On a stretch of road leading to a rural town, a battered old car was driving along.

“A-Fang, you don’t think those people will come after us, right?”

Inside the shabby car, a middle-aged man sat in the passenger seat. He wore glasses and looked frail and bookish. Worry covered his face as he spoke.

“What’s there to be scared of? We’ve already hidden ourselves in a place this remote. There’s no way that bunch will find us.”

In the driver’s seat, a middle-aged woman had a cigarette hanging from her mouth. She sounded completely unconcerned.

“But... what if...”

The man hesitated, wanting to say something more.

“Tch. Can you shut that jinxing mouth of yours? If you don’t want to stay with me, then get lost.”

The woman cut him off impatiently.

While the two adults argued, a child sat alone in the back seat.

He looked about six or seven years old. He had neat black hair cut to ear length, and he wore old children’s clothes that were obviously a size too small. He looked thin and fragile. His fair little face was delicate and lovely. He was so young that it was hard to tell whether he was a boy or a girl.

He covered his nose with his small hand and tilted his head to look out the window. His clear, lake-like eyes held both curiosity and unease.

He had already lost count of how many times they had moved.

Zhao Anqing was just a child. He had no right to choose. He could only drift along with his parents.

The middle-aged man and woman in the front seats were his parents.

His parents did not treat him well. Maybe it was because he was a boy. As long as he made even the slightest mistake, they would beat and scold him. Sometimes they would even refuse to feed him.

“Where are we going this time? How long can we stay?”

The boy’s eyes were bright and clear, like stars in the night. He straightened his small body and watched the scenery outside keep changing.

The air inside the car smelled awful. Secondhand smoke filled it, mixed with all kinds of strange odors.

Zhao Anqing puffed out his cheeks. He almost didn’t want to breathe anymore. But if people didn’t breathe, they died.

“I’ve been with you for over ten years, and I’ve suffered for over ten years. I must’ve been blind to choose a life with you. You’re useless and addicted to gambling. This whole family was ruined by you.”

Father Zhao’s eyes were red. His body trembled uncontrollably as he tried hard to keep the tears from spilling out. His voice carried exhaustion and regret.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. And what great prize are you supposed to be? You think you were gonna marry into some rich family? Stop daydreaming. If you weren’t so worthless, would I have given birth to a hopeless boy?”

Mother Zhao narrowed her eyes at the wheel and took a deep drag. The cigarette in her mouth burned down by nearly half in an instant. Then came her cold mockery.

“...They’re arguing again. Why are they always arguing? Is it all because of me?”

In the back seat, Zhao Anqing didn’t dare make a sound. He stopped looking out at the world outside. Curling up his tiny body, he buried his face in his knees.

“Xiao Qing is listening. Keep it down. I can’t be bothered to argue with you anymore.”

Father Zhao looked through the rearview mirror and saw his son curled into a ball. In the end, he was still his own flesh and blood. He no longer wanted to keep fighting with his wife.

The child was innocent...

“When we get to Qisheng Town, we’ll start over. All that old crap is in the past.”

Mother Zhao said nothing more. She only spoke that one line flatly. It was hard to tell whether she was saying it to herself or to her husband.

Qisheng Town was in a remote part of Dahai City, Southern Province, Longguo. It wasn’t very developed in any regard. It was just an ordinary little town.

At around four in the afternoon, a shabby, paint-chipped car entered Qisheng Town.

The car circled around the unfamiliar town for a while. At last, it stopped in front of a plain-looking two-story house.

“This should be the house my aunt left me. Sure enough, it’s old and run-down enough. I thought she might at least leave me something decent.”

Mother Zhao got out first. She checked the house number, took out a ring of keys, and spoke with obvious dissatisfaction.

“It’s good enough that we have a place to live. Be satisfied.”

Father Zhao got out too, then opened the back door.

The boy followed them out. He didn’t dare say much and only stood quietly beside his parents.

“Another unfamiliar place. I hope we can stay a little longer this time. Riding in the car feels awful.”

That was what Zhao Anqing was thinking. His little stomach felt uncomfortable.

It felt bloated, and he really wanted to throw up. Even though he hadn’t eaten much that morning, just a single piece of bread.

If he threw up, who knew whether there would be anything to eat tonight.

The boy felt miserable. He pressed his lips tightly together, looking fragile yet stubborn.

