Chapter 1: Dead and Rebirth

"Ever watched 'Love and Death'?

The current situation of Maureen is somewhat similar to that of the real heiress who is the antagonist in the novel.

After the heiress was lost in the countryside, it took a whole year to find her.

However, when she came back, she found out that a more lively, naive, and cute girl had fully taken her place in the family during these fifteen years.

The only difference may be that I am even more foolish," Maureen thought resentfully.

These past two years, Maureen had tried really hard to please this family, always remembering everyone's birthdays and personal preferences.

She carefully massaged her mother's shoulder, but her mother got up uncomfortably and walked upstairs, saying,

"You don't have to do this."

Once, when they all went out for dinner at a restaurant, a waitress accidentally tipped over the soup bowl.

Seeing that the soup was going to splash on her eldest brother Oliver, she quickly moved in to block it.

However, by the time she got back to her senses, the whole family had rushed to the hospital with Bianca, who had gotten a tiny burn spot on his thigh.

When she was left stunned and belatedly discovered a small burn mark on her own face, the family was nowhere to be seen.

The next day, only her sixteen-year-old brother Smith Chris noticed.

Maureen thought that at least her younger brother Smith Chris treated her equally.

But half a month ago, there was a chemistry competition which only accepted one participant from each family.

When Smith Chris found out that Bianca wanted to go, he sneaked away with Maureen's application form.

Maureen lost her qualification to the chemistry competition and obtained a small scar on her cheek that made her wear a face mask for the whole year.

When Bianca got an allergic reaction after mistakenly eating peanut butter at her friend's ice cream shop, the whole family assumed that she had deliberately harmed Bianca.

Even her explanations didn't convince them. All these, they were no problem.

She was okay.

She wasn't even that angry.

After all, she had a tough personality and never swallowed her words.

She had given the entire family a piece of her mind when they upset her.

Anyway, her textbooks used to say that continuous water drops could wear down even the hardest stones, and she believed that if she kept trying for a few more years, she'd eventually make it.

But she was wrong.

Just when it seemed like her family was finally starting to accept her.

She died at the age of twenty-three from advanced brain cancer. Is this a joke to them?

How is this different from reaching the final level in a grueling game, only for it to crash?

It wasn't until after her death that Maureen realized she was living in a tragedy.

She was nothing more than a supporting character in a book.

Summing up the life of supporting character Smith Maureen, the description was:

"Since childhood, she lived in a rundown small town in the north.

At the age of 15, she was brought back by the Smith family.

After that, she went all out trying to snatch the Smith family from the female protagonist, Bianca, due to envy.

After knowing Bianca and Oliver's secret feelings for each other, she went even farther and meddled in their relationship...

Finally, she died of cancer and was forgiven by everyone after her death."

What? "Snatch"??? Wait a minute, wasn't this family her own in the first place?

So her actions in her past life were all defined as "snatching" from the female protagonist, Bianca, by this book?

On what basis? Just because Bianca is heaven's favored child, a fragile and innocent little lily, and woman of destiny?

And Bianca even had a fling with her older brother Oliver?

Maureen's expression was like 'grandfather-looking-at-cellphone.jpg.'

She didn't know if it was because of her strange way of dying, but after her brief 23-year-life as a tool, Maureen surprisingly returned to her seventeen-year-old self.

This time, she has gained a [Support System for the Female Supporting Character]. System:

"Your role is set as a villain destined for a tragic end, so your luck quota is definitely negative.

Walking could lead to getting hit by a car, drinking cold water could lead to a toothache, and any illness you get will undoubtedly be incurable.

But what if you could quietly turn yourself into a protagonist?" Maureen stared blankly,

"What do you mean?" System:

"I mean you should try to rub off some luck from others.

You won't be able to get any luck from the male and female leads, Bianca and Oliver, but you could siphon off some from secondary characters with high popularity.

Over time, your incurable disease might even be cured under the influence of good luck."

Maureen slapped her thigh,

"I get it! You're suggesting I should make friends with popular characters, right?"

In every book, besides the male and female leads, there are also some characters who don't appear frequently, yet have very stylish and attractive character settings.

If the readers like these characters, she could frequently show up around them, be in the spotlight, do some good deeds and get the chance to siphon off some luck.

The system was very pleased, "

That's why I picked you, a poverty-stricken supporting female character, because you got it in one shot!"

Who doesn't want to live a good life?

Even if she lived a confused and silly life in her previous one, now that she has the opportunity to start over, Maureen will seize it!

Especially after suffering from the taste of withering due to an incurable disease, she doesn't want to experience it again.

"And after you've garnered some luck," the system continued,

"The scars on your face should heal quickly."

Maureen touched her left cheek and her eyes sparkled.

The burn marks are on her face, and in order to avoid scars, the doctor recommended she use sun protection all year round until the skin has completely recovered.

This had resulted in her wearing a mask for a whole year, hiding her originally beautiful face.

