To get their hands on money so that my younger brother can get married and buy a house, my parents take me to the family tribunal.

They show up in ragged clothes, accusing me of being ungrateful and heartless toward my own family.

If I'm found guilty, I will be sentenced to life imprisonment. All my assets will go to my parents and my brother.

But if I'm not guilty, they will suffer the full backlash instead.

I sit on the stand wearing a trendy designer dress and holding a limited-edition handbag.

My face full of disdain, I say, "They can sue me all they want! I'd rather die than financially support them!"

The court attendees are outraged and start condemning me one after another.

But the moment the trial light lights up, everyone freezes in shock.

On the day I was brought to trial, the courtroom was packed with onlookers eager for a spectacle.

Some of them even threw trash at me.

When they saw my parents, Susanna Wagner and John Thompson, and my brother, Edwin Thompson, dressed in rags, while I was impeccably dressed, they immediately concluded that I was a sinner.

"I know this woman. I've seen her on the news before."

"I heard her parents scrimped and saved to raise her. But after she became successful, she refused to acknowledge them."

"Yeah. She's wearing all these designer clothes, while her parents are in such shabby outfits. How pitiful."

As the crowd gossiped, a hint of triumph flashed in my parents' and Edwin's eyes.

Yet, they still put on an act and said, "Patricia, don't blame us for being ruthless. If you refuse to financially support us, we honestly can't make ends meet. Otherwise, who would have the heart to sue their own daughter?"

As they spoke, they wept bitterly, as if they truly cared for me so deeply.

Hearing this, the onlookers became even more indignant, condemning me as heartless and ungrateful.

Just then, the judge, Clyde Lamber, struck the gavel firmly.

"Order in the court."

Only then did everyone fall silent and wait for the trial to proceed.

Starting from the 25th century, in order to ensure that everyone abided by the law, various kinds of moral tribunals began to emerge.

Among them were friendship tribunals, family tribunals, marriage tribunals, and so on.

These tribunals determined whether a crime had been committed by extracting memories. Once a morally reprehensible act was confirmed, the defendant would pay a heavy price.

And I was the one who was brought to trial by my own family. They came at me aggressively, accusing me of three major offenses.

First, being ungrateful and refusing to support Mom and Dad after achieving success.

Second, disowning my family and cutting off all ties with them.

Third, standing by and doing nothing while Mom and Dad were critically ill.

As soon as these three charges were announced, the crowd erupted in an uproar.

"Oh my god! Is she even human? She's worse than an animal!"

"Don't insult animals! Someone like her deserves to die!"

"Exactly! No wonder her parents are suing her. She had it coming!"

Even Judge Lambert found it unbearable to listen, and the way he looked at me was filled with disdain.

"Ms. Thompson, you should know that if even just one of these charges are proven, you will be immediately sentenced to life in prison. Furthermore, all of your assets will be awarded to your parents."

I sat with my legs crossed and said nonchalantly, "I know."

Judge Lambert frowned imperceptibly and gave a light cough.

"The trial hasn't started yet, so you still have a chance to reconsider. According to the law, you only need to compensate your parents five million dollars and fulfill your duty of support. If you do that, today's trial can—"

Before Judge Lambert could finish, I interrupted with a look of utter disdain, "They can sue me all they want! I'd rather die than financially support them!"

When they saw how cocky I was, the crowd became indignant once again.

"She must be put on trial! Since she's so eager to court death, let her die!"

"Yes, yes! She needs to be taught a lesson!"

Judge Lambert remained silent, as if he also agreed with their sentiments. Then, he turned to look at my parents and said, "Mr. and Mrs. Thompson, although you have sufficient evidence, I still need to make something clear.

"If none of the three charges are proven, and the trial fails, you will suffer the consequences. Not only will you lose everything you have, but you will also be immediately sentenced to life in prison. Do you both agree to this?"

My parents exchanged uneasy glances, and Edwin also looked a little hesitant.

I knew they had no real footing. Instead, they were just trying to use the court of public opinion to strong-arm me.

Just then, Mom stepped forward. With a hypocritical look of concern, she tried to persuade me, "Patricia, stop while you still can. We don't want to see you end up in prison. As long as you're willing to fulfill your duty and give us a little money to survive, we won't hold it against you."

What was laughable was that the onlookers were all singing her praises as a loving mother.

I sneered. Clearly, she was just afraid.

"Dad, Mom, Edwin, you're not scared, are you?"

Provoked by my taunt, Edwin immediately stepped forward and declared with all the self-righteousness he could muster, "Your Honor, we agree! Let's get this trial moving. We've got nothing to fear."

Judge Lambert gave a slight nod, and the trial officially began.

A memory extractor was placed on my head, and next to me was a state-of-the-art lie detector. This was to prevent me from tampering with the memories or cheating.

Soon, the first memory was extracted and displayed on the large screen for the entire nation to watch.

In the video, Mom and Dad arrived from the countryside, looking travel-worn. They were dressed in ragged clothes and were illiterate, yet they still managed to find my company.

"Patricia, we have suffered so much looking for you!"

The moment she saw me, Mom eagerly rushed forward and excitedly pulled out some mangoes from a large burlap sack. Then, she presented them to me like a precious offering.

"These are freshly picked home-grown mangoes. Your father and I made sure to keep them safe the whole trip, because we know how much you love them. Go on, try some."

