Chapter Text
Xie Lian walked slowly past the playground, the sun already approaching its zenith, casting long shadows and bathing the small area in a warm, golden light. He strolled leisurely, a rare luxury for him, as he usually had to maintain a certain posture, upright and composed at all times. So, he relished these few minutes of being unobserved, not rushing home. Today, neither of his parents was home, and the servants shared Xie Lian's belief that teenagers deserved some free time. He had just finished his sword training, preceded by dance lessons and a full day of school. At 13, his workload wasn't as demanding as it would be nearing graduation, but he still had private lessons to attend to. Nonetheless, Xie Lian enjoyed every lesson, having been given the opportunity to choose from a variety of subjects. According to his master, he excelled particularly in swordsmanship, having already participated in a tournament. In fact, the next one was scheduled for the upcoming weekend, so he had trained a bit longer today than usual.
Normally, the playground would be bustling with children when he passed by, but now it was quiet, devoid of any youngsters. Most likely, they were all home by now, as it was dinner time followed by bedtime. Xie Lian himself felt quite hungry after all the training. Just as he was about to quicken his pace, he heard a faint whimpering from afar. It was so faint that he only caught it because the wind carried it to him. Xie Lian paused for a moment, trying to locate the source. Hearing nothing more and seeing nothing, he was about to continue when he heard it again—a faint cry for help, as if the voice already knew no one was around. It was coming from the playground. Without hesitation, Xie Lian dashed in the direction of the voice. Upon reaching the playground, he looked around frantically. Everything was still empty, and he couldn't quite figure out where the cry had come from.
He found himself beneath a climbing structure made of irregular squares and diamonds, constructed from thick ropes meant for climbing all the way to the top. Following a hunch, Xie Lian looked up and held his breath for a moment. Now he knew where the cry had come from. Hanging not quite at the top of the structure was a little boy. He was barely holding on to the rope above him, trying unsuccessfully to pull himself up. His legs were too short to reach the rope below him. Xie Lian noticed that the rope that should have been one level up was broken. Whether it had just snapped or had been broken before, nobody had attended to it. However, in the face of the emergency, the specifics didn't matter. Xie Lian could see the little hands slowly slipping, so he swiftly climbed onto the structure himself, struggling a bit since he had never been allowed to play on a playground and wasn't quite familiar with its setup. He reached the rope directly beneath the boy just as the latter started to fall, catching him in his arms, though he struggled to maintain balance. Thus, he stood somewhat unsteadily, leaning against another rope, but held the boy firmly and slowly set him onto the rope, instructing him to hold on tight. The boy seemed to be in shock, clinging tightly to the rope while Xie Lian regained his composure and descended a bit.
"Come on, I'll help you down," he called to the boy, reaching out his hands. The boy looked at him tremblingly, one eye covered with a bandage. His black hair fell a bit wild over his face, tears streaking his cheeks. Xie Lian feared he might freeze up and was about to climb up a bit more when the boy knelt down, settling onto the rope and looking down at Xie Lian.
"Okay," Xie Lian heard the boy sniffle. He felt for the next rope with his foot, slowly lowering himself, then reaching for Xie Lian's hand.
"Very good, just a bit more," Xie Lian murmured, and soon they were both on the ground. However, as the boy attempted to descend the last rope, he slipped again, probably due to exhaustion, and landed back in Xie Lian's arms, who had prepared to catch him. Xie Lian didn't even waver, as the boy was almost feather-light and not particularly tall. Indeed, he only reached Xie Lian's hip when he finally set him down.
The boy was still trembling, and upon reaching the ground, shock and fear seemed to catch up with him, and he started to cry bitterly, his whole body shaking. Xie Lian immediately knelt down to pull him into an embrace, soothingly stroking his back.
"It's okay, you're safe now," he comforted gently, holding him a little tighter as he felt the boy clutching onto his clothes, unwilling to let go.
It actually only took a little moment, then he only heard a sniffle, and the small hands loosened from his clothing, and Xie Lian slowly let go, but remained on his knees to better look at the boy.
