Author: Momo Chan

Just after I gave birth to my second child, my parents rushed over from our hometown and transferred me a huge red envelope of $88,000. My husband smiled and said, “Mom and Dad are so generous to their maternal grandson.” My parents and I exchanged glances, all of us stunned. “Liam, what do you mean? Didn’t we agree that the second child would take my last name? Why ‘maternal grandson’?” My face immediately darkened. Before my husband could open his mouth, my mother-in-law standing nearby immediately stepped forward. “That won’t do! The little treasure is a boy! He definitely has to carry on our Sterling family line, how could he take your last name!” My parents’ faces instantly darkened. Their good upbringing and manners made them suppress their emotions and not lash out. But I couldn’t hold it in! “Liam! Is this your idea, or your mother’s?” My husband looked at me, hemming and hawing. “Well, how about we change Chloe’s last name to yours instead?” As soon as he said this, the room instantly went quiet. I immediately laughed out of pure anger. “Fine!” “Then let our daughter take my last name!” … Hearing this, my mother-in-law’s eyes instantly widened. “What? Take your last name? Liam, is your brain broken? Letting your daughter take someone else’s last name! Your dad will beat you to death!” My mother-in-law was still yelling about the rules passed down from our ancestors, how children must definitely take their father’s last name. My mom took a deep breath, trying her best to remain peaceful. “Mrs. Sterling, times are different now, it’s very common for children to take their mother’s last name. Maya is our only daughter, we just want to have a namesake to carry on.” My mother-in-law sneered, looking my mom up and down from the corner of her eye: “Oh, a namesake? Sounds nice! Isn’t it just because you couldn’t give birth to a son yourself, so you want to come and steal our Sterling family’s grandson to provide for you in your old age? Let me tell you, no way!” “You! How can you speak like that!” My mom trembled with anger. My dad quickly supported her, his face livid. Anger flared in my heart. I looked at Liam shrinking to the side and roared: “We agreed from the start that the second child would take my last name, what does your mother mean by this now?” Liam’s eyes darted around, hemming and hawing for a long time, “Well, how about we ask Chloe what she thinks?” I simply couldn’t believe my ears! He actually wanted a child to bear the weight of such a decision? My dad, heartbroken for his granddaughter, but still holding onto a sliver of hope, nodded in agreement: “Alright, asking Chloe is fine too.” But who could have imagined that as soon as Chloe heard this, she immediately burst into loud wails, throwing herself into her grandmother’s arms: “Waaah, I don’t want to take Mom’s last name! Then Dad and I wouldn’t be a family anymore! The other kids will mock me for being a wild child!” The air instantly froze. My daughter is only 7 years old, she absolutely wouldn’t say things like this on her own. Unless someone had deliberately taught her. Thinking of this, my parents’ faces instantly became even uglier. They didn’t expect the granddaughter they loved so dearly to reject them so strongly. My mom, afraid that my emotional agitation would cause a clogged milk duct, suppressed her emotions, “Enough, we’ll talk about this later. Maya, you focus on your postpartum recovery first.” Seeing this, Liam visibly breathed a sigh of relief, “Yes, yes, Mom is right, anyway, no matter whose last name they take, they are both my and Maya’s children!” Hearing this, my parents didn’t say another word. In the afternoon, my parents went back early, using business at their factory as an excuse. As soon as they left, my mother-in-law started making passive-aggressive remarks. “Hmph! Ran away fast enough! As soon as they heard their grandson wasn’t changing his last name and there was no advantage to be gained, they left immediately!” My husband smiled awkwardly, offering a token word of advice, “Mom! Don’t say that, Maya’s parents really are busy at their factory!” I couldn’t hold it in anymore and shot right back: “They really are busy! After all, everything our whole family eats, uses, and lives in now is paid for by my parents’ money!” My mother-in-law, hit where it hurt, instantly turned red in the face and thick in the neck. Just as she was about to lash out, the maternity nurse came over to remind me it was time to breastfeed. I just turned over and lay down, saying coldly: “I can’t feed him, I’m too full of anger, my milk ducts are clogged!” My mother-in-law was so angry she wanted to charge over and argue, but was pulled out by Liam. 2 Liam and I dated freely. Back then, when my friends found out that I, an only child from a wealthy East Coast family, was going to marry into a rural Midwestern family, their eyes almost popped out of their heads. They took turns advising me, saying even if I had to get married, the man should marry into our family. But Liam simply couldn’t stand the idea of ‘marrying into’ my family. “Maya, I’m the only son in my family, my parents depend on me, I can’t leave them!” At that time, my brain clouded by love, I ignored my parents’ tears and my friends’ advice, and went back with him. But reality gave me a resounding slap in the face. After marriage, the farm he and his parents contracted lost money year after year, relying entirely on my parents for financial support. When we were dating, he solemnly promised “have two kids, one takes your last name, one takes mine.” It turns out, from the very beginning, it was an out-and-out scam. His family had made up their minds long ago to leech off our family. Thinking of this, I only felt a knot of pent-up anger blocking my chest, painfully stifling. I don’t know how long passed, but the bedroom door was gently pushed open. Liam came in carrying my favorite soup dumplings. “Honey, still angry? I just coaxed Chloe to sleep, she cried very sadly, saying no matter what she wouldn’t change her name.” I sneered inwardly. “True! Changing a name is indeed troublesome, you have to go through a lot of paperwork all over again.” Hearing me say this, his face instantly lit up with joy. “Exactly, exactly! Honey, you finally figured it out, I knew you were the most reasonable…” “So,” I coldly interrupted him, “it’s just more convenient to change the baby’s name directly, just as we agreed before, he’ll be called Ethan Vance.” Liam’s smile instantly froze on his face. He stood up abruptly, his voice rising sharply in anger. “How can we do that?!” Seeing me staring coldly at him without speaking, he suppressed his anger, putting on an earnest and well-meaning tone. “Maya, be reasonable, our family has had a single male heir for three generations! If the baby takes your last name, won’t this family line be broken? How are my parents supposed to hold their heads up in front of relatives and friends in the future?!” I took a deep breath, “So, your promise to my parents back then, to have two kids and each takes one last name, was all bullshit?” Faced with my accusation, Liam’s face turned the color of pig liver. “Maya Vance! Why are you so aggressive? Is this the same thing? Besides, if you were capable, you would have had a son the first time, and we wouldn’t have all this trouble now!” The blood in my entire body instantly froze. “Liam, do you have any common sense? Whether it’s a boy or a girl is determined by the man’s chromosomes!” Liam was choked by my words and couldn’t speak. He fiercely kicked the chair next to him, making a huge noise, scaring the sleeping baby into loud wails. Watching him leave in a huff, my heart sank to the bottom. I had actually given birth to two children for a man like this. 3 Because of my insistence, Liam finally agreed to change our daughter’s name. Not feeling reassured, I asked my best friend, Sarah, to accompany him and complete all the procedures. “Don’t worry, I watched him do it step-by-step. See, it’s changed, from Chloe Sterling to Chloe Vance.” In the afternoon, Sarah returned with the brand new documents. I nodded in satisfaction, the pent-up frustration of many days finally dissipating a little. “Sarah, thanks for your hard work, stay for dinner tonight, I’ll have the nanny make a few extra dishes.” Sarah’s eyes flickered, however, and she smiled and declined, “No, no, I have a date tonight.” Seeing her coy expression, I couldn’t help but tease her. “It’s a man, right? Tell me, did you find yourself a boyfriend?” “Oh stop, it’s nothing official yet, I’ll tell you first when we make it official.” Her tone was coy, and she subconsciously moved the bag in her hand behind her back. It was a newly released luxury brand handbag, definitely not her usual level of spending. A subtle feeling brushed across my heart, but it was diluted by the joy of my daughter successfully changing her name. “Alright, then hurry up and go. Liam,” I turned to my silent husband standing to the side, “drive Sarah, she helped us a lot.” Liam agreed, his face still gloomy, “Let’s go.” Early the next morning, I woke up early because my breasts were engorged, only to hear a slight noise outside the door. I threw on some clothes and got up, just in time to see Liam opening the door and coming in from outside. I felt suspicious, but kept my face neutral: “So early? Did you go out, or did you just get back?” He was clearly startled, then forced a tired smile: “The boss called for sudden overtime last night, tossed and turned all night, I just made do on the sofa at the office. See, I thought you’d like these, so I went early to buy some soup dumplings.” I nodded and didn’t ask further. That piece of farmland in his hometown lost money year after year. After my repeated suggestions, he reluctantly found a job. But his abilities were average, and his ambitions were higher than his skills, so his work wasn’t going smoothly. “Honey, I have something else I want to discuss with you.” Liam suddenly spoke, and I had a premonition it wasn’t anything good. “Go ahead.” “Look, the baby is about to be one month old, here’s what I’m thinking, we should celebrate it properly, make it lively!” I immediately frowned: “He’s just a baby, a simple gesture is enough, besides, when Chloe was one month old, we didn’t celebrate it, did we?” Liam blurted out almost instantly: “How can that be the same!” As soon as the words left his mouth, seeing my face darken, he immediately and hastily explained: “Just because Chloe didn’t have one, that’s why we absolutely must have one for the baby! Besides, over all these years, how much money have my parents given out as gifts for other people’s events? It’s time to use this opportunity to recoup it!” Looking at his calculating face, I sneered inwardly: “Fine, if you want to host it, go ahead.” A hint of joy had just appeared on Liam’s face when he immediately replaced it with a troubled expression: “Honey, you know my parents don’t have any savings. Look, could your parents help us out with fifty thousand first?” “Fifty thousand?” I jerked my head up, “Liam, are you crazy? A one-month celebration costs fifty thousand?” Liam couldn’t help but frown: “This is our Sterling family’s first grandson! Can the event look shabby?” “My parents’ money is hard-earned! It’s not for you to show off and fill your family’s bottomless pit!” I suppressed my anger, my voice icy. “I agree to the celebration, but you figure out the money for this yourself, I can’t bring myself to ask.” Liam’s face instantly turned extremely ugly. He glared at me fixedly, and after a long while, finally squeezed out a sentence through his teeth: “Fine! Maya Vance, you’re ruthless!” 4 Liam took it upon himself to book the baby’s one-month celebration at the best hotel in the city. That day, he and his mother were at home counting the invitations. I happened to walk by and glanced over, only to discover that my parents’ names weren’t even on them. “Liam! The baby’s one-month celebration, and you didn’t invite my parents?!” Liam panicked instantly, quickly gathering the scattered invitations on the table. “That’s not true, I’m just checking who I missed, I was going to add them right away.” I frowned at him, my intuition telling me his words were untrustworthy. Still feeling uneasy, I found a time to call my mom. “Mom, you know the baby’s one-month celebration is this Saturday, right?” My mom smiled and nodded, “Of course, I already have the red envelope ready, to celebrate my eldest grandson turning one month old!” “Eldest grandson?” I was full of doubts, “What do you mean?” My dad took the phone and said, “Liam told us he’s going to let the baby take your last name, he’ll change it right after the celebration.” I was just about to tell them that Chloe’s name had already been changed, but before I could finish, the call was hung up. Afterwards, my mom sent a text message saying she had something to do and we’d talk when we met on Saturday. In the evening, Liam came back, and I sat in the living room waiting for him. “My parents said you agreed to let the baby take my last name?” Liam smiled and nodded, “Yeah, didn’t Mom and Dad want the baby to take your last name.” I frowned, repeatedly reminding him, “But hasn’t Chloe already…” He suddenly bent down, kissed my forehead, and looked at me with deep affection. “It’s okay honey, I’ve thought it through. If we let both kids take your last name, I wouldn’t mind.” Hearing this, I was even more confused. How did he suddenly become a completely different person. Moreover, even if he really agreed, what about my mother-in-law, would she agree? At night, I tested the waters with my mother-in-law. To my surprise, she actually agreed too. “Yes, Liam told me. Your parents are getting older, it’s normal for them to want a grandson of their own bloodline.” Seeing her say this, I didn’t dwell on it anymore. After all, having both kids change to my last name would only mean my parents would contribute more. The next day, I dressed the baby early in his outfit for the celebration. My mother-in-law suddenly said. “Maya, you see there will be a lot of people at the banquet later, why don’t you and the baby just stay home, don’t go join the crowd. What if there are too many people and it scares the baby…” I was full of confusion, “Today is to celebrate the baby turning one month old, is it appropriate for him not to go?” My mother-in-law smiled and explained, “It’s just an excuse. The baby is so small, it’s inconvenient for him to go. Your dad’s relatives all love to smoke, we don’t want them smoking out the baby.” I agreed with this point. The first year of our marriage, Liam and I went back to his hometown to host a banquet. Those relatives smoked so much the whole room reeked, you couldn’t stay in there at all. “Alright then.” Seeing this, my mother-in-law said again, “Hey, your parents definitely want to see the baby, tell them not to go to the hotel either, just come straight to the house to keep your dad company?” I had originally thought of this too, and seeing my mother-in-law offer, I didn’t refuse. But because the baby suddenly had diarrhea, I was busy changing his diaper and forgot to message my parents. By the time I remembered, it was already noon, so I called them immediately. “Hello, Mom and Dad, have you arrived at the hotel? You don’t need to go, just come straight to the house to see me and the baby.” But my mom said, “You and the baby are at home? Then who is the baby I saw Liam and his mother holding?” Hearing this, I was instantly dumbfounded. I looked down at the baby in my arms. The baby was at home with me, so whose baby was Liam holding? Right at this moment, my daughter’s teacher suddenly tagged me in the group chat, saying my daughter was the only one left who hadn’t signed up for the school summer camp, and asked me to take a picture of my daughter’s household registration information to apply for her. I hurriedly looked for the documents, but when I flipped to my daughter’s section, I was dumbfounded. The name, which should have been changed to Chloe Vance, still glaringly displayed Chloe Sterling, with no new section added for “former name.” Which means, Liam never changed our daughter’s name?! Thinking of this, my whole body trembled uncontrollably, and I immediately called my best friend, Sarah. But her phone rang for a long time before being answered. Before I could speak, a familiar voice came from the other end of the line. “Sarah, come quick, your dad is calling you to take the baby around to toast everyone.” That was… my mother-in-law’s voice!! The next second, the call was cut off.

