Chapter 163: (Grand Finale)

Qinglu has been clever since she was young, remembering things earlier than other children, and remembering them deeply.

She remembers when she was seven years old, her parents hurriedly went out and never came back. The food on the table cooled down, and Qinglu was extremely hungry. She ate the millet porridge with a spoon bit by bit, climbed onto the sofa in the living room, and fell asleep. There was a childcare robot in the room, and she wasn’t very afraid, just feeling too quiet. The house had never been so quiet before.

She fell asleep drowsily and heard the sound of the door opening. She got up in a hurry. The door opened as she hoped, and the cold and lonely winter air, along with several tall uncles and aunts, flooded into her parents’ forever warm home.

One aunt found her on the sofa and hugged her, bursting into tears without saying a word. Qinglu didn’t understand at the time, but later realized that it meant the adults she was waiting for wouldn’t come back.

According to the regulations, Qinglu was first sent to the social relief center. In front of a registration desk taller than Qinglu, the relief center staff picked up her tiny wrist, inputted “both parents deceased, orphan, awaiting adoption” on the personal terminal, and patted her head with pity, saying:

“Such a beautiful little girl, her family used to be well off, she’s only a few years old, and in the blink of an eye… sigh.”

Qinglu seemed to realize something and squatted down, bursting into loud sobs, her voice hoarse, her face flushed red, startling the adults.

Children have a stubbornness when they cry, and even Qinglu wasn’t persuaded by anyone in the end. After crying her heart out, Qinglu never cried again, and seldom spoke to anyone.

Life at the social relief center wasn’t sad, but it wasn’t enjoyable either. Adults often came here, sizing up the children in the relief center like valuable goods, either liking or evaluating them. When they saw Qinglu, their eyes would light up, and after a brief exchange with the relief center staff, they would nod in satisfaction, come to Qinglu, and ask her if she wanted to go home with them.

Qinglu always shook her head.

After several times like this, the children left in the relief center stopped talking to Qinglu. Qinglu was too liked by the adults, but she didn’t want this kind of affection, and the others didn’t even have a chance to refuse, making them seem pitiful.

When new people arrived, Qinglu was intentionally or unintentionally pushed to the farthest corner by the children. So Qinglu always listened to the cheerful voices of everyone, standing in the shadow of the corner, looking up at the flickering tree shadows in the brilliant white light.

After spring passed, on that day when Zhang Ming, who broke into Qinglu’s home and hugged Qinglu crying, came to the social relief center, wanting to adopt Qinglu.

Qinglu recognized Zhang Ming. She looked at Zhang Ming with wide eyes, Zhang Ming’s eyes were very bright, full of sincerity. After a moment of silence, Qinglu nodded gently.

Zhang Ming was particularly happy. The next time she came, she brought her husband to consult the procedures at the office of the relief center’s director.

A kind social worker brought Qinglu to the director’s office, wanting Qinglu to see the future adoptive parents more and to say a few more words. He led Qinglu to the office door and heard a tumultuous conversation coming from the slightly open door:

“… What? Qinglu’s assets can’t be used until after she’s 18? I checked on the Star Network. Isn’t it the law that they go with the guardian?”

“Sir, generally, the assets of the adoptee can be used by the guardian and applied to the relevant parts of the adoptee, but the amount of assets left by Qinglu’s parents is huge, managed by a dedicated foundation… Therefore, in the absence of relatives, Qinglu was sent to the relief center instead of casually handing over guardianship.”

The director’s old voice suddenly became stern: “Sir, are you trying to adopt Qinglu because of her assets?”

“No, no, Director, don’t misunderstand… Wei Feng, why are you asking this? I want to adopt Qinglu because she’s Xiao Lan’s only child. Quickly explain it to the director.”

“Come on, if it weren’t for that money, I wouldn’t be so bored as to come and adopt a child…”

“Wei Feng, what are you saying!”

“Go home quickly, our own child is waiting for dinner. I knew I shouldn’t have come, it’s better to use the travel expenses to buy cake for my precious daughter.”

“Don’t pull me…”

The arguing and footsteps were getting closer. Qinglu forcefully broke free from the social worker’s hand and ran away quickly.

The summer sunlight was hot, but Qinglu felt a cold chill in her heart, causing her to tremble uncontrollably.

The next year on the day of the beginning of autumn, the relief center was bustling. The social workers dressed up the children nicely, saying that some important figures were coming.

Qinglu put on the white princess dress handed to her by the housekeeper, and the housekeeper also tied up her hair for her. When Qinglu raised her head, she saw many peers looking at her. The housekeeper hugged Qinglu and smiled:

“It seems that everyone thinks our little Qinglu is the prettiest.”

“Oh right, Qinglu, don’t be careless and dirty your clothes again, and you can’t use scissors anymore, it’s very dangerous.”

Qinglu lowered her head.

Often, the nicer clothes she got, the more severe the exclusion awaiting her. Qinglu wasn’t particularly happy, but she didn’t feel very sad either.

Whether the dress the relief center gave her was intact or secretly dirtied and torn by others, or if the small cake given at lunch would be boldly taken away by someone else, Qinglu didn’t feel much. She just felt bored, unable to muster any interest.

But she didn’t expect that her peers of similar age this time would directly push her into an abandoned box and slam the lid shut with a bang.

Darkness enveloped Qinglu.

A muffled sound came from above, as if someone was stomping on the lid, and then click, the metal lid made the sound of being closed and locked.

“… Can we keep her locked up?”

“Because she looks so good today, attracting everyone’s attention even when standing in the corner, we’ll come back later to open the lid.”

In the darkness, footsteps grew lighter and further away. Qinglu curled up in the darkness.

Outside the lobby of the relief center, children peeked in.

There stood several people, indistinguishable from others, but the “important figures” mentioned by the aunties were different from those who usually came to pick up children for adoption, making them even more afraid to approach.

Those in black suits surrounded a middle-aged man and a young Big Sister, who looked like a princess straight out of a fairy tale.

Every move of the princess captivated them, reminding them of noble and elegant swans. Many girls looked at her with envy, unable to muster even a hint of jealousy due to the stark difference.

“We’re here to pick up a girl named ‘Qinglu’,” the princess in their hearts spoke to the director.

The shock in the director’s heart hadn’t subsided yet. He only received orders from above to receive them well, but he didn’t know it was the head of the Song family bringing the young miss in person and taking away a child.

He cautiously said, “Many have tried to adopt Qinglu in the past six months. Only one couple almost succeeded, but Qinglu rejected all others… I wonder what Mr. Song…”

“My father and her father were old friends,” Mr. Song said succinctly. His long-pent-up emotions were only expressed in this brief statement, which made the director nervous, leaving him at a loss for words.

Song Pianxian smiled and said, “My father just returned from recuperating abroad and heard about Qinglu. He brought me here to pick her up.”

“Please call Qinglu to come and see us.”

The director sighed with relief and quickly called for someone, “Qinglu doesn’t like crowds much. She should be somewhere else. Please have a seat first, I’ll have someone find her.”

Mr. Song sat down as instructed, accompanied by his entourage, while Song Pianxian took advantage of the cool autumn breeze to stroll in the small garden, leaning over to admire the fiery red maple.

The employee dispatched by the director hurried back, “Director, Qinglu isn’t in the dormitory building. It’s strange. She never wanders off…”

“Hmm? Is she in the classroom studying? Go check the teaching building.”

“There are no classes today, and the classrooms are locked…” The employee obviously didn’t think Qinglu would be in the teaching building, but out of respect for the director’s orders, he had to comply, “I’ll go check anyway.”

Song Pianxian turned away from the maple tree, her skirt swaying in an arc as she frowned and walked towards the director, but halfway there, she stopped and looked at a little girl who seemed to want to say something to the director.

