Who Is The Female Lead?

Blair recognized that flat, mechanical tone. She frowned, brushing a speck of dirt off her sleeve. The voice belonged to the mysterious system hovering in her periphery since her second chance at life began.

*Modification,* she thought, the word rolling over in her mind. *Did I modify the timeline? If I change my actions now, does the past reshape itself too?*

She lowered her head, thought for a second, and then turned toward the hospital. The wad of cash rested in her pocket. She had no intention of keeping Rhonda’s money, but giving it back meant facing her former family. By the time her breathing steadied and she cooled off, the towering hospital gates loomed ahead.

The System chimed again. *[Blair arrives at the hospital. Cody waits for her, agitated. He lost his allowance at the gambling tables and plans to frame her by confiscating the cash.]*

A cold realization washed over Blair. No wonder Cody had exploded into a rage in her past life. When she lost the money to the thugs, she ruined his chance to steal it for himself.

Cody paced near the entrance, kicking at loose gravel. His head snapped up the second Blair walked through the gates. He crossed the distance in quick strides, reaching out to grab her braided hair. He yanked her aside, ignoring the murmuring pedestrians.

"You little brat, you think you are tough now?" he snarled.

Blair narrowed her eyes. She did not flinch. She pivoted on her heel, clenched her right fist, and drove it hard into his stomach. Years of enduring abuse and frustration had packed her muscles with relentless, dense power.

Cody, her adoptive older brother with a fancy name and a garbage personality, folded in half like a cooked shrimp. The air left his lungs in a ragged wheeze. He dropped, clutching his gut.

Blair stood over him, rolling her shoulders. A dark, satisfying thrill coursed through her veins.

"You... you idiot," Cody gasped, spittle flying from his lips.

Blair stood still and smiled. "Watch your mouth, Cody, or I will get mad."

The morning sun caught the edges of her face, illuminating her pale, delicate skin. Her eyes crinkled in a sweet, bright curve, yet a strange, starlike glow masked the endless dark void beneath her gaze. She reached up and unraveled her braid. Dark hair cascaded over her shoulders, rippling like seaweed in the warm breeze. She gathered it loosely. She looked the same, yet the timid, cowering girl from yesterday had vanished.

Cody gritted his teeth, forcing himself to look up. He wanted to scream, but the sight of her poised fists made him swallow his insult. He rubbed his aching stomach. "Pay up. Do not act tough. If you cannot cough it up later, just wait for Mom and Dad to punish you."

Blair turned her back on him and walked toward the inpatient building. "None of your business."

The System’s voice pierced her thoughts once more. *[Blair hits Cody. Cody glares at her back, eyeing her attractive figure. Lust fills his eyes. He thinks, 'She is not even my blood sister. We raised her all these years, so why not take advantage?']*

Blair stopped dead in her tracks.

"Hand over the money!" Cody yelled, emboldened by her hesitation. "Mom gets a headache just looking at you."

Blair let out a soft laugh. "Is that so? Then I am pretty happy about it."

She turned her head. The bright, sweet curve of her eyes flattened into a cold stare, black and deep as an endless hole.

Cody took a step back, his bravado crumbling under the weight of her gaze. "What are you staring at?"

"I could kill you right now," Blair whispered. Her voice carried no heat, just a freezing, hollow promise. She felt nothing but disgust. "But you are not worth dirtying my hands over."

She turned away, leaving him frozen on the pavement. Cody swallowed hard, a cold sweat breaking out on his neck. Only when she disappeared into the distance did he manage to mutter a weak curse, too terrified to take a single step forward.

Halfway to the inpatient building, Blair paused. A strange prickling sensation crawled up the back of her neck. She tilted her head, scanning the towering facade of the hospital. Her gaze locked onto a window high above.

The glass was shut tight, reflecting the morning clouds and hiding everything inside. She was too far below to see a silhouette. Yet, her instincts screamed that someone watched her from behind that pane. The System remained silent, offering no hints to the watcher's identity.

She held her ground for three seconds before turning her gaze forward, walking into the building without rushing her steps.

High above, the tinted window on that exact floor slowly slid open. A man leaned forward. His face bore sharp, stern angles, projecting an intimidating aura that naturally kept others at bay.

"Is that the Vance girl?" Gideon asked, his deep voice rumbling in the room.

"Yes," Colin replied, standing at attention. "They say she is lazy. Compared to the Vance heiress, it is like night and day."

Gideon let out a low breath. "I think she is fun—like a puppy flailing around."

Colin scratched his head, squinting at the empty pavement below. He could not grasp how Blair was anything like a puppy.

Down in the ward, Blair reached the door of the hospital room. The sound of soft, muffled sobbing drifted into the hallway.

Before she could reach for the handle, Cody slammed his hands into her back, shoving her through the doorway.

"Mom! I got this brat." Cody puffed out his chest, desperate to regain control. "She stole money and tried to bolt. What will she be like when she grows up? Mom, it is all your fault for spoiling her. Just look at her ungrateful face!"

His voice was loud and arrogant, ringing out like a local thug ensuring everyone heard his version of events.

In her past life, Blair had stumbled into this room battered, bruised, and covered in dirt. Cody had sneered, claiming she had it coming. The Vance parents had taken one look at her disheveled, shy appearance and felt instant disgust. They labeled her a low-class country girl, a shameful secret they refused to acknowledge.

This time, things played out differently. Blair caught her balance with effortless grace. She wore faded, gray clothes, but her face was bright and pristine. She kept her chin tucked down, casting her eyes toward the floor to project an image of simple quietness.

Mr. and Mrs. Vance stood near the center of the room. They took in her clean demeanor.

"Sweetie," the Vance couple said softly, tears pooling in their eyes. "You have been through so much."

The fleeting moment of pity lasted mere seconds. A delicate, breathy sob echoed from the hospital bed.

Miriam Vance’s heart ached. Her expression shifted instantly. She forgot all about Blair, pivoted on her heel, and rushed to the bedside.

"Oh, sweetie, do not cry," Miriam cooed, wrapping her arms around the weeping girl. "You will always be our daughter. Blair just got here five minutes before you. Is it not great to have a sister who loves you? Just like your brothers adore you."

Serena lifted her head from the pillows, tears swimming in her eyes. "Really?" she whispered. Her voice carried a soft, husky tremble from the crying, making her appear painfully shy and fragile.

Blair lifted her eyes, taking in the scene. The Vance family clustered around the bed, treating Serena like an irreplaceable treasure. Serena sat upright, her amber eyes shining clear and deep, pure as spring water. She wore a custom yellow princess dress that contrasted sharply against the sterile hospital environment. With her pristine skin and innocent pout, she looked like a fresh, delicate flower.

The blatant favoritism suffocated the room. They offered Blair one sentence of sympathy before discarding her existence.

Blair stared at the crying girl, her mind failing to calm down. As she processed the ridiculous display, a translucent ID card flickered to life in her mind's eye.

*[Female Lead: Serena]*

*[Identity: Fake Heiress]*

Blair stood frozen near the doorframe. *Female Lead?* she thought, the words echoing in the sudden quiet of her mind. *What does this mean? She is the female lead. What about me?*

Just then, the System spoke up.