MDPWU Chapter 3

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Tong Tong didn’t return to his dad’s hospital room. He didn’t want to run into his dad’s friends.

He left the hospital, sent his dad a message, and went straight home.

It was still early, only a little past 1 PM. The sun was high in the sky.

But the hallway of his apartment building was dark and lifeless. Only a few weak beams of sunlight managed to squeeze through the grimy windows, their light catching on floating dust particles in the air.

Tong Tong covered his nose, a flash of disgust crossing his face as he stepped around a banana peel and avoided the kitchen waste. He hopped up to the fifth floor in three quick jumps.

Taking out his key, he unlocked the door, slipped off his shoes, stepped inside, and shut the door with a loud bang.

Until his whole body stiffened against the door panel, the entire sequence of actions took less than thirty seconds.

Another thirty seconds passed.

Only then did Tong Tong finally let out a long breath, unable to hold it in any longer.

It had been almost half a month since they moved here, yet he still couldn't get used to it.

Whether it was the narrow stairwells or the air that always carried a pungent smell.

All of it made him miss his old home terribly—the fresh, pleasant courtyard in front of their house. Even though the neighbor’s Great Dane always insisted on peeing in their yard.

Tong Tong allowed himself exactly one minute to indulge in nostalgia, then grabbed a cloth and crouched down to wipe the floor. After that, he washed the dishes before finally heading to his room and pulling out his homework.

He hadn’t even finished half a page when his pen twirled twice between his fingers. Hesitating, he reached under a pile of books and retrieved his phone.

The message page kept refreshing, and the number inside the red notification bubble had already reached 99+.

School started the day after tomorrow.

He knew avoiding it was only temporary, but at this moment, he was an ostrich. And he loved ostriches.

Suddenly, his phone screen lit up with an incoming call.

Startled, Tong Tong flinched, and his finger accidentally swiped down.

The call connected.

Tong Tong: "…"

"Hello!" The voice on the other end shouted.

Tong Tong stared at the name on the screen—Zhuang Qian—debating whether to hang up.

"If you hang up, I’ll beat you to death." The voice on the other end was firm and fierce.

Tong Tong shuddered and ultimately didn’t dare to hang up.

"I ask, you answer," Zhuang Qian said. "Silence means agreement."

"…" Tong Tong wanted to protest but dared not hang up.

"Are you still planning to stay in school when it starts?"

"…Yes."

"Do you still acknowledge me as your brother?"

"…" Tong Tong frowned, pausing for a moment.

"If not, I’ll beat you to death." Zhuang Qian added.

"…"

"Alright, don’t worry about your dad’s illness. My dad is looking for a doctor."

"…Thank you."

"Okay, I’m hanging up." Zhuang Qian said swiftly.

"Wait—" Tong Tong hurriedly called out.

"Speak."

Tong Tong gritted his teeth and hesitated for a long time before finally asking, "Do they all… already know?"

"Yes," Zhuang Qian replied. "With such a small circle, your dad’s company going bankrupt and accumulating debt has become a running joke. My dad and his friends have been laughing about it, hosting five gatherings a day, each with at least ten business owners. In just half a month, the entire city knows."

Tong Tong took a deep breath.

"Your classmates also know. I organized some gatherings—ten classes at a time for social events. Now the whole school knows too. They’re all wondering how a young master like you will—"

Tong Tong, fuming, could barely breathe. He hung up.

His face pale and his fingers trembling, he grabbed his asthma inhaler. He took two deep puffs before finally catching his breath.

A message popped up on his phone at that moment.

"See you at school."—Zhuang Qian.

Tong Tong rolled his eyes and furiously completed three whole test papers in a row.

Later in the evening, around eight, he grabbed something random to eat.

He barely ate two slices of bread before feeling full.

Every summer, he tended to eat less because of the heat. Now that he lived here, it was even hotter. Except for a short period in the morning, he could barely eat anything the rest of the day.

By nearly nine o’clock, his mother still hadn’t returned from the music academy.

Before marriage, his mother had been a prodigious young musician, passionate about music. After marriage, she became an elegant lady devoted to mahjong.

No matter the time, she always carried herself with a lifted chin—graceful yet delicate.

And now?

Her schedule at the music academy was packed. She taught piano, violin, and sometimes even filled in for colleagues to teach the erhu.

T/N: a popular instrument in solo and ensemble music, erhu's expressive sound resembles the human voice.

Tong Tong frowned, holding a slice of bread. The heat made his stomach churn with nausea. After taking a quick cold shower, he lay down in bed.

For over a month, he hadn’t had a single good night’s sleep. His dreams were always filled with large clusters of tangled black threads and eerie, chaotic bursts of color.

Bizarre, grotesque.

Another dream wrapped in countless thread clusters. Despite how unsettling these dreams were, Tong Tong always slept deeply.

"Tong Tong… Tong Tong… Tong Tong?"

A voice—sometimes near, sometimes far—made Tong Tong suddenly open his eyes.

The bedroom door had been pushed open from the outside, and Pei Yun walked in.

Tong Tong squinted, still dazed. "Mom?"

Pei Yun smiled softly. "When I got home last night, you were already asleep."

Tong Tong propped himself up on the bed. "What time is it?"

"A little past seven in the morning." Pei Yun, rarely frowning, walked over and placed a hand on his face. "Sweetheart, why do you look so pale?"

"I haven’t washed my face," Tong Tong joked, throwing off the blanket and jumping out of bed. "I’ll change right now."

