Shen Wu began to observe his fourth brother Shen Jize, who, like himself, did not have much of a presence at home.
He found that Shen Jize cried very easily - if he bumped into something, if someone spoke to him loudly, or even when he was alone, he would cry inexplicably.
This seemed very similar to emotional incontinence, but Shen Wu also felt it was not exactly the same.
Compared to the descriptions of the condition in books, his fourth brother was clearly able to control himself, he just didn't want to.
Shen Wu started following Shen Jize around, recording the various triggers that made him cry, and looking for related case studies in books. He found his fourth brother very interesting - not his personality, but his body.
The rest of the family did not seem to have noticed yet that Shen Jize's wounds could not heal on their own.
In the past, to better understand Shen Jize's body, Shen Wu might have directly cut Shen Jize with a knife to test and experiment.
But after his elder brother's education last time, he understood that he could not do that.
So he just continued to follow Shen Jize, waiting for Shen Jize to hurt himself.
However, after a month passed, Shen Jize did not get injured. When he was alone, he seemed to be extra careful.
Until that day, when other guests came to the house and the parents were busy hosting them, Shen Jize was insensitively pestered and bothered by a child younger than him, and finally,
Shen Jize was cut by the child's toy.
Familiar tears fell, but all he got was a light apology. Shen Wu watched as Shen Jize ran to where the family kept the first aid kit, crying as he prepared to dress his wound.
But this time the injury was on his arm, and Shen Jize seemed to have trouble treating it alone.
Shen Wu thought this was a good opportunity for close observation, so he took the initiative to offer to help Shen Jize treat the wound.
Of course Shen Jize agreed, he had no reason to refuse.
As Shen Wu cleaned and observed, a careless movement caused the small notebook he had casually put in his pocket to fall out, right in front of Shen Jize.
The page that fell open just so happened to have Shen Jize's name written on it.
Shen Jize Observation Diary:
1. Crying hiding under the windowsill.
2. Crying while reading in the study.
3. Crying hiding in his room...
Basically all records of Shen Jize crying in various places.
A normal person might feel somewhat awkward in this situation, but Shen Wu was not only not embarrassed, he even held up the notebook and asked directly, "Why were you crying under the windowsill yesterday?"
Shen Jize was stunned for a moment, and explained blankly, "I was craving some food yesterday but didn't get to eat it, and suddenly felt upset."
After speaking, Shen Jize laughed for the first time despite the still painful wound, "So you were caring about me, thank you."
Shen Wu remembered that day in the warehouse very clearly. It was cold, still smelled of medicine.
But whenever he thought back to it, Shen Wu always felt that there must have been the fragrance of flowers and the warmth of the sun at that time.
And he also understood that he had been caring about Fourth Brother.
Before he even realized it himself, Fourth Brother had already noticed.
How nice.
Shen Wu thought that if Fourth Brother was with him, then maybe he wouldn't have to be alone anymore.
And it was because of this idea that Shen Wu began frantically studying medical knowledge, and figured out Shen Jize's illness to start treating it.
But after he started treating Fourth Brother, he found that his relationship with Fourth Brother seemed to have changed.
Fourth Brother gradually began looking at him with the same eyes that other people did. When he got close, his body would even subconsciously tremble. He rarely spoke to him anymore.
Shen Wu didn't understand why this was happening. He thought that if he cured Fourth Brother's illness, they should be able to go back to how they were before.
"Little Five, it hurts so much, I don't want treatment anymore..."
"It's too painful, I might as well die..."
"I...I don't want treatment for now, I'll be fine..."
With every word Shen Jize said, the invisible hand gripping Shen Wu's heart tightened further.
Finally...
"Fifth Brother, I'll teach you how to make Fourth Brother not afraid of you."
"But first, help me do my homework."
Shen Wu opened his eyes.
He began to suspect that he had finally gone crazy.
Why was he even being forced to do someone's homework in his dreams?
After calming down with a glass of water, he couldn't fall back asleep. He could only turn on the bedside lamp and look through the data he had obtained over the past few days, analyzing it in his head.
He didn't know how much longer had passed before his phone alarm went off, reminding him that it was time for breakfast.
Only then did Shen Wu start getting ready.
When he stepped into the dining room, Eldest Brother Shen Yichen was also coming downstairs, carrying a still not fully awake Shen Yue.
"Good morning, Little Five."
"Good morning, Big Brother."
Shen Yichen shook the certain sleepy little bug in his hand again, trying to wake her up. "Shen Yue, wake up a bit more."
Shen Yue opened her eyes then closed them again. "Good morning, Big Brother. Good morning, Fifth Brother."
Shen Wu looked away. He really didn't understand how Shen Yue could like sleeping so much. Sleeping was just a means to replenish energy. Being overly addicted to it was just wasting life away, wasn't it?
So Shen Wu went up and started shaking Shen Yue with several times more force than Big Brother, successfully shaking Shen Yue awake.
Shen Yue looked at Shen Wu, her eyes conveying a few words - You'd better have something important.
Shen Wu's mouth quirked up. "Good morning, Shen Yue."
Shen Yue: ...
Woke me up for half the morning just to say that? Does he have a cat disease?
Just as she was about to say something, Shen Yue suddenly heard another familiar footsteps behind her. She immediately changed her expression, looking at Shen Wu with softened brows and eyes, even seeming a bit pitiful. "Why did you shake me... it really hurt..."
The summoning password was used successfully. The footsteps behind her suddenly quickened, and a gust of wind blew past as Shen Jize shielded Shen Yue, looking at Shen Wu, perfectly demonstrating what it means to be both resilient and afraid at the same time.
"Little Wu, don't shake your sister."
Shen Wu: ...
Shen Yichen carrying Shen Yue: ...
This was the first time the Shen family eldest felt a little sympathy for a certain psychopathic fifth brother.
"Alright, stop messing around. Shen Yue, hurry up and eat then go to school. I have some things tonight, your second brother will go pick you up."
Before Shen Yue could respond, Shen Jize was already protesting. "Big Brother, I can go pick up Yueyue, there's no need to trouble Second Brother."
One day when Shen Jize was bored at home, he had watched the show Shen Yue participated in at the time. Being highly sensitive to emotions as always, he naturally sensed Second Brother's malice towards Shen Yue.
Even though later on Second Brother started protecting Shen Yue for some unknown reason, to Shen Jize, Second Brother was still not to be trusted.
If Second Brother went to pick her up, who would know if Sister was scolded?
"I'll go with Fourth Brother to pick her up." Shen Wu also chimed in on the side.
Shen Yue opened her mouth. "I can..." go back myself.
Before she could finish speaking, Shen Yichen had already made the final decision. "Then the three of you go pick her up together."
Shen Yue: ?
