After my parents get divorced, my twin brother, Archer Sullivan, chooses one parent to live with.

I choose to be with Mom. After the divorce, Mom's mood is at an all-time low. She gambles away all of the money we have, and she begins bringing various men home the moment she runs out of money.

I have to move into a dark and damp apartment with Mom afterward. Lewd sounds keep drifting from her room every now and then.

Every day, I have to secretly take on part-time work in order to earn my living expenses, on top of going to school. Life is very harsh and bitter for me.

That is, until Archer, whom I haven't kept in touch with for a very long time, sends me a link to a streaming website.

"Tap on the link, Adam. It's a surprise for you."

I tap on the link, only to realize that the livestream that's on top of the trending list features… me?

It's a livestream with a split-screen function. One screen shows me finishing my homework under the dim light in a cheap apartment. The other screen shows my parents cuddling with Archer happily while seated on a luxurious couch in a villa.

"Let's see what sort of differences there will be between a pair of twins that are raised differently till they're 18 years old!"

"I suppose the older twin doesn't realize that his parents never got divorced, and that his family is actually very rich! Both parents are still living happily together. Even his younger brother is living a great life."

"That poor twin, though! He's living a very difficult life without three hot meals a day! Isn't this considered abuse?"

"Well, that older twin is more understanding and obedient, isn't he? That's why his parents chose to make him suffer in life."

My hands trembled as I gripped my phone. I couldn't believe what I was seeing on the screen. This was a livestreaming platform for pranks, with a majority of viewers coming from wealthy families or elite backgrounds.

My parents told me they got divorced, left me to my own devices, but raised my younger twin brother, Archer Sullivan, rich. It turned out everything was just a game, a six-year-long livestreamed spectacle, made purely for the entertainment of others.

I always thought Dad took Archer to another city, but in reality, they were with Mom the whole time.

I was sitting outside a snack shop in the blazing sun, but a chill ran through my whole body. Soon, I received two more text messages from Archer.

"You're the one Mom and Dad chose not to love, Adam."

"Honestly, I feel bad watching you live such a terrible life from my big, luxurious villa."

I could barely move my hands or make up my mind on how to reply.

"Adam, clean those two tables now!" my boss ordered.

This was my part-time gig after school. After the so-called divorce, Mom got hooked on gambling. She never gave me money to live on. On the rare occasions she actually won at cards, she might toss me a little out of charity.

I even had to beg to get this part-time job at the snack shop.

At 9:00 pm, I finished my shift and trudged home like a lost soul. It was the height of summer. My cheap top-floor rental had no air conditioning, so stepping inside felt like walking straight into a boiler room.

My family probably couldn't imagine this, could they? After all, they were most likely sitting in their huge villa somewhere, enjoying the air-conditioning.

The light bulb flickered on and off, like it was about to die again.

Ever since Mom moved me into this place, she had barely come home. When she did, though, she would bring different men with her to fool around. The sounds coming from the bedroom were unbearable.

She took the money she earned from sleeping with men and gambled it all away, never sparing a thought—or a penny—for me. What I never expected was that she was actually spending all her time away with Archer.

Did they ever think about me, their flesh and blood, who struggled to survive alone in this rundown rental? I had lived like this for almost six years.

I glanced around the place, which must have hidden cameras planted everywhere. From the corner of the kitchen came a faint rustling sound. I knew right away that it was the rats again.

I used to get scared all the time, but now, I was completely numb to it. Ironically, the rats had kept me company longer than anyone else in this place.

When I reconnected to the livestream link, I saw that my rental's feed was ranked first, with sky-high viewer numbers. The dark, cramped apartment stood in stark contrast to the bright, luxurious villa.

The pain on my face—on another almost identical face—was nothing but happiness. At that moment, I realized I was a rat, too, one who peeked in on someone else's happiness.

It was my birthday. After school and my part-time shift, I came home at about 10:00 pm. I carried a plastic bag into the rental, and inside was an old-fashioned cake that I bought for about a dollar.

I reached out to turn on the light, but nothing happened. The room stayed pitch-dark. Although the bulb had burned out again, the moonlight filtering in was bright enough. It was fine.

Sitting by the window and greedily borrowing the moonlight, I set the old-fashioned cake on the table. There were no candles, so I pretended to stick one into the cake and light it.

I closed my eyes, made a wish, and blew gently. My wish was simple—I hoped my exams would go well.

The moment I opened my eyes, I heard someone pounding on the door. "Open up! Time to pay up, or I'll kick down your door!"

Although this wasn't the first time this had happened, I still jumped in fright. The people outside were here to collect Mom's gambling debts. She had lost a lot of money.

I hid inside while biting my lip, trying not to make a sound.

When no one answered them, they started ramming the door anyway. The rental's door was made of cheap wood. Flimsy as it was, it began to shake and give way almost immediately.

Finally, with a loud crash, the door was smashed open. Three burly men stormed in. One of them grabbed my skinny frame from where I was hiding in the corner. They yanked me up.

"If your mom won't pay," he snarled, "we'll take you instead."

I dropped to my knees with a thud. Tears were streaming down my face. "I don't have any money. She hasn't been home for days!"

One of them punched me right in the face. "In that case, you'll need something else to cover it."

With that, they started tearing the place apart. Everything was thrown everywhere. They even rummaged through my backpack and found a 50-dollar bill inside.

