Shen An owns a veterinary clinic. She sponsors a middle-school girl in a remote mountain village.
One day, she was driving through the mountains and decided on a whim to stop by and see the girl. She discovered that the girl's family had been pocketing all the money she'd sent and planned to sell her.
Furious, Shen An smashed up their courtyard, beat the parents, and called the police to have them sent to prison.
As they left the courthouse, the girl lifted her face and looked at Shen An timidly, secretly tugging at her clothes. “Big Sister, can you take me home?”
“...”
After much hesitation, Shen An decided to adopt her.
She raised Gu Nian for seven years, watching the girl grow from a thin, timid child into a graceful young woman.
Shen An was delighted.
But she had no idea that every time she turned away, Gu Nian's gaze changed.
Gu Nian had known since childhood that she had no future.
She would end up like the other girls in the village: dropping out of school, getting married, having children, and being worn down by life.
Until she met Shen An.
She seized every opportunity to manipulate her wealthy sponsor into coming to see her, and used that chance to get rid of her parents.
On the courthouse steps, she looked up at Shen An, this poised and composed older sister in her elegant clothes, and suddenly understood what kind of life she wanted.
Big Sister.
Gu Nian turned the words over in her mind.
After being adopted, she did everything she could to please Shen An, studied as hard as she could, and showed her sister how much she was worth.
At first, she only wanted to repay her.
But Gu Nian realized that her sister seemed to care for her too much.
When nightmares woke her in the dead of night, she climbed into her sister's bed.
Her sister held her as they slept.
When she was bullied at school, she kept quiet.
Her sister marched in, face dark with anger.
Over seven years, Gu Nian's love slowly changed into something else.
For the rest of her life, she would become her sister, take her sister's place,
or perhaps... possess her sister.
That was her goal.
Theme: Never back down
