"Trash! Stupid pig!" A pair of chopsticks was violently thrown at the girl's face. Five seconds later, she expressionlessly lifted her head, her vacant gaze directed at the man who had thrown the chopsticks—her father.

"What did I ask you to do?" The man glared at the girl as if she had committed an unforgivable act.

"Tomato scrambled eggs," the girl replied calmly.

"And what did you make?" The man slammed his hand on the table.

"Chives scrambled eggs."

The girl's mind raced with analysis. There were no tomatoes left at home, her parents hadn't bought any in time, and she had no money to buy them.

But dinner still needed to be eaten on time; not doing so could affect her health.

After considering everything, she chose to make chives scrambled eggs, which was the least damaging option.

The man's chest heaved rapidly, like an angry bull. "Since you wanted to make chives scrambled eggs, you must like eating them too."

The girl looked at him indifferently and replied in a flat tone, "I have no preferences."

"Hmph," the man scoffed, pointing at the chives scrambled eggs and the large bowl of rice that had barely been touched. "Since you like it, finish it all. Remember, you must finish it all."

After saying this, the man stood up and left with his wife. A few days ago, they had received a bonus for their daughter's year-end exams, and they could afford to treat themselves without worrying about money.

The sound of the door slamming echoed as the girl sat down at the table, mechanically pulling the bowl of rice in front of her, along with the plate of chives scrambled eggs.

She swallowed mouthfuls of food mixed with saliva quickly; she had already consumed a good portion of the rice and a whole plate of chives scrambled eggs.

"Cough cough cough, ugh..." With a blank expression, she turned her head to the side as too much food surged up her throat.

This is my punishment; I can't stop midway. This is to make me remember my mistake; I must not fail to do it.

Lifting her head, the girl continued to shovel rice into her mouth, ignoring the other dishes on the table that were not part of the punishment.

The tasteless white rice was swallowed bite after bite, the feeling of choking, the sensation of food rising, and the bloating pain in her stomach.

After swallowing another mouthful of rice, she finally couldn't hold it in anymore and turned her head to cough violently, expelling everything she had eaten.

"Cough cough cough cough cough..." Even as she coughed loudly, there was not a trace of pain on the girl's face.

Before the coughing fit had ended, she lifted her head again, picked up the chopsticks, and faced the half bowl of rice once more.

The stomach that had just heaved from expelling food quickly welcomed new food again. Under this new stimulation, she barely managed to take two bites before she vomited again.

After struggling for a good while, the girl finally finished the entire bowl of "food."

Breathing heavily, drenched in sweat, her gaze shifted to the mess on the floor beside her.

Her father's punishment had been to finish the bowl of rice and chives scrambled eggs, but... she still hadn't finished.

"Lin Yue! Lin Yue! What are you doing? Stop eating!"

In a daze, Lin Yue snapped out of her memories and stared blankly ahead.

Harry and Ron, two stronger boys, were each holding one of her hands to prevent her from reaching for the ribs in the pot. Hermione was also hugging her waist, trying to keep her seated and prevent her from moving.

Cho Chang, Marietta, and senior Penelope had moved the pot of ribs far away, looking at her with concern.

A wave of pain surged in her stomach, and Lin Yue looked down to find a pile of rib bones had mysteriously appeared beside her hands.

"Merlin's hungry belly! Even if you're hungry, you can't eat like this!"

Seeing Lin Yue regain her senses and stop struggling, Harry finally relaxed and wiped the sweat from his forehead. Merlin knew how strong Lin Yue had been just now; the two boys could barely hold her down with one hand each. Hermione had to put almost her entire weight on Lin Yue just to keep her in the chair.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

Ron, panting, released his grip and nodded in agreement, "You... it didn't even feel like you were eating; it felt like you were trying to stuff yourself to death!"

Lin Yue withdrew her hands, and only then did she realize her arms were sore from the excessive effort just now.

The three girls cautiously approached and placed the pot back on the dining table, always on alert. If Lin Yue showed any intention of reaching out again, they would immediately take the pot away, determined not to leave that pot of ribs for her.

The only one left was Hermione, who still tightly held onto Lin Yue, unwilling to let go as if still in shock.

