"Nannan, Nannan."
On a late night in May, six-year-old Chu Nannan was gently awakened by her mother's soft voice.
She opened her eyes to see her mother sitting by the bed, holding an exquisitely wrapped chocolate cake. "Look what Mommy brought back for you, Nannan? Your favorite chocolate cake," her mother whispered with a gentle smile.
Though the cake looked tempting, her mother rarely allowed her to eat sweets at night. Nannan felt a flicker of confusion. What was happening today?
"Mommy, can I eat it now?" Nannan asked.
"Eat it tomorrow morning instead." Her mother seemed to realize her own lapse in judgment and decisively placed the cake on the nightstand. She took Nannan's hand and continued, "Tomorrow, after you finish your cake and breakfast, follow Auntie Mei and Uncle Qiang to the villa in Yunxi."
Hadn't Mommy promised last week to take me there herself? Why only Auntie Mei and Uncle Qiang?
"Is Mommy coming too?"
Her mother looked at her deeply for a moment, then said tenderly, "Be good, Nannan. Mommy has to pick up your father first. We will come to find you very soon. Just wait for us."
Without waiting for an answer, her mother gave Nannan a hurried embrace, then stood up abruptly and left for the living room.
Nannan's parents were rarely home. Except for summer vacations, her mother usually didn't return until midnight. As for her father, he was merely a pleasant voice on the phone and a handsome face in a photograph. Nannan truly couldn't remember the last time she had seen him in person.
Her mother hadn't closed the door completely, leaving a thin crack. Nannan climbed out of bed and crept toward the door. Through the gap, she saw the housekeeper, Uncle Qiang, and the nanny, Auntie Mei, standing in the living room.
Both were in their early forties and had no children of their own. For as long as Nannan could remember, Auntie Mei had been the one looking after her. Nannan loved and relied on her, finding her attentive, gentle, and beautiful.
At this moment, Auntie Mei and Uncle Qiang appeared troubled. Her mother whispered a few words to them, glanced back at Nannan's bedroom door, and then hurriedly left the house.
Soon, Nannan heard the sound of the car engine starting and fading into the distance. Then, there was only silence.
The next morning, after breakfast, Uncle Qiang drove them away from their single family house in the commercial center of Yongning, the capital of Daze.
The family villa was located in the northern suburbs of Yunxi, a satellite city of Yongning. It was a place where her mother used to take Nannan for short vacations. The house was a grand, European-style building with front and back courtyards filled with various flowers, plants, and shrubs.
Nannan rarely saw pedestrians or vehicles around the villa. Aside from Xiaoyan, the village chief's daughter who had visited with her father, and Xiao He, a neighbor boy who had once stolen roses from their garden, Nannan knew almost no one of her age. Since Xiaoyan often visited her aunt in the city during holidays, Nannan spent most of her time without a playmate.
Upon arriving at the villa, Auntie Mei began tidying and cleaning the rooms while Uncle Qiang tended to the grounds. In her spare time, Auntie Mei would help him prune the shrubs and flowers.
When they first arrived, Nannan asked every day when her mother would return. Each time, Auntie Mei replied gently that if Nannan was good, Mommy would be back immediately. But Nannan was very good, and her mother never appeared. When she asked how to find her mother, Auntie Mei only sighed helplessly, saying Nannan could only wait for her mother to come and find her.
Sometimes, while drifting off to sleep, Nannan thought she overheard Auntie Mei and Uncle Qiang talking to her mother on the phone. But they never called her to listen.
Since her mother didn't want to speak to her, Nannan stopped asking. If her mother wasn't coming back, she would play by herself.
The place she wanted to visit most was the small river nearby, where her mother had once taken her fishing. But Auntie Mei never allowed Nannan to go there, warning her that the riverbank was dangerous.
One afternoon in early June, Uncle Qiang drove out to buy groceries. Auntie Mei arranged for Nannan's nap and went to rest herself as usual.
Nannan felt this was the perfect opportunity to slip out. She tiptoed out of her bedroom and opened the front door. To her delight, she was surprisingly successful; Auntie Mei didn't notice or chase after her. She felt a secret thrill of triumph.
She remembered the path to the river from when her mother had taken her. It took about twenty minutes to walk there from the villa.
When she arrived, she found there was no one by the river, the green lawn, or the road near the river. Aside from the cicadas in the trees shouting that they knew everything in the world, there was only the sound of rushing water.
The water was crystal clear. Eight large, rounded stones were lined up across the river, forming a simple "stepping-stone bridge" used by locals to reach the other side.
Nannan watched from the bank for a while and saw many small fish swimming in the middle of the river. Excited, she stepped onto a large stone and leaned over, preparing to scoop up a few fish with her hands.
Just then, she heard a loud shout from behind, "Move! Get out of the way! Let me through!"
Nannan recognized the voice instantly—it was Xiao He. There was no one around just a second ago; where did he come from?
But it was too late to get out of the way. Before she could understand what was happening, she was knocked off the stone by Xiao He and plunged headfirst into the water.
Nannan was instantly enveloped by the icy river. The water rose above her forehead. The noisy cicadas suddenly sounded like they belonged to another world—distant and eerie, muffled by a thick barrier.
She tried to cry for help, but water rushed into her mouth the moment she opened it. Instinctively, she shut her lips and held her breath.
The water stung her eyes. Though she forced them open despite the pain, she could see nothing but the light wavering wildly above the surface. She reached out blindly, desperate for something to hold onto, but caught only empty water.
She struggled desperately, but it seemed futile.
Her chest began to ache from holding her breath; her heart hammered out of control, and her mind began to blur. Nannan felt she could no longer hold on.
Where was Auntie Mei? Where was Uncle Qiang? Would no one pull her out? Was she going to die and would never see Mommy again?
