Yan Heng looked down at the crown of the girl's head.
Upon hearing her say she wanted to eat watermelon, he had immediately contacted the fruit shop owner he had previously worked for, asking him to source a few watermelons from out of town. He had planned to take Zhu Yaya to buy watermelon after school in the afternoon, but didn't see her waiting for him.
He went to Zhu Yaya's classroom to look for her and asked her classmates who hadn't left yet, only to be told she had left long ago. He searched around the school, checked several fruit shops, and at the shop where he had worked, the owner told him she had bought a watermelon and headed west. So he retraced his steps back towards the West District.
It wasn't until he discovered the other half of a watermelon on the ground on Wutong Street that he guessed Zhu Yaya was nearby, and a bad feeling settled in his gut.
Hearing noises from a small alley, he walked in and saw the girl he liked, surrounded, looking utterly pitiful.
Yan Heng's eyes darkened.
He paused, then said, "From now on, don't walk alone."
Zhu Yaya obediently agreed.
Yan Heng didn't trust her docile act and was about to say more when Xu Chun, not far away, timidly interrupted, "Yan Heng, thank you... for coming to save... us."
Yan Heng seemed to notice there were others in the corner only then, giving them a cool glance. "Just happened to be passing by."
Murong Beichen was very annoyed by Yan Heng's attitude and wanted to say something, but could only let out pained groans due to his badly swollen face.
"Yabao!"
Zhu Yaya heard Zhu Jianjun's heart-wrenching shout.
She saw Zhu Jianjun, wearing his police uniform, arrive at the entrance of the alley with a group of officers.
"Yabao, are you okay?" Zhu Jianjun jogged over, out of breath. Several police officers restrained the gang of hoodlums lying on the ground once again.
"I'm fine," Zhu Yaya shook her head, pointing at the gang. "Brother Yan arrived just in time! He fought them off and helped me!"
Zhu Jianjun gave Yan Heng's shoulder a firm pat, his face full of gratitude. "Thank you, Yan Heng. Your Uncle Zhu only has this one daughter!"
"It was the right thing to do," Yan Heng replied with a calm expression.
Afterwards, following procedure, Zhu Yaya, Yan Heng, Xu Chun, Murong Beichen, and the gang of hoodlums were all taken to the police station. As soon as they arrived, Murong Beichen started making a scene. After a phone call, a middle-aged man dressed as a butler arrived at the station with a group of bodyguards and a lawyer. After notifications were made, a large crowd of the hoodlums' parents also showed up. Xu Chun's materialistic aunt came too, scolding Xu Chun while simultaneously pestering Murong Beichen's butler, trying to get some money. The police, led by Zhu Jianjun, worked hard to mediate the situation.
For a while, the police station was packed and chaotic, as noisy and bustling as a marketplace.
Zhu Yaya and Yan Heng were the most out of place amidst it all. The two of them sat quietly on a long bench in the police station, silently watching the spectacle unfold before them.
Zhu Yaya had a lively nature. Before long, she shuffled closer to where Yan Heng was sitting. "Brother Yan, aren't you going to your part-time job today?"
"Asked for leave," he replied succinctly.
"Brother Yan, Brother Yan, you were so cool today! Super awesome! How are you so good at fighting?"
"..."
"Who taught you?"
"...My dad."
At the mention of Yan Heng's father, Zhu Yaya immediately clamped her chattering mouth shut. She was worried she might trigger those unhappy memories from his past.
Not hearing her continue, Yan Heng tilted his head to look at Zhu Yaya, a flicker of understanding in his eyes. "Uncle Zhu told you. It's fine, it's all in the past."
Zhu Yaya's heart gave a jolt, and she looked up at him. The cold fluorescent lights of the police station shone on his face, casting a silvery glow over his features.
In that moment, Zhu Yaya suddenly felt Yan Heng was very far away from her. His expression was still cool and detached, but she seemed to see the deep, unhealed wounds within his heart.
She didn't want to see Yan Heng like this. He was still a teenager; he should be like other teens, complaining, laughing out loud, not weighed down by gloom, coldly observing the world, immersed in past pain, licking his wounds alone in a dark corner.
She knew any comforting words she could offer now would sound hollow. She couldn't comprehend the despair and grief of witnessing his father's death and his mother's humiliation, nor did she want to.
She tugged at Yan Heng's sleeve. When he looked over, she gave him a sweet smile, her two little dimples like pools of honey. "Brother Yan, are you hungry? It's already dark, and we haven't eaten yet!"
She rummaged in her pocket and pulled out two sweet and sour plum candies, offering one to Yan Heng. "Brother Yan, do you want one?"
Yan Heng's thin lips parted slightly. "Okay."
He took the plum candy from Zhu Yaya's palm, his cold fingertips lightly brushing against her skin.
Since that incident happened, Yan Heng hadn't eaten candy. His father gone, his mother mentally unstable, no reliable relatives—he had been forced to grow up overnight.
He had almost forgotten that he used to love candy—loved Dove milk chocolate, letting it melt messily all over his mouth; loved watermelon-flavored bubble gum, competing with others to blow the biggest bubbles. Every day, passing by the glass window of the cake shop, his eyes would linger with longing.
He unwrapped the candy, placed the cola-colored plum candy in his mouth, and a long-lost sweet and sour flavor exploded on his tongue.
"Good, right?"
"Mhm."
...
Their eyes met. Zhu Yaya's eyes curved into happy crescents, while Yan Heng's gaze held a gentle warmth. A lovely atmosphere enveloped them, as if no one else could intrude.
Xu Chun stood in a dimly lit area, her aunt's unpleasant scolding ringing incessantly in her ears. She looked at Zhu Yaya and Yan Heng, bathed in the light, and a complex mix of emotions, including envy, flickered in her eyes.
By the time the matter was fully resolved, it was almost 7 PM. The others at the police station had been taken home by their respective parties, and the once-noisy station suddenly became quiet. Only Zhu Yaya and Yan Heng remained.
Zhu Jianjun rubbed his eyelid, which had been twitching non-stop, looked at his precious daughter and Yan Heng, and gave a kindly smile. "Yabao, Yan Heng, you must be starving! Come on, let's go home and I'll cook for you. Yan Heng, don't be shy! Come be our guest! You've never been to Uncle Zhu's house, have you?"
Yan Heng declined at first, but after a firm tug on his clothes from Zhu Yaya and repeated enthusiastic invitations from Zhu Jianjun, he changed his mind.
Zhu Jianjun drove his domestic-brand compact car with great enthusiasm, taking Zhu Yaya and Yan Heng back to the South District.
This was the first time in years Yan Heng had visited someone else's home, and moreover... he glanced at Zhu Yaya's smiling profile.
He usually carried himself with great composure, but now he felt somewhat nervous, his body a little stiff, his palms slightly damp.
Zhao Jing had already returned home. Zhu Jianjun had informed her, so she wasn't surprised to see Yan Heng. She warmly brought out a prepared pair of new slippers for him to change into.
This place was completely different from Yan Heng's home. The lights were bright but not harsh, there was pretty wallpaper on the walls, and a few fluffy stuffed toys sat on the sofa.
Zhu Yaya, being her usual carefree self, hugged one of the toys and hopped onto the sofa, earning a glare from Zhao Jing.
Zhu Yaya rubbed her nose and beckoned for Yan Heng, who was still standing, to take a seat. She then tucked a little yellow duck plush toy into his arms.
Yan Heng held the duck, and as he looked down, his eyes met the toy's large, wide ones.
Yan Heng: ...
