Nian Fu had a dream. In it, she seemed to have returned to the orphanage where she had spent her childhood.
Shadowy figures hurried through a wash of gray-white water. Scenes from her past drifted before her eyes, and Nian Fu saw "that person" from her memories.
Six years ago, the woman in the long white coat was still young. Holding a black umbrella, she entered the orphanage and moved familiarly through its maze-like corridors.
The usually overbearing director treated her with great respect, following at her side with nods and bows as he explained something in a hushed, fawning tone.
She merely wore a proper smile, every gesture revealing impeccable courtesy.
Nian Fu hid behind a corridor pillar and watched cautiously, suspecting that the woman was a high-ranking member of the Federation—at the time, her knowledge was too limited for her to imagine any other force that could command such reverence.
The woman seemed to have noticed her as well, but she said nothing. Instead, she gently asked the director a few questions.
Nian Fu could not understand much. She only knew that the woman had come looking for a child, but the director had clearly failed to give her a satisfactory answer.
That child was not in the orphanage, but why had the woman thought to come here to look for someone?
"I'm very sorry to have disturbed you, but I must trouble you to keep an eye out for us. If you find that child, please be sure to inform me immediately," the woman said politely to the director.
The director repeatedly agreed. When he turned around and saw Nian Fu hiding nearby to eavesdrop, his face immediately twisted into a ferocious expression. "What's your number? Get back to your room!"
Normally, Nian Fu would have run