Chapter 1: The Interview

Three years later.

"This has to be the weirdest interview I've ever done," Xin Wen muttered, flipping through the application. "Special skills?"

His uncle followed the script. "Yes, tell us about your strengths."

"Low self-esteem," Lan Nian replied flatly, her gaze drifting. It was the honest truth—since her father's death, every shred of confidence had vanished.

Xin Wen choked on his coffee. "Um... excuse me?" All traces of boredom evaporated as he studied the girl across the desk.

Her face was soft yet angular, radiating an otherworldly detachment. But beneath the icy exterior, her eyes held a hostility far beyond her years.

When their eyes met, Xin Wen froze. A haunting familiarity washed over him.

Had he seen her somewhere before?

After a long silence, his uncle cleared his throat. "Hobbies?"

"Daydreaming," Lan Nian blurted out. It was her only real hobby—free, cheap, and somehow… profitable?

Her expression remained defiant, but Lan Nian's chest ached sharply. This was her father's legacy: "A life without dreams is no life at all." But the man who'd taught her to chase those dreams had left too soon. She'd even missed his final moments.

His uncle's face drained from livid to ashen. He froze.

Xin Wen watched the disdain—and outright scorn—flicker across Lan Nian's face. His usual mocking smirk softened into genuine curiosity. This girl definitely had secrets. The question was… were they tied to his own?

Lost in thought, Xin Wen caught his uncle's awkward grimace and fought the urge to burst out laughing.

"Uncle… really?" Xin Wen bit back a laugh. "This is the 'top-tier bodyguard' you kept hyping up? Talk about living up to the title."

Instead of sympathy, he felt a perverse amusement watching his uncle squirm. The idea of hiring a female bodyguard had come from his older sister, Xin Lan, and Uncle had personally vetted every candidate.

Just before the interview, he'd whispered, "This Lan Nian girl is special."

The girl in question sat across from them—short-haired, slender, with features that bordered on delicate. Her quiet demeanor should've made her unremarkable, yet she somehow commanded attention.

But her answers… They were practically a middle finger to Xinzi Group's authority.

Or maybe she's just trying to shock us into noticing her.

Oddly enough, Xin Wen didn't see it as attention-seeking. Her defiance felt raw, almost desperate.

A strange, nagging familiarity tugged at him, making him even more determined to unravel this girl's secrets.

Xin Wen studied Lan Nian with lazy intensity. This girl was like an alien—cold, striking, and completely unreadable.

She met his gaze steadily, her eyes calm and bottomless—no flicker of panic, no eager讨好. Even when he held her stare, she didn't flinch.

Oddly, her composure irritated him. Most girls melted under his gaze, but she looked at him like he was… insignificant.

A mischievous smirk tugged at his lips. He decided to rattle her.

"Dreaming?" he drawled, leaning in slightly. "Daydreams? Or… wet dreams?"

His voice dropped, velvet and dangerous. He radiated casual arrogance, as if manipulating her reactions were as easy as breathing.

Lan Nian didn't blush. She didn't squirm. Instead, she tilted her chin, exposing a porcelain neck that looked both fragile and defiant.

"Does it matter?" she replied coolly. "Either way, it's better than living in your reality."

A crisp, refreshing aura seemed to emanate from her, like mountain spring water.

"Apologies," Lan Nian replied solemnly, her tone bordering on reverent. "I don't answer inane questions."

The room froze. Xin Wen's smirk vanished as he stared at her, completely dumbfounded.

The CEO of Xinzi Group just got called out for asking a "stupid question"…

Well, color him intrigued.