My foster sister used AI to create a fake video of herself being kidnapped by homeless men, demanding five million dollars in ransom from Mom. I immediately exposed her lies and advised Mom not to fall for it. But I didn’t know my foster sister had secretly sent Mom a fake death video. When Mom pushed me off the high-rise building with her own hands, I saw her bloodshot eyes: “It’s all because you wouldn’t let me pay the ransom, and now Lily’s been killed!” “Why wasn’t it you who got kidnapped! I wish I never had you as a daughter!” After being reborn, I returned to the day Mom learned that Lily had been kidnapped. This time, I won’t stop her. Since one wants to be kidnapped and the other wants to pay the ransom, I’ll help both their dreams come true! “My poor Lily, how could she be kidnapped! Emma, what kind of sister are you! Did you offend someone and drag Lily into this? How come Lily got kidnapped but you’re perfectly fine?” “Five million—you’re not even worth five million if I sold you! How can I possibly raise five million in three days!” Once again, I found myself back on that afternoon that changed my fate. Mom gripped my arm so hard it hurt, staring at that video of Lily’s AI-generated kidnapping, firing question after question at me about what happened. In my previous life, I saw through the video at a glance—it was just that AI-generated homeless man trending online recently. I told Mom it was AI-generated by Lily, not a real kidnapping at all. Mom was skeptical but, reassured by me, didn’t pay the ransom. I thought the joke would end there. I never imagined Mom would later receive an AI-generated video showing Lily being brutally murdered. She believed it was real and buried her hatred for me deep in her heart. Until the day I finally agreed to my boyfriend’s proposal, she called me up to a rooftop under the pretense of offering her blessing. I went to meet her full of joy, only to be viciously pushed off the building. Her bloodshot eyes burned with pure hatred: “Why was Lily the one killed while you get to live? If it weren’t for you, my Lily could have married better and been so much happier!” “I wish I’d never found you! You’re nothing but bad luck—give me back my Lily!” But the Lily she claimed was dead had just messaged me saying she’d snuck out to have fun and ran out of money, asking me to send her some! It was obviously a fake death! This time, watching that video, I calmly pulled my arm free from Mom’s tight grip: “We should call the police right away. I’m sure they can rescue Lily.” “No!” Mom immediately shrieked. Worry blazed into fury in her eyes: “We can’t call the police! Emma, are you doing this on purpose!” “What if they get angry and kill Lily? Do you hate her that much!” “You need to sell your apartment and car right now! Go cry to your boss and coworkers, get on your knees and beg them if you have to, be their servant if necessary, but you must borrow that money!” I hadn’t expected her to say something like that. Suppressing my urge to argue, I asked: “Then why don’t you sell this house?” She immediately glared at me defensively: “This house can’t be sold—I’m saving it for Lily when I’m old! Don’t you dare think about getting your hands on this house!” “What about me? This is the only house in the family. If you leave it to her, what happens to me?” A sour feeling surged in my chest. I couldn’t help clenching my fists as I confronted her. Mom stared at me with disgust, her face full of disappointment and self-righteousness: “Why do you always have to compete with Lily for everything! She’s young and sensitive. Ever since you came back, she’s suffered so much!” “You’re capable and you’re the older sister—what’s wrong with giving way to her? She already feels inferior for not being the biological daughter, so of course the family assets should all go to her!” “Lily’s been kidnapped and you’re still this cold-blooded, fighting with me over who gets what?” Even though I knew she didn’t love me and had all her thoughts on Lily, hearing such blatantly biased words still made my heart ache. I held back the sting in my nose. Give way to my sister. Ever since I was found and brought back in my teens, this phrase had haunted me like a ghost. Eating her leftover snacks, wearing her hand-me-down clothes. Her birthdays were like a princess surrounded by classmates. While I had to finish washing dishes in a restaurant kitchen before squatting in a corner, reeking of grease and sweat, silently wishing myself a happy birthday. I took a deep breath, trying to stay calm: “Fine, I understand, Mom.” “You can give her all the assets. I just want to ask one thing.” “What about elderly care? When you’re old, will Lily handle that too?”
