Chapter 1: Encounter

Six o’clock, a summer morning.

The morning glow tore a hole in the sky, as if it were accosting the gentle white clouds. The horizon layered in radiant gold and deep purple hues.

Li Ran hopped onto his mountain bike and pocketed his phone after snapping a shot of the sky. He pushed off the ground with his legs, and the bike glided out of the old neighborhood compound, turning onto the wide road.

His blue-and-white school uniform zipper was undone, the hem billowing in the morning breeze into a shape of freedom.

He was heading to the market to buy vegetables.

Morning produce was fresh and cheap.

“Ah—!”

Someone was trying to scam him. When a tall male figure barreled toward him like a whirlwind, Li Ran thought in alarm.

“Ah—!!”

Before the scammed Li Ran could even shout, the man’s shrill falsetto yelp startled him first.

He slammed the handbrake, braked with his feet on the ground, leaned back with his butt on the seat. Finally, he propped himself with one leg, tilted his head, and squeezed his eyes shut like a quail.

He was the honest type who couldn’t handle confrontation.

But the scammer didn’t even glance at him. The whirlwind drifted a distance, flinging off one slipper that smashed down from the air, grazing his head—but he ignored it, his left cheek bearing a fresh red handprint as he dashed back across the road.

So he’d been slapped over here.

Impressive.

Li Ran heard the argument and tremulously pieced together the truth. He let out a sigh of relief.

“Look at you! Like some shrew!” the man bellowed.

The woman’s hand still trembled from the residual force of the slap. Her entire frail body quivered like a fallen leaf in extreme disappointment and rage: “Me, a shrew? Ten years! I’ve been with you for ten years, and all I get is you cheating with a man and calling me a shrew. You make me sick, disgusted! If you’d cheated with a woman, I wouldn’t feel this nauseous!”

“Cheating with a guy now is better than after we’re married, right? I didn’t mean to make you a beard—does that make you feel better?” The man’s face paled as he argued.

“You beast, I’ll curse your ancestors!” The woman yanked her bag off her shoulder and swung it like a sledgehammer from behind her, smashing his other cheek. “I hope you get AIDS soon!”

She despaired at her past devotion, finding it laughable: “Screw your true love!”

It was only six in the morning—too early for many people to be up. No audience gathered for the drama.

The road was empty, and Li Ran had no desire to get caught in the crossfire. He’d already pedaled two meters away.

But misfortune struck anyway. The slapped man crashed into his bike.

He even rolled right in front of it, blocking the way.

Li Ran’s butt burned like fire as he abandoned the bike and leaped aside, his chest heaving. The entire bike wobbled and toppled. The handlebar scraped the asphalt right in front of him, snagging his school uniform pocket with a loud “rip,” tearing a huge gash.

No time to feel sorry for it—the brake lever, brittle from the strain, snapped in half against the road.

The jagged break was sharp enough to kill.

The front wheel spun in the air as Li Ran murmured: “My bike…”

“What’s with that look? You think I’m disgusting too?! Is a bike more important than a person? You won’t help me up but you’re heartbroken over the bike?! So mercenary at such a young age!” The man, lying on the ground unable to get up, clutched his chest and vented at Li Ran.

The instinctive avoidance from a stranger stung his ridiculous pride.

Especially since Li Ran had passed by calmly at first, but after hearing about the cheating—with a man—his expression changed abruptly. His brows furrowed like they could crush a fly, his whole body radiating an obvious fact.

—Running into a gay guy first thing in the morning. What bad luck.

That’s the vibe Li Ran gave off.

The man’s face flushed red with anger. He pounded the mountain bike furiously—bang bang bang—until his hands turned red: “You should look in the mirror at home too, you little demon. So pretty—you’re obviously a fag! You’re the gay one!”

Li Ran was 17, never caused trouble growing up—everyone called him the honest kid.

But he didn’t look honest.

