Reborn from the Ashes

"Big sister, I can't sleep~"

Wenwen walked over to Shen Mengli in a soft, childlike voice, her big eyes shining brightly in the darkness.

"Can't sleep? Why can't you sleep?"

Shen Mengli quickly composed herself, gently reaching out to pat Wenwen's head, her tone tender and soothing.

"Because I had a nightmare, so I couldn't sleep... That's why I wanted to come and sleep with you..."

"Is that so..."

Shen Mengli narrowed her eyes slightly at this and suddenly reached out to pull Wenwen into her arms.

"Wenwen, I'm afraid I can't sleep with you tonight. You're already a big girl now. In the orphanage, you're the 'Big Sister Wenwen' that all the other kids look up to."

"Mhm! I'm Big Sister Wenwen!"

Wenwen hugged Shen Mengli's arm and laughed innocently, clearly delighted by the title the other children gave her.

"I want to be as kind to the younger kids as you are to me~"

"That's wonderful. As Big Sister Wenwen, shouldn't you protect your younger siblings when they're in danger?"

"Yes! I'll protect them!"

Wenwen clenched her little fists, as if making a firm resolution.

"Wenwen, you're amazing~"

Shen Mengli's eyes were filled with reluctance as she gently patted Wenwen's head and pushed her away.

"Alright, since Wenwen has become such a responsible big sister, doesn't that mean you should try to sleep on your own tonight? I can't always be with you, after all."

"Mm... You're right, big sister..."

After listening carefully to Shen Mengli's words, Wenwen nodded thoughtfully. If her big sister said so, then she had to set a good example as Big Sister Wenwen.

"I understand. I'll try my best to overcome my fear on my own. Thank you, big sister~"

"Mhm, go to bed now, Wenwen. It's late, so make sure to cover yourself with the blanket, okay?"

Shen Mengli raised her weak hand, and if one looked closely, they could see it trembling faintly under the dim light of the hallway.

Wenwen, you must grow up to be a wonderful big sister. I'm sorry... I might not be here to see you grow up.

"Goodnight, big sister."

"Goodnight."

Watching the small figure disappear down the hallway, Shen Mengli's raised hand slowly fell back down.

Her crimson eyes gazed at the lit hallway, and memories of her time at the orphanage, from childhood to now, flashed through her mind.

"I'm sorry..."

Shen Mengli murmured softly. Just as she was about to push her wheelchair deeper into the garden, a rustling sound came from the bushes.

"Huh?"

Shen Mengli turned her head, focusing her attention on the depths of the garden.

Wh...what was that sound? A stray cat or a bird?

At this moment, Shen Mengli wasn't frightened by the sudden noise. For her, there was nothing left to fear.

Huff...

A cold breeze swept through the garden, causing the leaves and flowers to sway and rustle, just like before.

"So that's it... Are you saying goodbye to me too? How nice..."

Shen Mengli slowly pushed her wheelchair deeper into the garden. This garden had always been her favorite place. If it began here, then it should end here too.

It's like fallen leaves returning to their roots. Perhaps this is a kind of liberation for me.

After some effort, she managed to push her wheelchair up the slope beside the pavilion. Holding a teddy bear in one hand, she awkwardly shifted herself onto the bench of the pavilion.

"Hah..."

Barefoot, Shen Mengli leaned her back against the wooden pillar of the pavilion. With her other hand, she grabbed a craft knife from her wheelchair and then pushed the wheelchair away with all her strength.

"Finally... I'm no longer bound by you."

Shen Mengli looked at the wheelchair she had pushed away and suddenly laughed, but her laughter was filled with sorrow... and desolation...

Dressed in thin clothing, Shen Mengli sat on the bench, her slender, bare legs dangling down. From a distance, she looked like a dark flower blooming in the night.

Click

As the blade of the craft knife slid out, Shen Mengli raised the teddy bear in her left hand and gazed at it for a moment.

"I'm so sorry, Mr. Ye Feng. I might not be able to keep my promise to you... I've let you down..."

"Although our time together was short, for some reason, the moment I saw you, I thought you were such a strange man."

"It felt like a scene from a dream, appearing so suddenly... Now that I think about it, it really is unbelievable. Perhaps you... were the last bit of beauty in my life, like the fleeting song of cicadas in summer, brief yet unforgettable."

"Goodnight, Xiao Feng."

Just as Shen Mengli was about to bring the craft knife to her neck, the teddy bear in her hand slipped and fell.

"No!"

The moment she felt the teddy bear slip away, Shen Mengli panicked, dropping the craft knife onto the bench.

Under the dark clouds, she faintly saw the teddy bear rolling onto the ground of the pavilion. To retrieve it, she would have to crawl over.

The moment she saw the teddy bear, Shen Mengli seemed to lose all sense of reason. Without hesitation, she rolled off the bench, and despite the sharp pain from the fall, she used her hands to slowly crawl toward the teddy bear.

"Don't... don't leave me..."

In her distraught state, Shen Mengli didn't care about the dirt on her body or the cold, uncomfortable ground. Her only focus was the teddy bear lying on the ground.

As Shen Mengli got closer to the teddy bear, her small hand finally reached it.

The moment she grabbed it, she clutched it tightly to her chest, murmuring softly, "I've got you... I've got you... I won't lose you... never..."

At that moment, the moon emerged from behind the clouds. Its pale light illuminated the dim pavilion, and Shen Mengli was fully exposed under its glow.

Just as Shen Mengli crawled back to the bench and picked up the craft knife, a shadow appeared before her.

She felt something blocking the moonlight and looked up to see a figure wearing a phoenix mask standing in front of her.

"You... who are you..."