Chapter 1
1836 Words
When Xu Mei came to, her head throbbed with a dull pain. She reached back instinctively, only to feel a large swelling on the back of her skull.
“Hiss...”
She winced, drawing in a sharp breath.
“Dad, I’m really okay.”
The sudden voice startled her. She turned toward the sound and saw a girl, around eighteen or nineteen, slumped on the floor just a few meters away, clutching her head with a pained expression.
A tall middle-aged man knelt beside the girl, gently helping her up as though she were a priceless treasure made of glass. “Xiaolang, slow down, slow down. You must be careful! If anything happens to you, your father won’t be able to take it!”
Xu Mei blinked. The room was a mess—tables and chairs overturned, a once-beautiful birthday cake smashed on the floor, with cream and fruit splattered everywhere.
With Xu Zhongya’s support, Xu Lang stood slowly. She gently pushed his hand away and said softly, “Dad, I’m really fine. Go check on Mei-mei.”
Mei-mei?
Xu Mei didn’t move, still holding her head.
Xu Zhongya stepped right on a broken "Happy Birthday" sign as he approached her. Looking down at her with disgust in his eyes, he sneered, “Enough of the act. Get up.”
Xu Mei tilted her aching head to the side, meeting his gaze but not moving.
This bastard. Rage flared in Xu Zhongya’s eyes. Unable to contain it, he kicked her with the tip of his shoe. “Still pretending? Want me to help you up, is that it?!”
Xu Mei tried to dodge, but the pain in her leg told her she wasn’t fast enough. As the ache shot through her, a sudden vision flashed in her mind—two girls arguing, one pushing the other. The pushed girl lost her balance and fell. A man rushed over, grabbed the other girl by the shoulder, and violently threw her against the wall.
Bang!
Pain exploded from the back of her head again. Xu Mei froze.
She lifted her eyes and looked carefully at Xu Zhongya.
Xiaolang. Birthday. Being thrown…
It all felt too familiar.
And then it clicked. This scene—she had read it before.
It was from a novel.
“The Heroine Is a Delicate White Lotus.”
The protagonist, Xu Lang, was a pure and gentle white lotus. She had a half-sister named Xu Mei—the vicious supporting character—who constantly fought her over family wealth and ended up miserably ruined.
Xu Mei scanned her surroundings. Her gaze lingered on Xu Lang’s pitiful, innocent expression.
She got it now.
She had transmigrated into the book, into the role of the villainess Xu Mei.
Xu Mei: “...”
She braced herself on the floor, trying to stand, but Xu Lang walked over and reached out to help her. “Mei-mei…”
Xu Mei instinctively smacked the hand away. Xu Lang stumbled back with a surprised gasp.
A second later, a palm came swinging toward her. Even though Xu Mei turned her head just in time, the edge of the slap still burned across her cheek.
Her expression turned ice-cold.
Twice now. Did they really think she was made of clay?
“You ungrateful brat! Is that how you talk to your sister?!” Xu Zhongya roared. “Let me tell you something, Xu Mei! I tolerated your behavior because you were young and out of respect for your mother. But if you keep going down this path, you’re going to ruin yourself. I won’t allow you to be this out of control anymore!”
“Heh.”
Xu Mei let out a short, cold laugh, cutting off the man’s rabid barking.
“Dear father, may I ask what exactly I’ve ruined?”
She swept her hair aside to reveal the swollen bump on her head.
“Take a good look. Who’s ruining who here? I suppose you’re disappointed I didn’t die from that throw?”
Xu Zhongya froze, staring at her in disbelief. Then, fury surged again. “You dare talk back to me? I’m your father! It’s my right to discipline you! You pushed your sister, made her fall and get hurt, and now you act like we wronged you? I should beat you to death!”
“Dad, please calm down,” Xu Lang said quickly, tugging on his arm, tears welling in her eyes. “Mei-mei didn’t mean it.”
Then she turned to Xu Mei.
“Mei-mei, say sorry to Dad, okay? You shouldn’t speak to him like that. I’m fine, really. I don’t blame you. Dad won’t blame you either…”
“She didn’t mean it?” Xu Zhongya’s voice softened instantly as he looked at Xu Lang. “She’s done this how many times now? Xiaolang, you’re just too kind. I’ve told you—being kind is good, but not to people like her. You need to learn to protect yourself...”
Xu Mei stepped back, eyes cold with disgust.
According to the book, this scene was meant to be Xu Mei’s eighteenth birthday.
The original Xu Mei had always been at odds with Xu Lang. At today’s party, she made a few sharp comments, which Xu Lang endured.
But when she insulted Xu Lang’s mother, calling her a “homewrecker,” Xu Lang calmly replied, “Who the real homewrecker is… that’s still up for debate.”
