My younger brother and sister both got accepted into college at the same time. Since my family's financial situation was tight, my parents sat me down for a "discussion." They would pay for my brother's education, and I was expected to pay for my sister's. I agreed to give my sister $200 a month for living expenses. Later, my sister graduated, passed the civil service exam, and became the pride of the entire family. Meanwhile, I overworked myself into a severe illness. When I reached out to her for help, she blocked my number. "Back then, you gave our brother $350 a month, but you only gave me $200! Do you have any idea how I survived those four years of college?!" I died in agonizing pain and complete despair. When I opened my eyes again, I was back to the time they were both starting college. This time, facing my parents' demands, I said: "If she can't afford to go to school, then she shouldn't go. Tell her to get a job." 1 I woke up and found myself back in the year I graduated college. My younger brother, Tyler, and my younger sister, Mia, had both just been accepted into college. My mom grabbed my hand, sighing heavily, and poured her heart out about how hard things were for the family. The factory she worked at wasn't doing well; she hadn't been paid in months. Supporting two kids in college at the same time was just too difficult. She hoped I would start working immediately so I could help share the burden. "You don't need to worry about your brother's expenses. And we've already covered your sister's tuition. All you have to do is send her monthly living expenses." "Of course, we aren't making you pay for everything. You'll be the primary provider, and I'll supplement it. If you're ever really short on cash, Mom will help you out." Her mouth moved as she spoke, her exhausted face perfectly aligning with my memories from my past life. Every tear, every look was designed to tell me how difficult things were for the family, and how incredibly selfish and immature I was being for wanting to go to grad school. In my past life, it was on this exact day. I gave up my acceptance letter to a top-tier university's graduate program and frantically started submitting job applications. My undergraduate degree was in a foundational science, making it incredibly hard to find a job in my field. After bouncing around, I finally landed a job with a miserable salary of $600 a month. After sending Mia $200 every month and paying my rent, my bank account was basically at zero. For those few years, I worked a second job every night after my main job. I had no time to cook, surviving on cheap, $1 fast-food delivery meals to fill my stomach. No matter how hard or exhausting it was, every time I transferred money to my sister, I felt a massive sense of accomplishment. Because when I was in college, my parents didn't give me a single cent. I survived entirely on part-time jobs. I had to pinch pennies just to eat, and I often couldn't even afford basic necessities like sanitary pads. Because I had walked through the rain, I wanted to hold an umbrella for my sister. And eventually, my sister didn't disappoint. Right after graduation, she passed the highly competitive civil service exam and became the most successful child in our family. Aside from my parents, I was the happiest person for her. However, ever since she graduated, her attitude towards me became incredibly cold. I couldn't understand why. My parents consoled me: "Your sister is grown up now, you can't expect her to be stuck to you like when you were kids. Working in the government is stressful, you need to be more understanding." Even though it hurt, and I didn't understand what happened, I obediently stopped bothering her. Until two years later, when I was diagnosed with stomach cancer. Due to chronic overwork, staying up late, eating cheap takeout, and having a highly irregular diet, I developed cancer at a very young age. The surgery cost $12,000. I only had $3,000 in savings. My coworkers, taking pity on me, pooled together another $3,000 to lend me. I was still short $6,000. I went to my parents for help. Looking distressed, they told me that my brother was getting married soon, the family was in debt, and they simply didn't have any money to give me. Desperate, I turned to my sister for help, only to discover she had blocked my number. I couldn't fathom why she would do that. When I finally managed to contact her from a different number, I heard her freezing, hateful voice: "Back then, you gave our brother $350 a month, but you only gave me $200! Do you have any idea how I survived those four years of college?!" "My living allowance was the lowest in my entire dorm! When my roommates went out to eat, I didn't dare go. When I saw clothes I liked, if they cost more than $30, I couldn't buy them. If I wanted to get my hair done, I had to calculate my bank balance first. For four whole years, I couldn't even go on a single trip!" "I'm a girl too! I deserve nice clothes! I deserve expensive skincare products! I deserve to travel and see the world! But the pathetic amount of money you gave me was constantly telling me that I didn't deserve any of that, that just not starving was good enough for me!" I was left completely speechless. I had no idea she thought like that. I had clearly done the absolute best I could. When I was barely surviving at the poverty line myself, how was I supposed to afford all those luxuries for her? I opened my mouth to explain, but no words came out. In the end, my mid-stage cancer dragged on until it became terminal, and I died alone in my rented apartment. And that very day happened to be my sister's wedding day. She walked down the aisle holding my father's arm, marrying the son of a wealthy entrepreneur, looking absolutely radiant and happy. Later, relying on the connections of his sister's new in-laws, my brother also secured a