My seatmate, who never studied, somehow got a mind-reading system that allowed her to cheat off my thoughts during the SAT. She used it to get into Harvard. Meanwhile, she reported me for cheating on the SAT. My parents and brother even sided with her as witnesses. I refused to admit guilt, but my own brother pushed me off a high-rise building. I died with my eyes wide open in disbelief. When I woke up again, I had returned to one month before the SAT. In the exam room, my seatmate could barely hide her smug expression. But I simply put my head down and took a nap. SAT? What SAT? I don’t need it at all! “Ava, wake up! How can you sleep in class at a time like this?” I was jolted awake by a hard shove. I stared blankly at my impatient seatmate, Lily White. “Are you crazy? The SAT is right around the corner and you’re sleeping in class instead of studying. You’ll have plenty of time to sleep when you’re dead!” Her words were harsh and her expression was mean. In my previous life, I thought she was being strict with me for my own good. I ended up scoring nearly perfect on the SAT and was the undisputed top student. But before the scores were released, Lily reported me for cheating on the SAT. My parents even sided with Lily as witnesses, accusing me of cheating on the exam. All because Lily promised them $500,000. “Don’t be stupid, that’s half a million dollars! With that money we can buy a big house. Your brother will be set for life too.” “I want to study abroad. Besides, it’s just a 3-year ban from taking the SAT again. You’re smart, you can still get into Harvard or Yale in 3 years.” The words from my mother and brother were so unreasonable, I could hardly believe my ears. My father had always seen me as his pride and joy. But that day, he chain-smoked cigarettes before finally nodding in agreement. I couldn’t accept this outcome. I ran out crying to confront Lily. But my brother Tim pushed me off the roof. Before I fell, Lily whispered in my ear: “Ava, aren’t you curious why I reported you for cheating?” “It’s because I have a mind-reading system. During exams, I can hear all the answers in your mind.” “Our test papers were too similar. Of course the cheater had to be you!” I finally understood everything – why she got close to me, helped me, always encouraged me to study hard. It was all for her own benefit. I died full of hatred and resentment. After my death, my parents and brother wasted no time using the $500,000 to buy a big house. They also happily helped Tim contact study abroad agencies. It was as if I had never existed. My SAT scores were invalidated. Lily became the top scorer, with perfect scores in math, physics and chemistry. She was successfully admitted to Harvard. Top SAT scorer, science genius, wealthy family background, stunning beauty… With so many impressive titles, she attracted widespread attention and became America’s sweetheart overnight. My decades of hard work ended up paving the way for her success. But I’m in control of my own fate now. In this new life, I will make Lily pay for everything she’s done!
The last practice test before the real SAT was a statewide mock exam. When I came back to life, the mock exam had just finished. I still scored 1580, ranking first in the state. My homeroom teacher and the academic director were grinning from ear to ear. If the principal hadn’t stopped them, they probably would have started celebrating having a potential SAT perfect scorer. Meanwhile, my seatmate Lily White scored 1570, ranking 10th in the state. While the school was happy to potentially have another Ivy League candidate, they still had major doubts. That’s because Lily had always been at the bottom of the class before, a true slacker. Her sudden leap in scores was very suspicious. So when going over the mock exam in class, Ms. Thompson deliberately called on Lily to answer a question she got right. “Lily, please come up and explain how you solved this problem. Walk us through your thought process.” Lily stood up looking very flustered. In my mind, I silently recited the correct solution and answer. But Ms. Thompson’s expression gradually darkened as Lily still couldn’t explain it. Seeing Lily’s hands clenched nervously together, I felt relieved. It seemed her mind-reading ability only worked during actual exams. In my previous life, I didn’t know about her mind-reading system, so I never noticed these details. This time, I had to figure out exactly how her mind-reading system worked in order to plan my revenge. After testing it multiple times, I finally confirmed that she couldn’t hear my thoughts outside of exams. Just as Ms. Thompson was about to lose her last bit of patience, Lily spoke up: “Ms. Thompson, I got all these questions right. I need to review other topics now, can you stop bothering me?” Her words were so rude that the whole class gasped. Many students gave Lily a thumbs up in admiration. Ms. Thompson tapped the podium to quiet everyone down. Lily grew even more