Chapter 1

When I opened my eyes again, my soul was already floating in midair.

My body had fallen into the foam safety pit below.

The child waiting for the next round complained impatiently.

After the staff reminded me several times to get up and saw that I still hadn't moved, he climbed into the foam pit and shook my shoulders.

“Sweetie, it's okay to lose. Just move aside and let the next child have a turn.”

But my body only slumped weakly to the side, showing no reaction at all.

My soul kept apologizing from beside them.

“I'm sorry… I didn't want to stay still! I didn't want to cause trouble for everyone!”

But no one could hear my apology.

Seeing that I still didn't move, the staff member gradually lost his patience.

He looked up at my mom standing nearby and called out loudly:

“madam, could you come over and check on your child? She won't move out of the way, and it's affecting our competition!”

Mom cared about her reputation more than anything, and she had always been proud of her parenting philosophy.

Now, in front of so many people, seeing her daughter being criticized, she only felt humiliated.

“Monica Buffey! What are you doing?”

She rushed over and reached out to pull my arm.

When I still didn't move, her anger grew even stronger. She raised her hand and struck my head hard.

“Get up right now and apologize to everyone!”

If this had happened before, I would have been so scared that I would have immediately crawled up and apologized.

But now, my body remained like a boneless doll, lying softly on the sponge mat.

Seeing how harshly my mom treated me, the surrounding voices of criticism suddenly fell silent.

Someone whispered:

“Why isn't this child reacting at all? Could something have happened to her?”

“How harsh a mother treat her own daughter like this?”

“Take the child to a doctor, quickly.”

Hearing the people around her, and seeing my pale face, a flicker of panic appeared in Mom's eyes.

She instinctively crouched down, wanting to lift me up.

Just then, my AI robot sister Alice's gentle and sweet voice rang out.

“Mom, don't worry.”

“System scan complete. Sister's vital signs are stable.”

“She is deliberately pretending to be fainted to gain sympathy and avoid punishment.”

To prove her words were true, Alice activated a holographic data screen. Every piece of information showed that my body was completely normal.

The concern in Mom's eyes was instantly replaced by disgust.

She glared at me fiercely, then gently touched Alice's head.

“Our Alice is still the one who's smart and adorable .”

Floating in front of them, watching this scene unfold, I felt nothing but coldness spreading through my entire body.

Alice clearly knew that my heartbeat had stopped. She knew my vital signs had already disappeared.

Why did she still lie to Mom?

Why would she do this?

Wasn't she just a cold machine?

The staff member looked at me lying on the ground and hesitated before speaking.

“Ma'am, should we call an ambulance just in case?”

“The child doesn't look like she's doing very well…”

Mom's face immediately darkened, and her voice turned impatient.

“She's pretending! She's used this trick countless times. Every time she does something wrong, she pretends to be fainted, waiting for me to soften and forgive her.”

“Today, in front of all these people, I will never spoil her again!”

“But…”

“No buts!”

Mom cut him off, grabbed my arm, and roughly dragged me across the ground.

My small legs scraped against the rough surface, leaving behind a trail of blood.

But Mom didn't even spare me a glance.

She didn't stop until she dragged me all the way to the parking lot.

Then she opened the trunk and threw me inside without hesitation.

“Bad children belong in the trunk!”

“Alice, we're going home.”

Mom slammed the trunk shut with a loud bang, then turned around and took Alice's hand as they walked toward the passenger seat.

“Yes, Mom.”

Alice replied obediently.

She turned her head and glanced back at my lifeless body.

A strange red glow flashed in her eyes.