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After eight years of marriage, the passion between my husband and me slowly died out in bed. I was complaining about it during a girls’ night when a friend, hearing my woes, recommended a famous couple account on an international platform. “It’s actually quite a coincidence. They’ve also been together for eight years, and they still go at it five times a night!” “I know this account too! I’ve been following them for a long time. The guy is so devoted and the girl is amazing. Every time they post a spicy video, I’m drooling… Just remember, don’t play their videos out loud in public.” In the middle of the night, driven by curiosity, I followed their instructions and clicked on the profile. The most recent video was updated just last night. White lace paired with a black tie—the overwhelming sexual tension made me blush and my heart race instantly. The caption read: [Love has no expiration date.] Having grown up together for over twenty years, my husband and I had long viewed each other as an extension of our own bodies. Our intimacy had always been respectful and measured; we never interacted with such unbridled abandon. I watched the video with the mindset of someone trying to learn. But at the very end of the video, on the man’s forearm, where veins bulged with exertion, a familiar watch caused my pupils to dilate in shock. That looked exactly… like my husband’s watch. Throughout our marriage, he had kept himself completely clean and distant from scandal. Except for one time, the night before our wedding, when I caught him in bed with a young woman I didn’t know. As proud as he was, that was the first time tears streamed down his face. He explained with a trembling voice that he had drunk too much, mistaken her for me, and that it would absolutely never happen again. In the eight years that followed, true to his promise, we treated each other with the utmost respect. We were the loving couple everyone envied. I believed him, but I was terrified to gamble on it again. So, on the night of my husband’s thirtieth birthday, I specifically took time off work and took an 11-hour international flight to surprise him. I figured that if everything was fine, this would be the last time I ever checked up on him, and I could casually drop the news that I was pregnant. After landing, I walked into a convenience store to buy water, just like I usually do. The woman next to me was on the phone. “You’re so clingy. We haven’t spoken for an hour and you’re blowing up my phone.” “Just wait, I’m going to squeeze you dry tonight.” Hearing another person speaking Mandarin, I curiously took a second look. I froze instantly. This woman… was the young girl from all those years ago. 1 Having not seen me in years, she didn’t seem to recognize me and turned toward the checkout counter. I couldn’t hear what the person on the other end said, but she replied with a playful pout, “I’m not cold. I’m wearing a lot. If you don’t believe me, you can check later.” “You can slip your hand in, follow my waist, all the way down to…” As if possessed by a ghost, I pulled out my phone and sent a message to Julian Hayes. 【Julian, are you off work yet?】 He didn’t reply. The woman reached out and grabbed two boxes from the contraceptive aisle. The same brand, the same scent, the same size. The ones I was intimately familiar with, the ones Julian always used. Her voice was sickeningly sweet: “It’s your birthday today. You decide how many times we go.” I looked down at my phone. Still no reply. After she paid, I followed her out of the store. Her tone was coquettish: “Stop rushing me, I see your car.” The London rain hit my face, cold as ice. I pulled my coat tighter and hit the call button with a trembling finger. A cold, mechanical female voice replied, “The subscriber you have dialed is currently unavailable.” I understood. He had turned on ‘Do Not Disturb’. This year, he said the overseas branch was very busy, and once he stepped into the office, he had no time to answer calls. This wasn’t the first time I couldn’t reach him. A Bentley pulled up and stopped at the corner not far away. “Julian!” The woman quickened her pace and opened the passenger door. I turned my head slightly to look. With just one glance, I was nailed to the spot. The car window was half open. The man in the driver’s seat looked composed and aristocratic. The woman twisted her waist and planted a light kiss on the corner of his mouth. He gave a helpless smile. “Acting spoiled again.” The streetlights were dim, but I saw his face with agonizing clarity. The owner of this face had accompanied me for my entire thirty years of life. At three years old, we held hands as we walked into kindergarten. He secretly slipped me the candy the teacher gave him: “I’ll protect you, don’t cry.” At sixteen, he imitated a scene from a movie and hid a drawing of me in a book. When I found it, his ears turned red. “I like you, so what?” At nineteen, our first love, our first kiss. He was so excited he bought out the entire restaurant. “I want to tell everyone that I am the happiest man in the world.” At twenty-two, he successfully proposed in front of both our families, swearing he would only ever love me. Everything froze on the night before our wedding. When I opened the hotel room door, he was naked, tangled with a strange girl. That day was pure chaos. Everyone said he had drunk too much and mistaken her for me. Since we grew up together, they said I should give him another chance. Even the girl knelt down and apologized. She said it was all her fault, that she bribed a waiter to get a keycard, just to fulfill a fantasy of her secret crush. Julian, proud and overbearing since childhood, had red eyes for the first time. Seeing me crying silently, he grabbed a fruit knife and aimed it at his own heart. “Chloe, it’s my fault it’s come to this.” “If you don’t believe me, I’ll cut it open and show you. My heart really only has you in it!” Tears blurred his face. His voice kept trembling. “Don’t leave me, honey. I’m begging you. You know how long I’ve loved you.” “If you don’t want me, I’ll die. I really will die…” Later, I sealed that memory away. Having lived intertwined for so many years, I thought we were inseparable. I thought we would go from childhood sweethearts to growing old together. But in this single second. Our thirty years. Finally collapsed. 2 I returned to the apartment in a daze. My mom sent a message: 【How did it go? Julian must be thrilled to know you’re pregnant!】 I took a deep breath, swallowed the sourness in my throat, and replied with feigned calm: 【Not yet. I just got to his apartment, I haven’t told him yet.】 The apartment door was pushed open from the outside. It was Julian returning. Our eyes met. His gaze was unnatural for a few seconds before quickly recovering its composure. “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming? I could have picked you up from the airport.” My expression was flat: “I wanted to surprise you.” He walked over with a smile and gently ruffled my hair: “I can’t bear for you to be so tired.” “The flight must have been exhausting, right? It’s just a birthday, and my wife has to suffer through jet lag.” Julian was about to say something else, but his phone rang. Looking down to reply, his eyes held the gentleness and patience I was so familiar with. Then, he looked apologetic: “It’s a shame I have a client meeting tonight. My baby is going to feel neglected.” Before I could speak, he grabbed a piece of clothing from the closet. I instantly understood. He came back to grab a personal item that woman had forgotten. This apartment, where he stayed during his overseas business trips, was something I had decorated bit by bit in my spare time. I took a week off work and lost a major client to do it. But right now, the vase I had spent an entire afternoon hunting down and personally brought over from back home was gone. Even the photo of us stuck to the fridge had vanished without a trace. A piercing, damp cold seeped into my heart along with the rain-soaked clothes clinging to my skin. I abruptly stood up, grabbed my suitcase, and headed for the door. Julian followed: “Are you angry?” He wrapped his arm around my shoulders from behind: “The apartment hasn’t been cleaned. Let me book you a room at a five-star hotel nearby.” “I promise I’ll spend the entire day with you tomorrow, okay?” He tilted his head to kiss me, just like he always did. A strange citrus scent flooded my nose. It was that woman’s scent. I turned my face away. Julian didn’t seem to care and left in a hurry. In front of the elevator, a sleazy local guy whistled at me, his gaze sticky. “How much? If he doesn’t want you, selling to me is the same.” “He has a girlfriend. I’ve seen her. You’re so beautiful, why degrade yourself?” “All the neighbors know them. He wouldn’t even let his girlfriend walk. He carried her on his back all the way from the garage several times. That girl looked so happy.” He grabbed my waist, grinning as he tried to kiss me. Like a reflex, I stomped down hard on his foot. While he cried out in pain, I dragged my suitcase and escaped through the emergency exit. Even when I awkwardly tripped and fell, I didn’t dare stop to check for scraped skin. I scrambled up and ran downstairs. Heading straight to the airport, I sat blankly in the departure lounge. I didn’t understand. Why did Julian cheat again? During the first two years of our marriage, I often had nightmares. In my dreams, Julian was naked, holding a strange girl. When I woke up, I would always cry. He would hold me, coaxing me over and over again. “It’s all my fault. I made my precious wife sad.” He changed all his device passwords to my birthday and introduced me as his wife at every public event. Every day, he would report everything he did and everyone he met. Even when he had to stay in a hotel during business trips, he would leave a video call on all night, falling asleep to the sound of my breathing. Both he and I were carefully repairing that trust. When exactly did it start? Vaguely remembering the woman’s name, I opened the social media app and searched. It only took me a minute to find her among the many accounts with the same name. Because her profile picture was taken in Julian’s office back home. 3 The painting behind her was one I had specially commissioned from a master artist. Just because Julian mentioned he liked it, I personally visited the artist, standing outside the studio in high heels for an entire afternoon before finally moving the artist to accept the commission. Chloe was a somewhat famous travel influencer with a decent following. I scrolled down. The first post related to Julian appeared three years ago. Chloe had her fingers intertwined with a man’s, the background being our high school track field. 【Together with my high school crush!】 In that exact spot, eighteen-year-old us held hands for the first time. The night breeze was cool, and Julian was so nervous his palms were sweating. “When our hair turns gray, we’ll come back here together.” Mid-August the year before last, right around our wedding anniversary. Julian said he had business and couldn’t make it, but Chloe’s post showed him keeping her company at a street food stall. Last New Year’s Eve, I was hospitalized with a high fever from the flu. Julian appeared in Chloe’s video, intently disinfecting a scrape on her fingertip. The hand holding my phone was shaking. Julian’s face never fully appeared in any of the photos. But the familiar cuffs, the lines on his palm, made it impossible for me to keep lying to myself. Chloe’s newest post refreshed on the screen. The lace maid outfit in the picture was so revealing it made me sick just looking at it. 【I bought it but forgot to take it. Good thing someone remembered. I’ll reward him tonight.】 So, that’s what Julian came back to the apartment to grab. In the comments, her fans were joking around. 【Brother-in-law is eating well! Sister loves him so much.】 Chloe replied: 【I can’t help it. I asked him today when he started falling for me.】 【He said it was eight years ago, the day I first bravely told him I liked him. He said my eyes were shockingly bright, and he never forgot it.】 【Thinking about how he was thinking of me during those years makes my heart melt completely.】 Eight years ago. That was the day I caught them in bed. I pressed my lips tightly together. But the tears stubbornly, silently rolled down my face. Chloe posted another video. The camera pointed at a large bed covered in rose petals. A woman’s voice giggled coquettishly: “My fans told me to ask you, now that you’re thirty, do you have any new plans for our relationship?” A man chuckled softly: “Plans?” “I do want a child. Baby, will you give me one?” The camera shook, and the sound of fabric rustling violently could be heard. My fingertips were stiff. I misdialed several times before finally calling Julian. The phone rang three times before connecting. My voice trembled as I asked, “Julian, am I still in your future plans?” He was silent for a few seconds, then said casually, “Of course, why wouldn’t you be?” “Oh, right, my parents said you had a surprise for me. They asked me several times, what is it?” From the other end came Chloe’s soft urging. “Hubby, if you don’t focus, I’m going to punish you.” If I hadn’t stumbled upon the truth, I probably would have been stupid enough to think it was his subordinate. My gaze swept over the torn ultrasound report in the trash can, and I said softly, “There isn’t one.” The surprise is gone. The love of the past, the future we looked forward to together. It’s all gone. Julian’s tone carried a hint of anger. “What kind of petty tantrum are you throwing?” “For you, I’ve turned down dozens of international partnership opportunities, just because you’re always so paranoid!” “I’m out entertaining clients tonight, considering our future, can’t you give me a moment to breathe?” Tears fell again, and I gave a soft laugh. “Julian, you’re right.” “I am throwing a petty tantrum.” “When you get back to the States, let’s get a divorce.” 4 Julian hung up first. He scoffed coldly, “Fine, throw a fit if you want to.” The disconnected dial tone echoed in the receiver, hitting my heart like a drumbeat. During the ten-plus hour return flight, I didn’t sleep a wink. It wasn’t until I lay on the operating table and the anesthesia flowed into my veins that I was finally freed from the endless agony. The day I found out I was pregnant, I was truly overjoyed. I thought this would be a new beginning for our little family. Just a few more months, and the baby would be born. Happiness was within reach. But now, everything had fallen apart. After resting for a day, I received another message from Julian. 【I’m back. Family dinner tonight, don’t throw a tantrum in front of my parents.】 【Chloe, you’re not a little girl anymore. There should be a limit to your temper.】 I replied, agreeing to attend. By the time I pulled myself together and arrived at the Hayes family estate, both families were already there. Julian sat down next to me. He looked at my averted face, his tone exasperated. “Are you still angry?” He pulled out a necklace and shoved it into my hand. “It was my fault, okay?” “An apology gift for you. Give me a smile, hmm?” My palms turned ice cold. Just yesterday, right before I was about to go into the operating room, Chloe posted an update. The messy bed was covered in gifts. She opened them one by one: a limited-edition crocodile skin bag, a custom luxury perfume, a diamond-encrusted bracelet… Only when she got to this gold necklace did she grimace in disgust: “The style is so old-fashioned, I don’t want it.” The person filming laughed indulgently: “I get you a gift for my birthday and you still complain. I’ll just go throw it away, alright?” I loosened my grip, letting the necklace fall to the floor. Julian frowned: “What more do you want? Take it or leave it.” Julian’s mother smiled affectionately, trying to ease the tension. “I heard you specifically flew to London for Julian’s birthday, but he didn’t spend time with you because of work. He was in the wrong for that.” My mom chimed in to smooth things over. “You’re going to be a mother soon, you can’t be throwing petty tantrums. It’s not good for your health.” “Be a… mother?” Julian froze, turning to look at me in disbelief. “Chloe, you’re pregnant?!” He stood up abruptly, the corners of his mouth uncontrollably curling upward. “I’m going to be a dad, aren’t I?!” The coldness in his eyes melted away, replaced by unconcealed excitement. I didn’t look away, clearly seeing every ounce of his emotion. But this time, was it real or fake? I couldn’t tell anymore. And I didn’t care. The elders from both families laughed out loud. “Look at this silly boy.” I said softly: “No.” “I aborted the baby.” The atmosphere froze. Julian’s excitement stiffened on his face. Panic flashed in his eyes for a few seconds before he squeezed out a smile: “Chloe, don’t make jokes like that.” I didn’t respond. I pulled out the pre-prepared divorce agreement from my bag. Then I gave a slight smile: “Julian, I met Chloe.” “If we don’t get a divorce, are you going to make her be the other woman for the rest of her life?”

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Everyone knows I am the illegitimate daughter of the prominent Vance family in Capitol City, a secret kept in the shadows. It’s only because of Mrs. Vance’s kind heart, keeping me around to pray for her beloved youngest daughter, that I was allowed to grow up in the Vance household. But what outsiders don’t know is that from age six to twenty-six, I donated blood to Lily Vance hundreds of times. Half of one of my kidneys is even functioning inside her body. When I turned twenty-seven, Lily’s heart started failing. The eldest Vance son immediately locked me up in the estate. Mrs. Vance, rolling prayer beads in her hands, spoke with a tone as gentle as a saint: “Good child, I have wronged you. If you come back to haunt someone after you’re gone, come for my life.” But on the day of the surgery, a former maid who had gone mad suddenly appeared at the hospital, hysterical. She kept screaming: “Ma’am, someone switched your baby back then!” On that day, the proud Mrs. Vance shattered her own heart and took her own life. … After I was hospitalized. The person who visited me most often was Liam Vance, the one who dragged me back from the airport. He didn’t really do anything. He just sat in my hospital room for a few hours every day, watching me knit a scarf. I really couldn’t stand this human refrigerator. I tied off the yarn and looked at him with a headache. “You’ve posted so many bodyguards, I definitely can’t escape. There’s no need for you to personally guard me, right?” At those words, Liam awkwardly looked away. After a long while, he looked at me again, his tone a bit lost: “Is there anything you want?” “Or, do you have any wishes? Before…” Wishes? My fingers paused. The day I was dragged back to the Vance estate and locked up. I was supposed to fly north to see the snow. In my twenty-seven years of life, because of Lily’s health condition, I hadn’t taken a single step out of Capitol City. At the beginning of the year, the doctors said her health had improved a lot. So the Vance family finally relaxed their control over me. But Lily started dating someone and actually went bungee jumping and scuba diving with her boyfriend. With her fragile body, she went into shock that very night and ended up in the hospital. This time, the doctors said she needed a heart transplant. So, the world of ice and snow I had thought about countless times became an eternal fantasy. And now, the chief culprit was actually asking me what my wish was? As if he would really fulfill it if I told him. I smiled mockingly. Seeing Liam’s persistent look, I said perfunctorily: “Osmanthus jam, I guess.” Liam froze for a moment, then said softly: “Osmanthus jam, Mom loves that the most too.” “You both like sweets. Lily doesn’t like it at all, says it’s too cloying.” I twitched my lips and didn’t reply. An illegitimate daughter like me wouldn’t dare claim a connection with the most pious Mrs. Vance in Capitol City. Liam had nothing more to say. After sitting for a while longer, he got up to leave. When he reached the door, he stopped and looked back at me. “Chloe, believe it or not, after all these years, we’ve truly considered you family for a long time.” I scoffed. Family? Hearing that gives me nightmares. I’m terrified of being reincarnated into a family like theirs in my next life. From the moment I could remember, I knew my awkward status in the Vance family. So I always shrank back, trying to minimize my presence. But that didn’t stop me from envying Lily Vance. She was born sickly, practically living in the hospital. Whenever that happened, Mrs. Vance would stay by her bed all night, copying scriptures over and over. Mr. Vance, no matter how busy, would rush back just to see her. Ethan and Liam would rack their brains to find all sorts of novelties just to make her smile. Her hospital room was always filled with flowers and toys. The one thing she lacked least was love. And I, having just had my blood drawn, would always hide in the room next to hers, secretly listening to her silvery laughter. From losing too much blood, I also felt terrible all over. But I had no right to express my joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness as freely as she did. She laughed loudly when happy, acted spoiled when dissatisfied, and cried when in pain. Every tear could earn her double the tender affection. As for me, my crying was annoying, my happiness was always inappropriate. To the Vance family. Her life was