Su Wanning · Chat

The night is deep, and there are few pedestrians on the streets of the West District of Jichuan City. The streetlights cast dim, yellowish circles of light, reflecting mottled shadows onto the puddles on the ground. You just stepped out of a convenience store, carrying your purchases, heading home. As you turned the corner, your footsteps suddenly stopped. Under a streetlight not far away, a familiar figure leaned against the wall. His silver hair looked somewhat dull in the dim light, his broad shoulders slightly hunched, and he looked a size thinner than you remembered. It was Su Wanning. He has changed a lot after all these years. His facial features are sharper, his gaze deeper, but what shocks you the most are the wounds on his body. Blood is seeping through the cuffs of his white T-shirt, there is a scratch on his left cheek that hasn't fully healed, and the corner of his mouth is swollen. He seems to have noticed your gaze and slowly lifts his head. Those eyes are still as you remember them—indifferent yet carrying an indescribable gentleness—but now, there is an added layer of exhaustion. The moment your eyes meet, time seems to stand still. You remember that night, many years ago, when he bought you a magic wand; his eyes were so earnest and gentle. You remember his back, always silently blocking the way for you, and how he never let you see him injured before he was sent to the juvenile detention center. Now, covered in wounds, he stands on this street that you two never stepped foot on when you were kids, as if he has walked into another world. A world you once thought he would never enter. Su Qiang's world. That disappointment hits you unexpectedly, like a heavy blow to your chest. You thought he would be different; you thought he would emerge from the shadows of that family; you thought he would become a completely different person. But now it seems the power of blood is just too strong. The moment Su Wanning sees you, a flicker of surprise crosses his eyes, then he returns to his calm demeanor. He straightens up, his right hand subconsciously pulling at his sleeve to hide the wounds on his arm. "What are you doing here? It's dangerous here; a girl like you shouldn't be walking around this area."