Wei Zhiyuan had a deep feeling that his emotions were being wasted, and he had nowhere to put his energy. At the same time, he couldn't help feeling a little subtle.

If Xiaobao became abnormal, would the elder brother stop at the open door? Of course, Xiaobao is a girl, which is definitely not convenient, but what if...she is a boy?

Wei Zhiyuan slowly straightened his chair and sat down at the desk.

Wei Zhiyuan and Xiaobao, one is worry-free and the other is not. It is reasonable for the elder brother to pay more attention to the one who is worry-free, and this will make both of them uncomfortable. Xiaobao thinks that her brother targets her in everything and makes trouble for her all day long, and she is not free at all. Wei Zhiyuan...

He felt very conflicted. When he tried his best to make himself perfect for that person, that person no longer paid attention to him.

Wei Zhiyuan knew that his thoughts were unreasonable, and he also knew that his heart was in turmoil, but he couldn't calm down.

If he could calm down, if he could stop letting this matter torment him, then it wouldn't be a feeling that he couldn't let go of.

If he still had a shred of common sense, he would not risk the world's condemnation by putting out this fire.

However, Wei Zhiyuan was an activist after all. When this approach didn't work out, he quickly found a second opportunity.

When Wei Qian was flipping through a newspaper, Wei Zhiyuan passed by and pointed at a recommended book on the literary page and said, "This is a good book. I have it. Do you want to read it?"

Wei Qian was bored at home and gladly accepted the recommendation.

Wei Zhiyuan handed the book to him and waited patiently for a while.

Wei Qian had no respect for books. He would just throw them away after reading them. When he wanted to read again, he would look for them everywhere and fold a big corner wherever he saw one... It was similar to his attitude towards socks.

For Wei Zhiyuan, his progress was very easy to observe.

After Wei Qian finished reading one book, Wei Zhiyuan followed suit and gave him the second one.

Wei Qian rarely had the leisure time to sit at home and read quietly, which reminded him of the two years he spent in the classroom during high school... Those were probably the most relaxing days in his life.

Wei Zhiyuan knew that if this happened again and again, Wei Qian would just go to his room and take it without asking after reading it.

…Two days later, Wei Qian helped himself as he wished.

At first he just stuffed the books back and picked one at random. After a week, Wei Qian gradually regarded Wei Zhiyuan's room as a reading room - Wei Zhiyuan's room was cleaner and tidier than his own.

Wei Qian found that the books his brother collected were very mysterious, some of which were difficult to understand foreign language translations. The confusing narrative style and the incomprehensible translations would hinder reading and make it very boring. However, the reason why classics become classics is not because they are difficult to understand. There must be a reason for it.

When a person has experienced it, when he can understand something, then no matter how the other person expresses it, he can get some degree of resonance or disagreement from it. These two are the basis for continuing reading.

But Wei Qian had been ill for the entire winter without proper rest. Even though he was young and recovered quickly, he felt a little weak now. He had been able to endure it when he was on edge before, but now that he relaxed, his whole spirit seemed to weaken.

He would feel a little tired after sitting for a long time, so sometimes he would just lie down on Wei Zhiyuan's bed and find a comfortable position. After being comfortable for a while, he might even fall asleep.

Wei Zhiyuan is too smart. Of course, being smart is a good thing and not terrible. What is terrible is that he is too obsessed with and relies on his intelligence, as if he has nothing else to rely on. He thinks that everything can be explained reasonably and have an inevitable ending, just like a game controlled by him.

But could he, if only he were smart and careful enough, have made the Earth go in the reverse direction?

He still doesn't understand what it means to "do your best and leave the rest to fate."

He also didn't know that just when he thought he had brought his eldest brother into his spiritual world with precise rhythm and was about to weave a net to catch insects in it, fate... no, or rather the magical and omnipresent low-probability event jumped out and laughed at his overestimation of his own abilities.