Just as her consciousness began to fade and she felt herself slipping away from the world, a hand suddenly seized her arm.
She felt the owner of that hand lift her out of the water. Compared to the freezing river, that person's embrace felt incredibly warm. Instantly, the sound of the cicadas became loud and clear again.
Soon, she was placed on the lawn.
The person supported her to sit up and gently patted her back, asking in a voice full of concern, "Little sister, are you all right?"
It was a boy's voice. To Nannan, it sounded distant yet extremely pleasant. She gasped for air, coughing violently to bring up the swallowed water. Her chest still felt tight, but she could slowly breathe again. Her heartbeat began to steady.
She had finally returned to the world.
Only then did Nannan look at her savior. Squatting before her was a stranger, a boy she had never seen before. Behind him stood a young man in a black suit.
The boy wore a white linen shirt, black suit shorts, and black leather shoes—completely out of place in this rural setting. His suit pants and shoes were soaked.
Nannan noticed the boy's phoenix-shaped eyes, which reflected the ripples of the river; they were bright, clear, and profound. The water droplets on his forehead sparkled in the afternoon sun.
Whether it was the effect of the light or her own lingering daze, the boy in white appeared dazzlingly beautiful to her.
The wind suddenly died down. The cicadas, which had just regained their voices, went silent, and even the sound of the rushing river seemed to vanish.
Nannan felt as if she had wandered into the castle of Sleeping Beauty. Everything around her went to sleep, except for the boy in white before her.
"Nannan! Nannan!"
Auntie Mei and Uncle Qiang's shouted from the distance, breaking the spell.
Nannan turned toward the voices and saw Auntie Mei and Uncle Qiang running toward her, breathless. Before she could respond, Auntie Mei scooped her into her arms. A dry towel was draped over her head, blocking her view.
Through the fabric, Nannan vaguely heard Auntie Mei and Uncle Qiang thanking the boy. Uncle Qiang mentioned they would pay a formal visit to thank him properly another day. She wanted to hear more, but Auntie Mei was already carrying her away.
Auntie Mei and Uncle Qiang took Nannan to see the town doctor that same day. The doctor said she was merely frightened and there were no serious issues.
Back home, Nannan complained to Uncle Qiang, asking him to punish the culprit, Xiao He. Uncle Qiang said he would speak to the boy's parents, but added that it was Xiao He who had run for help. He had made up for his mistake, and it was better to let it go. Nannan only half-understood, but since Uncle Qiang said so, she dropped the matter.
That night, after she went to bed, she thought she heard the telephone ring, followed by Uncle Qiang talking in the living room. But she was too exhausted and soon drifted back to sleep.
The following afternoon, Uncle Qiang drove Auntie Mei and Nannan to thank the boy. He explained that the boy was a newly arrived neighbor.
Auntie Mei had dressed Nannan with great care, making her wear a blue silk dress—this year's newest fashion—and a pink pearl necklace. A blue bow was tied in her hair. After finishing, Auntie Mei praised her, saying she looked just like a little princess.
Nannan disliked such uncomfortable clothes, but she thought maybe the boy who saved her shared Auntie Mei's taste, so she let Auntie Mei dress her. Auntie Mei put on her favorite dress as well. To Nannan's astonishment, even Uncle Qiang, who usually ignored his appearance, was wearing a suit.
The new neighbor lived nearby; it was only a ten-minute drive.
The house was tightly enclosed by high walls and a heavy iron gate, giving it a mysterious aura. Peering through the gate, one could only see dense layers of forest and a two-lane path extending deep into the woods.
As soon as their car reached the gate, it opened automatically. Uncle Qiang drove along the path for less than a minute. After passing the barrier of trees, a courtyard wall in a traditional Chinese garden style appeared majestically before them.
"This house has two layers of walls?" Nannan exclaimed in surprise.
Auntie Mei turned to Uncle Qiang. "Qiang, I don't feel right about this. This house... it's eerie. Maybe we shouldn't go in."
Uncle Qiang replied calmly, "How can we back out of a scheduled appointment?"
He parked the car, picked up the gift boxes, and got out. Auntie Mei muttered, "Plenty of people back out of things," as she pulled Nannan along to follow him.
At the entrance of the courtyard wall, Uncle Qiang pressed the video doorbell. The gate opened to reveal a sharp-featured man in his late twenties. He was dressed in a black Zhongshan suit. Nannan recognized him as the man who had stood behind the boy the day before.
A bodyguard, Nannan thought.
"Mr. Chen, hello. Nice to see you again," Uncle Qiang said.
"Hello, Uncle Qiang. It is a pleasure to see you again. Please, follow me. Our Young Master is waiting in the study," Mr. Chen replied politely.
Uncle Qiang handed the gifts to Mr. Chen, and they followed him into the courtyard.
Inside were pavilions and terraces, intricately arranged. They walked along a long, winding corridor that snaked through the garden until they reached the study.
The study sat beside a small artificial lake. The wall facing the lake was entirely made of floor-to-ceiling windows, adjacent to the outdoor gallery.
The door was open. Peering inside, Nannan's first impression was that the room was enormous—perhaps as large as the living room in her current home. Along the inner wall, towering bookshelves reached the ceiling, packed with rows upon rows of books.
A boy of about thirteen, dressed in a white long gown, sat quietly reading at a desk near the bookshelves.
Nannan recognized him instantly—it was the boy who had saved her. His skin was exceptionally fair, and his hair was thick and dark. He had long, phoenix-shaped eyes.
The slanting afternoon sun poured through the glass, illuminating him against the backdrop of the bookshelves. It was an exquisite, beautiful scene.
Unconsciously, Nannan stared, mesmerized by the beauty of the sight.
This scene remained etched in Nannan's memory for many, many years.