Класс 407

Глава 2

"This is your younger brother," the father said curtly.

It's no wonder, since they were already quite estranged as father and son. It was rather strange for the father to bring his family to visit him.

During the brief meeting, the woman he should call his stepmother seemed unwilling to stay any longer. After a silent meal, the father left a credit card and his cell phone before hurriedly taking his leave. Duan Lin thought that was the end of it, but he didn't expect to receive a call from his younger brother a few months later.

From then on, the two continued to associate with each other. Perhaps it was due to their blood relationship as brothers, or perhaps it was because Xin Nuo was good at socializing, but Duan Lin, who was usually not good at socializing, actually got along very well with his younger brother, and this relationship has continued to this day.

However, the two rarely met. The last time they met was when his younger brother was admitted to a very famous medical school in the city. Duan Lin made a special trip from another city to visit his brother, but he didn't go to his father's house.

Duan Lin inexplicably came to the conclusion that his stepmother didn't seem to like him much, based on their only meeting.

There aren't many stepmothers in the world who can truly love the child left behind by their husband and ex-wife, right? Thinking this way, Duan Lin felt that his stepmother's attitude towards him was not hard to understand.

"How have you been lately, brother? Have you found a job yet?" A sudden voice interrupted Duan Lin's thoughts. Duan Lin turned around and saw his younger brother looking at him from the front seat.

"Well, sort of. I found a teaching job in City B, and the school is on summer vacation now, so I'm going back to my hometown."

"That's great! Being a teacher is a good profession. We can still enjoy winter and summer vacations. It's wonderful!" the younger brother exclaimed in a drawn-out tone.

"What about you? You'll be graduating soon, right?"

"Yeah, I'm doing an internship now. Hospital internships are exhausting," the younger brother said with a smile.

"Being a doctor is a good job, the salary is very high," Duan Lin said earnestly, but his younger brother did not answer, he just smiled.

The younger brother did most of the talking the whole way, while Duan Lin only gave simple replies. Just as Mu Zi was about to fall asleep in the car, it finally stopped.

"It's here," the younger brother said, pointing to the tall building in front of him.

Duan Lin casually glanced at the building where he would be temporarily staying: a high-rise apartment building of about thirty floors, which is common in overcrowded and expensive big cities and is nothing special.

"Brother, how are you?"

Hearing his younger brother's question, Duan Lin hurriedly nodded, "It's a pretty nice house, too luxurious for a student."

"oh."

The younger brother didn't say anything else, but his somewhat disappointing tone caught Duan Lin's attention.

It seems... he wanted to say something else... but what was it?

Seeing his younger brother already at the electronic lock, Duan Lin hurriedly followed.

Suddenly realizing that Mu Zi hadn't followed, Duan Lin hurriedly turned around to call out to her, only to find Mu Zi still looking up at something. Following Mu Zi's gaze upwards, Duan Lin shrugged, seeing nothing but the windows of houses, some bright and some dim.

Urged on by Duan Lin, Mu Zi finally withdrew her gaze and walked towards the entrance of the building.

Han Xinnuo pressed the button for the 28th floor. After seeing the number he pressed, a woman in the elevator kept glancing over at him. Duan Lin felt uncomfortable and puzzled by her gaze, but his younger brother seemed not to notice. The woman's scrutinizing gaze continued until she reached the floor she was on.

Before long, Duan Lin and his group arrived at the 28th floor they were going to.

I followed my younger brother inside, and he eventually stopped in front of the innermost wooden door.

Duan Lin took out the key and watched his younger brother open the door. Only after his brother fumbled on the wall for a while to turn on the light did Duan Lin step inside.

The younger brother then casually glanced to both sides before quickly closing the door and locking it.

"The room is a bit messy... It's okay, brother, feel free to step in. Oh, right, you must be very uncomfortable walking in leather shoes for so long. Let me find some slippers."

"Hey? The slippers are here... I'll look around a bit more, but I don't see any others. Oh right, you must be thirsty after walking for so long, let me get you some water... water... let me think, the water dispenser is here..."

His younger brother frantically greeted him, his words and actions revealing his unfamiliarity with the surroundings. Duan Lin remained silent, deciding to wait for his brother to tell him himself.

