That evening, Chu Heng dropped me off at my former apartment.

After I turned eighteen, my parents kicked me out, and I had no choice but to live alone in this old, shabby place.

The hallway light had been broken for ages.

I used to be afraid of the dark, but having faced far scarier things, even the darkness now felt oddly comforting.

Dust covered the furniture, and the old wooden floorboards creaked with every step.

Chu Heng looked around with an exasperated look. "Are you really going to live here?" he asked.

I nodded.

Where else could I go?

Before I was sent to the rehabilitation center, my parents had taken all my money.

I found an old piece of clothing and started cleaning the room, stirring up a storm of dust.

Chu Heng couldn't stand it any longer. With a grimace, he pulled me back to the car.

He drove off in silence.

I fastened my seatbelt, curling up in the passenger seat, and asked, trembling, "W-where are you taking me?"

The car sped through the city, taking us to his private apartment.

"I'll have someone clean up the place. You can stay here for now, " he said.

I gave him a polite nod of thanks, though I still avoided looking at him.

He ruffled his hair in frustration, grabbed my chin, and forced me to meet his gaze.

I struggled to look away.

"Why won't you look at me?" he demanded.

I gritted my teeth. "It makes me nauseous."

"Nauseous?" Chu Heng said through clenched teeth. "Funny how you weren't so sick of me when you were the one pursuing me.

Is this another one of your games?"

I shook my head with difficulty. "I don't dare to anymore. I only see you as family now."

"Family?" he scoffed, looking me up and down. "You better mean it."

He didn't seem to believe me.

Once he let go, I quickly stepped back, putting some distance between us.

That night, I had a nightmare.

In it, countless versions of Chu Heng surrounded me, prying my mouth open and forcing me to swallow wriggling, live worms.

I retched, desperately trying to throw up, but only managed to spit out half.

The other half slid down my throat, writhing and multiplying in my stomach.

The next day, I asked Chu Heng to drop me off in the city center.

I barely had time to steady myself before he drove off.

Staring at the job posting outside a café, I hesitated.

Without money, I couldn't get by.

But I was without a degree or any work experience—would anyone hire me?

I hadn't even graduated college when they sent me away.

A staff member at the door noticed me eyeing the job ad and approached. "Are you here for the job?" she asked.

I nodded.

She led me to the manager, who didn't make things difficult. He asked me a few basic questions and told me to start work the next day.

The monthly salary was four thousand, with the trial period at thirty-two hundred. It wasn't much, but it was enough to live on.

I planned to work while studying, hoping to finish my degree someday.

Feeling a bit embarrassed, I asked the manager if I could get a five hundred advance. He agreed without hesitation.

I had asked my parents for money before, but they always insisted I learn to support myself and not rely on them.

Yet Qu Yan received tens of thousands in monthly allowances.

Lost in thought, I wandered down the street, not noticing a child running toward me.

He knocked me down, and my knee hit the ground hard.

The child's mother arrived and immediately started blaming me, saying I should have watched where I was going, accusing me of trying to extort them.

As more people gathered, I felt like I was back in the camp, surrounded by those who pulled my hair and forced me to drink filthy water.

I broke out in a cold sweat and couldn't even speak to defend myself.

Just then, a warm hand rested on my shoulder.

I looked up into a pair of caring eyes.

"Are you alright?"

The gentle voice of a young man eased some of the shadows in my heart. I shook my head and, with his help, got to my feet.

"Ma'am, it was clearly your son who ran into her. Instead of teaching your child, you're blaming an innocent bystander, " he said.

The woman's face turned red and white with anger. "You're lying!" she shouted.

The young man raised his camera. "It's all recorded here. Shall we call the police?"

Grumbling, the woman grabbed her child and left.

I thanked him gratefully, learning through our conversation that his name was Shi Luo, and he was a journalist.

When I returned home, I saw the house had already been tidied up.

Chu Heng was sitting on the couch, looking quite displeased.

"Where have you been? Coming back so late?"

"Looking for a job."

"A job? Do you think I can't support you?"

He naturally assumed ownership of me, his eyes full of disdain.

Suddenly, his expression changed as he grabbed my wrist and pulled me onto the couch. "Who did this?"

Following his gaze, I noticed the wound on my knee had reopened, blood trickling down.

I hadn't felt it, having grown numb to pain after enduring far worse in the past three years.

There was a ripping sound.

The fabric on my knee was torn apart, some of it sticking to the blood, pulling at my skin.

Instinctively, I reached out to stop him.

"Mr. Chu, men and women should keep their distance."

"Now you act all shy? You weren't so reserved when you were running after me."

Chu Heng inhaled sharply, his eyes fixated on the scars crisscrossing my wrist—some deep, some shallow, some new, some old.

With a trembling voice, he asked, "What is this? Are you trying to manipulate me?"

I wouldn't dare.

I value my life.

If Chu Heng were to send me back for another three years, I might not survive.

I lowered my head, hiding my wrist in my sleeve.

"Mr. Chu, don't joke around. I see you only as my sister's fiancé now."

He let out a derisive laugh, though his eyes seemed conflicted.

"It's getting late, Mr. Chu. You should head back."

"Hmph." With a cold snort, Chu Heng left.

I was left fretting over my torn pants.

