A wealthy couple was at the orphanage, torn between adopting me and another girl, Lily. Suddenly, floating comments drifted across my vision: [They're here to take Baby Lily home! Finally, the torture of the villainess begins!] [The comment above is right. I bet the villainess will try to act pitiful to steal the adoption chance from Lily.] [With her wild attitude, who would like her anyway?] I frowned in confusion. What the heck were these people talking about? Was I the "evil villainess" they were referring to? Before I could figure it out, a warm, hearty voice reached my ears. "Well, butter my biscuit! This little one is cute as a button!" I looked up to see a tall couple with thick Texan accents beaming down at me. "Hey there, sugar. Have you eaten? Auntie made some brisket noodles today, real tasty. Wanna come home with us and grab a bite?" 1 A couple decked out in Balenciaga was pacing back and forth between me and Lily. We were the top candidates, but we both had flaws. I wasn't "kind" enough, and Lily wasn't "smart" enough. After agonizing for ages, they still couldn't decide. The comments floated by again: [What are they hesitating for? Just take Lily home already!] [This villainess is really good at pretending to be quiet. She's usually snatching stuff from Lily left and right.] [Don't worry guys, even if they pick the villainess, she'll get sent back once her true colors show.] So, this world was just a giant melodramatic romance novel. Lily was the fragile, pure-hearted heroine with a tragic backstory, and I was the vicious villainess willing to do anything to climb the social ladder. I rolled my eyes. Since when was being spirited and clever considered "vicious"? Suddenly. Two tall shadows loomed over me. A couple the comments hadn't mentioned at all stood before me. Their eyes were full of joy. "Well, I'll be! Look at this little angel, ain't she precious?" "Honey, look how skinny you are. What'd you have for lunch? Want to come home with Uncle and Auntie? We made brisket noodles." Noodles?! According to the Director, my birth parents were from Texas. Mentioning brisket noodles... My DNA activated. Before the Balenciaga couple could even walk over. I spoke up first: "Texas born, Texas bred, when I die, I'll be Texas dead! Howdy, y'all!" 2 For as long as I could remember, Lily and I were mortal enemies. Resources in the orphanage were scarce. To get enough to eat, I constantly sucked up to the Director. Even though the meals were barely enough to keep me full, I still got more than the other kids. Lily hated this behavior and naturally opposed me. I never went easy on her; if she wanted something, I snatched it. No wonder I was the "villain." Turns out I was just her foil. According to the plot, my selfishness and evil were necessary to highlight her selflessness and kindness. And as the evil villainess, I was destined to be punished by the main couple and fall into an abyss while the audience cheered. Excuse me? Why? Sitting around waiting to die wasn't my style. I had to twist the plot to save myself. I hopped into the Texan couple's Ford pickup truck. Lily finally relaxed when she saw the determined look in my eyes. The comments started gloating: [Haha, the villainess is so unsophisticated. Bought off by a bowl of noodles.] [A leopard can't change its spots. She snatched everything as a kid; no wonder she lights up at the sight of food now.] [I bet she won't last a month with this couple before getting sent back.] I'd heard way worse in the orphanage. Seeing the scrolling comments, I just wagged my index finger. "Not a bowl. A bucket." "Sugar, what did you say?" Through the rearview mirror, I met Auntie's gaze. "Auntie, I said I missed your noodles so much I could eat a whole bucket." Changing my voice to sound cute was exhausting. The comments said I'd be sent back? Heh. What if I fake being nice for a lifetime? Auntie was beaming because of my flattery. "Hahaha! Auntie will make you whatever you want. I promise you'll eat till you drop." "We're family now, don't be shy at the dinner table." Uncle laughed heartily too. "Don't worry about food in this house. You know 'Old Zhao's BBQ' near the high school? That's ours." "By the way, I'm Zhao Jian, and your Auntie is Zhao Yanqiu. What's your name, sugar?" My name is Stella Xu. Stella means star. I named myself. People always have a soft spot for things they name themselves. My eyes reddened slightly, wiping away a non-existent tear. "I don't have a real name. They said my parents' last name was Xu, so they just call me Little Xu." 3 The moment I stepped into Uncle and Auntie's house. The smell of slow-cooked brisket mixed with savory broth filled the air. In the orphanage, the Director cut corners on food, so we rarely saw meat. Even with all my tricks, the food I got was just enough to stop the hunger pangs. Brisket noodles, roast chicken, braised pork trotters... A table full of dazzling dishes. I instinctively reached out to grab some. My hand touched the chopsticks, and my brain snapped back to reality. "Girls must be quiet and elegant so your parents won't hate you, and your future husband will want you." That was what the Director drilled into us. I put down the chopsticks, crossed my hands on the table, and waited for Uncle and Auntie's instructions. The next moment. Bang! Auntie slammed her chopsticks on the table. She looked at Uncle Zhao with feigned anger. "Zhao Jianqiang! What kind of food did you make? Look, our baby doesn't even want to eat it!" "I told you to buy some fried chicken or pizza that young people like, but no, you had to be so confident in your cooking!" "Didn't you say fried chicken was unhealthy..." Seeing Auntie misunderstand, I waved my hands frantically. "No, no, Uncle's food smells amazing." "I just thought the rules here were the same as the orphanage, where we have to say grace before eating." "Is your Director a priest or something? Do you have to say 'Amen' before you dig in?" I