At that moment, a hand suddenly wrapped around her waist.
Holding her tightly, it dragged her backward in one swift motion.
The wooden stick missed its target and slammed into the ground.
A gentle male voice sounded behind her.
“A-Yu, don’t be impulsive. Calm down.”
Su Yu couldn’t calm down.
All she could see was the photograph of Tangtang’s body she had seen at the police station.
She had jumped from such a tall building.
Her blood had stained her white dress red.
Such a young, vibrant life had vanished just like that.
“Let go of me! Let go! Tang Chen! Let go of me!”
She struggled violently.
Every movement carried the desperation of someone fighting with her life.
How could Tang Chen dare let her go?
He feared she would really rush over and kill Su Jianguo.
All he could do was hold her tightly in his arms and comfort her again and again.
Su Yu’s head spun.
The strength in her body slowly drained away through her struggle.
Finally, darkness clouded her vision.
Before her consciousness completely slipped away, Su Jianguo’s cursing voice entered her ears.
“Tang Chen! Su Yu! Just you wait! You dared hit me? I’ll report you both to the Public Security Bureau!”
Su Yu frowned.
Then she heard Tang Chen’s casual reply.
“Sure. We’ll pay the medical expenses and compensation. As for you, just wait to be publicly denounced for fooling around with women.”
Su Yu completely lost consciousness.
In her dazed state, her awareness seemed to drift somewhere unknown.
She didn’t know how much time had passed before she finally heard a voice.
“Mommy, don’t leave me alone. I’m scared…”
“Mommy, I don’t want to be locked in the bathroom. The water is so cold…”
“Mommy, Uncle said he’s going to sell me to a lame old man as a child bride… I don’t eat much. Please don’t sell me, Uncle…”
“Mommy, I miss you so much. I can’t hold on anymore, Mommy… goodbye.”
Suddenly, the world spun around her.
Su Yu seemed to see Tangtang standing on top of a building.
And she herself stood behind her.
“No! No! Don’t jump—!!”
Su Yu cried and screamed desperately.
But nine-year-old Tangtang’s eyes held no hope.
No life.
Only endless emptiness.
Dressed in a white dress, she leaped down without hesitation.
Su Yu lunged forward.
Yet all she could see was Tangtang’s falling figure.
Wave after wave of agony crashed over her.
Every emotion surged into her heart.
The pain was too much to bear.
She could only stand there blankly, frozen in place.
“Ding! Host’s rebirth successful. Life Reversal System binding in progress… Binding successful!”
A mechanical voice suddenly exploded inside Su Yu’s mind.
The shock left her dazed and unable to react.
“Congratulations, Host. You have received a special reward: Personal Space!”
“Special rewards cannot be declined or canceled. Reward distribution in progress—”
“Space successfully bound!”
“Mission issued. Mission One: Plant one plot of land within the space!”
The mechanical voice disappeared.
But Su Yu’s consciousness remained lost within the fog.
A system?
What was that?
…
“Papa, why isn’t Mommy awake yet…” A childish, fragile voice suddenly echoed beside Su Yu’s ear.
It was Tangtang’s voice.
Tangtang.
Tangtang was still alive!
Tangtang wasn’t dead!!
Su Yu no longer cared about any system.
Nor did she have time to think about the scenes she had just witnessed.
She only struggled desperately to open her eyes.
But her eyelids felt as though they had been glued shut.
“Mommy will wake up soon,” Tang Chen gently comforted. “Didn’t Doctor Auntie just say Mommy is fine? She only has a fever.”
“Oh.”
Tangtang’s voice was soft and obedient.
“Okay. Then I’ll stay here and watch over Mommy.”
“Good. Then stay on the bed, Tangtang. Daddy’s going to cook porridge for Mommy. When she wakes up, she can eat it.”
Footsteps gradually faded away.
Only little Tangtang remained sitting beside Su Yu.
Lowering her head, she carefully touched her mother’s forehead with her tiny hand.
She murmured softly,
“Mommy, you have to get better soon and wake up, okay?”
“Tangtang misses you so much.”
Tangtang…
Mommy misses you too.
Darkness filled her vision, but Su Yu seemed able to see Tangtang’s adorable little face.
She was so obedient.
So lovable.
A child worthy of being cherished by the entire world.
Yet she had been treated so cruelly…
Su Yu desperately moved her eyes beneath her eyelids, forcing them open.
“Mommy! Mommy, are you awake?!”
Tangtang noticed her mother’s eyes moving.
Excitedly, she jumped up, climbed off the bed, and hurried toward the neighboring kitchen.
“Daddy! Mommy’s awake! Mommy’s eyes moved!”
Tang Chen froze.
Quickly putting down the firewood he was adding to the stove, he rushed over.
“Daddy’s going to take a look.”
At that moment, Su Yu finally managed to open her eyes.
She immediately sat up and tried to get out of bed.
But the instant her feet touched the floor, she pitched forward.
Tang Chen entered just in time to witness the scene.
He hurried over and threw himself beneath her before she could hit the ground.
“Mmph.”
Su Yu crashed directly into his chest.
Little Tangtang arrived moments later, stepping through the doorway.
She saw her mother and father tangled together on the floor in a rather awkward embrace.
“M-Mommy… Daddy…”
Tangtang’s mouth fell open.
Still shaken, Tang Chen held Su Yu securely and looked up at her.
“A-Yu, are you okay?”
The fall finally cleared the haze from Su Yu’s recently awakened mind.
Climbing off her husband, she immediately turned to look at Tangtang.
At that moment, nothing in the world mattered more than seeing her daughter.
She practically crawled toward Tangtang.
But when she reached her, she could only stare at the little girl before her.
Her lips moved as though she wanted to say something.
Yet the flood of emotions surging through her made speech impossible.
Her throat seemed to lose all function.
Only a few hoarse sounds escaped before her voice gave out completely.
Watching the obedient little girl standing before her, Su Yu slowly extended a hand.
How desperately she wanted to touch her.
But just before making contact, she withdrew it.
She didn’t dare.
“Mommy…”
Seeing her mother’s reddened eyes, little Tangtang immediately grabbed one of her fingers.
“Mommy, what’s wrong?”
A warm hand.
A living hand, full of life.
The tears burst forth like a dam collapsing.
“Tangtang…”
Su Yu tightly embraced the daughter she had regained.
“I’m sorry. Mommy’s sorry! Mommy failed to take care of you! It’s all Mommy’s fault…”
Held in her mother’s arms, little Tangtang rested her head on Su Yu’s shoulder.
Her gaze met her father’s.
Tang Chen’s eyes remained fixed on Su Yu as she held Tangtang tightly.
After a long moment, he slowly walked over.
A hand gently settled atop her head.
Softly, tenderly, he stroked her hair.