Author: Momo Chan

When I was 17, I was brought back to my wealthy biological family. My parents hesitated, exchanging awkward glances. “You have a twin brother and a younger sister, but they…” Looking at their expressions, I understood immediately. My biological siblings probably weren’t too thrilled to have me back. But the very next second, the grand double doors were thrown open. A flashy figure strode in, rocking a head of blindingly bright red hair. He announced loudly: “So this is my big sis, huh? I dyed my hair red specifically to celebrate you coming home. Is this festive enough or what?” Following close behind him was a teenage girl with side-swept bangs, clutching a bundle of burning sage, some amethyst crystals, and a vial of holy water. “Sis! I got these specially blessed by a psychic! Let me cleanse your aura and ward off the bad vibes!” “…” Every family has its problems. My family apparently had two. 1 The drive from the orphanage to the multi-million dollar luxury estate took just over an hour. My biological parents had red, teary eyes and couldn’t stop staring at me. As the heavy doors pushed open, a world of unimaginable luxury unfolded before me. My parents took my hand and gave me a tour of everything, including the bedroom and private study they had prepared for me, and the elite private prep school I was about to transfer into. However, their enthusiastic chatter suddenly ground to a halt, turning into awkward stammers. “Chloe, you also have a twin brother and a younger sister, but they…” From their tone, I could already guess my siblings’ attitude toward me. It made sense. Even with the ties of blood, to this family, I was a stranger. An abrupt intrusion. I opened my mouth, just about to say it was fine. The next second, the grand doors swung open. A flashy figure strode in, rocking a head of blindingly bright red hair. The teenage boy, who shared several facial features with me, looked me up and down before announcing loudly: “So this is my big sis, huh? I dyed my hair red specifically to celebrate you coming home. Is this festive enough or what?” And that wasn’t all. Following close behind him was a teenage girl with side-swept bangs, clutching a bundle of burning sage, amethyst crystals, and a vial of holy water. Her voice was loud and clear: “Sis! I got these specially blessed by a psychic! Let me cleanse your aura and ward off the bad vibes!” I fell silent for a moment. I turned my head and saw my biological parents looking like they wanted to crawl into a hole. “…” Before I was brought back, the director of the orphanage had earnestly advised me: “Chloe, every family has its problems. When you go back, try not to resent your parents or your siblings too much. You have a long life ahead of you; don’t live in the past.” The director probably never imagined that while every family has its problems, my family had two massive ones. Before I could even speak, my biological dad erupted. “Caleb Sterling! What kind of nonsense are you and your sister pulling now?! Didn’t I tell you Chloe was coming home today?!” The boy named Caleb—the twin who shared my exact birthdate—didn’t show an ounce of respect. “Yeah, and isn’t this me welcoming my sister home?” The girl beside him didn’t say a word. She just kept waving the burning sage around me, muttering some incomprehensible incantation under her breath. Like she was performing a ritual. Then, she devoutly shoved the amethyst crystals and holy water into my hands, her large eyes sparkling. “Sis, keep the crystals on you at all times, and put the holy water by your bed to repel evil spirits.” My dad grabbed a decorative broom from the corner, looking furious. “Repel evil spirits?! The only evil spirits she needs to repel are you two! Caleb, Maya, you get back here right now!” I was left looking at my biological mom, and she at me. She forced a stiff smile. “Chloe… our family is just on the lively side. Please don’t mind them.” The melancholy I originally felt was blown halfway to heaven by these two siblings. On my very first day back with my biological family, I witnessed my dad chasing his kids around with a broom. The teenage boy sprinted around the courtyard, occasionally turning back to wait for his middle-aged father to catch up, only to dart away again just as the broom was about to land. The sight of my panting, exhausted father was profoundly pathetic. “…” These two were absolute menaces. The afternoon ended with a roar echoing through the mansion: “Caleb Sterling, you are dyeing that red chicken-feather hair back to black tomorrow!” 2 After dinner, my blood-related brother and sister stared intently at me. Like they were trying to find a hidden treasure on my face. Maya spoke first: “Sis, you and Caleb look pretty similar, so why are you so much prettier than him?” “Maya, what’s that supposed to mean? I’m your brother!” The girl, two years our junior, rolled her eyes at him. “Just because you’re my brother doesn’t mean I can’t speak the truth.” The natural familiarity between these two was something I couldn’t insert myself into. Their bickering left no room for me to interject. However, they seemed deeply curious about my past. Maya asked: “Sis, you’re so pretty and healthy. How come no family wanted to adopt you all these years?” My memories drifted far away. After a moment, I said, “I was actually adopted by three different families.” The siblings before me simultaneously widened their nearly identical eyes. “But within two years of adopting me, each of those families ended up having biological children of their own.” It was a strange phenomenon. The couples who came to the orphanage to adopt were usually older or diagnosed with infertility. At first, they treated me wonderfully. But as soon as they had their own children, they felt I was taking up resources meant for their biological kids, and I was sent back under various excuses. As I grew older, families coming to adopt naturally preferred younger children. After hearing this, Caleb blurted out, “Holy crap, you’re a literal good luck charm for babies!” “…” Then my biological sister threw another question at me: “Sis, what’s your zodiac sign? Let me calculate your birth chart. How can anyone be as unlucky as you?” “Caleb is a Virgo, what are you?” “…” Facing her painfully sincere gaze, I gently reminded her, “I’m his twin.” “Right, he’s a Virgo. What about you?” Beside her, Caleb didn’t seem to think anything was wrong with that question either. The siblings’ eyes were identical pools of crystal-clear emptiness. “…” When I was brought back, my school records were transferred over as well. I was enrolled in the same elite private prep school as Caleb and Maya, which housed both a middle school and a high school division. On registration day, Caleb asked, “Sis, which class are you in?” He always called me “Sis” with a slight, unearned swagger. Even though he spoke normally otherwise. “If you run into any trouble at school, come find me. Your brother has quite a bit of pull around here.” Beside him, Maya was muttering to herself before leaving the house: “Today’s lucky color is green…” And then I watched her emerge wearing an entirely green outfit, a jade bracelet on her wrist, and even a green backpack. “…” Perfect. My two blood relatives. One was an edgy teen with a savior complex, and the other was an astrology girl living in her own magical reality. 3 Caleb didn’t know we were in the same class until we were standing right outside the classroom door. My transfer had been abrupt. To save time, my parents simply threw money at the problem to expedite the paperwork. This meant my grades from my previous public school didn’t matter. It was the middle of the second semester of junior year; it didn’t matter which class I was placed into. Caleb was thrilled. “Same class is great! I’ve got your back from now on.” “…” When the homeroom teacher led me to the podium, I finally got a good look at all the students in the room. Caleb’s red hair was glaringly obvious, even sitting in the very back corner. Yet, as soon as the teacher finished introducing me, he was the first to lead the applause: “Welcome to our new classmate!” The students below the podium began whispering: “So that’s Caleb’s long-lost sister. They do look alike.” “She looks so sweet. Honestly, seeing her makes me think Caleb would look pretty good in drag… hehe.” I had no idea what Caleb had been telling the class while we were separated earlier. But looking at them, it seemed like everyone already knew who I was. “Chloe, please take a seat.” The newly emptied desk in the back row was mine. Caleb was sitting just to my back-left. He gave me a subtle chin-nod, showing off his “network” in the class and proving he truly had the ability to “have my back.” “…” During the break, Caleb wasn’t the only one. A whole circle of people crowded around my desk. They stared at me like I was an endangered animal. “Caleb, no wonder your family managed to find her after over a decade. She’s definitely a Sterling, looks like she was printed from the same mold as you.” “Hey there, I’m Mason Clark, Caleb’s best bro.” “Hey, I’m Wyatt Brooks. We’re classmates now.” “I’m Zoe Miller! Our families live close by, come hang out when you have free time!” But as soon as they finished, Caleb elbowed them. “Hold up, who are you trying to take advantage of? She’s my twin. Born the exact same day, same month, same year, just a few minutes younger,” Caleb corrected them. “Call her ‘Big Sis’.” “…” The edgy junior with red hair loved playing the “Big Brother” role in his friend group. So his sister, born just minutes later, had to be treated as the “Big Sis.” On my first day of transfer, I truly felt the sheer aura of money radiating through the school. Most of the students were incredibly wealthy or influential. There were a few rare students who kept their heads down and studied hard, and they actually got along well with the rich kids. My desk mate, Harper Hayes, was one of them. She was a scholarship student recruited by the school in middle school. When she mentioned the hefty stipend the school paid to poach her, I went silent for a moment. Harper continued, “If I can just make it into the top five of the grade, I’ll get a higher tier of scholarship money. I know this money is nothing to you guys, but for my family, it’s already a lot…” I cut her off: “It is a lot. It’s a lot to me too.” Even though my parents had opened a new bank account for me and deposited a massive sum of money when I returned, I was used to being poor. Anyone who turned down free money was an idiot. Lost in the thought that I had been missing out on this money, I furiously completed two math worksheets out of pure spite during class. At lunch, Caleb took me to the cafeteria. He stared at me for a long time before suddenly speaking, “Sis.” “Yeah?” “Don’t you feel like you’re missing something?” “Like what?” “You’re missing the youthful, vibrant energy of your brother!” He looked at me earnestly. “How about you dye your hair red too? That way, everyone will instantly know you’re my sister.” “…” I politely declined Caleb’s suggestion. He condemned me for lacking any aesthetic taste. 4 A sudden commotion broke out nearby. I looked up and saw a group of students walking in. The teenage boy leading them was treated like royalty by the others. He was incredibly handsome, and judging by the entourage, he was clearly a wealthy heir. Many students who were eating stopped to look at him. Caleb glanced over and let out a cold snort: “Poser.” Seeing my gaze still lingering on the boy, Caleb physically grabbed my head and turned it to face forward. “Sis, you just got back, so you don’t know how things work around here. See that group that just walked by? Especially that dog in the middle? Stay far away from him. He’s an absolute, total poser.” “Anyone who poses harder than your own brother can’t be a good person.” “…” I was silent for a moment, momentarily unable to comprehend his unique art of insulting an enemy by insulting himself first. Seeing me not speaking, Caleb grew alert. He rarely used my full name: “Chloe Sterling, don’t tell me you’ve been bewitched by that pretty boy’s face?” “I haven’t.” I lowered my eyes. I was recalling the photo of the number one student on the school’s honor roll. What was his name again? Liam Vance. I had no interest in him personally, but I was highly interested in his number one spot. Caleb was still trash-talking him: “That guy is super shady. Girls like you are the easiest to get fooled by that face…” His resentment was palpable. I could tell these two had serious beef. I nodded in agreement. But Caleb paused. I looked up and met the scrutinizing gaze from those eyes that were so similar to mine. “You’re brushing me off!” he accused. In the few days since returning to my biological family, I had confirmed that my twin brother and I had polar opposite personalities. His emotional needs were way too high. Like a Beagle. I rubbed my temples, feeling a headache coming on. When we got home after the school day, our parents first checked in on how I was adapting. Everything was fine. Then it was Caleb and Maya chattering non-stop in my ears. By the end of dinner, I even knew the name of Maya’s classmate’s dog. Their need to vent was just as high. I looked over at my parents; they were as steady as mountains, occasionally giving a perfunctory nod. They were clearly used to it. Sitting between the siblings, I quickly adapted too. I just couldn’t figure out how such calm, steady parents raised two hyperactive Beagles. About a week later, I was fully acclimated to the new school. It was indeed vastly different. In the past, I was a boarding student. Seven or eight of us shared a tiny dorm, sleeping on small, cramped beds. It wasn’t overly harsh, but we had absolutely no money. Now, I was chauffeured to and from school. Lunch was monitored by Caleb; he seemed to have set a minimum spending limit for my meals, insisting I spend a certain amount. “You’re too skinny. Eat more while you can still grow, get some nutrition. From now on, order according to this standard.” Meanwhile, Maya specifically crossed half the campus to bring me a huge bag of snacks. “Sis, eat up!” She pulled out a snack in red packaging, speaking devoutly, “I did a reading for you. Your lucky color today is red!” “…” Just as she tried to slip away, Caleb grabbed her by the back of her collar near the window: “Maya Sterling, do you only have one sibling in this class? Where’s mine?” The girl with the high ponytail flipped her side bangs, speaking with absolute righteousness: “If you want to eat, buy it yourself.” Caleb laughed out of sheer annoyance: “I knew it! Ever since we were little, you only ever wanted a sister, not a brother!” According to the aggrieved party’s later complaints, when Maya was a toddler and couldn’t distinguish genders, she saw kindergarten classmates with older sisters and wanted one too. So, she went home and called Caleb “Sister” for a very long time. 5 Once Caleb confirmed I had adapted to my new school life, he resumed his carefree, skipping-class lifestyle. After third period, I glanced back and realized Caleb was already gone from his seat. Until school let out in the afternoon, I didn’t see him again. It wasn’t just him; the group of guys he usually hung out with were all missing too. The teacher who came in for the next class merely swept a glance over the empty desks and, completely unfazed, began the lesson. The rest of the class didn’t seem to care either. I finally asked my desk mate. Harper heard me and explained, “They probably ditched.” “Ditched?” Harper lowered her voice: “Yeah, you know our school is full of rich kids. Aside from a few teachers with solid backing who dare to discipline them, the others are afraid of offending the rich kids and losing their jobs. Your brother and his friends used to skip classes from time to time too. The school doesn’t care, and your parents… seem to have given up too.” I narrowed my eyes. Having played by the rules for over a decade, I truly never expected my twin to be a problem child. I originally thought that red hair was just him expressing his individuality. However, before I could figure out how to guide my biological brother back to the right path, the homeroom teacher came looking for me right before school ended. “Chloe, Caleb got into a fight off-campus and is at the police station. I can’t reach your parents. Are you able to contact them?” “…” And that wasn’t the end of it. Right after I finished speaking with the teacher, I turned and saw two little girls poking their heads out by the stairwell. I recognized them; they were Maya’s classmates. They were waving at me secretively. I walked over, only to hear them say: “Sis! Maya got caught in a teen romance drama and was taken to the police station! You have to save her!” My vision went dark. My parents had taken an afternoon flight abroad for a business deal. It was completely normal not to be able to reach them right now. I called my dad’s assistant, then rushed to the police station with the homeroom teacher. Also accompanying us were school administrators and the homeroom teacher of another class. Because the person Caleb had clashed with was the very same number one student I had seen not long ago, Liam Vance. The police station was bustling. When I arrived, I saw Caleb completely ignoring his own fighting situation. He stood with his hands on his hips in front of a younger boy, looking fierce: “Do the Vances have a blood feud with our family or something? The older one plays dirty tricks on me since we were kids, and the younger one dares to hit on my sister?!” The boy, looking defiant, shot back: “Who hit on your sister? She’s the one who’s been stalking me!” Caleb was furious and wanted to throw hands, but this was a police station, and he couldn’t act recklessly. A police officer shouted a warning at them. I saw Maya standing behind Caleb like a frightened quail, but gripping the hem of his shirt. Across from them, the Vance brothers’ faces were bruised and battered. Liam and Noah Vance. The police, teachers, and school admins were all present. Yet the Vance brothers were sporting injuries, while Caleb looked completely fine. It seemed glaringly obvious who was at fault. The school administrator said sternly: “Caleb Sterling, you again!” 6 In school, it seemed that not everyone bowed to the wealth of the young masters and misses. The administrator didn’t hold back in his criticism of Caleb. Just then, another person walked in. A tall, lean figure came into view—a young man in his twenties wearing jeans and a white T-shirt appeared abruptly. “Uncle,” the Vance brothers greeted the newcomer first. “Hello, I’m Ethan Thorne. The guardians of Liam and Noah Vance have entrusted me to handle this matter.” Shortly after Ethan entered, my dad’s assistant arrived, panting heavily. Noah was younger, and the moment he saw Ethan, he started complaining. I quickly pieced together the sequence of events. The situation was simple: Caleb, skipping class, accidentally spotted his middle-school sister hanging out with his mortal enemy’s younger brother. Blood rushing to his head, he charged over to “educate” the punk who was hitting on his sister. This scene was coincidentally witnessed by Liam, and the conflict ignited. Caleb fought one against two, and from the looks of it, he didn’t lose. “…” This happened off-campus. I had no idea how these people all managed to skip class during the exact same timeframe. Regarding that, Liam stated: “I took a sick day today.” The division of responsibility was actually quite clear. Caleb threw the first punch, and everyone could see the injuries on the brothers’ faces. He was in the wrong. Naturally, the school administrators and teachers hoped to settle it privately. To settle privately, a verbal apology and covering the medical bills were unavoidable. But Caleb let out a cold sneer: “I’ll pay the medical bills. Apologize? In your dreams!” My dad’s assistant wiped non-existent sweat from his forehead, clearly at a loss with Caleb too. Seeing the matter was close to being resolved, only for the main culprit to be uncooperative, the administrator frowned: “Caleb Sterling…” I spoke up at that moment: “Excuse me, may I ask the specific content of the argument that broke out? I’m a bit curious what kind of argument would escalate to physical violence.” My words silenced the room for a moment. The school administrator grew impatient: “Does that matter? Caleb Sterling hit someone.” I stared straight back at him, my tone calm: “There are visible cuts and bruises on Caleb’s arms and the back of his hands. This was clearly a mutual altercation, not a one-sided beating by him.” “Also, losing a two-on-one fight? Are you guys useless?” I glanced at the two brothers. “You!” Noah immediately reached out to say something but was stopped by his brother. The looks the school administrator and teachers gave us practically screamed that they thought the three of us Sterling siblings were absolute troublemakers. The next second, I poked Caleb’s waist without warning. Caught off guard, he yelped in pain. I reached out and lifted his shirt. On his side was a massive, glaring purple-and-blue bruise, surrounded by smaller ones. “Pretty dirty fighters, aren’t you,” I looked at the brothers, my expression blank. “I suspect my brother sustained internal injuries. We’re requesting to go to the hospital for a medical injury assessment. Let’s see whose injuries are more severe before we talk about compensation.” When I first walked in, I noticed Caleb occasionally frowning and pressing his hand against his side. Yet this idiot insisted on pretending to be a triumphant, majestic victor. Caleb’s injuries instantly turned the tide. I saw the young man who came to handle his nephews’ injuries also frown. “Liam, Noah, did you do this?” he asked. The brothers didn’t answer. 7 I looked at Maya: “Maya, tell me, what were they arguing about?” Tears welled up in the young girl’s eyes. After a moment, she choked out, “Caleb told Noah to stay away from me…” Maya’s words brought a turning point to the situation. Initially, it was just a young girl whose confession of love was rejected, witnessed by her brother who was skipping class. As luck would have it, the punk who made his sister experience her first crush was his mortal enemy’s younger brother. In a fit of rage, he stepped in to issue a few warnings. Noah’s words weren’t polite either: “She’s been stalking me, giving me love letters and gifts. I don’t even like her.” That sentence enraged Caleb: “My sister is pretty, smart, sharp, and kind! Who are you to say you don’t like her?!” Noah: “She got a 57 in math, how is she smart? You Sterlings are both idiots! Weren’t you two always at the bottom of your class since you were kids?” Teenagers speak without a filter. Growing up privileged, and influenced by his brother’s grudge against Caleb, Noah looked down on the Sterlings too. He only wanted to use words to attack the other side’s defenses, speaking without thinking, not realizing how vicious his words were. “Your parents are idiots too, so stupid they didn’t even know if their own daughter was dead or alive. What’s the point of finding her now? Living out there for so many years, she’s probably been raised into useless trash!” Before he even finished, Caleb’s fist landed on his face. No one can tolerate others using their family’s trauma as a casual joke, especially mocking it right to their face. Liam appeared just as his brother was getting hit. Not knowing the context, but seeing his brother being unilaterally suppressed, he naturally stepped in to help. When a tearful Maya recounted those words, the room fell into a heavy silence. I hadn’t expected this incident to have an underlying connection to me. My background was no secret. Back then, Caleb and I were both premature babies. Human traffickers lurking in the hospital swapped me with a dead infant. The young couple, suddenly struck by the grief of losing a daughter, never suspected foul play in her death. Many years later, when the trafficking ring was busted and this buried past was brought to light, they were shocked to realize their daughter might still be alive. That was how I was found. Recalling the past, the orphanage director said that when they found me, I was so weak I barely had a breath left. Probably due to my frail constitution from being premature, the traffickers realized I was dying before they could even sell me. In a rare moment of conscience, they abandoned me at the orphanage door. Regardless of what was said, those 17 years of displacement were a gap that couldn’t be easily bridged. It was a trauma for the family. It was not something to be joked about. “Noah,” Ethan’s voice rang out, sounding devoid of emotion. “Did you really say that?” The two brothers were clearly a bit intimidated by their uncle, who was only a few years older than them. Noah bit the bullet and retorted: “Who said that? Who can prove it? It can’t just be whatever someone says it is, right?” Ethan nodded: “True.” However, he turned to the police officer: “Officer, I heard the security cameras caught them. Can I request a copy? If it didn’t record audio, I’ll hire a lip-reader to see exactly what they said.” “Uncle!” The teenager, lacking composure, became angry out of embarrassment. “Whose uncle are you?!” The young man looked at his nephew and said: “Noah, apologize.”

