Xia City, a living room decorated in the style of the seventies and eighties—the sofa is covered with a white gauze similar to a tablecloth.
The only thing in this living room that might catch the eye of modern young people is the wooden lattice door, beyond which is a pond, situated in an exquisitely designed garden.
The living room is full of people, gathering around an elder and a beauty with hair as white as the first snow, whose features are delicate and stunning.
They chat and laugh together; the woman says something, the elder nods, then smiles and gives a few words of guidance.
Everyone seated around has their buttocks only halfway on their chairs, and leans forward slightly, smiling as if they find the scene before them to be very enviable, comforting, and joyous.
A harmonious family gathering.
"Ah!" A child suddenly points toward the sky beyond the wooden lattice door.
The child's mother quickly takes the child into her arms and gives him a stern look, one that is severe enough to be remembered well into adulthood.
"Don't scare the child."
When the child's mother lifts her head and looks toward the elder who spoke, her smile is both joyful and humble, but the elder pays her no heed without saying a word.
Turquoise Pool glances at the child, still at an age where one crawls around in split pants, yet appearing as if sensing the mood, not daring to make a sound.
A child of the same age in an ordinary family would never restrain their feelings, crying when they want to cry, speaking as loudly as they wish, demanding immediately whatever they desire, without negotiation or delay.
But born into this family, it is quite the contrary, as if being born here meant the child owed the world, having to tread carefully to avoid being sent back.
Turquoise Pool has no sympathy for the child, as she was the same in her childhood.
The only difference is she did better, occasionally being irresistibly adorable and wilful, bringing joy to her grandfather, winning his affection.
No one taught her; it seems like she knew instinctively how to act.
Perhaps it was a talent, now one could say it was instinct; when she was very young, she vaguely realized she couldn't truly be wilful and knew what kind of wilfulness was cute and made those around her like her.
This instinct grew with her.
Whether it was to be liked by those around her that her appearance, art, culture, and sports became so excellent, or to avoid needing their approval, she became so excellent is unsure.
In some ways, she felt she was very similar to Li Changzhou, sometimes envying Li Qianxia.
In her eyes, Li Qianxia's willfulness is to the extent that she couldn't stay in this living room for three seconds, her family is poor, yet she still lives so happily, with a sense of abundance as if she could obtain everything she desired.
"Go see what's going on." The grandfather speaks.
"Yes." Someone immediately answers.
Turquoise Pool pulls back her wandering thoughts and looks toward the wooden lattice door, the world outside resembling a dream-like scene, shrouded in the radiance of green, yellow, and red.
After a moment of thought, a smile plays on her lips.
"Little Yao, what's wrong?" An aunt notices.
The whole family looks over.
Turquoise Pool pinches a drop of water from her teacup and flicks it toward the center of the living room, where it hits something and quickly flattens into a pancake shape, forming a transparent mirror stretching front to back.
An image appears on the mirror.
Earth, where light and darkness intertwine, one side a deep sea blue, the other dotted with lights, shining stars, with the Earth rotating slowly, the distant Sun glaringly bright, like a flashlight pointed at one's face.
But these are not the focus of the image.
In the center of the picture sits a figure cross-legged in the cosmos, drawing the light that enshrouds Earth into its body.
The figure sits there, with just a point on the forehead transparent, appearing like the projection of a red Heavenly God looking down on the Mortal World, or a Demon God devouring the life force of Earth.
The crowd inside the living room shivers, feeling an itch throughout their bodies as if something has truly been drawn out of them.
Just then, Turquoise Pool suddenly says with a laugh, "We've been discovered."
Without waiting for everyone to look away, the red figure in the image opens its eyes, meeting the gaze of everyone in the living room.
Thud, thud... thud, thud...
The sound of heartbeats resonates like drums, crystal clear, making everyone feel like deer pinned under a lion, ready to be devoured at any moment.
The child buries their face in the parents' embrace, and the parents hold the child tightly, seemingly seeking the warmth themselves.
The others clutch their fists, wishing they could flee immediately.
The secretary who was instructed to leave earlier has returned with the details of what happened, taking quick steps inside. As soon as they cross the wooden lattice door and their eyes meet the image, they freeze on the spot.
Around them, only the green, yellow, and red radiance moves, and even the fish in the pond of the garden cease to stir.
The figure seems to wave its hand dismissively, and the water mirror shatters, producing a 'plink' sound as it hits the ground, the drop of water drawing a very thin line