Tales of the Immortal Star [Aria's Tales]

Arc 1: Chapter 1

Aria was startled awake by a loud blast of music.

Silently, she scanned the room and found that she was alone. Meanwhile, the phone in her hand stubbornly rang, repeating the same ringtone over and over again—it was the intro to 'DNA' by BTS. As she looked at the screen, the name being displayed was Chen Rui.

Aria stared blankly, having no intention to answer it. At last, the caller gave up and sent her a message instead:

[Miss Gu Mingyan, please come to the front building of Brilliant Stars by 7:00 p.m.]

"Wow, wattabitch!" A sweet voice complained from her right side.

Aria moved her gaze to the small white stuffed rabbit floating on her right shoulder, wearing a pink dress and a purple blazer.

The little rabbit looked at her. "Aria, be careful! That girl's a white lotus!" She warned, indignantly.

Aria blinked once and smiled slightly. "Give me the information Lily~"

Lily, the rabbit, nodded, her fluffy ears bouncing back and forth. Then, she clapped with her tiny paws, making a soft thumping sound. A bright dot gradually emerged, swiftly moving towards Aria's forehead. Numerous moving images quickly played in her head.

The original owner of her new body was called Gu Mingyan.

She was an orphan for seven years in an orphanage that sent noisy children to sleep in a shed, and she lived in a foster home for nine years where speaking meant getting kicked.

In her sixteen years of living in hell, the only friend she had was a boy named Shen Yan.

The first time they met was when Shen Yan was sent by his relatives to her orphanage after the death of his parents. His blindness pushed him away from other kids his age, but in Gu Mingyan's eyes, he was just a shy boy. When he didn't come for food, Gu Mingyan would drag him. When he started making noise, Gu Mingyan would cover for him. When he finally succeeded in getting sent to the shed, Gu Mingyan was there to accompany him.

This lasted for an entire week, until Shen Yan was adopted.

"Hang on."

Lily immediately paused the memories, and like a video, Aria replayed them to when Gu Mingyan and Shen Yan were together in the shed.

In the memory, Gu Mingyan was feeding Shen Yan spring rolls from lunch. 

Suddenly, someone tried to open the shed. Shen Yan quickly covered Gu Mingyan's mouth—only failing once, even though he was blind—and gestured for her to keep quiet. The sound of the shed lock being jangled continued for a minute until sounds of a muffled struggle came from outside.

After a minute, there was silence.

Shen Yan let go of Gu Mingyan's mouth. He sighed and said, "Sorry for covering your mouth. I was afraid the Madam might find you and punish you for staying with me." He looked incredibly guilty.

But whether he was guilty for covering her mouth or for something else, Gu Mingyan would never know.

"How adorable~ I wonder what he was hiding~ Okay, let's continue."

"Okay~" Lily happily continued giving her the memories.

The next time they met, Gu Mingyan was a first-year student in high school, while Shen Yan was her senior in his third year. They reconnected through a collaborative school project, during which Shen Yan learned of her circumstances.

Gu Mingyan's condition had worsened over the years, and the bruises she accumulated didn't decrease. If they didn't kick her for speaking, it was for merely existing. And if it wasn't for existing, it was because they had problems with their lives in general.