Julia Yu's eyelashes quivered as she gently set down her chopsticks and spoke softly, "Let me tell you a story."
Stephen Song followed suit, putting down his chopsticks and signaling his full attention.
"I once took on a case, defending a truly innocent girl. Here’s how it went. The girl had a stepsister—her mother remarried and she became what people call 'the child from a previous marriage.' She was beautiful, talented, sweet, adorable, and mature for her age. If most families had such a daughter, wouldn’t they be thrilled? Proud? Wouldn’t they cherish and nurture her?" Julia Yu asked.
Stephen Song nodded, "If she were my daughter, I’d make her shine like a princess."
Julia Yu continued, "But her brilliance didn’t bring her happiness—it brought her disaster. Her stepsister was average in looks, talent, and ability—she couldn’t compare in any way. So the stepsister made trouble for her, both openly and behind her back. The girl never understood what she’d done wrong, but every time she told her mother, her mother just said, 'Endure it. You’re the outsider here, you have to swallow your pride.'"
"As she grew older, her excellent grades got her into a top high school, and she chose to board at school to escape that suffocating home. She thought she could finally leave her stepsister’s shadow behind. But she was wrong. Her stepsister kept tormenting her—spreading rumors about her dating early, claiming she hung out with troublemakers. Her mother, never caring about the truth, scolded and hit her, calling her just as worthless as her biological father."
"The girl was on the verge of collapse. She performed poorly on her college entrance exams and missed out on her dream university—she only managed to get into a local college. There, she met her first love, a boy who treated her kindly and sincerely. They planned to be together after graduation. But one day, her stepsister saw them and immediately went after her boyfriend. They were just kids—how could they be steadfast? The girl, though pretty, dressed plainly and hid her charm, while her stepsister dressed to impress, grabbing everyone's attention. Her first love was quickly swayed and left her for her stepsister."
"The heartbreak nearly destroyed her. Every day she had to watch her first love and her stepsister flaunt their affection, driving her to the brink. But she endured, and eventually entered another relationship. Yet, no matter how many times she tried, her stepsister always stole her boyfriends. And those men? They were all weak—one after another, they abandoned her for the stepsister."
"Realizing she could never escape her stepsister’s grasp, the girl chose to stay single, giving up on love. After graduating, she searched for work, but wherever she went, her stepsister sabotaged her, and she was always let go after a few days. Broken, she finally confronted her stepsister: 'Why are you doing this to me?'"
"Her stepsister replied that she simply couldn’t stand her and wanted to ruin everything she had. The girl couldn’t take it anymore. With just her ID and a thousand yuan, she left the city behind, hoping to find a place where her stepsister couldn’t reach her—a place to finally live her own life."
But she never expected that her stepsister would trick her into returning home under the pretense of their mother being seriously ill. What awaited her wasn’t her mother’s sickness, but the cruel reality of her mother and stepsister teaming up to sell her to an old man. Life isn’t a novel—there’s no domineering CEO swooping in to save every Cinderella. The girl had nowhere to turn for help, and her family forced her into the arms of the old man. That day, she completely broke down.
The old man who abused her never cherished her. He beat and scolded her constantly, leaving her covered in bruises. She could have worked and supported herself, but she was trapped in a tiny house, forced to do laundry, cook, and care for him. Once, she was so busy washing clothes that she forgot to make dinner, and he beat her unconscious—she lost her baby, three months pregnant.
She couldn’t understand what she’d done to deserve such a miserable life. Even her own mother helped the abusers. So the girl snapped—she gathered her whole family together, drugged their food with sleeping pills, and, wielding a butcher’s knife fresh from slaughtering chickens and ducks, killed two, seriously injured one, and another died from the wounds.
The man who hurt her died. Her stepfather died. Her mother survived with serious injuries. Her stepsister was hacked up so badly she barely survived after being rushed to the hospital, but couldn’t accept reality and committed suicide.
I was appointed by the court as the girl’s defense lawyer. When I took the case, I kept thinking how terrifying human nature can be. Later, I interviewed my client and the stepsister. Guess what they told me?" Julia Yu looked up at Stephen Song.
