Zhen Zhen Was a Beauty

At six years old, Zhen had her first realization that she needed to become strong. When Fiona and the other two had pinned her to the ground and beaten her, she had been utterly despairing.

At the time, she had thought, Just let it end like this. If I die, there won't be any more pain...

Zhen had already been lying on the ground, having given up struggling, but when Xi Xiu and Xue Fanhui appeared, her will to live was rekindled.

Although people were born with innate differences in talent, Xi Xiu was the same age as her, and the gap between them was not yet so obvious.

Since they had only just started school, everyone was progressing through their studies at the same pace. Yet Xi Xiu had been able to beat those people flat, and Zhen felt that she was truly too weak.

The pain of losing her parents, the fear of arriving in an unfamiliar place, and her uncertainty about the future all vanished in that instant.

That was why she had given Vivian such an answer when Vivian asked her.

Xi Xiu was also surprised. She had not expected Zhen to possess such resolve.

Xue Fanhui, however, felt that she had not saved the wrong person, and her heart blossomed with joy.

"Good, Zhen. Remember what you said. Your Mental Power level may not be high, but you can still contribute to the Alliance in other ways. The meaning of life does not lie solely in the military; it is found in every aspect of life. Everyone will have their own path."

Vivian spoke to Zhen earnestly. She was afraid the little girl might develop psychological trauma, so she offered a few words of guidance. Whether Zhen understood them now or not, Vivian hoped she would remember them.

"Yes, Director Vivian." Zhen answered Vivian seriously, her lovely little face drawn taut.

In the end, Vivian punished Xi Xiu and the others by making them clean their three-story building and the courtyard in front of the Orphanage for seven days after they returned.

Nowadays, robots handled such work. No one cleaned manually anymore.

The three-story building and courtyard covered quite a large area. Even if the three of them divided the work, each would have to spend over an hour on it.

Xi Xiu and the other two accepted the punishment without bargaining with Vivian. There was neither need nor reason to do so.

As for Fiona and the other two, Vivian decided to take compulsory measures. They would be barred from participating in any Orphanage outings until they completed their studies, and would clean the rear building until they left Ningkui Star—roughly a year from now.

After Vivian left, Xi Xiu let out a breath. She had thought Vivian would fly into a rage, but it had only been a punishment.

Xue Fanhui sprawled on the floor mat, replaying the day's glorious battle in her mind with some satisfaction. She had fought back successfully—and won completely.

Zhen stared at Xi Xiu with utter admiration, making Xi Xiu's skin crawl a little.

"C-Can I... train with you from now on? My name is Zhen." Zhen sounded especially uneasy, because she had been rejected many times before.

Xi Xiu did not know how to answer. If she refused, she found herself unable to make up her mind while looking into those eyes that had regained their light.

"I need to ask Fanhui, because I've always trained with her."

Still lying on the mat, Fanhui agreed without even thinking about it. "Sure. But we get up very early every day, and our training is three times as intense as yours. If you're sure you can handle it, then join us."

At that moment, none of the three had a child's innocence left. Each of them carried wounds in her heart that could not heal.

Those experiences had forced them to grow up overnight. They knew how difficult the world was, and that coming to the Orphanage meant every road they would walk in the future could only be walked by themselves. They had no one but themselves.

"I'll work hard to keep up. Thank you, seniors!" Zhen bowed, tears slipping from the corners of her eyes. The emotion she felt in that moment was enough to move her to the depths of her heart.

Xi Xiu and Xue Fanhui both had some injuries, so they did not go out again. Zhen also obediently stayed in Xi Xiu and Xue Fanhui's tent.

The three were bored sitting around, so they all connected to the Star Net, intending to browse information to pass the time.

Xi Xiu continued her usual routine of checking all kinds of information. Xue Fanhui followed developments in the machinery industry, while Zhen had no particular goal, so she simply imitated Xi Xiu and browsed everything.

Seeing that the three little girls were getting along well and that Zhen was unwilling to return to her own tent, Vivian had Xue Fanhui take Xi Xiu and Zhen in so the three could squeeze in together for the night.

Today, Zhen had been tricked into going to the reef by the roommate who shared her tent. She probably would not want to see that roommate again.

After considering it, Vivian decided she would rearrange the dorm assignments once they returned.

The three girls slept soundly through the night. The next day's lesson was about identifying different minerals.

Ningkui Star was not merely a frontier star system. It also produced a crystal called Shulai Stone, a raw material used to create folded space.

The bracelet on Xi Xiu's wrist was made from Shulai Stone, whose price had remained high for the past few years.

The crystal was transparent and tiny, about the size of a fingernail. It was often mixed among the various sand and stones along the Purple Coast.

Private mining was normally forbidden on Ningkui Star, but the Orphanage was an exception. Every year, Vivian's Orphanage was allowed to come search once. However much they found belonged to the children of the Orphanage, which was essentially a way of generating income for them.

After breakfast, Vivian led the children to the Purple Coast to search for Shulai Stone.

Xi Xiu, Xue Fanhui, and Zhen were in one group. After recovering overnight, the traces of Xue Fanhui's injuries had already faded. Most of Xi Xiu's injuries were on her body, and her face had not been hurt.

Once the redness and swelling on Zhen's face subsided, Xi Xiu was surprised to discover that the little girl was very beautiful. Too beautiful.

Her eyelashes were like raven feathers, her eye sockets deep-set, and her small nose high and delicate. She looked like a doll—the prettiest kind.

Zhen Zhen was a beauty, and she would become even more captivating when she grew up.

To prevent a repeat of yesterday's incident, Vivian had the robots keep a close watch on the children assigned to them, temporarily adding an enhanced supervision program.

After listening carefully to Vivian's explanation, Xi Xiu lowered her head and began searching for Shulai Stone.

Before long, she found four or five pieces. After bringing them to Vivian for identification, she tucked them away.

Vivian said that all the Shulai Stones they found during class belonged to them.

After they returned to the Orphanage, Shally would count them. They would then be sold collectively in the Orphanage's name, and the Star Coins earned would be transferred directly into their accounts. Once they turned ten, they would be free to manage them themselves. This counted as their first income.

All the children were highly motivated. They only had one morning to search, and when Xi Xiu heard that, she beamed with delight. These were all Star Coins.

Without money, one could not get anywhere in the Alliance. The little money-grubber had been wondering how to make money.

Xue Fanhui and Zhen were equally energetic. The three of them headed west along the coast. Xi Xiu found the trick: whenever colored grains of sand appeared, Shulai Stone was sure to be nearby. She shared this pattern with Xue Fanhui and Zhen, speeding up their search.

When the time Vivian had set came to an end, Xi Xiu had actually found over a thousand pieces of Shulai Stone. That was no small income.

Xue Fanhui and Zhen had also found quite a lot, making the three of them the top three in this search.

Once everyone had assembled, Vivian sent the children onto the vehicle and returned to the Orphanage with them.

After more than an hour, they landed. Vivian had Xi Xiu, Xue Fanhui, and Zhen come to her office. "Fanhui, Xi Xiu, Zhen, I'd like to ask for your opinions. Would the three of you be willing to live together?"

Zhen lifted her head happily when she heard that. "Director, Zhen is willing."

Xue Fanhui did not mind. After spending a day together, she did not find the somewhat delicate girl annoying, especially because of her cautious manner.

Xi Xiu did not have a bad impression of Zhen either, so she nodded.

Vivian arranged for Zhen to move into the remaining room in Xi Xiu and Xue Fanhui's suite. The three of them would spend all their days at the Orphanage there.