confident under everyone’s admiring gazes. She arrogantly raised her chin and stared straight at Ms. Thompson: “I don’t want to waste my time on these simple questions. It’s a waste of my talents.” Ms. Thompson’s gaze towards Lily was dark and unreadable, filled with extreme disappointment and disgust. This incident made Lily infamous throughout the school. Just like in my previous life, she put zero effort into studying. She was an expert at makeup, gaming, partying – everything except academics. She even led the bullying of hardworking students who couldn’t improve their grades. The worst victim was Fiona. Lily would kick Fiona’s desk when walking by, scattering her things all over the floor. Then she’d cross her arms and mock: “Stupid pig brain, you’ll never get into college no matter how long you study.” Her sycophantic followers would chime in: “That’s right, Lily! Not everyone can be a genius like you and score over 1550 without even studying.” “Yeah, even that Ava girl only beat you by 10 points after studying so hard!” “Hahaha, what a joke…” Standing outside the classroom, I frowned as I listened to them freely mocking Fiona and me. I remembered how Lily bullied Fiona in my past life too, locking her in bathroom stalls and cornering her in dead ends to force her to kneel. I couldn’t stand it and advised Lily to study seriously instead of bullying classmates. She said she was bullying Fiona because Fiona was jealous of my good grades and badmouthed me behind my back. Lily claimed she was just getting revenge for me. Although I didn’t care if Fiona badmouthed me or not, and told Lily many times not to seek revenge for me, I still believed her words. I stopped helping Fiona with her studies. Being ostracized by both the top student and the richest, prettiest girl in class, Fiona’s final days of high school were miserable. She couldn’t perform to her true potential on the SAT either. Guilt washed over me. I walked into the classroom and called Lily to study with me. Lily seemed reluctant, so I smiled slightly and said: “But I can’t focus on studying without you by my side.” Hearing that, she immediately ditched her lackeys and returned to her seat with me. She was waiting to cheat off my answers during the SAT, so of course she wanted me to study as much as possible. She couldn’t let me slack off. After that, I always used the excuse of needing her company to study seriously, leaving her no time to bully Fiona. Seeing me study diligently, she felt at ease playing games under the desk. As soon as school ended, she’d remind me to study hard before running off at lightning speed. After she left, I would lend my study notes to Fiona and use my free time to tutor her, trying to make up for my mistakes in my past life.
In the following practice tests, Lily successfully scored over 1550 each time as she wished. I even deliberately scored lower than her once, letting Lily beat me by a few points. During the exams, I kept thinking to myself: “These questions are so easy, I could probably score 1580 even if I took the test with my eyes closed. If the real SAT is this easy, getting into Harvard or Yale would be a piece of cake.” My thoughts, combined with the shock of her beating me, completely put Lily at ease. She stopped hovering over me and forcing me to study, and gradually stopped coming to school altogether. When our homeroom teacher called to persuade her to come to school, Lily brazenly replied: “I can score better than Ava without even studying. I’m guaranteed to get into Harvard anyway, so you should spend your time worrying about those idiots who can’t even get into community college!” In my past life, she was so afraid I’d slack off that she kept a close eye on me at school every day. Her complete disregard for me now actually made things more convenient for my plans. During her absence from school, Lily started dabbling in social media. This was something that didn’t happen in my memories of my past life. Or maybe it did, and I just didn’t know about it. She created an account portraying the life of a high school senior preparing for the SAT. But instead of actual SAT prep, her videos were all about makeup, fashion, and various forms of entertainment. With marketing funds and a professional team, plus her stunning looks, Lily quickly attracted a large following online. Whenever anyone questioned her, she would show off her high practice test scores and declare that she was sure to be the top scorer and get into Harvard. Some of our classmates even vouched for her online. She became an internet sensation, praised by everyone as a genius girl. I didn’t have a smartphone, so I heard all this from my classmates. I didn’t comment on any of it, just kept my head down and focused on my own studies. Although I deliberately let Lily hear my arrogant thoughts during exams, in reality I felt very uncertain. I had no way to block her from eavesdropping on my mind, but I firmly believed that in the face of