Although They're Mentally ill, They're Extremely Easy to Comfort - Chapter 37

“You are a mongrel born of a mother but raised by no father. What else can you do besides eat, you useless thing?”

In that remote, backward mountain village, so isolated it couldn’t even be found on a map, the disheveled girl wasn’t even worthy of a name. She lived every day being verbally abused and beaten with clubs.

Who her parents were, why she had no home, how old she was—these questions would go unresolved, following her throughout her life and becoming an indelible nightmare.

Taken to a strange city for a black market transaction, the girl was treated as a commodity in the human trafficking trade, branded with the shameful price tag.

Surrounded by a group of filthy men, they offered cheap sums, their evil smiles filled with despicable lust. Some even took liberties, touching and violating her fragile, skinny body under the guise of assessing whether she was worth buying.

The girl didn’t even have the right to cry, because a tear-streaked face would make the buyers feel unlucky, further lowering her price, and might even provoke another unpredictable beating from the seller.

She drifted like a speck of dust—no, she was less than dust, because she couldn’t control her own freedom.

To survive, the girl forced herself to smile for a slice of bread that couldn’t even fill her stomach, sometimes even crouching on the ground to lick up the leftovers others had discarded.

She dared not fantasize about a better future, as her life had already plunged into the abyss of hell.

What more could she crave besides simply staying alive?

Until the well-dressed young woman appeared. She held a delicate, small fan, occasionally covering her mouth with it, yet failing to hide the sinister smile on her heavily made-up face.

The woman twirled the fan handle and lightly lifted the girl’s chin, her condescending posture making her unattainable—it was a gaze shared between heaven and hell.

There was no trace of pity in the woman’s cold eyes; she looked more like she was choosing a favorite plaything. Her scrutiny became increasingly revealing.

The girl was emaciated and covered in dirt, her eyes clouded with helpless mist. Those clear eyes, bearing the hardships since childhood, failed to reflect the innocent radiance they should have possessed.

Among the many employers who wanted to buy her, this woman was the only one who sparked the thought in her mind that she wanted to be taken away.

So, in that moment of mutual gaze, she gritted her teeth and forced out what she believed was her most brilliant smile, trying to display all her obedience and compliance in this way.

Please, take me away from this painful human purgatory. Please.

Her smile, filled with desperate hope for a change in fate, was heartbreakingly pathetic.

“She’s at the perfect age for people to amuse themselves with. 8,800 is the lowest I’ll go. It cost me more than that to raise her this far.”

The drunken seller gulped down beer, his slurred voice grating and vulgar. The woman ignored him, quietly observing the girl’s eyes. In that look of solitary plea, she easily found her answer.

A group of tall, burly bodyguards followed the woman. With a single glance from her, the men rolled up their sleeves, revealing their thick arms, exuding a strong sense of menace.

The seller stumbled, shouting even nastier threats with brazen recklessness.

In the girl’s memory, that day’s events were magically surreal. A group of strangers fought violently over her, causing chaos and a frenzy all around—there were wails of pain, sounds of cheering, and the crisp, clear click of high heels.

She smiled faintly. It turned out her life was better than a speck of dust after all.

The young woman didn’t despise her filth, gripping her wrist tightly and leading her away from the sordid, noisy black market.

The woman walking ahead still held the fan in front of her mouth. She slightly turned her head and formally spoke her first words to the girl: “Remember, from now on, your name is Chu Xi.”

That day, the girl gained two things—a name bestowed upon her by the woman, and a cheap price tag branded onto her dignity.

Why must unbearable pain be tightly bound in the depths of memory, even accompanying one’s soul?

Those terrible recollections were like a needle that would never rust, constantly piercing Chu Xi’s heart, ceaselessly warning her: Never go back to the past, never show vulnerability to others.

Chu Xi stubbornly believed that Qiao Bo’er would always side with Qin Yun, given the obvious difference in their relationships with the woman.

