The sound of bells had not been heard in the Fang family residence for two consecutive days.

Just like Fang Ji’s bedroom door, which had not been opened at all during these two days.

Fang Ji’s parents, brother, and sister tried everything they could think of to coax little Ji to open the door.

But they never succeeded.

Unlike the two days of distress his family experienced, Fang Ji’s emotions had been surprisingly stable for the past two days.

Much like the atmosphere in his room, which had remained silent and oppressive ever since his brother left.

Fang Ji lay on his bed, hugging the last set of clothes his brother wore before he died, curled up under the covers.

He covered his head with the blanket, burying his face in the pillow, trembling slightly.

He was sobbing softly.

In truth, his mind no longer had the “thought” of crying.

It was just his eyes, his tears, that insisted on crying of their own accord.

He couldn’t control them, just as he couldn’t control his own sorrow.

He had cried for two days straight, to the point where his eyes were dizzy and his head was so muddled he couldn’t even remember what time it was.

He just cried quietly until he was exhausted and fell into a deep sleep under the covers.

When he woke up, his mind was groggy, chaotic, and blank, unable to tell winter from summer for a moment.

…Will brother come to wake me up later?

He wondered blankly.

If his brother saw him with his head under the covers, he would definitely get angry and pull him right out of bed, wouldn’t he?

His mind ran on its own, fantasies drifting aimlessly.

He closed his eyes and imagined his brother sitting by the bed, gently tucking him in. A rare smile tugged at his lips.

However, his brain gradually became clearer.

He suddenly noticed the thin pile of clothes he was clutching, the unusual dimness of the bedroom, the set of silent jewelry resting quietly on his bedside table…

He crashed back to reality.

He silently realized once again: his brother was gone.

From now on, there would be no brother willing to spend hours and hours with him studying gemstones.

There would be no brother willing to spend half an hour with him every morning before work, putting on jewelry for each other.

There would be no brother who could watch him quietly with such a gentle, tolerant, and smiling gaze.

And there would be no brother leaning against his doorframe every morning, smilingly permitting him to sleep in.

The meticulously selected and matched jewelry would now have no one to wear it; the clothes as gentle as the person who wore them would now have no one to wear them.

Fang Ji thought dejectedly, the world couldn’t get any worse.

“Knock, knock, knock.”

A knock suddenly sounded on the door.

It was his parents, brother, and sister.

They were trying to coax him out, to coax him to eat again.

Fang Ji understood their worries.

But he didn’t want to move at all. He had no strength to move.

He had no energy to face his family’s concern.

Fang Ji remained motionless, buried in his pillow, making no sound.

The people outside received no response and soon stopped knocking.

The room had not been quiet for more than two seconds before his phone began to ring.

Fang Ji: “…”

Fang Ji turned over with a blank expression, stared silently at the ceiling for a moment, and finally reached out to answer the call.

It was his father calling.

But what came through the receiver were the voices of all four of them: his parents, brother, and sister.

They took turns, chattering away, continuing to persuade him.

Fang Ji listened for a couple of sentences and silently hung up.

He tossed his phone aside and went back to sobbing into his pillow.

The phone rang again. He pursed his lips, turned over, and answered it again.

It was his family again. They persuaded him for a couple of sentences, and he hung up again.

The phone rang a third time, he answered a third time, was persuaded a third time…

Fang Ji was on the verge of breaking down.

He said wearily to his father, “Dad, stop calling. Let me be alone for a while.”

He hung up, his hands falling limply onto the bed, his eyes staring blankly at the ceiling.

…He remembered it again.

That phone call he failed to answer.

And the day before that, when his brother had tried to say goodbye before leaving in the afternoon, the knock on the door he had failed to hear.

…He didn’t get to see his brother one last time, nor did he get to hear his final words!

His weary and numb emotions were stirred once more.

Fang Ji stared blankly at the ceiling as two streams of silent tears flowed from the corners of his eyes.

If he had opened the door that afternoon and known his brother was going out, would he have put down his work and insisted on going with him?

Would everything that followed not have happened?

If he had answered the phone that morning and noticed his brother’s unusual mood, would he have been able to comfort him, or even stop him from going?

Would his brother still be by his side right now?

He didn’t know.

He didn’t know.

He just didn’t know.

But he was so full of regret. So much regret. He regretted it so much he wished he was the one who had the heart attack!

Just then, the phone rang once again.

“Ring ring ring—”

Fang Ji: “…”

Didn’t I tell them to leave me alone!

Fang Ji clutched his hair in agony, so frustrated that he wanted to hang up.

But as his finger hovered over the red hang-up button, the glaring key seemed like an ominous sign, watching him silently.

He stared at the red button for several seconds, his finger trembling slightly, then trembling more and more.

Finally, he shut his eyes in pain, moved his finger, and pressed the green answer key.

This time, it was his second brother calling.

Fang Ji’s voice was hoarse and exhausted as he pleaded with Fang Lian, “Second Brother, can you all please stop calling? I want some quiet!”

Fang Lian sighed.

His voice sounded gentler than usual. “Little Ji, you’ve already locked yourself in your room for two days. If Big Brother’s spirit in heaven saw you like this, how sad would he be?”

Fang Ji couldn’t answer.

He wanted to hang up out of avoidance, to stop his second brother from continuing his persuasion.

But before he could hang up, his second brother quickly stuffed a sentence into his ear, “Little Ji, didn’t you say you wanted to finish this piece of jewelry music before New Year’s Eve? If you continue to be so dejected, how will you ever finish it?”

