He Jiahao was found after a long time, lying weakly on the ground. He was rushed to the hospital by his teachers while classmates gathered around—some concerned, others treating it like a spectacle. He Jiashu recalled a conversation with a friend who mentioned that after Jiahao visited a certain place, he had become withdrawn and silent.
Jiashu once received a call from his landlord about their lease expiring, and the landlord mentioned a 14- or 15-year-old boy had come looking for him. This softened Jiashu’s heart, knowing his brother was deeply affected. Although their father’s death was sudden, Jiashu never blamed Jiahao. Learning that Jiahao had tried to find him filled Jiashu with guilt and care. He visited Jiahao’s teacher and discovered Jiahao’s mental state had deteriorated—he was often sleepy in class and seemed unwell.
Jiashu had always secretly cared about his brother, frequently reading Jiahao’s messages. However, in the past year, Jiahao had stopped sending them, becoming withdrawn. This prompted Jiashu to visit, even though he tried to hide his concern. Jiashu saw Jiahao attempting to jump into the river and stopped him just in time. That rainy day, Jiahao didn’t realize his brother had followed him home. Jiashu decided to push Jiahao through physical training at the club, hoping to improve his resilience and help him move past his trauma.
Jiahao’s teacher didn’t understand Jiashu’s methods, criticizing him for making Jiahao endure more suffering instead of helping him heal. Jiashu, however, secretly worried about Jiahao and resolved to stay by his side, watching him grow up.
While lying in the hospital, Jiahao recalled his family’s scoldings and accusations, as well as Jiashu’s perceived coldness. He felt misunderstood and rejected. After a medical check, doctors recommended a psychological evaluation. Jiashu learned about Jiahao’s collapse through a message from the teacher.
During the test, Jiahao cleverly masked his issues, making the doctors believe he was fine. Meanwhile, their father, He Hongguang, rushed to the school after hearing about Jiahao fainting. When the teacher shared the psychological evaluation report, revealing Jiahao’s mental health issues, Hongguang dismissed it, blaming Jiahao’s behavior and ignoring the teacher’s concerns.
Lin Junfeng sought out Jiashu, but Jiashu avoided him, seeing him as intrusive and focused only on their late mother’s inheritance. While dodging Lin Junfeng’s questions, Jiashu grew worried about Jiahao, who had been sending him messages. He hurriedly left to check on his brother.
At school, Jiahao’s treasured rabbit lantern, a gift from Jiashu, was taken by a bully who tried to destroy it. Enraged, Jiahao fought back. Hongguang, speaking with Jiahao’s teacher, witnessed the fight and decided to take Jiahao home, reprimanding him for his behavior.
Hongguang couldn’t reconcile the son before him with the quiet child he once knew. Seeing Jiahao fight for the rabbit lantern, Hongguang mocked him for being petty. He even insulted Jiashu, calling him an illegitimate child, blaming him for disrupting the family.
Jiashu, informed of Jiahao’s fight and being taken home, worried about his brother’s safety. The teacher, alarmed by Jiahao’s worsening mental health, contacted the family but was dismissed before explaining the severity of the issue.
As rain poured, Jiahao wandered the streets in a daze, seemingly lost and indifferent to his surroundings. Aimlessly crossing the road, a car approached him, and Jiahao made no attempt to move. At the critical moment, Jiashu appeared and pulled him to safety. Both brothers fell by the roadside as the car screeched to a halt. Jiahao silently looked at his brother, overwhelmed and motionless.
