My new roommate, Becky, asked me for a thousand bucks the moment we met. She pointed at my bed and said, "It took me three hours to clean that. A grand should cover it." I was dumbfounded. "I didn't ask you to clean it. Why should I pay you?" She put her hands on her hips, her voice rising. "Doesn't matter if you asked or not. I put in the labor, you pay the cash! If you don't, you're exploiting the poor!" I refused. So she bullied me. She isolated me. She turned the whole dorm against me. I fell into a deep depression and, in the end, took my own life. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on move-in day. Becky was standing there, hand out, asking for money. Chapter 1 "You must be Lily." As soon as I rolled my suitcase into the dorm room, a girl came up to greet me. It was just the two of us. Only one bed had sheets on it. I glanced at the nametag on that bed: Becky Wilson. "Hi, I'm Lily." Becky gestured around the room. "Pretty clean, right?" I looked around. It was spotless. Top to bottom, inside and out. It looked freshly scrubbed. "Yeah, it's really clean." She grinned. "Of course it is. I just finished cleaning. You have no idea how much dust was in here when I arrived! Especially on your bed." My heart skipped a beat. "You cleaned my bed too?" She nodded. "Duh. We're roommates. No big deal. You don't have to give me much, just a thousand dollars." Before I could process that, she shoved a QR code in my face. I froze. "What? A thousand?" She squinted at me. "From your tone, sounds like you don't want to pay." I was caught between a rock and a hard place. "My family isn't well-off. Every cent my parents gave me is budgeted. I really can't spare a thousand dollars for a cleaning fee. Besides, I didn't ask you to clean. I could have done it myself." Before I could finish, she started yelling. "Are you serious? You're really not going to pay? What kind of person are you? Exploiting my labor like that!" Her voice was so loud it attracted students from the hallway. Just then, our other two roommates walked in. She grabbed them, playing the victim. "Guys, come look at this! Someone's trying to scam me out of my hard work! I spent three hours scrubbing this place so she could walk into a nice, clean room. And now? She flips out and won't even give me a little tip for my effort." I was frantic. "You're twisting everything! I never asked you to clean for me. If you're so mad, put the dust back! I'll clean it myself. Or next time it's your turn for chores, I'll do it for you." Becky sneered. "Next time? You just don't want to pay!" The tension was thick. Then, one of the new roommates spoke up. "Alright, chill out. I thought it was something serious. It's just money? I'll pay." She dropped her designer bag onto the bed labeled "Sophie". She pulled out her phone and scanned Becky's QR code. "Honestly, people should get paid for their work. It's basic decency." She was dressed head-to-toe in luxury brands I'd only seen on TV. The fourth roommate, Chloe, followed suit. "It is pretty clean. Thanks, Becky." "A thousand isn't much. My family pays our cleaning lady three grand a visit." "Here, I'll send you two thousand. Consider the extra a welcome gift." "Oh my god, thank you guys! You are so sweet. I'm so lucky to meet you!" Becky gushed. The three of them exchanged smiles. Then, they all turned to look at me. Their eyes were full of silent pressure. Waiting for me to pay up. Chapter 2 Staring into those familiar, judging eyes, the fog in my brain finally cleared. I realized I was living this nightmare for the second time. In my past life, I caved under the pressure and sent Becky 150 bucks. She didn't accept it. Instead, she went around telling everyone I was a cheapskate who exploited her labor. Sophie and Chloe were rich kids; money meant nothing to them. They couldn't understand why I wouldn't just cough up a thousand dollars. They decided I was ruining the dorm vibe and started freezing me out. The other students followed their lead. If the rich girls didn't like me, there must be something wrong with me. I was excluded from group projects, leading to failed classes. No one wanted to room with me on trips. I finally snapped and applied to move off-campus. The counselor called me in. Her opening line was brutal. "Becky comes from a similar background as you, yet she's helpful and optimistic. Look at yourself—antisocial, selfish, running away at the first sign of trouble." "The world doesn't revolve around you! If you keep acting like this, maybe you should just drop out." Those words haunted me. I spiraled into self-doubt and severe depression. I became a ghost in my own dorm room. The final push came from Becky. She found my diagnosis papers. She laughed. "A parasitic leech getting depressed? How dramatic. What kind of parents raise such a disgusting person?" At that moment, all I could see were my parents' faces as they sent me off to college. Their hair graying from overwork just to pay my tuition. And I was failing them. In a moment of heat, I jumped from the seventh floor. I regretted it before I hit the ground. Seeing this scene again, my heart pounded. This time, I was going to give Becky back everything she gave me, with interest. Chapter 3 I whipped out my phone and scanned Becky's code. I sent her three thousand dollars—every cent my parents gave me for the semester. "I just came from the countryside, I didn't know the rules. Don't take what I said to heart. Thanks to Sophie and Chloe for showing me the way!" "This is all the money my parents gave me. Take it all. I realized money isn't important, our friendship is. I can always earn more money, but I can't let your hard work go unrewarded." Becky was stunned. Sophie smirked, satisfied. She liked being the leader. Becky