Perfectly Right

The moment Dad and I walked into the children's home, a stream of text floated past my eyes.

[Oh no, its happening! The villainess is about to pick the heroine. I cant watch. Why cant she just get lost? Our precious girl was supposed to stay here and struggle alongside the male lead.]

[If it werent for this wicked side character, the main couple wouldve gotten together ages ago. The hero wouldnt have developed that inferiority complex or been so insecure later on. If the villainess just disappeared, the heroine couldve toughed it out with him. With his brains, theyd have ended up way better off than her!]

I froze.

Wait, what? Struggle together? Who in their right mind wants to suffer?

My gaze fell on a frail-looking girl standing nearby. I pointed.

"Daddy, I want her to be my sister!"

Hearing me, a boy from across the yard, his eyes burning with resentment, rushed over. He grabbed the girl and pulled her behind him. "Naomi is not going with you."

The floating comments instantly erupted with excitement.

[Hes been reborn! The male lead is back! Our girl is saved!]

[Yes! As long as the heroine doesnt leave with the villainess, this will be a fluffy romance! Not one of those toxic, angsty dramas!]

I stared at the defiant boy in front of me and pursed my lips, unimpressed.

Toxic drama? Suffering together?

Had the world gone completely mad?

I stepped forward and took the girl's hand. "Naomi," I said, using the name I'd heard the boy shout, "do you want to come home with us? My house is really big, and we have tons of delicious food."

The girl, Naomi, looked at me timidly, a flicker of light finally returning to her eyes.

But before she could answer, the little boy shoved me aside.

"Stay away from Naomi! Don't think you can just force people to do what you want because your family has a little money!"

The director hurried over to intervene. "Shawn! What do you think you're doing?"

Shawns face was a mask of disgust. "If she goes with you, she'll become just as spoiled and arrogant as you! She promised shed stay here with me!"

My father frowned, then looked at me.

"Ivy, are you sure you want this young lady?"

I rubbed my shoulder where the boy had pushed me. It stung. Still, I nodded.

Naomi was actually one of the children the director had recommended. When I first saw her photo, Id felt an instant connection. There was something about her, an air of vulnerability that made me want to protect her.

But ever since Id set foot in this place, both the floating comments and this so-called male lead, Shawn, had been trying to stop me.

I just didnt get it. Did people really prefer a life of hardship over a life of comfort?

I held out my hand again, offering Naomi my sweetest smile. "Naomi, would you like to come home with me? If you do, just come over here, okay?"

Naomi wrung her hands. She took a half-step forward, but Shawn yanked her back again.

"Naomi, don't go with her! Rich people like them will just corrupt you."

I stomped my foot in frustration. "What is wrong with you? I'm trying to give my new sister a better life! You just keep getting in the way. Are you just jealous?"

Shawns body went rigid. He shot me a venomous glare.

"Like I'd want any of it!"

The director, clearly thinking Shawn was being unreasonable, tried to have a caregiver lead him away, but he dodged her. He pulled Naomi aside and started whispering furiously in her ear.

The director sighed. "Shawn used to be such a well-behaved boy. I don't know what's gotten into him the last few days. He's been acting so strange."

Hearing this, my dad glanced at Naomi, who was still being held captive by Shawn.

"Ivy, maybe we should choose someone else? There are lots of other boys and girls here."

I pouted and turned my head away. "No! I only want her!"

As soon as I said it, the comments started scrolling frantically again.

[Shes so malicious! Is she doing this on purpose just to break them up?]

[If the heroine goes with her, the hero will be left to suffer all alone in the orphanage! He's so awkward, no one else wanted to adopt him. That's why he didn't meet our girl again until college. Its all this villainesss fault!]

I shot a cool glance at the text.

What a bunch of jerks.

Why should she have to suffer with him? And whats so bad about coming with me?

The more I thought about it, the angrier I got. I was the one trying to help her! Why was everyone treating me like the bad guy?

I huffed and kicked a loose pebble on the ground.

After a few moments, I felt a pair of eyes on me. I followed the gaze.

A boy with strikingly handsome features was sitting on a nearby bench.

I blinked, then slowly walked over to him.

"Why are you sitting here all by yourself?"

He shifted uncomfortably and turned away, holding up a book. "Reading."