New Year’s Eve.

The finger that was about to hang up paused.

Fang Ji thought sadly, what’s the use of New Year’s Eve now?

Fang Ji replied dejectedly, “I’m not doing it anymore, Second Brother.”

Fang Lian: “…Hmm?”

Fang Ji said softly, “That piece of music… was supposed to be my New Year’s Eve gift for Big Brother. Now that he’s gone, what’s the point of making it?”

There was a long silence on the other end of the phone.

Finally, just as Fang Ji was about to hang up again, he spoke. “Although Big Brother is gone, he was always looking forward to the New Year’s Eve gift you were preparing for him.”

His second brother’s voice was deep, and the words he spoke didn’t sound like something his usual self would say.

His second brother said, “Little Ji, have you forgotten? This piece of music doesn’t just contain your efforts alone. Big Brother helped you choose the gemstones, select the jewelry, and worked hard with you for so long.”

“Now you say you’re giving up just like that. Is that fair to the time Big Brother put into it? Is that fair to the expectations Big Brother had for your gift?”

Fang Ji’s hand clutching the phone suddenly tightened.

A sob escaped his throat, sounding somewhat harsh in the silent, dim, and lifeless room.

His second brother said gently and calmly, “Continue making it, Little Ji. Finish it before New Year’s Eve.”

“On New Year’s Eve, you can go to Big Brother’s grave and perform it for him personally. Or you can record a video and send it to Big Brother’s WeChat… Believe that Big Brother’s spirit in heaven will be able to receive your gift.”

Fang Ji: “…”

Fang Ji gripped his phone tightly.

His rational mind knew that his second brother was just trying to coax him.

But his emotional side was now inappropriately thinking: if his brother’s soul didn’t ascend to heaven after he died, he would truly have a complete breakdown.

Fang Ji was silent for a long time.

Finally, with a faint sob in his voice, he asked in a low voice, “Second Brother, do you think… Big Brother will really be watching me from heaven? Will he really be able to see the gift I prepared for him?”

His second brother’s voice was firm and affirmative. “He will.”

“So, Big Brother will definitely see your sadness and dejection these past few days. Get up, Little Ji. Don’t let Big Brother continue to worry about you in heaven.”

“Open the door, Little Ji. Eat something, or your brain won’t have the energy to function. If you don’t want me, Mom, Dad, and Sister to bother you, we’ll leave after we bring you food. We absolutely won’t disturb you, okay?”

His second brother’s words worked.

Fang Ji finally climbed out of bed.

He was weak all over, his steps unsteady, his eyes so swollen from crying that his vision was blurry, and his hair was in a mess he couldn’t even begin to describe.

He finally opened the door a crack and took the congee his second brother handed him through the opening.

Fang Lian saw Fang Ji’s current state through the crack in the door.

He felt heartbroken and helpless, yet he worried that his concern and questions would make Fang Ji lock himself in the room again.

He held back for a long time and could only manage a simple instruction: “Little Ji, eat it while it’s hot.”

His younger brother’s voice was extremely dejected. “Okay, Second Brother.”

Fang Lian couldn’t help but add another sentence, “Tidy yourself up after you finish the congee… Big Brother’s funeral is in a few days. You can’t show up looking like this.”

His younger brother: “…”

His younger brother’s voice became even more dejected. “Okay, Second Brother.”

Fang Ji took the bowl and closed the door.

After two days, he finally sat down at his work desk again.

A notebook lay open on his desk.

It was his diary. Fresh, messy handwriting on the page spelled out “Brother, Brother, Brother…” This was what he had written when he had just come home, his emotions collapsing with nowhere to vent.

The ink of a few characters was blurred, spreading into a smudge. That was where his tears had fallen.

Fang Ji put away the diary sadly and looked at the unfinished choreography manuscript on the desk.

Looking at it again after two days, Fang Ji found the manuscript a bit unfamiliar.

He struggled to look at it for a moment, then gave up and turned to find the sheet music for “New Year’s Eve.”

The sheet music was very complete.

However, the moment Fang Ji saw the sheet music, he remembered how he would often take gemstones to discuss things with his brother while arranging the music.

At this thought, tears burst from his eyes again, uncontrollably falling.

…So pathetic.

Fang Ji thought with self-mockery.

He picked up his pen, and an immense sadness enveloped him.

A special state of inspiration, completely driven by emotion, suddenly seized him.

In an instant, the entire second half of the piece was overturned by his hand. Countless new notes fell onto the paper, and soon it became a new piece of music.

…

Fang Ge: [The method was very effective. 8 minutes ago, Little Ji agreed to open the door and eat.]

Fang Ge: [But, I can’t believe Little Ji would actually believe in the so-called “spirit in heaven”… This is clearly feudal superstition!]

Fang Ge seemed very worried and even tried to discuss with Lin Chen how to dispel Fang Ji’s superstitious belief.

After reading Fang Ge’s message, Lin Chen only replied with two sentences.

Lin Chen: [It is the living who entangle the dead, and so there are ghosts in the world.]

Lin Chen: [If you require more after-sales service, please add money for further discussion.]

Lin Chen walked out of Latimasha and stretched his back.

Soon, the energetic young man in red was led by the butler, leaving the garage and entering the house.

Cheng Yiming shouted joyfully at the entrance, “Big Nephew, I’m back from picking out my car! Where are you? I’m coming to find you! Where’s your bedroom? I’m moving in next door to you!”