The third floor was a children's toy paradise, much more innocent and cheerful compared to the second floor.
Pei Chuan lowered his gaze to look at her as she pulled out a red envelope with the words "Peace and Happiness" from the left pocket of her school uniform. Bei Yao was utterly sincere: "Thank you for saving Bei Jun. My mom said our family has nothing to thank you with. She wanted to come see you, but you don’t live at the Pei family home anymore."
His dark eyes fell on the red envelope.
The girl’s cheeks were flushed pink: "Well... there isn’t much in the envelope. My family is a bit poor, as you know. This is my parents’ gesture of gratitude."
In all his years, this was the first time anyone had given Pei Chuan money.
He knew his reputation at their Sixth High School might not be the best, yet she had offered it anyway. Pei Chuan said softly, "No need. I’m not short of money."
She looked up at him, her eyes clear and pure: "Alright." Bei Yao put the red envelope back into her left pocket, then took something out from her right pocket.
His gaze fixed on her hand, and for a moment, his heartbeat quickened.
Her tone was soft and sweet as she sought his opinion: "Can you accept this?"
It was a tube of Jing Wan Hong burn ointment, which cost only a few yuan that year.
"Pei Chuan, does your hand still hurt?" Her voice was light and gentle, weaving its way into one’s heart.
He knew he shouldn’t accept it—should have refused it just like the insignificant red envelope. But his body stiffened, his throat felt tight, his heart raced, and he extended his right hand.
The lines on Pei Chuan’s palm were a broken palm.
It was said that such palms hit hard, but they also symbolized endurance and diligence. The boy practiced boxing, his knuckles broad and distinct, his palm still swollen and red from an unhealed injury.
She gently placed it in his palm: "You mustn’t wash your hands with boiling water anymore, understand?"
His voice was barely audible: "Mm."
She had noticed it last night when she helped him tie the hydrogen balloons and connected it with the still-steaming water stains on his bedroom floor. Bei Yao had gone to the school clinic first thing in the morning. Now, at 6:30 in the evening, she hadn’t eaten yet and had to return before 8 p.m. for the first evening self-study session.
Pei Chuan knew she had to leave.
He clenched the ointment box tightly and put it into his pocket.
"Goodbye, Pei Chuan. I’m heading back."
He watched her go downstairs, her slender, delicate figure gradually fading into the distance.
On the second floor, the door to the private room was open, the food had gone cold, and Pei Chuan still hadn’t returned. Jin Ziyang, carefree and mischievous, grinned and said, "Let’s go find him."
They went upstairs and found Pei Chuan standing by the window, hands in his pockets, quiet and wordless.
This boy, as silent as a mountain, didn’t resemble the Brother Chuan they knew at all.
Jin Ziyang said, "Brother Chuan? Are we still eating?"
Pei Chuan shook his head: "No."
~
In the clear autumn of October, during the National Day holiday, a time of nationwide celebration, the school was on break as well.
The television broadcasted the military parade, showcasing the country’s prosperous development.
On the evening of October 2nd, a light rain began to fall, pattering softly, but it couldn’t dampen the lively celebrations outside the window. The stronger the nation, the better life was for its people. Pei Chuan was changing his clothes in his room when a small button-like object unexpectedly fell out.
His expression froze for a moment.
That remote control, shaped like a button, was like Pandora’s box, tempting him to open it.
He hadn’t thrown it away, but he had never pressed it even once.
Pei Chuan picked it up, placed it by his desk, and turned to take a shower.
When he returned, his eyes were glued to it once more.
Pursing his lips, he told himself, just this once.He pressed it open and activated his Bluetooth earpiece. The small light dot on the button pulsed southeastward, like his irregular heartbeat, pounding against his chest with both anticipation and suffocation. After the summer camp, it still hadn’t been damaged.
After a brief crackle of static in the earpiece, he heard the sound of drizzling rain on the other end.
Then Zhao Zhilan said, "Yao Yao, bring in the laundry."
The girl replied softly, "Mom, I already did."
