Author: Momo Chan

Everyone knows I am Weston Montgomery’s exclusively devoted, pathetic doormat of a girlfriend. If he told me to jump into a river, I jumped. If he told me to kneel in the rain all night, I knelt. I was so obedient that even when he kept a mistress on the side, I voluntarily delivered condoms to their hotel room. People in our circle praised him for raising such a good “dog,” and mocked me for doing whatever it took to marry into wealth. But when he took the initiative to propose to me at a family dinner, I shook my head and refused: “I’ve done everything I could.” “But there is no need for a wedding.” 1 The atmosphere instantly became incredibly awkward. Mr. and Mrs. Montgomery exchanged nervous glances, tactfully keeping their mouths shut. Weston, who had been half-drunk and smiling, stiffened. He suddenly stood up, knocking over the dining table, and glared at me in disbelief: “You’re refusing to marry me? Harper, what kind of high-and-mighty act are you putting on now?” “Haven’t you been chasing after me all these years just to marry into my family? Now you’re playing hard to get?” I lazily lifted my eyelids to look at the furious Weston, then turned to his parents. I stood up, nodded at them, and said: “I’m done eating. I’ll be heading back now.” His parents quickly stood up, grabbing Weston by both arms to stop him from doing anything drastic. They offered me an apologetic smile. “Thank you for everything, Harper. Weston must have forgotten to take his meds. Don’t take it to heart.” “Of course, if you are willing to marry him, we would be more than happy to—” “Mom! Dad! What are you talking about?! Harper is the one begging to marry me! Why are you walking on eggshells around her?” “Let me tell you, Harper, if you don’t want to marry me, there’s a long line of women who do! If you weren’t such a good little lapdog, do you think I would have ever given you a second look?” His words were as piercing as ever, but over the past three years, I seemed to have gotten used to them. From initial disbelief to calm acceptance, and now, to complete indifference. It took me three years to accept the fact that Weston had completely forgotten me and that his personality had drastically changed. Now, we had reached the end of the line. I gave Weston one last, deep look, grabbed my coat, and walked out. The sound of things crashing and shattering echoed behind me, but I didn’t look back. Walking up to the car, I tried the door handle a few times, but it wouldn’t open. The chauffeur walked up to me with a sour expression, shoved me hard, and sneered: “This is Mr. Montgomery’s car, and I am Mr. Montgomery’s driver. Do you really think you’re someone important? Mr. Montgomery isn’t going out, so why do you think you can sit in his car?” “Get lost. Don’t be an eyesore.” The bodyguards standing nearby all looked at me with mocking eyes; a few even failed to hold back their laughter. I stood quietly in place. Looking at these people—who had obeyed my every command back when Weston and I were doing well—I only felt a deep sense of irony. When you lose your status, people show their true colors. I didn’t say another word, turned around, and walked out. 2 The Montgomery estate was in an exclusive villa district where you couldn’t hail a cab. I had to walk all the way to the main road outside. A cold, drizzling rain had begun to fall. The streets were mostly deserted. Just as I reached the side of the road, a Porsche pulled up smoothly right in front of me. I tried to walk away to hail a ride, but the car seemed to have eyes, following my every step. I frowned, bent down, and tapped on the window. A familiar face appeared before my eyes. Stella Harrington curled her lips into a disdainful smirk, mocking me: “What’s wrong? Got kicked out of the family dinner?” “Tsk, tsk, tsk. A doormat is a doormat. You’ll never get a seat at the big table in this lifetime.” I stared at her for a long moment before slowly curling my lips into a smile: “What do you think Mr. and Mrs. Montgomery would do if they found out that you were the one who tried to assault Weston years ago, which led to his mental breakdown?” Stella froze. She crushed her cigarette, stepped out of the car, grabbed me by the collar, and screamed: “How do you know about that?!” “No wonder… the last time he ordered you to bring us condoms at the hotel, you completely lost it and trashed the room to keep us apart. I thought you were just jealous, but you were actually protecting your master, huh?” “Go ahead, tell them! If you tell them, Weston might remember that night, and he’ll go insane all over again. Then no one will dare marry him, and his parents will be begging me to marry him!” She was right. The only reason Stella could show her face so brazenly in front of Weston was that she knew the Montgomery family wouldn’t dare expose the truth, even if they knew. Otherwise, Weston might be triggered into another psychotic break and attempt suicide again. A surge of pure rage shot from my chest to my limbs. I felt my blood freezing over. The woman in front of me hadn’t said enough. She chuckled and spat on the ground near my feet: “You’re just a coward!” “If you couldn’t protect your own boyfriend back then, don’t blame me!” “Now I want him again. I want to play with him, and what the hell can you do about it—” Smack! I threw all rationality to the wind and drove a vicious elbow into her, knocking her to the ground. Rage rushed to my head. I stepped forward, pinned her down, and raised my fist to strike again. In that split second, a piercing pain erupted from the back of my head. My entire body went numb, as if a pause button had been pressed. I turned my head blankly. Weston stood there, holding a blood-stained brick. His face was half-angry, his expression dark: “Are you crazy, Harper?! Who gave you the right to hit Stella?!” “Being jealous is one thing, but this is crossing the line!” I reached up and touched the back of my head. My hand came away covered in blood, and my vision instantly blurred. Stella scrambled up from the ground, hid behind Weston, and glared at me with a wicked smile: “Where did this rabid dog come from, biting people for no reason? I’ll kill you!” Saying that, Stella raised her foot and viciously kicked me with her high heel. Caught off guard, the kick landed hard. The agonizing pain from my head and my thigh made me nearly black out. In the final second before my consciousness faded, I saw Stella nestled in Weston’s arms, looking down at me with a provocative, triumphant glare, spitting on the ground one last time. 3 When I opened my eyes again, all I saw was a blinding expanse of white. There was no one by my side. I struggled to press the call button. When the nurse came in, Mrs. Montgomery was with her. Her eyes were red. She waited until the nurse finished checking my vitals and told her I needed a week of rest before profusely thanking her and seeing her out. The room was silent for a while before Mrs. Montgomery choked out a sob: “It’s all my fault. I didn’t keep a close enough eye on Wes. He ran out last night wanting to win you back, to marry you. Who could have known this would happen!” “I… I…” She wept so hard she could barely speak, turning me—the victim—into the one who had to comfort her. After a long time, Mrs. Montgomery finally stopped crying. She lowered her head and said softly: “Since things have come to this… even though his father and I desperately want you to stay by Wes’s side, it’s no use anymore. Whenever you want to leave, we’ll make the arrangements for you.” It felt like something was blocking my throat. After a moment, I managed to squeeze out a few words: “Okay.” “Seven days from now. I’ll go to Australia to study.” Mrs. Montgomery nodded silently, sighed deeply, and left the room. I stared up at the pristine white ceiling, my mind flashing through the events of the past three days like a movie reel. How did Weston and I end up like this? 4 Three years ago, Weston and I had just reached the stage of meeting the parents. Mr. and Mrs. Montgomery didn’t treat me with the warm enthusiasm they did now. Instead, they looked down on me—a girl from a rural town, completely mismatched for their prestigious family. Furthermore, I had no parents, only a terminally ill grandfather. Weston hated his family’s elitism because of this and secretly planned to elope with me. But I stopped him, earnestly telling him: “Your parents are doing this for your own good. That’s why they disagree.” “Let’s take a break for a while. Once I’m in a better place, I’ll go to your house and convince them, okay?” But we didn’t make it to that point before things took a drastic turn. My grandfather, dragging his dying, withered body, went to beg Mr. and Mrs. Montgomery. He even signed the papers to donate his body to the medical research hospital owned by the Montgomery family, serving as a rare cadaver for science. By the time I found out, my grandfather was already gone, his body sent to the dissection room. While I was having a breakdown over his death, another tragedy struck. Stella Harrington had recently returned from abroad. Coveting Weston, she drugged him and took him to a hotel, attempting to force herself on him. I busted into the room at the very last second and called the cops. Of course, calling the cops did nothing to the powerful Harrington family. But the trauma of the event triggered a severe psychological breakdown in Weston. He lost his ability to care for himself and forgot who everyone was. Later, with professional treatment, he physically recovered, but his personality had drastically changed. And… he forgot me. Thinking of the past brought a wave of inexplicable bitterness to my heart. If Weston and I had never met or fallen in love, none of this would have happened. My ever-smiling grandfather wouldn’t have given his life just to secure my future. But overthinking was useless. Weston’s parents suddenly became incredibly warm to me, asking me to care for Weston for three years and agreeing to our marriage. I originally thought my grandfather’s death should have meaning—that I should fulfill his dying wish and find my happiness. But I didn’t expect that these past three years would bring me no happiness at all. Now, the three-year deadline had arrived. Weston wanted to marry me, but I didn’t want to marry him anymore. Now, I just wanted to go far away and live my own life. 5 In my dreams, I saw my grandfather’s ashen face and heard Weston’s crying. When I woke up from the nightmare, it was already the next day. Half my pillowcase was soaked—I didn’t know if it was tears or sweat. I struggled to sit up and checked the time. Six days left until I departed. Weston still hadn’t shown up, which put my mind at ease. It was better not to see him; I didn’t want to argue with him anymore. But speak of the devil. As soon as the thought crossed my mind, a commotion erupted outside my door. Weston’s voice came through clearly: “Are you people working for the Montgomery family? Can’t you see who I am? I’m Weston Montgomery! Let me in!” It seemed his parents had stationed bodyguards at the door, afraid he would hurt me again. However, it was useless. The door was forcefully shoved open by Weston. He froze for a second when he saw my head wrapped in bandages, a flash of awkwardness crossing his face. He took two steps forward, handed me a thermos of chicken soup, and said coldly: “I personally cooked your favorite chicken soup. Drink it.” I shook my head and smiled faintly: “No thanks.” “I’m allergic to chicken.” Weston stared at me in disbelief for a long moment, then let out a scoff and sat down nearby: “Allergic? Then how come you never said you were allergic every single time I made you cook chicken soup for me?” “You’re still mad, aren’t you? Fine, I shouldn’t have hit you that hard. But you shouldn’t have hit someone either. Do you know how embarrassing that was for me? Everyone in our circle knows you are my dog. When you go around hitting people and making a fool of yourself, isn’t it my reputation on the line? How am I supposed to show my face in public?” I suddenly understood. To Weston, I was his dog, his follower, but not his girlfriend. The Weston who once deeply despised his family’s status because he couldn’t marry me now had “the Montgomery family” in every other sentence. He had changed completely. I was so foolish. I thought that by taking care of him meticulously for three years, he could go back to how he used to be. I forgot that maybe this version of him was his true self. Seeing my silence, Weston snorted coldly. Frowning, he took the soup out of the thermos and literally tried to force it into my mouth: “I made this. The least you could do is taste it!” “Drink it! Drink! I refuse to believe it’ll actually kill you!” Despite my struggling, a few drops of the broth got into my mouth. Instantly, I felt an intense itching all over my body, and my cheeks started burning up. I swatted the soup away, spilling it all over the floor and splashing it on Weston’s shoes. He looked up furiously, about to curse at me, but froze when he saw my face. He immediately screamed: “Nurse! Get in here! Someone is having an allergic reaction!” In his panicked pupils, I could see the reflection of my bandaged, swollen face, puffed up like a balloon. The bodyguards rushed in and pulled Weston out. Right before he was dragged away, he still stubbornly shouted: “How can the allergy be this severe?! You’ve cooked it for me a hundred times! You were never this delicate before!” “Suddenly acting so fragile—it’s ridiculous! Are you trying to play the victim so I’ll feel sorry for you? Disgusting!” I lay calmly on the bed, accepting the nurse’s treatment. My blood felt frozen, but my heart was completely still. I was used to it. Weston always found a way to paint me as a manipulative schemer, throwing dirty water on me just to make himself feel better. I had made chicken soup for him many times. But every single time, I took heavy-duty allergy medication beforehand just so I could taste-test the seasoning. He loved chicken soup. When we were first together, he found out I was allergic and wouldn’t even let me touch chicken. Once, a delivery place accidentally included chicken in my order, sending me to the hospital to get my stomach pumped. Weston blamed himself endlessly. After that, whenever we ordered takeout or ate at a restaurant, he would call ahead or march into the kitchen to interrogate the chef about exactly what kind of meat was in the dishes. Times had changed. People had changed. 6 After the injection, I fell into a deep sleep. I woke up at night. Weston was sitting by my bed, his eyes bloodshot. His face was full of heartache. For a split second, I thought he remembered me. My heart raced, and I called out shakily: “Wes?” But the next second, his expression shifted. He looked at me coldly and nodded: “Just like Stella said. Everything you did these past few days was just to make me feel sorry for you!” “A grown woman playing these pathetic games… It’s disgusting. Even if you married into the Montgomery family, I’d feel like you stained our name!” After ranting, he looked at me out of the corner of his eye, waiting for an explanation. Over the past three years, whenever he yelled at me for anything big or small, I would anxiously explain myself, terrified he would have a bad impression of me when he recovered his memory. But now, I just glanced at him indifferently and said nothing. Weston clearly didn’t expect me to have zero reaction. His face turned red with anger, and he pointed at me: “Harper! What is with your attitude lately?! Do you really think I can’t live without you?” “I canceled several dates—I didn’t even go to dinner with Stella—just to stay here with you, and you’re giving me attitude?!” “Fine, I admit you got hurt badly this time, and you were wronged. Okay, we’ll let it go. Once you’re fully recovered, we’ll discuss the wedding date. We’ll get married. Consider it compensation. Happy now?” Hearing his “compromising” tone at the end, I couldn’t help but laugh out loud. The more I thought about it, the funnier it got. I started laughing hysterically, laughing until I coughed. Weston’s face turned deathly pale. He stared at me intently: “What are you laughing at?” I shook my head, coughing wildly for a moment before quieting down. I looked calmly at the man who was now a complete stranger and said faintly: “I’m laughing at your confidence. Did I ever say I was going to marry you?” “I told you at the family dinner the other day: I won’t marry you. What’s the point of using marriage as compensation now? You might as well just give me five hundred thousand dollars. The Montgomery family has plenty of money, don’t they?” Weston was stunned. He stumbled back a few steps, nearly falling to the floor. He shook his head: “How did you become like this?” I didn’t answer, just looking at him with a half-smile, intent on carving the word “gold-digger” into his brain. Even now, I couldn’t bear to say cruel things to him. So let’s just make sure neither of us has a good impression of the other. That way, when he eventually remembers me, he won’t be too sad. After all, I’m just a gold-digger. Weston seemed to have suffered a huge shock. He stood frozen for a long time, then finally nodded: “Fine. You want money? No problem. I’ll have finance wire it to your card tomorrow!” “For three years, I tried to give you money to get rid of you, but you refused. I actually thought you were a good woman. I didn’t realize you just thought the price was too low. Now you’re opening your mouth like a lion!” “Disgusting!” With that, he turned and left, slamming the door violently behind him. After he left, I heard his suppressed sobs through the door. I gripped the blanket tightly, then released it, turning my face toward the window. A crescent moon hung in the sky outside. It was the third day. Five more days, and I would be gone. Some ties should have been cut long ago.

