On a sunny afternoon in mid-May, in a vast and solemn castle-like building in the northwestern suburbs of Xinghui City, the commercial hub of the financial power Daheng, a thirteen-year-old boy dressed in white sat in a small study before a wooden chessboard, quietly studying chess scores. Sunlight streamed through the study window, making the boy's skin appear exceptionally translucent. Beneath the play of light and shadow, the boy's face was like an exquisite sculpture.
Just then, an elegantly dressed old lady in her early sixties with an aura of nobility knocked on the open study door.
Holding a photograph in her hand, the old lady said, "Xiao Bao, look what I have here? A new photo of Nannan from your Auntie Li."
"Grandma, please come in." The boy stood up politely and walked toward her.
He took the photo from her hand; it showed a girl of about six years old leaning against a toy stroller. The girl had large, round eyes and pursed lips, looking at the camera with a very stubborn expression.
"Isn't Nannan becoming more and more adorable?" The old lady said happily as she pulled the boy down to sit with her. "Would you like to meet her in person?"
"Does Nannan know yet?" the boy asked in a calm tone.
"Her mother says Nannan is particularly rebellious, so we shouldn't tell her yet. Let you two meet first; how about we bring Nannan here to live with us, if you get along? " The old lady looked at the boy with an inquiring gaze.
"I am fine with Grandma's arrangement." the boy replied gently.
"Since you have no objection, next month we will ask Shiwei to drive us to the City of Yunxi in Daze. I've settled on a house there, and Wu Ma just sent a message saying everything is arranged."
"Is Nannan in Yunxi now?" There was a hint of faint curiosity in the boy's tone.
"Your Auntie Li told me they will soon go to their villa in Yunxi. The house we just bought is right near theirs."
"May I know their address?"
"I'll get it for you right now," the old lady said, then gave her grandson a meaningful look.
Before she could rise, a voice suddenly came from the study doorway.
"Mom, I've been looking everywhere for you. So you're here. And my dear nephew, why are you in the study again? People say a nephew takes after his uncle, so why is it that except for your looks, you're nothing like me at all? Do you want to go out with your uncle? Uncle can teach you a few things."
A dashing and imposing young man in a casual grey suit stood grinning at the study door.
"Ah Hao, why are you back from the company again looking for me? Stop thinking about leading the child astray all day. Come in and talk," the old lady said to the young man in a reproving tone.
"Good afternoon, Uncle," the boy greeted the person at the door in a calm voice.
"Mom, I thought about your trip to Daze next month and I'm still worried. Although it's not far, it is still a foreign country. I think I should go in your place. If you insist on going, I must follow."
The young man said as he walked into the study. Though a smile hung on his lips, there was a trace of anxiety in his eyes.
"Stop making excuses, Ah Hao. You just don't want to manage the company alone. If we all leave, who will watch the house? Ah Hao, you're a grown man; it's time to stand on your own two feet. Don't spend all your time thinking about playing. These few days I'm in Daze will be your training. When I return, don't let me see a mess." The old lady looked at the young man with dissatisfied eyes, but her tone held a hint of doting.
"Mom, don't worry about the company. When have I ever let you down?"
The young man replied confidently, but continued, "But—"
"No 'buts,' it's settled," the old lady interrupted heartlessly. "If you manage the company well, I will be at peace."
"When you return, you will realize I am your capable right-hand man."
The young man said, making a face at the old lady.
The old lady shook her head with a helpless smile.
The young man then walked towards the boy. Then he stood behind him, placing a hand on his shoulder, and said in a teasing tone, "My dear nephew, so you aren't studying chess scores after all, but secretly looking at a photo of a little girl? Since when did you start liking little girls?"
The boy turned to look at his uncle and said with a faint smile, "This is a photo of Nannan." He then handed him the photo.
"So it's A-Meng's daughter." The young man's voice immediately became serious. He took the photo and remained silent for quite a while before saying, "She looks exactly like A-Meng did when she was little."
The boy then seemed to hear the old lady let out a soft sigh.
A moment of silence fell over the study.
"I almost forgot," the young man suddenly broke the silence, "Xiao Bao's father just called and said he wants Xiao Bao to spend the summer vacation at his estate. I said I'd call him back after discussing the matter with you. What do you say?" He then looked at his mother and nephew with a searching gaze.
"Tell him we will arrange it after we return from Daze," the old lady said in a tone that left no room for negotiation.
"I will follow Grandma's arrangements," the boy seconded gently.
"Also, we received many more party invitations for Xiao Bao this week, all from the parents of the girls. Do you still plan to continue rejecting them all as before?"
"What, you haven't rejected them yet? Have you taken a fancy to some girl for our Xiao Bao?" the old lady asked with a half-smile.
"I heard the daughter of Ma's Jewelry has been visiting often lately, and Xiao Bao keeps avoiding her. Does Xiao Bao really not like her? Xiao Bao, don't hang yourself on one tree just because of Grandma. I have heard that Miss Ma is gentle, quiet, and smart."
The young man looked at the boy with a teasing, smiling gaze.
The boy just looked at his uncle quietly without answering, then looked at his Grandma.
"That girl chosen by Xiao Bao's stepmother—you've taken a fancy to her ? When did your taste become the same as Lin Wanjun's?" the old lady said bluntly.
"I feel that Xiao Bao could socialize more and compare a bit. If Nannan has the same personality as her mother, I'm afraid our Xiao Bao will suffer in the future." The young man's tone this time did not sound like he was joking.
The old lady glared at her son, then smiled and asked the boy, "Xiao Bao, tell me yourself, do you want to go to those girls' parties?"
"I am going to Daze with Grandma." The boy's answer came without the slightest hesitation.
"Don't always be so serious; You will bore the little girl to death," the young man commented, chuckling lightheartedly.
Prelude
"Nannan, Nannan." Six-year-old Chu Nannan was about to take a bite of the chocolate cake in her dream when her mother's urgent voice woke her. Opening her eyes, she saw the bedside lamp glowing. Her mother, whom she rarely saw, was sitting by the bed, her expression a little hard to read.
Still disappointed that she hadn't eaten her dream cake, Nannan noticed her mother holding a small chocolate cake. "Nannan, have this," her mother said. Nannan paused—her mother rarely let her have sweets at night—but fearing she might take it back, she didn't hesitate. She took the cake and ate it quickly.
Her mother watched her eat attentively. As Nannan finished, she hesitated, wondering if she should ask about brushing her teeth again. Before she could, her mother's gentle voice spoke: "Be a good girl, Nannan. I'm going to pick up your father. Wait for us."
A quick hug followed, and then her mother stood and left for the living room. Nannan sensed something was different today, and wanted to tell her not to go—but she stayed quiet, simply watching.
Her parents were rarely home. Her mother usually returned at midnight. Her father had been gone for years, and Nannan could barely remember his face.
The bedroom door was left slightly ajar. Nannan went to the doorway and peered through the gap. The butler, Uncle Qiang, and his wife, Aunt Mei, looked worried. Her mother whispered a few words to them, glanced once at Nannan's door, and then hurried out. Soon she heard the car start and drive away, followed by a heavy, complete silence.
Nannan had not seen her mother since then.