Wan Qiu jogged along, feeling as if he hadn't run very far, but he could feel his body getting tired.

Before passing by that strange woman, Wan Qiu knew she was watching him.

However, Wan Qiu did not think this was a special gaze. Pedestrians would occasionally notice a withered blade of grass that suddenly appeared in the beautiful green belt, and could only assume it was out of curiosity.

The woman was very beautiful; she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

She smelled nice, but Wanqiu couldn't describe what it was.

Wan Qiu sniffed his sleeves. Although he had washed them very carefully, they still smelled somewhat rotten because he had been near the trash can all the time.

It smells like apples, oil stains, dragon fruit, and rotten oranges.

These must smell terrible, just like rotting, withered grass is unpleasant to smell.

Wan Qiu is very accustomed to unintentionally getting close to others, after which the other party will intentionally distance themselves.

A beautiful woman, like a blooming flower, stands in the middle of a narrow street, with no way to avoid her.

Wan Qiu just wanted to leave the woman's side immediately, not wanting her to be tainted by the stench of decay.

The beautiful woman grabbed his arm directly.

More than the pain, the unexpected turn of events, which caught Wanqiu completely off guard, left her feeling helpless.

The beautiful woman revealed an expression he knew very well: anger, shock, the color of displeasure.

The woman was not tall, but she seemed to have great strength. Wan Qiu could feel the anger that filled that strength, burning like flames along his arm.

The scorching fire would inevitably result in prolonged burning pain, and Wanqiu panicked.

If he hadn't run away, would he have been attacked?

Instinct drove him to flee, and fortunately, he succeeded.

Wanqiu turned around as if possessed, wanting to see if the source of the danger had moved away from him, but suddenly met a pair of eyes.

The owner of those eyes had been silently standing behind him, gazing at him.

Very high.

It's a boy.

Wanqiu looked up and saw a very beautiful face.

When Wan Qiu first saw this boy, he had a strange feeling, as if there was a transparent glass barrier separating him from the boy, dividing them into two different worlds.

Why is he looking at himself?

Wanqiu prefers to act according to the other person's expression and eye contact, but when facing a boy, Wanqiu can't find any indication of what she should do.

Wan Qiu subconsciously tugged at the hem of his clothes. The order that no one should see his injuries had been broken because the beautiful woman had lifted his clothes, and Wan Qiu couldn't help but feel nervous.

Unconsciously taking a step back, Wan Qiu turned around, showing no curiosity towards the boy, and prepared to leave.

"Hello," came the boy's voice, gentle, harmless, and calm. "Can we be friends?"

Wan Qiu stopped and blinked. This was a quiet alley with a trash can at the end. He had unintentionally chosen the route he knew best to escape.

There was no one else in the narrow alley, so the boy could only be talking to him. Only then did Wan Qiu turn around.

"My name is Chu Yigui, and I'd like to be your friend." The person no longer maintained that unfamiliar and unfathomable expression, and instead smiled warmly. "Can I be your friend?"

Wan Qiu looked up at the boy who was much taller than him.

When Wanqiu was young, he witnessed the entire process of the neighbor's children making friends. They could accomplish the great feat of making friends with just "Can I play with you?" and "Can we be friends?"

But later, Wanqiu learned that this was not the case.

Or rather, it's just that I can't do that.

He mustered all his courage, with certainty and hope, and earnestly asked, "Can we be friends?"

—Don't be friends with idiots.

Wan Qiu blinked, a hint of confusion in her eyes as she looked at Chu Yigui.

Wan Qiu, however, couldn't bring herself to refuse: "Okay."

Chu Yigui dialed Yang Xiaoyu's number, then put the phone in his pocket and continued, "What's your name?"

“My name is Wan Qiu,” Wan Qiu replied.

"So, we're friends from now on?"

Wan Qiu nodded somewhat blankly.

"Can I follow you and play with you?" Chu Yigui bent down slightly, her eyes level with Wan Qiu's.

“Yes,” Wan Qiu replied.

