Author: Momo Chan

Lucian is a merman. A cold, breathtakingly beautiful merman. He also flat-out rejected me. His main issue? We aren’t the same species. I had a meltdown. “What do you mean we’re not the same? We both have big tails, don’t we?” He let out a cold laugh. “Is that really your logic? I’m a merman, Sienna. You? You’re a snake.” He looked down at my tail. It’s pink. Soft, long, and currently swaying back and forth, trying to wrap around his torso. Lucian swatted it away like it was a pest. “Stop clinging to me. Go find your own kind if you’re that lonely.” It was a lightbulb moment. So, I did. I found myself a snake-shifter boyfriend. Later, I ran into Lucian by chance. He stared at me and my new guy, his expression complicated. I ducked my head shyly. “You were right. Sticking with my own kind is actually pretty great.” 1 I didn’t actually know I was a snake-shifter until I was older. When I was tiny, I got hurt bad. Like, bleeding-out-on-the-side-of-the-highway bad. Julian, the head of the Vance family, found me and took me in. The Vances are Shifters—beastkin hiding in plain sight within human society. Because I grew up surrounded by merfolk, for a very long time, I was absolutely convinced— I was a fish, too. I mean, we all had long tails. It wasn’t until Julian told me he had to go out of town for business that things changed. He said Lucian would be watching me while he was gone. “Yes! Oh my god, yes,” I nodded furiously, eyes lighting up at the name. Julian chuckled. “Are you really that excited? You know his temper is terrible.” Is it? I never noticed. Usually, I was too busy staring at his face or getting hypnotized by that gorgeous tail of his. After Julian dropped me off at the estate, I finally saw him again. In the open-air infinity pool. The water surface rippled with an electric blue glow. Lucian was leaning back against the pool’s edge, his tail fully transformed and looking arrogantly perfect. He splashed water onto my foot with a flick of his fin. It was freezing. “Why are you just standing there?” Lucian opened his eyes. “Oops!” Splash. I slid into the pool. Okay, it was obviously on purpose. My pink snake tail, acting “panicked,” immediately wrapped around his waist. “Lucian, I’m scared.” He didn’t even lift an eyelid. He just scooted two feet away. “You’re slimy. Back off.” I am not. Aren’t our tails basically the same— Wait. No. I hadn’t really compared them side-by-side before. Now, under the direct sunlight, the difference was brutal. His scales looked like translucent blue crystals, refracting starlight with every movement of the water. My pink tail, while flexible and soft, had a matte, foggy finish. Like a cheap plastic bead thrown into a pile of diamonds. The realization was depressing. But I was in denial. I told myself mine was just pruney from the water. I touched it. Still smooth. “Lucian, let me touch yours.” “Touch what?” “The tail.” He glanced at me and didn’t say yes. I pouted. Okay, maybe Julian was right about the temper. But then I remembered—Lucian’s tail had been injured once. Of course he wouldn’t like being touched. It happened three years after the Vance family adopted me. I was playing by the coast when a storm hit. I hate the cold, so I curled up in a sea cave, shivering. When the tide started rising like crazy, it was Lucian who shielded my head with his scales, dragging me back to shore against the waves. Because of that, the most beautiful blue scales on his fin were scraped off by the rocks. It bled a lot. I was terrified, crying my eyes out. Julian comforted me, “It’s okay, they’ll grow back. They’ll be even harder than before.” I was skeptical. I used to sneak peeks and try to touch the scar. Whenever he caught me, he’d swat my hand away. I guess he still hates it. But that’s fine. I can compromise. After getting out of the pool, Lucian shifted back to human legs. I didn’t. I kept my tail out, drying it on the lounge chair. “Lucian—” I dragged out his name, looking at him with puppy-dog eyes. “Touch mine instead. It’s super smooth right now.” In my head, this was an act of intimacy. He frowned. “Stop it.” “What does it matter?” I didn’t hide my crush. “We’re going to be together eventually anyway. We might as well get used to it.” “Who says we’re going to be together? We aren’t even the same species.” I froze, my tail halting mid-air. “What do you mean? Don’t we both have big tails?” “Is that your only criteria?” He scoffed. “I am a merman. You are a snake.” My world collapsed. No wonder our tails looked nothing alike. I really was the impostor. I opened my mouth to speak, but before I could process it, the staff announced that Julian was back. 2 Julian brought a girl back with him. Another mermaid. But she was covered in bruises and cuts. Rumor had it a new trafficking ring was hunting Shifters. The prettier you were, the more likely you’d get snatched. Exotic Shifters fetch a high price in the Underground auctions. This mermaid, Stella, had gotten hurt trying to save one of her companions. Apparently, she and the Vance family went way back. When Lucian saw her, he looked genuinely shocked. And nervous. “Stella.” I barely caught her name before Julian ushered me away. He said the smell of blood was too strong. I hate the metallic scent of blood, but I couldn’t help looking back. Lucian—always so cold, so detached—was carefully cleaning Stella’s wounds. His voice was low, raspy. “This is going to sting. Bear with it.” I was so distracted watching them that I walked smack into a wall. I looked up. It was Julian. “They’re the same age,” he explained softly. “They grew up together.” I paused, my gaze drifting back to Stella. Even battered and bruised, her tail was mesmerizing. I unconsciously shuffled a step closer. “Don’t come over here,” Lucian suddenly snapped. I froze. “Your venom… your scent,” he corrected sharply. “It agitates her wounds.” Julian sighed, patting my shoulder. “He’s not targeting you, Sienna. Merfolk have a natural defense mechanism against reptilian Shifters. It’s biological.” That’s when Stella finally noticed me. She looked over, confused. “Who is…?” “The little snake the family adopted,” Lucian said dismissively. Stella looked at me with curiosity. By then, I had already shifted my tail back into legs out of shame. Stella quickly lost interest and turned back to whisper something to Lucian. Once Julian and I were outside, I asked immediately, “Can I stop being a snake? I want a fish tail too.” Julian burst out laughing. “Since when do you hate yourself?” “Fish tails are prettier.” My voice dropped to a whisper. “Lucian doesn’t like snake tails.” Julian’s smile faded. He looked at me with serious eyes. “Sienna, listen to me. You are who you are. Changing it means losing yourself, and besides, you can’t change your genetics.” I thought about it. “But I heard there are doctors in the Underground who do cosmetic mods.” “Who told you that?” Julian’s face darkened. “That’s black market nonsense. It’s dangerous scams.” I shrank back. “I just… Googled it.” Julian sighed. He gave me a lecture about not believing rumors. But he was still worried, so he ordered his bodyguards to keep a close eye on me. The guards liked to tease me. “Hey little snake, show us the tail.” “No.” “Lucian shows his off. Why are you so stingy?” one of them laughed. “Even if he came here, I wouldn’t show it.” He thinks it’s ugly anyway. “Dream on. Lucian doesn’t have time for you. He’s glued to Miss Stella’s side.” I pretended not to hear. But that night, I went to find Lucian. Some things just need to be said out loud. Just like how I told him I loved him a thousand times. I needed to pour out the confusion rotting in my chest. If he truly hated me, if he loved Stella, then I would stop chasing him. But to find Lucian, I had to go through Stella. I followed my memory to the guest wing where she was recovering. I pushed the door open, but Lucian wasn’t there. There was just a massive glass tank in the center of the room. Moonlight filtered through the glass, casting a ghostly blue glow on the water. I held my breath and crept closer. When I saw what was inside, my blood turned to ice. Stella was floating in the water, hair splayed out, tail limp. And at the bottom of the tank… a cloud of blood was blooming. I screamed. Bang! The door was thrown open. In seconds, the room was swarming with people. Someone roughly grabbed my wrist and dragged me out. I heard the whispers. “Typical snake… cold-blooded.” “She was probably jealous of Miss Stella.” … Lucian rushed back just in time to hear the gossip. He looked at me. And he left me with one sentence. “Even if she died, her tail wouldn’t transfer to you.” My mouth fell open. I forgot what I was going to say. It took a long time to remember I had come with a question. But I guess I just got my answer. 3 While chaos consumed the manor, I left. Not just because I knew I was unwanted, but because they had guessed my darkest thought. I was jealous of Stella. I wanted a beautiful tail like hers. I wanted to be looked at by Lucian with that kind of reverence. I wanted to be accepted. I didn’t plan on going back. Before I knew it, I was standing in front of a clinic in the Underground—the “Downlow.” I heard there was a doctor named Silas here. He could modify Shifters. The door opened. A young man stood there, looking down at me. His pupils were vertical slits, rimmed with a faint gold. Cold, yet hypnotic. “What do you need?” My throat was dry. “Can you modify a tail here?” He stared at me for a few seconds, then let out a light chuckle, stepping aside. “Come in.” “You’re a snake-shifter, right?” he asked. I nodded. “Have you made up your mind? Once you accept the modification, your legs will be permanent. You’ll never shift back to your beast form.” I blinked. He misunderstood. “That’s not what I meant. I want to change my snake tail into a fish tail.” He paused, looking surprised. “You misunderstood me, too. The modifications I do… I turn Shifters into humans. Completely. They ask for it so they won’t be auctioned off or treated like freaks anymore.” Oh. So my request was too weird even for the black market. Depressed, I turned to leave. But Silas called out to me. “Why do you want a fish tail?” “It’s prettier,” I answered without hesitation. As I said it, my snake tail popped out, sliding anxiously against the floorboards. “Don’t you think?” He didn’t seem to hear me. His gaze dropped to my tail, and those cold eyes suddenly lit up. “It’s so cute.” His voice was much softer now. I froze, then whipped my tail in annoyance. “Don’t patronize me just to make me feel better.” “Patronize?” He raised a brow. “I’m not taking your money. Why would I need to comfort you?” “Then why…” “Have you ever seen those sugar-frosted gummy candies? The pink ones? Your tail looks exactly like that. How is that not cute?” My face burned. My tail instinctively curled back. But he was faster. His long fingers hovered over my scales, just an inch away. “Can I touch it?” It was a question, but his hand was already so close I could feel the cool aura from his fingertips. I hesitated. Finally, like I was surrendering, the tip of my tail wrapped tentatively around his finger. “Fine. Just once.” He gently squeezed the tip of my tail. A shiver ran down my spine, like a small electric shock. Suddenly, footsteps pounded outside. Voices shouting—searching. Silas froze. He let go of my tail and walked to the door. Knock, knock, knock. A voice came from the other side. Cool, crisp, but with an undeniable urgency. “Did you treat a snake-shifter with a pink tail?” I knew that voice. But I didn’t make a sound. I was afraid of bad news. I was afraid he was here to punish me. “No,” Silas said flatly. “But I smell snake on you.” Silas: “That would be me.” Silence stretched for a few seconds outside. Then, the footsteps faded away. Once it was quiet, Silas closed the door and turned back, looking thoughtful. “That guy… was a merman, wasn’t he?” “High quality, too.” “For a merman of that class to be in a dump like the Downlow… that’s dangerous.” I looked up, staring at him. “Why did you say you smelled like a snake?” He didn’t answer immediately. His vertical pupils locked onto mine. “You tell me.” It clicked. I opened my mouth, but no words came out. A feeling I couldn’t describe surged in my chest. I think… I think I just found one of my own. 4 It was late when Lucian returned to the manor. He stood in the empty hallway, rubbing his thumb against his palm. There was a lingering, faint scent of snake there. He had guessed she was in that clinic. But when the door opened, he was met with the hostile glare of a male snake-shifter. So the scent might not have been hers. He lost her. And the smells of the Underground were too chaotic to track her further. A dull ache throbbed in his chest, like something was squeezing his heart. But when he pressed his hand there, he felt no wound. “Where did you go?” Julian’s voice came from behind. Lucian didn’t answer. He deflected, asking about Stella instead. “Same as before,” Julian paused. “You know she’s injured and anything could happen. Why did you speak so harshly to Sienna?” Lucian’s expression shifted. Why? Probably because he already found her annoying. He hated how she stared at him with those big, sparkling eyes. Hated how she kept coming back no matter how cold he was. He hated how she tried to shove her tail into his hands like it was some precious treasure. He hated her saying, Lucian, I like you so much, you like me too, right? when she knew she’d get no response. “I dislike her,” Lucian said. “You saved her life once.” “She was just a kid then. Too weak to swim back. I pitied her.” Was it just pity? He wouldn’t fall in love with a dull, matte snake. Merfolk and snakes don’t mix. It’s biology. It’s common sense written in their blood. His future partner would be someone like Stella. Same species, same shimmering scales. But when he tried to picture a future with Stella, his mind was a blur. All he could see was a pink snake tail, swaying gently in the back of his memories. Find her first. Lucian spent days leaving early and returning late. He came back smelling of the city’s grime. Finally, Stella stopped him. “Are you… looking for that snake?” she asked softly. Lucian nodded. Stella grabbed his wrist. “Are you really that obsessed with her?” “She was never meant to live with us. She’s not our kind. Snakes are treacherous. What if she hurts people?” Stella’s voice rose to a shrill pitch she rarely used. “I almost died saving our kind from humans, and you want to bring a dangerous predator into our home?” How bad can a little snake be? At worst, she just refuses to show people her tail. Lucian kept looking. Meanwhile, Stella vanished. Julian sent people to find her, but she was gone. But Lucian finally found the little snake. She was standing next to the snake man from the clinic, looking at items on a store shelf. Like a normal couple. So natural. So intimate.

