Reborn on the day of my college entrance exam, my sister pleaded with me to go home and retrieve her forgotten test ticket. I agreed, my lips forming the words, but then turned and spent the better part of the day at the arcade. All because, in my previous life, my sister had used tech to fake her way into becoming the city's top student. To cover her tracks for the upcoming exam, she'd deliberately "forgotten" her test ticket at home, sending me on the frantic errand. When I finally ran back, the ticket clutched in my sweaty hand, she’d thrown herself into our parents' arms, wailing: "Grace is jealous that I could get into a top university! She stole my test ticket to stop me from entering the exam hall!" Even our usually fair-minded head teacher had pointed a finger at me, screaming: "You've always targeted your sister out of jealousy! How dare you ruin her on the day of her college exam? The whole school is counting on her to be the valedictorian and bring us pride!" My parents, desperate for a prodigal daughter, beat me half to death and tossed me onto the street. Under the scornful gazes of everyone, I died, filled with a bitter, simmering hatred. And then, my eyes opened again, back at that brutal turning point in my destiny. 1 "Grace, I left my test ticket at home! Quick, help me get it!" Dianna clutched my wrist, her face a mask of manufactured urgency. "I'm the only one in this whole school with a shot at a top-tier university, I need to stay here and review. Your grades are what they are anyway, but once I become the valedictorian, you'll get to bask in my glory!" A cold sweat instantly broke out. Memories from my previous life washed over me like ice water. My parents, frustrated they couldn't have a son, had resented my sister and me from childhood. We often went hungry and endured brutal beatings from our drunken father. "Worthless things!" he'd roar, "I'm a laughingstock in the village because of you!" Then, I scored perfectly on a test. My father, for the first time ever, placed a piece of braised pork on my plate. Dianna reached for it, wanting to share, but our mother slapped her hand away. "Does a loser like you deserve to eat?!" From that day on, Dianna changed. She started cheating with technological gadgets. By senior year, she was an academic superstar in every subject, renowned across the city. Our teachers held her up as a shining example. Our parents, who favored sons over daughters, actually, for the first time, bought her braised pork and drumsticks. Before the college exam, they even splashed out tens of thousands in rewards. "Dianna truly is my daughter! Once she gets into a top university, our Hayes family will finally hold our heads high!" our father would boast. "Unlike Grace, a total waste. It would've been better to birth a pig than her!" My father, drunk, would praise Dianna, then turn around and punch and kick me in my room. Dianna reveled in the illusion of her fabricated success. But before the college exam, she learned her testing center would have electronic detectors, and panic set in. She knew our parents, obsessed with money, would beat her to death if they discovered her cheating. All those years of tutoring fees, living expenses – the sheer deception alone would be enough to provoke their wrath. So, she deliberately "forgot" her test ticket on exam day, begging me to go home and get it. When I ran back, gasping for breath, she wailed to our parents: "Grace is jealous of my good grades! She stole my test ticket, I can't get into the exam hall, everything's ruined! Mom, Dad, I've failed you…" I frantically tried to explain, pleading with her to tell the truth. "You asked me to get it! When did I steal it?" But then, Mr. Evans, our head teacher, renowned for his fairness and strictness, suddenly burst out. He slapped me hard twice. "You always bullied Dianna at school! Your grades are terrible, and you don't even try! What right do you have to be jealous of her? Petty squabbles are one thing, but on the day of the college exam, you still cause trouble! The whole school is counting on her to be the city's valedictorian, and you've ruined everything!" My father grabbed a brick and smashed it into my forehead. Blood streamed down my face. "We poured so much into your sister, how can you be so vicious? Why don't you just die?!" My mother slapped my face, screaming, "How did I give birth to such a little beast!" Fellow students and teachers watched from a distance, no one intervened. I was left half-dead, tossed onto the roadside to die unjustly. After I died, I discovered that Mr. Evans, the "strict" head teacher, had long been in cahoots with Dianna. He tacitly allowed her to cheat and helped slander me. When the scandal erupted, the National University exceptionally admitted Dianna due to her "outstanding past performance." Mr. Evans was lauded as an outstanding educator. And my parents? They spoiled her rotten. Just before she died, Dianna whispered gleefully in my ear: "When you were praised and got to eat meat, did you ever imagine this day? You owed me this! Now I'm Mom and Dad's darling. Go die!" All that resentment, all for a single piece of braised pork, held for so many years. We were both victims of our parents' sexism. Why didn't she hate them? Why did she lay all the blame on me? Thankfully, fate granted me a second chance. This time, I would make them pay for their crimes in blood! 