After Guan Ge was hospitalized with leukemia, his family learned that he was not their biological child.

He had been switched at birth in the hospital.

The expensive and seemingly endless hospital bills led to countless arguments between his parents outside his room. Gradually, they visited him less and less.

Until one day, Guan Ge found out that his parents had secretly started looking for their "biological son"...

Today was the day when the Guan and Duan families would officially reunite.

Guan Ruo got out of the car and headed straight for the restaurant, but she was still half an hour late. Her parents' faces were dark with displeasure.

They already felt guilty in front of the Duan family, and now being late to the first meeting made them feel even more ashamed.

"Why are you so late?" her father asked grimly.

"There was a... traffic jam," Guan Ruo replied cautiously.

"A traffic jam?" her father said impatiently. "Couldn't you have left earlier? Do you have to wait until rush hour to make everyone wait for you, just to feel important?"

"Old Guan, let it go," her mother whispered, tugging at his sleeve.

Although Old Guan wanted to say more, he had to stop in front of the guests.

But Guan Ruo was already upset. She dropped the forced smile she had been wearing and sat down stiffly.

"Ah, let me introduce everyone," her mother quickly interjected with a smile. "This is our daughter, Guan Ruo. Guan Ruo—"

She called her daughter's name sternly, signaling her to look at the three people across the table. Then her tone became warm and friendly again. "This is your aunt, and this is Duan Qiang. He's two years older than you, so you should consider him your brother."

Duan Qiang's mother, who was sitting in a wheelchair, shifted uncomfortably but showed no emotion.

From the moment the Guan family presented evidence that their babies had been switched at birth, along with Guan Ge's death certificate, she had maintained the same inscrutable expression, revealing nothing of her thoughts.

Guan Ruo rolled her eyes internally. Duan Qiang, however, stood up.

He smiled awkwardly and said, "Hello, I'm Duan Qiang."

He had a square face, broad cheekbones, thick eyebrows, and large eyes. His lips were full, and he was tall and muscular, making him look out of place in the cramped room.

"Hello," Guan Ruo muttered, bowing slightly.

Her mother turned to Duan Wei, her gaze softening. "Guan Ruo, this is your brother."

Duan Wei had delicate features, clearly different from Duan Qiang, but his body was weighed down by excess flesh.

Guan Ruo estimated that he was under 170 cm tall but weighed at least 200 pounds. His round body and arms took up so much space at the table that the others had to move to the sides.

He was engrossed in a game on his phone, his pudgy fingers moving quickly, his eyes glued to the screen, oblivious to everything else around him.

*Sigh, he's nothing like my Guan Ge,* thought Guan Ruo sadly, her nose tingling with emotion.

"Guan Ruo, what are you daydreaming about? Hurry up and pour tea for your aunt and brother," her mother scolded, giving her a sharp look.

The more her parents tried to please the Duan family, the more unworthy Guan Ruo felt on behalf of Guan Ge. She pretended not to hear, slowly wiping her hands with a wet towel.

"Guan Ruo!" her father barked, his tone filled with anger.

Duan Qiang quickly said, "Uncle Guan, it's okay. This is the first time our families are meeting, so it's normal to feel a bit awkward. We'll get more comfortable over time."

Guan Ruo couldn't help but glance at Duan Qiang.

His mother was watching him as well.

"Sister, your Duan Qiang is really considerate," Guan Ruo's mother said sincerely, then encouraged everyone to eat.

She noticed that Duan Wei was going straight for the meat dishes, so she moved all the meat plates to his side. Duan Wei, without hesitation, devoured them, making loud chewing noises as if he hadn't eaten meat in ages.

Guan Ruo couldn't bear to watch and lowered her head, feeling tears welling up.

Guan Ge had always been polite and well-mannered, and relatives often said to their children, "Look at how well-behaved Guan Ge is." Unlike this glutton Duan Wei in front of her.

The Duan mother, who had been watching coldly the entire time, suddenly smiled. She fixed her gaze on Guan Ruo and said to her mother, "Sister, your daughter is very beautiful. She must have a boyfriend by now, right?"

Guan Ruo felt a pang of unease and immediately sensed that something was wrong.

She looked up and met the Duan mother's gaze.

It was a scrutinizing, assessing look, as if she were evaluating goods.

Seeing that the other woman was finally showing a friendly face, Guan Ruo's mother quickly responded, "Not at all. She's still single. As mothers, we both understand the worry, right? Whether it's the older one or the younger one, there's always something to worry about."

