Chapter Text
The sun was just beginning to rise, casting golden light over the quiet streets. Lang Qianqiu’s sneakers pounded against the pavement, rhythmic and steady, as he focused on his morning run. His muscles were loose, his breathing even—a perfect start to the day.
The morning was crisp, the faint chill of early dawn brushing against Lang Qianqiu’s face as he jogged down the winding park path. He relished these solitary runs, a break from the stifling meetings and constant spotlight of running Yong’an Corps. It gave him time to think—or well, not think.
Just as he rounded a corner, something barreled into him with the force of a cannonball.
Reflexes honed by years of martial arts training kicked in, and Lang Qianqiu managed to grab hold of a flailing arm before the person hit the ground.
“Are you—” he started, but the words evaporated as his gaze landed on the figure before him. The man was stunning, in a way that didn’t seem real: large, almond-shaped emerald eyes framed by long black lashes, glossy black hair with green-tinted highlights catching the early sunlight, and pale skin so flawless it almost glowed. His lips were parted in surprise, soft, pink—beautiful, quite possibly the most handsome man Lang Qianqiu had ever seen.
And then the man opened his mouth.
“PERVERT!” the man screeched, yanking his arm away and delivering a sharp kick to Lang Qianqiu's knee. Lang Qianqiu stumbled back, jaw dropping as the man continued to yell.
“You blind or just stupid?!” His voice—Lang Qianqiu realized with growing irritation—was rather grating and sharp. “You limp-dicked bastard, are your eyes fucking painted on? What, did your mama forget to shove enough carrots down your throat when you were a kid?!”
Lang Qianqiu bristled at the jab to his mother “You–I–”
“Oh, great, the dumbfuck can’t even talk,” the man sneered. “Move your ass out of my way before I shove you into traffic!”
Lang Qianqiu twitched. The initial image he’d had of the man was fading rapidly.
“Baba!” A boy, no older than five, clung to the cursing man’s shirt, looking more exasperated than scared.
The rude man spun toward the boy, his anger redirected. “What?!”
The boy, completely unfazed by the verbal lashing, pointed behind them. “They’re coming, Baba.”
“What—” The man’s head whipped around just as someone screamed, “THIEF! CATCH THAT THIEF!”
Lang Qianqiu barely had time to register the words before the man swore—loudly and creatively—throwing the poor kid over his shoulder like a sack of rice, and bolted.
For a moment, Lang Qianqiu just stood there, too stunned to even process what just happened.
That’s a child. He stole something. He’s running away with a child. That’s kidnapping. He’s a criminal. I’m watching him run away. Oh my god, he’s a fucking kidnapper—
Lang Qianqiu sprinted after the squealing child. It wasn’t hard—Lang Qianqiu was in peak physical condition, and the other man, while fast, was slowed down by the child slung over his shoulder. Lang Qianqiu tackled him to the ground with a practiced ease that came from years of sports and physical training.
The kid yelped, tumbling safely onto the grass while his kidnapper screeched and howled, thrashing on the sidewalk as Lang Qianqiu pinned him down.
“Get your meathead ass OFF ME!” He thrashed violently, nearly elbowing Lang Qianqiu in the face. He twisted under Lang Qianqiu’s weight. For someone so wiry, he was shockingly strong.
“Not a chance,” Lang Qianqiu snapped. If there was one thing he hated above all, it was law-breakers. Crime-doers. Rebels against justice. Lang Qianqiu was going to drag this man to the police station, make him pay back what he owed, and return the kid safely back to his parents.
“GET OFF ME, YOU OVERSIZED SACK OF MUSCLE! What the fuck is wrong with you?! Did you skip every class on minding your own damn business?!”
“You’re a thief and a kidnapper. Only a heartless person would stand by and let you run away.”
The man barked out a laugh, “HAH! What the fuck are you? A spiderman fanboy? Gonna be the friendly neighborhood hero?! And I didn’t kidnap nobody’s kid—”
“Then who’s child were you running away with?” Lang Qianiu retorted.
