Don’t cry, Mother

“By touching them, try to restore the weight on both sides to keep them balanced.”

“Ah… I can’t do it.”

“Then read the relevant clauses from this book and impose the commandments on those animals.”

“Uh… still no.”

“Ah… then let’s try another plan.”

Zhishang conducted several ability tests on Xu Feng, yet none yielded the correct feedback. Whether it was the automatic leveling of weights or magic that imposed behavioral constraints, there was no trace of such things within her.

Xu Feng herself was exhausted. After so many tests, she still couldn’t find the direction of her power. Justice, iron law, order—none of them seemed to be what the scales represented.

Outside, the sky was growing dark. Uncle Shui glanced at the time and called a halt to the testing.

“Let her go home first, Zhishang. She’s still just a child.”

“Ah, right. It is getting late. One last question for you, Feng: do you have any memories of triggering a special ability?”

Looking at the afro-haired Zhishang, Xu Feng thought for a moment, then reached up and pulled out her hairpin. Holding it near her lips, she whispered softly.

“Xiao Hei.”

Poof!

The hairpin transformed into small wings in Xu Feng’s hand, a pair of eyes curiously scanning the strangers in the room.

“The hairpin is alive? Can it stay here for me to study?” Zhishang asked, seeking Xu Feng’s permission.

Xu Feng looked down at Xiao Hei. Realizing what was happening, Xiao Hei immediately took flight in a panic, clinging to Xu Feng’s chest and refusing to leave. Its two eyes began to well up with tears as it pleaded for mercy.

“Xiao Hei doesn’t want to, so no,” Xu Feng scooped Xiao Hei back into her palm, letting it turn back into a hairpin before reattaching it to her hair.

“That’s a bit of a shame. Is this what you use for flight?” Zhishang followed up.

“Yes, I rely on Xiao Hei for everything related to flying.”

“Ahem, watch the time, you two,” Uncle Shui spoke up to remind them.

“Oh! Goodbye, Uncle Zhishang, I’m heading out now!” Xu Feng stood up, patted her skirt, and followed Uncle Shui out of the appraisal room.

Zhishang remained sitting alone, resting his chin on his right hand. His eyes drifted toward the light and shadows on the wall as he began to mutter to himself.

“Flight, scales, a vampire… what kind of combination is that?”

Before Xu Feng got out of the car, Uncle Shui handed her something new: a grey children’s watch.

“This is a modified Dream Stabilizer. It can prevent your uncontrolled powers from flaring up. Although your Actor abilities aren’t clear yet, it’s safer to wear this.”

“Thank you, Uncle Shui.” Xu Feng fastened the watch to her right wrist. It flickered with light to indicate her physical status.

“By the way, do your parents usually come home late? You don’t seem worried about the time at all.”

Uncle Shui looked out at the night scenery, thinking that if any other child wasn’t home by this hour, their parents would have called the police in a panic.

“It’s fine. They don’t worry,” Xu Feng said, lowering her head slightly.

“Alright. I’ll ask one more time: do you need me to drop you off at your door?”

“No, I can walk the rest of the way by myself.”

Xu Feng checked the street for oncoming cars, and once she was sure it was safe, she stepped out.

“Bye-bye, Uncle Shui,” Xu Feng waved.

“Yeah. Get home safely.”

The black sedan merged back into the traffic, leaving Xu Feng alone as she returned home.

The quiet hallway was pitch black; the sound-activated light overhead was broken again. Xu Feng had to use her phone’s flashlight to head upstairs.

She turned the lock, entered, and closed the door behind her. Standing at the entrance, she hesitated to move.

The living room was shrouded in darkness, save for a cold beam of moonlight falling across the balcony, making the entire home feel incredibly chilly.

And it’s the middle of summer…

Xu Feng kicked off her shoes and turned on the lights, slightly easing the gloom in her heart. Perhaps she was too tired from the day, or perhaps the events of the past few days had finally caught up with her. Xu Feng felt soul-weary.

Lying on her bed, she couldn’t summon the energy for anything. She simply closed her eyes and let her memories drift back.

The most vivid and harrowing memory in Xu Feng’s mind wasn’t the bittersweetness of high school, but the day she first arrived at this rental apartment during her freshman year.

Her parents had dropped her off, but they didn’t accompany her upstairs. They just watched her and her luggage from a distance. Then, a bus passed the station, and when she turned around again, they were gone—along with her younger sister, who was happily eating candy.

The love her parents had for her had never been much, even since she was small.

Because of her natural white hair, she had been labeled an “ill omen” early on by the superstitious villagers. Her parents were often harassed and ostracized by neighbors, leading to a miserable life.

The village children were forbidden by their parents to play with her. No one was willing to be her friend, until two years later, when her family welcomed a new life: her sister.

Her sister didn’t have Xu Feng’s white hair; she inherited their parents’ black hair instead. She was perfectly normal, which was a true blessing.

Xu Feng remembered one New Year’s when the family went shopping. Her sister only had to glance at a toy and pull on their father’s hand for both parents to jump in and help her choose and buy it. Xu Feng had only watched from the side with envy, pulling her hat down tight, terrified that someone would see her snow-white hair.

Years ago, when Xu Feng had tried to do what her sister did, she was only dragged away heartlessly by her parents, who told her they were poor and couldn’t afford it.

“What is all this… it’s supposed to be happy, right?” Xu Feng ended her reminiscence. Her grievances finally breached the dam of her restraint, and tears began to seep from the corners of her eyes, drop by drop.

At least her parents hadn’t abandoned her; they had raised her. It was just that their love was very restrained—and a bit unfair.

Xu Feng stared up at the ceiling, rubbing her eyes and wiping away the tears. Looking at her shimmering palm, she let out a pathetic laugh.

Aside from crying when sleepy or crying at birth, this was the first time in years she had wept because she felt truly awful.

Xiao Hei shifted from a hairpin back into wings, gently perching on Xu Feng’s shoulder and pressing against the right side of her face as if to comfort her. Xu Feng closed her eyes and accepted the kindness, though her heart needed more time to adjust.

“Please don’t cry… Mother.”

A sudden female voice drifted into her left ear. It wasn’t Xiao Hei speaking!

Startled, Xu Feng whipped her head around. A youthful face was sleeping peacefully under the moonlight.

A strange girl was sleeping in the same bed as her!

“Who are you?!” Xu Feng leaped up from the bed in a shock, raising her wrist to alert Uncle Shui.

Beneath the moonlight, the naked girl slowly opened her eyes. She rubbed her drowsy, crimson pupils. Her long silver hair was identical to Xu Feng’s, and her features were strikingly similar.

Is that… me?

Xu Feng was completely stunned.