: Severing the Mother-Daughter Relationship

After the college entrance exam results came out, prestigious universities were fighting over me.

My mom looked at my idiot brother, who was busy playing video games.

"Go find your sister, quick! They're offering a $30,000 scholarship. It'll be just enough for you to find a wife."

"Sis hasn't been back in three days. Didn't you know, Mom?"

"What?"

I watched my "dear" mother frantically searching for me through the camera feed.

I smiled at the lawyer in front of me and said, "Yes, that's right. I want to sever my maternal relationship."

1

The college entrance exam results were out. As expected, I scored First in the Province.

In fact, various prestigious universities had already contacted me privately long before the official admission lists were even published.

Not only did they offer all sorts of generous terms, but they were even willing to give me a $30,000 scholarship.

I had to admit, that offer really spoke to me.

I needed the money. I wanted to sever my relationship with my mother and leave that so-called "home" for good.

I found a lawyer and secretly replaced the surveillance camera my mom had installed to monitor me with my own, connecting it to my phone.

Then, I sat with my lawyer, and we intently watched my mom and my brother on the camera feed.

My brother, who was not even two years younger than me, was at home, cursing and swearing while playing his game.

My mom burst in from outside, rushed over to my brother, and slapped him on the back of the head.

"Games, games, games, that's all you ever do! Where's your sister? Go find her, now!"

My brother clutched his head and glared at my mom, his face full of resentment.

He was obsessively addicted to his games. Normally, he'd curse out anyone who disturbed him in the slightest, so his tone was naturally even worse now.

"My sister isn't here. If you want her, find her yourself. Stop bothering me."

"Hey, you brat." My mom put her hands on her hips, her face a mask of exasperation. "Do you have any idea that your sister is getting a $30,000 scholarship for her exam score? And you're still here playing games! Go find your sister right now. This is your marriage fund we're talking about!"

My brother's eyes instantly widened, and he shot up from his seat.

"$30,000?"

"$30,000!"

"Would my sister really be willing to give me that $30,000?"

"Whether your sister is willing or not doesn't matter. You're her younger brother. It's only natural for her to make money for her brother's wedding. Don't you worry."

My brother's jaw hung open. He stared blankly for a moment before stammering, "But... my sister hasn't been home for three days. Didn't you know, Mom?"

"What?"

My mom's expression changed drastically. Even through the screen, I could feel the air in that room fall silent.

I moved my mouse, clicked save, and turned to the lawyer with a smile.

"Yes, I'm sure. I want to sever our maternal relationship."

The lawyer looked at me with a sympathetic expression. He sighed, flipped through the documents in his hand, and explained the process of severing ties.

"Our country has no explicit law for severing a mother-daughter relationship. In your case, my only option is to build a case centered on 'failure to fulfill the duty of supporting one's parents.'"

I nodded and listened carefully. The lawyer explained some of the legal stipulations to me. After that, I would need to gather evidence myself to increase my chances of winning the future lawsuit.

I took note of everything and said goodbye to the lawyer.

I still needed to get a few things, so after some consideration, I decided to go back home after all.

I had long anticipated what I would face when I returned.

I opened the door, and before I could even say a word, my mom had already leaped up from the sofa and rushed right in front of me.

"Where have you been?! Who spoiled you into thinking you could just stay out all night?"

"Speak! Were you out doing something sordid?!"

2

My mom scurried after me, growing frantic when I kept ignoring her.

She shot her hand out and pinched my arm, hard.

"You damn brat! I'm talking to you, did you hear me? Stop pretending you're mute."

I winced, frowning from the pain. I stopped and turned, staring at her coldly.

My mom started yelling again, pointing a finger right in my face.

"You walk around with that long face all day, acting like someone in this family owes you something."

As she spoke, she held her palm out to me and snorted.

"Hand it over."

She stared at me.

My frown deepened. "What?" I asked, confused.

"What?"

My mom shrieked.

"The 200,000! Don't you even think about pocketing that money for yourself."

For once, my brother wasn't playing his video games. He stood next to my mom, mimicking her pose and holding his hand out to me.

"Penelope, stop playing dumb," he said. "Just hand over the money."

Hah. Seeing the greed on both their faces, one old and one young, only chilled me to the bone.

They never used to give a damn about me, but now, it seems, they've decided I have some value.

The year I got into high school, my family wouldn't let me attend.

I cried and knelt before my mom, begging her for so long my knees swelled up, but she still refused.

She glared at me. "What are you crying for? Why does a girl like you need so much education? That money should be saved for your brother. Get out and find a job. You need to earn money to support him."

'My brother, my brother...' In my parents' eyes, in their words, he was the only child that mattered.

You could see their favoritism just from our names.

My name is Penelope. My Chinese name literally means "to hope for a boy."

His name is Jason. His Chinese name means "family treasure," and he's been treated like one his whole life—the precious darling of the family.

When her precious treasure wanted money, my mom would hand it over without a second thought.

If I asked for so much as a penny, I'd get an earful that lasted for ages.