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I was the “Golden Girl” of the Sterling family—the perfect first love, the cherished daughter. Four years after my death, I was resurrected. But I wasn’t the only one there. A substitute had successfully climbed the ranks, wearing a face that was 90% identical to mine. She looked at me, smirking with triumph. “Everything you had is mine now. You’re too late.” What she didn’t understand was the sheer stopping power of being the original. The moment I appear, everyone abandons their principles and comes running to me. 1 “I’m home, Mom.” I pushed open the heavy oak doors of the Sterling estate without hesitation, smiling radiantly at the woman sitting on the sofa. Just like I used to, as if I’d just popped out for coffee. Crash. The porcelain teacup in her hand shattered against the hardwood floor. Her response was a sound like a wounded animal. “Serena! My Serena is back!” I am Serena Sterling, the eldest daughter. I died of heart failure four years ago. On the brink of death, I was bound by a ‘System’ and learned the truth: I was just a “White Moonlight” character in a romance novel—a plot device destined to die early to make room for the protagonist. The real heroine was a body double, a girl who looked just like me. Because of her resemblance, she would ascend the social ladder, becoming the darling of the elite. My parents would adopt her; my childhood sweetheart would fall for her; my brother would obey her every command. She would get all the love, but only because I was dead. When the System asked if I wanted to complete missions in other worlds to earn a resurrection back in my original world, I didn’t hesitate. Why should my life be the fertilizer for someone else’s garden? Why should my tragedy be the prologue to her happy ending? So, I came back. “It’s me, Mom. I’m home.” My mother’s embrace was warm, familiar, and tight to the point of suffocation, as if she feared I would evaporate if she let go. I sighed softly, patting her trembling back. The System had altered everyone’s memories. Instead of dying in a hospital, the story was now that I had vanished in a shipwreck four years ago. She thought she had been searching for me day after day, year after year. But our tearful reunion didn’t last long before the front door opened again. 2 “Mom! Look what we got you!” A sweet, unfamiliar voice rang out before the person even appeared. A young girl jogged in, carrying a box of pastries. A second later, a voice I knew better than my own followed, dripping with affection. “Slow down, don’t run.” Just one sentence, and I knew who it was. Xavier. My childhood sweetheart. “Mom? Do we have guests? Why are you crying?” That was Julian, my younger brother. He had walked in, but since my back was to him, he didn’t recognize me yet. He only saw our mother weeping in the arms of a stranger. I felt Mom’s grip on me tighten. Her eyes were red, lips trembling, trying to form words but failing through the tears. “Mom, stop crying. What happened? Who is this lady?” the girl asked. Then, suddenly: “Ouch! Xavier, why did you pinch me? That hurt!” Her voice turned into a sugary whine. Xavier didn’t react to her complaint. His burning gaze was bored into my back. His Adam’s apple bobbed as he tried to force out a name he hadn’t spoken in years. “You guys are acting so weird. The security guard at the gate said I already came home once today. So strange,” the girl muttered. She looked from my crying mother to my silent brother, then to the clearly shaken Xavier. Finally, her eyes landed on me. I could feel a bad premonition rising in the air. I pulled away from my mother’s embrace, turned around, and faced them. “Julian. Xavier. Long time no see.” 3 “Serena…” Xavier’s voice trembled almost inaudibly. Julian, however, had zero filter. “Serena Sterling! You have the nerve to come back? Where the hell have you been? Do you know I really thought you were dead? How dare you! How dare you…” He was eighteen now, not yet fully mature. He gritted his teeth, trying to sound angry, but his eyes were terrifyingly red, and tears started rolling down his face one by one. I patted his shoulder, feeling a wave of guilt. “You’ve grown up, Jules.” Four years ago, he was a bratty fourteen-year-old. Now, he was a man. His composure snapped. He buried his head in my shoulder, choking out a whisper. “Sis… I missed you so much.” While we were having our emotional reunion, the pastry box hit the floor with a thud. The room went quiet. Everyone finally looked at the girl standing by the door. I looked at her. That face—90% identical to mine—had drained of all color. She looked pathetic. We sat down for dinner. It was a meal filled with unspoken tension. The table was packed with my favorite dishes. Mom kept piling food onto my plate. Julian was busy peeling shrimp for me. But when Xavier instinctively placed a piece of honey-glazed pork—my favorite—into the girl’s bowl, everyone froze. The girl, Tiana, clenched her fist under the table. “Thank you,” she said softly. It was the first thing she’d said since realizing who I was. “Mmh,” Xavier hummed a faint, awkward acknowledgment. I ignored the undercurrents and ate calmly. “Your room hasn’t changed,” Mom said, her voice fluttering with anxiety. “I cleaned it myself every day. Go rest after dinner. The doctor is coming to check on you. Your dad is flying back tomorrow.” I nodded along to her ramblings. They didn’t mention Tiana. I didn’t panic. That’s the confidence of being the beloved one. But I didn’t expect the mountain to come to Mohammad. Late that night, there was a knock on my door. 4 I opened it to see Tiana’s familiar face. She was holding a glass of milk. I raised an eyebrow, expecting a peace offering. Instead, the timid mask she wore at dinner vanished, replaced by a sneer. “Dead or missing, why didn’t you just stay gone? You think you can beat me?” “I’ve spent four years strategy-gaming them. Except for this room, everything you own is mine. You’re too late. Do you understand?” Strategy-gaming? That was a weird choice of words. Before I could respond, she splashed the milk all over her own face, screamed, and threw herself onto the floor. Crash. The glass shattered. She burst into tears, looking like a rain-drenched pear blossom. “Sister, I’m sorry! I just wanted to welcome you! I didn’t mean anything by it!” God, it had been years since I dealt with such low-level framing. It was almost funny. I looked down at the girl sprawled on the floor. Wet hair, red eyes, trembling in fear. A masterpiece of victimization. Truthfully, I didn’t care much about fighting Tiana. She had comforted my family while I was gone. I had no malice toward her, provided she knew her place. But clearly, she wanted war. The noise drew attention. In a house this tense, no one was sleeping soundly. Doors flew open. 5 “What happened? Is it Serena? Is Serena hurt?” Mom rushed out, face pale, coat thrown on haphazardly, wearing two different slippers. When she saw me standing there unharmed, she let out a breath she’d been holding. “Mom…” Only after confirming I was safe did Mom hear Tiana’s whimpering. “What’s going on here? Why are you on the floor?” Mom frowned at the shattered glass near Tiana. “Why are you so careless? What if the shards hurt someone? Get up.” “It was Sister, she…” Tiana’s lip quivered, tears ready to fall. But her performance was interrupted. “Your hand!” Julian ignored the girl on the floor and grabbed my wrist. There was a tiny scratch on the back of my hand, barely oozing a drop of blood—probably a flying shard. I didn’t even feel it. But Julian looked like I’d been shot. “Can you not take care of yourself? Didn’t you feel that?” He scolded me, instinctively blowing on the wound like he did when we were kids. “I’ll get the first aid kit.” He turned to run. Mom crowded in, heartbroken. “Go, Julian, hurry! Oh, Serena, does it hurt? It’s my fault, I didn’t even notice.” Tiana was completely ignored. Her face twisted in ugly jealousy. Since she’d successfully climbed into the elite circle with that face, she had never tasted defeat like this. She thought she was the happiest girl in the world. Why did the dead have to come back to life? 6 “Mom, it’s fine. It doesn’t hurt,” I said. I saw the envy in Tiana’s eyes. I knew she wouldn’t let this go. When you hold onto something for too long, you start to believe it actually belongs to you. “Mom… it hurts. I’m hurt too.” While Mom wasn’t looking, Tiana grabbed a shard of glass and sliced her own palm. Blood welled up instantly. She held out her bleeding hand, eyes filled with tears, looking like a child begging for love. “Got the kit!” Julian returned, freezing when he saw Tiana’s bloody hand. “Jules… it hurts.” She knew exactly what worked on Julian. Usually, one look of dependency from her, and he’d be rushing to fix everything. She called his name again, hopeful. “Jules?” Julian pressed his lips together. Mom took the kit from him and pulled me into my room. “I need to clean this for Serena.” “Julian, help her up,” Mom threw over her shoulder. I knew why they were ignoring her. They were terrified I would be uncomfortable because of Tiana’s face. I wasn’t stupid. I knew what role she had played while I was gone. My voice stopped Mom. “Julian, help her.” Mom paused, surprised. Julian, who always listened to me, carefully stepped over the glass and helped Tiana up. “Jules… do you and Mom not love me anymore?” Tiana used his grip to stand, eyes red. “I really just wanted to give Sister some milk. I don’t know why she pushed me. Mom won’t talk to me, Sister hates me… are you guys going to kick me out?” “Jules, if I apologize, will she forgive me? I don’t want to leave…” “Tiana.” Julian cut her off. His voice was flat. Tiana froze, looking up at him. Julian met her gaze with the eyes of a stranger. “Serena is my sister.”

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To escape my parents’ arranged marriage from hell, I forced myself to accept the genetic material of a war hero—a beastkin general who had already sacrificed his life for the country. Ten months from now, I’ll be his “widow,” giving birth to his posthumous child. And more importantly, I’ll inherit his glory and his massive fortune. No one can threaten me ever again! But six months into the pregnancy, the nightmares started. A massive black snake tail wrapping around my legs, slowly sliding up, tightening… I’d wake up drenched in cold sweat, the memory of unblinking black eyes staring at me from the darkness seared into my mind. Thank God he’s dead. I am terrified of snakes. But just as my baby bump started to show… The general—the one who was supposed to be dead—came back. 1 When I found out my family was shipping me off for a business alliance, I finally made up my mind. My parents had seven daughters before finally popping out a son. They had absolutely zero business sense. To build an empire for their precious golden boy, they decided to cash in on their daughters. My six older sisters were either married off to seventy-year-old geezers or sent to be mistresses for rich tycoons with wandering eyes and crooked smiles. Every single one of them was beautiful. And every single one of them was chewed up and spit out, barely escaping with their lives. And now, it was my turn. I didn’t cry, scream, or threaten to hang myself. My sisters had already tried all that. Jumping off buildings, eloping, suicide attempts… none of it worked. When the deadline hit, even if they were half-dead, they were gift-wrapped and delivered. Their tragic endings were a flashing neon sign telling me: This way is a dead end. Then I saw the government announcement. General Liam Vance had sacrificed himself on the front lines fighting the Arachnids. He was the first man in a century whose physical strength could go toe-to-toe with those alien bugs. After he fell, the Alliance was losing ground fast, beaten back like stray dogs. To avoid becoming Arachnid chow, the Alliance authorized the use of his frozen genetic material. But no matter how many volunteers tried, no one could conceive. Scientists later discovered that General Vance’s genes were unique. He was a Viper-kin beastman—specifically, a King Cobra class. A species notorious for difficult reproduction. They only accept a mate of their own choosing. Desperate, the Alliance put out a public call: Anyone who can conceive General Vance’s child will inherit his entire estate and honor as his widow and heir. Applicants flooded in. After all, General Vance was filthy rich. His family was powerful and backed this initiative fully. So here I am, lying on a cold exam table in a research facility, swallowing my shame as I spread my legs for the procedure… This is my only shot. If this doesn’t work… I’m getting married to a seventy-year-old pervert with a droopy eye. … The day the results came in was the same day I was scheduled to be married off. I snuck out early to the research center. Seeing the crowd of hopefuls waiting for their results, despair started to sink in. If all these people failed, what chance did I have? Suddenly, chaos erupted at the entrance. My parents stormed in. They didn’t hesitate. A slap landed hard across my face, sending me crashing to the floor. The metallic taste of blood filled my mouth. I ran my tongue over my teeth—one felt loose. “Thought you could run?!” “The groom’s convoy is at the door! Get your ass back home!” I struggled, kicking and screaming, but I was no match for their bodyguards. I was being dragged out, hope fading with every inch. Just then, a researcher sprinted down the hallway, voice cracking with hysteria, waving a piece of paper. “Faye! Is Faye Summers here?!” “It’s a match!” I snapped my head back, screaming with everything I had left. “I’m here!” “Help me!” The researcher’s smile vanished when he saw my situation. The old man’s face turned purple with rage. “Security! Arrest them!” Armed military police swarmed out from nowhere, weapons drawn. They tackled my parents and the bodyguards instantly. “Do not touch the Madam!” My parents were stunned. “Madam?” Even as they were handcuffed, they were yelling. “That’s my daughter! She’s no Madam!” The researcher looked down at them with pure disdain. “Miss Summers is carrying General Vance’s child. From this moment on, she has Level 1 Security Clearance. If you attempt to harm her again, you will be charged with treason!” My parents’ faces turned green. Their arrogance evaporated. They turned to me, desperate. “Faye, honey, say something! Mom and Dad didn’t mean to hurt you…” “You just meant to sell me.” I stood behind the wall of soldiers, watching their pathetic, tear-streaked faces with nothing but relief. The old pervert they sold me to had already buried three wives. The price he offered was astronomical. They couldn’t afford to refund him. Watching them get dragged away, the boulder crushing my chest finally lifted. I was free. 2 Liam Vance’s estate could only be described as palatial. It took a solid ten-minute drive