My Sister Framed Me for Plagiarism

The next thing I knew, I found myself reborn on the stage of the Hatfield familys annual music gala.

This gathering of Silver Citys top elite, nominally a musical feast, was in reality a meticulously arranged matchmaking event. My sister and I had both received invitations.

According to strict custom, the debutantes were to wear masks and enter the inner hall in turns to perform.

In my previous life, I had been inside for nearly twenty minutes when my sister, Anya, grew impatient. The moment I emerged, she immediately conspired with the music professor, accusing me of plagiarizing her sheet music.

Faced with two identical scores, I had no way to argue. My parents wouldn't listen to my explanations, directly pinning the plagiarism on me, all to protect Anya's reputation.

They even forcibly committed me to a mental institution, leaving me there to endure endless torment. After finally escaping, I met a tragic end in a car crash meticulously orchestrated by Anya.

It wasn't until my dying breath that I understood: the so-called blood ties were utterly fragile in the face of my sister's hypocritical lies.

This time, I simply played a mobile game right on stage, not even touching a musical instrument. I was eager to see how she would manage to pin the "plagiarism" label on me now.

Whack!

The moment I stepped into the lounge, a resounding slap landed squarely on my face. I turned my head, my messy strands of hair concealing the icy glint in my eyes.

The one who struck me was none other than my own mother, Eleanor Thompson. At this moment, she was pointing a finger at my nose, her well-maintained face contorted with fury.

"Scarlett Hayes, you shameless wretch! How dare you steal your sister's hard-earned musical score to curry favor!"

"This is the prestigious Hatfield family's estate! How could you use such a despicable trick?!"

The lounge was packed: curious socialites, discreet media reporters secretly recording, and my sister, Anya Hayes, standing nearby, her face a mask of "heartfelt anguish."

"Mom... please don't hit Scarlett anymore. If people see the handprint on her face, they'll misunderstand you."

"It's my fault... I knew Scarlett had lived a tough life in the countryside and was desperate to marry into a rich family, but I still didn't guard against her, leaving my score manuscript on the table."

"Scarlett just wants a man like Mr. Hatfield too badly; she didn't mean to steal my hard work to impress him."

"If Mr. Hatfield gets furious and implicates the Hayes family, then... then just blame it all on me!"

"As a sister, it's okay for me to suffer a little..."

By the end, her voice was laced with a sob.

What a truly moving performance. Every word she uttered spoke of her magnanimity, yet every word also subtly reminded our parentsthat I was shameless, that I stole her hard work, that I was a hussy trying to hook a man, and that I would even bring ruin upon the entire Hayes family.

In my previous life, she loved to sow discord between my parents and me this way.

Sure enough, Mom, Eleanor, looked at me as if I were her enemy:

"What a cripple, sick in body and twisted in mind!"

"You fix the mess you've made this time. If you implicate your sister, you'll regret it!"

With that, she glared at me, her disgust practically spilling from her eyes.

Even after dying once, hearing those words again, my heart still ached.

When I was born, I was diagnosed with a minor heart condition. The doctors said no surgery was needed; with proper care, it would naturally heal as I grew older.

But my parents despised me as a "defective product." Three weeks after my birth, they sent me to live with my grandmother in the countryside.

The following year, they had another healthy childmy sister, Anya Hayes.

It wasn't until my grandmother passed away that my parents reluctantly took me back.

The first night in that house, Mom, Dad, and Anya sat chatting on the sofa while I washed dishes in the kitchen. Anyas innocent yet cruel voice rang out:

"Mom, Dad, since you don't like Scarlett, why did you even bring her back?"

My hands paused, a strange tension gripping my heart.

"Who would want to bring her back if we weren't afraid of people saying the Hayes family was cold-hearted and abandoned their own flesh and blood?" Mom's voice was gentle, yet her words were the most cutting.

"She's just an unhealthy, defective product. Not like our Anya, who's been a perfect little princess since childhood."

