Chapter Four: The Hypocritical Sister

 After exhausting my funds, I resorted to selling blood to scrape together a mere thousand yuan, barely enabling me to complete my senior year of high school. Just on the eve of the college entrance examination, the prospect of attending the Renmin University of China was shattered in the twilight hours. In this rugged mountain village, traversing on foot was akin to finding a needle in a haystack. I hoped that through live streaming, I could coerce my sister and her entourage into bringing along the personnel from the Qian Laboratory, dispersing them throughout the village. To believe that one could be bought with money was all too facile. Poor Aunt Qian, with such kindness in my sister's heart, she surely would take her along. She was bound for a prestigious institution, what a pity. Messages trickled in, expressing hopes to send Aunt Qian away. My sister, oblivious to the barrage, bit her lip with glistening eyes. Is this truly appropriate? Doesn't Aunt Qian have a child? It's such a tender age to lose a mother; she must be in agony. A woman may seem frail, but for her child, she is resolute. Enduring for the sake of her child seems justifiable. My indignation surged; though I knew my sister feared trouble and wished to bring along Aunt Qian as a mere appendage, a child should not serve as an excuse for a mother's endurance. The child was not voluntarily born to Aunt Qian, nor was it the reason for her endurance, but rather the shackles that confined her freedom. Seizing the hidden camera, I cornered my sister, drawing close to her ear. "If you don't take her away, I'll reveal to the world what Mother is doing in her experiments. Your fans regard you as innocent, don't they? But if they discover your facade, will they not forsake you and turn against my camp? Then it will be you whom Mother abandons. My sister widened her eyes, unable to comprehend how I knew everything. "You're just mad, you deserve to be abandoned by Mom, left here for over a decade without a care," she exclaimed, stamping her foot in impotent rage.

On the day my sister left, Aunt Qian also departed in a fine car. I had intended to see her off, but her son blocked my path, a surly fifteen-year-old towering over me, spewing profanities, accusing me of letting his mother escape. "Then why don't you go see her? What son would allow his mother to live in a pigsty?" His demeanor remained unchanged, stating matter-of-factly, "She chose to leave. My dad warned her if she ran off again, he'd break her legs. Seems like she's gone completely bad." I grabbed a half-brick from the wall and fought him, amidst the swirling dust. Over his son's battered form, Aunt Qian bid me farewell loudly, promising to send someone back for me, urging me not to lose hope. I mercilessly beat her son to a pulp. "Aunt Qian, may your path be smooth and free. When we meet again, we'll both be the embodiment of our dreams."

Regarding the experiment, Sister seemingly passed, displaying genuine kindness. But did the contrast experiment, supposedly demonstrating affection for Qin Ran, fail? Does such an experiment truly hold value? Could Sister not live a better life? Countless messages flooded before me, mostly condemning my scientist mother's actions, questioning the morality of her research. It was my first encounter with my biological mother. The barrage included a link to the laboratory's press conference. Clicking it, I saw an elegant woman in professional attire speaking. "I am Qin Ran, the head of this experiment, and also the mother of the two participants. Please, be patient. I've seen the opinions online, but human nature can change according to the environment, without a doubt. My eldest daughter's ruthless nature has been evident since middle school." My throat tightened; before I could muster my grievances, the screen changed, revealing a girl at Monet High School, her skin dark, suggesting malnutrition. Clutching her chest, she glared fiercely at all the teachers. Beside her, a docile girl wiped away tears, nestled in her mother's embrace. "Teacher, Li Xiaocao, he never pays attention in class, and he pulls my hair. Mom, the new school bag you bought me, he threw it in the school drain. He even scolded me for being uncultured, saying I don't deserve to have a mother." The homeroom teacher frowned, "Li Xiaocao, how many times is this? I've heard classmates offer to help you cheat on tests before. Otherwise, how did you manage to top the class?" A murmur spread through the audience. I said, "Sister isn't a good person, is she? Cheating, bullying—aren't those bad deeds? Are those who supported her before she cheated blind?" There was a commotion below Qin Ran's seat. Satisfied, the screen changed again, this time to a bright classroom. My sister stood in front of a bullied girl, bravely facing the arrogant boy. Her eyes glistened, her pretty lips moving softly, fragile like a little white rabbit. "Don't bully our classmates, okay?" The boy, visibly charmed, waved his hand impatiently, shooing away his friends behind him, then pulled out his phone. "What's your WeChat? Let's add each other." My sister, flustered, blushed like an apple, softly murmuring her WeChat ID. The atmosphere became ambiguous, as if taken from a romantic drama; the barrage melted into adoration.