"Mr. Xu, you're certainly early."
The butler opened the door, holding a black umbrella just high enough that its edge didn't touch Xu Ji's head.
On the second floor, Ji Yao hid behind the curtains. Peeking through a gap, she watched Xu Ji trudge through the uncleared snow, one unsteady step after another. He wore a camel-colored scarf, and a small section of loose, sagging skin was visible on his neck.
Ji Yao suddenly snatched the scissors from her vanity and pressed them to her own throat.
Just then, Li Liping burst in. The mirror reflected her face, which had instantly turned deathly pale.
Ji Yao said through her tears, "Mom, I'd rather die..."
"Put that down!"
Ji Fu shoved the door open and rushed in, knocking the scissors from her hand with a single motion.
The bronze handles of the scissors hit the marble floor with a sharp CLANG.
Immediately after, Ji Yao's arms were twisted behind her back, and she was forced down in front of the vanity mirror.
