The Yu family apartment was small, but painfully clean.
Every surface gleamed as though scrubbing could wash away the smell of medicine that lingered in the air. Chu Yunyun stood just inside the doorway, her shoes neatly aligned with two others. She did not remember taking them off.
Yu Chen's body remembered.
Her feet ached from the short walk home from the hospital, but she said nothing. The living room was quiet except for the ticking of a wall clock.
Tick.
Tick.
Tick.
The sound drilled into her head.
On the sofa sat a thin woman with carefully tied hair, holding a cup of tea she hadn't touched. Beside her was a man reading a newspaper, his brow furrowed.
Her parents.
Or rather—Yu Chen's parents.
"Why are you standing there?" the woman asked without looking up. "Come in."
Chu Yunyun stepped forward.
The woman finally lifted her eyes and frowned. "Didn't the doctor say you should rest? Why did you come home so soon?"
Chu Yunyun almost laughed.
Rest?
Had Yu Chen ever rested?
"I don't want to stay in the hospital," she replied.
Her tone was flat.
The man lowered his newspaper. "You collapsed again because you don't take care of yourself."
Because I bled too much for your other daughter, Chu Yunyun thought coldly.
Yu Li emerged from the bedroom at that moment, wrapped in a cardigan. Her face was pale, her eyes slightly red from crying.
"Sister…" she whispered.
Chu Yunyun felt the familiar stab of irritation.
Everyone here revolved around Yu Li.
Always.
The mother stood up immediately and rushed to Yu Li's side. "Why did you come out? It's cold. What if you catch a chill?"
Yu Li shook her head weakly. "I just wanted to see Sister…"
The mother turned to Chu Yunyun. "Why did you upset her earlier? She was crying."
Chu Yunyun raised an eyebrow.
Upset her?
She had almost died.
And they were worried about Yu Li's tears.
"I said I won't give blood anymore," Chu Yunyun replied calmly.
The air in the room froze.
The father slammed the newspaper down. "What nonsense are you saying?"
The mother's face darkened. "Don't joke about things like this."
"I'm not joking."
Yu Li's fingers tightened around her cardigan.
"But… Sister," she said softly, "the doctor said we are compatible…"
Chu Yunyun turned to her.
"You've been saying that for years."
Yu Li's eyes widened slightly.
Chu Yunyun continued, "Every time I collapse, you say the same thing."
Silence swallowed the room.
The mother's voice rose. "You are her older sister! Isn't it normal for you to help her?"
Help?
She remembered chains.
She remembered screams.
Different life.
Same excuse.
"Helping is voluntary," Chu Yunyun said. "Not forced."
The father stood up. "Don't be dramatic. It's just blood. It regenerates."
Chu Yunyun's gaze flicked to him.
"So does life," she said. "But I almost lost mine."
The mother scoffed. "You're exaggerating. The doctor said you're fine."
Chu Yunyun's lips curled faintly.
Of course the doctor would say that.
They needed her alive to keep donating.
Yu Li suddenly coughed violently.
The mother rushed to her side again. "Look what you've done! You stressed her!"
Yu Li shook her head weakly. "No… it's not Sister's fault…"
Chu Yunyun clenched her fists.
This scene was too familiar.
In her past life, her half-sister had cried exactly like this.
Fragile.
Innocent.
Weak.
And everyone had believed her.
"I need rest," Chu Yunyun said. "Not blood loss."
The father rubbed his temples. "We'll talk about this later."
No.
Later meant never.
Chu Yunyun took a step forward.
"There will be no later," she said. "I will not donate again."
Yu Li stared at her.
The mother's face hardened. "If you don't donate, what will your sister do?"
"Live or die on her own fate," Chu Yunyun replied.
The words shocked even herself.
The room went deathly still.
Yu Li's eyes filled with tears. "Sister… are you blaming me?"
Chu Yunyun felt Yu Chen's instincts scream inside her:
Apologize.
Comfort her.
Say it's okay.
She crushed that voice.
"No," she said. "I'm saving myself."
The mother slapped the table. "Have you gone mad?!"
Chu Yunyun's eyes narrowed.
Mad?
She had been tortured to death.
She was reborn into another prison.
And now she refused to bleed quietly.
If that was madness…
Then so be it.
"I want to rest," she said again. "Don't call me for dinner."
She turned and walked toward the bedroom.
"Yu Chen!" the father shouted.
She stopped but did not turn.
"If you refuse to help your sister, don't expect us to be kind to you!"
She paused.
Her shoulders trembled slightly.
Then she laughed.
Softly.
A laugh without warmth.
"Kind?" she said. "When have you ever been?"
She entered the bedroom and shut the door.
The room was small.
A narrow bed.
A desk.
Stacks of medical bills.
Chu Yunyun sat down slowly.
Her heart pounded violently.
Her hands shook.
This family was no better than her past one.
Different faces.
Same cruelty.
She lay back on the bed and stared at the ceiling.
"I can't stay here," she whispered.
This body was weak.
This family was poison.
This life was suffocating.
Her gaze drifted to a poster on the wall—an actress smiling brightly.
Yu Chen's dream.
Showbiz.
An escape.
A battlefield.
A weapon.
Chu Yunyun closed her eyes.
"If I must live as Yu Chen…"
Her lips curved slowly.
"…then I will use this life for my own revenge."
Not today.
Not tomorrow.
But soon.
Outside the room, the family's voices continued arguing.
She ignored them.
Her mind was already planning her escape.
And in the shadow of her heart, the first spark of vengeance began to glow.