When I woke up again, I was the real daughter kicked out of the house. My biological family called me a wicked failure and showered the fake daughter with love. My foster mother took my hand and brought me home. Everyone expected me to self-destruct, to fall apart. But I didn't. I loved this era where women could hold up half the sky. Here, there would be no female scholar wrongfully executed. No endless condemnation or hateful public torture just because of my gender. In this life, I would stand tall on the world stage. 1 "Skylar Hayes, I don't have a vicious daughter like you!" "You have repeatedly harmed Brooke Sutton. Our family won't tolerate a person with such a wicked heart!" "Here are your bags. Go live your life!" I rubbed my head and sat up in a daze. I saw several people in front of me, dressed in strange, modern clothes, looking at me with expressions ranging from disgust to smug satisfaction. "Who are you…" Before I could finish my question, they turned and walked away. They acted as if I were something dirty, something they couldn't stand to look at for another second. The ornate iron gate slammed shut. I looked around blankly. Unfamiliar buildings, unfamiliar streets, unfamiliar air. Wasn't I dead? Disguising myself as a man! Treason against the Emperor! Death by a thousand cuts! Why was I here again? A cold wind blew, and I clutched my thin clothes tighter. A shadow fell over me, and a rough hand pulled me up. I looked up and saw a woman with salt-and-pepper hair. She was very thin, her face gaunt, not someone who immediately looked kind. "Daughter, come home with me." That's what she said. I followed her home, absorbing the original owner's memories along the way. I had time-traveled. This body was also named Skylar Hayes. At birth, a nurse's mistake led to me being switched with Brooke Sutton. A cliché 'real vs. fake daughter' drama. Brooke was raised in the wealthy Sutton family, a spoiled little princess. Skylar, meanwhile, was taken back to a cramped apartment by Amelia Reed, who had given birth alone. Amelia’s husband died in a construction accident when Skylar was five. Because the contractor and the boss shifted blame, they only received meager compensation. The mother and daughter relied on Amelia working odd jobs. Skylar grew up in poverty and low self-esteem until she was seventeen. That's when the Sutton family showed up. The original Skylar, tired of her poor and insecure life, decisively followed them back to the Suttons. Amelia, the foster mother, had come to the door to protest. But neither her biological nor her adopted daughter wanted to return with her. She finally left in solitude. She didn't take a penny of the massive compensation the Suttons offered. The original Skylar was only home for half a year, clashing constantly with Brooke. Skylar always lost. She ended up being kicked out of the house. "We're home. It'll just be the two of us again. They don't want you, but Mom wants you." I looked up and saw the gentleness in Amelia's eyes. Actually, the situation wasn't so bad. 2 Amelia’s apartment was a rented two-bedroom. The room with the best sunlight was always reserved for Skylar. I walked into the room, seeing all the familiar items of the original owner. The Suttons favored Brooke. But Amelia clearly favored Skylar. Regardless of wealth, motherly love was equally precious. I flipped through a stack of books on the desk, my heart warming slightly. In my past life, I was a farm girl. I learned by listening outside the classroom window while I tended the cows. I went through countless hardships, borrowing someone else's identity to take the Imperial Examinations. I had a photographic memory, a true prodigy. My only failure was being born a woman. In my past life, even when I topped the exams, I was disguised as a man. In this life, I could finally study openly. I will make my name, Skylar Hayes, legitimately top the charts. No matter the obstacles ahead, I will master every single book. Nothing will stop my ascent to the summit. 3 The next day, I took the bus to school, following my memory. As soon as I arrived, I was called to the office. "Skylar Hayes, you have the brain of a slug! You’re a scholarship student, but you scored like that? You must have gotten lucky in the midterms!" "Look at your grades! Seven hundred fifty is a perfect score, and you got three hundred. You're twenty-eighth from the bottom!" "Even if I had a pig take the test, it would do better than you!" "Our Class 1 is the 'Rocket Class,' not a place for every waste of space!" "I've already reported this to the grade level dean. Get out of Class 1 right now!" "Go to Class 11. That's the trash bin where garbage like you belongs!" I looked up at the Class 1 homeroom teacher, Ms. Williams. "Heh! That's not what you said when you were taking the check from the Suttons." Ms. Williams didn't expect me to talk back. Her lips trembled, ready to unleash a torrent of insults. I reached out and motioned for her to keep quiet. "Shh! I'm just a poor student now. I have nothing to lose." Ms. Williams' face shifted several times, but she ultimately kept her mouth shut. Under her gloomy glare, I slowly walked away. At the same time, I had already guessed the reason for her actions. The Sutton family must have put in a word. Did they think this would crush me into the dirt, preventing me from ever getting back up? They severely underestimated me. In my previous life, I gained knowledge by listening outside a classroom window while tending cattle. This life was already so much better. It was just a change of classroom. To me, this was an insignificant distraction. And the Sutton family would eventually regret their actions today. I wasn't in a hurry. I had a long life ahead of me. They could just wait and see. 4 I went to Class 1 first to move my books and supplies to Class 11. Brooke Sutton stood with her arms crossed, leaning against a desk at the back, looking at me smugly. She was surrounded by a circle of admirers, the center of attention. Before she could speak, someone next to her started attacking me. "Well, well, look who it is! Isn't this our scholarship star? What happened?" "I heard the scholarship star only scored three hundred points. Kicked out to the loser class!" "A failure like this dares to challenge Brooke? She should look in the mirror and see her low-life poverty!" I looked at each of the speakers. One beautiful girl sitting next to Brooke lifted her chin arrogantly. "What are you looking at? Look again, and I'll gouge your eyes out, peasant." She meant it. She was totally capable of it. This was Cassidy Stone, the sister of Brooke's fiancé. Thanks to Brooke’s instigation, she had bullied the original Skylar relentlessly at school. She was arrogant and cruel. When the original Skylar told the Suttons, they always told her to look inward, never bothering Cassidy. That was because Cassidy’s father was a big deal. The Suttons depended on the Stones. Since Brooke was favored by the Stones, she was naturally the Suttons' darling. In contrast, the original Skylar, the biological daughter, was disposable trash. I knew Cassidy's biggest obsession was her grades. She had been the top student for two consecutive years. Any student who had surpassed her mysteriously ended up dropping out. "I'm taking your first place." Cassidy froze, then burst into roaring laughter. "Oh my God, the three-hundred-point loser wants my top spot? I'm so scared!" Everyone around her laughed too. No one took my words seriously. I didn't argue. The results would be the best counter-attack. Amidst the laughter, I walked out of the Rocket Class. Ahead was the battlefield that belonged to me.
? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "MotoNovel" app ? search for "386919", and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel