Noah had only been back at school for three months, yet he had already learned how to sneakily play games during class.
In the office, Vivian slammed a pile of colorful game cards onto the desk, burning with anger. "Noah! Get over here!"
Noah walked in from the door, head hung low.
He muttered, "Sis…"
"Get lost!" Vivian kicked him to the ground.
This shocked the teachers in the room.
"Noah's sister, please don't be so impulsive," the homeroom teacher rushed forward to intervene.
"Teacher, don't worry about it. I'm going to teach him a lesson today!" Vivian rolled up her sleeves and marched toward Noah, slapping him hard across the face. "Who told you to play with these? Who told you to buy them?"
It wasn't even him who bought them; it was other classmates who had sneaked them in from home. But to protect his friends, Noah kept quiet and took the blame.
Vivian grew even angrier. "Your brother and I work ourselves to the bone every day, like two poor fools! You're wasting my money and not studying!"
"I'm sorry, Sis… I won't do it again…" Noah sobbed, tears streaming down his face.
Of course, he was scared, but mostly, he felt ashamed.
If there weren't any educators around, Vivian might have cursed him out. She breathed heavily, waving her hand, signaling the teachers to stop interfering.
"Teachers, you see, this is my little brother, hopeless from the roots," she cursed, "Just expel him! What's the point of him being here?"
Noah, trembling, couldn't lift his head, tears welling up in his eyes, too scared to say anything.
The other teachers couldn't help but feel sympathy. Look at those puppy eyes, the tear-streaked face, the tiny pearls of tears hitting the ground.
They tried to mediate. "Noah is usually a good kid; maybe the pressure is just too much for him."
Vivian followed the suggestion, "If the teachers hadn't begged for him today, I'd be heading straight to get him expelled!"
Noah quickly clung to his sister's leg, crying even harder, and like that, they tugged and tugged their way back home.
As soon as they walked in, Vivian told Noah to kneel.
Noah hiccupped through his tears, obediently kneeling.
"Think about whether you still want to study. If not, stop wasting your brother's money," Vivian said coldly, glaring at him before heading out for her evening shift.
Vivian thought simply: Chinese-style education was like this. Though Victoria never treated her this way—her mother had never cared about her studies or friends—Vivian believed that it was because of that lack of care that she hadn't amounted to much.
If you don't study, you'll end up suffering in society.
Vivian wanted Noah to understand that.
But she clearly overestimated how easily he would grasp it.
By the time Vivian came home from work, Noah was already gone, leaving behind a crumpled note:
Sorry, Sis. I'm gone.
Vivian cursed under her breath.
This Noah!!
Where would a little eleven-year-old run off to? She didn't understand; was this what kids were like these days? Can't handle a little scolding? A little punishment?
Vivian's heart raced, and she threw on her coat, rushing out.
Half an hour later, the owner of the copper pot restaurant sent her a message.
"Your little brother's here. He says he's going to work out of here like his brother. What's going on between you two?"
Relieved, Vivian exhaled. She drove to the restaurant and found Noah, who had been caught red-handed.
The little brat was crying and making excuses, his tears flowing like a broken faucet.
"Sis… I don't want to study anymore! I'm just not cut out for it! I want to work!"
"You're not working anywhere!" Vivian's veins were bulging as she grabbed a ladle from the table and threw it at him.
The guests were all stunned, unprepared for such ferocity from a woman of her age. They recoiled, scrambling to dodge the ladle hurtling through the air.
Vivian was increasingly furious at Noah, rolling up her sleeves, ready to give him another beating.
The owner rushed to stop her. Noah, ever clever, darted behind him.
The three of them ended up playing a game of cat and mouse—chasing from inside the restaurant to outside.
"Chen, don't protect him!" Vivian gasped for breath, "I'm going to break his legs today!"
"Hey, hey, calm down!" The owner, laughing and shaking his head, quietly urged Noah to call his brother.
"My brother… my brother isn't here…" Noah mumbled.
"Quick, call him," the owner urged, pulling out his phone.
That was the whole situation.
"Sis! Sis! My brother says you should pick up!" Noah, desperate, held the phone up.
Vivian, still furious, snapped, "I'm not picking up!"
Reluctantly, Noah put the phone on speaker.
Ethan's voice came through the receiver.
"Sis, don't be mad. I'll be back in WH city tomorrow. We'll talk about this when I get back, okay?"
Vivian froze.
It was the first time Ethan had ever called her "sis."
Her clenched fist loosened.
She cleared her throat and picked up the phone.
"When are you coming back?"
"The 10 AM train tomorrow."
"Which station?"
"Han station."
"...Okay."
Vivian said, "I'll go pick you up," and hung up. She looked at Noah, who was still staring at her in shock, but she had already calmed down.
Noah exchanged glances with the owner, who seemed even more shocked. He gave a thumbs-up.
"Your brother's really something," the owner whispered.
"Go home," Vivian said, pulling Noah along. "This isn't over. You're going to get it when your brother gets back."
Noah thought to himself, My brother won't give me a hard time.
The next noon, Ethan arrived home.
Noah rushed over to cling to him, playing the victim.
"Bro! Sis hit me! She hit me in front of all the teachers! I don't want to study anymore!"
