It was a lazy Saturday afternoon. You were doing your homework in your room.  You flipped your Science textbook to find the answer to the question that you are currently trying to solve. Just then, someone knocked on your door.

“Come in.” you said without looking up.

The door opened and your brother, Chen walked in. He tapped on your shoulder and you looked up.

Chen smiled warmly and signed. “Mama made lunch. Come and eat with me.”

You returned his smile. “Okay, give me a minute to solve this last question.” You signed back.

Chen is born deaf and mute. But none of the family members treated him different. To you, there’s nothing wrong with him. He’s your older brother and you love him a lot.

“Ok.” Chen nodded and made his way to your bed.

He shook his head in disapproval. Your bed was a mess. You are the type of person who does not like to make your bed every morning. Chen started making your bed while you quickly solve the Science question.

“I am done.” You closed your book and stood up. You looked at you bed where Chen was sitting. The bed was neatly made.

“Thank you Gege.” You mouthed to him.

Chen nodded and smiled. Since your sign language is not as good as him, you would sometimes mouth words to him. It’s not a problem to Chen since he can read people’s lips.

Chen and you made your way down to the living room. Your mother was setting the table.

“Mama.” You hugged her back. “The food looks delicious.”

“Aigoo.” Your mother slightly pushed your forehead. “Come and eat, kids.”

You and Chen sat side by side. Your mother watched as the two of you ate and fed one another.

*My lovely two angels.* she smiled.

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School ended and you were making your way to Chen’s class. But when you arrived, he wasn’t there.

*Maybe Gege went off without me.* you thought.

You decided to stop by your locker to get some books. On your way, you saw some senior guys picking on someone. To your surprise, it was Chen who was being bullied.

“HEY STOP!” you shouted.

You ran to Chen and pulled him behind you. His uniform was messed up and his lips were bleeding.

“What are you doing to my brother?” you boldly asked.

The tallest among the three looked down on you. “Oh. This mute and deaf guy is your brother? You must be ashamed.”

“Ashamed? What the hell are you talking about?” you sneered.

“Not only your brother is deaf and mute, he’s poor as well.” He smirked. “Your whole family must be poor.”

“Yah!” you looked up into the bully’s eyes. “I am not ashamed of my brother. In fact, I am proud of him. Don’t you know that he’s the valedictorian of the school? He’s unlike any one of you, who doesn’t even attend school.”

“You…..” the bully started towards you but Chen pulled you back.

“It’s okay, Gege.” You mouthed to Chen.

To the leader, you said. “Whether our family is rich or not, my brother is not going to give any money to you. If you want money, then work for it.”

And with that, you pulled Chen and walked off.

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The two of you sat at a park not far away from home.

“Does it hurt?” you sighed as you looked at Chen who was wiping his bleeding lips.

Chen shook his head and smiled his signature smile.

“Gege, you can still smile when your lips is bleeding.” You stomped your feet.

Chen just laughed at your cuteness.

“Mama is going to freak out when she sees this.” You mumbled.

You started kicking the dirt on the ground. When he was younger, Chen was bullied numerous times by his classmates. They looked down on his disabilities. Whenever Chen came home with a split lips or bruised eye, your mother got really worried. Due to this, Chen was transferred to many schools in a year.

But there was one thing that you admire about your brother. Although he was bullied and looked down, he has a positive mind set and a smile on his face. Not once you have seen him cry.

“Dui bu qi (I’m sorry)” Chen signed.

You looked at him. “Why say sorry to me?”

He just shrugged.

You playfully slapped his arms. “Gege, you are so funny!”

“Let’s go home before Mama starts looking for us.” You stood up and brushed the dirt off your skirt.

Chen held out his hand and you slipped yours with him. The two siblings happily headed home.

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That night, you went into Chen’s bedroom to borrow his Calculus notes. You knocked on his door but there was no response. Slowly, you opened his door and peeked inside.