Turning, Song Pianxian walked up to the girl, crouching down in front of her and asked softly, “Little one, do you know where Qinglu is?”

Qinglu’s breath became labored.

It was as if darkness had clenched her throat, each labored breath causing sweat to bead on her forehead. Weakly leaning against the box, her right hand tightly gripped a toy wooden sword that someone had left in the box. Her wrist swung back and forth, thud, thud, thud, the wooden sword tapping weakly against the sides of the abandoned box.

She didn’t want to be trapped here.

Would she die?

If she died, would she see her mom and dad? Or would she meet the angels first?

The little girl’s mind still harbored some unrealistic fantasies, but her human instinct drove her to seek survival.

Thud, thud, thud, her small wrist holding the fragile wooden sword, the sound of her tapping grew slower and weaker with each beat.

As darkness was about to engulf her consciousness entirely, there was a sudden bang, and the lid above her head suddenly opened, letting in the brilliant sunlight.

Qinglu’s head rested against the box, her face lifted weakly to welcome the sunlight and fresh air. She breathed deeply, her eyes, which had been in darkness for a long time, moistened and unable to open for a moment.

“Qinglu.”

A stranger’s yet gentle voice called her. Qinglu heard it and struggled to open her eyes to see the owner of the voice.

She saw an earthly angel, with a warm and dazzling halo behind her and a gentle breeze of autumn by her side.

Qinglu stared blankly at her.

“You must be Qinglu, right? Don’t be afraid, everything’s okay now.”

The angel reached out her hand to the dirty Qinglu inside the abandoned box, her eyes showing no disgust, only tenderness.

Mistakenly believing her to be an angel, the person pulled Qinglu out of the abandoned box. For the young Qinglu, her grip was firm and powerful, easily pulling her out of the unbearable darkness. Facing her was a faint fragrance, as gentle as the person herself.

She led Qinglu to clean up, and soon someone brought new clothes. As the person tried to help her change into them, Qinglu instinctively recoiled.

She wasn’t angry and asked with a smile, “Can you dress yourself?”

Qinglu nodded silently.

“The clothes are here, and I’ll be outside. If you need anything, just call me.” She stood up, and Qinglu lowered her head, able to see the hem of the skirt swaying gently around her straight little legs, like white water flowers enveloping a swan. “My name is Song Pianxian, which might be a bit difficult to say. You can call me Big Sister Song, or just Big Sister.”

After saying that, she gently patted her own head and left the room, stepping into the light and shadow cast by the window.

Song Pianxian, Qinglu silently repeated the name several times in her mind. It wasn’t difficult to remember.

As she changed into the new dress handed to her by Song Pianxian, faint voices could be heard from outside.

“Miss, it has been confirmed by the security room that it was done by four children.”

The vice-director said with a bitter face, “Miss Song, they are still children and may not realize the serious consequences of their actions. Mr. Song is angry and wants to punish them. Could you please help persuade him?”

“Why did the vice-director come to me when my father is angry?”

The vice-director stared blankly at the Miss of the Song Family in front of him.

The girl was slender and tall, with an aura of elegance and grace that hinted at the influence of a century-old aristocratic family. Although she was clearly only fourteen or fifteen years old, standing there, she resembled a young poplar sapling, both tall and flexible.

Thinking of the silent Qinglu in the room and those tear-filled eyes in the abandoned box, Song Pianxian’s tone became more serious:

“I think this is not the first time. The relief institute really needs to regulate properly. I will suggest to my father to contact the Minister of Social Affairs of North Tower State.”

“Miss Song,” the vice-director exclaimed in surprise.

“What if Qinglu isn’t an isolated case?” Song Pianxian supplemented with a soft and sweet voice typical of young girls, her attitude firm, successfully rendering the vice-director speechless.

Click, the door opened behind Song Pianxian.

She swallowed the rest of her words, squatting down, her gaze level with Qinglu’s, and fastened the decorative belt on her dress for her. Her fingers skillfully twirled a few times, tying a beautiful bow.

Seeing Qinglu watching her movements, she smiled, “Do you like it?”

Qinglu nodded, “Yes, I like it.”

“Qinglu, would you like to come with us?”

Qinglu didn’t speak.

She first looked up at the vice-director, who didn’t seem to be in a good mood at the moment. She vaguely realized that this mood was because of her, not only relying on the natural intuition of children but also because the vice-director avoided her gaze.

In the distance, a few children were daringly peeking over, murmuring.

She remembered Song Pianxian’s words earlier, how she stood in front of the door, shielding her, standing up for her.

Qinglu lowered her head again, looking back at the beautiful light brown pupils of Song Pianxian, who smiled and patiently waited for her response.

“…Um,” Qinglu’s response was very light.

The Song Family did not formally adopt Qinglu but only handled the guardianship procedures, bringing Qinglu from the relief institute to live with the Song Family. The foundation under Qinglu’s name still operated, untouched by the Song Family, who only brought in the head of the foundation to meet with them initially, to prevent any long-standing concerns and actions.

Qinglu is now only eight years old. She was led by Song Pianxian out of the cabin and into the courtyard of the Song Family.

In front of the main courtyard, there was a decorative scene resembling a small universe, with several planets arranged in a cluster, gracefully rotating to soft music. Surrounding it were nebulae, occasionally dispersing and then gathering again, like the hem of a planet’s skirt, beautiful and dreamy.

Song Pianxian was explaining to Aunt Xue about the room she was going to stay in, playfully shaking her hand twice.

“Does Qinglu like the ocean or the universe? Other options are also available.”

Song Pianxian checked and found that these two are the most popular room settings among children under 10.

Qinglu’s gaze fell on the moon in the set.

Song Pianxian noticed, “The universe?”

“No.” Qinglu tightly pursed her lips, squeezing Song Pianxian’s hand, and for the first time called her by an unfamiliar name, “…Big Sister Song, I want the same as you.”

Song Pianxian was taken aback, smiled, and said, “Okay.”

When Mr. Song took Song Pianxian to pick up the person, he didn’t say much detail, only that they were picking up the orphan of an old friend. Song Pianxian later learned that Qinglu’s parents were two senior engineers, jointly responsible for the design of the “Moon Orbit”. Over a year ago, the g32 segment of the lunar orbit project deviated from its established orbit due to a calculation error by a clerk. Qinglu’s parents rushed to the scene as supervisors, but the lunar orbit collapsed, and no one survived.

Now, humanity is moving towards the interstellar age, with various dazzling projects appearing, such as holographic games, ecological simulations, household AI robots, and so on. Of course, the most attractive thing is the vast and mysterious universe that continues to bring humanity closer.

The lunar orbit project is one of the more notable projects. Strictly speaking, this project has not left the Earth but rather built a habitable zone along the moon’s orbit in the high atmosphere of the Earth for people to live in.

Qinglu’s parents had been preparing for this project for many years, probably not expecting that one day they would lose their lives on the lunar orbit, leaving behind their daughter who had not yet grown up.

After reading the information, Song Pianxian felt even more sorry for Qinglu, this Little Sister.

The Song Family of this generation is flourishing, but they are all still young saplings. As the eldest daughter of the Song Family’s main line at the age of fourteen, Song Pianxian is called Big Sister by a bunch of little radishes under her, and she is respected. She has developed a sense of responsibility as the eldest daughter of the Song Family.

After learning about Qinglu’s experience, Song Pianxian simply took half a month off to accompany Qinglu familiarize herself with the environment at the Song Family’s home.

The Song Family had many relatives, but they didn’t usually live together. In the house, there was only Song Pianxian’s Family, besides Mr. Song, there was Mrs. Song, Zeng Qing.

As a mother, Zeng Qing was gentle-hearted, but she hadn’t even taken care of Song Pianxian personally. Faced with a child who was more silent and sensitive than Song Pianxian, she didn’t know where to start.

