Chapter Twenty-Two: His Eldest Brother

"Borrow class notes, from Chen Tianyu?"
Chen Tianyu, who had been standing dazedly nearby, immediately nodded upon hearing his name.
"Yes, the boss borrowed class notes from me."
He Yongshan glanced at both of them and scoffed, "Who are you trying to fool? Since when does Chen Tianyu take class notes? You two, come with me to the office."
Zhao Fan and Chen Tianyu exchanged looks and sighed in unison.
Old He was a good man, but students were still afraid of him.
There was nothing to be done; among all the teachers in the school, none could nag like He Yongshan. Once he started, it lasted half the day with no sign of stopping.
It could be said that throughout Zhao Fan's student life, He Yongshan was the one he feared most.
"What are you dawdling for? Hurry up and follow me!"
"We’re coming," Zhao Fan and Chen Tianyu replied listlessly.
After two class periods, Zhao Fan and Chen Tianyu staggered out of the office, looking dazed.
Rounding the corner, Chen Tianyu leaned against the wall, then slid down to the floor, utterly miserable.
"Boss, next time let’s talk outside school, okay?"
Just a few words, but Old He had forced him to write class notes, and now he had to bring them to the office after every lesson for inspection.
Chen Tianyu wiped away imaginary tears. "Boss, this is the first time I've ever written notes."
Zhao Fan coughed, straightened up, and said seriously, "This is good for you. Look at yourself, already a senior and still not making an effort. Go on, hurry back to class."
Chen Tianyu was sent back to the classroom, and Zhao Fan left the school to go home and make plans.
As soon as his pen touched the paper, he heard a knock at the door. He paused, then went to open it.
"Big brother, what brings you here?"
A man stood outside, handsome but clad in an ill-fitting, wrinkled black suit. Even just standing at the door, he carried an air of unease and embarrassment.
Zhao Haitian, Zhao Fan’s elder brother.
"Um, are Mom and Dad home?"
"They’re not. Come in and have a seat."
He stepped back and poured a glass of water for Zhao Haitian.
After setting down the cup, Zhao Fan stared at his brother. "You haven’t been back in a long time."
Zhao Haitian lowered his head. "Yes, that’s right."
Seeing the atmosphere stiffen, Zhao Fan sighed silently. His brother’s temperament hadn’t changed at all.

"How have these six years been for you, brother?"
"Pretty good."
Six years ago, Zhao Haitian met his current wife, Yang Qingqing. When they were discussing marriage, the Yang family insisted that since they had only one daughter, Zhao Haitian would have to marry into their family.
At first, Zhao Haitian refused, but later, after some unknown persuasion from Yang Qingqing, he approached their parents to discuss it. The Yang family also promised the couple would visit often, so Zhao’s parents agreed.
But less than half a year after the wedding, Zhao Haitian cut off contact with his family. Zhao’s parents even went to the Yang family, but after returning, they never mentioned the Yang family or Zhao Haitian again.
In his previous life, Zhao Fan didn’t know the reason at first. Later, because of Wang Ying, the three of them went to the Yang family, only to be cruelly humiliated.
They accused Zhao’s parents of agreeing to the marriage just to sell their son, called the Zhao family poor and greedy, and claimed they were after the Yang family’s inheritance, dragging the Zhao family’s reputation through the mud.
Infuriated, Zhao Fan lashed out, smashed things at the Yang house, and dragged his parents home.
Thinking of his previous life, Zhao Fan’s emotions stirred, but he quickly regained composure.
No matter how outrageous the Yang family was, Zhao Haitian had never wronged him. He knew that his brother had paid for his marital home.
"I’ll get you something to eat."
"Alright."
After he brought food to the table, Zhao Haitian couldn’t help but let his eyes redden.
"Little brother, do you think I’m heartless, ungrateful?"
Zhao Fan was taken aback. "Brother, what are you saying?"
"I—it’s not that I don’t want to keep in touch, but Qingqing always... Never mind, let’s not talk about it."
Zhao Fan frowned, glanced at Zhao Haitian’s clothes, and asked, "Brother, is something wrong at home?"
"No…"
"You never wear ill-fitting suits. Tell me, what happened?"
Not to mention the suit was wrinkled—clearly uncared for.
Zhao Haitian clenched his hands on his knees. "Yun’er is sick, leukemia."
Leukemia!
Zhao Fan’s pupils contracted, and he jumped to his feet. "Brother, you must be joking!"
Zhao Haitian’s eyes reddened even further. "I wish it were a joke."
No, something was wrong.
Zhao Fan looked at his brother, recalling his previous life, and the more he thought, the more uneasy he felt.
Zhao Haitian’s daughter was Zhao Yun’er. Before Zhao Fan’s rebirth, Yun’er was healthy and about to graduate from university. How could she have leukemia now?

Could the change be caused by his rebirth?
But that didn’t make sense. If his rebirth caused changes, why would Yun’er fall ill?
His thoughts raced, but Zhao Fan suppressed them all. "Brother, where is Yun’er now?"
"At the entrance to the neighborhood."
"At the entrance?" Zhao Fan’s voice rose sharply. "You left a five-year-old child at the entrance? No, she’s ill—she should be in the hospital. Why did you bring her here?"
Zhao Haitian’s expression grew bitterer. "The hospital money is gone. Your sister-in-law said she couldn’t raise money for Yun’er’s treatment and wanted to abandon her. I argued with her, and had no choice but to..."
Zhao Fan fell silent for a minute, then strode toward the door.
"I’ll go bring the child in."
Ten minutes later, Zhao Fan returned, carrying a girl in a princess dress. At five, she was adorable and innocent; despite suffering from leukemia, she smiled at everyone, utterly charming.
"Daddy, carry me."
The little girl stretched her arms to Zhao Haitian.
"Yes, Daddy’s got you."
Watching the father and daughter press their faces together and talk, Zhao Fan tidied up his room.
"Brother, the house is a bit cramped, but stay with me for now—don’t mind it."
After all, he was his brother, and with a five-year-old child, Zhao Fan couldn’t harden his heart. The apartment was small, so they’d have to make do.
That night, their parents returned home and were surprised to see Zhao Haitian; surprise quickly turned to anger.
Zhao Fan explained that Yang Qingqing didn’t want to treat the child and intended to abandon her. Their father raged, "That family is simply—simply..."
Mother pulled Father’s sleeve. "Old Zhao, sit down first."
Father restrained himself and sat, fuming.
The child was already asleep. Zhao Haitian sat across from his parents, while Zhao Fan sat backward on a chair, leaning on the backrest.
In the silence, Father asked, "What should we do about this?"
Realizing his father was asking him, Zhao Fan responded immediately, "First, get the child back to the hospital. I’ve looked into it—leukemia can sometimes be cured. We need to find a good hospital, run some tests, and then start targeted treatment. Brother, what do you think?"
Zhao Haitian was momentarily dazed. "Sounds—sounds good, but…"