Lu Meihe became a quasi-young mistress because her mother married into the family she had long served. However, her upbringing in such an environment made her insecure and sensitive, always feeling like an outsider. Her mother constantly reminded her to be content, grateful, and to know her place.
Being too young to fully grasp the concept of boundaries, Lu Meihe often felt anxious and out of place in the Qin Family. One rainy night, she got lost in the woods near the old estate. Too afraid to call for help, she tried to find her way out on her own, not wanting to trouble the Qin Family. Eventually, overwhelmed by panic, she broke down in tears.
At her most vulnerable moment, Qin’s Father found her with a flashlight and an umbrella, carrying her back home.
For the young girl, that moment was both salvation and the beginning of her infatuation. It also became her breakthrough into the Qin Family, and gradually, she became the most beloved “youngest daughter” of the household. Yet, her eyes and heart always followed Qin’s Father.
As she grew older and entered adolescence, the other brothers in the family began to develop feelings for her. Grandma Lv noticed this and repeatedly, albeit hesitantly, reminded Lu Meihe to maintain boundaries. Though her words were subtle, Lu Meihe understood. Grandma Lv, still carrying a sense of servility, believed her daughter was unworthy of the young masters, thinking they would eventually marry women of equal social standing. She warned Lu Meihe not to overstep, lest she be seen as ungrateful.
In that moment, Lu Meihe’s unrequited love had nowhere to go. She realized that Qin’s Father, whom she had secretly admired, was even more unattainable.
But who can control matters of the heart? Just as she was mustering the courage to confess, Qin’s Father met Qin’s Mom. Desperate, Lu Meihe impulsively confessed her feelings, only to see shock and disbelief in Qin’s Father’s eyes. To him, the age gap and their familial roles made such feelings unthinkable.
The shame from that look shattered her composure, and all the insecurities she had suppressed came rushing back. She began to question herself, wondering if there was something wrong with her.
Unable to face Qin’s Father, who now awkwardly avoided her, or Qin’s Mom, who visited the house with her beauty and grace, Lu Meihe felt like a clown. To distract herself, she turned to the internet, researching whether her attraction to someone so much older, and technically a brother figure, was a sign of illness. She noticed that the brothers who once seemed interested in her now treated her purely as a sister. They had moved on, but she hadn’t. She convinced herself that she must be the one with the problem.
During her research, she met Yu Hongxian. Lu Meihe immediately saw an opportunity to ease her embarrassment by pretending to have an online romance, explaining to Qin’s Father that her feelings were merely a “brother complex.” This allowed her to revert to her role as a sister in his eyes.
Yu Hongxian, thinking she was just a young girl interested in psychology, enjoyed discussing the subject with her. He recommended books and introduced her to more advanced topics, such as psychological suggestion, mental manipulation, and hypnosis.
Unbeknownst to him, his discussions planted dangerous seeds. The knowledge she gained seemed to offer a solution: she began using self-hypnosis to suppress her feelings for Qin’s Father, believing this would allow her to live a normal life.
Later, when Qin’s Father married and had children, Lu Meihe could smile and offer her blessings. No one noticed her secret.
However, the delicate balance began to crumble with the birth of Qin Xian, Qin’s Father’s second son and a child prodigy.
At first, Lu Meihe genuinely cared for Qin Xian, loving him as an extension of her affection for Qin’s Father. The Qin Family often spoke of how Qin Xian’s genius would be Qin’s Father’s greatest pride. Though Qin’s Father treated all his children equally, outsiders believed that Qin Xian’s success would bring immense benefits to the family. Lu Meihe often helped care for and tutor him, further solidifying her role in the family.
But everything changed with one sentence.
“You like my dad? My dad will only ever love my mom. He will never love you.”
These words, spoken by a child too young to fully understand social nuances but perceptive enough to see through her, shattered the fragile lock on her suppressed emotions.
In that moment, Lu Meihe began to hate Qin Xian with an intensity she had never known. She had been willing to live a lie, even forgetting her own heartbreak, but Qin Xian had exposed her deepest, most painful secret.
Why did he have to see it? Why did he have to say it? Was it fun to tear open old wounds? Just because he was a genius?
He was right, though. Qin’s Father would never love her. The thought filled her with unbearable frustration. If she couldn’t have him, then she would destroy what he cherished most. She decided to ruin Qin Xian, the child Qin’s Father was most proud of.
Under the guise of a caring aunt, Lu Meihe subjected Qin Xian to three years of psychological abuse. She constantly belittled, mocked, and undermined his achievements. She slowly killed each of his pets. The final month wasn’t spent at a foreign summer camp, as the family believed, but in complete isolation. Qin Xian was confined to a dark room, alone, with no sound, no human contact, and only food and water. For thirty days, the young boy did nothing but eat, sleep, and relieve himself.
The entire Qin Family was oblivious, believing Lu Meihe was doing her best for Qin Xian.
It wasn’t until Yu Hongxian grew suspicious of Lu Meihe’s frequent inquiries—which sounded too much like real-life cases—that the truth began to unravel. After discovering Grandpa Qin’s plea for help, Yu Hongxian visited the Qin Family and met Lu Meihe and the severely autistic Qin Xian. Piecing together the truth, he realized Lu Meihe also suffered from severe mental illness.
Despite this, Yu Hongxian couldn’t bring himself to abandon her. He loved her and chose to help her cover up her crimes. After treatment, Qin Xian forgot the abuse he had endured, his memories fragmented. The autism caused by the trauma was beyond Yu Hongxian’s ability to treat, so he shifted the blame to Qin Xian’s parents, claiming their neglect and his genius were the reasons for his condition.
Yu Hongxian believed no other psychologist would uncover the truth. After all, only he and his mentor possessed the skill to use hypnosis at such a level. No one would ever know Qin Xian had been hypnotized to forget.
Using this as leverage, Yu Hongxian forced Lu Meihe to marry him and took her away for hypnotic treatment, hoping to give her a chance at a normal life.
[How dare they! How dare such monsters deserve a normal life when even Qin Xian hasn’t recovered… I’ll kill these two!]
Ji Fei’s inner voice was almost choked with tears.
Meanwhile, the Qin Family was in chaos. Qin Yan and Qin Rong were sobbing uncontrollably, while Qin Zhao cursed incessantly. Qin’s Father, overwhelmed with grief, collapsed to his knees, weeping openly, even with guests present.
“Qin’s Father, stay strong, it’s not your fault, it’s not!” Qin’s Mom quickly said, “It’s their fault, they harmed Qin Xian! We can’t let Ji Fei face this alone. We must go! Forget everything else, we must avenge our son!”
“By the way, Second Brother, Second Brother is missing. Could something have happened to him?” Qin Zhao immediately shouted, “Has anyone seen my Second Brother and his wife?”
Those who had come upon hearing the news could only see that the entire Qin Family was in disarray.
Someone tried to approach and ask questions, but Qin Zhao lashed out in anger.
Finally, one by one, people began to share what they had witnessed.
They only saw them going upstairs, but no one knew exactly where they had gone.
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