The afternoon sunlight was just right, refracting through the broad floor-to-ceiling windows of the sales office and casting a ray on Wen Sheng's shoulder. She looked as if she had fallen into a pool of golden light, pure and beautiful.
Zhu Qingjia's memories flashed back seventeen years ago.
Back then, she and Wen Sheng were just eight years old.
Zhu Qingjia's father, Zhu Jun, was a gambling addict and a heavy drinker. When he lost at gambling, he would come home drunk and create trouble, either beating Zhu Qingjia's mother or Zhu Qingjia herself. He hit hard and mercilessly. The neighbours didn't dare to intervene, fearing that Zhu Jun might turn against them. Over time, no one bothered to include themselves in these affairs.
They were already poor, and Zhu Jun had racked up a mountain of debt. Not only was he a lazy layabout who refused to work, their livelihood depended entirely on Zhu Qingjia's mother, who worked three jobs to support the family.
