within her. Although the memories of last night were hazy, she still recalled a warm embrace enveloping her, a pair of warm hands gently caressing her, and a low, soothing voice lingering in her ear....Lin Meng thought this should be the end, and her life afterward should return to its previous track, studying quietly in school. But she didn't know, this was just the beginning!

"Welcome back"

Mother Lin's familiarity was too unusual, leaving Lin Meng stunned for a while. Only when Mother Lin eagerly took the travel bag from her hands again did she come back to her senses.

"Just come back, Mom made your favorite food tonight. You are the hero of our family..."

Words of praise flowed out, but they pierced Lin Meng's heart with another pang. She softly hummed in response and followed her mother into her room. Her mother turned around and brought another fruit platter, invitingly offering it.

"Hungry Have some fruit to tide you over!"

She could only nod.

Lin's mother walked out with a smile.

Lin Meng stared at the plate of fresh fruit, dumbfounded.

From a young age, she was the outsider in this family, the product of a third party's sin. Her mother rarely smiled at her. In earlier years, she would often beat and scold her. When Lin Bao's business prospered and their family became slightly more affluent, Lin Mother gradually stopped beating and scolding her, striving to become a noblewoman and treating Lin Meng with cold indifference.

A week ago, she had treated Lin Meng with indifference, sometimes acting as if she didn't exist at all. So this abnormal enthusiasm was unbearable for Lin Meng. If this was how to earn her mother's affection, then she would rather not!

She suddenly felt tired and lazily looked around. This space of ten or so square meters was her nest. The window was tightly closed, just as it was when she left. There was a faint layer of dust on the table, visible to the naked eye, announcing that this nest had been neglected because of the owner's absence. The room was small, but she had decorated it little by little. On the wall was a poster of a heart-shaped angel girl given away by a convenience store. On the table was a plastic pen holder she had made herself from a large Coca-Cola bottle. Inside were a few plain pencils and ballpoint pens, while on the other side were neatly arranged tool books she had accumulated from childhood to adulthood. There weren't many, but they were all perfectly lined up. The small bed was placed next to the desk, with a floral-edged sheet, a folded square quilt, and a green pillow...

This all feels so familiar!

Lin Meng smiled faintly, but her eyes were inexplicably sour.

"I'm back…"

She whispered softly, but she didn't know who she was speaking to!

The little nest was quiet, while outside, a bustling world existed on its own!

"Mom, you really want to cook her a good meal!"

Lin Zi, Lin Mu's biological daughter, pouted at her mother in displeasure. She was a year older than Lin Meng, which meant that when Lin Mu was pregnant with Lin Zi, Lin Bao had another woman outside and later gave birth to Lin Meng. Under Lin Mu's influence, Lin Zi had disliked Lin Meng from a young age because of the extra member in their family. She tormented Lin Meng relentlessly, beating and scolding her constantly as a child. As she grew older and received some education at school, she toned it down considerably!

This time, Lin Meng was sent out to be sold. Lin Zi wasn't without schadenfreude. A daughter born of a prostitute should grow up to be a prostitute. She naturally believed that Lin Meng should make such a sacrifice. They had raised Lin Meng for so long, allowing her to slightly sacrifice her beauty, what was the big deal!

Seeing how affectionate Lin Mu was towards Lin Meng, Lin Zi suddenly felt a twinge of jealousy.

Lin's mother glared at her with displeasure, "That girl is a different person now. Our family will have to rely on her more in the future. You should show her some respect from now on and don't pick fights with her!"

"No way!" Lin Zi smiled, inheriting Lin Bao's small eyes that twirled back and forth, looking mischievous. "Mom, look at that dead girl carrying a travel bag back. What's inside Have you taken a look"

"It's probably clothes! It feels very light when I carry it. You didn't see that she was wearing a whole new outfit After going out for a week, she must have some clothes to change into, right"

"She's lucky!" Lin Zi said, her voice laced with a hint of sourness and jealousy. She had just glanced at the girl's outfit, which looked really good. At first glance, she seemed like decent quality. Lin Meng always wore clothes that Lin Zi had worn before. Now that she had new clothes that didn't belong to Lin Zi, Lin Zi felt a pang of unease in her heart. Then, she thought about the silver white mark on Lin Meng's neck.

"Mom, that girl is wearing something around her neck, I guess it's a necklace!"

Lin Mu immediately turned around and glared harshly at Lin Zi. She rebuked in a cold voice, "Xiao Xia, I warn you, no matter what your sister is wearing, you are not allowed to lay a finger on those things. Your father plans to use that girl for business, don't get in his way!"

Lin Zi pursed her lips and said, "It's just talk!"

