When I discovered that my adoptive parents' family had stolen my "luck," I decided to let it all go. I started slacking off. I daydreamed in class, handed in blank exams, and voluntarily sat next to the worst student in our grade. The result? My slacking off got me accepted into Stanford, my adoptive sister didn't even get into a community college, and my adoptive parents' business was on the verge of bankruptcy. They knelt and begged me to try hard again. I sneered: "Move aside. Don't block my way to inheriting a multi-million dollar fortune." 1. After receiving another abysmal report card, I jumped into the river. Standing on the bridge, the disappointed faces of my adoptive parents flashed through my mind. They said, "Maya, why did you do so poorly again?" My adoptive sister, Chloe, sneered from the side, "You pretend to work so hard all the time, but the truth comes out during the exams." I defended myself quietly. I wasn't pretending. I really was trying my best. I only slept five hours a day, attended four tutoring classes on weekends, and had stacks of study materials piled high. I even memorized vocabulary words while eating and walking. But hearing this only made Chloe laugh louder. She said, "Maya, if you work so hard, why are you always at the bottom of the class?" Out of more than six hundred seniors, Chloe consistently ranked in the top three, while I was always somewhere past four hundred. To her, I was practically dead last. I had no answer, but Chloe wouldn't let it go. "Either you're a liar, or there's something wrong with your brain." She leaned in and whispered in my ear, her words feeling like a curse: "Either way, you're just trash. What's the point of you even being alive?" "Maya, why don't you just die?" Later, I kept asking myself: What is the point of me being alive? My grades were terrible, nothing went right, and the people around me treated me like a jinx, avoiding me at all costs. I closed my eyes and leaped into the freezing river. 2. [Congratulations on awakening the 'Slacker System.' Activation successful. Wishing you a happy life where all your wishes come true.] A robotic voice echoed in my head. Just as I opened my eyes, a wave of nausea hit me. After coughing for what felt like ages, I finally felt a bit better. I looked around, my emotions a tangled mess. I didn't die. I had learned the whole truth and awakened the Slacker System. It turned out I was originally supposed to have a happy, fulfilling life. But my adoptive parents' family schemed to steal my "luck" (qi yun). The harder I worked, the happier they became, and the unluckier I got. I felt the [Slacker Progress Bar] in my mind. It was a metallic cylinder, with the number 0% displayed right above it. When that number hits 100%, I will get my luck back and live a normal life. A cold wind blew, and I couldn't help but shiver, pulling my jacket tighter around me. All those agonizing memories finally made sense. My adoptive parents pushed me to study relentlessly, nearly driving me insane. It was all just to ensure Chloe got excellent grades and their business thrived. That's why, no matter how much Chloe cried and complained about me, they insisted on keeping me around. I had begged them for familial love, but from beginning to end, they only saw me as a tool to be used. The people I thought were my family were actually the culprits who pushed me to despair. I swear I will make them pay. 3. By the time I walked home, it was already dark. My adoptive parents' family was having dinner, laughing and talking. Seeing me walk in, they instantly went quiet. Chloe let out a cold snort: "Oh, you know how to come home? I thought you did so badly on the test you were too ashamed to show your face." My adoptive father put on a fake smile: "Maya, it's okay if you didn't do well. Just try harder next time." He looked so high and mighty, pretending to be magnanimous. They were waiting for me to apologize, to reflect on my mistakes, and to promise I would work even harder next time. Well, they were going to be disappointed. Under their watchful eyes, I walked into the kitchen, scooped a heaping bowl of rice, and sat straight down at the dining table to eat. The atmosphere grew even weirder. Chloe's eyes widened: "How dare you sit at the table?" Right. Chloe never let me eat at the table. She said I was too much of a jinx and that eating with me would bring her bad luck. In the past, my adoptive parents always humored her, and I just swallowed my pride. But I wasn't going to hold back anymore. "I'm hungry, so of course I'm going to eat. What, when you're hungry, do you go eat shit? No wonder your breath stinks." Chloe's eyes widened even further. Glare all you want, I thought. See if your eyeballs pop out. I continued shoving the delicious, fragrant ribs into my mouth. So good. Having just walked through the gates of hell, I was feeling a lot bolder. If I wasn't even afraid of dying, why should I be afraid of Chloe? 