Morning arrived gently, sunlight slipped through the curtains of Cai Lang's apartment in warm, quiet streaks, painting the living room floor in gold. Jun Wei stirred first on the couch, messy hair sticking in uneven tufts against the pillow, his eyes blinking slowly as he stared at the unfamiliar ceiling for a moment before realization settled in, and then he felt the steady weight of suo ran's arm still draped protectively around him.
He turned his head slightly, seeing his brother still asleep beside him, and a small, relieved smile softened his face as he stayed perfectly still. From the kitchen came faint clattering sounds, and Jun Wei carefully slipped out from under suo ran's arm,padding barefoot toward it, stopping at the doorway when he saw Cai Lang standing at the counter with his sleeves rolled up, hair slightly tousled from sleep, expression focused and faintly serious as he stared at a frying pan like it had personally offended him.
Jun Wei tilted his head and asked curiously, "Are you fighting with breakfast?"and cai lang glanced down at him,holding the seriousness for a beat too long before answering dryly, "Breakfast started it." which made Jun Wei giggle softly as he stepped closer. "You're supposed to win." he said with complete confidence, and Cai Lang replied without looking away from the pan, "I intend to." before flipping an egg that immediately broke, making both of them pause in silence at the result.
Jun wei leaned forward slightly and announced with a small, satisfied nod, "You're losing." just as Lian ziho's voice came from behind them, relaxed and warm as he leaned in the doorway with messy morning hair and a wrinkled shirt, saying, "Morning." while Jun wei's face lit up instantly. "Lian gege!" he called, running forward, and Lian Ziho crouched down easily to catch him, smiling as he said, "You're awake early." to which Jun Wei replied proudly, "I wanted to see who was fighting breakfast." making Lian glance at the pan and respond solemnly, "Ah… a worthy opponent." while Cai Lang turned slightly away but the faint redness in his ears betrayed him.
A moment later Suo Ran appeared in the doorway, still half-asleep,hair slightly messy and falling unevenly across his forehead, wearing a loose shirt and soft, tired expression as he paused at the sight in front of him Jun wei laughing, Lian ziho stealing cut fruit from the counter, Cai lang pretending not to notice, and sunlight spilling across everything like nothing was wrong.
For a second he didn't speak, his hand still resting lightly on the doorframe as something tight and quiet formed in his chest, and then he said softly, almost unsure of it, "You're all up early." and three heads turned toward him at once. Jun Wei grinned immediately, swinging his legs slightly as he said, "We're helping." and Cai lang corrected flatly, "We are not helping." while Lian Ziho added casually, "We are supervising." which made Suo Ran exhale a small, almost disbelieving laugh as he looked at them all together.
The apartment felt warmer after breakfast, steam still lingering faintly in the air from porridge, and Jun Wei sat on the rug in the living room humming quietly while lining up his crayons in perfect order, completely absorbed, while Suo ran stood in the kitchen doorway drying his hands on a towel, watching him with an expression that softened into something fragile and protective.
Cai Lang stood on the balcony with his phone, pretending to check messages but occasionally glancing inside, while Lian ziho leaned against the wall, observing quietly without interrupting, and in that fragile stillness Suo Ran's morning felt almost unreal like something borrowed.
Then his phone began to vibrate on the table, once, twice, then again, and the sound cut through the calm like a thread pulled too tight, making the air shift instantly as everyone registered it without speaking. Jun Wei glanced at it briefly before returning to his crayons, but on the fourth vibration Lian ziho stepped forward and picked it up before it could ring again, his expression changing slightly as he looked at the screen, and the room, still glowing with morning light, seemed to hold its breath.The screen read: Unknown Number
He answered in a low, steady voice, "Hello," and immediately a man on the other end spoke quickly, breath slightly uneven as if he had been rushing, "Is this Suo Ran? I'm Jun Wei's homeroom teacher. He didn't come to school today. Someone told the office that a relative came to take him yesterday. I just wanted to confirm he's safe."
Lian Ziho's eyes shifted instantly toward Jun Wei without turning his head fully, watching the boy still sitting on the floor humming softly as he carefully aligned his crayons, completely unaware that the adult world around him had just tilted again. "He's with us." Lian Ziho replied calmly, though his tone had tightened just slightly with focus, and there was a brief pause on the other end before the teacher exhaled in visible relief mixed with concern, saying, "I see… he left so suddenly. He didn't even say goodbye to his classmates. That's not like him. Is he unwell?"
Lian ziho kept his voice even as he answered, "He just needs a day to rest." but the teacher didn't fully let go, continuing carefully, "The office said someone signed him out. I didn't recognize the name. I was worried he might have been taken without proper notice." That made Lian Ziho's jaw tighten almost imperceptibly, though his tone stayed controlled as he said again, firmer this time, "He's safe. You don't need to worry."
The silence that followed carried weight before the teacher's voice softened, "If possible… I'd like to visit him. Just to make sure he's alright. He's a good child. Quiet, but he carries too much for someone his age." Lian ziho paused just long enough for something restrained to pass through his expression, then replied carefully, "He's resting today. But I'll tell him you called." and the teacher's voice softened in return, "Thank you. Please tell him the class is waiting for him… and that he doesn't have to face things alone."
