Nianchu quickly hugged her bag and hurried to keep pace beside him.
This was her first time on an airplane, and everything around her felt unfamiliar and novel.
She didn't dare move or touch anything. After taking her seat, she kept her hands neatly folded on her lap, more obedient than she'd ever been in class.
After sitting idly for a while with nothing to do, her gaze couldn't help but drift toward the person beside her.
Jiang Tiansong was reviewing documents on his tablet, his long lashes slightly lowered, his cold, sharp features looking quite serious.
Sensing the girl's movement, he spoke coldly: "Something wrong?"
Nianchu quickly shook her head, then realizing he hadn't even looked at her, she whispered:
"Nothing."
For the rest of the journey, she didn't dare let her eyes wander again.
Her heart was filled with confusion about the uncertain road ahead and a faint sense of fear.
But then she thought of the words her grandfather had spoken before he passed, and the brand-new name on her documents now.
Amidst her worries, a thread of hope and anticipation for the future gradually grew.
Take it one step at a time, Nianchu thought.
Surely nothing could be worse than being trapped in that small mountain village for the rest of her life, forced into marriage.
Tianbei Airport.
Jiang Tiansong stepped off the plane, and his attendants efficiently headed to the conveyor belt to retrieve the luggage.
Nianchu was about to follow closely at his side as before, but the man's phone rang at that moment.
Whether it was her imagination or not, in that instant, the man's entire demeanor seemed to shift.
The ice was melting, and a hint of softness crept into his brow.
Jiang Tiansong said gently: "Grandpa."
The person on the other end said something, and he lowered his gaze to look at Nianchu.
The girl had been standing beside him, looking up at him with eager eyes.
But the moment Jiang Tiansong looked over, she quickly dropped her head again, silently staring at her own feet.
Jiang Tiansong said: "She's been picked up. I'll bring her to see you now."
The other party said something else, and he replied patiently: "Alright, whatever you say."
When he hung up, the coldness returned to his features, and the brief moment of tenderness just now seemed to have been her imagination.
"Xiao Lin," Jiang Tiansong called. "Take her to get something to eat, then buy her some proper clothes. Also get her whatever daily necessities a young woman might need."
The Jiang family was overflowing with masculine energy—Grandpa Jiang had two sons and six grandsons.
Boys had long since lost their novelty in his eyes.
But Nianchu, the granddaughter of his old comrade-in-arms, was something fresh.
Grandpa had been plagued by illness in recent years, his condition worsening with each passing year. This was a rare bit of hope, and Jiang Tiansong didn't want to disappoint him.
"Also take her to get a new look. Make her look more like a girl—at least somewhat presentable."
Xiao Lin acknowledged each instruction. After finishing his orders, Jiang Tiansong took his tablet and turned to enter the airport's VIP lounge to continue with his work.
Nianchu, still dazed and confused, instinctively tried to follow him again, but Xiao Lin stopped her:
"Miss Liang, Mr. Jiang needs to focus on work right now. Come with me."
Nianchu glanced once more in Jiang Tiansong's direction, watching him stride away without so much as a single look back at her.
She pressed her lips together, then left with Xiao Lin.
Xiao Lin walked ahead, his tone carrying just the right measure of warmth: "Miss Liang is eighteen?"
When Nianchu nodded, he pulled a notebook from his briefcase: "I forgot to confirm earlier—may I ask your height and weight? I'll note down your clothing sizes."
As Nianchu gave him the numbers, he quickly jotted them down: "Any particular color preferences? Mr. Jiang asked me to get your daily necessities, so I'd like to make sure they suit your tastes."
"…I've never been too particular about that," Nianchu said, clutching the hem of her clothes.
Xiao Lin slowed his pace to let Nianchu catch up: "Earlier, when you were picking out toiletries, I noticed you lingered on the lavender-scented one. Do you like that fragrance? I'll have the shopkeeper prepare an extra set or two."
Passing a shoe store, he pointed at the display window: "Mr. Jiang asked me to pick comfortable styles. Do you usually prefer flats or shoes with a slight heel? Do you do much sports?"
Nianchu quietly said she'd only ever had rubber shoes at home, and Xiao Lin didn't press further. As he pushed open the shop door, he told the clerk: "Get two pairs of slip-resistant sneakers, and two pairs of soft leather flats."
Sunlight streamed through the mall's glass ceiling, casting diamond-shaped glints off the metal buckle of his briefcase.
This man who always stood half a step behind Jiang Tiansong maintained a perfectly courteous smile as he spoke, every question landing squarely within practical matters, yet each detail carried a thoughtful consideration.
After they'd walked around the mall and bought the basic daily necessities, Liang Nianchu felt herself relaxing a little.
Following Jiang Tiansong's instructions, Xiao Lin then took her to buy clothes.
He didn't have a younger sister of his own, so he had no idea how girls her age dressed.
He found a trendy boutique, glanced at Nianchu's size, and told her to go try things on.
While Nianchu was in the fitting room, Xiao Lin's phone rang—Jiang Tiansong calling to ask where they were.
Grandpa Jiang had also called, asking where the girl was now.
Though he hadn't said it outright, it was clear he was eager to see her.
Nianchu naturally took Grandpa's wishes as the priority and didn't want to waste any more time.
Xiao Lin quickly replied: "We haven't done the makeover yet—currently buying clothes. Everything else is just about done."
Jiang Tiansong: "Send me the clothing store address."
A moment later, he came up on the elevator.
