“Thanks,” Zinnia said politely, even though she had no idea why Lydia had handed her candy. She pulled out a bottle of strawberry milk and slid it over to Lydia.

Isaac had packed her bag with different sorts of snacks. He told Zinnia, “It’s okay if studying doesn’t go well, but you can’t let yourself go hungry.”

Lydia flinched when the milk was pushed toward her. Her thick black–rimmed glasses hid most of her expression, but the way she nervously fiddled with her phone and stole glances at Zinnia made her confusion clear.

“Thanks for the candy,” Zinnia added. She hadn’t even gotten a good look at Lydia’s face, but the glasses were enough for her to guess Lydia’s intent. Since Lydia had given her candy, Zinnia figured it was only fair to return the favor with milk.

Lydia finally understood Zinnia’s gesture and let out a small sigh of relief. She took the milk and whispered, “No need to thank me. And thanks for the milk too.”

It dawned on Lydia that Zinnia seemed completely unaware of the drama unfolding online. Realizing this, she stopped talking to Zinnia and switched to the class group chat.

Lydia said: [Hey, Zinnia doesn’t seem to know about the stuff online. Let’s take it down quickly before she finds out.]

Her message caused a brief silence in the group chat. No one had expected Zinnia to be so oblivious. Everyone glanced at her. Zinnia was calmly sipping her milk, her expression indifferent.

Seeing that Zinnia was completely unaffected, no one could decide if she was adorably naive or just completely unbothered. They didn’t expect someone not to care about their phones in this day and age.

The group chat soon buzzed back to life. Ethan said: [I just contacted Isaac. He said he’ll handle it.]

The online chatter was still going strong, and someone managed to dig up photos of Zinnia and Isaac walking together.

A student in Betty’s class whispered, “I used to see Betty hanging around Isaac. But he always seemed so distant toward her. Could this be the reason? Look at how Isaac is smiling at Zinnia in the photo.”

Another chimed in, “Even through the screen, I can feel the charm in Isaac’s doting smile. It’s so captivating that I wish I could swap places with Zinnia right now!”

A girl standing close to Betty noticed the stormy look on her face, and it sent shivers down her spine. She whispered, “Why do I feel like Betty’s mood has taken a nosedive? Could the rumors online actually be true?”

The student thought, ‘Betty has always been the picture of gentleness, smiling at everyone. How could she suddenly show such a cold and unsettling expression?’

Hearing the whispers around her, Betty’s face froze for a moment. She quickly composed herself, forcing a smile at the classmates who were talking.

The sudden shift in Betty’s demeanor left the classmates feeling uneasy. They wondered how someone could change their expression so quickly, like flipping a switch.

Betty soon dropped her gaze to her phone, her lips pressed into a tight line.

She thought, ‘With Isaac having already exposed my true identity, there is no point in denying it anymore. If I try to argue, it would only backfire later. I have to act fast to save my image and shift the blame. After all, the mix–up in our identities isn’t my fault.’

Betty worked hard to maintain a sorrowful expression as her fingers flew across her phone screen. Before long, she had posted a message.

She said: [Hey, everyone, sorry to bother you. I just wanted to explain things between me and Zinnia and apologize to her.

[Zinnia, I never wanted our identities to get mixed up. It wasn’t my choice. I hope you can forgive me and stop hating me.

[When you ran away, Mom and Dad were heartbroken. I get it if you’re upset with me, but please don’t take it out on them. They misunderstand you over the pool incident.

[Grandpa’s been taking care of you, but Mom and Dad miss you so much. Can’t we just go home and make things right? I won’t go against you. Let’s stop making Mom and Dad sad, okay?]

Betty implied that she had already apologized and done what she was supposed to. Zinnia running away from home had nothing to do with her, and it was Zinnia’s refusal to come back that caused their parents so much heartache.

As soon as Betty’s post went up, it quickly sparked a wave of comments defending her.

One said: [Betty didn’t choose to be switched at birth. Is it necessary to treat her so harshly?]

Someone said: [Do you think Zinnia left the Shaw family because she felt guilty after pushing Betty into the pool and getting caught?]

One chimed in: [Honestly, that’s probably it. I was at Betty’s birthday party not long ago. Zinnia threw a tantrum and refused to come out. Later, Betty was called away, and not long after, we heard Betty had fallen into the pool.

[Then, Howard rushed Betty to the hospital. Could Zinnia have been the one who pushed Betty?]

Someone said: [No way. If Zinnia were that kind of person, why would someone like Isaac even bother with her?]

One said: [Let’s be real, Zinnia isn’t exactly innocent. She’s always throwing fits and making her whole family worry about her.]

Another chimed in: [Exactly! Betty already apologized, so why can’t Zinnia just let it go? It’s not like Betty orchestrated the whole identity swap.]

A person said: [The switch wasn’t Betty’s fault. Zinnia left the Shaw family on her own. What does that have to do with Betty?]

One said: [Also, didn’t Betty say she wouldn’t hold past incidents against Zinnia? Does that mean Zinnia secretly bullied Betty before?]

Someone said: [Zinnia is just abusing her position. Does she think that being the biological daughter of the Shaw family gives her the right to bully Betty?

[Betty was also raised by the Shaw family. Zinnia, who didn’t grow up by their side from a young age, could never compare to Betty.]

Meanwhile, Isaac scrolled through Betty’s post and the comments below it. He clenched his teeth, then let out a cold, mocking laugh. He had underestimated just how shameless Betty could be.

He posted again: [Seriously, some people have zero shame. Want to know why Zinnia left the Shaw family? It’s because someone kept scheming behind her back, thinking she’d never fight back.

[Someone is shameless enough. She gets away with anything: status, wealth, and even Zinnia’s rightful place in the family. She can drive the real heir out of the family and still act like she belongs there.

[That’s not enough; she goes all out to smear Zinnia’s name. Well, if she doesn’t care about her reputation, then I won’t bother saving face for her either.

[Zinnia’s not alone in this. She has people who care about her, and we won’t let her be trampled on. Keep messing with her, and don’t think the Lynn family will just sit back and watch.]

[Attached are a poolside video from the birthday party and audio recordings of Zinnia visiting Betty in the hospital.]