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My roommate was obsessed with those trashy romance novels featuring rugged, blue-collar men. She actually brought a construction worker into our dorm room to sleep with him, and begged me not to tell anyone. I agreed. I didn’t tell a soul. I never expected her to turn around the very next day and report me for bringing a man into the dorm. She sold the video of them to a porn site, then “accidentally” sent it to our class group chat, claiming it was me working as a cam girl. I was doxxed, my entire family was harassed endlessly, and eventually, I jumped from a high-rise building. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the exact day my roommate brought that construction worker back for a one-night stand. 1 “Come on in!” Lily dragged a middle-aged man into our dorm room. The hems of his pants were caked in mud. Remembering the horrific tragedy of my past life, my entire body started shaking. I shoved her hard. She looked shocked. “Are you crazy?! Why did you push me for no reason?!” I snapped back: “You’re the crazy one! How dare you bring a strange man in here? I’m telling the RA!” Lily let go of the man’s arm and clamped her hand over my mouth. “You are so petty! Are you just jealous because I’m more attractive than you? I’m warning you, don’t you dare report me, or you’ll regret it!” The man, named Bob, let his greasy, disgusting gaze roam up and down my entire body. Noticing Bob checking me out, Lily immediately rolled her eyes. She clung to his arm tightly and snapped at me, “Don’t tell me you like him too! I’m not sharing him with you! He’s mine!” I laughed internally. Who the hell would want a guy like that? To prepare for tomorrow, I packed my things, getting ready to leave. As soon as I walked out the door, I frantically searched for the nearest electronics store and bought a hidden camera. I needed to be fully prepared for tonight’s show. I hope you don’t make my efforts go to waste. “Chloe, you’re back!” Lily’s attitude did a complete 180. She greeted me with a huge, fake smile. “Can I borrow that silk pajama set of yours? I really want to wear it tonight.” In this life, I caught the fleeting look of mockery flashing in her eyes. In my past life, after I refused, she stole those pajamas anyway, wore them to sleep with him, and then used them to pin the one-night stand rumor on me. So many people verified that the pajamas were mine, permanently nailing me to the cross of public humiliation as a cheap slut. It seems she did it all on purpose in our past life. I silently packed all my clothes into my wardrobe and locked the door tight. While the two of them were taking a joint shower, I installed the hidden camera in the corner pointing directly at Lily’s bed. That night, the bed creaked and groaned non-stop, but I felt like I had been reborn. 2 The next day happened to be the weekend. Bob had just swaggered out of our dorm room when the RA tried to catch him, but he managed to run away. The RA started screaming in the hallway, demanding to know which girl had zero self-respect and brought a man into the dorms to sleep with. All the girls peeked out of their rooms, covering their mouths in shock, exchanging bewildered looks. The RA’s own daughter had gone through a similar scandal before, so she absolutely despised girls who didn’t respect themselves. She was incredibly strict; even missing curfew resulted in a write-up, let alone bringing a man back to sleep in the dorm. Looking at the silent students, the RA roared furiously, “Who did this stupid thing?! Step forward right now, or the consequences will be ten times worse when I find out who it is!” Lily could barely stand. Her face was deathly pale. She had gotten away with hooking up in the bamboo grove and other places before. Why was her luck so bad this time? The next second, her eyes locked onto me. She quickly dragged me back into our room and dropped to her knees. “Chloe, I’m begging you! When she asks, just say he only came into our room to sleep, and nothing happened!” “You know that if I get caught messing around with guys, I’ll lose my scholarship!” She said the exact same thing in our past life, and I was soft-hearted enough to cover for her. And what did I get? She stabbed me in the back, claiming she was the one covering for me. I was spat on by everyone, bullied relentlessly by my classmates. The faceless video was attributed to me and uploaded to porn sites, and even sent to all our class group chats. Some of the construction workers near the school got my address and phone number from the doxxing, harassing me and my family constantly. I got on my knees and literally kowtowed to her, begging her to explain that she was the girl in the video, not me. Instead, she slapped me and kicked me in the kneecaps. “Who told you to be so stupid? I told you to help me and you just did it?! It’s hilarious. Don’t bother thanking me for making you famous, by the way!” My thoughts snapped back to the present. Our positions were reversed now. I looked down at the woman kneeling in front of me, a smirk playing on my lips, and nodded. “Okay. I promise you.” Lily froze for a few seconds, then hugged me tightly. But what she didn’t know was that I could see the malicious smile on her face perfectly clearly in the mirror. 3 Lily held my hand as we walked back out into the hallway. The RA was reviewing the security footage, her expression grim. The footage only showed the man leaving our room; the camera hadn’t caught him going in. Last night, Lily and I were the only two people in that room. Lily was stunned. She probably hadn’t expected the security camera, which had been broken forever, to suddenly be working again. She kept her head down in silence for a few seconds, then wiped her eyes. “Chloe, I can’t cover for you anymore.” “Ma’am, you have to help me! I warned her not to bring him in, but she wouldn’t listen.” “Ma’am, you know me. I always keep my head down and behave. How could I possibly bring a man back to the dorm?!” “I came from the honors program at a top high school. Why would I degrade myself over a man?” Her pathetic, victimized act won over quite a few supporters in the crowd. Even the RA looked at me with deep disgust. “Is it that guy who waits for you downstairs every day? How can you have so little self-respect?! Don’t you know a girl is supposed to save her first time for her husband?!” The RA’s eyes burned with fury, looking like she wanted to slap me on behalf of my parents. “What gives you the right to falsely accuse me? Everything requires evidence!” I faked a complete mental breakdown, pretending to reach for my pants. “Since you all suspect me, why don’t one of you examine me right now and see if I’ve been sleeping around?!” The crowd gasped and backed away. Lily didn’t dare take her clothes off, so she could only stammer that it wasn’t me. Her tearful, helpless appearance made everyone sympathize with her even more. I mimicked her exact tone and insisted it wasn’t me. Unexpectedly, that broke her facade. “Maybe he didn’t leave any marks on your body! What proof do you have that it wasn’t you?!” Hearing this, the crowd immediately agreed with her. It was time to end this farce. I pulled out my phone and opened the intense, x-rated video the hidden camera had recorded last night. “Here’s your proof. Satisfied?” 4 “Stop playing that! I’m going to report you for invading my privacy!” Lily’s face went ghost white. She lunged forward to grab my phone, but I tripped her, and she crashed heavily onto the floor. The video continued playing, the girl’s loud moans of pleasure echoing clearly down the entire hallway. The truth was undeniable. Seeing this absurd scene, the RA immediately declared she was calling our academic advisor. “Ma’am, please don’t tell the advisor! If you do, my scholarship will be ruined!” At a time like this, she was still worrying about her scholarship. Whether she’d even be allowed to stay in school was the real question. The crowd whispered among themselves, pointing fingers at Lily. It was obvious they were talking about her. Realizing the situation was completely unsalvageable, Lily’s eyes rolled back in her head, and she fainted. Blood actually started seeping through her pants. Panicking, the RA quickly notified the advisor and called an ambulance, which rushed Lily away. Outside the emergency room, the nurse frantically asked who Lily’s family members were. She was experiencing massive internal bleeding. It was a major surgery, and family consent was required before they could proceed. But who would dare take responsibility for the rest of her life? They could only wait for her family to arrive. Before her family got there, Lily woke up from the pain and signed the consent forms herself. The surgery was successful. A deathly pale Lily was wheeled out of the OR. “Seeing me like this, are you satisfied now?!” Lily’s eyes bulged, glaring at me with pure hatred, looking like she wanted to kill me with her stare alone. I didn’t understand her at all. Satisfied with what? That she had to get surgery? “Who told you to record a video?! If you hadn’t recorded it, who would have known it was me?! You ruined my life!” She frantically slammed one hand against the hospital bed while her other hand searched blindly for a weapon. But why the hell should I ruin my own reputation for her? “I didn’t force you to sleep with that construction worker! You falsely accused me first, and I just fought back! You only have yourself to blame!” With that, I left the hospital room, completely ignoring her screams echoing behind me. In the hallway, I ran straight into Lily’s parents, our academic advisor, and several classmates. This time, I had finally escaped the tragic ending of my past life. 5 The one-night stand scandal exploded across campus, the salacious details spreading like wildfire through word of mouth. When Lily was discharged from the hospital, she seemed like a completely different person. She wore a mask all day and kept her hair draped over her face so no one could see her clearly. Everyone was guessing who her hookup was. Most people assumed it must be someone with money, power, or incredible looks. I was the only one who knew the truth. The hookup was a sloppy, middle-aged construction worker. In my past life, I covered for her, only to be framed by her. Right up until the day I died, that construction worker never showed up once to clarify the truth. Everything I suffered was caused by the two of them. In this life, I had to find an opportunity to get my revenge. I never expected Lily to be this stupid. I followed her for just two days before catching her sneaking back to the construction site. I watched Lily and Bob arguing over her medical bills. They couldn’t reach an agreement and started physically fighting. “You’re the one who was so desperate for a man! Why would I say no to a free ride?! Get the hell out of here!” Bob sneered, full of mockery. Furious, Lily slapped Bob, and Bob immediately slapped her back. I pulled out my phone, recorded this pathetic dogfight, and posted it anonymously to the campus confession wall. Just as I reached the dorm entrance, I saw my boyfriend, Ethan, waiting for me downstairs. He was another heartless, backstabbing piece of garbage. In my past life, he only dated me for my family’s money. After the hookup scandal blew up, he dropped his attentive, loving act and joined the others in spreading rumors about me. Later, he got together with Lily and became an accomplice in the rumors that ultimately killed me. Thinking about this, my fists clenched tightly. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Lily walking back. I hugged Ethan and faked a kiss, using a clever angle to make it look real. Lily was clearly pissed off seeing me. As she walked past, she deliberately bumped into me hard. 6 After Lily had been gone for a bit, I faked a reluctant goodbye to Ethan and headed up to my dorm. Just as I reached for the door handle… A shrill, hysterical scream erupted from inside. “Who filmed me?! I’m suing you for invasion of privacy!” A smirk curled on my lips. Looks like she saw the video on the confession wall. I pushed the door open. Lily immediately noticed the smile on my face. She lunged forward, grabbed me by the throat, and snarled, “Chloe, why are you doing this to me?! What did I ever do to you?! Why are you targeting me?!” Hearing that, I couldn’t help but laugh out loud. “How do you even have the nerve to say that? Have you really done that little to me?” Using a self-defense move, I easily pinned her arms and lightly slapped her cheek with my other hand. “Do you need me to jog your memory? Falsely accusing me of bringing a man into the dorm for a one-night stand, embezzling the class funds, reporting to the teachers that we were ‘jealous’ of you!” “Tell me, what exactly are we jealous of? Your habit of sleeping through class? Your late-night gaming sessions? Or your terrible singing in the middle of the night?” Thinking about all her unhinged behavior, I tightened my grip. In a few seconds, Lily’s face turned bright red. She obviously hadn’t expected me to just rip the mask off completely. Her previously calculating eyes were now filled with pure hatred as she glared at me. The anonymous confession wall didn’t allow users to delete posts, and the video was already spreading everywhere. She could only throw a tantrum in the dorm, completely powerless to stop it. Right in front of her, I called our academic advisor and said I needed to talk to him about something important. I wanted to see exactly when she would make her move to get rid of me. I pretended I was hungry and went out to grab food. Watching the live feed on my phone as Lily went through every single bed in the dorm, I suddenly burst out laughing. It looked like she was finally making her move. Since you’re still this venomous, don’t blame me for showing no mercy. I gripped my phone tightly, laughing internally. 7 As soon as I got back to the dorm, Lily acted like nothing had happened, greeting me with a big smile. “Chloe, how was dinner? I know I was wrong, please forgive me!” “If you know you were wrong, then fix your behavior. I’m not forgiving you!” I sneered mockingly. “What kind of trick are you trying to pull now?” “It was all a misunderstanding! I want to give you a proper, sincere apology tomorrow.” Lily looked deeply apologetic and lowered her head. “But my reputation is ruined right now. Can we meet somewhere quiet? Like… the rooftop?” If I hadn’t been watching her expressions like a hawk, it would have been impossible to catch the flash of pure malice in her eyes. I pretended I didn’t see it and nodded reluctantly. “Since you put it that way, fine. The rooftop it is.” A gleam of dark joy flashed in Lily’s eyes. Without any hesitation, she said, “Great, see you on the rooftop tomorrow afternoon!” My heart turned ice cold. What on earth made Lily hate me so much that she was willing to commit murder? Was it the scholarship, or some other detail I had completely missed? The next afternoon, I went up early, set up my recording equipment, and went back downstairs. “Chloe, are you on the rooftop yet? I’m here, hurry up!” Lily’s text practically screamed how impatient she was to send me to my death. Since you have no humanity, don’t blame me for lacking loyalty. I headed back up to the rooftop, my heart pounding. The moment I stepped out, I saw Lily standing right by the edge of the railing, waving at me. “Lily, come away from there! It’s not safe by the railing.” I put on a show of genuine concern, signaling her to move closer to the center. I subtly checked the position of the camera to ensure I was clearly in the frame. “No, I’ve been in a really bad mood lately, I just want to feel the breeze and calm down. Come keep me company, Chloe!” Lily’s face was a mask of refusal, her tone alluring and persuasive. “Why should I stand over there with you? What if you push me off? I’d be dead!” I refused immediately, looking highly suspicious. “You…” Lily was clearly infuriated by my bluntness, but she quickly smoothed out her twisted expression. “How could you think of me like that? I just made a mistake in a moment of weakness. Why can’t you forgive me?!” “Think about it, haven’t I been good to you? I eat with you every day, I go out with you, I introduce you to my friends…” Lily tried to use everything she had supposedly done for me to guilt-trip me. I couldn’t hold back a laugh. She actually had the nerve to say that. Eating with her meant always deferring to her tastes; going out with her meant acting as her personal photographer all day; introducing me to friends meant she chatted with them while I stood awkwardly to the side… I pretended to be lost in nostalgic memories, a look of guilt appearing on my face. “Lily, I forgive you! You were so good to me, and I treated you like that!” I looked up and didn’t see a single ounce of remorse in her eyes—only absolute, cold resolve and disdain. I stepped forward. Lily grabbed my hand tightly and started reminiscing about our “happy” times together. “Remember during the team-building trip, how I encouraged you to go up on stage and show off your talents because you were so shy…” I cut her off: “How do you feel about me?” Her face was gentle, but in the blink of an eye, she shoved me violently toward the edge of the railing. “Go to hell!” I gripped the railing desperately with both hands, asking in agony, “Why do you hate me so much?! Was I not good to you?!” “It was always me pressing my hot face against your cold ass! Who do you think you are?! You dared to steal my scholarship! You got me caught having a one-night stand! Why wouldn’t you just take the fall for me?!” Lily’s face was twisted in demonic rage as she tried to pry my desperately clinging fingers off the railing one by one. Seeing my look of utter despair, Lily smiled. “Don’t worry, I already forged a suicide note for you. Just go die!” “HELP!” 8 “Lily! What are you doing?! I’m warning you, don’t do anything stupid!” Out of nowhere, several teachers and students were standing behind Lily. Lily froze in shock, but she had already pushed me over the edge. “How could you commit murder over something so petty?! Get ready for prison! I can’t believe our school produced such a morally bankrupt student!” The lead teacher immediately dialed 911. “Haha! You’re too late! Chloe is already dead! It doesn’t matter, taking someone down with me before I die is worth it.” “Are you talking about me?” I strolled casually through the rooftop door, looking at Lily with a smile. “Surprised to see me alive?” “How are you not dead…” Lily’s face was full of utter disbelief. Thanks to the experiences of my past life, this time, I showed the teachers and a few students the chat logs beforehand. I told the teachers I suspected Lily might suffer a mental breakdown and jump off the building because of everything that had happened recently. Of course, I phrased it all as an uncertainty. After all, I wasn’t a mind reader. The school proactively set up an inflatable rescue cushion at the bottom of the building to prevent a tragedy. The teachers had been waiting on standby in the classroom directly below, but they never expected to walk into an attempted murder instead. Lily realized it was completely over. She collapsed into a limp pile on the roof. She didn’t even react when people kicked her a few times. It wasn’t until the handcuffs clicked around her wrists that she finally snapped out of it. “This is all your fault! If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be going to prison!” Highly agitated, Lily lunged forward trying to strangle me, but the police officers flanking her restrained her heavily. “Behave yourself!” Without making a sound, I mouthed the words: “Hope I never see you again!” My face was the perfect picture of deep regret that I couldn’t help my roommate fix her mistakes. The teachers and students crowded around to comfort me, telling me not to waste tears on an ungrateful snake. I dabbed at imaginary tears, playing the role of the heartbroken friend perfectly. Internally, I was overjoyed. In this life, I had finally escaped the fate of jumping to my death. 9 After watching Lily get shoved into the police car, I went to the hospital accompanied by a teacher to get checked for internal injuries. The exam showed I was fine, so the teacher and I went to the police station to give our statements. After giving my statement, I requested a visitation. As soon as I walked into the interrogation room, I was met with Lily’s bloodshot eyes and twisted, hateful face. “What? Here to laugh at me? You just got lucky this time! Next time won’t be the same!” Lily’s handcuffs rattled loudly as she practically tried to jump out of the interrogation chair. “But you lost. Attempted murder isn’t just a one-or-two-year sentence. Enjoy your rehabilitation in prison!” I ignored her screaming and walked out of the room. The video evidence I provided, the audio recording of her inviting me to the roof, and the teachers’ eyewitness testimonies were bulletproof. Her guilt for attempted murder was undeniable. Prison was practically guaranteed. Lily’s parents fell to their knees at my feet, begging me to forgive their daughter’s actions. “Please, be the bigger person and forgive my daughter! She’s just young and didn’t know any better! If necessary, I’ll go to prison for her!” Lily’s mother clung desperately to my leg, acting like she would never let go unless I forgave her. “Ma’am, your daughter is only small in stature, she’s not young in age anymore. Not everything can be forgiven. Please stop acting crazy!” I forcefully shook off her hands and backed up several steps, terrified she would grab me again. Lily’s father clearly didn’t expect me to be immune to their pathetic guilt trip. Ignoring the police officers trying to stop him, he dragged Lily right out of the interrogation room. “You stupid brat! We wasted all that money sending you to school! How could you do something so disgusting?!” As he spoke, he kicked Lily hard, then grabbed her by the hair and forced her to her knees in front of me. I backed up a few more steps, afraid they might completely lose their minds and stab me. “Apologize right now, you stupid brat!” With one hand viciously gripping her hair, her father used his other hand to force her head down to the floor in a kowtow. “Honey! What are you doing?!” Seeing this, Lily’s mother stopped crying on the floor, stood up next to me, and yelled angrily, “How can you be so cruel, little girl?! My daughter just made a mistake in a moment of weakness. Why won’t you forgive her?! We even kowtowed to you!” Sure enough, the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Her parents kept urging her to apologize, but Lily just kept muttering that she wasn’t wrong, that I was the one in the wrong. Not a single word of remorse left her lips. She was only filled with rage that she hadn’t managed to kill me. I never had any intention of forgiving her. If you do something wrong, you have to face the consequences. No matter who you are. Her mother suddenly charged forward again, but this time, not at me, but at the teacher standing behind me. She demanded to know who had encouraged her daughter to sleep with him. Lily’s mother looked suspiciously at the male students in the group. One male student, feeling thoroughly creeped out, immediately shook his head and said loudly, “It wasn’t me! Your daughter slept with a construction worker! Don’t you dare falsely accuse me!” “Don’t talk nonsense! How could my daughter possibly sleep with someone like that?!” Lily’s mother immediately shot back. “If you don’t believe me, ask your daughter yourself. The video on the confession wall has been circulating everywhere,” the male student retorted, his face red with anger. Seeing how certain the student was, Lily’s mother froze, looking at him in total confusion. The student pulled up the video. The main characters in the video were undeniable. Lily’s mother cried and ran back to Lily, screaming, asking who the man was, saying she was going to go to the construction worker and demand an explanation. In that moment, I felt a bizarre surge of pity for her mother. A college student, supported by the entire family’s efforts, doing something so scandalous at school, completely humiliated the entire family. The attempted murder case became massive news at school, and rumors spread all over social media. Considering the severe trauma I suffered, the university granted me a month-long leave of absence. The verdict came down quickly. Lily was ordered to pay me $50,000 for emotional distress and $100,000 in a settlement, issue a public apology on social media, and serve one month in detention. Because I didn’t die, the university requested I sign a letter of forgiveness, so Lily didn’t end up going to actual prison. The $150,000 basically wiped out her family’s entire life savings. I heard their neighbors and relatives had completely cut ties with them. After all, everyone is terrified of being murdered for no reason. Given the severity of her actions toward me, the university asked me what I wanted to do. My revenge wasn’t complete yet; I couldn’t let her run away. Putting on a performance of being deeply moved by the power of familial love, I begged the university to let her stay and finish her degree. However, due to my “psychological trauma,” she was forced to move out of our dorm room. In light of the incident, the university padlocked the doors to all the rooftops on campus. Couples who couldn’t find a place to be alone, and students who liked to relax on the roof had complaints, but no one dared voice them. After all, everyone was terrified of someone randomly pushing them off a hidden corner like that. And unlike me, they wouldn’t have the good luck to survive. It would just be a dead end with no witnesses.

