Chapter 1: Heading North

A train rumbled northward from Haicheng to the capital, its wheels clattering along the tracks.

Children cried and fussed, tears streaming down their cheeks. The adults pulled out steamed buns and pickled vegetables they’d brought with them, pairing them with hot soup. The train car was filled with the warmth and noise of ordinary life.

A young woman leaned slantwise in her seat, eyes closed. Her fair skin glistened with sweat, and damp strands of hair clung to her full forehead.

A mother traveling with her child nudged her arm. “Miss, are you alright?”

Only then did Lin Yiqiao slowly wake from her nap. She stretched and yawned.

“I’m fine, ma’am. I just sleep a bit too deeply.”

She smiled, revealing two shallow dimples. Her cheeks still had the flush of sleep, and two thick black braids draped over her shoulders, lending her a look that was both pure and charming.

Liu Yun stared, a bit dazed. This girl’s way too eye-catching—definitely not someone easy to deal with.

Lin Yiqiao didn’t care what others thought. She picked up a small mirror and fixed her hair. The train attendant’s strong voice rang out—they’d entered the northern region.

No wonder it was getting dry. Once in the capital, she’d have to buy some face cream.

Lin Yiqiao didn’t have a penny to her name, but that didn’t stop her from fantasizing about life in the capital.

She wasn’t headed there for any particular reason—only because she’d run out of options in Haicheng.

She’d grown up following her mother into a remarriage. Her stepfather’s family had a “bargain-bin” daughter who always came first, and Lin Yiqiao never got a bite of anything warm.

But from an early age, she’d known she was pretty—and how to win people over. There was always a line of boys waiting to bring her food.

Lin Yiqiao didn’t see anything wrong with hanging out with boys. No one had taught her otherwise. Her mother poured all her energy into the new family, didn’t care if Yiqiao had clothes to wear, and probably would’ve thrown her away if she could.

It was a miracle she’d managed to grow up at all. And if getting food from boys was a skill, well, it wasn’t just about having a pretty face.

But in this conservative era, bold and attention-grabbing girls like her were rare. Interactions between men and women were supposed to be formal and restrained. Naturally, her reputation wasn’t great.

But did reputation really matter? Did other people’s opinions matter?

Sometimes she felt like burning the whole world down.

Lin Yiqiao took a fierce bite of her dry, tough pancake. She had been living in this headstrong, forward-thinking way for eighteen years now.

Those boys liked her, sure—but they had to listen to their families. Even if she schemed her way into a few benefits, she was always under someone’s thumb. In the end, she’d just become a cautionary tale, whispered about by aunts and cousins.

Her stepfather only wanted to marry her off as a pawn to curry favor—he couldn’t care less about her life or death.

Freedom didn’t belong to girls like her. But she wanted freedom. She wanted dignity. Which meant she couldn’t stay in a small place like Haicheng.

Lin Yiqiao knew she had to run. If she had one strength, it was resilience. She’d been knocked down plenty as a kid but never lost her nerve, never cared about saving face when things got tough.

That’s when she thought of her aunt in the capital.

Her aunt had only one daughter, who was already married. She’d always treated Lin Yiqiao kindly. Her uncle had a minor position in the military, and the family lived in the military compound.

It was a good place to go. Big cities had more opportunities, after all. The perfect place for her to put her talents to use.

She blinked at her reflection in the mirror. Her dark eyes shimmered like a spring, and her long, thick lashes fanned out like little brushes.

No man she’d ever fancied had lasted more than three seconds looking into those eyes without blushing.

—

Lin Yiqiao had never left Haicheng before. This two-day-and-two-night train ride was rough, and her delicate skin was already getting a bit flaky.

With one day left in the journey, Lin Yiqiao shared some mooncakes she had left with the woman and her child beside her. She was naturally sociable and quickly became friendly with the woman.

Liu Yun was traveling with her child to join her husband, who had just been promoted and was now allowed to bring his family to live with him on base.

What a coincidence—maybe they’d end up in the same compound.

Liu Yun grabbed Lin Yiqiao’s hand and insisted she come visit sometime. Lin Yiqiao smiled and agreed.

As the sun slanted low in the sky, golden light poured through the train windows. The capital station had arrived.

The train attendant’s voice rang out powerfully. The train slowly came to a halt. The capital’s railway station was grand and clean. Soldiers in green uniforms stood in orderly rows on either side, holding real guns with live ammunition.

Only now did it all feel real—this was the heart of the nation, the center of power. There was none of the humid southern air here—only the bright, dry sunlight that seemed to wash away shadows and dampness.

Lin Yiqiao dusted off her clothes and whispered silently to herself:

Lin Yiqiao, the capital welcomes you.