The fleeting gold shimmered briefly, and Ince blinked hard. When he tried to look at the photo again, the brilliance in the girl's eyes had already dimmed to gray, blending in with the surrounding environment.

With a sense of doubt, Ince looked up, and his gaze accidentally met "Themia's" eyes. She nodded slightly out of courtesy.

Did he see it wrong?

No one could answer his doubts.

The two, surrounded by children, finally realized with a delayed reaction that they were still holding hands. After expressing apologies to each other, they let go.

Sevia, hiding in the corner, silently observed this scene. A little girl came to her side and patted her shoulder, "Your name is Sevia, right?"

Sevia turned her head, and upon seeing Alice, her gaze instinctively wavered. In the foster home, this kind of innocent and lively personality like Alice's was the most popular. Everyone, including Sister Sevia, liked this lively girl.

"Hmm." Sevia responded softly.

"You're always alone, aren't you lonely?" Alice casually sat down next to Sevia.

"I'm used to it, and besides, I don't care about these things." Sevia wanted to leave this place.

"Your awkward personality is kind of like Sister Xiaotang's." Alice's voice came from behind, causing Sevia to stop involuntarily.

"When Sister Xiaotang really cares about something, she always says she doesn't care, being awkward and stubborn about things."

"If you really didn't care, then why do you secretly get up every morning and post your poems on the classroom blackboard?"

"I've always been secretly observing you, you know, the poem you wrote—'Starry Lullaby.'"

"She walks under the starry night,"

"Singing a lullaby,"

"Listening to the hardships of people."

"Heaven gave her wise eyes,"

"But also entrusted her with weak, powerless hands."

"Do those stranded at sea hope for salvation?"

"If not,"

"Then why fix their scorching gaze,"

"Upon her, full of compassion?"

"Oh storm, she is coming..."

Sevia's face warmed up, and she hurriedly stepped forward to stop Alice, who intended to continue chanting. The latter revealed her cute little canine teeth.

"Every morning when everyone sees these poems, they praise them, and when I hear their praise, I always wonder, what are you thinking while hiding in the corner?"

"You clearly want to be noticed by others."

"That's not true!" Sevia raised her voice in embarrassment, attracting the gaze of the surrounding children. "I don't need attention, nor do I need others' praise!"

"What's that little monster up to now?"

"Who knows."

Sevia's face was both embarrassed and burning. Just as she was about to run to the corner to hide as usual, Alice grabbed her hand, came up, and gave her a warm hug.

"You're writing so well, you can read these poems to me in the future."

"Don't always be alone. Can I be your friend?"

"I will become a monster." A warm current surged in the little girl's heart, making her usually tightly clenched hands release, melting the ice encasing her heart. The sourness at the tip of her nose filled Sevia's eyes with tears once more. "Everyone says so because I was born with a defect in my eyes."

"Your eyes are different from everyone else's." Alice brushed aside the hair that always covered the little girl's forehead, and the light shone into what should have been beautiful bright purple eyes, "You can see a world that others can't."

"So, you can also see the beauty in life that others can't."

"There's no need to paint a beautiful picture and walk the same path as everyone else. These poems are already very good. Maybe one day you'll become a great poet, wandering through every place in the world."

"Can I always watch you?"

Sevia nodded vigorously, with a crystal drop hanging on her chin.

"So, from now on, are we friends?"

"Mm-hmm."

"It's a promise."

"It's a promise!"

Tang Xin silently watched this scene with a gratified smile.

Sincerely happy for little Sevia. If someone had been there to warm her when she was that age, would she have taken a different path?

"Sister Tang, Sister Themia is coming to catch us!"

A few children shouted, running to Tang Xin's side. She was slightly taken aback, and upon looking up to see the approaching Xu Xiaoyou, she couldn't help but laugh. The kids, taking advantage of Xu Xiaoyou's inattention, had drawn a few marks on her face.

Xu Xiaoyou twitched her mouth, wiped her face, and was about to pull out the culprit of the work on her face from the group of children.

"Quick, hide behind me." Tang Xin's tone was light and urgent, extending her hand to gather the children behind her.

"Can't catch, can't catch, bleh bleh bleh, Sister Themia can't catch us, hahaha!"

Xu Xiaoyou was quick. The moment she grabbed a child's sleeve, Tang Xin's hand interposed between them, stopping her. Looking at the girl's serious face, it suddenly felt like returning to the night of her birthday.

The other children in the garden also became interested in this scene, lining up joyfully behind Tang Xin. As Xu Xiaoyou moved, Tang Xin opened her arms to block her, a long-lost brilliant smile on her face.

"I won't let you catch them!"

"Can't catch, can't catch!" The children stuck out their tongues and made faces at Xu Xiaoyou, who let out a laugh and got serious too.

Thus, a scene unfolded in the garden, with the kids lined up behind Tang Xin like a little tail, while in front of the girl was a hungry wolf eager to capture and 'devour' them, constantly looking for a breakthrough but always stopped by the diligent 'Mama Duck.'

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