When the Villain Falls Madly in Love with Herself - Chapter 1

Winter had descended upon Yuancheng, blanketing the city in heavy snow and bone-chilling cold.

As dawn barely broke, a short, stout figure emerged from the snow.

Hah— The auntie, her head wrapped in a colorful scarf, periodically blew into her cupped hands, her teeth chattering incessantly. Yet her mouth remained idle, constantly grumbling, It’s freezing! If I’d known it would be this awful, I wouldn’t have come to this forsaken place. No water or electricity in the dead of winter!

Muttering under her breath, she carried two buckets to the riverbank. Thank goodness the water hasn’t frozen yet, she grumbled. Otherwise, I’d have nowhere to draw water.

Despite her endless complaining, her hands moved swiftly, scooping up buckets of water with practiced ease.

Having spent her life doing manual labor, lifting buckets of water was no challenge for the auntie. In no time, she had filled two large buckets. After stomping her numb feet, she prepared to return home, grumbling all the way.

Before she could muster the strength to lift the buckets, a baby’s cry startled her, causing her to stumble.

Aiyo! The auntie collapsed to the ground, her face contorting in pain.

The sky was still barely light, and she had come to fetch water alone, her heart pounding with fear.

She struggled to her feet, rubbing her sore backside as she mustered the courage to approach the source of the cry.

Having worked at the Welfare Home for decades, she knew all too well that many heartless parents, unable to afford to raise their children, would abandon them at the doorstep. Driven by a flicker of conscience, she decided to take a look.

She walked to a large rock and peered behind it. Sure enough, a swaddled infant lay on the ground, its tiny face purple from the cold, wailing loudly, likely from hunger.

She picked up the child and unwrapped the swaddling cloth. It was a girl. No wonder the heartless parents had abandoned her. She checked the rest of the baby’s body for any disabilities.

Eh, a healthy little one, she muttered, though she’d seen this countless times and was no longer surprised.

The auntie’s rough handling hurt the baby, who began to cry even louder, flailing its arms and legs.

Thump! With the child’s movements, a golden object fell to the ground with a moderate clatter.

The auntie’s eyes lit up as she caught a glimpse of it. She tossed the baby back onto the ground, quickly snatched up the object, and tucked it into her waist pouch.

Feeling guilty, she glanced furtively around to make sure no one was watching before ducking behind the rock to secretly examine her prize.

It looked like a Longevity Lock made of solid gold.

She hurriedly bit it and weighed it in her hand, confirming it was indeed solid. I’ve struck gold! she thought triumphantly. Good thing that lazy woman didn’t come to fetch water with me. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have gotten to keep this treasure all to myself.

Though barely literate, she recognized a few characters. After fondling the lock thoroughly, she suddenly noticed a character engraved on it Le.

Le… Lele… Oh, that must be the girl’s name, Auntie muttered to herself, tucking the Longevity Lock into her innermost pocket. After a moment’s hesitation, she tied a tight knot in her waistband, cinching it so tightly it hurt her stomach before finally feeling secure.

After all that fuss, she finally turned her attention to the child. This was the only Welfare Home in the area. If she didn’t take the child back, it might freeze to death. But if she did, the Director would likely be displeased.

For years, the Director had been complaining that prices were rising daily while government funding remained stagnant, making it increasingly difficult to care for the children.

As she wavered, the child’s cries grew weaker. Auntie couldn’t bring herself to abandon the infant. Damn my luck, she grumbled. If it weren’t for your pitiful state, I wouldn’t bother with you.

Ignoring everything else, she clutched the child tightly and ran back to the Welfare Home.

The Welfare Home was small, consisting of just two dilapidated three-story buildings with about a dozen rooms each, plus a small bungalow serving as the Director’s office.

A modest courtyard lay between the buildings, scattered with a few slides, swings, and other recreational equipment. Near the dilapidated buildings stood an old bulletin board, listing various rules and disciplinary measures in large and small characters.

The adults included the Director, a man in his fifties, Auntie, and one younger woman. The children were separated by gender and physical condition, each group staying in their rooms to entertain themselves.

The Welfare Home was meticulously managed, with not a single child’s cry ever heard.

