The rain had stopped by the time Ethan dropped Leah off at her small apartment in the rundown part of Hongxia District. As he pulled away in his sleek black car, Leah stood under the flickering streetlamp, her heart pounding against her chest.
What just happened?
He had given her a ride home.
He had looked into her eyes and seen her pain.
And he hadn't judged her once.
For the first time in years, she felt safe.
Inside their tiny two-bedroom apartment, the Xuan household was buzzing with noise.
Little Ran, just 7 years old, was giggling on the living room mat, building a castle out of old cereal boxes. Wang, her 13-year-old brother, was bent over his schoolwork, scribbling math equations by candlelight—because the electricity had been out for hours. And Meiling, age 12, was cooking noodles carefully beside their disabled mother, who sat in a wheelchair, trying her best to assist with shaking hands.
When Leah walked in, soaked from the knees down, her mother looked up.
"You're late again."
Leah smiled faintly, brushing the hair out of her face. "It was raining."
"You didn't catch cold, did you?" Her mother's concern was always stronger than her scolding.
"No," Leah said softly, her eyes scanning the dim room. "Where's the candlelight bill?"
"Still unpaid," Wang mumbled from the corner. "They said they'll cut off everything next week."
Leah sighed. She had 43 yuan left in her purse.
"Even with three jobs… it's never enough."
But she didn't say it aloud. She just smiled again, hugged her mother, and quietly went to change out of her wet clothes.
Ethan sat alone in his penthouse, staring at the empty wine glass on his kitchen island. He never drank much—but tonight, he was restless.
He opened an old drawer.
Inside was a faded photo of a woman in an apron, smiling with her arms around two young boys. His mother.
Ethan's jaw clenched.
She had worked herself to death—literally. She cleaned ten houses a week, nursed people at night, and raised him and his brother alone. One day, her heart gave out. Just like that.
And no one had helped her.
He made a silent promise that day to become someone no one could ignore. Someone with power.
But now, all the power he had didn't matter when he thought about Leah—how she was reliving the life his mother once lived, carrying the weight of a broken family and still managing to smile.
"I have to do more," he whispered.
Three days later, Leah was at the counter in the stationery shop her mother ran when a man in a black suit walked in.
She didn't notice at first—she was busy helping a little girl choose pink notebooks—but her mother did. She stiffened.
Leah turned and gasped.
"Ethan?"
He was standing by the window shelf, browsing a set of cheap pencils with his hands in his pocket like a regular customer.
"You followed me?" she asked, flustered.
"I found your mother's store in the company files," he said calmly. "I figured it was time I bought some pens."
Her mother was stunned. "Who is this?"
Leah's lips moved slowly. "Um… he's... the CEO of the company I clean."
Ethan turned to the older woman and bowed slightly.
"Ma'am, I'm Ethan Sheng Xi. I came to thank you for raising someone as strong and remarkable as your daughter."
Her mother blinked. "I-I see... Thank you."
Ethan smiled gently and reached into his coat. He handed Leah a sleek white envelope. "This is for you."
She shook her head immediately. "No. Please. I don't want charity—"
"It's not charity. It's your intern pay advance. You officially start next week."
"But I didn't say yes—"
"I know," he said softly, "But I hope you will."
Then he placed 200 yuan on the counter, took a pack of pencils, and left.
That night, Leah lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling.
She could still hear his voice.
Still feel the warmth in his eyes.
Still sense his presence like it had seeped into the walls of her life.
"Don't fall for him," she whispered to herself. "He's a billionaire. You're… nothing."
But deep down, something inside her was already breaking.
Not from pain.
From hope.
Back in his office, Ethan stared at the new project board on his screen.
A new charity initiative: "XYouth – Lifting Future Leaders."
Target group: low-income students.
Spearhead intern: Leah Xuan.
He clicked "Approve" and leaned back in his chair.
This wasn't just about helping her anymore.
This was about rewriting fate—for her… for the kids like her… and maybe even for himself.