Crossing the Clouds and Sky to Fall in Love with You - Chapter 24

“This used to be my grandfather’s room. After he passed away, it was converted into a study. Look up there, those are the awards and photos my sister and I have collected since we were young.”

Having already realized that the people in the picture frames were the siblings, I couldn’t help but walk closer to take a better look. He continued, “She’s six years older than me, so we didn’t have the chance to attend the same school except during primary school, but she always looked after me. You haven’t heard me talk about her, have you?”

“Mm, no, I haven’t…” The first photo frame I saw was of Sister Tao when she just entered junior high. Since it was in the north, I didn’t recognize the school uniform. She was already so tall when she was young!

She had a student-style haircut and was smiling at the camera. The boy next to her, who only reached her waist, must have been Tao Yian. Her arm was draped over her brother’s shoulder; it was obvious the two of them had a good relationship.

“Even though she’s the older sister, my mom said she was very mischievous and lively when she was little, always having ideas. She loved drawing and watching cartoons. She had a bit of a boyish personality and was very independent. She started boarding in junior high… But even so, she was still very good to me. She took great care of me and often took me out to play arcade games without even finishing her homework! Rather than an older sister, she felt more like an older brother to me. But that was before I started primary school.”

“You make her sound so unladylike!” I found it hard to associate the “Sister Tao” he described with the woman who slept next to me every night. She was independent, but not boyish; rather, she was a sophisticated, elegant, and witty mature woman… Ah! But she really does love beer!

“My parents also loved her very much and had high expectations for her. Of course, I did too. Since I’m the boy… you can imagine our family’s values are quite traditional; children are expected to take over the family business. My sister was working towards this goal all through high school and college. She majored in computer science, also to help my mom with the auction website.”

“She majored in computer science?” She never mentioned that to me.

“Yes, that’s why she’s really good with computers. My parents carefully planned every step for us siblings, just waiting for her to graduate from college, get into graduate school, and slowly let her start learning company management…” As he spoke, his smile faded. My gaze shifted from a group photo of her and her college classmates back to Tao Yian.

“But she became a deserter. After finishing university, she resolutely abandoned further studies and only focused on playing with her camera, even setting up a studio with some of her college friends.”

“Did she say why?”

“We all assumed she was influenced by bad friends. She joined the photography club in her sophomore year. I noticed when talking to her once that she seemed to really idolize the club president at the time. When she started talking about technical photography terms I didn’t understand, like aperture, overexposure, and composition, I realized she truly loved it. Before that, she only occasionally wrote some essays.”

So, that’s why she’s not only great at photography but also has such good writing skills?

“Three years ago was the last time I tried to persuade her, and the last time I saw her so far. She told me she was no longer taking wedding photos. I asked her why, but she wouldn’t say. When I asked if she would come back home, she just shook her head and firmly told me, ‘No’…” He lowered his head, and I sensed his frustration, so I moved back to his side and put my hand on his shoulder.

“But she asked me one question that I remember very clearly.”

“What did she say?”

“‘Yian, losing your legs only restricts your movement. Why don’t you just let yourself do what you want? How long are you going to keep shutting yourself off?'”

That sounded very much like something Sister Tao would say.

“She knew I had talent in drawing, but because my scores were high enough, I still majored in law… But at that time, I really didn’t understand. I was begging her to come back. You know what happened to me in college, and I begged her to come back… She refused, and then just vanished as if into thin air. It wasn’t until I questioned her former studio friends that one of them told me she had gone traveling. That’s when I started following her fan page, and I still do.”

His lips were tightly pressed, and I could tell his emotions were running high; he looked like he might burst into tears at any moment.

“I still don’t understand what exactly happened to her, but it wasn’t until I switched from law to art that I began to slightly grasp the meaning behind her words to me. But even then, that’s all it was. If I hadn’t lost the use of my legs, I probably would have finished my law degree… After all, who would hire a lawyer who can’t walk!”

After hearing his self-deprecating comment, I only had one thing to say—”You love her very much.”

He stared at me as if I had said something strange. I took a deep breath and continued, “And, deep down, you still really want to see your sister again, don’t you?”

“No, Xiaoning, why would you think that?” He shook his head, but a tear slipped out anyway, which he quickly wiped away.

“Because that’s what you just told me. That’s why you can’t forgive her for leaving, and you’re still bothered that she won’t come home. If you simply hated her, you wouldn’t get so emotional and almost cry when talking about your past together. If your relationship was never close, you could just treat her departure like that of a stranger. Wouldn’t that be better? One less competitor, and you inherit all the Tao family’s assets.”

My words left him speechless. I let out a breath and gently patted the back of his hand.

“You know what? You’re a good person, truly, but your biggest flaw is that you aren’t honest enough with yourself. In fact, you’ve always understood. You understand why your sister said that to you, and why she made that decision…”

He stubbornly retorted, “I don’t understand.”

“Yes, you do!” I raised my voice for once. “It’s because she wanted you to be brave enough to face yourself and do what you truly want… Although this might sound a bit insensitive… your condition may have restricted your freedom, but it also indirectly unlocked your potential and allowed your talent to be seen by others. You exchanged your legs for the freedom of your mind and talent.”

