A small boat slowly sailed across the black sea, stopping at the dock shortly after.

The biting cold wind carried white snowflakes into the boat, as the boatman standing at the bow wore a reed hat, holding a long oar in his hand. After a simple glance around, he bent down and lifted the lotus leaf curtain, peering into the cabin: "We're here."

Inside the cabin, two young girls huddled together, wrapped in cloaks made of woven bamboo and grass.

Xu Xiaoyou opened her eyes, finding that Angelina was already awake, looking like she had something on her mind, leaning silently against the cabin wall.

Through the warm lights above the cabin, the distant shorelights could be seen, facing the howling cold wind, quickly covering their cloaks with white snowflakes.

Standing by the shore, watching the boat carrying them back to the Star of Art slowly disappear into the fog until it vanished completely in the icy world, Xu Xiaoyou didn't delve into the doubts in her heart; instead, she stepped ashore. This long-lost city, she had finally returned.

With a few sighs in her heart, Xu Xiaoyou quickly judged their location by the surrounding scenery; they were indeed in the Piano Key District of the Star of Art.

Looking across the river, the Queens District opposite was splendid and magnificent, lined with Crystal Buildings rich in artistic beauty, like a city that never sleeps, while here was pitch black, devoid of color.

A scruffy homeless man by the street noticed the two; he didn't look very old, wearing tattered clothes, squatting by the street nibbling on his fingernails. His dark eyes sized them up, emanating an unbearable stench.

On the wall beside was the homeless man's artwork; paintings created with urine and feces, clearly only flies and maggots could appreciate such morbidly twisted art.

The homeless in the Piano Key District had an almost instinctive fear towards such well-dressed figures like them, and before Xu Xiaoyou and Angelina could frown, the homeless man muttered art-related madness as he scampered into the shadows of the buildings.

Angelina glanced at her: "If you need me, promise me, don't do anything foolish."

Xu Xiaoyou watched the figure disappear at the alley's end, limited by the affection plot trigger conditions of the [Girl Falling from the Starry Garden], she couldn't let familiar people know she had returned.

She didn't contact Tang Xin and Everme, instead Xu Xiaoyou relied on the familiar address from memory, arriving at the entrance of a foster home where the sign's words were blurred by years of wind and snow, only faintly discernible as 'Iris'.

She stood in the ice and snow, gazing at the two silhouettes large and small behind the window.

"Little Sister Tang, you haven't told me the ending of the story yet?"

Inside a room of the foster home was light glowing, a little girl lay on a simple bed surrounded by rows of beds, other children had fallen asleep. There was no heating inside, yet it was very clean. The walls were covered with children's innocent and whimsical, colorless drawings, where these children huddled together for warmth.

"The bird you mentioned, she kept bringing branches from different places to build a refuge for people in the snow; did she succeed after experiencing so many wondrous events?"

Tang Xin gently smiled, reaching to smooth the little girl's sheets and pull up the covers, her voice hoarse, "Little Alice, this story doesn't have an ending yet."

"Why?"

Tang Xin, as if realizing something, her eyes moved slightly, looking out the window; apart from the piles of snow built by the children, there was nothing there.

"Because I haven't thought of an ending for the story yet."

"Oh..." Little Alice's expression turned somewhat forlorn; in a child's eyes always rested a curious gleam, sparking with each idea.

"Why did Little Sister Tang's hair grow so long, it wasn't like this last time we met."

"What happened to Little Sister Tang's throat?"

"Why does Little Sister Tang wear a butterfly on her face?"

"Why has Little Sister Tang been wearing gloves these few days, isn't it uncomfortable?"

"Alright, it's getting late, if we keep talking it will disturb the other children's rest."

Tang Xin pinched the little girl's face, using a rare serious tone.

Little Alice quietly pulled the covers over her face, leaving only half visible: "I want that, Little Sister Tang."

Tang Xin tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and bent down to gently kiss the girl's forehead, then stood up holding her heart with a stern look, "If you don't sleep now, you won't grow tall in the future."

Little Alice nodded repeatedly, giggling as she hugged a nearby teddy bear: "Then good night, Little Sister Tang."

"Mm, good night."

After settling all the children to sleep, Tang Xin went outside the room, looking left and right as if searching for something important, while a kind-faced woman approached her: "What's wrong, Little Sevia?"

"Good evening, Ms. Elia."

Tang Xin politely greeted; this woman was Elia, the director of the Iris Foster Home. When Tang Xin was at the Iris Foster Home, she received much care from Elia, whose impression was always kind-hearted, the only time she got angry at Tang Xin was for rejecting a family invitation, forsaking the opportunity to leave.

"Years have passed, Little Sevia has grown so much, and looks so pretty now. You're a grown young lady; surely young men will find you attractive."

Elia reached to stroke Tang Xin's face, seeing the girl's somewhat slim figure, her eyes flickered with complex emotion.

The woman's hands were coarse and calloused, rubbed against her face, the familiar feeling pulled Tang Xin back many years, whenever she was bullied by other kids, she'd always throw herself into the woman's embrace, burying her head in their skirt without saying a word.

The woman would then, like now, stroke her with calloused, rough hands.

"You always had such a stern face, despite being so small, yet stubborn in everything, even when you hurt yourself on the wall you'd never back down, but now you seem truly grown up, thoughtful, and more mature."

"I didn't cry over things before." Tang Xin joked.

"Who bullied you?" Elia frowned, full of determination like before, refusing to rest until she found the mischievous culprit. "Surely someone bullied you, which brat!"

"Nothing like that happened." Tang Xin quickly waved her hand, feeling uneasy under Elia's gaze and somewhat guilty, "It wasn't a brat..."

Her mind involuntarily thought of the image of the blonde girl.

Hearing this, Elia's expression softened, placing Tang Xin's cold hand in her own, gently covering it, "It's good you can understand, one's power in this city is too limited, to change things you must be determined."

Tang Xin knew she was referring to family matters, she lowered her eyes, softly replied, "Mm..."

"I've prepared everything for tomorrow, these children all adore you; it'll certainly go well."

Tang Xin nodded lightly, but her gaze drifted as if not knowing where to rest.

Is this just her imagination?

She felt she might have missed something very important.

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