Part 3Accepted by Juilliard: My Father Threw Me into a Septic Tank

In my previous life, Ashley didn't know I got into Juilliard. Mom and Dad told her I had run off with some random guy. They even forged a letter from me for her to read. In the letter, I said I would never come back. Ashley wept uncontrollably, vowing to find me. That's why she put up missing person posters all over the city.

This time, Ashley knew I got into Juilliard. And just like Mom and Dad, she hated me to the bone.

My eyes filled with despair, I looked at Ashley. "Sis, you used to love hearing me sing!"

"You even said that if I worked hard on my vocals, I'd be the next Taylor Swift!"

Ashley's face contorted into a grimace. "Wake up! You're not even fit to tie Taylor Swift's shoelaces!"

"I never liked hearing you sing. Your singing was awful!"

Mom grabbed my hand, urging Ashley. "Stop wasting time with her!"

"Let's drag her back home and teach her a lesson!"

Ashley immediately grabbed my other hand. Both Mom and Ashley used all their strength, pulling me towards our house.

"Don't you dare take her!"

The voice belonged to a tall, burly middle-aged man. He stopped Mom and Ashley with one hand. "It's a rare and wonderful thing for a young woman to bravely pursue her dreams! Yet you two want to destroy her dreams!"

Mom looked at him with disdain. "I'm handling my own child, what business is it of yours?!"

"Get out of my way, now!"

"Otherwise, I'll call my people to come and deal with you!"

Mom wasn't just bluffing. Because she ran a hair salon, she had connections in the shadier parts of town, with all sorts of dubious characters. Indeed, she had friends in the underworld.

The middle-aged man, however, wasn't afraid of Mom's threats. He clenched his fists, gritting his teeth. "You scum don't deserve to be a mother!"

"If you dare take this young woman today, I'll call the police!"

Others also began to criticize Mom. "You're not short on money, and you're not suffering from a serious illness. Supporting your daughter's music education should be no problem at all!"

"If a family is so poor they can't afford food, I could understand not letting their daughter go to an art school! But you're draped in gold and silver, all your clothes are designer brands, clearly a middle-class family!"

"Your older daughter lives in a mansion and drives a sports car worth millions. Even if you can't afford to send your daughter to music school, you could ask your older daughter to help out!"

Mom was speechless again. Ashley, however, looked even more furious. She glared at the crowd with simmering hatred. "You're just jealous of what we have!"

"Our money doesn't grow on trees! Why should this brat waste it away overseas?"

The middle-aged man retorted angrily, "My nephew tried to get into Juilliard three times and failed! That shows how incredibly difficult that school is to get into!"

"But your sister got in on her first try, which proves how dedicated she is to her vocal training!"

"Such a disciplined child, I don't believe she would recklessly squander her tuition money!"

Many people nodded in agreement with the man. Faced with the surrounding crowd, Mom and Ashley were momentarily at a loss. But just as I thought they wouldn't be able to take me, Dad arrived.

"You brute! Get home, now!" Dad's eyes burned with fury, his expression one of wanting to tear me apart. Behind him stood Mom's shady contacts. They wielded machetes, their presence menacing.