A country lane unspooled like a pale ribbon. A lone figure flew down it, wind scissoring the grass, arms cradling a small golden bundle. It was Lin Fan and Xiao Qianxue.

"Baka, why’re you running so fast? My hair’s a mess!" Little Loli’s voice popped like a sparrow from his chest.

Nestled against Lin Fan, she felt his speed like rolling thunder. Her own legs had never pushed the earth this hard, and surprise bloomed like a spark.

Golden strands veiled half of Lin Fan’s face, soft as sunlit silk. Each breath drew jasmine into him like moonlight into a pond.

"So, which young lady was sobbing on the phone, begging to see her dad?" He teased, a grin like a fox under low clouds.

"You’re awful!" Her palm snapped across his cheek, sharp as a willow switch. Pride flared in her chest like a banner in wind.

Lin Fan took the slap, heat spreading like a sunrise. "Alright, I get it. I’ll stop messing with you," he said, voice cooling like shade.

Twenty minutes slid by like water under a bridge. Lin Fan kept running, his steps drumming the road like hooves.

"Aren’t you tired?" Little Loli lifted her face, eyes bright as dew.

"Not at all. I’m carrying a little beauty. If that wore me out, what would I do later?" His words landed odd, like a pebble in a still pond.

She let it pass, gaze drifting to hedges and fields like patchwork, just watching the world skim by.

Signs of people began to show, roofs peeking like shells and smoke drawing thin threads. Lin Fan slowed. It’d scare people, a man carrying someone and outrunning a motorcycle.

"You brute, put me down." Little Loli stiffened, shy as a fawn, not wanting to be seen in his arms.

Her feet found ground, then her hem snagged like a hook. She stepped on her pants and kissed the dust, a thud like a dropped peach.

"Hahahahaha!" Lin Fan’s laugh spilled out, carefree as sunlight on water.

Little Loli didn’t fuss. She rose, brushed off grit like ash on a sleeve, and shot him a cool look sharp as frost.

She tried another tiny step, careful as a cat on a ledge. A hand slid into view, steady as a branch in calm wind.

"I know you’re embarrassed. Take my hand. We’ll walk faster," Lin Fan said, voice warm as tea.

"Hmph." A pale hand slipped from her sleeve like a bud opening. She took his hand, cheeks blooming pink like peach petals.

Hand in hand, they moved toward the station, their steps counting the distance like beads on a string.

The station spread like a gray spine. Among everyday cars, a gleaming Mercedes sat like a bright fish in a dull shoal.

Beside it stood a familiar middle-aged man, solid as an old tree. Their pace slowed, hearts easing like brakes on a slope.

"Xiaoxue," Lin Fan murmured, his voice a low bell.

"Hm?—Ya!" Little Loli blinked, then gasped as his sudden hug wrapped her like a cloak.

"This is our last hug before we part." His breath brushed her ear, soft as night wind.

"Go if you’re going! Don’t squeeze me, you brute!" She wriggled, frustration sparking like flint.

Lin Fan’s fingers combed her smooth golden hair, silk flowing like river light. He drew in two breaths of jasmine, cool as a white flower at dusk.

Reluctance clung to him like ivy. Then he let her go.

"Alright, Xiaoxue. We say goodbye here." He smoothed his fringe, and his eyes met her lively golden gaze like sun on wheat.

"Got it. I’m leaving." Little Loli shoved him, took quick steps like raindrops, then stopped short as if a thread tugged her heel.

"Take care of yourself." The words came flat, like a leaf falling without a breeze.

"We’ll meet again," Lin Fan said, a small confident smile flashing like steel. He turned and slipped into the crowd like a fish into current.

Xiao Qianxue watched that familiar back fade, disappearing like a boat into fog. Strong hands caught her waist and lifted her, sudden as a hawk’s swoop.

"Ah—who?!" Panic shot through her voice like a firework.

She twisted in the air and saw him—her dad—plain as noon sun. "Dad!" She dove into his chest, warmth and strength closing around her like a quilt.

"Xiaoxue, you’re finally back. Your mom and I were going crazy," he said, tears pattering onto her clothes like warm rain.

She looked at the face aged for her sake, lines carved like dry riverbeds. Her own tears slid down, wetting her front like a slow stream.

"Dad, it’s my fault. I wasn’t careful and got taken. I made you worry." Her words trembled like leaves.

"Good child, it’s not on you. Dad was late. Blame me." His palm stroked the back of her head, gentle as soothing a startled kitten.

He walked them to the car, steps steady as a drum. He settled Little Loli in the rear seat, soft as placing a cup.

He slipped into the front, the engine waking with a purr like a cat.

"Xiaoxue, can you tell Dad what happened that afternoon?" His eyes held kindness, deep as evening pools.

"No… no, I don’t want to remember." She hugged her head, sobs rustling like rain in bamboo.

"Then where did your clothes come from?" he asked again, voice careful as handling glass.

"After I ran from them, I got these at a farmhouse," she said between sobs, words breaking like twigs.

"Alright, I won’t ask. We’ll go home." He pressed the gas, and the Mercedes leaped forward like a silver arrow.

Evening settled over Longteng Community, a wash of amber like tea. In a bathroom veiled with white steam, Little Loli sat in the tub.

Her face flushed red from heat, bright as ripe fruit. She rubbed her cheeks and rose, mist curling around pale skin like gauze.

She walked to the vanity, and those blood-red pupils appeared again, burning like coals. "My eyes changed again?"

She whispered, mind turning like a millstone. "Is there a pattern? Do they turn red at night?"

A metallic voice rang in her head, cold as iron. "Host alignment confirmed. When the moon appears, your eyes turn red.

"It seems to react to the energy the moonlight sheds."

"So that’s it." Thought pulled her inward like tide. Outside, her mom’s voice knocked at the door, warm as a ladle of soup.

"Xiaoxue, dinner!"

"Coming!" she answered, but worry swelled like smoke in her chest. "What do I do about my eyes?

"Do I tell Mom and Dad?" The thought spun her dizzy, spirals yawning like eddies in a stream.