September.
The sweltering heat of Jingsheng's summer had not yet dissipated, warmth still lingering in the air.
Inside the room, the furnishings were simple and tidy, with hardly any trace of habitation.
Ming Zhi surveyed the room one last time, and after confirming everything was packed properly, gently closed the door and went downstairs.
The He family's grand hall and staircase were covered in thick, expensive hand-woven carpets that absorbed all sound. Even so, Ming Zhi still tried her best to lighten her footsteps until she reached the first floor.
The servants on the first floor bustled about, carrying porcelain cups and decorative fresh flowers toward the courtyard in the back.
Yesterday she had vaguely heard Mrs. He mention hosting an afternoon tea party at home.
Ming Zhi knew her identity was special—she would avoid appearing at such occasions whenever possible.
Sometimes there was no avoiding it.
On those occasions, Ming Zhi would stand obediently beside Mrs. He, listening to a group of well-maintained noble ladies praise the He couple's charitable hearts for taking in the orphaned daughter of a driver who had once worked for the He family.
Finally, they would look at her with slightly pitying eyes—looks that actually regarded her as an insignificant object—and add: "The He family's feng shui truly nurtures people. This child has blossomed into quite a beauty."
Mrs. He would cover her lips with a light laugh and pat the back of Ming Zhi's hand.
"I raise this child as if she were my own," Mrs. He's fingertips were ice-cold, yet her words were exceptionally tender.
"If you ask me, having a daughter is so much more worry-free than my two boys."
At such moments, the noble ladies seemed to find another opening for flattery and hastily said: "How can you say that? Both young masters are exceptional and will surely achieve great things."
"Indeed, I heard Jia Shu has already gone to work at President He's company? And Zhi Che won an award abroad—truly limitless potential."
Listening to their words, Ming Zhi knew her supporting role had been fulfilled and quietly retreated a few steps, ready to exit the stage.
Her thoughts drifted back.
Ming Zhi felt fortunate that today she was going to university to register, allowing her to avoid the afternoon's gathering. Otherwise, she'd inevitably have to cooperate with their performance again.
In the dining room, various breakfast items filled the entire table.
Before Mrs. He sat a plate of barely touched light fare. She lifted her eyes slightly, her gaze landing on Ming Zhi as she entered.
"Little Zhi is here."
Mrs. He had elegant features and was well-maintained, looking only thirty-something. "Sit."
Ming Zhi responded with a "yes" and pulled out the chair in the furthest corner herself.
The seated position was quite far from Mrs. He, forcing her to concentrate to hear Mrs. He's soft speech.
Just as she placed a piece of fried egg in her mouth and began chewing slowly, she heard Mrs. He ask: "Little Zhi is going to register at school today, isn't she?"
Ming Zhi quickly swallowed the food in her mouth and gently set her fork on the placemat.
"Yes."
"I see."
To be frank, Ni Xu didn't have much impression of this child.
In her eyes, she'd spoken fewer words to this child than to the regional manager of luxury brands.
Normally, the conversation would end here.
But this time, Mrs. He tilted her head slightly and casually asked with concern: "Have you prepared everything?"
Though it was quite an ordinary conversation, Ming Zhi involuntarily lightened her breathing and answered: "Everything is prepared."
Mrs. He said nothing more, clearly having lost interest in this repetitive question-and-answer exchange. The entire dining room returned to silence.
Until light sounds came from outside the dining room again, footsteps approaching from far to near.
The servant waiting at the door was very perceptive and pulled out the left chair beside Mrs. He for the newcomer.
But the person didn't appreciate the gesture and walked straight to the position furthest from Mrs. He. The dining chair was pulled out carelessly, making a harsh scraping sound against the tile floor.
Ming Zhi's hand holding the spoon paused slightly. She didn't look up, only glimpsed with her peripheral vision that the person had sat down beside her.
The person must have just showered—his scent was fresh and clean.
The unfamiliar yet familiar aura enveloped her like an invisible layer of pressure.
The servant who had pulled out the chair froze, then carefully and awkwardly returned to her original position.
The working servants only knew that the eldest young master and Mr. He had quarreled a few days ago, and Mr. He had flown into a rage, smashing the furnishings in his study to pieces.
This had left the He residence shrouded in an extremely oppressive atmosphere these past few days.
For a biological son to refuse to sit beside his own mother, preferring instead to sit in the furthest corner—
Mrs. He felt quite embarrassed in front of the servants, and her expression turned several degrees colder.
