After Payin City entered into lockdown status, many underground factories had to pause operations temporarily. Somepanies also simply gave their employees time off in order to save on wages, making the residential areas livelier than usual.


    In the garden square bathed in light, some residents gathered together, some chatting, others ying ball sports to get a bit of exercise, and still others stayed at home, enjoying the rare respite.


    In Hexia''s bedroom, the soothing sound of waves asionally rose up, the ceiling reflecting waves of varying shades of blue, while the girl in the bed was still deep in sleep, showing no intention of waking up.


    As you could see, this girl slept inte, and she hadn''t gotten out of bed even as it neared noon.


    ck is a special color, hard to describe urately with just two characters. There''s the reflective ck of a leather sofa, the enamel-like ck of a hover car exterior, the fine matte ck, the high quality fabric that''s textured and not at all thin, and the ck of a girl''s hair through the residual light of the morning.


    A few strands of hair fell across the fair corbone peeking out of the pajamas, in stark contrast to her fair skin, harmonious yet with a touch ofnguor and softness, immersing one in the delicate beauty.


    Such a scene was like ''Canon'' in music, difficult to remember because it''s too in, too gentle, toofortable, without any astounding legend or turnaround. But if everyone were like ''Canon,'' how happy and sweet that would be.


    Time flowed gently until the girl''s eyshes fluttered slightly, and she slowly opened her eyes.


    Propping herself up on the pillow, her shoulder-length hair falling, Hexia shook her head and rubbed her eyes to wake up. She groped around the nket for a moment, grabbed the square personal terminal, then sat up and slid the screen open.


    [12:32 PM]


    Ah, it''s already noon, the girl thought, a bit panicked, as she stood up from the bed, her toes brushing across the starry-blue nket, then lightly hopped into slippers by the bed. She slipped them on quickly and walked brisker to the adjoining bathroom to wash up.


    The sound of running water, a quick wash of the face, and Hexia returned to the bedroom to change into the clothes she intended to wear out today. Then she thudded down the stairs.


    In the living room on the first floor, Lisha was watching a projection program with Grandma He, which was ying a popr children''sedy.


    "Tn''s awake."


    "Hexia sister~" Lisha said happily upon seeing the girl.


    "Are you going out?" Grandma He inquired, noticing the girl''s hurried appearance.


    "Yeah, I need to take care of some paperwork at the police station, then I''m off to the Northern First District tomorrow for a retest," the girl outlined her ns for today and tomorrow.


    "Be careful on the road."


    "Yeah yeah, thank you, Grandma." After changing her shoes, Hexia stamped her feet and walked out of the house.


    Crossing the bustling streets of the residential area, she stopped at a supermarket to buy a box of cookies for a makeshift lunch, then entered a nearby vertical elevator heading for Payin City''s Upper District.


    Inside the dark red, rust-proof painted steel elevator, there stood quite a few people. There was still ample space, so it wasn''t crowded.


    "Hey, Hexia~ you''re going to the police station for paperwork today too, right?" A girl around the same age as Hexia approached, wearing a pink id shirt and a white skirt.


    "Yes, Cindy, are you also going today?"


    This Cindy had been Hexia''s elementary school ssmate, but they went to different middle schools and had not seen much of each other over the years. They had been close friends as children due to living near each other, often walking home from school together.


    "I am." She nodded slightly, giving Hexia a brief once-over.


    Feeling a bit embarrassed being scrutinized, Hexia turned her head before asking, "Is there something strange?"


    "No, just that you seem to have changed quite a bit," she said with a wink at the girl.


    "Where have I changed?"


    As they chatted, the elevator reached their floor, and they walked together toward the police station.


    "How to describe it... It''s like the bud has blossomed. Hexia has be much prettier, as if the charm that was hidden before is now gradually being revealed," she said, thoughtfully tapping her chin.


    "Not really," the girl recalled looking at herself in the mirror usually and seemed not to have changed much.


    "Ah well, you probably can''t feel it yourself. It''s more obvious to others. If you don''t believe it, you could ask Lin''en and the others toe and give their opinion." Lin''en was also a former elementary school ssmate who used to live nearby and hadter moved to the Upper District, but they would still contact and talk in the chat group asionally.


    "You''ll know when you ask everyone at the next gathering. By the way, speaking of gatherings, you''ve missed quite a few, Hexia, and everyone misses you."


    "You used to be the vice ss president, and everyone in ss liked you too."


    "Speaking of vice ss president, it was just because the teacher thought I had good grades and entrusted me with the role. I really didn''t know much, and it was just elementary school anyway, kind of like ying house, not so important." The girl shook her head, and her hair swayed softly.


    "Hehehe, Hexia is still so shy," Cindyughed, covering her mouth.


    "You really don''t need to worry; it''s not like anyone''s going to eat you. They''ll probably just tease you a bit. Besides, after we graduate from junior high this time, we''re all going to different high schools, and we might see each other less in the future."


    "Don''t leave any regrets."


    "Don''t leave regrets, huh." The girl pondered. Readtest stories on m_v-l''e|-NovelBin


    "Alright then, let me know when you''re ready to have the gathering."


    "Let me think, the gatherings are usually organized by Yilin and Nokai. There will definitely be one this holiday, probably around mid-June."


    "That''s half a month away."


    "Alright, it''s settled then. You''re not allowed to skip this time, Hexia."


    "Okay, okay, I won''t run away anymore," the girl nodded slightly.


    After finishing, the two entered the bustling police station and, like many other students, lined up to handle their paperwork.


    After a long wait in line, it was finally their turn, and now it was time to fill out the school information and go through verification.


    "Where is Hexia nning to go?"


    "I''m going to Irene Academy... and I also have to go to another academy for a retest."


    "Applied to two schools?" Cindy wasn''t surprised; she was filling out her own information form as well.


    "The school I''m going to is Hua Liuli Academy in the Northern Seventh District. This school''s ss art is quite unique; it''s like myst bit of stubbornness." Thepetition for high-end art schools is fierce, but the ss industry is somewhat niche and singr, so it''s not as cutthroat.


    "I wonder if I''ll starve on the streets in the future; I heard that artists are very poor." Cindy shook her head but still wrote down that name.


    "If life gets hardter on, I''ll just have to rely on Hexia for help. You should be a famous doctor, I believe that." She submitted her paperwork.


    Although the girl always hid in the corner, her ssmates from both elementary and junior high had never doubted that she would be a doctor in the future; her personality and good grades made this path inevitable and not too difficult.


    "Alright, all done with the paperwork, once it''s approved, we can head back," the two girls said, holding hands as they left the room and headed to the lobby to wait.


    Leaning against the grey chair back, the spacious lobby seemed a bit empty. Cindy bought slushies for herself and the girl, and they enjoyed them together, talking about many past events and recalling many happy moments before slowly bringing up the current situations of those ssmates.


    "Saul went to the North Fourth District with his parents, Mackey was suspended and held back a grade because of fighting, Yilin passed the academy''s retest early, and Nokai is preparing to apply to a military school. Everyone has grown up."


    "Yeah, we''ve all grown up," Hexia said, gently stirring the fruit slushie, the crushed ice sparkling under the simted sunshine above.


    Memories in the passage of time, like transparent ss, usually invisible to the eye, yet when gently turned, they refract sshes of colorful light.