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I was brutally tortured and murdered. My mother was the sole witness. However, severely traumatized, she lost all memory of the killer’s face. Everyone comforted her. “It’s okay, take your time. You’ll remember eventually.” But ten years passed. She never remembered. On the tenth anniversary of my death, the police came knocking once more to press her for answers. My mother merely leaned down, kissed my nine-year-old sister, and spoke with total tranquility. “Let me forget those painful memories forever.” “After all, I already have a new daughter now.” 1 In the tenth year of my death, the officer was still patiently trying to persuade my mother. “Please, think about it again.” “If you could just remember the suspect’s face, we could actually close this case.” “Chloe was your daughter. Don’t you want to see her get justice?” My mother’s face remained entirely impassive. She slowly looked up, her tone wooden. “It’s clearly your own incompetence as investigators.” “You haven’t caught the killer in ten years, and now you say if you catch him, it’s a done deal?” A flicker of awkwardness crossed the officer’s face, but he remained remarkably patient. “I completely understand how you feel. It was a terrible tragedy that befell Chloe that day, and you suffered a severe shock as well.” “However, there were no security cameras on that street, and the emergency responders inadvertently destroyed some of the evidence while trying to save her.” “You are the only eyewitness left.” “If you can recall any detail, even the smallest, most insignificant thing, it could be the key to finding the killer.” As the officer spoke, I floated behind him, nodding furiously. “Yes, Mom! Please, just try to remember what happened that night.” “I’ve been stuck in this house for ten years. I really, really want to know.” Finally, a flicker of hesitation appeared in my mother’s eyes. Her voice choked up. “I’ve told you already, I can’t remember.” “Just starting to think about that day makes my heart race and I can’t breathe.” “If I push it, I’ll pass out.” “It’s just… it’s too painful.” As she spoke, tears rolled silently down her face. It was as if she were experiencing that suffocating terror all over again. Watching her tremble… I instantly calmed down. It’s true. I shouldn’t force her. Over the years, my mother had tried so hard to remember that face hidden in the shadows. She returned to that alleyway time and again, standing right where I fell, trying to trigger her memory. She saw countless psychiatrists and hypnotherapists, only to wake from hypnosis screaming and crying. She had pushed herself to the brink with self-destructive methods. She had knelt before the altar at the church, praying until she was physically exhausted. Honestly, I hated seeing her suffer like that. I floated right in front of her, trying desperately to touch her face. I wanted to tell her to stop trying to remember. Even if they never caught the killer, it was okay. But my hands simply passed right through her cheeks, again and again. I couldn’t comfort her. I could only watch helplessly as she said: “I’m sorry.” “I really want to help. I want Chloe to rest in peace. But I just can’t put myself through that again.” 2 Honestly, being a ghost all these years, I’ve lost a lot of my emotional capacity. But in that moment, I truly, desperately wished that whoever killed me would get what was coming to them. But what could I do? I couldn’t do a thing. I was just a wandering soul, drifting through the mortal realm. Thankfully, my dad was there. My dad has a gentle nature and completely dotes on my mom. I’ve never seen them argue, not once. He is her strongest pillar, her rock. Right now, he quickly stepped in to support her. Turning to the officers, his tone hardened. “My wife already said she doesn’t want to cooperate anymore.” “Please leave.” The two officers exchanged a look. The older one managed a few diplomatic words. “It’s alright. It’s not your fault you can’t remember. It’s a completely normal trauma response.” But the younger one couldn’t hide his frustration. He muttered under his breath: “She’s just giving up on her own kid?” “What kind of parent does that?” The two officers left their business cards on the table and walked out. The moment the door clicked shut, my dad swept the cards into the trash can. My mother finally dropped all her defenses. She leaned against my dad’s shoulder, completely motionless. Her voice was barely a whisper. “Honey, am I useless?” My dad kissed her forehead and held her tighter. “If you can’t remember, then don’t try.” “Even if you never remember for the rest of your life, I will never blame you.” My mother’s tears immediately started flowing again. “Do you think Chloe hates me?” “Hates me because… I clearly saw who killed her, but I can’t remember his face. I can’t get justice for her.” The room was terrifyingly quiet. Only my mother’s suppressed breathing could be heard. After a long, long time, my dad lowered his eyes. “Let’s not think about these unhappy things anymore.” “Lily is getting out of school soon.” At the mention of that name, my mother’s sobbing stopped instantly. Lily is my younger sister. She just turned nine this year. Lively and lovable. My mother rubbed her eyes and sighed. “Look at me, losing track of time again.” “I need to start making soup for Lily.” 3 Actually, the very day I was murdered, a Reaper came to collect me. But I badgered him, played dumb, and milked his sympathy for all it was worth. I told him I just wanted to spend a little more time with my mom. Maybe he felt sorry for me. Or maybe he was just too lazy to argue. He left without a word. And he never came back. So, I stayed in our house for ten years, always on edge, waiting for him to return. In the beginning, I watched my mother hold my picture, unable to sleep night after night. Later, she managed to sleep for a couple of hours at a time. But she always called my name in her dreams. Then, my mother gave birth to Lily. She was so small. So soft. She became the treasure of the whole family. And the reason my parents kept living. In front of Lily, and in front of friends and family, they never mentioned my name. But sometimes, when it was just my dad around, my mom would say a few words. “Lily is so different from her sister.” “She’s so mischievous, but so sweet.” It was true. Lily was light. Unlike me. I was a shadow. Trapping them forever in the past. My mom went to the kitchen to start the soup. My dad watched her go, a faint smile touching his lips. He took out his tools and started fixing the stereo. The sound of running water from the kitchen. The melody of children’s songs. It all wove together into a scene of warm domestic bliss. It was as if those heart-wrenching sobs and agonizing questions from just moments ago… Had never happened. I looked at my dad, then at my mom. For some reason, I suddenly didn’t want to be in the house anymore. I slowly floated outside. That’s when I noticed the two officers hadn’t left yet. They were taking a break right below our building. I had already peeked at the business card my dad threw in the trash. I knew the younger one’s name was Officer Davis. He lived up to his name—tall, long-legged, and radiating a strong sense of justice. Right now, he was venting his frustration. “What is wrong with that family?” “How can they be so apathetic about their own biological daughter?” Officer Miller was a veteran detective. He had been on my case since the beginning. He blew out a smoke ring and sighed slowly. “They loved their child. They’re just… they’ve been disappointed too many times.” My case had gone cold. They had arrested suspects a few times, only to let them go every time due to lack of evidence. My parents’ feelings had evolved from frantic, vengeful desperation… To cautious hope… To cold resignation. Eventually, it was as if they had become mere bystanders. They would only tell people who asked: “It’s in the past.” “It is what it is.” “If Chloe’s spirit is watching over us, she’ll guide us to the killer.” Officer Davis was still young. He didn’t seem to fully grasp his mentor’s logic. He wrinkled his nose. “Okay, but I saw a bunch of little girl’s things in their house just now.” “It’s impressive, really. Ten years, and they’ve kept Chloe’s stuff exactly as it was.” Before Officer Davis could finish his sentence. A Buick minivan pulled up to the entrance of our complex. My mom trotted over to meet it. A little girl jumped out of the car. Her smile was so sweet. She looked like a carbon copy of me when I was her age. 4 Mother and daughter walked away hand in hand. Officer Davis snapped out of his daze and scoffed. “No wonder they don’t care about Chloe anymore.” “Turns out they got a replacement.” His tone was so bitter. It made me so angry I could practically see smoke coming out of my ears. I wanted to rush right up to him and scream in his face. “Who gave you the right to talk about my parents like that?! Who says they don’t care about me!” “I’m their most precious, beloved daughter! I always have been!” But alas, I’m a ghost. And a weak one at that, clinging to the mortal realm out of sheer stubbornness, with barely any spiritual power. My hands couldn’t touch him. No matter how loud I screamed, he couldn’t hear me. All my rage only managed to stir up a tiny breeze. It barely ruffled the ends of his hair. Neither of them noticed me. And even if they did, they wouldn’t care about my feelings anyway. So, I sulked my way back home. Dinner was already served. Three dishes and a soup, all Lily’s favorites. She closed her eyes and dramatically praised the food. “Mom’s chicken wings are the best! Number one in the whole world!” I floated by the table, feeling incredibly petty. “That’s it?” “When I was little, the chicken wings Mom made were way better. Much tastier than these.” Lily didn’t hear me, of course. She turned to praise our dad. “Dad fixed the stereo! He’s super amazing too!” Just a few words. And she had both of them beaming with joy. I rolled my eyes so hard I saw stars. Where did this kid learn this stuff? So young, and already such a smooth talker. Annoyed, I reached out to flick Lily’s forehead. “Even chicken wings can’t shut you up!” “Keep talking, and I’ll eat them all.” But my fingertips just phased right through the plate. I opened my hand; it was completely empty. Meanwhile, Lily happily scooped the remaining chicken wings into her own bowl. I pouted. “So what.” “I’m the one who loved chicken wings first.” “Mom only learned how to make them because of me!” But no one heard a word I said. I glanced up at my parents. Of course, they weren’t looking at me. They were looking at Lily. Their faces were full of absolute, loving adoration. I knew I shouldn’t be jealous. Because when I was alive, they looked at me the exact same way. But today, for some reason, I just felt irritated. Maybe it was because I couldn’t eat the chicken wings. Maybe it was because of what that jerk officer said downstairs. Then, from the other side of the table, Lily suddenly spoke up. “Mom, you promised me! Once I get ten perfect scores, you’d set up an art studio for me.” She tilted her head up and blinked her big eyes. “Mom, isn’t there an extra room in the house?” “Can I have it?” I jumped up like a cat whose tail got stepped on. “That’s not an extra room! That’s MY room!” “You rotten kid, why are you trying to steal my room?!” 5 After Lily was born, my bedroom door was kept locked. When she was little and didn’t understand, she would throw tantrums wanting to go inside. My parents would coax her, telling her it was a secret room. And that she could go in when she was older. But when Lily was five, my mom forgot to lock it one day. And she sneaked in. She rummaged through everything in my room. She even pulled all the manga out of my drawers and threw them all over the floor. When my mom found her, Lily burst into tears. She thought my mom was going to spank her. But my mom didn’t say anything. She just handed her the yellowing manga books. “If you like them, take them.” But my mom never told Lily: “These books were your sister’s favorites. You need to take good care of them.” So, I had to watch helplessly as Lily took them to school. And then some mischievous boy kicked them into a puddle. Right now. Faced with Lily’s request, my dad actually spoke up for me. “We can’t touch that room.” “How about this? I’ll partition part of the living room and make an art studio for you. How does that sound?” It was a good compromise. But then my mom suddenly objected. “No.” “If we do that, the house will feel even smaller.” This house was indeed small. I was born here. Back then, my dad was just a junior employee. And my mom’s career hadn’t taken off yet. They didn’t have much money. It was only after I died that their businesses really started booming. But they never moved. Maybe it was to hold onto my memory. After all, they used to say this old house was full of traces of me. In the entryway, there were pencil marks drawn on the wall. Starting from a tiny little line, going all the way up. The last mark was from when I was fourteen. In the closet, my mom kept my school uniforms neatly folded. As if I was going to come home and put them on. But now, my mom put down her chopsticks and said very casually: “Let’s just move, then.” My dad’s smile froze. “Honey, didn’t we agree we were going to keep…” He tacitly avoided saying my name. They never said my name in front of Lily. But my mom nodded, her resolve strengthening. “We can’t refuse to move for the rest of our lives just because of the past.” “As for that room…” She looked back at it, her expression complex. “No one’s ever going to live in it again anyway.” 6 Lily’s cheers drowned out my mom’s sigh. She must have been thrilled. She kept jumping up and down, yelling excitedly. “I get an art studio! I’m getting an art studio!” “Mom, can I paint my bedroom pink?” “Mom, when are we moving?” I looked at Lily’s face. To be honest, my mom really loved me in the past. She always said I was her treasure. Her one and only treasure. If I casually mentioned wanting to eat something, it would be on the dinner table the next day. No matter how late she worked, she would always cuddle me to sleep. When I woke up in the morning, she would sit on the edge of my bed and brush my hair. She was good with her hands; my braids were always the most elaborate in my class. But, everything I had, Lily had too. In fact, my mom took even better care of her than she did me. I was no longer my mom’s only treasure. I couldn’t help but remember Officer Davis’s complaint. “No wonder they don’t care about Chloe anymore.” “Turns out they got a replacement.” And his mentor’s long sigh. “They lost a daughter, but…” “They can’t just stop living because of it.” At the time, I even nodded in agreement. “Exactly. You cops can get new cases, change departments, get new assignments.” “My parents shouldn’t be trapped on that one day for the rest of their lives.” “I’d be happier than anyone to see them forget me and move on.” So they had Lily. And they put even more effort into raising Lily than they did me. When I was little, I always walked home from school by myself. But my mom hired a dedicated driver just to pick up and drop off Lily. She would never let Lily walk home alone. I loved drawing too, and I was really talented. But my mom never got me an art teacher. Yet, the moment Lily said she liked drawing, my mom hired the best professor from the local art academy. I knew my mom treating Lily so well was also her way of making it up to me. I shouldn’t be jealous. I was only fourteen when I died. My mom was only thirty-six. She should still have sixty wonderful years ahead of her. Even if I couldn’t be a part of them. Even though I understood this logic long ago. Seeing my mom truly moving forward… My heart still felt like a chunk of it had been carved out. Cold wind kept blowing into the empty space. It chilled me so much I shivered. I struggled, floating back and forth between my parents. “Don’t move! You can’t move! This is my home!” “If you go to a new house, what about me?” But even when I used all my strength to throw myself at them… I only managed to stir the air a tiny bit. I didn’t know if my parents could sense my presence. Right after I died, they thought the wind was me, they thought the door creaking was me, they thought the cat meowing was me. But now, they just seriously discussed their plans. “We need to move quickly.” “We can’t make Lily wait.” 7 My room didn’t need to be locked anymore. Because other than that room… The rest of the house was completely empty. Just like my heart. With no one in the house, I suddenly felt very scared. But, what was I scared of? When I was little, I loved listening to ghost stories. I was terrified, but I loved them. And then I’d be scared after listening to them. Scared of the dark. Scared of things hiding in the closet. Scared of ghosts outside the window. But I didn’t need to be afraid of ghosts anymore. My mom supervised the movers as they carried out the very last box. She turned around one last time and looked at the room. Then she whispered softly. “Chloe, Mom’s leaving.” I genuinely thought my mom could see me. I floated excitedly near her. But her gaze remained unfocused, landing vaguely somewhere in the room. There was no focus. She wasn’t looking at me. She was just saying goodbye for her own sake. I could have followed my mom to the new house. But I was stubborn, and I didn’t go. That was Lily’s new home. Why should I go intrude? This was my first time spending the night alone. I curled up in a corner. I think what I was truly afraid of was that my parents would really never come back. I was afraid that from now on, everyone who remembered me would slowly drift away. But, wasn’t this what I wanted to see most? The people I loved, continuing to live. Living well. So why did I feel so sad when my wish came true? I spent an unknown number of days and nights in a daze in that empty house. Sometimes I was in a deep sleep. Sometimes even when I was awake, it felt like I was asleep. Sometimes I’d listen closely to the footsteps in the hallway. The clearer they were, the quieter the house felt. I even started to think that repeating these days endlessly, with no end in sight, was going to be my fate. But suddenly… I heard the front door of my house click open. Was it a burglar? I floated over cautiously. Standing outside the door were Officer Miller and Officer Davis again. They were knocking on the door and calling my mom’s phone. It looked like they didn’t know we had moved yet. Officer Davis looked incredibly excited. “Captain, do you think we’re finally going to crack Chloe’s case this time?” “It’s been so hard.” “That little girl has waited ten years. She can finally rest in peace.” 8 Officer Miller had been on my case for ten years. He certainly was persistent. Even my parents had let go of me, their dead daughter, but he was still holding on. But, what was he holding on for? Even if he found out the truth, so what? I couldn’t come back to life. I yawned and went back to sleep. After a long wait, it finally got noisy outside again. This time, it was my parents who came back. They probably chose to meet here because they didn’t want the officers going to their new house. I hadn’t seen her in a few days, and my mom looked a bit haggard. Over the years, every time the police visited, she would suffer from insomnia for days. Because she hadn’t slept well, her attitude wasn’t very friendly. “Why are you here again?” “All these years, you’ve never been able to figure out who killed my daughter.” “You arrest someone, then let them go. You let them go, then arrest someone else. Every time you say you have new leads, a new suspect.” “Do you have any idea how awful it feels to have your hopes crushed over and over again?” My mom spoke very rapidly. But this time, even Officer Davis didn’t look impatient. Instead, he explained earnestly: “We recently re-examined the crime scene and found some overlooked evidence. We identified a man whose movements from ten years ago align perfectly with the time and location of the murder.” “Furthermore, you might know him.” My mom acted as if she hadn’t heard a thing, showing absolutely no interest. It was my dad who asked. “Who?” Officer Miller spoke clearly: “Were you at the scene when you saw a man named Mark Lee?” “He was a student you once taught.” “We found a button at the scene, and we successfully pulled his fingerprints from it.” Officer Miller was very enthusiastic. It was the enthusiasm of someone closing in on the truth. But my mom’s eyes remained clouded over. “…No.” “I’ve never seen him.” Officer Miller frowned, emphasizing his words: “The suspect’s family background is complicated. They’ve already had a forensic psychiatric evaluation done for Mark Lee, aiming to get him off the hook.” “You are the sole eyewitness.” “Without your identification, it will be very difficult to move forward with this case.” “So, could we please ask you to undergo hypnosis one more time?” This time, even my dad seemed swayed. I jumped up too, desperately trying to shake my mom’s shoulders. “Do it! Just do it!” “Maybe the bad guy really is him!” But my mom’s expression remained as still as dead wood. She waved her hand dismissively and said exhaustedly, “Don’t try to persuade me. I won’t do it.” She looked up at Officer Miller. She was very calm, even calmer than before. “Chloe is already dead. The dead can’t come back to life.” “But Lily is still alive. I have to plan for the living.” “My life is still wonderful. Why should I spend my days running around for a dead person just for some so-called justice?” 9 Pain flared like wildfire. It burned through every inch of my body. I stared at my mom in utter disbelief. I couldn’t understand why she wouldn’t just try one more time? Even if it was just so I could rest in peace. Even my dad hesitated. He looked like he wanted to urge her. But in the end, he just held my mom’s hand. Then he looked at the two officers. “I listen to my wife.” “I won’t force her to do anything she doesn’t want to do.” This meeting ended on a sour note again. I watched the four of them leave, one by one. My mom was the first to walk away. She turned and left so resolutely. As if she had made some kind of final decision. I chased after her, unwilling to give up. I yelled from behind her, over and over again. “Mom, just try one more time.” “I know you have a new daughter, but I’m your daughter too.” “I promise, once I know the truth, I’ll leave.” But my mom’s pace only quickened. I followed my parents all the way back to their new house. It was a very beautiful little villa. I almost uncontrollably wanted to rush inside. But I forced myself to stop. Because on the doors and windows, there were paper talismans plastered everywhere. A glaring, piercing red. These were talismans meant to keep spirits and ghosts out. My mom… was afraid I’d come back. I suddenly remembered when Lily was just born. A relative gifted them a small wooden peach sword. They said hanging it over the crib would ward off evil spirits. The relative lowered their voice, whispering conspiratorially: “Especially since… Chloe, didn’t she get murdered right outside your front door?” “What if she comes back home?” Back then, the road in front of our house was under construction; it was a mess. My mom was supposed to pick me up that day. But something came up at the last minute, so she told me to walk home alone. I was murdered in an alley just two hundred meters from my house. When my mom realized I was late, she went looking for me and walked right past the killer. On that rainy night, she clearly saw his face. But no matter what, she couldn’t remember it. My mom ended up never hanging that sword. Because she said: “I don’t believe souls actually exist in this world.” “If they really did…” “Then why hasn’t she come home to see me?” But now, on the door of her new home, she had plastered those talismans. My mom really seemed to have let go. I was no longer her family. I was just a wandering, feral ghost threatening the peace of her home. Really, it’s all my fault. I was too greedy. I hoped they would only think of me occasionally. But I also selfishly wished they wouldn’t forget me completely. But in this world, you can’t have it both ways.

