Evil Witch Saves the World

White An'an placed the violin back on her left shoulder, closed her eyes, and elegant music flowed once again from her hands.

White Xuerou watched her daughter with eyes full of joy, because in her daughter, she saw the shadow she had longed to see.

"Still the same as before... elegant and beautiful."

White Xuerou spoke so softly that White An'an didn't hear her. An'an continued focusing on playing the violin, her mind dwelling on what He'er had just told her.

Perhaps because her heart was downcast, the music she played didn't follow the teacher's standards like last time. Instead, it carried a hint of sadness.

Though "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" should have been cheerful, it now sounded like a dim, lonely star.

The entire piece was filled with White An'an's feelings about being betrayed—loneliness, fear, and a glimmer of hope.

White An'an still held hope for He'er. She didn't blame her sister; in her view, White Xuerou must have done something to prevent them from escaping together.

Even though White An'an's performance now differed dramatically from the original piece, White Xuerou seemed not to notice. She continued smiling at her daughter and even applauded when the piece ended.

"Wonderful! As expected of my daughter!"

White Xuerou applauded as she slowly rose from the sofa, approached White An'an, picked her up, and gently kissed her cheek. They looked like a close mother and daughter.

But... were they truly just a close mother and daughter?

Previously, He'er might have believed so, but now she didn't trust it at all. Beyond what had happened before, even a simple kiss on the cheek from White Xuerou made He'er feel she might harm White An'an.

"It's alright... stay calm... I haven't disobeyed in any way today... An'an shouldn't be punished today..."

He'er stroked her chest, repeatedly whispering to reassure herself, telling herself not to keep thinking about those things.

Next came drawing. White An'an picked up a sketch pencil and began drawing on paper while White Xuerou watched. Soon, a square emerged from White An'an's hand—with no messy guide lines, straight edges, and nothing particularly strange about it—proving that White An'an had done it nearly perfectly in one go.

White Xuerou had anticipated this result. Although she praised White An'an, it was far less enthusiastic than her praise for the violin performance.

Afterward, White Xuerou routinely brought White An'an to the sofa for a midday rest. Rather than sleeping together, it was more that White Xuerou wanted to sleep and was simply using her daughter as a pillow, not caring whether White An'an wanted to sleep or not.

Typically during these times, after White Xuerou fell completely asleep, White An'an would call for Sister Yan to play some nice movies for her.

At first, White An'an had been obedient and didn't dare move, but after discovering one day that White Xuerou slept deeply, she became increasingly bold, even contemplating stealing White Xuerou's phone.

White Xuerou, holding White An'an, fell into a deep sleep shortly, as if exhausted.

Seeing that White Xuerou was asleep, White An'an began softly calling for Sister Yan.

"Sister Yan... Mother is asleep~ Sister Yan? Hmm? Where's Sister Yan?"

White An'an called several times but the maid who usually came immediately to serve her didn't appear, which confused her.

In her eyes, Sister Yan had always been a highly efficient, beautiful, and gentle big sister—much better than White Xuerou in every way.

Rather than White Xuerou, White An'an would have preferred Sister Yan as her mother; at least Sister Yan wouldn't punish her at the slightest provocation.

"Sister He'er? Sister He'er? Are you there?"

White An'an called for He'er a few times as well, but received no response. Then she suddenly realized that Sister Yan might have taken He'er away from the first floor to somewhere else.

"Wait... if Sister Yan and Sister He'er aren't here, does that mean I could..."

Looking at the phone on the table, White An'an licked her lips and slowly began crawling out of White Xuerou's embrace toward the table.

Though the table was merely fifteen centimeters from the sofa, and White Xuerou had placed her on the outside edge, White An'an felt a pressure she had never experienced before.

Her heart beat faster and faster. In the silent living room, apart from the sounds of her movement, there was only her heartbeat and breathing.@@novelbin@@

White An'an also felt a tingling sensation in her body, something that had never happened before.

"Almost there... just a little more..."

Finally, after struggling for over ten seconds, White An'an freed herself from White Xuerou and stood on the wooden floor, with the phone right in front of her.

"I'll just call Xuexue and hang up... White Xuerou will never know!"

White An'an picked up the phone, thinking to herself.

White Xuerou's phone was the latest fruit-branded model. As soon as White An'an opened it, the face recognition failed with a shake, nearly frightening her soul out of her body.

Fortunately, White Xuerou had demonstrated it before, so White An'an quickly regained her composure. She slid the screen upward, entered White Xuerou's password, and easily unlocked the phone.

But the wallpaper that greeted her eyes made her pause.

A white-haired young girl, withered like dead wood, hung on a massive white cross. Behind her appeared to be a church, with enormous stained glass casting colorful light onto her body. On each of the girl's nailed limbs were varying amounts of vines and roses.

The image was both beautiful and eerie, especially because the girl looked so much like herself, making White An'an's heart sink.

"Is... is this White Yeye? How pitiful..." White An'an couldn't help but mourn for this girl crucified and drained of blood.

"No, what I should be doing now is calling Xuexue!"

Realizing she had wasted much time on the wallpaper, White An'an quickly opened the phone app and entered the number she had been memorizing day and night.

It had been a year since she last heard Gu Xue's voice, so she was excited and had many things she wanted to discuss with her—mostly about getting outside help for her escape.

As the call began connecting, White An'an gripped the phone tightly, occasionally glancing back to check if White Xuerou had awakened.

The good news was that White Xuerou was still sound asleep, showing no signs of waking.

Soon, the call connected, and a familiar voice came through.

"Hello? Who is this?"

"Ah! Xuexue, it's me! Don't you remember me?" White An'an excitedly whispered, happy tears in her eyes.

"Ah! It's you! After so long without contact, I thought you'd forgotten about me!" The person on the other end, hearing White An'an's voice, responded with equal excitement.

"I... I've missed you so much..." White An'an finally broke down, tears streaming uncontrollably, making the person on the other end of the call feel heartbroken.

"What... what's wrong? Are you upset about something? You can tell me!"

"Yes... let me tell you what happened after I was taken away..."

White An'an proceeded to pour out the story of her miserable experiences since arriving at the mansion, saying how badly her mother treated her, how she suffered daily torment. Of course, she also mentioned wanting to escape and needing Xuexue's help.

"Help you escape?"

After listening to White An'an, the person on the other end fell into contemplation.

"What's wrong? Is it not possible?" White An'an sniffled as she asked.

Strangely, despite all White An'an's commotion, White Xuerou still hadn't awakened.

"Of course it's possible. After all, you're my favorite person!"

"R-really, Xuexue?!"

Hearing Xuexue call her the favorite person, White An'an's face flushed red, feeling shy.

"Of course. After all... Yeye, you are one of a kind!"