When I was one year old, during a family "pick-a-prize" game, I grabbed my brother’s hand. He’s been protecting me ever since. The year I graduated, my brother went bankrupt. He liquidated every asset he had, left the money to me, and then took his own life. Two months later, I was scammed out of every cent. I ended up on the streets and froze to death on a snowy curb. After I died, I realized the truth: my brother and I were the villains in a cheesy YA novel. He was the antagonist trying to steal the heroine from the hero; I was the "mean girl" trying to steal the hero from the heroine. We were destined for a tragic end. But when I opened my eyes again, I was sixteen. My brother was sitting right in front of me, legs crossed, a faint smirk on his lips. My eyes welled up with tears. I was about to throw my arms around him when I heard him drawl: "My sister wants to see your abs." "Take it off. A thousand dollars per layer." "Or don't. It's your choice. But doesn't your mother have cancer? You wouldn't want to watch her die because you couldn't pay the medical bills, would you?" The hair on my neck stood up. I slowly turned around. Standing there, fists clenched and eyes bloodshot, was the hero of the story—Silas Vance. 01 In an instant, the blood rushed to my head. In my previous life, right before I died, Silas’s voice had been like ice. He stood over me, his designer shoe grinding into my frozen, purple hand. "Jade Sterling, I never loved you. You bullied people for five years because of your brother’s power. Now that he’s dead, welcome to hell." He had walked away without looking back. Thinking of that, I shivered. I tried to rush toward my brother, but my foot slipped on the plush carpet. THUD. I landed hard on my knees. My brother, Leo, jumped. "Jade? You okay? Is seeing him that exciting for you?" He looked at Silas, his lips thinning. "It’s an honor to be liked by my sister. Get over here. Let her see what she’s paying for." Silas snapped his head up. His voice sounded like it was being squeezed out of his throat. "You people..." "We what?" Leo stood up, looming over Silas with cold indifference. "You don't want to save your mom?" I was speechless. My brother looked like a total cinematic villain. If I were Silas, I’d want to punch him too! Silas lowered his head, his chest heaving. Finally, with a look of pure resignation, he began to unbutton his shirt. "No! No, no, no!" I grabbed my brother’s arm, stammering. "Make him... make him put it back on!" "What? Is our little Jade shy now?" Leo teased, his eyes softening as he patted my hand. "Don't be scared. I'm right here. Don't you always say Silas is the hottest guy in school?" He smoothed a stray hair behind my ear, his tone incredibly gentle. "Whatever Jade wants, Jade gets." Maybe he thought Silas was moving too slow, because Leo clicked his tongue and signaled to the two bodyguards. "Help him out. Tear it off." Leo grabbed my hand, trying to guide it toward Silas’s bare chest! Seeing Silas’s dead, hollow eyes, the memory of my own death started playing on loop in my brain. I shrieked, yanking my hand back. "No! Stop! I don't like him anymore! I swear!" A small smile played on Leo’s lips. He was about to say something when Silas suddenly stepped forward, pressing his bare chest against my palm with a suicidal intensity. His skin was like warm marble. I could feel his heart thumping erratically against my hand. Realizing what I was touching, the world went gray. "Jade Sterling, stop acting," Silas hissed, his voice like frost. "Isn't this what you wanted? Stop the 'hard to get' act. I did what you asked. Now, the money for my mother..." He was so busy glaring at me that he didn't notice Leo’s expression darkening. This was exactly like my first life. In that life, I had touched him eagerly. But that’s not what Leo wanted. He had brought Silas here as a form of "aversion therapy," hoping Silas’s hatred would make me give up on my crush. When I had touched Silas happily in the first life, Leo got angry. He blamed Silas for "seducing" me. He threw Silas out without the money. Silas’s mother died two weeks later. That was where the blood feud started. I saw Leo about to signal the guards to throw Silas out. I grabbed his hand, my mind racing for an excuse. "Silas!" A clear, feminine voice rang out from the doorway, cutting me off. Leo looked up. My heart skipped a beat. 02 Standing at the door of the VIP lounge was Elena Vance. She was biting her lip, her long dark hair falling over her simple white dress. She looked pure, like a lily in a swamp. Leo’s breath hitched. In my last life, this was the moment. Love at first sight. He became obsessed with her. He showered her with jewelry, cars, and even company shares. But Elena loved Silas. Because I had forced Silas into a "relationship," she hated me, and by extension, she hated Leo. Leo, being a Sterling, didn't know how to take 'no' for an answer. He found her weakness: her poverty. He threatened her family and Silas’s safety to force her to date him. He didn't realize that in this world, "forced love" only leads to the villain’s grave. Thinking of my brother’s suicide, my heart ached. "Let him go," Elena said, stepping into the room. Her body was shaking with fear, but her eyes were defiant. "If you want to bully someone, pick on me!" Leo narrowed his eyes, intrigued. He patted my head. "Jade, go wait in the car." I shook my head. I looked at Leo, then at Elena. I had to stop the plot. "Leo," I whispered. "I think I'm in love." "Wait, already?" Leo sat up straight. To him, my happiness was more important than any girl. "Jade, you're young. You don't realize that most guys are trash—" "Who said it's a guy?" I blinked, pointing directly at Elena. "The moment I saw her, I couldn't breathe. My heart is pounding. She’s the one, Leo. My soulmate." "...Her?!" Leo grabbed my shoulders and shook me. His face was a mask of confusion and collapse. "Jade! Do you hear yourself? She's a girl! You've been telling me for a year that Silas is your dream guy!" "Sexuality is a spectrum, Leo," I said, brushing his hands off. "I thought I was straight until five seconds ago. Love doesn't follow rules. Sorry, but she's the one." Leo looked like he had been struck by lightning. He stammered, unable to form a sentence. My logic was simple: Leo couldn't compete with me for her. If I claimed her first, he wouldn't trap her, and he wouldn't die. I walked up to Elena, pitching my voice into a "cute" register. "Hi! What’s your name?" "Jade Sterling!" Silas roared. He was still held by the guards, shirtless and fuming. "Don't you dare touch her! Leave her alone!" Elena bit her lip, looking confused, but she answered. "Elena. Elena Vance." "I've never heard a more beautiful name," I declared. I waved a hand at the guards. "Let Silas go. He's all yours, Elena! Here’s the hundred grand for his mom’s surgery. Take him and the cash and go have a nice dinner!" 