The year I turned thirteen, the day my parents brought me home for the family reunion dinner, my mother tried to put a chicken leg into my bowl, but my sister Nina snatched it away from me.

I slammed my bowl onto her head, and with one swift motion, overturned the entire table.

"Lucia, have you never had meat in your life?"

Before Nina could even begin to cry and complain, I suddenly acted like I had lost my mind. Grabbing my head, I screamed, my face went pale, I slapped Nina across the face twice, then jumped onto the couch, laughing and crying all at once.

My parents and the housekeeper were frozen in shock.

…

My name is Lucia Vance. Oh, and I’ve been reincarnated after a car accident.

I could sum up the failure of my past life in one sentence: "Good people get taken advantage of. Don't play the martyr."

Because of Nina, my mother had a second daughter. And as a second daughter, I was the only one thrown back to live with my grandmother in the countryside. My grandmother wanted a grandson, so from the time I was little, she cursed me, calling me a waste, a burden who had stolen her grandson’s chance at reincarnation.

In my past life, lacking love and family warmth, I kept brainwashing myself into thinking that if I was obedient and well-behaved, someone would love me.

When I was thirteen, my parents brought me to the city for the high school entrance exams. I lived with Nina, who was a year older than me, for over a decade. It wasn't until much later that I foolishly realized a truth: endure for a moment, and they’ll push you further, take advantage of your kindness.

No one cares for someone who can't even care for themselves.

The consequence of causing chaos at the family dinner was that my father, in a fit of rage, grabbed my hair, slapped me several times, and kicked me. Then the housekeeper dragged me upstairs to kneel in punishment.

As I knelt, enduring the pain in my scalp, I stared at my father and screamed, "You’re so biased toward Nina! If I’d known this would happen, you should’ve drowned me in the potty the moment I was born!"

"Just kill me, go ahead, haha, even if you kill me, you’ll end up in jail! In my next life, I’ll come back and torture you again!"

My father was so enraged, he looked as though he wanted to strangle me right then and there.

My mother just stared at me in shock, then showed a look of complete disappointment.

I, however, didn't care at all. I laughed loudly, meeting her gaze with a defiant smirk, whistling, challenging them with my eyes.

The next day, I went to my new school wearing a mask, a hat, and walking awkwardly.

Because it was the hot summer, the other students were groaning from the heat, yet I was the only one wearing a hat and mask.

During gym class, the teacher noticed my strange running form, trying to grab attention, and kept trying to pull off my hat, thinking I was playing a prank.

But when the teacher yanked off my hat, he saw the blood on my scalp and my swollen, red face. Seeing my terrified expression, he quickly snatched the hat back, and immediately called the police.

I swore I would be grateful to that teacher for his kindness.

Honestly, I was lucky my dad was a businessman, and my mom worked in a state-owned enterprise. They were both incredibly concerned with appearances, so no matter how absurd I acted, they would never throw me out of the house.

They would never kill me either. All I ever wanted was to be treated equally.

After the police were called, I was forced into confinement for a week. On my birthday, my mother took Nina out for social events and even gave the housekeeper the day off.

Before leaving, she told me that starving me was meant for me to reflect on my actions, to think about the shameful things I had done.

"Do you know that I’m on the verge of a promotion, and your dad is about to close a big deal? You’re ruining both our futures by acting like this."

"I should’ve listened to you, and just strangled you at birth!"

Nina stood beside her, grinning with a look of smug satisfaction in her eyes.

How stupidly na?ve of me to endure all that!

I stood by the door of my room, trying to calm my anger, when I suddenly remembered my past life, when I had been the obedient, well-behaved daughter everyone envied my mother for having.

Because of that, they felt entitled to take my things, hurt me with impunity, and then, as if doing me a favor, would praise me saying, "You're such a good girl!"

Since the child who doesn’t cry gets no candy, I decided to cry. Not only that, but I would go insane. I would destroy everything they were so proud of.

I hadn’t eaten in three days, and my stomach growled in hunger.

Desperate, I followed the scent of food wafting from the window sill and saw the owner of the house next door eating, setting up a table.

My room was on the second floor, with about a foot of space between the fence of the house across from mine. For food, I had no choice but to take the risk.

Weakly, I grasped the railing and climbed out.

From below, I heard frantic shouting, voices filled with concern.

“Hey, which young lady is losing her mind?”

“Go back, miss!”

This was a suburban villa area. While it wasn’t the best location, it wasn’t bad either. Most people living here had some money.

My father chose this place because my mother worked in a government position and needed to keep a low profile.

But my father wanted both money and power, so he used my mother to do a lot of favors for him.

He had only been a lucky college dropout who had come from a rural background, but with some smarts, he made a fortune. His business grew bigger than he ever expected, and he chose this place to avoid interruptions from the poor relatives back home.

Panicked people rushed upstairs to call the police, but by then, I had already climbed over the opposite stairs and landed right in front of them.

I touched my growling stomach, my eyes reddened, and said, “Uncle, Aunt, I haven’t eaten in three days. I’m starving.”

