She Wore My Identity Until It Brought Her Trouble

Zea's POV

When I agreed to register as a student on financial aid, I wasn’t worried at all. But my boyfriend’s childhood sweetheart completely panicked.

In my previous life, during the first-day introductions at university, Sheila Smith, my boyfriend’s so-called childhood friend, suddenly stood up and claimed she was the daughter of the city’s richest man. Then, with a sweet smile, she pointed at me and told everyone I was a student she had personally sponsored.

I didn’t want someone else claiming my identity, so I pulled out my phone and showed proof of my parents’ recent transfer to cover my living expenses.

But Sheila had already planned everything. She also showed her own bank records, and every single transfer was ten times more than what my parents gave me.

Just like that, people labeled me as fake, vain, and a gold-digger who was trying to steal someone else's identity.

Even worse, rumors spread that my dad and brother were my sugar daddies.

Desperate to clear things up, I begged my family to make a public statement revealing my real identity.

But then everything fell apart as my family’s companies went bankrupt overnight. Then, a few days later, a suspicious car crash took the lives of every single person in my family.

At their funeral, I cried so hard I passed out.

I kept asking myself why. Why did we have to lose everything just because I tried to prove who I was?

Heartbroken and alone, I ran to my boyfriend, hoping for comfort. Instead, I found him smiling with Sheila in his arms. He kissed her on the forehead and said, “Sheila, your system is amazing. It doesn’t just make us money. It even helped us steal Zea’s identity. Now we never have to hide again.”

That was when it all clicked.

Everything had started with that damn system of hers.

Fueled by rage, I grabbed a knife and went after the two of them. But they pushed me off the balcony before I could do anything.

And there, I died.

Suddenly, I woke up, finding myself back on the day of the university introductions.

This time, when Sheila tried to steal my identity and called me a charity case, I didn’t panic. I leaned into it and even texted my parents, [Mom, Dad, don’t send me any more money. I’m going to support myself through part-time work.]

When Sheila checked her balance, she lost her mind.

——

“Hi, everyone, I’m Sheila Smith, daughter of Humbert Smith and Rosell Morrison.”

Her voice was exactly how I remembered it, and hearing it again made me tremble uncontrollably.

I looked up at the stage, and there she was, standing under the spotlight, shyly covering her face and giggling.

That was when I knew for sure that I had been reborn.

Just like before, all she had to do was drop my parents’ names, and the room started buzzing.

“Humbert Smith? Isn’t that the richest man in Portland? I’ve never seen him in person, but that name is legendary!”

“And Rosell Morrison is a famous artist. I even went to one of her exhibitions. I can’t believe their daughter is right here with us!”

“No wonder Sheila is so generous. She really is the daughter of a billionaire!”

Sheila didn’t correct them. She just giggled and put a finger to her lips. “Shhh, let’s keep it low-key.”

Her so-called humility only fueled the excitement.

I, on the other hand, stayed calm, completely unbothered.

Because only I knew the truth.

Sheila was born in a poor mountain village. Her family favored sons over daughters. Even though she had top grades, they refused to let her continue school. They wanted to marry her off for a bride price.

If it hadn’t been for my parents doing charity work in her area and offering to support her out of pity, she never would’ve made it out of that village, let alone to this university.

But what did she do with their kindness?

The moment we both got admitted, the first thing she did was steal my identity.

In my past life, I couldn’t hold back my anger. I stood up and exposed her lie.

Yet she didn’t even feel guilty. Instead, she pointed at me and cried, “Zea, I'm already sponsoring you. I helped you get into this university out of kindness. How could you try to steal my identity after all that?”

To defend myself, I showed my parents’ recent transfer, which was over a hundred thousand in funds.

But Sheila had come prepared.

Her transfer records were already queued up, and each one showed ten times the amount.