Warning: Extreme Violence, mentions of a suicide attempt. The chapter is all about Yao Zhihao.
Yao Zhihao heard the front door opening, meaning his parents came home. He did not move from his spot on the floor as he mindlessly stared at the box in his hand. Last year, Little BiBi completely fell apart. Yao Zhihao put his best friend in the box, holding a small, private funeral.
He was truly alone.
For four years, Yao Zhihao’s parents locked him away in the house. He hadn’t seen the outside world in so long that even his skin grew pale from barely stepping outside. There was still a vast backyard to play around in, but Yao Zhihao found no pleasure in it.
He had only seen Little BiBi, his parents, and tutors for the past years. At first, it didn’t bother him, but a year ago, when Little BiBi finally broke apart (to his parents’ amusement), life became dull and meaningless.
Yao Zhihao had no one.
“Yao Zhihao, come here!” His father yelled for him.
He thought about staying in his spot, not listening to his father. But, he knew, it would only lead to terrible consequences. So, he sighed, setting Little BiBi’s box down as he walked out of his room.
He made his way to the front door, seeing his parents there with a child. There were smiles on their faces, genuine ones that he had never seen before as they glanced at the child.
His father held the boy’s hand while his mother had bags that contained clothes, toys, and necessities. “Yao Zhihao, this is Yao Wen, your new brother.” His mother greeted. Her voice sounded soft when she spoke the boy’s name.
Yao Zhihao held back a sneer. This is the first time he heard his mother speak tenderly. Her voice was full of hate and disdain when she would talk to him.
“We know that your stuffed animal is gone, so we thought having a brother would help your loneliness.” His father continued before letting the boy’s hand go and gently taping him forward, “Yao Wen, say hi to your new brother.”
Liar.
Those words ran through Yao Zhihao’s mind. His parents could say they adopted the boy to help his loneliness to others, but Yao Zhihao knew the truth. They only wanted a “normal” child.
He can already see it with the way his mother spoke and how his father gently touched the boy.
Yao Zhihao turned around, walking away before the boy opened his mouth and introduced himself. He could hear his parents calling him, but he ignored them. He did not care if he seemed rude. Why would he act happy with a boy that is his replacement?
Touching his chest, Yao Zhihao frowned. He could not understand why his heart hurt at his question. Not once had he shown to care for his parents.
So why did it hurt at the thought of the boy being his replacement?
He shook his head, opening and closing his bedroom door as he pushed away those thoughts.
Months passed as Yao Zhihao watched his parents ignoring him while giving Yao Wen all their love. His chest would hurt each time, but he pushed it away when it did. Yao Zhihao stayed away from them, sticking to his room and barely coming out.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
One day, his parents went on a date, leaving both the kids at home with no babysitter. Yao Zhihao walked towards the living room, only to see Yao Wen sitting on the couch. He was watching TV while eating pizza his parents left for him.
Sighing, Yao Zhihao turned back around, getting ready to walk back to his room when he heard a voice shyly calling after him. “Brother?”
Turning back around, Yao Zhihao finally took in the boy that had been here for months.
The boy had curly brown hair that reached his neck. His eyes were a beautiful emerald green color, shining as they looked at Yao Zhihao. He had two horizontal moles under his bottom lip, stretching as he shyly smiled.
Yao Wen was adorable, and that part only made Yao Zhihao frown.
“I am not your brother.” Yao Zhihao harshly replied.
The boy looked sad as his lips quivered. He started playing with his fingers, looking down at the couch, “I’m sorry if my being here is bothering you. I always wanted a sibling. And every time I look at you, I think you seem cool. If you don’t want to be brothers, can we start as friends instead?”
Yao Zhihao stared at the boy, his whole demeanor changing as he heard how genuine the boy sounded. He walked over to the boy, standing close to him as he asked, “You want to be my friend?”
Yao Wen jumped from the sudden closeness but stayed where he was. He brightly smiled, nodding his head, “Yes!”
Smiling for the first time in forever, Yao Zhihao grabbed Yao Wen’s hand, holding it tightly, “Then, let’s be friends.”
The first year, their friendship was innocent. But, it took a turn when Yao Zhihao realized how alone he was when Yao Wen would go to school or eat out with his parents. He would stay in his room, glancing out the window as he waited for Yao Wen to come home.
And when Yao Wen did, he would talk about his friends with a bright smile, and Yao Zhihao’s emotions grew darker with each word he heard about them.
He is the only one Yao Wen should smile about; he is the one that loves and cares for Yao Wen the most.
Yao Wen rested on Yao Zhihao, talking about how school with his friends went as Yao Zhihao ran his hand through Yao Wen’s hair. “WenWen.” Yao Zhihao called, interrupting his story.
“Hmm?” Yao Wen answered, looking up at Yao Zhihao.
“Stay home for the rest of the week.” He told him.
“I can’t. I have school.” Yao Wen popped up, shaking his head.
Yao Zhihao almost clicked his tongue but stopped himself as he pulled a depressed expression instead. “But I am lonely, WenWen. I cannot leave this home, and you are the only one I have. I am not lucky like you. Do you not care for me as I do you?”
Fake tears filled his eyes as he looked away. Yao Wen quickly touched his cheek, looking frantic and worried, “Please, don’t cry. I am sorry, I will try to convince mom and dad to let me stay home.”
