I’m the mother of Ethan Chase, the A-list superstar. And I’m the person he hates most in the world. For ten years, I’ve kept to myself on this quiet farm, and for ten years, my son and I have been strangers. But now, he’s brought an entire film crew back to this place—the very place he swore he’d never set foot in again—to film a reality show about rural life. The director is trying to convince me to let him stay, promising a hefty paycheck. Ethan just stands there, silent as a cold, marble statue. I’m about to send him packing, just like I did in my last life. But then, lines of text, visible only to me, begin to drift before my eyes. 1. 【OMG, the legendary scene! This is it, the moment his mom crushes him for the last time and he finally gives up all hope!】 【He picked this show on purpose, you know. He knew it was his mom's farm. He just wanted a reason to see her.】 【Look at his hands! A hand meant for playing the piano... he practiced farm work for a month straight just to come here, and now it's covered in calluses.】 The words were like a scalpel, slicing open a heart I’d long since sealed away. In my last life, I threw him and the entire crew out. I called him a sellout, a disgrace to the family name. I blamed him for his father’s death. I watched the light in his eyes fade, flicker by flicker, until it was gone. He turned around and walked away, a final, clean break. After that, he never came back. Not even when I was dying, alone on this farm. After I died, my soul lingered, and I saw him. He had locked himself in his room, clutching the only faded photograph he had of me, sobbing like a child abandoned by the entire world. It wasn't that he didn't love me. It was that he’d forgotten how. It wasn't that he didn't resent me. His resentment ran deeper than I could have ever imagined. “Ma’am, he’s your son, after all! Even just for the show, please let him stay. The compensation we’re offering is very generous.” The director was still pleading, his voice earnest. “And besides,” he added, “he specifically requested that his entire appearance fee be transferred directly to you.” At the mention of this, Ethan, who had been silent all this time, lowered his head, his shoulders slumping. It was the look of someone stripped of all their armor, revealing the softest, most vulnerable wound beneath. In my last life, I thought this was his way of humiliating me. Buying his way back into my life with money. But the floating text told me otherwise. 【My heart is breaking for him. Ethan’s just worried his mom doesn't have enough money. He’s so bad at this, it's the only way he knows how to show he cares. ㅠㅠ】 An invisible hand seemed to clench around my heart, squeezing until I could barely breathe. I looked at Ethan, my son, so familiar yet a complete stranger. A decade had passed. He was a man now, tall and strong, but his eyes still held the same stubborn glint I remembered from his childhood. My throat was raw. I swallowed down the tempest raging inside me and, with every ounce of strength I had, forced out three words. “Let him stay.” The director stared, sure he’d misheard. Ethan’s head snapped up. In his dead, empty eyes, a flicker of astonishment—a tiny, unbelieving spark of light—appeared for the first time. I didn’t look at him. I turned and went back inside, my voice as hard and cold as iron. “You can stay. Just stay out of my way.” 2. The crew was ruthlessly efficient. Within half an hour, cameras had sprouted in every corner of the farmhouse like metallic weeds. Ethan was given his childhood room. Untouched for ten years, it held nothing but an old wooden bed and a desk, both shrouded in a thick coat of dust. A young actress named Lily, one of the hottest starlets of the moment, had tagged along. She stepped into the room and let out an exaggerated gasp. “Oh my God, how can anyone live here? Ethan, honey, why don’t you switch with me? My room is smaller, but at least it’s clean.” She reached out to grab his arm as she spoke. Ethan instinctively sidestepped, his brow furrowed in annoyance. Lily’s hand was left hanging awkwardly in the air, a blush of embarrassment creeping up her neck. 【Ugh, here we go again with this Lily girl. She’s been glued to our Ethan since they got on the plane.】 【She definitely paid her way onto this show. Just trying to ride his coattails. So annoying!】 【Insider info, guys. Not only did she pay to be here, but she was sent by the rival studio. Her whole job is to ruin Ethan’s reputation!】 I was about to wipe down the desk with a rag, but my hand froze when I saw that last comment. Seeing Ethan ignore her, Lily’s eyes darted around before landing on me. She clicked over in her high heels, her nose wrinkled in disgust. “Ma’am,” she said, her voice dripping with condescension, “you could have at least tried to tidy up a bit. You knew a huge star was coming. Someone like Ethan is used to luxury. How can you let him stay in a place like this?” Her voice was just loud enough for the nearby boom mics to pick up every single word. She was trying to paint me as a negligent mother and Ethan as a spoiled brat. In my last life, I would have fallen for it, believing the world had indeed turned my son soft and deepening my disdain for him. But now, her voice was nothing but an irritating buzz. I ignored her, walking straight to Ethan’s bed. I ripped the yellowed, dusty sheets off the mattress and threw them onto the floor, sending a cloud of dust into the air. Then, I pulled a fresh set of linens from the closet and began to make the bed. The quilt smelled of sunshine. I had aired it out just a few days ago, intending to use it myself this winter. I never imagined… Once I was done, I looked at Ethan, who was still standing there, stunned. My tone remained flat, devoid of warmth. “I’ve made the bed. You sweep the floor and wipe the desk. If you can’t handle it, you can leave.” 