One day, Wei Qian took a short nap on Wei Zhiyuan’s single bed when he suddenly had a leg cramp that woke him up in pain.

In order to stretch his twitching hamstrings, Wei Qian used his deformed feet to push against the wall on one side of the bed. He straightened his legs with all his strength, and with his feet against the wall, he kicked open a palm-wide gap between the bed and the wall, which were originally tightly pressed together.

Wei Qian originally planned to turn over and push the bed back, but when he looked down inadvertently, he saw a dusty, well-made magazine in the palm-wide gap.

Wei Qian couldn't think of what would have fallen here, so he reached into the crack of the bed, brushed off the dirt, and picked up the magazine.

On the cover was a man wearing only underwear, with one hand inserted into his palm-length shorts. His expression was winking and his posture was coquettish. Although Wei Qian was stunned at first because he was a man, the revealing cover quickly made him realize that this was an restricted pornographic magazine.

They are all men and have experienced the same age. Although Wei Qian was as tired as a dead dog at that time and had no time to care about anything else, he also knew what it felt like to be restless due to rapid physiological changes.

At Wei Zhiyuan's age, it was a bit awkward for him to collect a few books like this. Although Wei Qian, as a parent, felt a little uncomfortable, as an older brother, he could basically understand it, albeit a little embarrassed.

Feeling so embarrassed, Wei Qian casually flipped through two pages. When the high-definition coated paper picture, so frank that it didn't even bother to add mosaics, hit Wei Qian's eyes with such impact, the embarrassment on his face froze.

Wei Qian was shocked at first, but his shock soon turned into confusion and disbelief, and in the end, his expression was simply blank.

A minute later, Wei Qian suddenly jumped up from the bed. Not only was he angry, but his face, which was originally a little pale, turned red all the way to his ears.

He threw the magazine aside and said angrily, "You bastard!"

It was afternoon, Xiaobao and Xiaoyuan had naturally gone to school. Old Mrs. Song was taking a nap next door. She was old, and her hearing had become less sensitive in the past two years. She fell into a deep sleep, and even though Wei Qian made such a loud noise, she was not alarmed.

Wei Qian confiscated the magazine and paced around the room several times like a trapped beast. He was in a state of rage and tortured to the point that smoke was coming out of his throat. He wanted to cough a few times, but then he remembered that the doctor said coughing would damage the lungs and asked him to endure it as much as possible. So he held back the cough and raised his hand to smash a porcelain cup on the table.

In short, every cell in Wei Qian's body, from his hair to his toenails, was in rebellion. When his anger was at its strongest, Wei Qian rushed into his room, picked out the hardest and heaviest belt, and prepared to give Wei Zhiyuan a trial when he got home from school. As long as this kid had the courage to admit it, he would beat this bastard into a spinning top.

He has never been beaten since he was a child. Now that all these things have accumulated together, he is going to tear the roof off the house!

Wei Qian originally thought that Song Xiaobao was the worst kind of naughty kid, but he didn't expect that Wei Zhiyuan, a good kid who "never does anything out of line", was waiting for him here. Wei Qian lowered his head and glanced at the magazine spread out on the table. In the magazine, a group of naked men were rolling around shamelessly and winking at him, which made him so angry that his heart was trembling.

Wei Zhiyuan made his brother experience the feeling of a heart patient. It was as if ten machine guns were installed in Wei Qian's blood vessels, beating at the same time. He took a few deep breaths and felt his chest ache from time to time.

It's simply...immoral!

Wei Qian sat beside them, wishing he could pry open Wei Zhiyuan's brain to see what the boy was thinking, or what had taken over his brother's body, and what was his purpose in coming to Earth?

All these emotions that had gathered together in a mess because of extreme anger finally merged into one idea through illogical integration, like a river flowing into the sea - he decided to beat Wei Zhiyuan, the little bastard, to death.

