Chapter 8: I'm Not a Dog Again

Su Nuo dared not close her eyes, staring fixedly at the bird's nest. The process of soaking bird's nest is exceptionally long, and she had never observed it so intently before. After more than three hours, it finally began to expand. Watching it swell, Su Nuo felt nothing but irony. Was this not her former self? It looked precious and expensive in its high-end packaging, yet once expanded, it was unsightly and crude, requiring it to be pulled apart piece by piece. To be shredded, boiled, and ultimately swallowed in one gulp—this was her fate. And now, she didn't even have the luxury of being swallowed.

Human instinct told her: *Su Nuo, you must survive.* It was this same instinct that had driven her to escape back here. She dared not touch the bird's nest with her bare hands, so she wore disposable gloves. The needle marks on her hands throbbed with agonizing pain whenever they touched the water. The nerve-wracking pain of the fingertips had tortured her for months. She had thought she was numb to it, but every time the wounds were irritated, the pain was enough to make her faint.

Su Nuo carefully tore the bird's nest into strips along its texture and placed them in a stewing pot. Bird's nest must be double-boiled, while the millet porridge required a low, slow simmer. The red dates had to be peeled, pitted, and scrubbed clean. By the time she finished, the sky was already beginning to pale. Just as she prepared to cook the porridge, she heard footsteps behind her. Her hand trembled, and she nearly knocked over the freshly steamed bird's nest. Fortunately, she caught it with quick reflexes.

Cui, the housemaid, was startled to see her. "Miss? Why are you up so early?"

"Cooking porridge," Su Nuo replied, head bowed, her voice barely a whisper.

Cui frowned slightly. Was the young lady overacting this time? It seemed so real. Su Nuo had always been pampered and delicate; when had she ever risen this early? If anyone dared to wake her, she would have thrown a temper tantrum! But recalling what Su Nuo had vomited yesterday, Cui raised an eyebrow. If this was all a performance, the young lady was certainly resilient to have endured eating such disgusting things. But wasn't everyone saying that Su Nuo was just putting on a show?

A malicious smile tugged at the corner of Cui's mouth. *Crash!* She "accidentally" bumped into the stewing pot, and the bird's nest spilled all over the floor. In the past, she would never have dared to do such a thing. Su Nuo would have lashed out at her immediately. But now that Mo Xiaoxue was living here, what did she have to fear? It was clear that Mo Xiaoxue was favored by the Duan family, and this adopted daughter would be kicked out sooner or later. Besides, the young master despised her so much. If Su Nuo wanted to keep acting, she couldn't blame her. And if she did blame her, it would only prove that everything before had been a performance. She wanted to see how Su Nuo would handle this!

Su Nuo looked at the bird's nest on the floor, her entire body trembling uncontrollably. Only one thought occupied her mind: *It’s over, I’m truly finished.* The bird's nest was so expensive, and Duan Yubai had specifically asked her to stew it; she had ruined everything. Almost instinctively, she crouched down quickly and began to pick up the bird's nest pieces with painstaking care. Her vision blurred with tears, making it hard to see. Finally, she had to crawl on the floor, gathering the bird's nest bit by bit.

"What is going on?" Duan Yubai’s cold voice rang out above her. Su Nuo began to tremble reflexively.

"I’m sorry..." She knew Duan Yubai hated hearing her speak, but at this moment, she didn't know what else to say besides apologizing. He would surely be angry, everyone would be angry. She was finished; she was truly finished. A wave of immense terror washed over her, and she felt as if she were back in the compound, with countless impatient eyes fixed upon her. She gasped for air in agony, her face turning a faint shade of purple.

Cui seized the opportunity to play the victim. "Young Master, I don't know what has gotten into the Miss, coming here to cook bird's nest porridge so early." She added, "The bird's nest wasn't even prepped properly; I told her it hadn't soaked enough, and she just flew into a rage. Miss Mo said she wanted porridge yesterday, so she must have been lazy, woke up late on purpose, and then knocked the bird's nest over herself."

"Is that so?" Duan Yubai’s tone was devoid of emotion as he looked down at her. He knew, of course, that Cui was lying, but he wanted to see how long this woman could keep playing the victim.

Su Nuo could barely make a sound. She was like a dying fish, mouth agape, gulping for air, yet none of it reached her lungs. In the compound, if she made a mistake, she had to be punished. The suffocating sensation of a plastic bag being pulled over her head returned; she had forgotten she was back in the Duan household, not in that den of demons.

"Miss, breathe." Chi Ling’s cool, calm voice seemed to pierce the invisible plastic bag over Su Nuo’s head. She suddenly exhaled a long breath, finally regaining her ability to breathe. Yet, she continued to apologize, "I'm sorry, I'll clean it up immediately, I'll remake it right away, I'm sorry."

She felt a metallic, bloody taste in her throat, and her head was spinning. Yet, she remained on the floor, continuing to pick up the fragments of the bird's nest. Seeing that Su Nuo didn't dare say that she had knocked over the bird's nest herself, Cui was slightly taken aback. Could it be that Mo Xiaoxue was right? Had this Su Nuo really suffered some kind of inhuman torture? That would be wonderful news.

As she looked up, she saw Mo Xiaoxue helping Madam Duan out. Cui spoke up quickly, "Miss Mo, the young lady knocked over the bird's nest you wanted. It doesn't look like she was genuinely making it for you either."

"No, that's not it!" Su Nuo started to speak, but met Mo Xiaoxue’s hateful glare. She didn't dare argue further and knelt on the floor. "I was wrong, I’m sorry, I will remake it immediately, please don't be angry, I'm sorry!" She didn't dare let herself cry, apologizing while frantically gathering the bird's nest.

Madam Duan moved to step forward, but Mo Xiaoxue held her arm tightly. "Aunt Duan, it’s all my fault. I shouldn't have come to stay just because there was a leak at my house. Miss Su must be unhappy. Otherwise, she wouldn't have agreed to cook for me and then backed out; isn't that a slap in the face to Mr. Duan?" Mo Xiaoxue glanced at Duan Yubai’s expression, and seeing his anger, a smile curled on her lips. "Miss Su, if you didn't want to, you could have just said so."

At the words "you didn't want to," Su Nuo trembled even more violently. She shrieked, "No, I want to! I’m willing! Everything is voluntary! I’ll remake it right now, immediately, I am willing!" She muttered to herself, preparing to put the dirty bird's nest back onto the stove.

Mo Xiaoxue bit her lower lip, feigning grievance. "Miss Su, I am not a dog. I don't eat things that have fallen on the floor."

*Boom!* Su Nuo nearly lost her footing, and the bird's nest fell from her hands once more. Mo Xiaoxue wasn't a dog, but Su Nuo was. Thinking of the sunless basement in the compound, thinking of the disgusting things she had been forced to eat—thinking of the first time she had eaten a dead rat, the rotten, nauseating taste—Su Nuo’s stomach churned violently.

"What kind of tantrum are you throwing now? You even..." Before Duan Yubai could finish his sentence, as he reached out to grab her arm, Su Nuo retched and vomited all over his shirt.