respectable, high-paying job. The family's life kept getting better and better. Only once a year, during the Tomb Sweeping Festival, would my mom occasionally remember her eldest daughter and sigh: "I guess she just had bad luck." 2 "Ava? Ava?" Seeing me zone out, my mom called my name several times. I snapped back to reality and glanced around the room. My brother, Tyler, had his bedroom door firmly shut as he played video games. He hadn't stepped out of his room for the entire summer break, except to eat. My sister, Mia, was lying on the sofa, scrolling through short videos and reading web novels, completely oblivious to everything happening around her. Meeting my mom's expectant gaze, I suddenly felt like my past life had been a massive, pathetic joke. "Mom, the job market is terrible right now. If I don't go to grad school and just start working, I'll only make a few hundred dollars a month. How am I supposed to support Mia on that?" My mom's face stiffened. "...But what about your sister? You know how things are with the family. Your dad's health is bad, we've spent a lot on his medical bills, and we still have the mortgage..." She kept rambling, her voice choking with tears. If this were my past life, hearing these words would have filled me with overwhelming guilt, and I would have eagerly handed over whatever money I had. But now, I just smiled: "Mom, of course I know things are hard for you and Dad. But Tyler and Mia are both adults now. If we need to share the burden, it shouldn't just fall on me. College students can take out student loans or get part-time jobs. That's exactly what I did when I was in school. Since the family can't afford it, they need to figure out their own solutions." Hearing this, Mia, who had been completely engrossed in her phone, suddenly regained her hearing. She jumped off the sofa. "Sis, what do you mean by that? Just because your life sucks, you want to rob me of my freedom during college?!" Huh? How am I robbing you of your freedom? She tilted her chin up, her eyes full of disdain. "Girls are supposed to be raised with abundance! College is the best time of your life, it should be used for self-improvement and enjoying your youth! Working part-time just wastes time on meaningless, low-end labor. People like you who just love to suffer needlessly have such a narrow, pathetic worldview." She spouted off a long, dramatic speech she had clearly memorized from some toxic internet influencer. I was utterly speechless. Suppressing my inner urge to laugh in her face, I smiled. "Don't falsely accuse me. Who said you had to get a part-time job? Mom said that she and Dad can fully afford to support one of you. Since you can't handle a little hardship, then I guess Tyler will just have to be the one to suffer." As I spoke, I shot my mom a look. "Mom, I already saw the transfer you sent Tyler. $350 for the month, right? Since Mia says girls are supposed to be raised with abundance, that money should definitely go to her instead!" Hearing this, Mia looked utterly shocked. "Mom! Didn't you tell me yesterday that we didn't have any money?! Why did you give Tyler so much?! Don't play favorites like that!" My mom's face instantly turned ugly, and her voice grew sharp. "How am I playing favorites?! Boys naturally eat more! And things are expensive at his school! How is he supposed to survive without at least $300 or $400 a month? You're his older sister, and instead of feeling bad for your brother, you're trying to steal his food money?! I wasted my time raising you!" Mia exploded: "And you still say you aren't playing favorites?! I finally realized today that you guys never loved me at all! I don't care! Whatever you give him, you have to give me the exact same amount..." She started crying and throwing a tantrum, while my mom slammed her hand on the table and yelled at her. They were arguing loudly, creating quite a scene. Amidst their screaming match, I sneered and silently walked out the front door. In my past life, six months into her freshman year, Mia accidentally found out how much Tyler's allowance was and threw a massive fit at my parents. But back then, my mom told her: "We're only responsible for your brother. You are your sister's responsibility. If she isn't giving you enough, that's her problem." That one sentence made her resent me for years. In this life, I ripped off that hypocritical band-aid early. Let them tear each other apart. 3 I decisively went back to my university and began my graduate studies. I heard Mia threw tantrums for days until my parents finally agreed to give her $150 a month. She kept screaming that it wasn't enough. My mom placated her: "It's really not that Mom is playing favorites. Originally, when your sister graduated, we hoped she would help the family out and cover your living expenses. Who knew she would be so selfish and only care about herself?" "If she had just started working earlier, you wouldn't be struggling like this." With a few perfectly calculated words, she completely shifted all the blame and resentment back onto me. 4 Consequently, half a month into the semester, I received a link in my messages. "Sis, Mom and Dad are already paying for my living expenses. Buying me a new phone isn't asking too much, right?" It was for an iPhone 16 Pro, costing nearly $1,500. Just like in my past life, whenever she wanted something, she demanded it from me as if it were her absolute birthright. Back then, I was broke and couldn't possibly afford it. I gritted my teeth, sent her $400, and urged her to buy a cheaper Android phone instead. "You're still a student. You don't need such an expensive phone. The Android ones have a much better price-to-performance ratio." However, that incident became the definitive "proof" of how I supposedly destroyed her self-esteem. Much later, I heard her say: "Back then, all my friends were using the newest iPhones, but you forced