I feel like I've slept for a very long time.

In my dream, I went back to middle school, where Zou Yang and his classmates bullied me. Their sinister smiles enlarged infinitely in my world, hovering and haunting me... In the end, I shouted and woke up from the dream, only to find myself in a shabby rented room.

I could hear the sound of someone slurping noodles. A person was sitting with their back to me, earnestly eating a bowl of ramen.

"Brick?" I tentatively called out.

The person turned around, and indeed, it was Brick. Upon seeing me awake, he picked up a brick from the table and walked towards me.

"Hey..." I hadn't finished speaking when everything went black again, and I fainted once more.

When I woke up again, I didn't know what time it was. I opened my eyes to see Brick lying on the bed, watching cartoons on the TV.

"Why do you keep hitting me?!" I angrily shouted, "If you have something to say, just say it! Why do you keep hitting people?! What did I do to offend you?!"

Brick remained silent as he approached me from the bed, still holding the brick.

"Bang!" With a thud, I passed out again.

The third time I woke up, I still didn't know what time it was. I found Brick again, and as usual, I scolded him harshly, calling him more disgusting and perverted than Wheat. Brick still didn't say a word but came over to give me another hit with the brick. In that moment of blackout, I felt that life was unbearable.

At one point when I woke up, I saw Brick reading a book earnestly. Shakespeare's "The Merchant of Venice"? I couldn't believe that someone as rough as Brick would be interested in Shakespeare. But I didn't know if Brick could understand it, because he stared at one page for a long time, his brow furrowed. If it were me, I would have finished reading a dozen pages by now.

Seeing Shakespeare reminded me of Taozi, the gentle and obedient girl. But it wasn't the time to think about Taozi. I needed to find a way to escape from here. I didn't know how long I had been in this rented room, a day or two? Xia Xue must be worried sick.

I cautiously crawled towards the door. Whether or not Wheat could understand Shakespeare, he was indeed watching it very seriously, so he didn't seem to notice me waking up. Holding my breath, I slowly made my way to the door. As soon as I opened it, a tea caddy fell from the door frame with a crisp sound.

Brick had placed a tea caddy on the door frame to prevent me from escaping secretly! This seemingly careless guy actually had such delicate thoughts! I turned back helplessly, only to see Brick holding a brick, standing behind me, and then a dark shadow enveloped me...

I felt that I would rather be in Wheat's hands than in Brick's. At least I would understand my death. But dying in Brick's hands would make me a wronged ghost even in hell.

I didn't know how long it had been when I woke up again, feeling dazed. What I saw was still Brick, who was hanging upside down on the beam of the rented room, doing sit-ups with his bare upper body, his muscles tight. I was amazed by his movements; I couldn't do even one. I didn't know how many sit-ups Brick had done, but he was covered in sweat, as if he had been coated with oil.

I didn't dare to speak or move, fearing another hit with the brick. My head was covered with scars, with old wounds scabbing over and new ones still bleeding. I suspected that I would eventually die from excessive bleeding, let alone something like a concussion. Suddenly, a familiar scent wafted to my nose, and I turned my head to see Taozi lying beside me, her eyes closed, as if she had also passed out.

This crazy Brick had even kidnapped Taozi! In any case, I couldn't let Taozi fall into the hands of this bastard! I summoned up all my strength and decided to fight Brick. Although I felt that my chances were slim, I thought it was worth it for Taozi. I quietly picked up a lunch box from the table next to me. It still had the leftover ramen that Brick hadn't finished, and it looked disgusting after a few days. In a moment, I would use this lunch box to hit Brick's head hard, so he could also taste what it's like to faint on the ground!

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With one hand holding the lunch box and the other gently pushing Taozi, Taozi opened her eyes groggily and saw me. She was about to scream, but I quickly covered her mouth, gesturing for her to keep quiet, and then pointed to Brick, who was doing handstands on the beam. I whispered, "We've been kidnapped, don't say anything!"

Taozi looked at Brick, her eyes filled with a strange expression, but she nodded.

Just as I was about to release Taozi, she exclaimed, "Brother, what are you doing?!"

