My dad's old friend entrusted his daughter to our family. She was outgoing and lively, unlike me, who only knew how to study and take exams, quiet and a woman of few words. Dad doted on her like his own daughter. My brothers drove her to all the trendy spots for photos and bought her the latest gadgets. Even my boyfriend, the most popular guy in school, only paid lip service to complaining about her being too clingy and whining too much. But during every club activity, his eyes would unconsciously drift toward her. For the school anniversary gala, he even changed the song he had promised to sing with me to a four-hand piano duet with her. I looked down at the program in my hand, my name crossed out, and said calmly. "Let's break up." 1. Arthur's hand froze mid-air. He looked at me in disbelief. Before he could speak, Mia, standing behind him, immediately got teary-eyed. She was wearing a white gauze dress, identical in style to the performance outfit I had prepared. "Chloe, please don't blame Arthur. It was me... I wanted to perform at the gala so badly, and Arthur took pity on me, so he..." I ignored her and just looked at Arthur. "I said, let's break up." Arthur's brows furrowed tightly, his face full of impatience. "Chloe, stop making a scene. It's just a song. Is this really necessary?" "Mia just got here, and it's her first time at the school anniversary. What's wrong with me helping her out as an upperclassman?" "It's one thing that you're usually dull and boring, but since when did you become so petty?" I looked at him, didn't say another word, turned around, and walked off the stage. The audience was buzzing; no one noticed this little episode in the corner. I threw that voided program into the trash, walked out of the auditorium, and sent Arthur a text. [I'm not discussing this with you. I'm informing you: we're broken up!] When I got home, the living room was brightly lit. Dad, my eldest brother, my second brother, and Mia were sitting around watching the live stream of the gala. On the screen was Arthur and Mia's four-hand piano duet. The piano music was melodious, and the two of them did look like a good match. "Wow, our Mia is so multi-talented. She plays so well!" My eldest brother clapped first. "Yeah, much better than some people who only know how to bury their heads in books all day." My second brother shot a pointed glance at me. Dad's gaze moved from the screen to me, full of scrutiny. "Why didn't you come back with Arthur?" I changed my shoes, my voice flat. "We broke up." The living room instantly went dead silent. Mia was the first to stand up, running over to me with tears in her eyes. "Chloe, I'm sorry, it's all my fault. Please don't break up with Arthur... I'll go explain everything to him right now!" Dad's face darkened, and he struck the floor heavily with his cane. "This is ridiculous! Chloe, how old are you? How can you be so willful!" "Mia is the younger sister. It's only right for Arthur to take care of her. As the older sister, not only are you not magnanimous, but you're also breaking up over such a trivial matter. Where are your manners?" I looked up and met his gaze calmly. "My manners are what my mom taught me before she died: never let yourself be wronged." With that, I walked straight upstairs and started packing my things. Not long after, my door was pushed open. My eldest brother leaned against the doorframe. "Chloe, what kind of act is this now? Running away from home? Do you think you're still three years old?" I folded a few pieces of clothing, put them in my suitcase, and ignored him. "Enough is enough. Go downstairs, apologize to Dad, and let this pass." "Mia is a guest and the daughter of Dad's old friend. We should treat her well. Why are you so intolerant of her?" "I'm not intolerant of her." "I'm intolerant of you guys." My eldest brother's face instantly turned ugly. I pulled my suitcase and walked past him. Down in the living room, my second brother stopped me. "Chloe, what's wrong with you? Will you only be satisfied when you've made things completely ugly?" I looked at him, then at my father on the sofa with a gloomy face, and Mia crying silently beside him. "I'm tired. I don't want to play the role of the sensible, magnanimous, and understanding sister and daughter anymore." "Please, let me go!" I pushed my second brother aside, opened the front door, and walked out without looking back. Behind me came my father's exasperated roar. "If you dare walk out that door today, don't ever come back!" I didn't stop, disappearing into the night. They all thought I was just throwing a tantrum. That I would soon come crawling back, tail between my legs, because I had no money and nowhere to stay. Unfortunately for them, they miscalculated. 