Chapter 4

Chloe opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but ultimately just quietly took the pastry back and gently placed it on the bedside table.

“I’ll leave it here for you, Mom. Call me if you want to eat it, and I’ll warm it up.”

After saying that, Chloe took a shower, then, as usual, quietly sat by my bed and watched over me all night.

The first day of the live stream ended.

The comments section was filled with curses directed at me.

The moment I woke up on the second day, Chloe immediately brought warm water for me to brush my teeth and wash my face.

Her movements were gentle, as if she were tending to her most precious treasure.

“Mom, I cooked porridge early this morning and even went to get you fresh-baked pastries.”

“I didn’t do well yesterday, and you went hungry. I’m sorry.”

With that, she ladled out a bowl of porridge, carefully scooped a spoonful, and gently blew on it to cool it.

Just as she brought the spoon to my mouth, I suddenly raised my hand and fiercely knocked over the bowl of porridge.

“I never said I wanted porridge this morning!”

The hot porridge splattered all over Chloe.

Her hands turned bright red from the scalding liquid, but she didn't get angry or upset. Instead, she anxiously moved closer to check on me.

Seeing that I hadn't been splattered with porridge, she immediately let out a sigh of relief: “Thank goodness it didn’t burn you.”

With that, she quickly grabbed a towel, but instead of wiping herself first, she meticulously cleaned the porridge stains from my bed rail.

Blisters rapidly rose on her scalded hand, yet she didn’t even flinch.

Seeing this scene, the comments section of the live stream boiled over again:

“Damn, this old hag woke up early just to be disgusting, didn’t she?!”

“Just looking at her makes me angry! How can she bully her own daughter like this? Why doesn't she just die?!”

“Sigh, the more I watch, the more I pity this daughter. She’s burned like this and still cares about her mom first.”

After wiping the porridge from the bed rail, Chloe crouched down to clean the floor.

But as she squatted, her body went limp, and she fainted directly onto the floor.

A nurse rushed in at the sound.

After helping Chloe onto the bed and examining her, her expression was grave: “How did her fever get so severe? It’s 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius)!”

Seeing Chloe ill, the live stream audience became utterly furious:

“Damn, she must have gotten a high fever from being soaked in the rain last night!”

“And I saw during the live stream that Chloe herself didn’t eat anything. Besides working to earn money, she was just taking care of her mom. That much exhaustion, even a saint couldn’t handle it!”

“She has such a severe fever and still silently takes care of her mom. How could such a good daughter end up with a monstrous mother?!”

“I’m so mad, I really hope this old hag explodes on the spot!”

After the nurse took Chloe out of the room for treatment, the reporter called me:

“This is the two-day follow-up live stream you wanted? Do you know how much the internet has been cursing you these past two days?”

“I’ve followed your daughter for two days; she’s absolutely perfect, and her devotion to you is beyond reproach. Why are you treating her like this?!”

I said softly, “Are you sure you captured everything in these two days of live streaming?”

The reporter paused for a second: “Of course, I filmed 24/7, missing no details or corners.”

“No.”

My voice was soft, yet utterly certain:

“There’s one crucial place you definitely haven’t seen.”

The reporter's voice immediately became curious: “What place?”

I paused for a moment, then said seriously, “Her study.”

Hearing me say that, the reporter immediately realized:

“Your daughter always closes the door when she goes into her study, and the windows and curtains are tightly drawn. I indeed haven't filmed inside.”

“But it’s just a study. Even if she goes in, she’s probably just working or reading, what’s there to film?”

I said deeply, “You’re wrong.”

The reporter quickly asked, “Is there something fishy in the study?”

I said slowly and deliberately:

“Aren’t you curious why I’ve been treating her this way?”

“As long as you go into her study, you’ll know everything.”

“The house key is under the doormat outside the door.”

With that, I hung up the phone.

My call with the reporter was broadcast live, real-time, through the hospital room's surveillance.

Suddenly, the comments section of the live stream erupted again: