1 Prologue

Li Mei stood on the balcony, staring at the specks of snow slowly fading into thin air. Her dark, dull eyes followed the white flakes as it touched her delicate fingers and melted away all her sadness.

At one point in time, she had hated winter for a reason, but now Li Mei grew accustomed to that empty feeling. She felt lonely ever since that year when her world turned upside down. From being the happiest child, she became someone with no family... no home to go back to.

She had nothing left except for her 10-year-old self. The Li Mei who used to smile was long gone. When her parents passed away, all she could do was to shed tears until her heart was about to break open.

The aftermath was nothing unfamiliar. Li Mei was sent to an orphanage and stayed there with other kids her age. The accident was a trauma. She could no longer utter a single word as if to punish herself and to shun the world.

Waiting for her parents to come back felt like an eternity. Li Mei grew weary at the sight of other orphans with their new parents, yet another part of her was hesitant because she could not accept a new family other than her 'real' one.

Though, that day came at last for Li Mei.

"From today on, Mr. Liu will be your father." The caretaker introduced Li Mei to a young man in his twenties.

Liu Shen's coal black eyes were fixed at the little girl with her hair tied up in a ponytail. She did not meet his gaze and relentlessly nodded, gluing her eyes to the ground.

The two did not greet nor smile at each other. It was as if they were both similar—in a way that only they could understand the meaning behind this encounter.