I was the girl who was always second best, a permanent joke. The golden girl’s grades? She was number one, year after year. She was born into the city's most powerful family, the Hales, a world away from me. Even my own mother worked as their housekeeper. To claw my way out of that life, I bound myself to the Exchange System. 【Congratulations, Host, on binding with the Exchange System. You have one, and only one, opportunity to make an exchange.】 “Can I exchange anything?” I asked it. “Even final exam scores?” 【Of course. Please designate your exchange target.】 “Melody Hale.” But it wasn't her scores I was after. I wanted something far more precious. 1 The moment the words left my lips, I saw Melody Hale, standing a short distance away, clench her fists. Her eyes shot toward me, filled with a familiar blend of contempt and amusement. It was true then. Just as the Live Comments had said, she could hear my conversations with the System. My mother was her family’s housekeeper, but she saved her harshest words for me, always in defense of Melody. "Miss Melody was born with a silver spoon. Who do you think you are, trying to compete with her for first place?" When my mother found out Melody’s little clique had locked me in a bathroom stall, bullying me until I bruised, she just shrugged. "You must have done something to upset Miss Melody. She wouldn't lash out for no reason. You were born worthless, so stop acting so damn precious." For years, I told myself my mother was just desperate to keep her job at the Hale mansion, that her fawning over Melody was a survival tactic. Then the Live Comments appeared, floating in my vision, telling me the truth: 【The side character is so tragic. She’s the real heiress, swapped at birth out of pure malice. That housekeeper mom of hers? That's Melody's real mother…】 【Tragic? Are you kidding me? She gets what she deserves! She tried to take the easy way out, swapping final scores with our precious Melody. Good thing our girl was one step ahead and deliberately bombed the exam, leaving her with nothing!】 【Just wait until after the finals, when the side character is 'welcomed' back by the Hales. Her real parents will be so ashamed of her. Our brilliant Melody will crush her in every way! So what if she's the real heiress? Unloved, isolated, and ending up depressed and taking her own life is exactly what she has coming!】 Isolated? Depressed? Taking my own life? Too bad for them. None of that was going to happen. Because I never wanted Melody Hale’s exam scores. I wanted something far more valuable. 2 During the break between classes, Melody sauntered over to my desk, a malicious grin playing on her lips. “Pearl Stone. Still number two, I see. Need some help? Anything you don’t understand, I’d be happy to teach you.” Pearl Stone. That was the name my mother gave me. I’d fought against it once, telling her it sounded drab and ugly, a name easy to mock. She’d sneered. “Getting too big for your britches, are we? You think you’re too good for the name I gave you? You’re bad luck, a curse that killed your father the moment you were born. Naming you Pearl was a kindness! How dare you complain?” Because of that name, Melody’s friends had cornered me in the bathroom more times than I could count. They’d drag me to a stall, trying to shove my head toward the filthy water. “Your name is Pearl Stone? Here, have a taste of this toilet bowl!” The smile on Melody’s face back then… it was identical to the one she wore now. I lowered my gaze, avoiding her eyes. “No, thank you. Your time is precious, Miss Hale. You should focus on your own studies.” “Oh, Pearl, how thoughtful of you,” Melody chirped, her eyes lighting up with a knowing gleam. She thought my advice was proof. She thought I was telling her to study hard so I’d have a high score to steal. And she was more than happy to play along, setting the stage for my ultimate failure. “I’ll let you in on a little secret,” she leaned in conspiratorially. “I won’t be coming to school after today. The teachers here are too slow. My parents hired five elite tutors for me, one-on-one sessions to target my weaknesses. By the time the final exams roll around, the gap between us will be much, much bigger than this.” Her face was a mask of smug triumph, and the Live Comments erupted in praise: 【Melody is a genius! Pretending she hired five tutors to make the side character think she’s studying like crazy. It’s the perfect bait to make sure she goes through with the score swap!】 【In reality, our girl isn’t studying at all! She’s about to kick back and live her best life, leaving the side character with a big fat zero!】 【Who cares anyway? As a Hale, Melody can buy her way into any university in the world. This is the ultimate power move! Love it!】 And just as they predicted, Melody stopped coming to school. Following a tip from the Comments, I snuck out one night and saw her at a downtown club. She was wrapped up with a group of guys with cheap blond dye jobs and bad reputations. They flirted under the hazy, pulsing lights, their inhibitions washed away by alcohol. Then, their lips met, and they stumbled out toward a nearby motel to lose themselves in each other. I watched, and said nothing. We were adults now. We all had to live with the consequences of our choices. My choice was to remain in my baggy uniform and thick-rimmed glasses, my life a straight line between my tiny apartment and the school library. With Melody gone, there was no more bullying. I finally had the peace to study. But I knew her spies were everywhere in our class. So I put on a show. I acted lazy, disinterested. I was the first to leave when the bell rang, only to find an abandoned, dusty classroom where I could study in secret until dark. If Melody wanted to play a game, I would play it with her. I couldn't wait to see the look on her face when she realized her final score was never, ever exchanged. 