The spring breeze was soft, and the sun shone bright.
The Shen family's silk shop on the street corner stood wide open, with all kinds of silks and satins neatly hung, ready for business. But at that moment, a crowd of onlookers gathered at the door, buzzing with noise.
Zhao Sanduo stood blocking the entrance, so ugly that people felt physically uncomfortable just looking at him.
He was short, thick, and fat, with layers of loose flesh. His neck was almost buried in his shoulders, making him look bloated and clumsy. His face was even more unbearable: dark red bumpy scars ran from his forehead to his chin, pockmarked and uneven, as if gnawed by rot. His small eyes were cloudy and yellow, leering at people with filthy lust. His nose was big and greasy, his lips thick and turned outward, revealing yellow and black rotten teeth. When he spoke, a stench of garlic, alcohol, and tobacco filled the air, reeking several steps away.
He was nothing but a street thug, lazy and dishonest, rotten in character—and shockingly ugly to boot.
Yet Master Shen greeted him with exaggerated warmth, a flattering smile on his face.
"Sanduo's here! Come in, come in!"
Zhao Sanduo reached out casually.
"Uncle, I'm short on cash. Give me a few taels of silver."
"Of course, of course, right away," Master Shen hurried to agree.
Madam Shen also smiled obsequiously.
"Sanduo, come often. Don't stand on ceremony."
In the corner, Shen Ruoxi wore a faded white linen dress, the orchid embroidery on the hem worn blurry. She shrank beside the cloth rack, hiding in the shadow, her body stiff.
She had feared this cousin since she was little—afraid of his terrifying ugliness, his lewd stares, and the unbearable filth that clung to him.
Zhao Sanduo's eyes locked onto her at once. He waddled over and sneered with bitter mockery.
"Why are you hiding? So ugly and unlucky. Do you really think I'd want to look at you?"
"You're so ugly no one would want you on the street. How dare you stay here?"
Shen Ruoxi's face paled. Tears immediately welled up in her eyes. She whispered weakly,
"I didn't… I didn't ask you to look…"
Master Shen exploded on the spot.
"You ungrateful fool!"
He grabbed her thin arm and dragged her roughly to the shop entrance, right in the middle of the street, in front of all the customers and passersby.
Slap!
A brutal slap landed across her face.
Shen Ruoxi's head snapped to the side, her messy hair sticking to her tear-streaked cheek. Half her face swelled up instantly, a bright red five-fingerprint glaring on her skin. Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth, staining her white dress like a broken, tragic flower. Her dress was tugged askew, her collar slipping open. Her elbows and knees were scraped raw. She fell to the ground, fragile, pure, and pitifully beautiful.
"How dare you talk back!" Master Shen roared, loud enough for the whole street to hear.
"Raising you has been nothing but a waste!"
"You eat my food, wear my clothes, can't carry on the family line, and still dare to cause trouble!"
"If I didn't count on Sanduo to support us in old age, why would I put up with you!"
Madam Shen stood at the door, looking disgusted as she joined in.
"Your cousin is our only hope! How dare you give him attitude?"
"No sense at all. You deserve to be beaten!"
"When we're old, we'll depend on him to bury us. Don't you understand!"
Zhao Sanduo crossed his arms and laughed, lewd and triumphant.
"Well struck! That little wretch deserves it!"
The watching neighbors immediately burst into noisy condemnation, all harsh and cold.
"Talking back to her elders at such a young age. So rude!"
"Parents disciplining their daughter is only natural. Why is she crying?"
"Such a stubborn temper. She'll only cause trouble later."
"Pale face, wild heart. Giving elders a dirty look."
"Just needs a good beating to learn her place!"
Several idle men from Qinxi County stared at her messy clothes and slipped collar with malicious eyes, grinning obscenely, pointing and whispering, taking pleasure in her humiliation.
Only an old man in the corner could not bear to watch, sighing softly.
"The Shen family has no choice… They never had a son. They're counting on this nephew to support them in their later years…"
Shen Ruoxi curled up on the ground, trembling all over. Tears fell silently onto the stone floor.
So… I'm not even worthy to support you in old age…
You fawn over him just because I'm a useless daughter…
What am I, really…
She bit her lip hard, not daring to sob aloud, hugging herself tightly like a kitten completely abandoned by the world.
All of this was seen clearly by Qin Ruhai, standing in the shadow at the street corner.
He was tall and straight, dressed in rich silk, handsome as a man from a painting.
Looking at Shen Ruoxi being beaten, trampled, and broken in public, he felt not the slightest pity. Instead, a flicker of amused delight crossed his eyes, and the corner of his lips curled into a faint, cold, and utterly satisfied smile.
He thought to himself, amused:
It seems time to train this little toy properly.
Inside the shop, Master Shen waved at her in disgust.
"Kneel there and reflect. Don't come in and ruin my business!"
Madam Shen said coldly,
"You're not coming back inside until you apologize!"
They dragged Zhao Sanduo into the shop, laughing and chatting, continuing their business as if their daughter at the door was nothing but trash.
