In my previous life, I gave up the opportunity to go to high school and pulled Henric Balton through college.

Later, I died in a car accident while Henric married a beautiful and wealthy woman.

When I opened my eyes again, the 16-year-old Henric took the pancakes from me.

"Thank you, Dany!" he said with a bright smile.

I snatched them from his hand. I had saved them for him though I had had a wolf in my stomach.

"Fuck off!" I snapped.

...

I was already dead.

But my soul was still floating above the hospital.

I witnessed a doctor emerging from the operating room and informing Henric of my death.

Henric was in a fancy suit. Beside him stood Marianna Balton, his grandma who was the only family he had.

Marianna was overjoyed.

"It's good that she's gone. She should have died a long time ago. She has held my grandson back for so many years!"

Henric coughed, hinting at his grandmother shutting up.

As they were emerging from the building, a good-looking girl rushed over and took Henric's hand tightly.

Marianna regarded her lovingly.

"It was a distant relative of mine who passed away. You don't have to worry."

As soon as she finished speaking, a woman hurried towards the hall.

The woman's face was pale as she clutched the newspaper with reports of a car accident.

"Where's Danielle? Where's my daughter?"

Staring at the woman who bore a resemblance to me, I suddenly felt a pain in my heart.

Was this the mother who ran away not long after giving birth to me?

All of a sudden, everything around me was engulfed by darkness.

Then a sharp pain washed over me.

When she opened her eyes again, the 16-year-old Henric came into my view.

There was still a hint of innocence on his pale and handsome face.

He held the pancakes in his hand and flashed me a bright smile.

"Thank you, Dany!"

I looked down at the pancakes that were already cool.

Those were the rewards that I had got by doing farm work for days without a break.

I snatched the pancakes from his hand.

"Fuck off!"

Henric was taken aback by my response. "What’s going on with..."

His voice trailed off as he watched me turning around and speeding away.

He shouted from behind, "Dany, what did you get on your ISEEs?"

That was it.

I could get my ISEE results that day.

In my previous life, I didn’t go to high school for Henric.

He did well in his studies, yet Marianna couldn’t afford his tuition fees.

Thus, I found a job and pulled him through college.

When he first graduated from college, I went to him with great joy to discuss our marriage.

Yet on my way, I died in a car accident.

The car crash was so tragic, it was even reported in the local newspapers.

After my death, Henric married a rich, beautiful woman.

In this life, I would live for myself!

When I arrived at my shabby house, my father’s bicycle was nowhere to be seen.

As usual, my dad was out drinking again.

Morty Follman, my younger brother, was sitting in the living room smoking.

When he caught sight of me, he snorted and threw a piece of paper at me.

It was my report card.

I glanced at it and found that I aced every test like I had done in my previous life.

Footsteps at the door reached my ears. Robert Follman, my dad, was back.

"Dad!" I called out.

The next second, he threw an empty beer bottle at me.

I dodged in a panic. The bottle fell to the floor, breaking into pieces.

"Shut up!" Robert yelled at me.

I clenched the report card in my hand.

"I want to go to high school!" I declared.

Seeing that Robert fell silent, I plucked up my courage and continued.

"In high school, if I’m the top of my class, I will get a scholarship..."

"Don’t talk big." Robert cut me off with a sneer. There are so many excellent students. Do you think you can get a scholarship? Why don't you get a job and financially support your brother so he can find a wife?"

"Dad, after graduating from college, I'll make more money!

"I'll handle my high school tuition fees," I said through gritted teeth. "I won’t ask you to pay for it."

Robert glanced at me.

"Why do you have to wait to work until you’re a college graduate? I never got to college. But I got a job in the city and met your mother," he responded with a grin.

The next day, I went to town.

Robert thought I should work instead going to high school. Despite that, he didn’t oppose since I promised to pay for my own tuition.

If I was admitted to a university, it would bring honor to the family. There were only a few who managed to get into college in the village.

I found a part-time job and worked as a waiter in a restaurant.

It was in the center of the town.

That night, while I was serving the dishes to the guests, someone suddenly grabbed my butt.

I turned around and saw a few fat middle-aged men looking at me lustfully.

"What the hell are you…" Anger washed over me.

"What are you raising your voice at the guests?" The restaurant owner’s wife cut me off as she forcibly distance me from the fat men.

She positioned herself between the men and me.

She cast a glance at me. "Come on, Danielle, let’s not make a thing out of this. They were just joking around. It’s not a big deal."

She pointed to the kitchen.

"Get back to work now. Slack off, and you won’t get your salary."

The portly men laughed triumphantly.

I clenched my fists, suppressed the humiliation, and made my way towards the kitchen.

