The skin is peeling off slowly
After that, things has changed drastically, all that she had was slowly taken away by the people who had promised her warmth and family. But she was too ignorant to even notice. The toys and other expensive gifts that she owned was taken by her big sister, as she is always emphasizing that she has lived a poor life and has never had the chance to enjoy the luxurious items that was already hers as soon as she likes it, she figured it was really sad to be poor because you cannot afford anything you want, so she gladly gave it to her.
She has given up of learning the piano when her stepmother has complained that she was having a slight headache coincidentally every time she is having her lessons. She smiled at her stepmother and told her that she understands. Most of the maids are not around to take care of her usual needs anymore, since her stepmother has gotten pregnant and is too weak to do anything.
She has two or three friends at school but they never drop by her house for a play date, but her pretty sister has a lot of friends and will have tea parties in the courtyard. She has wanted to join but her sister would kindly tell her that her friends are not really fond of people they don't know. She hasn't thought much about it but they were going to the same school so how could they not know her?
The only person she had is her little brother, a timid boy who was always reading books. She asked him to play with her one time but he just told her that nothing is more important with reading. Being a bookworm herself, she knows how it feels and would just rather stay at the library too if not for Nanny Rou getting angry at the two of them that because they are still young, they have to stretch their legs to grow up properly and not just sit for hours in the library after school.
The third month before her twelfth birthday was the day she knew the truth behind her stepmother's nice mask and the kind pretense. Indeed, it was like peeling a nice looking apple but that it was spoilt on the inside.
Her father has prepared a gender party for the new Mistress' pregnancy. Almost all of the big shots and moneybags of City Z was invited and most of them has come, except from the late Mistress' Zhao family (they gave invitations to every prominent families as a sign of formality for the sake of making face) and other families that used their own businesses as an excuse to not attend, though the underlying reason is that it was only a gender party and they can afford to miss it especially since the Mistress is really a mistress.