Resistance and Escape

Daisy nervously and shyly placed her hand on Zhou Yi's.

Zhou Yi smiled faintly, took the young girl's hand, and pulled her into his embrace in one swift motion.

Holding her by the waist, he began to dance with her slowly.

Being so close to a man made Daisy tense as well.

The last time she had danced was so long ago—ever since her country fell into war, she had hardly gone out.

As a result, her steps were somewhat clumsy.

Zhou Yi noticed this and considerately slowed his pace, allowing Daisy to gradually match his rhythm.

"If you're tired, just tell me. Dancing in high heels must be exhausting."

Zhou Yi lowered his beautiful eyes and spoke gently to Daisy.

Gazing at his handsome face, Daisy recalled the fairy tales she had read as a child.

A prince from a fairy tale must be just like Zhou Yi—charming, elegant, chivalrous, and considerate.

Daisy's clear, innocent eyes met Zhou Yi's as she whispered softly, "Brother, you're like a prince from a fairy tale."

Daisy had loved fairy tales as a child, back when her mother was still alive and often told her stories of princesses and princes.

But as she grew older and witnessed the ugliness of reality—especially Adel—she no longer believed in so-called princes.

Yet Daisy was still just a teenage girl, and in her heart, those forbidden hopes began to rise again.

Even though the world had shown her little kindness, she still wanted to believe it was a beautiful place, that everything would get better—including her country.

Her eyes brightened as she said, "If there really is a prince in this world, he must be like Brother Zhou Yi."

Daisy's gaze was too pure, carrying the sweetness and naivety of youth, softening the sorrow that often lingered in her eyes.

Every word she spoke felt sincere.

Zhou Yi smiled tenderly and kissed the back of her hand. "Daisy is a beautiful little princess too."

Daisy murmured in a daze, "My mother used to say that to me too."

Zhou Yi frowned slightly, sighing inwardly at her fate.

"Let's take a break, Daisy. You must be tired."

"No, I want to dance with you a little longer."

She knew opportunities like this were rare—some people might only meet once in a lifetime—so she didn’t want to let go of Zhou Yi's hand just yet.

She was greedy for the warmth of his hands and the gentleness in his eyes.

"Can we, Brother...? Daisy didn’t dance well earlier, but I’ve gotten better now. I want to try again properly, okay?"

Faced with Daisy’s pleading eyes, how could Zhou Yi refuse?

He simply replied softly, "Alright, let’s dance once more."

This time, neither spoke, both focusing entirely on the dance.

Daisy carefully rested her head against Zhou Yi’s shoulder, her feet moving lightly beneath her.

This shoulder gave her an immense sense of security—so much so that the moment felt unreal, as if she were in a dream.

Zhou Yi was like a dream that had appeared in her world by chance, so perfect he didn’t seem real, filling all the emptiness in her heart.

"Brother, I’m a little tired now."

Daisy’s high heels didn’t fit properly, and the back of her feet had been rubbed raw, bleeding. She had endured the pain for a long time before finally stopping to ask for a break.

Adel hadn’t even been willing to spend money on proper-fitting formal wear and shoes for her—the dress and heels she wore belonged to another sister of hers.

After the dance, Adel came over and praised her a few times, but his words still carried dissatisfaction.

"You should aim for a man of noble status. From what I’ve heard, Zhou Yi is just an ordinary pianist."

"No, he’s a good person."

"What man is good? The world’s cruelest creatures are men. Don’t be fooled by his pretty face."

Sure enough, women were all shallow—even a girl like Daisy could be bewitched by a man’s looks. Adel glanced at his naive, foolish little sister.

Daisy didn’t respond. She didn’t want to speak ill of Zhou Yi, nor did she want to hear Adel’s disparaging words about him.

In her eyes, Zhou Yi was nothing like those other men.

When it was time for dinner, Adel deliberately seated Daisy next to several powerful men.

Their gazes made it hard for her to breathe, and their words dripped with condescension.

Daisy was nothing more than a beautiful vase for them to admire.

She felt like a soulless object, staring blankly at the feast before her with no appetite.

When one of the men pressed a kiss to her hand, she nearly gagged.

Her skin crawled as if worms were slithering over it, her lashes trembling uncontrollably.

She desperately wanted to escape—to flee this suffocating space.

The first person she thought of was Zhou Yi. She searched for him in the crowd.

He was sitting beside Jones, surrounded by women trying to strike up conversations, but Zhou Yi responded to each with polite detachment.

He treated everyone the same, maintaining a gentle yet unbridgeable distance—yet this only made the women even more infatuated with him.

By chance, Zhou Yi lifted his gaze and met Daisy’s eyes. He gave her a tender smile, and suddenly, she felt calm again.

Just endure a little longer. Brother had promised to take her away from here.

Daisy barely ate anything at lunch, keeping her head down the entire time. The men tried every trick to make her laugh, but Daisy couldn’t bring herself to smile.

Her face only showed fear, unease, and faint disgust.

Yet the men didn’t care—in fact, they seemed to enjoy her trembling demeanor.

It was the pleasure of the powerful tormenting the powerless.

They adored seeing Daisy shrink back, finding it utterly charming.

At one o’clock, Daisy excused herself and slipped away.

This was the time she and Zhou Yi had agreed upon.

Some guests had already begun leaving, but the men remained—tonight, there was still an auction to attend.

Pretending her dress had gotten wet, Daisy asked a maid to help her change into another outfit.

She quietly inquired about the path to the back door and hid behind a tree, waiting for Zhou Yi.

After about ten minutes, Zhou Yi appeared.

She waved at him, and he draped his coat over her shoulders, then placed a hat on her head.

Without a trace, the two slipped out through the back door.

At first, Adel didn’t notice Daisy’s absence—Jones and a group of sisters were keeping him occupied, asking him about stories from the Snow Country.

He pontificated to the noblewomen, secretly pleased, thinking they might actually be interested in him.

But as time passed, he finally remembered to check on Daisy.

No matter how hard he searched or whom he asked, there was no sign of his sister.

The men who had been seated beside her only said she had gone to change.

Adel waited and waited, growing increasingly frantic.

If Daisy was gone, tonight’s auction would be ruined—and so would his plans and his money!

Adel never imagined that his seemingly fragile and innocent younger sister would one day defy him.