This was the 10th day of Zhanyan's imprisonment, and today was her seventh birthday.
The uncle in the prison was very good. He sang a birthday song for her. Her father held her in the prisoner's clothes and kissed her forehead over and over again.
He said, "Yanyan, happy birthday."
He said, "Yanyan, I'm sorry."
These two sentences, as well as his tears, were filled with incomparable pain and sorrow.
Zhan Yan knew very well that she would no longer smile in three days.
Because her beloved father in front of her would leave her forever like her mother.
Zhan Tai committed a crime, a capital crime.
The date of the shot was three days later. It was said that it was very fast and would not make people feel painful. The moment the bullet passed through the body, it was cut off from the world.
When he married his wife, he came to the bustling capital city of An City. Even if there were no relatives or friends, after such a thing happened, they all broke away from each other.
He knew that his sin was unforgivable. God would punish him if he took away his beloved wife.
But he was only a seven-year-old daughter. If he made no mistake, he would have to bear the pain of losing his parents and being exiled to the children's detention center. Her life should have been beautiful, instead of suffering like now.
He didn't know how many times he had begged the warden. He only had one request, and that was to meet someone before the shot.
Zhan Tai, who had been desperate, had been crying with her in his arms on his daughter's seventh birthday.
Until—
"No. 2436 Zhan Han, come out."
At this moment, the warden's voice seemed to have become the last glimmer of hope for him. He took his daughter and walked step by step to the separate room at the end of the prison.
At that time, Zhan Yan didn't know what had happened. She held her father's hand tightly with one hand and the candy with birthday blessings in the other.
She followed her father into the room, but she did not know that what she walked into was the prison for the rest of her life.
The girl had never seen such a good-looking man before. He just sat in front of her and her father. Under the faint light, his dark pupils were like layers of painted ink. His eyebrows were handsome and gentle, like a smooth and beautiful jade. His thin lips curved into a faint smile.
It was the first time for Zhan Yan to see the man named Mu Yebai. He was shocked and had no way to escape.
"Yanyan, call me uncle."
Zhan Hao's voice was hurried. Zhan Yan didn't know who the man in front of her was and why his father reacted so strongly. But now, she was a child without emotions. Like a puppet doll, she nodded obediently and said softly—
"Uncle."
Mu Ye's deep black eyes narrowed as he looked at the girl in front of him. It was a clean word that was incompatible with this place.
Zhan Yan also looked at him without blinking her beautiful eyes. She was not afraid at all, completely different from her father.
"Mr. Mu, I know I'm sorry for the company and the Mu Enterprises. I... deserve it! But my poor daughter, she... she's innocent."
Zhan Hao knew that he didn't have much time left, so he couldn't help being excited and eager—
"After I was shot, she was an orphan and would not be accepted by others. She is just a child. She should not suffer this! I..."
Ever since his wife was ill, his relatives no longer interacted with him. Now that he had committed a crime, those people were even colder and ignored him.
"Mr. Mu, I don't have the right to ask you anything... I, I only beg you to pity my child and send her to a new environment."
Leave this place, leave this sinful place, leave this city, and forget everything.
But Zhan Hao knew that Mu Ye was colder than anyone else. He should not put the last glimmer of hope on this man.
Seeing the thin smile on the man's thin lips, Zhan Hao thought that he had reached a dead end.
Did her father cry again because of her?
She thought that she didn't want to see her father's tears that were about to leave. Her small hand holding the candy slowly reached out to the handsome uncle. When she touched the coldness, her eyes trembled.
But he was still serious—
"Uncle, give me some candy. Can you help me?"
This candy was her birthday gift. She had never been willing to eat it, but at this moment, it was given to him.
Mu Ye Bai Bai lowered his eyes and looked at the temperature that was transmitted from between his fingers.
The temperature of the girl's palm was like a wisp of green sun at the end of the cold darkness.
He was not familiar with such warmth, but he liked it very much.
...
The man had left.
Zhan Hao was crying, but Zhan Yan did not respond for a long time.
Looking at the empty temperature in his hand, he bit his lips and frowned.
He took her away as the only candy.
But at that time, she didn't know that what Mu Yebai took away was her whole life.
...
"125, 126..."
The girl sat in the long corridor and counted the numbers. She looked at the dust on the ground and kept counting.
At the moment of shooting, she counted to one hundred and fifty.
The voice stopped for a moment, and the murmur continued. However, there was no color in the girl's eyes, and it turned black and white.
"Three hundred and eight hundred and nine hundred..."
In the end, what made the girl stop talking was the slender shadow in front of her.
She raised her head and looked into his deep eyes. Time was passing, but she was still.
Mu Ye looked down at her with a faint smile.
He thought that a girl should be like this. She was clean without a speck of dust and had no desires.
"You took away my candy."
The one who spoke was Zhan Yan.
"Yes."
The hand, which was still cold, reached out to her. The slender and beautiful hand seemed to make people lose their direction in confusion.
The girl lowered her eyes, as if time had stopped.
Until she put her hand in his palm and her warmth merged with his cool, she knew that she was no longer alone.
Mu Yebai took her out of prison, but the darkness made her cherish it very much.
This man took her candy.
Fortunately, she did not forget to take her away.
It was also that day when he caressed her cheeks, a cold smile on his face—
"The name Zhan Yan is not suitable for you. Remember your name, Mu Nuan."
She would not smile again, but she would be his warm girl.
