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The sun had dipped low in the sky, casting an orange-gold hue over the cracked roads of the countryside.
Lin Yue's backpack bounced lightly on her back as she hurried along the dusty path leading home.
She was just returning from school—an old, fading government school built by the collective efforts of villagers too poor to send their children to the city.
The sun was dipping into the horizon, casting long shadows across the broken walls of the alley.
Her feet were sore, her body aching from the long day, but she pushed herself forward.
She had to get home before her parents returned.
The house had to be spotless. Laundry done. Dinner cooked. Dishes washed.
If she failed again like yesterday—
Yesterday, she'd been five minutes late. Just five.
She'd barely dropped her bag before her mother had thrown her out of the kitchen.
The dining table had been cleared by the time she returned from doing the laundry.
She spent the night curled up, her stomach twisting painfully, swallowing her cries into the thin mattress.
Today had to be different.
The thought of being sent to bed hungry again made her legs move faster, shoes slapping against the dirt.
But just as she turned into the alley that led to her street, her entire body went cold.
A voice. Light, melodic — and cruel as ice.
"Lin Yue~ Where are you rushing off to like a wild rat?"
Lin Yue's blood froze.
That voice.
Lin Xingyan.
She came to a stop like her strings had been cut. Her feet refused to move. Her stomach clenched.
She turned slowly, dread turning her spine to jelly.
Standing a few feet away, flanked by two girls in pristine pleated skirts, was Lin Xingyan—her adoptive sister.
Lin Xingyan stood there like a swan among ducklings, her uniform crisp and designer, pleated skirt fluttering in the wind. Her white blouse looked like it had never known sweat. Her skirt had a plaid finish. Her tie had a school crest in gold.
The girls flanking her were just as glamorous—one had gold pins in her hair, the other wore beautiful stockings. Clean shoes, perfect nails.
Lin Yue looked down at her own faded uniform — thirdhand, stitched under the armpit and her shoes had holes she had to patch with rubber glue.
Her school didn't even have a proper gate. Just a rusted signboard nailed to a tree.
"Y-Yes, Young Miss," Lin Yue whispered, head down, fingers clenching the strap of her bag.
That was the rule.
Lin Xingyan had demanded to be addressed like that ever since Lin Yue was ten.
"Young Miss." Never "Sister."
"Who is this?" one of the girls asked with a giggle, curling a strand of hair around her finger. "She looks like a street cleaner."
"She's our maid," Lin Xingyan said, crossing her arms. "Please don't call her my sister, Qianyu. It's embarrassing."
Qianyu raised an eyebrow. "Not your sister?"
"She's adopted. Trash picked up from the street. We just keep her around to scrub floors."
The other girl, Linlin, laughed. "So this is the famous Lin Yue?"
"She's not famous for anything," Lin Xingyan said sharply. "Just a dog that keeps forgetting her leash."
Lin Yue's fists clenched by her sides, but she didn't raise her head.
She bit her lip hard enough to draw blood.
She knew this wasn't going to end well.
Linlin leaned closer with a sneer. "Shouldn't you be calling your owner properly, doggie?"
The air turned sharp.
Lin Yue felt every molecule tighten against her skin.
"Let's play a little game," Lin Xingyan suddenly said sweetly. "Lin Yue, kneel."
"No, please, Young Miss," Lin Yue whispered, trembling. "I'll be late. I have to cook dinner—"
SLAP.
A stinging pain exploded across her cheek.
"Did you just disobey me?" Lin Xingyan hissed. "I said KNEEL!"
Before she could recover, Qianyu tripped her.
She landed hard, knees crashing into gravel. Her bones struck pebbles.
Sharp, angry pain lanced up her thighs.
"Did you forget the last time?" Lin Xingyan snapped, voice venomous.
As her knees cracked against the ground, a painful memory flashed across Lin Yue's mind.
_
The last time she had dared to ask for mercy, Lin Xingyan had ordered her to crawl all the way home like a beast.
Lin Xingyan had even sat on her back, cackling with laughter, saying, "Come on, horsey, trot faster!"
Lin Yue had crawled on bleeding knees for blocks.
That night, she couldn't even walk straight. Her knees swelled and blistered.
She hadn't been able to bend them properly for a whole month.
_
Now, the same pain bloomed again, and the memory made her flinch harder.
"Stay still," Qianyu sneered. "We're being nice today."
They then poured something cold on her head.
Dirty water.
She didn't know where they'd gotten it—it smelled like drain water.
It reeked.
Her skirt clung to her skin.
Her blouse turned see-through.
Lin Yue closed her eyes, her whole body trembling.
Her nails dug into her thighs.
She wanted to scream. To run. To fight.
But she couldn't.
She had nowhere to go.
If she defied them, she'd be kicked out of the Lin home. She'd sleep on the streets.
Where would I go? I'm sixteen… If they throw me out, I'll be sleeping on the streets.
So she stayed still, trembling, dripping wet and covered in filth.
"Look at her!" Linlin cackled, recording the scene with her phone. "She looks like a wet rat!"
"I hate your face," Lin Xingyan snarled suddenly, raising her hand and slapping her again. "Always looking so pitiful. It disgusts me."
Linlin lifted her phone bringing it near her face. "Smile for the camera, bastard."
Qianyu leaned close, sneering. "Even your real parents didn't want you. Trash."
Their laughter echoed as they walked away, heels clicking confidently.
—
Lin Yue remained on the ground, sobbing silently.
Her palms hit the dirt.
Tears streamed down her face, mixing with mud.
"Why me…?" she whispered.
Her voice sounded broken. Like glass.
"Why did they keep me if they only wanted to crush me…"
Her hands curled into fists.
Who are my real parents? Why did they throw me away like garbage?
"Why did you give birth to me… just to throw me away?"
Her knees screamed in pain as she pushed herself up.
Time.
She was late.
She forced herself up.
Wincing. Limping.
She limped forward, tears mixing with dirt on her cheeks.
She had to get home.
But luck wasn't on her side.
—
Her father was already on the porch, a cigarette hanging from his lips.
Her mother stood in the doorway, whip in hand, face dark with rage.
Lin Yue froze. Her pulse thundered.
No no no no—
"Get over here, you little whore!"
"M-Mom, I—"
CRACK!
The whip slashed her back. She cried out, falling to her knees again.
"You're late! What were you doing, flirting with boys?!"
"No! I was—"
CRACK! CRACK!
"Liar!"
"I wasn't! I swear, I—!"
CRACK.
"Go inside! No dinner for sluts like you! Wash every cloth in the basin and scrub the kitchen! Don't let me see a single spot!"
Lin Yue bit her lip as blood seeped from her back.
She slowly picked herself up, head bowed, dragging herself into the house.
She never got to eat that night.
---
Now, sitting inside the Rolls Royce, Lin Yue sat silently hands clasped in her lap, her face emotionless.
She had almost forgotten.
Almost.
That name—Qianyu. That face.
The girl beside Lin Xingyan that day. She remembered her now.
So that was her. Liang Qianyu…
A soft, bitter laugh escaped her lips. What a small world.
She tilted her head back, closing her eyes.
But she couldn't stop the tears that slipped silently down her cheeks.
All those years of enduring…
Of hiding bruises with long sleeves. Of sleeping on an empty stomach. Of pretending everything was fine in front of teachers.
Never again.
She would never let herself be that helpless girl again.
She would build a new life.
Far away from the Lin Family. Far from pain. Far from fear.
Her fingers curled tightly around her phone.
She would call Uncle Song later.
If those people came to her gallery… She would make sure they paid.
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