Haoran

Grandma Lin happily welcomed Emma and showed the room she had prepared for the girl. Unlike Emma's living space in the orphanage, here, she could decorate her room as she pleased. Grandma Lin knew Emma loved plants, so she deliberately put many beautiful potted plants and flowers on the window sill of her room.

"Thank you very much, Grandma. This is wonderful." Emma kissed Grandma Lin's wrinkled cheeks and placed her backpack on the bed. She took out everything she had brought and began arranging them in the cupboard.

Emma only had a few personal items, so in just five minutes, she had finished the arrangement. Although the government took care of her needs and never prevented her from having a lot of stuff, Emma liked practicality and never bought unnecessary things.

She believed that life stuffed with worthless goods would only attract trouble; she didn't want to be weighed down by them.

Emma was just waiting to be declared an adult by the state and had no intention of staying in Singapore for too long. She already had many plans on how to raise money, and in her estimate, once she became 18 years old, she should have enough money to go find her parents. But until then, she had to be patient.

"Do you want to see your new school?" asked Grandma Lin, carrying a tray filled with a pot of tea and two cups as she entered. She sat in the chair next to Emma's bed and signaled the girl to sit next to her, so they could enjoy the tea together.

"I have the address. I can go straight there tomorrow," Emma answered as she helped Grandma Lin pour tea for the two of them. "But I don't have my uniform yet."

Ms. Mabel had sent Emma away as soon as she had heard from the Child Welfare Service official that Emma's application was approved. So, Emma didn't even have time to wait for her uniform and new school supplies to arrive. However, the girl didn't mind. After all, she was fed up with Ms. Mabel's antics with her.

Tomorrow, she would have to go to school without wearing a uniform and people would stare at her. Ah, never mind—with or without a uniform, Emma had always attracted people's attention.

The girl had a pretty unique appearance. Her gorgeous face was framed by her natural platinum-colored hair. Her light-blue eyes sparkled like the sky. She could act in a drama as a fairy without having to wear a wig and costume. But since she was still a minor, she wasn't allowed to dye her hair. So, since childhood, she had no choice but to get used to other people's stares wherever she went.

***

The school's classes would start at 8 AM, so at 7 AM, Emma had departed Grandma Lin's apartment from Ylang Avenue. She took the bus outside their apartment and arrived at her new school. The magnificent St. Catherine, at exactly 7:30 AM.

Emma looked around, inspecting her surroundings. She liked how the school was surrounded by big trees, plants, and flowers. Emma always liked plants and wherever she went, her eyes would always search the lovely things. She actually preferred plants to humans.

"Hey, Beautiful!"

A sudden voice called out behind her, startling Emma. She turned toward the direction of the sound, and her eyes immediately narrowed upon seeing a young man perched on the highest branch of a tree like a monkey relaxing in the forest.

"Ummm"—Emma pointed to herself—"Are you talking to me?"

The young man grinned and nodded. "Are there any other beautiful women around?"

Emma rolled her eyes and ignored him. She proceeded to walk and search for the principal's office. She needed to meet Mr. Young for a briefing about her new class and where she could get a uniform.

"Hey!" The young man jumped from the tree, with beautiful flips, and barraged her with questions until she could hear him from behind her. "Are you a new student? How about I show you around? Are you looking for the principal's office?"

Emma turned around and nodded. As long as this young man didn't bother her, she wouldn't mistreat him.

"Then let me show you the way." Playfully, the young man grabbed Emma's arm. When he was about to pull Emma, the startled girl grabbed the young man's arm, put his weight on her back, and threw him on the ground with a loud bang. Her body had reacted instinctively because she had been touched so sudden and the result was something unexpected.

"AWWW!!!" The young man groaned as he rubbed his behind and shook his reddened arm.

He looked up at Emma with a face of disbelief. Meanwhile, the girl stood there rooted on the spot. She felt terrible for being rash and throwing down this unknown young man, who had the intention of taking her to the principal's office.

"I-I'm sorry," Emma said as she helped the young man to get up. "You shouldn't have surprised me."

The young man continued to stare at the girl. He wiped the dirt off his clothes and shook his head.

"Gosh... you're so strong. That's so amazing!" He wasn't angry at the slightest. Instead, he flashed a mischievous smirk on his handsome face. "Don't worry, I was just surprised and not ready. It's not that easy to hurt Haoran Lee!"

Emma frowned in confusion. This young man wasn't angry, nor offended, and his ego wasn't affected after being slammed by a girl to the ground. The playful smile on his handsome face made Emma unable to blink for several seconds.

'Hmm... this man is weird, but he is likable,' she thought.

She held out her hand. "My name is Emma Stardust. I'm a new student here."

"Stardust, like cocaine?" Haoran asked with a small laugh. Emma was stunned again. The young man in front of her was completely beyond her expectations.

"Yes. Like cocaine." The girl nodded. For the first time in a while, a thin smile formed on her face.

"Come on, Stardust! I'll show you to the principal's office!" Haoran now didn't dare make any sudden movement. He had learned from experience and stretched out his hand to the girl. "I'll lead you there as long as you hold my hand."

"Why?"

"Because I'm not a good person. I'm charging you a fee for my services, which is taking you to the principal's office, and holding your hand is the payment," Haoran replied with a mischievous smile.

Emma then stretched out her palm and grasped Haoran's hand. "Okay."

Actually, the girl only accepted because she felt guilty for thrashing him down. Still, she didn't really care if the young man thought differently. What was clear was that Emma liked this person's attitude. When she saw his warm smile and how he wasn't angry despite her treatment of him, Emma decided that the boy was okay.

The two walked while holding hands toward the principal's office located in the far left building. Some students, who had arrived earlier, looked at them with astonished expressions and whispered to themselves.

As they passed by them, Emma guessed that Haoran was a popular student at school based on the way girls looked at him. After all, Haoran had a tall and athletic physique with a handsome Asian face that always looked lazy and indifferent.

'Ugh... I hope this wouldn't get me in trouble with this guy's fans', thought Emma. She unconsciously withdrew her hand from Haoran's grasp.