"So hot... it's so hot..."
The constant buzz of cicadas filled the air outside the apartment complex.
Inside, on an old wooden bed, Lindsay Chester
Lili
was burning up with a high fever, her face flushed.
In her feverish state, she felt like she had a bizarre dream.
She dreamt that her life was actually the plot of a novel set in the 1970s.
In the story, she is a tragic side character, and the main character was her best friend, Sofia Toller.
Sofia had always warned her, saying that her cousin didn’t have good intentions and that she should be on guard against her. But Lindsay didn’t take it seriously.
As a result, her cousin ended up stealing her fiancé.
Then, her father insisted she take her cousin’s place in the farmwork exchange program in the countryside. Sofia had told her not to, but her dumb kind innocent feelings kicked in, and she refused to listen. So she went.
She was almost assaulted by villagers in the countryside and then nearly died alone, trying to escape into the deep woods.
Later on, with Sofia’s help, she finally managed to return to the city.
But when she got home, she found out that her mother had lost her mind and was institutionalized.
Her father remarried and started a new family.
To cope with her grief, she threw herself into studying, eventually getting accepted into college, only for her acceptance letter to be torn apart by a young man who had an obsessive crush on her.
In a twist of fate, she ended up marrying an older military officer.
Unable to have children, they adopted a daughter.
But the girl they adopted turned out to be a heartless ungrateful brat who drove her to the point that she developed a mental illness
At the end of the story, she jumped from the 30th floor of a high-rise building...
“Ahh…”
Lindsay gasped, her eyes snapping open. The terror of her near-death experience in the dream still lingered in her, making her breathe rapidly and her face pale.
"BANG!"
Suddenly, the sound of a ceramic cup crashing to the ground came from outside the room.
"Michael Chester! Listen to me! I will not let you do this!"
"Lili is my precious baby! Why would you want her to go to the countryside instead of Hannah? Over my dead body!"
"I have never known, that you, as an uncle, is such a nice person. Pushing your own daughter into the fire to save your niece?"
"Michael Chester, HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND?!"
Lindsay’s eyes widened in shock. This was the same heated argument she had just heard in her dream!
Could it be that what happened in her dream would happen in the future?
If that was true, then next, her father would say he was doing this to repay her uncle for saving his life, right?
Sure enough, the next second, Michael Chester’s voice echoed from the living room.
"Honey, I don’t have a choice here. I know it’s unfair to Lili, but my brother once saved my life. Hannah has been living with us since she was a child; I practically raised her. She is like a daughter to me."
"You know she’s been weak since birth. How can I let her go to the countryside and suffer? Imagine how heartbroken my brother and sister-in-law would be if they found out when they got back!"
"ARE YOU CRAZY?! You care more about your brother’s feelings than your own daughter's life?"
"Lili has a fever right now! Do you even care about her?!"
Melissa Smalls, enraged, shouted, "And also if we want to be clear about everything. Your brother saved YOUR life, not Lili’s! Don’t you dare use your twisted sense of duty to guilt-trip us! If you’re so concerned about Hannah, then why don't you go to the countryside yourself!"
"Besides, Lili isn't that young anymore. Ever since she was small, we agreed that she would marry Kegan Goddard. What happens to the engagement if she’s sent away?"
Michael Chester frowned, "That promise was made years ago. Kegan and Hannah are way more close than Lindsay is with him. Brett Goddard even mentioned that he wants to set Kegan and Hannah up."
"What did you just say?!" Melissa, like a cat with its fur on end, put her hands on her hips, "Michael Chester! Let’s get this straight: It was Kegan’s mother who arranged that engagement when I was pregnant with Lili!"
"Kegan is smart and hardworking. He’s already got an office job at the factory, and he could become the manager someday!"
"And instead of securing such a great son-in-law for Lili, you’re helping Brett match him with Hannah?!"
Michael sighed, defeated, "I don’t have a choice! To be honest with you, Kegan… he’s fallen for Hannah."
"They’re into each other, and Brett likes the idea of them getting together. What am I supposed to do?"
"It’s the 1970s; we can’t force arranged marriages like they did in the old days."
Melissa’s face turned bright red with anger. "I knew that girl was up to no good, stealing our Lili’s man!"
"Enough! Do you want to keep this family together or not? If not, get out!"
Michael slammed his fist on the table, yelling, "Stop blaming Hannah for everything! Kegan liked her first; it’s not her fault!"
"My position as department leader isn’t even secure yet, and you’re causing drama that could break up our families. How do you expect me to explain that to Brett?"
"Besides, Lili’s the older sister. Isn’t it her duty to go to the countryside for her little sister?"
"You can dream about that happening. I am not going to agree." Lindsay stood at the doorway, her voice calm.
Melissa jumped in surprise, "Lili, you’re still sick! Why are you out of bed?"
"I’d love to rest, but I couldn’t stay quiet when I heard my dad selling me out."
Lindsay’s eyes were filled with disappointment.
Everything pointed to the fact that the nightmare she had during her fever was going to happen in real life.
Suddenly, all the favoritism and bias she never understood before made sense.
It turned out her father didn’t just spoiled and love Hannah more than her because her uncle had saved his life.
It was because Hannah was her father’s illegitimate child with her aunt!
And only the two of them knew this secret.
Her aunt was her father’s first love, and they had been secretly involved for years.
But without hard evidence, even if she wrote a letter to the factory exposing her father, he would find a way to weasel out of it.
Lindsay took a deep breath, recalling the tragic fate she and her mother suffered in the novel. A cold glint appeared in her eyes.
Though filled with anger, she kept her calm.
To make them pay, she would have to take it step by step.
And she couldn’t just prentend her uncle wasn't in this situation, he is an innocent victim.
As long as she held her ground, her mother would be on her side.
Why should she sacrifice herself for others?
Her mother had always suppressed her own desires for Lindsay’s sake, and it had driven her to madness.
Lindsay would not let history repeat itself!
Michael’s neck was red with anger, "What nonsense are you saying?! I’m not selling you out! It’s policy for people to go to the countryside; you’re not the only one!"
"That’s easy for you to say! Why don’t you send Hannah instead?" Lindsay shot back. "Her name is on the list, not mine!"
Michael was desperate, "Lili, you’re the older sister! You should act like one!"
"Hannah’s body is weak. You go first, and once I’ve secured my promotion to department leader, I’ll figure out how to bring you back."
"You’re not fooling me with that! I’m not a child anymore."
Lindsay’s expression was cold.
"Whoever’s supposed to go will go. I won’t suffer for anyone else anymore! If you try to force me, I’ll go straight to the government and report you!"
