She Imitated My Life to Steal My Love

A payment notification came from the hair salon.

My whole body trembled with rage as I scrolled through the previous transaction history—

skirts, women’s underwear, umbrellas... everything.

The earliest purchase dated back to March of last year.

So they had been cheating on me for that long.

I didn’t hesitate to post in the class group and tagged Ethan directly.

[@Ethan — Using my intimate payment to fund your mistress now, are you?]

Without waiting for a reply, I tagged Scarlet.

[@Scarlet — Feeling good? Having fun? A perfect match: the scumbag and the slut.]

Then I unlinked the intimate payment account and called every shop where I had a membership card.

Just in case they tried to take advantage again, I made sure no one could use those except me.

Meanwhile, right after paying for Scarlet’s perm, Ethan found the intimate payment system wasn’t working.

He thought it was a glitch and kept logging out and back in, trying again and again.

The clerk started watching him suspiciously, thinking he was trying to skip out on the bill.

Scarlet, clearly embarrassed, whispered urgently,

"Brother Ethan, please pay quickly. I’ll reward you later, okay?"

Left with no choice, Ethan opened his personal payment code and reluctantly used what little money he had left.

The moment the payment went through, he blurted out,

"Why is it so expensive? It’s just a haircut! Scarlet, were you scammed?"

The clerk shot him a cold glance and muttered,

"This salon caters to high-end clients. Four thousand dollars isn’t even that much. If you can’t afford it, don’t come in."

Ethan’s face turned alternating shades of red and white from embarrassment.

Just then, he noticed 99 unread messages had popped up in the class group chat.

He nearly passed out from anger.

He wanted to lash out at me, but realized I had already blocked him.

Unaware of the chaos unfolding, I was relaxing while getting my hair done.

A few hours later, I had a fresh princess cut, Tessa went blonde, and Lydia got voluminous waves.

Satisfied, I thought about posting it on my Moments feed—

but decided against it, just in case someone was watching.

Still, just thinking about the look on Scarlet’s face tomorrow lifted my mood.

The next morning, before class, I had just stepped into the corridor when I heard someone calling my name.

I turned and saw a student council member staring at Scarlet from behind, mistaking her permed hair for mine.

Scarlet turned around with a shy smile.

"Oh, student council member, I’m not Celeste. Do we really look that much alike? So many people are mistaking me for her today."

My eyes turned icy as I stepped forward.

"Look like me, Hu? Really? My skin isn’t as dark as yours, I’m taller than you, and my eyes aren’t that small. Don’t lie with a straight face."

The student council member blinked, recognizing my new hairstyle, and quickly nodded.

"You’re right. You don’t look like Celeste at all. I only mistook her because of the curls."

She grabbed my hand and smiled sweetly.

"But your new hairstyle is gorgeous—better than before. I won’t confuse you two again."

Other friends joined in:

"Yes! It's stunning. I used to think big waves suited you, but this new cut is even better!"

"It’s so unique, you can tell it was custom-designed. If anyone tries to copy it, they’ll just end up looking like a fool imitating another fool—it’ll never work."

Scarlet’s face turned crimson. She stomped her foot in frustration.

"What’s that supposed to mean? Are you saying I want to look like her? You think I want to be her?"

Her jealous gaze locked onto my hair as she spat,

"It’s ugly! Hideous! Who even told you to get a princess cut? It doesn’t suit you at all!"

I didn’t get angry seeing her like that.

Instead, I gently brushed my fingers through her hair and smiled.

"Really? I just like it."

After knocking her hand away, Scarlet chased after me and blocked my path.

"Ethan won’t like it! He prefers the way you used to look!"

Afraid I wouldn’t believe her, she dragged Ethan in front of me.

"Right, Brother Ethan? You think so too, don’t you?"

Ethan glanced at me, his ears turning red. He trembled like he was having a seizure and couldn’t say a word.

Scarlet was furious and burst into tears, shoving me into the classroom.

"You’re sick! Go see a doctor if you are!"

I cursed back and pushed her away.

During the break, Lydia, who had just come back from the bathroom, leaned over and whispered,

"I overheard Scarlet on a call. She’s booked a manicure this afternoon. Guess what? The style she showed them is the exact same photo you posted two days ago. If I hadn’t bumped into her phone, I’d never have known she’s copying you."

That reminded me—I looked up Scarlet and was about to block her.

But suddenly, I had a better idea and changed my mind.

"Perfect. I’m tired of this manicure anyway. Let’s switch it up."