When I was 17, I was brought back to my wealthy biological family. My parents hesitated, exchanging awkward glances. "You have a twin brother and a younger sister, but they..." Looking at their expressions, I understood immediately. My biological siblings probably weren't too thrilled to have me back. But the very next second, the grand double doors were thrown open. A flashy figure strode in, rocking a head of blindingly bright red hair. He announced loudly: "So this is my big sis, huh? I dyed my hair red specifically to celebrate you coming home. Is this festive enough or what?" Following close behind him was a teenage girl with side-swept bangs, clutching a bundle of burning sage, some amethyst crystals, and a vial of holy water. "Sis! I got these specially blessed by a psychic! Let me cleanse your aura and ward off the bad vibes!" "..." Every family has its problems. My family apparently had two. 1 The drive from the orphanage to the multi-million dollar luxury estate took just over an hour. My biological parents had red, teary eyes and couldn't stop staring at me. As the heavy doors pushed open, a world of unimaginable luxury unfolded before me. My parents took my hand and gave me a tour of everything, including the bedroom and private study they had prepared for me, and the elite private prep school I was about to transfer into. However, their enthusiastic chatter suddenly ground to a halt, turning into awkward stammers. "Chloe, you also have a twin brother and a younger sister, but they..." From their tone, I could already guess my siblings' attitude toward me. It made sense. Even with the ties of blood, to this family, I was a stranger. An abrupt intrusion. I opened my mouth, just about to say it was fine. The next second, the grand doors swung open. A flashy figure strode in, rocking a head of blindingly bright red hair. The teenage boy, who shared several facial features with me, looked me up and down before announcing loudly: "So this is my big sis, huh? I dyed my hair red specifically to celebrate you coming home. Is this festive enough or what?" And that wasn't all. Following close behind him was a teenage girl with side-swept bangs, clutching a bundle of burning sage, amethyst crystals, and a vial of holy water. Her voice was loud and clear: "Sis! I got these specially blessed by a psychic! Let me cleanse your aura and ward off the bad vibes!" I fell silent for a moment. I turned my head and saw my biological parents looking like they wanted to crawl into a hole. "..." Before I was brought back, the director of the orphanage had earnestly advised me: "Chloe, every family has its problems. When you go back, try not to resent your parents or your siblings too much. You have a long life ahead of you; don't live in the past." The director probably never imagined that while every family has its problems, my family had two massive ones. Before I could even speak, my biological dad erupted. "Caleb Sterling! What kind of nonsense are you and your sister pulling now?! Didn't I tell you Chloe was coming home today?!" The boy named Caleb—the twin who shared my exact birthdate—didn't show an ounce of respect. "Yeah, and isn't this me welcoming my sister home?" The girl beside him didn't say a word. She just kept waving the burning sage around me, muttering some incomprehensible incantation under her breath. Like she was performing a ritual. Then, she devoutly shoved the amethyst crystals and holy water into my hands, her large eyes sparkling. "Sis, keep the crystals on you at all times, and put the holy water by your bed to repel evil spirits." My dad grabbed a decorative broom from the corner, looking furious. "Repel evil spirits?! The only evil spirits she needs to repel are you two! Caleb, Maya, you get back here right now!" I was left looking at my biological mom, and she at me. She forced a stiff smile. "Chloe... our family is just on the lively side. Please don't mind them." The melancholy I originally felt was blown halfway to heaven by these two siblings. On my very first day back with my biological family, I witnessed my dad chasing his kids around with a broom. The teenage boy sprinted around the courtyard, occasionally turning back to wait for his middle-aged father to catch up, only to dart away again just as the broom was about to land. The sight of my panting, exhausted father was profoundly pathetic. "..." These two were absolute menaces. The afternoon ended with a roar echoing through the mansion: "Caleb Sterling, you are dyeing that red chicken-feather hair back to black tomorrow!" 