Finally calming the two boys down, the trio of girls left the internet cafe together. Since none of them had eaten dinner yet and Jiang Xuehan had just won 500 yuan, she was in a good mood. She treated them to a meal at the restaurant next door.

"Xiao Han, you were amazing! You actually beat those two guys at the game!" Wen Jiaqi said between bites of her rice bowl with gravy, giving a thumbs-up. "I thought you were just a bookish good girl. Turns out you're a total gaming addict!"

Xia Ziying nudged her gently. "She's not an addict. She's just skilled. Anyone who got into Dongda's economics program can't be slacking off on studies."

"Mmm, true... But today I realized how cool it is when girls dominate at games. You totally schooled those rude boys!"

"Mhm! Xiao Han, do you game often?"

"Eh, just killing time after the college entrance exams." Jiang Xuehan was now fully immersed in her role as Wu De’s cousin, careful not to slip up.

"I see. Your parents must be pretty open-minded," Wen Jiaqi said, swallowing a mouthful of rice before scrunching her face. "I’m not that lucky. Even after my exam results came out, they’re forcing me to preview college courses. They keep saying, ‘We only have one daughter—we’re counting on you to…’ Ugh, so annoying. Hey, Xiao Han, do you have any siblings?"

Jiang Xuehan’s face paled slightly. She shook her head quickly. "No."

She lied. She had a younger sister named Meng Xue.

Meng Xue was Meng Han’s full-blooded sister, born two years after him. Unlike her unruly, gaming-obsessed brother, Meng Xue had always been obedient, clever, and thoughtful—a model child adored by teachers and parents.

During his rebellious phase, Meng Han resented his sister. Adults constantly compared him to her, using her perfection to highlight his failures. Her nagging—urging him not to skip class or visit internet cafes—only deepened his dislike. He often ignored her completely, treating her like a stranger.

Everything changed after their mother’s accidental death.

Their father drowned his grief in alcohol, disappearing for days. Meng Han stopped going to arcades. Instead, he’d stare blankly at his desk during class, then crouch alone after school, his once-bright eyes now lifeless.

It was the coldest winter Meng Han could remember. Eastern Sea City, rarely touched by snow, was blanketed for days. On New Year’s Eve—just before the holiday break—classmates rushed home excitedly.

Only Meng Han wandered like a ghost to the remote cemetery. He sat before his mother’s grave, staring at her photo on the tombstone until deep into the night, letting the fine snow blanket his hair and shoulders.

A small figure appeared beside him. Tiny hands brushed away the accumulated snow, heedless of the cold.

"Brother, let’s go home."

Meng Han looked up. His sister’s face was deathly pale from the cold—how far had she walked to find him?

In that moment, her face blurred with their mother’s kind features. Tears spilled uncontrollably down his cheeks.

It was the first time he’d cried since he could remember.

That night, his sister sat beside him, wiping his tears until she wept too. Clinging to each other in the freezing snow before their mother’s grave, they finally opened their hearts.

After that, Meng Han transformed. With only six months until the high school entrance exams, he studied fiercely and miraculously got into a decent high school.

He kept grinding through high school. His natural intelligence propelled him to the top twenty in his year. Getting into Donghai University—a local key institution—seemed inevitable.

Then, early in his second year, his sister collapsed.

Meng Xue had just started junior high. During a school assembly, her legs suddenly gave way. She fell and couldn’t stand again.

After rounds of tests at major hospitals, the diagnosis came: Aimei’s muscular dystrophy.

An ultra-rare disease—1 in 500,000 cases. It slowly crippled every muscle until even breathing failed. Death came by suffocation, usually within three to five years.

Their father learned of one U.S. clinic that had cured similar cases. But the first phase alone cost $800,000—roughly five million yuan.

The family had never been wealthy. Selling their old house and begging for donations barely covered Meng Xue’s hospital bills. America felt like a distant dream.

As her muscles wasted, Meng Xue’s scalp loosened. Her once-proud waist-length hair thinned drastically.

One hospital visit, Meng Han caught her sobbing uncontrollably over a clump of fallen strands.

Something in him shattered.

What was the point of studying? Even if he aced exams and landed a great job, it’d take five or six years. His sister would be long gone.

While her medical bills piled up, he was still leeching off his family for tuition and food. The shame ate at him.

He stopped studying. Class time became phone time—mobile games with classmates. The internet cafe welcomed him back. Virtual victories numbed the pain.

His father, already broken by his daughter’s illness, couldn’t bear his son’s rebellion. Their rift widened until, after one final clash, Meng Han left home for good.

Restaurant work was harder than school, but at least he fed himself. He lived frugally, saving every spare yuan. His only luxury: post-shift gaming sessions with coworkers at the cafe. He’d slip the savings to his sister while she slept—too ashamed to face her as a dropout with a ruined future.

He couldn’t lose her. Not after losing their mother.

The agony gnawed at him even during work. Only alcohol and gaming offered temporary escape.

Then fate surprised him. His first livestream went viral.

He started streaming two hours nightly after shifts. As viewership exploded, he quit his job. Within six months, his late-night sessions drew over three million viewers—he became the nation’s top gaming streamer.

He was days away from signing a record contract with EatFish Live. The signing bonus alone: five million yuan. Enough to fly Meng Xue to America. Enough to walk home with his head high. Enough to—

But fate loves cruel jokes.

Framed by the treacherous Liang Sheng, the top streamer became a pariah overnight. Accused of cheating and moral corruption, he was hunted by public fury. The contract vanished like smoke.

Now, Jiang Xuehan was just a girl hiding behind a fake identity on campus, surviving on meager part-time wages.

Her eyes burned with renewed vengeance. Her fists clenched tight.

Liang Sheng!!! For what you’ve done to me—I will make you pay in blood. Blood payment!