You Were Always Worthy

Thus, Lin became the primary focus of Ruoling and Qingmeng's care.

They would often spend time with her, give her food and clothes, and occasionally take her out to play.

Under their comfort and care, Lin's anxiety and unease gradually subsided, and she slowly integrated into the orphanage family.

But childhood trauma sometimes takes decades to heal.

Ruoling and Qingmeng could see that, while Lin had calmed down, the values instilled in her by her past environment were difficult to erase.

What kind of life had she lived before?

A life where everyone despised her, treating her like a dirty, unwanted burden.

Once her parents' inheritance was gone, and she had lost her usefulness, she was passed around between relatives, treated as nothing more than a nuisance.

Her relatives saw her as a burden, constantly belittling and abusing her, and to survive, she had no choice but to endure it all.

Parents who discipline their children through violence and scolding often raise insecure individuals.

So what about Lin, who had endured far worse?

Everyone around her had looked down on her.

This shaped her personality, making her constantly unhappy, feeling as though she really was as worthless as her relatives had claimed.

Being shuffled between different relatives, forced to live cautiously under the scrutiny of others, also shaped her worldview.

Because she had grown up surrounded by deceit and bullying, she saw the world through a lens of cynicism.

She believed that all people were inherently evil.

On the surface, she appeared friendly with everyone, but if one looked closely, they would see the wall she had built between herself and others.

She could get along with anyone, yet she always maintained a subtle distance, never allowing anyone to truly enter her heart or earn her genuine trust.

She refused to easily believe in others, thinking it was better to rely only on herself.

She believed that only by becoming strong could she protect herself.

She studied diligently, always achieving the highest grades in both the orphanage and the entire school.

In her free time, she would bury herself in the library, studying psychology, strategy, manipulation, and game theory.

Her past experiences convinced her that human nature was inherently evil, that all relationships were fundamentally based on transactions of self-interest.

She trusted no one.

She refused to open her heart to anyone.

All she wanted was to become stronger, so that she would never be bullied again.

And the four elder sisters saw everything.

To be fair, her experiences had indeed made her stronger, but at the same time, these beliefs had become an obsession.

The four sisters, all of whom were highly intelligent and held positions of power, understood that if this continued, Lin would likely become extreme.

She had become so accustomed to expecting malice, clinging too tightly to power and self-interest as her way of protecting herself.

A young girl, forced to survive in a cruel environment, could only protect herself this way.

So, the four sisters never blamed her.

But they knew, if she wasn't guided properly, she would eventually walk down a dark path, becoming someone with a twisted worldview.

"Her beliefs are still forming, if we guide her now, it's not too late. She's actually a good child. I don't want her to lose her way."

Thus, the four sisters began watching over her with deep concern.

Of course, saying that was one thing, but actually guiding the hardest-working, most exceptional, yet also most problematic child in the orphanage was an entirely different challenge.

Until one day.

"If I could travel to Teyvat, I would definitely protect Furina, make her happy, and ensure Focalors doesn't die!"

After finishing the main storyline, she suddenly shouted this at the screen.

The moment those words left her lips, Aileen, Shiju, Ruoling, and Qingmeng all turned their heads simultaneously, staring at her.

A girl who had always believed in humanity's inherent evil—

A girl who always viewed others with suspicion—

A girl who was always self-serving and calculating—

Had actually shouted such words.

Since she had arrived at the orphanage, this was the first time she had expressed a desire to selflessly do something for someone else.

Even if that someone was just a fictional character in a game.

"Do you really want to cross into Teyvat and go to Furina's side?"

"Yes! I do!"

Seeing her serious expression, the four sisters inside the internet café exchanged knowing smiles.

In that moment, they all had the same thought, they had found the way to guide her.

Why did she develop such a strong emotional attachment to Furina?

Furina had spent her life carefully treading under the scrutiny of others, fearing even the slightest mistake, and she, too, had once lived that way.

Because after so many years of living cautiously, Furina always felt that she was not good enough, leading her into a cycle of self-doubt and inferiority.

And she was the same, years of rejection and denial from her relatives had made her constantly question her own worth, fostering a deep-seated insecurity.

Furina had played her role for five hundred years, lonely and suffering, yearning for companionship, longing for love.

And so had she, losing her parents at a young age, wandering through different homes, she, too, longed for companionship, and even more so, love.

They were so alike, like two sides of a mirror, one side was Furina, and the other, Felina.

After learning Furina's story, she felt an overwhelming sense of empathy.

People always show great kindness to those who resemble themselves, because in the other person, they see their past.

And deep down, they believe that if they can save the other person, it is also a way of saving themselves.

...

Because I am the same kind of person, I knew exactly how to help her, how to save her…

Felina had always pushed herself to become stronger, to master the art of strategy and calculation.

But deep down, she was just as insecure as Furina.

After all, wasn't it because she felt inadequate that she kept learning, striving, and trying to become stronger?

She refused to bring up the idea of returning to Teyvat for two reasons.

One, she felt her fate had been manipulated.

