Chapter 115 "She"

When Duan Xi'er opened her eyes again, it was already the evening of the next day.

Pain, pain everywhere. Her body felt like it was being torn apart. She didn't even have the strength to move her fingers. She was lying naked in a corner like a lump of rotten flesh.

But the overhead light was so bright.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could clearly see the marks left on her body, and images of a group of people tossing her around and ravaging her the night before flashed through her mind...

He turned his head and vomited out a large pool of yellow water.

Humiliation, a humiliation that kills and destroys one's spirit.

I want her to see me in this wretched state, to let her know that she really is this awful person.

Through a blurry vision, the basement door opened.

Someone came in first and covered her with a sheet. Then, leather shoes came into Duan Xi'er's sight.

“Chen, Jing, Si.” Her voice was deep and rough.

The leather shoes stopped a meter away, and Shen Jingsi looked down at him with cold disdain.

His expression was indifferent, but a chilling undercurrent surged in his eyes. "How are you feeling?"

Duan Xi'er wanted to curse him, but she didn't have the strength. Enduring the excruciating pain, she managed to squeeze out, "Why did you do this to me?"

Shen Jingsi said, "I told you, if I find out anything, you'll suffer a fate worse than death."

Duan Xi'er wanted to laugh, but every inch of her skin screamed in pain if she laughed.

She grinned, her face twisted and ugly, neither human nor ghost.

But it was only now that Shen Jingsi could see that ugly face clearly.

What he found most unacceptable was that he had actually been genuinely grateful to this beast.

He was grateful that she appeared the second before his death, when he was lying in the wilderness waiting for it, and pulled him back in the nick of time, causing her to roll down the cliff and lose her sight.

Grateful that she disregarded past grievances, and when the Shen family faced a crisis that everyone avoided, she would rather kowtow until her forehead bled than give up and beg her father for help.

The most ironic thing is that he actually used this beast to anger Lu Zhenyu.

She knew all this all along, didn't she? Why didn't she tell him? Why did she never tell him even after escaping back?

Shen Jingsi, however, could guess it perfectly.

Although Duan Xi'er is unethical, the Duan family is powerful and influential. Once the marriage between Shen and Duan is successful, Shen Jingsi will have a great help in the capital.

She was always thinking of him, always planning for him, sacrificing her own bright future, sacrificing her life.

So this is what the eight-year-old girl meant when she said to that brat, "I'll protect you even if it costs me my life."

turn out to be.

Seeing the tears welling up in the man's eyes, Duan Xi'er smiled, "So, you know better than anyone else that the one who deserves to die the most is not me or Zheng Yaozong, but you, Shen Jingsi."

"Why did Lu Zhenyu marry Zheng Yaozong? Why did I scheme against her? Why was she tortured for five years? Why did she end up like this?" the woman screamed in a hoarse voice.

"Because of you! It's all because of you! She was trying to save you, to let you live, and that's why she couldn't live."

Seeing the man stumble back two steps, Duan Xi'er smiled even more triumphantly.

That's how it is, that's how it has to be.

He caused her family to be destroyed and her to become the inhuman, ghostly figure she is now.

Even if she dies, she'll drag him down with her.

"You love Lu Zhenyu, don't you? You love her so much you'd give up your life for her? Then go die! Go find her on the road to the underworld!"

She went even further, "No, you won't find her, because she's burned to a horrible state. Even if you did find her, would you dare open your eyes to look at her!"

"You wouldn't dare, because everything she went through was thanks to you... uh!"

Duan Xi'er's neck was gripped tightly by a large hand.

She opened her mouth but couldn't speak, veins bulging on her forehead. She tried to resist, but her outstretched hand was pierced through the palm by a dagger that appeared out of nowhere.

"ah!!!!!!"

She was in so much pain that the veins on her forehead bulged, and her eyes almost popped out.

Swish.

As soon as the knife was withdrawn, scalding blood gushed out from the hole, splattering all over Shen Jingsi's face.

His bloodthirsty, malevolent eyes were stained with blood, making him look like a demon from hell.

"ah!!"

Another stab, the blade tip grinding repeatedly on the floor, the pain causing Duan Xi'er to roll her eyes back and nearly faint.

