My Godfather Gave Me the World

When I was born, my father asked someone to give me the name Mia.

The fortune teller said that with this name, I would surely become rich and prosperous in the future.

But unexpectedly, my Second Uncle overheard and stole the name, giving it to my cousin instead.

What Second Uncle didn't know was that my cousin couldn't use this name.

Because the fortune teller told me with certainty:

"You were born with the protagonist's halo. What belongs to you, no one can take away."

"If she uses your name, she'll have to bear the misfortune meant for you instead, and live an unfortunate life."

"Fortune teller, can you look at the names we've chosen and see which one is better?"

My dad took out a piece of paper with several names written neatly on it.

Mia, Claire, Olivia, Sophia.

The fortune teller looked at me in my father's arms. I gave the fortune teller an innocent smile.

I was too young to remember this myselfmy dad told me about it later.

When I smiled, the fortune teller couldn't help but smile along with me.

He pointed his finger at the name Mia on the paper.

"Choose this name. Your daughter suits this name. With it, I guarantee your daughter will have a life of great wealth and prosperity, with smooth fortune."

My dad got the guidance and wanted to register my name, but before he could move, he heard a sound at the door.

My dad asked, "Who's there?"

He handed me to the fortune teller to hold and went to the door himself, only to see Second Uncle's hurried retreating figure.

For some reason, my dad had a bad feeling, and unease gripped his heart.

When he returned to the room, he saw the fortune teller playing with me. Just as Dad was about to take me from the fortune teller's arms, he heard the fortune teller speak:

"Your daughter is blessed. She has a connection with mewhy not let her recognize me as her godfather? In the future, she can learn my skills too."

My dad was overjoyed to hear this.

Because the fortune tellerno, my godfatherwas famously accurate in this area.

So that day, my dad didn't immediately take me to register my name. Instead, he bought some gifts and took me to formally recognize my godfather.

Before leaving, the fortune teller put a crystal necklace around my neck and wrote a small note on paper for my dad.

"Daniel, if the name Mia becomes unavailable, give my goddaughter the name Olivia instead."

My dad scratched his head awkwardly.

"How could I not be able to register a name? It's just a name."

My godfather smiled mysteriously and shook his head. "Not so, not so."

"When the time comes, I'll return to teach my goddaughter myself. If you can't register the name Mia, open the note I left you."

With that, he got up and left.

My dad stood there for a few seconds before holding me and chasing out the door, but there was no trace of my godfather outside.

Unable to find him, Dad carried mestill playing with the crystal necklace around my neckback inside.

My mom, who had been busy in the kitchen, just brought out the last dish.

She casually wiped her hands on her apron and told Dad to invite my godfather to eat. Dad shook his head, saying godfather had vanished in the blink of an eye.

During the meal, my mom fed me milk while marveling at how skilled my godfather was.

Early the next morning, just as my parents were about to take me to register my name, Second Uncle called us to the old family house.

When we arrived, quite a few people had gathered.

Second Uncle stood among the crowd, proudly raising his head as he held three-year-old cousin Mia by the hand, announcing:

"I did some calculations for my kid and changed her name to MiaM-I-A."

My dad, holding me, widened his eyes.

When Second Uncle looked over at Dad with triumphant eyes, Dad immediately understoodSecond Uncle had heard everything that day.

Other family members complained: "Making such a big deal out of nothing, calling the whole family together for this."

Second Uncle said smugly: "My daughter's name isn't simpleit's very lucky!"

He pulled a lottery ticket from his pocket: "After changing her name, I bought this lottery ticket. Guess what? I won ten thousand dollars!"

The impatient looks on everyone's faces instantly turned to surprise and flattery.

Second Uncle basked in everyone's praise, while my dad took me home to find godfather's note.

My mom took me from Dad's arms, and watched as Dad carefully opened the note godfather had left.

As soon as he opened it, Dad's furrowed brow immediately relaxed, and he even laughed out loud.

The note read:

Name stolen, name stolen. The one who stole the name will bear disasters for my goddaughter. When I return, everything owed to little Olivia will be returned.

My dad touched my little head and laughed heartily:

"My daughter is blessed. When your godfather comes back, we'll enjoy great fortune."

I thought Dad was playing with me. Seeing him laugh, I giggled along.

That afternoon, my parents registered my name as Olivia.

