She only ever shared her troubles with the reflection of her best friend in the mirror. Gu Shi Yi had long disliked her family, with its abusive father, spinelessly disgraceful mother, and an irresponsible, troublemaking younger brother who would eventually drag Li Yaner down.
"Naturally, the sooner you leave, the better. When you're away from here, find a nice place to settle down far away and marry an honest man!"
Their plans sounded good, but inevitably, trouble always seemed to arrive. As Li Yaner was in her final semester of her senior year in college, actively seeking internships and preparing to spread her wings and fly away, her brother got into a serious predicament—he killed someone!
Her brother was truly a born troublemaker. He never attended school properly, always skipping classes to hang out with a gang of kids at internet cafes playing games. When they ran out of money, they would just go home and ask for more. Li's father, as long as his son carried on the family line, would turn a blind eye to anything else. Li's mother didn't want to deal with it, and Li Yaner didn't dare to.
She did try to intervene once, hitting her brother, which resulted in Li's father beating her so badly she couldn't get out of bed for three days. Afterward, the young Li brother became even more uncontrollable, getting into all sorts of trouble. Because of his young age and the family's money from their business, all it took to fix his mistakes was money.
That's how he was spoiled, which eventually led to a disaster. A few kids got into a heated fight while playing games; they started cursing at each other, and it turned serious. At the impulsive age of sixteen or seventeen, Li Yaner's brother grabbed an ashtray from the table and struck someone on the head. The victim, also a young kid, fell backwards from the blow, tripping and hitting his head directly on the ground, blood pouring out. The internet cafe owner, realizing the gravity of the situation, rushed the injured party to the town's health clinic. Upon examining him, the doctor simply waved his hand,
"We can't treat this here, send him to the county hospital!"
By the time they got to the county hospital, his pupils had dilated!
The incident blew up, and the victim's family came knocking on the door. Li's mother hid in her room, too terrified to make a sound. Li's father, ignorant of the law, was still blustering,
"It wasn't intentional, he's a minor, he can't be sentenced!"
The law wasn't something he could bend to his will. Causing a death wasn't a minor offense. It wasn't just about compensation; jail time was inevitable. The victim's family, which also had some connections, had lost a son and would not rest. They insisted they didn't want money, they wanted the young Li to pay with his life,
"Your family has money, and we're not lacking either. Let your son rot in jail for life. If he ever dares to come out, we'll kill him!"
Money couldn't solve this problem!
Upon hearing this, Li's father cowered. Though he had bedded many women, none could bear him a son. The old Li family only had this one heir. If someone took his life, who would carry on the family legacy and inherit the wealth he had worked so hard to amass?
Nonetheless, having mingled in the town for years, Li's father had his connections. Knowing money isn't as powerful as the right influence, he found the path to smooth things over. He reached out to the town mayor's brother-in-law and, using the mayor's name, arranged to settle the matter—offering compensation on his behalf, persuading the other family to let bygones be bygones.
As it happened, the town mayor's brother-in-law had a son, thirty years old and still unmarried. With their status, finding a bride wasn't hard. But the son was lazy and did nothing respectable, and he was born with mismatched leg lengths, making him a cripple.
This son had met many women in his indulgent lifestyle, none of whom were decent. His elders disapproved of all, calling each a "fox spirit" unlikely to bear sons. If by chance they did, who could say whether the child was truly from their family? They had reviewed all the eligible young women in town and had long set their eyes on Li's eldest daughter. When Li's family came looking for help, marriage was proposed. If they agreed, their troubles would be over. Li's father was overjoyed,
"Keeping that money-waster around finally paid off. Her university degree is really worth something!"
With this marriage, not only would his son's troubles be resolved, but they would also be connected to a prestigious family. Wouldn't the Li family then stride across this town with unmatched sway?
Thus, the marriage was settled between the two families!
Of course, Li Yaner was unwilling. The man was several years older than her, notorious in town for being a bad influence, and dabbling in all the vices—how could she marry such a man?
Li's father knew his daughter would be reluctant, so he kept the whole affair from her, inventing an excuse to lure her back home. Once there, he locked her in a room and laid his cards on the table. Li Yaner naturally refused, to which Li's father resorted to fists to make his point, while Li Yaner clenched her teeth, refusing to acquiesce.