Chapter 4

Andrew was so furious that he cut off the connection.

The livestream comments erupted in laughter before turning critical again.

[Does she even have feelings?]

[She's like a debt collector in a little girl's body.]

[Andrew was right. Lisa's the one with a heart.]

[Sure, medicine is important, but does she have to be so nasty about it?]

…

Lisa walked over to me and held out her teddy bear. "Tara, you can have this. I hope that one day, you'll understand that being loved is more important than money."

The camera zoomed in on her face, capturing her beautiful smile.

I glanced at the teddy bear and asked, "Can I sell it?"

Lisa's smile froze.

I added, "The tag's still on. I could probably sell it for 80% of the original price."

Someone on set couldn't hold back a laugh.

Gina quickly tried to smooth things over. "Tara's just joking."

I shook my head. "I'm not."

The livestream comments went wild.

-

In the observation room, Janine covered her eyes. "How did she turn out like this?"

Paul finally spoke. "This child needs more intensive intervention. Tonight, we'll go through her belongings and get rid of them."

-

I had no idea what they were discussing. All I knew was that evening's segment was called "Surrender Your Bad Habit."

The staff explained that each child had to surrender the one possession they were most reluctant to part with.

The other children cried as they handed over their game consoles, candy jars, and comic books.

When my turn came, I clutched the old metal tin I'd hidden under my bed.

Gina crouched in front of me with a smile. "Tara, it's your turn."

I took half a step back. "I'm not giving it up."

The tin was small, with chipped paint around its corners. An old sticker clung to the lid, though its original color had long since faded.

I gripped it tightly with both hands until my knuckles turned white.

Gina looked taken aback, but she quickly replaced her surprise with an even gentler smile. "Tara, this is just an activity to help you break your bad habits."

I shook my head. "No. You can't see what's inside."

The camera immediately moved closer.

Behind the monitors, Director George Banks' eyes lit up.

Lisa quietly approached. She made no attempt to snatch the tin from me. Instead, she crouched in front of me and spoke in her usual soft, gentle voice. "Tara, nobody here is a bad person. Have you been secretly hiding money because you're afraid Mom and Dad will find out?"

I glared at her. "Stop talking."

Tears immediately welled up in her eyes. "I'm sorry. I was only worried about you."

Andrew reconnected to the livestream, his expression stern. "Tara, Lisa was only trying to help you. Is that how you treat her? Is that stupid little tin more important to you than your family?"

"Yes," I replied.

The entire room fell silent.

Andrew was so furious that he slammed his hand on the table.

Janine appeared on the screen as well, her face pale. "Tara, hand over the tin. I promise that no matter what's inside, I won't scold you."

I looked at her. "You'll scold someone else."

She froze. "Who else?"

I didn't answer.

Two staff members approached, and Gina spent a long time trying to persuade me, but I refused to let go.

Finally, she said, "Tara, if you don't cooperate, it'll affect every child's score in this round."

The other children turned to look at me.

Someone whispered, "Just hand it over. We still want to have dinner."

I bit my lip. I couldn't let the others go hungry. I knew better than anyone how terrible hunger felt, so I finally let go.

The staff placed the metal tin on the table.

Gina released the latch and lifted the lid. The camera immediately moved in for an extreme close-up of its contents.

Everyone present was stunned into silence. Even the livestream comment section exploded, with the comment count shooting past 999+.

The revelation sent shock waves across the internet.