Four as One

My name is Li Longhao. I'm 175 centimeters tall, sturdy, and a little overweight.

In the summer of 2024, I met three brothers at driving school: Zeng Hongqing, as sturdy as I was and blushing whenever he saw a girl; Hou Chenxiao, a lanky 180 centimeters tall, so talkative he could get on your nerves, but a good student who joined the student council and was always looking to climb higher; and Chen Mu, 168 centimeters tall, dressed in a black shirt, quiet but with a comforting smile.

The four of us would sit in the shade at the dam, sipping milk tea and taking turns practicing hill starts in that beat-up Santana. Chen Mu never stalled. Whenever Hou Chenxiao did, he'd pull out a notebook and study the principles of physics. Zeng Hongqing would laugh at him, then stall the car himself.

Those two months, we drove all over the mountain city, rode our little electric scooters up the hills to watch the sunrise, and drank at barbecue stalls until midnight.

Later, we each went our own way, but our group chat stayed active.

Six years later.

I became a programmer. Zeng Hongqing became a criminal investigation captain. Hou Chenxiao made a name for himself in electrical engineering, and after enlisting, Chen Mu decided to stay in the military.

That day, I went to the market to buy groceries. I hadn't gone far when a fire broke out behind me.

Zeng Hongqing's car was parked by the roadside. Without a word, he pulled me inside. By the time we reached the scene, the market was a charred ruin, human tissue stuck to the walls.

A shadow flashed past my eyes.

From then on, none of our lives would ever be the same.

Every reunion, every road trip, draws us into a new mystery. Someone is watching us from the shadows. Someone is digging up old scores. Someone wants to silence us forever.

But there are four of us.

When we stand together, we're a wall.

Some truths can only be pursued by brothers who dare to face them together.