Snap.

The blood-stained knife was thrown to the ground. Shen Jingsi got up, but he was exhausted and staggered back a few steps.

"You're right, I do deserve to die, but don't worry, you'll only suffer a fate worse than death."

Her vision blurred as she watched the bloody footprints left by the leather shoes. Duan Xi'er, writhing on the ground in pain, her mouth agape.

At this moment, she may have regretted it, she may have realized her mistakes, or she may have even returned as a vengeful ghost to seek revenge.

But it doesn't matter, because she won't die. The medical staff on call 24/7 will bring her back to life every second before she dies.

Because Shen Jingsi said that she would rather be dead than alive.

There are many ways to torture someone, making them wish they were dead but unable to die.

The thorny vine whips lashed her flesh, tearing off an inch of skin every day, and pouring salt water on it daily.

They ruin her, then try to revive her, then torture her, then continue the rescue efforts, in a never-ending cycle.

No one can bring a dead person back to life.

That was a month after Lu Zhenyu perished in the fire, when the internationally renowned writer Zhen Si's new work, "She," was published.

It was first released in some European cities, and within just half a month it sparked unprecedented discussion in literary circles and among netizens.

The following month, it was released in various Asian countries.

The book sold 20 million copies in three weeks, sparking heated discussions in China about domestic violence, anti-domestic violence efforts, and the protection of women's rights after marriage.

Women from all over the world have launched joint online initiatives to fight for the rights that women of all nationalities should have.

Of course, it may not change anything, but as long as the spirit remains strong and the will to resist persists, drops of water will eventually converge into a vast ocean.

Why would a simple pseudo-autobiography evoke such an unprecedented response?

Because the book contains more than just stories about domestic violence.

There was a girl who had no parents and lived under the roof of others. From a young age, she was instilled with the three obediences and four virtues, and was taught to be self-disciplined and follow the rules of propriety.

Therefore, her first reaction when she was violated was to hide, because she didn't want to bring trouble to her family and was afraid of attracting gossip. However, in order to protect her brother who was being whipped, she confessed to everyone herself.

She suffered from insomnia day and night, and cried herself to sleep at night because this decision would undoubtedly forever burden her, as a woman, with the label of "impure" from others.

But the result of sacrificing his reputation for the rest of his life was that no one believed him.

No one believed that a ten-year-old boy could do something so terrible.

Yet some people believe that an eight-year-old girl would lie about her own reputation.

This girl who lied was used by her adoptive mother as an art form to showcase herself, and she was also the only victim during the family crisis.

She not only rebelled against men, but also against women. In fact, she was rebelling against the dregs that the world had instilled in women's minds and souls for hundreds of years.

Similarly, humans may escape natural disasters, but they cannot escape man-made disasters.

What can truly kill you is the person you believe you are behind your back.

Her resistance after desperately escaping back was always suppressed by an invisible cage; once upon a time, that was her haven.

Her mother, her good mother, used the power she gained at her own expense to suppress her.

She thought the villa in Los Angeles was her prison, and after desperately escaping back, she discovered that this was her true predicament.

Ultimately, she had no choice but to get involved herself.

The day after Her was released in China, an American lawyer named Lisa came to Green Hill Manor.

"I apologize for disturbing Mr. Chen. This trip is entirely of my own volition."

When exchanging letters with Lu Zhenyu, Lisa imagined the man the girl had loved for many years based on her descriptions.

But what I see with my own eyes now... is different; it's almost like seeing two different people.

Dead silence, gloom, and darkness—that was Lisa's first impression after seeing the man with a wrinkled, blood-stained shirt, disheveled hair, a dejected, imposing figure, and covered in wounds.

But in fact, before this, she always thought he was a simple, righteous, kind, sunny big boy whose face seemed to say "I love Lu Zhenyu".

Under Shen Jingsi's gaze, she opened her bag and handed over the original manuscript wrapped in kraft paper.

"This is Zhenzhen's last work. According to her original plan, as soon as news of her death spread overseas, we would release her posthumous work worldwide."

“These are drafts that she personally cut out. She said they were rubbish she wrote when she was having an emotional breakdown, and that we should just burn them all. But I think Mr. Shen should take a look at them when he has time.”