V1: Chapter 80: The Wicked Woman, Can She Really Escape?

“Liang Lin!”

Liang Di suddenly pushed open the door.

The loud noise startled Liang Lin. She had finally fallen asleep, but was suddenly awakened, a wave of morning grumpiness instantly washing over her.

“You…”

Before she could finish her sentence,

“Sister Liang Lin! I love you!”

Liang Lin: “?”

What's this all of the sudden?

Haven’t eaten properly in a long time, Liang Lin’s voice was weak and listless, but she still forced herself to curse at the other woman.

“What’s wrong with you again? Are you trying to torture me endlessly?”

Fortunately, she could still speak, proving that her mental state hadn’t completely collapsed.

“Sister Liang Lin… I think I love you.”

Liang Di’s eyes sparkled, her large, watery blue eyes holding the vastness of the ocean.

She skipped and hopped to the bedside as she spoke.

"Huh?"

Liang Di wrapped her arms around Liang Lin's neck, clinging to her like a sloth, rubbing against her restlessly.

"I missed you so much when I didn't see you even for a little while. I want you to stay by my side willingly."

What the…

Liang Lin's mouth dropped open, her jaw almost falling to the ground.

Has this girl finally been driven mad?

"No, you…"

"So, Sister Liang Lin, I want you to love me too." Liang Di made her request, staring at Liang Lin with her beautiful eyes, full of expectation. "Is that okay, Sister?"

"Haa~"

"You're going to lock me up here with a collar and chains, and then keep saying you love me, is that it?" Liang Lin found it ridiculous, even laughing out loud.

"Who wants that kind of love?"

Liang Di was silent for a moment.

"Then, I'll let you go."

"Huh?"

Liang Lin couldn't believe her ears.

Was it really that simple, just one sentence?

Had Liang Di suddenly... came to her sense?

"Sister Liang Lin, if I let you go, will you love me?" Liang Di asked expectantly.

Liang Lin was speechless at her logic.

"Is love so easy to come by? You don't believe in love at first sight, do you? Let me tell you, love at first sight is just lust. Love... isn't it something that develops gradually through getting to know each other?"

Liang Di nodded thoughtfully.

"Hmm! I don't really understand love, but I want to learn how to love now."

"Then..." Liang Di smiled shyly, her smile as sweet as honey, "Sister Liang Lin, would you like to develop feelings for me?"

This time, Liang Lin didn't act impulsively. Her eyes darted around a couple of times, and she hesitated for a moment.

If she were to lie now and say she was willing to develop feelings for her, would she then willingly let her go?

Thinking this, Liang Lin swallowed hard, her voice trembling, her eyes darting around. She was still so bad at lying, so bad at acting.

"Um… I… I just thought about it," she swallowed again, "I think, developing feelings, trying out some time together… it's still possible."

Although Liang Lin's behavior was highly suspicious, Liang Di was still immersed in the joy of the other person agreeing to her request.

"That's great!"

Liang Di happily hugged Liang Lin tighter, resting her chin on the other's shoulder, their faces close together, rubbing against each other affectionately, "I'm so happy, so very happy that you agreed to this, it's genuine happiness from the bottom of my heart…"

Ah…

Why so much nonsense? Why not just untie my chains already?

Liang Lin was very anxious, almost like a frantic king.

"Um... Liang Di, my neck feels a bit uncomfortable. Could you loosen this collar so I can relax a bit?"

This reason was incredibly obvious, revealing her true intentions.

But Liang Di obediently released her collar. She reached out her small hand and touched the collar. From her pocket, she pulled out a bronze key and inserted it into the lock.

Click~

It opened.

Liang Lin instantly felt much lighter, not just physically, but a sense of liberation.

After more than forty days, she finally felt a sense of freedom, a rebirth.

Liang Lin excitedly stretched her limbs, swayed, twisted her shoulders, turned her waist, and rotated her neck, her tired body making "click" sounds. Having not eaten for so many days, she should have been listless, but at this moment, Liang Lin was like she'd been given a shot of adrenaline, flipping over and jumping out of bed.

"Ah... I feel like I could kill two elephants."

She glanced back at Liang Di, who was staring at her with a beaming smile, her eyes full of anticipation, as if brimming with dreams for the future.

Yes, in just a few short minutes, Liang Di had even thought about names for her future children, and even when to have a second child.

"Then..." Liang Lin pretended to extend her hand to the other, "Liang Di, do you want to go out with me?"

"Ah..."

Liang Di's smile was wide. She immediately reached out and took the other's hand, feeling incredibly happy. "Wherever Sister Liang Lin goes, I'll go!"

This must be the right choice for Liang Lin, right?

Liang Di thought to herself.

Liang Lin had taken her hand so readily; the future must be heading in a positive direction.

Will it really?

Hell no!

Liang Lin noticed her belly was getting rounder, and it would occasionally move, as if a new life was growing inside. The core of life was thriving within her, like a sapling about to become a towering tree.

