Rebirth

Mapleville. Valentina stayed in the hospital overnight. She wasn't sure how Selena had ultimately reached an agreement with the school, but the next morning, Selena ordered her to go home, saying that staying in the hospital was a waste of money. "The hospital fees are so expensive, and your school is stingy. They only compensated us with a small amount of money. Hurry up! Pack your things and go home!" Selena threw the clothes for Valentina to change into, looking at her with disdain. "I told you to eat less! Look at you. You're as fat as a pig!" Valentina didn't move, sitting on the bed, coldly looking at her. Selena felt a chill down her spine from her gaze, and impatiently said, "What are you looking at? I don't have time to wait for you! If you don't change and leave now, I'm going straight to work!" How strange. Why did Valentina's look suddenly become so horrifying? It seemed that ever since she woke up yesterday, her gaze had changed. Was it an illusion? "Hurry up! If you don't hurry, I'll be late and they'll deduct my salary!" Selena snapped, slamming the door of the hospital room. Valentina took a deep breath. Considering that she was the original Valentina's mother, she endured it. Just after they stepped out of the hospital, Selena threw two coins at her and said irritably, "Take the bus yourself. I have to go to work!" After speaking, she rode away on her electric bike. Valentina raised an eyebrow, weighing the coins, and following the original Valentina's memory, she took a bus home. The original Valentina's family lived in a dirty and rundown shack in the middle of the city. As soon as she entered the house, a girl with delicate features but a mean expression called out in a sarcastic tone, "Oh! The fat pig is back!" "You managed to trip and fall while walking, so why didn't you fall to your death?" "Thanks to your fat, it saved you from a disaster. You should continue to eat more and become a fat ball, ha-ha!" "Diana Ricardo!" A furious shout from a boy came from the room. Valentina looked up and saw a handsome boy in a blue school uniform coming out of the room with anger. He walked quickly, with a slight limp in his left foot. Looking at Diana, he frowned. "Have you said enough? If you don't speak, no one will think you're mute!" Diana crossed her arms and scoffed coldly, "Humph, playing the good guy? Maybe you look up to her as a sister, but I don't need this kind of fat pig sister." Her caustic face was identical to Selena's. Valentina ignored her and walked towards her own room. The boy followed silently. Valentina stopped in her tracks and looked back at him. Her clear and cold eyes were filled with scrutiny. The boy resembled Selena to some extent and inherited her beauty perfectly. Although Selena was mean, she looked good, which led to her twisted and sarcastic personality. She always believed that with her beauty, she could marry a wealthy man. Who would have thought that after marrying George Ricardo, their lives would become poorer and poorer? The boy in front of Valentina was her younger brother. He was good-looking with a decent personality. Augus Ricardo lowered his head and glanced at Valentina. His gaze paused for a second on the bandage on her head before handing her a sandwich and grabbing his backpack strap, then turning and leaving for school. Valentina raised her eyebrows; she knew she hadn't misjudged him. Augus was nothing like Selena. The three children of the Ricardo family had developed three different personalities. Quite interesting. Back in her room, Valentina fell asleep until it was dark, and was finally awakened by Diana's rude call. "Fat pig! All you do is sleep! Still not going to get up for food? Do I need to feed you?" "All you do is eat and sleep. In your next life, you should be born as a pig!" Valentina opened her eyes, her eyeballs slightly bloodshot, exuding an inexplicable aggression. Diana was taken aback and cursed under her breath before turning and leaving. Valentina narrowed her eyes. Diana was clearly a younger sister, but she had bullied the original Valentina for many years both openly and secretly. Selena had always turned a blind eye to it. George was timid and incapable and had no say at home. Thinking of the past grievances Diana inflicted on the original Valentina, Valentina's pupils constricted dangerously. She would help the original Valentina seek revenge for this! Consider it as repaying the original Valentina for letting her reborn into her body. Augus went out, and George was setting the table. "Val, good morning. Wash your hands and come for breakfast!" In the less than 30-square-meter living room, it was filled with various cardboard boxes and daily necessities. The walls were cracked and gray, and the floor was dirty, unable to see its original color. The whole living room didn't have anything valuable, and the family was struggling. Under the yellowish incandescent light, there was a worn-out red lacquered table with wormholes in the legs, supported by tiles. At the furthest corner, a spot was reserved for Valentina. Augus bowed his head and ate in silence. When Valentina approached, he naturally stepped back, leaving enough space for her to go to her own seat. "Val, are you feeling better? Come, eat more." George asked while serving food to Valentina's plate. As he spoke, there was a hint of embarrassment in his eyes. "We're poor and can't afford the hospital fees. Stay at home and rest for a few more days. The school has already given you a leave of absence." Mockingly, Diana said, "Does she need to go to school and embarrass herself with her grades?" "Diana! Why are you speaking like that? She's your sister!" George scolded her angrily. Diana pouted. "I don't want a sister who embarrasses me like this!" "You..." "George! Why are you yelling at Diana?" Selena slammed her fork on the table and angrily said, "Did she say anything wrong? Even mentioning Valentina's grades is embarrassing! She's even dating in school! Haven't you heard what her homeroom teacher told me? She has utterly disgraced me!" Selena got increasingly irate as she spoke, "And you! I don’t even know what I was thinking when I married such a loser like you." "All your brothers were worse than you, but what about now? They drive luxury cars and live in mansions! But you, you never strive for anything. After all these years, you can't even move out of this city shanty!" "You still go pick up old refrigerators and sofas that your brothers don't want! Do you know how those friends used to laugh at me behind my back?" Selena unleashed all the pent-up resentment from these years. "If you had any ability, our only son wouldn't have become crippled!" "If I had known it would turn out like this, I would rather have died than marry you!" George was thoroughly scolded, his face flushing red in silence. Meanwhile, Augus and Diana just shrugged off the argument, calmly having their meals. However, when the words 'cripple' were mentioned, Augus's hand holding the fork tightened. Valentina raised an eyebrow, expressionless as she took a few bites and then went to watch TV. Diana followed closely behind and sarcastically said, "You really have no conscience! Our parents are fighting like this because of you, and you still have the leisure to watch TV?" Valentina didn't say anything, just gave her a cold and indifferent glance. Diana was once again frightened by the hostility in her eyes and couldn't help but touch the hair on her arm. "Why are you staring at me? Did I say something wrong?" Diana said nervously. It was strange. Why had Valentina changed so much since returning from the hospital? She used to always be meek and submissive. But today, she showed that hostile gaze twice in a row. Could it be that she had damaged her brain?