Rebirth: Redefining My Fate

Chapter 1

In my previous life, I was framed for cheating in the college entrance examination and was banned from taking the exam for three years. My future was completely ruined. While my twin sister successfully entered the USC School of Cinematic Arts and became a top female star in the entertainment industry, I ended up working in a factory doing menial tasks. One evening, I was robbed and killed on my way home, left unclaimed in the outskirts.

Upon my rebirth, I kept my sister's admission ticket hidden. I reported my abusive parents to the police.

When I opened my eyes again, I found myself back on the day of the English speech contest in my second year of high school. I sat backstage, waiting for the host to announce the results of the speech contest. Just like in my previous life, I won first place. The first-place winner would represent the school in the city-wide high school English speech contest.

"Phoebe, the principal wants to see the top three in his office."

In my previous life, the principal had used the excuse of a faint red birthmark on my forehead, claiming it affected the school's image, to let Elodie, who came in second, take my place in the contest. He even gave her my speech to memorize in full.

I borrowed Lena's phone and discreetly started recording, giving her a knowing look before slipping it into my pocket.

"How can someone with that appearance represent our school? I think Elodie would be a much better choice."

The principal patted Elodie on the shoulder, taking the speech from my hands and shoving it into hers. Elodie shot me a proud, sideways glance.

"Principal, I have a question. Does having a good appearance represent the school's image? Does that mean those who aren't good-looking can't be on stage?"

In the past, I would have endured it, handing over what was rightfully mine, even to the sister who bullied me, letting her bask in the limelight.

In this life, I wanted to see who could take anything from me.

"Phoebe, you're too young to be so calculating. This concerns the school's honor. Don't be overly concerned with gains and losses."

See, those in authority are always so evasive. They never answer your question directly, always finding a way to gaslight you.

"Oh, I just think the birthmark on my forehead is also my honor. But since it's for the good of the school, I'll withdraw."

The video of the principal talking to me was posted online, along with a clip of my speech.

On Facebook, the principal of Eahgow High School quickly became a trending topic on social media.

"When did schools start joining the appearance club?"

"Abandoning noble character and inner qualities to pursue a noble appearance-so this is the standard for selecting talent in schools."

"If our top universities selected students based on looks, I probably wouldn't even see the threshold."

"If scientific researchers all pursued beautiful appearances, Pheah's scientific research would regress by a million years."

"I can't imagine the University of Oxford without Andrew Wiles. How many years would the math department fall behind other countries?"

"Actually, the second-place winner is also excellent. The principal's actions are understandable if he's trying to secure first place for the school."

"To the commenter above, Andrew Wiles is first, a first by a landslide. No one can be second. First is just the limit of ranking, not his limit."

...

The internet went into an uproar, with discussions growing louder and louder. Some even began to discuss the current state of the entertainment industry, saying, "If you can't write a noble soul, you can only write about noble birth and appearance."

I couldn't help but chuckle.

The education bureau couldn't sit still and immediately issued a statement. The principal was removed from his position and reassigned to another school. Elodie was disqualified.

I represented the school in the city-wide English speech contest and ultimately returned victorious with second place.

"Phoebe, who do you think you are to compete with me?" As soon as I returned to school, Elodie and her clique cornered me in the girls' bathroom.

No one knew that Elodie and I were actually fraternal twins. She stood at 170 cm, nurtured by our parents' love since childhood, with a round, smooth face and large, captivating eyes that sparkled when she smiled.

Because a fortune teller had said my birthmark was unlucky and would bring misfortune to my parents' business, I was sent to live with my grandparents in the countryside. They also believed I brought bad luck and often neglected to feed me, leaving me skinny and frail, barely reaching 162 cm.

Our parents ran a ceramics business. Though not extremely wealthy, they didn't need to scrimp and save. We always lived in a villa.

I was brought back to attend high school because I had studied hard and gotten into the city's top high school on my own merit.

My parents were afraid people would discover their 'unlucky' child, so they insisted on leaving the parents' section blank on school forms. At school, I couldn't say I was their child. After school, Elodie always had a chauffeur to pick her up, while I had to walk home by myself for half an hour.

Chapter 2

So, every time Elodie and her cronies bullied me in the girls' restroom, I would return home reeking and disheveled. My parents would only tell me to change my clothes, never asking why or how I ended up in that state.

At this moment, one of her cronies pushed me to the ground, and Elodie looked down at me like a butcher eyeing a piece of meat.

"You worthless scum, I showed you mercy," Elodie sneered before kicking me in the stomach. I grabbed her foot and yanked it back, causing her to fall with a loud thud.

Before she could react, I lunged at her, grabbing her hair and dunking her head into the dirty mop water basin multiple times, ignoring the others trying to pull me away.

In my previous life, I had drunk this dirty water a few times. Dear sister, now it's your turn to taste that filth.

"Ahhh! I'm going to kill you!" Elodie screamed, her eyes red with fury, as her cronies finally managed to pull me away.

"What are you doing?" A middle-aged woman suddenly burst in.

"The school principal is asking you a question," said my English teacher, Teagan, who followed behind.

It turned out the new school principal had arrived.

"Call your parents," the new school principal seemed to take this bullying incident very seriously.

My mom arrived quickly, but she came as Elodie's guardian.

"Slap!" As soon as she walked into the office and saw Elodie drenched in dirty water, she was furious. She turned and slapped me hard.

Elodie looked at me smugly, "Mom, thank goodness you're here to stand up for me. She actually bullied me."

"You little brat, how dare you lay a hand on my daughter? Principal, she should be reported to the police."

Hmph, what a good mother.

"But as far as I know, Elodie is the bully, and Phoebe is the victim," the female principal frowned, unable to stop my mom in time.

How could my mom not know?