Zhao Zhilan hurried inside. Her daughter was doing homework in her room, while her son Bei Jun had fallen asleep on the sofa hugging a small toy sword. Bei Jun was curled up in a ball, tear stains on his cheeks, covered by the blanket Bei Yao had draped over him.
Startled awake, he opened his eyes and saw Zhao Zhilan, then burst into loud sobs: "Mom!"
Zhao Zhilan was startled by his clear, ringing cry: "What’s wrong?"
"I threw sister’s doll into the washing machine. I didn’t mean to."
Zhao Zhilan’s eyebrows twitched. She rushed to their balcony and saw the clothes had indeed been neatly gathered. Then she spotted their trash can—a panda plush toy with frayed seams, faded from washing, its stuffing spilling out, looking utterly lifeless.
Zhao Zhilan turned back to see her daughter Bei Yao patting Bei Jun’s head. Bei Jun grew even more upset: "I didn’t mean to! I saw the little bear was dirty."
Zhao Zhilan nearly wanted to spank this energetic but misguided child.
Zhao Zhilan said, "This doll has been with your sister for almost twelve years! You should’ve called this panda ‘big brother,’ and you actually threw it in the washing machine and ruined it!"
Bei Jun’s eyelashes were damp. With features somewhat resembling Bei Yao’s, he looked like a delicate porcelain doll. Overwhelmed by remorse, he choked out: "I’m sorry, Brother Panda. Bei Jun was wrong."
Bei Yao couldn’t help laughing: "It’s alright, sister isn’t mad at you."
Zhao Zhilan scolded sharply: "Well, your mom is mad! Come here for your spanking!"
Bei Jun sniffled and went over. Zhao Zhilan gave his bottom a light slap. He didn’t dodge, taking the hit and saying, "I have pocket money. I’ll buy sister an identical one."
This child was a headache when mischievous, yet heartbreakingly sweet when sensible.
Zhao Zhilan wanted to say, how could you find an identical toy from twelve years ago? But she saw Bei Yao shake her head. Though feeling disappointed herself, she knew Bei Jun hadn’t meant any harm—the child was even more upset than she was. She took her brother’s hand: "How about we don’t get a panda? Let’s buy a little rabbit instead, okay?"
Bei Jun rubbed his eyes: "Does sister like little rabbits?"
"Yes."
"Then I’ll buy sister a little rabbit! They sell them near our kindergarten!"
"Thank you, little Bei Jun."
The child’s tears turned to smiles.
On the other end, the rain continued to patter, but the voices gradually faded away. Pei Chuan snapped back to reality, tossed the button into the trash, and closed his eyes.
After a while, he got up and dressed again. The autumn night was chilly. He drove from one toy store to another, searching.
His car had been modified, though outsiders couldn’t easily tell it was adapted for disabled use. It was a good car after all, and he still had a few months before turning eighteen. The driver’s license had been arranged by "those people." They didn’t care about his age—as long as he demonstrated exceptional skills and ability, they could make anything happen.The photo on the phone had poor resolution—a girl of about twelve or thirteen with a faded, washed-out backpack. She turned her head, crescent eyes sparkling with the colors of the entire starry sky. The image had faded over time, but the little panda she unconsciously tugged at during class remained adorably clumsy.
He pointed it out to the shop owner.
The owner shook his head. "Where would we find something like that? We have much nicer ones here. Want to take a look?"
He drove through the streets, tires splashing through puddles, navigating the city night.
As the sky gradually brightened and the sun rose, Pei Chuan finally understood: some things exist only in memories. Over a decade had passed, and the entire city could no longer offer a second one like it.
Pei Chuan leaned against his car and lit a cigarette to clear his muddled mind. Just then, Jin Ziyang called: "Allure World, you coming?"
His voice was hoarse. "Yeah."
He didn't even know what he had been doing all night—how many doors he had knocked on, what madness he had been craving.
He turned the steering wheel and headed to Allure World.
Jin Ziyang lazily yawned. "Invited a bunch of people today. I slept at Allure World last night. Hey, Chuan, why are you up so early? And your clothes are wet?"
