Chapter One My name is Qin Yang, and I am alive.

Snow drifted for a thousand miles, and the residents of Haitian City rose early, only to discover their city, unseen for a single night, was now blanketed in pure white.

Longshan District boasted the highest standard of living in Haitian City, inhabited mainly by millionaires, with a fair share of billionaires as well. Backed by the sea, where spring flowers bloomed, it was considered one of the more elegant areas in this second-tier city of China.

In front of a certain villa, Qin Wu, dressed like a little princess, was wrapped in a thick down jacket. Her adorable cheeks were flushed rosy, tempting anyone to steal a kiss.

"Yaxin, sister!" Qin Wu called out at the villa gate.

Soon enough, a graceful young lady emerged, her pace unhurried. She looked around twenty, her exquisite face tinged with helplessness. "Xiao Wu, the roads are covered in snow. It’s really not suitable for driving practice today."

"It’s fine, really!" Qin Wu hurried forward, grabbing Yang Yaxin’s arm and swaying playfully, her tone pleading. "Sister, please teach me! I’ll drive slowly, I promise. It’s so hard for me to get a Saturday off—usually I’m stuck at school. And look, almost everyone in my class can drive except me. I have to learn!"

Yang Yaxin could hardly resist such clinginess, knowing that if she didn’t give in, peace would elude her all day.

The two headed to the garage and drove out an Audi A4. Once they left the district, they saw the snow had already been cleared from the main roads, which eased their nerves. Yaxin parked by the curb, finally letting Qin Wu take the driver’s seat. The little girl jumped in, gripping the wheel with excitement. Had Yaxin not been by her side, she would surely have floored the accelerator and sped off.

"Same old rules—signal lights, rearview mirrors, pay attention. Driving is no child’s play," Yaxin explained, tired of repeating herself. Qin Wu didn’t argue, lowering the handbrake and rushing out onto the road, startling Yaxin. But seeing Qin Wu’s exhilarated expression, Yaxin swallowed her complaints.

They practiced on the newly built coastal highway, which had few cars or pedestrians. On such a dreary Saturday, most people preferred the warmth of their beds. Qin Wu herself had planned to lounge in bed, watching movies in comfort, but the constant boasting from the boys in her class about their driving skills had stirred her, the little witch, into action. She abandoned all her weekend plans just to learn how to drive.

"Careful," Yaxin reminded as the speed increased. "Don’t just look at the RPM gauge—watch your surroundings. Slow down; the roads are slippery, and braking can fail easily."

"I know, I know," Qin Wu replied, but her feet paid no heed, pressing harder on the pedal. Yaxin frowned as the speed climbed.

Ding ding ding.

Her phone rang. Qin Wu pulled it from her pocket and answered, "What is it?"

"Be careful, someone’s ahead—" Yaxin was about to ask her to hang up when she glimpsed a ragged beggar crossing the street. She was startled. Qin Wu dropped the phone, frantically honking, but the beggar seemed deaf. As a collision loomed, Yaxin panicked, forgetting to pull the handbrake, shouting, "Brake, brake!"

Bang.

The classic mistake of all novices—she pressed the accelerator instead of the brake. The car shot forward, making intimate contact with the beggar. At that moment, Yaxin managed to yank up the handbrake, bringing the car to a sudden halt. Both girls were thrown forward, but thanks to the car’s safety features and seat belts, they escaped injury. The beggar outside, however, was not so fortunate.

"Oh no—"

Seeing the beggar motionless on the ground, Yaxin was nearly in tears. She hurried out, not caring about his filthy clothes, anxiously propping him up and asking, "Are you alright? Wake up!"

Qin Wu ran from the car, panic flickering in her eyes. "Yaxin, what do we do?"

"Call an ambulance, quickly!" Yaxin shouted in alarm.

But before Qin Wu could reach her phone, the beggar in Yaxin’s arms coughed once. He looked about twenty, his face obscured by grime, yet his clothes faintly revealed a suit, the fabric not cheap. He slowly opened his eyes, but what Yaxin saw in them was confusion—an overwhelming, bone-deep confusion.

He rose stiffly, ignoring the beautiful girl who had held him, and wandered aimlessly away. Qin Wu stared in astonishment. "Sister, is he… alright?"

Yaxin didn’t dare relax, hurrying after him. "Sir, are you okay?"

But the beggar didn’t answer, moving forward like a zombie. Qin Wu grew annoyed, forgetting she’d hit him, and put her hands on her hips. "Hey, what’s with you? We’re trying to help, and you act like we’re wasting your time! Hey!"

"Xiao Wu, be quiet," Yaxin scolded. Qin Wu jumped, falling silent. She knew Yaxin was usually gentle, rarely angry, but when she was, the consequences were severe. Yaxin glared, then approached again. "Sir, my sister didn’t mean to—"

But the beggar, mute and deaf, didn’t even glance at them, just staring ahead, blank and numb. After walking more than ten meters, still silent, Qin Wu grew angrier, scooped up a snowball from the curb, and hurled it at him.

Smack.

The snowball hit the beggar squarely on the back of his head. His eyes closed, and he collapsed, never waking.

Qin Wu cried out, pointing at him, "Hey, stop pretending! Get up!"

Yaxin took a deep breath, stepped forward, and confirmed he was truly unconscious. She glared at Qin Wu, then tried to lift the beggar. He looked frail but was surprisingly heavy. Seeing Qin Wu dazed, she barked, "Come on! Help me get him to the hospital!"

Qin Wu snapped out of it, no longer daring to protest, and together they hauled him into the car.

**************

City Hospital.

Yang Yaxin stood at the emergency room entrance, glancing inside now and then. Qin Wu, like a guilty child, kept stealing looks at Yaxin, lowering her head whenever their eyes met.

"Sister, will he be okay?" Qin Wu asked anxiously.

Yaxin’s heart softened at her frightened face, and she sighed. "I don’t know, but if something happens, your father won’t go easy on you."

"Ah? No, sister, you have to stand up for me!" Qin Wu cried, as if she had heard the most terrifying news.

"We have to wait for the doctor’s examination. If something does happen, even I can’t help you," Yaxin said softly.

Just then, a doctor emerged from the emergency room, frowning at the pair of beauties. "Are you the patient’s relatives?"

"We were just passing by. We found him unconscious on the ground and brought him here," Qin Wu quickly replied, eager to avoid trouble.

"I see. There’s nothing seriously wrong, just exhaustion. He’ll recover in a few days, but he needs to be observed in the hospital," the doctor explained.

"Alright, that’s fine."

As the girls spoke with the doctor, inside the ward, the beggar slowly opened his eyes, staring at the spotless ceiling in a daze. He instinctively tried to turn, but every muscle ached, causing him to grimace in pain.

"Hospital? How did I end up here?" He muttered, smelling the familiar disinfectant and feeling utterly confused.

"Sister, he’s awake!"

Suddenly, a voice rang out, lively as a warbler. The beggar was startled, not daring to turn for fear of more pain. A slender girl in a white down jacket walked over and asked softly, "How are you feeling?"

"Who are you?" the beggar asked in confusion.

Yaxin blushed, uncertain how to explain—should she say her sister, a novice driver, had accidentally hit him and then knocked him out with a snowball?

"She’s really beautiful," the beggar murmured, seeing Yaxin hesitate.

Yaxin’s face turned crimson, but she calmed herself and asked, "What’s your name? We need to register you for admission."

"Hmm? My name is Qin Yang. I’m alive."

The beggar suddenly broke into an incredulous yet mysterious smile.