CH 86

Lin Yuxing and Lin Yue Heng exchanged a glance, and Lin Yuxing handed over the bag of shrimp chips.

Liao Yan’s nose tingled, thinking that even Lin Yuxing didn’t want anything to do with him and wanted to return the snacks to him.

But then, Lin Yuxing said, “Don’t cry, here, have a piece.” He paused and added, “Just one piece.”

Lin Yue Heng chimed in, “Xingxing, those were his shrimp chips in the first place. Just give him the whole bag.”

Lin Yuxing was shocked, “but he gave them to me, they’re mine!” He pointed to the plastic bag of snacks, counted them, and argued earnestly with his brother, “I’m eating from my own bag.”

“But all of this was bought by Auntie, it’s Xiaoyan’s stuff.”

“No, Xiaoyan gave them to me…”

The two brothers started arguing, and Lin Yuxing couldn’t win the argument. Tears welled up in his eyes, and he clutched at Liao Yan’s clothes, unwilling to let go. Liao Yan quickly intervened to calm things down. He placed the entire bag of snacks into Lin Yuxing’s arms and gently patted his head. Though they were the same age, Liao Yan managed to console him in a mature manner, “They’re all for you.”

Lin Yue Heng interjected, “Don’t spoil him! He’s been guarding his food way too much lately.”

Lin Yuxing burst into tears with a loud “wah,” grabbing onto Liao Yan’s clothes and refusing to let go. Tearfully, he gestured for Liao Yan to help him.

Of course, Liao Yan would help him.

But despite staying “speechless,” Lin Yue Heng actually approved of Liao Yan taking care of his brother in this way.

After soothing Lin Yuxing, Lin Yue Heng patted Liao Yan’s shoulder and leaned in to whisper in his ear, “You can come play even without snacks. We’re friends, so you don’t have to bring anything anytime you come.”

Lin Yue Heng continued, “And don’t be sad. Don’t worry about what others say; just be yourself. Alpha, Omega, boys, girls – who decides what we have to be? Just do what you want and be happy.”

They were only seven years old and couldn’t articulate profound ideas.

But that day, Liao Yan’s ears tingled slightly. The summer breeze made him feel warm, and his heart raced.

This was the first time he had made friends who truly understood him.

Liao Yan tried to change the subject, asking, “When you grow up, what’s the one thing you want to do the most?”

Lin Yue Heng gestured towards Lin Yuxing, “Protect him.”

Liao Yan was puzzled, “Is that a dream too?”

“Why not?” Lin Yue Heng pondered, seeming wise beyond his years. He pointed at his brother again, “I want to do whatever I want, as long as I can take care of him.”

Liao Yan sighed, “You’re really good to him.”

Lin Yue Heng said without hesitation, “Of course, he and I are the closest people in this world. We have to be together forever.” He reiterated, “I have to protect him, no matter what.”

Liao Yan nodded, not fully grasping the meaning. Being an only child, he couldn’t empathize completely, but he felt a deep sense of envy.

That welfare institution wasn’t very big, and they had explored all the available places to play.

Liao Yan had brought some pocket money from his parents and suggested they go out.

Lin Yue Heng led them to a dog’s hole, saying, “The headmaster won’t let us play outside these days. If we want to go out, we can only crawl through the dog’s hole.”

Saying that, he and Lin Yuxing had already crawled out, one after the other, showing their familiarity with the process.

Lin Yuxing stuck his head out of the hole, cheerfully beckoning Liao Yan, “Come on.”

Liao Yan hesitated for a moment but then decisively followed.

The welfare institution was located in a small town.

The three of them dashed through the market, with Lin Yue Heng leading them through the bustling crowds. Liao Yan held Lin Yue Heng’s hand, feeling satisfied, as though he had gained a brother of his own.

As they passed a dumpling stall, Liao Yan bought three bowls.

Passing by a candied hawthorn stall, he also bought three skewers.

Approaching an ice cream stall, Lin Yue Heng stopped Liao Yan’s hand from taking out money, “Don’t buy anymore. Don’t waste money. It’s too crowded here. Let’s go somewhere else.”

Liao Yan looked towards a nearby pond and suggested they go there. This time, he walked faster, and the two brothers followed behind, holding their candied hawthorn skewers.

After Lin Yuxing finished licking off the layer of crystallized sugar on his candied hawthorn, he wrinkled his nose and looked at Lin Yue Heng. In a muffled voice, he asked, “Big brother, the hawthorn is too sour. Can I throw it away?”

“No, you can’t.” Lin Yue Heng took the candied hawthorn from him and finished the ones Lin Yuxing hadn’t eaten.

Liao Yan turned to Lin Yue Heng, “Aren’t you finding it sour?”

Lin Yue Heng responded, “Yes, it’s a bit sour, but I’m not an idiot.” He continued, “…and wasting food is not good.”

Though Lin Yue Heng was young, his upbringing had made him mature beyond his years.

The day of parting was tomorrow.

