The Wind Blows Fallen Leaves Chapter 22

Qian Rui

“Mingyu, do you think that a useless person like me is destined not to have everything go his way?” A pale face appeared in front of An Mingyu’s eyes, his skin gradually turned red, his pupils gradually brightened, and the words he said were still lingering in her ears.

“Duan Xirui, please drink less, you’re already drunk.”

The boy opened another bottle of wine and climbed up to the rooftop of the bar from nowhere. The light in the room could never penetrate the wall. Duan Xirui took his friend and drank one bottle after another until he was like a pile of mud. An Mingyu just looked at him like this. Both of them drank a lot at that time. Duan Xirui also said a lot of things in his heart. An Mingyu just thought he was talking nonsense after being drunk and forgot about it the next day.

When I heard this name, it was on TV, on my mobile phone, and in major media reports that he jumped off the rooftop of the nightclub where the two were drinking, with a smile on his lips, as if he had fulfilled some wish. Within two days, the Duan family did not make any move, and it was not until the third day that the Duan family issued a medical record, which stated that Duan Xirui suffered from a serious mental illness, and a proud man ended up hastily.

After looking at the various reasons reported in the media, he remembered what the two said when they were drunk that day. An Mingyu didn’t remember it very well, he only had a rough impression.

Later, An Mingyu found many people who had a close relationship with Duan Xirui during his lifetime, trying to find out the truth. However, many people kept silent about the matter, and no useful information was heard despite all possible means.

An Mingyu absolutely did not believe that such a proud, outstanding and gentle person as Duan Xirui could suddenly suffer from such a serious mental illness. It must have been faked by the Duan family in order to calm people down.

But these people had been looked for by the Duan family a long time ago, and they would definitely not be able to find out anything, so he had to find other ways.

It wasn’t until someone who was supposed to have no acquaintance with Duan Xirui appeared that things gradually became clearer. An Mingyu and several other friends who were investigating the truth of the matter took him to a secret place and guaranteed him complete safety.

“You can rest assured if you know anything, we will ensure your safety.” An Mingyu looked at him condescendingly with a tone that did not allow for refutation.

The man frowned, his lips trembled, and said, “What are you asking? I may not know everything.”

An Mingyu patted him on the shoulder and told him to relax, “You don’t have to be so nervous. We just had a very simple conversation. Whether you know it or not, we can guarantee that no one except us will know about today’s events.”

Then he pinched the flesh on his shoulders. Unexpectedly, although the man was tall, he was extremely thin. The man seemed to feel the strength on his shoulders, believed what he said, and nodded silently.

At this time, several people stood up and stared at him with a serious look. This doubled the pressure on the man. He spoke incoherently and annoyed one of them. The man rushed to grab him by the collar and easily lifted him up from the chair. Then he yelled at him viciously: “What are you doing? Think about it later.”

An Mingyu immediately separated them and advised: “Okay, Lin Yun, don’t force him, let him think carefully.”

“Brother Mingyu, I just want to know so much.” After Duan Linyun realized that he had lost his composure, he straightened his clothes, took a few deep breaths, walked around several people and walked to the man with a normal expression, helped him smooth the wrinkles of his clothes on his chest and said in a low voice: “I’m sorry, it was me who lost my composure just now. You can think about it slowly, there will be no one here who will be unfavorable to you.”

The man was frightened by what he had just seen, but the sudden change made him even more overwhelmed. He could only nod his head. He felt more comfortable looking at the people in front of him than the others. He tried his best to remember and spoke slowly.

“Actually, it’s not me who is related to the Duan Xirui you talk about,” the man said guiltily, “it’s my brother Qian Rui.”

“Qian Rui, it’s a strange name. I’ve never heard Xi Rui mention it before?”

An Mingyu felt that he was one step closer to the truth and said, “Continue.”

The man slowly said: “My brother has been smart since he was a child. My family was willing to let him go to school and only let me learn one skill. So I left school very early and went to another place. Because our family wanted him to get ahead, my brother was rarely allowed to do anything except study. Every day when I opened my eyes, I was suffocated by a wall of miscellaneous information.