Fuck no!

When she first realized something was wrong, Liang Lin was on the verge of collapse. She finally stopped deceiving herself, thinking it was all just her imagination, that she was definitely not pregnant.

She painfully accepted the fact—she was pregnant, carrying Liang Di's child, the fruit of their union.

It was a child without love.

Liang Lin didn't want it.

She frantically pounded her stomach, trying to abort the child. She didn't want the child to be born; she felt that even if the child were born, it would be unfortunate. The child wouldn't have a healthy and safe home, so it was better not to be born at all; the fetus could simply die in the womb and be expelled.

But after pounding for so long, her stomach remained still, without any movement, without pain, and without any bleeding.

"It's no use... what should I do if it's no use?" Liang Lin frowned, her anxiety growing.

Oh, right!

"Abortion pills..."

She could take abortion pills, abort the child, and kill this tiny life inside her, preventing it from coming into this world to suffer. But she was still imprisoned by Liang Di; where could she get abortion pills?

There was absolutely no other way...

Liang Lin was truly desperate then, utterly desperate.

Only now, when Liang Di released her and let her out of the basement, did Liang Lin finally see a glimmer of hope. She could finally run out to buy abortion pills, finally get rid of this child.

At the same time, she silently apologized to the unborn child in her heart.

"I'm sorry, son, or daughter, I don't deserve to be your mother. I must abort you because you shouldn't have been born into this world. If you were born, I would unfortunately go from being alone to being with two people. It would become you and me.... This is all for your own good..."

Finally, Liang Lin uttered the words parents love to say most—"I'm doing this for your own good."

But looking at her round belly, her maternal love overflowed again. The thought of this child leaving this world made her involuntarily sad, and tears welled up in her eyes.

Is this the pain of a child's injury or death that comes with becoming a mother? It's terrifying.

Lost in thought, Liang Lin and Liang Di walked hand in hand out of the basement.

It was the long-awaited sunshine…

Liang Lin stretched out a hand, raising it above her head, fingers spread wide. Sunlight filtered through her fingers, dappling her face. Liang Lin squinted, enjoying this long-awaited sunbath.

Standing in the sunlight felt so warm; she had finally escaped that damp, dark basement.

A rebirth!

Overjoyed, Liang Lin let go of Liang Di's hand.

Liang Di felt something missing from her hand, looked down, and saw that Liang Lin had released her. She instantly clung to her hand again, like a puppy looking for its owner, grasping Liang Lin's hand once more.

“Sister Liang Lin, your smile is so beautiful. I love seeing your smile. I hope you're happy, and even more…” Liang Di and Liang Lin looked at each other, “I hope even more that you'll be happy because of me.”

“Sister Liang Lin, are you happy because of me now?”

This question…

Well, Liang Lin felt that, in a certain sense, in a rather extreme sense… 

Well, you could say that.

Liang Di released her from the basement, and she was happy. How could that not be a kind of happiness because of her?

“Yes, I'm happy because of you.”

Liang Di's smile never stopped.

When she smiled, the corners of her mouth curved like a crescent moon. That sweet smile seemed to offer a glimpse of a bright future.

But it was only a glimpse. Liang Lin felt she couldn't see a future with Liang Di.

So beautiful.

Liang Lin sincerely praised in her heart. It truly had a heart-fluttering quality, but now, her heart for Liang Di was dead.

Her mood improved, and her appetite returned; her stomach, which hadn't been full for a long time, now rumbled in protest. Liang Lin rubbed her stomach and said to Liang Di, "Liang Di, I'm hungry. Let's go eat."

"Okay~"

Liang Di, that silly child, naively thought that even after she had forced herself on Liang Lin, Liang Lin would still want to develop feelings for her.

Poor child, pitifully unable to understand others' feelings or empathize with them.

She thought that as long as she was genuinely good to Liang Lin afterward, Liang Lin would definitely stay with her forever. Her thinking changed, but it became biased to another level.

After eating, Liang Lin returned to her room.

The dummy had long been put away by Liang Di, so Liang Lin's room was impeccably tidy, with virtually no changes.

Liang Di followed behind Liang Lin like a little tail, making Liang Lin feel somewhat dazed, as if she had returned to her childhood memories.

Back then, she seemed to have a little shadow, also named Liang Di, but from childhood, that incredibly cute little Liang Di.

"Can I sleep with Sister Liang Lin tonight?"

Liang Lin wasn't too keen. If Liang Di stayed by her side, she wouldn't have a chance to buy abortion pills, which would be troublesome.

"Uh… I haven't been sleeping well lately, I snore, won't that bother you?" Liang Lin started making up her lame excuses again.

"It's okay," Liang Di immediately said, indicating she didn't mind. "I feel safe with Sister Liang Lin, I won't be woken up by you."

Tsk, this woman is like a leech, impossible to shake off, so annoyingly persistent.

"...Okay then."

