My Family's Regret

To complete the quest, I forced myself to endure it all.

Finally, my mother kicked me to the ground. She looked down at me from above.

"That's all you've got, and you want to watch me dance? Fine, then I'll use your body as my stage!"

With that, she danced on my back, my limbs, and even my face.

The excruciating pain made my body spasm, and blood oozed from the wounds.

I heard the sound of my bones breaking, and I also heard the gasps and cheers of the guests.

"It’s no wonder she’s the world’s best; she’s incredible! To be able to dance so steadily on such an uneven 'stage'!"

When the dance ended, I lay in a pool of blood, my consciousness fading.

My mother bowed gracefully, kicked my face with the tip of her shoe, and said with a sneer, "Remember this lesson. Don't ever try to compete with Carrie for affection again. You're not worthy!"

At the same time, a system prompt sounded in my mind.

[Condition 1 met. Reclamation of your mother's dance talent initiated.]

My father, who had just finished a work call, came in through the door and frowned when he saw the state I was in.

"What happened here?"

I strained to speak with my last bit of strength, "Dad... save me... please spend some money to treat my injury..."

Before I chose to stay in this world, my father was just a laborer who worked at construction sites during the day and cleaned toilets at night to support his family.

He had done all kinds of dirty and tiring work, and his hands were covered with irremovable grime and scars, all for the sake of this family.

I couldn't bear to see him work so hard, so I sacrificed my control over wealth in exchange for his good fortune.

I was unable to spend a penny for myself for the rest of my life, in exchange for overwhelming wealth for him that made him the richest man in the world.

He thought I was just reluctant to spend money because I was used to being frugal, which broke his heart, so he placed all his assets under my name.

Of course, those assets now belonged to Carrie.

Hearing my plea, Carrie immediately grew unhappy.

"Dad, even if we’re not lacking money anymore, that doesn’t mean we can let Jasmine squander it like this; we have to save for a rainy day."

I glared at her, then turned to Dad, pleading, "But I'm bleeding all over, Dad. Please stop the bleeding for me, it hurts so much..."

Dad hesitated, but Carrie suddenly lunged into Dad's embrace with a shudder.

"Jasmine, please don't glare at me like that. After all... I used to be really poor. I didn't dare to spend a penny more than I had to..."

With that, she began to choke back tears.

Dad comforted her, holding her tight. "Don't cry, my precious daughter. Dad's money is your money. Dad will only spend money on you."

Carrie immediately smiled through her tears. Then, she pointed at me and said, "But Dad, she's so dirty. Look, she's stained this beautiful carpet. The smell of blood is so disgusting. She's ruined my good mood!"

Dad tensed up immediately because his daughter was upset. "Don't be mad, sweetheart. If she’s dirty, I’ll make her clean!"

He made a phone call.

Soon, a huge transparent crystal bathtub was carried to the center of the banquet hall.

Then, the servants brought in bucket after bucket of a highly corrosive cleaning agent.

They poured all of it into the bathtub without hesitation.

Finally, a pet grooming team walked in with hard metal brushes and high-pressure water guns.

The guests erupted in enthusiastic applause and whistles.

Two bodyguards grabbed me and ruthlessly threw me into the bathtub filled with the pungent chemical.

"Dad! Are you really doing this to me?" I screamed in horror. "You used to get upset if I got so much as a scratch on my skin!"