I covered the corner of my mouth as the taste of blood spread across my tongue. The 50 dollars they found was my pay from today's shift, the money my boss had just given me after work.

"That's it? 50 dollars? I can't even buy a bottle of good booze with this!" they complained. However, they still stuffed the money I had worked so hard for into their pockets.

They delivered another kick at the table. Just like that, the cake I barely had the chance to eat was knocked onto the floor and crushed under their feet. They ransacked the place and left in a huff, dissatisfied, leaving behind nothing but a wrecked room.

That was how my birthday passed—in chaos, humiliation, and absurdity.

I crouched on the floor, shaking as I sobbed, and pulled out my phone to check the livestream again. I wanted to see how Archer was spending his birthday.

Inside the bright, spacious villa, Mom and Dad threw him a grand birthday party. Archer was dressed in a custom-made suit. He looked polished and elegant.

"My precious son, you look so handsome!" Dad exclaimed as he looked at him. Admiration filled his eyes. "You look just like me when I was young."

The happiness in Archer's eyes was practically oozing. The birthday cake on the dining table had five tiers, and it was covered in fresh flowers. In the corner of the living room were stacks of birthday gifts.

What a beautiful, happy scene. What a cruel, heartbreaking paradox. We were both celebrating our birthdays, yet Archer had our parents by his side. I was all I had.

The chat was buzzing.

"Adam has no idea that those men were all set up by his mother."

"They come three times a month, like a fixed NPC triggering a storyline."

"Actually, every man his mom brought home was just for show, to see if he could control himself."

"Don't his parents feel even a little sorry for all the suffering he's gone through?"

Then came a pinned comment from the streamer.

"This is all part of an experiment to train him. I pay those men to put up an act, and he should be grateful for that. Once he finishes his finals, we'll take him home and make up for all the years he missed."

My hands shook as I held the phone. A bitter smile twisted my lips, but inside, all I felt was confusion and pain.

Make up for it, they said. How were they supposed to make up for six years of lies and pain?

The next day at school, my homeroom teacher summoned me. "Adam, there's a guaranteed spot for studying abroad in the math program. Tuition and fees are fully covered. Would you like to take up this opportunity?"

She added, "I understand your family situation isn't easy, which is why I think you should seize this chance. It might just change your future."

The requirements were strict. To qualify, the student would need to win a major math competition at least three times and have at least a "B" in a foreign language. I was the only student in the grade who met both criteria.

Without hesitation, I nodded. "Of course, Ms. Clark. 100%."

I guess this was exactly what my parents wanted to see—the poor kid, raised tough, working harder to become more accomplished.

Ms. Clark patted my shoulder. "Good. In that case, you won't even need to take the June exams. Take this time to rest. Then, you can report to the school early."

Soon, I would escape this place, that ridiculous livestream fiasco, and my parents, who were never worthy of that title. I could live just fine on my own.

After all, it was just a game of deception. Two could play that game.

…

Today, there was a citywide event that several schools were participating in. It was a pre-exam exchange and learning conference. As a student representative of great academic achievement, I attended with a few classmates.

Before the conference officially started, a top student from an international school gave a speech. A familiar figure stepped onto the stage, and lo and behold, it was Archer. He was representing his school.

"Hey, that guy looks like Adam."

Others noticed too. They murmured among themselves. "Yeah, kinda. But that guy's obviously more handsome. You can tell he's from a rich family."

"He's rich. How can a poor kid compare? They're in totally different worlds."

Archer and I were twins. Our faces were almost identical once, but years of malnutrition changed me. My skin was darker, and my palms were rough and calloused. His skin was clear, soft, and smooth.

He grew up with love and money, while I grew up with nothing but hardship and tears.

"I heard that guy's grades are terrible, though. He's probably only up there because his family's rich and well-connected," someone whispered.

Meanwhile, Archer was confidently sharing his study tips on stage. I caught sight of Mom and Dad sitting in the second row with their phones raised. They were grinning from ear to ear as they recorded his speech.

Those who loved someone would take every chance to record key moments in their lives.

When I thought about how Mom had never attended a single parent-teacher meeting for me over the years, I couldn't help but feel bitter.

The conference went on for a long time. At one point, I went to the restroom.

When I tried to come out, I realized the door wouldn't open. No matter how hard I pushed or pulled, it wouldn't budge. It was as if someone had locked it from the outside. "Hello? Can someone help me?"

I pounded on the door, calling out for help, but no one answered. Just when I took a step back, ready to kick the door loose, it swung open.

Archer stood outside with a few students behind him, blocking the doorway so I couldn't get out. He raised a hand in signal, and one of the students stepped forward, kicking me to the ground.

I clutched my stomach and gritted my teeth in pain.

As if that wasn't enough, Archer grabbed a bucket of water nearby and poured it over my head. The dirty, slightly foul-smelling water soaked me halfway, leaving me drenched and humiliated.

They laughed at me. I wiped the water off my face and opened my dripping eyes to stare at Archer. "Why are you doing this?"

He stepped forward and kicked me into the corner. Resentment was brewing in his eyes. His tone was laced with sarcasm. "Aren't you supposed to be an excellent student? Why didn't you go up on stage and give a speech?"

He scoffed, and his voice was dripping with mockery. "Oh, Adam. Did you really think Mom and Dad were going to take you home after the exams? Not a chance."