Ch56.2 - Knock-off phones are amazing

Meanwhile, in City A, the sky was heavy with dark clouds, and rain poured relentlessly outside the window.

Even though his leave hadn’t begun, Jian Changjia arrived at the hospital with a chill lingering around him. Unable to secure the fastest ticket, he had taken a high-speed train for a grueling day-and-night journey. Dark circles shadowed his eyes, and he looked noticeably haggard. When he got there, he saw his mother sitting by the hospital corridor.

Jian Changjia walked over and hesitated for a moment after seeing his mother. Then, he softly called out, “Mom.”

Shen Meina looked up, her eyes slightly red. When she saw her son standing in front of her, she quickly wiped her face in embarrassment and forced a smile. Trying to sound casual, she said, “You’re back? Did the school approve your leave so quickly? What were you thinking coming back in this weather?”

Jian Changjia pursed his lips and said, “I just happened to have some free time, so I came back.”

That wasn’t the truth. After learning about his younger brother’s condition, he dropped everything and rushed back as soon as he could. If it hadn’t been for the bad weather delaying flights, he would’ve arrived yesterday.

Shen Meina let out a soft sigh and gently reminded him, “Remember to take care of yourself, okay?”

Jian Changjia gave a slight nod, his gaze shifted towards the ward. He asked, “How’s Meimei?”

Shen Meina turned to look into the ward, then opened the door slightly to let Jian Changjia in. The private ward was fully equipped, with a living room and kitchenette at the front. Further inside was the bedroom where Jian Mei was resting. The faint aroma of soup simmering was also wafting through the air.

Jian Changjia stepped forward and stopped at the ward’s door. He looked inside and saw the young boy lying on the bed. Though he appeared to be asleep, he looked pale and frail.

Shen Meina said weakly, “I don’t know why, but Meimei was fine just a few days ago. The doctor said it would be okay to keep him in the hospital for observation, but last night his fever suddenly spiked and his cell count increased…”

Her voice trembled as she spoke, and it looked like she might break into tears.

Jian Changjia frowned and asked, “Were there really no signs at all?”

Shen Meina shook her head gently. “No, everything was fine before. He was just getting ready for his exams, wasn’t he? Last month, he even said that if he did well, he wanted a raise in his allowance to visit his grandpa during the holidays. He even said… said he’d go to the station to meet you when you come back…”

The ward was silent except for the steady sound of medical equipment running in the background.

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“How did you get back?” Jian Mei’s round, shining eyes looked at his brother as he smiled. “I’m not dreaming, am I?”

Jian Changjia hadn’t seen his younger brother in a long time and noticed that he’d lost the weight he’d worked so hard to gain over the years even more. Knowing the two brothers would want to talk in private, Shen Meina excused herself and said, “There’s a bed in the next room. I’ll go make you a bowl of noodles. Come out to eat later and then get some rest.”

Jian Changjia hummed in agreement, and Shen Meina stepped out.

After she was gone, only the two brothers were left in the room. Jian Changjia looked his younger brother over carefully. Being straightforward by nature, he didn’t know how to express concern and said stiffly, “Why are you sick again? Can’t you take better care of yourself?”

Jian Mei seemed to see through his brother’s pretenses. He smiled faintly and said softly, “Mhm, sorry.”

It was such a simple sentence, yet it inexplicably tugged at Jian Changjia’s heart. He let out a soft snort. “What’s there to be sorry for? Just focus on recovering.”

But Jian Mei simply stared at him in silence, and this silence made Jian Changjia feel a little uneasy.

After a long pause, the young boy on the bed spoke, “Gege.”

Jian Changjia raised his head to look at him. “Hmm?”

“Mom has seemed really sad lately,” Jian Mei said softly. “It’s great that you’re back. If you can, spend some time with her. Okay?”

Jian Changjia felt a heavy weight in his chest.

Jian Mei leaned back against the pillow, listening to the faint clatter of pots and pans from the kitchen. “Although Mom and Dad keep saying they want to send me abroad to study, I really don’t want to go. They look busy all the time, but they’re actually quite lonely—especially Mom. Sometimes, when I’m not home, the nanny tells me that she likes to tidy up our rooms after she comes back.”

While she could be naggy and not good at expressing her feelings, she was a woman who lacked a sense of security.

Although she could sometimes be naggy and her way of expressing emotions was awkward and clumsy, but deep down, she was undoubtedly a woman who lacked a sense of security.

With a calm and gentle voice, Jian Mei said slowly, “Don’t blame her, Gege. Mom loves you a lot too. If you can, please visit her more often. Actually…”

Jian Changjia cut him off abruptly, “Enough.”

The teenager, who was always tough and strong-willed, turned his face away in what seemed like an attempt to hide while covering his slightly red eyes. Jian Changjia did his best to sound normal as he said, “I don’t want to hear it. If you want to spend time with her, go ahead. I don’t want to sit here and be nagged at…”

Jian Mei smiled gently.

Jian Changjia raised his voice slightly. “Did you hear me?”

Jian Mei nodded, “Okay, I’ll try.”

Outside, Shen Meina asked Jian Changjia if he wanted an egg in his noodles. He sniffed, stood up, and replied that he wanted an egg. Then he turned around and asked, “What about you? Are you hungry?”

Jian Mei shook his head. “I’m not hungry.”

Actually, he wasn’t feeling very hungry, but he didn’t want to make Jian Changjia feel upset, so he said, “I’ll have an egg too.”

Jian Changjia said to him, “With such a small appetite, it’s no wonder you’ve lost weight.”

Jian Mei smiled faintly, having finally regained a bit of energy. There was something still weighing on his mind— when his condition worsened last night, the pain was so severe that he wished he could just die to end it all and stop suffering. But amidst the pain, he couldn’t help but think of a promise he made. He remembered that Dazhuang-ge had promised to visit him once his business trip was over.

“Ge.” Jian Mei said, “Can you help me find my phone? I want to check something.”

Jian Changjia hummed in agreement. The phone had probably died, so he’d put it in the living room to charge. When he brought it back in, he couldn’t help but grumble, “This cheap knock-off is amazing. It’s been years, and it’s still working. But what’s going on?You sure it’s not gonna blow up?”

Jian Mei was a bit surprised and said, “Hmm… I don’t think so. It’s really good quality.”

When he picked the phone, Jian Mei thought his brother was exaggerating, but the heat was definitely there which surprised him. His phone had never overheated like this in the past two years, but something felt different this time—it felt way hotter than usual and this gave him a strange sense of foreboding.

He muffled a few coughs into his hand, unlocked the screen, and opened WeChat. After scrolling through the app a few times, Jian Mei’s eyes widened slightly, and then he froze in place, not moving at all.

Jian Changjia noticed something was wrong and came over to ask, “What’s wrong?”

Jian Mei stiffened for a long time, then slowly shook his head. His voice sounded a bit low, “Nothing.”

Jian Changjia looked puzzled. “Are you not feeling well again?”

“How can you say you’re fine? You look absolutely lost right now. If it weren’t for the fact that you were just looking at WeChat, I’d think you were reading a critical illness notice,” Jian Changjia said.

“No.” Jian Mei forced a smile, “I’m fine.”

He glanced down at his overheating phone again. The pinned contact was gone, and the WeChat friend search returned no results. If it weren’t for the burning sensation in his palms, he might have thought it was all a dream—a dream he’d imagined many years ago while bedridden.

Translator’s Notes:

The next update will be out next Friday!