After learning what Qin Xian had endured in his childhood, Ji Fei felt as though her heart was bleeding with pain, and anger robbed her of all reason.
[How dare these people show their faces before Qin Xian again? How could their daughter have the audacity to fall for him…]
Lost in her fury, Ji Fei chased after them to the top floor when suddenly, she saw Yu Hongxian stop ahead—and at his feet lay Yu Lu, unconscious.
"Lulu!" Yu Hongxian screamed in terror.
Ji Fei froze in her tracks as an old-fashioned phone ringtone abruptly pierced the air. Turning her head, she spotted a half-open attic door—the sound was coming from inside.
Her heart clenched as if seized by an invisible hand.
The space within was dim and lifeless…
[This was where Qin Xian had been imprisoned as a child…]
That final month, everyone had thought Qin Xian was sent to summer camp, but in reality, Lu Meihe had intercepted him midway, stuffed him into a suitcase, and smuggled him back to the old house, locking him in the attic. Though it was the closest place to home, he had been trapped there for an entire month, isolated and tormented. By the time Lu Meihe took him out again, Qin Xian had completely shut himself off, unable to communicate normally with anyone. A rising star had been ruthlessly dragged into darkness.
Ji Fei pushed open the door—and her pupils shrank in horror.
There, leaning against the far wall near an old wooden window, sat Qin Xian. His empty eyes stared blankly outside while his arms wrapped around his knees. Though a tall, grown man, he now looked like a helpless child on the verge of vanishing.
"Qin Xian…" Ji Fei’s voice trembled as she rushed toward him.
Qin Xian flinched. It was as though he were submerged in a pitch-black, freezing lake—so cold, so heavy, as if everything in the world had drifted far away from him. But this feeling… was all too familiar.
Whispers echoed endlessly in his ears:
*"Aren’t you supposed to be a genius? You can’t even do this?"*
*"If you keep this up, your parents will be so disappointed."*
*"No wonder your parents abandoned you."*
*"You won’t tattle, right? After all, I’m only telling the truth."*
*"I’m doing this for your own good. You’re just… that pathetic."*
*"You… are a freak that everyone despises."*
*"Don’t speak. Everyone hates you. They wish you’d just disappear."*
The ringing continued…
If he stayed silent, avoided communication, and sealed his heart away—maybe then, he wouldn’t be hated.
People around him were always crying, their eyes filled with sorrow and frustration. It was all his fault. He shouldn’t exist at all.
……
*"Big brother is so handsome! Qin Xian?"*
*"Qin Xian… Qin Xian… Qin Xian… I only like Qin Xian… I want to be with Qin Xian forever…"*
……
"Qin Xian! Qin Xian! It’s me—wake up!"
Qin Xian’s lashes fluttered, and a flicker of light returned to his pupils, reflecting Ji Fei’s face.
[Why is Qin Xian like this? It must be Lu Meihe’s doing. Where is she now?]
Ji Fei thought—if Lu Meihe was responsible, then the hypnosis must have been lifted. Maybe she could check her condition.
But the next second, all Ji Fei saw was a blank void. Even the previously altered information had disappeared.
Had she gone completely insane?
Ji Fei’s instincts screamed in alarm, and she whipped her head around—
Just in time to see Lu Meihe swinging a large bucket toward her.
"If you die, Qin Xian will belong to my daughter! If I couldn’t fulfill my wish, then my daughter will!"
[You crazy bitch!]
Ji Fei cursed and tried to lunge at her, convinced she could overpower this madwoman.
But before she could move, Lu Meihe twisted her wrist—flipping the bucket upside down.
A pungent, unmistakable stench filled the air as liquid splashed onto Ji Fei.
[Gasoline!]
Drenched from head to toe, Ji Fei stared in disbelief at Lu Meihe.
[Is she trying to kill me?!]
Sure enough, Lu Meihe pulled out a lighter—*click*—and a flame burst to life.
Ji Fei’s blood ran cold. Not only was she soaked, but gasoline had also splattered across the floor like a fuse. In this narrow attic, escape was nearly impossible.
Then—a shadow darted in front of her.
Tears welled in Ji Fei’s eyes.
Qin Xian. He had snapped out of it.
"So you *did* recover? I thought I had completely shattered your psyche back then. How tenacious of you—to break free from my hypnosis so easily." Lu Meihe sneered.
"Because I found my savior." Qin Xian’s voice shook, but his heart bled with regret. If only he had truly healed, Lu Meihe wouldn’t have exploited his weakness to hypnotize and control him again—nor would Ji Fei be in danger now.
