Pei Zhi spent her first sixteen years alive like a weed growing in a gutter.
With no parents, living under someone else's roof, branded a bringer of bad luck and bullied mercilessly by her classmates.
She thought her whole life would be this way: humble, miserable, and ignored by everyone.
Until one dusk, when she was cornered and bullied on the sports field,
the elegant, aloof man she had met only twice came walking toward her, step by step.
He crouched down, brushed the dust from her face, and said in a low, steady voice:
"Don't be afraid. I'm here."
Everyone feared Mr. Gu, a man of immense power, cold and taciturn.
Only Pei Zhi knew that he would hold an umbrella over her in the rain, carefully tend her wounds when she was hurt, and shield her from every cruelty.
She called him timidly, "Uncle."
His gaze darkened as he answered softly, "Mm. I'll protect you."
Only later did she learn
that he hadn't simply happened to pass by. He had been searching for her for ten whole years.
Life was bitter, but when he came, she finally had a home.
[Cool, powerful uncle × pitiful, sweet little girl]
[Mutual healing + devoted pampering + slow-burn guardianship]
You are the longing I keep hidden in my heart, and the only tenderness I will have for the rest of my life.
