Chapter 5

But I couldn't feel any warmth.

Only irony.

"She has an important competition, so I deserve to have my life stolen?"

"That's not stealing! Your sister just... just borrowed some inspiration from you!"

Borrowed?

What a refreshingly elegant word.

I laughed bitterly.

"Dad, you know what? The way you are right now really disgusts me."

On the other end of the phone, I heard my father's heavy breathing.

He seemed choked by my words, unable to speak for a long time.

"You... you ungrateful daughter! For some broken healing gem designs, you don't even care if your mother lives or dies?"

"She won't die." My voice was calm. "She's just using this method to force me to give in. You've been playing this game since I was little. If I'm not tired of it, you should be."

With that, I hung up directly.

The world became quiet.

Ryan glanced at me through the rearview mirror, wanting to say something but holding back.

"Say whatever you want to say."

"Are you... really not going back to see her?"

"No."

I watched the rapidly retreating street scenes outside the window.

"If I go back now, they'll just lock me up at home until the competition is over."

That was their real goal.

Using my mother's "illness" to tie my hands.

Ryan said nothing more, just drove more steadily.

On the day of the finals, the weather was beautiful.

The sunlight in City A was so bright it was almost blinding.

Outside the competition venue, huge posters were hanging.

In the center of the poster was Susan's carefully retouched face.

She smiled confidently and boldly, with her work "First Light" beside her.

My work.

I stood in front of the poster for a long time.

Until Ryan patted my shoulder.

"Let's go. It's time to go in."

Ryan, Lewis, and I walked into the venue together.

Our seats were in the front row, right in the center.

The perfect viewing position.

I could even see the expression on every judge's face clearly.

The middle-aged man Ryan called the chairman of the judging panel was smiling and talking to Susan.

Susan smiled sweetly, looking obedient.

My parents were there too.

They sat in the second row, looking nervously and expectantly at the stage.

They didn't see me.

All my attention was on Susan.

Today she wore a white dress with her long hair flowing over her shoulders, looking pure and innocent.

Like a spotless white lotus flower.

What an act.

The competition began.

The host introduced each finalist and their works with passionate enthusiasm.

When it was Susan's turn, the venue erupted in warm applause.

She was today's biggest favorite.

The host praised her to the skies, calling her a once-in-a-century genius girl, the future star of the healing gem design world.

Susan smiled modestly, enjoying everyone's admiration and praise.

Then the big screen began playing her VCR.

In the video, she sat in a bright, clean studio, elegantly mixing colors, sometimes gazing thoughtfully at the healing gem canvas, sometimes showing a sudden smile of understanding.

The background music was soothing piano.

The narration was full of poetry.

"Inspiration is the kiss of the muse. Susan says her work 'First Light' was inspired by a quiet afternoon when she saw a butterfly emerging from its cocoon..."

I almost threw up.

The inspiration for that healing gem design clearly came from a stormy night when I saw a tiny snail that had been knocked to the ground by wind and rain, yet still struggled desperately to crawl toward the corner of a wall.

It had nothing to do with butterflies.