I was rushed to the emergency room, hemorrhaging badly from a severe skin condition. My husband, Mark, rushed to my side, seemingly frantic with worry. My eyes burned with unshed tears, wanting to say something, anything, but then a strange overlay of text flashed before my eyes: **[The devoted, foolish wife. Your husband bound a Beauty System to you, for his adopted sister.]** **[All the expensive skincare and supplements you’ve been using? They’re working on HER. And because her private life is a mess, all the skin diseases she gets? YOU’RE stuck with them! How pathetic.]** A shiver went down my spine. My mother-in-law, Martha, hurried in, bringing my work laptop, wiping sweat from her forehead. More text scrolled into view: **[She also bound a Wealth System to you. All the money you slaved away for, painstakingly earning it through your online store, went straight into her adopted daughter’s pocket.]** **[You went from being a stunning business elite to a bankrupt, ugly, penniless mess—and it’s all THEIR fault!]** I froze, stunned. Fury ignited in my chest, a wildfire spreading through my veins. They wanted their adopted daughter to thrive? How DARE they ruin me for it! I instantly canceled my salon membership, shut down my online store, and officially gave up on life. You want to play dirty? Fine. Let’s see who has the last laugh!
“How could you hemorrhage from a simple laser skin treatment? What’s wrong with you! Don’t you care about your body?” Mark stood by my hospital bed, his eyes blazing with barely concealed rage, fixed on my frail, barely conscious form. We were college sweethearts. I was the one who pursued him, and even though he’d always been distant, he agreed to marry me. I thought, deep down, he had to care about me. But the floating text ripped away the illusion, exposing the brutal truth: Mark had never felt anything for me. Not from the start. “Well, whatever. If my skin condition isn’t going to get better anyway, why bother with expensive treatments? I’ll just let it run its course.” I glanced at him, my face expressionless. I took a bag of extra-spicy takeout and a bag of super-hot chips from the delivery guy and started eating. Before, I’d been so afraid of spicy food ruining my skin, I never dared. Mark’s face darkened, his eyes wide with fury as he jabbed a finger at my face: “You HAVE to take care of your appearance! I’m a successful businessman now! What will people think of me if you look like this? Do you want me to be a laughingstock?” “I’ve already booked you for cryotherapy tomorrow for that corn on your foot. If you don’t go, no food and no sleep for you!” I didn’t even spare him a glance. Mark was livid, his hand twitching, ready to strike me. Just then, my “kindly” mother-in-law, Martha, bustled in and grabbed his arm. “I heard the e-commerce sector is booming lately, and new projects are being selected. If you get picked, there’s a million-dollar start-up grant! Serena must be preparing hard for that, right?” “Alright, she’s busy with work, why are you pushing her so hard? Audrey, you got this! Mom’s rooting for you!” A cold, bitter laugh twisted my lips. I gripped the bedsheet so tightly my knuckles turned white, wishing I could rip them both to shreds. Mark was penniless the year he married me. I was the one who told my parents not to ask for a single cent of financial support, and even brought a substantial dowry, so he’d have money to start his business and build it to its current scale. And Martha? A few years ago, she had a stroke and nearly died. It was *me* who flew in a renowned specialist from out of state for her surgery, and *I* personally cared for her for two months—bathing her, emptying her bedpan, feeding her—literally pulling her back from death’s door. Even all that couldn’t compare to Serena, the adopted sister who’d only been with the family for three years. What exactly was her charm, to turn a once loving family against each other? “You two are truly so thoughtful and caring towards me.” A mocking smile played on my lips. “Don’t worry, I’ll repay your ‘kindness’ a hundredfold. I won’t let you down.” Mark looked uncomfortable, but Martha was beaming with a sickly sweet smile, squeezing closer to me. “Audrey, why say such distant things? You married into the Lewis family, and I treat you like my own daughter. If you really want to thank us… how about this? I recently saw a new Hermès bag I really love. Your dad has money, doesn’t he? Can you ask him to buy it for me?” Still dreaming of a luxury bag? As if you deserve it! I got up, nudged her aside with my laptop, and walked out without looking back.
