Folding Stars

The girl stared at him with wide, curious eyes. There was no expectation or disgust in them, only curiosity.

Yet she said nothing. Her fluttering lashes were like tiny fans.

Shen Qingling felt that her eyes resembled crystal—pure and clear, with a power that soothed the heart and left no room for evil thoughts.

Lin Xingmian looked up at Ji Yunmiao. "The brother from the phone."

The girl's voice was thin and soft, as gentle as a cloud. It brushed against the ears like a feather's light tickle.

Ji Yunmiao smiled and patted her head. "That's right. Didn't Mianmian say she liked his paintings? Then Sister invited him to teach Mianmian how to draw. Mianmian can draw with Teacher Shen this afternoon, okay?"

Lin Xingmian said nothing, lowering her head and eyes.

Ji Yunmiao could tell that she was nervous. She comforted her, "Mianmian, just try one lesson, okay? If you don't like it, we won't continue."

Lin Xingmian shook her head in refusal.

Ji Yunmiao sighed and went to the door to speak to Shen Qingling. "You've seen the situation. She's very resistant toward other people. Even with me, it took a lot of effort before she was barely willing to talk to me."

Shen Qingling replied evenly, "It's fine. If you trust me, leave her to me."

Ji Yunmiao reminded him, "All right, but if she really resists too much, then forget it."

"Mm. Can I go into these rooms? I'd like to understand her better."

"Of course. I'm counting on you, Shen Qingling."

Ji Yunmiao went inside again and said something to Lin Xingmian. Lin Xingmian remained silent.

Shen Qingling wandered around the Lin Family home instead, entering Lin Xingmian's room to observe her living habits.

Lin Xingmian's room was a very girlish pink room. Many paper cranes and wind chimes hung by the door, chiming softly whenever the wind blew.

Many stuffed toys sat by Lin Xingmian's bed—rabbits, bears, cats, all kinds.

The room was covered in soft carpeting patterned with stars.

Many folded paper stars sat on Lin Xingmian's desk, neatly stored in transparent glass jars.

Not only were there stars on the desk, but the jars of stars filled an entire cabinet.

On the far left of the desk was a combination lockbox, with a diary in the middle. Besides that, there were Cloud Collection Manual, The Shape of Clouds, and several books about drawing. The unclosed drawer contained candy wrapped in colorful paper.

There was a balcony outside Lin Xingmian's room. From there, one could see the villa's backyard garden, and the view was beautiful.

The girl's balcony was filled with green plants and sunflowers, with several jars and bottles of unknown use placed nearby.

After leaving the room, he went to Lin Xingmian's art studio.

Lin Xingmian's paintings were all beautiful and wholesome, not dark or gloomy in style.

Most of her paintings depicted small animals, flowers, clouds, rainbows, green plants, the sky, stars, and so on. There were almost no people in them.

From this, Shen Qingling could infer that Lin Xingmian liked folding stars, eating candy, collecting clouds and cloud-patterned items, and growing plants.

No matter how he looked at it, such a girl did not seem like someone with depression.

By the time Shen Qingling returned to the music room, Ji Yunmiao had already left.

The girl stood alone before the floor-to-ceiling window, lost in thought. Even when she heard Shen Qingling's footsteps, she showed no reaction.

Shen Qingling walked over to speak with her.

"Can I call you Mianmian?" "..."

"My name is Shen Qingling. Mianmian can call me Teacher Shen."

"..."

"Your sister said you like drawing. It happens to be one of my hobbies too."

"..."

Lin Xingmian showed no reaction at all.

In his previous world, Shen Qingling had encountered a similar girl. At the time, he had been acting in a charity film, and his co-star had happened to be a little girl like this.

At first, she had not spoken either. Other than reciting her lines while filming, she hardly spoke to anyone.

Later, Shen Qingling often counseled her in private, telling jokes to make her laugh. Gradually, she became willing to speak to him, though she still did not talk much.

Shen Qingling had been puzzled, thinking the girl disliked him and found him annoying. After that, he rarely initiated conversations with her, but she ended up coming to talk to him on her own.

Shen Qingling asked if she disliked him, which was why she had not been very willing to talk to him.

She explained that she did not dislike him. She was simply used to keeping her words inside.

She said, "Whether someone likes you isn't shown by what she says, but by what she does."

For example, she had always preferred sitting beside Shen Qingling.

For example, her gaze would always inadvertently fall upon him.

For example, she secretly bought the same white shirts as Shen Qingling.

For example, even her cup was always placed right beside Shen Qingling's.

Girls of this type all had many little thoughts and gestures that ordinary people would never notice.

Their affection was like the wind. It might brush by ever so lightly, while the person being loved remained completely unaware.

Dealing with such a girl required patience.

Patience was what Shen Qingling lacked least.

Lin Xingmian appeared to be spacing out as she looked outside, but Shen Qingling could sense that she was actually listening to him.

"Mianmian and I are very alike. I don't like talking either. Everyone says I'm cold, but I just keep my words in my heart and don't like saying them. I wonder if Mianmian is the same."

"On my way here, I passed a pet shop. The kittens and puppies inside were very cute, and there was even a kitten that could talk."

"There was also a flower shop next to that pet shop. It was very special, with many flowers I'd never seen before. The most special flower reflected seven-colored light."

"Beside the flower shop was a huge candy house that sold candy from all over the world. The owner said there was one kind of candy that would make you smile as soon as you ate it."

Unlike the previous therapists, Shen Qingling did not begin with drawing. He merely mentioned that he liked drawing, then started talking about what he had seen on his way over.

"Today is our first time meeting. How about Teacher Shen chooses one of those things as a gift for our first meeting?"

Lin Xingmian finally moved.

She blinked and looked at Shen Qingling.

The girl's gaze was very innocent, but Shen Qingling could not understand what she was trying to say.

"If Mianmian doesn't speak, I'll take that as agreement."

"I'll write the numbers one, two, and three on paper and fold them into stars. Whichever one Mianmian picks will be your gift."

Without waiting for Lin Xingmian to speak, Shen Qingling took out some paper and wrote down the numbers.

"But Teacher Shen isn't very good at folding stars, so Mianmian can fold them."

Lin Xingmian did not move at first, but Shen Qingling was not discouraged. He deliberately folded a failed star.

When Lin Xingmian saw the sorrowful look in Shen Qingling's eyes, she lightly pressed her lips together. Her lashes trembled, and then she silently took the paper from his hand and began folding stars.

077 said in surprise, "I couldn't tell that you had the potential to be a kindergarten teacher, Host."

In the system's eyes, Lin Xingmian was probably no different from a child.

Shen Qingling smiled as he watched the girl carefully fold the stars.

"Her traits are innocence and purity, kindness and goodness. That means when you encounter difficulties, she is willing to help."

"If it's something she cannot overcome psychologically, something she cannot express, she will struggle and feel upset inside. But you won't be able to tell from her expression—you may even think she is cold or indifferent."

"But if it's something she knows how to do and excels at, she will probably take the initiative to help. Like folding stars—this is something she does not need to struggle through psychological barriers to do."

Lin Xingmian quietly folded three stars, then placed them in her palm and held them out to Shen Qingling.