“Come with me!” Luo Chenxuan forcefully brought Lou Yuxi back home. When his mother saw the two children, she froze on the spot.
Her son was covered in dust, with cobwebs tangled in his hair.
What shocked her more was the small beggar he brought with him—hair falling over the face, cheeks smudged with dirt, wearing torn clothes, hard to even distinguish if it was a boy or a girl.
Luo Chenxuan introduced her and explained everything to his mother.
As she listened, Luo’s mother was overwhelmed with sympathy. She held Lou Yuxi’s hand tightly, and when she saw the bruises and injuries all over her body, tears welled up in her eyes.
She made a meal for the two children, had Lou Yuxi take a bath, and even trimmed her hair. She tied it into a neat, slender braid and cleaned her up completely.
When she came out of the bathroom, it was like being reborn.
That dirty little girl had turned into a beautiful young lady.
Luo Chenxuan was sitting on the couch eating snacks. When he saw Lou Yuxi step out, he was stunned—not because she was too beautiful, but because he felt like the bathroom had some kind of magic that could transform people.
Lou Yuxi sat down next to him and leaned her head on his shoulder.
Thinking she wanted his snacks, he held them up to her, “Do you want some?”
She didn’t speak, only slowly opened her mouth.
He seemed to understand, and fed her.
She chewed quietly, still not speaking, but she was happier than ever. She just didn’t know how to express this feeling—after all, she had lived in hell for so long.
Luo’s mother prepared the guest room for her. When it came time to separate, Lou Yuxi was clearly reluctant, but after thinking for a bit, she obediently went to her room.
Until early the next morning—
Luo Chenxuan felt something soft and warm in his arms. He half-opened his eyes and saw Lou Yuxi fast asleep, snuggled against him.
He stared at her and wondered how she ended up here. Then, taking another look, he marveled at how someone could be this beautiful.
After breakfast, the two walked to school together. Lou Yuxi seemed very uneasy.
“What’s wrong? You look uncomfortable.”
“Mm… my hair…”
“Your hair?”
He looked at the braid his mom had made for her—her face, which was once hidden behind messy bangs, was now exposed.
Lou Yuxi had always seen the world from behind her hair. Now, for the first time, she wasn’t just stepping out from under it—she was stepping away from that house, too.
Luo Chenxuan let out a sudden chuckle.
“You… what are you laughing at!” Her cheeks bloomed red like a rose.
“Mm~ your new hairstyle is really pretty~”
She lowered her head, face burning, and gave him a playful pinch.
Luo Chenxuan gently patted her head. “If you’re not used to it, maybe wear a mask—then no one will see you!”
“I don’t want to. It’s hard to breathe with a mask.”
“Mm… then how about a veil?”
“A veil?”
“Yeah~ I saw Mom wear one before. A veil covers your face and feels really nice to the touch.”
“Of course! And your eyes are red. If you wore a red veil, it’d look amazing on you!”
Lou Yuxi looked thoughtful as Luo Chenxuan tugged her into the school.
The moment they entered the classroom, everyone was stunned. They couldn’t stop staring at the girl who looked like a young heiress—except she was still in a tattered school uniform.
Someone stepped forward to ask if she was from another class or a transfer student.
Lou Yuxi ignored them and walked straight to her seat.
The students froze. Then someone stepped up, “You’re sitting in the wrong place. That seat belongs to someone else.”
“That’s right,” Luo Chenxuan chimed in from the side, “the person you’re thinking of… is her.”
The whole class exploded with shock. Only then did they realize how stunning Lou Yuxi actually was.
Suddenly, everyone gathered around her desk. Some asked what makeup she used, others wondered if she’d had cosmetic treatment. A few boys even tried to ask her out.
Lou Yuxi was terrified. She had never dealt with so many people. She looked around nervously, saw Luo Chenxuan, and dove straight into his arms.
The whole class froze.
And in the next second, they screamed again—louder than before.
That day, Luo Chenxuan ran. Lou Yuxi chased him. The rest of the class chased Lou Yuxi.