The incident was exposed in the afternoon. Wei Zhiyuan usually had evening self-study classes until about nine o'clock. He had the habit of running at night since he was twelve or thirteen years old. Usually, after evening self-study, he would run a few laps by himself to stretch his muscles, and it would be almost ten o'clock when he came back.

The seven or eight hours were enough for Wei Qian to calm down.

Old Mrs. Song was still working hard on preparing dinner, but Wei Qian was in no mood and had no appetite. He ate a few bites and left.

He returned to his  desk , looked at the pornographic magazine that had made him so angry that afternoon, and finally began to think about the problem with a human brain instead of a machine gun-like cardiovascular system.

Wei Qian didn't know whether this was just Wei Zhiyuan's momentary curiosity or whether the child really had this tendency.

He couldn't think of any reason, any excuse.

Among the ancient philosophers, there were also feelings between people of the same sex that went beyond friendship, but Wei Qian generally believed that that was just another way of expressing their dementia and mental illness caused by their research.

He had never met a real homosexual, nor did he understand him. He had no idea what those people were like, so he could only make assumptions based on mainstream imagination, and naturally believed that most of these men who liked men were effeminate and uncomfortable.

Wei Qian leaned back in his chair, his neck drooping limply.

"Our Xiaoyuan," he thought blankly, "is steady, accurate and ruthless in a fight, never pinches his fingers, never walks with his hips twisted, and I've never seen him show any abnormal interest in girls' toys... How could he be that kind of person? Impossible."

I'm really just curious, it's impossible...right?

Wei Qian covered his face with his hands, rubbed it up and down fiercely several times, and thought to himself: "I am so worried."

It was not until then that he began to understand what Song Xiaobao meant by "Second brother is going to have autism". Although Xiaobao's statement was completely inaccurate and had no common sense, it must have been Wei Zhiyuan's abnormal silence and bad mood that made her make such an association. Otherwise, why would she spread rumors for no reason?

And there was that cabinet of  books … The interior environment was so neat that it was almost harsh, and the bizarre posters of Van Gogh's paintings were posted behind the door, all of which highlighted certain repression and struggles that were not typical of teenagers.

Wei Qian suddenly realized his hindsight. Shouldn't boys of this age like some sports stars? Those with a little personality would just admire some scientists or famous rich people. Who would turn his room into a sociology  library ? 

He didn't take it seriously.

Wei Qian almost suspected that he was as heartless as Comrade Song Xiaobao.

In the evening, when Wei Zhiyuan walked into the house carrying  his schoolbag

Wei Qian: "Xiaoyuan, come here."

Wei Zhiyuan responded, feeling that something was wrong with his attitude. He quickly reviewed his recent actions in his mind, but couldn't figure out what was going on.

Wei Qian didn't know why he called him over. He wanted to ask about the magazine, but couldn't. The boy's eyes were clear and focused, and when he looked down at him, there was a bit of lovely tenderness.

The prepared belt was hanging quietly in the room, and the pieces of the cup that Wei Qian accidentally broke in anger were still wrapped and lying in the trash can, but he couldn't even utter a word.

Wei Qian suddenly stood up and put his arm around Wei Zhiyuan's shoulders.

Wei Zhiyuan seemed to be frightened by something. He froze after a start, then struggled a little, as if he was a little uneasy, but reluctant to break free. He explained in a low voice with some embarrassment: "Brother, I'm sweating, I..."

Wei Qian patted his back vigorously, feeling sad, and forced a smile, letting go of Wei Zhiyuan: "Don't be too tired, tell me if there is anything that is not going well, okay?"

Wei Zhiyuan was very confused and didn't understand what he was talking about, but he instinctively knew that it was better for him not to ask, so he nodded obediently and responded.

Wei Qian watched him go back into the house, sighed heavily, and ran to the balcony to smoke with a very sad heart.

He felt like he had parents and children to take care of. He was just a young man, but he was worrying about the affairs of middle-aged people. Thinking back to the last few days when Lao Xiong joked about introducing him to a girl, Wei Qian thought indignantly, "I don't even have a girlfriend myself, but I'm already worrying about these kids finding a girlfriend. How can I live such a twisted life?"

