Pah!!
A sharp smack resounded followed by a loud shriek filled with pain coming from Xiao Ying who was slapped by her adopted mother.
"Do you think you can act the way you like?" Sheng Min scolded angrily pulling Xiao Ying by the hair. Xiao Ying has been living this way since she had turned 12 years of age, she would be 20 in the next few months. Thus, making it a full 8 years of intense agony.
Enduring the pain with no one to turn to and her will to live being drained out day by day, sometimes thinking of ending her miserable life for good.
Sheng Min had always treated Xiao Ying like an object to vent on whenever she feel displeased . During the period she was incapable of giving birth, she had brought up the idea of adopting a child to her husband. "It makes me feel pained when I think of the situation of me being barren even till this time, we should consider adopting a child" she sang this like an album everyday after her husband comes home from work, pleading with her husband Sheng Zimo until he gave in.
Striding to her room as if nothing has happened, Xiao Ying went to wash her face after the beating, touching the pretty slightly paled face which appeared in the restroom mirror in front of her, she sucked her teeth in pain as some transparent crystal-like liquid threatened to fall off her innocent bright eyes. Sniffing, she struggled to contain her tears before walking to the dressing table to apply some powder and waiting for a while to calm down,she left the room, heading for her workplace.
Buzzz... her phone rang just when she was out of the door, checking the caller. she sigh at her misfortune.
'Looks like today will be a tough day afterall'
"Hey..."
A voice rang out of the other end of the phone, almost deafening Xiao Ying's ear.
"Ying'er, what the hell is up with you not picking up my calls? You scared the hell out of me" Yao Yao voice sounded worried over the phone. Her voice mixed with a little bit of anger, which made it sounds funny.
Xiao Ying, '....'
Bringing her phone away from her ear to check, she gasp at the number of missed calls she saw on the phone notification box, feeling apologetic. She replied in a calm voice hoping to coax the agitated Yao.
"I'm fine Yao Yao I just overslept today" Xiao Ying replied. Feeling thankful she still had someone who cared about her well being, tears threatened to fall off her beautiful eyes after that harsh treatment back there. Despite that not being the first time she was beaten. It still brought her great pain whenever she thinks about it.
"Overslept? You really think I will buy that? You got beaten again right? Hey! Ying'er I've told you to live with me, I hate it when you get treated that way". Yao Yao retorted sharply while raising her already calm voice.
Xiao Ying, '....'
sucking in a cold breath, before continuing obdurately.
"I'm really fine Yao. I really want to leave but I don't feel staying with you is okay for now, it's just too much of a trouble for you. I feel we should talk about this later. I'm leaving for work". Xiao Yang hung up in a hurry before waving down a taxi.
....
Xiao Ying rested her head on the door of the taxi, she seemed lost while basking in the warmth brought by the ray of sunlight entering the taxi through the little opening of the window. She couldn't refrain from thinking; "if only I could just live my life the way I had wanted, I wish I hadn't met them; the Sheng's family, they had made my life so miserable"
She remembered the time she had felt the love she lost after Sheng's gave birth to their own very first daughter just 2 years after she came into their home . It was as if the safe delivery of the child had spelt the very beginning of her own doomsday. She was treated like a Vermin that was permitted to exist only because they wished it to be so. She was just a little girl then!! Just a bit more than 10 years, she had been starved on many occasions, not because the family couldn't feed her or because they struggled but because she made some mistakes, what perfection could they have expected from a 10 years old little skinny girl anyways.
Tears threatened to fall off her clear crystal like eyes when she thought about the pain and agony she had to endure through those times. Anyways that fragile girl had become a beautiful young lady now. A lady with a clear smooth jade like skin. She wasn't the kind of a die hard beauty that could overthrow a nation like the fairytale but she could definitely be regarded as a top beauty that would make the imagination of men without strong will run wild.
She owe the smiles she wore on her face every now and then to her best friend Yao Yao.
Yao Yao has been her only friend since high school , going to the Same university and even keeping contacts after graduating from university.
