Chapter 9

Deprived of all her powers, Wen Miao collapsed to the ground, her face covered in sticky, hair-like strands, looking even worse than before.

Staring at her hands, she realized her Awakening ability was gone. When she caught sight of her hideous reflection in the mirror, she couldn’t bear it and let out a piercing scream: “Mom! Dad! My face—my face—my face has become so ugly! This isn’t my face!”

The heart-wrenching cries felt eerily familiar to Yu Fanlian because once, she too had been that desperate, that broken. Now, that despair had shifted to Wen Miao.

Hearing the commotion, Wen’s Father and Wen’s Mother rushed over. At the sight of their daughter in such a state, they cried out in anguish, “Miaomiao!”

Wen’s Mother, heartbroken, immediately embraced Wen Miao. “It’s okay, it’s okay. Don’t be afraid, Miaomiao.”

Over the years, Wen’s Father and Wen’s Mother had been fully aware of everything Wen Miao had done.

The couple were the product of a consanguineous marriage—they were biological siblings who had grown up together, their affection for each other blossoming over time.

Defying societal norms and family objections, they had stubbornly chosen to be together as adults.

But the severe consequences of their love manifested in Wen Miao.

From birth, Wen Miao had been frail. Though not deformed, her face bore a massive birthmark, she had a cleft lip, and one leg was shorter than the other.

Guilt-ridden, Wen’s parents indulged her every whim, gradually nurturing her extreme personality.

Thus, even knowing the horrifying things she had done behind the scenes, they never stopped her. Instead, they willingly covered up her misdeeds.

Wen’s Father demanded furiously, “Who? Who did this?”

The host and cameraman immediately fell silent.

The Wen family was one of the wealthiest in Haishi, and since they were on Wen property, caution was wise.

But Yu Fanlian had long since cast aside any fear of death. From the moment she reclaimed her voice, she had no regrets left in this world.

With vindictive satisfaction, Yu Fanlian declared, “That’s your daughter reaping what she sowed! Even the great gods couldn’t stand it anymore!”

Her words only intensified Wen Miao’s agonized screams. Enraged, Wen’s Father barked, “Guards! Seize these three! None of them are leaving the Wen residence until we get to the bottom of this!”

The host and cameraman were stunned.

What did this have to do with them? They were just here for an interview.

But before the servants could act, another servant rushed in, shouting, “Bad news! Bad news!”

Wen’s Father snapped, “What bad news?”

The servant hastily added, “The young mistress is on the trending search!”

Wen’s Father and Wen’s Mother paled, immediately pulling out their phones. At the top of the trending list was the explosive headline: “Genius Girl Wen Miao’s Facade Crumbles—Everything She Had Was Stolen!”

The hashtag was marked with a “breaking” symbol.

[What am I seeing? Is this real? Wen Miao is actually an Awakener? Everything she had was stolen!]

[I knew it! No one could ever be that perfect. But stealing? That’s disgusting.]

[Ahhhhhh! I used to love Wen Miao’s violin performances so much, but they were someone else’s work all along!]

Some of Wen Miao’s fans refused to believe the allegations and fiercely defended her online.

[“This is obviously fake, just trying to ride on her popularity!”]

[“Someone must be jealous of Wen Miao because she learns everything so quickly and is so beautiful!”]

[“Now even the entertainment industry’s toxic fan culture is targeting Wen Miao.”]

[“Which capitalist bought this trending search?”]

But the backlash came swiftly. A video was released showing Wen Miao dancing, with a clear comparison between her past and present performances.

Alongside the dance footage was Yu Fanlian’s soul-crushing accusation.

Meanwhile, Wen Miao crouched in a corner, her face disfigured by a massive birthmark. If Yu Fanlian hadn’t pointed her out as Wen Miao, no one would have believed the once-graceful girl could look like this!

Wen Miao’s former elegance had vanished completely—the prodigy had fallen into the mud.

This shocking transformation stunned her fans.

Former classmates who knew Wen Miao as a child also spoke up.

[“Holy shit, that’s really Wen Miao! We were in the same class as kids. When I saw how much she’d changed, I thought she’d gotten plastic surgery—never imagined it was because of this.”]

[“Yeah, that’s definitely her! I even have her elementary school photos!”]

Comparing the photos, the huddled figure in the corner was unmistakably an older version of the young Wen Miao.

Public opinion turned overwhelmingly against her, and fans began abandoning her.

[“The victims who had things stolen from them are so pitiful.”]

[“This is heartbreaking. If someone stole the English I worked so hard to learn, I’d want to die.”]

As the scandal spread online, Wen Miao shrieked upon realizing everyone had seen her hideous appearance: “Why is this still up? Get someone to remove that trending search now!”

Wen’s Father, who doted on his daughter, roared in fury: “What’s going on? Why wasn’t this information blocked?”

Wen Miao’s misdeeds had remained hidden all this time precisely because the Wen family suppressed them. So why had everything leaked online today, sparking such intense backlash?

Servant: “We tried, but too many marketing accounts posted the news.”

“And…”

The servant swallowed hard before continuing: “There’s something strange about this whole situation—it’s like mysticism is involved…”

Wen’s Father: “Mysticism? How could mysticism be part of this?”

He paced anxiously, more unsettled than he’d been in years.

Even worse, countless victims of Wen Miao’s thefts began speaking out online.

Previously, the Wen family had intercepted such attempts, but now—due to unknown mystical forces—they couldn’t stop the flood.

Those who had lived in despair, unable to seek justice, finally had their chance to be heard. Though their words weren’t overly emotional, each sentence struck deep into people’s hearts.