"Feifei, I’m sorry. I dragged you into this."
Ji Fei longed to throw herself into his arms, but the gasoline covering her made her hesitate.
"If you hate me, take it out on me. Don’t hurt anyone else." Qin Xian’s eyes locked onto the flame in Lu Meihe’s hand. He knew this woman was a lunatic, capable of anything.
Though Qin Xian was strong enough to overpower her, the slightest misstep—even if Lu Meihe merely flicked the lighter—could ignite the gasoline on Ji Fei in an instant. He wouldn’t risk it.
He would rather beg on his knees, trade his own life—anything to keep Ji Fei safe.
The fire danced mockingly in Lu Meihe’s grip, taunting them.
"All these years I’ve been in the shadows, and yet you thrived—successful career, happy family, even your mind healed. *Why?* I was supposed to ruin you! How dare you live so well?!"
Lu Meihe couldn’t comprehend it. Some things defied logic.
With the hypnosis broken, Qin Xian remembered everything. Three years of relentless psychological torture—yet Ji Fei had cracked his shell in just three days with her warmth. Without her, he might have ended his own life long ago.
While others tiptoed around him, treating him like fragile glass, Ji Fei—bright, bold, and unafraid—had barged into his world like sunlight, showering him with affection and praise. She had flung open the doors he’d locked shut.
A twist of fate. A stroke of luck.
Now, hearing Lu Meihe’s deranged words, Ji Fei’s blood boiled. Even in this perilous state, she couldn’t hold back. "You—! All of this because Qin Xian exposed your sick obsession? You’re a goddamn psychopath!"
She didn’t care if she revealed too much—she glared furiously at Lu Meihe. "You’re a twisted, sick monster!"
Maybe provoking her was unwise. But knowing what Qin Xian had suffered over something so trivial, Ji Fei couldn’t stay silent. She needed to scream, to curse—anything to expel the rage choking her chest.
Qin Xian tensed instantly, his arms moving reflexively behind him as if to shield someone, only to realize there was no one there to protect.
In that moment, he understood—Ji Fei was afraid of dragging him down…
“Hahaha, that’s right! I *am* a deranged psychopath! Obsessed with my own brother to the point of madness. But I hid it so well! I could’ve been a good aunt—*he* ruined it! He mocked me, tore off my mask, forced me back into being the monster I am! It’s *his* fault he destroyed me, so I’ll destroy him. Fair, isn’t it?” Lu Meihe snarled, her face twisted with rage.
“What I said back then… it wasn’t what you thought,” Qin Xian said, forcing his voice into something calm and placating. “I was too young to understand. I just saw you… suffering. I only wanted to tell you not to torture yourself over my father. To let go of what could never be and find happiness.”
Even as a child, when Aunt Lu had cared for him, Qin Xian couldn’t have harbored malice toward her. His intentions had been pure—but a heart steeped in darkness twists even light into shadows. She’d been searching for an excuse, a reason to shatter the chains of morality, and his words had handed it to her.
Lu Meihe was the kind to double down on her path of destruction. What began as petty cruelty spiraled until she unleashed her bitterness and resentment on a helpless Qin Xian, finding perverse solace in his suffering.
So even now, as Qin Xian spoke the truth, Lu Meihe shook her head, sneering.
“You think I’d believe that? No. You ruined me, and now you’ll pay. My daughter wants you—so you *will* be with her. As for this one you love…” Her lips curled into a chilling smile. “You know how this goes. Every living thing you’ve ever cherished—the goldfish, the parrot, the rabbits, the cat—I made sure they died. And now, I’ll take *this one* too.”
“If you hate me, then kill *me*,” Qin Xian demanded urgently.
“Killing you? Where’s the fun in that? I want you to suffer like I did. That’s the *real* punishment.”
A sudden creak of wood made Lu Meihe snap to attention. She flicked open her lighter, pressing her back against a support beam to keep both flanks in view. One wrong move, and she’d hurl the flame without hesitation.
“Wife… please. There’s no coming back from this,” Yu Hongxian pleaded, his voice trembling with tears. He’d covered for her crimes before, but murder? That was a line even he couldn’t erase.
“*You*—!” Lu Meihe whirled on him, eyes blazing. “You *hypnotized* me! You *raped* me! I never loved you, never *could*! You’re nothing but a predator!”
Yu Hongxian paled. “All these years… none of it meant anything to you? If you’d just let yourself *feel*, you might have—”
Lu Meihe’s derisive laugh cut him off, her gaze so icy it nearly knocked him to his knees.