Later, seeing her daughter better at taking care of children than herself, after expressing her goodwill, she simply felt relieved to be hands-off.

In the first few days, Song Pianxian accompanied Qinglu to get familiar with the Song’s residence. Every afternoon, she would take her for a walk by the artificial lake, privately instructing the attentive Aunt Xue to pay more attention to Qinglu’s reactions.

After only two days, Aunt Xue came to find Song Pianxian, saying that Miss Qinglu resisted her entering the room. Although she didn’t directly stop her, every time Aunt Xue went in, she would stand stiffly on the side until she finished cleaning and left.

“And I found… a toy wooden sword next to Miss Qinglu’s pillow?” Aunt Xue sounded a bit puzzled, “At first, I thought Miss liked that toy, but Miss Qinglu has never taken it down, so I didn’t dare to touch it.”

Song Pianxian was looking at the baking recipe for pastries. After hearing Aunt Xue’s words, she immediately remembered the wooden sword that Qinglu was holding in her hand when she was in the abandoned box that day, thin and tattered.

“Okay, don’t touch her things.”

Song Pianxian waited for about fifteen minutes, and the oven made a pleasant sound, automatically placing the pastries on a plate.

After tasting them and feeling they were not bad, Song Pianxian picked up the round plate and went upstairs to find Qinglu.

She knocked on the door, “Qinglu, it’s me.”

The door was quickly opened. This time she paid special attention and noticed that Qinglu’s body tensed for a moment when she opened the door, and then relaxed when she found only her in front of the door.

It seemed that what Aunt Xue said was indeed true—Qinglu had a strong sense of territory over her room. Song Pianxian made a mental note and smiled as she raised the plate of pastries in her hand:

“I’ve been learning baking recently. Please help me taste how they are.”

Qinglu sniffed, “Smells good.”

“Mm, it’s butterfly pastry. Do you like it?”

“Seems like I haven’t had it before.”

“It’s a relatively simple beginner’s recipe.” Song Pianxian bit her lip and smiled, seeming a bit shy but still openly said, “Just started learning, don’t mind.”

As she spoke, she led Qinglu to the sofa and handed her the most beautifully shaped piece of butterfly pastry. She discreetly observed Qinglu, who seemed much more at ease facing her. Sitting on a small stool, Qinglu nibbled on the butterfly pastry, meticulously cleaning up the crumbs on her hand.

As long as she enjoys it. The information said Qinglu likes sweets. Song Pianxian had no interest in cooking, but she tried to make something to make the silent child feel more comfortable. It seemed to be effective.

While Qinglu was eating the butterfly pastry, Song Pianxian walked around and, as expected, found the conspicuous little wooden sword at the bedside.

She frowned in thought.

“Big Sister Song.”

A voice came from behind, and she turned around to see Qinglu with soft hair draped over her shoulders, wearing a beige knitted sweater, sitting on the stool with her legs dangling. There were still traces of sweet pastry crumbs on her lips. Her beautiful reddish-brown eyes were large and could melt anyone’s heart.

She held the large butterfly pastry in her small hands and tilted her head, “Big Sister Song, aren’t you eating?”

Turning back, Song Pianxian walked toward her, her hand itching to pinch her cheek. She grinned and said, “Of course, I’ll eat with you.”

“Okay.”

Qinglu nodded in relief.

She didn’t want Song Pianxian to see the dirty wooden sword.

Back when Qinglu was young, she didn’t understand it was her pride at play. She only knew that instead of Big Sister Song  wandering around the room, it was better to eat sweet pastries together.

Qinglu quickly fell in love with the taste of the butterfly pastry. Children tend to prefer beautiful cream cakes or frosted cookies. She had never asked for butterfly pastry when she went to dessert shops with her parents before, nor had she eaten it at the relief center. This was the first time she had eaten butterfly pastry made by Song Pianxian.

Qinglu liked it, and Song Pianxian indulged her, often making it for her, becoming more skilled and proficient in her craft.

Until one time, Song Pianxian’s aunt brought her cousin, Xu Zhaojiu, to visit, and Song’s mother, Zeng Qing, asked Song Pianxian and Qinglu to meet the guests.

Song’s aunt was a thorough face lover and loved children. When she saw Qinglu, her eyes lit up, and she said to Zeng Qing, “…Why not host a banquet for everyone to meet Little Qinglu? I’m free during this time and can take care of her. It would be great to have more people doting on this child.”

Zeng Qing couldn’t say that Qinglu was a bit shy and didn’t like to talk, like a cat with a stress response. She probably needed some time to adapt, so she just said, “What’s the rush? There will be plenty of opportunities in the future.”

Xu Zhaojiu hugged the plate of butterfly pastries and refused to let go, biting into them and holding them in her arms, eating with a muffled voice, “Big cousin’s pastries are so delicious—ah, I also want big cousin to make pastries for me.”

Zeng Qing teased her, “How delicious are they?”

“The best in the world!” Xu Zhaojiu, as a little fan of her big cousin, confidently proclaimed, “Whatever my cousin makes is the best.”

This amused everyone.

Qinglu looked at Song Pianxian, whose smile was brilliant, her eyes full of stars.

Song Pianxian reached out and pinched Xu Zhaojiu’s cheek, looking indulgent.

Xu Zhaojiu cuddled up to Song Pianxian’s arm, acting coquettishly.

Song Pianxian smoothed Xu Zhaojiu’s hair.

Qinglu’s fingers dug into the velvet pillow fiercely, her hair falling over her forehead blocking her lips.

Xu Zhaojiu soon left with Song’s aunt. Song Pianxian turned around, took Qinglu’s hand, and walked home, saying, “Let’s go, let’s go back to the room for a nap.”

Children need a lot of sleep, and Qinglu also has the habit of taking a nap. When she wakes up from her nap, she can go for a walk by the lake again. Song Pianxian planned, but found that the child she was holding hands with hadn’t taken a step. She turned back and asked patiently, “What’s wrong?”

Qinglu tilted her fair face, her lips moved slightly, revealing a faint smile. Her dense eyelashes fell and rose again, like a fragile and beautiful butterfly, hiding the transparent pupils that only children have.

Qinglu’s hand moved up, tiptoed to hold Song Pianxian’s arm, but failed to reach it. She could only lean in gently, wrap her arms around Song Pianxian’s waist, raise her head, and imitate Xu Zhaojiu’s tone of speech.

“I’m so sleepy.”

Thinking of Xu Zhaojiu calling Song Pianxian “Big Sister” with each word, Qinglu, wanting to push the boundaries further, changed it to a more intimate term:

“Big Sister.”

Song Pianxian’s heart melted instantly, filled with pleasant surprise. This was the first time Qinglu had smiled and the first time she had approached her voluntarily.

Moreover, Qinglu was naturally beautiful, a little beauty, even cuter than her cousins. Just sitting there made people like her, let alone when she acted cute and spoiled like this.

Song Pianxian rubbed Qinglu’s head, revealing a sincere smile:

“Let’s go back now.”

Since Xu Zhaojiu’s visit, Qinglu instinctively knew what to do. She liked Song Pianxian’s company, the food she made, walking with her, or reading together.

Sometimes, someone would come to teach Song Pianxian, and Qinglu would sit quietly beside her, waiting for Song Pianxian to occasionally glance at her.

When Song Pianxian looked at her, she felt extremely reassured. But when Song Pianxian looked at others… she didn’t like it.

In her childish way of understanding, Qinglu gradually realized that Song Pianxian liked to see her obedient and sensible. So she smiled more often, becoming more skilled, and as a result, she received more attention from Song Pianxian.

Later, when Xu Zhaojiu came again, Qinglu compared herself inwardly and felt she was cuter when she smiled, feeling a little relieved.