"No, you weren't." I leaned in, my head tilted. "You were totally staring at me."

I turned to the director. "Ma'am, is this boy from the home, too?"

The directors smile was a little tight. "Yes. His name is Jasper."

I smiled at Jasper.

"Do you want to come home with me?"

The comments went wild again.

[Wait, how did the villain and the villainess meet this early?]

[She didn't even see him when she visited the orphanage in the original story!]

[If these two troublemakers team up, our hero and heroine are going to have a miserable time, aren't they?]

My eyes lit up as I read the comments.

So, this boy and I were supposed to know each other later on.

I reached out and tugged on his sleeve. "What do you say? You can be my brother."

Jasper pretended to be absorbed in his book. "Whatever."

That was all the confirmation I needed. I grabbed his hand and marched him over to my dad.

"Daddy, I've made up my mind! I want Jasper to be my brother and Naomi to be my sister. If you say yes, I'll promise to listen to everything you say from now on, okay?"

My dad just shook his head, a helpless smile on his face. "You and your whims. What am I going to do with you?"

I giggled, then looked over at Naomi, who was still talking with Shawn. I cupped my hands around my mouth and shouted.

"Naomi! Were going home now! Come on!"

Naomi's head snapped up, her face filled with surprised delight.

I gave her a radiant smile and held out my hand again. "Hurry! Let's go home together!"

A huge grin spread across Naomis face as she ran over and took my hand.

Just as we were about to leave, she turned back to Shawn.

"I don't think Ivy is the kind of person you say she is. So please, don't talk about her like that anymore."

The comments were furious.

[Is the heroine brainwashed? How can she talk to the male lead like that?]

[Shes already been corrupted by the villainess. Daring to talk back to him now she deserves it when he cheats on her later. I wouldn't want a woman like that either.]

[But she didnt do anything wrong. A guy was grabbing her in public. Its only natural for a girl to defend herself.]

I pouted.

What was their problem?

A bunch of biased comments that only cared about the male lead. What did my new sister do to deserve this?

Once the paperwork was done and we were in the car, I held onto my new brother and sister, one in each hand.

Now Ivy Croft has a brother and a sister. Let's see who dares to make fun of me now!

In the car, I noticed Naomi looked a little tense, so I scooted closer to her.

"Don't be scared, Naomi. It's just me and Daddy at home. Tonight, I'll have our cook, Mrs. Gable, make you Coca-Cola glazed ribs. They're the best!"

Naomi nodded, her voice barely a whisper. "Ivy, I think you're really nice. Nothing like what Shawn said. He even told me you didn't really like me and wouldn't pick me. I'm so happy thank you for bringing me with you."

"See? I'm a super-duper good person! Im taking you home to give you a wonderful life." I sniffed. "I'd never even met him before, and he was already bad-mouthing me. He's the mean one!"

Naomi gently tucked a stray strand of my hair behind my ear. "You know, the first time I saw you, I liked you right away. You looked so sweet and cuddly. Shawn is usually a nice person, but he was acting so weird today."

Thinking about what the comments said about him being "reborn," I decided to just ignore it.

"Forget about him. You're coming home with me! I, Ivy Croft, finally have a brother and a sister! From now on, I'll protect you both!"

I glanced at Jasper, who was still sitting silently beside me, and nudged him with my elbow.

"Jasper, why are you so quiet?"

Jasper cleared his throat. "Sore throat."

My eyes widened. I leaned over the front seat. "Dad! Call Dr. Peterson to the house, quick! My brother has a sore throat!"

Dad patted my arm. "Sit down, sit down. We'll have him looked at when we get home. Its okay."

I nodded and took Jasper's hand, patting it reassuringly.

"Don't worry, brother. Dr. Peterson gives shots that don't hurt at all. If you're scared, I can cover your eyes for you, and you won't feel a thing."

Jasper's face turned beet red.

"I'm not scared," he muttered.

My eyes grew wide.

"You're not? You're not even scared of shots?"

Naomi quietly raised her hand. "I'm not scared either."

I was even more astonished. "What? Neither of you are scared?"

Jasper just grunted in affirmation.

I pouted, feeling a little challenged. "Well, I'm not scared either."

Besides, Dad said you stop being scared when you grow up. They were already grown up. When I was their age, I wouldn't be scared either.