Nianchu was still in the fitting room. Jiang Tiansong glanced in that direction, then tossed the car keys to Xiao Lin.
"You go get the car. I'll settle the bill."
Nianchu had run into trouble in the fitting room. The dress she was trying on had its zipper on the side of the collar—unlike any garment she was familiar with.
She hadn't noticed when she put it on, but as she pulled it over her head, her hair got caught in the zipper.
The dress was draped over her head, plunging her into darkness. She couldn't see a thing. She thought she could handle it herself, but after fumbling for a long while, her scalp was growing more and more painful, and her hair was getting more and more tangled in the zipper.
With no other option, Nianchu whispered for help:
"Is anyone there? Could you help me?"
She was disheveled, couldn't see where she was going, and didn't dare walk out like this.
She remembered there was a female shop assistant when she came in, and Nianchu hoped she would come to her rescue.
But the assistant was busy introducing clothes to other customers and didn't hear a thing.
Jiang Tiansong waited five minutes. The fitting room door showed no sign of opening. He realized something was wrong.
Frowning, he walked over and knocked twice on the door.
"Liang Nianchu?"
Finally, someone had come. Nianchu felt as if she'd been granted a reprieve.
Through the door panel, she assumed it was Xiao Lin getting impatient.
Embarrassed and conflicted, she whispered:
"Brother Xiao Lin, I'm in trouble."
Jiang Tiansong had already guessed as much. "What's wrong?"
Nianchu tried moving the zipper again, and a sharp tearing pain shot through her scalp. She hissed and gave up on self-rescue entirely.
"My hair is tangled in the dress. I've tried for a long time, but I can't get it out myself."
In the darkness, she heard a faint click—the fitting room door being opened.
Nianchu was still trapped under the garment. The pale pink top was slightly cropped, covering her head but leaving an entire stretch of her waist exposed.
Jiang Tiansong lowered his head slightly and caught a glimpse of white skin.
He quickly averted his gaze, focusing instead on the collar where the hair was tangled.
"Don't move."
His long fingers reached over, and his palm pressed gently on top of her head. "Lower your head."
Nianchu obediently bent forward.
The man's hand quickly settled in place as he looked down to assess the situation.
He saw that her glossy black hair had become nearly fused with the zipper, impossible to tell apart.
Nianchu knew how awkward she must look right now, too embarrassed to speak.
From time to time, a faint tickle came from the top of her head—the man's fingers, working through her tangled mess of hair.
Time seemed to stretch endlessly, unbearably slow.
The darkness persisted for what felt like an eternity. Finally, with the sound of the zipper opening, the man withdrew his hand.
"Alright. Try pulling the dress down."
Nianchu did as she was told, and sure enough, this time the garment slid smoothly down onto her body.
"Phew…" She let out a long, relieved breath. Her face was flushed red from the ordeal, but she broke into a smile. "Thank you, Brother Xiao Lin. Just now, I really—"
The words died in her throat. She stared in shock at the tall, cold, imposing man before her.
Mr., Mr. Jiang?
How could it be him?
The moment she saw his face, Nianchu was so startled she nearly bit her tongue.
Instinctively, she stepped back, putting distance between them. Like a child who'd done something wrong, she lowered her head and stammered an apology:
"I—I'm sorry, Mr. Jiang. I've caused you trouble."
Jiang Tiansong ignored her apology, his gaze shifting to the other clothes Xiao Lin had picked out beside her.
"Have you tried these on?"
Nianchu didn't dare admit she'd spent all this time on just the first outfit, wasting so much of it.
She mumbled, head bowed. "Mm."
Jiang Tiansong swiped his card at the register, the metal cardholder snapping shut with a crisp click. He turned to look at Nianchu, his gaze lingering on her for half a second.
"Come here." He turned and walked toward the women's boutique next door, where a model in the glass display window wore an off-white dress that shimmered with a pearlescent glow under the spotlights.
The shop assistant immediately stepped forward to open the door, but Jiang Tiansong walked straight to the back of the display area and pulled out a navy blue blouse and a matching A-line skirt.
"Change into these." He handed the clothes to Nianchu. As she took them, she noticed the embossed gold logo on the tag and thought to herself, these must be very expensive.
The fitting room mirror reflected a completely different image: the navy blue brought out a healthy glow in Liang Nianchu's complexion, and the knee-length skirt revealed just the most slender part of her calves. Jiang Tiansong leaned against the fitting room doorway. "Turn around."
The hem of the skirt swept into an elegant arc as she turned. He nodded to the shop assistant. "Pair it with those leather shoes." When Nianchu stepped into them, she found the insoles lined with soft lambskin—she made almost no sound as she walked.
"Let your hair down." Jiang Tiansong spoke suddenly. The moment Nianchu undid her braid, softly waved black hair cascaded down to her waist.
As they left the store, Xiao Lin had already packed up the clothes she'd changed out of. Jiang Tiansong looked at Nianchu in her new outfit, pressed to perfection without a single wrinkle, and gave a satisfied nod.
"That's fine." He spoke indifferently, his steps never pausing as he walked toward the elevator. Nianchu looked down at the navy suit she was wearing, and couldn't help but sneak a glance at her reflection in the fitting mirror as she passed by.
Oh my god, was that girl in the mirror really her?
The same face, the same hairstyle.
Yet somehow, she looked so different.
Nianchu realized that Jiang Tiansong, despite appearing cold and aloof, hid an unmistakable refinement and attention to detail in the smallest things.
Moments later, when she stepped out again, Nianchu was completely transformed from head to toe.