Chapter 1

Before the age of five, Pei Manman hated winter the most.

He didn’t have any suitable winter clothes and always wore his older brother and sister’s old clothes.

Although they looked thick, the cold wind would whistle in from the cuffs and hems, freezing him to the bone, both indoors and outdoors.

Until the year he turned five, he was taken to live with the Lu family.

From then on, his fate turned, and his life was rewritten.

I still remember that day was very cold. It should have been the coldest day after the start of winter. It had rained for several days in a row, followed by a strong wind.

The air was filled with damp chill, and the rain felt like frozen ice knives cutting against his face.

The biting cold enveloped Pei Manman, freezing his small face, his nose turning slightly purple, and even his breathing became labored.

“Remember, behave yourself when you get there, don’t embarrass us.”

Before leaving, his aunt, Zhu Hong, wrapped a large coat around him with a rough and decisive movement, her voice commanding and cold.

“Don’t talk nonsense over there. It’s not that we want to get rid of you. Being chosen is your own good fortune.”

She then wrapped a large black scarf around him.

After a pause, she added two more sentences.

“If you dare to talk nonsense, when you come back, see how your uncle deals with you.”

“Did you hear that?”

“Are you mute? I’ve said so much, you don’t even know how to respond?”

Hearing the word “uncle,” Pei Manman’s thin and small body trembled.

As if the violent and fierce figure had already appeared before him.

A look of fear appeared on his small face, and he quickly nodded, replying in a low voice, “Uh… I, I heard.”

Although his aunt was always fierce, she would at least take care of him and never hit him.

In contrast, he was even more afraid of his uncle, who would go crazy and beat him.

“Alright, the person who will pick you up is already here. Don’t make them wait, let’s go out quickly.”

“Uh…”

The scarf covered the lower half of Pei Manman’s face, and the large coat hood almost covered his eyes. When he went out, he couldn’t see the road clearly, and he felt uneasy.

He stumbled twice, almost falling.

“Tsk, you can’t even walk? Are you doing it on purpose?”

“…”

His aunt impatiently took his hand, ignoring his unsteady steps, and directly led him out.

The winter chill instantly hit his face.

His skin felt a little stinging.

But his aunt walked fast, and he had to keep jogging to keep up. After a while, his breath became ragged, and his body warmed up a bit.

When they stopped at the roadside, the ill-fitting hooded coat drooped even more, covering most of his face.

Then he suddenly heard strangers talking to them, and he was startled again.

“You must be Mrs. Pei. I’m the driver who spoke to you on the phone earlier. I’m here to pick up the child.”

His aunt, who had been cold and impatient before, suddenly became enthusiastic. “Hello, hello. Sorry to keep you waiting. The child is right here!”

Pei Manman knew that “the child” referred to him.

He also knew that he was a burden wherever he went, and now he was going to live with another family.

He raised his small hand, which was almost frozen, trying to pull the hood up, wanting to see what the person who came to pick him up looked like, whether they looked fierce or not.

“Thank you and your husband for your trust and support. Madam said she will take good care of this child.”

“Also, this is a small token of appreciation from Madam. Please accept it.”

Pei Manman didn’t know what “token of appreciation” the other person had taken out, he only heard his aunt’s tone becoming more cheerful, even with a clear smile.

“Oh, my, how embarrassing. No, no, we can’t accept this…”

“Please accept it.”

“Oh, really, we can’t. We didn’t agree to send the child over for money…”

“Slowly is our little darling at home… This time, we agreed for his future, and we are very grateful for this opportunity. We can’t accept your money!”

The other person seemed to smile.

However, it was not noticeable in the howling wind.

The other person continued, “This is Madam’s instruction. If you don’t accept it, it means I haven’t done my job well. Just consider it as a way for me to complete my task. Please accept it.”

After a few back-and-forth exchanges, his aunt still accepted the envelope handed over by the other person.

Then, she pretended to bend down and squat, with a gentle tone that she hadn’t shown before, she said to Pei Manman, “Slowly, you have to be well-behaved when you get there, you can’t be as willful as you are at home, okay?”

Unfortunately, Pei Manman couldn’t refute.

Until he was carried into the car by the stranger, he was still stuck in the confusion and shock of his aunt’s change of attitude, and he hadn’t recovered.

Of course, he didn’t need to do anything.

The car was spacious.

At least for a small and thin five-year-old, it was big enough for Pei Manman to jump around in.

But he was very quiet.

He didn’t cry, he didn’t speak, it was as if even his breathing was still, he just let the adults arrange and manipulate him, obediently sat in the back seat, quietly, his presence was almost nonexistent.

The car had a hot air conditioner, the heating was sufficient, blocking out all the cold from the outside.

After sitting quietly for a few minutes, the little guy finally regained the temperature of his cheeks and palms, slowly taking off the large hat.

The car was so warm.

It was much warmer than his uncle and aunt’s house.

Actually, his uncle and aunt’s house weren’t without air conditioning, but it was only turned on when it was very cold, and usually only his uncle and brother could enjoy it.

The driver, who originally had no curiosity about Pei Manman, was just here to pick up a child, a small task that wasn’t too difficult.

But now he kept looking at him, couldn’t help but look at him a few more times.

For a boy of that age, most are lively and annoying. Being able to keep quiet is already a rare sight, and being able to sit quietly without making a fuss is a miracle.

