This dress was newly bought. Miyata Junren found the magazine that Zero frequently flipped through and noticed a few pictures with little hearts drawn beside them, so he selected one and bought it as a gift for Zero to celebrate the success of an excessive experint.
He didn’t know that Zero actually didn’t like those clothes.
Those little hearts were all left by Xiaoqi.
But he had already forgotten who Xiaoqi was, or maybe he had never paid attention to her from the beginning.
With hundreds or thousands of subjects replaced every year, how could it be possible to notice each and every one of them?
At that mont, Zero stood there silently, her eyes devoid of any color, only her beating heart suggested that she was not a mannequin.
She gazed at the nearby floor-to-ceiling window, the glass reflecting her own silhouette.
Sweet laughter, gentle hugs, warmth while snuggling together, two little souls eting in the dark... Fragnts of past mories converged from all directions, becoming clearer than ever in her mind.
Suddenly, Zero seed to hallucinate; the reflection in the glass was distorting, sotis her own, sotis turning into Xiaoqi’s appearance. The boundaries between them beca so blurred, as if rging into one.
At this mont, countless voices echoed in her mind, seemingly real yet illusory:
"Drink it, drink it with gratitude. Rember, if you disobey again, this will be your fate."
"When facing the guards, smile and talk to them, the happier the smile, the better. Make them feel like welcod people; that way, their attitude towards you will improve~ A smile is the best weapon to protect yourself!"
"Kill you, you monster! So ugly, so disgusting, kill you!"
"So what if people call you a monster, let them. When your body gets better, your hair grows out, your face has so flesh, you will beco super beautiful, and many people will like you~"
"Once you leave, I’ll be all alone..."
"You won’t be alone, you won’t..."
"She belongs to Eden Garden. From birth to adulthood, everything she ate, wore, and lived was paid for by us. Isn’t it reasonable to make so sacrifices for Eden Garden?"
"So, Zero, run away. Don’t stay here anymore. Run to the outside world and embrace true freedom."
"Will I be able to see you again... right?"
"I will co find you, no matter where you hide, no matter how long it takes, I will find you!"
Accompanied by those voices from the past, scenes from Zero’s mory resurfaced once again.
The scene of their first eting.
The scene where Xiaoqi first lovingly called her little monster.
The scene where the two sat side by side, looking into the future.
And the scene where they tightly embraced each other upon their final farewell.
Coldness and warmth, loneliness and companionship, pain and happiness... The past life was like a mirror shattered on the ground, fragnted into nurous incomplete pictures.
Miyata Junren’s speech atmosphere reached its peak. He raised his voice and said with a smile, "Zero, you deserve part of the credit today. On behalf of Eden Garden, I promise you a reward. If you have any small wish, you can say it now!"
Zero’s gaze shifted from the glass reflection. She looked forward and raised her hand, her fingertip sweeping over the guests present: "You."
This answer left Miyata Junren a bit puzzled, "Us?"
Zero: "My wish is you."
"From today, I will eat well, sleep on ti. I will take care of myself and strive to live on..."
Those amber eyes reflected all the people present, the light of being human extinguished in an instant, leaving only a chilling darkness: "Until I kill every single one of you."
The banquet hall fell into brief silence.
No one knows how long it took, laughter gradually spread, and the guests began whispering and jesting among themselves with interest.
"Hahaha, is this the surprise program of the banquet? Very innovative."
"Oh my god, look at her eyes, the emotional power that burst out! If properly trained, she would definitely beco an outstanding actress!"
"Mr. Miyata, the person you’ve nurtured certainly has character, barking like a dog."
Miyata Junren’s expression was a bit stiff. He composed himself, descended from the stage, and brought his hands together in front of the guests, smiling as he apologized: "Hahaha, my apologies, my apologies."
He casually picked up a champagne bottle from the table, slowly walked towards Zero, his smile gradually turning cold: "Without parents to discipline them, they really are different, aren’t they?"
"Whack!" He swung the bottle hard, smashing it on Zero’s head, bursting it with a spatter of blood, staining the pure white dress red.
Miyata Junren grabbed Zero by the collar, lifting her off the ground.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
He punched the young face rcilessly, each punch bringing blood and foam from her nose and mouth.
"I give you food, give you clothes, and treat you nicely; you start to take advantage? You brats, after all, have to be treated like dogs, you just can’t be seen as humans."
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Miyata Junren beat Zero ruthlessly, breaking her brow bone, fracturing her nose, that small face beca like a dirty, greasy canvas, stained everywhere with crimson red.
But from beginning to end, Zero rely looked at him coldly, looked at everyone present, engraving their faces eternally in her heart.
Once, the monster briefly beca human due to gentle love.
Now, the monster killed the humanity within itself.
The monster beca a monster once again.
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