Chapter 1: A Rabbit’s Pace – So Fast!
In the height of summer, though Yuhua Town, tucked away in the remote countryside, was cooler than the sprawling city centers, the sunlight spilling down was no less scorching.
Su Yuan, who had just recently arrived in Yuhua, was walking with a white umbrella—courtesy of some brand of mineral water—and a water bottle with a cartoon of Calabash Brothers hanging from his neck. He carried a lunch box in one hand and carefully avoided certain animal droppings on the ground as he made his way toward his grandpa’s small grocery store.
His skin was notably pale, standing out starkly compared to the tanned complexion of the townspeople, making him particularly noticeable in the crowd. He could feel the gaze of passersby and nervously lowered his head, bringing his umbrella down as far as it would go.
Now, the only thing visible were his thin, swaying legs beneath his wide pants.
The walk from his home to the store took about twenty minutes, and along the way, he would pass by an abandoned sandlot—a playground of sorts, strewn with leftover stones and cement blocks where kids of all ages liked to hang out.
On previous walks, Su Yuan had noticed a lively group of children playing games there—tossing sandbags or playing with pebbles. Their laughter and shouts always drew curious glances from passersby.
Today, Su Yuan’s curiosity got the better of him once again. Lifting his umbrella just slightly, he stole a glance.
The place was just as lively, with plenty of kids around, but they weren’t playing games today. Instead, a group of boys around his age were holding colorful boxes of different sizes—gift boxes, by the looks of them.
They seemed to be handing out presents.
Apart from those vibrant boxes, Su Yuan’s gaze was instantly drawn to a boy perched on a hollow cement pillar. He had his hair styled in the trendy foil perm, a chestnut brown that was striking amidst the sea of black heads.
Su Yuan watched him for a while and realized that not only was this boy distributing the gifts, but he was also the leader of the group.
Inside the sandlot, Qin Xizheng surveyed his group of younger companions. Everyone had already received a gift, except for the extra one still in his hand.
There was only one left, and if he gave it to someone, the others might start bickering over it.
As he let his eyes wander, he suddenly spotted a pale boy in white clothes standing not far away, peeking timidly from under his umbrella. His large, bright eyes were alert, and his skin—so fair—was even more striking than the foreign girls with golden hair and blue eyes he had seen on his recent trip to Beijing.
Qin Xizheng was mesmerized, completely taken aback, until one of his boys called out to him, jolting him from his trance.
“Boss, we’ve decided—let’s have a fight, and the winner gets two gifts!”
Before his companion could finish imagining the scene of his own victory, Qin Xizheng had already leapt down from his perch, clutching the extra gift box as he dashed toward the pale stranger.
Getting closer, he realized that the boy looked even more exquisite up close.
Qin Xizheng couldn’t take his eyes off him.
“What’s your name?” he asked.
The other boy remained silent, his long lashes trembling. He looked like a startled rabbit, nervously lowering his umbrella and even turning as if to leave. In a panic, Qin Xizheng instinctively grabbed his hand without a second thought.
His first impression: soft and smooth.
Cool to the touch, unlike his own skin, which was always hot in the summer.
The sudden contact from a stranger sent waves of unease through Su Yuan. He shook his arm, trying to break free and flee.
Not wanting to hurt him, Qin Xizheng loosened his grip.
“Don’t be afraid, I’m not a bad person,” he said gently. “I just want to give you a gift. Relax, okay?”
Qin Xizheng swore he had never used such a soft tone with anyone before. But gazing into the boy’s wide, anxious eyes—those clear, light brown irises like a pool of water—he just couldn’t muster the strength to shout like he usually did at his underlings.
His comforting words seemed to work, and the boy’s struggle slowed. Seizing the opportunity, Qin Xizheng quickly pressed the gift into his arms and released his hand.
“Here, this is for you. Can you tell me your name now?”
But instead of answering as Qin Xizheng had hoped, the boy clutched the oversized gift box—so large it dwarfed his head—and bolted, as if chased by a man-eating beast.
Qin Xizheng’s outstretched hand grabbed nothing but air, and within moments, the slim figure had vanished from sight.
“Damn, he’s really like a rabbit, running off that fast. I wasn’t going to eat him!”