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My young uncle brought his boyfriend home for the holidays. He claimed it was to act as a human shield against the family’s relentless marriage-pressure crossfire. I stared at his boyfriend’s handsome, incredibly familiar face and cheekily demanded hush money: “Boss, you wouldn’t want the whole company finding out you’re the bottom in a relationship, would you?” Before he could answer, my relatives, having collectively recovered from near-fainting, immediately redirected their marriage-pressure crossfire onto me. Unable to withstand the barrage, I grabbed the “boyfriend” and planted a loud kiss on his cheek. “Actually, he’s not my uncle’s boyfriend. He’s mine.” My “uncle’s boyfriend” pulled me close and laid a deep, French kiss on me. “That’s right. The three of us living happily ever after is the most important thing.” 1 As soon as he said that, the previously lively dining room went dead silent. You could hear a pin drop. My relatives, who had just managed to process the news of my uncle being gay, collectively reached for their smelling salts again. “Wait… you guys…” “You young people… are really playing wild these days…” “Is this a throuple situation, or is it a messed up family drama?!” The younger cousins at the table started hooting and hollering all at once. And I was still in a state of absolute shock, unable to process what just happened— Did Ezra just use his tongue?! Isn’t he my uncle’s man?! Why the hell did a bottom kiss me?! That was my first kiss! Is he insane?! The more I thought about it, the madder I got. I slammed my chopsticks down, ready to slap him. My raised wrist was caught swiftly and securely by Ezra, who smoothly brought it to his lips and kissed it. “Baby, stop making a scene.” “…Ezra! Have you lost your mind?!” A smile played on his lips, a sly gleam in his eyes: “Chloe, I already pretended to be your uncle’s boyfriend just like you asked. Are you still mad?” ??? 2 A room full of relatives stared at me, just as dumbfounded as I was. My college-freshman cousin, Lily, suddenly slapped her thigh: “Ah! I get it now! Ezra and Chloe are the real couple. “They got into a fight, so Chloe punished Ezra by making him pretend to be Uncle Arthur’s boyfriend!” After announcing this, she crossed her arms and stroked her chin, nodding emphatically. Looking entirely too pleased with herself for “seeing through it all.” Me: “With a theory that ridiculous, have you been reading too much Wattpad?” Lily scratched her head sheepishly. Ezra pulled a thick red envelope of cash from his pocket and handed it to Lily: “Well said. Keep saying things like that.” Lily happily snatched the envelope, immediately showering Ezra with New Year’s blessings: “Thank you, brother-in-law! Wishing you a prosperous new year and an early baby with my cousin!” Me: “You were literally just calling him ‘uncle’.” Lily shot an awkward glance at my uncle. “Ah, well…” Me: “Uncle Arthur, control your wife!” My uncle set down his wine glass, smiling like a sly fox: “Nephew-in-law, where’s my red envelope?” 3 Ezra was my boss. At the company, he was the quintessential, untouchable, suit-and-tie “ice king.” When he walked through the door behind my uncle earlier, I stared blankly for a solid minute. I thought to myself, This incredibly handsome boss of mine is actually a bottom? Ah, I guess all the hot guys really are getting snatched up by other hot guys. I hadn’t even had the chance to share this explosive gossip with my girlfriends. How did he suddenly become my boyfriend?! Thank God my grandparents are healthy and don’t have high blood pressure. Otherwise, how could they possibly handle all these wild plot twists? My dad slammed his chopsticks down, looking dead serious as he called my uncle out by his full name: “Arthur Vance, what is going on? Explain.” Using his full name meant my dad was genuinely furious. My uncle scratched his head and spouted absolute nonsense with a completely straight face: “Well, you guys were pressuring me so hard to get married, I just asked a friend to help me put on a show…” My grandpa snorted: “You unfilial brat! Nothing but nonsense!” My uncle shrank his neck and raised his hands in surrender: “I was wrong, I was wrong. It was just a joke…” My grandma: “It’s not funny, you idiot. Look at your niece, she already found a boyfriend, and you still can’t find one!” My Aunt Mary smiled, trying to smooth things over: “So this Ezra really is Chloe’s boyfriend?” Just as I was about to deny it, Ezra leaned in and whispered in my ear: “Chloe, you wouldn’t want the whole family knowing you’re still single, would you?” Uh. True. The marriage-pressure crossfire from my relatives was coming in waves, each stronger than the last. I definitely couldn’t handle it alone. So, I linked my arm through Ezra’s and leaned affectionately against his shoulder like a little bird: “Ah, yeah, yeah. Ezra is my boyfriend. “The three of us were just messing around.” My grandma still wasn’t entirely convinced. She asked: “Arthur, do you actually like men or women?” My uncle nearly choked on his wine: “Mom, I’m as straight as an arrow.” Then he shot Ezra a resentful glare: “To help you pick up a girl, my reputation is completely ruined. I demand extra compensation.” Ezra smiled pleasantly: “No problem, no problem at all.” ? Extra compensation? Picking up a girl? Why did I feel like I just got sold out? I sat up straight and stared at Ezra. “What’s that supposed to mean?” Ezra stared back, looking completely exasperated: “Am I not being obvious enough, or are you really just this dense?” My uncle: “Is that even a question? Of course it’s because Chloe is incredibly dense.” My grandma spat at my uncle: “You have the nerve to criticize Chloe? When are you going to find someone?” 4 My uncle was summoned to the elders’ table to receive his baptism of marriage pressure. Our table was full of the younger generation, eating, drinking, and having a great time. Ezra leaned in close and murmured: “Hey, you just admitted in front of everyone that I’m your boyfriend. Come home with me tomorrow to meet my family.” Um, excuse me, you can speak normally. Why are you leaning in so close, using that low, raspy voice? Who are you trying to seduce? I coughed lightly to steady my nerves: “I was just playing along with your script back there. It was a tactical move to dodge the marriage pressure. “What boyfriend? You’re my boss. I would never dare have any inappropriate thoughts about you.” “Oh, then just play along with me for a bit. I don’t want to deal with marriage pressure either.” “Logically, since you helped me out, I should help you. But tomorrow is New Year’s Eve, I have to visit my grandma. The day after is New Year’s Day, I have to go back to my hometown to visit the graves. The day after that…” I counted my schedule off on my fingers. A check was suddenly slid right in front of my face. “Come home with me, and this money is yours.” “Mr. Sterling, this is highly inappropriate. Are you trying to test my integrity with a bribe?” “You don’t want it? Then I’ll ask your cousin.” My cousin Lily, who was busy gnawing on a chicken leg, instantly dropped it. “No need to ask, no need to ask! Yes, yes, yes, I can do it, honey!” How are her ears so sharp?! Ezra and I were speaking so quietly! Lily wiped her hands and snatched the check. “One, two, three, four… “Good lord! Four zeros! Five figures! “Honey, you’re so generous!” I snatched the check back out of her hand. “What ‘honey’? You were just calling him brother-in-law.” Lily pouted, looking at me pitifully. “Sis, if you don’t want to make this money, I do…” “Get out of here! Who said I didn’t want to make it? I was just taking the opportunity to negotiate the price. Stop messing up the market.” Hmph. Then let Ezra choose! Let’s see if he picks you or me! “Ezra! I’m super well-behaved, and I’m a great sweet-talker! I guarantee I’ll make our mom and dad incredibly happy!” Ezra pushed his glasses up his nose, completely unable to hide his smile. “My dad has high blood sugar. You’re a little too sweet. I think I’ll stick with your sister.” Lily: “…” 5 And so, I ended up following Ezra home in a daze. I thought I was just going to help him put on a show to fool his parents. I didn’t realize Ezra had tricked me into walking straight into a battlefield— Waiting for him at home were not only his parents but also an incredibly beautiful, wealthy heiress. A perfect match, an arranged family alliance, but someone Ezra had no interest in. “So you’re using me as a meat shield?” I asked. Ezra gave a wicked smile: “Pretty much, but not entirely.” The wealthy heiress tilted her chin up, looking down her nose at me: “So you’re Ezra’s woman? “You’re very… ordinary.” Me: “…” Okay, fine. If you want a catfight, you’ve got one. My competitive spirit flared up. I wrapped my arm around Ezra’s neck, stood on my tiptoes, and whispered in his ear. “I can be your meat shield, but I demand extra compensation.” 6 “Oh my, what a gorgeous girl!” Ezra’s mother hurried over, taking my hand and looking me up and down with a bright smile. She was dressed very fashionably and looked incredibly well-maintained; you couldn’t tell her age at all. “Hello, Mrs. Sterling. My name is Chloe Vance.” I greeted her politely. “Good, good, good. I’ve heard Ezra mention you so often, I finally get to meet you.” “Mention me often?” I looked at Ezra in confusion. Weren’t we just pretending so he could dodge his parents’ nagging? Why would he mention me to them before this? Ezra cleared his throat: “Yeah, I occasionally chat with my parents about my coworkers.” Oh, I see. But didn’t Ezra’s mom arrange this blind date for him? According to all the romance novels I’ve read, shouldn’t she be acting like a haughty, aristocratic mother-in-law, giving me the cold shoulder and trying to intimidate me? Why was she being so warm and welcoming? Mrs. Sterling pulled me along: “Come on, let me introduce you to the relatives.” Okay, here comes the scariest part. I turned my head, scrunching up my face to silently plead with Ezra for help: “Ezra, come with me!” He stood there with his hands in his pockets, a slight smirk on his lips: “No, I need to personally cook a dish.” “Then, then I…” “Don’t be nervous. Every ugly duckling eventually has to meet the in-laws. Plus, my Chloe is so beautiful.” Me: “…” The wealthy heiress chimed in: “Every year for New Year’s Eve dinner, Ezra personally cooks two dishes. It’s a family tradition. “Since you’re new here, it’s normal you wouldn’t know.” The underlying message: She’s the master of the house, and I’m just a guest. Even though the smell of gunpowder was heavy in the air, I didn’t care at the moment. I only had one thought in my head— If Ezra wasn’t going to help me socialize, I was taking the wealthy heiress down with me. It’d be better if she shared some of the crossfire from the aunts and grandmas. “Mrs. Sterling, maybe this young lady should join us? The more the merrier.” “Sure, sure. Mia, you don’t need to go help in the kitchen. Come on, chat with us.” After saying that, she leaned in close and whispered so only I could hear: “Don’t misunderstand, Chloe. There’s absolutely nothing going on between Ezra and Mia.” “Then Ms. Mia is…” “Sigh, she’s the daughter of our neighbor, Mr. Davis. She’s had a crush on Ezra for years. “It’s the holidays. She came over to visit, I can’t exactly kick her out, can I?” Ah, so that’s how it is. 7 The living room was massive. Two mahjong tables were set up by the window, with a dozen or so people gathered around, some sitting, some standing. There weren’t many people sitting on the sofas chatting and eating fruit. Mrs. Sterling pulled me over to the main seat on the sofa, introducing me with a beaming smile: “Our Ezra finally brought someone home this year! Hahaha.” “Oh my, what a pretty girl. Mary, you’re so lucky.” “I’m not the lucky one! Ezra is the lucky one.” The older relatives were all talking over each other. I couldn’t get a word in edgewise, so I just sat there smiling awkwardly. An older woman in a red dress sitting to my left, cracking sunflower seeds, asked me: “Chloe, how old are you this year? How did you meet our Ezra? “Where are you from? Did you just get a Bachelor’s, or a Master’s? What college did you graduate from? “Are your parents retired? Do you have any siblings?” … Good lord. This woman was clearly a pro. She came right out the gate treating it like an interrogation. Her firepower was way more intense than my own relatives’. I didn’t want to answer her questions, but staying silent seemed rude. While I was agonizing over what to do, Mrs. Sterling came to my rescue. “Sarah, what are you doing? Asking so many questions, you’re going to scare the poor girl.” The woman in the red dress, Sarah, laughed heartily while continuing to crack sunflower seeds: “Oh, I’m just excited! Seeing such a fresh, pretty girl, I couldn’t help but ask a few extra questions! Hahaha. “Don’t be scared, sweetie. I’m just asking casually, you don’t have to answer! Hahaha.” Her words made all the elders in the room burst into laughter. My tense nerves relaxed a little. I thought to myself that the atmosphere in Ezra’s family was actually quite nice. Mia suddenly spoke up: “Aunt Sarah, let me answer for her. “Her name is Chloe Vance. She’s an employee at Ezra’s company. Graduated from a normal state college. Her parents are just normal people. Her family background is totally average.” She twirled a lock of hair around her finger, over and over: “Unlike me. I have a Master’s degree from overseas, my family owns a corporation, and I grew up with Ezra.” Oh my god, why don’t you just explicitly say I’m unworthy and you’re the perfect match? The elders in the room had seen it all before. They obviously knew exactly what was going on. They exchanged knowing glances and kept cracking sunflower seeds in silence. 8 I had no intention of engaging in a catfight. But since I took Ezra’s money, I might as well go to war with this “green tea” bitch. So I cleared my throat, pitching my voice slightly higher: “Oh, you’re absolutely right! It was just a normal state college… though it is ranked in the top ten nationally. “I hear the disparity in study-abroad programs is huge right now. The good ones are really good, but the fake ones… you just pay a fee and they give you a degree. “I wonder which foreign university Ms. Mia attended? Was it an Ivy League? What was its global ranking?” I looked at her with an expression of pure, unadulterated “sincerity.” Mia’s lips moved, but she couldn’t say a word. I figured she probably hadn’t gone to a particularly prestigious school. A girl with a top-tier education couldn’t possibly be this stupid. I continued: “As for family background, Ms. Mia’s family owns a corporation, right? “What a coincidence! My mom works for the IRS. You’ve heard of the new, massive tax enforcement initiative, right? “My mom is actually heading the implementation for this entire district. How about I have her bring a team over to ‘guide’ your family’s company sometime?” I could tell the aunties cracking seeds were internally screaming with excitement, barely able to contain themselves. But they maintained their composure perfectly, continuing to crack seeds in silence, waiting to see how Mia would handle this. Mia’s face turned bright red, and she stammered: “N-no need. My family has always… always paid our taxes on time. We never… never…” Seeing that she couldn’t even form a complete sentence, I had no desire to make the situation any uglier. I smiled: “Paying taxes is a badge of honor! Keep up the good work!” Mrs. Sterling patted my hand: “What a clever girl.” Aunt Sarah laughed, smoothing things over: “Sigh, look at the silly questions I was asking. “Times have changed. It’s not like when we were young. “Family background, status, schools, jobs… none of that is important. The most important thing is that Ezra likes her.” Mrs. Sterling agreed: “Exactly, exactly. As long as Ezra likes her.” The other aunties chimed in with smiles, shifting the conversation to normal family gossip. The atmosphere returned to being warm and harmonious. I grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds, raised an eyebrow at Mia, and mouthed silently: “That’s it? I thought you were actually going to be a challenge.”

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After the government introduced the new “50/50 Split Divorce” protocol, my husband secretly filled out the application behind my back. “I demand that my wife leave this marriage with absolutely nothing! A housewife’s contribution is practically nonexistent. I refuse to let a gold-digger profit from our divorce!” He looked incredibly smug, his eyes shining with calculating greed. I didn’t cry. I didn’t make a scene. I just sat there quietly, playing my part. However, when the final results of the 50/50 Split were announced… I smiled. And he completely lost his mind. 1 In the seventh year of our marriage, my husband, Liam, asked for a divorce. Holding our daughter’s hand, I sat quietly on the sidelines, watching him. The waiting room was packed. Everyone was buzzing with excitement over the newly launched “50/50 Split Divorce” protocol. “Do you think this 50/50 split means we go back to exactly how we were when we started dating, and literally split everything down the middle?” “Who knows? But honestly, this is great. The car and the house were both bought by my family anyway. No matter how they split it, she won’t get a dime of it.” “Isn’t a true 50/50 split the fairest way? You keep exactly what you earned. Nobody takes advantage of anyone.” … Suddenly, the massive screen in the waiting hall lit up. [The 50/50 Split Divorce Protocol Regulations:] [First: Neither spouse has the right to terminate the proceedings once the judgment begins.] [Second: Once the judgment is finalized, the results are irreversible.] [Third: Any party attempting to back out or express regret during the proceedings will face double the penalties.] My six-year-old daughter, huffing and puffing, ran over to the screen, pulled out a tiny notebook, and diligently copied down the rules. After double-checking her notes, she ran back and explained them to me like a little adult: “Mommy, I read all the rules! They’re very normal and there are no loopholes.” I patted her head gently, then turned to Liam and asked mildly: “Did you get our number? When is it our turn?” “We’re number one. We’re going in right now.” He marched triumphantly toward the intake counter and submitted all our paperwork. [Please state your primary divorce demands.] The automated system prompted. “I demand that my wife leave this marriage with absolutely nothing! A housewife’s contribution is practically nonexistent. I refuse to let a gold-digger profit from our divorce!” The moment those words left his mouth, the entire waiting room exploded. Even the live stream broadcasting this inaugural trial paused for three full seconds. [Is this guy even human?] [I think he’s right. Why should I break my back working outside while she sits at home enjoying life, only for her to take half my assets when we divorce?] [Exactly. The bride price I paid was literally buying her. Why should I have to pay her even more?] [I am speechless that a guy like this actually managed to get a wife.] [Bro is really putting on a show, I swear.] [Can we please not lower the bar for decent men any further? My wife just kicked me because of this guy. Crying emoji.] [Everyone agreeing with him online is probably some pathetic, single loser. No money, no looks, no house, no car, no personality… literally nothing to offer.] [The comment above is speaking facts. My buddy broke up with his girlfriend over the bride price, and I immediately swooped in and paid double to marry her.] [Hahaha, what an incredible display of brotherhood.] … I frowned slightly and gently covered my daughter’s ears. When I made eye contact with the other mothers in the room, they offered me bitter, empathetic smiles. It seems the role of a housewife truly is an impossible modern dilemma. You can’t have your cake and eat it too. Those who delusionally try to exploit both sides will inevitably pay a heavy price. 2 [Demands have been officially registered. Please proceed to the Judgment Hall for the proceedings.] The crowd surged forward. The other mothers and I naturally fell to the back of the pack. “Don’t be afraid. If housewives were actually paid a salary for their labor, no one here could afford to hire us.” We encouraged and supported each other. In our shining eyes, there was unshakeable courage and resilience. We exhaled softly, held hands, and walked in together. We looked up. The Judgment Hall resembled a massive, theatrical stage. Under the glaring spotlight, Liam had already been waiting for a long time. I carried my daughter up onto the stage. Below us, the whispers and murmurs instantly grew louder: “Wow, this frumpy housewife and her husband really don’t match at all.” “Look at her hair, she’s practically balding! And that spare tire around her waist… disgusting.” “They always say men peak at forty while women wilt. This is the perfect example of that gap.” “Honestly, none of the women getting divorced today are good-looking. That’s probably the real reason.” “Women should make an effort to look good for the men who love them. If you can’t keep your husband interested, don’t blame him for looking elsewhere.” “What do they mean ‘a mistake every man makes’? It clearly just means the wife at home couldn’t keep him satisfied.” “My god, is this a live broadcast of a nature documentary?” “Am I the only one who thinks the wife has it really rough?” “She clearly hid her true self too well before marriage. This is just karma finally catching up to her.” “Girls, never become a housewife!” “Agreed!” … I whispered to my daughter, “Baby, do you want Mommy to take you to Aunt Chloe?” The little girl in my arms shook her head and gently patted my stomach. “I’m already a big girl. I can make my own judgments. Don’t worry, Mommy.” “To me, this isn’t just fat. These are the medals you got from bringing me into the world. Aunt Chloe said that without this tummy, I wouldn’t be here today.” My throat tightened painfully. I hated myself for not being a better mother. For forcing such a young child to endure this massive family upheaval. For forcing her to become so mature and understanding so quickly. I quickly wiped away the tears threatening to fall from the corners of my eyes and smiled down at her. “My little Lily is the absolute best. Mommy is so lucky to have you.” Yes. I still have my daughter. And if my best friend was right, today I would take back everything that rightfully belonged to me. I stared at Liam—who had clearly spent significant time and money maintaining his physique and youthful appearance—and offered a strange, chilling smile. “The youth and vitality drained by a partner… it will all be returned.” 