Olivia and her cousin were kidnapped. The kidnappers said they could only save one. I laughed on the spot. In my previous life, my brother and I were kidnapped, and Olivia chose to save my brother. History was repeating itself in this life. As for who I would choose, wasn’t it obvious? In the European-style banquet hall. Glasses clinked and perfume wafted through the air. My father and I stood on the stage, smiling as we greeted the guests. The butler quietly informed me: “Young Master, all the guests have arrived. Please start the opening dance.” Today was my 18th birthday. My father had thrown a grand birthday party for me, with all the prominent figures in our social circle gathered. I looked out at the crowd, but my designated “dance partner” was nowhere to be seen. My father leaned in and asked: “Where’s Olivia? Wasn’t she supposed to dance the opening number with you?” Olivia Gu, the eldest daughter of the Gu family, was my childhood friend. She was also supposed to be my “dance partner” tonight. I looked up. As expected, my half-brother Ethan was also absent. If my memory served me right, today was the first time they met in my previous life. Olivia had gone to the garden for some fresh air and encountered Ethan, who wasn’t used to high society parties. The two hit it off immediately, marking the beginning of their romantic entanglement. In my previous life, upon discovering Olivia had left, I immediately rushed out to look for her. I ended up seeing her chatting happily with Ethan. Consumed by jealousy, I punched Ethan. The consequences were that Olivia despised me, my father reprimanded me, and the guests looked down on me. Living this life again, I wouldn’t make the same mistake. Was a dance partner really that important? Could my birthday party not go on without Olivia? My gaze swept coldly over the crowd. A young woman in an unfashionable dress caught my eye. She was standing forlornly by a pillar, lost in thought. The girl had delicate features, a petite figure, skin as white as snow, and an elegant demeanor. She stood out like a sore thumb in this lavish and extravagant banquet hall. I walked towards her, much to everyone’s surprise. When the girl saw me approach, her rosy lips parted slightly, her face full of bewilderment. “Sophia, would you like to dance with me?” I extended my hand to her. Sophia Gu’s eyes flickered, pointing at herself in disbelief: “…You’re asking me?” “Who else would I be asking?” I smiled and asked: “Do you know how to waltz?” “Yes…” Sophia nodded, looking honored yet nervous. She shyly placed her hand in mine, allowing me to lead her to the center of the dance floor. The guests automatically made way for us. The band began playing the lively “Tales from the Vienna Woods.” Sophia carefully placed her hands on my shoulders as we began to dance. As we glided across the floor, I admired her bashful expression. A blush crept up her fair cheeks, like a ripe peach. “Relax, I’m not going to eat you,” I teased. Sophia’s palms were sweaty, and her steps were a bit unsteady. “S-sorry…” she apologized, flustered. In my previous life, I had only cared about Olivia, following her lead in everything. Influenced by Olivia, I had a very poor impression of Sophia. But I would never forget that in my previous life, when I fell from a tall building and was broken and battered, it was Sophia who knelt in the blood, desperately performing CPR on me as I was dying. Only after dying once did I see clearly who was human and who was a demon. I pulled my wandering thoughts back and continued to tease Sophia: “Is this your first time dancing with a boy?” “Yes…” “Well, I feel quite honored then.” As I was bantering, my eyes met a pair of shocked ones over Sophia’s shoulder—
Olivia stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows of the banquet hall, glaring at me. Ethan stood behind her, also looking surprised. It seemed they had just returned. I guess Olivia hadn’t expected that I wouldn’t wait for her and would directly ask Sophia, whom she looked down on the most, to dance the opening number. I had been reborn just yesterday. The moment I regained my new life, I vowed that in this life, I must live for myself. I was no longer anyone’s second choice, nor would I be anyone’s accessory. Ignoring Olivia’s murderous gaze, I continued to “gaze lovingly” at Sophia. “Sophia, if you ever need help in the future, you can come to me. I’ve got your back,” I said sincerely. Sophia was not favored in the family due to her mother’s humble background. Just for what she did for me as I was dying in my previous life, I would repay her well in this life. “Thank you, Lucas…” Sophia’s eyes misted over, her voice seemingly tinged with bitterness. As the song