A sudden thought struck Lan Jin.
Could it be that golden light she saw just before she died? Maybe that light didn't just bring her back... maybe because she was holding her daughter at the time, it brought Qiao Qiao back too?
The whole idea sounded completely unbelievable, but at the same time, not impossible. If she could be reborn, then why not Qiao Qiao?
Maybe it was just that Qiao Qiao was still so young, and her vocabulary so limited, that she didn't realize she'd lived before. And Lan Jin, not expecting such a thing, hadn't noticed it either.
But now that she really thought back on everything that had happened since her rebirth, the signs were there. They'd been there from the beginning.
Lan Jin asked softly, "Qiao Qiao, why weren't you scared when you saw your daddy before?"
Qiao Qiao looked up at her, serious as ever. "Mama, scared no use. Daddy hit me. But Qiao Qiao smart, pretend no know him."
Lan Jin's mouth twitched.
Now she finally understood why Qiao Qiao had never once called that man "Daddy" or paid him any attention. So that was it. In Qiao Qiao's mind, as long as she pretended he wasn't her dad, then he wouldn't be.
There were some serious flaws in that logic, sure. But Lan Jin couldn't bring herself to correct it. Any man who could treat his daughter like that didn't deserve to be called a father anyway.
Now that Qiao Qiao had opened the door, Lan Jin found herself curious — what had her daughter's life been like in that previous life?
So she asked more questions, gentle but persistent.
And Qiao Qiao, though she remembered everything, was still a toddler. Her body was only a little over two years old. Her words weren't always clear. But over time, and with her mother's patience, the important points came through.
There had been hitting. Shouting. Hunger.
Over and over again, those were the memories Qiao Qiao repeated.
As for the idea of telling her about rebirth? Lan Jin decided against it.
Most children don't remember anything from before age three anyway. A few more years, and Qiao Qiao would probably forget these things on her own. Even if she explained it now, would a child her age really understand?
It didn't seem necessary.
But still, hearing it all made Lan Jin's heart twist with pain. Her hatred for those two people deepened all over again.
After a long pause, she asked, "Qiao Qiao, do you want to get revenge for yourself?"
Qiao Qiao blinked. "Hit Daddy and Auntie? But Qiao Qiao can win?"
Lan Jin smiled. "Why not? You used to be small and weak. But now you're strong, right? And you've got Mama and Nana too. We can do just like last time — Mama goes first, and then..."
Before she could finish, Qiao Qiao's eyes lit up with excitement and she cut in.
"Qiao Qiao come help! Qiao Qiao take them all apart!"
She said it with a beaming smile, like they were planning a game.
There was no need to say exactly what "take apart" meant. They both understood.
And that was the moment Lan Jin froze.
Because right then, her soft-voiced little girl had just said something more chilling than anything she'd ever heard in her life. If she hadn't known Qiao Qiao was her own child, if she'd heard this from anyone else... she would've thought she'd stumbled into a horror movie.
Still reeling from that, Lan Jin forced herself to stay calm. She needed to understand.
"Qiao Qiao," she asked carefully, "last night, when you did that... were you scared at all? Most kids would be terrified. Were Daddy and Auntie like that to you before? Is that why you weren't scared?"
Qiao Qiao shook her head. "No. But Auntie always say, bad kids get taken apart by grown-ups. Just like that. So they no listen, I help take them apart. But Qiao Qiao good. Qiao Qiao listen."
Lan Jin's heart clenched.
She understood what Qiao Qiao meant. In that past life, even right up until the end, Qiao Qiao must have behaved well. Obedient. Hoping to be spared.
And in truth, they had food back then. They hadn't really dared to hurt Qiao Qiao too much — if they had, and Lan Jin had found out, she would've stopped at nothing to take them down, starving or not.
Still, this twisted version of "discipline" those two used had clearly left its mark.
Qiao Qiao's current behavior, her instincts, all stemmed from the warped lessons they'd drilled into her.
That pair deserved whatever was coming to them.
Lan Jin's eyes darkened.
One day, when the opportunity came, she would settle the score. Properly.
So why not now?
Unfortunately, the timing wasn't right. People were already starting to move around outside. While most offices weren't officially open again, the streets weren't empty anymore either.
If someone happened to spot something, that would be a huge problem.
A shame, truly. But those two weren't going anywhere. They'd get what they deserved soon enough. Besides... Lan Jin was curious. Without her help in this life, how would that pair manage to find food and survive?
Let them struggle.
Meanwhile, let's go back to the previous night.
It was late — the middle of the night.
But people hadn't been outside for days. Many hadn't felt properly tired in a long time. So when that strange noise came from outside, more than a few residents of the building heard it.
At first, no one thought much of it.
But then someone picked up on something odd. The sound hadn't come from inside.
It had come from outside.
Wait a second... someone opened a window?
Soon, the chat group lit up.
"Did anyone else hear that sound just now?"
"Yeah. What the hell was that?"
"Who knows? Maybe someone got so itchy they couldn't take it anymore...?"
"You mean... they jumped?!"
"Could be. Honestly, might be true."
"Wait, if that's what happened... wouldn't that mean poisonous fog got inside? What if it's already leaking through the building?"
"No way. There are alarms for that kind of thing, right? They'd go off."
"Have they ever actually gone off though? How do we know they work?"
"Even if they do work, maybe the fog isn't thick enough yet. Maybe it's not triggering them."
"Exactly. Fog might drift in through door gaps, but as long as no one fully opens the door, it'd take forever to reach any sensors. Still, the moment someone opens the door, it sticks to them. Everyone better stay inside. No one knows which floor that came from."
"Wow... that's terrifying. I think I need to seal my door again. I ran out of tape though."
"Same here. Used the last roll when we sealed it the first time. I finally thought we could relax a bit, and now this..."
"Is anyone still working right now? Can someone go check?"
"Come on, it's the middle of the night. Even people on night shift wait until morning. And with how thick the fog is, you can barely see in the daytime, let alone now."
"But still..."
Someone from the building staff finally spoke up.
They had been monitoring the group the whole time.
"I've logged the incident and will check it out first thing in the morning. Any findings will be shared in the group. In the meantime, please stay calm. If you're worried, block any door gaps with clothes. For your own safety, do not go outside for now."