Chapter 1

Chapter 1 - Where it started

Chen's mansion was far from the neighbouring villages. It can be said that, upfront the hill after the outskirts of town, that's where their mansion located, the only mansion that build firm and tall. Since a long time, there has been a very lively and loving family lives. A complete family with a hardworking father, caring mother and five siblings. However, no one would have imagined that a story behind it would exist, hauntingly lingering in the shadow.

Through the seemingly lively mansion, it was night, when incessant wailing resounded eerily inside. A woman was getting beaten, harshly showing a marked on her back. The woman was ( 李安娜 )Li Anna, whereas the man who beated her was none other than the current head of the family,( 陈熙 ) Chen Xi. The other siblings long have ran away due to the dangerous circumstances, every single night, leaving only Chen Xi who was drunk, Li Anna and the six year old ( 陈暖暖 ) Chen Nuan Nuan who got locked in her room.

Hearing the hurted shrieking of her mother downstairs, Nuan Nuan curled herself in her embrace. Inside her room was utter darkness, without a slightest of light beside the dimness of moon passing through the window. A while passed before the sound finally ceased. Nuan Nuan gradually let herself ease, only to hear her father's footsteps keep coming closer. She remembered it too well that her certainty was without a second thought, as for her, it was deadly, whoever might not have known if she still be alive tonight or not.

Panicked, she grab all of the heavy thing she could and put it in front of the door, with all might hoping that she will passed by tonight safely. Just when the object putted right on the door, a hard ramming relentlessly banging the door, like a monster desperately searching for the remaining hiding prey.

Nuan Nuan, in the corner of her room, despite the lowering might of her body and the frantic shaking, she remain frozen in her place. 'Dear God, protect me as you may', she prayed hard in her heart, constantly, so that her fear may ease. Thankfully, tonight the danger were quite shorter, unlike any other night that she would undoubtedly have not taken any sleep, and unable to.

A while passed by again, this time, her door let out a sound again. It was the door's handle, as if someone was trying to unlock the handle she once locked inside. In circurmstances, Nuan Nuan shortly filled with sheer horror. Her eyes gradually lost its light, 'is it time?'

And then, the door finally opened with a click at last. Her mother's shadow appeared, along with her first brother,( 陈楠 )Chen Nan. They were looking at her with a somewhat pitiful expressions. Yet, Nuan Nuan happily thought, 'It' s mother! And big brother! Everything is safe now!'. Then, stupidly, she ran towards them, easing away the overwhelming fear she had earlier, mindlessly thinking that they came for her. As it turns out, that they long have prepared to leave her, alone, in that unceasingly dark abyss.

Nuan Nuan gets closer and saw a big sized luggage tightly held in her mom's hand. Those time, perhaps she already got the feeling when she slowly asked in a trembling voices, "Mom....can you bring me along?". Seeing her daughter, Li Anna let out tears, yet she stood firm in her place. It was like a waves of ocean crashed onto her but she still stay the course. Not much to reply, she just promised with, "Later", without much thought before walking away, far from the room.

Upon hearing that, Nuan Nuan cried her heart out. Cried until her throat sore, desperately hanging on her mother's pity, and yet, she coldlessly left her. Her mind showed no sanity, rather, crazily keep pursuing her mother which was getting further away. Unfortunately, she was no longer able to ran any longer. Her neck, was tied by a restraint chain, tightly bounding her with her bed's stand. The limit of those things restraining her at most, only a step outside the room. It was her mother's doing, as for the reason, nobody know why, and nobody even find a logic for chaining a child.

Inside the darkest abyss on black, countlessly she hoped for a slight hope, "Someone..... Help...". Her voice were audibly heard, followed by the strength that was slowly fading. Perhaps the only thing that would alleviated her pain and comforted her mind, was the sky outside.

That....was her at eight.

Time gradually passed by, at long last, she successfully gained her father's care, but carelessly leading to her other siblings showing a discrimination towards her. There's time, they would harshly treated her, "We don't know you. Go away! Didn't you was father's favorite?!"

However, little did they know... That care was not for free. In fact, it was due to her excellent achievement that Chen Xi would finally treated her good and showered her with care. Despite the fact that, a little mistakes would undoubtedly led to a tragic consequences.

In spite of that, she has a good friend, called ( 吴月 )Wu Yue which she thought that she finally will be able to lead a normal life, however, good things really were not fated to her. She betrayed her, telling the others how much she'd suffered, despite the fact that Nuan Nuan really put her utmost trust on her. Consequences were harder to bear than ever. Her seemingly 'normal life' somewhat vanished, crushed apart to pieces in front of her.

At the age of ten, Li Anna come back, this time, bringing with her a child custody after the successfull divorce.

Though, it did not last long. Li Anna felt that it was utterly hard raising alone a child, and that led her to the thought of getting back with Chen Xi. As a result, nightmare arise. The same circumstances, where everyone in the house ran away, leaving her to do the housework before she slipped away in her room, hiding from her father's crazedness. Night began engulfing the world, and a familiar footsteps arose, walking near to her room.

After the loud ramming, a blasting bang replaced. Nuan Nuan stuck herself behind the dark shadow on the corner of her room, incessantly shivering and crying numbly. Her emotion and body long get used to it, however, some of her distinctly showed helplessness. As she tried to heard it, the loud bang were actually a dull blade, because she saw it, that a light was peeking through the door's slits.

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