burst out laughing at Uncle's joke. "Alright, alright, stop teasing our girl. Let's eat." Afraid they'd misunderstand again, I quickly picked up a bowl as big as my face and buried my head in it, slurping loudly. I have to say, my fellow Texans really know how to cook. It was heavenly. Uncle and Auntie piled my plate high with brisket and chicken legs until it looked like a small mountain. My favorite was brisket. Every New Year, to get a few bites of brisket, I would wag my tail and beg the Director. I'd hypocritically praise his management and listen to his speeches with a look of adoration. The result was getting the brisket I craved and the disgust of everyone else. But so what? I got what I wanted, and other people's stares couldn't hurt me. Except for faking pity, I was never one to cry easily over external things. But when I bit into that piece of brisket Auntie made herself... Even though I tried my hardest to hold it back, tears streamed down my face like broken pearls. This happiness didn't feel real. It turned out there were things in this world you didn't have to fight for. 4 After lunch, they took me shopping at the mall. They bought me a pile of new clothes. Auntie said, "Our girl is so pretty, she needs to dress nicely so she won't get bullied. Kids these days are mean." Hearing Auntie use words like "pretty" and "nice," I tightened my grip on the shopping bags. If Auntie knew the real me, would she still like me? Why overthink it? I already decided, worst case scenario, I'd fake it for a lifetime. I pushed down the anxiety in my heart. Forcing a smile, I spent the most wonderful and terrifying afternoon of my life. It was night when we got home. I curled up in the corner of the large, soft Simmons mattress. It was a habit from the orphanage. We slept on a large communal platform. Ten kids squeezed onto one bed. Curling up was the only way not to get squished. No privacy, let alone dignity. The new pajamas felt incredibly soft. The AC was set to the perfect temperature. The happy life almost made me forget I was the vicious villainess destined for hell. Until I heard Uncle and Auntie whispering. "Jianqiang, do you think the floating text I saw today was a hallucination?" "I saw it too. If we both saw it, it probably wasn't a hallucination." "Damn, see? I was right to buy our girl clothes. Look at how she was bullied in the orphanage wearing those rags." "My daughter fought a war of words and stood against a hundred in the orphanage. She has the air of a general! Not bad, not bad, just like me." Auntie pushed Uncle. "Stop joking around. Anyway, no one is allowed to bully our girl from now on. Anyone touches her, I'll fight them." With that, Auntie gently moved me to the middle of the bed and tucked me in. As their footsteps faded away. I silently glanced at the scrolling comments. [Can you guys come at me if you have a problem? Leave my parents alone.] [Do you not have parents? Have some empathy.] The retorts from the comments were weak. Totally harmless. I buried my face in the blanket, ignoring the boring chatter. Uncle and Auntie's actions lingered in my mind. I never expected them to react like that to the comments. Did this prove they could accept the real me? Love is addictive and spoiling; once you have it, you don't want to lose it. I was daydreaming again. Gentle and quiet were the kind of girls adults liked. The Director taught me that. He made me memorize it. 5 The comments said I'd be sent back in a month, tops. But a month flew by. Uncle and Auntie's noodles were still delicious, and they still smiled at me just the same. They read the comments and worried someone was bullying me again. Auntie insisted Uncle teach me his secret martial art—Judo. I had always been domineering in the orphanage. Thanks to the comments, Uncle and Auntie thought someone dared to bully me. Uncle looked like a refined gentleman. Who knew he had moves? He executed a set of throws cleanly and winked at Auntie. "Back in the day, I beat everyone to win the beauty's heart!" Uncle loved teasing Auntie until she blushed or scolded him. He wouldn't stop grinning until she punched him. I reasonably suspected he was a masochist. But it was okay for boys to learn martial arts. For girls... wasn't it weird? "Uncle, Auntie, don't you think it's unladylike for a girl to fight?" I asked timidly. Uncle frowned, looking serious. "Can elegance put food on the table? Can elegance make money? I only know that if a robber comes, staying elegant gets you robbed." Auntie sighed with heartache. She squatted down and stroked my face. "Baby, who poisoned your mind with that nonsense?" "Boy or girl, you can be gentle and considerate, or lively and active. We love you because you are our child, nothing else." For the first time, I felt enveloped by a thick, unconditional love. I used to think selfless love was a myth from heaven. Turns out, it's just parental love. During the day, they went to work. I practiced the judo moves Uncle assigned me at home. At night when Auntie came back, I learned life lessons and English from her. The scheming Stella Xu from the orphanage seemed to disappear. Time flowed peacefully and happily. Soon, it was time for me to start middle school. Auntie stuffed a new set of stationery into my backpack. Then she asked, "Baby, Uncle and Auntie are too dumb to think of a good name even after all this time. Why don't you pick one yourself?" Uncle chimed in. "Yeah! Your Auntie said the names I picked like 'Rocky' and 'Sprout' were too countrified." "Zhao Jianqiang, naming is a big deal, stop messing around, okay?" "Daughter, any ideas?" "Let's go with Stella Xu! I want to shine like the stars in the sky." Even if I'm insignificant, I want to shine with all my might. "Good! Great name! Stella it is. We'll do the paperwork tomorrow." Auntie pulled me into a bear hug. Beside us were the sounds of Uncle clapping and laughing heartily.
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