The next day was Martha’s sixtieth birthday. The house was packed with relatives and friends. Mark’s adopted sister, Serena, naturally wouldn’t miss it. She entered wearing a pure white evening gown, looking like a pure angel, delicate as a lily, drawing everyone’s gaze. Three years ago, when I first met her, she was covered in red spots, her face disfigured, too self-conscious to even look at me. She claimed she was my junior from college and admired me because I was such a campus celebrity. Martha said Serena was her best friend’s child, an orphan, and so pitiable that she took her in. I started helping her find dermatologists to treat her skin, taught her the ropes of doing business, and even urged Mark to be kinder to her, telling him to lighten up. But strangely, my own body started breaking out in strange little bumps, sometimes so painful they’d wake me up in the middle of the night. My business plummeted, and even my in-laws’ concern for me dwindled. Now, Serena rushed to me, sobbing, and hugged me. She meticulously scanned my body, a flicker of triumph flashing in her eyes, barely perceptible. “Audrey, are you okay? Yesterday, Mom said you had a hemorrhage from a beauty treatment and ended up in the hospital. I was away on a business trip, and I was so worried I couldn’t eat or sleep. I even cried.” “If you’re really not feeling well, maybe you should just put skincare on hold for a bit. Your life is definitely more important than your looks, don’t you think?” Before I could even speak, the surrounding relatives burst into mocking laughter. “Serena, you’re so beautiful and kind-hearted. Don’t get too close to women like her. Do you know what kind of skin diseases she has? Syphilis, herpes, maybe even HPV! Women like her get sick because they’re loose! It’s disgusting!” “Serena, you’re pretty and you know how to make money. If only we could have a daughter-in-law like you, that would truly be a blessing from our ancestors!” “Audrey constantly spends money on treatments because there’s a beautiful and smart woman like you living with Mark’s family. She feels threatened, of course, afraid Mark will divorce her and choose to be with you. Honestly, Mark is such an idiot. Why keep a woman like her around?” Before this, I’d actually wondered if I’d caught my skin disease from sitting on a park bench. I even felt guilty towards Mark and Martha, and I dared not protest against the relatives’ ridicule. But now, I uncorked a bottle of red wine and sprayed it all over their faces. “How can your hearts be so vile! Instead of cheering for our family to fall apart, why don’t you try being supportive? You’re so full of garbage yourselves, no wonder you see everyone else as trash!” “Alright, everyone, let’s calm down.” Serena stepped in front of me, looking utterly pitiful, trying to shield me. “I know I’ve made Audrey feel insecure and lacking in confidence, but there’s nothing wrong with her wanting to be better. We should respect everyone’s choices and treat everyone around us with kindness.” “But Audrey, the uncles and aunts were just trying to give you friendly advice. It’s wrong for you to suddenly lose your temper. We’re all family, we should live in harmony.” “Live in harmony, how?” My blood boiled. “Have they ever treated me like family? Would family accuse and insult me like this when I’m sick and miserable?” Grandpa Lewis happened to be pushed into the room in his wheelchair. The relatives glared at me resentfully, then immediately fell silent. “You fickle little hussy, still daring to yell at us here.” After the banquet started, Uncle Dave, carrying a bowl of hot stew, “accidentally” bumped into me. The hot liquid spilled all over me, scalding my skin red and raising blisters. I rushed to find a restroom to rinse off with cold water, but every single one was occupied. I lost my balance and fell, knocking out a front tooth. The pain was excruciating, tearing through me, but everyone around me simply grinned, looking pleased. Kevin, Mark’s best friend, disgustedly pinched his nose. “What a drama queen, and she’s not even pretty! Shouldn’t someone just make her leave? Who could eat with her looking like that!”
