Chapter 7

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

As Xu Zhaomu wandered around the Shen family’s villa, she got lost. There were rows and rows of buildings, as well as fields and towering trees.

“Where is everyone, why isn’t there anyone around?” Xu Zhaomu finally started to get anxious. No matter where she looked, not a single person was within sight.

Xu Zhaomu had finally exposed her poor sense of direction.

“Big brother Shen Chi, Auntie Zhou…” She could tell that the sky was getting darker. She was utterly lost and had no idea where she was.

As she gazed into the sky, a splash could be heard. She had fallen into the swimming pool behind her.

“Ah! Save me! Save me, ah!”

She screamed at the top of her lungs. Her arms and legs started moving as she paddled with all her might.

She wasn’t ready to die. She had not achieved her life’s goal yet. If she was going to die, then Shen Chi would have gotten away way too easily.

As she sobbed bitterly, a black shadow dove into the swimming pool with the speed of light. Droplets of water splattered in all directions. It only took the black shadow a few strokes before he reached Xu Zhaomu, who was floundering in the middle of the swimming pool.

Xu Zhaomu, who was sinking, finally saw that lifesaving piece of driftwood. She hugged onto the black shadow’s waist. Her little hands hugged it as though her life depended on it.

Shen Chi’s face had its usual angry look. He attempted to pry off Xu Zhaomu’s hands, but to no avail. She was even stickier than glue as she plastered herself onto his body.

He stood in the swimming pool without moving. The pool water only reached his chest.

“Help me! I don’t want to die… I’m still young… I have a bright and beautiful future ahead of me, I…”

“If you don’t retract your claws, I will feed you to the dogs.”

Shen Chi was furious. This little girl had buried her head in the crevice of his neck. If she could, she would probably have plastered her entire body onto his.

Although it was winter and he had many layers of clothes on, Shen Chi had never been hugged by a girl in this manner.

“I don’t want, I don’t want… I won’t let go, I don’t want to die! Big brother Shen, do you want to murder me?”

Xu Zhaomu cried like a beauty in distress. She tightened her grip. This time, she jumped straight onto Shen Chi’s body and even wrapped her legs around his waist.

“Who taught you this? Get the f*ck off me!” Shen Chi had no idea how to deal with her.

“I will get off if you don’t kill me…” Xu Zhaomu did not even dare to raise her head. Her head remained buried within the crevice of his neck.

“Enough with the nonsense. Get off!”

“Oh, okay.” Xu Zhaomu finally tried to lower one leg. However, she was a scaredy-cat. After lowering her leg halfway, she locked onto Shen Chi once again.

“I can’t, I can’t. I will drown. In any case, I will die either way. Why don’t you just kill me. I once heard the orphanage director say that a peony will turn into a ghost the moment it dies…”

Plop!

A loud sound echoed out. Without speaking any further, Shen Chi tossed Xu Zhaomu into the swimming pool roughly.

He had to use force in order to counter this girl.

“Save me…save me…big…big brother Shen Chi… Save me…”

Xu Zhaomu choked on a few more mouthfuls of water. She struggled with all her might. She struggled and tried to grab hold of Shen Chi’s clothes.

Droplets of water sprayed everywhere and splashed onto Shen Chi’s face.

However, Shen Chi remained indifferent. As Xu Zhaomu slowly sank, and just before she thought that she was going to die at the hands of Shen Chi, her feet suddenly came into contact with the bottom of the swimming pool.

The bottom of the pool seemed to have been formed by fine sand. She hastily balanced on one leg, before steadying her other foot.

Once her entire figure had regained its balance, she finally realized that the water only reached her chin.

Much later, she caught sight of the absolute disdain in Shen Chi’s eyes.

“A rotten swimming pool can also scare you to this degree. How useless you are,” Shen Chi said nonchalantly. After he said this, he stalked off.

“Wait for me. How did you find me? Were you following me secretly? Is it because you care about me? Tsk, tsk, I really couldn’t tell. Alas, you truly care about me so much…”

“Xu Zhaomu. Let me f*cking tell you something. The maid in charge of taking care of the dogs just so happened to see you. She told me to come find you. You better follow me back at once.”

Shen Chi didn’t even turn back. After getting out of the swimming pool, he walked toward a sliding door.

“You won’t admit it, but your body doesn’t lie.”

