Chapter 3 — The Lost Brother

However, sometime later, Grace sent a few screenshots into our three-person chat group. They were all logs of conversations between her and Brian. Out of a thirty-day month, they had conversed on twenty-nine of those days. For a moment, I was completely frozen, unable to process the sight. Grace had typed out a message, laced with playful annoyance: Vivian, please, give me permission to beat up your boyfriend. He replies to me so perfunctorily! Yet, to my eyes, there was nothing perfunctory about his responses at all. Brian answered her every single whim. Even when Brian claimed he was swamped with work, he would quickly type back: Be a good girl, stop pouting. I will take you out for ice cream. After that, the two of them vanished from the group chat once more, leaving me all alone to stare at those images, desperately trying to digest the churning emotions within my chest.

The cabin speakers chimed overhead, announcing that we would be landing in Guangzhou in five quick minutes. I wiped away the stray tears that had managed to escape, switched my phone back on, snapped a picture of the airport sunset, and posted it to my Moments. This time, there was no need for me to continue miserably waiting for someone who would never answer my call. As I waited near the baggage claim, Brian's incoming call lit up my screen. I finally answered. Even across a distance of thousands of kilometers, I could distinctly hear the irritation laced through his voice.

Vivian, what sort of tantrum are you throwing again? You neither reply to my messages nor answer my calls. Neither I nor Grace are obligated to wait around for you. Once you get off the plane, flag down a cab yourself and get over here.

Without waiting for me to utter a single word, he abruptly hung up the line. A moment later, he messaged me the address of an apartment. He still had not realized that I was no longer in Beijing. To be precise, he simply did not care. After all, in the past, he only needed to turn his head and I would always be right there trailing behind him. The corners of my lips curved upward as I wondered just how long it would take for him to discover that I was no longer chasing his shadow. Dragging my heavy suitcase, I braved the sweltering and humid weather of Guangzhou, wandering through the unfamiliar streets in search of a place to stay. Meanwhile, back in Beijing, Brian and Grace had long since returned to their apartment, settling down comfortably to catch up on sleep. I managed to rent a decent studio apartment, then went out alone to purchase daily necessities. Far away in Beijing, Brian and Grace were busy picking out matching toothbrushes and matching slippers.

Gradually, I began to adjust to life in Guangzhou. I grew accustomed to the sudden, unannounced downpours and the slightly bitter herbal tea that miraculously cooled the summer heat. About half a month later, Brian attended a school reunion. When someone casually brought up my name, it was only then that he sluggishly realized it had been an awfully long time since we last spoke. The silence around him felt deafening. His phone remained entirely devoid of any notifications or messages from me. This was an occurrence that had never happened before. Brian felt as though a vital piece of his own heart had been abruptly hollowed out. Grace noticed his unusual distraction and softly inquired, Is something the matter?

Don't you think Vivian's little hunger strike for a breakup has gone on for a bit too long this time?

After a long pause, Brian slowly responded. Grace froze, her fingers tightening instinctively around the strap of her handbag, though she quickly smoothed over her expression. Vivian just has a childish temper. She gets hot-headed easily, but she forgets things just as fast. Once she cools down, she will be fine.

I just cannot shake this unease.

Brian cut her off mid-sentence. Vivian is too foolish and far too trusting of people. She is all alone in Guangzhou, and I simply cannot rest easy.

Brian had repeated twice that he could not rest easy, draining all the color from Grace's face. A former classmate who had overheard their exchange strolled over with a strange look in his eyes. Vivian is already in Guangzhou. The two of you... surely you knew?

A portion of the liquor in Brian's glass sloshed over the rim, yet he lacked the slightest inclination to clean up the mess. A man who always calculated every single detail with precision was experiencing, for the very first time, the terrifying sensation of everything slipping entirely beyond his control.

What on earth are you talking about? Why would she go to Guangzhou?

The former classmate pulled out his phone and navigated straight to my Moments feed. Vivian updates her life in Guangzhou quite often, and it looks fascinating. Did the two of you... really not see any of this?

Brian's expression instantly twisted into something exceedingly grim. Previously, finding my frequent posts annoying, he had blocked my updates altogether. Grace reached out to clutch his arm, her eyes swimming with palpable anxiety. Vu Vu must still be angry, which is why she ran off to Guangzhou to throw a tantrum. Let's go coax her back right now!

Brian's face remained dark as a thundercloud. I'm not going. Vivian is merely waiting for us to lower our heads to her. Let her throw her little fit. With that silly brain of hers, once she realizes she can't survive in Guangzhou on her own, she'll come crawling back to us.

True to form, Brian continued his daily routine of going to work and coming home. The only difference was that the frequency with which he checked his phone grew steadily obsessive. Standing in the office pantry waiting for his coffee to brew, he would instinctively pull up my Moments page once again. Nearby, two female colleagues were quietly gossiping.

Vivian from the next department broke up with Luke a month ago, and now she's already seeing someone from a different department.

They've been broken up for so long; starting a new relationship shouldn't come as any surprise.

Is one month even considered a long time?

Hearing the handsome, usually reticent male colleague suddenly insert himself into their conversation, the two female coworkers perked up and eagerly chimed in.