"Enough, stop talking, can't you understand what I'm saying? How others see you is their perspective. Their vision is limited, they lack insight. You are you, you are my sister Jade, how others see you doesn't matter. What's important is my view, how I see you is what truly matters. I can't control how others see you, but if anyone dares to bully you, I'll make them regret ever coming to this world. You are my sister Jade, and nobody—nobody can bully you! All you need to do now is muster the courage to be yourself, to do the things you love!" Luo Chao interrupted Yan Ruyu, shouting loudly.

"You are my sister Jade, and nobody—nobody can bully you!" Luo Chao's words were domineering and manly, it was as if he was asserting his claim over Yan Ruyu. Yet, these words moved Yan Ruyu to tears, she felt deeply touched even though she knew Luo Chao was not confessing love to her, but truly treated her like a sister, a real sister. Even so, Yan Ruyu remained deeply touched. However, Yan Ruyu's gaze quickly dimmed.

"Can I live life in a different way?" Yan Ruyu said self-deprecatingly.

"What's wrong, sister Jade, don't you want to live life differently? Or is there another reason?" Hearing Yan Ruyu's helpless voice, Luo Chao frowned and asked.

"No, I want to, I want to live a different way, but I can't make it happen!" Yan Ruyu painfully tore at her hair with her hands, letting out a sound full of agony.

"Sister Jade, what's going on? Tell me, I'll help you solve anything!" Luo Chao anxiously hugged Yan Ruyu and said.

"Wuwu—" Yan Ruyu cried sorrowfully in Luo Chao's arms, seemingly filled with immense helplessness in her heart.

"It's no use, Luo Chao, I know you mean well, but we really can't fight them!" Yan Ruyu said in a tone of despair.

"Why? Tell me, why is this?" Luo Chao grabbed Yan Ruyu with both hands and shook her hard, shouting loudly.

"Qingmu Society!" Yan Ruyu's body was shaken by Luo Chao, but she didn't resist, speaking powerlessly as a clear tear fell.

In the silent night, someone roared in anger;

It's heart-wrenching, someone's eyes are filled with despair;

Where is the joy?

Sorrow cannot be taken away—

"Qingmu Society?" Luo Chao's gaze tightened, sparks of anger flaring up. Although he had guessed a bit, he never dared to think further. Although it's common for those in the underworld to force good people into prostitution, witnessing it firsthand is another matter, especially seeing the world-weary, world-hating, and despairing look in Yan Ruyu's eyes. Luo Chao felt a heavy block in his heart, unable to speak further.

"My father, a man who personally pushed me into hell!" Just as Luo Chao had nothing to say, Yan Ruyu's voice sounded soullessly in his ear.

"Your father? Do you mean your father is—" Luo Chao heard Yan Ruyu's words, his face full of shock, looking at Yan Ruyu. But he didn't finish his sentence because he couldn't believe his own assumption.

"It's not what you think, he's not one of Qingmu Society's people, he doesn't even count as a dog of theirs." Yan Ruyu's words denied Luo Chao's thoughts.

"Then what does this have to do with your father?" Luo Chao was puzzled; Yan Ruyu mentioned Qingmu Society, then her father, leaving him confused. Since Yan Ruyu's father is not with Qingmu Society, yet everything Yan Ruyu is experiencing is because of them, and Yan Ruyu links the two together. Luo Chao, usually smart, found himself baffled.

"Since I can remember, the only person by my side was my father. I've never met my mother; perhaps I never had a mother at all. I've not seen grandparents, only my father, a man who accompanies alcohol and gambling every day!" Yan Ruyu didn't pay attention to Luo Chao, continuing in a low voice as if narrating to others or speaking to herself.

This time, Luo Chao remained silent and quietly listened to Yan Ruyu's narration. He knew he couldn't say anything, and being the best listener was the best he could do.

"Every day, my father would come home drunk like a pile of mud. When he came home, there were two scenarios: one was when he won money, he'd casually throw me some money and go into his room to sleep; the other was when he lost money, he'd come home and take his anger out on me. He would hit me, curse me, even brandish a burning cigarette at me. Old wounds would heal only to be replaced by new ones. In my life, there wasn't a single day without injuries," Yan Ruyu continued, "To me, he didn't seem like my father; instead, it felt like I was his mother, taking care of him every day."

Although Yan Ruyu spoke lightly, Luo Chao deeply felt the hardship and pain within her words. He, too, had no parents, but he had a loving, perhaps overly doting master, and a fiancée who cared for him, though he had hurt her deeply.

Growing up under his master's care, in comparison to Yan Ruyu, his life seemed so fortunate. Although he had no parents, he received more affection than some with parents. While Yan Ruyu, with only a father, a single relative, had a unique relative who was cripplingly obsessed with gambling and alcohol, offering no care but daily humiliation instead.

"Despite him beating me and cursing me every day, I still carefully took care of him, silently enduring it all, not for any other reason but because he was my father. His blood flows in my veins. Without me, what would happen to him? So I always stayed by his side, taking care of his daily life. No matter how bitter or tiring, I could persevere because that was my home. There, I didn't feel unnecessary," Yan Ruyu said, her expression gradually revealing a painful look, "but, but—"

Yan Ruyu's body couldn't help but tremble, tears cascading down her eyes, her expression full of pain, it seemed like recalling those memories was too painful, ripping her heart apart.

"Sister Jade, stop talking!" Luo Chao felt a sting in his nose, tears almost falling. Yan Ruyu's almost twisted face made Luo Chao feel the pain within her heart at that moment. He reached out to hold Yan Ruyu in his arms, letting her lean on his shoulder, wiping away the tears from her face with his fingers.

"No, let me finish, maybe telling it this once, I can finally forget, forget the person who's caused me a lifetime of pain." Yan Ruyu gently shook her head and said.

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