Chapter 1: First Meeting
By the time Su Yueyue stepped off the train, it was already past five in the afternoon. The August breeze was warm, carrying a touch of heat as it blew toward her.
Her long hair fluttered in the wind, revealing her smooth, fair face. Her clear eyes, however, held a trace of confusion and weariness. Upon closer inspection, one could see that her left eye was a deep shade of blue, as if it contained the vastness of the ocean and the stars—slightly enigmatic.
She was small and delicate, struggling a bit with pulling her heavy suitcase.
Even though it was already evening, the temperature in Jinghai City remained high, and beads of sweat quickly appeared on Su Yueyue’s forehead, making her pale face flush slightly.
It was her first time in this city, and the unfamiliar surroundings made her sigh softly as she stepped out of the station.
“Yueyue!” a woman’s voice called out.
Su Yueyue turned toward the sound and saw a woman in an apricot-colored dress, probably in her thirties, walking briskly toward her. The woman had an exquisite face, and her hair was neatly styled in an elegant updo, giving her an air of refinement.
Su Yueyue walked toward her, the fatigue on her face disappearing as she managed a soft smile.
“Aunt Qin, hello,” she said in a gentle voice, her tone pleasant. “You didn’t have to trouble yourself to come all the way here. I could have managed on my own…”
“How could you manage on your own?” Qin Yixue said, sounding a bit surprised but still gentle. “This is your first time here, Yueyue. What if you got lost?”
Su Yueyue blinked, looking at the kind woman in front of her with a hint of surprise in her eyes.
Whenever her father had sent her to stay with relatives in the past, they’d always been distant and cold. They thought her eyes were ominous, and their prejudice had always been clear.
But this woman, Aunt Qin, was different—she was kind, had come all the way to the train station to meet her, and it didn’t seem like she minded her eyes at all.
While Su Yueyue was lost in thought, a man in a black suit appeared behind Qin Yixue and walked toward her.
“Miss Su, let me help you with your luggage,” he said, extending a hand toward her.
Su Yueyue blinked, hesitantly handing her suitcase to him.
The man took the suitcase and walked toward a black Maybach parked nearby.
“Let’s go,” Qin Yixue said, taking Su Yueyue’s hand as they walked together.
Jingming Residence was one of the most prestigious residential areas in Jinghai City.
The car stopped in front of a villa, and Su Yueyue followed Qin Yixue closely, her steps light and cautious.
She had heard of Jingming Residence—only the rich and influential lived there. It made her wonder why her father knew someone like Aunt Qin.
“Yueyue, come on, let Aunt show you your room and see if you like it,” Qin Yixue said with a smile, ruffling the girl’s hair, unable to hide her admiration for how beautiful the girl was.
The entire house was decorated in warm shades of off-white and pale gold, creating a cozy and welcoming atmosphere.
“Okay,” Su Yueyue replied softly.
Before she could take in more of the room, a boy came downstairs.
The moment Su Yueyue saw him, she was struck by how handsome he was—tall and slender, with refined features that seemed almost like a painting.
His eyes were dark as ink, and his face was sharply defined, with a hint of rebelliousness. A black earring in his left ear added to his cool, untamed aura.
“Hey, Chenchen,” Qin Yixue called out to him. “This is the younger sister I told you about yesterday.”
Baili Chen’s gaze fell on the girl, his expression indifferent. He studied her for a moment.
His attention was drawn first to her eyes—one dark, the other deep blue—strikingly unusual and yet beautiful.
She seemed delicate, wearing a simple white T-shirt and denim overalls. Her long hair hung down naturally, making her appear obedient and demure.
But what really stood out was her face, which was strikingly pretty—her big, clear eyes were pure, though they carried a touch of anxiety and shyness.
Su Yueyue noticed his gaze and, feeling a little self-conscious, nervously said, “Hello, Brother.”
But the boy simply ignored her, retracting his gaze and returning to whatever he had been doing.
Qin Yixue seemed used to her son’s aloof attitude. She muttered a few words and led Su Yueyue upstairs.
“How do you like it, Yueyue? Do you like the room?” she asked with a warm smile.
The room was beautifully arranged, and compared to where Su Yueyue had lived before, it felt like a completely different world.
Su Yueyue stood there, staring at the room in a daze. She had expected that moving to this city would just mean finding a new place to live, that her life would remain the same as before.
But everything that was happening now seemed to suggest that things might not be what she had imagined.
“Yueyue? What’s wrong?” Qin Yixue asked, noticing the girl’s distant look. Then she asked gently, “Do you not like it?”
“No, Auntie,” Su Yueyue quickly replied. “It’s just… you didn’t have to go through so much trouble…”
“Alright, as long as you like it, that’s all that matters,” Qin Yixue said with a smile, reaching up to gently pat her cheek. “Don’t worry about the rest.”
The girl was truly so sweet!
“…Thank you, Auntie,” Su Yueyue said, her eyes misting slightly. No one had ever been so kind to her before, aside from her mother.
For a moment, she even felt that Aunt Qin resembled her mother a little bit.
Seeing the girl’s slightly reddened eyes and the caution in her gaze made Qin Yixue’s heart ache. She didn’t know what this girl had gone through to become like this.
A girl of sixteen or seventeen, at the height of blooming youth, should have had eyes full of smiles.
Later That Night
After settling Su Yueyue in, Qin Yixue was about to leave the room when she was suddenly called back by the girl’s voice.
“Hmm? What’s wrong, Yueyue?” Qin Yixue turned back, her voice full of concern.
“Could you… could you leave the light on?” Su Yueyue asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
“Are you afraid of the dark?” Qin Yixue asked gently.
Su Yueyue looked at her for a moment, then nodded.
“Alright, Auntie will leave the light on for you.”
Qin Yixue smiled, then walked over to turn on the bedside lamp before switching off the chandelier above. The warm yellow light illuminated the room, casting a soft glow on the girl’s delicate face.
“Goodnight, Yueyue.” Qin Yixue leaned down and kissed her forehead.
Su Yueyue’s clear eyes shimmered with moisture, and she smiled slightly. “Goodnight, Auntie.”
In that moment, she thought: Aunt Qin must be an angel sent by my mother to protect me…