“My Violin: I never thought I’d write these words one day. Since the age of five, I’ve loved the violin under my parents’ guidance. The violin is my life, my lifelong passion. I was willing to devote my very soul to it, practicing day and night, hoping to one day stand at the center of the brightest stage. When I was just one step away from my dream, misfortune struck. Wen Miao, for that baseless title of ‘violin prodigy girl,’ came before me, stole my violin talent, and destroyed everything I had!

I tried every possible way to appeal and seek justice, but was repeatedly blocked by the Wen family, left with nowhere to turn. I once wondered—why me? Why must I suffer all this? Why must we suffer all this? We simply gave our all, running with all our might toward the fields we loved. Just because the Wen family is wealthy, does that mean she can so easily take away what we’ve spent over a decade mastering? How utterly unfair! Only today, now that this matter has reached the point where everyone knows, can I finally stand before everyone and loudly declare Wen Miao’s crimes and the grievances I’ve endured all these years. May the law punish her. May Wen Miao get what she deserves. Finally—never forgive!”

This Weibo post was reposted over 200,000 times, with likes exceeding a million.

Dozens of people wrote accusations against Wen Miao, each ending with “never forgive”—no one had the right to ask them to forgive.

Even former child star Xue Xiaoyi, whose face had been stolen by Wen Miao, spoke out online, pouring out all the grievances she had suffered over the years.

Xue Xiaoyi still remembers the day she first met Wen Miao.

At the time, Xue had just finished filming her scenes and was practicing her lines off to the side.

Then, the director told her someone wanted to see her.

Confused but compliant, Xue went—and there, she met Wen Miao, who had a birthmark and a cleft lip.

Wen Miao acted exceedingly kind, showering Xue with compliments about her beauty the moment they met.

Xue didn’t understand Wen Miao’s intentions and could only force awkward smiles in response.

But then, Wen Miao’s expression suddenly darkened, and she placed her hands on Xue’s face.

What happened next was beyond anything Xue could have anticipated—she lost the face that had always been hers, forced to appear before others with a horrifying, grotesque visage, with no avenue for appeal.

For a child star, the importance of her face goes without saying.

She had thought her company would fight for justice, but the company had long been bought off by the Wen family. She became a discarded pawn.

Xue Xiaoyi poured all her deepest resentment into her statement, concluding: “If not for today, what we’ve lost would remain unknown forever, never to be reclaimed! If justice truly exists, please stand for us!”

As the scandal gained traction, investors rushed to dump Wen family stocks. In just about two hours, share prices plummeted. Shareholders flooded Wen’s Father with calls, and only then did he realize how far things had escalated.

Wen’s Father and Wen’s Mother hurriedly issued multiple statements, attempting to clarify to the public that the situation was nothing like what was being said online.

**[Wen Corporation: We deeply regret having to address the public in this manner tonight, but the rumors circulating online about our daughter are entirely false. Wen Corporation will wield the full force of the law to punish those responsible for these slanderous claims!]**  

The statement was firm and resolute, yet in the face of irrefutable evidence, it appeared utterly laughable. Rather than alleviating the Wen family’s predicament, it only invited further mockery from the public.  

Soon, the sound of police sirens echoed outside—this time, accompanied by **Official Awakeners**.  

Since **Wen Miao** had become an **Awakener**, she now fell under the jurisdiction of specialized **Official Awakeners**.  

Upon seeing them, Wen Miao cried out, **”I won’t go! I refuse to go to the police station! Name your price—I’ll give you anything! Just don’t take me there!”**  

But the lead **Official Awakener** merely smirked. **”Miss Wen, you must be joking.”**  

Wen Miao clutched her head, still pleading, **”I won’t go—”**  

Before she could finish, a surge of blazing flames erupted around her, coiling like ropes and binding her instantly.  

Behind the fiery restraints stood a plainly dressed young woman in black, silently observing the scene.  

She was petite—only about 155 cm tall—but the aura she exuded was terrifying.  

Everyone froze, including **Yu Fanlian**.  

This… this was actually an **A-rank Awakener**!  

Due to their rarity, encountering an **A-rank Awakener** in a city was nearly unheard of. Yet here one was, arriving at the Wen residence!  

And that person looked strangely familiar.  

Suddenly, Yu Fanlian remembered—that unassuming girl was **Yu Ying**, ranked among the **top three A-rank Awakeners**!  

**Yu Ying** had come personally to arrest **Wen Miao**!  

Yu Ying was widely known among the public for her ruthless impartiality. With her involved, Wen Miao’s fate was sealed.  

Wen’s father and mother tried to intervene, but Yu Ying remained unmoved. She even ordered their arrest as well.  

Though small in stature, Yu Ying’s methods were merciless. Along with the three members of the Wen family, the cameraman, journalists, Yu Fanlian, and the recently rescued **Yu Luo** were all taken into custody.  

After securing everyone, Yu Ying turned her gaze toward the Wen family villa.  

The higher an **Awakener’s** rank, the stronger their sensitivity to **Mysticism**.  

At a glance, the villa appeared no different from any other. But Yu Ying could distinctly sense something amiss.  

Had something unknown manifested here?  

She turned away, resolving to interrogate them thoroughly later.  

The moment Wen Miao was forced into the police van, onlookers snapped photos and uploaded them online.  

**[Holy shit, Wen Miao actually got arrested?! And by Yu Ying, the most iron-fisted Awakener of all?! (Image)(Image)]**  

The news sent the internet into a frenzy.  

None were more elated than the victims.  

Their hearts swelled with exhilaration.  

**Justice had finally arrived!**