Everyone knew he did her backpack, too. There was no way she actually remembered which books to bring, or always had her pencil case stocked so she had a spare pencil when she forgot the other one was behind her ear or holding up her hair.

There was constant shoulder-checking when he wasn’t around. Giggles about how she needed to leave him alone and give him space—she wasn’t his girlfriend—or how she should scurry back to him if her eyes started watering. They made disturbing jokes about what might have caused her amnesia. They stole her school supplies and the homework he had helped her finish. They acted sweet toward her when he was around, then did a complete 180 whenever he was gone. They tugged her hair, undoing the hairstyles he had given her. Knocked her books over. Stepped on her papers.

And she hid it all from him, obviously. Because they were right—he did do everything for her. She did go to his bed when she had nightmares, or when it was thundering. He tucked her in every night, and he blew dry her hair. He made her breakfast and helped her study.

She did want him all to herself. So what would it say about her if she went looking for his help with this? It would only get worse.

And maybe they were right about everything else too—maybe she was ugly, a burden, pitiful, and stupid.

He found out on a day she got sent to the principal’s office again for forgetting her assignments. She came out of school crying and he asked her why.

She said she forgot the homework. Again. The homework he always helped her finish, and always made sure she understood everything, did everything correctly with her own head. All that time of his wasted so often because she was an airhead.

But he knew he had put her homework in her bag every single time. So she couldn’t have forgotten it.

He insisted she tell him what was happening, bringing her to her favorite milk tea place. She eventually broke and told him everything. He comforted her, hugged her, wiped her tears. Bought her favorite snacks. Made her favorite dinner. Watched a cute movie with her that night.

The next days were cleanup at school.

The worst of the bullies had cut her long, shiny hair into a bob. She had been so proud of it—but somehow gum had gotten stuck in it. Everyone got a private talk with Xia Yizhou. He never told Fèng Tàibèi what he said, but they all came out of those conversations very pale.

He braided her hair into buns, with braids trailing down and ribbons tied into perfect bows, right in front of everyone in the cafeteria. He started kissing her forehead before class.

The bullying stopped, or never took root anymore—sometimes someone tried something with her, but she wasn't scared to ask for help this time, and he was paying much more attention to the possibility.

• She was a quiet kid. Mostly stuck by Xia Yizhou’s/Caleb's side growing up.

• He was her only friend and companion at the Gaia Laboratory. She doesn’t remember it, but he was always there, comforting her as life faded from her, and there again when she woke, ready to become her friend all over again.

• They escaped the laboratory when the Deepspace tunnel appeared. She doesn’t remember the escape, nor their past, but they became inseparable again in the shelter. Xia Yizhou was very protective of her, and she found comfort in him. They shared a bed, since Fèng Tàibèi was too scared to sleep on her own.

• When Zhāng Sù/Josephine sought her, she refused to be separated from him. In the end, both of them were adopted together.

• Learned to socialize fast once he left for college. Keeps a small circle, but values it deeply.

• Táo Tao/Tara and Shen Xinghui/Xavier are her best friends.

• She is also close with her long-lost childhood friend Zhang Lei/Zayne. Qin Che/Sylus is a kind of mentor figure to her, and she has fun with Qi Yu/Rafayel.

• She doesn’t really speak to her high school or hunter school's friend groups anymore. There wasn’t a fallout—they simply drifted apart after school ended.

• Deeply loyal to the people she cares about. A ride or die.

• Struggles to communicate her feelings directly.

• Observant and sensitive to changes in others’ behavior, even when she doesn’t comment on them—likely an imprint left on her body from the trauma of her time at the Gaia Research Center.

• Alternates between openly affectionate and emotionally withdrawn when overwhelmed.

• Grounds herself with sensory comforts—music; her favorite foods; familiar routines, like taking care of her plants or playing arcade games.

• Very persistent and determined, sometimes to the point of throwing herself headfirst into danger.

• Has ADHD (predominantly inattentive), though undiagnosed—Xia Yizhou’s support masked it for years.

• Got good grades in school, but not effortlessly like her brother; she relied a lot on his help when studying.

• Struggled through high school and preparing for the Hunter’s admission exams without him.

• She never carries keys or a wallet. Her apartment has fingerprint locks and she has phone apps for her cards. She never forgets her phone because she always has music playing when she’s out walking, and it’s how Xia Yizhou talked to her since he moved away.

• Often forgets to eat unless someone’s with her. Eating with her friends helps.

• She has loved Xia Yizhou for as long as she can remember. It took time for her to understand what she wanted from him, but it settled sometime around puberty.

• She acts bratty around him and enjoys the way he spoils her. She craves his attention, needing his focus on her in a way that sometimes feels obsessive.

• She is a poor communicator and tends to give him the silent treatment, expecting him to notice and put in the effort to understand her. She loves that he always does.

• She could forgive him for anything. She has never hated him—not even close.

• Has been skating since middle school and loves riding her motorbike.

• Loves arcades and holds high scores on a few machines. She also loves playing cards.

• Has a growing collection of plushies she’s won in claw machines.

• Keeps her weed vape on her all of the time.

• Really into plants. Has a lot of them in her apartment and a serious green thumb. Xia Yizhou gifted her some harder-to-find kinds.

• Plays the erhu (started lessons thanks to Grandma). Also a good singer. She plays music to her plants while practicing.

• Has been doing kickboxing since she was 13—she genuinely enjoys fighting.

• Insanely good aim. She's a regular at the local gun range.

• Her favorite meal is Xia Yizhou’s braised chicken.

• She has a strong sweet tooth—loves candy floss and fried banana (with ice cream).

• Has a comfortable, grungy, laid-back style. Most days she's wearing riding gear for her bike.

• As a teenager, she dyed her hair in bright colors; now, she bleaches her eyebrows instead.

• Mostly wears black and white, with some muted earth tones. Threw out all her bright-colored clothes after the deaths of her grandma and Xia Yizhou.

• Has a soft spot for apple-themed accessories—only because Xia Yizhou liked them and would point them out.

• She has a lot of tattoos: a phoenix across her back; a star on her right wrist; a diagram-like design on her right upper arm; a sun above her heart; a red apple with a line from a poem (roughly meaning inseparable) on her left upper arm; cyber sigilism in orange on her left forearm.

• A few months after Xia Yizhou “dies,” she adds a chest tattoo depicting two ancient deities, supposedly married siblings.

• After his supposed death, she mourned him deeply. She sought the truth of the Aether Core in her heart in hopes of avenging him.

• Re-listened to recordings of her calls with Xia Yizhou often—before sleeping and when she needs to focus on investigating his and their grandma's deaths. She also kept texting him, to talk about her day-to-day.

• When she sees him again, and sees how changed and unfamiliar he feels now, she takes her time to come to terms with it, feeling like she’s mourning him a second time.