I have no idea how Yara got my number.

“Elara, transfer two hundred thousand to Kael right now. He's about to get married!”

“You're his mother, or am I? Or, you can have him call me 'mom', and I might consider it.”

Yara lost her composure, starting to curse.

I swiftly hung up and blocked her, giving my boyfriend a smile.

Sure enough, once you let go of any sense of decorum, your mental state improves drastically.

By the time I got to school, it was already seven.

I had to wake up at four every morning to prepare breakfast for my younger brother, Kael, who was just a few months younger than me.

Though I call him my brother, we have no blood relation.

When I was two, my parents divorced. I stayed with my father, who later remarried a woman three years younger than him, bringing along a boy who was just a few months younger than me. They both changed their surnames and formed a new family.

But, in this family, I was never welcomed.

Standing at the door of the classroom, wearing an oversized coat and faded pants, I hesitated.

These were clothes Yara no longer wore and left behind for me.

How long had it been since I bought new clothes? Maybe close to ten years, or maybe even longer. I couldn't remember.

The only time I bought new clothes was when I was seven, a year that still sticks in my mind.

It was snowing heavily, and my father took us all out to shop for New Year goods.

“Mom, I want this!”

Young Kael pointed at a high-end clothing store, and I only remember the logo—a swoosh.

Inside, a down jacket cost hundreds, even thousands. I glanced at the price tag and quickly withdrew my hand.

To me at the time, it was as if it were priced in the stars.

Yara hesitated for a moment, but Kael's incessant whining convinced her. She smiled and nodded.

“Okay, how about we buy this one?”

My father furrowed his brow, took out his wallet, counted a stack of bills, and handed them to the cashier.

As we left the store, Kael seemed pleased.

He looked at my hands, which were empty.

“Mom, why doesn’t sister have new clothes?”

Yara's face, once filled with smiles, darkened. She pulled me aside and said harshly.

“Did you teach Kael to say that?”

“No, I didn’t!”

I weakly defended myself, but to Yara, that was just an admission of guilt.

“Slap!”

A sharp slap echoed across my face, resonating in my heart at the age of seven. The red handprint remained imprinted.

“You’re so devious for someone so young. When you grow up, are you going to scheme against me and your dad?”

Countless passersby stared at us, and I felt utterly humiliated, tears welling in my eyes.

“Still want new clothes? Don’t you have enough? Do you know how hard your dad and I work to make money? You’re such a waste!”

Yara raised her hand again, but my father stopped her.

“Enough, you don’t feel embarrassed doing this in public? Let’s go, we’re heading home.”

With that, he didn’t even look at me, just grabbed Kael’s hand and walked toward home.

Yara ignored me and followed my dad’s steps. In the snowstorm, they looked like a real family of three, while I was just an outsider...

From that day on, I never asked for new clothes again. Not once.

At seventeen, I had already ingrained self-doubt and poverty deep into my bones.

With a heavy heart, I lowered my head and walked into the classroom, unable to meet the mocking stares of my classmates.

Though it wasn’t the first time I wore something this odd, I still couldn’t lift my head.

Sure enough, as soon as I stepped inside, a few girls gathered and started gossiping, throwing occasional glances in my direction.

I buried my head deeper, wishing I could bury myself in my books.

The bell for class rang, and the homeroom teacher entered, carrying a pile of books.

I let out a breath of relief. It was only during class that I could regain the little dignity I had left.

“Now, I’m going to announce the results of our class’s first mock exam.”

Some students craned their necks, eyes filled with expectation, while others lay bored on their desks, not caring much about what the teacher was saying.

“The top of the class, and the top of the grade—Elara Vance!”

I wasn’t particularly overjoyed; in fact, it was somewhat expected.

Since I was young, I had always excelled academically, maintaining a top-ten spot in my grade even through high school.

I knew the gaokao (the college entrance exam) was the only chance to change my fate.

It was my only lifeline to escape this family.

When I returned home, I could hear my father and Yara loudly scolding Kael, who was staring up at the ceiling, completely indifferent.

They knew it was the day the mock exam results would be announced, so they had brought Kael back on their motorcycle while I had to walk home by myself.

“You, with a perfect score of 750, and you only got a little over 300? Are you trying to drive your mother mad?”

“You’ve been studying all night, and this is the result? Is this how you study?”

I knew all too well that Kael had been sneaking around, claiming to study, but really just playing video games in his room.

When my father saw me approaching, he looked up.

“I hear you did well this time, first in your grade, right?”

I nodded, expecting him to praise me, but instead, I heard Yara’s sharp curses.

“Elara, you shameless little thing, don’t you wish for Kael to do well?”

I froze, confused as to what this had to do with me.

“You tell me, Kael lives and eats with you—why does your score end up so high? You must be refusing to help him!”

I trembled with anger.

My parents had gone so far as to hire a private tutor in the county to tutor Kael one-on-one, while I had never received a single lesson from anyone throughout elementary school to high school, and was often the one helping with farm work and household chores.

As for teaching him, I had tried, but the moment I started explaining a problem, Kael would get impatient and resort to hitting me. I still had a bruise on my right thigh from it.

