Chapter 003 – Lin Xueyao
1265 Words
The girl instinctively took a step back, but unlike before, she didn’t run away. In the faint light, she saw his face clearly—more importantly, his eyes. He was… beautiful, she couldn’t help but think. His eyes carried a depth of sorrow and weariness far beyond his years, yet there was no trace of disdain in them. Instead, they held an enchanting, almost otherworldly charm—so intense, it could pull you in with just one glance and never let you go.
She stood frozen, staring at him in a trance. After a long pause, she looked at him, then at the fruit in her hands, swallowing quietly. With a timid voice, she offered, “Big brother… would you like some fruit?”
Lin Wuchen couldn’t help but chuckle. He crouched down, smiling as he gently shook his head. Then, he reached out his hand and slowly moved it toward her face, lightly brushing the two terrifying scars that marked her skin. A faint, colorless glow flickered at his fingertips.
The girl didn’t move. Her eyes widened, her mouth slightly open—completely still, as if enchanted, forgetting all fear.
A few seconds later, Lin Wuchen drew his hand back, a slight frown forming between his brows. In a soft voice, he asked, “What’s your name, little one?”
She hesitated for a moment, then whispered, “I… I don’t have one.”
“No name? Then where’s your home? Why are you here?”
“I don’t have a home… When I woke up, I was already here. I don’t remember anything,” she said, shaking her head. His voice was so gentle, it calmed her frantic heart.
“You don’t remember anything from before, do you?”
She blinked, then slowly nodded. No home, no past—not even a name. Almost everyone here hated her. Whenever they saw her, they’d chase her with sticks and stones. She had no choice but to run and hide, crying in secret. All she wanted was to survive—no friends, no purpose, nothing.
“I see…” Lin Wuchen smiled faintly. Just like her, he had mysteriously appeared here too, with no memory of the past. Perhaps it was fate. A deep compassion stirred in his heart. Gently, he said, “Would you like a big brother? One who won’t let you go hungry, and who won’t ever let anyone hurt you?”
She looked up at him in shock, her eyes filled with confusion. She didn’t know how to respond.
“I could be your brother,” he said softly. “I promise you’ll never go hungry again, and no one will ever bully you again.”
The girl clutched the oversized fruit in her small hands, clearly overwhelmed. Her heart ached, and her eyes stung. She lowered her voice and asked, “Can I really? Everyone hates me… They beat me… because I…”
Lin Wuchen stood and gently took her tiny hand in his. “Come with me. From this moment on, you’re my little sister. No one will ever hurt you again.”
She stared at him in a daze, feeling the warmth of his hand wrap around hers. For the first time, someone held her hand—not with cruelty or scorn, but with warmth. Her eyes blurred with tears.
Her world had been empty and cold. When everyone else had abandoned her, when the world had rejected her, he took her hand and vowed to protect her. From that moment, his image burned itself into her heart, impossible to forget. Her dependence on him was as addictive as the most dangerous drug—impossible to let go.
And just like that, two lives that were never meant to cross began to intertwine.
Lin Wuchen didn’t explain to Hu Dali or the old man why he brought her back. Neither of them questioned it, nor did they oppose it. That night, the wooden bed he hadn’t used in ten years became her first real bed.
Standing outside, Lin Wuchen gazed silently at the endless night sky, lost in thought.
In the quiet, he raised his left arm and lightly scraped it with the nail of his right hand. A short wound opened, and beads of blood began to rise. He ran a finger over the wound—and it vanished without a trace, not even a scar left behind.
He lowered his hands, frowning in confusion. He remembered having this ability… but why hadn’t it worked on the scars on her face?
Were those… really just scars?
“Brother…”
A soft, sweet voice came from behind him. Lin Wuchen turned to see the girl peeking out from the doorway.
“It’s late,” he said gently. “Why aren’t you asleep yet?”
She hesitated for a moment, then said shyly, “Can I… sleep with you?”
“Oh?” He smiled. “Of course.”
He didn’t want her to feel disappointed. Even more so, he didn’t want her to feel ashamed of her hair or her scars. She needed to know—he would never reject her, never push her away.
“Really?” she said with surprise, her eyes lighting up.
Before she could say another word, Lin Wuchen scooped her up into his arms and laid her gently on the worn wooden bed.
“There now, little one. Time to sleep,” he whispered, pulling her close to his chest, his voice as soft as a lullaby.
“Mm!” she nodded happily, snuggling into the warmth of his chest. She found the perfect spot, closed her eyes, and let the tears silently fall down her smiling face. For the first time, she felt truly safe—and wanted to cry from happiness.
“What should I call you?” Lin Wuchen murmured, stroking her long, silvery-white hair.
She looked up at him in confusion. Her skin was strikingly pale, glowing like snow even in the dark.
“Your skin is like snow… and your hair too,” he said softly. “How about Lin Xueyao? Do you like that name?”
“Lin Xueyao…” she whispered, then nodded firmly. “I love it—because you gave it to me.”
That night, she slept more peacefully than ever before. No more pain, no more fear, no more cold. Because now… she had a brother who would always protect her.
Lin Wuchen didn’t move. He waited until she was completely asleep, then let out a long, quiet sigh, his eyes drifting toward the sky until sleep slowly overtook him.
Who… am I?
The next morning, when Lin Wuchen opened his eyes, Xueyao was still curled up like a sleepy kitten in his arms, sleeping soundly.
A soft smile tugged at his lips. Not wanting to wake her, he lay still, quietly listening to the sounds outside. Daytime was much livelier than the night before. It must’ve been breakfast time—he could hear faint chatter and clatter from beyond the door.
From yesterday’s conversation with Hu Dali, he learned that several hundred people now lived in this sealed-off area after years of isolation. They were split into several smaller communities that rarely interacted. The section they lived in now had just over thirty people, adults and children combined, who usually ate together.
The noise gradually roused Xueyao from her sleep. She opened her sleepy eyes to find him smiling down at her.
She smiled back, then nestled into his chest again and closed her eyes—safe, warm, and content.
- Writer