An expression of extreme disgust instantly appeared on Mom’s face. She pointed at me in disbelief: “Is all you do calculate everything?” “All these years, Lily’s been the one staying by your dad and me, being filial on your behalf. You’re not grateful and now you’re even complaining about this?” “I raised you for nothing! Don’t worry, when we’re old we’ll stay with Lily. You just need to send over alimony every month!” “And give Lily an extra three thousand a month! Taking care of us all the time isn’t easy for her!” I could hardly believe my ears. I was the one who got lost and spent over a decade in an orphanage. Lily was the one adopted to enjoy over a decade in my place! Now they were saying I should thank her? My monthly salary was only fifteen thousand. After giving them 8,880 and Lily another 3,000, would I not need to eat or drink? Given their level of favoritism, all that money would probably end up in Lily’s pocket anyway! I couldn’t hold it in anymore. I opened my mouth to argue and refuse, but was interrupted by a series of notification sounds. Mom received a bunch more AI videos from Lily. After watching them, her face immediately turned ashen. The next second, a heavy, vicious slap landed on my face, stunning me completely. “How can you be so cruel? She’s your sister! She’s suffering at the hands of kidnappers, and you’re here asking questions, refusing to give a single cent! Are you hoping she dies so you can take all our assets?” “Let me tell you, don’t even think about it! If anything happens to Lily, you won’t have it easy either!” My cheek burned with pain. That slap completely shattered all my illusions about maternal love. I grabbed her hand as she tried to hit me again, laughing coldly: “Mom, when have I ever coveted your assets? You only brought me home in high school and gave me 88 dollars a month for living expenses—not even enough to eat!” “After college, you said I was an adult and shouldn’t be a burden anymore! You never gave me another cent!” “As soon as I started working, you made me pay exorbitant rent, utilities…” “Don’t bring up all that ancient history with me!” Mom shoved me hard. Another crying AI video from Lily popped up on her phone. “Lily needs five million in ransom now. You must sell that apartment of yours!” “Impossible.” I clenched my fists, nails digging into my palms: “That’s my own house. It has nothing to do with any of you! Figure out Lily’s situation yourself!” I grabbed my bag and turned to leave. Behind me came Mom’s vicious cursing and crying, along with threats telling me to get out and never come back. I walked forward with my back straight, didn’t look back, only felt my heart soaking in ice water, chilled to the bone. In my previous life it was the same—I rushed back from Seattle overnight because of one sentence from Mom, only to not even get a sip of hot water. To her, I was always cold-blooded and disobedient, not like her daughter at all, more like her enemy. As soon as I reached the hotel, I received a call from Lily. Her voice carried its usual smugness and mockery: “Emma, sorry about that. Did I get you scolded by Mom again? Oh well, Mom just loves me too much.” “By the way, don’t tell Mom about the AI videos. I’m just short on cash lately. Even if Mom finds out, she won’t blame me.” “But if you expose it, and something happens to me, who do you think Mom will believe—me or you?”
That evening, the hotel room door was pounded so hard it shook. I’d barely cracked the door open when Mom burst in and grabbed my wrist, her nails nearly embedding in my flesh as she dragged me outside: “Come home with me now! The kidnappers said they’ll take one of you as a hostage—either you or Lily! Go take Lily’s place!” She yanked me so hard I stumbled. When I understood what she meant, I couldn’t help closing my eyes. I knew Mom didn’t love me, but I never thought she could hate me this much. If this were all real and not AI, would she trade my life for Lily’s? If she never wanted me, why did she insist on bringing me back! “Mom, isn’t my life worth anything? Wouldn’t it be dangerous for me too? Am I your biological daughter or not!” But Mom gripped my wrist forcefully, her tone carrying an almost cruel certainty: “How can you and Lily be the same? She’s been pampered since childhood—she barely even falls down! You suffered so much in the orphanage, you’re stronger and tougher than her. You’ll definitely find a way to escape on your own!” “Stop talking about biological or not! Don’t ever say things like that at home again—Lily will be hurt if she hears it!” “Escape on my own?” I found it absurdly laughable. Looking at Mom’s face, anxious and worried only for Lily, I felt like a clown: “So Mom, you never planned to pay ransom for me at all? When Lily gets kidnapped you’ll sell everything to save her, but when it’s my turn, you just tell me to escape on my own and that’s it?” She looked away, only urging me to hurry. The motion-sensor lights in the hallway turned on and off with our footsteps, just like my hopes rising and shattering again and again. As soon as I got back to that house and sat down, I received a text from Lily: “See, sis? I didn’t lie to you. Mom loves me the most after all. As soon as I mentioned the choice, Mom chose to save me without hesitation. You’re so pitiful—the biological daughter, yet you’re not even as good as a replacement.” Reading “not even as good as a replacement,” I had to admit my heart felt like it was being pricked by needles. But immediately after, Mom, who’d just been frantically anxious, suddenly calmed down. She sighed and sat down beside me, forcibly taking my hand with a stiff but rarely gentle smile: “Emma, Mom was just joking earlier. What choice? You and Lily are both Mom’s daughters. I’d be worried if either of you got kidnapped!” I froze, unsure what game she was playing. Her hand carried an unfamiliar but warm heat, her tone holding a coaxing gentleness she’d never shown me: “It’s just that Lily’s situation is urgent, so Mom panicked and said nonsense. Don’t worry, I’ve already had your dad sell the house to raise money. I would never let you take that risk!” “Tonight, just stay home. Tomorrow once we’ve raised enough money, you’ll go with Mom to deliver the ransom, okay? Your dad and I are old now—you’re the only pillar of this family!”
