Cheng Simian is a very gentle-sounding name. When spoken aloud, it feels soft, like a light breeze.
But anyone who knows Cheng Simian knows that she is nothing like her name. If she really were wind, she would be a tornado.
Perhaps because she was too domineering, when she was abandoned, it was all the more pitiful.
Now, Cheng Simian stood in front of a small villa, with only a single suitcase by her side.
Ten minutes later, a car pulled into the parking space. A man stepped out—wearing a casual suit and polished leather shoes.
Cheng Simian watched him walk closer step by step. Her gaze swept over his angry face, turning slightly cold, her pink lips pressed into a thin line.
“What kind of look is that? What are you looking at like that?” Cheng Qin felt his scalp tingle.
“Why did your dad dump you on me? And why did you actually come looking for me? What kind of person is he?!”
Cheng Simian leaned against her suitcase, lifted her eyes to look at him, and replied casually,
“Uncle, he’s your biological brother. He went bankrupt and ran away. You’re his only remaining family, so… he dumped me on you.”
“Brother my ass!” Cheng Qin snorted.
“Ever since my dad, who is also your grandfather, died, I’ve had nothing to do with him. When he was rich and successful, he never spared me a thought. Now that he’s bankrupt and on the run, suddenly he knows to come to me for help?”
“Go find someone else. Live with whoever you want.”
“But aside from you, I have no one else to turn to.”
Cheng Simian withdrew the coldness from her eyes. A pitiful expression appeared instantly.
“And I don’t have a single cent on me.”
Cheng Qin nearly choked on his breath.
“Then how am I supposed to take care of you?! I’m in the prime of my youth and still need to find a girlfriend, okay? You’re way too big a burden!”
“You don’t need to take care of me, and I won’t interfere with you finding a girlfriend,” Cheng Simian said seriously.
“As long as you give me a place to live and put out an extra pair of chopsticks at mealtimes, that’s enough. My school fees were paid earlier, so you don’t need to worry about tuition. If you’re feeling kind… you could give me some pocket money.”
“You—!” Cheng Qin completely lost it.
Cheng Simian pouted slightly. Her large eyes filled with tears.
“Uncle, you’re my only family now. My mom doesn’t want me, my dad doesn’t want me either. If you don’t take me in, I’ll end up wandering the streets. Uncle, I’m scared.”
Her voice trembled, and paired with her Oscar-worthy acting, she looked unbearably pitiful.
Cheng Qin felt a tug at his heart. A few years ago, before their relationship had soured, he had genuinely doted on this niece of his.
But he hated his brother’s despicable behavior. Why should he run away after messing up and dump his daughter on him?! Were they that close?!
“My dad will come back. I won’t disturb you for long, okay?”
Cheng Simian tugged at Cheng Qin’s sleeve.
“Uncle, please. Just let me stay. Otherwise… my dad has so many enemies, I don’t even know if I’ll be—”
Cheng Qin closed his eyes and finally gave in. To be honest, he had already been wavering—otherwise, he wouldn’t have shown up at all.
“I’m not the only one living here. And I won’t give you lots of money to squander. You’re no longer a young miss, understand?”
Cheng Simian nodded vigorously.
“I’m very frugal!”
“Hmph. It’d better be that way. Come in with me.”
Cheng Qin took out his keys and opened the door.
“I still have something to deal with later. Stay here by yourself for now.”
“Mm.”
“Because of you, I had to cut short a dinner engagement. Seriously…”
“Uncle, you haven’t graduated yet, right? Fourth year?”
Cheng Simian followed him inside.
“That’s pretty impressive.”
“If I weren’t impressive, I’d have starved to death long ago,” Cheng Qin scoffed.
“Your heartless father took most of your grandfather’s estate after he died, while I was still young and clueless. Damn it, just thinking about it makes me mad!”
“Don’t be angry, don’t be angry. Look, didn’t he get his karma in the end?”
Cheng Simian curled her lips slightly.
