Li Miao gave the charlatan a long look, said nothing, and turned to walk toward her uncle’s house.
She couldn’t summon any resistance to her aunt’s orders. Her body felt like it wasn’t her own.
It was as if an invisible force was suppressing her.
In the past, Li Miao had never noticed anything strange. she had always been submissive, thinking she was just grateful for her uncle and aunt’s upbringing. But now that the charlatan had pointed it out, she realized something was wrong.
The idea of stealing destiny was too mystical; she didn’t dare believe the charlatan entirely. She had to verify it.
Her uncle, Li Jingui, lived in a mid-level villa. The surrounding miles were all Li family territory.
Today was the engagement party for her cousin Li Yang and Xi Zimo.
The villa was surrounded by luxury cars, and dignitaries were coming and going.
Li Miao’s status in the Li family was lower than a servant’s, so naturally, she couldn’t go to the front hall where the honored guests were. She had to enter through the back door and stay with the servants.
Unbeknownst to the newly returned Li Miao, her cousin Li Yang had been waiting for her for a long time.
Li Yang was wearing a custom-made gown that accentuated her curvy figure. Her hair was styled by a professional, and her makeup was exquisite. She looked like a fairy.
However, she was still dissatisfied with her appearance. Feeling her skin wasn’t white enough, she was looking in the mirror, comparing the color difference between her face and neck.
She had applied foundation on her face that was a shade lighter than her neck, making it look jarring.
Li Yang muttered under her breath, “The skin tone difference is too big. I want pale, cool-toned skin. Mom, when Li Miao gets back, if I slash her face, will my skin get whiter? Or maybe I should just peel the skin off her face.”
Her tone was casual, as if Li Miao wasn’t a living person, but a fish on a chopping block waiting to be gutted.
“Keep your voice down, don’t let anyone hear,” her mother, Ye Cuiyun, frowned. “Today is your big engagement day. Don’t go waving knives and guns around. Be gentle. What would people think?”
“Mom—” Li Yang whined. “It’s precisely because it’s my engagement that I want to be more beautiful. Zimo is the heir to a billionaire family; I can’t embarrass him.”
Hearing this, Ye Cuiyun thought for a moment and agreed. “Fine. But peeling skin is too bloody. Just slash her face later. She is your cousin, after all. For the sake of her dead father, spare her life this once.”
“She’s getting off easy,” Li Yang pouted. “Mom, you’re too nice to her. That bitch Li Miao is an ungrateful white-eyed wolf. She eats and drinks for free in our house; what’s wrong with taking something from her?
“She’s ugly anyway. With that huge birthmark on her face, she’ll never be beautiful. We might as well recycle the waste and let me benefit.”
“Alright, that’s enough.” Ye Cuiyun stopped Li Yang from speaking further, wary of eavesdroppers.
When Li Miao returned, the small room was crowded with people, seemingly waiting for her.
She frowned slightly and was about to speak.
Suddenly, a fierce fist aimed straight for her temple.
The attacker was the fourth brother, Li Si. He was a race car driver who had won many awards abroad.
On the surface, he was dashing and carefree, but he was a violent maniac at his core. He used to beat Li Miao often when they were children.
Back then, Li Si was small and weak, so he couldn’t do much damage.
But now, Li Si was over 1.8 meters tall and trained in boxing. His fist was the size of a clay pot. If that hit Li Miao’s head, it would give her a concussion.
Li Miao quickly twisted her body, dodging to the left.
However, just as she dodged Li Si, the second brother, Li En, came at her head-on.
Li En launched a flying kick straight at her nose.
No!
Li Miao’s eyes darkened. If that kick landed, her nose bridge would definitely shatter.
In her desperation, Li Miao could only drop to her knees and lunge forward.
But just as her knees hit the floor, the eldest brother, Li Da, swung a baseball bat violently at her knees.
Crack. The baseball bat snapped.
Li Miao’s body trembled violently from the pain. Kneeling on the ground, she couldn’t stand up at all.
“Hahaha, I won!” Li Da threw the broken bat aside triumphantly.
Li Si kicked a chair in frustration. “You win every time. No fair, I want a rematch.”
Li En chimed in, “Rematch, rematch.”
This was a game the Li brothers often played: seeing who could hit the “ball.” And Li Miao was the ball.
“Stop playing. Today is your little sister’s—my—engagement day. You aren’t allowed to cause trouble.” The fifth sibling, Li Yang, walked over and kicked Li Miao. “Stop playing dead. Get up.”
Li Miao braced her hands on the ground and slowly stood up.
But the moment she lifted her head, a dagger slashed across her cheek, leaving a deep cut.
Li Yang held the dagger and screamed in delight, “I won! Hahaha, I cut the ‘ball’!”
“That’s right, Little Sister won.” Everyone humored Li Yang.
Li Miao touched her face and felt a handful of blood.
She was long accustomed to this treatment and felt no emotion in her heart.
She just found it absurd.
Was my destiny really stolen?
Am I really just a puppet for Uncle’s family, destined to be bullied by them forever?
Li Miao ignored the crowd, turned around, and walked toward the exit.
Noticing her movement, Li Yang frowned. “Li Miao, where are you going? Come back!”
Hearing the words “come back,” Li Miao’s steps faltered. She stopped subconsciously, feeling the urge to walk back.
Li Miao clenched her fists, fighting the instinct to turn around. Gritting her teeth, she forced herself to keep walking forward.
Everyone was stunned by her reaction.
This was the first time Li Miao had ever resisted.
Li Yang was even more shocked. “You dare defy me? Do you want to die? I said come back! Come back!”
Li Miao gritted her teeth harder and didn’t look back.
Li Yang couldn’t believe it and instinctively turned to her mother, Ye Cuiyun.
Ye Cuiyun frowned and shouted, “Li Miao! Stop making a scene and get back here immediately! Your brothers and sister are just playing with you. Don’t be angry; I’ll scold them later.”
Li Miao continued walking out.
Ye Cuiyun’s face turned ugly, and her tone sharpened. “Li Miao, I’m saying this one last time. If you dare step out that door, don’t ever think about coming back.”
She didn’t believe Li Miao would actually leave, because Li Miao couldn’t survive without them.
With Li Miao’s bad luck constitution—cursed wherever she went, failing at everything she tried—she wouldn’t even be able to feed herself without them. She wouldn’t last a day.
She thought Li Miao was just throwing a tantrum like she had in the past. She would make a fuss, they would pretend to coax her, and everything would be fine.
But this time, she was disappointed.
Li Miao kept walking.
Uncle Li and Xi Zimo entered from another room. Seeing the scene, Uncle Li frowned. “What’s going on?”
Li Yang walked over, hooked her arm through Xi Zimo’s, and said coldly, “What else could it be? She’s making a scene. Running away from home. Li Miao just wants to ruin my engagement.”
Uncle Li had been immersed in wealth for years. He was no longer the simple, honest man he used to be. Wearing a high-end custom suit, his frown carried an air of authority.
His face went cold as he barked, “Li Miao, stop this nonsense. Is this about Zimo again? Zimo is your brother-in-law. When you impersonated Li Yang online to meet him, Li Yang didn’t even blame you. Why are you making a scene now?
“Zimo doesn’t like you at all!”
Xi Zimo spoke up lazily. “An ugly imitator trying to look like a beauty. Did you think that by using Li Yang’s screen name to meet me, I would mistake you for her? Ugly monster. Keep dreaming.”