I glanced at the barrage of comments flying before my eyes, feeling like my food tasted even better than before.

After the meal, Stephen said a little awkwardly, "Nadia, I'm sorry that you're going to suffer with us. We were selfish for pretending to be rich—we wanted to adopt a daughter to care for us in our old age."

Linda pulled out a bank card. "This is for you. It has every cent we've saved up over the years. Consider it our way of making it up to you."

[What a joke. Your life's savings can't even compare to Nancy's monthly allowance!]

[Mrs. Quill gave Nancy 500 thousand dollars as pocket money without even batting an eye.]

I pushed the bank card back to them. "Mom, Dad, you should keep this. Don't worry about me. I'll study hard, make a ton of money, and give you both a great life."

Stephen and Linda were so overwhelmed that they couldn't even speak. They just kept stroking my head, praising me for being thoughtful and sensible.

The heavens had given me a second chance at life; I'd escaped the Quill family's gilded cage and met such kind adoptive parents. There was no way I was going to repeat the same mistakes.

I was going to use everything I'd learned in my last life to change my family's fate. And everyone who had hurt us would pay the price they deserved!

Right then, the comments flooded the space before me.

[Oh my god. The male lead, Eugene Lloyd, just showed up! He and Nancy are finally meeting!]

[Look at how shy Nancy is right now. They're such a perfect match—they're totally made for each other!]

The corner of my lips lifted. So, Eugene was the male lead.

Perfect. I would make good use of him.

…

When the admission notice from a top-ranked high school arrived at our doorstep, Stephen and Linda were so excited that their voices trembled.

"Nadia, it really is from that prestigious high school, and you ranked first! You're amazing!"

In my last life, I'd received an elite education in the Quill family. Getting first place in the entrance exam for a prestigious high school was nothing to me.

Stephen and Linda were so happy that they took me into town and bought me several new outfits, grinning from ear to ear. "Whatever other kids have, our daughter has to have too!"

The comments went wild again.

[What? Why does Nadia get to attend a prestigious high school? And as the top scorer, no less. That means she and Eugene will be in the same class!]

[Nancy had to pull strings just to get in, and her parents beat her over it.]

[Hang in there, Nancy! Your parents are just hitting you for your own good. They want you to be ambitious and driven!]

[This is how elite education in powerful families works. With great power comes great responsibility, after all. You'll be fine once you get past this!]

As I watched the comments roll by, I could practically picture the kind of life Nancy was enduring in the Quill household right now.

I'd had more than enough of that life in my last one. This time around, I would let Nancy get a proper experience of that hell.

…

On the first day of school, Nancy spotted me as soon as I stepped into the classroom. She was draped in luxury brands from head to toe, but it couldn't hide how pale she looked.

She looked down at me from her high horse, her voice dripping with contempt when she spoke. "Well, if it isn't Nadia Walker. Oh, wait—you're Nadia Colson now. I really didn't expect this, you know.

"You sure are lucky, even after being adopted by that poor couple. They were even willing to grovel and beg so you could get into this high school?"

At her words, the classmates around us started whispering among themselves.

"So her top score is fake? I saw her marks and thought she was some kind of genius."

"I was actually planning to ask her for tips, but it turns out this is what she's actually like. Gross."

"Let's just stay away from her from now on."

Nancy's smile grew even smugger when she saw that she'd gotten exactly what she wanted.

[Nancy really is smart. It's only the first day of school, yet she's already managed to get the whole class to ostracize Nadia.]

[Nadia just got insanely lucky. Why should she be allowed to outshine Nancy?]

Nancy leaned in close to me and hissed, "Blame yourself for having bad luck. Look at you—every inch of you screams 'poor'. You're not like me. My walk-in closet is full of designer labels, something you'll never have in this life or the next."

I lifted my gaze and saw Eugene standing not far away, looking at me with thinly veiled disdain.

I smirked coldly, unbothered by his attitude. It wouldn't be long before he came looking for me on his own.

From that day on, the whole class teamed up to freeze me out. I didn't have the time or energy to care about their childish games, though.

I only had one clear goal—to do whatever it took to make sure my family lived a good life.

Soon, the results for our first monthly exam came out. I ranked first in the entire grade, scoring over 10 points higher than the student in second place, Eugene. Meanwhile, Nancy was dead last. Her score wasn't even on par with an average student from a regular class.

In an instant, the way everyone looked at me completely changed.

"Nadia is insane. She actually scored 10 points higher than Eugene!"

