13 years ago, my mom abandoned me. Right before my college entrance exams, she was diagnosed with liver cancer and needed a transplant.

My grandparents tricked me into getting tested, and the match was a success.

They used public pressure to force me to give up the exams and donate part of my liver to her.

My mom promised to take care of me for the rest of my life.

However, after the surgery, I died from multiple organ failure due to severe complications.

My mom never even visited me. Instead, she went on vacation abroad with her eldest son.

When I opened my eyes again, I found myself back on the day before my grandparents came to find me, just before the college entrance exams.

...

Seeing the countdown to the exams on the blackboard, I realized I had been reborn.

I was back on the very day when my vampire-like mom's family came to take my life.

My grandparents, whom I hadn't seen in years, showed up at my school, followed by a swarm of reporters with cameras.

As soon as they saw me, they broke down in tears.

My grandmother's voice trembled as she spoke.

"Wiley, I finally found you. My dear grandson, we've missed you so much all these years."

My grandfather chimed in, "Wiley, your mom is sick. She's in the hospital right now, and the doctors say she doesn't have much time left.

"Her only wish is to see you, her long-lost son. Come with me."

When my parents divorced, my mom fought tooth and nail for the money, the house, and the car, but she didn't fight for custody of me.

My dad, eager to rid himself of this selfish, cheating woman, gave her everything.

He raised me alone.

To make ends meet, he took on grueling and dangerous jobs.

He died in a fall while working at a high altitude.

My mom never once checked in on me, let alone paid child support.

Thankfully, my dad's friend, Ron Pittman, took pity on me and adopted me.

I stared coldly at these two pretenders without reacting.

My homeroom teacher and the reporters, who were unaware of the truth, were moved to tears by my grandparents' performance.

Seeing my indifferent expression, they all urged me to go see my mom, saying she was the one who gave me life, that we shared a blood bond, and that I should give her the strength to fight her illness.

If they felt so empathetic, why didn't they go get tested themselves?

My grandparents just wanted to trick me into going to the hospital, get me tested, and then pressure me into donating my liver.

The two elders continued their excellent acting.

My grandmother played her trump card from my previous life, showing a video of my mom.

In it, my mom wore a hat and mask, with tears in her eyes.

She said, "Wiley, it's Mom.

"I'm sick, and I might not live to see you go to college.

"This is my biggest regret.

"Can you come to see me with your grandparents?

"I miss you so much."

I almost laughed out loud. My mom didn't miss me; she missed my liver.

Seeing my expression, my grandmother immediately started crying even more pitifully, with snot and tears streaming down her face.

She sobbed, "Wiley, I know you're a good, understanding child.

"Pack up and come with us. Your mom doesn't have much time left."

More and more classmates and teachers gathered around, and the discussions grew louder.

Seeing me unmoved, my grandmother pulled out her second weapon.

She bowed to me and wailed, "Wiley, your mom just wants to see you. She doesn't have many days left.

"What's more important than your mom? You can take the exams next year, but you only have one mom."

That was true, but I only had one life.

In my previous life, as I lay in the ICU, my adoptive father desperately begged anyone he could outside the ward.

But my grandparents, who had once preached about righteousness and morality, and my mother, who claimed to love and care for me, were nowhere to be found.

I regretted it so much that I saved a vixen who abandoned me 13 years ago.

Ron arrived and came up to me.

"Wiley, if you want to go, I'll go with you. If you don't want to go, I support that too," he said.

My grandparents' faces darkened when they heard this.

They pointed at Ron and started cursing, "Who do you think you are? You have no right to support or not support anything. Wiley is our child. You have no blood relation to him.

"I bet you only adopted Wiley for the compensation money his father left. You're just after the money.

"An outsider can never be as close as his mother. Stop trying to drive a wedge between us."

I saw the veins popping on Ron's forehead, but he was trying hard to control himself.

Not wanting to make things difficult for Ron, I had gritted my teeth and agreed in my last life.

"I'm willing to go see her." That was what I had said.

Little did I know, that was the start of a nightmare.

This time around, I was going to turn the tables on them.

I turned to look at the cameras.

"Ron hasn't married or had kids so he could raise me. I won't allow anyone to slander him," I said.

"If anyone dares to smear Ron, I won't go see my mom. If she dies of heartbreak because I didn't visit, then whoever slandered Ron is the one who killed her."

Anyone could play word games.

Then I turned to my grandparents.

I enunciated, "Has my half-brother come back from studying abroad? Has he been tested as a donor match for my mom?"

The crowd was in an uproar. From my grandparents' and mom's hints, they had assumed I was an only child.

My grandmother, surprised that I knew so much, dodged the question.

"Wiley, you still think of your brother after not seeing him for so long. Blood is thicker than water," she said.

