This game of chase finally came to an end in the cafeteria.
“Yueyue, what do you want to eat? I’ll have the same as you.” Xie Yan Si followed closely behind Lin Yue, like a little tail.
Lin Yue really wanted to snap back, “Will you eat shit if I do?”
But before she could say it, she spotted a familiar small figure.
Her sister—Xu Qiao.
Xu Qiao and her adoptive mother were busy washing dishes in the school kitchen. Because Xu Qiao was still young and couldn’t hold the bowls steady, one slipped from her hands and shattered on the floor.
The kitchen supervisor came over, grabbed her by the collar, and hurled abuse at her, cursing her up and down. Her adoptive mother, washing dishes nearby, stayed silent, letting the supervisor curse her ancestors and insult her family.
Though Xu Qiao kept her eyes lowered, her expression clearly showed a fierce determination that said, “Just you wait.”
Whether it was the harshness of the insults or the strong kitchen smells, Xu Qiao’s adoptive mother covered her mouth and began vomiting by the sink.
Seeing this, the kitchen supervisor pointed at her adoptive mother and started cursing her too.
If Lin Yue remembered correctly, by this time in her previous life, her adoptive mother was already three months pregnant.
The Xu family, who had struggled to conceive for so long, had finally welcomed their first child—and this child would become the turning point that changed Xu Qiao’s fate.
It would make her taste what a truly wretched life was like.
And now, it was only just beginning.
Witnessing this scene, memories flooded Lin Yue’s mind.
She would never forget the ugly faces of her adoptive parents—their favoritism toward their late-born son and their deep-seated preference for boys over girls.
Back then, as soon as Xu Mu was born, she lost even the right to eat at the table in the Xu household. She was treated like a dog, summoned and dismissed at will.
Even as a dog, her adoptive father was never satisfied. When drunk, he would frequently resort to domestic violence against her. Afraid she might accidentally be beaten to death at such a young age, he would then turn his violence toward her adoptive mother.
After being abused, her adoptive mother, in a foul mood, would take it out on her with kicks, punches, and endless insults.
What was even worse was the upbringing and mindset they instilled in Xu Mu from a young age:
“Mumu, look—this is the wife Daddy bought for you. When you grow up, she’ll be yours.”
Under the family’s unwavering favoritism, Xu Mu unsurprisingly grew into a scoundrel, rotten to the core, inheriting his father’s violent tendencies.
Lin Yue still remembered the day Xu Mu turned eighteen. He dragged her into his room, and no matter how she screamed or cried, her adoptive parents remained unmoved outside.
She even heard them laughing, saying their Xu Mu was a real man, doing what men do.
At that moment, Lin Yue’s heart turned completely cold. She knew she couldn’t rely on anyone in this life—she could only depend on herself.
So, she seized the chance to bite Xu Mu’s ear until it bled, grabbed him by the throat, straddled him, and warned fiercely, “If you touch me again, I’ll kill you!”
In Xu Mu’s eyes, Lin Yue had always been a pushover, so such a warning didn’t scare him at first.
It wasn’t until he saw the murderous intent in Lin Yue’s hollow eyes that he believed she meant it.
But it was too late. Lin Yue choked him until he passed out.
In a panic, Lin Yue escaped through the second-floor window.
But as she stood downstairs, gazing at the crossroads ahead—
Cars came and went, neon lights flickered.
In this vast world, she had nowhere to go.
Lin Yue looked back. From the second-floor room came the anxious voices of her adoptive parents, along with their curses and vile wishes for her to die a miserable death.
That night, Lin Yue remembered, the wind was fierce. In the latter half of the night, a thunderstorm broke out, and the temperature plummeted. Yet she stood downstairs in thin clothes, shivering through the night.
All warmth in her heart vanished completely that night.
She took a deep breath and strode forward with firm steps, turning back.
If this world had no place for her, then she would carve out a place of her own.
Later, the Xu family dared not hit or scold her, instead obeying her every command and following her lead.
All of this was earned step by step, with her life on the line.
