My name's Zhou Jiayan. An orphan.

It's said that I was abandoned when I was two or three years old, and then I was picked up by Zhang Yuan, the dean of the orphanage.

Zhang Yuan was known for his kindness. He adopted many orphans, provided them with food and clothes, and helped them find a good home.

All the orphans got along well with each other. They lived in the orphanage built by the dean, like a real family who loved each other.

Except there was one strange thing. 

The children in the orphanage were separated and educated according to sex, so it was rare for the girls and the boys to have interactions with each other.

There was a taboo here—it was absolutely, absolutely not allowed to date at an early age!

But that didn't matter.

Everyone respected and loved the dean, and sometimes they would intimately call him "Father Dean".

But one day, everything collapsed.

That day, I followed Xiaoju to the entrance of the teachers' building.

Xiaoju was a feral cat I fed. I didn't know why but today he ran away before finishing his food. He ran into the teachers' building as he meowed non-stop.

The building was the teachers' dormitory and warehouse. It was usually classified as a restricted area and students were not allowed to enter.

I hesitated for a moment before following him in.

Xiaoju seemed to be attracted by something. He ran directly to the stairs and then quietly dashed downstairs.

It was dark below. It was probably the basement. There were a lot of empty rooms in the teachers' building which were used as storage rooms, and they should only be piled up with sundries.

He continued to walk forward and I faintly heard a strange sound coming from the basement in front of us.

It was like the painful roar and whimper of a beast, which made my hair stand on end. It was also like the cry of a wild cat in spring, which was shrill and scary.

"Xiaoju, are you inside?"

I grabbed the door handle and twisted it tentatively.

Creak—The door was not locked.

The moment the door was pushed open, my pupils suddenly dilated—

It was Han Mengxue, my best friend in the orphanage. Her long hair would always flutter in the air, and her figure was graceful. Her smile was as gentle as the moonlight. In private, she was called the goddess by the boys in the orphanage.

But now, she was wearing a dirty white dress. Her belly was as big as a water ball, and it was visible to the naked eye that her limbs and face were thin. Her eyes were sunken, and her eyes were dull. She was tortured beyond recognition.

Her eyes, which had always been gentle and beautiful, were now as dull as the eyes of a dead fish on the chopping board.

One of her feet was shackled with a thick iron chain, and the end of the chain was connected to a fixed metal ring.

I opened my mouth, and my breath was about to stop.

This seemed impossible because Han Mengxue had been adopted three months ago.

The dean said that he had found a wealthy family for her. The day before she left, we waved goodbye to her reluctantly.

The next day, the dean took her to the car in a suit, and we watched the car leave.

It was impossible for her to be here again.

"Mengxue?" I said in a hoarse voice with great difficulty. I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

Not only was she locked in the forbidden basement of the orphanage, but her bloated belly looked terrible. What on earth had happened?

Han Mengxue's eyes widened when she saw me.

She cried and rushed over. "Jiayan, save me! Save me!"

There was a limit to the length of the iron chain. She tripped before she reached the door.

My eyes were sore, and I walked up to her quickly in a few steps.

The door was closed behind me, making a cold creaking sound.

I held Han Mengxue's hand. Her hand was thin and cold, like a dead person's hands, which made my heart clench in an instant.

"What's going on? Why are you locked up here? Don't worry, I'm going to find someone to save you. I'm going to find the dean!"

"No! You can't look for him! He's a demon, I hate him!" she cursed, her eyes filled with hatred.

"Jiayan, believe me. The dean is not a good person. He..."

Before she finished speaking, there was a sudden sound of approaching footsteps coming from the door.

Han Mengxue looked around the room nervously, then pushed me to the closet and asked me to get in.

"Jiayan, don't come out no matter what happens, and don't make a sound!" she whispered.

"What's going on?"

"Don't come out!"

Without allowing me to ask any more questions, she nervously pushed me in and closed the closet door.

Next, I heard a man's voice. I looked through the gap in the closet and saw the dean donned in a suit and leather shoes.

He looked as gentle as usual, but there was no kind smile on his face.

"I forgot to lock the door just now."

"Haha, but I forgot that you have a chain tied to your feet. You can't run away even if you want to. You know, this chain matches you very well. It's perfect for a b*tch like you."

I covered my mouth with my hand, trying my best to hold back my scream.

What was the dean talking about... A b*tch?

Why would the dean, who had always been kind and friendly to us and who had taught us to be polite and educated, say such cruel words?

At this moment, I found that the dean I knew seemed to be a fake.

"You demon! You'll die a terrible death!" Han Mengxue cursed.

"Demon? I give you food and clothes, and I find a good home for you. I'm your Father Dean, aren't I?"

"Han Mengxue, you know I appreciate you very much, right? But you embarrassed me in front of the guests... Who will pay for my loss now?"

Han Mengxue spat hard and spat on the ground with disdain.

The dean sneered, and his eyes flashed with a chilling light. "How can you still be so energetic? I'll have to teach you a lesson again."

Then he began to take off his tie, then his coat and shirt...

Next was a scene I never wanted to witness again in my life.

Han Mengxue screamed and wailed as she endured the pain and humiliation like a rag doll.

Three months ago, the dean had said that he was proud of Han Mengxue. He said that he had found her a good family and that we could use her as a role model.

How could the dean of the orphanage, who was respected by everyone, turn out to be like this...

I hid in the closet and was holding my breath. Looking at everything outside the closet, I covered my mouth with my hands to prevent myself from making a sound.

Tears flowed out uncontrollably and fell on the back of my hand.

After a long time.

A rustling sound came from outside. It seemed that the dean was ready to leave.

I tensed up my nerves. Suddenly, something jumped from my foot, scaring me. Although I restrained myself, there was still a slight bump.

"What's that sound?" the dean asked in a gloomy voice.

I had goosebumps all over my body, and I felt as if I was facing a formidable enemy.

The sound of footsteps was closer and closer. It seemed that the dean was walking toward the closet step by step.