In my senior year of high school, I was brought back home from the countryside. Watching me count on my fingers to do basic arithmetic, while my brother, the same age as me, had already become a study influencer with millions of followers. My parents, both education experts, teared up and hugged me with heartache. “We’re so sorry. We shouldn’t have left you in the countryside. We’ll make it up to you.” For my sake, Mom quit her high-paying job to tutor me every day. Dad started drinking with clients every night just to hire the best tutors for me. My brother Ethan even livestreamed tutoring sessions with me every evening. But on the placement test, I only scored nine out of one hundred fifty on the math exam. Mom stared at that bright red single-digit score and completely broke down. She tore my test paper to shreds, screaming hysterically. “Your father and I both graduated from top universities, and your brother is a genius. How could we possibly have given birth to an idiot like you!” Ethan walked over with a dark expression and activated a new interactive feature on his livestream. “Everyone, from now on, you can submit questions. We’ll display them in real-time.” “Today, she’s not allowed to eat or sleep until she finishes every single problem!” Instantly, thousands of difficult problems flooded the screen like a waterfall, everything from elementary school math competitions to calculus. I was forced to sit at the desk. Looking at that endless sea of problems, I picked up my pen in despair. I thought back to my time in the countryside. My grandparents always praised me as the smartest child in the world. Why did I become a criminal when I came to Mom’s house? Mom, I’m not worthless. Please give me one more chance.
The livestream camera was pointed at my face. Comments scrolled rapidly. “Stop playing dead and do the problems. One problem equals one donation. Keep it up, streamer.” “Her eyes can barely stay open. Is she about to die?” “Shut up! This kind of waste deserves to be punished, or else she won’t appreciate what her parents are doing for her.” My heart felt like it was being squeezed. Each contraction brought a stabbing pain. Mom had told me before that if I didn’t feel well, I should tell her so it wouldn’t affect my study efficiency. I remembered. I used all my strength to squeeze a few words from my throat. “Mom, my chest hurts.” If she’d just let me rest for a moment, even just five minutes, I would definitely solve the next problem. Mom was staring at the livestream data on Ethan’s phone. She didn’t even look up. “Cut the act.” Her voice was cold. “Your brother once had a fever of 104 degrees and still kept working through competition math problems. He didn’t get a single one wrong.” “You’ve only done a few problems and you’re already hurting here and there?” Ethan smirked mockingly. He explained smoothly to the camera. “See this, everyone? This is typical avoidant personality. When faced with difficulty, she tries to gain sympathy by playing weak.” After saying that, he muted all comments. The entire livestream fell silent, leaving only a blood-red banner pinned at the top. “No eating or sleeping until all problems are finished!” The mocking voices around me gradually faded. The whirlpool before my eyes grew larger and larger. I thought of Grandma back in the countryside. She used to fan herself on summer nights and tell me that when people die, their souls become very, very light and can fly up to the sky and become stars. I really wanted to become a star. That way, I could see Grandma. Snap. The sound of my pen tip breaking. Then my throat turned sweet. Warm blood surged out and sprayed onto the blank test paper in front of me. I’m sorry, Mom. Today’s problems… I can’t finish them. The world suddenly went quiet. My chest stopped hurting. My body really did seem to become lighter-so light that it floated up from the chair. I floated near the ceiling, watching myself still slumped over the desk, motionless. Mom finally walked over. She saw the blood on the test paper, and a flash of panic crossed her eyes. But that panic lasted only one second. She probably thought I’d deliberately knocked over red ink. Mom, that’s not red ink. I’m sorry I got your test paper dirty. I watched the panic in her eyes quickly turn to rage. “Alysa! You’ve gotten bold now, haven’t you? Playing these little tricks!” “Fine. I’ll see just how long you can keep up this act!” “Click.” The door was locked from the outside. Mom’s icy voice came through the door, piercing. “You’re not leaving this room until you finish every single problem!”
