Chapter 56: Chapter 55: Mom, I’m Back
Cecilia Sterling shook her head, sobbing uncontrollably. "I was wrong. I’m sorry, Mom. Can you forgive me?"
Jasmine Sterling choked up, "Cecilia, you’re not wrong. It’s Mom’s fault. I understand if you resent me."
Hearing this, Cecilia Sterling raised a hand to gently wipe the tears from her mother’s cheeks and said earnestly, "Mom, I don’t resent you anymore. I stopped resenting you a long time ago. Lorcain Tech is great. I’m very happy and content at Lorcain Tech."
Back when she took her college entrance exams, Cecilia Sterling had scored over 700, enough to apply to the astronomy department at Aerospace University, which she had always dreamed of.
Unexpectedly, the admissions office from Lorcain Institute of Technology traveled a great distance to Veridia with the utmost sincerity, personally visiting their home to make a special recruitment offer and promising a special recruitment bonus of 200,000.
At that time, 200,000 was undoubtedly a solid safety net for Jasmine Sterling, who was raising three children by herself and wanted all of them to get into college and build successful lives.
Two high schoolers, one college student, and her second daughter wanting to take the art school entrance exams... The energy and money required over many years was truly more than Jasmine Sterling could bear, and that 200,000 gave her hope for the future.
Back then, Cecilia Sterling couldn’t understand why her mother had asked her to make such a sacrifice. It wasn’t until many years later that she finally understood her mother’s difficulties and hardships.
People only come to understand certain things after they’ve grown up. Her past stubbornness and selfishness had served no purpose other than to bring endless pain to her loved ones.
So now, Cecilia Sterling only felt grateful. She was grateful that fate had given her another chance. This time, she had to apologize to her mother in person, tell her she understood, and let her know she was still happy even after going to Lorcain Tech.
Jasmine Sterling looked at her daughter and nodded, gratified. Then, it dawned on her, and she pulled her daughter inside. "You didn’t even tell me you were coming back! I could have prepared all your favorite foods. First thing tomorrow, I’m going to the market to buy your favorite white-cut chicken."
Cecilia Sterling smiled through her tears. "I wanted to surprise you."
With that smile, the unspoken issues between mother and daughter finally dissolved.
The small home, less than eighty square meters, felt familiar to Cecilia Sterling down to every last nook and cranny. Sitting on the sofa, she felt as if she had been transported back to her childhood, when she would wait every day after school for her mother to come home from work with sweet, roasted sweet potatoes.
"Are you hungry? I still have some wontons I made in the fridge. Should I cook some for you?"
Cecilia Sterling shook her head and patted the sofa. "I ate on the plane. Mom, sit down. I want to talk with you."
Hearing this, Jasmine Sterling sat down close to her daughter. They hadn’t seen each other in a year. Her daughter seemed a bit thinner, but she looked well, which put her mind at ease somewhat.
"It’s not a holiday or anything, so why are you back? Did you get time off from school?"
"Mhm." Cecilia Sterling nodded. "I took leave until the National Day holiday, so I can stay home for a few extra days."
Her daughter hadn’t been back in a year, so Jasmine Sterling was naturally happy that she could stay for a few extra days.
"Where’s Ethan? It’s almost ten, and he’s still not back?" Cecilia Sterling only just realized her younger brother wasn’t home.
"He has evening self-study. He should be back around this time." After saying this, Jasmine Sterling let out a faint sigh.
Cecilia Sterling keenly picked up on her mother’s strange reaction and asked with a confused look, "What’s wrong, Mom? Is Ethan having problems with his schoolwork?"
Growing up, the three siblings had never given their mother the slightest reason to worry about their academics. That was why she was so surprised to see her mother sigh quietly at the mention of Ethan.
She herself had scored over 700 on her college entrance exams, so her academic achievements were undeniable.
Her younger sister, though an art school applicant, had also been a model student since she was young.
Her younger brother, Ethan Sterling, was even more impressive than his two outstanding older sisters. He had been first in his grade from elementary through high school and had even ranked first in the entire city on his high school entrance exams.
It was precisely because all three of her children were so exceptional that Jasmine Sterling was willing to do whatever it took to put them all through college. She believed her children would all have successful futures.
"Ethan... he’s... gotten obsessed with video games lately."
"What?" Cecilia Sterling was so shocked she shot right up from the sofa.
Seeing her daughter’s strong reaction, Jasmine Sterling quickly added, "It hasn’t affected his studies too much, though. He still placed second in his grade on the diagnostic test at the start of the term."
’Second in his grade?’
’He’s always been first!’
The reason Cecilia Sterling was so agitated was because, in her past life, her brother had also ruined his life over video games. In college, he had abandoned his studies to participate in some esports Youth Training Competition, determined to become a pro player.
But all of that had happened after he got into a top university. She never expected it to start so much earlier this time, right before the crucial period leading up to his college entrance exams.
After composing herself, Cecilia Sterling sat back down and gently took her mother’s hand. "Mom, don’t worry. I’ll talk to Ethan about this."
Jasmine Sterling nodded quickly. "He’s always listened to you more than anyone. If you talk to him, I’m sure it’ll work. He’s a teenager now. I’m afraid that if I’m too harsh, it’ll just backfire. He might listen to you, though."
"You know I’ve never wanted you kids to only focus on your studies. A balance between work and rest is a good thing, but he has less than a year until his college entrance exams. This time is absolutely crucial!"
"I know. Don’t worry, Mom. Just leave it to me."
They waited until after midnight before the sound of a key turning in the lock finally came from the front door.
Ethan Sterling poked his head in furtively. Only a single table lamp was lit in the living room. Cecilia Sterling sat in the shadows with a dark expression, looking as startling as a midnight specter.
"Gah—"
Ethan Sterling jumped, startled. But when he got a clear look at her face, his shock melted into excitement and joy. "Sis!"
Cecilia Sterling, who had been furious, felt her anger instantly evaporate. Still, she feigned annoyance and chided, "You brat, what time do you call this?"
Ethan Sterling paid no mind to his sister’s words, rushing forward to pull her into a tight hug. "Sis, you’re finally back! I missed you to death!"
They hadn’t seen each other in a year, and her younger brother had grown quite a bit. He looked to be almost six feet tall now.
Cecilia Sterling pushed him away, feigning anger, and asked with a stern face, "I asked you a question. Where were you that you’re only coming back now?"
Ethan Sterling pursed his lips and gave a sheepish grin, whispering timidly, "I went to an internet cafe to play games for a little while... Ow—that hurts!"
Crying out, Ethan Sterling raised a hand to cover the spot on his head his sister had just rapped. He pulled his neck in, looking aggrieved. "I was wrong, Sis!"
"Oh, so you know you were wrong now?" Cecilia Sterling said, glaring. "Your classmates used to try to drag you to internet cafes and you’d never go. Now, with the entrance exams right around the corner, you’ve decided to start? You sure have great timing!"
"The pressure in my last year of high school is just too much. I just went to blow off some steam. It won’t affect my grades," Ethan Sterling mumbled, pouting.
Cecilia Sterling raised her hand as if to strike him again, and Ethan Sterling flinched, curling into himself. But she couldn’t bring herself to land a second blow.
"Mom’s asleep now. I’m not going to wake her. Tomorrow, you come straight home after school. We’re going to have a proper talk."
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