"Shu Shu, for National Day, Mom is going to our hometown with your uncle and brother." Can you go to your father's place since you're on vacation?
Amidst the bustling street, a slender and quiet girl carried a light blue backpack. Despite the warm weather, she inexplicably felt cold.
Ruan Shu lowered her gaze, her long bangs covering the emotions in her eyes.
Her delicate fingers gripped the phone so tightly that her fingertips turned pale. She pursed her lips tightly and, after a long pause, whispered softly, "Okay."
As soon as the word was spoken, the call was already disconnected.
Before the call ended, she faintly heard the impatient voice of a boy urging on the other end of the line.
Ruan Shu's dark and clear eyes turned slightly red. She sniffed and tried hard to hold back her tears.
However, the fifteen-year-old girl looked lost and bewildered as she gazed at the bustling street. She didn't know where to go.
Before her mother called, her father also called to inform her that he, her stepmother, and stepsister were going abroad for some time.
Although she had parents, she lived almost like an orphan.
Her parents divorced when she was five, and soon after, they each started new families. Since then, she had been shuttling between the two families, but she never truly fit in, feeling like a stranger living in their homes.
No, even being a stranger would be too kind. Perhaps she was more like a burden.
She had always been obedient and never caused them trouble, but... why didn't they want her?
The suppressed grievance surged up in her heart, and Ruan Shu's eyes became even redder.
"Meow"~"
A soft and tender meow sounded, and Ruan Shu, sitting on a small park bench, suddenly felt something furry brushing against her feet.
She looked down and saw a beautiful little cat with palm-sized, blue eyes.
Ruan Shu sniffed and crouched down, running her fingers over the cat's head.
"How did you end up here?"
The girl's voice was soft and nasal. Before she could hold back her tears, they fell onto the cat's fur.
As she stroked the soft fur of the cat, Ruan Shu felt some of her grievances dissipating.
It's okay; she could be on her own.
"Do you not have a home either?"
Ruan Shu murmured softly as she gently pinched the cat's soft paws. Beneath her thick bangs, her own round, cat-like eyes also curved upwards as she looked into its clear blue eyes.
"Ah!"
"Get away quickly!"
Suddenly, a scream and commotion caught Ruan Shu's attention. She turned to see a crooked school bus heading towards them.
In that split second, Ruan Shu shielded the little cat in her arms. With a loud bang, she felt a sharp pain and was thrown out.
Lying in a pool of blood, Ruan Shu didn't think about what her parents would do. Without her, their lives would be better; she was just a burden to them.
Did the little cat die?
Sorry, she must have carried it.
In the hazy consciousness of her last moment, Ruan Shu seemed to hear a soft and tender meow.
Text: ### ... ###
The universe is vast and boundless, and no race can claim to have explored the entire cosmos.
In this interstellar world, numerous star systems and races have flourished.
Each race capable of adapting to this world has its own culture and developmental trajectory.
Among them, the Star Beast Clan, which values strength above all, is an existence that other races dare not provoke, even when united.
They can transform at will between human and beast forms, and their sturdy bodies can even collide with small asteroids in space without sustaining any harm.
Several powerful races harness the power of elements, dominating the battlefield.
This is a society that esteems strength, and the evaluation of each powerful individual is primarily based on their spiritual prowess.
The stronger the spiritual power, the stronger the beast form, and the more powerful the mechanical beast armor and combat capabilities they can wield on the interstellar battlefield.
Every Star Beast Clan cub undergoes a spiritual power level test before the age of five, which is a crucial turning point that determines their fate.
"How can it be an F level!" Could there be a problem with the testing equipment? Take another look at her. She is..."
"Are you done?" The spiritual power testing device was serviced just yesterday; there can't be any problems. Hurry up and take your child away. "We have other people waiting to be tested and don't have time to waste with you here."
The inspector in a white coat drove away the woman who was causing trouble.
Xiao Yuan Yi had no choice but to leave with her four-year-old daughter.
As soon as they left the spiritual power testing building, she unceremoniously pinched the little girl's arm, her beautiful face contorted with anger.
"Worthless, so worthless!" How can you be so useless with an F-level spiritual power? "I should never have given birth to you in the first place!"
With that, Xiao Yuan Yi angrily left. If she had not wanted to use this child to gain entry into the Marshal's mansion, she would not have taken the risk. After raising her for four years, she realized she had only raised a useless child. How could she use this child to enter the Marshal's mansion now?
She was unwilling!
Ruan Shu, enduring the pain in her arm, had no choice but to follow the woman. Without her, she had no place to call home in this world and couldn't survive.
She had crossed over, and since birth, she had been a tool for the woman to fulfill her desires.
She was just a four-year-old child, short-legged, with tears in her eyes; she couldn't keep up with the woman. Instead, she tripped and fell, unaware of what had caused her to stumble.
Her palm stung, but Ruan Shu didn't have time to look at her injury. She had to follow the woman; otherwise, she would have no home and no means to survive in this world.
In her previous life, she was unwanted by her parents. Now, even though she has a mother in this world, she is not treated well. For four years, she had been ignored in this world, never experiencing a mother's love. Now, due to her high spiritual power level, her mother in this world had completely abandoned her.
Why didn't anyone want her? Why didn't anyone like her? Was she not meant to be born? Was she so unlikeable and detestable?
Even as she drowned in self-loathing and sadness, the little girl cried quietly.
Ruan Shu didn't cry as loudly as the other children. She sat on the ground, hugging herself, tears falling silently, her sobs barely audible.
But her silent tears were even more heart-wrenching to witness.
"What's wrong with you?"