Author: Momo Chan

I’ve been a notorious “demon child” since I was small. When my uncle pointed at my dad’s nose, cursing him for having no sons to carry on the family name, my dad, too honest and weak, couldn’t say a harsh word. I grabbed a pair of scissors and lunged at my cousin’s family jewels. My uncle’s family nearly died of fright and never dared to appear in front of me again. When another uncle tried to seize the house Grandma left to Mom, claiming “money-losing goods” (daughters) didn’t deserve inheritance… Mom only knew how to cry. I set the house on fire. Scared my uncle so bad he moved overnight and never coveted the house again. My reputation as a demon child spread far and wide. People spat when they heard my name. Gradually, no relatives came to visit for holidays. The whole family sighed, and I was bored. During Christmas, my sister’s serious boyfriend brought his whole family over. He opened with: “The trend now is zero engagement gifts, but you need to give a $200,000 dowry. Otherwise, the wedding is off.” Mom, Dad, and my sister dared not speak. But my eyes lit up instantly. Hehe, looks like I’ve got work to do. 1 My sister Chloe’s boyfriend, Caleb Vance, sat opposite us on the sofa with his parents. Mom and Dad were happy. We hadn’t had guests in a long time, and these were future in-laws. Their smiles were genuine. “Linda, hurry up and wash the strawberries, cherries, and mangoes.” Mom winked at me frantically, whispering in my ear, “Little ancestor, please behave today.” For my sister’s sake, I nodded reluctantly. When the fruit came out, Caleb’s mom grabbed a handful of cherries and stuffed them into her mouth, spitting pits while eyeing us sideways: “Isn’t the trend zero engagement gifts now? But the Vance family isn’t unreasonable. How about this: we offer $100,000 as a gift, and your family returns double as a dowry. Fair, right?” Mom and Dad’s smiles froze. The two honest souls exchanged glances, stammering for a long time before managing, “Double dowry?” Before they could finish, Caleb’s mom interrupted like a machine gun: “Double dowry is normal! It’s standard where we come from.” “I see you’re not unreasonable people. We’re willing to pay $100,000. Surely you wouldn’t refuse to give $200,000?” Mom and Dad were speechless. Caleb’s dad, who had silently eaten half a bowl of strawberries, chimed in: “Cash doesn’t hold value like gold. For the couple’s future, we decided to use gold instead of cash.” Saying this, he arrogantly opened a box at his feet. As soon as the box opened, I squinted and blurted out, “Whoa, almost blinded my dog eyes.” Opposite us, the three Vances looked even smugger at my comment. Caleb looked at Chloe lovingly: “Chloe, I will never let you suffer.” Chloe clenched her hands, expression grim, biting her lip. “Gold instead of cash? But—” Caleb grabbed her hand. “The value of this gold is far above $100,000. Really, your family is gaining an advantage.” So Chloe pursed her lips and fell silent. Caleb and his parents exchanged glances, hiding竊喜 (secret delight) in their eyes. “Since we agreed, this box of gold is yours today. We gave the engagement gift; when will you give the dowry?” In the stagnant atmosphere, I suddenly let out an exaggerated gasp. Everyone looked at me. Caleb’s mom said impatiently: “Adults are talking, why is a kid interrupting? No manners—” The rest of her sentence choked in her throat. She stared, jaw dropping, as I used a magnet to suck up all the gold jewelry in the box. Meeting their horrified gazes, I tilted my head innocently: “So gold is made of iron? I wonder how much gold our big iron pot can make. Mom, Dad, we’re rich!” 2 The faces of the three Vances turned green. Caleb snatched back all the jewelry from the magnet. “We brought real gold! Someone must have switched it!” He glanced at me while speaking, clearly trying to frame me, a pure and innocent child. I grinned, pulling out my Apple Watch to call the police. “That’s terrifying! An invisible ghost stole things right in front of seven living people!” “Good thing we have cameras. I’m calling the police to catch the thief!” Caleb’s eyelid twitched violently. He jumped up and grabbed my hand. “Forget it. Maybe the gold shop owner tricked me. It’s the holidays, no need to call the police.” I cupped my face with both hands. “Deceived out of $100,000 and not pursuing it? Brother, you’re a saint.” Caleb’s face darkened. He endured it, suppressing his anger. He signaled his mom, who started blabbering again: “Oh, we sincerely wanted to give $100,000. Maybe it’s God’s will for us to follow the zero-gift trend.” She smiled, fat piling up on her face. “I believe the in-laws aren’t people who sell their daughter for money. Since we already offered, you should just accept this gold.” Caleb’s dad abruptly reminded: “We gave the gift. Now it’s your turn for the $200,000 dowry.” Mom and Dad, clumsy with words, wanted to object but didn’t know how. They could only rub their hands awkwardly. I smirked. Bastards. Didn’t check my reputation before coming to my house to act tough? Today, I’ll show you what a demon child can do! Just as I opened my mouth, Mom covered it. She looked bitter. “Forget it, don’t delay your sister’s marriage. We didn’t want the money anyway.” I looked at her like she was an alien. Dad thought the same. After a silence, he nodded. “We need time for the dowry. We’ll withdraw the money tomorrow.” Hearing this, the greed in the Vances’ eyes was unconcealable. Caleb’s dad suddenly walked around the house, speaking reluctantly: “This house is old, but the location is okay. Perfect for a marital home.” Caleb’s mom played along: “Yes, we’re family. Leaving this house empty is a waste. The children’s marriage comes first.” Caleb hammered the final nail: “Right. Mom and Dad, you should move in too, to take care of Chloe.” Mom and Dad were stunned by their shamelessness. Chloe teared up, trembling, unable to speak. I rolled my eyes, popping out from behind Mom and asking innocently: “Brother, if your whole family moves in, are you marrying into our family?” “Does that mean you won’t be Caleb Vance anymore, but Caleb Miller? And your parents will take my sister’s last name too?” 3 These words instantly cracked their hypocritical masks. Caleb cursed: “How could I marry in? And make my parents change their names? Keep dreaming!” Mom and Dad’s faces changed too. They protected me behind them, explaining weakly: “Child’s talk, Bella is joking.” Caleb’s mom looked like her eyes would fly out of her head, glaring at me viciously: “If a girl in my family dared to say such rebellious things, I’d tear her mouth open. No upbringing at all.” Mom and Dad looked pale, but I grinned: “So coming to rob us and eat off the dead is called upbringing? Learned something new.” This mockery made the already angry Caleb furious. He rolled up his sleeves to hit me. “I’m going to teach you a lesson for your parents today, you little brat!” I slipped away like a fish, ran into the bathroom, grabbed a handful of foul-smelling yellow slime, and threw it at Caleb and his parents. “Come on, catch me!” Seeing the smelly stuff stuck to their faces, the three of them retched violently and ran out of my house screaming. I shouted from the door: “Don’t go! I have more gifts for you!” Hearing this, they ran faster, as if ghosts were chasing them. “Sigh, boring.” Turning around, I saw Mom, Dad, and Chloe standing five meters away, looking wary. Chloe covered her nose, suppressing nausea, asking incredulously: “Bella Miller, you can even do that to yourself now?” I flicked the stuff off my hand nonchalantly. “It’s just wet paper mixed with some stink spray. Intended for classmates, but the scumbag family got lucky.” Hearing it was fake and I hadn’t actually played with poop, they sighed in relief. I climbed onto the table, pointing at their noses dissatisfiedly: “People bully you in your own home and you don’t make a sound. You’re pissing me off!” The three of them looked down, submissive. Dad even asked hesitantly: “We went too far… offending Caleb’s family like this, is it bad?” I almost fainted from anger. “Caleb wants to eat off our family, and you’re worried about offending him?” “Forget it. Can’t talk to soft buns like you. Give me a hundred bucks, I’m buying candied hawthorn.” Chloe stuffed a hundred dollars in my hand. I happily went out. It was New Year’s, most neighbors were gone, the complex was deserted. If I hadn’t offended all the relatives years ago, we would have gone back to our hometown too. But I didn’t regret it. Mom and Dad were too nice, always bullied by those leech relatives. Only after having me, the notorious demon child, did they back off. I licked my candied hawthorn, humming a tune, entering the complex from the back gate. Just turning into a small path, a figure jumped out from under a tree, covered my mouth, and carried me away. 4 “Mmph!” I struggled hard, receiving a heavy slap on the face. I instantly went quiet. The person carried me, ran, and threw me into a dirty alley. Opening my eyes, I saw the fierce faces of Caleb and his parents. I curled up in fear. Caleb sneered: “Little brat, weren’t you tough before? Be tough now!” He slapped my face hard. My cheek burned, tears spinning in my eyes. Caleb’s dad smoked nearby, spitting impatiently: “Just an uneducated brat, why waste time?” Caleb’s mom nodded: “Raising a brat like Bella shows the Millers aren’t good people. Not worthy of my family.” The more vicious they spoke, the more desperate they seemed. But Caleb shook his head firmly: “No, I must marry Chloe!” His parents were shocked. “Son, you like her that much?” “Caleb, don’t be stupid. With your conditions, liking her is her blessing. If she doesn’t appreciate it, she deserves to be single!” I peeked at Caleb through my fingers. Caleb sneered: “Chloe is pretty and gentle, I do like her. But that’s not the only reason.” “You saw it today. That house is in a great location, four bedrooms, worth at least two million.” “And her parents have pensions. I have no house or car. Except for a fool like Chloe, no money-grubbing woman would look at me.” “Most importantly, the whole family are softies, and there’s no son. If I marry Chloe, the Miller family assets will be mine!” Caleb’s mom’s eyes lit up: “Right, no son means we should eat off them!” Caleb’s dad stopped smoking, staring at me fiercely: “What about this brat?” Caleb followed his gaze, eyes fierce. “This brat keeps ruining my plans. If not for her, we would have controlled them today.” He rolled his eyes: “Miller money is my money. I don’t want to raise a loser. Let’s sell her to the mountains.” “Make a profit, and with her gone, the family will be lost. I can comfort Chloe and renegotiate the marriage.” I widened my eyes in horror. Hoping his parents had some reason, knowing trafficking was illegal. But the two old things were birds of a feather. Caleb’s dad even drove the car over, opening the trunk: “Tie her up, let’s find a buyer tonight.” I shook my head in terror, asking pitifully: “Brother, won’t you let me go?” Caleb sneered: “Scared now? Too late!” He roughly tried to lift me into the trunk. I suddenly dropped the pitiful act, revealing a mischievous grin. “Hehe, then don’t blame me.” I pulled something from my pocket. Opposite me, the three Vances’ faces changed instantly. 5 While they were stunned, I lit the firecracker in my hand and threw it at them. It exploded on impact. Being a toy, it wasn’t lethal, but it made them scream and jump. They forgot about grabbing me, running away screaming. Fear amplifies pain. I used to play with firecrackers with other kids. Passersby would jump out of their skins even if it was far away, let alone thrown at them. I lit a few more and threw them under a manhole cover. The blast sent the cover flying. Caleb’s face was white, staring at me in horror and rage: “Bella Miller, are you trying to kill someone?!” A demon child doesn’t speak human. I grinned, making a face: “La la la, I can’t hear you.” My hands kept throwing. I spent almost all the hundred dollars on firecrackers. Couldn’t use them up quickly. The crackling and screaming attracted a passerby. Seeing me throwing firecrackers at people, he was furious. “Hey brat! What are you doing? That’s dangerous! Stop!” I rolled my eyes at him, wiggling my butt arrogantly: “Call the police if you dare, none of your business.” The passerby gasped, never having seen such an arrogant kid. Furious, he took out his phone to call the police. Caleb, closest to him, slapped the phone away. The passerby looked shocked, like I’m helping you and you hit me? Caleb looked awkward, picking up the phone. “This is our kid, we’re just playing. Don’t call the police.” The passerby got angrier: “Bear parents raise bear kids. Throwing firecrackers at people is playing? No manners!” Caleb turned colors being lectured. But they were guilty and dared not call the police. Caleb’s mom pointed at the passerby like a shrew: “We play how we want! Mind your own business! Get lost!” “Damn, a family of psychos!” The passerby cursed, turning to leave. Relieved, the Vances tried to grab me from behind. My firecracker went astray, exploding half a meter from the passerby’s feet. He jumped three feet high, turning back in rage. I made a face: “Coward, call the police then.” Enraged, he dialed 911 immediately. Caleb turned pale, trying to run. The passerby was huge, grabbing Caleb with one hand. “Your kid almost hurt me, and you want to run?” Caleb shook his head: “She’s not mine, we don’t know her.” The passerby sneered: “Spineless trash. Just said she’s yours, now you don’t know her?” “I don’t care, none of you are leaving today!”

