My Stepfather Was a Model Man.

He not only adored my mother but also indulged my every whim.

With his support, I abandoned my college entrance exams to pursue true love and ran away with a boy with yellow-dyed hair.

My mother died of heartbreak, and soon after, he drained all our family's assets.

As for me, I barely escaped from a den of swindlers, only to meet a tragic end on my way home.

When I woke up again, the sun was still shining.

My stepfather knocked on the door and entered with a kind smile.

"Susan, I waited in line all night to buy you the latest smartphone. It won't lag at all when you play games. Take a look."

——

I was reborn in the summer before my final year of high school.

My stepfather placed the latest smartphone on my bedside table.

"Studying must be stressful. Don't bottle it up—remember to relax."

I picked up the new phone, weighing it in my hand.

In my previous life, after he gave me the phone, my grades plummeted.

He also gave me a credit card with a high limit.

Even the tickets for my elopement with that yellow-haired boy were bought with his help.

He hid all this from my mother, claiming it was to give me freedom and support me in pursuing true love.

Looking back now, he was truly rotten to the core.

Seeing my lack of enthusiasm, he looked down, nervous.

"I asked the sales assistant. They said this is the best model, and it wouldn't lag while playing games. Are you not satisfied?"

"It's okay," I replied casually.

In my previous life, I had jumped with joy.

If I didn't know the horrible ending that awaited me, I would've been moved to call him Dad right then and there.

Dinner time.

My mother rushed home after a long day.

After so many years of not seeing her, my emotions were a whirlwind.

I was no longer the ungrateful daughter I once was and now understood that she wasn't as tough as she appeared.

She worked tirelessly, day and night, managing her shop, all for the sake of her disappointing daughter.

But every time I tried to awkwardly mend our mother-daughter relationship, my stepfather would always interfere.

It wasn't until after her death that his true nature was revealed, telling me to rot and die outside and never return to disgrace the family.

The memories of those days were as clear as yesterday.

I suppressed the surge of emotions and took a seat at the dinner table.

As usual, there was a tense atmosphere.

My mother frowned as she took a bite of food.

"You're about to start your final year of high school, and your self-discipline is so poor. You shouldn't stay at school—you should move back home."

In my previous life, I had always rebelled against her. Upon hearing those words, I flipped the table over.

My stepfather, noticing my silence, sighed hypocritically.

"Don't be so hard on the child. We need to respect Susan's wishes."

He was always good at this.

I was rebellious and immature, and my mother wasn't good at expressing herself, which led to constant conflict between us.

My stepfather played the role of the peacemaker, but in reality, every word he said was adding fuel to the fire.

I was too naive to see through his schemes and believed he was the only one who truly believed in and supported me.

But not this time, Jeremy.

I pretended to be nonchalant.

"I'm not staying at school. Didn't Uncle Jeremy tell you?"

"He helped me rent an apartment near school, fully furnished with a computer, gaming console, and all sorts of makeup. Oh, and this too."

I pulled out the new phone he had given me that morning.

Jeremy's face instantly turned pale.

"Uncle Jeremy told me to keep it a secret from you, but if I'm moving back home, I guess I can't keep it hidden."

My mother's face turned dark.

"Did you buy this for her?"

Jeremy, trying to stay calm, quickly explained, "Susan needed a phone. I was worried about her."

Is this a regular mobile phone?!

My mother slammed her chopsticks down.

"And you rented her an apartment? Do you know how dangerous it is for a girl to live alone off-campus?!"

She stormed out, and Jeremy stumbled after her.

An hour later, they both returned, looking furious.

She had brought back all the items from the rental and questioned him one by one.

"Susan is about to start her final year of high school. Why did you buy her all this? What were you thinking?"

"The child is under a lot of academic pressure. I just wanted to help her relax. I'm sorry, Monica. I should have discussed it with you first."

"Jeremy, this isn't helping—it's spoiling her!" my mom snapped back.

"Monica, don't be upset. Your heart isn't in the best shape..."

"I'm Susan's stepfather. I don't know how to make her happy, but I was afraid that discussing it with you would just worry you more. Monica, I was foolish. I chose the wrong approach."

My mom softened a bit.