just to get through the front gardens to the main house. The moment I stepped in, two rows of servants bowed in unison. “Welcome home, Madam.” The elderly butler was so emotional he looked like he might cry. He looked me up and down, hands trembling. “The General… the General has an heir.” “Thank you. Truly, thank you!” “I thought I’d never see another Vance in this house.” Liam’s parents had passed away early, leaving him as the sole heir. They welcomed me like I was a national holiday. The butler insisted I take the master bedroom. I tried to refuse. But he looked pained. “It’s the Academy’s orders. King Cobra hatchlings need parental presence during gestation. But since the General is…” He choked up. “Only the master bedroom still holds his scent.” “Please rest assured, Madam. The General lived a disciplined life. No other woman has ever been in this room besides you.” ? That wasn’t really my point! But I couldn’t handle old people crying, so I caved and moved into the master suite. General Vance’s room was stark, decorated in cold, masculine tones of black and grey. Even lying in his bed, it didn’t feel real. I was… his widow? Pregnant with his kid? Maybe it was the new environment, but I couldn’t sleep. My lower abdomen throbbed with a dull ache. I opened the door to get some water and nearly jumped out of my skin. The butler was standing right there. “Are you hungry, Madam?” “N-no!” “Is the little one restless?” The butler’s expression softened into nostalgia. “The doctors warned us. Viper hatchlings are demanding on the mother. It was the same when the late Madam carried the General.” He brought over a stack of photo albums, medals, and sashes. “Would you like to see?” He looked like he was about to cry again. “I never thought I’d see the General’s child born. If possible… could you tell him stories about his father?” “He was a hero.” Looking at his expectant face, I took the heavy pile of honors. …When I saw Liam Vance’s handsome, icy face in the photos, my heart skipped a beat. Who in the Alliance didn’t worship Liam Vance? His face alone could have been the recruitment poster for the entire military. For a long time, he was the face of the Alliance. But completely at odds with his looks was his reputation for cold indifference toward women. Yet his achievements were so blinding that his political rivals resorted to rumors. “Every masochist in the Alliance wants to kneel at his feet.” Unofficial stats said his public office email received tens of thousands of love letters daily. If he hadn’t died, a woman like me would never have crossed paths with a man of his caliber. Rubbing my belly, I felt a strange sense of melancholy. Even the strongest man leaves behind nothing more than this. And just like that… I spent the night accompanying my dead husband through his childhood and teenage years via photos. Pregnancy made me drowsy. I fell asleep without realizing it. When I woke up, I found myself clutching one of Liam’s military jackets. The visiting researcher didn’t even blink. “This is a form of nesting behavior. It’s a biological instinct for King Cobra mates.” ? Let’s be honest here. I am terrified of snakes. Thank God the husband is dead! As the pregnancy progressed, the dreams started. Massive black python coils wrapping around my legs, slowly sliding up, tightening… I’d wake up drenched in sweat, paralyzed by the memory of unblinking black eyes staring at me. I knew General Vance had King Cobra blood, but I didn’t think he could actually turn into a snake! Were the rumors about him transforming into a giant serpent on the battlefield true?! I couldn’t hold it in anymore. During the next checkup, I whispered to the researcher. “…So, is the thing inside me human or snake?” The researcher gave me a look. “You’ll see when the time comes.” Alrighty then. I heard my parents tried to cause a scene at the gate, but they couldn’t even get past the outer security perimeter before being hauled away by the military. I finally had peace to nurture the baby at the Vance estate. But as the weeks went by, I woke up in terror more frequently. My sheets were always damp, and those eyes in my dreams got closer every night. Sometimes, I felt like he was standing right by the bed, just watching me. …Dear Lord, is this place haunted?! The researchers kept assuring me the baby was normal. But… considering the father is missing from the equation, “normal” feels like the biggest red flag here! I started sleeping excessively, nesting like crazy. Every time I woke up, I was buried in a pile of Liam’s clothes. And along with it came the black snake in my dreams, getting more intimate. It coiled around me tight, kissing… tangling… probing. It even tried to do that with me! …I seriously started to wonder if I needed an exorcist. As my belly started to show, the nesting effect stopped working. King Cobras are notoriously hard to breed. The clump of cells in my stomach had a dependency on its father that exceeded my wildest imagination. I slept all day, couldn’t eat, and withered away until I was skin and bones with a huge belly. In my rare moments of lucidity, I heard the researchers panicking. “Madam can’t hold on much longer. What do we do?” “Can we use blood from a close relative?” “We tried. The maternal rejection was severe, nearly caused a miscarriage… what do we do?” … I passed out before I heard the rest. Just as my consciousness started to fade and I thought I was dying, the old butler rushed to my bedside, ecstatic. “Madam! News from the front lines! They found the General!” “He’ll be home tomorrow!” 3 When I woke up again, I felt like I was being held down by something heavy. My brain was clearer, though. The room was dim. I could make out a tall silhouette standing there. “Who is it?!” I scrambled to turn on the bedside lamp. The man from the photos was suddenly standing right in front of me. My heart nearly stopped. He turned at the sound. That’s when I realized his presence in person was a thousand times more intense than in pictures. He walked slowly to the bedside, looking down at me. His tall frame radiated an oppressive aura forged in absolute power and bloodshed. I instinctively scooted back, hitting the headboard with a painful thud. “Faye.” My name sounded like a verdict coming from his lips. My heart was in my throat. My mouth tasted bitter. No matter how noble my excuses were— To him, I was a stranger who used his sperm to get his fortune. A gold digger with bad intentions… Would he make me abort the baby? Kick me out? “General… General Vance.” He returned as a hero, his future boundless. He could have any woman he wanted to bear his children. Was I about to be sent back to my hellish family? I gripped the blanket tightly, forcing my spine straight. He watched me in silence for a long time, assessing me. Finally, he spoke: “I will honor the public announcement. You will receive the compensation you were promised.” “…Carrying a King Cobra heir isn’t easy. Thank you for your hard work.” His tone wasn’t exactly warm, but it was civil. Like discussing a business deal. I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. The verdict was in. “Once the baby is born, I will file for divorce myself. Please don’t worry.” “Just…” I bit my lip. “I have one request.” “After the divorce, could you help me find a safe place to live? My family… isn’t very kind to me.” I was terrified asking him this. But he answered with a simple, concise syllable. “Mm.” The sound of his military boots clicking against the floor faded as he left. The door clicked shut. Only when he was gone did the suffocating pressure lift. I finally exhaled. I realized I was covered in his uniform jacket. I instinctively sniffed it. A wave of masculine pheromones hit me—clean sandalwood with a faint, underlying scent of iron and blood. That’s when I remembered what was off. He was only wearing his dress shirt just now. Clutching his jacket, I realized the corners of my mouth were tilting up. Who doesn’t admire General Vance? I still have the Alliance Generals Yearbook hidden on my bookshelf. The last page is him. The only frontline general in a century, his chest heavy with medals. In that photo, he looks like he’s staring right through the page, straight into my eyes. My heart squeezed. Who doesn’t fall for a hero? Especially when he… saved my life once. 4 I hadn’t felt this refreshed in ages. When I left the room, I thought about it and decided to keep carrying the jacket. The little ancestor in my belly was high-maintenance… and I’d basically ruined every other item in the house that had Liam’s scent. Better safe than sorry. The moment I stepped out, the butler appeared out of nowhere, beaming. “Madam, you’re awake! The General has gone to HQ to report in!” “Ancestors be praised,” he sniffled. “No one thought he’d come back. Who knows how much he suffered out there.” You could tell they were genuinely happy. The Vance estate had transformed from a mausoleum to a celebration. Flowers filled every corner. The heavy drapes were replaced with bright, airy fabrics. All because Liam was back. I heard noise outside and asked the butler. “Guests?” “Don’t worry, Madam,” he smiled. “Since the General returned, many people have come to reconnect. But the General ordered that you are not to be disturbed by social calls.” I nodded. Got it. When they thought he was dead, they scattered like rats. Now that he’s back, they’re scrambling to suck up. I’m just the incubator. The Vance family’s social calendar isn’t my business. But to my surprise, busy-as-hell General Vance came back for lunch. Sitting at the same table with him, I was a nervous wreck. I whispered to the butler. “Maybe I should eat in my room?” The butler smiled. “The General is a very kind man. You don’t need to be stressed.” “Plus, the Academy said the parents need contact for the baby’s growth… according to the scan, the fetus is a bit behind.” I immediately zipped my lips. He politely escorted me to the table. Liam was already seated. Dining with a living legend meant I forgot how to use chopsticks. I kept my head down, staring at a plate of greens, praying to finish fast and escape. I heard his secretary confirming his schedule. Three meetings, two audiences, interviews, reports, endless signatures… Just listening to it gave me a headache. I was focused on my food when his voice cut through the air. “Do you not like meat?” I jumped, nearly choking. “N-no! I do!” “King Cobra hatchlings need high protein. Being vegetarian won’t meet the developmental needs,” he paused. “If the food isn’t to your taste, tell the butler.” “No, no,” I waved my hands frantically, terrified of getting the nice butler in trouble. I shoved a huge piece of steak into my mouth to prove a point. See? Carnivore. He ate fast but elegantly. No slurping, no mess. I thought he’d leave once he finished, so I deliberately ate slow. But he sat there, waiting until I put down my cutlery before standing up. ? He waited for me? As the butler walked me back to my room, he mentioned casually: “When the old Master and Madam were alive, the family always ate together. The General likes a relaxed dining atmosphere. You don’t need to be so formal.” “He has no ill will toward you. Spend more time with him, and you’ll see he’s a good man.” Wow, that was… subtle. I wanted to laugh and cry. I couldn’t tell him I planned to run away as soon as the baby popped out. Even my own trashy parents wanted to sell me for profit. I didn’t expect to gain anything from this. Liam Vance sits at the top of the food chain. His marriage will be a strategic alliance of equals. Expect nothing, and you won’t be disappointed. I’ve learned that lesson the hard way too many times. … Strangely, even with Liam back and pheromones plentiful, the dreams didn’t stop. They got worse. Tonight, I woke up wrapped in black coils again. This time, I was tied to the headboard. I could feel the cold scales sliding against my skin. The tail wrapped tight around my waist, sliding up my thigh… My pupils constricted. “No…” Cold scales, hot skin. I was suffocating in its power. I trembled, flushed, but the snake was in total control. Before, I could never see the eyes watching me clearly. Tonight, I recognized them. They were Liam Vance’s eyes! I snapped my eyes open! … I sat up, drenched in sweat. My belly was showing now, making it hard to get out of bed. I braced myself on the mattress, trying to shake off the phantom sensation of being constricted. I checked my body. No marks. I checked the windows. Locked. …I had no one to complain to. General Vance kept a respectful distance, even at dinner. So what the hell were these wet dreams?! I couldn’t sleep. Thirsty and not wanting to wake the staff, I waddled downstairs for water. In the living room, I saw a red dot glowing in the dark. I jumped. “Who’s there?!” “It’s me.” I was surprised. “You’re back?” Liam was home. He usually slept at the base these days. He snubbed out his cigarette and stood up. A glass of gin and tonic sat on the table. “Need something?” He was so tall. As he walked toward me, I instinctively stepped back, hitting a cabinet and stumbling. “Careful!” His hand caught the back of my head. My nose slammed into his chest. Suddenly, we were very close. I knew his scent by now. Tobacco and spice. I panicked. “You seem afraid of me?” He let go. When I said I wanted water, he poured me a glass. Seeing me acting like a frightened rabbit, he looked resigned and stepped back. “I don’t eat people.” I gripped the cup. It was warm water. My heart softened. I thought for a moment and said: “I’m glad you came back.” As soon as the words left my mouth, I wanted to slap myself. I turned and fled. “Goodnight!” Behind me, I heard a low chuckle. “Goodnight.” … The next morning, something felt wrong. I reached down. Dead fish eyes. Great. A flood. Damn kid. Your dad just hugged me. Do you have to react like this?! … During the routine checkup, the researcher was ecstatic about my improved vitals. “The records said Viper hatchlings crave parental pheromones, but seeing is believing.” “Since the General returned, your stats have skyrocketed!” About the snake thing… I really couldn’t say it. I asked awkwardly. “Um… why do I wake up feeling… wet every morning?” I couldn’t look him in the eye. “Especially when… I’m near the General.” The researcher was emotionally stable and professional. “That’s normal.” “King Cobra development requires high intimacy with the parents. Early on, scent is enough. But in the late stages, you might need…” He coughed, ears turning red. “More intimate behavior.” Meaning, hugging his clothes won’t cut it. I need to hug, kiss… and maybe swap fluids with him? Or this kid won’t make it? I was dumbfounded. The researcher, fearing I wasn’t traumatized enough, added one last knife. “As for the wetness… the hatchling will be born as an egg. It’s quite large, so the body prepares extra lubrication.” ? What? Excuse me? I’m not just giving birth to a snake… I’m laying an egg??? Jesus Christ. Can I die now? Is it too late?