2. I took a cab to a penthouse apartment in a high-end complex. Fingerprint unlock, door open. This was my coming-of-age gift from my mom on my eighteenth birthday. She said back then: "Chloe, Mom hopes you'll always have a foundation, a fallback plan for the rest of your life." No one but her and me knew about this place. I put down my luggage, poured myself a glass of water, and stood in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, watching the dazzling city lights. My phone vibrated constantly in my pocket. I took it out and glanced at it. Missed calls from Dad, my brothers, and dozens from Arthur. I put my phone on airplane mode. I didn't want to be harassed by them anymore. First thing the next morning, I went to the school and filed the paperwork to become a commuter student. My counselor was a bit surprised but approved it anyway. Just as I walked out of the office, I ran head-on into Arthur. He had faint dark circles under his eyes. He looked like he hadn't slept all night. He was still wearing the suit from yesterday's performance, now wrinkled. Seeing me, he rushed over immediately and grabbed my wrist. "Chloe, why didn't you answer my calls? Do you know how worried I was? I searched for you all night!" His voice was loud, filled with suppressed anger, causing students in the hallway to look our way. I tried to shake off his hand, but he gripped it tighter. "What kind of tantrum are you throwing? There's really nothing going on between me and Mia. I just saw that she's new here, doesn't have any friends, and is all alone. It's pitiful." "I've already scolded her, and she knows she was wrong. Come back with me, let's talk properly. Let's not break up, okay?" I looked at him and found it ridiculous. "Arthur, do you think the problem is Mia?" He froze. "Isn't it?" "It's that between me and her, you chose her." "You handed over the performance I spent two months preparing for on a silver platter to her." "When I needed you to stand by my side the most, you accused me of being boring and petty." "So, we're done." Arthur was at a loss for words for a moment, wanting to keep me but not knowing what to do. "Chloe... I..." "Let go." A cold male voice came from the side. Both Arthur and I turned our heads. Liam Vance. A big shot at our school. Not only was he the student body president, but his family background was also extremely prominent. He was half a head taller than Arthur. He frowned slightly, looking at Arthur gripping my hand tightly. Arthur obviously recognized him too. His face got even uglier, but he still refused to let go. "This is between us as a couple. It's none of your business." Liam didn't speak. His gaze just lingered on me for a second. His eyes were calm, but it felt like they could see right through my feigned toughness. Then, he turned to Arthur. The temperature in his eyes instantly dropped to freezing, filled with disdain. He pulled out his phone and took a picture of us. Then he waved his phone and said flatly, "Tsk, tsk. Isn't this fresh material of a campus simp? I think the forum will be very interested in an idiot like you who only knows how to use violence to resolve relationship disputes." Arthur's face turned even uglier. He glared at me fiercely, then reluctantly let go. "Chloe, you'll regret this!" He dropped the harsh words, turned around, and left. I rubbed my reddened wrist and thanked Liam. Liam put away his phone, his gaze lingering on my face for two seconds. "The partner switch for your performance yesterday was quite sudden." I nodded. "Heh, completely caught off guard." He didn't ask further, just said, "Living off-campus alone, be safe." With that, he turned and left, leaving behind a tall, straight back. I watched his retreating figure, feeling a bit strange. We weren't close. We had only met a few times during project group meetings, yet he had helped me again and again. This person, who seemingly stood above the clouds, wasn't as distant as I had imagined. 3. I didn't have classes in the afternoon, so I went to a bank downtown. I had two cards under my name. One was the supplementary card my dad gave me for monthly living expenses. The other was the one my mom left me. As soon as I walked into the VIP wealth management room, I got a call from the bank manager. "Ms. Davis, your father just called the bank and froze your credit card ending in 8888." I wasn't surprised at all. This was Dad's usual trick. He thought that by cutting off my financial source, I would obediently listen to him. "Understood." "What about the other card?" The manager's tone became even more respectful: "Ms. Davis, the gold card your mother left you has the highest clearance. No one has the right to operate it except you personally. The current balance on the card is..." He read out a long string of numbers. Enough for me to live comfortably for the rest of my life. "Okay, thank you." Hanging up, I transferred a large sum of money from the gold card to my regular debit card. Coming out of the bank, I received a message from my second brother. [Chloe, Dad stopped your card. If you're out of money, come home early and admit your mistake. Don't be stubborn out there.] Annoying. That evening, Mia sent me a message on WhatsApp. [Chloe, please don't be mad at Dad and your brothers anymore. They are just too worried about you. Where are you now? I'll ask Arthur to go pick you up and bring you home, okay?] A photo was attached at the end. It was my family's living room. The four of them were eating fruit together, a picture of harmony. Mia leaned against Dad, smiling radiantly. On the coffee table, there was an opened gift box containing the latest gaming console. That was the one my eldest brother had promised to buy for me a few days ago. Now, it belonged to Mia. I curled my lips and replied: [Thanks, but no thanks!] The next day, I went to class as usual. As soon