Meanwhile, Emma, with my mom's financial support, polished her resume, studied abroad, and returned to join forces with Jeremy to drain my mom's assets.

Now that I was back home, their plans had already been derailed.

This was just the beginning.

I would shatter all their schemes from here on out.

In the days that followed, no matter how harshly my mom spoke, I calmly nodded and agreed.

Whatever she said, I responded with "yes, yes, yes," "right, right, right."

"Stop playing games all day! Have you done your homework?"

"I finished my homework, uninstalled the games, and sold all the in-game items. I transferred the money to your account."

My mom looked at me skeptically. "... I don't believe you."

But she soon found out I was telling the truth.

After a few rounds of this, my mom's attitude toward me softened noticeably.

This, of course, worried Jeremy.

He was expecting a fight between my mom and me, not a peaceful resolution. How could that be allowed to happen?

He decided to make a move.

"I heard there's a pilot recruitment team visiting Susan's school."

My mom immediately perked up. "That's a great opportunity—you must take it seriously."

In my previous life, I passed the initial pilot selection but was eliminated during the final interview because of my emotional instability.

The real reason was that Jeremy manipulated me into thinking my mom didn't love me or my late father.

My emotional turmoil during the final interview led to my failure in the psychological assessment.

My mom thought I deliberately messed up, and I responded to her with sarcasm. From then on, our relationship was irreparably damaged.

"Susan probably isn't interested in this. We should let her decide," Jeremy interjected.

"Who says I'm not interested? I've already signed up."

I pulled out the registration materials I had prepared.

"The initial screening is mainly a physical exam. The teacher said I have a good aptitude, so as long as I maintain my health, I should be fine."

For the first time, I saw a look of satisfaction on my mother's face. "It's rare to see you being so sensible—I'm not used to it."

I nodded obediently.

"Get used to it. I'll only become more sensible."

Emma grew anxious and tugged at my stepfather's sleeve, but he kept his head down, quietly eating.

This time, I was determined to succeed.

My breakfasts started getting more elaborate.

In fact, they became overly indulgent.