In this house, the first thing Ming Zhi learned was how to read people's expressions.
So she focused her eyes on her nose and her nose on her heart, gently stirring her spoon without putting it in her mouth.
Yet the person beside her seemed completely oblivious to this tense atmosphere.
Or perhaps he noticed but didn't care.
His slender fingers gripped the fork, bringing the pancake to his mouth. After eating a few bites casually, he seemed to find it tasteless.
The fork collided with the bone china plate, making a crisp sound.
Ming Zhi was startled by the sudden noise, her shoulders involuntarily jerking.
The person beside her seemed to notice and glanced over at her. A sneer—mocking her timidity and cowardice.
He Jia Shu leaned back, his elbow resting right on the back of Ming Zhi's chair.
The two of them now appeared somewhat intimate in this position, but Ming Zhi knew full well that He Jia Shu sitting beside her wasn't because he wanted to be close to her—this position was simply far enough from Mrs. He.
Seeing her son's lack of manners at the dining table, Mrs. He lost any desire to continue eating. She let out a cold snort and left.
Time passed—Ming Zhi didn't know how long—before her bowed head finally lifted slightly.
One of the two sources of pressure had left, but the other still sat beside her, steady as a mountain.
She didn't turn her head, only slowly raised her wrist to bring the now-cold soup to her lips.
She didn't realize that her cautious and proper behavior only made He Jia Shu feel even more irritated.
She looked so meek and obedient, not bothering him in the slightest.
Yet He Jia Shu just instinctively disliked this pretentious act of hers.
He finally sat up straight and continued with the breakfast he hadn't finished.
Ming Zhi quietly watched as this typically cold-faced young master rotated the honey stick, coating an unknown amount of honey onto the pancake's surface.
She'd long known he loved sweets, but seeing his sugar intake today still shocked her. She silently thought to herself that this habit really didn't match his stern exterior at all.
He Jia Shu expressionlessly ate the pancake that Ming Zhi considered to have a lethal amount of sugar, then stood up.
He must be leaving.
Ming Zhi secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
He Jia Shu was two years older than her. When Ming Zhi first arrived at the He family, he was already in his senior year of high school, busy with youth training camp matters. Later when he went to university, he returned home even less frequently.
During winter and summer breaks, the two barely crossed paths, especially since he came downstairs for breakfast very rarely.
Counting this way, situations where the two ate at the same table were extremely few.
In the He family, the only person she was relatively close to was He Zhi Che.
In other words, he was the only person she could be close to.
"Going to school today?"
Ming Zhi had been lost in thought when she heard him suddenly ask, making her freeze for a moment.
She finally lifted her head completely, looking up at the person before her.
He Jia Shu was tall with excellent bone structure—high, sharp brow bones, a straight nose, thin lips, and slightly upturned eye corners that gave him a cold, mixed-blood appearance.
He wore a pure black T-shirt that formed an extreme contrast with his ivory skin.
Very much like those European aristocratic vampires.
Proud and indifferent.
This was the first impression that arose in Ming Zhi's mind when she first saw him.
She didn't respond for a long moment, and He Jia Shu frowned.
Only then did Ming Zhi seem to wake from a dream and say: "Yes, I'm going to register at school today."
Really, you couldn't blame Ming Zhi for her slow reaction—in the two months of summer vacation, this was the first conversation between them, and it was initiated by He Jia Shu no less.
But clearly, like his mother, He Jia Shu quickly lost interest in Ming Zhi's wooden responses.
Ming Zhi watched his departing back and let out a long breath.
She didn't know why, but He Jia Shu gave her even more pressure than Mrs. He.
Perhaps it was because when she first came to the He family, at least Mr. and Mrs. He played the role of caring elders, especially Mrs. He, who held her hand and asked after her well-being.
She had been anxious and uncertain, not knowing at all how to properly respond to a stranger's concern.
At that time, the teenage He Jia Shu was flipping through a magazine. Seeming to find the conversation tiresome, he casually tossed the magazine onto the glass table.
It was a heavy glossy magazine that landed on the glass surface with a dull thud.
Then, just like today, He Jia Shu turned and went upstairs.
He hadn't spared her even a single glance.
At that moment, He Zhi Che appeared like an angel.
He walked up to Ming Zhi and used a dry towel the servant had just handed him to gently dry her wet hair.
Ming Zhi at that time had just suffered the pain of losing her father, her expression still somewhat wooden as she stood there in a daze, letting He Zhi Che work gently on her hair.
