A Bloody Birthday Gift

It was a beautiful sunny day. Linh gazed into the mirror, which reflected the image of the girl before her—a girl in a pale purple dress, both strange and familiar. This was Mai Hui Ling, it was Mai Hui Ling, and it was also her.

"Today is my birthday. Will you have dinner with me?"

She spoke softly into the phone, but the other end remained silent. Surely he was busy again this year.

"I'll wait for you at Queen Restaurant."

She quickly hung up, as if fearing Ling would refuse. She was so afraid that this last time, he would turn her down.

Linh then stepped out of the house, walking along the bustling streets, past the lake, past flocks of white pigeons. She stepped on dry leaves, hearing their rustling crunch, walking on until she stopped before the grand gates of the Mai family. The tall, unfamiliar gates she had passed through fewer than ten times.

It had been five years, hadn't it? Five years she had been here, paying what she owed them. But what did she owe them? At most, it was the chance they gave her to see the sun.

"I've paid you back."

Linh looked up at the sky, murmuring softly, but no one knew what she meant. Then she walked on, a faint smile lingering on her lips, looking serene. But who knew her heart was in immense pain, hurting to death? She was so tired, tired of living like this. No one here needed her. Perhaps Phong was right; this place belonged to Mai Hui Ling, not her. Her true home was elsewhere, a place with Phong, with the little army, that was truly her home.

She knew from the beginning that choosing to come back here was a mistake, yet she chose to return, all for a promise that twisted her soul. She used to be a frighteningly cold girl, not an arrogant young lady. She used to be a heartless person who didn't know how to cry, not a crybaby. Everything about her changed because of him.

Linh arrived at Queen Restaurant very early, but she ordered nothing. She just sat there, her clear eyes gazing out the window, her heart pounding like a small drum. She was so afraid of being disappointed again.

Time passed quickly—one hour, two hours, three hours...

Outside, the night had fallen, quiet and still, with streetlights intermingling, looking very vibrant. But for Linh, it was poison, for she feared the hustle and bustle of the crowd, as it made her feel left behind.

Time continued to tick by. The clock struck ten, surely he wouldn't come.

But just as Linh's steps slowly turned to leave Queen, her phone rang.

"Sister..."

The voice on the other end seemed to belong to a very young man, his tone gentle and easy to make the listener feel warm.

"Speak."

Her reply to the young man was a very short, single-syllable word, but when it came from her mouth, it sounded so lonely, a cold voice seemingly tempered by time, startling others. A voice completely different from the affected tone of a prestigious young lady.

"According to newly received intelligence, target number one is currently being held."

"Where? Who did it?"

Without letting the young man finish, Linh hastily asked, her delicate eyebrows now tightly knitted together.

"Abandoned villa number 32, 120km south of the city. The mastermind is target number 12, Wang Kai Yi."

The mechanical voice that responded was different from before, yet it made her feel much more at ease. Her red lips curved slightly into a crescent shape as she looked at the night covering the entire city.

"Do you need us to handle it?"

"No, this time, I will."

Linh said somewhat coldly, then hung up, her lips still curved into a beautiful arc. But if one looked closely, that smile was terrifyingly stiff.

And now, she had no time to care about her appearance, for perhaps tonight she would end everything, wouldn't she? An end for her, for him, and for them all.

Soon after, the lonely, slender shadow of the girl disappeared deep into the silent night.

At the same time, at the villa south of the city. Flickering firelight cast shadows on the dust-covered, cobwebbed walls, and on the indistinct figures within.

Inside, two people, a man and a woman, were tightly bound with thick ropes. Their bodies seemed devoid of strength, their heads slumped. Beside them, a group of men in black stood surrounding them, watching them indifferently.

"Huang Hai Ling, you've seen the price for humiliating me, but..."

From behind the group, Wang Kai Yi's voice was like that of a furious, enraged beast howling in the dark. His eyes were bloodshot, and he held a wooden club, advancing towards Ling.

"What do you want?"

Ling whispered, his voice weak but with something unusual about it. His entire body was constantly sweating. Wei was the same; her small figure and pale yellow dress were soaked with sweat, as was her hair.

"What do I want? I want to humiliate you, I want you to feel the frustration of wanting but not getting, I want you to suffer too, I want you to understand what I've been through. I want you to pay the price."

Wang Kai Yi said, his voice filled with hatred. The more he spoke, the more arrogant and beast-like his voice became.

"What did you put in?"

Ling growled softly, his voice as if suppressing something. His face gradually turned red, and the veins, once hidden, became increasingly prominent in the night. Beside him, Wei's reaction was no better; her once pale, beautiful face was now flushed red, her lips tightly bitten, suppressing shameful moans.

"You know what it is, don't you? Tonight, I'll make your life worse than death. Then Linh will leave you, she'll be mine. She'll love me, she'll be by my side..."

Wang Kai Yi's voice grew more frantic, the wooden club in his hand relentlessly swinging down on Ling. But perhaps Ling's body was beyond feeling now, as lust had stained his mind black.

"It's time for the fun to begin."

He laughed loudly, watching the foul-smelling men slowly approach the two, then like wild beasts, they tore at their clothes.

"Let them go."

Just then, a cold voice echoed from behind, sending a shiver down the spines of the hungry wolves who were in a frenzy.

"Who are you?"