2 After dinner, my blood-related brother and sister stared intently at me. Like they were trying to find a hidden treasure on my face. Maya spoke first: "Sis, you and Caleb look pretty similar, so why are you so much prettier than him?" "Maya, what's that supposed to mean? I'm your brother!" The girl, two years our junior, rolled her eyes at him. "Just because you're my brother doesn't mean I can't speak the truth." The natural familiarity between these two was something I couldn't insert myself into. Their bickering left no room for me to interject. However, they seemed deeply curious about my past. Maya asked: "Sis, you're so pretty and healthy. How come no family wanted to adopt you all these years?" My memories drifted far away. After a moment, I said, "I was actually adopted by three different families." The siblings before me simultaneously widened their nearly identical eyes. "But within two years of adopting me, each of those families ended up having biological children of their own." It was a strange phenomenon. The couples who came to the orphanage to adopt were usually older or diagnosed with infertility. At first, they treated me wonderfully. But as soon as they had their own children, they felt I was taking up resources meant for their biological kids, and I was sent back under various excuses. As I grew older, families coming to adopt naturally preferred younger children. After hearing this, Caleb blurted out, "Holy crap, you're a literal good luck charm for babies!" "..." Then my biological sister threw another question at me: "Sis, what's your zodiac sign? Let me calculate your birth chart. How can anyone be as unlucky as you?" "Caleb is a Virgo, what are you?" "..." Facing her painfully sincere gaze, I gently reminded her, "I'm his twin." "Right, he's a Virgo. What about you?" Beside her, Caleb didn't seem to think anything was wrong with that question either. The siblings' eyes were identical pools of crystal-clear emptiness. "..." When I was brought back, my school records were transferred over as well. I was enrolled in the same elite private prep school as Caleb and Maya, which housed both a middle school and a high school division. On registration day, Caleb asked, "Sis, which class are you in?" He always called me "Sis" with a slight, unearned swagger. Even though he spoke normally otherwise. "If you run into any trouble at school, come find me. Your brother has quite a bit of pull around here." Beside him, Maya was muttering to herself before leaving the house: "Today's lucky color is green..." And then I watched her emerge wearing an entirely green outfit, a jade bracelet on her wrist, and even a green backpack. "..." Perfect. My two blood relatives. One was an edgy teen with a savior complex, and the other was an astrology girl living in her own magical reality. 3 Caleb didn't know we were in the same class until we were standing right outside the classroom door. My transfer had been abrupt. To save time, my parents simply threw money at the problem to expedite the paperwork. This meant my grades from my previous public school didn't matter. It was the middle of the second semester of junior year; it didn't matter which class I was placed into. Caleb was thrilled. "Same class is great! I've got your back from now on." "..." When the homeroom teacher led me to the podium, I finally got a good look at all the students in the room. Caleb's red hair was glaringly obvious, even sitting in the very back corner. Yet, as soon as the teacher finished introducing me, he was the first to lead the applause: "Welcome to our new classmate!" The students below the podium began whispering: "So that's Caleb's long-lost sister. They do look alike." "She looks so sweet. Honestly, seeing her makes me think Caleb would look pretty good in drag... hehe." I had no idea what Caleb had been telling the class while we were separated earlier. But looking at them, it seemed like everyone already knew who I was. "Chloe, please take a seat." The newly emptied desk in the back row was mine. Caleb was sitting just to my back-left. He gave me a subtle chin-nod, showing off his "network" in the class and proving he truly had the ability to "have my back." "..." During the break, Caleb wasn't the only one. A whole circle of people crowded around my desk. They stared at me like I was an endangered animal. "Caleb, no wonder your family managed to find her after over a decade. She's definitely a Sterling, looks like she was printed from the same mold as you." "Hey there, I'm Mason Clark, Caleb's best bro." "Hey, I'm Wyatt Brooks. We're classmates now." "I'm Zoe Miller! Our families live close by, come hang out when you have free time!" But as soon as they finished, Caleb elbowed them. "Hold up, who are you trying to take advantage of? She's my twin. Born the exact same day, same month, same year, just a few minutes younger," Caleb corrected them. "Call her 'Big Sis'." "..." The edgy junior with red hair loved playing the "Big Brother" role in his friend group. So his sister, born just minutes later, had to be treated as the "Big Sis." On my first day of transfer, I truly felt the sheer aura of money radiating through the school. Most of the students were incredibly wealthy or influential. There were a few rare students who kept their heads down and studied hard, and they actually got along well with the rich kids. My desk mate, Harper Hayes, was one of them. She was a scholarship student recruited by the school in middle school. When she mentioned the hefty stipend the school paid to poach her, I went silent for a moment. Harper continued, "If I can just make it into the top five of the grade, I'll