After a few days together, my relationship with Mom had noticeably improved.
But the good times didn't last long. After receiving Mom's call, Dad quickly flew over from back home.
With Dad by her side to keep her company and take care of her, it was naturally time for me to return to China.
Although I came up with all sorts of excuses and hesitated, trying to stay, Mom remained unmoved and insisted I go back.
Apart from the fact that my senior year of high school was about to start, she was also worried about Beibei being home alone.
Not wanting to upset Mom, I had no choice but to comply. That very night, I flew back to China.
Before I left, Mom specifically reminded me to take good care of my sister. But the look in her eyes carried a clear warning. I couldn't help but feel that, compared to outsiders, Mom might be even more afraid I'd do something bad to Beibei.
However, I thought their worries were completely unnecessary. When I returned home, I found the living room coffee table in a mess, covered with all kinds of snacks. The TV was on, and the little girl was sprawled on the sofa in loose, light-blue pajamas, fast asleep and snoring softly, her phone still clutched in her hand.
It seemed she was living quite comfortably on her own.
I walked over and gently patted her cheek, but she didn't stir.
Her face was soft and pink, with a hint of baby fat—adorable. I couldn't resist patting it a couple more times. She waved her hand, mumbled something, turned over, tucked her hands between her legs, and curled up into a ball.
I smiled, picked her up, and carried her back to her bedroom. Before leaving, I couldn't help but pinch her little cheek again.
I don't know if she sensed something in her dream, but she suddenly kicked her feet out, flailing them at me a few times.
After leaving Beibei's room, I stood at the door for a moment, lost in thought. Then, as if guided by some strange impulse, I went to my parents' bedroom, turned on the light, and stared blankly at their wedding photo on the wall.
Thinking about how I'd accidentally slept with my mother, how our relationship had shattered, how we'd been unexpectedly stranded on an island together, and how things had gradually eased between us—everything that had happened over the past month felt like a dream, leaving me dizzy and disoriented.
On the surface, Mom and I could now communicate normally, but deep down, I knew it would take a long time to completely bridge the gap between us.
A year?
Two years?
Three?
Ten?
Maybe even a lifetime.
I didn't know.
But one thing was clear: Mom had sternly warned me not to set my sights on Beibei. Yet now she was letting me come back alone to take care of her. Unless it was absolutely necessary, this meant she still trusted me a little—at least she didn't see me as a complete monster.
At that thought, a wave of joy washed over me. To live up to Mom's trust, the only thing I could do now was study as hard as I could and achieve the best possible grades to win her approval.
After returning to my room, I called Anuo, but her phone was still off.
Guilt and unease filled my heart. I searched local forums, looking for any news about accidents or suicides involving teenage girls.
Fortunately, everything seemed peaceful lately, with no such incidents. I breathed a small sigh of relief.
The next day, I went to Anuo's house early to look for her. No one answered the door, and her phone was still off. I waited downstairs for a long time but saw no sign of her. When I asked the neighbors nearby, no one knew where she was.
Helpless, I could only leave a note in the crack of her door and head back for the time being.
As I passed by Longhe Bridge, the scene from that day surfaced in my mind.
Anuo sat alone on the outer edge of the bridge, folding paper cranes in her hands while humming a soft tune.
When she turned her head, her small face, covered in bruises, wore a sweet smile as she gently called me "brother."
My heart churned with a whirlwind of emotions—sympathy, affection, heartache, and guilt, all tangled together. I didn't know exactly how I saw her. As a little sister? Not entirely.
Over the next few days, I kept trying to find Anuo, but there was no trace of her. It was as if she had vanished from the face of the earth.
School started, forcing me to temporarily halt my search and refocus on my studies.
But that's how things often go—when you're actively looking, you can't find them; when you stop, they appear on their own.
One evening, on my way home from school, something suddenly hit me on the head. Looking down, I saw it was a shelled dried peanut.
Bewildered, I searched around and finally looked up. Under the streetlight, I could faintly make out a girl in a high school uniform sitting on a parasol tree by the roadside. She was peeling peanuts, her feet crossed and swinging playfully. That lively, adorable figure—there was no need to guess who it was.
