Chapter 1

"Jenny, Shannon, dinner's ready!" Mom's familiar voice came from outside my room. I walked out and saw two diet meals on the table, the exact same ones from my previous life.

Jenny's meal was on the right. Mine was on the left.

They looked very simple. Each had a piece of pan-fried fish, a few pieces of broccoli, and a serving of brown rice. They looked the same as the ones being sold outside.

My hand shook as I gripped my fork. In my previous life, Jenny had lost weight eating these meals. Meanwhile, I had gained one hundred pounds in a month. Was there something different about our portions?

I looked at Jenny. "Sis, I want to switch meals with you."

Mom dropped her spatula with a clatter.

She hurried out of the kitchen, her voice a little nervous as she said, "They're exactly the same. Why do you want to switch?"

Jenny was also speechless. "What are you up to again? Eat your own food."

The harder they resisted, the more certain I became that something was wrong with my meal. I snatched Jenny's plate and started shoving the food into my mouth.

Jenny rolled her eyes but said nothing more as she simply ate mine.

However, Mom's expression darkened. She looked as though she was about to object, but then she turned around and went back to the kitchen.

For the next three days, I ate Jenny's meals, thinking that I would lose weight for sure.

My heart pounded as I stepped onto the scale. The numbers flickered before settling at two hundred and twenty pounds.

My heart skipped a beat. I had gained twenty pounds in three days.

That was impossible!

I smashed the scale in a rage, scattering pieces across the floor. Then, I ran to the supermarket and bought the most expensive scale they had. I opened the box right there and stepped on it.

Two hundred and twenty pounds! The number had not changed!

I broke down in tears as other shoppers stopped and stared.

An older woman who was there shopping for groceries pulled me aside. "Young lady, the hospital has a weight management clinic now. I lost fifty pounds there. You should go take a look, too."

I thanked her and hurried home. Then, I asked Mom, "Can you take me to the weight management clinic?"

Before she could answer, Jenny walked out of my room carrying a large bag of potato chips. "Shannon! You're sneakily eating junk food every day, and now you want to go to a weight management clinic? Are you crazy? Mom even quit her job to make these diet meals for us. Can you show some gratitude and stop stuffing yourself?"

I tried to explain that the chips were old and that I had stopped eating them long ago, but before I could, Mom came over and held up her phone. "Shannon, I already booked you an appointment. We'll go tomorrow."

I had not expected her to agree so quickly. Behind her, Jenny rolled her eyes out of annoyance. "Keep spoiling her, Mom!"

At the hospital, I went through every test they offered. Even if I had inherited a tendency to gain weight, I could not have gained this much so quickly. Something had to have gone wrong. The doctors there had treated plenty of patients with obesity. Surely, they could solve my issue.

The doctor flipped through my test results, and a knowing smile crossed his face. "Young lady, if you want to lose weight, you need to stop lying first."

I froze. "What do you mean?"

He gave me a mocking look. "Have you ever heard of conservation of energy? If you're gaining weight this fast, you must be sneaking food."

I stared at him in disbelief. "I'm not! I haven't eaten anything else!"