On the day I was sentenced to death, my parents were holding a press conference announcing their adopted son, Wesley Harrington, as the new heir to the company. My sister Karen Harrington was engaged to Wesley. They had truly become a family. Meanwhile, I, who had exposed Wesley’s evil nature, had been disowned by the Harrington family, completely abandoned. In their eyes, I was an ungrateful person. After being reborn, I no longer crave their love. I live only for myself. ***** I was reborn on the day Wesley was first adopted and brought to my home. I never imagined that fate would give me a second chance. Wesley was the child of my father’s childhood friend and a well-known child prodigy in our city. Unfortunately, his parents died in a car accident. When they were found, Wesley had already been kidnapped from the car. My father spent enormous resources to find him. Feeling sorry for Wesley’s tragic experience at such a young age, my father decided to bring him home and treat him as his own son. My mother burst into tears the moment she saw Wesley, hugging him and crying, “Wesley, you’ve suffered so much.” Karen was also wiping away tears beside them. Only I looked coldly at Wesley, because I knew the terrible malice hidden beneath his gentle facade. My mother asked Wesley to sit down and rest, but he blushed and said softly, “I’m dirty. I’m afraid I’ll soil your sofa.” His demeanor, so considerate it hurt, once again softened the hearts of my overly sympathetic family. Even my father, who always said boys shouldn’t cry, had tears in his eyes. He stroked Wesley’s head and said, “Silly boy, this is your home from now on. You should call us Mom and Dad.” Wesley nodded shyly. Suddenly, he noticed Karen’s unfinished homework on the table. With just a glance, he solved a difficult math problem that she couldn’t figure out all evening. She was instantly captivated by him, praising him as a true genius. My parents exchanged smiles, believing his addition would make our family even better. Throughout the entire process, no one asked for my opinion. It seemed that with the arrival of their adopted son, I, their biological son, no longer mattered. I just waited quietly, because I knew exactly what kind of person Wesley was. Sure enough, just like in my previous life, he immediately started causing trouble for me. He suddenly looked at me with tears in his eyes and asked, “Quentin, why are you glaring at me like that?” He lowered his head, pretending to be very disappointed. “I’m sorry. I never meant to steal your parents. If you don’t like me, I should leave.” Despite saying this, he remained seated on the sofa. My father looked at me sternly. “Quentin, from now on you’re Wesley’s big brother. You need to get along with him, understand?” Karen scoffed dismissively, “Quentin must be jealous that Wesley is smarter than him and feels unhappy about it. Wesley is nothing like him with his little bit of cleverness. Wesley is a famous child prodigy.” Wesley’s face immediately turned pale. He hid behind my mother, trembling. “I never meant to steal Quentin’s spotlight. This is all my fault.” She quickly embraced him for comfort, while giving me a disapproving look. “Quentin, I’ve always taught you to be a humble child. How can you be so envious?” My father urged, “Apologize to Wesley right now!” Wesley lifted his head from my mother’s embrace, deliberately showing a challenging expression that only I could see. I bit my lower lip, remembering scenes from my previous life. My parents and Karen were just as aggressive then, insisting that Wesley was their true family member, ruthlessly disowning me. They even helped him when he framed me and sent me to prison, watching as I was taken to the execution ground. I should have understood that from the moment Wesley stepped into my home, they were no longer my family. They were as if under his spell, unconditionally taking his side. Even when he drained the Harrington family assets, they remained unmoved. I genuinely wanted to wake them up, but I was accused of being jealous, incompetent, and petty, becoming the most ridiculed member of the Harrington family. They willingly walked into the hell Wesley created, but I’m different. In this life, I will live for myself. Wesley’s room wasn’t ready yet, so my parents told him to share mine for now. The thought of being in the same room with him made me sick. I immediately gathered my things, planning to sleep in the living room for the night. Wesley followed me in, swept all my textbooks and stationery off my desk, and claimed it with his own backpack. Unlike in my previous life, my cold attitude made him show his true colors right away. “Why does someone ordinary like you get such a warm family, while a genius like me has to suffer