She frowned, refusing to accept Qiao Bo’er’s request, and asked back stubbornly: “The whole world thinks she is my savior, and you think so too. But wasn’t she the one who abandoned me in the end?”

“Chu Xi, your misunderstanding of Qin Yun is too deep. There are many things she is unwilling to say and doesn’t allow me to say. You can only personally understand the full story. I have always taught you not to judge right and wrong before you know the whole picture. I can give you enough time to resolve this misunderstanding.”

“With all due respect, I don’t want to spend my precious time on meaningless things, and I certainly don’t want to intrude on her life. I can now pay her many multiples of 8,800 at the former price to express my gratitude for saving my life back then. I can even stop being called Chu Xi!”

“Shut up!” Qiao Bo’er sharply scolded, waking Chu Xi from her rant. Realizing her lapse in composure, she immediately apologized softly: “I’m sorry, my words were too unreasonable just now.”

Qiao Bo’er leaned back in her chair with a serious expression, her words unforgiving and hurtful: “It’s been almost eight years since she brought you home. For these eight years, I’ve provided you with the best education and material things without charge, giving you a respectable life. Have you ever considered why someone as cold-blooded and volatile as me would be good to you? I won’t tell you the answer. You must verify it yourself, and see where exactly you have gone wrong.”

Chu Xi was speechless, opening and closing her mouth but unable to utter a word for a long time.

Qiao Bo’er’s attitude grew harsher, even issuing a command: “Go apologize to Qin Yun properly. The company is forcibly giving you a week off. Don’t come back to see me until you’ve resolved the issue between you and her.”

Chu Xi braced her hands on the office desk. She couldn’t defy Qiao Bo’er’s resolute nature, so she sullenly lowered her head, resisting the arrangement: “I can’t take a vacation or stop. I still have a lot of things waiting for me to handle… Absolutely not!”

“Work won’t grind to a halt just because someone is missing. You’re simply too tightly wound. You need to relax.”

Qiao Bo’er had always seen clearly: Chu Xi’s meticulous care for her and her cautious efforts were all driven by a fear of loss—she was afraid of losing everything she had gained. But the more one fears, the easier it is to fall into anxious overthinking, leading to self-loss.

“Even if I stop working, taking care of you…”

“Stop. I hope you understand a simple principle—always put yourself first, everything else is secondary. I know you care about me, but you need to have your own life too.” Qiao Bo’er spoke earnestly, her tone softening slightly: “You must be obedient. You have always been an obedient child.”

Chu Xi finally conceded. She promised gloomily: “I understand. I will resolve my personal issues as soon as possible.”

“Very good. Go solve the problem now. Neither of us are procrastinators.”

At Qiao Bo’er’s command, Chu Xi hurriedly left the office, while Qiao Bo’er remained seated in her chair, propping her chin and sinking into contemplation.

That 16-year-old girl, who had fallen into the abyss, completed her schooling and advanced studies with progress far beyond normal in just eight years. This was enough to prove that Qin Yun’s choice back then was correct, even remarkably sharp-sighted. She had recognized Chu Xi as a hidden genius, a phoenix fledgling buried in hell.

Yet, Qiao Bo’er couldn’t quite understand what Qin Yun ultimately wanted. Not many people would painstakingly wait for eight years just for a result that blossoms but bears no fruit, would they?

What was she trying to gain?

“Your eyes can’t lie. Did you see a reflection of yourself in that child at first glance? Though I hate to part with her, I know clearly that she will only become a better person by following you. I beg you, be the strongest and most guiding mentor in her life. I never ask favors of others, but you must agree to this. I promise you, in the future, when you need me, I will unconditionally support you, even if it means losing all my wealth. This deal is no loss for you.”

“But you lose! You poured so much into an orphan. I truly can’t figure out what you’re trying to gain from her.”

“Don’t ask why. Just agree to my request.”

Would you like me to summarize the main conflict between Chu Xi and Qin Yun or tell you more about Qiao Bo’er’s perspective?

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