get a higher tier of scholarship money. I know this money is nothing to you guys, but for my family, it's already a lot..." I cut her off: "It is a lot. It's a lot to me too." Even though my parents had opened a new bank account for me and deposited a massive sum of money when I returned, I was used to being poor. Anyone who turned down free money was an idiot. Lost in the thought that I had been missing out on this money, I furiously completed two math worksheets out of pure spite during class. At lunch, Caleb took me to the cafeteria. He stared at me for a long time before suddenly speaking, "Sis." "Yeah?" "Don't you feel like you're missing something?" "Like what?" "You're missing the youthful, vibrant energy of your brother!" He looked at me earnestly. "How about you dye your hair red too? That way, everyone will instantly know you're my sister." "..." I politely declined Caleb's suggestion. He condemned me for lacking any aesthetic taste. 4 A sudden commotion broke out nearby. I looked up and saw a group of students walking in. The teenage boy leading them was treated like royalty by the others. He was incredibly handsome, and judging by the entourage, he was clearly a wealthy heir. Many students who were eating stopped to look at him. Caleb glanced over and let out a cold snort: "Poser." Seeing my gaze still lingering on the boy, Caleb physically grabbed my head and turned it to face forward. "Sis, you just got back, so you don't know how things work around here. See that group that just walked by? Especially that dog in the middle? Stay far away from him. He's an absolute, total poser." "Anyone who poses harder than your own brother can't be a good person." "..." I was silent for a moment, momentarily unable to comprehend his unique art of insulting an enemy by insulting himself first. Seeing me not speaking, Caleb grew alert. He rarely used my full name: "Chloe Sterling, don't tell me you've been bewitched by that pretty boy's face?" "I haven't." I lowered my eyes. I was recalling the photo of the number one student on the school's honor roll. What was his name again? Liam Vance. I had no interest in him personally, but I was highly interested in his number one spot. Caleb was still trash-talking him: "That guy is super shady. Girls like you are the easiest to get fooled by that face..." His resentment was palpable. I could tell these two had serious beef. I nodded in agreement. But Caleb paused. I looked up and met the scrutinizing gaze from those eyes that were so similar to mine. "You're brushing me off!" he accused. In the few days since returning to my biological family, I had confirmed that my twin brother and I had polar opposite personalities. His emotional needs were way too high. Like a Beagle. I rubbed my temples, feeling a headache coming on. When we got home after the school day, our parents first checked in on how I was adapting. Everything was fine. Then it was Caleb and Maya chattering non-stop in my ears. By the end of dinner, I even knew the name of Maya's classmate's dog. Their need to vent was just as high. I looked over at my parents; they were as steady as mountains, occasionally giving a perfunctory nod. They were clearly used to it. Sitting between the siblings, I quickly adapted too. I just couldn't figure out how such calm, steady parents raised two hyperactive Beagles. About a week later, I was fully acclimated to the new school. It was indeed vastly different. In the past, I was a boarding student. Seven or eight of us shared a tiny dorm, sleeping on small, cramped beds. It wasn't overly harsh, but we had absolutely no money. Now, I was chauffeured to and from school. Lunch was monitored by Caleb; he seemed to have set a minimum spending limit for my meals, insisting I spend a certain amount. "You're too skinny. Eat more while you can still grow, get some nutrition. From now on, order according to this standard." Meanwhile, Maya specifically crossed half the campus to bring me a huge bag of snacks. "Sis, eat up!" She pulled out a snack in red packaging, speaking devoutly, "I did a reading for you. Your lucky color today is red!" "..." Just as she tried to slip away, Caleb grabbed her by the back of her collar near the window: "Maya Sterling, do you only have one sibling in this class? Where's mine?" The girl with the high ponytail flipped her side bangs, speaking with absolute righteousness: "If you want to eat, buy it yourself." Caleb laughed out of sheer annoyance: "I knew it! Ever since we were little, you only ever wanted a sister, not a brother!" According to the aggrieved party's later complaints, when Maya was a toddler and couldn't distinguish genders, she saw kindergarten classmates with older sisters and wanted one too. So, she went home and called Caleb "Sister" for a very long time. 5 Once Caleb confirmed I had adapted to my new school life, he resumed his carefree, skipping-class lifestyle. After third period, I glanced back and realized Caleb was already gone from his seat. Until school let out in the afternoon, I didn't see him again. It wasn't just him; the group of guys he usually hung