V1: Chapter 82: Upon Learning the Truth, the Villainous Young Lady Broke Down

“Let’s go,” Liang Di picked up the nearly unconscious Liang Lin, “Sister Liang Lin, let’s go home, back to our home.”

While unconscious, Liang Lin thought.

When exactly did Liang Di become so obsessive? What happened to her that transformed her from that innocent and carefree little girl into this obsessive and irritable adult?

When Liang Lin woke up again, she felt a heavy weight on the right side of her neck. Her heart sank, and she struggled to sit up in bed, looking around. Sure enough, she was back in that dark and gloomy basement.

She had only seen sunlight for a few days, and now she was back in this nauseating place. Liang Lin sighed heavily.

Although she was back in the room, Liang Lin noticed the chains had increased in length. She could now walk on the floor and even reach the table nearby. On the table sat a steaming bowl of soup, containing expensive seafood—shrimp and abalone.

She rubbed her stomach; she was indeed hungry.

Sigh…

This child still hadn't been aborted.

Thinking about how the child hadn't been aborted, Liang Lin felt a strange sense of relief, though she didn't understand why she felt this relief, or even hated it.

Unconsciously, maternal love had quietly blossomed within her, intertwining with her emotions and influencing her decisions. Liang Lin didn't love Liang Di, but she didn't hate her much either.

If Liang Di hadn't done what she did, perhaps… she might already like her a little.

She had indeed had feelings for her; this was an undeniable fact. Even if Liang Lin didn't want to admit it, she had once been attracted to both of them.

For example, when she held Liang Lin's slender waist.

Or, for instance, on the day of the thunder, when Liang Di held her in her arms and comforted her.

Or, when Liang Di gave her a sweet smile in the sunlight.

Or, when Liang Di gave her a gift.

Or, when she heard that Liang Di was running around trying to help her.

Liang Di, she was so outstanding, so beautiful, how could anyone not be moved?

Unfortunately, because of Liang Di's extreme and twisted personality, Liang Lin's feelings for her shattered.

When Liang Di forced herself on Liang Lin, Liang Lin was also heartbroken, feeling like she was being forced by someone she somewhat liked. This feeling of loving and hating at the same time was quite devastating.

Liang Lin picked up the bowl of warm soup, brought it to her lips, and gulped it all down, chewing as she drank, pondering her next move.

Although it was quite hopeless, she couldn't give up yet. The baby was still more than seven months away from being born; there was still hope. If she could escape within five months, there was still hope.

She'd already escaped once; she couldn't believe there wouldn't be a second time. And if there really wasn't…

Liang Lin glanced at the bowls and cups on the table.

Then she could smash them, and while Liang Di wasn't around, slit her wrists.

—The Fifty-Eighth Day of Liang Lin's Imprisonment—

Inside the Magic Tower.

"Fu, why have you been so down lately?"

Octaville frowned and sighed.

"Last time, Liang Di and I had a rather unpleasant falling out."

Hilary watched as Liang Lin and Liang Di silently ate their meal inside the magic crystal sphere. Neither spoke, and after finishing their meal, they returned to their respective rooms.

“Those two have been acting strange lately.”

Octaville replied absentmindedly, “Yeah, those two little ones probably had a fight. Young people are impulsive, there are bound to be some minor squabbles, it’s nothing serious.”

Although she felt something was off, Hilary didn’t dwell on it. She nodded, “I can see Liang Lin in a week, and then I can have a good talk with her.”

Octaville patted her lover’s head, “Well, congratulations, you can finally see your sister.”

Hilary gently rested her head on Octaville’s shoulder, her smile serene, filled with anticipation for the future, “Fu, our lives are finally starting to get better, our family of four can finally be reunited.”

A week passed in the blink of an eye.

Two nights before the side effects were about to subside, Liang Di lay restless beside Liang Lin, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.

Liang Lin was the same, but because Liang Di kept tossing and turning, disturbing her sleep.

“Hey… can’t you sleep or not?”

Liang Lin was very impatient.

She had been experiencing some pregnancy symptoms lately, such as involuntary gagging, or discomfort in her back when she woke up at night. Her already bad temper had worsened. Even trivial things seemed hateful to her, and she would frequently curse at Liang Di. Sometimes, if Liang Di tried to touch her, she would bite her.