me to use a cheap, embarrassing Android phone. Do you have any idea how insecure and humiliated that made me feel?!" Well. Since an Android phone made her feel so humiliated, I definitely wasn't going to buy her one in this life. That should solve her self-esteem issues, right? I typed back: "You're a student, and I'm a student too. Where am I supposed to get the money for that?" Mia: "Don't grad students get a stipend?" The grad student stipend was barely $150 a month. I was getting a little annoyed. "That stipend isn't even enough to cover my food. I have no money." She got angry: "Then you should go out and get a job! If you don't have money, why are you even in grad school?! You know the family is struggling, but you refuse to help Mom and Dad out! You're so selfish!" I laughed: "Then why don't you go get a job? If you don't have money, why are you in college? You know the family is struggling, why haven't you dropped out to work? Aren't you being selfish?" She sent a voice memo, her voice piercingly shrill: "How can you even compare us?! As the oldest sister, you're practically a mother to me. This is your responsibility!" "Besides, someone with a miserable fate like yours is destined to end up working in a factory anyway! Reading more books is just a complete waste on you! It would be better to invest those resources into someone with actual value!" It took me two lifetimes to finally realize the truth. The sister I had always loved and spoiled had never, ever respected me. Perhaps it was because I had been so deeply conditioned by my parents since childhood, taking on so many responsibilities that were never mine to bear... That the brother and sister I practically raised single-handedly subconsciously viewed me as nothing more than their personal servant. I calmed myself down and replied, "You're right. So why is someone as incredibly valuable as you having to beg for a phone like a homeless person?" It was like I stepped on her tail. She exploded: "You're nothing special! I can buy it myself without you!" I locked my screen and didn't bother replying again. 5 Two months later. I saw the newest iPhone model on Mia's social media feed anyway. She had gotten expensive manicures, posted beautiful vacation photos, and looked incredibly comfortable and bourgeois. Based on the allowance my parents gave her, there was absolutely no way she could afford that lifestyle. And given her personality, there was zero chance she had earned that money working a part-time job. I thought about it for a moment. I opened her university's official website. Sure enough, on the list of students receiving financial aid grants, I saw her name. 6 Honestly, our family's financial situation wasn't exactly wealthy, but we definitely weren't living in actual poverty either. My parents owned the house they lived in and another apartment they rented out. Their combined monthly income was over $1,500. They simply didn't want to spend too much money on their daughters. Because of this, even though I had struggled financially, I never applied for financial aid, refusing to steal resources from families who were genuinely poor. Mia clearly didn't share that moral compass. 7 After thinking it over for a few minutes. I found the contact information for her university's anonymous "Confessions/Gossip" page. And submitted an anonymous tip. 8 Very quickly, a post exposing a "financial aid student" buying luxury goods and taking vacations appeared on the page. The school forum erupted in controversy. Facing questioning from her classmates, Mia stubbornly defended herself: "I only use the financial aid money for food! The money I use for my phone and vacations is my own money!" Her arrogant, unapologetic attitude enraged the student body. Students started reporting her to the academic affairs office en masse. Her financial aid status was quickly revoked. And she was given a formal disciplinary warning on her record. She was so furious she started posting unhinged rants on her social media. "I don't know which jealous, ugly bitch reported me, but who says poor students can't travel or buy iPhones?! The money was given to me, so it's mine! How I spend it is none of your business! Why are you acting like the morality police?!" Watching her impotent rage... I casually swiped past the post, enjoying the monkey show from a civilized distance. Without my financial support and with her financial aid revoked... Mia's life became significantly harder than it had been in my past life. Ultimately, she had no choice but to resort to the "meaningless, low-end labor" she so deeply despised. But her personality meant she couldn't handle the hardship. She thought washing dishes was disgusting, shaking bubble tea was exhausting, and she didn't have the patience to deal with bratty kids as a tutor. She bounced around and ended up making basically no money. She spent every day exhausted, running around, filled with resentment and complaints. 9 Meanwhile, I buried myself in my research, leading projects and working closely with my advisor. I traveled all over the country attending academic conferences. I was busy, but deeply fulfilled. Having earned this chance at grad school after two lifetimes, I cherished it more than anything. Watching my data sets slowly come together, the deep wounds from my past life slowly began to heal. Three years flew by in the blink of an eye. As graduation approached, I started looking at campus recruitment opportunities. With the prestige of a top-tier university backing me... The opportunities in this life were infinitely better than my last. I successfully passed the interviews for a technical engineering role at a massive, state-owned enterprise. The job was located in a southern city, over a thousand miles away from home. The salary and benefits also far exceeded my expectations.
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