Until school ended.
She waited by her desk to go home together with Luo Chenxuan.
“Yuxi, I have to clean the classroom today. You might have to wait a little longer.”
She nodded gently. “I… I’ll wait for you outside.”
Then she got up and left the room.
While Luo Chenxuan stayed behind to clean, Lou Yuxi waited at the school gate. Just as the last of the students were leaving, a familiar figure appeared in her sight.
Her heart pounded violently. Her chest tightened. It felt like someone was choking her. Her stomach turned.
She clutched her mouth, unable to move, as the man approached.
“Well, well, if it isn’t my dear daughter. What’s wrong? Did you really think you got away?”
Lou Yuxi trembled all over, coughing dryly.
“You really found a nice family. They cleaned you up well. Not any worse than your mother, I’d say.”
Fear overtook her. She stumbled back two steps and fell to the ground.
“Ah, but you won’t see her again. She’s gone. She dared to fight me yesterday. Grabbed me. Cried and begged. That was the last thing she ever did for you. That whore hit you too, didn’t she? But at the end, she still tried to act like a real mom. Disgusting, right?”
Lou Yuxi sat there, her mind blank. His words didn’t register at all.
“She’s gone now. Daddy’s all alone… Come back with me, okay?”
That repulsive voice. That disgusting face.
He reached out his hand, about to touch her. Instinctively, she slapped it away.
He winced and inhaled sharply.
“You bitch! You want to defy me like she did?!”
He roared, raising his fist in fury.
Lou Yuxi shut her eyes, bracing for the blow. But after a moment, it never came.
She opened one eye. His hand was frozen in midair.
“Such a pretty face… if I mess it up, I can’t get a good price for you…” You are reading on g.com, the official source.
Those words made her feel pure, utter disgust. Every cell in her body rejected him.
“Come with me… quickly! I just gambled a bit too much! It was just bad luck, that’s all! If I don’t pay them back, they’ll cut off my hands! You don’t want to see Daddy like that, do you? Just come with me for one more round—I’ll win you back!”
He was crying, but his face was vile.
There was no saving this man.
Lou Yuxi shuffled back slightly.
He noticed, tried to reach out again, but hesitated—he didn’t want to injure her and lower her “value.” Suddenly, a thought struck him, and he mentioned the one person he never should have.
“I remember… it was a boy who helped you escape, right? Your classmate? You’re waiting here for him, aren’t you?”
Lou Yuxi stared blankly at him.
“If you come with me, I won’t touch him. But if you resist… I’ll make sure he suffers. You know I’m capable of anything.”
His words pierced through her daze. Her mind cleared. Her fear vanished.
“Let’s go. You wouldn’t want to see him get hurt, would you?”
Was he talking about hurting Luo Chenxuan?
This despicable man wanted to hurt her Luo Chenxuan?
The one more important than her own life?
Lou Yuxi stood up and steadied herself.
“See? I knew you wouldn’t want him to suffer. Now, let’s—”
BANG.
Silence.
“So noisy…” Her voice was cold, bone-chilling.
Her eyes were hollow and blank.
When had her braid come undone?
No one noticed.
Her hair fell over her face again, clouding her vision.
She gently tucked her hair behind her ear.
Drops of blood stained her pale cheek.
Lou Yuxi held a brick in her hand—coated in blood. Her clothes were splattered too.
“So disgusting…” she muttered, slowly looking up at the sky.
“Yu… Yuxi…?” Luo Chenxuan stood frozen in place, staring at her, as if she were a demon.
Lou Yuxi turned her head slightly toward his voice.
Bathed in the crimson light of sunset, her blood-streaked face, her weapon in hand, and her crimson eyes devoid of color… She looked at Luo Chenxuan and smiled.
“Ah… Chenxuan… Are you done? Then… shall we go home?”
It was the first time Luo Chenxuan had ever seen her smile so brightly.
But with that smile and the blood—it looked like the smile of death.