"Anqing, come on! Let’s go play on the seesaw!"

Jinxia excitedly grabbed the boy’s hand and tugged him toward the park’s seesaw.

"Okay, I’ll follow your lead, Jinxia."

Zhao Anqing rarely had opinions of his own, always letting the round-faced girl guide him.

"..."

Ziqing silently trailed behind, her gaze drifting again and again to the two kids’ clasped hands.

She tentatively reached out her own.

"Oops… looks like someone’s already on the seesaw…"

Peering from afar, Jinxia spotted other children playing and let out a disappointed sigh.

Startled by the interruption, Ziqing snatched her hand back as if caught stealing.

"Th-then… let’s go to the sandbox! I… I like writing in the sand!"

The boy quietly double-checked his name in his head, making sure he hadn’t forgotten it.

"What’s fun about writing… Wait—did I even finish my homework?"

Jinxia’s mood dimmed at his words.

Like Yuting, she was playful and energetic; homework was her sworn enemy.

"Let’s go ask them to give us a turn."

Shaking off the worry, the round-faced girl’s eagerness to play seesaw with Anqing hadn’t faded.

"Mm, whatever you say, Jinxia…"

Naturally, the boy didn’t refuse.

The group reached the park’s only seesaw.

"Hey! Done yet? Can my friend and I have a go?"

Unbothered by strangers, Jinxia called out to the two girls already on it.

"No! We just started!"

The chubby girl at the low end bluntly refused.

"Huh? Why’s a girl playing with a boy?"

The skinny girl perched high whispered to her friend.

At their age, cross-gender friendships felt strange.

To these kids, boys played with boys, girls with girls—that was normal.

"Hmph! So what if I play with Anqing? Problem?"

Initially just disappointed, the round-faced girl flared up like a lit fuse and shouted angrily.

"Jinxia, don’t…"

Mocked before for this very reason, the boy’s chest tightened, but he forced a smile to calm her.

"Heh. A proper girl wouldn’t play with boys."

Annoyed at being yelled at, the chubby girl sneered back.

"Exactly! Only girls with no friends hang out with boys."

The skinny girl chimed in.

"You jerks! I’ll punch you!"

Jinxia’s anger boiled over; she raised her little fists, ready to swing.

She’d already fought Yuting and Zhang Xiaohua’s lackeys today—she still had fight left.

No doubt about it: the round-faced girl was pure energy.

"Don’t your dads are boys and moms are girls? Why can they live together? Who we play with is none of your business!"

Ziqing stepped forward too. Seeing Anqing’s eyes welling up, a hot anger surged inside her.

"Anqing? Ziqing? What’s wrong?"

Yuting came sprinting from the snack stand, spotting the tension and rushing over.

"They’re laughing at Anqing! Saying boys and girls shouldn’t play together!"

Cheeks puffed, the round-faced girl would’ve lunged if Anqing hadn’t held her back.

"It’s okay… it’s okay…"

He kept murmuring, but his eyes shimmered with unshed tears.

"How dare you mock Anqing! I’ll beat you up!"

Fiercely protective, Yuting turned into a furious little tiger, ready to yank them off.

"Daya, they’ve got more people!"

Lifted high on the seesaw, the skinny girl panicked—three girls and a boy faced them.

"Xiaoyan, don’t fear. Stay calm."

Daya, sturdy and bold with a chubby frame, had always been the bully—never the bullied.

"One-on-one! Scared?"

She clumsily hopped down, challenging the nearest: Yuting.

"Who’s scared of you?"

Though bigger, Yuting accepted without hesitation.

"Daya, go! Crush her!"

Xiaoyan jumped down too, cheering like a loyal sidekick.

"Yuting, go! Knock that chubby kid down!"

The round-faced girl cupped her hands like a megaphone, shouting encouragement.

"Th-this… Ziqing… can’t we stop them?"

Unwilling to see it continue, the boy turned to the short-haired girl he trusted most.

"Don’t worry. If Yuting struggles, we jump in together."

Though calmer than peers, Ziqing was still a child—furious Anqing was mocked, craving payback.

The fight had begun.

"How dare you laugh at Anqing! Take this!"

Yuting stood meters from hefty Daya. After a quick chant, she charged and shoved with both hands.

"Hah! Skipped breakfast? That push had zero strength!"

Like a little mountain, Daya didn’t budge an inch.

"Ugh…"

Anqing was watching—her embarrassment burning under her best friend’s gaze.

Anger flared; her delicate brows shot up.

"Come on! Try again!"

Daya loved crushing opponents with her weight—a "mountain slam" was her favorite.

But Yuting had stepped back, out of range.

So she taunted, waiting to pounce the moment Yuting neared.

"Go, Daya! You’ve got this!"

Seeing her friend ahead, the skinny girl cheered wildly.

"Yuting, c’mon! Hit harder! Knock her down!"

The round-faced girl watched anxiously, itching to jump in.

"Ziqing… should we help?"

Zhao Anqing hated fighting—Dad said fighters were bad kids—but he’d rather be "bad" than let friends suffer.

"Just cheer for Yuting. She’ll win."

The short-haired girl kept eyes locked on the fight, voice firm with conviction.

"Come on, stinky girl! Too scared to come closer?"

Clumsy and slow, Daya planned to wait her out.

"Yuting, go! I believe you can beat her!"

The boy poured all his worry into that single, earnest cheer.