After midnight

Zhang Yang hid in a tree, hidden in the dense branches and leaves. He looked into the house through the glass window on the second floor and vaguely saw two similar teenagers in the house. They sometimes whispered to each other, sometimes smiled at each other, they were busy with their own things, but the atmosphere was particularly warm and beautiful.

Zhang Yang crouched, turned around, took a few steps, and landed outside the wall. He had sneaked out without telling Song Hongtian, so in order not to be discovered, he had to go back early.

Zhang Yang has been with Song Hongtian for some years, six or seven years, at least he can't count them on one hand. He has long known that Song Hongtian had other intentions in adopting him, but Song Hongtian was very cautious. Until today, he only got a glimpse of it. But this little bit was enough to stir up a huge wave for Zhang Yang.

An Ran, the last An Ge I saw was you. My poor 'son of God' hidden by the devil. Will you be my nightmare or my salvation? Dear An Ran, let us go to heaven or hell together.

Half a year after Zhang Yang first spied on An Ran and An Ge, that is, in the early spring of 1999, with Song Hongtian's permission, Zhang Yang met An Ran for the first time. The brief meeting that was mistaken for An Ge naturally did not count, and those covert spied on were not even considered a meeting.

Anyway, on March 1999, 3, in the chilly spring, the 'Guardian' Zhang Yang met the 'Son of God' An Ran.

An Ran looked at him with indifference and defense, but still so pure. Why? Why? As far as Zhang Yang knew, An Ran had lost her parents long ago and was suffering under the control of others. But why could he be seen at a glance that he was different?

"Hello, An Ran. I am your 'guardian' Zhang Yang."

It was like a fire suddenly lit in the dark night. An Ran pursed her lips and said stiffly, "Hello, I'm An Ran."

"Don't you doubt me?" An Ran looked at him with complete trust, which made Zhang Yang couldn't help asking. A stranger with unknown intentions suddenly appeared in front of him and suddenly said such an incredible thing. Didn't An Ran have the slightest doubt? Why would he react like this?

"Because my existence is bizarre enough, no one would lie to me about it."

"What if it's not me, but someone else who wants to deceive you?" Zhang Yang stared at An Ran.

An Ran avoided answering and asked Zhang Yang, "How have you been doing these years?"

Zhang Yang was silent. No one had ever asked him this question. Then he answered, "A few years ago, my mother passed away. Before she died, she changed my last name from Zhao to Zhang. Because her last name was Zhang. She said that she hoped that after her death, I would be able to open my arms and embrace the sunshine."

“Your mother is great.”

"Yes, and my father agreed. Now I live with him and we depend on each other."

An Ran nodded. Zhang Yang did not ask An Ran any more questions. In fact, he really wanted to know how An Ran would answer if he asked her the same question. Would he simply say yes or no, without hiding anything, or would he mix it with lies and deception like he did? But in the end, Zhang Yang did not speak again.

"Zhang Yang, this is for you. I'm sorry I have to go back early." An Ran took out a piece of paper and a pen from her backpack, wrote something down for him, and was about to leave.

Zhang Yang knew that he was in a hurry to go back and return the identity to An Ge, so he took it and left.

According to the agreement on paper, two days later in the evening, Zhang Yang came to an abandoned building in the East District. The building was three stories high, and he climbed to the top of the building. From the top of the building, he could see the weeds he passed through on the way here and the pink sky behind the weeds.

"Isn't it beautiful, my secret base?" An Ran turned around and said to him while sitting on the eaves of the wall.

Zhang Yang nodded and walked over to sit next to him. When Zhang Yang sat next to An Ran, he briefly recalled his short life. He had never found such a safe haven like An Ran. Quiet, remote, and brilliant.

But in fact, it’s not that Zhang Yang didn’t find it, but that he never went to look for it.

"Zhang Yang, come and sign the contract."

Zhang Yang looked at An Ran in surprise. Was he testing his identity as a 'guardian' or did he already know his purpose?

"You can refuse."

"No, come on."

The ability was activated, and a warm current surged through the body, and the palms of his hands became hot. Zhang Yang took out the dagger he carried with him and stabbed his right palm fiercely. Blood immediately gushed out. An Ran also followed his example, and then covered Zhang Yang's right palm with his right palm, and the mark of the contract slowly formed.

After the two separated, An Ran looked down at the contract in his hand for a while, then smiled slightly. His "guardian" had found him.

"Does it hurt?" An Ran asked.

"It doesn't hurt." Zhang Yang shook his head.

In this way, they began to communicate silently. Later, in the place where his soul was peaceful and full, Zhang Yang heard him say his name many times.

"Zhang Yang, are you happy today?"

"Zhang Yang, I'm here."

"Zhang Yang, you are as hard-working as I am. But from now on, I will be with you."

"Zhang Yang, you are late today. As a punishment, you must bring me strawberry cake next time."