"Feeling better?" he asked, and the little one nodded, sniffled, and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand.
"Thank you..." he heard the soft voice, hoarse from crying... "You didn't let me fall..."
Xie Lian blinked a bit confused, because that almost sounded as if the boy was surprised about it, but then he simply said softly, "Of course not..."
The boy looked at him for a moment, almost shocked, then bit his lip.
"Thank you..." he said again, and Xie Lian simply smiled and stood up, briefly stroking the boy's head.
"What's your name?"
"Hong... Er... I am five..."
Xie Lian hadn't asked for his age, but that was just a typical child.
"I'm Xie Lian and I'm thirteen...," he said, only to be confronted again with a big brown eye.
"So tall already... I want to be that tall too..."
Xie Lian laughed, because he wasn't really tall, but apparently he was for the little one. Hong'er, Xie Lian reminded himself.
"You'll surely grow, at Five I was even smaller than you...," he said then, hearing a soft laugh.
"That's probably a lie... you just want to cheer me up... I'll surely stay small... Everyone says I'm small and weak..."
He sounded both angry and sad about it, and Xie Lian couldn't help but ruffle his hair again.
"I believe you'll become a big strong boy someday... you're already so strong, for how long you held on."
"I was dumb... I took the wrong path downwards and then slipped... the stupid rope was broken there and I am... Still too small after all..."
He made a truly adorable pout, and Xie Lian smiled gently.
"Be more careful next time, okay?"
"Hmmm okay... I'll try... but I have to go really fast now, or else I'll get in trouble...," said the little one, hugging Xie Lian's legs.
"You're kind...," he said, and then ran faster than Xie Lian had thought he could.
Xie Lian blinked for a moment, still confused, but then he smiled lightly and brushed some dirt off his pants, then went home.
~
About half a year later, Xie Lian encountered Hong'er again. Once more, he had stayed longer at training and once more, he could afford to dawdle a bit, since his parents were out for a meeting and wouldn't notice if he came home a bit later than usual… even if training ran longer. In fact, he had taken a small detour and bought himself some sweets from a local shop with his pocket money. Usually, he saved it for books or the like, so treating himself to sweets was truly rare for him. Nevertheless, he was already looking forward to tasting the treats. So, his steps were quite lively as he passed by the playground and cast a brief glance inside. As usual at this time, it was empty… well… That wasn't entirely true, because on the swings, directly in Xie Lian's line of sight, sat a little boy, swinging his legs a bit. He looked so lost that Xie Lian instinctively went to him and sat on the second swing, leaning forward to look into the boy's face.
"Hong'er?" he asked cautiously, not entirely sure if he remembered the name correctly, but the boy looked a bit startled, then his eyes widened even more.
"Lian-ge," he then called out almost joyfully and beamed, which made his pale face light up. Still or again? He wore a bandage around his head, covering his right eye, and it was good that Xie Lian was sitting to his left side, so the boy didn't have to completely turn his head to look at him.
"Oh, you remember?" Xie Lian asked, smiling as he received an enthusiastic nod in return.
"Of course!" Hong'er said, sounding almost a little offended, as if he would forget him.
"You saved me!" he added and then suddenly blushed a little on his cheeks.
"And comforted me… you're kind…" he heard the same words as half a year ago, and they felt so warm that Xie Lian's smile widened a little, perhaps shining on the boy just as much as he had done shortly before. Xie Lian didn't have siblings himself, but if he could wish for someone, it would be someone like Hong'er by his side. On impulse, he stood up and stepped behind the boy.
"Shall I push you?" he asked gently, and since Hong'er nodded wildly again, he did just that. The swing was a bit high, and normally that probably wouldn't be a problem, as there were usually mothers or other children at the playground who would help each other, but now Hong'er had been alone, and he was too small to really get momentum. With Xie Lian's help, however, he almost felt like he was flying and laughed softly, while Xie Lian really felt like a big brother and actually enjoyed the time. After a while, he stopped the boy again and let himself be led by him by the hand, and they both slid together, used the other play equipment, landed first in the sandbox and then on a bench right at the edge. Hong'er had red cheeks, and Xie Lian suspected that he must have looked joyful too.