ended, Sophia retreated to a corner. The guests paired up and gradually moved onto the dance floor. While I politely exchanged pleasantries with the guests, I walked towards the buffet table and got myself a glass of juice. “What do you mean by this?” An angry voice laced with hidden fury sounded from behind me. I turned around to face the frost-faced Olivia. I took a sip of the sweet and sour orange juice, and asked in return: “What do you mean?” “Didn’t you ask me to be your dance partner?” Olivia accused, playing the victim: “Are you toying with me?” I couldn’t help but chuckle. How novel. In my previous life, Olivia would never take the initiative to talk to me. Let alone use this complaining tone to question me. I said: “If I remember correctly, I only asked you one-sidedly if you wanted to be my dance partner. Miss Gu didn’t agree, and when it came time for the opening dance, Miss Gu was nowhere to be seen. Did I have to send someone to find you before I could continue with the party?” She stared at me as if she didn’t recognize me. I had never spoken to her in this tone before, and I had always called her “Olivia” since we were young. This “Miss Gu” sounded distant and cold, as if we were just casual acquaintances. Taking advantage of her stunned silence, I added: “How old are you? Don’t you understand basic etiquette? Today is my birthday, don’t ruin my mood.” I left her with these words, walking away without looking back. The moment I turned around, a playful system notification sounded in my mind: “Congratulations, host! You have successfully slapped the female lead’s face. The system rewards you with 100 humiliation points. Accumulate 100,000 points to obtain a resurrection armor.” Right, not only had I been reborn, but I was also bound to a face-slapping system. The system said I had already passed away, but due to my strong obsession, it gave me a chance to be revived. But this didn’t mean I was truly alive. I needed to slap the faces of those who had hurt me in my previous life, gain 100,000 humiliation points to truly come back to life. And the time given to me wasn’t much. I needed to complete the task before the time of my death in my previous life. In my previous life, I was killed by kidnappers at the age of 24. I had 7 years. I must change my fate! After my rebirth, my goals were clear. Besides ensuring my own survival, I also had to take over the family business, absolutely not letting my mother and father’s business fall into others’ hands. My father and mother’s marriage was a business alliance, joining forces to multiply the scale of the Lu family’s business several times over. Unfortunately, my father was a fickle man. Shortly after my mother became pregnant with me, he rekindled his relationship with his first love, even having a child with her. This first love was Ethan’s mother. A year ago, my mother passed away due to illness, and she brought Ethan in, becoming the new mistress of the Lu family overnight. My father, considering my mother’s family background, didn’t dare mistreat me, but his heart had long since been biased. After returning to school, I began to study hard. To improve my grades quickly, I hired a top university graduate as a private tutor at a high price. Every day, apart from eating and sleeping, all I did was study. During lunch break, I was in the classroom eating the lunch prepared at home while silently reciting chemical formulas. Two boys who were usually quite friendly with me came over. One of them, named Henry, showed me his phone. I glanced at it disinterestedly. The video was shot on the rooftop of the teaching building. From the angle, it seemed to be secretly filmed. A boy and a girl were sitting in the shaded area of the rooftop, eating burgers together—
Who else could it be but Olivia and Ethan? Ethan shared his burger with her, and Olivia, who claimed to have germaphobia, accepted it without hesitation. I looked away indifferently. Henry, sharing my indignation, said: “This Ethan is so shameless. He knows Olivia is your childhood sweetheart, yet he’s still trying to curry favor with her.” Another classmate named Samuel also gritted his teeth and said: “Like mother, like son. No wonder he’s the son of a homewrecker.” Henry immediately suggested: “Lucas, let’s teach him a lesson. Let’s lock him up and beat him!” The whole school knew that Ethan’s mother was a homewrecker. In my previous life, although I hated him, at first I only took measures to isolate him, without causing any actual harm. Until I discovered he was getting closer to Olivia. I became consumed with jealousy, and with the instigation of some people with ulterior motives, I joined several classmates in bullying Ethan. Come to think of it, my