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My stepbrother and I had been in a cold war for a week. As fate would have it, I bumped into him just as he realized he’d locked himself out. He stood there, face like an ice sculpture, and held out his hand. “Keys.” Kiss?? I froze. I hesitated. I triple-checked the vibe. “Are you sure? Right now? Isn’t that a little inappropriate?” Hayes looked at me with an unreadable expression, his tone firm. “Hurry up.” The next second—SMOOCH. I planted a loud, wet one right on his lips. Then I whispered weakly, “You asked for it…” 01 Shock. Despair. Disbelief. All three emotions cycled through Hayes’s face in 4K resolution. He froze for a solid five seconds before stumbling back like he’d been tased. “I said keys! The metal things that open doors! KEYS!” A vein popped on his temple. His usually pale, cool-toned skin flushed a delicate shade of pink. I was stunned, too. Who the hell suddenly speaks English in the middle of a sentence? You can’t blame me for taking advantage of the situation. I mean, your girl got a perfect score on her AP English listening exam. I didn’t need a mirror to know my face was exploding with color. But I couldn’t lose the momentum. I choked back, “You fake foreigner! You spend a few years abroad and suddenly you forget how to speak human?” Hayes’s chest was heaving. The wind messed up his long hair, revealing the hidden strands of ocean-blue dye underneath. It matched his current turbulent mood perfectly. We stood there, engaging in a staring contest, neither of us saying a word. It was my dad who broke the silence. “Well, look at this. The house must be blessed this year. We’ve got two gargoyles guarding the door.” I looked away first, spotting Dad and Aunt Holly. I immediately latched onto Aunt Holly’s arm, turning on the charm. “Aunt Holly! Look at Hayes, looking like a total thug with that hair!” Hayes seemed to be rebuilding his entire worldview from scratch. He didn’t even react to my roast. Aunt Holly teased him a bit, which finally dragged his soul back into his body. He opened the door. I deliberately lagged behind, leaning into Hayes’s shoulder to whisper: “I heard guys with long hair usually have, you know… Erectile Dysfunction. Is that true?” Hayes gritted his teeth, his voice low. “Winnie!” I stuck my tongue out at him. Before stepping inside, I winked. “Ooh. The beauty is angry.” 02 I’ve been obsessing over my brother for a long time. The root of this goes back to when I was five. I still remember the scene. The elegant Aunt Holly holding Hayes’s hand. That poker face of his breaking into a brilliant smile when he saw me. Hayes inherited all of Aunt Holly’s best genes. At eight years old, he looked like a runway child model. The neighbor’s daughter teased me back then: “Winnie, your dad bought you a live-in boyfriend.” I dumbly asked, “What’s a live-in boyfriend?” “It means he belongs to you.” From that day on, I treated Hayes like my personal property. Unlike other girls who liked Barbies, I was only interested in dressing up Hayes. Dad bought Aunt Holly jewelry and clothes. Naturally, I used my allowance to buy Hayes trinkets. They weren’t expensive, but I hand-picked every single one. Later, I understood what the neighbor actually meant, but the possessiveness and habit were already ingrained in my DNA. When I got older, I realized I was actually in love with him. One wrong step, and the whole path went crooked. He found out when he graduated high school. Dad sent him to London to support his artistic dreams. That was when I realized I had severe separation anxiety. I wanted to FaceTime him 24/7. I was a ball of anxiety every single day. Dad thought I was just adjusting to high school, so he let me take a month off. Every night, I slept in Hayes’s bedroom. Hugging his duvet. Smelling his scent. Thinking of him until I passed out. Extreme longing drives people crazy. At 16, fueled by god-knows-what courage, I got on a plane to London alone. Being unreachable for over ten hours sent the whole family into a panic. When I landed, I called Hayes, sobbing. “Hayes, please don’t throw me away…” That was the first time Hayes skipped class—just to find me in a foreign country. That night, he patted my back to lull me to sleep, just like when we were kids. I gripped his collar, tears soaking the fabric, and whispered the question that had been eating me alive. “Hayes, can you please love me?” Hayes’s expression froze for a split second. But he quickly smiled. “I’m your brother. Of course I love you most.” 03 After a tense dinner, we both went upstairs. Not long after, Hayes knocked on my door with a dark expression. “Where are my clothes?” I played dumb. “How should I know?” Hayes clenched his jaw. “I need to shower. Give me my pajamas.” I yanked him into my room, crossed my arms, and acted unimpressed. “Apologize first.” Hayes let out a scoff of disbelief. “Apologize? Me?” Yes. If Dad hadn’t called us home for dinner, our cold war would still be freezing over hell. The reason was simple. I went clubbing. He caught me. He lectured me. I clapped back about his time abroad. Why could he party in London while I had to rot in the library? It ended with my tears, naturally. And then the silence began. I raised an eyebrow. “Yeah. Apologize.” Hayes took a deep breath. “I’ll say it one more time. I went to a club once in London to drop off a birthday gift. I was inside for less than ten minutes.” I knew that. But I was being a brat on purpose. He needed to learn his lesson about male virtue. Seeing I wasn’t going to be reasonable, Hayes did what he always did. He folded. “Fine. My bad. I apologize.” I didn’t smile. I just gave a cold “Oh.” Hayes had his long hair tied up in a messy bun, revealing black obsidian studs in his ears. “So, the pajamas. Now?” I blinked innocently. “I never said the pajamas were here.” Hayes’s face stiffened. “Then where are they?” I grinned. “In my dorm room!” Since starting college, Hayes had been busy with his start-up. We rarely saw each other. So, I stole his clothes to sleep with at school. Hayes: “…” Before he could explode, I quickly added, “But I have a new set here. Men’s style.” Hayes’s face relaxed slightly. He reined in his temper. “Give me a set. I’ll Venmo you.” I bounced over to the closet and handed him brand-new silk pajamas. Hayes looked at his set. Then he looked at the matching set I was wearing, just in a different color. Silence again. “Winnie, you…” “Hayes,” I interrupted, “your face looks really soft. Let me kiss it again.” Three seconds later. Hayes walked out the door. Correction: He walked out with the pajamas, face black as thunder. I shrugged. I replayed his expression in my mind. Chef’s kiss. I should have peeled that expression off his face and framed it. But then again, I couldn’t bear to hurt him. 04 I pulled out my phone and used my burner account to add Hayes’s work profile. He recently opened a studio making custom BJD (Ball Jointed Dolls). High-end stuff for the collector crowd. Technically, I shouldn’t know about this. Hayes never tells the family about his struggles. But I have spies everywhere. I got his work contact. [Hello. Custom order.] Hayes must have been showering. He didn’t reply for an hour. I scratched my head. Hayes usually showers in ten minutes. Why was he in the bathroom so long tonight? [Hello. Here is the price list. Please review.] I typed back like a sugar mama: [Give me the highest tier specs. Only one requirement: Realism!] Hayes replied like a bot: [Understood. Rest assured, likeness can reach 98%. We offer unlimited revisions.] I paid the deposit immediately. Then I cheekily asked: [Will you be making it personally?] Hayes: [Different team members handle different body parts.] Me: [I want you to sculpt the face. I’ll pay extra.] He hesitated, then replied: [Okay.] I thought for a moment, then typed: [Um… is it possible?] Hayes: [? What.] I sent a sketchy, winking emoji. [You know. Can you install… the hardware?] Hayes realized what I meant. He must have had customers like this before. [Yes. Please send the dimensions. Also photos of the face from different angles. Hands and legs would be helpful too.] I spammed him with photos of Hayes. To avoid detection, I chose public photos from his college days. As expected, Hayes went silent again. I could practically see him having a mental breakdown. [Hello? Still there, hun?] Five minutes later, having rebuilt his psyche, he replied: [What is your relationship to the person in the photos?] I answered truthfully: [His girlfriend.] Future girlfriend counts, right? Hayes stopped replying again. Half an hour later. [This requires an in-person handover. Is that acceptable? ^_^] The smile at the end was terrifying. I gritted my teeth: [Of course.] Hayes: [Great. Looking forward to meeting you ^_^] Why did I feel a chill down my spine? I let the lust take the wheel: [By the way, make the size XL.] Hayes: […Okay ^_^]

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I am the real daughter. On the day I returned home, my so-called “brother” sneered at me with disdain. “I don’t care about bloodlines. Do you really think someone as tacky as you deserves to be my sister?” He then protectively pulled another girl, dressed immaculately, behind him. “In my heart, Stella is my only sister. Don’t even think about competing with her for anything!” I was instantly speechless. “Dude, seriously? Why are you so arrogant?” “Has it ever occurred to you that you might be the one switched at birth?” 1 My name is Elara. After living in an orphanage for 18 years, I suddenly discovered I was the heiress to the Sterling Group. When the Sterlings came to do charity work, they saw me by chance. I looked too much like Mrs. Sterling. Suspicious, they took me for a DNA test. It turned out I was indeed their biological daughter. In the hospital, my biological parents hugged me, weeping uncontrollably. Suddenly, a line of text floated in the air: [Is the ‘Real vs. Fake Heiress’ plot starting? Watch the heroine return to high society, defeat the imposter, and reclaim everything that belongs to her!] [It’s not certain who the heroine is yet. If the real heiress turns out to be evil, then the fake one becomes the protagonist.] [Stop arguing. Whoever survives to the end is the heroine.] These words popped up like live comments on a video stream, scrolling by one after another. And I was the only one who could see them. It was as if there were an audience outside this world, watching our every move. A huge question mark slowly formed above my head. Based on the comments, I was the real heiress, and the Sterlings had a fake daughter who had taken my place. There could only be one heroine between us, so we were destined to fight for the title of the Sterling heiress? If my biological parents were unreasonable and favored the fake daughter, I certainly wouldn’t stay there to suffer. But then again, their bias might be worthless, but the Sterling family seemed pretty wealthy. If necessary, it was worth fighting for. “My poor child, you’ve suffered so much. Mom and Dad will make it up to you,” my mother cried. Honestly, I didn’t feel much emotion towards these relatives I was meeting for the first time. “Since I was switched at birth, who did you take home back then?” Hearing this, Mr. and Mrs. Sterling’s faces darkened slightly. Mr. Sterling said to me, “There’s another girl at home now named Stella. It must have been a hospital error that led to the switch.” “But Stella is innocent too. She’s young, and we have no news of her biological parents. We can’t just kick her out.” Mrs. Sterling nodded in agreement. “We’ve raised her for over a decade, after all. But don’t worry, Elara, you are our flesh and blood. We won’t let you be mistreated.” “And we won’t force you to like her. Once she grows up, she can move out.” I nodded. Their proposal seemed reasonable enough. On the way to the Sterling mansion in their car, more comments appeared above my head. [I feel like both girls are innocent. Can’t they just be sisters? Why do they have to fight to the death?] [To the person above, Stella literally stole Elara’s identity and caused her to suffer for years. How is she innocent?] The comments argued endlessly about my relationship with the fake heiress. Some people hoped I wouldn’t engage in petty rivalry and would forgive Stella. Others felt I was the victim and deserved revenge. Stella had indeed occupied my identity for so many years, enjoying everything I should have had. I’m human too. I have jealousy, and I can hold a grudge. As long as she doesn’t offend me, I won’t provoke her. At worst, we just ignore each other. But there is absolutely no way I’m going to be “best sisters” with her. During the ride, Mrs. Sterling took my hand. “Elara, tomorrow we’ll take you to get your documents sorted. Your old name is too casual. Do you want to change it?” She probably remembered that the name “Stella” was originally meant for her biological daughter. “How about ‘Starla’? You are the star we lost and found again.” Goosebumps erupted all over my arms. I waved my hands frantically. “No, no, no.” Stella, Starla… they sounded nice, but they felt like names for someone who needed to be pampered and protected. I didn’t like it. “How about ‘Sol’?” I suggested. “I want to be the sun.” Mrs. Sterling’s face stiffened instantly. Mr. Sterling also laughed awkwardly. “What’s wrong?” I asked, confused. “Your brother’s name is Solar.” Me: … “Never mind. Just keep it Elara.” A name is just a label, anyway. 