Whenever this happened, Liang Di would smile, gently stroking the teeth marks on her body, and say, “As long as it makes Liang Lin happy, that’s fine~ It’s cute, the teeth marks are cute.”

Seeing this reaction, Liang Lin felt deflated. She had intended to hurt her, but the other woman seemed to enjoy it.

Compared to this guy's masochistic reaction, I'm clearly the one more suited to be on top, right?

"Hey, can you stop tossing and turning? It's fine if you're not going to sleep, but I want to sleep here. If you want to keep tossing and turning, go back to your own bed and don't stay next to me," Liang Lin snapped impatiently.

Liang Di stopped tossing and turning and fell silent.

Hmm, that's more like it. Now I can finally sleep peacefully. But why do I feel this tingling sensation all over my body? Why do I feel like someone is watching me in the dark?

Liang Lin felt uneasy all over, always feeling like a pair of eyes were watching her, so she opened her eyes. The moment she opened them, she was almost scared out of her wits. She was half asleep, but now she was completely jolted awake.

In front of her were two green "ghost lights" very close to her, almost touching her face.

Those "ghost lights" were Liang Di's pupils, and this guy was staring straight at her.

"Damn it..." Liang Lin was so angry her nose almost twisted.

She shoved him and started cursing, "Why aren't you sleeping at night? Tossing and turning, staring at me like that, what are you trying to do? Are you trying to torture me? I haven't made a fuss since you brought me back, what more do you want?"

Yes, Liang Lin had been behaving quite well lately, all to regain Liang Di's trust and have another chance to see the light of day and escape again. Liang Lin had finally learned to be submissive.

"Sister Liang Lin, what do you think we'll do if we're separated one day?"

Liang Lin's eyes lit up instantly. That would be great! She'd be jumping for joy!

"Ahem."

No, she had to suppress her increasingly upturned lips. She was about to burst out laughing at the thought of them being separated; she couldn't let that guy see.

"Ugh, you're asking me about this? I don't know either. It didn't happen," Liang Lin said ambiguously.

"I don't want to be separated from you..." Liang Di snuggled into Liang Lin's arms like a docile kitten. "I want to be with you forever and ever. Only by your side do I feel warm."

Liang Lin moved her lips.

Maybe she should ask. She couldn't sleep anyway. Understanding this woman's past might help her escape.

"Liang Di, so, where did you go when you left with Octaville?"

Octaville had warned Liang Di not to reveal the existence of the Magic Tower for now, and that Hillary would tell Liang Lin herself when she could meet with her. But, given the current situation, it seemed best to just go for it.

 "Sister Liang Lin, do you know about the Magic Tower?"

"The Magic Tower? You mean that Magic Tower built in a forest, right?" Liang Lin was confused, wondering why the other person would suddenly ask this. "What does it have to do with the Magic Tower?"

Liang Di said, "I was sent to the Magic Tower, and I was tortured there for eight whole years."

"Tortured... for eight whole years?" Liang Lin repeated the other person's words, her tone full of doubt.

"Yes," Liang Di replied calmly, "Tortured for eight whole years, turned into a monster by magicians, used as an experimental subject, for eight whole years."

"Magicians...?"

Liang Di rubbed against Liang Lin's chest twice. "Yeah, magicians really exist in this world, Sister Liang Lin. After experiencing so much, you should believe it, right?"

Having experienced so many magical things, Liang Lin immediately accepted the fact that magicians existed in this world.

"I believe."

If there are cursed beings like Liang Di, then why can't there be magicians?

“Your sister’s lover, who is also my adoptive mother, Octaville, she is also a magician. She’s the one who brought me back to the Magic Tower.”

“She… she’s a magician too?!?”

Recalling the weakling Octaville was beaten to a pulp by her sister’s seemingly frail punch, foaming at the mouth, Liang Lin couldn’t believe it and asked again, “Are you sure she’s a magician too?”

“Yes, she is a magician. I’m her adopted daughter, of course I know.”

Liang Di was cautious. She didn’t mention that Octaville was the Tower Master, nor did she say how powerful this woman was. She was afraid that Liang Lin would try to find Octaville to ask for help.

"Hiss~"

Liang Lin gasped. She'd finally accepted the fact that magicians existed, but now she had to accept that her weak sister-in-law was also a magician. She felt her worldview was about to explode; it was simply unbearable.

