CH 3

Ruan Mengmeng dragged herself across the road and patted her face, searching for a way to coax a seventeen-year-old, five-foot-nine tall boy to sleep.

The heavy dark blue curtains blocked the bright sunlight outside. He Yiyang was leaning against the bed head, with dark grey sheets draped over his abdomen. He patted the spot beside him when he saw her enter.

Ruan Mengmeng was a little hesitant. Seeing the knot between his eyebrows so thick that it seemed to have formed a dark cloud, she was really worried* and sat down on the edge of the bed. 

He Yiyang glared at her angrily, “Can I still eat you? Sit up here. “

“Gzz aktbv.”Swyd Yldtxldt pxkzle pbuzu yde jknjle sqq bla pbslp vs nzkxc kdvs cle.

Tl Zkuydt pzke kdvs vbl czydjlv yde pyke, “Fkdt xl y qlo zwzzycklp yde jdllz* kd rlynl obld R qyzz ypzllr.”

Swyd Yldtxldt czkdjle yde ypjle nyalqwzzu, “Jasvbla Zkuydt, yal usw eskdt vbkp clnywpl sq ywdv yde wdnzl ……”

Ebld pbl xlv bkp kdj-czynj lulp, pbl bye vbl tsse pldpl vs nbydtl vbl pwcflnv. “R osd’v ypj kq usw esd’v oydv vs vlzz xl. R’zz pkdt usw y zkvvzl pvya, sjyu?”

Stretching out his hand and pinching her fat face, He Yiyang said, “Sing it.”

Ruan Mengmeng cleared her throat, clenched her fleshy little fist, and sang, “Twinkle, twinkle, the sky is full of small stars. Hanging in the sky and shining bright. Like many small eyes, twinkling…

“Stop! Is this a children’s song?” He Yiyang interrupted.

In the pitch-black night, many open eyeballs suddenly appeared! Are you sure it’s a children’s song and not a horror movie?

“Yeah, what’s wrong?” Ruan Mengmeng said innocently.

“Change the song.”

“Oh,” Ruan Mengmeng cocked her head in thought, “What about Little Donkey? Ever heard of it?”

“Sing.” He Yiyang closed his eyelids.

“Ah woo,” Ruan Mengmeng cried, “I had a little donkey. I never rode it. One day, on a whim, I rode it to the market. I had a little leather whip in my hand…”

What the hell is an “Ah woo”? Can a little donkey make a wolf call?

Also, don’t you dare cheerfully hold a little leather whip! What are you going to do?

Heh! He Yiyang opened his eyes dangerously.

“You’re having fun with my heart… huh?” 

Ruan Mengmeng looked at the large hand covering her mouth in surprise. What was wrong?

“You dare to be smug with a small leather whip, eh!?” He Yiyang heavily pinched the small fleshy face. “It won’t help me sleep. That’s a stupid example. Change to another song.” 

“Brother Yiyang, you’re so hard to serve,” Ruan Mengmeng complained as she rubbed her face feeling aggrieved, “I can’t sing anything else.”

“Didn’t you like singing Bugs Fly when you were little?” He Yiyang said, “Just sing that over and over again. Lie over here. Lower your voice and sing in my ear.”

“Why didn’t you tell me earlier if you had something you wanted to hear?” Ruan Mengmeng complained, but she leaned over the bed sheet, face-to-face with He Yiyang. “Close your eyes. I’ll sing it to you.”

“The dark sky hangs low, bright stars follow, bugs fly, bugs fly, who are you thinking of…… The cold wind blows, cold wind blows, as long as there is you with me……”

He Yiyang looked at Ruan Mengmeng, who was close at hand. At her clear and beautiful almond eyes and her fair and rosy little fleshy face. No matter how bad his tone was, this little fatty would not complain. She stayed around him as always, good and obedient, clumsy and innocent.

He had thought Ruan Mengmeng was just a childhood friend, but after his parents had passed away, he would always think of her at night.

He was alone, and it didn’t matter where he went, so he went back home with his grandfather.

It was only when he saw Ruan Mengmeng’s face that he realised what he didn’t want to admit: he had missed her and wanted to go back to her.

But when he faced Ruan Mengmeng, he would always recall that night three years ago. He couldn’t control his shame or his resentment.

Accompanied by the gentle, sweet singing, He Yiyang buried his hands under the pillow, relaxed his mind, and gradually felt sleepy. 　

Ruan Mengmeng sang the song over and over again until the handsome sleeping face in front of her gradually settled down. She stretched out her hand and gently patted He Yiyang’s back.

“Insects fly and flowers sleep, one pair each. One pair is only beautiful. Not afraid of the darkness, but only of a broken heart. No matter how tired you are, or whether you are southeast or northwest… Brother Yiyang? “

He Yiyang was sleeping soundly with long, deep breaths.

She sang until her voice was hoarse. When she got up to drink water, she suddenly heard a tiny murmur. She came closer to listen.

“Dad, mum……”

Ruan Mengmeng’s eyes were instantly red. She knew Brother Yiyang missed aunt and uncle. He just stubbornly refused to say so.

“You are my real brother. From now on, we are a family. Don’t be afraid; Mengmeng will be with you. “

Not wanting to disturb He Yiyang’s sleep, Ruan Mengmeng tiptoed to close the door.

***

The next day, He Yiyang had slept for a full twenty hours and was so hungry that he reluctantly got up.

There was a series of unread WeChat messages on his phone, and at the top of the list was Ruan Mengmeng.

[Brother Yiyang, tell me when you wake up. I made your breakfast.]

It was already afternoon. He Yiyang walked into the washroom with his stomach grumbling, and he looked at the spotless and bare sink. He scratched his head speechlessly.