The guy peered outside. "It's not even raining."
Pei Chuan ignored him.
He slumped on the sofa, his severed limb throbbing faintly. In truth, his car had been modified precisely to avoid such abuse to his body.
Pei Chuan ordered a drink.
The strong liquor burned his throat. He scoffed softly, laughing at his own foolishness from the night before. Using eavesdropping on his own parents—didn't that just make his heart colder? And using it on her—what madness had possessed him last night?
He wouldn’t go again. He wasn’t insane!
Jin Ziyang said, "When did they install this thing here? Haha, a claw machine? Can it even grab anything?"
He inserted a coin, but before he could try, he saw Chuan stride over, watching in unusual silence.
"Get someone to open this!"
Jin Ziyang: "Oh... huh?" No way!
Jin Ziyang went to ask the front desk. The staff said, "The key isn’t with me. It’s still early—the technician who installed it yesterday hasn’t arrived. That thing was just put in for the girls to play with."
Jin Ziyang relayed the message exactly.
Pei Chuan pressed his lips tightly together.
Then he exchanged for a hundred tokens and began feeding them in, one by one.
Jin Ziyang stared, dumbfounded. "..."
Pei Chuan had no skill at this—either missing the toys entirely or failing to grip them. Jin Ziyang couldn’t bear to watch. "Forget it, why not just buy one and set it up at home?"
On the seventy-third token, he successfully grabbed a pink pig.
Jin Ziyang was ecstatic. "Incredible! Amazing!"
But then Pei Chuan exchanged for another hundred tokens and continued playing.
A purple monkey, a blue elf, a little bee, a long-eared rabbit...
One after another, they were clawed out.
Jin Ziyang went from watching in awe to despair. What was this? Trying to empty the machine? What kind of weird hobby was this?
When Zheng Hang arrived, he was also stunned. "Chuan, what’s this?" He and Jin Ziyang were surrounded by a messy pile of stuffed toys.
"Possessed, I tell you. Must’ve tried over five hundred times already."
Wasn’t his hand hurting? He was going to break the machine.
Finally, a distinct black-and-white, clumsily adorable little panda dropped out. Pei Chuan picked it up and walked away.
Jin Ziyang wondered if he was still dreaming. "FUCK? Stood here all morning just to watch Chuan claw a panda smaller than my palm?"On the morning of October 3rd, the air was exceptionally fresh after a night of rain, carrying a faint moisture.
Bei Jun was the first to wake up in the household. The curtains fluttered gently as he rubbed his eyes and spotted a remote control airplane.
"Wow!" So cool!
Without even putting on his pants, Bei Jun ran over and pulled open the curtains. Fortunately, the window was already open—otherwise, his chubby little body wouldn't have been able to push it open.
As if understanding his wish, the remote control airplane flew in and landed in his hands.
It felt heavy, with a cute little panda tied to it.
Bei Jun had no idea what it signified.
To a child, it felt as powerful as a superhero. Cheering, he ran out the door, only to get scolded by Zhao Zhilan for not wearing pants.
Unfazed, he raised the little panda high: "Sister’s panda is back! It was brought by the Sas God!"
Zhao Zhilan helped him into his pants and was startled to see it was indeed the same one.
Bei Jun knocked on his sister’s door, his little voice shouting excitedly.
Bei Yao opened the door, her long hair cascading over her shoulders. She crouched down and took the little panda from her brother’s hands.
Bei Jun asked, "Did the Sas God bring it back?" He’d watched too many cartoons—the Sas God was a mighty, all-powerful male deity from one of them.
Bei Yao’s gentle, smiling eyes bathed in the morning light. She tilted her head, her fingertips brushing the little panda, which still carried the dampness of the early morning.
Softly, she told her brother, "Yes."
Holding the little panda, she walked to the window. Roses twined around the branches outside. She lowered her gaze, but the entrance of the residential area showed only lush greenery, as if that person had never been there at all.
OpenNovel