"I told you not to speak, didn't I?!" I hurriedly tried to cover Taozi's mouth, suddenly feeling something was off. What, brother? Did Taozi just call Brick "brother"? I looked back at Brick in astonishment. Brick was now on the ground, having climbed down from the beam, and was approaching us.

This time, Brick wasn't holding a brick in his hands, which relieved me greatly.

"I was wondering why Wang Hao hasn't been to school these past few days, turns out you brought him here?!" Taozi looked at Brick with displeasure. "Brother, what are you doing?"

Brick earnestly replied, "Wang Hao lied to you, I'm teaching him a lesson."

Brick turned out to be Taozi's brother! I dumbly looked at Brick, then at Taozi. They didn't look alike at all. But that was fine; siblings didn't have to look alike. Maybe Brick resembled their father and Taozi their mother. Now that I understood their relationship, I realized why Brick had hit me.

Since I had figured it out, there was no need for me to speak. I hung my head, feeling apologetic.

Taozi muttered, "You're too impulsive." Then she stood up, rummaged through the cabinets, and took out a first aid kit containing various medicines and bandages. Taozi then carefully bandaged the wounds on my head, filling me with warmth.

"Look what you did to Wang Hao." Taozi was very unhappy, scolding Brick as she bandaged me. "Why are you always so violent? I've told you many times, violence isn't always the answer."

"I was really reading a book seriously." Brick rubbed his head. "I was just reading 'The Merchant of Venice.' But I can't really understand it. What nonsense did Shakespeare write? So many long and stinky sentences, I can't even pronounce them."

It was hard to imagine someone as domineering as Brick acting like a helpless child in front of Taozi. He continued, "And, don't bother with him. This guy deserves it. The more you protect him, the more arrogant he gets, not knowing his place!"

"Anyway, you're not allowed to touch him again." Taozi said firmly to her brother.

"Alright, I'll be careful next time." Brick said. "I just wanted to scare him a bit and teach him a lesson. The more you defend him, the more he acts out. He needs to know his place!"

"If he dares to wrong you again, I guarantee I'll beat him into a vegetable."

I felt helpless. How could I not wrong Taozi? I was already with Xia Xue!

"You don't need to worry about me." Taozi turned her face away.

"I have to worry." Brick said seriously. "It hurts me to see you cry. Since Mom and Dad passed away, I swore I wouldn't let you cry again and I won't spare anyone who makes you cry!"

So Brick and Taozi's parents had passed away! No wonder Taozi, despite being a local, still lived in the dormitory, while Brick lived in a rented room. How had this pair of siblings supported each other all the way...

Taozi bit her lip gently and said slowly, "But Wang Hao already has a girlfriend. I don't want to be a third party."

"That's simple." Brick grinned. "Just make Wang Hao break up with that girl."

Taozi didn't say anything, showing signs of being swayed by Brick's suggestion.

"What do you say, Wang Hao, yes or no?" Brick turned to me. "As long as you and my sister get back together, and promise never to let her down again, I can let you go and ensure your safety in the city, no one will dare touch you."

I turned to look at Taozi, who was looking at me expectantly.

Taozi was a good girl, I knew that.

Sometimes I even compared Taozi and Xia Xue, and in many aspects, Taozi outshone Xia Xue.

But for some reason, I still loved Xia Xue, perhaps because she had given me courage and strength in the darkest times...

"Taozi..." I called out.

Taozi looked at me, her bright eyes revealing her understanding. She knew what I was about to say.

"I..."

"Don't say anything." Taozi said. "Even if it's a lie to my brother? If you don't agree with him, I'm afraid... I'm afraid we won't be able to leave this room. For the sake of my brother, he's capable of anything. You, just lie to him." She lowered her head.

I knew that although Taozi outwardly said to lie to her brother, in reality, she also hoped I would deceive her. Why ask the other person to say something you know is a lie? Looking at Taozi's bowed head, I felt an infinite sense of pity.

I had hurt her once, how could I hurt her again? Moreover, she knew my words were a lie. Instead of making her speak it, why not free her from it, after all, she...

Suddenly, I felt ashamed of my own despicableness.

"Hurry up and speak! Yes or no!" Brick said fiercely, tossing the blood-stained brick in his hand from time to time.