"I had so much fun…" Hong'er concluded, swinging his feet a bit.
"Me too, but it also made me hungry!" he said then, rummaging in his pocket for the sweets. Hong'er's eye grew wider as Xie Lian handed him one of the chocolate bars he had bought. Indeed, he looked at it as if it were the seventh wonder of the world, before he opened the wrapper very slowly and almost carefully took a bite.
"Oh…" Xie Lian heard then and blinked, as the chocolate bar disappeared faster than he could look.
"Have you never eaten a chocolate bar before?" Xie Lian asked a little incredulously, but received a nod in return.
"Only once… on my birthday… but then I was still at the orphanage… My… the people I live with now hardly have any money and they already feed me anyway…" Hong'er sounded as if he had been thrown these words at his head so often that they had burned into him and were now spoken rather emotionlessly. Xie Lian, however, was affected by it, and since he had taken a liking to the boy, he rummaged in his pocket and pressed another bar and three candies into the small hands.
"I'll share with you," he said quickly, as if to explain. "As thanks for the nice time, I've… never been able to play on a playground before…" Xie Lian scratched his cheek a little embarrassed, while Hong'er unpacked the second bar and bit into it much more slowly.
"Never? Why?" the boy asked quite curiously.
"Because… well… let's just say, my parents didn't want that… for me to get dirty and all…” He shrugged, didn't want to outright say that rich people were like that… when Hong'er sat next to him in tattered clothes and obviously had it much worse.
"You're not dirty… all clean," the boy said, after he had briefly scrutinized Xie Lian.
"Your parents won't notice that you were at the playground…," he added with a little grin.
Xie Lian burst into amused laughter and reached out to ruffle the boy's hair.
"You're cute…," he said, between laughter and Hong'er blinked surprised and then lowered his head shyly.
"But I have to go now too, it was nice to meet you again, Hong'er," said Xie Lian, after his laughter had subsided, and he stood up and brushed some sand off his pants.
The boy looked at him for a moment, almost a little sadly, then nodded but then also jumped off the bench.
"I also…"
"We can walk a bit together…" Xie Lian suggested and since Hong'er agreed, he grabbed Xie Lian's hand and held it until they reached the next street corner, where their paths separated. Xie Lian squeezed his hand once more and then let go.
"Get home safely, Hong'er…"
"Will you come visit me again?"
Xie Lian shrugged.
"Probably not… My sword training will take place elsewhere… But maybe we'll see each other again. Take care of yourself until then, okay?"
Hong'er nodded.
"Yes… promised Gege…"
Xie Lian felt warmth rising through his body, and he laughed softly… while Hong'er ran faster after his words than the last time. Big brother, huh? They weren't blood-related, but Xie Lian felt almost honored that the boy had called him so trustingly, and his smile didn't diminish in the slightest all the way home.
~
Indeed, he didn't see Hong'er again until years later, not even sure it was him, just suspected it, because once again, he found himself facing a boy with a bandage around his right eye and wild black hair. He might have been around 14 when he landed directly in front of Xie Lian on the ground, having been pushed by someone and now cursing and almost kicking him if Xie Lian hadn't intervened. At that time, Xie Lian was 22 years old, with his hair tied up and a sports bag over his shoulder, having come from a visit to his old training school. He seemed strong or adult enough that the bully let go of the boy on the ground when he saw Xie Lian and ran away. Xie Lian bent down to help the boy up.
