017 - First Encounter

From a young age, Xia Yuwei knew that summer days were long. After school, she could often help her parents deliver cakes, and it was during these errands that she encountered the irascible young master, Lu Yichen...

"Get out! All of you, get out!" Even from a distance, Xia Yuwei could hear things crashing to the floor inside and a child's angry shouting.

Trembling with anxiety, she stepped inside and saw Lu Yichen, who had just turned six, standing imperiously at the edge of the coffee table by the indoor heated pool, his back to the water. His eyes were bright, his nose straight, and his features, though still childish, were as if sculpted from stone. There he stood, arms crossed, gazing down at her with a cold, disdainful air. Even at such a young age, he exuded a presence that made it seem as though the whole world was beneath his notice.

Xia Yuwei set the cake on the small table, expertly pulled out the shop’s delivery slip and a pen, and unfolded them before Lu Yichen. Pointing at the cake, she offered him her most beautiful smile. "This is the birthday cake you ordered. Please sign here."

As he looked at her smile, Lu Yichen seemed dazed for a moment, but quickly snorted coldly and remained motionless, ignoring her entirely.

His little face was set, hard as iron, unyielding. He must have been in a terrible mood. Out of genuine concern, Xia Yuwei spoke softly, “Cakes from our shop bring happiness. As soon as you taste it, your mood will brighten…”

“Who told you I was in a bad mood?!” Lu Yichen suddenly cut her off, his tone harsh. He snatched the pen she offered and flung it into the pool. As if that weren’t enough, he reached out, grabbed the delivery slip from the table, crumpled it into a ball, and glared at her fiercely as he tore it into shreds.

He let the scraps of paper scatter through the air; some landed on the water, some in Xia Yuwei’s hair, on her face, and on her clothes.

“If you don’t like it, then I’ll just take the cake back,” Xia Yuwei said, reaching for the cake on the table.

Seeing that she neither cried nor made a fuss, acting as though none of it concerned her, Lu Yichen grew even angrier. His fury burned hotter than before.

Just as Xia Yuwei’s fingers closed around the delicate ribbon on the cake box, ready to lift it, Lu Yichen lunged forward and grabbed the same ribbon.

Startled by his sudden movement and feeling his hand touch hers, Xia Yuwei thought he was about to hit her. Like a frightened rabbit, she jerked his arm away!

Lu Yichen, still so young, hadn’t expected her to react with such strength. He staggered backward, lost his balance, and with a splash, fell right into the swimming pool!