In our past life, Chloe and I were adopted on the exact same day. Chloe, the bubbly little sunshine, was taken into a cold, strict, and unforgiving family, eventually driven to depression and suicide. And I, the gloomy, cynical one, was taken by a warm, loving family... only to be returned. After being sent back to the orphanage, I was severely isolated and eventually met the same tragic end as Chloe. Reborn into a new life, Chloe asked, "Should we..." Without hesitation, I said, "Switch." 1 When the two couples came to choose, I noticed Chloe's hands were trembling non-stop. It was entirely different from the eager anticipation she showed in our past life. I knew immediately: Chloe had been reborn too. As for me, I maintained my usual gloomy, apathetic expression. To my surprise, Chloe actively came over to comfort me. "Don't worry, they'll definitely pick you." I shook my head. "It doesn't matter. They'll just send me back anyway." Hearing my words, Chloe's eyes went wide. In that momentary eye contact, we rapidly communicated our shared memories. In our past life, Chloe was adopted by the wealthy and powerful Sterling family. However, when she enthusiastically threw herself into her new home, the freezing reality of the Sterlings left her bruised and broken. The Sterlings adopting a daughter from an orphanage seemed like nothing more than fulfilling a quota. They had no love for Chloe. They only offered programmatic, perfunctory care, along with a mountain of strict rules to control her. Chloe tried. She tried using her lively, obedient nature to earn some warmth, but all she got was severe self-doubt. Under that suffocating atmosphere, Chloe sank deeper into depression every single day. Finally, she took a leap from a high building, finding her only release. As for me, I was adopted by the Miller family. Mr. Miller was a middle school principal, and Mrs. Miller ran a kindergarten. Both of them possessed an endless, overflowing enthusiasm for children. They desperately wanted me to respond with that same level of enthusiasm. But no matter how hard I tried to fake it, I couldn't. In the end, the Millers were disappointed and returned me to the orphanage. After returning, I became the 'ungrateful brat' in everyone's eyes. Many of the other kids resented me for wasting a precious adoption opportunity, leading to severe isolation. Coupled with the news of Chloe's death, I lost all will to live. I never expected we would both be reborn. 2 Just like in our previous life, both the Sterlings and the Millers wanted Chloe. Just standing there, she radiated the vibrant energy of a sunflower. Who wouldn't like her? Being chosen by both meant one family had to give her up. In our past life, the orphanage director stepped in to smooth things over. She pushed Chloe toward the Sterlings and suggested the Millers take me instead. The Millers, noting that I looked somewhat similar to Chloe, agreed. In this life, the exact same stalemate occurred. But this time, without waiting for the director to step in, I proactively walked toward the Sterlings and said, "Choose me. I can become exactly what you want." Mr. and Mrs. Sterling were stunned. Meanwhile, Chloe sprinted to the Millers' side, smiling sweetly. "Thank you so much for wanting to take me home." The Millers joyfully accepted her. And just like that, the Sterlings had no choice but to agree to my request. So, in this life, Chloe went to the Millers. And I, Ava, went to the Sterlings. 3 The Sterling family currently consisted of three people. With me, there were four. Arthur Sterling was the father, Victoria was the mother, and Julian was the older brother. All three were entirely consumed by their work, so the house was usually cold and empty. We only saw each other during dinner. Honestly, I loved the quietness of the day. I could read my manga in perfect peace. When the maids asked, "Miss Ava, would you like [insert food] for lunch today?", a simple nod was all it took. As for their muttered complaints of "Why doesn't she speak all day?", I just pretended I didn't hear them. Dinner time, however, wasn't nearly as relaxing. Even when Arthur put food on my plate, it sounded like an order. "Eat this piece of fish." I immediately held up my bowl to receive it, replying with equal seriousness, "Understood. Thank you, sir." An eerie, awkward silence instantly fell over the dining table. Even Julian, who had treated me like thin air since I walked through the door, shot me a glance. Victoria finally spoke up. "You don't need to be so formal at home." Except, her expression was freezing cold when she said it. I nodded. "Understood. I see." Victoria sighed. She looked at Julian and said, "Starting today, remember to teach your sister some proper etiquette and rules." Julian rolled up his sleeves and gave a low, dark "Okay." 4 The next day, Chloe rushed over to meet me. After jumping out of the car, she enthusiastically waved at the driver's seat. "Bye, Mom! Bye, Dad!" "Bye, sweetie!" A warm laugh echoed from the car. I knew Chloe going to the Millers was exactly the right choice. The first thing Chloe asked when she saw me was, "How are things at the Sterlings'?" Before I could answer, she sighed. "Actually, asking is pointless." However, Chloe told me a lot more about the Sterling family. It turned out the reason the Sterlings went to the orphanage in the first place was because their biological daughter had died in an accident. They wanted to adopt a girl of a similar age to fill the void. This was entirely Arthur and Victoria's idea. Julian was vehemently opposed to it. He believed that his sister was gone, and she shouldn't be replaced by a new one. That's why, in our past life, Julian's attitude toward Chloe was always abysmal. Chloe warned me