“Congratulations to both of you. It’s a boy.”
The dark-skinned man accepted the baby with both hands. He could barely contain his excitement.
“Our Lin family finally has an heir!”
Behind him, a short elderly woman with graying hair spat toward the woman lying in bed.
“At least you’re somewhat useful. After giving birth to a worthless girl, you’ve finally given our Lin family a big healthy boy.”
“Hurry, let me see my precious grandson.”
The old woman happily looked at the baby.
“Oh, look at this little face. He’s so handsome.”
The man also happily teased his son.
“Mom, what should we name him?”
Grandma Lin replied,
“Tianci. My grandson is a treasure bestowed upon us by Heaven.”
Tianci…
Tears shimmered in the eyes of the woman lying on the hospital bed.
Tianci.
Tianci was a good name.
She had finally given birth to a son.
No one paid attention to the woman on the bed.
A little girl of about five years old held her mother’s hand.
“Mom, how are you? Does it hurt? Suisui will blow on it for you.”
Earlier in the delivery room, her mother had screamed very loudly.
The doctor had suggested a cesarean section, but Grandma and Dad had strongly disagreed.
Her mother had cried the entire time inside.
“Mom is fine.”
The woman gently touched the right side of the little girl’s face.
A bright red handprint was visible there.
“Does it hurt?”
Suisui shook her head.
“Mom, Suisui doesn’t hurt.”
That slap had come from Grandma after she begged her to listen to the doctor’s advice.
“You worthless girl, what do you know?”
“You’ll ruin your brother’s destined birth hour.”
“The fortune-teller said that only if he’s born at noon will your brother be the reincarnation of the Literary Star.”
The woman gently caressed her daughter’s face.
“Suisui…”
Having just given birth, she was still very weak.
“You must take good care of your younger brother in the future.”
That way, your life might be a little easier.
Suisui patted her chest confidently.
“Don’t worry, Mom. Suisui will never let anyone bully little brother.”
“Grandma, Grandma, can Suisui see little brother too?”
The little girl stood on tiptoe.
“See what?”
The old woman kicked the little girl to the ground.
“You worthless thing. You’ll only dirty your brother’s eyes.”
The old woman cursed.
The little girl fell to the floor, scraping her knee.
She held back the tears in her eyes.
…
“Grandma Lin, we called you here because we’d like to discuss Tianci’s situation. He may have trouble keeping up with our school’s curriculum.”
“What nonsense are you talking about?”
The old woman exploded.
“Our Tianci is the reincarnation of the Literary Star!”
“We’re very sorry, but this child was born with developmental issues. His intelligence may remain around that of a five- or six-year-old child.”
“What did you say?!”
“My son is an idiot?!”
The woman shrank into a corner, too afraid to look at the man’s expression.
Enraged by the doctor’s words, the man grabbed the woman’s throat.
His vicious eyes looked as though he wanted to devour her.
“You gave birth to an idiot for me?”
“I… I didn’t…”
The woman trembled.
Slap! Slap!
Several hard slaps landed on her face.
“Bitch! Useless bitch!”
The man furiously cursed her, venting all his anger on her.
“Ahhhh!”
The woman broke down.
“Stop hitting me! I was wrong! I was wrong!”
The old woman looked at her with disgust.
“What good could come from a bitch like you?”
“Where did you hide that worthless girl and the idiot?”
Lin Suisui hugged little Tianci beneath the bed.
Her eyes were full of tears.
Her small hands tightly covered her brother’s mouth.
The woman being beaten on the floor stared intently at them.
Blood flowed across her eyes.
Don’t… come… out…
Lin Suisui bit her lip hard.
Little Tianci looked at his sister with confusion.
Only after the noise stopped did Lin Suisui crawl out with him.
The woman lay on the floor, barely alive.
“Mom…”
With reddened eyes, Lin Suisui helped her up.
“Mom, Suisui will put medicine on your wounds. You’ll get better after the medicine.”
She already knew that blowing on wounds didn’t stop the pain.
Little Tianci looked at them innocently.
“Sister, is Mom sick?”
“Tianci will go find Grandma and Dad. They love Tianci the most.”
“Tianci will ask them to take Mom to the doctor.”
“Grandma buys me anything I ask for.”
Tears streamed down Lin Suisui’s face.
Dad would never help them.
The woman coughed heavily.
Lin Suisui hurriedly supported her.
Her hands became covered in blood.
Lin Suisui’s nose stung.
“Mom, take little brother and leave.”
