Live For Myself

Zhou Zhe's room wasn't ready yet, so our parents told him to share my room for the time being. Just the thought of sharing a room with him was unbearable. I turned around and began to pack my things, planning to spend the night in the living room instead. Zhou Zhe followed me in, sweeping all my textbooks and stationery off the desk to the floor, and claimed my desk with his own backpack. Unlike in the previous life, my cold demeanor made Zhou Zhe drop the pretense. "Why should someone like you, an ordinary person, have such a warm family, while I, a genius, suffer so much misfortune? I'll be the favorite in this house soon enough!" I continued packing my things, not even sparing him a glance. "I don't care much for this home. If you want it, it's yours. You can have whatever I don't care about." Zhou Zhe was so infuriated that his chest heaved, but he quickly calmed down, a dark glint flashing across his face. "You'll only be smug for now, " he muttered. As soon as he finished speaking, Zhou Zhe tore his awards and cried, claiming I ruined his memories. "Boo hoo, Brother Qingci, don't destroy my achievements! They're my last memories from my old school! I'm sorry, someone like me isn't worthy to share a room with you... " Hearing the commotion, my parents and sister rushed in to find Zhou Zhe sitting amidst the shredded certificates, tears and snot covering his face, looking utterly pitiful. My sister, Zhou Yan, picked up a piece of the torn certificate, exclaiming in surprise, "He won a top prize in math competitions! With a certificate like this, he could easily get into a top school, and yet Zhou Qingci tore it to pieces!" Zhou Zhe wiped away his tears, trying to appear magnanimous. "I must have upset Brother somehow, which is why he did it. It's all my fault." Mom hurriedly wiped his face clean with a wet tissue, her eyes brimming with pity. "How could it be your fault? We've spoiled Qingci too much." Dad's face was flushed with anger. He couldn't understand why other people's sons were so well-behaved while his own son couldn't even accept a younger brother and bullied him instead. I walked out of the room, my gaze steady as I spoke each word deliberately. "Zhou Zhe tore those certificates himself; it has nothing to do with me." My sister, Zhou Yan, immediately screamed, shielding Zhou Qingci and glaring at me with fiery eyes. "Who would tear their own certificates for no reason? Zhou Qingci, now you're lying without even pausing to think. How did I never see this side of you before?" Dad shouted at me in frustration, "Zhou Qingci! You've really let me down. Why can't you be more like Zhou Zhe? Can't you learn from A-Zhe, be a bit more sensible, and put your family's mind at ease?" I looked back at the Zhou family with indifference. Zhou Zhe really had a knack for things. He'd only been in our house for one night, and he'd already bewitched everyone. A few tears from him, and my parents acted like the sky was falling. But what about me? Who noticed that my heart was bleeding? In my past life, I envied Zhou Zhe's academic success, but he betrayed my trust. Initially, there were some minor conflicts between us, but I soon accepted him as my brother. However, Zhou Zhe took advantage of my trust, turning around and slandering me in front of our parents. By the time I realized what was happening, the rift between my parents and me was irreparable. In this life, I had the memories of my past life and the reasoning ability of an adult. How could an elementary school student like Zhou Zhe possibly be my match? To keep Zhou Zhe from feeling bullied, my parents decided to stay with him overnight. They comforted him as they walked away, not even glancing back at me, as if I were a criminal disrupting the warmth of the family. I silently closed the door, shutting out their harmonious scene. I had long vowed not to let their bias affect me anymore.