“You’re a girl. Why does your score need to be so good? You’re just a worthless burden!”

I clenched my teeth, fighting to keep my tears from falling.

“Get out! Go cook! I don’t want to see you right now!”

Yara was livid, while my father silently sat in the corner, smoking, not saying a word.

I wiped the corner of my eye and quietly went to the kitchen.

At dinner, Yara suddenly turned into a doting mother, heaping meat into Kael’s bowl.

“Kael, eat more. You’re at the stage where you’re growing.”

“I’ve been too harsh with you lately, but don’t take it to heart. You still have over half a year. I believe in you, you can do it!”

Halfway through the meal, Yara suddenly turned to me, and a bad feeling washed over me.

“Elara, you need to ask for leave tomorrow. You’re not going to school for the next few days.”

I put down my bowl, confused. “Huh? Why?”

Yara sighed impatiently.

“There’s no need for so many questions. I said take a leave, so take it! The autumn harvest is coming, and your dad and I can’t handle it alone.”

I felt a rush of unfairness.

“Then why doesn’t Kael have to help with the harvest?”

Yara smirked. “Can you even compare to Kael? He’s in his final year of high school, his studies come first.”

Her words hit me like a slap.

I’m in my final year too! Does that mean my studies don’t matter?!

The gaokao was my only hope of escaping them. I couldn’t let my one chance be taken away like this.

“But I’m also in my final year! This is the most important time for me too. Please, can I just go to school?”

By the end, my voice had softened as I pleaded with them, hoping they might show some mercy.

Yara slammed the table, glaring at me with wide eyes. “Can’t you understand when I’m speaking to you?!”

"You’re a girl, how important can your studies really be? Even if you get into Kingsbridge University, you’ll still have to get married. In the end, you're not even a Vance. Only Kael is the true Vance heir!"

My blood boiled as those words echoed in my mind, a single thought repeating over and over:

"Why?"

I stood up, pointing at Kael. "Kael may share the Vance name, but the blood in his veins isn’t that of the Vance family!"

"Slap!"

A loud, resounding slap hit my face.

The world spun, and stars danced in front of my eyes. I collapsed to the ground, unable to recover for what felt like an eternity.

My father stood over me, his expression dark, his eyes burning with fury.

"Starting tomorrow, you’re not going to school anymore. If I catch you trying to go, I’ll break your legs!"

I couldn’t hold back any longer. Tears streamed from my eyes, soaking my clothes.

I didn’t understand. Why were they doing this to me?

Like Kael, I was human. I needed love and care too.

But why... why was this happening?

The sky remained pitch black, yet I was already up, preparing breakfast.

Kael finished his meal and hurried off to school, while I followed my father and Yara to the fields.

Half of our family’s land was planted with cabbage, and now it was harvest time.

I swung the sickle, cutting through the stems, and the first cabbage fell to the ground, intact.

Despite it being winter, the sweat soaked my hair after working for just a few hours.

I carried a heavy basket full of cabbages through the uneven land, the immense weight bearing down on me.

As I walked, I suddenly screamed and fell to the ground along with the basket of cabbages.

I tried to stand, but a sharp pain shot up from my ankle.

I knew it was sprained.

"What happened?"

Yara came over, frowning as she saw me on the ground.

I clutched my ankle, my face twisted in pain.

"My foot... I can’t walk."

"Get up! It’s barely been an hour, and you’re already trying to slack off. Did your teachers only teach you how to be lazy?!" Yara scolded, shoving me.

Cold sweat trickled down my face, and I gasped in pain.

"I’m serious. My ankle is sprained."

At that moment, my father put down his sickle and walked over.

He lifted my pant leg, and his face hardened as he saw my swollen ankle.

Yara spat on the ground, muttering under her breath.

"Useless... can’t even handle something so small."

"Fine, take her to the clinic. I’ll stay here and work."

Father’s expression remained unreadable as he stood and returned to his work, swinging the sickle once more.

Yara reluctantly helped me up, grumbling as she guided me toward the clinic.

I hung my head low, limping painfully behind her.

The doctor quickly bandaged my ankle and advised me to rest for a while, to avoid walking.

I gave a wry smile and nodded.

Rest?

That was impossible in this house.

Outside, Yara shoved the bill in front of my face.

"See this? Five hundred! The cabbages you collected don’t even come close to covering this!"

"Such bad luck!"

I returned home, my mind full of frustration. Although I couldn’t do any more farm work, I didn’t want to give Yara the chance to complain, so I went straight to the kitchen to prepare lunch.

Three days passed.

My ankle had healed a little, and I was able to walk again, but I was soon called out to help with the autumn harvest.

The winter wind cut sharply against my face, but it was nothing compared to the pain this family had brought me.

Not even a fraction.

I was more determined than ever to escape this place.

Time flew by.

The long, dreary winter break was over, and the start of school was fast approaching.

One morning, Kael packed his bag, ready to head off to school.

I had also prepared my books, intending to go with him, but my father stopped me.

"What do you think you’re doing?"