When the Director saw the half-day-old infant she had brought back, he was furious. It took all of Auntie’s persuasion to get him to relent.

Tch, you think raising a person is as easy as raising a kitten or puppy? If you’re so kind, why don’t you take her home and raise her yourself? What a hypocrite, the woman sweeping the floor sneered, rolling her eyes skyward.

The woman was painfully thin, her cheekbones jutting out as if they could pierce the sky. She spat out sharp, cutting remarks at Auntie every chance she got.

A few years prior, a group leader position had opened up in the Welfare Home’s logistics department, offering an extra few dozen yuan a month. Auntie and the thin woman had been locked in a bitter rivalry for the position for nearly half a year.

As fate would have it, the thin woman broke her leg and was unable to perform heavy labor. The Director, citing Auntie’s seniority, awarded her the position.

That was the official explanation, but the feud between the two women had become irreconcilable.

Auntie rolled her eyes at the woman, dismissing her with a wave of her hand. She turned and carried the child into a room with relatively few children.

Like a wildflower sprouting from a crack in the rocks, Lele had found her home in this dilapidated, cramped Welfare Home.

With Auntie’s care, Lele’s early days were relatively comfortable. But as the child grew older, she suddenly began falling ill almost daily, suffering from frequent vomiting and diarrhea.

The local clinic couldn’t diagnose the problem and simply prescribed cold medicine before sending them home.

Auntie, remembering that she had rescued Lele, pleaded with the Director for funds to take her to a proper hospital in the city.

After several requests, the Director grew irritated and snapped at Auntie, Once they’re here, they’re just cheap lives. What’s the point of medical care? We have dozens of mouths to feed here, top to bottom. We don’t have spare money for her. Just give her whatever medicine the hospital prescribes. All children go through this. Look at the others—they all turned out fine.

Afraid of being fired, Auntie dared not protest further, though she couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt as she cradled the sickly child.

Well, is she dead or what? A woman hobbled over with a malicious grin, craning her neck to peer at the child.

Waaah—! Lele burst into tears.

The woman had pinched the child hard. Ignoring Auntie’s curses, she said cheerfully, See? She’s full of energy! There’s nothing wrong with her. Kids just need a good pinch. If they cry and scream, they’re definitely not seriously ill.

Auntie cursed the woman for a long time, then hesitated for just as long, clutching the Longevity Lock in her hand.

When Lele turned three and still hadn’t spoken, Auntie would stroke the precious lock every night, her heart aching at the child’s pitiful state, unable to sleep.

Finally, her conscience could bear it no longer. With a heavy heart, she sold the Longevity Lock for over a thousand yuan, feeling a measure of relief. She happily took Lele to a large hospital in the city for a thorough examination.

The examination, which she had hoped would bring reassurance, instead terrified Auntie.

Seeing her distress, the doctor sighed and switched to simpler language. Auntie, your child has a tumor in his brain. Fortunately, it’s still benign and not in a particularly dangerous location. Surgery now has a high success rate. It’s best to do it sooner rather than later. If we delay, the tumor could grow or become malignant, causing the child real suffering. The cost will increase, and his chances…

Auntie stammered, her voice trembling, How… how much will it cost, Doctor?

Around forty thousand yuan, the doctor replied, trying to sound reassuring.

Auntie felt a ringing in her ears, her vision blurring. She nearly lost her balance. She couldn’t afford forty thousand yuan, not even four thousand. She waved her hands frantically. No, no surgery.

As if afraid someone would snatch her meager savings or that the child would hear this grim prognosis, she clutched Le tightly and fled the hospital.

The doctor, accustomed to such scenes, sighed in pity and returned to his work.

Back at the Welfare Home, Auntie never mentioned taking Le to the doctor again.

Poor thing, she murmured, stroking Le’s pale, gaunt face. Coming here has made you nothing more than a worthless stray dog.

The rough calluses on her hands chafed Le’s skin. He opened his large, teary eyes, sat up, blinked at Auntie, then curiously turned his gaze to explore his surroundings.

He was perfectly content playing by himself.

The thin woman was in charge of feeding the children, and she always skimped on Lele’s portion.

Ever since Auntie had stopped paying her much attention, the thin woman had become even more brazen.

