Chapter 3

“Did your dad… drug you in there?”

Zhou Ye’s voice was tense, filled with disbelief.

“Is it so strange? When gamblers reach the end of their rope, they lose their humanity. Let alone the so-called ‘father’-a title as hollow as it is fleeting.”

After drinking the beverage, I completely lost consciousness.

When I woke up, I was lying on the bed in a luxurious hotel room.

The air was thick with the cloying scent of decadent perfume. My dad sat beside me, his expression gentle and concerned. He told me I had suffered heatstroke and advised me not to push myself too hard with my studies in the future.

My entire body ached, and I had no recollection of what had happened. Any attempt to remember sent stabbing pain through my head, leaving only fragmented, surreal images-my memory was utterly shattered.

I was terrified, dazed and disoriented as I left.

Before I walked out, my dad repeatedly urged me, “Your mom won’t let me see you right now, so we have to keep this from her, okay? Trust me, I will turn things around! I’ll make sure you attend the best schools and study abroad!”

I wasn’t naive.

Something must have happened.

There were severe bruises on my lower body. Though my skin had been scrubbed clean, traces of blood remained inside.

My school uniform had been changed-it wasn’t the one I had originally worn.

With every step I took, a strange, dull pain radiated from deep within me.

I was terrified and had no choice but to tell my mom everything.

She immediately took me to get examined. As it turned out, I had been violated-not by one person, but by many.

By many.

My world crumbled. I locked myself in my room, refusing to eat, drink, or see anyone. I even considered ending my life. But I couldn’t bring myself to do it-I couldn’t accept it. I couldn’t accept that my dad would do this to me.

He had loved me since I was little. While others favored sons over daughters, he didn’t. He enrolled me in the most expensive tutoring classes.

As I spoke, my eyes grew moist, and my voice softened involuntarily.

“The Factory Director’s daughter learned piano, and when my dad saw how envious I was, he went out to deliver water and trade second-hand appliances just to buy me a brand-new piano.”

When I was a child, there was a muddy path between the factory and the employee dormitory. My dad noticed I didn’t want to dirty my new shoes, so he hoisted me up onto his shoulders, letting me ride on his neck.

“Princess, please take your seat. The royal carriage is departing for the palace!” he said, laughing.

Suddenly, my view expanded, and I stretched out my arms, laughing gleefully. The setting sun glowed in the distance, and the wind danced joyfully around us.

I will always remember the way my dad looked as he lifted me up.

That dad.

Could he really have sent me to a stranger’s bed?