The sun had already moved to the west when An Xiaoya leisurely walked into the luxurious neighborhood that drew the attention of the entire T city. She arrived in front of the grand gate of the Mu family's mansion and rang the doorbell. Soon after, the door opened, and the stern butler came out holding a remote control. Looking at her suitcase, he greeted her with a seemingly friendly smile, "Miss An is back? The master and madam have gone to Britain to visit the second young master. They said they could give Miss An a set of keys."

An Xiaoya perceptively shook her head, "Thank you, Butler Yan, but I don't often come home."

Even if she did often visit, there was always someone present where she wouldn't need her keys. This was his subtle way of telling her not to bother him by asking to open the door.

With Mom not around, should she go in? Just as An Xiaoya was hesitating, Butler Yan had already taken her suitcase into the house, moving swiftly through the yard.

She followed him in, passing by the garden where Aunt Qin was trimming the flowers and trees with a little girl. The girl seemed to be around the same age as her and flashed an adorable sweet smile at her.

It must be a new little housemaid.

Upon seeing her, Aunt Qin straightened up, smiled, and greeted her, "Miss An is back."

"I'm back, Aunt Qin. You've been working hard."

Aunt Qin was a lady she liked. Despite being a maid, she had taken good care of her and provided her a lot of warmth over the years.

"Miss An, your uncle has been staying at home recently. I hope you won't offend him."

After leaving her small suitcase in the living room, Butler Yan kindly reminded her in a seemingly well-intended tone, then left the room, an air of disdain emitted from his retreating figure.

Offend! Would she dare to offend anyone in this house after consuming the gall of a leopard-like bravery?

She was merely an unwanted child, no, she couldn't even be considered that much. After her father's death, her mother became her only guardian, and the court ordered her to live here.

But her uncle? She hadn't seen him in many years. She couldn't remember what he looked like for a moment. The only memory she had was his frosty eyes; they were terrifying.

Observing Butler Yan's solid back encased in his suit, An Xiaoya stood in the spacious living room, looking at the mirror-like floor, and the closed kitchen door. It should be time for dinner, or was there nobody home?

Silently, she went upstairs with her things, passing through the hallway. The door at the staircase, which had always been closed, was now slightly ajar. A tall, upright silhouette could just be made out through the narrow opening. She tiptoed past it, clutching her chest before making a quick dash into her small room. As soon as she entered, she threw herself onto the bed, relishing the familiar scent and promptly closing her eyes in comfort.

After basking in the long-lost aroma for a while, she rolled onto her side and fumbled in her backpack for her phone to call her younger brother.

"Xiao Zhi, are you home yet? How was school today?"

"Sis, I'm at a classmate's house doing homework, I'll be back later."

It seemed Xiao Zhi had been expecting her call. He picked up almost as soon as she dialed.

He's at a friend's house, doing homework again, thought An Xiaoya, her heart aching. Her brother had been living with their uncle for eight years. The uncle, a salaried worker with two children of his own and an unemployed wife, had taken Xiao Zhi in. The five of them were squeezed into an 80-square-meter room. It was not spacious, to say the least.

Their uncle and aunt were good people, they never let Xiao Zhi go hungry or cold. But as time went on, it became increasingly inconvenient as the uncle's children grew up.

Xiao Zhi became more and more reticent. The feeling of being under the mercy of others was surely stronger in him than it was in her.

"Xiao Zhi, I have some good news. I've purchased a house. I have the keys, we just don't have the money to renovate it yet."

She had started planning to buy a house when she was fifteen. It was also from that time that she began saving all her pocket money: from her mother, the occasional gifts when Old Master Mu was in a good mood, red envelopes from the New Year - she saved them all.

This was something she had originally planned to share with Xiao Zhi after she borrowed some money from her mother for some minor renovations.

"Really? Where is it, can we go see it now?" An excited voice came from the other end of the call, so full of joy that she could almost picture him jumping up and down with excitement.

"It's not far from you. Sunshine Garden, Building 6, 16th floor, Room 301, 80 square meters."

When Xiao Zhi was happy, she was happy.

"Sis, I'll go first, you can follow after. Long live my sis, I love you, sis."

She felt Xiao Zhi's joy over the phone, and her tears unexpectedly streamed down. Ever since her father passed away and her stepmother secretly sold the house and took off with the money, she had been taken in by the Mu family by her mother. Her younger brother was taken home by their uncle, and she knew she was his only kin. Her brother was her responsibility. Despite living in two different places, she intended to eventually bring him back to her own home.

She quickly took a shower, changed into a floral dress, and put on a pair of white shoes. She put the house contract and keys in her small shoulder bag and left the house.

The corridor was eerily quiet. Miss Mu Luoyi’s bedroom was right next to hers, a full 80 square meters. Her cousin Mu Luochen's room was also 80 square meters, Uncle Mu Ling even owned over 100 square meters. It was the same floor, yet different areas.

Such an imbalance frustrated her. Even though she always reminded herself that it was already very nice to have a place to live. After all, she was just an unrelated person, and they were Mu's while she was an An! She was always feeling inferior, and always thought of herself as an intruder.

Therefore, whenever she walked in the not-so-long hallway, she was always careful to dodge out of sight; Mu Luoyi would mock her for skulking and behaving like a servant, and she herself thought it was true.

But what could she do? Living under someone’s roof had extinguished her confidence. Especially when her mother wasn’t around, she felt even more vulnerable.

Even when she was alone in the hallway, she walked as quietly as a cat, her head down. In her haste, she walked into a sturdy chest with a 'thud'. She staggered back several steps, covering her forehead in surprise and looking up.

She was met with a pair of forbidding eyes looking down at her.