"How is she so good? Didn't Nancy say she only got into the honors class through connections?"

"There's no way you can fake exam results, though, right? This score has to be real."

Nancy glared at me, her eyes full of venom. "Don't think I don't know what you did, Nadia. You must've pulled some dirty trick again! So what if you're first? You'll still be stuck working for me. I'll trample you under my feet for the rest of my life!"

[Ugh, what's with Nadia's luck? How did she get first place again?]

[It's fine, it's fine. Nancy just had an off day this time. She'll definitely beat Nadia on the next exam!]

[Man, Nancy did so badly this time. Her parents are definitely gonna beat her again when she gets home. I feel so bad for her.]

I didn't have time to waste on Nancy because the other classmates had already surrounded me.

"Nadia, you're amazing. Your solution for this problem is even more concise and creative than the teacher's."

"How did you figure this one out? Can you teach me?"

"I've got some high-end milk here, Nadia. Here, have a bottle."

I didn't hold a grudge about how they'd acted before. After all, these kids all came from rich or powerful families. For me, they were potential stepping stones and useful connections.

Seeing this, Nancy was so furious that I could almost hear her teeth grinding.

…

After I got home, Stephen and Linda were so excited when they saw that I'd come in first that they teared up.

Linda pulled me into her arms, her voice choked. "I'm so proud of you, my darling! I'm preparing a feast tonight. I'll cook your favorite dish!"

Stephen grinned and asked, "Nadia, what do you want as a reward? I'll buy it for you. Whatever it is, I'll make it happen."

I smiled and shook my head. "I don't want anything. I just want you both to stay by my side and be okay."

After dinner, I chatted with them for a bit before getting ready for bed. Just as I was about to close my eyes, the barrage of comments in front of me started up again, all full of pity.

[Poor Nancy is so miserable. Her parents beat her so badly!]

[Hang in there, Nancy. Your parents are doing it for your own good. You just messed up this time; you'll do better on the next exam!]

[Poor thing. She already has a broken leg, yet her parents are forcing her to stay awake and study because her hands aren't injured. You can do this, okay? We're here with you!]

This was the affluent, wealthy family Nancy was so desperate to join. Was she satisfied now?

The next day, Nancy showed up on crutches, wearing a mask and sunglasses. It looked like her face had been beaten so badly that she couldn't show it in public.

After school, Eugene stopped me the second I stepped out of the classroom. He said calmly, "I looked at your test paper. Your way of solving the problems is different from ours. I know your family's poor, so I'll pay you by the hour if you come to my place and study with me."

I didn't act shy about it and said bluntly, "Sure. Two million dollars for the semester."

Eugene froze for a second, then let out a short laugh. "Do you even know how much two million is? You've got some nerve, asking for that much right off the bat."

I gave him a sideways glance and turned to leave.

He immediately stepped in front of me again. "Fine. Give me your bank account details."

I nodded and headed straight for his family's car. "Let's go. We'll start today. I won't take advantage of you."

The comments instantly exploded.

[Nancy, where are you? Nadia is about to steal Eugene from you!]

[Why would he go to Nadia in the first place? She's totally scamming him. She's got no real skills at all!]

[Nadia's obviously doing it on purpose. She just wants to steal Nancy's guy. She's disgusting!]

Right then, Nancy rushed over and grabbed Eugene's arm. "Eugene, how can you take Nadia back to your house? We're the ones who should be studying together! Her grades are fake!"

He shook her off, looking annoyed. "You came in dead last. What makes you think you're qualified to study with me?"

Nancy already had a broken leg from the beating her parents had given her. At his words, she was so furious that she could barely stay standing. Still, all she could do was watch as I got into the Lloyd family's car and rode off.

When we sat down at his desk to start studying, Eugene transferred two million dollars to me.

I wasn't stingy about my knowledge at all. I laid everything I knew out for him.

A few hours later, Eugene was singing my praises. "You're honestly the smartest person I've ever met, Nadia. You can come over all throughout high school if you want. The price is your call!"

I smiled and nodded. With that kind of money, of course I wasn't going to say no.

We studied until 9:00 pm. I was just about to head home when the comments started coming through in a panicked frenzy.

[Help! Someone, help her! Nancy's about to get beaten to death!]

[This is all Nadia's fault. Nancy's parents are mad at her because she can't get close to Eugene and his family. They think she's useless and want to beat her to death so they can adopt Nadia instead! They're monsters!]

[Eugene, go next door right now! Nancy's literally down to her last breath!]