true ability, all schemes and tricks were paper tigers. So I studied even harder than in my past life. I arrived at school before dawn every day, and stayed late after evening self-study sessions to continue studying in the classroom. Many classmates were motivated by me and voluntarily stayed behind to study as well. I generously tutored them and explained difficult concepts and problems. Finally, a week before the SAT, I received a message from Ms. Thompson. The moment Ms. Thompson nodded, I felt the weight on my shoulders instantly disappear. I had perfect scores in math, physics and chemistry on the practice tests. Yale’s admissions office opened a special admission channel for me – as long as I passed their test, I would be admitted with a full scholarship. In both lives, Yale only opened this channel for me, not for Lily who ranked second. That’s why Lily resented Yale and was determined to choose Harvard as the top scorer, to make Yale regret it. But in my past life, my goal was Harvard, so I flatly rejected Yale’s offer. This time, I had to find a way to avoid taking the SAT. It was too late to prepare for academic competitions. Yale’s olive branch was my only and best way out. I asked Ms. Thompson to keep it confidential, so no one else knew about this even after I received Yale’s early admission notice. Ms. Thompson still hoped I would take the SAT. Even with early admission, the prestige of being the top SAT scorer would obviously benefit both me and the school. I apologized and explained that I would take the SAT, but definitely wouldn’t get the top score. Ms. Thompson couldn’t understand why, but seeing that I refused to explain further, she didn’t press the issue: “You’re a good kid. You’ve always known what you want. I respect your decision.” Looking at Ms. Thompson’s reassuring and encouraging gaze, I felt a lump in my throat and almost burst into tears. In both lives, Ms. Thompson was the only person besides Lily who ever showed me warmth. My mom favored my brother, my dad was silent and aloof, and my brother only reached out to ask for my scholarship money after each exam. My family was always a source of neglect and obstacles on my academic journey. When I lacked food and clothes, it was Ms. Thompson who always helped me. In my past life, the news of my cheating and suicide was suppressed by Lily’s family. Apart from people at school, not many in society knew about it. Ms. Thompson never believed I would cheat or commit suicide. Plus, Ms. Thompson had doubts about Lily’s scores to begin with, so she suspected Lily had stolen my scores. After my death, Ms. Thompson repeatedly approached my parents and Lily, trying to clear my name. In this life, no matter what, I can’t let Ms. Thompson’s trust and care down again! 3 Three days before the SAT, the school gave us time off. I didn’t go home, but stayed in the school dorm. No one at home asked about me either. I was happy to have some peace and quiet. On the last day, I received a call from Lily: “Ava, how’s your SAT prep going?” She used to affectionately call me “Ava-bear”, but now she couldn’t even be bothered to keep up appearances. “Mm, getting into Yale won’t be a problem.” “That’s good. Soon we’ll be at Yale and Harvard, still besties!” She laughed arrogantly and carefreely. I put down my old flip phone and smirked coldly: Too bad, in this life, you won’t get what you want. The SAT finally arrived. I wasn’t as nervous and excited as I was in my past life. Seeing Lily in the same exam room as me, I didn’t show any surprise. I was so calm that it made Lily inexplicably anxious, her eyelids twitching. But she was still confident, her eyes full of calculation and certainty. Until the English test paper was handed out. I didn’t even glance at the contents before putting my head down to sleep. Lily panicked. Determined not to let her hear even a bit of my answers, I had taken drowsy cold medicine beforehand. I slept heavily, unaware that Lily was staring daggers at my back, as if trying to bore a hole through me with her gaze. She sat on pins and needles, constantly looking around, and was warned by the proctor several times for tapping on her desk. As time ticked away, she raised her hand to report me to the proctor for sleeping and disturbing her. The proctor woke me up. I sat up straight but kept my eyes closed to rest. Lily was at a loss for what to do and had no choice but to start answering the questions herself. Her grades were poor to begin with, and she had been living it up lately. She couldn’t even recognize many of the words in the passages. After the English test, Lily cornered me in the dorm when I was about to take a nap. She was furious: “Did your mom die last night or something? Were you out selling yourself?” I widened my eyes and asked in confusion: “Lily, what’s wrong? I have a cold and took some medicine. I got drowsy so I just…” Her face contorted in rage as she lunged at me like a madwoman: “You bitch! If you love sleeping