Liao Yan was feeling unusually reluctant to leave them. He didn’t know when he would see them again or when this pair of twins might be adopted.

They were just fleeting acquaintances of the summer.

Liao Yan was mature in his thinking, pondering many things, but the brothers behind him chatted carefreely.

Lin Yuxing: “Big brother, it would be great if we could eat candied hawthorn every day.”

Lin Yue Heng: “Your teeth will rot.”

Lin Yuxing: “No they won’t…”

Lin Yuxing: “Did we spend a lot of money today?”

Lin Yue Heng: “Yeah.”

Lin Yuxing: “Xiaoyan, thank you.”

Lin Yue Heng also said, “Thank you.”

Liao Yan hesitated for a moment before walking ahead.

What he wanted wasn’t really their thanks. He simply liked being with them and wanted to share whatever he could with them.

It wasn’t charity or pity.

Feeling lonely, Liao Yan walked along the edge of the pond, lost in his thoughts and feeling sad. He slipped accidentally and fell into the pond.

The edge of the pond wasn’t deep, with stone slabs at the bottom.

But Liao Yan was easily frightened and had never played in the countryside like this before. He panicked, struggling desperately, fear overtaking everything.

He swallowed water from the pond, struggling to breathe. His arms flailed against the water’s surface, creating intense ripples.

Without thinking, Lin Yue Heng took off his shoes and jumped into the pond to help Liao Yan out.

“You’re panicking! The water’s not even deep!”

Lin Yue Heng stepped on a stone, and the water only reached his chest. But Liao Yan’s movements nearly knocked him over into the water. Lin Yue Heng couldn’t help but curse but also cared for this big guy who wasn’t very helpful.

Lin Yue Heng climbed out of the pond and asked, “Are you okay?”

Liao Yan sat by the edge of the pond, still scared. He was crying profusely, his tears falling onto Lin Yue Heng’s shoulder.

Fortunately, his clothes were already wet; otherwise, Lin Yue Heng would probably have complained about Liao Yan’s mess.

“Don’t cry.”

Lin Yue Heng was at a loss for words.

Even Lin Yuxing, who was prone to tears, was helpless but still tried to comfort Liao Yan, “Just listen to what my brother says. Don’t cry. You’re not dead, you just drank some water. There are fish in the pond, so just think of it as fish soup.”

The more he spoke, the more absurd his words became, and the sadder Liao Yan felt.

Who would want to drink fish soup like this?

That day, Lin Yue Heng carried Liao Yan on his back back to the welfare institution.

Though Lin Yue Heng was shorter than Liao Yan, he was quite strong. He struggled along the way, as Liao Yan’s tears soaked into his shoulder.

Lin Yuheng looked at Lin Yuxing and said, “You, don’t talk anymore.”

Lin Yuxing replied, “Oh~”

As expected, when the three of them returned to the welfare institute, Liao’s parents and the head of the institute were already worried sick.

Seeing the returning children, they hurriedly walked up.

Liao Yan was taken off Lin Yuheng’s back by his parents, who were anxiously waiting for him. Liao Yan, who had previously stopped crying, burst into tears again upon seeing his parents, overwhelmed with grievance.

Because Liao’s parents had made donations to the welfare institute, the head of the institute was the first to show concern for the sobbing Liao Yan.

Lin Yuheng, who was tired and had shaky legs, stood alone to the side, unable to insert himself into the conversation, and no one paid him any attention. Only his younger brother, Lin Yuxing, quietly held his hand and gave it a squeeze.

Lin Yuheng held his brother’s hand in return.

The two of them watched as Liao Yan was tightly embraced by his parents. They lowered their eyes, feeling the distance between them widening once again.

Due to the fact that the journey back had been under the scorching sun, their clothes had long since dried. The adults assumed the children had sneaked out to play, fought, and caused this commotion. After soothing Liao Yan, they finally asked what had happened.

Lin Yuxing chimed in, “He fell into the pond, and my brother helped him and carried him back.”

Liao’s parents squatted down, thanking Lin Yuheng. Liao Yan also thanked Lin Yuheng.

However, after Liao Yan was taken away by his parents, Lin Yuheng and Lin Yuxing were still punished. They weren’t allowed to eat any of the pork ribs for dinner, only bean sprouts. And before everyone finished eating, they had to stand in an open area to reflect on their actions.

Lin Yuxing kicked a pebble with his foot. “Are you hungry?”

Lin Yuheng asked, “Are you hungry?”

Lin Yuxing replied, “Not hungry. It’s just that I miss eating pork ribs, couldn’t the headmistress give us pork ribs every day?”

Lin Yuheng pursed his lips, finding his brother’s ramblings a bit funny.

Lin Yuxing continued chattering, ” Do you think Liao Yan is okay? Is he really scared?”

Lin Yuheng reassured his brother, “He has his mom and dad by his side. He’ll be fine.”

Lin Yuxing thought about it and agreed, continuing to kick the small stone with his foot. “I hope he comes to play with us again tomorrow. What if he doesn’t come?”