out with were all missing too. The teacher who came in for the next class merely swept a glance over the empty desks and, completely unfazed, began the lesson. The rest of the class didn't seem to care either. I finally asked my desk mate. Harper heard me and explained, "They probably ditched." "Ditched?" Harper lowered her voice: "Yeah, you know our school is full of rich kids. Aside from a few teachers with solid backing who dare to discipline them, the others are afraid of offending the rich kids and losing their jobs. Your brother and his friends used to skip classes from time to time too. The school doesn't care, and your parents... seem to have given up too." I narrowed my eyes. Having played by the rules for over a decade, I truly never expected my twin to be a problem child. I originally thought that red hair was just him expressing his individuality. However, before I could figure out how to guide my biological brother back to the right path, the homeroom teacher came looking for me right before school ended. "Chloe, Caleb got into a fight off-campus and is at the police station. I can't reach your parents. Are you able to contact them?" "..." And that wasn't the end of it. Right after I finished speaking with the teacher, I turned and saw two little girls poking their heads out by the stairwell. I recognized them; they were Maya's classmates. They were waving at me secretively. I walked over, only to hear them say: "Sis! Maya got caught in a teen romance drama and was taken to the police station! You have to save her!" My vision went dark. My parents had taken an afternoon flight abroad for a business deal. It was completely normal not to be able to reach them right now. I called my dad's assistant, then rushed to the police station with the homeroom teacher. Also accompanying us were school administrators and the homeroom teacher of another class. Because the person Caleb had clashed with was the very same number one student I had seen not long ago, Liam Vance. The police station was bustling. When I arrived, I saw Caleb completely ignoring his own fighting situation. He stood with his hands on his hips in front of a younger boy, looking fierce: "Do the Vances have a blood feud with our family or something? The older one plays dirty tricks on me since we were kids, and the younger one dares to hit on my sister?!" The boy, looking defiant, shot back: "Who hit on your sister? She's the one who's been stalking me!" Caleb was furious and wanted to throw hands, but this was a police station, and he couldn't act recklessly. A police officer shouted a warning at them. I saw Maya standing behind Caleb like a frightened quail, but gripping the hem of his shirt. Across from them, the Vance brothers' faces were bruised and battered. Liam and Noah Vance. The police, teachers, and school admins were all present. Yet the Vance brothers were sporting injuries, while Caleb looked completely fine. It seemed glaringly obvious who was at fault. The school administrator said sternly: "Caleb Sterling, you again!" 6 In school, it seemed that not everyone bowed to the wealth of the young masters and misses. The administrator didn't hold back in his criticism of Caleb. Just then, another person walked in. A tall, lean figure came into view—a young man in his twenties wearing jeans and a white T-shirt appeared abruptly. "Uncle," the Vance brothers greeted the newcomer first. "Hello, I'm Ethan Thorne. The guardians of Liam and Noah Vance have entrusted me to handle this matter." Shortly after Ethan entered, my dad's assistant arrived, panting heavily. Noah was younger, and the moment he saw Ethan, he started complaining. I quickly pieced together the sequence of events. The situation was simple: Caleb, skipping class, accidentally spotted his middle-school sister hanging out with his mortal enemy's younger brother. Blood rushing to his head, he charged over to "educate" the punk who was hitting on his sister. This scene was coincidentally witnessed by Liam, and the conflict ignited. Caleb fought one against two, and from the looks of it, he didn't lose. "..." This happened off-campus. I had no idea how these people all managed to skip class during the exact same timeframe. Regarding that, Liam stated: "I took a sick day today." The division of responsibility was actually quite clear. Caleb threw the first punch, and everyone could see the injuries on the brothers' faces. He was in the wrong. Naturally, the school administrators and teachers hoped to settle it privately. To settle privately, a verbal apology and covering the medical bills were unavoidable. But Caleb let out a cold sneer: "I'll pay the medical bills. Apologize? In your dreams!" My dad's assistant wiped non-existent sweat from his forehead, clearly at a loss with Caleb too. Seeing the matter was close to being resolved, only for the main culprit to be uncooperative, the administrator frowned: "Caleb Sterling..." I spoke up at that moment: "Excuse me, may I ask the specific content of the argument that broke out? I'm a bit curious what kind of argument would escalate to physical violence." My