"Little girl, you're not bad-looking."
In the prison, a tattooed female boss pinched Wen Nian's chin and carefully appraised her delicate-looking face.
"As a famous female celebrity, you must be very skilled at serving people. Some people outside have asked me to take good care of you in here. If you can serve me well, I will spoil you in the future!"
The female boss traced Wen Nian's chin with her hand and then reached into her collar, making Wen Nian feel extremely disgusted.
"Get your dirty hands off me."
"Oh, this little girl has quite a temper. I like it."
The female boss wrapped her arms around Wen Nian's waist and was about to kiss her.
Wen Nian raised her hand and slapped the female boss.
The female boss wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth and regarded Wen Nian with a glint of interest in her eyes. "Little girl, I'm trying to do you a favor here, but you don't seem to want it, do you? Beat her up. If she dies, I'll take responsibility."
Wen Nian could never forget the scene from her first day in that place. From then on, every time she was beaten, she fought back with all her might, even if the odds were one against ten. If victory wasn't possible, she fought as if her life depended on it. As long as she was merciless, no one dared to bully her. She wasn't afraid of pain, but she was afraid of slowly losing that sense of self and eventually forgetting her grudges.
Gradually, Wen Nian's reputation spread throughout the entire female prison like a plague. No prisoner dared to approach her anymore, but her days were still difficult because the people who bullied her had changed from fellow inmates to the prison staff.
Wen Nian still harbored fears when dealing with the prison staff. If she were to die, nobody would care about her cheap life. But if she died, she would never be able to take revenge.
She silently swore in her heart that she would drag all the people who had framed her to hell one by one so that they would never reincarnate.
Ten years of brutal training had stripped Wen Nian of her humanity. Revenge was the only thing that kept her going.
Wen Nian counted down the days every day. In just three more days, she would finally be released from prison.
At night, Wen Nian suddenly felt a sharp pain in her chest and began rolling on her bed.
The disciplinary officer impatiently knocked on the door that stood between Wen Nian and her freedom. "Why are you wailing in the middle of the night?"
"My… my heart… it… it… hurts." Wen Nian cried.
"It's already a miracle that your insigificant life was kept alive until now. Don't even think about going to the hospital. Just bear with it."
Before Wen Nian completely lost consciousness, she heard a familiar voice.
"Miss Huang, the matter you ordered has been settled. That b*tch won't live past tonight. You can rest assured."
The hands of time spun backwards rapidly, warping the present back to that sweltering summer day.
When Wen Nian met Wei Xiao, it happened to be on her 17th birthday. That day, Wei Xiao fulfilled all of Wen Nian's romantic fantasies. At the school gate, with the eyes of thousands upon them, he presented her with a custom-made gown. Even her closest friend, Huang Yue, looked on with envy.
From then on, Wen Nian fell in love. She had no regard for her studies and abandoned any sense of sympathy. In order to gain Wei Xiao's favor, she ignored her parents' objections and heeded the advice of her best friend, Huang Yue, to become a signed female celebrity.
She thought that a happy life was coming, but the day before she married Wei Xiao, she was slapped with a lawsuit. Wei Xiao had accused Wen Nian of deceiving her into marriage and was demanding a 100 million yuan repayment.
Despite being a popular female celebrity, the amount of 100 million yuan was an astronomical figure for Wen Nian, leaving her perplexed by the sudden change in Wei Xiao's behavior. She naively believed that Wei Xiao had something difficult to say and chose to sue her as a last resort.
To pay off her debt of 100 million to Wei Xiao, Wen Nian was introduced to many types of "investors" through the recommendation of her best friend. Despite her A-list celebrity status, she was secretly working in the sex industry to earn money.
Wen Nian's parents were unable to bear seeing their daughter living a seemingly happy life while burdened with such immense debt. They resorted to selling bento boxes at construction sites during the day and cleaning hotels at night to earn enough money to pay off the debt.
Tragically, fate seemed to have a cruel sense of humor. One day, while selling bento boxes at the construction site, a large rock fell from above and struck both of Wen Nian's parents. They were rushed to the hospital, but unfortunately, they had already passed away.
Wen Nian's brother, Wen Yu, had left his high-end job and become a debt collector to help his sister repay her debts. Tragically, he was attacked and stabbed ten times while on a debt collection job. Before he died, he managed to call Wen Nian. However, at that very moment, she was in bed with an investor recommended by Huang Yue, still hoping to return Wei Xiao's side.
In the end, Wen Nian, who had yet to repay her debt, was jailed.
"If she doesn't die this time, we will inform the court to increase her sentence. Miss Huang, don't worry. This b*tch's face will never dirty your eyes again."
So that was the case. Wen Nian knew that they would not let her off easily. She lay on the cold concrete floor of the prison. Her heart seemed to have stopped beating as she slowly closed her eyes.
The last thing she saw was the uniform leather shoes of the prison guards.
When she woke up again, she was in the house that Wen Nian had lived in for 17 years. Looking at the familiar ceiling and gray-and-white checkered blanket, Wen Nian was in a daze. She should be in prison and should be dead.
She stood up and walked to the mirror, gazing at the reflection of the seventeen-year-old girl staring back at her. The image appeared both familiar and unfamiliar.
At 17 years old, Wen Nian hadn't started wearing heavy makeup, nor had she undergone any medical or plastic surgeries. Her face was bare and filled with youthful energy.
Wen Nian touched the softness of her cheeks. She couldn't believe what she was seeing.
"Nian Nian, come out and eat."
She saw birthday noodles on the dining table, her mother wearing an apron while cooking, her father sitting on the sofa reading the newspaper, and her sharp-tongued brother.
Yes, that's right. This was the day of Wen Nian's 17th birthday and the first time she saw Wei Xiao. Since God showed her mercy, she will make sure that those who framed her and those who hurt her family pay with their blood.