It was just another Random Tuesday.
The sun was hot. Wenhao walked out of the school gate with his ice cream. He licked it slowly. It was strawberry flavor.
He heard noise from the side of the building.
"Give me your money you disgusting homo."
"No please. I don't have any."
"Then why are you here. You are so weird."
Wenhao did not care. He kept walking. He took another bite of his ice cream.
Then a boy flew backward. He crashed right into Wenhao's hand. The ice cream fell. It splattered on the ground.
Wenhao froze.
He looked at his empty hand. He looked at the pink mess on the hot concrete.
His eye twitched.
"Who....."
The boys turned around. They saw Wenhao's face. They saw his dark eyes.
One of them laughed. "Oh sorry. We were just teaching this loser a lesson."
Wenhao looked at the boy on the ground. His glasses were broken. His lip was bleeding. He looked scared.
Wenhao looked back at his ice cream.
"My ice cream is ....gone."
The bully shrugged. "So buy another one."
Wenhao smiled. It was not a nice smile.
"Give me money."
"What?"
"You made me drop my ice cream. So give me money. Twenty yuan."
The bully laughed again. "Do you know who my father is?."
Wenhao tilted his head. "Do you know who my father is?"
The bully stopped laughing.
Everyone knew the Liang family.
The bully pulled out his wallet. He gave Wenhao fifty yuan. He wanted to leave fast.
"Wait," Wenhao said.
The bully froze.
Wenhao pointed at the boy on the ground. "Apologize to him."
"What. Why."
Wenhao showed the fifty yuan. "Because I said so. Or do you want me to call my father."
The bully turned pale. He mumbled sorry to the boy on the ground. Then he ran. His friends ran too.
The boy stayed on the ground. He was shaking.
Wenhao looked down at him. "You can get up now."
The boy stood up slowly. He fixed his broken glasses. "Thank you."
Wenhao stared at him. "You are the one who made me drop my ice cream."
The boy's face went white. "I.....I didn't mean to. I'm sorry."
"It was strawberry."
"I'll buy you a new one."
Wenhao raised an eyebrow. "You have money?"
The boy searched his pockets. He found ten yuan. Then five. Then some coins. His face turned red.
Wenhao sighed. "Forget it."
"No." The boy looked up. His eyes were serious. "I promised. W....wait here."
He ran to the small shop across the street. Wenhao watched him. The boy came back two minutes later. He was out of breath. He held a new strawberry ice cream.
He gave it to Wenhao. His hand was shaking.
Wenhao took it. He licked it. It was good.
"Okay," Wenhao said. "You paid me back. Now we are even."
The boy nodded. He turned to leave.
"Wait."
The boy stopped.
"What is your name."
"Shen Wei."
Wenhao looked at him. Shen Wei looked small. His shirt was dirty. His glasses were crooked. But he kept his promise. He bought the ice cream with his last coins.
Wenhao took another bite. "Weiwei."
Shen Wei blinked. "What?"
"Weiwei. That's easier to say. I'm too lazy to say Shen Wei every time."
Shen Wei did not know what to say.
Wenhao started walking. "Come on Weiwei. Walk with me."
"Where are we going."
"Nowhere. I just feel like having company today."
Shen Wei followed him. He did not understand what was happening. But he did not ask questions.
Wenhao finished his ice cream. He looked at Shen Wei from the corner of his eye. This boy was interesting. He was weak but he kept his word.
Wenhao liked that.
"Weiwei."
"Yes."
"You will buy me ice cream again tomorrow."
Shen Wei looked confused. "I don't have money."
Wenhao smiled. A real smile this time. "Then I will buy for both of us. Just don't let anyone push you around anymore. You are with me now."
Shen Wei's eyes went wide. He did not say anything. But he walked a little closer to Wenhao.
And Wenhao did not push him away.
Wenhao was about to get into his black car when he saw Shen Wei walking out of the school door with his bag hanging off one shoulder and his broken glasses looking like they might fall off any second.
Wenhao closed the car door and walked over to him.
"Weiwei."
Shen Wei looked up and his eyes went wide like he was seeing a ghost. "Wenhao. What are you still doing here?"
"I'm going home," Wenhao said. "And you are coming with me."
"What?"
"I'm dropping you off. Get in the car."
Shen Wei shook his head so fast his glasses almost flew off. "No no no. That's okay. I can walk. I always walk."
Wenhao stared at him. "Walk where."
"Home. It's not far."
"How far."
Shen Wei looked at the ground. "Twenty minutes."
Wenhao made a face like someone just fed him something sour. "Twenty minutes in this heat. Are you crazy."
"I'm used to it."
"Well I'm not used to watching you do it. Get in the car Weiwei."
Shen Wei stepped back. "Really. I'm fine. You don't have to."