The system gave Maureen a list titled "People Whose Luck Can Be Siphoned".

She glanced over it, finding a good number of names listed.

However, it seems that only the first few have higher return rates, namely Liam, the direct grandson of the century-old financial group Williams family, the second grandson Mr. Williams, along with the famous Drake of the Brown family.

These three were well-known to Maureen, they were all notable figures at school.

After them were the top students ('nerds') and handsome guys from each grade.

The class president of Maureen's Senior III class 6, a bit of a simpleton, was also on the list!

Maureen was immediately elated, as she was quite close to the class president from her class! However...

The class president was ranked at 108th place, and the fortune return rate written in parentheses next to his name was only 0.000001% - what's the difference between being on the list and not being on the list??? Everything before Maureen's eyes turned black.

Holding the life-saving list in her hand, Maureen stood up to get a cup of water to calm her shock and said,

"I think I need to have a medical check-up as soon as possible."

In her previous life, she died at the age of twenty-three.

Now she's only seventeen.

What if she doesn't have cancer yet, or is still in the early stages of cancer?

There's still hope to survive, right?

"No need." the system said,

"In the end, your death from a terminal illness is not a physical problem, but the fortune problem of you being a villain.

Even if you go to the hospital for an examination and treat it in advance, if your fortune value doesn't change, you'll still die when it's time.

What's the difference between dying from a car accident and dying from cancer?"

Upon hearing the system's words, deep sadness welled up in Maureen, and she burst into tears.

So, her only way out is this list before her eyes.

With a return rate of 6%, Liam, who tops the list and outdoes everyone else, is said to be extremely difficult to deal with, being flamboyant, domineering, and acting recklessly, like an aloof high school genius in other stories.

Even so, spurred by his status as the heir apparent of the Williams family, everyone desperately flocked to his side.

It was just very difficult to even get a word in with him. Recognising the difficulty, Maureen's gaze moved down the list.

Williams Demon is currently studying abroad, and there are no signs of him returning.

As for this Drake – she seemed to recall he is a decent guy. She even saw him giving a gentle and polite speech last semester.

He should be the easiest one to befriend. However, how come the return rate for the two of them is only 2% each?!!

This is so embarrassing! Oh well, even a mosquito's leg is meat no matter how small it is.

Maureen decided not to set a target for now, she would go for whichever Good luck big shot she could catch.

"Weren't your scores from last week ranked in the top three of the entire grade?

According to your school's rules, the top five can freely transfer classes, right?"

Maureen cooperated very well:

"You mean I should first transfer to the international class that's filled with the children of nobility?"

The system responded,

"Yes, being in the same class as these people will rub off some Good luck on you.

Although it's not much, it's better than none."

The high school section of A Middle School where Maureen studies has not only regular classes, but also international classes, evergreen classes, and gold medal classes.

The latter two classes are self-explanatory, they are classes for students with excellent academic performance and for those who participate in national competitions.

The international class, on the other hand, is where the heirs of renowned families who have no academic skills gather.

In her past life, Maureen also reached this node and transferred from a regular class to the gold medal class.

One very important reason for this was that Richard, who was engaged to her when they were children, was in the gold medal class.

In her past life, she was a bit shameless, she indeed really liked Richard.

After all, Richard was handsome, talented but a bit cold in character.

And Richard treated her and Bianca equally - of course, he was aloof and arrogant to both of them.

But this still attracted Maureen.

However, she didn't manage to pursue him in the end, and it just faded away.

Maureen couldn't be bothered to think about these things anymore, and her life was the most urgent matter at hand.

She was already once dead, did family or Richard even matter anymore? "

Alright, I'll apply now.

I should be able to report to the international class tomorrow."

Maureen had a very strong ability to take action, she immediately went to her desk, turned on her computer, slightly modified the already filled out information, changed the gold class to the international class, and sent it to the Headmaster's email.

After finishing this task, she opened her suitcase and spread it out on the floor, starting to pack her clothes one by one.

From outside the door, urgent knocks sounded, it was Smith Chris's lowered voice saying,

"Sister Maureen, Bianca was discharged from the hospital and just got home.

What are you doing hiding in your room?

While the whole family is downstairs, you should apologize to Sister Bianca.

Let's forget about the allergy incident!"

A few days ago, there was a huge commotion in the house.

Bianca had an allergic reaction to peanut butter in one of Josephine's chain stores.

Josephine was Maureen's friend, so the family thought Maureen was responsible.

Maureen was so angry that she went to Josephine's store and started to look at the surveillance tapes one by one, but it wasn't that simple.

Despite being red-eyed from exhaustion, she was unable to prove her innocence. Maureen found it stupid.

How do you even prove that you didn't do something?

In her previous life, did she care so much about what her family thought of her?

Was she really that desperately worried about them disliking her?

In the end, this all was like tying herself up.

Maureen zipped up her suitcase and opened the door.