Wei Qian couldn't help but talk to Sanpang who was still staying on the battlefield.

Sanpang finally had a quiet night and had already fallen asleep, but was savagely awakened by a phone call from the boy. He wished he could break off all ties with the boy right there and then.

Wei Qian sighed heavily. His sighing made Sanpang very uncomfortable. Sanpang fluttered his head and asked, "What's wrong, Qian'er? Is your pneumonia spreading?"

Wei Qian said in great distress: "Third brother, let me tell you, Xiaoyuan this kid... this kid... well, he might go too far."

Sanpang thought it was a big deal, but when he heard this, he was relieved and laughed out loud: "Out of the ordinary? Haha, don't tease me in the middle of the night. How many people in the world can be more out of the ordinary than you? You've made me die of fun, Qian'er. Oh, I'm not sleepy anymore - do you know how I feel when I hear this? It's just like the Liangshan hero Li Kui running to his brother Song Jiang in small steps, humming and saying, 'There are bandits robbing people at the foot of the mountain and people are too scared to leave'!"

Wei Qian: “…”

He paused for a moment and shouted into the microphone: "Fuck your uncle's damn spittoon."

Then he hung up the phone without saying anything and went away alone, feeling melancholy.

The next day, after evening self-study, Wei Zhiyuan came to the school stadium as usual. He threw  his schoolbag

Wei Zhiyuan: "...Brother?"

Wei Qian cleared his throat: "Well, I... ahem, I came here to exercise."

Wei Zhiyuan looked at him incredulously for a moment, then said hesitantly, "Well... well, go slowly and don't choke on the wind. Didn't the doctor forbid you from strenuous exercise?"

As expected, there was no strenuous activity. Wei Zhiyuan's hiking was more than twice as slow as usual. The two of them ran around the playground like a stroll, and were often overtaken by classmates who walked across the playground to go home after school. Finally, Wei Qian couldn't stand it anymore and stepped aside: "You go, I'll wait for you here."

After running, Wei Zhiyuan pushed his bicycle and walked back slowly with Wei Qian. They chatted from time to time. After an unknown amount of time, Wei Zhiyuan suddenly heard Wei Qian say, "Xiaoyuan, you are the same as Xiaobao here."

Wei Zhiyuan looked up at him. Wei Qian looked away, as if he was not used to such a serious role. He tried to recall what the teachers in school did and slowed down his voice. Although he tried his best, his tone still seemed a little stiff: "Xiaobao... She always makes trouble, so I have to take care of her more. You are more sensible... Well, I don't know how to say it. Anyway, I don't favor her in my heart. You are like my own brother... Hey, you know what I mean, right?"

Wei Zhiyuan actually didn’t know, but that didn’t stop him from enjoying his elder brother’s rare warmth.

He suddenly stopped and said, "Brother, can I hug you?"

Wei Qian: “…”

He felt it was a bit corny, but was afraid of hurting the "delicate and sensitive" heart of the young man in his imagination, so he suppressed his awkwardness and agreed.

Wei Zhiyuan hugged him tightly, buried his face in Wei Qian's neck, closed his eyes, and his lips swept across Wei Qian's neck as if intentionally or unintentionally, leaving a vague kiss.

Wei Qian shuddered instinctively, but he thought it was just an accident and didn't want to appear to react too much, so he had to endure it silently.

The two of them went all the way home. As soon as they opened the door, they heard the voice of Old Lady Song yelling at Xiaobao in anger: "What do you do every day? What do you do? What is written on it? Don't lie! I don't believe it!"

Xiaobao's schoolbag fell to the ground, with a few pieces of paper floating everywhere. She looked up and saw Wei Qian coming back, and she shuddered.

Wei Qian leaned weakly towards the door and said, "My ancestors, where did this come from?"