“People who are too greedy always do.”
Cheng Qin glanced back at her.
“You talk about your own father like that?”
“Uncle, we’re on the same side now.”
She smiled faintly.
“You were abandoned as a younger brother, and I was abandoned as a daughter. Isn’t that kind of the same misery?”
“Get lost. Who’s sharing misery with you?”
Cheng Qin tugged at his tie.
“My room is upstairs on the left. The other rooms belong to other people. As for you—before I get back, you’re not allowed to touch anything. Sit obediently in the living room. Got it?”
Cheng Simian nodded.
“Good. I’ve got something urgent. I’m leaving.”
“Hey, Uncle!”
Cheng Qin didn’t acknowledge her at all. He opened the door and left.
Cheng Simian heard the sound of the car starting. She gave up trying to stop him.
She had no money. She had walked here today—an entire day on foot. She was exhausted… and starving.
Between exhaustion and hunger, Cheng Simian chose hunger. She curled up on the sofa and fell asleep.
Two hours later, she woke up from hunger. She opened her eyes and looked around. It was quiet—only a single chandelier was lit.
It was already past eleven. Cheng Qin still hadn’t returned.
Cheng Simian got up and went to the kitchen to look for food. She opened the fridge—it was completely empty, except for a lone apple lying inside, who knew how long it had been there.
Cheng Simian: “……”
Click.
Someone unlocked the door.
Cheng Simian’s eyes lit up. The moment she thought about Cheng Qin being back, she thought about food. She immediately trotted to the door, planning to greet him with maximum enthusiasm.
“Uncle~ you’re finally back, I—”
Her voice cut off abruptly. Cheng Simian froze, staring blankly outside the door.
The person outside also paused, his hand stopping on the doorknob.
The man opening the door was dressed in a black suit with a black tie, his hair neat and meticulous. He stood there carrying the chill of the night air with him.
A friend of Uncle’s? Cheng Simian assessed him quietly. He was really good-looking.
His skin was pale, his brows and eyes calm, lips gently pressed together. The face looking at her was so refined it hardly seemed real.
Warm and composed—but not the kind of gentleness that invited casual conversation. Rather, it made people want to simply look from afar. Perhaps this was what “admire but do not approach” meant.
“You are?” He parted his lips slightly, puzzled.
Cheng Simian was usually quick with words and acting, but at this moment, she actually stalled.
He stepped closer, looking down at her. “Uncle? Who are you calling that?”
Cheng Simian unconsciously took a step back.
“My name is Cheng Simian.”
He said nothing.
She cleared her throat and continued, “I came to look for my uncle, Cheng Qin. He told me to wait at home and then went out. He still hasn’t come back. Do you know where he is?”
He raised his brows slightly, as if understanding.
“He has a business engagement tonight. He might be back late.”
“Oh…”
He nodded, walked past her, then turned back after a few steps, frowning slightly.
“Do you need me to help you contact him?”
Cheng Simian nodded eagerly.
“Yes, please.”
She watched as he took out his phone.
Her gaze flicked briefly to his hand—long, slender fingers with well-defined knuckles, fair and clean. His nails were neatly trimmed, smooth like pearly shells at his fingertips.
“Here,” he said, holding it out.
Cheng Simian withdrew her gaze and took the phone from his hand.
The phone rang for a long time with no answer. When the automated female voice finally came on, Cheng Simian handed the phone back.
“No one picked up.”
“Mmh.” He put the phone away.
“He should be back later. If you want to sleep, you can rest in his room.”
With that, he turned and headed toward the stairs.
“Hey! Wait!” Cheng Simian called out to him.
“What’s your name?”
He turned back, paused briefly, but answered nonetheless.
“Su Xianyan.”
Polite. Distant.
Cheng Simian silently repeated the name to herself. Then, just as he was about to go upstairs, she stepped forward and tugged lightly at his sleeve. Her voice was clear, but pitiful.
“Su Xianyan, I’m about to starve to death. Could you give me something to eat?”