untimely death in my previous life was also due to my own actions. I finished my lunch, closed the lunch box lid, and said leisurely: “Let them be. The final exams are coming up soon, there’s no need to waste energy on irrelevant people.” My response took them by surprise. Especially Henry, who pressed on: “Lucas, are you really going to let him off like this? Isn’t that too easy on him?” Samuel chimed in: “Yeah, Ethan is so audacious, daring to steal your girlfriend. You can’t just let him get away with it.” I sighed, emphasizing again: “Olivia and I are just neighbors, we were never a couple. She can be with whoever she wants, it has nothing to do with me. I just want to focus on studying now, I don’t have time for anything else.” Henry and Samuel looked at each other, unable to accept my change in attitude for a moment. I advised them: “Put more effort into studying. Nothing is more important than improving yourself.” Henry said unhappily: “We’re just looking out for you. Not only are you ungrateful, but you’re also lecturing us.” I couldn’t be bothered to argue with him. I put away my lunch box and took out my chemistry notes to review. Seeing my cold attitude, Henry angrily pulled Samuel away. I glanced at him thoughtfully, recalling some things… The first class in the afternoon was a chemistry test. After the chemistry teacher came in, he looked around the classroom and asked: “Where’s Ethan?” Only then did I realize Ethan hadn’t come back. The classmates all said they didn’t know. The chemistry teacher turned his gaze to me. “Lucas, do you know where he went?” I stated frankly: “Teacher, I didn’t leave the classroom after class. I don’t know.” After hearing my explanation, the chemistry teacher didn’t pursue the matter further and hurried to hand out the test papers. Chemistry was my strong suit, and with my recent tutoring showing results, I finished all the questions in just half an hour. I double-checked my answers twice to make sure there were no mistakes. I looked up towards Ethan’s seat, but he still hadn’t returned. Could something have happened? I frowned. The chemistry teacher was also very worried, pacing back and forth on the podium, occasionally looking towards the door. I decided to be a good person for once. I raised my hand and said: “Teacher, I’ve finished my test. Shall I go look for Ethan?” The chemistry teacher was more than happy to agree. After leaving the classroom, I didn’t go directly to look for Ethan, but turned to the classroom next door— “Excuse me, teacher, I need to find Olivia,” I said to the history teacher on the podium, standing at the door. The history teacher was slightly taken aback, and the students in the classroom immediately started buzzing. Olivia looked at me with a long face, and various teasing sounds arose. The history teacher called for them to quiet down, then asked me: “What do you need her for?” I said: “Ethan from our class hasn’t returned to class. Someone saw him eating lunch with Olivia during the break, so I came to ask.” As soon as I finished speaking, the classroom erupted again. Olivia’s expression became even more colorful, full of anger and humiliation. She stood up abruptly without waiting for the teacher’s signal. “I don’t know where Ethan went!” she said loudly. I raised my chin and said: “Anyway, he’s missing. Why don’t you come with me to look for him?” The other students joined in the commotion. The history teacher couldn’t take it anymore and impatiently shooed us away: “Olivia, go look with him! Come back to class when you find him!” I turned and left without waiting for Olivia. She complained behind me: “Lucas, what’s wrong with you? Can you stop causing trouble for me every day?”
I ignored her. Actually, I knew where Ethan was. In my previous life, after I found out he was eating lunch with Olivia, I had ganged up with Henry and others to teach him a lesson. I awakened in this life, and I let him off, but that doesn’t mean others would. I headed straight for a certain men’s bathroom on the top floor. This floor was high up, and hardly anyone ever came here. Just as I reached the door, I heard repeated banging sounds from inside. I rushed in first, and sure enough, the door handle of the cubicle near the back was tied shut with a rope. The rope was tied in a dead knot, and I had no tools to untie it. Olivia peered in from outside the bathroom: “Is he in there?” Before I could answer, Ethan, who was locked inside, called out: “Olivia! Is that you? I’m here!” As Olivia hesitated, I folded my arms and said: “What are you standing there for? Go find some scissors!” Olivia stamped her foot and ran off to find a pair of scissors. I cut the rope, and Ethan was finally able to get out. He was in