My sister bound herself to the "The Lazier I Am, The Luckier I Get" System, and forced me to bind with the "The Harder I Work, The Unluckier I Get" System. Because of this, she slacked off every single day, yet remained the perfect, flawless goddess everyone adored. Meanwhile, I studied until the dead of night, yet remained an overweight, clumsy loser. My sister told me that in this lifetime, my only purpose was to exist as a pathetic backdrop to make her look better. But three months before the final college entrance exams... The System malfunctioned. 1 Everyone always said that Selene and I didn't look like sisters at all. She was beautiful, brilliant, and talented in piano, painting, chess, and ballet. She always ranked first in our grade and was our parents’ absolute pride and joy. I was the exact opposite. Overweight, slow-witted, and incapable of doing anything right. Whenever my parents looked at me, their eyes were full of deep disappointment. "If only Astra were even half as excellent as her sister." Whenever that happened, Selene would gently stop our parents from scolding me. She would walk up to me, smiling softly, and offer her encouragement. "Astra, as long as you work hard, I'm sure you can be just as amazing as I am." When she said that, I never understood the strange, unreadable glint flickering in her eyes. 2 For a long time, I actually believed her. I thought that if I just worked hard enough, I could close the gap between us. So, to improve my grades, I stayed up studying and doing practice tests until 2 AM every night. To look better, I went jogging and jumped rope every day after school, and practically starved myself at dinner. But none of it worked. My grades were still dead last in the class. My body only grew heavier. My parents, who used to dote on me, started looking at me with utter despair. "Astra really is a lost cause." "Sigh... if we only had Selene, our lives would be so much easier right now..." During the holidays, whenever my parents bought gifts, they only bought them for Selene. When I was younger, I used to foolishly run up to my dad and pull on his sleeve. "Dad, where's mine? Did you forget me?" My dad would shake my hand off, looking annoyed. "This is a reward for Selene’s excellence. She got first place and won a huge award. What did you do?" When I had a dangerously high fever, my parents left me home alone to attend Selene’s parent-teacher conference. Those conferences weren't even important, but they loved basking in the endless praise the teachers showered on "Selene's parents." Even my friends slowly started to hate me. No matter how hard I tried to hold onto them, they would inevitably abandon me to hang out with Selene. Eventually, the entire world revolved around Selene, and she was the only person left who was "nice" to me. Whenever I felt deeply defeated and wanted to give up, she would always be right there, encouraging me with everything she had. "Maybe you just aren't working hard enough. Or maybe your methods are wrong," she would say gently. "Why don't you try a different approach?" People around us would sigh. "Selene, you're just too kind. You're the only person in the world who hasn't given up on your sister." "Seriously, if I were a natural-born loser like Astra, I would have killed myself and hoped to respawn with better stats." "Don't talk about my sister like that!" Selene would frown and scold them playfully, then grab my hand. "Astra, promise me you'll never stop trying. Okay?" I would nod forcefully, and Selene would smile. I always thought her smile was beautiful. Until I discovered her secret. 3 It was a quiet night during my senior year of high school when I found out Selene was bound to a "System." I was hiding out on the balcony when I overheard Selene talking to it. "Astra is such an idiot. She's up studying past midnight again, and she's still going to rank dead last on the next exam. I'm dying laughing. "Looking back, Mom and Dad picked the perfect names. I'm Selene, the moon, and she's Astra, a tiny star. Stars only exist to make the moon look brighter. "Thank you, System. Thank you for being with me these past twelve years." It felt like a bomb went off in my head. Suddenly, memories from the past flooded my mind. Twelve years ago, Selene and I were six years old. Back then, I was pretty and smart. In kindergarten, I was the one singing and dancing on stage, and I helped the teacher clean up after class. Selene was lazy. She had no interest in singing, hated practicing dance, and basically learned nothing. When guests came over, everyone would crowd around me, asking me to perform, praising me for being so bright and talented. They would look at Selene, who stood to the side knowing how to do nothing, and say, "Your sister is so amazing, Selene! You need to work hard to catch up!" Maybe that was the exact moment Selene started to hate the concept of "hard work." When her System appeared, she decisively chose the "The Lazier I Am, The Luckier I Get" trait for herself. And for me, she chose "The Harder I Work, The Unluckier I Get." And just like that, over the course of the next twelve years, exactly as she wished, the gap between us widened. She put in zero effort but became more and more perfect. I gave everything I had, only to become more and more miserable. ... That night, after learning her secret, I quietly slipped away. I sat outside in the freezing night air wearing only a thin sweater for three hours. My body was numb from the cold, but all I could see in my mind was the smile Selene wore every time she encouraged me to "work harder." When I was little, I never knew what to call that strange