When Xu Jiaojiao was eight, she was kidnapped and caged like a beast.
For seven years, she lived in darkness. She learned to hide every weakness and sharpen her bones into blades.
At fifteen, she escaped, only to lock herself inside an even smaller shell: no friends, no talking, no trusting anyone.
She was like a wild weed growing in the ruins, able to survive without anyone tending to her.
Then Zhou Wenye appeared, a pampered heir from the capital, radiating privilege and drawing every eye wherever he went.
They should have had nothing to do with each other.
But one day, he began showing up near her all the time.
He never struck up conversations on purpose or made any calculated advances. He simply bought an extra serving of the breakfast she always ate, casually stepped in to shield her from trouble, or remarked, “It’s windy today. Wear something warm.”
Everything felt so natural that Xu Jiaojiao almost thought she was imagining it.
But when the truth about his past came to light, all that effortless kindness suddenly made sense.
She stood rooted in place, grinding every shattered emotion into dust. Her voice was ice-cold. “Zhou Wenye, I don’t need a savior, and I don’t need your sympathy or pity. You’ve come to the wrong person to seek forgiveness.”
She turned and walked away without looking back.
Zhou Wenye panicked. Only when the wind blew did he realize his eyes were burning with tears.