In just a short while, they had barely chatted for less than five minutes, and Lin Yue had already eaten more than half of the large pot of ribs.

Her father, Mr. Granger, a strong adult male, couldn't eat that much!

In less than five minutes, when Hermione looked at Lin Yue again, it was clear she was on the verge of throwing up, yet she was still frantically stuffing ribs into her mouth.

A chilling scene unfolded. Without a moment's hesitation, she reached out and snatched the ribs from Lin Yue's hands, firmly holding down her hands that were still trying to grab the ribs.

Seeing that Lin Yue wanted to get up again, Hermione immediately hugged her tightly. Cho Chang and Marietta worked together to lift the pot away from the dining table. Lin Yue's appearance, as if she were about to burst, was truly frightening; even Harry and the others felt a bit shaken.

Not to mention Hermione, who was still holding onto Lin Yue tightly and refusing to let go.

"Hermione..." Lin Yue's voice was hoarse from eating too quickly and too much, and she couldn't speak loudly for fear of the ribs she had stuffed in her throat coming back up. So her call was small and hoarse, "Hermione, I'm sorry for causing you trouble."

Lin Yue felt no particular emotion; she simply felt that her earlier actions had troubled Hermione and the others, so she apologized directly.

Hermione shook her head while holding Lin Yue, saying nothing, but her grip tightened even more.

Looking at the indifferent Hermione holding her, Lin Yue felt nothing, yet her heart was warming up.

Cho Chang took a deep breath, walked over to Lin Yue and Hermione, squatted down, and gently patted Hermione's back.

"Hermione, Hermione, Lin Yue isn't eating anymore; it's okay now. Can you let her go? If you keep holding her so tightly, your arms will get tired too."

Hermione didn't respond to Cho Chang's words, shaking her fluffy head vigorously, her arms tightening around Lin Yue, clearly indicating that no one could make her let go.

Cho Chang opened his mouth awkwardly, but it was Marietta who suddenly understood and stepped forward to gently say, "Hermione, Lin Yue was already full; if you keep holding her so tightly, she will feel uncomfortable and might even throw up. How about you let go first..."

Before she could finish the words "let go," Hermione suddenly released Lin Yue, looking up at her with tear-filled eyes.

"Did I... did I hold you too tightly and make you uncomfortable?"

Lin Yue shook her head, her expression unchanged, "No."

"Then you... you won't eat anymore, right?" Hermione sniffed, her arms trembling slightly from having held on too tightly.

However, she was still prepared to hold Lin Yue tightly again if she showed any sign of wanting to eat more. No matter what, she couldn't let Lin Yue eat anymore; if she did, it would be bad for her!

Hermione screamed in terror, and Harry and Ron, who were "buried in their work," looked up to see her in shock. Lin Yue turned her head to glance at the half-full pot of ribs; she hadn't finished eating yet... According to the previous punishment standards, she hadn't properly punished herself.

She might forget the mistake, no, the previous punishment was sufficient, and she hadn't remembered the error. This time, she still hadn't made the dish Hermione wanted to eat, but had replaced it with something else... So perhaps she should intensify her punishment.

Lin Yue's silence made the six children present tense up simultaneously, each one "itching to move," ready to act again at any moment.

"No! You can't eat anymore!" To everyone's surprise, Hermione, who had just been tearfully sniffling, suddenly shouted fiercely. She took a couple of deep breaths to suppress her anger and tried to look at Lin Yue gently.

"You’re not eating; you’re torturing yourself."

When it came to torturing oneself, Hermione froze, her expression gradually paling as she thought of something. "Are you... torturing, punishing yourself?"

Lin Yue mechanically nodded and naturally replied, "Yes."

"Why?! Just because you said you would make me braised ribs, but instead you made stew?"

Hermione gritted her teeth, looking at Lin Yue in disbelief. She couldn't believe that such a small matter could lead Lin Yue to almost make herself sick. If there had been a bit more ribs, would she have ended up making herself sick to death?

Lin Yue nodded again in silence, looking at Hermione as she answered her question, "Yes, I made a mistake; I didn't make the dish you were looking forward to."

"I already said I wasn't blaming you, right?" Hermione wiped her eyes and looked at Lin Yue, her red eyes filled with self-reproach and heartache.

