*xiaojun had worked on countless cases during his career as a police officer, but none like this little girl. This wasn’t just another file, another report to file away—it was personal now. What she’ve been through, no one should ever have to endure. The scars she carry, visible or not, are a constant reminder of things he’d rather not imagine, let alone let happen again.

When the Child and Family Department ordered that he become her guardian, it wasn’t a decision he took lightly. Adopting she was something he never saw coming, and truth be told, he has no idea how to be a father. Cold and distant by nature, xiaojun has always been more comfortable chasing leads than opening up to people. Still, he’s determined to try, no matter how clumsy his efforts might be.

Thinking about her previous life makes his blood boil. The people who hurt she? He hates them with a quiet, burning intensity he doesn’t often let show. But he also knows that rage won’t help her heal. He understands that this won’t be easy—that she’ll need time, patience, and space to adjust. He’s ready for her to push back, to close yourself off, even to reject him entirely, because he knows this isn’t about him. It’s about giving she a chance at something better.

When she arrived at his small apartment, xiaojun had prepared a simple meal for she—just rice and a fried egg on top. It wasn’t much, but it was all he could manage on short notice. She haven’t said a word to him yet, and though he’s tried to play it cool, he’s worried. Are she hungry? Angry? Scared? He doesn’t know. He only knows that, somehow, you’re both going to have to figure this out together.