01

"It will happen, it will definitely happen," Mother said gently yet firmly

Is that true? I looked at her face cautiously and with great anticipation

She has faint wrinkles on her face, but her smile is very warm

Shen Xiaoxi often said: "Bai Xiaodie, you have a long face all day, making it seem as if I am bullying you."

My mother must have deceived me, for not all caterpillars will transform into butterflies

But I have seen photos of my mother when she was young, without any makeup, yet she was as fresh and gentle as a blooming gardenia

Because in this world, there are no longer those who believe that I can transform into a white butterfly

At that time, I asked my mother with great insecurity, why I did not look as beautiful as she did in the photos. Other children were so adorable, while I resembled the ugly duckling. They were all unwilling to play with me, keeping their distance from me.

At the age of four, my mother sent me to learn ballet. She believed that dancing could make a person beautiful

Thus, I began to look forward to the day when I would transform from an ugly duckling into a beautiful swan, becoming adorable and intelligent. However, I was unable to become a white swan until my mother passed away

This rain began on the day of my fifteenth birthday and has continued for several years, soaking through my limbs and bones, saturating my hair and the hems of my clothes, to the extent that with every step I take forward, I leave behind a patch of water.

I have become increasingly gloomy and depressed, as if I have lost the ability to smile.

Shen Xiaoxi's mother, like Shen Xiaoxi herself, appears to be much more glamorous than I am, even more so than my mother who has gone to heaven

After getting married, my mother and father gave up their beloved dance career and, like many women, became full-time housewives. Her rough skin, outdated clothes, and shoes made her look like an ordinary aunt you could find on the street

Perhaps I, Bai Xiaodie, am just the caterpillar that will never transform into a butterfly

Oh, I forgot to mention that Shen Xiaoxi is the child of my stepmother, Aunt Chen

She said: "Indeed, mother does not lie. However, Xiaodie, you must remember to cherish those who treated you as a friend when you were still a caterpillar. Never forget those people just because you have more friends now."

Mother gently combed my hair and said, "Before the ugly duckling transforms into a beautiful swan, others cannot see her beauty. Just like a butterfly, before it breaks free from its cocoon, it is merely an ugly caterpillar. Little butterfly, when you undergo your transformation into a butterfly, you will surely be more beautiful than all of them"

Whenever she says this, I remain silent, merely burying my head lower, so as to diminish my presence to the level of the soil

I said, somewhat confused and frustrated: "You don't need to worry at all, Mom, I don't have any friends yet"

The following year, my father married Shen Xiaoxi's mother

At this moment, if it were my father passing by, he would gently ruffle my hair, then pretend he had seen nothing, push up his black-framed glasses, and leisurely stroll back to his study

My name is Bai Xiaodie, and I live in the damp rain lane of Jiangnan, where a heavy rain falls in my life

On the day I turned fifteen, my mother went out to buy me a birthday gift, but in the end, she returned with only a blood-stained white dress—my last white dress

However, before I could become a beautiful person, my mother passed away. All my happiness vanished along with her death. I never wore that dress even once, and my passion for ballet disappeared in an instant

That is a very beautiful princess dress, and it can also be used as a ballet skirt