Chapter 1

On a sunny winter afternoon, the air was still quite chilly.

I looked up at the sky, and the bright sunshine fell on my face, leaving a warm feeling. The square not far away was bustling with people and was very lively.

I wrapped my somewhat worn down coat tighter around myself and squeezed into the crowd.

"Will An Ruo come? I've been waiting for over five hours since 3 a.m...." someone complained from the side.

"Today is the 50th anniversary celebration of Fengtu Group. Anruo is their spokesperson, so she will definitely come!"

"Sigh, ever since the newspapers reported on that bizarre accident three years ago, An Ruo and Mo Fei actually retired from the entertainment industry to get married and have children... It's really unbelievable..."

"Who is An Ruo?" I leaned closer and asked with a lewd grin.

"What? You don't even know who An Ruo is?" someone exclaimed, looking at me as if I were an idiot.

"She's an idol-type star who excels in film, television, and music!"

"Oh!" I nodded with a look of sudden realization, my fingertips already subtly touching the cute wallet on the other person's waist.

I pursed my lips slightly, flicked my fingertips, and as someone squeezed past me from behind, I took a step forward and naturally slipped my hands into my pockets in one smooth motion.

"Anruo! Anruo! Anruo!..." The crowd suddenly started shouting like madmen.

I was startled and quickly stuffed the wallet into my worn-out down jacket. Then, I casually lowered my head, a slight smile playing on my lips. The leather felt so smooth; it was genuine. Looks like I've caught a fat sheep.

After finishing work, I naturally felt much more relaxed. I looked up with great interest at the woman who was being surrounded by a group of people as she walked into the square.

What a beautiful face! She must be An Ruo; she certainly has the looks to drive people crazy.

"Xiaoxiao! Xiaoxiao!..." A strong voice suddenly rang in my ears.

Despite the unusual noise from the crowd, I still heard that familiar voice.

Under the flashing lights, the woman on the opposite square suddenly looked up, her beautiful, breathtaking eyes looking at me through the dark mass of people.

I didn't look at her again. I quickly turned around and looked at the crowd behind me in the direction of the sound. A tall man was waving vigorously at me with a big smile on his face.

"Xiaoxiao!" he shouted at me.

He has the clearest eyes and is a beautiful child; his beauty is even comparable to that of a star on stage.

I couldn't help but smile, but then the smile froze on my lips.

"Get out of my way, you're blocking my way!" Someone shoved him hard from behind, and he fell to the ground.

The excitement of seeing their idol drove the crowd wild; he was surrounded by people.

"Get out of the way! You're stepping on him! Get out of the way!" I screamed, desperately pushing back to try and get closer to him.

"Xiaoxiao... Xiaoxiao..." He sat on the ground, looking around blankly, seemingly lost and confused.

"Aman, don't be afraid!" I struggled to get closer to him. "Get out of the way, get out of the way, you're stepping on him!..."

"Quiet down, everyone! Keep order!" The beautiful woman on the other side suddenly climbed onto the platform, grabbed a microphone, and shouted.

As if by magic, the crowd fell silent instantly. I stared, somewhat stunned, at the woman who shone like a star—it was a celebrity.

As the crowd quieted down, I quickly walked to Aman's side, pulled him out of the crowd, and when I looked back, Anruo's appearance was no longer clear.

"Aman, does anything hurt?"

He shook his head.

"Why is someone running around like that?" I was still shocked when I thought about the chaos that had just happened.

“It’s snowing… Grandma said you didn’t wear a hat when you went out…” Seeing that I was angry, he carefully took out a clean knitted hat from his pocket and said with some grievance.

"Okay, are you hungry? I'll go buy you something to eat." I took the hat and put it on. I couldn't bear to scold him anymore. I stood on tiptoe and stroked his soft, short hair, and smiled.

"Mmm." His eyes lit up like a puppy's as he nodded. "I want an egg roll."

"Hehe, okay, you wait here for me." I saw a vendor selling egg rolls not far away and ran over. "Stand still and don't move!"

"Okay." He nodded obediently, standing still.

I carried a bag full of egg rolls, and because I was worried about Aman, I ran all the way back.

"Get out of the way, you idiot!" A red convertible sports car stopped next to Aman, and inside, several men and women were laughing and joking.