so much misfortune? Just wait. This family will be mine soon!” I continued packing my things without looking at him. “I don’t care that much about this family. If you want it, you can have it. You’re only fit to take my leftovers anyway.” His chest heaved with anger, but he quickly calmed down and showed a predatory expression. “Enjoy your smugness while you can.” The next moment, Wesley tore his stack of award certificates to shreds, then ran out of the room clutching the pieces and crying loudly. “Quentin, don’t tear up my certificates! These are my last memories from my previous school! I’m sorry. I don’t deserve to share a room with you.” My parents and Karen rushed over when they heard the commotion, finding him sobbing amid the pile of torn papers. His small body was curled up, looking pitiful. Karen picked up a piece and exclaimed in shock, “This is a first prize certificate from the National Elementary School Math Olympiad! With this award, Wesley could easily get into a top middle school. And Quentin tore it up!” Wesley wiped his tears pitifully, pretending to be magnanimous. “It must be because I upset Quentin, so he did this. It’s all my fault.” My mom quickly wiped his face with a wet wipe, looking at him with sympathy. “How could this be your fault? We’ve just spoiled Quentin too much.” My dad’s face had turned red with anger. He couldn’t understand why other people’s sons were so sensible while I refused to accept a brother and bullied him like this. I walked out the door with a determined look. I said slowly, “Wesley tore up his own certificates. It had nothing to do with me.” Karen immediately screamed, shielding Wesley. She glared at me and pointed accusingly, “No one would tear up their own certificates! Quentin, you don’t even think before lying now. How did I never notice how fake you are?!” My father yelled at me furiously, “Quentin! You’re such a disappointment. How could I have raised a son like you? Can’t you learn from Wesley, be more sensible, and give us some peace of mind?” I stared coldly at the Harrington family, thinking, “Wesley is really something. He’s been in our house for just one evening and has already bewitched everyone. He sheds a few tears, and my parents panic. But what about me? Who notices that my heart is breaking?” In my previous life, I was indeed jealous of Wesley because he was so much better than me academically. Initially, we had some minor friction, but I quickly accepted him. Yet he used my trust to slander me in front of my parents. By the time I realized what was happening, the rift between my parents and me had become irreparable. But in this life, with memories from my previous existence and an adult’s thinking ability, Wesley, still just an elementary school student, would be no match for me. To prevent me from “bullying” him further, my parents decided to sleep with him that night. They coaxed him away, and not one of them looked back at me, as if I were a criminal who had destroyed our happy family atmosphere. I quietly closed the door, shutting out the sight of their harmonious family without me. I had long sworn not to be upset by their boundless favoritism anymore.
Since Wesley moved into my home, my relationship with my parents and Karen has become very strained, but I couldn’t care less. After school, I usually stay in the school library, studying middle and high school material in advance. With my current knowledge, I could easily skip grades and attend high school, but I have a special plan in mind. In my previous life, after Wesley transferred to our class, he won countless awards, became the center of attention at school, and was adored by teachers and classmates alike. My parents and Karen treasured him, which made me feel invisible, as if Christian was merely a shadow of his existence. In this life, I’m determined to take away all his awards and first-place positions, and humiliate him thoroughly! A few months later, my birthday arrived. My parents decided to throw me a proper birthday party to ease the tension in our relationship. More importantly, they hoped this party would make me fully accept Wesley. When I returned home after school, I saw the table filled with lavish dishes. But upon closer inspection, I realized they were all seafood dishes like shrimp salad and roasted cod, even though everyone in the family knows I’m allergic to seafood. Wesley was helping my mom. When he saw me come home, he flashed a challenging smile. Mom was looking at Wesley with loving eyes, but when she turned to me, her tenderness seemed to diminish. “Quentin, you’re back. Once your dad returns with the cake, we’ll celebrate your birthday together.” I glanced at the food on the table and couldn’t help but scoff, “So you do remember it’s my