The housekeeper had, in the end, bought her the toy she asked for.
It was a small bronze figurine — a dog with its tongue sticking out — one of the twelve zodiac animals, handcrafted by Master Yu Qing, a renowned artisan whose works once fetched sky-high prices.
Back then, her father, who doted on her endlessly, had purchased the entire Chinese Zodiac (十二生肖 — a set of twelve symbolic animals representing birth years in traditional Chinese culture) collection for her, simply because she wanted to play with them.
But the Lu family had fallen.
The Lu family was gone. Everything was gone.
Even those little bronze figurines had scattered to the winds.
During the three days she spent confined in the Bo family’s nursing home, she had seen a child downstairs playing roughly with one of them — smashing it around without care. The bronze dog’s bottom had been dented, its value long destroyed.
Now, sitting on the bridal bed, Lu Zhiling gently caressed that same bronze puppy.
It was the first time in five years she had touched something that truly belonged to her family.
If not for this marriage, she might never have lived long enough to do even that.
For five long years, she hadn’t dared to dream of the future — not of revenge, nor even of survival. She existed only as the last ghostly remnant of the Lu family, breathing beneath the weight of ashes and memories.
But when Feng Chao reappeared, even that fragile peace was shattered.
He crushed the last spark of her hope beneath his heel.
So what if fate had cornered her? She would still find a way to live.
Besides, her sight had returned — a miracle she wouldn’t waste.
This time, she would rise from the ashes.
Weary, she leaned her head against the bedpost, absentmindedly rubbing the little bronze dog. Her eyelids grew heavy, and sleep quietly claimed her..
“Among the six sons of the Lu family, it took until our little Zhiling — our precious Seventh Miss — for a girl to finally be born! Of course she must be raised like a little princess!”
“Xiaoqi’s crying again? Did your sixth brother steal your zodiac toys? Don’t cry, don’t cry — big brother will go teach him a lesson!”
“Grandfather said it himself — whoever Xiaoqi chooses in the future will be the one to inherit the Lu family. If she wants to be chairwoman herself, everyone else will have to step aside!”
“Zhiling, I’ll protect you, always. As long as Brother Feng Chao is here, no one will ever hurt you.”
“Zhiling, tell me — your Lu family was so powerful back then. Even the great chaebols (재벌 — Korean term for elite family-owned business conglomerates, used here to describe wealthy corporate clans) from Country K had to step back before you. When you went bankrupt, you didn’t keep anything?”
“A phoenix stripped of its feathers is no better than a chicken! Do you still think you’re the high-and-mighty Seventh Miss of the Lu family? The Lus are gone! All of them — dead, burned alive!”
“You blind fool! You’ve lived off my family’s money for five years. So what if I let you sleep with a man to earn a little? Without our family’s protection, you’d be nothing — a worthless, cheap slut!”
Dreams twisted; memories bled together.
Flames filled the sky — red, roaring, endless. Sparks burst outward, scattering across the steps, igniting the treetops.
No! Stop burning!
Run! Please — all of you!
Xiaoqi can’t live alone…
A wave of searing heat surged forward, swallowing everything — wrapping her in fire and darkness — until it burst against her body.
Lu Zhiling jolted awake, her skin clammy with cold sweat.
Her eyes flew open to the stillness of the bridal chamber — silent, empty, cold.
Outside, rain had begun to fall. The steady sound of raindrops striking leaves and eaves filled the air, each droplet magnifying the suffocating quiet of the room.
She lowered her gaze, clutching the small bronze dog tightly in her hand. Her beautiful eyes shimmered red, unfocused — still half caught between dream and waking.
She stared at the bronze dog for a long moment. Slowly, determination began to harden in her gaze.
Everything the Lu family had lost — she would take it all back, piece by piece.
The rain continued into the night, a thin, endless drizzle.
Elsewhere in the vast estate, the indoor swimming pool glowed with dazzling lights, its surface reflecting shifting neon colors — like a private nightclub.
Young men and women splashed and laughed in the water, champagne glasses clinking, their laughter loud and wild.
In one corner, they played a drunken game of blind man’s bluff.
A woman, blindfolded, groped through the water, catching and kissing whoever she found — her laughter breathy, her movements wanton and absurd.