Chapter 1: Only He Could Protect Her Now

In N City, the autumn rain was especially cold.

Inside the warm car, a girl sat in the back seat with her head lowered. The loose white down jacket she wore concealed half of her fair, clean face.

The pair of large, luminous eyes visible beneath her hood were strikingly beautiful, but at this moment, they brimmed with unease and timidity.

"Xun, don't blame your uncle. I'm only doing this for your own good," Lin Zhenghe said from the front seat, his honest face tinged with helplessness as he watched the girl sit in a daze.

No sooner had he finished speaking than Lin Nanxun, who had been silent the entire journey, startled. Panic washed over her whole being.

"Uncle, please don't abandon me. I'll be really, really good," she pleaded, turning her head and stretching out her scalded hands to grip Lin Zhenghe's clothes tightly.

Her delicate, lovely face was etched with fear.

Seeing her so distressed, Lin Zhenghe's expression grew even more remorseful.

"I won't abandon you, Xun. I'm just taking you somewhere else. You'll have a good life there."

If he had any choice, he would never send his own niece away.

Nanxun had grown up without a father but had always been a smart and lovable child. However, a few years ago, she suffered a terrible accident and was injured. From then on, she became slow and simple-minded, like a child, and could hardly interact with strangers—only close family could reach her.

The elderly in the family had doted on their granddaughter and cared for her themselves, but despite seeing many doctors and trying various treatments, nothing improved her condition.

Now, both elders had passed away, leaving Nanxun alone. Though she had just turned twenty, she was incapable of living independently, so the task of caring for her naturally fell to her only remaining relative.

Yet, his wife could not tolerate this pitiable child. In just two months under their roof, there had been endless conflict. His wife seized every chance to quarrel, and it was Nanxun who suffered most. Only today, upon returning home, Lin Zhenghe heard his wife’s scolding from the kitchen. Inside, he found his niece, who could barely care for herself, being forced to do chores, her hands scalded and blistered.

As he glanced at her pale hands, now covered in blisters, his guilt deepened.

And besides, there was that other matter…

At this point, it seemed there was only one person left who could take her in.

But just as he finished his explanation, Nanxun's emotions grew even more agitated. She gripped his clothes tightly, heedless of the pain in her hands, and begged:

"No, please don’t send me away. I promise I’ll never upset Auntie again!"

Whatever Auntie asked of her in the future, she would do it quietly, without any fuss.

Hearing this, Lin Zhenghe’s face clouded with indecision, his heart aching as he looked at her.

“Nanxun is scared!” she cried, her pure, wide eyes fixed on him in supplication.

“Mr. Lin, we’ve arrived,” the driver’s voice announced from the front as the car came to a halt.

Snapping back to reality, Lin Zhenghe turned to look out the window.

They had stopped in front of a subdued gray villa by the tranquil lakeside.

“Thank you,” Lin Zhenghe said to the driver.

At that moment, both car doors swung open. The servants stood at the entrance with umbrellas, politely addressing the passengers.

“Mr. Lin, Sir is waiting for you upstairs.”