It was already dark when I got off work.

On the way home, I ran into Henric and his grandmother.

He was having a hotdog.

Henric's eyes lit up when he saw me.

"Dany," he called out.

"Yes?" I responded with a frown.

Henric was oblivious to my indifferent demeanor.

"Dany, they say your dad doesn’t want you to go to high school. Well, I heard that a clothing shop is short-staffed. It’s a well-paid job."

I nodded. "I see. Do you wan to give it a shot there?"

"I..." A trace of embarrassment flashed across Henric's face.

Seeing the shift in his demeanor, I sneered in my heart.

Pissed off by my words, Marianna strode towards me.

"What are you talking about? Henric does well in his studies. He will go to college. Why would he take a job at a clothing shop?" she said, getting worked up. "You two have been good friends since childhood. How about you get that job and pull him through high school?"

I let out a sneer and pushed Marianna away.

"Let me tell you something. I might be poor, but I'm not cheap."

Henric's face turned livid. I turned on my heels, ignoring Marianna’s insulting remarks.

In the next two months, I didn't see Henric again.

One day, I went to the restaurant as usual.

The place was filled with boxes, and a truck was parked outside.

The restaurant’s owner, wearing a gold necklace, was smoking at the entrance, and his wife instructed the truck driver to help move things.

I had a bad feeling. "What's going on?"

The owner’s wife glanced at me and didn't say anything.

I frowned. "If you closed the restaurant, can I get paid now?"

Hardly had she stopped talking when the restaurant owner burst into laughter.

"What are you talking about? Why would I pay you?" he said.

His wife also covered her mouth and smiled. Then she said to him, "We should get going!"

The restaurant’s owner walked up to the truck. Overwhelmed by frustration, I rushed forward and grabbed his arm.

"I've worked hard here for two months. Now that you’ve closed the restaurant, you should pay me," I said.

The restaurant’s owner slapped me hard, which caught me off the guard.

"What salary? Have we signed the contract? You little bitch, do you know how I am? How dare you talk to me like that?" He huffed.

I covered my face and stumbled a few steps back before steadying myself.

There were some onlookers around, watching the fun.

Watching him getting into the truck, I mustered up some courage and clung to his leg.

The next second, my vision blurred and my head hit the ground heavily. There seemed to be blood on my face.

The restaurant’s owner had kicked me.

I forced myself to raise my head. In my blurry vision, the truck drove away.

Someone helped me up.

I looked up and saw that it was the owner of the from the hardware store next door.

"This couple has always been domineering." He sighed and handed a napkin to me. "You shouldn’t confront him head-on."

I wiped the blood from my nose. "I worked there because I needed to make money to pay for my tuition."

The man was taken aback.

After a while, he took out some cash and gave it to me.

"You... need to go to school."

I knew that he was not well-off, and this amount of money was far from enough to pay my tuition.

But I still took the money and bowed to him deeply.

After returning home, I didn't sleep all night.

I had to pay for my tuition fees in two days. What should I do?

I sat there until dawn the next day. A loud noise outside broke my reverie.

I pushed the door open, and saw my aunt, Katy Cullen.

She had never visited us since she got married nine years ago.

It was said that her husband and in-laws were not happy with her not giving birth to a son.

Robert's spirits lifted when he saw the gift Katy had brought us.

I was absent-minded when I broke a plate.

Just as Robert was about to slap me, Katy intervened.

She flashed him a bright a smile and said, "Come on, Robert, it's not a big deal.

"Dany's hand is injured. I’ll help her deal with her wound."

Without waiting for Robert's reply, she escorted me to the kitchen.

Looking at Katy’s haggard face, I felt feel sympathy for her.

She turned around and closed the door. Then she took out a paper bag.

"Use this pay for your tuition fees," she said.

My heart tightened. "Aunt Katy..."

"Take it." Katy handed it to me.

Seeing that I didn't take it, she suddenly burst into tears.

"Your mother... also persuaded me to go to high school and paid for my tuition with her own money. But I was coaxed into dropping out and getting married."

"My mother?" This was the first time I had heard someone mention my mother.

"Aunt Katy, what is she like?" I asked, curious.

"Your mother is very good-looking and talented." Katy wiped away her tears. When she heard footsteps outside, she quickly stuffed the paper bag into my pocket.

"Thank you. I wish you all the best," I said sincerely.

She turned around and smiled. "You should pray that I will have a son. Well, we should get out."

When the new semester began, the weather was still hot.

I arrived at the high school with my luggage and saw Henric not far away.

He was an orphan who lived with his grandmother.

I wondered how he had managed to pay for his tuition fees.