I’m a Girl, He’s a Psycho, and This is Fine

It was late at night.

Father and Mother Shi, long asleep, were suddenly roused by a knock on the door.

Standing outside was Old Lady Shi, her expression heavy with gloom.

Seeing his mother's face, Father Shi immediately sobered up. "Mom? You're still awake?"

"There's a troublemaker in the house. I can't sleep," she said flatly as she stepped inside.

He didn't need to ask who she meant—their expressions darkened in mutual understanding.

"Mom…" he began, hesitant.

"I came to discuss something important." The old woman cut him off. "We can't keep raising that child."

Father Shi scratched his head, visibly uncomfortable. "But Mom, Shi Mu is still young. If we don't raise her, who will?"

Old Lady Shi scoffed. "Didn't her grandfather leave her his inheritance? That's enough to live on."

"How much do you think a fortune-teller could've left her?" Father Shi retorted. "All he had was a rundown house back in the Li village. No one would take it even if it were free. You've always been biased against her. Even if we want her to be independent, can't we wait until she's of age?"

The old woman snorted. "If we wait until she's grown, our whole family might not live to see it. Don't forget—her household registration is with her grandfather, not us. We've been raising someone else's child all this time, and she's brought us nothing but disgrace."

Father Shi fell silent, unable to argue.

"I agree with Mom," said Mother Shi, who had been quiet until now. "Before Father passed, he wrote to me. He said the charm in Shi Mu's body would awaken when she became an adult. He intended to resolve it, but he died too soon…"

She sighed, her voice low and tense. "My aunt died from poison—I've seen how terrifying those things can be. I can't risk letting Shi Mu hurt Li Zi or Rong Rong."

She was born and raised in the Miao region, steeped in its supernatural traditions. Fear of witchcraft had been ingrained in her from childhood, and the memory of Shi Mu's birth still haunted her.

A red moon had hung in the sky. Flowers withered. Thunder roared as Shi Mu came into the world amid torrential rain.

Father Shi looked torn, but after a moment of painful hesitation, he nodded in agreement.