Ever since Zhou Zhe moved into our house, my relationship with my parents and sister had become strained, but I didn't care at all.

After school, I usually spent my time in the school library, getting a head start on high school material. Given my current academic level, I could easily skip a grade to high school, but I had a different plan in mind.

In my previous life, after Zhou Zhe transferred to our class, he won countless awards and became a star in the school, adored by teachers and classmates alike. My parents and sister treated him like a treasure, making me feel like an invisible person, merely a shadow of Zhou Zhe.

In this life, I was determined to snatch away all of Zhou Zhe's awards and top rankings, to beat him at his own game!

A few months later, my birthday arrived.

My parents decided to throw me a proper birthday party to ease the tensions between us. More importantly, they wanted this party to help me fully accept Zhou Zhe.

When I got home from school, I saw the table filled with a lavish spread, but upon closer inspection, it was all seafood like boiled shrimp and steamed crab—a seafood feast, which is considered a delicacy in our culture—yet everyone in the family knew I was allergic to it.

Zhou Zhe was helping my mom in the kitchen, and when he saw me come home, he flashed a provocative smile.

My mom, who had been looking at Zhou Zhe with eyes full of affection, seemed to lose some of that warmth when she turned to me. "Qingci, you're back. Once your dad gets the cake, we'll celebrate your birthday together."

I glanced at the dishes on the table and couldn't help but sneer, "You remembered it's my birthday today, yet all the food is seafood that I can't eat? Oh, I see, Zhou Zhe loves seafood, doesn't he?"

Just then, my dad and Zhou Yan returned home. Zhou Yan immediately shouted in displeasure when she heard my words, "Zhou Qingci, are you bullying A-Zhe again? We're all family. What's wrong with making something A-Zhe likes?"

Zhou Zhe's tears came easily. "I'm sorry. It's my fault for admiring my brother too much. Mom only made my favorite dishes because she felt sorry for me. Brother, you can scold me, but please don't blame mom."

Dad heavily placed the cake on the table. "Do you have to ruin a perfectly good birthday by causing chaos in the family?"

I pointed to the visibly ill-fitting limited edition sneakers on Zhou Zhe's feet. "Is this how you celebrate my birthday? Why is everything on the table what Zhou Zhe likes, and why is my birthday gift on Zhou Zhe's feet?"

Just like in my previous life, Zhou Zhe used his tricks to wear the gift my parents had given me. When I angrily tried to take it back, my parents demanded I be a generous brother. Anything Zhou Zhe wanted, I had to offer up willingly. I had no doubt that if Zhou Zhe ever wanted my life, this self-righteous family would guilt-trip me into giving in.

Upon hearing my words, Zhou Zhe immediately took off the shoes, crying, "I just liked these shoes so much that I couldn't resist trying them on. I'm sorry. I've never seen such nice shoes before... When I was kidnapped by traffickers, I only had broken straw shoes to wear..."

The red marks on Zhou Zhe's feet looked fresh, clearly not old injuries as he claimed. Yet, seeing his scarred feet, my overly compassionate family broke down, each one holding Zhou Zhe and crying their hearts out.

Zhou Zhe broke free and ran over to me, crouching at my feet with pretended innocence. "Brother, please forgive me. I'll give the shoes back to you."

Facing away from the Zhou family, Zhou Zhe spoke in a pitiful tone, but he was actually stepping hard on my foot, sending a sharp pain through me.

I couldn't help but push him away, but as soon as my hand touched his shoulder, he screamed as if electrocuted, "I was really wrong! Brother, don't hit me!"

My parents and Zhou Yan didn't see what happened, but hearing Zhou Zhe's cry, they immediately assumed I was bullying him again.

I was slammed heavily onto the table, and the simmering carp soup on the stove spilled all over me. The scalding broth soaked through my thin shirt in an instant, like being pricked by a thousand hot needles. Blisters immediately formed on my exposed arms, swelling into transparent bubbles filled with a pale yellow fluid.

The pain was excruciating, as if someone were branding my skin inch by inch with a hot iron.

I could distinctly feel the rapid necrosis of my skin under the intense heat, with the nerve endings frantically sending pain signals to my brain.

I clenched my teeth, determined not to scream—I refused to show weakness in front of Zhou Zhe, and I definitely didn't want him to see me in such a miserable state.

The soup trickled down my body, pooling into a greasy puddle on the floor. The air was thick with the nauseating smell of fish soup mixed with the burnt odor of scalded skin. My shirt clung to me, and even the slightest movement tugged at my burns, causing cold sweat to break out on my forehead.