Her entire body was soaked through, her yellowed canvas shoes tracked mud from the courtyard, leaving footprints with every step.
This was one of the reasons she had stood at the He family's door, not daring to enter.
But after drying her hair, He Zhi Che naturally picked up the backpack from her shoulders.
Ming Zhi felt this was inappropriate and said in a voice barely louder than a mosquito: "No, no need, I can carry it myself."
The next second, her hand was taken in his.
"How can I let a girl carry her own bag?" He Zhi Che's voice was gentle, like light, airy clouds, wrapping layer upon layer around her who was then immersed in painful suffering.
So easy to drown in.
"Mom, Dad, I'll take Ming Zhi to see her room."
Saying this, He Zhi Che led her up the steps.
His hand was very warm.
Thinking of He Zhi Che, the corners of Ming Zhi's lips unconsciously curved into a slight smile.
Then she quickly retracted it.
She shouldn't harbor such delusions.
She used her fingernail to pinch her palm, reminding herself once again.
She finally stood up too and naturally began clearing the dishes in front of her.
The servant waiting in the hall said perfunctorily: "Miss Ming, just leave it there, we'll clean it up."
Ming Zhi's hands didn't stop moving. She looked up with a smile. "It's fine."
The servant didn't stop her and let her go.
Miss Ming.
As Ming Zhi closed the honey jar, these words echoed in her ears.
Really, they were giving her too much credit.
Finally back in her room, she checked the time and prepared to head to school.
The He family villa had an elevator, but she rarely used it. Most of the time she took the stairs going up and down.
But today for school registration, she needed to bring many things, and the weight of her suitcase had increased dramatically. Ming Zhi tried lifting it a couple times and felt it exceeded what she could handle.
After hesitating for a moment, she walked to the elevator entrance.
Just as she was about to press the down button, someone appeared from behind and to the side.
Ming Zhi's fingertip paused above the elevator button.
The family servants wouldn't use the elevator, and on this floor, there were only rooms for the younger generation.
The elevator door opened.
Ming Zhi didn't move, even stepping slightly to the side to make way.
He Jia Shu behind her let out an impatient "tsk."
Clearly one person was making way while the other followed the rule of letting the person in front go first.
He Jia Shu's eyelids lifted slightly, his gaze falling on the 24-inch suitcase beside her.
The next second, Ming Zhi felt the space beside her empty out—He Jia Shu had picked up the suitcase and walked into the elevator.
It seemed like he'd misunderstood something...
Had he misunderstood that she couldn't lift the suitcase?
Ming Zhi quickly followed.
The elevator door closed.
Since it was a residential elevator, the speed was rather slow.
He Jia Shu stood with one hand in his pocket and suddenly asked: "Did you kill someone?"
A completely shocking question.
A rare expression of shock appeared on Ming Zhi's face.
It wasn't until the elevator door opened and He Jia Shu pushed the suitcase out that she suddenly understood what he meant.
"There are quite a few things I need to take to school." She tried to explain.
It wasn't that she'd killed someone and was disposing of the body in a suitcase.
He Jia Shu didn't respond.
He walked straight toward the door.
When Ming Zhi reached the entrance, a servant told her that the driver who was supposed to take her to school today had an emergency and taken leave.
Ming Zhi's fingers gripping the suitcase handle tightened slightly.
The He family had three drivers, one of whom was Mr. He's personal driver who had gone on a business trip with him. Another naturally had to be on standby for Mrs. He's schedule.
Ming Zhi acknowledged this.
The He residence was located in a villa district where there were no subway stations nearby—even the bus stop was several kilometers away. This meant she could only call a ride-sharing car.
The expense was one thing, but whether anyone would even accept the order was another matter.
However, He Jia Shu attended the same university as her and was also heading out—maybe they were going the same way?
No.
Ming Zhi almost instantly rejected her own idea.
The possibility of her dragging her suitcase on foot to school was higher than the possibility of He Jia Shu giving her a ride.
Just as Ming Zhi was pondering what to do, He Jia Shu, who was standing at the door and had apparently heard this conversation, slowed his movements of preparing to leave.
The next second, he turned around, his gaze lazily falling on the somewhat helpless girl.
"Not coming?"
His thin lips parted slightly, his voice laced with detachment.
Was he offering to give her a ride?
Ming Zhi's eyes widened in disbelief.
Author(Not TL):
The female lead is a growth-type character, not a perfect character setup, but emotionally she'll always be in a high position [meaning she won't be constantly degraded/mistreated in the relationship], so don't worry about this~