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Today is Children's Day, and a stage was set up early in the open space of the orphanage, decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations. Everyone was busy with the performances and hurriedly finished their lunch, only to realize that they had forgotten about Yu Miaomiao.
The caregiver was in a rush to put on makeup and change clothes for the children and didn't have time to make a new batch. Remembering that there was a bag of cat food left in the cupboard, she took a small bowl, poured half a bowl of cat food into it, and threw it in front of Yu Miaomiao. Before leaving, she complained, "What a troublesome thing."
The kitten sat upright on the table, staring at the bowl of cat food on the floor for a long time. Then it jumped down and used all four limbs and teeth to finally move the food onto the table before starting to eat.
The cat food was for adult cats and was very hard. It hadn't been soaked in hot water to soften it, so Yu Miaomiao, being a kitten, couldn't chew it at all. She could only eat it one kibble at a time, slowly grinding it with her teeth.
She ate for a long time, but only managed to eat a dozen or so. She didn't want to eat anymore, so she went back to her bedroom, jumped onto her little bed, and hugged a tattered little cat plush toy.
Just then, the show outside started, and music and cheers drifted over. Her ears twitched, and she buried the cat completely under the covers, covering her ears tightly.
Yu Miaomiao wanted to sleep so she wouldn't have to listen to the annoying cheers, but her empty stomach made it impossible for her to fall asleep.
She had to try to distract herself by thinking about other things.
The doctor who did her physical exam last week said that she will soon be able to transform into human form, and after that she can go to school instead of staying in the orphanage all day.
Thinking about this, she felt both happy and worried.
I wonder if Mom will come that day.
Yu Miaomiao remembers a long time ago—she doesn't know if it was a few months or a few years, but it was a long time for her as a little girl—her mother took her to buy a schoolbag and all sorts of pretty stationery.
Mom picked her up and spun her around. "Miaomiao! You'll be starting school soon, aren't you excited? On your first day, shall we go to the amusement park?"
Yu Jianqing would never lie to Yu Miaomiao, so she was more inclined to believe that her mother would show up that day.
She was so hungry that she rolled over, gently biting the tip of the doll's ear and grinding her teeth, unconsciously thinking about all sorts of food.
"Today's breakfast is a combination of milk, pineapple jam, and basil jam in pancakes. How does it look? Don't be fooled by the strange color; it's actually delicious!"
"Mom made cola chicken wings today, do you like them! But you can only eat three, eating too many will make you feel stuffed. Feed Miaomiao, it's very hot! Ouch, her tongue is all red..."
"Ta-da! A little cake shaped like Miaomiao, isn't it super cute? If we put it in the shop window, lots of people will want to buy it, haha. Here, this is your royalties. Oh dear, why are you putting it away? Is there something Mommy can't know? Mommy is so sad, Miaomiao has a little secret now..."
Yu Miaomiao sniffed, as if she could smell the aroma of bread again.
When she came to her senses, she realized that she had bitten a small hole in the tip of the doll's ear. She licked it tenderly, trying to close the hole.
This is the doll that has been with her since she was a child. Yu Jianqing used to love buying her all kinds of toys, and there were a bunch of dolls of all sizes on her bed, but this was her favorite. When she was hurriedly sent to the orphanage, she only had time to take this little cat doll with her.
In the past, no matter how dirty or broken she made her dolls, they would always appear clean and fresh on her pillow the next day.
After arriving at the orphanage, it took Yu Miaomiao several months to realize that no one there would wash her dolls, replace the cotton, or sew up the holes. From then on, she treated her dolls with great care.
Just as she was trying to stuff the exposed wisp of cotton back in with her claws, the blanket was suddenly pulled back, and several tall figures appeared beside the bed, followed by a sudden burst of laughter.
"Hey, look! That little good-for-nothing was hiding under the covers!"
Yu Miaomiao jumped up, retreated to the foot of the bed, and looked warily at the red-haired boy in the lead. "What are you going to do?"
He is the leader of the children in the orphanage, named Xiong Chuan. His prototype is a brown bear. At the age of seven, he is as strong as a ten-year-old child. His favorite thing to do is to bully Yu Miaomiao.
"The performance was too boring, so we came here to have some fun."
Xiong Chuan grinned, his eyes darting around until he spotted the doll on the bed, and reached out to take it.
Yu Miaomiao's pupils contracted, and she lunged forward, shouting, "Give it back to me!"
Xiong Chuan brushed the kitten away, "What are you doing? Let me play with it."
Yu Miaomiao bumped into the bedpost, her head spinning. It took her a while to regain her balance, then she immediately jumped onto Xiong Chuan, yelling, "Stop playing with it! Give it back!!!"
Xiong Chuan held the doll high, "I'm not giving it back, what can you do about it?"