3. Ethan didn’t seem to hear me. His eyes were fixed on the new quilt. In those beautiful, almond-shaped eyes, a storm of emotions was brewing: shock, confusion, and a sliver of vulnerability I couldn’t quite decipher. 【Whoa! What is happening?! A mother and son who haven't spoken in ten years, and she’s making his bed for him?】 【Is that... Am I seeing things? The little bear pattern on the quilt... isn't that the one Ethan loved as a kid?】 【I’m crying, you guys! His mom never stopped loving him! She remembers everything!】 The comments were scrolling by in a frenzy. Only then did I notice the pattern on the duvet cover: a few clumsy-looking, hand-stitched brown bears. I had sewn it for him myself, back when his father was still alive. He had treasured it. Even after he grew too tall for it, he refused to throw it away. The day I sent him to boarding school, he’d tried to take it with him. I wouldn’t let him. “You’re a grown boy now,” I’d chided. “Stop acting like a baby with that childish thing. It’s embarrassing.” His eyes had turned red then and there. I had just grabbed the first quilt I found, never realizing it held so much history. A dull ache started to spread through my chest again. Lily, seeing that she was being completely ignored, stomped her foot in frustration and stormed out. Ethan finally snapped out of his trance. He picked up the broom from the corner and, without a word, began to sweep. He was clumsy, but methodical. That afternoon, the director announced the first task: repairing the collapsed western fence. It was the most back-breaking work on the farm. Ethan didn’t hesitate. He grabbed the tools and headed outside. Lily followed him, teetering on her heels under a parasol. “Ethan, sweetie,” she cooed, “you can’t be expected to do this kind of manual labor. Just have the production team hire some workers.” Ethan paid her no mind. He reached the fence and began heaving the heavy wooden posts into place. His form was good; it was clear he had practiced. Under the hot sun, beads of sweat traced the sharp line of his jaw, dripping into the dirt below. My gaze fell on his hands. Those beautiful, slender hands, born to dance across ivory keys, were now covered in a web of new cuts and old calluses. Just like the comments had said. My heart felt like it was steeping in bitter tea, sharp and scalding. Suddenly, Lily let out a piercing shriek. Her ankle twisted, and she stumbled, falling straight toward a pile of sharpened wooden stakes. 4. “Look out!” Ethan moved like a flash. He dropped his tools, lunged forward, and yanked Lily back from the brink. She collapsed into his arms, her hands clinging tightly to his waist. She burrowed her face into his chest, her shoulders shaking with sobs. “Ethan, you saved me! I was so scared… thank you…” The cameras swarmed them instantly, perfectly capturing the “hero saves the damsel” moment. 【OMG! I ship it! I ship it! Ethan’s got that protector vibe on lockdown!】 【Lily and Ethan forever! This is so sweet!】 【Am I the only one who thinks she did that on purpose? The ground is perfectly flat. How do you just ‘twist your ankle’ like that?】 【@personabove You’re just jealous! It was an accident! Our Lily is just a little clumsy!】 The comments section descended into chaos. I watched with cold eyes. Lily’s little scheme was painfully obvious. With one fall, she’d cemented her “clumsy but cute” persona and manufactured a ship with Ethan, guaranteeing a top spot on the trending lists. Ethan’s brow was furrowed so deeply you could lose a coin in it. He tried to push her away, but she was clinging to him for dear life. With the cameras rolling, he couldn’t be too forceful. “It’s okay. You can stand up now,” he said, his voice laced with ice. But Lily only doubled down, her crying growing louder. “My ankle… it hurts so much. I think it’s sprained. I can’t walk…” She looked up at him with wide, teary eyes, her intention crystal clear. She wanted him to carry her. A single photo of him doing so would be all it took for tomorrow’s headlines: “Ethan Chase and Lily’s Romance Exposed!” I put down my work and walked over. I didn’t look at either of them. I bent down, picked up a long bamboo cane from the ground, and weighed it in my hand. Then, I lightly tapped a large rock near where Lily was standing. “The snakes around here,” I said, my voice calm and even, “love to coil up in cool, dark spots like that rock cleft.” My voice wasn't loud, but it carried, and everyone heard it. “They’re not venomous, but their bite hurts like hell. And they hold a grudge. If one thinks you’ve invaded its territory, it’ll chase you all the way back to the house.” Lily’s sobs died in her throat. Her face went pale, her body rigid. A second later, she shot up from Ethan’s arms like a startled rabbit and scrambled behind the director, moving with an agility that completely betrayed her “sprained” ankle. The entire set fell silent. Ethan stared at me, his expression unreadable. Ignoring the stunned looks from the crew, I turned to my son. “If that fence isn’t fixed by nightfall,” I said, my voice flat, “you don’t get any dinner.” Then I turned and walked away without another word, leaving the buzzing comment section in my wake. 【HOLY CRAP! This mom is a legend! Shut down that green-tea bitch with a single sentence!】 【The ultimate schemer-detector! I’m taking notes!】 【Wait, isn’t this weird? I thought she hated Ethan. Why would she help him out of that jam?】
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