"Alright, tell us—what exactly happened? Why did things turn out like this?" After pulling Li Xiu'er up to the rooftop, Chu Lian leaned against the railing, gazing at the scenery below as the gentle breeze brushed through her hair. Her voice was soft as she asked.
"My father and mother... they said that the people around my little brother should all be outstanding, so it would be beneficial for his growth. And someone like me..."
Li Xiu'er hesitated for a long moment before finally speaking. When she reached this point, she paused again, her expression filled with bitterness before continuing.
"And someone as useless as me shouldn't stay by his side and influence him. Even if I'm his sister, it doesn't matter. Trash should live where trash belongs. Living among elites would only hinder his growth. My place..."
"...is to marry someone you don't even know what they look like, and have no idea what your future with them will be like, right?" Chu Lian finished her sentence for her.
The girl nodded. Tears finally slipped down her cheeks as her voice choked with sobs. "I just don't have talent for cultivation... but I do everything else well. Why is it like this? Why? Chu Lian, can you tell me what I should do in the future?"
"I've told you—you're not without talent. Your talent is simply too powerful for them to measure."
Chu Lian's eyes were filled with heartache. From that short, broken confession, she could already tell just how long the girl had been suppressing everything inside. The depth of that sorrow was something she could hardly comprehend.
"But I... I really am useless. Aside from the things I like, I can't meet their expectations in anything else. I can't do business, I can't cook, I can't flatter them. I won't even step forward and let others bully me. I just stay within my own world."
"Except for Ruoxue, I don't let anyone in. They know I don't want to do these things, yet they force me anyway. When I can't do them—when I don't do them well—I'm called useless. Useless...!"
Tears streamed down freely, and all the grievance in her heart finally burst out. The shy girl who usually remained silent was gone—she cried out hoarsely, as if questioning the very heavens why they treated her this way.
"If failing at those things makes someone useless, then the entire world would be full of useless people. You're not a merchant—you don't need to do business. You don't need to be a maid—you don't need to cook. You're not a servant—you don't need to flatter them. And you're certainly not someone meant to be bullied—you don't need to let them hurt you."
"You should be a princess—a young lady—an angel who rises on the wind beneath my wings. Not some so-called 'useless person.' Do you understand?"
She stepped forward and pulled the emotionally collapsing girl into her arms, gently stroking her hair as she whispered softly.
"I know I'm not useless... but in their eyes—in my own parents' eyes—I am. Doesn't that make me useless anyway? I want their approval so badly... but I've never gotten it. Not once... never..."
Li Xiu'er let her tears soak into her clothes. Right now, she truly needed someone to guide her toward the right path.
"I acknowledge you. Chu Chu acknowledges you. Yanran acknowledges you. Ya acknowledges you. Nana acknowledges you. Lux acknowledges you. Tina acknowledges you. Even my mother acknowledges you. So many people who care about you recognize you—why do you ignore that and insist on seeking approval from those who don't care about you?"
Chu Lian's voice was gentle. She didn't know how far she could go in helping, but she knew one thing—right now, the girl needed to understand just how much she mattered to them.
"But they... they're my parents. As their daughter, how could I not want their approval? Even just a single word of praise... I could leave that place without regrets if I had that. Do you understand, Chu Lian? Do you understand this kind of pain?" She shook her head in Chu Lian's arms, biting her lip.
"I don't know exactly what that feels like, because I've never experienced it." Chu Lian couldn't answer that.
In her previous life, she grew up in an orphanage, never meeting her parents—there was no such bond to speak of.
In this life, her family was whole, and she was the most cherished one among them. That kind of pain was something she simply couldn't understand.
"But I do know it must be painful. When even the people closest to you don't care about you... who else would?" Chu Lian wanted nothing more than to pull her out of this abyss immediately. But in the end, it depended on her own will.
She could force her to accept things—but that wasn't what she wanted, nor what she was willing to do.
"Yes... when even your closest family doesn't care... Chu Lian, do you think my feelings—my desire to show them I've been trying all along—can ever reach them?" Perhaps from crying too much, or from exhaustion, her voice gradually softened, becoming more like a murmur.
"But we're here. We know exactly what kind of person you are. As long as you remember that we're behind you—protecting you, waiting for you, ready to embrace you—that's enough." The girl's fragility reminded her of the version of herself who had once lost everything.
That person in her memories... how similar was he to the girl in her arms?
Except he had no one left to confide in. No one to rely on. He stood alone on a stage, acting out joys and sorrows no one would ever know.
But she was different. At least Chu Lian was holding her. At least those girls behind her were waiting for her. She possessed what that past self had longed for but could never obtain—so why was she still in so much pain?
