Chapter 1 Chapter 1

"Scarlett, did you open my Revista shampoo?" I held up the freshly opened bottle of shampoo, shoving it right under Scarlett Newman's nose, who was busy drying her hair. She stopped and looked at me with a face full of innocence. "I saw it was for repairing damaged hair," she said, shrugging slightly. "My hair's so rough, I thought I'd give it a try. What's the problem?" I took a deep breath, pushing down my irritation, and turned to put the shampoo back in the cabinet. On the first day of university, Scarlett had introduced herself to the class as a poor, countryside girl. Our advisor had kindly urged us to lend her a hand and be more accommodating, so helping her had become a daily routine. But she never seemed satisfied with ordinary things. No, she always wanted the high-end, luxury items, and was constantly asking to borrow them. I placed the bottle back, turned, and looked at her, speaking slowly, one word at a time. "I told you before, you can use those bottles of Rejoice. This one's a gift from a friend—I hadn't even planned on opening it...""Joyce, are you afraid I might break it...?" Scarlett lowered her eyes, her voice small and muffled. "I know, I'm just a poor girl from the countryside. I've never used anything nice, so I understand if you're worried...""No, I—""Ugh, it's just Revista shampoo. What's the big deal?" Lily Becker's voice cut through mine, her words dismissive. "Scarlett, go ahead and use mine—the one in a black bottle." Lily, who had been lying on the upper bunk, poked her head out from behind the curtain with a look of disdain, interrupting my attempt to explain. Scarlett smiled gratefully at her, then glanced at me with a little sneer and went back to drying her hair. Lily was the most well-off in our dorm, and when it came to Scarlett's relentless demands, she was always generously willing to fulfill them, throwing a sneer at me and Jasmine for being petty, accusing us of not being helpful at all. For someone like Lily, with her background, it was nothing to help Scarlett out, but for Jasmine and me, it was a different story. Our families were already struggling, and it felt like we were being asked to give even more to feed Scarlett's vanity. Once, I lent her a brand-new bottle of toner, only for her to return it half-used, claiming she thought toner was meant for all-over body application. And the 20ml eye cream? She used half of it, slathering it on thick around her eyes as a mask, blinking up at me and saying, "The bloggers online all do it this way." Over time, Jasmine and I grew weary of lending her our good stuff. Helping out is one thing, but there's a limit to how much you can sacrifice for someone else's vanity. Scarlett didn't ask us for daily necessities anymore. Instead, she turned her attention to our electronics. "Joyce, is this the latest iPad? Can I try it? I've only ever seen it in ads." Electronics don't lose anything from being used a bit more—they might drain a little battery, but that's about it. And with some of the assignments lately requiring research, Scarlett had nothing but her phone. So, I figured, why not? I handed her the tablet, giving her the password as I did. "Hey, this is the popular game everyone's talking about, isn't it? Can I try playing?"

Chapter 2 Chapter 2

Scarlett's words sent a jolt of panic through me. I rushed over, swiftly closing the game app in the background. "Scarlett, you can use any other apps you want, but don't touch the game. I've been grinding for ages to collect stuff, I'm about to pull from the card pool I've been saving for!" She nodded, took the tablet, and started scrolling through videos. Just then, my phone rang—an important call from a teammate. I stepped onto the balcony to take it. "Mm-hmm, that card's been recorded. I'll send it over to you tonight once I've organized it. The tablet's with my roommate right now, though…" When I returned to the room, I found Scarlett with a look of triumphant innocence, holding up the tablet in front of me. "Joyce, I pulled so many five-star cards for you! You've got to check it out!" I glanced at the game screen and froze, my blood rushing to my head as I saw the glaring zeros next to diamonds and lottery tickets. "Are you out of your mind? I told you not to touch my game! Didn't I make myself clear?!" I snatched the tablet from her hands, rage shaking me as I saw a whole bunch of new character cards—none of them were the ones I'd been aiming for. I glared at Scarlett, but she just looked back at me with the most exaggerated expression of innocence, pouting like she was about to cry. "I—I was just curious. Everyone's playing this game, so I wanted to see what it was all about… I've never played games before, not back in the countryside…" I couldn't hold it anymore. "What does not having played games have to do with me? There are a ton of things you've never done. Am I responsible for taking you through everything, step by step? I'm not your mother!" She didn't expect me to blow up like this. She stood frozen for a moment, then pouted again, trying to justify herself in a pitiful voice. "I saw online that you need five-star cards for this game, and I thought you'd be happy if I helped you get some…""If you want cards, then make your own account and spend your own money! Why touch mine? Do you have any idea how long I've been grinding for this stuff?!" I shot back. From her top bunk, Lily threw a stuffed toy at me with a sneer. "What's all this shouting about? You woke me up from my nap. It's just in-game items, how much can they be worth?" I snapped and threw the toy back at her. Lily looked shocked and didn't immediately retort. "Oh, not worth anything, huh? Well, maybe I'll call the police and let them tell you what it's worth." I pulled out my phone, decisively calling the cops. Scarlett's face paled when she saw I was serious about calling the cops. She stood next to me, weakly trying to apologize and hoping I'd back down. I ignored her and quickly started sorting out my game data, reaching out to friends in the gaming community to find a professional appraiser. I also compiled evidence of everything that had happened. The police arrived soon enough. Seeing my firm resolve, they took all of us to the station for questioning. "So, Scarlett Newman, without Joyce Landon's permission, you accessed her game account and used her in-game items, resulting in a loss for Joyce?" The officer's voice was cold and serious as he stared at Scarlett. "No... no, it's not like that. Joyce knew, she agreed to it…" Scarlett's voice quivered, but she refused to admit the truth. I opened the tablet and played a recording, fast-forwarding to the relevant part of our conversation. "No, I didn't agree to her using my account. Here's the proof." In my rush to record the game scene for my teammate, I'd forgotten to close the screen recording app. It had captured everything, including my warning to Scarlett. When she heard my voice saying, "Don't touch my game," Scarlett's face turned ghostly pale. "Scarlett, based on the evidence provided, you have indeed committed theft. The penalty will be determined based on the value of the loss."

