Chapter 1

On February 3, 2010, it was overcast.

It was a day that could make one feel depressed, with thick clouds in the sky obscuring the only heat-emitting sphere in winter. This was not good news for the orphans in the orphanage where the heating had long since broken down.

The story begins at the Qishuang Island Light Orphanage.

On the street, which appeared somewhat gloomy under the dark clouds, a group of children were running. To be precise, a group of children were chasing, while one was trying to escape for his life.

"Don't run, you coward!"

"Stand still, you wimp."

"Sam, stop for the young master."

At the back of the group, a slightly older child was following at a leisurely pace, a mocking smile on his face as he watched the small figure ahead, who was desperately trying to escape.

Finally, the 6-year-old boy was cornered against a wall. Looking up at the tall mall wall, the boy showed a hint of despair, closed his eyes tightly, and began to pray for a miracle. However, the fist he had clutched to his chest tightened even more.

After a few seconds, no miracle occurred. The group of about a dozen children, all of whom were children, finally appeared at the entrance of the dead-end alley. Leading them was a boy who looked to be about 8 or 9 years old.

At 8 or 9 years old, a child should have a pure and innocent smile to win the affection of adults, but there was not a trace of innocence on this boy's face. Instead, there was only mockery and disdain.

The older boy led the way, with his followers forming a fan shape behind him, trapping the cornered child against the wall. The older boy sneered and grabbed the child's hair, causing the bullied child to lift his head in pain.

The older boy gently slapped the child's left cheek and said in a gentle voice, "Chu Feiyue, you run pretty fast, don't you? Tell me, where did you hide the candy that belongs to our Big Liu?"

"Bullshit," the child, even though his scalp was being pulled, remained stubborn. "That's my sister's candy. Grandma gave it to her. When did it become Liu Can's?"

"Huh, you're as stubborn as a dead duck." The older boy laughed and shook his head, then suddenly punched the child just above his navel, where there was more flesh. The child, Chu Feiyue, fell to the ground in pain. The older boy also squatted down and said to him gently, "How many times do I have to tell you? I'm the boss here. I say the candy belongs to Big Liu, and it does. Got it?"

Chu Feiyue gritted his teeth, looking at the boy who had been his arch-nemesis since he learned to read—Qiao Jindi. He seemed to want to say something, but the pain in his stomach made him swallow his words.

"Do you have something to say? Go ahead, I'm reasonable," Qiao Jindi turned to look at the dozen or so children behind him. "What do you say, guys?"

"Right, Boss Qiao is the most reasonable." "Just speak up if you have a reason." "Speak, speak." The children chimed in.

Chu Feiyue, who had known this would happen, did not show disappointment. Instead, he lowered his head as if accepting his fate, but his fists clenched even tighter.

Seeing Chu Feiyue's reaction, Qiao Jindi laughed even harder. "You should have done this earlier. Why resist? It's better to hand over the candy, isn't it? Where's the candy?" He reached out to the tightly clenched hand of Chu Feiyue.

At this moment, Chu Feiyue suddenly pushed Qiao Jindi. Qiao Jindi, who was used to Chu Feiyue's submissive behavior, was caught off guard and stumbled, creating a gap through which the small and thin Chu Feiyue could slip through. Without a word, Chu Feiyue dashed forward.

With a "thud," he collided with a small, fat boy on the outer edge. Already weak, he was bounced to the side and fell into a puddle formed by the dripping water from the eaves, slipping and falling to the ground.

"Damn, you're getting tough, kid." Qiao Jindi removed the false smile from his face and walked up to Chu Feiyue, who was still lying on the ground, and stepped on his back, pushing him into the puddle. "You still know how to resist. Not bad, let's see if you have any other tricks. Come on!" As he shouted, he kicked Chu Feiyue in the left side of his stomach. The force was so great that Chu Feiyue let out a scream. This scream seemed to be a signal, and the surrounding children began to kick and punch Chu Feiyue.

At this moment, he was nothing more than a punching bag for the children.

Finally, perhaps because his screams were too pitiful, a middle-aged woman who was buying vegetables nearby couldn't bear it and walked into the dead-end alley. Seeing the situation, she shouted, "What are you doing!" The children scattered immediately, ignoring the lying Chu Feiyue. Some even made ugly faces at the angry woman, looking like little devils.

The fat woman, unable to do anything about the children, rushed over to the lying Chu Feiyue. "Child, child, wake up, wake up." She called out anxiously to the semi-conscious Chu Feiyue.

At the sound of the woman's voice, Chu Feiyue slowly opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was the fat, fleshy face of the woman. A face that usually looked somewhat repulsive now seemed strangely beautiful to him.

"Auntie, I'm sorry to trouble you again." Chu Feiyue weakly smiled at the woman.

"Child, don't talk. Auntie will take you to a safe place first." The woman gently picked him up. Despite being a boy, he weighed less than 40 pounds.

Chu Feiyue tried to move but found that his entire body hurt. He could only smile apologetically, accepting the woman's suggestion.

The woman carried Chu Feiyue into her home, which was the security guard's room of the neighborhood committee. She took out some red flower oil from a cabinet under the table, rubbed it on her hands, and while rubbing, complained, "These little brats, they're getting more and more out of hand. At such a young age, they're already ganging up to fight. This will end in trouble sooner or later." She then pressed her red, rubbed hands onto Chu Feiyue's bruised back, causing him to hiss in pain. "What a pity, why do they always pick on you?"

"Because, I'm surnamed Chu." Chu Feiyue answered the woman's question, with a hint of self-mockery.

"Really, come on, stretch out your hand, let me see if it's hurt." The woman grabbed Chu Feiyue's hand, and the awkward position made his hand involuntarily open. The thing he had been clutching in his hand fell to the ground, scattering like stars in the sky.

It was a broken piece of hard candy.

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