Chapter 0: Prologue

Sometimes, being too kind isn’t a good thing.

Liang Lai felt an itch coursing through her body, trembling violently, tears of regret streaming down her face.

Just moments ago, her ninth adopted daughter, licking her red lips, had said something utterly shocking:

“Mother Liang Lai isn’t a cake, you know. You can’t just split her into nine pieces, can you?”

Liang Lai’s body shook uncontrollably as she cast a pleading gaze toward her first adopted child—Duoluosa, the one who always seemed quiet and obedient.

But Duoluosa smiled, raised her hand to touch Liang Lai’s cheek, leaned close to her ear, and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear:

“Mother, I told you long ago—one child, just me, would’ve been enough. Now, do you regret it~?”

Regret?

Liang Lai fell silent.

She had never regretted her kindness.

But now, finding herself in such a situation, she did feel a twinge of regret.

She hadn’t expected that not one of the children she’d taken in would turn out normal.

“Duoluosa.”

Liang Lai lifted her head, calmly meeting the gaze of her eldest daughter.

“I’ve never regretted adopting any of you. If I could do it all over again, I’d still take your hand and bring you back to the Garden of Purity. But I’d be more careful in guiding you, so you wouldn’t end up like this, harboring such twisted feelings toward me.”

At those words, everyone present fell silent.

“Hahaha~”

Duoluosa suddenly burst into laughter, tears spilling from her eyes. She wiped them away, her gaze growing increasingly unhinged.

She snarled viciously, “You’re wrong, Saintess. Some people are just born with flaws, and no amount of guidance will change the path they take!”

“And why do you think our love for you is something twisted?”

Liang Lai stared at Duoluosa, stunned. This child, whom she’d thought was so well-behaved, blurred before her eyes as her memories drifted back to five years ago—the day she found Duoluosa.