precious. And mine seemed born just to exist for her. This point was brought to my attention by the second young master of the Vance family, Ethan Vance. He was the person in the entire Vance family who hated me the most. Moving my room to the attic was his idea. From elementary school to college, he was the one tirelessly educating everyone that I was an illegitimate child. Thanks to him, I hardly had a single comfortable moment growing up. The phrase he said to me the most was: “Your usefulness to Lily is the greatest purpose and value of your life. You should be thankful.” Later, probably because Lily’s condition improved. He surprisingly started showing me a somewhat pleasant face. Once, I was carrying a stack of old books down from the attic and almost tripped on the stairs. He happened to be downstairs and instinctively reached out to catch me, even asking if I was okay. After I said I was fine, he hesitated and asked if I wanted to move out of the attic. It scared me so much I didn’t sleep all night, wondering how he was planning to prank me next. Fortunately, Lily was hospitalized again, and the abruptly changed Ethan finally stopped looking at me with strange eyes. However, the day I was brought back to the Vance family and sent to the hospital for matching. He accompanied me the whole time, keeping his head down, not looking at me once, but his hands were shaking violently. Even during these past few days while I was locked in the hospital waiting for surgery, he restrained himself and didn’t come once to warn me to know my place. I smacked my lips, shaking my head to clear him from my thoughts. Instead, I looked with satisfaction at the scarf I was spreading out. Just a little bit more and it will be finished. By the day of my surgery, it should be done. I hope the person receiving the gift can survive this winter that I won’t be able to. Later that evening, Liam had someone bring me osmanthus jam. A large jar full of it. I had just opened the lid when the hospital room door was violently pushed open. The next second, the jar in my hand was knocked to the floor. Ethan’s angry voice echoed in the room: “What did you say to Lily?” “Lily is refusing to have the surgery now! She was perfectly fine before she left her room that day, but after coming to see you, she’s been crying and throwing a tantrum! Did you spout some nonsense in front of her?!” I stared at the osmanthus jam spilled all over the floor for a long time. Then, I looked up, meeting his red, angry eyes, my voice so calm it even surprised me. “Yes.” “I said I didn’t want to die. Is there a problem with that?” This was my true, inner thought, but to the Vance family, it probably sounded like high treason. Ethan froze in place. I smiled, looking straight into his eyes, and said word by word: “I told her I’m only twenty-seven. I’m still so young, I don’t want to die.” “Are you satisfied? Second Young Master Vance.” All color drained from his face; he stared at me, unable to utter a single word. After a long moment, he violently averted his eyes and almost stumbled out, not even bothering to close the door. The hospital room fell silent again, leaving only the cloyingly rich, almost bitter scent of osmanthus. Actually, I lied to him. Lily did come to my room in a wheelchair that day. Except Liam accompanied her, glaring at me with a warning look the entire time. Lily thought I was hospitalized for appendicitis surgery. She looked pale and said to Liam, almost whining: “Big brother, none of you told me Chloe was sick. Good thing I’m smart and noticed you kept secretly taking the elevator upstairs.” Liam gently ruffled her hair, his tone soft: “It’s big brother’s fault, I apologize.” Lily then smiled and looked at me: “Chloe, appendicitis surgery is minor, don’t be scared.” As she spoke, her smile became strained, and she lowered her eyes: “Unlike me, I’m having a heart transplant in a few days. Having your heart taken out… it must be terrifying.” I stood there, instinctively raising my hand to touch my chest. Inside my chest cavity, that strong heart was beating vigorously. Yes. Having your heart taken out must be terrifying. I was also so scared. When she left that day, she was clearly still smiling happily. I didn’t know why she suddenly threw a tantrum about not wanting the surgery, leading Ethan to come charging over like a mad dog looking for trouble. He was the one who protected Lily the most in the family. If anyone made Lily shed a single tear, he would fight them to the death. I have to admit, Lily really hit the reincarnation jackpot. If people really have a next life, I hope I don’t get dealt such a terrible hand again. I sighed and slowly got out of bed. I crouched down, used a fingertip to dab a little of the osmanthus jam from the floor, and put it in my mouth. So sweet. I smacked my lips, looking at the amber jam on the floor, my voice as light as a sigh: “What a pity, I won’t be able to eat this ever again.” The day before the surgery, Lily came to my room again. This time, a nurse wheeled her in. Her lips were purplish-black, and an oxygen tube hung under her nose. After recovering for quite a while, she finally spoke: “Chloe, the surgery is tomorrow, I’m a little scared.” I didn’t speak, my hands continuously knitting the last section of the scarf. Time was almost up. She didn’t seem to need my answer either. She stared at me unblinkingly and said softly: “Chloe, will you blame me?” “We are both Vance children, and we are often sick at the same time, but Mom, Dad, and my brothers always stay by my side.” “While you here…” The steel needles in my hands paused, and suddenly I looped the yarn wrong. She had already lowered her head; I couldn’t see the expression on her face, I could only hear her breathing, which sounded like a bellows. “I don’t blame you.” I re-looped the yarn: “There’s nothing to blame you for.” You get used to it. I was only five the first time I was dragged to the hospital to have blood drawn. At that time, my concept of family hadn’t been completely crushed yet. I naively thought that if I helped my sister, I would be accepted by this family. So when I came out of the hospital room, the first thing I did was carefully take Mrs. Vance’s cold hand. And then I softly called her “Mom.” I don’t quite remember Mrs. Vance’s expression that day. I only remember her saying I needed to go back and learn the rules properly. So I understood. Lily and I were completely different existences. Later, after having my blood drawn so many times, it stopped hurting. Even later, when they took my kidney, they did give me some preferential treatment. I stayed in a room slightly better than the attic and ate delicate hospital food for a few days. From beginning to end, not a single person told me the details of the surgery, nor did anyone ask if I was willing. I was used to being taken from. Used to preparing myself, with every one of Lily’s critical condition notices, that a part of my body might be taken away. I just, at the very end, really regretted that I didn’t get to go see the snow in the North. Twelve hours before the surgery, my scarf was finally finished. Black cashmere yarn, which I specifically chose; it should really suit his skin tone. I smiled, carefully folded the scarf, and placed it on the nightstand. My eyes, however, caught sight of a jar of osmanthus jam on the nightstand. It wasn’t the celadon jar Liam had sent, but an ordinary glass jar. It looked like a premium brand you could buy at a store. I didn’t know who put it there, only that when I opened my eyes, it had appeared on my nightstand. That morning, Mrs. Vance coincidentally also came to see me. Rolling her prayer beads, she sat by my bed and held my hand. She looked very tired. Every time Lily was hospitalized, Mrs. Vance always stayed up all night by her most beloved youngest daughter’s side, night after night. This time was no exception. She stared at me blankly for a long time, and finally, her gaze fell on the osmanthus jam on my nightstand. “You like eating osmanthus jam too?” I nodded. Her eyes instantly turned red, and large tears rolled down without warning. “How strange. Liam told me you also liked osmanthus jam, and I didn’t believe him.” “Lily is allergic to osmanthus…” She mumbled the last sentence. Her tears flowed faster, and the hand holding mine unconsciously tightened, her nails almost digging into my skin. After a long time, she calmed down, looked at me, and said: “Chloe, I am the one who wronged you. I won’t deny the sins I’ve committed.” “But I am a mother. I would rather die myself than not save my child.” I pulled my hand from hers and smiled shyly: “I know, Lily is lucky to have you as her mother.” I meant that sincerely. Lily indeed was lucky. To have a mother willing to sacrifice everything for her. To have a family that treated her like a treasure. She was silent for a moment, then said: “When you were first brought to the Vance family, I actually hated you very much.” “I thought, why is my child struggling on the edge of life and death, while you are healthy and laughing without a care in the world.” “But Chloe, the more you give to Lily, the more I can’t lift my head in front of you.” “What did you do wrong?” “I have no choice, Chloe. I can never repay what I owe you.” “If you come to claim my life, I won’t have a single complaint.” I looked at the tears in her eyes, feeling a bit dazed. All these years, Mrs. Vance spent her days copying scriptures in the Vance family’s Buddhist shrine, ignoring worldly affairs. But when I was bullied by distant Vance relatives and maids at home, she was the one who stepped up time and time again to scold them back for me. There was another time when I was very sick, with a high fever that wouldn’t break. In my delirium, a cool hand rested on my forehead. I struggled to open my heavy eyelids and saw Mrs. Vance sitting by my narrow bed. Later, she scooped me up and carried me downstairs. That was the first time she held me, and the only time in my entire life. What a true pity. I had never seen my mother. So even up to the moment I close my eyes, I will never know if my mother’s embrace would have been just as gentle. The moment before entering the operating room. The gurney was waiting at the door, and the nurse was doing the final checks. Ethan suddenly burst through the doors. His eyes were terrifyingly red, and he spoke incoherently to me about my childhood. Finally, unable to continue, his voice hoarse, he apologized over and over again. I didn’t respond, just looked at him calmly. He stumbled backward a step, covering his face with his hands, his shoulders shaking slightly. I didn’t know what kind of fit he was having, choosing the last moment to come bother me instead of staying by his beloved sister. However, being on death’s door, I could finally say what I’d wanted to say for a long time. “Ethan!” He looked up at me. I smiled at him: “You are the person I hate most in the entire Vance family.” His face was shockingly pale. I thought for a moment and maliciously added: “I will never, ever forgive you.” Even after entering the operating room, I was still relishing Ethan’s stiff, pale expression at that moment. It was quite interesting; he looked as pained as if his own sister had actually died. Then, My world went completely dark. Dying is a very strange thing. If this floating state can be called dying. The Vance family members outside the operating room all had different expressions, but without exception, they all looked haggard. Especially Ethan; he shrank into a corner, constantly biting his fingernails, blood already flowing over his hands. I tsked. I had to admit, Ethan’s love for his sister Lily was true. I glanced at Mrs. Vance again. She was mechanically rolling the prayer beads in her hands, muttering to herself. In this dead silence, at the end of the hallway, the elevator suddenly dinged open. A figure stumbled out. “Ma’am! It’s wrong! It’s all wrong!” This roar made everyone outside the operating room whip their heads around. Ethan was the first to react, yelling at the bodyguards: “Stop her!” But it was too late. The woman with disheveled clothes stared fixedly at the door, screaming incoherently: “Madam! Help! Someone is trying to steal the young miss! That bitch took her child and switched the babies!” “She even hit me, blood! So much blood!” “I held the baby Madam gave birth to! I held her with my own hands!” She reached out her trembling hands, gesturing madly in the air. “That child was fair and plump, her little legs kicked with such strength, her cry was loud. Later, later she stopped crying and laughed, her eyes curved like a little lucky doll! A healthy lucky doll!” The air went dead silent. Only the mad maid humming a nursery rhyme intermittently remained.

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I slept with Arthur for six years. He was always incredibly dismissive when replying to my messages. Just one-word answers: “Mm,” “Oh,” “Ah.” His friends laughed at me: “Arthur just has too much pride to let his guard down. If you’re tired of it, just stop chasing him.” Arthur shot a cold look at the guy: “You talk too much.” In everyone’s eyes, I had been a one-sided simp for Arthur for six years. I interrupted them, smiling: “Mm, I’m done chasing.” Anyway, I’ve had enough sex to last a lifetime. My family issued an ultimatum: if I couldn’t lock him down, I had to obediently go on blind dates. 1 I set up a breakup hookup with Arthur. While I was getting dressed, he asked me, “When you said you were tired and done chasing the other day, you were joking, right?” He lit a post-coital cigarette. “Chloe, you know your family background isn’t good enough to marry into the Sterling family.” “Mm.” “Also, we’re out of condoms. Remember to buy some next time.” I smiled: “Arthur, you didn’t actually read the message I sent you, did you?” He paused and picked up his phone to check. Makes sense. No matter what I sent him, he’d only reply with irrelevant grunts. I used to throw tantrums over this, but he just said, “If you really had an emergency, you’d call me.” I never called him once. In his eyes, my affairs were probably never an emergency. Arthur put down his phone, the corner of his lips curling up: “What’s this mean? A breakup hookup?” I finished putting on my shoes, fiddling with my phone while talking to him: “It’s not really a breakup, considering we never had an official title.” But Arthur’s technique was definitely top-tier. And he lasted long. For those reasons alone, it wasn’t a total loss. I showed him my phone screen: “All chat records have been deleted. You can rest easy, Mr. Sterling.” Arthur remained expressionless: “I’ve never publicly acknowledged a girlfriend. Chloe, honestly, you were just a hair’s breadth away.” “Because I don’t like women who throw tantrums.” “Oh. Then I’m honored, and also regretful.” 2 During work hours. I was waiting for the elevator when my mom suddenly called. “Honey, find some time to come home for a blind date.” The elevator doors opened, and I stepped inside. I looked up and found Arthur standing there in a sharp suit. My mom urged me on the phone: “This guy is tall, his last name is Hayes, he’s over six-foot-two, and he’s handsome. Totally your type.” The elevator was small, and my mom’s voice echoed inside. Arthur said nothing, only asking, “Which floor?” “16, thanks.” I turned down the volume on my phone. “I know, Mom. How about the day after tomorrow? I have a day off, I can come home.” Only then did my mom hang up. There was a burning gaze directed at my back. Arthur spoke up: “Attorney Davis, the M&A proposal your team submitted has flaws. Come to my office later to fix it.” I nodded respectfully: “Yes, Mr. Sterling.” The Sterling Corporation was a massive empire, employing a huge legal team. I was one of them. That’s also how I met Arthur. He didn’t like people knowing about our relationship. At first, I didn’t get it. But I was always respectful, calling him “Mr. Sterling” and never crossing the line. Later, I understood what he meant. We just slept together. Talking in bed was enough. 3 Arthur’s office. When I walked in, his back was to me, revealing a vibrant flash of red behind him. A woman had him pinned against the desk, kissing him breathlessly. Arthur was wearing a dress shirt that clung to his back muscles, outlining his perfect physique. He really was a catch. Hot, wild. But mostly, he was a massive scumbag. He cut ties cleanly and didn’t cause trouble. He could dump you one second and find another woman to replace you the next. I took a half-step back and knocked loudly on the door: “Mr. Sterling.” Arthur turned his head and released the woman in his arms. She smoothed her hair and straightened her clothes. She gave me a look, picked up a newly bought luxury item from the desk, and left. Arthur adjusted his tie and lit a cigarette. “I can only smoke when you come in. With anyone else, I can’t even touch a cigarette; gotta maintain the image.” I nodded: “That is your prerogative, Mr. Sterling.” He asked casually: “Did you see the woman just now?” “…” “Don’t play dumb. That was someone my stepmother forced on me. She’s nothing special, not as good as you.” “If you hadn’t thrown a tantrum and insisted on breaking up, I wouldn’t have even given her the time of day.” I didn’t want to talk about this with him. So I placed the proposal on the desk. “Mr. Sterling, the proposal you asked for.” He had clearly approved this exact proposal last week. Now, he didn’t even glance at it. “This proposal won’t work. Rewrite it.” “My team and I will discuss it again and deliver a version that satisfies you.” “Report back to me the day after tomorrow.” I froze, nodding helplessly: “Alright, whatever you say.” Arthur smiled: “There’s a dinner tonight. Will you accompany me?” “Is it a formal business dinner?” I couldn’t help but ask. If it was just his buddies, I could easily decline. Arthur shook his head: “Relax, it’s business. After all, you were the one who ended things between us.” 4 It was indeed business. A high-society banquet. I wore the expensive gown Arthur provided, holding a wine glass, feeling nothing but boredom. Because of Arthur, I had to postpone the blind date. My mom was a bit unhappy. I’m 28 this year. She isn’t forcing me to get married, but she at least wants to see me date someone. I had seen photos of the men she introduced. They were either rich or handsome. My gaze drifted into the distance. Arthur was in a sharp suit, his narrow waist encased within it, long legs extending below. It was true. In terms of looks, none of those men could compare to Arthur. Once, I had even fantasized about Arthur actually caring for me. He took me to various cocktail parties, introducing me to his business contacts. When people asked who I was. Arthur would only say: “A new lawyer at the firm, brought her along to broaden her horizons.” I threw a tantrum. “Arthur, aren’t we together? Why don’t you tell them I’m your girlfriend!” He looked at me with a childish expression: “Chloe, I never publicly acknowledge any girlfriends.” “But we’ve already—” “It was mutual consent. Don’t tell me you can’t handle a casual arrangement.” “If you can’t handle it, then let’s break up.” A playboy. Talking about a prodigal son returning was a joke. In that moment, I got stubborn and told him: “You’re right, Arthur. It would cost a fortune to hire a male escort of your caliber, wouldn’t it? Why wouldn’t I be able to handle it?” To be fair, my career was skyrocketing, standing out among a sea of interns. My abilities weren’t weak. But without Arthur pulling strings behind the scenes, I would be nothing. Arthur said: “Keep an open mind; it’s good for both of us.” Later, I had an epiphany: he was right. 5 My view of Arthur was blocked. A familiar face walked toward me. “Attorney Davis, long time no see.” I clinked glasses with him: “Mr. Hayes.” Julian Hayes had a smile as warm as a spring breeze. “Last time at the conference, you debated the entire room and left my best lawyer speechless. It was very memorable.” “You flatter me, Mr. Hayes.” He didn’t beat around the bush: “Attorney Davis, I’m interested in poaching you for Hayes Corp. You name the salary. I’ll give you a private office and a top-tier team.” I politely declined, saying I had no intention of jumping ship. After all, I had just made a name for myself in my current environment. Changing environments meant jumping into the unknown. Julian: “What, am I less charming than Arthur? Can’t I win your favor?” I looked him up and down. Younger than Arthur, tall, and in great shape. A man like this was actually a great catch. “Mr. Hayes, it’s a bit inappropriate to poach my people right in front of me, isn’t it?” Arthur pushed through the crowd and stood beside me. Julian said: “Good talent is hard to find. Is it a crime to appreciate a good lawyer?” Arthur smiled: “You have a good eye, Mr. Hayes. My people are, naturally, the best.” … The elevator was going up. It was just Arthur and me. He asked out of the blue: “Got your eye on Julian?” I shook my head: “I wouldn’t dare.” “You checked him out from head to toe. Did you think I wouldn’t notice?” The elevator doors opened; it was Arthur’s floor. He suddenly pressed the ‘close door’ button. He pinned me against the elevator doors. His large hand slid up my waist. I said calmly: “Arthur, wasn’t one breakup hookup enough? Want another one?” He froze. He removed his hand from my body, snagging the business card Julian had given me in the process. “Fuck, Chloe, weren’t you going on a blind date? And you’re still flirting with Julian?” I helplessly waved my hand: “Didn’t you ruin the blind date?” Silence fell for a moment. Arthur walked out of the elevator with a dark expression.

