In City T, inside a spacious and beautiful white luxury apartment, one could practically smell the money wafting from within.
A soft voice came from a girl sitting on a pristine white sofa, where she was slumped down a little.
“Mom, I have to go to work now.
I don’t want to put my work aside to go home and be a daughter-in-law and wife, serving my husband’s family.”
– You, girl! How old are you? You’re 25 already! Is our family so poor that we have to let you work a low-class job? Hurry home and get married for Mom.
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The scolding voice from the touchscreen phone rang out, shrill enough to make her ears ring.
She was used to being yelled at so loudly. Immediately after, the girl retorted.
“I already told you, Mom.
I don’t want to get married. 25 is still young.
Besides, I’ve never done a high-class job anyway. Okay, Mom, I’m hanging up now.”
She quickly pulled the phone away and hung up immediately, unaware that on the other end, her mother was in a furious rage.
Her name was Li Hui An. She was 25 this year, the second daughter of the renowned Li family.
The Li family was famously wealthy, of mid-tier status, wealthy enough to allow her to live a life free of worries. But because she was forced to marry, Li Hui An had to defy her family and move out to live alone.
The call just now was also to urge her to get married, and afterward, it ended in a stalemate, as it always did.
Li Hui An was a free spirit; she didn’t want to be tied down by the bonds of marriage and family. Currently, her only preferred side job was writing.
Even though her works had few readers who paid attention to them, Li Hui An still kept a cool head. She was not at all discouraged by this "flop." Li Hui An still updated chapters every day, hoping that one day she would become more well-known through her works.
Today was no different, because she needed a place to gather ideas for her next novel. So Li Hui An chose to go to a cafe that had opened in a supermarket. Inside, the yellow lights were perfect for focusing the eyes.
The cafe was on the first floor. The design featured hanging lamps with faux crystal strings dangling above each seat, which was very pleasing to the eye. The chairs were not common wooden or ordinary plastic types. The chairs had a reclined back design with brown leather upholstery, and the tables were thick and pale yellow.
Li Hui An decided to stop at a seat by the glass window. Through the transparent glass, she could see people riding the escalator upstairs.
Li Hui An placed her laptop bag on the table. The outer casing, when she took out the laptop, was completely different from the computer itself. The outer casing was bright blue, but the inside of the laptop had no decorations whatsoever, only a dull black cover, unlike the personalities of other young ladies from wealthy families.
Li Hui An began by putting on her round-framed glasses. Her two slender, fair hands, with fingernails that were not long, but rounded and transparent, allowed the pink skin beneath to show through.
Suddenly, Li Hui An thought about her mother’s call just now, and a wave of weariness washed over her. Clearly, her mother’s call about getting married was just an excuse to throw her to someone else to raise, wasn’t it? Of course, that was just her thought. Just because she wanted Li Hui An married off, she didn’t hesitate to marry her 25-year-old daughter to an old man who was practically on his deathbed.
Li Hui An sighed, feeling disheartened about the way things were in the world. Not letting herself be discouraged further, she opened her tablet to the drafting folder and began her writing work.
Only now did she notice that this girl had a childlike fashion style, but it wasn’t overly cutesy or high-maintenance.
She wore a loose white long-sleeved shirt, comfortable stretchy beige wide-leg trousers, and comfortable off-white sneakers.
Her hair was neatly tied into a bun, secured with a fluffy grey hair tie. She had no bangs, and her jet-black hair was lustrous, not coarse or split-ended.
Thick baby hairs and strands of hair covered her temples, ears, and forehead.
Her eyes, narrowed behind thick-rimmed glasses, were focused intently on her writing.
Even though she was a wealthy heiress, her passion for work was far from a mere indulgence.
Lý Tuệ An poured her heart and soul into her novels and online posts.
She lived quite separately from high society, knowing that once she left home, she would certainly have no refuge at her adoptive mother's house, as she was adopted.
To be frank about her past, she was simply named Tuệ An and lived in an orphanage until she was 10, when she was taken in. After being adopted by the Lý family, she took their surname.
Even though they had a daughter three years older than Lý Tuệ An, they still gritted their teeth and adopted her.
It was only because, with her adoption, their family's illustrious reputation could truly flourish.
It wasn't uncommon to see such things in the outside world. Lý Tuệ An had read many novels, all based on various facts, but she never expected the reality of being a "rich family's daughter" to be exactly as depicted in those stories.
Indeed, without real-life inspiration, those urban tales would never be crafted with such realism.
Because she was adopted, the Lý family parents didn't allow her to get involved in company management or any of the garment factories in T City, to prevent disputes over inheritance.
For 25 years, she had only relied on her adoptive parents' money. She worked at a bakery, but then, leveraging her influence, her adoptive mother forced the owner to fire her.
After a long period of thought, Lý Tuệ An couldn't help but exclaim:
"I can't believe I've been treated this way and still remained so obedient; that takes a lot of willpower! Why didn't I just snap and run away?"
After speaking, she sighed again, her lips curving into a reluctant smile. "If I did that, I'd certainly have no place to live. It's better to be a good dog than to starve."
She looked at the blank manuscript pages on the screen, her clear eyes now reflecting a hint of frustration and sadness. She decided to stop working, as she was no longer in the mood to write today.
As she was putting her things away, the lamp hanging directly above Lý Tuệ An's head swayed slightly. She didn't notice until the glass teacup on the table slowly began to move.
Lý Tuệ An looked at the teacup in surprise, wondering, "An earthquake?" T City had never had a history of earthquakes before. "Could it be a hallucination brought on by stress?"
Lý Tuệ An didn't have time to think further; the cafe began to shake more violently, causing her to sway and lose her balance. The teacup on the table slid off, fell to the floor, and shattered.
All the customers inside and outside the cafe screamed and ran in a panic, scattering into the supermarket.
As Lý Tuệ An looked out through the glass, the escalator, which had been moving upwards, rapidly began to collapse before her eyes.
Her pupils reflected an unprecedented image of collapse: the collapsing staircase dragged down many people – old and young, big and small – who were on it. It was nothing short of a living tomb for her soul. Thick dust and smoke billowed up from the collapse.
Lý Tuệ An had never encountered anything like this before. Being a rather slow-reacting person, it took her a moment to collect herself and think of running. But unfortunately, just as the hanging lamp with its yellow light above her head began to sway, it wasn't long before it crashed straight down.