Wenhao grabbed his wrist and pulled him toward the car. "I'm not asking. I'm telling. Get in."
Shen Wei looked like a small animal being carried by a cat. He got into the car very slowly like he was afraid the seats would bite him.
The driver looked at Wenhao through the mirror.
"To the Liang house sir?"
"No," Wenhao said. "Weiwei where do you live."
Shen Wei gave the address in a very small voice. The driver raised one eyebrow but said nothing.
The car drove for ten minutes. Then the buildings got smaller. The streets got narrower. The car stopped in front of an old building with peeling paint and broken stairs.
Wenhao looked out the window. "This is...where you live?"
Shen Wei opened the door quickly. "Yes. Thank you for the ride..... Goodbye."
He tried to run but Wenhao was faster. Wenhao got out of the car too.
"What are you doing," Shen Wei said with panic in his voice.
"I'm coming in."
"No you are not."
"Yes I am."
"My apartment is small."
"I don't care."
"It's messy."
"I've seen worse."
"It smells like instant noodles."
Wenhao paused. "Okay that actually smells good. I'm hungry. Let's go."
Shen Wei wanted to cry but he also wanted to laugh. He didn't know which one to do so he just sighed and walked up the stairs.
Wenhao followed him. The stairs creaked. The walls were yellow. The lights on the second floor were not working.
"This is dangerous," Wenhao said. "You could fall and die."
"I haven't died yet."
"Yet is the key word."
They got to the third floor. Shen Wei took out his key and opened the door. The apartment was very small. There was one room with a bed in the corner and a table near the window and a tiny kitchen that was basically just a hot plate and a small fridge.
Wenhao walked inside like he was exploring a new world. He touched the wall. He looked at the window. He opened the small fridge and found three eggs and half a bottle of water.
"Weiwei."
"Yes?"
"You live here alone?"
Shen Wei put his bag down. "Yes."
"Where are your parents?"
Shen Wei's face changed for just one second. Then he smiled a small smile. "My mother works in another city. She sends money when she can. My father is not in the picture."
Wenhao stood in the middle of the small room and turned around slowly. His eyes were very wide.
"You have your own apartment."
"It's not mine. We rent it."
"But you live alone."
"Yes."
Wenhao sat down on the bed like his legs could not hold him anymore. He looked at Shen Wei with an expression Shen Wei had never seen before.
Shen Wei got a little scared. "Are you okay?"
"No," Wenhao said. "I am not okay. I am jealous. I am very very jealous."
"Of what."
"You live alone Weiwei. You have your own door. Your own key. You can eat noodles whenever you want. You can sleep however you want. You can wear whatever you want."
Shen Wei blinked. "You can do all those things too."
"No I can't. My father has ten rules about everything. No food in my room. No music after ten. No this no that. I have asked him a hundred times to let me live alone and he says no every time."
Wenhao laid back on Shen Wei's bed and spread his arms out like a starfish.
"This is nice," he said. "Your bed is small but it's yours."
Shen Wei did not know what to do with a rich boy lying on his bed so he just stood there holding his bag.
Wenhao looked at him. "Why are you just standing there like a statue. Sit down."
"There's no chair."
"Then sit on the floor. Or sit next to me. I don't bite."
Shen Wei sat on the floor.
Wenhao laughed. "You are so weird Weiwei."
"You are the one lying on a stranger's bed."
"We are not strangers. You bought me ice cream. That makes us friends."
Shen Wei wanted to say that Wenhao was the one who bought the ice cream but he decided to stay quiet.
Wenhao sat up and looked around again. His eyes landed on the hot plate.
"Cook me an egg."
"What?"
"You have three eggs. Cook me one. I want to see if you can cook."
Shen Wei stood up slowly. "You are really going to stay?"
"I just got comfortable. Why would I leave?"
Shen Wei wanted to argue but he knew it was useless. He took out one egg and turned on the hot plate.
Wenhao watched him with big curious eyes. "Weiwei."
"Yes."
"From now on I'm coming here after school."
Shen Wei almost dropped the egg. "What?"
"You heard me. You have freedom here. I want freedom too. So I'm coming here."
"My apartment is too small for two people."
"Then we will be small together."
Shen Wei did not know how to answer that. He just cooked the egg and put it on a plate and gave it to Wenhao.
Wenhao took a bite. "This is terrible."
Shen Wei's face fell.
"But I like it," Wenhao said with a full mouth. "Make me another one."
Shen Wei sighed and took out the second egg.
Outside the driver waited in the alley. He looked at his watch. He looked at the building. He called Mr. Liang.
"The young master went inside a small apartment with a classmate sir."
There was a long pause.
"Let him stay," Mr. Liang said. "But don't lose sight."
The driver put down the phone and waited.
