Chapter 21 - Self-Rescue Manual of a Villainess

Chapter 021: The Origin of Xia Yi Yi Nan Xi did not return that night, and Nan Yin was left wondering where she had been. Had she gone to Su Xiao Yu's house? The thought of the seemingly innocent cat-eared boy struck Nan Yin's mind. But what did it matter? She was unfazed. With Jiang Mi by her side, they spent the night in silence. ……………… Xia Yi Yi resided in the Philo district, on the brink between the urban village and the city center. Her parents, Xia Jun and Zhang Li, eked out a living by running a small convenience store in this ‘village in the city’. Actually, Xia Yi Yi was not Xia Jun's biological daughter. One night eighteen years ago, after their convenience store had closed, they heard someone knock on their door. Upon opening it, they found no one, only an old baby carriage with a sleeping female infant inside. Xia Jun and Zhang Li, childless even in their thirties, impulsively decided to adopt the baby girl, naming her Xia Yi Yi. In the beginning, life was beautiful in their small family. Xia Jun and Zhang Li were not wealthy, but they managed to provide for their adopted daughter Xia Yi Yi with their savings. Xia Yi Yi enjoyed the warmth of fatherly and motherly love until she turned six. However, everything changed when Xia Yi Yi turned six. Because of the chaotic environment of the urban village, Xia Jun started using drugs. Soon after, Zhang Li, too, succumbed and joined her husband in his drug abuse. In the aftermath of a crazy drugged-up night, Zhang Li fell pregnant and eventually gave birth to a baby boy, named Xia Bin. Even after the birth of Xia Bin, Xia Jun and Zhang Li continued their drug addictions. The convenience store they had painstakingly built to the size of a supermarket was squandered by their reckless habits. Eventually, Xia Jun was forced to mortgage the property and farmland left to him by his parents in the village to fuel his and Zhang Li's drug addiction. At the same time, the birth of Xia Bin, their biological child, inevitably shifted their affection away from Xia Yi Yi. Moreover, the pressure of their drug addiction made it hard for the beautiful bond they once shared with Xia Yi Yi to withstand. Their love was replaced with moral blackmail, compelling Xia Yi Yi to bear the brunt of their addiction. At just six years old, Xia Yi Yi was forced to hawk the leftover goods from their convenience store on the streets. Yet, when she returned home from a long, disparaging day out in the world, she was greeted not with parental affection but domestic violence from her father, Xia Jun, and constant nagging by her mother, Zhang Li. The toddler Xia Bin would curiously watch his elder sister, his face painted with innocence as he enjoyed the milk powder that Xia Yi Yi had bought with the money she earned. Thus, Xia Yi Yi's formative years were steeped in domestic violence until she was smart enough to secure a spot in Roland High School with incredibly high grades. Considering her background, the school decided to waive her tuition fees and put her on the honor roll scholarship program. On the field, the sweat-soaked boys of the football team ran about. Jiang Mi inhales deeply before asking the blonde-haired girl in front of her: "Did she ever think about fighting back?" Nan Yin doesn't respond. Yes, Xia Yi Yi had tried to fight back. Her admission to Roland High School with such high grades was this unfortunate girl's first act of defiance against her terrible home life. Though Xia Jun and Zhang Li transitioned from drug users to traffickers to fund their addiction and sustain a slightly better life, Xia Yi Yi's nightmare was far from over. Six years of familial warmth could not withstand eleven years of estrangement compounded by the birth of a biological son, Xia Bin, and the devastating impact of drug abuse. Xia Jun and Zhang Li no longer treated Xia Yi Yi as their daughter. They not only forced Xia Yi Yi to work to subsidize their household expenses but also coerced her into helping them distribute drugs into her school. Every refusal from Xia Yi Yi was met with brutal punishments from her adoptive father, Xia Jun, and her younger brother, Xia Bin. "Abuse?" Jiang Mi blinked, recalling the events Nan Yin once shared about what Nan Shan did to her. "Yes, Xia Jun and Xia Bin joined forces to abuse Xia Yi Yi. Xia Jun even resorted to drugs," Nan Yin said, her gaze shifting towards a daydreaming girl hugging a guitar in the distance. Xia Bin was a tragic product of resentment and bitterness. Growing up in such a tumultuous environment, he was inevitably twisted. He held the most pure and wild desires towards his older sister. This was not only due to Xia Yi Yi’s exceptional beauty, but also his deviant mentality, often fantasizing about forcing his sister to cry and beg below him. Xia Jun's feelings towards Xia Yi Yi had also turned abnormal due to prolonged drug use and his wife's deteriorating looks. Even though Xia Yi Yi had moved into a school dorm, he still forced her to return home. "But Xia Yi Yi…" Jiang Mi swirled her tongue, "She hasn't already…" "Xia Yi Yi, she is a girl who knows how to protect herself," Nan Yin said, shaking her head as she knew what Jiang Mi was implying. "Just like you. You used to run barefoot all over the Philo district,” Nan Yin added smirking. "Ahaha, boss, you're the best!" Jiang Mi responded only to stick out her tongue again and insisted on hearing more of the story. Due to various pressures, Xia Yi Yi had amassed considerable debt. According to the original plot, Su Xiao Yu would have emerged as the knight in shining armor last night, helping Xia Yi Yi overcome her troubles, eventually winning her heart. But now, due to her meddling… really, useless characters like Su Xiao Yu should just drop dead. "Nan Yin?" The gentle voice of a girl snapped Jiang Mi and Nan Yin out of their thoughts. Looking up, they saw Xia Yi Yi holding her guitar. "Nan Yin… can I call you that?" Xia Yi Yi looked cautiously timid. "Of course, you can," Nan Yin said with a smile, standing up. "Yi Yi, is there something you want to talk about?" "Um… can we have lunch together?" Xia Yi Yi asked, her head downcast as if afraid Nan Yin might refuse. "Oh, sure!" Nan Yin said, casually pulling out Jiang Mi's meal card from her bag. Jiang Mi: … Alright, since Nan Yin snuck into Roland High School today, she certainly didn't bring any meal card, considering she had been expelled. Even if she did, she wouldn't have been able to use it. There was no rule at Roland High School regulating these matters anyway. Look at Su Xiao Yu and Su Ran Ran - are they not carrying weapons to school? Such is the charm of this city with supernatural abilities. "But we have a physical education class…" Jiang Mi remarked glancing at the PE teacher at the sideline of the field, scratching her head. "Should we go for lunch now?" "PE class? Is she a teacher?" Nan Yin rolled her eyes at Jiang Mi, grabbing Jiang Mi's meal card from her hand. Jiang Mi: ??? …………………… Drip… Drip… A chilling, blood-red liquid stained the floor. Creak… Creak… The piercing sound of leather shoes stepping on wooden planks filled the room. A throat ripped apart didn’t hinder her eyes from darting around, her cracked, pale lips moved: "Pop… zap… crack... gul- gulp... It's ripped open. Pop… zap… crack… gul- gulp... It's broken. The heart is taken by the right hand, intestines by the left, the head put down and so is the liver, Mary eyes the blue eyeballs in her hands. Pop… zap… crack... gul- gulp... It's ripped open. Pop… zap… crack… gal… gulp... It's broken. The lungs are in the right hand, the kidney in the left, the tongue put down and so is the nose…"