Today I ran into Su Qingning in the alley again. She wore a cotton dress washed so pale it had nearly faded white, and held a book in her hands. She was like a white butterfly that had wandered into the mortal world.
I followed her from a distance, watching as she stopped outside the used bookstore and greeted the owner with a smile. When she smiled, two faint dimples appeared at the corners of her mouth, and her eyes sparkled as if they held stars. Suddenly, I wanted to keep her smile forever, even if I had to pay any price for it.
But the way the men around her looked at her made me sick. They stared at her greedily, like hungry wolves eyeing their prey. I clenched my fists, my nails digging deep into my flesh, as a powerful urge to kill welled up inside me.
She is mine, and mine alone. No one can take her away from me.
