Chapter 2 Orphanage

The universe is mysterious and unfathomable, its vast expanse holding countless wonders. Despite thousands of years of human development, humanity remains unable to unravel its mysteries.

Even though we possess weapons capable of destroying planets, even so, compared to the vastness of the universe, they are but a drop in the ocean.

A planet silently orbits within the boundless universe, appearing exceptionally beautiful against the interweaving of blue and white.

But this is not Earth. It is a super-Earth-like planet, codenamed MR1048, with a near one-to-one resemblance to Earth.

It is also the headquarters of Nishang, one of the two overlords of the solar system, hence its nickname, Nishang Planet.

Compared to Earth, Nishang Planet is more like a sphere, a stark contrast to Earth's thick center and tapering elliptical shape.

On Nishang Planet, oceans only account for about a quarter of the planet's total area, while continents make up only six-tenths. This differs from the familiar seven-tenths ocean and three-tenths land ratio on Earth. However, aside from these factors that don't affect the overall picture, Nishang Star is a near-perfect replica of Earth.

Tianxing Orphanage, an orphanage located on Nishang Star. Compared to public orphanages, this private orphanage is only small to medium-sized.

The entire orphanage occupies less than 1,000 square meters, consisting of a two-story teaching building, a three-story dormitory building, and a small plaza.

It's strange that such a dilapidated orphanage is located in the city center.

No matter where you are, in such prime location, a square meter would cost hundreds of thousands of yuan.

On Nishang Star, except for the one-eighth area that is classified as Nishang and off-limits to outsiders, the rest of the area is open to the public and supports business development.

Although the two major organizations are at odds with each other, to the average person, this is simply due to different philosophies, perhaps not a distinction between good and evil.

Compared to Tianchen's location, Earth has a refreshing feel. The atmosphere of Nishangxing is remarkably metallic.

Robots are everywhere, on the streets, in the residential complexes, on construction sites, and even in the shops. The entire street and the tall buildings are clad in a cold, metallic feel, devoid of any human touch.

A floating car, a deep black, slowly drove from one side of the street to the orphanage.

It crossed a traffic light, then traversed a forest path closed to cars before arriving at the orphanage.

Throughout the entire process, no law enforcement officer stepped in to punish it. Furthermore, none of the passing floating cars dared to come within three meters of it, and no one dared to observe.

Why? Because, in an inconspicuous spot on the car's hull, a small sign was affixed. Its meaning was simple and single: Nishang.

The car door opened, and a woman quietly stepped out.

Her movements were incredibly gentle, as if she had no bones, revealing a soft, graceful beauty. She moved very slowly, each step imbued with an air of profound dignity. After getting out of the car, the woman could be seen wearing a bright red dress with long slits on each side of her thighs.

It resembled the cheongsam of ancient China, but was slightly larger, more like a coat.

With her long hair tied up in a bun and a bright red fox fur shawl draped over her shoulders, she looked incredibly charming.

She lifted her feet and walked towards the orphanage gate with light steps. As she passed the driver's seat, she said calmly,

"Wait here."

The driver, a man in a suit and sunglasses, nodded but said nothing.

At that moment, a class of children were playing games in the orphanage's small playground.

This place implements a self-learning model, ensuring that all orphans receive education. Therefore, the director is consistently praised by teachers and children.

The children in this class are around twelve years old. It was physical education class, so the children were just playing on the playground. Naturally, these abandoned children were undocumented and undocumented, so they faced no pressure to enroll in school. How could they possibly take exams without a household registration?

Despite the lack of pressure to enroll, only a small number of children were playing in the playground. A smaller number sat around, silently watching.

Since these children were all of varying ages when they were found, the younger ones naturally received schooling once they reached school age. Those who were older, on the other hand, began their studies directly in first grade.

Thus, the ages of the children in each class were essentially mixed.

A young girl sat in the shade of a tree at the foot of the steps. She wore a dark blue uniform and a dark blue skirt. Her hair was blue-pink and tied into twin ponytails, and her eyes were a pure black.

Her expressionless face, like an ageless glacier, seemed cold and lonely.

She sat quietly, a stuffed squirrel in her arms, silently watching the children playing in front of her.

Among these children, she was a special case, already sixteen years old. Naturally, she was mature enough not to play with these 11- or 12-year-olds. Furthermore, her extremely introverted personality made her truly lonely.

"Sister Nia, what are you looking at?" a girl about 13 years old came bounding over to her.