That line drove the original Xu Mei into a rage, and she pushed Xu Lang—only to get thrown to the ground by her own father.
What a lovely father indeed.
Xu Mei snorted in her mind.
According to the original plot, Xu Zhongya would now kick Xu Mei out of the house.
Given her situation, Xu Mei figured she really should leave. She was just a young girl, and Xu Zhongya was a grown man. If things escalated, she wouldn’t stand a chance.
She suddenly chuckled, drawing both father and daughter’s attention. With her eyes narrowed and voice clear, she said,
“You’d raise a hand to your own daughter, and then have the nerve to talk about ‘kindness’? Doesn’t your conscience hurt, even a little?”
Xu Zhongya’s temper flared again. He looked ready to strike, but Xu Lang quickly clung to his arm, her expression tense.
He didn’t dare move, afraid of hurting his precious daughter. Instead, he pulled her protectively behind him.
“Stay away from her.”
“Yes, you should stay away from me,” Xu Mei nodded calmly. “Because if I really go all out… a little shove will be the least of your worries.”
She smiled sweetly, pointing at Xu Lang.
“You—” Xu Zhongya’s face turned purple with rage, his finger trembling as he pointed at her. “Get out! Get out of this house right now!”
Xu Lang pleaded, “Mei-mei, stop talking like that. Please apologize to Dad…”
Xu Mei cut her off, staring straight at Xu Zhongya. “Sure, I’ll leave. But where’s my share of the inheritance?”
“You still have the nerve to ask for money? Obsessed with money at your age?” Xu Zhongya’s voice went cold. “You’ve always said you wanted to move out. Fine. You’re eighteen now—an adult. I’m letting you go. This villa is yours. Just stay away from your sister.”
He tossed a set of keys at her like he was throwing out the trash.
“It cost two million. Consider it generous.”
Xu Mei asked calmly, “Is it the Baihe Tower villa?”
A simple question, but Xu Zhongya flared up again—clearly guilty. “Two million’s not enough for you? Have you ever earned a cent? You think raising you to eighteen didn’t cost money? Even your mother’s dowry didn’t come close to that!”
So it was that villa.
In the novel, Baihe Tower was in the western suburbs, scenic and peaceful—but recently rumored to be haunted. The whole area had dropped to rock-bottom prices, yet still wouldn’t sell. Xu Zhongya had bought it long ago and regretted it since.
But Xu Mei knew what the book said: in a few years, the government would rezone that area as a new district, and property prices would skyrocket. That villa would be worth at least ten million.
Originally, the villainous Xu Mei refused to accept the villa—too proud. It later went to Xu Lang. When the original Xu Mei was broke and desperate, she never admitted her regret aloud, but it haunted her.
This time, Xu Mei bent down and picked up the keys.
“Alright, I’ll move out.”
Her decisiveness stunned Xu Zhongya. His rage suddenly had nowhere to go, and he could only glare at her.
“Dad,” Xu Lang finally spoke, “how can we let Mei-mei live alone? She’s barely an adult. She doesn’t know how to take care of herself. We can’t let her go like this.”
Xu Zhongya said nothing.
Xu Mei turned without a word and went upstairs to pack.
Thankfully, she remembered the layout from the novel. It didn’t take long to find the original Xu Mei’s bedroom.
As she opened the suitcase, Xu Lang appeared at the door.
“Mei-mei.” She stood there pitifully, like she wanted to come in but didn’t dare.
Xu Mei glanced at her and nodded.
“Can you not go?” Xu Lang asked, sounding almost hopeful.
Xu Mei shook her head. “No.”
Xu Lang’s eyes instantly turned red. “Why?”
“Because seeing you makes me sick.” Xu Mei rubbed the goosebumps on her arms. “If it weren’t for you, my mother wouldn’t be dead.”
Tears rolled down Xu Lang’s cheeks. “I’m sorry. I know you hate me. I wish it had been me instead. I’ve always felt guilty. Please, let me take care of you…”
“You want to take care of me?” Xu Mei zipped up her suitcase. “The best care you can give me is to leave me alone and stay out of my life.”
Xu Lang began to sob, unable to control herself.
Footsteps echoed from outside the room. Xu Zhongya’s tall figure appeared in the doorway.
So fast.
Xu Mei gave him a cold glance. A strange heaviness stirred in her chest.
Not her own feeling—but the original Xu Mei’s.
She sighed quietly to herself.
Don’t worry. I’ll avenge you. I swear.
“Why are you even talking to her?” Xu Zhongya pulled Xu Lang into his arms, voice gentle and loving. “Don’t cry, Xiaolang. Dad’s here. No one will ever hurt you.”
Then he turned to Xu Mei. His warmth vanished, replaced by a snarl.
“Take your damn clothes and get out. Don’t touch a single thing that belongs to your sister!”
- Writer