I only come back during holidays. He is very excited every time he sees me because I tell him what happened to me outside.Every time he listens to me talking, he can always imagine it in his mind. At this time, my parents will always interrupt me and tell him that when you succeed in the future, you can go wherever you want.

Every time he heard this, it was like someone poured a basin of cold water on him. The newly ignited fire was extinguished and could not be rekindled for a long time.

But what they didn’t know was that the basins of cold water became an accomplice in encouraging him to escape. That night, after the barking of dogs stopped, it was as empty as the end of the world.

When I woke up in the morning, my mother went to call Qian Rui to get up and eat as if she were in her own room. The temperature in the bed had long since gone cold, the books on the desk had been neatly packed away, and the squid by the window was gone. It was because he had begged his parents for a long time and made a lot of promises. I saw him yesterday, and he took good care of him. In the trash can was the egg tart crust he brought back to him last night.

He was a child with mysophobia, but he was interested in plants, but how could his family let him study a major that they thought had little future? They finally gave up under the huge pressure from the family, and this idea turned into a dream.

The whole family went crazy looking for him, and I didn’t leave for a long time, because I was afraid that I would be in irreparable pain if I left. I have advised my parents more than once not to search for him so aggressively, or to wait and wait in case he comes back after having enough fun. What should my parents do?He didn’t say anything, just slapped me twice, then pointed at me with hatred, and cursed loudly: “Are you still a human being? You didn’t look for your brother when he disappeared, and you didn’t want us to look for him. What’s the point of raising you? Oh, how did I raise such a cold-blooded beast?””

After saying that, I sat down on the ground and started crying. Dad didn’t stop me, he just watched with cold eyes. I was also heartbroken. I went back to the room and wanted to pack my things and leave, but I still felt soft.

I’m not cold-blooded as they say, it’s just that I knew about my brother’s departure.I don’t want him to live like this anymore. He shouldn’t be trapped here. Every time I receive news that he is happy outside, I feel that I made the right decision.But I am a soft-hearted person, and I have wanted to tell them more than once, but when I saw their cold eyes and my brother’s words, “Brother, the outside world is really just as good as you, thank you.””He always thinks that there will never be a time when he will be happier than he is now.

I also know that if no one is found, my parents will soon go to the police station to report the crime. I can only stop it once, but there is absolutely no chance of success the second time.

Just the night before my parents wanted to report the crime, my brother came back. That night he was locked in the house, and the sound of being cursed and beaten was endless. I wanted to rush up and tell them that this was all my plan and it was my fault, but my brother straightened his back. I packed up my things and left overnight, because I knew that I had no reason to stay at home anymore. I wanted to go out to make money, and they also wanted me to go out quickly to make money to support them.

In the evening, I couldn’t wait to call my brother. No one answered the phone for the first time. My heart dropped suddenly. I quickly dialed the second call. Just when I thought no one answered, my brother’s hoarse voice sounded on the other side.

“Brother, are you home?”

“arrive.”When I said this, my eyelashes were already wet with tears, “My parents…”

I didn’t dare to say anything further, but my brother acted as if nothing was wrong and said, “It’s okay, I just got beaten up, it’s not a big deal, it’s not like I haven’t been beaten before.”

This reminds me of when I was a kid, every time he fell out of the top three, he would always get a beating, and his back would always grow up with bruises and bruises.

I hung up the phone and called him on video to see him, but he always hid behind the camera. He saw that I was a little angry and finally appeared in the camera. I looked at his red and swollen face and felt a little guilty. He saw what I was thinking and immediately said: “I have been out for such a long time, and I think it is worth it to get such a beating. It just hurts you.””

“We are still talking about whether we are connected or not.”

I asked him to rest quickly, but he insisted on telling me about the joy of his experiences. I did not interrupt him, but quietly listened to him share with me. Even though I had to go to work early tomorrow morning, and even though I was very sleepy now, I still did not interrupt him, and I was even happy for his experiences, because no one could listen to his heart except me.

