"Selling ice cream, chocolate ice cream, vanilla-flavored ice cream, and various shaved ice flavors. Come take a look!"
A young, slightly plump girl wore rabbit ears from the theme park, holding up a sign written on a small wooden board with a cheerful smile as she enticed customers.
She seemed to be a student taking advantage of her summer break to work part-time. There was an air of youthful vitality around her, her cheeks flushed from the sun, and her lips were as luscious and plump as cherries drizzled on a cheesecake. Despite a couple of acne spots on her forehead, she remained charmingly adorable.
A group of primary school students, wearing yellow kindergarten sun hats, gathered around her, chattering like a flock of chirping sparrows.
"Auntie! I want a strawberry-flavored ice cream!"
"I was here first! I want three!"
"Can I touch your rabbit ears, big sister?"
The rabbit girl maintained a bright, sunny smile for everyone. However, Xue Meng noticed that she scooped generous servings of creamy ice cream for each child who called her 'big sister' and served them first. Those who addressed her as 'auntie' had to wait much longer before receiving significantly smaller scoops.
Xue Meng and Little Torch Dragon stood nearby watching. Unconsciously, Little Torch Dragon licked his noble dragon lips. "I want some ice cream too, two scoops, one matcha, and one chocolate."
"Don't even think about it. I'm not buying you one," Xue Meng said mercilessly. "And this is just a game. They can't see us, and we can't eat the ice cream here anyway. Do you understand?"
The little dragon rolled its eyes, trying to salvage its dignity lost over the ice cream. "I was just saying."
Xue Meng ignored it, scanning the crowd. "This seems like a spring field trip organized by a kindergarten. Let's find Mo Ran."
They didn't have to search for long.
Mo Ran came from a poor family and wasn't particularly attractive as a child, so he didn't have many friends. He naturally wouldn't be standing with the other kids at the ice cream truck, spending enough money for a week of cheap breakfasts on a scoop of ice cream that would soon melt.
He sat alone under the shade of a tree, his black eyes fixed intently on his classmates. His mouth watering, he licked his lips unconsciously before biting down, trying to suppress his desire.
His actions mirrored those of the little Torch Dragon longing for ice cream.
"Pfft." Xue Meng tried to stifle his laughter.
The little Torch Dragon felt its face flush with embarrassment. "What are you laughing at? Don't laugh!"
Mo Ran had no ice cream, no friends, and pitifully few snacks in his bag.
He sat alone beneath the great tree, munching on a dry piece of bread at noon and scattering the crumbs beside the trunk, focusing intently on the ants that formed lines to share his meager offerings.
"Don't fight or rush, everyone will get their share," he muttered softly, hugging his knees as he watched the ants earnestly. He must have been terribly bored, for he even gave them names.
"Leung Chiu-wai, the piece you're carrying is too big, you won't be able to lift it. Want to switch to a smaller one?"
"Guo Degang, you should be more considerate. Jin Zhixing clearly spotted that piece of bread first. You can't bully the younger ones... oh wait, actually, you two are the same age..."
The merriment around him seemed unrelated, as Xue Meng and Little Dragon, two invisible companions, sat on either side of him, creating an illusion of three invisible beings under the tree.
Other children and teachers alike treated him as if he didn't exist. Remarkably, Mo Ran didn't feel discouraged or turn gloomy because of this; instead, he was having great fun with his ant friends.
When Mo Ran attended kindergarten, a sensational melodramatic romance palace drama titled "Return of the Pig Princess," which was popular across China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan, had captured the hearts of many. The little fellow, evidently engrossed in the show, muttered,
"Xiao Yanzi, don't snatch food from your sisters. I still have more bread."
"Ai, Zhiwei, you've taken the wrong path... the ant hill is over here..."
Perhaps his intense concentration piqued the curiosity of others, for the plumpest child in the kindergarten, jiggling the soft flesh on his cheeks, approached him menacingly.
Upon hearing Mo Ran coaching "Violet Weave," the chubby boy widened his eyes. "What are you doing? Who are you talking to?"
