The mansion was only two stories tall, about seven or eight meters from the first floor to the second.
In despair, I jumped, and with a thud, I landed.

But I wasn’t hurt.
I hit a soft air mattress, puncturing it.

Under the faint moonlight, the wolf stood beside it, as if he’d been waiting.
He didn’t speak.
I covered my eyes with one hand, refusing to look at him.

He lifted me and carried me back.
I pounded his solid frame, but at nearly two meters tall, I couldn’t break free.
In my room, he set me down gently, closed the window, and stood by the bed, watching me silently.

I pulled the blanket over my head, sobbing in the still-warm bedding.
Couldn’t I even die?

When the maid returned, she understood what had happened.
She set down the hot porridge and sat beside me: “You’re sick. Shall we see a doctor?”

I didn’t respond.
The wolf left silently.
The maid, almost pleading, took my hand: “After the doctor, I’ll take you for taro milk tea and buy a kitten to be your friend. How’s that? Cats are so much fun.”

I closed my eyes, sighing.
When had breathing become so exhausting?

She pursed her lips, continuing: “Zhixia, just tell me what you want, and tomorrow morning, it’ll be right in front of you.”

I choked, whispering: “Grandma…”

“I didn’t catch that. Can you say it again?”

I bit my lip, heart aching, and ignored her.

In the latter half of the night, I somehow fell asleep.
When I woke, I found myself handcuffed to the maid, who was dozing by the bed.
The wall clock showed past 9 a.m.
Normally, I’d be scavenging at the night market by 5 a.m.

Seeing her sleeping awkwardly, I felt a pang of guilt.
When I moved my hand, she woke.

Yawning, she said: “Mmm… Zhixia, did you sleep well?”

I wasn’t a calm sleeper.
Exhausted from daily life, I’d roll around in bed unconsciously.
I wondered how many times she woke last night.

I nodded, pointing to the handcuffs: “I’m okay. Can you take these off?”

She gave me a skeptical look, trying to read me, but my face showed only gloom.
Deeming me untrustworthy, she said: “Let’s see the doctor first.”

I truly had no intention of jumping again.
Yesterday, the full moon stirred my longing to reunite with Grandma.

“I won’t do it again, really.”

After a standoff, she unlocked the cuffs but switched with the wolf to watch me!

His presence made me uneasy, like ants crawling on my skin, making me tremble.
I yanked the blanket over my head.

The maid entered with the porridge, abruptly pulling the blanket off, smiling: “Zhixia!”

My face was streaked with tears, and I didn’t want to respond.

Her heart tightened, but she smiled: “Want to go out and have fun?”

I turned away, hearing heavy footsteps fade—the wolf was gone.
I exhaled, breathing so tiring, so heavy.

“Want milk tea? Want your own kitten?”
She kept treating me like a child.

Her words broke my defenses: “I want fries. I want to go shopping.”

“Drink the porridge first, okay?”

“Okay.”