A crisp sound echoed in the room.
"How dare you come home after my warning?" Li Na yelled.
Li Wei held her burning cheek, and her vision was blurred by a hot tear that threatened to spill down her pale face.
Ming Yue had persuaded her to stay in her home for a night, but she rejected. Because she hoped to get better treatment from her parents. It turned out to be wishful thinking.
Li Wu quickly moved to meditate, standing between Li Wei and Li Na. A subtle nod from her reassured Li Wei before she turned to confront their mother.
"Mom, come on. That is not fair to my sister." She snapped, "Are you kidding me? We can't just abandon her because of a ridiculous rumor. "
Her gaze locked onto Li Wei, but the underlying message to her mother was clear, "We should be helping Li Wei not making things harder for her."
Li Wei stared into Li Wu's eyes, and her heart tightened. She silently gave her an Oscar in her heart. Her acting skills were really impressive. She was even supposed to be an actress, instead of her. If she hadn't stumbled across her discussion with their mother once, she would have blindly believed her 'support.'
That day, she rushed home to break the good news about her successful audition to her mother. But she heard the discussion of her mother and sister, which forced her to stop in her steps.
"Mom, why did you even adopt my sister?" Li Wu asked. Li Wei was also curious about the reason, so she tiptoed to the door, and pinned her ear against the metal door.
Li Na chuckled,"What other reason than to make her work to bring us money?" Li Na replied, her voice tinged with mockery.
Li Wei's breath hitched, her eyes fixed on the shocking truth. She was about to storm in and confront her mother, but she developed a cold foot by the next statement.
"Oh. But Mom,what if she refuses to comply with your wishes?" Li Wu probed further.
Li Na's cold laughter burst forth, followed by a menacing chuckle. "Disobey, you say?" She taunted, "Well, I would 'remind' her of her health condition. But if she remains stubborn, I will ruin her!" Li Wu's eyes snapped wide in shock, "What? Ruin her? Mom, you are really tough!" an indistinct laughter followed.
Li Wei left the door with a pale face and her thoughts jumbled up.
From that day on, she had known their true nature. That they were far away from humans. They were demons. Real demons. She was tired of their cat and mouse game, but she had to put up with it. For now.
Getting the hint from her daughter's wink, Li Na nodded in understanding.
She hurried to Li Wei's side and held her shoulders, "Li Wei, you know I don't mean bad with this, I was just frustrated by the growing popularity of the scandal." she whispered.
"Hmm.." Li With replied, unfazed by their performance. She glanced over to her father, who sat cross-legged on the sofa watching the drama without showing any sign of interfering.
That was her adoptive father. Even when he is the source of the problem, he distances himself, letting her solve it herself.
Li We retracted from their embrace and strode towards her father in weak steps. "Dad, can you help me contact the man from that night?" She asked, clutching her bag tightly.
Li looked up, meeting Linda Wei's gaze for a few seconds before looking away.
"No," he replied. Simple. Short. And Resolute.
Li Wei's manicured nail dug into her flesh, and she regained little senses after feeling a dull pain on her palm.
She already expected the answer before coming over, but her heart still stung a little by his inhumane expression.
Li Wu quickly intervened, holding her hand. "Li Wei, you must be tired, let me walk you to your room. Rest first, and discuss with father later."
Li Wei let her sister drag her away. Not because she couldn't refuse, but because she was just tired from everything. So she let her play "a perfect sister" card as she pleased.
Li Wei stood in front of her room, feeling trapped by the weight of her family. Meanwhile, Lan Xian was looking at his parents for the last time. He felt suffocated by the weight of his problems, and his heart was completely dead from endless anxiety. He took a desperate decision to escape- one that Li Wei couldn't help but envy.
"I hope I don't meet you in my next life," he dropped a parting word and disappeared into the dark, cold night. Never to return again.
The cliff loomed before Lan Xian, its rugged face worn by the relentless pounding of the ocean. This was The Abyss Cliff, a place where the desperate and the downtrodden had sought solace in the dark waters below. The wind carried the whispers of the past, echoes of those who had stood at this very edge, their hearts heavy with sorrow.
Lan Xian closed his eyes, there was no turning back now; he has come this far. The only way out was down. He stepped forward, his feet leaving the solid ground behind. He leaped into the ocean.
As Li Wei stepped into her room, her gaze scanned the tiny room. The Li family's house was very expansive, spanning more than two hectares. But she was only allowed to sleep in the storage. Despite being their breadwinner.
Her room held nothing much. Just a bed, her wardrobe filled with clothes and accessories, and a small desk with chair. The paintings on the wall were almost peeled off, and cobwebs kept spanning on the ceiling despite cleaning them everyday.
For once, Li Wei wished she could go back to the hotel she slept in last night.
Sigh.
Li Wei strode forward and dropped on the small bed. She was exhausted both physically, and mentally, and after shutting her eyes, she drifted to sleep.
*. *. *. *
Early the next day, Li Wei woke up to the appetizing aroma of food coming in from the kitchen. The kitchen wasn't far away from her 'room' so she could vividly hear all the activities going on there.
She propped herself up, stretching out her hand above her head. She walked into the tiny bathroom that was carved inside the room, taking a quick shower.
"Li Wei, it's time for breakfast.." The sound of Li Wu's urging came in.
Li Wei slid into her slippers, buttoning her shirt. She was wearing a casual outfit, taking notes of yesterday's remark.
A well ironed simple grey office T-shirt, and a black knee-length beige trouser.
She strode to the door about to twist the door knob when the door suddenly opened. "Ouch." Li Wei winced in pain. She retracted her step, rubbing her sore forehead.
Li Wu stood frozen in place. She wanted to open the door and call Li Wei again, but she didn't know she was behind the door. Her brain booted when she heard Li Wei winced again.
"Oh.. I'm sorry" she muttered, bending her head to observe Li Wei's swollen head.
"Give me a minute," Li Wei mouthed, rushing out. After a few seconds, she returned with an ice park.
She pressed Li Wei's shoulder to sit down, pulling out a chair to sit across from her. "You have soft skin, really. Just a little hit, and it formed a bump." she murmured as she applied the ice on the swollen area.
"Ouch.." Li Wei winced, holding Li Wu's hand.
Like chuckled, stifling a laugh, "Are you being a baby now?"
The word was like a bucket of cold water, waking Li Wei up. She was momentarily entranced in Li Wu's care, and completely forgot who she really was.
Those caring and affections used to be genuine and normal. Because she used to receive them everyday. But after joining the entertainment industry, things changed completely. Was it because of envy? Or discomfort towards her soaring success?
She held Li Wu's hand, stopping her in her actions, "it's fine."
"Are you sure?" Li Wu asked, her gaze probing.
Li Wei nodded, standing up.
"Okay. Let's go to the dining room, Mom and dad must be waiting for us." Linda Wei blurted, as she returned the chair to its position.
As Li Wei walked out of the room, a question flashed through her mind, "Why is Li Wu suddenly acting kind to her?"