I was shocked, but luckily I had already locked the just-received property deed in the drawer.

I have a side business that earns quite well. Last year, without telling anyone in my family, I bought a three-bedroom house in the provincial capital with full payment.

Normally, half of my salary goes to my family each month, and I also have to bear the monthly mortgage for Xiaobei's house. If it weren't for my side business, I would have starved long ago.

As soon as I got home, I saw my parents sitting, one on the bed and the other on the computer chair, both staring at me with stern faces.

My mom spoke first: "I heard from Xiaobei that you are unwilling to buy a birthday gift for Zhenzhen? Zhenzhen is angry now, saying she wants to break up with Xiaobei. Xiaobei is crying and causing a scene at home. What kind of sister are you!"

"Do I have to give her whatever she wants? If breaking up over this reason is what she wants, I think it's fine," I said calmly.

"Xiaonan!" my dad interjected, "You're not broke. Don't think I don't know. You make tens of thousands in commission every month from selling houses. This amount of money is nothing to you. What's wrong with giving it to Xiaobei's girlfriend?"

"Dad, you know the current market situation. Who's buying houses now? I haven't closed a deal in months. I'm just earning a fixed salary now!" I started playing the poor card.

A few years ago, in order to sell a house and earn more money to support my family, I almost trampled on my own dignity, living on plain water and steamed buns, wishing I could split every penny in half.

But all I got from doing this was my family's intensified demands on me. No one thanked me; they all thought it was only natural.

Later, I gradually realized that I also have the right to enjoy, the right to be selfish. To avoid being exploited by them, I bought my own house behind my family's back, leaving only a few tens of thousands for next year's renovation.

Seeing that I really couldn't come up with money, my parents asked me for a thousand yuan, saying they needed it for a friend's banquet later, as they forgot to bring a gift.

"We've raised you for so long, spent who knows how much money on you. Now it's time for you to repay us," my dad said before leaving.

That night, he got into a car accident.