Lele was the last to hold out her bowl, gazing longingly at the woman and making soft, pleading noises, trying to ask for food.

Lele, come here. You’ll only get food if you come over here, the woman said with a malicious smile, beckoning the child toward the kitchen.

Though Lele couldn’t speak, she understood the woman’s words and followed her into the kitchen.

The windowless kitchen’s only ventilation vent was completely clogged with greasy grime. The moment the door closed, the room plunged into suffocating darkness, with only a sliver of faint light seeping in under the door.

Lele’s poor eyesight made the sudden darkness overwhelming. Gripped by terror, she clutched her bowl and chopsticks tightly, seeking comfort from the cold metal.

Lele, come here. I’m over here, the woman called from a corner, relishing the child’s fear.

Driven by hunger, Lele stumbled toward the sound, tripping and falling several times, crying out in pain.

Just as she was about to reach the woman, the woman chuckled and turned away, guiding Lele into a sharp table corner.

Ah—! Lele whimpered, clutching her forehead with teary eyes. She stretched out her arms, pleading with the woman for a hug.

But the woman had no intention of granting her wish. She grabbed Lele by the collar, dragging her limping to a corner.

Eat, you mute brat! Why aren’t you eating? The woman shoved Lele’s face into the bowl of steaming rice, cackling wildly.

The scalding rice burned Lele, making her shriek and struggle to get up. Unable to speak, she pressed her palms together, begging the woman to stop.

After a long while, when Lele finally stilled, the woman yanked her up. A large patch of red burned across the child’s face, tears streaming down as she wiped her eyes.

What are you crying for? The woman twisted Lele’s cheek harshly. Cry again and you won’t get any more food!

Lele immediately clamped her hand over her mouth, shaking her head frantically to show she wouldn’t cry again.

Satisfied, the woman nodded and tossed a handful of rice into Lele’s bowl. Eat. On your knees. You should be grateful I’m feeding you, you little ingrate.

Lele could only crawl to the ground, her hunger driving her to snatch up grains of rice and shove them into her mouth.

Lele emerged from the kitchen in a disheveled state, immediately spotted by the other children.

The children here were adept at reading people’s expressions and naturally knew how to play to the crowd. Eager to please the women, they joined in bullying Lele.

They would make faces at her, snatch her food, or trip her with outstretched legs.

Lele couldn’t take it anymore. Her small, wiry body, like an enraged calf, rammed into one of the boys, knocking him to the ground.

Caught off guard, the boy stumbled backward, his head slamming against the sharp corner of a step with a sickening thud. Bl00d gushed from the wound.

Ah—!! The mute girl is killing him!!

Bl00d! So much bl00d!! The screams shattered the Welfare Home’s deathly afternoon silence.

Afterward, the Director locked her in the dark punishment room for misbehaving children.

You’ve grown too bold, haven’t you? Fighting each other now? The Director kicked Lele, then kicked the bleeding boy.

He always handled things this way when two children fought, he’d give them each a beating and dismiss the matter. After dealing with it, he’d return to his office, too lazy to bother with these troublesome kids.

As soon as the Director left, a crowd of children quickly gathered outside the room.

They pounded on the wooden door, chanting rhythmically with excited shouts.

Bad girl! Bad mute!

Lele’s in detention! Serves her right!

Kill the little mute! Kill her!

The childish voices, now filled with venomous curses and gleeful malice, pierced the thin wooden door like countless icy needles, stabbing mercilessly into Lele’s ears.

The Director’s accusations, the woman’s shrill laughter, the children’s mocking chants—a cacophony of voices swirled in her mind.

Hugging her knees, she curled into a tight ball, desperately trying to shut them out.

She was confined for a full day and night. Apart from Auntie bringing her food, no one checked on her.

When the heavy wooden door finally creaked open, blinding sunlight flooded the room. Auntie peered at the small figure huddled in the corner and called out tentatively, Lele?

Lele lifted her head, her eyes hollow, her face streaked with dried tears and grime. She watched Auntie’s lips move, saw the children peering in from outside, and gazed at this cold, unforgiving world.

Yet all the sounds reached her as if filtered through a thick, impenetrable frosted glass.

From that day forward, Lele became a true mute—a freak of nature.