Chapter 43: I Like You Very Much
“—Besides Zaozao, have you given the original version of the Grape-faced Bellflower Orchid Drum to anyone else?”
“—Who?”
These two sudden questions, like a perfectly fitting key, unlocked the long-sealed shackles of memory.
As her thoughts raced, Ming Fei was pulled back to a snowy night many years ago.
The first snow of the year fell on the border of the Ole Empire.
Thirteen-year-old Ming Fei had just met her third set of adoptive parents.
Compared to the previous two, her first impression of the third set was gentle, like the melodious sound of a zither on a drizzly night.
But the two previous bad adoption experiences made her resistant to entering another family.
When the dean came to talk to Ming Fei, she originally wanted to refuse directly, but after hearing about the orphanage’s financial difficulties and various predicaments, and seeing the dean’s hopeful gaze, she relented and agreed.
The third adoptive parent’s name was Shu Hui, a 35-year-old female beta, and also an inheritor of the orchid drum craft. Her partner, also a beta, was named Li Xianxiao. They ran a dessert shop together, owned a house and a car without any loans, and lived a relatively comfortable life.
On Ming Fei’s first day in their home, Li Xianxiao prepared a beautiful flower cake for her.
It was the first time Ming Fei had eaten such a beautiful, soft, and sweet cake. She was both careful and reserved, her slender figure like a sapling battered by the wind and snow outside the window.
Shu Hui and Li Xianxiao noticed her apprehension and caution.
They spent nearly half a month patiently building a closer relationship with Ming Fei, including but not limited to setting up a cozy bedroom for her, converting a small guest room into her study, taking her to bustling shopping malls to buy clothes, a communicator, and so on.
They even prepared small gifts for her every Monday and Friday.
Half a month later, Ming Fei took the initiative to share interesting stories from her classes with them for the first time.
Both of them smiled, their worried hearts finally at ease.
A month later, Ming Fei took the initiative to go for a walk in the park with them and used her free time on the weekend to cook dinner for them according to their tastes.
The two were overjoyed, as if they had found a treasure.
It was also on the thirtieth day after arriving at her new home that Ming Fei registered on “Supporters of the Rose,” a platform developed by supporters of the Mehertaer faction.
Because her peers at school had mostly undergone differentiation predictions arranged by their families, and joined the frenzy of domestication based on the prediction results.
As a supporter of the Mehertaer faction, Ming Fei couldn’t understand the Ole Empire’s alienation and training.
Therefore, although she was polite to others at school, she mostly kept to herself, not participating in any group’s implicit training.
When registering on “Supporters of the Rose,” she chose a white dog avatar, then used the name of a tree from a certain book as her nickname. After that, she logged in and started browsing the latest news from the Mehertaer faction.
According to the rules of “Supporters of the Rose,” new registrants would have a separate page for communication on the day of registration.
Ming Fei saw a nickname on that page.
[One Raccoon Hill]
She immediately guessed where this nickname came from.
—It was from the same book as her nickname, “Records of Ancient Mountains,” and her nickname, Tree of Mystical Jade, was the divine tree that grew on One Raccoon Hill.
Ming Fei, sitting in her study chair, blinked, thinking, what a coincidence.
But she didn’t bother the other person. Even though she didn’t have many friends at school or in life, she didn’t prioritize making friends. She registered on “Supporters of the Rose” just to stay updated on the latest news from the Mehertaer faction.
Besides, she was already used to being alone.
On the fortieth day after arriving at her new home, Shu Hui taught her how to make orchid drums. She had nimble hands and learned how to make drums in less than a week.
On the sixteenth day after registering on “Supporters of the Rose,” Ming Fei, after finishing her homework and reading, washed up and logged in again.
She focused on the public page, intently browsing the analysis posts on the Mehertaer faction’s activities and liking the posts.
As she was about to exit, she accidentally touched the nearby recommendations, and saw a familiar nickname among them.
[One Raccoon Hill]
This second encounter piqued Ming Fei’s rare curiosity.
She stared at the other person’s orange cat avatar, struggling internally. She flipped a coin, and when it landed in her palm, seeing that it was heads, representing “yes,” she mustered the courage and clicked on the other person’s profile.
One Raccoon Hill was very mysterious.
The personal page was blank, with only a system-generated message.
[Today is the sixteenth day since One Raccoon Hill registered on Supporters of the Rose. Nice to meet everyone ^^]
Looking at the zero likes on the post, Ming Fei hesitated for a moment, then lightly touched the like button, successfully changing the number to one.
A gust of wind howled past, and the chill seeped in through the window cracks.
Ming Fei, who had been afraid of the cold since childhood, immediately got up and closed the window, making sure the crack was completely sealed before looking down at the display screen of her communicator.
[22:47, December 27, user One Raccoon Hill liked your post ^^]
Ming Fei was a little surprised. She clicked on the details page of the system message and found that One Raccoon Hill had also liked her system-generated post.
Although she had been abandoned as a child and then experienced two more abandonments, Ming Fei had always been a polite child. Following the principle of reciprocity, and considering the shared origin of their nicknames from the same book, she followed the other person.