"Do you need me to help you pull this?" Chu Yigui pointed to the small cart in Wan Qiu's hand, which was already filled with quite a few cardboard boxes. "I can help you."

Wanqiu has long tongs in one hand to make it easier to rummage through the trash, and a plastic bag full of bottles in the other. The small cart is easy to pull. None of the things are heavy, just a bit cumbersome.

Wan Qiu glanced at the things he had painstakingly collected, then tentatively glanced at Chu Yigui.

This was already a clear signal of unwillingness, so Chu Yigui said, "Of course I won't force you..."

Before he could finish speaking, a hand was stretched out in front of him.

That hand was thin and frail, somewhat dirty, and even the knuckles were too small, like a child's chopstick that could be easily broken.

Chu Yigui looked up in surprise and met a pair of beautiful eyes, but they were empty and did not hold any emotion or meaning.

Wan Qiu said, "Here you go."

Chu Yigui took the somewhat awkward plastic rope, barely able to hide the slightly bewildered look on her face.

"Why did you give it to me?" Chu Yigui didn't know how important this cart, which was just filled with cardboard boxes, could be, but he knew that Wan Qiu was unwilling.

Wan Qiu's eyes also showed confusion: "Didn't you ask me for it?"

Wan Qiu's compliance made Chu Yigui feel uneasy.

"Will you give it to me just because I want it?" Chu Yigui asked.

Wan Qiu nodded hesitantly.

"Then I'll take it?" Chu Yigui tentatively pulled the small cart closer to him. Wan Qiu's eyes followed the cart's movement. Even though he was reluctant to part with it, he didn't express any refusal.

Beneath Chu Yigui's smile, a complex and strange expression surfaced.

"I won't take it, I'll just hold it for you." Chu Yigui took two steps forward and pulled the cart closer to Wan Qiu. "I'll follow you. Where are we going?"

"The next trash can up ahead," Wan Qiu pointed to the trash can at the end of the alley.

Chu Yigui followed Wan Qiu, but Wan Qiu seemed uninterested in the person accompanying him.

But this dilapidated, worthless little cart attracted Wan Qiu's occasional glances and observations, demonstrating its importance.

Wan Qiu remained too silent, and since Chu Yigui didn't ask, Wan Qiu wouldn't take the initiative to find topics to talk about.

Chu Yigui watched as Wan Qiu skillfully rummaged through every trash can, showing no joy when he found something, and no disappointment when he found nothing.

It seems like they can accept any outcome, good or bad.

Chu Yigui followed behind Wan Qiu. Someone brushed past him and slipped a power bank, a charger, and a pair of earphones into his hand.

Chu Yigui realized something, took out her phone, only to find that it had been turned off at some point.

After connecting the power bank and charger, Chu Yigui's smile faded briefly. She opened her phone and saw the message asking her questions, then her expression calmed down.

Suddenly noticing someone watching her, Chu Yigui stared back and met Wan Qiu's eyes.

Chu Yigui smiled again.

But Wan Qiu had just seen Chu Yigui's expression.

It means 'unhappy'.

Dad often makes this expression when he's in a bad mood.

But upon seeing himself, the obvious displeasure he had shown suddenly changed into a different expression.

Chu Yigui smiled, but Wan Qiu still couldn't read 'happiness' in her smile.

My mother does this sometimes too.

She was in a bad mood, but she would still smile and put on a 'happy' expression in front of her father, even though her mother wasn't happy.

This person is unhappy.

Normally, Wanqiu would avoid people who were 'unhappy'.

For example, after the beautiful woman today clearly showed her displeasure in her eyes, Wan Qiu chose to run away.

But now he and Chu Yigui are friends. If a friend is unhappy, he can't avoid them; friends should stay together.

If you want to be together, you have to be able to accept your friends' 'unhappiness'.

Wanqiu's small joy at having a friend was enough to make him willing to endure some things.

Wan Qiu lightly covered the severely bruised area on his lower abdomen, which radiated to his leg and caused pain, with both hands: "Can we not hit here?"