Mo Ran quickly stopped him. "Don't walk any further, you'll step on my Forbidden City."
Chubby Boy: "???"
Mo Ran pointed at the group of ants and introduced them with a smile to the little fellow. "Look, this is Tony Leung, this is Degang Guo, this is Jimmy Lin, this is Nicholas Tse, and that one with particularly large nostrils, that's Ah Kang..."
With a worried look, Chubby Boy said, "...Are you feverish? Ants don't have nostrils."
"I'm not. I'm fine," Mo Ran patiently explained. "Ants do have nostrils, you just have to look closely. And see that one with a hint of red? That's Ruby Lin."
Chubby Boy trembled. "Then who are you?"
Mo Ran thought about it seriously and declared firmly, "I am the Emperor Father."
Xue Meng and Little Torch Dragon were laughing so hard they were falling over. Xue Meng hooked his invisible arm around the little guy, tears streaming down his face from laughter. "I'm falling in love with this darling! After work, I must find Mo Ran in reality and become sworn brothers with him, hahaha!"
Little Torch Dragon also laughed wildly. "Then you'll be a prince, the sworn brother of the Emperor, hahaha!"
Unfortunately, the little plump boy couldn't appreciate Mo Ran's humor; he regarded Mo Ran as a lunatic. After casting a terrified glance, he turned around and fled, resembling a tiny, eighty-pound tank of flesh, tripping over a pebble along the way but quickly pulling up his pants to continue his frantic dash.
After some time, Mo Ran had a whimsical idea to build a park for the ants.
Xue Meng sat by, watching the youngster construct bridges with twigs, use leaves as sunshades, and even stack stones to form a miniature fence. Yet, he still felt that something was amiss. He dug a shallow pit, dusted off his gray-stained hands, then turned to walk towards the small stream in the depths of the forest.
"Where is he going?" Little Torch Dragon asked, scrutinizing the ant park Mo Ran had built, perplexed.
Xue Meng fixated on the hole: "I think he might be trying to create a man-made lake for the ants."
"...Does he not know that water seeps into the soil?"
This time, Xue Meng rolled his eyes. "Big brother, he's just in kindergarten, no more than six years old."
As the man and the dragon bickered, Xue Meng's peripheral vision caught sight of a child approaching on a nearby pebble path. Startled, he then turned pale with fear, elbowing Little Torch Dragon frantically. "Quick! Check the time! What hour, minute, and second is it now?"
Little Torch Dragon stumbled from the impact, gritting his teeth in anger. "What are you doing?! Speak properly, don't use physical force!"
"Hurry, hurry!" Xue Meng's face was ashen, as if he had seen a ghost. "Time it! ** is coming!"
"B-Brother... What brother?" Before Little Torch Dragon could finish his words, he choked as he followed Xue Meng's gaze and exclaimed, "Ah! Mother of mercy!"
They frantically started searching for a watch or any other timekeeping device on themselves.
Wailing as he searched, Little Torch Dragon cried out, "Chu Wanning is really in this park?!"
"You were the one who said they were a two-for-one shampoo deal! What's so surprising about that?!" Xue Meng was agitated as he couldn't find his watch or phone.
"I take it back!" Little Torch Dragon howled. "They're not a two-for-one shampoo deal; you can separate those after you get them home. They're like the filling and cookie halves of an Oreo!"
Regardless of what they were, young Chu Wanning, while passing by a large tree, was drawn to the obviously tampered-with branches, stones, and withered leaves beneath it, as well as the unfinished hole.
He paused for a moment before slowly walking under the tree, where the shade gently fell upon his fair skin. He lowered his head, silently observing the "ant park." Then, he lifted his head and looked around.
No one else was there; it seemed to be an abandoned project.
Chu Wanning hesitated for a moment. Dressed in his intricately crafted white shirt, light blue overalls, and imported Italian leather shoes, he stepped onto the dirty soil beside the hole. Despite the silent objections from Xue Meng and Little Torch Dragon, he began fiddling with Mo Ran's "architectural remains."
