“And that’s why… I ran away…”

“…”

Hei exchanged stunned glances with Tianlan.

The story he had just heard was so far beyond his expectations that he could hardly believe it was possible.

He turned back to Meilin, his face looking slightly pale, and could only stare blankly at her for a while, unable to muster up the words to speak.

“Meilin, you… You can’t be serious… That really happened? I can’t believe it.”

Meilin, realising that he sympathised with her, felt happy to find someone who understood her side of things.

She nodded her head with a serious expression on her face and confirmed.

“I’m being entirely serious. Everything I said actually happened.”

“That’s just…”

Hei raised his hand to the top of his head as he looked to the ceiling, his shock still visible.

After shaking his head, he gave Tianlan a look and turned back to Meilin.

“What can I say...? Your parents are awful human beings… And I mean truly awful.”

“Hm?”

Meilin’s eyebrows twitched as she heard that.

“I’ve never even heard of such a thing. To think a mother and father would do that to their own daughter. You poor thing.”

“Wait-”

“It’s no wonder you ran away,” interrupted Tianlan. “I mean, anyone would do the same if put in your shoes. Heck, if I were being tormented by such garbage excuses for parents, I don’t know what I would do.”

“I-”

“Using their precious daughter as a mere pawn in their selfish games...”

Hei shook his head, a clear look of disgust plastered on his face.

“Tch. It’s despicable.”

“No! I-”

“Don’t worry Meilin. You don’t have to go back to those scum. They don’t deserve you. You can stay with us.”

“Stop!” yelled Meilin as she shot up to her feet. “Stop saying bad things about my parents! They’re wonderful people!”

“Oh?”

Tianlan wasn’t having any of it.

“You’re talking about the same trash who tried to sell their daughter off to the highest bidder?”

“Worst of all,” added Hei, “They didn’t even bother to consider your feelings.”

He shook his head, then looked at Meilin with eyes full of sympathy.

“There’s no need to hold back, Meilin. When it comes to vermin like them-”

“I said stop!”

At this point, Meilin’s eyes had reddened and she had clenched her hands into fists.

“You’ve got it all wrong! My parents aren’t like that at all!”

“Hm?”

Hei looked at Meilin with the most confused expression he could make.

“What did we say that was wrong? They’re forcing you into a marriage you don’t want to be in, aren’t they?”

“They’re not! They… they just want me to find someone who will take care me…”

“Hm?”

This time it was Tianlan who made an inquiry.

“Isn’t that the same as dumping you off somewhere?”

“It’s not!”

“How so? You said yourself that your elder sister isn’t being pressured to marry. Why is it any different for you?”

“That’s because Big Sis is trying to inherit the leader position.”

Meilin’s eyes lowered to the ground and her tone softened as she continued.

“Big Sis is different from me. When we were little, we were always together. It felt like if I just turned my head, Big Sis would always be there, ready to play with me. But it all changed when she found out that our mother couldn’t have any more children after our little sister was born.”

“Why did that cause her to change?”

“Because it meant that our family wouldn’t have a son to vie for the clan leader position.”

“So?”

“Even though our father is the current leader, he became the subject of ridicule after the news spread. The competing elders knew that our family’s long streak of successions was going to end with him, and they made sure to rub it in whenever they could.

“Big Sis started to notice it and became angry on Father’s behalf. She swore that should defeat all of those elders’ sons and take the clan head position for herself.

“That was when she stopped playing with me…

“Ever since then, Father started spending more and more time with Big Sis. Both of them stopped spending as much time with me.

“At the same time, Mother was busy taking care of the new baby, so I was left alone.

“Little Yanmei turned out to be really talented at the sword, so Father started to spend a lot of time with her as well.

“I was the only one who Father wasn’t proud of…

“I felt...

“All alone…”

“And that’s when you started watching those movies?” asked Hei.

“Mm.”

She clasped her hands in front of her chest, her fingers interlaced, then lowered her gaze as she began to recall the past.

After collecting her thoughts, she began to recite.

“I related to the princesses in those movies.

“I was all alone in my castle with no one to care for me...

“Just like them...”

She looked up, her eyes now misty.

“But one day my prince would come.

“He would treat me like I was the most precious thing in the world.

“He wouldn’t put anything above me.

“He would even give his life for me…”

She closed her eyes and lowered head, bringing her lips to her interlaced fingers.

“I wanted that.

“It was what I wanted the most.”

She took a breath, then opened her eyes again and continued.

“When I reached marriageable age, my parents started to present suitors to me.

“It was all so sudden.

“It felt like they were trying to send me to another castle to be trapped there instead.

“That was why I decided to run away.”

“And as we were saying,” said Tianlan. “Your parents are-”

She shook her head, stopping Tianlan mid-sentence.

“Please don’t say anymore.”

She closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them again before continuing.

“I realise now that it wasn’t that my father was prouder of my sisters. I was the one who felt inferior and stopped putting effort into my cultivation.

“Naturally, I couldn’t keep spending as much time with him as I had in the past.

“Big Sis was busy taking on the responsibility that should never have been hers so that Yanmei and I wouldn't feel the weight on our shoulders. Yet I repaid her kindness by resenting her for neglecting me.

“My mother never made me feel like she didn’t care for me. Not at all. I was the one who started hiding away, spending all of my time away from home. She did everything she could to let me know she was there for me.

“When my parents were presenting those marriage partners to me, they weren’t trying to trap me. They… wanted to help me find my prince…

“I’m the one who failed to see it…”

She closed her eyes and clenched her hands tightly.

“I love my mother and father, and I’m lucky to have been born their daughter.”

She drew in a deep breath and let all of her feelings out in one go.

“Please stop saying bad things about them!”

***

After a long while of silence, Meilin slowly opened her eyes.

What came into view was Hei’s smiling face and Tianlan’s neutral expression.

“Hm?”

She didn’t quite understand what was going on.

“It looks like you figured it out,” said Tianlan as he turned his attention to something else.

“I... figured it out…?”

Hei nodded his head in response.

He pressed his palms together before bowing his head slightly.

“Sorry for badmouthing your parents. I’m sure they’re both wonderful people.”

“…”

Meilin was thoroughly confused.

She thought for a moment and remembered one of the many silent exchanges Hei and Tianlan had.

It was... right before they started throwing insults at her parents...

Her eyes opened wide and she pointed at the two, stunned.

“Hey! You tricked me!”

The two raised their hands in surrender.

For a short while, Meilin could only stare at their cheeky faces with her jaw dropped.

When she came back to her senses and remembered the dramatic display she had just put on, her ears turned bright red.

“Gosh!”

She grumpily sat back down with her arms crossed and her cheeks puffed out, her foot repeatedly tapping the ground in frustration.

She harrumphed while turning her head away from the two.

“Humph! I’m suing for emotional damages.”

***

After a while, her exasperation began to fade.

She glanced over at the pot of stew with longing in her eyes, turning away once more when her actions were discovered.

“Humph!”

***

Her eyes were soon drawn back to the stew.

“…”

***

She lowered her head in shame and pressed her two index fingers together.

“One...”

She lowered her head further and made her voice as small as she could.

“One roll of bread ought to cover it…”