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The day I was diagnosed with congenital heart disease, I became the family’s “Porcelain Doll,” fragile and precious. The doctor warned that any shock could kill me instantly. So, my parents catered to my every whim, even sending my healthy younger brother to live with relatives in the countryside, just to give me a quiet environment. Until my eighteenth birthday. The whole family wept with joy. My brother, just brought back home, asked timidly: “Now that Sister survived, am I unwanted again?” That day, Dad kicked him hard for the first time, and Mom held me, crying, swearing she would never let me suffer. But on the night of my brother’s Valedictorian celebration party, when I clutched my chest, gasping for air… My mother, who always doted on me, suddenly twisted her face and slapped me: “Lily, how long are you going to act? Can’t you stand seeing your brother succeed?” “We owed him for eighteen years because of you. Now that he’s made something of himself, you want to ruin it?” “If you want to die, go die somewhere else! Don’t ruin today’s celebration with your bad luck!” She snatched my nitroglycerin pills, threw them into the sewer, and walked away, arm in arm with my brother. I couldn’t make a sound. In the suffocating pain, I watched their backs blur until everything went dark. 1 “Lily, how long are you going to play dead?” Mom’s voice pierced through the noise of the banquet hall, sharp and stinging. But I couldn’t answer. Because I was already dead. My soul floated in mid-air, watching my body, rapidly losing warmth, curled up in the shadows of the hotel’s back alley. That was my body. Face purple, eyes wide open, staring into nothingness. And my mother, Linda, stood a few meters away under the streetlamp. She impatiently checked her fresh manicure, her eyes full of disgust. “Enough, stop with the pity play.” “Today is Leo’s big day. If you dare come in and make a scene, I’ll pretend I never gave birth to you!” She cursed into the darkness a few more times. Receiving no response, she sneered and turned away. “Spoiled brat. Let her freeze out there. Once she’s cold enough, she’ll crawl back in.” She returned to the glittering banquet hall. There, my brother Leo was the star of the show. He wore a tailored suit, a red “Valedictorian” ribbon on his chest. My father, David, face glowing, raised his glass: “Thank you all! The proudest thing in my life is having a son as accomplished as Leo!” The crowd erupted in applause. No one remembered they had a daughter. A daughter who, ten minutes ago, knelt on the ground begging for medicine because her heart was failing. Back then, Leo held Mom’s arm, a barely noticeable smirk on his lips. He said: “Is Sister jealous of me? If she wants the spotlight, I can give the Valedictorian title to her.” Just that one sentence. And Mom’s slap landed on my face. The bottle of life-saving pills was thrown by her own hand into the stinking sewer. Now, that bottle lay quietly in the muck. Just like my cheap and ridiculous life. 2 Halfway through the party. Leo suddenly teared up, looking around. “Mom, Dad, where’s Sister?” “Her health is bad. She’s been out there for so long, will she be okay?” The guests praised him: “The Valedictorian is so kind-hearted, caring for his sibling.” Mom lovingly stroked his head: “You’re just too soft-hearted. That ungrateful wolf probably wants to die out there just to embarrass you.” Dad snorted: “Ignore her! It’ll be quieter if she’s dead!” I floated above them, watching this happy family of three. Though I had no physical body, phantom pain still radiated from my chest. Eighteen years. For eighteen whole years. Their acting was impeccable. To prevent shocking me, they always spoke to me in whispers. If I wanted strawberries, Dad would drive across town in the middle of the night to buy them. If I got a papercut, Mom would cry in distress. I thought I was the happiest “Porcelain Doll” in the world. Turns out, all this love had an expiration date. The expiration date was the day Leo became useful. “Ah—! Someone’s dead!” A piercing scream shattered the peace of the banquet hall. A waiter taking out trash stumbled in, face pale. “There’s… a woman dead at the back door!” The crowd went into an uproar. David frowned, his first reaction was annoyance at the bad luck. “Who died at the hotel? Call security to handle it, don’t disturb the guests!” The waiter pointed shakily outside: “N… no… it’s… it’s Miss Lily.” The air froze instantly. The smile on Linda’s face stiffened. She instinctively retorted: “Nonsense! She was arguing with me full of energy just now!” “She’s just trying to scare us! Lily, get out here!” She yelled at the door, but her voice started to tremble. No one answered. Only my cold body, carried in by the security guards who arrived moments later. Placed right on the expensive carpet in the center of the hall. 3 Seeing the body, Linda’s legs gave out, and she collapsed. Not from grief. I saw clearly; what flashed in her eyes was terror, the panic of a plan gone wrong. “How… how is she really dead?” She muttered to herself, crawling over to check my breath. Gone. “Lily! My daughter!” The next second, she burst into earth-shattering wails. “Why are you so silly! Mom just said a few angry words, how could you…” David’s eyes reddened too, rushing up to shake my corpse. “Doctor! Call a doctor!” The guests looked at each other, some sighing, some suspicious. Only Leo. He stood behind the crowd, looking down at my body. On his handsome face, there was not a trace of sadness. While our parents were wailing, he slowly squatted down. In a voice only he and I (if I were alive) could hear, he whispered in my ear: “Sister, you finally died.” “You occupied my place for eighteen years, enjoyed Mom and Dad’s love for eighteen years. It’s time to pay your debt.” “Did you know? I swapped those pills for vitamins yesterday.” “Whether Mom threw them or not, you were going to die today.” Boom— My soul trembled violently. So that was it. It wasn’t just favoritism. It was a premeditated murder. Leo stood up, put on a mask of utter grief, and threw himself into Linda’s arms. “Mom! Did Sister die because she blamed me…” “It’s all my fault! I shouldn’t have become Valedictorian! I shouldn’t have come back!” Linda hugged him tight, crying: “It’s not your fault! It’s her thin fate! She had no luck!” “My Leo, don’t blame yourself, Mom and Dad only have you now!” Watching this scene, I suddenly found it funny. I wanted to laugh, but tears of blood flowed instead. This was the family I treated as my life. If I could do it over. If I could start again… Extreme hatred made my soul begin to burn. The scene around me twisted, darkness surging like a tide. I will drag them all to hell! 4 “Now that Sister survived, am I unwanted again?” A timid voice, trembling with deliberate fear. I snapped my eyes open. I saw the familiar crystal chandelier and the living room filled with flowers. A familiar heartbeat came from my chest, weak but beating. I wasn’t dead? I instinctively touched my chest; my palm was warm. In front of me, eighteen-year-old Leo stood in a washed-out T-shirt, carrying a worn backpack, at the entryway. He kept his head down, but his eyes peeked through his bangs, secretly observing everyone’s reaction. This scene… It was my eighteenth birthday! And the first day Leo was brought back from the countryside. In my past life, after he said this, Dad was heartbroken, kicked him, and scolded him. Mom hugged me and cried, swearing I was the family’s only treasure. And I, foolishly guilty, offered to give him the best room. Inviting the wolf into the house. “Bastard! What nonsense are you spouting!” David’s furious voice rang out, raising his foot to kick Leo. This familiar script. In a flash, I moved. “Ah—!” I clutched my chest, letting out a short, painful scream. David’s foot stopped mid-air. Linda turned pale with fright, instantly rushing to my side: “Lily! What’s wrong? Did he scare you?” I gasped for air, face pale as paper (this body’s instinct). With trembling fingers, I pointed at Leo, tears streaming down. “He… his eyes are so scary…” “He said I survived… does he… does he want me dead?” Dead silence. Leo looked up sharply, shock unhidden in his eyes. He didn’t expect the sister who was always gentle and saintly to say such things. “I didn’t! Sister, that’s not what I meant…” he tried to explain. I rolled my eyes back and collapsed into Linda’s arms, twitching as I said: “Mom… chest hurts… am I extra… should I make space for him…” Hearing this, Linda’s heart broke. The doctor said I couldn’t take any stimulation, especially negative emotions. She turned her head sharply, glaring at Leo viciously. That was the look she gave my corpse in the past life. Now, it landed on Leo. “Get out!” Linda screamed. “Who let you talk to your sister like that! Do you want to kill her?!” David reacted too, and that kick finally landed. Only this time, it was harder than the last life. Bang. Leo was kicked into the doorframe, grimacing in pain. I leaned into my mother’s arms, the corner of my mouth curling into an imperceptible sneer. Leo. Welcome to my hell.

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The day my daughter’s father sacrificed himself in the line of duty, I gleefully married the Mob boss who ordered his death. My daughter hated me for my heartlessness and cut all ties. I hated her for being a nuisance who blocked my path to riches. She sent me to the countryside for a “Ghost Marriage,” and I turned around and sold her to human traffickers. Twelve years later, she became a journalist. Her first story was to expose me, the villain, to the world. “Vivian Lane, you didn’t expect me to be alive, did you? I’m going to settle every debt—my father’s and mine—one by one!” “You aren’t my mother. You’re an animal.” “Didn’t you always want me dead? If you have the guts, show yourself!” But despite a billion netizens doxxing me for two whole days, they couldn’t find a single trace of me. I whispered in her ear, giggling. “Stupid girl, hahaha. Even if I die, I won’t let you find my body.” She didn’t know. Five years ago, someone paid a fortune to beg her to collect a few broken bone fragments from an incinerator. Those bones were mine. 1 Lily stared coldly into the camera, her eyes filled with rolling hatred. I hadn’t seen her in twelve years. She had grown from a noisy little brat into a steady young woman. Those eyes, righteous and awe-inspiring just like her father’s, looked particularly annoying. I reached out to pinch her ear, but naturally, my hand grasped nothing but air. “Vivian Lane, today I will make all the evidence public. I want to watch you lose everything you gained through illicit means.” “I will make sure you rot in prison, cursed by thousands!” The livestream, with over a hundred thousand viewers, exploded with comments. I sneered and slapped her through the air. Twelve years ago, this damn girl looked at me with that same hate when the traffickers dragged her into the van. I was so mad I slapped her several times. I didn’t expect her to still not learn her lesson. If I had known, I would have slapped her to death back then. I sat indifferently on the table, watching her pull the first piece of evidence from a chipped box beside her: my ledger. Stained with brown splotches, the paper yellowed with age, displayed calmly to the netizens. [October 2nd, 200X: Received Mark’s death pension $2,000. Got a perm, bought two hair clips. Useless trash, even his death is only worth this much.] [November 4th, 2002: Received $10,000 from Boss Huo. Sent that damn girl to entertain some VIP clients. The little bitch actually injured someone. Tsk, next time I’ll drug her so she behaves.] [November 25th, 2002: Spent $500 hiring someone to dig up a grave. Boss Huo bought a new car and wanted to take me for a spin. The damn girl hugged her dead dad’s spirit tablet and called me cheap. In a rage, I dug up his bones and threw them in a cesspit.] … The comments scrolled violently, cursing my eighteen generations of ancestors. Netizens wished they could dig me up and tear me apart right now. But neither Lily nor I reacted. She calmly flipped the ledger to the last page. There were no words on that page, just an old receipt. [September 9th, 2002: Received $3,000 from Brother Meng. Sold daughter, Lily Lane.] It was stamped with my bright red fingerprint. The barrage of comments receded like a tide, the chaotic screen suddenly becoming clean. Silence reigned for several minutes before someone spoke again. [WTF, is this something a human does?] [Even if she couldn’t afford to raise her daughter, she can’t sell her! Is this something a mother does?] [If she couldn’t afford it, she could have started a GoFundMe; plenty of people would want to help.] [Wait, Lily was only 4 years old then?] I sneered. What do they know? Lily glanced coldly at the screen and took out the next piece of evidence. An item that made my pupils constrict instantly. 2 It was a bullet casing, obviously well-preserved. It was taken from her father’s heart. Back then, I wanted to throw away such bad luck, but she held a kitchen knife to my neck and snatched it back. Lily held up the casing, her face etched with obvious hatred. “My father had over a hundred wounds on his body, but the fatal one was this bullet. I spent six hours cleaning his body just to make him look human. But the next day, Vivian Lane married the culprit who killed my father.” “I suspect they colluded long ago… to kill my dad.” The netizens’ emotions surged again. [This animal! Letting her live free for one day is a failure of society.] [I’ll pay a million dollars to whoever finds this Vivian Lane!] [I’ll pay $30,000 for her location!] [Me too!] I leaned against the screen, scoffing. Want to find me? Maybe in the next life. Daughter, I want you to live with hatred for the rest of your life. But unexpectedly, the next day, netizens doxxed my address. It was a dilapidated resettlement housing complex, mostly abandoned. Lily tilted her head slightly, exposing a scar stretching from her cheek to her neck. She cut it herself with a knife because people said she looked like me. It wasn’t originally that long. I grabbed her hair and added another cut. Lily’s best friend covered her nose, looking at the peeling stairwell with unease. “Vivian Lane, who loves wealth and despises poverty, actually lives in a place like this?” “Did her sugar daddy dump her?” The door was locked tight. Lily took an axe from her bag and smashed the door, denting it. The day I married Huo Zheng, she used an axe just like this to shred my wedding dress. But I didn’t spare her either. I used a box of matches to burn her backpack and her dad’s portrait. Another swing, and the door crashed down. Inside was a very ordinary renovation, but the moment Lily saw it, she went mad. Her pupils dilated. She opened every door like a maniac, smashing tables in a frenzy. “Who allowed you to decorate this like the home Dad and I had? Who allowed you?” “Vivian, what gives you the right? What right?!” Watching those fragments, my heart ached. Every table and bowl here was made by my own hands. That damn girl. She smashed the wedding photo on the wall with a hammer, and broke my favorite jewelry in two. “Vivian Lane, get out here!” I giggled in her ear. “Little kid, you’re still too green! I knew you’d come. I even prepared a big gift for you.” “Want to check the storage room?” As if hearing me, she rushed to the corner storage room. The next moment, she convulsed and collapsed to the floor. Her best friend rushed over, holding her. But confusingly, there was nothing strange in the storage room, just a giant plush rabbit. Lily trembled violently, staring at the rabbit as if seeing something terrifying. I sewed that rabbit myself. I leaned in to touch it. However, maybe because I had been away from the place of death for too long, my movement caused my body to fall apart. After spending half a day piecing myself back together, I approached the rabbit. Lily loved rabbits when she was little. Her thirteenth birthday wish was for a big plush rabbit. Unfortunately, on that birthday, she only received Mark’s corpse. Since then, she’s been terrified of rabbits. I touched the rabbit’s nose heartache, sitting on its shoulder, watching Lily pull out a pair of scissors from a drawer. Just as I thought she would cut my rabbit, a woman suddenly walked in from outside. Lily’s emotions instantly stabilized. “Mom.” She threw herself into the woman’s arms like a wronged little girl. However, the woman suddenly looked up, staring straight at me. “Vivian Lane.” Did she see me? 3 However, the next moment I realized I was mistaken. Susan walked towards the rabbit, gently examining the stitching. “Vivian made this.” “It should be a gift for you.” Unexpectedly, the one who understood me best in the end was my love rival. Yes, before I married Mark, she chased him for three years, but Mark chose me. I was smug back then, but thinking about it now, it feels like bad luck. Lily retched, as if hearing something disgusting. “I don’t want it. It’s dirty.” She took the scissors and stabbed the rabbit. The scissors passed through my body and tore the rabbit’s back. Large clumps of cotton flew out. She leaned into Susan’s arms, staring at the cotton with red eyes. So these years, she was adopted by Susan. That day, Susan somehow found out I was selling Lily. She drove after us, chasing for over two hundred miles, and bought Lily back. Hearing Lily call her “Mom,” I curled my lips. Damn girl, I should have sold her further away. She threw down the scissors, and they supported each other out of the messy room. For the rest of the time, I was forced to follow Lily, watching their mother-daughter act, listening to netizens’ curses, and occasionally cursing them back. Until the seventh day, someone found my grave. At first, Lily clearly didn’t believe it. But standing in front of the tombstone, she laughed until she cried. The grave was obviously a few years old. It had my photo and my name carved on it. Lily touched the tombstone. Maybe from excitement, her hand trembled slightly. “Hahaha, karma is real.” “Vivian Lane, retribution finally found you!” She laughed for a while, then started looking for an axe, clearly wanting to smash my grave to vent her anger. Unfortunately, cemeteries don’t have such things. She strode out to buy an axe. Netizens also found out the location of my grave. To vent for Lily, some threw rotten eggs, some brought red paint. Soon, the originally just old tombstone became a mess. Lily got a small excavator. She walked to my tombstone, eyes full of satisfaction mixed with a complexity I didn’t understand. “Vivian, how you treated my dad back then, I’ll treat you now.” I also smiled widely, expecting the reaction of that damn girl when she sees the urn inside is the one she personally collected years ago. I waited for her to get on the excavator and dig up this grave herself. She walked halfway, then suddenly turned back, squatting down hugging her knees, trembling violently. She stared at my tombstone for two minutes, then suddenly picked up a rag and started wiping it. I scoffed. “Damn girl.” After a while, she wiped her tears, threw down the rag, and walked firmly to the excavator. “Vivian, you deserve it. You were heartless, you wronged my dad.” “Today I’m smashing your tombstone to avenge my dad!” With the rumble of the machine starting, the yellow claw smashed towards my tombstone. Everyone’s eyes were filled with satisfaction. A woman like me, who abandoned her husband and sold her daughter, deserved such an end. But amidst the cheers, frantic footsteps ran from the distance. “Stop!” “Lily, your mom never betrayed anyone.”

