ChunHua woke up to the sensation of hot humid breath blowing down her neck.

Her eyes flew open. She was back in that dark and scary room. Shadows moved around her. The musty stink overwhelmed her and made her nauseous. ChunHua turned to whoever was behind her and backed away at the same time.

She fell onto the floor with a loud thud. However, it was not far enough. She continued to back off while shrieking, "Don't touch me! No! Go away!”

Her arms flailed wildly. Her back hit the wall, but she continued to push, as if she wanted to go through it. “I don't want this!"

When she felt herself restrained in someone's embrace, she fiercely bit down on their arm.

"CHUNHUA! IT’S MUMMY! MUMMY’S HERE!" Her mother’s voice faded into her consciousness and ChunHua froze.

She panted heavily but did not let go of her mother’s arm yet.

“It's okay! You're okay! You’re safe now, precious!”

ChunHua relaxed her jaw and slowly withdrew her head.

Shallow teeth marks were left behind on her mother’s skin, but ChunHua stayed unaware of it. All she focused on was her mother’s face.

It really was just her mother.

Slowly, the dark room faded away and the surroundings became clearer. She was in her room. Xiao Tang was on her bed, whining and looking at her with sad eyes.

Tears gathered in her eyes as relief washed over her. “Mama... Mama!!”

ChunHua dove into her mother’s open arms and hugged her tightly for comfort. She bawled uncontrollably and shook like a leaf. The sight was heartbreaking for all who were watching.

At the door of her bedroom, WeiSheng continued to stare at ChunHua unblinking. He had been horrified by her look of genuine terror. A look he never expected or wanted to appear on her cute little face. Why? How? We've always protected her from scary and bad things. How could she have a nightmare that bad?

Slowly, he came to the realisation that there could only be one person who could affect her this much. Qi. Bai. Qiao!

He clenched his fists so hard that the veins on his arms popped out and throbbed. Adrenaline coursed through his body. However, someone grasped his forearm firmly.

"Don't jump to conclusions. Let's see what your sister says." His father's deep voice barely made its way through WeiSheng's blinding anger.

"No one wants this. Just remember your promise to her. Remember it." His father's firm voice gradually calmed the raging storm in his heart. When he was finally in control of his emotions again, he looked at his father, and finally noticed the extent of his gentle father's silent rage.

His father’s eyes burned with a fierce fire like his own. His jaw was clenched so hard that the veins at his neck and jaw protruded out. He was a beast in full control of his rage and waiting to pounce.

WeiSheng frowned and hung his head low. ‘I still have much to learn.’

Sometime later, after ChunHua had calmed down, she broke the ice by apologising for scaring and worrying everyone.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Her mother very gently asked.

Knowing that it was something that did not happen in this life, she could only talk about it like it was a dream. However, they would definitely wonder where the inspiration for the dream came from. They had never exposed her to such graphic scenes, and ChunHua never had an interest in such genres.

She did not want them to worry about the details, so she went with a white lie. "I dreamt that I was surrounded by monsters and could not escape from their clutches..." She clenched her hands tighter as she slowly got pulled back into her memories.

Quickly, she shook her head then smiled. "I'm glad I woke up."

Although she smiled, everyone could see how pale she still was and the cold sweat that was still on her forehead. They also caught the slight tremble of her lower lip. Why was she hiding her pain from them like that?

"Little sister!” WeiSheng suddenly exclaimed in a voice that was a lot louder than usual, “Remember, you have nothing to fear! Because you have big brother around!" He pounded his chest like a proud gorilla. “I would have appeared in your dreams and fought those monsters away!”

His silly actions made ChunHua laugh a little but also brought new tears to her eyes. Her brother saving her would have been impossible because they were all dead. Dead, because of her.

Their mother slapped his arm lightly. "You and your ego. Does she not have us too?"

"Haaaah...” Their father shook his head in disappointment. “Looks like our boy has forgotten about his parents."

WeiSheng scratched his head and laughed sheepishly. “Right. Right. We will ALL come to ChunHua’s aid.”

ChunHua laughed more but also cried harder. The scene warmed her heart and filled her with love and pain. "Thank you..."

Everyone smiled back at her warmly.

Her mother wiped her tears away, then asked, "So, what was it that you wanted to tell us?”

“Did you need our help with something?" Her father added.

ChunHua glanced around briefly before meeting her father's gaze. Although it was very subtle, her father caught her message.

"Ah Mei."

"Y- Yes!" Her shoulders jumped. She was clearly not expecting to be called at such a tense moment. She had been carefully staying behind everyone to observe the situation with keen eyes, like a spectator.

No doubt to report it to a certain someone. ChunHua thought once she had calmed down.

"Please make us all some tea and snacks to chat over."

"On it!" She scampered her way out like a thief who was caught red handed.

"Is it something to do with Ah Mei?" Her mother asked seriously in a low voice.

Wei Sheng's eyes grew larger in realisation. "So, that's what that was..." He softly exclaimed.

"Well... Sort of... It's about Bai Qiao." She fell silent, expecting WeiSheng to cause a spectacle about bludgeoning Bai Qiao to death.

However, he merely sat there with a deep frown on his forehead, waiting for her to carry on. "Go on." He urged her impatiently.

"Oh. I- Um. It's just- Um. I'm finally noticing the things you've been warning me about him." She tripped over her words a little. She had been all prepared to calm WeiSheng down. The maturity her brother showed at this moment threw her off, but it also gave her security.

Gradually, she found her words and revealed BaiQiao's cunning deeds. The sob stories he had fed her with. The love bombs he had dumped on her, accompanied with the subtle and sly requests to support his lavish lifestyle. And finally, about the real purpose of Ah Mei’s presence in this house and a potential love affair.