They were my only pair.

After sitting for a while, I felt a bit hungry and decided to make some instant noodles.

But then Chu Heng returned.

Was he not done mocking me?

"You're eating this?"

He tossed my noodles into the trash.

"How pitiful."

A black bag landed in front of me. I opened it to find several new outfits.

I figured he was just being nice to his fiancée's sister.

I obediently changed into them.

He pulled me back onto the couch and began treating my wounds.

The alcohol stung fiercely against the cut, but I endured it all.Despite his disdain, there was an undeniable care in his actions.

"You don't feel pain?" he asked, surprised. Three years ago, I would have cried to him over the slightest pain.

"Even if it hurts, I can't cry out."

"Why not?"

"No reason. That's just what the mentor said."

Chu Heng was silent for a moment. "You really listen, don't you?"

Of course, the cost of disobedience was something I couldn't afford.

"What cost? What cost?"

I had accidentally spoken my thoughts out loud.

"Nothing."

I quickly pulled down my pant leg, not wanting to recall those memories.

Chu Heng, not satisfied with my answer, asked again, "What exactly is the cost?"

Seeing my silence, he suddenly asked, "Why do you always wear long sleeves?"

He unceremoniously rolled up my sleeve, revealing an arm covered in bruises and scars.

Chu Heng's hand trembled as he reached out to touch my wounds, but I quickly pulled away.

Just the sight of him made me want to retch; if he touched me, I would be so nauseated that I'd want to cut off my entire arm.

Chu Heng had been trying to find out what I had been through over the past three years.

But I no longer had any desire to confide in him.

Seeing him only brought back a gut-wrenching feeling that made my skin crawl, a sensation I could never adequately describe.

"Aren't you worried about Qu Yan being concerned if you don't go back?"I asked, breaking the silence.

The air seemed to freeze for a moment.

Just then, his phone buzzed, and Qu Yan's name flashed on the screen.

Chu Heng answered, "I'm out."

He glanced at me and added, "Working late tonight, not coming home."

He lied as easily as he breathed, clearly not for the first time.

He ordered takeout, and a lot was left over.

"If you can't finish it, then don't force yourself, " he said.

I continued to mechanically stuff the food into my mouth.

"I can't waste food, " I insisted, even as the food seemed to lodge in my throat.

I slept poorly that night.

The pain in my stomach kept me from resting peacefully, but I was so exhausted that I eventually drifted into a restless sleep.

I awoke to the blinding white light of an unfamiliar ceiling, the sharp scent of disinfectant mingled with alcohol filling my nose.

It took me a moment to realize I was in a hospital.

Suddenly, I remembered it was my first day at work. I hurriedly got ready to head to the café.

By the time Chu Heng arrived, I was already putting on my shoes.

Seeing me ready to go, he frowned, "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to work, " I replied.

He looked at me disapprovingly. "You know you have a stomach condition, right? Stay home and rest today."

"I'll pay you back for the medical bills, " I said.

"When did I ever ask you to pay me back?" he retorted, realizing I was determined to go.

Slightly exasperated, Chu Heng offered to drive me, and seeing the time, I didn't refuse.

Before leaving, he hesitated, "Today is Qu Yan's birthday party."

"I know, " I said.

After all, isn't it expected for family to celebrate birthdays together?

"I'll pick you up after work, " he said, leaving me with that promise.

The café wasn't busy, so the day was quite relaxed.

The owner didn't worry about business and was always cheerful.

Noticing I often seemed preoccupied, he would try to cheer me up with jokes.

After work, Chu Heng came to pick me up for Qu Yan's birthday party.

Halfway there, I asked to stop.

"I want to buy a gift."

"Don't bother. I already got one for you, " he said, his tone full of disdain, implying that I know your capabilities and should just go along with his plan to avoid embarrassment.

I took his advice.

At the party, Qu Yan shone like a radiant princess, clinging to Chu Heng's arm and basking in everyone's well-wishes.

When she saw me, she feigned a slightly fearful expression, successfully reminding everyone of the previous scandalous scene at a banquet.

Then she pretended to be magnanimous, wrapping an arm around me affectionately.

"Sister, you've missed my birthdays for three years."

But it wasn't just your birthdays I missed.

While you celebrated your birthdays surrounded by adoration like the moon among stars, did you ever wonder where I was?

"I'm glad you're back this year; I can't wait to see your gift, " she said.

I handed over the gift Chu Heng had prepared—a beautiful, luxurious necklace worth several years of my salary.

Qu Yan forced a smile, "Sister might not know, but I already have one like this. Still, I'm very happy."

The crowd whispered, suggesting that I didn't care for my sister and was being insincere.

I felt a bit wronged, as I hadn't chosen the gift.

Chu Heng's expression turned sour; he knew whether Qu Yan had that necklace or not.

His voice was cold, "When did you get the same necklace?"

If it had been my gift, Chu Heng would have just watched the drama unfold.

But since it was his gift, his pride wouldn't allow anyone to trample on it.

Qu Yan, sensing the warning in his voice, turned pale, "Oh, I must have been mistaken. It's not quite the same."

The party continued.

I planned to quietly slip away, but as I reached the restaurant entrance, I heard a heated argument.

I saw a familiar figure.

It was Shi Luo.