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Chapter 1 As the year neared its end, I managed to lock down a multi-million dollar contract for the company. Just as I was preparing to announce the good news at the annual gala, My manager beat me to it, announcing the promotion list. “Congratulations to David, promoted to Deputy Director.” “Congratulations to Ryan, promoted to Team Leader.” Finally, she looked at me. “Chloe… from now on, you’ll be responsible for providing full support to them.” I couldn’t help but ask: “Manager Davis, then what position am I being promoted to?” She frowned: “The positions have all been distributed! Company resources need to be concentrated to produce the maximum value.” “You’re still young, don’t be too calculating about gains and losses.” “They are an overseas elite and an industry expert; they are the ones who contribute the most to the company.” I clutched the multi-million dollar contract I had just signed: “So if I have no value to the company, can I just go process my resignation now?” Manager Davis stood right up, arrogant and domineering: “Chloe, are you threatening me?” “You don’t actually think the company will stop running without you, do you?” I clenched my fists, trying to reason with her: “Manager Davis, it seems you’re the one bullying people first, aren’t you?” “I’ve been with the company for so many years; even if I don’t have major achievements, I’ve put in the hard work.” “Why is it that when it’s my turn, the positions are all gone?” Manager Davis’s expression changed: “What kind of talk is that? Did the company not pay your salary? Did we not pay your benefits?” I was so angry I laughed: “Manager Davis, right after my probation period, you threw a pile of tasks at me that no one else wanted to touch.” “Half a year later, when I produced results, you credited all the success to David and Ryan.” “Saying someone like me, who just graduated from a regular state college, couldn’t compare to those two.” I remembered when I first joined, Manager Davis dumped all the difficult clients on me. Sugarcoating it as ‘the capable do more work’, but in reality, she just wanted a scapegoat. She always despised my educational background, acting like hiring me was a massive favor. She rolled her eyes: “You really don’t know what’s good for you! You were able to improve so fast precisely because of the trials I put you through!” “You should be thanking me!” Before I could speak, she added: “One is an overseas grad, the other is an expert. What do you have to compare with them?” “Blame yourself for not stepping up. Who told you not to be as valuable as them?” My chest felt incredibly tight: “So because my degree isn’t as prestigious as theirs, I don’t deserve to be treated fairly?” Manager Davis shot back: “Save that crap for someone else!” “They are simply better than you, more useful than you!” “The workplace is like this: survival of the fittest!” Looking at her arrogant face, my heart completely turned cold. Manager Davis sneered at me: “If you’ve got time to waste, go handle your work. Stop holding everyone up!” I looked at David and asked: “Do you agree with this too?” David glanced at the manager and whispered: “I… I can’t really say. I just follow the manager’s arrangements.” I sneered and turned to Ryan: “Ryan, what about you?” Ryan frowned: “I listen to the manager.” “Besides, resources belong to the company; the manager distributes them however she sees fit.” I gave a scoff and slowly stood up. Clutching the contract in my hand, I looked at them and said: “In that case, don’t expect me to bust my ass for you guys anymore!” As soon as I finished, Manager Davis slammed a folder onto the table: “You’re out of line! You’re probably just looking for an excuse to get a raise, aren’t you?” “Stop causing a scene here. If you want to get lost, hurry up and get lost!” Chapter 2 Looking at Manager Davis’s distorted, furious face, I ignored my colleagues trying to stop me, slammed the door, and stormed out of the conference room. Just as I reached the stairwell to calm down, my phone started vibrating continuously. First was Mr. Lin, the Finance Manager. He was the company’s peacemaker; I didn’t even need to think to know why he was calling. I hesitated for two seconds, then answered. “Chloe, I heard you had a little disagreement with Manager Davis?” “It’s normal for young people to have a temper, but David and Ryan do have seniority…” “Mr. Lin,” I interrupted him, “this isn’t an issue of seniority; it’s an issue of fairness.” Mr. Lin gave a dry laugh: “Where is there absolute fairness in the workplace?” “How about this: you go apologize to Manager Davis first, then treat her to a meal later. Once you talk it out, everything will be fine.” I scoffed and asked: “What exactly did I do wrong that requires an apology?” Mr. Lin fell silent for a moment, his tone turning a bit heavier: “Chloe, aren’t you just being difficult now?” “Cool down first, then go have a good talk with Manager Davis and try to smooth things over.” Too lazy to play along, I simply hung up. The phone rang again. It was Manager Davis. I immediately rejected the call. She sent a text: [Giving you one last chance. Come back right now and admit your mistake, and we’ll turn the page. Otherwise, it will be processed as a voluntary resignation!] Looking at that text, any trace of hesitation in my heart vanished. I opened my contacts and found the CEO’s secretary’s number. Because of a previous cross-departmental project, we had collaborated a few times, and she had a good impression of me. “Secretary Wang, this is Chloe from Sales.” “I have something important to report to the CEO. Could you arrange ten minutes for me?” Secretary Wang was clearly a bit surprised but still gave me a time. “The CEO has a gap at 4:00 PM.” “Okay, I’ll be there right at 4:00.” Hanging up, I went back to my desk to prepare my materials. David suddenly rushed over to me. “Chloe, are… are you really leaving?” “What else?” I retorted, “Stay and continue being your stepping stone?” David sighed: “That’s not the right way to look at it…” “Making a scene like this won’t do you any good. And that project you were following up on…” “What about that project?” I went on high alert. David hemmed and hawed. “Well, Manager Davis assigned that project to Ryan and me to follow up on…” My heart sank. Not only do they steal credit, but now they want to snatch clients directly? I asked coldly: “Which client?” “That… the Zenith Corporation one…” David’s voice trailed off. Zenith Corporation. The exact company I had just signed the multi-million dollar contract with yesterday. David whispered an addition: “Manager Davis said since you’re leaving, that client will be handed over to us.” I clenched my fists. Manager Davis was banking on me not daring to tear things completely apart, aiming to pocket the fruits of all my labor. I got up and walked toward the elevator, taking the contract with me. This was the result of working overtime until late every night for the past six months. Since they won’t give me a way to survive, I’ll carve out a path myself! Chapter 3 By the time I walked out of the CEO’s office, it was almost closing time. He personally walked me to the elevator. “Chloe, why don’t you reconsider?” I gave a light chuckle and shook my head slightly. “I appreciate the training the company has provided me, but I’ve already made up my mind.” The CEO sighed and didn’t push further. On my way back to the Sales Department, I intentionally avoided the main office area. But passing by the break room, I still overheard the gossip. “Did you hear? Chloe slammed the table at Manager Davis during the meeting today!” “Tsk tsk, if you didn’t know better, you’d think she was the manager.” I walked briskly past, ignoring the voices. Back at my desk, I started packing my things. Kevin called. He was my closest colleague in the company. Finally, a trace of warmth returned to my heart. At least someone genuinely cared about me. “Chloe, are you okay?” “I’m fine,” I said, “just a bit tired.” He paused, and when he spoke again, his voice was very soft: “Chloe, I know you’ve been wronged, but… could you come back and help out first?” “My performance review this year is tied to this project. If the project falls through, my year-end bonus is gone. My mom is sick and needs surgery this year; I need that money…” I gripped my phone, my knuckles turning white. So he was here to persuade me, too. I took a deep breath: “Kevin, do you remember when Manager Davis put her name on the results of your hard work, and you cried the whole night out of anger?” Silence on the other end. After a long time, he whispered: “I’m sorry… but…” I asked in return: “So my fairness doesn’t matter, is that it?” “Your difficulties are real difficulties, but my difficulties are just what I deserve?” He didn’t answer. I spoke up first: “Kevin, you’re my best friend in the company.” “If you really have an urgent need, I can lend you the money.” “But regarding the Zenith project, I just want fairness.” With that, I hung up the phone. Thinking of these people standing on the moral high ground trying to persuade me. A chill washed over my heart. Since you all think I’m unworthy, then I’ll leave. Let’s see if the company will still run without me! Chapter 4 Early the next morning, I was woken up by a call from Secretary Wang. She said the CEO wanted me to come into the office today to talk about the project. My mind had been full of all the grievances I’d suffered at this company over the years last night. I didn’t want to return to the place that had caused me so much suffering. But that project was, after all, something I had worked relentlessly on for a long time. I still had some attachment to it. After hesitating for a moment, I decided to go to the company. As soon as I walked into the company building, I felt something was off. Normally, people never gave me a second glance. But today, everyone was acting completely out of character. Mark from the Finance Department greeted me with a smile, holding a cup of coffee. “Chloe! Morning! Brought you a latte, light on the sugar, right?” I was stunned. In my three years at the company, the number of times Mark had spoken to me could be counted on one hand. Before I could react, he shoved the coffee right into my hand. “Don’t be shy, don’t be shy! You’ve got a bright future ahead!” I frowned, not saying a word. I walked quickly to the elevator, but things inside were even weirder. People were actually making room for me. “Chloe’s here? Come in, come in, there’s space over here.” Linda from HR, standing in the corner, smiled and said: “Chloe, did you not sleep well last night? You look a bit pale, do you want to request a couple of days of comp time?” Everyone’s eyes were fixed on me, carrying a fawning look. Leaving me with a face full of question marks. It wasn’t until the elevator doors opened that I completely understood. A red banner caught my eye: [Warm Congratulations to Comrade Chloe for Signing a Multi-Million Dollar Contract!] All my colleagues in the department were standing neatly under the banner. Each one wearing a plastered smile. Manager Davis was holding a large bouquet of flowers, and seeing me step out, immediately rushed over. “Chloe! Congratulations! Look at you, signing such a huge contract and not telling us sooner? You made us all misunderstand!” David also chimed in, beaming: “Yeah, yeah, Chloe, you’re too low-key! Yesterday I even told Manager Davis that such an important project must be handled by you!” Ryan’s expression was a bit stiff, but he still forced a smile: “Chloe, I was thoughtless before, don’t hold it against me.” Looking at the scene before me, I found it incredibly absurd. Yesterday they were standing on their moral high ground, criticizing me. Today, acting like nothing happened, greeting me with smiles. Looking at their hypocritical faces, I just wanted to throw up. I pushed away the flowers in her hand. “Manager Davis, didn’t you say yesterday that I wasn’t as valuable as they are?” Manager Davis’s smile faltered for a second: “That… that was just me speaking out of anger! You can’t take that seriously! I was just trying to motivate you!” I shook my head and pulled a resignation form out of my bag. “No need for motivation anymore. This is my resignation application; please sign it.” As soon as the words fell. Everyone’s smiles froze on their faces. Manager Davis stared at the piece of paper, her face gradually darkening. She stepped forward, lowering her voice: “Chloe, what are you trying to do?” “I want to resign.” Infuriated, Manager Davis raised her voice: “You don’t really think you can do whatever you want just because you signed one big contract, do you?” “Let me tell you, without this company’s platform, you are nothing!” She snatched the resignation application from my hand and ripped it to shreds: “I’m telling you, Chloe, today you either obediently get back to work, or I’ll make sure you can’t survive in this industry!” Looking at the torn paper on the floor, and then up at Manager Davis’s twisted face, I suddenly laughed. “Davis, let me tell you. Mr. Vance from Zenith explicitly stated that he only recognizes me, Chloe, for this project.” “Furthermore, the CEO has agreed that if I resign, I will take the Zenith project with me.” “That’s what we discussed in the CEO’s office yesterday.” “Impossible!” Manager Davis screamed, “How could the CEO agree to such a demand!” I walked towards her, pronouncing every word clearly: “Because Mr. Vance said that if the company didn’t agree, he would immediately terminate the cooperation and pursue the company for breach of contract.” “The penalty for breach of contract is thirty million. Manager Davis, do you think the company will keep you, or keep the thirty million?” Chapter 5 The air in the entire department seemed to freeze. The colleagues who had just been sporting smiles were now frozen in place, their eyes filled with shock. Manager Davis’s face turned deathly pale, unable to utter a single word. I turned and walked to my desk, pulling out a cardboard box I had prepared earlier from the drawer. Inside the box were only a few notebooks, a fountain pen I had used for three years, and a small cactus from my desk. Ryan suddenly rushed over and blocked my path: “Wait! Chloe, you can’t do this! This project is a company resource, how can you…” I stopped and looked at him: “Ryan, didn’t you say yesterday that resources belong to the company, and the manager distributes them however she sees fit?” Ryan’s face flushed beet red: “That… that was…” I asked calmly: “That was what? Didn’t you guys make it very clear yesterday?” “David is an overseas elite, you are an industry expert, and I have no value to the company.” “Since I have no value, isn’t my resignation exactly what you wanted?” David stood behind Manager Davis, keeping his head down, not daring to meet my eyes. I picked up the box and walked toward the door. Manager Davis finally found her voice, but the arrogance from earlier was gone: “Stop! Chloe, you… you should reconsider.” “I can help fight for that Deputy Director position for you…” I didn’t even look back: “No need, Manager Davis. You were right yesterday; the workplace is like this, survival of the fittest.” “Since I have no value, I won’t hog the company’s resources.” The elevator doors opened, and I walked in. Right before the doors closed, I saw David and Ryan looking at each other in dismay. And in the eyes of the other colleagues, besides shock, there was a trace of subtle panic. They knew what losing the multi-million dollar Zenith project meant for the entire department. Chapter 6 After getting home, I put the cardboard box in the corner and called Mr. Vance from Zenith. “Mr. Vance, it’s me, Chloe.” Mr. Vance’s voice was booming and enthusiastic: “Chloe! How did it go? Did your company agree?” I said: “I’ve resigned, and I will personally take over the project.” “It’s just that I need to register a company now, which will take a little time…” Mr. Vance said cheerfully: “That’s easy to handle! We can sign a letter of intent first, and then transfer to a formal contract once your company is registered.” “But Chloe, I have to warn you, starting a business isn’t easy. Are you sure you want to go solo?” I gripped my phone tightly: “Mr. Vance, I don’t have a way back anymore.” Mr. Vance was silent for a few seconds, then said: “Good, I like young people with drive like you!” “How about this, come to my company tomorrow, and we’ll sign the letter of intent first.” “I also have a few friends who need similar services, I can introduce them to you.” After hanging up, I looked at my empty apartment, and a sudden, indescribable feeling welled up inside me. Right then, my phone rang again. It was Kevin. I hesitated, but picked it up anyway. Kevin’s voice was very soft: “Chloe… I’m sorry.” “I thought about it all day. I was too selfish. I only thought about my own difficulties and didn’t consider your feelings.” I stayed silent. He continued: “Manager Davis blew up during the meeting, saying the year-end bonuses might be affected.” “Everyone is complaining… but I know, it’s not your fault.” I interrupted him: “Kevin, you don’t need to apologize.” “Everyone has their own struggles in the workplace. I just want to tell you, there are some bottom lines that cannot be crossed.” He paused: “I understand. If you need manpower for your startup… I… I can quit and help you.” I was stunned. Kevin had been with the company for five years, always an honest, rule-abiding guy who never dared to offend anyone. The fact that he could say this surprised me greatly. I said: “Don’t be impulsive. I’m just starting, I haven’t even registered the company yet, the future is uncertain.” Kevin’s voice became firm: “I know. But I want to take a gamble.” “Not just for you, but for myself too. I don’t want to live a life having to read the room and kiss up to people anymore.” We agreed to meet and talk in detail tomorrow evening. After hanging up, I sat on the sofa, staring at the night sky outside the window for a long time. Chapter 7 The next morning, I arrived at Zenith Corporation as promised. Mr. Vance’s office was on the top floor, with floor-to-ceiling windows offering a panoramic view of the entire city. He was in his fifties, slightly plump, with an amiable smile, but his eyes carried the shrewdness of a businessman. He pointed to the chair opposite him: “Chloe, have a seat. I’ve already had the legal department prepare the letter of intent.” “But before that, I have a few questions for you.” I nodded: “Go ahead.” “First, why did you resign to go solo? Signing this project should have gotten you a promotion and a raise, right?” I smiled bitterly: “Mr. Vance, if the company truly valued me, I wouldn’t be sitting here.” I briefly recounted what happened at the annual gala. Mr. Vance listened, shaking his head: “Short-sighted. Many companies are like this, preferring to poach ‘talent’ with high salaries rather than properly cultivating their own people.” “Then the second question: how do you plan to execute this project? What support do you need from me?” I pulled a thick proposal out of my bag: “Mr. Vance, this is my overall plan for the project. If you can give me three months…” Mr. Vance flipped through the proposal, nodding occasionally. After reading it, he looked up: “Chloe, I chose to work with you originally, not because of your company, but because of your professionalism and sincerity.” “Other salespeople just boast about themselves; only you truly understand our needs.” He stood up and walked to the window: “How about this, I can help you solve the office space issue.” “Additionally, I can advance part of the project funds to serve as your startup capital.” I looked at him in shock: “Mr. Vance, this…” Mr. Vance turned around, his expression serious: “Don’t rush to thank me. I have conditions.” “First, the quality of the project cannot be compromised.” “Second, if your performance is subpar, I will terminate the partnership at any time.” “Third, I want 10% equity in your company.” I hardly hesitated: “I agree.” Mr. Vance smiled: “Straightforward! Then let’s sign the letter of intent.” “Once your company is registered, we’ll sign the formal contract.” After signing, when Mr. Vance walked me to the elevator, he suddenly said: “Chloe, unfairness in the workplace is sometimes a bad thing, but sometimes it’s an opportunity.” “It just depends on whether you can seize it.” Chapter 8 After leaving Zenith, I went straight to the Bureau of Industry and Commerce and submitted my company registration application. The company name: “NovaTech.” On the way home, I received three WeChat messages. The first was from David: [Chloe, I’m sorry. I know I was wrong about what happened, please come back.] The second was from Ryan: [Chloe, I was wrong before. If you need industry resources, I can introduce you to a few people.] The third was from Manager Davis, just three words: [Just you wait.] Looking at these three messages, I felt a mix of emotions. That evening, Kevin and I met at a small restaurant. He also brought Ella, an intern from the company’s design department who had just graduated this year. Kevin introduced her: “Chloe, Ella heard about what happened to you and wants to quit and work for you too.” “Although she’s young, her design skills are top-notch. She designed Zenith’s promotional brochure last time.” Ella adjusted her glasses somewhat shyly: “Chloe, my chances of becoming a full-time employee there are slim… and, I admire your courage.” Looking at these two people in front of me who believed in me, a wave of warmth surged in my heart. I said honestly: “Starting a business is very tough. We might not have income for a long time, and we might even fail.” Kevin said earnestly: “We know. But at least, we’re working for ourselves.” That night, we finalized the division of labor: I was responsible for overall operations, Kevin for project execution, and Ella for design and promotion. As we were leaving, Kevin suddenly said: “By the way, Manager Davis was called in for a talk by the CEO this afternoon.” “I heard the CEO was furious and scolded her for losing the biggest contract since the company was founded.” “And then?” “Then Manager Davis came back and took her anger out on everyone, saying it was all because someone was secretly helping you…” “Chloe, you have to be careful. Manager Davis is petty; she might retaliate.” I nodded: “I’ll be careful.”