"Are you the new principal here? Are you going to protect the bully? Can't you see who the real victim is here?"

The principal was momentarily speechless, watching helplessly as my mom dragged Elodie away. As they left, she shot me a vicious glare.

I knew I was in trouble when I got home.

Seeing that my family hadn't shown up, the female principal comforted me a bit and told me to go home.

It took me half an hour to walk home. Just as I was about to change my clothes, Brielle, who seemed to have been waiting for me, dragged me to the main living room and kicked me to my knees.

Elodie had already cleaned herself up and was lounging on the sofa, smelling fresh.

"Who do you think puts a roof over your head? You wretched girl, how dare you attend the same school as Elodie? Who gave you the nerve to lay a hand on her?"

My mom struck my face with a wooden ruler. I stood up, blocking the ruler with my arm, and pushed her away.

"Why don't you ask if Elodie hit me? Why don't you ask if I'm hurt?"

"If she hit you, you had it coming. Who told you to compete with her for the contest spot? Look at your miserable self. Did you post the video online?"

"So what if I did? I'm better than Elodie, and that's undeniable. Since you can't stand me, I'm moving out today. I won't come back to this house ever again."

"Mom, look at her!" Elodie jumped up from the sofa.

"Get out, and don't expect any more money from me," my mom said, throwing the ruler at my feet.

"If you dare touch Elodie again, I'll call the police and have you taken away."

"Fine, go ahead and call the police. Let's see who they arrest."

I turned away, tears streaming down my face out of frustration.

We were born of the same mother, yet I could never understand why my mom despised me so much. What had I done to deserve being born into this family?

I went back to my room to pack my things. Calling it a room was generous; it was actually an 8-square-meter cramped storage room in the garage.

The room was filled with car parts and a dirty folding bed.

There wasn't even a wardrobe; my clothes were stored in old cardboard boxes.

Since I entered this family, my meals were always brought to the garage by Brielle. She would place the food on a toolbox, knock on it a few times to let me know the meal was ready, and then leave. Only then would I come out to eat.

In my previous life, I believed that if I got higher grades, they would notice me and change their opinion of me.

Chapter 3

At that time, I believed in a saying: when they throw mud at me, I can use it to plant lotus flowers. I carefully endured the malice from my family and sister, never fighting back. But even long after my death, because no one cared about my whereabouts, my body remained unburied, causing my soul to remain restless for a long time.

Now I understand, mud can indeed be used to grow lotus flowers, but one must also be brave enough to seize the right moment to throw it back. Constantly enduring only leads to being buried in the mud.

I packed my clothes and books, loaded them into a wheeled toolbox, and left home. Elodie, this time, let's wait and see!

With my luggage in tow, I followed the memories of my past life to my English teacher Teagan's doorstep. When I first arrived at this school in my shabby old clothes, and Elodie led others to bully me, calling me a 'country bumpkin,' it was Teagan who extended a helping hand.

"If you need anything, just come to me," she had said in my previous life. Back then, I couldn't speak a word of English. It was she who gave me an old-fashioned tape recorder and tapes, letting me take it home to listen and practice repeatedly.

"Teacher, I have nowhere to go. Will you take me in?" The moment Teagan opened the door, I couldn't hold back my tears.

Teagan embraced me.

After moving into Teagan's house, I no longer had to eat leftovers, worry about being woken up by water splashed on me in my dreams, or endure baseless insults. All I needed to do was focus solely on my studies.

Elodie tried multiple times to corner me, but since I went to and from school with Teagan, she never found the opportunity. Instead, my seat began to be filled with dirty water and torn books.

In the past, I feared my parents' beatings and didn't dare to resist.

Now that I had severed ties with my mother, there was no need to endure any longer. My father had never shown me any compassion; his gaze towards me was always indifferent, as if I were an insignificant person.

"Ahhh!" I threw a pile of junk from the desk at Elodie's head. She screamed in rage, and I grabbed all the books from her desk.

Elodie, furious, came to hit me. She was tall and grabbed my hair, kicking me in the stomach. I curled up on the ground, clutching my belly, while her followers also came up and stomped on me.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Lena secretly recording the video under the desk.

"You think just because you have the English teacher backing you, I won't dare touch you? Let me tell you, someone like you doesn't belong in the same school as me. If you know what's good for you, go back to the countryside."

"Elodie, karma will catch up with you. I suggest you be kind."

I thought of adding fuel to the fire.

Unexpectedly, Elodie couldn't handle the provocation. She picked up a chair and smashed it towards me. I blocked it with my left arm.

By the time the teacher arrived, I was already bleeding.

Eventually, I was taken to the hospital.

The video footage of me being bullied and beaten began to spread like wildfire on students' phones, even reaching other middle schools. The topic of school bullying once again sparked online discussions.

At the hospital, I borrowed a classmate's phone to call the police.

The police came to the hospital to take my statement and examine my injuries. In the end, I had a fractured arm and multiple bruises all over my body. Due to the video evidence, Elodie was quickly taken away for bullying and intentional injury.

"You can't arrest me, I'm a minor. I'll wait for my parents to come," Elodie sat stubbornly at her desk, refusing to get up.

"Elodie, according to Pheah's Criminal Law Article 17, anyone who has reached the age of sixteen and commits a crime shall bear criminal responsibility. Minors between sixteen and eighteen years old who commit intentional injury are generally sentenced to less than three years of fixed-term imprisonment, criminal detention, or control. If the intentional injury causes serious harm, the sentence is between three and ten years of fixed-term imprisonment."

"You are already sixteen and have committed the crime of intentional injury. Rest assured, it is not particularly severe at the moment. When sentencing, the court should give a lighter or mitigated punishment for minors under eighteen. It will be less than three years."