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My boyfriend’s college junior crashed a multi-million dollar luxury car belonging to the city’s top heir. My boyfriend voluntarily took the blame, then threw the bill at me. “You’re so rich, just pay this off.” “Didn’t you always want to marry me? Once you pay the damages, I’ll consider proposing to you.” After investigating, I found out the junior was trying to mimic a romance novel heroine by intentionally crashing into the heir, hoping to seduce him. Turns out, he didn’t buy it at all. When she found out I knew the truth, she pushed me down the stairs. “I can’t let Caleb know the truth. Go to hell!” Facing police questioning, my boyfriend perjured himself, claiming I fell on my own. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day she crashed the car. 1 Caleb Moore ran over, panting: “Ava, I need a large sum of money right now. Transfer it to me quickly. I need 1.2 million.” On this day in my past life, Caleb also asked me for money directly like this. I didn’t give it immediately. I asked him what happened. Leaving aside whether I could produce such a large amount instantly, he must be in serious trouble. Caleb hemmed and hawed for a while before handing me a bill, saying he crashed a multi-million dollar car belonging to the heir of the Sterling family. He couldn’t afford it and had no choice but to come to me. “Ava, you’re so rich, just pay this off.” As if afraid I wouldn’t agree, Caleb laid out his condition: “Didn’t you always want to marry me? Once you pay the damages, I’ll consider proposing to you.” Honestly, that sentence instantly turned me off. But thinking about how long we’d been dating, I couldn’t just ignore him. I said my family had some connections with the Sterlings and I could plead for him. But Caleb refused adamantly. After some back and forth, I realized he was hiding something. I asked for some time to gather the money and investigated privately. That’s when I found out it wasn’t Caleb who crashed the car, but his college junior, Chloe. And Chloe crashed into the heir’s car on purpose. She read too many CEO romance novels. In those stories, when the heroine crashes the hero’s car, he makes her pay with her body. But the Sterling heir didn’t play along. He demanded cash. She immediately played the victim to Caleb, claiming she accidentally crashed the car and was being forced to pay. Knowing the truth, I was completely done with Caleb. I was on my way to break up with him when Chloe stopped me. “You know everything, don’t you? You’re going to tell Caleb I tried to seduce the heir?” “Don’t you dare!” She glared at me viciously and pushed me down the stairs. “I can’t let Caleb know. Die!” I died on impact. Fate took pity on me and gave me a second chance. In this life, I’ll show them that the Sterling heir isn’t the only one they shouldn’t mess with. Neither am I. 2 Seeing my silence, Caleb decided to tell the “truth.” Still the same story from my past life: he crashed the Sterling heir’s car and was being forced to pay. He urged anxiously: “Ava, transfer the money quickly. Or else the heir will send me to jail. Do you want to lose me?” “Did you total the car? Why so much money?” I took out my phone. Under Caleb’s hopeful gaze, I dialed 911. Caleb snatched my phone. “Why are you calling the police?” I rolled my eyes in disgust. “Helping you, obviously. Who doesn’t have insurance? If they ask for a million, are you really going to give it?” Caleb got angry. “In the end, you just don’t want to give me the money, right?” He took a deep breath, softening his tone to coax me: “Didn’t you always want to marry me? As long as you help me solve this, I’ll marry you.” I laughed out loud, as if hearing the biggest joke in the world. “When did I ever want to marry you? ‘Always’? Do you think you’re God’s gift to women?” Caleb froze. The more I looked at him, the more disgusted I felt. “Look at yourself. Are you worth 1.2 million? With that money, I could buy a dozen guys like you.” Caleb’s face turned red with shame and anger. “Shut up! Look at your ugly face now. I just asked for 1.2 million, do you have to be so hurtful? And your family is so rich. They were right, the richer people are, the stingier they get…” I raised my hand and slapped him hard across the face. “What are you barking at? I called the police to help you. Can you afford 1.2 million?” “Yes, I’m rich, but I’m not an idiot! You have no money but act so tough. Is this your attitude when begging?” “Remember, next time you beg, kneel first.” “Forget it this time. Since you can bark so loud, solve it yourself.” I turned to leave. Caleb panicked and chased after me. “Ava, don’t go. I… my tone was too heavy just now, it’s my fault. But you wouldn’t really make me kneel, right? A man has dignity. Even if I kneel, you couldn’t bear it.” I laughed again. “If you have dignity, why ask for money? Go find the heir. Kneel for him a few times. Maybe he’ll see your ‘dignity’ and waive the debt.” Caleb’s face twitched with rage. He raised his hand to hit me. I stood still, reminding him coldly: “Caleb Moore, I’m much more expensive than that car. Before that slap lands, weigh if your cheap life can afford the compensation.” Caleb’s hand froze in mid-air. He looked at me in disbelief. “Ava, why have you become like this? Didn’t you love me?” “Before asking that, look in the mirror and see how stupid you look.” I mocked him and got into my car. Arriving at my family’s company, I hugged my parents tight, tears streaming down. “Mom, Dad, I missed you so much.” Thinking about how I lost my life for Caleb in my past life, causing my parents the pain of burying their child, I hated myself. And I hated Caleb even more! My parents were startled. “What happened? Ava, don’t cry. Tell us, nothing is unsolvable.” I sniffled, letting go of them, shaking my head with a smile. “Nothing.” Under their worried questioning, I made up an excuse. “I broke up with Caleb.” I told them the truth about the breakup. My parents sighed in relief. “Good that you saw his true colors. No need to be sad over someone like that.” I nodded. If I was sad, it was for the pain I caused them in my past life. As for Caleb, even if he died, I wouldn’t be sad. I’d throw a party. 3 Caleb’s parents actually came to my house looking for me. The butler called to tell me. “Just throw them out,” I said and hung up. I didn’t want to see anyone from the Moore family. But a moment later, Caleb’s mother, Karen, called. Caleb’s family had a few hundred thousand in savings. Not enough for my monthly expenses, but enough for Karen to develop the bad habits of a “rich wife.” When she found out Caleb was dating me, she had him bring me over. With a superior attitude, she told me: “Ava, I know your family is rich and you’re a young miss, but since you’re with my Caleb, you better put away those airs.” “To be a daughter-in-law of the Moore family, there are many rules. The most important one is to listen to your husband and be filial to your in-laws.” At the time, I thought she was a hillbilly and ignored her, just glancing at Caleb. Caleb scolded her lightly: “Mom, we just started dating. How can you talk to Ava like that? Besides, even if we marry, Ava is my wife, not your daughter. Filial piety is my job, don’t outsource it.” If Caleb hadn’t said those seemingly correct words, I would have dumped him then and there. Later, I heard Karen tell Caleb: “You fool, I was showing her who’s boss for your own good. A girl like that, if she marries in, she’ll take over the whole house! I’m helping you suppress her so she listens to you.” Caleb said she truly loved me, and Karen scolded him for being useless. Thinking back, how could someone like Caleb speak up for me in front of his mother? I suspect they staged that whole thing for me. Now, Karen’s superior voice came through the phone, tinged with scolding. “Ava, your servants are so rude. We are guests, and they threw us out? Is this how the Pierce family treats guests?” “And I’m not just any guest, I’m your future mother-in-law. If your servants dare bully me now, what will happen when you marry into the Moore family?” Same annoying tone as Caleb. Like mother, like son. I chuckled. “Where are you now?” Karen said sharply: “At your gate. Come back immediately.” 4 I told my parents I was going home. They insisted on coming with me. “Work isn’t as important as this. I can handle it myself.” With so many security guards at home, was I afraid of them? “You haven’t dealt with people like this. You have no experience.” My mother’s voice was cool but firm. She and Dad pushed back their meetings by two hours to go with me. I found out Caleb was there too, waiting at the gate with his parents. Our car drove straight into the courtyard, and we entered the villa. It was the first time Caleb’s parents visited. They looked around, envy in their eyes, but kept their backs straight, pretending to be unimpressed. My parents sat on the sofa. “Sit.” Karen and Caleb’s father, Bob, sat down. Caleb glanced at me and sat next to his mom. Mom ordered tea, then looked at the trio. “What brings you here?” Before Caleb could speak, Karen jumped in. “Well, the kids have been dating for a long time. We came today to discuss the wedding.” Karen straightened her back. “Since we’re talking marriage, we have to talk dowry. We don’t want much, just five million.” “Don’t worry, once Ava marries in, I’ll treat her like my own daughter.” Mom nodded, not arguing, but asked: “And how much bride price have you prepared?” Karen smiled, neither humble nor arrogant. “I heard the Pierce family is wealthy. Why do big families always talk about money?” Mom looked at me. “Ava, see? This is what small-minded people are like. Mention money and they get defensive. Stay away from people like this in the future.” I nodded obediently. “I will, Mom.” Karen didn’t expect Mom to be so blunt. She stood up. “What did you say?” Mom kept her elegant smile. “Be careful. Don’t wave your arms around. If you break anything in this room, selling your house won’t cover it.” “Ava, you’re too much!” Caleb exploded. “You let your mom talk to your future mother-in-law like that?”