3 The day of the finals arrived. I walked to the exam center alone. At the school gates, I saw her. Melody was surrounded by an entourage. Mr. and Mrs. Hale were there, and… my mother, Fiona Stone. They fussed over Melody, their eyes overflowing with a love and affection so thick you could almost touch it. Fiona had never once looked at me that way. In fact, for the six months leading up to the most important exam of my life, she hadn't come home at all. She left me alone in our crumbling slum apartment to dedicate herself completely to Melody’s care, cooking her meals and managing her schedule. She hadn't left me a single dollar. If it weren’t for the money I’d secretly saved from part-time jobs over the past two years, I don’t know how I would have survived. But in a way, it was a blessing. When Fiona was home, she was always ordering me around, finding chores for me to do, anything to keep me from my books. She treated me like an enemy, terrified I might one day surpass Melody. I never understood why. But seeing the Comments, seeing this scene unfold before me… it all made perfect, painful sense. 【I almost feel sorry for the side character… Her own mother worships Melody and treats her like dirt. And even when she finally gets back to her real family, her biological parents can’t stand her. Her whole life is just a story of being unloved…】 【I don’t care, what she did was wrong! Besides, without her trying to swap scores, we wouldn’t get to see our girl’s epic takedown!】 【But… is she really going to swap the scores? She looked like she was studying her ass off before the exams. She didn’t seem lazy at all… It’s Melody who was messing around with those guys. I have a bad feeling she’s the one who’s actually fallen behind…】 A small smile touched my lips. Finally, someone in the Comments was starting to get it. But when Melody saw my smile, she interpreted it differently. “Pearl Stone!” she called out, waving her hand high above the crowd. Her voice cut through the nervous chatter, and heads turned, whispers and snickers following their gazes. “Pearl Stone, what are you smiling about?” she chirped, bouncing over to me like a carefree fawn. “Feeling that confident about the exams?” I kept my expression neutral. “It’s fine. You?” “Do you even need to ask? I had one-on-one tutoring with the best. Besides,” she added, her voice dripping with condescension, “you’ve never beaten me before, have you?” She was practically glowing with confidence, doing everything she could to lure me into the trap. I offered her a piece of sincere advice. “Melody, you really need to do your best on this.” She shot me a sly, knowing grin. “Of course. Just for you, I promise I’ll do my very, very best.” “Alright, that’s enough—” Fiona rushed over, positioning herself between me and Melody like a mother hen shielding her chick. She was terrified I’d somehow ruin everything. “Pearl Stone, you worthless thing, don’t you dare distract Miss Melody before her exam! Get lost!” Mr. and Mrs. Hale followed, their eyes sweeping over my worn-out clothes and plain features with undisguised disapproval. “Melody, darling, let’s get you inside. Don’t let unsavory people affect your focus.” And there it was. My very first meeting with my biological parents. Thank God for the Comments. They had already shown me the tragic future that awaited me after our reunion. Because I expected nothing from the Hales, I felt no disappointment. Without another word, I turned and walked toward my exam hall. After eighteen years of suppression and silent endurance, this was my moment. And I was going to win. 4 In the exam room, my focus was absolute. When the final bell rang, I capped my pen with a sense of finality, like a warrior sheathing his sword after a long battle. At the same time, the Comments kept me updated on Melody’s performance. 【Our girl Melody is so chill! She slept through the entire exam, even drooled a little! So cute!】 【Ahhh, I can’t wait to see the side character’s face when the scores are swapped and she sees her zero! Go, Melody, go!】 【Wait, are you guys serious? The side character was writing nonstop. She didn't look like someone planning to swap scores at all…】 It seemed Melody hadn’t taken my advice. Her academic path was now a dead end. Fortunately for me, I had no intention of letting her walk any other path either. Our homeroom teacher organized a post-exam meeting for everyone to estimate their scores. Melody was the first to announce hers. “710!” A collective gasp went through the classroom. “That’s incredible! Your highest score on the practice tests was never over 670!” our teacher exclaimed. Melody shot a triumphant look in my direction, a prim smile on her lips. “I guess I just did exceptionally well this time.” Then, she deliberately turned the attention to me. “And what about our runner-up? What’s your estimate?” “About the same as you,” I said calmly. Melody burst out laughing. “About the same? You? You could never catch up to me on the practice tests, and now you’re claiming you got a 710 too?” I nodded. “That’s right.” She didn’t believe a word of it. In her mind, I was just setting the stage, building a narrative to make the eventual score swap seem plausible. She smiled at me, her eyes full of hidden meaning. “Well, in that case, it sounds like the State Scholar will be coming from our class. For such a momentous occasion, I’ll have my father contact the media. We can do a live broadcast on score-release day.” She paused, her gaze locking onto mine. “You don’t have a problem with that, do you, Pearl Stone?” Not only did I not have a problem with it, it was exactly what I wanted. Especially since I knew that score-release day was the very day my mother, Fiona Stone, was planning to stage our grand family reunion. 