Time in the dream slowly began to accelerate.
During her subsequent time at the orphanage, she gradually started interacting with the girl. As the only person willing to talk to her and be gentle, she unconsciously grew closer and closer to her.
In fact, the girl had stood in front of her more than once when others called her a "coward."
This added a bit of color to her monotonous childhood... yes, the girl's color.
Unconsciously, she and the girl spent more and more time together, and she gradually discovered that she had many, many commonalities with her.
However, she couldn't bring herself to be happy.
Because she realized the girl was different from her.
The girl liked quiet, being alone, and so did she.
However, the reason the girl liked quiet was because she was too outstanding; she was too smart, so much smarter than the other children, so she preferred to be alone because she looked down on others.
However, she liked quiet and being alone because she was afraid of interacting with others, afraid of talking to others, which was why she liked quiet.
She and the girl were different...
This made her want to get closer to the girl, but she always hesitated at the last step, always maintaining that final distance, interacting with her in a way that was both close and distant.
However, unlike her, despite the girl appearing unusually calm on the surface, as if nothing could fluster her, she seemed to care for her deeply.
Every time she was bullied, the girl would try to stand in front of her; every snack she received was always given to her by the girl with the excuse of "not liking it," and every time it was her birthday, the girl would give her a gift.
The girl was very different towards her, but she dared not think so. She was afraid it was just her wishful thinking, afraid it was just her being conceited, so she always maintained a close yet distant relationship with the girl.
And so, she and the girl grew up little by little.
Then the two became young women...
During this period, she gradually developed a habit of not speaking, but because she was beautiful, she was chosen by some families, yet she was always given up by those people due to her fear.
And some families didn't mind her flaws, but she ultimately rejected them.
She was afraid to leave the orphanage, afraid to leave this familiar environment, and she was afraid to leave the girl.
The girl's situation was somewhat similar to hers.
Her beautiful appearance, outstanding temperament, and intelligent mind made every family who came to the orphanage notice this girl.
However, every time these people invited the girl, she would gently refuse, and those who were rejected could only regret it.
Time slowly moved forward, and through constant rejections, she and the girl both reached the age of sixteen.
The orphanage had a rule: if a child reached the age of sixteen and had not been adopted, they could only leave the orphanage, enter society, and start their own life.
On her sixteenth birthday, she was very, very scared because she knew that she was about to leave this place she was familiar with. She was very confused and at a loss.
She had never thought about her future, as she felt her entire life would be spent in the orphanage. However, when it was her sixteenth birthday, she knew that her peaceful life had disappeared.
On the night of her birthday, she slipped out of bed and ran, as always, to her secret base.
The secret base at night was very quiet, with only a little light from nearby preventing it from being completely dark.
She ran there alone, sat in her usual spot, and tried to calm herself with the quietness of the place. However, her tears began to fall uncontrollably.
Her slightly calm emotions instantly collapsed, then turned into tears falling from her eyes.
A helpless feeling gradually engulfed her, leaving her completely at a loss for what to do. However, the next moment, a warm body came close and held her in her arms.
She looked up in a daze, only to see those deep blue eyes she was so familiar with.
"I will always be by your side," the girl said.
Her tone was as calm as ever, yet her helpless emotions instantly vanished. She seemed to have found her support, and tears flowed down uncontrollably again.
The girl held her without speaking, but the warmth and scent from her brought a strong sense of security.
She leaned against the girl's chest, and the girl reached out and held her tighter.
Then, the next moment, the girl spoke again:
"Let's live together from now on."
She didn't know why the girl suddenly said this, but she only knew that from that day on, she was no longer alone.
She cried for a very, very long time that day, but the girl never left her side for even a step, always staying by her.
Later, the next day, the girl took her hand, and they went to the teacher together.
The girl said many, many things, and the teacher recorded every word she said. In the end, the teacher just smiled at the girl and her, then earnestly said to the girl:
"You must take good care of her, understand?"
And the girl nodded without any hesitation, as if she had made up her mind long ago.
Afterward, the teacher saw them off at the main gate of the orphanage. Under the teacher's gaze, the girl took her hand and, for the first time, led her out of the orphanage where she had lived for sixteen years.
At this moment, the expected fear and helplessness did not appear. She looked at her hand held by the girl, then at her profile, and a sense of security emerged in her heart.
With the girl there, she didn't need to be afraid.
Things seemed to become simpler afterward. The girl seemed to have prepared early; she had saved a sum of money while at the orphanage. She first took her to rent a room, then bought some daily necessities.
That night, she slept in the girl's arms.
The girl didn't do anything, and she didn't suffer from insomnia due to the change in environment. Instead, she felt exceptionally secure because of the girl's presence and slept very soundly.
Later, she was left at home by the girl, who went out to find a job.
As expected, the excellent girl quickly found a decent and stable job; excellent people always find opportunities.
And she, in turn, began to try learning various household chores.
Not wanting to be protected by the girl as before, she didn't want to live her whole life like this. So, she began to learn to clean rooms, buy groceries and cook, tailor clothes...
She learned all sorts of things little by little after plucking up her courage.
Perhaps due to the girl's influence, she gradually stopped feeling afraid and instead slowly began to regain her confidence, learning how to live a normal life and how to talk and interact with others.
She began to change, little by little...
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