Stephen Song shook his head in shock.
"The stepsister told me she just didn’t like having someone extra in the family. She could tolerate her stepmother, but couldn’t stand that the 'extra baggage' was better than her. She worried her family would only notice the stepsister and ignore her. So her petty bullying grew into serious abuse—from snide remarks to outright harm. All because she didn’t want her stepsister to have an easy life. Did she steal her stepsister’s boyfriends because she liked them? No, it was pure revenge. She even blamed her stepsister for her own parents’ divorce."
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"In short, she just wanted someone to bear the brunt of her anger and dirty thoughts. And the weakest stepsister became the perfect target."
"Later, I asked my client why she didn’t fight back. She told me her mother always used filial piety to suppress her. If she didn’t obey, she was called unfilial, and her mother would go to her workplace to ruin her reputation. My client endured again and again, her weakness only fueled her abuser’s arrogance."
"In this case, I realized that many people carry a kind of inherent vice. This vice can destroy a person's path in life. You wondered why I was so cold to that girl who wanted a meal, right? Simple—I saw that same vice in her. Do you really think she was after your food? No, she wanted to show off her charm to you and me, to prove we’re just old-timers and she’s the fresh little fairy."
"If you don’t believe me, let’s make a bet. By tomorrow at the latest, she’ll invite us to her place. And when that happens, she’ll be surrounded by a bunch of young people, showing off her allure. Also, there’s a crucial detail—her fingertips are stained with tar, meaning she’s a heavy smoker. Tell me, can a girl of seventeen or eighteen with a serious smoking habit really be a good girl? Would any decent family let her keep going down that path?"
Stephen Song’s eyes widened bit by bit. "Wow! Now I get why you’re Mr. Mo’s chief assistant—your powers of observation are amazing."
"That’s not all," Julia Yu continued with a smile. "Think about it—who in this circle of wealthy people staying here fits her profile?"
Stephen Song replied earnestly, "I just got back to China, so I’m not familiar with things here. Please enlighten me, Counselor."
"It’s the Huo Family from East City. They’re not nouveau riche, but they don’t have deep roots either," Julia Yu said. "The Huo Family runs a seafood business, always busy and neglecting their kids’ upbringing. The Huo heiress is famous in these circles as a player. I haven’t met her, but I’ve heard the stories. Her favorite thing, they say, is being the other woman."
Stephen Song was speechless.
A girl only seventeen or eighteen!
What a twisted worldview she has!
At that moment, the girl Julia Yu had refused—a.k.a. Tina Huo, heiress of the Huo Family from East City—returned to her cabin with a sullen face, angrily slammed her bowl onto the table, and muttered darkly, "Old woman, so annoying! Ha, she must be jealous because I’m younger. Ha, who does that bumpkin think she is, daring to compete with me!"
Actually, that afternoon, when Stephen Song and Julia Yu visited the cabin, Tina Huo saw them.
When she saw the tall, handsome, and gentle Stephen Song carrying the luggage and insisting Julia Yu not lift a finger, Tina Huo immediately set her sights on him.
Julia Yu was absolutely right.
Her greatest hobby was stealing men to prove her own allure.
Stephen Song was clearly no youngster, but he was good-looking!
As long as it was a man, he was fair game for Tina Huo.
She deliberately changed into cozy homewear to lower people’s guard, grabbed a cute little bowl, and went to act sweet and beg for food.
Most men, seeing her act so cute, would find it hard to turn her down.
She’d used this trick to conquer countless men.
But she never expected there’d be an old woman who was so oblivious, ruining her plans.
She absolutely couldn’t swallow her pride!
Tina Huo thought it over and decided to teach that old woman a lesson!
Tina Huo immediately took out her phone and made several calls: "Invite more people over to party! Don’t worry, I’ll notify the front desk so your cars get through! And make sure you bring plenty of good-looking folks! Nothing serious, I just can’t stand that old woman and want to teach her a lesson. Seriously, who am I? I’m Tina Huo! No way I’ll let some old woman spoil my fun. It’s settled—come over tomorrow morning!"