Save The Second Male Lead

2-6

"We've found you a suitor."

It had been a few days since she'd arrived in this world and became Mei Lin. She'd been recovering well, but for some reason, she hadn't seen her mother at all. She had to admit that it hurt that she hadn't come to visit her at least once, despite knowing that it was her that encouraged her to commit suicide. So, she tried to distract herself by focusing on her recovery, but this sudden announcement had reminded her. That's right, even if she didn't want it, this was her new reality.

Her father, the one who was telling her, didn't seem to notice her strange expression. She was probably just surprised to find out that she'd be married off so soon. Hearing the news, Mei Lin couldn't help but tentatively ask.

"Who?"

"The Crown Prince, Yao Shan."

Mei Lin felt like she'd been struck by thunder.

Yao... Shan... it couldn't possibly be that Yao Shan, right? There's no way, right?! They wouldn't do that to me, right!? RIGHT!?

Suddenly, she was caught in the vice-like grip of fear. Her heart pounded violently in her chest, not from excitement, but pure terror. A cold prickly feeling took hold of her as she simultaneously tensed in fright and trembled in distress. The reincarnated soul had not yet fully integrated with the body, but the dread assaulted her mind and dredged up the long-repressed memories of the original body. Her senses were overwhelmed by the attack on her conscious.

All she could remember was the pain. It was something the original Mei Lin had buried deep in her psyche and forced herself to forget. Or else, she wouldn't have ever recovered. Yet even now, the past continued to haunt her. She pushed it down, yet she could never truly forget. At this point, she'd already entered a frenzied state. She could not calm herself as the horrors kept flooding back, engulfing, drowning, her in a sea of anguish.

By now, even her uncaring father had noticed her abnormal state. He reached out to try to pull her out of her daze and called out to her gently.

"Mei-"

The shivering Mei Lin immediately batted away the hand with all her strength and screamed hysterically.

"NO!"

Her father was momentarily stunned by her reaction, but his expression gradually turned cold as he felt the stinging pain on his hand. He raised his hand and struck her across the face, the slap seemed to echo across the room. He bellowed in a heavy voice.

"What do you think you're doing!?"

But Mei Lin didn't seem to hear anything, she muttered to herself incoherently.

"nononononononononononononononononononononononononono..."

Her eyes had widened unnaturally in fear, the blood had drained from her face and left her eerily pale. The swelling, red mark on her face made her appear all the more ghastly. She held her head in an effort to make the pain go away, but the images wouldn't stop as they played over and over again in her head. Her father had become even angrier after being ignored, but no matter how much he beat her or yelled at her, he couldn't reach her. This, in turn, made him angrier.

"Who do you think you are to defy me!? You should obey me! Who do you think has been raising you all these years!? I've invested so much money into you, are you not grateful!? You unfilial bitch! No, you're worse! At least a dog knows to show obedience to its master! I-"

"nononononononononononononononononononononononononono nononononononononononononononononononononononononono..."

"-have treated you so well and this is how you repay me!? Good, good, looks like you really are just a good for nothing burden to this family. They all told me that no good would come of harbouring such a cursed thing, but I was benevolent enough to keep you when your whore mother begged me. I should never have accepted! I should have sold you and that gold digger to a brothel long ago! At least you would've been of some use to me then! You belong on the street! See how you survive on your own!-"