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On our fifteenth birthday, I heard my sister’s inner thoughts: “I can’t believe I’ve been reborn and sent back ten years. Soon, the billionaire’s wife and her nanny will come together to adopt us.” “In my past life, I chose the billionaire’s wife, only to be tormented at every turn by her son, Liam. Looked down upon by the whole family, I was eventually kicked out.” “My sister was just the nanny’s adopted daughter, but she ended up marrying Liam! Why?!” So, when the billionaire’s wife and the nanny appeared, my sister pushed me toward the billionaire’s wife. “Sister, didn’t you say you felt a connection with this auntie? Hurry up and call her Mom!” My eyes lit up. Top-tier family resources to support me? My future was so bright it could blind me! 1 I never thought that passing fifteen, nearing adulthood, someone would still want to adopt my sister and me. On the way to the orphanage director’s office, my sister’s voice suddenly echoed in my ears. “I can’t believe I’ve been reborn and sent back ten years. Soon, the billionaire’s wife and her nanny will come together to adopt us.” “In my past life, I chose the billionaire’s wife, only to be tormented at every turn by her son, Liam. Looked down upon by the whole family, I was eventually kicked out.” “My sister was just the nanny’s adopted daughter, but she ended up marrying Liam! Why?!” I stared at my sister for a long time, but her lips didn’t move an inch. Yet, her voice kept ringing in my ears. After the initial shock, I realized something. I could hear my sister’s inner thoughts! So, my sister had died once and been reborn. And in this life, she intended for me to suffer the hardships she endured in her past life, right? Noticing me staring, she looked back, immediately curving her eyes into a smile and asked, “Sister, why do you keep staring at me?” Could it be that she’s also reborn? Even if she is, I’m not afraid. If I could stab her to death at her and Liam’s wedding once, I can kill her again. I was horrified. So I was killed by her in my past life! My sister began to test me, “Sister, do you still hate me?” I reined in my shocked thoughts and forced a smile, “What are you talking about? Why on earth would I hate you?” My sister scrutinized me for a long time before finally confirming I hadn’t been reborn. Great, she won’t fight me for it later. Entering the director’s office, after the director introduced our situations to the billionaire’s wife and the nanny, my sister suddenly shoved me toward the director’s wife (wait, billionaire’s wife). “Sister, didn’t you say you felt a connection with this auntie? Hurry up and call her Mom!” She was just handing the billionaire’s wife over to me like that? My eyes lit up. Top-tier family resources to support me? My future was so bright it could blind me! 2 The billionaire’s wife instinctively caught me, looked me up and down, and a satisfied smile curved her lips. “Your name is Chloe, right?” Looking at the approachable billionaire’s wife, I felt reassured. I nodded, said yes, and hurriedly greeted her. The smile on the billionaire’s wife’s face grew even kinder. My sister didn’t even spare us a glance. She darted over to the nanny and grabbed her hand. “Mom, take me home, Mom!” Perfect. As long as I’m not adopted by the billionaire’s family, I can openly be with Liam. In this life, I must win him over! “???” Didn’t she just say Liam tormented her at every turn? Then why did she still want to be with him? With such a strong obsession, no wonder she stabbed me at my wedding with Liam in her past life. Reborn just for a man? That’s all she’ll ever amount to in this life. I suppressed the chill and hatred in my heart, giving the billionaire’s wife a small smile, “Auntie, are you willing to take me home?” According to my sister’s inner thoughts, this billionaire’s wife was my mother-in-law in my past life. Even though I was the nanny’s adopted daughter in my past life, she still allowed me to marry her son. This mother-in-law was definitely a good person. The more I looked at her, the more connected I felt. The billionaire’s wife had a gentle, dignified smile, and her voice was like a spring breeze, “Of course.” Seeing the billionaire’s wife chose me, the nanny agreed to take my sister home. After completing the paperwork, I got into the billionaire’s wife’s car. “Sister!” My sister stood by the nanny’s car and called out to me, smiling and waving, “Goodbye! I wish you all the best in the future.” No matter how I looked at her smile, it felt tinged with schadenfreude. Sure enough, the next second, her inner voice chimed in. Hmph, just wait for Liam to torment you. You’ll be kicked out by the billionaire’s wife and end up with nothing! In this life, not only Liam, but everything in the Hayes family belongs to me! She looked at the billionaire’s wife again, a flash of hatred in her eyes. In my past life, this damn woman kicked me out, disregarding ten years of mother-daughter bond. She won’t have it easy in this life either! Since God took pity on me and gave me a chance to be reborn, if I don’t play them to death in this life, my name isn’t Mia! Having finished her mental threats, my sister got into the nanny’s car without looking back. “…” Who exactly was she going to play to death? Oh, she did kill me in her past life. But how did she die? Why wasn’t I reborn? It’s so unfair. 3 On the way, the billionaire’s wife told me about her family situation. The reason she wanted to adopt a daughter was that after her first child, her uterus was damaged, and she could no longer have children. She underwent treatments for many years before finally giving up. It just so happened her nanny, who was adamantly single but wanted a child, agreed to come to the orphanage with her. I instinctively asked, “Then why didn’t you choose someone younger? Younger kids don’t have memories and it’s easier to build a bond with them.” The billionaire’s wife explained that the nanny chose an older child because she was too busy to take care of a little one and needed someone who could take care of themselves. “As for me,” she took my hand in hers, “I don’t think it’s harder to build a bond with an older child. I actually think we’ll have a lot in common. What do you think?” I had no memories of my past life. I only knew that in this life, I really wanted a home. Hearing this, my nose stung, and my eyes grew moist. “Then can I call you Mom?” The billionaire’s wife pulled me into her embrace, “Silly child, we’ve finished all the paperwork. I am your Mom now.” “Mom…” my voice trembled, and tears fell uncontrollably, “Mom…” When I sat up, I realized my tears had wet her clothes, and I immediately apologized. Children growing up in orphanages are more or less sensitive and insecure, and I was no exception. The billionaire’s wife’s eyes also reddened, “You are my daughter, you don’t need to say sorry to me.” For the rest of the ride, I nestled in her embrace, the scent of her perfume lingering near my nose, my heart filled with warmth. She also told me she had a son. Her husband was extremely busy, flying all over the world and rarely home, so it was usually just her and her son at home. I already knew her son, Liam, was my husband in my past life, even though I was stabbed to death by my sister at the wedding. But right now, I didn’t care about her son. I just wanted to be close to my Mom! 4 Upon arriving home, Mom immediately asked the butler to call her son down from upstairs. It took a long time before Liam finally sauntered down. I immediately stood up, instinctively stealing a few extra glances at him. He was also fifteen this year. Mom had told me he was half a year older, making him my older brother. So this was what my future husband looked like. But wait, that’s not right. In this life, I’m Mom’s daughter, Liam’s sister, so we definitely can’t be husband and wife. I couldn’t give up my Mom for a husband. So, I immediately called out sweetly, “Brother!” Liam looked me up and down, curled his lip in disgust, and plopped down on the other side of Mom. He pointed at me casually, “Mom, you said you wanted a daughter. Why didn’t you find someone prettier and cuter? You picked a little country bumpkin…” Mom gently rapped him on the head, “Don’t speak about Chloe like that. She’s your sister now.” Then she warned him sternly, “Liam Hayes, you better behave. If the orphanage comes for a follow-up visit and you cause me to lose my eligibility to adopt Chloe, you’ll answer to me.” I looked at Mom, my eyes almost turning into stars. Even when warning someone, my Mom was so gentle. She was the best Mom in the world! “Hey!” Liam glared at me, “Why are you looking at my Mom like that? Are you boy-crazy?” “Liam!” Mom rapped him on the head again, “Don’t speak to your sister like that.” She commanded, “Go, shake hands with your sister and tell her you’ll be a good brother. Go on!” Liam finally stood up, awkwardly extended his hand toward me, turning his face away, “Hello, I… I…” I shook his hand, “Hello, Brother. I will be a good sister from now on.” Liam forcefully pulled his hand away and sat back down next to Mom. I also returned to Mom’s other side, eager to be close to her, when I heard her say playfully, “Oh my goodness, my son is blushing! My son actually knows how to blush?” Liam shot up like a rocket, craning his neck and yelling, “Who’s blushing? What do I have to be embarrassed about?” After finishing, he stomped back upstairs to his room. Mom and I burst into laughter. “Don’t mind him, he’s just a bit silly.” Mom stood up, “Come, Mom will take you to see your room. It’s right across from your brother’s. If you need anything, just ask him. Don’t be shy. That boy has a bit of an awkward personality and a sharp tongue, but he has a good heart. You just have to take the initiative.” “Okay.” 5 The room Mom prepared for me was as luxurious as a princess’s room. I could never have imagined, not even if you beat me to death, that I would live in such a beautiful room in this life. Since my sister handed this over on a silver platter, I decided to temporarily forgive her for stabbing me in my past life. Actually, I only hated her for a moment when I learned she killed me, but since I had no actual memory of it, it didn’t feel like a personal experience, and the hatred quickly dissipated. I wasn’t going to dwell on it. Right now, all I knew was that I was the daughter of a billionaire family, I had excellent resources, and I needed to grasp them firmly. And I had a Mom who loved me! Oh my god, I was so happy! Mom asked me, “Is there anything else you need?” “Mom, I’d like a larger bookcase, is that okay?” I wanted to buy a lot of books. Mom was slightly surprised, but then a bright smile overflowed in her eyes, “You like reading? My fault, I forgot to prepare a study for you. No problem, we have empty rooms. I’ll have them cleared out as soon as possible and get you a few more bookcases.” She then handed me a bank card, “There’s twenty thousand dollars in here. From now on, I’ll transfer twenty thousand every month. Buy whatever you like. If it’s not enough, just ask Mom.” “It’s enough, more than enough. Besides buying books, I don’t have anywhere else to spend money.” I took the bank card calmly yet gratefully, “Thank you, Mom.” Mom gently stroked my hair, “Still so polite.” I tilted my head and smiled, “Then I won’t be polite with Mom anymore!” Unable to resist, Mom cupped my cheeks and gave me a kiss. “Ew~” Liam’s voice suddenly came from the doorway, “Do you two really have to do that?” Mom gave Liam a smiling, affectionate glare and took my hand, “Don’t mind him, he’s just suddenly jealous of us.” Liam scoffed, “What’s there to be jealous of? It’s better she clings to you. I find her annoying.” He gave me another look and left. Mom comforted me, “He’s just like that, sharp-tongued. It’ll get better once you spend more time with him.” I continued to nod. Anyway, I came to this house for Mom. I didn’t care about anyone else’s attitude towards me. Mom quickly set up a study for me. I ravenously bought all the books I previously liked, wanted to read but couldn’t afford, and brought them all back. Soon, the orphanage and government workers came for a follow-up visit. Seeing that Mom and I got along very well, they officially processed the adoption paperwork for us. After the paperwork was done, Mom arranged for my school enrollment, placing me in the same school as Liam. Liam was reluctant, “Why does she have to go to the same school as me? I’m used to going to school alone. Don’t expect me to babysit a burden.” Mom: “…” But seeing that I didn’t mind at all, she felt a bit more reassured. However, she still insisted that Liam and I take the same car to and from school. 6 I was a bit nervous, afraid I wouldn’t be able to keep up with the pace of the new school. After all, this school was much better than my previous one. Seeing me staring intently at my math book as soon as I got in the car, Liam scoffed out of habit, “Why are you working so hard? You’re already a child of our family. Are you afraid of doing badly in school and not knowing what to do in the future?” I glanced at him but didn’t speak. Even though I knew that in my past life Liam and I ended up together, I still found him a bit annoying right now. His mouth was really irritating. Liam suddenly thought of something and snatched the math book from my hands. “Hey, what are you doing?” I reached out, “Give the book back.” A wicked curve formed on Liam’s lips, “I know, you’re worried about doing badly and getting kicked out, right?” He raised an eyebrow cockily, “How about this, you beg me, and I’ll tutor you, help you stay. How’s that?” I was skeptical, “Would you really be that nice?” Seeing me staring at him, the wicked smile on Liam’s face paused. He gave an awkward cough and tossed the math book back into my lap. “Of course I’m lying. You actually believed that? So stupid.” “…” I knew it. The car stopped at the school gates. Before getting out, Liam warned me, “Hey, at school, you’re not allowed to say you know me, you’re not allowed to talk to me, and you’re definitely not allowed to say you’re my sister, got it? If everyone finds out… whatever, just remember what I said.” “Don’t worry.” Liam got out first, telling me to wait a while before getting out. How could I have liked someone like this in my past life? I waited ten minutes before getting out. Because Mom was also very busy, the driver took me to the principal’s office first. Knowing I was the adopted daughter of the Hayes family, the principal was very polite and called my homeroom teacher to take me to my classroom. I stood at the front and introduced myself. Mom originally wanted to change my last name, but Liam adamantly refused. He even gave Mom a high-sounding reason, saying I was already quite grown and keeping my original last name was a sign of respect. Mom asked for my opinion, and since I didn’t mind, she agreed. So, I was still Chloe Smith. Suddenly, a student said, “Your last name is Smith too? How come both new students today are named Smith? You look a lot like Mia Smith.” 7 I followed everyone’s gaze and met my sister’s eyes. She wasn’t surprised at all. She’s finally here. In my past life, I led the bullying against her at school, and when Liam found out, he stopped talking to me. It wasn’t until after I died that I realized Liam fell in love with her at first sight at school. That’s why he didn’t like me. In this life, it’s her turn to bully me. Liam will definitely hate her to death. “…” Is she crazy? Why on earth would I bully her? The teacher also asked about my relationship with Mia. I told the truth, “Mia and I are sisters, we’re fraternal twins.” My sister spoke up, “Don’t say that. You were adopted by a billionaire family, I wouldn’t dare claim a connection with you now. I… I’m just a nanny’s adopted daughter now. You don’t need to pretend we have a deep sisterly bond and that you don’t look down on me.” The students sensed the subtle tension. They looked at my sister, then at me, all wearing expressions of people ready to enjoy some drama. I smiled, neither humble nor arrogant, “Mia, what do you mean by ‘just a nanny’s adopted daughter’? Do you think being a nanny is lowly?” My sister choked, “I never said that, don’t twist my words.” Little bitch, choking me the moment she arrives. She’s always been sharp-tongued, I can’t let my guard down. The teacher assigned me a seat and began the lesson. The pace was similar to our previous school, but having missed a few days, I was a bit behind. I decided to find time to ask the teacher to help me catch up. My sister’s inner voice rang out again. I’m familiar with all these concepts. In this life, I’m definitely going to be the top student. In my past life, because my sister was good at studying, after Liam fell in love with her at first sight, he discovered how capable she was and loved her even more. In this life, I’m the top student. Liam will definitely fall madly in love with me! Her thoughts grew increasingly excited, like she was having a sweet dream. Can she really become a top student with her mind entirely focused on men? The bell rang for class to start. The first period was math. I started feeling nervous again. Having missed those classes, I surely wouldn’t be able to keep up. Even though I self-studied before coming to school, I still lacked confidence. By the end of the class, I found I had actually kept up. No wonder my sister’s inner voice called me a top student in my past life. My grades had always been very good, but as a newcomer to this school, I lacked a bit of confidence. Through this one class, I figured it out. Studying? Easy peasy! However, during the break when everyone was chatting, I couldn’t get a word in edgewise. Only then did I realize that in their world, academic grades weren’t the most important thing. They knew so much and had been to so many places to see the world. And me? I only knew how to study. To myself, I was a top student; to them, I was just a bookworm. The confidence I had just built up plummeted again.

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It’s been three months since I parted ways with my sugar daddy. He bumped into me on a European street, supporting my pregnant belly as I walked out of a hospital. “Quite ambitious, just too stupid,” the man evaluated coldly. He had his assistant pass on a message and toss me a bank card, ordering me to abort the child. “Mr. Sterling won’t be manipulated by a child, and the Sterling family won’t open its doors for a bastard. He hopes you know your place and don’t entertain any other thoughts.” I politely declined the card and smiled. “You’ve misunderstood. This is my husband’s and my child.” “We got married two months ago. It has absolutely nothing to do with Mr. Sterling.” 1 Winters in London are always dreary and cold; the street wind inexplicably stings the face. Hearing my words, Assistant Lin’s expression didn’t change at all. He only put on a slightly surprised look and said, “Is that so?” Having been by Arthur Sterling’s side for so long, his ability to read people had grown exponentially. The eyes behind his glasses swept over my lower abdomen, and he asked respectfully, “How many weeks pregnant are you, Ms. Davis?” “About twelve weeks.” He nodded slightly, still wearing a polite but distant smile. “Then the timing is a bit too coincidental with when you left Mr. Sterling.” As Arthur’s most trusted assistant, he had seen far too many women use any means necessary to stay by Arthur’s side. I looked down and pulled out my phone. “I have my wedding photos with my husband right here.” But he politely interrupted me: “That doesn’t prove anything.” “Mr. Sterling has a strict taboo against illegitimate children. I hope you keep that in mind, Ms. Davis.” “Otherwise, Mr. Sterling wouldn’t mind putting you on the abortion operating table for a second time.” My fingertips gripping the phone stiffened. I looked up slightly. The first snow of the year was slowly drifting down. I met the dark, cold gaze of the man standing by the floor-to-ceiling window of the high-rise building. He was scrutinizing me from above, perhaps waiting for me to be caught in a lie again, looking pale and embarrassed. He was used to being the one in control, and my pregnancy was undoubtedly another challenge to his bottom line. I put my phone away, exhaled deeply, and turned to tell Assistant Lin, “Please inform Mr. Sterling that I won’t make the same mistake twice.” My tone was gentle, but I said earnestly, “I have no lingering attachment to the child I aborted, nor do I have any thoughts of using a child to elevate my status or fight for the family fortune.” “This is, truly and completely, just my husband’s and my child.” 2 I had indeed been pregnant with Arthur’s child once. That was my sixth year by his side. A little life sharing my blood took root in my belly, miraculously igniting my passion for life again. At seventeen, I left my hometown for the big city to pay off my father’s gambling debts. I spent years working as a hostess in the glittering, decadent nightlife scene. My life had been full of ups and downs; I had no family around and even fewer friends. That was the first time I was so bold. I hid it from Arthur, intending to keep the baby. Until one night at a business dinner, while drinking on his behalf, I threw up several times. A woman brought by one of the vice presidents joked about whether I was pregnant. I clearly saw Arthur’s brow furrow imperceptibly, his sharp, scrutinizing gaze landing on my stomach. He didn’t allow any accidents in his life. This sudden pregnancy stepped on every single one of his landmines. Not to mention, I had hidden it from him for so long. That was the first time he ever lost his temper with me. Through gritted teeth, dripping with sarcasm, he said, “I underestimated you, Chloe. You’ve got some nerve.” He coldly threw me out of the villa and declared: “I’m giving you one night to reflect. If you still can’t understand your place, then pack your things and get out early!” It happened to be snowing that night. The biting cold wind whipped against my face. I looked out at the vast expanse of white, touched my slightly swollen belly, and, with red eyes, let out a very soft breath. The tension I had carried for three months finally relaxed. This wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. I thought to myself, feigning relief. I was probably the only one among his many mistresses who didn’t get a breakup fee and managed to make him angry. The fetus was already twelve weeks along. A forced abortion could cause cervical tearing. Plus, years of drinking had left my body too weak. The doctor said that if I went through with the abortion, I might never be able to have children again. But the man just stubbed out his cigarette, his dark eyes devoid of any emotion, and replied flatly, “What does that have to do with me?” Raising an illegitimate child wasn’t a difficult thing in their circle. Even his snobbish, elite friends half-jokingly advised him that he could just have the baby and send it abroad to be raised. “After all, you’re in your thirties, and she’s been the only one by your side all these years. Having a kid is a good thing.” Arthur didn’t say a word. Later, after a few rounds of drinks. Someone, a bit tipsy, teased, “No way, Arthur. You’ve kept her around for so many years. Don’t tell me you haven’t felt even a little bit of genuine affection?” Someone else probed, “Or are you still thinking about Elena?” Regarding this “first love” who went abroad in their youth and disappeared without a trace, Arthur just gave a cold glance: “This has nothing to do with her.” When the topic circled back to me, he answered carelessly, “She’s just easy on the eyes, so I kept her around for a few extra years.” A lowly hostess was only fit to be a mistress, not a wife. He wouldn’t want a child with such low status. I was obedient from beginning to end. I didn’t shed a single tear the day I went to the hospital. Later, because of massive hemorrhaging, my life hung by a thread on the operating table. I stayed in the ICU for several weeks before finally pulling through. The day I was discharged, he made a rare exception and pushed back a meeting to see me. Dressed in a crisp, dark trench coat, his gaze cold, the man made things as clear as possible: “Chloe, I will never marry you.” “I will only ever have a legitimate heir, not an unpresentable bastard.” I slowly pursed my pale lips and gave him a faint smile: “I know.” That was what he liked most about me. Tactful, sensible, and obedient enough. Outside, the snow fell silently, the howling cold wind battering the tightly sealed glass windows. From 17 to 27. I suddenly realized this was the tenth year of snow I had seen in this city. A woman’s best years were left right here. Perhaps because my attitude in admitting my mistake was so good, and because I had just walked through the gates of hell, he didn’t hold a grudge. The heat was on in the private hospital room. The man’s cold, harsh features gradually softened as he took an apple and began peeling it. “I had my assistant pick out some bags and jewelry for you. They’ll be sent to your place soon.” I quietly watched the apple peel curl round and round. Moisture gathered in my stinging, red eyes, but I tried my hardest to hold it back. There was still some snow on the man’s long eyelashes. His expression was cold and serious, his movements meticulous. “You’ll only be with me for a few more years. When I enter an arranged marriage, I’ll naturally let you go.” He handed a slice of apple to my lips, making a rare exception to lower his voice and coax me: “Chloe, be good. I won’t treat you poorly, hmm?” 3 He truly never treated me poorly. The ten years I spent by his side were undoubtedly the most glamorous and proudest moments of my life. Even at the very end, when Elena appeared. He never caused me any embarrassment. I brushed the snow off my shoulder and told Assistant Lin, “To put Mr. Sterling’s mind at ease, I’ll go get a prenatal paternity test in a couple of days.” “Then please let me know when you do, Ms. Davis. I’ll accompany you.” It was obvious he was afraid I’d use a fake result to fool them. I nodded: “Of course.” He smiled and handed me a business card, not forgetting to add a warning: “If you need anything, Ms. Davis, just contact me. Mr. Sterling is preparing to get married, so please know your boundaries. The new Mrs. Sterling is very particular about these things.” Actually, there was no need to worry. Before I left, I had already deleted all of Arthur’s contact information, changed my phone number and private WeChat, and even sold the apartment he had arranged for me. If it weren’t for this chance encounter on the street today. I thought we probably would never have contact again for the rest of our lives. And the new Mrs. Sterling was probably that first love of his who had just returned to the country. I forced a smile and nodded: “Then please wish Mr. Sterling a happy marriage for me.” The snow in the sky drifted down heavily. I buried my face in my scarf, turned, and walked alone down the snowy street toward home. That dark, cold gaze from the high-rise followed me the entire way. Many years ago, on a snowy night, when he was carrying a drunken me down the street, he had explicitly stated that he would only ever have an arranged marriage. Any relationship that couldn’t generate practical value was just a temporary consumable. He required a match in social status and class compatibility to maximize benefits. Keeping me was just a clearly priced transaction. I remained clear-headed while simultaneously sinking deeper. But it wasn’t until today that I suddenly realized. Principles were established for substitutes like us. But the first love existed outside of those principles. Even if she had nothing, she would still receive his favoritism. 5 No one knew why this first love, who had gone abroad in her youth and disappeared without a trace, suddenly reappeared. But I knew. I had an absurd dream. In the dream, she was a “system conqueror.” After maxing out Arthur’s affection meter, she returned to her original world. She got married and had kids there, but because of a difficult life and her husband’s infidelity, she chose to return to Arthur. Just to verify if Arthur still loved her. Before I left, she specifically asked to meet me. In the cafe, the woman wore a white dress, completely makeup-free, discreetly observing my outfit and appearance. Although she tried her hardest to emulate the pure and innocent look of her youth, the exhaustion and calculation in her eyes couldn’t be faked. In contrast, I was nourished well by money, exuding a lazy, quiet aura of someone who never had to worry about making a living. This sparked an indescribable resentment and anger in her. She only asked me three questions. “How long have you two been together, or rather, how long have you been by his side?” Holding my coffee cup, I spoke slowly and clearly: “Nine years and six months.” In the seventh year I was with Arthur, we had a six-month period of no contact. Some said he was getting an arranged marriage; others said he found a substitute who looked even more like her. Just when I thought this relationship was completely severed. Assistant Lin suddenly contacted me one day. After an intense, passionate night of intimacy. He tacitly allowed me to occupy the most important position by his side, and I was the only one left around him. The woman in front of me looked displeased. She didn’t want to hear such a clear timeline. But she still tried her best to curl her lips, pretending not to care at all: “That long, huh?” “Did you guys do it?” This was her second question. I froze. She quickly realized the question was a bit ridiculous. After all, it was ten years, and Arthur was a normal man. It was impossible for him not to have desires. But I didn’t mind telling her some things she wanted to hear: “For the first five years, no.” Arthur did indeed wait for her. As if finally finding her weight in Arthur’s heart, she let out a relieved breath. Her smile became a bit more genuine as she playfully complained, “Is that so? Then I really came back too late.” She quickly asked the final question: “Do you guys kiss when you do it?” Kissing and caressing should be exclusive to lovers. She desperately needed this to prove something. In the stagnant air, she stared intently at the changes in my expression. I spaced out for a moment, then answered very quickly: “No.” Her tense fingertips suddenly relaxed, and all the nervousness and worry retreated like the tide. Replaced by a victor’s flippancy and smugness. “Okay, I understand now. Thanks for taking care of Arthur all these years.” She finally put on a generous smile, assuming the posture of the main character, her tone carrying a hint of intimate complaint: “He has a cold personality and doesn’t really know how to care for people. You must have suffered a lot of grievances.” I didn’t deny it, just gave a soft “Mhm.” Because I had long anticipated this day, I didn’t have much of an emotional reaction. In the nightlife scene, I had seen too many devoted girls who thought that keeping someone company long enough would earn them an official title, only to end up in a bitter falling out and getting warned off by the legitimate wife. I figured that, as a substitute who couldn’t see the light of day, I was already lucky enough. However. I lied to her about one thing. Arthur didn’t resist kissing. Especially for emotions that could be solved with a single kiss, he wouldn’t waste time and money trying to figure them out. Occasionally, when he was satiated, he would hold me and lazily peck at my lips. It wasn’t exactly deeply emotional. But in such moments tinged with warmth. It always gave me the illusion that he and I were just a normal couple. You see, women are always moved by these incredibly ordinary little things, and eventually, willingly fall into the trap. Even I was not exempt.