so much why don’t you go be a hooker and sleep all you want!” I grabbed her hand as she tried to slap me and shoved her hard, pushing her out of the dorm room. I was used to heavy labor and much stronger than her. She fell straight to the ground. “We still have tests this afternoon. If you keep acting crazy I’m going to call a teacher.” Before she could react, I closed the dorm room door, ignoring her pounding and yelling outside. The dorm students had all gone home, so I didn’t have to worry about her disturbing anyone else. I attended the remaining three tests normally, and she took them as usual too. To my surprise, she no longer looked at me and instead focused intently on answering the questions. I glanced at a few questions and thought of the answers in my mind, but she had no reaction. I guessed she must have done something to no longer hear my thoughts. If I took the remaining three tests seriously, I could probably still get a decent score. But I didn’t dare risk her possibly still being able to hear my thoughts. For the last three tests, I still turned in blank papers.
After the exams, I went back to the dorm to pack up and called my parents. That’s when I found out my brother was on break for the SAT and my parents had taken him on a trip. I didn’t have a key to the house. The background noise on the phone was very loud. My mom’s booming voice made me instinctively hold the old flip phone further from my ear. “Just keep staying in the dorm until we get back! We paid for it, it’s not like you have to sleep on the street.” “The dorm is closing today. Everyone has to move out,” I explained. “Then figure something out yourself. You’re done with high school now, stop relying on your parents for everything. Be more considerate!” I didn’t have much stuff. Apart from the books and notes I had lent out, I only had a few changes of clothes and some daily necessities. With just a backpack’s worth of belongings, I found a job as a waitress at a hot pot restaurant. The pay was good and it included room and board. When the manager asked me to join the work group chat, I took out a battered old flip phone and sheepishly said I didn’t have social media. I didn’t even have money for a hotel room, let alone a smartphone. The manager found an 80% new second-hand phone for me, telling me to buy a new one after I got my first paycheck. I registered for social media and added Ms. Thompson as a friend. She immediately added me to the class group chat. That night, lying on the bed in the staff dorm, I finally started exploring the smartphone. It was my first time using a smartphone and I found it quite fascinating. They were discussing plans for a class dinner, chatting enthusiastically. Until Fiona asked how I did on the SAT. The group went quiet for a moment, then classmates started tagging me: “@Ava Chen Bet our top scorer got a 1580 or 1590 huh?” “@Ava Chen Have you decided on Harvard or Yale yet, Ms. Perfect Score?” “@Ava Chen Don’t forget us little people when you’re rich and famous, genius!” Before I could reply, Lily’s message made the group go silent again: “Stop kissing up to her. She didn’t even score as well as you guys! You’ll at least get into community college, but she can only work in a factory now.” A flood of question marks appeared. “I was in the same exam room as her. She slept through all four tests. If you don’t believe me, ask her yourself.” When I firmly rejected Yale’s offer before, no one thought Yale would still keep the early admission spot open for me. So when I said I was going to Yale, another wave of question marks flooded the chat. After this little drama, no one in the group actively mentioned me again. They started fawning over Lily, asking about her SAT experience or complimenting her graduation trip photos. Only Fiona sent me a friend request and comforted me, saying I would definitely get the top score if I retook the SAT next year. I smiled warmly and wished her good results too. Lily was very confident about her SAT scores. She even promised to treat the whole class to her college acceptance celebration dinner. I knew she must have found other ways to cheat. I didn’t care about her scores. I just prayed there wouldn’t be another poor victim of her schemes. Working at the hot pot restaurant was exhausting. Business was booming during summer break. By the time we got off work it was already the early hours of the morning, and my arms and legs were sore. But I was never afraid of hard work. After getting my first month’s salary, I transferred $150 to the manager based on the market price of the second-hand phone. The manager was surprised I didn’t choose to buy a new phone. I said: “This phone still works great. I don’t play games so I don’t need high specs. This one is perfect.” The manager took the money without comment. The next day at work, he brought me a cup of milk tea. It was a fragrant and rich jasmine milk tea. It was my first time trying it and I found it delicious.
