Present Day:
Xue Guangli walked home from work when she heard some faint whispering from behind her.
"That"s one of the Xue girls; it"s a pity on what happened to their family."
"Mhm. A tragedy" said another woman. "Now, she"s branded as a Killer"s Daughter."
Xue Guangli kept walking, her face stern, her expression unbothered. She was used to people talking about her family; it was the talk of the city, even to this day.
Once she arrived, she pa.s.sed her younger sister—Xue Liena—gardening in the front yard with the orange sunset behind her, deepening.
As she continued walking towards the front steps of her home, she heard the soft melody of the piano resonating in the s.p.a.ce, courtesy of her older sister, Xue Teegan.
Xue Guangli stepped into her house when she glimpsed Xue Teegan playing with a focused, determined face. Her long reddish-brown hair cascaded over her shoulders; her features sharp and womanly. The curtains were swaying gently with the breeze. But when Xue Teegan was reaching a difficult part of the piece, she deliberately hit the keys as she messed up, sighing in frustration.
She then glanced up, giving Xue Guangli a dark gaze before composing herself, continuing to perfect the piece.
To Xue Guangli, she heard no mistake, but she sighed and continued to walk further into her house.
Xue Guangli went to her bedroom. It had ample s.p.a.ce with a queen-sized bed and a large windowsill with a ledge to sit on. She slumped on her bed, loosening a breath, exhaling deeply.
It had been three years since her mother"s death. It had been hard for her, for her sisters, too. Xue Teegan copes with her grief by playing the piano, but she sometimes drowns into the sound, and the piece goes awry.
Xue Liena, their younger sister, was the one who seemed to be the sanest person since it happened. She smiles, keeping them together even though their family seemed to be tearing apart; they only had each other. After all, it was their father who killed their mother.
Xue Guangli tried not to think about it; her mother was gone, her father in jail. But it puzzled her. He claimed to have not done it, but the evidence was startling, pinned against him.
Some part of her believed him. But with all the fingers pointing at her father, she couldn"t help but consider what the police told her. But it also didn"t make sense. They were a loving family. Her father was in the military and to kill his wife?
In court, they said he was abusive and lashed out on her while their daughters were on a trip. But, he had always been gentle to her mother around them. Still, she didn"t like to dwell on it. She only wanted to move on.
But some part of her feels like her older sister, Xue Teegan, resents her for it; hates her for moving on, while she lives with the pain each day. But Xue Guangli didn"t like dwelling in the past; she was the one to numb the pain than let herself feel it.
Only the three of them live in the mansion. All of them, unmarried. Their mother wanted to see them each wed and have families, and now none of them would ever get the chance; just the thought lowered her mood.
Xue Guangli approached the ledge, opening the latch of the window, the birds sang on the tiles of her roof. She could see the largest house she"d ever seen, loom next door. Even after seeing it for so many years, the house never grew small in her eyes; it stood like a fortress.
The room across hers, in her neighbour"s house, was where Long Huojin used to sleep, but the lights haven"t been on for months, that"s how she knows he wasn"t home.
Long Huojin hadn"t been home in three months. He had gone overseas to pursue a hobby he was undeniably good at.
Even before he left, they never got along.
Growing up, it was all about attending the same events, birthday parties, weddings, and gatherings because their families were close. But they never got to the point of friends.h.i.+p. Long Huojin had tormented her in ways that she wasn"t sure if they were deliberate or not. Some of the torment were from girls who chased him and didn"t like the fact that another girl was seen with him.
So her hatred for him grew, flourished to the point that she doesn"t call him a friend despite their years of knowing each other.
She was sure, most positively, that he didn"t mind.
Xue Guangli exhaled deeply after remembering Long Huojin, as she then received an incoming call; it was w.a.n.g Weimin, her fiancé.
"h.e.l.lo?" she answered.
"Guangli…," he began. "Where are you?" he asked her.
"I"m home," she responded.
"I will be picking you up soon," he said.
"Mhm," Xue Guangli mumbled before ending the call.
She had been dating w.a.n.g Weimin for two years now. It was right after Long Huojin betrayed the w.a.n.g family. They also had been engaged for a month. He popped the question during a stroll one night; it wasn"t anything grand.
Long Huojin spilled company secrets using his ties with his company that resulted in w.a.n.g Weimin"s father"s imprisonment, forcing w.a.n.g Weimin to inherit the company at 24 years old.
To this day, Xue Guangli wasn"t sure why Long Huojin had done what he did. But she wouldn"t want to hear it, given a chance to listen to the reason.
w.a.n.g Weimin was kind to her from all the years of knowing him. He was there for her when her mother died, and when his father got arrested, they confided and sought solace in each other: Both their fathers were in jail, and their families were torn apart.
Long Huojin was no longer a member of the High Society, for what he had done to w.a.n.g Weimin was a betrayal. Therefore, he was banished from the group, like that. And so she had seen him less and less because he wasn"t exclusive with their social circle.
Xue Guangli changed into a deep-forest pine green satin dress. Green always complimented her red-brown hair, in contrast.
She placed on some light makeup before she heard the sound of a car honking. She abruptly walked down the stairs where w.a.n.g Weimin was already walking through the entrance.
He kept his hands in his pocket; his back straightened. His walnut brown hair combed to one side; his light green eyes gleamed as he gazed at Xue Guangli. She smiled at him, taking his hand.
Her older sister walked by incidentally, granting them a look of disapproval. Xue Guangli knitted her eyebrows. Awkwardly, w.a.n.g Weimin nodded at her. "h.e.l.lo Teegan," he said to her politely.
Xue Teegan acknowledged his greeting, slowly blinking at him with a blank expression. She turned her heel, continuing to walk down the hall into the kitchen without saying a word.
Xue Guangli awkwardly smiled at him before he enclosed his arm around her waist, escorting her out of the door. "Your sister doesn"t like me," he said by way of observation.
Xue Guangli chuckled. "I can guarantee you that she doesn"t like anyone, least of all, me. "
w.a.n.g Weimin sucked in a breath, almost whistling. "Don"t be hard on yourself. It"s not your fault that your sister is a b.i.t.c.h."
Xue Guangli paused at what he said, knitting her brows in confusion. He caught onto her expression, so he said, "I don"t mean it like that. It"s just that she"s a lot less friendly and unreserved than you."
Xue Guangli didn"t know how to respond to that, but he kept his grip around her waist, making him move forward towards the car; the words lingered on her mind.