Lin Yue refused to be manipulated for a lifetime—her own life had to be in her own hands.
And as for Xu Qiao now, she was curious to see how she would fight her way through.
“Yueyue?” Xie Yan Si called her softly.
Seeing she didn’t respond, he followed her gaze toward the kitchen. Hearing the foul language inside, he immediately reached out to cover Lin Yue’s ears.
“Don’t listen, don’t listen—it’s just a turtle chanting sutras.”
His sweet little fairy shouldn’t be exposed to such filthy words.
Cover them, cover them quickly!
It wouldn’t do to taint his Yueyue.
Lin Yue had been enjoying listening, but suddenly there was no sound.
She glanced back at Xie Yan Si and shook off his hand. “What are you doing?”
Xie Yan Si hurriedly covered her ears again. “Don’t listen, we won’t listen—it’s just turtles chanting sutras.”
Their commotion was loud enough for Xu Qiao in the kitchen to hear a familiar voice. She looked up.
Just then, she saw Lin Yue, dressed in a beautiful, clean school uniform with her hair tied in a ponytail like a fairy, exchanging glances with a young boy.
Already upset, Xu Qiao now saw Lin Yue as an outlet for her anger. She rushed out furiously and shoved Lin Yue hard.
“What are you looking at? Is it that interesting?!”
Xu Qiao, unreasonable as ever, pointed at Lin Yue’s nose and vented her displeasure.
“Lin Yue, let me tell you—don’t think you’re all glamorous now. You’re just arrogant for a moment. Being fine now doesn’t mean you’ll be fine later. The future is long, and you’ll be begging me someday!”
Xie Yan Si immediately frowned. Where did this little shrew come from? His little fairy, whom he wouldn’t dare touch a single hair on, had been pushed by this filthy hand!
Could he tolerate that? Absolutely not!
Just as Xie Yan Si was about to avenge his little Yueyue, a woman rushed out from the kitchen, grabbed Xu Qiao’s hair, yanked her back hard, and slapped her across the face with a loud crack.
The sound was so sharp that Xie Yan Si felt the sting from a distance and instinctively touched his own cheek.
He also instinctively shielded Lin Yue behind him, watching warily as the woman reeked of spoiled food.
She began punching and kicking the little shrew.
“Who allowed you to speak to these young masters and ladies like that? If you make me lose this job, I’ll beat you to death!”
“You little bastard, good-for-nothing trash, never learning anything decent.”
Xu Qiao, stubborn and foul-tempered, retorted, “Just a lousy dishwasher—who cares? Try hitting me again.”
Infuriated by her tone, the woman kicked Xu Qiao in the knee, forcing her to kneel on the spot, then pressed her down and slapped her repeatedly.
“You little bastard, still talking back? I’ll teach you to talk back! I’ll beat you to death today!”
Amid the chaos, Lin Yue curled her lips, thoroughly enjoying the spectacle and even wanting to add fuel to the fire between these two shrews.
Lin Yue hadn’t forgotten how Xu Qiao had once ordered others to trample on her. Now, the tables had turned.
Lin Yue’s clear eyes shifted as she pretended to stumble sideways, planning to kill two birds with one stone.
Unexpectedly, Xie Yan Si beside her reacted swiftly, wrapping his long arm around her and pulling her into his embrace.
Xie Yan Si asked with concern, “Yueyue, are you okay? Be careful, the floor is slippery.”
Lin Yue’s lips twitched. “…”
At such a young age, why do you have such long arms?!
Lin Yue shook off Xie Yan Si’s arm that was wrapped around her. Before the onlookers could gather around, she lay down on the ground and began her plan to kill two birds with one stone.
Come on, if we’re going to make a scene, let’s make it big.
Lin Yue covered her arm, raised her eyebrows, and began to sob.
“Owwww, it hurts so much, my arm is broken, it hurts so much, owwww…”
“Mommy, I want my mommy…”
Xie Yan Si stood frozen in place, blinking: “?”
(′⊙ω⊙?)