...
Many people acted out of habit.
When they did bad things, they didn't even think to close the door or avoid others; instead, they chose to bully openly and brazenly.
Because in this house, no one would stand up for Song Yi.
Oh.
Perhaps her younger brother would.
But he wasn't here today.
So naturally, they could be even more unscrupulous.
Her shoulders were pinned from behind, her knees pressed against the cold marble floor, aching from the hard surface.
A boy's careless laughter drifted from above. "What a poor imitation. Why are you and Song Yee dressed so similarly?"
"It must be on purpose, haha. Xiaoyi is much prettier than her."
"That's what you get for playing dirty. Hmph."
Another girl viciously tugged at Song Yi's evening gown. "Why are you so petty? You actually tried to ruin Xiaoyi's dress. No wonder no one likes to play with you."
Song Yi bit her lip and clutched her clothes tightly. "This is my house. She should have gotten lost a long time ago."
"..."
A brief silence.
Then, even louder laughter erupted.
"Ha, is that what Mr. Song said? You are clearly both his children. You've only been back for so long and you can't wait to declare your sovereignty. How shameless."
He maliciously pinched her face, looking down at her from above.
Teasing this girl was truly interesting. She was so vivid and expressive, and most importantly, no one would stand up for her.
The chain of contempt in their social class was exceptionally obvious, though much of it was never brought out into the open.
But who asked her to make Song Yee unhappy? That gave them a reason to vent.
Quite baffling, isn't it?
It was just an excuse.
This way, there would be no guilt. They were exceptionally united and would always find good excuses for one another.
"Who do you think would offend so many of us just for you?" The boy crouched down again, leaning close to her and lowering his voice. "The law doesn't punish the masses, let alone do you know who is backing us?"
His tone was frivolous and condescending.
Song Yi's expression remained calm as she observed her surroundings.
The others had gradually left one by one.
Now, it was only her and this boy left.
This situation was much better for her.
So the girl raised her leg, slamming her stiletto heel fiercely between his legs.
Accompanied by his angry curse, her hair was grabbed in the boy's hands.
She didn't scream.
She simply tilted her head with the momentum and smashed her forehead ruthlessly into the bridge of his nose.
With a muffled bang, the boy let out a sharp cry, let go of her hair, and clutched his nose.
"Are you crazy?! Go to hell."
Song Yi's voice was shrill. "The one who deserves to die is clearly you, you bastard. What gives you the right to stand on the moral high ground and accuse me?"
Her curses were incredibly harsh.
The boy's fury was ignited.
He grabbed a glass of sickly sweet juice, attempting to pour it all into her mouth and nose.
...
The people inside the banquet had gradually departed, and the grand dinner party lost its initial clamor.
Shen Xun raised his hand, his fingertips giving a gentle push.
He pushed open the ajar door.
The moment the door opened.
Shen Xun froze completely.
Song Yi had fallen to her knees on the floor. Her hair was being gripped, there was blood at the corner of her mouth, and as she struggled, a boy was trying to pour juice into her nasal cavity.
The scene before him smashed ruthlessly into his eyes. The young man widened his eyes slightly, a buzzing sound echoing in his eardrums.
A sweeping rage instantly twisted all of Shen Xun's composure.
The boy hadn't noticed what was happening at all.
Without warning, a sharp fork was pressed against his throat. The movement was ruthless, without the slightest hesitation. As the pressure increased, blood frantically spilled out.
"What are you doing?" Shen Xun asked.
His rationality had reached its breaking point. Every word concealed a heavy malice, like a bowstring pulled to its absolute limit, on the verge of snapping in the next second.
Before the other party could answer, he had already stabbed it in viciously.
Blood splattered.
"Ah!" The boy finally screamed, his voice shrill and full of terrified tears.
Song Yi knelt on the floor in a daze. Her knees were already numb, her temples throbbing, and everything in front of her seemed to move in slow motion.
Shen Xun pushed the fork deeper, the prongs cutting through the subcutaneous fat and reaching deeper tissues.
Blood gushed out wildly.
He let go, coldly watching the boy's dying struggles, his gaze unfocused.
His mind was left somewhat hollow from the shock of the scene just now.
A conjecture he dared not delve into was churning madly in Shen Xun's mind.
His sister...
Had his Shen Yi experienced this?
Had she ever been pinned to the ground? Had someone ever pulled her hair and forced things down her throat? When she knelt on the freezing floor, did anyone ever stand up for her?
Could this also be Xiao Yi's past?
Shen Xun had never thought about it.
He knew about the many unreasonable things that had happened to Shen Yi.
Shen Xun had also formed many speculations because of this.
If past and present lives truly existed.
If a person could really carry their memories from one world to another.
Then, this would be her past.
This thought was like ice water pouring down from the top of his head, making his entire body tremble uncontrollably.
If this was Xiao Yi's past.
Then, Shen Xun seemed to finally understand his sister's obsession.
People always develop obsessions over things they could not attain in childhood. She had never received so-called love, and because of that, she cherished it immensely.
Like a fragile moth, time and time again, throwing herself into the flame called warmth.
Never stopping until death.
But why did she have to suffer all of this?
It could have been anyone else.
Why did it have to be her?
Shen Xun didn't understand this world.
He used to never harbor resentment toward anything; even if he were the one suffering these things, he wouldn't be angry.
But why her? Why not someone else? Why did she have to die so many times in his world, and why was she always bullied?
Why?
Disgusting.
Shen Xun's face was very pale, his expression shattered, making him look as though he needed comforting even more than she did.
Song Yi gently bit her lip, inexplicably feeling happy at this sight.
She thought that she really wasn't quite normal either.
A normal person seeing someone murdered would scream in terror.
Yet Song Yi only felt a sense of elation; the deep satisfaction in her heart overpowered her fear of the young man before her.
Speaking of which, now that she had seen him kill someone, would he dispose of her as well?
Song Yi wasn't sure. She was naturally bold. She looked up at him, raised her head, and straightened her back. "Did you come here to kill me?"
"No," the young man's gaze finally landed on her face. He dropped to one knee and gently wiped away the tear at the corner of her eye.
His movements were very slow. He pressed his forehead against hers and said softly:
"I came here to pave the way for you."
She shouldn't be like his sister.
Always risking everything for others.
She shouldn't learn how to kill.
She could grow up well and safely just like this.
Shen Xun reached out and covered her eyes, preventing her from seeing the boy twitching and dying behind them.
The girl's eyelashes brushed against his palm, wet like butterfly wings soaked by the rain.
Light and shadows flickered across the young man's face.
"Xiao Yi, grow up well."
He said, "After tonight, there won't be any more bad people."
"I hope that in the future, you can have sweet dreams."
