Chapter 1 - The young man's beautiful face showed a hint of apology: "I'm sorry, you..."
The golden morning sun slowly rose from the horizon.
Inside a luxurious villa, the gardener was trimming plants and clearing the lawn. Workers in the vast courtyard were busy at their posts.
A woman wearing a tailored butler's uniform was methodically arranging their work. After arranging everything, she glanced at her watch and unhurriedly walked into the villa.
In a room on the third floor of the villa, thick curtains blocked out all sunlight, leaving the room pitch black. It was so quiet that only faint snoring could be heard.
Suddenly, the screen of the phone placed on the bedside table lit up brightly, accompanied by the sound of an alarm. A faint light appeared in the dark room.
Following this was the slight rustling sound of the quilt. A slender hand emerged from under the down comforter, fumbling around on the table. Upon touching the phone, fingers danced across it like playing a piano, randomly tapping until the alarm stopped, then retreated back under the covers.
Outside the door, the female butler timed it precisely, knocking on the door as the second hand reached the top.
"Young Miss, it's time to get up."
"..." Six small dots answered her.
The female butler, accustomed to this, opened the door and walked in, pulling open the heavy curtains to let sunlight into the room. She repeated this every day, mastering each step perfectly so as not to cause any displeasure.
The thin down comforter on the bed moved slightly, and half of a head with messy hair peeked out. That half-face was scrunched up, squinting with narrow eyes, her voice hoarse from just waking up: "Good morning, Ye Yi."
"Good morning, Young Miss. Breakfast is ready, you should get up now."
"Oh." The down comforter was kicked aside with one foot. The beautiful young woman stretched lazily on the bed, her face showing signs of insufficient sleep as she slowly got up to wash up.
On the long dining table in the first-floor hall, exquisite breakfast items were laid out. Sitting in the main seat was the head of the Fang family, Fang Hong. She slowly cut a piece of poached egg with her knife and fork and put it in her mouth, glancing at the empty seat, "Where is she?"
The female butler stood behind her, her straight back slightly bent, enunciating clearly and gently: "The Young Miss will be down shortly."
Just as the female butler finished speaking, she saw the young woman slowly walking down the stairs. She was wearing a dark blue checkered school uniform, paired with a pure white shirt underneath, with a red tie at the collar. Her wavy long hair was tied back, and her beautiful face was cold and proud. Except for the faint blue color under her eyes, every part of her was exquisite.
She sat down on the chair pulled out by the female butler, looking at the breakfast in front of her that was too delicate to stimulate appetite. She smacked her lips and picked up a transparent cup nearby to drink warm milk.
"What were you doing last night?"
The woman in the main seat issued an authoritative question.
Fang Tianli, sitting next to the young woman, didn't miss a chance to get his sister in trouble and raised his hand to answer quickly: "She was playing games last night! Before going to bed, I saw her still playing!"
"Lili!" The father sitting to the lower right of Fang Hong gave the boy a warning look.
Fang Tianli snorted, holding his milk cup with an expression of watching a show.
Fang Hong pressed her lips, her brows and eyes, somewhat similar to the young woman's, solemn and serious, "Is what Lili said true?"
Fang Chuning calmly wiped her mouth, "It's false. I was solving problems all night last night, I was so focused that I forgot about rest time."
Fang Tianli scoffed disdainfully at such a blatant excuse, and Fang Hong was also suspicious, "Really?"
"What's true or false, Ningning already said she was studying late, so she was studying late. Why do you keep questioning?"
The sound of knife and fork hitting the plate made Fang Hong immediately shut up. She acted as if nothing had happened and calmly wiped her mouth with a napkin.
The father glared at her in annoyance, but when he looked at the young woman, he switched to a kind fatherly expression, "Ningning, don't study so late next time. Your health is more important than studies, understand?"
Fang Chuning shook her head, holding up the milk cup and swirling it with a melancholy expression, "Studying is what helps me improve. Dad, you can't stop my love for it."
Having such a "well-behaved, sensible, studious, and obedient" daughter made the old Father Fang's eyes wet with emotion. His handsome face showed both pride and distress as he coaxed her like comforting a baby: "Alright, alright, Dad will do as you wish."
This sudden display of father-daughter affection made the other two onlookers feel uncomfortable. Fang Tianli put down his cutlery with a clatter and left the table sourly.