Over the years, she had been busy with her business, leaving most of the household matters to my stepfather.

He had been good to her even before they got married, pursuing her with genuine care. They didn't get together at the time only because my grandmother objected.

Now, with their past history and his attentiveness to the family, my mom was starting to let go of her anger.

Seeing that my mom was about to calm down, I decided to intervene.

"Mom, don't smash the computer—it's not worth it. Uncle Jeremy just helped me load 300 dollars into a game."

"Jeremy! You told me that 300 dollars was for Susan's tutoring classes!"

Another round of chaos in the living room.

Jeremy's face turned beet red, unable to find an excuse.

I gracefully made my exit.

There's no way Jeremy would have enrolled me in tutoring classes.

Thanks to him in my past life, I barely studied at all.

Whenever important exams were approaching, he'd take me out for fun—whether it was an amusement park or an arcade, he didn't hesitate.

The next day.

Jeremy brought out breakfast, forcing a bitter smile.

"I just wanted to make you happy, Susan, but now I'm the bad guy in everyone's eyes."

I joined in the act: "Sorry, Uncle Jeremy. I didn't expect Mom to be so upset."

"As long as you understand, Susan, that's enough. It's okay—we're family."

"Oh, by the way, Uncle Jeremy, is Emma coming to stay with us?"

"How did you know..."

"Even though I'm moving back home, Emma can't stay in my room. But we do have that storage room—she can squeeze in there, right?"

Jeremy's smile visibly twitched.

In my previous life, after Jeremy deliberately led me astray, his daughter Emma, who was a year older than me, moved into our home.

She enjoyed my bedroom, took my place in the household, and lived my life.

A few days later.

Through a door, I overheard an argument between father and daughter.

"Dad, didn't you say I could stay in the master bedroom? How am I supposed to sleep in that crummy storage room?"

"Don't worry, sweetheart. Her mom and she are always fighting—they won't last long. Once she leaves, the master bedroom will be yours."

Emma grumbled a bit more, but Jeremy managed to pacify her.

Leave?

This was my home. Why should I leave?

In my past life, I was brainwashed by that yellow-haired boy and Jeremy, missed the college entrance exams, borrowed money, and went on the run, only to end up being sold to a scam syndicate.

Meanwhile, Emma, with my mom's financial support, polished her resume, studied abroad, and returned to join forces with Jeremy to drain my mom's assets.

Now that I was back home, their plans had already been derailed.

This was just the beginning.

I would shatter all their schemes from here on out.

In the days that followed, no matter how harshly my mom spoke, I calmly nodded and agreed.

Whatever she said, I responded with "yes, yes, yes," "right, right, right."

"Stop playing games all day! Have you done your homework?"

"I finished my homework, uninstalled the games, and sold all the in-game items. I transferred the money to your account."

My mom looked at me skeptically. "... I don't believe you."

But she soon found out I was telling the truth.

After a few rounds of this, my mom's attitude toward me softened noticeably.

This, of course, worried Jeremy.

He was expecting a fight between my mom and me, not a peaceful resolution. How could that be allowed to happen?

He decided to make a move.

"I heard there's a pilot recruitment team visiting Susan's school."

My mom immediately perked up. "That's a great opportunity—you must take it seriously."

In my previous life, I passed the initial pilot selection but was eliminated during the final interview because of my emotional instability.

The real reason was that Jeremy manipulated me into thinking my mom didn't love me or my late father.

My emotional turmoil during the final interview led to my failure in the psychological assessment.

My mom thought I deliberately messed up, and I responded to her with sarcasm. From then on, our relationship was irreparably damaged.

"Susan probably isn't interested in this. We should let her decide," Jeremy interjected.

"Who says I'm not interested? I've already signed up."

I pulled out the registration materials I had prepared.

"The initial screening is mainly a physical exam. The teacher said I have a good aptitude, so as long as I maintain my health, I should be fine."

For the first time, I saw a look of satisfaction on my mother's face. "It's rare to see you being so sensible—I'm not used to it."

I nodded obediently.

"Get used to it. I'll only become more sensible."

Emma grew anxious and tugged at my stepfather's sleeve, but he kept his head down, quietly eating.

This time, I was determined to succeed.