2 The living room of the Sterling mansion. A boy and a girl came forward to greet us. They looked about my age. Mr. and Mrs. Sterling had already called ahead to explain the situation. “Elara, this is Stella.” “Stella, Elara just came home. You’re the sister now, take care of her.” Stella was dressed exquisitely, looking every bit the pampered heiress. Her eyes were red; she had clearly been crying. Wait… why did she look so young? She forced a smile and tentatively took my hand. “Hello, Elara.” I nodded awkwardly. The boy beside her looked displeased. “Stella greeted you. Why are you so cold?” Mr. Sterling glared at him and scolded, “Shut up, brat. That’s your sister.” Mrs. Sterling introduced him to me. “Elara, this is your brother.” I nodded. So his name is Solar? Before I could speak, the boy maintained his arrogant attitude. “She deserves to be my sister? I don’t have such a tacky sister.” “Even if we’re related by blood, I feel nothing for her.” He pulled Stella behind him protectively. “Let me tell you, I only recognize Stella as my sister. You are not allowed to bully her, and don’t even think about taking anything from her!” Mr. Sterling immediately slapped him. “Say one more word, I dare you!” “Whether you admit it or not, Elara is our biological daughter.” Mrs. Sterling also stated her stance. “If you don’t want this sister, fine. But my daughter has suffered, and I will make it up to her.” I quickly pulled Mrs. Sterling back. “Mom, Dad, I’m fine.” Hearing this, Mrs. Sterling emotionally pulled me into her arms. From the hospital until now, this was the first time I called them “Mom” and “Dad.” “Enough!” Stella suddenly interrupted the chaotic argument. She first apologized to me. “I’m sorry. I only found out today that I’m not Mom and Dad’s biological daughter. I’m sorry for taking your life.” As she spoke, her eyes reddened again. She wiped away her tears and said, “Brother, what I have now doesn’t belong to me. You can’t treat Elara like this. She’s already pitiful enough.” As Stella spoke, she took off her expensive necklace and watch. Then she put them on me. I saw a flash of heartache in her eyes. A look of “I hate to part with it, but I don’t deserve it.” “I won’t fight for things that don’t belong to me.” “Mom, Dad, Elara, I’ve decided. Once school starts, I’ll live in the dorms. I’ll leave here for good when I turn 18. Please just let me stay a little longer.” My cheap brother said reluctantly, “Stella, you don’t have to do this. We have so many years of memories. Let’s see who dares to kick you out?” He glared at me pointedly. “Brother, it’s not about being kicked out. I’m the one occupying the nest.” From the beginning until now, Stella had acted mature and proper, without a single misstep. Even though it was hard to accept, she had accepted her identity. Looking at the daughter they had loved for over a decade, Mr. and Mrs. Sterling were heartbroken and reluctant, but this was the best solution. They would ensure Stella lived well outside, but they couldn’t force her to stay and wrong their biological daughter. Seeing everyone getting emotional and helpless, I slowly raised my hand. “Um… wait a minute.” Everyone looked at me. “Stella, right? How old are you this year?” Stella sniffled. “16.” “Only 16?” I was shocked. I pointed at Solar next to her. “And him?” Mrs. Sterling said, “Your brother is almost 18.” Whoa. Maybe because I was malnourished, I looked younger. Or maybe because I was a girl, my parents subconsciously assumed the switched baby was also a girl. I frowned deeply. “Um… well… sigh… I’m also 18.” Mr. Sterling: ? Mrs. Sterling: ? Stella: ! I said weakly, “So… did we get something wrong?” I had done a DNA test. But Stella and Solar hadn’t. “What nonsense are you talking about? Did you get your age wrong?” Solar started to panic. The living room fell into a dead silence. After a long while, Mr. Sterling spoke first. “Stella, Solar, you two…” “Dad!” Solar interrupted. “That’s impossible. Elara came out of nowhere. Who knows if she used some trick?” “Let’s not be fooled by her.” I was instantly speechless. “Dude, seriously? Why are you so arrogant?” “Just now you said you wouldn’t recognize me. Has it ever occurred to you that you might be the one switched at birth?” “You have the nerve to disdain me? Turns out you were insulting yourself all along?” Solar’s face turned red from my scolding. Stella’s mood was like a roller coaster, up and down. She had just accepted that she wasn’t the biological child, and now it seemed her brother wasn’t either. “Oh, alright, let’s just do a DNA test for everyone then.” Stella calmly plucked a few hairs. There was nothing she couldn’t accept now. As for Solar… he had to do it whether he wanted to or not. 3 Mystery solved. Stella is the Sterlings’ biological daughter. Solar and I were switched at birth. Solar’s lips were pale, he couldn’t say a word, and he collapsed upstairs back to his room. I rolled my eyes. Tch, so rude. His mental fortitude is weaker than Stella’s. Mrs. Sterling sighed. “Solar can’t accept it right now. Give him some time.” Years ago, when Mrs. Sterling was pregnant with her first child, she was staying at her parents’ house. Unexpectedly, an earthquake struck, and she went into premature labor. She and several other pregnant women were placed in the same shelter by rescue workers. In the chaos, accidents happen, so Solar and I were swapped. But as for the truth, Mr. Sterling had already sent people to investigate. Currently, it’s suspected that Solar’s biological parents might have passed away; otherwise, I wouldn’t have been sent to an orphanage. … Stella chuckled “hehe” at the air. She slowly sat down next to me. She reached out and took the necklace off my neck. Then she took the watch back too. “Still mine, hehe.” She grinned foolishly, showing her teeth. Suddenly, she looked up and met my gaze. She looked a bit embarrassed. “Sister… uh… Sister, I’ve used these. If you like them, ask Mom and Dad to buy you new ones.” As she spoke, she bumped me with her hip. “Our family isn’t short of money. Buy more. Ah~” I raised an eyebrow, finding it ridiculous. So this was her true face all along. The maturity and stability earlier were all an act. Mrs. Sterling rolled her eyes beside us, looking like she wanted to die. “Shouldn’t have given birth.” 4 At this moment, the long-lost comments reappeared. [Holy crap! What is this plot twist? Real Daughter vs. Fake Son?] [This is great! No need to worry about the sisters fighting to the death. Plus a handsome brother to spoil them. So happy!] [Not necessarily a brother, right? Since they aren’t related by blood, the pseudo-incest trope is also delicious!] Another huge question mark slowly formed above my head. When Stella was the fake heiress, the comments argued fiercely about our relationship. Either we were enemies, or we got along only if I let go of my resentment. After all, as the beneficiary, it was hard for Stella to earn everyone’s forgiveness. But now that the beneficiary turned out to be Solar, the comments accepted it easily. Why? “Dad, Mom, what do you plan to do now?” I asked. Mr. Sterling glanced upstairs and sighed helplessly. That was the son he had painstakingly cultivated and placed high hopes on. Mrs. Sterling, on the other hand, was very happy. “I thought Stella wasn’t my daughter, but now it’s great. I have two precious daughters. I don’t have to give up either of them.” “Stella, your sister suffered a lot outside. We need to treat her better, understand?” Stella nodded, smiling sweetly. “I didn’t expect to have a sister either. Tomorrow I’ll take Sister shopping and buy her lots of dresses and pretty jewelry.” I smiled, not knowing what to say. Stella looked delicate, but her nature was simple. It was obvious she grew up pampered by the Sterlings. The Sterlings’ attitude towards Solar seemed much stricter. Mr. Sterling even slapped him. Mr. and Mrs. Sterling loved their daughter very much. However, when they learned they might have to send their daughter away, they showed heartache and reluctance. But they didn’t force her to stay. Now, the same thing happened to Solar, yet no one mentioned his departure. It was as if… they easily glossed over him. But I didn’t want to let it go just like that. “Dad, Mom, I’m asking about Solar. What about him?” Mrs. Sterling glanced upstairs helplessly. “Although Solar isn’t our biological son, we’ve raised him for so many years. With a brother to take care of you two sisters, we’d feel more at ease.” “After all, you and Stella will marry someday. When Mom and Dad are gone, if you get bullied, you’ll have family to back you up.” I frowned. “But Solar seems to dislike me very much. He even scolded me. I don’t like him either.” Mr. Sterling explained, “That’s because he couldn’t bear to part with Stella as a sister, so he was hostile towards you. Now that Solar knows his background, he will only feel guilty towards you.” “Don’t be afraid, Elara. If that brat dares to bully you, Mom will definitely beat him.” Mrs. Sterling raised her hand as she spoke, as if she would slap Solar’s face the next second. I believed she really would. Mr. and Mrs. Sterling’s attitude towards Solar had always been “strict,” completely unlike the “doting” they showed Stella. Is this the different way the Sterling family “loves daughters” and “loves sons”? Pampering for the daughter, responsibility and expectations for the son. The air fell silent, only the comments above my head flew wildly. [What is Elara doing? It’s precisely because she suffered that Solar will feel guilty and compensate her doubly in the future.] [Solar is definitely going to be a CEO in the future. A CEO brother spoiling you, I’m so envious.] [Get out of the comments, simps! Real vs. Fake Heiress—defeat the imposter! Real Heiress vs. Fake Son—Brother spoil me~] I didn’t forcefully demand Solar to leave. After all, the Sterlings were still in charge. Solar was the family member who had lived with them for nearly two decades. Their bond was deep. If I forced him out, I might upset Mr. and Mrs. Sterling. Mr. and Mrs. Sterling went to talk to Solar and brought him out. His attitude towards me had changed drastically. “Elara, I was wrong today. I shouldn’t have scolded you like that.” I blinked, squeezing out a few tears. “But you were so fierce today, I was really hurt.” “Your clothes are so beautiful, they look expensive. In the orphanage, I could only wear other people’s old clothes. If only Mom and Dad were by my side.” My remarks provoked a wave of heartache from Mrs. Sterling. “Elara, tomorrow Mom will take you to buy clothes. The best and most beautiful ones.” “Thank you, Mom.” Solar gritted his teeth and grabbed my hand, speaking earnestly. “I’m sorry. If I had a choice at birth, I would never have taken your identity.” “But it happened. I will definitely be a good brother in the future and make up for the hardships you suffered.” He seemed truly guilty, showing no trace of the yelling from earlier in the day. But I still saw the hostility in his eyes. “Why can’t I be the older sister?” I asked suddenly. “…” A flash of gloom passed over Solar’s face, but he didn’t say anything. Mrs. Sterling smoothed things over. “It’s all the same. Solar being the brother means he can take care of his sister.” I didn’t dwell on this question too much and smiled. “Okay, Brother.” Although Solar stayed in the Sterling family, Mr. Sterling still publicly announced our backgrounds and adopted Solar as his foster son.

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I’ve been a little slow on the uptake since I was a kid. When I was little, I went camping with my childhood friend. In the middle of the night, I felt a small snake in my sleeping bag. I begged him, “Where did this snake come from? Throw it out.” His face turned bright red, and he stammered for ages before finally agreeing. Years later, I got drunk and ended up crashing in his room. My hand grabbed something again, and I cried out: “Jonah, you let a snake in the bed again!” The live comments went wild: [Twenty years later, and the FL is still this innocent?] [Girl, maybe give it a squeeze and see if it’s actually a snake.] [If she finds out the ML’s true form now, she’s gonna be scared to death.] 1 Jonah is my childhood friend. Sunny, athletic, straight-A student. The kind of kid every parent wishes was theirs. But he had a secret hobby he hid well—he liked raising snakes. I first found out when I was thirteen, on a camping trip with him. The adults had their tents, the kids had theirs. Jonah, two years older than me, was tasked with putting me to bed. “Go to sleep.” He zipped up my sleeping bag. Only my head was sticking out. My face felt a little hot and stuffy, so I stared at him and asked, “Why aren’t you sleeping?” Jonah stared back for two seconds, then turned away. “Kids sleep first.” Maybe because I was sheltered too much, my mom always said I was a bit dimmer than other kids. For example, when I saw strange things… First I’d frown, then I’d just accept it. In the middle of the night, I woke up. I struggled out of the sleeping bag, arms sprawled wide. But I didn’t bump into the person beside me. I groggily reached out, feeling around in the dark, calling his name: “Jonah?” “Where did you go? It’s so late.” No answer. It was pitch black inside the tent. My hand froze when it touched an unidentified object. Slippery, slimy, but hard. About as thick as my wrist, and kind of cold. My slow brain spun its gears as fast as it could. My first reaction was to keep calling Jonah. “Jonah!” “I touched something…” “Sob… I think it’s a snake. I’m holding it. I’m scared…” Yeah. I thought it was a snake. It must have warmed up in the covers, because it didn’t feel that cold. “Jonah…” I continued to cry out for him. “Stop yelling…” He finally made a sound. Accompanied by a weird… muffled groan. I paused, then continued crying, “Where did you go… I’m scared sleeping alone.” “I’m here.” Jonah’s breathing was heavy. “I’m sleeping far away from you.” “No.” I didn’t let go. Instead, I scooted closer to him. “I’m scared. Sleep next to me.” “Nngh…” He made a noise. I asked confusedly, “What’s wrong?” “Nothing.” He denied it. “Let go first. Where’s the snake? I’ll get it out.” “In my hand.” Saying that, I tried to grab my phone with my other hand. “I’ll turn on the flashlight for you.” “No!” Jonah immediately objected. I didn’t understand. “Why?” “N-nothing.” I let go. In the darkness, I heard Jonah unzip the tent, followed by the sound of something landing on the ground. “Done.” His voice was low and sounded unnatural. “I threw the snake out. Go back to sleep.” 2 The second time I found a snake was at Jonah’s house. That was also when I discovered his secret hobby. I was sixteen, he was eighteen. I forgot my keys, it was pouring rain, so I went to knock on Jonah’s door. “Jonah—” No one answered. But I knew his door code, so I just let myself in. As soon as I stepped inside, the chill was even deeper than outside. I shivered and called out again. Still no answer. But I remembered Jonah came home early today. He usually loved sports, but skipped basketball practice saying he didn’t feel well. “Jonah?” I tiptoed up the stairs. His bedroom door was slightly ajar. Through the crack, I saw a black snake as thick as my calf slowly slithering by. “Ah—” I was so scared I fell to the floor. The next second, a large hand covered my eyes. It was burning hot. Jonah’s body temperature was abnormally high. “Do you have a fever?” My heart tightened. I grabbed his wrist, trying to pull it away to see his face. But he held it tight. “Don’t move.” He said. Then added, “I’m fine.” “You’re burning up!” I was anxious. “Why didn’t you tell me you had a fever? Why didn’t you say anything?” Jonah was silent. Before I could get an answer, I felt a cold touch suddenly press against my calf. Then, inch by inch, it moved up. “Ah—” My mouth was covered too. I felt Jonah’s hand tighten. “It’s okay… don’t be afraid.” I thought of the snake I just saw. It was huge. How could I not be afraid? Not to mention, it was slowly climbing up my leg. And exploring further up. “Jonah—” I was about to cry. He didn’t move, just whispered soothingly, “It’s okay, it won’t hurt you. It’s like me.” Like Jonah? The worry-free kid, the childhood friend who took care of me growing up. Good at everything, knows everything, my sunny big brother figure. I felt the coldness. But slowly, it started to feel… wrong. I cried, “Jonah, it…” Jonah didn’t speak, but he pinned me down firmly. Forcing all my attention onto the sensation of the snake. My intuition told me that right now, he was completely different from usual. The fingers covering my mouth moved. One finger slipped into my mouth. “Don’t cry. Don’t move.” “Just trust me.” But… Tears were about to spill out. Until I fainted. 