chapter 2

Chapter 2

After the holidays ended, Mom took Yao to complete her enrollment procedures.

As a transfer student, she wasn’t in the same class as me.

In Class 1, we either had the sons and daughters of wealthy families or true academic achievers-after all, without the top students, how could we keep up the average score?

When I pulled out my textbook, everyone around me was stunned.

The original character was good at everything except studying; she came to school just to date.

A boy with a lollipop hooked his arm around my shoulder: “Baby, did you take the wrong medicine today?”

I glanced at his hand on my shoulder: “Are you my boyfriend?”

“Yeah.”

I looked away: “Starting today, you’re not.”

The boy was dumbfounded: “Are you crazy?”

“No.” I lazily turned a page in my book. “I want to get into Tsinghua.”

“Damn!” He cursed, “Lin Shuangshuang’s gone nuts! She says she wants to get into Tsinghua!”

I ignored the laughter erupting around me.

In the original story, the original character later studied art, went abroad after graduating high school, and only returned years later. That’s the backstory for the Female Lead tearfully becoming the Substitute.

But I’m different. I don’t have a single artistic bone in my body; I just want to get into Wudaokou Vocational Technical College(Tsinghua University).

In reality, I missed the cutoff by seven points. Quite a pity.

Now that I’ve become a teenage girl, of course I’ll try again.

All morning, I sat in the classroom evaluating the difficulty of the current textbooks and the school’s faculty. I felt the external conditions were solid, and handling middle school material was pretty easy.

At noon, after school, I went to the building next door to look for Yao. Mom told me Yao was assigned to Class 10, but I didn’t find her in the classroom.

I asked a few classmates heading to lunch. When they heard I was looking for the new transfer student, their eyes became evasive.

I sensed something was wrong and grabbed one of them to ask, “Where is she?”

“…Sun Yue and the others took her to the restroom!”

My heart sank.

If the original character was a white lotus, then Sun Yue was her lackey, always helping the original character bully Yao in the book.

I didn’t expect this lackey to be so proactive-even without my prompting, she was already causing trouble.

When I rushed into the restroom, several girls from Class 10, led by Sun Yue, were kicking Yao, who was lying on the floor:

“What kind of mutt dares come to our school? Do you like this welcome gift?”

I threw off my jacket and shoved Sun Yue’s head into the sink: “Who are you calling a mutt?”

“Lin Shuangshuang! What’s wrong with you? What business is this of yours?!”

I turned on the faucet and blasted her face with water: “She’s my sister. You tell me if it’s my business.”

Yao’s eyes brightened as she lay on the ground.

We were all middle school girls-fighting meant pulling hair and scratching faces. I was alone, and although I charged in fiercely, I got beaten up pretty badly.

But when Sun Yue tried to slap me, Yao rushed up and bit her wrist hard, drawing blood.

Their homeroom teacher walked in and saw this scene.

She took all of us to the office: “Why were you fighting?”

Sun Yue was the first to complain: “Teacher Zhao, we were just greeting the new student when Lin Shuangshuang suddenly barged in and started hitting people!”

“You sure know how to greet someone-I could hear the crying from the next building. Is Class 10 always this warm and welcoming?”

I lifted Yao’s arm for Teacher Zhao to see what had happened.

Naturally, Teacher Zhao was biased toward her own class:

“Even if there was a conflict, it must have been mutual. Flies don’t bite an uncracked egg. Since you witnessed it, you should have gone to a teacher first.”

I replied with an “Oh,” and educated Yao:

“Did you hear that? Teacher Zhao is teaching you: flies don’t bite an uncracked egg. Next time you see someone you don’t like, just slap them. After all, it’s the other side asking for it. Even if you beat them up, it’s fine-as long as you strike first, you’re in the right.”

Teacher Zhao’s face darkened: “Lin Shuangshuang, what are you saying?”

“I’m just strictly following the teacher’s instructions, repeating her words.”

“You…”

She wanted to argue further, but the Dean of Students and Teacher Cai from my class came in.

To get me into school, my dad donated a lot of money, and my mom was close with Teacher Cai, so naturally they sided with me. In the end, Sun Yue and the others involved in the bullying each got a demerit.

When we left the office, Sun Yue hugged her arm and glared at me fiercely:

“Lin Shuangshuang, you actually have such a mutt for a relative, and you’re not even ashamed.”

“She’s my biological sister, same surname as me-Lin. So, who’s the mutt here?”

Sun Yue’s family was pretty wealthy too, she acted tough everywhere, but only feared me. At this moment, it was as if I’d slapped her in the face:

“Heh, biting people everywhere. Looks like I need to get a rabies shot!”