My heart leaped with surprise and joy. Looking up, I asked urgently, "I've been looking for you for days. Where have you been?"
Anuo looked down at me but didn't say a word, chewing on peanuts and casually tossing the shells down. Worried, I said, "Why are you up so high? Aren't you afraid of falling?"
Still silent, I raised my voice, "Hey, can you hear me? Come down right now."
Anuo acted as if she hadn't heard a thing, leisurely peeling peanuts. What was most infuriating was that she kept stuffing peanuts into her mouth while staring at me.
I was truly at my wit's end. Gritting my teeth, I climbed up the tree trunk.
The parasol tree was thick and sturdy. Looking up from below hadn't felt like much, but from above, it was genuinely a bit frightening—probably about two meters high.
Fortunately, I'd been a mischievous kid, so climbing trees was a piece of cake for me. But how had this little girl managed to get up there?
Carefully, I sat down beside Anuo and asked with a hint of reproach, "What's a young girl like you doing climbing so high? Aren't you scared of falling?"
Anuo gently shook her head, enjoying her peanuts with contentment.
I nudged her shoulder lightly. "Hey, are you listening? I'm talking to you."
She turned her head and handed me a peeled peanut. Hesitating for a moment, I took it and put it in my mouth. It tasted dry and salty.
"I'm sorry about that night on the thirtieth. I really had something come up and couldn't make it."
Anuo glanced at me sideways, her face expressionless, giving no hint of what she was thinking. But that innocent, guileless gaze only deepened my guilt.
"Alright, I… I admit, I really did forget." I clenched my teeth and owned up to my mistake but quickly added, "After you messaged me, I wanted to come find you, but… something really did come up, and I couldn't make it."
"It's okay."
Unexpectedly, Anuo wasn't angry. Instead, she smiled sweetly.
I was taken aback. "You… you're not mad?"
"Hey~! Things like this happen all the time. It's not the first time I've been stood up," Anuo said, handing me another peanut. I reached out to take it, but she pulled her hand back playfully and instead placed it right at my lips.
I looked at her, hesitated for a moment, then opened my mouth to eat it, nearly biting her delicate, rosy fingers. Luckily, she pulled them back just in time.
Her attitude was really strange—was she up to something again?
"Where have you been these past few days? I've been looking for you for ages, and your phone's been off."
"Why were you looking for me?" Anuo blinked at me, looking genuinely puzzled. If I didn't know her personality, I might have been fooled by her innocent expression.
"I was... worried about you," I stammered, unable to tell the whole truth.
"You were afraid I'd take it too hard? Afraid I'd jump into a river or something?" Anuo chuckled in response.
"Well... a little."
"If I jumped into a river every time you stood me up, would I really be that fragile?" She laughed lightly and explained, "I went on a trip with some classmates out of town a few days ago. I wasn't home, and my phone broke, so I couldn't answer calls."
I wasn't sure if she was telling the truth, but thinking about it, it made sense. I had probably worried too much. Growing up in such a tough environment, why would she be so fragile over one broken promise from me?
"Where did you go with your classmates?" I asked, trying to keep the conversation going.
"Latia Island."
I stumbled, nearly falling off the tree.
"Just kidding. Where would I get the money to go abroad? We just went to the provincial capital for a few days."
She looked at me with a teasing, half-smile. Did she know about my family's trip abroad? But she didn't say it outright, leaving me completely baffled.
Still, she was Dad's daughter too. Our whole family went on vacation abroad while she was left alone in the country. If I were in her shoes, I'd be upset too.
Even though it wasn't my fault, I couldn't help feeling a little guilty.
"When I have money in the future, I'll take you abroad."
"Forget it! You stood me up once, so you've lost all credibility with me."
"Right, right, it's my fault. I apologize and I'll try to make it up to you." I thought for a moment and said, "How about this—I'll treat you to a movie."
"I don't want to," Anuo replied, lowering her head with little interest.
"Then what do you want to do? Just tell me."
"I want to go home."
Without thinking, I immediately said, "Okay, I'll take you home."
She looked at me without any reaction. I hesitated, then frowned and asked, "You mean... back to our home? No, no, not that! You mean... back to Dad's home?"
