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On the day I turned eighteen, my mother slid a bank card and a folder across the table. The gesture was clear enough: get out. Legally disowned. "Sophia, the Fei family doesn't raise dead weight. There's a hundred thousand in that card—enough for college." My father couldn't even be bothered to look at me. "I've already taken you off the family register. Don't bother coming home or calling. You're an embarrassment." I thought Violet might say something. Instead, she just scrolled through her phone, a slight smirk curled at the corner of her mouth. She didn't glance at me once. I dropped my gaze to my shoes and stood there for a long moment. Then I grabbed the card and the folder and turned to leave. "She's eighteen and still has no manners," Luke scoffed. I paused. Then I turned back and gave them a formal bow. "Thank you, Mother. Father. Thank you all." My name is Sophia. I'm the youngest daughter of one of Cloud City's most powerful families—the Fei family. According to Fei family tradition, every direct descendant has a fifty percent chance of awakening a supernatural ability at adulthood. Luke was always gifted. From childhood, he demonstrated an extraordinary sensitivity to numbers—an almost instinctive grasp of complex financial structures. After returning from overseas, it took him only two years to become one of the most sought-after names in Cloud City's elite financial circles. Violet awakened her ability when she was fourteen—X-ray vision that could see through metals, wood, and plant surfaces. It lasted only three minutes per use, with a one-month cooldown. In recent years, that ability had secured the Fei family's dominance in Cloud City's jade trade. But I had reached eighteen without showing any sign of a supernatural ability. I wasn't as beautiful or radiant as my sister. In Cloud City's elite circles, the most common comment about the Fei family's third daughter was: quiet, unremarkable. As my mother put it: "How did someone so ordinary come from me?" My parents secretly had a paternity test done behind my back. The bad news? I really was their child. Otherwise, things might have turned out differently. I grabbed my suitcase, a bitter taste filling my mouth—like biting down on rust. The sprawling estate had no place for me. After all, I was Sophia the Invisible, the useless one. "The young master ordered me to have you take these worthless stones with you." The old butler tossed a small pouch of rocks at my feet without a hint of emotion. He couldn't understand why the third young lady would care about such things. I bent down to pick them up and slid them into my suitcase. They lay on top of everything I owned—a few clothes, nothing more. These were the river stones I'd bought as a child to decorate my fish tank. I'd thought they were pretty and cheap at the time. I used to spread them on my windowsill, fondling and admiring them. When Violet saw them, she laughed and said they suited me perfectly: "Just like you— everywhere and worthless, roadside junk." Jade is noble, but does that make river stones worthless? Now I realize: my father, mother, brother, and sister never liked me. Only the stones never abandoned me. The semester at Zhejiang University wouldn't start for another half-month, and I had nowhere to go. My grandmother was old, her chronic illness acting up again—she was recovering in a nursing home and couldn't take any shocks. I turned to look back at Fei Manor one last time. Though it was a bright summer day and the sunlight poured down, I couldn't stop shivering. It felt like the cold had come from somewhere deeper than the air. This family had no room for me. So I left. I took a taxi to the train station and bought a ticket to the city for noon that same day. The moment I stepped off the train, a trending post on my news app caught my eye—local Cloud City news. My shoulders trembled. All the strength drained from my legs, and I could barely stand. Tears spilled like a summer downpour, smacking against my suitcase and the back of my hands. I thought—at least— I never imagined my parents would be so eager to sever ties with their own daughter. Compared to my brother and sister, I was nothing but the Fei family's useless little waste. Plain-faced, not even good enough to be married off for a business alliance. Maybe I was crying too loudly, because a police officer on patrol came over. "What's wrong? Lost your money? Your ID?" "Thank you, uncle. I'm fine. I'm just happy—tears of joy for my freedom." But even the officer could see: my smile was uglier than tears. The older officer tried to comfort me. "Don't cry, little sister. You know that old legend about the woman who cried so hard she flooded the whole city? Well, she ended up doing twenty years for it." The younger one grinned. "Keep going like that, and you'll flood the whole place. Think the cell's big enough for both of us?" I choked back my tears. They brought me back to the station. "Fight with your family?" "No." I showed them my admission letter, my family register, and the trending post on my phone. What could two small-town cops do about a rich family's affairs, especially from another province? They made me a cup of instant noodles. "Eat up. A young lady like you probably never had this." "Thank you, uncle." So this was what ordinary life tasted like. I ate slowly, chewing carefully. By the time I swallowed the last strand of noodle, I had finally, quietly accepted my reality. The only thing I still shared with the Fei family of Cloud City was the same last name. "Zhejiang University doesn't start for another two weeks. What are you planning for the time being?" "Find a temp job. Preferably one that covers room and board until school starts," I said. A child without a home had to learn to fend for herself. I pulled my suitcase out of the police station and gave the two officers a bow. Through a recruitment site, I found work near Zhejiang University's Zijingang campus—packaging e-commerce products. Day shift, twenty-five yuan an hour, with meals and lodging included. The first two days were slow as I got the hang of things. But soon I could keep up with the others. The work was tiring, but I felt satisfied. The day before school started, I quit and collected my pay. Eighteen days of honest labor. My first real paycheck. Four