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To allow the female lead to successfully conquer him, the system faked my death. When I opened my eyes again, six years had already passed. I stood on the street penniless. The male and female leads were already living happily ever after, while I had just escaped a massive fire, so disheveled I didn’t even have a single shoe. Feeling a bit lost, I sent a message to Arthur. “…Could you come pick me up?” A call came back very quickly. But the person speaking wasn’t Arthur. A child stayed silent for a moment, then said with deliberate coldness: “Oh, another one pretending to be my mom.” 1 But he still came. A kind-hearted passerby had told him my location. The breathing on the other end of the receiver hitched. The voice was soft and sweet, and he hung up abruptly. “Be there soon.” I returned the borrowed phone to the passerby and mouthed a silent “thank you.” When I was young, a high fever ruined my vocal cords. Since then, I hadn’t been able to speak a single word. Before long, a car stopped in front of me. A child jumped out of the car, his legs kicking the air. When he saw my face, his eyes flashed. With a cold little face, he quietly observed me for a moment. His gaze landed on the foot missing a shoe. Disheveled, dirty, covered in black soot. Because I had just escaped from a fire. When I opened my eyes again, I had time-traveled six years into the future. My fingers curled; I belatedly felt a sense of embarrassment. But I pretended not to care and used sign language to say: “I didn’t mean to disturb you.” “Could you lend me some money? I’ll leave right away.” Six years had passed, and the male and female leads were already living happily ever after. Even my child had changed his tune and was calling someone else “Mom.” Halfway through signing, I suddenly realized Leo didn’t understand sign language. I borrowed the driver’s phone, but just as I was about to type, Leo, looking unhappy, pulled me into the car. It was the evening rush hour. I thought he was angry because he heard the honking of the cars behind us urging us to move. He turned his head and stared out the window without speaking, so I had no choice but to show him the phone. Leo kept his little face straight and asked me very seriously: “How much money do you want?” I typed: “One thousand dollars.” Leo stared at those three words for a moment, then said uncertainly: “Ten million?” My vision went dark. I stared at him in disbelief and quickly waved my hands. Leo pursed his lips, his voice full of childish innocence: “Is that not enough?” “I don’t have that much money, but when we get home, I’ll ask Dad to give it to you.” I furiously tapped on the phone screen. But he pushed the phone I held in front of him away, his young voice sounding a bit muffled: “I don’t know a lot of characters. I can’t read it.” How many words does a six-year-old actually know? He clearly recognized a complex word like “borrow” just now, but now he couldn’t tell the difference between “thousand” and “million.” I gave up in frustration, but when I looked down, I saw that Leo’s shoes were on the wrong feet, and his socks were different colors. Was he in that much of a hurry to leave the house? I pursed my lips, feeling a bit sad, and reached out to point, wanting to let him know. But he seemed to misinterpret my intention. Tilting his head, he asked me: “Do you want to hold hands?” He scrunched up his face, acting as if it were a huge imposition, but he still reached his hand over. “Fine, I’ll reluctantly let you hold it for a little while.” 2 Arthur was like this when he was little too. Back then, I was living at his house. At first, no one thought much of me, the little mute girl. He had been kidnapped when he was young, and his parents both died in that incident. Mr. Vance, his grandfather, was worried he might develop trauma responses, so he had him pick a playmate in Capitol City. And out of a crowd of chattering kids his age, Arthur chose the clumsy, slow me. Consequently, the Hastings family rode his coattails to success. I only found out later that Arthur chose me that day because I was the quietest, not noisy. One stormy night, after I had been living invisibly in the Vance household for some time, the thunder woke me up. Then I heard a knock on the door. When I opened it, Arthur was standing there, clutching a blanket, his face tense. He enunciated every word: “Are you afraid of the thunder?” I looked blank and wanted to shake my head. But he pressed a hand to my head and said, a bit unnaturally: “Got it. Then I’ll reluctantly keep you company tonight.” …So stupid. Did he really think I couldn’t tell that he was the one who was scared? People who crave love usually have a hard time getting it. Just like how, as a child craving maternal love, I never once received my mother’s favoritism. The only time she praised me was the night I was chosen by Arthur. So, the Arthur who didn’t belong to me was destined to be separated from me. Six years ago, before that fire broke out, the female lead, Serena, had shown me her future with Arthur. It turned out I was just a vicious supporting character who accidentally had a messy one-night stand with the male lead, secretly gave birth to his child, and tried to use the child to extort a massive fortune. In that future, I died in a huge fire. After my death, the female lead saved the male lead, and years later, they lived happily ever after. Even my child accepted someone else as his new mother. After seeing that, I felt a bit lost. Was I really that bad in someone else’s story? Later, I actually found myself trapped in a massive fire. I only had time to pass the child through a narrow gap before I was completely blocked inside by the devouring flames. I inhaled a lungful of thick smoke, and when I opened my eyes again, I was six years in the future. I am a mute. I can’t say pleasant things, and I can’t say mean things either. I can’t even win an argument. If I hadn’t been truly desperate, with Arthur’s phone number being the only one I remembered… I thought we would never see each other again. But right now, I was starting to regret it. I never intended to return to the Vance family. In my expectations, Arthur would have unhesitatingly thrown money at me and told me to get lost. After all, in his eyes, that chaotic night was a trap set by the Hastings family and me. But things seemed to have deviated. I suddenly felt like I was sitting on pins and needles. I wanted to say I didn’t want the money anymore, I wanted to get out of the car. But Leo pushed the phone away, saying he couldn’t read it, and the driver kept his eyes glued to the road ahead. So I could only watch helplessly as the car drove into the Vance family’s underground garage. 3 To my relief, Arthur wasn’t home. The driver explained that he had gone abroad early this morning to negotiate a business deal and wouldn’t be back until next week. My phone was accidentally smashed during the fire. When I put my SIM card into a new phone and turned it on, a dense swarm of messages frantically poured in. The screen even froze for a second. I was startled. Messages from the service provider showed that a massive amount of credit had been added to my phone plan. And the other missed calls and unread messages mostly came from the same familiar number. I pursed my lips and clicked on them. Scrolling from top to bottom. [Chloe Hastings, sleep and run?] [I’m not angry. Come out, stop hiding.] This timestamp… it must have been during the few months when the Hastings family dragged me back and locked me in the attic, forcing me to secretly give birth to the child. At that time, my phone was confiscated, and I lost contact with everyone. […They said you died. I didn’t believe it.] [The Hastings family traded the child for those plots of land in the East District. I gave it to them.] [How much do I have to give for you to be willing to appear again?] [The child looks a lot like you.] [Today, someone scammed Leo out of $200 using your name.] [Idiot, if you don’t show up soon, your son is going to be kidnapped.] … The last message was from two years ago. [If you see this message, call me.] After that, silence. I figured this was probably the point where the female lead successfully saved Arthur. So Arthur finally gave up sending me messages. I lowered my eyelashes. My chest felt tight, almost suffocating, but I couldn’t explain why. Actually, I had seen it. While standing on the street waiting for Leo, I saw the advertisement on the giant mall screen. At that time, I stared blankly up and saw Serena endorsing a brand under the Vance Group. For some inexplicable reason, I cried. No matter how hard I wiped, I couldn’t dry my tears. It turns out it really isn’t true that you can’t live without someone. Now that they are happy and fulfilled, my appearance would only be an intrusion. Right then, I had just been about to leave, but Leo happened to appear in front of me. And through a series of mishaps, I got into the car and returned to the Vance household. I checked my bank account balance. I didn’t know if the Hastings family thought the meager amount in my account was beneath them, or if they truly didn’t care about me. After I “died” six years ago, they didn’t even cancel my registration. Clutching the reassuring balance, I planned to transfer the money for the phone and clothes to the Vance family staff to pass on. And then leave this place. …Since everyone was happy, I shouldn’t intrude anymore. Just as I pushed the door open. Leo, standing outside, instinctively took a step back, startled by me. He lifted his chin, using his childish voice to pretend he was asking casually: “Where are you going?” When I was in the room, I had downloaded a translation app in advance. I typed the words and played the audio out loud. “Thank you. I’m leaving now.” Time really is a magical thing. The infant who was wailing loudly in my arms just a few hours ago could now jump and skip in the blink of an eye. His eyes widened slightly, the rims suddenly turning red. Very nervously and frantically, he grabbed my hand and yelled loudly: “No! You still owe me money, you can’t leave!” All his previous feigned coldness was gone. I crouched down to look him in the eye. Very carefully, very cherishingly, I stroked his soft black hair. I had seen that future. In that future, everyone was happy. Leo had a perfect mother, and he grew up safe and happy. There was no calculating grandfather, nor a mute, unlikable mother. I pressed the play button, and the calm, mechanical voice echoed in the hallway. “I will transfer the money for the phone to you.” Leo glared at me, stubbornly clutching my hand and refusing to let go. Crying so hard he was gasping for air, he shook his head and said: “Not that one.” “You messaged me asking me to transfer $200 to you.” “That day after school, I sneaked out and waited for you on the pedestrian bridge for a long time.” “You lied to me. You never came.” His somewhat jumbled words reminded me of what Arthur had mentioned in the text message—someone had used my name to scam Leo out of $200. My eyes stung. I used my hand to wipe away the tears on Leo’s soft cheeks. If Serena came back and saw this, it would be bad. She was the new mother Leo liked; I absolutely couldn’t let my presence cause a rift between them. Maybe later, she and Arthur would have their own child, and she would have her own favorites, but the first one is always different. I didn’t want her to feel nothing but disgust and awkwardness whenever she saw Leo because of me. I wanted to leave before Serena came back. Just as I turned around, Leo threw himself at me and hugged one of my legs. I swallowed the sourness in my chest and looked down helplessly at the clinging, pestering Leo. But then, a rustling sound came from ahead. Sensing something, I looked up. Only to crash into a pair of pitch-black eyes. In the long hallway, someone stood travel-worn at the top of the stairs, his trench coat soaked by the heavy rain, his voice very hoarse. Arthur said: “…Chloe Hastings.” “How can you bully a child?” 4 I don’t know when the rain started falling outside the window. But I somewhat frantically pried Leo’s hands off me, then hurriedly looked behind Arthur. I didn’t see anyone else. Only then did I let out a sigh of relief. Leo clung to me again, hugging my leg while shouting at Arthur: “Dad, quickly give Mom ten million!” “If you give it to her, she won’t leave.” Me: “…?” Facing Arthur’s subtle gaze, I pursed my lips and couldn’t help but raise my hands to defend myself: “I didn’t.” “I originally only wanted to borrow one thousand. Leo doesn’t know sign language and can’t read, he misunderstood.” My hands moved flying fast, terrified he would misunderstand. Arthur clearly understood, but his expression paused, and he inexplicably let out a sneer, saying ambiguously: “Leo doesn’t understand sign language?” I felt the little hands gripping my pant leg suddenly tighten. But Arthur quickly glossed over the topic. He told the whining, clinging Leo to go back to his room first. Leo glared at him angrily: “Why should I?” “I’m the one who brought Mom back.” “And Mom sent me a text and called me. She came back because of me!” Even while arguing, he didn’t forget to show off. Arthur lowered his eyes, looked at him for a moment, and curled his lips mockingly: “If you hadn’t secretly swapped my SIM card again, would it have been your turn to pick her up?” He tried to pull Leo away, but couldn’t budge him. “How about this? You ask her yourself if she’ll let you go back to your room.” The next instant, two pairs of eyes shot toward me simultaneously. My scalp tingled. I instinctively looked away, hesitating for a moment: “…How about I just leave?” Arthur turned his head and, with a straight face, spewed complete nonsense to Leo: “See, she says it’s very late and you should be a good boy and go back to your room to sleep.” “You’re lying! She clearly—” Arthur cut him off: “Kids who don’t understand sign language shouldn’t make wild guesses.” Hearing this, Leo’s voice stopped abruptly. He pouted and looked at me pitifully, but ultimately didn’t say anything. Seeming to notice Leo’s reluctance, Arthur pulled me into the study and said to me concisely: “This stubborn kid won’t give up.” “Can you wait here for me for a bit?” Then, he crouched down in front of Leo and seemed to whisper something softly. Leo immediately quieted down. He sneaked a hesitant glance at me, then obediently let Arthur lead him away. The surroundings instantly went quiet. I snapped back to reality and heard the patter of rain coming from the half-open French windows in the study. The wind was strong, whipping the sheer curtains outward and making the papers on the desk flutter loudly. Worried the rain would mess up or get the documents wet, I walked over and closed the window. But as I turned around, I knocked a book off the shelf. A ten-dollar bill with a torn corner fell out from the title page. 5 Seeing that familiar ten-dollar bill, I froze. I felt like I had been transported back to that summer. By then, Arthur was no longer as cold to me as when we first met. I don’t know when it started, but he had secretly learned sign language. I even clearly remembered the first time he clumsily used sign language to tell me, “Got it.” His expression was still cold and casual. But he still managed to say stubbornly: “Waiting for you to write it down every time wastes too much of my time.” I smiled, my eyes curving, just about to reply “Thank you.” When the door was violently pushed open. “Who does Arthur think he is, always pulling a long face all day?!” “A bastard with no parents! He just does whatever he wants because of his family background, otherwise, who would bother sucking up to him!” “Wait until the old man kicks the bucket, let’s see if he can still be this arrogant!” Arthur’s expression remained indifferent until he heard his grandfather mentioned, at which point his face turned cold and his lips set in a hard line. The person seemed completely unaware of Arthur and me hidden in the corner behind layers of boxes. I recognized that voice; it was the youngest son of the Monroe family. Today was Grandpa Vance’s birthday banquet. Earlier at the banquet, Mark Monroe had offered a toast to Arthur, but Arthur didn’t drink. Instead, he swapped it for a glass of water, clinked glasses, and took a small sip. Mark’s face had looked terrible before he left, and now I knew the reason. But from my observation, Arthur hadn’t touched a drop of alcohol; even when he toasted his grandfather, he drank water. So Arthur wasn’t targeting him specifically. He was indiscriminately targeting everyone. Everyone knew Arthur had been cold and quiet since he was kidnapped as a child, and they were used to it. I don’t know how it became “pulling a long face” in his eyes. But after cursing Arthur, he started cursing me. “And that mute from the Hastings family too! I can never get her to come out; she avoids me like the plague.” “Just a broken mute. Does she really think she’s climbed the social ladder by being with the Vance family?” I felt Arthur lower his head, his gaze lingering on my face for a second. I slightly turned my head away, feeling inexplicably nervous, keeping my face straight and my lips pressed together. The people around Mark comforted him for a while and gave him ideas. For example, deliberately spilling wine on me later, or bribing a waiter to put wasabi in Arthur’s water to humiliate him in public, things like that. When Mark finally vented his anger and left, Arthur slowly walked out from the shadowed corner. Then he turned into the kitchen. He rummaged around, seemingly unsatisfied. Inexplicably, I just knew he was looking for wasabi. I walked past him and pulled a handful of chili peppers from a corner of the prep area. Then I signed to ask him: “There’s no wasabi.” “These peppers are very spicy. Is chili water okay?” Arthur lowered his eyelids to look at me, reached out to take the peppers, and gave a lazy “Hmm.” He summoned two waiters, whispered a few instructions, and then took me to the railing on the second floor. That was probably the liveliest scene of the night. While toasting with his elders, Mark spat everything out with a “Pfft,” knocking over the champagne tower next to him and getting drenched in alcohol. The Monroe elders lost all face, apologizing profusely while publicly scolding him, chewing him out completely. Thoroughly humiliated, Mark seemed to sense something, looked up, and finally saw us watching the whole thing from the second-floor railing. Arthur tilted his head slightly, raised an eyebrow, lifted the glass of water in his hand in a distant toast. And mouthed, word by word: “Now this is doing whatever I want.” The petty squabbles between the younger generation naturally couldn’t be hidden from Grandpa Vance. Arthur could afford to be reckless, but I couldn’t. Perhaps acting on Grandpa Vance’s instructions, my mother, who had dumped me at the Vance household for years, unprecedentedly told me to go home with her that night. Seeing the birthday banquet coming to an end, I hesitated for a moment and apologized to Arthur: “I’m sorry, I might not be able to come to the Vance house to keep you company anymore.” My mother’s expression had been very grim earlier, and I suspected Grandpa Vance had kicked me out. Arthur clearly understood the underlying implications. He said dismissively: “If you don’t want to go back, then don’t. No one here is kicking you out.” Seeing me still hanging my head dejectedly, he pulled me into the security room and showed me the footage of the kitchen and hallway. Only then did I realize the footage of us secretly doing bad things earlier had already been replaced. He copied the footage of Mark cursing and plotting onto a USB drive and signaled me to hold out my hand. “If he bothers you again, just throw this footage in his face.” He paused for a second, then said: “You’re going to stay with me until ten o’clock later.” “Believe it or not, even if the Hastings family’s car leaves, no one will come to kick you out tonight.” Arthur stayed with me on the rooftop feeding mosquitoes until ten o’clock. I saw the Hastings family’s car actually leave, and before leaving, my mother even gave me a very gentle, gratified smile. I was overwhelmed by the unexpected favor. I was very grateful to Arthur. I felt like the relationship between us was somewhat different now. Although helping me get revenge was just something he did in passing, he solved my problem and stayed with me on the rooftop to feed mosquitoes. This kind of thing was something only friends would do. So I used sign language, unable to resist asking: “Are we friends now?” “No.” Was being Arthur’s friend really that hard? I was a bit disappointed, but not too sad. After all, Arthur had always been aloof and hard to please. If not this time, I would just try harder next time. But the next moment, I heard Arthur say slowly: “It’s a tighter, unbreakable relationship of accomplices.” I widened my eyes slightly, staring blankly at him, inexplicably feeling that the relationship he described was much more important than just being ordinary friends. He suddenly spoke, his voice scattering in the wind: “Do you have any money on you?” I rummaged for a long time and finally pulled out a crumpled, torn ten-dollar bill from my pocket. Arthur accepted it unhurriedly. His shadow, cast on the ground by the moonlight, leaned toward me. “Now, I owe you ten dollars. You are my creditor.” “So, in the future, if you encounter trouble, or run into something you don’t want to do, or someone you don’t want to see, you can always come to me to collect the debt, understand?” Seeing me spacing out, Arthur surprisingly didn’t get angry, but patiently repeated: “Got it?” I nodded hastily and promised him: “Don’t worry, I won’t forget it for the rest of my life.” Perhaps there were a few more similar earnest instructions like tonight’s later on. I went from being cautious at first to proactively “collecting debts” from Arthur over trivial matters later. When I encountered difficulties, I no longer suffered in silence alone. It had been ingrained into a conditioned reflex by him. So much so that when I was trapped in the massive fire, opened my eyes, and found myself transported six years into the future— At that moment, standing on the bustling street, looking at the unfamiliar world, my mind was blank, and only panic remained. Yet even so, it never crossed my mind to contact my mother and return to the Hastings family. Instead, I instinctively borrowed a phone from a passerby. And sent a message to Arthur: “I am Chloe Hastings.” I immediately typed the second half, hitting send without hesitation. “…Can you come pick me up?” 6 I picked up the ten-dollar bill that had fallen from the book. The wrinkles on the bill had long been pressed flat by the pages, leaving only the exact same torn corner from back then. I never thought Arthur would still keep it. The study door behind me was pushed open at that moment. I turned around and saw Arthur. It hadn’t even been two minutes since he led Leo back to his room. His gaze landed on the ten-dollar bill in my hand, and he asked: “Are you ready to collect your debt from me now?” I didn’t follow his lead, but instead asked him: “Is my household registration still active?” Arthur said: “Yes, when the Hastings family tried to cancel it back then, I stopped them and forced them to change it to missing.” I breathed a sigh of relief. That’s good. At least I wasn’t undocumented now; I could still go out and look for a job. Otherwise, my savings would eventually run out. So, I solemnly held up the ten-dollar bill and signed: “I want to collect the debt.” Arthur adopted a listening posture. “Give me an umbrella.” The rain outside was heavy. I used the original ten dollars to finally exchange it for an umbrella. “Only this?” I nodded. Only this. I carefully folded the ten-dollar bill, intending to tuck it away in my pocket. This would be the last time I used this bill to collect a debt from Arthur. I remembered the feeling of standing under the giant screen, looking up at that advertisement and inexplicably shedding tears. It felt like seeing a beautiful, unattainable dream. If everyone could be happy, that would be great. From now on, there would be no more vicious supporting characters showing up to disrupt things. Taking back this old bill meant Arthur and I were completely even. But Arthur effortlessly slipped the ten dollars from my hand, tucked it back into the book, and placed it on a higher shelf. I was stunned. Me: “…What are you doing with my money?” Arthur lifted his eyelids to look at me, saying with utmost conviction: “I owe you money. You asked me for an umbrella, so this ten dollars belongs to me now.” “Chloe, if you take both, isn’t that a bit too greedy?” That seemed correct. But this way, the final interpretation rights of the ten-dollar debt would always be in Arthur’s hands. The entanglement between us would never end. Caught in Arthur’s logic, I pursed my lips, stood on my tiptoes, and reached up to grab it. “Then just give me the money. I don’t want the umbrella.” Arthur pressed down on my hand resting on the book cover, and as I lost my balance, he gently supported my waist. Our eyes met, mere inches apart. “Then consider it me borrowing another ten dollars from you.” “This time, what do you want me to do?” He added: “Anything is fine. Even if you want to live in the Vance house forever, that’s fine too.” His tone was coaxing. But I understood his implication. I scrambled out of his embrace in a panic, feeling a bit angry at his unreasonable pestering. Six years had passed, and Arthur seemed to have gone bad. After he and the female lead achieved their happy ending, he still came to pester me. Did he want me to be his mistress? I gave him a very condemning look and refused without hesitation: “No.” Arthur paused upon hearing this. His expression was flat, revealing nothing, but his tone carried a hint of regret: “Alright.” He actually dared to feel regret? I thought, feeling a bit sad and sorrowful. I never expected the Arthur six years later to be like this. Not only had he gone bad, but he also lied to kids. I started bringing up the past. “Why did you just translate my sign language however you wanted to deceive Leo?” “A six-year-old child is already sensible. If you talk to him properly, he will understand.” At that time, I said I was leaving, but he told Leo I said to go back to his room and sleep. If Leo woke up the next day, saw an empty room, and realized he had been lied to, wouldn’t he be heartbroken? “Translate however I wanted?” Arthur let out a low laugh, meaning unclear: “You don’t seriously think Leo doesn’t understand sign language, do you?” I was taken aback by his question, just inexplicably recalling Leo’s tense and bizarre reaction in the hallway. Arthur said slowly: “A kid who slept hugging a sign language book when he could barely speak… A person who, relying on the fact that others couldn’t understand, used sign language to mock other kids in kindergarten when they had conflicts, eventually starting a fight and getting his parents called in—” “Do you think he doesn’t understand sign language?” I was dumbfounded. So, Leo was angry when he came to pick me up, not because of the impatient honking of the traffic jam. But because he understood that I meant I would leave immediately, and that’s why he was angry? But I felt something was off. Whether it was Arthur’s tone of voice or Leo’s eager attitude to be close to me, it all felt very strange. Could it be that after six years, the male and female leads were only keeping up appearances, and their relationship had fallen apart? After all, it was so late, and Serena still hadn’t come home. I pursed my lips, deciding to test the waters. “Don’t worry. After so many years, I’ve long since moved on.” “I won’t disturb you and Serena.” Arthur frowned slightly, visibly stunned. “What does she have to do with this?” But he quickly reacted, as if my previous desperate attempts to escape had finally been explained. “You don’t seriously think there’s something between her and me, do you?” Arthur lowered his eyelids and fished a watch out of his pocket. He hadn’t had time to switch his SIM card back; that smartwatch belonged to Leo. “You said you’ve moved on. Fine.” He pulled up a text message and held it in front of me. “If you really didn’t like me anymore, didn’t care anymore, why would you send me a message like this?” A familiar block of text appeared on the small screen, casting shadows in the light. My breath hitched. There could be no one more familiar with this text than me. That text message that failed to send in the massive fire six years ago— The him of today, had received it.

