The end of the world is approaching, I'm handing myself over to the country.

"Aaaaaah!!!"

Suddenly, a hysterical scream came from the other end of the phone.

"Lin Miaomiao, you are truly the most disgusting person I have ever met in this world!"

"Go to hell! I never want to see you again!"

"Snapped!"

The call was disconnected.

Lin Miaomiao remained in the position of answering the phone, her arm frozen in mid-air. The backup phone slipped from her limp fingers and fell onto the carpet without making a sound.

She knelt stiffly on the ground, feeling completely empty.

All that remained was a buzzing sound coming from my brain.

In the midst of this deathly silence, the backup machine vibrated once again, at an inopportune moment.

Buzz—buzz—!

The shrill ringing of the bell shattered the tranquility of the apartment once again.

Lin Miaomiao's body trembled violently, as if she had been struck by an electric current.

She looked at the small square on the carpet in horror, her heart suddenly clenching.

Is that Xiaorou?

Did she regret it and call to apologize?

Or... does she have something even more malicious she wants to say to me...?

Fear, like a cold hand, gripped Lin Miaomiao's mind.

This made her hesitate; she dared not think about it, much less accept it.

But the bell kept ringing, again and again, striking her fragile nerves.

In the end, she resigned herself to her fate and moved her stiff body, crawling over little by little.

The screen lit up when her fingertips touched the cold body of the device.

The note that popped up wasn't "Xiaorou," but a simple word—Mom.

Lin Miaomiao's tense body relaxed slightly the moment she saw the word.

But what follows is another, more complex emotion.

Her mother.

The mother who kicked her out of the house and called her a disgrace to the family when she was pregnant out of wedlock and at her most vulnerable and helpless.

It was after she made her fortune with "Wasteland Era" that he took the initiative to come to her door, holding her wristwatch and praising her for being successful and being the pride of the family.

Lin Miaomiao's mind was in chaos, but her heart, broken by her daughter, unexpectedly gave rise to a humble longing.

"After I became rich, I gave her so much..."

"At least for now, maybe... Mom will comfort me a little?"

Even just one sentence...

With this hope that even she found laughable, Lin Miaomiao tremblingly swiped to answer the call.

"Feed..."

When Lin Miaomiao opened her mouth, she realized that her throat was extremely dry, and she could only utter a hoarse single sound.

"Miaomiao, what's going on between you and Xiaorou?" A gentle female voice came from the other end of the phone, carrying just the right amount of concern: "Tell Mom what's wrong."

This long-lost gentleness caused a crack to appear in Lin Miaomiao's defenses.

She bit her lip hard, forcibly suppressing the bittersweet feeling that was about to spill over.

"It's nothing." Lin Miaomiao cleared her throat, trying to make her words clear. "I... had a little trouble here."

"But Mom, don't worry, I'll handle things here."

Lin Miaomiao forced herself to stay upright, trying to maintain her last shred of dignity.

Lin's mother was silent for a moment on the other end of the phone, and a hint of probing appeared in her gentle tone.

"I know it's difficult for you to raise a child alone, but no matter what, you can't just cut off Xiaorou's card."

"The child is still young and at an age where she's very concerned about her image. How can you expect her to save face in front of her classmates?"

Lin Miaomiao's heart sank.

It turned out that Xiaorou had complained first.

She still clung to that pitiful illusion, thinking that her mother was simply concerned about her.

"I'm having some cash flow problems, but it's only temporary," Lin Miaomiao refused to concede, this was her last shred of dignity: "It'll be fine in a few days."

As soon as these words were spoken, a thud was heard from the other side, as if someone had bumped into something.

Lin Miaomiao quickly asked, "Mom? Are you alright?"

"Is it really just temporary?" But Lin's mother had no interest in talking about this; her question seemed somewhat urgent.

Lin Miaomiao: "Yes, it's true."

There was another moment of silence on the other end of the phone, followed by a long sigh.

"Miaomiao, Xiaorou just called me crying. She said she was at the mall and had picked out all her things, but your card wouldn't work."

Lin's mother's tone was full of heartache, but the object of her heartache was not her daughter, who was in a terrible predicament.

"I couldn't bear to hear the child crying so sadly, so I helped her pay the 30,000 Yuan Crystals first."

30,000 Source Crystals!

Lin Miaomiao's head buzzed.

She gave her daughter a credit card with no spending limit, but she never expected that her daughter would spend 30,000 yuan on a single shopping trip!

This amount of Yuanjing is enough for an ordinary family to live on for a lifetime!

Lin's mother seemed oblivious to her unusual behavior and continued to ask tentatively in that gentle tone.

"What exactly is your situation right now? Tell Mom honestly, and Mom will help you figure out a solution."

"Also, I paid for this 30,000 myself. You know, Mom is used to being frugal, and I always feel uneasy about spending so much money at once."

"Why don't you give me these source crystals first? It's only 30,000 anyway, not much."

"So they're still here to ask for money."

That gentle facade was torn away, revealing the impatient probing beneath.

Lin Miaomiao's heart turned completely cold.

She gave a self-deprecating twitch at the corner of her mouth, a sense of utter despair washing over her.

"I told you, I don't have any money on me right now."

The person on the other end of the phone suddenly stopped breathing.

"What?!"

Lin's mother, who had just been speaking gently, suddenly raised her voice, becoming sharp and sarcastic.

"What did you say? No money? You're lying to me, right? You're so rich, how could you suddenly be broke?"

"No! You're just kidding me, aren't you?"

At this moment, Lin's mother completely lost all patience. Lin Miaomiao hadn't replied for even a second, and she became impatient: "Say something! I just lent Xiaorou 30,000 source crystals! When are you going to pay me back?!"

Because in the past, when she gave Xiaorou money, Lin Miaomiao would always return double to her.

So when Xiaorou called her, Lin's mother transferred the money without hesitation.

She had originally planned to save some more money on the side, but Lin Miaomiao told her that she had no money now.

If Lin's mother didn't know what kind of person Lin Miaomiao was, she would have thought she had encountered a "pig butchering scam".

"Oh!"

The speed at which she turned her back on him was so fast that Lin Miaomiao couldn't even react.

She listened blankly to the roaring on the other end of the phone, feeling like a complete joke.

"Give it back to you?" Lin Miaomiao chuckled softly, her laughter filled with sorrow. "Ever since I became rich, I've been supporting you and Dad quite a bit, haven't I?"

"Just last week, I gave you at least 50,000 Source Crystals, not counting the various gifts I bought for you."

"What's wrong with you spending some money on your own granddaughter?"

"Pooh!"

A venomous curse exploded from the receiver, making Lin Miaomiao's eardrums ache.

"You beast! I'm so old, how dare you still covet my money!"

"That's my retirement money!"

Lin's mother's voice completely lost control, filled with undisguised malice and contempt.

"Besides, that's money you voluntarily gave us as a sign of filial piety, so it's mine! Why should I pay for your own daughter's expenses?"

"Lin Miaomiao, let me tell you, you're not getting away with paying back a single penny of those 30,000 Origin Crystals! If you don't pay me back, I'll..."

"Snapped!"

Lin Miaomiao didn't listen anymore.

She expressionlessly extended her finger and pressed the red button on the screen.

The world is finally at peace.