On the day that his younger brother Lin Zhe married the goddess with whom he had been engaged, Lin An died in the swimming pool of the Lin family villa.
Lin An's soul left his body and arrived at their wedding.
The wedding banquet was held at a suburban estate, surrounded by flowers and filled with distinguished guests, a truly luxurious affair. It was clear that the Lin family had spent a fortune on Lin Zhe's wedding.
Amidst laughter and joy, Lin An saw Jiang Mian, whom he had admired for many years, in a dreamy and beautiful white wedding dress. Lin Zhe placed a diamond ring the size of a pigeon egg on her finger, and the woman's face was filled with happiness.
Their biological parents and five older sisters went on stage one by one to offer their blessings to the newlyweds. Overwhelmed with emotion, the sisters shed tears.
The photographer was taking pictures of them, and everyone was immersed in happiness until the second sister received a call from the police station.
The second sister looked impatient: "I know, our whole family is very busy right now. We'll deal with it when we're done." She then hung up the phone.
"Sis, whose phone was that?"
Lin Zhe asked with a smile.
"Nobody's here, just a sales call. Photographer, come on, let's take another family photo."
The second sister put on a cheerful expression. In order not to affect the wedding atmosphere, she chose to hide Lin An's death from the whole family, without even wondering how he, who grew up by the sea, could have drowned in the swimming pool.
The whole family knew that Lin An had a habit of swimming to exercise. He would drink a can of electrolyte drink before swimming to maintain his strength. Today, Lin Zhe had prepared that can of drink for him. After swimming for a few minutes, his limbs became unresponsive, and he lost consciousness...
Lin An watched Lin Zhe taking pictures surrounded by his family and went crazy, wanting to pounce on him and strangle him. He tried to get past everyone but couldn't even touch a single hair on Lin Zhe's head. He could only stand by his side and follow him until more than ten years later when his energy was exhausted and he slowly dissipated.
In a daze, a noisy commotion came from nearby.
"Lin An, you've completely disgraced the Lin family. The parents' committee has already called. Are you still trying to deny it?"
"Mom! He cheated on the exam, and all the classmates know. I'm so embarrassed. How can I go to school now?"
Lin An felt dizzy and opened his eyes to see those familiar faces.
"Lin An, tell Mom honestly, did you cheat?"
A dignified and elegant woman stared at Lin An, her eyes blazing with anger. This middle-aged woman was Zhang Wanru, his biological mother, a cool and beautiful socialite.
What happened to him? Was he reborn? Lin An was very familiar with this scene; it was after he took his first final exam six months after arriving at the Lin family.
"Lin An, I really don't know why your parents brought you back. You steal things from home, cheat on exams, and bully your younger brother. As long as you're home, the Lin family will never have peace."
The woman speaking was his second sister, Lin Rou, who was eight years older than him. She doted on her adopted son, Lin Zhe, and was the owner of a popular coffee shop. She was hostile towards Lin An and would scold him whenever she had the chance.
"Second sister, please stop talking about brother. Brother, just admit it. Mom, Dad, and your sisters won't blame you. Don't make them sad anymore."
It was Lin Zhe who spoke. Lin An glanced at him and admired him in his heart; his acting skills were still as good as ever.
"Xiao Zhe, you're just too sensible. Do you know that he cheated to get first place in math and qualified for the math Olympiad? That spot should have been yours."
Lin Xia, the third sister, also joined Lin Zhe in denouncing Lin An. She was a white-collar worker and had always been indifferent to her younger brother.
In his previous life, his family questioned how he could achieve top grades in his grade when he ranked at the bottom of the midterm exams. Lin An repeatedly explained that he hadn't cheated, that he was unwell during the midterms, and that this result reflected his true ability. However, his mother and sisters severely reprimanded him, forbidding him from lying. This Olympiad qualification was crucial for Lin Zhe; a good ranking would guarantee him admission to Tsinghua or Peking University. They threatened him that he had to give up his spot or be kicked out of the Lin family.
To stay in this family, Lin An obediently gave up his spot in the competition. He used to think that he wasn't good enough and tried his best to please them. He believed that as long as he became excellent, he would change their minds. He studied hard to prove himself and was suspected of cheating. He volunteered to do housework and was falsely accused of stealing. He wanted to join the company to help his father, but was seen as having ulterior motives. In fact, it was all in vain.
In this life, he wants to live a different way.
Lin Haoran, who had been silent all along, said in a deep voice, "Lin An, quickly call the homeroom teacher and tell him that you need to give up your competition spot to Lin Zhe."
Hearing his own father utter insulting words, Lin An, reborn into this life, remained calm and composed: "Impossible. I didn't cheat at all. I earned my grades through my own hard work."
Lin Haoran hadn't expected him to refuse so directly:
"Whatever your attitude is, you'll do whatever I tell you to do. Competitions are not like final exams; the exam hall will be much stricter. You won't have a chance to cheat again; you'll just be wasting your competition spot."
What evidence do you have to conclude that I cheated?
"What evidence do you need? What could you possibly have learned from studying in a rural school?"
Lin An was completely disheartened. It turned out that his biological father's distrust of him didn't need a reason. He looked down on Lin An's upbringing in a rural orphanage for more than ten years, while Lin Zhe was the heir carefully cultivated by Lin's parents for more than ten years, and was worlds apart from him.
"Lin An, stop being so stubborn. Do you want to be kicked out of the Lin family? If you keep going like this, I can't plead for you!" the eldest sister, Lin Wan, advised.
"I said it's impossible, what's mine is mine!" Lin An uttered each word clearly and firmly.
"What?" Lin Haoran's voice trembled. This son, who was always submissive and obedient in his eyes, actually dared to talk back to him today.
With a sharp "slap," a slap landed on Lin An's face.
He stumbled and fell heavily onto the dining table, hitting his head on the corner, from which blood seeped out.
Lin Haoran's angry voice rang out: "Shut up! Who taught you to be so disrespectful? Who taught you to talk back like that?"
The family watched as he staggered to his feet, his eyes showing no fear. What was wrong with him this time?
Having died once, what is there to fear? "I'll treat you the way you talk to me."
"Lin An, you can't be so ill-mannered!" Zhang Wanru tried to stop him.
Lin An felt a warmth on his head, and when he reached out to touch it, he found his hand covered in bright red blood.
The eldest sister, Lin Wan, the second sister, Lin Rou, and the third sister, Lin Xia, were shocked to see the blood on his hands. They hadn't expected their father to be so violent.
Lin Haoran was stunned, not expecting that he had actually made him bleed.
Seeing this, Lin Zhe shouted, "Butler Li, prepare the car and take my brother to the hospital."
"Stop pretending to be kind." After saying this, Lin An didn't want to look at them again and turned to go back to his room.
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