3 [Final Confirmation: Regardless of the outcome of the judgment, neither party is permitted to back out. Do you accept?] I didn’t hesitate for a second. I nodded immediately. Liam scoffed dismissively. “What is there to regret about ditching a worn-out housewife?” [Confirmation complete. Due to the unique mechanics of the 50/50 Split Divorce System, all individuals present must sign a strict non-disclosure agreement.] [Anyone who reveals the specific details of this proceeding to the outside world—both the speaker and the listener—will be fined ten million dollars and sentenced to three years in prison.] [Repeat offenders will have their tongues and hands permanently incapacitated.] [The live broadcast will now be temporarily suspended and will resume only after the judgment is finalized.] At that moment, a digital contract slowly rose from the console in front of us. I grabbed the stylus and signed it without a moment’s hesitation. [Anyone harboring doubts or unwilling to comply has three minutes to leave the Judgment Hall.] [After three minutes, remaining in the hall constitutes full legal consent to this agreement.] The automated voice ceased, and the stage lights converged on a massive, glowing countdown clock on the screen. A ripple of unease spread through the audience. Everyone was clearly harboring doubts. But the fact that they were sitting here meant they believed the potential financial benefits far outweighed the risks of this new divorce method. Exactly as I expected, not a single person left. Three minutes later, every door and window in the hall slammed shut and locked automatically. Scores of identical mannequins, each clutching a wooden gavel, slid out from hidden compartments in the walls, completely surrounding the audience. [Time is up. Couple Number One, please step onto the biometric scanners.] Liam looked completely unbothered, using the opportunity to mock me further. “I work out every single day. I’m not like her, bloated and fat like a pig.” “You’re lying! Mommy is only like this because she had a difficult pregnancy keeping me safe! You’re the lazy one! You don’t do anything at home, Mommy has to take care of you like a baby!” My daughter aggressively waved her little fists, her fierce, protective instincts fully on display. The audience gasped in shock. “That daughter is completely brainwashed. What an ungrateful little brat.” Liam clutched his chest, putting on a spectacular performance of a devastated, heartbroken father. “Lily! I’m your biological father! Did your mother brainwash you to say these things?” My daughter shook her head and yelled clearly and loudly at the audience: “Do the uncles in the audience go home and help their mommies cook and clean? If you don’t, then were you all brainwashed too? Are you all just a bunch of ungrateful brats?!” In an instant, the entire hall was plunged into dead silence. [Alright, little one. Honest words are often hard to hear. Please return to your designated VIP seat. The little mannequins will play with you there.] Beside my daughter’s seat, an intricately carved, beautifully dressed porcelain doll slowly floated up. “Mommy, you can do this!” She hugged me tightly, her smile as bright as the sun. I hugged her back gently, then placed her securely in her seat. “I know. Trust Mommy.” 4 [Biometric reports generated. Upon mutual confirmation, the 50/50 Split Protocol will commence.] A flicker of doubt crossed Liam’s face, but he couldn’t resist the urge to brag. “Mia, your report is probably a massive list of red flags, isn’t it?” “Mine, on the other hand, is a clean bill of health.” I simply handed my medical report directly to him. “You’re absolutely right. Take a look.” He snatched it eagerly, reading it aloud as if he were reading a list of criminal charges: “Weight: 145 lbs. Chronic sleep deprivation, anterior pelvic tilt, chronic neck and shoulder pain, chronic lumbar pain, severe hair loss, chronic rhinitis, urinary incontinence…” “No wonder you always smell so weird. It’s because you’re constantly leaking urine.” Liam recoiled in absolute disgust, his face a mask of revulsion. [Both parties have confirmed the reports. We will now execute a 50/50 split of the aforementioned physical damage and overall physiological states.] Immediately, a warm, gentle white light enveloped me. My heavy, sluggish body suddenly felt incredibly light and energetic. My thinning hair began to rapidly thicken and grow. My oily, dull skin became clear and radiant. The constant fog in my brain vanished, replaced by sharp clarity. Even my cheap, worn-out clothes transformed into high-quality, elegant garments. On the other side of the stage, Liam’s agonizing screams echoed through the hall. His perfectly toned physique rapidly bloated and sagged. Half of his thick hair fell out in clumps. His clear skin became greasy and covered in dark spots. When the white light faded, even though it was only a 50/50 split, I felt entirely reborn. I was thrilled by my transformation, completely missing the vicious, homicidal glare Liam was shooting me. But his aggression didn’t last long. [System detects the female party experienced a full month of agonizing surgical incision recovery. Would you like to execute a 50/50 split so the male party can personally experience this pain?] Liam hesitated, genuine fear in his eyes. But the audience immediately began egging him on. “What are you afraid of? My mom always said every woman gives birth. If a woman can do it, a man can definitely handle the pain.” “Women just love to exaggerate. Men don’t put on those kind of pathetic, dramatic acts.” “My mom was literally working in the fields while she was pregnant! If she could do it, I could do it too!” I seized the opportunity to add fuel to the fire. “Yeah, Liam! Doesn’t your mother always brag about how she was working the fields right up until she gave birth? Surely such a simple, trivial thing wouldn’t be too hard for a big, strong man like you?” “I can submit the request for you to experience it right now, if you want.” My daughter perfectly followed my lead. “So Daddy is actually just a coward! He won’t even try something Mommy was brave enough to do! I think I should just change my last name to match Mommy’s.” That struck Liam’s most sensitive, fragile nerve. Sporting his new, dark under-eye circles, he glared at me intensely. “Don’t worry. Daddy is the bravest man in the world. I will never let you change your last name to an outsider’s!” I feigned disappointment. “What a shame. I almost succeeded.” Believing he had cleverly caught me in a trap, his steps instantly became lighter. “My daughter will only ever carry my last name!” 5 [The Childbirth Experience Simulation is about to commence. System detects a lack of two critical supporting roles from the postpartum recovery period. Female party, please select proxies.] I dialed my best friend Chloe’s number while scanning the audience. “Chloe, you got in, right?” On the other end of the line, the sound of someone cracking sunflower seeds stopped. I continued: “Which role do you want to play? The hyper-critical, toxic mother-in-law, or the useless, mommy’s-boy husband?” “The toxic mother-in-law! I want to be your mom!” The sound of sunflower seeds showering the floor echoed as Chloe leaped up from the middle rows and sprinted toward the stage. Her loud, boisterous energy radiated the vibrant youth we had both lost. I muttered under my breath, annoyed but amused, “Taking advantage of the situation to be my mom.” [Participant count confirmed. Commencing temporal regression.] When I opened my eyes again, Chloe and I were standing on a narrow dirt path between two massive farm fields. Liam was standing deep in the mud, heavily pregnant, his legs swollen to twice their normal size. He was clumsily swinging a heavy farming tool, looking like he was about to collapse. Looking closer… His face was contorted in agony, his teeth gritted tight. One hand constantly supported his hardened, contracting belly, while the other struggled to plow the unforgiving earth. However, to the audience watching on the screen, this scene was just concrete proof of their preconceived notions. “See? My mom wasn’t lying! It’s so easy!” “What’s so hard about that? My grandmother had seven kids back in the day, and you never heard her complaining about ‘childbirth trauma’.” “People just had better constitutions back then. Modern women are just delicate and whiny.” I pulled Chloe aside and whispered loudly enough for the microphones to catch: “It’s easy to talk tough. If they think it’s so easy, I challenge every single one of them to come up here and try it themselves.” “Exactly. Men are always bragging about how much better they are at physical labor. Well, the labor is right here, but none of them have the guts to actually do it.” [System detects a massive surge of brainwaves indicating a strong desire to prove personal capability. An exceptional mass-teleportation will now be initiated.] [To provide empirical evidence regarding the ‘My Mom Said’ phenomenon, this simulation will be broadcast globally for all households to observe.] Countless pillars of white light struck the edges of the fields, revealing all the male audience members, now dressed exactly like Liam. They enthusiastically shouted at the live broadcast cameras: “Mom! Watch this! Your son is going to do even better than you did!” “Let’s see how those whiny ‘feminists’ argue with this!” “This is a piece of cake. It feels exactly like carrying around my beer belly.” But the very first swing of a hoe resulted in a synchronized chorus of agonizing gasps. “Did my mom actually lie to me?!” “Is this really the kind of work a pregnant person was forced to do?!” 6 In front of their eyes, holographic projections of their own mothers began to materialize. “Son! Stop right now! You’re going to cause permanent damage to your body!” “Mom shouldn’t have lied and said it was easy. But your father demanded I do it, I had no choice! Stop working!” “It’s good for you to experience this! It builds character!” “Keep working! Your father always said suffering is a blessing!” “The pain your mother endured isn’t something that can be erased with a simple ‘Thank you for your hard work’.” The mothers’ reactions varied wildly—some were thrilled, some were dead silent, and some were heartbroken. But my former mother-in-law was the glaring exception. Her shrill, toxic voice cut through the noise: “What do you mean, ‘lied’?! This is exactly what women are supposed to do! Why are all you grown men trying to act like women and work the fields?!” Liam played dumb. “Is that really true?” “Of course it is! Women develop special physical abilities when they get pregnant!” Special abilities? I sneered internally. It was just that pregnant women were infinitely easier to control and exploit. “Wait, is she actually a man in disguise?” “This live stream is truly eye-opening. I’m learning so much today.” The mothers connected to the broadcast were stunned into absolute silence. But the chaos on our end wasn’t for nothing. [System acknowledges the deeply held convictions of Liam’s mother. We will now initiate a 1:1 biological replication.] [The simulation must be experienced in a female biological body to ensure absolute accuracy and fairness.] [However, participants must complete the current phase of the simulation before the conversion can take place.] None of the men objected. In fact, they seemed somewhat amused by the challenge. “Hey, this really isn’t that hard.” “Yeah, it takes a minute to get used to, but once you find the rhythm, it’s totally bearable.” “It’s just a little manual labor. How exhausting could it possibly be?” “Hahaha, we all worked in the fields when we were kids! It’s nowhere near as fatal as they claim!” But their amusement evaporated almost instantly. Liam was the first to complete the phase and be transformed into a female body. He stood at the edge of the field, his expression radiating absolute triumph. “Mia! You have absolutely no excuse to be whiny now!” “My mom was right! Look how incredibly easy this is!” I smiled faintly. “Is that right? Then why aren’t you getting back to work?” Less than ten minutes later. Liam was so utterly exhausted he looked like he was going to pass out. His fragile, trembling frame was genuinely pathetic to watch. He was hunched over, his face pale and drained of all strength, yet he still stubbornly insisted: “My mom was right! Female bodies really do have special abilities! I’m not tired at all!” His mother, watching via the live link, guiltily covered her eyes. She tried to justify it: “It’s different. Inside, he still has the mind of a man.” Hearing that, Chloe and I were completely speechless. We just side-eyed her and violently kicked the weeds at our feet. The other men, however, completely abandoned their tools and quit. “What the hell is this?! This is not work meant for a human being!” “Send us back immediately! This simulation is literal torture!” [If you complete the simulation, all the physical damage your mothers suffered in the past will be entirely healed.] [This is a one-time offer. Would you like to reconsider?] The mothers gasped in shock, their eyes swirling with complex, overwhelming emotions. They didn’t speak. They just stared quietly at the sons they had loved and spoiled since childhood. “No way! My mom loves me too much; she’d be heartbroken watching me suffer like this!” “I can’t do it either. If I heal her, then what about all the years my dad spent taking care of her? Would that be a 50/50 split too?” “Stop wasting time! Whoever doesn’t agree can stay here. Don’t delay the rest of us from going back!” [Commencing extraction. Those who wish to leave, please drop your tools.] In that split second, I saw a profound, devastating disappointment etched across the diverse faces of the mothers. While a very small minority of the men did stay and complete the simulation… The mothers whose sons chose to leave were quietly wiping away tears. I couldn’t tell if those tears were from envy or pure jealousy. [Liam’s simulation phase is complete. Commencing the primary simulation phase.] [—Childbirth.] 7 The scene shifted instantly. Liam was currently being tortured to the brink of death by agonizing contractions. Yet, he still had to endure the deafening screams of the other men in labor sharing the ward. He completely broke down, screaming hysterically: “Mia! I demand to be moved to a private room!” My hand paused halfway to my mouth with a sunflower seed. I looked at Chloe with mock conflict. “Mom, should we upgrade him to a private room?” “The mood of the person in labor can affect the baby, right?” She immediately pulled a sour face and pointed directly at Liam’s nose, screeching: “Do you think Mia’s money just falls from the sky?! What kind of man doesn’t go through childbirth?! Why are you the only one acting so delicate and wasting money?!” “All you do all day is hold your hand out and demand cash! Do you think we’re just your personal ATMs?!” I was struggling so hard to hold in my laughter that my stomach actually hurt. Just as I pulled out my phone to play some games and relax… Liam lost his mind, crying and interrogating me: “I am literally at death’s door giving birth to your child, and you’re sitting there playing video games?! Do you even care about me at all?!” I smiled, my expression dripping with cynical amusement. “I’m not the one giving birth, so why should I exhaust myself sitting around doing nothing? Does that line sound familiar to you?” “Isn’t that exactly what you did back then?” “I’m just giving you a taste of your own medicine, and you already can’t handle it?” He froze instantly, his defenses completely shattered. “That was years ago! Can you just let it go already?!” “Constantly bringing up the past… aren’t you exhausted?!” I didn’t care in the slightest. “The way you and your mother treated me before… you’re about to experience the exact same karma.” Liam fell silent, the corners of his eyes turning a furious, frustrated red. Just as I was about to secure a Pentakill in my game, he suddenly looked at me, his eyes overflowing with guilt, his tone incredibly soft and romantic: “I’m so sorry, Mia. I was wrong.” “Oh, playing the ‘prodigal husband returns’ card now, are we?” I dug my pinky into my ear, physically shaking off the goosebumps, and hit him where it hurt most: “Look at yourself. You’re pregnant, your body is completely ruined, and looking at you makes me physically sick.” “You’re as fat as a breeding pig, and you actually think you deserve a private room? Keep dreaming.” “My mom said this baby absolutely must be a girl.” “If we don’t get a daughter, the glorious Harrison family bloodline can’t end with my generation.” Liam went pale, glaring at me with dark, venomous resentment. It wasn’t until the doctor came in and asked if he wanted an epidural that true panic set in. “Yes! I absolutely need it!” “You know my birth plan says I’m having a C-section!” I pretended to hesitate, stubbornly refusing to sign the consent form. “What epidural?! That’s terrible for the baby!” “Besides, babies born naturally are much smarter!” “Daughter, why don’t you go home and get some rest? Mom will wait here.” I nodded, fighting back a massive grin as I ran out of the room. Chloe’s performance as the toxic mother-in-law was flawlessly realistic. Even the other people in the simulation were whispering and pointing at her, cursing her for being an evil monster. [Wait. System detects that during this exact historical period, the male party used ‘work trips’ as an excuse to travel for leisure, and spent his after-work hours drinking and partying with colleagues. Female party, please execute the simulation according to this historical trajectory.] So, the ‘business trips’ that kept him away from home when Lily was born were all lies. Although I had my suspicions back then, I actually felt bad for how hard he was working. But now, knowing the absolute truth, I only had one thought in my mind. Karma is a beautiful, beautiful thing. 8 When Liam was discharged from the hospital and came home for his postpartum confinement… Chloe immediately served him instant noodles, plain steamed buns, and cheap pickled vegetables. “You need to learn to be grateful! When I had kids, we didn’t have conditions nearly this good!” “My daughter went on a business trip. Don’t you dare bother her, do you understand?!” He clutched his stomach, immediately launching into a furious, screaming tirade: “Stop pretending! I know exactly what I did back then!” Chloe simply shrugged. After “taking care” of Liam for exactly three days… She decisively booked a luxury senior citizens’ tour group and left. Currently, the incision from Liam’s emergency C-section was agonizingly painful, and the baby was screaming bloody murder from hunger. Seeing this exact scene replay before my eyes, the suffocating, phantom pain of that memory still pierced me like needles. No one to help. No one to understand. The mother-in-law despised the baby because it was a girl, and Liam was ‘too busy with work’. And me? I had just been promoted to the role of ‘Mother,’ and was expected to suddenly become an invincible superhero. It was completely, utterly laughable. I wiped away a tear, deciding to luxuriously enjoy my single, post-marriage life. After my ‘business trip’ ended, Chloe and I arrived home at the exact same time. Liam looked like a resentful, vengeful ghost. He forcefully shoved the screaming baby into my arms. “Mia! She’s your child too! She’s not just mine!” I enjoyed his hysterical breakdown for a moment, then handed the baby directly to Chloe and threw myself onto the sofa. “Do you have any idea how exhausting it is for me to be out there busting my ass to provide for this family?!” “Stop throwing a tantrum! You need to show some consideration for my mom! She’s getting older, and grandmothers have absolutely no legal obligation to raise your kids!” “I put food on the table and a roof over your head! Why are you so ungrateful?!” Chloe, while rocking the baby, immediately activated her toxic persona again: “Seriously, Liam, you need to show some empathy for Mia! Do you think it’s easy for a strong, successful woman to work all day?!” “And you need to hurry up and give us a second child! The Harrison family has had only one heir for three generations. We cannot let the bloodline die with you!” “Sons belong to other families eventually. Daughters are the true roots of a family!” Liam completely broke down, locking himself in his room and crying every single night. I got annoyed by the noise and moved into the guest bedroom. The simulation rules were absolute. He couldn’t break the script. He had to endure my exact historical trajectory, day by agonizing day. Endure it until his mind snapped and he suffered a total psychological breakdown. Endure it until the permanent physical and mental damage of raising a child entirely alone became his permanent reality. And me? I, the ‘perfect partner,’ naturally remained completely invisible and absent. 9 On the 25th day of his postpartum confinement, I sent Chloe back to her own home. At this moment, the toxic mother-in-law logged off. It was time for me, the ‘perfect spouse,’ to finally do my part. “Liam! What the hell do you do at home all day?!” “I work incredibly hard, and I can’t even get a hot breakfast in the morning?!” He clutched his stomach, his voice weak and trembling: “My incision hasn’t healed yet. I can’t touch cold water.” I rolled my eyes so hard I saw my own brain. “It was just a C-section! Everyone’s husband gives birth! I’ve never seen anyone act as pathetic and dramatic as you!” Liam started crying. “I went through this surgery to give you a child! Do you think I actually wanted to be sliced open?!” I felt a microscopic, fleeting second of pity, but logic instantly took over. “Stop acting like a martyr! Isn’t she your child too?!” “Stop constantly claiming you ‘gave birth for a woman’! Don’t you need a child?! Doesn’t she call you Daddy?!” He was rendered completely speechless, and I felt nothing but a profound sense of tragic irony. Over the next few days, I continued to do exactly whatever I wanted. After work, I was either out drinking with friends or finding excuses to work late. When I was home, I was incredibly lazy and demanded to be waited on. No matter how much Liam screamed or cried, I just used “work” as my ultimate, unassailable excuse. Acting like this felt incredibly satisfying. But for some strange reason, I wasn’t actually happy. [Simulation complete. Commencing extraction.] When I opened my eyes again, I was back in the Judgment Hall. Liam looked incredibly emaciated and sickly, completely stripped of the arrogant, triumphant energy he had when he first walked in. [Excellent. The previous 50/50 split is now concluded.] [We will now execute a 50/50 split of the parties’ professional careers. The female party will receive 50% of the male party’s career achievements and assets. The male party will receive 3.5 years of experience as a stay-at-home husband.] The moment the announcement ended, the audience erupted in absolute outrage. “That is completely unfair! Why does a housewife who sits at home enjoying life get half the assets?!” “Giving her two thousand dollars a month is proof enough! I didn’t get her labor for free! I completely reject a professional 50/50 split!” Liam finally snapped back to reality. With a cold, malicious sneer, he projected his “evidence” onto the massive screens. “These are all concrete proof that a housewife’s contribution is practically nonexistent!” “Mountains of online shopping deliveries, sleeping in until noon, demanding more money before the month is even over, a completely messy, filthy house…” “Mia not only provided absolutely zero help to my career, but she was also incredibly lazy and gluttonous at home.” “If we split this 50/50, I am obviously the one being robbed!” Chloe had a famously explosive temper. I almost couldn’t hold her back. “Even the most ruthless sweatshop owner doesn’t have a heart as black as yours, Liam! If you love 50/50 splits so much, why didn’t you split the rent with your parents when you lived with them?!” “Did your clothes wash themselves?! Did your meals magically appear fully cooked?! Did the house clean itself?!” “Without Mia, do you honestly think you would have lived such a comfortable, luxurious life all these years?!” Liam scoffed, crossing his arms and sneering defensively: “She volunteered to sacrifice herself for the family! This isn’t just my house; it’s hers and Lily’s too!” I couldn’t take it anymore. I walked right up and slapped him hard across the face. “Volunteered?! If you volunteered to go to work, why the hell did you demand a salary?!” [Physical violence is strictly prohibited within the Judgment Hall. Female party, please return to your original position.] Liam reluctantly lowered his raised hand, glaring at me with pure venom. “You really are a psycho bitch. An old, used-up gold-digger who can’t even extort money properly.” [Due to the male party’s complete refusal to acknowledge the value of a homemaker’s labor, and to empirically prove the female party’s value over the past seven years, we invite any willing participants to join the next simulation.] For the first time ever, the audience was completely, terrifyingly silent. They knew perfectly well that their arguments were logically and morally bankrupt. Yet they still clung to the delusional hope that this groundbreaking case would set a legal precedent they could use to exploit their own wives in the future.

