Author: Momo Chan

Every time my wife had an intimate conversation with her assistant, I would write a number in her diary. When she asked me what it meant, I joked playfully: “Every time you hurt me, I keep a record. When it reaches 100, I’ll leave you.” By the time I wrote 99, she didn’t take it seriously. When I wrote 100, I heard rhythmic moans coming from the CEO’s office. “Marcus, give me a child. Be my man, okay?” My hand, ready to knock on the door, fell limp at her words. Back home, I took down all our wedding photos, my anger and resentment having nowhere to go. I picked up a pen and wrote eight words furiously in the diary: “Lily, it’s over between us!” Suddenly, a sentence appeared below: “Who are you? Why are you writing in my diary?” “And what does this 100 mean?” Overcome with emotion, I forgot to be afraid and replied: I’m Adrian, because you don’t love him. “This 100 represents my 100 disappointments in you. I’m leaving you.” Words started popping up in the diary one by one. “You’re Adrian? You want to leave me?” “Impossible, how could you be Adrian? He’s standing right next to me!” “Who are you really? How can you appear in my diary?” Three questions appeared out of thin air. I was so startled I dropped the diary. It took two minutes for me to calm down. Looking at the words, I picked up the pen and replied: “I really am Adrian, 30-year-old Adrian.” “And I know you’re 17-year-old Lily. The future you will betray me. So, 17-year-old you shouldn’t get close to me either.” The diary suddenly went quiet. This was a magical notebook that I found in the attic while packing my bags. It happened a few days after my 30-year-old wife, drunk for the thousandth time, called out Marcus’s name and said she regretted marrying me. She said if she had married Marcus instead, she could have been a mother by now. When I opened it, I saw it was full of 17-year-old Lily’s love and devotion to me. Growing up, because of my looks, I always had many admirers. But because my parents divorced early, I never had much hope for love. No matter who confessed to me, I always refused: “I’m sorry, I just want to focus on my studies. I’m not interested in dating.” Until I met Lily. Unlike others, she pursued me relentlessly from middle school to college. After facing rejection after rejection from me, she only became more determined. She even participated in a dangerous car race just to win a watch I liked. Seeing her nearly lose her life, I finally opened my heart. When I discovered this notebook could update in real-time, I realized it was connected to 13 years ago. But when I remembered that two months ago, when I went to find her, I heard her and her new assistant passionately making love on the couch in her CEO office. And that person was Marcus, our high school classmate and her former neighbor and childhood friend. At that moment, the beautiful memories of the past were shattered by the cruel reality, becoming nothing but bubbles. Since then, I hadn’t communicated with the girl in the diary. Because I knew that no matter how passionate the love recorded in the diary was, it would eventually be betrayed. Just as I was bitterly printing out the divorce papers I had prepared long ago, signing my name stroke by stroke, ready to fulfill what I had said before – if she betrayed me, I would disappear from her world forever – I heard the jarring sound of paper being torn in the diary. “Impossible, I love him!” The pen tip, carrying the girl’s emotions, carved into the paper stroke by stroke, “I’ve loved Adrian for six whole years, how could I possibly betray him.” “You must be lying to me, you can’t possibly be Adrian! Who are you really?” “Tell me, are you Marcus?” Through the diary, I could almost see 17-year-old Lily’s angry and stubborn expression as she spoke of vows she would inevitably break in the future. Back then, her love was pure and determined. Of course, she couldn’t have imagined that at 30, she would become so cruel and heartless. I picked up the pen to reply, when suddenly the door was pushed open. The wind that came in flipped the pages of the diary. I calmly closed the diary. 30-year-old Lily came in and started rummaging through drawers and cabinets. In the past, every time she came home, she would excitedly jump into my arms, nuzzling me like a little kitten. Sometimes when I pushed her away because I was ticklish, she would cling even tighter, her big eyes sparkling as she whispered sweet nothings that made me blush. But now, her gaze didn’t even linger on me for half a second. After searching for nearly ten minutes without finding what she wanted, Lily finally turned to me in frustration and demanded: “Adrian, have you seen the family heirloom my mom left me?” “I’m pregnant, and I want to give the heirloom to Marcus, to bless our family of three.” Family of three?! My heart suddenly ached. On our wedding day, in front of all the guests, she had personally handed the heirloom to me for safekeeping. Lily’s brother was very dissatisfied, “Sis, Mom’s heirloom was meant for you to give to your baby. Everyone knows your husband is useless now, why give it to him?” 13 years ago, I had an accident that injured my body, leaving me unable to have children for life. No one had ever dared to mention this in front of Lily, but on our wedding day, her brother pointed it out in front of everyone. The atmosphere