The room was terrifyingly quiet. Only the livestream equipment blinked with a faint red light. My body lay slumped on the desk, motionless. Outside the door, I heard the low voices of Dad, Mom, and Ethan. “Are you dressed? We can’t be late for Mr. Evans’ dinner.” That was Dad’s voice. “All ready. Ethan, hurry up. Your grandparents are going too. Don’t keep them waiting.” That was Mom. Ethan’s voice carried a hint of impatience. “I know, I know. Stop nagging.” They were going out. Going to a lively family dinner. And I was locked in this room. An invisible force pulled at me, preventing me from staying in place. I could only follow them, passing through that locked door. Don’t go… Mom, I haven’t finished the problems yet. Where are you going? Did I do something wrong again? Is that why you’re leaving me behind? I floated behind them, watching Ethan’s limited-edition sneakers gleaming under the lights. They were all dressed up, looking completely unrelated to the girl growing cold in that room. The family got in the car. The heat was on full blast. As soon as Ethan got in, he pulled out his phone to brag. “Dad, Mom, look! My livestream broke another record! We had over 200,000 viewers online at the same time!” Mom’s face immediately lit up with satisfaction. “That’s my son. So accomplished.” Dad nodded approvingly. “Keep it up. This account is going to be valuable for your future.” They laughed, planning a beautiful future. I tried to touch Mom’s hand. It was the warmth I used to crave most. But my fingertips passed right through her body without resistance. Mom, your hands are still so warm. Why can’t I feel them anymore? Am I too cold? The car stopped at a red light. A skinny stray dog on the roadside suddenly started barking frantically at our window. Its barks were shrill, drawing looks from passersby. After a few barks, it let out a series of whimpers, tucking its tail and whining pitifully as it looked at me in the car. It pitied me. Dad was annoyed by the noise. He rolled down the window, about to scold the dog. But then he heard someone in the car next to us watching their phone and commenting loudly. “Look at this livestream! Is this girl okay? She’s been slumped over for almost two hours without moving!” “Seriously? Let me see… oh my God, her hands are turning purple! Someone call the police!” The smiles froze on my parents’ faces. Dad snatched the phone from Ethan and stared at the livestream. On screen, I still maintained my “sleeping” position, completely motionless. The flicker of concern in Mom’s eyes quickly morphed into contempt and anger. “I knew she was faking it! That little brat-she’ll do anything to avoid seeing relatives. Shameless!” Dad’s expression also turned cold. He tossed the phone back to Ethan, disgust in his voice. “Turn the livestream volume to max and loop math formulas for her.” “Let’s see how long she can sleep!” I wasn’t faking… Mom, I’m just too tired. I fell asleep. When I wake up, I’ll definitely finish all the problems. Please don’t be angry, okay? Accompanied by formulas I couldn’t understand, the car smoothly pulled into the five-star hotel parking lot. They got out and headed toward that feast without me. And I could only follow behind them.
The hotel’s most luxurious private dining room was full of relatives from the Sterling family. The moment they walked in, all eyes turned toward them. I saw my grandparents sitting in the seats of honor. When they realized no one was behind my parents, the light in their eyes dimmed. “Where’s Alysa?” Grandma stood up shakily, looking anxiously toward the door. “Didn’t you say you’d bring Alysa today? Since the child came back to the city, I haven’t even gotten a good look at her.” Mom sat down in her seat and picked up the wine glass in front of her, taking a small sip. “Don’t worry.” She smiled, though her tone carried a hint of helplessness. “Alysa is so stubborn. She got wild living in the countryside. She said she didn’t want to see the family, so now she’s at home staging a hunger strike.” My soul floated in midair. The table was full of delicious food, but I couldn’t smell any of it. I only felt cold. I watched grandma sit back down in disappointment and secretly slip a freshly fried chicken leg into her coat pocket. She muttered quietly to herself, “This child just loves the chicken legs I make… I’ll bring it back for her later.” A fashionably dressed aunt spoke up, her tone dripping with flattery. “Oh, don’t worry too much. Ethan is so outstanding. That’s what matters, right?” “Exactly,” another uncle chimed in. “Our Ethan is an influencer with millions of followers and a future Ivy League student! What could a country girl possibly amount to?” The relatives immediately began praising Ethan. Ethan waved his hand modestly. “Hey, everyone, please don’t say that.” He sighed, his voice just loud enough for everyone at the table to hear. “My sister is completely unmanageable. Today during the study livestream, everyone saw it. She