Chapter 4
Manda looked at me in deep pain, shaking her head in disappointment.
“Alice, how did you end up like this?”
“You’ve really disappointed me!”
Mandy stepped closer to me, her face wearing a victorious smile.
“Alice, do you have anything to say?”
She looked down at me, her tone dripping with mockery.
Great, the stage has been set. Now it’s my turn to perform.
“Mandy,” “Mother,” come and enjoy your last requiem!
...
“This video is too blurry,” I said, my voice clearly reaching everyone’s ears.
I pointed at the swaying figure on the screen, “You can’t even tell if it’s a man or a woman, so how can you be sure it’s me?”
Mandy sneered, raising a file in her hand.
“Alice, stop arguing. This is a report from an authoritative institution, proving that the video is absolutely authentic.”
“You are the murderer!”
“Mentally unstable but ruthless—she is a born criminal.”
She paused, raising her voice to make sure everyone could hear her nauseating “justice.”
“And to prevent you from hurting others again, we’ve contacted the best psychiatric hospital.”
“They will provide you with the most ‘comprehensive’ treatment.”
Manda followed up with another strike, her fake, sorrowful face written with grief.
“Alice, you’ve really disappointed me!”
“Why did you do this? Are you really mad?”
“Sending you for treatment is for your own good! Stop being stubborn!”
She tried to nail me to the shame pillar of being both a lunatic and a criminal.
“Hold on!” a loud voice interrupted the commotion in the banquet hall.
The crowd parted, and Dr.John strode in, his face filled with suspicion.
Dr.John, my university mentor, a towering figure in the scientific community.
He was also the one I had contacted for help while in the nursing facility.
He walked straight to the projector, pointing at the surveillance footage on the screen. “This video has problems.”
[Paywall content here]
Mandy’s smile froze, and she tried to stay calm.
“Dr.John, what do you mean by that? This has been professionally verified…”
“Professional verification?” Dr.John snorted coldly, interrupting her.
“What professional verification? Look carefully, at the 17th and 23rd seconds of this video, the light and shadow changes are obviously discontinuous. Doesn’t that look like signs of editing?”
He suddenly turned and glared at Mandy and Manda.
“What are you two trying to hide?!”
Manda’s face turned pale instantly.
Mandy, on the other hand, bit her lip tightly, her eyes filled with fear.
“Also,” Dr.John’s gaze turned to me.
“Alice, although you show symptoms of ‘rabies,’ your reaction speed and logical thinking ability are far beyond ordinary people.”
“This does not match the behavior of a mentally unstable patient.”
He turned to the crowd, his tone firm. “I demand that this video be re-evaluated immediately!”
“Also, Alice should undergo a comprehensive psychiatric assessment!”
“I want to know what conspiracy is hiding behind all this!”
Mandy and Manda panicked.
Their carefully planned “performance” was about to be completely exposed by Dr.John.
Manda tried to make a last-ditch effort, pleading, “Dr.John, you can’t do this!”
“Alice is really a lunatic! A criminal! You’re covering for her!”
But her voice sounded weak.
“Alice, you’re not my biological child.”
Manda suddenly said this while watching the public opinion shift.
Everyone froze, including me.