"In this house, she's barely a maid. You don't need to pay her any mind."

Plop!

The porcelain bowl in my hand fell into the sink, splashing water and suds onto my face. I reached into the water to retrieve the bowl, but I couldn't grasp it.

From then on, I knew not all parents would love their children, especially when they deemed you less than "perfect."

This gala was a private event. Each girl wore a mask and entered the inner hall in the order on the list to perform her talent, hoping to win the favor of the Hatfield heir.

On the list, number 24 was my name, directly following Anya Hayes.

After noticing I had been inside for nearly twenty minutes, Anya panicked. After all, she had been escorted out by an assistant less than five minutes after her performance, while I, the "sickly weakling" despised by the whole family, had managed to stay in there for so long.

How could she not be jealous?

So, she conspired with her long-time music professor, Professor Davis, to accuse me of plagiarizing her work.

And my biased mother, Eleanor Thompson, didn't hesitate for a moment, directly condemning me.

"Mom, you say I plagiarized, but where's the proof?"

I looked at her calmly, no emotion detectable in my voice.

Eleanor froze, seemingly surprised that I, usually so timid, would actually argue back.

Then, her anger intensified.

"Proof? Professor Davis already laid the evidence on the table, and you still dare to quibble?!"

Professor Davis was a typical opportunist. Ever since I was brought back to the Hayes family from the countryside, she had disliked me. That was because my music theory knowledge was poor, and my personality was dull.

Anya, on the other hand, had received top-tier artistic training since childhood, had excellent musicality, and was her most prized student.

"Anya is just too kind. This wild girl from the countryside, her roots are rotten; she's nothing but trouble!"

Professor Davis scoffed, slamming a stack of photocopied "sheet music manuscripts" onto my face.

"This is 'Starfall Nocturne,' which Anya composed for tonight's grand event, working on it for three months!"

"Just now, I found an identical photocopy in your bag. The notes, rhythm, even the fingering markings for the cadenza are exactly the same."

"You both performed individually, so no one knew what the other played."

"But you can barely read sheet music. If you didn't steal your sister's work, how could you have stayed in there for so long?"

"Once Mr. Hatfield comes out, we'll expose you! We'll let him see what a morally corrupt thief you are!"

Hearing this, everyone around me pointed fingers, their eyes full of disdain.

"I heard the Hayes' eldest daughter, brought back from the countryside, was jealous of her sister. Didn't realize she was so vicious."

"Plagiarist! So embarrassing, just to marry into a rich family."

"A defective product is a defective product. You can't turn into a phoenix by stealing a peacock's feathers."

Seeing the situation, Anya feigned an air of righteousness, stepping forward as if to take my hand:

"Scarlett, if you really like Mr. Hatfield, I can help you."

"But you shouldn't resort to stealing like this..."

"Don't touch me!" I yanked my hand away.

I didn't even push her; she simply cried out, stumbled back a few steps, and landed on her backside.

I instinctively reached out to help her up, but my arm was violently slapped away.

"What are you trying to do?!"

The person who struck me was my father, Robert Hayes, CEO of Hayes Industries. He glared at me furiously, then turned to help Anya up, his eyes full of concern.

Anya, her eyes brimming with tears, was embraced by Mom and Dad, her body completely unharmed.

My arm, however, was already swollen and bruised where Id been hit. It was clear Robert hadn't held back his strength at all.

"Anya, Daddy's late. Are you feeling alright anywhere?" my father asked solicitously.

"I'm fine, Dad. As long as Scarlett is happy, it's okay if she hits me," Anya squeezed out two tears, her voice sounding wronged.

"It's just... Scarlett was in there for a full twenty minutes."

"I'm worried she might have done something shameful to please Mr. Hatfield..."

"What if Mr. Hatfield thinks all the Hayes daughters are as flighty as Scarlett? Our family's reputation would be completely ruined!"

Hearing Anya's words, Robert's face had already darkened.

