Episode1

The morning sun spilled softly over the cracked tiles of the rooftop, catching on the faded edges of drying clothes and the rusted tin awning of the building next door.

"Yunhao, help me move the crates!" his mother's voice called from below, muffled but familiar through the open kitchen window.

Li Yunhao wiped his palms on his shorts and lifted the plastic tray of onions, placing it beside the others near the small entrance of their convenience store. Their tiny grocery shop sat tucked between a pharmacy and a run-down bakery on the corner of the street—a place where everyone knew each other's names, and time seemed to move a little slower.

Inside, his little brother, Li Yutong, was already munching on cold grapes, swinging his legs while perched on the rooftop ledge. He was supposed to be getting ready for primary school, but instead had declared it his “grape break.”

“Yutong!” Yunhao climbed the rooftop ladder, his hands still sticky from handling produce. “Ma said to get ready. Your bag is downstairs.”

Yutong pouted dramatically, stuffing another grape in his mouth. “I don’t wanna go today. Too hot.”

Yunhao rolled his eyes but couldn’t help smiling. He plopped down beside him for a second, letting the breeze cool his face. Below them, the narrow streets were beginning to fill with life—bikes whirring past, carts creaking under the weight of morning vegetables, and the occasional honk from an impatient van.

And then—he saw him.

A boy in a white short-sleeved shirt, sleeves loosely rolled, hair catching the wind as he glided down the slope on a blue bicycle. He wasn’t particularly flashy. In fact, he looked quite ordinary—except for the way he smiled. Open, carefree, like the world had never given him a reason to frown.

Yunhao’s breath hitched.

He didn’t know why.

Maybe it was the sunlight.

Maybe it was the way that boy rode without fear.

Maybe it was just him.

Zhao Yichen.

He didn’t know his name yet, but somehow the image of that smile was carved into his memory, as if he’d always been waiting to see it.

The boy didn’t look up. He passed by the store, by Yunhao, by the rooftop. The bicycle’s wheels hummed softly until the sound faded into the street's chatter.

Gone.

And yet, something inside Yunhao stirred—something new, something quiet but insistent.

---

Downstairs, the world was still turning.

Their mother handed a stack of freshly printed flyers to Yutong and said, “Give these to the neighbors and tape a few to the poles, okay? We have a discount on rice and oil this week.”

But Yutong shoved them right into Yunhao’s hands.

“I have homework. Big homework.” He made air quotes. “Gege, you do it!”

Before Yunhao could argue, Yutong dashed into the bathroom with his tiny backpack and slammed the door shut.

“Yunhao—” their mother began, raising her brow.

“I’ll do it,” Yunhao said quickly, stuffing the flyers into a small plastic bag. His heart was still beating a little too fast.

Maybe… just maybe… if he walked the streets now, he might see that boy again.

Zhao Yichen—though Yunhao still didn’t know his name.

Not yet.

But fate had already begun to write their story.

---

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***