Seeing Duan and Mu's expressionless faces, Han Xinnuo's carefully constructed facade of nonchalance finally crumbled.

Sipping beer he'd dug out of the refrigerator, Han Xinnuo slumped back on the sofa like she had no bones left.

"Okay, to be honest, bro, this is actually my senior's apartment." Scratching his head, Han Xin Nuo took a few more sips of beer.

Duan Lin frowned. "If we just move in like this, what about your senior?"

"He went to stay at a friend's house."

"Isn't this... a bit inappropriate?" Moving in myself and kicking the owner out to live outside just doesn't feel right.

"It's okay, he doesn't want to live here. Let's not talk about that... um... brother, what do you think of this house?" After a while, the younger brother poured himself some water and suddenly asked.

Duan Lin looked around in confusion.

It's a very spacious space; it seemed a bit too spacious if only my younger brother, who was a senior, lived there before.

The room was nicely decorated, although it's been ruined by a single man, you can still see the original clean and elegant style.

The house is in a great location, with a small open-air balcony facing the sun, which gets plenty of sunlight during the day. There is one room on the east side and three on the west side. The kitchen is open-plan and connected to the dining room and living room, a very modern design.

It's a nice place.

Duan Lin turned his gaze back and saw Mu Zi staring at the west side. Following Mu Zi's gaze, he realized that she was looking at the middle door.

"That's the bathroom, the toilet and shower are combined. What, is there something wrong with that?" The younger brother's voice sounded a bit urgent, but Duan Lin ultimately shook his head.

"This place is nice."

As soon as he uttered those words, Duan Lin noticed his younger brother breathe a sigh of relief.

Mu Zi took out toiletries from her simple luggage. "Where's the shower? Can I use it? It's been so long since I've had a proper shower..."

"Oh? Of course, come with me." He led Mu Zi to a small room in the middle of the master bedroom. "This is it. You can shower first, I'm going out."

Han Xin Nuo left the bathroom, glanced at the closed door a few more times, and then returned to the guest room where her brother was.

Duan Lin was making the bed. Having long been accustomed to single life, these tasks were second nature to him. Before long, he had finished. Han Xin Nuo entered...

Duan Lin is packing his luggage.

Han Xinnuo closed the door.

"elder brother……"

Seeing his younger brother's hesitant expression, Duan Lin put down what he was doing and sat down next to him. "What's wrong?"

"...No, it's nothing. You must be tired too, brother. Let's have a good talk tomorrow. How about this, when Mu Zi comes out, you can take a shower and then go to sleep. I'll sleep on the sofa bed outside. Call me if you need anything."

Duan Lin nodded, watching his younger brother take another thin blanket from the cabinet before leaving.

A moment later, Mu Zi came in drying her hair, and Duan Lin immediately took the bath supplies and went out.

Duan Lin turned on the tap, thought for a moment, and decided not to take a bath. After sitting in the car for so long, it would be a lie to say he wasn't tired. Duan Lin decided to just take a quick shower and go out.

When Duan Lin entered the room, Mu Zi was already asleep. Although it was a makeshift bed on the floor, since it was summer and the floor was wooden, Duan Lin didn't find the thick bedding uncomfortable. Through the large glass window, the cool moonlight shone on him. Duan Lin realized that he was clearly very tired, but...

Duan Lin is having trouble sleeping.

For some reason, Duan Lin couldn't fall asleep.

Occasionally, a "gurgling" sound came from the bathroom, like the sound of something swallowing something. Although it wasn't loud, it was clearly heard by Duan Lin, who was listening intently. The kind of sound that would suddenly appear was more irritating than a continuous one.

With his eyes wide open, Duan Lin knew he wouldn't be able to sleep tonight.

The soundproofing here is actually not as good as it looks...

Several times at night, he heard sounds of people going to the bathroom, flushing the toilet, and washing their hands. Finally, accompanied by the sound of a child crying, Duan Lin drifted off to sleep at dawn.

In contrast, Mu Zi remained quiet and still throughout the night, without making any noise.

Chapter Two: Only the Gods Know

"It's just finding a dead child in the drainpipe, there's nothing to hide."

Just as Duan Lin was wondering what was going on, Mu Zi suddenly spoke up.

