The video ended with the scene of Xiaong being taken away by the staff, and the audience was silent.
Xu Xiaoyou's fingers lightly tapped on the desk, looking out at the sky filled with rolling thunderclouds.
"The farce should be about to end."
...
The next day at noon.
A black land air vehicle parked in front of the Iris Foster Ho in the Piano Key District, blending in with the district's color sche, not attracting any attention.
Everything here was black and white - tall and short buildings, roadside flowers and trees, hurried pedestrians - like the industrial era thousands of years ago when color TVs were not yet popular.
The sky, heavy as lead, seed to press down, the air filled with oppression, unclear if it was the humidity after a heavy rain or influenced by the children's languid faces.
Feeling the gaze of the children at the entrance of the foster ho, the man getting out of the car had to put on a gentle smile.
Yain hated coming to the Piano Key District, but to maintain his image as a good person in the Lindong family and his philanthropic persona in social news, he had to personally visit this place.
The air here was unbearable for him, filled with unpleasant slls, despite the Star of Art's strict hygiene managent, with millions of inspiration funding the Life Daylight's health bureau every year.
It wasn't the stench of drunkards on the street, nor the dirty body odors of the children, nor the sll of garbage with nowhere to go, but the 'exhaustion of inspiration' odor.
This place was full of wandering artists who considered themselves misunderstood geniuses, emitting an odor from their tangled, dirty hair.
Pushing open the rusted iron gate, bypassing the old camphor tree planted in the courtyard, a skinny cat was startled and quickly darted into the shadows of the building.
The children hid behind the curtains, peering curiously at this figure dressed differently from them with their dirty little faces.
Compared to the luxurious foster hos in the King's District, Queens District, and Olympus District, where each child was served by a special nanny one-on-one, this place was like an orphanage, with a few preschool teachers letting the children roll around and play in the muddy ground after the rain. Yain frowned tightly.
He was in a terrible mood today. For the fifth ti, his proposal at the Life Daylight human rights discussion eting to allow subhuman races, except rfolk, Fishn, Blood Spirit Race, and Moon Demon Race, to obtain permanent residency on the Star of Art was rejected, putting his hard-supported Multi-Racial Children's Foundation at risk of disbandnt.
The reason was simple - because the big shots at the human rights discussion believed these aliens were without aesthetics, exuding stench from every pore, and settling on the Star of Art would only pollute the air here.
No one was willing to see the streets filled with defecating Giant demons, Ogres on the clean and tidy streets of the Star of Art, even though he emphasized they could contain these alien races in the Piano Key District.
Amidst his thoughts, Yain had already entered the Iris Foster Ho, kept a friendly smile, squatted down, and extended a hand to a child:
"How are you feeling today, Little Borlik?"
The boy stepped back two paces, not fearing the man in front of him but the cold iron gray box that was getting closer.
Symbolically shaking hands and exchanging words with so children, a trace of disgust flashed in Yain's eyes. After carefully wiping his hands clean with a handkerchief, he saw the director of the Iris Foster Ho appear before him.
The woman noticed Yain's actions but said nothing, simply shaking her head lightly.
Her silver hair fell from her forehead to her temples, covering so wrinkles, softening the woman's face. She just stood there, watching the children in the classroom reading aloud with the preschool teachers, without saying a word.
"Good afternoon, Ms. Elia," Yain said.
"These children are actually very lively and imaginative," the woman said softly.
"If they weren't in a world of only black and white, maybe they could draw more beautiful pictures?"
Yain understood the aning behind the woman's words, realizing she wasn't really concerned about the children but was asking if he would continue donating next month.
"Mm, they will definitely draw them." In front of the cara, Yain said this.
"Long ti no see, Mr. Yain. Thank you for your contributions to these children over the years," the woman said with a smile.
"Seeing you reminds of that blue-haired little girl, I wonder how she's doing now."
"Co inside, will you have so hot tea first?"
The bell rang, signaling the end of the children's last morning class, which was about the history of the Star of Art. The black and white textbooks recorded content dull enough to bore adults.
From Fars Religious Kingdom, taking bold steps to the Star of Art, seemingly a simple step, yet it involved countless practitioners shedding blood and tears, eventually like the fairytale ending where the hero vanquishes the evil dragon.
The preschool teacher noticed a little girl still sitting in the corner, approaching her and seeing her using different colored pens to draw two-tone pictures.
"Little Alice, it's ti for your nap," the teacher said gently.
The drawing recorded this little girl's whimsical ideas, depicting what looked like a Fishman, wearing beautiful clothes, with a lovely face, sitting on the rocks by the shore, playing a flute.
"Hmm, what's this?" A hint of surprise flashed in the teacher's eyes.
"It's a Fishman, Sister l, the story you often tell before napping with a Fishman in it," the girl replied.
"That's not a Fishman, Little Alice, that's a rfolk."
The girl asked in confusion, "What's the difference between a Fishman and a rfolk, really?"
"rfolk are beautiful, Fishn are ugly," the teacher patiently explained, "every Fishman wears a veil to cover their face, and only when they win people's favor with their talents do they beco beautiful, transforming into rfolk."
"Little Alice, hasn't the story been told many tis about the prince's secret etings with the veiled Fishman heroine? Every ti he tries to lift her veil, she hurriedly finds an excuse to run away."
"Until the final ball, the heroine finally learned the most beautiful dance in the world, gaining admiration from all the nobles. When the prince finally lifted her veil, she had unknowingly transford into a rfolk, her scarred face becoming pure and beautiful, and she went to marriage with the prince."
"I still don't quite understand, Sister l, why do they beco beautiful once they are liked? Is it because they're cursed?"
"That, I'm not very sure." The teacher looked at the girl's innocent and curious face with a complex expression.
She wasn't really unsure of the reason; she just didn't want the child to encounter the harsh truth so early.
Outside the window, a man passed by, and Yain heard the discussion between the teacher and the child clearly.
Just like the mythical Fishman, they were inherently ugly and bloodthirsty creatures, attracting sailors lost in the fog at sea with enchanting songs, killing and devouring them.
Until one day, a Fishman princess t a powerful Wizard and fell in love, and the Wizard blessed this ugly race. As long as they never broke the oath of love, their descendants would beco beautiful, gradually integrating into human society without needing bloody predation to survive anymore.
Their greed grew alongside their increasingly captivating appearance, expanding wantonly like an endless abyss. No longer satisfied with worldly power and wealth, they tempted the Stars' Gods with their stunning looks, breaking the powerful Wizard's oath, and the Stars cast a curse, reverting them to their ugly form, chased away by the society's nobles.
At the brink of racial survival, a sage from the Fishn traveled to the Land of the Far East's castle, made a pact with the Demon in the castle, paying a heavy price, which allowed their race to partially escape the Stars' curse and continue.
"If you can attract others beneath your ugly appearance, then you will remain beautiful."
"Conversely, at the mont you no longer shine, when no one cares, your soul will belong to ."
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