14 Years Ago

Qin Beihou was a year older than Xu Anyi, and his parents died when he was very young so he basically grew up without any parents. However, he became a child actor at a young age and gained fame quickly.

He went to the same middle school as Xu Anyi, and they became friends there. Or more specifically. . .

— About 14 years ago

Qin Beihou was walking home from school alone, and he walked quickly as it was a cold winter day and he had forgotten to wear a jacket.

He looked down at his feet as he walked, and he did not notice a group of people near him from behind until one person grabbed onto his backpack and pulled him back.

"Ah!" He screamed, but there was no one around and they easily dragged him into an empty alley behind a large building.

The person holding onto him threw him against the wall, and he hit the hard brick wall with a thud as he immediately felt a sharp pain shoot up the arm that hit the wall.

His face twisted up in pain, but he then quickly opened his eyes to see a group of people wearing the same school uniform as him standing across from him in the narrow alley.

They seemed to be older than him as they towered over him, glaring at him from above.

"So you are the new student?" The tallest boy standing in the middle said, looking at the group of boys behind him, "He isn't even that good-looking, is he?"

The other boys nodded in agreement.

"Then why does Miner like him?"

Qin Beihou would learn afterward that Miner was the girl the boy was dating, but apparently, she dumped him that day because she "fell in love" with Qin Beihou after seeing him once at school.

"It's not just her! All the girls at school think he looks handsome!" A guy standing behind said, obviously mad about it as well as he glared at Qin Beihou.

On that day, Qin Beihou learned that it wasn't only girls who were jealous of each other for looking prettier. . . Guys were the same.

The tall boy stepped forward and grabbed Qin Beihou by the neck, and he could not resist as the boy had a very strong grip, "Well then, will they still think you look nice when you show up to school tomorrow with a black eye and a missing tooth?"

He clenched his fist together, smiling sinisterly as he slowly lifted his arm up.

Qin Beihou was certain that he was screwed, and just as he was about to close his eyes, he suddenly felt the hand around his neck loosen and he heard the boy scream painfully.

"What are you doing?" He heard a soft yet captivating voice say. He opened his eyes and saw that the tall boy had stepped back, and was holding onto his hand in pain.

He then noticed the large rock on the floor next to the boy's feet, and connecting that to his swollen hand, his eyes shot up as he looked down the alley and saw a small girl standing at the entrance of the alleyway.

The girl had another rock in her hand and she was throwing it up in the air and catching it again as he slowly walked over to them.

She was wearing the same school uniform, but she appeared younger than all of them, although she was quite tall. She had long straight hair that was tied up in a high ponytail, and although the alley was dark, he could clearly see and feel the confidence that she carried with each step.

The group of boys also turned around and squinted their eyes to try and see who it was, and when they saw that it was a little girl, their tense expressions lightened.

"What is a little girl like you doing here? Go away before you get yourself in trouble," one of the boys said.

However, the tall boy that had his hand hit was obviously not going to let her go so easily, "Who are you?! How dare you throw a walk at me?!"

The girl let out a short and high-pitched giggle, and it sounded captivating although it was soft and quick as she caught the rock one last time and stopped throwing it.

"Who am I?"

She continued to walk and stopped a few inches away from them, standing underneath a lamp that shone a dim light into the alley.

Qin Beihou and the group of boys were able to get a better view of her when she stopped under the light, and all of them gasped when they saw her face.

Partially, they were surprised at how pretty she was, but most of them were surprised because they recognized her, "Xu- Isn't that Xu Anyi?"

The tall boy in the middle knit his eyebrows together, "Xu Anyi? The one from our school?"

"Yes, that's her! I've seen her before at school, that's definitely her."

Qin Beihou frowned as he looked at the group of boys step back in surprise and fear. Xu Anyi? Who was that? He looked at the girl and she glanced at him as well, her gaze apathetic yet alluring.

When their eyes met, he quickly looked away and his heartbeat sped up slightly, and he thought it was because he was scared or cold.

"See! I don't even need to tell you my name," she said, her lips curling up into a smile as she placed her hands onto the straps of her backpack, looking up at the sky as she yawned.

"It's getting dark and I'm tired. Why don't you guys get going?"

The group of boys looked amongst themselves and finally, the boy in the middle had the courage to respond, "We have some things to talk about with this guy here."

Xu Anyi shot the boy a sharp glare.

"Bu- But we can go find somewhere else to do that," the boy immediately added as he grabbed onto Qin Beihou's arm and turned around to leave. Qin Beihou hissed in pain as that arm was hurt.

However, before he could even take a step forward, he heard her say, "He stays here."