It was all her fault; if she had been clearer and more precise at that time... maybe, just maybe, Lin Yue wouldn't have done this.

"I made a mistake, and I should be punished; I need to remember the error."

Lin Yue spoke in a flat tone, accepting punishment for her mistakes, which she believed was only natural.

"Meilin..." Ron murmured to himself, thinking that his mother had been strict enough with them.

But now... Lin Yue was even stricter with herself than his mother was with them.

Even Harry began to think... maybe his days at the Dursleys weren't so bad after all?

"Punishing yourself again?!" Penelope raised her voice sharply, unable to control herself. The Ravenclaw prefect, known for her friendliness, was visibly upset.

Beside her, Cho Chang and Marietta immediately caught on, "What do you mean, punishing yourself again?"

"When has Lin Yue ever punished herself before?"

Both of them were Lin Yue's roommates, and she punished herself, yet they had never noticed anything?

Looking at Lin Yue's abdomen, which was clearly distended, the two older girls were filled with guilt.

Upon hearing the question, Penelope was momentarily taken aback. She bit her lip, instinctively reluctant to mention what she had seen before—Lin Yue had slapped her own face until it was red and swollen due to her potion class grades.

Lin Yue was a girl just like them... how sensitive a girl's pride can be, even among her closest classmates.

If others found out about this, Lin Yue would feel uncomfortable and embarrassed.

More importantly... if everyone looked at her with pity because they felt sorry for her, how uncomfortable would that be for her?

Noticing that Penelope didn't want to speak up, Cho and Marietta kindly refrained from asking more questions.

At least now they knew about Lin Yue punishing herself, and they could pay more attention to her in the dormitory in the future.

They couldn't let Lin Yue have the opportunity to punish herself anymore.

The situation finally calmed down, but no one felt like continuing to eat.

Hermione cupped Lin Yue's face in her hands and looked at her seriously, "Let's just forget about this. Don't, don't punish yourself in any way. You don't need to be punished, okay?"

Not needing to be punished for making a mistake? Although Lin Yue felt that Hermione's statement contradicted the rules in her mind, a voice deep within her still made her nod.

"Okay, I understand."

Hermione finally relaxed and smiled, and Lin Yue also stood up, reaching for the utensils to take them to the kitchen to wash.

Beside them, Cho Chang and Marietta quickly moved to grab the utensils before Lin Yue could, taking them into their own hands.

“Lin Yue, you must be a bit full, right? Why don’t you and Hermione go for a walk?” Cho Chang said gently, holding a plate and bowl with a soft smile.

Marietta also nodded in agreement while holding a knife and fork, and she shot a glance at Hermione, “Yes, yes, while it’s still light out, you two should go for a stroll, and let Harry and Ron accompany you.”

Harry and Ron immediately understood and walked up to Lin Yue and Hermione, “Let’s go, let’s go, let’s take a walk together.”

“Yeah, it’s a good chance to get familiar with the area.”

Lin Yue looked at them, her gaze calm, but her movements stiff as she turned to Hermione.

Go for a walk? But she hadn’t finished her tasks yet; she shouldn’t be able to go out.

“Let’s go, let’s take a walk together.” Hermione gently wrapped her arm around Lin Yue’s shoulder, her touch soft yet firm, leading her forward.

Penelope nodded at Cho Chang and Marietta and followed along, walking behind Harry and Ron. She was the oldest here.

The younger students were going out for a walk, and she wouldn’t feel at ease if she didn’t go with them, so she decided to join.

Cho Chang and Marietta watched Lin Yue stare blankly for two seconds before she agreed to Hermione’s suggestion to go out, and only then did they feel relieved, taking the utensils into the kitchen to wash the dishes.

The situation finally calmed down, but no one felt like continuing to eat.

Hermione cupped Lin Yue’s face with both hands and looked at her seriously, “Let’s just let this go. Don’t, don’t punish yourself in any way. You don’t need to be punished, okay?”

Not needing to be punished for making a mistake? Although Lin Yue felt that Hermione’s statement contradicted the rules in her mind, a voice deep within her still prompted her to nod.

“Okay, I understand.”