He stole his best friend's photos and fell for a tycoon's heir through online dating.

Xia Ruo stood up from the recliner and looked down at Zhang Meihua.

"What kind of person am I?"

Didn't you already accuse me of something? From childhood to adulthood, you've found fault with everything I do and never said a kind word to me.

If I study well, you call me a bookworm; if I dress nicely, you call me frivolous; if I suffer injustice outside, you just say I deserve it—

Her voice paused, her throat tightened, but she didn't blink.

"You call me shameful? What about you?"

Your only skill is to transfer all the hatred you have for this life onto me.

What right do you have to talk to me like that?

Zhang Meihua's pupils contracted sharply, and the next second—

"Snapped!"

The crisp sound of a slap echoed in the quiet courtyard, startling the birds perched on the branches.

Xia Ruo's face was turned to one side by the blow, her left cheek burned with pain, and her ears were ringing.

"Meihua! What are you doing?" Lin's mother's voice was sharper than ever before.

She rushed over and pulled Xia Ruo into a tight embrace, her voice trembling with anger:

"How could you hit someone? Ruoruo isn't even fully recovered yet!"

Zhang Meihua's hand was still frozen in mid-air, her lips trembled twice, but she couldn't say a word.

She looked at her palm, then at the rapidly spreading red mark on Xia Ruo's face, a complex, fleeting look flashing in her eyes—but it was quickly overshadowed by stubbornness and indifference.

"Mrs. Lin, this is a family matter, please don't interfere."

"What about your family's business?" Lin's mother's voice rose, one hand protecting Xia Ruo, the other pointing at Zhang Meihua, she was so angry that she was incoherent.

"If she's my goddaughter! Her business is my business! Can't we talk things out properly?"

Zhang Meihua choked for a moment, her face turning pale and then flushed, finally managing to utter only one sentence:

"She...she's immoral."

"What do you mean by 'indecent'?" Lin's mother frowned deeply. "Explain yourself clearly!"

Xia Ruo stepped out of Lin's mother's arms and whispered:

"It's alright, Aunt Lin. Just tell Wanwan I'm going back to school now."

"No!" Lin's mother grabbed her hand, her eyes reddening with anxiety.

"Your face is still swollen! How can you leave like this? Quick, get an ice pack!"

The maid quickly rummaged through the refrigerator for an ice pack, wrapped it in a clean towel, and ran over to hand it to her.

Lin's mother took it and carefully applied it to Xia Ruo's face.

"Hiss—" Xia Ruo gasped.

Looking at the red mark, Lin's mother felt heartbroken and turned to glare at Zhang Meihua.

"Thank you, Aunt Lin," Xia Ruo said, taking the ice pack down. Her voice was as soft as a wisp of smoke. "I'd like to be alone for a while. Could you please tell Wanwan for me?"

"Where has that brat gone?" Lin's mother looked around anxiously, stamping her feet. "She's never here when she should be!"

"It's really nothing, Aunt Lin." Xia Ruo forced a smile, which looked more like a grimace. "I just wanted to be alone for a while."

She turned and walked towards the front door without looking back. Lin's mother watched the white figure gradually disappear into the distance, her eyes reddening.

-

Xia Ruo walked out of the gate and stood by the roadside. The night wind blew by, cool and refreshing, blowing on her burning left cheek, but it couldn't take away the heat.

She took a deep breath and was about to raise her hand to call a taxi when her phone rang.

"Baby, what are you doing? Why aren't you replying to your brother's WeChat messages?" Zhou Siyan's voice came through the receiver, with a hint of lazy laughter.

Xia Ruo did not respond.

Zhou Siyan frowned, her tone turning serious: "What's wrong, baby? What happened?"

Xia Ruo bit her lip, her throat feeling like it was blocked by something. She opened her mouth, but no word came out.

Suddenly, Zhou Siyan heard sobbing coming from the other end of the phone, and her heart stopped: "Is the baby crying?"

Xia Ruo herself didn't realize that tears had silently slid down her cheeks and into the corners of her mouth. She hurriedly tried to wipe them away with the back of her hand, but the more she wiped, the more tears flowed.

"Where? Tell me where you are?" Zhou Siyan's voice was filled with barely suppressed urgency and anxiety.

Xia Ruo took a deep breath, her voice hoarse and fragmented: "...The Lin family...at the main gate..."

I heard the sound of a chair being pushed back suddenly on the other end of the phone, followed by hurried footsteps.

"Stay there and don't hang up. I'm coming right away."

Xia Ruo could hear the sound of the car starting up and the deep roar of the engine.

"Drive slowly and be careful."

Zhou Siyan tensed his jawline, his fingers gripping the steering wheel tightly until his knuckles turned white.

Slow? He couldn't be slower. He wished he could grow wings and fly straight to her side.

He drove a 20-minute journey in less than 10 minutes.

The black Cullinan, like a black lightning bolt, came to a steady stop beside Xia Ruo.

Before the car door was fully open, Zhou Siyan stepped out, strode up to Xia Ruo, and without saying a word, pulled her into his arms.

"Baby, don't cry, it breaks my heart."

Xia Ruo buried her face in his chest, her tears silently seeping into his clothes, burning his chest with pain.

In both reality and the novel, Xia Ruo vividly felt her mother's disgust towards her. "They don't like me... so why did they give birth to me?"

Zhou Siyan felt as if her heart had truly shattered into pieces.

He tightened his arms around Xia Ruo, his palm gently stroking her back.

"I'm here, baby. You have me. Don't worry about them. I love you, I care about you."

After a long while, Xia Ruo finished crying and slowly pushed him away. Looking at his suit, which was covered in snot and tears from her crying, she couldn't help but chuckle.

"I'm sorry, I got your clothes dirty again."

Zhou Siyan bent down to look her in the eye, pinched the tip of her nose with his fingers, and smiled indulgently.

"It's an honor for this garment to be used as a tissue for the baby."

"Why have you turned into a crybaby? Hmm? Can you tell me?"

Xia Ruo pursed her lips.

Zhou Siyan bent down, picked her up, and gently placed her in the passenger seat.

After getting into the car, Zhou Siyan noticed that Xia Ruo's face was a little swollen. He pinched Xia Ruo's chin with his fingers and tilted it to the left, looking at the redness on her right cheek. His eyes instantly darkened. "Who hit you?"

Xia Ruo remained silent.

Zhou Siyan didn't press further. He picked up the ice pack and towel from her hand, which were no longer very cold, and rewrapped them.

Then, holding her face, he gently applied the ointment to the red, swollen area, his movements extremely tender.

"I don't want to go back to school tonight."

"Fool, I can't let you go back to school like this."

"I'll take you somewhere," Zhou Siyan said, holding the steering wheel with one hand and wrapping her cold fingers with the other, his thumb gently stroking the back of her hand.

Perhaps she was exhausted from crying, Xia Ruo drifted off to sleep. When she woke up again, she found herself resting her head on Zhou Siyan's arm, with a trace of drool on the corner of her mouth.

She hurriedly tried to reach out and wipe it.

Zhou Siyan chuckled softly:

"It's okay, baby. I'm happy to be your tissue."

He raised his hand and gently wiped away the water stains from the corner of her mouth with his fingertips.

"Alright, look outside."

Xia Ruo then realized that the car was parked on a deserted riverbank. Not far away was a bridge that was not yet fully completed.