thousand five hundred yuan in total. I went to the bank to check my card. The tears came again, uncontrollable. The card didn't hold a hundred thousand. It held exactly ten thousand yuan, not a penny more. I didn't know why my mother had lied to me. If she didn't want to give me the money, she could have just said ten thousand. My nails dug into my palms. I took a deep breath, my hand trembling as I dialed her number. I had to ask her why. Was I not her daughter just because I hadn't awakened? Tears streaming, I transferred the money into a new card I opened—one connected to my phone wallet. I walked out of the bank and crouched on the curb, letting my feelings rise and fall with the passing cars. The granite tiles beneath my feet made a grinding sound. Something inside me shattered. I unlocked my phone, found my mother's number, and blocked it. Blocked and deleted her from the app. Left the family group chat. I was eighteen now. The answers didn't matter anymore. From now on, our paths diverge. I'll be fine on my own. I told myself: in the city, I could work my way through school. Four years of college—I could make it. The girls' dorms had four-person and five-person rooms. To save six hundred yuan, I chose the five-person option. The girl across from me was Octavia, from Northeast China. A gold bangle glinted on her wrist. I remembered I used to have gold and jade bracelets, too. On the first weekend after enrollment, I found a part-time job at a milk tea shop near the campus plaza. My hand speed—honed during those twenty days before school—was enough to handle the weekend student rush. Near closing time, a tall figure appeared in front of me. "Sophia?" I looked up. My mind went blank for a second before I recognized him. "Chu Xingye." "So the news was true." Maurice's wild, untamed face carried a hint of amusement. "What, you came to mock me? Order a drink or step aside—don't block the counter." "Ha. Plain Jane Fei. For the sake of growing up together, I'll wait until you're off." A strange light flickered in Maurice's eyes. He leaned against a pillar by the door without another word. I could feel his eyes on me. I dropped my gaze and pretended to stay calm, keeping my hands busy. The Fei family and the Chu family were both top-tier clans in Cloud City. I had a brother and a sister. He had three older brothers. When we were young, he was always fighting, and his brothers spent half their time cleaning up his messes. Our families had business dealings, so our parents knew each other. We went to the same elementary school, middle school, and high school. Maurice never missed a chance to torment me. After school, he'd yank my ponytail or wipe snot on my skirt. He'd stuff frogs and mice into my backpack. If he saw me talking to a boy in class, he'd have the kid cornered in the bathroom before the day was out. I always ended up getting called to the teacher's office. Maurice loved giving me nicknames. My sister Violet had always been stunningly beautiful, which made me look plain in comparison. With my quiet, introverted nature, he gave me the nickname "Plain Jane Fei." In high school, Maurice started dating early. He was seeing two campus beauties at the same time—made the local headlines in Cloud City. By senior year, I was too buried in my studies to care which university he ended up at. I never expected to run into him near Zhejiang University. A chill ran through me. Was he... a student here too? In a city full of strangers, running into Maurice again made my feelings hard to sort out. I ordered two cups of milk tea, stepped outside, and tossed one at him. Sweet things lift your mood. Also, if I didn't want to talk, I could just pretend to drink my tea. "Chu Xingye, what are you doing here?" "For the scenery," he said, grinning. "Women worth writing home about. The degree's just icing. Gives my old man something to brag about." I forced a smile. That excuse was exactly like him. Arrogant. Reckless. Always doing the opposite of his father. "Remember to call me senior from now on." Maurice let out a low laugh. I looked up. He was covering his face, head thrown back, laughing out loud. I couldn't figure out what he was so excited about. This was the city, not his turf. This guy. He was a piece of work. I turned and walked past him, but he blocked my way. "Sophia, where are you going?" "Back to campus." "Rare to run into you. Let me treat you to dinner. We're practically childhood sweethearts. I'm touched—you followed me all the way to Zhejiang U." He draped his arm over my shoulder like an old friend reuniting in a foreign land. I twisted away from him. "Dinner's fine, but keep your hands to yourself. I don't believe someone like you doesn't have a girlfriend." I didn't want anyone getting the wrong idea. He rubbed his nose, looking a little sheepish. Then the careless look returned. "Boring. Plain Jane Fei, you're still as boring as ever." "None of your business. Are you buying or not? If not, I'm heading back." I assumed it would just be the two of us grabbing a quick meal. I couldn't have been more wrong. He had planned a group dinner with some senior classmates—and they'd all brought their girlfriends. "Xingye, you change girlfriends fast." One of the seniors eyed me and cracked a joke. The door to the private room opened, and a stunningly beautiful girl walked in. She came straight to Maurice and sat down beside him, frowning at me like she was guarding her territory. "Sorry I'm late, Xingye. And this little sister is—" I looked at him, waiting to hear how he'd introduce me. "Her name's Sophia. We've known each other since we were in diapers. She's like a little sister. A freshman at Zhejiang U, so she's your junior too." Maurice lounged in the sofa, one arm around the girl's waist, the other hand swirling a drink. His eyes were wild and lazy, like a common thug. The other seniors burst into laughter. "Sophia? Nice to meet you. I'm Eden, Xingye's girlfriend." "Nice to meet you, Senior Eden." I shook her hand lightly. When I caught the flicker of wariness—and pity—in her eyes, I wondered if she knew who I was. I'd never intended to step into Maurice's world. I came to the university here to study quietly and graduate smoothly. Then I'd find a job, eat three meals a day, and live a steady life. The city seemed like a good place to be an ordinary office worker. There was no one