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I was spoiled rotten by my family, and I never treated my fiancé like a proper human being. If his tone was too harsh, I cried. If he didn’t report his schedule to me on time, I cried. If he was too aggressive in bed, I cried. Until one day, I started seeing lines of floating text like live-stream comments. [Doesn’t the male lead prefer resilient, innocent girls? How can he stand this spoiled, arrogant heiress for so long?] [Ugh, I seriously can’t stand the female supporting character. When is the male lead going to bankrupt her family for the true heroine?!] [I really want to see this spoiled princess end up as a beggar on the streets~ Hahaha.] Bankrupt? A beggar? No way, absolutely not. Terrified, I stopped throwing tantrums and picking fights with him, and I actively started keeping my distance. But to my surprise, he became incredibly paranoid, convinced that “wild dogs” outside were trying to seduce me. He even started gaslighting me constantly: “Those wild men out there are only after your money and your looks.” “Only me—I let you use me however you want, and every cent I earn is just for you to spend.” 1 When the floating comments appeared, I had just finished undressing and was begging him to play some special games with me. “Darling~ Everyone else has tried it, I want to try playing like that too.” “If you don’t agree, I’m going to cry right here and show you…” Before I could finish my threat, I saw the comments. I was so startled I almost bit my tongue. Arthur held my waist, sighed, and his tone was a bit heavy: “No. Stop messing around.” [Even though I really want to see it, I just want to say, this kind of ‘service’ is strictly reserved for the true heroine. The supporting character is asking for way too much.] [Just thinking about the ‘blissful’ life the male and female leads are going to have according to the synopsis makes me drool.] I instinctively looked down at the man in front of me. The thought that he would be intimate with someone else in the future made me feel incredibly wronged. But then I recalled the very first comments I saw… My family was going to be bankrupted by Arthur in the future, and I, a spoiled princess, was going to become a beggar. Compared to that, Arthur getting intimate with someone else didn’t seem so important anymore. I pouted, my mind racing, but the more I thought about it, the more wronged I felt. This bastard was going to bankrupt my family for another woman. But once I thought it through, I still compromised. I carefully climbed off him. I timidly pulled the covers over myself. Arthur watched my series of movements, stunned for a moment. It took him a good while to squeeze out a few words: “It’s only eleven o’clock.” I was an addict. Once I got a taste, I would keep him up until midnight every time, refusing to let him sleep until he had served me perfectly. I turned around and looked at him with teary eyes. I acted exceptionally understanding: “I was being unreasonable. I disturbed your rest. You should go to sleep early.” He didn’t say a word, his face just turning exceptionally dark. After speaking, I even thoughtfully pulled the covers up over him. Then I closed my eyes and pretended to sleep. 2 But I couldn’t fall asleep no matter what. I suddenly realized I wasn’t wearing anything. I always liked sleeping naked, but in the past, Arthur hated it the most. At first, whenever I slept naked, he would get frustrated and get up to take cold showers multiple times a night. He’d even scold me and tell me to put some clothes on. But every time, I’d cry, put them on feeling indignant, then take them off again, and yell at him fiercely: “This is how I sleep in my own house! If you don’t like it, don’t sleep with me!” Then I’d sulk by myself, and Arthur would ultimately have to compromise. Thinking about it now, he probably thought I was dirty, which is why he took so many showers. I threw off the covers. He opened his eyes and instinctively reached out his hand toward me. I completely ignored it and started to get up to put some clothes on. Looking at the sexy nightgown draped over the foot of the bed, I hesitated not at all and went straight to the closet to dig out a long-sleeved, long-pants pajama set. After buttoning the very top button of the pajamas. Arthur finally spoke: “Why are you putting clothes on?” I looked at him, smiled, and said naturally: “To sleep, duh!” Meeting his surprised and confused gaze, I thoughtfully added: “Otherwise, I can just go sleep in the guest room.” I thought he would be thrilled that I was finally letting him get a peaceful night’s sleep. Instead, he got up with a stony face and took long strides toward me. “I don’t have any morning meetings tomorrow. I’m not going to the office until the afternoon.” “Stop throwing a tantrum.” I looked at him, not understanding what his explanation was supposed to mean. But I caught a subtle difference in his tone. It was unhappiness and impatience. I had seen a lot of floating comments earlier. One of them mentioned that the “true heroine” everyone was talking about was currently working as an intern assistant right by Arthur’s side. His unhappiness… could it be because he couldn’t wait to go see that heroine tomorrow morning? In the past, I used to complain a lot about Arthur being too busy. I even threatened to break off the engagement and find someone else for a corporate marriage who had time to keep me company. Because of that, Arthur had no choice but to take half a day off every few days just to stay home with me. Which resulted in him frequently having to work overtime until midnight. Thinking about it, I decided I better be more understanding now. Otherwise, he’d just grow to hate me more and more. Once he caught feelings for the heroine, I’d really become a beggar. I’ve only lived the good life for twenty-something years; I haven’t had enough yet. Even though my heart felt uncomfortable, I forced down the sour feeling, pouted, and said: “You… you should go to work early tomorrow. You don’t need to stay with me.” The moment the words left my mouth, Arthur’s face turned completely black, like the bottom of a cast-iron skillet. “What are you throwing a fit about now?” I didn’t say anything, just looked straight up at him. He looked down at me, turned around, and walked away. The moment the door closed, his tone was far from pleasant. “Chloe, my patience has limits. I can’t keep indulging your baseless tantrums forever.” 3 I was heartbroken for a long time because of that sentence. I tossed and turned all night, unable to figure out where exactly I had thrown a tantrum. I was clearly being so understanding. But eventually, I managed to fall asleep. When I got up in the morning, I opened the door of the adjacent guest room. I wandered around the 3,000-square-foot penthouse. There was no sign of Arthur. He really couldn’t wait to get to the office to see that heroine. I listlessly ate the breakfast left for me in the microwave. Still fuming, I turned around and texted my older brother. [I want to break off the engagement with Arthur!] My brother immediately blew up when he saw the message and FaceTimed me right away. “Tell me, did that bastard Arthur make you angry again?!” I didn’t dare tell my brother about the floating comments. Feeling stifled and suffocated, my lips trembled, and I burst into tears, crying out: “He doesn’t love me at all.” My brother nagged and coaxed me for a long time. Finally, he asked with heartache: “Do you really not want to be with him anymore?” I nodded. He added: “Then we’ll call it off!” “But our family’s joint project with the Sterling family isn’t finished yet. Let’s milk them for a huge sum, and then call it off, okay? Then you can use the money we made off him to keep ten or eight toy boys. That’ll piss him off.” “How dare he not love my family’s little princess! The audacity!” I thought about it. The sky is big, the earth is big, but money is the biggest. Delaying the breakup a bit was fine. “Chloe, let me tell you something. Men are nothing. In this world, besides our dad and me, no man is reliable.” The next second, I saw my brother transfer five million dollars to my account. I beamed, nodding furiously: “Mhm! I knew you loved me the most.” I flatteringly kissed my phone screen several times. 4 Meanwhile, at the company, Arthur had checked his phone who knows how many times. He had been at the office for a full four hours today, and the message in the chat box: [Breakfast is in the microwave, remember to eat.] Remained unanswered. Not to mention, there was no sign of the usual ‘good morning’ or the routine check-in messages. Finally, unable to bear it any longer, he picked up his phone and checked the home security cameras. He saw the person who was “throwing a tantrum” last night lounging on the sofa with her legs crossed, laughing so hard she was shaking. She was kissing her phone screen over and over again, saying affectionately: “I love you the most.” When a male voice from the phone on the camera feed replied, “I love you the most too!” Arthur completely lost it. The veins on the hand gripping the phone bulged instantly. With a loud smack, he threw the phone onto the desk. He leaned back helplessly in his chair, tilted his head back, closed his eyes, and exhaled a heavy breath. As if forcefully suppressing the raging fire in his heart, he said through gritted teeth: “So that’s how it is.” “Chloe, you’ve really done it this time.” 5 Since I had made up my mind to break the engagement, I needed to start keeping my distance from Arthur immediately. So I didn’t send him a single message all day. Even when he got off work, I didn’t urge him to hurry home. After taking a fragrant bath, I very sensibly moved all my things to another guest bedroom. Just as I finished packing, I pulled out my phone. I saw several messages from Arthur. [Do you want some wontons from Joyful Dumplings?] [I’ll buy some on my way home.] [???] [Or I can come back and pick you up, and we can eat at the restaurant?] … [You’re not home?] There was only a camera in the living room. I had been busy in the bedroom packing my clothes and cosmetics the whole time. I hadn’t even turned on the lights in the living room. I looked at the long string of messages that came after. [Where did you go?] [Reply.] [It’s going to rain tonight, come home early.] … [Friends are hosting a get-together, I’ll be home late.] [Never mind, I’m not coming home.] Seeing the last message, I quickly typed a reply. [Okay.] The moment the message sent, Arthur’s call came in. His tone was extremely displeased: “The message I just sent meant I’m not coming home tonight.” I nodded and said flatly: “I know!” He added: “I’m going out drinking.” I obediently replied with an “Okay.” There was a long silence on the other end, followed by a beep as he hung up the phone. Not long after, the front door of the penthouse opened. Arthur threw his car keys onto the entryway table with a clack. When he looked up and saw me at home, the expression on his face softened significantly. I looked him up and down and saw he was carrying a takeout box from Joyful Dumplings. I was stunned: “Didn’t you say you were going out drinking?” He looked at me, his lips pressed into a thin line, and said casually: “I got stood up.” I blinked, looking at the takeout box in his hand. He looked down: “I passed by and picked it up on the way.” Joyful Dumplings was in the night market district on the Southside, but our penthouse and his company were downtown, and his company was more towards the Northside. This “on the way” was a bit of a stretch. He opened the box, and sure enough, it was the small wontons. I used to love the wontons from that place the most, but they didn’t offer delivery, so you always had to go buy them yourself. In the past, whenever I got hungry in the middle of the night, I’d threaten Arthur to go buy them for me. If he didn’t want to go, I’d throw a fit and say: “If you don’t go, it means you don’t love me.” Even though he was reluctant, by the time I finished taking a shower, he would already have his clothes on and be out the door to buy them for me. But today, I didn’t really have the appetite for them. In the afternoon, my brother had ordered a ton of food for me: cupcakes, boba tea, and some unhealthy but delicious junk food. Now my stomach was completely full, and I had zero appetite. He watched me not taking a bite for a long time, then turned to look at the various takeout bags and boxes on the coffee table. He frowned, turned around, and started cleaning them up. “Eat less garbage…” Before he could finish, he saw the name “Mr. Q” on the delivery receipts. His hand froze, and he took a deep breath: “Junk food.” He gritted his teeth, and after a long pause, added: “Especially when it’s ordered by some shady character.” Every word sounded like it was ground out from between his teeth. I wasn’t happy hearing that. “Those are all my favorite foods.” He scoffed: “Are you two that close already? He even knows what you like to eat.” I nodded matter-of-factly: “Of course. Besides my dad, he’s the man who loves me the most in the world.” That sentence seemed to trigger something in him. With a bang, he threw my unfinished boba tea into the trash can. When he turned around, his face was as black as the bottom of a pot. 6 He went back to the bedroom and saw that all my things had been moved out. He came out with a dark face again. “Where’s your stuff?” I blinked, the boba he just threw in the trash still in my mouth. I thought it was a waste, so I fished it out. Luckily, there was nothing else in the trash can, so it was still drinkable. Arthur looked at the untouched wontons on the dining table, then looked at me. His anger spiked: “Is the stuff he orders really that good?!” I nodded: “It’s delicious.” The door was slammed shut with a bang again. If it were my usual temper, if he dared to throw a fit at me, I would have torn the roof off. I took a huge sip and puffed my cheeks out: “I’m going to drink it! I’m going to drink a huge gulp!” But half an hour later, I was completely dumbfounded looking at the twenty cups of boba tea at the door. Just as I was about to bring them inside, a large hand reached out from behind me. Arthur gave me a sidelong glance. He said breezily: “They’re all your favorite flavors.” My mouth dropped open. I remembered he was just throwing a tantrum at me. Okay, he was definitely throwing a tantrum at me. He put the boba away, then went back to his room with a cold face. Watching him close the door, I didn’t think much of it. I turned and went to the guest room. I don’t know if it was because of the boba or because I wasn’t used to the bed. I couldn’t fall asleep no matter what. Eventually, I took out my phone and started reading a web novel. As I read, the tears wouldn’t stop. Just as I was wondering how the male lead could torture the female lead so badly… The bedroom door opened. Arthur climbed into my bed. He suddenly said coldly: “Break it off with him, and I won’t hold this against you.” I didn’t say anything. He just flipped my body over. Seeing my face covered in tears, he panicked. I sobbed and complained about the male lead in the angst novel: “How can he be so mean?!” Arthur gritted his teeth. “What did that bastard do to you?” “Break up with him, stop contacting him. He’s only going to hurt you.” “Those wild men out there are only after your money and your looks. Otherwise, he wouldn’t order you cheap junk food and only get you one cup of boba.” “Unlike me. I let you sleep with me, and every cent I earn is just for you to spend. Sleep however you want, spend as much as you want. I’m never stingy.” I sniffled, not understanding what he was talking about. Just as I was about to ask. My phone chimed, and the screen lit up. It was a message from my brother. QZ: [Little treasure, are you still sad?] I picked up my phone and replied: [Not sad anymore~] Arthur, who was next to me, snatched the phone away. He said in disbelief: “Chloe, you forgave him after one little question?” “Then what am I?” The next second, ding, the screen lit up again. [He’s just a clown.] I quickly snatched the phone back. Looking at him, I said, feeling a bit guilty: “He’s not talking about you, do you believe that?” He didn’t speak. His lips were just pressed into a thin line. It looked like he didn’t believe it. Seeing him like this, the comment “spoiled princess becomes a beggar” flashed in my mind. I instantly felt cowardly. I carefully reached out and tugged at his pajamas. “Are you mad?” He let out a muffled “Mhm.” My voice went soft as I shook his sleeve: “Don’t be mad, okay~” His voice was a bit heavy as he reluctantly replied: “Okay.” 7 Arthur was like a piece of doggy plaster, refusing to leave no matter what. Originally, this wouldn’t have been a big deal. But after lying there for a short while, he started getting all clingy again. He started kissing my face, then kissing my lips. Finally, those hands disobeyed orders and slipped into my pajamas. He rubbed affectionately against my ear, his voice low and raspy: “Can you sleep wearing clothes?” I mumbled groggily. His hands started unbuttoning my clothes. I had gone straight to bed after showering; there was nothing under my pajamas. Once stripped completely bare, my sleepiness completely vanished. I grabbed his wandering hands, trembling as I said: “What are you doing?!” He pinched my waist and kissed my lips. “Do you still want to play that game from last night?” This damn seducer. I hesitated for a moment, thought about it, and my mind spun: “Are you begging me?” “Yeah, I’m begging you to love me.” I internally scoffed at the floating comments. See? He’s the one begging to play with me. He’s forcing me. I’m not some vicious supporting character, and I’m definitely not cannon fodder. I lifted my chin and hooked my arms around his neck. I said haughtily: “Fine, then I’ll take good care of you tonight.” He buried his face in the crook of my neck and kissed it, his tone carrying a faint smile: “Okay~” In the middle of the night, today’s Arthur not only took direction well but was incredibly gentle. I was very satisfied. I was almost reluctant to give him up to the heroine. When it was over, he carried me to take a nice, fragrant shower, then held me as I fell into a deep sleep. … Not long after, the steady sound of breathing came from the person next to him. Arthur quietly picked up the phone from under the pillow. He skillfully entered the passcode and meticulously scrolled through the WeChat history. He accurately found the chat box labeled “QZ.” He clicked in and glanced at the username: Super Invincible Handsome Guy. Arthur looked at it, momentarily speechless, and cursed “wild dog” in his head. He then scrolled through the chat. There were only a few sparse sentences. The very first sentence was: [I want to break off the engagement with Arthur!] Seeing that sentence, Arthur felt a sharp pain in his chest. He really couldn’t figure out what he had done wrong recently to make her want to call off the engagement. Was it because he didn’t let her play that game last night? But it wasn’t that he didn’t want to. It was just that they had played a little too rough recently, and he had accidentally hurt her. That’s why he refused. He looked at the message: [He’s just a clown.] He let out a light scoff. A wild dog trying to sow discord dared to call him a clown. He raised his hand and typed a few words. [Want to meet up tomorrow?] He didn’t expect the other party to reply instantly with an “Okay.” Arthur was furious. Still replying to messages in the middle of the night. Must be a playboy, definitely a deadbeat loser. And he thinks he can compete with him? He didn’t hesitate to type in a time and address for tomorrow’s meeting. He prepared to meet this wild dog face-to-face, throw a check at him, and tell him to get the hell away. He deleted the chat records on the phone. Not only did he mute notifications for the man’s chat, he also hid the conversation entirely. Only then did he finally hold the person next to him, satisfied, and fall into a deep sleep.

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I brought my daughter to a company team-building event. My colleagues, finding her adorable, kept feeding her snacks. Only my young boss studied her with a meaningful look. “Chloe, your daughter looks exactly like a friend of mine.” “So much so that I’m suspecting she’s his illegitimate child.” 1 The young boss snapped a photo of Lily. Then he asked for my permission. “You wouldn’t mind if I sent this to my friend, would you? Just to give him a little scare.” I shook my head, assuming it was just a coincidence. My colleagues, however, were instantly intrigued. They gathered around me, gossiping non-stop. “Chloe, what does her dad do?” “We… separated a long time ago.” “Lily is so pretty. Besides your beautiful genes, her dad must have contributed too. Was your ex-husband super handsome?” “Yeah, he was quite handsome.” Even though he wasn’t even my ex-husband. “Why did you guys separate? Did he cheat?” “No.” “Domestic violence?” “No, he was very gentle.” “Then why?” My colleagues all looked pitiful. I offered a bitter smile and didn’t answer. My thoughts drifted thousands of miles away to Hong Kong. I was sold by my adoptive father to Liam Sterling to settle a debt. He didn’t actually want me. But, afraid my adoptive father would beat me to death, he took pity on me. Not only did he let me live rent-free in one of his properties, but he also paid for my high school and college education. However, during that time, he never saw me again. Until graduation, when my adoptive father, drowning in gambling debts once again, came after me. He told me to go to Liam and ask for money. Little did he know, I couldn’t even reach Liam. My usual contact was only his assistant, Kevin Stone. And I didn’t want to find him anyway. My adoptive father beat me so badly I was hospitalized, causing me to miss my graduation ceremony. I didn’t tell Kevin. But Liam found out anyway. In the crowded hospital room reeking of disinfectant. I saw Liam for the second time. He still carried that imposing, majestic aura. When he lowered his eyes, he was as gentle as jade, yet radiated an undeniable presence. My left cheek was bruised and swollen from my adoptive father’s beating; even a slight movement of my mouth hurt. I hid my left cheek, not daring to look Liam in the eye. “Was all that martial arts training I paid for a waste?” His tone was filled with helplessness. “It wasn’t a waste,” I retorted. I intentionally didn’t fight back. Only this way would I have evidence to sue him in court and sever our father-daughter relationship. “Why didn’t you contact Kevin?” I kept my head down, my voice barely a whisper. “No reason.” Liam sighed. He turned and ordered Kevin to move me to a spacious, private room and hired a caregiver for me. As he was about to leave, I grabbed the hem of his jacket. He looked at me, his eyes devoid of emotion. “Mr. Sterling, I will pay you back.” “Have you decided what you want to do?” “Yes, I’ve already interviewed to be the executive assistant to CEO Richard Vance at Vanguard Corp. I start next week.” With the medical injury report, I smoothly severed ties with my adoptive father. I successfully gained my freedom. The salary of an executive assistant was not low, but to pay off my debt to Liam as soon as possible, I remained extremely frugal. After moving out of Liam’s property, I chose to live with roommates. My boss, Richard Vance, was not an easy man to deal with. Besides assisting him with work, I also had to manage his personal life. Today, I’d prepare a romantic anniversary surprise for a socialite; tomorrow, I’d order flowers and gifts for a model… It was all part of the daily routine. At an auction, I found myself bidding against Kevin for a pair of earrings left behind by the famous jewelry designer, Anna. After a few rounds, I saw his determination to win. I gave up. As I was leaving, Kevin called out to me. He placed the brocade box containing the yellow diamond earrings into my hand. I froze in place. “Boss’s orders.” After successfully winning the earrings, he had reported the news to Liam. And casually added one sentence. “Chloe was also at this auction. She was probably after these earrings too.” There was silence on the other end of the line for a few seconds before Liam said directly: “Give them to her.” I tried to hand the box back to Kevin, but he wouldn’t take it. “Your CEO Richard told you to get these, right? How will you explain yourself if you don’t bring them back?” The earrings caught the eye of Richard’s new girlfriend. Failing to bring them back would result in a severe scolding. I was already used to it. Kevin: “The boss said to give them to you, so they are yours. You can do whatever you want with them.” I later learned that when Liam bid on those earrings, it was for a project he was actively pursuing. The beloved daughter of the project lead was particularly fond of Anna’s jewelry designs. Acquiring those earrings would have saved him a lot of trouble. 2 I still got scolded by Richard. Because I couldn’t bear to give the earrings to him. For many days and nights, looking at those earrings, Liam’s calm, restrained face would involuntarily appear before my eyes. However, the earrings were stolen and sold by my roommate. I was so furious I beat her to a pulp, resulting in a trip to the police station. The officer told me to call someone to pay the bail. I looked at my contact list. After much hesitation, I called Kevin. And repeatedly begged him not to tell Liam. But as I followed him out of the police station. The back window of a black car waiting outside rolled down, and Liam’s face appeared before me. I was somewhat dazed. It had been over a year since I last saw him. “Are you hurt?” Liam didn’t ask why I hit someone. I shook my head. “Did you like those earrings that much?” Liked them enough to ruthlessly beat the person who stole them. I bit my lip guiltily. “They were very expensive.” “I heard that person offered to give you all the money from the sale, but you still wouldn’t let her off.” My head drooped completely. “I’m sorry, Mr. Sterling. I caused you trouble.” He was taken aback for a moment, then chuckled softly. “How is this trouble?” Liam pulled out a neatly folded handkerchief and handed it to me to wipe the blood off my hands. “You shouldn’t dirty your hands over material possessions.” The handkerchief carried Liam’s unique, faint fragrance. I couldn’t bear to soil it. Liam knew where I lived, but this was his first time visiting. The hallway walls were peeling, dim, and narrow, and the inside was so small it was hard to even turn around. A place that felt cramped for one person housed three. Liam frowned almost imperceptibly. “You’ve been living in a place like this ever since you moved out of Cloud Lake? Are you really that short on money?” He didn’t wait for my answer, ordering Kevin to go upstairs, pack my bags, and move me back to Cloud Lake. Liam refused to accept my rent, so I offered to treat him to a meal. He raised an eyebrow: “Kevin says you’re a really good cook?” I didn’t expect Kevin to tell him even that. I liked eating and experimenting with food. During college, Kevin visited me at home once, and I invited him to stay for a meal. When I went into the kitchen, Liam followed me. He took off his suit jacket, rolled up his shirt sleeves, and naturally picked up the vegetables to wash them. I was somewhat surprised. “I can do it myself.” “I’ll help you prep, it’ll be faster.” He didn’t stop moving, his back tall and lean. Very much like the male lead in the manga I read last night. Broad shoulders, narrow waist, leaving much to the imagination. After that day, Liam often brought ingredients to my place to eat together. Gradually, from my initial awkwardness, I reached a point where I could confidently order him around to do chores. 