Just as Yu Miaomiao climbed onto his arm and was about to grab the doll, he hooked his hand and tossed the doll into the hands of another child.
Yu Miaomiao ran towards the child, but then tossed him to a third person.
Then, a game targeting Yu Miaomiao began. They grabbed one of the doll's legs and waved it to attract the kitten, then threw it away just before she could catch it, watching the kitten jump and run around among the three of them, thoroughly enjoying themselves.
But the doll's fragile fabric couldn't withstand their pulling and tugging. Soon, during one of the transfers, the doll tore in two with a ripping sound, scattering cotton wool all over the floor.
Yu Miaomiao stopped and stared blankly at the doll's broken half-face.
"Oh dear, I didn't expect it to be so fragile. I'm sorry."
Xiong Chuan threw the other half on the ground, saying apologetic words, but his yellow eyes were maliciously staring at Yu Miaomiao, as if he was looking forward to her breaking down and crying.
Yu Miaomiao raised her head and stared intently at the boy, her eyes bulging, but she forced herself not to cry.
Because she knew that crying would only bring more ridicule and bullying.
She tried to act nonchalant, saying, "So what if it's broken? My mom will just buy me a new one."
Xiong Chuan was taken aback, then burst into laughter, "Mom? You don't have a mom anymore!"
Yu Miaomiao didn't believe him at all. "My mom will pick me up from school on the first day and take me to the amusement park. She never lies."
Xiong Chuan's face suddenly twisted in pain. He grabbed the kitten's thin neck and growled, "I'm telling you, your mother won't take you to the amusement park. She's dead! I'm telling you, she's dead! She'll never come back for you!"
"You piece of trash, you'll only ever be stuck here and bullied by me for the rest of your life!"
...
"You piece of trash! You'll be trampled under my feet for the rest of your life!"
The boy with blond and black hair grabbed Yu Miaomiao by the collar, slammed her against the wall, and pointed at her nose, mocking her.
"What good is it if you do well on the exam? With such weak demon power, you still can't get into the Demon University."
The pain from her shoulder blade hitting the wall didn't change Yu Miaomiao's expression at all. She tilted her head back, her deep green eyes staring at the boy without any emotion.
"Are you done yelling? Put me down."
Staring at those glass-like eyes, the boy instinctively wanted to let go, but then he became angry at his own weak thought.
He lifted Yu Miaomiao higher and reached out to slap her face in a humiliating manner, saying, "Who do you think you are, daring to order me around? Let me tell you—"
“What are you doing!”
A clear, angry voice rang out, followed by hurried footsteps. The young girl pushed the boy aside and stood in front of Yu Miaomiao.
"Don't bully your classmates!"
"Great! I knew Miao Miao hadn't been acting right lately. Turns out you guys were the ones causing trouble!"
The boy panicked for a moment, then looked closely and recognized her as the humanities teacher who had recently been transferred from the next class. He thought her name was Yang Qiu, and he felt a surge of contempt for her.
He shrugged. "I didn't lay a hand on her, what can you do about it?"
"It's not just about getting injured that you have to resort to violence; this is a clear insult to your classmate!"
Yang Qiu, with her hair tied in a high ponytail and carrying a black laptop bag, looked no older than the group of students, but her expression was very serious and her voice was firm.
"Which class are you in? I'll call your homeroom teacher right now."
The younger brother tugged at the man's sleeve. "Brother Bai, the boss just scolded us yesterday, saying we'll be in big trouble if we cause any more trouble."
The boy hesitated, taking a step back, but still stubbornly insisted, "Tch, making a mountain out of a molehill."
"This is not making a mountain out of a molehill; it must be dealt with seriously!"
Yang Qiu grabbed one boy by the hand and said, "Come on, let's go to the disciplinary office!"
"Let go! Let go now!"
The boy panicked, yanked hard, pulled off his sleeve, and ran away quickly.
Yang Qiu stared at the boy who had run away, and laughed angrily, "You ran so fast, but it's okay to have you here. I'll have you come and identify him tomorrow."
The little boy panicked, "No, teacher, I was wrong, okay?!"
But she wouldn't accept begging for mercy. She dragged her underling towards the office, taking Yu Miaomiao with her.
Upon arriving at the office, she locked the door and began checking on Yu Miaomiao's condition.
"Miaomiao, are you alright? Are you hurt?"
She patted the plaster off Yu Miaomiao's back, noticing her sharp, protruding shoulder blades, and felt a pang of heartache. "She's at the age where she's growing, so she needs to eat more."
Then he noticed a bloody mark on Yu Miaomiao's cheek, bleeding profusely, so he took out iodine and said, "Let me treat it for you."
While dealing with the situation, she muttered to herself, "These brats are so awful. It's okay if their grades are bad, but why do they always like to bully people..."
Just then, a rustling sound came from the window. Yang Qiu turned around and saw an enormous rat struggling to squeeze through the gap in the railing.
