May, 1976. A crumbling courtyard in Caojiatun, Shanxi Province.

In the dank, rayless cellar, a sour smell hung heavy in the air.

A woman lay there, hair tangled, clothes in tatters, curled up on a pile of mildewed bedding.

"Hey hey, wifey, here's your grub!"

From the top of the creaky wooden ladder, a filthy man grinned, holding a bowl as he ambled down step by step.

She glared at him with fury. "Pah! Just kill me already! Otherwise, sooner or later, my family will come for you!"

He snorted with disdain.

"Yeah, right! It's been five years now. If your folks still cared, they would've shown up long ago. Look around—no one's come for you, have they? Stop dreaming. Your job now is to have kids."

"Hurry up and drink this corn mush, or else my son’s got no milk!"

Her eyes flared with resistance, but the moment he mentioned their kids, pain flashed across her face. She shut her eyes tight.

She could deal with suffering, even dying. But for those two little ones—her heart broke. Trembling, she took the bowl and gulped it down.

Seeing her cave in, the man was all smiles. He took the empty bowl, wrapped an arm around her, and planted a sloppy kiss on her cheek.

"That’s more like it. Wait here, I'll go grab the boy for his feeding."

He flicked her chin smugly and hummed a tuneless song as he tramped back up the ladder.

Andrea Lawson didn't move a muscle, lifeless like a husk.

Her face was ghost-pale, hair clinging messily to her skin, her eyes blank, legs bent at odd angles.

Her lips moved soundlessly, whispering to herself in a loop.

"Dad… Mom… When are you gonna come get me?"

"William… it’s been so long. Why haven’t you come? Did you really forget me?"

She sat there in that pit like a shell of herself, drifting on memories just to stay breathing.

Suddenly, a loud "thunk" echoed above, and a harsh beam of light sliced into the cellar.

"Ugh—cough! What the hell is that stench?"

A woman's voice, disgusted, flapped at her nose and crouched down to peer in.

"Well, well, if it isn’t my dear cousin Andrea! What’s the deal—found the cellar nice and cozy?"

Andrea had braced herself for that man to drop the baby down for feeding. She wasn’t expecting Evelyn Hamilton's voice.

Her head jerked up, eyes wide in disbelief.

"Evelyn! Evelyn help me, quick! He's the one that locked me in here. No wait—he’s too strong, you can’t fight him. Go get Mom and Dad, and William! Please, just hurry!"

Desperately, she scrambled toward the ladder, hands gripping the rungs, hauling herself up one shaky step.

Five long years—and finally, someone from home. Andrea shook all over with emotion, her words tangled from joy and terror.

But Evelyn only stared, crouched at the edge of the opening, taking her time to study Andrea in the dim light.

Once she saw clearly, she burst into mocking laughter.

"Oh wow, cousin, long time no see! How’s life underground treating you, huh?"

Her laugh dripped with sarcasm. She clicked her tongue in fake pity, shaking her head like it was such a shame."Sigh, I just can't figure out how your parents managed to raise someone as dense as you. It's unbelievable."

"Come on, Andrea, are you trying to make me die laughing so you can snag my husband? After all these years, you're still that naïve. Still calling him William like he’s yours—how cute. Ever thought about calling him ‘brother-in-law’ instead?"

Andrea Lawson’s heart sank. One look at Evelyn Hamilton’s mocking grin and she knew—no one was coming to help her.

"What… what are you talking about?"

Andrea looked up, her face full of disbelief.

"Evelyn, what do you mean? Brother-in-law? William told me he'd wait for me! He said it himself—no matter how long I stayed down there, he’d never leave me!"

"Wait for you?" Evelyn’s face twisted, her voice rising as she barked down into the cell. "Are you really this dumb? You seriously think your parents were ever on your side? You think William actually loved you? Let me tell you the truth. Me and him? We go way back. Childhood sweethearts, practically. The only reason you even got engaged to him was 'cause the old man suddenly decided to switch things up. Lucky you. But you know what's really funny? It doesn't matter—what matters is who won in the end."

"Let’s set the record straight. I'm Aunt and Uncle’s real daughter. You? You’re just a servant’s kid they picked up. You ever wonder why you were always doing chores? Like washing clothes with freezing water in winter? No loving parent would let their daughter suffer like that. Me, though? Every time I came over, Aunt would have you waiting on me hand and foot like it was nothing. Ever ask yourself why?"