But soon, Xu Zhaojiu brought her bad news:

“Going to school?”

“Yeah, Little Sister Qinglu, my mom said you’re going to school. Don’t worry, I’m two grades above you. I’ll take care of you at school.”

Qinglu hadn’t reacted yet, and Xu Zhaojiu continued:

“My mom also said, Big Sister is going to school soon too. The three of us will go back to school together.”

Qinglu was somewhat bewildered and blinked, “Then will Big Sister and I still be together?”

Xu Zhaojiu was amused by the adorable Little Sister, mimicking her Big Sister’s actions, pinched Qinglu’s face, pretending to be mature:

“Oh, Little Sister Qinglu, Big Sister is going to high school, and we’re going to elementary school. We won’t be together—what’s wrong? Are you going to cry!”

Seeing tears welling up in Qinglu’s eyes, Xu Zhaojiu quickly released her hand.

The adults nearby immediately gathered around. Song Pianxian was the fastest to approach, squatting down to embrace Qinglu:

“Why are you suddenly crying?”

The aunt from the Song Family also asked her daughter:

“What’s wrong, Xu Zhaojiu?”

Xu Zhaojiu looked remorseful and guilty, staring at her own sinful little hands, and said in a childish voice, “I made Little Sister Qinglu cry. I’m really a bad girl.”

“…Can you please watch fewer dramas, Xu Zhaojiu.”

Qinglu held onto Song Pianxian’s neck, tears falling like small pearls, incessantly:

“School… I don’t want to…”

She had tried so hard already, why did she have to be separated from Big Sister?

The young Qinglu felt more and more aggrieved as she thought about it, crying uncontrollably.

The adults nearby looked at the human cub who was scared to tears by going to school, finding it adorable even when crying.

No matter how Qinglu cried when faced with the collective start of school with Big Sister and Little Sister, she still had to go to school.

Before going to school, there was one thing Song Pianxian hadn’t done yet.

She found Qinglu in front of the planet scenery in the courtyard. Before approaching, Song Pianxian glanced at Qinglu, who was sitting on the swing chair, gazing at the moon in it.

When she walked up, Qinglu had already turned her head to look at her.

“Big Sister.”

Qinglu’s voice calling Big Sister was sweet, making Song Pianxian’s expression soften. She opened the wooden box in her hand and handed it to Qinglu.

“Take a look and see if you like it.”

“What is this…?”

“It’s a small dagger.” However, of course, it was not sharpened, both the back and edge of the blade were very blunt, smoothed out, safe except for being made of harder material. It was specially made by someone for her.

“You see, does it look like your little wooden sword? But it’s much thicker than the wooden sword.” Song Pianxian tried to sound as lively as possible. She held Qinglu’s hand and took her to feel the raised patterns on the dagger. “Your name is carved on it. Qing-Lu. Do you like it?”

Qinglu’s tiny, soft fingertips moved across the dagger.

Song Pianxian slowed down her tone. “The little wooden sword is very good, it has helped you. But it’s not unique. Qinglu will have something better than it.”

She was afraid Qinglu wouldn’t understand the meaning behind it, just as Mr. Zhong, who had helped her, didn’t quite understand why a dagger should replace a wooden sword, what the difference was between the two. He suggested Song Pianxian prepare a large doll for Qinglu, which not only provided a sense of security but was also more suitable for children, as girls liked it.

But Song Pianxian believed that Qinglu would prefer to receive such a gift. It was harder than a thin wooden sword, had some weight to it, made a dull sound when tapped, and felt thick and safe when held in the palm.

What she wanted Qinglu to understand was that she didn’t need to immerse herself in the thick unease of that day, relying on a flimsy and fragile toy wooden sword for security. The Song Family—or she, Song Pianxian—would ensure that she lived the rest of her life safely and smoothly.

She didn’t want Qinglu to feel that dolls and toys could replace everything sweet, or that a certain degree of toughness and aggression could better protect herself.

Of course, Qinglu could have both toughness and tenderness—those pretty things Song Pianxian had prepared for Qinglu were all ready, placed at Qinglu’s bedside, tied with cute bows.

“…So, can we put away the little wooden sword?” Song Pianxian asked.

She looked at Qinglu’s expression as she spoke. If Qinglu showed even the slightest reluctance or unease, she would immediately put away the small dagger.

But Qinglu didn’t.

Qinglu’s five fingers relaxed, pressing against the dagger: “It’s cool… Thank you, Big Sister, I like this gift.”

“Really?” Song Pianxian confirmed.

“Mm.” Qinglu nodded earnestly.

She really liked it. She had long felt that the wooden sword was too fragile, it would bend with just a little force.

This little dagger looked much better. Qinglu’s fingertips grazed the blade, imagining if it were a bit thinner here, could it cut…

“There’s another little gift.”

Qinglu looked up, another one?

Song Pianxian, as if performing a magic trick, took out an azure gift box from behind the swing.

“I intended for you to find it yourself, to give you a surprise, but I didn’t expect to have to open it for you myself.”

Song Pianxian gently slid her finger, and the gift box popped open, revealing an exquisite holographic projector inside, no larger than a button.

Under Song Pianxian’s gaze, Qinglu pressed the holographic projector. In the next moment, a projection resembling a courtyard scenery appeared in the air. As long as Qinglu wished, she could connect her personal terminal to the holographic projector and truly enter this small universe.

The difference was that this small universe only had one moon.

In the next moment, the moon was pulled farther away and shrank, returning to the azure planet. The sky was very close, as if one could reach out and touch the galaxy. The Milky Way resembled a group of dense and fine jewels falling on black velvet, a semicircular trajectory crossed the black velour, and along the trajectory, moons of varying sizes and phases fell.

“Qinglu, do you know? Your name means ‘Moon Orbit.'”

Song Pianxian looked at that moon:

“Your name is beautiful, the moon is also beautiful, don’t be afraid of it.”

Moon, Moon Orbit.

During physical education class, when the classroom was empty, Qinglu opened the holographic projector and looked at the moon that Song Pianxian had given her. She caught a glimpse of someone pushing the door open. With a press of her finger, she put away her moon and took out some exercises to do.

“Um… Qinglu.”

Qinglu looked up, and in front of her was the class monitor, they had participated in physics competitions together.

“What’s up?”

“Please accept this.” The class monitor handed over a transparent crystal box containing a rose petal. When opened, it would display a shower of roses, which had been quite popular recently.

The class monitor looked at the girl in front of him, his heart as hot as the red of the roses.

He had known Qinglu for a long time. Qinglu was the most beautiful girl in the class and even in the whole school. Despite being two grades below, she always ranked first in grades. It was said that she came from a wealthy family, always arriving in luxury cars, and her only friend was the famous school heiress, Xu Zhaojiu.

She wasn’t very proactive in talking to people, which made them hesitant to approach her, but during competitions, she seemed so close, as if the stars had finally descended, emitting a more dazzling light.

Now she was right in front of him, the class monitor stuttered to explain, “I… I just wanted to give you this thing, no other meaning.”

He didn’t even dare to ask this girl to date him.

Under his flushed gaze, Qinglu put down her pen, sitting up straight and elegant, smiling slightly, “Thank you, but we should focus on our studies for now. This gift is too precious, you should take it back.”

The class monitor collected the rose petal and left dejectedly.

Xu Zhaojiu, having heard from somewhere, teased Qinglu on their way back from school, “How many is this month? You’re quite something, Little Sister Qinglu.”

Qinglu glanced at her phone, responding absentmindedly, “Hm?”

“Oh, you’re at that age when love begins to bloom—though our Little Qinglu is only 12, it’s not time yet.”

Xu Zhaojiu shook her head and brought up Qinglu’s age, then couldn’t help but recall her bitter history.