instantly became extremely awkward. Everyone focused their gaze on me, starting to whisper. I turned away in embarrassment, but Lily held me even tighter, slapping her brother across the face and declaring publicly, “Even if Adrian can’t have children, he’s the only one worthy of keeping the heirloom. He is the only man for me, Lily.” At that moment, I was grateful I had bet on the right person. For five years of marriage, I had carefully preserved it. But now, I laughed bitterly and pulled out the jade pendant engraved with the words “Peace and Safety” from the drawer. Lily snatched it, smiling happily, “Finally found it! After the baby is born, I want Marcus to put this on him personally.” Only then did she deign to look up at me, the coldness in her eyes unconcealed. “My mom said the heirloom needs to be put on by the child’s father to be effective. Now that I’m pregnant with Marcus’s child, this pendant should be in his care.” “Today I still need Marcus to accompany me for a prenatal checkup, so I have to go now. I’ll celebrate our wedding anniversary with you when I get back.” At the door, she suddenly stopped, glancing at me with a look of condescension. “Don’t worry, even if Marcus and I have a child, you’ll still be the nominal father. You’ll always be my husband.” Giving a slap followed by a sweet gesture was her usual trick in recent years. Watching her leave happily, I smiled bitterly. She says I’m her husband, but she’s having a child with another man. Opening the diary again, I saw another line had appeared: “Because I was waiting for your reply, I missed getting the spot in front of him.” I immediately picked up our graduation photo and was shocked to find that 17-year-old Lily’s position had indeed changed. I couldn’t help but hold my breath, my hand trembling uncontrollably. Could the Lily on the other end of the diary change the future? Chapter

Before I could come to my senses, another line quickly appeared in the diary, “If you really are Adrian, then tell me, where am I standing in the graduation photo?” I immediately replied, “You’re standing in front of Marcus.” The diary went quiet again. After waiting for a minute with no reply, I picked up the pen and wrote stroke by stroke with force. “Lily, please leave my life.” “Why? If you really are Adrian, don’t you know I like you?” The last question mark was written with such force that it tore through the paper. “Like? It’s because of your ‘like’ that the day after the graduation photo was taken, I was stabbed by people Marcus sent, leaving me unable to have children for life!!” “And now at 30, you’re pregnant with his child.” With each word I wrote, the memories of the past became clearer. I had tried everything to forget these memories, but countless nights, I was awakened by these painful memories, unable to sleep. It had become my inescapable nightmare. 13 years ago, Marcus begged Lily to stand in front of him, but she refused. Lily firmly stood in front of me, saying not only now, but in the future when we take wedding photos, she would stand with me. The girl’s passionate confession made my ears turn red. But the next day, an enraged Marcus found a dozen thugs to corner me in an alley. When Lily arrived after hearing the news, she saw me covered in blood and cried uncontrollably. She carried me on her back, even though I was half a head taller than her, and stumbled frantically towards the hospital. To save me, she donated half her blood, but although I survived, I suffered severe damage, permanently impairing my ability to have children. Lily held me and cried her eyes out, swearing she would marry no one but me and never let me be hurt again. But I never imagined that now she would cheat on me with Marcus, the mastermind behind my injury, and even get pregnant with his child. “Lily, promise me, if you like me, leave my life.” “As far away as possible! Can you do that?” “I’m begging you!” After waiting for a long time without a reply, I collapsed on the sofa with the diary, unknowingly falling asleep. In my dream, I saw 17-year-old Lily running desperately in a dark alley. Her face was panicked and anxious. A strong wind blew a flower pot off the balcony, jolting me awake to see that night had fallen outside. 30-year-old Lily hadn’t returned all night, not even a phone call or a text message. But Marcus’s social media was updated every ten minutes, a total of 30 posts. The first one was Lily putting the family heirloom around his neck. The second was Lily and him flipping through a dictionary, choosing a name for the baby. The third was him lying on Lily’s belly, happily listening to the baby’s movements. …… Each post had likes and blessings from friends in the comments. “Congratulations to Lily for finally becoming a mother.” “I told you Lily wouldn’t stay faithful to Adrian, but you didn’t believe me.” “How could Adrian ever be good enough for our Lily? Marcus and our Lily are truly a perfect match, made for each other.” Lily had liked every post. Perhaps deep down, she felt the same way. Exiting the social media app, I lay on the sofa feeling dizzy and drowsy. In my dream, 17-year-old Lily finally ran out of the alley. What met her eyes was me being pinned down and beaten by a group of thugs, with 17-year-old Marcus pulling out a knife, about to stab me. “Adrian!” The next second, Lily’s eyes turned red, and she rushed forward like