Banished from the Rich

Chapter 1: I’m Sorry, You’re Not in My Family Lineage

“Don’t touch me.”

The boy didn’t even look at her, using a tissue to carefully wipe the area where she had touched his hand before casually tossing it into the trash. His voice was cold and distant.

Leaning against a tree, Lily replayed the scene in her mind. Her dark hair clung wetly to her pale neck, and she wrapped herself in a black coat, yawning lazily as she recited a number to an older man standing nearby.

The elderly man adjusted his glasses, slightly surprised to hear her recall a number, and quickly dialed it. As soon as the phone connected, he asked politely, “Hello, is this Jake Smith?”

“Yes, it’s me.”

The man maintained his polite tone. “Lily had an accident by the lake at Maplewood Park and fell into the water. Could you come to pick her up?”

There was a pause on the other end, then a cold, irritated response. “Don’t call me again.” The line went dead.

The elderly man looked stunned. “Did he just...?”

“Yeah,” Lily remarked casually, still sitting on the rock. “He’s my fiancé.”

Falling into the lake should have left her looking disheveled, but instead, she sat with her arms crossed, her dark eyes half-lidded with a hint of bemusement, like a wild tiger disturbed from a nap but still too lazy to care.

The elderly man hesitated. “Any other family?”

She tilted her head thoughtfully. “They’re all busy at my stepsister’s birthday party.”

The old man, unsure how to comfort her, simply nodded. “Well... just take care. Don’t sit too long out here, or you’ll catch a chill.” He handed her his number and glanced once more at her black coat before rushing off to catch a flight.

After he left, Lily stood still for a moment, then adjusted her unusual attire and sat back down on the rock. Resting her elbow on her knee, she loosely supported her chin with her hand. This body was called Lily, too.

She had looked at herself in the lake’s reflection—a face identical to her own. This girl’s mother had divorced her husband two years ago after discovering his affair and the two illegitimate children he had secretly fathered. The mother had left without fighting for custody, disappearing without a trace.

The original Lily, left behind, was reckless and unrestrained. She’d even tried to cheat on a recent exam, getting caught in the act. At that moment in the office, she had grabbed Jake’s hand impulsively, prompting him to tear his hand away in disgust, telling her to never touch him again.

Lily recalled this scene, propping her chin up on her slender fingers with a slight frown. Why was the original Lily wasting her good looks?

Pulling her black coat tightly around her, she glanced at the solar-powered streetlight in the distance. She sat there quietly, watching the vibrant world in front of her. After a long while, a pair of glaring headlights broke through the darkness.

A car door opened, and the driver stepped out, holding the rear door open for her.

Inside, seated near the door, was a delicate-looking girl dressed in an elegant gown. Lily noticed another figure beside her—a handsome young man, head bent over his phone. Jake.

Her half-sister Sarah cast her a dismissive glance. “Sister, you can sit up front.”

Jake, still on his phone, frowned slightly, and without a word, moved to the back seat.

The driver cast an uneasy glance at Lily, but this time, instead of throwing a fit, she simply gestured for the front passenger door to be opened. The car drove toward the family mansion.

The silence in the car was interrupted by Sarah’s voice from the back seat. “Jake, did you log in to my account?”

“Yeah, you tried using Fourier transforms? That approach doesn’t work—I already tested it.”

Sarah playfully protested, reaching for his phone. Jake, however, shielded it with a smirk, though he usually made a show of wiping his hands after even the slightest contact with the original Lily.

The two chatted easily, leaving no room for anyone else to join in. The driver glanced at Lily, who sat calmly in the front seat, her expression polite but distant.

Arriving at the mansion, Lily moved directly to the sofa, tapping the coffee table lightly, signaling the butler to pour her tea. As she waited, she overheard Sarah and their father, Mr. Smith, in conversation.

“Jake came back with me to pick up Gege’s notebook,” Sarah said with a smile.

Lily wasn’t interested in their chitchat. Taking her tea, she blew on it casually.

“You’re working hard, studying and practicing the guzheng,” her father said warmly to Sarah, handing her an invitation. “In two days, make sure to practice ‘The Journey of the White-Clad,’ Professor Lee from UCLA has always admired it.”

Surprised, Jake looked at her. “You can play ‘The Journey of the White-Clad’?”

Sarah replied modestly, “Just the basics.”

Resting on the sofa, Lily’s fingers brushed over her teacup, seemingly amused. “That invitation was my birthday present two years ago.”

The room grew silent. Sarah’s expression froze. “Sister, do you play the guzheng, too?”

Mr. Smith’s gaze turned stern. “Professor Lee only accepts students with exceptional talent. You have no understanding of music. Besides, Sarah deserves it more than you do.”

Unfazed, Lily took a sip of her tea and smiled, her expression calm. “No understanding of music?”

Her father’s eyes grew colder, visibly annoyed. “Do you disagree? After chasing away three teachers and using one of their practice rooms as a place to nap, do you even know how many strings a guzheng has?”

Sarah lowered her head, suppressing a smirk. “Father, if my sister truly wants to learn, she can have it. I’ll be upstairs.”

She walked up, her expression barely masking her scorn. Jake followed without sparing Lily a glance.