More than ten years ago, the Tao family’s “population business” was booming.

For those omegas in difficult situations, Kyushu was like heaven on earth. According to their tales, it was a land of enchantment.

Some omegas would numb themselves by fantasizing about life in Kyushu; others would take desperate measures, finding Tao family informants through various means and using their connections to smuggle themselves to Kyushu.

But there is no free lunch in this world, and the Tao family’s snakeheads were not running a charity.

They charged a hefty smuggling fee, which some omegas could pay with their entire fortune, while others, having nothing, could not afford it at all.

For those who could pay, the snakeheads would arrange their direct passage to Kyushu. If the payment was generous enough, they would even help create a false identity for them upon arrival, allowing them to find a legitimate job in the city. For those who could not pay, the snakeheads sometimes offered to cover the cost—but there were conditions.

Omegas whose fees were covered by the snakeheads would mostly be directly arranged to marry upon arriving in Kyushu. Though this was far from ideal, it was at least better than staying in their original country, and many omegas grit their teeth and agreed.

According to Tao family rules, this business came with prerequisites—the omega had to be fully informed and willing to accept the consequences.

They had to know what they would be doing upon arriving in Kyushu, whether working or marrying, and the snakeheads had to make things clear without any deceit, especially not taking the omega to a different destination than promised.

This transparency was one reason why the Tao family’s reputation abroad was particularly good. After Tao Zhixing inherited the Tao family business, he even considered abolishing it, but many omegas who had smuggled into Kyushu tried to plead with him.

That was until the accident involving Sui Yuesheng ten years ago.

Sui Yuesheng’s first eighteen years could be described as “full of misfortunes.”

Soon after his birth, his father, who worked on a construction site, died in an accident. His mother, unable to endure raising him alone, took half of his father’s compensation and left, remarrying and disappearing from their lives.

Fortunately, he still had a grandmother who was alive. The old lady was skilled with her hands and had raised her son through her craftsmanship. After her son’s death, she relied on this skill to bring up her grandson bit by bit.

Though they lived in a slum and had no money to send Sui Yuesheng to school, his grandmother taught him well. By the time Sui Yuesheng was twelve or thirteen, she sent him to work for a grocery store owner on the street.

The owner was an elderly beta, old enough to be Sui Yuesheng’s grandfather, and as he aged, he became less able. Sui Yuesheng helped him with bookkeeping and money collection, occasionally bringing home food that was past its expiration but still edible, sharing it with his grandmother. Despite their poverty, their life together was warm and harmonious.

But as time passed, Sui Yuesheng grew more handsome, looking almost out of place in their dirty slum.

Though his mother was just a beta, she was once a famous beauty, which explained her quick remarriage after becoming a widow. His beta father was also poor, but he won her over with his good looks.

Sui Yuesheng inherited not only their features but even surpassed them.

In the rundown building, gossip spread. Busybody aunts would sit outside their doors after meals, spreading rumors and discussing personal matters endlessly. Every mention of Sui Yuesheng was met with scorn, calling him a “cursed star,” “as alluring as his mother,” and labeling him a “fox spirit” with a natural talent for seduction. Some hooligans would openly harass him and even attempt physical advances.

But Sui Yuesheng was never one to tolerate mistreatment. He didn’t hit women, so he ignored the aunts, but he would fight back against the hooligans.

His grandmother would scold him for his temper and worry that he wouldn’t marry well, and even when he fought, she would chase him with a broom. Yet, she deeply cared for him. When someone insinuated that Sui Yuesheng was involved with the grocery store owner’s son, the old lady used her cane to chase them away.

By the time Sui Yuesheng turned sixteen, they had saved up some money and planned to move out of the slum in a couple of years to rent a one-bedroom apartment. Sui Yuesheng could then find another job, and his grandmother wouldn’t have to push her cart to sell her handmade goods in all kinds of weather.

Everything seemed to be improving, and the dawn of hope appeared to be on the horizon. But the Fates’ spinning wheel never bends to human will.

That winter, his grandmother complained of uncomfortable vision. Sui Yuesheng thought it was due to her years of working with her hands.

He begged her not to wake up early to work, offering that his salary could cover their living expenses and that he could even find a part-time job. But his grandmother merely smiled, insisting that she had to work. It was normal for older people to have deteriorating eyesight, she said.

Sui Yuesheng couldn’t persuade her and reluctantly agreed.

But she never told him that recently she had been experiencing frequent dizziness, headaches, and occasional vomiting.

The old lady kept this hidden well. Before spring arrived, one day while serving food, she suddenly stood still, reached out, and accidentally broke a bowl.