His hair was a coffee-chestnut brown from his mom, with natural curls from his dad—not too curly, just gentle waves that gave him an obedient yet alluring vibe. A salon would charge three hours for that style.

High nose bridge, straight and prominent. Eyes a deeper smoggy purple, with a tiny mole near the inner corner of his left eye, close to the nose root—turning innocence into seduction.

He never started trouble; if trouble came for him…

He’d run.

Li Ran silently walked to the back of the bike, silently righted it, then silently pushed it past the man’s ankles, pretending not to see him. Amid the furious curses behind him, he swiftly mounted and pedaled away as fast as he could.

Halfway there, the more he thought, the angrier he got. How could he be accused of being gay? Li Ran figured he should toughen up, yell back a bit.

He turned around and rode back.

At the spot, the woman was gone. The man clutched his face and sobbed.

The scene looked like she’d betrayed him, or they were facing life and death. Otherwise, why so heartbroken?

What a drama king.

Li Ran’s resolve crumbled at the crying. His lips mumbled fragments, but he chickened out and left.

“I’m not gay… Hmph.” He muttered.

He tenderly touched the bike’s broken handlebar, planning to take it for repairs after school.

The market was ten minutes from his rental by bike. On the way, Li Ran rehearsed haggling lines with the aunties and uncles in his head, making sure he’d nail it.

Make this veggie cheaper, that one too… Yeah, that’s how to say it.

At the corner, a little black cat suddenly jumped out—pure black, fearless. It yawned and stretched lazily.

It haughtily robbed Li Ran.

For the past half year, Li Ran always cooked two extra eggs for breakfast. The black cat ate the yolks; he ate the whites.

Two eggs because the black cat had a wife.

A pure white little cat.

Black and White Impermanence.

Yesterday’s eggs were gone, so he hadn’t boiled any today.

No toll paid, Li Ran felt awkward. But his shopping list had ten eggs. He stopped to negotiate: “I’ll feed you when I head to school.”

The black cat understood—this was a human who’d failed at hunting.

It irritably meowed and approached, raising a paw to punch Li Ran’s pant leg twice—pow pow—as a warning to pay more attention to cats.

It had rained the day before yesterday; the black cat kept its white wife well hidden. Robbed for half a year, Li Ran had only seen her face three times—otherwise just her tail. The white cat was spotless, not like a stray, while the black cat begged daily, always filthy.

And it hit people.

His pant leg bore two muddy paw prints from the grumpy black cat. Li Ran pedaled off depressed. Halfway, he grew indignant again—why was even a cat looking down on him?

He should stand up for himself, curse Black Impermanence back.

Li Ran mustered courage and returned.

The black cat hadn’t left; it had brought its wife out to bask in the first rays of dawn. It squinted, grooming her fur with its tongue enthusiastically.

Its tail stood tall and straight; its dirty, matted fur puffed up in excitement, looking ready for action.

Sensing Li Ran’s return, Black Impermanence glared, leaped in front of White Impermanence to block her completely, hackles raised and hissing.

He’d interrupted cat business.

The innocent White Impermanence, naive to the world, just had her white tail poking out behind, curved like a question mark.

“Sorry.” Li Ran did an immediate U-turn and hit the road, muttering, “…I’ll go now.”

Courage came once strongly, then waned. Li Ran grew even more obedient.

At the market, he paid whatever they asked, nodding along with ums and ahs, fumbling for cash.

Two chicken-leg mushrooms, three bunches of greens, four green peppers, ten red eggs.

Total: 10 yuan.

The uncle rounded down the change. Nice.

On the way back, Li Ran felt the morning breeze and suddenly wanted to sprint. He stood on the pedals, full of youthful vigor.

A luxury Cullinan approached. Midway through his sprint, Li Ran collapsed back onto the seat with a thud. The mountain bike veered hard toward the roadside.

He dismounted, one leg on the ground, head bowed, waiting quietly for the car to pass.

The road was so wide—even another large vehicle could fit. As long as the Cullinan didn’t swerve, it wouldn’t graze him.

