The door opened.
Wei immediately straightened.
For one brief second, he thought it might be Jian.
Instead, a little girl stood there.
She blinked.
Wei blinked.
Both stared at each other.
Neither spoke.
The girl tilted her head.
Wei was carrying books.
A paper bag.
Another paper bag.
And somehow looked more nervous than a criminal.
The girl narrowed her eyes.
"...Who are you?"
Wei opened his mouth.
Then closed it.
Good question.
Before he could answer, a voice came from deeper inside the house.
"Xiaomei? Who is it?"
The little girl didn't even turn around.
"I don't know!"
Wei almost laughed.
A pause.
Then she added helpfully:
"Some tall guy."
Very helpful.
Footsteps approached.
Then Jian's mother appeared from the hallway.
She looked toward the entrance.
Toward Wei.
And stopped.
The surprise lasted only a second.
Then her eyes widened.
"Wei?"
The name left her mouth before she could stop it.
Wei froze.
For years he had imagined this moment.
Awkward.
Uncomfortable.
Painful.
Instead—
she looked happy.
Genuinely happy.
"Wei."
The smile spread across her face.
"My goodness."
Wei lowered his head automatically.
"Auntie."
For a moment neither knew what to say.
Years sat quietly between them.
Then Jian's mother laughed softly.
"Look at you."
The warmth in her voice caught him off guard.
Completely.
Upstairs, completely unaware of the emotional reunion occurring downstairs—
Jian was losing a game.
Badly.
"Come on."
Click.
Click.
Click.
"No, no, no—"
Game over.
Jian stared at the screen.
Betrayed.
His headphones remained around his neck.
His hair looked like he had fought a typhoon and lost.
An oversized shirt hung crookedly from one shoulder.
Basketball shorts.
Bare feet.
Absolutely no dignity.
A voice suddenly echoed through the house.
"GE!"
Jian immediately frowned.
"What?"
No answer.
"GE!"
He removed one earphone.
"What?"
Still no answer.
The third shout arrived.
Louder.
More dramatic.
"GEEEEEEE!"
Jian stood up.
Already annoyed.
"What do you want? I'm busy—"
He stepped into the hallway.
Walked downstairs.
Still talking.
"I'm literally in the middle of a game, if this is about your math homework—"
Then he looked up.
And stopped.
Everything stopped.
His thoughts.
His voice.
His complaints.
The entire world.
Wei stood near the doorway holding books.
His mother stood beside him.
His sister stood between them.
And suddenly Jian remembered something important.
Wei had actually come.
For some reason, he hadn't truly believed it.
Not completely.
Yesterday Wei had said yes.
But that didn't mean—
No.
Actually.
Apparently it did.
Because he was here.
Really here.
Not at school.
Not in a library.
Not in a dream.
Here.
Inside his house.
Wei looked up.
Their eyes met.
And for one awkward second neither moved.
Neither spoke.
Neither knew what to do.
Then—
Wei's gaze slowly traveled downward.
Jian blinked.
Then downward again.
Then upward.
Very slowly.
Very deliberately.
The silence became suspicious.
Jian frowned.
"What?"
His sister pointed.
"Ge."
"What?"
"At least put on some pants."
Silence.
Wei immediately looked away.
A smile appearing despite his best efforts.
Jian looked down.
Basketball shorts.
Bare feet.
Messy hair.
One headphone hanging around his neck.
His soul left his body.
"Oh my God."
His sister collapsed against the wall laughing.
Jian turned around instantly.
"I'm going upstairs."
"No you're not."
"I am."
"Too late."
"Auntie, I'm leaving forever."
His mother laughed.
Wei's shoulders shook slightly.
Which somehow made everything worse.
Five minutes later, after Jian had recovered approximately three percent of his dignity—
everyone finally entered properly.
Wei removed his shoes.
Placed them neatly beside the entrance.
Perfectly aligned.
Then bowed his head slightly.
"Thank you for allowing me to visit."
Silence.
Jian looked down.
At the shoes.
Then at his own shoes.
One facing left.
One facing another dimension.
His sister noticed too.
Immediately.
"See?"
"No."
"He has manners."
"I have manners."
"No."
"I do."
"No."
Their mother laughed again.
The sound filled the house warmly.
For some reason, Wei felt himself relaxing.
Just a little.
Then he remembered the gifts.
Right.
The gifts.
The oranges.
The pastries.
The things he had spent thirty minutes overthinking.
Wei carefully handed them over.
"Auntie, these are for you."
His mother looked surprised.
"You brought something?"
"I wasn't sure what to bring."
The honesty escaped accidentally.
His mother smiled.
"Thank you, Wei."
Then softer—
"You haven't changed."
The words carried no judgment.
Only affection.
The kind adults reserved for children they once knew.
Even if those children weren't children anymore.
"So."
His mother gestured toward the living room.
"What brings you here today?"
Wei opened his mouth.
Before he could answer—
"We're studying."
Jian answered instantly.
Wei turned.
His mother turned.
His sister turned.
Everyone turned.
Jian looked very pleased with himself.
His sister looked horrified.
"You?"
The betrayal in her voice was immediate.
"Studying?"
"Yes."
"Voluntarily?"
"Yes."
"You've been replaced."
"Go away."
"I refuse."
The argument continued.
Normal.
Loud.
Comfortable.
Wei watched quietly.
And found himself smiling again.
His mother shook her head fondly.
"Enough."
Both children immediately ignored her.
She continued anyway.
"Jian, take Wei upstairs."
Then she looked toward Wei.
"Have you eaten lunch?"
Wei answered instantly.
"Yes."
His stomach disagreed.
Loudly.
The room fell silent.
Wei wanted the floor to open.
Immediately.
His mother burst out laughing.
Even Jian looked amused.
The traitor.
"Since you're apparently not hungry," his mother said warmly, "you can still have lunch with us."
Wei rubbed the back of his neck.
Embarrassed.
"...Thank you."
Then she paused.
Thinking.
A memory appearing behind her eyes.
"Hm."
She looked at him.
"You're still eating braised pork with preserved vegetables, right?"
Wei froze.
The room disappeared.
For a second he wasn't seventeen anymore.
He was seven.
Sitting at this same house.
Feet too short to touch the floor.
Asking for seconds.
Then thirds.
Because it was his favorite.
His throat tightened unexpectedly.
After all these years—
she remembered.
Not because she had to.
Not because anyone told her.
She just remembered.
His eyes stung suddenly.
Embarrassingly.
Dangerously.
So he lowered his head.
Hiding it.
"...Yes."
The answer came out quieter than intended.
His mother smiled.
"Good."
"As long as you still like it."
Something inside Wei shifted.
A misunderstanding he had carried for years suddenly felt smaller.
Lighter.
Like fog beginning to disappear beneath sunlight.
"Come on."
Jian's voice arrived beside him.
Gentler than usual.
"We'll study upstairs."
Wei nodded.
Once.
Then followed him.
Toward the room.
Toward the years that somehow didn't feel so far away anymore.