The next day, when Duan Lin looked in the mirror, he noticed that he had obvious dark circles under his eyes. No wonder, he had been so tired and hadn't been able to sleep well. The feeling of being woken up at dawn was even more uncomfortable than not sleeping at all.

"Um...brother, how was your rest?"

My younger brother also looked exhausted, with dark circles under his eyes, clearly indicating he hadn't had a good night's sleep.

As for Mu Zi... that guy is still lying face down on the bed. He hasn't moved all night; he can sleep like a dead person no matter where he is.

"It's not good. The soundproofing here seems... I keep hearing children crying all night long," Duan Lin said truthfully, biting into his toast.

The younger brother's expression suddenly changed. His hand, which was spreading jam on the toast, trembled slightly, but he continued with his original action.

"Oh, I heard that too, but it seems like no one here has children..."

"Really? It doesn't necessarily have to be a neighbor, maybe upstairs or downstairs." Duan Lin said casually, feeling his head getting dizzier and dizzier.

"How about this, brother, you can take a nap on my bed. I have to go to my internship today."

"Well, that's fine. But you should also be careful; I can see you haven't been sleeping well either." Duan Lin didn't refuse his younger brother's suggestion.

To be honest, Duan Lin was still puzzled as to why his younger brother had called him over. Surely he wasn't being asked to come and take a nap? But Duan Lin didn't intend to ask before his brother spoke.

However, regarding his younger brother... for some reason, Duan Lin felt a strange sensation around Xin Nuo, perhaps due to Xin Nuo's unusual way of speaking. After glancing at his brother, Duan Lin ultimately remained silent.

My younger brother didn't come home for dinner. Instead, he called and said, "Brother, I have to work overtime. Can you bring a friend to the hospital where I'm interning? There's a shop here that sells really good food."

Although he felt it didn't matter where they ate, and that he could take care of himself if his younger brother was too busy, Duan Lin agreed to meet him at the hospital in thirty minutes after his brother insisted.

It was getting late, so Duan Lin called Mu Zi over, locked the door, and went out.

Outside the door was a long corridor with a hollowed-out railing that allowed easy views of the area below. Duan Lin stopped and looked down. The figures below appeared incredibly small on the 28th floor. Just as Duan Lin was about to turn back, suddenly…

A white shadow brushed past his nose. Duan Lin could almost feel the airflow as the thing brushed against his nose. He couldn't help but look up and saw a small head upstairs.

It was getting late, and the child was looking down, so Duan Lin couldn't see the child's face clearly. Surprised, Duan Lin looked down.

The white object that had just brushed against my face as it spiraled down from the upper floors of the apartment building turned out to be just a paper airplane.

Kids' toys.

When Duan Lin looked up again, the boy from before was gone. Although it was only a fleeting glance, he knew the boy must have been a boy.

The child who lives upstairs... Could it be that the child who was crying non-stop last night?

Thinking about it, Duan Lin walked towards the elevator. When he got downstairs, Duan Lin found the airplane without noticing. Ignoring Mu Zi's surprised look, Duan Lin took the airplane apart and unfolded it. Only then did he find a drawing on the white paper on which the airplane was folded. It was drawn with crayons and depicted the eternal theme of kindergarten - My Family.

The child's childish strokes drew three figures in circles, which could be vaguely seen as a father, a mother, and a child.

Duan Lin didn't say anything after reading it, but just smiled slightly and casually put the blank paper into his pocket.

Upon arriving at the hospital, they saw Xin Nuo, dressed in a white coat, waiting at the entrance. He smiled and waved when he saw them, then led them to a small restaurant nearby.

"Actually, it's our hospital's canteen. Don't let the fact that it's a hospital fool you; some of the dishes are even more authentic than those in big restaurants. Only staff members are allowed in, so I thought I'd take you guys here to try it while I'm still doing my internship. How is it... is the food to your liking?" Xin Nuo asked Mu Zi and Duan Lin as they ate.

Duan Lin nodded, looking at his younger brother with some concern, whose spirits seemed even more listless after a day. "Is work very hard?" He asked, noticing his brother still wearing his white coat. "Could it be that we have to go back to the hospital soon?"

Xin Nuo paused, her chopsticks still in her hand. "It's alright, it's just that there's been a bit of a problem lately..."