Xu Zhaomu climbed out of the pool with great satisfaction. After sneezing a few times, she followed behind Shen Chi like a wet dog.

She had fallen into the pool, and it was such a pitiful situation. Why did the person ahead behave like it was nothing? He continued to carry himself with such poise and elegance, as though nothing had happened.

The heavens were truly unfair… Achoo!

“Xu Zhaomu, who taught you all this cr*p? In the future, you better behave.”

Shen Chi finally stopped in his steps. He glared at her viciously.

She knew things she shouldn’t know. He was sure that she had been raised very badly.

“I am so well-behaved. I always speak the truth,” Xu Zhaomu muttered.

Of course, much later on, a certain someone finally used his bodily strength to show Xu Zhaomu what you won’t admit it, but your body doesn’t lie truly meant. Until the little lady was unable to get off the bed…

“You’re not to eat dinner tonight,” Shen Chi uttered coldly. Xu Zhaomu was simply twisting logic to fit her own fallacious arguments. She spoke such nonsense.

“Petty…” Xu Zhaomu could not accept this.

On the contrary, Shen Chi meant what he said. That night, he locked Xu Zhaomu into a room with his Tibetan mastiff. He did not give her anything to eat.

“Chi, why are you so angry? If you don’t let Zhaomu eat, she will starve. At her age, she’s most likely having a growth spurt.” Zhou Ran could tell that the two of them were at loggerheads.

During dinner, she tried to call Xu Zhaomu over many times. However, Shen Chi wasn’t willing to relent.

“What a hypocritical show of affection.” Before Shen Chi could speak, Shen Cexian let out a sneer.

“Mom, she’s very wild. If I don’t teach her a lesson, she might ruin the reputation of the Shen family in the future.”

Shen Chi continued to eat his dinner, and Zhou Ran didn’t speak any further.

However, Xu Zhaomu truly suffered. It was fine if she had just been deprived of a meal. But he had even locked her together with a huge dog. What was his point? She wasn’t a dog.

This massive dog appeared much stronger than her. Fortunately, it was leashed with a metal chain. However, Xu Zhaomu was still shuddering in fright.

“You…you…don’t you come over. My flesh doesn’t taste good. If you need to eat, then eat Shen Chi…”

The Tibetan mastiff completely ignored her. It lay on its stomach and licked its own food.

When Xu Zhaomu saw this, she cried. As it turned out, she wasn’t even comparable to a dog.

Even the dog had something to eat. She didn’t.

“Shen Chi is a b*stard… What makes you think you can deprive me of food? I want to cut you into eight pieces and feed you to the dogs…” She wiped away her tears.

Although the orphanage was messy and dirty, she was still given food.

As she sobbed, she gradually grew tired. Outside, the sky slowly became pitch-black.

The wind blew against the window, causing it to rattle softly. Xu Zhaomu curled up into a ball and buried her head into her chest before falling asleep.

She had a dream. She dreamed about the fire that had broken out not too long ago.

The fire was ferocious, and, as it burned, the entire sky was stained red.

In tears, she screamed as she attempted to charge in. Because she knew. She knew that her mother was still in that sea of fire.

Her neighbor, Uncle Mo, held her tightly in his arms, refusing to let her budge. Just like that, her ten-year-old eyes watched as the fire brought down her house, razing it to the ground. Even the trees in the vicinity were scorched.

She could smell the ash, she could smell the thick scent of smoke. Even the smell of blood pervaded the air.

At that time, she had prayed so earnestly for rain to descend from the sky.

However, it didn’t. The entire sky was set ablaze as the fire burned everything into the color of blood.

The smoke was hurting her eyes. However, she did not blink.

Uncle Mo tried to cover her eyes many times. However, she pried off his hands stubbornly with the strength of a ten-year-old.

She watched that fire burn her last remaining relative with her own two eyes.

She had no idea who her father was, and her mother had died a tragic death. Her life had had a calamitous start.

“I won’t go… I won’t go… I want to go in… Save me…. Save me…”

Uncle Mo from the neighboring house dragged her away forcefully. She was still so young, and her neighbor was worried that she would be traumatized and scarred by this.

“I won’t go… I don’t want to go… I don’t want to go…”

In her dream, she bit the Uncle’s hand.

Suddenly, the wind blew against the raging fire, causing it to spread. It transformed into a fierce tiger that chased after her.

“Save me… Save me!”