Seeing the girl, the girl called Nia's lips twitched slightly, a hint of a smile forming. Reaching out, she touched the girl's head and said lovingly, "Fei'er, what's up?"

The girl seemed to enjoy being petted, raising her hands sideways behind her, leaning forward slightly, a look of contentment on her face.

After the petting, when Nia withdrew her hand, Fei'er said in dissatisfaction, "What's wrong? Can't you come to me if you don't have anything to do?"

Smiling slightly, Nia said, "Of course."

Though she was smiling, her tone remained calm. It wasn't a personal thing; it seemed simply her nature.

Fei'er, unconcerned, pouted, but the next moment, her smile returned. She sat down beside Nia without a word, holding her arm and speaking. "Sister Nia, next time it's your turn to fulfill a wish. What's your wish? Tell Fei'er in secret, okay?"

Holding her arms, Fei'er smirked and pressed her face against Nia's, her breathing audible.

Nia's pretty face flushed slightly as she instinctively dodged to the side, but her arm was still held by Fei'er, preventing her from moving away.

It was then that Nia realized her hand was being held tightly between her knees by the shameless Fei'er, unable to be pulled free.

"Fei'er, what's wrong with you? Let me go!" Nia's pretty face flushed brightly, and she frantically tried to pull her hand away, but Fei'er held it firmly, preventing her from leaving.

With a wicked grin, Fei'er whispered directly into Nia's ear. "I won't let go until you tell me," she said, then gently nibbled her ear.

Nia's face flushed even more. Just as she was torn and about to compromise, the woman in the red dress entered.

Seeing someone enter, the substitute teacher instinctively glanced towards the door. When she saw who was coming, before she could react, the children who had been chasing and playing suddenly rushed over. The first one to arrive jumped up, shouting, "Director Mama."

Everyone followed, even the substitute teacher, a frustrated Fei'er, and a blushing Nia.

When everyone arrived, the entire class of over thirty children bowed 90 degrees and collectively said, "Hello, Director Mama!"

The substitute teacher approached the woman and also bowed slightly, her eyes filled with respect. "Director Sellia."

The woman smiled, a smile that seemed a little cold. To an unfamiliar eye, it would have seemed sinister.

But judging by her appearance alone, no one would have guessed that such a stylishly dressed woman was the director of an orphanage.

She nodded to the substitute teacher. Her smile, which might have seemed sinister to outsiders, was as warm as a spring breeze to the children. Her hands continued to caress the children's faces, and her gaze softened as she turned to a little boy at the edge.

"Qiangqiang, come here."

Director Serlia beckoned the boy. The boy, who looked only twelve years old, hurried in when she heard him being called.

Stroking the boy's head, Serlia's eyes softened even further, and she whispered, "Qiangqiang, your name is Sageqiang, right?"

Every child here was picked up from the street by her, and she had named each one of them.

Since she didn't know their previous surnames, she simply gave them names, and she also memorized each one clearly.

The boy, Sageqiang, nodded. He knew why the director had called him out of all the others. His face flushed, his eyes filled with anticipation.

Seeing the boy's anticipation, Serlia smiled slightly, touched his head, and spoke. In that moment, a hint of maternal radiance finally shone through her. "Today is your wish day. How about it? Any wishes you want to fulfill?"

The boy nodded, clearly having already thought about it. "As long as I can go out with the director, I'll be satisfied."

Fulfilling a wish is the day every child in this orphanage looks forward to the most, yet the day they least want to arrive.

Because the orphanage is too small and its facilities are too rudimentary to accommodate any more children, Director Serlia refuses to give up on any orphan she encounters.

So, with no other options left, Director Serlia partnered with a large public orphanage and gradually transferred all the children there.

But she couldn't bear to lose these children. So, she made a promise with them: she would take one child there every week.

When they were leaving, Serlia would fulfill their wishes. Every time they left, no matter what their wish was, Serlia would fulfill it.

So, this day was not only the happiest for the children, but also the saddest.

Serlia's eyes softened, and she squatted down, gently hugging the boy. She glanced at Nia, who was at the outermost edge, and with a faint smile, said, "Next time, it should be you. If I remember correctly, your name is Vilonia."

Nia took a step forward, nodded slightly, the coldness on her face completely gone. She bowed slightly and said, "Yes, Director Mama."

Sellia nodded, then looked at the boy in her arms and said, "Let's go. The car is outside. Mama will stay with you all day."

"Okay," the boy nodded vigorously, wiped the tears from his eyes, and smiled.

And so, Director Sellia took the boy's hand and walked out of the somewhat dilapidated orphanage under the morning sun.