Chapter 2

"We're going out to eat later, right? Joyce is kind. I can't keep taking advantage of her. Lucas, you pulled me out here so quickly. What, you're afraid I'll treat everyone? Don't be such a cheapskate. Today's my treat!"

My last sentence carried over as my classmates stepped out of the supermarket.

In my previous life, after Lucas pulled me away, Joyce had charged everything to my bank account when she treated the class. I lost my money and reputation, and everyone thought I was petty, jealous, and stingy.

She spent my money and became known as the rich and beautiful student on campus.

After that, no matter what I did to stop it, the money kept disappearing from my bank account.

My family wasn't wealthy. My mother was sick, and to pay for her medical bills, I worked four part-time jobs. I barely had time to eat.

Yet my phone kept lighting up, notifying me of massive charges on my bank account.

I went to the police, but they couldn't find anything. Everyone called me crazy.

Only Lucas stayed by my side, and I thought he believed me.

It wasn't until the day I died that I realized the truth. He stayed only because he was afraid that his crazy girlfriend might hurt the lady he worshipped.

This time, I would find a way to stop it.

As soon as we reached the restaurant, I rushed in and dumped all eight hundred dollars I had on the cashier's counter.

If Joyce swiped her bank card, my bank account would get charged. So if I were the one paying, maybe she'd be the one who got charged instead.

I was going to lose the money anyway. I might as well try.

I expected Joyce to panic, to rush over and swipe the card.

But she didn't. Calmly and elegantly, she approached me and said, "Melanie, your family isn't wealthy. You probably haven't eaten at a proper restaurant before, so you don't know the prices. You have to spend at least three thousand dollars here. Your eight hundred dollars isn't enough."

Only then did I notice the host's strained expression.

Laughter rippled through the group.

Lucas' face darkened. He reached for me again, ready to drag me away.

Seeing that Joyce was about to swipe her card, I quickly said, "Three thousand dollars? I'll pay. You guys go in and order your food first."

Impatience flashed across Lucas' eyes. "Melanie, no one's looking down on you for being poor. Why are you putting on a show just to compete with Joyce? I saw your bank account balance. You only have one thousand dollars left."

The looks from my classmates turned colder.

One of them said, "Joyce's family is rich, so she's treating us. Melanie can barely feed herself, and now she's trying to show off? Like we'd ever want to spend her money."

No matter what, I couldn't let Joyce swipe that bank card that day. Once my balance ran out, the next charge would take more than just money—it would take my life.

This wasn't just about me. My mother needed me, so I had to stay alive.

Right there in the middle of it, my phone buzzed. The physics competition scholarship had come through, and I had just received 30 thousand dollars.

I smiled and said, "Lucas, I'm not doing this to compete with anyone. I really see everyone here as family. I just want to share the good news. My physics competition scholarship came through."

With that, I tilted my phone and let the cashier charge me four thousand dollars.

I kept my eyes on Joyce's face, waiting to see whether that massive charge would take its toll on her.

Only after I died did I learn that Joyce was from an ordinary family. She wasn't rich at all. Without draining my account, she could never have maintained the image of being the wealthy campus belle.

Joyce's expression faltered slightly, but otherwise she seemed perfectly fine. As she brushed past me, I heard her murmur, "Melanie, you're done for."

Nothing was showing up on her phone screen, so it seemed that the money I had just paid hadn't been deducted from her bank account.

I froze, and she smirked.

When my classmates realized I was really paying, their attitude softened.

"Guess we had you wrong. We thought you were just jealous of Joyce. Turns out you really see us as friends."