Shen He lay in her bedroom, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.
She had a slight habit when she slept: she was a creature of habit when it came to beds.
Simply put, she could only sleep soundly in a familiar bed.
If she suddenly found herself in an unfamiliar environment, she would find it very difficult to fall asleep.
Right now, Shen He was curled up in her blanket, her bright eyes staring blankly at the ceiling.
The room was silent, a warm yellow lamp on the table dispelling the darkness.
Time passed minute by minute, yet Shen He felt no sleepiness.
She didn't know when she had fallen asleep, only that her body felt like it was constantly falling, plunging into an abyss.
When she opened her eyes again, Shen He found herself in a strange yet familiar cave.
She saw her father's indifferent retreating figure, and a black Seelie standing before her, its maw wide open.
Shen He was terrified.
She wanted to take out the exorcism dagger her mother had left her to protect herself, but found her hands empty, nothing at all.
She had no weapon, like a lamb to the slaughter.
Shen He turned to look at her father, who was walking further and further away, wishing he would turn back and protect her.
But her father never looked back, ignoring her cries, leaving only a cold back.
Instead, the black Seelie showed intense interest in Shen He, approaching step by step, letting out ear-piercing laughter...
Shen He bolted upright from the bed, breathing heavily.
Everything before was just a dream.
Although it was a dream, everything felt so real, stinging Shen He's heart.
Shen He found herself in tears, her pillow soaked.
Could she still not break free from her past?
Shen He desperately wanted to forget the past, to forget those unpleasant things and start life anew.
But memories seemed unwilling to let her go.
Those painful past events turned into one nightmare after another, tearing open her wounds repeatedly.
How could she possibly forget that pain?
Shen He didn't know, and no one could give her an answer.
Just then, there was a soft knock at the door.
She heard Makoto and Qiqi's voices from outside the door: "Shen He, are you alright?"
"I was just writing my novel and vaguely heard you crying. Did something happen?"
"Shen He, don't cry... If anything happened... tell Qiqi..."
"Qiqi... wants to help Shen He..."
Makoto, who stayed up late writing stories, was an old night owl.
For him, the dead of night was the best time to write stories.
As for Qiqi, she didn't need to sleep at all, staying up all night doing flexibility exercises.
Both of them had vaguely heard Shen He crying, and fearing something had happened to her, they came together to knock on the door and ask about the situation.
Shen He reached out to wipe away her tears, adjusting her breathing to calm herself.
She didn't want Makoto and Qiqi to worry.
"Brother Makoto, Qiqi, Shen He is fine, she just had a nightmare."
"I'm sorry for making you worry."
Shen He tried to force a smile, but her voice was tinged with sorrow and a choked sob.
After all, for an innocent little girl, her father's betrayal was undoubtedly a huge blow, and she definitely wouldn't be able to escape that shadow anytime soon.
Looking at Shen He, her eyes glistening with tears, looking so pitiful, Makoto's heart ached uncontrollably.
A sensible and well-behaved child, who had done nothing wrong, yet had to suffer such pain; it was truly too pitiful.
He gently stroked Shen He's head, then softly said, "Little girl, did you dream about the cave?"
"Those are things of the past. Don't overthink it anymore; one must look forward."
Hearing Makoto's words, Shen He could no longer control her emotions.
Tears fell silently again, and she cried until her face was drenched.
"Brother Makoto, I really, really want to forget that memory,"
"But I just can't do it. I dreamed I was in that cave..."
"Watching my father leave without looking back, my heart felt like it was being cut by a knife."
"What should I do to cut off my past?"
Looking at Shen He, who was crying uncontrollably, Makoto remained silent for a long time.
He could feel Shen He trapped in her sad memories.
Although Shen He acted like a normal child during the day, in the dead of night, those past events would reappear again and again to hurt her.
Memory is a terrifying thing; it can heal a person, and it can destroy a person.
Shen He's father had fallen into the memory of his beloved, which led him astray and made him lose his mind.
Now, Shen He was also in unbearable pain because of her memories.
After a moment of silence, Makoto handed the jade comb to Shen He.
"Little girl, if you truly want to bid farewell to your past, take this comb and comb your hair three times."
"After that, you will be able to sever your past."
Makoto paused, then continued, "But I must tell you in advance, once you use this jade comb, you yourself will also undergo some changes."
Makoto gently patted Shen He's shoulder, then placed the jade comb in her hand.
As for how Shen He chose, he would not interfere.
Shen He looked at the jade comb in her hand, her heart a mix of emotions.
Finally, she raised the jade comb and combed her hair three times.
The first comb:
Shen He's lustrous black hair was instantly covered with a layer of silver frost, like it was dusted with a thin layer of snow.
The second comb: half of her hair turned white.
The third comb: all of Shen He's hair turned the pure white color of winter snow.
Shen He could feel the changes in herself, but she didn't show too much surprise, because Makoto had already told her beforehand.
She could feel the sadness in her heart quickly fade a lot, like an invisible, intangible thread that had cut her off from that home.
Shen He looked at Makoto and said softly, "Brother Makoto, thank you. I feel much better, and it has a lot to do with this jade comb."
"I will keep this jade comb well by my side; it can give me strength."
"Of course, the more important reason is that this is a gift from Brother Makoto, and I must cherish it."
Seeing the hazy mist in Shen He's eyes dissipate, revealing a heartfelt smile, Makoto also breathed a slight sigh of relief.
As long as the little girl was no longer troubled by that matter, it was good.
At this moment, Makoto heard the system's prompt in his mind:
"Ding! Detected that Shen He's friendship has increased from Level 2 to Level 3."
"Congratulations, Host, you have received one intertwined fate, and additionally, one red string."
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