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My boyfriend took me home for the holidays to meet his parents. On the way, he handed me a glass of plain water. Two sips later, my vision went dark. When I woke up, I heard my boyfriend haggling with a human trafficker. “I swear to God! I guarantee she’s a virgin!” But I wasn’t panicked at all, because the human trafficker was actually… my childhood friend’s dad! I had been trafficked back to my own hometown! Right into my childhood friend’s house! 1 My head throbbed with a dull ache, and it was hard to breathe. I groggily opened my eyes and tried to move, but I was completely immobilized. Alarm bells went off in my head. I frantically checked my body. I found a large wad of rough cloth shoved into my mouth, leaving me only able to make muffled whimpering sounds. My hands and feet were tied tightly together, the purple bruises and rope marks clearly visible. There was absolutely no way I could break free. “Tell me the truth! Have you slept with her yet?!” “I swear to God! I, Luke, have absolutely zero interest in women! I never sleep with women! I guarantee she’s a virgin!” “Alright, kid. Here’s twenty grand.” “Deal!” A conversation drifted in from outside the window. I followed the sound and saw two silhouettes. One of them was the boyfriend who had drugged and sold me! And the other, an older man… looked a bit familiar? I scanned the room. In the bottom corner was a large, brick-built wood-burning stove. The cupboard had two tiers. On a wobbly wooden stool with a broken leg, there were some faded pink marker scribbles that read: “Caleb is a…” I remembered perfectly. That was a sentence I secretly wrote when I came over to play at Caleb’s house when we were kids: Caleb is a big idiot! It suddenly hit me. This was Caleb’s house! That other silhouette was Caleb’s dad! Bad news! I was trafficked into a backward, remote mountain village by my college boyfriend! Good news! I was trafficked back to my own village! Right into my childhood friend’s house! I struggled to shift my body, using the wall for leverage to straighten my back and stand up. I hopped over to the wooden door and slammed my body against it, making a loud bang, bang noise. Uncle John! Open the door! It’s me, Lily! When I was little, I helped you pick pears! Don’t you remember?! Come look at me! Let me out! I shouted frantically, but the words were trapped behind the cloth, coming out as low, muffled whimpers. “Shut up, you stupid bitch! Keep quiet! Keep making noise and I’ll take care of you right now!” Uncle John yelled at me impatiently and kicked the door twice from the outside as a warning. The old wooden door shook a cloud of dust all over me. Waaah! It’s not fair! It’s me, Lily, Uncle John! Just look at me! “Dad, who is he?” “Oh, son, you finally decided to come back. That’s the delivery guy. Go to the kitchen and keep an eye on the goods for me.” “Okay.” That voice! Even though it lacked the youthful innocence of the past, I could still tell—it was Caleb! 2 I obediently hopped backward a few steps, trying hard to squeeze out some tears and look pitiful, waiting for Caleb to come in and untie me. With a creak, the door opened. Caleb’s face was backlit, his features sharply defined in the shadows. I instantly held my breath. Caleb really lived up to his title as the village heartthrob back then! He was even more handsome now! I blinked my large, teary eyes, hopped frantically over to him, and shoved my face right in front of his. Look at me! Caleb! I’m Lily! Untie me! But Caleb just frowned. “Who are you? Why are you in my house?” I froze for a second, then realized how much a girl changes as she grows up. Since I was twelve, in the seventh grade, I had gone to the city for school and never returned to the village. I hadn’t seen Caleb in nine years. Just looking at my face, he didn’t recognize me! I whimpered loudly again, my eyes darting desperately to the gag in my mouth. Caleb! Take this out so I can speak! We grew up together! I know so many embarrassing stories about you! Just let me tell two of them, and you’ll definitely recognize me! Caleb backed away a few steps, looking disgusted. “Why are you acting like this in my house? Are you trying to pull an insurance scam?” I almost passed out. Scam your giant gorilla! Why don’t you go ask your dad why I’m like this? Isn’t your dad the village pear farmer? Why is he running this kind of racket?! “What scam? Son, you misunderstand. She’s my new wife! Your new mom!” Just as I rolled my eyes at Caleb, Uncle John walked in, beaming happily. “Oh, son, you know your mom passed away so many years ago. I haven’t had a woman in all this time. This time, I got the matchmaker to find me a young, pretty one. We’re getting married and throwing the banquet tomorrow!” As Uncle John spoke, he excitedly rubbed his hands together and reached out with a sleazy grin to touch my face. Furious, I dodged backward, glaring at him viciously. What matchmaking?! You literally bought me! You’re trafficking women! “You dare glare at me, you little bitch?! Think you’re special?! I’ll beat you to death!” Uncle John’s face instantly changed. He raised a hand to slap me across the face. But Caleb stepped forward, shielding me, and caught his hand just in time. Hiding behind Caleb, my sense of security skyrocketed. Thank God! Caleb is still as smart as ever! He saw through Uncle John’s lies! He knows I was trafficked here! He’s definitely going to save me! But it turned out I was overthinking things. 3 Caleb just stared coldly at Uncle John. “Dad, it’s fine if you want to remarry, but why are you tying her up? Have you forgotten how Mom died?! She committed suicide because she couldn’t take your domestic abuse anymore! “Now, since you’re marrying someone new, I won’t stop you. But you have to promise me you won’t repeat the same mistakes. You have to treat her well.” Caleb’s words sent my hopeful heart crashing straight to the bottom of the abyss. He actually believed it?! Where did his perfect-math-score brain go?! “You got it, son! Dad listens to you. I promise to treat this woman well!” Caleb didn’t say another word. He actually just brushed past Uncle John and walked out, clean and decisive. My vision went black. It felt like the sky was falling. Sigh. I guess there was no other way. Caleb wasn’t going to save me, so I had to save myself. I hopped over to one of the kitchen walls with great effort, bent my knees, and bumped against the wall, signaling Uncle John to look at a chalk drawing up there. It was from when Uncle John turned thirty. I had secretly taken a bunch of colored chalk from school and drawn a ten-tier cake for him on that wall. Underneath, in very neat handwriting, it read: Lily wishes Uncle John a happy birthday. He had patted my head and praised me then: “Haha, little Lily drew this so well! Uncle John is going to take you to town to buy your favorite basket cake!” It was pouring rain that day. He pedaled his little tricycle, having me sit in the back under an umbrella. He rode for over ten miles on muddy roads to take me to town, saying he was going to buy me a basket cake from Mr. Miller’s bakery. Unfortunately, before we even entered the shop, I was picked up by my uncle from the city. My parents passed away when I was very young, and I was raised by my grandmother. But in my seventh-grade year, my grandmother, my only remaining family, passed away too. My uncle, taking pity on me being all alone, came down to the village and took me back to the city. Even though my parents died early, the villagers were all very kind to me, often bringing me meat, vegetables, and rice. Especially Uncle John, who frequently smiled and told me: “Lily, you have to grow up well.” I was raised by the whole village. Now, as if by some twist of fate, I had been trafficked right back to my own village. 4 “Get over here! What are you jumping around for, you stupid bitch! Trying to run away?! I’ll break your legs!” Uncle John stormed over, grabbed me by the neck, slammed me hard onto the ground, and started kicking my legs. My head hit the cold concrete floor. A dull, throbbing pain shot straight to my brain, and it felt like my kneecaps were shattered from the kicks. I lay on the ground, fighting through the pain, trying my hardest to lift my head and whimper at him continuously. Uncle John! It’s me, Lily! How can you not recognize me?! But seeing me resist only enraged Uncle John further. He stepped on my head, grinding the side of my face into the dirt. “You cheap slut! Let me tell you, if you dare try to run, I’ll scatter your entire family’s ashes!” As if stomping on me wasn’t enough, Uncle John pulled an old bamboo whip from the top of the cupboard. This thing was a staple in every household in the village. If a kid misbehaved, a serving of “bamboo shoots and pork” (a beating) would set them straight. “I’ll beat you to death! Do you know my favorite thing to do is beat pretty women?! You better behave!” Uncle John looked possessed, getting happier the more he beat me. The whip came down like rain, lash after relentless lash. I felt like the skin on my back was being flayed open. The agonizing, burning pain forced tears from my eyes. All I could do was curl up on the floor and desperately shake my head. A thousand urgent explanations turned into nothing but muffled whimpers. Uncle John… stop hitting me. If you keep hitting me, I’m really going to die… I don’t know how long he beat me before Uncle John rubbed his elbow and spat at me. “Ptooi! My arm is sore from beating you. For a cheap slut like you, it’s not worth it! Sit tight and wait for the whole village to come for the banquet tomorrow! I’m going to marry you in style!” I curled up on the floor, trembling all over, the pain pushing me to the brink of unconsciousness. “Don’t play dead! We’re getting married tomorrow! Here’s two slaps to wake you up!” He yanked me up by the collar and slapped me hard across the left and right cheeks. Before I passed out, my hazy vision caught the fading light as the wooden door shut. 5 “Hey. How are you holding up? Eat some porridge.” At the crack of dawn the next day, someone gently patted my cheek. I forced my eyes open. It was Caleb. “Caleb! It’s me!” I couldn’t help but cry out anxiously, only to realize I could actually speak. The gag in my mouth had been removed. “How do you know my name?” Caleb set the bowl of porridge on the floor and asked, looking confused. “I’m Lily!” After holding it in for so long, I could finally say my own name. All the grievances in my heart burst open like a broken dam, and I started wailing out loud. “Waaah, Caleb! Uncle John beat me so badly last night! I’m never going to forgive him! I’m never drawing him birthday pictures again! Hurry up and untie me!” But Caleb glanced at the writing on the wall and just shoved me. “Shut up! How dare you impersonate Lily?!” I stumbled and fell backward, furious and resentful! I swear! This father and son pair are dumber than a box of rocks! “Caleb! I really am Lily! Have you forgotten?! We grew up together! We’re childhood sweethearts!” Caleb glared at me in disgust and took the bowl of porridge away. “Get lost. Who’s your childhood sweetheart? If you dare impersonate Lily again, I’m feeding this porridge to the dog!” I looked at his fierce expression, feeling disappointed and stubborn. Tears rolled down my face as my voice shook violently: “Caleb, when your old yellow dog had puppies, we delivered them together. Have you forgotten? “When you turned thirteen, I folded a hundred origami cranes for you, each with a hidden wish written on it. Have you forgotten that? “Back then, you spent three days and three nights writing a hundred love letters for me. Have you forgotten that too? “And now you don’t even recognize me! Our ten years of friendship were completely wasted on you!” I enunciated every word clearly, and Caleb listened, absolutely dumbfounded. He swallowed nervously. “Are… are you really Lily? Why don’t you look anything like her?” He was still doubting me?! Completely disappointed, I sat up straight, leaned into his face, and yelled: “Haven’t you ever heard of puberty, you idiot?!” Seeing him still staring blankly, seemingly unconvinced. In a fit of rage, I deployed my ultimate weapon: “Caleb! You wore split-crotch pants and showed everyone your wiener!” 6 When I was three, my parents were still alive. They carried me to Caleb’s house to buy pears. But we couldn’t find anyone in the house, so we eventually went to their pear orchard. Caleb, with his little stubby legs, came running all the way out to meet me, but I just pointed at his split-crotch pants and laughed. His mother came running up behind him, frantically trying to put a diaper on him. My mom just smiled: “Lily, do you like your Caleb? Should Mommy arrange an arranged marriage for you?” I vaguely remember nodding. As we grew up, whenever Caleb made me mad, I would lean in and secretly tease him about it. Every time, his face would turn bright red. He’d cover his crotch and haughtily huff at me, “Fine! I can’t mess with you!” Over time, this joke became a secret shared only between the two of us. “Caleb! Do you believe me n—” Before I could finish yelling, the light in my line of sight was blocked by a figure frantically lunging at me. Then, my arms were filled with a trembling body that felt like it was going to shatter. Caleb pulled me into a fierce, desperate hug. “Lily, you heartless jerk. Nine years and you never came back to see me. Did you forget about me? Do you have any idea how much I missed you…” Caleb buried his face in my shoulder. His voice shook pitifully, and I could clearly hear the choked-back sobs at the end of his sentences. I could even feel the fabric on my shoulder getting soaked by a warm liquid. Caleb was actually crying? Suddenly, I didn’t dare yell at him anymore. Then, thinking about it carefully, I realized something wasn’t right. Wait, why is HE acting like the victim?! What does he have to be upset about?! He’s the one who didn’t recognize me! And I got a brutal beating from his dad! I was about to scold him, but I realized I couldn’t catch my breath. “Caleb, don’t hug me… so tight. I’m suffocating…” 7 “Hey! Son! Is she awake yet?! The whole village is here for the banquet!” Right then, Uncle John walked in, his face beaming with joy. The next second, the smile vanished from his face instantly, and he quickly shut the wooden door. “What?! Son, what are you doing?! Let go of her right now! If the villagers see this, people will talk!” Caleb stood up, his face dark. “Dad, this is Lily!” “Oh, son. I know you miss Lily, but you can’t just grab a random person and say it’s her. It’s impossible for her to be Lily. They don’t look alike at all. Just look at the writing on the wall. She’s definitely playing tricks trying to escape!” I rolled my eyes, unable to hold it in anymore. “Uncle John! Have you forgotten that on your thirtieth birthday, besides drawing this picture for you, you rode your tricycle to take me to town to eat a basket cake?!” Uncle John shuddered violently, his eyes widening like saucers. “You… you’re really Lily? The college student I bought is actually you?!” Caleb instantly caught the glaring issue in that sentence. “What do you mean ‘bought’?! Dad?! Explain yourself?!” “Uncle John! Trafficking women is a felony! You can’t be involved in this kind of racket! Where’s the ex-boyfriend who sold me yesterday? We need to catch him!” I shook Uncle John’s shoulders violently, trying to shake some sense into him. He immediately dropped to his knees, sliding right to my feet. “Whatever Lily says, goes! I’ll never do something this stupid again! “Uncle John was so foolish. I didn’t recognize you yesterday and I hit you. I’m so sorry, Lily.” After saying that, he slapped himself hard on the left and right cheeks. Two red handprints instantly bloomed on his face. Caleb kept his head down, a vicious glint hidden beneath his messy bangs, his knuckles cracking as he clenched his fists. “Who sold you? I’m going to deal with him.” I pointed at a young man sitting at a large round table outside, tapping his chopsticks, waiting for the banquet to start. “That’s him! Luke!” Caleb shot out like a bolt of furious lightning. 8 “Hey, you’re his son, right? You want a pretty college girl? Since you’re repeat customers, I’ll only charge you…” Before Luke could finish his sentence, he was hoisted into the air and slammed against the wall by Caleb. “What are you doing?! I found your dad a beautiful wife! Why are you hitting me, you psycho?!” Caleb’s eyes were as cold as a frozen lake. He tilted his head, leaning close to Luke’s face. “Do you have any idea who you just sold?” “Her…” Luke pointed a trembling finger in my direction. I stood a short distance away, frowning deeply. From my angle, it seriously looked like they were kissing! I yelled anxiously, “Caleb! Don’t go easy on him!” I grabbed a stool and charged out. I was aiming to hit Luke in the stomach. But my aim was apparently terrible, and I just smashed the stool into the wall! “Hey, John, I heard your son came back. And you’re getting married today! Double blessings!” “Where’s the new bride? Is she prettier than your last one? Bring her out so we can see!” At that moment, the villagers arriving for the banquet started offering their congratulations. Caleb seemed to get even angrier hearing that. He threw a punch straight down at Luke. And smashed his fist right into the wall. The skin on Caleb’s knuckles instantly tore, seeping blood. “Caleb! Today is your dad’s big day! Seeing blood is bad luck!” “Oh, what a sin! John, come control your son!” “Who is that boy wearing glasses? He looks so delicate and pale. Stop hitting him, let me take him home and love on him properly.” I was in the middle of pulling Luke’s hair. Hearing these familiar voices, my heart twisted, and I abruptly stopped what I was doing. I looked down the line at their faces. Nine years had passed, but I still recognized every single one of them. Aunt Sarah, Uncle Tom, Grandma Liu, Grandpa Miller… The smiling faces that had showered me with love when I was a kid flashed before my eyes. My vision blurred with tears. I felt both overjoyed and deeply sad. Overjoyed because I got to see them again. Sad because I was about to be separated from them again. “Oh my, why is this child crying… it breaks my heart.” “Is she the new bride John is marrying?” Caleb roared at the top of his lungs: “What new bride?! She’s Lily!” 9 “Wh… what? She’s Lily? Little Lily finally came back?! Oh my, let me look at you. You’ve grown so much!” “Lily, you came back and just stayed at your Uncle John’s house?! You didn’t even come around to visit us! Did you forget all about us?!” “Aunt Sarah’s peaches are ripe again! Come to my house tomorrow to eat peaches, Lily!” “Uncle Tom just slaughtered a pig for the New Year! Come to my house tomorrow, I’ll stew some pig trotters for you!” “I didn’t forget you guys… I came back to find you…” I sobbed, hugging them one by one. “Wow, you guys are something else! Playing me for a fool?! Hiring me to buy someone, and it turns out you all know her!” While I was catching up with the villagers, Luke seized the opportunity and bolted. Clang, clang, clang! Before I could even chase after him, the sound of a gong echoed through the courtyard. I whipped around. It was Uncle John. He was beating a gong to get the villagers’ attention. “Catch him! Everyone! That brat who just ran away tried to sell Lily for cash!” “What?! He dared to bully Lily?! I’m going to break his legs! Don’t run, you bastard!” Uncle Tom exploded with rage, ran into Uncle John’s house, grabbed a hoe, and chased after him. “Beat him to death! How dare he bully our Lily! Doesn’t he have eyes?!” “Everyone, chase him! He’s not getting away!” Aunt Sarah hoisted a rake over her shoulder and chased after him, cursing a blue streak. “I’m going too! I’m going to get revenge for Lily!” Grandma Liu raised her cane high, ready to join the pursuit. I quickly grabbed her and made her sit down. “No, no, no, Grandma Liu, your health isn’t good. You shouldn’t go.” 10 The village was full of narrow, winding dirt paths. The houses were close together, each fenced in to raise chickens, and everyone had a fierce guard dog. Hunted from all sides, Luke sprinted desperately through the village, causing absolute chaos everywhere he went. More and more villagers came out to help. It was practically the entire village mobilized. “Everyone come out and catch him! That animal sold Lily!” “Grab your weapons and get him!” “I’m begging you, please spare me! I won’t take the twenty grand, okay?! “Please let me go! Ahhhhh!” Luke ran for his life while screaming and begging at the top of his lungs. But two fists are no match for dozens of hands. He was eventually surrounded by the villagers, caught in the middle of the crowd, and beaten mercilessly. “Ow! Why are you pulling my hair?!” “Stop scratching! Ahh, it hurts!” Watching the villagers exact revenge for me, I was moved to tears and snot. Waaah, the villagers are so good to me. They really are my family. They are my family! After my touching moment, I clapped my hands gleefully. “Haha! Luke, when you kidnapped me, you never expected this day would come, did you?!” “Here, you must be hungry.” Before I could stop grinning, Caleb walked over holding two massive chicken drumsticks. He shoved one into my mouth. Then he sat down next to me. His deep eyes were locked onto the scene of the villagers beating Luke, and he violently chewed the chicken in his mouth to pieces.

