I was their biological daughter. What’s so wrong about picking a room I like?

I wondered, filled with doubt.

My mom’s expression shifted again, as though she wanted to say something but held back.

My dad appeared more stern than usual, yet he stayed silent as well.

Leila stepped forward to help me make the bed. “Sister, just stay here. This house is yours, after all. You can live wherever you like.”

And so, I settled in.

In the rural town, my days were filled with pots, pans, and endless fields.

Now that I was in the city, it felt like that was all I knew how to do.

But here, there were no pots, no pans, and no fields to be found.

So, I couldn’t figure out what was wrong.

I had only been in Leila’s room for half a day before Shane, who rushed back, dragged me out.

He was furious.

With anger seething in his voice, he yanked me away from my book and into the hallway. “Don’t you have any manners? This is Leila’s room! How could you just take it over so shamelessly?”

I was completely stunned, not just because it was my first time meeting him but because I couldn’t understand how I was “taking over” anything.

Frightened, I called for my parents.

They hurried upstairs, but Shane spoke first.

“Mom, Dad, how could you let this happen? This is Leila’s room. Don’t you realize how unfair this is to her? Aren’t you worried about hurting her feelings?”

“This…” My parents’ expressions turned complicated, unsure of what to say.

But I caught a flash of irritation in my mom’s eyes as she looked at me.

I froze for a moment.

I knew that look all too well.

My late foster father used to look at me like that when he was alive.

Mom was angry at me!

So, it turned out, I really was an intruder.

Since that day, I trod cautiously and endured one precarious year after another.

In the end, I leapt off the high-rise.

How foolish I was.

This time, I couldn’t afford to be foolish.

In this lifetime, I resolved not to fight, not to compete, not to cry, and not to make a scene. Most importantly, I vowed never to love them again.

A faint smile crossed my lips as I pointed to the smallest room at the very back.

“I want that one.”

My parents froze for a moment, then quickly showed expressions of relief, though they pretended to scold me. “That’s the storage room. Why would you pick that? Choose another.”

“I’m used to small rooms. They make me feel safer.”

My tone carried a hint of self-mockery.

After a sigh, they agreed.

Just like that, they agreed to let their biological daughter, who had been missing for ten years, live in the storage room.

Leila, their fake daughter, returned right on cue.

She ran upstairs and looked visibly surprised when she saw me in the storage room.

I glanced at her, calm and composed.

She thought I didn’t know her little schemes—that she had deliberately placed a panda plush in her room to lure me into choosing it.

From the moment I came home, I already fell into the traps she meticulously laid out.

She spent three years fighting for our parents’ love and ultimately emerged victorious.

And I, through death, came to understand one simple truth: “The best way to gain love is to love myself.”

I moved into the storage room and closed the door behind me.

Leila came over with the panda plush. "Sister, here’s a toy for you. I’m sure you’ll like it."

"I don’t like toys, thank you," I replied through the door and began unpacking the books I brought from the countryside.

From the moment I was reborn, I already had a plan.

I would love myself.

There were many ways to do that, but for me now, the best way was to gain knowledge, achieve independence, and stand on my own.

"Sister, do you dislike me? It makes sense. I’m the one who took over your place…" Leila’s voice came from outside the door, tinged with sadness.

She seemed to be speaking to me, but in reality, her words were meant for our parents to hear.

My parents were still there.

As expected, my mom quickly stepped in to comfort her. “Your sister is probably just tired and needs some rest. Don’t read too much into it.”

My dad chimed in, “Leila, no one’s taking anyone else’s place in this family. Don’t let it bother you.”

But there was.

It was me.

…

After a nap, the villa was quiet.

The housekeeper informed me, “Miss Leila wasn’t in a good mood, so Mr and Mrs. Lowe took her out shopping.”

I simply responded, “Oh.”

That was fine by me.

I began organizing the cash gifts—money from my parents and relatives when they came to welcome me home. Altogether, they added up to over twenty thousand dollars.

I needed to save it.

Because I knew my future wouldn’t be easy, and this money would be my biggest asset.

The town chief had helped me open a bank account, so I grabbed my bank card and headed to the nearest branch.

In my previous life, after three difficult years, I grew familiar with the area.

So, I wouldn’t get lost this time.

At the bank, I came across a sharply dressed man in a suit, accompanied by the branch manager, who was all smiles and nods as he walked him out.

I stopped in my tracks.

The man in the suit was my brother, Shane.

This was our first meeting in this lifetime.

But he recognized me after seeing my photos and videos.

He glanced at me, sizing me up, before speaking coldly, “Carol Lowe?”

“Yes.”

The bank manager’s eyes darted between us before he greeted me warmly. “Miss, what’s your relationship with Mr. Lowe?”

Shane frowned, clearly displeased. “That’s none of your concern. Get back to work.”

The manager gave an awkward laugh and quickly left.

Shane looked at me again. “You just got home. What are you doing here?”

“Depositing money,” I replied honestly and went straight to get a number.

“Depositing money? Those cash gifts?” Shane sneered. “I thought you’d give the cash to Mom and Dad to manage. After all, Leila always does that.”

I stayed silent.

He scoffed, his tone dripping with disdain. “Greedy, aren’t you? Fine, keep your own money if you must, but don’t even think about laying a finger on the family’s!”

He was exactly the same as in the previous life.

