Chapter 176
Thirty minutes before Cheng Yue sent the message, the Cheng family was having dinner.
At the dinner table, her parents, as always, took good care of her younger sister, Cheng Xingxing, constantly serving her food.
"Xingxing, eat more carrots. These carrots are especially fresh and juicy today."
"Is it strange to stir-fry green peppers like this? If you don't like it, I won't let Auntie do it this way next time."
“I watched the dessert video you shared with me last time. The recipe didn’t seem difficult. I just didn’t have some ingredients at home, but I’ve already bought them and I’ll make it as soon as I get them.”
"Grandma Liu's cat had kittens, five of them, they look like little mice. You can go see them after you finish your homework."
...
Their conversations were mostly trivial and unimportant, jumping from topic to topic, from sharing short videos to talking about Grandma Liu upstairs and the elementary school students downstairs.
Just some everyday odds and ends.
But Cheng Yue couldn't get a word in edgewise.
She doesn't like eating carrots, doesn't watch short videos, isn't familiar with Grandma Liu upstairs, and doesn't talk about these everyday things with her parents.
She simply lowered her head in silence, ate her meal quietly, and played the role of an invisible person among the family of four.
When they were almost finished eating, her mother seemed to belatedly realize her presence. She paused in her speech, picked up a slice of carrot with her chopsticks, and put it in her bowl.
"Cheng Yue, you should eat more too. You must be working hard on your studies lately."
Cheng Yue looked at the carrot in silence for a moment, then naturally ate it and replied, "It's okay."
“It’s okay, but that won’t do.” Her father put down his chopsticks and interjected with a lecture, “Your total score dropped last time, so you have to work harder this time. You’re already in the first year of high school, and the college entrance exam is just around the corner. You absolutely cannot let your grades slip.”
Her mother also remembered this: "What's your homeroom teacher's last name again? Isn't it Hu? Should we treat him to a meal and ask him to put some effort into it?"
Cheng Yue opened her mouth, wanting to explain that the last exam was difficult, and although her total score was lower, her ranking improved instead of declining. She also wanted to say that her homeroom teacher's surname was not Hu and that he disliked parents giving gifts and treats. But when she looked up and saw her younger sister Cheng Xingxing scrolling through her phone across from her, she suddenly stopped.
Yes, her homeroom teacher's surname isn't Hu, but Cheng Xingxing's homeroom teacher's surname is Hu.
She also noticed the duckbill clip in Cheng Xingxing's hair—a recent trendy item that her mother had bought a few days ago.
Cheng Xingxing saw it on a video and liked it a lot, so her mother bought it for her.
Cheng Yue also has one.
Her parents have always been very fair in this regard.
If I bought it for Cheng Xingxing, I'll naturally buy it for her too.
From large items like transportation and electronic products to small items like necklaces, bracelets, and earrings, Cheng Yue was never left out.
They never asked Cheng Yue whether she liked it or not.
They seemed to assume that whatever Cheng Xingxing liked, Cheng Yue would definitely like too.
It appears to be fair treatment, but in reality it's a buy-one-get-one-free deal.
Everything Cheng Yue received seemed like a promotional bonus; she only got it because Cheng Xingxing wanted it.
For example, carrots, care, hair clips, and... parental love.
Cheng Yue swallowed what she wanted to say along with the chewed carrot.
"No need," she said as calmly as possible. "Our homeroom teacher doesn't like these things, so I'll do better next time."
After finishing her meal, she returned to her room and, as she closed the door, she overheard a family of three chatting on the sofa through the crack in the door.
The housekeeper chimed in with a beaming smile, "Who wouldn't love our Xingxing? Xingxing's been feeling much better lately."
The door closed, and the sweet laughter was shut out into another world.
Cheng Yue sat at her desk in a daze for a while.
Yes, who wouldn't like Cheng Xingxing?
She was beautiful, gentle, sweet-talking, generous, and adorable. She always greeted people with a smile, and even towards Cheng Yue, the culprit who had caused her to be sickly since childhood, she never harbored any resentment and was even silently considerate.
Cheng Yue thought that she couldn't blame anyone; no one was at fault.
If I had to find someone who made a mistake, it would have to be myself.
Her mistake was that, as one of the twins, she absorbed most of Cheng Xingxing's nutrients, causing her to be healthy while Cheng Xingxing was weak.
Her mistake was being immature when she was young. She hated that Cheng Xingxing was favored, so she didn't play with Cheng Xingxing and left Cheng Xingxing all alone.
Her mistake was becoming more and more silent as she grew older, not liking to talk to people, and always having a "dead face".
Her mistake was being dissatisfied with the status quo and always wanting more.
But her biggest mistake was being born into this world inexplicably.
Just like Cheng Xingxing's friends said, she was a jinx. If she hadn't been born, Cheng Xingxing would definitely be healthy, and the Cheng family would be living a perfect and happy life now.
But……
Who was born voluntarily?
Did anyone ask for her opinion before she came into this world?
Cheng Yue sat in the chair for a long time without moving.
The phone screen in front of her flashed, and she looked at it slowly.
The meaning of gitanjali: [The streamer you follow, Gengsheng, has started broadcasting again.]
The meaning of gitanjali: 【Sister Cheng, come quick!】
It's news about Wang Linyan.
Cheng Yue pursed her lips as she thought of the fortune-telling livestreamer he mentioned.
What's there to calculate about her?
It's just a boring life that you can see the end from the beginning.
That's what she thought, but seeing Wang Linyan jumping around urging her again, Cheng Yue still clicked on the live stream link as if possessed.
Upon hearing the meaning behind the selected account nickname "gitanjali," Cheng Yue knew it was Wang Linyan.
When Cheng Yue saw Wang Linyan take out her photo, it was exactly what she expected.
But after hearing Qin Su say that she should have died young, Cheng Yue was stunned, and then suddenly started downloading a live streaming app and registering an account.
Qin Su wanted to play online with her, and she couldn't wait because she also had questions to ask.
...
Once the connection was established, Cheng Yue's face became clear.
Qin Su looked her over and found that she was thinner than in the photo.
But seeing the real person confirmed Qin Su's earlier suspicions: "Do you know that your life has been switched?"
Just then, Cheng Yue asked, "Why am I not dead yet?"
The two sentences collided, causing chaos in the live stream room before freezing in place.
【？？？】
[Is this pretty girl playing online a bit self-destructive? Who asks why they're still alive?]
What did I hear? A life-for-life exchange?
[I don't think I heard those two sentences clearly. Did the host say that this young lady's life was swapped?]
[This is incredible! Damn, I need to call my girlfriends to come and see!]
Cheng Yue was stunned for a full minute before she came to her senses. She pointed at herself and said incredulously, "Me?"
Qin Su nodded.
Cheng Yue didn't even know what she was saying. She tried to sort out her thoughts: "Do you mean that the reason I'm still alive is because my life was swapped?"
Qin Su said, "It seems you know nothing at all."
For some reason, Cheng Yue vaguely felt that something was off about those words.
She pressed further, "Is there anything I should know?"
Qin Su: "Since you don't know, why did you ask me to be considered your sister?"
Cheng Yue felt as if she had been hit with a hammer, her head buzzing.
She didn't ask Qin Su how she could tell Cheng Xingxing was her sister, nor did she ask Qin Su how she knew it was her who wanted to calculate it.
She felt a chill run down her spine at the meaning behind Qin Su's words.
My understanding of life over the past decade or so seems about to be completely overturned in the next second.
Cheng Yue moved her lips several times before she heard her own hoarse voice.
"What's the meaning?"
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