Zero: "Eyes?..."

Xiaoqi said earnestly, "Yes, I once read in a book that eyes are the windows to the soul."

"Everyone else’s eyes here are so cold, it makes people uncomfortable just looking at them."

"Your eyes, though always a bit dull, are particularly beautiful~ I think you must have a beautiful heart as well, it’s just that others and even yourself haven’t realized it yet."

Zero lowered her head, feeling a bit at a loss.

Xiaoqi pulled Zero up to stand, and laughed, "Come on, let’s go wash off the dirt on you, and then it’s time for sleep~"

It’s pre-bedtime now, and there are guards patrolling the hallway.

Seeing someone moving, the guard walked over with a stern face, "What?"

"Good evening, sir." Xiaoqi politely bowed to the guard, flashing a sweet smile, "Can I take Zero for a bath?"

The guard glanced at them, didn’t say much, and pointed back: "Be back before lights out."

"Thank you, sir!" Xiaoqi bowed again to the guard, then led Zero towards the communal bathroom.

The water in the bathroom was very cold, but the children here don’t know what a hot shower feels like and are used to it.

Zero scrubbed her body, staring blankly at Xiaoqi beside her, "Why is the guard so nice to you..."

Xiaoqi turned back, giggling as she said, "Hmph, want to know my secret? It’s because of smiling~"

"Smiling?" Zero asked, confused.

"Yes, smiling!" Xiaoqi used her fingers to pull up the corners of her lips, forming a gentle smile, "No matter who it is, seeing someone else’s smile lifts their mood. No one likes seeing a grim face all day."

"So, my secret is smiling~ When you talk to the guards, smile as happily as you can, make them feel like they’re appreciated."

"Over time, their attitude towards you will improve, and sometimes if you make a little mistake, they won’t be so harsh."

Xiaoqi walked to Zero, cupping her little face with her hands and intentionally grinned exaggeratedly, "Here, I’m teaching you my secret now, smile with me~"

Smile?

Such a strange word...

In this dark and grim place, Zero had almost forgotten what a smile was.

Her lips stiffly twitched as she pulled them into a grin.

Xiaoqi looked horrified, shaking her head straightly, "No, no! That’s not a smile, it’s like crying. Try again, make sounds like me—ha ha ha! Ha ha ha!"

"Ha ha ha, ha ha ha."

"Still not right, think of happy things, like when the guard gave you two extra pieces of bread during mealtime, isn’t that joyful? Come, smile~ ha ha ha! Ha ha ha!"

They were like two little fools, facing each other in the bathroom, laughing back and forth.

They laughed until nearly lights out, and Xiaoqi quickly held Zero’s hand to dry off and run out of the bathroom.

On the way, they encountered the guard again.

The guard reprimanded them harshly, "Why so slow? Want a beating?!"

Xiaoqi poked Zero’s waist, and winked at her.

Zero gathered her courage, trying to show the guard a smile with an apology, "Sorry, sir, for troubling you... we’re heading back now..."

Facing the smile, the guard didn’t have the heart to be violent, and impatiently waved his hand: "Hurry up, don’t waste time."

They returned to the room, and Zero muttered blankly, "Smiling really works..."

Xiaoqi stuck out her tongue, showing a mischievous cat-like grin, "See, it’s my exclusive secret~ A smile is the best weapon for protecting yourself."

Then, Xiaoqi suddenly remembered something and looked at the empty lower bunk, "Ah, darn it, I forgot to bring my bedding over..."

"Clang clang clang." The sound of a stick striking iron bars echoed down the hallway, followed by the guard’s voice: "Lights out, everyone get to bed, no talking."

Xiaoqi helped Zero onto the top bunk, "You go to sleep first."

Zero: "What about you?"

Xiaoqi: "I’ll ask the guard for permission to fetch my bedding."

Zero hurriedly said, "If they don’t let you, we can share the top bunk."

"Okay, just sleep," Xiaoqi ran out the door.

Although Zero wanted to wait for Xiaoqi to return, three days in the dark cell had already drained her spirit and strength.

She lay on the bed, feeling the world spin, and drifted into a dazed sleep.

