XIAO Mei POV
(Neglected Heiress of the Lin family
I woke up to pain. Cold iron bit into my wrists—I was chained to the wall. My body ached, my head pounded, and the silence around me felt suffocating.
I looked down at myself. My clothes were stained with dried blood, stiff and sticky. My own blood. My chest tightened.
Then… footsteps.
The door flung open. My heart froze. Standing there were my gege and meimei, faces smeared with grease. My second gege held a long whip, the kind used to beat stubborn animals. At first, I thought it wasn’t for me… until I saw the blood dripping from it.
“Are you still going to marry a sixty-year-old man?” he sneered.
“No,” I said firmly. The memories of yesterday’s betrayal surged back, and I refused to bow to them.
Flashback: The Betrayal
I was at home, treating my wounded feet, when Mei Mei messaged me: “I’m about to be kidnapped. Help me!”
Ignoring the pain in my leg, I ran. When I arrived, she was about to be struck. I lunged to protect her… and a baseball bat slammed into me. Darkness consumed me.
I woke up tied to a chair, surrounded by big, burly men. One moved forward to harass me. I could only endure it—my injuries too severe to resist.
Then Mei Mei appeared. Relief surged… but froze into horror. She didn’t come to save me. She sat on a large couch, surrounded by the men like they were her servants, enjoying snacks and massages.
Finally, she commanded them to leave. Then, with a cruel smile, she untied me—and kicked me to the ground.
“Since you came back to the Lin family seventeen years ago, I’ve been framing you… just to get attention. You threaten my position as heiress,” she whispered.
Fury and disbelief bubbled inside me. I wanted to hit her, to make her feel pain.
“Please!” she cried, dropping to her knees as my gege appeared. “Don’t hit me! I’ll leave the Lin family! I’ll stop competing for your favor!”
Second gege shoved me aside. I fell onto a glass table—bottles shattered around me. Then darkness.
Back to Present: The Whipping
I awoke chained to the wall again. My body screamed as first gege whipped me mercilessly, forcing me to submit. I said no each time, and each refusal brought more pain.
Finally, he ordered his men to free me. Relief flickered—but was quickly snuffed out. The same men grabbed me again and dragged me to the edge of the building.
The breeze was cold on my bloodied skin. Then Mei Mei appeared, her greasy face smiling cruelly. She whispered something I didn’t understand:
“Share with my dear sister.”
And pushed me.
I fell. Cement hit my body with crushing force. Blood flowed freely. Hope shattered.
I closed my eyes. Waiting.
Waiting for the end.
Before the darkness swallowed me completely, I whispered a vow to God:
If I get a second chance at life, I will make them pay—every single one of them.
And then… nothing.
Rebirth and New Path
When I opened my eyes, I was back on the day my parents divorced.
A system appeared before me. Its name: 009.
“You have only a few years to live. The only way to extend your lifespan is by gaining favor from the Gu family or the Lin family.”
I scanned the options. I chose the Gu family, pledging to follow a Ma. The system offered a gift: mind-reading talent. I accepted.
I told the Lin family I would leave with my Ma. Mei Mei wore the same cruel smirk from before—I knew she had also been reborn, though I couldn’t confirm it yet.
She began crying, blaming me for leaving Aba and Gege, claiming she would stay behind to care for them. In my previous life, I might have felt guilt. Now… I felt disgust.
Gege Haotian stood up and slapped me, calling me shameless and vile. Insults rained down, confirming my suspicions—Mei Mei had returned too.
I felt cold, but resolute. I would still follow Ma.
“How long until we can leave this house of hell?” I asked the system.
“Five minutes,” it replied.
Within that time, we packed our bags, a Ma signed the divorce papers, and we left the Lin family house.
I looked back once. That house… I would forever call it:
“The Gates of Hell.”
And in that moment, I swore to myself: this time, I would return not as a victim, but as a storm.
