Snow drifted silently from the heavens, covering the vast capital in a blanket of pristine white.
Within the residence of the Grand Chancellor, the plum blossoms standing proudly in the courtyard bloomed against the harsh winter, their crimson petals contrasting beautifully with the snow that rested upon their branches.
Red lanterns swayed gently beneath the eaves as servants hurried through the corridors carrying charcoal braziers and steaming tea, careful not to disturb the peaceful atmosphere of the estate.
Inside the warm eastern courtyard, a tiny figure stood before the carved wooden window.
Her small hands rested on the windowsill while her dark, jewel-like eyes quietly watched the snowflakes dancing through the air.
After a long while...
She sighed.
Not the sigh a five-year-old child should make.
It was deep.
Heavy.
Filled with the helplessness of someone who had already lived one lifetime.
"...Sigh..."
Shen Xuan stared blankly at the snowy courtyard, her delicate brows furrowing ever so slightly.
"I’ve been here for five years already..."
She still found it unbelievable.
Five years ago, she had opened her eyes expecting to find herself in a hospital after collapsing from exhaustion.
Instead...
She had become a newborn baby.
At first, she thought it was merely a vivid dream.
Then she heard the adults around her speaking.
She learned her name.
Shen Xuan.
Affectionately called Awu by her family.
The youngest daughter of the Shen family.
The beloved granddaughter of the Grand Protector.
The treasured pearl of both the Shen and Gu households.
The moment she remembered those names...
She nearly cried herself unconscious.
Because she knew exactly where she was.
She had transmigrated into the novel she had once hate-read until the very last Chapter—
The Crown Prince’s Obsession.
A novel infamous for having one of the most obsessive male leads in existence.
Its protagonist...
Or rather...
Its unfortunate heroine...
Was Shen Xuan.
The Crown Prince loved her.
He loved her so much that he destroyed her family to sever every bond she had with the outside world.
He imprisoned her within a magnificent palace, surrounding her with priceless treasures and endless luxury while robbing her of the only thing she truly desired—
Freedom.
Even in the novel’s final Chapter, he never believed he had done anything wrong.
He simply wanted Shen Xuan to belong to him.
Forever.
When Shen Xuan finished reading that novel in her previous life, she had been so furious that she spent an entire hour reading the comments of thousands of readers cursing the male lead.
Who knew...
She would one day become that very Shen Xuan?
"...What terrible luck."
Another helpless sigh escaped her lips.
Fortunately...
The heavens had shown her a sliver of mercy.
She had transmigrated before the story officially began.
She was only five years old.
The Crown Prince was still just a child.
Nothing terrible had happened yet.
As long as she avoided him...
Avoided the palace...
Avoided becoming his white moonlight...
Surely she could change her fate.
This life...
She wanted nothing more than to become a carefree salted fish.
No palace schemes.
No tragic romance.
No imprisonment.
Just delicious food, warm quilts during winter, doting parents, protective siblings, and a peaceful life until old age.
Was that really too much to ask?
Behind her, the young maid attending to her froze upon hearing the little girl’s unusually sorrowful sigh.
"Second Miss..."
Xiao Mei hesitated before speaking softly.
"Are you feeling unwell? Would you like this servant to close the window? Or perhaps summon the physician?"
Shen Xuan immediately turned around, waving her tiny hands in panic.
"No, no! I’m perfectly fine!"
She forced an innocent smile that looked especially adorable on her chubby little face.
"I was only watching the snow."
Xiao Mei secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Ever since Second Miss had recovered from a fever a few months ago, she occasionally acted strangely—sometimes staring into space with an expression far too mature for a child.
Fortunately, the physicians had all declared that the little miss was perfectly healthy.
Just then, soft footsteps approached from outside.
Before Xiao Mei could announce the visitor, a gentle voice, warm as spring despite the winter chill, floated into the room.
"Awu."
Shen Xuan’s eyes immediately brightened.
"Big Sister!"
The little girl happily jumped off the cushioned couch and ran toward the entrance.
The moment the graceful young lady stepped inside, Shen Xuan threw herself into her embrace without hesitation.
Her elder sister laughed softly as she caught the small bundle in her arms.
"My little Awu."
She gently stroked Shen Xuan’s hair with boundless affection.
Shen Xuan buried her face in her sister’s robes, greedily enjoying the warmth.
A faint smile unconsciously appeared on her lips.
"Big Sister..."
"One of the few people who loved Shen Xuan until the very end of the original novel."
Even when the Shen family was destroyed...
Even when death stood before her...
Her elder sister had still chosen to protect Shen Xuan.
Remembering that ending made Shen Xuan’s heart ache.
"Don’t worry..."
"This time, I won’t let anything happen to our family."
Her sister gently pinched her soft cheeks.
"I heard Awu behaved well during her lessons today."
Shen Xuan puffed out her chest proudly.
"Of course!"
That adorable response earned a soft laugh from everyone in the room.
"I also brought you something."
A maid behind her sister stepped forward carrying an exquisitely carved lacquered food box.
When the lid was lifted, the sweet fragrance of freshly made pastries filled the room.
"I made these myself this morning."
Shen Xuan’s eyes sparkled.
"Big Sister made them?"
Her sister nodded.
"But Awu may only eat two. Mother said too many sweets will spoil your teeth."
Shen Xuan immediately hugged her sister again.
"Big Sister is the best!"
The room echoed with gentle laughter.
The sisters chatted for nearly half an hour before Shen Yuerou finally rose to leave, reminding Shen Xuan to keep warm and not to stay by the window for too long.
Only after watching her sister disappear beyond the courtyard gates did Shen Xuan whisper inwardly,
"Having an elder sister is wonderful..."
She happily spun around the room.
"Second Miss!"
Xiao Mei gasped in fright.
"Please slow down! If you fall, Madam will certainly blame this servant."
She hurried forward and carefully guided the energetic child back onto the cushioned couch.
Shen Xuan obediently sat down, though another helpless sigh escaped her lips.
Five years had passed since she transmigrated.
Five peaceful years.
Yet every day that passed also meant one day closer to the beginning of the original story.
Closer...
To meeting the Crown Prince.
"...Hopefully, I’ll never have anything to do with him."
Completely unaware that fate had already begun weaving their paths together, the little girl picked up a snowflake-shaped pastry and happily took a bite, silently praying that this lifetime would allow her to remain exactly what she wished to be—
A carefree salted fish.
A/N: For readers who might be confused, Shen Xuan transmigrated into the novel when she was a baby, but she immediately lost memories of her previous life.
She only regained them after the fever she had when she was Five years old.