4. Chloe was furious. She opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted by my adoptive father. "Maya, even if you didn't do well, you shouldn't take it out on your sister." "I spent three thousand dollars to enroll you in a new tutoring center. As long as you try hard, I don't mind spending the money." I kept my head down and kept eating, not saying a word. On the surface, he was doing it for my own good, but deep down, he knew exactly who he was doing it for. But his words were like adding fuel to the fire for Chloe. What she hated most was how much "effort" and money my adoptive parents spent on me. If we had been at school, she would have shoved me into the trash cans by now. Ignoring Chloe's venomous glare, I took another bite of rice and said flatly, "I'm not going." But my adoptive father was just informing me. My unusual behavior today had exhausted his patience. "You have to go. Also, there's a physics competition this weekend. You're entering it with Chloe." Ever since we were little, whatever Chloe did, I had to do too. If she took dance classes, I had to take them too. If she entered a singing competition, I had to enter too. Even for the smallest, most insignificant competitions, I had to tag along. The only difference was that she always took first place, and I was always dead last. "Dad! Why are you making this loser go again?" "I'm not going." Chloe and I spoke at the exact same time. 5. Chloe turned her head and glared at me viciously. "A loser like you going is just a waste of a spot." I suddenly realized that Chloe probably didn't know about the luck-stealing scheme. Otherwise, she would be forcing me to enter the competition. In her mind, all her good grades were purely due to her own brilliance, and had absolutely nothing to do with me. She just genuinely hated me. She saw me as a jinx who brought bad luck and stole her parents' affection. She felt fully entitled to her smooth, successful life and treated me as her personal punching bag. But Chloe, everything you have was originally mine. You stole it all from me. I sneered, put down my bowl and chopsticks, and got up to leave. As I was walking up the stairs, I heard my adoptive mother's voice. "Chloe, Mom told you before, even recycled cardboard can be sold for cash. A loser obviously has her uses too." I looked back and met Chloe's gaze. She smiled arrogantly, looking incredibly smug. I smiled too. Because the number on the [Slacker Progress Bar] had just jumped to 7%. We have plenty of time. Let's see who has the last laugh. 6. On the day of the physics competition, my adoptive father drove Chloe and me to the testing center. He instructed Chloe: "Just focus on the exam. After you're done, Dad will reward you with a new Macbook." Then he turned to me with a meaningful look: "Maya, do your best." I smiled: "Okay." Chloe scoffed disdainfully: "Doing her best won't help. She's destined to be dead last." I watched my adoptive father's car drive away, then turned and walked in the opposite direction of the testing center. Chloe grabbed my arm: "Where are you going?" She looked at me suspiciously: "You're not planning on skipping the exam, are you?" I shook off her hand: "Yep." Chloe: "..." I smiled: "I hope you get a great score." Chloe's face turned black as coal. She looked at me like I was an idiot. "Maya, are you sick in the head?" "If I am, do you have the cure? If not, shut the hell up." I turned and walked away, leaving Chloe cursing at me from behind. I wanted to see if Chloe could still get good grades without me there to siphon luck from. 7. I spent the whole morning wandering around the park, feeding stray cats while watching my slacker value rise to 18%. Not bad, not bad. Breaking free from the Vance family's control is just around the corner. I hummed a tune as I walked into the school. The moment I reached my desk, my mood plummeted. My desk was covered in scribbles: Loser, Coward, Parasite... Next to the colorful writing was a crudely drawn turtle. I pulled some tissues out of my backpack and tried to wipe it off, but the marker wouldn't budge. My desk mate watched me and suddenly said, "Stop wiping. Isn't what's written there pretty accurate?" I glanced at her: "Chloe told you to write this, didn't she?" She admitted it readily: "Yeah, so what? You..." "Nothing." I smiled at her, and while she looked completely confused, I flipped her desk over! The lid on her water bottle was open, and water spilled all over the floor. "Ah!" The loud crash of the desk hitting the floor, mixed with my desk mate's scream, instantly drew the attention of the entire class. Our homeroom teacher, Mr. Harris, had just walked in and was startled. "What is going on here?" he asked, frowning as he walked over. I spoke before my desk mate could: "I want to change seats." Mr. Harris's frown deepened until it looked like it could crush a fly. "You are always causing trouble. Your grades are terrible, and you're always getting into conflicts with your classmates. Tell me, who would even want to sit next to you?" Mr. Harris spoke loudly, but no one in the class made a sound. It was true. Who would want to sit next to a loser who brought bad luck? Besides, who would dare risk offending Chloe, who had great grades and a wealthy family, just for me? 8. My desk mate's eyes were full of schadenfreude. She was probably already plotting how to make my life miserable later. I had to change seats. I simply picked up my desk and moved it to the very back row. If no one wanted to sit with me, I'd just sit by myself. But Mr. Harris looked at me strangely: "You want to sit next to Julian?" Before I could answer, the whole class erupted. "Maya wants to sit next to the school delinquent?" "Is she crazy? Julian never lets anyone sit next to him. I heard the last guy who tried was