When I got back to the tiny, tucked-away guest room they’d assigned me, I had barely sat down when someone knocked.
Tô Noãn Noãn stood outside the door holding a glass of milk, looking pitiful. “Big sister, I’m sorry. This was all my fault today… This room is so small. I’m sorry you have to stay in it. Mom and Dad love me the most, so they gave me the master bedroom. It was supposed to be your princess room. Why don’t you move into my room instead? I’ll sleep in the living room.”
She spoke just loud enough for our parents to hear as they came out to check on Tô Minh Hiên’s injuries.
Sure enough, Lâm Huệ rushed over at once, shielding Tô Noãn Noãn behind her and glaring at me. “Tô Tình! What more do you want? Noãn Noãn is so thoughtful. Can’t you learn from her? Do you have to take your little sister’s room, too?”
Tô Kiến Thành’s face darkened, too. “Enough! This family is already in chaos. Can’t you behave yourself for once?”
My eldest brother, Tô Minh Hiên, had just been helped to his feet by Tô Minh Triết and a servant. Limping and clutching his waist, he planted himself in front of Tô Noãn Noãn’s door like a guardian deity and roared at me, “As long as I’m here, you’re not setting foot inside!”
The whole family stood together, united against me.
I looked at them and let out a helpless sigh.
I hadn’t cared where I stayed, as long as it was quiet. But now they’d turned this room into a weapon to attack me with.
In that case, I wouldn’t hold back, either.
I looked at Tô Minh Hiên without a word, then lifted my foot and prepared to walk past him.
“You dare!” Tô Minh Hiên shouted, raising a hand to shove me.
The instant he raised his hand, the ornate European-style plaster molding above his head suddenly gave a sharp crack. The whole section came crashing down, landing squarely on his head.
“BANG!”
With a dull thud, Tô Minh Hiên’s eyes rolled back. He passed out without even a groan.
“Minh Hiên!”
“My son!”
Tô Kiến Thành and Lâm Huệ screamed in alarm and rushed over. In a panic, Tô Kiến Thành tried to get his phone out to call an ambulance. But as soon as he pulled it from his pocket, the screen flickered a few times, then went completely black. It was broken.
Lâm Huệ tried to help Tô Minh Hiên up, but stepped on a fallen piece of plaster and slipped. She lost her balance and screamed as she toppled right onto her unconscious son.
The doorway descended into chaos.
Tô Noãn Noãn was so frightened that her face turned ashen. She kept backing away, staring at me with a terror she’d never shown before.
I sighed again, stepped around the “chain-reaction accident” at the door, and entered the spacious princess room that belonged to Tô Noãn Noãn.
The room was filled with fragrance and lavishly decorated, brimming with girlish charm. More importantly, it occupied the best spot in the entire villa, with plenty of sunlight and abundant good fortune.
As soon as I stepped inside, the faint pressure and murderous aura surrounding me eased considerably.
This place was perfect for me to “enjoy my retirement.”
Satisfied, I closed the door, shutting out all the commotion outside.
At the end of the hallway, Tô Minh Triết was leaning against the wall, watching the whole thing unfold. He silently gave a thumbs-up toward my door, then leisurely took out his phone and expertly dialed 120.
“Hello, emergency services? The address is…”
The string of “accidents” plunged the entire Tô family into an eerie silence.
No one dared raise their voice at me anymore.
Tô Minh Hiên lay in bed with his head wrapped in bandages, groaning. Lâm Huệ had sprained her ankle and was limping. Tô Kiến Thành had replaced his phone, but it always seemed to feel scorching hot.
Only Tô Minh Triết became the odd one out in the family.
The next morning, he knocked on my door holding two sheets of paper: a floor plan of the villa and a printed bagua diagram.
He said to me with a serious expression, “Little sister, I spent all night researching this. Your constitution… is really something out of the occult! I’ve worked it all out for you. Your room is in the Qian position, which is extremely auspicious. But the kitchen is in the Li position, which belongs to Fire, so you’d better stay away from it today. And our eldest brother’s room is in the position of utter doom. He’s in danger of a bloody disaster today, so I’ve warned him not to get out of bed.”
After saying that, he pressed a black card into my hand. “Here’s a supplementary card. There’s no PIN, so use it as much as you like. From now on, if anyone in the family is foolish enough to provoke you, give me a heads-up first so I can stay out of the way and avoid getting struck by ‘heavenly lightning’ too.”
I looked at the earnest, almost ingratiating expression in his eyes and quietly took the card.
My second older brother really was more perceptive than the others.
But the peaceful days didn’t last long.
When Tô Noãn Noãn realized her petty tricks couldn’t do anything to me—and had only brought misery down on herself and her family—she finally decided to make a ruthless move.
That afternoon, after school, Tô Noãn Noãn didn’t come home.
At seven that evening, the landline rang. Tô Kiến Thành answered, and his face changed drastically.
A hoarse, electronically altered voice came from the other end. “Your daughter, Tô Noãn Noãn, is in my hands. If you don’t want anything to happen to her, prepare ten million yuan. Remember, don’t call the police! And tell the jinx who just came back to your family that this is only the beginning!”
The call ended.
The living room fell deathly silent.
Tô Minh Hiên had only just gotten out of bed, but he slammed a fist onto the table and roared, “It’s definitely her! Tô Tình did this! She’s jealous of Noãn Noãn, so she teamed up with outsiders to kidnap her!”
Lâm Huệ completely lost it, rushing over to yank my hair. “You vile, heartless monster! How could the Tô family give birth to something like you? Give me back my Noãn Noãn!”
Tô Kiến Thành’s face turned livid. He shoved me into a corner and roared, “Call the police! Call them right now and have her arrested! She’s the mastermind!”
In an instant, they believed it. To them, the kidnapper’s clumsy attempt to frame me was ironclad proof.
Tô Minh Triết tried to stop them, but Tô Kiến Thành roared at him, “Shut your mouth! She’s bewitched you, too, hasn’t she?”
They locked me in my room. From outside, I heard them angrily calling the police and saying there was an accomplice to the kidnappers in the house—me.
I sat on the rug in my room, perfectly calm.
I knew Tô Noãn Noãn was about to suffer a terrible calamity. Worse than any she’d faced before.
Because this time, she hadn’t merely harbored evil intentions toward me—she’d actually acted on them, and even tried to ruin my entire life.
My master used to say that cause and effect always come full circle, and retribution never misses its mark. She brought this on herself. No one could stop it.
Meanwhile, in an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of the city...
Several thugs surrounded Tô Noãn Noãn, who was tied to a chair, preparing to record a video to send to the Tô family.
“Little miss, don’t blame us. We got paid to take care of a problem for someone.” The blond-haired leader grinned as he pulled out his phone.