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At the annual awards gala, I was about to receive the “Top Salesperson” award. But before I could accept it, the CEO’s girlfriend, Bella, grabbed the mic and sneered: “Riley, it’s just an award ceremony. Don’t you think your dress is a bit… sl*tty?” “Actually, I’ve seen you selling drinks at nightclubs. Working two jobs is tough, but you should respect your body.” Then, she pulled out a stack of photos showing me meeting various clients. She accused me of closing deals by day and sleeping with clients by night. The crowd erupted. Colleagues pointed fingers, whispering in disbelief. “No wonder her sales numbers are so high. She sold herself for them.” “Does she have any diseases? Gross, I sit right next to her!” I thought the CEO, Ethan, would defend me. After all, he was there every time I signed a major contract. Instead, he turned on me: “It’s just an award, Riley. You are dressed too proactively. Since your sales record is suspicious, we’re withholding the trophy and the bonus.” Oh, so that’s how we’re playing? I pulled out my phone and dialed 911. “Help me, officer! I think I was drugged without my knowledge!” 1 The hall went dead silent. Ethan was the first to react. He rushed over to grab my phone. “Are you crazy, Riley? This is the awards gala! Stop making a scene, aren’t you embarrassed enough?” I deftly dodged him, protecting my phone and my dress, while giving the address to the operator. “Yes, Grand Crown Hotel, Rose Ballroom. Please hurry, I’m terrified!” As soon as I hung up, I switched to video recording. I aimed the camera straight at Ethan and the stunned Bella. “Come on, say it again for the camera. Did you just claim I sleep with clients at night?” I zoomed in on the “intimate photos” in Bella’s hand to ensure high-definition evidence. Bella finally snapped out of it. She swatted my phone, sending it crashing to the floor. Smash. The screen shattered. But she immediately hid behind Ethan, looking aggrieved. “I was just telling the truth. Riley, why are you escalating this? You’re ruining the party for everyone. You’re so selfish.” Hearing this, colleagues started piling on. “If you didn’t do it, Bella wouldn’t have photos.” “Exactly. Where there’s smoke, there’s fire. Why would she single you out?” “We haven’t even complained about potential health risks yet, and you’re playing the victim!” Behind Ethan, Bella put on a brave smile and “kindly” advised: “I just didn’t want everyone to be deceived. That’s why I exposed Riley’s true face today.” “Work should be fair. If bonuses go to people who cheat the system, it’s unfair to you all, right?” Her words earned a round of applause. Everyone praised her beauty and integrity, saying she truly deserved to be the CEO’s girlfriend. And me? Just a worker destined for the gutter. While they criticized me, I quietly gathered the photos from the floor. Evidence of defamation. I decided to give Ethan one last chance. He was my senior in college and had taken care of me. When I first started, my sales were bottom-tier. He ran every lead with me and introduced me to clients. Out of gratitude, even after becoming the top salesperson with my own client base, I never accepted offers from headhunters. “Ethan, are you sure you want to cancel my bonus and trophy?” 2 Ethan, arm around Bella, chatting with colleagues, darkened his face instantly. “Riley, how many times do I have to say it? Bella is my girlfriend. Her words are my words.” “If you weren’t a veteran employee, we would have fired you for moonlighting as an escort and ruining the company’s image.” “Be grateful we’re saving you some face by letting you stay. As for the bonus, forget it!” I was utterly disappointed. Based on a few photos, he labeled me an escort. How could I stay in this company? Besides, Bella might not know where those orders came from, but didn’t he? Since he gave me no way out, I wouldn’t leave him any dignity. This party is over! I walked onto the stage, cut the music, and projected my sales records onto the big screen. “Since the police aren’t here yet, let’s pause on Bella’s defamation. I can skip the trophy, but I want every cent of my bonus.” Ignoring the shock in the room, I went through every order, holding up the photos one by one. “December 1st. This photo. I squatted outside Mr. Pang’s office for three hours for a five-minute meeting. I slipped in the rain, he helped me up. Seeing my dedication, he renewed the contract.” “December 2nd. This one. Mr. Chu’s wife was sick. I visited her. He hugged me in gratitude and gave us the new project.” “December 3rd…” I had evidence and logic for every single picture. Bella didn’t expect my memory to be this good. I not only explained the context but cleared my name. She marched up and unplugged the screen. “Riley! This is the company gala, not your personal show! Is it appropriate to waste everyone’s time?” Ethan also frowned, ordering me down. “Riley, enough!” “If everyone acts like you, how can we hold the gala?” The double standard was laughable. “When you defamed me and canceled my bonus, you didn’t care about the gala. Now that I’m clearing my name and asking for my money, it’s a problem?” Bella realized something. “So it’s all about the money?” “Fine, get down. We’ll give you the bonus during the awards segment!” 3 I didn’t expect Bella to agree. Ethan looked unhappy but nodded to save her face. Since I got what I wanted, I didn’t need to waste more time on stage. As I stepped down, I saw Bella whisper something to Ethan, and they went into the lounge. I followed quietly. I wanted to see what they were plotting. Inside, Ethan questioned Bella immediately. “I staged this whole thing because I didn’t want to pay her bonus! Now you’re giving it to her? Why did I bother?” Bella soothed him softly. “I said I’d give her a bonus, I didn’t say what bonus. Don’t worry.” “I promise she won’t get a single cent today!” She whispered something in his ear, and Ethan burst out laughing. “Great! You always have ideas. Let’s do it!” Outside, I cursed myself for being naive. Of course. Bella wouldn’t dare make a scene without Ethan’s approval. But why? Even if my bonus was six figures, Ethan shouldn’t be sweating over such a small amount. Before I could figure it out, my shattered phone rang. I ducked into the bathroom. “Riley! Why didn’t you tell me you were being bullied at work?” My dad yelled. “Quit immediately! My daughter won’t suffer this humiliation!” “Defamed by an escort girl? How can I show my face in this town?” I was confused. Then I saw the link my dad sent. It was a clip of the gala livestream where Bella humiliated me. My defense was conveniently cut out. She looked like a righteous whistleblower. I looked like a scheming slut. My dad continued: “No wonder she quit my club so suddenly. She found a sugar daddy!” “Wait, Dad, who are you talking about?” “That colleague of yours! She used to sell drinks at my club, didn’t you know?” My dad sent photos and videos of Bella working at his club. I almost laughed. Bella accused me of selling alcohol, when she was the real pro! I wonder if Ethan knows? 4 I received a text from the police saying they were stuck in traffic but arriving soon. Back at the gala, Bella enthusiastically pulled me onto the stage. “Riley, I was just joking earlier. Don’t be mad. Come get your bonus.” Ethan stood before me, holding a trophy and a red envelope, his face beaming with a fake smile. “Riley, you’re a veteran employee. I’m proud of your achievements. Here is your trophy and bonus. Congratulations.” “Just… since you have a stable job now, stop with the side hustles. It looks bad if people find out.” I rolled my eyes. “Ethan, I explained clearly. I don’t have side hustles. But your girlfriend…” Bella shoved me off the stage before I could finish. “Riley, I know you hold a grudge because I told the truth, but don’t be petty.” “Go on, you got your money.” True. Priority one: get the money. But the red envelope felt light. Too light. My commission and bonus should be at least $15,000. It shouldn’t feel like air. I opened it. Inside was a single piece of paper with handwriting: “Bonus: $15,000.”

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My mother is my homeroom teacher, but not a single person in the class believes me. When I ranked second in the exams, she forced me to kneel under the flag during the assembly and repent, making everyone line up to spit on my face. After standing in the scorching sun all day, suffering from heatstroke, I bought a bottle of water at the school store. She poured boiling hot tea over me, scolding me for being wasteful and extravagant. During recess, I hid in the equipment room to apply ointment to my wounds. She dragged me by my hair from the gym to the Dean’s office, accusing me of being unable to control my lust and masturbating in public. I became the laughingstock of the entire school. Taking advantage of the situation, she had a blacksmith forge a custom-made iron chastity belt for me. With the key in her hand, I had to beg for permission just to use the bathroom or change a sanitary pad. To escape her twisted control, I studied desperately, secretly changing my college application to the farthest city possible. This time, she didn’t torture me. Instead, she took all my money, sneering as she waited for me to beg for mercy. Penniless, I stole the key, went to the red-light district, and sold my virginity for $300. As a stranger choked me and pinned me down, my vision blurred with pain, and I seemed to see my mother’s hideous face again. “Mom, I’ve completely become the slut you always called me. Are you satisfied now?” 1 With the money in hand, I didn’t even dare to pack. Clutching my ID, I went straight to the train station alone. After a grueling three-day train ride that nearly broke my body, my heart felt lighter than ever. In the new dorm room, my roommate pinched her nose exaggeratedly at my sweaty, disheveled appearance. “Ew, what is that smell?” This subtle bullying couldn’t hurt me at all. I greeted her politely, turned to make my bed, but my phone started screaming. It was my mother. Before even answering, I was already trembling uncontrollably, my nerves instantly taut. Her presence was like the Grim Reaper calling roll; she could execute me at any moment. If I forgot to write “Solution” on a math test, she would make me stand on the podium, prick my finger, and force me to write the word “Solution” all over the blackboard in my own blood. If I spent an extra fifty cents on ice cream in the summer, she would drag me to the school store, make a huge scene, and slap me twenty times in public until the owner refunded the money just to make it stop. When I wrote a few extra words in a male classmate’s yearbook, she made me kneel at the classroom door, tore the yearbook to shreds, and forced me to swallow the pieces—paper, plastic flowers, metal rings and all—while the whole class watched. Looking at my bloody mouth, she stood over me, calling it “character education.” “I can’t control the mistress outside, but I can control you!” “I raise you to prove my daughter is better than that bitch’s daughter. Not only do you have to study well, but you also have to be cleaner than her!” “Only a daughter born of a slut would be so eager to find a man. If this happens again, I’ll cut off your breasts myself and sew you up down there!” Every word sent chills down my spine, making my limbs cramp involuntarily. While I was zoning out, my roommate shoved me. “Are you crazy? Why are you standing by my bed?” I jolted awake, realizing I was thousands of miles away at college. Clutching the remaining $150 in my sweaty palm, I suddenly breathed a sigh of relief. It’s okay. I’m grown up now. I escaped. I used my virginity to buy a ticket out, and I can support myself by working hard from now on. Like a fish released back into the water, I smiled genuinely for the first time in three years. Mom, I’m finally free of you! I relaxed, spread the new sheets I was issued, and started cleaning. The smell of sunlight mixed with dust made me smile again. It’s so good. This will be my new home. A home without a controlling mother. A home where I don’t have to worry about being dragged out of bed by my hair and beaten in the middle of the night. A home where I don’t have to wear custom-made locked iron underwear and can enjoy total freedom! Sitting on the bed, thinking about my future, I was so excited I almost cried. However, just as I gathered the courage to introduce myself to my roommates, my phone received a message. Lighting up the screen, my smile froze. In the sweltering heat, I felt a cold sweat drench me. In the picture, that rusty iron chastity belt had been dug out and thrown on the floor. The message was a furious tirade from my mother. [How dare you steal the key! Don’t you know Mom makes you wear this to protect you?] [Why did you do this? Are you dating someone? Did you sleep with someone?!] [How can you be so cheap, so eager to offer yourself to a man? What’s the difference between you and the slut who stole your dad? Are you trying to kill me along with them?!] Messages popped up one after another. My hand shook, and the phone fell from the top bunk. The roommate on the bottom bunk picked it up, glanced at it confusedly, then suddenly covered her mouth. “Ava, why do you wear this thing?” “And… your mom says you’re a slut who craves men. What does that mean?” In that instant, my sky, which had just brightened, turned dark again. 2 I don’t remember how I ran out of the dorm. When I came to, I was standing by the artificial lake on campus. Looking at my reflection in the water, tears streamed down my face. A voice screamed at me to jump, but reason stopped me. I kept comforting myself: Ava, you’ve escaped. She can’t hurt you. She can only curse and scream through the phone. High school was so hard, but you made it out, didn’t you? You can do this. Taking deep breaths, I wiped my tears and walked back. But for some reason, everyone along the way was looking at me with complicated expressions. Those probing eyes gave me a bad feeling. I lowered my head deeply like a frightened bird, my hunched figure just like in high school. But when I reached the dorm building, the dorm manager, with a cold face, blocked my path with several people. “Student Ava Lane, is it?” “Someone posted on the campus confession wall that you’re working as an escort at such a young age. There’s plenty of evidence.” “The students in the dorm are afraid you have diseases and are demanding you show a medical report!” I looked up, face pale, and immediately saw the phone screen shoved in my face. Line after line, it was all messages from my mother insulting me. The main image was the photo she sent—that rusty set of iron underwear stained with three years of my humiliation. My brain buzzed, my mind went blank. I shouted at the roommates standing behind the manager. “What right do you have to invade my privacy!” Roommate Chloe flashed a strange smile. Holding my phone with a tissue, she threw it at me. “Because we are cleaner than you.” “Even your own mother says you’re horny for men every day. Even iron underwear couldn’t lock you up; you stole the key to sleep around. Who knows what viruses you have?” “Ava, you are not allowed to step foot in our dorm room ever again!” Tears in my eyes, I looked at everyone, hoping someone would say a word for me. But no. The onlookers all around opened and closed their mouths, spewing only insults. My ears rang, my limbs went numb. I turned in panic, wanting to flee. The next second, someone grabbed my arm violently. I felt a long-lost touch of… well, not kindness, but attention. I sniffled and looked up. Before I could see who it was, a sharp pain exploded on my face. Only when I fell to the ground did I realize—oh, someone slapped me. The surrounding students were startled by this turn of events and scattered. That was when I saw who it was. My mom, Linda Lane. Seeing the fear in my eyes seemed to give her immense satisfaction. She raised her hand and slapped me two more times. “Ava, you’re really something. Tell me, where did you get the money for the train ticket!” “Did you sleep with someone behind my back? Did you become a hooker?” “Get up right now! We’re going to the hospital to check if your hymen is still there. If I find out you slept with someone, I’ll sew you up immediately so you can never be a slut again!” I covered my face, motionless. Because I sadly realized my life wouldn’t get better. I thought leaving home would free me from Linda, free me from the painful past. But I was wrong. This slap wasn’t just from Linda; it was from reality. I can never escape. Seeing I wouldn’t move, Linda grew even more furious. She grabbed a mop handle from the dorm entrance and started beating me indiscriminately. “You’re scared! Just like your scumbag father, running away when you can’t answer!” “You think you can hide? Ava, if you don’t leave, I’ll call a doctor right here, strip you naked in front of everyone, and check you myself!” In that moment, I only wished Linda would hit harder. If she accidentally killed me, I wouldn’t have to face any of this. I could already imagine the future. Everyone would avoid me. Roommates would bully me openly. Teachers would ignore me. Even worse, male students would ask how much for a night. Everyone would think I’m cheap. A child not even loved by her mother—no one will love her. I held back tears and looked up. “Just kill me.” Linda froze, then started screaming. “You’d rather die than be checked! You definitely have a problem!” “How many men have you slept with? Are you pregnant?!” I smiled bitterly, looked at her, and repeated: “Just kill me.” Linda’s eyes filled with rage, her strikes getting heavier. Just as she beat me until I vomited blood, school leaders rushed over and stopped her. “Parent, how can you hurt your child like this in public!” Linda didn’t hold back. She spat on my face before answering. “She’s my daughter. I decide whether to beat or scold her.” “Don’t try to pull rank on me. I’m an award-winning teacher; I don’t buy that!” The leaders’ faces changed colors as they continued to persuade. “We can solve any issues privately. This… looks bad.” Mom threw the mop handle on the ground, eyebrows knitting together. She tilted her head, studied the leaders for a few seconds, and suddenly revealed an expression so familiar it terrified me. I jumped up to cover her mouth, but it was too late. “You’re protecting this little slut so much… are you the adulterer?” “I wondered why Ava gave up good grades to come to this crappy school. Turns out, it’s all because of you!” My head buzzed. I shook my head frantically. “Mom, I beg you, stop talking!” She slapped my face, mouth still running. “My daughter is usually the most obedient. She wore iron underwear for three years without taking it off. As soon as she starts college, she steals the key to take it off. It’s all because of you!” The crowd went into an uproar. Some blushed at the mention of iron underwear. Others pointed at the leader, saying the Vice Principal was in big trouble. Oh, so he’s the Vice Principal. Looks like I can’t go to school here anymore. I collapsed in despair, all beautiful dreams drifting away. The Vice Principal was indeed furious, face red. “I’ve never seen this student before, don’t…” Before he could finish, Linda grabbed my hair, shoved people aside, and forced me to say my room number. Then, just like in high school, she choked me with one hand and kicked me forward with her foot. In the dorm room, Linda let go of me and rummaged through her bag. Everyone stared as she pulled out a surveillance camera kit. “Which bed is yours? Install it yourself.” My roommates weren’t having it. One picked up the camera and smashed it on the floor. “What right do you have to invade our privacy? We’ll call the police!” Linda’s skills in throwing tantrums were perfected; even high school principals feared her. Why would she be scared of a few kids? I numbly picked up the broken camera, standing aside like a zombie. Unexpectedly, the police actually came. Two officers took Linda and me away. A policewoman protected me, covered in bruises, and helped me get an injury assessment. Hearing them talk about “intentional injury,” my heart raced again. I seemed to have a way. I seemed to… finally be able to protect myself. Amidst Linda’s screaming insults, I stated without hesitation that I would not settle. Linda’s voice choked in her throat. Her face went cold inch by inch, staring at me with pure malice. Yet I felt a thrill of revenge. But I didn’t expect that my injuries didn’t meet the standard for a criminal case. The incident was ultimately ruled as a “family dispute.” And Linda only received a verbal warning. At this moment, I just wanted to run. I ran back to the dorm, only to find my luggage at the door. Chloe led the way, blocking me, looking at me like garbage. “Ava, we’ve already reported to the counselor. You can’t live here anymore.” Under everyone’s probing gazes, I walked out of the dorm in a daze. Just as I was feeling desperate, my phone received a message. [Tonight, same place. Keep the boss company. I know your name is Ava and your mom is Linda Lane from No. 1 High School. You can’t escape.] I was stunned. Before I could reply, another video came through. [Not talking? Want everyone to see you selling your virginity cheaply?] Watching myself in the video, my heart almost stopped. But I didn’t want to go. I couldn’t go. Hesitating for a few seconds, I typed a reply. [If you dare post it, I’ll call the police.] Life was a mess. I couldn’t think of any way to cope, so I found the cheapest motel near the school to stay temporarily. The next day, I wanted to go to the school leaders to apologize. But as soon as I stepped onto campus, everyone’s eyes focused on me. “That’s the girl in the video, right?” “Yeah. When her mom caused a scene yesterday, I thought it was a misunderstanding. Turns out it’s all true!” “In the video, she’s admitting she’s selling herself while getting screwed. So cheap!” My limbs went numb. I couldn’t move. I took out my phone and frantically opened the campus wall.