bullied into transferring schools." Julian, the school delinquent, was notorious for his explosive temper and for being someone you did not want to mess with. He was always late, always leaving early, and his grades were at the very bottom. Rumor had it he put a classmate in the hospital, but his family paid to cover it up. The teachers were afraid to discipline him, and the students were even more terrified of him. The back row was very empty. The delinquent's desk sat isolated in a large, open space. Uh, even though I wanted to be a slacker, I didn't want a death wish. Just as I was about to say never mind, the back door creaked open. I turned my head and saw Julian walking in. 9. Julian's arrival pushed the tension to a boiling point. I watched helplessly as he walked into the classroom and glanced at me when he reached his desk. Everyone's eyes darted between the two of us. I even heard someone whisper, "Is Julian going to kick Maya across the room?" My desk was still a foot away from his. I shouldn't... get kicked across the room, right? But to my surprise, Julian just sat down with a cold expression and didn't say a single word. At first, I was pretty nervous, terrified that the delinquent would get annoyed and turn into Chloe 2.0. But later I noticed he just slept during class. Occasionally, he'd pull out an advanced physics textbook and scribble in it. I finally relaxed. It seemed the delinquent was actually quite reasonable. I felt bad for even comparing him to Chloe; that was an insult to him. While I was lost in thought, Mr. Harris called on me: "Maya, pay attention in class. Your grades are already terrible. Aren't you embarrassed if you don't even try?" The class erupted in laughter. In their eyes, I was probably just a worthless loser who had completely given up. But this was exactly what I wanted. 10. That afternoon after school, I watched Chloe get into the family's Maybach and drive off. Of course, that was Chloe's "private car," and I wasn't allowed to ride in it. According to my adoptive parents' schedule, I should be heading to the fifth tutoring center I was newly enrolled in, finishing up around 11:00 PM, and then walking home. I'd be working harder than a rented mule. I rolled my eyes and walked straight into a Korean BBQ place I had been craving for a long time but never had the chance to try. The BBQ was delicious, and my slacker value kept rising, eventually stopping at 28%. Today's achievements were quite remarkable. I felt pretty good about myself. But my good mood came to a screeching halt the moment I walked through the front door. My adoptive parents were sitting on the sofa, waiting for me, and they didn't look happy. Sigh, this family is really a buzzkill. 11. I wiped the smile off my face and put on my usual submissive expression. Then I ignored them and headed straight for the stairs. That's when my adoptive mother spoke up: "Maya, come here. We need to talk." I didn't move. I just asked what they wanted. My adoptive father frowned, clearly dissatisfied with my rebellious behavior. "Maya, you've been making a lot of mistakes lately. First, you talked back to your sister, and now you're not listening to your parents either. I used to think you were a good kid. Even though your grades weren't great, you worked hard. Why is your character getting worse and worse?" He then listed my "crimes" one by one, including but not limited to talking back to the homeroom teacher, changing seats without permission, sitting next to the worst student in the grade, and skipping tutoring. Blah, blah, blah. He delivered his final verdict: "Maya, you need to reflect on your actions. Write a ten-thousand-word apology letter." I raised an eyebrow slightly: "Really? Chloe is the one who needs to write an apology letter. She struts around school acting like a tyrant..." My adoptive father yelled: "She is your sister!" "Not by blood." I added calmly: "And neither are you." "Chloe called me a parasite, but I think there are three vampires living in this house." My adoptive parents looked shocked and uneasy, clearly guilty. I snorted and turned around to see Chloe standing on the stairs in an evening gown. Ugh, so annoying. I just glanced at her, and Chloe immediately started showing off: "Mom had this dress custom-made for me. Jealous?" "I'm performing a solo dance at the school anniversary gala. Liam, the most popular guy in school, is playing the piano for me. And the principal is going to publicly commend me for getting first place in the physics competition." Chloe smiled smugly and arrogantly: "A loser like you will probably never have a chance like this in your next life." 12. It was clear the Vance family was taking this opportunity very seriously. They even had a high-end designer gown made and hired a photographer to follow her around, determined to steal the spotlight. On stage, Liam played the piano, and Chloe performed her solo dance under the spotlight. I heard a classmate next to me whisper in admiration: "Liam and Chloe look so good together! Both gorgeous and both top students..." In the audience, my adoptive parents were accepting compliments from other parents, smiling so wide they looked like blooming flowers. "Your daughter is truly outstanding. Not only is she beautiful, but she's also incredibly talented. I heard she even got first place in the physics competition?" My adoptive mother's