"What are you looking at?" A deep voice resounded beside Ping Hai's earlobe.

Ping Hai whipped his head around. He met face to face with a young boy, who had similar facial features to himself. This young boy's face was handsome, with his cheekbones strung high and a high-arched nose. Although he had a handsome face, this young boy wore cheap rags. He had a similar figure as to Ping Hai's.

"Brother..." Ping Hai subconsciously said.

"Hmm?" The said man tilted his head. Ping Hai's brother was named Ping Sha. Although he had a handsome face, he was born in a poor family who managed a shrine.

Ping Hai, the younger brother cleaned the shrine, while Ping Sha, the older brother lived a free life.

Perhaps it was because of his face did their parents take it easy on him.

"Oh, nothing, Brother." Ping Hai shook his head. "I was merely watching a commotion from outside. It's not worth your attention."

Ping Sha let out a solemn "oh".

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'OH'!?!" Behind the scenes, Wei Wuxian yelled as a spirit. Of course, nobody noticed him, since he was travelling through the memories.

Ping Sha shook his head. "I thought that I heard a woman's voice... and a child's cry..."

"Yes, Brother." Ping Hai confirmed. "That is... exactly what's happening outside."

Ping Sha raised an eyebrow. "Why would a woman bully a child?"

This... Ping Hai didn't know how to answer him. He watched his older brother peer out the window, catching a glimpse of the scene outside.

Outside on the streets, a child was wailing on the streets. A young girl had stolen and eaten the child's lollipop. She posed a high posture, making herself appear not to be reckoned with. "What are you crying about? Your family is rich, and here I am, a homeless poor girl! You can always get more lollipops, while I can only steal- hey! What a crybaby! I did nothing and you're already crying!"

The child was picked up by his mother. "Mom~ I want candy!"

"Hush hush..." The mother soothed her child, but not before shooting the young girl a glare. "This young lady... you don't know how to be a beggar properly, so you steal from others. Did you not have a mother to teach you manners?"

The young girl arched an eyebrow, taking the lollipop out from her mouth. "What rights do you think you have to talk back at me?"

She smiled mischievously. "I've stolen your child's candy. So what? What can you possibly do? Take my head and hang my body on the altar?" The young girl stuck her tongue out playfully. "Pei! You bunch of rich folk cannot be trusted! Not only you're mad at me for not being a beggar properly, but you're even trash talking my mother!"

The young girl shook her head. "What a shame. If you think that my mother didn't teach me properly, then why don't you come forwards and teach me? How hypocritical. Don't talk about my mom when you can't even manage your own son."

Hearing this, the mother couldn't bear the shame anymore. She ran away while carrying onto her wailing child.

The young girl watched the mother and son run off into the distance.

A smile played on the young girl's lips. "Success."

Ping Hai was mesmerized by the girl. "Is this love at first sight?" Wei Wuxian yelled in the distance. But then, Ping Hai snapped out of his trance, when he heard a sound by his ear.

Looking upwards, Ping Sha was laughing.

"How amusing." Ping Sha stated.

For some reason, Ping Hai had a bad feeling about this look in his big brother's eyes. It told him that his big brother had just found a new toy to play with. Ping Hai told himself to calm down. His big brother was merely interested in a poor and homeless girl, who bullied and looked down at others.

Why should he care if the young girl was associated with his big brother?

But his heart couldn't rest.

As time flew by, the two brothers kept on encountering the young girl. At first, it was only once. But then, the young girl became brave and increased the amount of times she messed around on the streets.

Everyday, they could see the young girl bullying another on the streets.

Ping Hai found his heart at unease, especially when he saw the way his older brother looked at the young girl. "Hahaha... what a dumbass, ain't she?" Ping Hai couldn't help but blurt out. This got his older brother's attention. "Not only does she pick on the weak, but she acts all almighty and righteous. Clearly, there's something wrong with the girl's mind."

Ping Sha didn't know how to react. He could only keep silent.

Meanwhile, Ping Hai was observing his older brother's every gaze. He noticed how Ping Sha had fallen silent at his trash talk. Then, Ping Hai continued.

Just from seeing the young girl on the streets, Ping Hai would muster up his courage and laugh, "Look at her! She's so dirty and unruly! I can't believe Square Town harboured such filthy people..."

Ping Hai couldn't help it. He must change his older brother's opinion on the young girl.

Perhaps it was jealousy but... he felt like he'd lose something if he didn't do so.

"Hm... this young girl looks familiar." As a spirit, Xie Lian analyzed the young girl, but couldn't find the exact correlation.

Two years passed, and the Ping brothers grew up into teenagers. They barely saw the young girl often, since they were too busy with the shrine. A drop of snow landed on Ping Hai's nose, melting and startling the latter for a brief moment.

"...it's snowing." Ping Hai was amazed at how much time has passed.

"Ah-Hai!" His mother called again. "Go clean the shrine!"

