Seeing Jiang Mo, Bronya was excited, but also a little hurt. "Didn't you say you'd never come back here? Why did you…"
"I was just thinking of you, so I came to visit," he said evasively, holding out the slushy. "Here. I bought this especially for you."
Bronya was completely stunned. She looked from the exquisite, mountain-like dessert in the cup to him. "What… is this?"
He realized that for an orphan who considered a piece of bread a luxury, a dessert made for enjoyment was an alien concept. He explained what it was. "It's delicious. Go on, try it."
Bronya carefully took the cup, shivering at its cold touch. She scooped a tiny bit of the ice into her mouth. The cold, sweet flavor exploded on her tongue. Her eyes widened, her face breaking into a radiant smile of pure surprise. It was like a flower suddenly blooming in the ruins, so bright you couldn't look away. It was the first time he had seen her smile so happily.
"It's delicious…" she breathed, eagerly taking another spoonful. "Where did you buy this?"
"At a stall in the town center," he replied, gently swinging. "It was expensive, but it's worth it if you like it."
"Expensive?" she paused. "How much?"
"Hmm… fifty Winter City Coins."
"Fifty?" She tilted her head, confused. He realized she had no concept of money and rephrased. "It's about what you'd get for food for four or five days."
Her eyes widened in shock. This little thing cost several days' worth of meals? She stared at him, then at the half-eaten dessert. Suddenly, she scooped up a large spoonful and quickly put it in his mouth. The cold, sweet, milky flavor filled his mouth. He was taken aback but swallowed instinctively.
"What are you doing?" he asked, amused.
She smiled at him. "Something this good, Jiang Mo-gege has to eat it too!"
The pure and simple gesture touched something soft deep inside him. This kid…
He pointed to a faded hopscotch grid on the ground. "Bronya, do you remember how to play? I taught you before, but you kept messing up and stomping your feet in frustration."
Her cheeks flushed. "I remember. You laughed at me for being clumsy… but I can do it now, watch!" She jumped up and hopped through the grid. Her movements were still a bit clumsy, but she was much better than before.
"Not bad," he praised.
She sat back down. "By the way," he said, "that perfect glass marble we found, I let you keep it. Where did you put it?"
That marble was a rare, flawless treasure in the Underworld.
Her eyes flickered. "Oh, that marble… I'm keeping it safe." She slowed down her eating, her small fingers tracing the rim of the cup. After a moment of silence, she finally asked the question that had been weighing on her mind. "Jiang Mo-gege… why did you stop coming?"
He paused. "I've been busy. But I'm here now, aren't I? What's wrong, Bronya?"
She didn't look at him, muttering as if to herself, "I thought… you stopped coming because you hated me…"
He looked at her bowed head, a wave of emotion washing over him. He didn't hate her. He hated this place.
"How could I?" he said seriously, meeting her eyes. "You're different to me, Bronya. You're special."
She looked up at him, her face flushing slightly, but her eyes shone with the joy of being acknowledged.
A few other children were watching from a distance, their eyes fixed on the delicious-looking slushy in Bronya's hands. They began to whisper, their expressions a mix of envy and jealousy. "What is that? It looks so good!" "How did Bronya get that?"
One of the bolder kids, a boy with freckles, strode towards them, two smaller children trailing behind him. "Hey!" he shouted. "What is that thing? Let me have a taste!"
Jiang Mo turned, his expression unreadable. The boy faltered for a step.
"This is for Bronya. There's none for you," Jiang Mo said flatly.
The freckled boy's face turned red with humiliation. "What! Why only her?!" another kid cried out. "Yeah! We don't get any!"
Jiang Mo didn't answer, just sat there radiating an unapproachable aura. Perhaps it was because he had faced death, or perhaps it was the system, but he was completely different from the little scavenger he used to be.
The freckled boy's anger and sense of unfairness grew. Why did they have to eat dry bread while this quiet, unsociable Bronya got something so good?
"Jiang Mo… right, I remember. Weren't you the one who got beat up by Huzi and his gang?" the boy suddenly shouted, remembering something.
Jiang Mo's eyes narrowed. Huzi's gang sometimes came to the orphanage for food. Natasha, seeing that they behaved themselves there, would give them a meal. Huzi must have bragged about it to the other kids.
"Get lost. It's none of your business," Jiang Mo snapped.
The boy flinched at his glare, but the intense greed for the slushy overcame his fear. If he couldn't have it, he didn't want Bronya to have it either. His eyes darted around, and he suddenly bent down and picked up a sharp piece of rock.
"You won't share, huh?! Then nobody gets any!" he screamed, raising his arm and taking aim at the cup in Bronya's hands, about to throw it.
Bronya cried out, instinctively trying to shield her treat.
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