Rebirth: Stay Away From Scumbags and Find the Starlight

"Dad, I think my sister is too nervous about the exams. A lot of people do. Don't worry," said Calvin.

After my mother died in my previous life, Calvin made a scene at Alan's door, demanding he let me go. Alan, heartless as ever, had his men break Calvin's legs and threw him out on the street. After that, I never heard from Calvin again. Thinking about it, I clenched my teeth with unresolved hatred. Alan, in this new life, I will make you pay.

Alan and I were high school classmates. He pursued me endlessly from our senior year until the end of my freshman year of college, when I finally agreed. My father was the president of a renowned publishing house, and he loved his job. During my freshman year, the publishing house ran into financial difficulties, and Alan invested a lot of money in the name of the Green family. I was studying literature and loved writing novels. Many of my novels were hits back then. However, since they only became popular after we got married, all royalties went to Alan.

After we got married, initially, we interacted like any normal married couple. That was until I caught him cheating with Emma White. I made a scene demanding a divorce, but before I could even leave, he dragged me back by my hair. He grabbed a nearby whip and beat me with it. Then, not satisfied, he pulled me up and slammed my head in the refrigerator door. Pampered all my life, I couldn't endure this. I begged him for mercy. He forced me to kneel, threatening to kill me if I moved.

I knelt all night, and the next morning, he and Emma brazenly entered our home. What I once thought was a warm place now felt like hell. I listened to their amorous sounds in the bedroom, my body trembling uncontrollably.

On New Year's Eve, I couldn't go home, and my mother couldn't reach my phone. She took a taxi to our house, but no matter how much she rang the doorbell, no one opened. She went back home and called Alan, who told her I had caught an infectious disease and didn't want to infect them. Until the Lantern Festival, there was no news from me. She went to our house again, just in time to see a drunk Alan punching me in the face.

I crawled on the ground, gasping for air, as Alan ran out and threw away the phone my mother was using to call the police. He threatened her, saying if she dared call the police, I would be dead immediately. Shocked, my mother had a heart attack on her way home and never woke up.

On the day of my mother's funeral, my father's publishing house was oppressed by the Green family and eventually taken over by them. Gary was arrested for copyright infringement, a crime he would never commit. It was all Alan's doing. I took a knife and sneaked into the bedroom. In the pitch-black room, I shakily approached the bed. Just as I was about to strike, a hand suddenly landed on my shoulder. A ghastly voice whispered in my ear. "Olivia Miller, are you trying to kill me?"

That night, I was disfigured. He dragged the knife across my face, down to my chest. "If you please me tonight, I won't hit you," he said. I stared at him fiercely, teeth gritted, "You make me sick." He dragged me by my hair to the kitchen, took out a rolling pin, and broke my fingers one by one.

He laughed wickedly as the stick continued to fall on me. "Aren't you going to kill me? Stand up and do it." he taunted. Sophia pushed a bowl of rice toward me, "Why the daze? Eat, it's all your favorite dishes."

Indeed, I was reborn, and there was no need to dwell on the past anymore. "Dad, I want to work at your publishing house as an editor." Gary and Sophia exchanged glances. Calvin, with his mouth full, quipped, "Wow, the sun rises from the west today. My sister wants to work." I ignored him and smiled at my father, "I'll start from the very bottom as a junior editor and promise not to cause any trouble."

After thinking it over, my father nodded, "Alright, you can start whenever you're rested."

"I'm rested now."

If I rested any longer, I'd only be beaten again.

"I'm done eating!" Calvin shouted.

Sophia responded, "Now go cut a watermelon for your sister."

Calvin grumbled reluctantly, "What? Does she not have arms or legs?"

Sophia smacked his head, "Your sister even knows how to work. All you know is play."

I watched them bicker with a warm feeling in my heart. My phone vibrated, displaying a name prominently---Alan!