The call ended, and Lian ziho lowered the phone slowly, the quiet in the apartment returning instantly, filled only by the faint scratch of crayon against paper as Jun Wei continued drawing without interruption. Suo ran stood near the kitchen doorway completely still, the conversation settling fully in his chest as understanding formed, and he whispered quietly, "They think… they think someone took him," his voice faltering slightly at the end, but Lian ziho looked at him and corrected gently, "They think he's safe."
while across the room Jun Wei suddenly lifted his drawing with a bright smile and said, "Look! It's our house!" showing a picture of a simple building, four stick figures holding hands in front of it, and a crooked smiling sun in the corner with no shadows anywhere.
Suo Ran's breath caught and his vision blurred slightly as Cai lang stepped back in from the balcony, glancing at the drawing before saying softly, almost under his breath, "Not bad." and Jun Wei beamed proudly at the approval, completely unaware of the weight pressing down on the adults around him. The silence that followed the call wasn't broken by explanation or discussion, only by small, ordinary movements that tried to hold the moment together, and after a while Jun Wei stood in the middle of the living room holding two shirts one bright yellow and one with a cartoon dinosaur looking between them as he asked innocently, "I don't know which one makes me look brave."
while Lian ziho immediately pointed at the dinosaur and said lightly, "That one.Clearly." and Cai Lang added more practically, "Yellow is more visible.Easier to spot in a crowd." Jun Wei's eyes widened in alarm as he protested, "I don't want to be spotted!" and Suo Ran knelt down in front of him immediately, softening his voice as he said gently, "You don't need to be brave today. Just be comfortable." which made Jun Wei pause and think carefully before finally holding both shirts out and saying quietly, "You pick." and Suo Ran froze, staring at the choice in his small hands, because something so simple suddenly felt heavier than everything he had carried before, and after a long moment he whispered, almost to himself, "Why does this feel harder than anything else…"
Before Suo Ran could answer, Cai Lang stepped forward and, with a quiet decisiveness that didn't leave room for argument, tugged the dinosaur shirt over Jun Wei's head in one smooth motion, saying simply, "There.Crisis resolved." and Jun Wei immediately broke into a bright, satisfied smile as if that settled something very important in his world.
Suo Ran just stared at Cai lang for a moment, something warm but unsettling flickering in his chest at how naturally he acted,as if small moments of care were things he had always known how to give.Jun Wei ran toward the mirror, turning this way and that as he examined himself, declaring proudly, "I look strong." and Lian Ziho, leaning casually nearby, replied with a faint smile, "You look like a small dinosaur." which made Jun Wei immediately counter, "That is strong." and the playful argument that followed softened the room in a way none of them had expected.
Suo Ran leaned back against the wall, watching quietly, and Cai Lang stepped beside him, voice lower as he said, "You're smiling." and Suo Ran blinked slightly, almost surprised at himself, replying, "Am I?" while Cai Lang confirmed simply, "Yes," not teasing, not joking, just observant, adding after a pause, "You look relieved." which made Suo Ran quickly look away as if caught off guard by something too exposed.
Across the room,Lian Ziho watched them all, the easy rhythm between Cai Lang and Suo Ran settling strangely in his chest, not painful but quiet and heavy in a way he couldn't immediately name, and when Jun Wei tugged on his hand and asked, "Lian gege, do you think dinosaurs can fight bad guys?" Lian ziho hesitated only briefly before answering softly, "Yes… if they have something worth protecting." his eyes lifting for a moment toward Suo Ran before he looked away again.
Then the doorbell rang,cutting through everything instantly,and all movement stopped at once;Jun wei's fingers tightened around Lian ziho's hand as suo ran's expression changed, the softness disappearing in an instant, while Cai lang's posture sharpened immediately, his entire attention locking onto the sound as he said quietly, "Stay back."
The bell rang again once, then twice in a measured rhythm that didn't feel uncertain or accidental, and Cai Lang stepped toward the monitor, only for the screen to flicker with static before going black, making his jaw tighten. Jun Wei whispered innocently, "Is it the breakfast enemy?" but no one answered him this time, and Lian Ziho moved closer without touching, instinctively positioning himself between the child and the door as the air in the room turned heavy and still.
The bell stopped, and silence settled for a moment too long before a soft thud came from outside the door, like something placed carefully on the floor, and Cai Lang opened it slowly to find the hallway empty except for a small parcel wrapped in plain brown paper. Jun Wei tilted his head and asked, "Is it a gift?" but no one responded as Cai Lang picked it up cautiously, noting how light it felt, how deliberate, before placing it on the table where they all gathered around it in silence.
Suo Ran's hands trembled faintly as Cai Lang opened it to reveal a child's bus ticket from Jun Wei's hometown, dated yesterday, and beneath it a photograph of Jun Wei standing at the bus station, a blurred man beside him, his smile wrong in a way that made the air feel colder the longer they looked at it. On the back, written in clean black ink, were the words: "Next time, he won't arrive safely." Jun Wei looked only at his own picture and asked softly, "Gege… who took this?" and Suo Ran couldn't answer, his throat tightening as Cai Lang's jaw clenched and Lian Ziho's hand curled into a fist, because in that moment the warmth of the morning didn't just fade it collapsed entirely under the weight of a truth none of them could ignore anymore.
Jun Wei tugged gently on Suo Ran's sleeve and asked again, smaller this time, "Are we still safe here?" and Suo Ran opened his mouth, but no words came out, because for the first time since this had begun, he didn't know how to lie.