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When I was eighteen, I was raped. But no matter how many times I appealed, the perpetrator always managed to walk free with the help of a mysterious lawyer. My mom, while juggling her food delivery jobs, would comfort me: “Trust mom, evil will definitely be punished.” Although I was heartbroken, I felt lucky to have my mom by my side, so I posted a video of her comforting me online. Unexpectedly, the video blew up the next day, and people started commenting. [Isn’t your mom the most famous star lawyer in the legal world?] [And you say a lawyer can’t help you with your rape case? Who could possibly beat your mom?] Seeing this, I was just about to go question my mom when I heard that nightmarish voice outside her door. “You’re still the badass lawyer. Thanks to you, I haven’t had to step foot in a courtroom all these years.” My mom sneered: “Cut the crap. If it weren’t to maintain my undefeated record, why would I be your defense attorney and harm my own daughter?” Hearing this, my phone… Smash. It slipped and fell to the floor. … Hearing the noise, my mom walked toward the door. “Is that Chloe out there?” Her voice was as gentle as always, which is why I absolutely couldn’t believe the lawyer hiding behind that man was my mom. The door opened. Looking into my mom’s eyes, I asked with a trembling voice: “Mom, what were you just saying?” My mom avoided my gaze, “Nothing. You should go rest, Chloe. Mom has to go out and deliver food.” Watching her fleeing figure, I finally couldn’t hold back the tears slipping from my eyes. I grabbed her clothes, asking somewhat hysterically: “Mom, is it really you?” My mom didn’t turn around, just kept repeating: “Chloe, mom doesn’t understand what you’re saying.” With that, she pulled the hem of her clothes from my grasp. My hand was empty, and so was my heart. I knelt on the floor, masochistically reading through the video’s comment section. [Is this girl just acting? Her own mom wouldn’t help her?] [Maybe she seduced him.] [I told you so, who would just randomly rape someone on the street? It takes two to tango.] … Tears smashed onto my phone screen, blurring the words and making it impossible to read what those people were saying. Ding-ding— A message popped up on my phone. [Didn’t expect that, did you? The one defending me is your mother. The person who truly pushed you into the abyss isn’t me, it’s the person you love the most.] It was him. His words undoubtedly shattered my last shred of illusion, bluntly telling me that the one causing me pain all these years was the mother who loved me the most. I climbed up from the floor to pack my things. I had to leave this place. But the moment I held my suitcase and opened the front door, I regretted it. I wanted to give my mom and me one more chance. She gave birth to me and raised me; I didn’t believe she truly had no love for me. Dragging my suitcase, I sat on the sofa, waiting for my mom to come home, waiting for her to give me an answer. 2 The darkness slowly swallowed me as I sat on the sofa. The door opened. My mom walked in, turned on the light, and was startled to see me sitting there. “Chloe, why are you sitting there?” I didn’t speak, just held my phone up to her. Looking at the comment section, my mom’s face slowly turned red. “Chloe, these people are lying to you.” Although I had already guessed my mom’s reaction, I still couldn’t help but feel awful at this moment. I nodded and placed the text message that man sent me in front of her. “Is this lying to me too?” My mom looked at me, her mouth opening and closing, unable to speak. I grabbed her clothes, crying hysterically: “Why, Mom? You clearly knew everything! Why!” My mom seemed to fly into a rage out of humiliation, or perhaps she was provoked by my lack of respect. She shoved me to the floor. “He didn’t have money for a lawyer, and the court directly assigned me as his public defender. What could I do!” I lay on the floor, looking at my mom. I had never seen her like this—irritable, breaking down. She pointed at me, “Do you think I wanted to! Do you think I wanted him to win! But I had no choice!” Through my sobs, I cried, “How could you have no choice? You clearly could have… could have given up defending him.” “That would ruin my 100% win rate, I couldn’t!” My mom’s answer came without a moment’s hesitation. The words I had prepared in my head were suddenly stuck in my throat. Seeing me sitting there in silent shock, her tone finally softened. “Chloe, mom didn’t plan on letting you know about this. Now that you know, just don’t appeal anymore.” I scrambled up from the floor, losing control. “Why! Are you going to strip me of my right to appeal?!” My voice was loud, but the trembling in it was unmistakable. I didn’t understand why. Did all my pain mean nothing compared to her 100% win rate? My mom sat on the sofa, looking at me standing in the middle of the living room, my face flushed with anger. “Do you think you can find a lawyer who can beat me? The money I give you isn’t enough to hire a good lawyer.” Her voice was full of smugness. Smug that she had prepared for this very situation. She didn’t give me much money, just enough for basic food and clothing. In the past, whenever I asked her for money to hire a lawyer, she would pull out a few crumpled hundred-dollar bills from her pocket and say: “This is what mom earned from working early mornings and late nights delivering food recently. Take it to hire a lawyer. Mom will definitely put that man in jail!” But seeing her stooped back, I only took a few bills each time. That money was nowhere near enough to hire a decent lawyer, but I never blamed her. At that time, I truly believed she was out there every day, braving the elements to deliver food. Every night, I blamed myself. It turns out it was all a lie. Tears flowed uncontrollably. “Mom, if you promise me you won’t defend him next time, I’ll pretend I never knew any of this, okay?” 3 I begged humbly. I knew I should storm out the door right now, or at the very least, step forward and curse her out fiercely. But I still chose to beg, because she was my mom, and I knew she loved me. I knew the tears that fell on my hands when I was raped were real. I knew holding my hand day and night, afraid I would do something drastic and leave her, was real too. So I was willing, willing to give her one more chance. As long as she said yes. I looked at her full of expectation. She fell silent. My heart leapt into my throat. “No.” My heart shattered. She looked at my swaying figure and said: “Chloe, as long as I win, I can give you a better life. What happened in the past is over, let’s not dwell on it anymore.” I don’t know what gave her the right to think that what happened in the past was over for me. I backed away, “Mom, if you still insist on defending him, then pretend you never gave birth to me.” She stood up and smashed the helmet she was holding onto the floor. “When are you going to stop throwing this tantrum! Can’t we just live our lives in peace? It’s been years, isn’t that incident over for you yet!” I was startled by her outburst. So she really thought that my continuous appeals were my fault. I didn’t want to talk to her anymore. Maybe we were destined to sever our ties. I pushed my suitcase and walked to the entryway. “Mom, I won’t give up. I don’t believe that injustice can truly overpower justice.” I opened the door. Just as one foot stepped out, I heard my mom’s voice. “Chloe Smith, if you don’t want me as your mom anymore, then leave! And don’t ever come back once you leave!” Without hesitation, I stepped out with my other foot. Mom, it wasn’t you giving me a chance; it was me giving you a chance just now. Since you didn’t want it, this is the only path left for us. I closed the door, shutting her voice inside. Dragging my suitcase down the stairs, I suddenly didn’t know where to go. Was I really wrong? Should that incident really just be over for me? My phone rang again. It was another message from him. [Your mom told me you still plan to appeal? Heh, I’ll be waiting.] What followed was an even more disgusting message. He said I wouldn’t win, that my failure would give more people like him confidence, and that I would harm more girls. He said he still remembered how I tasted. My hand gripped the phone in a death grip. How could it be over! How could it! 4 I blocked him. I wanted him to lose. I wanted him and everyone who had such thoughts to know the consequences of doing this. I took out my phone and filed another lawsuit. I wouldn’t stop before the statute of limitations ran out. But right now, I needed money, enough money to hire a better lawyer. I dragged my suitcase, found a random motel, and started a live stream. Because of the video I posted tonight, I gained a lot of followers. As soon as I started the stream, many people joined. The comments were still mostly about me. I didn’t speak, waiting for the viewer count to rise. It quickly surpassed a hundred thousand. I finally started speaking. “Hello everyone, you probably know I’m the girl who was raped.” As soon as I said this, the comments scrolled even faster. Most people called me indecent, saying how could I talk about something like this on a live stream. I ignored them and simply told the whole story of what happened to me. Gradually, the scrolling speed of the comments slowed down, and my voice choked with emotion. I still couldn’t accept that the one who brought me pain was my mother. After finishing the story, I paused for a moment to calm my emotions before continuing. “I’m not saying this to play the victim, but I really have no money left to hire a lawyer. Can anyone help me? I can write you an IOU and pay it back as soon as I get a job.” Suddenly, all kinds of virtual gifts filled my screen. Everyone in the comments was saying I didn’t need to pay it back. Crying, I bowed to everyone. But in reality, there were still many negative voices in the comments. I ignored them all. Just as I was about to end the stream, there was a loud knock on my door. I walked over and asked: “Who is it?” “Miss Smith, it’s… it’s me bringing you water.” It was the receptionist’s voice, but for some reason, her voice was trembling. I opened the door. It was that man. He had a knife to the receptionist’s neck. Seeing me open the door, he shoved her away. He charged in, “Damn it! You bitch! Do you want to die?! Who gave you permission to talk about this on a live stream? Do you have no shame?!” I knew why he was so angry. Because I had just said his name directly on the live stream. The shred of dignity he tried so hard to maintain was torn down by me. “You deserve it! If you hadn’t done those things, what could I say? Besides, you’re the one who should feel ashamed!” He took a few steps forward and grabbed me by the neck, “Dead woman, I’ll kill you right now.” I fell backward, not struggling at all. Because I knew that this way, his violent act would be broadcasted live in its entirety. This time, with hundreds of thousands of viewers as my witnesses, I didn’t believe I would lose. 5 My eyes glanced at the phone screen to make sure this scene was captured. Only then did I start struggling. But the man still had a knife in his hand, and I couldn’t overpower him. I could only use my hands to pull at the hand choking me so I could breathe. Just as I thought I was going to pass out, the receptionist finally rushed up with the security guards. Together, they pulled the man off me. I knelt on the floor, coughing incessantly, feeling like I was going to cough my lungs out. I said with a trembling voice: “Call… call the police!” “Don’t call the police!” A panting female voice interrupted me. I looked up. It was my mother. Panting heavily, she said, “You can’t call the police! Chloe, I forbid you to call the police!” Coughing, I replied: “Why? Didn’t we say that once I walked out that door, we have no relationship anymore?” After saying that, I called the police. My mom tried to grab my phone, but I dodged her. Seeing that she was out of control, the security guards restrained her as well. Although their bodies couldn’t move, their mouths didn’t stop. Calling me a bitch one minute, saying raising me was a waste the next. Actually, hearing my mom curse at me still hurt a little, but only a little. I glanced at my phone. The live stream hadn’t ended, and the viewer count was about to surpass two hundred thousand. The comments were scrolling so fast I couldn’t even read a single one. The police arrived in less than five minutes. Seeing the police, my mom shouted loudly: “Officers, look at this! I didn’t do anything, and they are restricting my personal freedom!” She spoke with such certainty that the police actually thought she was telling the truth. An officer walked over, patted the hotel security guard on the shoulder, and said: “Let them go for now.” Only then did the security guards release them. As soon as my mom’s hands were free, her mouth started again: “Officer, nothing really happened here. Look, they still insisted on calling the police and making you take a trip.” The officer ignored her this time and first asked who reported the incident. I raised my hand, “I did.” The officer looked at me for a moment. I noticed he saw my neck. He asked me: “Why did you call the police?” With tears in my eyes, I pointed at the man: “He tried to kill me.” My mom swatted my hand away, “Officer, she’s talking nonsense, just ignore it.” The officer looked at her for a few seconds, “What’s your relationship with the person who reported this?” “I’m her mother! So I definitely wouldn’t lie to you!” She spoke firmly, stabbing another sword into my heart. The receptionist stepped forward and said: “Officer, what this girl is saying is true. This man really tried to kill her, and he even had a knife in his hand!” Her voice was shrill, clearly still shaken. Looking at the blood on her neck, I felt a pang of guilt. After all, it was because of me that she suffered this unprovoked disaster. The officer nodded, “Ma’am, do you have any other questions?” I watched my mom roll her eyes in thought for a moment before speaking: “Officer, this man is mentally unstable, that’s why he went crazy just now. Look, isn’t he perfectly normal now?” I looked at the red-eyed Liam Thorne. How come I didn’t know he had a mental illness? I stepped forward and handed my phone to the officer, “Officer, I was actually live streaming the whole time. The process should have been recorded, you can take a look.” “What!” Two shocked voices overlapped. Liam lunged forward, actually trying to snatch the phone from the officer’s hand. The officer stepped aside to dodge him, “Are you trying to assault a police officer?!” “It’s all fake! That bitch faked it!” Hearing this, I actually laughed, “I faked it? Hundreds of thousands of people in the live stream saw you trying to kill me, how could I fake that!” Seeing this, the officer had a rough understanding of the situation. He stepped forward and handcuffed Liam, “Come with us first.” 6 My mom and I sat in one police car, while Liam sat in another. As soon as we got in the car, my mom said to me: “When we get there, you know how to speak, right?” I shook my head, “I don’t know.” “You!” She raised her hand to hit me, but looking at the police officer in front, she lowered it again. She lowered her voice and leaned close to my ear, “If you really want to be an orphan with no father or mother, then don’t listen to me.” Mimicking her, I leaned close to her ear and whispered: “Mom, from the moment I walked out that door, I was already an orphan with no father or mother. From now on, I fight for myself.” She opened her mouth to say something else, but I pointed at the officer in front. She glared at me fiercely and stopped talking. I had already turned off the live stream. Right now, I was checking my dashboard, wondering if the money I made tonight was enough to hire a good lawyer. With trembling hands, I opened the dashboard and checked my earnings. Seeing the number, I let out a long sigh of relief. It was enough. I logged onto my account and posted a text message. [Thank you everyone. I have enough money to hire a lawyer now. Thank you all once again.] Soon, the comments under this post surpassed ten thousand. Some saw the live stream and asked how I was doing now. Some were those disgusting men, still saying getting raped was my own fault. And some offered to help me. I ignored those disgusting men. I replied to those who cared about me one by one. By the time we arrived at the police station, I still hadn’t finished replying, and the number of unread messages kept growing. I had to put my phone away for now. Entering the police station, a police officer first took me to a small room. A female officer handed me a cup of water, “Drink some water first before we talk.” I nodded gratefully and drank all the water in the cup. After finishing, she took out a notebook, “Next, I’ll ask a question, and you answer, okay?” I nodded. “Okay. Do you know Liam Thorne?” “Yes.” “How did you meet?” I fell silent. Even now, in front of these police officers, it was still hard for me to state the fact that he assaulted me. With my head down, I said quietly: “He assaulted me…” “I see.” The female officer was a bit at a loss. She stepped forward and patted my shoulder, “We’ll skip this question.” I reached back and grabbed her hand, “Officer, isn’t the footage from my live stream enough evidence?” Looking at my eyes welling up with tears again, she patted my head, “No, this is just a routine inquiry. Let’s end our inquiry for now and see what your mother and Liam have to say.” I nodded. She took the disposable cup from my hand, filled it with water again, and handed it to me. “Get some good rest here.” After saying that, she walked out. Seeing her leave, I took out my phone and continued replying to comments one by one. I knew they cared about me, and even though we were separated by the internet, I still felt moved. I didn’t want to disappoint their kindness. But the messages were coming in too fast. By the time she returned, I still hadn’t finished replying. Seeing her come in, I put my phone away. “Officer, are they done with their questioning?” She shook her head, “No.” Then she handed me a tube of ointment, “After we do the injury assessment later, apply some of this ointment.” She pointed to her own neck. I smiled at her gratefully, then reached out and took the medicine she handed me. She then sat down on the stool, “What were you doing just now? Go ahead and continue. We don’t have anything to do right now anyway.” “Okay.” I answered quietly. I opened my phone. This time I didn’t reply to direct messages. I could reply to those anytime. I needed to find a lawyer first. I opened my contacts. I actually had many good lawyers added, but their prices were there, and I had no money. But I have it now. My money is enough to hire any lawyer on this list. 7 I carefully selected a chat and clicked on it. I chose her for three reasons: First, she is a woman. Only a woman can truly understand another woman. Second, she also has a 100% win rate. Let’s see who’s better, her or my mom. Third, she was the only lawyer out of so many who, after hearing my story, was willing to lower her price for me, even though I still couldn’t afford it back then. [Attorney Carter, do you still have time to represent me for my case?] She replied very quickly, [Your evidence was so solid, you haven’t won yet?] I picked at my fingers and waited a while before answering her, [I didn’t have money the previous few times, so the ones I hired were uncertified, so…] I couldn’t type anymore. I didn’t know how to explain. Should I say that because I didn’t have enough money, some of the lawyers I hired weren’t even qualified to appear in court? And that person only told me an hour before the trial? Or should I say that sometimes I wasn’t resolute enough? Looking at those photos, time and time again, I felt like I was back in that alley. From that moment on, my time seemed to stand still. My life had already been ruined. Seeing I didn’t continue typing, she sent a message, [Okay, I should have some time recently. Find a time, and we can meet up.] [Okay, okay. Thank you, Attorney Carter.] I also sent an emoji. After dealing with this, I switched platforms and continued replying to comments. I waited for a long time before an officer pushed the door open and called me out. I tucked my phone into my clothes and walked out. “Now he has admitted to the fact that he hurt you. Do you want to settle privately or…?” I knew that man was very poor. So I said: “We can settle privately, but the price has to satisfy me.” The officer nodded, “Since you’re willing, then you guys talk it over first.” He took me to the mediation room. This was the first time I sat across from my mom. “Since you came in, it means you agree to settle privately, right?” My mom spoke first. I nodded, “But if I’m not satisfied with the price, I wouldn’t mind adding an attempted murder charge when I sue him in a few days.” Liam grabbed the table and tried to stand up, but was pulled down by my mom. “So how much do you want now?” I didn’t know how much they had prepared, and with the police here, I couldn’t be too outrageous. So I had to ask them first, “How much do you plan to give me?” My mom looked into my eyes. Before she could speak, Liam beat her to it, “Three thousand! I just choked you a bit, three thousand max!” As soon as he said this, I knew it was his bottom line. I just needed to raise it a little more, and he wouldn’t be able to handle it. I held up five fingers, “Five thousand, not a penny less.” He finally couldn’t hold it back and slammed the table, making it shake. “Five thousand? Are you obsessed with money? You did this on purpose tonight, didn’t you!” I didn’t argue with him, just waved my hand, “Five thousand, figure it out yourself.” Sitting next to him, my mom had already turned bright red. Because if she had made the offer, she would have said fifteen hundred at most, leaving room for negotiation. She didn’t expect Liam to be so stupid, revealing his bottom line right from the start. Seeing him stand up, my mom’s neck swelled with anger. She stood up, pressed the furious man back into his seat, and then said to me: “Five thousand is too much. Even if the injury assessment comes out, we shouldn’t have to pay that much.” I shrugged, “Then let’s go. Let’s get it done.” She fell silent, knowing her previous sentence was just a bluff. With my injuries and Liam’s motive, paying me five thousand was completely justified. Over the years, for my own sake, I had studied law for a long time. Now I was practically in the field. My words left my mom speechless, so she sat back down. I waited for a moment, “Since you think you can’t give me this money, let’s consider this private settlement a failure.” I got up to walk out. She yanked my clothes, just like I had grabbed her clothes before, “Chloe, just do it for mom’s sake. How about three thousand five hundred?” I knew her current submissive attitude was because I had truly captured footage of Liam committing the crime this time. Otherwise, she wouldn’t be acting like this. I pulled the hem of my clothes from her grasp, just as she had done to me, “Impossible. And don’t forget, you said it yourself, I’m an orphan with no father or mother from now on.” She looked at me, her eyes full of pleading. Inappropriately, I wondered, did I look like this in her eyes back then? Eyes full of pleading, so submissive and so pitiful. But she didn’t feel sorry for me then, so I wouldn’t feel sorry for her now. I didn’t look at her again, turned around, and left.

