“An Qing, I’m here! Come quick and see what I brought—”
The blonde girl, rushing into the little park with a bag of fries, came to an abrupt halt.
“An Qing, what’s wrong with you…?”
Ruan Zhixian slowly walked to the small swing and looked at the black-haired girl who, for some reason, had acquired several new band-aids on her hands and knees.
The girl’s small hands tightened a little around the paper bag she was holding.
“Did someone bully you again? Was it that group of bad kids?”
“An Qing, tell me where they are right now! I’ll go settle the score with them this instant!”
An Qing, sitting on the swing, shook her head and stopped the indignant Ruan Zhixian.
“It’s already fine, Zhixian. I already taught that kid a lesson, and Aunt Chen has helped me take care of the wounds.”
An Qing… taught a bad kid a lesson…?
Looking at the petite, harmless-looking black-haired girl in front of her, Ruan Zhixian was momentarily taken aback.
And Aunt Chen? Who’s that…?
“More importantly, Zhixian, look! I’ve protected the teddy bear you gave me!”
The black-haired girl pulled out the teddy bear from behind her. Her fingertips gently stroked the freshly washed fur as she presented it to the other girl as if she were showing off a treasure.
“An Qing, you mean you fought the bad kids to protect the teddy bear?”
“Mm, that’s right.”
The black-haired girl nodded as if it was only natural, then quickly added:
“Ah, Zhixian, don’t worry! The teddy bear did get dirty from being stepped on, but it didn’t break, not even a scratch. I already cleaned it and dried it, see—”
“Alright, An Qing, you don’t have to explain anymore.”
Ruan Zhixian interrupted the girl’s endless explanation and stuffed both the teddy bear and the fries back into her arms.
“Now, let’s eat fries together, and you can tell me exactly what happened, alright?”
Ruan Zhixian put away all her expressions and looked at the silly girl in front of her. Word by word, she spoke seriously.
“So, An Qing, you’re from an orphanage…”
After a while, sitting on the park bench, Ruan Zhixian finished listening to the girl’s story and suddenly understood.
No wonder. I always felt something was off about An Qing’s home—so that’s why.
“Then, An Qing, what about your parents…?”
“I’ve never had parents, not since I can remember.”
The black-haired girl shook her head.
“I was abandoned next to a garbage bin when I was little. A kind passerby took me to the orphanage.”
“No one knows my real name, or who my parents are…”
“Even the name ‘An Qing’ was given to me by the people at the orphanage. They said I looked peaceful and quiet as a baby, so they gave me that name.”
“An Qing…”
Ruan Zhixian slowed her tone apologetically as she looked at the other’s little face, which clearly was already used to it.
“Um, sorry, An Qing, I didn’t know you—”
“It’s alright, Zhixian, just… um…”
After telling her story, An Qing hugged the now empty paper bag and lowered her head.
“You… wouldn’t look down on me, right, Zhixian…?”
“What nonsense are you saying? How could I look down on you for something like that?”
Ruan Zhixian shifted half a foot to the left on the bench and took the other girl’s hand.
“No one chooses how they’re born. Why would I look down on you just because you’re from an orphanage? Don’t overthink it.”
Besides, An Qing’s already pitiful enough. How could I possibly look down on her? I want to protect her, not hurt her.
Ruan Zhixian kept that last thought to herself, out of consideration for the other’s pride.
“Mm!”
The black-haired girl nodded vigorously.
Great! I knew it—Zhixian is so nice, of course she wouldn’t look down on me!
And… she’s holding my hand again…
The warmth and softness in her little hand…
Wait, soft and… slippery…?
“Ah! Sorry, sorry! I forgot I just ate fries. My hands are still greasy and I grabbed your hand, An Qing!”
Realizing at the same time, Ruan Zhixian quickly let go of her hand and fumbled for tissues in her pocket.
“Sorry, An Qing, let me wipe it off for you!”
“Pfft—”
Watching the clumsy, flustered blonde girl hurriedly wiping the oil off her hand, An Qing couldn’t help but let out a giggle.
Ruan Zhixian stared at her genuinely smiling face for two seconds, then broke into a laugh herself.
No one knew who started it, but their laughter soon burst out like fireworks under the phoenix tree, crackling and bright.
The girls’ clear laughter startled a few sparrows perched in the tree. On the bench, their shoulders unconsciously leaned together, trembling softly in the summer sky.
“Hahaha…”
It took Ruan Zhixian a while to calm down, wiping tears of laughter from the corners of her eyes.
“Alright, An Qing, now that I know everything, let me help you get justice!”
“But, Zhixian, Aunt Chen already scolded us. How are you going to help me get justice?”
The black-haired girl had stopped laughing too, looking at her with some confusion.
“Hmph, never mind that they bullied you first—Aunt Chen shouldn’t have punished you.”
“If the orphanage keeps doing things this way, those bad kids will just come back to bother you again!”
“I have a way to make sure they never dare bother you again!”
“Zhixian, can we really make them never dare bully me again?”
An Qing looked at the things in her and Ruan Zhixian’s hands, a little hesitant.
“Don’t worry about it!”
Ruan Zhixian kept busy with her hands and grinned:
“An Qing, you might not know, but in my neighborhood, I, Ruan Zhixian, have always been known as the little demon king! I’m always causing trouble, and no one’s ever dared bully me!”
Though honestly, I never caused trouble on purpose, and there aren’t that many kids in my neighborhood anyway…
The blonde girl added silently to herself.
“In short, don’t worry! If they dare mess with someone I care about—if they dare bully you all this time—I’ll make sure they regret it!”
Zhixian said… I-I-I’m her person??!!
Hearing the blonde girl’s bold words, An Qing’s cheeks blushed bright red, even her little earlobes turning hot.
Doesn’t this mean Zhixian wants to be with me forever too??
In other words… maybe she wants to marry me when we grow up?!
“An Qing, why are you dazed all of a sudden? Hurry and help me pack these things—we need to be ready today, we’re taking action tomorrow!”
“O-okay! I’m coming!”
Awakened from her daze by the blonde girl’s words, An Qing jumped in surprise, then hurried to the bag Zhixian was pointing at.