My Parents Neglected Me Until I Died Novel by yueji

I seemed calm as I ran down the stairs.

I sought fresh air in the open space, gasping for breath.

After the rapid breaths, the steady pounding of my heart filled my ears.

I wrapped my coat tighter and kept my head down, trying to escape this place.

Were they all watching me?

Were they all calling me a worthless person?

I didn’t want to hear, didn’t want to listen.

The silent, endless night was only accompanied by the howling, stifling summer wind.

A man appeared leisurely in my path, blocking my way.

My heart stopped for a moment.

I glanced at him and changed direction.

He continued to block me.

I turned around.

He intercepted me.

No matter which way I tried, he sealed off all my exits.

Another path revealed two more men, one with a cigarette in his mouth and the other holding a bottle of alcohol.

I tried to run, but they yanked me back, gripping my hair tightly.

“Please, please, I’ll give you money, I’ll give you a lot of money.”

I trembled and choked as I pulled out all the cash from my pocket.

The man with the cigarette took it, examining it with that familiar gaze.

“Out so late at night, little sister, all alone?”

“Looking so provocative, who are you trying to impress?” The man with the bottle poked my chest repeatedly with the bottle’s neck.

I don’t want this, I don’t want this.

They dragged me away.

I wanted to scream for help but they covered my mouth.

My malnourished body had no strength to resist.

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I was dressed so unattractively and heavily.

Why was it me again?

The zipper was violently yanked open, and hands began groping me.

I felt helpless and despairing, my body numb to the touch.

In a daze, I seemed to see Victoria again, behind the corner.

How did I get back?

I didn’t know.

Somehow, I found the courage to drag my battered body back home.

I turned on the scalding hot water and poured it over my skin, scratching at my flesh with my nails.

Everything felt so familiar.

It happened again.

Ding ding ding-

The phone’s ringtone interrupted my thoughts.

It was Janet.

“Look at the paternity test I sent you! You’re the biological daughter of your uncle and aunt.”

I clutched the phone tightly, feeling short of breath as I looked at the test results.

Tears fell uncontrollably.

Memories from five years ago flooded my mind.

It was the second year after Victoria was found.

I knew that now, my parents only cared for my sister.

If I treated her better, would they start noticing me again?

Victoria and I were in the same class and I followed her to and from school every day.

Whatever she asked, I always complied.

When she asked me to buy her milk tea, I used my meager allowance to buy her favorite drink.

When I returned, I saw a group of people surrounding her.

She was crouched on the ground, trembling with her backpack clutched to her chest.

I rushed over, grabbing a piece of brick from the roadside.

I smashed the backpacks over their heads, pulling my sobbing sister from the corner.

Waving the brick, I shouted and ran out.

Seeing that I was attracting attention, they spat and glared at me, threatening me to wait.

I didn’t know what “waiting” meant.

All I knew was that I had protected Victoria, and my parents might finally praise me.

But once home, they barely acknowledged me, focused only on Victoria.

Victoria said that I had protected her.

They responded, “That’s what she should have done. If she hadn’t gone off to buy milk tea and stayed with you, those hooligans wouldn’t have surrounded you.”

I didn’t receive the praise I had hoped for.

Instead, those bad guys’ retaliation followed.

It was then that I met Janet.

She helped chase the bad guys away and stayed with me to protect me.

But there were times when she wasn’t around.

They found their chance,

I was terrified, offering them money in hopes they would leave me alone.

They counted the money, exchanged glances, and smiled knowingly.

Their nauseating stares assessed me.

They closed in on me.

I saw Victoria behind the wall.

I screamed, “Sister, help me! Victoria!!!”

Rip-

Victoria smiled at me from behind the wall before turning and leaving.

The occasional flicker of light gradually faded.

They surrounded me, blocking all my sight.

I cried, hoping they would let me go.

All I felt in response was the pain on my scalp, my hair being pulled, and my chin being held.

If I resisted, they slammed my head against the wall.

I couldn’t fight back.

The stench enveloped my nostrils, making it hard to breathe.

They pinched my face, forcing my mouth open.

Nausea, suffocation.

Their low growls, curses, and the slaps against my face blended into a symphony of death.

After each round, they would gently taunt me.

“Does it hurt, little sister?”

“Hang in there, little sister. Let us enjoy ourselves, hahahahaha.”

Their laughter was sharp and grating.

Why did it turn out like this?

I only protected my sister.

What did I do wrong…

So disgusting. So filthy.

Am I close to dying?

The light in front of me brightened and then darkened again.