Due to the fall, the bandage had come loose and slid down by itself, so Xie Lian was confronted with an unusual sight. The boy's right eye wasn't brown, but red… like that of an albino mouse. Xie Lian stopped in surprise, neither having seen nor expected this before. Both of the boy's eyes were wide open with fear or panic? And Xie Lian noticed that not only was his eye red, but there was also an almost black discoloration around it. His lip was slightly bleeding, and his chin also seemed to be scraped, although it appeared to be a healing wound. Xie Lian recoiled in shock, shocked by the injuries, but the boy seemed to think it was because of his red eye, so he quickly raised his hand to cover it while trying to grab the bandage with the other hand and pull it back over his eye. Since the bandage was loose, it didn't work, and Xie Lian heard a sound like that of a wounded animal.
"Hong'er?" Xie Lian tried cautiously as the boy started trembling, but that had the opposite effect, as Xie Lian was again faced with naked panic, and before he could say anything, the boy turned around and ran away.
The next day, Xie Lian tried to be at the playground at the same time as the day before, hoping to meet the boy from yesterday again, because whether it was Hong'er or not, it was clear that he had been abused or at least beaten up, and Xie Lian wasn't sure if it was really from fights with other boys or if there was more to it. Xie Lian was the youth leader of the swordfighting group at his new club and therefore had a lot to do with teenagers, liked children in general, and felt that it was his responsibility not to just accept and forget about something like this. Nevertheless, he felt a little strange as he sat on the bench in front of the playground, looking for a boy with black hair and a bandage around his head. However, he had no success that day, and when it was already dark, Xie Lian headed home with the promise to himself to try again soon.
Soon, in this case, was almost two weeks later, and Xie Lian felt almost a little guilty about it, but he hadn't found the time before, and he should actually be sitting over his books and studying now, but a little break from it might also be good. The weather was fantastic, and the playground was well-visited, as was the basketball court right next to it. Xie Lian kept glancing over there, as it was rather unlikely that a 14-year-old would come to the playground. However, he didn't show up, neither on the playground nor on the basketball court, and as the sun gradually sank lower, Xie Lian stood up and stretched. He had decided to walk down to the river and take that path home; he used to do that when he was still young and on his way home from sword training, and the weather really invited to take a little evening stroll.
At the riverbank, it was quiet, and Xie Lian breathed in the familiar scent of water, flowers, and trees; it reminded him of earlier times, and he decided to sit down a little on one of the slopes, just in the grass and looking at the river. Barely had he made the decision and walked a bit, as he had a favorite spot from earlier, when he saw that someone was already sitting there, and as he went a little closer, he saw the boy he had been looking for. Unmistakably identified by the bandage he wore around his head, covering his right eye. Xie Lian was on his right side, so the boy didn't notice that someone was approaching him and continued plucking at the grass with his fingers. He seemed a little bored but not tense. Xie Lian hoped he would stay seated even when he spoke to him; for now, he remained standing and pondered how exactly to address him. Eventually, an idea came to him, and he rummaged in his bag for a chocolate bar… the same one he had given him back then. Carefully, Xie Lian approached and held the chocolate bar right in the boy's line of sight. The boy startled in surprise but remained seated and lifted his head to look at Xie Lian.
"Hong'er?" Xie Lian asked again, and saw a brief flicker in the brown eyes, but then he turned his head to the side.
"No," Xie Lian then heard the quiet voice. "That's not me."
Xie Lian was pretty sure it was him, but he just nodded and sat down next to him, offering him the chocolate bar again, and this time the boy took it in his hand and looked back at Xie Lian.
"Thank you… but for what?" he asked, furrowing his brow a little. Xie Lian suspected that the boy didn't recognize him anymore, and maybe it really was someone else, but it didn't matter. Xie Lian saw fresh injuries, both on the lip, the cheek, and the visible eye.
"I just felt like sharing my sweets…" Xie Lian said gently and then took out a chocolate bar from his bag and opened it to take a bite. The boy next to him… now did the same, and Xie Lian saw from the corner of his eye how he closed his eye with relish.
"What's your name?" Xie Lian asked cautiously after a while, during which they had both been eating silently.
"Wu Ming…" came somewhat hesitantly from the boy, and Xie Lian raised an eyebrow... that simply meant no name or nameless, and Xie Lian wondered if he really just didn't want to say it.