Wang Kai Yi asked unhappily, his tone completely different from his warm voice in the past, very different.

"I am Asura."

The icy voice spoke again. In the darkness, the flickering firelight was only enough to reveal a tall, slender figure in terrifying black clothes. The atmosphere suddenly fell strangely silent, allowing one to clearly hear the click of a gun being cocked and the sound of a pin being pulled.

"Get out of the way, or you'll end up like them."

Wang Kai Yi sneered, his beautiful, arrogant eyes looking at the newcomer, then at Ling and Wei, full of challenge.

"Take your hands off them."

The person seemed to ignore Wang Kai Yi's words, only looking at the hands placed on the hot, writhing bodies of the two.

"What if I don't?..."

"I'll count to three..."

"One..."

"Two..."

"Who told you to stop? Keep going."

Seeing his subordinates retreat in fear, Wang Kai Yi immediately shouted.

"Three..."

*Bang!*
*Bang!*
*Bang!*

As the person's voice finished, gunshots rang out simultaneously, aimed at the dirty hands placed on Ling and Wei. Soon after, their piercing screams echoed, sending chills down one's spine.

"Kill him!"

Wang Kai Yi looked at the stranger, growing more resentful, his agile steps chasing after the fading black shadow.

But the person did not leave the area, merely chose an ideal spot a little further from the room.

"Don't blame me for not showing mercy."

As the person finished speaking, the gun in their hand was quickly put away, and their body soared with the wind, continuous attacks raining down on the men's bodies. Each strike was swift and precise, hitting the weak points of the human body. In less than 15 minutes, none of the men were left standing.

"You should leave this place. Otherwise, you definitely won't see the light of tomorrow."

The person said coldly, then walked away quickly.

"Why help them? Why? They deserve to be punished, they deserve to be punished. I just want to reclaim what's mine, that's all. I came first, but why does he always steal from me? I'm not reconciled..."

Wang Kai Yi whispered, his voice desperate, like on that rainy day. His tears also fell, but he stubbornly squeezed his eyes shut. He knew he was wrong, but he couldn't stop himself. He wanted warmth from someone, not cold indifference. What did he do wrong? He didn't want to be the son of a bar hostess, he didn't want to be the child of a third party, he didn't want to be abandoned by his family, he didn't want any of this. He just needed a little warmth, he just wanted her by his side. But why was it always him? Why did he steal everything from him? Stole his father, then stole the girl he loved. Why did heaven treat him like this? Why?

"Perhaps, this place doesn't belong to you."

The person left a sentence and disappeared.

Once again, outside that room. The lonely figure stood there, her jade-blue eyes looking into the empty space inside with despair, her hair beneath her hat flowing in the wind, gradually revealing a pale face. Her pale lips trembled uncontrollably as she watched the two inside entwined, hearing their moans. She knew she should let go, but why did her chest hurt so much? It hurt so much. Was this the birthday gift for her?

Her small hands clenched her aching left chest, tears and choked sobs unable to escape her lips. Was this the price she received? The price for five years with him? A truly worthy price.

"Gulp..."

Just as she was most desperate, a cold knife appeared and plunged deep into her body. The bone-chilling cold was the gift they gave her.

"How comfortable..."

Her lips trembled as she spoke, her beautiful eyes turning to look at the young man who had stabbed her. The man who said he loved her, yet this act brought her liberation. Could she die like this? Could she go meet them?

"Linh... Linh, why is it you? I didn't mean to, I didn't mean to..."

Wang Kai Yi looked at her, his face growing paler and paler. Had he stabbed her? Had he personally stabbed the girl he loved? No, he didn't mean to, he didn't mean to.

"Linh, I'm sorry... I didn't mean to."

Wang Kai Yi hugged Linh, but she pushed him away. He looked at her, his dreamy, tear-filled eyes seeing a cold face he had never seen before; it was too unfamiliar, too terrifying.

"Consider the mistakes I owed you all, ended here."

Linh said, then turned and walked away.

"I won't let you go! I love you, I love you, why won't you accept me? He doesn't love you, why are you still so stubborn? Why?"

Wang Kai Yi screamed, his trembling hands embracing her, but she pushed him away again.

"Love? I don't love anyone, not even Ling. I'm just paying off someone else's debt. Once the debt is paid, I will disappear. I hate this place, I hate all of you, I hate the hypocrisy here, I hate myself, I hate Mai Hui Ling, I hate this whole world."

Linh shouted softly, then her steps carried her away from this place. Away from Mai Hui Ling's world, she truly hated this place. Hated them. Why did they abandon her? They promised to find her, didn't they? Why did they forget her? They promised to find her, didn't they? Why didn't they come? Why did they treat her like this?

"Heaven, do you want my life?"

Linh collapsed onto the ground, tears soaking her face, blood staining her clothes, but she felt no pain now, no pain at all, because what hurt was her heart, her heart hurt so much. At the corner of her mouth, a lot of red blood began to gush out, but she stubbornly swallowed it back. Tears and blood mingled, making her even more distraught, as she looked towards a distant, large house. They must be very happy.

"Are you satisfied, Grandma? Mother..."

Just as Linh fainted, a tall, slender figure appeared and embraced her, but for some reason, tears fell. He knew he was late; if it weren't for him, she wouldn't have met that person that winter. If it weren't for him, Linh wouldn't be lying there, cold and lonely.