An Unexpected Beginning

The month of March had arrived, bringing with it restless winds and an endless drizzle that tapped softly against the windows.

Lu Mingyu lay on her bed, absentmindedly scrolling through social media, trying to pass the quiet afternoon. At twenty-one, her life felt simple… almost too ordinary.

Then, suddenly, a notification popped up on her screen.

A message from a stranger.

Username: Duanxiu._

Her fingers paused for a moment before she opened it.

“Hey cutie, what’s your name? Where do you live?”

It was unexpected. Random. Maybe even a little strange.

She didn’t know who he was or why he had messaged her…

And yet, for some reason, it didn’t feel uncomfortable.

In fact, there was something oddly familiar about it.

That was the moment Duan Xiu entered her life—

Quietly, unexpectedly…

And from that moment on, everything began to change..

Lu Mingyu stared at the message for a while, unsure of what to do.

It wasn’t the first time a stranger had texted her, but something about this felt different.

Maybe it was the way he wrote… or maybe it was just her curiosity getting the better of her.

After a few seconds of hesitation, she finally typed a reply.

“Who are you?”

She didn’t know why she replied.

Maybe it was boredom… or maybe it was the beginning of something she couldn’t yet understand.

Her message was delivered… but there was no reply.

Just a few seconds later, the stranger went offline.

Lu Mingyu stared at her screen, waiting for the typing sign to appear—but it never did.

A slight frown formed on her face as curiosity slowly took over.

Without thinking much, she tapped on his profile.

It was public.

Username: Duanxiu._

He had around a thousand followers, yet there was nothing else—no posts, no stories, nothing that could tell her who he really was.

It felt strange… almost mysterious.

The more she looked, the more confused she became.

Still, she waited.

Minutes passed, turning into an hour… and then two.

To distract herself, she scrolled through random reels, pretending she wasn’t waiting for a reply that never came.

Eventually, with a quiet sigh, she locked her phone and decided to ignore it.

It was just a stranger, after all.

Life moved on.

She walked into the kitchen, where the warm, familiar smell of food filled the air.

“Mom,” she called softly.

Lu Luna looked up with a gentle smile, listening as Mingyu talked about her university and the small things that had been on her mind.

Not long after, Lu Guwon returned home from work, his presence bringing a calm sense of normalcy.

The family sat together for dinner, talking casually, laughing softly—everything felt peaceful, just like any other ordinary day.

Nothing seemed out of place.

Later that night, Lu Luna gently called out,

“Ruru, you have college tomorrow. Go to sleep early. Don’t stay up on your phone.”

Mingyu smiled faintly at the nickname she had grown up with.

“Goodnight, Mom.”

Luna leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her cheek before heading to her room.

One by one, the lights in the house dimmed as everyone went to sleep.

Mingyu returned to her room, quietly arranging her bedsheets and wrapping herself in her blanket.

The night felt calm, almost too quiet.

She lay on her bed, her phone still in her hand, pretending to study online—but her focus kept drifting.

The clock showed 11 PM.

And then—

A notification appeared.

Her heart skipped a beat.

Username: Duanxiu._

For a moment, she just stared at the screen, her heartbeat suddenly racing faster than before.

It didn’t make sense.

She didn’t even know him… so why did it feel like this?

Almost nervously, she tapped on the notification and opened the chat.

Outside, the rain suddenly grew heavier, the sound of it echoing against the windows—

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