as I entered the classroom, I felt the atmosphere was off. Everyone was looking at me with strange eyes. My desk mate, a girl I usually had a decent relationship with, hesitated before coming over. "Chloe, did you... see the post on the campus forum?" I took out my phone and opened the forum. A red-hot trending title immediately caught my eye. [Massive Tea! Chloe Dumps Campus Heartthrob Boyfriend out of Jealousy over New Transfer Student, Runs Away from Home Overnight!] The post vividly described what happened on the night of the school anniversary. It painted me as a jealous, petty, and unreasonable mean girl. Mia, on the other hand, was an innocent, pitiful, and endearing little white flower. Arthur was portrayed as a "good man" who valued friendship and loyalty, willing to anger his girlfriend to help a friend's daughter. The post also included several photos. One was Mia crying her eyes out backstage. One was Arthur on the phone, looking extremely anxious. And another was my back as I coldly turned and left. The angles were well-captured, making me look exceptionally cold and heartless. The comments below had already reached hundreds of threads. "I always thought Chloe was pretentious. Turns out this is what she's really like." "Tsk, tsk. Arthur really has the worst luck, ending up with a girlfriend like this." "Feeling sorry for Mia. Getting bullied as soon as she arrives." "Person above, I heard she's even living at Chloe's house. She's in for it now, definitely going to get targeted." My desk mate asked me cautiously, "Chloe, maybe you should go explain? You can't just let them talk behind your back like this!" My nails dug deep into my palms. For a moment, I wanted nothing more than to drag out the person who posted this and rip apart their lying mouth. But eventually, the surging emotions turned into a numb wasteland. I put away my phone, my voice calm. "There's nothing to explain." The facts didn't matter at all. They only wanted to believe what they wanted to believe. And it didn't take a genius to figure out who made the post. Who else but Mia would have those "perfectly timed" photos? 4. The post went viral quickly. By the afternoon, my reputation as a "mean girl" had spread throughout the school. Walking around, I could feel people pointing and staring everywhere. Even classmates who usually greeted me took detours to avoid me. Arthur's buddies even came up to me specifically and said sarcastically, "Chloe, you can't be too selfish. You have to be forgiving when you can." I couldn't be bothered with these pests. However, when I ran into Liam again at the library entrance, he asked an extra question. "The forum post, do you need help handling it?" His tone was still flat, but I could hear the concern in his voice. "No need. Just a clown jumping around." He gave me a deep look and didn't insist. "By the way, I've set up a project group for a research topic on the 'Digital Protection of Urban Cultural Heritage.' We're still missing a lead for data integration and analysis. Interested?" I was a bit surprised. I knew about this topic. It was a key project supported by the school, and only the top students from various departments could participate. "Why me?" "Because your grades are the best, and your logic is the clearest," Liam said matter-of-factly. "I've reviewed all your past papers and coursework." I didn't expect him to pay attention to that. "Alright, I'm in." I needed something to distract me, to keep myself busy. This project was the perfect opportunity. For the following days, I practically lived in the library and the project group's activity room. Dad and my brothers probably realized the silent treatment wasn't working on me and changed their strategy. My eldest brother started frantically posting pictures on social media of him taking Mia out to play. Disneyland today, skiing tomorrow, flying to an island resort the day after. The caption was always: "Sisters are the most considerate. A man with a sister is a treasure." My second brother was even more direct. He changed his profile picture to a selfie of him and Mia. They thought this would provoke me, make me jealous, make me regret it. I just muted all their posts. I also deleted all past chat histories with my second brother. Out of sight, out of mind. Until one afternoon, I received a frantic phone call from our nanny, Aunt Zhang. "Miss, you have to come back quick! That piano your mother left... Mr. Davis is giving it away!" My brain buzzed. That piano was my mom's gift for my tenth birthday. It was one of her most precious relics. I hung up, immediately hailed a cab, and rushed home. All the way there, my heart was tied in knots. When I reached the front door, I saw a few movers carrying the white grand piano out. In that moment, I felt all the blood rush to my head, and my eyes instantly turned red. But I gritted my teeth hard, forcing the tears back. Mia stood by, directing them with a look of "concern." "Be careful, don't bump it... This is very valuable..." Seeing me, a flash of panic crossed her face, but she quickly reverted to her usual innocent expression. "Chloe, you're back? Dad said you don't play this piano anymore, and it takes up space in the house. A friend of mine studying music happens to need one, so..." "Put it down!" The workers looked