That time, I begged and begged, but she refused. Eventually, my pleading got on her nerves, and she raised her hand and slapped me across the face.

The force of it snapped my head to the side, and a trickle of blood seeped from the corner of my mouth.

For a split second, a flicker of panic crossed my mom's eyes. But when she saw I was all right, her brows furrowed in anger and she started shouting again.

"Get out, get out, get out! The sight of you, you worthless money pit, makes my skin crawl."

She lifted her foot and kicked me in the chest. I spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed, lying on the ground for a long time before I could even catch my breath.

Just then, my dad walked in carrying pork ribs, and he saw the whole thing.

He walked right past me without a word, handing the ribs to my mom.

"Cook these ribs for Jason tonight. They're fresh."

My mom immediately broke into a wide grin as she took them, unable to stop repeating my brother's name.

"What's Penelope doing on the floor?"

My dad saw me lying there, but the thought of helping me up never even crossed his mind.

My mom spat in my direction. "The damn girl wants to go to high school. As if she deserves it."

My dad grabbed my hair with his nicotine-stained fingers and yanked my head up.

"I heard the Warren family's eldest daughter finished high school before she got married, and her Bridal Gift was a hundred thousand yuan more than anyone else's. Tsk, tsk. I hear city folks these days have a thing for educated girls."

"We should let her go to school. If she can get into a university, even better. We'll be able to sell her for more money then. That way, we'll have enough for Jason to get a wife."

"Really?"

My mom's eyes lit up instantly. She walked over and stood before me, sizing me up with a condescending gaze.

"Heh. I never thought having a girl could fetch so much money. Fine, let her go to school. She can pay her own way with a part-time job, anyway."

I'll never forget the look in my mother's eyes then. They were gleaming, like those of a shrewd she-wolf.

: Raising the Price

3

My younger brother was spoiled rotten by our family. He was a good-for-nothing who was always getting into fights at school and skipping class.

One time, he beat someone up so badly that our family had to pay them $7,500.

Even so, in my parents' eyes, they still thought my brother was the most well-behaved and outstanding kid.

He was a Star Scholar incarnate, destined for greatness.

My brother said he didn't want to study anymore. He wanted to focus on learning to play video games so he could compete in tournaments and win a gold medal someday.

My parents actually fell for his bullshit and let him drop out of school.

They gave him tons of money and let him play games at internet cafes every day.

They called it "esports training."

Every day, my brother was either playing games at home or looking for people to play against at the internet cafe.

And he played like a complete loser.

My mom and dad could barely afford to support their precious son anymore.

So $30,000 was a complete windfall for them right now.

There was no way my mom would let me off the hook.

"You damn girl, I'm telling you, you're going to give me this money whether you want to or not."

Seeing the look on my face, my mom's expression turned cold.

She raised her hand and pinched my arm again.

'I bet she's going to leave a bruise on my arm.'

'All of this can be used as evidence against her.'

I clenched my fists, enduring her abuse.

"Mom, look at this!"

My brother suddenly shoved his phone in front of our mom's face.

He tapped the screen with a chubby finger, then looked up in my direction.

"Isn't that my sister in this picture?"

he exclaimed excitedly.

A few days ago, the college entrance exam results came out. I scored First in the Province.

The media was clamoring to interview me, and the principal asked me to say a few words.

So I said a few words to the reporters.

"The province... First in the Province,"

my mom cried out, reading the headline.

She and my brother both looked up at me at the same time.

My brother smirked. "Mom, is $30,000 a little too cheap?"

"She's First in the Province. Shouldn't we raise the price a bit?"

'His little eyes glinted with the same cunning as my mom's.'

'These two are absolutely insatiable.'

Back in high school, my grades were so good that the school waived my tuition.

When I didn't have class, I worked in the school cafeteria.

Just to earn some spending money.

My family never gave me a single penny, but even so, my mom would still call and ask me for money.

When I refused, she would yell over the phone, "If you don't give it to me, I'll go to your school and demand it!"

I was scared of her, so I gave her more than half of everything I earned from my part-time job.

Over time, this only made the whole family's appetite for money grow larger.

Whenever I came home, I would often overhear my mom and dad secretly talking about me.

"That damn girl is pretty good at making money. I have to put the screws to her every time before she's willing to cough it up."

My mom chuckled slyly in the room. "The moment she graduates high school, I'm marrying her off. I've already found the guy."

"Who?"

my dad asked nonchalantly.

"Who else? Butcher Shaw from the county. The one who slaughters pigs. He's rich. He said if we marry the damn girl off to him, he'll pay this much."

"$30,000."

After my dad's gasp of surprise, he and my mom both started cackling.

Standing at the door, my heart went cold as I listened.

'They only brought me into this world to be sold for cash.'

Butcher Shaw was almost thirty, and his last two wives had died. No daughter from a decent family was willing to marry him.

He slaughtered pigs in the county every day, and a few times, my mom had deliberately taken me to his stall.

The way he looked at me was both creepy and disgusting.

'So that was my mom's plan all along.'

Right then, I swore a silent oath to myself. I would get into the best university, escape this family, and change my own life.