eyes crinkled so much you could barely see them: "Oh, well, they haven't announced the results yet, but I'm sure she got first..." The Dean of Students chimed in, kissing up to them: "Chloe is an exceptional student. She'll definitely take first place." I looked at Chloe on stage and felt sick to my stomach. Two years ago, Chloe and I both made it to the final four in a dance competition. But the day before the finals, she pushed me down a flight of stairs. As a result, I broke my leg, and Chloe took third place. Afterward, my adoptive parents just brushed it off, saying Chloe didn't do it on purpose and telling me to be the bigger person. Just like they clearly knew Chloe bullied me at school but chose to turn a blind eye. 13. After the performances came the awards ceremony. The Vice Principal walked onto the stage to read the list of commended students. Chloe's name wasn't there. I sneered inwardly as a murmur spread through the students. A parent nearby asked in surprise: "Why isn't Chloe's name on the list?" My adoptive parents, who had been holding their heads high with pride, suddenly looked very uncomfortable. My adoptive father frowned and asked: "Did they accidentally skip her name?" The Vice Principal might be old and have bad eyesight, but his hearing was perfectly fine. And, he was quite petty. He glanced at my adoptive father, read the list again with a straight face, and then shook the paper, as if saying, See? It's really not here. The gesture was so comical I actually laughed out loud. That laugh was like adding fuel to the fire for my adoptive father. He snapped at the sweating Dean of Students: "I suspect foul play. There is no way Chloe isn't on that list." But the Vice Principal was even more blunt: "Well, she isn't! Chloe scored dead last!" As soon as he said that, the entire auditorium erupted. 14. The Vice Principal was truly furious. Our school ranked among the top two in the state, and we had never had such a terrible score in a competition before. The Dean of Students invited my adoptive parents backstage, and they angrily called me to come with them. When we went in, Chloe was crying and hugging Liam. When she saw me walk in, she hugged him even tighter, looking like she wanted to be glued to him. The Dean of Students coughed awkwardly, and Liam pushed Chloe away. My adoptive parents, however, acted as if they didn't even notice their daughter hugging a boy. Right now, they only cared about the competition results. "Mr. Zhang, what exactly is going on here?" The Dean's expression grew even more awkward: "Um... Chloe's name really isn't on the list... there was no mistake. They double-checked the exams when the scores came out. There's definitely no issue..." My adoptive father raised his voice: "Mr. Zhang, you have to give us a reasonable explanation. Chloe has always been in the top three of her class. It's impossible for her to score that poorly, unless..." He paused and turned his gaze to me. "Maya, you went and took the physics competition exam, didn't you?" I met his gaze and heard Chloe's shrill voice. "She didn't! Dad, she didn't go. She must have sabotaged me!" My adoptive father ignored her, staring fixedly at me: "Maya, answer my question. Did you take the competition exam?" I took a deep breath and met his eyes. "No." 15. A deathly silence fell over the backstage area. Liam and the Dean of Students were shocked by the word "Dad," looking back and forth between me and the Vance family in astonishment. My adoptive parents' faces turned a sickly green, while Chloe looked completely bewildered. After a long pause, my adoptive father finally spoke through gritted teeth: "Very well... Maya, you actually dare to rebel. It seems we've been too lenient with you." "We raised you all this time, and you turn out to be an ungrateful wretch." "Get on your knees and apologize!" I coldly watched his furious, humiliated display: "What did I do wrong?" "Was I wrong for not letting Chloe bully me? Or was I wrong for not letting you siphon my life away?" My adoptive father's face flushed bright red with anger. Just as I thought he was going to hit me, a weak voice broke the silence: "Excuse me, sorry to interrupt..." We all looked over and saw a student peeking out from behind the curtain. He pointed at the piano and whispered: "Um, the microphone on the piano is still on..." 16. The fact that Chloe and I were sisters quickly spread throughout the entire school. The impact was no less than dropping a nuclear bomb. After all, who in the entire senior class didn't know that Chloe hated me? Every time report cards came out, she would publicly humiliate me. She called me a loser, a jinx, saying anyone who got close to me would be cursed with bad luck, which led to me being isolated by the whole school. Now, Chloe was throwing a tantrum and refusing to come to school, so my adoptive parents got her a long-term medical leave. Without her there, the air at school felt fresher. And my slacker progress bar was almost halfway full. I was in a great mood, feeling like my life was looking up. What's more, I had made my first friend— I poked Julian's arm: "Hey, let me tutor you." After becoming desk mates with Julian, I discovered that he wasn't the ruthless delinquent the rumors made him out to be. He was clearly just a quiet, misanthropic teenager. Correction: a handsome, good-tempered, but quiet, misanthropic