Chapter 2

Lucas was gone!

My mind went blank, as if a heavy snow had fallen.

Stumbling, I found the bicycle repairman and cried out, "Bad people, they took my brother!"

With the memory of my previous life, I led people directly to the alley entrance.

The repairman and onlookers subdued the kidnappers, and I took Lucas back.

As soon as I removed the cotton cloth stuffed in his mouth, he burst into earth-shattering cries.

Holding him, I was also in tears.

I wanted to change my miserable life.

But the awakening of female consciousness should not come at the cost of sacrificing humanity.

This time, I didn't run home immediately like I did in my previous life.

I wiped away my tears and went to the police station with the repairman and others.

I was very calm when giving my statement, focusing on comforting my crying brother throughout.

When the statement was done, Lucas had cried himself to sleep.

I asked the repairman to take us home.

The repairman praised me the whole way.

"Oh, you little girl, you're so brave. You're made for great things."

"If it weren't for you today, your brother would have suffered."

"These damn child traffickers are worse than animals."

I smiled awkwardly, choosing to remain silent.

Little did he know, I had almost become an accomplice to these inhuman creatures.

Back home, Mom started yelling before she even saw us.

"You useless girl, coming back so late. Were you slacking off? Come here and wash the clothes right now."

She hadn't finished scolding when she saw the sleeping Lucas in my arms. She rushed over with an "Oh my!"

"What happened to Lucas?" She was anxious and heartbroken. "Did you, you little brat..."

"Mom, you're disturbing Lucas," I said.

Sure enough, Mom shut up immediately.

She glared at me fiercely. I ignored her and carried Lucas into the room.

If I didn't know how to handle her by now, I would have lived these two lives in vain.

The repairman would help me sort out the rest.

But I needed to think carefully about what to do next.

During dinner, Mom scolded me for being a jinx, saying I shouldn't have taken Lucas there.

I ignored her words, focusing on eating.

Lucas sat in Mom's lap, letting her feed him, showing none of his usual tantrums.

He ate whatever she fed him, being so obedient that Mom could hardly believe it.

After dinner, I cleaned up the messy table as usual.

Lucas, who never wanted to move and always demanded to be carried, came over and looked up at me.

"...Sis...Sis..."

Mom happened to pass by and exclaimed with delight, "Lucas can call people now?"

Since Lucas learned to speak, he had never called anyone Mom or Dad.

He rarely spoke because whenever he wanted something, crying was enough.

I didn't expect his first time calling someone would be dedicated to me, the "useless girl."

The joy on Mom's face instantly disappeared. She spat at me.

"You useless girl, always teaching my darling bad things. Stay away from your brother in the future, you hear me?"

I carried the bowls into the kitchen, the corner of my lips curling up. "Okay."

When it was time to sleep, Lucas started fussing again.

"...Sis...Sis...Want..."

He cried his heart out. Mom was heartbroken and angrily questioned me.

"What kind of spell did you cast on him? Why does he only want you?"

I looked innocent. "I don't know. Maybe it's because he was scared earlier today, and I happened to be by his side."

Lucas would cry if he was away from me. Despite her extreme reluctance, Mom had no choice but to compromise.

The plan was successful.

Lucas and I faced each other.

Mom had once worried that her only precious son might have some intellectual disability because he started speaking late.

But I knew he was actually very smart.

When he was little, he loved to snatch my things.

A stone, a wildflower, a card, no matter how well I hid them, he could always find them.

If I didn't give them to him, he would cry and make a scene in front of Mom.

Invariably, I would end up being beaten severely, kneeling on the ground apologizing, and handing those little things to him.

I slightly narrowed my eyes, watching Lucas's ingratiating face.

Before dinner, I changed his diaper.

I moved very slowly, brainwashing him for an hour.

"See, today you didn't listen to your sister and stay put, so bad people caught you."

"If you dare not listen to your sister again in the future, bad people will beat you to death."

My tone was gloomy, unable to suppress the hatred mixed in.

"Just like... how Mom beats your sister, they won't stop, they'll keep beating and beating..."

Living beings instinctively fear dangerous things, and with the addition of force, they choose to submit.

Young ones are the same.

He seemed to sense the genuine malice in my words. His eyes darted around, and he reached out for me to hold him.

From tonight, when he cried and insisted on sleeping with me as I had instructed.

I understood.