His parents didn’t notice anything wrong with him. They had already started preparing to move into the old house.

“Xiao Qing, wait by the door for now. Keep an eye on the car and don’t run around. Your mom and I are going to clean up the place first.”

Mother Zhao carried several large bags in both hands. Without a word, she opened the door and went inside. Father Zhao was carrying less. He forced a smile at his son, rubbed the boy’s head, and spoke softly.

“Mm.”

Zhao Anqing nodded and answered obediently.

His stomach hurt, and hunger was making it ache too, but he didn’t want to say any of it.

Even if he said it, it might not help. His mother might even scold him for being spoiled.

His parents had already gone inside, leaving the boy alone.

Standing was tiring. His legs felt a little weak.

Zhao Anqing chose to squat down. He stared pitifully at his family’s old, hateful car.

“Huh... Is she my neighbor?”

From the nicely decorated little villa across from him, a little girl around six or seven ran out. She had shoulder-length hair, bright eyes, and white teeth. Even at such a young age, her looks were striking. One glance was enough to tell she would grow into a beauty.

“She’s a girl... that’s nice.”

Zhao Anqing shifted his attention from his family’s car to the girl who had come out of the house across from him and murmured to himself.

“...”

The girl seemed to notice him too. Her curious gaze turned this way.

The boy was shy around strangers. He quickly pulled back his gaze and looked at his own car again.

“Hey, hi. Are you the new neighbor who just moved in?”

The girl grew interested in this unfamiliar yet pretty child her age. She trotted over to him and greeted him in a crisp, lively voice, acting completely at ease.

“Y-you... hello. Y-yes...”

The boy looked up and saw the smiling girl beaming at him.

He was scared, but he also wanted a friend a little. He got nervous when he spoke, so he stammered.

“My name is Xu Yuting. Can you tell me your name? You’re really pretty, as cute as a porcelain doll.”

Xu Yuting’s attitude was warm. She copied the boy and squatted down beside him.

“I-I’m Zhao... Zhao Anqing...”

Praised by someone like that, the boy’s face instantly turned red. He was flustered, but he didn’t dare neglect her, so he hurried to introduce himself.

“A boy, or a girl?”

The girl still wore a gentle smile. She had no intention of making fun of him.

“A... boy...”

As Zhao Anqing said it, he lowered his head and looked helplessly at the dirty ground.

“She’s a girl. She probably won’t want to be friends with a boy like me.”

He deflated inside.

As far as he knew, boys played with boys, and girls played with girls. Kids of different genders weren’t supposed to play together.

“Wow, you’re actually a boy? You’re so pretty. Can we be friends? Here, this is chocolate. It’s my gift for meeting you.”

Xu Yuting’s eyes lit up. She pulled a piece of chocolate from her pocket and eagerly held it out.

She couldn’t really explain why. She just felt that the boy in front of her was very pretty and made people want to protect him. She really wanted to be friends with him and play games together.

“Y-you... really want to be friends with me...? I’m a... boy.”

Zhao Anqing suspected he had heard wrong. Did this girl really want to be friends with him? Or was she teasing him?

If he agreed, would she laugh at him and say girls would never play with boys, so stop dreaming?

Xu Yuting’s little hand, holding the chocolate, was already stretched out in front of him. But timid Zhao Anqing didn’t dare take it. He didn’t even dare look.

“Really. I know you’re a boy, but I still want to be your friend. Isn’t that okay?”

Seeing that he wouldn’t take the chocolate, the girl started to feel nervous too. Her bright eyes looked at the pretty boy in front of her as she waited a little anxiously for his answer.

She usually only played with girls her own age.

This was her first time trying to make friends with a boy.

Would she be rejected? No way, I don’t want that.

“You really, really want to be friends with me? I’m a boy, not a girl.”

Even though Xu Yuting had already made it very clear, the boy still lacked confidence. He repeated it softly.

“I really, really, really want to be friends with you. Don’t you want to be friends with me?”

Xu Yuting’s answer was unmistakably firm.

“I... my name is Zhao Anqing. I’m happy to be friends with you... You’re my first girlfriend.”

After asking again and again, he finally got a certain answer. A happy smile spread across the boy’s face.

He had never expected that after moving to a strange place, he would make a friend right away.

And she was a girl.

He was very, very happy. He wanted to protect this hard-won friendship.

