Safe Haven

The day after his mother died, Qiao Zhi was tricked by his stepfather into being sold off to pay a debt. Though he'd braced himself for anything, he still couldn't help vomiting when he saw the man take off his clothes, revealing blotchy skin and soft, sagging flesh.

Just as he was beaten until he had only a breath left, the door suddenly slid open from the outside.

A few seconds later, a man's voice came from outside. "Sorry, wrong room."

A nice voice. A gentleman.

Driven by a powerful will to survive, Qiao Zhi reached out an arm. Blood dripped from his fingertips onto the floor as he begged the man to save him.

Not long afterward, in a garden full of blooming roses, Qiao Zhi saw the person who had nearly beaten him to death. He was kneeling on the ground, tears and snot streaming down his face.

The man beckoned to him and showed him what to do.

Qiao Zhi's foot pressed down on the other's injured leg, while the person beneath him howled like a dog. Qiao Zhi felt a little lost, but the man's hand came to rest on his head, stroking him gently as he praised him. "Good boy."

.

Theme: Life holds countless possibilities.