glint in her eyes when she smiled at me. Now I knew. It was called pure malice. The sister I trusted the most. The sister who told me to never give up. It turned out she was just using my blood, sweat, and tears as fuel to power her own glamorous, perfect life. She was the main character of this world. And my only function was to stand in the shadows forever, serving as her pathetic background prop. —But I refused to accept that. I was going to change my destiny. ... With nothing left to lose, I thought of a plan and sneaked into the school's broadcasting room. I put my hand on the microphone switch and started chanting in my head. "Calling System. Calling System." There was no answer. After all, it was Selene's System, not mine. But I knew that if it was an otherworldly power, it had to be able to monitor my thoughts. "Calling System—it's fine if you ignore me, but do you see the PA microphone in my hand? I'm assuming your existence is supposed to be a secret, right? Here's the deal: if you don't respond in 60 seconds, I'm going to broadcast your existence on a loop to the entire school. Then I'm going to post it all over social media and write letters to scientific research facilities, telling them to come dissect Selene and her little parasitic System... "60, 59, 58..." I only got to 50 before a burst of static buzzed in my head. Then, a weak, panicked voice spoke up. "...Please don't do that. No one will believe you anyway." "How about we find out?" "...What do you want?" "Swap my System with my sister's." "I can't do that. Once my functions are set, they can't be altered." I immediately reached to flip the microphone switch. "...Wait! Stop! Have mercy!" the System wailed. "How about this... what if I just do nothing?" "Nothing?" "Right. Even though I can't alter the functions, I can... malfunction..." I thought about it. That meant, starting today, I would finally get exactly what I worked for. And my sister's luck from being lazy would vanish. I paused. "Add one more condition." "What?" "Keep this a secret from Selene. "Let her keep thinking this world is still revolving around her." 4 The next day, I arrived at school early, just like always. To build up my stamina, I ran two laps around the track every morning. As I jogged slowly around the field, I saw Selene sitting in the bleachers eating breakfast with two of her friends. "Selene, your sister is running again." "Look at her fat jiggling everywhere when she runs, hahahaha." Selene replied dismissively, "My sister just has terrible genetics." Her two friends agreed, their voices filled with envy. "Ugh, I'm so jealous of you, Selene! You eat non-stop all day, chocolates, chips, zero exercise, but you have huge boobs, a tiny waist, long legs, and abs!" "You totally hit the genetic lottery. You just don't gain weight." "Why didn't your sister get those genes? She runs all day and doesn't lose a pound." I ignored their mocking and kept running. Starting today, my running wasn't useless anymore. Unlike before, where I only felt sheer exhaustion, this time I could feel the heat radiating from my forehead and the sweat pouring down my face. My calories were burning. My fat was melting. I was going to get thin. After my run, I grabbed my backpack to head to class. As if remembering something, I turned back and looked up at Selene, who was lounging in the bleachers. "Sister, don't be late for class." There was two seconds of silence in the bleachers, followed by a burst of raucous laughter. "Selene, your sister is actually telling you to go to class." "Even the Dean of Students doesn't care if you go to class, and she's trying to boss you around?" "Get lost, loser. You don't understand the world of geniuses." It was true. The teachers at our school turned a blind eye to Selene skipping class. The reason was simple: she skipped class, never did homework, never studied, but every time there was a major exam, she always ranked #1 in the entire city. But from now on... she wouldn't be so lucky. I shrugged and headed to my classroom. I couldn't wait for first period to begin. The feeling of knowledge actually sticking in my brain was incredible! I soaked up the lessons like a sponge, eager to go home and tackle practice exams. But on my way home, I ran into Selene and the school's resident golden boy, Sebastian Reed. Sebastian's luxury sports car was parked nearby. It looked like he was inviting Selene to a party. When Selene saw me walking by, she immediately stepped forward and grabbed my hand. "I'm not going. I have to walk my sister home." Sebastian was furious. He glared at me. "Astra, did you tell Selene she couldn't go? "How many more obstacles are you going to throw in our way just because of that stupid marriage contract?" Oh, I almost forgot. This guy—Sebastian Reed, the heir to the Reed empire, the guy Selene was secretly obsessed with but pretended not to care about—was technically my fiancé. 