Over time, I learned a set of survival rules and chose to play the "ugly" role on purpose.

I would imitate Porky Pig behind the most popular girl in class and soon enough, almost every girl wanted to play role-playing games with me.

I’d pretend to be Tarzan, beating my chest and wailing like a wild animal. Every time I charged around on all fours, the class would erupt into cheers, applause and whistles.

But I soon realized that no one thought of me when it came to anything important.

So, I volunteered to help the boys carry books and water, doing all the dirty work.

I became good at reading people, always playing the sidekick to highlight someone else’s superiority.

That’s why everyone loved hanging out with me.

“If you’re in trouble, call Big Strong.”

“Big Strong is the best supporting act.”

I’ve heard things like that for as long as I can remember and maybe that’s all I was worth.

I would laugh along whenever people made fun of my weight, even eating more just to make everyone like me more.

But then the doctor gave me a wake-up call: if I didn’t lose weight, my life would be at risk.

The next day, I sat in front of the mirror and opened a makeup kit that had been untouched for two years. Clumsily, I applied a simple look. I slipped into a long, dusty lavender dress and put on a pair of beige high heels. I styled my hair in soft curls.

Staring at my transformed reflection, I burst into tears.

Only God knows how much I suffered this couple of past years, how many times I nearly gave up. There were countless moments when I collapsed at the gym, sobbing in frustration. I hated my body, loathed my inability to control my cravings and despised myself for failing over and over. Every time I looked at the failed health reports, I wiped away my tears, steadied my trembling legs and fought on.

My perseverance paid off. I thanked myself for never giving up.

The changes in my body brought more than just a healthier physique; they gave me confidence and growth. After losing 80 pounds, I felt like there was nothing I couldn’t achieve.

I entered the restaurant with a light, confident step.

As I expected, my friends froze, their jaws practically on the floor.

Ben Carson was the first to react, “Emma West? Holy crap, is that really you?”

His shout snapped the others out of their shock.

“Wow, fat people really are hidden gems! Who knew you’d be such a beauty when you slimmed down?”

I blushed at the compliment, my face burning—I’d never been praised like this in my entire life.

On the surface, I acted shy, but inside, I was overjoyed.

Just then, Sophie Adams came over, looking me up and down and suddenly reached out to smudge the foundation on my face.

“This makeup looks terrible on you.”

I wasn’t prepared for that but instinctively smiled as I always did.

“Haha, yeah, I’m not very good at makeup yet. I need to learn from you.”

Sophie’s eyes narrowed as she shoved me.

“What do you mean by that? You lose weight and now you think you’re a queen, trying to outshine me?”

The atmosphere turned sour immediately, but I was used to this kind of tension directed at me.

I laughed it off, “Oh, no, not at all. I just happened to lose a bit of weight, but after this meal, I’ll probably put it all back on.”

Seeing the situation, the others pushed Sophie back to her seat, trying to keep things light.

Then, I noticed Lily sitting beside Sophie, her face clouded with displeasure, saying nothing.

Lily had always been beautiful. Wherever she went, she was the center of attention, a star. Naturally, she had a bit of a “little princess” attitude. In the past, I had always stood behind her, happy to be at her side. But now that I had stolen some of the spotlight, it was clear she felt unsettled.

I poured her a glass of wine and offered it to her with a smile.

“We haven’t seen each other in a year, Lily and you’re still as beautiful as ever.”

Lily crossed her arms, refusing to take the glass. She glanced at me sideways, her expression sour.

“How could I compare to you? After all, you worked so hard to become beautiful.”

Sophie chimed in, “Exactly! You’ve always been beautiful, ever since we were kids.”

At that moment, Jason Miller tried to diffuse the tension, “Come on, Lily, don’t be so bitter. Just because you can’t outshine her it doesn’t mean you should drag her down.”

Lily’s face turned red, then pale. Her lips trembled as if she were about to snap.

Looking at my friend’s angry face, I hurriedly downplayed the situation.

“Oh, stop it! I’m just a skinny person now, nothing special.”

Then, out of habit, I made a silly face to lighten the mood.

“See? Even pretty girls can still make goofy faces!”

Everyone laughed and teased me like before, but this time, instead of mocking my weight, they awkwardly praised my appearance.

Suddenly, I felt something cold on my face—water dripping down from my hair.

I looked up to see Lily standing with an empty wine glass, her face flushed with rage.

“What are you so smug about? Do you really think that losing weight means people will forget how disgusting you used to look?”

Even though I was used to harsh words, today’s humiliation was on another level. Worse yet, the one who embarrassed me was my best friend, Lily.

I had always thought she was sincere. She was the only one who knew I was on a strict diet. She had even told me not to push myself too hard and often invited me out for big meals, almost tempting me to break my diet.

Later, I made a pact with her that we wouldn’t meet again until I succeeded. Lily had joked, “Don’t be gone forever!”

“To see you, I’ll have to lose some weight too!”

Could it be that she never wanted me to succeed?

Why would she tear me down now, just when I was finally building my confidence?

I covered my face and ran home, collapsed onto my bed in tears.

What was so wrong with being fat? I had already lost the weight—was I doomed to carry this shame forever?

Just then, my phone dinged. I glanced at the screen and my heart sank.

Lily had sent over ten photos to our group chat—all of them were of me at 180 pounds, wearing nothing but underwear.

In the photos, I was drenched in sweat, my fat rolling over itself, greasy beads of perspiration clinging to my body. I could practically smell the sweat through the screen. I looked pitiful and filthy, like melted ice cream pooling in someone’s hand.

One of the photos showed a purple sundress pulled over my head. I remembered that day vividly—Lily had dragged me along to the mall, insisting me to try on dresses. I couldn’t even fit into the largest size. It was August and the heat was unbearable. I struggled to put on the dress, sweat pouring from me. Lily laughed beside me.

“Forget it, Emma West. You’ll rip the seams.”

The clerk handed me the sweat-soaked dress, looking me up and down with disgust.

“If you’re that fat, why even bother trying? You’ll just ruin it for the next person.”

Humiliated, I spent $84 on that dress, which has since gathered dust in my closet.

I had no idea Lily had taken pictures that day.

My humiliating photos were on full display in the group chat.

I knew Lily could be arrogant, but I never imagined she could be this cruel.

I messaged her privately, begging her to take them down. She didn’t reply.

Two agonizing minutes passed and the group chat stayed very quiet—no one spoke, as if they were all silently enjoying my humiliation.

Then Lily sent another message:

“Set Emma West’s photo as your wallpaper. So inspirational!”

She included a screenshot—her chat background was one of those photos of me changing clothes.

My hands shook as I held my phone, a sense of dread washing over me.

I opened her social media feed and saw that the photos had already been posted publicly.

The comments below made my skin crawl:

“Eyesore.”

“This post is criminal.”

“Who’s this? Emma West?”

“Doing all sorts of wild things now, huh?”

I felt a surge of helplessness. I had never wronged them. I had tolerated everything, humbled myself to the point where I barely had any self-respect left.

I thought that if I were submissive enough, they’d accept me.

But I was wrong.

Some people can’t stand to see you doing better. The more you give in, the more they take from you, until all they want to do is crush you.

I wiped away my tears. This year, the biggest change wasn’t on the outside, but within my heart. Day after day of intense training had shown me that my potential was far greater than I ever imagined. I realized that I, Emma West, was no less capable than anyone else.

I decided to report the matter to the Public Security Bureau.

“How is someone sentenced for leaking my private photos in a social circle?”