was overjoyed, her finger hovering over the "Accept" button. Then Sophie spoke up. "Wait, you're actually going to take it?" Becky paused. "Huh? Well, she sent it to me." Sophie laughed, a weird, high-pitched sound. "Wow. Some people really have no shame. Taking a poor farmer's blood money." Chloe, Sophie's loyal sidekick, chimed in. "Even my maid donates 800 a month to charity." Becky's face turned red. "Fine, I'll send back two thousand then." Sophie cut her off. "Are you that desperate for cash? We gave you four grand already. Isn't that enough? You think I don't know the dorms are professionally cleaned before we move in?" Becky turned purple. Her face darkened. "Fine! I'll send it all back! Why are you yelling at me?" The money bounced back to my account. I asked innocently, "Are you sure? But you cleaned my bed." Becky rolled her eyes at me and went to unpack her stuff without a word. Sophie wasn't done. "Don't be so petty. Giving us attitude just because we called you out? I hate people who hold grudges. If you don't want to live here, move out." Becky snapped. "Why should I move? You move! I was here first!" Maybe she got too worked up, but she suddenly collapsed to the floor. She laid there for a few seconds, eyes fluttering, then snapped them open. She looked around, confused. Finally, her gaze landed on me. She smirked. Then she climbed up, put on her headphones, and started crying loudly. "I even prepared gifts for you guys! My kindness is wasted!" Sophie loved being the center of attention. Hearing about gifts piqued her interest. "Really? You got us gifts? What are they?" Becky sobbed. "Nothing! You guys don't see me as a friend, so I won't bother you!" It sounded like she was cutting ties, but her tone was soft, inviting comfort. Sophie walked over. She didn't apologize, but she tossed Becky a tissue. "Stop being dramatic. Show me the gifts." Becky sniffled. "My family are farmers too, so it's nothing expensive. Just some clay figurines I made over the summer." "Oh, handmade? That's cool," Sophie said, eyes lighting up. She had a thing for "authentic" crafts. Becky quickly steered the conversation toward me. "My little gift is nothing compared to Lily's. She said she was going to treat us all to a meal at the biggest restaurant near campus." Becky shot me a challenging look. If I guessed right, she was reborn too. She used this trick in my past life. I immediately denied it and argued with her. It saved my wallet, but it deepened the misunderstanding. Sophie and Chloe thought I was a liar and a flake. She was trying to do it again. If I refused, I'd repeat the past. If I agreed, she'd order the most expensive items on the menu and stick me with the bill. I'd be broke and humiliated. But she forgot option three. Facing Sophie's skeptical look, I denied half of it. "You must have misheard. I'm a farm girl, I can't afford a fancy restaurant. I said I'm a pretty good cook. If we had a kitchen, I'd make you guys a home-cooked meal. Too bad I can't afford to rent a place with a kitchen." Sophie and Chloe exchanged smiles. The doubt vanished, replaced by their natural, breezy arrogance. They believed me over Becky. "A kitchen? That's easy. My parents bought me a condo in the complex next door. I'm sick of takeout anyway. Let's do it tonight." Chloe nodded enthusiastically. Becky bit her lip, forcing a sinister smile. "That's great! I can't wait." I knew she was plotting something. Buying expensive ingredients behind my back and making me pay. Or tampering with the food. She wanted to drive a wedge between me and the others. Sure enough, she "accidentally" sent me a text, deleting it two seconds later. But I saw it. [You think you can win just because you came back? I'll make everyone hate you again! You're too stupid to beat me. Kneel and apologize, and maybe I'll go easy on you. Heehee!] I mentally gave her the finger. This time, I'm not losing. Chapter 4 After unpacking, we all went our separate ways. At 5 PM, Becky tagged me in the group chat. [@Lily, babe, where are you? Everyone's here! We're just waiting for the chef!] [So sorry, the guys from the class next door heard you were treating us and insisted on coming. I tried to say no, but they just wanted to join the fun. They said they won't eat if there's not enough food.] [Don't worry, I bought them some snacks. They won't touch your cooking.] She spammed a few photos. Sophie's luxurious apartment was packed with people. Our entire department seemed to be there. And on the counter sat piles of premium seafood. [The seafood you asked me to order arrived! Come prep it before it goes bad!] Jesus. That was at least seven or eight grand worth of food. She claimed the extra guests wouldn't eat, but could we really let them stand there watching us feast? She was setting me up to fail. I didn't panic. I sent a "shocked rabbit" emoji and went silent. Because my Chopped Chili Fish Head was ready. I walked out of the kitchen with the dish. I heard Sophie screaming into her phone. "Becky! Why did you bring a crowd to my apartment? Did I say you could?" "Do you know how many germs that many people carry? I am speechless!" "And Lily changed the location at 2 PM! Why are you still at my place?" "The food is on the table, we're not waiting for you. Don't come! Since you brought everyone there, you host them. Don't make me look cheap!" "You and Lily are both farm girls, you must know how to cook. Make them something! Don't let them starve!" "What? You can order it but you can't pay for it? You took four grand from us! Stop acting poor." I placed the last dish on the table. Sophie hung up, following the scent to the table. Her eyes lit up. "It smells amazing! Is that wild mushroom soup?"
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