The next day, when Zero woke up, she found that she was alone.

She looked over and saw Xiaoqi sleeping on the lower bunk, without sheets or a blanket, curling up like that in the cold winter.

Apparently, the guard did not approve Xiaoqi’s request to move the bedding after lights out.

To let the exhausted Zero sleep as comfortably as possible, Xiaoqi had not crowded into the upper bunk with her last night, but slept alone on the lower bunk’s wooden planks.

Zero felt a pang in her nose, then snuggled down with her blanket, covering Xiaoqi and pressing against her cold skin, using her body warmth to keep her warm.

Xiaoqi mumbled sleepily, turning over and smiling: "Morning, little monster, you’re so warm..."

Zero held Xiaoqi and closed her eyes, tears suddenly seeping through the corners, silently flowing down her face.

...

After today’s experiment, it was time for some outdoor exercise again.

Xiaoqi led Zero to the activity area and whispered, "Remember everything I taught you?"

Zero, a little nervous, fidgeted with her clothes and nodded slightly.

As soon as they entered the activity area, they saw the boy who had led the beating before.

Three days ago, Zero had bitten him hard, leaving a very noticeable bite mark on his hand.

As soon as he saw Zero approach, his gaze turned hostile: "Stay away from me, monster."

Zero lowered her head, cautiously took out an uneaten apple from her lunch, and handed it to the boy with both hands: "S-sorry... I shouldn’t have bitten you that day..."

"What?" The boy was stunned.

He had thought that this ugly monster would come up and fight him, but unexpectedly she was apologizing.

For a moment, he wondered if it was a trick, like maybe something dirty was on the apple to trick him into eating it.

He stood there motionless, warily eyeing Zero.

Zero raised her head, her lips twitching slightly, forcing out a friendly smile.

This made the boy even more bewildered.

Xiaoqi chimed in at the right time: "Hey, a girl has already apologized to you, and you’re still hesitating. Are you a boy or not?"

The boy felt his face flush, looking at the proactively friendly Zero, he couldn’t keep arguing and just took the apple, muttering, "I was also wrong... shouldn’t have hit you..."

"That’s right!" Xiaoqi pulled their hands together, smiling, "We’re all just poor souls trapped here, no mom or dad, we only have each other to lean on."

"If we as the same kind reject each other, then there really will be no one in the world who cares about us." 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

The boy said softly, "But recently the experiment intensity is really too high... I know Zero can’t control it, but it’s undeniably related to her, and everyone is upset."

Xiaoqi showed a mischievous smile and lowered her voice, "So I’ve thought of a way~"

"What way?" the boy quickly asked.

Xiaoqi pulled Zero closer, lowering her voice even more, "Zero, from now on, whenever the group does the high current experiment, you just faint."

Zero mumbled, "But how do I faint... I’ve never fainted before..."

"Oh, you silly." Xiaoqi pinched Zero’s cheek, "Of course, you just pretend!"

"You just close your eyes, don’t respond no matter how the researchers call you, you can even pretend to convulse, drool, or foam at the mouth."

"That way, they’ll think you’re unable to withstand it, and won’t dare to randomly increase the current intensity, and the other kids won’t have to suffer too."

The boy marveled, "That’s a good idea! Please, Zero, you’ve got to help us!"

Zero stared blankly at the boy in front of her, looking into his eyes full of urgency.

It was the first time she felt needed by someone.

...

In the following period, as Zero frequently "fainted" from the high current impacts, the various research groups felt the experiment intensity was too high and unanimously slowed down their pace.

The pressure on the children diminished rapidly, their mood improved, and the atmosphere during the exercise became more relaxed.

This also transformed Zero as if into a different person, no longer the lifeless figure she once was, and she made many friends, including the boy who had hit her the hardest back then. They often played games and caught bugs together in the activity area.

No one called Zero a monster anymore, everyone affectionately called her by her name, and some children even thought she was too thin and would keep some of their food from each meal to give to her, so she could gain strength.

In this dark, lightless prison, Xiaoqi was like a torch, the only light in Zero’s life.

She would follow this light all the way.

And so she hoped.