"I'll beat you, you ungrateful brat! I raised you this far, and now it's time for you to repay me!"
"Mom, I can work. I'm useful, and I don't eat much. Please don't sell me. Please!"
"Jiang Yu, you heartless woman! If you sell my son, I—I'll fight you to the death!"
...
Niley woke up to loud shouting and crying. She sighed helplessly after a brief daze and rolled her eyes. She covered her ears with her pillow, hoping to sleep a bit longer, but her mind was already wide awake.
It had already been three days!
Three days since that massive explosion ended the world. Even now, she could still hear the echoes of those terrible sounds in her mind. Because of it, she only managed to fall asleep after dawn, and now she had barely rested when this chaos woke her up.
The shouting outside was only getting louder, making her head throb.
In these three days since she arrived here, the family next door had been constantly beating their child. Three times a day, like clockwork—and sometimes extra. The noise gave her a headache and ruined any chance of sleeping in. But today was worse than ever, with all the screaming and crying.
If this were the apocalypse, all that noise would've already attracted zombies!
Thinking about it made Niley even more restless. She suddenly sat up, irritated, and rubbed her flushed cheeks. She grabbed her long down coat, slid her feet into warm slippers, and stepped outside.
"Jiang Yu, we agreed on this yesterday."
"Yes, yes! Just take him away. Ignore that old fool!"
"Jiang Yu, that's your own son! And you're really going to sell him to such a filthy place? You—have no heart!"
As soon as she stepped out into the cold wind, Niley shivered and tightened her coat. The yelling and crying were even clearer now.
There was a crowd gathered, even outside her door—neighbors here to watch the drama unfold.
She frowned. She wasn't the type to stick her nose in others' business, but her feet moved on their own, taking her toward the noise.
As she pushed her door open, everything around her went quiet for a moment.
People turned to look at her, eyes full of curiosity, as if she were a stranger in this village. Maybe it was her commanding presence, but even the loudest shouts had gone silent.
Niley's sharp, fox-like eyes scanned the crowd. Everyone looked so familiar. They were all pale and skinny, their clothes patched up again and again. Even in this freezing cold, few had real coats—just layers of thin shirts. Their faces were red from the cold, shoulders hunched to stay warm.
If she didn't know she had been sent to a female-dominated world, she would've thought she was still in the apocalypse!
The scene made her sigh. Life here was clearly tough—so tough that even someone like her, who came from a harsh world, felt sorry for them.
To her surprise, the crowd silently parted, opening a clear path for her toward the commotion.
Niley raised an eyebrow. Normally, she hated watching drama—back in the apocalypse, sticking around to gawk often meant death. But this was a different world now, ruled by women. Maybe it wasn't so dangerous.
Besides, she was already here.
So she walked forward and leaned casually against a doorframe to watch.
From this angle, she saw the "child" who had been getting beaten these past few days. He wasn't really a child at all—he was a tall, skinny young man. Though he looked a bit malnourished, his delicate features made him quite handsome. His tear-streaked face and red eyes made him look heartbroken and desperate, as if he was trying to hold on to his last bit of hope.
Tch...
Niley had seen that look plenty of times in the apocalypse. But when this man's eyes met hers, she suddenly froze—her breath caught in her throat.
She quickly looked away, unsettled.
What was that? His gaze had a strange pull, like a hook. It made her heart itch.
He looked nothing like the rugged, dirty men she knew from the end times. He was stunning!
Still, she didn't plan to get involved.
She had only been here a few days. Other than registering her identity with the village chief and learning this was a world where women held power and men had lower status, she had kept to herself. She wasn't used to being around so many living people. One wrong move, and she might kill someone by accident.
Also, what did selling a son have to do with her? People sold children all the time in the apocalypse. She couldn't save everyone. Trying to be a saint back then would've just gotten her killed.
But... she could at least take a look.
After all, the man being sold was really good-looking.
Forget it. Since she was here already, might as well enjoy the view.
"Those poor Jiang boys. It's their bad luck to have a useless mother like Jiang Yu!"
"Right? I heard she hurt the youngest one a few days ago. And the third one's always sickly—he got even worse after that. With the older ones gone, now she's selling the second son."
"Tch. You don't know the worst of it. This time, she's serious. She's selling him to Yichun House. That kind of place... She's worse than an animal!"
...
The crowd was whispering, keeping their voices low since the people involved were right there.
But Niley's senses were sharp, far beyond normal. She heard everything clearly, though her face showed no reaction. She just kept staring at the defeated young man.
Maybe he noticed her gaze, because he suddenly looked up. His eyes were wet and full of pain—it made anyone watching feel sorry for him.
So delicate...
She had never seen a man so delicate in the apocalypse. Someone like him wouldn't even last a minute there. Just the sight of one of her zombie pets would probably scare him to death.
Tch tch tch.
He definitely wouldn't survive without protection in a world like hers.
Maybe he noticed the look of disgust in Niley's eyes, because the man's face showed a flash of shame. He lowered his head and slumped to the ground, fists clenched tightly.
His pale lips were pressed so hard together that they started to bleed.
Next to him, a man dressed in flashy red and green clothes, face caked with makeup, raised a delicate hand and waved to a group of women holding sticks. "You girls, go and politely invite Mr. Jiang back to the house."
"Politely" was clearly just for show.
The bulky women immediately stepped forward with their sticks. At the sight, the surrounding crowd scattered in fear.
The man on the ground panicked like a scared bird. He turned to look at his father, who was still begging for mercy, and then at his mother, who only cared about money. His eyes lost all light. He whispered, "Dad... I'm sorry. I won't be able to take care of you anymore."
Then he lowered his head and aimed it straight at the doorframe.
"Mier!"
The man he called "Dad"—Gu Chen—turned pale with shock. He stumbled up and rushed toward him.
The crowd gasped, their faces filled with horror. No one dared to look further.