Maggie paused almost imperceptibly before turning her head to look without changing her expression.
"Have you finished your work?"
She said calmly.
No one in this world knows her true origins. Xiu's words were just a joke. If she behaves strangely, it will only arouse suspicion.
"No."
Xiu shrugged.
"I thought you would spend all your time in the library."
Maggie hasn't had time to keep up with Xiu's affairs lately. All she knows is that he asked her for a library pass and hasn't appeared in front of her since, so she was genuinely surprised to run into him here today.
"However, if you're looking for a way to get rid of your loss of control, I can only say that you should wait for me. When I have time, I will help you solve it."
She didn't know exactly what Xiu was investigating, but she still wanted to offer a friendly reminder; she didn't want Xiu to waste his time.
"Of course not, I believe your promise. I'm investigating something else."
Xiu raised an eyebrow and categorically denied Maggie's guess.
"Okay, I understand."
Maggie nodded. Everyone has privacy, and mermaids are no exception. She had no reason to pry.
She and Xiu always made sure to talk about something important whenever they met, and never chatted aimlessly. Theoretically, Xiu should have left when the conversation ended, but for some reason, he was still standing there, silently watching Maggie.
Is there anything else?
Seeing that Xiu hadn't moved, Maggie asked in confusion.
"No."
Xiu shook his head.
"...I'll be going now, I have other things to do."
Maggie wasn't really in trouble; she just wanted to rest and think about how to deal with Laurie and how to reasonably make demands for the elemental spirits.
Xiu hummed in agreement, but still didn't leave.
Maggie felt a little strange, but having already said hello, she went ahead and walked towards the room on her own.
Strangely enough, after Maggie turned and walked forward, she heard Xiu's footsteps behind her. Xiu silently followed her for a while until Maggie closed the door.
Maggie, intending to test him, ignored Xiu the whole time, thinking he would eventually be unable to resist coming up to her and saying something. In the end, he just followed her for a while.
"...What a strange person...uh, a mermaid."
She touched her chin, feeling that something was off, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.
Outside the door, Xiu quietly felt his heartbeat gradually calming down as Maggie moved away. He silently closed his eyes, his silver hair concealing the emotions in them, and turned to leave.
...
These past few days have been filled with too much trouble. Maggie is even more exhausted than she imagined. She was still thinking about what to do next, but she didn't expect that as soon as she touched the bed, she would become so sleepy that she quickly lost consciousness.
In a daze, she felt as if she were running at full speed on a playground, with the finish line just ahead, only a little bit away.
She gritted her teeth, sweat dripping onto the rubber track, turning the pale red surface dark red, and finally she crossed the white line.
She came in first place.
Turning around, she expected to hear cheers from her classmates, but instead, she was met by her father, whom she hadn't seen in a long time, who was walking towards her with a furious expression.
Bai Xi subconsciously took a half step back, wanting to escape, but her father grabbed her ear and, in front of the entire school, half-dragged and half-pulled her to a girl.
"Apologize! You hit someone and you still have the nerve to participate in the sports meet? Apologize right now."
Bai Xi's ears were almost numb with pain, and she could vaguely feel a warm liquid flowing down her neck from behind her ears. The sharp curses made her almost tinnitus hearing worse, but she still stubbornly held on and raised her head.
"No, she started bullying me first. I only hit her in self-defense. Why should I apologize?"
Her vision was blurry, and the girl's appearance was indistinct. Bai Xi couldn't see her face clearly. Perhaps it was because too much time had passed, and she could no longer remember what the person who had bullied her looked like. She only vaguely remembered the collapse and despair she had experienced.
"Are you crazy, Bai Xi! I work all year to support the family and pay for your schooling. You hit someone and you don't apologize. Where am I supposed to get the money to compensate them?!"
Her father's voice was crystal clear, and after a long while, amidst the various gazes of her classmates, Bai Xi heard her own voice.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have hit you."
The girl in front of him seemed to laugh, pulled her best friend aside and said something, then pointed at Bai Xi, who had her head down, before finally speaking in a condescending tone.
"Okay, I forgive you. Actually, I don't need that little bit of medical money. I just want to see you beg me for money."
Bai Xi clenched her fists tightly, her urge to hit her growing stronger, but when she touched the worn-out toe of her father's shoe, which was slightly unglued, her emotions suddenly fell silent.
She has excellent grades, received a 50% tuition waiver, and getting into a top high school is already difficult enough; if she causes trouble again...
The family simply cannot afford to pay the compensation.
In the end, Bai Xi chose to suppress all her emotions.
From that day on, she went from being the most 'proud' good student in the class to a quiet, bookish nerd.
After she stopped resisting, isolation became a daily occurrence, and she heard ridicule every day. Fortunately... she was much stronger than she had imagined, and she gradually got used to it.
Humans are incredibly adaptable.
Poverty and academic excellence are not necessarily compatible. Students from extremely poor families are no different from outcasts in top-tier high schools where the average person is wealthy.
The moment Maggie opened her eyes after waking up from her dream, she subconsciously touched the corner of her eye and felt something wet. There was also a faint dryness in her throat.
She gently wiped away her tears with her hand and forced a bitter smile.
She thought she had long forgotten these memories, but she never expected to recall them again in the form of a dream. It seems that some wounds, no matter how much they are buried, cannot be completely erased, and are imprinted on the heart like scars.
"Maggie, why are you crying? Did you have a sad dream?"
At night, Roy rarely leaves Maggie's side to prevent any random people from suddenly appearing. No one has warned Maggie, but now, seeing Maggie wake up in the middle of the night, he immediately floats to her side with a worried expression.
"I don't know, I don't remember, I don't remember what I dreamed about. That's how dreams are, you forget them when you wake up."
A ball of light appeared in Maggie's hand, and she looked up at Roy with a faint smile.
"Humans are indeed amazing; they can even dream. We elemental spirits don't."
Roy showed a hint of distress, along with a touch of envy. Elemental spirits don't sleep; they only fall into a deep sleep after being seriously injured, but they don't have dreams while they're asleep.
"Dreaming isn't necessarily a good thing, and not dreaming isn't so bad either. Look at me, I just started crying for no reason."
Maggie's expression softened, and as she reached out her hand, Roy landed in her palm.
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