Only then did Sui Yuesheng realize that his grandmother had been partially blind since the morning and was now completely blind. Ignoring her protests, he took a day off from the grocery store and forcibly took her to the nearest large hospital.

After a long wait, they finally received the diagnosis from the doctor that evening.

—Malignant brain tumor, now in the late stage with increased intracranial pressure.

All the hopeful visions for a better future turned into elusive bubbles, reflecting various colors in the air, only to shatter with a “pop” when one reached out to touch them.

Sui Yuesheng couldn’t understand why, despite the many hardships in life, fate was still unwilling to let him go.

They worked so hard to live, but why, before he could give his grandmother a good life, was her time running out?

Was he truly the star of misfortune everyone spoke of?

He wrestled with these thoughts, but his grandmother seemed to accept it calmly. She firmly refused the doctor’s advice to be hospitalized, insisting on being taken home by Sui Yuesheng. The next morning, she sent him off to work at the grocery store.

When Sui Yuesheng hurried home after work, he found his grandmother lying peacefully in bed, her face calm and serene. “I asked the doctor. The treatment is too expensive and won’t work. It will only prolong life for a year or so. There’s no point in wasting money. We have some money left. I’ve found someone who will take you to Kyushu when I’m gone.”

This was a decision she had made after careful consideration.

Since Sui Yuesheng was still a minor, he had already attracted a lot of unwanted attention. The way people looked at him made it seem as if they wanted to devour him alive. She has caught glimpses of this a few times and felt a shiver of fear. She was aging more and more each day and was increasingly unable to protect Sui Yuesheng.

Fortunately, the child was strong-willed, but she didn’t have much time left. Sui Yuesheng hadn’t even turned seventeen yet. What would he do on his own?

He was so young and so beautiful…

The only solution she could think of was to spend a sum of money to send him far away. Kyushu was much safer than here; he wouldn’t have to worry about being knocked unconscious while walking on the street…

But that was originally the money they had set aside to rent a house.

Sui Yuesheng was unwilling and wanted to refuse, but the old lady did not give him a chance to argue, stating firmly, “Since the money has already been given, you either leave now or wait until I die and bury me before you go.”

As she spoke, she began to cough violently, her face turning pale with no color. Sui Yuesheng, unable to argue further, could only agree on the surface.

The next noon, he found out the contact’s address and went to see him alone.

He wanted to get the money back and use it to treat his grandmother.

“What will you do afterward?” the contact asked him with interest.

This was the only savings the grandfather and grandson had. A malignant tumor is a bottomless pit; once the money is gone, how will they live in the future?

“We’ll take it step by step,” Sui Yuesheng said, not wanting to elaborate, his eyes lowering.

He hadn’t thought that far ahead, only wanting to do his best to treat his grandmother’s illness and ease her pain a little.

Sui Yuesheng was naturally unaware of how beautiful he appeared.

His hair was light gray, and his eyelashes were also light. Combined with his lake-blue eyes, the effect was like butterfly wings brushing over a clear lake.

The old lady loved cleanliness, and although Sui Yuesheng’s clothes were somewhat worn, they were washed spotless, and his shoulder-length curly hair was neatly groomed. The contact, who had read a little, was mesmerized by Sui Yuesheng’s appearance and suddenly thought of a saying:

—“Plain clothes and messy hair cannot hide national beauty.”

He stared blankly for a moment and then offered a third option: “Do you have any requirements for your future partner?”

“Hm?” Sui Yuesheng looked up in confusion.

The contact, captivated by his beauty, turned his eyes away awkwardly, not daring to make eye contact: “If you are willing to get married after you go to Kyushu, we won’t only waive the agency fee but will also give you an additional sum of money. It’s not much, but it will be enough to treat your grandmother’s illness.”

In an instant, Sui Yuesheng nodded quickly, as if afraid the contact would change his mind.

He didn’t know what love was, didn’t understand what it meant to like someone, and had no concept of marriage. In his imagination, it was nothing more than spending the rest of his life with another person, which didn’t sound so bad.

Moreover, if he had to watch his grandmother die in pain, he would never forgive himself for the rest of his life.

The contact proved to be trustworthy. Early the next morning, he found someone and took the old lady to the hospital.

Although the old lady’s condition had progressed to a point where medicine and treatments were ineffective, and all measures were merely for alleviating pain, it was a comfort to have some painkillers and medical staff around her to make her journey to death less painful. Sui Yuesheng was already very grateful.

“Where did you get the money?” his grandmother suddenly asked when he visited her that night.