The rising morning light in the sky interrupted their story. He knew that his brother was going to work, so he said with poor acting skills: “There are still some things that I can’t remember. I will tell you when I remember them.””

I happily agreed. After hanging up the phone, I yawned one after another and my eyes were swollen. I washed up quickly and rushed to work.

I have been away for a long time, so I have to catch up on work recently, and the contact with my brother has become less. When I dialed the number again that night, the voice on the other end was a little strange. I had never heard this voice from his mobile phone.”

Just as the boy was about to speak, someone snatched him away. My younger brother happily called me older brother. Then I felt relieved and said, “How have you been these past two days? Are your parents still angry?””

He suddenly answered him anxiously and said, “No, no, it’s fine. I’m hanging out with my friends. Do you want to take a look?””

I was very surprised that he still had friends. His parents always controlled him so much that he didn’t have any time for entertainment, but he actually made friends. I asked him: “Any new friends?”

“Yes, we met when I was out,” he said, looking out of the screen, and then pointed the camera at him. His every move revealed the upbringing of a wealthy family.But I just nodded to him, but he introduced himself to me politely, which seemed a little rude to me. My brother said that he was a perfect person with no flaws. The way he looked at my brother made me feel a little weird, but after seeing his happy smile, I forcibly gave up this idea.

When I returned to that home, they seemed to be too close. My brother always opened and closed his mouth because of him. I was a little jealous. In the past, my brother would only stay with me after I came back, but now he was only thinking about how to escape from that door.

The closer the exam gets closer, my parents seem to be determined on him, with two pairs of eyes taking turns staring at him to prevent him from taking advantage of the opportunity. I have no good way.

During my absence, my brother’s heart seemed to have been nourished. He changed from his previous submissiveness and began to have his own ideas, and he no longer focused on studying. This is what I want to see, and it is not what I want to see.

That day, I finally managed to convince my parents to let me pick up my brother from school. I stood at the school gate, holding his favorite egg tarts in my hands.

I fell in love with egg tarts the first time I ate them, but I was always reluctant to part with them. I only brought them to my brother once when I went home. Sure enough, my brother also liked them, so I always brought a few to him every time.

But when the crowd dispersed, the egg tart had already lost its temperature, and he didn’t come out. I hurriedly went in to look for him, and he suddenly appeared behind me while I was sweating profusely and running half the school.

“Brother, what’s wrong with you, sweating so much?”Qian Rui took out a tissue and wiped off my sweat, two sheets were wet.

I asked him why he hadn’t come out for so long. If his parents were here, he would have been beaten. He hesitated and said: “My friends and I were writing test papers in the study room and didn’t pay attention to the time. Okay, let’s go back quickly.”

He was holding my arm but saying goodbye to the friend he said. I glanced at him and I had forgotten the name he said that day.

When we got home, our parents were waiting in the living room, their faces full of anger and their sharp eyes as if they were trying to stun us. We had to explain ourselves until we were spared.

I can only come back for a few days and I will be leaving soon. My brother is still reluctant to leave me as before. I am very happy and have a lot of energy to work. I want to bring him more delicious food next time.

But what I was waiting for was a cold phone call. My parents were crying on the other end. In the cry, I pieced together what he wanted to express. My brother was dead. I collapsed at work as if I had been beaten. When my colleagues saw this, they immediately called 120 and sent me to the hospital. When I woke up, only a colleague with whom I had a good relationship was guarding me. As soon as I opened my eyes, I jumped up and rushed out of the hospital. No one stopped me.I went to the station and bought the nearest bus home, but I thought it was too slow, so I gritted my teeth and bought a plane that I had never thought about before. I wanted to go back quickly and heard others say that this was a lie to me.

I don’t know why this incident made me feel like the world was falling apart, but I was obviously living a good life. I could eat, drink, and earn money. When I got home, my mother was sitting on the floor in the living room, her hair as messy as if she wanted to have a fight with someone. My father was smoking silently beside me, with cigarette butts scattered on the ground around his feet. I choked on him and made a trembling sound.

