She screamed hysterically in her heart, but reality was like an invisible hand, tightly gripping her throat, making it impossible for her to utter a single word.
“Hehehe… Daughter, since Ziya has already said so, just be my precious daughter obediently. I will dote on you well. First, say ‘Good morning, Mother.'”
Longjiu stood to the side, looking triumphant.
There was no trace of the heart-wrenching emotion she had shown when she previously lost Bai Li.
Bai Li grit her teeth.
Suddenly, she caught Ziya’s gaze from the side, a silent hint —
‘Father, stop arguing with Longjiu. Immediately… do not go against her.’
Bai Li took a deep breath and gradually calmed down.
‘Indeed… Ziya is right. In this situation, I can only give in and obediently call Longjiu “Mother.”‘
‘But my dignity…’
That was something she had upheld her entire life, yet now, for the sake of the bigger picture, she had to trample it under her own feet.
This feeling was 100 times more painful than being severely injured.
‘Forget it… I can reclaim my dignity sooner or later.’
Bai Li clenched her small hands, her fingertips turning slightly white.
Word by word, she forced out the sentence with great difficulty:
“Good morning… Empress Mother…”
The moment those words fell, Bai Li felt her last shred of pride shatter across the floor.
Standing nearby, Ziya breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing those words.
‘Whew… Fortunately, Father listened to my advice and didn’t go against Sister Longjiu. Otherwise, I really don’t know what she would have done.’
Early this morning, Ziya had been woken up by a knock at the door; the visitor was none other than Longjiu.
Longjiu claimed she wanted a heart-to-heart talk between sisters, so the two of them had conversed for one entire morning while Bai Li remained completely unaware.
The content of their conversation was nothing more than pleasantries, such as how Bai Li had been doing over there and other mundane topics.
However, as a Succubus, she sensed from Longjiu’s emotions and speech that Longjiu might have already been tormented into a ghost of her former self by her Heart Demon.
Though she appeared normal on the surface, she had actually long been devoured by her obsession; she simply had not shown it yet.
Ziya was afraid that if Father went against her, it would cause her to snap instantly.
This was something Ziya did not want to see.
After all, if Longjiu really turned her back on them then, wouldn’t she and Sister Baining be unable to even get a single bite?
“That would not do… Although she also wanted to keep Father all to herself, considering her two other sisters… ahem, Father naturally belonged to everyone.”
“Mmh, good girl.”
Longjiu nodded with satisfaction and then said, “Since my daughter once lived here as well, you should be clear on what to do next, right?”
“Yes… next, I should dine together with… Empress Mother.”
Bai Li spoke through gritted teeth, the words barely squeezing out of her throat.
After a period of relatively free life at Ziya’s place, Bai Li felt even more miserable now.
It was like a little bird that had once soared freely in the sky; once it experienced freedom and was then imprisoned again, it would become depressed or even starve itself to death.
“Mmh. Then, Ziya, chat with my daughter for a while. Come down in 15 minutes to dine with us.”
“Understood, Empress Mother.”
Longjiu nodded with satisfaction.
Without saying anything more, she turned and gracefully left the room.
The door closed softly, leaving only Bai Li and Ziya to stare at each other.
It was so quiet that they could hear each other’s breathing.
Bai Li hung her head, her small face filled with grievance and indignation, as she remained silent for a long time.
She only felt a heavy weight in her heart, as if a huge rock were pressing down on her, making it hard to breathe.
They were clearly the closest of people, yet they now had to interact through such a twisted identity.
Her former dignity was gone, leaving only endless humiliation and helplessness.
She raised her head, looked at the familiar yet strange room before her, and then at Ziya, who looked helpless but held a hint of worry.
Her heart was a whirlpool of emotions.
Once, she was the authoritative elder of this family, the most solid support for the children.
Now, she had become a “daughter” who was watched at every turn and restricted at every step.
This reversal of identity made her feel as if she were on the verge of a breakdown.
After a moment of silence, Bai Li finally spoke first, her tone full of grievance and indignation:
“Ziya… you certainly call her ‘sister’ easily. Longjiu has completely stopped treating me as Father…”
Ziya lowered her head, her voice soft.
“Father… you are currently under house arrest, and there is nothing we can do about it. Besides, she really is my sister…”
“Then… is there any way to escape again — “
Before Bai Li could finish, her mouth was covered.
Ziya spoke very softly, her large eyes darting warily toward the door, fearing that anyone outside might hear even the slightest sound.
“Shh… Sister Longjiu might be listening outside the door.”
Bai Li’s pupils instantly constricted, and her whole body tensed up, not even daring to breathe loudly.
She quickly nodded, indicating that she understood.
Only then did Ziya slowly release her hand.
She pressed herself tensely against the door, listening carefully for a while.
After confirming there were no footsteps outside, she breathed a sigh of relief and turned around.
“Father, now is really not the time to be impulsive.”
Ziya lowered her voice, her expression serious.
Bai Li pursed her lips with a look of grievance, but she also knew that Ziya was right.
She let out a long sigh, her heart filled with helplessness.
“I know… but I really cannot swallow this insult,” Bai Li muttered softly.
“I am clearly her father, yet now I am being disciplined by her like a daughter. What kind of situation is this…”
Seeing her aggrieved state, Ziya felt a pang of heartache, but she could only offer helpless comfort.
“Just endure it for now, Father. After some time, when Sister Longjiu’s emotions stabilize, we will slowly find a way. Right now, the most important thing is to protect yourself and not let her do anything more extreme.”
Bai Li hung her head, her fingers unconsciously twisting the corner of her clothes.
She felt so wronged that she was on the verge of tears.
She who was once fearless was now only able to be like a bird trapped in a cage, at the mercy of others, without even the strength to resist.
She raised her head and looked at the vast sky outside the window, her eyes filled with longing.
It turned out that the freedom that was once within reach would only be felt as so precious after it was lost.
“I know…”
Bai Li responded weakly, looking like a kitten whose wings were drenched by the rain.
Seeing her dejected look, Ziya gently patted her shoulder and comforted her softly.
“Don’t be sad, Father. Everything will be fine. We will definitely find a chance to leave this place.”
Bai Li forced herself to look up, squeezing out a smile at Ziya that looked worse than crying.
“I hope… that day truly comes.”
Just then, an extremely faint sound of footsteps suddenly came from outside the door.
The expressions of Bai Li and Ziya changed instantly.
Both held their breath, not daring to make even the slightest movement.