Done with delays, she raised the lighter. “Qin Xian, step back. I’d hate to scar you—Auntie still cares, you know.”
“STOP!” A hoarse shout rang out.
Lu Meihe froze.
“Meihe, *please*—don’t hurt them. I’m begging you, as your brother!”
Qin Xian and Ji Fei turned to see Qin’s Father on his knees in the doorway, tears streaking his weathered face.
Lu Meihe shuddered—but her grip on the lighter didn’t waver. “*No one moves!*” she barked. “One step, and the girl dies *now*!”
The crowd at the door stiffened; even Qin’s Father stayed rooted in place.
“Meihe, if you need vengeance, take it from *me*,” he whispered. “I’m their father. Let me bear this.”
“It was never your fault. I don’t love you anymore, but… there’s no turning back.” Her voice was eerily calm, but her eyes burned with desperation. If today ended in blood, she’d make sure *someone* paid.
Madness had long since eroded her logic. If Qin’s Father hadn’t chosen Qin’s Mother, she’d have had her chance. Now, if Ji Fei was gone, her daughter could claim Qin Xian. Never mind that she’d tormented him, or that she’d doom her own child by becoming a murderer.
Reality didn’t matter—only her warped resolve.
Qin Xian knew words were useless. They needed a plan, but one misstep would set everything ablaze.
*[What do we do? We have to save ourselves… At the very least, I can’t let others get hurt. I need to make Qin Xian leave.]*
Qin Xian’s eyes flickered. “I’m *not* leaving you,” he murmured. “Not ever.”
Ji Fei startled.
“We’ll figure this out *together*,” he continued. “You’re not ‘dragging me down.’ I’m with you—live or die. So *stop* trying to push me away.”
Ji Fei gaped. *[Is he… reading my mind?]*
Qin Xian almost smiled. “Call it intuition. The whole family has it. So *think*, Feifei. As hard as you can.”
Before Ji Fei could process that, Lu Meihe scoffed. “Pathetic last words. Qin Xian, *move*. Unless you want your pretty face melted off—my daughter *does* have standards.”
Instead, Qin Xian reached back, yanking Ji Fei against him in a crushing embrace. Gasoline soaked into his clothes.
“*Ah!*” Ji Fei gasped—but then she met his gaze. Steady. Unshakable. She gave a tiny nod.
“You *want* to die together?” Lu Meihe hissed.
*[If they can really hear me… the best shot is a fire extinguisher.]*
Ji Fei spotted Qin Rong and Qin Yan at the door, each clutching an extinguisher—but they didn’t dare step in. The distance was too great; by the time they’d act, the flames would already be on her.
“Too slow,” Qin Xian said flatly.
“*What?*” Lu Meihe frowned.
But Ji Fei understood. Following his glance, she saw it—the window behind them. Old, brittle, barely holding together.
*[Jump before the fire hits? But it’s four stories! Unless… a safety net? An inflatable—like those playground bounce pads!]*
Qin Xian nodded.
*[Someone needs to set it up—FAST!]*
Ji Fei seemed to hear commotion downstairs, along with Qin Zhao’s furious shouts. Her heart pounded like a drum. If this failed…
She knew Qin Xian had considered every possible plan. He had exchanged glances with his father—perhaps to subdue Lu Meihe, or maybe use a fire extinguisher. As a last resort, jumping from the window. Everything would depend on the moment.
Then, suddenly, a voice rang out. “Daughter, what are you doing? Stop this! How could you harm the young mistress’s children!” Grandma Lv’s horrified cry pierced the air.
Lu Meihe’s eyes glazed over instantly. Before anyone could react, she flung the lighter to the ground.
Time seemed to slow in that heartbeat.
Qin's Father lunged for the lighter but couldn’t reach it. A fire extinguisher sprayed too late, unable to outpace the flames erupting across the floor.
As the fire raced toward Ji Fei’s feet, a deafening *crash* echoed.
Qin Xian, clutching Ji Fei, shattered the window and plummeted downward.
Tears streamed past Ji Fei’s face as she felt their positions flip mid-air—his arms shielding her completely. She clung to him, her hands tightening around the man who enveloped her in protection.
Had they truly heard right? Were there cushions below? Was everything ready?
Her heart pleaded.
[*System, oh Reapers of the Underworld, spirits of all realms—I beg you, don’t let us come to harm. Please. I want to live. To grow old with Qin Xian.*]
The weightlessness gripped her. Then—a searing heat in her chest, a burst of agony in her skull, as if a flood of memories tore through her mind.