On the day the SAT scores were released, I went back home. My dad was nervously guarding the phone, ready to call relatives and friends as soon as the scores came out. The sound of characters being killed came from my brother Tim’s phone. He glanced at me and asked in a seemingly casual tone: “I heard the top SAT scorers and Ivy League admits get awarded tens of thousands of dollars, right?” My mom’s eyes instantly lit up: “Really? Tens of thousands?” My mom had never cared about my excellent grades before. In her eyes, no matter what I did, I was never good enough. She thought it would be better for me to get married early and earn some dowry money for Tim to use. Hearing Tim mention the prize money, my mom’s eyes suddenly blazed with greed. “My good daughter, look what mom bought you as a gift from our trip! Don’t you love it?” A sun hat with a sweat-stained brim was forcefully shoved into my hands. My mom smiled eagerly, unable to hide the avarice in her eyes: “You see how bad your brother’s grades are. Your dad and I are thinking of sending him to study abroad.” “Once your brother makes it big, you’ll have someone to rely on even after you get married…” Listening to her made me nauseous. In my past life at this time, they had already taken Lily’s money, bought a big house, and found a study abroad agency for Tim. They didn’t care about me at all. Now that they knew there was prize money, they started sucking up to me again. I hid the disgust in my eyes and calmly looked straight at my mom: “I got sick during the SAT week. I didn’t take the tests.” “What?!” My mom leapt up from the sofa, shrieking: “You’re saying you didn’t take the tests?!” Tim also looked up in shock. My dad was much calmer: “Ava, stop joking around. Don’t upset your mother.” Hearing that, my mom and Tim also thought I was just kidding. My mom put on a smile again to coax me. Tim gave me a disdainful look before going back to his game. But as more and more congratulatory calls came in from relatives and friends, while my score inquiry still showed 0 points, they finally couldn’t sit still. “I really didn’t take the tests. You can call my teacher to confirm.” My mom’s reaction was direct – she started cursing me viciously: “You little slut, I knew you were nothing but trouble. I should have drowned you in a bucket when you were born!” “Take the damn test or don’t, don’t expect me to pay for you to retake it.” “It’s just as well you’re not going to college. We can use your dowry to send your brother abroad.” Whether it was being the top scorer or getting married, it was all about getting tens of thousands of dollars to my mom and brother. So they weren’t in a rush anymore. But my dad was furious. His lips were trembling and he pointed at me, unable to speak for a long time. He looked like he was about to have a stroke. My mom had always wanted to marry me off for a dowry. It was my dad who kept stopping her. He said I was his pride and joy, and told me to study hard and get into a good college. I thought at least he loved me. For his praise and encouragement, I studied like crazy. Seeing him always being scolded by my mom, I would rather go hungry than ask him for money. But after I died, he kept a study for himself, pretending to practice calligraphy and read newspapers in there every day. I realized then that he thought he could have gotten into Harvard or Yale himself, if only the family hadn’t been too poor to support him. He was arrogant and felt his talents were wasted. He wanted to live out his dreams through me. On the other hand, as the top scorer I could fetch an even higher dowry price, maybe even marry into a rich family. He was dreaming of money, fame and status. Whether I lived or died didn’t matter to him at all. The viciousness in his eyes made me have no doubt he would beat me to death the next moment. I took out my Yale early admission letter and said I had already been admitted. My dad gradually calmed down. “The school will award $10,000, and the county will give $30,000.” “But I’m keeping this money for myself. I’ll need it for college.” My dad was grinning from ear to ear as he caressed the admission letter, but stopped smiling when he heard I wanted to keep the money. “Then don’t go to college. With this $40,000, plus asking for a few tens of thousands more in dowry, it’ll be enough for your brother to study abroad and even get married.” I smirked coldly. He would never let me skip college for the sake of his grand dreams. He was just threatening me. “It’s your choice – the money or me. You decide!” My mom sneered: “You think you can disown your own parents?” I ignored her and only looked at my dad: “If you want the money, we’ll terminate our parent-child relationship.” I knew only my dad had the final say in this matter. “If you want me, you won’t get a penny of this money. But I’ll support you in your old age in the future.” My dad knew which option was clearly more beneficial. The value of a Yale student would definitely exceed $40,000 in the long run. But he was more reluctant to give up the $40,000 right in front of him. He also didn’t believe I would really abandon them in the future. He was confident that by showing me some small favors later on, he could make me continue to be their cash cow. I was grateful for his confidence as I signed the papers terminating our parent-child relationship. I successfully got my household registration transferred out. I packed my things and left that same night. My dad held his favorite thermos, smiling at me: “Ava, come back for dinner sometime. I’ll have your mom make your favorite beef and potato stew.” I replied flatly: “I’m allergic to beef.”