3 Richard got a new celebrity girlfriend. On her birthday, she was on set filming and wanted him to visit her. He didn’t have time, so he had me bring flowers and jewelry to placate her. But she had a fiery temper. She took all her anger at Richard out on me. Without warning, she splashed her half-finished coffee right at me. Everyone on set looked at me in shock. Afraid of getting involved, no one dared to step forward. I stood there calmly, letting her vent. Hoping that after she vented, she wouldn’t bother Richard anymore. Otherwise, I’d be busy again. I had dinner plans with Liam tonight. While my mind was wandering, a cup of coffee was suddenly splashed onto the celebrity, without any warning. It was still steaming slightly. I turned my head in shock, meeting Liam’s sharp, cold jawline. He had one hand in his pocket and casually tossed the empty coffee cup onto the table beside him. This was the first time I had ever seen Liam angry. Even Kevin, following behind him, widened his eyes in shock. I hurriedly pulled out a tissue to wipe the celebrity down. But Liam grabbed my wrist and yanked me away. “I can’t leave.” If I just walked away like this, Richard wouldn’t let me off easily. Liam let go of me, his eyelashes lowering slightly. Our eyes met, and I clearly saw the smoldering anger in his. “You don’t know how to fight back now? Chloe, I’m really curious what exactly goes on in your head.” “I… she’s my boss’s new girlfriend. I can’t afford to upset her.” This was just part of my job description; I didn’t feel wronged. Besides, usually, when something like this happens, Richard compensates me with a handsome bonus afterward. There is no job where you don’t have to swallow your pride. Dignity is worthless in the face of money. Liam sighed helplessly. “Don’t worry, I’ll talk to Richard so he won’t take his anger out on you.” Liam’s usual penthouse was near the filming location. I took a shower at his place and changed into clean clothes that Kevin had prepared for me. When I came out, I saw Liam leaning back on the sofa. His eyes were tightly closed; he was asleep. The vest of his tailored suit hugged his waist, faintly outlining the tight muscles of his abdomen. His legs were slightly apart in a relaxed posture, and his whole body exuded a strong, masculine aura. It drew me toward him involuntarily. I stared at his face for a long time, then tiptoed over to gently remove his gold-rimmed glasses. Just as I was about to step back, Liam slowly opened his eyes. With only inches between us, I couldn’t help but stare at his lips and swallow. “Mr. Sterling, I was just…” Before I could finish, my words were completely swallowed by his sudden kiss. His kiss wasn’t like his usual gentle spring breeze; it carried a dominance, constantly pressing the attack. A long time later, I collapsed weakly against his chest. I don’t know when, but I had straddled his lap. We were so close, it felt like we could sense the frequency of each other’s heartbeats. My rationality slowly returned, and I tried to get up and leave, feeling somewhat embarrassed. But Liam cupped the back of my neck and pressed me tighter against his chest. “Chloe, will you be my girlfriend?” I looked up in surprise, a smile gradually spreading under his gentle gaze. I nodded frantically. We were young then, believing that as long as we loved each other, we could stay together forever. But we forgot that people from two different worlds, even if their paths accidentally cross, will eventually diverge. 4 In the fourth year we were together, I got pregnant. Liam was incredibly happy when he heard the news. Kevin laughed and said, “Looks like the boss’s proposal plan has to be moved up.” While I was immersed in happiness, a video was sent to my phone. It was secretly filmed through a crack in a door. Liam sat bare-chested on a sofa, his back to the door. His lean back was covered in crisscrossing, bloody welts. It was a shocking sight. A family doctor was carefully applying medicine to his wounds. Every time the cotton swab touched a wound, his body would tremble slightly. But from beginning to end, he didn’t utter a single sound. [My brother loves you very much, but you probably don’t understand our family. Our marriages have never been ours to decide.] [Can you really bear to watch him suffer so much for you?] [Chloe, for the sake of him helping you before, let him go.] I never knew that in places I couldn’t see, Liam had to pay such a tragic price to make his family accept me. His pride shouldn’t be repeatedly broken because of me. When I handed him the abortion paperwork, his eyes instantly turned red. But he didn’t ask anything; he just gently pulled me into his arms. He had even come up with an excuse for me. “If you don’t want a child, then we won’t have one. It must have hurt, right?” “Chloe, I’m sorry. I won’t let this kind of accident happen again.” I pushed him away coldly. “Liam, not only do I not want the child, I don’t want you anymore either.” “We… are breaking up.” In the dreary, rainy month of February, I left the city that had given me painful memories as well as moments of happiness and light. I came to my adoptive mother’s hometown, Seaport City. Back then, my adoptive father was infertile, so they adopted me. Later, due to his business, they moved to Hong Kong and took me with them. Even later, my adoptive mother passed away, and my adoptive father developed a gambling addiction, his personality drastically changing. Before I met Liam, my life was a constant nightmare. Therefore, I loved him, and I was even more grateful to him. Precisely because of this, I wanted him to forever remain the brightest sun, not pull him down from his pedestal. After my colleagues’ attention shifted away from me, the topic slowly moved to our newly appointed young boss, Alexander Vance. They said he had been expanding the market in Hong Kong previously. After returning, he spent over half a year at a branch office before coming back to headquarters. I froze. I nervously confirmed with a colleague. “What did you say? The young boss came back from Hong Kong?” “Yeah, oh, you didn’t know.” My mind was buzzing. I sought out Alexander again. “Mr. Vance, the friend you just mentioned… is his last name Sterling?” Alexander was somewhat surprised. “How did you know?” “Can you still recall the photo from earlier?” After Alexander sent the photo to Liam, he had put his phone away. Hearing my words, he pulled his phone out again. The time limit to recall the message had already passed. Below the photo Alexander sent, there were a few more lines of text. [Doesn’t the daughter of an employee at my company look exactly like you?] [I was shocked!] [If I didn’t know how strictly you disciplined yourself, I would have suspected it was your illegitimate child!] Coincidentally, a new message popped up on the chat screen that hadn’t received a reply until now. [Send me the address.] 5 Alexander finally sensed something was off. “I used to hear people in Hong Kong talk about it often. They said Liam had an ex-girlfriend he treasured more than anything.” “To be with her, he didn’t even hesitate to break ties with his family.” “Who would have thought that woman would eventually dump him.” “He was depressed for quite a while over that.” Alexander’s eyes shifted, staring at me thoughtfully. “Chloe, that woman who dumped him and left… wouldn’t happen to be you, would it?” I remained silent. He looked up at Lily, who was currently making my colleagues laugh with delight. He clicked his tongue. “So, Lily really is Liam’s daughter!” His voice wasn’t quiet, but fortunately, it was noisy around us, and no one was paying attention to our side. “Mr. Vance, could you keep this a secret for me? I don’t want Mr. Sterling to know.” Alexander shrugged, not understanding but agreeing nonetheless. “This is your private matter. Of course I’ll respect your wishes.” Alexander replied to Liam’s message right in front of me. [Mother and daughter have already left. You wouldn’t be able to see them even if you came.] This time, Liam replied instantly. [What is the mother’s name?] Alexander replied with a random name. And there were no more messages after that. “Mr. Vance, Mr. Sterling… when did he come to Seaport City?” “Early this year. There are several big projects inland. I suspect he won’t be returning to Hong Kong anytime soon.” I nodded. Seaport City is huge. Unless it was intentional, the probability of us bumping into each other was very low. My colleagues were all warm-hearted. Knowing I was raising a child alone, they enthusiastically started setting me up on blind dates. Most were young, successful men whose careers had delayed them from starting a family. I rejected them all. I made it clear that I would not remarry. I wouldn’t allow my child to live day and night with a strange man. Furthermore, the person I met in my youth was too extraordinary; everyone who came after seemed merely ordinary. Influenced by my mood, Lily was born prematurely at less than eight months. She stayed in an incubator for over two months. Her health was never very good. Once, when she had a recurring high fever that wouldn’t break, a colleague told me that praying at Baoming Temple was very effective. I knelt from the front of the temple to the back. Over and over, I begged the gods and buddhas for mercy. I don’t know if the deities were truly moved by my sincerity, but after returning, Lily’s condition gradually improved. Since then, in my free time, I often took Lily to the temple to offer incense. We’d eat vegetarian meals and listen to the monks chant scriptures. Over time, she became familiar with the monks at the temple. Whenever I worried about her poor health, the monks would comfort me. They said she was a child with a good destiny. And had a long life ahead of her. They told me not to worry excessively. Our planned trip to the temple on Saturday had to be postponed due to a sudden downpour. The next day, when the rain stopped, Lily packed her own little bag. She couldn’t wait to drag me out the door. She recently fell in love with a new crispy chocolate biscuit and wanted to hurry and share it with the monks at the temple. It was an overcast day, and there were very few pilgrims. The monks, however, were very happy. They said the assistant of a wealthy businessman had contacted the temple a few days ago, offering to donate a substantial amount of incense money. When the time comes, they could gradually repair the halls in the back that they lacked funds to fix. Lily was taken to the kitchen by her good friend, the young monk Hui An, to watch them make vegetarian buns and Laba congee. So I wandered around the temple by myself. 6 The wintersweet in the temple was in full bloom, filling the air with a rich fragrance. I thought of Liam again. Unconsciously, I raised my hand to touch the yellow diamond earring dangling from my ear. Liam had eventually sent someone to find the earring I lost and bring it back. I heard it took a lot of effort, and he even paid several times the original price. He seemed to genuinely believe that I loved this pair of earrings deeply. Two young women walked past me. Their voices chatting and laughing were unusually clear in the empty corridor. “I wonder what kind of VIP he is for the abbot to receive him personally.” “Just looking at his aura and the entourage with him, he must be a big shot.” “It’s a pity he’s already married. I wouldn’t even dare to fantasize about him.” “How do you know?” “I saw the wish he wrote on his prayer ribbon. It was for his wife and child.” “…” As they turned the corner of the corridor, the two voices gradually faded away. I also saw the VIP they were discussing. He walked at the head of the group, listening to the people beside him, occasionally nodding in response. That phrase, “written for his wife and child,” echoed in my ears again. The lingering sound swirling for a long time. As if reminding me. Liam… really got married. My legs froze in place. Caught in a dilemma between advancing and retreating, the group had already walked toward me. The abbot recognized me and took the initiative to introduce us. My mind was a tangled mess. I only vaguely heard the abbot say that Liam was going to donate money to repair the temple. So, he was the wealthy businessman the monks had mentioned. Liam’s gaze fell on me, as warm and gentle as a breeze, just like before. Behind him, Kevin gave me a slight nod. I averted my eyes and hurriedly excused myself. Fleeing in panic. I found Lily, wanting to take her away quickly. She reluctantly bid farewell to the young monk Hui An. Passing by the prayer ribbon rack, Lily suddenly stopped. “Mommy, our names are up there.” She let go of my hand and trotted closer to the prayer rack. Standing on her tiptoes, she pointed to one of the prayer ribbons written in traditional Chinese characters to show me. She only recognized her name and mine on it, because I had specifically taught her. I slowly walked over. When I read the entire message clearly, my eyes couldn’t help but well up with tears. [May my wife Chloe and daughter Lily enjoy a life of peace. — Liam Sterling] Lily tilted her head, looking at me full of curiosity. “Mommy, what does it say on there?” “It’s… wishing you a peaceful life free from worry.” I didn’t say the word “Dad” out loud. But Lily seemed to sense something and laughed happily. When we left the temple, it started drizzling again outside. I opened my umbrella and picked Lily up with one arm. Struggling to walk toward the taxi stand. A black luxury car stopped in front of us. Kevin got out of the passenger seat and opened the rear door for us. “Ms. Hastings, please get in.” It was hard to hail a cab here, especially on a rainy day. So I only hesitated for a moment before putting Lily inside. The privacy partition slowly rose, instantly dividing the interior into two separate spaces. The rustling sound of rain could be heard outside, but the inside of the car was unusually quiet. Lily tilted her head, observing Liam curiously. Liam also looked at her tenderly. Father and daughter began a silent eye-contact exchange that lasted for two minutes. Liam suddenly looked up at me, asking tentatively. “Can I hold her?” I was taken aback for a moment. And nodded. 7 Alexander’s excuse clearly didn’t fool Liam. He still found out Lily’s identity. I no longer had the need to hide Lily away. He sat Lily on his lap. Lily stared unblinking into his eyes. “Mister, you are really good-looking.” Liam gently pinched her chubby little cheek. “Lily is very beautiful too.” The image of father and daughter snuggled together was too beautiful, and my eyes couldn’t help but grow moist again. I turned my head to look out the window. The car was warm and comfortable, and Lily slowly fell fast asleep in Liam’s arms. He spoke softly. “Why did you lie to me and say you aborted the child?” “I wanted to break up, cut the knot quickly.” Liam looked greedily at Lily’s peaceful sleeping face, remaining silent for a long time. The car stopped, and the rain had also stopped. Liam grabbed my wrist, preventing me from getting out. He asked Kevin to take the now-awake Lily somewhere to play for a while. “Do you hate me that much?” I bit my lip, speaking words contrary to my heart. “Yes, I just hate you.” Liam’s eyes were bloodshot as he leaned toward me. His grip on my wrist hurt. Seeing me frown, he couldn’t harden his heart after all, and loosened his grip slightly. My eyelashes lowered. I caught a glimpse of a corner of a navy blue handkerchief peeking out of his suit pocket. It was the birthday gift I bought for him with a month’s salary. Liam said I worked hard for my money, so he cherished it exceptionally. He carried it with him always, but never used it. Now, years after our breakup, he still kept it. I closed my eyes, my heart aching with a sour pain. Liam offered a bitter smile. “Since you hate me so much, why did you still give birth to the child?” “You know I don’t have any family left. “So I wanted to have a child of my own, that’s all.” He let go of me as if deflated, collapsing back against the seat. His gaze stared blankly ahead. A single tear fell silently. “I understand. “You can go.” Kevin chased after me and handed me a card. He said Liam gave it for Lily. I didn’t take it. I had the ability to give Lily a good life myself. Moreover, what he had given me in the past was already more than enough. Liam disappeared from my life once again. I threw myself into my work, frequently working late into the night. It seemed only this way could I stop myself from thinking about him. Until the nanny taking care of Lily tactfully reminded me that the child needed company. She was right, I really wasn’t a good mother. Not only did I deprive her of a father, but now I was even reducing the time I spent with her. Just as I decided to pull myself together, I received a call from Alexander. His secretary had taken a leave of absence, and he asked me to accompany him to a dinner party. This kind of job meant nothing more than blocking drinks for the boss. During the few seconds of my silence, Alexander, seemingly afraid I would refuse, quickly spoke again. “Fifty thousand per glass, no cap. How about it? Isn’t that better than burying yourself in overtime at the office every day?” “Okay.” In the past, back in Hong Kong, I had drunk my fair share for Richard. Once, when I was drunk, I desperately wanted to see Liam. Dizzy, I ran to his company to find him. But I was stopped at the front desk. Without an appointment, I couldn’t see him. I called Liam, but he didn’t answer. Seeing I wasn’t in a clear state of mind, the receptionist was afraid I would cause a scene. She arranged for me to rest in the visitor’s area and even made honey water to soothe my discomfort. I thanked her. I sat alone in the visitor’s area. Feeling wronged, holding the honey water, tears streaming down my face. After crying, I collapsed on the sofa and slept deeply.

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In the third year of trying to win over Arthur Sterling, the System suddenly told me it made a mistake. It wasn’t that it got the target wrong; it got the player wrong. “I misheard! The player is supposed to be Chloe, not Zoey, hehehe. “Chloe will be at the class reunion tomorrow. Zoey, you don’t need to try and win Arthur over anymore! Just tell Chloe to come.” I was silent for a moment, then softly said, “Okay.” This was for the best. Arthur never liked me anyway. This undefined, nameless relationship should have ended a long time ago. 1 When the System told me it had the wrong person, I had just finished knitting Arthur’s scarf. It was supposed to be my birthday present for him. On my phone, the message I just sent was still visible: “Arthur, Arthur! Guess what I got you for your birthday this year?” The message sank like a stone in the ocean, just like always. Arthur never replied to my messages right away. The System chattered away next to me: “Oh man, look at this mess. Your name and Chloe’s sound so similar, I didn’t look closely and accidentally bound myself to you. “Good thing you didn’t manage to win him over in three years. Otherwise, if you succeeded and then I found out I messed up, my job would be gone.” “My bad, my bad. I should have realized it when you couldn’t win him over after so long. I mean, Chloe’s profile says she’s smart and beautiful, how could anyone not like her…” It suddenly went quiet, then laughed awkwardly: “I don’t mean you’re not good, haha! It’s just that our Love Facilitation System specifically chooses couples who already have mutual feelings and ambiguity. This really was a big mistake…” “I know,” I said. “You don’t have to explain.” I finally understood. Why Arthur and I had clearly done everything couples do, yet he absolutely refused to publicly acknowledge me as his girlfriend. Why, no matter how hard I tried, I could never make him like me. Why didn’t I realize it three years ago? Arthur was allergic to stupidity. How could a guy like him ever like an idiot like me? 2 I planned to go to Arthur’s house to pack up all my things. After all, Chloe was coming tomorrow. I didn’t want to be caught between the handsome guy and the beautiful girl, playing the pathetic clown begging for love. But I didn’t expect Chloe to have already contacted Arthur in advance. Through the fence, I saw Arthur sitting on his balcony, painting while on speakerphone. Chloe’s cheerful voice came through the phone. “So, are you looking forward to seeing me tomorrow?” “Yeah.” Arthur dragged out the word. “Old classmates, I’m pretty looking forward to it.” “Tsk, so you’re not looking forward to seeing me specifically? And here I even prepared a birthday present for you! Don’t you want to know what it is?” “What is it?” “Ta-da! It’s a super hard math problem. If you can solve it, I’ll tell you a secret. “Your early birthday present has been sent. Please bring the answer to the class reunion tomorrow. Offer expires soon, Mr. Genius!” I heard Arthur chuckle softly. He put down his paintbrush and picked up his phone. “Interesting.” Arthur never answered my calls while he was painting. Even though I expected it, seeing it still made my eyes sting pathetically. I turned to leave. My phone suddenly buzzed. It was Arthur. He finally replied to my message, probably out of convenience. There was only one word: “Boring.” 3 I was definitely a boring person, which is why the only birthday present I could think of was an unoriginal scarf. In Arthur’s words, it was probably something like, “Because you don’t have a brain, you can only offer cheap manual labor.” I couldn’t be like Chloe, designing a super hard math problem to discuss with Arthur. I wouldn’t even be able to solve a problem of that difficulty. I couldn’t get my things today. I walked home alone. I had had a crush on Arthur since high school. Or rather, I was just one of the many girls who had a crush on Arthur. We were neighbors, but standing next to the radiant Arthur, no one noticed plain, invisible Zoey. The only thing that made me different from the rest was that I used my neighborly advantage to deliver love letters to him for other girls. Every time Arthur took a letter, he would say: “Only good for running errands. You’re so dumb.” Dumb. That was the evaluation he gave me from childhood to adulthood. But he didn’t know I just wanted an excuse to say a few more words to him. I never thought this secret crush would ever see the light of day. Until the summer before my senior year, when a System found me. It said it was a Love Facilitation System, choosing men and women who already had mutual feelings to start a ‘conquest’. The standard for a successful conquest was officially declaring yourselves boyfriend and girlfriend. “Our system’s main goal is to let love change the world. After a successful conquest, you’ll also receive a generous cash bonus…” But I didn’t hear anything after that. I only heard six words. Already had mutual feelings. So Arthur… actually liked me a little bit too? My heart leaped with a joy I had never felt before. So, after finding out he got injured playing basketball, I gathered my courage and knocked on his door. “Take care of me?” Hearing my intentions, he leaned against the doorframe, smirking through half-lidded eyes: “Offering help for no reason… what do you want?” I looked up at him. “You.” Facing him, I couldn’t lie. I whispered, “I want you.” He burst out laughing. “You’re such an idiot.” But he opened the door. Summer was long. Every day, I braved the scorching sun to run from Unit 4 to Unit 1. The AC broke, and his leg was injured, so he couldn’t move well. I climbed the ladder to check it out while he held it steady. I lost my balance and fell into his arms, and we rolled onto the floor together. It was summer, so we were dressed lightly. I felt his body react and pushed him away, blushing. But he grabbed both my wrists and pinned them above my head. “Didn’t you want me? Why are you backing down now?” He gave a half-smile. His eyes reflected my stunned face. As our lips and teeth met, I heard his voice. “If you want it, let’s try it.” 4 That “try” lasted for three years. Only, after trying for three years, we still weren’t officially boyfriend and girlfriend. During that time, it wasn’t like I never asked to make it official. “Does it matter if we’re officially boyfriend and girlfriend? You wanted me, you got me, isn’t that enough?” My brain wasn’t as sharp as his; I couldn’t navigate the twists and turns in his words. “But I want to be your girlfriend.” “I don’t like restrictive relationships right now,” he said. “Is the title of ‘girlfriend’ really that important to you? Do we really need to fight over something so trivial?” It is important. I wanted to say. But I couldn’t out-argue him. It always made me look like I was making a big deal out of nothing. Over time, I started brainwashing myself. He does like me. The System wouldn’t make a mistake. He just doesn’t want to be tied down. Give it some more time, and we’ll eventually become a real couple. But now, the System told me that this relationship was a mistake from the very beginning. When I got home, I sat quietly for a few hours. I picked up my phone and sent Arthur a message. Even though he might not care. But I still wanted a clean end to what we started. “Let’s end this.” 5 The next day at the class reunion, I arrived early. Arthur wasn’t there yet, but Chloe was. As the class president, she was surrounded like a star in the middle of the table. “Oh wow, Little Glasses is here too!” When there are students with similar names in a class, classmates often add prefixes to differentiate them. Like boy/girl, big/little, fat/skinny. It was the same for Chloe and me. But the way we were differentiated was different from everyone else. She was “Chloe.” I was “Little Glasses.” Whenever she was around, no one called me by my name. Chloe looked at me, a hint of interest floating in her eyes. “Oh stop, don’t say that about Zoey. She doesn’t wear glasses anymore, stop giving her nicknames,” she said with a grin. But she was the one who complained in high school that people couldn’t tell us apart and gave me that nickname in the first place. “True, without her glasses, Zoey is actually pretty cute,” a guy suddenly said. “Yeah, our Little Glasses is a beauty now.” “Zoey, do you have a boyfriend…” “Hey, Liam, Mason, weren’t you two asking me about grad school advisors earlier?” Chloe interrupted. “Let me tell you about it before the reunion officially starts.” “Oh, right! Hey, Little Glasses, come sit at our table!” another guy enthusiastically invited me. “No need…” “Sorry I’m late.” A cool voice sounded from behind me, and my breath hitched. “Whoa! Arthur, the genius! Finally!” “Come sit! Sit!” Our classmates enthusiastically swarmed him. I silently moved to the side. “Arthur, sit here,” Chloe smiled, pointing to the empty seat next to her. Arthur cast a fleeting glance at me. “What’s everyone talking about? It’s so lively.” “Just chatting! Oh right, we were just saying how Little Glasses looks so pretty now that she took her glasses off!” the guy pointing at me said. “Oh?” Arthur casually tossed his bag onto the chair next to mine, his gaze sweeping over me as I stood there. I didn’t look at him. Instead, the moment he sat down, I grabbed my bag and walked over to the furthest table. Arthur raised an eyebrow, his expression unreadable. As soon as I sat down, I heard his voice again. “Her?” He gave a short laugh, looking at the guy. “When did you go blind?” 6 The crowd burst into laughter. Because Arthur was sitting at the table on the edge, the people from the center table practically stampeded over. My table was the furthest away and wasn’t even full. “Enough already,” a girl named Sophie sitting next to me muttered. “It’s been years since we graduated, and they’re still acting like there’s a caste system. Those ‘good students’ have always loved forming their little cliques. Disgusting.” “Well, who told us to be bad at studying and unsuccessful? I heard they even have a hidden big shot among them who sponsored this whole reunion,” another person chimed in. “Let’s just entertain ourselves at this table.” “Who says bad students are unsuccessful?! Julian won an award for his business case study in his sophomore year of college! He started his own company before he even graduated. Isn’t that better than those nerds? Am I right, Julian?” That’s when I finally noticed the guy sitting next to me. “You’re Julian?! You lost so much weight?!” If there was anyone in the class who was a more pathetic nickname victim than me, “Little Glasses,” it was him, “Little Fatty.” He smiled somewhat shyly. “Yeah, I lost it during the summer after senior year.” I never thought that after losing weight, he’d turn into such a handsome guy. Maybe because he was a CEO now, he acted much more mature than the rest of us. He raised his glass: “Even though our table didn’t have the best grades, we all have our own unique strengths. Let’s not sell ourselves short. After we eat, I’m treating everyone here to afternoon tea.” “Yeah! Boss Julian is the man!” Everyone cheered. I was infected by the atmosphere and unconsciously smiled. Suddenly, a piece of braised swordfish was placed on my plate. I turned my head. Julian coughed lightly: “Um, I remember you used to always line up for the swordfish in the school cafeteria on Mondays.” I was surprised: “You actually remember that.” He looked a bit embarrassed. “Because I always went that day too.” “You’re really amazing. How did you succeed with your startup?” “Just lucky. But my company makes robots, it’s pretty fun. Want to come play sometime?” My interest was instantly piqued. “Like the ones that can dance K-pop?” Julian clearly froze for a second. “If you want to see them, they can dance.” “Sure! When can I go?” “Zoey! Hey! Little Glasses!” I froze. People from Arthur’s table were calling me. “Arthur won’t say it himself, but as his neighbor, you must know, right?” I was confused. Know what? “Oh come on, does he have a girlfriend or not?!” Arthur acted like he didn’t hear them, continuing to chat softly with Chloe. Chloe was giggling non-stop. “Never seen one,” I heard my own calm voice say. “We’re not close.” Arthur’s head stopped moving. He looked up, his dark eyes locking onto me. I turned my head away and continued chatting with Julian. But we were chatting so happily that I didn’t notice and swallowed a slice of hot pepper. I instantly started coughing violently. “Are you okay?” Julian quickly handed me a glass of water. “I’m fine.” I coughed until my face was red and stood up. “I’m going to the restroom.” 