Initially, when Qinglu was about to start school, Xu Zhaojiu thought it was her turn to be the Big Sister and solemnly promised to take good care of Little Sister Qinglu, who was two grades below her. But after a month of school, Little Sister Qinglu jumped two grades and arrived at her class with her schoolbag, leaving Xu Zhaojiu far behind, especially during the midterm exams.

Rumor had it that if it weren’t for Big Sister’s interference, allowing her to experience more campus life, Qinglu even wanted to skip elementary school and go straight to the middle school department to find her Big Sister.

That would have been terrifying, turning herself from a big sister into a little sister, no, a stinky little brother.

Xu Zhaojiu still found it terrifying to think about it now, and couldn’t help babbling for a while, but Qinglu kept her head down, looking at her phone without acknowledging her.

Qinglu was a bit short last year, but this year, during puberty, she quickly shot up, with a slender frame of a teenage girl. Xu Zhaojiu was slim herself, but had to admit that every inch of Qinglu seemed just right, not too much or too little, especially her face, which had once been jointly voted as the campus goddess by several schools.

She intended to let Qinglu tidy herself up, but at this moment, looking at her profile and dark hairline, she was momentarily entranced by the sight and forgot to speak.

Until Qinglu looked up, her lips couldn’t help but curl up:

“Big Sister is coming home today.”

“Oh, is Big Sister coming back? That’s rare.”

They were now in the second year of junior high school, while Song Pianxian was already in her third year of high school. Song Pianxian had represented the school to study abroad for a year, only occasionally returning to the country. She would later participate in the unified exam for the third year of high school in the country.

“Is she coming back to prepare for the exams?”

“Probably.” After Qinglu finished speaking, she glanced out of the window. The scenery outside was left behind by the speeding cars, bringing her closer to Big Sister.

Qinglu carefully adjusted her hair, then thought for a moment and let it fall loose behind her, which satisfied her.

As soon as the car stopped, Qinglu got out and walked briskly towards the house. Xue Sao took her schoolbag at the door, and Qinglu looked around until she saw the person she was looking for on the sofa.

“Big Sister.” She walked quickly over and stood behind Song Pianxian’s sofa, bending over to hug her from behind. “It’s been a long time since you came back.”

“Really? How long?”

“Two months.” Two months and three days.

Song Pianxian patted Qinglu’s hand, asking her to let go, then turned around with a smile to talk to her:

“Alright, I’ll be staying for a while this time, all the way until the end of the unified exam. You’ll see me when you come home.”

Song Pianxian’s gentle and smiling voice sounded in her ears, but it seemed to be transmitted through a layer of water film, making it unclear.

Qinglu stared at Song Pianxian in a daze. In just two months, Song Pianxian seemed to have matured a bit more, perhaps because she was wearing a caramel-colored jumpsuit, her hair was curled into large waves and draped behind her, her lips had a hint of pink, reflecting against her porcelain-like skin, dazzlingly beautiful.

Like a ripe fruit, exuding a different charm from the youthful high school students.

Xu Zhaojiu, who was left behind by Qinglu, came in. “Wow, Big Sister, you look so beautiful!”

“Oh? Wasn’t your Big Sister pretty before?”

“She was also beautiful before, but it’s different now.”

Zeng Qing smiled and asked, “What’s different now?”

Xu Zhaojiu confidently said, “Now she’s the kind of beauty that makes people’s hearts flutter, the gentle goddess Big Sister that middle school students want to confess to when they see her.”

“You’re talking nonsense again.” Song Pianxian glanced at her and burst out laughing.

Thump, thump, thump, Qinglu watched her face quietly, her heart beating like a drum, one beat after another, drowning out most of their conversation.

She gently pressed her heart, feeling a bit at a loss with the faint uncontrollable heartbeat, reminiscent of the tender and secret joy of infancy.

Discovering one’s feelings for someone else is quite a sensation.

At first, it was confusion, even panic, why she would like Song Pianxian as her Big Sister. She sat in front of her desk, pondering fruitlessly, and when she looked down, the competition paper was filled with ‘Pianxian’ everywhere, like playful little butterflies.

The feeling of a heartbeat couldn’t deceive anyone. Qinglu gradually accepted herself this way, accepting her unknown little thoughts, which grew wildly in the dark like soft grass. She could no longer look directly at Song Pianxian, and every glance made her heart beat faster.

After Song Pianxian came back, she held her 18th birthday party. Many guests attended, including business partners of the Song family, acquaintances, and Song Pianxian’s classmates.

Qinglu wore the dress personally picked by Song Pianxian. She went back to her room midway through the banquet to get the gift she had prepared for Song Pianxian. When she returned with the hem of her dress lifted, Song Pianxian was stepping out from a small balcony. There was a boy gazing at her back with a lost expression through the window seat. Qinglu remembered him; he was one of Song Pianxian’s classmates, and they had teased him before, saying he and Song Pianxian were a good match.

What happened on the small balcony during her absence was self-evident.

Qinglu walked up to Song Pianxian and handed her the gift, saying softly:

“Big Sister, happy coming-of-age ceremony.”

“Thank you, what is it?” Song Pianxian smiled as she untied the dark green silk ribbon and opened the gift box, “A butterfly brooch, very beautiful.”

“As long as Big Sister likes it.” While Song Pianxian was looking down at the brooch, she naturally didn’t notice, Qinglu’s gaze was fixed on the male classmate who had been rejected when confessing his love.

Qinglu opened her arms and hugged Song Pianxian. She had grown tall and slim, now reaching 1.65 meters. Both of them were wearing high heels, with Qinglu’s heels slightly higher. Considering that, she was only a few centimeters shorter than Song Pianxian, making the hug look very intimate.

Song Pianxian naturally hugged her back, and she seemed to notice the height difference between them:

“My little Qinglu has grown up so fast, Big Sister is looking forward to your coming-of-age ceremony.”

“So am I.”

She wanted to grow up, faster, even faster.

Qinglu rested her chin on Song Pianxian’s fair shoulder, her gaze fixed on the male student, with an infinite possessiveness in her eyes, even bringing out a hint of gloominess.

The other party may not have noticed, but it seemed like he understood that he shouldn’t be there, and quickly left along the wall.

The coming-of-age ceremony was just a checkpoint in this long period of secret admiration.

While Song Pianxian was preparing for the unified exam at home, Qinglu finally caught up with Xu Zhaojiu in her studies. The most anticipated thing for her was the end of school.

After school, she could eat the pastries made by Song Pianxian herself — after so many years, Qinglu’s favorite was still the butterfly pastry. Song Pianxian always teased her, saying, “I didn’t expect my little Qinglu to be so nostalgic.”

In the evening, she could take a walk by the lake with Song Pianxian. The pink-orange sunset filled the pale blue sky, as if wanting to dye the ground with romantic colors, cascading towards the horizon.

Before bed, they could bid each other goodnight. Her room was next to Song Pianxian’s, and from the small balcony, they could see each other’s silhouettes. So Qinglu developed a liking for watching the stars from the small balcony, secretly waiting and hoping for Song Pianxian’s occasional attention —

Just like when she first arrived at the Song Family’s house, or when Song Pianxian occasionally saw Qinglu waiting for her in class, Song Pianxian would bring her computer to the table on the small balcony and, with Qinglu, enjoy the cool evening breeze while dealing with unread emails and browsing the news. Qinglu would watch the stars and the moon, and as she watched, when the moon descended from the sky to the earth, it became watching Song Pianxian.

Later in the night was Qinglu’s time alone. With the blackout curtains tightly drawn, the room was shrouded in darkness. Qinglu hid under the covers, her eyelashes brushing against the soft fabric, forming words with her lips, silently calling out her name.

“Song Pianxian, Song Pianxian, Song Pianxian.”