“Chen Gege?” you scanned the room.

Chen was not in his room. You entered and start searching for the notes. Chen told you before that you can enter his room if you need any notes or books. You walked over to his bookshelf. There were lots of books piled on it.

*My Gege is such a bookworm.* you chuckled.

You went over to his study desk since you can’t find the notes on the bookshelf.

“A-ha! Found it!” you giggled. It was in the second drawer on the right.

Just when you picked up the notes, you saw a small book under it.

“Is this with the notes too?” you wondered.

You opened the book and realized that it’s actually a diary. To be exact, the diary belongs to Chen.

“It’s wrong and rude to intrude on someone’s privacy like this.” You pointed out. “But… since I am here and Chen Gege is not, I guess it’s no harm right?”

You giggled before sitting on the bed to read. The first few entries were about school, home and other random stuffs. Chen wrote down about his hobbies too. But the last entry was the one that caught your eyes. It was the night of the incident.

Dear ~~~~~~~~~,

I’m really sorry. Dui bu qi (I’m sorry). I hope that you can forgive me. Gege is very useless. As your older brother, I am the one who should be protecting you, not the other way round. I was bullied and looked down upon when we were younger. Nothing has changed. I am still being bullied and people called me names.

When we were young, you were always there for me when I got bullied. You protected me. I am so happy that my little sister stood up for me when others called me names. I know that you might be ashamed and regretful to have a deaf and mute brother like me, right? I am sorry, ~~~~~~~-ah. I couldn’t be the perfect brother that you always wanted. I am sure that you want a normal older brother who will always protect you.

Today, I got bullied again. I am so weak. Getting bullied in high school. Thank you for protecting me, ~~~~~~~-ah. You even got hurt in the process. But when Mama asked, you told her that you tripped and hit your face on the ground. What happened today was my fault. You wouldn’t get hurt if I was careful enough.

If I have one wish, I wish that I am not deaf and mute. I want to scream at those who bullied and called me names. I want you, papa and mama to hear my voice. But wishes only happen in fantasy. I have to accept the fact that I can’t speak and have to rely on a hearing aid.

Whatever it is, I love you all. Who knows in the future, you might give up in protecting and standing up for me. I totally understand that. I would not blame you for that.

I love you, ~~~~~~~-ah. You are the best sister that I ever had.

From Chen Gege

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You were literally sobbing when you finished reading. You clearly remembered what happened that day. Chen was being bullied and you stood up to the bully. As the result, you got the bully angry and made him punch you. You came home with a bruised lips and black eye.

You placed the diary back to the original place and went back to your room. You sat thinking on your bed.

========

Chen unlocked the door and entered the house. He went to the market to get some snacks and drinks. You were waiting for him in the living room. Chen saw you and approached you.

“Not sleepy, meimei?” he sighed.

You shook your head. “I am waiting for you.”

“Why?” he questioned. “Is there something wrong?”

He sat down beside you and peered down at you. “Have you been crying?”

Your eyes were red and swollen. Suddenly, you threw your arms around Chen and hugged him tight.

Chen was shocked but soon recovered and hugged you back. He patted your back and kissed the back of your head.

You pulled back and stared at him.

“Is there something wrong with my face?” he touched his face.

You shook your head and mouthed. “Watch me.”

Chen nodded and looked at you. You stood in front of him and began to sign in sign language.

“Chen Gege, you are my one and only brother. I love you very much and I don’t want anyone to replace you. Although you are deaf and mute, I still love you for who you are. The reason why you are different from us is because you are special.You are special to me and our family. Do not worry when we face problems in life. You have me and family and I have you and family. So all I expect from you, Gege is for you to smile that warm smile of yours and be happy.”

At the end, your eyes started to get wet and you looked at Chen with a weak smile. In a stride, Chen pulled you into a hug. He traced onto your back.

“Gege loves you too.”

You hugged him back and nodded.*I love you, my special brother.*