“Ruan Mengmeng, open the door.” He Yiyang knocked on his neighbour’s door.

Ruan Mengmeng was holding a bowl of crystal grapes, eating them while watching anime. She was mesmerised by the two-dimensional, Natsume Guise.

“Coming.”

She opened the door and saw He Yiyang’s short, uncombed hair hanging in a messy, unruly manner. His face was screwed up and seemingly a bit sleepy.

“Brother Yiyang… what, what’s wrong?” Ruan Mengmeng asked cautiously.

He Yiyang’s eyes swept over her. Ruan Mengmeng was wearing a pink polka dot umbrella dress today, with two small pom-poms adorning the bottom of the collar. It matched the large pom-poms tied with pellets, setting off the round and cute little pink fleshy face.

He raised an eyebrow and said, “You won’t let me in?”

“No, please come in.” Ruan Mengmeng gave way.

The suite Ruan Hai and Ruan Mengmeng lived in was similar in layout to his. The only difference being an extra open-air balcony draped with dainty vine moonflowers of various colours.

The entire house was clean, warm, and naturally beautiful.

He Yiyang took another look at Ruan Mengmeng. The house was like its owner, or the residence reflected the owner’s deep-seated character cultivation.

“Do you have any extra toiletries?” He Yiyang explained his intention.

“Yes, wait a minute.”

Ruan Mengmeng went to the washroom to look for them, and He Yiyang followed. He saw her tiptoeing to open the hanging cupboard, her rounded fingertips were just barely touching the edge of the door.

“This cupboard?”

He Yiyang stood behind her, his long, slender arm reaching out and slapping the cupboard door with ease.

“Yes,” Ruan Mengmeng said enviously, “It’s good to be tall.”

As she turned around, the tip of her nose brushed against a warm chest. The puff of breath mixed with a faint crisp scent was so nice that it inexplicably made her face heat up.

Ruan Mengmeng covered her nose and looked up strangely, “Yiyang…” The two words “brother” drowned out by the man’s bulging Adam’s apple and the faint stubble emerging from his chin.

There was a sudden buzzing in her head. Ruan Mengmeng cupped her cheeks, which were as hot as boiling water, and slipped out from under He Yiyang’s open chest.

He said, with a wicked smile, “Little fat girl, do you feel like a deer in the headlights?”

He was so pleased with himself that he couldn’t help saying a word to this blushing face.

“These,” he said with a raised eyebrow as he took the toiletries, “will cover the benefits I give, right?”

After saying that, he swaggered off, not caring about Ruan Mengmeng, who was brainwashing herself with a horrified look behind him.

“That is brother. What are you blushing about? ” Ruan Mengmeng shook her head rapidly, “It must be because you’ve been exposed to fewer boys and have been affected by the legendary heterosexual hormones! That’s it! You like warm and gentle boys like Natsume Takashi. Not a domineering and fierce one like him! Ruan Mengmeng, He Yiyang is the real brother! “

The heat on her face quickly subsided, and Ruan Mengmeng successfully brainwashed herself and built up her psyche.

When she returned to the living room, she passed by the sink and saw the razor Ruan Hai was using. After thinking about it, she pulled open the drawer and picked up a spare one to give to He Yiyang.

The door to He Yiyang’s house had been left open and he was in a hurry to rinse his mouth. The bitterness in his mouth was unbearable.

“Brother Yiyang, do you want to use this?”

Ruan Mengmeng came in, holding up a razor. He Yiyang had been washing his face with water and straightened up at the sound of her voice.

“Razor-blade~~~ ah!”

Ruan Mengmeng’s feet slipped and she landed on the ground, knocking her knees on the ground. Her right hand was still holding up with the razor.

Only, the feel …… of it was soft?

She looked up and, oh, mother in heaven!

What had she done?!

When did the razor in her hand transform into……

“You won’t let go!!!”

A roar of anger rang out above her head, and Ruan Mengmeng hurriedly let go.

She climbed up, panicked and didn’t dare to cry out in pain. She wouldn’t even look at He Yiyang’s face. She was already fearful and uneasy from the sound of his gritted teeth alone.

She lowered her head and said timidly, “Brother Yiyang, I didn’t mean to do it. I came…”

“I know you’ve had a crush on me since you were a child, but is this something you’re going to do? Abolish me if you can’t get it? “

He Yiyang’s face was pale with pain. He was propped up on the sink with one hand and covered his bottom with the other.

“I didn’t,” Ruan Mengmeng panicked, shaking her head and waving her hands incoherently. “I didn’t mean to. And no, I… you are just my brother. I’m sorry… “

“Get lost!”

He Yiyang now only felt that he was in a wretched state of disrepute, and coupled with the pain that no man could endure, his temper was through the roof.

“Brother Yiyang?” Ruan Mengmeng’s almond eyes widened in disbelief.

“Go away! Stay three meters away from me from now on!”

Ruan Mengmeng clutched at her skirt, her eyes red. Her tears swished like an open tap as she sobbed silently.

She stared blankly into those sullen eyes of disgust. She twisted her head to bite the back of her hand, stifling the sobs that were getting in the way, and walked away.

He Yiyang took a long moment to pick up the box on the floor, annoyed, “Damn razor. It hurts to smash it. “

With a snap, he backhanded it and dropped it on the floor in frustration. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of little dots of red stains on the floor, and small, invisible stones…

He Yiyang’s spine stiffened, and he rushed across the room.

“Ruan Mengmeng, open the door! Ruan Mengmeng! “

After knocking on the door for half a minute and no one answering, he pulled out his mobile phone and prepared to dial the number. He remembered what he had done a few minutes ago and the tears in Ruan Mengmeng’s innocent almond eyes. He just couldn’t find the courage to press it.

He slammed the door hard, “Damn it!”