3 “You’re awake?” I woke up staring at my own bedroom ceiling. Jonah was sitting by the bed, wearing gold-rimmed glasses. His dark hair was slightly messy, curling over his eyes, but it couldn’t hide the gentle look behind the lenses. He looked gentle and refined, just like always. As if the person who pinned me down, blinded me, silenced me, and let a snake crawl all over me wasn’t him. I hesitated. “Your fever broke?” “Yeah.” Jonah acted so natural. He even touched my forehead and looked at me with pity. “Penny, you got caught in the rain yesterday and had a fever too. Don’t come back soaked next time.” Oh, yesterday. “Yesterday…” I started to speak, but Jonah interrupted. “Yesterday you fell asleep on the couch downstairs at my place. I only found you after my shower. Lucky I found you in time.” I paused. Was that it? It… seemed plausible. After all, Jonah was so good to me. Even if he raised snakes, he wouldn’t let them hurt me. I told myself that. Then asked, “Did you get a pet snake?” Jonah seemed to hesitate for a second. Then he returned to his impenetrable facade. He smiled and said, “Yeah.” “It’s my secret. Penny, you can’t tell anyone.” “If you’re not a good girl, big brother will have to punish you.” 4 A flower sheltered in a greenhouse. Besides luck, needs a tough bodyguard. Growing up, Jonah was that bodyguard. In high school, guys confessed to me all the time. Jonah never cared, mocking them: “Those losers. Gotta admire their courage.” I didn’t quite get what he meant, but I nodded in agreement anyway. Until one day, a boy as gentle as Jonah appeared. I didn’t know how to reject him. He brought me cupcakes, and Jonah saw it. “Penny.” When Jonah walked over, he was smiling. But the boy’s face gradually turned pale. He hid behind me. When I turned to look at him, his expression was terrified: “Sorry, Senior, I didn’t know she was your sister.” “Sorry, sorry, I’m leaving.” As if he saw something terrifying, he just ran away. When I turned back to look at Jonah. He was smiling gently, pinching my cheek. Asking me: “Want to come over after school?” I thought of the black snake. I pursed my lips and asked, “Is Blackie home?” Jonah looked thoughtful. “Do you want to see him?” “I’m still a little scared of him.” He nodded. So, after school, I went to his house. As soon as we walked in, he took out a tie. And gently blindfolded me. “What are you doing…” I whined. Jonah held my hand and led me into the room, saying, “Aren’t you scared of him? If you can’t see him, you won’t be as scared.” That sounded reasonable. Or maybe not. But I was slow. Before I could think it through, I felt that familiar cold touch again. “Pet him.” Jonah whispered. I gently grasped it with my hand. I didn’t hear the snake hiss, but Jonah groaned. He grunted twice, complaining, “Taking you to cut your nails tomorrow.” I felt wronged. I grew those nails out with hard work. But I still obediently said “Okay.” 5 Thanks to my “bodyguard” Jonah. Even being this dumb and slow. I safely grew to 22 and graduated college. This year was Jonah’s busiest time. He took over the family business, working at the company until dawn every day, practically living there. My mom ordered me to bring him good food. “President Vance…” In front of the CEO’s office floor-to-ceiling window. I saw a curvaceous woman leaning over Jonah’s desk. I paused, then knocked. “Penny, what are you doing here?” Jonah stood up immediately. The woman was shooed out. When she passed me, a wave of perfume hit me. Her blouse had two buttons undone, revealing cleavage I’ll never have in this lifetime. I looked down at myself with mixed feelings. Jonah had already walked over to me and took the lunch box. “Bringing me food? Such a good girl.” He smiled, eyes crinkling behind his glasses. Dark circles under his eyes revealed his exhaustion. “My mom made me bring it.” My tone was stiff. “I’m leaving now, no need to praise me.” My heart felt stuffy, and my words came out sour. “You’re busy, I have to go report back.” “Report, back?” Jonah stopped smiling, chewing on those words. “Bringing me food is just a task to you?” His aura became dangerous. But I’m stubborn. I turned around, but he grabbed me. “Penelope.” Jonah was unhappy. Whenever he was unhappy, he used my full name. Then, he threatened, “You aren’t scared of snakes anymore?” I shivered. I was still a little scared. Because of the trauma from the first time I saw it. But my stubborn streak flared up, and I forced out: “Not scared. I’m leaving, you handle your business.” So tough. I turned to leave. But just then, I suddenly saw something on the glass door of the office. Lines of subtitles floating by. [LMAO, girl do you know what you’re messing with?] [Exactly, keep provoking him girlie. We’ve been waiting for the ML to drop the mask and go feral on you.] [Poor ML. FL is 22 and still acts like a kid. When will he finally get some action? He looks ready to explode.] [Yeah, I support the ML just grabbing her by the neck right now.] [+11111111] I froze. Meanwhile, behind me, Jonah asked coldly again: “Are you really not scared of snakes anymore?”

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I was tangled in the sheets with my boyfriend in broad daylight, basking in the afterglow. Suddenly, a violent bang echoed from the front door. Someone was kicking it. I blinked open my heavy eyelids, confused. “Is someone knocking?” The man above me didn’t stop. He nipped at my earlobe, his voice raspy and slurred with heat. “No, baby. You’re hearing things.” Suddenly, floating text scrolled across my vision like a live stream chat: [Succubus baby, maybe take a closer look at who’s in your bed?] [LMAO I’m dying. The male lead thought the soul bond meant she could only feed on him. He forgot he has a twin brother with the exact same bloodline!] [Hehe, twin sandwich! Our girl is never going hungry again. She is EATING good!] Before I could process the glowing words, a furious, trembling roar erupted from the hallway. “Jax! Get your ass out here right now!” 1 I’m Zoe, a succubus Julian picked up off the street. Because I “bullied” Tia, he hadn’t fed me in two weeks. I stubbornly reiterated my defense. “I didn’t bully her! I just told her to stop calling you in the middle of the night. I can never get a full meal…” Julian lifted his cold eyes. “You think you’re in the right?” He glanced at the text on his phone—Tia saying she wanted to draw a line between them—and his tone dripped with impatience. “You’ve been with me for so long, yet you haven’t learned a thing. But you’ve certainly mastered the art of using money to humiliate people.” “I didn’t humiliate her,” I said. His gaze was icy, judging me. I stood my ground. “If she thinks money is humiliating, that’s her problem. I think money is the best thing in the world.” Besides, it was her fault. My feeding time was strictly Sunday nights. For an S-Class succubus, that’s barely a snack. And she always interrupted. Every time we started, she’d call. She was being harassed by thugs at a diner, or she was drunk and needed a ride. Julian would leave immediately, leaving me half-starved. So, I went to her privately. I handed her some cash and asked if she could maybe schedule her crises for a different time slot. She acted like I’d slapped her. She gritted her teeth, stepped on the bills, and emphasized every word: “Miss Zoe, rest assured. I have zero interest in your boyfriend. I despise arrogant rich people like him. Before you two met, I rejected him at least ten times.” “He said he wanted to be friends. I didn’t know you were so insecure.” Her eyes were red as she sneered, “Honestly, you make it seem like I’m doing something shady. Please tell him I won’t ask for his help anymore. I don’t want to be labeled a homewrecker.” She walked away, head held high, looking proud and unyielding. That straight spine of hers… yeah, I could see why it triggered a man’s conqueror complex. I processed her words and concluded: Great, she won’t interrupt my meals anymore. But before I could celebrate, the story reached Julian. For the first time, the calm, elegant Julian lost his temper with me. He was convinced I bullied Tia and refused to admit it. “It took so much for her to ask for help, given her pride. And you? You destroyed the last of her dignity.” I teared up but held my ground. “…It wasn’t my fault.” I was usually obedient, but not on this. Finally, his patience snapped. “If I don’t teach you a lesson, you’ll never learn your place.” He loosened his tie, standing up with a look of disgust. “The estate upstate is empty. Go there and reflect on your actions.” “And if you don’t behave, you starve. Who else can feed you but me?” Meeting the warning in his dark eyes, I held back my tears. “Fine! Don’t feed me! I don’t need you!” I’m an S-Class succubus. I can get any man I want! He scoffed, unbothered. No one knew better than him what our soul bond meant. I was physically incapable of feeding on anyone else. 2 I held onto my grudge for three days. Then another three. Even when I was dizzy from hunger, legs turning to jelly, I refused to call him. The best way to tame a prey is to corner it, wait until it exhausts all strength struggling, and then appear as the savior. Julian was always a patient hunter. Summer was humid and rainy. On my tenth day in the villa, a massive storm hit. Thunder shook the house. I curled up on the couch, burying half my face in my knees, weak and trembling. I kept looking at the floor-to-ceiling windows. I thought, If Julian shows up right now, I might forgive him. Just a little. In the past, whenever it stormed, he’d drop his work and pull me into his arms, scolding me for being “useless” while wiping away my tears. But now, the villa was silent. Not even a phone call. I sniffled, burying my face deeper, trying to hide from the world. Suddenly, lightning illuminated the living room, followed by a crack of thunder. The front door burst open, slammed by the wind and rain. I looked up, dazed. A figure in a red racing suit appeared in my line of sight. Tall, cold, black hair soaked, eyes familiar yet strange. My body’s dependency overrode my brain. The tears I’d been holding back finally fell. I threw the pillow aside, ran to him barefoot, and crashed into his arms. “Julian!” 3 I was still angry. But the moment I hugged his waist, overwhelming grievance washed over me. “I hate you…” I hammered my weak fists against his chest, crying like a loser. “I hate you so much…” A cold, wet hand suddenly gripped my wrist. The man pulled back, creating distance. His voice was lazy, teasing. “Whoa. Throwing yourself at me?” Maybe it was the wet hair covering his forehead, but he looked less cold than usual. The red racing suit gave him a wild, rebellious edge. I vaguely felt that this Julian was different. But I was starving, and my brain was mush. I just frowned, confused. “Why are you dressed like that?” I remembered Julian hated racing. He called it barbaric. He circled my feverish wrist with his fingers, frowning. “You’re here alone?” I was confused. “You told me to come here and reflect.” He looked around the empty villa, then placed a hand on my forehead. I leaned back, dazed by the coolness. He clicked his tongue. “With a temperature this high, you didn’t know you had a fever?” Fever? I touched my cheek blankly. It was burning. 4 I hated the heat, so the AC was blasting despite the rain. The first thing he did was find the remote and turn off all the AC units. The villa was empty—no food, no medicine. He got a wet towel to cool me down. Then he made a call. It rang for a long time. The voice on the other end was impatient. “What?” The man in the racing suit—Jax—didn’t beat around the bush. His tone was lazy and arrogant. “Can’t I just call my brother? By the way, that little succubus you locked in the upstate villa seems to have a high fever. You coming?” “What are you doing there?” Julian sounded instantly displeased. “Car broke down nearby. Came in to hide from the rain.” On the other end, a GPS voice announced: Entering Old District. Jax’s tone turned mocking. “Oh? Heading to the Little White Lotus’s house? Playing the knight in shining armor again?” In the background, Tia’s cold voice cut through, sounding pouty. “No need to detour. Just drop me at the next intersection.” “Shut up,” Julian snapped at her, then spoke coldly to Jax. “Jax, get a doctor for Zoe. I don’t have time.” Jax looked at the storm outside, tapping his long fingers on the window sill. “Bro, I’m curious. You’re ignoring your feverish girlfriend to drive Tia home in the rain? Is she made of gold? or are you planning on cheating?” He was blunt. “We’re just friends,” Julian corrected stiffly. “Tia got caught in the rain, she looks pale. I can’t just leave her.” “And Zoe?” “She’s fine. Succubi heal fast. Starving a few days won’t kill her. She needs to learn a lesson.” Jax almost laughed. “Damn. I guess being the mistress really does get you the special treatment these days.” Tia heard the “mistress” comment and snapped, “Julian, don’t bother. I can handle myself.” “Sit still,” Julian ordered her. Then to Jax: “Jax, I said we are friends. Say one more word, and I’ll disband your racing team tomorrow.” “Get her a doctor, then get out. I’ll see her in a few days.” Click. The call ended. Jax smirked dangerously. Friends. What an ambiguous, convenient word. He turned around and saw me, burning up, delirious. My skin was flushed pink, my almond eyes misty, looking at him with total confusion. His Adam’s apple bobbed. He wanted to be “friends” with this little succubus too. The kind of friends who sleep together. 5 The rain was getting heavier. After a while, he checked my temperature again and swapped the towel. His phone rang. He answered it and turned to leave the bedroom. I grabbed his wrist. “Don’t go…” I knew this scene too well. Late-night calls. Either work or Tia. Sickness makes you fragile. My eyes welled up, and I unconsciously nuzzled his wrist bone. “Julian… stay with me, please?” He was still on the phone, but I saw his throat move. Thunder rumbled outside. The hunger came clawing back, stronger than before. I sniffled, widening my eyes to look as pitiful as possible. “Don’t go… I’ll starve to death.” He looked at me, unmoving. In the silence, the hope in my eyes dimmed. I remembered when he pushed me away cold-heartedly. “Is your brain filled with nothing but intimacy?” I whispered, “But I’m hungry…” “Can’t you endure it? Isn’t once a week enough? If you can’t control your desires, how are you different from an animal?” He wanted me to have self-respect. But a succubus’s instinct isn’t ruled by logic. Hunger eats away at reason until only the instinct to survive remains. When I first tried to feed on someone else, he caught me. He laughed in anger and tricked me into the soul bond. He said it was for protection. “Men outside are dirty.” He didn’t like me touching others, but he refused to feed me properly. Just like today. Jax hung up the phone. He looked down at me and scoffed. “Tsk. So much trouble.” The cold tone was exactly like Julian’s. I watched him walk out of the bedroom, tears pooling in my eyes.