She screamed, "How can there be such a big rat!"
Then he picked up a broom and was about to hit it.
The mouse squeaked and struggled even harder, finally leaping over the fence and outside just before the broom swung.
Yang Qiu looked out the window and saw the mouse tumble a few times on the ground, and in the blink of an eye, it turned into the boy from before. The boy turned around and glanced at her, then jumped up in fright and ran away in a panic.
She rushed to the door, staring incredulously at the departing figure. "What... what happened? Why did I turn into a rat..."
She turned to look at the girl and tried her best to describe what had just happened, "Miaomiao, that boy just turned into a mouse, I promise you, I absolutely—"
Yang Qiu stopped abruptly halfway through his sentence.
Because she noticed that the girl didn't seem shocked at all, as if this was a common occurrence.
She said softly, "You...already knew?"
Yu Miaomiao nodded. "This is a school for monsters."
Recalling the various unusual things that had happened during his month of teaching at the school, Yang Qiu suddenly realized, "No wonder I always felt this place was strange!"
After saying that, she realized something, "Miaomiao, could you also be... a monster?"
"That's right."
Two golden, pointed ears suddenly appeared on Yu Miaomiao's head.
Yang Qiu looked stunned, as if he was terrified and had not yet been able to accept what he was seeing.
Yu Miaomiao scoffed, slapped her ears down, walked past the other person, and left the office.
She left the school but didn't head to the orphanage. Instead, she wandered aimlessly until late at night before returning home. By then, most of the children were asleep, and she wouldn't have to endure the mockery and bullying she had suffered during the day.
On her way back, she passed by the school and thought of Yang Qiu.
I guess the young teacher couldn't wait to call the police after she left, since she looked terrified. And it's true, humans are always so timid and cowardly.
But this is for the best; Yang Qiu should stop bothering her with all those questions like an annoying bee.
As she approached the orphanage, she stopped in her tracks, drawn to the sound of soft breathing.
Following the sound, a figure squatting on the ground came into view.
"Miaomiao, you're back! I've been waiting for you for so long."
The figure leaned against the wall to stand up, revealing a tired face under the dim streetlights; it was Yang Qiu.
A strange feeling arose in her heart, "What are you doing here?"
Yang Qiu laughed, "I was worried about you."
"You ran out in the blink of an eye. What if you get bullied by those kids again?"
Yu Miaomiao frowned, "It's none of your business."
"No, I'm your teacher."
Yang Qiu grabbed Yu Miaomiao's arm, "Teacher guessed you haven't eaten yet, come on, let's go eat!"
They ordered two meals at McDonald's.
This was Yu Miaomiao's first time eating McDonald's. She carefully bit off half a fries and gasped when she was burned.
Yang Qiu quickly handed her a glass of iced cola, saying, "It's very hot, take your time."
Yu Miaomiao took the cola but didn't drink it, asking abruptly, "Knowing we're monsters, aren't you afraid?"
Yang Qiu chuckled, "What am I afraid of? I'm just quite surprised. I never thought there really were monsters in the world."
"But monster children are pretty much the same as humans, they don't like to study, they like to bully little girls, and they're afraid of teachers."
At this point, her expression suddenly turned serious. "Miaomiao, you've changed a lot lately. What exactly happened to you?"
"If it's because you've been bullied, don't worry. Tell me who it is, and the teacher will definitely help you resolve it."
"no."
Yu Miaomiao shook her head. "I've been through a lot of these kinds of things, so I don't care at all."
She stroked the cold, slippery Coke cup. "It's...something else."
Her grades dropped because she learned about the assessment criteria of the Monster University—it didn't look at grades, only at monster power.
Those who bully Yu Miaomiao all day long, and whose grades are not even a fraction of hers, can easily pass the exam and enter the Monster University and the Monster Department because they have strong enough demon power.
She wasn't even qualified to apply.
Since then, she has become too lazy to take exams and has lost interest in homework.
The girl stared down at a pile of ketchup, her thin neck exposed. Her voice was soft: "Since no matter how hard I try, I can't beat those monsters who just fight and waste their days, what's the point of studying?"
After hearing this, Yang Qiu opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say.
Stepping out of the store, Yu Miaomiao hesitated for a moment before saying, "Thank you for treating me to dinner."
Every night when she returned home, the kitchen was empty and there was no food left. Tonight, at least she wouldn't have to go to sleep hungry.
After that, she left.
She hadn't walked far when she heard Yang Qiu chasing after her, "Miao Miao, wait!"
Yang Qiu grasped Yu Miaomiao's shoulders and looked down at her: "Miaomiao, tell me, is getting into a monster university the only path for a monster's future?"
Yu Miaomiao was taken aback. "I...don't know."
From childhood, the orphanage and school promoted it as a university for monsters, and in her mind, it seemed to be the only path to the future.