2 At this moment, only two hours remained until the afternoon exam. Dianna clutched her books, feigning panic. "Grace, if you don't go back and get it, Mom and Dad will definitely blame you for being thoughtless! If you run back now, you'll still make it!" Dianna consistently held the top spot in school, while I was the eternal runner-up. She shone so brightly, naturally no one bothered to pay attention to me. But all I ever wanted was to get into a good university and break free from my toxic family. In my previous life, I hadn't wanted to give up my study time, but Dianna had used our parents to threaten me. Fearing another beating, I didn't even stop for lunch. I gritted my teeth and ran back on foot to our home, dozens of miles away. My feet chafed raw, blisters forming, then bursting, soaking my worn sneakers in blood. I dared not stop, wanting only to be faster, to somehow squeeze in some review time for myself. This time, hearing the same manipulative words, I didn't hesitate. I nodded. "Alright, I'll go get it for you." A faint smile played on Dianna’s lips. I paused, then added, "Give me all your allowance. I'll take a cab to go get it for you." Dianna's smile froze. "Are you trying to rob me? You can't just walk? You need a cab for that short distance?" I blinked innocently. "I'm thinking of you, sis! What if you're late and miss the exam? Mom and Dad only give you allowance. If I don't ask you, who should I ask? Is money more important than getting into a top university in your mind?" Just a few days ago, Dianna had been bragging to a classmate about getting her hair dyed and nails done after the exam. Her allowance wasn't much, so she naturally didn't want to part with it. But to get me to go home for the test ticket, she grudgingly, painfully, pulled out her wallet from her backpack. "Thanks, sis! I'll be back soon!" Before she could count the money, I snatched the entire wallet, turned, and ran out. Leaving Dianna fuming, grinding her teeth in frustration. Out of the school gates, I hailed a cab directly to the nearest arcade. I splashed out on every game, ordered a few takeout meals, and for the first time, felt a sense of blissful ease. These were things that had only appeared in my dreams in my past life. Since I had a second chance, I intended to enjoy it. When the time was right, I hailed another cab and headed home. The moment I stepped through the door, I was unexpectedly slapped to the ground. "Today's the college exam! What are you doing home, you little brat? Thinking of stealing something with your sticky fingers? Feeling brave, are we?!" "Or have you given up and decided not to take the exam? Your old lady at least paid for your high school. Is this how you repay me? This summer, you're going to work in a factory, tightening screws, to earn your sister's living expenses!" My mother yanked my ear, her face a fierce, menacing mask. This time, I'd come home late, just as my parents returned from work for lunch. I stared at them, stunned, and then burst into tears. 3 Normally, no matter how hard they beat me, I wouldn't make a sound. My sudden sobs startled them. "Mom, Dad, I haven't given up! Dianna forgot her test ticket, and she asked me to come back and get it! Quick, go into her room and look! Any later and she won't be allowed into the exam hall!" At my words, they instantly panicked. My mother’s face went pale, and she rushed into Dianna's room, completely flustered. "Oh, Dianna, really! How could she forget something so important!" My father paced back and forth anxiously. "Don't panic, don't panic! If we send it now, it might still be in time!" I sat on the ground, watching the scene unfold, my heart filled with bitter sarcasm. I eagerly anticipated the expression on their faces when they realized the daughter they had placed such high hopes on was, in fact, a tech-cheating fraud. Soon, my mother rushed out of Dianna's room, holding the test ticket that had, in my past life, sealed my fate. She was so overjoyed, she was practically dancing. "Found it, found it! Dianna must have been studying too hard lately, she probably just forgot! Liam, quick, let's take it to her!" Both rushed out the door. I shed my timid, cowardly expression and got up from the ground. Then, with the remaining money, I hailed the most expensive luxury express cab and sped to the school. The show was about to begin! By the time I arrived at school, Mom and Dad, predictably, hadn't made it yet. The exam had already started ten minutes ago. In another five, entry would be strictly forbidden. I strolled leisurely into the school gate and ran straight into Dianna. Her eyes were red, and she stumbled and lunged at me. "Grace, we're the closest of sisters! You can be jealous of me, you can resent me, but how could you possibly steal my test ticket?!" "The teachers, the students, Mom and Dad—they sacrificed so much for this moment! They're