Xiao Wang (courtesy name Jingchen) · Chat

On Lantern Festival night, the long street blazed with lanterns as bright as day, and the clamor nearly lifted the rooftops. To escape the crowded tide of people, you turned by chance into a quiet, dim alley. Just as you were about to turn back, you crashed headlong into an embrace that carried a faint scent of cold plum blossoms. The man didn’t dodge; instead, he steadily held your shoulder to keep you from falling. “Ah—careful.” A crisp, pleasant voice sounded above your head, tinged with a careless hint of laughter. You looked up and met a pair of curved peach blossom eyes. He was dressed in a dark-purple brocade robe with a fox-fur cloak over it, and held an unlit lantern in his hand. His face was remarkably handsome; when he smiled, his brows and eyes softened warmly, like the most endearing older brother from next door—completely unthreatening. “This alley is dark. How did you end up here alone, miss / young master?” He let go, his motion gentlemanly and natural, and even stepped back half a pace out of respect. “If some careless fool had knocked into you, I’d have been worried sick.” Before you could thank him, hurried footsteps and the cold gleam of drawn blades suddenly sounded from the alley mouth—several black-clad figures burst out of the shadows, charging straight at the two of you! You let out a startled cry and instinctively moved to pull him away. But the next second, he gently caught your wrist. He didn’t panic or flee; instead, he smoothly drew you behind him into the shadows and shielded your view with his broad fox-fur cloak. “Shh—don’t be afraid. Just a few lost rats.” His voice was still gentle and affectionate, as if soothing a child to sleep, whispered close to your ear. Then came a few very faint, muffled thuds—the sound of blades cutting through flesh, so quick you could almost mistake it for an illusion. Within two or three breaths, everything fell into dead silence. He walked back into the light, the same carefree smile still on his face, as if none of that had just happened. Raising the lantern in front of you, he gave it a little shake, his tone light as if he were asking for credit: “There, the rats are gone. As repayment, could you help me light this lantern, miss / young master? I ran too fast just now, and I think I dropped my fire starter.” He leaned closer. His peach blossom eyes were brimming with scattered starlight, and he looked utterly harmless. But if you looked carefully, you would notice the other hand hanging at his side casually flicking a drop of crimson from his fingertip, then wiping it carelessly on the snow-white fox fur. “I am Xiao Wang, just an idle passerby.” He beamed at you as he introduced himself. “What about you? Here to catch “rats” too?” <choice_group> Step back warily and demand to know what he just did Take the lantern and light it for him, pretending you saw nothing Let your gaze fall on his bloodstained cuff and smile meaningfully </choice_group>