**"According to our latest news report, Ruan Ji, the wealthiest man in Nancheng, jumped to his death yesterday at 18:47. Despite immediate medical intervention, he was pronounced dead at the scene..."**

The entrance of Sunshine Orphanage faced a towering skyscraper, its facade dominated by a massive LED screen broadcasting the news of the Nancheng tycoon’s suicide. Passersby paused to watch, murmuring with detached sympathy before moving on.

Among them stood a strikingly elegant woman, her fashionable attire drawing glances. She stared blankly at the screen, her expression flickering between sorrow and resolve. Then, as if snapping out of a trance, she forced a gentle smile and turned to the little girl beside her, squeezing her tiny hand.

"Be good, Hehe. Stay right here, okay? Mommy will get you that matcha ice cream you love so much."

The child’s luminous eyes wavered slightly. She parted her lips as if to speak but swallowed her words, clutching her stuffed rabbit tighter. With unwavering trust, she smiled sweetly. "Okay. Hehe will wait for Mommy."

The woman’s eyes reddened imperceptibly, but she quickly composed herself. With a graceful pivot, she strode away, her camel-colored coat swaying as she disappeared into the building.

Ruan Xihe watched her mother’s retreating figure, her gaze momentarily distant.

Inside the mall, the woman slipped out through a different exit and stepped into a Rolls-Royce with the license plate **9999**.

Meanwhile, the little girl remained planted outside the orphanage, drawing curious stares. It wasn’t just her solitude that caught attention—she was breathtakingly beautiful, with doll-like features and wide, soulful eyes that could melt even the hardest hearts.

Kind strangers approached, asking if she was lost. Each time, she tilted her head up and chirped, "Mommy went to buy ice cream. I have to wait here for her."

The orphanage director noticed her too, stepping out repeatedly to check. Seeing the child’s stubborn determination, she sighed and kept a watchful eye from inside, her heart heavy with foreboding.

Summer weather was fickle—one moment sunny, the next pouring rain.

Xihe’s fingers tightened around her rabbit, her misty eyes brimming with quiet defiance.

"Sweetheart, why don’t you come inside with me? It’s about to rain," the director coaxed, her voice tender. A child this lovely was rare, and her heart ached. She’d seen this cruel charade too many times—parents abandoning their own.

*What a sin. How could anyone leave such a precious child?*

"Thank you, Auntie," Xihe replied, her voice bright yet firm. "But Mommy told me to wait here. If I go inside, she won’t find me, and she’ll worry!"

At seven years old, she was neither too young to understand nor too old to mask her hope. Her words were innocent, yet painfully logical.

"Is your name Hehe, like the 'he' in lotus flower?"

"No, it's the 'he' in harmony and happiness." Children have an innate sense for kindness, and though she wasn't particularly outgoing, she felt comfortable chatting a little more with this gentle woman.

The sky darkened abruptly as a fierce wind howled, and raindrops the size of beans began pelting down noisily.

Luckily, the orphanage director had brought an umbrella earlier. The large black umbrella easily sheltered both her and the child.

Thunder rumbled ominously in the distance.

A childlike electronic voice suddenly echoed in Ruan Xihe’s mind.

"See? I told you—your mom abandoned you."

Six hours ago, this voice had first appeared in her head. Strangely, no one else seemed to hear it—only she could, and she could even talk back to it. It claimed to be the Bounty Hunter System, codename 044.

Hehe didn’t like it. Not one bit. Because it insisted that her mother had left her behind. Ruan Xihe was upset and had ignored it completely. How could Mom abandon her? Mom had always been so good to her, calling her the prettiest little princess in the world, saying she loved her most of all.

The system had tried assigning her tasks, but Ruan Xihe refused to engage, unwilling to entertain its cruel words about her mother.

Until now.

She had waited so long. The rain poured relentlessly. And it seemed... Mom really wasn’t coming back.

"Why doesn’t Mom want me anymore?"

"Because of money. She’s remarrying—a very wealthy man. He already has two children, so she can’t take you with her," the electronic voice explained matter-of-factly.

"What about Dad? Why did he jump? Did he not want me either?" Her voice wavered, caught between confusion and despair.

"Also because of money. His company went bankrupt. He had too much debt—no way to recover."

**"Is money really that important?"**

**"Everything in this world might betray you, but money never will."** The electronic voice hesitated for a moment before responding.

**"Will you leave me?"**

**"Only when you die."** The childlike synthetic tone answered firmly.

**"If I accept your mission, Hehe will get lots of money, right?"**

**"Yes."**

**"Then Hehe accepts the mission."**

...

