Let Her Ruin Herself

"Anna, you don't look so good. Want some candy?" The class belle smiled sweetly as she held out a bag of fruit candies. In my previous life, I ate one. That very night, every penny in my bank account vanished—including the money I'd saved to pay for Grandpa's lifesaving surgery. Desperate to afford his treatment, I gave up my acceptance to Oxvale University and worked myself to the bone day and night, but before I could save enough, he died. And eventually, so did I, alone and exhausted in my tiny rented room. Only after I died did I learn the truth. The class belle had bonded with a transfer system. As long as I ate something she gave me, whatever money was in my bank account would automatically be transferred to hers. Now that I had been given a second chance, I stared at the candy she held out and reached for it. If she wanted other people's money badly, then I'd find out just how much her system could swallow—30 classmates' bank accounts. All at once. Chapter 1 The Candy "Thanks." After saying that, I took the candy and held it in my hand. Seeing that I hadn't eaten it, the class belle, Elisa Winters, continued, "Anna, hurry and try it. It's strawberry-flavored." I smiled at her. "I get carsick. I'll eat it after I feel better." Then, I slipped the candy into my pocket. A flicker of anxiety crossed her eyes, but she didn't press me. I leaned back against my seat, clutching the bag of candy, and closed my eyes. … In my previous life, I forced myself to consume the candy despite being under the weather when it came to Elisa. She had always treated me well. However, when we arrived at the guesthouse, I was about to pay Grandpa's surgery bill, which was due in three days, when I discovered that my bank account was empty. Inside was what I'd saved to save Grandpa's life—all the scholarship money I'd accumulated throughout my childhood and teenage years. After my parents died young, he became my only family. He had raised me ever since then. That night, I reported the theft to the police and contacted the bank to check my transaction history. Yet, both the police and the bank told me they couldn't find anything suspicious. The hospital kept demanding payment. With nowhere else to turn, I sat down on the steps and called Oxvale University's admissions office to tell them I was giving up my admission. There was a long silence on the other end before they finally said, "Are you sure? This is an opportunity that countless people dream of." "Yes, I've given it a good thought." When I hung up, my hand was shaking so badly that I couldn't hit the red button properly. It took me three attempts to end the call. … After that, I worked three jobs a day, but I couldn't save money fast enough to keep up with Grandpa's worsening condition. He held on for a week before he finally passed away. After he was gone, I died in my rented room from overworking. Only then did I learn the truth: Elisa had bound herself to a Transfer System. As long as I ate something she gave me, the money in my account would be transferred straight into hers. … The bus suddenly jolted, and I opened my eyes. A road sign outside the window said we were only a mile from our destination. Elisa was sitting in the row ahead, scrolling through her phone. Every now and then, she glanced back at me from the corner of her eye. She thought the bag of candy was still in my pocket. She thought I was simply waiting until I had recovered from my motion sickness and that everything was still under her control. The bus stopped, and my classmates cheered as they poured outside. She and her friends were among the first to get off. Their figures quickly disappeared through the guesthouse entrance. I was the last one off the bus. With my backpack in hand, I stood in the courtyard and called out to everyone getting off, "The class belle bought candy for the whole class! Everyone gets one!" … By the time it was completely dark, the courtyard was buzzing with excitement. Everyone had gathered around the tables, sitting in a huge circle. I reached into my bag for some tissues when a small pink object rolled out of the opening and landed by my foot—the candy. "Huh?" Freya Loch, who was sitting beside Elisa, was the first to notice. She stared at the candy for a moment before frowning at me. "Marianna, isn't that the candy Elisa gave you? Why haven't you eaten it yet?" Elisa kept quiet. She lowered her head, her lashes casting shadows over her eyes, as she nervously twisted the hem of her clothes. She also continuously pursed her lips. Several seconds passed before she slowly raised her head. Her voice was soft, carrying a hint of cautious hurt. "Anna, you don't like strawberry flavor, do you? I'm sorry. I didn't know you