"Wu Ming, then... I'm Xie Lian..." he said, observing the boy, hoping to see some recognition in his face. Indeed, Wu Ming looked at him, tilting his head slightly, seeming to ponder, then his eye widened, and he scrutinized Xie Lian from head to toe, his cheeks turning slightly red.
"So, do you remember?" Xie Lian asked, slightly amused by the reaction, and the boy seemed to hesitate for a moment before biting his lower lip and nodding.
"Perhaps..." he said vaguely, then resumed plucking at a blade of grass.
For some reason, he seemed reluctant to admit that he was indeed the little boy from before, and Xie Lian decided not to press the issue but instead leaned back into the grass and gazed up at the clouds.
Wu Ming remained seated beside him, and Xie Lian could feel his gaze silently observing him.
"Why are you here?" the boy finally asked, sounding somewhat resigned as he twirled the blade of grass between his fingers.
"To apologize..." Xie Lian said slowly, sitting up again and brushing a stray strand of hair from his face.
"I didn't mean to... startle you two weeks ago..."
"Hm... I understand... I must have been a cruel sight..." Wu Ming said quickly, and "Thank you for the rescue..."
Xie Lian flinched at those words, realizing that he must have truly appeared shocked by his eye. Though it was the injuries that had startled him, which he still noticed today.
"Not a cruel sight... I was just surprised..." Xie Lian said cautiously, reaching out to gently place his hand on the boy's shoulder, feeling Wu Ming flinch beneath his touch but still remaining seated.
"Not a cruel sight... you were just surprised..." the boy repeated incredulously, then looked back at Xie Lian's face, who simply nodded for the sake of simplicity and then gave his shoulder a slight squeeze.
"I was shocked by your injuries..." he explained very cautiously, feeling the boy flinch again under his hand, but then he shrugged.
"It happens..." he said, barely audible and clearly defensive.
"Wu Ming..." Xie Lian said a little more seriously, placing his second hand on the boy's shoulder as well.
"If you're being hit... at home... it's not trivial..."
"I just got into a fight..." Wu Ming said immediately, looking at Xie Lian almost desperately.
"I'm to blame myself..." he mumbled, then squirmed out of Xie Lian's grasp, seeming like he wanted to run away, but he still stayed there, albeit turning his head to the side.
"You're definitely not to blame..." Xie Lian murmured and sighed silently...
"Why do you even care... don't you have adult things to do?" Wu Ming asked, his hands clenched into fists and his head still lowered.
Xie Lian wasn't sure what to say exactly because Wu Ming was right... he just showed up and tried to... what?... save him again? After 9 years... but still... He couldn't just forget about it and leave Wu Ming to his fate.
"I want to help you..."
"It's too late... 'help' has already been given to me, I live in a foster home now, after my foster family didn't want me anymore... it's not much better... but no one really cares about me anyway... whether I'm injured or starving... no one really cares. It would be better if I just... weren't here anymore..."
Xie Lian looked at the boy again, shocked, and then he simply pulled him into a tight embrace.
Wu Ming stiffened at first in the hug, then practically collapsed and buried his head against Xie Lian's shoulder, and he sobbed dryly, not really crying, but his shoulders still trembling.
"I'll help you... I'll find a new home for you... I promise..." Xie Lian murmured, holding the boy tightly.
"Hong'er... I promise."
"Gege..." was murmured against his shoulder, and it was enough for Xie Lian to know that he really was the little boy from back then, and he gently stroked his head after they slowly parted from each other.
"I have to leave the city soon because I'll be studying elsewhere... but before that... I'll make sure you're doing better... that you're okay," Xie Lian said firmly, then took his hand and gently led him to the nearest police station, where they stayed for a few hours until Xie Lian achieved what he wanted. To place Hong'er or Wu Ming in another home, one that he knew was good.
Only then did he hug him one last time and leave him in the care of the home supervisor, knowing that he had done the right thing
~