birthday. Then why is all the food seafood that I can’t eat? Oh right, because Wesley loves seafood, doesn’t he?” Just then, my dad and Karen returned. Hearing my words, Karen immediately shouted in displeasure, “Quentin, you’re bullying Wesley again. We’re all family. What’s wrong with Mom making some dishes that Wesley likes?” Wesley immediately burst into tears. “I’m sorry, Quentin. I envy you so much. Mom feels sorry for me, that’s why she made my favorite dishes. Scold me if you want. Don’t blame Mom.” My father slammed the cake down on the table. “It’s your birthday, but do you have to make everyone unhappy?” I pointed at the limited-edition sneakers on Wesley’s feet that were obviously too big for him. “My birthday? Then why did Mom make all of Wesley’s favorite dishes? And why is my birthday present now on Wesley’s feet?” Just like in my previous life, he had manipulated his way into wearing the gift from my parents. I angrily tried to grab them, but I was told to be a generous big brother. Anything he wanted, I had to give him. I had no doubt that if one day he wanted my life, my family would guilt-trip me into compliance. Hearing my words, Wesley immediately took off the shoes while crying. “I really loved these shoes so much that I couldn’t resist trying them on. I’m sorry. I’ve never seen such beautiful shoes before. When I was kidnapped, I could only wear tattered straw sandals.” There were several red cuts on his feet, but the color was still so fresh that they couldn’t possibly be old wounds from his past. But my family softened at the sight of his scarred feet and embraced him, sobbing loudly. Wesley broke free from the others and ran to me, pretending to kneel at my feet. “Quentin, please forgive me. I’ll give the shoes back to you.” He had his back to them. Despite his pitiful words, he was actually stepping hard on my foot. A sharp pain shot up from my foot. I couldn’t help but push him away, but as soon as my hand touched his shoulder, he screamed as if electrocuted, “I was wrong! Quentin, don’t hit me!” My parents and Karen didn’t see what had happened; they only heard Wesley’s scream and assumed I was bullying him again. “Quentin! You’ve gone too far!” To separate me from Wesley, my dad used all his strength to push me. I crashed heavily into the table, and the clam soup simmering on the stove spilled all over me, causing a string of blisters to immediately form on my exposed arms. The pain left my mind blank. But before I could react, I heard Karen’s piercing scream, “Wesley! Wesley, what’s wrong?” Wesley had fainted in my mother’s arms. No matter how they called out to him, he didn’t wake up. So my dad immediately decided to take him to the hospital. My dad ran to the garage to get the car, while my mom, with tears in her eyes, carried Wesley out. Karen was the last to leave, glaring at me with hateful eyes. “Are you satisfied now?” Then she quickly got into the car heading to the hospital. No one cared that I was supposed to be the main character today, no one cared that I hadn’t even touched Wesley, and no one cared that I was the one who really needed to go to the hospital. They left without hesitation, not even looking back at me with my severe burns. I slumped to the ground, powerless. After a long daze, I remembered I needed to cool my skin quickly. By the time I reached the community clinic near our home, the doctor there, Frederick Hastings, was shocked by my burns. “How did you come here alone? Where’s your family?” I lowered my head, not wanting Frederick to see my dejected expression. “They don’t care about me, only about my adopted brother.” My injuries were more serious than I had imagined, mainly because a child’s skin is still quite fragile. Frederick patiently helped me lance the blisters, apply antibiotic ointment, and wrap clean gauze around my wounds. Throughout the process, he kept reassuring me that I was a brave child. Although mentally I was already an adult, in that moment I still felt a bit of comfort. It had been a long time since I’d received care from someone else. After my wounds were bandaged, Frederick insisted on walking me home. When we arrived at my door, we found the Harrington family had already returned with Wesley. They were gathered around him, protectively keeping him in the center of their little circle. When they saw me return, they showed not even a hint of guilt, only endless blame. Dad frowned and asked in a stern voice, “So you finally decided to come home? Where did you run off to so late at night?” Mom also looked disappointed, scolding me, “It’s one thing that you’re always playing around, but your brother fainted because of you, and you still ran off somewhere.” My heart, which had just begun to warm up, cooled again due to the