With my wages from the hot pot restaurant and money borrowed from Ms. Thompson, I had enough to leave home and go straight to New Haven. There are more opportunities in big cities. With my Yale early admission letter, I quickly found several tutoring jobs. I rented a basement apartment and spent my days rushing between different students’ homes. It was tiring but fulfilling. After the news of my early admission was posted, my classmates started tagging me in the group chat again. I was too busy to deal with it so I just left the group. Fiona asked if I was willing to listen before telling me news about Lily. Lily scored just over 1000 on the SAT, barely above the cutoff for 4-year colleges. At first some people mocked her a bit. But she shot back directly: “So what? I have plenty of money. You poor losers will all be working for me in the future anyway!” The people mocking her immediately shut up sheepishly. But her social media account was reported and banned for having a negative influence. Many people online cursed at her, which also impacted her family’s business. But overall it didn’t really shake her wealthy and privileged position. I was far away in New Haven, only able to suppress the hatred in my heart. If I couldn’t get revenge, I would be satisfied just staying far away and living my own life well. My college life was very fulfilling. I studied hard in class and actively participated in various activities outside of class. I won all the scholarships. With enough money and some savings, I didn’t focus too much on earning money. Instead, I was like a sponge, desperately absorbing knowledge and broadening my horizons. In my sophomore year, I went on a year and a half exchange program abroad. During this time my parents couldn’t contact me, and they couldn’t find me when they came to the school either. They knew nothing about me going abroad and returning, so I didn’t see them again until after I graduated college. Just as I was deciding to pursue a master’s degree at the end of my junior year, my head suddenly hurt. Then I heard a mechanical voice: “Ding! Congratulations player, you have the opportunity to bind an exam mind-reading system. Would you like to bind it?” “No.” “Please choose again whether to bind the system.” “No.” “…Dear, our system can let you hear anyone’s thoughts during any exam, allowing you to breeze through all of life’s tests with ease. Are you sure you don’t want to reconsider?” I smirked coldly: “You’re Lily’s system, aren’t you?” “…Yes. She was too stupid so I unilaterally terminated our contract.” “Then answer a few questions for me, and I’ll consider binding with you.” “Okay, dear.” “What do you mean by hearing anyone’s thoughts?” “Dear, it means you can lock onto one person to hear their thoughts during each exam.” “So Lily switched to locking onto someone else?” “Yes.” “Did she report that person for cheating too?” “…That person had powerful connections. She tried to report them but ended up in a miserable situation herself.” “What’s Lily’s situation now?” “She’s not doing too well, but she thinks she’s quite happy.” “Okay, I’ve considered it. Not binding.” “…” The system was on the verge of tears, but I just laughed coldly: “Do you think I need you? There must be a price to pay for eavesdropping on others’ thoughts, right? Why should I pay a price to do something I can already accomplish on my own?” “Do you think I’m stupid too?” Even now, I still believe that in the face of true ability, all schemes and tricks are paper tigers. I do my own work well and don’t rely on external forces to plagiarize others’ achievements or seize others’ opportunities. This is my principle and what I’ve always insisted on doing.
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