I think I was starting to understand a little… I was starting to understand why Sister Tao was so determined not to go home and why she almost severed ties with her family. The reason, perhaps, was always only for one person.

Avoiding heartbreak was just a secondary reason; because, she was always concerned about this brother who only ever thought about fulfilling his duty to the family business.

“Tell me, are you happy when you draw?”

His eyes sparkled remarkably. When I asked the question, the expression I found in his eyes was a vibrant light I had never seen before.

My lips curled into a smile, and I gripped his hand. “She would definitely want to see your expression right now.”

“She…”

“Didn’t you get an update on her?” This time I’d remember not to let anything slip! “Didn’t you tell me she wasn’t in Tibet?”

“She recently went to Sri Lanka.”

“Right, Sri Lanka.” I subconsciously touched the amethyst tucked into my neck. “Perhaps she will come back, come back to this home, to visit you, the brother she still cares about.”

“You talk as if you’ve been in contact with her.” He finally cracked a smile, and there was no sarcasm in his voice. “Was it through a fan page message?”

“I haven’t contacted her.” I just sleep next to her every day and was almost forced into a kiss by her! “I was just thinking, if you had a direct way to contact her, maybe you could persuade her to come back. You haven’t seen her in three years, and she never shows her face in photos. Aren’t you curious what she’s like now?”

“My information came from my aunt… I have an aunt who is a doctor.”

I know, because I just went for a follow-up visit with her a few days ago! “Then please ask her to help persuade your sister! Your sister isn’t cold-hearted. If a few more people talk to her, maybe she’ll have a change of heart and suddenly come back!”

“Why do I suddenly feel like you know her very well, Xiaoning?”

“Um… because I look at her fan page every day! Her writing is so good; the articles she writes are heartwarming to read. She definitely can’t be a cold person, right?” I was starting to impress myself with my ability to make things up!

He glanced at the pile of photos and finally sighed. “We’ll talk about it later! We’ve wasted quite a bit of time here needlessly. Don’t forget we still have a report to do!” Turning his wheelchair, he quickly left the room.

I also turned around and looked at the younger versions of Sister Tao, feeling that the path to reconciliation for these siblings… was still quite long!

However, even the hardest tasks need a starting point, don’t they?

I’ve decided! No matter what, I’m going to make sure Sister Tao at least comes back to see Tao Yian! This might also be the greatest New Year’s gift I can give Tao Yian.

Working on an audio magazine report definitely wasn’t as interesting.

Tao Yian had already done a lot of preparation for this report, since he was the one who chose the magazine. He had typed up most of the report content, only needing a few verbal edits, so I went through the entire presentation first, checked the parts he had already organized, and even asked him a few questions.

“If you’re interested, we have a full home theater system here. If we have time later, we can play some music, and you’ll understand what a ‘sweet spot’ is.”

Talking about listening to music made me think of the light music Sister Tao played while working.

“It’s getting late now! If we listen, I might have to eat an eight o’clock dinner!”

“That’s easy. Just eat here.” I detected a hint of a scheme from the upward curve of his lips.

“I couldn’t impose like that!”

“Why not? You’re a guest.” He smiled, wheeled his chair over to the phone, picked it up, and made a call. It sounded like he was instructing the kitchen to prepare dinner for the two of us, completely like a hotel room service!

“I’ll take you back to your place after you eat. Since you’re at my house, I’ll cover everything; you don’t have to worry.”

“You really are something…”

He gave a cheeky smile. I purposely avoided looking at him, pretending to diligently practice looking at the slides and matching the report content.

Forty minutes later—”Xiaoning, come on, take a break.” I nearly dozed off in front of his computer. When he called me, I turned around and saw him holding two cups of black tea.

“Is this, is this for afternoon tea?”

“It’s a bit late, almost 4:30! But we can still drink it.”

The cups looked very fancy. I took mine carefully, afraid of breaking it and having to pay for it.

“Xiaoning, actually, I’ve always wanted to have tea with you alone like this,” he told me in a sentimental and gentle tone. “It’s not that I dislike Yiting… it’s just that compared to the lively Yiting, I appreciate your quiet and gentle nature more.”

I felt a little shy being told that. “She is a bit chatty! But I’m quite clumsy too. Who said I was gentle?”

“Just now, when I spoke about my sister, you didn’t blame me, but were willing to comfort me and mediate between us. Doesn’t that prove you’re a gentle and considerate girl?”

“Um… I just couldn’t stand seeing you two, who used to be so close, become like strangers now.”

He smiled slightly, then quickly said with a serious expression, “Actually, I’ve recently become quite obsessed with The Mermen (Renmianyu).”

“The Mermen?” My eyes widened. It felt like a long time since they had been mentioned.

“Yes, you took me to hear them live once, and I think they sound great. However, part of it is simply that I want to understand why you like their music so much. Put simply, I want to understand you better.”

This was clearly the blueprint for pursuing me.

“Also, you were right when you talked about the antique clock earlier. Even though I’ve lost the freedom of movement, I still have my hands, and I can still display my talent and ability. I’ve deeply reflected on this, and I’ve also realized… if I still want to pursue you, then I need to show more confidence and capability.”

These two siblings… they say things like this to a person’s face without even blushing!