Ye Hui no longer wanted to watch, drifting into her former room, where the European-style decor had been completely replaced by a classical style, the Simmons mattress replaced by a canopy bed, the wardrobe a three-dimensional style with fish, bird, and flower patterns. The Mickey Mouse and Western Barbie dolls that used to sit by the bedside were now replaced by a row of Hanfu dolls.
Ye Hui stood in front of the bed, staring blankly for a long time. Her mother's nagging voice came from the living room: "We agreed to have your big brother come home for dinner, but he called again saying he has an urgent business meeting. How can his business be so busy? He's over thirty, and he should start a family. You two kids are great in every way, but the matter of marriage always worries your parents."
Big brother, that gentle and elegant man, had always held his little sister in the palm of his hand since childhood! A warm feeling swept through Ye Hui's heart.
She didn't want to stay in this home that no longer belonged to her. She flew out from the balcony, heading directly to her big brother's company. Even if he no longer remembered her, she still wanted to see him after all those years of blood-related sibling affection.
But where would she go after seeing him?
Ye Hui felt lost again.
Her heart weeping, she boarded a bus heading to Rainbow Bridge. Teng Hua Limited Company was located near Rainbow Bridge.
Twenty minutes later, she stopped at the company's gate, not even glancing at the security guard, and floated inside.
To her surprise, from the first to the seventh floor, everything belonged to Teng Hua. Two years ago, it was just an ordinary company, but now it had such a large scale. How much sweat had her big brother shed?
Ye Hui entered a large office, looking around, and soon saw her big brother and the company's vice president walking in one after the other.
Her thirty-five-year-old brother was still robust and handsome. A golden bachelor like him should have many pursuers, so why hadn't he started a family?
Ye Hui walked over, wanting to grab his arm in the way she used to when she was young, always clinging to his arm and acting coquettish whenever she needed help. But as she reached out and tried to touch him, her hand passed right through his arm. She had forgotten that she now only existed in thought, without a physical form.
The vice president discussed some business projects with her brother, then jokingly said, "Another girl from the company broke her heart over you yesterday. All the guys we used to work with have started families, and their kids are already grown up. If you stay single much longer, are you planning to be a lifelong bachelor?"
Her brother laughed: "Being a lifelong bachelor isn't shameful."
The vice president shook his head: "If I didn't know you were a completely normal man, I'd think you were impotent. Haha, don't take offense. Today is the day your sister is having a blind date. Your mother just called, asking you to come home for dinner early."
After saying this, the vice president greeted him and left the office.
Her brother walked to the window, looking at the bustling street, and pulled out a green jade Guanyin pendant from his jacket.
She remembered that pendant. It was a birthday gift she gave him for his twenty-fifth birthday. It was quite valuable, a glass-type jade that cost her an entire year's scholarship. She had been nagged by her mother for buying such a useless trinket.
Her brother stared at the Guanyin pendant for a long time, murmuring, "Xiao Nan, I know that person isn't you, but where are you? Why haven't you appeared yet? Do you know that big brother has been waiting for you?"
Ye Hui suddenly felt a bone-chilling sadness, mixed with inexplicable shock. Her brother's words seemed to have another meaning! She wanted to say, "Big brother, don't be sad. Look at me. Xiao Nan is back and right by your side."
But her brother gently gazed at the jade pendant: "Xiao Nan, there's something you don't know. I'm not your biological big brother. I'm a child mom and dad picked up from the street years ago, an unwanted wild child..."
Ye Hui was instantly stunned. He wasn't her real brother!
Memories of his kindness from childhood to adulthood flashed before her eyes: walking her to and from school, carrying her on rainy days to keep her shoes clean, buying her toys, caring for her in every possible way. No brother's love for his sister could exceed that of lovers, but her big brother's love for her went beyond that.
She was overwhelmed with grief, unable to breathe, trying to hug him but passing through him again.
"I thought I could silently watch you grow up, watch you date, and as long as you were happy, I would be happy. Now I realize how foolish I was." A tear dropped from her brother's eye, sliding down his handsome face: "Xiao Nan, if there's a next life, remember me. After I take care of our parents, big brother will find you, and we'll be together..." He suddenly pressed the jade pendant to his lips, kissing it as if possessed.
Ye Hui felt her heart being torn apart, pain beyond description.
Her brother tucked the jade pendant back into his jacket, lay down on the sofa, closed his eyes, and silently shed tears. In Ye Hui's memory, her brother was always a very strong man who never shed a tear no matter how hard or tired he was. Now he was crying like a homeless wanderer.
His phone rang. He took it out, looked at it, and turned it off.
"Xiao Nan, that person isn't you. I won't go to her blind date."
After lying down for a long time, her brother got up, wiped away his tears, walked to the office desk, sat in the boss chair, and began working, summoning department heads.
Ye Hui came to stand before him, sitting on his lap as she had done many times in their childhood.
The day passed unknowingly, company employees gradually leaving work, while her brother continued to be busy at the computer.
You are a professional translator who is proficient in both Chinese and English. Your task is to translate the following Chinese text into English. Requirements:
- Translate accurately and fluently, maintaining the original style and tone
- For Chinese names, use pinyin romanization
- Preserve all original content without omissions
- Ensure natural and idiomatic English expression
- Keep the original paragraph structure
- If there are any specialized terms, translate them accurately
- IMPORTANT: Only give me the output and nothing else. Do not add any explanations, notes, or meta-commentary.
“Yu’an, it’s so late, aren’t you going home yet?” The office door was pushed open, and Father’s aged figure walked in, holding an umbrella, with wet shoes and trouser legs, apparently unaware that it had started raining outside.
