001

Forcing Me to Take the Fall for Lin Jiaojiao

My parents pushed all the blame onto me in front of everyone, making me take the fall for Lin Jiaojiao.

My brother poisoned my throat so I couldn't defend myself.

My fiancé broke my arms and legs so I wouldn't be able to escape.

I was sentenced to five years in prison.

And they only said one thing—

"This is the price you pay for stealing Jiaojiao's twenty years of life."

That day, my heart completely died.

When I was released, I treated them with utmost respect.

But I never expected—one by one, they would kneel before me, crying and begging me to look at them again.

The Day of My Release

"Inmate #15623, go out and live a good life."

With the sound of the iron gate creaking open, the blinding sunlight made me instinctively raise a hand to shield my eyes.

For nearly two thousand days and nights, I had almost forgotten what the sun felt like.

"Su Xiran, drop the act and get over here!"

A familiar voice sent chills down my spine.

The moment I lowered my hand, I saw the last person I ever wanted to see.

Lin Zechuan.

Even after my real identity was exposed, he had sworn to protect me like before.

Yet, when Lin Jiaojiao put the eldest son of the Song family into a coma, he didn't hesitate to throw me under the bus to take the blame.

He even forced me to drink the poison that destroyed my voice.

I endured beatings, insults, and relentless questioning from the Song family—

But no matter how much I opened my mouth, all I could produce were broken, useless whimpers.

Before I could react, Lin Zechuan stormed up to me.

His gaze flickered briefly when he saw the wound on my forehead—then, a sneer of disdain appeared on his face.

"What, are you trying to play the pity card now?"

"Su Xiran, you're so disgusting."

Pity?

How could I possibly expect pity from the same man who forced me to take the fall, the man who personally poisoned my throat?

Especially when these wounds—weren't they the very "lessons" he had arranged for me in prison?

I opened my mouth, my ruined voice hoarse and grating, like that of an elderly woman in her final years.

"No need."

"I can walk on my own."

For a brief second, Lin Zechuan seemed taken aback—

As if he hadn't expected that the little sister who used to beg him to pick her up even for a short five-hundred-meter walk would now refuse him outright.

But in the next moment, he scoffed, his expression filled with contempt.

"Su Xiran, stop making a scene."

"You stole Jiaojiao's twenty years. This is your rightful punishment."

With that, he grabbed my wrist and dragged me toward the car.

As I was dragged to the car, I looked at Lin Zechuan's unyielding stance and finally loosened my clenched fist.

This prison—handpicked by the Song family—was isolated, filled with violent criminals, and located in a place so remote that no one would ever find me.

If I didn't leave with them, I could walk for three hours and still see no signs of civilization.

When the car door swung open, I didn't hesitate to bypass the back seat and instead reached for the front passenger door.

The driver, Uncle Wang, was startled and hesitated before speaking cautiously.

"Miss Xiran, you should sit in the back with the young master."

My voice, hoarse from years of damage, came out low and broken.

"Someone as lowly as me doesn't deserve to sit beside Young Master Lin."

"Su Xiran!" Lin Zechuan's expression darkened, his anger barely concealed.

"Get over here right now! If you keep acting up, you can walk all the way back yourself!"

Seeing Uncle Wang's troubled expression, I gritted my teeth, swallowed my pride, and opened the back door.

The car started moving quickly.

I stared out the window, silent, as if the entire world had nothing to do with me.

Uncle Wang, sensing the tension, hurriedly tried to lighten the mood.

"Miss Xiran, your parents have missed you very much."

Missed me?

I recalled the day they accused me of harming the Song family's eldest son, how they said—without hesitation—that I was paying back my debt to Lin Jiaojiao.

Why would they ever want to see me again?

I lowered my gaze and whispered,

"Uncle Wang, just drop me off at the bus station ahead."

"I am not the Lin family's daughter."

"And the Lin family… is not my home."

The moment my words fell, Lin Zechuan suddenly shouted—

"STOP THE CAR!"

A sharp screech tore through the air.

The sudden stop threw me forward, and my head slammed into the back of the front seat with a dull thud.

Before I could process the pain, the door beside me was violently yanked open.

A brutal force slammed into my side.

The pain exploded in my ribs as I lost control of my body, tumbling out of the car.

Lin Zechuan's voice, cold and merciless, rang above me.

"Su Xiran, if you want to leave so badly, then get lost as far as you can!"

"Do you really think the Lin family needs you?"

"Let me tell you—this is what you owe Jiaojiao. This is what you owe the Lin family."

"You wanna act like a corpse? Then why don't you just die for real?"