Xia Zhi had lived like a princess since she was a child.
Her parents had taken over a vast commercial empire from her grandfather and expanded it even further, becoming renowned major entrepreneurs.
As their only child, Xia Zhi was utterly doted upon.
Her parents gave her the best life and protection from a young age.
She was like a pure white princess at the foot of a high tower, having never seen the ugliness of the world—nor was there any need for her to see it.
Of course, this isn’t to say Xia Zhi was a fool.
Quite the opposite, she also received the finest education.
But her parents didn’t force her to inherit the family business; instead, they gave her the freedom to choose her own path in life.
Xia Zhi chose the piano.
So, her parents provided her with the best training, had her participate in various major competitions from a young age, and she became a famous piano prodigy on the international stage.
Xia Zhi never had to worry about anything, because her life was naturally destined to be happy and fulfilling.
In the future, she might have become a world-renowned piano master…
Until an accident happened.
Her parents’ private plane crashed while flying overseas.
At just sixteen years old, Xia Zhi became the sole heir to this massive commercial empire.
She didn’t understand business.
She originally planned to hold onto her shares and be a hands-off owner.
But among her parents’ belongings, she found a diary.
The diary recorded every little detail of her life growing up.
There were photos of her as a newborn, photos from her first time playing the piano, photos of her smiling at her parents after winning awards…
The diary clearly stated that while it was a pity their daughter loved the piano and didn’t choose to inherit the company, they would respect her choice.
That little notebook contained no lengthy discourses beyond the photos.
Almost every day was just a few short sentences or a paragraph.
It didn’t describe their careers or ambitions.
Every single sentence recorded what was happening in Xia Zhi’s life, making the small notebook feel as heavy as a thousand pounds in her hands.
Even though she already knew her parents’ love for her in their daily lives, nothing hits harder than a memento left behind after death.
At that moment, she was suddenly overcome with a surge of emotion and determination.
She decided to return home and take over her parents’ company, after all, it had been their greatest passion.
Her excellent upbringing meant she wasn’t stupid; she was actually very clever.
So, she was confident she could continue the legacy her parents left behind.
But this kind of thing isn’t something you can do just by being clever.
As someone who had never experienced the harsh realities of society, facing all sorts of seasoned business sharks, the outcome goes without saying.
Xia Zhi was quickly sidelined.
The power she held was carved up and devoured.
Even though she tried her absolute hardest to rally allies and put up resistance, it was useless.
Those with the ability to help her were all eager to swallow her whole.
She watched helplessly as the company her parents left behind was about to become a hollow shell, unable to do a single thing about it.
She could only grit her teeth and make her final efforts.
Then came the turning point.
The old butler, who had been helping her family since her grandfather’s time, gave her a plan that would wound the enemy a thousand while damaging herself eight hundred.
While this move would cause the company’s scale to shrink drastically, it would at least preserve its name.
Xia Zhi really didn’t want to do this, but by now, there was no other way.
So, she implemented the old butler’s plan.
But in reality, what she didn’t expect was that even this desperate plan was just another trap.
Even the old butler, the only person she trusted, had long been bought off by the other side.
This blow was immense.
In a short time, she lost all means to fight back.
She could only watch as the wealth her parents left her was devoured by those jackals.
An even greater blow was the old butler’s betrayal.
Having lost all her family, she had always seen the old butler as her last remaining relative.
Yet, it turned out that the very person she trusted most was the one who betrayed her.
And so, utterly defeated and unable to recover, Xia Zhi developed severe depression.
She closed off her heart, took her remaining shares, and withdrew from the corporate competition, becoming a complete shut-in who never left the house.
No friends, no family, no one she could trust.
She muddled through day after day like this.
Hungry?
Order takeout.
House dirty?
Call a cleaning service.
Slowly, she forgot everything related to social interaction.
Until not long ago, someone expressed interest in buying her shares.
That’s when she realized her social skills had almost completely atrophied.
Facing women, she could still stammer out a few words.
But facing men, she couldn’t even get a word out.
If it were someone familiar, perhaps her communication would be better.
But unfortunately, she no longer had any familiar people.
In this world, there was only one stranger after another.
That day, she wrapped herself in her little blanket and cried.
She clearly felt herself rotting away day by day in this dark corner, yet she had no way to stop it.
By the time she realized it, it was already too late.
In the days that followed, Xia Zhi often cried.
Time and again, she wanted to seek change.
But many times, she gave up before even taking the first step.
She remained acutely aware of herself rotting away bit by bit, willingly sinking into self-denial and torment.
Until she saw her parents’ belongings again—that diary.
Looking at the recorded photos, she finally made up her mind.
Even if she didn’t have the ability to reclaim what her parents once had, she at least had to live like a normal person, not like the pile of mud she had become.
So rotten that neither her parents nor she herself would recognize her as Xia Zhi.
After making this decision, she threw away the sleeping pills and started adjusting her sleep schedule.
She set aside the small blades and tried to fill her empty heart with exercise.
She also wanted to interact with people to restore her social skills…
The first step was just simple talking.
The target could be a delivery person.
Then Xia Zhi realized she had been far too naive.
Usually, she would just close the door and have the delivery left at the entrance.
This time, after opening the door and seeing the smiling delivery person, she found her voice was stuck in her throat, unable to come out.
When the person handed over the food, she didn’t dare take it.
Instead, she fearfully retreated several steps.
In the end, it was the understanding delivery person who reached out and placed the food on the floor by the door, considerately closing the door on their way out.
That’s when Xia Zhi realized how serious her condition was.
Even facing the cleaning lady, giving it her all, she could only manage to blurt out two words at a time…
She wanted to change, but found it was far too difficult.
Every time she met a stranger, she felt a suffocating sensation that made her unable to speak.
Talking should be such a simple thing…
So, she had to find another way.
If strangers wouldn’t work, then wouldn’t familiar people be okay?
Summoning her courage, she posted this part-time job listing at the university closest to her residence.
She hoped to find someone to take care of her, and in the process of being cared for, she could communicate with them, slowly restoring her language system…
The reason she chose a university was, first, because she felt university students wouldn’t have so many bad intentions, and second, communicating with peers would undoubtedly be easier.
But what she didn’t expect was that she had forgotten to specify a gender requirement in the job posting conditions.