Chapter 1
The more I ate, the richer my dad became.
The uglier I grew, the prettier my mom got.
The lower my IQ, the smarter my sister became.
By the time I was thirteen, I was 250 pounds and hideous. Meanwhile, Dad was the richest man in the city, Mom was a famous actress, and my sister was the top scorer.
Eventually, I was exposed to the public, bullied online and off, and branded the family disgrace.
Then one day, at my sister’s suggestion, my parents dumped me in the countryside.
*****
Every swing of my hoe cost Dad a business deal.
Every drop of sweat aged Mom a year.
Every word I learned tanked my sister’s grades.
And when I finally came back—slim, gorgeous, and a top scorer myself—my parents and sister realized I’d been bound to a system all along.
They begged me to sacrifice myself again.
I smiled and said, “You only get to bind with the system once in your life. I can’t help you—but the three of you can still bind to it. So… who’s it gonna be?”
They exchanged looks, their eyes gleaming with greed.
*****
A video of the guys from my class beating me up on the street exploded on social media, instantly hitting the trending topics.
Soon enough, people started digging and exposed that my mom was a movie star, my dad was the city's richest man, and my sister was the top scorer in school.
One of my bullies even went online and bragged, [Yeah, I told the others to beat up Leona. So what? She's gross—fat, ugly, and stupid. Moreover, she reeks.]
Right after that, my classmates jumped in too, all rushing to defend my bullies.
[Leona's family is rolling in cash, but she goes around stealing stuff.]
[All she ever does is stuff her face and sleep. She's just like a pig. And don't even ask about grades—she's dead last every single time.]
[I have to sit next to her, and her body spills onto my seat. And the craziest part? She likes to strut around in crop tops.]
Just like that, the hate started pouring in—one savage comment after another flooded beneath the video.
[She's so ugly, she deserves being beaten up.]
[She's so fat that one's hand would get sore just from hitting her.]
[That's nasty. Use a tool next time. Don't dirty your hands on her.]
Trying to dodge the fallout and save their reputation, my family didn't waste a second—they fired up a livestream, desperate to do damage control.
Dad put on his sorrowful act, shaking his head. "Honestly, we're out of options. That's just how Leona is."
Mom sobbed, "I gave her everything—the best food, clothes, everything. But she doesn't care about them. All the tutors I hired ran away because of how impossible she is.
"I sent her to the gym, and the coaches said the same. Trust me, I don't want to give up on her at all."
My sister, Mariam Frye, looked troubled. "I taught her to be thoughtful, and not to take everyone around her for granted. Life's tough for everyone.
"But does she listen? Nope. I told her to study hard but got ignored too. With her, it's always about food, games, whatever. She's just thirteen, but she spends 15 thousand dollars a month on food."
Confined to a hospital bed, I watched the TV in silence.
Hearing my family's accusations streamed live, I broke down in tears.
I only wore crop tops because nobody ever bothered to buy me proper clothes.
For thirteen years, I survived on nothing but my mom's and sister's old hand-me-downs.
I reeked because I was forced to live in a cramped, damp storage basement.
Mariam, on the other hand, got her own bright and beautiful princess bedroom. I never had anything even close.
As for that so-called 15 thousand dollars a month for food? That was just all the nearly spoiled or expired stuff my parents and sister wouldn't touch—whatever was on its last legs, they forced on me.
Tutors? Gym coaches? I never so much as glimpsed one in my whole life.
I traded with the system just so my family could be rich, gorgeous, and smart, sacrificing my health, beauty, and intelligence.
But all I got was my family's disgust and mocking looks.
Even my bullies knew no one would ever stand up for me.
They laughed at my misery, and listened to my cries.
They waited to see me beg for their mercy.
Tears streamed down my face.
A comment echoed in my ears, having shown up on every comment thread. [She's so disgusting. Why even bother living? She should just die.]
Yeah, maybe I should just die.
Being alive only ever brought me pain.
Under the pressure from the online mob, the bullies got off scot-free.
Meanwhile, I was labelled as a born "troublemaker".
My family were able to absolve themselves of the responsibility of raising me this way.
Soon, they sent me off to the country to reform.