"I don't even know you!" Mrs. Lin pointed at Lin Zi's forehead with her finger. "If I didn't tell you, you would have to take that necklace off your sister!"

Lin Zi flattened her mouth because she was told the truth, so she felt a little unhappy inside!

Seeing her like this, Lin's mother immediately soothed, "Alright, just don't dwell on it. When your father's business gets bigger and we have money, you can buy anything you want. Don't be so short-sighted and focus on just those few things on your younger sister!"

Lin Zi then collected her face and smiled.

But deep down, she was curious. She wandered around the kitchen for a bit, then tiptoed towards Lin Meng's room. She wanted to see what that dead girl had brought back after staying outside for a week! Mom said it wasn't allowed now, but it would be later, right Once that dead girl lost her use, she could pick whatever she wanted!

This site's first release.

The dinner was very plentiful, with spicy diced chicken, boiled fish, cumin beef, braised ham, napa cabbage with wood ear mushrooms, and sesame oil spinach.... It was like a festival, but Lin Meng had little appetite.

Everyone was gathered, at the table, Lin Bao sipped his wine and kept exaggerating, "Meng Meng ah, this time you were really wronged..."

Thanks to you, Rong Zong gave me a good project. Now, my father is somewhat famous in the construction industry...

"Mengmeng, what do you want Tell Daddy, and Daddy will buy it for you..."

Please provide the text within the tags so I can translate it into English. For example:Once you give me the text, I will:1. Translate it into English.2. Return the translated text only, preserving the HTML tags. Let me know what you need translated!

In the past, whenever Lin Meng wanted to buy a piece of clothing, she would be over the moon. But now, Lin Bao was so generous. It's like being hungry for a long time and suddenly being served a delicious meal. How could you possibly eat it! A stomach accustomed to plain soup couldn't possibly adapt to this greasy feast! Lin Meng felt a sour ache in her heart, stirring the rice in her bowl, lowering her head, occasionally muttering "hmm," but her eyes welled up uncontrollably. Perhaps others saw it, or perhaps they didn't. Regardless, no one offered any comfort.

After she had finally finished the rice in her bowl, she silently pushed back her chair and went into her room. Outside, the excitement continued, but it was theirs, not hers.

Outside, the rain had lessened to a drizzle, pattering against the window and casting a hazy glow. A small pot of lily-of-the-valley, nestled by the window, was blooming quietly, its white flowers radiating pure longing. Lin Meng stared at the lily-of-the-valley, her eyes slowly blurring, and suddenly she remembered Xiao Yi's words, her body stiffened, and quickly reached out to wipe away the dampness.

Don't overthink it!

It's been a long time since she read, she should read more, otherwise when she returns to school, she's afraid she won't be able to keep up with the progress.

Pull up a chair, turn on the desk lamp, pick out high school algebra, open the workbook, hold a pen in one hand, she began to quietly read, thinking and calculating as she went. Unknowingly, the clock quietly turned to nine o'clock. She pulled away her chair, turned her doorknob, poked her head outside, the living room had a small orange lamp on, and it was quiet in the dim light. She slipped back into her slippers and ran to the bathroom again, but no one was there. So, she came back, tidied up her clothes, and decided to take a bath!

The shower dripped warm water, and she washed herself silently. Occasionally, when her hand brushed against a bruise—a purple patch here, a green one there—a dull ache would shoot through her. For a moment, tears welled up in her eyes.

"

Boom boom boom――

"

Someone was banging on the bathroom door with all their might. Lin Meng jumped in fright, hurriedly turned off the shower, and called out anxiously. "There... there's someone!"

“I need to go to the bathroom!” It was Lin Meng’s older brother, Lin Dong, who is currently 22 years old. He graduated from college a year ago but has been unemployed since then, following Lin Bao to do some construction work. This person doesn't strive for progress in his studies and enjoys smoking, drinking, and fighting. He has never been a well-behaved person since childhood, and now he associates with some hoodlums on construction sites, coming and going frequently. When it comes to removing nails, however, he is Lin Bao’s right-hand man!

Lin Meng was only halfway through washing when she heard Lin Dong shout, sounding a little flustered.

"Just a moment, I... I'm taking a bath. I'll be right out!"

Lin Dong smirked outside, his face full of malice. His eyes, intoxicated by alcohol and lust, revealed the familiar tide of desire. How could he not know that Lin Meng was bathing inside Saying he needed to use the restroom was just an excuse. This book is first published on this website, please do not reprint!! She made up her mind in her heart. Otherwise, it would probably be a really bad birthday, maybe even worse than not having one at all!Then, when she got home, she casually asked Rong Ling, "Are you...