Eldest Brother

The Quiet That Permeates a House

Luo Xinyi's new room was filled with gentle golden streaks as the early morning sun filtered through transparent cream curtains. She didn't feel warm, though.

For someone who had grown up in a world where silence never meant emptiness, it was too quiet. Silence was alive in her grandmother's village, where the clucking of hens, the ringing of temple bells at sunrise, and the wind rustling bamboo leaves sounded like earthly lullabies.

However, in this marble and money-filled mansion, silence weighed heavily on her chest and watched her.

Perfectly made but unaffected by sleep, she sat on the edge of the immaculate bed. In the corner, her suitcase was partially unpacked, as though she wasn't sure it should be there. Clean, sharp, soulless, the wardrobe was filled with expensive clothing that had been chosen by someone else.

They didn't smell like dirt and detergent.

They didn't have a familiar scent.

There was a soft tap on the door.

The maid said, "Miss Xinyi, breakfast is ready," in a quiet, practiced voice that sounded as if she had said it to someone else a hundred times.

"I'll be down in a moment," Xinyi said, barely raising her voice above a whisper as she turned her face slightly toward the door.

She went to the sink, re-tied her hair in a loose ponytail, and splashed her face with cold water. She took out the only clothing she had left, a faded pair of jeans and a plain white shirt, from her suitcase.

The ones that had the aroma of her grandmother's herbal oil and soapstone.

She wore them when things were tough, but they were honest.

The grand dining room downstairs smelled of something too polished to be warm and imported coffee beans.

The table was cold in its perfection, long and formal.

At the far end, already engrossed in files, was her elder brother, Zhou Minghao. Not even a look. No nod. He turned the pages as if they were more important than her.

Zhou Yuxi sat on the side with a smile that was pinned in place and an elegant posture. Not bothering to offer any milk, she poured it for herself.

Yuxi remarked lightly, "You got up early."

It wasn't a greeting. It was a test.

Xinyi remained silent. She took a seat and looked down at the steaming porridge in the porcelain bowl. It didn't smell like the coarsely ground millet she had eaten every morning in the village with pickled greens; it smelled too rich and smooth.

There was a chair next to her, but nobody was occupying it.

With ease, Yuxi added, "Your second brother isn't home yet." "He was working past his usual hours."

The ensuing quiet wasn't serene. It was planned.

A faint voice came from upstairs.

Their grandfather.

He spoke in a presence-filled, aged, and dry tone. The voice that used to make ministers wince during meetings. The kind that could silence a room or command an empire.

Xinyi briefly closed her eyes. She had only come back because of that voice.

She had been wondering if he remembered her birthday for years. if he ever felt bad about letting her go.

He and she shared a roof now.

She still felt disconnected, though.

They ate food.

Nobody inquired about her quality of sleep.

"Welcome home" was not said.

At last, Zhou Minghao spoke, his voice hollow and brisk, but not to her, but into the air.

"I'm going to leave early today. Getting together in the city center

Without glancing at her, he got up and pushed the chair back neatly before walking away.

Xinyi did not recoil. She just held her head down while her fingers gripped the spoon tightly.

As though removing an unseen force, Yuxi gently wiped her lips.

She tilted her head and said, "I heard Grandpa made arrangements for us to attend Qinghe University together." "He ensured that your admission was accepted. I guess he didn't want you to feel... ignored.

Her eyes held vinegar, but the words dripped like honey.

At last, Xinyi raised her head. Be calm. Not bothered. steady.

She declared, "I didn't need anyone to make any arrangements." "I would have entered by myself."

Yuxi's flawless smile faltered for the first time.

Later that morning, Xinyi returned to her room and took out the official documents once more.

University of Qinghe. Her next battleground.

She touched the raised seal with her fingers as if it were holy.

This was more than just a school. It was where her first life had started and ended.

In her past timeline, she recalled seeing Zhou Hao enter through those gates.

She recalled thinking, "Perhaps he hasn't changed entirely," after witnessing him laugh just once.

She wanted to see that version of him again in this life.

Not the irate, vanishing shadow.

But before it was too late, she hardly knew the brother.

"Will he even know who I am?"

She was unaware. However, she had merited this opportunity.

After folding the letter, she placed it next to her.

"I won't live like a ghost in their house this time," she muttered.

She wasn't here to blend in or plead for warmth.

Her goal was to take back her reputation.

to revise the narrative they left unfinished.

The girl they had discarded was back.

They would also need to see her this time.