She had lived alone since her parents had relocated to a very far place from her collage and she couldn't take a transfer to another school since she would finish her college education soon.
Both being a quiet person in school without friends, they had gotten close since they had walked home together after school many times. Yao Yao had urged her to leave her house and come to live with her on several occasions after learning about what she faced.
Their relationship had even exceeded that of friendship since long ago, which makes Yao Yao angry whenever she gets to know that Xiao Ying was been maltreated while she couldn't do anything to help her.
She was really grateful that at least despite those tortures, she was blessed with such an amazing friend that she would do anything for.
....
"Fu Haoyu, what's my schedule for the rest of the day?" Lu Jietang asked his assistant exhaustingly after working so long on his desk, staring at the laptop and documents the whole day.
Jietang has been known as a work maniac since he started taking care of the company's issues as the son of 'Lu' conglomerate family.
The Lu family has stood as one of the main pillars of Beijing. with the production of many things such as electronics, foods and many other business. Rumors had it that the family had possesed such immense wealth right from the time of the old dynasty, signifying that it had been some sort of generational wealth. Though people failed to verify the information, they still chose to believe it due to the immense amount of wealth in the family's possession.
Being descendant of Lu family and a handsome young man, Jietang has attained such fame which made him the talk and dream of Young ladies far and wide all over several cities.
"You have a meeting with the president of Bosley restaurant by 2pm at the company's hotel boss.I should order a takeout for lunch since we can't leave for the restaurant now" Fu Haoyu replied.
"No.. it's fine, I feel like going out for lunch today, we should go together"
Jietang walked towards the entrance of the door while stretching his body, vaguely showing his well proportioned muscles under the well tailored suit.
He paused suddenly before turning back to see Haoyu rooted on the same spot. Jietang raised his brows slightly… "Not coming?.... Well you can stay behind to sort out those documents on the table then" he pointed at his table while smiling cunningly before turning to leave the office.
Haoyu... "Me...?" He blinked his eyes few times in confusion before coming to realise the intensity of the situation "Let's have lunch together then".
Widening his eye. Haoyu grumbled as he followed him at a fast pace. He turned back sharply to take a look at the pile of documents on the table as he rubbed his arms in horror, he suddenly broke out in a cold sweat.... "does he have to use such method to scare me, i'm not a maniac like you" He tried so hard to refrain himself from saying that loud.
Haoyu and jietang headed for the the entrance of the company while waiting for the car to arrive, when there seems to be the sound of a heel knocking on the floor behind them gently.
"Jietang?" a low pitched soft voice, obviously that of a lady suddenly called out. Hearing the familiar voice of the caller, his ravishing face immediately contorted in disdain while acting as though he hadn't heard his name.
Seeming to leave. He felt a small hand grasp him by the sleeve of his suit, turning sharply to look at the figure, his eyes met with that of a young beautiful lady of about 25 years wearing a sky blue slim gown, her black silky hair draping over her shoulder, emitting a faint sweet fragrance, her thin lips curving out a slight smile which without doubt captivates the heart of anyone around her.
"What are you doing right now?" Jerking her hand away from his, he asked in a cold voice.
The lady not seeming to care about his expression, she asked "where are you going? You have a break now? There is a place we need to go, it's been a long time we went out together" Wu Mei pulled him.
"Well.... No,I have something to attend to and I can't entertain you. I've got to go, you can take your leave now" Jietang replied quietly without sparing her another glance.
"Boss ... we should leave now or we might end up running late" Haoyu gestured to Jietang when the car arrived, without sparing a glance at the lady beside him.
"Then I'm coming with you, my driver left a while ago. I can't possibly stay here waiting all day right ?" Wu Mei persisted stubbornly. Acting cute she looked at Jietang.
Jietang looked at her before flashing a smile which made her jumped in fright causing her to move back unconsciously. The next second he made a bone chilly face that could almost give one a frost bite.
"I don't think you want to" he dropped this remark before closing the door to his car after which he signaled the driver to zoom off.