The pain left my mind blank, and the world around me began to blur. My ears buzzed as if a thousand bees were beating their wings against my eardrums. I struggled to stand, but my legs felt as heavy as lead. As I was trying to get up, I heard Zhou Yan's shrill scream.

"Ah Zhe! Ah Zhe, what's wrong with you?" Her voice was piercing, like it could shatter my eardrums.

I turned my head with difficulty and saw Zhou Zhe slumped in our mother's arms, his eyes closed, his face as pale as a ghost. His body trembled slightly, and his lips were a purplish hue, as if he had been greatly frightened. But I knew it was all an act. In the past, he always did this whenever things didn't go his way, using it as a distraction to shift everyone's focus.

Sure enough, my parents' attention immediately turned to Zhou Zhe. Our mother held him, tears falling like a torrent. "Ah Zhe, Ah Zhe, wake up! Don't scare your mother!"

My father's face turned red with anger as he glanced at me, his eyes filled with anger and disappointment. "Look at what you've done!"

I wanted to explain, to tell them that Zhou Zhe had stepped on my foot first, and I had only pushed him away instinctively. But when I opened my mouth, it felt like something was stuck in my throat, and I couldn't utter a single word. It wasn't the pain that silenced me, but the coldness of my heart.

In their eyes, I was always the culprit, always the bad child who bullied his brother. Even now, covered in injuries and on the verge of passing out from the pain, they wouldn't spare me a glance.

Zhou Zhe fainted in our mother's arms, limp like a rag doll. But I noticed that, from an angle invisible to everyone else, the corners of his mouth were slightly upturned. It was a triumphant smile, the joy of seeing me in agony.

"Quick! Get him to the hospital!" my father decided immediately, scooping Zhou Zhe up and rushing out the door.

Our mother followed, stumbling, tears still flowing. She didn't even pause to look at me as she passed by. In her heart, a single strand of Zhou Zhe's hair was more important than my entire being.

Zhou Yan was the last to leave. She stood at the doorway, turning back to glare at me with a look full of hatred. Her eyes were daggers, as if they wished to pierce holes through me.

"Are you satisfied now?" Her voice was icy, devoid of any warmth.

After she said those words, she rushed out without a backward glance. The door slammed shut with a bang, and the entire house plunged into an eerie silence.

I was left alone, sitting helplessly on the floor, the burns on my body still throbbing with intense pain.

I could feel the blisters growing; some had already swelled to the point of bursting, with fluids mixed with blood seeping out. My clothes stuck to the wounds, and every breath I took tugged at them, making me gasp in pain.

The dishes on the dining table were still steaming; the meticulously prepared seafood feast now seemed like a mockery of my loneliness, despite the celebration. The birthday cake sat lonely in the center of the table, the candles half-melted, their wax dripping onto the frosting as if the cake itself was mourning.

This was my birthday, my twelfth birthday—a day that was supposed to be special. There were no birthday wishes or love, just cold neglect and pain.

I struggled to get up, each movement felt like tearing my wounds apart. Sweat trickled into my eyes, stinging them shut. Supporting myself against the wall, I shuffled step by step to the bathroom, turned on the cold water tap, and let the icy stream wash over the burns.

The sudden jolt of pain made me gasp in shock. The moment the cold water touched the scalded area, the pain was so intense I almost fainted. But I knew I had to cool the skin down, otherwise, the burns would worsen.

Gritting my teeth to push through the agony, I endured the pain and let the cold water continue to run over the wounds.

The water took away the surface heat, but the deep burning sensation remained. Each second felt like an eternity, and I had no idea how long I stayed in the bathroom.

It wasn't until I felt the temperature of the wounds slightly drop that I turned off the tap. Looking at myself in the mirror, my face was pale, my forehead drenched in sweat, and my lips were tightly pressed together from the pain.

I needed to go to the hospital; burns like these, if not treated promptly, could leave scars or even affect my arm's mobility in the future. But there was no one at home; my parents and sister had gone with Zhou Zhe to the hospital, and no one would take me there.

I rummaged through the medicine cabinet, which only contained simple band-aids and anti-inflammatory drugs that were useless for such extensive burns. With no other choice, I changed into loose clothing to avoid fabric touching the wounds and slowly made my way out the door alone.

The night was deep, and there were few pedestrians on the street. The dim streetlights cast a yellow glow on the ground, elongating my solitary shadow.My shadow seemed to stretch endlessly, mirroring my loneliness. Every step I took, my wounds protested, but I had no other choice.

The community clinic wasn't far from home, usually a ten-minute walk. But this time, each step felt like a mile. I walked, paused, and nearly stumbled several times due to the pain.

Finally, I saw the clinic's lights shining. As I pushed open the door, the on-duty doctor was organizing medical records. He looked up, saw my condition, and immediately stood up.