Shen Ruoxi slowly stood up and huddled in the corner beside the shop, her swollen face buried in her knees, miserable and helpless.
Only then did Qin Ruhai silently approach along the wall, hidden from everyone's sight.
He leaned down slightly, his voice so soft only the two of them could hear.
"Tonight, after they fall asleep… come to my yard."
Shen Ruoxi froze.
She slowly lifted her head.
Half her face was badly swollen, the purple fingerprint shocking. Tears still hung on her eyelashes, her chin wet with stains, a fresh cut at the corner of her mouth.
But at his words, her already empty eyes suddenly lit up.
Qin Ruhai… was finally paying attention to her.
He hadn't spoken to her in so, so long.
She looked at him and nodded gently but firmly, her voice thin as a breath.
"…I will come."
As soon as she spoke, a soft, trembling, tearful smile appeared on her swollen cheek—broken yet devout, so beautiful it tightened the heart.
Night fell deep. The entire Qinxi County sank into silence. All the street lamps had gone out, leaving only the faint sound of a night watchman's drum in the stillness.
Shen Ruoxi lifted the quilt quietly and stepped barefoot on the cool brick floor. Her parents were fast asleep. Inside the small silk shop, only her own breathing could be heard.
The swelling on her face had not faded. The faint purple fingerprint stood out on her pale skin, making her look pitiful. The scenes of being beaten, pointed at, and mocked during the day circled in her mind. Yet thinking of Qin Ruhai, she bit her lip and gently pulled open the door.
She would wait until everyone was asleep before sneaking to the backyard to see him.
A few steps took her to the backyard of the shop, where Qin Ruhai was staying. Making sure no one was around, she pushed the door open a crack and slipped inside.
Only a tiny oil lamp burned inside, dim and gloomy. Qin Ruhai sat in a chair, as if he had been waiting for her.
"You're here."
Shen Ruoxi trembled slightly and bowed her head timidly, her voice almost inaudible.
"…Brother Ruhai."
He looked up, his tone cold and empty.
"You were bullied outside today."
Her nose stung. Tears threatened to fall again, but she held them back and nodded slightly.
"They called me names… laughed at me… I was scared…"
Qin Ruhai suddenly chuckled, his laugh full of madness, not a trace of pity.
"Fear is useless. People in this world are always this despicable."
She had nothing. No real home, no real parents. She felt dirty, worthless, and unwanted. Only he was willing to look at her.
"Brother Ruhai… you won't leave me, will you?" her voice shook.
He leaned slightly forward, his voice light as a needle, piercing straight into her heart.
"Then tell me — do you want to make me happy?"
Shen Ruoxi stiffened, her eyes red but determined.
"Yes… I want to make Brother Ruhai happy…"
"Then would you do anything for me?"
"I would! Anything!" she blurted out.
Qin Ruhai slowly spoke the name that filled her with terror.
"Zhao Sanduo."
Shen Ruoxi trembled violently, her face turning pale. She shrank back instinctively, shuddering.
"I… I'm scared of him… he's so ugly, so dirty… I don't want to go near him…"
His smile faded, leaving only cold, overwhelming pressure.
"You will go, whether you're scared or not. I am not asking you."
"At noon the day after tomorrow, go to the haunted deserted house by the market. Invite him there."
Shen Ruoxi's face drained of color, her body cold.
"I… I d-dare not… he'll hurt me… I'm scared…"
"Listen to me —
You are not doing this with him.
You are doing this for me.
The uglier, dirtier, and more disgusting he is,
the more you endure for me,
the more it proves that I am the only one in your heart."
"When you are there, smile at him. Be gentle. Be willing.
Make him believe you want this."
Shen Ruoxi's lips trembled.
"I… I can't… I'm scared just looking at him…"
Qin Ruhai looked at her and spoke the cruelest words softly.
"If you do this, I will keep you by my side. I will care for you.
If you don't —
then you mean nothing to me."
She panicked and grabbed his sleeve, tears finally falling.
"No… Brother Ruhai, don't leave me… I'll do it… I'll do it…
I'll do anything to make you happy… really…"
Qin Ruhai pulled his arm away calmly, laying down the cruelest rule.
"I will be watching nearby.
But you must not look for me. Not look at me. Not act like you know I'm there."
At those words, Shen Ruoxi's anxiety faded, replaced by a sweet, peaceful warmth.
He would be watching her.
As long as he was watching, she felt safe.
"I understand…
I will smile at him. I will be good…
As long as Brother Ruhai watches me… as long as you're happy…
I… I will be happy too…"
She was completely his. No matter how scared, how difficult — as long as it was for him, her heart was filled with joy.
Shen Ruoxi nodded, tears still on her face, but her smile grew softer and more genuine.
As long as he didn't abandon her, as long as he was happy, she would do anything willingly.
Qin Ruhai watched her, her whole world revolving around him, and the corner of his lips lifted into a cold, twisted smile.
Look at that. As long as I am happy, my little toy is happy too.