[The First Close Call]
A lady with a kind smile spoke up, "Feifei, now that you're awake, you must nourish your body! Do you still remember how much you loved my homemade oxtail soup?"
Ye Xiaoxiao: "...Ox...tail...?" She had never even tasted such a thing in her life.
Qiao Fei (the soul) shrieked, "Smile and say you missed it!!! HURRY!!"
Xiaoxiao's mind went blank, and she could only stammer out the "script," "I... uh... I missed it very much... that soup... was delicious... and... tail-y..."
The lady: "...?"
Qiao Fei's soul: "Was that how you describe oxtail soup!? You're finished!"
Just as the lady's brow furrowed and the air began to turn awkward, a gentle, magnetic voice intervened.
Qiao Yi: "Feifei is still a bit weak, so she's speaking a bit slowly. Please don't mind, Auntie." He smiled warmly, naturally smoothing everything over for her.
The lady's heart melted instantly. "Oh, it's quite alright! Feifei, take your time recovering!"
Xiaoxiao knelt mentally in gratitude: (Third Brother, are you an angel?)
Qiao Fei's soul rolled her eyes: "He's always like that. Don't be fooled."
[The Second Near Disaster]
A director from the entertainment industry approached and said softly, "Miss Qiao, I saw your performance of White Feather before. It was stunning. How is your recovery? Can you dance again?"
Xiaoxiao's heart constricted. Dance? She didn't have a single graceful bone in her body!
Qiao Fei's soul was so nervous she practically levitated. "Say you can't! Say your feet still hurt!! QUICK!!"
Xiaoxiao nodded frantically. "I... my back aches... my legs hurt... even my neck hurts... so... I can't dance..."
The director froze for three seconds.
Qiao Fei's soul covered her face: "You sound like a hundred-year-old lady!!"
Again, Qiao Yi came to the rescue. "Feifei just woke up and is quite frail. I'll take her upstairs to rest for a bit."
Madam Qiao doted on her as well, "Yes, yes, Feifei, go rest. Health is the most important thing!"
Xiaoxiao breathed a massive sigh of relief as Qiao Yi helped her toward the second floor. Qiao Fei's soul floated behind them, looking like she had just survived a heart attack.
[The Staircase Landing • A Private Moment]
Qiao Yi's voice was very light. "Feifei, today... you seem a little different from your usual self."
Xiaoxiao: "!!?"
Qiao Fei's soul turned to stone on the spot.
Qiao Yi didn't push for answers; he simply added gently, "But it doesn't matter. As long as you're awake, I'm at peace."
Xiaoxiao nearly knelt to thank this man for his kindness.
[Back in the Bedroom]
The moment the door closed, Qiao Fei's soul put her hands on her hips. "You almost blew up my entire social circle!"
Xiaoxiao collapsed onto the velvet carpet, gasping for air. "I can't... I really can't do this anymore... Today I've had to pretend to be three different animals: a hamster, a swan, and... a dying penguin."
Qiao Fei's soul scoffed, "You missed one—a dumb, anti-social lobster."
"How many times did you save me today...?" Xiaoxiao muttered.
Qiao Fei froze. After a two-second silence, she said softly, "...And you saved me once."
"Huh?"
Qiao Fei gazed at the chandelier, her voice uncharacteristically tender. "Being able to return to my family... this time, you made that happen for me."
Xiaoxiao blinked, her nose suddenly stinging with emotion. In the chaos of this banquet, the distance between the two girls had quietly shrunk by a step.
[Eighteen Years Ago • The First Day of Elite Elementary School]
That was the first time Qiao Fei wore a school uniform. She stood at the gates, surrounded by her family: her father straightened her tie, her mother knelt to brush dust off her socks, and her three brothers hovered like guardians. To outsiders, it was a picture of perfect happiness.
But on the other side, a small, thin boy—Jiang Wei (Wayne)—watched this scene with a heart full of thorns. His family was rich, but he had no "home." His parents were always abroad, always working. For every entrance ceremony or graduation, he only had his driver and his nanny.
He watched Qiao Fei being cherished, and the "being loved" part stung him with envy. He didn't know how to make others envy him, but he knew how to make others hurt as much as he did.
He walked up to little Qiao Fei and said in a high-pitched, childish, yet biting voice:
"I bet you can't do anything by yourself."
"Look at you... everything was probably prepared by your mommy."
"I'm different. I do everything myself. I'm strong."
Qiao Fei was stunned. It was the first time someone her age had looked at her with such condescending eyes—as if she were "weak" or "dependent."
Jiang Wei realized his words were too harsh, but his childish pride kept him from taking them back. Qiao Fei bit her lip, a surge of frustration rising in her chest. She hated the feeling of being looked down upon.
From that day on, she set a rule for herself:
—I will not rely on anyone.
—I can do everything myself.
—I don't need "Mom" to prepare things for me.
She even stopped calling her mother "Mom" (Māma), using the formal and distant "Mother" (Mǔqīn) instead. She was afraid that by acting like a child, she would prove him right. She was afraid of losing.
Jiang Wei never expected that a childish joke would become Qiao Fei's lifelong obsession. Qiao Fei became a perfectionist in everything—grades, character, image. She refused help from anyone. And her mother never heard the word "Mom" again.
Jiang Wei eventually became the dazzling and brave Wayne, but a sliver of guilt toward Qiao Fei always remained in his heart.