words silenced the room for a moment. The school administrator grew impatient: "Does that matter? Caleb Sterling hit someone." I stared straight back at him, my tone calm: "There are visible cuts and bruises on Caleb's arms and the back of his hands. This was clearly a mutual altercation, not a one-sided beating by him." "Also, losing a two-on-one fight? Are you guys useless?" I glanced at the two brothers. "You!" Noah immediately reached out to say something but was stopped by his brother. The looks the school administrator and teachers gave us practically screamed that they thought the three of us Sterling siblings were absolute troublemakers. The next second, I poked Caleb's waist without warning. Caught off guard, he yelped in pain. I reached out and lifted his shirt. On his side was a massive, glaring purple-and-blue bruise, surrounded by smaller ones. "Pretty dirty fighters, aren't you," I looked at the brothers, my expression blank. "I suspect my brother sustained internal injuries. We're requesting to go to the hospital for a medical injury assessment. Let's see whose injuries are more severe before we talk about compensation." When I first walked in, I noticed Caleb occasionally frowning and pressing his hand against his side. Yet this idiot insisted on pretending to be a triumphant, majestic victor. Caleb's injuries instantly turned the tide. I saw the young man who came to handle his nephews' injuries also frown. "Liam, Noah, did you do this?" he asked. The brothers didn't answer. 7 I looked at Maya: "Maya, tell me, what were they arguing about?" Tears welled up in the young girl's eyes. After a moment, she choked out, "Caleb told Noah to stay away from me..." Maya's words brought a turning point to the situation. Initially, it was just a young girl whose confession of love was rejected, witnessed by her brother who was skipping class. As luck would have it, the punk who made his sister experience her first crush was his mortal enemy's younger brother. In a fit of rage, he stepped in to issue a few warnings. Noah's words weren't polite either: "She's been stalking me, giving me love letters and gifts. I don't even like her." That sentence enraged Caleb: "My sister is pretty, smart, sharp, and kind! Who are you to say you don't like her?!" Noah: "She got a 57 in math, how is she smart? You Sterlings are both idiots! Weren't you two always at the bottom of your class since you were kids?" Teenagers speak without a filter. Growing up privileged, and influenced by his brother's grudge against Caleb, Noah looked down on the Sterlings too. He only wanted to use words to attack the other side's defenses, speaking without thinking, not realizing how vicious his words were. "Your parents are idiots too, so stupid they didn't even know if their own daughter was dead or alive. What's the point of finding her now? Living out there for so many years, she's probably been raised into useless trash!" Before he even finished, Caleb's fist landed on his face. No one can tolerate others using their family's trauma as a casual joke, especially mocking it right to their face. Liam appeared just as his brother was getting hit. Not knowing the context, but seeing his brother being unilaterally suppressed, he naturally stepped in to help. When a tearful Maya recounted those words, the room fell into a heavy silence. I hadn't expected this incident to have an underlying connection to me. My background was no secret. Back then, Caleb and I were both premature babies. Human traffickers lurking in the hospital swapped me with a dead infant. The young couple, suddenly struck by the grief of losing a daughter, never suspected foul play in her death. Many years later, when the trafficking ring was busted and this buried past was brought to light, they were shocked to realize their daughter might still be alive. That was how I was found. Recalling the past, the orphanage director said that when they found me, I was so weak I barely had a breath left. Probably due to my frail constitution from being premature, the traffickers realized I was dying before they could even sell me. In a rare moment of conscience, they abandoned me at the orphanage door. Regardless of what was said, those 17 years of displacement were a gap that couldn't be easily bridged. It was a trauma for the family. It was not something to be joked about. "Noah," Ethan's voice rang out, sounding devoid of emotion. "Did you really say that?" The two brothers were clearly a bit intimidated by their uncle, who was only a few years older than them. Noah bit the bullet and retorted: "Who said that? Who can prove it? It can't just be whatever someone says it is, right?" Ethan nodded: "True." However, he turned to the police officer: "Officer, I heard the security cameras caught them. Can I request a copy? If it didn't record audio, I'll hire a lip-reader to see exactly what they said." "Uncle!" The teenager, lacking composure, became angry out of embarrassment. "Whose uncle are you?!" The young man looked at his nephew and said: "Noah, apologize."
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