"Zhang Yang, I have an idea about abilities that I want to tell you. That is, the ability itself can be transformed into the most primitive form and then appear as a super strong defense. How about that, isn't it cool?"

"Zhang Yang, we won't come here next time. Take me out to play. Let's go hiking! Let's go cheer!"

When An Ran called his name, her eyes always sparkled. But the word Zhang Yang heard most from An Ran was not his name, but another person's nickname. That person's name never appeared as a subject, because the relationship between them was so close.

"My brother loves strawberry cake. It's the only habit that makes him shy."

"My brother loves to laugh because he said he would never be sad in front of me."

"My brother made a new dish today. It's really delicious."

"My brother loves my sister-in-law very much, so I like her too."

"I have been working very hard, and I don't want my brother to work too hard."

"My brother is the best brother in the world."

"I can't hide anything from my brother."

"My brother and I are twins, so why am I the only one who is the 'Son of God'? If I am, then both of us are. If I am not, then neither of us is. How wonderful it would be."

Zhang Yang knew that An Ran was telling him the truth, and because it was the truth, he was a little jealous of him and felt guilty about him. Because he always mixed lies with the truth. But what scared Zhang Yang even more was that he didn't want to tell him everything.

"Are you Zhang Yang?" One day, Zhang Yang was walking home. After passing the corner of a crossroads, Ange appeared in front of Zhang Yang and suddenly asked him.

"It's me." Zhang Yang looked at him and answered. Ange stood under the street light at the corner, the halo hitting his face.

"'Guardian'?" Ange asked again. Zhang Yang nodded.

"I'm his brother." Ange said.

"I know." Before An Ge spoke, Zhang Yang knew it the first time he saw him. An Ge's face was much more resolute and stubborn than An Ran's. In his opinion, the two were very easy to distinguish.

Ange glanced at him deeply. "My child has never treated anyone the way he treats you, with sincerity, simplicity, and trust, but I advise you not to underestimate him. You have to pay for what you want. This is my advice to you."

"Angel, do you still remember me?"

"I had never heard of your name before my brother mentioned it. Zhang Yang, remember what I said today. A person's past does not mean he will have the same future. What matters is your own choice."

Ange left after saying this. He didn't know that behind him, Zhang Yang not only didn't listen to his words, but also smiled sadly.

I am his elder brother, my child, my younger brother. Zhang Yang thought, what a naked partiality and love this is. Zhang Yang clenched his palms and continued to walk towards home. He knew that An Ge would come to him one day, but he didn't expect it to be so soon. He and An Ran had only known each other for less than three months, and they had only met seven or eight times, and he appeared in front of him.

Zhang Yang walked with a blank expression, because he knew that An Ge would come to him because of An Ran, so he didn't think that An Ge was actually prepared. He didn't think deeply about the deep meaning of An Ge's last sentence.

If he thought about it carefully, he would know that An Ge knew everything before she came to him, including everything in his past. In other words, An Ran also knew that Zhang Yang was deceiving him purposefully.

"You're back?" Zhang Yang turned on the light and was startled when he heard Song Hongtian suddenly speaking while sitting on the sofa in his living room.

"I'm back." He replied quickly.

"How's it going, are you getting along well with the 'Son of God'?"

"Fortunately."

"I heard that you have established a contract."

"Yes."

"That's good. This way the abilities of the Son of God can be further developed."

"So this is why you asked me to meet him and establish a contract with him."

"Yes, without a contract, the Son of God cannot exert his maximum ability. In people's general impression, a contract is to establish a connection between the Son of God and the Guardian. With a contract, the two can fight more tacitly, and feel each other's thoughts and strategies through the contract in the battle. But the truth is not just that, the contract is a bondage to the Guardian, and the Guardian who betrays the Son of God usually ends up in a tragic way. I think you should know this by now."

"But what you must not know is that the contract is completely different for the Son of God. The injection of the Guardian's power, even just a little bit, can help the Son of God break through the limits of his current abilities, thereby better developing his own abilities."

"This is of great help to my current research." Song Hongtian said this after the explanation.

Research? What research? Zhang Yang's doubt flashed across his mind. He really didn't know the second half of what Song Hongtian said. Did An Ran know? An Ran must have known, so he was so proactive in establishing a contract with him. Zhang Yang didn't know that he had been led astray by Song Hongtian.

The contract between the Guardian and the Son of God is to express a relationship of trust and sincerity. However, not every generation of the Son of God will establish a contract with the Guardian. Some Sons of God may never have a Guardian in their lifetime.

How precious is the feeling of establishing a contract. Zhang Yang was wrong from the beginning. He was not wrong in signing the contract with An Ran with lies and purposes, but in not realizing its value, and even less in having the determination to protect it.

Sincerity cannot be exchanged for anything except sincerity. The efforts and sincerity of only one person are far from enough for the relationship between two people.