Lin Ruirui was not dead.
After Guan Ruirui had abandoned her and fled in a panic, she had been rescued just in time. Although she had lost the child, at least she had kept her life.
It wasn't until her daughter was rushed to the hospital that Mother Lin finally learned what she had been enduring at school. Lin Ruirui's father had died young, and Mother Lin had raised her daughter alone. She could not bear to see her child bullied in such a way.
She had gone to the school in a rage to demand an explanation, but the administration had been vague and evasive, even implying that Lin Ruirui had tarnished the school's reputation.
Mother Lin was merely a working-class woman. Lin Ruirui's tuition was barely covered by the pension left by her father. Her only intention had been to give her daughter a good education, never imagining such a disaster would strike.
With the school refusing to act and having no power or influence of her own, Mother Lin acted out of desperation. She listened to the urging of a self-media blogger and posted the story online, hoping that the power of the internet would bring her daughter justice.
She never expected that this single act would plunge them into an even deeper abyss.
Lin Ruirui's unwed pregnancy and her "suicide attempt" at the abandoned school building initially drew sympathy from netizens. However, the tone of the comments shifted almost instantly.
"Pregnant and unwed, then runs to a school building to kill herself because she's scared her family will find out. Students these days don't study; they only know how to mess around."
"Agreed. Teenage romance is risky; baby-making requires caution."
"Who's the guy? To go as far as suicide, he probably dumped her. Girls these days are so dramatic, wanting to live or die over the slightest things."
"A girl who doesn't respect herself deserves to be abandoned."
"Love-struck fools are only fit to dig for wild vegetables. She deserves the miscarriage."
"I heard some school girls take on 'part-time jobs' outside. Could this Lin Ruirui be one of them?"
"Hehe, looks like you found the truth upstairs!"
"No way, that's so disgusting."
"Who knows how the parents raised her? Now they want to use her for traffic to scam people for sympathy. The whole family is gross."
It only took a few people to set the rhythm. Within a few hours, the comment section was flooded with claims that Lin Ruirui had gotten pregnant while working "part-time." Latecomers saw the comments, took the "truth" for granted, and started a new round of abuse.
The online sentiment spiraled out of control in an instant.
Mother Lin tried to defend her daughter, but no one listened. Even her coworkers and neighbors began to point and whisper. Someone even dug up Lin Ruirui's contact information and sent her direct messages asking for her "price."
Lin Ruirui had barely returned from the gates of death, only to open her eyes to a world of overwhelming malice and humiliation. A seventeen-year-old child could not withstand such relentless hatred. Finally, one night, she snapped.
To say she was insane was not entirely accurate. She didn't scream or cause scenes; she simply stopped speaking. Aside from basic functions like sitting, lying down, and eating when fed, she gave no response to anyone. She stayed quiet every day, as still and empty as a puppet.
Mother Lin felt she had been the one to ruin her daughter. She withdrew her from school and spent every penny of their savings trying to cure her, but it was all in vain. Because she had to care for her daughter, Mother Lin's work suffered, and she was eventually forced to resign.
Later, when Qin Hao showed up at her door one day, she finally learned the truth. Qin Hao was the culprit who had reduced her daughter to this state. Even those early online comments had been the work of a professional
"water army" hired by the Qin Family to shift public opinion away from him. And Qin Hao, fully aware of what his family had done, only came to her after the fact with a hypocritical offer of "compensation."
Mother Lin hated Qin Hao with every fiber of her being, wishing she could kill him then and there. But she couldn't. If she went to prison, there would be no one left to look after Ruirui.
Whether it was seen as weakness or incompetence, Mother Lin ultimately chose to move away, severing all ties with Qin Hao and the Qin Family. Yet, time and again, the Qin Family found them. Every time Qin Hao visited, the family followed with threats. Mother Lin was forced to move her daughter again and again.
"To give Ruirui some peace, I even declared to the world that she was dead," Mother Lin said, looking at Jiang Xuxu with eyes devoid of light. "The internet has long forgotten she ever existed, and I don't want anyone to know she's still alive,
lest they come to disturb her again... I don't know how you found out she was alive, but if your way of helping involves using the internet, I don't want it. I really don't want it anymore..."
The hardships of life and the despair of the future had left her unable to shed a single tear. Yet, the sound of her voice alone conveyed the depth of her agony and regret.
In a rare gesture, Jiang Xuxu reached out and took Mother Lin's hand. "Don't worry. The help I'm offering is to restore her mind."
Mother Lin shook her head. "It's no use. So many hospitals said she can't be cured. I've grown used to it." She treated it as though her daughter had simply developed early-onset Alzheimer's. She would always be there to take care of her.
Seeing that she didn't believe her, Jiang Xuxu stopped talking. She casually flicked a Yellow Talisman into the air.
Mother Lin watched as the talisman moved without any wind, suspending itself directly over her daughter's head. Even more surprising was the fact that her daughter, who usually had no reaction to the outside world, seemed drawn to it. She slowly lifted her head to look at the paper.
Mother Lin's pupils trembled as she looked at Jiang Xuxu in disbelief.
Jiang Xuxu spoke calmly. "The reason she is unresponsive is because one of her Po was restrained on the roof of the abandoned school building. I happened to find it and followed the scent here."
As she spoke, she pulled a Talisman Paper Lantern from her backpack. It was hollow, yet a faint light flickered within. She continued, "If you trust me, I will try to lead this Po back into her body."
Mother Lin looked at the talisman hovering in the air and then at the paper lantern in Jiang Xuxu's hand. At this point, how could she not believe? Her eyes reddened, and she nodded fervently. "I believe you! I believe you, little master. Please, save Ruirui. Save my child."
Having received her trust, Jiang Xuxu nodded. She took out a Small Cinnabar Brush from her bag, leaned over the bed, and quickly drew a [Soul-Guiding Talisman] on Lin Ruirui's forehead.
In the next second, Jiang Xuxu placed the Talisman Paper Lantern into the girl's palm and began to chant clearly, "The Way of Heaven is clear, the Way of Earth is peaceful, the Way of Humanity is silent and tranquil. The Three Hun gather the Po. By my command: Po, return!"
As the final words left her lips, the talisman floating overhead descended rapidly, wrapping itself around the paper lantern. Simultaneously, a faint red thread seemed to connect Lin Ruirui's forehead to the lantern. Mother Lin watched as a tiny spark of light traveled along that red line, inching toward her daughter's brow.
Guessing that the spark was the missing Po, Mother Lin held her breath, terrified that even a heavy sigh might scare it away...
The spark reached her daughter's forehead. Just as it was about to merge into her skin, Mother Lin suddenly heard a sharp, piercing cry, like that of an infant. The sound was so jarring it made her ears ache.
In the next instant, the light that had nearly vanished into Ruirui's brow was violently jerked back by an unseen force, snapping all the way back into the Talisman Paper Lantern!
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