"Your mom will surely get better quickly when she sees you both taking care of her by her bedside."

My grandfather pulled out some tickets from his pocket.

"Come on, Wiley. I've already bought the tickets. Let's leave now," he said.

With that, my grandparents reached out to grab me.

Ron stepped in front of me protectively.

My grandmother glared at him, hands on her hips.

"You outsider, what are you meddling for? It's only natural for a child to see their mother," she snorted.

"You just can't stand to see Wiley getting close to us, can you? Do you want Wiley to take care of you in your old age? Dream on!"

In my previous life, Ron had insisted on letting me take the college entrance exam first, worried about my health and exams.

My grandparents had thrown a tantrum and won public sympathy, easily taking me away on the spot.

When Ron gave me 20 thousand dollars for my mom's nutritional supplements, my grandparents and mom had complained it wasn't enough.

After I refused to donate part of my liver, they kept calling Ron's workplace to complain he was cold-hearted.

They even called the local women's federation, claiming Ron was illegally detaining a minor.

It got Ron fired from his job.

This time, I couldn't let Ron get hurt again.

I tugged on his arm and looked at him firmly.

"Uncle Ron, it's okay. I can handle this," I said.

Then I turned to my grandparents.

"I have something to say to you in private. I won't say it with outsiders here."

My grandparents were overjoyed and sent the reporters away.

"Wiley, have you come around?"

I forced a smile.

"I'll go after my college entrance exams. If you don't let me take the exams, or if you give Ron any trouble, I have ways to stay up all night smoking and drinking.

"If I can't take the exams anyway, what's wrong with smoking and drinking?" I threatened them.

I knew they wanted my healthy liver.

My grandmother started to say something, but my grandfather pulled her back and coughed.

"Wiley, you're a man now. I hope you'll keep your word and visit your mom after the exams."

I nodded.

The first round of this battle was over.

For the three days of exams, I focused on performing my best.

My grandparents followed me the whole time.

They even brought the media.

When I walked out after finishing my last exam, they shoved me into a taxi.

My grandfather bowed to the reporters.

"Thank you all for your help. We've successfully picked up our grandson and are taking him to see his mother now," he said.

As Ron tried to rush over, I shook my head at him and waved my phone.

On the train, my grandparents only gave me water and instant noodles.

They claimed, "Wiley, you just finished your exams. Eat something light to cool down."

In reality, they were afraid oily food would burden my liver.

Meanwhile, they ate roast chicken.

I arrived in Blackspire with barely anything in my stomach.

As soon as we got off the train, I was taken to the hospital.

My mom's hospital room was crowded with relatives from her side of the family.

There were also a few video cameras.

This family sure loved putting on a show.

"Oh my, is this Wiley? You look just like your mother."

"Wiley, why are you only coming to see your mom now? She talks about you every day."

"Wiley's finally here to see his mom."

"Your mom's been missing you so much. She's lost weight worrying."

From the same family, they talked in the same way.

My mom was rich.

So, these people were all here putting on a fake show of concern, while also hoping to see some drama.

In my previous life, as soon as donor matching was mentioned, they all suddenly got dizzy spells or stomach aches, or their families wouldn't let them do it.

Their eyes lit up greedily as soon as they saw me, a walking liver donor.

I watched their performance indifferently.

My mom's voice came.

"Wiley, come let me see you. I missed you so much," she said.

She lay in bed looking rosy-cheeked, healthier than me who had just finished exams. She didn't look like someone on death's door at all.

She had used the money she'd squeezed out of my dad during the divorce as seed capital to start a business. Now she owned two companies in Blackspire, three houses, and four cars.

She used only the best and most expensive medicines.

Her hair hadn't even fallen out.

I didn't move towards her.

She looked awkward and turned to the relatives.

She said, "Wiley is so filial. He was willing to skip his college exams to see me, but of course, I wouldn't allow that. I insisted he take the exams first.

"Boys get shy when they grow up. He's just quiet because there are so many people."

The lies rolled off her tongue without a hint of shame.

My grandparents pushed me from behind. I tumbled onto the bed.

My mom seized the chance to grab my hand. "Wiley, lying in this hospital bed every day, all I can think of is how tiny you were in my arms. You were such an obedient child then, always saying you loved me the most.

"I worked so hard to raise you until you were five. Now that I am sick, it's your turn to take care of me."

I scoffed inwardly. Finally, she was getting to the point.

I asked coolly, "How should I take care of you?"

She was taken aback by my coldness. This wasn't the tearful mother-son reunion she had imagined.

She was at a loss for words.

"Get tested as a donor match, to see if your liver can be transplanted to your mom," one of the relatives blurted out.

"She already had us all tested."

Her tone was filled with frustration.