Butterfly Brand

*Dark, scheming hero vs. delightfully oblivious heroine

1.

Pei Xi first met Xu Xizhou when she was six. He had transferred to her small town with his parents, and by chance became her classmate.

One day, their teacher asked them to play a game where they pretended to call a puppy. Pei Xi looked around. The other kids all averted their eyes; it seemed none of them wanted to be her puppy.

At last, she pointed at Xu Xizhou and blurted out, "Can you be my dog?"

2.

Years later, they met again. By then, one was the star of the school, while the other was still a transfer student unfamiliar with the place.

They had thought their paths would never cross again, but a physics class reshuffle forced them together.

"Pei Xi isn't very strong in physics. Xu Xizhou, help your new deskmate out."

Before the teacher had even finished speaking, the boy was already sitting beside her with a stack of workbooks.

"Why do you keep showing up everywhere?" Pei Xi muttered.

But when he heard her, he pressed his lips together slightly, then echoed the joke she'd made years ago, his voice carrying a hint of innocence.

"Didn't you say I was your dog?"

"A puppy can't leave its owner."

3.

Later, Xu Xizhou suffered hearing loss in an accident. He could only communicate with her while wearing hearing aids, though Pei Xi always thought their conversations were no different than before.

Until one day, she came back from outside to find the room dimly lit. Xu Xizhou was leaning against the wall, staring straight at her. After a moment, he finally spoke.

"Who was that guy in your social media photo today?"

"Why were you standing so close to him?" His voice held a trace of grievance.

Pei Xi instinctively avoided his gaze and answered in a flat voice. "He's just an ordinary..."

Unfortunately, before she could finish, he strode toward her. Pei Xi was about to make another excuse, but Xu Xizhou had already taken off his hearing aids with a backward flick of his hand, deliberately putting on an innocent expression. A faint smile seemed to linger on his lips.

"Once I take these off... I won't stop."

"No matter how much you call for me, I won't be able to hear you..."

Theme: A wish difficult to fulfill, shoulders that cannot stand together