Chapter 2

Suo Xiao stood frozen.

Before her loomed a magnificent mansion, its shadow stretching long across the vast lawn. Warm yellow light spilled through the glass windows, but wherever the light touched, the grass and plants withered and burned, sending up wisps of smoke like ghostly mist.

She blinked, stunned.

“Wait… why the hell am I standing in someone’s yard?”

The heavy iron gate behind her was tightly shut, and the wall surrounding the property towered too high to climb. The sky was pitch-black—no stars, no moon, no light to guide her.

In the far corner of the yard, a pack of vicious dogs lay chained. Their teeth bared, eyes gleaming, they snarled and lunged against their restraints. One barked hoarsely, another foamed at the mouth, drool and blood dripping onto the tiled ground.

Suo Xiao instinctively stepped back.

That single, tiny movement was enough to drive the dogs into a frenzy. They snapped and howled, their growls echoing like something dragged from a nightmare.

“Shoo, you filthy beasts!”

A voice called out.

From within the mansion, a girl emerged, holding a lantern. The soft glow lit up her face—delicate, pale, almost translucent.

She looked at Suo Xiao….Then turned her gaze toward the dogs.

“Disgusting creatures.”

With a mere flick of her hand, a powerful gust of wind whipped through the air.

The dogs were torn from the ground, flung high into the sky. They howled in agony, limbs flailing helplessly as they were sucked into the surrounding darkness. Then— crack, thud. The dry, sickening sound of flesh and bone splattering against the earth followed, like wet clay slapped onto stone.

Suo Xiao's breath caught.

This girl… she looked familiar.

But… did Suo Xiao really know anyone like her?

She stared at Suo Xiao intently, saying nothing, then suddenly ran forward to hug her, giggling:

— You came to visit me? Why didn’t you come through the front door but sneak in the back? Come inside quickly so I can cook you dinner!

At that moment, Suo Xiao finally realized. This was her twin sister— Ya Jīng Jiao. No longer Suo Jīng Jiao, she had become Ya Jīng Jiao. The face was still the same, but now utterly unfamiliar.

Jīng Jiao wore a dazzling evening gown that shimmered in the dim light. Glancing down at her own torn and filthy clothes, Suo Xiao felt embarrassed.

She turned her face away and spoke coldly:

— I’m just looking for my friend. If you see her, tell me. I’m leaving now.

Jīng Jiao tilted her head, her dark eyes gleaming with mockery:

— Where do you think you’re running off to? It’s been a long time since we last met—don’t we have plenty to catch up on?

Suo Xiao felt irritated, but Jīng Jiao paid no mind. Laughing, she grabbed Suo Xiao’s hand and pulled her inside.

Her skin was as white as porcelain, her hands icy cold. At first touch, Suo Xiao only felt a slight chill, but as the grip tightened, it felt like iron handcuffs locking her wrists.

“Hey!”

Suo Xiao startled, trying to pull away, but Jīng Jiao's strength was terrifying. The tighter she squeezed, the more painful it became, until her nails dug into Suo Xiao’s flesh, leaving bloody red marks.

As Suo Xiao was dragged inside the mansion, the back door slammed shut behind her, cutting her off from the outside world. The interior was warm but heavy, as if the air itself was thick with mystery.

Jīng Jiao smiled brightly and clapped her hands once. Instantly, a luxurious dining table appeared before Suo Xiao. A spotless white tablecloth, flickering candles, and in the center, an ornate silver platter covered with a dome.

Excited, Jīng Jiao lifted the lid to reveal a glistening honey-glazed roast, steaming and fragrant, so tender it looked like it would melt at the slightest bite.

“Look! Your favorite roast!”

Her eyes sparkled with delight:

— I wonder if your parents usually give you enough protein? Oh wait... that’s silly. They probably save all the money for their extravagant trips. As for your meals? No big deal! Hahaha!

Suo Xiao stiffened.

She hated hearing that, especially spoken with such mockery. Annoyance flared inside her, and she wanted to leave immediately. But... she was hungry. Her stomach twisted painfully, growling in relentless pain. Hunger muddled her thoughts, and her limbs felt weak.

Suo Xiao bit her lip, hesitated, then took up a fork and stabbed into the roast. The fork pierced the shiny brown skin and slid deep into the soft meat. At the moment the fork reached the core, a faint gurgling sound emerged.

Juices poured out—not in drops, but in a strong, steady stream like a flowing spring.

The dark red liquid spilled from the meat, dripping onto the table and quickly spreading across the floor. The scent of cinnamon filled the air—sharp and pungent, but instead of warmth, it choked the breath, heavy and suffocating.

The liquid kept rising, submerging the floor tiles. Within moments, the blood-like stream covered Suo Xiao’s ankles. Thick and sticky.

Suo Xiao stumbled backward in panic, but Jīng Jiāo only chuckled softly, resting her chin on her hand, her dark eyes as bottomless as the night.