To outsiders, it looked like a sensible kid following traffic rules.

Only Li Ran knew he was scared of the Cullinan’s owner.

He didn’t actually know the man or speak to him. Mr. Chi had moved in last month to the rich district—no connection to Li Ran.

But Li Ran was terrified. Last time he’d glimpsed him from afar, the guy seemed especially fierce.

Like he could eat people.

He knew the surname Chi from overhearing someone nearby.

The Cullinan glided past slowly. Li Ran stared at his feet, not lifting his head.

Once it was far, he relaxed and raced home.

He didn’t see the Cullinan stop at the nearby intersection. The rear window lowered halfway, and a man gazed at his retreating figure.

Eyes sharp as a hawk’s.

The driver asked: “Do you know him?”

The man raised the window, silent.

—

Fifteen minutes by bike from home to school—plenty of time.

Li Ran stir-fried chicken-leg mushrooms with eggs, heated a cup of milk, an apple, two steamed buns, plus three nori-wrapped rice balls from yesterday’s leftover rice. He steamed four frozen shrimp dumplings from the fridge.

Breakfast. Just right.

After eating, he bit into a big tomato, juice threatening to spill. He tilted his head back and slurped fiercely, pursing his lips. Not a drop wasted.

He fished two cooled eggs from the small pot in the kitchen.

Dried them with paper towels and pocketed them—to bribe the black cat as toll later.

His uniform pockets were all torn; no time to sew. Li Ran changed into a fresh uniform. Looking down, his T-shirt was dirty.

Probably scuffed while pushing the bike. He changed into a button-up shirt.

Seven thirty-five. Li Ran headed to school.

For two years, he’d timed his departures precisely: leave at seven-forty, fifteen minutes to school, five to class—never late.

Today, five minutes early—not from sudden study fever, but to feed the cats. He hadn’t noticed his unlucky streak.

No cats. Black and White Impermanence were gone.

Li Ran called for five minutes, realizing the black cat was mad, ignoring him today.

Disappointed, he squeezed an egg and sighed. Feed them on the way back.

Traffic jams hit four-wheelers first, then three-wheelers. Even two-wheelers varied—Li Ran’s slim mountain bike wove easily through crowds.

Until the red light, everyone jammed together.

The crosswalk line wasn’t clear; e-bikes packed with cars—easy to scrape if careless.

Li Ran kept his distance, quietly counting seconds.

Then, some rushed idiot behind forced ahead, determined to go first. Li Ran, caught off guard, was shoved leftward, losing balance control.

“Urgh…” A low gasp.

“Clang—” Impact.

Li Ran’s elbow jammed the bike frame, jarring his arm numb, the whole limb shaking uncontrollably. Still, it didn’t stop the broken handlebar from gouging a stark stripe of paint off the adjacent black car.

Blatantly eye-catching.

Li Ran’s vision blackened, praying the black car wasn’t too pricey.

He focused: Cullinan.

Very pricey.

He couldn’t afford it if sold.

Disaster struck. With a “pop,” the mountain bike—timider than its owner—burst its tire loudly and gave up the ghost.

Green light. Everyone surged forward, horns blaring. Li Ran looked back for the culprit amid fleeing backs—no suspect.

His eyes welled with grievance.

What the hell…

Why pick on him?

Seven fifty. He’d be late.

Li Ran’s eyes reddened slightly, holding back tears, steeling for the storm.

Suddenly turning, he saw the Cullinan’s window lower, revealing Chi Mo’s face. Handsome beyond compare, but his eyes cold and piercingly direct.

Li Ran shuddered, limbs stiffening.

Not half a word escaped.

Chi Mo’s presence was overwhelming. He leaned back coolly against the seat, gaze lingering half a second on Li Ran’s face before flicking to the wrecked bike roadside.

After a moment’s thought, he said: “Get in.”

The magnetically deep voice, even more indifferent than his eyes, made Li Ran shudder again.

Chi Mo: “You’re going to be late.”