At my hundred-day celebration, Dad held me and teased:

"Little Olivia, little Olivia, choose one."

In front of me were various ceremony itemsa little abacus, a brush, books, Mom's gold ring...

I giggled and kept clutching the little crystal necklace godfather gave me, refusing to let go.

Dad had no choice. Holding me, he tapped my little nose.

"You just love your godfather, don't you?"

But he said this very quietly, so no one else could hear.

After the choosing ceremony, friends and relatives attending the hundred-day celebration began giving gifts.

Others gave small presents or dolls to amuse me.

When Second Uncle arrived, he wore an ill-fitting suit with a thin gold chain around his neck. My cousin Mia wore a princess dress, holding her head high like a proud swan.

My dad looked at Second Uncle with some hostility.

Second Uncle pretended not to notice. Having made a little money, he was no different from a nouveau riche.

Second Uncle clutched a briefcase, pulling out a small stack of money and handing it to my dad.

"This is just a little something to celebrate my niece. After all, I owe my current success entirely to my little niece. So I wish my niece great wealth and prosperity, peace and smooth fortune."

Those eight words of blessingSecond Uncle emphasized each syllable heavily, his expression of petty triumph utterly punchable.

But the note godfather left gave my dad tremendous confidence.

Dad shot back without hesitation:

"Of course! My daughter is blessed. She'll definitely have great wealth and prosperity, peace and smooth fortune in this life. Thank you for your blessing."

But having already tasted success, Second Uncle just thought Dad was being stubborn. He smiled indifferently and left with Mia.

"This place is a bit shabby. Don't bother inviting me next time."

Second Uncle's voice reached everyone's ears without restraint, making some people look embarrassed.

Dad just pretended not to hear, warmly greeting friends and relatives to eat and drink well, all smiles.

From that day on, Second Uncle's family got better and better, as if truly fulfilling godfather's words.

Second Uncle won quite a bit of money buying lottery tickets. Though he never won first prize, all those small prizes added up enough to allow his originally poor family to achieve a major turnaround.

Later, Second Uncle's house was demolished for development, and every project he invested in became explosively popular without exception.

Our family remained lukewarm, not much different from before.

Until I skipped grades and entered seventh grade, Miaonly three years older than mehad become a school bully thanks to Second Uncle's success.

Because I was good at school, at family gatherings Mia and Iclose in agewere always compared. One had average family circumstances but excellent grades; the other had great family circumstances but a brain that wouldn't open up.

Gossipy relatives would always say that even though Second Uncle's family had money, if the child wasn't good it was uselessmaybe Olivia would get into an Ivy League school and lead the whole family to prosperity?

This caused Second Uncle's family, who had looked down on us, to develop other thoughts.

On the first day of school, Mia wore her uniform loose and sloppy, with earrings and heavy makeup, looking disdainful.

Several similarly dressed female students followed behind her.

They surrounded me and pressed me to the ground.

Mia crossed her arms, stepped on my shoulder with one foot, and leaned down close to me.

"Well, well, if it isn't my academically excellent little cousin who skipped grades to my territory?"

Mia finished speaking and laughed to herself, her laughter unrestrained. Her little followers laughed along.

Others who saw this scene were briefed by those who knew the situation, their gazes falling on mesome sympathetic, some enjoying the show.

Mia enjoyed the attention. After all, her dad had become someone with status and influence in South City these past two years, and most people didn't want to offend her.

So when Mia stepped on my shoulder and said, "This person has a grudge against me. Whoever befriends her will..."

All threats remained unspoken, but combined with Mia's standard mean-girl image, everyone dispersed.

Mia looked at all this with satisfaction, but seeing my completely unmoved expression, she found it boring.

I brushed the dust off my shoulder and watched Mia's retreating back.

"It's fine. Everything will end soon."

No one was willing to go against Mia's wishes to approach me.

But there were plenty of people who insulted and toyed with me to please Mia.

My notebook was drawn on with ghost faces, my chair had various colored drinks spilled on it, and bugs would be pulled out from time to time.

This was actually a novel experience. I kept a straight face, wiped away the water, and crushed the bugs to death with tissue paper. Holding the corpses, I walked toward the boys laughing the hardest.

"Is this yours?"

My innocent voice and words combined with my cold facethey stopped laughing, their eyes evasive.

After that, fewer people bullied me, but the isolation became more severe. I sat alone by the back door.