Chapter 3 Chapter 3

Lily, bless her heart, couldn't resist the temptation to step in and speak up for Scarlett. She opened her mouth, trying to brush things off. "Come on now, how much can those game materials really be worth? You heard it yourself—Joyce said she had to grind for them in-game, she didn't buy them.""Well, I'm sorry to say, but here's the valuation report. These game materials are worth 5,000 dollars." I shoved an electronic document in front of them, my voice as cold as a winter morning. This report, prepared by my fellow gamer on the official trading platform, came from a reputable national agency, and it was legally binding. The officer took the report and studied it for a moment before turning his gaze on Scarlett. "Scarlett, based on this amount, you could face a lawsuit. Theft of property over 5,000 dollars carries a sentence of three to ten years, plus a fine. However, you're all students, so I'd suggest you try to settle this outside of court. A private resolution would be best." Scarlett's face turned pale as the officer spoke, and then—just like that—she sprang up from her seat, rushing over to me, grabbing my hand, and falling to her knees in front of me. She was crying, desperate to be forgiven. "Joyce, I know I was wrong! Please, don't let me go to jail!" I noticed Jasmine looking at Scarlett with pity in her eyes. As I turned to watch Scarlett, all helpless and tearful, I thought about her humble beginnings, and my heart felt a twinge of pity. With the officer as a witness, I reluctantly signed a letter of understanding. Scarlett agreed to pay back the 5,000 dollars I had lost, and the matter was closed. As we walked out of the police station, Scarlett clutched my hand, sobbing and promising she would repay me. She thanked me again and again for being so merciful. Though I still felt a bit uneasy, giving her a chance to reflect on her actions felt like the right thing to do. With a sigh of relief, I took Jasmine's hand, and we headed back to university—unaware that a storm was brewing just around the corner. The next morning, Jasmine woke me up with a start. "Joyce, wake up! You've got to see this! Scarlett called you out on the university forum!" I rubbed my eyes and checked my phone. There, on the university forum, was a post that had taken the top spot: [A poor girl from the countryside asks if it's really fair to owe 5,000 dollars after accidentally playing her roommate's game.] Scarlett had painted quite the picture, adding her own spin to the events and posting the stamped letter of understanding. The words "5,000 dollars" were circled in bright red, highlighting the sum as if it were some kind of weapon. [I'm just a poor girl from the countryside. Out of curiosity, I played my roommate's game for a bit, spent her diamonds and materials, and she called the cops, demanding I pay back 5,000 dollars. It's not that I don't want to pay, but that amount is more than our family's living expenses for three years! I'm just wondering—does this game really cost that much?] Within moments, gamers who understood the situation came to my defense, explaining that a well-maintained account could easily be worth at least a couple thousand dollars. Nothing surprising there. But then came the comments that pushed me into the firestorm of public opinion. [It's not right. Some people can barely make it through university, struggling with every penny, while others casually spend thousands on a game.] [Yeah, it's disgusting. They know she's poor and still want to make her pay so much. The rich never know how to be grateful.] Eagle-eyed netizens, ever so meticulous, managed to dig out my name and ID number from the blurred-out mosaic. Before I knew it, the negative opinions shifted from the incident itself to me, personally. I jumped out of bed, my heart pounding as I shoved my phone in Scarlett's face. "Did you post this? I signed the letter of understanding, and now you're doing this behind my back?" Scarlett pushed my hand away, meeting my glare with surprising calmness, not a shred of panic in her expression. "What's the big deal? I'm from the countryside and I don't understand all this, so I asked around. I mean, 5,000 dollars is a lot. I had to find out if that's really the worth of this game, right?" She paused for a beat, then turned away, refusing to look at me, her voice laced with something more than a hint of mockery. "Why are you so upset? What's the problem? They're not wrong, right? You spent thousands on this game, didn't you?" Her complete lack of remorse left me dumbfounded. I laughed bitterly. "Yeah, I did spend that much, but you wasted it all! Now you owe me, and you go behind my back stirring up trouble. I'm really looking forward to seeing how the university handles this." I gathered my materials with trembling hands and stormed out of the room, heading straight for the faculty office.