Noah cried and complained about everything Vivian had done, from school to the restaurant. It was the same story everyone had heard too many times.
"As the older brother, what do you plan to do about it?"
Vivian sat upright, watching from the side.
Ethan thought for a moment before speaking. "Fine."
Noah's face lit up, triumphantly looking at Vivian, only to hear his brother's next words.
"Then go back to BJ city and be an orphan."
Noah hadn't seen that one coming. "...Bro!" His tears came pouring down like a flood. "How could you say that?!"
"It's as if we never raised you!" Ethan's voice was icy, his gaze piercing. "Sis is out there, enduring wind and rain, scraping together your tuition bit by bit. I'm in another city, teaching class after class, burning the midnight oil to prepare lessons every day. And this is how you show your gratitude?"
Ethan carefully watched Vivian's expression, noticing she was satisfied, silently giving him approval.
"You, you don't have to worry about anything. All you have to do is study. So why throw that away and decide to work like us?"
Noah clung to Ethan's sleeve, whispering, "I just… I just thought studying won't help you guys… I don't want to burden you."
"We understand your thoughts," Ethan said. "But none of us need you to work right now. What can you even do at your age? Even for us, it's hard-earned money. You need to study so you can earn big in the future."
Ethan paused, then looked at Vivian. "Sis is thinking the same thing. Don't think she's too harsh; everything she's doing is for you."
And so, the family of three played their roles perfectly—one stern, one gentle. Noah, thoroughly convinced, declared, "Sis! Bro! I'm going to study right now!" With that, he dashed off to his room like a gust of wind, backpack in tow.
Vivian let out a deep sigh of relief, both physically and mentally. She gestured toward the bedroom and shook her head with a wry smile. "Noah's the type who only studies when someone's pushing him," Ethan said, voicing her exact thoughts. Vivian nodded in agreement, grateful for his understanding.
"If only Noah were as sensible as you," she said, a phrase she would repeat often in the days to come.
Ethan, however, simply smiled modestly. "Noah's just good at expressing his emotions, that's all."
Vivian studied him carefully, then motioned for him to come closer. "Have you grown taller recently?"
"Have I? I haven't really noticed," Ethan replied.
He had been drinking a lot of milk lately."You have. At least two centimeters," she insisted. "And your bangs are getting long. Time for a haircut, don't you think?"
"...I guess so," Ethan said.
It was comforting to see him growing up.
"Come on," Vivian said, standing up. "Let's go get that haircut."
"If we leave Noah home alone… " Ethan asked."Why do you care about him?" Vivian shot back, giving him a sidelong glance.
Ethan followed Vivian out of the apartment building."How long has it been since you were last back?" Vivian asked."From the end of January till now—four months," Ethan replied.
"Everything going okay? No problems?" Vivian's concern was rare but genuine."No problems," Ethan said. "I'll finish my classes by the end of next month, and then I'll transfer the rest of the money to you."
"I've told you, take your time. I'm in no rush."
"...Okay," Ethan murmured, noticing her smile.
He couldn't help but ask, "What are you smiling about?""You're so honest. But not entirely honest," she teased.
Ethan frowned, unsure if she was complimenting or criticizing him."I mean, you're polite when you don't need to be."
Vivian continued, "You're polite, sure, but back then, you suddenly showed up in WH City and left your brother with me. I've never seen someone so bold. But then again, you're so stubborn about paying me back for everything—medical bills, tuition, you name it. Why so formal?"
Ethan didn't know how to respond.
When they arrived at the barbershop, Ethan went in for his haircut. Vivian stood nearby, chatting with the barber and instructing him to make Ethan's hair look good, especially not to cut the sides too short. The barber joked, "Here, take the scissors yourself. Should I cut it, or will you? Don't tell me how to do my job." He then offered Vivian a complimentary hair treatment to smooth things over.
Once Ethan's haircut was done, Vivian had finished her treatment as well. She squinted her bright eyes, examining his new look. Ethan felt inexplicably nervous.
"Not bad," she said, leaning closer. Her brows furrowed slightly, as they often did. "But why is there always hair on your nose?"The barber chimed in, "I wiped it, but his nose bridge is so high—I've never seen one like it."
"Close your eyes," Vivian said, taking a tissue to gently wipe his nose.
It was light.
Ticklish.
Maybe it was the stray hairs or the tissue.
Or perhaps her fingertips.
"Done," Vivian said, and Ethan slowly opened his eyes."Wow, looking sharp!" the barber exclaimed, pulling out his phone. "Handsome guy, mind if I take a photo for promotion?""It's my brother who's naturally sharp. What's it got to do with you, you damn queer?" Vivian laughed, her tone playful but sharp.
She hooked her arm around Ethan's shoulder. "Don't let him take it."
"Hey! I won't charge you! Just one photo, come on!"Vivian laughed heartily, her laughter bright and unrestrained. Ethan had no choice but to follow her lead. She wasn't tall, but her strides were long and purposeful as if she were walking with the force of a gust.
"Since you're back, stay a few more days," Vivian said. "Noah's a handful, but ever since he started boarding at school, the house feels empty. I don't even have anyone to talk to."
Ethan felt the same way. "Okay," he agreed.