"Oh, really?" Yu Qiao licked her lips, a wild beast inside her was raging wildly, a timid spring color leaped between her stiff eyebrows, and she moved her head toward Chen Zhao's position, and then her body moved over as well.
The two were very close.
Their breaths mingled, their eyes met; he was flustered, while her gaze deepened.
"Cough cough cough cough..."
Shen Zhao felt his body burning from her intense gaze. He suppressed the metallic taste of blood rising in his throat, his eyes darting away as he tried to cool his face with his icy fingers.
He turned to the side, his voice rough: "Nobody speak! Go to sleep!!"
What will happen if this continues?
Shen Zhao kept his eyes tightly closed, his mind wandering. The more he thought, the hotter his body became, and he broke out in a sweat as if he were about to burst into flames.
Yu Qiao stared intently at Shen Zhao's back, blinked, and her delicate lips couldn't help but curl upwards on her expressionless face.
The young master blushed, so cute! I want to kiss him again!
Yu Qiao swallowed, biting her lower lip tightly, suppressing the urge to pounce like a hungry wolf. She took a step back, staring at the back of Shen Zhao's head, and took a deep breath to suppress the dark thoughts raging inside her.
No, she had to hold back.
If we scare them away, then it would be a loss.
————
Yu Qiao's face was pale, and cold sweat broke out on her forehead. She was trapped in a nightmare, a nightmare that belonged to all her darkest dreams.
"Zhujun, you've worked hard. It's a girl who looks like you."
"Sweetie, did you miss Daddy? Daddy brought you lots and lots of gifts~"
"Today is my daughter's fifth birthday, Zhujun, we must have a big celebration."
In the chaotic banquet hall, screams pierced the sky. In the restroom, someone covered her mouth and nose with a handkerchief. She struggled desperately but was hit on the back of the head with a stick and passed out.
The people who took her away were wearing hats and masks; some were men, and some were women.
She was locked in the van like a piglet, surrounded by seven or eight children of similar age, huddled together, drowsy and confused. Whenever she regained consciousness, someone would feed her medicine.
"How much?" a woman's shrill voice cried out.
"This one is the best quality, seven thousand." It was a man, and his voice was halting, as if he had phlegm stuck in his throat.
"What?! It's not like it's a gold nugget, and you're selling it for seven thousand? It's so delicate, whether it can even survive is another matter!"
"Take it or leave it. Of this batch, this one is the best looking. Look at its delicate skin and its appearance. It might even give you seven or eight grandsons, maybe some of them will look like this."
The air hung heavy for a moment before the woman made up her mind: "Fine, I'll take this one."
She struggled to open her eyes and first saw a fat woman with a large head and ears, eyes that slanted downwards, and a face full of pockmarks. Then she saw a tall, thin man wearing a hat. He had a red scar on his left eyelid, small, narrow eyes, and a black bump the size of a finger at the end of his eyebrow...
"Oh, you're awake now?" The fat woman kicked her with a disgusted expression when she noticed that she had opened her eyes.
She was in excruciating pain when her bone snapped.
The fat woman was even more disgusted: "I just kicked you, what are you pretending for?! With your physique, how will you ever give my son a grandchild?"
She cried out, "I have a mom and dad! Let me go home! I want to go home! I want my mom and dad! I want to go home!!"
"Pah!" The fat woman spat at her fiercely, counted out money from her pocket and handed it to the man, then dragged her away: "I don't care if you have a mother or a father, I've given you the money, so I'm your mother from now on!"
"You better behave yourself, or I'll beat you to death!"
With a "bang," she was locked in the pigsty.
For half a month, those people threw food on the ground and looked down at her, demanding that she fight with pigs for food.
She couldn't do it, so she kept getting beaten.
Once, a fat woman kicked her spleen, damaging it. She was rolling on the ground in pain, while the others chatted and ate sunflower seeds, as if watching a joke.
After she recovered from her shock, those people, fearing they would lose their seven thousand dollars, took her to the hospital.
The doctor said, "Your spleen is ruptured and bleeding is severe. Go pay the fees and schedule surgery immediately. You might be able to save half of it!"
When the overweight women heard that she had to pay, they started yelling at her again, calling her ignorant, scolding her for not hiding, and telling her she deserved to die...
As she lay on the stretcher, she thought, "I wish I were dead..."
Because it was delayed for too long, her spleen suffered massive bleeding and eventually had to be completely removed.
She was eight years old that year.
For the next ten years, she was treated like a dog, completely at the mercy of others. All the happy memories she had before the age of five vanished.
