After being classmates for two years, it was the first time the surrounding students had witnessed such an emergency. They all stood there in a daze. Those who knew him were somewhat aware of his allergies, but usually, he just broke out in rashes—it had never been this serious.

The cold medicinal mist rushed into his airway, and after a few minutes, Ethan Clark's heaving chest gradually calmed down, his breathing finally no longer so rapid and weak.

“Are you feeling better?” David Wright asked, still worried. “You should still go to the infirmary and rest for a bit.”

“A follow-up is necessary.” Ryan Cooper put away the medicine bottle, his gaze shifting from Ethan Clark's pale face. He happened to catch sight of a discarded wrapper on the floor, with the word “bread” printed on it.

He placed his palm on Ethan Clark's chest, feeling his heart rate, then grabbed his arm and turned it over, checking his neck for rashes.

Although the symptoms had eased, Ethan Clark's consciousness was still lagging. Every time he had an asthma attack, he developed a strong sense of dependence, like a fledgling bird snatched back from the brink of death.

During the emergency, he couldn’t think of anything, only that it must be Ryan Cooper saving him. As soon as he recovered, the first thing Ethan Clark wanted to do was confirm it, so he weakly lifted his eyes, and only felt at ease when he saw Ryan Cooper's face.

“Ge…” His voice was faint, his fingers weakly clutching Ryan Cooper's arm. The illness had swept through like a storm, and the remaining willpower made him completely forget about promises and pretenses.

Jack Harris, with his sharp ears, blurted out without thinking, “Ge… Ge?!”

That single word, passed through a human loudspeaker, rippled out in waves.

Ryan Cooper was Ethan Clark's “older brother.”

On the day of the opening ceremony, the secret Ethan Clark had kept for two years was known by the whole school.

·

There are always a few standouts in every school—either talked about or surrounded by admirers.

Ethan Clark and Ryan Cooper were typical examples, only no one expected these two, who seemed to have nothing to do with each other, would be connected—and so closely.

News spreads fastest in a dense crowd, and before long, the incident at the opening ceremony became the topic on everyone’s lips.

Ethan Clark's childhood had never been peaceful.

When he first arrived at the Song family, he transferred into kindergarten. He had no familiar friends, couldn’t speak the language, and most importantly, he looked different from everyone else. He was often surrounded and stared at like an animal in a circus, even bullied by some older kids who gave him nicknames like “yellow hair” and “little mongrel.”

He really disliked kindergarten, never wanted to go to school, only wanted to stay home and draw. Every time he reached the kindergarten gate, he would cry as if his life depended on it, having to be carried out of the car.

Even in elementary school, he was still often stared at, but at least Ryan Cooper was there. Whenever he was unhappy, he would go find Ryan Cooper. Sometimes, as soon as Ryan Cooper finished class and turned around, he’d see the pitiful Ethan Clark clinging to the doorframe at the back of the classroom, like a puppy that hadn’t been weaned.

As their peers gradually matured, fewer people excluded him, and everyone slowly got used to him. Later, as the kids grew up, their sense of beauty changed, and more and more people began to think Ethan Clark was good-looking—so much so that he stood out among boys his age. He also had a good personality. The once-bullied Ethan Clark inexplicably became the object of admiration. In short, he never had a moment’s peace.

He didn’t like being the center of attention, didn’t want to be publicly exposed at the opening ceremony, but in the end, Ethan Clark still became the focus of the whole school in an even more dramatic way.

Lying on the infirmary bed, he stared blankly at the ceiling. The doctor on duty examined him, and he cooperated obediently, like a soulless toy. After the checkup, he lay back down to rest.

The steady breathing made him feel at ease.

Since childhood, Ethan Clark had a rich imagination. He could look at a tiny stain on the ceiling and think of a hermit crab on a white sand beach, then from the small space inside its shell, imagine a cave, or even a black hole.

Just as he was exploring the universe in the ceiling, the door suddenly opened. Ethan Clark turned over, pulled the bed curtain open a crack, and peeked out, only to see Jack Harris's face, then flopped back onto the bed in disappointment.

“Lele?” Jack Harris's voice was very low, as if afraid of waking him.

“I’m not asleep.” Ethan Clark sat up in bed and pulled the curtain open. “It’s over? That was fast.”

“Yeah.” Jack Harris brought him his backpack and handed him a box of pure milk. “You’re not allergic to this, right? I see you drink it all the time.” Seeing him shake his head, Jack Harris was finally relieved. “The teacher said you don’t need to go back to report. Once you’ve rested, you can go straight home.”

Ethan Clark took a sip of milk. “Mr. Wright didn’t call my parents, did he?”

This was an accident, after all—his own carelessness. He didn’t want Aunt Rong to worry about him.

“I don’t know. Anyway, he called Ryan Cooper over and talked to him for a while, probably to get the details.” At this point, Jack Harris sounded more confident. “I mean, what are the odds? Just happened to pick up the name tag, just happened to recognize you, and in the middle of his speech, he actually ran down from the podium to give you first aid, and just happened to have your medicine on him. If you hadn’t called him ‘ge’ at the end, I’d have suspected you two had some unspeakable relationship.”

At the last sentence, Ethan Clark shuddered. “No, no, no, how could that be.” Then, realizing, he explained, “We’re not real brothers, either.”