Chapter 4The Price of the Golden Ticket: A Sister's Choice

I looked delicate, but I was actually a very fast runner.

By the time Jackson came out looking for me, I was long gone.

In an old, run-down storage room, I sat on a gym mat with exposed stuffing and pulled out the vocabulary notebook I had shoved into my bag during the chaos.

Perfect. It was quiet, a great place to memorize vocabulary.

As I wrote from memory, I set up my phone tripod to record a video of myself.

I planned to post it online when I got home.

In an era of highly developed internet economy, unparalleled beauty could quickly be monetized.

I frequently posted videos of my daily study routine on TikTok, and I had already amassed six hundred thousand followers.

My followers affectionately called me their "internet daughter," and they loved watching me study.

A pale, pretty girl, studying diligently and behaving perfectly—who wouldn't want a daughter like that?

Among a sea of beauty influencers, I quickly broke out. Ninety percent of my followers were women; I basically had an army of internet moms.

Just as I suspected, the system's collection of "affection value" wasn't limited to men.

The love from my internet moms counted as successful conquests.

Once the beauty bestowed by the system was augmented by my "good student" persona, it was no longer aggressive or intimidating.

Sometimes, looking in the mirror, I couldn't help but marvel at how amazing my face was.

My DMs were flooded with scouts and inquiries. They all said I should go to Hollywood to shine and become a big star.

In my past life, Chloe had briefly entered the entertainment industry, but she was a flash in the pan, quickly hidden away by the men who desired her.

Later, after she lost her beauty, gossip accounts often posted side-by-side comparison videos, lamenting the fading of a beauty.

Fading my foot, she was only thirty-two at the time.

In this life, I didn't have high intelligence anymore. My brain was just average. Going into academia to compete wasn't suitable for me.

But I also didn't plan on debuting this early.

If a normal person works hard, they can still get into a good college.

With the internet economy, I could use my beauty to quickly monetize.

Selling your face isn't a long-term plan.

While my account was thriving, Chloe's grades started to slip.

She angrily asked the system: "Aren't I a genius? Why am I still running into problems I can't solve?"

The system's mechanical voice was rigid and cold: "I can only grant you intelligence. The host still needs to study on their own."

Chloe was never the type who could sit still. Making her study was worse than killing her.

But after scoring second in her grade again, she had to start reading and studying.

With the system's boost, studying was very easy for her.

She quickly returned to being number one in her grade.

Our parents were very satisfied with this. Everyone loves a kid who loves to read, and my parents were especially obsessed with academic credentials.

"Mia, can you learn from your sister? You only ranked in the seventies, while Chloe is always number one."

I tilted my head, looking at him, and smiled: "Dad, but I've improved from before too.

"My homeroom teacher said my grades could get me into a pretty good college."

My mom frowned. In my past life, she didn't like Chloe either, especially as Chloe grew more and more beautiful. She always felt Chloe wasn't decent.

In this life, that suspicion fell on me.

"I heard you've been getting close to some shady boys?

"Mia, don't you dare go out and embarrass our family!"

Chloe looked at me, gloating.

After my parents finished venting, she walked over with a smile and pulled me to look in the mirror:

"Sister, what's the use of being beautiful? This time, the one Mom and Dad truly love is me."

I looked at her, sighing inwardly.

Why, even after being reborn, was she still obsessed with these things?

Actually, my parents didn't love either of us.

They only liked the child who could bring benefits to the family.

In my past life, after I became a well-known scientist, my parents became the role models among our relatives and friends. Just for the sake of saving face, they frequently called me out of the lab to meet people.

Not everyone is lucky enough to meet parents who love their children unconditionally.

Sometimes, parents' love also comes with a price.

But that's okay. In life, you have to accept imperfections.