Aman looked up and gave a simple, honest smile, then took a small step to the left.

"Get out of the way, you idiot!" As if they had found a fun toy, they slowly drove closer and shouted.

Aman frowned, as if he had been thinking for a long time, before hesitantly saying, "Xiaoxiao said that I should wait for her where I am."

"Hahaha..." Several people jumped out of the car and surrounded Aman. "He really is an idiot, hahaha..."

"Xiaoxiao said I'm not an idiot..." Aman's beautiful eyes showed a hint of grievance as she quietly defended herself.

"Hahaha..." Those laughs were so jarring.

"What are you laughing at?" I pulled Aman out of their encirclement with one hand, and clenched my fist slightly.

"This idiot is hilarious..." a boy with dyed blond hair laughed.

"Aman, remember to take a detour next time you see them," I said softly, holding Aman's hand.

“Okay,” Aman obediently agreed.

They laughed triumphantly.

"Remember, they're mad dogs, they'll bite." I forced a smile.

"Mmm." Aman nodded fearfully.

"You!" The laughter stopped abruptly. The men were slightly taken aback, then their eyes flashed with malice. "What did you say?!" They jumped up as if their tails had been stepped on, glaring fiercely at me.

I raised my hand and threw a hard punch at the blond boy who had been laughing the loudest. "I'm telling you, next time you see me, remember to take a detour!" I grinned through my teeth.

The blond boy stood frozen in place, then gritted his teeth and approached me, "You bitch, you dare hit me..."

I smiled at the blond boy whose eye I had punched was bruised, and said, "Porcelain shouldn't touch tiles. Obviously, I'm a tile."

They were slightly taken aback.

“Xiaoxiao…” Aman gently shook my hand.

"Let's go home." I casually pulled Aman along and turned to leave.

My surname is Pei, and my given name is Pei Xiao.

I don't like this name because it sounds like "smiling obsequiously." It's said that my first mother gave me this name, but I don't have much of an impression of that woman.

I live in the welfare home in the west of the city, and Aman lives there too.

The orphanage housed more than twenty orphans of varying ages, and we were cared for by several social workers from the orphanage.

Most of those sent to welfare homes are orphans.

When I was little, when the children in the orphanage cried and called for their parents, the aunties at the orphanage would comfort them and say that their parents had never left them, that they had become angels and were watching over them from heaven.

I raised my little hand and asked: Where are my mom and dad?

The aunties at the orphanage would always be speechless, then pat my head tenderly, remaining silent for a long time.

Because I am not an orphan, I am an abandoned child.

Aman is five years older than me; he was also an orphan.

He was abandoned at the gate of an orphanage when he was ten years old, and it is said that he suffered brain damage from an illness.

I was five years old when I first met Aman. Back then, Aman would sit at the entrance of the orphanage every day, waiting. He told me that his mother said she would come to pick him up.

This wait lasted fifteen years, but the legendary mother never appeared.

It is said that when I was a child, I would smile at everyone I met, which made me very likable. My first mother adopted me because she saw how pleasing my smile was and gave me this name.

Perhaps, even as a little child, I subconsciously understood my fate as an abandoned child; perhaps, even as a little child, I subconsciously tried so hard to be liked, so humbly trying to grasp at a sliver of happiness. Yet even so, I was sent back to the orphanage time and time again, experiencing the bitterness of abandonment time and time again…

Because every family that adopts me eventually suffers misfortune.

As a result, I became a notorious troublemaker, and even though I smiled as sweetly as an angel, no one dared to take me home anymore.

I became a child forgotten by God.

There was a blind old woman in the orphanage. Her stories were more numerous than the wrinkles on her face. She loved to tell stories, but her audience was usually just me and Aman.

Her story is always so incredible.

On a midsummer night when I was ten, the blind old woman at the orphanage touched my hand and said, "Child, you are destined to be an empress. How could those ordinary mortals possibly control you..."

I lay down next to the old lady's legs, laughing so hard I was shaking.

One by one, the children from the orphanage were adopted out. I watched them being taken home by their new parents, then watched children younger than me enter the orphanage to become my new companions, and then watched them be adopted out again...

Year after year, it's always the same.

Ah Man and I are the only ones who have stayed in the orphanage.