Martha’s sixtieth birthday banquet invited many industry elites. Now that the new projects were being selected, ordinarily, I would have sought their advice, eager to learn about the new ventures. But ever since the floating text revealed the truth, I no longer wanted to do business. Why earn money only for someone else to spend it? I sprawled on the sofa, pulled out my phone, and started playing Call of Duty. Serena, surrounded by a group of handsome guys, was laughing and chatting, but then she glanced over and saw me playing a video game. Her composure instantly shattered. “Audrey!” She pushed through the crowd of men and walked towards me, disbelief etched on her face: “Aren’t you running an online store? The e-commerce start-up competition is so popular, and so many of our relatives are in that field. Why aren’t you going to learn something?” “I’ve been doing business for so long, and it’s all been a loss. Even if there’s a project, it wouldn’t be my turn to talk about it, so why humiliate myself?” I smirked, continuing my game without even looking up. It was wonderful to play my game in peace, undisturbed. Other relatives and friends looked down on me and didn’t want to talk to me at all. The more I played, the better I got. My hands felt incredible, my shots were precise, my strategies ingenious. I won every round, laughing all the way to the end. My stats were amazing! I skipped the banquet food and ordered a huge feast of my favorite extra-spicy Thai food, eating and watching variety shows, tears of laughter streaming down my face. As I was about to head back to my room for a good night’s sleep, I noticed several pairs of men’s designer shoes placed outside my door. “Audrey, you must be too insecure to approach those big bosses, right? I’ve already prepared gifts for them. Just give them these, and they’ll definitely be willing to share their business wisdom with you.” Serena linked her arm through mine. “Those few pairs of shoes cost two thousand dollars in total. Remember to transfer the money to my account. And an extra hundred dollars for my service fee, send that too.” She smiled, about to go back and chat with the men, but I spun around and piled all the shoe boxes in front of her. She stared at me, astonished, but my face remained utterly calm. “Who told you to prepare these for me? If you want to give gifts, give them yourself.” I’d always spoken softly to Serena, but today my voice was louder, my attitude harsher. She looked embarrassed, her face flushing with anger. “I spent two thousand dollars on these gifts to help you earn more money! What do you mean by returning them now? Even if I earn a lot, my money is still money, isn’t it? How can you be so wasteful?” I responded coldly, “Stop pretending to be a good person. I didn’t ask you to prepare anything for me. You wanted to buy these yourself, what does it have to do with me?” Serena looked at me, utterly desperate, her face a mix of shock and fury. Then, tears started dripping onto the floor, a picture of absolute heartbreak, sobbing uncontrollably. “I’ve always treated you like my sister-in-law, like family. Everything I do is for your own good. If you don’t appreciate it, fine, but to humiliate me in front of so many people? What is wrong with you?!” She collapsed to the floor, sobbing uncontrollably, gasping for breath. Her pitiful display instantly made outsiders feel an overwhelming urge to protect her. Everyone glared at me, seething. Several wealthy young gentlemen from prominent families even looked like they wanted to rush forward and hit me. “Audrey! So this is how you usually bully your sister-in-law! You’re ugly and your heart is cruel. If I were Serena, I’d beat you to death! You must apologize to her immediately, and give her all your savings from these past years to cheer her up!” Their unbelievable thought process shattered my perception of reality. “She wants to buy and give you shoes? Fine, go ahead and give them. Why drag me into it? It has nothing to do with me.” Martha happened to walk out of the kitchen, carrying a steaming platter of pot roast. “Serena!” She rushed nervously to Serena’s side, quickly putting an arm around her shoulder to check on her, even calling an ambulance. Before leaving, Martha didn’t forget to glare at me, as if I were her sworn enemy.
