"F*ck!" Li Mei cursed under her breath as she backed away fearfully.
She looked about as she saw several guards heading her way.
Oh no, she had to do something. She had to get away right now! She didn't want to go and see that fatty man once again! Who knows what he would do after finding out she had fooled him back in that alley?!
But no matter how much she wanted to get away, she couldn't find a way out. The guards came forward and grabbed Li Mei's hands from both sides, dragging her down the stage. Even the middle-aged woman looked at her with a pleased look on her face as if that was what was supposed to happen.
Li Mei turned back, hoping to find a companion who sympathized with her, only to find other ladies looking at her with envy.
She looked at them, stunned.
What the heck are you being jealous of?! Was it a good thing being chosen by a fatty rich man?!
Li Mei struggled, but in the end, she was still pushed in front of the fatty young man, forcing her to stand straight. But she still kept her head lowered, hiding it behind her long, wavy hair covered with several flowers and ornaments. They made a tinkling sound as she lowered her head.
Ah, please, don't recognize me. Please, don't recognize me. Please don't-
"Oh, it's you!"
Damn, it really was her terrible day!
Li Mei swallowed as she kept her head lowered, refusing even to look up and reply. She would just pretend to be dumb and deaf!
But the fatty man indeed seemed to have found something interesting as he grabbed the woman's wrist and scoffed. "And you dare to lie to me, huh?! See what I do to your pretty little face!"
Li Mei prayed with all her heart that they should indeed do something to her face so that others wouldn't be attracted to her beauty like this. She just wanted to live an ordinary life, that's it. Why was that so difficult?!
The fatty man seemed to have realized what she was thinking. Thus, he laughed out loud. Funny, when he laughed, his big stomach vibrated.
Li Mei glanced at it from the corner of her eyes as her nose wrinkled. She wondered what kind of things were stuffed in there to make it so big.
Sure, she didn't hate fatty people. If they were good to her, she would treat them with all her heart and soul. She even had a fatty little friend in her childhood who liked to play the flute. She would often run away from her terrible home and play with him all day long.
But those days passed by too quickly because it was quickly found out that the little guy with whom she would play during that summer had only arrived in the village where she lived for only a short time.
That memory sure was distinct, but she still remembered it clearly in her head. Back then, she was merely a five-year-old, walking toward her house with a bucket full of water. By this time, her stepmother had long stepped into her household and made her place firm, bullying Li Mei to the point of making the little girl cry.
Thus, despite not wanting to work, she would deliberately choose the kind of duty that would urge her to travel far away from her house, for example, bringing fresh water to drink. She would have to bring five to ten buckets in total, and every bucket would take her at most an hour or more. Thus, she would gain a couple of hours free from that terrible atmosphere at home.
Sure, she had younger brothers and sisters, but they were all from her stepmom's side. What was even more terrible was that she also had big siblings from her father's concubines who refused even to lift a cup of water.
Since Li Mei's mom was a fallen demon worthy of being a slave, she shouldered all the burden of household duties, though she was merely a five-year-old. Of course, not that she liked doing it.
So, on this day, she was merely bringing that bucket of water back to her house. She carried the bucket on her head to make it easier for her to walk. Thankfully, the bucket wasn't that big. Otherwise, she wouldn't be able to carry it at all.
By the time she reached home, it had already been an hour, closer to noon. She looked up at the sun and squinted her eyes, hiding her beautiful little face behind her hands.
She had already brought five buckets since morning. This should be enough, right?
The little Li Mei walked forward and entered her house from the backdoor.
The Li family belonged to a merchant field, and thus, they were extremely rich. Even then, Father Li wanted a simple life despite his lust for women. Thus, he created a big mansion with several estates across the place for his concubines and children.
But little Li Mei only had one small hut at the most secluded corner of the entire area.
She bypassed the hut and headed toward the kitchen, only to hear the sound of children playing. She ignored that sound and continued onward, thinking it to be her siblings from different mothers.
As she placed the bucket on the ground after entering the kitchen, a middle-aged lady spoke up from behind the kitchen counter facing toward her, "Little Mei, can you bring up one more bucket, please? We have guests."
Li Mei looked up in dismay. "One more?! But it's noon!"
The middle-aged lady felt a trace of sympathy in her heart. After all, this little girl was merely five years old. She had been working nonstop for the entire morning, living on nothing but water.
"I want to help you." The lady sighed and walked over, patting the little head of Li Mei. "But you also know Madam Li, don't you?" The lady pursed her lips, referring to the main wife of the house, who hated Li Mei from the depths of her heart. "She would kill us servants if we dared to help you. I'm sorry."
The small message was: You don't want us to die on your behalf, do you?
Even though all the servants treated Li Mei better, she was still but a worthless daughter of a demonic royal. They only cared for her until they could. But if they had to sacrifice themselves because of her, they would instantly back away.
Little Li Mei knew about this, but she still wanted to seek that trace of warmth, even though it was very little. Thus, she nodded and said, "I'll bring it right this instant."
Despite being tired, she still agreed to the job. What else could she do? She didn't have any other choice.
Her heart felt too exhausted as she pushed her feet outside. She turned back to glance at the children playing in the garden. From a distance, she could make out a few children of her age, her siblings, running on the field. Behind them, an unfamiliar little guy was also running after them. He wore elegant yellow and bright colored robes, which contrasted his tanned complexion, which showed off his luxurious background.
He seemed to have looked a little fat? Li Mei didn't know why. She couldn't take her eyes off that guy. Her heart suddenly jumped in her chest, spreading the warmth that she had longed to feel.
All of a sudden, that little fat guy also seemed to have noticed her presence as he stopped in his tracks and glanced at her, meeting her eyes head-on. The world seemed to have stopped right then and there. Little Li Mei was too small to be able to differentiate what she was feeling, but it was definitely way better than everything she had felt all her life.
She had thought that the young boy would go and continue to play with her siblings, but who would have thought that he would wave to his newfound friends and run toward her?