didn't like it. I just saw that you were feeling sick from the bus ride, so I thought a candy might make you feel better. I didn't know you didn't like this flavor." Beside her, Stacey Balmoral chimed in, her voice carrying obvious displeasure. Chapter 2 Being Caught "Elly treats you well. She gave the candy to relieve your motion sickness, yet you didn't eat it. Are you saying that you don't like it?" Everyone turned to look. "Forget it," Elisa answered while waving her hand, her voice still soft and gentle. Her eyes even seemed a little red. "Maybe Anna isn't in the mood for something sweet. Drop the matter—I didn't think it through." To everyone else, she looked like a kind soul who was still defending me even though she was hurt. A few classmates were already shooting me displeased looks, as though I'd committed some unforgivable crime. I watched her hold back her tears, letting them shimmer in her eyes without actually falling. My anger slowly burned, but I forced it down. "Who said I don't like it?" With that, I picked up the candy. "Then, why didn't you eat it?" Freya kept harping on the matter. "Elisa gave it to you hours ago in the afternoon. Yet, you're still having it?" "I never said I'd never eat it," I explained slowly. "I was feeling nauseous from the bus ride earlier, that's why." She pressed me on this. "Then, why are you still not eating it? How long has it been? It's obvious you just don't like Elly." Elisa sniffed softly, her voice barely above a whisper. "Anna, don't force yourself if you don't want to eat it. I'll just bring you a different flavored candy next time. It's okay." I held the candy up and turned it over in my fingers, inspecting it for a moment. Then, in front of everyone, I peeled off the wrapper and popped it into my mouth. The moment she saw me eat it, the corners of her lips lifted ever so slightly. "I knew it. Anna could never hate me." When they saw me eat the candy, everyone around us relaxed. Someone clapped and said, "See? She ate it!" Someone else laughed at Freya for making such a big deal out of nothing. Others started shouting about playing spin the bottle. Elisa smiled at me—sweet and gentle, just like those times when she'd told me how much she liked me. I returned the smile, quietly watching her sugary facade and the gleam of greed in her eyes. Then, finding the entire thing almost laughable, I smiled at her again. 'Continue smiling. Let's see if you're still smiling tomorrow." … Early the next morning, I finished washing up and headed downstairs. Quite a few people were already gathered in the courtyard. Everyone had their backpacks and sun hats, standing around in little groups. Some were putting on sunscreen, while others were discussing the route for our rafting trip that day. Elisa stood in the middle of the crowd and waved at me. "Come, Anna! We're leaving soon!" I walked over, nodded at her, and said nothing else. … Once almost everyone had arrived, the owner stood at the entrance calling for us to get ready to board the bus. We all headed outside with our backpacks, chatting and laughing. Just then, someone in the crowd suddenly commented, "What's this?" A guy was holding his phone, repeatedly checking the screen. A few seconds later, he looked up, his voice filled with confusion. "Wait, I think I'm missing more than two thousand dollars from my account." "What?" A girl next to him leaned over to look at his phone. "Are you sure you didn't remember the balance wrong?" "No way. My mom just transferred that money to me for our graduation trip. I checked it yesterday, and now it's gone." He swiped through his phone several times, his brow furrowing deeper. "And there's not even a transaction record. The money just disappeared." The courtyard fell strangely quiet for a moment. Then, another classmate suddenly shouted while staring at her phone. "Why am I missing almost a thousand dollars too?!" "That makes the three of us!" … "I lost over eight hundred…" … "I lost several thousand!" … Within seconds, the courtyard erupted into chaos. I looked toward Elisa, who was standing on the steps. She'd been smiling at her phone just moments ago, but she looked pale now. The other students hurriedly pulled out their phones, too, and soon, the courtyard was filled with screams and confused voices. She stared at me in disbelief. I met her vicious gaze and slowly smiled. Just as someone shouted that we should call the police, the sirens in the distance grew louder by the second. Several police officers walked into the courtyard. After looking around, one of them spoke. "Who is Elisa Winters? We received a report from the bank that an account has shown suspicious activity and is suspected of being involved in illegal money laundering."