Anyone who lived in this villa area knew what to say and what not to say, but they couldn’t stop themselves from treating me as a post-meal joke.

After they ate and drank their fill, my father tied me up and gave me a beating.

This time, he went all out.

I spat out a mouthful of blood and laughed bitterly. “I told you, how can you kill me with such a small stick? You should switch to a bigger one and just knock me out in one hit!”

My father stared at me in disbelief. Then, as if my words had challenged his authority, he crazily grabbed the stick and aimed it at my head.

“Go ahead! If I die, everyone will know you killed your daughter!” The pain in my body was sharp, but I still smiled with a twisted grin. “Kill me, and you’ll make the news tomorrow! Watch as Mr. Vance is exposed for beating his daughter to death. Is he insane or just a violent freak?”

As a businessman, my father was sharp enough to catch my intent. Otherwise, in this day and age, he wouldn’t have built such a large business empire.

He was still furious, but he didn’t strike again. Instead, he pressed the stick against my head. “Tell me, what do you want from me?”

I looked up at the rope tying me and replied, “First, untie me. Then apologize.”

My father glared down at me, his fists clenched. “Do you think I won’t send you to a mental institution? With your behavior, I’ll tell everyone you’re mentally unstable, and they’ll believe me!”

I sneered, then sighed. “After everything that’s happened today, do you really think anyone would believe your lies? Even if I’m crazy, you’re just as crazy. Once that gets out, who’s going to want to do business with you? Mr. Vance, think for a second!”

My father stared at me with intense fury before grabbing my neck. “You could also be my adopted daughter, couldn’t you?”

I laughed maniacally. “Oh, the people in this villa area will just think my mom put a green hat on you. But Mr. Vance, how impressive. When Nina wanted a son, you wanted to adopt someone else’s daughter!”

I knew the high-society rumors were endless. It was just a matter of finding an excuse to shut their mouths. Even if it were true that I was adopted, who would believe it?

My father froze, his expression suddenly blank. Then, as if crushed by my words, he stood silently, looking like he had been punched in the gut.

“Mr. Vance, how about we have a talk? I have conditions that are easy to meet, and you’ll find that you’ll fulfill mine as well.”

A month before the high school entrance exam, I successfully struck a deal with my father, and I became the troublemaker they feared.

Nina would sometimes deliberately trip me up, and my mother would slap my sister, hold her down, and then, with feigned sincerity, say to me, "Sorry, Lucia, Nina didn’t mean to bully you."

There was no real affection, just hollow apologies. But for me, that was enough.

Before the exam, Nina Vance cornered me in the bathroom, her gaze dripping with sarcasm. "You’re so pathetic. Your parents don’t love you at all. Everything you have will become mine."

I didn’t want to engage with her. I just wanted to get out of the bathroom immediately.

Honestly, if she had something to say, why say it in this stinky bathroom?

But she pushed her luck. "Lucia Vance, you’re the outsider! After your college entrance exam, get out. Your parents will never love you. Don’t even think about replacing me."

I grabbed the broom from the bathroom and swung it at her, not with much force, but the broom was stinky.

"Nina!" I shouted hoarsely. "Nina, how can you be so diligent about helping your classmates with their duties?"

"Nina, have you been possessed by something? You never even step into the kitchen at home!" I glared at her and pushed her toward the sink. "Nina, I heard washing your face can fix everything. You can’t be in trouble!"

Nina screamed and cried, protecting her head. "I’m sorry! I was wrong!"

When the exam results came out, I was ranked fifth in the city. My father suggested holding a thank-you party for the teachers. I immediately cursed him out.

"Hold a party?!" I scoffed. "I’ve been here only a month. Who are we thanking? You? Do you even deserve it?"

In my previous life, I did well in exams too. I had a thank-you party where, under the guise of gratitude, my father paraded me like a product, inviting his business partners to show off how clever and well-behaved his daughter was.

He even made me drink with his partners, introducing me to various greasy men.

At not even fifteen, I spent three days recovering after that thank-you party.

This time? He could forget using me to network. I wasn’t playing that game anymore!

My father twitched his lips. "Fine, we won’t do it. Just talk to me properly!"

I was too tired to argue. I called the maid and had her take all my study materials to the Recycling Station to be recycled for money.

When my parents saw this, they suddenly smiled and walked over. "Sweetheart, these are nice things. You should keep them as mementos. Why throw them away?"

"Throw away?" I rolled my eyes. "I’m taking them to recycle for cash!"

Oh, the Recycling Station donates what they collect to children in remote areas.

"Sell what?" My dad pulled out a card and handed it to me. "I’ll buy this. It’s just right for my friend’s kid."

For the sake of the money, I didn’t argue and handed him one of my notebooks. "This one’s enough. Take it."

The notebook was in perfect condition, with neat and organized handwriting.

My mom no longer looked at me with resentment, but with a hint of joy. "Thank you, sweetheart."

I have to admit, under the condition that there’s something in it for them, my cheap parents could be quite likable.

School started, and my dad practically wanted to announce to the world that I was in the city’s top five. He got up early to send me to the best high school, eager to show off to the other parents that his daughter was in the city’s top five.