Chapter 2

I floated upstairs and saw Xu Jiao sitting in the dressing room.

The makeup artist was touching up her slightly smudged eye makeup.

She clutched our father’s hand, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears.

“Dad, is Taotao really not coming? She’s my sister. On my most important day, I truly hope to have her blessing.”

My father, who had always been strict to the point of coldness with me, patted her shoulder and comforted her gently.

“She will. I’ve asked Ah Ze to contact her. I won’t let you have any regrets.”

He found Xu Ze in the hallway and said with a stern face, “Tell Xu Tao, if she doesn’t come over today, we’ll act as if we never had this daughter.”

“Dad, she’s not replying to my messages at all. She won’t even answer Mom’s calls.”

Xu Ze said through gritted teeth, “I knew it. Someone like her is just naturally heartless. She agreed at first just to give us hope, to ruin sister’s most important day.”

Today was Xu Jiao’s most important day.

She was about to wear a wedding gown and marry the man she had been in a relationship with for two years, Song Fei.

Two years ago, when I brought Song Fei home, Xu Jiao fell for him at first sight.

I still remember how her eyes lit up the moment she saw him. That night, she found an excuse to ask me out for a walk.

She bought me a cup of milk tea, linking her arm through mine and swaying it back and forth.

“Taotao, I really, really like guys like Song Fei. You’re so outstanding, you can definitely find someone better. Could you please let me have Song Fei?”

I refused.

But not long after I returned to school, Song Fei broke up with me.

I repeatedly asked for a reason. He probably got annoyed with me and flung my hand away.

I fell to the ground, the rough pavement scraping my palm, a stinging pain shooting through it.

He remained indifferent, just looking at me with disgust.

“Still trying to hide it from me? Even your own family couldn’t stand it anymore and told me.”

One morning, my mother had suddenly called me out to go grocery shopping with her.

My brother, Xu Ze, had pulled Song Fei aside and told him some “truths” about me.

That I had a corrupt character, stole money from home, and bullied my classmates.

That I was promiscuous and had an abortion in college.

At the end, the righteous Xu Ze sighed.

“Xu Tao is my sister. I really want to side with her, but… I can’t just watch you fall into a pit of fire.”

My scraped palm was still throbbing. I sat on the ground, looking up at Song Fei, listening as he recounted what he had been told.

When the last word fell, I suddenly started to laugh.

He frowned. “What are you trying to argue?”

I shook my head and said with a smile, “Everything they said is true.”

Song Fei’s feelings for me had never been that deep to begin with. Besides, the ones who told him how terrible I was were my own family.

My dearest, most beloved family.

When I was alive, no one cared about me.

Naturally, no one knew I was dead.