Chapter 5 — Valedictorian Without Desire

“Stop pretending, explain your sister's situation clearly first.” That post was quickly deleted. When this news reached my ears, it didn't feel too big. My every day is extremely busy and fulfilling. Sometimes, when I step out of the experimental building in the early morning, the wind blows, I will touch my hair that has grown to behind my ears. Soft strands of hair pressed against the palm of the hand. Like a late proof. I'm not someone who was born to be deprived. I am also not anyone's shadow, anyone's compensation or someone who naturally has to be sacrificed. My name is Tham Ninh. Ninh in peace. From today, my life belongs only to myself. 7 On the day of the academic forum, I represented the academy on stage to give a presentation. Professor Chau stood under the stage, smiling at me. "Don't be nervous, just talk like normal." I smiled and nodded. When the presentation ended, applause rang out from the stage. In that moment, I suddenly remembered many years ago, when I took home the test with a perfect score. The older brother just looked once and said. "Don't brag in front of An An." "The girl's health is not good, please give in to her a little." It turned out that clapping was not a wrong thing. Excellence is also not a sin. After the forum ended, several teachers surrounded me to ask related issues. I answer each person in turn. When I walked out of the hall, it was already dark and the street lights in front of the school gate were also on. From afar, I saw a person standing there. It's my brother. He is much thinner than I remember. He saw me. In the next second, he almost rushed forward. "Ninh Ninh." This call made me frown. He rarely calls me that. My brother stood in front of me, his eyes immediately red. "Ninh Ninh, I was wrong." "I really know I was wrong." He spoke very urgently, his voice was hoarse. "During this time, I always think back to the past." "I didn't mean to hurt you." "I just..." "My parents died too early, there are only three of us left in the house, An An's health is not good, I'm afraid she won't be able to handle it." I looked at him, saying nothing. He continued to speak. "At that time, my pressure was too great." "I had to work, I had to raise a family." "I sometimes made wrong judgments." "But I have you in my heart." "You are my sister, how can I really not love you?" As he spoke, Tham Trach reached out to touch my shoulder. I took a step back. His hand stiffened in mid-air. "Ninh Ninh, don't be like that." His voice trembled. "You're living very well now, I'm really happy for you." "Look, you've come out." "Can you give me a chance?" "After all, we are family." I asked him with a smile. "Do you remember the first time I received a contest prize?" He was stunned. I continued to speak for him. "I took all the money and bought a dress for Tham An." "You said that when she's in a good mood, her health will be good." His face turned white. "That time you wore a dress to school, I locked you in the attic all night." "You said you competed for attention with her." "There's also your hair, your wishes, your room and your birthday." His lips trembled, unable to say a word. I looked at him and suddenly felt very funny. Before, I craved an explanation so much. I want to ask you why. Why is it that as a sister, Tham An just needs to cry once and it becomes a matter of life and death, while I still take it for granted that I can endure until I bleed? But now I don't want to ask anymore. In fact, the answer is always right there. "It's not that I don't know that doing so will destroy you." "I just feel that Tham An is weak, and you

of course I have to die." The older brother suddenly raised his head, his eyes bloodshot. "It's not like that, Ninh Ninh." "It's not." "But you forgot." I interrupted him. "I was also born only three seconds earlier than him." His face gradually turned gray. "Please go back." "I will never go back to that house again." Having finished speaking, I turned around and went into the school. A deep noise was heard from behind. Someone was panicking. I shouted. I didn't turn around. The streetlights cast a long shadow. Up ahead, the experiment building was still lit. There was someone waiting for me to discuss the data. Three days later, a friend from the research group sent me a link, his voice extremely impatient. "Tham Ninh, something happened." I opened it and laughed The fact that I entered the University of National Defense Science and Technology was due to the fact that my documents were not clean. It was also said that my brother knelt at the school gate and begged me to return, but I cold-bloodedly insulted him. Some people scolded me for being ungrateful. Some people said that the story of the genius coming from a poor background was just a publicity stunt.