Tears instantly left his eyes as Yao Zhihao broadly smiled, showing off his white teeth. “Thank you, WenWen. I love you.”
“I love you too.”
Each time, Yao Zhihao started manipulating Yao Wen into staying home with him. Yao Wen’s attendance at school began to plummet. And although the parents knew of this, they gave Yao Wen whatever he wanted, so it did not bother them.
But then, after another year together, another obstacle stood in Yao Zhihao’s way: Yao Wen’s friends.
Yao Wen made his way to the door, getting ready to open it to leave when Yao Zhihao appeared from thin air. “Where are you going?” Yao Zhihao asked.
Jumping in fright, Yao Wen turned around, holding his chest, “Brother, you scared me.”
“Where are you going?” Yao Zhihao asked again, ignoring Yao Wen’s words.
“My friends wanted to go to the park today to hang; I am going with them.”
“So, you are going to leave me alone once again?”
“You can come with me.”
“You know I cannot leave the house. Are you teasing me, or did you honestly forget? Don’t tell me you are growing stupid, WenWen.”
Yao Wen’s hands trembled as his face fell from his brother’s words. Over the past year, his brother’s words started to grow harsh with him sometimes. “I am sorry, brother. If you want me to stay, I will stay.”
Smiling, Yao Zhihao walked towards him, grabbing his hand as he kissed his forehead. “You know I love you, right, WenWen? You are the only one I have; the only one, WenWen.”
Yao Wen’s heart shook as his stomach felt weird. He titled his head, giving an awkward smile, “I love you too.”
That is when the change and breaking point hit.
Yao Zhihao broke Yen Wen down. He never allowed the boy to leave, keeping him inside and to himself. Yao Wen stopped going to school and stopped hanging with his friends. His days consist of always being with Yao Zhihao.
And it did not take long for his parents to notice how reclusive Yao Wen became. The once happy, shy, and social boy turned into someone like Yao Zhihao.
“What did you do to that boy!” His mother screamed at him before turning to her husband, “I told you this boy was a monster, a demon. He destroyed that boy’s soul. I finally got the son I wanted, and that thing destroyed him!”
“Honey, please stop.” His father tried calming his wife, even though, deep down, he thought the same thing.
Yao Zhihao clicked his tongue in anger before walking away. He knew he broke the boy, but Yao Zhihao could not care. Yao Wen is the only one who showed him love and care since Little BiBi. So how could he not keep the boy to himself?
But, it seemed like everything crashed down like usual when, one day, his parents decided to send Yao Wen away, separating them.
Yao Wen packed his stuff in his room as Yao Zhihao leaned against the door, watching with dark eyes. “You are leaving? You are letting them take you away?” From me. Yao Zhihao silently added in his mind.
“I have no choice, brother.” Yao Wen responded.
Walking inside, Yao Zhihao sneered, “You do have a choice! Mother and father give you whatever you want; all you have to do is ask and they will let you stay. You don’t love me; you lied just like everyone else!”
He grabbed Yao Wen, harshly slamming him against the dresser. Yao Wen winced in pain before responding, “That is not true, brother. I gave up everything for you; I do love you. You don’t think I asked and begged to stay?”
Yao Zhihao shook his head. His mind wanted to believe Yao Wen, but another dark part of him thought Yao Wen was lying.
No one loves me. No one. People say I am a monster and a freak! They lie to my face and laugh behind my back. Yao Wen is like them; he is just like them.
“You are lying. You are lying. You are lying. You are lying!” He grabbed Yao Wen’s throat, cutting off his air as he choked him to death.
Tears fell from Yao Wen’s eyes as it became hard to breathe. But, he did not struggle. He stared at Yao Zhihao with a tearful, shaky smile as he mouthed a few words.
Yao Zhihao froze, his heart breaking from the words Yao Wen mouthed to him. And before he could pull away, his parents walked into the room as his mother pushed him off.
Both boys landed on the ground as Yao Wen started coughing, harshly breathing in the air. Yao Zhihao looked at his trembling hand, not paying attention to anything else.
He felt a sharp slap across his face, causing his lip to bust. But, the pain did not register with him. “What the fuck is wrong with you!” Then someone grabbed his arm harshly as the person pulled him from the room.
He heard a raspy voice calling his name, but it flew over him. When they reached his room, his mother threw him inside. “You will stay confined to your room. You will not leave this room, ever. I will deliver food to you, do you understand?”
Yao Zhihao unconsciously nodded, but he did not understand.
And that is how he ended up spending a year, locked away in his room. Scratch marks covered the door as Yao Zhihao wanted to be let free. At one point, he tried ending his life because who would care if he was gone?
His parents never loved him; people made fun of him, and the one person that showed him care: Yao Zhihao, broke him down and almost killed him.
But, after a while, he thought it was stupid of him to die in the home that caged him. So, once a year passed, he pleaded to his parents that he change and would never do anything to ruin their reputation.
They believed him and set him free, letting Yao Zhihao leave the house while going back to school. But, once Yao Zhihao met Shao Yuhan, he knew that he couldn’t change not matter how he tried.
The words Yao Wen mouthed: I forgive you.
Very interesting!!!! Thanks!!!!
Omg I want to break the 4th wall so bad… I need to kill these bastard that dare to call themselves parents… 🥺🔪
Aahh this is so sad and distressing I am so hoping for a happy outcome. Thank you for this chapter 🌸