chapter 2

In my previous life, as I lay in the coffin, Michael and Evelyn, perhaps hoping to let me die in peace, revealed the truth about my adoption.

They took me in to extend Rebecca's life.

Michael and Evelyn had great difficulty conceiving after marriage. After trying every means, they finally welcomed Rebecca into the world. But since her birth, Rebecca had been frail and sickly. Doctors diagnosed that she was unlikely to live past ten.

The Wrenley family sought medical help worldwide to no avail, so they resorted to dark sorcery.

The wizard said that they needed to find someone born with a powerful and pure spiritual energy field. This person's energy field could suppress the evil spirits plaguing Rebecca, allowing her to regain health. However, the condition was that the two couldn't be separated for too long, or the evil spirits would strike back, make Rebecca's condition far worse and put her life at immediate risk.

After scouring the whole country, they found me in an orphanage with a matching spiritual energy field.

From then on, Rebecca and I were bound together.

In my past life, ignorant of the truth, I was deeply grateful to the Wrenley family for adopting me. At home, I was filial to Michael and Evelyn. At school, I was always at Rebecca's beck and call, fetching her coffee and whatnot.

Yet, my sincere efforts only led to my early demise.

In this life, thanks to my insistence, I lived next to Rebecca instead of sharing a room with her. As a result, it took half a year longer for her to recover.

When Rebecca turned ten, the Wrenley family held a grand birthday party at their villa.

Over the past year, Rebecca had transformed from a sickly, skinny girl lying in bed into a chubby and lovely princess of a wealthy family. She gracefully descended the spiral staircase in a custom-made dress.

In the hall, relatives, friends, and business partners of the Wrenley family gently clapped their hands, welcoming the little princess.

Rebecca, like a proud little peacock, cut the ten-foot-tall birthday cake in front of the expectant crowd.

Thunderous applause filled the hall immediately.

"Mrs. Wrenley, congratulations! Rebecca looks so adorable now. She used to look so sickly and frail, which really tugged at our heartstrings," one guest said.

"Exactly! She used to be so thin that you couldn't tell much. Now, it's obvious that she takes after you, Mrs. Wrenley. She's a real beauty," another chimed in.

While the adults surrounded Michael and Evelyn with words of congratulations, the kids clustered around Rebecca, having fun with her.

I watched all this from the side of the banquet hall.

In my previous life, the Wrenley family publicly announced my adoption.

But in this life, they kept it low-key.

Maybe it was because I wasn't as obedient as before, and they didn't have the patience to mold a rebellious kid to boost their public image.

A ten-year-old boy noticed me at the edge of the banquet and asked curiously, "Who are you? I've never seen you around here before."

Unlike the others crowding around Rebecca, he was just standing there, looking around in boredom.

"I'm Sevyn Wrenley, the adopted member of the Wrenley family. And you?" I said.

"Whoa, the Wrenley family has an adopted member? That's news to me. Nice to meet you, Sevyn. I'm Barry Allen," he replied.

Later on, I found out that the Allen family used to be the wealthiest in the city. However, over the past few decades, the Wrenley family had outperformed them in business, pushing the Allens to second place.

Still, they remained a formidable force.

After the birthday party, the now healthy and lively Rebecca was all set to start school at the top-notch private school in town.

Sure, private schools might not offer the best education, but they definitely boasted the best facilities.

Just like in my past life, I became Rebecca's study companion.

Even though I was two years younger, I had to be in the same class as her. In my previous life, I could never keep up with the study pace. Till the day I died, I was still tagged as a good-for-nothing student.

Well, it was no wonder. The Wrenley family didn't really care about my studies. They just needed me to be like a power bank for Rebecca.

Spotting me doing homework, Rebecca deliberately ordered, "Sevyn, stop doing those problems and go buy me a bottle of water."

"Not gonna do it," I said firmly.

Before Rebecca could say a word, one of her classmates jumped in to defend her and sneered, "Sevyn, you're so ungrateful. If it weren't for Rebecca, you'd still be scrounging for garbage to eat in the orphanage. Now you're living the high life with her, in a big villa and all. She just asks you to buy a bottle of water, and you're making all these excuses. You're such a shameless person."

Without even looking up, I shot back, "First, no one eats garbage in the orphanage. Second, if the Wrenley family tells me to leave, I'll head back to the orphanage right away. I don't care about the fancy life here. Third, if I'm shameless, you're no better. You're really good at being someone's lackey."

After that, I ignored their reactions, put on my headphones, and went back to my homework.

Among the rich kids in this school, there was a hierarchy. Rebecca was at the very top, and there were plenty of students who tried to curry favor with her and jump to her defense.

In the eyes of our classmates, Rebecca was like a delicate and precious rose, while I was nothing but a crumpled, stinking piece of trash left on the curb.

To avoid getting "tainted" by me, everyone kept their distance. Apart from going to and from school with Rebecca, I was always on my own.

And I liked it that way.

In my past life, because of my weakness and Rebecca's subtle hints, my classmates bullied me a lot.

I often had to buy water for the whole class while they watched me struggling, sweating all over.

Once in winter, they locked me in the toilet and poured cold, dirty water on me.

Rebecca never laid a finger on me herself. All she had to do was give a sad look or pout, and her lackeys would step up to make my life miserable.

As we grew older, so did the cruelty of their bullying. By high school, their methods got even worse.

They'd burn my back with a curling iron, put a plastic bag over my head, and force me to eat garbage. The list of their cruel acts was endless.

In this life, I was no longer the weakling I used to be. If someone talked to me rudely, I'd curse them back. If someone tried to bully me, I'd grab a stool to hurl at them. Anyway, the Wrenley family would clean up the mess.

Over time, they realized I wasn't an easy target. Now, they didn't dare to do more than throw a few verbal jabs at me.