Through the rearview mirror, the driver saw Pei Manman take off his hat, and only then did he see his face clearly.

He was a very cute little boy.

His skin was fair, his cheeks were round, his eyes were as clear as glass, and the lines at the corners of his eyes drooped slightly, giving him an innocent and pitiful aura.

His hair was light in color, and he had a bit of a natural curl.

Probably due to malnutrition, he didn’t have much flesh on his cheeks, and his body was much smaller than other children his age. He was hidden in clothes that were clearly too big for him, making people feel soft-hearted and sympathetic just by looking at him.

The driver thought, this isn’t a little darling from a good family, this is clearly a child who has been neglected and treated roughly.

He then thought again, but this appearance is indeed outstanding, just a few glances and it leaves a deep impression, no wonder he was noticed by the actress.

He had thought that picking up the child would be troublesome, at least he would cry in the car for a long time, but the child was incredibly quiet and well-behaved, not naughty or making a fuss, just sitting quietly.

Compared to the domineering and willful little ancestor in the actress’s family, this child was like a gentle little angel, pitiful and endearing.

The car drove for as long as the child sat quietly.

Later, the driver couldn’t help himself. During a red light, he took the initiative to ask, “Little friend, do you know where we’re going?”

The car was warm, the temperature was perfect for sleeping, and Pei Manman’s eyelids felt heavy, his consciousness began to drift away.

When he heard the driver speak, he suddenly woke up, his long, thick curled eyelashes fluttered like small fans, his clear eyes shimmering with water.

He looked at the driver with obvious unease and apprehension, not daring to speak, just nodded.

He knew that this time, someone seemed to have taken a liking to him, wanting to take him to live with them for a while, and also ask him to do something.

Although he couldn’t understand the specifics, he knew he was going to live in another unfamiliar home.

Pei Manman was already used to it.

Since his parents died in an accident, he had become a real burden. In the past two years, he had been passed around by various relatives, going back and forth between unfamiliar families.

The relatives didn’t go as far as to abuse him, but after a long time, the initial warmth had basically turned into indifference and disdain, with everyone passing the buck.

Pei Manman was young, but he was actually delicate and sensitive, and he also learned to read people’s expressions.

He knew he wasn’t welcome anywhere, so he didn’t dare to have high hopes this time.

However, his nervous and restrained appearance made people even more soft-hearted.

Seeing this, the driver quickly said, “Don’t be afraid, uncle is not a bad person… Look over there, are there a lot of snacks? They’re all prepared for you. Whatever you like, whatever you want to eat, just take it.”

Hearing this, Pei Manman looked to his side, and sure enough, he saw a lot of snacks.

When he got in the car, his vision was blocked by the hat, so he couldn’t see them. Later, he sat quietly, not daring to look around, and didn’t see them either.

Now Pei Manman took a closer look.

There really were a lot of snacks.

Chocolate pie, nougat, nut boats, fruit yogurt bars… there were even strawberry cake and cream puffs.

Pei Manman swallowed, obviously wanting to eat them, his beautiful big eyes widened, revealing his longing.

After all, he was only five years old.

What little boy could resist the temptation of these snacks?

But after the longing, Pei Manman actually firmly withdrew his gaze, shook his head, and said in a very soft and low voice, “… I, I won’t eat.”

“It’s okay, these are all for you, you can eat whatever you want.”

“…”

The little guy seemed to be a little hesitant, but after a slight hesitation, he more firmly chose to refuse, even deliberately turning his head to avoid eye contact, not even wanting to catch a glimpse with his peripheral vision.

The fear of unease and tension overwhelmed his desire for food.

Seeing how scared and nervous he was, the driver didn’t force him anymore.

Half an hour later, they arrived at the Lu family.

The car drove into the luxurious villa area, stopping in front of a building with a European classical and elegant style.

The sky started to drizzle again, and the temperature dropped even further.

Even though Pei Manman had warmed up his entire body in the car, the cold, biting rain falling on his cheeks instantly chased away all his drowsiness and sleepiness.

“We’re here, let’s go inside.”

Fortunately, the driver picked him up and quickly went into the main house. It only took ten seconds, and he wasn’t frozen again.

It was warm inside again.

And the space was spacious and bright, with a touch of elegance and luxury everywhere.

Pei Manman had never seen such a beautiful house, it was like a fairytale castle from a cartoon, he was stunned for a moment, almost exclaiming.

But another childish voice, full of domineering, sounded beside him.

“Are you the kid who’s going to live in my house?”

Pei Manman subconsciously turned his head towards the voice, and then he saw a boy a few years older than him walking down the spiral staircase.

The boy was wearing simple and elegant loose home clothes, but he exuded a full sense of arrogance.

His amber eyes were clear and sharp, his eyebrows and eyes were deep, his nose was high and straight, and his face was full of indifference and disdain. Standing on the stairs, he looked down at him.

“Don’t you know you have to change your shoes when you come in? You’ve stepped all over the tiles.”

“Hmph, so shabby.”

“…”

Pei Manman was wearing a pair of old cotton shoes, and it was raining, so the soles were naturally dirty.

Looking back, the place he had just walked through, sure enough, there were several black footprints, completely out of place with the clean and bright castle.

The sensitive child felt a little embarrassed and awkward, but he couldn’t explain anything.

He could only lower his head and shrink his small feet that had nowhere to go.