“Anqing, Anqing, your name sounds so nice. You’re my first boyfriend too, and the only one.”

Xu Yuting smiled just as brightly. Her childish, innocent little face was full of joy.

“Hehe, Yuting, your name sounds nice too.”

The boy was rarely praised. In this short time with the girl, he had received more compliments than he usually got in a whole month. His innocent smile carried a little extra shyness now.

“Eat the chocolate. It’s sweet and soft, and really tasty.”

Xu Yuting waved her fair little hand in front of him. In her open palm was a wrapped chocolate candy.

“...Can I? Dad said I shouldn’t casually eat things from other people.”

Zhao Anqing’s eyes were drawn to the chocolate in her hand. He swallowed with difficulty. His little stomach had been empty for a long time, and he desperately wanted something to eat.

“We’re friends, so it’s fine. Here, eat... open your mouth.”

Xu Yuting quickly tore open the wrapper and brought the candy toward the boy’s mouth.

“Ah...”

The boy opened his mouth on instinct. In the next second, a sweetness he had never known before spread through his mouth.

“Is it good?”

The girl pulled back her hand. Her fingertips still held a faint trace of moisture. Smiling with narrowed eyes, she looked at the boy and asked cheerfully.

“Sweet... so sweet... g-good.”

The boy didn’t dare bite down. It was as if he were protecting some precious treasure. He held the chocolate in his mouth, savoring its sweetness. When he heard the girl’s question, he answered unclearly.

“Mhm, mhm. I’ll bring you more next time.”

The girl fished around in her little pocket, but there was no candy left inside.

Unable to keep feeding the person in front of her, she felt a strange little disappointment in her childish heart.

“N-no need... one... one is enough. Thank you... If I ever have candy, I’ll definitely save it for you.”

The boy was very easy to satisfy. Just one piece of chocolate had already sweetened his heart. He didn’t dare ask for anything more.

“Hey, it’s fine. My family has tons of candy. We’ve got a whole plate full of it. There’s apple hard candy, watermelon gummy candy...”

Xu Yuting excitedly shared her family’s candy with her new friend, speaking vividly and with sparkling enthusiasm.

“That sounds so nice.”

Zhao Anqing quietly listened to the girl talk, then murmured a wistful comment.

There had never been any fruit plate at his home. He’d never even heard of a plate filled with all kinds of candy.

The candy he’d eaten was always the hard kind, with just a bit of sweetness. One piece could last him half the day. Sometimes his dad would buy him a few.

Whenever something upset him, he’d secretly put one in his mouth.

Too bad he’d already finished them all. Otherwise, he could’ve given one to the girl in front of him.

But one probably wouldn’t be enough.

Her candy sounded way too good.

At least three.

He hoped he could give them to her before they moved.

“Anqing, wanna come play with me? There’s a children’s park nearby. Lots of kids go there. I always play there.”

Xu Yuting chirped away for quite a while. Her mouth was almost dry from talking, and her two little legs, bent in a squat, were starting to tingle faintly.

The girl stood up and stretched her small body, then invited the boy to come play with her.

“Thank you, but no. I still have something I need to do.”

The boy looked at the girl, then at the car. He really wanted to go see the children’s park, but in the end, he still refused.

“Come on, it’s really fun. We can pile up sand and make a tall castle. We can play on the seesaw too. You on one side, me on the other. It’s super fun.”

Xu Yuting didn’t give up so easily. She kept warmly inviting him.

“B-but I promised Dad I’d help watch the car.”

The boy’s heart had already been completely drawn in by all the new and exciting things the girl described. But his father’s words still made him pull back those little thoughts in time.

“I see... that’s such a shame. I even wanted to introduce you to a few of my friends.”

The girl was terribly disappointed. She even had the impulse to skip the children’s park and stay here with the boy instead.

But a few of her little friends were still waiting for her. It wouldn’t be good to break her promise.

“Thank you.”

The thought of making a few more friends made Zhao Anqing very happy.

The lonely boy longed for friends, instead of staying home alone, bored, staring at the pale white ceiling and the dirty floor.

“Then I’m going now. My friends are waiting for me.”

The girl bent at the waist, rubbing her numb legs.

“Mm. Bye.”

The boy copied the farewell scene between friends he’d seen in TV dramas and awkwardly waved goodbye.