Yan Sui sweetly said thank you.
Her eyes still brimmed with tears, and when she smiled, she looked like a peach blossom adorned with dew, tender and delicate.
The other person seemed to be scalded, taking another step back.
His back was almost pressed against the wall.
The young girl was in a hurry to wash her eyes and couldn’t see much else, hastily turning on the faucet and rinsing for a while.
With her eyes closed, she fumbled for the hand towel on the sink, searching for a long time.
Suddenly, a warm, dry sensation brushed against her fingertips.
As her fingers curled, she grabbed the towel, and through the fabric, she touched a slender, well-defined finger.
The other person’s finger retracted quickly. Yan Sui paused for a moment before saying thank you again.
Finally tidying herself up, she looked over and was surprised to find that he was still there.
She hadn’t heard a single sound earlier and thought he had already left.
The tall man stood in the corner, the darkest spot, his eyes half-lowered.
One hand was behind his back, the other hung down, fingers curled.
The shadows from the stray hair on his forehead obscured his features, but the tense line of his jaw made it clear that his expression was grim.
He seemed to be in a very bad mood.
The young girl blinked and apologized sincerely:
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know I couldn’t come in here.”
Earlier, it seemed someone had tried to chase her away, but now the person in black had disappeared.
The other person took a deep breath. His pale skin made the faintly protruding veins on his neck particularly noticeable.
He didn’t speak.
It was as if he was restraining his temper, pushed to the brink of impatience, ready to explode at any moment.
Just as others had said, he truly seemed emotionally unstable.
A thought crossed her mind, and Yan Sui couldn’t help but take a step closer.
“You don’t look well.”
The man took another step back, his back now fully pressed against the wall.
He seemed even more uncomfortable, his chest heaving violently. Finally, he spoke in a hoarse voice,
“Get out.”
His tone was harsh and icy to the extreme.
The young girl pouted in disappointment. “Alright, but thank you anyway.”
She waved at him. “Goodbye.”
Then she turned and left.
The surroundings fell silent.
Jiang Yuan felt dizzy.
The hand behind his back was the one Yan Sui had touched earlier.
Even though it was through a tissue, her body heat had burned him, leaving a sharp pain.
Even now, the stinging sensation lingered, traveling along his nerves to his heart.
It beat violently, a devilish desire roaring to break free from its cage.
A faint flush spread across his pale skin, making his features look hauntingly beautiful, like a seductive ghost.
Holding his breath, he listened to her footsteps growing fainter and fainter until they were no longer audible.
Only then did he gasp for air.
Her scent still lingered in the air.
Faint, indescribable, a fragrance unique to her.
Like moonlight.
His fingertips trembled.
He didn’t know whether it was from overwhelming excitement or overwhelming fear.
It was too much, too complicated. His first thought was relief that he hadn’t lost his composure earlier.
Jiang Yuan walked step by step toward the sink, his long lashes lowered as he stared at the hand towel she had left behind, his Adam’s apple bobbing.
The moment his fingertips touched the towel, he paused, looking with disgust at the bloodstains on his hand.
It seemed he had injured himself earlier.
He shouldn’t dirty her things.
He scrubbed the blood from his fingers vigorously until the wounds turned pale before stopping.
Reverently, he picked up the hand towel Yan Sui had used, his fingertips gently caressing it.
Finally, he began to recall everything that had just happened.
She looked so beautiful in that dress.
Her pupils were the color of amber.
Why was she crying? Was she frightened because he had chopped off his finger?
She was so beautiful, the most perfect, most lovely, most kind-hearted little moon.
Nothing in this world was worthy of her, not even himself.
Had his tone just now been too harsh?
She must want to leave quickly.
He wanted to see her.
He wanted to look at her.
This thought sent a shiver through him, and he raised his head to look at his reflection in the mirror.
He had been in the abyss for too long; no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t muster even a semblance of normalcy.
Pale, cold, and repulsive.
Closing his eyes, he brought the handkerchief in his palm to his lips, inhaling its scent with a mixture of caution and longing.
Yan Sui’s mood inexplicably brightened.
No one disliked seeing a beauty.
She thought to herself, this Jiang Yuan truly was the most handsome person she had ever seen.
It was a pity his personality was so difficult to read.
She knew exactly how devastating her sweet smile could be.
If she wanted, no one could resist liking her.
But none of this seemed to work on Jiang Yuan.
Should she tell him now, “Man, you’ve successfully caught my interest”?
The young girl couldn’t help but laugh at her own thoughts.
As the banquet drew to a close, her slightly flustered yet still graceful demeanor had caught the attention of several people who approached her to greet her.
She had been keeping an eye on Jiang Yuan’s direction, but until the very end, he never seemed to reappear.
Yan Sui returned home and tidied up her belongings.
The dress was beautiful, but unfortunately, it wasn’t suitable for everyday wear and took up too much space, so she had to leave it hanging in the closet.
She didn’t have many things—just a knife, a few small bags of medicinal herbs, and a few notebooks in her backpack.
Before washing up and going to bed, she opened the window.
The colorless powder she had sprinkled on the windowsill a few days ago was almost invisible now. Too much time had passed, or perhaps it had simply been blown away by the wind.
There were no unusual traces in the room.
The rose she had placed on the windowsill, however, remained as vibrant and beautiful as ever.
Outside, everything was peaceful and quiet, with only the chirping of insects.
She tilted her head, trying to sense something, but had to reluctantly admit that the intense gaze she had felt before had truly vanished.
She even wondered if she had imagined it—perhaps that gaze had been fixed on the harasser, not on her.
What a pity. If she ever encountered that person, she felt they might actually have something in common.
As usual, the young girl combed her hair before bed.
Lying in bed, she flipped through the notebooks that no one but herself could understand, lost in thought.
Her memories drifted back to that remote mountain village.
She kissed the Godfather’s ring and bid him farewell.
The Godfather smiled, patted her head, and told her to be careful, to act like a normal person outside, and to avoid attracting the attention of the police.
He didn’t want any trouble.
The Godfather gave her a year to settle her family affairs before returning.
She thought the Godfather had underestimated her.
She wouldn’t even need a year to go back.
Besides returning, she couldn’t think of anything else to do.
Her sense of self was unclear.
After the age of three, her brain’s self-protection mechanism had cast a hazy shadow over her worldview.
Everything was meaningless.
A person’s existence in the world was meaningless.
It was better to return to the Godfather’s side and become his capable, loyal assistant.
That way, she could overcome that boring sense of emptiness.
The young girl shook her head, dismissing her wandering thoughts.
The most important thing right now was that she was too poor.
Too poor. She needed some money to carry out her plans.
Tomorrow when she goes to school, she can ask her classmates if there are any places to work part-time.
She yawned, feeling sleepy.
Today was another wonderful day.
The effects of the medicine she left on Lin Jian and his wife hadn’t worn off yet.
Tonight, they would probably be lively again.
The young girl fell into a deep sleep.
In the neighboring villa.
An empty room, gloomy tones, no lights on.
This house had just been bought, devoid of any human presence. In the bedroom, there was only a bed.
The windows were covered with thick curtains. A dark figure stood by the curtains, pale fingertips trembling slightly, clutching the fabric, standing there for a long time.
Through the curtains, he vaguely saw the small room next door turn off its light.
Only then did Jiang Yuan dare to open the curtains.
Staring at that small window, his fingertips burned with pain, yet it filled him with an inexplicable sense of satisfaction.
He saw the moonlight streaming into her window, falling on the wild rose placed in the vase.
That rose, freshly replaced by him, was blooming and vibrant.