At the end of it, ChunHua hung her head low and apologised for all the time, money, and effort she had wasted on BaiQiao, despite their advice.

However, there was no response. Her family initially had to fight with themselves to stay quiet and listen to the end without interrupting ChunHua. However, so much was revealed that even if they could speak now, they remained speechless.

“Well,” WeiSheng recovered first, “I always knew he was a bastard, and that Ah Mei was a fishy addition, but this is...”

“I knew he was a leech but not to this extent either.” Their mother was the next to speak.

“...So, he is greedy and gutsy enough to try for our company now.” Their father’s tone was threatening. His dark side had emerged again. BaiQiao was going for all the treasures in this family.

“Leave it to us.” Their father said.

“Wait, no.” ChunHua frantically replied, “I have plans.”

Their father frowned, then recalled what ChunHua said before revealing everything. “Oh! Right... There was something you wanted to do.”

“What are you planning?” WeiSheng asked, eager to be part of the action. "Are you going to torture him? Bleed him dry? I'll gladly help!" WeiSheng was almost bouncing in excitement.

Just then, a soft knock came from the closed door.

WeiSheng rushed to the door, opened it slightly, and took the metal serving tray from Ah Mei's hands. "Little sis is finally asleep. Go do your chores. We'll stay with her in case anything happens again.”

WeiSheng’s voice was colder than usual, but Ah Mei assumed that he was having another one of his grumpy moments. She nodded and left the scene. When she thought WeiSheng was no longer looking, she lightly scoffed, "She's really the spoilt princess of this doomed family."

Unbeknownst to her, WeiSheng was giving her a death glare through the crack of the door. His grip on the tray tightened and the edges cut a little into his skin. ChunHua had also revealed Ah Mei’s two-faced nature and it was taking all his self-control to not confront her then.

"WeiSheng?"

"What's wrong?"

When he did not respond to his parents' prompts, ChunHua spoke. "Big brother?"

WeiSheng looked at ChunHua straight in the eyes. He had gotten all excited earlier but coming into real contact with them stoked the flames of his anger. "Let's keep Ah Mei. I'll give her hell. Even if she wants to leave, we won't let her."

"No!" ChunHua frantically rejected again.

"Why?!" WeiSheng left the tray on the table on his way to her. He grabbed her shoulders a tad roughly. "What are you waiting for? Are you scared? Are you-"

"I won't be satisfied with just that!" ChunHua gripped his forearms tightly.

"I don't want them to just suffer. That’s too easy.” ChunHua shook her head with her eyes wide and round. “I want them to think they’re in lukewarm water when, in reality, they’re going to be cooked.”

ChunHua's eyes were unblinking and glowed with vengeance.

"We'll prepare everything in the background. Throw them inconveniences. Watch them struggle and dig a deeper grave for themselves. And when they think they have won, we lift the curtains and bury them in the hole they’ve dug for themselves."

ChunHua was even smiling by the end of her speech.

WeiSheng loosened his grip and took a step back from ChunHua, but she continued preaching.

"Once they have a taste of the heaven they sought, their fall will be much more painful.” She laughed a little in anticipation. “Just imagine the faces they’ll make. The things they’ll say. But it’ll all be useless. It’ll be too late by then."

When ChunHua looked back at her brother and her parents, her expression turned serious again, “I'm already making plans. I just need your cooperation."

Everyone stared at her in stunned silence again. The image of their happy sheltered little princess had completely shattered.

How did ChunHua see through BaiQiao’s lies? How did their princess become so twisted? What in the world happened without their knowledge?

“ChunHua…” Her mother gingerly touched ChunHua’s hand. “What happened…?”

ChunHua dropped her gaze. “…It’s nothing much. I’m just disillusioned.”

Her mother looked down as well and her eyes glossed over.

ChunHua’s father stepped up at this point and grasped his wife’s shoulder.

The weight of his hand pulled her out of her thoughts, and she looked up at him.

He nodded and smiled encouragingly. Then, he left to retrieve the refreshments that were forgotten on the table.

“ChunHua… I’m sorry.”

Her mother’s sudden apology shocked ChunHua and drew her gaze.

“I failed to protect you…” Her mother looked so guilty that ChunHua’s heart ached.

“What do you mean…? How is it your fault, mama?”

“Big bro-“ ChunHua swallowed her words when she saw WeiSheng’s expression as well. He looked just as guilty.

Why? Why were they so sad? She did not tell them everything for them to feel this way.

“ChunHua, your mother did not want you to have a hard life like she did.” Her father returned with refreshments and passed her what was her share.

“Your big brother took it as his mission to protect his lovely baby sister from the moment you held his finger.” Her father explained with a little laugh.

“And I feel the same. You’re this family’s little princess. At least, you were…” Her father’s smile became forlorn.

“We can tell something happened. And naturally, we will feel like failures for not protecting you from it. We’re at least partially responsible for your experience. Perhaps we should have done something differently, you know what I mean?”

ChunHua’s gaze shifted between her parents and her brother. She bit her lower lip and hung her head low again.

Her father stroked the top of her head to comfort her.

“…But I wouldn’t want any of you to do anything differently.” ChunHua’s words drew all of their attention.

“All of you had showered me with so much love and patience. I was the blind and deaf one. If not for all you’ve done, I may not have the strength or drive to fight back, much less get my revenge.”

‘That’s right. If they had treated me differently or brought me differently, would I feel as hateful? Would I feel this strongly? Maybe not. If I could change something, I’d change anything else but them.’

“Yes, I wouldn’t want you all to change a thing.” ChunHua reaffirmed them. “Thank you for everything.” She smiled sweetly, bringing back a shadow of their innocent princess.

Her family teared up at the sight and her mother went in for a hug.