Professor Davis, not missing a beat, stepped forward to fan the flames:

"Mr. Hayes, Anya is absolutely right!"

"Not only did that girl steal the score, but she stayed in there for so long. Who knows what vulgar tricks she used to seduce Mr. Hatfield!"

"According to the rules of the music world, for plagiarism, her hands should be broken directly! Let's see how she'll go out and flaunt herself after that!"

Hearing this, Robert turned around, raising his hand to slap me again.

This time, I didn't let him. I sidestepped, grabbing his wrist.

"Dad, before you act, it's best to understand the situation."

Robert looked at me in disbelief, seemingly shocked by my resistance.

"Rebellion... sheer rebellion!"

"You ungrateful daughter! Not only are you shameless for plagiarizing, but now you dare to strike an elder?"

"Understand the situation? The situation is that you are shameless, plagiarizing Anya's music, trying to steal her chance at marriage!"

Roberts eyes turned sinister, and he roared at the bodyguards behind him:

"Pin her down for me!"

"Since her hands like to stray onto the wrong path, like to steal other people's achievements, then break her hands for me! Let's see how she'll play the piano after this!"

Eleanor watched coldly from the side, even chiming in:

"She deserves a lesson! To stop her from thinking her looks give her license to ruin the Hayes family name!"

Extreme favoritism, extreme malice. In my previous life, they used these very tactics, step by step, to break my spirit and drive me mad.

The two bodyguards guarding the door moved at once, stepping forward to seize me.

"Hold on."

I took a step back, pulling a folding knife from my pocket. The blade glinted coldly under the crystal chandelier.

"Anyone who dares to touch me, I don't mind seeing some blood here today."

"The desperate have nothing to lose. You've already pushed me to a dead end, so taking a few of you down with me wouldn't be a loss."

I idly toyed with the blade, my gaze sweeping over the three Hayes family members and Professor Davis.

The entire room fell silent. Everyone was intimidated by the ferocity emanating from me.

Eleanor shrieked, pulling Anya behind her: "You... what do you want? Are you going to murder someone now?"

Robert was trembling with rage: "Mad... you're truly mad! I'm sending you to a mental institution!"

"A mental institution?" I scoffed. "A fine place, indeed. But before I go, we need to settle accounts."

I pointed the knife tip at the stack of "evidence" on Professor Davis's table.

"Professor Davis, you accuse me of plagiarizing Anya. Is this sheet music manuscript your evidence?"

Professor Davis swallowed, maintaining her bravado. "That's right! Is that not enough?"

"Then I'd like to ask, since you claim I'm a loser who can't even read sheet music, how could I have stayed in there for twenty minutes with just this rough manuscript?"

"Could it be that my sister's title of 'genius composer' is merely for show, and her performance was worse than even a beginner like me?"

I paused, my gaze piercing:

"Or are you, along with Anya, deliberately planting this so-called manuscript in my bag beforehand, just waiting for me to come out so you can blame me?"

Professor Davis's face paled, then she shrieked even more frantically:

"You stop making baseless accusations! Anya's excellence is obvious to everyone, why would she frame you?"

"The score was found in your shabby canvas bag, caught red-handed! You just won't admit it until you're staring at your coffin!"

The more frantic she became, the calmer I remained.

"Professor Davis, calm down. If you can't be sure about the score, can you be sure... that I actually played music on stage?"

Hearing this, Anya's heart sank, an ominous premonition washing over her.

"Scarlett, stop being so stubborn," she said, feigning composure.

"The performance schedule clearly has your name, right after mine. How could you not have performed?"

"I practiced until my fingertips bled every day to compose 'Starfall Nocturne.' Not only did you steal it to seduce Mr. Hatfield, but now you're trying to bite me back? Do you even have a heart...?"

"Oh, really?" I put away the folding knife, looking directly at her.

"Then how about we request to view the gala's video footage right now?"

"I'm quite curious myself how exactly I 'plagiarized' you."