Chapter 2

2

In our last life, she had obsessively chased Rafael. Rafael had enjoyed that life. He stopped studying and spent his days partying with Maddie, drinking and smoking. He even used her family's influence to bully other students. That was why everyone had hated him.

But I wasn't him. I wasn't going to walk down that path. Maddie had been spoiled since she was a child. She had a terrible temper.

She had just gotten into a fight the day before and really messed someone up. The other students looked at me with pity, but no one dared to step in. Maddie saw I wasn't responding and snapped, "Are you a mute? Can't you give me an answer?"

"Don't think just because I like you, you can ignore... wait!" Before she could finish, I swept her up into my arms. Her face turned bright red instantly.

"If you don't treat the cut on your leg properly, it's going to scar," I said softly. Maddie was completely stunned. She stammered for a few seconds before hiding her face against my chest.

I carried her all the way to the school clinic. Then, I handed her a piece of candy. "Let the nurse treat you. Be a good girl."

She stared at me, completely dazed. By the time she snapped out of it, I was already gone. I couldn't help but think that being handsome really did have its perks.

After leaving the clinic, I headed to the track. I set up my phone and started filming my study vlog for the day. Short-form video was booming. I already had seven hundred thousand followers.

Interestingly, I had far more male followers than female ones. Some guys even messaged me privately to thank me. They said I was a role model for them to become more disciplined and better versions of themselves. The admiration points I needed to collect were steadily rising.

I realized that the system's requirement for love and admiration wasn't limited to romantic feelings. Agencies were already reaching out to me, wanting me to become an actor or a model. They said I would be a superstar. I turned them all down.

In the last life, Rafael had entered the entertainment industry. But before he could even make a name for himself, he was hidden away by those obsessed socialites. And when he lost his looks, the tabloids tore him apart, saying he had let himself go at only twenty-seven.

In this life, I knew my average natural IQ wouldn't let me win a Nobel Prize. The genius path was too crowded. But I didn't want to be a puppet in Hollywood either. My plan was to get into a decent college and use my current looks and public image to build wealth and invest.

My following grew every day. I was managing my brand perfectly. Rafael, on the other hand, wasn't having such a smooth time.

He was staring at his dropping test scores, frantically asking the system, "I'm supposed to be a genius! Why are my grades falling?" The system replied coldly, "Even a genius has to actually study."

He spent his classes sleeping or playing games. How could his grades stay up? When he finally dropped out of the top ten, he panicked. He started hitting the books. With his effort and the system's help, he clawed back to first place.

My parents were thrilled. Especially my father. Whenever he talked about Rafael, his eyes lit up with pride.

But when he looked at me and my average grades, his face turned cold. "Silas, can't you be more like your brother? Put some effort into your schoolwork." "Stop hanging around with those delinquent girls!"

Rafael stood to the side, enjoying the show. In the previous life, my dad hadn't liked Rafael. Especially as he got more handsome, Dad constantly implied he was up to no good. Now, that resentment was directed at me.

My mom chimed in, telling me to focus on my studies. Later, Rafael followed me into the bathroom. He leaned against the wall with a nasty smirk. "What's the point of being pretty, brother?" "In this life, I'm the one they love." "And you? You're going to be the one they despise."

I looked at his smug face in the mirror and sighed.