7 After coming out of the restroom, I passed by an empty private dining room. Suddenly, someone reached out and yanked me inside. “You call me ‘not close’? Hmm?” My chin was gripped by cool hands, and a sharp pain flared as my lip was bitten. “If you’re not close to me, who are you close to? Julian? Does he know how you can only soothe the burn of spicy food? Or does he know that you tremble all over when I bite you while kissing?” I violently snapped back to reality and shoved him away. “What are you doing?” Caught off guard, he stumbled back a few steps. He looked displeased. “I should be asking you that, Zoey. Since yesterday, what exactly are you throwing a fit about?” I wiped my lips. “I’m not throwing a fit. I meant exactly what I said.” “I’m done with you.” “Heh,” he chuckled lightly. A bottle of yogurt was tossed into my arms. “And here I was, rushing to the front desk to buy you yogurt because I saw you coughing. This is how you treat me.” “If you’re mad at me, be mad at me. Why torture yourself by eating spicy peppers? Can you even handle spicy food, trying to show off to other guys?” I looked at the yogurt in my arms, silent. He let out a short laugh. “But I guess you’re finally being smart for once? Learned how to use a public setting to force my hand? Chatting so happily with Julian, trying so hard to make me jealous? Is your vanity that fragile? Do you want me to announce to everyone that you’re my girlfriend that badly?” I froze, looking at him. “What did you say?” “Am I wrong? You deliberately texted me yesterday saying we were done, and today you’re throwing a very public tantrum. Isn’t that exactly what you’re doing?” Suddenly, I just felt… tired. “And what if it is? What if everything is exactly as you think? What if I schemed and plotted just to get a title? Would you give it to me?” He went silent. “Do you care about that so much?” Hah. I tossed the yogurt back at him. “And? What do you think I should care about? That I got you, fulfilling my unrequited love dreams? That I should be eternally grateful just for being able to touch Arthur Sterling?” “Arthur, what did you treat me as these past three years? Because you knew I liked you, you handed out little scraps of affection, sitting on your high horse watching me pathetically beg for a title over and over again. Did you enjoy that?” He frowned. “What do you mean by that? Our relationship was strictly consensual. Don’t act like you’re the victim here. I told you, I hate being tied down, and I hate clinginess. You were the one who knocked on my door, weren’t you?” “Yes, it was consensual before. But I’m not willing anymore. I want to break it off with you. It’s that simple.” I started to walk away. He grabbed my arm. “What did you say? Are you serious?” He stared at me. “Just because of a title?” “Are you deaf?” I shook off his hand. “Heh. “Fine.” He let me go. “Fine, let’s end it. “But Zoey, I’m not a public park. You can’t just come and go as you please. “You made this choice. Don’t regret it.” “I won’t,” I said. Our beginning was a mistake anyway. I turned and walked away. Clang! A loud noise came from behind me. It was the bottle of yogurt. He had thrown it into the trash can. 8 Arthur and I returned to the private room one after another. The teasing started up again. “Then Arthur and Chloe should just make it official today!” “Perfect timing, we can all be witnesses!” “Oh stop, I told you guys to quit joking.” Chloe blushed. “Right, Little Glasses? As Arthur’s neighbor and sharing Chloe’s name, why don’t you be the representative of the masses? Tell us, are they a good match?!” Someone called out to me again. I calmly picked up some food with my chopsticks. “Yeah, they’re a perfect match. A handsome guy and a beautiful girl, made for each other. Remember to invite me to the wedding, I’ll definitely give a gift as a neighbor.” Smack! Arthur slammed his chopsticks onto the table. The room went dead silent. “I have a girlfriend.” “Huh?” Everyone was confused. Chloe’s smile froze on her face. “But we just broke up.” He stared at me, the corners of his mouth twitching. “I was going to introduce her to you all.” “But she threw a tantrum.” “Wanted to break up. I didn’t coddle her.” “Oh wow, which fairy descended from heaven to land our Arthur and still didn’t cherish him…” Chloe laughed too: “Girls nowadays can be so demanding. They get what they want and don’t appreciate it. I honestly can’t understand them either.” “By the way,” she turned back to Arthur, “Genius, did you solve the math problem I gave you?” “Ooo, you two have secrets we don’t know about,” someone teased again. Arthur glanced at me. “Of course I solved it. The answer is 1314521 [I love you forever].” “Wow, impressive! Then I’ll tell you my secret,” Chloe playfully pressed her index finger to her lips. “I got accepted into the grad program at your university! We’re going to be schoolmates from now on.” “I just wonder, will our genius give me a welcome gift?” Over at my table, Julian poured me a cup of yogurt. “Drink some yogurt, it’ll help with the spice.” I smiled: “Thanks.” Arthur slammed his cup onto the table with a loud clank. “What do you want?” “Aren’t you best at drawing portraits? Can you draw one for me?” Chloe continued with a grin. My hand holding the chopsticks paused. Over the past three years, I had begged Arthur countless times to draw a portrait of me. But he never agreed. “You keep fidgeting; you can’t be a model,” he would always say. “I can stay still! How will you know if you don’t try?” “So I should waste my precious time on your trial and error?” he retorted coldly. “Sure.” In this moment, I heard Arthur’s voice. So that was it. The two simple words I had been begging for all this time. Whether he liked someone or not, it was so incredibly obvious. Even though I understood it all, I still couldn’t help but feel ridiculous about my own stupidity over the last three years. My stomach churned. I put down my chopsticks. “Do you want to see a video?” Julian suddenly said. He held his phone screen in front of my face. It was a video of him alone on a beach, flailing his arms and legs wildly, with the background music from a cartoon monkey king’s entrance. “Here comes Old Sun…” I couldn’t hold it back and burst out laughing. I almost laughed until I cried. “You’re too funny! What made you want to film this?” He smiled. “I saw people doing it online before. I went to Miami for New Year’s, so I just filmed it while I was there.” “Do you have any more?” “Yeah…” “Zoey.” The cold voice cut across the tables again. I looked up to meet Arthur’s dark, thunderous face.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “392100”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

My twin sister eloped for love, and I was forced to take her name and marry Arthur Sterling. But I was already Arthur’s secretary. So, by day, Arthur was in a sharp suit, looking refined and abstinent, chewing me out with a cold face. By night, the moment he took off his tie, he was a total flirt. Insatiable and full of dirty talk, he’d bite my neck and whisper: “Wifey, your sister is such a drama queen.” “If it weren’t for you, I would have fired her ages ago.” Me: “…Haha.” Just before I reached my breaking point, my twin sister came home and demanded her place as Arthur’s wife back. Simultaneously, Arthur told me to get lost. “You’re always secretly trying to seduce me. Don’t think I haven’t noticed!” “For your sister’s sake, I’m saving your dignity. Resign on your own, and don’t ever let me see you again!” Me: “…Wow.” I scammed both of them out of a massive sum of money and decisively, fabulously made my escape. Three months later, while I was sunbathing on a beach, my sister called me crying: “Arthur absolutely refuses to touch me. Can you come back and help us have a baby, please?” “Chloe, I’m begging you, help me.” I hung up the phone, deep in thought. A flirt like Arthur, going three months without getting laid? Hasn’t he exploded from frustration yet? 1 I was Arthur’s secretary. But I was about ready to quit. Who would have thought that the cold, distant CEO during the day would be such a total flirt in bed at night? During meetings, his long fingers would tap lightly on the table, his face sharp and his aura incredibly oppressive. Yet all I could think about was him last night, wearing black silk suspenders, hooking his foot around mine, and whining sweetly, “Wifey, hurry up~” “Secretary Hayes. Secretary Hayes!” A colleague nudged me, and I finally heard Arthur calling me. I immediately apologized: “I’m sorry, Boss. I was just…” “You space out even during meetings? Am I paying you this much to just sit there and do nothing?” He looked utterly disgusted: “Do you not sleep at night? You look half-dead every day. Also, since when is it acceptable for a Vanguard Group secretary to come to work looking so untidy?” I was stunned for a second. Following his gaze, I realized he was talking about the hickey on my neck. The silk scarf hadn’t covered it. I pursed my lips and whispered, “I’m sorry, Boss. I…” “I don’t need explanations!” He glared at me coldly: “Secretary Hayes, I hope you understand that if it weren’t for your sister, you wouldn’t even deserve to keep this job!” “Tell your boyfriend to tone it down. I don’t want to see this kind of indecent display again. One more time, and you’re out!” With that, completely ignoring my mortified expression, he slammed the file onto the table, lifted his chin, and announced sharply: “Meeting adjourned!” 2 Being scolded made me feel very ashamed. But I still couldn’t muster any energy. I had only slept three hours tops last night, and my head felt like it was going to explode. I sat at my desk, zoning out in a depressed state. As lunchtime approached, I stumbled downstairs and went to the apartment next to the company building. From the closet, I dug out a demure, custom-made dress and a dazzling diamond necklace. Under the dim light, the yellow diamond was as rich as solidified amber. It was the set Arthur had bought for his wife at an auction last month. Valued in the tens of millions, it had made headlines at the time. Now, it was in my hands, being casually tapped against the table just to hear the sound. That’s right. The wife he loved to his core was me. The secretary he scolded until she questioned her life choices was also me. He thought we were twin sisters. But actually, they were both me. The “indecent” hickey he was disgusted by was exactly the one he had gnawed into my neck last night. Half a year ago, I had just started as Arthur’s secretary when my parents called me home. They told me my twin sister had eloped with her blonde-haired boyfriend and missed the arranged marriage with the Sterling family. They wanted me to marry him instead. Using my twin sister’s name. “Your sister will definitely regret this in the future. We have to leave a way out for her!” My mother cried and begged me: “Chloe, you grew up by our side, but your sister was left in the countryside. She wasn’t as lucky as you, she didn’t even pass the college entrance exams.” “Just consider it a debt you owe her. Pay her back now, okay?” She threatened me with her own life. Helpless, I had to agree. I originally thought I just needed to be a wife in name only, like many couples in our circle, being polite, living separate lives, perhaps even living in separate houses. At first, it was indeed like that. But later, Arthur seemed to be possessed, turning into an insatiable incubus. He pestered me every night. If I said no, his eyes would turn completely red, and he’d look at me with grievance. His lean, muscular legs would wrap around my waist, and he’d ask me in a husky voice: “Wifey, do you not love me anymore? Do you have another man on the side? Do you not want me anymore? I don’t want to live…” Sigh… What could I do? He kept pestering me, so I could only reluctantly oblige. At first, it was quite thrilling, but later, I just wanted to castrate him. Especially this past month, I averaged only three hours of sleep a night. Severely sleep-deprived, I made mistakes everywhere at work during the day, and got chewed out daily. This life of working the day shift and doing “overtime” at night was really killing me. I scratched my head, collapsed onto the bed in despair, and fell into a groggy sleep before I could figure out what to do. 3 An hour later, my alarm woke me up. Filled with resentment, I did my makeup, put my hair up, packed takeout into a lunchbox, and went to bring Arthur his lunch. He was in a video conference, listening to his subordinates in Europe report with a sharp look on his face. Seeing me, he waved, gesturing for me to come over and sit on his lap. “Why are you so late?” He buried his head in my neck, half-whining, half-complaining: “I thought you weren’t coming today.” The monotonous reporting voice was still playing on the computer speakers. Even though his mic and camera were off, I still felt embarrassed. I shifted uncomfortably and pushed him slightly, saying: “You’re still in a meeting, don’t do this.” “Afraid of what? We’re married, we don’t care if others see.” “Don’t you think it’s indecent?” He paused before reacting, his face instantly darkening: “Did your sister complain to you again?” “She’s just a young girl. Being scolded by you in public makes her feel awful too… Next time, don’t scold her, okay?” Arthur fell silent. After a long while, he kissed the corner of my mouth: “Wifey, I know you’re kind-hearted, but don’t you think she’s copying you in every way?” “Huh?” Arthur unmuted his mic, gestured to move the meeting to the afternoon, then turned back to me: “Even if you’re twins, you can’t be exactly the same in habits and preferences. “But, if you like pearls, she wears pearl earrings every day; if you have a lively and cheerful personality, she comes to work bouncing every day; if the end of your sentences hooks up when you speak, she does the same. It’s obviously with ulterior motives.” “You mean…” “She’s copying you to seduce me.” Arthur said with certainty: “I’ve seen plenty of women like her. They just rely on your trust in them to steal your man. “You’re just too kind, that’s why you think she’s a good person. She bullied you since you were little, and your parents favor her too. Wifey, you must be careful.” As he spoke, he rubbed my waist with his fingers. His tone was earnest and serious, acting as if he was educating his naive, sheltered wife. It felt like I was struck by lightning. “Are you sure you haven’t misunderstood?” I forced a smile: “Chloe isn’t that kind of person.” “I knew you’d say that.” Arthur sighed in disappointment: “Wifey, I am the person closest to you. Why don’t you believe me, but trust her instead?” Me: “…Haha.” I was speechless. Fortunately, Arthur didn’t dwell on the matter. He just kissed me affectionately and held me in that position while he ate. When I left, he even pulled me in for a parting kiss. When I walked out of the Vanguard Group building, exhausted, I had barely wiped the sticky feeling off my lips when I received a call from Arthur. I was met with a torrent of scolding: “Are you a child who hasn’t grown up? You get scolded and you run to complain to your sister? Also, how did you do the sales report for last month? It’s full of mistakes! If you don’t know how to do the job, pack your things and get out! Useless!” In that moment, the expression on my face uncontrollably turned feral. The next second, another call came in. I answered it, exasperated: “I said I’m heading back immediately, can you stop rushing me—” “Chloe.” A gentle, familiar voice came from the other end: “It’s your sister, I’m back.” 4 My relationship with my sister was very complicated. We were indeed twins, but we didn’t grow up together. I stayed with our parents in Capitol City where they did business, while she stayed with our grandparents in our rural hometown. Our parents always felt they owed her. After bringing her back from our hometown, they heavily favored her and always made me give way to her. Whenever something happened, it was always: “You stole your sister’s affection, this is what you owe her!” Later, my sister failed the college entrance exams and was sent abroad to study by our parents. I stayed in the country, so we weren’t very close. Therefore, hearing her speak to me in such a gentle, familiar tone, my first reaction was confusion: “Do you need something?” “Mom told me about what happened with our family and Arthur.” Hearing the impatience in my voice, she dropped the pleasantries: “Now that I’m back, shouldn’t you return the position of Mrs. Sterling to me?” “Coming back to reclaim your spot, huh! What, did that blonde guy dump you?” “Chloe, don’t push your luck!” She lowered her voice angrily: “Don’t forget, the Mrs. Sterling acknowledged by the Sterling family is only me, Mia Hastings. You’re just a fake, what right do you have to put on airs here?” That was true. Whether it was the daughter the Hastings family claimed they married off, or the wife Arthur publicly acknowledged, it was all Mia Hastings. Sometimes, when Arthur was in the mood in bed, he would also sweetly call me “Mia” or “Mia-baby.” It was absolutely disgusting. But: “I’m not going to clean up your mess for free!” “What do you mean?” “Give me ten million. Otherwise, let’s go right to Arthur and hash out who the real Mrs. Sterling is.” I said with a bright smile: “Ten million in exchange for the position of Mrs. Sterling. That’s a great deal, my dear sister.” Because of their guilt towards her, my parents stopped spending any money on me after I became an adult. They spent everything they had to support her. While I was working odd jobs everywhere to pay for my tuition, she was living it up abroad. My sense of unfairness meant I had to earn some of it back no matter what. However, no matter how much our parents spoiled her, they couldn’t possibly give her their entire life savings. Even if she could produce ten million, it would cost her dearly. So she hesitated for a long time before cautiously asking me: “Are you sure you’ll just take the money and leave?” “If you don’t believe me, forget it. I’ll go right now and…” “Don’t… I’ll give it to you!” She made up her mind: “I’ll give it to you, but you have to promise that you will never appear in front of Arthur again.” I readily agreed. Hanging up the phone, my mood improved significantly. I took off all my makeup, put on a blouse and a midi skirt, and admired my figure in the mirror. Thinking of Arthur saying I imitated and then seduced him, I remained silent for a moment before letting out a soft scoff. I thought it was ridiculous, but I also didn’t want to cause any more trouble. I swapped my pearl earrings for sapphire ones, dug out a long trench coat from my closet to completely hide my curves, and then headed out to work. 5 Mia’s intention was for me to resign and go to another city. But I wasn’t about to do that! This was my first job. I went through five rounds of interviews to get it. Resigning after only six months would look terrible on my resume. She tried repeatedly to persuade me, but to no avail. She could only give up. She took the phone number I used to contact Arthur and stayed at our parents’ house for a few days before returning to the Sterling residence. She also asked me about many details of interacting with Arthur, which I honestly told her one by one. Without having to “work overtime” at night, I had consecutive nights of long-lost good sleep. I was in a great mood, greeting my colleagues with a beaming smile and even buying them milk tea. Even when I ran into Arthur in the elevator, I could smile and say: “Good morning, Boss!” He looked anything but good. His face was pale and haggard, showing a sickly pallor. In the past, even if he tossed and turned with me all night and then got up for an international meeting, his complexion had never looked this bad. “Boss?” I asked curiously: “Are you feeling unwell?” He didn’t look at me, his tone cold and hard: “None of your business.” “…Alright then.” I worked energetically all morning. Just as I was wondering what to eat, I saw Mia carrying a lunchbox, walking gracefully to deliver lunch to Arthur. She had borrowed my gentle persona, wearing a pink Chanel-style tweed outfit, a silver butterfly hair clip on her forehead, and a gentle, moving smile. I watched her walk into Arthur’s office. She had been back at the Sterling house for a week now, and she had definitely slept with Arthur… Even though I didn’t like Arthur, the thought of something I had used now belonging to Mia still made me feel as sick as eating a fly. I rubbed my temples. Just as I was about to head downstairs to eat, I received a call from Arthur: “Bring in two cups of coffee.” Arthur had a sweet tooth but also loved the rich aroma of coffee, so the ratio of sugar to milk was very particular. I made two cups according to his taste. When I brought them into the office, I heard Mia’s sticky-sweet voice: “Hubby, hurry up and eat. I made it all myself, try it.” When she saw me, she clearly froze for a second, her expression slightly unnatural, but she quickly plastered on a smile: “Chloe, I’m eating with your brother-in-law. Why did you come in?” “To deliver coffee.” I had no desire to cause trouble. Seeing Arthur still sitting behind his desk, I placed his coffee on it, and handed the other cup to Mia, who was sitting on the sofa. She cooperatively reached out to take it, but the moment I let go, she flashed a smile. She deliberately splashed the coffee cup towards me. The scalding liquid splashed onto my exposed arm. My skin instantly turned red, swollen, and blistered. “Ah, Chloe, are you okay?!” She looked at me in a panic, her expression anxious and nervous: “How could you be so careless! I hope it doesn’t leave a scar.” She looked so guilty she was about to cry. Arthur walked over too, patting Mia’s shoulder comfortingly, speaking in a soft voice: “It’s okay, it’s not your fault… go to the hospital first, I’ll pay the medical bills.” “Hubby, you’re the best~” Mia took the opportunity to lean into Arthur’s embrace, crying pitifully: “It’s all my fault. If Chloe gets a scar because of this, I’ll feel guilty for the rest of my life.” Hiding in Arthur’s embrace, she raised an eyebrow and smiled at me provocatively. Just like in the past, countless times playing the pitiful victim in front of our parents and twisting the truth. I also smiled. I left the office. After simply treating the burn, I leaned against the elevator door and waited. When I saw Mia coming out looking elated, I crooked a finger at her. I grabbed her arm and, facing that face thickly covered in foundation, ruthlessly slapped her. “You—” Slap! Another slap on the other cheek. Her cheeks swelled up, her expression a mix of anger and fury: “H-how dare you—” “Just now in front of Arthur, I played along with your act, but I’m not going to take this abuse for nothing.” I crossed my arms and smiled at her: “Add another two million. Remember to transfer it to me tonight. From now on, when you and your husband do your roleplay, leave me out of it. Otherwise… you’d better not mess with me.” Mia covered her face, glaring at me with eyes full of hatred, but she didn’t dare speak out. She knew that if she pushed me too far, I would truly do something uncontrollable. Like three years ago, when I pushed her into the swimming pool and held her head down so she couldn’t surface. That feeling of near-death… If a servant hadn’t screamed, she would have really died. Our parents spoiled her, but I was also their biological daughter. She couldn’t possibly call the police. She could only swallow this bitter pill herself. “Just resign, Chloe.” She took a deep breath: “The world out there is so wonderful, why must you cling to your brother-in-law?” “Since you hate me and don’t want to see me, just stay far away from me. Leave this city, go far, far away. Wouldn’t that be better?” I realized almost instantly: “You’ve been whispering in Arthur’s ear?” She smiled at me provocatively, saying nothing. I took a deep breath, the veins on my forehead throbbing. This feeling of being played with was driving me crazy with anger— I shoved Mia hard. And turned around to walk into Arthur’s office. 6 Arthur was standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows, staring blankly. A lit cigarette was pinched between his fingertips, the curling smoke blurring his sharp features. Hearing the door open, he turned and saw it was me. He clearly froze for a second, then frowned: “What is it?” “I know my sister told you to ask me to resign.” I said straightforwardly: “You can make me leave, but you have to give me ten million.” He seemed to want to laugh. He walked over and stubbed out his cigarette: “Based on the mistakes you’ve made recently, firing you is completely justified. What makes you think you deserve ten million from me?” I took a deep breath. Then I smiled. I walked up to him, gently wrapped my arms around his neck, stood on my tiptoes, leaned in close to his ear, and said, word by word: “Based on the fact that you have feelings for me, brother-in-law.” He instinctively tried to push me away, but I clung to him tightly. His whole body went rigid as he lowered his voice to scold me: “Chloe Hastings—” “You have feelings for me, so seeing me annoys you. You scold me three times as much as the other secretaries, but you’re also afraid of wronging my sister, so you desperately want me to leave. Brother-in-law, am I right or wrong?” Because he paid extra attention to me, he noticed the hickey on my neck. Because he couldn’t betray his family, he had to fire me. Because seeing me caused emotional turmoil, he often scolded me out of frustration, hoping I would gracefully bow out. Arthur, was it me seducing you, or was it that you couldn’t control your own heart? I buried my head in his chest, acting spoiled: “Brother-in-law, that coffee was so hot. I got huge blisters, my arm hurts so much!” He closed his eyes: “Get up first, I’ll take you to the hospital.” “No~ Brother-in-law, kiss me, okay? It hurts so much~” His heartbeat faltered for a second. Then he forcefully pushed me away. He pushed me so hard I stumbled and fell onto the hard marble floor, my elbow hitting it hard enough to ache. “You can’t do this.” He pinched the bridge of his nose: “Ten million, I will give it to you. But as an elder, I must remind you: a person should have morals, not act like a promiscuous animal.” I laughed. I just sat there on the floor, propping up one leg, hugging my arms. With the posture of a victor, I looked at him triumphantly: “Brother-in-law, your heartbeat faltered. That means you love me.” “No, I don’t. I just think you and your sister look very similar…” He sighed heavily: “Forget it. It’s a good thing you’re leaving.” He sat back down behind his desk and instructed someone to transfer the money to me. Seeing my arrogant, rampant attitude, he tried to hold back, but ultimately couldn’t: “Take the money and do something proper with your life. You have a good foundation and a good education. Even if your heart isn’t in your career, don’t resort to those dirty tricks.” Dirty tricks? I couldn’t help but laugh out loud. Arthur, if you knew that the “sister” wife you thought you had was actually the “sister,” and the “sister” you agonized over having forbidden feelings for was actually your wife, but then your wife was swapped for the “sister,” would you go crazy? Bagging twin sisters in one go might make another man proud, but a man like Arthur, with responsibility carved into his bones… haha. “Brother-in-law, I wish you and my sister a century of harmony and an early birth of a precious child!” I said to him with a beaming smile: “I believe your future life will definitely be very exciting.”

