From The Start

Catching the falling boy, inadvertently lured the red eyed.

Everyone who knew Hua Cheng, knew that he was dangerously in love with Xie Lian. His obsession ran as deep as the very depths of the abyss, and his devotion was as unshakeable as his faith.

As passionate as these lines may seem, no one in their right minds would find such a crazy and delusional behaviour romantic. You met the guy only once in your childhood, his friends (if you can call them that) would internally think, when and how did you even fall in that deep?! This is insane!! Too creepy!!

Yes, that was the burning question.

When did Hua Cheng fall in love with Xie Lian?

It was difficult to answer. His love and devotion was all consuming, and never ending. Everything that Hua Cheng was today, everything that he strived to become in the future, all of it was driven by his love for Xie Lian.

But perhaps, the beginning of this extreme obsession could be traced back to his childhood and four encounters in particular.

Four encounters, and four stages of falling utterly, helplessly and madly in love.

i. Catching the falling boy, inadvertently lured the red eyed.

There had been a fight at home. 'Home'  was perhaps not the right word. A home had family. Hua Cheng had no one that considered him one. Not anymore, anyways.

The reason for the fight had been his father, and a series of unfortunate events that were inexplicably blamed on Hua Cheng. It somehow always was his fault.

The demon child. That is what his father called him. His very existence was scorned upon. Every shortcoming that came their way must have surely been lured in by Hua Cheng.

Growing up being treated like he was doused in sewage water had been difficult. Little Hua Cheng would have truly broken, twisted to become the demonic child that his father spoke of, if it hadn't been for his mother.

She was a beautiful woman, though haggard from long years of living in poverty, with a breath taking smile. She taught Hua Cheng what it meant to be loved, and to love. She showed him kindness, and the strength that it took to not succumb to the darkness.

At nights when Hua Cheng trembled with an onslaught of tears, she would softly sing him lullabies and kiss his tears away.

"Who says that you are a monster, hm?" his mom said on one such night.

"You are truly blessed to have such unique and beautiful eyes! I love them, my little Honghong-er*"

Lies.

Resting at the croon of his mom's neck, Hua Cheng happened to catch a glimpse of his reflection from a nearby mirror. He was all battered and blue, with old wounds that were yet to be healed and fresher ones that he had been inflicted just today. His left eye was a dark obsidian black, and his gaze was unsettling. No child should have such an expression.

Speaking of unsettling, his right eye took the award. It was a hideous shade of red. This eye was perpetually swollen and sensitive, and it was slightly smaller than the other eye.

Ugly, Hua Cheng thought to himself, Ugly! Ugly! Ugly! I look like a monster!

Monster. Demon. That is what everyone called him. Even his own mother, as much as she loved him, flinched at the sight of him in the dark.

Hua Cheng began covering his ugly eye with bandages after that.

***