Chapter 74: Foam

The cold wind howled, chasing the night and gradually shrouding the entire city.

The hallucinatory, flickering neon lights slowly lit up, as if reflecting the stars in the sky.

Moonlight quietly slipped in through the open window, gently draping a layer of pure white fur over the sleeping girls.

Her long eyelashes trembled slightly, and the woman slowly awoke from her dreams.

The small warmth in her arms made her realize she was back in reality.

A reality where a beautiful dream had come true.

"Laura... wake up..." Her gaze, filled with tenderness, fixed on the little one in her arms as she gently pinched the girl's gradually round and rosy cheeks.

Her eyes were watery, her skin smooth and delicate, so cute it was impossible to let go.

"... Hmm?" Laura responded in a low voice, keeping her eyes closed, curling herself tightly into a ball, and cautiously hiding in the woman's arms.

"Time to get up... you've slept so long, let's take a hot bath and eat something, okay?" An Xianyuan coaxed softly; although she had never raised a child, the maternal instinct carved into her genes would guide her on what to do.

"Oh..." Laura opened her sleepy eyes, her twin emerald lakes appearing even more captivating under the moonlight.

After gently stroking Laura's messy long hair a few times, An Xianyuan wrapped the little girl in a blanket and carried her toward the Bathroom.

"Oh! Put me down quickly!" Treated like a baby, the thin-skinned little girl couldn't stand it anymore, flailing her arms and legs in a struggle to escape the woman's clutches.

Watching little Lola twist and turn in her arms like a silkworm, An Xianyuan's lips overflowed with a full smile.

She held the squirming Lola with one hand and walked straight to the window.

Only after reaching out to close the window did An Xianyuan set the little girl, whose face was flushed red, down.

The winter nights in Night City always brought a bone-chilling cold.

That chilling dampness would wrap around the ice, drilling into flesh and seeping into the marrow, greedily trying to steal away all heat.

Just like this city, it was a vicious beast waiting to devour its prey.

An Xianyuan was always like this, using some awkward methods to cover her pure intentions.

Clearly, she only needed to tell Laura that the window was open and to be careful of catching a cold, yet she insisted on going to great lengths to wrap the little girl in a blanket, only willing to put her down after personally closing the window.

I really am so unforthcoming.

An Xianyuan drifted off for a few seconds, attempting to reflect on her words and actions.

Having been used to being alone before, she had developed some bad habits; now that she had a child to raise, she had to correct these bad habits.

"Sister?"

"Hmm?" The little girl's timid voice pulled An Xianyuan's wandering mind back from the clouds. "Do you need my help?"

"Clothes..." Laura had already slipped into the Bathroom, timidly hugging herself and poking her head out amidst the rising warm mist.

"Hmm, I'll get them for you... wash with peace of mind, and remember not to fall asleep in the bathtub... if I call you in ten minutes and you don't respond, I'll come in and find you directly." An Xianyuan spoke softly, gently pushing that cute head back into the warm mist.

She had specifically given this reminder because she had just seen a news report a few days ago about a single woman living alone who was found dead in her own Bathroom.

The cause of death was falling asleep while taking a bath, eventually dying from gas poisoning.

Her fragile heart could not withstand even a single blow of accident.

The glass door of the Bathroom closed, the little girl responded softly, turned around, and slowly left, leaving An Xianyuan with only a small silhouette.

An Xianyuan took a set of little girl's clothes from the wardrobe next door and placed them neatly at the Bathroom door along with a heated towel.

After finishing all this, she found herself idle, seeming not to know what to do, simply facing the window and staring blankly at the city shrouded in night.

Everything seemed as if it were in a dream.

Her teeth pressed hard against her lips until a faint metallic taste seeped out.

She still couldn't figure out why that man, who treated human life like straw and always believed in profit above all else, had let Lola go so easily.

As for what kind of profit CPH-4 represented, she believed no one knew better than Zhang Xian'an.

What made him abandon the test subject that was right in front of him?

All gifts bestowed by fate have already been secretly priced.

The current happiness was ultimately just a layer of foam, beautiful to the extreme.

As long as someone blew on it lightly, the foam would shatter.

Just like those beautiful dreams that vanished after she had just woken up.

Even memories would gradually wear away until nothing remained, leaving only a shallow trace in the mind.

The dark truth was buried right beneath her feet.

They were like helpless Lambs walking on the edge of a cliff; one wrong step, and they would fall into the bottomless abyss.

The more she thought, the more complex her feelings became.

An Xianyuan sighed and looked down at the time displayed on her phone.

"Laura?" she called out toward the Bathroom, "Are you done washing?"

"I'm done!"

A few seconds later, the girl's clear voice penetrated the barrier of mist and glass, clearly reaching An Xianyuan's ears.

She relaxed and let out a breath.

Having watched too many TV dramas lately, she occasionally worried whether some melodramatic plots might happen to her as well.

"Sister!" The Bathroom door was pulled open slightly, and Lola hid inside the Bathroom, slowly wiping the dripping water from her body with a towel.

"Alright, stop playing, be careful not to catch a cold!" Her tone held a smile as An Xianyuan gently scolded the mischievous girl.

"Oh..." Laura responded softly, wrapped in a towel, walked to the Bathroom door, and took the brand-new clothes from An Xianyuan's hand.

"Put your clothes on, I'll blow-dry your hair later; did water get into your ears? Do you want me to clean your ears for you later?"

Perhaps all mothers in the world cared for their children this way, always unable to stop nagging about something.

"Yes!" Lola, having put on her clothes, tightly hugged An Xianyuan's arm.

Perhaps because she had lost it before, she now cherished this motherly care and nagging exceptionally.

I used to think her nagging was endless and irritating.

But if I could never hear it again, it would be as if a piece of my heart had been torn out, leaving only piercing pain to accompany me for the rest of my life.

"Why are you suddenly crying?"

"I'm not… it's just hot… the sweat from the heat…" Laura tilted her head slightly, blinking rapidly, trying hard to force the tiny tears back into her eyes.

"Laura…" An Xianyuan nodded understandingly, pulling the girl tightly into her arms.

A familiar yet strange warmth spread through her entire body, filling her chest.

Laura could no longer hold back; her tears burst forth, pouring out all her sorrow and grief.

"Mom…" she whispered softly, calling out to the face she would never see again.