Ming Yu was a year older than Ming Can but had performed poorly in school. His father had tried to send him to study in the UK, but Ming Yu was expelled from his preparatory school for academic misconduct, and even the family’s wealth had almost failed to smooth things over. It wasn’t until a year after Ming Can was admitted to B University that Ming Yu was accepted into a mediocre university, going from being Ming Can’s older brother to her junior.

To make matters worse, Ming Can was a top student even at a prestigious institution like B University, making the other children in their generation seem especially mediocre in comparison. Ming Yu was the least accomplished among his peers and the closest in age to Ming Can, so he was constantly compared to her by his parents and grandfather, who belittled him relentlessly.

Ming Yu was irritated and glanced sideways at Ming Can as she chatted with their third sister.

There was no denying that his sister was stunningly beautiful. Her skin was flawless, her eyes sparkled like stars, and her radiant beauty was accentuated by the dazzling gown she wore, making her seem almost otherworldly. Just speaking to her felt like an honor.

“Hey…”

Ming Yu was about to call out to Ming Can when the lights in the banquet hall suddenly dimmed. The elegant strains of a string quartet filled the air, and waiters cleared a large circular area in the center of the hall. The dance session had begun.

The host of the banquet and his wife took to the dance floor to open the dance. Gradually, more and more people joined, swaying leisurely to the music.

“Hey, Mom and Dad are up there. They’re not bad,” Ming Can’s third sister said to her second brother. “Brother, let’s go too.”

The second brother and third sister were biological siblings. Laughing and chatting, they made their way to the dance floor.

Not long after, the eldest brother also led his wife onto the dance floor. He had just been scolded by their grandfather and didn’t look too happy, as if he wanted to relax by dancing.

At the dining table, only Ming Yu and Ming Can remained.

“It’s just the two of us now,” Ming Yu said, tilting his chin toward Ming Can as if he had no choice but to pair up with her for a dance. “Let’s go.”

Ming Can shook her head: “You find someone else, brother. I haven’t finished eating yet.”

“Then eat later,” Ming Yu frowned. “They’ve all gone up. How can you just sit here?”

Ming Can: “I can.”

Ming Yu: “…”

To be honest, Ming Yu wasn’t bad-looking, and with the Ming family name, he certainly wouldn’t lack dance partners if he wanted to find one. Someone might even come over to invite him later.

But Ming Yu wanted to dance with Ming Can.

Her beauty was on par with the A-list celebrities invited to the event, and her temperament was an added bonus. Who wouldn’t want to step onto the dance floor hand in hand with a stunning, elegant beauty?

Ming Can’s refusal only fueled Ming Yu’s stubbornness.

As his younger sister, she was supposed to listen to him.

Besides, if it weren’t for her, he wouldn’t have been scolded so harshly by their grandfather today.

No matter what, she had to dance with him tonight.

Forcing his sister to obey seemed to salvage his shattered self-esteem. Ming Yu suddenly put down his glass and stood up, speaking to Ming Can in a tone that brooked no argument: “Let’s go.”

Ming Can: “I’m tired. I don’t want to dance.”

“Then just one dance.”

“Wait for third sister to come down and ask her to dance with you.”

Ming Yu’s temper had never been good, and now his patience was completely worn out. He reached out and grabbed Ming Can’s arm, pulling her up from her seat: “Let’s go.”

Ming Can winced as he pulled her arm, quickly yanking her hand back: “If you want to dance, go by yourself. Why should I have to dance with you?”

Ming Yu: “Because you’re my sister.”

As he spoke, he reached out to grab Ming Can again.

Before his hand could touch her arm, a long, strong hand suddenly shot out from the side, gripping Ming Yu’s wrist tightly and preventing him from getting closer to Ming Can. The force was so strong that Ming Yu cried out in pain.

Before Ming Yu could react, the sudden force sent him stumbling back, his arm and body thrown off balance. He took two steps back before steadying himself.