5 After what felt like an eternity of anticipation for both me and the disembodied voices of the Comments, the day the scores were released finally arrived. The classroom was packed. Students, teachers, parents, and a swarm of reporters Melody had arranged were crammed into every available space. Thanks to her tireless promotion of the "State Scholar from our class" story, a huge crowd of onlookers had gathered. The Comments were buzzing. 【It doesn’t matter anyway. Melody’s acceptance to Harvard is already a done deal. She’s the star of the show, no matter what!】 【That vicious side character is about to get humiliated! All these reporters are here to watch her fall!】 【After today, even when she’s taken in by the Hales, she’ll be the family disgrace. Our Melody will walk all over her!】 One by one, students sat down at the computers. As the clock struck the hour, a chorus of shouts and groans filled the room. “621! Just what I predicted!” “Damn it! 568! I only got a 90 in English? Did I totally misread the essay prompt?” “640!” “535…” The atmosphere crackled with energy as each score was revealed. Camera flashes documented every flicker of emotion before the lenses slowly swiveled to focus on Melody and me. “We hear that two students from this class were predicted to score 710. Have you checked your results yet?” a reporter asked. Melody shot me a challenging glance before calmly typing her student ID into the keyboard. The moment her score appeared, the room erupted. A single, glaring number: 0. “Zero? How is that possible? Melody Hale has always been the top student in our year. There must be a mistake!” “Maybe they’re redacting the scores of the top 50 in the state now? Displaying them as zero?” Amidst the confusion, Melody remained perfectly composed. She looked at me, a smirk playing on her lips. “Pearl Stone, you’re more ruthless than I thought. I expected you to score low, but I never imagined you’d hand me a flat zero.” The people around us were completely bewildered. “Melody, what are you talking about?” Melody stood tall, her voice ringing with conviction. “I know this is going to sound unbelievable, but I swear on my family’s name and my own integrity that everything I’m about to say is true. Three months ago, I discovered that Pearl Stone bound herself to an Exchange System. Her goal was to swap her final exam score with mine. “She’s always been stuck in my shadow, and she decided to use this cheap trick to steal my top spot and ruin my reputation. After the exam, I deliberately said I estimated a 710, and what a coincidence, she immediately claimed the same. She was already laying the groundwork to make the switch seem believable!” Her voice rose, her eyes scanning every face in the room. “So, this zero you see? That wasn’t my score. It was the score Pearl Stone swapped with me!” Her words hit the room like a shockwave. A storm of whispers and speculation broke out. Reporters hoisted their cameras, flashes popping like fireworks. Someone started a livestream, and viewers flooded in to witness the drama. “That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. Who would believe that?” I slowly rose to my feet, adjusting the black-rimmed glasses on my nose. My movements were calm, deliberate. “Melody, getting a zero isn’t the end of the world. You can always try again next year. You don’t have to invent such an outrageous lie to save face.” She gritted her teeth. “You know damn well whether it’s a lie or not!” “Oh? Do I?” My voice was quiet, but it cut through the noise, silencing the room. “Because I personally saw you at that club, wasting your nights away with that rough crowd. And now you’re spinning this fantasy to pin your failure on me?” The air in the classroom turned to ice. All eyes darted between me and Melody. Her pupils constricted, and she took an involuntary step back before forcing herself to stand her ground. “I was out having fun because I refused to work my ass off for a high score just so you could steal it!” She lifted her chin, a flicker of pride in her eyes. “And why would I need to frame you? I’m the heiress to the Hale Corporation. I can get into any university I want. In fact,” she declared, “I’m about to receive my official offer from Harvard.” Just then, the classroom door swung open. Mr. and Mrs. Hale strode in, followed closely by a beaming Fiona Stone. Mr. Hale, dressed in an impeccable suit, spoke with a calm authority. “That’s right. Melody has been in communication with several top international universities, all of whom have expressed great interest in her. We have received a letter of recommendation from the Dean at Harvard, and that is where we intend for her to enroll.” The Comments went into a frenzy: 【The Hales adore Melody! They’re donating an entire building to Harvard just to secure her spot!】 【Once that contract is signed, her acceptance letter is guaranteed!】 【That's the power of money! What does the side character have to compete with that?】 Buoyed by her parents' support, Melody’s confidence soared. “Pearl Stone, you claim I’m lying. Then why don’t you have the guts to show everyone your score right now? Let me tell you something: I slept through every single exam. You schemed and plotted, but the only thing you managed to exchange was my zero!” She turned to the cameras, her voice ringing out for all to hear. “And I want everyone here to be my witness! If Pearl Stone’s final score is also a zero, it will prove that everything I’ve said is true!” In an instant, every eye in the room was on me. They were filled with curiosity, suspicion, and a healthy dose of morbid excitement. “Well, Pearl, go on then. Check your score.” “Melody has a safety net no matter what happens. You don’t. If you really got a zero, your life is over.” Under the crushing weight of their stares, I simply smiled. “Fine. I’ll check.”
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