“Just get a triple vaccine and you’ll be safe all year.”

Sun Yue was so angry she wanted to start a fight again, but when she saw me rolling up my sleeves, ready to go all out, her friends quickly dragged her away.
After all, nobody wants to get two demerits in one day.

I reviewed the situation with Yao: “Do you know why they hit you?”

“Because… I’m kind of rustic,” Yao lowered her eyes, speaking hesitantly.

I sighed, “No, it’s because they’re troublemakers.”

Yao was shocked, not expecting me to be so blunt.

“Didn’t you hear what they said? That was their ‘welcome gift’ for you. Even if it wasn’t you today, but another new student, they’d still beat them up. Any excuse would do. Next time you run into troublemakers, don’t look for reasons in yourself. It’s not your fault.”

Yao nodded vigorously.

She was the only girl in the Yang Family. Growing up, every mistake was hers, and no one ever told her the problem wasn’t with her.

Looking into her puppy-like eyes, I couldn’t help but pat her head:

“Sometimes, the malice in this world has no reason and can’t be avoided. But when they come for you, you have to fight back, make them pay, let them know you’re not easy to mess with. Only then will they think twice before picking on you again. If you keep backing down, you’ll just get stomach cancer.”

Yao heard the last sentence, her small eyes filled with big question marks.

“Scientific research shows that swallowing your anger leads to stomach cancer,” I said seriously.

Yao was a very sensible little girl, repeating the words to herself and committing them to memory.

We walked downstairs, and Mom arrived.

She got out of the car, crying as she hugged me tightly. Yao stood to the side, awkward and envious, averting her gaze.

“How did you get into a fight on your first day of school? Huh? Teacher Cai told me it was all because of Yao!” Mom stroked the injury on my hand, her voice trembling.

“The girls from the other class have a grudge against me. When they heard Yao was my sister, they picked on her.”

Mom was startled: “How did you get mixed up with such bad students at school?! How can I ever feel at ease!”

“It’s fine. When she tried to slap me, Yao rushed up and bit her. Isn’t that right, Yao?”

Mom broke into a smile through her tears: “I never thought Yao was so fierce, even protecting her sister at school-wait, how did you get hurt like this too? Let Mom see.”

Yao scratched her head shyly, letting Mom pull her into her arms to check her wounds. Her eyes met mine, wet and full of gratitude.

Maybe out of guilt toward Yao, when Mom took us to the hospital later, she registered Yao first.

While the doctor cleaned her bruises, Mom helped lift her shirt.

“Wow, such a pretty little girl, but so unhygienic-her skin is all covered in dark mud.”

The doctor joked as she wiped Yao’s wounds with iodine.

I saw Mom frown deeply, turning to meet my eyes, searching for a tacit understanding between us.

I avoided her gaze and smiled at the flustered Yao.

It was as if she’d grabbed onto a piece of driftwood; once she was sure I wasn’t mocking her, she quietly lowered her head and continued with the treatment.

When her injuries got a bit better, I took her to a leisure bathhouse under the pretense of eating at a buffet, letting a Northeastern auntie scrub her from head to toe until she was so clean even her kneecaps shone.

Then I took her shopping for clothes.

More than once, I saw her sigh in front of the mirror, and curiously sneak glances at Mom’s skincare products.

My attitude toward appearance is: if you care about it, then do something about it.

Yao clearly needed this boost of confidence right now, and it had nothing to do with age.

By coincidence, while we were shopping, we ran into Sun Yue and her gang again.

Sun Yue had very mixed feelings about me.

We were both rich girls; she should have been close friends with the original Lin Shuangshuang. If I hadn’t come into the picture, the two of them would have become besties, thick as thieves.

But because I fought with her for Yao, she now hated me out of love.

As soon as she saw us, she rolled her eyes at Yao:

“Lin Shuangshuang, you really have nothing better to do, taking a country mutt out shopping. No matter how you dress her up, a mutt is still a mutt.”

Yao blushed and put down the lace knit top in her hands, ashamed of her own taste.

“I’m not really into fashion either.” I took Yao out of the girls’ clothing store, following behind Sun Yue. “Whatever Sun Yue buys, we’ll buy too.”

Sun Yue snorted smugly and strutted into Chanel, expertly browsing the handbags.

Yao had never seen a luxury store before. Seeing there was a line just to get in, she got nervous.

The security guard was quick to judge, seeing she was young and timid, he said impatiently, “Are you coming in or not?”