“Suisui secretly saved some money. You take little brother away. Suisui will stop Dad and Grandma.”
She knew what Dad was doing was wrong.
It was domestic abuse.
Grandma and Dad kept them trapped in the house, making it impossible for her to call the police.
But she didn’t want Mom to suffer anymore.
She wanted Mom to escape.
To leave this place forever.
The woman’s blood-covered hand weakly touched her daughter’s face.
Then her gaze slowly shifted toward little Tianci.
“Sister, what’s wrong with Mom?”
The light in the woman’s eyes gradually faded.
Why?
Why was this child mentally disabled?
She had thought her suffering was finally over.
Instead, fate had played a cruel joke on her.
“What heavenly gift?”
“He’s just an idiot!”
“I actually gave birth to an idiot! Hahaha!”
The woman laughed hysterically.
“Cough! Cough! Cough!”
The laughter pulled at her wounds.
She coughed violently.
Lin Suisui hurriedly patted her back.
“An idiot… hahaha… an idiot!”
The woman pushed Lin Suisui away and collapsed onto the floor.
Little Tianci was frightened by his mother’s appearance and hid in his sister’s arms.
Lin Suisui stroked her brother’s head.
“Mom, little brother isn’t an idiot. A book said children like him are apples that angels have taken a bite from.”
Lin Suisui handed the woman a few wrinkled bills.
“Mom, take little brother and leave.”
The woman lay there in complete despair.
All light had vanished from her face.
Her hollow eyes stared at Lin Suisui.
“Suisui, take care of your brother.”
“MOM!!!”
…
“Little idiot! Little idiot!”
“The Lin family has a little idiot!”
Five children around seven or eight years old danced around a boy on the ground.
Countless small stones were thrown at him.
“Get away!”
“Don’t bully my brother!”
A thirteen-year-old girl chased them off with a brick.
Lin Suisui helped her brother up.
Little Tianci was filthy.
A large bruise covered his forehead.
Heartbroken, Lin Suisui gently touched his face.
His nose was red.
“Sister, what’s an idiot?”
“Am I an idiot?”
“Why does everyone call me that?”
Lin Suisui’s throat tightened.
“You are not an idiot.”
“Little brother is a treasure Heaven gave to Sister.”
“Can a treasure protect Sister?”
He loved his sister the most.
Every day, little Tianci dreamed of protecting the best sister in the world.
“Of course.”
Lin Suisui wiped the dirt from his face.
“When Tianci grows up, he’ll be able to protect Sister.”
She crouched down and let him climb onto her back.
“For now, Sister will protect you.”
…
“Dad, stop hitting Sister!”
“Little brother, hurry and hide!”
Sister, you lied.
Tianci’s treasure couldn’t protect you at all.
Why could I only watch that man beat and curse you over and over again?
Why could I only hide behind your back?
A battered and exhausted Lin Suisui looked at her brother.
“Tianci, how about Sister takes you away from here?”
Little Tianci answered without hesitation.
“Okay!”
“As long as I’m with Sister.”
With tears in her eyes, Lin Suisui gazed gently into his clear pupils.
She softly stroked his hair.
“Don’t worry.”
“Sister will make sure you grow up safely and happily, just like any normal child.”
Little Tianci rubbed his cheek against her palm dependently.
“As long as I’m with Sister, Tianci is already happy.”
…
“Run!”
“The apocalypse is here!”
People screamed all around them.
Crying, shouting, and wailing filled the air.
Lin Tianci was trapped beneath the ruins.
He curled up tightly.
There was not a trace of light around him.
Blood covered the young man’s face.
Why hadn’t Sister come yet?
He missed her so much.
“Hey, little one.”
“You’re about to die. Want to consider merging with me?”
Lin Tianci refused.
“No.”
“I’m waiting for Sister.”
“Sister said she’d come back for me.”
The tree clicked its tongue.
“You’re about to die.”
“If you die, you’ll never see your sister again.”
The young man’s eyelashes trembled.
“If I merge with you, will I become very powerful?”
“Of course.”
The tree replied proudly.
“I’m the very first mutated tree.”
“Okay.”
“I agree.”
He needed power.
Power to protect Sister.
Power to kill everyone who hurt her.
He no longer wanted to be Lin Tianci, the one protected by his sister.
He wanted to become Lin Sui’an, the one who protected Sister.
For six hundred years.
Lin Tianci had guarded the house where he and his sister once lived for six hundred years.
And finally…
His sister had come to take him home.
…
(From now on, he will consistently be called Lin Sui’an.)