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On my first day acknowledging my biological family, my newly-found rich mother pushed a bank card across the table toward me. “One million a month. You don’t have to treat me like a real mother, just act the part in front of outsiders. Don’t embarrass me.” I froze for half a second. The next second, I dropped to my knees, hugged her leg tightly, and refused to let go. “Mom! Why are you still negotiating terms with me? Our bond as mother and daughter is ordained by heaven! Whoever tries to tear us apart will be struck by lightning!” She frowned. “…Watch your mouth.” I immediately changed my tune. “I understand, I understand. Keep a low profile. We’ll just call this an emotional support subsidy. I accept.” Twelve million a year. Forget acting like the perfect, loving daughter—for that kind of money, I’d sweetly call the fake heiress “Sister” right here and now, and I’d sound sweeter than honey doing it. 1 My knees hurt a bit; the marble floor they laid down was too hard. But the smile on my face didn’t slip one bit. Evelyn Sterling, my newly recognized biological mother, had clearly never seen a spectacle like this. “Get up,” she said. “What kind of behavior is this?” I briskly stood up from the floor. “Okay, Mom. Whatever you say goes.” “Let me make the ugly truths clear up front,” she said, leaning back into the sofa and crossing her legs. “Mia has lived in this house for twenty-two years. She has poor health, a heart condition, and can’t take any shocks. To the outside world, you two are twins. She is the older sister, and you are the younger one. I don’t want to see any petty jealousy or drama over favor.” I took the card with both hands and shoved it securely into my pocket. “Don’t worry,” I said, standing so straight I was practically saluting. “As long as the money is in place, Mia is my absolute queen of a sister. If she wants to drink water, I will absolutely not hand her a Coke. If she wants to walk, I will absolutely not let her sit in a wheelchair. Oh, wait, I mean—I will carry her on my back.” Right at that moment, a girl appeared, leaning against the second-floor banister and looking down. This was the fake heiress who had occupied my place for twenty-two years, Mia Vance. Her eyes were red. Looking at me, her tears fell before she even spoke a word. “Mom… is this… Miss Betsy?” According to the typical script of a soap opera, this was the moment I should point at her nose and call her a thief. But I didn’t do that. How was she an enemy? She was my cash cow from another mother! If it weren’t for me having to cater to her delicate feelings, would Evelyn be paying me such a high salary? Mia bit her lip. “Miss Betsy, I’m so sorry. I was the one who stole your life… If it bothers you, I can move out…” Evelyn’s face darkened, and she was just about to speak. “Sister! What nonsense are you talking about!” I widened my eyes, looking absolutely heartbroken, pulling out the same level of sincerity I used when hustling tourists to buy cheap power banks at the bus terminal. “What do you mean ‘steal’? That sounds awful! For these twenty-two years, you’ve been suffering in this wealthy family on my behalf!” Mia was dumbfounded. The tears hung on her eyelashes, unsure whether to fall or not. “Huh?” I tightly gripped Mia’s hands, my voice dripping with genuine emotion. “Sister, look at you, you’re so thin! The food in a rich family must taste awful, right? So many strict rules, right? The pressure must be immense! I heard rich people have to play the piano, paint, ride horses, and socialize every single day. How exhausting! I’m different. I fed pigs and chopped wood in the village; my body is strong, and I have a great appetite. A tough life like this is only fit for a rough person like me. Having you suffer all those hardships in my place for so many years… as your sister, I feel so guilty!” Mia opened her mouth but couldn’t squeeze out a single word for a long time. I struck while the iron was hot and turned to Evelyn. “Mom, look at her, she’s treating me like an outsider! From now on, with me around, no one gets to bully my sister. Sis, just live here in peace. Live exactly how you used to. I promise I won’t talk out of turn, I won’t cause trouble, and I absolutely won’t make our parents worry.” “Enough. Since we’ve cleared the air, let’s eat.” 2 Just as I picked up my chopsticks, a middle-aged man walked in. This was my biological father, Richard Vance. I say “biological father,” but he actually married into the family. The Sterling family had the money, and he had the looks. The script back then was probably the classic poor boy marrying the rich heiress. “So this is the one… who came back from the village?” He took off his coat, handed it to the maid, and walked over while unbuttoning his cuffs. “Why is she dressed like that? And look at her posture.” I looked down at myself. The clothes I bought off a cheap discount app weren’t great, but they weren’t revealing either. Richard sat down. He didn’t acknowledge me, but instead placed a piece of fish into Mia’s bowl. “Mia, eat more. You look so haggard these past two days, it breaks Dad’s heart.” Mia glanced at me and said softly, “Thank you, Dad. Dad, my sister just got back, you should serve her some too.” What a magnificent white lotus. Even now, she didn’t forget to draw his aggression toward me. Sure enough, Richard slammed his chopsticks onto the table. “Her? What hasn’t she eaten out in the country? Does she need me to serve her?” “Since she’s back, she has to follow the Sterling family’s rules. Wash off all that country dirt on you, don’t embarrass your mother when you go out. Also, that name of yours, what was it again? Betsy? It’s horribly tacky.” He waved his hand in disgust. “We’re changing it tomorrow. I’ve already thought of one. You’ll be Isabella Vance.” The million-dollar monthly salary covered enduring my mother’s bad temper, but it didn’t say anything about putting up with her husband’s insufferable attitude. I discreetly gnawed on a piece of pork rib and glanced up at Evelyn. Evelyn acted as if she didn’t hear a thing. Understood. If my biological mother didn’t speak up, that meant this fell under the category of “extra, uncompensated labor.” I put down my chopsticks and wiped my mouth with a napkin. “Dad, I can’t change this name.” Richard’s eyes bulged. “What did you say? You just walked through the door and you dare talk back?” “I’m not talking back.” I looked perfectly sincere. “The name Betsy might be rustic, but it was given to me by my adoptive parents. Even though they didn’t treat me well, beating and scolding me for no reason, and making me feed pigs and farm, they still raised me for twenty-two years. If I change my name the second I come back here, what will the outside world think? They’ll definitely say the Sterling family is using its wealth and power to bully people, and they’ll say I’m a vain gold-digger who forgot her roots.” I sighed deeply. “I don’t care about myself; if people poke my spine and gossip, so be it. But Mom is different. Mom is an entrepreneur, and the Sterling Group has an image to maintain. If the media spins this as a wealthy family forcing the true heiress to change her name, attempting to erase twenty years of a parental bond, wouldn’t the stock price plummet?” I turned to Evelyn, looking entirely like a daughter considering her mother’s best interests. “Mom, am I right? Losing hundreds of millions over a trivial name isn’t worth it.” Richard pointed a trembling finger at me. “You… you’re twisting logic! What does this have to do with stock prices?!” “How is it not related?” I asked, feigning surprise. “Netizens these days hate the rich the most. Dad, do you not go online? Oh, right, you usually just drink tea and play golf. You don’t manage the company’s affairs, so it’s normal you wouldn’t know.” “Enough.” Evelyn finally spoke. “Betsy makes a valid point. A name is just a code; changing it back and forth is too much trouble. Let’s just stick with Betsy. I think it’s fine. It’s grounded.” The way Mia looked at me from the sidelines completely changed. I flashed her a wide grin, picked up a piece of cheesy lobster, and popped it into my mouth. This rich family food tasted amazing. Some people are fine living off someone else’s dime but can’t swallow their pride to do it. Not me. I was going to stand tall while I made this money. After dinner, Evelyn called me into her study. “You’re very smart,” she said. “Thank you for the compliment, Mom.” I stood respectfully in front of her desk, hands folded. “Do you know why I brought you back?” “Because blood is thicker than water?” I asked tentatively. Evelyn scoffed. “Because Mia’s fiancé only acknowledges the true Sterling bloodline. We need to secure an alliance with the Kensington family. Mia is a fake, so the marriage couldn’t proceed. Plus, Mia’s health is poor; she wouldn’t survive the torment of the Kensington family’s wild playboy. Therefore…” “You have to marry him in her place.” Whoa. I knew money didn’t fall from the sky. So this was the catch. A high-society arranged marriage, a wealthy second-generation heir, acting as a substitute bride. Wasn’t this an entirely separate, massive contract? “That’s going to cost extra.” The words slipped out before I could stop them. Evelyn froze for a second, then laughed. “Deal.” She pulled open a drawer and tossed another card onto the desk. “This is an advance on your dowry. I’ll add an extra five hundred thousand a month for emotional distress. As long as you lock down the Kensington family, you’ll inherit half of the Sterling family’s assets in the future.” “Mom, just watch me. Forget a rich playboy; even if he were the Devil himself, I’d have him completely whipped.” 3 The next day at noon, to celebrate my return, several relatives from the extended Sterling family were invited to lunch. I didn’t stand on ceremony; I sat down and was ready to feast. But before my chopsticks even reached out, Richard spun the lazy Susan, stopping the platter of premium abalone right in front of Mia. “Mia, your health is weak. Eat more to nourish yourself.” The lazy Susan spun a full circle and stopped in front of me, presenting a plate of plain stir-fried greens. Richard glanced at me. “Betsy, your stomach is used to simple, coarse food. Eating rich food suddenly will cause indigestion. Dad is doing this for your own good. Eat more greens to cleanse your system.” Mia looked troubled and said softly, “Dad, that’s not very nice… My sister just got back…” “What’s not nice about it?” Richard raised his voice. “Casting pearls before swine—giving it to her is just a waste.” Seeing me remain silent, Richard assumed I was cowed and got even more energized. He poured himself a glass of red wine and swirled it. “Speaking of which, our Mia is the truly lucky one. Originally, that marriage with the Kensington family was meant for you. Thank goodness your health is poor. That Liam Kensington… tsk tsk. Who in our circle doesn’t know about him? He’s a master at eating, drinking, whoring, and gambling. I heard he has a violent temper too. Just last month, he supposedly broke a young model’s leg.” He took a sip of wine and patted Mia’s hand, looking relieved. “Only a thick-skinned, wild girl from the country is fit to jump into a fiery pit like that. That’s what you call a pot finding its perfect, matched lid. Trash belongs with trash. A perfect match.” Tears started falling from Mia’s eyes again. “Dad, don’t talk about my sister like that…” “Dad is telling the truth!” Richard, high on his own words, continued. “That kind of rich heir is just a piece of garbage. If it weren’t for the business benefits, our Sterling family wouldn’t even bother giving him the time of day! Only someone who’s never seen the world, like Betsy, would treat him like a prize.” I glanced at Evelyn, who was sitting at the head of the table. Understood. It wasn’t convenient for my biological mother to publicly rip her husband a new one, so her biological daughter had to do it for her. I stood up. Richard, who was spraying saliva as he spoke, was caught off guard by my sudden movement. “What are you doing? Getting up to serve rice? You have absolutely no manners…” I gave him a brilliant, beaming smile. The next second, I gripped the edge of the heavy marble table with both hands, grounded my stance, and flipped it with all my might. The entire table of abalone, bird’s nest soup, red wine, and broth drew a decidedly ungraceful parabola in the air before crashing heavily onto the floor. The greasy abalone sauce splashed perfectly all over Richard, instantly ruining his custom-tailored suit. “Ah…!” Mia screamed and hid in Richard’s arms. Richard was dumbfounded, his finger pointing at me trembling. “You… you… you’re rebelling! Are you insane?!” I dusted off my hands, my face the picture of righteous indignation. “Dad! You are going way too far!” I pointed at the mess on the floor, my voice even louder than his. “Who is Liam Kensington? He is my future husband! He is a future, intimate business partner of the Sterling family! In front of so many people, you publicly insulted the heir of the Kensington Group, calling him garbage and a piece of trash! If word of this gets out, what if the Kensington family pulls their investment? What if the Sterling Group’s stock plummets? What if Mom’s life’s work is destroyed in a single day?!” I clutched my chest, looking absolutely heartbroken. “It’s fine if I, Betsy, suffer a little grievance. Even if you force me to eat chaff and swallow vegetables, I’d accept it. But you can’t joke about the future of the Sterling family just to elevate my sister! You are undermining Mom’s hard work! You are cutting off our family’s financial lifeline!” Richard was suffocating under the heavy accusations I hurled at him. “You… you’re spouting bullshit! I am your father, what’s wrong with me saying a few words…” “You are my father, but you are also a man who married into the Sterling family for their money!” I took a step forward, my aura dominating. “You eat the Sterling family’s food while simultaneously smashing the Sterling family’s pots! You are biting the hand that feeds you! I, Betsy, will be the first to stand against this kind of ungrateful behavior!” Richard trembled with rage and tried to lunge forward to hit me, but slipped on the oily soup covering the floor and face-planted spectacularly. “Enough.” Evelyn’s voice chimed in at the perfect moment. She set down her napkin, not even glancing at Richard on the floor, and swept her gaze toward me. “Since no one has an appetite, we won’t eat. Betsy, Liam scheduled a meeting for this afternoon. Go get cleaned up.” I nodded obediently. “Okay, Mom. I’ll go right now. I promise to dress up beautifully. I absolutely won’t embarrass our family, and I absolutely won’t let that fifty million dollar dowry go to waste.” With that, I stepped over my groaning biological father and headed upstairs without looking back. Behind me, I could faintly hear Evelyn’s cold voice: “Mop the floor. And from now on, if anyone dares to speak out of turn at the dinner table again, no one eats.” 4 The meeting with Liam took place at a private club. The lighting was dim. The legendary rich playboy was sprawled on a sofa, a cigarette pinched in his left hand, a drink in his right, the top three buttons of his shirt undone, looking utterly impatient. “Oh, so this is the… village girl the Sterling family found?” “I heard you fed pigs in the countryside? What, did the Sterling family think you and pigs were similar enough, so they specifically brought in a professional to raise you?” His group of wealthy, idle friends burst into roaring laughter. I wasn’t angry. I picked up an empty glass from the table and poured myself a drink. “Mr. Kensington, you must be joking. Feeding pigs requires getting up early and staying up late, mixing feed, and shoveling manure. It’s highly technical work. Taking care of you is much simpler. As long as the money is right, if you tell me to go east, I absolutely will not go west. If you tell me to beat a dog, I absolutely won’t chase a chicken.” Liam froze for a second, seemingly not expecting me to be so blunt. He sat up straighter. Just as he was about to speak, the door to the private room was pushed open. A woman in a long white dress barged in. “Liam…” Her voice trembled, and she only had eyes for Liam. “Are you really going to marry… this country woman?” Liam’s face instantly darkened. I raised an eyebrow. I knew the answer to this one. According to the dossier Evelyn gave me, this was Liam’s “white moonlight”—his unforgettable first love, Audrey Sinclair. Back in the day, she dumped him because she thought he was a useless slacker, and ran off with a sports student. Now, hearing that Liam was getting married, she came running back to play the deeply affectionate ex. Before Liam could even open his mouth, Audrey had already marched up to me. “You’re Miss Betsy, right? I know you’re only marrying Liam for the money. How much do you want to leave him? One million? Two million?” Two million? Who was she looking down on? My net worth was currently calculated in the hundreds of millions. “Miss Sinclair,” I said, looking at her. “Please mind your words. I am currently Liam’s fiancée, the future Mrs. Kensington approved by both families’ parents. Coming in here and throwing money at me—isn’t that a bit disrespectful to my professional ethics?” Audrey was stunned. “What professional ethics?” I took a step forward, blocking her from Liam. “Taking care of Mr. Kensington is my job. My client… oh wait, my fiancé is currently drinking and in a bad mood. You barge in here, crying and making a scene, and even try to use money to insult his taste. Are you trying to ruin my work environment, or are you questioning Mr. Kensington’s taste?” Audrey was so angry her face turned pale. “You… how can a person like you be worthy of Liam! Liam and I have an emotional foundation!” “An emotional foundation?” I sneered and looked back at Liam. I found this guy watching me with intense interest, showing zero intention of intervening. I turned back, directing my full firepower at Audrey. “Miss Sinclair, emotions are too abstract. They don’t hold their value. You say you have feelings, so why did you run away back then? Now that you’re back, is it because that sports guy got tired of you? Want to eat the grass from the pasture you left behind? I’m sorry, but I’ve already fenced off this pasture. Whether it’s fresh grass or dead grass, it’s mine, and no one else gets to touch it!” 5 Tears finally spilled from Audrey’s eyes after my rapid-fire takedown. She stopped talking to me, bypassing me to look at Liam, and pulled out an old watch from her purse. “Liam, this is the very first gift you ever gave me. I’ve kept it all this time… Are you really so heartless as to let a rural shrew humiliate me like this?” In that moment, I saw a flicker in Liam’s eyes. That was the little spark of rekindled old flames! Absolutely not. If that spark turned into a fire, my fifty million dollar dowry would burn to ashes. With lightning speed, I snatched the watch from her. “Oh my, the leather strap is all worn out, and Miss Sinclair still kept it? You really are thrifty.” I held the watch up to the light and clicked my tongue twice. “However, given Mr. Kensington’s current net worth, this cheap flea-market stuff isn’t worthy of him anymore. Since Miss Sinclair doesn’t want it anymore, do you want us to help you throw away the trash? No problem, I’ll do the dirty work. No need to bother Mr. Kensington.” With that, I opened my hand. Plop. The watch fell into the ice bucket on the table. “Betsy!” Audrey shrieked, reaching out to scratch my face. I dodged to the side, using the momentum to fall right into Liam’s arms. “Hubby! Help me! A crazy woman is attacking me!” That single “Hubby”—I screamed it with soul-stirring, echoing melodrama. Liam’s body stiffened for a second, but he didn’t push me away. He reached out a hand and blocked the frantic Audrey. “Enough.” “Are you done causing a scene? If you’re done, get out.” Audrey looked at him in disbelief. “You’re defending her? You’re actually defending this shameless, money-grubbing woman?” Liam laughed. He wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me closer against his chest. “She’s doing it for the money, isn’t that great?” Liam looked at Audrey, his eyes full of mockery. “Loving money is the cleanest motive of all. It’s much better than someone who preaches true love but whose heart is entirely filled with calculation.” After saying that, he looked down at me. “Let’s go, wifey. I’ll take you shopping.” My eyes instantly lit up. “Okay, Hubby! I want to buy the most expensive things!” Audrey was still wailing and throwing a fit behind us, but I no longer had the time to pay attention to her. I walked out of the private room with Liam and got into his limited-edition sports car. I thought he was going to take me to buy some jewelry or something, but he drove straight to the largest luxury mall. “That ‘Hubby’ rolled off your tongue pretty smoothly earlier.” He rested one hand on the steering wheel, looking at me with a half-smile. “What kind of reward do you want?” I immediately sat up straight and pulled out the notes app on my phone. “Mr. Kensington, let’s be honest with each other. That ‘white moonlight defense battle’ just now was a high-risk operation. I need a bonus. However, since you’re offering gifts, I won’t hold back.” I pointed at the Hermes store ahead. “I want that bag, and that diamond necklace, and…” Liam raised an eyebrow. “Is your taste really that tacky?” “Tacky?” I shook my head. “Mr. Kensington, you don’t understand. These things hold their value! They’re hard currency! If you ever kick me to the curb, I can sell these things and keep living the good life. This is called risk hedging.” Liam was stunned for a long moment, then suddenly slumped over the steering wheel, laughing uncontrollably. “Betsy, you are truly one of a kind.” He tossed a black card at me. “Go swipe it. As long as you can piss Audrey Sinclair off to death, I’ll buy this whole mall for you.”