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My entire senior class respawned to the days before the college entrance exam—the SATs. Everyone’s eyes lit up. They memorized the answers like zealots and, sure enough, every single one of them scored a near-perfect 1580 or higher. Everyone except me. I stared at the slip of paper in my hand. “650.” My throat tightened. Even this score… was still too high. 01 The day the scores were released, the classroom was buzzing like a beehive. Everyone crowded around the bulletin board. “Zara, are you blind? You got a 650!” The class president shouted it from the front row, sparking a wave of laughter. “How can someone actually get dumber over time?” “Seriously, the whole class is improving, and she’s dragging the average down to hell!” I kept my head down, feeling the mocking gazes pricking me from all directions. I was used to it. In this trashy high school, my genuine love for learning made me a freak. But this time, it was different. Out of a maximum 1600, nearly half the class scored above 1500. We swept the state rankings, taking the valedictorian spot for the entire city and state. This wasn’t a miracle. It was a glitch. The entire class had been sent back in time to before the exam. The moment they respawned, everyone went crazy memorizing the questions and answers. Even Lucas, the class delinquent who usually struggled to spell his own name, scored high enough for the Ivy League. Our class became a city-wide sensation, the poster children for academic excellence. Our homeroom teacher wept openly, thinking his teaching methods had finally paid off. But we all knew the truth—anyone can memorize an answer key. But only me… “Did you get your head caught in a door? You had the answers and couldn’t even break 700?” Jessica, the class queen bee, slammed her test paper onto my desk. Usually, I beat her in everything except looks. Finally, she had her moment. Seeing no reaction from me, she leaned in, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “Do you want me to tutor you? Oh wait, you wouldn’t understand it anyway.” “No thanks,” I said, folding my paper and stuffing it into my bag. “I’m actually pretty happy with this score.” I calculated this 650 three times to make sure I got it exactly right. They laughed even harder. They didn’t know my backpack was already filled with glue. My test paper was now a wrinkled, sticky mess. … Laugh all you want. Laugh louder. I wonder if you’ll still be laughing when you realize those memorized answers are going to cost you your lives. 02 The next afternoon, the graduation ceremony began on schedule. The lights in the auditorium were aggressively bright. The “high achievers” in the front rows were loud and arrogant. “I wrote a ten-page acceptance speech!” “Does my hair look good for the photos later?” “Why haven’t Harvard and Yale called me begging yet?” I sat silently in the back corner, the designated “loser zone.” It was coming. It was about to start. On stage, the principal was still giving his speech, but the corners of his mouth had split all the way to his ears. With every word he spoke, dark red blood dripped from his chin. No one in the audience noticed. “…Congratulations on successfully completing your exams. Today, we have special rewards for our outstanding students.” I looked down at my transcript—650. Third from the last in the class. I had meticulously calculated this score based on last life’s results. I deliberately filled in wrong bubbles for every subject and wrote only three lines for the essay. Still, it was higher than I hoped. I glanced at the guy who scored 600, the second to last. Liam. A “simple-minded jock” who was ostracized by the class and missed out on the answer key after respawning. Now that is true score control talent! Suddenly, the principal spoke. “First, will all students who scored above 1550 please come to the stage to receive your awards!” A distorted piano melody began to play over the speakers, sounding like a nursery rhyme being strangled. Jason, the study rep in the first row, stood up. His back was straight, his uniform pressed to perfection. The first state valedictorian in our school’s 100-year history. He walked up the stairs, a smug smile plastered on his face, already envisioning his elite university future. And then— Snap. His neck suddenly twisted. Once. Twice. Three times. The sound of bone shattering was crisp, exploding in everyone’s ears. His head rotated 720 degrees before settling at a gruesome angle—face backward, body forward. The auditorium erupted in screams. “Is this… part of the show?” “Maybe it’s special effects…” Before anyone could process it, the principal spoke again. “Awards distributed,” his voice remained gentle. “Next, students with scores above 1500, please come to the stage.” Hearing their names, several students walked toward the stage. Under the deathly spotlight, each performed their own self-destruct sequence, twisting like pretzels. When blood splattered onto the faces of the front row, realization finally hit. This graduation ceremony wasn’t normal. I sat calmly in the back, watching the familiar scene unfold with a cold sneer. In my past life, the whole class chose to respawn immediately after the exam. Only I stayed behind long enough to witness this graduation ceremony—a massacre ordered by test scores. On the graduation banner, the words “Bright Future” were slowly being dyed dark red. 03 Even the dumbest person could figure it out now. The class ranking was the death order. From high to low, no one escapes. Since most of our class had cheated their way to the top, wailing filled the air. “Why did I have to score so high?!” “Sob… can I still go to Stanford…” “I must be dreaming! I have to be!” But reality was ruthless. Those who went up died. Those who refused were dragged up by the surrounding teachers and died anyway. Someone tried to flee the auditorium, but the moment they touched the sunlight outside, they spontaneously combusted. In an instant, corpses littered the floor. Watching the people who had just mocked me turn into meat sacks, I couldn’t help but scoff. They deserved it. Suddenly, a low male voice came from beside me. “You tanked your score on purpose, didn’t you?” I was surprised. I turned to meet a pair of calm eyes—Caleb. He scored 680 this time, just on the edge of the “loser zone.” But he was planning to study abroad anyway, so he just breezed through the test. “What makes you say that?” I asked. “I’m your deskmate. I know your level better than anyone.” True. With my normal ability, scoring 1450+ was no problem. Which is exactly why I was eliminated early in the ceremony in my last life. But my classmates seemed to have forgotten that, only caring about suppressing me. “If they kill based on scores, why didn’t you just hand in a blank paper?” Caleb asked. I shook my head. “The bottom ten students in the grade aren’t allowed to attend graduation.” Like the guy who got last place in our class. He was dead by default. Soon, the awards for the 1500+ scorers were finished. Before the survivors could catch their breath, the principal smiled and announced a choir performance for the graduates. The lights dimmed. The choir, which had appeared on stage unnoticed, slowly turned around. It was the 20-something students who had just died. Jason stood in the front row, his severed neck held together by wire, swaying mechanically to the music as he announced the song title. [Please enjoy a performance by our outstanding graduates: “The White Ship.”] 04 The auditorium fell silent. The living had no idea what was coming next. The piano started. The dead opened their mouths in unison, their rotting vocal cords turning the warm melody into something nauseating. [Blue sky, milky way…] […There sails a little white ship.] My body went rigid. Behind me, Liam, the class idiot, was humming along, oblivious to the danger—until the singing stopped abruptly. Twenty-plus heads snapped toward the audience, their gazes sweeping over faces. “Get down!” I dragged Caleb to the floor. “What are you doing?” Before he could finish his question, a girl in the row ahead of us suddenly stood up. Her mouth curved into an uncontrollable smile, her fingers trembling as they reached for her own neck. “Help…” A tear rolled from her wide, terrified eye, but her fingers snapped with sudden force. Crack! The sound of a cervical fracture exploded over the accompaniment of “The White Ship.” The last image in her eyes was her high-scoring boyfriend on stage, staring at her “lovingly.” “How…” Caleb gasped. “Whenever the singing stops, the people they stare at… die.” No repeats. One-on-one targeting. And they prioritized the high-scorers in the front rows. I watched as over twenty figures stood up one after another. Some laughed and cried as they suffocated themselves with test papers. Some stabbed pens through their temples. The boy in the very front bit through the arteries in his own wrist. The remaining living students were frozen. “Is this… random killing now?” Jessica’s shrill voice pierced the auditorium. Crying and cursing filled the air. Chaos. Aside from Caleb and me, no one knew what was happening. The newly dead swayed to their feet, wearing the same stitched smiles as the choir, and marched in unison toward the stage. Jason affectionately put his arm around a boy who had just killed himself, adjusting his crooked tie. Now, the choir had 46 members. That was 46 pairs of venomous eyes.

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Two years after I died, Xavier Thorne was set to get engaged to Beatrice Vanderbilt, the heiress to a real estate empire. At the engagement gala, he took a sip of his bourbon, a cold sneer playing on his lips. “Someone once told me that I, Xavier Thorne, would never make a dime. That I’d never be anyone, never achieve anything. Now I’ve done it all. So where is she? Why won’t she show up?” I floated there, stunned. Oh. He still remembers what I said? But I’m already dead. The living shouldn’t hold grudges against the dead. I really wish he’d just forget about me. 1 Xavier is now the richest man in the city. The engagement party was packed with elites. Even our old high school classmates and teachers were invited. Mark, our old class president, walked over respectfully to toast Xavier. They chatted about the old days. Suddenly, Mark asked, “Mr. Thorne, that person you mentioned earlier… who was it?” Xavier scoffed, unconsciously touching the watch on his right wrist. It was strange. I bought him that watch for graduation. It cost five hundred bucks—cheap by his current standards. It didn’t match his Armani suit at all, yet he never took it off. Mark shook his head and sighed. “That sounded like something Sarah Jenkins would say. But Sarah has been dead for so long. How could she show up?” For a split second, the air in the room seemed to freeze. Silence. Then—Crash. The crystal glass in Xavier’s hand hit the floor, shattering into a million pieces. His face drained of all color. He opened his mouth, but it took a long time for the words to come out. “What did you say? Who died?” By now, everyone was staring. Xavier was known for being cold and composed. This sudden panic made everyone wonder what scandal was unfolding. Mark hesitated, then stammered, “Sarah… Sarah Jenkins.” “Impossible!” Xavier cut him off instantly. “She told me she went abroad to find her boyfriend!” “What boyfriend?” Mark looked confused. “Sarah had a hereditary genetic condition. Women in her family don’t live past thirty. You… you didn’t know, Mr. Thorne?” 2 My ghost stood behind Xavier, watching the chaos unfold, and I let out a long sigh. Two years ago, when I left Xavier, that is indeed what I told him. I told him I had an old flame abroad—six-foot-three, gold-rimmed glasses, a “sophisticated scumbag” type with a sexy British accent and a trust fund. It drove Xavier insane. He had stared at me, his eyes red, looking like he was about to bleed tears. “I don’t believe you,” he had said, gripping my wrist so hard it hurt. “Sarah, I don’t believe you. You’re lying.” “If I’m lying, I’m a dog!” I had lied through my teeth, pulling a photo out of my pocket. It showed me in the arms of a tall man, both of us laughing. I paid a guy on Fiverr fifty bucks to Photoshop that. But Xavier didn’t even look at it. He snatched it and tore it to shreds. Fifty bucks. Gone. My heart ached for the money. “Give me a reason.” He threw the confetti-sized pieces on the ground and crushed them with his shoe. “We’ve been together for so many years. You’re just dumping me?” “What else?” I rolled my eyes. “You’re poor, Xavier. Your startup failed. I don’t see a future with you. Do you want us to be thirty years old and still living in a cramped rental apartment?” Maybe I was too harsh. His hand, which had been gripping my wrist, slowly loosened and dropped to his side. I knew Xavier. He had pride. That was his limit. He would never beg me to stay again. So, I dragged my suitcase out of our rental. The moment I opened the door, Xavier called my name. “Sarah.” He stared at me, enunciating every word. “One day, you will regret the decision you made today.” I smiled lightly. “Good. I’ll be waiting for that day.” 3 They say death is like a candle going out, but my soul somehow stayed tethered to Xavier. The Reaper told me it was because someone’s obsession with me was too strong, keeping me grounded in the mortal world for a while longer. So, I watched Xavier become cold, ruthless, and decisive. In two years, he tripled his status. His company went public, and he amassed a fortune. He was no longer the boy who stood outside an investor’s door all night for a fifty-thousand-dollar seed fund. But hearing that I was dead, he looked terrified. He pulled out his phone and started frantically dialing my number. But I had blocked him on everything ages ago. The call would never connect. Beatrice, standing awkwardly to the side, saw his state and walked over cautiously. She gently placed a hand on his shoulder. “Xavier, are… are you okay? Who is this Sarah person?” “Get away from me!” Xavier shoved Beatrice aside. When he wanted to be mean, he really didn’t hold back. “We are just a business arrangement. I’ll help your family, but stay out of my personal life!” Beatrice’s face flushed red at the public rebuke. The guests looked at each other, sensing a massive scandal but daring not to speak. In the silent ballroom, the only sound was Xavier’s heavy breathing and his fingers tapping the screen, dialing over and over. Finally, he got a number from Mark. It was for my best friend, Fiona. Poor Fiona was probably asleep. It took a while for her to pick up. “Who is this?” she asked groggily. “Where is Sarah?” Xavier demanded. “Are you psycho? Sarah has been dead for two years. Why are you looking for her now?” Before she could finish, Xavier hung up. He stood there for a moment, then let out a cold, broken laugh before stumbling out of the banquet hall. His driver was waiting outside. Sitting in the back seat, Xavier hunched over, burying his face in his hands. He didn’t speak for a long time. Just as they neared his villa, he took out his phone and texted his assistant: Investigate everything about Sarah Jenkins. 4 Back at the villa, Xavier went straight to his study. He sat alone in his massive leather chair. His phone rang multiple times, but he didn’t answer. Eventually, he muted it. He looked just like he did years ago, sitting on the curb after being kicked out by an investor. Back then, I would have bought him a hot milk tea and shoved it into his hands. Now he was rich, so why did he still look so pathetic? I really wanted to pat his shoulder and yell in his ear: “Xavier, move on! Look forward!” Xavier sat there all night. Around nine the next morning, the butler knocked, followed by his assistant, Colin. Colin placed a file on the desk and whispered, “Boss, here is the information on Miss Jenkins.” Efficient. Colin must have pulled an all-nighter too. I pouted. “Exploitative capitalist.” Xavier opened the folder. It wasn’t much—just seven or eight photos. I curiously leaned over his shoulder to look. Most were from two years ago. Some were clearly screenshots from street surveillance cameras; others were backgrounds of strangers’ photos found online. I tsked. Colin was wasted as an assistant; he should be a PI. In the photos, the place I visited most was the hospital. The timestamps showed that after I broke up with Xavier, I didn’t go abroad. I rented a tiny room in the city and lived there for a few months. Xavier stared at the photos for a long time without saying a word, his brow furrowed deep. Finally, he moved. He put the photos away in a drawer and locked it. “Drive,” he said to Colin, using the desk to support himself as he stood up. “Take me to this hospital.”