Harrington family’s attitude. I lifted my shirt to show them the layers of gauze wrapped around my back and arms. “Where did I go? Dad, weren’t you the one who pushed me away? Or is Wesley the only one who deserves to go to the hospital, while I’m just supposed to endure the pain?” My parents frowned. They were so focused on Wesley’s fainting that they had selectively forgotten about my burns. Wesley bit his lip, habitually about to say “It’s all my fault.” But Karen stopped him, protecting him behind her like a mother hen. “Don’t drag Wesley into this. Wasn’t his fainting your fault in the first place?” Her stupidity made me laugh. I couldn’t help but ask, “Oh? So what problem did they find when they examined him after he fainted? How did he get home before me? He wasn’t faking it, was he?” My retort silenced my parents and Karen, because Wesley truly hadn’t been diagnosed with any physical issues. The doctor had only said he might have been frightened and would be fine after resting for a couple of days. In comparison, my injuries looked much more serious. Wesley, realizing the situation wasn’t favorable for him, immediately started crying. His tears were the ultimate weapon against the Harrington family. The moment they saw his pitiful expression, their rationality instantly vanished. Dad grabbed a cushion and threw it at me. “Shut up!” Hearing this exchange, Frederick, who had been standing nearby and hadn’t left, finally couldn’t take it anymore. He rushed into the house and shouted, “Don’t go too far. As parents, you’re being cruel.” He took my hand and yelled angrily at my parents, “He needs his dressings changed for the next few days, so he’ll be staying at our clinic!” The next second, he pulled me away without hesitation. The Harrington family watched in shock, but not one of them thought to stop us. That night, I told the kind Frederick everything about my situation. This tall man actually broke down in tears from anger. He emotionally hugged me and said, “If you don’t mind, from now on I’ll be your godfather. If your family mistreats you, you can come to my home anytime!” I was deeply moved and gratefully accepted his kindness. Although my wounds were very painful, with his company, I had a good night’s sleep for once. I stayed at the clinic for nearly two weeks. During that time, no one from the Harrington family came to see me even once. I knew very well that even if my parents rarely thought of me, Wesley would do everything possible to divert their attention. The first thing I did after returning to school was to sign up for the same provincial math competition as Wesley. At school, he wasn’t as meek and pitiful as he was at home. He had a group of followers in class who were always finding ways to give me trouble. When I returned from the office, I saw that all my competition books had been thrown into the trash. Wesley was sitting with his legs crossed, looking at me disdainfully. “You actually want to participate in the provincial math competition too? Quentin, I remember you’ve never even won a prize in the school competitions, have you?” His followers immediately burst into laughter. “Quentin must be jealous that you became class president as soon as you transferred, while he, the original class president, could only be the vice president.” Wesley proudly showed off his new shoes. My birthday gift had finally ended up on his feet. “Both our parents and teachers like me better. Quentin, you’re really pathetic. If you obediently become my follower, I might even put in a good word for you with our parents.”
I simply gave Wesley a calm glance before taking my things to the library, because I wasn’t interested in winning an argument with him—I wanted to defeat him completely. To my surprise, my behavior actually earned me the favor of the girls in our class. The girls of this Christmas generation seemed to appreciate mature and composed boys more. They collected their own study materials and even got help from the math teacher to hand-copy a book of math competition problems for me. One of the better students, Sophia Hastings, personally delivered the competition problems to me. Despite my abilities making such problems unnecessary, I graciously accepted them, knowing that Wesley had always had a crush on her. In my previous life, they had attended the same schools from elementary through the best high schools and universities. He was indeed a math prodigy, but she was even more impressive in overall abilities than he was. Wesley had always pursued Sophia, but she never showed interest in him. She was a smart girl; she must have seen through his gentle exterior to the vicious heart beneath his feminine energy. Seeing her initiate conversation with me made him furious, and he glared at me