“Oh my God, use your fucking brain!” the man snapped. “This is my kid, you brain-dead cabbage. You think I’m out here trafficking toddlers or some shit?”
Lang Qianqiu looked over at the wide-eyed child and then back at the disheveled man beneath him, incredulous. “You can’t seriously think I’ll believe that he’s your kid.”
The boy looked like an angel. This man resembled less of a heavenly being capable of producing a sweet looking kid, and more of a wet sewage rat living in a dumpster. And yet.
The boy, meanwhile, had scrambled to his feet. “Gege” he cried, tugging at Lang Qianqiu’s sleeve. “Please don’t hurt my Baba!”
Lang Qianqiu gaped at the boy. There was no way.
He turned back to the thief beneath him. “I thought you were kidnapping him!”
“Oh, please,” the man sneered, “As if I’d waste my time on something so stupid. Kidnapping? I’m his dad! Right, Guzi?” He gestured to the boy, who nodded earnestly.
Lang Qianqiu blinked. “You’re his dad?”
“Yeah, no kidding,” the man said with an exaggerated roll of his eyes. “Do I have to tattoo it on my forehead? What, you think I carry him around for fun?”
Lang Qianqiu’s gaze flickered to the boy, then back to the man, resolve wavering. Faint warning bells were ringing in his head still.
Maybe I was wrong...No. Wait.
“That doesn’t explain why someone was yelling about a thief!”
The man froze, his sharp green eyes darting to the side, before scowling even more fiercely than before.
“People scream about all kinds of shit these days—ghosts, UFOs, pineapple on pizza!”
Lang Qianqiu wasn’t convinced. He looked the man over again, this time more critically. The initial impression of ethereal beauty was rapidly crumbling to dust.
Sure, the man’s face was beautiful, but everything else? Not so much. His black hair was a greasy mess, sticking out in random directions like he’d just rolled out of bed. His clothes were wrinkled and hung on him like they hadn’t been washed in weeks. They looked like he’d grabbed them off a floor littered with pizza boxes and soda cans.
He had the distinct air of someone who lived on instant noodles and couch naps.
His oversized sweatshirt hung loosely over his wiry frame, but it didn’t hide the fact that his waist was… absurdly cinched. Lang Qianqiu found himself wondering, fleetingly, if his hands would touch if he wrapped them around it. He immediately regretted the thought.
He coughed, snapping his head up to meet the man’s gaze again, trying very hard not to notice what was—objectively speaking—an impressively shaped ass beneath those sagging sweatpants.
Irrelevant. Completely irrelevant.
“Like what you see, huh?” The man’s voice was a sly drawl, and Lang Qianqiu’s gaze snapped back up to meet amused, emerald eyes.
“I—I wasn’t—!” Lang Qianqiu stammered, his face burning.
A sly, sharp grin spread across the other man's face. His green eyes sparkled with wicked amusement as he tilted his head. “You know…” he drawled, voice dripping with mockery, “I could always blow you for 20."
Lang Qianqiu’s brain short-circuited. “What?! I—absolutely not! What is wrong with you?!”
"Now Guzi!" The man's knee came up to hit Lang Qianqiu right in his family jewels, and someone's teeth dug into his arm.
Lang Qianqiu cursed, ripping himself away to double over in pain.
The man slipped out of his hold and grabbed the kid. "Baba!” Guzi yelped, more startled than scared, as the man slung him over one shoulder.
The theif cackled as he darted away, Guzi slung over his shoulder like a sack of rice. “Time to go, brat!” he crowed, sounding far too pleased with himself.
But, of course, he couldn’t resist one final parting shot. Pausing just long enough to blow a mocking kiss Lang Qianqiu’s way, he looked back and smirked devilishly. “You’re not too bad yourself, handsome. Call me if you ever wanna fuck!”
“Stop!” Lang Qianqiu barked. He staggered up but the man was surprisingly quick, weaving through the park’s paths with the agility of someone used to running from trouble.
By the time Lang Qianqiu got his footing, the two of them had disappeared around the corner, leaving him standing there, red-faced and fuming.
What just happened?