at each other and stopped. Mia bit her lip, her eyes turning red again. "Sister, don't be like this... I know Auntie left this for you, but if it just sits there unused, doesn't it lose its value? Isn't it better to let it go somewhere it can be useful?" Her twisted logic was exactly the same as what Arthur said when he swapped my duet song. "Useful?" I sneered. "Its value is that someone like you has no right to touch it." I took out my phone and dialed 911 directly. "Hello, police? I want to report a crime. Someone has trespassed into my private residence and is stealing my personal property." Mia's face went completely pale. "Chloe, you... how could you call the police? This is our own home!" "This is my house." "The name on the deed is mine. All of you are currently living in my house." "Including you, Mia. An outsider who doesn't even count as a guest." Before Mia could retort, Dad and my brothers hurried out upon hearing the commotion. Hearing that there was a theft in a wealthy neighborhood, the police arrived incredibly fast. Just as the standoff was escalating, the police arrived. Seeing the police, Dad's face immediately darkened. "Chloe! Are you crazy! What are you calling the police for! It's such a small matter, why waste police resources? Tell them to leave right now!" I ignored him and just said to the police, "Officers, this piano is my mother's relic, valued at over a million. Now, without my permission, they are trying to move it out and sell it." Hearing the high value involved, the police immediately became serious and started questioning Dad and Mia. Dad was shaking with anger, pointing at me and cursing. "You're out of control! I am your father! I need your permission to dispose of a piece of furniture?" "Yes, you do. Because my mom left this to me. In this house, anything that belonged to my mom, you have no right to touch." "Also, I am officially notifying you now. Please move out of this house within a week." 5. Dad was so furious he almost blacked out. He grabbed a teacup nearby and smashed it hard on the floor, sending shards flying everywhere. "You're out of line! You ungrateful daughter!" He pointed at me, his fingers trembling. My eldest brother, Julian, looked ready to explode. He lunged forward, trying to grab my collar, but my second brother grabbed him around the waist. "Chloe, are you crazy?! Do you have no conscience?! This is our home!" "Excuse you, this is my home." "The deed has my name on it. It's the pre-marital property my mother left me." "If you want to keep living here, you can. Pay rent at the market rate." My second brother's face was also extremely ugly. "You're kicking us all out for an outsider?" He glared fiercely at Mia, who was already scared silly nearby. Mia was so scared she just cried, unable to articulate anything. After understanding the situation, the police determined it was a family dispute. However, due to the high value of the item, they took statements and explicitly informed Dad that without my consent, they could not touch the piano. The movers had long since carefully put the piano back in its original place and slipped away. After the police left, Dad sat on the sofa, his chest heaving violently. My two brothers stood behind him, both looking at me like an enemy. Mia shrank in a corner, shivering. "One week," I repeated. "If you can't find a place, tell me. I can have a realtor help you." With that, I turned to leave. "Stop right there!" Dad demanded. "Are you really going to be this ruthless?" I stopped but didn't turn around. "You guys were the ones who abandoned me first." From this moment on, between me and them, there was only blood, no family bond. Back at the apartment, I received a message from Liam. [Need any help?] I froze for a moment before realizing he had probably heard about my family. Our circle was very small; any little wind couldn't be hidden from people. [No need, it's all handled.] [That's good. Tomorrow is the project group meeting, don't forget.] [Okay.] The next day, I went to the project group meeting as usual. Pushing open the door to the activity room, everyone inside looked at me with complex expressions. Only Liam acted as if nothing had happened. He nodded at me and pointed to the empty seat next to him. "Sit." The meeting went smoothly. When discussing data visualization for the later stages, disagreements arose. Based on the existing data models, I proposed a new presentation plan that could more intuitively display the loss of cultural heritage. My plan was logically rigorous and well-supported by data, quickly convincing everyone. Even the usually critical advising professor was full of praise for me. After the meeting, Liam stopped me. "I heard about what happened at your house. You did well." This out-of-the-blue compliment surprised me. "Thank you." "There's a charity auction this weekend, sponsored by my family. I need a plus-one. Are you free?" He suddenly extended an invitation. I hesitated. "Don't misunderstand," he immediately said. "It's just a pure social event. There will be many industry experts and scholars present, which will help our project. Also, Arthur and his parents will be there." I instantly understood. He wanted to help me; help me win a round back. "Okay."
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