He could tell that Rong Zhihao clearly disliked him, but since he wasn't the original Rong Xingyu, he didn't take it too personally.
Still… there was a small ache in his chest.
Lying on his back, he stared blankly at the crystal chandelier above the bed.
He placed a hand over his chest and whispered softly, "It's a good thing it's me here. If the real Rong Xingyu had to face this, he'd probably be heartbroken…"
But deep down, he couldn't help feeling a little envious of Rong Zhihao to have so many older brothers who cared for him.
In his past life, Rong Xingyu had been the eldest child. His father ran off with another woman and their family's savings, leaving behind a bedridden mother and a pair of hungry younger siblings.
The weight of survival had crushed him like a mountain.
To him, "family" had never meant warmth, it had meant duty.
When life got unbearable, there were nights he'd wished desperately that he had an older brother, someone who would protect him, help him shoulder the burden, maybe even make the days a little easier.
Rong Xingyu turned onto his side, curling up into a small ball with his knees drawn to his chest.
He wondered quietly, After I died… what happened to my mom and my brother and sister? Are they okay?
Just then, the phone in the jacket draped over the chair lit up.
A moment later, the familiar "new message" sound from WeChat chimed through the quiet room.
Rong Xingyu blinked. He reached over and pulled the phone from his pocket. At the top of his chat list, next to the pinned contact, was a small red "1" notification.
"Oh," he murmured. "It's Dr. Ding…"
Last time, Dr. Ding had pinned his chat to the top. Rong Xingyu had tried to figure out how to unpin it but eventually gave up.
Remembering the embarrassing thing that happened that day, he rubbed the tip of his nose awkwardly, feeling his ears heat up.
This was the first message Dr. Ding had sent since they became friends.
The message read: Are you busy right now?
Rong Xingyu smiled faintly and opened the keyboard to type a reply but somehow, his finger slipped and tapped the voice call button instead.
The dial tone suddenly echoed loudly in the quiet room.
Rong Xingyu jumped in shock. His phone slipped from his hand and almost rolled right off the bed.
Oh no!
Rong Xingyu panicked, fumbling with his phone as he tried to find the button to hang up the call.
But somehow, his finger brushed the speaker icon instead. The ringing sound grew even louder, and his heart started pounding wildly in his chest.
Right before he managed to end the call, the other side suddenly connected.
At the same time, a man's deep and warm magnetic voice came through the speaker.
"Xingyu?"
"Xingyu?"
The man's voice was like aged red wine, smooth and rich, flowing straight into Rong Xingyu's racing heart.
It felt like warm breath brushing softly against his ear.