"Then, then what?" Liang Lin barely processed the information before asking, "Then, why did they torture you? You didn't do anything wrong."

Liang Di smiled bitterly.

"Sister Liang Lin, if everyone thought like you, that would be great."

A tentacle quietly extended. Liang Di grabbed it and held it out to Liang Lin.

"Because I have this thing, because my body structure is different from normal people, because… I'm very powerful, so they fear me."

Liang Lin knew how powerful Liang Di was, and admitted she was inferior.

"Hmm… So, how did they torture you?"

"They…"

Recalling those painful experiences again, Liang Di wrapped her arms around Liang Lin's waist, burying her face in Liang Lin's chest, her voice muffled.

“Once, I only ate two meals a week.”

“I slept in a dog cage every night. Sometimes in the winter, it was so cold I would often faint from the cold.”

“They would make all sorts of magical potions, and I would test them. Sometimes, when they saw I was on the verge of death, they would use healing magic on me to make me healthy again.”

“My tentacles would grow back, then be cut off for research. They would grow back, then be cut off again for research. I felt pain, but now, when my tentacles are being cut off, I don’t feel any pain. I should thank them for that, so that I won’t be distracted by the pain of broken tentacles during battle.”

“And… that’s about it. I can’t remember other details.”

It wasn’t that she couldn’t remember, but that she didn’t want to recall them. She wanted to bury this painful memory deep in her heart forever, never to be brought up again.

Liang Lin fell silent.

Before this, she had never imagined that Liang Di and Octaville would suffer so much after leaving her and her sister. She felt as if a wad of cotton was stuck in her throat.

“Then, what about Octaville? Isn’t she a magician? Why didn’t she care about you? Why didn’t she protect you?”

Liang Lin’s voice was hoarse. She swallowed hard before managing to ask the question.

Liang Di knew the answer.

“Octaville, she had her own mission. I didn’t understand when I was little, but as I grew up, I understood why she left me there all alone. I resented her and often gave her the cold shoulder.” Liang Di smiled sadly. “But I also know that if it were me, I would have made the same choice. Although I blame her, I also understand her.”

“If she hadn’t found me, I might have died in the forest. I think I shouldn’t hate her.”

Bang!

Something seemed to explode inside Liang Lin.

She took a deep breath, her hand unconsciously resting on the back of Liang Di’s head.

So, this child, too, had a tragic fate.

Just now, those sensible and strong words reached Liang Lin's ears, and somehow, the girl in her arms didn't seem so unpleasant anymore.

"So, Sister Liang Lin, do you understand?"

"Understand... what?"

"Before I met you, I also spent my time in the Magic Tower. The children didn't like me because, due to the curse, a patch of my face was missing skin and made up of tentacles. They all hated me, thinking I looked disgusting."

Liang Lin seemed to recall something.

Liang Di continued, "Only you said I looked incredibly cool, that you wanted to be like me. You also said I was actually very beautiful, and that when you grew up, you would marry me."

Ah... that scene, I remembered.

When Liang Di was little, she was an incredibly cute little girl, with an adorable smile. Even with half her face disfigured, she was still sunny and cheerful, like a little sun, warming Liang Lin's boring childhood.

Liang Di peeked her little head out from Liang Lin's embrace.

"So, that's when I fell in love with Sister Liang Lin~ Because of Sister Liang Lin, I was able to get through those darkest days. I had something to look forward to: the day I could meet you again, the day I could marry you."

"Sister Liang Lin."

"You are the light in my life!"

Liang Di's voice grew louder, clearer, and more joyful, like drumbeats striking Liang Lin's heart, both painful and resounding.

Suddenly, she felt a pang of self-reproach.

Suddenly, Liang Lin remembered what she had said to Liang Di before: "What we said when we were little was just child's play. What credibility can a child's words have?"

Ah, so those words must have hurt Liang Di deeply…

If Liang Di's tentacles were like her arms and legs, the pain of having them severed…

Thinking of how her own arm was cut by a sharp blade on the battlefield, that pain alone made her grimace. Imagine losing an arm or a leg; she would probably faint from the pain.

It's truly remarkable that Liang Di has managed to hold on until now without committing suicide.

"So, it's because of my words that you've endured until now?"

"Yes."

"..."

Knowing the truth, Liang Lin couldn't feel happy; a deep sorrow welled up inside her. She was in so much pain, even more so than before she knew the truth.

