Chapter 5

After the holiday ended.

Sitting at my familiar office desk again.

An unreal sense of dizziness washed over me.

What happened at the park.

My mom had lost that round.

It was one of the few times in years my mom had been outmaneuvered by me.

I knew.

She would definitely find an opportunity to re-establish her authority over me.

To completely escape the fate of my past life.

And break free from this toxic family I should have left long ago.

I decided to run for a senior leadership position at headquarters, aiming for a transfer to an overseas branch.

Before participating in the election.

I deliberately kept my candidacy a secret.

I only told my mom that I was busy with work and would be working overtime.

No need to prepare dinner for me at home.

However, on the very first day of overtime.

I received a complaint from the security department downstairs.

They said my mom was sitting at the main entrance, carrying an insulated food container, crying and blocking the security gate, refusing to move.

For the sake of my future.

I patiently explained to my mom.

Company policy disallowed outsiders from entering without important reasons.

After much persuasion, I finally coaxed her back home.

The next evening.

She showed up again with the insulated container, insisting that the security staff's hands were "dirty."

Crying and making a scene, she demanded to personally deliver the food upstairs to me.

She even broke two of the security department's walkie-talkies.

This went on for a whole week, every single day.

I was publicly reprimanded by the entire company.

Under duress.

I became like a trained pet.

Forced to bring a huge pile of work home every day.

Just to make it home in time for my mom's dinner.

My mom, once again, became everyone's image of a hardworking, caring parent.

On the day of the official election.

To prevent my mom from sabotaging my candidacy that day.

I specifically transferred her two thousand dollars.

Coaxing her and my dad to go out and enjoy themselves.

To my surprise.

I hadn't even finished my performance review presentation.

When my mom burst into the company's main conference room with her insulated container.

Regardless of the occasion.

She opened the container and tried to spoon steaming hot dinner into my mouth.

"Honey, why are you hiding your overtime from your mom?"

"Good thing Mom found out, I rushed it over to you right away!"

"What do you mean outsiders aren't allowed? If Mom wants to bring you food, she can! I don't believe any rule can stop someone from eating!"

Under the gaze of the senior executives from headquarters.

I awkwardly and politely explained my current situation to my mom.

Unexpectedly, my mom suddenly slammed her forks down.

Pointing at the noses of the senior leaders, she started questioning them.

"How can you leaders be like this? Why are you forcing my only daughter to go to such a faraway place!"

"My daughter would never volunteer for this! She always listens to me! She would never leave me and her dad!"

I don't remember how I got home from the company.

I only remember developing a high fever that night.

I slept fitfully under my blanket.

Dreaming of all my efforts over the past days turning to dust.

Suddenly.

A loud banging on the wall jolted me awake.

My locked bedroom door was kicked off its hinges from the outside.

Before I could even react.

My dad and Uncle Robert, two grown men, dragged me from my bed all the way to the living room.

And forced me down in front of my mom.

The scene eerily overlapped with a desperate memory from my past life.

In my previous life, my mom had spilled my urine sample.

And secretly swapped it with her own.

Causing my new job application to fail.

As the two most meddlesome people in the family.

Uncle Robert and Aunt Susan also rushed over immediately, pressing me to apologize to my mom.

My mom sat on the couch, sobbing and wiping her tears.

"It's just a job, what's the big deal? I didn't know it was that important?"

"No one ever paid for me to go to so much school since I was little! What do I know?!"

"I just didn't want my child to work too hard! I just wanted my child to have dinner early! If I really ruined my child's future, I'd rather die!"

Saying this.

My mom theatrically slapped her own face twice.

Uncle Robert shoved me from behind, telling me to kneel and apologize to my mom.

He unleashed a torrent of accusations at me.

"Hurry up and apologize to your mom! No matter what, your mom did it for your own good! You've been cooped up in your room, refusing to come out! Do you know how worried you've made your mom?"

"Exactly! Why is a girl like you so restless, always wanting to run off to another city? Why not just stay put, find a good partner, and get married? So impulsive! Who would want to marry someone like that?!" Aunt Susan chimed in.

"I told your mom back then to have another son, but she wouldn't listen! If there was a brother here to be the man of the house! Would this girl dare talk back to her like this? She should have been disciplined a long time ago!"

Uncle Robert stood by, arms crossed, watching coldly.

"If you were my daughter, you'd be lucky to even finish junior high! Your mom even paid for your college, what a waste of money!"

As the highest-paid among the younger generation in the entire family.

Uncle Robert and Aunt Susan often received gifts from me.

Occasionally, they would even praise my mom for raising a daughter so correctly.

Now, my success had become proof of a girl who wouldn't listen to authority.

Amidst their incessant lecturing.

My mom's sobs grew even louder.

But there wasn't a single tear in her eyes.

During brief pauses.

I could even see clear triumph in her gaze as she looked at me.

"Mom, I'm sorry, I was wrong."

"I shouldn't have given you attitude, I shouldn't have kept my transfer plans from you."

"Mom, please forgive me, from now on, I'll listen to everything you say."

I don't know how many apologies and sweet words I uttered.

Until my voice was completely hoarse.

Only then did Uncle Robert and Aunt Susan seem satisfied, patting my parents on the shoulders and chatting cheerfully.

In reality.

All of them knew perfectly well.

Who was right and who was wrong between my mom and me.

They accused me.

Simply because they wanted to assert their authority as elders.

And to elevate themselves to a moral high ground from which they could criticize anyone.

I didn't blame them for unanimously condemning me that day.

I just hoped that when the boomerang hit them back.

They wouldn't cry out in pain.

6.

The chance for the boomerang.

I didn't have to wait too long.