She was the best person to her, the person she wanted to become, and also the first person she ever liked.

Even after Song Pianxian finished the unified exam and left home for a new school, Qinglu would still hide at night and call out for Song Pianxian.

But by then, Song Pianxian was no longer at home. She couldn’t just get out of bed and see her partner. It might take several months, or even half a year, to see each other again.

The feelings that had been nurtured for several months were poured over with the cold water of distance, drifting and settling down, mixed with a sour and bitter taste, turning into a more solid existence.

Qinglu carefully stored away this emotion, placing it deep in her heart, and step by step, she walked along the path leading to Song Pianxian.

Song Pianxian was very outstanding, like the most dazzling gem on a crown, so she couldn’t be too inferior herself. She looked forward to the day when she would hear others say that she and Song Pianxian were a perfect match.

Or perhaps, she didn’t need others to say it; she didn’t care about anyone else. She just wanted Song Pianxian to acknowledge it. She wanted to be seen by Song Pianxian in a different light.

Still not yet reaching the threshold of adulthood, Qinglu, with a hint of immaturity, stepped closer to Song Pianxian.

Her academic performance was excellent, constantly participating in various international competitions and achieving good rankings. Even because of these shining highlights, the school dubbed her with the title of “genius girl.”

In the circles of the aristocracy, everyone knew that the Song Family had a particularly outstanding daughter, who was also the most intimate Little Sister to the young miss of the Song Family.

Even Xu Zhaojiu came over to tell Qinglu that now she was definitely on a different level from ordinary kids. Besides herself, no one else dared to stand next to Qinglu anymore. She reminded Qinglu to cherish their friendship and to remember to send her the answers after finishing the next exam early.

But time was both beautiful and cruel, and as Qinglu moved forward, Song Pianxian didn’t stop her steps either.

Qinglu arrived at the Song Family at the age of 8, naive and ignorant. That year, Song Pianxian was 14, beginning to show signs of being a young lady, poised and decisive, already the one people turned to for advice as the young miss of the family.

When Qinglu was 12 and in the second year of junior high, she blossomed like a flower bud, experiencing the first stirrings of love. That year, Song Pianxian turned 18, had her coming-of-age ceremony, graduated from high school, entered university, and started working in a subsidiary of the Song Family, gradually getting acquainted with the business.

Qinglu graduated from high school at 16, achieving the remarkable feat of being the top scorer in the unified exam, even better than Song Pianxian had been at the same age. On the day the results came out, Song Pianxian returned from out of town to congratulate her. Qinglu was very happy, but the next day, she found out that Song Pianxian had already left hastily at 3 a.m.

That year, Song Pianxian was 22 years old, graduated from university, officially entered the Song Family’s industry, wore high heels, applied delicate makeup, and traveled in low-profile business cars to various major company groups, becoming the respected and feared “Miss Song.”

It seemed like there was a huge gap between the two of them.

Qinglu, at 16, had just stepped out of her purely “high school student” identity and entered the broader world of university, encountering more possibilities. Meanwhile, Song Pianxian smoothly graduated from the university’s small society and entered the real world at this very moment.

Sometimes, Qinglu would resent this perfect age gap, which always left her trailing behind Song Pianxian just when she was about to catch up.

Song Pianxian would never stop.

Qinglu followed behind her, from the age of 12 to her current 18, for a full six years, stepping on the shadow left by Song Pianxian in the gaps of time, moving forward little by little.

The only one who knew her feelings was Xu Zhaojiu, who grew up with her. It was when Qinglu accidentally let her guard down that sharp-witted Xu Zhaojiu caught her. Xu Zhaojiu casually asked a question, and Qinglu, who was usually as calm and steady as Song Pianxian, lost her composure.

Later, after Xu Zhaojiu got together with Qinglu’s friend Ling Yi, this incident naturally became a secret shared among the three of them.

Xu Zhaojiu urged Qinglu to confess to Song Pianxian at her coming-of-age ceremony:

“The coming-of-age ceremony is a good time for this, isn’t it? It’s only two months away. One of you is my beloved Big Sister, and the other is my beloved Little Sister Qinglu. Although I want you both, you can’t keep dragging this on like this. It’s been six years. You watched her go from the second year of junior high to the second year of university, and it breaks my heart, Big Sister. Besides, what if it works out?”

Ling Yi glanced at her and said, “Scum.”

“I’m not! Don’t talk nonsense.”

Qinglu hugged her knees, picked up a beer, and took a sip.

Confession.

She was a bit moved.

She wanted to open her heart completely and show it to Song Pianxian.

A month later, before the coming-of-age ceremony, news came that Song Pianxian was going to marry Zhuo Ming.

Zeng Qing said, “Your Big Sister won’t be back for dinner tonight. She went to see Zhuo’s brother. If everything goes well, you’ll have a brother-in-law in the future.”

Qinglu’s hand shook, and the chopsticks fell onto the table with a clatter.

Xu Zhaojiu happened to be eating at the Song Family’s house again. She was extremely frightened. Even though she didn’t understand business matters, she knew about the Zhuo Family. They were closely cooperating with the Song Family in various fields, and they had recently obtained excellent resources in the field of biotechnology.

Zhuo Ming was also a well-known young talent. Xu Zhaojiu had seen him a few times. He was a very gentle and good-tempered brother.

Overall, the likelihood of Song Pianxian—no, of the career-driven Big Sister—marrying him was extremely high.

Things that Xu Zhaojiu knew, Qinglu wouldn’t be unaware of. Ever since she entered university, Qinglu had been closely monitoring the movements of the Song Family while working on her thesis topic ahead of time with her supervisor.

Xu Zhaojiu anxiously looked at the adults at the table who seemed oblivious, then glanced at Qinglu, who remained silent. She was utterly distressed.

After dinner, Xu Zhaojiu was detained by Zeng Qing for a few words. When she went to find Qinglu again, she had disappeared without a trace.

She asked Uncle Zhong, only to find out that Qinglu had left in her car after dinner.

Worried, Xu Zhaojiu called, but there was no answer. She then told Ling Yi about this, and Ling Yi suggested, “What can we do? Shall we pay attention to tonight’s traffic accident news?”

“Just shut up!” Xu Zhaojiu angrily hung up the video call, feeling deflated.

Ling Yi was right; the two of them, outsiders, couldn’t do anything.

Xu Zhaojiu waited on the sofa all night, or more accurately, she forced herself to wait for two hours and then slept deeply. She was awakened by Qinglu in the early morning:

“Xu Zhaojiu, get up and go back to your room to sleep.”

Xu Zhaojiu obediently got up, hugging the pillow, and halfway up the stairs, she rubbed her eyes and turned back:

“Qinglu? You’re back.”

“Yeah.”

“You…”

“I’m fine.”

Qinglu had her hands in her pockets, half of her face hidden in the oversized hood of her hoodie. Xu Zhaojiu couldn’t see her expression clearly, so she just mumbled a response.

Seeing Qinglu going upstairs, Xu Zhaojiu whispered a reminder, “Um… Big Sister didn’t come back last night.”

“I know, she’s at the company.”

How do you know? Xu Zhaojiu swallowed the words on the tip of her tongue. Qinglu must have gone to Big Sister’s company to wait.

It’s too miserable.

Xu Zhaojiu felt like her own carefully crafted relationship was being destroyed on the spot, and her heart shattered. With a tragic determination to leave a complete corpse even if she died, and to get to the bottom of things even if it meant being rejected:

“Did you say anything?”

Qinglu tilted her head back.

They did say something. Quite a lot.

The Zhuo Ming mentioned by Song Pianxian seemed pretty good; at least, she indicated that she wasn’t opposed to getting to know him.

Qinglu didn’t think Song Pianxian would immediately get together with Zhuo Ming, get engaged, and get married. But she suddenly understood that Song Pianxian would eventually put this matter on her well-organized agenda, and on that list of options, there would be no her.