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Carter found me too clingy, so he tossed me to his roommate. Because of that, every message I sent was answered by his roommate. Every anniversary gift I received was carefully picked out by his roommate. I was completely in the dark, eagerly counting down the days until our three-year anniversary meet-up. When we finally met in person, my boyfriend was tall, gorgeous, loved holding hands, and got shy incredibly easily. I couldn’t stop looking at him; I was beyond satisfied. The only thing was that he didn’t like to talk much, and he guarded me against other guys like they were trying to steal his wallet. I used to laugh and tell him he was making a big deal out of nothing—it wasn’t like I was some highly sought-after prize. That was until one day, an arrogant guy blocked our path on campus. His eyes were dark and furious, glaring dead at the person standing beside me. “Ethan, where the hell did you get a girlfriend?” 1 I had noticed that “Carter” had been acting a bit different over the past year. Before, when we chatted on Instagram, he didn’t talk much, but every sentence felt alive. But over this last year, his tone became stiff. Sometimes, the words popped up one by one, feeling almost forced. It was a bit like… I thought about it, a bit like the cold, unfamiliar feeling of a robot executing a command. I tentatively asked him once: “Do you… not like me anymore?” The reply came back fast, anxious and urgent. “No!” “I like you!” Before I could even respond, he started typing again. The typing bubble stayed on the screen for a long time. “Very busy today. Basketball game. Not ignoring your messages.” I shook my head, smiling as I typed back: “Okay, babe. I was wrong for doubting you. My bad.” But you couldn’t really blame me for overthinking. Online dating just lacked that sense of security. I hummed to myself, suddenly remembering something. I sent a few happy puppy emojis and followed up. “Do you still remember our promise? We get to meet in a few days.” The typing indicator popped up again. He was typing… and typing… and typing… I waited patiently at first, but my patience eventually ran out. “What is this supposed to mean? If you want to break up, just say it. If you don’t want to meet, just block me.” Carter seemed to panic. His message popped up instantly. “We can. Meet!” I smiled triumphantly. That was more like it. Immediately after, he transferred $15,000 to me via Apple Pay. I sent a question mark: “?” “Buy,” he replied quickly, adding two more words a second later: “Flight tickets.” Speaking of which, apart from talking less, the other big change in Carter over the past year was his love for sending me money. He used to send small gifts for holidays or my birthday, but this past year, the transfers came at all hours of the day and night. Sometimes, I’d just send him a random photo I took on my walk, and if there happened to be a pretty flower in the frame, he’d spot it and immediately send a few thousand dollars with the note: “Buy flowers. Pretty.” It gave me the impression that, in his own clumsy way, he couldn’t think of any other way to make me happy besides spending money. I didn’t accept the transfer. Instead, I snapped a selfie and sent it to him. “I already got approved for a one-year exchange program at Boston University!” I typed excitedly. “Carter, I can come find you at your campus. Are you happy?” I loved the ocean, so when we originally promised to meet, we agreed our first meeting would be in Miami. I went to the University of Miami, and he went to BU—two top-tier schools on opposite ends of the East Coast. The two universities had a long history of academic exchange, and students with top GPAs could apply for a semester or a year. It took Carter a long time to reply. I was clutching my phone, almost falling asleep, when his message finally came through. Just one word. “Happy.” 2 The moment I landed in Boston, my mom’s phone call chased me down. “I set up a meeting for you. Just treat it as making a new friend, and remember to visit old Mrs. Vance to pay your respects. Don’t be rude.” I hadn’t dared to tell my mom that I had an online boyfriend. Because of that, she had been relentlessly reminding me that once I got to Boston, I absolutely had to visit the family we supposedly had a childhood “verbal betrothal” with. I figured it would be a good opportunity to clear the air face-to-face, so I didn’t refuse. Plus, I heard the guy’s last name was also Hayes. Because of Carter, I had a bit of a soft spot for that name. However, I waited at the agreed-upon coffee shop from the afternoon straight into the evening, and the guy never showed up. Honestly, I kind of expected it. My mom told me the Hayes family used to live in our small town in Florida when I was five, but later moved to Boston. Word was they had clung to the coattails of the incredibly wealthy and famous Vance family, and their social status had skyrocketed. Naturally, they probably looked down on a small-town girl like me. They were probably terrified I’d try to leech off them. My mom was a hot-tempered chatterbox. I was a mild-tempered chatterbox. We stayed on the phone for half an hour, taking turns roasting the Hayes family. Finally, my dad’s slow, calm voice chimed in from the background. “Honey, don’t swear in front of the kid. You’ll teach her bad habits.” I laughed, suddenly remembering something. I grabbed my phone and snapped a picture of the Boston skyline. I opened my Instagram DMs with Carter, tossed the photo into the chat, and rapidly typed a few words. “I’m here! Countdown to meeting: 1 day!” 3 Meanwhile, outside the Computer Science dorms at BU. A group of guys were walking back from the athletic fields when one of them let out a surprised shout. “Whoa, isn’t that the Vance family’s car? Ethan Vance? What is he doing on campus?” Carter Hayes, wearing simple grey sweatpants and a white tee, holding a basketball, looked over at the sound. A low-profile, custom black Bentley was parked not too far away, one of the rear doors wide open. From his angle, Carter could only see a pale, distinctly knuckled hand gripping the door frame so tightly the veins were popping out. Carter knew that look. It was a look of absolute, paralyzing terror and a deep-seated aversion to stepping into a crowd. Ethan… Carter frowned. He couldn’t fathom why Ethan would try coming to campus again, especially since he had failed so miserably the last time. His roommate, Jake, looked confused too. “Doesn’t he have crippling social anxiety? Last year he came to our dorm saying he wanted to ‘overcome’ it. The rich kid lasted exactly two days as our roommate before he cracked.” “It’s getting late, and they drove him all the way out here. Don’t tell me they expect you to play babysitter again, Carter,” Jake said carelessly, before catching the look on Carter’s face. He quickly backpedaled. “I mean, who cares if he’s the sole heir to a billion-dollar empire? The guy can barely string a sentence together. How’s he supposed to run the Vance Corporation?” “No wonder old Mrs. Vance values you so much, Carter. When she kicks the bucket, that grandson of hers is going to have to rely entirely on you.” Carter didn’t say a word. He pulled his gaze away from the Bentley and walked away, acting like he didn’t care. Inside the car, Ethan pressed his lips together. His stunning, aristocratic face was pale, his porcelain skin dotted with cold sweat. His hand was still locked onto the door frame. It took him a long time before he finally whispered, “Will she… think I’m a freak?” Arthur, the family’s silver-haired butler, felt a pang of heartache. But he didn’t dare comfort him with the same confident reassurances he used to offer: Our young master is brilliant and handsome, who would ever think you’re a freak? When Ethan was little, he had a playmate who acted incredibly fond of him to his face. But behind his back, the boy called Ethan a “freak” and an “idiot.” Young Ethan had been hiding behind a door and heard every word. Since that day, he had completely shut down and refused to make friends. Thankfully, over the last few years, he had Carter Hayes around. Arthur didn’t know what kind of method Carter was using, but over this past year, Ethan had become so much more alive. He was always on his phone, he’d sometimes smile to himself as if no one else was in the room, and now he had actually volunteered to attend classes on campus. Because of this progress, the Vance family had poured massive resources into the Hayes family over the last few years, elevating their status immensely. As for this “she” Ethan was talking about, Arthur had no idea who it was, assuming it was just the anxiety talking. Arthur gently tried to change the subject. “Why don’t we head back home for tonight? We can try again another…” Ethan looked up, his eyes gorgeous and resolute. He shook his head. “Have to meet her.” 4 The Sociology 101 lecture hall at BU was packed. By the time I rushed in with my textbooks, there were only a handful of empty seats left. My eyes swept over the room and landed on a specific spot. In the third-to-last row by the window, a single person was sitting all alone. The seats in a full circle around him were completely empty, as if someone had drawn a quarantine line that no one dared to cross. The guy sitting there had a perfectly straight posture, almost rigidly so. He wore a simple white button-down, the sleeves rolled up to reveal pale wrists. The lecture hall was loud and chaotic, but he kept his head down, his long eyelashes casting small shadows under his eyes. He was so quiet it felt like someone had hit the pause button on him. I took a deep breath. I was almost entirely certain. As I walked toward him, a nervous-looking guy tried to intercept me. “Hey, you can sit over here. No one’s allowed to sit next to him.” Perhaps hearing the exchange, the guy at the window snapped his head up. The moment our eyes met, he froze completely. His light brown eyes flickered with shattered, nervous energy. I gently shook my head at the guy who stopped me and whispered, “Thanks, but I’m looking for him.” I plopped down into the seat right next to him. For a split second, the noisy area around us went dead silent. I didn’t care. I tilted my head, looked at him, and softened my voice. “Carter?” He couldn’t speak for a long time. Finally, he let out a tiny, barely-there “Yeah.” His voice was low, slightly raspy. I happily reached out and hooked my pinky finger around his, whispering, “I knew it was you. I recognized you instantly. Aren’t I amazing?” He didn’t speak, but the tips of his ears turned a violent shade of red that visibly spread down to his cheeks. I was stunned. Afraid he might spontaneously combust from embarrassment, I quickly let go of his hand. But a second later, he looked at me with wide, shocked eyes, looking exactly like an abandoned puppy. So, I slipped my hand back into his and asked casually, “By the way, what’s your real name? You said when we finally met, you’d tell me.” When we chatted online, neither of us used our real names. It started because I was going through an abstract internet phase and insisted on using weird screen names, and eventually, we just got used to it. Hearing this, he pressed his lips together, his expression suddenly very serious. “Ethan. My name is Ethan Vance.” I swung his hand lightly, smiling until my eyes were half-moons. “Hi Ethan. It is so incredibly nice to meet you.” 5 Ethan’s condition was a bit worse than I had imagined. When I first matched with “Carter” on the app, the system showed our compatibility at 98%. His tags were: Withdrawn, Aloof, Fearful. From the very beginning of our chats, I knew Ethan had a condition—a severe form of social anxiety and trauma that didn’t have a simple name. Because of severe emotional trauma when he was young, he was terrified of face-to-face interactions and crowds. He couldn’t live normally in the real world, couldn’t speak to strangers, couldn’t make friends. So, he hid himself away on the internet. Honestly, at first, I just felt a bit of pity for him. It was like seeing a stray cat shivering in an alley during a rainstorm; the natural instinct is to hold an umbrella over it. But unexpectedly, we clicked. It was a deep, soul-level alignment. We read the same books, watched the same obscure movies, listened to the same instrumental music. He always managed to catch the unspoken emotions behind my words perfectly. My roommate, Mia, used to lean over my desk, looking at me in the mirror with utter confusion. “Why are you doing the online dating thing? With your looks, you could stand in the quad for five minutes and have eighty guys begging for your number.” I thought about it for a long time, but my answer sounded like a textbook hopeless romantic. “He’s different.” Everyone in my family was ridiculously good-looking, which meant I had a built-in immunity to pretty faces. To me, the cookie-cutter standard of attractiveness was nowhere near as precious as a brilliant, fascinating mind. And Ethan was brilliant. Almost terrifyingly so. During my senior year of high school, when the pressure of AP classes was crushing me, he practically became my tutor. No matter how impossible the calculus problem, he could break it down perfectly through a screen, typing out thousands of words of step-by-step logic just to help me grasp a weak subject. I looked down. Ethan was holding my hand. He was gripping it very, very tightly. I smiled, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze. “Relax, babe. I’m not going to run away.” He pressed his lips together, switched hands, and held on even tighter. I sat next to him, happily chattering away about everything under the sun. I talk a lot, and unlike most people, I love adding dramatic, colorful details. A story about someone stepping on the back of my shoe at the airport could be a one-sentence anecdote for a normal person; I could stretch it into a ten-minute comedy routine. After talking so much, I unconsciously swallowed, my throat feeling dry. The next second, a pale, elegant hand appeared in my vision, holding an opened, flawlessly clean thermos. My eyes lit up. I took it and drank a huge gulp. The water wasn’t too hot or too cold—it was the perfect temperature, and it even had a faint, soothing hint of lemon and mint. “Babe, you are way too sweet!” I teased, looking at him with a grin. “Thanks, boyfriend.” The tips of Ethan’s ears went bright red again. He stammered, “Y-you’re welcome.” I smiled and reached up to smooth his dark hair. It was soft, like silk. It doesn’t matter if you don’t like to talk, I thought. I talk enough for the both of us. 6 “I heard Ethan Vance is back on campus.” “You should buddy up to him. Keep a close eye on him. If you can get that kid to say even a single word when he goes back home, the Vance family will owe you big time.” “You hearing me, Carter?” Carter Hayes let out a scoffing laugh and hung up the phone. His roommate, Jake, noticed he looked annoyed and tried to think of something entertaining. His eyes lit up. “Hey, did you hear? We got a new exchange student in the CS department. Holy crap, bro, she is stunning.” “She walked past the courts this afternoon and someone snapped a pic for the campus confession page. Half the comments are already shipping you two.” “Look, the comments are crazy… ‘Help! They don’t even know each other but I’ve already written a 100k-word college romance in my head!’” “Nothing else matters, just based on their faces, I’m fully on board!” Jake pulled up the photo and slapped his thigh. “Dude, Carter, this girl is exactly your type!” He looked up and realized Carter wasn’t listening at all, his eyes glued to the game on his monitor. Jake scratched his head. “Oh, right, I forgot. You have that online girlfriend visiting. When are you guys finally meeting up?” Carter didn’t even look away from the screen. “She was just something to kill time when I was bored. Who said she’s my girlfriend?” “Besides, with the way she looks…” Carter thought back, almost forgetting why he had started talking to her in the first place. He had accidentally hit the video call button once and caught a glimpse of her face from a terrible angle—a round, puffy face with tiny eyes. Definitely not attractive. At the time, he could have just ghosted her. But then he looked over at Ethan. His online girlfriend needed someone to reply to her messages 24/7. Ethan needed an excuse to never open his mouth 24/7. So he tossed the girl he was annoyed by to the guy he despised. A chatterbox and a mute. A cold smirk touched the corner of Carter’s lips. A match made in heaven. He had specifically warned Ethan—he could chat with her, but he was strictly forbidden from meeting her in person. Carter didn’t want the hassle of dealing with the fallout. After all, Ethan was just a fake stand-in; he definitely didn’t have the guts to show up to a real-life date. The very next day, Carter and his crew were hanging out near the basketball courts when a girl walked toward them. The afternoon sun hit her perfectly. Her skin was luminous, her features striking and bright, and she carried herself with tall, confident grace. There was no one this gorgeous at BU. This had to be the transfer student Jake was raving about. Carter’s throat bobbed, and he smiled to himself. Jake really did know his type. Used to being the center of attention, he was always the one being approached. For the first time in his life, he took the initiative and walked up to someone. “Hey. I’m Carter Hayes. Mind if we be friends?” 7 I froze for a second, looking up at him. The guy standing in front of me was undeniably handsome in a very sharp, aggressive way. He had an arrogant, careless energy about him. If Ethan’s beauty was like fragile, cold porcelain, the guy in front of me was like a drawn sword—sharp and full of himself. He’s also named Carter Hayes? What a coincidence. Ethan probably never imagined that the random fake name he picked would belong to a real guy on his campus. I snapped out of it and smoothly handled the approach. “Hi, I’m Chloe. Nice to meet you, friend.” Remembering that Ethan was waiting for me, I gave him a polite nod and kept walking toward the campus exit. Behind me, Jake and the other guys started howling and teasing him. “Oh man, she ran away! She’s totally blushing!” “Carter, you’ve still got it. There isn’t a girl alive you can’t charm!” Carter just shoved his hands in his pockets and smiled like it was an everyday occurrence. Ethan still couldn’t adapt to the dorms, so he had only stayed on campus for one day before returning to the Vance estate. I had a few afternoon classes today, and his car was already waiting at the campus gates. “You didn’t have to get here so early,” I said as I climbed in, reaching out with both hands to squish his cheeks. “It’s so boring waiting out here.” He sat perfectly still, letting me squish his face. “Not boring. Not seeing you… is boring.” I pouted slightly, amazed that this little introvert was actually so good at sweet-talking. The car pulled into a luxury high-rise building not far from BU. Ethan led me into a massive penthouse apartment. I turned to look at him, confused. “For you,” he said, pulling a property deed seemingly out of nowhere. “For school.” I panicked and waved my hands frantically. “No way, absolutely not.” An apartment in this building had to be worth millions. There was no way I was accepting that. I spoke quickly: “I’m totally fine living in the dorms, it’s super convenient.” I had seen the BU dorms. They were standard four-person suites, nice enough, with decent space. “Plus, I’m only here for a year, it’s not like I’m staying forever—” Before I could finish, the light in Ethan’s eyes dimmed. I quickly backpedaled. “Ah! I just mean, who buys someone an apartment the second time they meet? No, no, no. Even boyfriends don’t do that.” “Dorms are bad,” he insisted softly. He paused, looking like his brain was running a desperate search algorithm for a logical argument. Finally, he added, “The bathrooms aren’t big enough.” …I literally could not argue with that. Ethan didn’t push it. He just stood there, looking down at me. His long eyelashes hid most of his eyes, making him look quiet and wronged, like a giant dog that had been left in the rain. I had no defense against that look. I poked him in the nose with my index finger and huffed. “Fine. I will live here temporarily, but I am absolutely not taking this deed.” Ethan pressed his lips together, but the corners of his mouth curved up ever so slightly.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “392097”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

My electric toothbrush had some unidentified substance stuck to it. I asked around the house, but no one paid me any mind. My younger brother rolled his eyes: “Who would dare use your stuff? You dress like a streetwalker all day, it’s disgusting!” Furious, I secretly coated the bristles with concentrated capsaicin. That night. Screams echoed relentlessly from the bathroom. 01 Just as I was getting ready to brush my teeth. I saw some unidentified substance stuck to the toothbrush head. It was soft and mushy, with suspiciously dark edges. It looked a bit like a rotten piece of chive. Or something else I didn’t even want to think about. I leaned in and took a sniff. A foul stench shot straight to my brain. I couldn’t help but clutch the sink and dry heave several times. This was the third time this month. The first two times, I didn’t think much of it. I thought I just hadn’t rinsed it properly after brushing, and some leftover food had fermented. But today was different. I had just replaced this brush head yesterday after brushing. There was absolutely no way anything could have gotten stuck to it. Unless… Someone had used my toothbrush. And probably. More than once. 02 Clutching the toothbrush, I stormed out of the bathroom. “Which one of you used my toothbrush?” My mom was curled up on the sofa scrolling through her phone, the speaker volume blasting. [CEO, your wife has been banished abroad for three years!] [Does she know she was wrong?] [She has turned over a new leaf, and she gave birth to 12 babies!] My mom was engrossed, a smile on her lips, not even lifting her head. I raised my voice and asked again. My younger brother, Leo, rolled his eyes. “Who would dare use your stuff? It’s disgusting!” The fire in my chest flared up instantly. “Leo, what is that supposed to mean?” He looked up, scanning me from head to toe with a look of pure disdain: “I heard people with dirty diseases get cauliflower-like warts in their mouths. Sis, is that cauliflower on your toothbrush? Hahahaha…” He bent over laughing, thoroughly amusing himself. I was shaking with anger. I gripped the toothbrush handle so tightly it hurt my palm. I wanted to rip that foul mouth of his right off! Just as I took a step forward, Leo nimbly dodged and shrank behind my mom. Poking his head out, he continued hollering: “Ooh, getting defensive! I hit the nail on the head, didn’t I!” His voice grew even louder: “A girl like you, just a year out of college, where do you get all that money? Designer bags, designer clothes… you must have a sugar daddy! Mom, you need to rein her in. She can still fetch a good price while she’s young, but once she’s used goods, she’ll be worthless!” “Leo!” I lunged at him! My mom slammed her phone down onto the sofa with a smack. She grabbed my arm. “What are you doing! Your brother is just worried about you!” I glared at her, my mind buzzing. “Mom, what did you just say?” She avoided my eyes, looking down and fiddling with the hem of her shirt, still muttering. “But really, as a young girl, why dress so fancy? And that phone of yours, I heard it cost over a thousand bucks, and that bag… tell Mom the truth, are you really involved with some old man…” “Mom!” I interrupted her in disbelief. “I stay up late working overtime every day until midnight. This is all my hard-earned money! How can you say that about me?” My mom looked completely unconvinced: “Oh, come on. I’m not the only one saying it. Last time, Mrs. Smith next door asked me if my daughter struck it rich, saying that bag you carry is worth tens of thousands. I was wondering myself, how could a young girl just out of college like you have so much money? If you have that kind of money, why don’t you buy your brother a car? It’s so inconvenient without a car; he’s too embarrassed to take dates out…” She kept rambling on. I couldn’t listen anymore. I understood everything now. Last week, Leo asked me for ten thousand dollars to buy a car, and I didn’t give it to him. His face changed immediately then. He made a bunch of passive-aggressive comments about how my “wings had grown strong” and how I had “forgotten where I came from.” I didn’t take it seriously. I thought he was just throwing a tantrum. Turns out, he was waiting for me here. 03 I cut my mom off: “Leo is your son, not mine. Why should I buy him a car?” As soon as I said that. Leo wasn’t having it. He jumped out from behind my mom, shouting at the top of his lungs: “Because I’m the only male heir of the Lee family! All the money in this family belongs to me! You’re just a money-losing asset who will be married off eventually. You spent the family’s money on your education, so the money you earn should naturally be spent on me!” He tugged on my mom’s hand, shaking it back and forth. “Mom, I told you shouldn’t have let her go to college! Her heart has gone wild! She’s so full of herself she doesn’t even know which way is up, and she even dares to talk back to you! And…” His words got stuck in his throat. Because I picked up the teapot and threw it right in his face. “Ah!” Leo clutched his face, howling like a slaughtered pig. My mom’s face went pale with terror, and she lunged forward screaming. “Chloe Lee! Are you crazy?! That’s hot water!” She squatted down, trying to pry Leo’s hands away. “Son! Let Mom see! How is it! Where are you burned?” “Mom! Kill this bitch! Boo hoo hoo hoo, it hurts so much! My face is ruined!” Leo wailed, clutching his face, crying and cursing at the same time, spitting out obscenities non-stop. I glanced down. His face was indeed red in a patch. But it was a hundred thousand miles away from being “ruined.” At most, it would sting for a while. Looking at the mother and son hugging and howling in front of me. I suddenly felt utterly exhausted. I turned around and walked out. 04 I just wanted to go out and get some fresh air. But a small street stall caught my eye. A red cloth was spread on the ground, displaying a few bottles and jars. Next to it stood a piece of cardboard with crooked writing. But the message was eye-catching: [Homemade concentrated capsaicin, colorless and odorless, extracted from Indian Ghost Peppers. Takes effect in 10 seconds, lasts for 48 hours! A must-have for home defense. A young lady’s best friend for late-night commutes. Money-back guarantee if ineffective.] I stopped in my tracks. The vendor was a guy with bleached blonde hair, wearing a mask, squatting there scrolling on his phone. When he looked up and saw me, his eyes lit up. “Hey beautiful, this is my latest invention—the ‘Scream at First Touch’ concentrated capsaicin. Want to take a look?” I didn’t say a word, just stared at the bottles. He continued: “Look, you’re so pretty. You definitely get harassed by creeps on your way home from work at night, right? Keep a bottle on you, and if anyone dares to get handsy, you just spray them! I guarantee they’ll be screaming in agony right then and there. They’ll be avoiding women for the next 48 hours.” “Is it spicy enough?” Hearing this, the blonde guy got excited. “I’m not bragging, I extracted this stuff myself. Three pounds of ghost peppers went into this tiny bottle.” He pulled down his mask, leaned in closer, and pointed at his mouth: “Look! I’m the best proof!” I gasped. That wasn’t a mouth. They clearly looked like two sausages. He tried to grin, stretching his lips, but the pain made the corner of his mouth twitch, and he quickly closed it. “I accidentally touched it a couple of days ago, just a tiny bit. That night, it blew up like this. I couldn’t even speak clearly. I had to eat with a straw and wait for water to cool down before sipping it slowly. It’s been over two days, and the swelling hasn’t gone down.” There was actually a hint of pride in his eyes. “And you can’t wash it off. Plain water is useless; the more you wash, the spicier it gets. I tried, and I almost had to call an ambulance.” I was silent for a few seconds. “Give me a bottle.” The blonde guy quickly packed it up for me. “Beautiful, you gotta be extremely careful.” He suddenly became serious. “Don’t get it on your hands. If you do, don’t rub your eyes, don’t touch your mouth. Wash it with cooking oil. Remember, cooking oil! Nothing else works!” The liquid in the small bottle was transparent, looking no different from water. Was this stuff really that magical? I had some doubts. I walked a few steps and couldn’t help but look back. Maybe the blonde guy was chased away by city management. The stall was gone. The person was gone too. It was as if he had never appeared. 05 As soon as I reached the front door, I heard voices coming from inside. My mom wasn’t home. Leo’s bedroom door was slightly ajar. He was on the phone, his tone filled with uncontrollable smugness. “Absolutely real! I shot them myself. Showering, changing clothes, going to the bathroom, I have it all. “My sister’s body… she’s really pale, and she’s got curves where it counts. Transfer me 80 bucks first, I’ve got even juicier stuff coming.” I froze in my tracks. “Okay, okay, I’ll send you a screenshot as a teaser. Just wait!” It was quiet inside for two seconds. He was probably sending the picture. His voice rang out again, even more smug. “Sent it, did you see? You can just send 50 first, there’s bathroom footage coming up. “If you want to see it live, that works too, hehe. Book an appointment in advance, and I’ll set it up for you when the time comes.” “…” I couldn’t hear the rest. My ears were ringing. I just felt all the blood in my body rushing to my head. I don’t know how I walked away. By the time I came back to my senses, I was standing at the bathroom door. I reached behind me and locked the door. My gaze slowly swept over every corner. It finally landed on the power strip next to the sink. A very ordinary power strip, with six outlets. The charging base for my electric toothbrush was plugged into it. I stood here washing my face every day and had never looked at it closely. But today, I saw it. The edge of the power strip had a black plastic border. On that border, there was a tiny hole, barely bigger than a pinprick. I pried open the border of the power strip. It wasn’t clipped very tightly, it popped open easily. Stuffed inside was a black object. Smaller than a fingernail, round, like a button. It was a pinhole camera. 06 I turned on my phone. I took a picture of the tiny text on the camera and searched it online. Found it. A cheap brand. Simple functionality. The memory card was inserted on the side. I just needed to take it out to export the videos. 07 I connected the memory card to my laptop. A folder popped up. Inside were dozens of video files arranged neatly, named by date. The earliest one was from twenty-three days ago. That was the first day I moved back home. I randomly clicked on one. The image was a bit blurry through the steam, but the key areas were fully visible. It was a video of me taking a shower. I scrolled down. My finger suddenly stopped. The newest video, the timestamp showed 2:08 AM today. I clicked on it. The image showed Leo. He walked straight to my toothbrush cup, picked up my electric toothbrush, squeezed on some toothpaste… And then, he reached into his pants. I stiffened like I had been struck by lightning. On the screen, Leo had his back to the camera, adjusting the angle. He turned on the deep clean mode on the toothbrush. [Bzzzzzzzz—] The video ended. I gripped the mouse, my hand shaking so hard I couldn’t hold it steady. Animal. Pervert. The toothbrush I used every day to brush my teeth. Was used by him to… That stuff stuck on it was… Just thinking about that possibility. My stomach churned violently. 08 Ten minutes later. I finally caught my breath. Leo, you like sneaking a use of my toothbrush, do you? Fine. Then I’ll grant your wish! I put on two pairs of rubber gloves and safety goggles. I took out the bottle of concentrated capsaicin. I soaked the toothbrush head in it. Half an hour later, I took it out. I used a hair dryer to slowly dry the bristles. Making sure every single bristle was coated in capsaicin. Then I unscrewed the cap of my toothpaste and poured the rest of the capsaicin entirely into it. I used a toothpick to stir it, mixing it evenly. I wiped the cap and the opening of the tube clean, making sure not to leave any fingerprints. After finishing all this. I put everything back in the bathroom. I also shoved the camera back into the power strip. Everything was back in its place. 09 Evening. My mom’s boyfriend, David, arrived. Carrying bags big and small, he was smiling so hard his face looked like a blooming chrysanthemum the moment he stepped through the door. My mom poked her head out of the kitchen, her face beaming. “David, you’re here! Sit down, sit down! You’re just in time for dinner!” She brought out the last dish. Spicy and sour pork intestines, swimming in red chili oil, with a towering pile of chilies on top. I glanced at the dining table. Boiled fish slices, spicy crab, spicy chicken, Mapo tofu, tiger skin green peppers… It was like chili peppers were free. My mom set the dish down and called out. “David, come sit! Leo, sit next to your Uncle David!” David sat down next to Leo. He rested his hand on Leo’s shoulder, slowly sliding it down. I glanced down. His foot was secretly rubbing against Leo’s calf. Leo’s ears turned red. David’s grin grew even wider. “Leo, haven’t seen you in a few days, how come you’ve gotten even more handsome? Let Uncle take a good look.” My mom noticed absolutely nothing. She kept piling food into David’s bowl. “David, I specially made your favorite hometown dishes. Tell me, are they authentic?” David picked up a piece of intestine, put it in his mouth, and chewed loudly. “This intestine is fantastic.” He smacked his lips, his eyes drifting towards Leo. “Crispy, fragrant, and it bursts with juice when you bite into it.” He picked up another piece with his chopsticks and put it into Leo’s bowl. “Leo, you eat some too, nourish yourself.” Leo’s face turned even redder. He kept his head down, coyly putting it into his mouth. He chewed very slowly. The tips of his ears were red enough to bleed. My mom’s face was full of maternal love: “This kid, why is he so shy today? Uncle David isn’t a stranger.” I sneered inwardly. Yes. Uncle David was definitely not a stranger. He was practically an insider. I just didn’t know who had the bigger number.

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