"Smack!"

Enraged, Fang's mother slapped Fang Chengyi across the face. Her intense anger controlled her reason, and she seemed oblivious to the boy's cold, icy hand, devoid of warmth, and as if she hadn't heard the pleading in his every word.

"Fang Chengyi, I've raised and taught you for so many years, and this is how you talk to me? You even fabricate lies to hurt your old mother's heart! If it weren't for me, could you have become the top student in the grade? You are a good student in everyone's eyes, a pillar of the country in the future, destined to go to a prestigious university and make a name for yourself! I don't have time to play house with you! Come in here right now, don't hang out with this kind of shady woman!"

Fang's mother pulled Fang Chengyi into the room, giving Wu Yue a fierce glare before she left. Unexpectedly, Fang Chengyi remained unmoved and shook off her hand. As if triggered by some mechanism, he found himself in tears, his face covered in tears as if a storm had just passed.

"Yes, I've known all along that I'm just a tool for you to show off. The Fang Chengyi you dote on is just the top student in the grade. When have you ever considered my feelings? Do you know when I get tired? Do you know what my hobbies are?"

Do you even know that the girl who spoke to me last time was saying goodbye and thanking me for lending her her notes? Yes, she likes me, but you insulted her with incredibly hurtful words. What's wrong with liking someone? She didn't hold me back in any way, nor did she make a huge public announcement or confess her feelings, but because of you, she had to transfer schools, and then she got into a car accident on her way to leave! I feel guilty, remorseful, and uneasy.

You don't know anything, you know absolutely nothing. All you ever tell me is to study, study, study, get first place, get first place, get first place! You just relentlessly impose your own ideas on me, judging others with malice. Mom, I've been your puppet for seventeen years, I'm tired. I'm giving my life back to you! I beg you—"

As he spoke, Fang Chengyi's voice grew louder and louder. He seemed not to see his mother's pale face, which was filled with surprise, disbelief, and an unwillingness to believe that her usually well-behaved, sensible, and studious son was now roaring at her like a madman, acting hysterically.

"Please, let me go! Please stop imposing your shackled ideas on your poor, dead son."

As Fang Chengyi spoke, he slowly stood in front of Wu Yue, blocking his mother's hostile gaze: "Sister Wu Yue is not some disreputable woman. She helped me; it was the last bit of kindness that a kind-hearted god bestowed upon me. Please do not use harsh and vulgar language to describe her."

"I don't want to live. Even if you resurrect me, I will die again." At that moment, the chill in Fang Chengyi's heart had already penetrated his bones, his limbs, and his entire body, winding from his feet to the top of his head, and spreading all the way to his eyes.

"Fang Chengyi! How can you say such things to me? How can you face me?! Mom loves you, and everything I do is for your own good! Don't let Mom down."

Fang Chengyi ignored his mother's incessant shouting and yelling behind him. He looked back, wanting to help Wu Yue enter the room, and tried to push her, "Sister, hurry up and go in to burn the survival talisman..."

To his surprise, this stranger was even more formidable than he had anticipated. Without him even entering the room, the two survival talismans flew over as if they had wings and obediently landed in front of Wu Yue.

A red flame shot from the girl's fingertip, dazzlingly beautiful and radiating a chilling warmth that brought a sense of peace. However, the survival talisman twisted upon seeing it, forming a wavy surface. The flame was extremely hot; upon contact, the yellow talisman instantly turned to ash, burned to ashes without a trace.

"You bitch!!!" Fang's mother's eyes widened in fury as she lunged forward to beat Wu Yue. "You ruined my son!! You bitch! Ah!!!"

System: @Congratulations to contestant Wu Yue for completing the Xian'e Mountain task and receiving a reward of 20,000, which has been deposited into the contestant's virtual account.

Wu Yue didn't expect the mission to end so quickly. Could it be because it was the first mission, so the difficulty level was relatively low, or are the other missions generally of low difficulty as well?

Wu Yue looked up and saw that Fang's mother was still in the position of hitting her, but she was motionless as if the pause button had been pressed.

The wind around us died down.