Because every one of my deskmates had been threatened or bribed by Mia.

At the end of the first semester of seventh grade, during the New Year family gathering, my first-place ranking for the whole grade was praised by relatives one after another.

Only I was paying attention to Mia. She had originally been praised as noble as a little princess, but my first place stole all the compliments.

Mia was only thirteen, but her malicious gaze stared at me like a venomous snake.

I met her gaze without evasion. This move was tantamount to provoking her.

So Mia's abrupt voice rang out.

"Olivia's studies are quite good, but she's not really a good person. I heard that Olivia offended the entire class by herself, and no one wants to sit with her."

Every word revealed undisguised malice toward me. My dad had a bad temper and his face already showed anger.

I patted Dad's hand soothingly.

"Dad, it's New Year's. Don't get angry just because a stray dog barks a few times. It doesn't look good."

Hearing me call her a stray dog, if looks could kill, I probably would have died under her knife-like gaze long ago.

"As for cousin, I think you know the reason behind why I'm isolated better than I do."

The tension between us and Second Uncle's family was palpable. A few relatives tried to smooth things over:

"It's New Year's, let's not talk about these things. Come, have some candy."

As soon as the New Year's dinner was over, Mia and Second Uncle got in their private car, gave us a disdainful look, and drove off.

Back home, my hot-tempered dad criticized Second Uncle's family's current attitude.

My mom tried to calm Dad down on the side. I touched the somewhat hot crystal necklace, lost in thought.

The next second, the doorbell suddenly rang. As if sensing something, I quickly got up to open the door.

I opened the door to a man covered in snow.

I tilted my head and looked at the person before me, asking with confusion:

"Who are you?"

Though I didn't yet know who this person was, the increasingly hot crystal necklace revealed his identity.

Before the person could speak, my dad and mom, who had heard the door open and come over, saw him. Dad reached past me and grabbed the man's hand.

"Fortune teller, you're finally back."

It really was my godfather. I held the crystal necklace and poked Dad with my other hand:

"Dad, quickly bring godfather inside. He's covered in snow and must be cold."

Dad came to his senses and hurried to lead godfather inside. Hearing me so tactfully call him godfather, godfather ruffled my head hard as he passed me.

After everyone sat down, godfatherwho had seemed mysterious and like a big boss behind the scenessuddenly hugged me and started wailing.

"My poor goddaughter, you've suffered these ten years. Wuwuwu, it's all godfather's fault for being useless."

I froze. Dad hadn't told me godfather was like this.

I looked pleadingly at Dad and Mom, but they were as bewildered as I was, indicating they couldn't help.

I raised my hand with difficulty and patted godfather's back.

"Godfather, *cough cough*, let go of me. *Cough cough* You're holding too tight."

Hearing my strained voice, godfather quickly released me.

Only then could I see his appearance clearly.

Quite handsomesword-like brows and starry eyes, with tears on his face he hadn't wiped away. His thin lips parted as the whole family's attention focused on him.

Then godfather loudly blew his nose and said awkwardly to my dad:

"Could you give me two tissues? I need to blow my nose."

The whole family was stunned by this awkwardness. Though tissues were clearly on the table, Dad pretended not to see them.

"Oh my, we're out of tissues. I remember there are new ones in the bedroom. Wait, I'll go get them for you right away."

Dad escaped into his and Mom's bedroom like fleeing. Mom awkwardly picked at her fingers on the spot, then suddenly remembered something and pulled me up to scold me.

"Who told you to say that unlucky word just now? It's New Year's, how inauspicious. Quick, spit it out, spit it out."

I numbly thought this must all be an illusion, following Mom's instructions and spitting repeatedly...

After godfather blew his nose and went to the bathroom to wash his face, the four of us sat together.

I felt that if shoes weren't blocking us, our three-bedroom, one-living-room home could instantly become fifteen bedrooms and five living rooms. After all, everyone gets their own fantasy three-bedroom apartment.

Finally, godfather broke the silence, touching my head.

"Oh my, you've grown so big. I still came back too late, missing so many years of my precious daughter's life, letting my daughter suffer."

My dad also said politely:

"Not at all, not at all. We've been doing well."

Then the two men looked at each other and laughed awkwardly.

Just then, Dad's phone rang, breaking the atmosphere.

Dad glanced at the caller ID, and his expression immediately changed.