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..."