Evelyn’s words cut deep—but she was clearly enjoying every second.

Andrea's head shook over and over, as if she might erase reality with denial. “No… that can’t be true. It just can’t be! This isn’t real!”

Seeing her fall apart only made Evelyn smirk wider.

"I grew up pampered in the Hamilton family. Didn't lift a finger for anything. Your so-called parents and brothers treated me like I was gold. And honestly? That was supposed to be your life. All of it. But sorry, you missed your shot."

"You? You were always meant to be my stepping stone. Just the poor fool I needed. Oh, and William? Please, I took him too. God, every time I think about all this, I can’t help but laugh. You really thought he’d wait for you after you got sent off like that? He wouldn’t even remember you. If you're still waiting, then I truly feel bad for that skull of yours."

"Hey, Jack Turner, come on over and tell your big sis all about those good deeds my dear husband did."

Then a man stepped out from behind Evelyn. Jack Turner—the man who had locked Andrea away for five long years.

He crouched at the edge of the cellar, his oily grin oozing arrogance.

"Sweetheart, you’d better just focus on popping out a kid for me. Stop daydreaming about getting out. You're not going anywhere. William paid me a hundred bucks to kill you, y'know. But you were just too damn pretty—I couldn’t do it. So I kept you down here. Made you my wife instead."

Tears streamed down Andrea’s grimy face. She shook her head furiously, her expression hollowing out more with every word.

Looking back on her life—it all felt like a cruel joke."So it was all a setup... Everything was planned, none of it was coincidence. William Andrews lied straight to my face. I was never really Richard Lawson’s daughter. What a joke... Ha... ha ha..."

Andrea Lawson let out a bitter laugh, her fingers digging into the wooden floor. Her eyes were bloodshot, heart still full of questions.

"Evelyn, your life’s so great—why’d you still have to do this to me? Where does your hate even come from? When did I ever hurt you?"

"Andrea!" Evelyn Hamilton shouted, her eyes full of fury.

"You filthy brat! You stole everything from me. I can't have kids anymore—do you get that? I’m barren! And you, you gave birth to two boys without even trying! You think I wouldn't hate you? It’s all because of that cursed job. Section Chief Gordon Cole messed with me, and now I’m stuck like this for the rest of my life!"

"After you went to the countryside, I didn’t even want to push things. But no, this crap had to happen—it’s all your fault, every bit of it! If it weren’t for you, I’d still be living comfortably at home! That’s why I made that deal with William. If he didn’t help me get revenge, I wouldn't put in a good word for him with my father."

"Look at that man you were gonna marry—how heartless can someone be? He paid money and made you disappear in less than a month. They even declared you dead! You don’t exist anymore, Andrea. Stop dreaming of escape. Just rot in this filthy hole and pay for your sins."

With that, she turned to Jack Turner. "Go take a walk, I’ve got something to say to her in private."

She waved him off, pulling ten yuan from her bag and handing it to him.

Jack's eyes lit up the second he saw the money, nearly drooling.

"Sure, sure, I’m gone. Gonna nap up in the hills."

Taking the cash without sparing Andrea a glance, he happily jogged off toward the mountain.

Evelyn crouched down slowly, with a smug grin, looking Andrea right in the eye.

"Evelyn, you’ve really got some nerve dumping all this on me. You know how you landed that job—don’t act clueless. It had nothing to do with me!" Andrea spat, rage boiling inside her. She could hardly believe her nightmare started because of something like this.

But Evelyn wasn’t bothered, kept right on talking. "Hey, Andrea. Look at what I’ve got."

She tilted her head and yanked a blue necklace out from under her collar.

Andrea’s eyes widened. She scrambled to get up, only to collapse halfway—her legs completely numb. She ended up clinging to the ladder, struggling to move.

"That necklace—it’s from my grandma! I thought it was lost—why are you wearing it?"

Evelyn let out a chuckle. "You seriously have to ask? Of course, it’s because of my mom—wait, I guess I should call her Auntie now. I told her I liked that necklace, and the next day, poof, there it was."

"Tch! That old woman never gave me anything I liked, no matter how much I asked. Then she hands this to some nobody like you—who do you think you are? Guess what? There’s something special about this necklace. It’s got a secret space inside. That’s how I got everything I have now."

"Andrea, I gotta say thanks, cousin. Really, I appreciate it... heh..."