Unhappy and Mindless

On the day of my eighteenth birthday celebration, my parents brought along their real daughter. I knew better than anyone that from this moment on, all the honors that once belonged to me would vanish like smoke. When my father held her hand and led her to the podium, announcing to everyone that she was the real daughter of the Zhou family, I could feel all the scornful and mocking gazes fall upon me. But just as I was about to leave, someone stopped me. The girl who had suffered in my place for eighteen years blocked my path. She extended her hand to me, her smile radiant. “Isn’t today both of our birthdays? Come on, let’s cut the cake together.” Those hands pulled me out of the darkness, bringing a long-lost light back into my world.