The situation had reached its worst, but Chen Ge had not only refused to give up hope—he was still encouraging the people around him.
Ever since he got the Black Phone, he had been through too many desperate situations. Suffering and Calamities had tempered his nerves again and again, giving him a mental fortitude that ordinary people could never possess.
"Ying Tong, if you leave this building and walk through that door, you'll see the world outside. You won't have to shut yourself away anymore."
Few people ever talked to Ying Tong about the outside world. The colorful place in Chen Ge's words, illuminated by sunlight, filled Ying Tong with longing.
The child slowly perked up. He began telling A Mu about his older brother.
As far back as Ying Tong could remember, his mother had forbidden him from playing with Ying Chen. Whenever the brothers were together, one of their parents was always watching them.
At the time, Ying Tong had only thought it strange. He loved playing with his older brother, who was a very interesting person and could always come up with all kinds of new games. He had lots of friends in the neighborhood, and everyone liked being around him. Back then, Ying Tong had been like Ying Chen's little shadow.
Their parents hadn't been happy to see how close the brothers were. Instead, they had been worried.
Ying Tong had been born with poor eyesight, much worse than other children's. Whenever he went out to play, his older brother looked after him, and he was grateful.
But one day, after they came home from playing Hide and Seek, Ying Tong's mother angrily dragged him into a room. Outside, Ying Chen was crying and shouting. It seemed their father was beating him.
Ying Tong couldn't understand