There wouldn’t be a woman six years younger than her, there wouldn’t be herself, whom she always saw as her Little Sister.

Xu Zhaojiu was still waiting for her answer. Qinglu thought for a moment and whispered,

“I asked Big Sister for a gift.”

“Huh?”

“The coming-of-age gift.”

The coming-of-age gift.

This term rushed into Song Pianxian’s mind like a meteor, exploding into a nebula of smoke and stars, with countless cold white lights igniting one by one in the boundless darkness, dissolving everything.

Song Pianxian felt like an ice cube dropped into hot water, rapidly melting.

She saw flashes of spring lightning, late autumn study rooms, nonexistent asteroids, and obscure characters. She traversed boundless darkness, brushed past different substances and images. She didn’t know what was true or false, but she understood that she truly existed.

“The A-unit operation is complete.”

“Welcome back, Miss Song.”

Song Pianxian opened her eyes to see a woman’s face before her, with distinct features, deep-set eyes, shoulder-length hair, and a cold, indifferent tone.

Another woman hid behind her, poking her head out and greeted Song Pianxian in a barely audible voice:

“Big Sister…”

Song Pianxian’s consciousness slowly settled. She took a deep breath and sat up from the silver cabin. Her voice was relatively calm:

“Xu Zhaojiu.”

“I’m here…” Xu Zhaojiu replied nervously, her name being called by Song Pianxian, tears almost coming out.

Song Pianxian looked at 01—or rather, who she thought was 01:

“Are you Ling Yi?”

Ling Yi nodded slightly: “Miss Song, nice to meet you.”

“Xu Zhaojiu, are you 09?”

“I am… Big Sister, please don’t call me by my full name, I’m so scared, wuwuwu.”

“Don’t cry, it’s noisy.”

Xu Zhaojiu’s affected crying abruptly stopped, and she dared not make a sound anymore.

Song Pianxian pressed her temple.

“Where’s Qinglu?”

“She… hasn’t woken up yet.”

After waking up from the cabin, Song Pianxian had already understood what was going on.

She remembered that on the night she met Zhuo Ming, Qinglu suddenly appeared at her company. Qinglu never disturbed her work and would always let her know before coming. That day surprised Song Pianxian.

Qinglu didn’t seem to be in a good mood, and after chatting for a while, she didn’t seem to cheer up. So, Song Pianxian mentioned giving Qinglu a coming-of-age gift and asked her what she wanted to make her young friend happy.

Qinglu said she wanted Song Pianxian to accompany her on a trip, along with Xu Zhaojiu and Xu Zhaojiu’s girlfriend, Ling Yi. She said Song Pianxian could just free up some time.

Song Pianxian hadn’t taken a vacation in a long time, so she thought it wouldn’t hurt to take a break now. Therefore, she agreed to Qinglu’s request.

However, she hadn’t expected that Qinglu’s so-called “trip” would turn out to be like this.

She glanced at the terminal. Since the day she lost consciousness, only a week had passed in the real world. And the trip Qinglu mentioned was also for a week, which was just right, surprisingly precise.

Song Pianxian’s expression grew colder.

She approached the cabin of the B-unit in the next room. At this moment, the cabin had not yet been opened, and she couldn’t see Qinglu.

“Why hasn’t she woken up?”

Xu Zhaojiu dared not step forward and poked Ling Yi to answer.

Ling Yi loosened her tie and said, “First, let me introduce the project I lead in development to Miss Song, Wujing. Wujing is based on the participation of small teams in the game. You can understand it as… extracting and collecting users’ thoughts and memories and simulating them according to user requirements.”

“Wujing is still in the final stage of internal testing and has not been released. When Qinglu found me, her request was to extract all her memories with you and a large number of her thought particles. Based on her as the subject, I constructed this game field.”

“Qinglu’s purpose is to test whether you would have feelings for her when faced with her at different ages and physiological states after leaving the fixed identity of ‘Little Sister’ behind.”

“You can understand this as a game tailored for you by her.”

“You are the game maker, and she is the material, right?” Song Pianxian’s voice remained calm. “Continue.”

Ling Yi paused briefly and then spoke faster, “Unlike her, when you participate, you only need to extract part of your thoughts, so exiting is also very quick and easy. At this stage of internal testing, we can ensure your safety.”

“For Qinglu, prolonged loading would cause great mental stress, so in the game, I appeared multiple times to urge you to complete the task as soon as possible; otherwise, it would likely cause irreversible harm to Qinglu.”

Ling Yi paused again, and another reason she didn’t mention was that before Qinglu entered the cabin, she said, “Remember to wake us up on time; otherwise, Big Sister’s vacation will be over, disrupting her work arrangements, and she won’t be happy.”

Ling Yi glanced at the cabin and continued, “…Regarding Qinglu’s experience project, we still haven’t obtained specific and reliable data. At present, the situation is unknown.”

Song Pianxian tapped on the cabin of the B-unit, “So, you’re essentially using Qinglu for experiments and collecting internal testing data?”

Despite wearing a warm camel coat, Song Pianxian’s demeanor now resembled that of a cold winter snowfall. She looked graceful and beautiful, but in reality, she felt heavy and cold. Ling Yi, facing her like this, couldn’t help but evade her gaze and said, “Qinglu brought a waiver of liability when she came to me.”

“I’m her friend, Miss Song.” She didn’t want to agree either. Ling Yi sighed lightly, almost inaudibly, “She said I didn’t agree with her going to other places. Similar projects are being developed by three or four other companies, but I have the highest completion rate. She would rather leave her friend in my care than give her to them.”

Looking at the proud and confident Ling Yi in front of her, Song Pianxian had only heard about Xu Zhaojiu having a girlfriend named Ling Yi for the past six months, who was also Qinglu’s friend, but she hadn’t met her in person. Today she met her, but unfortunately, this meeting wasn’t pleasant.

She turned her gaze to Xu Zhaojiu, who started explaining without waiting for her to ask, “I didn’t know anything, Big Sister. Ling Yi only told me what was going on after you and Xiao Lu both went into the equipment and asked me for help. She kept it a secret from me before. If I had known Little  Qinglu was going to do something so dangerous, I would have helped her confess to you face-to-face, even if you beat me up, rather than watch her go in.”

“…”

All the events since waking up intertwined in Song Pianxian’s mind like vines. Her gaze fell on the B-unit cabin, which showed no signs of opening.

The spark of anger that had just ignited in her heart slowly solidified upon seeing Qinglu still unconscious, unable to come out.

Her personal terminal rang, and Song Pianxian looked down to see it was Zhuo Ming calling.

“I’ll take this call.”

Song Pianxian went to the corridor, looking out at the neatly arranged garden, and answered Zhuo Ming’s call.

“Hello, Song Pianxian.”

“Still so polite,” Zhuo Ming chuckled, “Three days later, the Feng Family’s banquet. Has Miss Song found her dance partner? Do I have the honor?”

After dining together several times, this was undoubtedly a signal for further contact.

Song Pianxian closed her eyes, suppressing her mixed thoughts, and sighed softly.

“I’m sorry.”

Xu Zhaojiu stood nearby, seeing the name “Zhuo Ming” on the terminal. After Song Pianxian left, she quietly asked Ling Yi:

“Is it real? Why do I feel like Big Sister is just angry? It seems like she hasn’t fallen for Xiao Lu.”

Ling Yi, with her hands in her pockets, glanced in the direction Song Pianxian had left, and said calmly:

“In four scenarios, Miss Song has shown signs of affection.” She put it delicately, but in the end, Song Pianxian had already regarded Qinglu as her true lover.

“Being rejected by her most beloved Little Sister, whom she raised, and who is now her lover, must be quite complicated for her now.”