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I went undercover as an intern at my sister’s company, hiding my identity. But after three months of hard work, HR informed me I failed the probation period. They were also withholding my entire salary. “The reason?” “You took 3 days off.” I looked at the HR manager, amused. “First, it was bereavement leave. My grandmother passed away.” “Second, I followed every legal procedure.” “Third…” I turned to look at another intern who started with me, Caleb Wilson. “He took off three times this month just to take care of his girlfriend who had cramps. Totaling 21 days.” “Why did he pass probation?” HR looked at me with disdain. “This company belongs to his family. Why do you think?” “Besides, period cramps can be excruciating. It’s a matter of life and death.” “You just had a grandmother die. What gives you the right to take leave?” 1 On the last day of my internship, I was called into the office of HR Manager Linda Fox. “Aiden, your application for full-time employment has been rejected.” Hearing this, I wasn’t surprised. “Additionally, because your excessive leave during the internship severely impacted workflow, per company policy, your entire salary for the three months will be deducted.” I finally couldn’t help but laugh out loud. “Manager Fox, I need an explanation.” My reaction seemed to anger her. She sat up straight, her narrow eyes glaring at me sharply. “Explanation? What explanation do you need? It’s written in black and white: leave cannot exceed two days. How long were you gone?” “Three days,” I replied calmly. “First, I took bereavement leave for my grandmother. That is a legally protected right.” “Second, I submitted all necessary documentation and received approval from my department head.” “Third…” My gaze moved past her to the figure outside the office, laughing boisterously with colleagues. “Caleb Wilson, who started with me, took leave three times in three months to ‘take care of his girlfriend.’ Seven days each time, totaling 21 days. Why did he pass probation smoothly?” Linda scoffed, leaning back lazily in her chair. “Aiden, did you lose your brain during the internship? You’re comparing yourself to Caleb?” “Didn’t you ask around? Do you know whose family owns this company?” “Besides, period cramps can be life-threatening. It could affect future generations. And you?” She scanned me up and down, her lips curling in contempt. “You just had a grandmother die, right?” “Old people die eventually. Is that such a big deal to take three days off? So dramatic.” I lowered my eyes and didn’t argue further. Amidst her endless chatter and biting sarcasm, I silently reached into my pocket. My finger slid along the side of my phone and pressed the lock button. Before the screen went dark, I clearly saw the bright red, ticking timer of the voice recorder. Good. All the evidence is here. 2 Holding my water bottle, I walked back to my desk in the Marketing Department, expressionless. The bustling office quieted instantly. Everyone’s eyes focused on me like spotlights. Some pitied, some were curious, but most were gloating. I could hear whispered gossip buzzing like flies. Ignoring everyone, I walked straight to my seat and started packing. Keyboard, mouse pad, a mug I used for three years, and a few professional books. When I picked up the proposal for “Project Starlight,” my fingers paused. This plan, which cost me countless sleepless nights, had become the brightest highlight on Caleb’s resume. I remembered clearly how my direct supervisor, Tom Baker—a middle-aged man with a receding hairline who lived by the motto “less trouble is better”—handed this proposal to Caleb in front of the entire department. He praised him: “Exceptional talent, a promising future.” And me, the actual creator? I got a dismissive, “Aiden participated too. Keep working hard.” All this happened because everyone firmly believed Caleb was the Chairman’s fiancé. “Oh my, Aiden, what are you doing?” Caleb sashayed over to me, looking down with feigned surprise and syrupy sweetness. “Why are you packing? Did Manager Fox say something harsh?” “Please don’t take it to heart. She has a sharp tongue but a soft heart.” He reached out to hold down my box, but I dodged sideways. Too lazy to look at him, I continued sweeping clutter into the box. Feeling ignored, his voice took on a tone of victorious boasting: “But don’t be too sad. Just because this company didn’t work out doesn’t mean others won’t. How about this? In a few days, I’ll ask my girlfriend to look out for you and introduce you to a good job. How does that sound?” I finally stopped, looked up at him, and said nothing. Uncomfortable under my gaze, he puffed out his chest anyway. I picked up the box, stood up, and walked away. “Aiden!” The receptionist, Jenny, ran over, grabbing my arm, her eyes red. “These people are too much! It’s bullying!” Jenny was the only person in the company who treated me as a friend. I patted her hand, slipped the voice recorder into her pocket, and whispered, “Keep this safe for me.” She froze, then nodded heavily. I didn’t look back. Hugging the box, I walked step by step toward the elevator. Passing the huge glass wall, I could see the faces inside, each harboring their own schemes. The elevator doors closed slowly, cutting off all sights and sounds. 3 Three days later, it was the company’s New Employee Welcome Gala. I hadn’t planned on going. A fired employee attending his own welcome party sounded like a joke. But Jenny’s calls nearly blew up my phone. “Aiden, are you really not coming?” “Come on, come on! The food is free anyway, don’t waste it!” Looking at my pale face in the mirror, the refusal on my lips was swallowed back. Maybe I should go. To see how Caleb accepts everyone’s congratulations as the victor. Before I could decide, an unexpected call came in. It was my sister, Elena. “Aiden, where are you?” Her voice was familiar, slightly tired but steady as always. “Home. Elena, aren’t you on a business trip in Europe? Finished so early?” “Changed plans, just landed.” She paused, a hint of a smile in her voice. “I have a surprise for you tonight. To celebrate our Aiden’s successful employment, I prepared a gift.” My heart sank. “What surprise?” “Not telling you yet. Get ready, wait for me to pick you up.” Before I could ask more, she hung up. I stared at the dark screen, an ominous feeling rising in my chest. Meanwhile, at the Starfall Hotel ballroom, the scene was lavish and bustling. Elena, in a perfectly tailored gown, attracted everyone’s attention the moment she stepped in. Her appearance froze the air for a few seconds. No one expected the elusive big boss to attend a small new employee welcome party. Ignoring the executives trying to chat her up, her cold gaze scanned the room, searching for someone. Once, twice. She frowned slightly. Aiden wasn’t there. Her gaze finally landed on the reception desk, on a familiar figure—Jenny. She knew Jenny. Aiden had mentioned she was his only friend at the company. Elena strode over with her long legs. “Hello, Ms. Vance!” Startled, Jenny nearly knocked over her champagne. She stood straight, greeting her nervously. “Where is Aiden?” Elena got straight to the point. Her voice wasn’t loud, but it carried undeniable pressure. “A-Aiden… he…” Jenny’s eyes panicked instantly, dodging her gaze. “He… he’s not feeling well today, so… so he didn’t come.” Elena stared at her, unconsciously twisting the ring on her finger. “Not feeling well?” She repeated, tone unreadable. “I spoke to him on the phone minutes ago. He didn’t say he was unwell.” Jenny’s face turned white instantly. Her lips trembled, unable to utter a word. Her reaction explained more than any words could. Elena’s heart sank. She realized something was wrong. 4 Just as Elena’s patience was running out, the ballroom lights dimmed, and a spotlight hit the center stage. The host enthusiastically announced the start of the New Employee Welcome Gala. Then, HR Manager Linda Fox, wearing a brand-new suit, walked onto the stage beaming. Enjoying the attention, she cleared her throat and spoke in a dramatic cadence: “Good evening, leaders and colleagues!” “Today is a day for celebration. Our company has injected fresh blood once again.” “After three months of strict evaluation, a group of outstanding interns has emerged to become official members of our family!” Polite applause rippled through the audience. Elena sat in the VIP corner, her grip on the wine glass tightening, her cold gaze locked on Linda. “Now, I will announce the list of employees who successfully passed probation!” Linda’s voice pitched up, unable to hide her smugness. She picked up the cue card and began reading. “Tech Department: Mark Johnson, Leo Smith…” “Admin Department: Emily Brown…” With each name, small cheers and applause erupted. Elena’s face darkened inch by inch. The pressure around her dropped so low that executives wanting to toast her stayed away. “Finally,” Linda dragged out the word, building suspense, her face piled with a fawning smile. “I want to grandly introduce the pride of our Marketing Department. Not only did he contribute several excellent ideas during his internship, but his performance was far ahead of everyone else. He is our company’s future star—Mr. Caleb Wilson!” The spotlight instantly swung to Caleb in the audience. Wearing a designer suit, he stood up elegantly, waving to colleagues around him, his face wearing the reserve and pride of a winner. The loudest applause of the night erupted. On stage, Linda continued her lavish praise: “Mr. Wilson’s excellence is obvious to all. His joining will surely bring new vitality to Vance Group! Let’s welcome Caleb Wilson officially joining us with another round of applause!” Thunderous applause. Elena’s gaze swept over Caleb without pausing, returning to Linda’s face. She listened quietly. Until Linda closed the cue card and said “That concludes the list” with a smile. She never heard the name she wanted to hear most. Aiden. Her brother, Aiden’s name, was not on the list. Amidst the endless applause, Elena stood up, face frosty. She slammed her wine glass onto the table. The thud was muffled in the noise, but it made those nearby jump. Striding forward, ignoring everyone, she walked straight toward the brilliantly lit stage. The crowd parted automatically. The applause faded. Everyone looked at the unsmiling big boss in confusion, wondering what she was doing. Linda, immersed in her perfect hosting, turned to find Elena’s freezing face inches away. Her smile froze. She stammered: “M-Ms. Vance, you…” Ignoring her, Elena reached out and took the microphone from her stunned hand. The feedback screech pierced through the speakers. The entire hall went dead silent. Her cold eyes swept over every confused face. Her voice, amplified, rang clearly through the hall: “Where is my brother, Aiden?”

