Chapter 1

The rain poured heavily. Jiang Zhinan stood at the entrance of the villa, looking at the boy drenched by the storm. His thin figure trembled in the rain, tightly clutching a worn-out backpack. Water dripped from his messy hair, masking the complex emotions in his eyes.

“Xingzhi, come inside,” Jiang Zhinan called softly, her voice tinged with concern.

Jiang Xingzhi looked up, his gaze landing on Jiang Zhinan. She wore a white dress, like a fairy in the rain—gentle and beautiful. A surge of emotion welled up inside him—gratitude, inferiority, and a feeling he couldn’t quite name.

Inside the villa, Jiang Zhinan handed him a towel and gently dried his hair. “Go take a hot shower first, or you’ll catch a cold,” she said with sincere concern.

Jiang Xingzhi silently watched the woman before him. Since his mother’s death, he had felt like an unnecessary presence in this house—except for Jiang Zhinan, who treated him kindly. Her tenderness, her care, were like rays of sunlight in his dark world, warming his lonely heart.

After his shower, Jiang Xingzhi sat on the sofa. Jiang Zhinan brought him a cup of hot milk. “Here, drink this to warm up,” she said, sitting beside him.

As he took the milk, his fingers brushed against hers, and a tremor ran through him. Looking down at the milk, he suddenly remembered his childhood. When his mother was still alive, she’d always make him a cup of hot milk when he was sick, then give him a fruit candy. Life was hard back then, but full of warmth.

“Zhinan-jie, thank you,” Jiang Xingzhi said softly, his voice slightly choked.

Jiang Zhinan smiled and shook her head. “Silly boy, there’s no need to be polite with me. Just stay here with peace of mind. If you need anything, just tell me.”

Jiang Xingzhi looked up at her with burning eyes. “Zhinan-jie, why are you so good to me?”

She paused, then smiled, “Because you’re my little brother.”

Little brother? Jiang Xingzhi smiled bitterly inside. Yes, they were siblings in name—but his feelings for her had long since gone beyond that.

Night fell. Jiang Xingzhi lay in his room, unable to sleep. He got up and walked to the window, watching the rain fall outside, thoughts swirling in his mind. Suddenly, his gaze was drawn to the window of Jiang Zhinan’s room. It had been dark, but now light shone from within like a dazzling star in the night sky. In front of the lit window, a graceful figure moved faintly in the light.

That figure was slender and elegant, with smooth, natural lines like a work of art carved by nature itself.

Jiang Xingzhi held his breath, eyes fixed on her. Jiang Zhinan was changing clothes. Her white dress slowly slipped off, revealing her fair skin and graceful form. Heat rushed through Jiang Xingzhi’s body, his throat suddenly dry.

Like being jolted by electricity, he quickly turned away, not daring to look again. He shut his eyes tightly, trying to erase the image from his mind. But Jiang Zhinan’s silhouette haunted him, lingering like a ghost he couldn’t dispel.

“Zhinan-jie, you’re mine. You can only be mine.” Jiang Xingzhi’s voice was low and resolute, as if this declaration had echoed in his heart countless times. His gaze was firmly fixed on Zhinan, as if she were the only thing that existed in his world.