The person who had intervened was an exceptionally tall young man, strikingly handsome with cold, frost-like eyes and sharp, defined features. He wore a finely tailored black vicuña wool suit that accentuated his tall, lean figure. He stood firmly in front of Ming Can, shielding her from Ming Yu.

For a moment, Ming Can stood there like a wooden post, staring blankly at the familiar figure in front of her. His broad, straight shoulders seemed capable of holding up the collapsing sky.

“Who are you?” Ming Yu’s face flashed with frustration, but he calmed down slightly upon recognizing the newcomer. “Is that… Chi Yao?”

“I’m nobody,” the young man said expressionlessly. “Just someone who can’t stand unfairness.”

Ming Yu: “I’m talking to my sister. What’s it to you?”

The young man sneered: “Does talking require grabbing her?”

His presence was overwhelming, and he stood half a head taller than Ming Yu. When he looked down at him, his cold, arrogant gaze seemed capable of crushing someone into the dirt.

Ming Yu, knowing he was in the wrong, was left speechless, his face turning pale.

“Are you okay?”

A cool, firm voice reached Ming Can’s ears, snapping her out of her daze. She met Chi Xiao’s gaze, her throat dry, and whispered, “Why are you here?”

“I had something to do,” he said, standing against the light, his eyes deep and unreadable. His gaze fell on the arm Ming Yu had grabbed.

The lights above shifted, and another romantic waltz began to play.

“Shall we go?”

In just a moment, his cold expression softened, and he asked her casually.

Ming Can blinked, thinking that after helping her get rid of her annoying brother, Chi Xiao was now inviting her to dance.

“I’m a bit…”

“Let’s go for a walk.”

“Huh?” Ming Can was stunned. “Go out? Leave here?”

“Yeah,” Chi Xiao said. “You don’t want to dance, do you?”

Ming Can’s eyes instantly regained their sparkle.

The dance was boring and noisy, but everyone willingly threw themselves into the dance floor, going with the flow, making her feel like an outsider.

She thought that after rejecting one man, she would have to reject the next.

But the man in front of her said he would take her away, like a bird flying out of this gilded cage.

Chi Xiao: “What were you going to say earlier? That you were a bit tired?”

“Not tired,” Ming Can said, picking up the wine glass on the table and downing the sweet and sour cocktail in one go. “Let’s go quickly!”

Two figures, one in black and one in white, hurried toward the banquet hall doors.

Many people noticed Chi Xiao. His features were too striking, and his tall, long-legged figure was hard to miss, sparking whispers among the crowd:

“Who’s that guy leaving with the youngest daughter of the Ming family?”

“I don’t know. He’s so handsome—could he be a movie star?”

“I didn’t see anyone that good-looking on the guest list.”

“Maybe he’s her boyfriend? Did he come to find her?”

“Probably some young master from a prominent family. This isn’t a place just anyone can walk into.”

…

As they neared the door, the path suddenly became crowded. Chi Xiao instinctively reached out and gently grasped Ming Can’s wrist.

When he looked up, he met a pair of familiar eyes, filled with complex emotions as they stared at him and the girl behind him.

Chi Xiao didn’t avoid the gaze, meeting it head-on.

A few seconds later, the shifting crowd blocked their view of each other.

“Senior, slow down,” Ming Can said, almost running to keep up with him.

They had already reached the corridor outside the banquet hall.

The glass walls shielded them from the cold outside. The estate was filled with evergreen plants, lush and vibrant under the brilliant lights, making the scenery feel almost like spring.

Chi Xiao: “Sorry.”

He let go of her hand, his tense jaw gradually relaxing. Under the warm lights of the corridor, he took in Ming Can’s appearance tonight.

Her strapless gown revealed large swathes of fair skin on her chest and back. Her slender shoulders, collarbones, and shoulder blades were as delicate as works of art, yet the curves where they should be were unmistakable. They were standing close, and Chi Xiao, being tall, had a vantage point that made the view even more striking, his eyes burning slightly.