A few minutes later, Cheng Simian sat at the table, propping her chin on her hand as she watched Su Xianyan boil water in the kitchen.
“Do you need help?” she asked.
“Just sit,” he replied. His voice was slightly low, smooth and rich, distinctly magnetic.
“Oh.” Cheng Simian swung her legs gently.
Cheng Simian was a very sharp person. She knew when to appear weak and when to be strong. She used to do whatever she pleased, but now she couldn’t.
She needed a place to live, so in front of Cheng Qin she acted as pitiful and obedient as possible. Now she needed food, so in front of Su Xianyan she was even more compliant.
Half an hour passed.
“Eat.”
Su Xianyan set a steaming plate of dumplings in front of her.
“This is all that’s left in the house.”
“I thought there was only one apple left. Turns out there were dumplings in the freezer.”
Cheng Simian pulled the bowl toward herself and ate at lightning speed. After a full day without food, biting into warm, meat-filled dumplings made her feel like she was ascending to heaven.
Su Xianyan watched the small girl in front of him and vaguely recalled Cheng Qin mentioning—complaining about—this child’s father before.
Not long ago, he’d heard that Cheng Qin’s brother had gone bankrupt. Cheng Qin had sighed about how his niece was going from princess to Cinderella. He hadn’t expected to see that very niece in his home today.
“Su Xianyan, you’re really nice.”
Cheng Simian suddenly looked up at him. Her eyes were bright, full of childlike satisfaction. Su Xianyan froze slightly as she continued,
“This is the first meal I’ve had all day. No one cared whether I ate or not—only you made dumplings for me.”
Su Xianyan, “……”
It wasn’t that he was nice—it was just that she’d clung to him so pitifully, insisting he conjure food for her.
Cheng Simian was truly starving. She finished the bowl of dumplings quickly.
Letting out a satisfied breath, she stood up.
“I’ll clean up.”
She diligently gathered the bowls and chopsticks.
Su Xianyan watched the little girl walking past him. She barely reached his chest, thin and frail-looking. He remembered Cheng Qin saying this child was wild and disobedient, but from what he could see now, she seemed… quite all right.
The door opened again—this time it really was Cheng Qin returning.
When Cheng Qin entered and saw Su Xianyan, he was surprised.
“You didn’t sleep at the company tonight?”
“No. I came back.”
“Then you saw Cheng Simian, right?”
Before he finished speaking, Cheng Simian popped out of the kitchen with a smile.
“Uncle, you’re back! He made dumplings for me earlier. I’m really full.”
Cheng Qin’s eyes widened slightly.
“You made dumplings for her?”
Su Xianyan hummed in acknowledgment.
“You left a kid alone at home and didn’t even answer your phone?”
“Sorry about that.” Cheng Qin scratched his head.
“I went out to eat with President Lin and the others. It was hectic—I didn’t have time to worry about her.”
“It’s fine, Uncle. You were busy, that’s understandable. You don’t need to worry about me.”
Cheng Simian wore an expression that clearly said I’m really well-behaved.
Cheng Qin shot her a look.
“At least thank him properly.”
“I already did, didn’t I? Right, Su Xianyan?”
Cheng Qin tapped her on the head.
“Call him ‘Uncle.’ Calling him by name—where are your manners?”
Cheng Simian glanced at Su Xianyan.
Calling her uncle “Uncle” made sense because of blood relations, so it didn’t feel strange. But this person in front of her… such a young, handsome man—she was supposed to call him “Uncle”?
“Call him Uncle Su?”
She muttered,
“Even the flat and retroflex sounds get tangled up…”
“Hey, you—”
Su Xianyan chuckled softly.
“Call me whatever you like. No need to be so formal.”
With that, he looked at Cheng Qin.
“I’ll head back to my room. You two talk.”
“Oh, okay.”
Su Xianyan went upstairs as he spoke. Cheng Simian’s gaze followed him the entire way, until he disappeared around the corner of the staircase…