teenager. Julian looked up from his comic book, his expression complicated: "Are you joking?" I blinked. Was Julian looking down on me? As my slacker progress bar had been rising, my luck had improved significantly. At the very least, I didn't suffer any sudden "illnesses" during exams and was able to comfortably finish my papers. My class ranking slowly climbed from past 400 to around 200. Although it wasn't high, it was certainly better than Julian's zero-point exams, right? "You always bring me breakfast. I have to repay you." Julian looked a bit uncomfortable: "No need." Julian was great in every way, except his misanthropy was too strong. I racked my brain for a bunch of reasons to persuade him when I suddenly heard someone calling my name. "Maya, Mr. Harris wants to see you in his office." 17. As I walked to the office door, I heard my adoptive mother's voice. "Mr. Zhang, I heard the results of this midterm exam are tied to college recommendation spots?" "Yes, Chloe's past grades have been excellent. As long as she performs normally this time, getting a recommendation will definitely be no problem." "Mr. Zhang, Chloe is always outstanding. I'm not worried about her." My adoptive mother let out a long sigh and continued: "The main issue is Maya. She's been very rebellious lately. She won't listen to anything her father and I say, and she's caused a lot of trouble for the school." "Since the child is struggling, we hope you can keep an eye on her. This midterm exam is very important, and she absolutely must participate." "Oh, you're being too polite! It's truly a parent's heavy burden! I will definitely make sure Maya takes the midterm exam. I'll personally watch her walk into the testing room." I pushed the door open and walked in. My adoptive mother was shoving a gift bag into the Dean's hands. Both of them froze when they saw me. I walked straight over and sat on the sofa: "It's fine. Don't mind me. Keep giving gifts, keep taking them." The Dean's face turned red and pale alternately, and he let out two awkward laughs. My adoptive mother put the gift bag under the desk: "What nonsense are you talking about?" Then she handed another gift bag to me: "I bought this for you." My adoptive mother wasn't good at trying to please me. Her smile was as stiff as a mannequin's. I frowned and looked at her: "Stop smiling. You're scaring me." She immediately dropped her smile and shot a look at the Dean of Students. The Dean understood immediately. "Um, Maya, the teacher called you here to talk about your recent behavior. Let's put the competition behind us. The teacher will just assume you were under too much pressure. The midterm is coming up, and you need to work hard." The two of them went back and forth, but it boiled down to one thing: I had to take this midterm. "Got it." I couldn't be bothered to listen anymore and stood up. My adoptive mother's eyes were full of expectation and calculation. I smiled slightly: "I will take the midterm." If they wanted to use me to pave the way for Chloe's future, they shouldn't blame me for becoming the "stumbling block" on their path. 18. I don't know how much my adoptive parents bribed the Dean of Students. On the day of the midterm, he watched me walk into the testing room and stood by the door for a good while, only leaving satisfied when he saw me start writing. During the six exams, he showed up six times, thoroughly confusing the proctor and making me a target of intense scrutiny. Let him watch. I was as calm as could be. He was standing too far away anyway. He couldn't see that I was writing all the answers on scratch paper. ... When I walked out of the school gates, I immediately saw Chloe and my adoptive parents. Chloe was holding a bouquet of flowers, surrounded by her lackeys, looking arrogant as if she had just won a war. My adoptive mother asked with a smile: "Chloe, how do you think you did this time?" Chloe looked smug: "I thought the questions were very easy. I'll definitely take first place." Her lackeys immediately hyped her up: "Chloe, you're amazing! A lot of people said the questions were super hard this time." "Yeah, Chloe is just too good." They were making a lot of noise, bursting into laughter every now and then. The commotion attracted reporters who were interviewing students at the gate. They pointed their cameras at Chloe: "Excuse me, could we interview you?" Chloe proudly lifted her chin and said elegantly: "Sure." "I heard you say the questions were easy this time. May I ask which school you're from? How are your usual grades?" Chloe answered, and her lackeys chimed in, painting a glorious picture, basically hyping Chloe up like a goddess from heaven. My adoptive parents got in the shot too. When the reporter asked how they raised such an outstanding daughter, my adoptive father spoke with a proud tone: "Of course, it's because our family has good genes. And Chloe is very hardworking. Talent plus hard work leads to success." I watched in amazement. What a shameless family. Chloe noticed me standing in the crowd. Her smile froze for a second, but then she smiled even more arrogantly: "Some people are just born without the brains for studying, so they shouldn't waste their effort. They'd be better off dropping out early and doing manual labor. At least they'd be contributing to society."
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