Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
The moment she opened the box, she stepped far away from it as a precaution. But, in the end, when she realized it merely contained a phone and a picture, she let out a sigh of relief.
She started to secretly mock herself for being so timid.
Upon seeing that the phone was an old one, Nian Xiaomu’s brows knitted.
Who would gift her with an old phone at her wedding?
And a picture…
Nian Xiaomu picked up the picture and when her eyes laid on a little girl with refreshing looks, her pupils constricted!
She had seen this little girl before!
It was inside the photo album she had seen at Tan Bengbeng’s apartment.
However, in Tan Bengbeng’s photo album, the little girl was wearing normal clothes that didn’t look particularly special.
But, in this picture, a young Tan Bengbeng was wearing a set of fully black clothes!
The rich black outfit made her look like a shadow and as she was standing in a dimly-lit corner, it was hard to even detect her presence…
Holding the picture in her hand, Nian Xiaomu grasped it tightly without making any sound.
A particular scene started to flash through her head.
It was the scene of two little girls, the same age, meeting for the very first time.
One of the little girls was standing in the backyard of the Xing Family’s old mansion.
There were a few trees and a swing there.
The other girl, which was her, sat right on the swing looking at the girl dressed in black from top to toe. Then, in a friendly manner, she started to introduce herself.
“I’m Liuliu, what’s your name?”
“…”
“Do you not know how to speak? Or do you not have a name?”
“…”
“How about this? Since you always pull a long face and don’t speak, and you’re dressed in all-black, why don’t I call you Xiaohei?”
Since she did not get a single response from the little girl, Nian Xiaomu held out her hand to the little girl dressed fully in black.
“Hi, Xiaohei. Nice to meet you!”
The girl in black stared at her hand for a long time before slowly reaching her little hand out to her.
She then spoke.
“I’m not Xiaohei. My name is Bengbeng, Tan Bengbeng!”
Tan Bengbeng…
This voice seemed to have transcended time and it was as if she could hear it ringing in her ears at the present moment.
A chill instantly went down Nian Xiaomu’s spine!
All of a sudden, other images started to flash through her head.
That was the day she had met Tan Bengbeng for the very first time. From that day onwards, Tan Bengbeng would follow her everywhere she went.
It was as if she was her shadow.
Sometimes, Tan Bengbeng was so good at hiding that she could not even find her when she turned around to look.
At the very beginning, she had thought she had lost Tan Bengbeng and would start bawling in anxiety.
When that happened, Tan Bengbeng, who was as young as she was, would appear right in front of her like a spirit.
She would float lightly and appear right in front of her, then help her to wipe her tears and say, “You don’t have to find me, you won’t be able to. If you could see me, then other people would be able to as well. Then, I wouldn’t be able to protect you.”
From Nian Xiaomu’s memory, that was the first time Tan Bengbeng had said so many words in one breath.
Most of the time, she would not speak and acted like a mute.
She would not appear in front of her either.
She wanted to tell her that she did not need anyone to protect her, but she wanted to play with her.
But, Tan Bengbeng completely ignored her and seeing how Nian Xiaomu was no longer crying, she would stand up straight again and turn to leave.
When Nian Xiaomu had snapped back to her senses, she had disappeared again…
Later on, she had also met Fan Yu in the backyard of the Xing Family mansion.
As a result, she had gradually stopped clinging to Tan Bengbeng.
Perhaps, Tan Bengbeng was so good at hiding that Fan Yu had not discovered her at all, Nian Xiaomu had also forgotten about her shadow’s presence as there was a handsome little brother for her to play with.
It was only when her parents came to visit her that Tan Bengbeng would suddenly appear from behind the curtain to remind her, then disappear again…
