Tian-Tian, Tia's childhood nickname had a hard time growing up.
Her mom, who like her was blessed with beauty that can launch a thousand ship (¹) was being envied and resented by their female neighbors.
They are so jealous and insecure that they started to spread rumors about her being a love child and her mom as a mistress who went to D City to hide from her lover's wife.
Althea Zhang just shrugged off those rumors and didn't even bother to explain herself.
Afterall, she strongly believed that first impression last.
And no matter what she do, she knows that her effort to clear her name will be futile so she just let them be.
She didn't realize that those uncleared rumors have also affected her daughter.
The kids at the park were being warned by their moms to stay away from Tia.
They avoided her like a plague. Afraid that if their kids got close to her, her mom might use them to seduce their husbands.
Tia grew up being ostracised and shunned not just in the playground but also in school.
She had a rough childhood and would only play by herself.
Hence she discovered the secret room in the old warehouse when she was just a kid.
Her only companion is the rag doll her dad had given her. It was only during high school that she had found a friend.
Her one and only best friend TP. She was just a first year when she noticed a new comer that was being bullied by her senpai (²)
She realized that it was her new neighbor TP. She also had a single mom and also rented a place at the singles bay.
She helped TP settle the bullies and ended they up being caught by the teachers.
After that, they had become good friends. They see each other as comrades who were both being snubbed by their peers.
Before Tia graduated from high school, her mom was diagnosed with a stage 4 lung cancer.
Her mother's only wish was for her to continue studying and live a happy life.
And so she decided to pursue her studies and even graduated as the top student in their batch.
Right after she graduated from high school, her mom passed away.
Leaving her Grandma Lin and brother Andy acting as her guardian up until she moved to S City and studied at the University.
She had learned a lesson from her previous ordeal being outcasted by people, so she pretended to be a role model so everyone will accept her.
It was only with TP that she can show her brute foul mouthed heavy drinker perverted self.
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(1) a beauty that can launch a thousand ship - It is used to say someone is extremely beautiful.
(2) senpai - japanese; upperclassman