Three months later. The last day of November.
" Happy birthday, Ying Yue!" Xua Yenay came back home earlier than usual in her hands was a small chocolate cake with a single strawberry on top of it. With her lips curled in a smile and her ageing face looking slightly older than it was, Xua Yenay took off her shoes and then walked inside the house. " Look at this Ying Yue, the cakes were on sale today and your sister brought one for you, are you happy?"
Xua Yenay did not know what was going on with her sister, in the past, her sister was not that talkative but she still smiled and her eyes would brighten up at the smallest happiness, but these days she hardly smiled in fact it was better to say that she did not even say another extra word.
As her elder sister, Xua Yenay had asked Xua Ying Yue whether she was getting bullied but the latter always replied that she was just tired because the year coming to an end and had a lot to study for the exam and that was making her anxious.
Though Xua Yenay was confused by her sister's response she did not pry further, Xua Ying Yue was turning seventeen —— having a secret or two as a teenager was normal for her.
Xua Yenay placed the cake on the small heating table in the middle of their room and then said with a smile while looking at Xua Ying Yue who was for some reason studying a crime thriller book, " Ying Yue, today is the day when the result of the competition that you took part in will come out right? I am sure you will win the spot!"
As Xua Yenay continued to speak, Xua Ying Yue raised her head and looked at her sister. She knew that she was making her sister worried about her by acting like this but the truth was that no matter how much she tried to return to her past self..she couldn't—— Xua Ying Yue knew that she was losing herself but for the sake of giving her sister a good life and not go down a path for where she could not return, Xua Ying Yue has controlled her intrusive thoughts that popped in her head sometimes.
" Come on hurry up, make a wish and ask for the first prize," Xua Yenay pushed the cake in front of Xua Ying Yue with a wide smile on her face. " Maybe mom and dad will hear your prayers in the heavens and bless you with a wonderful opportunity."
Xua Ying Yue wanted to tell her sister that her wish does not come true, she has been praying that she will not be bullied in school every day but not once did her wish came true. But under her sister's excited glance, she could only lower her head and blow on the candle, making a wish silently just as Xua Yenay said, maybe there might be a god in this world.
...
The next morning however, Xua Ying Yue realised that there was no God in this cruel world, she looked at the hall of fame board in the lobby of the school and felt as if someone has ripped her heart out and stomped on it.
The story that won was the same, and the words were the same as well but the winner was not her —— it was Lu Biya.
" I did not know that the princess of the Lu corporates was this talented, I read her piece and it was so good, that I asked her to tell me the rest of the story, I really want to know what happened to Jiang Yu!"
" I know right, she is beautiful and kind along with being super rich —— and she is a genius as well! God really made her with all his heart."
Xua Ying Yue heard the chattering of the people around her but she could not understand a word, they were saying and before she knew it, she was pushing past the crowd making many students wince as she stomped on their feet.
" Hey! Watch where you are going!"
Some students tried to shove Xua Ying Yue down but the latter did not care instead she turned and went straight to the dean's office where he was praising Lu Biya for her great job.
" You cannot go inside!" The receptionist who sat outside the office of the dean tried to stop her but Xua Ying Yue was not in a condition to listen to her, she pushed the door open and barged right inside.
The dean of the school was a fairly good-looking woman, even though she was in her thirties she looked like she was in her twenties. But Xua Ying Yue knew that the Dean's heart wasn't half as beautiful as her face.
"What are you doing?" Huang Xin raised her voice as her smile dropped when she saw that a student barged inside her office. " Who let you come inside?"
The receptionist who was chasing after Xua Ying Yue was very flustered when she heard Huang Xin's voice, she lowered her head and bowed in front of Mrs Huang as she apologised, " I am sorry, dean …I was trying to stop her but——-"
" That work that won the prize is mine, then why is it that she won?" The receptionist was still speaking when Xua Ying Yue suddenly exploded. She has been withstanding the unfair actions all this time but this was what crossed her bottom line, she might be poor but she was a human as well —— she had a bottom line as well!
"What nonsense?" Huang Xin's eyes flickered slightly as she looked at Lu Biya who was watching Xua Ying Yue like she was watching a show. " Just because you are jealous of Miss Lu, you should not make such claims——"
" I was the one who wrote that story!" Xua Ying Yue shouted, she could see that Huang Xin has no desire to help her, in fact, she was siding with Lu Biya, maybe they were the ones who changed her submission to Lu Biya. " If I can write it then I can make a better version of that story as well, if I don't receive the justice that I deserve then I will post all the volumes online! This prize was mine! And you cannot steal it from me——"
Xua Ying Yue was still speaking when Huang Xin walked forward and slapped her right across her face. " Shut up you tramp before I pull that vicious tongue of yours? Do you want to drag the reputation of my school? Mine? Are you even worthy?"