For approximately three minutes after Jian chased his sister down the hallway—
peace existed.
A rare event.
A miraculous event.
A dangerous event.
Because it left Jian alone with his thoughts.
And unfortunately—
Wei.
When Jian returned to the room, breathing slightly harder from the failed pursuit, Wei hadn't moved.
He was still sitting cross-legged on the floor mat.
Biology notebook open.
Pencil in hand.
Actually studying.
Like a psychopath.
Jian dropped back onto the floor beside him.
"This family is impossible."
Wei didn't look up.
"Hm."
"You heard all that?"
"Hm."
"And?"
Wei turned a page.
"Your sister is smart."
"Betrayal."
The answer came immediately.
"She offered evidence."
Jian stared.
Wei continued reading.
As if he hadn't just joined the enemy.
Unbelievable.
The room settled into silence again.
Not awkward silence.
Comfortable silence.
The kind that happened naturally between them now.
The ceiling fan spun slowly overhead.
Outside the window, a scooter passed somewhere down the street.
The afternoon sunlight drifted lazily across the floor.
For a few minutes, neither spoke.
Pages turned.
Pens moved.
Everything looked productive.
It was a lie.
At least for Jian.
Because Jian had read the same sentence four times.
And still had absolutely no idea what it said.
His eyes moved across the page.
His brain did not.
Across from him, Wei was highlighting notes.
Concentrating.
Occasionally pushing loose hair away from his eyes.
Occasionally scribbling something in the margins.
Jian stared.
Then immediately looked back down.
The damage was already done.
Three seconds later—
he looked again.
Wei sighed.
Without looking up.
"You're doing it again."
Jian froze.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Liar."
"I wasn't even looking at you."
"Then what color is my notebook?"
Jian answered instantly.
"Blue."
Silence.
Wei slowly looked up.
Jian immediately regretted everything.
"...Lucky guess."
"It isn't blue."
"...Oh."
The notebook was green.
Very green.
Painfully green.
Wei lowered his head.
Disappointed.
Deeply disappointed.
"Unbelievable."
Jian rubbed the back of his neck.
"Okay, maybe I was distracted."
"Maybe?"
"A little."
"A little?"
Wei pointed toward the biology book.
"We've been on the same chapter for twenty minutes."
"That's called thorough learning."
"No."
"It is."
"No."
Jian smiled.
Wei stared.
The smile remained.
Eventually Wei sighed.
Again.
The sigh of a man carrying the educational future of someone else.
"Question twelve."
Jian looked down.
"Question twelve."
Nothing happened.
"Jian."
"Hm?"
"Question twelve."
"Oh."
Jian looked at the page.
Silence.
Then more silence.
Then—
"Which one is question twelve?"
Wei closed his eyes.
The notebook almost left his hand.
Ten minutes later.
Progress had not improved.
Wei had completed two pages.
Jian had achieved approximately half a page.
And one doodle.
A very important doodle.
But still a doodle.
Wei stared at it.
Then at him.
Then back at the doodle.
"Is that Kai?"
"No."
"It looks exactly like Kai."
"It's not."
"It has his eyebrows."
"Coincidence."
Wei pointed.
"It says 'Kai' above his head."
Jian immediately covered the page.
"Privacy."
Wei laughed.
A real laugh.
Short.
Unexpected.
The sound caught Jian completely off guard.
For a second he forgot the notebook.
Forgot the exams.
Forgot everything.
Because Wei didn't laugh loudly very often.
But when he did—
it always felt worth hearing.
Wei noticed him staring again.
The laughter disappeared.
A dangerous look appeared instead.
"What?"
Jian blinked.
"What?"
"You're staring."
"I wasn't."
"You were."
"You keep accusing me."
"Because you keep doing it."
Fair.
Unfortunately.
A knock suddenly sounded at the door.
Neither reacted.
They already knew.
The door opened anyway.
Jian's sister walked in carrying absolutely no purpose.
Which was normal.
She looked at the books.
Then at them.
Then at the books again.
"You two are actually studying."
The disappointment in her voice was immediate.
"What were you expecting?" Jian asked.
"Something interesting."
"Go away."
She ignored him.
Naturally.
Instead, she walked over and sat directly beside Wei.
Uninvited.
Comfortably.
Like a cat.
Wei looked down.
Then politely shifted his notebook so she could see.
Jian looked betrayed.
"You like him more."
"Obviously."
"Why?"
She pointed.
"He listens."
Wei immediately looked away.
Trying not to smile.
Jian pointed dramatically.
"That was personal."
"It was accurate."
The traitor count in this house continued increasing.
Five minutes later—
the little sister was still there.
Somehow.
Nobody knew why.
Not even her.
She watched them study for another minute.
Then suddenly pointed.
"Ge."
"What."
"You've been looking at Wei more than your textbook."
Silence.
Complete silence.
Wei stopped writing.
Jian stopped breathing.
The little sister looked pleased.
Extremely pleased.
Because she had chosen violence.
Again.
"Out."
"No."
"Out."
"No."
"Mom!"
The girl immediately stood.
Coward.
Then before leaving, she pointed toward Wei.
"Good luck."
"With what?" Wei asked.
She looked toward Jian.
Then back toward Wei.
Then smiled.
A smile full of dangerous information.
"Everything."
And ran.
Immediately.
Before Jian could throw a notebook at her.
The door slammed shut.
Silence returned.
The room became suspiciously quiet.
Jian stared at the floor.
Wei stared at his notebook.
Neither spoke.
A full ten seconds passed.
Then—
"...She's weird."
Wei's shoulders shook.
Very slightly.
The beginning of laughter.
Jian pointed immediately.
"Don't encourage her."
That only made it worse.
The laughter escaped anyway.
Soft.
Warm.
Real.
And before either of them realized it—
another hour slipped quietly by.
With biology notes.
Arguments.
Terrible concentration.
And a strange, growing feeling that somehow—
being here together was becoming normal.