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One drunken night, Ethan Vance got a girl pregnant. By the time I found out, she was already six months along. He told me that if we kept the child, we could go back to the way things were. I shook my head and asked him, stubbornly: “Between me and this child, who do you choose?” That day, he stayed silent for a long time, unable to give me an answer. But after I vanished, he finally realized his mistake. 1 In the five years we were married, I never imagined it would end like this. On the steps outside the hospital, Ethan was carefully supporting a young, beautiful girl. I stood a short distance away, making direct eye contact with an Ethan I hadn’t seen looking so tender in a long time. His eyes darted away, stiffly avoiding my gaze. The heavily pregnant girl next to him also looked my way, tears instantly welling up in her eyes. After safely helping the girl into a car and whispering some careful instructions, Ethan walked over to me. His steps were calm and composed, entirely lacking the panic I expected from someone caught red-handed. First, he took my ice-cold hands and wrapped them tightly in his own. “Why are you at the hospital? Are you feeling unwell?” He spoke with concern, reaching out to check my forehead. I dodged his hand. “Who is she?” Ethan didn’t answer my question. Instead, he pulled me into his arms, trying to comfort me. “No one important. I’ll explain everything when we get home, okay?” In that moment, his soft, gentle tone was what finally broke me. Tears started to fall. I looked up at him stubbornly, demanding an answer. As long as he said it, I would believe him. Ethan sighed softly, then gently wiped the tears from the corners of my eyes. “The child is mine.” The tears froze on my face. I forgot how to breathe. I bit my lip until it was bruised red, broke free from his embrace, and stumbled backward. Only then did a flicker of anger cross Ethan’s face. He pulled me back into his arms, looking at me with heartache. “Mia, you can blame me, but don’t torture yourself.” I didn’t understand how he could do something like this, yet still put on this display of love for me. During our silent standoff… The girl stepped out of the car. “Get back inside!” Ethan snapped, his face cold, his voice devoid of any warmth. The girl looked at him timidly but didn’t leave. A newfound determination hardened her eyes. “Mrs. Vance, Ethan and I aren’t what you think. This baby was an accident.” She offered a bitter smile. “If I could, I would want this child less than anyone.” My vision blurred. Even though I couldn’t see the expression on his face clearly… I knew him well enough to sense that the initial coldness was already gone. “Enough, stop talking!” Jealousy, resentment… all these emotions flooded my heart, and I screamed in breakdown. The girl, startled, swayed and nearly fell, but was quickly caught in his arms. I stared blankly at this scene, a thought flashing through my mind. I lunged towards them. Just as I was about to bump into the girl’s swollen belly, a powerful force shoved me away. I sat on the ground, lifting my scraped palms, and gave a tragic, empty smile. Ethan stared in disbelief at his outstretched hand, frozen. That day, Ethan left the six-month pregnant girl and took me home. But I knew, he and I had no future left. 2 Once we got home, Ethan gave me an explanation. I sat on the bed, unmoving for a long time. He stood on the balcony of my room, smoking for the entire night. I knew he was using self-flagellation to make my heart ache for him. He always knew exactly where my weak spots were. As dawn broke, Ethan turned around, walked back inside, and came to my side. “Hungry? What do you want to eat? I’ll cook.” I called out to him with a raspy voice. “Ethan, we need to talk.” Ethan’s footsteps paused, but he didn’t turn back for a long time. He knew my personality perfectly; he knew I cared deeply about this kind of thing. I cared a lot. Even though he was drunk that night, and even though his interaction with that girl was an unintentional accident… I could never forgive him. So, Ethan had kept it a secret. But no one could have anticipated that the stranger, a girl he only met once, would get pregnant. Due to a specific medical condition, she couldn’t terminate the pregnancy. And that brought us to today’s reality. Ethan still walked away. He didn’t dare face what I was going to say next. I knew he loved me. If he didn’t love me, we wouldn’t have survived our long courtship. If he didn’t love me, he wouldn’t have spoiled me into someone who could throw tantrums and cry over the smallest things. For the next week, Ethan didn’t come home. Yet, he called the housekeeper every single day, asking for detailed updates on how I was doing. The housekeeper tried to comfort me: “Ma’am, you and Mr. Vance are the most deeply in love couple I’ve ever seen. Whatever is going on, just talk it out. “He… he’s lost so much weight recently.” The housekeeper had been with us for years; she had never seen Ethan and me have a single argument. Even Ethan’s mother, who had initially disapproved of me, eventually accepted me as her daughter-in-law because of how happy we were together. My phone rang. It was Ethan calling. “Sister-in-law, Ethan’s had too much to drink. Can you come pick him up?” “Don’t bother with him!” After hanging up, the heavy knot in my chest didn’t dissipate; it only grew tighter. My mind kept replaying the image of Ethan’s retreating back, looking somehow stooped and defeated. I couldn’t bring myself to be completely heartless and abandon him there alone. After a brief internal struggle, I grabbed the car keys. And strode out the door. 3 The door to the private room was slightly ajar. I stood outside, not going in. Ethan was indeed very drunk, sprawled out on the sofa with all four limbs splayed, completely devoid of his usual dignity. Standing in front of him was the heavily pregnant girl. Ethan’s friend looked a bit embarrassed. “Miss Su, my sister-in-law refused to come, and Ethan refused to leave, so I had to call you.” The girl smiled gently and lifted one of Ethan’s arms to help him up. He unexpectedly shoved her away. A few startled gasps snapped Ethan out of his drunken stupor. He looked at the woman in front of him, a smile uglier than crying forming on his face. “Chloe Su, it’s all because of you… Mia doesn’t want me anymore…” Ethan kept repeating that phrase, then started searching frantically for more alcohol. No one could stop him. He grabbed a bottle and started chugging it like his life depended on it. Chloe suddenly snatched the bottle from his hand and smashed it violently onto the floor. The room instantly fell silent. Even Ethan, who had been throwing a drunken tantrum just a moment ago, stared at her blankly. “Ethan, causing a scene like this will scare our child. “Get up. I’m tired. Take me home.” In this city, Ethan Vance was a man who commanded immense respect and power. Other than me, no one had ever dared order him around like this. Everyone assumed he was going to explode. No one dared to breathe. But in that suffocating atmosphere, Ethan didn’t say a single word. He slowly got up, grabbed his jacket, and quietly followed Chloe out. They left together. Hiding in the corner, I watched the man and woman walk away. And suddenly, I smiled. Only, this smile carried a heavy, bitter taste. I followed their taxi to a high-end residential complex. I watched with my own eyes as Ethan got out and followed the girl upstairs. A light flicked on in an apartment high above. I sat in my car and watched for the entire night. Ethan never came out. At seven in the morning, he walked back inside carrying breakfast. I stared at that incredibly familiar silhouette. And quietly drove away alone. 4 I called Ethan back home, but I didn’t bring up divorce. I looked at the man, who looked noticeably thinner, and quickly averted my gaze. “I didn’t pick you up last night. Where did you sleep?” Ethan’s fingers twitched slightly. After a moment, he said: “I slept at the office.” I couldn’t quite name the feeling in my chest—it wasn’t really bitterness. It was more like overwhelming disappointment. Since when had Ethan learned to lie to me? The man who once promised to be completely honest with me for the rest of his life had changed. I didn’t expose his lie, because to me, it didn’t matter anymore. “How many months along is she?” Ethan’s voice paused for a few seconds, seemingly reluctant to hurt me. “Almost seven months.” After answering, he dropped to one knee in front of me, burying his face deeply into my lap. His tears soaked right through my skirt. “Mia, I was wrong. Please don’t leave me.” In my memory, Ethan had never cried before. Now, he was sobbing uncontrollably. Watching him cry made my heart ache. But I knew, in this moment, I couldn’t be soft-hearted. “Set up a meeting for me and that girl.” We chose to meet at Chloe’s apartment. Ethan waited outside the door. Chloe gently stroked her belly, her eyes filled with absolute anticipation for the child. “That night, the lights were off, and I was genuinely terrified. “But the next morning, when I saw Mr. Vance lying next to me… I actually felt a brief moment of relief.” Chloe laughed as she spoke. She looked up at me, still maintaining that gentle, beautiful facade. “Ms. Harrison, since our child is going to be born soon, why don’t you just step aside and let us be together?” With Ethan absent, the girl in front of me seemed like a completely different person. Honestly, I wasn’t that surprised. Because the night I went looking for Ethan, Chloe had glanced at me from behind the door. I knew she had seen me that night. She slowly stood up and pushed open a closed door. Inside was a cozy, fully decorated nursery. “Everything in here was personally picked out by Mr. Vance. He decorated the room himself. “He’s not entirely unexcited about this child.” I desperately wanted to maintain my last shred of composure in front of Chloe, who was showing off Ethan’s fatherly devotion. But I still let her provoke me. So, Ethan was actually looking forward to this child. He wasn’t entirely indifferent. It felt like all the strength had been drained from my body. I braced one hand on the dining table, knocking over a glass of water. The sharp sound of shattering glass struck my heart, fracturing it into countless pieces. Hearing the noise, Ethan rushed in to find me swaying unsteadily, while Chloe lay on the floor, crying out in pain. That day, I will never forget that Ethan’s first choice was no longer me. Chloe shot me a triumphant smile, thinking she had won. As he brushed past me, Ethan hesitated for only a fraction of a second. Ultimately, he walked right past me, scooped Chloe up, and rushed her to the hospital. 5 In the moment he left, Ethan didn’t even look at me. I stood there for a very long time before slowly accepting the reality that he had abandoned me. I followed them to the hospital. By the time I arrived, Ethan’s parents were already there. So, I was the only one kept in the dark. They had known all along. Seeing me approach, Ethan’s mother slapped me hard across the face. “If anything happens to my grandson, I’ll make you pay!” Ethan immediately stepped in front of me, shielding my entire body behind his. Seeing this, his mother grew even more furious. “Ethan Vance! You protect her all you want normally, but right now, she’s trying to harm your son!” Ethan laughed, a sound laced with suppressed rebellion. “So what? If he’s gone, he’s gone.” If they hadn’t kept the child a secret from him, Mia wouldn’t be hurting like this. No one knew that when he saw Chloe fall… His first reaction had actually been relief. He was beginning to deeply regret this unexpected complication. The doctor came out and announced the baby was safe. Ethan’s parents rushed into the room, fussing over Chloe and asking if she was okay. But Chloe kept her pitiful gaze fixed on Ethan, who remained standing by the door. If she dared to frame me, I certainly wasn’t going to let her have what she wanted. I revealed my swollen, red left cheek to make his heart ache, and said to Ethan: “I don’t want to stay here anymore.” Ethan left with me. Before we left, I looked at Chloe lying in the hospital bed and returned her earlier triumphant smile. At least for now, Ethan still favored me. Even if I no longer wanted that favoritism. During the days when Ethan thought I was accepting the child, I was already preparing to leave. I packed my belongings and drafted a divorce agreement. I was just waiting for the right day. That’s right, I was going to leave on the day Chloe gave birth. Didn’t she want me to step aside and let them be a happy family of three? I was going to grant her wish. 6 Lately, I’d been having a dull ache in my lower abdomen. I had planned to get it checked out the day I went to the hospital, but I hadn’t expected to run into them. I made a new appointment and got checked. When I received the results, I laughed until I cried. Ethan and I had been trying for a baby for five years with no luck. And now, this child seemed to have arrived at the absolute worst possible time. I wandered aimlessly through the hospital, clutching the positive pregnancy test, completely unsure of what to do with the tiny life growing inside me. I knew I should get rid of it, but I couldn’t bear to. This decision was harder than giving up Ethan. Until I looked up and saw Ethan walking out of a prenatal checkup with Chloe. Neither of us had brought up Chloe in the past few days. He assumed my silence meant tacit acceptance of the situation. “Ethan, our baby is so healthy. I’m so happy.” Ethan’s tone revealed nothing, but his slightly raised eyebrows betrayed his good mood. “Yeah. You’re taking good care of him.” They were so absorbed in discussing the baby that they didn’t even notice I had stopped right in front of them. The moment Ethan saw me, he immediately dropped Chloe’s hand and put distance between them. After a heavy silence, I spoke first. “What a coincidence. I’ll leave you two to it. I have to go.” Ethan panicked, grabbing my arm to stop me. “Mia, let me explain.” I calmly pulled my arm free, without a trace of anger. “I’m not mad. This child is your responsibility. I understand.” At those words, Chloe’s eyes suddenly lit up. “Ms. Harrison, do you really agree to let us keep the baby?” Since we had torn away all pretenses last time, I didn’t bother offering her a friendly expression. “Ms. Su, your baby is due in a few days. Does it matter if I agree or not?” The woman suddenly panicked, her voice taking on a tearful edge. “I… I was forced.” Saying these things now was utterly meaningless. I didn’t let Ethan follow me. I turned around and headed back to the doctor’s office. Someone had just made the decision for me.

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Late at night, bored out of my mind, I secretly used an AI tool to generate a video of me kissing my massive crush to use as a substitute for the real thing. But somehow, I accidentally sent the video directly to him. After watching it, he grabbed me, pulled out his phone, and pointed the camera at us. “AI kisses are boring. “Come on, let’s film a real one.” 1 Late at night. I was scrolling through TikTok, bored out of my mind, when I suddenly saw something very interesting. A creator had used an AI software to blend photos of herself and her crush, generating a highly realistic video of them kissing. It looked incredibly real. ! Has AI technology really advanced this far?! A spark of inspiration hit me. I immediately dove deep into my phone’s camera roll and dug up a bunch of photos. They were all of my crush, Liam. His serious profile during a lecture, his lazy, smiling face while joking with friends, his incredible abs exposed when he casually lifted his jersey to wipe his sweat… Just looking at them made me drool. I had begged, borrowed, and stolen these high-quality photos from all sorts of places. I fed all the photos of Liam and myself into the AI software. After a flurry of complex operations, it exported a video of about ten seconds. In it, “I” and “Liam” looked into each other’s eyes. Then “I” looked up, “he” looked down, and “we” shared a sweet, romantic kiss. “My” hand was even resting on his chest. And “his” hand was cupping the back of my neck. Tsk. The kiss I couldn’t get in real life, I managed to get first through AI. I lay in my dorm bed, holding my phone, my heart fluttering. The smile on my face never dropped the entire time. I probably watched this fake kissing video over a hundred times on loop. But gradually, something started to feel a bit off. I felt like even though the AI “Liam” looked like the real Liam, his body proportions were slightly wrong. His shoulders weren’t that narrow, and his smile looked weird. His arms shouldn’t be that scrawny either. It wasn’t perfect. It was probably because I hadn’t fed the AI enough reference material, so the guy in the video didn’t completely match Liam’s actual physique. After thinking about it, I opened a chat with a specific friend on my phone. 2 This friend was an absolute legend at our university. I forgot how I even added her, and I’d never met her in person, but I just knew she was incredibly well-connected. Because she always had a massive stash of photos of Liam for sale. And they were never duplicates. Some of them were even selfies taken from Liam’s own perspective. I had asked her out of curiosity where she got these pictures, and she claimed she tracked down a little-known social media account Liam had on a foreign app. That account was full of photos Liam posted himself. So her “inventory” was fully stocked. A dollar a picture—cheap, affordable, and high-quality. It perfectly satisfied the needs of a secret admirer like me. Of course, she never told me the actual username of the account. [You there, babe?] My friend, whose profile picture was Hello Kitty, replied instantly: [Yeah.] [Got any more pics of Liam?] [Yeah, why are you buying more? Didn’t you just buy a dozen the day before yesterday?] I answered vaguely: [I already drew them all. I need more reference material for my art assignments.] I had never revealed to anyone that I liked Liam. Liam was notoriously hard to pursue. Since freshman year, no one had succeeded, and rumor had it he still harbored feelings for his first love. I was naturally introverted and struggled with low self-esteem. I didn’t want to humiliate myself by getting rejected; the thought of it just made me feel awkward and embarrassed. So, with this internet friend, my excuse for buying Liam’s photos was always that I needed references for my art classes. Other students from the art department also frequently drew Liam. After all, his facial features were striking and highly defined, and his body lines were excellent. He was the absolute perfect candidate for a model. Because the final products were so pleasing to the eye, the professors naturally tended to give higher grades. So my excuse of buying photos to draw Liam wasn’t suspicious at all; it was actually quite common. [But this time I don’t want his selfies. I want to buy some pictures of his body. Abs, chest—shots that show off his physique well.] [My figure drawing assignment this time is a bit tricky, sell me a few with good angles.] She replied slowly: [Alright, I’ll go find some for you.] My internet friend went to work. I waited, my imagination running wild. [Image] [Image] [Image] Soon, she sent over a few photos. They were all high-definition mirror selfies of a shirtless Liam. An eight-pack, a prominent V-line, broad shoulders, and a narrow waist. His muscle lines were smooth and flawless from every angle. Paired with that incredibly handsome face, the sheer testosterone and youthful energy radiating from the photos had me completely hooked. Saved the pictures, and transferred the money immediately. [Thanks! Got any clear shots of his face looking straight ahead?] Otherwise, in the AI video, the guy’s face gets a little distorted. She accepted the money. A few seconds later, she sent a high-definition selfie of Liam. He seemed to have taken it in the bathroom of the boys’ dorm. His expression was lazy. A truly authoritative, universally acknowledged handsome face. [Yeah. We’re having a promotion today: buy five, get one free. This one’s on the house.] I was deeply moved. What an absolute god-tier internet friend. 3 Using the excuse of working on my assignment, I quickly fed these new photos into the AI software. The AI generated a brand new video. This time, it felt right. The “Liam” in this video matched his actual expressions and body type 99%. The plot seemed richer, and the video was longer. A subway train kiss. Tsk. Looks like the AI had a preference for J-drama tropes. I dragged the progress bar, continuing to watch. In a crowded subway car, “Liam” pinned “me” against the wall. He whispered in “my” ear first, then lowered his head and kissed “me.” This kind of public display of affection carried a strange mix of thrill and shyness. Hiding quietly behind my bed curtains, I felt like a furnace had been placed right next to me. I felt so hot that my cheeks and ears were burning, and my throat felt a little dry. I watched it over and over again, endlessly. I’m not joking. Even when I’m dead and nailed into a coffin, I’m taking this fake digital sustenance with me to enjoy in the afterlife. It wasn’t until I literally couldn’t keep my eyes open anymore that I reluctantly closed the video and went to sleep. For the next few days, I was completely addicted to this AI kissing video. So much so that I temporarily stopped hitting up my god-tier internet friend for pictures. Then one day, she reached out to me first. [Why haven’t you bought any pictures of Liam lately?] I replied: [Babe, I don’t need any for now.] Hearing this, she immediately fired off a barrage of messages. [? [Don’t need them? [Did you not finish drawing the old ones? [Or are you planning to draw someone else instead of Liam? [Who is it? Does he have a better body than Liam? Is he handsomer than Liam? [His body was built from playing sports; you can’t compare those scrawny guys to him. [What’s wrong with him? Tell me, I’ll fix it.] She recalled one of her messages. [What’s wrong with him? Tell me, and next time I’ll find you some better pictures.] ? Why was she suddenly getting so defensive and anxious? 4 I was confused, but I assumed she was just worried about losing her most loyal customer. [I’m not planning on drawing anyone else. No one else has a physique that can beat his.] She seemed to be in a good mood again. [Oh, then why did you stop buying his photos?] [I saw him post some pictures on his social media, and his body seems to have gotten even better lately. [Are you sure you don’t want to buy some more for reference?] I replied mysteriously: [I don’t need static photos right now, mainly because I’ve been enjoying something much better lately.] [What something better? Let me see.] [No, it’s my secret.] If this shameless AI kissing video accidentally leaked and caused trouble for Liam’s reputation and life, what would I do? I might be thirsty. But I can’t cause trouble for Liam. That’s the fundamental rule of having a secret crush. Afraid this internet friend would keep pestering me, I brushed her off casually and stopped replying. She sent a few more messages before finally going quiet. Just as I was getting ready to resume enjoying my digital sustenance, the person pinned to the very top of my chat list sent me a message. Liam: [You there?] !! I excitedly rubbed my eyes. Holy crap. Liam had actually initiated a conversation with me! [I’m here, I’m here. What’s up?] What did he want? Was he inviting me out? Did he want me to bring him water at the basketball court? Asking me out to dinner? In just a few seconds, countless romantic scenarios bubbled up in my brain. Then, Liam just dropped a garbled link into the chat. And said: [Can you click this Temu link for me? Thanks.] …….? 5 The romantic bubbles burst mercilessly. But I didn’t dare delay. Whatever my crush does is right. So what if a guy who wears a different pair of limited-edition sneakers every day uses Temu? It just proves he knows when to spend and when to save. He is wise. I hurriedly clicked the link to help Liam secure his discount. Just watching the animation took me several minutes, only to arrive at the conclusion that I was the “luckiest person of the day.” Not bad. A perfect conclusion. I tapped the screen frantically. [Done. Check and see if it worked.] [Yeah, it did.] [That’s good.] And then the conversation died. I stared at the chat interface, racking my brain trying to find a topic to keep the conversation going. But I genuinely didn’t know what to say. After all, in Liam’s mind, I was probably just an underclassman in the same club as him. After agonizing over it, I sent him a link too. [Can you click mine too?] Liam paused for a moment: [Sure.] Then, he sent me another link. [Click this one for me too.] ? Another one? Just how frugal has my crush become lately? I was confused, but I still clicked it. Then I immediately shot another link back at him, absolutely refusing to let this conversation end. [Then click this one for me too.] And so, that night, the two of us clicked hundreds of links for each other. Eventually, Temu couldn’t take it anymore and sent us both, two absolute broke college students, a massive discount coupon. We struck gold. A massive payday. 6 After spending an entire night having this bizarre alternative “chat” with my crush, I was full of energy the next day, despite having massive dark circles under my eyes. I didn’t expect that as soon as I walked into the classroom, I’d get even more good news. The professor had specifically invited over a dozen guys from the basketball team to be our live figure models. When these guys, all over six feet tall, walked in, the usually spacious and quiet art studio suddenly felt a bit cramped. The smell of vibrant, youthful energy mixed with the scent of oil paint. My eyes instantly landed on Liam, who was standing toward the back. The campus idol had actually been dragged here to be a model too. The eyes of every girl in the studio lit up. My heart raced, and I secretly bowed to the heavens. Oh merciful gods, your devoted follower has given up vegetarianism for life; you MUST let Liam be my model! The professor told the slightly embarrassed guys to just take a seat in order. I craned my neck and quickly counted heads. Crap. Liam was going to be the model for the student sitting right behind me. But that was okay; just being able to catch glimpses of him out of the corner of my eye was enough to satisfy me. One by one, they sat down. When the guy in front of Liam was about to sit next to me, Liam suddenly patted his shoulder and said calmly: “Big Mike, I think you left your bag in the bathroom in the academic building.” The guy called Big Mike froze. “Holy shit, I knew my hands felt empty! Thanks, Liam.” “No problem. Go find it before it’s gone.” “Yeah, yeah.” Big Mike lifted his butt from the chair and rushed out of the studio in a panic. And then Liam, amidst my bewildered and ecstatic gaze, casually took the seat right next to me. “Chloe, I’ll be your model.” 7 My heart was beating like a drum. I nodded, pretending to be calm. “Sorry for the trouble.” “It’s no trouble. Do you need me to strike a specific pose?” “No, just sit however is comfortable for you.” Liam leaned back in the chair, his long legs stretched out casually. His gaze frequently landed on me. This scene felt exactly like the beginning of that AI kissing video. We were sitting on the subway, and he was seducing me with his eyes. In this moment, I was terrified that if I made eye contact with him, I would instinctively blush and expose my overly indecent inner thoughts. So I kept my neck stiff and didn’t dare look at him too much. Fortunately, I had long since memorized the proportions of Liam’s face, so I could roughly sketch it out blindly based on feeling. Liam sat quietly beside me, not saying much. But his presence was incredibly strong. Especially because of whatever laundry detergent he used; it smelled amazing. I made a mental note to buy the same brand later. Just as my mind was wandering and my sketching was becoming chaotic, the boy suddenly leaned his face closer, as if curious about my progress. ! My hand holding the pencil jerked. I ended up drawing his eyelashes way too long in one stroke. It looked a bit comical. Liam said lazily: “Chloe, that’s a bit of a stretch, isn’t it?” “Sorry.” But Liam didn’t seem to have any intention of letting me off the hook. He raised his hand and, highly amused, lightly tapped the drawing of himself on my sketchpad. “By the way, why is the bridge of my nose so flat, and why does my mouth look so stiff? It looks like I had too much Botox.” Being criticized by the actual model, I frustratingly and sheepishly grabbed my eraser. I planned to quickly erase the garbage drawing caused by my wandering mind. “I’m sorry, I’ll fix it right now.” I couldn’t afford to get distracted again. Stay focused. But Liam said: “Don’t rush to fix it. You don’t seem to be in the zone. Why don’t you get a feel for your model first?” “Get a feel for you? How?” I turned to look at him in confusion. I heard the boy speak in a coaxing tone: “Chloe, why don’t you touch my face?” My eyes shot wide open. ! T-touch him?! Did I just hit the jackpot?!

