15
A month before the college entrance exams,
something big happened at school-
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The school canceled the recommendation
spots.
The class president inquired around and
found out that the Education Bureau had
received an anonymous tip.
Listing evidence of Willow switching test
papers.
After investigation, the evidence was
conclusive.
The Education Bureau brought the police and
took many school leaders away for
questioning. Willow was called out of class.
Everyone was shocked.
I was shocked too.
To see Willow’s downfall, I deliberately put
down my homework and walked to the
corridor, watching as she was taken away.
The dorm leader asked, puzzled, “Who do you
think did this?”
I don’t know.
<
I was about to speak when my parents
suddenly rushed up to me. My mom raised
her hand and slapped me.
“Slap!”
My left cheek stung.
Mom tore at my clothes, her voice shrill:
“Was it you?! Was it you?! Do you want to
drive your sister to death, drive our whole
family to death, before you’re satisfied?!”
“How could you be so vicious? Willow is your
sister! How could you report her?!”
“You’ll never repay what you owe her! How
dare you! Why don’t you just die?!”
Her eyes were full of resentment, a deep
hatred, as if I wasn’t her daughter but her
enemy.
At this moment, I fell silent.
I was used to it, used to taking the blame,
used to my parents‘ favoritism. But at this
moment I still felt sad aggrieved
I felt utterly ridiculous.
Wasn’t I her daughter?
She was asking me, for another daughter,
why I didn’t just die.
Yeah.
Why didn’t I die?
If they hated me so much, why did they even
give birth to me?
I lowered my head, silently enduring her
blows, listening to her venomous words.
I thought, if words and looks could kill, |
would have died a thousand times over.
Many people came to stop her: “Hey, hey,
hey, who are you? Why are you hitting
someone?”
“Wow, lady, are those even human words?”
“Isn’t Rose your daughter? Why are you so
biased?! It’s so unfair!”
But these words only enraged Mom further.
She frantically tried to pull my hair,
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screaming, “You don’t know anything! She’s
a vampire! From the moment she was born,
she stole her sister’s nutrients, causing her
heart disease, making her suffer so much! So
many injections! Doesn’t she owe Willow?!”
“I fed you, clothed you, just wanted you to
help your sister, and you actually harmed her
like this! Are you even human?!”
Saying that, she tried to slap me again.
But this time, she was stopped.
Someone grabbed her hand tightly, his voice
ice–cold:
“Rose didn’t report her. I did.”
I looked up.
It was Ethan.
Mom froze: “Why would you-
“”
Ethan pulled me behind him. The dorm leader
and a few other dormmates quickly
surrounded me.
Seeing my swollen cheek, their eyes
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reddened. They carefully asked where it hurt.
I shook my head.
Ethan turned back to my mom, saw her livid
face, and casually smiled: “I couldn’t stand
her smug, self–righteous act.”
“Getting a recommendation along with a thief
who stole someone else’s grades? I find it
disgusting.
