On the eve of the dragon boat ceremony in Xiqiao Village, He Jiahao, while sleeping, wanted to talk to his brother about recent family events. He edited his message repeatedly but didn’t dare send it. At that moment, his father came into the room, and He Jiahao quickly put away his phone and pretended to sleep. After his father left, he decrypted his brother’s chat logs and found his location, which made him very happy. In the morning, He’s mother was preparing breakfast but noticed bad omens, like dropping and breaking pots and plates. When she went to call her son for breakfast, she was scolded by her husband and had no choice but to back off.
He Jiahao got up late in the morning and was harshly criticized by his father, He Hongguang, who even threatened to discipline him. The reason was that the dragon boat blessing ceremony had always been led by the He family, and He Hongguang regarded it as a top priority. Despite He Jiahao’s childhood trauma related to dragon boats, his father still demanded he represent the He family in the race.
He Jiahao visited his uncle, kowtowing to him while still caring deeply about his brother’s whereabouts. He spent his days in a haze, often daydreaming in class. Unlike other children, he constantly thought about where his brother might have moved. In the past, he had gone to look for his brother’s place but found it empty. Despite the years, he couldn’t let it go and calculated in class how it would take just two hours to go find his brother after school.
While he was lost in thought, his teacher noticed him. When he made a mistake on the blackboard, a classmate immediately pointed it out. The class’s top student felt it was unfair that He Jiahao had once outperformed him and vowed to surpass him. However, He Jiahao didn’t care about such things. When He Jiahao went to the office to ask for leave, he ran into Ruonan. Upon hearing his excuse for leave, Ruonan knew he was lying. When the teacher said they would call Jiahao’s father, Ruonan pretended to trip to distract the teacher, allowing He Jiahao to leave.
He Jiahao didn’t find He Jiashu, and the two brothers missed each other. Jiahao also failed to return home in time for the family ceremony. When He Hongguang saw another family’s flag, he became even more furious. The He family, with few descendants and fewer dragon boat rowers, had been bullied by other factions. He Hongguang, enraged, nearly hit someone but was forcibly pulled back by his wife. He lied to save face, claiming Jiahao was busy with schoolwork to avoid worrying the elders and proceeded with the ceremony.
The other party mocked the He family after seeing He Jiashu’s trophy, sarcastically pointing out how the family had driven away its only real talent. When Jiahao returned home, he saw his father angrily smash Jiashu’s trophy. Helpless, Jiahao could only silently watch and was then forced by his father to bow to their ancestors.
After the ritual, Jiahao watched the lion dance and the happy crowd but felt useless, as if he were a failure. He couldn’t help walking toward the river but was stopped by Ruonan.
In the crowd, He Jiashu accidentally rang a bell, catching Jiahao’s attention. Jiashu looked cold and full of resentment toward the family, showing no intention of acknowledging them. His hatred was written all over his face.
Seeing his brother, Jiahao froze and began to cry. He didn’t know how long Jiashu would stay but was happy to see him again.
