Chapter 1: The Breaking Point

Chapter 1: The Breaking Point

Yong Qing sat on the cold, tiled floor of her apartment, the empty pill bottles scattered around her.

Her breath came in ragged gasps as tears streamed down her face, each one carrying the weight of her exhaustion, her despair.

Anxiety, depression, and stress had become her constant companions, their suffocating presence pushing her to this breaking point.

She couldn’t remember the last time she had felt anything other than overwhelming fatigue.

Everything in her life felt wrong, spiraling out of control, and she had lost the will to keep fighting.

Her hands shook as she reached for the last bottle, tipping the remaining pills into her palm.

Without thinking, she swallowed them all, her sobs echoing through the empty apartment.

She felt the darkness closing in, a numbness beginning to take hold of her body, and a small, bitter thought crossed her mind: maybe this was the only way to find peace.

But as the darkness deepened, her phone buzzed faintly on the floor beside her. It was her best friend, Jing Xiu, calling.

The phone rang and rang, but Yong Qing was too far gone to answer. When Jing Xiu couldn’t reach her, a sense of dread washed over her. She knew something was terribly wrong.

Without wasting another second, Jing Xiu rushed to Yong Qing’s apartment. When she arrived, she found the door unlocked and the apartment eerily quiet.

The sight that greeted her in the living room made her heart drop—Yong Qing was lying motionless on the floor, her face pale, her lips slightly parted as if she were in a deep, unnatural sleep.

“Yong Qing!” Jing Xiu screamed, dropping to her knees beside her. She shook her friend, but there was no response.

Her hands trembled as she dialed for an ambulance, her voice frantic as she pleaded for them to hurry.

Moments later, the paramedics arrived, and Yong Qing was rushed to the hospital.

At the hospital, Jing Xiu contacted Yong Qing’s parents, as well as Zhen Hu, the man who had always silently cared for her.

Yong Qing’s parents arrived quickly, but instead of the concern Jing Xiu had hoped for, they brought a storm of anger and disappointment.

Standing by her hospital bed, they criticized Yong Qing harshly, their voices sharp and filled with disdain.

“This is what happens when you’re selfish and only think of yourself,” her mother spat, her voice dripping with contempt.

“You’ve always been so ungrateful, always causing trouble.”

Her father nodded in agreement, his face hard. “She’s always been the difficult one. We’ve given her everything, but it’s never enough.”

They continued to berate her, oblivious to the fact that even in her unconscious state, Yong Qing could hear every word.

Their cruel remarks cut deep, filling her with a sadness so profound it felt like her heart was breaking all over again.

She had always known her parents favored her older siblings, but hearing their harsh words confirmed her worst fears: they had never truly loved her as they did her brother and sister.

When her parents finally left, Jing Xiu stayed by Yong Qing’s side, holding her hand and whispering words of comfort.

But the damage was done. Yong Qing’s condition suddenly took a turn for the worse, and the doctors warned Jing Xiu that she was critical.

They said that what Yong Qing needed now was a reason to fight—a voice, a presence, from someone she loved.

It was then that Zhen Hu arrived. Jing Xiu quickly explained the situation, her voice breaking as she recounted everything.

Zhen Hu’s expression was one of shock and sorrow as he looked at Yong Qing lying pale and lifeless on the hospital bed.

Without hesitation, he decided to stay the night, sitting beside her, holding her cold hand in his warm ones.

As the night wore on, Zhen Hu spoke to her, his voice low and gentle. He told her how he had admired her from the very first time they met, how he had always tried to be there for her even when she pushed him away.

He confessed that he had always cared deeply for her, even when she seemed unreachable.

Little did he know, Yong Qing heard every word, her heart aching with regret.

She realized how blind she had been to the one person who had always treated her with kindness and patience, and how she had never given him a chance because of her fear of becoming like her parents—trapped in a loveless relationship.

But as her body grew weaker, her anger at her parents began to overshadow everything else.

She was furious at how they had controlled her life, how they had drained her of her resources, emotionally and financially, while giving nothing in return.

She resented the way they had favored her siblings, leaving her to feel like an outsider in her own family.

Most of all, she was angry that they had pushed her into relationships she didn’t want, forcing her down a path that led only to misery.

As Zhen Hu continued to speak, her heart filled with the bitterness of missed opportunities and the weight of all her unresolved pain.

She wished she had been braver, that she had put herself first, that she had appreciated Zhen Hu’s kindness sooner.

But now it was too late. Her body was shutting down, and she could feel herself slipping away.

In those final moments, as Zhen Hu desperately called out for the doctor, Yong Qing made a silent vow.

If by some miracle she were given a second chance, she would live differently.

She would put herself first. She would be brave, and she would make sure that no one, not even her family, would ever control her life again.

And with that, Yong Qing’s world went dark.

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