Ping Hai was used to this treatment, so he jumped downstairs and began to clean the shrine again. However, his gaze was caught by an open window. Resisting against the cold temperatures, Ping Hai leaned over the window, peering outside.

He saw the streets, a young girl dressed in plain rags, and a boy.

The young girl was the homeless girl, who used to bully everyone all the time.

Meanwhile, the boy was the child who the young girl used to bully. "Hah!" The boy kicked at the young girl, knocking her over so that she'd crash against the brick wall. "You've always stolen others food and candy! How despicable! Why aren't you stealing now? Go and eat the mud!"

Ping Hai was surprised at how fast the tables turned.

The young girl was slumped over the wall. Her body was limp and weak, there was not a single trace of her energy two years ago. "Leave me alone..." She groaned.

"Two years ago, you've bullied my mom and I! I've come to get revenge!" The boy cried out. He kicked at the young girl, making her kneel over. "Why don't you apologize? I'd only forgive you if you'd kneel down and lick at my shoes until it's clean!"

Ping Hai's nose scrunched up at this scene.

In the back, as a spirit, Lan Zhan watched this scene with disdain and disapproval.

"Just leave me alone... didn't you hear me the first time?" The young girl wasn't having it that day. "Everyday is just the same... I steal... eat... sleep... wake up. I wonder..." She was groggy. "When will I sleep and never wake up...?"

"YOU'VE GONE CRAZY, HUH!?!" The boy fumed.

He raised his hand, intending to slap the girl. However, in the nick of time, the young girl caught his hand by the wrist. The young girl looked very scary at the moment. It had stunned the boy on the spot. All of a sudden, the boy snapped out of his trance. There was a growing pain at his wrist...

The young girl squeezed his wrist even tighter.

The boy struggled. "Ow! Get your filthy hands off of me!"

The young girl didn't listen. She continued squeezing, until the skin of the boy began to bluish and turn to a colour of purple...

"AHHH!!!" The boy yelled. His wrist had been dislocated.

At last, the young girl let him go. "Leave." She scowled. This time, the boy listened and ran off. Seeing his figure disappear from her sight, the young girl didn't laugh like how she did in the past. Indeed, she wore a sad smile, "...success." Her voice was groggy.

Ping Hai saw all of this. He knew that his older brother did too.

Later on, it was nighttime. The young girl limpidly walked around. Her entire body was covered in scars from fighting, and no matter how hard she washed, she couldn't wipe the disgusting dirt off of herself. "Hah..." The snow began to cover the ground. As time passed, the snow reached up to the young girl's knees.

She stared unblinkingly. She could barely feel the biting cold nor the whipping frost.

All of a sudden, the young girl collapsed headfirst into the snow.

Such thoughts roamed in her head, Why do I have to live everyday... I'm so tired... I don't want to fight anymore... I... I don't want to live anymore... Her entire body ached unbelievably, regardless if it was snowing or not.

She began to feel her warmth dissipating...

Then, a spark of flame arose.

The young girl was surprised. Her body was limp and fatigued, but she mustered up all her energy at the moment just to raise her head from the snow.

Ping Sha smiled, "Why don't you want to live?"

The young girl was mesmerized by the handsome face.

"Don't do it!" Wei Wuxian hollered in the background. "It's a scam!"

"I..." The young girl's voice was hoarse. Her eyes landed on the lit lantern, which Ping Sha held for warmth and light. "I'm tired." Every single day was tiring for her. She had to live in pain, and had to live with the bone-crushing anguish. She wanted to wait until her body gives out. Yet, her spirit gave out first.

Ping Sha held the lantern closer to the young girl. "Is it warm?"

The young girl's eyes were drawn to the lantern. There was a flowery design on the surface of the lantern, and the flame flickering inside of the box was contagiously warm....

All of a sudden, the young girl didn't feel so cold anymore.

"Um." She nodded. "It's warm."

Ping Sha smiled. "It is warmer at home." He pointed in the direction of his shrine. "Want to come with me?"

The young girl frowned. She didn't want to barge in uninvited, but when was she a polite person? "Why... why are you so kind to me?"

Ping Sha's smile remained unfaltering. "Because I like you."

The young girl found her heart skip a beat. She pursed her lips. "...I like you too." I like the lantern you're carrying. It's warm. I wonder if I can steal it later.

Ping Sha stated, "Then why not come with me? It is warm at home, you won't feel cold."

At last, the young girl agreed. "Mn."

Ping Sha smiled, "What's your name?"

The young girl said that she had none.

"Then from now on, your name is..." Ping Sha's eyes fell onto the flame, which flickered in his lantern, "Yi Ran."

Wei Wuxian: Today, my thoughts are... basically summarized up by the chapter title

Xie Lian: Same here, Wei-xiong

Wei Wuxian: ...WE HAVE TO SIT HERE AND EAT DOG FOOD! Where is Shen-xiong and his dog? They're so lucky...

Shen Qingqiu: Somehow, I feel like I've dodged a bullet