Chapter 2

Mom and I moved into a small apartment near my school.

People often say it's easy to get used to luxury, but hard to give it up.

Moving from a spacious detached house to such a cramped space, Eleanor indeed found it difficult to adjust.

But deep down, she knew that if it weren't for her favoritism towards Jasper, unwilling to let him suffer even a little, it wouldn't be us who had to move out.

"Aria, don't worry. Once this big project is done, I'll definitely get you a bigger place."

When she noticed my clothes and shoes no longer fit into the tiny closet, her tone was filled with clear apology.

But I actually didn't care much about these things.

In my past life, after Dad's "Predictive Investment System" was fully activated and wealth rapidly accumulated, invitations to social events and collaboration opportunities poured in.

I quickly moved into a more upscale neighborhood and owned many expensive possessions.

I didn't have to devote all my energy to college applications and standardized tests like most of my peers. Because with Dad's investment foresight, which seemed to predict the market, a brief investment seminar could earn more than an average working-class family made in a year.

In the eyes of others, my life was enviable, like a movie plot.

But only I knew that behind this sudden surge of fame and fortune lay immense public pressure and many unspoken rules within that circle.

Dad had always lacked patience for running actual businesses. After gaining immense wealth from the system, he became even lazier, refusing to learn any solid asset management or business acumen.

However, wealth growth isn't limitless. Even with that almost predictive investment intuition, his increasingly casual spending and lack of long-term planning gradually eroded his partners' confidence.

People criticized him as merely a lucky speculator, no longer willing to engage in long-term collaborations that required trust.

Most of those who had once gathered around him, calling him brother, were merely opportunists chasing profit, never genuinely caring.

Seeing the tides turn, they quickly distanced themselves, disappearing without a trace.

Desperate, he tried to force the core mechanics of the "Predictive Investment System" onto me, wanting me to be his puppet.

To completely control me, he ignored my wishes, made me drop out of high school in my senior year, and then arranged for me to attend various social galas with unclear purposes.

Finally, he pushed me into the bed of a wealthy man with particular tastes, taking photos to threaten me: "If you don't do as I say, I'll make these public."

During that time, I was physically and mentally exhausted, once on the verge of collapse.

It was in those bleak days that I fully understood: every seemingly generous gift from fate always comes with a steep price attached.

This time, I didn't want those gifts that fell from the sky, yet came with invisible chains.

I wanted to stand on my own two feet, rely on my own efforts, and firmly control my own life.

I created a strict study plan for myself.

Thanks to Mom's lingering guilt, this time I didn't have to worry about basic living expenses.

I used the allowance she provided to enroll in several one-on-one private tutoring sessions. Like a knight on a grueling quest, I strictly followed my daily schedule, shuttling between home, school, and the tutoring center.

These days were tough. During that initial period, I'd come home every day with my brain blank from overexertion, leaving only numb exhaustion.

But I knew clearly that, as someone returning to my graduation year, I had far more catching up to do than my classmates. To earn respect and a future through genuine knowledge and skill, I had to put in several times more effort than others.

Hard work pays off. With the guidance of my tutors and my own full dedication, my grades steadily climbed from the bottom of the rankings.

Meanwhile, Dad, just like in my past life, quickly amassed unimaginable wealth due to his sharp investment foresight, and was suddenly highly sought after by many investment banks.

When Jasper reappeared at school, he was clearly the most sought-after center of attention in the crowd.

"What's the point of studying so much? What you'll earn working later might not even be a fraction of what I make from one investment right now."

Facing the envious glances and flattery from classmates, Jasper wore a casual smile, idly flipping through my exercise book, which was covered in annotations and markings.

The guy next to him, Noah, immediately chimed in:

"Exactly, what does Aria know, she just studies all the time? After all that studying, she'll still end up working for some boss."

"Our Jasper is different; he's going to be a rising star in the investment world... I heard that popular actress, Seraphina, is even really close to him lately!"

"Don't be silly, that's not true!"

At the mention of this topic, a deliberately veiled expression of triumph immediately appeared on Jasper's face. His feigned resistance drew another round of teasing from those around him.

A celebrity named Seraphina?

My pen, mid-sentence, paused almost imperceptibly.

If I wasn't mistaken, they were talking about Seraphina, the actress whose career had been skyrocketing in recent years.

In my past life, she was known for her low-key professionalism, yet she showed an unusual understanding and concern for my situation.

On social media, discussions about us were quite heated, with even subtle interactions sparking widespread fan speculation.

Perhaps driven by a competitive impulse directed at me, this time around, as soon as Jasper gained a little fame, he actively sought her out.

And, unsurprisingly, photos of them appearing together at private events began to circulate online.

"Aria, seeing someone who used to only have eyes for you now getting closer to me, doesn't that sting a little?"