Until that day—
"Is that money-losing brat over 18?" The speaker was Yu Zhenbang, the male head of the household. He sat on a dilapidated chair, smoking a pipe. His teeth were stained black and yellow, and his eyes were cloudy.
The plump woman lifted her clothes to breastfeed her newborn son, then glanced at her with disgust as she squatted in the corner eating, her tone unfriendly: "She's 18 now, husband. You tell me, which son will you have a baby with?"
"Heh~" Yu Zhenbang grinned, staring at her with a sinister look in his eyes. His gaze finally settled on her pretty face, even though it was sallow. He smacked his lips, which were a deep reddish-brown: "I've raised her for so long. If I'm the first one to go, it'll be me first."
"As for sons? We have five sons who are adults, so let's take turns, one for each of them every year, right? Stupid woman!"
Upon hearing this, the fat woman grunted unhappily, but dared not retort. She only dared to take advantage of Yu Zhenbang's absence to viciously beat and curse her: "You slut, with a face like that, you think you can seduce anyone?! I'll kill you!"
The fat woman kicked her, hit her with a stick, and pricked her with a needle, but she felt no pain.
She tilted her head back expressionlessly, her dark eyes fixed on the fat woman, as if she wanted to remember her forever.
Such people, however, pay great attention to customs; they hold a simple wedding and dress her up as a bride.
They wanted to kill her, so she decided to kill everyone on this day.
Under the cover of night, she poisoned all the wine in the cellar.
Everyone collapsed to the ground like dead pigs, and she set fire to the village, burning it down.
She stood at a distance and watched, witnessing the fire burn for an entire day before a rainstorm extinguished it.
She finally left.
But why is there always a man grabbing her hand and telling her to run?
The man's features resembled hers by about 60%. He gripped her hand tightly and pushed her outside, saying, "Sweetie, run!"
"Go find your mother, Jiang Zhujun!"
He took off his watch and handed it to her: "Sweetie, take this to your mother, and she will understand. I'm sorry for all the suffering you've endured these years. Your mother is waiting for you to come home. You must go back."
Looking at this face, she clearly didn't recognize it, yet her head throbbed with pain. Gradually, that refined and kind face twisted into the likeness of a fat woman: "You worthless wretch, pay with your life! Why aren't you dead yet! Die!!"
——
"Yu Qiao, wake up, wake up quickly." Shen Zhaojue, hearing Yu Qiao's murmuring and churning sounds, suddenly opened his eyes, sat up halfway, and placed the back of his hand on Yu Qiao's forehead, listening to her mutter, "Let me go... I want to go home, don't hit me anymore, it hurts so much... Who is she, why did I go to find her..."
"You're having a nightmare, Yu Qiao, wake up." Shen Zhao looked down at her with concern and gently shook her shoulder.
"Ah!" Yu Qiao suddenly opened her eyes and sat up in bed, bumping her forehead hard against Shen Zhao's drooping forehead.
With a bang.
Shen Zhao's forehead was red from the impact, his peach blossom eyes glared at her, and he gritted his teeth: "Yu! Qiao!"
Yu Qiao was panting heavily, her whole body soaked in cold sweat, her dark hair sticking to her fair and pretty forehead.
Her long eyes were filled with fear as she stared blankly at Chen Zhao. When she saw the red swelling on his forehead, she felt guilty and her voice became strained: "I'm sorry, I... I'll go back to my room to sleep."
As she spoke, Yu Qiao hurriedly threw off the covers and got out of bed. Overwhelmed by endless fear, she lost all her strength, her legs gave way, and she fell to the ground.
It doesn't hurt.
But the lingering fear from the dream still enveloped her.
Yu Qiao's gaze gradually turned fierce, her long, bluish-white fingers clenched tightly until they pierced her palms, drawing blood, and the air was filled with the stench of blood.
Shen Zhao pursed his peony-like lips, got off the bed, knelt down on one knee to look Yu Qiao in the eye, and moved his gaze to her sweaty forehead, her bewildered and frightened eyes, and her bulging veins on her jade neck. She was really scared now, but he was used to being high and mighty. Even when he deliberately softened his tone, there was still a noble and casual commanding tone: "I'm not angry, you don't need to apologize."
Yu Qiao swallowed, feeling cold all over. She tried to stand up by gripping the edge of the bed with her long fingers, but fell back down again, powerless.
The moment she opened her eyes, the dream became blurry, but it was like a terrifying and gloomy black hole, trying to pull her in.
Yu Qiao couldn't help but tremble.
Shen Zhao's deep, peach-blossom eyes were fixed on her.