Yao was so scared she was about to cry, not knowing whether to nod or shake her head.

Just then, a surprised voice came from inside: “Miss Lin!”

A stylish SA in high heels came out to greet us, “Don’t you usually come with your mother? How come you’re alone today?”
I introduced Yao to her: “Help my sister pick out some clothes, put together an outfit for her.”

The SA warmly ushered Yao in: “Of course, please come in-what would you like for afternoon tea, little sister?”

Sun Yue stared in shock as the SA led Yao into the VIP room.

Thanks to my mom, who could easily spend hundreds of thousands in one night, all the luxury SAs on this floor know me. Even my dad, the ultimate straight man, gets valet parking service when he comes to the mall.

Sun Yue and her friends crowded outside, looking at handbags, while Yao sat inside, with the SA kneeling to help her try on shoes.

After a month at my house, Yao had definitely grown fairer and plumper. Once she put on a little dress and had her hair simply styled, she looked like a completely different person.

Her temperament was still lacking, though. She kept glancing back at me, like a startled bird, every price tag stabbing her in the heart.

I leisurely pulled a card from my shirt pocket and placed it on the table:

“Dad’s credit card, with a monthly limit of 200,000. If you go over, just act cute and he’ll pay it off early for you.”

I pulled out a second card: “This year’s New Year’s money from your sister. I don’t remember the exact amount, but it’s at least a hundred thousand. You’re the real heiress, so you’ll only have more than me, never less.”

I crossed my legs, looking at the doll-like girl in the mirror: “Money isn’t a problem. Take whatever you like.”

So, this is how a princess is made.

That moment, the proud and confident girl was the perfect illustration.

When the SA came out beaming, arm in arm with Yao to check out, I walked over to Sun Yue with my hands in my pockets:

“Still haven’t decided? I think this classic CF is pretty nice.”

Sun Yue bit her lip.

She probably came in just to show off.

Ordinary wealthy families wouldn’t let young girls spend money so recklessly.

But luxury stores are all about competition.

Now Yao, decked out in designer clothes, stood a few steps away, curiously eyeing the bags on display, while Sun Yue was stuck in an awkward spot under my gaze.

“I’ll take this one,” Sun Yue pointed at the small gold-chain bag, straightening her back and forcing a hum, “Waited so long, and there isn’t even a silver-chain one.”

“Bring out the silver-chain medium from your stockroom. It’s my sister’s first bag.” I leaned against the counter and tapped the glass.

In that instant, Sun Yue looked as if she’d been stabbed in the heart.

Sorry, VIPs get access to the hidden models.

When we walked in, Sun Yue was arrogant and Yao was the underdog; when we walked out, their statuses had subtly reversed.

Young girls’ comparisons are still stuck at the stage of flamboyance and vanity-a bag, a dress, can shake years of bravado or build confidence that never existed before.

Mom was thrilled to see Yao’s transformation, pulling her close and praising her taste, saying the bag she bought would hold its value.

There’s no such thing as unconditional love in this world.

Mom loves me because I’m the girl she’s raised for fourteen years, and even more because I’m pretty and clean, just like her.

We’re family, sharing the same habits and some good and bad family culture.

Yao is an outsider; her integration is bound to come with some growing pains.

But I think time will heal everything.

Especially with the help of money.

After this experience, Sun Yue figured things out too. Mocking Yao as a country bumpkin was pointless-she’s my mom’s daughter, so why worry about her spending or style?

She sent me a snarky text: What’s so great about being rich? You should pay more attention to your sister’s grades, haha.

Hearing the word “grades” from Sun Yue was oddly comforting.

When I read the original story, I had only one thought: Do you people ever study, or is it just drama, romance, and abortions every day?

But when I went to Yao’s room and forced her to bring out her test papers, I realized how serious things were.

“It’s one thing to fail every subject, but how did you even get 18 in physics?” I was completely baffled.

Yao stood before me with her hands behind her back, staring at the glaring 18, just as confused.

I stopped my mom, who was happily planning to take Yao to the beauty salon: “You need to get Yao some tutoring.”

“Is Yao’s performance really that bad?” Mom was wary.

I hid the test papers behind my back: “…Not really, we haven’t had midterms yet, but she feels like she’s falling behind in class.”

When it comes to spending money, my mom is an expert. She contacted a top tutor for home lessons that very day.

I signed my mom’s name on Yao’s test paper: “Just this once. You have to at least pass the midterms.”

Yao sighed deeply, looking hopelessly off to the side.

Hey, just how bad are your grades, Female Lead!