He looked away, expressionlessly taking off his suit jacket and draping it carelessly over Ming Can.

Ming Can: “I’m not cold…”

But when she glanced down at her chest, she fell silent, obediently wrapping the jacket tighter around herself. The faint scent of closet incense wafted to her nose—cold but comforting.

The corridor seemed endless, and they slowed their pace, walking in silence for a while.

Ming Can: “Ahem, actually, even if you hadn’t come to help, I had ways to deal with him.”

Chi Xiao: “How?”

Ming Can: “I could have spilled something on his clothes, kicked his knee with my high heels, or at the very least, stomped on his feet while dancing. Then I’d go back and complain to the elders, saying he was rough with me, making sure he’d regret it.”

Chi Xiao nodded: “Pretty ruthless.”

Ming Can said smugly, “You see how arrogant he acts, but he’s all bark and no bite. It’s because I’ve crushed him so thoroughly elsewhere that he’s so frustrated and takes it out on me. From start to finish, he’s just a loser.”

Chi Xiao: “Hmm, seems like I overstepped.”

Not really.

Ming Can lowered her head, staring at the shadows underfoot, cast by a row of unclaimed lights, overlapping and layered.

Ming Can would never let herself be wronged. If anyone dared to bully her, she would immediately retaliate with a vengeance.

But.

Just this once.

Instead of being the dark witch, she was saved by the prince. She could stand there, pure and lazy, and everything would be resolved.

This feeling… wasn’t so bad.

“Not really overstepping,” Ming Can said lightly, quickly changing the subject. “There are chairs over there. Let’s go sit for a while.”

A set of wrought-iron chairs and a table were placed in an open area of the corridor. Few people passed by, and the surroundings were quiet, with only the sound of the heating system softly humming in the background.

After sitting down, Ming Can suddenly remembered something and gave him a scrutinizing look: “You came out. What about Miaomiao?”

At the mention of Miaomiao, Chi Xiao’s lips twitched slightly.

Earlier that afternoon, around 5 p.m., he had taken Miaomiao to a small lakeside park nearby. It was a pet-friendly park, and many people walked their dogs there after dinner, especially on the small lawn by the lake, where it seemed like there was a dog every few steps.

Miaomiao looked like he had found his happy place, his eyes sparkling as he dove into the crowd of dogs, hugging and petting them. Almost every dog seemed to adore him.

Miaomiao seemed to know exactly where each dog loved to be petted the most. He transformed into a professional dog petter, chatting with the dogs as he played with them, completely absorbed in the joy of it.

However, after just over half an hour, Miaomiao returned to Chi Xiao’s side, covered in dog hair, swaying and looking utterly exhausted. Chi Xiao immediately took him home.

“He fell asleep by 7 p.m.?” Ming Can asked in surprise. “Did he do his math problems?”

“…” Chi Xiao looked embarrassed. “He’ll definitely do them tomorrow.”

After a pause, he asked, “Didn’t you see the message I sent you?”

Ming Can shrugged: “I didn’t bring my phone tonight.”

Chi Xiao: “It’s not too late to look now.”

Ming Can: “What?”

Chi Xiao raised his left hand, which was wearing a black smartwatch. He tapped the screen, opening an app that showed a live video feed of Miaomiao sleeping soundly on the bed.

Even though Miaomiao was deeply asleep and Chi Xiao had only been out for two hours, planning to return soon, he still couldn’t fully relax. He kept checking the watch to monitor Miaomiao’s sleep.

“Why is he sleeping on his stomach again? He’ll get ugly like that,” Ming Can said, then suddenly laughed, poking the watch screen. “So cute.”

Chi Xiao also leaned in to look at the watch, their heads close together as if they were watching the most fascinating movie in the world.

The faint scent of the girl drifted over, like roses picked in the morning, their petals still carrying the fresh dew, refreshing and soothing.