repeatedly, "No matter how Julian treats you, absolutely ignore him." 5 But it was impossible for me not to interact with Julian. Per Victoria's orders, he had to teach me the rules of high-society living. Julian called me into his study. The moment I stepped inside, his handsome face instantly radiated pure ice. He frowned and snapped, "Don't you know how to knock?" I replied rigidly, "I apologize. I will try again." I stepped out, knocked several times, and only went back in after. Julian continued to scrutinize me. "In a few days, it will be your Aunt Victoria's birthday. Many people will be here. What will you say when you meet them?" I said expressionlessly, "Hello, I am Ava. It is a pleasure to meet you." Julian looked at me. "Do you not know how to smile?" "I am not naturally inclined to smile." Julian: "..." Finally, he said to me, "Being like this will make it very hard for people to like you." That's fine. I don't really care about that. However, Julian seemed slightly shocked to see a faint, disdainful smirk ghost across my lips. "A dead pig doesn't fear boiling water," he scoffed coldly. Keep insulting me. What if I actually start enjoying it? 6 Since Julian declared I was too difficult to teach, Victoria decided to take over personally. Aside from when I was at school, Victoria would make time to supervise me during my other activities, like piano and tennis lessons. While I was playing the piano, Victoria sighed repeatedly. "Why do your hands look like chicken claws?" "In the past, every time it was my birthday," Victoria continued, "Lily would come out and play the piano. Making you do it right now is like trying to teach a pig to sing." Lily was the Sterlings' deceased daughter. I looked at Victoria and said, "I can do it next year." "Next year?" Victoria said casually. "That depends entirely on your performance." Even though I was impervious to most things, when Victoria said that, my sharp instincts picked up on the key information. So I said, "I will perform well. Please don't send me back." "So you are afraid of that." A slight ripple appeared in Victoria's usually cold expression. "Ava, I recall you saying you were willing to become whatever we wanted you to be, correct?" I nodded. "Yes." "What if I want you to become just like Lily?" I remembered the family portrait hanging in the villa. The Lily in the photo looked gentle and elegant. I had learned a little bit of drawing in the past, so I imagined myself as a model mimicking Lily, and successfully produced a soft smile. Victoria was instantly captivated. She looked at me critically. "Not bad." That day, I practiced in the soundproof piano room until the early hours of the morning, eventually falling asleep on the bench. The nanny found me there the next morning. When Julian found out, he was disgusted by how desperately I was trying to flatter them. But Victoria was very satisfied. 7 Victoria's birthday arrived. As the banquet approached, the Sterling family dressed impeccably. As for me, I was wearing a snow-white cocktail dress that Victoria had prepared, with a beautiful ribbon clip fastened in my styled hair. But after I put it on, a fully suited Julian walked in, ripped the ribbon clip from my hair, and demanded of Victoria: "What right does she have to wear the same clothes as Lily?!" Victoria: "Because she is your sister now." Julian pointed at me and said, "How is she my sister?! My sister is dead!" Victoria's face darkened. "You are not the master of this house yet. Not unless I'm dead too." "Fine. Perfect." Julian sneered. He turned to me. "Ava, listen to me. You do not deserve this." I didn't say a word. Julian locked onto me with a piercing glare. "Ava, do you have absolutely no self-respect?" Hearing that, I froze for a moment. I sort of understood why Chloe had found the Sterling household so suffocating. I could imagine that if she were here, she would be drowning in a tidal wave of grievance and injustice right now. But I seemed to have been born missing a crucial sensitivity chip. No matter how harsh the words were, when they hit my ears, it was like dropping a coin onto a pile of cotton—it didn't even make a muffled thud. "I apologize. I will be more mindful next time." Julian turned to Victoria. "Mom, look at her. Look at how pathetic she is." Victoria said in dissatisfaction, "Ava, have you forgotten what I told you?" Oh, right. Be like Lily. I held my hand out and said gently, "Brother, please give the hair clip back to me." I just needed to follow orders. Julian shuddered violently. He immediately threw the butterfly clip back at me and ordered, "Do not ever call me that again." Sorry, but Victoria makes the rules in this house. 8 Chloe also attended the banquet because the Millers and the Sterlings were acquaintances. Chloe stealthily pulled me aside and pulled out a wallet. She said, "Ava, I get so much allowance now! Did you buy Aunt Victoria a birthday present? You absolutely cannot skip the present. If you don't have enough money, I'll give you some." "No need, I have money. Just save yours. What if in the future..." I paused. I originally wanted to say, what if the Millers don't want you in the future? But then I remembered Chloe wasn't me. The Millers would adore her. I continued, "I already gave Aunt Victoria her present." "What was it?" "Aunt Victoria likes watercolors, so I painted her a picture." Chloe: "Then she must love it." Before giving it to her, I wasn't sure if Victoria would like it. But this morning, when I saw that watercolor painting sitting in the trash can, I knew she didn't really like it. Oh, she disliked it very much. While Chloe and I were talking, Victoria came over and pulled me away, telling me to go greet the guests.
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