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The year my mother remarried, she took me, just ten years old, to the Vital Records Office. “Your new dad already has a son and a daughter. It wasn’t easy for me to find someone, so I didn’t tell him I have a daughter too.” I looked up, confused and innocent. “Mom, then what about me?” The new household register was issued. My mother gestured for me to open it. My grandparents had become my legal “mother and father” in the relationship column, while my mother had become my legal sister. “You should call Grandma ‘Mom’ now,” she said, pocketing the document. “Take the bus back to Grandma’s house yourself. I have to go pick up my daughter from school.” I clutched the register and lowered my head. I knew the daughter she spoke of wasn’t me anymore. From that day on, I never saw my mother again. In my junior year of college, my grandparents passed away. My mother, who had vanished for 11 years, suddenly appeared at my grandparents’ house, a real estate agent standing beside her. “I’m the only daughter. What belonged to the old folks is mine. I have the right to sell this house.” I stepped forward, pulling out the household register. “Sister, you’re not an only child. You have a little sister, remember?” 1 The real estate agent took the register, glanced at it, and immediately exploded at my mother. “What are you playing at?! You said you were an only child, and now a sister pops up? You wasted half my day! If this deal falls through, it’s on you!” “I already found a buyer! They’re driving over right now! How am I supposed to explain this?!” Still furious, the agent glared at me before turning away to call the buyer, his voice dripping with apologetic fawning. My mother turned, glaring at me. “Ava, what is the meaning of this?!” I shrugged, holding up the register. “It means this house is mine.” “For the past two years, while Grandma and Grandpa were bedridden, I was the one cleaning them, feeding them meds, wiping their bodies. Where were you? Where were you then?” My mother rushed to defend herself. “I was busy!” “I have a new family to take care of, step-siblings to manage. Where would I find the time? Besides, this house should be mine. I’m their biological daughter!” “Biological daughter?” I laughed. “You disappeared for 11 years.” “You haven’t stepped foot in this house for 11 years. You never cooked a meal or poured a glass of water for them.” “Now that they’re gone, you show up with an agent to sell the house? And you call yourself a daughter?” My mother’s face went from red to white, then white to green. She stepped closer, lowering her voice. Indeed, it wasn’t something to be proud of. “Ava, how can you fight me for a house? We’re only sisters on paper, but you’re my real daughter, the flesh and blood I carried for ten months!” Real daughter… I remembered the first Lunar New Year after she remarried when I was ten. I took a scarf I knitted myself to her new home. The whole way, I anticipated her reaction. Would she apologize? Would she wish me a Happy New Year? But when she saw the scarf, she tossed it aside carelessly, turning to hug a girl slightly taller than me, adjusting her wool scarf. The girl looked at me curiously. “Mommy, who is she?” My mother said, “Just a distant poor relative. We’re not close.” I stood shivering in the cold wind, wanting to call out “Mom,” but was forced back by the icy glare she shot over her shoulder. That day, I stood downstairs at her new place for a full hour, my heart frozen solid. After returning from her house, I caught a chill and ran a fever of 104 degrees, deliriously calling for Mom. Grandma, heartbroken, called my mother. I clearly heard her say one sentence. “I have to watch cartoons with my daughter. I don’t have time to take care of outsiders.” Then, she hung up. So, in her heart, I was just an outsider. From then on, my mother was no longer “Mom” in my heart. Over countless days and nights, I told myself: Ava, you don’t have a mother anymore. Thinking of this, I looked up. “I am not your daughter.” “From the day you made me your sister on paper, from the day you made me take the bus alone while you picked up someone else’s daughter, I haven’t had a mother.” My mother was speechless. Just as she was about to speak, footsteps and laughter came from the stairwell. Her stepdaughter, stepson, and new husband appeared. The girl threw herself at my mother the moment she entered. “Mom! We’re here! Where’s the agent? How’s the house sale going?” “You promised to use the money for my dowry! Don’t play favorites and give it to my brother!” The boy laughed. “Don’t worry, Sis, I’ll take care of you. I won’t fight you for the dowry.” “But Mom, after selling the house, shouldn’t you pitch in for my new car?” The man walked up to my mother, glancing at me. “You must be Jane’s little sister?” “Oh, we came in a rush, didn’t bring a gift for the sister-in-law.” I didn’t even look at them. I took a deep breath and cleared my throat. “Sister, Brother-in-law.” “This house is mine. All of Mom and Dad’s inheritance belongs to me. You have no right to touch it.” The room went silent. The girl’s smile froze. The boy’s face darkened. The man frowned at my mother. My mother, humiliated by everyone’s gaze, glared at me, speaking with hidden menace. “Ava! Don’t go too far!” She was threatening me, but didn’t dare reveal our twisted “sister” relationship. “This house belonged to my parents. How could it be yours?” I held up the register. “Why not? Just because I’m the younger ‘sister’ doesn’t mean I don’t get a share, right?” “Before ‘Mom and Dad’ passed, I was the one taking care of them. You didn’t lift a finger or contribute a cent.” “Legally or morally, this house is none of your business.” The girl got anxious. After all, my mother had promised her the money for her dowry. She yelled at me. “This house belongs to my mom! My mom is Grandpa and Grandma’s daughter, so it’s hers! Who do you think you are to fight her for it?” I stared at her. “I am also ‘Mom and Dad’s’ daughter. I am your mother’s sister on paper.” “If we’re talking qualifications, you don’t even have the right to stand here and speak.” My mother quickly shielded the girl, as if I would eat her alive. “Don’t you dare yell at my daughter!” As if truly angered by my “rebellion,” she pointed at the door: “Get out! This is my parents’ house! It’s not your place to act wild!” “Get out?” I shook my head. “This is the home I’ve lived in for over ten years. It’s where I cared for ‘Mom and Dad’ until they died.” “The ones who need to get out are you.” The man narrowed his eyes at me for a few seconds, then tugged at my mother’s arm. “Let’s go. We’ll talk later.” My mother was still fuming and refused to leave. “Why leave? It’s my house!” The man’s voice was low. “Making a scene here won’t work.” He glanced around, clearly afraid the neighbors would hear and gossip. My mother froze, then glared at me viciously before turning to follow the man. The boy and girl followed reluctantly. As the girl passed me, she deliberately bumped into my shoulder. “Psycho. Cheapskate.” I ignored her. Just as they reached the stairs, the man stopped and turned to me. “Little sister-in-law, don’t get too cocky. The house isn’t necessarily yours.” “At most, you get a majority share. Your sister is the biological daughter. Blood is blood; inheritance rights can’t be erased.” He smiled confidently. “We have plenty of time to drag this out. But you, a little girl still in college, can you afford it?” With that, they left without waiting for a response. His meaning was clear. So as soon as he left, I started organizing evidence of my care for my grandparents. I dug out their medical records, filled with my signature. I found receipts for medicine and hospital bills from over the years. Stacks of them piled up on the desk, filling two file folders. I also contacted the caregiver who helped before and the neighbors; they were willing to testify for me. It was enough to prove that for the past three years, I was the one meticulously caring for the elderly couple, while my mother never showed her face. I organized the evidence, made copies, and consulted the legal aid center at school to understand the relevant laws. Days passed. I attended classes while waiting for their next move. Sure enough, a week later, I received a court summons. My mother sued me. She demanded the court confirm her inheritance rights to the property and divide the other assets. On the day of the hearing, the courtroom was quiet. I sat down, and soon saw my mother and her entourage walk in. The trial began. The judge verified identities, then asked the plaintiff to state their claim. My mother’s lawyer stood up, stating that my mother was the biological daughter and legally entitled to inheritance, and I shouldn’t monopolize the estate. When it was my turn, I stood up. “Your Honor, I disagree with the plaintiff’s claim.” “First, I legally enjoy equal inheritance rights with the plaintiff. Second, the plaintiff never fulfilled any support obligations during the illness of the two elders.” The judge flipped through the thick stack of evidence I prepared, nodding repeatedly. My mother, however, came prepared. She suddenly stood up, pointing at me and shouting. “Ava! What right do you have to claim equal inheritance? You aren’t even my parents’ biological daughter!” Her words silenced the courtroom. Everyone’s eyes focused on us. My mother pulled a document from her bag and held it high. “Your Honor, I have a DNA test report here. It proves that Ava and I are biologically mother and daughter!” “She isn’t my parents’ daughter; she’s my daughter! She has no right to inherit my parents’ estate!” The courtroom erupted. “Wow, that mother is ruthless. Remarried and didn’t even want her daughter?” “Why didn’t she take her when she remarried? Maybe the kid was bad from the start.” “Yeah, look at her now. Pretending to be confused just for money. Shameless.” Murmurs rose from the gallery. The judge frowned, accepting the DNA report. I was stunned. I had prepared so much evidence, but I never expected my mother to expose this publicly. I turned to look behind her. Her new family showed no surprise. Instead, they wore smug expressions, as if they expected this. In that moment, I understood everything. Why my mother dared to admit I was her daughter in public, why her husband and stepchildren weren’t angry. It wasn’t motherly love. It was because I was a junior in college, about to graduate. They could skip all the child-rearing costs and pick up a daughter ready to contribute to the family. Of course they agreed. It was all benefit, no cost. They could claim the inheritance and bind me to the moral high ground of filial piety. I suppressed the urge to scream. The twisted “sister” relationship with my mother was the deepest scar of my life. And now, she tore it open in public, bloody and raw. She didn’t care about my pain, only how much blood she could suck. My mother looked at my shocked face triumphantly. “Ava, what do you have to say now? You are my daughter. I gave birth to you.” “Now that my parents are gone, this house naturally belongs to me, the only daughter. Stop dreaming.” You are my daughter. The identity I once craved was realized in such an absurd way. My heart pounded violently. I looked at my mother’s smug face, memories flashing through my mind. Her coldness when I was young. Her heartlessness when my grandparents died. Everything she did these past few days to steal the house. A massive rage welled up inside me. The judge banged the gavel, silencing the room, then looked at me. “Defendant, do you have any objections to the DNA report submitted by the plaintiff?” I looked up. “The DNA report is real. I don’t deny I am her daughter.” The judge continued, “Then regarding inheritance rights…” With bloodshot eyes, I pulled a document that shouldn’t have seen the light of day from my bag and held it up. “However, I still have inheritance rights!” 2 I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself. “Because, besides the notarized will, I also have a notarized adoption agreement left by my grandparents!” This sentence plunged the courtroom into shock again. My mother’s smile froze. She looked at me in disbelief, her voice trembling. “Ava, what adoption agreement?” “Impossible! How did I not know about an adoption agreement? My parents never told me.” I looked at her coldly. “Of course you didn’t know.” “This agreement was signed specifically with you by my grandparents when I was 10. You were just too busy with your new kids to read it carefully.” “The agreement clearly states that you voluntarily gave me up for adoption to my grandparents. From then on, they exercised guardianship and support obligations, and you no longer had any responsibility for me.” This agreement was notarized and legally binding. I handed the yellowed document to the judge. “Your Honor, from the day I was adopted, I had no legal mother-daughter relationship with her. My legal parents were my grandparents.” “Since she signed the adoption agreement, she lost custody and rights over me long ago. Similarly, she has no right to deny my relationship with my grandparents because of biology.” Another commotion in the gallery. The whispers grew louder. “A real adoption agreement? What a twisted family.” “Signed the agreement and still came back for the inheritance? That’s thick-skinned.” “Look at that girl, her hands are shaking. She must be heartbroken…” “No kidding. I bet she didn’t plan to use this until her mom aired all that dirty laundry.” I looked at my mother, stunned in the plaintiff’s seat. “You can’t believe it, can you? When you pushed me to my grandparents to please your new husband, did you never think of today?” “You say I’m your daughter, but do you deserve to be a mother?” “When I was ten, you changed my status to your sister, made me take the bus alone while you picked up someone else’s daughter. Did you treat me as a daughter then?” “When I had a fever of 104 and Grandma called for help, you hung up saying you had to watch cartoons with your daughter. Did you treat me as a daughter then?” “Now you remember I’m your daughter?” “Is it because I’m graduating and can be free labor? Or because I’m in the way of you dividing the inheritance for your new son and daughter?” I got more agitated as I spoke, 11 years of grievance and anger exploding. “How dare you use a DNA test to deny my relationship with my grandparents?” “They raised me. They gave me a home when you abandoned me.” “And you are just a stranger who gave birth to me and threw me away!” My barrage of questions left my mother trembling, pale, lips quivering without a word. The judge carefully checked the adoption agreement and the will, asked a few key questions, then banged the gavel. Silence. I held my breath, waiting for the verdict. The judge announced: “The court finds that a legal and valid adoption relationship exists between the defendant Ava and the decedents, evidenced by the notarized adoption agreement.” “Simultaneously, the plaintiff, as the biological daughter, failed to fulfill support obligations during the decedents’ illness without valid reason.” “The defendant fulfilled major support obligations, and the decedents left a notarized will explicitly gifting the property and all assets to the defendant.” The judge scanned the room, eyes landing on my mother. “Therefore, the judgment is as follows: The plaintiff’s claims are dismissed. The property and all assets under the decedents’ names belong to the defendant, Ava. The plaintiff has no inheritance rights.” “This judgment is final and effective immediately.” Bang! The gavel fell. My mother blacked out and collapsed onto her chair. Her husband rushed to support her. Her daughter screamed hysterically: “My dowry is gone!” Her son’s face turned green, kicking the chair next to him. The gallery erupted again, this time all condemning my mother. I stood up, straightened my clothes, bowed deeply to the judge. Then, holding my evidence and the verdict, I walked out of the courtroom. But just as I stepped out, my wrist was grabbed tight. I looked back. It was my mother. She had woken up, the pallor gone, replaced by a tearful look. She pulled my hand, begging. “Ava, my good daughter, Mom was wrong. Mom shouldn’t have fought for the house. Forgive Mom, okay?” I shook her off hard. “Don’t call me daughter. I have nothing to do with you.” “Also, the judge ruled. The house is mine. You have no right to covet it.” My mother wiped her tears. “I know, I know!” Then, she tried to kneel before me. I blocked her quickly. Her husband and stepchildren stood nearby, looking ugly but not stepping forward. Seeing she couldn’t kneel, she slumped on the ground. She cried and complained. “Ava, I never told you, but Mom has had it hard these years.” “In that house, I have to watch your stepdad’s mood, take care of your stepsiblings. If I don’t get this house, they’ll look down on me. I can’t stay there anymore!” I interrupted: “Stepdad? Was he a dad to me for one day? Did he fulfill any responsibility?” My mother ignored me, continuing her wailing. “Just pity Mom, give the house to Mom. Mom will make it up to you later, buy you whatever you want!” Watching her act, I felt nauseous. I sneered. “Make it up to me? With what?” “Make up for 11 years without a mom? Or make up for being treated as your sister?” “I’m telling you, I don’t need your compensation, and I definitely don’t need your fake tears!” 3 The lawsuit was over, and I had to return to college. Unexpectedly, my mother followed me to campus. She acted like a different person, running to my school every day. Bringing breakfast in the morning, waiting at the cafeteria at noon, following me to the dorm at night. She dressed plainly, hair combed neatly, greeting my classmates enthusiastically. “I’m Ava’s mom. We had a misunderstanding before, I’m here to make amends.” My classmates looked at me strangely. Every time, I ignored her, throwing her gifts on the ground. “Stop acting like a loving mother. You’re bad at it.” But she acted like she didn’t hear, coming every day, playing the long-suffering mother treated cruelly by her daughter. But I knew, for a selfish person like her, the kindness was an act that wouldn’t last long. Sure enough, after a week of my indifference, she showed her true colors. That night, she blocked me downstairs at my dorm, the gentleness gone. “Ava, don’t be ungrateful! I’ve done so much, what more do you want?” “You must give me the house. I promised to sell it for your sister’s dowry!” “If you don’t agree, I’ll have no status in that house. Are you going to watch me suffer?” I leaned against the wall, crossing my arms coldly. “What does your suffering have to do with me?” “You chose to remarry, you chose to please them. This outcome is your own doing.” “As for your promise to that daughter, that’s your problem. Don’t bother me. She’s not my sister. I won’t give you an inch of the house.” My mother was furious, pointing at my nose. “You ungrateful wolf!” “I carried you for ten months, and you won’t even help with this? If I knew you were this cold-blooded, I shouldn’t have given birth to you!” I fired back without weakness. “Yes! You should have aborted me, saved me from seeing your disgusting face now!” “From the day you put me on the register as your sister, we had no kinship.” “Now that Grandma and Grandpa are gone, we are completely cut off!” Speechless, my mother stared at me for a long time, then suddenly smiled viciously. “Fine, Ava! Since you’re so heartless, don’t blame me for being nasty!” I thought she was just talking. The next morning, she made a scene in front of the main building. She held a sign: [Ungrateful Daughter Ava Occupies Grandparents’ Inheritance, Drives Biological Mother to Death] She cried and screamed, attracting a crowd. “Everyone look! This Ava, a junior here, is heartless! She took the inheritance that should be mine and kicked me out! I’m homeless!” She picked her words carefully. “I painfully sent her to live with her grandparents so she could have a good life. Now they’re gone, she turns her back on me, won’t even acknowledge her own mother!” The crowd grew. “Ava? The one from Economics? She won a national scholarship last year.” “Yeah, didn’t expect her to be like this. Stealing her mom’s inheritance.” “I’m in the volunteer club with her. She looks quiet, didn’t know she was so cruel.” “You never know a person’s heart. Who knows what she does to roommates? Better be careful.” Listening to the gossip, I felt calm. After everything, I was numb. Soon, my counselor saw me. He walked over quickly, frowning sternly. “Ava, what’s going on? Your mother is making a scene, it looks very bad!” “The whole school is talking about you. Handle this quickly, or your scholarship and awards will be cancelled!” I looked at him calmly. “I did nothing wrong. Why should I handle it?” “She’s lying, slandering me. I’m the victim.” The counselor was angry. “Right or wrong, she’s your mother! Get her to leave! We can’t have this disturbance!” “If you don’t handle it well, don’t blame the school for following regulations.” He threatened me with my scholarship. I knew this was the effect my mother wanted. She succeeded. But only halfway. I sneered. Since she wants a scene, I’ll give her one. I went back to the dorm, opened a document, and wrote down everything. From changing my status to “sister” to remarry, to abandoning me. From ignoring my grandparents’ illness to stealing the house after their death, and finally slandering me at school. Every detail was clear. Titles? Easy. [Shocking Twist! Mother Abandons Daughter to Remarry, Steals Inheritance After Death, Slanders Daughter at School! Who is the Real Monster?] I printed hundreds of copies and walked to the main building. My mother was still crying there, surrounded by students. I said nothing, went to the third floor, opened the window, and threw the papers down. “Read it, everyone! Justice is in the hearts of the people!” Students caught the papers. The murmurs died, replaced by gasps. “OMG, so that’s it!!” “This mom is ruthless. Changing her daughter to her sister to remarry.” “Poor Ava. Abandoned and now slandered.” “Taking a pic and posting to the confession wall to clear her name. Call me a hero!” My mother saw the papers, her face changing instantly. She tried to snatch the evidence from students, but there were too many. Students stopped her. “Auntie! Stop twisting the truth!” “Exactly! Too much! How dare you make a scene here!” They pointed fingers at her. My mother looked at the accusing crowd, then up at me. She knew she lost. Her legs gave out, and she collapsed, arrogance gone. The counselor started scolding me. I turned. “Sir, I can’t swallow insults.” “I don’t care about awards, but I care about myself, about justice. I had no choice.” The counselor fell silent, holding a copy of my statement. He read it for a long time, pushed up his glasses. “I’ll handle the school side.” “Student Ava, you’ve been wronged.” I went downstairs, walking up to my mother. I looked down at her. “I’ll tell you one last time. The day Grandma and Grandpa died, we were done.” “From now on, we have no connection. If you harass me again, I’ll call the police.” I turned and walked away, never looking back.

