Yan Sui sweetly said thank you.
Her eyes were still filled with tears, and when she smiled, she looked like a peach blossom covered in morning dew—soft, delicate, and trembling with freshness.
The man opposite her seemed to be burned and immediately took another step back.
His back was almost pressed against the wall.
The little girl, eager to wash her eyes, couldn’t see anything else clearly. She hurriedly turned on the faucet and rinsed her eyes for a long time.
With her eyes still closed, she groped for a towel on the sink. After searching for a while, she suddenly felt a warm, dry touch brush against her fingertips.
Her fingers curled instinctively, and she grabbed the towel—only to brush against a long, slender finger beneath it.
The other person quickly pulled back.
Yan Sui paused for a moment, then said thank you again.
After finally cleaning herself up, she looked over and unexpectedly found that the man was still there.
She hadn’t heard a single sound and had thought he had already left.
The tall man stood in the darkest corner, half-lowered eyes hidden in shadow.
One hand was behind his back, the other hung down with curled fingers.
The shadow of his bangs blurred his features, but his tightly clenched jaw made it clear his mood was extremely poor.
He seemed very irritated.
Yan Sui blinked and apologized sincerely.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know I wasn’t allowed in here.”
Earlier, someone seemed to have tried to chase her away, but that black-clothed person was gone now.
The man took a deep breath. His pale skin and the faintly raised veins on his neck stood out clearly.
He didn’t speak.
It was as if he was restraining his temper to the limit, on the verge of exploding.
Just as people had said—he really did seem emotionally unstable.
Feeling a sudden impulse, Yan Sui took a step closer.
“You don’t look well.”
The man immediately stepped back again until his back hit the wall completely.
His breathing became heavier. Finally, in a hoarse voice, he said:
“Get out.”
Cold and rigid to the extreme.
The little girl pouted slightly in grievance.
“Okay… but thank you anyway.”
She waved at him.
“Goodbye.”
Then she turned and left.
Silence returned.
Jiang Yuan felt dizzy and disoriented.
The hand hidden behind his back was the one she had just touched.
Even though it had been through tissue, the sensation still burned painfully, as if her body temperature had branded him.
The pain lingered, spreading through his nerves straight into his heart.
It throbbed violently, and a demonic craving roared as if trying to break free from its cage.
A faint flush spread across his pale skin, making his features appear almost like a beautiful ghost.
He held his breath, listening to her footsteps fade farther and farther away until they could no longer be heard.
Only then did he finally gasp for air.
The air still carried her scent.
Faint, indescribable—something that belonged only to her.
Like the moon.
His fingertips trembled.
He didn’t know whether it was excitement or fear.
Too many emotions tangled together, and his first reaction was relief that he hadn’t lost control earlier.
Step by step, Jiang Yuan walked toward the sink. His long lashes lowered as he stared at the towel she had used, his throat tightening.
When his fingers touched it, he paused, glancing at the blood on his hand with faint disgust.
It seemed to be from earlier.
He shouldn’t dirty her things.
He wiped his fingers repeatedly until the skin around the wound turned pale, only then stopping.
Reverently, he picked up the towel she had used, gently rubbing it between his fingers.
He finally began recalling everything from before.
She looked beautiful in that dress.
Her eyes were amber-colored.
Why was she crying? Had she been frightened by him cutting his finger?
She was so beautiful—like the most perfect, gentle little moon.
Everything in the world was unworthy of her, including himself.
Was his tone too harsh earlier?
She must have wanted to leave quickly.
I want to see her.
I want to see her.
That thought made him tremble. He raised his head and looked at his reflection in the mirror.
He had been in the abyss for too long. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t resemble a normal person.
Pale, cold, repulsive.
Closing his eyes, he brought the towel to his lips and inhaled it carefully, almost greedily.
Yan Sui suddenly felt inexplicably happy.
No one dislikes seeing a beauty.
She thought to herself that Jiang Yuan was indeed the most good-looking person she had ever seen.
Unfortunately, his personality was difficult to read.
She knew very well how lethal her sweet smile could be.
If she wanted to, no one could dislike her.
But none of it seemed to work on Jiang Yuan.
So… should she say something like, “Man, you’ve successfully caught my attention”?
The thought amused her so much that she couldn’t help laughing.
The banquet was nearing its end. Because of her earlier slightly chaotic but still composed performance, several people took the initiative to greet her.
She had been paying attention to Jiang Yuan’s direction, but until the end, he never appeared again.
After returning home, she packed her things.
That dress was beautiful, but not practical for everyday use, so she put it back into the wardrobe.
She didn’t have many belongings—just a knife in her backpack, a few small bags of medicinal herbs, and several notebooks.
Before going to bed, she opened the window.
The colorless powder she had sprinkled by the windowsill days ago had almost disappeared, likely blown away by the wind over time.
There was no abnormal trace in the room.
Only the rose she placed by the window remained as fresh and beautiful as ever.
Outside was calm and silent, with only the sound of insects.
She tilted her head slightly, sensing carefully, and reluctantly confirmed that the intense gaze she had once felt had truly disappeared.
She even wondered if she had misinterpreted it—perhaps that gaze had been aimed at the harasser, not at her.
What a pity. If she ever met that person, she felt they might actually understand each other.
Before sleeping, she combed her hair as usual.
Lying in bed, she flipped through her private notes that no one else could understand, momentarily dazed.
Her memory drifted back to a remote mountain village.
She had kissed her godfather’s ring and said goodbye.
The godfather had smiled and patted her head, telling her to be careful, to behave like a normal person outside, and not to attract police attention.
He didn’t want trouble.
He gave her one year to settle her family matters before returning.
She thought he had underestimated her.
She wouldn’t even need a year.
There was nothing else for her to do besides return.
She didn’t have a clear sense of self.
After the age of three, her brain’s self-protection mechanism had blurred her worldview with a layer of fog.
Everything felt meaningless.
Existing alone in the world felt meaningless.
It was better to return to her godfather’s side and become his capable, loyal assistant.
That might relieve the hollow sense of boredom.
She shook her head, dispersing those drifting thoughts.
The most important thing now—she was too poor.
She needed money to continue her plans.
Tomorrow at school, she could ask classmates about part-time jobs.
She yawned, sleepy.
Today had been a wonderful day.
The medicine she had left in Lin Jian and his wife had not yet worn off.
Tonight would likely be lively for them again.
The little girl fell into a deep sleep.
In the neighboring villa.
A spacious room, dim and gray, with no lights on.
The house had just been purchased, still without any trace of life. The bedroom contained only a bed.
Thick curtains blocked the windows. A shadow stood beside them, pale fingers trembling slightly as he gripped the fabric, standing there for a long time.
Through the curtain, he could vaguely see the small room next door fall dark.
Only then did Jiang Yuan dare to open the curtain.
Staring at that small window, his fingertips burned with pain, yet it strangely brought him a sense of exhilaration.
He saw moonlight spilling into her room, landing on the wild rose placed in a vase.
That newly replaced rose was bright and blooming.