Chapter 3The Substitute Sister

I didn't go to the hospital. I just found a pharmacy and bandaged it myself.

Then I went to the bookstore, bought a stack of practice exams, and started working.

Out of ten questions, I got seven wrong. In a fit of frustration, I slammed my injured hand on the table. The sharp pain almost made me jump up and scream.

"Even if you mutilate yourself, you still won't know the answers. That's an IQ problem."

I turned my head and saw Liam sitting behind me.

He smirked, his smile infuriatingly arrogant. "Well, this is rare. Never thought I'd see you in a place like this."

He was the school's top student. I used to think he wasn't that big of a deal.

But a few days ago, the teacher proudly announced that he had scored a perfect 100 on the math exam again.

While I scored a 30.

Thinking about that, I couldn't stop the look of pure admiration from flooding my eyes.

"Hehehe, we're going to be seeing a lot of each other here from now on."

He shrank back. "Whoever you are, get out of Serena's body."

I wasn't angry at all. I shamelessly slid over to his side. "Explain this to me, please?"

He glanced at it casually. "It's B."

"Why?"

"Because it has to be B."

Me: "..."

For an entire afternoon, I forgot about my injured hand and annoyed the resident genius in the library to the point of a near heart attack.

It wasn't until the sky started getting dark that I packed my things to head home.

Liam's face was dark. As we stepped out of the library, he muttered bitterly, "I hope to God I never meet anyone as dense as you for the rest of my life."

"Hehehe."

He took another few steps back in horror. "What? Don't even think about it."

My eyes instantly welled with tears. "You know my mom just passed away. Her biggest dying wish was..."

"Okay, okay, fine!" He threw his hands up in surrender. "If you're not afraid of being insulted and berated, then I have nothing to be afraid of either."

"Thank you, thank you!" I grabbed his hand excitedly. "If my mom knows about this in heaven, she'll definitely come thank you personally."

"Just tell her thanks for me. The personal visit really isn't necessary."

My bus arrived. I ran over and sincerely thanked him one more time.

That afternoon, I endured more insults than I had in my entire life.

Liam was brilliant, handsome, and from a good family, but he had almost zero girls chasing him because his mouth was absolutely toxic.

However, amidst the barrage of insults, I managed to complete an entire practice exam for the first time in my life.

I never knew solving math problems could feel so rewarding.

By the time I got home, Chloe’s birthday party was already over.

As soon as I walked in, my dad hurried over, put a finger to his lips in a "shh" gesture, and pointed to Chloe’s room.

That's when I heard muffled crying coming from inside.

"She invited a friend, but they didn't show up. She's really upset right now, so don't provoke her."

I pushed past him and went into my own room.

A little while later, my dad knocked and came in. "How's the hand? What did the doctor say?"

He pulled a delicate gift box from behind his back. "Daddy bought this specially for you."

It was definitely a hair clip. I had already received countless identical ones.

Every time he lost his temper at me because of Chloe, he would buy something to placate me.

It was never anything expensive, nothing compared to Chloe’s gifts, but he always wrapped it himself beautifully, making it seem like he deeply cherished and valued this daughter of his.

But I had always been so pathetic.

Every time I received one, my resentment toward him would vanish. I would sit happily in the corner, telling myself that he definitely loved me, and that he only treated Chloe so well because she was sick.

"Thanks." I took the gift, tossed it casually onto my desk, and went back to my practice exams.

He stood beside me, watching for a long time, before finally sighing and leaving.

When I came out of the shower, Chloe was standing by my desk, wearing her new dress.

She didn't notice me come in. She was engrossed in examining my test paper, her hands trembling slightly.

"Who told you to come in here?"

She turned around, a beat too slow, her eyes red.

That's when I saw that she was holding the test paper I had snatched from Liam.

"Wh-where did you get this?"

A teenage girl's crush is always so obvious. Actually, I had noticed her infatuation with Liam long before she did.

"Do you think I stole it?"

I slowly walked up to her and took the paper back. There was no name on it, yet she recognized it instantly.

She really liked him, huh?

"Serena," she quickly changed the subject, realizing she had lost her composure. "I brought you some cake. I saved a piece just for you."

She held the cake out carefully, looking at me.

"Thanks, but Liam and I grabbed dinner while we were out. I'm stuffed."

Her smile almost shattered, but she tried desperately to maintain it. "O-oh, really? Then... I'll just put it in the fridge for now."

Watching her practically flee the room, I felt a fleeting sense of vindication, but the thrill of revenge disappeared almost as quickly as it came.

For the past few years, Chloe had tried every possible way to suck up to me and my mom.

No matter how much I bullied her, she would just wipe her tears away in secret and go right back to following me around, sweetly calling me "big sister."

But no matter how hard she tried, it couldn't cover up the fact that because of her, our family had fallen apart.

The next day, as soon as I got to class, Liam brazenly walked over and snatched my backpack. "Let me check if you slacked off last night."

Then, as he reviewed my incorrect answers, he proceeded to call me a pig.

I glanced up and saw Chloe watching Liam, looking quite pitiful.

Just like that, she felt wronged?

Maybe I should act even more intimate with Liam. That would definitely cause her more pain.

But somehow, I just couldn't bring myself to do it. In the end, I just quietly sat down at my desk.

"How did you get this question wrong? Do you actually have no brain, or are you just doing this to piss me off?"

I rested my head on the desk and answered honestly, "I actually have no brain."

Liam froze, coughed twice, and surprisingly, started explaining the problem to me.

With Liam's help, my grades improved relatively quickly.

By the time the first mock exams were over, I was no longer dead last in the class.

The teacher even gave me a certificate of commendation and asked me to bring my dad in so she could present it to me in front of him.

I hadn't received an academic award since I started my rebellious phase.

"My dad doesn't have time."

The teacher looked disappointed.

But when I got home, I found my dad had cooked a massive feast, saying he wanted to celebrate my progress.

Seeing Chloe standing next to him, I instantly knew what was going on.

"Serena, Dad made all of this especially for you."

I glanced at the table full of bland, mild dishes.

Made for me?

"Let's eat."

I ate the tasteless food and went to my room.

I heard Chloe mutter softly, "Why does Serena seem unhappy?"

My dad replied, "Your sister has always had a bad temper. She's moody. Just ignore her."

Just as I was about to fall asleep, my dad knocked and came in. He praised my progress again and promised to make me nutritious meals every day.

"If you have something to say, just say it."

He didn't get angry that I interrupted his empty promises. He thought for a dozen seconds before saying, "I remember your mom left behind two gold bracelets, right?"