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My billionaire biological parents finally came to take me home. My neighbors tried to warn them, saying I was a jinx, a walking disaster, and anyone who got close would suffer bad luck. They didn’t believe it. They insisted on taking me back, just to make me a scapegoat for their fake daughter, who had been cyberbullying the richest man’s heiress. Day 1: The fake daughter, afraid I’d steal her spotlight, tried to frame me but ended up falling down the stairs and getting a concussion. Day 2: My biological brother, trying to protect the fake daughter, threatened me to livestream a false confession. He ended up nearly strangled by a tangle of loose wires. Day 3: The richest man in the city came knocking, thinking I was the troll who harassed his daughter. He sent a squad of goons to ruin me. But before they could even get within three feet of me, a freak hailstorm pummeled them half to death. I walked away without a scratch. The billionaire’s revenge rebounded onto my biological parents. With their business teetering on the edge of bankruptcy, my “noble” parents were crying and begging my adoptive parents to take me back. “Please! We’ll give you anything! Just take this jinx back!” 1 When my wealthy biological parents came to pick me up, my neighbors and adoptive parents gave them fair warning: “This girl of ours, she’s got a strange fate. Bad luck follows her.” “You better think clearly before taking her.” The rich couple dismissed it, even looking annoyed at the superstition. “Stop spreading this nonsense. We’re her biological parents. We’re taking her home, not harming her.” I sneered internally. These two probably didn’t even recognize me. When their luxury car rolled into the village, I was just coming home and overheard their phone call. “Chloe, honey, you know we’re only bringing this biological daughter back to take the fall for you.” “You cyberbullied the daughter of the richest man in the city. This is the only way.” “Don’t worry, once the anger dies down over there, we’ll kick her out immediately.” “By then, she’ll probably be too ruined to function anyway.” The girl on the other end finally stopped throwing a tantrum. “But when she comes back, you can’t be nice to her.” “Your only precious daughter is me.” They agreed repeatedly before hanging up. Knowing the situation, I actually felt a pang of sympathy for this poor biological daughter. What kind of bad luck did she have to end up with parents like these? Turns out, the joke was on me. “Sure, let’s go back.” “I won’t be staying long anyway.” I got into the car with my wealthy bio-parents. As soon as we left the village, their faces changed. My biological mother, Mrs. Vance, scrutinized me: “Your name is Ava, right?” “We are respectable people in Capital City. You have to follow our rules when you come home.” “You will only be an adopted daughter. Chloe is our real daughter. You must yield to Chloe in everything. If she’s unhappy, you’ll be punished according to family rules.” I looked at her calmly: “Maybe my adoptive parents didn’t explain it clearly just now.” “My fate is weird. Anyone who treats me badly or wrongs me will have bad luck.” My biological father, Mr. Vance, scoffed: “Stop fear-mongering and spreading superstition. You can fool those country bumpkins, but don’t try to scare us. Watch your skin!” As soon as he finished speaking, the car started swerving erratically, spinning and drifting on the highway as if possessed. The couple screamed and clutched their seatbelts. The driver frantically tried to correct the steering, but it was futile. The car flipped. A huge rock fell from nowhere, smashing through the roof right where the Vances were sitting, tearing off chunks of flesh from their arms and legs. The smell of blood filled the cabin. Screams echoed. I shook my dizzy head and looked at them: “I told you, you’d have bad luck. Why didn’t you believe me?” “Look, flesh and skin all torn off.” I shook my head, tsk-tsking. “So tragic.” The couple was shocked, terrified, but mostly angry. “This is an accident! Just an accident! Stop gloating!” I shrugged indifferently. The rescue team soon got them out. They were about to be loaded onto the ambulance. But the stretcher fabric tore twice. Getting into the ambulance, the door slammed shut without warning, nearly severing their feet. After all that tossing and turning, their injuries worsened. As the ambulance prepared to leave, they didn’t forget to yell at the driver: “Remember to send her home! I don’t believe she’s this jinxed!” 2 I rode back to Capital City in the rescue team’s car. Since the driver and I were fine, after a thirty-minute observation, he took me home. He handed me over to the butler. Then he handed the phone to the butler, with Mr. Vance on the line. Even from a distance, I could hear his roaring voice. “Alfred, teach this unfilial daughter a lesson for me.” “Because of her, the Madam and I are stuck in the hospital. Make her learn the rules.” The butler’s eyes turned fierce. After dragging me into the living room, he threw me to the floor. “You hurt the Master and Madam. Time for you to taste the family discipline.” I stood up, rubbing my sore arm, and kindly reminded him: “Hitting me brings bad luck.” “I’d like to see what kind of bad luck.” He lashed at me with a whip made of wire. Good advice is hard to give to a man seeking death. Somehow, the wire got tangled in the socket of a decorative lamp. The socket was live, and a short circuit happened instantly. I even saw blue electric sparks dancing on the butler. “Ahhhhhhh…” Servants rushed over hearing the noise, cutting the power and saving him. The butler pointed a trembling finger at me, eyes overflowing with malice. The next second, a servant’s phone, which was being used to call an ambulance, fell from the second floor and smashed directly onto his nose. It broke his nose bridge instantly. “Ah!” Another scream. The driver stood at the door, mouth gaping. “That works too?” I smiled at him. “The butler is out of commission. Who are you handing me to now?” “I think I should just show myself around.” The driver nodded dumbly. “Miss Ava, please go ahead.” Hearing the noise, Chloe walked out of her room. Our eyes met. Hers were full of disgust. “You’re the biological daughter?” “Just in time, I have a party to attend.” I smiled brightly: “That’s great.” Chloe’s expression froze, her breathing heavy with anger. I thought she was taking me to a restaurant. Unexpectedly, she brought me to a bar. Inside the private room, a group of young men and women were smoking, looking like trouble. Chloe pushed me in, the smile on her face almost solidifying. “Brothers, this is the biological daughter my parents found.” “If she’s confirmed as the real heiress, I won’t have money to treat you guys anymore. What should we do?” The leader, a guy with dyed yellow hair, smashed a beer bottle. “Daring to steal our little sister’s identity.” “We have plenty of ways to fix her. Get some nude photos, and she’ll be our dog.” Chloe crossed her arms, looking like she was ready for a show. Yellow Hair signaled his boys: “She looks pretty good. Boys, we’re eating well tonight.” Yellow Hair pulled up a girl with a numb expression from the floor. He smiled sinisterly at me: “She’s your precedent!” “Baby, talk to the new member.” The girl nodded, looking at me with empty eyes: “Be obedient like me, and you’ll suffer less.” “Otherwise, the brothers can turn you into a rag.” She pointed to a room at the end of the suite. “If you get taken in there, there won’t be anything left of you.” I looked at the half-open door, smelling something foul. I sighed and looked at Yellow Hair: “I sincerely advise you not to touch me.” “I have something magical about me. In high school, bullies tried to extort me. Before I could take out the money, they got struck by lightning.” “A college classmate didn’t like me and tried to trick me into a trap. Result? A police raid. She got arrested for procuring.” I looked at the punks and persuaded patiently: “I have a bit of bad luck on me, but one thing is certain: those who want to harm me will be ten times unluckier than me.” Yellow Hair laughed out loud. “Then I really have to see how unlucky I can get.” 3 Yellow Hair grabbed my hair, dragging me towards that separate room. The numb-eyed girl closed her eyes in fear. Chloe crossed her arms, ready to watch. But the next second. The glass door of the room shattered instantly. Countless shards exploded, piercing into Yellow Hair’s body. “Ahhhhhhh…” Screams filled the room. His lackeys weren’t spared either; some got glass in their eyes. I only got a scratch on my hand. Chloe’s eyes widened: “How is this possible?” The door was kicked open, and a group of police rushed in. “We received a report of illegal activities here.” “Don’t move! Hands on your heads, squat down!” In the end, it was proven we had nothing to do with it. Chloe and I were picked up by my biological brother, Ethan Vance. Chloe cried as soon as she saw him. “Boohoo, I just took sister out to play. I don’t know how we ended up there.” “Brother, I didn’t do anything bad to her.” Ethan, who doted on this sister since childhood, naturally comforted her a thousand times over. “Of course not you.” “Arrange a room for her first.” Chloe nodded repeatedly, but the malice in her eyes never disappeared. She led me to the third floor. Randomly pointing at a room, she said I could stay there. Before I could see where she pointed, a force came from behind and to the side. I slammed into the railing. But Chloe, who pushed me, twisted her ankle and fell backward. “Ah—” She rolled all the way down to the first floor. Ethan heard the noise and rushed over, seeing the unconscious Chloe. His hair stood on end with rage. “You… you dare do this to Chloe!” “Police! People like you belong in jail!” I spread my hands, helpless. “Brother, you might not believe it, but I didn’t do it.” “She tried to harm me, so she fell down herself.” Ethan roared at me: “You think I’ll believe that? You’re definitely jealous that Chloe replaced you for over ten years!” I was too lazy to explain further to strangers. The police arrived quickly. Very coincidentally. It was the same officer from the station I just left. He immediately checked the home surveillance. Chloe was smart; she had the servants cut the cameras before trying to harm me. But unluckily, because of the butler’s electric shock earlier, the house wiring short-circuited. The camera on the third floor coincidentally started working again. “Harming others only to harm oneself.” “This is a family dispute. Mr. Vance, do you wish to pursue this?” Ethan looked at me with fire in his eyes, but it was like punching cotton. He had nowhere to vent. He forced a smile at the officer. “Looks like a misunderstanding. Sorry for the trouble.” Judging by that smile, he hated my guts. Chloe was sent to the hospital. Diagnosis: concussion. Ethan met Mr. and Mrs. Vance at the hospital and learned why I was brought back. Thinking of the bad luck surrounding me, he decided to change tactics. “If force doesn’t work, we’ll use soft power.” “We absolutely cannot let the billionaire Mr. Sterling find Chloe.” “Why not make her publicly apologize online for the cyberbullying? That way, even if something happens, Sterling will target her first, not Chloe.” 4 The parents agreed. Ethan returned late from the hospital. This time, he wasn’t alone. He brought my best friend from high school, Mia. In high school, no one wanted to play with me because of my bad luck. Only Mia didn’t care. Every time something bad happened, she’d find a way to smooth it over. Then continue being my best friend. Later she moved, and we lost touch. I didn’t expect Ethan to find her. Mia grabbed my hand the moment she saw me, begging. “Ava, please help me. My mom is sick and hospitalized, we need a lot of money for surgery.” “Your brother said if you help him with some livestream, he’ll pay for my mom’s bills.” She cried so pitifully. My compassion was moved instantly. I knew Ethan’s plan. Scapegoat me, right? Such a big detour. Impressive. But I had no choice. It was Mia. “Fine, I’ll be the scapegoat.” “As long as you’re happy.” Mia froze. “What scapegoat?” “Didn’t he just ask you to do a livestream?” Before Mia could ask more, Ethan’s men grabbed her. Covered her mouth. “We set up the phone. Remember to admit to cyberbullying the billionaire heiress, Tiffany Sterling.” “After the stream, we’ll let your friend go.” Mia’s eyes widened. She bit the hand covering her mouth and shouted at me: “No!” “Ava, I don’t want the money! Don’t admit it!” “You’ll be cursed to death, retaliated against!” “You can’t mess with these people!” I pursed my lips helplessly: “But your mom needs treatment.” “My family has no money, but they do.” “It’s just a livestream. Let’s do it.” Ethan had Mia gagged, afraid she’d sway me. My disgust for him was deeper than for the other Vances. They didn’t know how to use soft knives like he did. Livestream on. Ethan bought a lot of bots to flood the room. He even prepared a script for me to read. “I, the eldest daughter of the Vance family, publicly apologize today.” “I cyberbullied Tiffany Sterling, spreading rumors about her chaotic private life with male celebrities, cheating…” Ethan listened, his smile widening. The bots attracted a large number of real viewers. Hearing “cyberbullying,” the audience stayed to curse me. [Shameless! Hate you cyberbullies. Jealousy is ugly.] [Women really are the worst enemies of successful women.] [Why don’t you die? Tiffany is such a good girl, now getting hate because of you.] [Streamer, my hands are itching. I want your address to pay you a visit.] Ethan was engrossed in the comments, unknowingly walking towards my phone stand. There were lights on both sides, wires crisscrossing the floor. He stepped on one without noticing. Next second, he rolled like a bowling ball towards the equipment. The unplugged wires, due to some uncontrollable factor, spiraled around him. Starting from the neck, round after round. Strangling him until his eyes rolled back and tongue stuck out. “Help…” “Save…”