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While helping my boyfriend transfer some files… I accidentally stumbled upon a hidden photo album. I casually clicked it open. The screen was instantly flooded with photos of a couple, catching me completely off guard. It turned out, my boyfriend had a new girlfriend. Right at that exact moment, I received a text from my best friend. [Mia, I have a huge secret to tell you!] [Liam is planning to propose to you! On your birthday!] 1 When Liam asked me to help him transfer some files… I accidentally clicked on his D drive instead of his external hard drive. Just as I was about to exit, a very unique folder caught my eye in the bottom corner. It was titled [With You]. Curiosity got the better of me, and I clicked it open. A screen completely full of couple photos instantly filled my vision. In that moment, I felt like the punchline to a massive, humiliating joke. 2 In the photos, Liam had his arms wrapped tightly around her waist, resting his chin on her shoulder as they took mirror selfies. There was also a shot of him playfully tugging on the bunny ear headband she was wearing, while she looked down shyly. It was an intimate, flirtatious dynamic that clearly belonged to them. It was actually hilarious. When he was with me, he was always gentle, polite, and restrained. But in these photos, he was clearly dominant and aggressively affectionate. My eyes were drawn, entirely against my will, to the bracelet on her wrist. What a coincidence. I have the exact same one. It was the gift Liam gave me for my birthday last year. He told me he had our names custom-engraved on it, and that it was the only one of its kind in the entire world. Looking at it now, it was an absolute joke. It turns out, they’ve been together for much longer than a year. A sharp, agonizing pain seized my heart. An indescribable agony spread from my chest through my entire body. I slowly closed my eyes, feeling like every ounce of strength had been instantly drained from me. When I opened them again, my vision was completely blurred with tears. Fighting back the violent wave of nausea rolling in my stomach… I pulled out my phone, took photos of the screen, and saved them. 3 Right at that exact moment, a message notification popped up. It was from my best friend, Chloe. [Mia, I have a huge secret to tell you!] [Liam is planning to propose to you! On your birthday!] [He’s already booked the venue and everything, and he made us swear to keep it a secret from you! It’s so romantic!] Seeing I hadn’t replied, she sent another: [Hello? You there?] [Babe, are you super surprised?! Isn’t this amazing?!] I replied: [No. It’s actually disgusting.] She asked, completely confused: [Wait, what?! What happened?!] [Liam is cheating on me.] … The very next second, Chloe was calling me. The moment I answered, she hissed through gritted teeth, “Liam is absolute trash!!!” 4 After forcing my emotions back into a locked box, I grabbed the USB drive and walked out the door. My car was in the shop for maintenance, so I took a cab to Liam’s office. When I handed him the drive, I had to put on a flawless performance and act like absolutely nothing was wrong. It was incredibly uncomfortable. Just as I turned to leave, Liam suddenly grabbed my hand, looked at me with absolute tenderness, and said, “Wifey, I’m so lucky to have you.” Right on cue, one of his coworkers walked by. He laughed and teased, “Whoa, getting a little too sweet in here for the office, aren’t we?” I subtly pulled my hand out of his grasp and forced a tight, artificial smile. “I’m meeting Chloe to go shopping. I have to run.” He nodded slightly, reached out to ruffle my hair, and smiled. “Have fun.” 5 At the coffee shop. After Chloe finished listening to my entire story… She looked like she wanted to literally tear him to shreds. “Liam is a sociopathic piece of trash.” She aggressively stabbed her cake with her fork, using it as an outlet for her rage. She looked at me and asked, “Mia, what are you going to do?” I stared blankly at the bustling street outside the window for a long time before finally speaking: “I want to prepare a ‘surprise’ for him on my birthday.” Hearing that, Chloe slammed her hand on the table excitedly. “Beautiful! I am 100% on board. Whatever you need me to do, just say the word.” I laid out my entire plan to her. She nodded vigorously the whole time. At the very end, she added one condition. “Mia, leave everything to me. Once we nuke this situation, we are going on a massive vacation.” She looked at me with eager, hopeful eyes. I knew she was just terrified I was going to fall apart. When our eyes met, a genuine smile finally reached mine. “Okay!” 6 When Liam came home that night… I was just placing the last bowl of soup on the dining table. He walked up behind me and wrapped his arms securely around my waist. He rested his chin on my shoulder and nuzzled me affectionately a few times. “Having a wife is the best. I get to come home to a hot, home-cooked meal every day.” When he leaned in close, a faint, unfamiliar perfume drifted into my nose. My body instantly went rigid. Feigning absolute calm, I reached down and pried his hands off my waist. I said softly, “Go wash your hands and let’s eat.” The second he turned his back… The sweet, loving smile I had plastered on my face vanished, replaced by an expression of pure, freezing ice. As soon as he sat down at the table, his phone was practically glued to his hand. He was constantly typing and replying, a smug smile playing on his lips, completely ignoring the food in front of him. I looked up, my tone heavy with implication: “Who are you chatting with? You look really happy.” His head snapped up. In that split second of eye contact, I caught the unmistakable flash of pure panic in his eyes before he forced it down. He quickly smiled and explained, “No one special. Just the guys from work goofing off in the group chat.” I played along, asking with feigned curiosity, “Let me see! I love a good joke.” The next second, he locked the screen, placed the phone face down on the table, and put on a mask of casual indifference. “It’s just guy talk, nothing you’d find interesting.” He avoided looking at me and quickly urged, “Eat up, the food is going to get cold.” The last remaining glimmer of light in my eyes quietly extinguished. The shy, genuine boy from years ago could now lie directly to my face without even blinking. In that moment, I felt absolutely nothing but overwhelming, suffocating disappointment. 7 After dinner, he proactively volunteered to do the dishes. I sat on the living room sofa, watching him in the kitchen out of the corner of my eye. He was doing the dishes with one hand while staring at his phone in the other, a massive smile plastered permanently across his face. It’s honestly hilarious. Six years of deep, genuine connection, absolutely obliterated by the thrill of something ‘new.’ After cleaning up, he presented a cake box to me like he was offering up a grand prize. “Wifey, I got you your favorite! Tiramisu.” He looked at me with eager anticipation, his tone exactly like a child desperate for praise. I’ve always loved desserts. I genuinely believed that sweet things could fix a bad mood. But right now, no amount of sugar could mask the bitter taste in my mouth. I stared blankly at the cake box, completely zoning out. Seeing my reaction, Liam gently nudged me. “Wifey, what are you thinking about?” I finally snapped back to reality and was just reaching out to take the cake. Right at that moment, Liam’s phone, which he had left sitting on the table, suddenly rang. Before I could even read the caller ID, he snatched it up with terrifying speed, as if terrified I would see it. Because he moved so frantically, he dropped the hand holding the cake. My outstretched hand grasped at empty air, and the cake plummeted directly onto the floor. But the phone just kept ringing incessantly. Liam was so desperate to decline the call that his finger slipped, and he accidentally answered it. “Liam.” A soft, gentle female voice drifted from the speaker. She sounded like she was crying. I looked up at him, perfectly capturing the raw panic flashing in his eyes. He frantically mashed the volume down button until the phone was completely silent. His expression instantly morphed into his usual, calm mask. He pointed at the phone screen and mouthed the words to me: “It’s a coworker.” Then he took the phone and practically sprinted to the balcony. 8 I watched his retreating back and actually let out a dry laugh. I didn’t follow him. I just stared blankly at the completely ruined cake splattered across the hardwood floor. It felt like a perfect metaphor for our future. About fifteen minutes later, Liam finished his call and walked back inside, just as I was scraping the ruined cake into the trash can. He looked at me apologetically. “Wifey, there was an emergency at work. I’m so sorry you didn’t get to eat your cake.” I smiled, my tone incredibly light and airy. “It’s fine. It got dirty, so I threw it away. It’s just a cake.” He stood there awkwardly, his eyes shifting nervously. I asked, playing the perfect, understanding girlfriend: “What’s wrong? Is it a serious emergency?” He said apologetically, “There’s a massive issue with one of our core projects. That coworker was literally crying on the phone about it. I have to go to the office and sort it out right now.” He quickly added, “I’ll buy you a new cake on my way back.” He used his standard, sweet, coaxing tone, his face completely composed. I smiled and teased, “Does everyone at work call you ‘Liam’ so casually?” His body went rigid, the smile freezing instantly on his face. I waved my hand dismissively. “I’m just joking! Hurry up and go, don’t let work wait.” He let out a very obvious, massive sigh of relief, threw on his jacket, and hurried out the door. After Liam left… I hailed a cab and had the driver tail his car. The driver was a chatty, friendly older guy. When I told him to follow the car in front of us, he happily agreed. He asked, curious: “Miss, is that your husband up there?” I paused for a second before answering: “My boyfriend!” He immediately sensed the dark mood and understood the situation entirely. He promised me: “Don’t worry, I won’t lose him.” 9 The car eventually pulled up in front of a bakery. The name on the sign was incredibly familiar. It was the bakery Liam had been buying cakes from for the past two years. He had barely reached the front door when a figure burst out from inside. She threw herself into his arms like a butterfly landing on a flower. The girl looked exactly like her photos—young, vibrant, and radiant. He reached out and gently ruffled her hair, his movements incredibly tender. The girl wrapped her slender arms around his neck, clearly whining and acting cute. Liam reached up and playfully pinched her nose, his face full of absolute adoration. I watched as the girl went up on her tiptoes and proactively kissed him. After six years together, saying I wasn’t heartbroken would be a lie. My nose stung, my eyes instantly turned bloodshot, and tears began to fall uncontrollably. The driver quickly offered me a box of tissues, trying awkwardly to comfort me. “Miss, please don’t be too sad. “My wife thought I was too poor and ran off with another man. “I lived off plain rice and hot water for a whole month. “But look at me now, I survived and I’m doing fine.” His words of comfort obviously didn’t fix the massive hole in my chest. But I was incredibly grateful for his kindness. I thanked him, paid the fare, and got out of the cab. 10 Liam and I started dating the summer after we graduated high school. I still vividly remember him confessing to me. He was so nervous he couldn’t even lift his head, the tips of his ears burning bright red, completely giving him away. “Mia… I like you. “Will you be my girlfriend?” When our eyes finally met, we both instinctively looked away. We were so incredibly young and inexperienced. Even though our hearts were bursting with love, we had absolutely no idea what we were doing. 11 That teenage boy’s love had been so passionate, so fierce, and so undeniably genuine. He would run across campus in a torrential downpour just to bring me an umbrella. When my stomach hurt, he would sit there and massage it for hours without a single complaint. When I woke up starving at 2 AM, he would get out of bed without a second thought and go buy me food. And back then, I would save my allowance for months just to buy him a high-end graphics card for his gaming PC. I would spend an entire month meticulously planning and preparing his birthday present. During winter and summer breaks, we would travel everywhere together. Meeting him felt like the luckiest thing that had ever happened to me. We were about to make the journey from high school uniforms to wedding attire. It had been six full years. But now, he had personally taken a sledgehammer to every single expectation I had for our future.

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My college roommates found out I was a certified yoga instructor and begged me to lead them in workouts. I charged them ten dollars a class, four times a week. Then, suddenly, one day, no one showed up. When I asked them about it, everyone ignored me. That’s when I discovered my best friend, Chloe, had stolen my business. She was charging them only eight dollars a class. But Chloe had only ever taken a few classes with me. She didn’t understand the fundamental principles of yoga at all. Sure enough, a few classes later, her overly aggressive physical adjustments resulted in a classmate’s leg being snapped in half. 1 Not a single person showed up to my class today. The dance studio, usually packed to the brim, was completely empty. A wave of disappointment washed over me. Was there some mandatory school event I didn’t know about? I packed up my mats and props and headed back to the dorm. But when I opened the door, I found they had all clearly just finished a yoga session. I stood frozen in the doorway. “You guys didn’t come to my class. Where did you practice?” Outside studios charge over a hundred dollars a session. Isn’t my ten-dollar class a massive bargain in comparison? But no one even acknowledged me. They threw me a few mocking glances and scattered with awkward chuckles. I suddenly felt like an absolute clown. I reached out and grabbed my roommate, Lily. “Lily, what happened? Did I do something wrong?” Lily turned her head, glaring at me angrily, and violently yanked her arm out of my grasp. “Get away from me! I can’t believe I actually treated you like a friend! How could you scam me like this?!” I was completely bewildered. “I didn’t.” Lily stepped into my personal space, her neck stiff with rage. “Don’t give me that bullshit! Tell me! How much do yoga instructors get paid per class outside?!” She was asking the right person. My family owns a chain of yoga studios. Both my mom and my aunt are certified Iyengar instructors. I started professional training with them when I was very young. By high school, I was already a fully qualified, advanced-level yoga instructor. So, I eagerly explained to Lily: “For a corporate class of 15 people at an outside studio, the instructor’s fee is easily 300 dollars!” “Bullshit!” Lily shoved me hard, furious. “We already investigated! Yoga instructors make 100 dollars a class, max!” How is that even possible?! Where did she get that information? My chest tightened with panic. “My family…” “Your family this, your family that! Stop lying! We looked it up. The Serenity Yoga Studio you’re always bragging about isn’t even owned by your family! The registered owner’s last name is Miller!” Lily didn’t give me a chance to explain before turning and storming off. But… the registered legal owner of Serenity Yoga Studio is my grandmother. Her maiden name is Miller. 2 Watching Lily’s retreating, furious back, a wave of intense grievance hit me. She wasn’t a malicious person. Lily was just blunt, outgoing, and honestly, a bit naive. She was easily manipulated by others; it wouldn’t be the first time. So, she definitely wasn’t the mastermind behind this. Then who was? My eyes swept over my best friend Chloe’s desk. Several brand-new, no-name yoga books were stacked on it. A terrible suspicion began to take root in my mind. Right at that moment, Chloe walked in holding her washbasin. The second she saw me, a complex mix of shame and naked greed flashed in her eyes. Instantly, she masked it with her usual sweet smile. “Oh, babe! When did you get back?” I stared at her dead in the eyes, refusing to say a word. She set down the basin, walked over, and grabbed my hand. “What’s wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?” Tears suddenly started pouring down my face. She was my best friend. Seeing her act like this pushed my feelings of betrayal to the absolute limit. “Chloe… did you…” Before I could finish, seven or eight girls stormed into our dorm room. The ringleader, Mia, roared furiously, “Oh, look who’s back! You greedy, money-grubbing bitch! Scamming your own classmates!” “Exactly! Were you raised in a barn?! Do you need someone to teach you some manners?!” Terrified, I stumbled backward. Chloe smoothly dodged behind the group of angry girls. Mia got right in my face, aggressively demanding, “Harper! When you said you contacted the factory directly and got us the absolute cheapest price on those yoga mats, did you have any shame at all?!” I was trembling with rage. “The factory gave us the wholesale price of 68 dollars, and they threw in the yoga blocks and stretching straps for free.” Mia violently hurled the two yoga blocks right at my face. “Who the hell wants your defective, ‘free’ yoga blocks?! Take them back!” “Exactly! ‘Free’? You were just throwing us your scraps.” Blood instantly gushed from my nose. A flicker of panic crossed the faces of a few girls, but it vanished as quickly as it appeared. I pulled out a few tissues and pinched my nose. Sobbing, I said, “I have the chat logs with the factory owner. You can look at them.” “Spit on it! Chat logs can be faked! You guys are all rats in the same nest! Who would believe you?!” Mia pointed her finger at me, screaming, “Let me tell you, stop playing the victim! Refund us the money for those yoga mats right now!” “Yeah! Refund us!” “And refund us the extra money you scammed us out of for the classes!” 3 My tears wouldn’t stop flowing. “Fine! I’ll refund you! I don’t need friends like you anyway!” “Who the hell wants to be friends with a scammer?!” “Haha, yeah! From now on, let’s just call her Harper the Scammer!” My nose was still bleeding, and I started to feel a little dizzy. “Give… give me back the… yoga blocks and straps I gave you. All of them.” Mia laughed. “You scammed us. Consider those things compensation for our emotional distress.” “You guys are going way too far. It’s not like you don’t know how much yoga mats cost retail.” I cried, swapping out the blood-soaked tissues for fresh ones. “Then how come Chloe was able to find us yoga mats for 38 dollars?” Hearing that sentence, my heart plummeted. My tears stopped instantly. I looked up, staring past the angry crowd at my “best friend.” Her eyes darted nervously. She stepped forward, gently pushing a few girls aside. “Alright, guys, let’s stop fighting. Even if what Harper did was wrong, she did lead our practice for a while. We should be grateful for that.” “Spit on it! Why should we be grateful?! She overcharged us massively!” “Exactly! We’re all broke college students, and she schemed against us. She has a truly ugly heart!” Chloe stood in front of me, acting as if she were rescuing me. “Hasn’t she been punished enough? Look, she’s bleeding.” “Serves her right!” “Fine. For your sake, Chloe, we won’t beat her to death today.” Mia tilted her head, glaring at me. “But I’m warning you, before you go to sleep tonight, you better refund every single cent!” The mob of girls swarmed out of the dorm room. Someone turned back and asked Chloe, “Chloe, what time are you teaching class tomorrow?” Chloe shot a nervous glance at me, then whispered, “I’ll send a notification in the group chat. Just wait for my message.” Then, she slipped out of the room as fast as she could. Lily, who had been standing silently on the sidelines the whole time, clenched her fists tightly. As if making a firm decision, she walked over to me. She handed me a hot towel. “Harper… regardless of whether what you did was right or wrong, I should have helped you just now. I had no idea they were going to get physical.” I pushed the hot towel away. Lily looked incredibly defeated. I forced a small smile and told her, “This is evidence. I can’t wipe it off.” “I’m so sorry, Harper. I’m keeping a close eye on them. If anyone tries to touch you again, I swear I’ll fight them myself.” Finally, a warm word on this terrible night. I shook my head at her. “I’m fine.” Then, I gathered all the blood-soaked tissues, didn’t even bother changing my clothes, and called my mom. “Mom, call the police. I got assaulted.” 