"Worrying is better than not being able to see them. My poor Ge'er, I never even got to meet him before he..." Duan's mother began to sob.

Under the table, Guan Ruo saw her father kick her mother hard.

She couldn't take it any longer and abruptly stood up.

When she came out of the restroom and walked a few steps, she saw Duan Qiang standing by the window in the hallway outside the private room, smoking, as if waiting for her.

Guan Ruo lowered her head, pretending not to see him, but Duan Qiang had already extinguished his cigarette and quickly walked over to her.

His tall, imposing figure exuded an air of pressure, and the thick smell of cheap tobacco clung to him. Guan Ruo couldn't help but stop and hold her breath.

"I'm sorry," Duan Qiang said with an awkward smile, clumsily wringing his hands. "I didn't want to make our parents upset, so... I waited here for you."

"What do you want?" Guan Ruo frowned, glaring at him warily.

"Can you...," Duan Qiang took a deep breath, "Can you send me some photos of Guan Ge?"

His voice became hoarse, "When my brother was alive, I never got to meet him..."

When Guan Ruo returned home, the first thing she did was grab half a dozen beers from the fridge and carry them to the living room window.

She opened one can of beer and placed it across from her. Then, she opened a bag of chips and set it next to the beer.

Chips were Guan Ge's favorite snack, but Guan Ruo used to forbid him from eating them, always playing the role of the adult, telling him they were junk food. But now, she no longer had the chance to nag him about these things.

Guan Ge had his first drink right here.

That day, he had received the acceptance letter from his dream university and was over the moon.

The two siblings drank some beer. As soon as the alcohol hit, the usually quiet and reserved Guan Ge became quite talkative.

He said he knew that all the money spent on his education over the years had come from Guan Ruo’s salary. He said he knew his sister had never bought herself an expensive piece of clothing because she saved all her money for the family and for him.

He said that after starting university, he would get a part-time job so that his sister wouldn’t have to work so hard anymore. He also said that when he started working in the future, he would definitely repay her…

Guan Ruo remembered playfully hitting Guan Ge on the head, telling him not to say such formal things. She warned him that if he didn’t focus on his studies and ended up handing out flyers on the street, she’d find out and give him a good scolding.

Looking back now, it felt like a prophecy. What normal siblings would thank each other in such a formal way?

It was as if, deep down, he knew he wouldn’t live to see that day, and that’s why he spoke with such emotion.

Wiping away her tears, Guan Ruo clinked her can of beer against the one across from her, choking out, "Little Ge, here's to you. Your sister’s drinking. You do what you want."

Guan Ruo was eight years older than Guan Ge and had taken care of him whenever their parents were busy.

She remembered that Guan Ge had always been healthy, rarely catching colds or fevers. In middle school, he fell in love with basketball, and throughout high school and college, he was the star player on the school team, with a much stronger physique than the average boy.

But everything came out of nowhere. Not long after his 20th birthday, he had a high fever for a week straight. Unable to bear it anymore, he went to the hospital and was immediately sent to the ICU.

It was then that their parents learned from the doctors that Guan Ge wasn’t their biological son.

After an investigation, it was discovered that the mix-up happened at the hospital where Guan Ge was born—he had been switched at birth.

Her parents quietly told her about it, seeking her opinion.

Guan Ruo was clear: Guan Ge was her brother, whom she had raised from a young age. How was that any different from having a biological brother? As long as there was a glimmer of hope, his illness had to be treated.

Her parents nodded hesitantly, but from that point on, she sensed their growing indifference.

They often left Guan Ge with her, making her run between the hospital and her job, while they would disappear for days at a time.

When she asked where they were, they only said they were out raising money.

They were indeed raising money, but as she later learned, they had also been busy searching for their biological son.

And tonight, they were busy reuniting with him, not even mentioning Guan Ge, as if the son who had been a living presence for 20 years had never existed.

Sniffling, Guan Ruo picked up her phone. She had saved many photos of Guan Ge and had spent countless tearful nights over the past six months staring at his pictures.

Her eyes settled on Duan Qiang’s WeChat Moments.

There was a nine-grid photo post, all of them pictures of Guan Ge, accompanied by the words:

— I never met you, but you were still my brother.

If there is a next life, I hope I can truly be your brother.

Tears welled up in Guan Ruo’s eyes. With a slight movement of her finger, she gave the post a like.

Two minutes later, a message came in from Duan Qiang.

“If it's convenient, could you take me to visit him?”