03 On the drive home, Leo was silent. His face was a blank mask. Was he mad that I "stole" his girl? I peeked at him, only to find him staring at me with deep, soul-searching eyes. "Jade," he sighed, reaching over to pinch my cheek. "Don't do that again." My heart jumped. "Do... what?" "Giving that much money to a stranger," Leo frowned. "What if she’s a scammer? She’s pretty, sure, but you can't trust people these days." He ruffled my hair. "You're too innocent for this world." "But... you used to drop thousands on your exes," I mumbled. "That's different." When we got home, Leo dragged me to the small library where our parents' portraits hung. He knelt down, bowed his head, and whispered to the photos, "Mom, Dad... Jade is in love again. With a girl." I face-palmed. "Leo, stop!" The incense smoke curled in the air. Leo ignored my protests and continued, "I know you’d probably be against it. You'd say it’s not proper. But I just want Jade to be happy. She lost you both so young. While other kids had parents at their soccer games, she just had me, crying and asking when you were coming back." "If this girl is kind to her, it doesn't matter if it’s a boy or a girl." He lowered his head further. "Don't haunt her dreams for this. She’s sensitive. She can't handle you being mad at her." I looked at Leo’s back. I wanted to tell him that I was just making it up to save him. But the words died in my throat. I saw the ghost of the twenty-seven-year-old Leo. The Leo who had lost everything. The Leo who sat in a bare apartment, handing me the last of his food. "Eat up, Jade. I'm not hungry." The Leo who committed suicide the next day so his debts wouldn't follow me. The memory blurred. My brother was here. He was young, rich, and full of life. He turned to me and said the same thing he always did when I looked sad. "Don't cry, Jade." 04 Walking back into my high school classroom felt surreal. A group of girls—my so-called "friends"—immediately cornered me. "So, Jade? Did you get him? How was the school hottie?" "I bet he was amazing. If you're bored with him, pass him over..." They didn't lower their voices. They didn't care that Silas was sitting right there, staring at his desk, his fists clenched so hard his knuckles were white. I glanced at him and cleared my throat. In my last life, I was too dumb to realize Silas hated me. I thought his silence was just him being a "brooding bad boy." I looked at the students whispering nearby. "Being hot pays off. He's basically her pet now." "Man, Silas Vance is making more money as a 'companion' than he ever would with a job." I couldn't take it. I slammed my book on the desk of the guy talking the loudest. "Say that again. Who’s a pet?" The guy paled. "I... I was just joking. Everyone says it." "Who is everyone?" "..." "You love talking about people behind their backs? No wonder no one wants to date you," I snapped. One of my "friends" tried to put an arm around me. "Whoa, Jade! Defensive much? We know he’s your favorite toy." I pushed her away. "We're classmates. That's it. Don't let me catch you spreading rumors again." The girl looked shocked. She leaned in and whispered, "Wait, you don't like Silas anymore? Then who are you into?" "Can't I just be into studying?" I said flatly. "We're in high school! Education is our priority!" "Right," she said, looking at my desk. "But your book is upside down." "..." 05 After two hours of AP Calculus, I began to seriously question if I actually needed a diploma. During the break, I saw a girl hunched over her desk. Elena. She looked pale, her hand clutching her stomach. I remembered then—Elena’s health wasn't great. Her family was struggling, and she often skipped meals to save money for Silas’s mom. I dug through my bag, found some gourmet sandwiches my chef had packed, and dropped them on her desk. She looked up, startled. "Here," I grunted. "Eat." Before she could speak, Silas was there, shielding her. He threw the bag back at me. "We don't need your charity, Jade." "You don't like turkey?" I reached into my bag and pulled out granola bars, fruit cups, chips, and even a thermos of hot soup. I piled them on their desk. "Pick something else then." "..." He looked stunned. I pulled out my cafeteria gold card and slid it over to Elena. I remembered she was proud in the last life, so I lied. "I have too much credit on this card and the school won't refund it. Help me use it up." Elena looked at the card, then at me. Her stomach let out a loud growl. "Why are you doing this?" she whispered. "I told you. I like you," I said, using the same excuse. "But—" "Just eat! You'll get an ulcer if you skip meals!" I shoved a warm carton of milk into her hand. "I hate milk anyway. And I want you to take a picture of your lunch and send it to me every day to prove you're eating!" I didn't wait for her to reply. I bolted back to my seat and pretended to fall asleep. I actually did fall asleep. When I woke up, there was a note on my desk. 【Sorry, I don't have a phone, so I can't send a picture. I had a bagel today. It was good. The milk was warm. Thank you.】 There was a tiny smiley face drawn at the bottom. I tucked the note away. Suddenly, someone tapped my shoulder. Silas was standing there, his face slightly flushed. I put my hands up. "I didn't do anything to her!" "I know," he said, looking at the floor. He hesitated for a long time. "Do you... still want to touch my abs?" Me: ?
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