Chapter 3

She let out a loud yawn. “You’re so useless. You’re the reason your poor mother can’t get any sleep. God, I’m exhausted…”

Her words startled me, and my knife slipped, slicing into my hand.

She rushed over immediately, grabbing my hand to inspect the wound.

“What were you thinking?! If you cut yourself, how are you supposed to go live tomorrow?” she snapped, her tone sharp but filled with urgency.

Then, without hesitation, she brought my bleeding finger to her mouth, sucking on it to stop the bleeding.

The night dragged on endlessly. By the time the sky started to lighten, my mom was already setting up the camera.

She dabbed a thick layer of foundation on my face, carefully covering the dark circles under my eyes.

Then, with a sharp slap to my back, she barked, “Stand up straight! Stop looking like you’re about to keel over!”

I forced my heavy eyelids open and plastered on the familiar smile I had perfected over the years.

“Hi, everyone! Good morning! Today, I’ll be making sweet and sour fish,” I said cheerfully into the camera.

The chat lit up immediately with comments.

“What? Anna’s making sweet and sour fish today? That dish is so hard—I’ve tried it a dozen times and still can’t get it right!”

Standing off-camera, my mom shot me a warning look, her lips silently mouthing instructions.

As I scaled the fish, I responded to the comment with a practiced tone of humility.

“Actually, I’m not very good at it either. I just glanced at the recipe last night and thought I’d give it a try today.”

By this point, after a sleepless night of chopping, slicing, and practicing, I had the steps down perfectly. But I knew I couldn’t make it look too easy.

My mom’s sharp eyes monitored my every move, her lips twitching in a silent threat to keep me in line.

An hour and a half later, I finally finished the dish.

The comments exploded in praise.

“Is Anna secretly a culinary prodigy? She only read the recipe once and made this? Incredible!”

“Ugh, when I compare her to my son, I feel like crying. All he knows how to do is eat!”

My mom’s face lit up as the compliments poured in. She leaned closer to the screen, practically whispering to herself.

“Come on, send gifts. Keep sending gifts…”

It was as if the viewers could hear her thoughts.

“Let’s encourage Anna! Sending her a few flowers…”

One gift turned into two, then ten, then dozens. The money kept rolling in, and my mom’s grin grew wider with every notification.

Just as she was basking in her success, one comment popped up on the screen, catching her attention:

“I’ve been following Anna for three years now. She’s really grown up into a young lady. Her body’s developing so well…”

My mom’s smile froze, her brows furrowing slightly.

More comments followed.

“True, it’s like watching her grow up before our eyes.”

“Yeah, she’s turning into a real beauty…”

I felt my face drain of color, my chest tightening in silent panic.

Please, just stop.

When the livestream finally ended, my mom seemed pleased with the money we’d made, but her expression was darker than usual. She walked toward me with purpose, and I instinctively stepped back, my voice barely audible.

“Mom…”

She didn’t say a word. Instead, she grabbed the hem of my shirt and yanked it up, exposing my torso to the cold air.

I froze, my entire body trembling.