“Ah—!”
The cry that burst from her mouth was no longer the soft sobbing of a pear blossom shedding petals in the rain, but a scream of terror and pain.
“Noãn Noãn!”
My biological parents, Tô Kiến Thành and Lâm Huệ, rushed over at once. They didn't spare me a glance, instead lifting Tô Noãn Noãn with concern and checking her injuries.
“What happened? How did things end up like this when everything was fine just a moment ago?”
Lâm Huệ's voice was shrill with fury. She jerked her head up and glared at me. “Something happens the moment you come home! You're nothing but a jinx!”
I stood still, watching the “happy family” of three. I felt nothing.
My master once told me that the more intensely my emotions fluctuated, the stronger the field of bad luck around me became.
I just wanted some peace and quiet. I didn't want to cause any trouble.
Just then, a tall, handsome man came rushing down from upstairs. It was my eldest brother, Tô Minh Hiên.
When he saw Tô Noãn Noãn injured, his face instantly turned livid. He pointed right at my nose and shouted, “Get out! The Tô family doesn't welcome a scheming, vicious woman like you!”
His finger nearly poked the tip of my nose.
I calmly raised my eyes and looked at his face, twisted with rage.
The next second, the expensive Persian rug beneath his feet suddenly curled up at the edge, wrapping perfectly around his ankle.
“Ah!”
Tô Minh Hiên cried out. He lost his balance and went sprawling face-first, taking a full-on nosedive. His front teeth seemed to hit the floor with a dull clack.
“Minh Hiên!” Lâm Huệ screamed. She let go of Tô Noãn Noãn and rushed to help her son. She was wearing four-inch heels, and in her haste, one shoe suddenly snapped with a sharp crack—its heel broke clean off.
She twisted her ankle and tumbled to the floor, cutting a truly miserable figure.
The living room descended into chaos. People fell over one another as cries, groans, and shrill screams rang out without end.
I quietly stepped around them, found an armchair in the corner, and sat down. I set my canvas backpack by my feet, as though none of what was happening had anything to do with me.
Only my second older brother, Tô Minh Triết, who had been leaning against the second-floor railing and watching me from the moment I walked in, stood off at a distance without coming any closer.
He watched the string of “coincidences,” his eyes full of surprise and curiosity, his brows drawn together.
A servant helped Tô Noãn Noãn to her feet. Still crying, she spoke with a hint of fear in her voice. “Dad, Mom, don't blame my sister. It was all an accident... It really was all an accident...”
I felt a little annoyed.
I only wanted to find a place with strong fortune—somewhere like a wealthy family's mansion—to suppress the baleful energy around me and live a quiet, peaceful life.
So why did they insist on provoking me?
The atmosphere at dinner was especially heavy. No one said a word; the silence was suffocating.
At the long dining table, Tô Kiến Thành and Lâm Huệ wore faces as dark as thunder. My eldest brother, Tô Minh Hiên, had lips swollen like sausages and glared at me as if he wanted to swallow me whole. Tô Noãn Noãn, wrapped in bandages, sat close beside Lâm Huệ, shooting me resentful glances from time to time.
Only my second older brother, Tô Minh Triết, sat across from me, watching me with keen interest.
The servants brought out one dish after another, moving with extreme care, afraid that even the slightest noise would spell trouble.
Just as the bowl of Buddha Jumps Over the Wall was about to be set in front of me, Tô Noãn Noãn, seated beside me, “accidentally” swung her elbow back, striking the servant's arm with uncanny precision.
“Ow!” The servant cried out, her hand trembling. The piping-hot bowl of soup, brimming with delicacies, immediately tipped over and splashed straight toward my face and neck.
The corner of Tô Noãn Noãn's mouth curled into a cold, smug smile.
Everyone held their breath.
I couldn't even be bothered to dodge. I simply tilted my head a little and watched the bowl of soup.
An unbelievable sight unfolded.
Midair, the steaming bowl of soup seemed to be pulled by an invisible force. It traced an uncanny arc, gliding perfectly past me before... every last drop poured right onto the head of my eldest brother, Tô Minh Hiên, who had been about to open his mouth and curse at me across the table.
“Ah—!!!”
A bloodcurdling scream rang through the dining room.
The scalding soup made Tô Minh Hiên leap out of his chair. It streamed down from his hair, coating his whole face, with abalone and sea cucumber dangling from it. He looked both ridiculous and pitiful.
“Oh my God! Get a towel, quick!” Lâm Huệ screamed, flustered and frantic.
After a brief burst of pain, Tô Minh Hiên was consumed by fury. He brushed the food off his face and glared at me with bloodshot eyes. “You jinx! I'll kill you!”
He charged at me like a madman, screaming as he raised his hand.
I calmly watched him without moving an inch.
Just as he reached me, with his slap about to land...
The Swarovski crystal chandelier above his head began to sway violently. Every mounting screw seemed to loosen at once, with an earsplitting creak.
“Brother! Watch out!”
Tô Minh Triết, who had been silent all along, suddenly went pale. He sprang from his chair like an arrow loosed from a bow and lunged forward, using all his strength to pull Tô Minh Hiên out of the way.
“CRASH—!”
Almost the instant they got clear, the massive crystal chandelier came crashing down, smashing to pieces right where Tô Minh Hiên had been standing—directly in front of me.
The expensive dining table was smashed to bits. Crystal shards and food flew everywhere, leaving the floor in complete disarray.
The entire scene fell silent.
The sudden accident left everyone utterly terrified.
Tô Minh Hiên's face had gone deathly pale as he stared at the wreckage. If Tô Minh Triết had been one second slower, he would have been crushed beneath it. In an instant, cold sweat soaked through his undershirt.
“It was an accident. It was all an accident...”
My father in name only, Tô Kiến Thành, tried to keep calm as he waved his hand, though his voice was trembling. “Tomorrow... tomorrow we'll have someone come and inspect everything in the house!”
He didn't dare look at me, as if I were something horrifying.
I calmly wiped the corner of my mouth with my napkin, set down my chopsticks, and stood up.
“I’m full.”
Then I turned and headed upstairs to the guest room they’d arranged for me.
“Stop right there!” Behind me, my eldest brother, Tô Minh Hiên, still shaken and unwilling to let it go, pointed at my back and shouted.
He seemed to have forgotten that every time he harbored ill will toward me, retribution followed.
No sooner had he spoken than he stepped on some sharp shard from the chandelier. His foot slipped, and he lost his balance, tumbling off the chair beside him and slamming his waist against its armrest.
“Aaah… My back!” Tô Minh Hiên groaned in pain, curled up on the floor.
I didn’t look back.
I could feel the look in my second older brother Tô Minh Triết’s eyes behind me change completely—from surprise and suspicion to a complicated mix of fear, respect, and a hint of excitement.
He watched me walk away, then looked at our eldest brother groaning on the floor. His expression had changed completely.
This family was so noisy.