To the Start of a New World

1.3

As soon as Lu Hao said those words, Hong Sheng jerked out of reach.

Raising a hand to cover the lower half of his face, Hong Sheng glanced with wide eyes at Lu Hao before bolting away and escaping into his apartment.

Lu Hao blinked at the empty space where Hong Sheng once stood. He sighed, putting his fists on his hips. "I'll get you to stop running away from me eventually!" he muttered, the image of an angry-puffed up cat appearing in his head. Just like Hong Sheng, the neighborhood cat always ran away if you tried to touch it.

He sighed again, wondering if he should buy more treats, and started to walk back home.

High above, the curtains to one of the apartment windows trembled. Hong Sheng, who stood with one hand grasping the curtain, moved his other hand to gently touch the bottom of his chin.

His face turned bright red.

All in all, Lu Hao was quite happy about his current situation.

Now that Hong Sheng was his Lu Hao didn't have to chase after him every day, so he could finally go and visit his other friends' houses, and go out to play in other places. Since Hong Sheng's apartment was in front of the park, Lu Hao didn't always have to walk home with him anymore, either. Now Lu Hao could go to the park with his other friends and Hong Sheng would join them when he wanted to.

Lu Hao had been very successful in his mission of befriending Hong Sheng, or so he thought.

He hadn't noticed that, at some point in time, Hong Sheng had grown even quieter than before, and had slowly started to drift away.

It was a bright and sunny day in summer when Lu Hao waited at the entrance to the school. He hadn't talked to Hong Sheng in a week. At first, when Hong Sheng didn't come meet him like he usually did, Lu Hao thought that maybe the other boy was sick. He asked a teacher from another class if Hong Sheng was okay, but the teacher said that Hong Sheng was healthy and still coming to school.

If that was the case, then why wasn't Hong Sheng playing with Lu Hao?

If that was the case, then why did Hong Sheng run away when Lu Hao finally saw him the other day?

Lu Hao had run out of class early today, and waited at the entrance to catch Hong Sheng when he came out. But, no matter how long he waited, he never saw Hong Sheng.

Lu Hao's hands tightened over the arms of his backpack, and with a stormy frown on his face, marched off toward the park. Earlier all of his friends had gone there to play. So, if Lu Hao still didn't see Hong Sheng today, then Lu Hao would just forget him and go have fun with his other friends who knew better than to ignore Lu Hao.

With those seething thoughts cluttering his head, he hadn't noticed that he'd arrived at the park until he heard the screaming.

"I wish I'd never married a man like you!"

The woman's screech made Lu Hao's head snap up. In front of Hong Sheng's apartment, a man and a woman screamed at each other like they were about to tear each other's throats out. The man stood just beyond the shade of the apartment while the woman stood at the side of the road, a large car parked beside her. The car's trunk was open, and scattered on the ground next to it were suitcases, bags, and boxes.

The things they said were things Lu Hao had only heard in daytime dramas. "You're a disgusting excuse of a man," and, "Which bastard will support you now, you stupid bitch," and many other words that a married couple should not say to each other. The woman looked ready to explode with how red her face had gotten, and the closer Lu Hao looked, the more she seemed familiar.

The woman hissed something at the man, and when he jerked a hand up like he was about to slap her, she ducked away and grabbed one of her bags. She threw it into the trunk of the car and, while still muttering curses, packed up the rest of her things.

Seeing her back, Lu Hao remembered who she was.

His eyes slid over to the right, and there, in the shadows, watching this scene with empty and lifeless eyes, was Hong Sheng.

In that shadowy corner, Hong Sheng looked somehow like he was the last person left in the entire world, like the dark place he was in now was somehow different from the place where Lu Hao stood. It felt like even if Lu Hao went over to grab him, his hand would only pass through.

Hong Sheng did not blink as he watched the woman pack her belongings into the car. His head did not move at all. He did not notice his father, and was unaffected by the breeze. He only watched solemnly as all the empty spaces in the trunk were filled by bags and boxes. He looked at the stacked-up luggage like he was supposed to be there, too— like he wanted the woman to pick him up and fold him into a sheet that could slide in between her clothes and her makeup.

When the woman slammed the trunk closed, Hong Sheng's face dropped. Lu Hao had seen this expression before. Lost and confused, the same face Hong Sheng had made when Lu Hao had treated him kindly for the first time. Except now it wasn't someone's kindness Hong Sheng was confused over. No, this time it was someone's betrayal.

"I wish I'd never married you," the woman spat again at her husband.

Then she looked at Hong Sheng for the first time since Lu Hao had gotten here, and she didn't say a single thing.

She turned around, got in the car, and drove away.