The next moment—
A new message from One Raccoon Hill popped up.
[One Raccoon Hill: Hello, do you also like to eat pears?]
Ming Fei, who was somewhat socially anxious, widened her eyes.
Her brain even froze for a moment, like an old robot suddenly malfunctioning, staring at the display screen without blinking.
It wasn’t until the malfunction was automatically repaired that her brain started working again at high speed.
After typing and deleting several times, Ming Fei replied politely, also explaining the meaning behind her nickname.
[Tree of Mystical Jade: What a coincidence, hello, pears are delicious. The Tree of Mystical Jade is a divine tree that grows on the top of One Raccoon Hill, representing freedom and courage. Its branches and leaves are made of jade and crystals. I chose this nickname because my name happens to have a character related to jade and crystals ^^]
One Raccoon Hill replied quickly, and after replying, politely ended the conversation.
Ming Fei didn’t dwell on this small interlude. She continued her daily life, going to school, eating, resting, and sometimes even taking the initiative to cook dinner for her two adoptive parents, and after finishing, riding her electric scooter to deliver it to their dessert shop.
As time went by, she gradually got used to this new home and got along better and better with Shu Hui, at least no longer feeling as awkward and uneasy as she had at the beginning.
Another month later, she independently made an orchid drum unlike any other on the market. Although a small accident occurred during the making process, because of this accident, she dyed the drum surface a light purple that was only visible in sunlight.
This was her unique creation, and she named this orchid drum—the Grape-faced Bellflower Orchid Drum.
Because of the joy and excitement of her first design, Ming Fei shared photos of the Grape-faced Bellflower Orchid Drum on her “Supporters of the Rose” account.
After posting, Ming Fei went to the living room for dinner. Two hours later, when she returned to her room, because she hadn’t logged out of “Supporters of the Rose,” a new message from One Raccoon Hill popped up on the communicator’s display screen.
Ming Fei was a little surprised to receive a message from One Raccoon Hill after a month.
[One Raccoon Hill: Hello, may I ask where you bought this drum?]
After reading the message, Ming Fei’s surprise gradually turned into happiness, because this sentence felt like affirmation and recognition.
To confirm her guess, she flipped a coin again, and after getting “yes” again, she typed and asked,
[Tree of Mystical Jade: Hello, do you like it?]
The other party’s subsequent messages all expressed their love for the Grape-faced Bellflower Orchid Drum without reservation, which made Ming Fei even happier, her round almond eyes curving into crescents, and the small dimple on her right cheek appearing as the corners of her lips curled up.
She briefly introduced the making process of the Grape-faced Bellflower Orchid Drum to One Raccoon Hill, and after sending the message, she received generous praise from One Raccoon Hill.
[One Raccoon Hill: You did very well.]
[One Raccoon Hill: When you grow up, you will definitely become a world-renowned drum maker.]
This was the first time Ming Fei had received such straightforward and grand praise.
Most of the time, she was overlooked because of her shy personality, and few people praised her like this.
She was a little embarrassed, her eyelashes fluttering as she replied.
[Tree of Mystical Jade: Thank you ^^]
[Tree of Mystical Jade: You just asked about my age, if it’s convenient, could you tell me how old you are?]
[One Raccoon Hill: Three years older than you.]
Ming Fei looked at the other party’s orange cat avatar, added three cat emojis at the end of the other party’s system default nickname, and replied politely.
[Tree of Mystical Jade: Okay, then I’m three years younger.]
[One Raccoon Hill: How tall are you?]
Because of some malnutrition in the orphanage, Ming Fei wasn’t very tall for her age, just over 162 centimeters.
She replied without hiding anything.
[Tree of Mystical Jade: 162 centimeters.]
[One Raccoon Hill: I’m taller than you.]
So, in Ming Fei’s imagination, the image of One Raccoon Hill became a large orange cat.
They started chatting about the Grape-faced Bellflower Orchid Drum, and that night, Ming Fei didn’t even read before bed. Later, as supporters of the Mehertaer faction, they contacted each other more and more often, and had more and more topics to talk about.
The Ole Empire’s domestication was everywhere. Even the children in the orphanage who hadn’t differentiated yet fully agreed with the Kerry Declaration and strived to differentiate into alphas or omegas.
Before One Raccoon Hill, Ming Fei had never had anyone to talk to about the wider world. When the frequency of their chats gradually increased to once every two days, she considered the other party her first friend and wrote the nickname One Raccoon Hill in her diary.
[Many lucky things happened this year. I met people who are very good to me, and I also met my first friend. Her nickname is One Raccoon Hill. I like her very much and hope our friendship will last forever (>v<)]
Later, when the frequency of their chats increased to once every day and a half, Ming Fei received some news.
—Shu Hui was pregnant.
And the reason the two had adopted her was entirely because… the pregnancy rate for two betas was low, and Shu Hui had been in a car accident in her early years, making it difficult for her to have children.
After learning this news, Ming Fei didn’t have any suspicions. She was happy for the smiles on their faces and also worried about Shu Hui’s health.