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In this life, I have been close to marriage twice. The first was a passionate whirlwind, set to marry the head of the Sterling Group, a man standing at the very pinnacle of wealth. The second was calm and natural, leading to my current marriage with my gentle and considerate husband, Dr. Caleb Reid. Back then, I was young and stubborn, believing love should be pure. I refused to share a man with another woman. I cried and fought over it, finally leaving London in a fit of pique. I followed Caleb to the Scottish Highlands, settling in a desolate forest research station. For three years of marriage, Ethan Sterling’s people never lost contact. Every month, a private jet delivered rare orchids. The attached card always bore the same sentence: “When you’ve had enough, come back.” I never responded. Until last night, when Caleb confessed that he wanted to move his ex, Lydia, and her daughter into our home. I stared at the gloomy Scottish sky outside the window, silent for a long time. Finally, I picked up my phone and messaged the number I hadn’t contacted in three years. “Come pick me up. I’m ready to go home.” 1 My assistant, Mia, spoke with a trembling voice: “Miss Ava, are we really going back to London?” I stood up and walked to the window, pushing it open. Outside was the eternally gray sky of the Scottish Highlands. “I lost the bet. What else can I do but go back?” Mia was silent for a moment, then sighed: “If only Professor Reid hadn’t met Lydia. He used to seem so devoted!” The “Professor Reid” she mentioned is my current husband, Caleb Reid. Three years ago, Caleb was just a young scholar who had recently received his tenure, but he dared to fly to London to propose to me. At that time, I set two conditions. First, no one mentions the past. We never ask about it. Second, I am possessive and cannot tolerate a third party. He can only have me as his woman for the rest of his life. Caleb held my hand and swore on his mentor’s photo: “I pledge on my honor to always put you first in my heart.” I looked at the sincerity in his eyes, but Ethan’s words echoed in my mind: “Ava Lane, do you think changing the man means he’ll love only you forever?” I was too young and stubborn back then, not even giving the Sterling family face. Just because there was always a childhood sweetheart around him, I gave Ethan the cold shoulder for a whole year. He said he wouldn’t marry anyone but me; I said I’d rather die than marry him. The Sterling engagement party was postponed again and again, dates changed seven or eight times. People in our circle gossiped, but no one guessed the reason. Ethan protected me and never explained to the public. After our last fight, he must have been truly exhausted, so he compromised. “Fine. Marry whoever you want.” But he made a bet with me. If one day, the husband I carefully chose also had a woman he couldn’t let go of, that would be the time I returned to him. Outside, a fine drizzle blurred the view through the glass. Standing outside the studio door was a woman in her early thirties wearing a beige trench coat, holding a six or seven-year-old boy’s hand, looking pitiful. That was Lydia. Caleb’s doctoral student, and his “white moonlight”—the one who got away. Years ago, Lydia dumped Caleb to marry an investor so she could go abroad for further studies. Now divorced, she returned with her child to do research, isolated and helpless in these highlands. I’ve always been soft-hearted. At first, I pitied her situation and asked Caleb to help arrange accommodation. Until last month, when Caleb went to Edinburgh for an academic conference, Mia casually mentioned: “Professor Reid changed his desktop wallpaper. It looks like a photo of Lydia and her son.” That’s when I suddenly woke up. Who would have thought Caleb had already rented an apartment for Lydia in town behind my back and prepaid six months of rent? These past few days, Lydia has been coming to my studio every day, crying tears like pear blossoms in the rain, saying she had nowhere to go, begging me to take them in. I wouldn’t relent, so she wouldn’t stop crying. “Of course she’s persistent. She knows in her heart that as long as she moves into this house, I have to leave. Then the position of Mrs. Reid will be hers.” Mia realized suddenly: “Right, she knows about the bet you made with Mr. Sterling.” Lydia looked up at that moment, meeting my gaze through the glass door. I looked away expressionlessly. “Let her stand there. It’s the last day anyway.” “Why?” “Because…” Before I could finish, hurried footsteps came from the end of the corridor. Caleb, carrying his laptop bag, strode to the door in a few steps. He pulled Lydia and the child behind him. “Lydia! Why are you here?” Because today was the day he returned from his field expedition. Lydia went limp, slowly collapsing into Caleb’s arms, starting her old tricks again. She had used this move more than once. Caleb panicked, quickly supporting her, then turned and glared at me through the door. “Ava! While I was gone, is this how you treated her? No matter what you say this time, I must bring Lydia and the child home!” With that, he supported her and turned to leave. Mia stomped her foot in anger, shouting at the door: “It’s not like Miss Ava asked her to come! She stood here herself every day!” My heart was calm water. I reached out and closed the studio door, shutting out the wind and rain. “Forget it. We’re leaving soon anyway.” “Let him do what he wants for these few days. Consider it a period for this marriage.” 2 In the Scottish Highlands, the climate is cold and damp. Even ordinary plants struggle to survive. Delicate flowers from London would wither here in days. So on the 15th of every month, a private jet would land at the nearest airport, delivering rare plants that could only survive in a greenhouse. Orchids, phalaenopsis, never the same kind twice. They were sent by Ethan. He knew I didn’t like to be disturbed, so he never appeared in person. He only sent flowers with a brief card. Considering Caleb’s feelings, I never responded. Until yesterday, when I broke the rule. It was the 15th again. A black business van stopped punctually at the studio entrance. “Miss Ava, these are lilies of the valley Mr. Sterling just ordered from France.” I reached out, gently touching the white petals. “They’re beautiful. Please thank him for me.” The butler delivering the flowers was clearly stunned, then smiled. “This is the first time Miss Ava has replied in three years. Mr. Sterling will be very happy to know.” I curled my lips and said nothing more. If Ethan was truly as devoted as they said, he wouldn’t have watched me leave back then. Caleb stayed in Lydia’s rented apartment all night. The next morning, he came to settle accounts with me, looking exhausted. “I specifically asked you to take care of her before I left. Is this how you take care of people?” I didn’t look up, continuing to organize the design sketches on the shelf. “She has legs. She came here herself.” Caleb exploded, sweeping the sketches off the table. “Ava! Do you know she cried all night last night? She even had an asthma attack!” Papers scattered everywhere, a mess. I stopped moving and was silent for a moment. Even if Lydia had an asthma attack, she brought it on herself. What did it have to do with me? “I told you many times, she’s only staying for a few months until she finds a suitable apartment! She asks for nothing, didn’t even want you to know!” Caleb’s voice gradually lowered. He turned around, his tone turning cold: “You went too far, worsening her condition. I must bring her back to take care of her.” I said nothing, squatting down to pick up the drawings, holding a few in my arms. Suddenly, I laughed. “What about me?” “You are still my wife, still Mrs. Reid.” I looked up at him, my eyes moist. “No, I mean, I gave up a lot for you too. Why did you never think of compensating me? Or is your compensation bringing your ‘white moonlight’ into our home?” Caleb froze, looking down at me, a flash of guilt in his eyes. He reached out to help me up. “Ava, don’t be like this. It’s just temporary. Besides, you know Lydia, she’s not a stranger.” “Whether she’s a stranger or not isn’t important.” I wiped a tear from the corner of my eye, my voice terrifyingly calm. “What’s important is what you promised me back then.” Caleb met my gaze, his eyes darting away, finally gritting his teeth: “But before I came back, I also promised her I’d give her a place to stay.” I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. “Then bring her.” I heard my voice floating lightly, as if from far away. Caleb stood there, seemingly not expecting me to agree so readily. I turned to look at the two pots of lilies of the valley on the windowsill, somewhat distracted. It was only September. I shouldn’t have ordered custom winter coats so early. I wouldn’t be wearing them anyway. “The weather is getting cold. I ordered some clothes a while ago. You can give them to her as my welcome gift.” I pointed to the unopened new clothes in the closet. Caleb paused: “Give them all to her? What about you?” With my back to him, my fingertips tightened slightly: “I can buy new ones.” Caleb finally relaxed, his tone lighter. “Right, you have good taste. I’ll accompany you to Edinburgh another day to buy some jewelry as compensation.” Before leaving, he finally noticed the two pots of flowers on the windowsill. “Lilies of the valley? I didn’t know you could grow these in the Highlands.” “I heard Mr. Sterling has been acquiring this flower globally recently. Seems like he’s planning a wedding.” 3 I froze. “Ethan is getting married?” A string in my heart that I thought was secure. Snapped instantly. Caleb replied casually: “I heard it from a friend in London.” I was in a daze. He was getting married? I didn’t notice when Caleb left. Sitting at the workbench, I clenched my fists, whispering to myself. I didn’t know if I was asking Mia or myself. “Do you think he’ll still come?” Mia wasn’t sure either. After all, the last time I saw Ethan, he personally put the plane ticket in my hand. That day, his eyes were red, stubble on his chin, clearly hadn’t slept all night. When handing over the ticket, he gripped it so tight his knuckles turned white. His voice was terribly hoarse. “Ava Lane, if he treats you badly in the future, you must give me a chance to bring you back.” I never thought he would really let me go. After a long silence, I took the ticket and said nothing. Only when heading to the boarding gate did I look back at him and nod gently. But now, three years had passed. I waited for three whole days and didn’t get a reply from Ethan. Three days later, while I was organizing and packing in the studio, my phone suddenly rang. Mia glanced at the caller ID, her face changing. She whispered: “Miss Ava, it’s the private number from Sterling Group.” My heart constricted violently. I picked up the phone, and a deep voice came from the other end. “Ava.” Just one word, and I almost cried. “Mmh.” “I got the message.” He paused, no emotion in his voice. “The day Caleb brings her in, I’m coming to take you back to London.” My hand holding the phone trembled slightly. It took a while to find my voice: “Okay.” 4 The night before Lydia moved in, she came to me with a fruit basket. I let her in. Her eyes were swollen from crying, looking desperate. “Miss Ava, without Caleb, you still have family, better options. But without Caleb, I really have nothing.” I didn’t touch her fruit, just looked at her calmly. “You’ve been smart since you were little, good at calculating, never showing weakness easily. You didn’t wrong me, nor Caleb. You only wronged yourself.” Lydia froze, her crying stopping abruptly. I signaled Mia with my eyes. Mia reluctantly handed her a jewelry box. “This is a gift I prepared for you before. I intended to give it to you when you actually got married. Now…” I paused and stood up. “Take it now. From now on, we don’t owe each other anything. Take care.” Lydia stared blankly as she took the box, bowed deeply three times to me, and left holding the item. The night Caleb brought Lydia in, because Lydia was a single mother with no relatives, he had to invite colleagues from the research station and university to scrape together a few tables. Originally, Mia and I planned to hide upstairs and not show our faces. We closed the door to pack. Halfway through, Caleb sent someone up. He said some guests from London arrived suddenly and insisted on seeing the hostess, asking me to go down and deal with them. Mia looked disdainful: “Someone came all this way just for a move-in? These people are too much.” My hands paused, suddenly realizing something. Hurriedly changing into a decent dress, I pushed the door open and walked out. The house was decked out with colorful lights tonight, brightly lit, shadows moving. I walked quickly downstairs. Turning the corner of the stairs, I stopped abruptly. The living room was noisy with chatter and clinking glasses. And Ethan stood in the middle of the living room, in a perfectly tailored dark suit, cufflinks shimmering under the lights. The light hit his face; his features were sharper than three years ago. He was talking to someone but seemed to sense something. His gaze suddenly crossed the noisy crowd and locked onto me accurately. Then, the corners of his mouth lifted slightly. Very lightly, very slowly, he mouthed words to me. I saw those five words clearly. “I. Came. For. You.”

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