This was too suspicious. Even though that heart instinctively seeking maternal love trembled slightly, I couldn’t possibly listen to her. I’m not an idiot! Suddenly asking me to stay home—who knows what scheme Lily might have put her up to! I flatly refused. She tried persuading me a few more times but surprisingly didn’t force me to stay when I left. My suspicions only grew. So the next day, when Mom called asking me to come home for lunch, I hesitated, sent my boyfriend a text letting him know, then went home anyway. “Emma, look! Mom made a whole table of your favorite dishes! Go wash your hands and eat.” As soon as I walked in, Mom enthusiastically and affectionately helped me with my bag and coat. Dad, who’d always been invisible at home, actually sat at the dining table serving me rice, looking at me like I was some kind of prize. But my heart, which had warmed slightly, turned ice cold when I saw the food on the table. I dodged Mom’s attempt to pull me along: “My favorite dishes? Radish, onions, and green beans—did you pick these up from the market?” “What are you being picky about…” Mom instinctively flew into a rage to scold me, but forcibly stopped herself. She wiped at nonexistent tears: “All our money is going toward the ransom, we can only afford these… What are you doing?!” Ignoring her, I yanked open the refrigerator. It was packed full of crabs and lobsters. I turned back: “This is what you call having no money?” Mom’s expression darkened instantly. She angrily pried my hand away and slammed the refrigerator door shut with a “bang”: “Those are all Lily’s favorites. She’s been kidnapped and traumatized—I’m buying her some good food in advance. Is that wrong? Are you competing over this too?” “Crabs are cold in nature, and aren’t you allergic to lobster anyway? What are you trying to eat—you’re so greedy!” I looked at the scratch marks she’d clawed into my hand, my face completely cold: “What exactly do you want?” What allergies, what cold nature—when I first came back, everything I did was timid and careful. Eating too much got me scolded, trying to please was despised, everything was wrong! Lily gets delicacies prepared for her, while I only deserve stir-fried radish and onions! “Since you asked, Mom won’t hide it.” She dropped the pretense of maternal kindness, sitting on the sofa imperiously: “We’re still three hundred thousand short for Lily’s ransom. It just so happens John’s son is getting married, and he’s willing to pay over three hundred thousand as a marriage gift to marry you! Your dad and I already agreed. This afternoon they’re coming to take you to register!” “Tomorrow’s the last day—we can’t delay Lily’s ransom any longer! As the older sister, shouldn’t you make some sacrifices? Besides, John’s family is wealthy—marrying into it would be a blessing for you!” John’s son? I was so angry my vision blurred. Everyone knew about John’s super-male syndrome son who was always sinister and violent, beating his wives until they miscarried and broke limbs. Anyone wanting a divorce had to shed blood and tears! And this is called a blessing? Should I also be grateful that I’m worth three hundred thousand and sold for a good price? I furiously swept everything off the table. Dishes and food crashed to the floor: “Why should I marry that super-male! Whoever wants to use a marriage gift to save Lily should marry him themselves!” “Mom, didn’t you say it’s a blessed life? Then you marry him. After all, saving Lily is most important, right? As a mother, shouldn’t you sacrifice something too?” After this outburst, I ignored my parents’ shocked and furious expressions, stepped over the mess, and tried to leave. But amid Mom’s venomous screeching curses, something struck the back of my head hard. My vision went black as I collapsed to the ground. Mom casually picked up my buzzing phone, but when she saw the caller ID, her pupils contracted and she threw the phone away in fright.
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