such a hurry that he was sweating profusely, repeatedly thanking us. “Who locked you in here?” Olivia asked while glaring at me suspiciously. Ethan stammered: “I… I don’t know… There was a boy I didn’t recognize who said he left something here and asked me to help look… As soon as I went in, the door was locked…” Olivia turned on me fiercely: “Lucas, you did this, didn’t you?” I gave her a cold look: “Evidence.” “What?” I pointed at the security camera outside the hallway: “You say I did it, do you have any evidence? Why don’t we check the security footage?” In my previous life, Ethan was locked up until almost the end of school before Olivia rescued him. Olivia used her status as the daughter of a school board member to demand that the school check the security footage. In the end, it was proven that I was behind it, and from then on, Olivia despised me even more. Now, Olivia was left speechless by my question. I sneered: “Don’t accuse me without evidence.” “If you didn’t do it, how did you know he was here?” Olivia’s suspicion wasn’t unfounded. I remained composed and said coolly: “In the entire school building, this is the most suitable place to lock someone up. Next time someone locks you up here, I guarantee you’ll be calling for help with no response.” Not waiting for Olivia to react, I turned to tell Ethan: “There’s still 40 minutes left for the chemistry test. If you don’t want to turn in a blank paper, you’d better hurry back.” Ethan followed me back to the classroom with a dejected look. I led him back to the classroom. The chemistry teacher was relieved, asked him a few questions, and then let him return to his seat to take the test. As I walked past Henry, I clearly saw his eyes flicker, his face full of dissatisfaction. Olivia did end up checking the security footage later and found out who was behind it. It was Henry. He had always had a crush on Olivia but didn’t dare pursue her because of my presence. That day, after learning that Olivia and I had “broken up,” he thought of eliminating Ethan as an obstacle. Little did he expect to fail so miserably. After the incident came to light, Henry became a pariah that everyone avoided. And Olivia was once again slapped in the face by me, this time even more severely than at my birthday party. The system rewarded me with 200 humiliation points, bringing my current total to 300 points. In this life, I focused all my energy on studying and no longer targeted Ethan. Olivia and I also gradually grew apart, with classmates all rumoring that we had broken up—though in reality, we had never dated. Without me interfering, and with his closeness to Olivia, Ethan gained quite a few friends. Time flew by, and another half semester passed. On this day, there was a cultural activity, with a dance competition for the whole grade. When Olivia took the stage, the entire audience erupted in applause. Ethan and his friends sat below the stage, cheering for her. Their disloyal behavior displeased the girls in our class. I sat in a corner, silently memorizing knowledge points from flashcards. Cheers constantly erupted from the stage, with Olivia’s graceful dance moves eliciting numerous screams. I dug at my ears, annoyed by the noise. Just as I picked up a flashcard to check, I suddenly saw a familiar figure.
I squinted at the doorway. It was Sophia, whom I hadn’t seen in a long time. She was two grades below me, not on the same floor, so I rarely encountered her. She walked towards the small woods by the sports field, where there was an old sports equipment room. I watched curiously for a few more moments and saw several girls standing in front of the equipment room door. One of them roughly grabbed Sophia’s collar, and the others immediately surrounded her. Sensing trouble, I put the flashcards back in my pocket and quickly ran over. I had only taken a few steps when I heard exclamations from behind. “Olivia!” Olivia’s classmates were calling for her. I ignored them and continued running towards Sophia. Before I could reach her, she was already knocked to the ground by those girls. I shouted while running: “Teacher! Over here! There’s a fight here!” Hearing this, the girls scattered in fright. I helped up the dust-covered Sophia. Her face was bruised, and her blue sportswear was stained with footprints. “Lucas…” she called out awkwardly. “Are you okay? Who were those people?” I asked with a frown. Sophia shook her head and explained: “A boy in class gave me a love letter a few days ago. His admirers were unhappy and came to cause trouble for me.” I thought to myself, can’t these young people care more about their future? All they do is fight over love. “We should report this to the teacher.” Sophia shook her head again. “It’s