Dinner

Mother’s voice snapped both Yu and Yi back to their senses. Yi quickly tucked away his dark mood and smiled at his brother, while Yu, upon hearing their mother’s call, gently put down his book and rose from his chair. With both hands in his pockets, he passed Yi with a calm composure and made his way downstairs.

Yi’s smile grew a touch stiff, and he stood frozen, staring blankly at the retreating figure of Yu descending the stairs. His head drooped in quiet disappointment; for a fleeting moment, he had thought Yu might invite him to dinner as well. But it was clear that such hopes were nothing more than wishful thinking on his part.

At dinner, the four of them sat around the table, quietly enjoying their meal. Yi ate in silence, his spirits low, not daring to lift his head for fear of glimpsing the cold indifference on Yu’s face.

Sensing the tense atmosphere, their mother smiled and asked, “Yu, how are you adjusting to your new school?” For a moment, it was as if time itself had paused. Yi held his breath, knowing well that his brother rarely answered questions at the table. A long silence passed, and just as everyone assumed Yu would ignore the question, he finally spoke up. “Mm, Xiao is at the same school,” he said.

Everyone’s eyes widened in surprise, staring at Yu in disbelief. Had they really just heard him speak? What’s more, he had uttered a full sentence—nine whole words! It was almost miraculous. Their mother was so delighted she could hardly contain herself, struggling to find the words to express her joy.

Yi, however, was the first to recover. Now, more than ever, he was curious about this “Xiao” his brother had mentioned. He didn’t bother to keep his question to himself and asked directly, “Who’s Xiao?” The moment the words left his mouth, he regretted it; knowing how much his brother disliked him, Yu would probably ignore him.

But to his astonishment, Yu answered, “She’s Uncle Shangguan’s daughter.” Upon hearing this, their mother was struck by a bold idea and decided to give it a try.

“Come to think of it, you and Xiao grew up together! I wonder how she’s doing these days. If you have time, why don’t you invite her over to visit us?”

Yu responded simply, “Alright, I will.” As expected, if it involved Xiao, Yu would always reply.

Their mother was secretly pleased, and Yi’s curiosity only grew. He was eager to know who this person was who could get his brother to speak. And so, the four of them continued their meal, chatting as they ate. While Yu still spoke only occasionally and in short phrases, his participation was enough to show he was in good spirits. All in all, it was perhaps the most cheerful meal the family had ever shared.

Meanwhile, upstairs, Xiao had just returned to her room. She took out her phone, intending to call Meng, only to find that it wouldn’t turn on no matter what she tried.

“How odd! What’s going on? Did it run out of battery?” She rummaged through her drawer for the charger, plugged it in, and sure enough, the phone powered up at last. The moment it turned on, she was startled. “Oh my god—sixty-six missed calls! That’s insane!”

Before she had time to check them all, her phone started ringing again—this time, it was Meng. She swiped the screen to answer.

“Hello~” she greeted.

“Xiao, where are you? How are you feeling? Are you alright?” Meng’s voice burst through the line, firing off questions in rapid succession. Listening to her increasingly frantic queries, Xiao had no choice but to interrupt.

“I’m fine. I’m at home right now. I didn’t pick up earlier because my phone was dead. I just charged it, and you called as soon as it turned on.”

“As long as you’re okay. Oh! By the way, where are you living now?” Meng sounded a little embarrassed as she asked.

“I’m staying at Royal City. If you have time, come over and hang out!” Xiao replied as she spoke.

“Really? Is that alright? Won’t your brother mind?” Just as Xiao expected, Meng voiced her concern.