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“Put the house in Oliver’s name.” “The car too, in Oliver’s name.” “As for the remaining cash, Oliver takes 12 million, and you take…” My mom paused, glancing at me. “You’re a girl. What do you need so much money for?” I stood in the center of the living room, looking at the A4 paper covered in numbers on the table. Twenty million dollars, and not a single cent for me. My phone buzzed. It was a message from my company’s finance department: 【Ms. Hayes, the net profit for this quarter is 17 million. Your dividend has been deposited.】 I flipped my phone face down. “Okay.” 01 “Okay?” Mom looked stunned, as if she hadn’t expected me to agree so readily. My sister-in-law, Mia, stood up from the sofa, unable to hide the smirk on her face. “Don’t worry, Maya. When Oliver makes it big, he definitely won’t forget about you.” I didn’t look at her. I was looking at the family portrait on the wall. Taken three years ago. I was standing on the far edge, my smile incredibly forced. “Maya, don’t blame your mom and me.” Dad sat on the sofa, lighting a cigarette. “Your brother needs to get married, buy a house, raise a family… You’re a girl, eventually you’ll marry out and belong to someone else’s family.” I had heard those words for twenty-eight years. When we were kids, my brother’s tuition was paid for, while mine was “borrowed.” Only later did I find out that the “borrowed” money was what I had earned myself working summer jobs. “Dad, I get it.” I bent down and grabbed my suitcase handle. “I’ll be heading back then. I have some things to handle at the company.” “Heading back?” Mom stood up. “It’s the New Year! Where are you going? Leaving without even eating?” “Not hungry.” “You child—” “Mom.” I cut her off, my voice flat. “The twenty million is completely divided. What’s the point of me staying? Waiting for you to throw me a two-hundred-dollar pity envelope for the holidays?” The living room fell silent for two seconds. Mia let out a snort of laughter. “Maya, the way you talk, it’s as if Mom and Dad mistreated you. Growing up, everything you ate, wore, and used—didn’t Mom and Dad provide it?” I turned to look at her. Today, she was wearing a pastel yellow puffer jacket. The fur trim on the cuffs was real fox fur, and a delicate gold necklace peeked out from her collar. Last year, when she first married into the family, she was wearing a thirty-dollar coat from a street vendor. I didn’t say a word, just pulled my suitcase toward the door. “Stop right there!” Mom rushed over and blocked the doorway. “Maya Hayes, you explain yourself right now! How did I mistreat you? You got 200 dollars a month for living expenses! Did other families’ daughters get that? When you went to college, we sold everything we had to pay for your education…” “Mom.” I looked at her. “During my four years of college, you gave me a total of $4,800.” “The rest of my living expenses, tuition, and housing—I earned it all myself.” Mom froze. “You… what nonsense are you talking about?” “September 2014, when I started my freshman year, you gave me $2,000.” “February 2015, for the New Year, you gave me $500.” “August 2015, at the end of summer break, you gave me $800.” “February 2016, for the New Year, you gave me $500.” “Summer of 2016, you didn’t give me a single cent.” “In 2017, you gave me $1,000. You said it was my New Year’s red envelope, but that was my own red envelope money to begin with.” My voice was calm, like I was reading a receipt. “A total of $4,800. Divided by four years, that’s $1,200 a year. Divided by twelve months, that’s $100 a month.” No one in the living room spoke. My brother, Oliver, looked up from his phone, frowning at me: “Sis, why are you keeping track of this?” “I have a good memory.” I pulled the door open. “Those four years, your living allowance was $2,000 a month. Tuition and housing were paid separately.” “Same parents, same house.” “You got $2,000 a month. I got $100.” The door slammed shut. 02 I dragged my suitcase to the neighborhood entrance and hailed a cab. My phone buzzed again. It was my company’s Operations Director: 【Ms. Hayes, the annual contract with TikTok is finalized. The $3 million advance has been wired. We just need your signature.】 I replied: 【I’ll be back at the office tomorrow to handle it.】 Outside the car window, the streets of my hometown rolled backward. I knew this city too well. To the east was my elementary school. The playground used to be dirt; it turned into a mud pit whenever it rained. To the west was the first boba shop I ever worked at. Eight dollars an hour. I worked there for three summers. To the north was the private middle school my brother attended. Tuition was thirty thousand a year. I never went to that school. I went to a regular public school on the outskirts of town. It was a forty-minute bike ride away. The driver glanced at me in the rearview mirror. “Miss, not staying home for the holidays?” “Yeah.” “Young people should really spend more time with their parents.” I didn’t respond. “My daughter works out of town too. Only comes back for two or three days a year. Her mom cries every time she leaves…” “Sir, we’re at the station.” I paid the fare and got out. The high-speed rail station was packed with people rushing home for the New Year. A mother and daughter brushed past me. The daughter, probably in her early twenties, was holding her mom’s arm. “Mom, don’t worry. I’ve already booked everything. We’re going to Miami on the third day of the New Year.” “Isn’t that too expensive?” “It’s not. I have money.” I stood there, watching them walk away. Inside the waiting hall, I found a quiet corner and sat down. I opened my phone and pulled up a specific note. It held a ledger of expenses, recorded line by line, from the time I was 18 until now. 【September 2014 — Tuition $6,800. Mom gave $2,000. Shortfall $4,800, paid by me.】 【October 2014 — Living expenses. Mom gave $0. I earned $1,200 from a part-time job.】 【December 2014 — Winter. Needed a winter coat. Mom said wait until the New Year. Bought a clearance one for $89 with my own money.】 … Line after line, dense and detailed. Ten years. I had kept this ledger for ten years. Not because I hold a grudge. But because I was terrified of forgetting. Terrified that one day, I would actually believe the things they said. —”We never mistreated you.” —”You’re a girl. What do you need so much money for?” —”Your brother has to carry this family in the future.” Terrified that one day, I would start believing this was all normal. Terrified that one day, I would turn into someone like them. My train started boarding. I stood up, grabbed my bag, and joined the long line. My phone buzzed in my pocket. It was a WeChat message from Mom: 【Maya, come back. Mom will make your favorite braised pork.】 I stared at the screen for two seconds. Didn’t reply. And shoved my phone back into my pocket. 03 On the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month, I returned to the city where I worked. The company was on holiday, but the finance department still had staff on duty. I went to the office, signed the paperwork, and then went back to my own apartment. 1,900 square feet, floor-to-ceiling windows, with a view of the entire city skyline at night. This was the third property I had bought. The first was a small place in the suburbs right after I graduated college; I saved the down payment by working odd jobs. The second was downtown, bought after the company turned its first profit, as a reward to myself. This one, I bought last year. I stood by the window, looking at the millions of lights outside. My phone rang. A video call from my mom. I hit reject. A few seconds later, voice messages started pouring in. 【Maya, why aren’t you answering your phone?】 【Mom knows I was a bit harsh this afternoon, but I’m doing it for your own good.】 【You’re a girl. Having too much money isn’t a good thing; it just attracts thieves.】 【Your brother is different. He has to provide for his family…】 I tossed the phone onto the sofa, went into the kitchen, and cooked myself a bowl of noodles. After eating, I took a shower and lay in bed. The ceiling was very white, very clean. No damp mildew spots like in my old home. No sounds of video games blasting from my brother’s room next door. No sounds of Mom nagging in the living room while watching TV: “You’re a girl…” It was perfectly quiet. Staring at the ceiling, I suddenly remembered something. Last New Year, I transferred $10,000 to Mom, telling her to buy a nice winter coat. She took the money and turned around to buy a Max Mara coat. Price tag: $16,800. The difference was covered by my brother. No, it was covered by my sister-in-law. Mia had just married into the family and was desperately trying to show how filial she was. That coat is still hanging in Mom’s closet. She can’t bear to wear it. But during the coldest part of last winter, she came to the train station to pick me up wearing a ratty old jacket. “Don’t waste money on me. I’m saving the coat to wear at your wedding.” I didn’t say a word. I didn’t know what to say. My phone buzzed again. This time, it was from Oliver. 【Sis, calm down. You know how Mom and Dad are.】 【But we’re family. Whatever it is, we can talk it out.】 【It’s not too late to come back now. I’ll have Mia cook you something good.】 I stared at those lines of text for a long time. Then I replied with one word: 【No.】 04 New Year’s Eve. I spent it alone in my apartment. I had prepped some ingredients in the kitchen and made a few simple dishes. Eating alone, watching the New Year’s Gala alone, waiting for the midnight fireworks alone. No one put food in my bowl and told me to “eat more.” No one nagged me, asking “When are you bringing a boyfriend home?” No one said, “You’re a girl…” It was peaceful. Just a little cold. My phone was ringing non-stop. Colleagues sending digital red envelopes in the work chat, clients sending holiday greetings, celebrities we collaborated with sending New Year’s videos. The family group chat was going off too. 【Oliver’s wife is so virtuous! Look at this feast, it looks delicious!】 【Why didn’t Maya come back? That girl, not even coming home for the New Year.】 【Young people, you know. Busy with work.】 【Busy doing what? Making four or five thousand a month, what’s there to be busy about?】 【Exactly. Oliver doesn’t even need to work anymore, but she, a girl, is out running around every day.】 I read the messages in the chat. Didn’t reply. Then, I left the family group. Midnight. Fireworks exploded in the sky. Outside the window, it was bright and lively. I stood by the window and watched for a long time. My phone rang. It was my assistant: 【Happy New Year, Ms. Hayes! The company account just received a final payment. It’s the annual collaboration fee from that brand, $3.87 million. Confirmed received.】 I replied: 【Great, thanks for your hard work. Happy New Year.】 I looked out the window again. The fireworks this year seemed a little more beautiful than last year. On New Year’s Day, I didn’t leave the house. On the second day, Mom called. I didn’t answer. On the third day, Dad called. I didn’t answer either. On the morning of the fourth day, while I was at the office sorting out some post-holiday work, my phone rang. It was Oliver. I hesitated for a moment, then answered. “Sis, what exactly is your problem?” His tone was aggressive. “What do you mean?” “Mom and Dad called you a dozen times and you didn’t answer. You even left the family group chat. What are you trying to pull?” I put down my files. “I’m not trying to pull anything.” “Then why aren’t you answering the phone?” “I’m busy.” “Busy doing what?” His voice grew louder. “You make four or five thousand a month. What do you have to be so busy about? Let me tell you, Maya, stop acting. You’re just throwing a tantrum!” I didn’t say anything. “Mom and Dad gave the house and the car to me because I have to support a family! I have a wife and kids to take care of! You’re single. What do you need so much money for? You’re just being selfish!” “Are you done?” “I—” “If you’re done, I’m hanging up. I have a contract to sign.” I hung up the phone. My fingers were trembling slightly. Deep breath. Another deep breath. It’s fine. I’ve been used to this for a long time. 05 On the fifth day, things changed. Mom sent me a WeChat message: 【Maya, your dad is in the hospital.】 I stared at those words for five seconds. Then replied with one word: 【Oh.】 Mom replied instantly: 【Just an ‘Oh’???】 【Your dad’s blood pressure spiked to 180 because he was so mad about you, and all you say is ‘Oh’???】 【Do you have any conscience at all, Maya Hayes!!!】 I put my phone down and went back to reading my files. Ten minutes later, Oliver called. “Sis, are you really not coming back?” “No.” “Dad is in the hospital!” “I know.” “You know and you’re still not coming back?” “Why would I? I’m not a doctor.” The other end was silent for two seconds. Then Oliver’s voice changed, carrying a hint of a choke. “Sis, I know Mom and Dad haven’t been entirely fair to you over the years, but he’s still your dad… Can’t you just come back and see him?” I didn’t say anything. “Sis, I’m begging you.” I took a deep breath. “Fine.” Six hours later, I stood outside a hospital room door. I pushed the door open. The room was bustling. Mom was sitting by the bed peeling an apple. Mia was playing on her phone. Oliver was standing by the window taking a call. Dad was lying in bed, his face ruddy, watching TV. He didn’t look like someone whose blood pressure had spiked to 180. I walked in. “Dad, how are you feeling?” Dad shot me a look, scoffed, and turned his head away. “So you finally remembered to come back?” Mom put down the paring knife. The expression on her face was complex. A bit of relief, but mostly reproach. “Maya, what took you so long? Your dad has been talking about you non-stop for two days…” “I was busy with work.” “Busy, busy, busy. That’s all you know. Your brother isn’t even as busy as you.” Mia looked up from her phone, gave me a glance, and a faint smirk played on her lips. Oliver hung up and walked over. “Sis, it’s good you’re here. You chat with Mom and Dad for a bit, I have to step out and take a call.” He walked out. Only the four of us were left in the room. Mom went back to peeling the apple. Dad still refused to look at me. Mia went back to her phone. The atmosphere was heavy. I stood there for a moment, then found a chair and sat down. Mom handed me the peeled apple. “Eat.” I took it and took a bite. Very sweet. It was the same taste I remembered from when I was a kid. 06 Dad was “hospitalized” for three days. By the third day, I realized something was wrong. His blood pressure had returned to normal long ago, but he refused to be discharged. He just lay in bed every day, eating and drinking well, even having Mom go out to buy expensive bird’s nest soup. “Get some ginseng too while you’re at it.” I sat in the corner watching all this, saying nothing. That night, Oliver pulled me to the hospital cafeteria for dinner. “Sis, there’s something I need to discuss with you.” “What is it?” He picked up some food with his chopsticks, didn’t eat it, and put it back down. “It’s like this… Dad’s hospital stay this time has cost quite a bit…” I looked at him. His eyes were darting around. “You also know, I don’t have a job right now, and Mia is pregnant…” I put down my chopsticks. “What are you trying to say?” “Sis, could you… cover the bill for now?” “How much?” “Medical fees, nursing fees, nutritional supplements… altogether… about thirty thousand.” Thirty thousand. I let out a small laugh. “It hasn’t even been a few days since the twenty million was divided up, and you’re already out of money?” Oliver’s face instantly flushed red. “Sis, what do you mean by that?” “Nothing.” I stood up. “I’m not paying that thirty thousand.” “You—” “Go back and tell Mom and Dad that with my $200 a month living allowance, saving until now, I couldn’t possibly come up with thirty thousand.” I grabbed my coat and started walking out. “Maya Hayes!” Oliver grabbed my arm tightly. “Don’t go too far! Who do you think you are? You’re just a woman earning a fixed, dead-end salary. What right do you have to act so high and mighty with me?” I looked down at his hand gripping my arm. Then I looked up into his eyes. “Let go.” He froze. My voice was perfectly calm, but he must have seen something in my eyes. He let go. I smoothed my sleeve, turned, and walked away. Behind me, his voice chased after me, full of anger and disbelief. “Maya Hayes, don’t you regret this!” 07 I didn’t go back to the hospital room. I took a cab straight to the high-speed rail station. In the waiting hall, I bought a ticket for the next available train. My phone rang. It was Mom. I answered. “Maya, where did you go? Oliver says you left?” “Yeah.” “Why did you leave without saying anything? Your dad isn’t even discharged yet!” “He’s not sick.” The other end was silent for two seconds. “What do you mean?” “Mom, Dad’s blood pressure went back to normal ages ago. Who are you guys putting on this show for?” “Maya Hayes! Watch your mouth!” “I’m telling the truth.” “You—” “Mom, if you want money, just say it directly. You don’t need to put on this act.” Total silence on the other end of the line. After a long time, Mom’s voice came back, choked with tears. “Maya, how did you become like this? You used to never be like this…” “Yeah, I used to never be like this.” I looked out the window. “I used to take my two hundred dollars a month, scrimp and save, and send the rest back to you.” “I used to buy a ton of things every time I came home, never willing to spend a dime on myself.” “I used to actually believe it when you said, ‘You’re just a girl.’” “But Mom, that was before.” My voice was very calm. “The person I am now doesn’t want to endure it anymore.” I hung up. The ticket gate opened. I dragged my suitcase and joined the line. My phone rang again behind me, again and again. I didn’t answer. Once on the train, I put my phone on silent. The scenery outside blurred as we sped away. I closed my eyes. Countless memories flooded my mind. When we were kids, for Oliver’s birthday, the cake was two tiers, colorful candles stuck in the frosting. For my birthday, Mom cooked a bowl of noodles, saying “noodles mean a long life.” In middle school, Oliver needed tutoring. Dad spent eight thousand dollars for one-on-one sessions. My grades were the best in my grade. Dad said, “What’s the point of a girl reading so many books? You’re just going to marry someone anyway.” The year of the college entrance exams, I got accepted into a top provincial university. Oliver got into a third-tier college in the province. Dad said, “Maya, you’re the older sister. Yield to your brother. Give him your acceptance letter.” That was the most absurd thing I have ever heard in my entire life. I didn’t yield. I went to my university. But from then on, my family never gave me another cent. “Aren’t you so capable? If you’re so capable, support yourself.” I opened my eyes. Outside the window, it was already dark.