“What are you still hesitating for? This time, you’ll eat me properly, won’t you? Only after eating me can you go to the city and live under my name, Ya Jīng Jiāo!”

Ya Jīng Jiāo limped onto the dining table, each heavy step sounding like brittle bones creaking and about to fall apart.

Her belly was torn open, intestines and organs spilling out like a puppet ripped apart. Her arms were twisted backwards at grotesque angles. On her head, once lustrous black hair was now sparse and stringy, hanging like seaweed caught on a drifting corpse.

Yet the smile on Ya Jīng Jiāo’s lips remained gentle, as if she were simply inviting Suo Xiao to a warm, intimate sisterly meal.

She gently pushed a cup toward Suo Xiao. Inside, a thick liquid floated with patches of pale green moss.

“Eat up, don’t be shy. I’ve even cut up my own thigh, salted it for you to snack on! There’s also my hands, chest, and calves. You could stay here for a whole month without worrying about food! Don’t like it salted? Then cook it all, freeze it in the freezer. Whenever you need it, just thaw and heat it up!”

Suo Xiao said nothing, silently glancing around.

Ya Jīng Jiāo’s body parts were tied with strips of bamboo and rattan, hanging like smoked dried meat from the kitchen rack. Some had darkened to deep brown, while others still dripped fresh blood, each thick drop slowly falling to the floor, mixing into the rising pool of meat juice.

Suo Xiao sighed—a long, heavy breath.

Her hand reached out and grasped the gleaming silver knife on the table. Without hesitation, she sliced off a piece of meat and put it into her mouth.

Jīng Jiāo blinked, watching her sister’s every movement closely.

But… she couldn’t even remember the last time she truly felt hungry.

Suo Xiao narrowed her eyes and picked up another piece from the plate, raising it to her lips.

“How is it?” Her voice was light and almost teasing:

— You still cling to this world so much?

She chewed slowly; each bite sounded like dry twigs snapping softly.

“You’ve had it easy all this time. What’s wrong with me enjoying a bit now? Or is this ‘sisterly love’ nothing but a facade?”

Ya Jīng Jiāo said nothing. She only smiled, a stiff, forced smile as if sewn shut with invisible threads.

A sharp ache stabbed deep into Suo Xiao’s mind. She frowned, feeling that something was terribly wrong in her mouth.

She tilted her head and spat hard onto the plate. Over ten teeth fell out, rolling noisily on the pristine white porcelain, ringing out like glass marbles clattering on a cold floor. One... two... like fragile beads falling onto stone.

Suo Xiao blinked.

At that moment, the scene before her shattered like a cracked mirror. The kitchen disappeared. The banquet table, the flickering candlelight, the sweet scent of honey—all collapsed, revealing a different image: cruel And soaked in blood.

In the pitch-black room, Ya Jīng Jiāo’s corpse lay sprawled on the ground, dismembered. Blood splattered everywhere. Old stains had darkened to blackish brown, splashed across the walls, the floor, and even on Suo Xiao’s own hands.

A fragment of memory suddenly surfaced, like an old film rewinding.

This… happened a long time ago. But it never truly ended.

Suo Xiao and Ya Jīng Jiāo were twin sisters. They grew up in a worn-down, dilapidated house, where whenever it rained, water leaked in and formed large puddles on the floor. Their family was poor—barely enough food to eat, clothes to wear—yet right next door stood a magnificent mansion belonging to a wealthy family.

One day, that family came to their home with a proposal that would change everything:

— We have been struggling with infertility for years… If you agree, I would like to adopt one of these two children.

At first, their mother hesitated. But when her eyes glanced over a suitcase stuffed thick with stacks of money, she smiled gently and called Suo Xiao and Ya Jīng Jiāo over.

“Come here, both of you.”

Suo Xiao was a lively child—always energetic, eating heartily, playing hard, full of life. Meanwhile, Ya Jīng Jiāo was the opposite—frail and often sick, spending most days secluded in her room reading books.

The rich woman looked at the two children, her gaze seemingly favoring Suo Xiao. A healthy, energetic child surely seemed like the better choice.

But Suo Xiao’s mother thought otherwise.

She stared at her lively daughter with a darkening look. Suo Xiao could eat well, work hard, and when grown, help earn money. But what about Ya Jīng Jiāo? A sickly child always bedridden, only consuming medicine and food? If Suo Xiao was taken away, wouldn’t she lose her little money-making machine?

So, the mother began to speak up.

She spoke of Suo Xiao—not with praise, but with complaints. She described her as mischievous, stubborn, disobedient, always climbing trees and catching birds. Whereas Ya Jīng Jiāo was gentle, obedient, well-mannered, and intelligent—surely the perfect child for a prestigious family.

The rich woman listened, her expression gradually changing. Finally, she nodded.

“Then… I will choose Jīng Jiāo.”

From that day on, Suo Jīng Jiāo became Ya Jīng Jiāo, stepping into a world of silks and luxury, of delicious food and fine clothes. Meanwhile, Suo Xiao remained in the poor house, continuing her life, but something inside her had shattered.

