chapter 5

Li Man sat in the coach, her thoughts spiraling into the abyss of her past. The pain she had endured, the suffering she had masked with a smile, all while her stepsister reveled in the beauty of life. The disparity was cruel, the injustice unbearable. The memories stirred a rage within her, a murderous thought that consumed her. A glint of cold determination flashed in her eyes, a hint of the storm that was brewing within.

Li Tao, who had been observing Li from a corner, was taken aback. The woman she had known as her stepsister was transforming before her eyes into an entity she couldn't comprehend. The change was bewildering, but she had little time to dwell on it, for mother Li interrupted her thoughts.

"Your uncle is getting married," Mother Li declared, her voice echoing through the room, "He requires 500 yuan. Fetch it."

Li Tao, who was seated in the coach, retorted, unable to hide her annoyance. "Why should I finance his wedding? Is he my uncle, or am I his wife? It's your brother, you should pay."

Mother Li's face turned red with anger. "What have I done to deserve this?" she wailed, "I raised you, even arranged your marriage to my daughter's fiancé!"

Li Tao retorted sharply, "What fiancé? You married me off just for the bride price. Nothing more."

Her patience was thinning. Mother Li had tested her limits one time too many. She went to the kitchen and then mother Li taught she was going to fetch the money but Li tao came back and in her hand, a knife gleamed ominously. "Get out of my house." She growled, her voice echoing off the walls as she kicked them out of the house.

Mother Li stood outside, shocked and disoriented. "When did this docile girl transform into such a strong woman?" she thought aloud, turning to Li Man. "What is wrong with her? When did she change like this?"

Li Man, too, was dumbstruck. She could only manage a quiet response, "Let's go home, Mom. We can figure out a way to get the money."

Their departure left a chilling silence behind, a silence that echoed the transformation that had just taken place. Li Tao was not the same woman she had been. The one that they used to take advantage of, She had changed, and there was no going back.