"We're going out to eat later, right? Joyce is kind. I can't keep taking advantage of her. Lucas, you pulled me out here so quickly. What, you're afraid I'll treat everyone? Don't be such a cheapskate. Today's my treat!"

My last sentence carried over as my classmates stepped out of the supermarket.

In my previous life, after Lucas pulled me away, Joyce had charged everything to my bank account when she treated the class. I lost my money and reputation, and everyone thought I was petty, jealous, and stingy.

She spent my money and became known as the rich and beautiful student on campus.

After that, no matter what I did to stop it, the money kept disappearing from my bank account.

My family wasn't wealthy. My mother was sick, and to pay for her medical bills, I worked four part-time jobs. I barely had time to eat.

Yet my phone kept lighting up, notifying me of massive charges on my bank account.

I went to the police, but they couldn't find anything. Everyone called me crazy.

Only Lucas stayed by my side, and I thought he believed me.

It wasn't until the day I died that I realized the truth. He stayed only because he was afraid that his crazy girlfriend might hurt the lady he worshipped.

This time, I would find a way to stop it.

As soon as we reached the restaurant, I rushed in and dumped all eight hundred dollars I had on the cashier's counter.

If Joyce swiped her bank card, my bank account would get charged. So if I were the one paying, maybe she'd be the one who got charged instead.

I was going to lose the money anyway. I might as well try.

I expected Joyce to panic, to rush over and swipe the card.

But she didn't. Calmly and elegantly, she approached me and said, "Melanie, your family isn't wealthy. You probably haven't eaten at a proper restaurant before, so you don't know the prices. You have to spend at least three thousand dollars here. Your eight hundred dollars isn't enough."

Only then did I notice the host's strained expression.

Laughter rippled through the group.

Lucas' face darkened. He reached for me again, ready to drag me away.

Seeing that Joyce was about to swipe her card, I quickly said, "Three thousand dollars? I'll pay. You guys go in and order your food first."

Impatience flashed across Lucas' eyes. "Melanie, no one's looking down on you for being poor. Why are you putting on a show just to compete with Joyce? I saw your bank account balance. You only have one thousand dollars left."

The looks from my classmates turned colder.

One of them said, "Joyce's family is rich, so she's treating us. Melanie can barely feed herself, and now she's trying to show off? Like we'd ever want to spend her money."

No matter what, I couldn't let Joyce swipe that bank card that day. Once my balance ran out, the next charge would take more than just money—it would take my life.

This wasn't just about me. My mother needed me, so I had to stay alive.

Right there in the middle of it, my phone buzzed. The physics competition scholarship had come through, and I had just received 30 thousand dollars.

I smiled and said, "Lucas, I'm not doing this to compete with anyone. I really see everyone here as family. I just want to share the good news. My physics competition scholarship came through."

With that, I tilted my phone and let the cashier charge me four thousand dollars.

I kept my eyes on Joyce's face, waiting to see whether that massive charge would take its toll on her.

Only after I died did I learn that Joyce was from an ordinary family. She wasn't rich at all. Without draining my account, she could never have maintained the image of being the wealthy campus belle.

Joyce's expression faltered slightly, but otherwise she seemed perfectly fine. As she brushed past me, I heard her murmur, "Melanie, you're done for."

Nothing was showing up on her phone screen, so it seemed that the money I had just paid hadn't been deducted from her bank account.

I froze, and she smirked.

When my classmates realized I was really paying, their attitude softened.

"Guess we had you wrong. We thought you were just jealous of Joyce. Turns out you really see us as friends."

Someone said, "Lucas, you're a lucky man. Not only is your girlfriend a top student, but she also knows when to spend and when to save. You'd better cherish her."

Lucas basked in the praise, visibly pleased with himself.

I'd fallen for him back then because I thought we were the same kind of person—someone practical who understood how to live within their means. I thought I'd found someone on my wavelength.

Turned out he was just vain and spineless, more than happy to live off others.

I deliberately sat farther away from him, but he kept drifting back, sticking close no matter what. When the meal ended, he even insisted on walking me back and asked to spend time alone together.

Joyce, meanwhile, grew increasingly unhappy as everyone crowded around me and ignored her.

She leaned toward Lucas and sneered, "Your girlfriend's pretty scheming, huh? She's plain-looking, but she sure knows how to throw money around. You're going to suffer for it sooner or later."

For once, Lucas only brushed Joyce off with a half-hearted response before insisting on taking me back to the dorm.

I knew it wasn't because he'd suddenly grown fond of me. He had his eye on the tens of thousands of dollars that had just landed in my bank account.

Back in the dorm, my thoughts were still a tangled mess.

Even though I'd survived this time around and avoided being ostracized, I still hadn't figured out how Joyce's curse worked.

She could drain my balance at any time. Worse, she could drain my life.

At least 30 thousand dollars had just come in. Joyce probably wouldn't burn through it that fast.

With that in mind, I grabbed my towel and stood to get ready for bed.

The moment I rose, a crushing tightness seized my throat. My legs gave out, and I dropped straight to my knees.

Instinctively, I glanced at my phone.

That was when I saw that my bank account had been emptied.

Before my roommates could help me up, Joyce had already rushed in. She told them to rest and insisted on taking me to the hospital herself.

I wanted to refuse, but the suffocating pressure in my throat left me unable to make a single sound.

