Love is the hazy twilight, the swaying hem of a skirt, the summer night’s gentle breeze.

Xu Zhi and Lin Ran headed out.

By some standards, they made a rather matched pair… equally broke.

Lin Ran owned two or three identical white tees and jeans sets—this one washed and swapped when dirty, his entire outfit costing under a hundred bucks. Xu Zhi’s dress looked lovely but was just a hundred-yuan online buy; even her strappy sandals cost slightly more.

They planned to hit the night market. It was a bit far, but Lin Ran had a bike.

An old-school bicycle with a rear seat, rust-free despite its age. Xu Zhi sat behind him, arms lightly circling his waist. The bumpy road made her calves sway, their jade-white glow hazy in the dim light.

“Ever been in love before?” Xu Zhi suddenly asked.

Lin Ran nearly lost his grip on the handlebars, swerving before steadying himself. He chuckled. “Yeah.”

“What was she like?”

“A girl who glowed from head to toe.”

“Really? I don’t believe you.”

“Su Nisheng,” he said, dropping the name.

Xu Zhi paused. “That name sounds familiar…”

“Six months ago. The downtown superhuman bombing case. Su Nisheng led The Alliance’s A-rank squad.”

“No way?”

“True. We dated in high school. But I bombed my college entrance exams. No future for us. She joined The Alliance right after university—fighting for justice full-time. We drifted apart… naturally. A shame.”

“What’s so shameful? Still hung up on her? Well, she *is* stunning. Superhumans like her must be rolling in cash too, right?”

“That’s *why* it’s a shame. I should’ve clung to her leg, begged her not to leave. Might be driving a sports car now.” Lin Ran laughed easily. Their breakup had been amicable; they still kept in touch.

Xu Zhi tightened her arms around his waist. “I envy them. Superhumans earn in a day what ordinary people make in a lifetime. Though… money probably means nothing to them. They can do *anything*.”

“Fools,” Lin Ran muttered. “Most unaffiliated supers are criminals—just itching to wreck the world. The Alliance’s useless.”

“What’s the point of us small-fry discussing this?” Xu Zhi sighed. Lin Ran nodded. Fair enough.

“Do you think… there’s a superpower that cures terminal illness?”

“The Alliance must have some. They’ve got every type.”

“Then why… why have ordinary people never seen it?”

“Reserved for the powerful. Not for folks like us.” Lin Ran’s voice was flat. Xu Zhi nodded slowly. “Yeah.”

“Lin Ran…”

“Hmm? I’m here.”

“I… I have something I’m not sure I should ask. What’s… what’s your relationship with Su Nisheng like *now*?” Her voice shrank, her usual spunk vanished.

Lin Ran fell silent. “If we were close, I’d be driving a car right now. Not pedaling this old bike with you on back.”

“Oh.” Xu Zhi nodded. She fell quiet. The faint light in her eyes dimmed, fading like embers.

Silence settled between them. The bike wheels hummed over sun-warmed asphalt. Lin Ran stopped near the lakeside. Xu Zhi perked up, walking beside him. “What first?”

“Your call.”

“Snack street! I’m still hungry.”

They plunged into the bustling night market.

………………………………

Grilled sausages, scallion pancakes, cold noodles, fried potatoes, rice rolls, skewers, crayfish, stinky tofu—the air thick with sizzling aromas. The crowd pressed close, so Lin Ran took Xu Zhi’s hand.

Her palm was slightly cool, a comfort in the summer heat.

Xu Zhi bought a box of fried potatoes and a few grilled gluten skewers. She held one to Lin Ran’s lips; he took a bite. She finished the rest—no big deal.

Amid the surging crowd, they wandered to the lakeshore. Stalls lined the water’s edge: carnival games like the ten-buck ball toss.

“I want to try that!” Xu Zhi pointed. Five perfect throws won three hundred cash.

“Throwing money away?”

“You throw. We split winnings fifty-fifty. I cover losses.”

“Deal.”

Lin Ran led her over. Xu Zhi bought five bouncy balls. The first was easy—no bounce, straight in. The rest were trickier.

No matter. Onlookers watched as Lin Ran sank four shots. The fifth missed. Even the stall owner looked stunned but paid Xu Zhi a hundred bucks.

She beamed, pressing into his chest.

“So impressive.”

“Nothing special.”

They sat on empty lakeside steps. The water churned restlessly. Xu Zhi nibbled her fried potatoes.

“Want some?”

“No thanks.”

“Just one piece?” She poked a potato chunk at his lips. He bit it. Not bad.

The lake wind carried a chill. Her hair lifted softly—she’d washed it that morning.

After eating, Xu Zhi rested her head on his shoulder, gazing at distant glittering lights. The shore was deserted. A trace of oil glistened at the corner of her mouth.

She squashed the impulse to kiss him right then.

She didn’t understand romance. Didn’t need it.

Slowly, crowds seeped back, turning them into background figures.

Their quiet moment shattered with a scream.

…………………………

Lin Ran and Xu Zhi whirled around. Across the plaza, under bright lights, a wildfire raged—not from fuel, but *floating* flames. People scattered.

Xu Zhi paled, clutching Lin Ran’s sleeve. “What’s happening?”

At the fire’s heart stood a man in his mid-twenties. Flames roared around him. Others rolled on the ground, bodies engulfed.

The night wind turned scorching. The plaza became an inferno. Lin Ran grabbed Xu Zhi’s hand, sprinting away.

“Probably a super.”

They ran until the flames were distant specks. Xu Zhi panted, chest heaving. “I’ll never get it. Why cause chaos just because they’re supers?”

“Supers *must* join The Alliance after awakening. Refuse, and they’ll hunt you down. Hide your power forever… or join underground groups. Extremists don’t see ordinary people as human. To join their ‘family,’ you need a criminal record with The Alliance. So they attack public places, then vanish. Prove yourself, earn entry.”

“I see.” Xu Zhi looked up at him. “How do you know all this?”

“Browse the web enough, you learn things.” He ruffled her hair.

“Or maybe you just stalk your ex’s updates?” Her voice turned sour.

“If you say so, how can I argue?” Lin Ran shrugged helplessly.

“Those people… they looked so pitiful.”

Xu Zhi remembered the figures rolling in flames, screaming.

“Once you awaken, you stop being human,” Lin Ran said calmly, watching the plaza. “When miracles come easy, people become ants. Supers see themselves as gods.”

The crowd had fled. The burning victims lay still, barely breathing.

Xu Zhi and Lin Ran watched cautiously. Suddenly, a heavy motorcycle roared down the plaza steps. It jolted to a stop. A helmeted woman dismounted, removed her helmet, revealing a striking face.

“Who’s that—?” Xu Zhi started. Lin Ran covered her eyes.

He watched silently.

The casually dressed woman summoned an ice-crystal longsword. One slash. One second. A head fell. Icy frost sealed the hot blood—no spray.

Silence swallowed the world. All flames died to nothing.

Three seconds total. The woman remounted, helmet back on. Rough ice coated the steps as her motorcycle climbed back to the road, roaring away.

“That woman—was she from The Alliance? Why cover my eyes?”

“To spare you nightmares. Not Alliance. They don’t kill. Not openly, anyway.”

Lin Ran turned her shoulders, guiding her forward.

“What happened back there?”

“She beheaded that man. Clean cut.”

“Ew.” Xu Zhi shuddered. “Who do you think she was?”

“Some unaffiliated supers hate The Alliance but won’t harm innocents. They band together. Maybe she just… couldn’t stand the injustice. A good person.”

Lin Ran glanced up at the fractured moon.