Shen Yuxing waited in the kitchen for a long time.
He stared toward the stairs, waiting from one in the morning until three, then from three until the sky outside began to turn gray.
The insulated bag at his feet held cheesecake and two cartons of milk taken from the fridge, all of which Wang Ma had brought upstairs during the day and brought back down untouched.
Shen Yuxing bent down, picked up the insulated bag, and made his way quietly upstairs.
The hallway was silent. His steps paused as he passed Jiang Huaixiao's study. A sliver of cold white light spilled through the gap in the door; the man had clearly stayed up all night again.
He went straight to the tightly shut door at the end of the hallway, crouched down, set the insulated bag beside it, and curled his fingers to knock twice.
"Xiao Xun."
He sat down against the doorframe, keeping his voice very soft.
"My brother has always been like this, ever since he was little. He keeps everything bottled up and swallows every hardship himself."
"My dad used to go crazy when he drank, smashing whatever he could get his hands on. Once, he came charging at me with a woodcutting axe. I was so scared my legs went weak. My brother stepped in front of me and shielded me behind him."
He paused, his fingertips unconsciously picking at the insulated bag's handles.
"Dad's axe hit him in the back, and he didn't make a sound. His back was covered in bruises afterward, but he couldn't even bear to spend money on medicine. He just toughed it out."
"He's never told anyone how hard it's been, or asked anyone for help. He keeps everything bottled up and shoulders it himself even when the sky