**Shanghai University Gymnasium**

**"Damn, Ye, how the hell did you get our campus queen to dote on you like that—so gentle, so attentive?"** Liao Feiyuan slung an arm over Fei Ye’s shoulder, half-teasing, half-serious.

Fei Ye smirked, his sharp brows lifting arrogantly. **"Because I’m hot."**

If anyone else had said something so shamelessly conceited, they’d have been instantly labeled an idiot. But when Fei Ye said it, it was just a statement of fact. The guy was undeniably handsome—tall, chiseled, with a bright, clean-cut charm. At 6'2", with a wealthy background and impeccable style, he was practically the living definition of a campus romance novel’s male lead.

**"Yo, Ye, you went so hard in the last match—was it because Xihe was watching from the stands?"** Mu Feng’s remark drew a round of knowing chuckles from the guys around them.

Fei Ye lazily kicked him. **"Keep dreaming, dumbass."**

**"Come on, Mu Feng, our Ye here is a real playboy. Sure, Ruan’s a stunner, but our man isn’t some average joe—he’s not about to settle for just one tree in the whole damn forest,"** Liao Feiyuan chimed in with a grin.

"Damn it, Liao Feiyuan, are you blind or what? Ruan Xihe isn't just pretty—she's a freaking goddess!" Mu Feng instinctively retorted, his gaze uncontrollably drifting toward a certain spot in the stands. There sat a girl in a white dress, standing out effortlessly in the crowd. Without a trace of makeup, she still shone brilliantly, breathtakingly beautiful.

"Looks like none of you have practiced enough, huh?" Fei Ye didn’t like people talking about her. A faint, inexplicable irritation rose within him, though he brushed it off as nothing more than territorial instinct—some weird possessive urge. Before leaving the court, he glanced up. She wasn’t sitting too far, just close enough for him to see.

Ruan Xihe curved her lips into a gentle smile, directing it right at him.

*Damn.*

His heartbeat instantly quickened.

Suddenly, Fei Ye realized Mu Feng wasn’t exaggerating at all. Ruan Xihe wasn’t just pretty—she *was* a goddess.

He probably didn’t even notice it himself, but the moment he looked up and met her eyes, there was unmistakable *anticipation* in his gaze. And when she smiled at him, that emotion shifted into pure *delight*.

On the court, a group of boys battled fiercely, but the most dazzling one was Fei Ye, with the number 23 on his back. He pulled off one flashy block and slam dunk after another, turning the game into his personal highlight reel—so cool it was almost obnoxious. Couldn’t you hear the deafening screams from his fangirls?

Yet, every time he scored, his eyes instinctively flicked toward a certain direction in the stands.

Ruan Xihe maintained her serene, gentle expression, but in her mind, she was communicating with her system.

"Four-Four, how much longer?"

"Just twenty more minutes, and the mission will be complete." 044’s tone was tinged with excitement.

"Mhm." She responded calmly.

The match ended in fifteen minutes.

As usual, Fei Ye headed to the locker room first to shower and change.

After stepping out of the shower, he casually towel-dried his hair as he walked out.

At the same time, an electronic voice echoed in Ruan Xihe's mind.

*"Ding. Bounty mission complete. Objective: Three-month relationship achieved. Target: Fei Ye successfully charmed. Quality rating: Three stars. Total reward: 50 million."*

A genuine smile—the first in days—curved Ruan Xihe’s lips.

As she looked up, she happened to see Fei Ye emerge from the locker room hallway, still rubbing his damp hair with the towel.

Sunlight spilled over her, making everything seem impossibly perfect.

A sudden impulse surged in Fei Ye—he wanted to hold her.

And so he did.

When he pulled her tightly into his arms, Ruan Xihe allowed just the right hint of shyness to color her expression. Her misty peach-blossom eyes held a touch of innocence, so guileless it made his heart skip.

The crisp scent of mint clung to him as his voice, deliberately teasing, brushed against her ear: *"Ruan Ruan."*

*"Senior..."* Her voice was soft and sweet, the kind of tender call no man could resist—plunging helplessly into the web of affection she spun.

He suddenly remembered their first meeting—how that same soft *"Senior"* had made him notice her, consciously or not, ever since.

*"Talk less to other men, hm?"* His voice roughened slightly, the restless energy of youth simmering beneath. *"Every time you speak, I can’t help but want to do something bad to you."*

Her arms naturally encircled his waist, her posture pliant and unguarded, like a girl utterly smitten, lost in adoration. *"Why?"*

Fei Ye’s gaze darkened, his Adam’s apple bobbing once before he gripped her waist, pressing her against the wall—yielding to instinct as he claimed her lips with rough urgency.

*"Mmm—"*