Tong Tong was on the verge of despair. Just days ago, she’d divorced her husband. She still remembered his ugly sneer as he signed the papers and his vicious threat: "If I can’t have you, no one will. I’ll ruin you. Hah—"
Earlier that day, her so-called best friend had coaxed her over for drinks to drown her sorrows. Tong Tong had refused at first, but after relentless pleading, she’d downed a few glasses. She could still see how her friend’s boyfriend had looked at her—unabashed lust in his eyes. He’d even offered to walk her home before she shut him down. His parting curse echoed: "Aren’t you just some slut? Stop acting so high and mighty."
Now, trapped in this nightmare, she realized she had no real friends. *Men truly are all rotten.*
Her strength was fading. A sour, sweat-stained tank top gagged her mouth. No matter how hard she screamed, only muffled whimpers escaped. The man on top of her ripped at her clothes with growing violence.
Tears streamed silently down her cheeks. A chilling numbness spread through her body.
Suddenly, the man shrieked and rolled off her. Before Tong Tong could react, a small boy raised a heavy object and slammed it into the man’s knee. A swift kick to the groin followed. The man who’d nearly destroyed her didn’t even manage a second scream before collapsing, unconscious. Another boy—delicate-featured, almost girlish—charged out, swinging a baseball bat down hard on the attacker.
Tong Tong stared blankly, her heart still reeling from despair to disbelief.
"Are you okay?"
Streetlight bled into the alley. Her torn black blouse revealed pale curves, buttons scattered, a deep cleavage exposed. Qin An sighed softly, draping his jacket over her. "Let’s get you up."
Xiao Bawang—the little tyrant—stared openly at Tong Tong’s chest, even miming the size with his hands before patting his own chest and sighing deeply.
"Alright, Xiao Bawang. Let’s go."
"Just like that?"
"What else did you expect?"
"Fine," Xiao Bawang grumbled, clicking his tongue in disappointment.
"Eh—" Tong Tong gasped, finally snapping back to reality.
She looked up. The long alley was empty. The boys were gone. She hadn’t even thanked them. Didn’t know their names...
The jacket carried a faint, unfamiliar scent.
Under the dim, mustard-yellow streetlights, two small figures trudged slowly down the quiet road.
"So cold..." Qin An regretted giving away his jacket. *Was it really just to avoid staring at her... assets?* He rubbed his chilled hands together.
Noticing his shivers, Xiao Bawang stripped off his own jacket and hat, bundling Qin An up.
"You sure you’re okay?" Qin An asked.
"Fine!" Xiao Bawang beamed—just as a window above them flew open. An auntie dumped a basin of filthy water without warning. Xiao Bawang took the full drenching; Qin An stayed miraculously dry.
"*I swear! Damn it! Hell—!*"
Xiao Bawang’s string of curses sent the auntie slamming her window shut, convinced street thugs were lurking below.
"Want to head home?" Qin An asked the soaked boy.
"Absolutely not. My mom would kill me like this."
"But you’ll catch a cold."
Xiao Bawang frowned at his dripping clothes, then grabbed Qin An’s hand. "Come on. I know a better place."
Qin An lay by the lakeshore, chewing a blade of grass. A campfire crackled beside him. *What a night.*
The lake gleamed like polished glass. Fireflies drifted above the reeds, painting the water’s edge with dreamlike light. Dark forests loomed silently around them, making this glowing haven under the moon feel like a hidden paradise. *How did Xiao Bawang even find this spot?*
Xiao Bawang’s clothes dried near the fire. Qin An’s eyes flicked accidentally to the boy’s underwear—pink. *Definitely pink.*
Xiao Bawang smelled faintly sweet—though "sweat" felt more accurate. Qin An’s suspicion grew stronger. But the truth came far sooner than he expected.
Just as Qin An grumbled about Xiao Bawang taking too long in the lake, twigs snapped nearby.
*Crunch. Crunch.*
Qin An tensed, scanning the darkness. Pairs of ruby-red eyes glowed in the shadows.
"Ahhh!" Xiao Bawang’s scream shot Qin An’s heart into his throat. He snatched a burning branch from the fire.
Dripping wet, Xiao Bawang sprinted from the lake toward the firelight.
Qin An froze. The bandages wrapped tightly across Xiao Bawang’s chest had slipped loose during the frantic run. Beneath them—soft, unmistakable curves. His gaze dropped lower... to where no boy should have...
No time to process. Xiao Bawang dove behind Qin An, trembling violently. *Her.*
Low growls rumbled as shadows detached from the trees. Wild wolves emerged, eyes cold and predatory.
Qin An crouched low, ready to fight. Xiao Bawang’s voice shook: "Wolves? How are there wolves?!"
"Escaped from the zoo," Qin An recalled a news snippet. *Perfect. First a human wolf. Now real ones. Starving ones.*
Eight wolves fanned out two meters away, teeth bared, advancing with cautious, lethal intent.
"Xiao Anzi, run! I’ll... hold them off..." Her voice cracked into sobs. "I saw these at the zoo once... they killed a man!"
Qin An said nothing. He lowered his stance, thrusting the torch forward. The wolves halted abruptly a meter away, drool pooling on the ground.
Animals sense danger better than humans. Qin An’s killing aura—or the fire—froze the standoff.
"Close your eyes," he ordered.
Xiao Bawang squeezed her eyes shut, tears leaking between her lashes. She trusted him, yet her body trembled uncontrollably. Death had never felt so close.
Qin An’s right hand stretched toward the lead wolf’s snout. The beast flinched back half a step with a snarl. Swinging the torch left, sparks flew. The wolves retreated another step.
Their blood-red eyes locked onto Qin An’s. His gaze was glacial—deeper than an ancient frozen lake, swallowing all hope. No regal aura, just killing intent so sharp it seemed to freeze the air itself. Even wolves shuddered.
Seconds stretched like snapped bowstrings.
The wolves growled, muscles coiling to attack. Qin An’s aura spiked—icy, lethal. With a whimper, the lead wolf turned and fled. One by one, the pack vanished into the darkness.
Qin An slumped to the ground, breathless. "They’re gone. Thank goodness."
"Why did they run?" Xiao Bawang whispered, legs still shaking.
"Maybe they ate elsewhere," he shrugged. "Or thought we’d taste bad."
"*You’re* the one who tastes bad!" She shot back, a flicker of playful defiance in her tear-streaked face.
Qin An’s eyes swept over her again—sun-kissed skin, petite frame. Young, but with room to grow.
"Pervert, Xiao Anzi!" She swatted his head. His jacket and hat tumbled off.
Under the starlight, she ran to a distant swing set and sat down.
Qin An followed, gently pushing the swing.
Cool night air lifted her damp hair. Her slender legs swung, drawing the eye more than the moonlight.
Silence stretched as he pushed. Finally, she turned to look at him.
He just smiled, giving the swing another soft nudge.
After a while, she kicked her legs lightly and frowned at him.
Qin An grinned. "Hi. I’m Qin An. Qin like the ancient state. An like peace. Male. Thirteen."
She smirked back. "Hi. I’m Wang Luoran. Wang like royalty. Luoran like jade beads and ‘thus’. Female. Also thirteen."
Years later, would the boy called Xiao Anzi remember the girl next door—who’d been braver, wilder, and far more dazzling than any boy?