fine… It’s not a big deal, it’s happened before.” Despite both being from the Gu family, Olivia was the school belle and a celebrity, while Sophia was treated completely differently. Whether at home or at school, she was targeted maliciously because of her background. I encouraged her: “Study hard, and when you grow up and become successful, you can slap their faces hard!” “Mm, thank you Lucas…” “If they go too far, you still need to tell the teacher, or you can tell me too.” “Okay…” Sophia agreed verbally, but with her personality of being used to bullying, she had long lost the courage to resist. “I’ll take you to the infirmary,” I said, supporting Sophia as we walked towards the teaching building. Sophia hurriedly declined politely: “You don’t have to trouble yourself, Lucas. Aren’t you still in the middle of an event…” I said frankly: “Watching girls dance is extremely boring. I was just idle anyway.” Only then did Sophia obediently follow me to the infirmary. As I was supporting her in, I unexpectedly saw Olivia sitting inside. She was accompanied by two girls, and the school nurse was crouched beside her, spraying her knee with an analgesic spray. Her knee was scraped and slightly swollen. When I left earlier, I heard her classmates calling her. I guess that’s when she fell. Seeing Sophia and me, Olivia’s expression changed drastically. Ignoring her, I said to the school nurse: “This junior was beaten up by some classmates. Could you please check her over?” The nurse said: “Wait a moment, I haven’t finished here yet…” Olivia glared at us viciously. Sophia sensed the other party’s hostile gaze. She looked pitiful, her eyes reddening as she said: “Lucas, I can manage on my own… Why don’t you go back first…” “No need, I’m not in a hurry. I’ll see this through,” I insisted. My conversation with Sophia finally provoked Olivia’s displeasure. She said sarcastically: “You really are compassionate, willing to skip class to help others.” I thought to myself, I didn’t provoke you, why are you being so passive-aggressive? I retorted: “Aren’t you supposed to be a dance prodigy? How did you get injured in a small cultural activity? Have you been lacking exercise lately?” Olivia’s face immediately darkened. Her friend came to her defense: “Lucas, how can you talk like that? Olivia was distracted when she saw you leave and that’s why she fell.” Olivia said angrily: “Shut up!” I snorted coldly, not taking it seriously: “She carelessly fell on her own, why blame others?” “You…” Olivia’s friend wanted to say more. Sophia beside me suddenly inhaled sharply. “Ouch…” 6. My attention returned to her, and I quickly asked: “What’s wrong?” She covered her cheek and said: “It’s nothing…” “Does it hurt a lot?” I moved her hand away. Half of her face was swollen. With the nurse’s permission, I got an ice pack to apply to Sophia’s face. Olivia’s friend couldn’t help but interject again: “Why don’t you show some concern for Olivia? Aren’t you childhood sweethearts?” Olivia remained silent, seemingly agreeing with her friend’s words. I said nothing, casting a cold glance at them, continuing to apply the ice pack. Sophia whispered: “Lucas… you don’t have to take care of me, I’ve dealt with injuries on my own before… Go check on Olivia… She needs you more…” This sounded a bit manipulative. But I wasn’t falling for it. No wonder men like green tea bitches, who could resist this? I patted Sophia and said: “Silly girl, you’re clearly the one who’s been wronged but you’re keeping it to yourself. She has so many people around her, does she really need me too?” Ignoring Olivia and her friends’ angry faces, I said solemnly: “Olivia, you always claim to be the embodiment of justice, so why do you turn a blind eye when your own cousin is bullied at school? If either of these two friends of yours were beaten up, you wouldn’t stand idly by, right? How come when it’s your own flesh and blood cousin, you have this indifferent attitude?” This was exactly how Olivia had berated me in my previous life when Ethan was bullied and I didn’t help him. Aside from that one time I locked Ethan in the bathroom, I never bothered him again. It was always those who admired Olivia who did things in my name. In my previous life, I knew Olivia didn’t like cruel men, so I had already restrained myself from targeting Ethan. But whenever anything happened to Ethan, Olivia would blame it all on me. “When your own flesh and blood brother is bullied, you have this indifferent attitude?” These were her exact words to me back then. Now I was throwing them right back at her, tit for tat. Olivia was so angry and flustered by my scolding that she couldn’t utter a word in response. Her two sidekicks were also left speechless. The