Second Life: I Only Live for Myself

It seemed like my compliance ultimately made my parents feel a bit guilty. They returned home that evening and presented me with a cello from my favorite brand.It was something that had never happened before in my previous life.In the days that followed, I went to school and went through the motions. I absorbed every piece of knowledge I learned until I understood it completely. When I got really tired, I'd just play my cello for a little while.I could temporarily forget about the pain of being neglected in the midst of the melodious music. But even that small moment of peace was ripped away by Jane.That day, despite never liking musical instruments, Jane suddenly decided she wanted to learn to play the cello. She picked up the heavy instrument despite her frail constitution, intending to take it to her bedroom. However, she ended up dropping the cello on the stairs, smashing it to bits. She even scraped the skin off her hand in the process. Jane looked up at me with panic

My parents stayed in town for two months, but aside from the day they came to confront me, I never saw them again.They were completely wrapped up in handling everything for Jane, pulling strings to get her connected and planning out her future. They were overwhelmingly busy.It wasn't until a few days before my art exhibition that they came to find me again. I was in the studio, getting everything ready for the upcoming exhibition.My parents looked greedily at the perfect pieces of art lined up around my studio before they openly told me the exact same thing they had said in my previous life. "We've asked around and found out that Jane needs to hold an exclusive art exhibition to graduate as a special exception. You should just give credit for these paintings and this art exhibition to Jane, Yvonne."I stared at my so-called parents, wondering how they could say something so heartless with a completely straight face and without a shred of guilt. Their favoritism had reached a

Chase had skipped coming to the studio to help with my art exhibition for two days in a row. This had never happened before. Normally, he couldn't wait to rush over and see me the second class ended.That evening, I had been working in the studio for a while when Chase suddenly appeared out of nowhere after his long absence. His eyes instantly welled up with tears the moment he saw me. "I knew you had a rough time growing up," he said, "but I didn't realize just how much you had to endure, Yvonne."Then, he hugged me and held my waist tightly, as if I were the most precious thing in the world. "I'll dote on you from now on, Yvonne."It was such a touching confession. If he hadn't broken my heart so completely in my previous life, I probably would've fallen head over heels for him. Instead, I felt nothing. I looked at him and asked the question that had been on my mind. "Did Jane tell you everything?"Chase nodded. "She did. You know, I only realized after spending time with her

I left soon after. In the end, my art exhibition became an unprecedented success. Just like in my previous life, Jane took credit for my work and instantly transformed into a highly sought-after genius artist, fielding one interview after another. She was no longer facing expulsion from the university. Instead, they chose to honor her as an outstanding student.Before long, it became common knowledge that there was a brilliant younger sister and a worthless older sister in the Fine Arts department. Countless people praised Jane, and between her attractive looks and her curated image as Chase's loving girlfriend, she gained millions of followers on her social media in a matter of days. She was at the absolute peak of her popularity at that moment.I watched Jane's online popularity skyrocket, and a broad smile spread across my face. I wanted her to become famous; the more attention she got, the better. After all, one would always lose their footing right after they started fee

Even up until the moment of their arrest, Mom, Dad, Jane, and Chase still couldn't understand how things had ended up this way. They couldn't grasp how I, the one who had always endured their manipulation and mistreatment, had suddenly grown entirely beyond their control.They showed up with a massive entourage, ready to drag me through hell, only to be greeted by the police. "You must be Yvonne Chamberlain's family members and Chase Lister. Yvonne has filed a report stating that all of you stole her paintings and unlawfully seized control of her art exhibition. You are all required to come with us to the station to assist with the investigation." My parents looked at me in disbelief. Then, Mom quickly took out the psychiatric diagnosis report. "You want us to assist in the police investigation? You've got to be kidding me, right? You should take a look at this—Yvonne is mentally unstable. How can you take her word for anything?"Jane barked, "That's right! Yvonne is completely o