The morning mist dawn

The early morning sky was only a fraction brighter than the night.

A thin drizzle trickled across the pavement, and pedestrians hurried through the light rain and pale mist. The distant city looked like a scroll dampened by ink, its edges—which should have been sharp and energetic—blurred into a hazy wash.

Drip, drop.

The white noise of raindrops drumming against the window gently coaxed consciousness back to life.

Behind one of those windows, two silver-haired young girls lay with their heads touching, their cherry-red lips parting slightly as they breathed.

“Mmh…”

One of the girls’ eyebrows twitched, and she slowly opened her crimson eyes. Sitting up in bed, she rubbed her eyes and glanced out the window. After a small yawn, she turned to look at the other girl beside her pillow.

This was Weijiu, whom she had summoned last night—the girl who, from the moment they met, had called her “Mother” at every turn.

Looking at her sleeping face, Xu Feng felt as though she were looking into a mirror.

What should I do next? Xu Feng pondered.

There was now another mouth to feed at home. Telling Uncle Shui about Weijiu seemed unwise; the girl already knew some of her secrets, and it would be bad if she leaked anything to the Dream Protection Bureau.

Anyway, there was plenty of time this morning. She’d have Weijiu experiment with that magic stuff first and go from there.

Having set her goal, Xu Feng stretched her arms wide, let out a long yawn, then turned and hooked her slippers with her feet, preparing to get out of bed.

“Mother… don’t go.”

A small hand accompanied the voice, grabbing Xu Feng’s pajamas. Xu Feng turned her head to see Weijiu clutching her hem tightly with one hand, while her other hand was tucked against her chest, trembling incessantly.

An expression of unease hung on Weijiu’s face, and her body even twitched, as if she were trapped in a terrifying nightmare.

“Hey, wake up.” Xu Feng tried whispering in Weijiu’s ear to rouse her.

“Wooo… ugh!” Instead of waking, Weijiu seemed provoked; her voice surged with even more fear and anxiety.

Something was wrong.

Xu Feng reached out to touch Weijiu’s forehead, then gently brushed her cheek.

“Mph! Waaaah…” Weijiu’s emotions seemed to stabilize slightly, but she still didn’t wake.

Is it this hard for vampires to wake up from dreams?

Xu Feng kept her hand on Weijiu’s face and began to gradually raise her voice.

“Wake up! You’re late for school!” Xu Feng brought out the thing most likely to startle her in her own daily life, but Weijiu remained unmoved, still gripped by the nightmare.

“It’s raining! You didn’t bring in the laundry!” Xu Feng shouted louder, but it was useless.

Wow! What on earth will it take to wake you up?!

Recalling the “Mother” business from last night, Xu Feng suddenly had an idea. She cleared her throat and then said, in a voice neither too loud nor too soft:

“Mama doesn’t want you anymore!”

At that soft cry, Weijiu’s eyes snapped open instantly. A glint of moisture escaped the corner of her eyes as her gaze shifted, her tearful pupils locking onto Xu Feng’s face.

The two stared at each other for two seconds before Weijiu broke the silence. She threw her arms open and pounced like a kitten.

“No! Mother! Weijiu will be good! I’ll listen to you!” Weijiu hugged Xu Feng tightly, her head bumping into Xu Feng’s chest with enough force to make it ache.

Any harder and I’ll be flat-chested!

Wait, why am I worried about that!

Xu Feng shook her head. She intended to push Weijiu away like she had last night, but when she looked down, she saw Weijiu’s weeping face clearly.

Her nose was slightly red, her breathing was rapid, and her tightly pursed lips trembled, betraying her inner terror. These details were far more apparent in the daylight than they had been in the hazy shadows of the night before.

“Sigh…” Xu Feng’s heart softened after all. She reached out and patted Weijiu’s back, comforting her while speaking slowly.

“I was lying. I just couldn’t wake you up and didn’t want you to keep having nightmares. Also, call me by my name—don’t call me Mother. It makes me feel… uncomfortable.”

“I understand, Moth…” Weijiu couldn’t quite correct herself immediately. She fell silent for a moment, feeling the sensation of the hand on her back.

Xu Feng was being very gentle. Her movements were as light as the tiny raindrops outside, softly tapping against Weijiu’s back.

This comfort, this sense of security… why is she so much like Mother?

Weijiu shed her last tear and voluntarily let go of Xu Feng’s embrace.

“Done crying finally?” Xu Feng stood with her hands on her hips, a kind smile on her face.

“Thank you… Xu Feng… Big Brother.”

When Weijiu said that, Xu Feng suddenly felt a shiver down her spine. She rubbed her shoulder and gave an awkward laugh.

It seemed she was starting to have a physical rejection of being called “Big Brother.”

“Maybe just call me by my name. Xu Feng is fine,” Xu Feng suggested.

“Mm, okay then,” Weijiu nodded in agreement.

“Then wait for me at home. I’m going out to buy breakfast.” Xu Feng turned to grab her clothes, preparing to head out.

“Eh? You can buy breakfast?” Weijiu didn’t know much about Xu Feng’s life yet, especially since she originally came from the Dream World.

“Of course. When I get back, I’ll tell you about this world, and you can tell me what happened on your side.”

Weijiu looked around the room; she had no choice but to trust Xu Feng.

“Okay.”

In the blink of an eye, Xu Feng was dressed and ready. It was still drizzling outside; a poncho would be too bulky to put on, so she’d just use an umbrella.

Click.

Just as Xu Feng turned the doorknob, Weijiu called out from behind her.

“Xu Feng, you definitely have to come back.”

“This is my house. Where else would I go? As for you, stay put and don’t mess with things.” After a few instructions, Xu Feng closed the door.

Walking down the stairs, the sound of flowing rainwater was constant. She opened her umbrella and stepped out into the city life nourished by the rain.

Under the vast, misty rain, a silver-haired young girl wandered among several stalls. Before long, she was heading back carrying bag after bag of food. People on the street praised her for being so capable and sensible.

Location: Dream Protection Bureau.

A bowl of instant noodles sat on Uncle Shui’s desk, steam rising from it—it had likely just been prepared.

However, Uncle Shui had no time to eat. He sat before his computer, dragging the mouse repeatedly as he re-watched the surveillance footage Xu Feng had sent him.

“Uncle Shui! Good morning!” Xiao Xuan entered and greeted him, but Uncle Shui only gave a simple response.

“Morning, Xiao Xuan.”

“Wow, Uncle Shui, you didn’t sleep all night? Your dark circles are huge.” Xiao Xuan hurried to his side, urging him to rest.

“Xiao Xuan, you’re just in time. Take a look at this footage for me. See if there are any anomalies that don’t match Zhishang’s notes.” Uncle Shui handed the task over to her, then left his chair to sit on the sofa and eat his noodles.

Xiao Xuan looked down at the papers on the desk; they were filled with detailed observations from the surveillance.

“Uncle Shui, you’re working too hard…” Xiao Xuan sighed as she sat in the chair.

“If I don’t work hard while I’m young, I’ll be letting myself down,” Uncle Shui said through a mouthful of noodles.

“But Uncle Shui, this is your ‘second youth.’ Don’t you plan on relaxing a bit? Dream incidents have been rare lately, and the ‘Actor’ situation with Fengfeng isn’t urgent.”

“It’s exactly because it’s a second youth that I don’t plan on relaxing.”

Uncle Shui looked out the window. His black eyes held a level of maturity and steadiness that didn’t match his youthful appearance.

“Sigh, the way you live, Uncle Shui… you don’t act like a young person at all.”

“I’ve long considered myself an old man.”