Yang Qiu laughed, "That's it."
"Miaomiao, there is more than one path in the future, and demonic power is not the only criterion for judgment. You are an excellent and very smart child. I believe that you are definitely no worse than those little brats!"
Yu Miaomiao's throat felt like it was being choked by something, and it took her a while to finally make a sound, "...okay."
-
Yang Qiu somehow obtained the job posting for the Monster Department and happily showed it to Yu Miaomiao.
"Miaomiao, look, there are still many positions in the Monster Department that don't require a degree from Monster University!"
"The requirements from the Demon Supervisory Committee and the Education Department are either a degree from a demon university or a regular 211 university or above. That's too easy! Miaomiao, you're so smart, getting into a 211 university is a piece of cake, right?"
"Miaomiao, tell me, do you think you can pass the exam?"
Yu Miaomiao didn't know what a 211 university was, but looking at the teacher's smiling face, her confidence gradually rose, after all, she also thought she was very smart.
She curled the corners of her lips and whispered, "Yes, I can pass the exam."
Yang Qiu's eyes crinkled into a smile. "So, are you confident you'll get first place in the whole school for next month's final exams?"
Yu Miaomiao said, "I have confidence."
Yang Qiu hugged the girl, "That's right, Miaomiao, teacher knows you're the best!"
Yu Miaomiao awkwardly pulled away, "Okay, okay, don't hug me..."
-
From then on, Yu Miaomiao had a perfect place to go after school: Yang Qiu's office.
No one would bother her here, and there was a table for her to do her homework. She always stayed until very late before going home, and she also stayed here on weekends.
When the weather is nice, after finishing her homework, she will revert to her original form and take a nap in the sun.
Yang Qiu held her in his arms and brushed her fur, asking, "Miaomiao, the weather is so nice today, aren't you going out to play with your friends?"
Yu Miaomiao paused in her paw-licking motion. "I have no friends."
"But it's so lonely not having any friends."
She rolled over and buried her head in the crook of her knees. "I'm not afraid of being alone. I hate everyone."
Yang Qiu fell silent, only letting out a soft sigh.
-
Yang Qiu brought a DSLR camera from home and kept taking pictures of Yu Miaomiao.
Yu Miaomiao didn't like being photographed and kept pestering Yang Qiu to delete the photos.
Yang Qiu raised his camera, preventing her from deleting the photos, saying, "No, these photos are very precious."
"It's just a photo, what's so precious about it?"
She crouched down, looked at Yu Miaomiao, and said earnestly:
"Miaomiao, the world is vast, not just about orphanages or schools. You won't be alone forever. You will definitely meet someone who understands you. If He/She wants to know what you looked like when you were little, how regrettable it would be if there were no photos of you back then?"
-
After the final exam results came out, Yu Miaomiao achieved her goal of ranking first.
She went to Yang Qiu's office excitedly, but only saw an empty desk and the head of the teaching department.
The head of teaching put several books with Yang Qiu's name on them into a box. When he turned around, he saw Yu Miaomiao.
She had a good impression of this quiet student with excellent grades. "Miaomiao, what brings you here?"
Yu Miaomiao said, "I'm here to see Teacher Yang."
"Teacher Yang has been transferred, didn't you know?"
The head of the teaching department said, "Teacher Yang learned about the existence of monsters, drank an amnesia potion before the final exams, and was transferred to a human school."
She lowered the report card she was holding, nodded silently, and walked out of the office.
As she turned the corner, the head of the teaching department caught up with her. "Miaomiao, wait a minute. It seems that Teacher Yang left something for you."
She handed me a small USB drive.
When Yu Miaomiao first entered an internet cafe, she plugged her USB drive into the computer and saw many versions of herself: the original form, the human form, doing homework, frowning, yawning, sleeping, laughing...
Yu Miaomiao stared at these photos for a long time.
-
A year later, Yu Miaomiao was admitted to the best high school in the city, Renmin High School.
She chose to live at school, and no more monsters bullied her. The humans around her called her a genius, looked at her with admiration, and wanted to be her friend.
She ignored them all and kept to herself.
In her spare time, she started learning programming, earning her own money, and changing computers and phones many times. She kept these photos but never looked at them.
She didn't like the photos of herself, but kept them simply because they were taken by Teacher Yang.
-
On the first day of university, Yu Miaomiao was troubled because she couldn't live off-campus for the first year. Dragging her suitcase, she walked towards her dormitory with a frown, determined to keep her distance from her human roommates and get through the year safely.
As she entered the dormitory, her roommate rushed over and warmly welcomed her with her hand outstretched, "Hello, my name is Li Zhi!"
She wore a neat high ponytail, and her eyes crinkled when she smiled.
As if possessed, Yu Miaomiao grasped Li Zhi's hand and said, "Hello, my name is Yu Miaomiao."
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