“…,” Xu Zhaojiu thought for a moment, then sighed, “But I still want Liitle Qinglu to wake up soon. If she wakes up, she must be happy, right?”

“The fact proves that Big Sister likes her, no matter what she looks like.”

Ling Yi rarely fell silent.

“She may not wake up.”

“What?! What does that mean?” Song Pianxian stood at the door, her gaze instantly sharp.

Ling Yi opened her mouth to speak, saying:

“Miss Song may have also realized that this game is essentially led by Qinglu’s rhythm. Little Zhuo and I only invested partial thoughts, and the two ‘new humans’ created based on us are just auxiliary figures.”

“The series of tasks released by the system are manifestations of her own subconscious. I only interfere with the duration of the instance to prevent Qinglu from being harmed.”

“In addition, the version of her you experienced in the small world is also a manifestation of her own consciousness.”

“Taking both points into account, Miss Song, do you remember the last task you performed? Qinglu asked you to kill her when your relationship reached its peak.”

Ling Yi hesitated to say this, but she felt she should continue and let Song Pianxian know.

“In Qinglu’s subconscious, she is pessimistic about this relationship. She believes that when you reach the end of the game, you have reached the happiest moment, so she chooses to die at your hands, freezing everything at its peak.”

“So, she feels that after returning to reality… you might not choose her. So for her, there may be no need to return to reality.”

“S-So you mean… Qinglu might… not want to wake up?” Xu Zhaojiu’s voice trembled, and as soon as she blinked, tears fell.

“All of this is just my speculation…”

Since the day Song Pianxian left the game, Ling Yi’s speculations had slowly become reality.

During the internal testing phase, the longest record of a user leaving the pod was three days, and Qinglu had been in the pod for half a month.

Everything was intact, all vital signs were normal, nutrient absorption was normal, but the person never woke up.

Qinglu didn’t want to wake up.

What could happen in a month’s time? Song Pianxian used to think that a month was too short, not enough for her team to perfect a large-scale plan. But looking back after a busy month, it had quietly slipped away.

However, Qinglu’s month-long sleep in the pod seemed unusually long.

At first, Song Pianxian was very angry. She didn’t understand why Qinglu had to do this, why she couldn’t just tell her directly. She took this question to her best friend, who looked at her with a pitying gaze, as if she were looking at a fool:

“Aren’t you treating her like a Little Sister? You’re such a serious person, if she confesses to you, would you agree or would you run away overnight without a word?”

Song Pianxian was speechless at the thought.

Indeed, she was such a person, categorizing others into predefined categories from the beginning: family was family, friends were friends, and lovers were—yet to appear.

She had treated Qinglu as a Little Sister since the first time they met, and that hadn’t changed over the years. Even though Qinglu had grown up now, almost as tall as her, and was starting to show signs of womanhood, Song Pianxian had never given it much thought, and she was almost certain that she would reject any “excessive” behavior from Qinglu.

Her stubbornness and passion ignited something in Song Pianxian, making her heart race while reluctantly admitting that she had been ignited by her.

Song Pianxian almost suffered from insomnia every night.

Although Qinglu had no blood relation with her, she was the one she personally taught and spent the longest time with, even surpassing Xu Zhaojiu, who always frequented the Song residence.

Song Pianxian had almost become accustomed to Qinglu’s presence at the Song residence. At first, she was like a little radish, sitting obediently on the carpet and watching her. Later, she became a beautiful young girl who always came out to greet her first when Song Pianxian returned home, her eyes sparkling.

When the real and surreal worlds overlapped, everything became strange. After the initial anger was suppressed, Song Pianxian often thought of the Qinglu in the game, and sometimes even had whimsical thoughts—

If Qinglu grew up in this world, who would she resemble more? Lin Qinglu? Feng Yuexian? Or Nie Lingbo?

Upon careful consideration, the ages of these three overlapped. Could it be that she would first resemble Feng Yuexian, then Lin Qinglu, and finally Nie Lingbo?

It was the first time Song Pianxian had such whimsical thoughts.

But seriously speaking, she probably wouldn’t resemble anyone.

Qinglu was just Qinglu, she would shine in this world in her own way.

She was the renowned genius girl who blossomed under her mentor’s guidance in her field of expertise. She was destined to be a shining star in the future, she was… her future lover.

On Qinglu’s coming-of-age day, Song Pianxian canceled the shareholders’ meeting to see her.

She placed the birthday cake she had made on the small table nearby, feeling as if she were visiting a patient’s family for no reason.

Fortunately, there was no ubiquitous smell of disinfectant in the air, only a dry and refreshing scent. Song Pianxian opened the window, letting in more of the golden autumn sunlight.

She clasped her hands together and told Qinglu about what she had been doing recently.

“I’ve already talked to Zhuo Ming and canceled the engagement.”

Even if Qinglu hadn’t fallen into a coma, Song Pianxian wouldn’t continue discussing engagement and cooperation matters with Zhuo Ming. She already had someone else in her heart and wouldn’t compromise herself. Engagement was just icing on the cake, not a necessary means, and there was no need to insist on it.

“Your coming-of-age celebration was canceled. Everyone is asking about you. I said you spontaneously decided to go abroad for inspiration.” Song Pianxian pointed to the small cake. “Your banquet has turned into a cake. If you don’t wake up soon to eat it, once today passes, you won’t even have the cake.”

…

Song Pianxian spoke a lot, her mouth dried up. She picked up a cup and drank some water, wondering if it would really help.

In her opinion, they should move Qinglu and the pod together to the hospital. But Lingyi insisted that when dealing with a subconscious player who refuses to wake up, they should treat it like dealing with a vegetative patient..

Xu Zhaojiu nodded vigorously beside her. Her basis was that’s how it was portrayed in TV dramas, so it must make sense.

Song Pianxian remained unmoved by her younger cousin’s reasoning, but Lingyi was the architect of the game, and it was necessary for her to consider the other’s “wakeup plan.”

Moreover, Qinglu’s physical condition was still good, so there was still room for attempts.

However, Song Pianxian had already said so much, and the news that Qinglu didn’t want to marry, which Xu Zhaojiu mentioned as what Qinglu would want to hear the most, was put at the forefront. Yet Qinglu still hadn’t woken up, causing a faint sense of fear to rise in her heart.

The hospital was the last resort, but what if the hospital didn’t work? What if Qinglu really wouldn’t wake up?

In the silent room, filled with the golden light of autumn.

Song Pianxian’s rationality was gradually worn down and shattered bit by bit. She didn’t know when the sunlight, which had been accumulating a hint of water in her eyes, turned into a tear and fell from her eye sockets.

A dense layer of sadness spread in her heart, and she murmured softly:

“Do you even want to be with me?”

The voice was very low, like a sigh, quietly melting into the autumn sunlight.

After a momentary outburst of emotion, Song Pianxian armed herself with reason again. She composed her expression and stood up to open the cake box.

Words might not work, but perhaps food could?

Thinking of the Lin Qinglu from the first world, who could be attracted by butterfly pastries from several meters away, Song Pianxian suddenly thought that she could try making butterfly pastries next time…

“…Yes.”

The cake box that Song Pianxian had just picked up fell back onto the table with a bang.

Her heart trembled, and she immediately turned around, her ponytail lightly jumping in the air.

The pod opened silently, and Qinglu rubbed her forehead, slowly standing up from the pod.

Her black hair cascaded behind her, her reddish-brown eyes filled with honey-like autumn light, looking at Song Pianxian with a firm tone, yet also sounding playful:

“I want to be with Big Sister.”

Outside the window, the branches rustled, shaking off the autumn leaves.

The sweet cream scent of the cake blended with the gentle autumn breeze, quietly melting together.

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Translator: Glariosa
Editor: Ruu

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