Chapter 83: Freedom? She’s Very Free Now
Mr. and Mrs. Xiao didn’t treat Xiao Li poorly. They always gave her more than enough money and resources, and they never abused her—as long as she obediently cooperated with Xiao Wan’s treatment.
Xiao Wan loved all of her family, and she loved her shadow, too.
At first, Xiao Wan had rejected her. But after seeing Xiao Li undergo a bone marrow extraction with her own eyes, she began to empathize with her, because she knew that kind of pain.
She was six months younger than Xiao Li and would always call her "sister" in a sweet voice.
Whatever she liked, she would always get two of—one for Xiao Li.
She would hold Xiao Li’s hand and take her shopping, to school, and to play together. Even if Xiao Li was silent, Xiao Wan was a constant ball of energy.
Even though so many people were willing to play with the little princess, she liked Xiao Li the most and took her everywhere she went.
But Xiao Li’s heart wasn’t made of stone. She was only a child herself back then and couldn’t refuse a playmate her own age, especially one who was so warm and affectionate. For a while, she and Xiao Wan were the best of friends, telling each other everything.
But as Xiao Wan’s illness relapsed time and again, and Xiao Li was wheeled into the operating room time and again, she came to understand that her relationship with Xiao Wan would always be one of a life for a life.
Xiao Wan was tormented by her illness, growing increasingly gaunt. But thanks to improving medical technology and Xiao Li’s unlimited supply, Xiao Wan was finally freed from her suffering at the age of sixteen.
She was cured, but Xiao Li was left half-dead.
The excessive medication and bone marrow extractions made her look even weaker than Xiao Wan.
When Xiao Wan turned eighteen, Mrs. Xiao threw a lavish coming-of-age party for her.
After the party, Mrs. Xiao embraced Xiao Li, overcome with gratitude for saving her daughter.
Xiao Li seized the opportunity to ask if she would grant her one request.
Mrs. Xiao agreed without a second thought, saying she would grant her ten requests, let alone just one.
Xiao Li wasn’t greedy. She only had one request.
"I want to leave the Xiao Family."
Mrs. Xiao’s expression changed. She couldn’t understand. They had been so good to Xiao Li, so why would she want to leave?
Mrs. Xiao thought Xiao Li was being ungrateful. She possessed wealth, status, and resources that others couldn’t hope to attain in several lifetimes, and all it had cost her was a little blood.
As long as Xiao Li remained loyal to Xiao Wan, she was even willing to treat her like a second daughter, guaranteeing her a lifetime of inexhaustible wealth and glory.
And yet she wanted to leave. She was nothing but an ungrateful wretch.
Mrs. Xiao gave her a vicious tongue-lashing and had her locked up to "reflect on her actions."
Xiao Li knew leaving wouldn’t be that easy, so she had started making preparations long ago.
With a copy of an asset transfer agreement and a paternity test, she secured her freedom from Mr. Xiao.
She had her residency legally separated from the family, took the money she was owed, and disappeared.
As for what happened to the Xiao Family after she left, it had nothing to do with her.
She didn’t watch the news or contact anyone from her past. All alone, she climbed snow-capped mountains, dived into oceanic trenches, traveled to Antarctica, and explored mysterious ancient nations.
She had over a year of freedom and became intoxicated with the feeling, until Mrs. Xiao found her again.
When they met again, Mrs. Xiao looked far more haggard.
It turned out that Mr. Xiao’s mistress had shown up on their doorstep with a child—and she wasn’t the only one. There was more than one mistress and more than one child. Among these children were three boys.
How could a top-tier aristocratic family not place importance on male heirs?
All those years of marital bliss, of doting only on his daughter—it had all been a lie concocted by Mr. Xiao.
Mr. Xiao’s illegitimate sons were exceptional—and not just brilliant, but ruthless. While Mrs. Xiao and Mr. Xiao were at each other’s throats, Xiao Wan, the sheltered little princess, was no match for them.
Xiao Wan needed help—an ally who knew the family’s secrets and had some influence with Mr. Xiao. The only person who fit that description was Xiao Li. She was the shadow; it was only natural for her to return to her master’s side.
Having finally taken control of her own destiny, Xiao Li was naturally unwilling to go back to being anyone’s shadow.
But she was too naive.
Mrs. Xiao couldn’t deal with the rest of the Xiao Family, but controlling Xiao Li was child’s play.
Mrs. Xiao had her kidnapped and brought back. Imprisonment, starvation, beatings, water torture—once her authority had been challenged, Mrs. Xiao had countless ways to make her submit.
In her eyes, Xiao Li was a dog she had raised. To want to leave was to be a traitor, an ungrateful wretch.
Traitors deserved to be punished.
Finally, when Mrs. Xiao was satisfied with the punishment she had doled out, Xiao Li yielded.
A fifty-year contract turned her completely into Xiao Wan’s shadow. No, not a shadow this time—a dog. A dog that had to loyally protect Xiao Wan.
Xiao Wan felt that Xiao Li had betrayed their bond. The once sunny and cheerful little princess learned to throw fits of rage, with Xiao Li as the natural target.
Witnessing the cruelty of the world, she came to understand its rules.
At the age of twenty, Xiao Li truly became an adult.
She finally understood how laughable her obsession with escaping the Xiao Family had been. ’Only the weak believe that escaping the rules that bind them is freedom. The strong rise above everyone else. I am the rule. I am freedom.’
She helped Mrs. Xiao and Xiao Wan fight Mr. Xiao. She was their vanguard, absorbing all the attacks, her hands stained with blood from dark conspiracies and cunning schemes.
The process was brutal, but the results were very gratifying.
She received an astonishing amount of wealth from Mrs. Xiao—wealth that was entirely her own. But that wasn’t the most important part. The key was that Mrs. Xiao fell ill. To ensure Xiao Wan had backing, she transferred half of her own shares to Xiao Li, giving her a seat on the board of the world’s third-largest financial group.
She believed that as long as she held the contract that sold Xiao Li’s life to her, Xiao Li would be forced to work for her until she died and would never be able to betray her.
But she never realized that Xiao Li couldn’t care less about that contract. ’When the party that drafted the contract is gone, what is the contract itself? Just a worthless piece of paper.’
Too many people wanted them dead. Xiao Li wouldn’t even have to get her own hands dirty to regain her freedom.
The crisis was resolved. Mr. Xiao married the victor of this coup and appeared before Xiao Li with his brilliant heir in tow.
He said, "Xiao Li, you’ve worked hard. From now on, you’re free."
’Freedom?’ What a joke.
"Mr. Xiao, there’s an old saying: it’s easier to invite a god than to send one away."
"The first time you controlled my destiny, I was too young to resist. The second time, I was too naive, thinking I could find freedom just by leaving, but you dragged me back in. A third time won’t happen. You’ve pushed me too far. Now... it’s not up to you to decide when the game is over."
She not only held shares in the Xiao Family’s financial group but also possessed immeasurable wealth.
’Freedom? I’m already plenty free.’
Mr. Xiao saw her as a mere outsider and thought getting rid of her would be a trivial matter. After all, no matter how capable Xiao Li was, she was still just one person, while he had a vast aristocratic family behind him.
But he had miscalculated one thing: Xiao Li never intended to fight him herself.
She just had to use the shares in her possession as bait, and Mr. Xiao’s other illegitimate children and the rest of the Xiao Family would flock to become her pawns. In this new game, she was the one setting the board.