Volume One, Chapter Three: He Is Her Guardian

The man stood with his back to the light, his towering frame casting a shadow that swallowed her, plunging her into darkness.

Lu Miao felt a surge of panic. "What... what are you trying to do?"

"Getting closer, so you can see things more clearly."

He backed her against the refrigerator, his chest brushing against the tip of her nose. She was immediately hit by a heavy, somber scent.

Startled, she looked up, meeting a pair of deep, obsidian eyes. Seeing the turbulence within them, she stammered, "I-I’m warning you, don't you dare try anything."

Fu Shiyue let out a scoff. As if prepared, he pulled a document from his pocket and unfolded it before her.

"Look closely. I am your legal guardian now. Even the police can't do anything about it."

"..."

Lu Miao’s face flushed with embarrassment. She felt certain the man was doing this on purpose just to make her misunderstand. She turned her head to look at the document.

She was only a month shy of eighteen, but there it was in black and white: Lu Yan had actually handed over her guardianship to this man! This meant she had no way of kicking him out.

Trembling with rage, Lu Miao snapped, "My house has no room for you!"

Fu Shiyue scanned the three-bedroom apartment. Because few people lived here, the furniture looked relatively new. Every bedroom door was tightly shut, clear evidence that the owner protected her private space fiercely and would not allow it to be breached.

He withdrew his gaze and looked down at her flushed, indignant face. "I'll sleep on the sofa."

"Do whatever you want!"

She shoved him aside, marched off in a huff, and slammed her bedroom door with a deafening crash. Fu Shiyue stared at the door, his brows knitting into a dark, grim line.

Just then, his phone rang. He walked over to the sofa and answered it.

"So, how is it? Is my niece a handful?"

Fu Shiyue gave a soft hum. "The young lady is a bit rebellious."

Lu Yan sounded melancholy. "Miaomiao isn't a bad kid; she’s just been away from her parents since she was little and has grown accustomed to doing as she pleases."

Whenever he mentioned Lu Miao, Lu Yan could go on forever—a classic case of someone complaining about his own family while actually cherishing them deeply.

"I need you to look after Miaomiao for me. While you're at it, help her break some of her bad habits. When I get back for the New Year, I'll treat you to a proper meal."

Fu Shiyue leaned back against the sofa and chuckled. "Since when have you been so formal with me?"

Lu Yan and Fu Shiyue had been friends for years. His formality was born out of guilt toward Lu Miao. "I rarely spend time with her. I truly worry about her being home alone."

Lu Yan had moved abroad, yet he fretted like a mother hen. The main issue was that Lu Miao was far too undisciplined. When he was home, she was manageable, but the moment he left, she was like a wild horse off its tether. He feared she would be deceived or end up running with the wrong crowd.

Having a friend who had recently retired from the military was the perfect solution; he could impose some military-style discipline on her.

"By the way, you’ve dropped her off at home, right?"

Fu Shiyue turned his head. "She's in her room. Do you want to talk to her?"

"No need. She’s probably furious with me right now."

Fu Shiyue glanced at the closed bedroom door and gave a low laugh. "You really do know her well."

Fu Shiyue’s move into Lu Miao’s home was at Lu Yan’s behest. Worried that Lu Miao might stay out all night, Lu Yan wanted Fu Shiyue there to keep an eye on her.

"She’s very resistant right now," Fu Shiyue remarked, sensing that in the girl’s eyes, he likely seemed like a creep forcing his way into her home.

Lu Yan sighed heavily. "That’s my fault. If that incident hadn't happened back then, she wouldn't have forgotten you."

Fu Shiyue’s expression stiffened, his gaze darkening with hidden complexity.

After hanging up, Fu Shiyue habitually reached for a cigarette, but his peripheral vision caught an album on the coffee table, and he paused. He tucked the unlit cigarette between his fingers and picked up the album.

In the photos, Lu Miao was three or four years old, her smile innocent and radiant, her eyes dark and clear—as if all the happiness in the world had been captured in those moments. Yet, the faces of her mother and father had been completely blacked out.

He studied them for a long time before putting the album back.

...

Lu Miao tossed and turned in bed. Lu Yan had actually dumped her on some old man and then just vanished! How could he be so irresponsible? What right did he have to be her uncle?

In a fit of pique, she threw the doll Lu Yan had given her onto the floor. But then, struck by a sudden thought, her eyes turned red. She picked the doll up, brushed off the dust, and slumped over, clutching it tightly to her chest.

Lu Miao had been only three when Lu Yan brought her home. On her birthday that year, he hadn't returned, sending someone to deliver the teddy bear instead. It was the first birthday gift she had ever received. She had been so happy that day that, even though he hadn't come to celebrate, she didn't blame him.

Lu Yan often stayed away from home, and fearing she would be scared alone, he had told her to sleep with the doll. As she grew older, she realized he had lied about it being a birthday gift; in reality, he just couldn't be there for her.

That was how her childhood had passed. From acting out to get attention and care, to eventually becoming accustomed to being alone, she found it hard to accept anyone intruding into her world and disrupting her life.

Lu Miao pricked up her ears. There was no sound from outside. Was that man really staying? Forget it; it wouldn't be right to kick him out so late. She would let him stay the night and figure out how to get rid of him tomorrow.

...

"Ring—"

Lu Miao was jolted awake by her alarm. Groggy, she reached out from under the covers to silence it. She climbed out of bed, still half-asleep, and shuffled toward the bathroom in her fluffy pajamas.

She opened the door and froze.

Warm sunlight spilled into the living room. The man was gone. The sofa was perfectly neat and tidy, without a single sign that anyone had slept there. Had he known she would try to kick him out this morning and left on his own last night?

Lu Miao pursed her lips. Just as she headed for the bathroom, she spotted a packed breakfast on the dining table. She paused and walked over to open the container.

It was shrimp dumplings and custard buns from Chen’s—the aroma was intoxicating. Attached to the box was a heart-shaped pink sticky note. Originally, it had been a generic message from the shop: "Wishing you a wonderful life and a pleasant meal."

Below it, however, was a handwritten line that completely ruined the mood:

"Throw it away if you don't want to eat it; it was bought with your uncle's money anyway."

"..."

The handwriting was decent, but the man was worse than a dog. Lu Miao tossed the note aside and went to wash up.

Hengtong University.

Lu Miao didn't care for studying and had no real friends. But in the second semester of her senior year, she had gotten a new desk mate—a quiet, well-behaved girl. Whenever Lu Miao played on her phone during class, the girl would whisper a reminder if the head teacher came to check, and she would even bring breakfast for Lu Miao.

Lu Miao liked her new desk mate. Seeing her work hard from dawn till dusk, she felt it was tough and decided to keep her company. The head teacher, seeing Lu Miao’s change of heart, had excitedly called her uncle to tell him not to worry, saying that at this rate, she would at least get into a decent university.

But when Lu Miao received her acceptance letter from a top-tier university, the head teacher was so shocked he fainted, and her desk mate stopped speaking to her.

Now in university, she still didn't care for studying. But it was the start of the second semester, and she figured she should at least make a decent impression.

Lu Miao arrived at the classroom early and found an empty seat in the back row. She had just taken out her breakfast.

"It smells so good! Miaomiao, who bought you breakfast?"

Wang Gege leaned in, gossiping, clearly tempted by the spread. "Don't tell me it’s from some secret admirer!"

Lu Miao just let out a dry, dismissive laugh.