137: Chapter 137 Cui's Mother Comes to the Door

Time slipped away, and soon it was the end of May.

SM Entertainment Company.

Choi Sulli was wearing a loose white hoodie, her short hair tied into a small bun. Beads of sweat dotted her forehead as she repeatedly polished the chorus of the new album in front of the microphone.

The Producer said into the microphone, "Sulli-xi, a bit sweeter. You need to sing with that feeling of first love."

Choi Sulli nodded, took a deep breath, and began again.

Her clear yet soft voice echoed in the practice room, her eyes sparkling with anticipation for the comeback.

Once school started, she wouldn't be able to participate in many of the group's schedules.

So, she especially cherished this comeback before the school term began.

During this time, the album recording progressed smoothly, and her relationship with Liu Zijun grew even more passionate.

The fresh sense of anticipation for starting school gave her a vibrant energy.

Even Dr. Klein had praised her improving mental state during their last remote video consultation.

After a while, the Producer pressed the pause button and said, "Ten-minute break."

Choi Sulli took off her headphones, and Luna immediately handed her a bottle of chilled juice, saying with a smile, "Sulli, that part you just sang was amazing! It had so much feeling."

Choi Sulli's eyes lit up. She took a large gulp of the juice, her cheeks flushing with excitement.

"Really? I was worried I wouldn't be able to capture that feeling. Ji-Jun said I'm most contagious when I smile, so I kept thinking of him just now and followed that feeling."

Luna said with a giggle, "Joon oppa is still your first love!"

The two girls were instantly overjoyed!

Krystal Jung sat to the side, shaking her head helplessly. Hearing this, she lifted her eyelids slightly, a faint, imperceptible smile touching the corners of her mouth.

That man seemed to be her first love as well.

Just then, the recording studio door was cautiously opened by Han Jaeran. He apologized to the Producer and then looked at Choi Sulli with a complicated expression.

"Seol-ri! Your mother is here to see you; she's downstairs."

Choi Sulli's heart instantly tightened, and her whole body trembled.

Without her realizing it, the relationship between mother and daughter had gradually grown more distant.

Lowering her head, Choi Sulli followed behind Han Jaeran, walking out step by step.

As soon as they reached the practice room floor, a sharp female voice immediately caught everyone's attention.

"Hey! Choi Jin-ri! Get over here!"

SM Entertainment Company staff, several artists, and trainees all looked towards the source of the sound.

They saw Choi Sulli's mother standing aggressively in the reception area, her face full of rage.

Cuis Mother was wearing a glitzy dress and carrying a designer bag. She stared straight at Choi Sulli, completely disregarding her surroundings.

Choi Sulli's body froze instantly. She subconsciously shrank back, a flash of panic and fear in her eyes. The juice bottle in her hand almost fell to the floor.

The thing she feared most had finally happened.

Her voice carried an obvious tremor and fear.

"Umma... why are you here?"

Cuis Mother rushed to Choi Sulli in a few steps and grabbed her wrist, her grip so tight that Choi Sulli furrowed her brows in pain.

"Why am I here? If I didn't come, were you planning to forget about our whole family?"

Her voice was sharp and piercing, causing many staff members in the hallway to poke their heads out and watch.

"So your wings have grown strong now, haven't they? Why did you change your payroll card? Who gave you the nerve!?"

The hall fell silent instantly. Han Jaeran barked at everyone to get back to work, and many people tactfully retreated to the side, their eyes filled with awkwardness.

Han Jaeran wanted to step forward and say something, a look of solemnity flashing in his eyes.

Seeing Cuis Mother's aggressive stance, it was clear she hadn't come with good intentions. If he stepped in to help, it might only make things worse.

"I..."

Choi Sulli bit her lip, wanting to explain, but she was interrupted by Cuis Mother.

Cuis Mother forcefully flung her hand away. Choi Sulli stumbled back a couple of steps before steadying herself.

"What 'I'?"

"In the past, your money was always kept by me. Family expenses, business turnover—which of those didn't rely on your money?"

"Now that you've suddenly changed the payroll card to your own name, now that you're an adult, do you just want to stop caring about us?"

Choi Sulli's eyes began to redden. She said aggrievedly, "I didn't..."

"This was the company's arrangement. President Jiang said... said it would be more convenient for me to manage my own finances."

Cuis Mother sneered, "Company arrangement? I think it was your own idea!"

Her eyes swept over the others watching, and she intentionally raised her volume.

"Do you think just because you've become a big star, you can look down on your family? Have you forgotten who raised you, who sent you to be a trainee? Now that you're a star, you want to kick us aside?"

Choi Sulli's body began to shake even more violently. She clenched the hem of her clothes tightly, and tears began to flow.

What she feared most was her mother's indiscriminate accusations. Past pressures and grievances flooded back into her heart. The scene before her began to blur, and Cuis Mother's voice sounded like a buzzing noise through a thick barrier.

She remembered how, when she was a child, her parents always left the best things for her older brothers. When they sent her to SM as a trainee, the thing they said most was, "Make sure to earn plenty of money to support the family later."

She remembered how, after her debut, her payroll card was held by her mother, who only gave her a bit of pocket money each month.

She remembered Jiang Hongshao finding her and saying, "A girl needs to control her own finances to have confidence," and taking the initiative to help her change the payroll card to her own.

These images intertwined in her mind, causing her previously stable emotions to fluctuate.

The emotional trigger point Dr. Klein had mentioned was hit precisely at this moment. Her eyes gradually became hollow, and she stood there, lost and helpless.

Seeing her silence, Cuis Mother pushed further, stepping forward and pointing at her nose while cursing:

"Look at you, you useless thing!"

"How did I raise such an ungrateful wretch? The family provided you with food and clothes, letting you become a star everyone envies. Is this how you repay us?"

"Also, I heard you've been getting close to a bodyguard in the company?"

"Choi Sulli, do you have water in your brain?"

"Of all the outstanding people you could choose, you just had to like a bodyguard with no background. What kind of future could you possibly have!"

These words stung Choi Sulli to the core.

She snapped her head up, her eyes full of defiance. Extremely agitated, she shouted with a trembling voice, "Don't you dare talk about oppa like that! He's wonderful, and he treats me so well! A thousand times, ten thousand times better than you!"

Cuis Mother sneered, not expecting Choi Sulli to actually talk back.

Her tone was full of disdain.

"Wonderful? A thousand times, ten thousand times better? So you dare to talk back now, do you? Can he buy you a luxury mansion or give you resources for your career?"

"Choi Jin-ri, I'm telling you, cut ties with him immediately! You must listen to me!"

...