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The day my fiancé, Julian, brought home a girl we were sponsoring, I walked in on them embracing. Caught off guard, I froze. Julian didn’t even flinch. “Lily has skin hunger,” he said calmly. “I’m just helping her cope. She’s practically my little sister, Maya. Don’t overthink it.” Before I could respond, the front door creaked open behind me. A young man stood there, laden with bags, looking like a stray puppy that had finally found its way home. He smiled shyly. “Excuse me, is this the Sterling residence?” What a coincidence. My childhood “groom” had come to find me. 1 The day Julian brought her home, I had just finished a six-hour remote conference on an empty stomach. It was evening when I walked through the door. Next to the shoe cabinet sat a pair of dainty Mary Janes. From the living room, a girl’s sweet laughter floated out. “Professor Julian, you don’t even know how to arrange flowers?” Then came Julian’s soft chuckle. “I guess I’ll have to learn from you.” I paused, dazed for a second. The housekeeper approached, hesitant. “Miss Maya, that’s the friend Mr. Julian brought home today…” I forced a smile and walked slowly toward the living room. Sure enough, there they were. Julian, who had never cared for flowers in his life, was bent over, carefully trimming stems. Beside him was a younger girl. Hands behind her back, head tilted, she watched him with a smile. She had healthy, sun-kissed skin and pear dimples when she grinned. Her eyes were bright and lively, like a rose in full bloom. Hearing my footsteps, she looked up quickly. She tugged at Julian’s sleeve, whispering, “Who is that…” Julian followed her gaze. His expression remained indifferent. “You’re back?” I hummed a response, smiling. “Aren’t you going to introduce us?” Julian tossed the scissors aside and took the tissue she offered to wipe his hands. “This is Lily.” “You know her.” Seeing my slight frown, he added, “The student we’re sponsoring.” Right. I remembered. Two years ago, I decided to sponsor a female student until she finished college. Someone quickly connected me with Lily. Back then, she was scrawny and lived in a leaky shack. In winter, without heating, her hands were red and swollen with chilblains. Julian and I covered her tuition and living expenses for the year. Since I was busy with work and Julian didn’t trust anyone else, he handled the communication. “I bought these flowers on the way here,” Lily said softly. “I didn’t know if Mrs. Sterling would lik—” Julian cut her off. “You’re not that far apart in age. No need for formalities.” His tone was gentle. “Just call her Maya.” Lily nodded and smiled at him. “Okay.” Julian placed a hand lightly on her back, guiding her toward the dining room. “Let’s eat first.” He glanced back at me, seemingly casual. “If you were going to be in meetings, you should have said something. Lily’s been starving waiting for you for an hour.” … It wasn’t until dinner that Julian told me Lily would be staying with us for a while. “She’s on summer break. Just visiting the city for a few days.” Lily immediately chimed in, “Maya, am I causing trouble?” I ignored her and asked Julian, “Why didn’t you tell me beforehand?” Julian frowned, annoyed. “What’s there to say? We have plenty of guest rooms. It’s just an extra pair of chopsticks.” He looked at me with that familiar, lofty indifference. In his eyes, I always asked stupid questions. I was the uncarved block of wood, hopeless and dull. Lily looked between us, then tugged Julian’s sleeve again. “Don’t fight with Maya.” Julian calmly picked up some food. “I’m not fighting. This is just how we are. She’s used to it.” Lily mumbled, “That’s so sad for Maya.” I stared at my reflection in the soup, the corner of my mouth twitching in a self-deprecating smile. Yeah. So sad. 2 I wasn’t brought back to the Sterling family until high school. Before that, I lived with my grandparents in a small rural town. My father, after three marriages and three divorces, realized he was destined to have no sons. That’s when he remembered me, his only daughter. He was the quintessential nouveau riche. Everything in our house screamed “money,” creating a jarring disconnect. Like the furniture, I didn’t fit into his world. He took me to galas where I stood silent, smiling like an idiot. The other kids talked about luxury brands and the latest season’s fashion; I didn’t recognize a single name. My mind was busy wondering if I’d miss the discount coupons on the livestream at 8 PM. They looked at me with disdain, deliberately ignoring me while chatting animatedly. I couldn’t join their conversation, yet I was trapped in their circle, awkward and helpless. “Maya,” someone said, rescuing me. Julian grabbed my wrist and pulled me out of the crowd. “What are you doing standing there like a statue?” I knew very little about Julian back then. Only that his dad was friends with mine. When we first met, my dad introduced him: “Call him ‘Brother.’ If you don’t understand something, ask Julian.” Julian had glanced at me, elegant and aloof. I still remember that look clearly. I looked up at him now, pulling me away from the crowd. “Thank you… Brother,” I whispered. Julian paused. His handsome features softened for a moment. Then he smiled faintly. “It’s nothing.” Julian became my only friend in the Sterling world. He took me to luxury stores, to high tea. His friends were welcoming, inviting me to their gatherings and never letting me feel left out. But as I spent more time with him, I learned about his temper. “Your taste is terrible. Throw these dresses away.” “Didn’t I tell you where this wine is from? You couldn’t even remember that?” “Don’t give cheap gifts next time. You’re embarrassing me.” I treated him like an older brother, so I subconsciously obeyed. A voice in my head constantly reminded me: Julian is always right. I felt insecure and timid in areas I didn’t understand. But with Julian around, I felt safe. So when my dad suggested we get engaged, my first reaction was to look at Julian with joy. But I saw him frown. My heart sank. It took a long time before I heard his indifferent “Okay.” … The next morning, the room next to mine was empty. Even though we were engaged, Julian and I slept in separate rooms. He wasn’t used to physical contact, and he was a bit of a germaphobe. I figured the wedding date was set anyway, so there was no rush. I checked my phone. 7:30 AM. Julian was usually still asleep. I wondered if he had gone out for a run when I heard Lily’s voice downstairs. Urgent and hushed. “It wouldn’t be good if Maya saw…” 3 I hurried to the stairs. In the corner of the living room, two shadows were intertwined. Seeing me, Lily pushed Julian away in a panic, her face flushed red. “Maya…” Julian turned slowly, adjusting his collar when he saw me. His expression was indifferent. “Lily has skin hunger. I’m just helping her cope. Don’t overthink it.” Skin hunger? I’d never heard of it. Julian always used terms I didn’t know. Separation anxiety, Stockholm syndrome, avoidant attachment. He’d say coldly, “If you don’t know, forget it.” As if I were the unreasonable one for not understanding. Those terms became his shield, justifying everything he did. “Maya,” Lily defended him, face still burning, “don’t be mad at Brother. Don’t fight because of me.” Brother. A distant, unfamiliar title. I felt a moment of confusion. I didn’t know when Julian stopped letting me call him that. “We aren’t siblings. Just call me Julian.” Back when I called him Brother, I had special privileges. I could do things his friends wouldn’t dare. I could ask questions his family avoided. He would just sigh helplessly and let me be. Everyone said I was special to him. Ironically, I thought so too. “Brother?” I looked at him with a half-smile. “You’re not siblings. Why call you that?” Julian frowned. “Maya, why are you so aggressive today?” “Lily is like a little sister to us. If she can call you sister, why can’t she call me brother?” I looked at him calmly, searching for a trace of panic. None. His expression returned to that lofty pity. “Maya, when did you become like this?” He accused me lightly. “Did you consider Lily’s feelings when you said that? She’s just a high school girl. You’re practically slandering her.” “Just because it’s a man and a woman, it has to be dirty in your eyes?” Beside him, Lily’s ears turned redder as she lowered her head. Julian twisted the narrative. I became the villain. The living room fell into a dead silence. Seeing I didn’t respond, Julian sighed and comforted me, “I think you’re just stressed from work lately. Try not to think so negatively—” Before he could finish, a knock came from the entryway. I heard the housekeeper open the door. “Who… are you looking for?” A clear, clean male voice asked, “Does Maya Sterling live here?” I froze. I had so few friends. Even my deliveries were under aliases. Who would come looking for me? The voice sounded familiar. I pushed past Julian and walked to the door. A young man stood there, carrying bags, looking green and youthful. My mind went blank for a second. Hesitantly, I called out, “Caleb?” Hearing my voice, Caleb looked up. Seeing me, he broke into a grin, revealing his tiger teeth. “Maya!” Behind me, Julian and Lily walked over. Julian scanned him, then looked at me. He pursed his lips, frowning. “Who is he?” “Me?” Caleb smiled shyly. “Nice to meet you. Sorry to intrude.” “I’m Maya’s childhood friend. And also…” He looked up, meeting Julian’s gaze calmly. He smirked slightly. “Also her childhood groom.” 4 Julian froze. Beside him, Lily gasped, “Wow…” She shut up immediately after a glare from Julian. I stepped forward to explain. “Not a real groom. Just something my dad messed around with when we were kids…” I was sickly as a child. My grandparents heard some folk remedy about warding off bad luck. The best way was to find a boy my age to raise in the house. His “yang” energy would counteract my sickness. Later, my dad brought home a little boy. Caleb followed my dad silently. He was pale and delicate. All I knew was his mom abandoned him, and his dad didn’t want him. My dad’s business had just picked up, so feeding another kid wasn’t a problem. So, Caleb and I spent our days picking fruit and watching cartoons. We became the village tyrant… and her sidekick. Caleb was timid back then, always getting bullied. My dad told me to protect him. So, relying on my dad’s money, I beat up the bullies. All that exercise actually made me stronger. The summer after middle school, my dad came to take me to the city. My grandparents wanted to stay, so I was the only one leaving. My dad looked at Caleb with a complicated expression. “Caleb, your dad… misses you too. Come back with us.” Caleb refused. He said he had no feelings for his father. “I promised Maya I’d stay and keep Grandpa and Grandma company. Besides, the high school in town is good. Don’t worry about me, Uncle Sterling.” I didn’t understand the weird tension between them then. I just felt sad. I got in the car. Dust swirled behind the wheels. Caleb stood outside the courtyard, waving and smiling. His face slowly disappeared into the dust. Back at the Sterling mansion, my dad demanded I fit in with his friends’ kids. They were born with silver spoons. I couldn’t get a word in edgewise. I hid in the bathroom and cried when they looked down on me. My dad said I was unpresentable. At night, hiding under the covers, I complained to Caleb. He comforted me patiently, telling me I didn’t need to please them. I mumbled, “If I don’t please them, I won’t have any friends.” Caleb immediately pledged loyalty. “How could that be? Am I not your friend?” I wanted to say, You don’t count. I need friends who can help me fit into this circle. Gradually, we had less to talk about. Until later, I told him, “I went to a gala with my dad today and met a really great guy! He’s like a big brother.” That day, I praised Julian endlessly. His knowledge, his class, his EQ, his taste. Caleb didn’t reply instantly like usual. A long time later, he wrote: “Congratulations, Maya. You found a good friend.” But I was too busy maintaining my new friendships. Chatting with Caleb went from weekly to monthly. Eventually, just holiday greetings. I heard from my grandparents that Caleb’s dad took him back. Apparently, it was in a faraway city. I thought I’d never see him again. And yet… here he was, at my door.

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