“Where’s Xiao…Xiao Rui?”

“You still have the nerve to accuse him,” Mom rushed over, slapped her hard, and said viciously: “Your brother is dead, your brother drowned.”

I don’t understand why they treat me like this. Am I very happy when Xiao Rui is dead? But I just feel that they care too much about Xiao Rui. They care so much that it makes me think that we can live a good life once he reads out. But there are many literate people, so why can he stand out.

I supported my mother, who was about to fall, without saying anything, and cried with them. Finally, the tears could no longer be shed, and then I realized that Xiao Rui had been sent to the funeral parlor. I ran over like crazy, and he just lay there quietly, his face soaked in water.My lips were swollen, my lips were white, and there was no possibility of waking up. I saw a familiar person there, who was Xiao Rui’s friend. He looked at Xiao Rui’s face blankly, and his whole body was shaking uncontrollably. I thought he was afraid, so I stepped forward to comfort him.But he blurted out: “I’m sorry.”

I couldn’t figure out why he wanted to apologize and said softly: “What are you apologizing for? This was not your fault.”

But he kept saying sorry. I just thought he was frightened and didn’t pay more attention. The police said he slipped and fell into the water, but I didn’t believe that Xiao Rui was a careless person who accidentally walked to the river and fell in again.

I wanted to find out the truth, but I was just a rough man with no knowledge. I could only use my strength to solve the problem. The police also closed the case. I lost my direction and motivation overnight.

A few days later, Xiaorui’s friend suddenly came to me and took me to a secret place. He was a little depressed. After turning around, he knelt down straight. I was shocked and knelt down immediately. His tears fell on my hand that was trying to help him. I looked at him at a loss, whether to help or not. We were in a stalemate like this. Finally, he raised his head to look at me, his eyes were scarlet. I just felt that he must not have slept for a long time.

“I’m sorry, it’s all my fault. I hurt him.”

I was a little confused as to why he said he was the one who harmed Xiao Rui, so I asked him to tell me carefully.

What he said next shocked me and was beyond my comprehension.

He said that he fell in love with Xiao Rui. When I heard this, I was speechless. This seemed to be beyond my understanding.He originally thought that they were in love, but he didn’t expect that Xiao Rui only regarded him as a friend. Later, he took a step back and said that it would be better to be a friend.

Somehow this matter reached his father’s ears. He threatened Duan Xirui with Xiao Rui. Because his subordinates were not doing things well, Xiao Rui ran out because the location was remote and there were no people around.

Xiao Rui ran for a long time and saw the river. The area around it was a little slippery after a heavy rain. He would slip if he got closer. After he got up, he couldn’t bear the sticky and dirty hands. After confirming that no one was chasing him, he walked to the river to wash himself off, but he never came back.

Duan Xirui made a big fuss at home because of this incident, and it took several bodyguards to hold him down. Duan’s father locked him up for a day without water. When he came out, he was a little dazed and lost his former glory. Duan’s father angrily served him with family methods. He still endured the pain and went to Xiao Rui’s funeral. He said he was sorry ten thousand times in his heart, but he did not dare to let others know.

That night Duan Xirui found a friend to sit on the rooftop and drink, measuring the tall building and craving the smell of the city.

That building was enough to overlook the whole city. It was brightly lit until early in the morning. He sat on the edge of the building with his feet in the air and his hands behind his back. The wind was very strong that day. His tears were blown away and his eyes slowly became dull. Qian Rui’s smiling face appeared in his mind. It was simple and beautiful. When he smiled, his row of teeth were exposed and his eyebrows were curved. Soon Qian Rui like this was drowned in tears and turned gray.

After that day, the rooftop of the bar was tightly sealed, and no mouse could get through. All the hot searches in those days were dominated by the list, and the popularity could not be suppressed. In the end, the Duan family had no choice but to throw out a report sheet to dismiss the matter lightly.