Chapter 4 — Great Lady of Cleanliness

I was just about to reach out. She seemed to be frightened by something, her hands suddenly trembled. The box fell to the ground. The clock rolled out, "click" and hit the threshold. The watch lid popped off completely. The photo of my mother inside cracked into two halves. The air seemed to be drained. I stood there, my ears ringing. Tong Noan Noan was so scared that she burst into tears.

“Sorry!”

"I didn't mean it. I just found the eyes of the young lady so scary..."

Ky Hoai Chau's first reaction was not to pick up the watch. He stood in front of Tong Noan Nuan.

“Ky Van Chi, calm down.”

Calm down? I looked at him and suddenly burst into laughter. I bent down to pick up the watch. When my fingertips touched the broken photo, my whole body felt cold. Red rash from the back of the hand crawled up the arm. My chest felt like it was being squeezed by a hand. Ky Hoai Chau's expression finally changed.

“Chi Chi!”

He reached out to help me. I took a step back, avoiding it.

“Don't touch me.”

“You and she are both equally dirty.”

Ky Hoai Chau's face turned pale. But Tong Noan Nuan behind him sobbed softly.

“Big brother, it's all the puppy's fault.”

“If the puppy disappears, will the eldest lady not be angry anymore?”

After she finished speaking, she suddenly turned and ran towards the stairs. Ky Hoai Chau immediately chased after him.

“Noan Noan!”

I stood in place, watching his back leave without hesitation. At that moment, I heard the last thread in my heart snap. That evening, I started to have a high fever. When my personal doctor injected me with medicine, uncle Tran, with red eyes, stood next to the bed.

“Miss, you can't take any more stimulation.”

I closed my eyes, my throat was sore from fever.

“Tomorrow, deliver all of my mother's remains.”

“Even my design draft.”

“Put everything in the safe.”

Tran quickly nodded. But the next morning, I was still one step slow. All of the manuscripts for my personal art exhibition that I had been preparing for three years disappeared. In the deepest sterile gallery of Van Dinh's apartment, the floor was covered with torn blueprints. Paint was splashed everywhere. On the white wall, there was a crooked sentence written in red: 【Miss, stop bullying puppies.】 I stood at the door, forgetting to even breathe. Only the Ky family has the right to reserve this painting room. And last night, Ky Hoai Chau came here. I slowly walked in, squatted down, and picked up a trampled manuscript. That is the main work I am preparing to submit to the Paris Youth Art Exhibition. It's also the last inspiration topic my mother left me before she passed away. Now it's torn apart, soaked in paint, like a puddle of squishy mud. Behind him, footsteps sounded. I turned my head and saw Tong Noan Noan hiding behind Ky Hoai Chau, her eyes red from crying.

“Miss, I'm sorry.”

“Last night the puppy just wanted to help you arrange the gallery.”

“Puppy doesn't know how important those papers are.”

Ky Hoai Chau's face was also very unsightly. But the first thing he said was:

“Chi Chi, Noan Noan cried all night.”

“She really didn't mean it.”

“You still have talent, if you lose the manuscript you can redraw it.”

I looked at him and asked softly:

“Draw again?”

He avoided my eyes.

“I will contact Paris and postpone the exhibition.”

“The loss is for you to bear.”

I laughed out loud. Laugh and laugh, water eyes fell. Tong Noan Noan was so scared that I shrank back.

"Miss, don't be like that, the puppy is scared..."

I picked up the red box from the ground and slowly walked towards her. Ky Hoai Chau frowned:

“Chi Chi, put it down.”

I don't stop. Tong Noan Nuan screamed and hid in his arms. The next second, the whole red bucket fell from the top of her head. Her white dress instantly turned the color of blood.

“A—”

Tong Noan Noan collapsed and screamed. Ky Hoai Chau's face suddenly changed, he pushed me away. My back belt hit the easel so hard it hurt so much that my eyes darkened.

“Ky Van Chi!”

He shouted at me seriously.

“Do you have to force everyone to go crazy to agree?”

I fell among the pile of broken manuscripts on the ground, my palms were cut by glass. Blood seeped out drop by drop, mixing with the paint. I raised my head to look at him. Suddenly extremely calm.

“Ky Hoai Chau.”

“I'm done.”

5

I locked myself in my room and didn't go out for two days. Uncle Tran impatiently knocked on the outside door. My personal doctor also came several times. I don't open it. I just sat on the carpet, piece by piece piecing together the torn manuscripts. At the end of the graft, the fingertips were covered in blood. On the evening of the third day, Ky Thinh Lan arrived. He stood outside the door, his voice hoarse.

“Chi Chi, open the door.”

“If you keep doing this, your body won't be able to handle it.”

I didn't pay attention to him. He said again:

“Noan Noan was scared to death by you.”

“She's been having nightmares for the past two days, saying I want to kill her.”

I laughed softly. There was silence outside the door for a moment. Ky Thinh Lan's voice became even deeper.

“Chi Chi, you need therapy.”

“Your aggression is out of control.”

Therapy. What a familiar word. Before, every time I got sick, he always said:

“Chi Chi, don't be afraid, my brother will cure you.”

Now when he says treatment, he wants to cure me into a mute and non-resisting person, Tong Noan Noan. Half an hour later, the door was forced open. Ky Thinh Lan stood at the door with two bodyguards. He saw the broken manuscript on the ground and my bloody hands, and his eyes flashed with pain.

“Chi Chi.”

“Follow my third brother to the sanatorium to stay for a while.”

I raised my head to look at him.

“Who gave you that right?”

“I'm your main treating psychiatrist.”

“Also my brother.”

He paused and said with difficulty:

“I can't watch you continue to harm others and yourself.”