667 Torture
Chen Xiu never thought there would come a day when she'd feel like death was a lot easier than what she was currently going through. Because of Xin Suyin's orders, two men had taken to a small room and threw her inside.
Her hands and feet were still tied. The room wasn't just small, it was colder than the place she had been in. There were bright lights in the room that hurt her eyes but whenever she tried to close her eyes, someone would splash her with water.
She was already feeling cold and the water made it worse. Because of that, she didn't even dare close her eyes for an extended period of time. She didn't know how long she spent in this solitary. But she knew that she hadn't seen anyone in a long time and neither had she slept in a long time. Food or water was just as much out of the picture.
Her body had already given up on her but now, even her senses were about to be lost. This psychological torture was worse than anything she had gone through in life. She had heard about this, confinement, debilitation, sensory assault, and desperation. Who knew one day she'd have to experience it first hand as well. And for what? Why would no one even tell her what she had done wrong?
It was at this point that Chen Xiu had found herself breaking apart literally in every sense. Her senses were in shambles and so was her mind. A person like her who was already depressed was literally thrown into an abyss now. She had always been trying to give hope to others but her own hope was leaving her side now.
Before her desperation could turn her numb, the door that had been closed for who knew how long finally opened and Xin Suyin walked inside in good spirit.
The finger marks on Xiu's face from the other day had made her appearance unsightly. Lack of sleep and food made her look pale. No, she looked like she was about to breathe her last breath any minute now.
"How are you, Chen Xiu?"
Xiu didn't even have the energy to glare at this woman. But she still looked at Xin Suyin with a blank look in her eyes.
"Did my people treat you well?" As Xiu saw her stepping closer, her whole body quivered on instinct. "You look better than I thought. Even after four days, you're in good spirits. How remarkable!" She placed her index finger under Xiu's chin and looked into her eyes, "And here I thought of you as a weak girl. You're stronger than you look, huh."
Because of the cold temperature in the room, Xiu couldn't really feel any sense in her body. Everything was numb. But Xin Suyin's finger had a warmth to it and when it touched Xiu's skin, it made her feel strange. She wanted to reject it and yet couldn't help craving for that warmth as well.
"Why?" Xiu's voice came out in a whisper. She had long lost her voice from screaming for help when it wasn't even heard by anyone. All she did was tiring herself by screaming for so long.
Looking like a lifeless doll, Xiu said softly, "It isn't for your daughter."
Xin Suyin laughed out and continued to do so for a while before she patted Xiu's face, "Smart! Finally, you're using your brain. It really isn't for my daughter." She took a deep breath before elaborating, "If the first time warning you was for my daughter, this time around is my personal vendetta."
"I've never done anything to you," said Xiu. She wanted to cry again but all her tears had already dried up by now. She was really just a shell that was held up by the ropes that tied her to the chair.
"The vendetta is with your mother. You're just in the crossfire," replied Xin Suyin in such a calm tone that it really made Xiu feel like the person before wasn't a human but a monster in the skin of a human.
"My mother?" repeated Xiu.
"Originally I thought you're just acting but now, I honestly think that you're as naive as you look," began Xin Suyin in a strange tone. "Did your mother really never told you who your father is?"
That caught Xiu's attention as she tried to gather all her energy left to look at Xin Suyin.
Xin Suyin clicked her tongue in disappointment, "And here I had been thinking that your mother had planned everything. Just so she could revenge on me by snatching my daughter's love from her as I snatched hers." The eyes that Xiu was keeping open with great difficulty, opened wide in shock. "Yes, my husband was originally your mother's boyfriend. But I took a liking to him and I always get I want. So I did everything I could to get him."
She shook her head as she went on, "If you hadn't given the bone marrow to my daughter I'd have never doubted your existence. But when you turned out to be a perfect match for Nuannuan, I had an inkling. What a shame that I was right. You actually turned out to be my husband's illegitimate daughter."
Xiu felt her breath stuck in her throat. She couldn't believe what she heard. What did she mean? Was Liu Nuan her own sister? How was that possible? Xiu wasn't willing to believe it. Not even for a second!
Xin Suyin took a chair and sat down right before Xiu as she continued, "Nothing ever slips out from my hands but your existence just became something I never even knew about. It makes me hate you even more. I hate it when the situation isn't in my control. If I knew about you, I'd have killed you a long time ago."
"Flashback, to be Continued*
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