But I knocked the mangoes to the ground with an indifferent expression.

"I'm very busy. Don't bother me if there's nothing important."

When they saw the mangoes splatter on the ground, Mom and Dad fell to their knees in humility.

"Patricia, please don't be like this. We only came to you because we have no other way to survive. We have no money for food, and the pantry is empty."

"Just think of it as fulfilling your obligation as a daughter and give us some money to live on, okay?"

Both of them pleaded with such tearful sincerity that there wasn't a dry eye among those present.

However, I coldly kicked them to the ground.

"Get lost! It's none of my business even if you starve to death. You want money? Dream on! Security, drag these two out! Don't let them near the company ever again!"

The video cut out suddenly, with the final frame showing my parents wailing in despair and my cold, callous expression.

The onlookers erupted into another uproar.

"She's nothing but an ingrate! Her parents were so good to her. They came all the way from the countryside to see her, and this is how she treats them?"

"Exactly! Who does she think she is? I hope they win the trial and she gets sentenced to prison."

"I pity her parents. If I were her parent, I would've been better off never having kids than ending up with an ingrate like her!"

Mom and Dad took their words as a sure sign of victory and couldn't help but let their smugness show.

But soon, the trial light lit up, and it was red. Though Judge Lambert could hardly believe it, he still struck the gavel.

"The court finds the defendant not guilty on the first charge of ingratitude."

Everyone was stunned, unable to figure out what exactly went wrong.

I remained calm and composed, and the lie detector next to me showed no reaction at all. This was sufficient proof of the outcome's authenticity.

When she saw the light turn red, Mom was visibly flustered.

I overheard her whispering to Edwin, "Are we going to be okay?"

Edwin patted her hand to reassure her, then looked at me with a defiant glare.

"We still have more evidence. Besides, there's no way she won't be found guilty on at least one of the three charges."

Soon, Judge Lambert announced that the second memory would be extracted.

In the footage, I was just 12 years old. Mom and Dad were holding my hands as they took me to the mall for new clothes and all my favorite foods.

Overjoyed, I hopped and skipped, then looked up and asked innocently, "Dad, Mom, what about Edwin?"

A flicker of awkwardness crossed Mom's eyes. "He's a boy, so he needs to be raised strictly. We're only taking you, and we'll buy you whatever you want."

When Edwin heard that from behind, he started wailing and threw himself on the ground in a full-blown tantrum. Yet, Mom and Dad didn't waver in the slightest.

The clothes at the mall were very expensive. A single outfit would cost my parents half a year's wages.

But seeing how much I liked it, they gritted their teeth and bought it anyway.

"As long as you like it, I don't think it's expensive," Mom said.

Even when it came to food, my parents just watched me eat with longing looks.

"I'm not hungry. As long as you're full, that's all that matters."

Deeply touched by the scene, the audience was moved to tears.

"What selfless parents. They deny themselves food and clothing just to give everything to their daughter."

"Pfft! A heartless wretch like Patricia doesn't deserve parents like this!"

However, I scoffed at all this chatter. These people were all fooled by appearances. None of them had any idea of the truth behind it.

Judge Lambert struck the gavel, signaling for everyone to be silent.

Soon, the memory continued playing. This time, the scene shifted to when I was grown up.

Edwin looked at me with a sheepish, uneasy expression.

"Patricia, I'm about to get married. Can you help out with the expenses? When we were kids, Mom and Dad played favorites and only took you to the mall. Yet, I never complained about it. Now that you've made it big, can you take pity on me—"

I let out a cold snort and slapped him across the face.

"Shut up, you crazy mutt. Do I know you? Who are you to ask me to contribute to the expenses?"

With that, I laughed as if I'd just heard the most ridiculous joke.

I looked him up and down and continued, "Not to be harsh, but are you even worthy? Get out of my sight and never show your face in front of me again. I have nothing to do with the Thompson family anymore."

But Edwin refused to let it go. He stood his ground stubbornly and said, "Patricia, if it weren't for Mom and Dad favoring you back then, maybe I would've had a good future too. Don't you bear some responsibility for how things turned out for me?"

Meanwhile, Mom and Dad also emerged from the corner. They latched onto my legs and began playing the victim.

"Patricia, please take pity on Edwin. I heard you make millions of dollars a month. Edwin only needs 200 thousand dollars for the wedding. That's practically chump change to you.

"If it weren't for us favoring you back then, maybe Edwin would've been the successful one now."

With that, they brought up the old story about taking me to the mall when I was little.

It would've been one thing if they'd let it go, but the mention of that only pissed me off more.

Blowing up right there and then, I kicked them all out and shouted harshly, "Get lost, all of you! No matter what you say, it's useless! I cut ties with you a long time ago. Edwin has nothing to do with me. Even if he dies out there, I won't feel a shred of sympathy or pity for him!"

The audience watching the scene erupted, defending Edwin and accusing me of being ungrateful.

"Patricia is way out of line! Her parents favored her since she was a child, while Edwin got nothing!"

"Now he's just asking for some money, and she wants to cut off all ties!"

"Exactly! She makes a bit of money, and suddenly she's too good for her family. Just sentence her to death already. I can't stand watching this."

Their words didn't stir a single emotion in me.

Sure enough, when the trial light lit up, the entire room erupted again.

Of all things, it was another red light.