In my first week back then, a gold necklace went missing at home.

Shane was convinced I stole it.

He thought I was poorly raised, money-hungry, and nothing but trouble.

Who would’ve thought that in this life, the necklace hadn’t even gone missing yet, and Shane had already made up his mind about me?

But I didn’t care, and I wasn’t going to argue.

I just wanted to deposit my money.

With a cold scoff, Shane turned and walked away.

…

That evening, my parents and Leila were all present, discussing which school I should attend.

The brochures laid out on the table were all for elite private schools.

I made my choice directly. “I don’t want to go to a private school. I want to attend Shaw City High.”

It was a top public high school.

My plan was simple: finish high school, get into college, and leave this house.

I had no desire to be a wealthy heiress.

My parents were stunned, while Leila hid her inner delight and spoke up. “Sister, there’s no need for us to attend an ordinary high school. We don’t even need to take the college entrance exam; we’ll study abroad in the future.”

“Yes, Carol,” my mom said, patting the back of my hand. “You and your sister should both go to Royal Rose Academy. We’ll take care of everything for your future.”

My dad’s gaze flickered as if he was weighing his options.

I knew exactly what he was thinking.

In my previous life, I had enrolled in Royal Rose Academy and became infamous.

Not because I was dazzling, but because I stood out in all the wrong ways.

A girl from a rural town among the heirs and heiresses of Shaw City’s wealthiest families—I was painfully out of place.

When news spread that I was the Lowe family’s long-lost heiress, I was turned into a joke.

Many came out of curiosity to see me, but when they found a skinny, sun-darkened country girl, the ridicule was inevitable.

Worse yet, Leila fanned the flames.

She not only arranged for people to bully me but even sent a handsome boy to pretend to court me.

After I had been completely swept up in his sweet words, the boy exposed numerous recordings and videos of me and him.

In an instant, I became the laughingstock of everyone, utterly disgracing the Lowe family.

At the time, my dad was so enraged that he struck me, sending me sprawling to the ground.

"I knew sending you to a private school would end like this! You’ve completely ruined the Lowe family’s reputation!"

My dad cared deeply about his reputation, and I had shattered it.

Now, his thoughts were no different—it was still all about protecting his image.

Leila could uphold their reputation whereas he thought I couldn’t.

"I only want to go to a public school. Let me attend Shaw City High," I said firmly.

My mom tried to persuade me, but my dad interrupted, "Enough, let her decide for herself. If we love our child, we shouldn’t force her into anything."

I almost laughed out loud but held it in.

The laugh that couldn’t escape my throat turned into a quiet bitterness deep in my heart.

…

I started high school at Shaw City High.

This school was the farthest from home, so after two weeks of classes, I suggested living on campus.

The family was surprised at dinner.

Even Shane, who rarely came home, frowned at me. "Live on campus? Carol, why does it feel like you’re keeping your distance from us?

"You’ve been back for more than half a month now, and you’re still not used to being home?"

How could I ever get used to it?

I had endured three painful years here before, and I never adjusted.

"It’s more convenient for studying," I replied calmly.

Shane narrowed his eyes but said nothing.

My mom held my hand tightly. "Carol, is something bothering you? I always feel like you’re not connecting with us..."

She was right—I wasn’t.

That was why I wanted to keep my distance. Out of sight, out of mind.

"I just want to focus better on my studies," I explained again.

Beside us, Leila’s eyes turned red, brimming with tears. "Sister, you must hate me, don’t you? If you don’t want me around, I’ll go live on campus instead. I won’t appear in front of you anymore."

With that, she got up and began packing her things.

I smiled.

“Leila, you’re in quite the hurry, aren’t you?” I thought.

Over the past two weeks, she had been doing everything she could to provoke me—stirring up trouble, trying to anger me, or tarnishing my name.

But I never fought back or competed, staying as calm and unbothered as a leaf floating downstream.

She didn’t know how to deal with me.

Now that she finally saw an opportunity, she was quick to play the victim, putting on her little act.

Anyone with half a brain could see through her ploy.

Naturally, my parents and Shane noticed it too, but they didn’t care. Their favoritism toward Leila was obvious.

Shane set his utensils down and said, "Leila, what are you talking about? Why would you live on campus? Sit down."

Sniffling, Leila obediently sat back down.

My dad seized the moment and agreed to my request. "Since Carol wants to live on campus, let her. It’s not a big deal."

Of course, it wasn’t a big deal—especially since I already lived on campus in my past life.

Or more accurately, I lived in a rented room near the school.

Back then, Leila had constantly picked fights and spread rumors about me.

Immature as I was, I couldn’t hold back and ended up brawling with her.

We tumbled down the stairs.

I came out unscathed, but Leila’s head was bleeding badly.

I thought I won. But when the family rushed over, I realized just how thoroughly I had lost.

My mom cradled Leila, tears streaming down her face in distress.

My dad was furious. He grabbed me by the arm and yelled, "Carol Lowe, what were you thinking? Have you lost your mind?"

Shane was home too.

Without a word, he kicked me. "Do you think this is the countryside? Who told you it was okay to fight like some stray dog? Apologize to Leila!"

…

The entire family’s anger poured down on me.

Terrified, I stammered out an apology while Leila sobbed as she packed her things.

Through her tears, she said, "Since Carol doesn’t like me. I’ll move out and give her the house."