“It’s a bit small to see it like this,” Chi Xiao said, pulling out his phone and opening the monitoring app. “Here, look at this instead.”

Ming Can took his phone: “When did you install the cameras?”

“Today,” Chi Xiao explained as he showed her how to operate the app. “I installed four cameras in the house. One in Miaomiao’s bedroom to watch him sleep, one in his study to monitor his studying, one in the living room to see him playing games, and the last one is a smart robot camera. You can control it remotely and move it around the house to see whatever you want.”

“The camera in Miaomiao’s room is special. It has a child-friendly screen and a series of alert functions. He can call you anytime, video chat with you, and you can also talk to him whenever you want.” Chi Xiao rarely spoke so much at once, his deep, magnetic voice flowing by Ming Can’s ear, growing richer and more captivating, making her heart lift involuntarily. “This child monitor also has a feature that links with the health system of a child’s smartwatch. While you’re watching him sleep, you can see his heart rate, breathing frequency, how soundly he’s sleeping… Are you cold?”

“Huh? No.”

Ming Can suddenly realized she had unconsciously hunched her shoulders, her ears burning as if someone were brushing a feather across them.

She forced herself to stay calm and gave a thumbs-up: “Raising kids with technology. Impressive.”

Chi Xiao lowered his eyes: “Give me your hand.”

Ming Can: “What for?”

Even as she asked, she had already extended her hand.

Her slender, fair arm emerged from the crisp black fabric of the suit jacket, resting flat in front of Chi Xiao.

He took her wrist, turning it so her palm faced upward.

Then, he pulled out a smartwatch from his pocket, the same model as his but in a different color—a sleek, minimalist beige.

He held the plain strap and placed the watch on her wrist.

After a pause, Chi Xiao noticed Ming Can’s dazed expression and the lack of resistance. He raised an eyebrow, his long fingers deftly looping the strap around her wrist and fastening it carefully.

As he did so, his cool fingertips brushed against her delicate skin, sending a faint, electric tingle through her.

“I’ve already set up the monitoring app for you. You can just open it and watch.”

“Oh, okay.”

Ming Can’s other hand was still holding Chi Xiao’s phone, her fingers unconsciously curling as if she wanted to dig into the phone itself.

On the screen, Miaomiao rolled over, lying flat on his back in a starfish position, his mouth slightly open and the corners of his lips turned up, as if he were having a wonderful dream.

Ming Can stared at the new watch on her wrist, her eyes fixed.

The boy beside her slowly stood up and said in a low voice, “I have to go.”

Ming Can looked up and saw him in his shirt and trousers, the black-and-white outfit simple yet sharp, his figure perfectly proportioned. With every step, it felt like he was walking on a fashion show runway.

Chi Xiao hadn’t come to the banquet to find Ming Can.

He hadn’t even planned to see her. Before things were settled, showing up in front of her family would only invite gossip.

Who would have thought that as soon as he arrived at the banquet, he’d see her being treated like that by her brother?

He really couldn’t stand it.

“I’m going to find my dad,” Chi Xiao said, glancing at the time. He had promised Miaomiao he’d only be out for two hours. Even though Miaomiao was already asleep, it was best to keep his word and return home early.

Ming Can looked up at him and said goodbye.

Chi Xiao nodded without saying much, then strode away. His figure in the long corridor looked like a towering mountain, or perhaps a cold, sharp gust of wind.

He’s so busy.

Ming Can pursed her lips, her mind drifting to a fairy tale character—Cinderella.

During the day, he cleaned and did chores at home, and at night, he transformed into the most dazzling noble, attending luxurious banquets and dancing in the ballroom.

When the clock struck twelve, he had to leave in a hurry.

Ming Can looked down at the suit jacket draped over her and the black phone in her hand, then suddenly smiled.

Cinderella had left in a hurry, leaving behind a glass slipper in her hands.