Upstairs Wenhao ate his second terrible egg and made himself comfortable on Shen Wei's bed like he had lived there his whole life.
Shen Wei sat on the floor and watched him and thought that his life had become very strange very fast.
But he didn't hate it.
The black car pulled into the Liang family estate but it wasn't wenhao cat and the servants whispered to each other because the young master never came home late.
Inside the main hall Mr Liang stood near the stairs with a young girl beside her and Liang Xinyi walked in from the garden still holding a book in her hand.
Xinyi stopped when she saw the girl. "Father. Who is she?"
Mr Liang put his hand on the girl's shoulder. "This is Liang Ruifen. She is your sister. From today she will live with us."
Xinyi blinked once then twice then her whole face lit up like someone turned on a hundred lights. "A sister. I have a sister."
She ran to Ruifen and grabbed both of her hands. "I have always wanted a sister. Growing up with only brothers was so boring. They are loud and they smell bad and they never want to talk about anything nice."
Ruifen looked surprised. She smiled a small sweet smile. "Hello. I always wanted a sister too."
Xinyi hugged her so tight Ruifen made a small oof sound. "What is your room like? Have you seen it yet? I will make sure you have everything you need."
The servants came forward and led Ruifen upstairs to show her the room. Xinyi watched her go with happy eyes.
Then she turned to her father and her smile stayed but her eyes changed.
"Father. Can we talk. In your study."
Mr Liang looked at her for a long moment. Then he nodded.
They walked to the study at the end of the hall and Xinyi closed the door behind her. She stood in front of his desk and crossed her arms.
"She looks like you," Xinyi said. "Is she....your daughter?."
Mr Liang sat down behind his desk. "Yes."
"She is older than Wenhao. That means you had her before he was born."
Mr Liang did not say anything.
Xinyi's voice got quieter. "Mother was still alive when you had her. Wasn't she."
Mr Liang looked at his hands. "Xinyi."
"Answer me father. Was mother still alive."
"Yes."
Xinyi pressed her lips together so tight they turned white. "Mother was sick for three years before she died. Three years. I remember her lying in bed. I remember her asking for you. And you were never there."
"I was working."
"You were with someone else."
Mr Liang stood up. "Watch your tone."
"No," Xinyi said and her voice did not shake even a little bit. "I have watched my tone for years. I have been the good daughter. The graceful daughter. The one who never causes problems. But right now I am not your daughter. I am her daughter. And I am asking you. Did you leave my mother when she was sick to be with another woman?"
Mr Liang walked to the window. His back was turned to her. "It is not as simple as you think."
"Then explain it to me. Make me understand."
He was quiet for a long time. "Ruifen's mother and I. It happened before your mother got sick. Only for a short time. But she became pregnant. I tried to end things. I tried to do the right thing."
"But you didn't."
"No. I didn't. Ruifen's mother raised her alone. She never asked me for anything. She only called me when she was dying. She asked me to take care of Ruifen."
Xinyi's hands were shaking but she kept them crossed so her father would not see. "Mother never knew."
"She knew about that and I will always be grateful to her that she never left me for that reason it broke her but she never left"
Xinyi looked at the ceiling for a second like she was asking her mother for help. Then she looked back at her father.
"Does Wenhao know."
"No."
"Does Wang Jie or Shuren know."
"No. Only you. Because you are the oldest. Because you deserve to know the truth."
Xinyi laughed but there was no happiness in it. "I deserve to know that my father cheated on my mother while she was dying. Thank you. What a gift."
Mr Liang turned around. His face was tired. "Xinyi. Ruifen did nothing wrong. She is innocent in all of this. Please don't punish her for my mistakes."
Xinyi walked to the door. She put her hand on the handle. Then she stopped.
"I won't punish her," she said quietly. "She is my sister. I meant what I said. I have always wanted a sister."
"Then what will you do."
Xinyi opened the door. "I will love her. But I will hate you."
She walked out and closed the door behind her without looking back.
Mr Liang sat down in his chair and put his face in his hands.
Upstairs Xinyi found Ruifen sitting on her new bed looking at the big room with wide eyes. The servants had put flowers on the table and soft blankets on the bed.
Xinyi sat down next to her and took her hand.
"Welcome home," Xinyi said with a real smile even though her heart was still hurting. "I am so happy you are here."
Ruifen looked at her and smiled back. "Thank you. I was so scared. I thought no one would want me."
Xinyi squeezed her hand. "I want you. I have always wanted a sister. You are not alone anymore."
Ruifen's eyes got wet. She leaned her head on Xinyi's shoulder.
Xinyi patted her hair and looked out the window at the dark sky and thought about her mother and thought about her father and thought about how love and anger can live in the same heart at the same time.
She did not know the answer.
But she held Ruifen's hand and did not let go.