Pei Yun watched him head to the bathroom, then leaned against the doorframe, observing him brush his teeth. "Has my baby lost weight?"

"No," Tong Tong mumbled with a mouth full of toothpaste before spitting out the foam.

"How about we check your weight later—"

"Mom." Tong Tong turned to look at her. "I always lose weight in the summer. You know that."

Pei Yun shrugged and laughed, turning to leave. "Hurry up and eat breakfast."

Tong Tong responded and looked at his reflection in the mirror.

His complexion really did look bad—almost scary. Too pale, without a hint of color.

He raised a hand and patted his face.

…It seemed to help a little.

Tong Tong quickly patted his cheeks dozens of times but soon stopped.

That stung. And it was drying out his skin.

After some thought, he squeezed out a little of his mom’s face cream and continued patting.

It quickly stopped.

This way of filming—so pretentious and cringeworthy...

Tong Tong lowered his head, scooped some water into his hands, splashed it on his face, and rubbed hard twice. That was it. He went back to his room, took off his pajamas, casually put on a white T-shirt, and headed to the living room.

Pei Yun pulled out a tissue and stuck it to his forehead. "Wipe it off."

Tong Tong held the tissue with one hand and stuffed a bun into his mouth with the other.

"You must eat two buns today and finish a bowl of porridge," Pei Yun instructed while sitting at the dining table, jotting something down in a small notebook.

Tong Tong bit into the bun and began his daily struggle with food.

"Bang!!" The hallway trembled with a loud noise.

Immediately after, there was a dull scraping sound of wood against the stairs.

In this building, apart from the occasional shouting matches and parents disciplining their kids, it was usually so quiet that it felt uninhabited.

Hearing such a loud noise without any follow-up cursing was rare.

"What’s going on outside?" Tong Tong frowned.

He had an extreme dislike for everyone in this building—including the building itself.

"What?" Pei Yun, focused on the numbers in her notebook, hadn’t heard.

At that moment, the sound of a door closing came from outside. Only then did Pei Yun react, putting down her pen. "Oh right, the empty unit across from us has a new neighbor."

"Oh." Tong Tong responded indifferently, showing little interest.

He just silently prayed that the new neighbor wouldn’t throw banana peels, meat bones, or vegetable scraps into the hallway.

"I ran into him this morning. He looked like a simple and honest young man. I was carrying a big bag of groceries, and he took it from me without a word—just smiled at me." Pei Yun paused. "His teeth are pretty white..."

"Why didn’t you call me?" Tong Tong frowned. His mother’s wrist was already weak from playing the piano too much—sometimes, she could barely move it.

Back home, he and his dad wouldn’t even let her twist the cap off a water bottle.

"He came alone. I asked him why he was renting a place by himself," Pei Yun continued, sighing. "He said his dad wouldn’t let him go to school and forced him to work at a construction site. When he refused, his father broke his arm. A few days ago, while his dad was out drinking, he ran away."

"Such a good kid—polite, even if he doesn’t look that cute..." Pei Yun sighed again and handed Tong Tong a bowl of porridge. "So pitiful."

Tong Tong took a sip of porridge, smiling at his mom after each sip.

He was trying to comfort her wounded heart.

His mom had always been like this—delicate, innocent, full of love and compassion for everything.

"Take this pancake over to him. He probably hasn’t had breakfast yet." Pei Yun picked up a plate, stacking one of everything from breakfast onto it and handing it to Tong Tong. "See if he needs any help while you’re there."

Tong Tong frowned but took the plate without moving.

It wasn’t that he was unwilling—it was just that his mom’s story didn’t seem all that believable.

"Go on." Pei Yun glanced at him while tidying up the dishes. "Or are you still not full?"

Tong Tong shook his head, feeling like he had been overthinking things lately.

He swallowed the last bite of his bun, picked up the plate, and walked across the hall.

Surprisingly, the new neighbor’s door wasn’t fully closed—it was left ajar.

Tong Tong didn’t even get the chance to knock before he saw the entire living room.

This place was even smaller than his own apartment.

In the middle of the tiny living room stood a tall guy with his back facing him.

The cramped space seemed even smaller with this guy standing in it—almost as if there was no room left to breathe.

The guy was panting, gulping down water, and wasn’t wearing a shirt. His broad shoulders, toned back, and the smooth curve from his spine down to his waist were all sharp and defined.

Tong Tong frowned, his gaze traveling up to the guy’s buzz-cut hair. His heart skipped a beat for no reason.

In just that moment of distraction—

The guy reached into his pocket, pulled out his phone, and put it to his ear, his arm muscles flexing in the process.

Then, he cleared his throat and spoke.

His voice was familiar—husky and indifferent.

"Hey, man, I need that money back from last time."

"You think money borrowed at three years old doesn’t count? I didn’t even charge you interest for over ten years—tell me that’s not generous."

"No, bring me cash directly. Carry it over. I’ll send you the address later."

"Come on, how heavy can a few hundred grand be? Not even as heavy as my fur coats."

Tong Tong: "..."

So much for the struggling, impoverished, humble student...

Tong Tong abandoned all sense of politeness and rolled his eyes—so dramatically that it made a sound.

Maybe because the eye roll was too exaggerated, the guy suddenly turned around.

Tong Tong was caught mid-roll, his eyes still completely white. Stunned, he froze in place.

Zhou You: "..."

"You..." Zhou You coughed, trying to break the awkward silence.

Tong Tong had no desire to talk. He finished rolling his eyes professionally, then—expressionless—lifted his hand and very politely shut the door for his new neighbor.

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