My roommates thought Joyce was kind. Even the nurse remarked how fortunate I was to have such a beautiful, caring friend.

Listening to that, all I felt was fury.

Lucas arrived and immediately started yelling at me. "The doctor says there's nothing wrong with you! Why are you pretending to be sick? Do you have any idea how much a hospital visit costs?"

He stared at the bill, his brow deeply furrowed.

He had no intention of paying for me. As long as he could claim I was faking it, he could ask me for the money without shame.

Joyce gave him her card and said, "Take my card. We're classmates, so I can't possibly sit by and do nothing."

I reached out to stop him, but it was useless.

Lucas glared at me. "It's not even your money. What are you getting worked up for? Poor people really are nothing but trouble."

Soon, only Joyce and I were left in the ward.

She leaned down and whispered in my ear, "You shouldn't have stolen my spotlight. This is your punishment. Melanie, your family is really dirt poor.

"I just bought washing machines for every dorm and paid one thousand dollars in electricity for each. And that's enough to start draining your life? Don't panic. You're not dying yet, and what you're feeling is just temporary."

As soon as she finished speaking, the pressure around my throat eased.

I grabbed her by the collar. "What exactly is going on?"

Joyce smiled. "I thought you'd get on your knees and beg for mercy."

She pushed my hand away and straightened up, looking down at me with open disdain. "Melanie, you're destined to be nothing but a tool for me. Once you're ruined and dead, everything you have will be mine."

She left the ward, leaving me completely lost.

Once I was dead, there'd be nothing left to take.

So what exactly was she after?

With my bank balance wiped clean, my body was growing weaker by the minute. No matter how hard I worked, I couldn't earn money faster than Joyce could spend it.

I hated her so much that I wanted to kill her outright. But with my current condition, I wouldn't even be able to hurt her before she finished me off.

Just as I was at my wits' end, I spotted the registration for the closed-door Eddish competition.

During the competition, all participants would be confined together. If Joyce couldn't leave, she couldn't spend money.

And if I could win the prize money, I might finally make up what I'd lost.

I thought my plan was airtight.

What I didn't expect was Joyce swiping her bank card to buy a Hermès Birkin right before entering the sealed academic building.

My life drained away at an alarming speed.

The moment I saw her in the classroom, I lunged forward and pressed the tip of my pen against her throat.

If I were destined to live under this curse forever, I'd rather die with her.

But before I could apply any pressure, something slammed into the back of my head.

When I opened my eyes again, I was tied to a chair.

Lucas was standing in front of me. "Melanie, you attacked Joyce in front of everyone. And who knows how you treat people when no one's watching? As your boyfriend, I can't just stand by and do nothing."

He sounded so noble and righteous.

Clearly, he'd snooped through my phone, seen that my bank account was already empty, and decided this was his chance to put on a show in front of the lady he worshipped.

I looked around at my classmates, at their accusing glares burning into me, and my heart sank.

I told them the truth about Joyce spending my money and draining my life away, but no one believed me.

Lucas sneered, "You're jealous to the point of insanity. A rich lady like her would never care about the pocket change you have. Did you say Joyce is draining your life? Fine. Let's test it right here. If you die, I'll die with you."

With that, he tore out a sheet of paper and had Joyce write him an IOU for ten thousand dollars.

Lucas reassured her, loudly, that with so many people watching, he would never use the IOU to ask her for money later.

Joyce leaned in delicately against his shoulder, her voice soft and aggrieved. "If this money can prove my innocence, I don't mind giving everyone ten thousand dollars. My family really doesn't care about such a small amount."

She signed IOUs one by one, then transferred the money to everyone's bank accounts.

The choking sensation around my neck grew stronger, and I could feel my life slipping away.

Soon, my entire body began to convulse.

The classroom fell silent. For a moment, I thought they finally believed me.

However, Lucas scoffed coldly. "You act so convincingly. You should pursue a career in acting."

My classmates shook their heads.

"If Melanie were telling the truth, I'd stay single for life. Lying this hard? That's just pathetic."

Voices piled on, one accusation after another. When I opened my eyes, all I could see were fingers pointing inches from my face.

Then a thought flashed through my mind. So that was how it worked.

Finally, everything became clear.

In this life, Joyce would never get the chance to use me as her stepping stone again.

After the suffocating sensation passed, I forced myself to finish the Eddish competition despite the lingering discomfort.

Once I secured the scholarship, I bought a bus ticket home.

As I was leaving, I saw a notification in the class group chat.

Someone texted, "Joyce is taking everyone to an auction the day after tomorrow to broaden our horizons. She said if we want anything, we can bid without holding back. She's paying."

In my previous life, that was how I died.

Even the money I'd gotten by selling my family's house, meant for my mother's surgery, hadn't saved me.

That event was supposed to happen closer to finals. This time, it came much earlier.

Joyce was truly in a hurry to send me to my grave, but too bad for her.

This time, she'd be digging her own grave.

The moment I got on the bus, I received a message from Joyce. It read, "If you beg me for mercy in public, I might consider sparing you, Mel the Genius."

I smiled and didn't bother replying.

I stayed at the hospital with my mother for two days. Just as I was about to go get some water, Lucas called.

He was furious and demanded, "Melanie, what kind of freak disease did you pass on to Joyce? Why is she convulsing just like you did that day?"

I let out a cold laugh. "That's because..."