Smith Chris almost fell inside, he was about to persuade her again, but his face immediately turned sour when he saw Maureen's suitcase:

" Maureen, are you going to play this trick again?

Are you running away from home or going to live in school?

Won't you obediently come back in a few days? Is all this fuss worth it over such a trivial matter?"

"Is this a trivial matter?"

Maureen's face turned icy cold, and the wheels of her suitcase almost rolled over Chris's foot.

"Move aside!" Chris promptly stepped back, looking at Maureen's expression, he blanked out for a moment.

Whether the members of the household either disliked Maureen or were distant toward her.

When Maureen first came to the house, he was only fourteen years old, hence his relationship with Maureen was arguably the best.

After two years of living together, he had never seen Maureen treat him with a cold, knife-like attitude, demonstrating a desire to sever ties — Maureen had always been slightly ingratiating toward him and the other members of the household.

Chris didn't really think too much about it for a moment. He, too, was becoming agitated. "Isn't this a minor matter?

Even if Bianca's allergy has nothing to do with you - I believe you, isn't that good enough?

But Bianca just came out of the hospital, would it kill you to say something comforting?

You are always so stubborn, which is why no one in our family gets along with you!"

"If you can't get along, then don't bother."

Chris froze in place, he watched Maureen's retreating figure in disbelief.

Maureen's words were devoid of any emotion, merely a straightforward statement.

Moreover, her eyes did not redden, nor did she spare him another glance, surprisingly it did not seem like a spat out of anger as it used to be.

Chris had an inexplicable feeling of dread welling up in his heart for some reason. He continued to follow her.

Seeing Maureen dragging her suitcases downstairs, the faces of the family who had just picked up Bianca from the hospital dropped.

Mr. Smith and younger brother, Mike, were still at the company.

Mrs. Smith, supporting the just-discharged Bianca, took a seat on the sofa and annoyed, glanced at Maureen,

"What are you up to again?

Can't you just stay put for a few days?"

Other than Maureen and Bianca, there are eight people in the Smith family.

Mr. Smith is completely focused on his career, seldom paying attention to domestic affairs. Mike was a minor actor in the entertainment circle with 18 lines to his name.

He's always been critical of Maureen, either mocking her or outright ignoring her.

Fortunately, he is on the road most of the time, barely spending any days at home within a year.

The ones who spend most of their time at home, apart from youngest brother Chris and their mother, and it is Oliver, who runs a company.

Despite being the lead male, his outstanding abstinence personality strikes a gentle character.

But, when Maureen learned from the system that he would develop a romantic line with Bianca, Maureen could no longer face him comfortably.

Their mother has never been particularly fond of Maureen, and Maureen couldn't care less.

She walked directly towards Oliver, pulled out two pieces of paper, and handed them to him, saying,

"Help me sign these." Oliver, was somewhat troubled,

"Maureen, don't be unreasonable.

This time—" Maureen interrupted him, "

Just sign them.

I'm going to board at school."

Her eyes were clearly black and white, calm and indifferent, unlike her usual fussiness.

Oliver keenly noticed that something was off with Maureen today, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"Just sign it!"

Their mother snarled furiously, "She creates a ruckus daily, let her go to the boarding school.

We've compensated for everything we could have, what more does she want?"

Oliver was a tolerant person and he'd never blamed Maureen.

He thought Maureen was just a child who refused to grow up, her rebellions were just her desperate attempts to snatch attention from Bianca.

However, humans are emotional beings and they all have had a seventeen-year emotional bond with Bianca, a connection that no one can take away.

Perhaps it's time for Maureen to experience some hardships at boarding school.

After a while, she might come to her senses and obediently come back.

If she stopped competing with Bianca, Oliver would be able to treat her as his dear younger sister.

Oliver absent-mindedly signed the papers. One was for an application for boarding school, and the other was a request for a class transfer.

He had long heard from Bianca that Maureen was always following around that Richard family boy at school, as if she wanted to transfer to his class.

After waiting for him to sign, Maureen promptly snatched the document away, turned around with her luggage, and walked out of the Smith family's front door.

The September air was a little chilly, but what she saw was a world of golden warmth.

Maureen took a gentle breath, put on a mask reflecting it was a time for her to change her destiny.

She would no longer waste her time pleasing this family.

Everything could still be changed in time. Mrs. Smith glanced at her and felt a headache coming from her audacity, "

Just you wait, that ungrateful girl will come crying back in a few days."

Oliver capped his pen, feeling something odd and asked Bianca,

"Didn't you mention Maureen intended to apply for the elite class?"

"Yes, big brother," Bianca, who had been quiet all along, propped her head up from her mother's hug.

"Maureen has always been following Richard.

Rumors at school aren't flattering... Richard hasn't visited us recently, presumably wanting some peace."

"But why did she write that she wanted to transfer to the international class on her application?"

Both Bianca and Chris were taken aback and said incredulously,

"That's impossible."

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