“Young miss?”

A raspy voice cut through the birds chirping and the gentle hum of a breeze.

“Young miss, what are you doing sleeping out here?”

Li Ke Xin’s long lashes fluttered as she cracked one eye open. The first thing she saw... was sun shining through the leaves. The blue sky and a few soft clouds. The tree branches swaying. The vague silhouette of an elderly man peering down at her with deep-set concern.

She blinked again, slower this time. Her hair, silky and black and currently disheveled, shifted across her face as she raised a lazy hand to scratch her head. A single corner of the blanket slipped off her shoulder. She had on a worn long-sleeved T-shirt with faded cartoon ducks on the front, grey baggy sweatpants that rode half way up one leg, and simple black slides on her feet.

“Mm?” she mumbled, then slowly pulled out her phone from under the blanket.

2:43 PM.

“Oh,” she said simply, like she was responding to someone saying, 'Excuse me, your bag is unzipped.'

The old man squinted. “Are you... alright?”

Ke Xin glanced up at him through her long lashes. Her eyes were sleepy, her face blank, and her lips parted in a soft yawn.

“Thank you for waking me,” she murmured with a sleepy blink.

And without ceremony, she sat up, folded her blanket over one arm and stood. All one hundred and seventy-six centimeters of her towering over the hunched old man.

The old man stepped back instinctively. Now that she was standing, the full effect hit him. Porcelain skin, a tall model’s frame, long legs, and that face. Elegant, drowsy, and absurdly beautiful. Under her right eye, two tiny moles formed perfect little dots, like some divine afterthought that was added for fun when God sculpted her.

He almost dropped his thermos.

She scratched her back with one hand, adjusted her slippers, and wandered off.

“Is she homeless?” the old man muttered to himself.

The walk home was quiet, aside from the occasional whisper trailing behind her.

“Who is that…?”

“She’s stunning…”

“Is she a celebrity?”

The contrast was something else. Her clothes were soft and oversized, clearly not designed for public appearances. Her hair, though still shiny, had tangled ends from the nap. And yet, the stares came anyway. Ke Xin didn’t acknowledge them. She was too busy yawning into her wrist.

Then she turned into the entrance of a luxury high-rise. The doorman straightened instantly.

“Good afternoon, Miss Li.”

Ke Xin blinked, then gave him a small nod and a soft spoken, “Hello.”

She padded across the pristine lobby, pressed the elevator button with her pinky, and waited. Once inside, she hit the top floor and leaned against the mirrored wall, eyes closed again.

The elevator opened to the penthouse.

Entering through the front door, warm light filtered across polished floors. A busy looking maid greeted her the moment she stepped in, her pace brisk but graceful.

“Welcome back, Miss,” the maid said, gently taking the blanket from Ke Xin’s arms as if it were silk.

“Mm,” Ke Xin answered, already yawning again.

From the staircase, a voice called brightly, “Ah! Ke Xin is home!”

A woman descended with the elegance of a floating cloud. Stylish, glowing, and with the unmistakable energy of a proud mother. She rushed over with open arms.

Ke Xin blinked at her, pouted slightly, then held her arms out like a sleepy toddler.

Her mother cooed and wrapped her in a hug. “My baby, did you fall asleep outside again? Aiyo, your hair is a mess.”

She gently smoothed the bedhead down with practiced fingers.

“It was warm,” Ke Xin mumbled into her mother’s shoulder.

“You have a whole terrace and a solarium upstairs, darling. Why not sleep at home?”

“It was comfortable,” she said simply, shrugging.

Her mother laughed and kissed her cheek before releasing her.

Ke Xin wandered into the kitchen, stretching her arms up like a cat. One of the maids looked up from polishing the counter.

“Miss Li, shall I prepare you lunch?”

Ke Xin shook her head, expression still soft and distant. “I’ll do it.”

The maid nodded and stepped back.

Ke Xin opened the fridge, pulled out a few ingredients, pinned her hair back with a chopstick, and soon had a plate of braised tofu with ginger-scallion sauce, hand-tossed noodles, and chilled cucumber in sesame dressing. It was plated so beautifully it could have passed for a fine dining spread.

As she sat at the kitchen island, drowsy and chewing slowly, one of the junior maids whispered from the hallway, “She’s like a sleepy dragon that hoards talent.”

The other nodded solemnly. "A beautiful and terrifying creature.”

As Ke Xin slowly chewed on a glossy piece of tofu, her mother sat down beside her at the island, sliding into the tall stool like a cat who had just claimed territory.

She didn't bring a plate. Just a pair of chopsticks.

Ke Xin eyed her warily.

Her mother reached in and stole a bite of the noodles with casual elegance.

Ke Xin’s frown was immediate. She didn’t say anything, just slowly turned her head to glare, eyes heavy with silent judgment.

Another bite disappeared.

Ke Xin pressed her lips into a pout and protected her cucumber salad with one arm. Her mother simply smiled, stealing a tofu cube.

“Don’t look at me like that. You’re the one who makes everything taste like a five-star hotel.” She said, flicking the end of Ke Xin's nose.

Ke Xin huffed softly, rubbing her nose, then turned her attention back to eating, her eyes remaining suspicious.

“You start work tomorrow, you know,” her mother said gently, reaching to tuck a strand of hair behind Ke Xin’s ear.

Ke Xin nodded, swallowing.

“Sheunghua Fashion’s design and managerial team,” her mother continued with a proud smile. “Not bad for your first position. It’s one of our most competitive divisions.”

Ke Xin hummed. The company was one of the sub companies her family owned. Along with a skin care and a gaming sub company.

It all fell under Zhang's Coal and Steel. Her Grandfather's legacy.

“Should I ask your uncle to check in on you?” she asked lightly. “Make sure everything goes well on your first day? You know he used to oversee that department-”

“No,” Ke Xin cut in, still chewing.

Her mother tilted her head. “No?”

Ke Xin gave her a thoughtful look.

“I don’t want anyone knowing,” she said. “About who I am. I want them to see what I can do, not where I come from.”

Her mother paused, then nodded with a soft smile. “Alright. I won’t say a word.”

She stood up, brushing off her skirt. “Now, I need to go change. There’s an auction tonight. One of those charity ones, so I’ll probably be out late.”

Ke Xin gave her a nod and waved with her chopsticks.

As her mother left the room, Ke Xin pulled out her phone and sent a quick text.

[ Come hang out with me. I'll make you whatever you want to eat. ]

She stared at the message for a moment, then added:

[ I miss you, dummy. ]

And sent it.

After a beat, a text dinged in return.

[ Be there in 15 minutes. I want garlic chicken. ]

A small smile lifted the corners of her lips and she returned to eating her late-lunch. Finishing her meal before getting up to prepare another.