“Audrey, I’m telling you, if Serena suffers severe psychological trauma, we won’t let you off the hook! Everyone here is a witness!” Relatives and friends pointed fingers at me. They were right, what if Serena fabricated false evidence to frame me? That wouldn’t be good! I immediately followed them into the ambulance. In the emergency room, Serena, looking pale, saw me engrossed in a book and assumed it was a business textbook. But then I flipped it over, showing her the cover, and she realized it was a graphic novel. Her face instantly contorted in a sneer. “Audrey, what is wrong with you? Aren’t you buried under a mountain of debt right now? You’re not trying to earn money, you’re here reading comics! Throw that thing away!” I nonchalantly glanced at her, then moved to a chair by the door to continue reading. Serena looked like she was about to explode. “Have you lost your mind?! Why are you acting so lazy and careless? You used to be so ambitious!” “Mom, why are you staring at me like that?” Martha’s hand, holding a spoon of porridge, froze mid-air. She looked utterly startled. “Serena, why do you have red spots on your neck? That’s strange.” Prompted by Martha, I also looked at her neck. Indeed, there were two or three small red spots, though not very noticeable. Serena’s face instantly drained of all color, looking deeply unhappy. Martha chuckled awkwardly. “Serena, don’t mind me. I just wanted to remind you that there are many mosquitoes at night. I’ll buy you a new electric mosquito repellent later. It’s all my fault, your window screen is broken, and I haven’t had anyone fix it yet.” The doctor reassured Serena that her examination showed no problems and she could go home directly. Martha, overjoyed, ordered Serena’s favorite platter of mixed seafood takeout, hoping it would cheer her up. I pouted, feeling annoyed. “Mom, why are you only concerned with making Serena happy? Just now, you thought I was bullying her, brought her to the hospital, and glared at me, giving me a bad attitude. My feelings are hurt too, so how are you going to cheer me up?” “If I hadn’t refused a dowry and brought my own, and if Mom and Dad hadn’t been helping Mark’s family all these years, his business wouldn’t be the size it is now. Are you trying to cut ties with us after you’ve crossed the bridge?” Martha flinched, then forced a strained smile against her true feelings. “Didn’t I just misunderstand you, Audrey? I know you’ve always been a good child, and I truly care about you. Don’t mind it, Mom apologizes to you.” Hilarious. Care about me? Would she push me to my doom if she truly cared? Honestly, for the first few years after I married into the Lewis family, I truly believed her when she said she’d treat me like her own daughter. “Mom, I really must thank you. You truly are different with me.” As Martha opened the delivery box of marinated seafood, I eagerly rushed over and, with my bare hands, started stuffing shrimp, crab, abalone, and clams into my mouth. Serena’s face went green with horror, and she frantically gave Martha a look, urging her to snatch the food away. But I was strong, and Martha couldn’t take anything back. I had already eaten it all. “Martha, I’m your daughter-in-law. I’ve given your family so much money. Are you really too stingy to even treat me to some takeout?” Seafood would only worsen my skin condition. Bring it on! Let’s go down together! The moment I stepped out of the hospital, I regained my composure. I hurried back to my own home, and as soon as I entered, I grabbed my parents’ hands. “Dad, Mom, Mark borrowed ten million from our family for his business before, didn’t he? Even though we have money, we can’t just let outsiders leech off us. If he wants to make money, he needs to learn to stand on his own two feet. I think we should get all that money back.” “You two always said Mark wasn’t good enough for me. It’s my fault for not listening to you back then. Now I see clearly. I’ll divorce him soon, and I’ll spend the rest of my life honoring you two at home.” My parents exchanged a look, tears welling up in their eyes, deeply moved. They let me move back home, tidying my room meticulously. I didn’t have to do any housework, could eat whatever I wanted, buy whatever I wanted. My family wasn’t short on money, and I didn’t need to earn any. “My sweet girl, as long as you’ve come to your senses, you’ll always be Dad and Mom’s little princess. We’ll do anything for you, unconditionally.” Dad stroked my head. “We only have one wish: we just want you to be happy.” A warm current surged through me, and my eyes welled up. As I lowered my head to wipe away my tears, I caught a glimpse of my arm. The red rashes seemed to have lessened, and they weren’t itching as much! The rumors that I had bullied Serena quickly spread through the family group chat. After Serena was discharged from the hospital, Mark even bought her an apartment, and she moved in directly.
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