5 When I was five, I called 911 when Sebastian's grandfather had a heart attack, saving his life. Out of gratitude, Mr. Reed arranged an unofficial engagement between his grandson and me. Back then, Sebastian treated me really well. He would protect me when other kids bullied me. He would carry me on his back when I scraped my knee. When the other kids teased him, calling us a married couple, he wouldn't get mad. He even shared his snacks and toys with me, saying very seriously, "Since we're going to get married, what's mine is yours." Later, Sebastian moved out of state for school. He only returned when we were in high school. The day I found out he transferred to our school, I ran out excitedly to greet him. That day, Sebastian was surrounded by his new, popular friends. When they saw me, they started cheering and teasing, "Hey Sebastian, your fiancée is here!" In the past, Sebastian would have laughed along with jokes like that. But this time, his face was as cold as ice. He took one look at me and turned his head away in disgust. "Shut up. I barely know her." After school that day, I locked myself in my room and cried for a long time. Selene, noticing my sadness, immediately ran in to comfort me. "Nobody hates someone who treats them well," her voice was soothing, almost hypnotic. "If you just try harder to show him you care, I'm sure he'll be nice to you again." I believed her. So when Sebastian injured himself playing basketball, I brought him a first-aid kit. And what happened next was... Sebastian took the entire bottle of red antiseptic and poured it directly over my head in front of everyone. He looked down at me, dripping red liquid, a cruel smirk on his lips. "There's nothing I hate more in this world than a desperate, clinging loser. "Astra, stop making me sick." After I ran away crying, I told Selene what happened. She frowned and blamed me. "You just used the wrong approach. You made him mad. I suggest you write him an apology letter." I didn't want to write one. So Selene ran to our parents and told them I had offended Sebastian and ruined the Reed family alliance. My parents panicked. They forced me to write the letter and hand-deliver it to Sebastian. Sebastian stood in front of the entire class and read the letter out loud like it was a comedy routine. "What does this even mean, 'I don't want to ruin the relationship between our families'? Astra, are you trying to use my grandfather to threaten me? "Newsflash: I'm not afraid of anything." That day, Sebastian went home demanding to cancel the engagement, only backing down after his grandfather beat him with a cane. But his hatred for me only grew deeper. When my parents heard about it, they sighed endlessly. "If only Sebastian were engaged to our Selene instead." Selene played the understanding daughter. "Mom, Dad, I would never steal my sister's man. I won't do anything." And she truly did nothing. But Sebastian became addicted to her. "Astra's sister is so pretty, and she actually has a personality," he'd say. Sebastian started chasing after Selene. The more she ignored him, the more curious he became. The colder she was, the more he felt she was unique. In short, Selene did absolutely nothing, yet effortlessly captured the frantic obsession of the Reed empire's heir. Everyone said she wasn't just a natural-born genius, she was a natural-born goddess. It wasn't until I learned about the System that I finally understood Selene's strategy. In my relationship with Sebastian, the harder I tried, the more my "unlucky" trait made him despise me. And the colder she was, the more she rejected him, her "lucky" trait made Sebastian fall deeper into obsession. This way, my engagement to Sebastian would inevitably fall apart, and she could step in to marry into the Reed family. Just like right now, as Selene continued to glare coldly at Sebastian. "I don't want to go to your birthday party. And also—stop coming to find me." With that, she turned to walk away. In the past, this move always worked perfectly for Selene. According to their usual dynamic, Sebastian's obsession would spike. He would block her path, begging her to get in the car until she finally relented with a stoic face, sliding into the passenger seat of his luxury car while basking in the envious stares of every student around them. To give Sebastian enough time to stop her, Selene intentionally walked very slowly. And Sebastian did speak up. "If you don't want to go, then don't." He scratched his head, sounding irritated. "Always making it seem like I'm begging you. It gets exhausting." I watched Selene's footsteps grind to a violent halt. She couldn't help but look back, staring at Sebastian in utter disbelief. Just like how my body wouldn't instantly become skinny the second the System turned off, Sebastian's feelings for Selene didn't vanish instantly either. When he saw her abruptly turn around, his foul mood immediately brightened. "See? You actually did want to go. You're just playing hard to get," Sebastian smirked, pulling open the car door. "Alright, you win. Get in." If Selene had gotten in the car right then, her relationship with Sebastian probably would have continued to progress. But Selene just assumed Sebastian's attitude shift was the System working its magic again. So she let out a cold laugh, putting on her icy-goddess arrogance. "Sebastian, I know your family is rich and powerful, and every girl fawns over you. But I'm not like them. Don't think I'll fall for you that easily." With that, Selene turned and walked away. Her face wore a look of absolute certainty. She knew that her rejection would only make Sebastian think she was even more special. But actually, if Selene had looked back at that moment, she would have seen that Sebastian's expression wasn't one of intrigued admiration. On the contrary, his face had turned completely dark. Sliding into the driver's seat, Sebastian scowled and muttered to his friend in the passenger seat: "Who the hell does she think she is?" 6 Unfortunately, Selene, who was already walking away, didn't hear Sebastian's comment. So she remained happily trapped in her beautiful illusion, convinced everything was going perfectly. Even though the System's responses had become noticeably vague and evasive lately, she didn't care at all. She continued skipping her study sessions, continued gorging herself on junk food, and continued watching