After so many days of torment, Liang Lin finally learned to hide her thoughts, less impulsive, less anxious.

She thought there was still plenty of time; pregnancy takes nine months to give birth, so waiting another two or three months wouldn't be too late. The baby wouldn't be born by then anyway, so she could lie low for a while.

Yes, she didn't know that conception via tentacles only required four months to give birth.

From then on, whether it was eating, sleeping, going to school, or even bathing, Liang Di followed her everywhere. Sometimes, when Liang Di went to the shop, she would take Liang Lin with her.

Liang Lin was extremely annoyed; she had no time to herself and no way to buy abortion pills.

This kind of life was absolutely terrible. She didn't know when she would have a chance to get an abortion.

Sigh, I'll just wait patiently; there is no rush.

Liang Lin didn't expect the opportunity to come so quickly.

Only five days later, on the way to their family's commoner's tailor shop with Liang Di, a commotion suddenly broke out in the street. At that moment, Liang Lin was overjoyed and almost stood up in the carriage due to her excitement.

This is the commoners' district! And the most chaotic one at that!

She quickly opened the carriage window and looked out. Just as she expected, a riot had broken out in the street. Large numbers of commoners were running, crying and screaming, scrambling and stumbling as if chased by a ferocious beast. The window wasn't large, and Liang Lin peeked out, trying desperately to see what was happening outside, but it was all in vain.

Ah, this is when her sense of justice shines through!

"Liang Di, there seems to be a riot outside. I suspect it's robbers or some kind of fight. Let's get out of the carriage and take a look."

Liang Lin said this on purpose; if she said she was going alone, it would definitely arouse Liang Di's suspicion.

Liang Di nodded and followed Liang Lin out of the carriage, with Bellica close behind.

Commoners surged towards them, but a few sharp-eyed and quick-witted ones instantly hid behind Liang Lin and Liang Di's carriage. They recognized it as a carriage reserved for high-ranking nobles; ordinary bandits wouldn't dare provoke a noble, as doing so could mean being wiped out the next day.

Liang Lin gripped her sword hilt, took a step, and charged into the bandits' midst.

Before escaping herself, she wanted to protect these commoners.

Fighting, especially against these weaklings, was as easy for Liang Lin as eating and drinking. Her swordsmanship flowed smoothly, and in less than three minutes, a group of them were on the ground.

Although she was fighting, most of Liang Lin's attention was focused on Liang Di.

Bellica posed no threat to Liang Lin, but Liang Di…

An idea struck her! A flash of inspiration struck her; she remembered the techniques she had been used against her before.

Only three bandits remained. Liang Lin figured that disarming them wouldn't pose much danger to the civilians. So, while fighting one of the bandits, she began her awkward acting.

"Ouch~ Oh dear~"

She deliberately tripped over her own leg with her left, falling to the ground.

She was certain Liang Di would rush to her rescue, that Liang Di would be worried about her safety. She was right; this time, she had taken advantage of Liang Di's love for her.

Seeing Liang Lin fall, Liang Di's expression instantly changed. Although she found the way Liang Lin fell particularly strange, in this emergency, Liang Di didn't think much of it.

"Sister Liang Lin!"

Liang Di rushed over.

The next second...

"Ah!"

A handful of sand hit her face. Liang Di abruptly closed her eyes; the sand had gotten into them, and she stumbled in pain, nearly falling to the ground.

That was a shameless and underhanded tactic Gladys had used against Liang Lin when she couldn't win. Now, Liang Lin had stolen it and was using it again.

Oh, I'm sorry, Mom and Dad. Although you taught me not to use dirty tricks against respectable opponents, I really had no choice.

Liang Lin was also panicking. Seeing that she had succeeded, she scrambled to her feet, momentarily forgetting how to run, and stumbled forward a few steps before regaining her balance.

Liang Di seemed to know what was about to happen. Tears streamed down her face, whether from the sand in her eyes or from her sadness, she didn't know. She couldn't open her eyes, only squinting, and vaguely saw Liang Lin's figure.

"Bellica! Don't let her get away, stop her!"

"Yes, Miss!"

Bellica flicked a small dagger from her sleeve and gave chase.

But she was no match for Liang Lin. After two days of rest, Liang Lin's strength had fully recovered. Forget about stopping her, Bellica couldn't even keep up with her. Helpless, she could only throw the dagger, trying to stab Liang Lin in a non-vital spot.

Clang!

Clang!

Both daggers fell to the ground, missing their mark.

Bellica was powerless; she could only watch helplessly as Liang Lin disappeared from her sight.

She didn't know how long she ran, but finally, Liang Lin looked back and saw no one left. She slowly stopped, panting heavily. She must have run a very long distance to be so exhausted.

"Okay!" Liang Lin clapped her hands. "Go buy the abortion pills now!"

I absolutely must get rid of the child. There can't be any accidents.

No, I can't think like that. There definitely won't be any accidents.