Chapter Seven: Revelation

 During the examination, she incessantly tapped the chair in front of her with her foot, murmuring impatiently under her breath. "Hurry up, please." Alas, until all exams concluded, Qi Fan never once turned back. After each exam, he would come to sit beside me, patiently waiting for the next one. I escorted him for three days until my sister stormed over, exasperated. "Qi Fan, what's going on? Aren't you afraid I'll let Gu Xiao see the photos?" He hesitated, faltering, unable to finish his words. I retrieved Gu Xiao's phone from my pocket. "Let me see what photos you're talking about." My sister was incredulous. "How come my phone is with you?" I smiled faintly, recounting how last week, after I threw Gu Xiao and gave him a concussion, his phone slipped out of his school uniform pocket with the force. Qi Fan, hidden in the corner, stared daggers at us. I picked up the phone swiftly. His endurance of bullying wasn't due to family background, but because Gu Xiao took compromising photos of him. Aside from Qi Fan, there were many other girls in Gu Xiao's SD card, and even videos of Gu Xiao committing illegal acts. Unable to handle the photos of the girls, I forwarded the videos from Gu Xiao's phone to the relevant authorities handling such matters. Qi Fan gingerly held onto my sleeve, seemingly gaining the courage to confront my sister. In front of everyone, he declared loudly, "Qin Nan, I will never help you cheat in exams again." As soon as he finished speaking, students still in the classroom turned their heads instantly. "Is it true that Qiman's grades are all obtained through cheating?" Panic ensued as my sister's supporters questioned the validity of the experiment. "Help, just when I became a fan, the house collapsed," they lamented. "They said she was kind-hearted and beautiful. Look at my sister, intelligent, adorable, and kind, a remarkable woman of talent and beauty." My sister's face flushed crimson. "You're spouting nonsense! Qifan, you're slandering me! I can sue you." Qi Fan, holding my hand, shouted defiantly, "Go ahead and sue me. Let's see how a fool who can't even solve a quadratic equation proves himself to be intelligent. The helpless little bunny bullied by others has transformed into a fierce dragon." I watched Qi Fan vent with satisfaction. A few days later, an official announcement sentenced Gu Xiao to three years in prison. Qi Fan rushed into my arms, crying uncontrollably. "Sister, you don't know how much I cherish you. I've been standing by your side throughout this experiment." "I'm a die-hard fan of the original mom," he continued. When he realized what he said, he exclaimed, "Oh, I blurted it out." I shrugged nonchalantly, comforting him by patting his head. "It's okay. I already knew, and I'm not upset about the experiment. It's all in the past now. Sister, you're so strong. Abandoned by family, used as an experiment by mother, yet you knew all along. Sister, you're fine. We're here for you. If mother doesn't love you, we do." On the day when the results were announced, my sister stayed holed up in her room. Mother, after receiving a call from the teacher, nervously knocked on my door. "You're first in your grade. How could you possibly be first in your grade?" Her nerves frayed, she blamed my experiment for potential errors. "Did you cheat?" she accused, unwilling to accept her failure, resembling a resentful woman who detested how I ruined her experiment. "If only you had accepted my arrangements obediently, everything would have been fine. Why did you come back to disrupt everything?" Mother's phone incessantly rang. My sister's low ranking in the class prompted internet users to question the validity of the experiment and its necessity. Viewers of the livestream flooded the authorities with complaints, suspecting Qin Ran of child abuse. The public relations team at my mother's lab was frantically discussing the external statements. "Sister, run! Qin Ran's emotions are too unstable. I'm afraid she'll harm you." "Don't be scared," I reassured. "Qin Ran's lab data is falsified. She's colluding with illegal businessmen, suspected of tax evasion. Ex-sister-in-law, you... Take the police to your house. They're on their way now. Wait for me." As I faced the frenzied woman before me, I sighed, unbuttoning my collar to reveal a grim scar on my neck. It was from when I was three years old, when my foster father looped a rope around my neck like a dog, resulting in this scar from daily abrasion. Rolling up my sleeve, I revealed large burns from when I was five years old, scalded by hot water because I didn't bring footwashing water for my foster mother on time. Lifting the back of my shirt, I displayed the mottled whip marks from over a decade of displeasing them. "Madam, I pity your foster parents. They're doomed, as are we all. Police officers and judges who abuse children, traffic women, wash your necks and wait for your doom." The still-frantic mother froze, her eyes turning red with uncontrolled tears, her panicked expression wanting to rush forward. "How could they treat you like this? I've been giving them money every month. Over a decade of end-time, at this moment, turned into unparalleled guilt." The woman sobbed uncontrollably, apologizing repeatedly. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I didn't know it would turn out like this." I shook my head, calmly dressing myself. "I'm not telling you all this to make you feel guilty, but to say that I owe you nothing. Even if you brought me into this world, I've repaid any debt owed. From today onwards, we go our separate ways. You can repent in prison for the rest of your life, and I'll embark on a new journey." Sensing that the barrage before me was becoming transparent, with many bidding farewell, I imitated the protagonist in "The Truman Show," bowing gracefully. "End."