Volume One, Chapter One: My Daughter Was in a Car Accident, and My Husband Stood By Without Helping

A desolate stretch of countryside, seldom touched by human presence.

After the accident, thick smoke invaded her lungs.

Shuya’s body was covered in countless scrapes and bruises, and the choking fumes forced her to cough. But she paid no heed to her own pain; her only concern was her daughter in the back seat.

One look, and she could not hold back her tears.

“Nannan!” Shuya scrambled and crawled to the rear seats, reaching out to touch Nannan’s face. Blood covered her child’s features, leaving Shuya uncertain where the wounds were; she feared making things worse with a careless touch.

“How could this happen…” Shuya wept uncontrollably. “Nannan, please say something—don’t scare Mommy.”

Her Nannan painfully raised her head, her voice weak and fragile: “Mommy, it hurts.”

Shuya’s heart twisted in agony.

She nodded through her tears. “I know, sweetheart. Mommy will call Daddy. There’s an ambulance kept at the old manor; I’ll have Daddy bring it here and take you to the hospital. Nannan, you’ll be alright!”

Grabbing her phone, Shuya dialed Fu Yichen’s number again and again.

Each time, the call was rejected.

Pick up! Please, just pick up! Our daughter’s life is hanging by a thread!

After more than a dozen calls, still no answer. But then, to her astonishment, Shuya heard the wailing siren of an ambulance.

Looking up, she saw the ambulance break through the dense fog and stop right in front of her.

A handsome, sharp-featured man stepped down from the vehicle.

Shuya clung to him like a lifeline, gripping his arm tightly. “Yichen, you’re finally here. Please, save our Nannan, she—”

Before she could finish, the man shook her off with disgust.

“Get out of the way. Don’t block the road.”

Shuya staggered several steps before regaining her balance, watching helplessly as her husband walked to the car opposite.

It was the very car that had driven on the wrong side of the road and crashed into hers, causing Nannan to hover on the brink of death!

She watched as Fu Yichen helped a mother and daughter from that car.

She recognized them…

That woman was Fu Yichen’s mistress, Shen Qingzhu, and the child was their illegitimate daughter, Beibei!

“Yichen, I’m sorry to trouble you so late. If not for the accident and Beibei’s serious injury, I wouldn’t have called you.” Shen Qingzhu smoothed her hair. Her face was not dazzlingly beautiful, but it held a unique allure.

Fu Yichen frowned slightly. “Don’t say you’re troubling me. As long as it’s your business, it’s never a bother.”

Shen Qingzhu smiled softly, lips pressed together. “Alright.”

“Let’s get on the ambulance,” Fu Yichen said.

Shuya felt her blood run cold.

The ambulance was for Shen Qingzhu and her daughter. What about Nannan?

She rushed forward, grasping Fu Yichen desperately. “No! You can’t give the ambulance to her! Fu Yichen, I know you hate me, but Nannan is innocent! She needs this ambulance!”

---

Fu Yichen shoved her away in disdain. “Shuya, what nonsense are you on about now?”

“I’m not being irrational.” Shuya knelt before him, begging. “It takes an hour and a half for an ambulance to get here from the city. Nannan is dying—she can’t last that long. If you don’t believe me, just go look at her. She’s covered in blood! Fu Yichen, please, just look!”

Fu Yichen stared at her coldly, his gaze like frost. “Shuya, you’re always causing trouble. Do you think I’d trust you again after everything you’ve done?”

Beside him, Shen Qingzhu spoke with concern. “Yichen, since elder sister is so upset, let her and Nannan take the ambulance. Beibei just hurt her leg. If she isn’t treated quickly, she might become lame, but it’s not urgent.”

Hearing this, Fu Yichen’s look toward Shuya grew icier.

“Shuya, you should learn from Qingzhu’s kindness! Put away your scheming!”

Shuya was chilled to the bone.

She knelt on the ground, clutching Fu Yichen’s leg. “No, I’m not pretending—really, I’m not! Yichen…”

Before she could finish, Fu Yichen kicked her hard in the stomach, knocking her to the ground, curled up in pain.

He looked down at her with contempt. “Get out.”

Tears streamed down her face as she watched Fu Yichen lead Shen Qingzhu and her daughter onto the ambulance.

She heard him instruct the medics inside.

“Hurry, check Beibei’s leg!”

The ambulance sped off, leaving Shuya choking on its exhaust.

How laughable.

Beibei’s leg was merely scratched, while her Nannan was truly dying!

Gritting her teeth, Shuya dragged herself up, climbed into her car, and called for emergency help. But they were far from the city; the ambulance would take another hour and a half to arrive.

An hour and a half…

It used to pass quickly.

But now, it felt like an eternity.

She wrapped Nannan’s wounds with clothing, trying to staunch the blood.

Nannan lay weakly in her arms, eyes fluttering open. “Mommy, hasn’t Daddy brought the ambulance yet?”

Shuya sobbed, unable to utter a word.

Nannan asked again, “Does Daddy not want me anymore?”

“Of course not—you’re so lovely, sweetheart. Daddy just—”

Before Shuya could finish, Nannan interrupted, “Mommy, don’t lie to me. I’m already four years old, not three. I know Daddy doesn’t like me.”

“Nannan knows Mommy has it tough, too.”

“Mommy, if there’s a next life, please don’t marry Daddy, alright?”

Shuya was a bundle of tears, holding Nannan tightly. “But if Mommy doesn’t marry Daddy, there wouldn’t be you.”

Nannan smiled brightly. “It’s okay. As long as Mommy is happy, it doesn’t matter if Nannan isn’t born.”

“Nannan… don’t say that…”

It’s ominous.

---

“Mommy, do you know why I wanted to be called Nannan?”

“You gave me another nickname before, which I liked, but I like Nannan more. When I was two, I saw Cinderella riding a pumpkin carriage to the castle. Wow, that carriage was so big and beautiful—it protected Cinderella.”

“Nannan wants to be your pumpkin carriage, too, to carry you through the woods, chase away the bad guys, and help you live a good life.”

“But… Nannan might have to break her promise…”

“Nannan probably won’t grow up.”

Cold moonlight spilled upon Nannan’s face, casting a faint glow.

Her once bright eyes seemed veiled with dust.

In the end, she whispered,

“Mommy… Nannan really, really loves you…”

And with that, Nannan closed her eyes, her tiny hand falling limp.

Her breathing stopped.

She was gone.

Shuya held her dead daughter, shattered beyond repair, yet her expression was eerily calm, with a hint of madness beneath the surface.

Her Nannan…

The daughter she had raised for four years.

Died in her arms.

Shuya’s eyes were empty, as if all spirit had been drained from her. Slowly, she released Nannan’s body and searched the car for a lighter.

She struck a flame.

Firelight flickered across her face—wild, hysterical, and tinged with a strange satisfaction.

“Nannan, Mommy loves you, too. You always loved fireworks, so let Mommy give you one last show.”

Shuya tossed the burning lighter into the spilled gasoline.

She gathered Nannan into her arms once more, calmly watching the flames spread.

Engulfing the entire car.

At last—

Boom!

The car exploded in a wave of fire more beautiful than any firework.

As the flames devoured Shuya, she spoke, filled with hatred,

“Nannan, if I could do it all over again, I’d make Fu Yichen and Shen Qingzhu pay for your life!”