My brother entrusted his child to me, and I livestreamed raising the baby, making the Empress cry wi

What happened next became a nightmare for Shu Jingwei.

In the dead of night, the piercing pain and bone-chilling cold would surge up from the depths of her memory, engulfing her and startling her awake with spasms.

On that early spring night, the lanterns hanging in the Liu family's courtyard cast a dim light, illuminating the shrew's face in half-light and half-shadow, making her look like a demon from the underworld.

Her gaze fixed coldly on the woman sprawled on the ground, a vicious smile twisting her lips: "I almost forgot about you, you bitch!"

The sound was sharp and piercing, making Shu Jingwei's eardrums buzz.

With that, she waved her hand.

Several burly servants suddenly pounced on him.

Shu Jingwei felt a sudden darkness before her eyes, and several rough, large hands clamped down on her from all sides like iron clamps.

She was pressed face down to the ground, one cheek being ground hard against the cold stone bricks. The rough brick surface rubbed against the skin of her cheek, causing both pain and numbness.

The cool air seeping from the cracks in the stone bricks seeped into her bones through her skin.

Her eyes darted around frantically, but before she could even beg for mercy, a pair of gleaming scissors were pressed against her other cheek.

The cold iron blade touched her cheekbone, the temperature making the hairs on her body stand on end, and goosebumps spread from the back of her neck all the way to her tailbone.

Shu Jingwei's mind went blank for a moment.

Do not! ! !

She began to struggle desperately, the veins on her neck bulging. A beast-like roar erupted from her throat, saliva mixed with tears smeared all over her face, and her hair was scattered on the ground in the struggle.

But the cold scissors still cut through her flesh, only the angle shifted slightly due to her violent struggle, moving from her cheek to her brow bone and forehead.

With a "rip," it sounded like a piece of fine silk being torn apart.

Warm liquid gushed out instantly, splashing onto her clothes and spreading into dark red flowers. The scalding heat burned her chest through the thin fabric.

That wasn't enough; they broke her arms and legs again with sticks after they had just been reattached.

"ah----!!!"

Shu Jingwei was in so much pain that her mind went blank, her ears were ringing, and her vision was blurring in waves.

In a daze, she seemed to hear a sharp, long scream coming from her throat.

But it didn't seem to come from me; the sound was so sharp and distorted, it was definitely not a human noise...

Then, she and Shu Rou, who was trying to run away while she was attracting everyone's attention, were thrown out of the back door of the Liu family's villa.

The alleyway outside the back gate was narrow and dark, with high walls on both sides blocking the moonlight so that only a narrow sliver of light could be seen overhead.

Stale water overflowed from the stinking ditch and flowed across the stone slab ground. A layer of oil and rotten vegetable leaves floated on the surface of the water, emitting a nauseating stench.

Their clothes and jewelry were completely stripped off.

Perhaps because Shu Rou was still a child, the servants left her an undergarment.

Now, squatting next to Shu Jingwei, her face was deathly pale, her whole body was trembling, and her hands were tightly gripping the hem of her clothes, her knuckles turning blue from the cold.

Shu Jingwei's situation was much worse.

She was stripped down to just a barely covering bodice and underpants.

But she didn't care about feeling cold.

All I felt was pain.

Each breath pulled at the broken bone fragments, causing her to spasm in pain, and she let out muffled howls.

Her mouth was full of blood and dirt, which slid down her open throat, choking her and causing her to gag repeatedly, but she couldn't vomit anything.

She no longer cared about Shu Rou pushing her out.

Everything else became less important; at that moment, only one thing occupied her mind—

Shu Jingwei trembled, and with the last of her strength, she stretched out her still-movable arm and grabbed Shu Rou's ankle, her nails digging into her flesh.

She called out in a hoarse voice, "Go...go find a doctor..."

Shu Rou lowered her head and looked at her.

Moonlight streamed down through a narrow slit overhead, falling precisely on Shu Rou's face, splitting it in two, her eyes glowing eerily bright in the moonlight.

His dark pupils clearly reflected Shu Jingwei's current appearance:

His face was covered in blood, with a gaping wound on his forehead and his hair plastered to his face in clumps of blood, making him look like a living corpse that had crawled out of a mass grave.

And in those eyes, there was disdain, disgust, and calculation, but not a trace of—

Like Xiaodouzi, a daughter should feel heartache when her parents or close relatives are hurt.

Then Shu Rou broke free from her hand, got up, and ran away without looking back.

Her two short legs moved swiftly, her small body wrapped in a snow-white undergarment, and she disappeared into the alleyway in just a few breaths.

Shu Jingwei lay on the ground, watching the figure disappear into the darkness with a face full of despair.

The chill of the spring night surged up from all directions, enveloping her naked flesh.

She tried to call for help, but only a breathy sound came out of her throat. She was like a fish thrown ashore, only opening her mouth in vain.

Later, it was only because the people Wang Meng sent to monitor her were afraid she would really die that they found a doctor to bandage her up.

It was only at this time that Shu Jingwei realized that Wang Meng and the others were telling the truth when they said they wouldn't let her die.

She didn't know whether to cry or laugh, but she did survive.

But during the difficult days of begging that followed, she thought countless times why she hadn't just died back then.

Die in that dark alley, and it will all be over...

Just then, a shout suddenly rang out from the sky, interrupting Shu Jingwei's thoughts.

It's Duoduo calling for Xiaodouzi.

Duoduo was learning to ice skate attentively with Mu Chenfeng when she suddenly realized that her best friend was missing.

Her gaze swept around and landed on Lin Ye and Xiao Douzi sitting on chairs in the rest area.

"Ling'er—!" Duoduo called out, her little arms slightly outstretched to maintain her balance, and she slid towards that spot, pushing off with her feet.

Xiao Douzi looked up at the sound and saw that Duo Duo had already slid to the railing on her side and was holding on. Her face was flushed from the exercise, and there was a little sweat on her forehead with a few strands of hair sticking to it.

"Why aren't you sliding anymore? Is it not fun?" Duoduo raised an arm to wipe her sweat, her tone filled with confusion.

"No, no!" Little Douzi quickly shook his head, waving his hands in response. "Godfather's leg cramped up, I'm here to keep him company for a while!"

When she said the word "cramp," she emphasized it, her little face tense, with utmost seriousness, as if Lin Ye had suffered some terrible injury.

"Oh!" Duoduo exclaimed in surprise, turning her head to look at Lin Ye, her round eyes filled with concern: "Uncle, are you alright?"

Mu Chenfeng, who followed behind, also cast a concerned glance at him.

"What's wrong, Lao Lin? Leg cramp? You're not doing well, you're not getting enough exercise!" He said jokingly, but his steps didn't stop. He nimbly slid to the exit to go out and check on him.

"I've learned some first aid, how about I take a look at you?"