She continued to look at me silently, which I took as confirmation.
"No... it's not that I'm against it, don't get me wrong. But my name isn't on the property deed, and I'm not the head of the household on the registration, so I can't make that decision."
"Alright, you don't have to say more. I understand," Anuo smiled faintly. "You're afraid your mom won't agree, right?"
"That's pretty much the gist of it," I said with a silly, sheepish grin. "Don't think I'm being a coward. If it were before, I might have been able to bring it up with my mom and try to help you out. But right now, I've really pissed her off. I don't even dare breathe too loudly around her."
"It's okay, I don't blame you."
"No, no, please blame me. Even if you just complain a little, that's fine." The more she spoke in that light, indifferent tone, the guiltier I felt inside.
I couldn't shake the feeling that I owed her something, that I should help her in some way. But I was just an ordinary high school student—not one of those Japanese high schoolers with superpowers—so what could I possibly do?
"Brother~!" Anuo suddenly turned her head to look at me. "If Beibei got sick or hurt, would you take care of her?"
I wasn't sure why she was asking this out of the blue. After a moment's hesitation, I nodded. "Of course I would. Even though she can be annoying sometimes, I'm still her brother."
"What about me?"
"You're the same. You're my sister too."
"If I sprained my ankle, would you carry me on your back like you do with Beibei?"
"Of course."
"If I got hurt, you'd take care of me too."
"Of course." I frowned. "What are you trying to say?"
Anuo didn't answer. She glanced down, then gave me a faint smile. Placing her hands on the branch, she pushed off and jumped.
My hair practically stood on end from shock. "What are you doing?!" I yelled.
The branch was over two meters off the ground. Anuo landed on her right foot—just thinking about it made me wince in pain—but she didn't make a sound. She just lay on the ground, gritting her teeth.
I was genuinely terrified by her actions. After a stunned pause, I hurriedly climbed down from the tree.
Seeing her furrowed brow and clenched jaw, it was clear she was in a lot of pain. My heart ached for her, but I was also angry. "Are you crazy? What were you trying to do?"
Sweat beaded on Anuo's forehead, her face pale. She stretched out her arms toward me, forcing a weak smile. "Carry me."
I really couldn't understand what she was up to.
But there was no time to think it over. I quickly helped her sit up, then hoisted her onto my back. Rushing to the road, I flagged down a taxi and took her to the nearest hospital.
My smartphone had been confiscated, so I couldn't pay the bill. Luckily, Anuo had money with her.
Following the doctor's instructions, we got an X-ray. Fortunately, it was just a sprained ankle and a minor fracture in her right calf bone. She didn't need to be hospitalized, but she had to wear a bandage and splint and rest for a while.
Half an hour later, I carried Anuo out of the hospital. I was planning to hail another taxi, but she insisted I carry her home. Thankfully, she was small and light, so it wasn't too much of a struggle.
Anuo rested her head on my shoulder and murmured softly, "So this is what it feels like to be carried by my brother."
I couldn't help but chuckle self-deprecatingly. "Your brother isn't Superman. Carrying you won't make us fly—what's so special about it?"
"I don't know, I just wanted to try it." As Anuo spoke, her warm breath tickled my neck, sending a faint, tingling sensation through me.
By the time I got Anuo home, it was already very late. Thankfully, my parents were still abroad, or they would have been frantic with worry.
After settling everything, I saw there was nothing left to do and decided to head home. But Anuo grabbed the hem of my shirt, her watery eyes blinking as she looked at me with a pitiful expression.
"Is... there something else?"
"I need to pee."
"Then... go ahead."
Anuo pointed at her right foot, and I immediately understood. After hesitating for a moment, I crouched down, waited for her to climb onto my back, and carried her to the bathroom, gently placing her on the toilet.
I turned to leave but was stopped by her grip.
"Is there something else?"
"Nothing, I just want you to stay here." As she spoke, Anuo pulled down her pants and underwear to her knees.
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of her fair, soft thigh and half of her plump, round little butt. In the past, I would have shamelessly enjoyed the view, but now that I knew her identity, I felt a bit awkward and instinctively turned away.
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