Two, she cared too much about Furina.

She knew exactly how Furina saw her.

To Furina, Felina was the strongest, the best, the most reliable presence.

And that was precisely what worried Felina the most.

"If Furina finds out that her hero, Felina, is actually just an ordinary mortal, a girl just as lonely and insecure as she is, will she be disappointed? How will she see me?"

She knew, of course, that Furina was a good person.

Even if Furina learned the truth about her past and personality, she wouldn't reject her.

But the feeling was like getting into a relationship and, in the middle of a conversation, impulsively sending your partner an inappropriate joke.

Then, as soon as you realize what you've done, it's too late to unsend it.

You know, based on your partner's personality, that they probably wouldn't hold it against you.

But right after you sent it, they got busy and didn't respond.

Now, even though you rationally believe that they won't judge you too harshly, you can't help but feel anxious because their reaction remains unknown.

This is the contradiction that arises when you care too much about someone.

And this was exactly why Felina didn't want to return to Teyvat.

She didn't want to disappoint Furina.

She wanted to remain perfect in Furina's eyes.

But Furina was still in Teyvat, and her thoughts about Felina were unknown.

She feared this uncertainty in the opinion of someone so important to her.

And because of the constant rejection and belittlement she endured as a child, she had developed a natural inferiority complex, a deeply ingrained belief of:

"I am unworthy, I do not deserve love."

So, she chose to escape.

She avoided bringing up the possibility of returning to Teyvat.

...

Sending Felina to Teyvat had two purposes.

First, to guide her, helping her find happiness.

Second, to have her resolve the troubles of that world.

But upon returning, Felina had been silent, never once mentioning the idea of going back to Teyvat.

The four elder sisters could easily see that she longed to return, yet for various reasons, she refused to speak up and face it.

To break this deadlock, Shiju personally took action.

Furina believed that her encounter with Shiju was merely good luck.

But just as the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles once said, among the countless worlds on the World Tree, the chances of meeting the Mother Tree were nearly zero.

Had Shiju not willed it, how could Furina possibly have found her?

When Shiju asked Furina what price she was willing to pay to bring Felina back,

And Furina answered: "Everything."

At that moment, Shiju knew that Felina had found someone who truly loved her.

Since Felina was deliberately avoiding the issue, then all that was needed was to bring Furina and Focalors before her, placing everything out in the open, so that Felina could no longer escape.

"You… Because of your childhood, you've always felt like you weren't good enough."

Outside the convenience store, Shiju placed a hand on Felina's shoulder, gazing at her gently.

"Perhaps you believe that you aren't all that remarkable, that you don't deserve to be loved by so many."

"That you were simply lucky to be chosen."

"But I want you to know, I didn't choose you out of pity, nor was it some meaningless whim."

"Aileen, Ruoling, and even you—"

"You were all chosen because you had the ability."

"If it was just about sympathy, I could have simply granted you a life of wealth and peace. Why would I send you there?"

"Let me put it in a way you understand, the system's rewards may have come from me, but to earn them, you had to accumulate enough 'Guardian Points' on your own."

"If it were someone else in your place, they might not have even discovered the spies around Furina, let alone accomplished all that you did."

"The system's rewards were like items I had prepared in advance, but only through your own efforts did you earn enough 'Guardian Points' to exchange for them."

"You were never just some lucky person handed a miraculous system, nor were you a mere mortal, manipulated by the World Tree's will."

"You were always exceptional."

"You deserve everything you have."

"Sending you to Teyvat wasn't some test, It was because we all believed this journey would be good for you."

At this, Shiju smiled faintly.

"Besides, I am not omnipotent, there are too many worlds on the World Tree."

"Even I cannot oversee them all."

"I may be able to easily solve that world's calamities, but I could never have saved Furina."

"Because comforting others, and offering companionship, that is something I am not good at."

"But you—"

"You brought Furina warmth and love."

"And now, as your journey reaches its conclusion, you have finally received the love and warmth that are meant for you."

With that, Shiju gently pushed Felina forward, right into Furina and Focalors' arms.

Her meaning was clear. It was time to go.

At that moment, outside the convenience store, Felina stood still, lost in brief silence.

To protect herself, she had always assumed the worst intentions in others.

But now, as all misunderstandings were cleared,

She finally understood, this journey was a gift from her elder sisters.

A journey to enlighten her, to show her the world, to help her grow.

At that moment, the wall she had built around herself began to crumble, revealing the soft heart hidden beneath.

"I…"

She looked at Furina and Focalors, then turned to Shiju.

But the moment she did, she realized the four elder sisters had somehow appeared behind her.

Aileen bent down slightly, gently stroking her head, gazing at her tenderly.

"Congratulations on finding your happiness."

"Go now—your home is not here."

Ruoling smiled softly, "Go ahead. There are still many people waiting for you."

Qingmeng, hands on her hips, flashing a grinning smirk.

"Don't forget, you still have a home here, too!"

"Make sure to visit often!"

At that moment, it was no different from a family sending off their younger sister on a journey.

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