Chapter 2

“Mom! Mom, let go of me!”

I screamed in terror, but Mom’s grip on my arms never loosened.

She held me down in the bathtub while cold water poured over my head.

Turning toward Dad, she shouted, “Is the ice here yet?”

“This wretched girl has always been strong. Without ice, it’ll take forever to make her sick!”

They meant to trade my illness for Xiao Ran’s health.

I struggled as tears spilled down my face.

Mom offered a perfunctory consolation. “You’re her big sister. What’s wrong with helping her?”

“When she becomes a star and makes a fortune, you’ll share in the good life!”

No.

I knew exactly how mercilessly the glittering world of celebrity judged a woman’s body and face.

If Xiao Ran truly entered show business, my suffering would grow ten thousand times worse.

They dumped the bone-chilling ice into the tub. My face drained white, and I shook uncontrollably.

Mom and Dad tied me in place.

I had no idea how long I lay there.

Then I heard Xiao Ran’s voice. “Huh. I think my fever’s gone.”

…

Early the next morning, they took Xiao Ran to the audition site.

I was so sick I could not even get out of bed.

Through the feverish haze, I thought I heard someone tap on my window.

I lived in the basement. Half a window rose above ground level, and neighborhood children sometimes played outside it.

I opened my eyes.

It was Beibei, the little girl next door.

She tapped the glass and called, “Sister Yingying, what’s wrong?”

I dragged myself up and opened the window. “I’m sick. I can’t play with you today.”

Disappointed, she turned and ran away.

I waited. When she did not return, I reached to close the window—then heard the patter of hurried footsteps.

Beibei came racing back with an armful of medicine.

“I found these at home. Sister Yingying, see if there’s anything you can take.”

Warmth spread through my chest, and my eyes reddened.

Because of the way I looked, hardly anyone in the neighborhood cared about me. Only Beibei still treated me as a friend.

“Thank you,” I whispered.

After keeping me company for a while, Beibei stood and glanced around.

“What is it?” I asked.

She crouched beside the window and lowered her voice. “Mom says there are human traffickers nearby. She told me not to stay outside too long.”

“Sister Yingying, I should go home.”

I smiled. “That’s all right. Be careful.”

After she left, silence swallowed the basement again.

I stared at the small window, my thoughts circling what she had just told me.

Human traffickers.

They probably liked young, pretty girls.

Mom, Dad, and Xiao Ran did not return until after nine that night.

They came home laughing together, the very picture of a happy family.

Mom knocked on my door. In the light spilling down the stairs, even her face seemed a little kinder.

“Here. I bought you something to eat.”

She handed me a large bag of KFC.

I stared at her, startled by the favor.

Mom smiled. “Several schools shortlisted your sister! She’s going to be a star!”

I lowered my head, clutching the bag, unsure how to respond.

It had been a very long time since Mom had spoken to me so gently.

My silence made her uncomfortable. She reached out as if to stroke my hair, hesitated, then changed course and patted my shoulder.

“Yingying, your sister owes so much of her success to you.”

“You’ve worked hard all these years.”

She fussed over me, asking whether I felt better and whether I was hungry.

I only stared at her, expressionless.

Mom did not stay long. Soon, she turned and went upstairs.

Minutes later, the happy laughter of a family of three drifted down from above.

There. That was the truth of things.

I sat on my bed with the bag of chicken in my arms while the basement’s lone lamp flickered.

…

Late that night, I got up to use the bathroom.

The living room was dark, but light still shone beneath Xiao Ran’s door. Faint voices came from inside.

I stopped. Almost as if possessed, I moved closer.

“Mom! I heard you talking to Xiao Ying today! Don’t you love me anymore? Do you love her now?”

Her voice was as petulant as ever.

Love?

I thought of the bag of KFC. Was that supposed to be love?

Mom’s reply was exceptionally tender. “Ranran, how could you think that?”

“You’re the one Mom loves most.”

“While I was waiting for you today, I heard the other parents talking about how strict the standards are for actresses now. Poreless skin, right-angled shoulders, a tiny waist… If you want to be a real star someday, you’ll have to become even prettier.”

Every word carved another cut into my heart.

“Mom was only trying to keep Xiao Ying under control for you. Think about it—what happens to your future if she can’t take it anymore and runs away?”

Xiao Ran panicked at once. “Right, right! You’re right, Mom. We can’t let her leave!”

“We have to keep her here!”

Mom sounded pleased. “Exactly. That’s why I comforted her. You should’ve seen that disgusting pig face of hers.”

“And that filthy hair. I couldn’t even bring myself to touch it!”

Xiao Ran burst out laughing.

My whole body trembled.

At last, I forced myself under control and retreated one step at a time to my basement room.

Lying on the narrow bed, I felt clearer than I ever had before.

I made a decision of my own.

They did not want me to leave?

Then Xiao Ran could leave instead.