Before knowing the truth, she could hate Liang Di, curse Liang Di, and blame everything on Liang Di.

But after learning the truth, a profound sense of guilt and helplessness overwhelmed her.

She had promised to protect Liang Di, but she hadn't, letting Liang Di suffer eight years of torment in vain. That wasn't eight days, not eight weeks, not even eight months; it was eight years, day after day, year after year.

Liang Di treated her as the only light in the darkness, but she hadn't shouldered the responsibility of being that light. Even after Liang Di's suffering finally ended, she forgot everything, forgot her promise, and uttered a dismissive, indifferent "It was all child's play." And then came all those hurtful insults, each one pushing the girl in her arms step by step into the abyss.

She was wrong too; she seemed to have become a murderer in Liang Di's life as well.

Seeing that Liang Lin didn't speak, Liang Di snuggled closer to her.

"Sister Liang Lin, why aren't you saying anything? Did I say something wrong again?"

This question, "Did I say something wrong again?" intensified Liang Lin's guilt.

Liang Lin's hand unconsciously stroked the girl's back gently, seemingly to soothe her. Liang Di, in turn, seemed to enjoy this comfort, even letting out a soft purr, like a kitten.

“You didn’t say anything wrong… I’m just… a little sleepy.”

Liang Lin’s arms were a little stiff, but she still gently hugged the other person.

“Don’t toss and turn, I can’t sleep. Sleep in my arms tonight, just don’t toss and turn. If you keep tossing and turning, go back to your room.”

“Ah…!”

Liang Di was pleasantly surprised, “I… I can sleep in Liang Lin’s arms?”

“Yes, if you keep talking nonsense, go back to your room.” Liang Lin was extremely awkward.

“No, hey~ I want to sleep in your arms.” Liang Di made a gesture of zipping up her mouth, obediently lying in Liang Lin’s arms, not moving at all.

Liang Lin’s heart was heavy.

Liang Di, if only you had told me these things, these experiences, earlier, if only you had told me before you forced me.

If you had told me then, maybe I really would have fallen for you. But you had to tell me now, everything is too late…

You forced me, how can I fall for you?  Every time I'm close to you, my mind is filled with images of you raping me. How can I have a future with you?

Liang Lin is in so much pain.

She wished she hadn't known the truth today. She regretted it so much, so much asking her these things. If she hadn't known, she wouldn't be tormented like this.

She wanted to fall in love with her again, to relive her initial attraction, but she truly couldn't fall for her again.

Liang Lin couldn't sleep.

Unbeknownst to her, the tentacle-like girl in her arms was also unable to sleep as well.

She was worried. She had a premonition that after tomorrow, Octaville would bring Hilary to the Langwendi mansion. How could she hide the fact that Liang Lin had been imprisoned in the basement then?

Liang Lin's mind raced with thoughts.

Finally, a terrible idea took hold of her mind.

What if Hilary forcibly took Liang Lin away, or forbade them from seeing each other again, or what if Liang Lin wanted to leave and received the support of Octaville and Hilary?

"Then let's die together, let's commit double suicide, let's die together."

Liang Di murmured silently.

She couldn't bring herself to harm Octaville and Octaville's lover, she couldn't bring herself to do it. She really hoped they could both live well.

Ah…

Liang Di was lost in thought.

So, I loved Octavia, I always considered Octaville as my mother.

That's good, at least before dying, I could figure this out, and Octaville would be happy about it too.

What Liang Di feared was never the punishment she would receive after the truth was discovered; what she feared most was Liang Lin leaving her.

If you really have to leave, then let's go die together.

I'm sorry, Liang Lin, this is my love, a love that I utterly despise.

Liang Di understood; she loved Liang Lin, but her love for her lover was too twisted.

The two of them, burdened by their own thoughts, drifted off to sleep as dawn broke.

Liang Lin slept until midday.

When she woke up, she sniffed, smelling a strong aroma of food. She groggily sat up, rubbed her sleepy eyes, and stretched. Her clothes slipped down, revealing her fair shoulders.

Liang Di, sitting in a chair beside the table, saw Liang Lin wake up and immediately snuggled close to her.

"Sister Liang Lin~ You're awake~"

Liang Di felt that such happy times were numbered, because Octaville had sent her a magical message, telling her that tomorrow, she and Hilary would come to the Langwendi mansion to visit Liang Lin and her.