me study late into the night. She offered her gentle encouragement while that mocking, malicious glint danced in her eyes. She didn't realize that everything was quietly shifting. Soon, the first major city-wide mock exam arrived. The moment the test papers were handed out, I looked at the questions and felt a surge of hot blood rushing through my chest. I could feel it—every ounce of effort I had ever put in hadn't been wasted. All those vocabulary words I memorized late at night, all those practice problems I solved... they were all stored perfectly in my brain. The only difference was that previously, due to the System's interference, the knowledge points were locked behind thick mental walls. I couldn't connect them. But right now, all those walls were shattered. Everything finally clicked. As I looked at the questions, every single one felt incredibly familiar. I had encountered variations of them thousands of times during those endless nights of studying. Now, they were just presenting themselves in a slightly different format, but they were old friends. This was the true meaning of "hard work paying off." I breezed through the questions one by one. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Selene, sitting diagonally in front of me, rapidly filling in her scantron bubble sheet. Selene always finished her exams much faster than everyone else. I used to think it was because she was exceptionally brilliant. Only later did I realize it was the "luck" granted to her by the System. Whether it was multiple-choice or fill-in-the-blank, whatever answer she randomly guessed turned out to be right. On essays, she could scribble down absolute nonsense and still get partial credit for her "steps." With the overwhelming power of the "The Lazier I Am, The Luckier I Get" System, even if she didn't know half the material, she would still score incredibly high. Clearly, Selene was still taking the test exactly as she always did. Soon, the bell rang, and we handed in our papers. Outside the testing room, everyone gathered in the hallway to compare answers. A crowd formed around Selene. "Goddess! Question 8 on the multiple-choice was so hard. Did you put C or D?" Selene replied casually, "C." The students who picked C cheered immediately, while the D group groaned in despair. Everyone trusted Selene's authority. As the undefeated academic queen, her answers were basically gospel. I stood nearby with my backpack and asked quietly, "Why is it C?" Selene paused and looked over at me. She probably couldn't fathom why a loser who failed the easy questions had the audacity to ask about the hardest one. She said impatiently, "Even if I explained it, you wouldn't understand." Selene's friends immediately chimed in to mock me. "Exactly. The calculation is way too complex. With Astra's brain, there's no way she'd get it." "Focus on getting the basic questions right first. You're never going to get points on a question like that anyway." I pressed my lips together and sneered internally. The correct answer was absolutely D. Selene had no idea how to solve it. She had just blindly guessed, fully expecting that, just like before, whatever she wrote down would magically become the right answer. I looked at Selene's aloof, falsely confident expression, feeling utterly amused. But on the outside, I just took a timid step back. "Oh... I see..." Suddenly, someone behind me gently supported my elbow. It was the class president, Peyton Clark. Peyton was also a brilliant student. She had tied for first place with Selene once before. With a polite, investigative tone, she asked Selene, "Selene, I calculated it three times and kept getting D. Could you explain why it's C?" The students who had chosen D immediately perked up, refusing to give up hope. "Yeah, Goddess, walk us through it!" "Even if I got it wrong, I at least want to know why." Selene's face turned pale. She couldn't explain it. Because she just picked C. After a moment of silence, Selene spoke coldly. "I'm tired. When the answer key comes out, read the explanation yourself or ask a teacher. I'm not obligated to tutor you." With that, she turned and walked away. In the past, Selene had always acted cold and dismissive toward her classmates, but she was still incredibly popular. But this time, Peyton frowned first. "I just wanted to ask her a question. Just because she has good grades doesn't mean she has to be so rude." Other students whispered in agreement. "Yeah, Peyton, your grades are amazing too, and you don't act arrogant like her." As they murmured, they started walking toward the cafeteria. I planned to go eat by myself, but out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a bloodstain blooming on the back of Peyton's pants. I hesitated for a second, then hurried over to Peyton and quietly whispered to her. ... In the restroom, I handed Peyton a pad from my bag. "You can tie your school jacket around your waist, and I brought an extra pair of sweatpants. If you don't mind borrowing them..." My tone was a bit timid. After all, in the past, whenever I tried to help someone, it always backfired. But this time, things seemed different. Peyton looked at me deeply, a hint of confusion in her eyes. "Why did I always think you were so hard to get along with?" She scratched her head. "That's so weird. You're actually really nice." Explaining the truth was too complicated, so I just smiled and turned to leave. But Peyton called out to me. "Are you heading to the cafeteria too?" I turned back and received my first genuinely friendly smile since starting high school. "Let's go together."
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