When we got home, Mrs. Gable had a feast waiting for us.

I pulled my new siblings to the dining table.

"Coca-Cola glazed ribs! Slow-cooked brisket! Honey-garlic chicken wings! These are all my favorites! You have to try them! Mrs. Gable is the best cook in the world!"

Dad shook his head with a fond smile and ruffled my hair. "What do we do before we eat?"

"Wash our hands!" I shouted.

With that, I dragged them both to the sink.

At the table, Dad piled food onto their plates.

"Don't be shy here. This is your home now. If you want anything, just tell Mrs. Gable. We're a family."

Naomi's eyes filled with tears as she nodded.

Jasper didn't say anything, but I saw him trying to hide by burying his face in his bowl of rice. I quickly put a piece of brisket on his plate.

"Eat up, Jasper. There's plenty more if you're still hungry."

After dinner, the clothes Dad had ordered for them arrived.

I pointed to the boxes on the floor. "Go on, try them on! My brother and sister deserve to wear the very best!"

Naomi's hands trembled as she touched a soft dress.

"Is all of this for me?"

I nodded enthusiastically. "Yep! It's all for you guys!"

Dad smiled and took out two debit cards, handing one to Jasper and one to Naomi.

"I'm not always home, so if you need to buy anything, you can do it yourselves or just ask Mrs. Gable. I'll put a monthly allowance on these cards. If it's not enough, just send me a message. Don't feel like you have to save it."

Seeing their hesitation, I snatched the cards from Dad and pressed them into their hands.

"Don't be polite! We're family, remember?"

Jasper nodded firmly. "Right. Family."

Suddenly, Naomi wrapped me in a hug.

"Ivy, thank you so much."

I scratched my head, feeling a little embarrassed. "It's nothing, really."

That night, because it was my first time having a sister, I begged Naomi to sleep in my room with me.

Lying in my big, soft bed, Naomi let out a long sigh.

"Ivy, did you know? I never even had my own bed before."

"What?" I turned to face her. "Why not?"

Naomi bit her lip, as if recalling something painful.

"My birth parents they didn't like me. They only wanted my little brother. They sent me to live with my grandparents, but they didn't like me either because I was a girl. Then my brother accidentally started a fire. He and my parents they didn't make it. My grandparents couldn't handle the grief, and they passed away soon after. None of my other relatives wanted me, so they just left me at the orphanage gates."

I gently wiped a tear from her cheek. "It's okay. It's okay now. I like you."

"When I heard you choose Jasper today, I really thought I had lost my chance." Naomi sniffled. "So when you called my name, I was so surprised. I couldn't believe someone would choose me, and be so determined about it."

I threw my arms around her and held her tight. "Of course I chose you! I wanted you from the very beginning! Don't cry, don't cry."

When she kept crying, I started making silly faces at her until I finally coaxed a smile out of her.

Naomi let out a little laugh. "From now on, I'll always be good to you."

I grinned and nodded.

When I woke up, Naomi was already gone.

I rushed downstairs to find Jasper up too, already reading a book. It seemed I was the only one who slept in.

I flopped down next to Jasper. "Brother, why are you always reading? I have a game console, you know. Wanna play?"

"After I finish this. I need to study hard." Jasper ruffled my hair. "That way, I can take care of you and Naomi in the future."

I nodded seriously and even brought him a few more books. "You better study really, really hard then."

Seeing me, Naomi hurried over with a plate of freshly made sandwiches.

"Ivy, come try this! It's my first time making them, but Mrs. Gable showed me how. I tasted one, and it's not bad!"

I hugged her with delight. "See! Having a sister is the best."

"Jasper, you have one too! I made three," Naomi said, offering him the plate.

Jasper raised an eyebrow, took one, and bit into it decisively. "Not bad."

I beamed, happily munching on my own sandwich.

I thought our lives would continue on this peaceful, happy path forever.

But one day at school, I saw Shawn.

And with him, those annoying comments reappeared.

[You have no idea how hard the hero worked to get into this A-list academy.]

[It breaks my heart thinking about him studying every single night. I wonder where our girl is now? If she knew how hard he was working for her, shed probably cry her eyes out.]

[Our hero is one of the few who got into this school on pure academic merit. Thank goodness he was reborn. He can use his knowledge from his past life to meet our girl early.]