"…It's over," Xue Meng said.
"It's all ruined," Little Torch Dragon declared.
"Chu Wanning's main storyline is about to activate again," they chorused in unison.
Sure enough, when Mo Ran returned with a plastic bottle filled with water from the stream, he was startled to find an unexpected visitor by his "park."
"Don't move!"
Childhood Chu Wanning jumped in surprise, standing up with his cat-like eyes wide as he stared at the dirty child panting as he ran closer.
"I'm not…" Chu Wanning held a branch in one hand, feeling somewhat awkward. He looked down at his ant park and then up at the child before him, "I was just…"
The anxious and nervous little dirt-covered child blocked the entrance to the ant park, "This isn't an unauthorized construction…"
Chu Wanning: "…"
Little dirt-covered Mo Ran: "You can't tear it down."
Chu Wanning: "…I didn't plan on tearing it down either."
"?"
"I think it looks great," Chu Wanning ventured to ask. "Can I play with you?"
And so, the two children found themselves playing together, somehow.
The stone wall that Mo Ran had previously built was suggested by Chu Wanning to be reconstructed using small twigs. They both agreed it was a good idea, so Chu Wanning searched for suitable branches amidst the fallen leaves while Mo Ran was in charge of planting them at equal intervals into the soft soil.
They worked together to rebuild the wall, lining the dug holes with plastic bags and filling them with stream water to create an artificial lake.
Chu Wanning gathered a few cherry blossom petals from somewhere and scattered them across the "lake." They even placed two tiny ants on the petals, as if they were enjoying a fragrant boat ride.
While digging the soil, Mo Ran's forceful movements caused mud to splash onto Chu Wanning's expensive-looking clothes. Chu Wanning paid no attention to it. He shared a common interest and aesthetic with this newfound dirty little playmate, and they were having too much fun to care about dirt on their clothes, hands, or the sweat on their faces.
Only their bright, starry eyes shone, along with the dreamlike ant paradise crafted by their tiny hands.
As the sun began to set, the kindergarten children prepared to return to their group. However, Chu Wanning had come with his father, and there was still ample time left.
"Finish building the tower for me," Mo Ran said to his playmate, reluctant to part as he ran towards the bus.
A smile graced Chu Wanning's usually stoic face. He chuckled and replied, "Sure. After I'm done, I'll ask my dad to come take pictures."
"I'd like to see them next time we meet."
"Alright, I'll show them to you next time we have the chance."
Mo Ran paused, suddenly remembering something, and exclaimed in alarm, "Ah! I, we've played for so long, but I haven't even asked your name!"
Chu Wanning was taken aback for a moment before his brows relaxed, and his expression brightened. "Really... I forgot too..."
Mo Ran burst into laughter. "I feel like we've known each other for a long time already."
Chu Wanning pressed his lips together, not speaking, but his eyes held a warm smile.
"I'm Mo Ran, and I'm in the middle class at Drunken Fish Kindergarten," Mo Ran said, mimicking TV shows, extending his muddy little hand like an adult. But he quickly retracted it, wiped it on his clothes, and then offered it to Chu Wanning again with a grin. "Nice to meet you."
Chu Wanning didn't show any disdain or hesitation as he took his playmate's dirty, muddy hand. His fine, black hair swayed gently in the breeze. "Nice to meet you too. My name is Chu Wanning."
"…Suddenly," the Little Torch Dragon mumbled from the side, "…I think it's not so bad for them like this."
"…Don't say that," Xue Meng rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on, "…I think I'm being swayed a bit too…"
The Little Torch Dragon panicked, "We can't be swayed or brainwashed! We need to contribute to genetic engineering!"
"Right you are!" Xue Meng's expression cleared as if he had just woken up from a dream, and he sternly said, "I've noted down the approximate times and routes Chu Wanning will appear. Let's restart our strategy for this round. This time, we'll be prepared and surely prevent Chu Wanning's main storyline from unfolding!"