The bedroom was dimly lit, and he couldn't see anything, but Shen Zhao could see her clearly. He saw her slender shoulders trembling, and her body, clad only in a bra, was covered in scars that looked like a grotesque snake sewn onto her body.
She was frighteningly thin; her ribs were clearly visible.
She had gained five or six pounds; before coming to his side, Yu Qiao was as thin as a bamboo pole.
No one knows what Shen Zhao was thinking at that moment. His blood seemed to be flowing backward, and his heart was clenching with fear at the sight of the glaring scars on her body. She was afraid, and he suddenly felt afraid too.
Suddenly, Shen Zhao grabbed Yu Qiao's wrist and, to her astonishment, pulled her into his arms.
Yu Qiao bumped into Shen Zhao's strong chest. She trembled instinctively and put her hands in her chest to try to resist.
Shen Zhao raised his hand and gently patted her back, telling her in a firm tone, "Don't be afraid, I'm here now."
Her back wasn't pretty; it was covered in crisscrossing scars. Those who couldn't bear to spend money to take her to the hospital for stitches ended up with hyperplasia.
As Shen Zhao patted her, his hands trembled. He moved them up and placed them on the back of her head, gently stroking her hair.
"Yu Qiao, I'm with you."
Smelling the familiar and comforting scent, Yu Qiao's tense nerves gradually relaxed. She hugged Chen Zhao tightly around the waist and nestled her head against his neck.
That was her sordid past, which she couldn't bear to accept; she was unworthy of Shen Zhao.
If it weren't for his sudden act of kindness, she might never have had the chance to interact with the aloof young master in her entire life.
Not to mention, she's holding the young master right now.
Yu Qiao's curled eyelashes suddenly trembled, and she turned her head slightly to see their reflections in the mirror of the French window, where they were tightly embracing.
Her expression froze for a moment, then her dark eyes gradually brightened with excitement, her pearly teeth brushing against her lips, and the corners of her lips involuntarily curled upwards.
If only time could stand still in this second.
Time passed second by second, and Shen Zhao felt the person in his arms gradually becoming calmer. He looked down at her and saw her reddened eyes, with tears hanging in her eyes, about to fall.
It resembles a delicate, broken porcelain doll.
"Cough cough cough cough..." He had heart and lung deficiencies and was sensitive to cold. He had been kneeling on the ground for nearly an hour, and had long since reached the limit of his body's endurance. He pressed his long, white fingers against his chest and coughed until his lungs ached.
Yu Qiao stepped away from his embrace: "I'll go get you a glass of warm water."
"No need." Shen Zhao barely suppressed the taste of blood escaping his throat, wrapped his long arm around her slender legs, and with a little effort, lifted her up in a princess carry: "The ground is cold, I'll carry you to the bed."
"I have thick skin and I'm not afraid of pain."
"Yu Qiao." Shen Zhao gently placed her on the bed and covered her with the blanket, but his tone was firm: "I've said it before, what girl says she's thick-skinned?"
Her peach blossom eyes seemed to sparkle, and the tips of her ears, which peeked out from her black hair, were flushed. Shen Zhao coughed twice and said coyly, "Our Yu Qiao is clearly delicate and precious."
Yu Qiao stared at him, blinked, and felt her ears turn red as if a drop of water had been poured into a hot oil pan. She really didn't know what expression to make or what to say. After a moment of inner turmoil, she said "Oh".
Fearing he might think her response was cold, she nodded solemnly again: "Young Master is right."
Shen Zhao glanced at her, shook his head mindlessly, knowing she hadn't listened.
He reached out and pried open her tightly clenched hand, seeing the numerous marks on her palm. Her expression was not good: "Doesn't it hurt?"
Her first instinct was to answer that it didn't hurt.
Meeting Shen Zhao's dark, narrow eyes, which held a slight warning, Yu Qiao's tongue stammered. She changed the subject, hesitatingly replying in a low voice, "It...it hurts a little?"
It doesn't hurt at all.
"I'll go get the first-aid kit." Shen Zhao glanced at her deeply, finding the wound glaringly obvious, then turned and left.
Yu Qiao turned her head and stared intently at Shen Zhao's departing figure. A dark crimson hue appeared in her already dark eyes, and she clenched her hands tightly.
He was the one who brought her home.
It was also him who treated her so well.
Then I'll have to stay with her for the rest of my life.
otherwise……
A dark, twisted look, completely out of character for Yu Qiao, appeared on her pretty face, revealing a determined and ruthless air. She took a deep breath of the room's atmosphere.
A slightly dazed thought crossed my mind: the air in the young master's room seemed to smell even better.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com