Chapter 3

If this had been before, hearing these words would have made me ashamed beyond belief.

I would have desperately reflected on myself, feeling like I'd let down my parents' efforts in raising me.

Because from childhood on, they'd been manipulating me with emotional abuse.

When they made roast chicken at home, my mom would deliberately put the drumsticks on my plate.

Then she'd eat only salad herself, sighing and saying, "Summer, I can't bear to eat it. I save all the good stuff for you. You'd better repay us well in the future."

Back then I was so moved I cried, swearing I'd make something of myself.

But the reality?

Last month, when our house in the small town was demolished for a resort development, they got three hundred thousand dollars in compensation.

They turned around and bought my cousin Luke a new apartment downtown!

Didn't leave me a single cent!

When I asked about it, my dad said matter-of-factly, "Luke is the heir to the family. You're a girl. Your job is to find a good man and get married."

My high school tuition came from scholarships I earned myself.

The money for my study materials came from working summer jobs at fast food restaurants.

Besides giving me food to eat and a place to sleep, what exactly had they sacrificed?

Thinking of this, I felt nothing but absurdity and disgust.

I looked coldly at my ranting parents, my voice so calm it even scared me.

"I didn't cheat. I did poorly on this test because I wasn't feeling well. I was dizzy."

"If there's nothing else, I'm going to my room to study."

With that, I ignored their stunned expressions, turned, and walked into my bedroom, locking the door behind me.

Outside the door came my dad's furious cursing.

"Unbelievable! How dare you give us attitude!"

I leaned against the door, gasping for breath.

I pulled out my phone again and secretly logged into that secret forum.

Found that post.

Just half an hour ago, my dad's account had posted a new reply:

"Thanks, Strange Doctor. This drug is amazing!"

"I tested it out during this exam. Just used a tiny bit and she dropped almost three hundred points!"

"She originally wanted to go to an Ivy League school. Now with a brain like that, even community college would be a stretch!"

People below were chiming in.

"Congratulations! That's the way to do it. Girls don't need college."

"Girls who read too much get crazy ideas. Then they're hard to find a husband!"

"Keep her around working for money, taking care of you in old age. So much better!"

Reading these comments, my stomach churned and I rushed to the bathroom to dry heave.