started playing sick while doing problems, acting like she was dying.” “For her sake, my mom quit her job. My dad goes out networking every day. What does she do? She doesn’t appreciate any of it.” With just a few sentences, he painted me as ungrateful. The entire private room turned into a collective trial against me. “I told you. Kids who grow up in the countryside just don’t work out. Nothing but bad habits.” “Must be a genetic mutation. Otherwise how do you explain a family of geniuses producing a waste?” “Thank God we still have Ethan to carry on the family name, or she’d have ruined the Sterling family’s reputation completely!” Bang! Grandma slammed the table in fury and stood up. Her thin fingers trembled with anger as she pointed at everyone around the table. “What nonsense are you all spouting!” “Alysa is the sweetest child in the world! When she was in the village, she drew pictures for me every day-clouds in the sky, flowers in the fields. She’s more thoughtful than anyone!” “It’s you! It’s you people who brought her back and pushed her too hard!” Dad finally put down his fork. He wiped his mouth deliberately and looked at Grandma with stern authority. “You don’t understand education.” “She needs to suffer a little now so she won’t be worthless in the future.” “We locked her at home to make her reflect on what she did wrong.” Reflect? I floated beside Grandma, wishing I could hug her and tell her not to be angry. Don’t be angry over someone who’s already dead. But the moment I got close, Grandma shivered violently. “Oh my, why is the air conditioning in this room so cold?” Grandma, it’s me. I’m too cold. I looked at the fried chicken hidden in grandma’s pocket-the one she saved for me. My soul trembled violently. That chicken leg was still hot and steaming. But I would never get to eat it.
The atmosphere in the private room fell into deadlock because of Grandma’s outburst. “You don’t believe me?” Grandma pulled a crumpled letter from her inner pocket with trembling hands. “This is what Alysa secretly sent to me a few days ago! Look. This is her drawing!” She carefully unfolded the paper like she was holding a treasure. “She said she missed home and wanted to come back to the countryside… Look how well she draws!” On the paper was the endless field of flowers from the countryside. In the golden sea of flowers stood four people. Dad, Mom, Ethan, and me. Dad was lifting me high above his head. Mom and Ethan stood on either side. Everyone’s faces wore brilliant smiles. This was the only fantasy that kept me alive after coming to the city. But Mom didn’t even glance at it. She snatched the drawing away, her eyes full of contempt and impatience. “Who has time for this useless stuff!” “It’s these pointless hobbies that ruined her! Instead of studying, all she does is draw, draw, draw. Can that get her into an Ivy League school?” Before anyone could respond, she tore the drawing in half right in front of everyone. Then into more pieces. “The Sterling family doesn’t need mediocre artists!” “We only need Ivy League graduates!” Her shrill voice echoed through the room. The torn pieces of the drawing were thrown viciously into the trash bin for used plates. When the drawing was shredded, I felt my last attachment to this family break. Mom, I don’t hurt anymore. And I don’t want another chance anymore. My soul began to turn transparent. Even Grandma’s grief-stricken cries became distant. Just when Mom thought she’d won and successfully “educated” the disobedient old woman- Ethan’s phone suddenly vibrated frantically. It was a video call request. Ethan answered impatiently, planning to show off their fancy family dinner to the camera. But when the screen lit up, he froze. The livestream chat was filled with red text. “Call the police now! Streamer, your sister is really in trouble!” “I zoomed in. There’s blood at the corner of her mouth! She’s not sleeping!” “Streamer, go home and check on her! She hasn’t moved for three hours! Her hands have turned blue-purple!” “We’ve already called the police! The address is your house!” BANG! The door to the private room was suddenly shoved open from outside. It wasn’t a server. It was two grave-faced police officers in uniform. Behind them followed a medical examiner. The entire room fell deathly silent. The lead officer’s gaze was sharp. He scanned the room and finally settled on my parents. He pulled out a photo freshly printed from a portable printer. In the photo, I was slumped over the desk with blood at the corner of my mouth, my body rigid. It was a close-up. The officer’s voice was cold, each word clearly shattering the false atmosphere in the room. “Who is Alysa Sterling’s legal guardian?” “We received numerous reports from the public that your daughter had an accident during a livestream.” “After preliminary assessment by our technical department, we’ve confirmed no vital signs.” “Estimated time of death: two hours ago.”
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