Seven Years a Shadow: The Stand-In's Escape novel Chapter 26

My colleagues couldn't help but laugh at her performance.

Even my mentor, usually so composed, had a look of disbelief on his face.

I gave him a helpless look before casually pulling out my phone.

"Who said I'm donating?"

As soon as the words left my mouth, my mother froze.

The live stream was also stunned.

[This really never changes, huh? Even the boss can't do anything, looks like it's up to us righteous folks to step in.]

[Let's go, ladies, everyone gather at the hospital entrance.]

I pulled up a video on my phone and cast it to the screen.

Then, confidently, I walked up, adjusted my collar in front of the camera.

"Since everyone wants to watch, I'll treat you all to something good."

"Remember my name, I'm South, the second child in this family that's been trying for a son with three children."

"I was sent away to be fostered at four, and only came back at seventeen when my aunt, who raised me, passed away."

"As for why I'm not donating bone marrow, just watch this video."

Before I could finish, the East family immediately sensed something was off. Henry, quick to react, lunged at my phone.

But the security guards, who had been stationed to maintain order, quickly restrained him.

My mother's face turned pale as she shook Sean's arm in desperation.

"It's all your fault! If it weren't for you, how could this happen?"

I turned around, and the hospital director gave a subtle nod. I pressed play.

The tens of thousands in the live stream fell silent.

The room grew quiet too.

The only sound was the footage from the day I returned home, shown on the TV.

It was recorded by a camera set up in the kitchen, giving a clear view of the entire dining area.

I said, "Mom, I'm sick."

She, in turn, picked up food and told me to eat more.

"I have leukemia."

She replied, "If you eat well, any disease will be cured."

I asked if my sister could donate bone marrow, and Sean slammed his chopsticks down onto the table.

The bullet comments exploded again.

[What the hell did I just see?]

[Ten-level plot twist!]

[Something felt off earlier. No grievances, no hatred—how could she possibly refuse to donate?]

[This family's hypocrisy is infuriating.]

The video continued.

Yuna, smiling, said I overthought things and that if I just smiled more, I'd be fine.

[Now it's her turn to be sick, why doesn't she smile more?]

Though my mother wiped away tears, she still served food to her children.

She even worried whether Yuna would eat well abroad.

At the table, only one person stopped eating.

Outside the hospital room, the murmuring began.

It reached Sean's ears.

He picked up a chair and hurled it toward the TV.

The wall-mounted television crashed to the floor, the image crackling before disappearing.

The cursing outside grew louder with his actions.

"A family of vipers, you deserve to get sick!"

"You deserve it! Who said asking for help makes you the fool? Let's hear that old man call himself grandpa!"

"What century are we living in? There's still this kind of bias—if you didn't want her, you shouldn't have had her! Useless pigs that can't even raise their own kids!"

"If it were anyone, they wouldn't donate. Don't donate to them, girl. Treat them how they treated you!"

My mother's face turned ghostly white.

She clutched Yuna and backed away.

"South, please, close the door, stop filming, everyone, just leave!"

I looked at her coldly.

"How come now, when you're the one being filmed and scolded, it's wrong?"

"Then why did you encourage them to curse me earlier?"