The morning light filtered through the heavy curtains of the room, casting a muted glow on the ornate furniture. On the bed, Xia Yan was deep in thought.
The Xia family? They were strangers to her. Not a single one of them mattered, and they would never understand her.
Yet, she couldn't ignore the obvious truth—biologically she was the family's member now. Complicated thoughts churned in her mind before realising that she needed money. Not to repair the shattered legacy of the Xia family, but for her own purposes.
She had a plan, and it started with her own strength. A strength that was currently buried under this sickly, fragile shell.
Later that morning, as the house buzzed with the quiet sounds of domestic life, Xia Yan moved through the halls like a shadow. Her steps were slow but purposeful. Her cold eyes ignored the servants, the lingering glances, and the distant conversations.
She was unbothered. Uninterested.
Her thoughts were far removed from the Xia family's trivial dynamics. The father, the mother, her brothers—they were nothing to her. Zhihao, however, was different.
Zhihao, the only person who had ever shown any form of affection toward her. The 11-year-old boy whose love for her was as pure as it was naïve. She wasn't a woman without principles, who treated her right, she would treat them hundred times better.
She found him in the garden, surrounded by colorful flowers, his childish laughter ringing out as he tried out his new motor car toy. His short frame was small and nimble, too innocent to understand the complexities of the world, too young to realize the dangerous truths lurking beyond the gates of their wealth.
"Jiejie! Look!" Zhihao shouted, waving his tiny hands as he made the car flip using his remote control. He ran to her, his face lit up with the kind of joy only children had.
Xia Yan's expression didn't soften. She remained standing, her gaze distant as he approached. The years of training in the organization had taught her how to suppress every emotion, how to act without the entanglement of feelings. But deep inside, a small part of her—something buried—flinched. A faint pang in her chest.
But she wouldn't let it show. Not to him. Not to anyone.
"I thought you were past the age of playing with toy cars," she said, her voice cool, though the words were not harsh. Just… indifferent.
Zhihao's face fell for a moment, a flash of confusion in his large, dark eyes. But then he sheepishly smiled again, his innocence untouched. "I'll not play with it then, Jiejie. Can you come with me to the garden today? The flowers smell so nice!"
Xia Yan's lips pressed into a thin line. She was about to refuse, to turn him away like she always did during the past few days, maintaining the distance she had built around herself. But before she could speak, Zhihao took her hand in his small, warm one.
It was a simple gesture, one that didn't mean much to anyone else. But to her, it was enough to remind her of the life she once had, of the family she had never known.
"Jiejie… you're always so tired. But I want you to be happy." Zhihao's voice was filled with sincerity, his eyes wide and filled with trust.
For a fleeting second, Xia Yan hesitated. Her cold, impassive expression wavered. But she quickly masked it. She pulled her hand from his grasp, her cold demeanor back in place.
"I don't need happiness," she said, her words like ice. "You should go back inside."
Zhihao's face fell, but he didn't argue. He simply nodded and returned to the garden, his heart too pure to hold any bitterness.
Xia Yan watched him for a moment, her gaze lingering as he skipped back toward the house. For a brief, silent moment, something stirred in her chest. It was a soft ache, but it was quickly buried under layers of ice.
She didn't have time for this.
Back inside the mansion, Xia Yan moved to the study, a place where the clutter of the Xia family's business affairs was neatly stacked in piles.
She was no stranger to the world of money and power. But the Xia family's wealth was stagnant, built on old businesses, decades-old investments, and inherited assets that hadn't changed much over the years. There was no vision, no forward-thinking. Just an old, decaying empire.
Xia Yan knew she needed to create her own path. She wasn't going to be shackled to the Xia name. She needed to find her own power. And that power would come from money.
She picked up a financial magazine from the table, flipping through the pages with clinical precision. Her gaze stopped on an article about a growing tech startup—an investment opportunity that was beginning to make waves internationally. She needed to learn everything about it.
Her mind was already working, calculating, planning. Money. That's what she needed. It would be hers and hers alone. She didn't need the Xia family's approval or help. They were a means to an end.
But there was something else too. Her thoughts flickered back to Zhihao. He was an anchor in this strange, foreign world she found herself in, but he was also a liability. A weakness. If she didn't keep her distance, he would only become a tool for the people who had wronged her in her past life. She couldn't let that happen.
She had to protect him. But she couldn't let him get too close. Not when her path was set in stone.
The distant sound of footsteps drew her from her thoughts.
Her second eldest brother, Xia Jianyu, appeared at the door, his usual half-smile tugging at his lips. He was 24, sharp, calculating. A man of few words. Like their father, he was more invested in the family's reputation and business dealings than in familial bonds. His eyes assessed her coolly, though there was something behind his gaze—curiosity, perhaps.
"You look better now," Jianyu said, his voice laced with his typical distant politeness.
Xia Yan didn't answer. She merely glanced up from the magazine, her expression unwavering.
Jianyu's gaze flickered, though his composure never wavered. "Father wants you to attend dinner tonight. It would be… good for your image," he added, though it sounded more like an observation than an invitation.
Xia Yan's cold eyes met his, but she said nothing.
He didn't push her. After a long silence, Jianyu gave a slight nod and turned to leave, as distant as he had arrived.
The family. Strangers.
She didn't need them. They were just obstacles to be navigated.