school nurse felt awkward and said to them: “Alright, this student’s injury isn’t serious. Go back and rest well, don’t do any strenuous exercise, it’ll be fine in a couple of days.” Olivia was supported away by her friends on either side. As soon as they left, the system came online: “Congratulations, host! You have successfully slapped the female lead’s face. The system rewards you with 200 humiliation points! Current score: 500 points.” The school nurse came over to treat Sophia’s wounds. Sophia continued to play coy, saying: “Lucas, is Olivia angry? Why don’t… you go comfort her? I’m fine now…” I scoffed, “Comfort her for what? She’s clearly making a fuss over nothing. Why should I indulge her?” I realized that with Sophia around, slapping Olivia’s face was a piece of cake. Sophia said guiltily, “I don’t want to affect your relationship because of me…” “I don’t have any relationship with her. We’re just childhood neighbors and classmates, and our families are close. That’s all,” I lied blatantly. Time flew by, and it was time to apply for universities. During this period, I was busy applying to schools and didn’t have time to slap Olivia’s face. My score remained at 500 points, but I wasn’t in a hurry. I still had seven years to slowly slap her face. My hard work during this time paid off, and I finally got accepted into my dream school, Oxford University. Olivia also got accepted to this school, but her GPA was much lower than mine. As a result, she suffered a harsh slap to the face. System: “Congratulations, host! You have successfully slapped the female lead’s face. The system rewards you with 500 humiliation points! Current score: 1000 points.” My score suddenly jumped to 1000 points, and I felt triumphant. In my previous life, I had spent a fortune to squeeze into Oxford University just to be with Olivia at all times. Back then, she had mocked me: “With your level, even if you barely get in, you’re just wasting a spot.” Now, I had finally vindicated myself. After receiving the acceptance emails, the Gu and Lu families gathered for a celebratory dinner. During the meal, Olivia’s mother brought up: “The kids are all preparing for university now. Why don’t we hold an engagement ceremony for Lucas and Olivia before the start of the semester?” 7. Engagement… This brought back unpleasant memories. In my previous life, it was also at this time that I had pestered and pleaded to get engaged to Olivia. At that time, my father wanted to curry favor with the Gu family, and the Gu family was also eyeing the wealth of the Lu family and my mother’s family. So the two families quickly agreed. At the engagement party, Olivia had given me the cold shoulder the entire time. When it came time for the group photo, she even pulled a disappearing act. I later found out that she had snuck out to meet secretly with Ethan. By the way, Ethan had been accepted into an art school in France. He had a talent for design and went to study in France for four years. During those four years, I thought I could win Olivia’s heart. However, as soon as Ethan returned, he effortlessly stole Olivia away. Now history was repeating itself, but this time it was the Gu family who first brought up the engagement. I saw Olivia frowning, neither agreeing nor refusing. It seemed I would have to play the villain again. I spoke leisurely: “You must be joking. Once we’re in university, Olivia and I will meet many new friends. We might even meet our future partners. Getting engaged now would limit both our futures. I don’t think it’s appropriate.” The expressions of those at the table varied. After hearing this, Olivia glared at me angrily for some reason. I took the opportunity to drag her into it: “Don’t you agree, Olivia? Besides, we’re just friends after all.” But Olivia didn’t play along. She said sarcastically: “Just friends? Do you even believe that yourself?” I chuckled and asked: “Olivia, did I say something wrong? Don’t you want to be friends with me? I’ve always treated you like a little sister.” “You…” Olivia’s chest heaved violently, as if suppressing her anger. My father couldn’t help but interject: “Enough! If you’re not getting engaged, then you’re not. Stop talking nonsense.” Olivia’s aunt, who had suggested the engagement, looked embarrassed and tried to smooth things over: “Right, right… I was just joking. The kids are grown up now, they have their own thoughts. As parents, we should respect their decisions.” Olivia’s uncle also chimed in: “We’re all family here, no need for such formalities.” Olivia turned her face away from me in anger. I glanced at Ethan, who was quietly eating. Intentionally not letting him off the hook, I said: “But now that the college entrance exams are over, we