When Xiazi was little, he spent most of his days in a hospital bed. The room was quiet, lonely, and felt colder with each passing day.
Then one afternoon, his mother arrived with another little boy. His name was Lu Chengyu. The cheerful smile on the boy's face seemed to brighten the entire room. He didn't come empty-handed, either. He brought gifts, funny stories, and endless energy. From that day on, Chengyu visited whenever he could. He folded paper airplanes with Xiazi, built snowmen outside during winter, and always found new ways to make him laugh.
Before leaving each visit, he would encourage him. "Get better soon. Once you're healthy, we'll go to school together, play every day, and stay best friends forever."
Xiazi smiled and nodded. The two children even linked their little fingers together, sealing the promise.
Years passed. They did end up attending the same school, but instead of growing closer, they acted like complete strangers. One day, Xiazi even overheard Chengyu say something that shattered him.
"He's as annoying as a cockroach."
Those words stayed with him long after they were spoken.
Back in the classroom, several girls excitedly talked about the basketball game happening outside.
"Chengyu's on the court."
Everyone rushed to the windows. Xiazi quietly took out his phone and snapped a photo from a distance. Behind him, the girls continued whispering.
"That family really has incredible genes. One brother is the school's basketball star, and the other is always ranked first in class."
"Are they really brothers? They don't even have the same last name."
"They're complete opposites. Chengyu is so outgoing and popular, while Xiazi barely talks to anyone."
"Maybe one of them took their mother's surname."
Their conversation echoed in Xiazi's mind all the way home.
As he stepped inside, his mother called from the dining room. "Xiazi, what are you standing there for? Dinner's ready."
He looked around. "Is my brother not home yet?"
Almost as soon as he asked, the front door opened. Lu Chengyu walked in.
Everyone gathered around the dinner table. Trying to lighten the mood, Xiazi's mother smiled. "Xiazi, how's the custom computer your father bought you? Are you enjoying it?"
Xiazi nodded politely. "It's great. Thank you."
His mother beamed with pride. "I knew you'd like it. You always work so hard." Then her attention shifted toward Chengyu. "You should learn something from your brother. Maybe spend less time playing basketball and more time studying. If your grades were as impressive as his, people wouldn't think I'm favoring one child over the other."
The room fell silent. Without saying a word, Chengyu pushed back his chair. As he walked away, he glanced toward Xiazi. "You should probably improve your cooking. Enjoy dinner. I'm going upstairs."
After Chengyu left, Xiazi quietly sighed. "Mom, you don't have to compare us every time."
Her smile disappeared. "I'm doing this for your future. You're not Mr. Lu's biological son. If we don't fight for your place in this family, who will? If Chengyu gets less, you'll have more."
Those words made Xiazi's heart sink.
Later that evening, he stood outside Chengyu's bedroom. After several seconds of hesitation, he knocked.
"Come in."
Opening the door carefully, Xiazi spoke softly. "I wanted to apologize for what happened at dinner."
Before he could finish, Chengyu interrupted him. "Then stop pretending to be the nice one. It's fake."
The words hit harder than expected. Speechless, he quietly returned to his room. His chest felt tight, as if he couldn't catch his breath. After sitting there for a long time, he slowly opened the top drawer of his desk. Inside were the things he treasured most: an old phone, and the small good luck charm Chengyu had given him when they were children.
Xiazi gently picked up the phone and unlocked a hidden photo album. Every picture inside was connected to Chengyu. Some had been taken during school events. Others were captured from a distance around campus. Looking at them had become the only way Xiazi knew how to deal with the feelings he kept buried inside. He stared at the screen in silence until suddenly a voice came from behind him.
"What are you looking at?"
Xiazi froze. His heart nearly stopped. He turned around to find Chengyu standing in the doorway.
"When did you get here?" Panicking, Xiazi jumped to his feet. The phone slipped from his hands. He lunged to grab it, but Chengyu reached it first.
Xiazi's face went pale. It was over.
Chengyu unlocked the screen and began scrolling through the hidden album. His expression grew colder with every swipe. "So this is what you've been doing. You secretly take pictures and keep an entire collection."
Xiazi tried desperately to take the phone back, but Chengyu easily held it out of reach. "You always act like the perfect honor student, but this is who you really are. Following people around with a camera, keeping secret photos. Do you realize how disgusting that is?"
Tears welled up in Xiazi's eyes. He couldn't find the words to defend himself.
Chengyu looked at him for a long moment before suddenly opening the camera app. "If you want your phone back, record something."
Xiazi stared at him in confusion. "What?"
"Tell the truth. Say your name. Admit that you secretly took these photos."
His voice trembled. "I'm Xiazi. I took the pictures."
"Louder."
Xiazi swallowed hard before repeating himself. "I secretly took the photos."
Only then did Chengyu turn the phone around. Xiazi finally looked closely at the pictures on the screen. The person in the center of nearly every photo wasn't Chengyu at all. It was another student named Qi Jingshao. Chengyu only happened to appear somewhere in the background.
Relief washed over Xiazi. Without realizing it, Chengyu had completely misunderstood everything. Xiazi quietly finished recording the short confession exactly as instructed.
After saving the video, Chengyu tossed the phone back onto the desk. "Now I have something that can keep you honest." He walked toward the door before looking back with a faint smile. "Good night, little brother."
The next morning, Xiazi arrived at school exhausted. Stress had left him feeling sick, and even his stomach ached. But what hurt most wasn't the threat. It was hearing Chengyu call him disgusting. He lowered his head. Are my feelings really that wrong?
Thankfully, Chengyu would never know the real truth.
As Xiazi entered the classroom, he suddenly stopped. Chengyu was leaning casually against his desk.
"There you are. I've been waiting."
The entire class turned to look. Xiazi instinctively froze. Before he could react, Chengyu casually draped an arm over his shoulder, smiling as if they had always been close. "Let's have lunch together today. I'll be waiting for you on the second floor of the cafeteria." Then, in a voice only Xiazi could hear, he added, "Don't be late."
As Chengyu walked away, the classroom erupted with whispers.
"So the rumors were true. They really are brothers."
"I thought they didn't get along."
"Did you see how friendly they looked?"
Xiazi stood there in silence. Everyone else saw a caring older brother. Only he knew something was terribly wrong.