The atmosphere in the living room was extremely tense, with all three pairs of eyes fixed on me.

My parents stared at me, while my brother also looked at me nervously, his breathing rapid, his eyes full of threats.

I glanced at the photo, then after a moment, lifted my head and gave my parents an innocent smile.

"This is a new friend I made at school. I specially asked my brother to take more care of her."

Upon hearing this, my parents finally breathed a sigh of relief for my brother, the corners of their eyes softening into smiles.

"I see, so it was a misunderstanding."

"Xiaoxiao, come here."

I stepped forward as told, and the next second, my father raised his hand and slapped me hard across the face!

"Slap!!!"

The sound echoed in the living room. My head was jerked to the side, half of my face swelling up instantly, burning with intense pain!

"What kind of questionable person are you asking your brother to take care of? The college entrance exam is just around the corner—his time is more precious than your life!"

I struggled to hold back the sadness in my heart, my heart aching dullly, but still nodded in agreement.

"Dad is right, I know I was wrong."

"That's more like it."

My father snorted coldly and turned his head, no longer looking at me.

He told my brother not to stay up too late studying and to take good care of his health.

My mother also brought out a bowl of freshly cooked bird's nest from the kitchen, eagerly stuffing it into my brother's hands.

The family of three looked happy and harmonious, the previously oppressive atmosphere now warm and cozy.

Everyone except me, left out in the cold, standing there like a misfit.

So I turned around and went back to my room, unwilling to be an invisible person any longer.

I grabbed a hot towel to apply to my face, then sat at my desk and opened my "Five Three" workbook.

Looking at the college entrance exam countdown calendar on the table, I couldn't help but laugh at myself.

Clearly, my brother and I were the same age, and both about to take the college entrance exam.

But they had always only cared about my brother—when had they ever cared about me?

Just as I was in a daze, there was a knock on my door.

Jiang Zhou stood with one hand in his pocket, striding casually with his long legs until he stopped beside me, placing a bowl of bird's nest porridge on my desk.

"Why aren't you meddling this time?"

He leaned down, his lips close to my ear, his tone full of mockery.

"Could it be... you're scared?"

My eyes widened in shock, and I almost instinctively turned my head to look at him.

The Jiang Zhou standing in front of me had completely shed the childishness of his eighteen years.

An aura of ruthlessness emanated from his very bones, overlapping perfectly with the image of him at twenty-eight that I had in my mind!

So... he had been reborn too?!

Before I could think more, a large hand clamped down on my neck.

The suffocating feeling made me almost faint, and his grip kept tightening!

Just like in my previous life, when he had grabbed my neck with bloodshot eyes, forcing half of my body out the window, demanding I pay for Zhou Qianqian's life!

"This time, if you dare to stop me again, I'll make your end a thousand times more miserable than before—do you hear me?!"

Jiang Zhou gritted his teeth, growling the threat in my ear.

My vision blurred, and I trembled uncontrollably with fear, nodding wildly purely on the instinct to survive.

Seeing my reaction, Jiang Zhou finally let go, satisfied.

I collapsed onto my chair like a dying fish, gasping for fresh air.

Jiang Zhou returned to his usual self, pushing the bowl of bird's nest toward me.

"Mom specially cooked this bird's nest for me. You covered for me well this time, so I'll give it to you as a reward."

He narrowed his eyes, and I had to reach out tremblingly to take it.

But before my fingers could touch the bowl, it slid off the edge of the desk and flew away.

"Crash!"

The bowl shattered into pieces, the bird's nest spilling all over the floor.

Jiang Zhou feigned apology, raising his hands to his ears, but the smile on his face was extremely mischievous.

"Slipped my hand. So sorry."

"I-It's okay."

I took a deep breath, speaking timidly, well aware that this was Jiang Zhou's way of humiliating me.

Everything in this family belonged to him, and I was only worthy of what he deigned to give me.

Whether he wanted to "bestow" it or not depended entirely on his mood.

"Well, I won't disturb you then. Study hard."

He patted my shoulder. "Although even if you risk your life, you'll never be half as good as me academically. Hahaha."

He left laughing, not knowing that the moment the door closed behind him, the look of fear on my face disappeared completely.

No way, no way—my dear brother really thinks he's the chosen one?

Jiang Zhou and I were fraternal twins, but he had always been smarter than me since we were young.

So when we were five years old, he was regarded as the future heir of the Jiang family and formally trained as such.

I was never as intelligent as him, so I could only rely on hard work to catch up.

But all the family's resources were given to him, so the gap between us grew wider and wider.

Before the high school entrance exam, he played video games late every night.

While I burned the midnight oil, drowning myself in textbooks and workbooks, my pen never stopping for a moment.

After the exam, I fell seriously ill and stayed in the hospital for two full months.

When the results came out, I barely got into No.1 High School, while Jiang Zhou easily entered the key class of No.1 High School.

At that time, he waved two identical admission notices in front of me, sneering and saying that even if a fool like me got into No.1 High School, I would still be at the bottom of the class.

In the face of absolute talent, hard work meant nothing.

So this time, I would respect his choice and let him pursue his so-called true love.

Let's see how long his "talent"—built on the Jiang family's resources—would last him!