should celebrate properly. Ethan is preparing to study abroad in France. Why don’t we throw him a farewell party?” Ethan’s mother, Jane, was a bit simple-minded. Hearing my suggestion, she immediately beamed with joy. “That’s right, Ethan is leaving for abroad soon. We should invite relatives and friends to celebrate for him…” My father interrupted her sternly: “What do you know? If we’re having a party, it should be for all the graduating kids together! Hosting one just for Ethan, what kind of rule is that?” Jane suddenly realized she had misspoken and repeatedly apologized. Thus, the engagement party from my previous life was forcibly turned into a graduation party. I achieved my goal of slapping faces. System: “Congratulations, host! You have successfully slapped the female lead’s face and your stepmother’s face. The system rewards you with 300 humiliation points! Current score: 1300 points.” The graduation party was held in the banquet hall of my house. On this day, I encountered Sophia, whom I hadn’t seen in a long time. In just half a year, she had grown into an even more graceful young woman. Sophia took the initiative to raise a glass of champagne to congratulate me: “Congratulations, Lucas, on getting into your dream university.” I took a glass of juice from nearby and replaced her champagne. “You’re underage, don’t drink alcohol,” I said, caring like an older brother: “How have you been lately? Is anyone still bullying you?” She shook her head and said: “Almost never now. Even if there is, it’s just verbal taunts. I just ignore them.” “Good, focus on your studies. Use your good grades to hit back at those who look down on you.” “Thank you, Lucas. I’ll work hard,” her eyes seemed to sparkle. I smiled brightly and said: “If you ever need anything, just let me know. I’ll help if I can.” “Okay…” As we were chatting pleasantly, an unwelcome voice came from the side: “Lucas, I didn’t know you liked playing the big brother so much.” 8 This voice, I knew without looking that it was Olivia, who had been giving me trouble lately. I changed my warm attitude towards Sophia to a cold glance at Olivia. “Miss Gu, don’t you have anything better to do? Don’t you need to entertain guests?” I was implicitly criticizing her for meddling. Olivia’s tone sank: “Uncle Lu asked me to call you. He wants you to greet the professor from the Business School.” Only then did I put down my champagne and walk towards my father. Olivia left with me. As she was leaving, she shot a warning and hateful glance at Sophia, which happened to catch my eye. I stood beside my father, graciously exchanging pleasantries with the professor. The professor praised me for my promising future, saying I would be a big shot in the business world one day. My father was proud yet humble, saying: “Oh no, you’re too kind. You’re overpraising this boy.” I walked around with my father for a while, but didn’t see Olivia again. I assumed she had gone off to meet secretly with Ethan — however, I spotted Ethan sitting on a sofa in the rest area. Why was he still here? I wondered. Although there were three main characters at the party, Ethan was clearly being neglected. He sat quietly with Jane in a corner, eating a piece of cake. Ethan was timid and didn’t actively greet people, and other guests treated him as if he didn’t exist. High society was just that realistic. The illegitimate son of a mistress who had climbed the social ladder, without much ability himself — no wonder others in the circle treated him with disdain. As I was thinking this, the butler came running towards me in a panic. He didn’t dare to speak loudly, and whispered to me: “Young Master, Miss Gu… she’s arguing with her cousin!” Olivia was arguing with Sophia? I quickly asked: “Where are they?” “By the swimming pool…” I immediately ran off. Just as I reached the pool, I saw Olivia and Sophia grappling with each other. “Stop!” I shouted. Their movements paused for a moment. However, in the next instant, Sophia was “pushed” by Olivia, and she slipped. Splash!! Sophia fell into the cold pool water. I hurriedly called for help: “Someone come quickly—!” Several male servants rushed over and helped me pull Sophia out of the water. Several elders also arrived, having heard the commotion. Until Sophia was rescued, Olivia stood rooted to the spot like a clay statue. Sophia was like a drowned rat, lying on the ground coughing. Her face was pale, covered in water, looking pitiful. Uncle Gu asked: “What happened here?” Nobody at the scene dared to speak. I glared fiercely at Olivia, who was pretending to be deaf and dumb. I asked coldly: “Olivia! You pushed her in yourself, and now you don’t dare admit it?”
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