“I don’t know.”

Lin Yuxing wanted to ask more, but the headmistress came over and led the two of them to have dinner.

On the table, there was only white rice and bean sprouts. The headmistress walked away.

Lin Yuheng and Lin Yuxing looked at the food, then looked at each other. They then started eating their meals.

The headmistress soon returned, holding her own lunchbox. She opened it, revealing a box of pork ribs. She placed the lunchbox in front of them and said sternly, “This is an exception. Don’t expect this in the future.”

Lin Yuxing cheered, pulling Lin Yuheng’s hand and shouting, “Headmistress Mom, I love you!”

On the third day, Liao Yan came again.

But this time, he didn’t stay for long. Because of the incident from yesterday, Liao’s father changed their flight to leave early, planning to take him back sooner.

That day, he came to bid farewell.

He had bought a lot of snacks, stuffing Lin Yuheng’s and Lin Yuxing’s small cabinets in the dormitory full. Lin Yuxing stared in astonishment, his mouth wide open, he had never seen so many snacks in his life.

Lin Yuheng, on the other hand, locked his cabinet meticulously, afraid that someone might steal the snacks.

After all, this big bag of snacks was like a treasure in the welfare institute.

Lin Yuxing looked at Liao Yan with admiration, his mouth couldn’t stop complimenting him, “Liao Yan, you’re so good and you’re kind. I like Alphas like you.”

Liao Yan’s young heart skipped a beat. He blushed and stammered, “You, you like me?”

Lin Yuxing vigorously nodded, holding Liao Yan’s hand and swinging it back and forth, innocently saying, “Like.”

At that moment, Liao Yan found Lin Yuxing incredibly cute.

Liao Yan’s heart raced, even though he was reserved, his thoughts were more mature than those of his peers.

But then, Lin Yuxing added, “I also like Alphas who don’t bully others, but no one is better than my brother. I like my brother the most.”

Liao Yan suddenly felt a bit down, realizing that Lin Yuxing’s liking didn’t make him special…

However, this feeling of disappointment didn’t last long.

Liao Yan turned to Lin Yuheng and took the initiative to stand in front of him, saying seriously, “When we grow up, I want to help you protect Lin Yuxing. Is that okay?”

Lin Yuheng looked at him in confusion, “Huh?”

Liao Yan continued, “I might not have much to offer, but your wish is simple, and I think I can help you achieve it.”

Lin Yuheng said casually, “No need.”

“You don’t need it?” Liao Yan raised his head, his usually pale eyes looking both beautiful and sad, “I really want to repay you, but I don’t know what I can do.”

Lin Yuheng remained silent.

Liao Yan rubbed his eyes and continued, “You really don’t need it?”

Lin Yuheng rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, nonchalantly sitting at the edge of the bed.

Liao Yan mustered up courage and sat beside him.

Seeing this, Lin Yuxing quickly sat beside Liao Yan.

The three of them sat side by side on the not-so-big bed.

After a while, Liao Yan’s eyes welled up, and he hugged Lin Yuheng tightly, saying, “Thank you for saving me yesterday.”

Lin Yuheng, embarrassed, patted his back. “No need to thank me. The pond wasn’t deep.”

Liao Yan shook his head, seriously stating, “My mom said I’m not brave. Even if the water isn’t deep… I definitely wouldn’t have been able to get out. You saved me, and she told me to thank you properly. I will definitely repay you in the future.”

“You’ve bought so many delicious things, and your mom even got us new clothes…” Lin Yuheng awkwardly scratched the back of his head again and said, “we should be the one thanking you.”

Liao Yan felt that all the material things couldn’t make up for the emotional comfort the twins brought him. Even if for a while he felt wanted and treasured by them, something he never felt from peers before.

But often, children’s words are like the wind, said and forgotten, heard and forgotten.

This promise, Lin Yuheng and Lin Yuxing didn’t remember. They experienced too much at the orphanage, passed by too many people. Perhaps, only the main characters that held more significance in their own lives were remembered.

Liao Yan was just a friendly passerby.

Even Liao Yan himself, as he matured over the long course of his life, constrained by various factors, never returned to the welfare institute. Initially, he often thought of them. However, as he grew older, his memories gradually faded.

Childhood summers were like a fleeting dream.

He could remember the taste of the wind, but he couldn’t remember which scene in his countless dreams it came from.

It wasn’t until he turned 18, in his final moments of life, that he saw a beam of light in a distant lake.

It was an imperfect soul, carrying light, sinking into the depths of the lake with loneliness.

He saw memories from that soul’s past.

Fragile and dotted like stars. But at a certain moment, it silently sent out a call for help, refusing to let pain and suffering accumulate, reaching Liao Yan’s consciousness.

Liao Yan recognized the other soul.

Without hesitation, he reached out his hand, embracing that equally broken soul tightly, fulfilling the promise between them.

“Lin Yuheng, it’s been a while.”

—-end—-