Live For Myself

Ever since Zhou Zhe moved into our house, my relationship with my parents and sister had become strained, but I didn't care at all.

After school, I usually spent my time in the school library, getting a head start on high school material. Given my current academic level, I could easily skip a grade to high school, but I had a different plan in mind.

In my previous life, after Zhou Zhe transferred to our class, he won countless awards and became a star in the school, adored by teachers and classmates alike. My parents and sister treated him like a treasure, making me feel like an invisible person, merely a shadow of Zhou Zhe.

In this life, I was determined to snatch away all of Zhou Zhe's awards and top rankings, to beat him at his own game!

A few months later, my birthday arrived.

My parents decided to throw me a proper birthday party to ease the tensions between us. More importantly, they wanted this party to help me fully accept Zhou Zhe.

When I got home from school, I saw the table filled with a lavish spread, but upon closer inspection, it was all seafood like boiled shrimp and steamed crab—a seafood feast, which is considered a delicacy in our culture—yet everyone in the family knew I was allergic to it.

Zhou Zhe was helping my mom in the kitchen, and when he saw me come home, he flashed a provocative smile.

My mom, who had been looking at Zhou Zhe with eyes full of affection, seemed to lose some of that warmth when she turned to me. "Qingci, you're back. Once your dad gets the cake, we'll celebrate your birthday together."

I glanced at the dishes on the table and couldn't help but sneer, "You remembered it's my birthday today, yet all the food is seafood that I can't eat? Oh, I see, Zhou Zhe loves seafood, doesn't he?"

Just then, my dad and Zhou Yan returned home. Zhou Yan immediately shouted in displeasure when she heard my words, "Zhou Qingci, are you bullying A-Zhe again? We're all family. What's wrong with making something A-Zhe likes?"

Zhou Zhe's tears came easily. "I'm sorry. It's my fault for admiring my brother too much. Mom only made my favorite dishes because she felt sorry for me. Brother, you can scold me, but please don't blame mom."

Dad heavily placed the cake on the table. "Do you have to ruin a perfectly good birthday by causing chaos in the family?"

I pointed to the visibly ill-fitting limited edition sneakers on Zhou Zhe's feet. "Is this how you celebrate my birthday? Why is everything on the table what Zhou Zhe likes, and why is my birthday gift on Zhou Zhe's feet?"

Just like in my previous life, Zhou Zhe used his tricks to wear the gift my parents had given me. When I angrily tried to take it back, my parents demanded I be a generous brother. Anything Zhou Zhe wanted, I had to offer up willingly. I had no doubt that if Zhou Zhe ever wanted my life, this self-righteous family would guilt-trip me into giving in.

Upon hearing my words, Zhou Zhe immediately took off the shoes, crying, "I just liked these shoes so much that I couldn't resist trying them on. I'm sorry. I've never seen such nice shoes before... When I was kidnapped by traffickers, I only had broken straw shoes to wear..."

The red marks on Zhou Zhe's feet looked fresh, clearly not old injuries as he claimed. Yet, seeing his scarred feet, my overly compassionate family broke down, each one holding Zhou Zhe and crying their hearts out.

Zhou Zhe broke free and ran over to me, crouching at my feet with pretended innocence. "Brother, please forgive me. I'll give the shoes back to you."

Facing away from the Zhou family, Zhou Zhe spoke in a pitiful tone, but he was actually stepping hard on my foot, sending a sharp pain through me.

I couldn't help but push him away, but as soon as my hand touched his shoulder, he screamed as if electrocuted, "I was really wrong! Brother, don't hit me!"

My parents and Zhou Yan didn't see what happened, but hearing Zhou Zhe's cry, they immediately assumed I was bullying him again.