Chapter 18

Xiao Yi spent a few hours on the balcony gazing at the night sky while occasionally taking a sip of his soda or reaching for his vape. He didn't smoke nor vape often as he'd never found himself addicted, but tonight was a special occasion.

Too much had happened in just one day which threatened to take his normally peaceful, tranquil life away. He'd had four very peaceful years, though he could admit that those four years were stagnant.

Before he'd met Chen Qiang, the first boy of the group to become his friend, he grew up in a very independent manner.

Xiao Qiu had been diagnosed with cancer when he was seven and Xiao Yi was four. Thankfully, it was in the early stages but the family dynamic completely shifted.

Their parents, who had raised both children equally with as much love as they had despite their long workdays, had changed over the course of just a few weeks. Xiao Yi became the abandoned son while Xiao Qiu was naive to the happenings.

The family of three had moved into a home closer to the hospital to make treatment easier and Xiao Yi was left in the hands of one, very lazy, nanny. He would spend five days at the family's old home and would join the family of three on weekends if Xiao Qiu was in good condition. Otherwise, he was basically alone.

Xiao Qiu was under the impression that their parents were spending time with Xiao Yi each day when they went out to work, as that's what they told him and Xiao Yi knew not to refute those claims. They also told him that he was staying with their uncle's family since he still needed to go to school.

Needless to say… Xiao Yi grew up unloved, neglected, and borderline abused by his nanny who eventually only visited to cook food and check if he was alive before leaving. She was from the branch family and had originally thought to manipulate the boy, but realized quickly that Xiao Qiu would be the successor of the family business so there was no need to cozy up to the younger brother.

It was a mess.

A mess that their parents were well aware of.

Hence, Xiao Yi's life had never been peaceful. During this time he would spend his entire day holed up in the house studying and learning new skills on his own as his escape from the loneliness.

He began to close himself up, and after being told to 'be silent' and to 'man up because men don't cry' enough times from his father, he would stop speaking or showing emotions altogether.

He knew from a very young age that he was a burden on the family of three and despite the love he held for Xiao Qiu, he distanced himself in fear that his elder brother would someday get tired of him and abandon him as well.

Xiao Yi was completely mute for three years in his childhood and had gained the nickname 'ice prince' from his classmates, that's when he met Chen Qiang. He spoke for the first time in three years in order to tell Chen Qiang, a new transfer student who looked like a delinquent, his name.

Meeting Chen Qiang… Even if Xiao Yi had the chance to do everything over, he'd likely still decide to become Chen Qiang's best friend. He also wouldn't change his decision four years prior.

Chen Qiang decisively barged through Xiao Yi's invisible barrier, shattering it into pieces and dragging him out whether he wanted it or not.

Xiao Yi wasn't alone anymore. He had someone who understood him whether he spoke or not, and the two boys in different classes quickly became inseparable, soon to be joined by three others.

Meeting Chen Qiang was the turning point in Xiao Yi's life.

He used to spend five days of the week feeling trapped in the empty house, but he soon began coming home well after the sun had left the sky.

He used to walk on eggshells around his family, unwilling to skip grades although he had far outgrown the content being taught in his classes due to not wanting his brother to feel inferior. That also changed, he skipped three grades and entered his friend's class.

Although he never told anyone, he could have skipped more grades if he felt like it. He just simply didn't want to.

The largest change in his life, though, was when he was eleven years old. Xiao Qiu's health took a turn for the worse and he was hospitalized for a few weeks, so Xiao Yi stopped going to the family of three's new home and he'd never be invited back.

Due to this, his nanny became increasingly neglectful, to the point that Xiao Yi had been out of school for three days and the teachers couldn't get in contact with an adult to figure out why. They brought this to his friend's attention to see if they knew where he'd gone, and they'd call authorities the next day if there were no answers.

Of course, the four boys didn't know what was going on and although they hadn't been inside Xiao Yi's house yet, they at least knew where it was and decisively skipped school.

Xiao Yi had a habit of leaving his doors unlocked for the nanny to come in as she'd had a history of 'forgetting' her keys and they lived in a gated community with security. Moreover, his parents had taken most of their belongings to their new house so there wasn't anything that couldn't be replaced.

This was the day that his friends learned of his situation. They found him passed out from a fever, face planted on his notebook as he'd been studying in the kitchen, and quickly called Chen Qiang's mother to take him to the hospital.

Xiao Qiu was also in the hospital, so it wasn't difficult to locate Xiao Yi's parents and pull them into the room where their youngest was hooked up to machines, severely malnourished, and with a high fever.

Needless to say… Chen Qiang's parents had a wordy conversation with Xiao Yi's and after realizing the situation, they threatened to report them to the authorities and reporters if they didn't hand over custody. Of course, the Xiao couple readily agreed.

He was raised by Chen Qiang's parents, moved to an apartment with Chen Qiang, and started an esports team with his childhood friends.

The past four years, though, were like a breath of fresh air. It was a new chapter in his life, no matter how stagnant it was.