Sprouts of a Dream

She slept peacefully on the sofa throughout the long night. He stayed awake, watching that serene, slumbering face, his mind drifting to a far-off place. He remembered the day he was born, never knowing his parents' faces, thrown into a deserted alleyway. It was truly a miracle that he was still alive today. Then came the days of hardship to find food, and gradually, he stepped into a world shrouded in darkness, with red blood spilling across every path he chose. He felt his life had no meaning, living as if he didn't exist. He didn't like this world at all; he even hated it. His soul was stained by the color of red blood and the color of the night. For many years, he felt a chill whenever he lay down each day, especially after having to carry out purge missions or working as a mercenary for those stupid, wealthy men. He had wished more than once that he could find something worth cherishing and protecting, so that his life would not continue to pass in futility. He hoped for a younger sibling, or further, a family to protect, to shield, and to love. The image of that child in his mind was so similar to her. He thought he had forgotten that high and distant dream, but no, he knew that in some way, it was still like a tiny flame, flickering and burning, but never dying out, so that today, her image was etched into his retinas, awakening the flame that hadn't yet frozen, flaring up, burning fiercely, and scorching his soul. Sighing, he pulled the blanket back over her and stepped outside. Thinking too much made him weary, and he sought a bit of freshness in the air, in the wind, to let the fire in his heart calm down. Because he knew the best way to protect the things important to him was to cut off all connections between himself and them. Being near him was being near danger. He had no right to demand, nor did he have the right to bring her into a life that was not smooth at all, just for the sake of a stranger.

***

The first lights of the new day filtered in here and there; Tian Qing was still sleeping soundly. Meanwhile, at the villa, everyone was in a panic. The absence of the young mistress naturally caused everyone's hearts to be in turmoil. Mr. Lam was worried, sending people to look for her everywhere but finding nothing. Nanny Hoai was even more flustered, hurriedly rushing into the search. It was the first time people had seen her look so overly anxious.

Leaning his back against a wooden chair, he also drifted off after a night of wandering thoughts.

Blinking slightly to get used to the light, his smoke-colored eyes met a pair of beautiful brown eyes. She watched him curiously, while he naturally didn't know what to do. She was silent, he was silent, and the two of them just looked at each other like that, two gazes intertwining, as if pulling two cold hearts closer together in that moment.

"Ahem...!"

He coughed slightly to hide the embarrassment gradually showing in his eyes, smiling slightly at her.

"You woke up early! What's your name?"

She shook her head slightly, then reached for a notebook and held it out.

"Vu Tian Qing? Your name is truly beautiful! Eleven! I'm one grade above you!"

A sweetness as full as a jar of golden, sun-drenched honey overflowed in the space. In the future, they would love each other like biological siblings. For now, the connecting threads were gradually being established, as if joining two fractured souls together, supporting each other, compensating for each other, to form a perfect soul.