Whenever Ya Jīng Jiāo had the chance, she secretly brought delicacies back for Suo Xiao. But those treats rarely truly reached her hands. They were always claimed first by their mother, or eyed and divided by the neighbors.

Suo Xiao could only watch silently, saying nothing.

When Suo Xiao graduated from high school, her mother had a plan. Not for her to continue studying, nor to go work.

She wanted her to get married.

The man her mother chose was a widower, already 65 years old. He had money—plenty of it. His son was even older than Suo Xiao by a whole zodiac cycle.

“Mother has already discussed it. As long as you agree, we’ll have a new house, a new car, a comfortable life.”

All those years of studying—was it to be thrown away just like that? Refusing to agree, Suo Xiao ran away.

She had been wandering the streets for a week when she finally saw Ya Jīng Jiāo again.

Suo Xiao found her way to Jīng Jiāo’s house, her mind empty. No plan, no expectation. Maybe she just wanted a place to hide, or simply a familiar face in this strange new world.

But then, she killed Ya Jīng Jiāo.

Everything happened too fast.

Perhaps she had just come back from drinking. Her head spun, hot and chaotic. Maybe it was a sudden outburst, no preparation at all.

Suo Xiao did not regret killing her sister. What terrified her was the fear that everything would be exposed, that she would be thrown in prison. She cleaned the scene thoroughly, wiped every bloodstain, burned every piece of stained clothing. Everything was handled meticulously, leaving no trace.

But she could not find peace.

Who knew how advanced police forensics had become recently? Even a single strand of hair could bring everything crashing down.

Suo Xiao strangled Ya Jīng Jiāo in the kitchen. Her hands gripped tightly, feeling each weakening breath, every shuddering spasm until her sister’s body went still. That should have been the end, but for some reason, a suffocating rage welled up inside her chest, as if killing her sister wasn’t enough. She grabbed a nearby chisel, broke every pearly white tooth, thick blood and pulp oozing out. She found pliers, dug into the fingernails and yanked fiercely, one by one tearing them off, revealing raw, trembling flesh beneath. Finally, she took scissors and plunged a cut straight through the chest.

Only then, in the blood-soaked kitchen, did Suo Xiao calm down.

She started thinking about what to do with the body. Then a crazy idea struck her. We eat animals naturally, and humans are animals too... so why waste it?

Suo Xiao borrowed a saw and chopped Ya Jīng Jiāo’s body into pieces, used the shoulder to cook soup, salted and smoked the lower torso and arms, stored them in the pantry. The scraps were flushed down the toilet, washed away. The skull was too hard to handle, so she wrapped it and put it into a fish tank, then filled it with cement.

Done, she sat down and looked at the spotless kitchen after cleaning. No trace left. Everything was terrifyingly neat.

Two months later, when Ya Jīng Jiāo’s adoptive parents returned from a trip, Suo Xiao perfectly impersonated her sister. They never suspected a thing, not even Ya Jīng Jiāo’s boyfriend noticed anything unusual. She successfully lived under her sister’s name, spending the money that was rightfully hers, carrying a large sum to the city, enjoying the luxury she had never known.

But now, it seemed like she was dreaming. A dream soaked in the stench of blood and decay. Ya Jīng Jiāo stood before her, eyes milky white, belly torn open, guts spilling out in segments, hair sparse and tangled. Was she trying to scare her in this dream? To drive her mad with obsession, like some poor character from a cheap horror flick?

Ya Jīng Jiāo was still innocent as ever.

Suo Xiao smiled, leaned back in her chair, and said slowly:

— Revenge on me? Want to replay the whole play I staged? Fine, go ahead. I’ll enjoy the show.

No sooner had she spoken than Ya Jīng Jiāo sat up abruptly. Her eyes flared, breath ragged, veins bulging on her forehead. Her voice cracked with rage:

— You! You’re immoral and heartless! Hell needs to build a 19th floor just for you! You dared to skin me, salt my flesh, eat me! Just because of envy and jealousy, you were cruel to your own sister! Killing me wasn’t enough, you even stole my boyfriend?! You live for profit, deceiving yourself and others! I swear, you won’t be able to roam freely like this forever, you demon!

Furious, Ya Jīng Jiāo slammed the table wildly, her nails scraping the wood so hard flesh peeled off, exposing white finger bones. She screamed, tears mixed with blood streaming down her twisted face of hatred.

“Some have good fate, others suffer. Blame the unfair heavens, blame the parents who gave birth to you but couldn’t give you a better life! What sins did I commit in my past life to pay such a heavy price now?! Even if I die, you will never live in peace! Greed leads to rot!”

At the peak of fury, Ya Jīng Jiāo grabbed a vase from the table and hurled it straight at Suo Xiao. Everything happened so fast, she couldn’t dodge.

“Crash!”

The vase shattered violently, sharp shards piercing flesh. A sharp pain erupted, then darkness swallowed her. Suo Xiao collapsed, unconscious.

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