This quiet and gentle night was her favorite, with moonlight soft and less domineering than sunlight, unlike the clamor of daytime.
She hated daytime, especially those with blazing sunshine, and even more despised crowded bustling scenes that reminded her of that moment sixteen years ago. Though she could no longer remember that woman’s appearance, she clearly recalled the piercing and scorching white light, everywhere like fire…
That day, she didn’t dare look up at the sky, feeling everything was blindingly bright—windows, rooftops, the ground, even the air was white, like a massive fire mirror, each ray slowly burning everything around her.
The crowded streets were noisy and bustling, yet no one noticed her tiny figure standing beneath the flames. On that clear day, the woman abandoned her amidst the prosperity and dizzying white light, never looking back.
“Manman, stay here and don’t run around. Mommy will come back to pick you up soon.”
After these words, the woman never appeared again. In her memory, only her sweat-dampened back disappearing into the crowd remained.
Strange and cold crowds moved before her eyes. Loneliness and fear engulfed her as the crowd surged. She wanted to find that woman, but the street was filled with unfamiliar faces.
She waited, until the scorching white day faded into darkness and the crowds gradually dispersed. The woman still hadn’t come. The night breeze blew away the day’s heat, but she still felt hot, as if burning inside. The scene grew increasingly blurry, with darkness surrounding her, gently embracing her descent into endless night…
When she awoke, she had drifted through pale, nauseating hospitals, police stations filled with officers, noisy aid stations, and finally, a dilapidated welfare institution.
Adults always asked her many questions, but she only looked at them with anxious eyes, not knowing how to respond. Eventually, they stopped asking and left her alone in a corner of the dark room.
From that moment, she no longer wanted to touch sunlight, as that piercing brightness made her uneasy, and she feared the clamor that reminded her of the panic of being abandoned.
She understood she had been abandoned by that woman with the sweat-dampened back, leaving her a child without a home.
On that sunny day, a strange woman arrived at the welfare institution. Unlike other children who crowded around her, hoping to be adopted, she stood quietly in the shade, counting falling leaves.
When a high-heeled shoe crushed a leaf, she looked up at the woman towering above. The stranger’s smile was fake, her heavily made-up eyes radiating indifference. This was her only impression of that woman.
Amid the envious gazes of other children, she was taken away by this strange woman, stepping into Hong Kong’s wealthy elite society and entering a fairy-tale-like upper-class world.
She was like a magically transformed Cinderella, becoming a princess of noble lineage overnight.
That woman was Liu Qiusi, who gained a new identity as Tong Yixuan, daughter and second-in-line heir of Tong Baichuan, head of Tong International Group. Liu Qiusi was Tong Baichuan’s second wife, having previously been a marginalized mistress. After a tragic accident claimed the lives of Baichuan’s first wife and son, Liu Qiusi was elevated to the principal wife.
To avoid being abandoned, she diligently studied the precepts of being a lady, setting high standards for herself in appearance, demeanor, and conduct. She aimed to become plump, as Tong Baichuan found “Babyfat” girls adorable. When he pinched her chubby cheeks and laughed, saying, “Girls should have some meat to be cute,” she felt it was all worth it, even earning the nickname “fatty,” which she didn’t mind.
She lived carefully, burying her true self under disguises, content under someone else’s identity.
Regardless, deep down, she was still that little girl afraid of sunlight and noise, but everything changed with the appearance of one person. That person was Di Xihuang, a legendary figure.
At seventeen, he founded his own network software company and, within three years, rose to the forefront of the IT industry, accumulating astonishing wealth and becoming one of the youngest IT elites. He then extended his reach into finance, insurance, and transportation. Five years later, he established the Di Family Consortium on Wall Street, serving as executive CEO and making the consortium rank among the top ten in the United States within two years.
At their first meeting, she was unaware of his achievements, knowing only that he was a Chinese-American businessman. Even after turning eighteen and attending upper-class gatherings, she was not as active as other young ladies from prestigious families. Her nickname “fatty” made many people hesitant to approach her. Despite her impressive background, she rarely communicated with others and felt out of place, showing no interest in matters unrelated to her.
But at a charity auction dinner, she remembered every detail of that night…
The man pushed Han Bing away, straightening his clothes while ignoring her staggering form. After Han Bing steadied herself, she clung to him, saying, “Your Highness, come to my place. Stop staying in hotels all the time.”
For a moment, she felt as if the man had looked toward her hiding place, a sensation that filled her with fear. The man said nothing and walked toward the brightly lit hall, leaving Han Bing to depart angrily in her high heels.
Once calm returned, she took a deep breath, sat up, and placed her hands on her racing heart. Disturbed by their earlier interaction, she lost her mood to enjoy the scenery. She brushed off the grass clippings from her cocktail dress, put on her high heels, took several deep breaths, and donned her fake smile before returning to the banquet.
Suddenly, a call startled her, making her stop.
“Miss Tong, what a pleasant mood,” a voice spoke from a dark corner, its refined tone laced with coldness.
Fear welled up in her heart.
Hugging herself, she looked towards the darkness. The once elegant rose trellis now resembled a ferocious monster. Her voice trembling, she asked, “Who? Who’s there?”
A figure stepped out from the shadows. The hall’s light illuminated one side of him. Although not entirely clear, his tall silhouette was recognizable as the man from earlier.
Feeling like a child caught misbehaving, she turned to flee, but his strong hand seized her arm. A different fragrance wafted from behind her.
Panic surged as she spun to confront him. “What do you want?”
In the dim light, his bright eyes, reminiscent of black crystal, sparkled with intensity. His thin lips, beneath a straight nose, imparted a stern appearance. When he spoke, his voice was low, “Why run? I don’t mind being seen by you, so why are you afraid?”
“I was there first, and you two came afterwards…” She could hardly articulate her thoughts as the memory flooded her mind.
Releasing her arm, he replied casually, “I already said I don’t mind.” He adjusted the suit he was holding. “Why are you nervous? I’m Di Xihuang, and I only hope Miss Tong can introduce me to your father.”
As he let her go, she instinctively backed away. “You know me?”
With a hint of mockery in his glance, he replied, “In Hong Kong’s upper society, who doesn’t know a pearl like Miss Tong?”
“You…”
“Usually, when others commented on her weight, she didn’t care, but hearing it from him made her furious. She retorted sarcastically, ‘If you’re capable, go yourself. Don’t be a kept man, getting a woman to pave the way for you.’
Though somewhat afraid of him, she resolutely refused and ran back to the banquet hall, as if he were a demon chasing her.
She hid in the powder room, splashing her face with cool water to calm her racing heartbeat, not wanting Tong Baichuan to notice her unusual state.