viciously. On the day of the competition, the Harrington family woke up early to prepare Wesley. Dad dressed him in a brand-new outfit, while Mom prepared sausages and two boiled eggs, happily wishing him a perfect score. Even Karen, who usually loved sleeping in, woke up early to give him a handwritten card of good wishes. After receiving everyone’s blessings, he looked at me provocatively. “Don’t forget Quentin is also participating in the competition.” Karen dismissively waved her hand. “Him? He won’t place at all!” Mom and Dad agreed. They even discussed whether to order a banner in advance to congratulate Wesley on winning first place. The four of them laughed together, clearly not considering me or any other competitors as threats. However, two weeks later, when the results were announced, the Harrington family was stunned. Wesley ranked second in the province, while I took first place. Dad stared at the results for a long time, even suspecting that the first-place Quentin might be someone else with the same name. Karen exclaimed in disbelief, “How is this possible? They must have mixed up the rankings!” I crossed my arms and smirked at Wesley. He was furious but had to put on a fake show of being genuinely happy for me in front of the Harrington family. “Quentin, congratulations on getting first place! I guess all those times I taught you at school paid off, even though it meant neglecting my own practice.” The Harrington family immediately understood his implication, thinking, “How could genius Wesley lose to Quentin? It must be because he was busy helping Quentin with math, which held him back.” Mom affectionately patted Wesley’s head. “Wesley, you’re so thoughtful. We’re so lucky to have adopted you.” I almost laughed out loud, thinking, “Lucky? In my previous life, Wesley practically swallowed up all the Harrington family’s assets. You had to get his approval to use any funds. And he slept with your spoiled daughter Karen, yet still had other lovers, and even beat Karen until she miscarried.” Dad noticed my disgusted expression and immediately frowned. “Quentin, Wesley helped you so much. Thank him right now.” I rolled my eyes at Wesley contemptuously. “You’re not as good as me, so stop making excuses. If you don’t believe it, let’s compete in the next contest and see if you have what it takes to beat me.” With that, I ignored my furious father and Karen and walked away. I shared the good news with Frederick, who jumped up in excitement. “What a surprise! You’re so talented! Let’s go. The clinic is closing early today. I’m taking you out for a nice meal.” This was how someone who truly cared for me should react. We went to the most luxurious restaurant nearby. After I sat down, I was surprised to see Sophia walking toward us. It turned out she was Frederick’s daughter. What an incredible coincidence. I opened Instagram and saw that Karen had just updated her status. The Harrington family had indeed taken Wesley out to celebrate. After all, second place was still impressive. They seemed to rarely think of me now. Without me around, the four of them were much more comfortable. Intending to irritate Wesley, I posted photos of myself dining with Frederick and Sophia on Instagram, setting it to be visible only to Karen. With her curiosity, I was confident Wesley would see it immediately. He had lost first place, and the girl he liked was having dinner with me. I imagined he wasn’t in a celebratory mood anymore. So I happily ordered an extra steak, enjoying the feast Frederick treated me to. Just like the Harringtons, most teachers and classmates thought I just got lucky this time, and that Wesley would reclaim first place in the next competition. He seemed more vigilant than before, no longer wasting time fooling around with his followers. He spent considerably more time on math competitions than before. But the extra effort he put in was nothing compared to my relentless studying during Christmas break, when I barely slept or rested. The second competition had more participants. It covered a broader range of topics and was more difficult. Plus, this competition was open to middle school students. Anyone who placed well would essentially secure admission to the best schools. In the days leading up to the competition, Wesley stayed up studying every night, which really worried my parents. Concerned about his eyesight, they bought him an eye-protection lamp. Worried he might get hungry from overworking his brain at night, they kept a midnight snack warm on the stove at all times. He was genuinely nervous. Because I had taken first place in the last competition, he wasn’t being actively recruited by top high schools like in my previous life. He had some weak subjects. If it came down to regular test