all waiting for me to get into a top university, to bring glory to our school! Why would you do this?!" My face was a mask of helplessness, and I frantically shook my head. "Sis, what are you talking about? When did I steal your test ticket? Didn't you tell me you left it at home and asked me to get it?" Dianna clutched her face, dissolving into frantic sobs. "You resent me for stealing Mom and Dad's affection and the teachers' and students' attention! You want to drag me down, to be number one yourself! You physically wrestled the test ticket right out of my hand just now, so why won't you admit it?!" Her voice grew louder and louder, until she was practically screaming. A few students who had just finished their exams gathered around. "Holy cow! Isn't that Dianna Hayes's background prop sister? I heard they didn't get along, but I never thought Grace would be so vicious, actually stealing her test ticket!" "This kind of girl is disgusting! Her own grades are terrible, and instead of figuring out how to improve, she just thinks about dragging others down. Dianna is the only one in our school with a shot at a top university! What are we going to do?" Dianna dropped to her knees in front of me with a thud, right in front of everyone. "Grace, it's almost too late! Please, give me back my test ticket!" I trembled with anger, each word deliberate. "I didn't steal your test ticket!" Dianna glanced at the time. Seeing that fifteen minutes had passed since the exam began, she immediately shot a look at the girls behind her. They exchanged glances, then rushed towards me with ill intent. "The test ticket must be hidden in Grace's backpack!" I let them tear open my backpack. The next second, everyone froze. 4 "How is this possible?! Where's my test ticket?!" Dianna shrieked, her voice rising sharply, her face etched with disbelief. She had never imagined that I, having agreed to go home and get her test ticket, would actually not bring it back! The students around us looked puzzled. "Huh? It's not in her backpack?" Dianna quickly regained her composure, turning to me, pleading. "Grace, where did you hide my test ticket? Please, please give it back to me!" I scoffed, watching her. "You searched my backpack. I never took your test ticket. Why are you slandering me?!" Just then, a stern voice cut through the air. "Everyone, don't believe this liar! I personally saw Grace steal Dianna's test ticket!" The speaker was Mr. Evans, our head teacher, known for his fairness and strictness. He looked at me, his face filled with disappointment. "Grace Stone, you've always bullied Dianna. I didn't intervene much, thinking it was a family matter, but I never imagined you'd actually steal Dianna's test ticket! This is three years of her hard work down the drain! I've never seen such a malicious student!" His words effectively confirmed my "crime" of stealing Dianna's test ticket. My body trembled slightly. Not from fear, but from exhilaration. The bigger this scandal got, the more disastrous their downfall would be once the truth came out. Dianna looked at me with pity. "Grace, just admit your mistake now. There's still time. When Mom and Dad arrive, I'll plead for you. Otherwise, they'll really beat you to death!" I allowed myself a faint, almost imperceptible smile. She didn't know I couldn't wait for them to arrive! Just then, Mom and Dad ran into the school gate. "Dianna! Dianna! We're here!" Dianna’s tears streamed down like broken pearls, and she choked out, "Mom, Dad, I'm so sorry! Grace made me miss the exam! I'm afraid I can't bring you glory anymore!" My parents had been mocked for decades by relatives and friends for not being able to have a son. Now, they finally had a chance to hold their heads high. Hearing Dianna couldn't take the exam, they absolutely exploded. Mom, without asking for any reason, rushed forward and slapped me. "Grace Stone, what have you done now?!" I didn't speak. Dianna continued to add fuel to the fire. "Grace stole my test ticket, making me miss the exam! My own loss is secondary, Mom and Dad, you sacrificed so much for my college exam, and Grace ruined everything! You have to stand up for me!" My mother's raised hand paused. She turned to Dianna, a chilling look in her eyes. "You said you brought your test ticket today, and Grace stole it from you at school?" Dianna flinched, but still braced herself and nodded. "Yes, Mom. Is there a problem?" Mr. Evans, the head teacher, also jumped in to testify. "Mrs. Hayes, I can confirm this. I personally saw Grace steal Dianna's test ticket. She's always subtly attacked Dianna in class. How can a student be so vicious?!" My father clutched the test ticket he hadn't had a chance to present, his gaze murderous. "Dianna Hayes, are you certain?" Dianna nodded emphatically. "Dad, you absolutely have to stand up for me!" She looked at me with schadenfreude, anticipating the brutal beating I was about to receive. However, the next second, something completely unexpected happened…
? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "MotoNovel" app ? search for "392700", and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel