Her gaze gradually turned cold and malicious, her voice laced with a gnashing, vengeful hatred. "Why? Why are you the heroine while I’m merely the wicked supporting character? I refuse to accept this. I won’t submit!"
Recalling something, she suddenly began to laugh. She looked at Xu Huan again, her eyes filled with triumph. "This life is different. I have the System and a second chance at life. I can easily bewitch the brothers and make them despise you to the core. I will slowly strip away your Qi and Fortune, leaving you to live in the shadows forever, never able to rise again!"
"System? Qi and Fortune?" Xu Huan was bewildered, yet a subtle chill began to creep into her heart. She had never imagined that such secrets lay hidden behind Xu Yan.
Seeing the blank expression on her face, Xu Yan couldn't help but laugh, her voice bordering on manic. "That’s right, the System. It allowed me to be reborn and gave me the chance to rewrite my destiny. And you, Xu Huan, are fated to be my stepping stone, forever trampled beneath my feet!"
The curve of Xu Yan's lips widened, veiled in a sinister air. "Xu Huan, before I go, let me give you one last grand gift."
With that, she deliberately walked to the door and suddenly raised her voice, feigning panic and grievance: "Sister, don't—!"
Her cry was sharp and shrill, as if she had truly suffered some great injustice. Immediately following, she slammed the door shut with a deafening "bang," as if announcing the start of a show.
Before Xu Huan could react, Xu Yan had already strode back to her, that chilling smile still plastered on her face. She suddenly seized Xu Huan’s hands and forced them onto her own throat.
As Xu Huan’s fingers touched Xu Yan’s icy skin, her heart shuddered. She reflexively tried to pull away, but Xu Yan gripped her wrists with a strength that felt like it would shatter her bones.
"Xu Yan, what are you doing? Let me go!" Xu Huan’s voice was filled with panic and anger. She struggled with all her might, but could not break free from Xu Yan’s restraint.
A look of pain washed over Xu Yan’s face, but her voice dropped to a whisper only the two of them could hear: "Xu Huan, give me what little remains of your Qi and Fortune!"
"What?"
Before Xu Huan could grasp the meaning of those words, the door was kicked open with a thunderous crash, and the three Xu brothers burst into the room.
"Xu Huan! Have you lost your mind?!" Xu Jiaming was the first to rush forward, shoving Xu Huan away with brutal force.
Staggered by the impact, Xu Huan lost her balance and fell backward, her back slamming hard against the solid wood of the bed frame. A sharp, searing pain forced a stifled moan from her throat, and her face instantly turned deathly pale.
Xu Jiaming ignored her pain, crouching down instead to carefully lift Xu Yan.
Xu Jiahe walked over, his voice filled with concern. "Yanyan, are you alright? Are you hurt?"
Leaning into Xu Jiaming’s embrace, Xu Yan’s eyes reddened, her voice trembling. "Big Brother, I’m fine... it’s just Sister... she seems so angry. I... I shouldn’t have come to bother her..."
Her voice was frail and helpless, as if she had been wronged beyond measure.
Xu Jiaming’s face turned livid. He turned to glare at Xu Huan, his eyes burning with disgust and rage. "Xu Huan, Yanyan was so worried about you, saying you refused to come down for dinner, so she came up to coax you. You don’t appreciate it, and instead, you try to strangle her? You are truly ungrateful for her kindness!"
Xu Huan’s back was still throbbing with pain, but she could not attend to it. She lifted her head, meeting Xu Jiaming’s gaze directly.
"I didn't strangle her! It was she who—"
Before she could finish, Xu Jiahe’s third brother, Xu Jiayan—who treated Xu Yan like the apple of his eye—lunged forward and clamped his hand around her throat with enough force to choke the life out of her.
"Daring to hurt Yanyan! You’re looking for death!" Xu Jiayan’s voice was as cold as ice, a bone-chilling intensity piercing through to her heart. His fingers locked around her neck like iron pliers.
Rage burned in his eyes, as if he intended to consume her entirely. Xu Huan’s complexion turned ash-white; her breathing became rapid and labored. Her fingers clawed weakly at Xu Jiayan’s wrist in an attempt to break free, but she realized she was like an ant trying to shake a tree—entirely futile.
Xu Jiaming stood to the side, supporting Xu Yan, watching coldly as if everything happening to Xu Huan was a deserved punishment, with no intention of stopping him.
Xu Huan’s face flushed a deep red from oxygen deprivation, her breathing growing shallow. Her fingers slid powerlessly away, her lips trembling as she tried to explain, but she could not produce a single sound. Her vision began to blur, and a ringing grew loud in her ears, as if the entire world were drifting away from her.
Finally unable to bear watching Xu Huan be treated this way by his brother, Xu Jiahe stepped forward and grabbed Xu Jiayan’s wrist. "A-Yan, let go."
As the eldest brother, his word carried weight; Xu Jiayan always listened to Xu Jiahe. Though reluctant, he released his grip. Yet, his gaze remained frigid. "If there is one more time, family or not, I will kill you!"
Xu Huan collapsed to the floor, clutching her throat and gasping for air, tears streaming down her face uncontrollably.
Xu Jiahe glanced down at her, his expression filled with disappointment and exhaustion. "You have disappointed me." His voice was low, like a dull blade stabbing deep into Xu Huan’s heart.
She looked up, wanting to explain, but her throat felt blocked by something, leaving her voiceless.
Xu Jiahe said nothing more. He turned, scooped up the fallen Xu Yan, and strode out of the room. Xu Jiaming and Xu Jiayan cast one last look of disgust and disdain at Xu Huan before turning to follow.
The door was slammed shut with a heavy, dull thud. The room instantly fell into a deathly silence, as if even the air had frozen.
Curled up on the floor, Xu Huan let her tears fall silently, soaking her clothes. She stared at the closed door and suddenly began to laugh, her laughter filled with endless bitterness and self-mockery.
"Ha... haha..." The laughter started soft, then grew louder, eventually dissolving into a heartbreaking, soul-wrenching sob. She laughed until her body shook, until her tears flowed freely, until she could barely breathe.
She mocked her own naivety, her own stupidity, and the fact that she had still harbored a shred of ridiculous expectation for this family.
"Xu Huan, you are truly a joke..." she whispered, her voice hoarse and broken, as if the desperation were being squeezed from the very depths of her soul.
She huddled in the corner, her arms wrapping tightly around herself, her fingernails digging into her skin, as if that could shield her from the bone-deep chill. But no matter how hard she tried, the cold clung to her like a parasite, eroding her heart and lungs, threatening to swallow her whole.
The night deepened. Moonlight spilled through the window, casting a cold glow over her thin frame, making her look like a lonely specter.
Her sobbing gradually faded into quiet, jagged breaths, her shoulders still trembling. Suddenly, her body went rigid, and a metallic, fishy taste flooded her throat.
She covered her mouth, but could not stop the hot, surging current. Fresh blood seeped through her fingers, dropping to the floor, glaringly bright under the moonlight.
She stared down at the blood on her palm, a desolate smile tugging at the corners of her lips. Then, the world went black, and she fell into an endless, absolute darkness.