scores alone, he wouldn’t be able to attend the same middle school as Sophia. My parents saw him studying even while eating. Then they looked at me appearing so relaxed, and actually got angry with me. “Quentin, you won first place once, and now you’re getting cocky, aren’t you? Even Wesley is working so hard. We haven’t seen you look at a single problem these past few days!” “Exactly! It’s bad enough that you’re not studying, but your laziness is affecting Wesley’s mood too.” After finishing my last bite of food, I calmly replied, “Because I’m already prepared. I’m not like some people who don’t work hard regularly and then cram at the last minute.” Wesley looked up at me with a menacing glare. His expression was terrifying. My heart skipped a beat. I had a bad feeling about this. In my previous life, whenever he looked at someone like that, he was definitely plotting something malicious. It seemed I needed to be more cautious of him in this competition. On the day of the exam, I deliberately avoided Wesley and asked Frederick to take me to the venue. While I was lining up with other contestants waiting to enter, I suddenly felt someone bump into me. However, when I turned around, I didn’t see anyone. Remembering Wesley’s earlier look, I quickly checked my pencil case and jacket. To my shock, I found an unfamiliar earpiece in my jacket pocket. If the metal detector caught this during entry, I could be disqualified for suspected cheating. I broke into a cold sweat from fear. I rushed to the bathroom and flushed the earpiece down the toilet. After calming down, I took a seat in the middle of the exam room. This competition was more challenging than the last one. Most participants were math competition specialists who had competed many times before, but I was confident I could place well. After the competition, I saw Wesley’s face was as white as paper. Apparently, he was disappointed that I hadn’t been disqualified. The difficulty of this competition had also taught him a harsh lesson. Sure enough, when the results came out, I ranked seventh overall and won a second-place prize, while Wesley ranked twentieth and only received an honorable mention. Now everyone knew that my provincial first place last time wasn’t luck—I had genuinely surpassed Wesley in ability. My teacher excitedly announced to the class that several top high schools were now competing to admit me. After class, local reporters even came to interview me, describing me as a dark horse who had been quietly building skills in the math competition world. I completely overshadowed Wesley’s former brilliance. The followers who once worshipped Wesley now surrounded me. Sophia presented me with a celebratory bouquet on behalf of the girls in our class. She said her target school was Townsend Harris High School, and that we might become classmates if given the chance. Seeing this, Wesley completely broke down and went home on sick leave. When I returned home with the award certificate in my bag, I was greeted by the furious Harrington family. As soon as I entered, a cup flew toward me, grazing my forehead before shattering against the doorframe. My father pointed at my nose and shouted, “How dare you come back!” I calmly surveyed them. Wesley was crying in my mother’s arms, mumbling about not wanting to live anymore. Karen stood with her hands on her hips, yelling at me, “Quentin! Why did you frame Wesley? You’re so shameless! Give him back the guaranteed admission spot right now!” Apparently, Wesley had rushed home to twist the facts, claiming that what he had done to me was actually what I had done to him. The Harrington family trusted him completely and immediately believed that I had planted an earpiece on him to disrupt his concentration during the exam, all to beat him. My father was furious and put on a stern face. “I never thought you could be such a despicable child! Let’s go! We’re going to the school! You don’t deserve this award or the guaranteed admission to Townsend Harris High School!” My mother was also crying tears of regret. “I must have spoiled you too much. If you just give the admission spot back to Wesley, I’m sure he’ll forgive you.” I looked at the Harrington family making decisions for me and gave a mocking smile. “And what if I refuse?” My father waved his hand dismissively. “Then get out. I don’t acknowledge you as my son anymore.” Although this was exactly what I had been waiting for, my heart still ached uncontrollably. I took a deep breath to calm myself, looked at my parents, and said, “Fine, from today on, we have no relationship. But I want to make one thing clear: it’s not you kicking me out—I’m choosing to leave this family that has no trust or care for me!”
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