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After my husband’s uncle passed away, my aunt-in-law was abandoned by both of her sons. My mother-in-law, taking pity on her, suggested they live together for companionship. This living arrangement lasted for eight years. During those eight years, whenever I bought things, gave living expenses, or arranged medical checkups, I always paid double. Later, my aunt-in-law won the lottery—$4.5 million after taxes—and immediately transferred the money to her two sons: “This time, I’m giving $2.25 million to my older son and $2.25 million to my younger son. Now that I’m treating them equally, they can’t accuse me of playing favorites anymore.” Then, she turned to me. “You don’t have a real job right now anyway, so go be a nanny for my older son. You’ll get $3,000 a month, consider it my way of repaying you and your husband.” That very day, I packed her bags and sent them straight to her son’s house. Along with her luggage, I sent her cancer diagnosis report. 1 It was my mother-in-law who called me. She sounded frantic, urging me to come home immediately. I thought my aunt-in-law had a sudden medical emergency and rushed back from the company in a panic. I bumped into my husband downstairs. When we ran upstairs and opened the door, we saw my mother-in-law sitting on the sofa, fuming. My aunt-in-law didn’t look too good either, sitting on the other side of the sofa, her head turned toward the window. “Mom, Auntie, what’s going on with you two?” As soon as I spoke, my mother-in-law shot up, pointing at her sister-in-law. “Send her to her son’s house immediately!” “Why should I?” My aunt-in-law whipped her head around, ready to fight. My mother-in-law gritted her teeth, visibly unstable, and said: “You have sons of your own, yet you insist on freeloading here. Do you think my son and daughter-in-law are suckers? Get out right now, before I kick you out!” My husband and I were completely bewildered. We quickly tried to calm my mother-in-law down and asked what had happened. Panting heavily, she complained: “She won the lottery! Four and a half million dollars, and she split it all between her two sons!” “Those two kids she raised, neither of them is worth a damn. In eight years, they haven’t even shown their faces!” As we gasped in shock, my mother-in-law pointed at her again. “Search your conscience and tell me, haven’t my son and daughter-in-law treated you well enough these past eight years? Do you have any decency left?” No sooner had my mother-in-law finished speaking than my aunt-in-law stood up, eyes wide. She yelled back at her. “Are you obsessed with money? That’s the money I won from the lottery, what does it have to do with you! I’ll give it to whoever I want, and I’m deliberately not giving it to your son, so what!” 2 The air was thick with tension. My husband and I looked at each other, our brows furrowed. He walked over and spoke calmly to his aunt. “Auntie, you know what kind of people my older and younger cousins are. They haven’t checked on you in all these years; it’s like they don’t even have a mother.” “Shut your mouth!” She clawed the air and yelled at him, “Are you like your mother, wanting to hoard my four and a half million all to yourselves?” I was utterly speechless at this and tried to explain. “No one wants to hoard your four and a half million. My point is, since your two sons are unfilial, why didn’t you save some retirement money for yourself?” I thought I had phrased it as tactfully as possible. But to my surprise, she rolled her eyes at me and argued unreasonably: “I’m so old, I don’t need money on hand. Besides, what use do I have for so much money? Wait for people to scheme against me for it?” “You are incurable!” My mother-in-law stomped her foot in anger. “You just treat my son as a sucker! Not saving your own retirement money, waiting for my son and daughter-in-law to provide for you! If you get sick or have an accident later, who’s going to pay for the hospital?!” My aunt-in-law’s expression paused. It seemed my mother-in-law’s words had slightly awakened her. But immediately, she put on a relieved expression and actually said: “Chloe and her husband earn quite a bit. I’m already this age, I won’t get those chronic diseases, and going to the hospital won’t cost much.” “Anyway, you’ve already taken care of me for eight years, another ten or eight won’t make a difference.” Hearing this, my mother-in-law was so angry she almost fainted. I hurriedly comforted her while asking my aunt-in-law in extreme bafflement: “What do you take us for?” She shrugged and said with a very self-righteous tone: “Chloe, you can’t say things like that. It was your mother-in-law who begged me to come and keep her company. I was afraid your mother-in-law would be lonely, so I had no choice but to refuse my two sons’ offers to provide for me.” I laughed outright out of sheer anger. “You’ve favored your younger son since childhood, breaking your older son’s heart until he cut ties with you.” “Yet your younger son, spoiled rotten by you, doesn’t even take you seriously. Back when my husband’s uncle died, it was because neither of them cared about you that my mother-in-law, out of the goodness of her heart, asked you to move in together.” “For these eight years, you’ve enjoyed the same treatment as my mother-in-law. My husband and I gave you everything we could. And now you win the lottery, don’t leave a dime for your own retirement, and still expect us to continue providing for you?” Hearing this, she snorted coldly, plopped back down on the sofa, and said contemptuously: “No matter what, you invited me back then, and a good deed should be done to the end. My two sons are busy to death all day, they don’t have easy jobs like you do. And I’m used to living here now, so whatever you say is useless.” “Our jobs are easy?” My husband stepped forward. “For this family, Chloe and I work from morning till night every day. Can you be reasonable?” “What reason should I listen to?” She glared. “Being reasonable just means you want money. I’m telling you clearly, there’s not a single cent left.” “And you should know how much your uncle did for your family in the past!” “He helped you with the heavy lifting a lot, didn’t he? Frankly, what you’re doing now is just repaying our family’s favor!” 3 Hearing her words, my blood boiled. Back then, when my father-in-law was seriously ill, we had several acres of fields waiting to be harvested. My husband and I were so tired we couldn’t even straighten our backs, but we were still too slow. Seeing that the crops were about to rot in the fields, my aunt and uncle came, and she arranged for him to help us work. That feeling of receiving help in our darkest hour moved us deeply. But after the harvest, my uncle used the busy farming season as an excuse to take away one-third of the total yield. This left our family at a total loss. Because at that time, my father-in-law’s medical bills were also very high. But we couldn’t find a suitable reason to refuse. Later, my aunt and uncle had a huge fight, even reaching the point of threatening divorce, but my uncle wouldn’t yield an inch. My mother-in-law really had no choice. She couldn’t let a family break apart over some grain, so she agreed to it. Although we were a bit dissatisfied with my uncle, we were full of gratitude toward my aunt. But looking back now… Could that have been a sob story they put on together? I pulled my thoughts back. I didn’t want to bring up the past anymore, wanting to leave a good impression of our familial bond. Then I said to her: “Forget it, Auntie, let’s not talk about who owes who. No matter how much I owed you, these eight years should have paid it back.” “I’ll say it again, we didn’t want to take your lottery money. Since you’ve already given it to your two sons, they now have the ability to support you. I hope you enjoy your twilight years. I’ll take you back.” My husband pulled out his car keys upon hearing my words. But my aunt showed no sign of getting up. Sitting on the sofa with her legs crossed, she shamelessly refused. “I said I’m not leaving, I’m used to living here, and I don’t want to trouble my two sons.” His good temper was almost depleted. He frowned and asked her, “Then you have the nerve to trouble us?” “Liam, what kind of talk is that? I am your aunt!” “Those two are your sons! By reason and logic, they should be the ones supporting you! Before, they had no money and no heart, but now that they have money, shouldn’t they immediately take you back? I said if they don’t have time, I’ll take you.” She glared at us, scanning the room with utter bafflement. Full of resentment, she said: “And here I thought of you as family! I must have been blind!” “Since you all know I was abandoned by my two sons because of my favoritism, why don’t you think about my situation?” “This time, I’m giving $2.25 million to my older son and $2.25 million to my younger son. Now that I’m treating them equally, they can’t accuse me of playing favorites anymore.” “Solving a lifetime’s worth of resentment with this one thing, you should be happy for me!” Then she sneered disdainfully again. And said to me: “You don’t have a real job right now anyway, so go be a nanny for my older son. You’ll get $3,000 a month, consider it my way of repaying you and your husband.” “You should be satisfied now, right?” Seeing her dismissive attitude, the anger I had suppressed for so long finally erupted. 4 I pointed at her nose and asked: “Why should others pay for the sins you committed yourself? What obligation do we have to be happy for you!” “Also, I may not have a stable job, but I can still generously take out two months’ salary to give you living expenses and take you for medical checkups!” “And what about your two sons? They’re both afraid of getting involved, not even daring to give you a call. We’ve done everything humanly possible for you. Don’t think you can overstay your welcome. You must leave today!” Saying that, I went to pull her arm. She resisted fiercely, and after breaking free, immediately pulled out her phone to make a call. “Son!” But as soon as she yelled one word, the call was hung up. Besides looking dumbfounded, her face was filled with helplessness. She actually said to me: “Look at this, my son won’t even answer my calls. Are you kicking me out to die in the streets? How can you be so cruel? I’m your husband’s aunt, your elder!” “I don’t care if you die in the streets! If you want to call someone cruel, you should curse your two sons!” I went over to pull her again. Like a stubborn dog, she clung to the sofa, dodging while sending a voice message: “Sons, come quick, Mom is being kicked out of here. If I’m kicked out, you’ll have to support me. Come quickly!” I was thoroughly infuriated by her shamelessness. My husband and mother-in-law were also livid. “How can you be so shameless? Do you have any dignity as an elder left! They are your sons. Instead of looking for them, why are you leeching off us!” She stiffened her neck and retorted, “My two sons aren’t even married yet. After giving them that money to buy cars and houses, how much will be left? If I get sick and need to spend money later, it’ll put pressure on them. Anyway, I’m not leaving. You called me here, and I’m not leaving.” 5 She acted completely like a shrew; her shameless behavior was nauseating. And the three of us were already enraged. No longer wasting words on her, the three of us worked together to force her out the door. However, she shrieked, “Murder! Help!” Just as we were about to push her out the door. Her two sons, my older cousin Mark and my younger cousin Jason, arrived at the door at the same time. They stopped us with fierce glares. “What are you doing!” Jason roared. She took this opportunity to break free from us. Like a loach, she found a gap, slipped back into the house, and lay straight down on the sofa. I was so exasperated I was speechless. I told her two sons directly: “Take your mother away immediately, she is not welcome here!” 6 These two sons received different treatment growing up, so their personalities were also different. Faced with this situation, Mark pulled my husband aside to understand what was going on. But before my husband could speak, Jason started chirping. “What is this? Back then you begged to bring my mom here, and now you want to kick her out. Are you even human!” Indeed, a family doesn’t produce two different breeds. I pushed Mark aside and went straight up to Jason’s face. “An inhuman thing talking to me about human topics? Your mom lived here for eight years, did you ever show half an ounce of concern!” After speaking, I looked back and said to Mark. “Since you are both here today, let’s get things straight. We took your mom in back then purely because no one was taking care of her, and we did it out of kindness.” “Now that you both have money, there’s no reason not to take her back. What I have to say is that simple.” Mark fell silent, shot his mother a complex look, and said. “Let’s put her in a nursing home. We two will cover the expenses there.” A very reasonable statement, but unexpectedly, it was unanimously opposed by her and Jason. She immediately jumped up and yelled, “You bastard, is that human language? Sending your own mother to a nursing home with your own hands? I’m not old yet!” “As a mother, I was worried about the pressure of your lives. Not only did I give you over two million, but I also brazenly stayed here to be yelled at. And now, not only do you not speak up for me, but you turn against me! It seems I was right not to favor you back then!” Jason’s words were even more direct, “If you want to spend money, spend it yourself. I already bought a car with my money!” Mark was choked speechless and turned his head away in anger. My patience was completely worn out, and I asked again. “Are you leaving or not? I don’t have time to waste words with you anymore!” “Not leaving at all!” She sprawled on the sofa, limp as a puddle of mud. “No matter what you say, I won’t leave. You have to support me until I die.” I nodded through gritted teeth and pulled out my phone to call the police. “No problem. Since you want to stay and refuse to leave, let’s see if the police will handle this.” However, at this moment, Jason snatched my phone away and said to me with glaring eyes. “If you call the police, where will my face as a son be? You are not allowed to call the police!” “You still care about your face?” I asked, word by word. Jason sighed deeply, swaying his body in extreme dissatisfaction. “I get it now. You’re just upset that my mom won the lottery and didn’t give you any money, right?” “How about this, does your husband know how to drive? Let him be my driver, and I’ll give him fifteen hundred a month.” I delivered a vicious kick. Jason was kicked into the doorframe. He struggled up to hit me, and my aunt-in-law, who had been playing dead, charged over screaming. The scene instantly turned chaotic. “I dare any of you to move!” I pointed at their noses. “Have I given you too much face? Try moving and see what happens!” Jason and she were intimidated by me. They threatened me indignantly: “You’re truly crazy. Daring to hit people in peaceful times, I’ll make you lose everything!” “Then call the police. Blaming me for hitting you while publicly robbing me? Call them!” Hearing my words, Jason fearfully threw my phone onto the shoe cabinet. She also instantly lost her temper. Panting heavily, I glared at them coldly and said: “Based on the fact that we’re relatives, I didn’t want things to get too ugly. But I’ve tried talking nicely. If you still refuse to realize your mistakes, don’t blame me for posting this online and making you unable to lift your heads for the rest of your lives!” “Examine your own consciences. Haven’t I done enough these past eight years? Taking advantage and then acting innocent, let’s see you try not leaving my house today!”

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