Was familial love truly that important?
Perhaps it's because I've never experienced it... or never lost it... that I can think this way.
"I know... I know... I know..." she repeated softly, as if reminding herself that she had never forgotten.
"Since you know, then focus on that. We will always be your strongest support. Anyone who wants to hurt you must first break through us. As long as you remember that, you'll understand. We care about you so much—why dwell on those who don't?" Chu Lian knew this was her emotional knot, so she emphasized it again and again.
"I know... but my parents are still my parents. I can't make myself stop caring about them. I'm sorry."
For her, she had grown up with her parents by her side. Even though they later treated her that way, she never truly lost hope in her family. She always believed that one day, they would see her efforts—that they would acknowledge her again.
Even if she knew that her efforts weren't what they wanted to see, she had truly tried—tried with all her heart. Ruoxue had always seen it clearly. She knew better than anyone, didn't she? She knew how hard I've worked. She knows all of my results...
But Ruoxue...
"Do you need me to help you?" Chu Lian fell silent for a long time. She had wanted to intervene by force, but after hearing the girl's tearful confession, she realized that doing so would only hurt her the most.
For something like this, either it had to be done at the very last moment—or only after she agreed to it herself. Otherwise, there would be no good outcome.
"No need. I'll handle it myself... I definitely will." The girl closed her eyes, her cheek rubbing lightly against Chu Lian's chest as she shook her head. She didn't know what the result would be—but at least she would have tried.
"Then what about Ruoxue?" Even if Li Xiu'er didn't think for herself, she should at least think about Ruoxue. If she hesitated for her sake, there might still be a way.
"She... she..."
"I should be able to settle her situation. As long as I don't resist, as long as I agree to everything, as long as I marry off, then Ruoxue will be completely fine. For everyone... that would be the best outcome."
Li Xiu'er's voice carried no emotional fluctuation, yet Chu Lian could clearly hear the deep, hidden resolve beneath it. This gentle yet strong girl... had ultimately decided to sever this bond on her own?
"I won't allow it. No matter what you plan to do, I'm getting involved in this. Today, I'll go to your house and ask them myself—what exactly they're thinking. Do they truly see you as their daughter, or just as a tool? I'll make them tell you the truth with their own mouths!"
She wanted to whisper this directly into her ear—but she knew that if she did, the girl would never agree.
So instead, she chose another way. Gently stroking her back, she said, "Since you've made your decision, then go and do it. As for what the result will be... that's no longer something you can control, is it?"
"Mm... you're right. It's not something I can control." Li Xiu'er bit her lower lip hard. She wanted to say that wasn't true.
But when the images of her parents' faces and Chu Lian and the others overlapped in her mind, spinning together, she truly didn't know who she should choose anymore.
Maybe... I was never someone who should have existed in the first place.
I'm sorry, Chu Lian. I stepped into your life and disturbed it... and now I'm leaving behind so many emotions before I go. I must be incredibly selfish.
In name, I'm your older cousin—but all this time, you've been the one taking care of me. Compared to that, even Chu Chu is sometimes more mature than I am... I've truly failed the role of an elder sister.
"Shall we go eat? You're tired. After eating, you can rest for a bit." Chu Lian checked the time and saw that more than ten minutes had passed. She suppressed her emotions and spoke gently to the girl in her arms.
"I don't want to eat." Li Xiu'er had no desire to go. That kind of noisy, bustling place... for someone who wanted quiet right now, it was simply too overwhelming.
"What about you three?" Chu Lian frowned slightly but said nothing further, instead turning back to ask the three girls who had been silently listening nearby.
"If you're not eating, then I won't either." Cai Ya shook her head. Her mind was in turmoil, and she had no appetite. Since she was asked, she simply used that as a reason to refuse.
"If Big Sis isn't eating, Chu Chu doesn't feel like eating either." Chu Chu hopped onto the railing and sat there, swinging her slender legs as she gazed into the distant sky, her voice drifting softly.
"Do you think I would go?" Liu Yanran smiled. She walked over, gently pulling Li Xiu'er into her arms and softly comforting her.
In the distance, thin clouds drifted slowly across the sky. The vast blue heavens reflected in Chu Lian's eyes, revealing a clear and tranquil dream.
Perhaps the girl only lacked a pair of wings—a set of wings that could let her fly. As long as someone built her a platform and gave her the courage to take off, she would be able to gain her freedom.
If you don't dare to do it yourself... then let me become the starting point for your flight.
I said I would protect you. No matter how vast this sky may be, it still has its limits.
But my protection over you... will last forever—forever...