4 Lily offered to walk me down, but I refused. She looked at me with anxious uncertainty. “Harper, maybe I misunderstood you. Just now, I didn’t see a single trace of guilt in your eyes. Only shock and betrayal.” “I didn’t do anything wrong. Why should I feel guilty?” She nodded vigorously. “Right, right! But Chloe… her eyes were darting everywhere, like she was hiding a massive secret.” I smiled helplessly. Lily was finally putting the pieces together. She grabbed my wrist. “Harper! She was lying, wasn’t she? I’m so sorry. But when I listened to her telling us all those things you supposedly did, I was just so incredibly angry.” I patted the back of her hand. “Just take care of yourself.” A tiny smile finally broke through on her face. “What do you mean?” “When you go to her yoga class, don’t follow her too deep into the advanced poses.” “Okay, okay! Don’t worry!” My phone started ringing. It was my mom. “Harper, come downstairs. We’re driving straight to the police station.” Grabbing all the evidence, I sprinted downstairs. As I ran past the neighboring dorm, Mia happened to see me. She yelled out, “Are you crazy?! Running out in the middle of the night!” Immediately following her, I heard Chloe’s roar from behind me. “Don’t let her get away! She’s trying to run so she doesn’t have to refund us! Everyone, after her!” So, as soon as I hit the second-floor landing, I heard the thunderous thump, thump, thump of footsteps chasing me. Like they were hunting down a thief. “Damn it, Harper! Give us our money back!” “Refund us! Don’t let her escape!” Hitting the first-floor exit, I sprinted down the path. My mom’s car was parked right at the East Gate. I dove inside instantly. Slamming the door shut, I saw those girls furiously screaming something at me through the glass. And Chloe, panting heavily, glared at me with absolute, undisguised malice. A sudden, bone-chilling cold washed over my back. Chloe was a student on a financial aid scholarship. She had once casually complained to me: “This world is so unfair. Some people have to walk miles just to get to school, while others are born sitting in luxury cars.” I wanted to comfort her so badly then. But her next sentence made me choke on my words. “Rich people all deserve to die!” 5 Chloe had hidden her true colors far too well. From the very beginning, she never had any genuine intention of exercising. She complained that classes were exhausting and everyone’s necks were breaking from looking down at their laptops. She heard yoga was relaxing. Since I knew how to teach it, she suggested I teach them. A bunch of college girls getting together, chatting and laughing while working out sounded like fun. So, I agreed. Originally, I thought I’d just be leading a few girls from our dorm. But to my surprise, Chloe went ahead and reserved an entire dance studio. She gathered over a dozen people to take the class together. She even told everyone that I shouldn’t be working for free, and they should give me a small fee for my time. She looked at me with those big, innocent eyes and asked, “Babe, how much do you think we should charge per person per class?” I looked at the group. It was exactly the size of my smallest corporate classes. So I cut my usual rate in half to $150 total. That broke down to $10 a person per class. When I taught corporate classes, a session was exactly one hour. When teaching my classmates, every single class lasted at least an hour and a half. I carefully observed everyone’s physical condition and tailored the poses to their specific needs. I absolutely refused to push them for quick, superficial results. I would never let them wreck their bodies just so they could hit some flashy, advanced pose to post on Instagram. I wanted my classmates to heal and strengthen their bodies step-by-step. Realigning the pelvis, resetting the lumbar spine, restoring the natural curve of the cervical spine. Chloe was the kind of person who appeared to have great flexibility. But true practitioners know: a stiff body is actually a treasure. Because it means the joints are stable and secure. The ligaments possess sufficient elasticity. All of this protects the body from injury far better. Even if, on the surface, they look a bit clumsy. Chloe was the exact opposite. In her very first class, she was able to force herself into the shape of several advanced poses. But upon closer inspection, I noticed she had severe anterior pelvic tilt, and her knee hyperextension was extremely dangerous. If she didn’t pay close attention, she could easily snap a bone. This is unfortunately very common in careless yoga practices. But looking back now, I realized she never took a single word of my warnings seriously. Instead, she thought I was just jealous of her. The girls practicing with us constantly praised her natural talent, telling her how amazing she was. I vaguely remember someone saying, “Chloe, you were literally born to be a yoga master.” “Yeah! Look at Harper, she’s been practicing for years and she still struggles with the splits, but you dropped right into it on your first try!” 6 It seems those irresponsible, empty praises were what drove Chloe to commit these terrible acts against me. And the girls practicing with her were all incredibly impatient, desperate for instant results. I gave it a few weeks, tops, before they started severely injuring themselves. “We’re here. Let’s head in.” My mom gently patted my shoulder, pulling me out of my thoughts. The police had taken my mom’s 911 call and instructed us to come straight to the precinct to file an official report. Taking photos of my injuries, gathering evidence, scheduling an official medical evaluation for the next day… It was 10:30 PM by the time they let me go. My mom then drove me straight to the emergency room for a preliminary checkup. The doctor said it wasn’t anything critical, just localized swelling and bruising on the bridge of my nose. My mom didn’t let the doctor do anything else. She just grabbed me and we left. “If it heals too fast, there won’t be anything left for the medical examiner to document tomorrow.” “Mom, it wouldn’t heal that fast.” My mom smiled and rolled her eyes at me. “I’m just joking. See? You smiled.” I hugged her, feeling like a little kid again. She asked for the full story of what happened. I recounted the entire ordeal, still feeling a burning anger in my chest. She put her arm around my shoulders and said, “People with massive disparities in wealth simply shouldn’t try to be close friends.” I stopped walking. “Mom, I disagree with that. History is full of people who…” She cut me off. “I’m not talking about financial wealth. I’m talking about this.” She tapped her temple. I understood. Chloe was short-sighted, completely blinded by petty, immediate gains. She lacked the vision to realize that if she simply practiced diligently, I could have easily secured her a highly-paid position at my mom’s company after graduation. My phone started pinging relentlessly again. A barrage of messages demanding money. I handed the phone to my mom. She smiled. “How do you want to handle this?” “I want to refund every single penny. That way, I cut all ties completely and they have absolutely nothing to hold over my head.” “Very smart. That way, even if they come crawling back to beg you for help one day, they won’t have a leg to stand on.” It was true. A 38-dollar yoga mat and 2-dollar yoga blocks? What kind of quality materials could possibly be used for that? The professional yoga industry had blacklisted those cheap materials years ago. Those things reeked of toxic chemicals. If you left them out in the sun and then breathed heavily while working out on them, they posed a direct threat to your health.

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My sister was experiencing a complicated, life-threatening labor, and our father, a top obstetrician, was the only one who could save her. In my past life, I called him without a second thought. After I practically begged on my knees, my father abandoned his honeymoon with his new wife, turned around, and performed the surgery. My sister was saved, but soon after, we received horrifying news. My stepmother, suffering a severe depressive episode, had thrown herself into the ocean and committed suicide. Before she died, she left a suicide note accusing my sister and me of bullying her for a decade. She claimed the honeymoon was her last lifeline, the final reason she gave herself to keep living, and we had destroyed it. My father read the note and claimed he didn’t blame us. Yet, on the day we celebrated my newborn nephew’s one-month milestone, he poisoned everyone’s food. “If it weren’t for you two, Evelyn would still be alive.” “How did I end up with two such vicious, evil daughters? For the things you’ve done, dying a hundred times wouldn’t be enough.” He dragged my sister and me into the bathroom and brutally drowned us in the toilet, holding our heads under the water until we stopped moving. When I opened my eyes again, I had regressed back to the day my sister went into labor. … The very first thing I did after realizing I was reborn was sprint to my sister’s house. But I was still a step too late. Pushing the door open, a thick, metallic smell of blood hit me like a physical blow. My sister, Chloe, was lying on the floor in a massive pool of her own blood. My tiny nephew was lying beside her in the blood, the umbilical cord still attached. Shaking violently, I dialed 911, frantically searching for a blanket to wrap my nephew in to keep him warm. The ambulance arrived quickly and rushed us to the nearest hospital. Just as Chloe and the baby were wheeled into the emergency room, my brother-in-law, Mark, arrived. “Mia, how is she?!” He was deathly pale. It was freezing outside, but he was only wearing a thin dress shirt. He had clearly sprinted out the door the second he got the call. Before I could answer, an ER doctor rushed out. He told us Chloe’s condition was critical. She needed immediate, complex surgery, and there were only two specialists in the city capable of performing it: Dr. Arthur Sterling at the City Center Hospital, and Dr. David Vance at the State General Hospital. Before Mark could speak, I blurted out: “We’ll go to State General! Doctor, please arrange the transfer—” “Wait, why State General?” Mark interrupted me. “Dr. Arthur Sterling at City Center is your dad! He’s been Chloe’s primary physician this whole time; he knows her medical history inside and out. Obviously, transferring to City Center is the best option.” I told him point-blank: “Dad is about to leave on his honeymoon with Evelyn. We shouldn’t bother them.” In my past life, when I heard the doctor’s assessment, I immediately called my father and begged him to come back. Chloe was saved, but my stepmother killed herself. Her suicide note was a manifesto of our supposed cruelty, framing my phone call to my father as the final straw that broke her. The smell of that toilet water was putrid and revolting. I absolutely refused to die such a pathetic, agonizing death again. “Are you insane?! What’s more important, a honeymoon or your sister’s life?!” Mark pulled out his phone and immediately dialed my father’s number. It rang for a long time before my father finally answered, sounding incredibly annoyed. “What is it?” Mark quickly summarized Chloe’s critical condition and begged him to come back immediately. “Dad, Chloe’s situation is incredibly severe. Transferring her right now is a massive risk. Can you just come straight to this hospital and perform the surgery here? I’ll have them prep the OR immediately.” My father usually doted on Chloe. During her pregnancy, he had her admitted for observation at the slightest sign of discomfort. Mark was absolutely certain he would rush back. But this time, the response completely shocked him. “Mark, who told you to say that? Was it Mia?” “I never expected you to join the girls in bullying Evelyn.” “I personally examined Chloe this morning. Her vitals are perfectly stable, and there are absolutely no signs of premature labor. Do you have any conscience at all, pulling a stunt like this just to trick me into coming back?” My father viciously scolded Mark and abruptly hung up the phone. Mark stood frozen for a few seconds, then frantically redialed the number several times. My father’s phone was turned off. Even Evelyn’s phone went straight to voicemail. The ER doctor ran back out, urgently asking which hospital we had decided on. They had temporarily stabilized Chloe’s vitals, and she was ready for transport. Since we couldn’t reach my father, our only option was the much farther State General Hospital. Mark originally planned to ride in the ambulance with Chloe, but suddenly, the pediatric team announced that my newborn nephew was in distress. He needed to be rushed to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), and a parent had to be present to sign consent forms. With his wife fighting for her life in one department and his newborn son crashing in another, Mark was completely paralyzed by panic, unable to make a decision. I grabbed his arm to ground him. “Mark, I will ride with Chloe to State General. You stay here and take care of the baby.” Mark’s eyes instantly turned red. He gripped my hand tightly. “I’m counting on you, Mia. Please, make sure she survives.” I nodded firmly. Chloe is five years older than me. Our mother died giving birth to me. We grew up without a mother. Our father was always consumed by his work, so Chloe and I practically raised each other. She is, without a doubt, the most important person in my life. Despite mentally preparing myself, seeing Chloe lying there unconscious, her face completely drained of color, broke me. I couldn’t stop the tears. During the entire ambulance ride, I kept talking to her, desperately praying she would pull through. Thanks to the police escort we arranged, the usual hour-long drive took only forty minutes. When we arrived, Dr. Vance told me he was still finishing up another surgery. He instructed me to go straight to the ward and find the Head Nurse to get Chloe formally admitted. Once he finished, he would head straight to our OR. But when we reached the ward, the nurses flat-out refused us entry. They told us, “There are no available beds.” Panicking, I said, “We spoke to Dr. Vance before we arrived! He authorized the admission!” A young nurse rolled her eyes. “Dr. Vance is rarely on the floor; he doesn’t know the current bed status. We literally do not have a single bed left in this department. It doesn’t matter if you know the Director, or even the hospital President. We can’t materialize a bed out of thin air.” I was on the verge of crying. I spotted an empty gurney parked in the hallway. “Can’t we just use that gurney? She can just stay on that! Please, you have to help us. My sister is hemorrhaging, and Dr. Vance is the only one who can perform the surgery.” The young nurse glanced at Chloe lying on the transport stretcher, then threw her hands up. “I’m just a junior nurse. I don’t have the authority to add extra beds to the floor. You need to talk to the Head Nurse.” She gave a pointed look toward the door with the ‘Head Nurse’ plaque. I understood immediately and rushed toward the office. Seeing the woman inside, I cried out in relief, “Aunt Nancy!” The woman was Nancy Lewis, one of my mother’s former colleagues. After my mother passed away, she frequently visited Chloe and me. Before she could speak, I grabbed her arm like a drowning person grabbing a lifeline. “Aunt Nancy, please, you have to admit my sister! She’s having a complicated labor and severe hemorrhaging! She needs surgery right now!” Nancy, who was famously known for her gentle demeanor, instantly scowled and yanked her arm out of my grasp. “Mia, I can’t believe you actually came to our hospital. Take your sister and go home right now. Stop causing a scene. Your father used to work at this hospital! Half the staff here know him! Acting out like this is completely destroying his reputation!” Her words hit me like a physical blow to the head. My ears started ringing violently. “Aunt Nancy, what are you talking about?! I’m not acting! My sister is genuinely having a complicated labor! If you don’t believe me, just step outside and look at her!” I grabbed her hand, trying to pull her out of the office. If she just looked at Chloe, she would instantly know I was telling the truth. “Mia, I have actual work to do! I don’t have time to play games with you!” “Your father just called me! He told me he was taking your stepmother on a makeup honeymoon, and that you and your sister were so furious about it you decided to pull this sick prank to ruin their trip!” Nancy’s voice grew increasingly stern and reprimanding. “Mia, I know you resent your stepmother, but raising you two wasn’t easy for her. I hear she’s even battling severe depression. You cannot bully her like this! And a hospital is absolutely not the place for your theatrical tantrums! Take your sister and leave immediately!” Listening to her, I felt like I was losing my mind. If my father were standing in front of me right now, I would literally scream in his face. I never imagined he would go to such extreme, sociopathic lengths. He knew we were transferring Chloe here for life-saving surgery, so he preemptively used his connections to ensure we would be denied entry. But this wasn’t the time to argue about his motives. I desperately tried to explain, “Aunt Nancy, you’re misunderstanding! We aren’t lying! My sister is actually hemorrhaging! I even contacted Dr. Vance before we came! If you don’t believe me, call him!” Nancy looked at me with profound disappointment. “Mia, you are crossing a massive line. I can’t believe you dragged the Director into your petty drama.” “Do you have any idea that Dr. Vance is currently performing a highly complex, critical surgery?! If your phone call distracted him, and his hand slipped, the surgery could fail! You could permanently ruin a young woman’s chance of ever having children!” “Medical resources are not your personal playthings! You need to call Dr. Vance immediately and apologize!” The girl on Dr. Vance’s operating table was young, yes, but so was my sister! Furthermore, before we left the first hospital, the ER doctor explicitly warned us: if Chloe didn’t get surgery within two hours, her chances of survival were basically zero. Thinking of that, I dropped to my knees without a second’s hesitation. “Aunt Nancy, I’m begging you! I am not lying! My sister is dying! Please, just process the admission!” I aggressively slammed my forehead against the floor, kowtowing to her several times. Nancy froze, her rigid expression finally showing a flicker of doubt. Just as she was about to step out and check, the office door flew open. A junior nurse poked her head in. “Head Nurse, are we admitting that patient in the hallway or not? They’re blocking the entrance to the ward and currently screaming at another patient’s family!” Hearing this, Nancy and I immediately rushed out of the office. At the entrance to the ward, the paramedics who had transported Chloe were in a heated screaming match with the family members of another patient. Apparently, the patient had accidentally bumped into one of the paramedics while walking past, and the interaction quickly escalated into a full-blown shouting match. Nancy quickly intervened, separating the two groups. After soothing the patient and their family and escorting them back to their room, she marched directly toward me. I stepped forward anxiously. “Aunt Nancy, can we process the admission now?” Smack! Nancy delivered a stinging slap across my face. “Where did you hire these actors?! They have absolutely zero class! Don’t they know there are sick people resting here?! Take these people and leave immediately, or I’m calling security!” My cheek burned like fire. I stared at her in utter disbelief. “How could you hit me?!” “Why shouldn’t I hit you?!” Nancy glared at me fiercely. “I am your elder! Don’t you feel an ounce of shame causing a massive scene in a hospital?! You clearly lack proper upbringing! You have absolutely no sense of decency or proportion!” You lack proper upbringing because you don’t have a mother. I had heard those exact words from countless people throughout my life. But it had never hurt as agonizingly as it did in this exact moment. Does not having a mother mean my words are inherently untrustworthy? Does not having a mother mean my sister doesn’t deserve medical treatment? I knew arguing with her was completely pointless. I violently wiped away my tears. “Fine! Fine! Nancy Lewis, you refuse to admit my sister? There has to be someone in this massive hospital who will! I’m going straight to the President’s office right now to see if he’ll handle this!” Seeing that I was actually going to escalate it to the President, Nancy panicked. She ordered two junior nurses to physically block my path. Then, she grabbed a phone and called security. “Security! We have individuals causing a severe disturbance on the maternity ward! Get up here and remove them immediately!” Security arrived in under three minutes. With a wave of Nancy’s hand, they began forcefully pushing us, and Chloe’s stretcher, toward the exit. I clung to the stretcher with a death grip, refusing to let them move it, sobbing hysterically for the entire floor to hear. “What right do you have to kick us out?! Isn’t this a hospital?! Aren’t you supposed to save lives?! My sister is critically ill, and you refuse to even look at her! How dare you call yourselves medical professionals?!” My screaming was so intense it drew a massive crowd of patients and their families. Even the two junior nurses seemed hesitant. They turned to Nancy and said cautiously: “Head Nurse… I don’t think they’re acting. Look at the woman on the stretcher. She hasn’t moved an inch. She looks like she’s genuinely unconscious.” “Yeah, she looks incredibly pale. Maybe you should at least quickly assess her before making a final decision?” Their words seemed to finally break through Nancy’s stubbornness. She hesitated for a few seconds and took a step toward the stretcher to take a closer look. Right at that moment, her phone rang. She answered it. “Dr. Sterling? Where are you? Your two daughters are causing a massive scene on my floor.” My heart sank like a stone. It was my father. The hallway was relatively quiet, so my father’s voice projected clearly from the phone speaker for everyone to hear. “They already caused a massive scene at another hospital, and now my former colleagues are calling me about it. Evelyn’s blood pressure spiked because of all this stress. I’m bringing her to your hospital for an evaluation right now. Kick those girls out immediately. I don’t want Evelyn to get upset if she sees them.” Hearing those words, I completely lost whatever shred of sanity I had left. “Arthur Sterling, have you lost your fucking mind?! Your daughter is hemorrhaging and needs emergency surgery! You refuse to operate on her yourself, and now you’re actively preventing anyone else from saving her?! What happens if she dies right here?!” My father let out a cold, cynical laugh. “Then let her die. I don’t want daughters like you anyway.” The call ended. I heard several people in the crowd gasp in horror. A father that ruthless is truly a rare sight. Nancy’s face hardened as she walked toward me. “Mia, you heard him. Stop intentionally antagonizing your father and your stepmother. They have it hard enough.” The moment the words left her mouth, someone in the crowd shrieked in terror. “Oh my god! So much blood!” Nancy and I whipped our heads around simultaneously. The blanket covering Chloe was completely soaked in thick, dark crimson. The blood was dripping rapidly off the edge of the stretcher… Pooling into a massive, terrifying puddle on the linoleum floor. The visual shock was so catastrophic my brain completely shut down for several seconds. Then, I threw myself onto the stretcher like a rabid animal. “Chloe! Hold on! You can’t die!” I turned and screamed at Nancy with homicidal fury: “What the fuck are you standing there for?! Get a doctor right now!” The junior nurse standing next to Nancy snapped back to reality and turned to run, but Nancy grabbed her arm. Nancy walked slowly toward me. “Mia, you and your sister are taking this act way too far. That volume of blood looks like she drained her entire body. Did you use chicken blood or pig blood for this stunt? Before you try to fake a hemorrhage, couldn’t you at least Google what a real one actually looks like?”

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