Before going to bed that night, she received a message from One Raccoon Hill.
[One Raccoon Hill: My seventeenth birthday is next month.]
[One Raccoon Hill: I’ll be four years older than you soon.]
Ming Fei blinked.
[Tree of Mystical Jade: Wow~]
[Tree of Mystical Jade: Then is it convenient for you to give me an address? I want to send you a birthday gift.]
[One Raccoon Hill: Yes.]
[One Raccoon Hill: But there must be reciprocity. You also have to give me an address, and I will send you a gift in return.]
Ming Fei was a little puzzled.
[Tree of Mystical Jade: My birthday hasn’t arrived yet, why should I give a return gift?]
The other party’s reply was always direct and frank.
[One Raccoon Hill: Have you ever seen an older sister take advantage of a younger sister?]
Ming Fei’s gaze fixed on those two words.
…Older sister?
One Raccoon Hill actually saw her as a younger sister!
Her surprise was mixed with happiness, because she had stayed in the orphanage for so long, and before being adopted for the third time, she had become the oldest child there.
So, she had always taken on the role of a caregiver, accustomed to being tolerant, forgiving, even ignored and neglected.
Ming Fei repeatedly looked at One Raccoon Hill’s reply and decided to give her a unique Grape-faced Bellflower Orchid Drum.
However, just one day before finishing the drum, she accidentally overheard a conversation between Shu Hui and Li Xianxiao.
Li Xianxiao said, “Send her back.”
Shu Hui’s tone was hesitant: “Will this…”
“Will what?” Li Xianxiao said decisively, “The cost of raising two children is high, especially since your health isn’t good. The birthing costs will be several times higher. Sending her back now is already being benevolent.”
“But when we adopted her, we said we would always—”
Li Xianxiao interrupted: “That’s because we didn’t have our own child yet. But now our own child is coming, and we have no reason to raise another orphan. Do you want our child to face a stranger with no blood relation after they’re born?”
“Or are you happy to be asked by our child why we adopted an orphan before they arrived?” Li Xianxiao continued, “Why let a stranger into our home to compete with them for things?”
Ming Fei, hiding behind the door, her pupils constricted, her pale fingertips clenching the corner of her clothes.
After a long silence, Shu Hui finally compromised.
“—Then send her back.”
That night, after discovering their true thoughts, Ming Fei was repeatedly awakened by nightmares. After waking up for the third time, she got out of bed with a pale face and started making the drum, working through the night to finish the Grape-faced Bellflower Orchid Drum by the next morning.
Shu Hui and Li Xianxiao went to the hospital for a checkup. Ming Fei left this home that never belonged to her and sent the Grape-faced Bellflower Orchid Drum to the address One Raccoon Hill had given her.
After completing this crucial task, Ming Fei walked silently along the lakeside path.
The path was filled with couples or families of three walking hand in hand. Only Ming Fei was alone, all the way to the end of the path.
She walked slowly, each step seemingly heavy, her face pale. After returning to the starting point of the path, she sat on a stone bench like a homeless wanderer.
At noon, back in the house, Shu Hui confessed to Ming Fei alone.
Her eyes were filled with guilt, sadness, and helplessness, but mostly with determination and relief.
Relief that Ming Fei was an obedient child.
Relief that Ming Fei said it was okay after hearing the news.
“It’s okay.” Ming Fei repeated softly, as if comforting herself, “It’s okay.”
She calmly accepted the final outcome and agreed with them that she would leave tomorrow. She didn’t cry when the door closed.
But when she logged into her account to send a message to One Raccoon Hill, her vision blurred with tears.
[Tree of Mystical Jade: I’m a little sad.]
[Tree of Mystical Jade: …Jiejie, I feel terrible today.]
A whole night passed, and One Raccoon Hill didn’t reply. And when she packed her things and logged into “Supporters of the Rose” again, she found that One Raccoon Hill’s account had been deleted.
Without any warning, completely disappearing from her world.
The tears Ming Fei had been holding back finally fell. She tried searching again, repeatedly checking if there was a problem with her own account, but no matter what she did, the system kept reminding her—there was no mistake, the other party had really deleted their account.
The constantly flashing red words made her burst into tears.
She cried silently, thinking she had already gotten used to it, that she could be indifferent, not attached, not lingering. But her tears told her that wasn’t the case. She was just forced to get used to it, forced to be indifferent.
In this vast world, she was once again abandoned by everyone, left alone, walking alone in the wind and snow.
Therefore—
Nearly thirteen years later, facing Zhu Yiqiao’s question, the now 25-year-old Ming Fei, 183 centimeters tall, after a brief hesitation, answered softly,
“A friend.”
After saying that, she paused, thinking that this answer might not be comprehensive enough, and then thought of a more appropriate answer.
“An… online friend I knew before.”
Zhu Yiqiao, who had asked the question, remained calm and collected, like a chess player in control. Only the pheromone bracelet on her wrist flickered.
—The surging pheromones revealed her… concern.
She looked at Ming Fei and asked, “Just an online friend?”
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