a madwoman. Her thin body trembled uncontrollably, but she still picked up a brick from the roadside with all her might and started smashing the lead thug’s head again and again. The other thugs swarmed her, stabbing her dozens of times. Lily paid no attention, tightly gripping the blood-stained brick, using her last ounce of strength to smash the lead thug’s head open, screaming at the others with a ferocious expression. “Come on if you’re not afraid to die!” Those thugs were intimidated by her do-or-die attitude and fled in panic. Only when their figures had completely disappeared into the alley did Lily collapse powerlessly in front of me, shaking uncontrollably. When our eyes met, she smiled proudly, “Adrian, I told you I’d give my life for you, now do you believe me?” “Lily! I don’t need this!” “Leave me!” I shouted her name in anger, instantly waking up, tears already overflowing. Looking at myself in the mirror, with bulging veins and goosebumps all over my body, I didn’t know if it was from fear or cold. Looking down at the diary in my arms, I felt my mind was in a fog, unable to distinguish if this was a dream or a memory. Pulling up my shirt, I suddenly froze, quickly feeling my lower abdomen with my hand. Chapter

The scar that had been with me for 13 years was gone. Tears burst forth. Opening the diary again, I saw several more lines had appeared, but this time they were crooked, as if I could see the weakness of the person writing. “Adrian, I saved you.” After calming down, I calmly replied with one sentence. “This is what you should have done.” If it weren’t for her ‘like’. If it weren’t for her ‘like’ that she would inevitably betray in the future. How would I have been targeted by Marcus, losing my dignity as a man? Yet at 30, she had a child with the mastermind who hurt me, hurting me again. The words in the diary appeared staggeringly, the strokes not very clear, as if written with great effort. “Adrian, I’m willing to do anything for you, tell me what else you need me to do?” After 17-year-old Lily wrote down the last question mark, I replied, “I’ve already said, leave my life.” “Completely disappear from my sight, don’t use your love now as a weapon to hurt me in the future.” Once, when everyone mocked me for not being a man, it was Lily who firmly held my hand, gently soothing my shattered self-esteem. It was because of her love that I was not afraid of any mockery, ridicule, or vicious curses. So when she let go of my hand and stood among those who mocked me, I was instantly on the verge of collapse, even considering ending my life. It turns out that being hurt by the one you love is a thousand times more painful than physical disability. You could say, the more she loved me before, the more pain she caused me later. This heart of mine, already hurt by her, will no longer beat. The sound of forceful writing suddenly came through, each word sinking into the paper, almost piercing through it. “That’s impossible!” “Adrian, do you know? Every time there’s an extracurricular activity, you always like to stand under the second basketball hoop on the playground to play ball. I deliberately take a 5-minute detour every day just to see you once. Just seeing you makes me feel so happy.” “Once during a basketball game, I heard you were injured. I was so anxious that I skipped class for the first time to buy medicine for you, afraid you’d suffer for even a second more…” “And…” I interrupted, “I know, I know all of this you’re saying.” “There was also once… when I fell in the bathroom, you brought me medicine, blushing.” The diary suddenly paused for ten seconds before replying, “You know all this? How do you know?” “Since you know everything, why do you say I’ll betray you?” There was a sentence she didn’t write, but I’m sure I know she was muttering to herself, how could I betray you when I love you so much. I could imagine the shock and confusion on 17-year-old Lily’s face right now. “I know these things because the future you told me. You told me everything one by one, and said you deeply regretted doing these things.” Lily had said that she should have listened to advice back then and not married a man like me who couldn’t give her “happiness”, resulting in her enduring five years of humiliation. She had also said that she should have just let me starve to death back then, saving me too early led to me not only being ungrateful for her great kindness but even becoming more and more arrogant. She always boasted about her “great achievements”, and then did whatever she wanted in our marriage, until now having a child with someone else. Tears fell on the diary, blurring the words. Afraid of damaging the diary and not being able to change the past, I hurriedly tried to wipe it off, but I used too much force and accidentally tore the paper in half. In my panic, I suddenly found that everything in front of me had changed into a hospital ward. In front of me was a 17-year-old girl with thick bandages wrapped around her abdomen. Her face was pale, her brows furrowed in pain from the wound. 17-year-old Lily covered the blood-stained bandage with one hand, struggling to write a reply with the other, muttering under her breath. “Adrian, don’t worry, I’ll take good care of you until I become your wife…” She looked serious and determined, as if doing something of utmost importance. Just as she wrote this, 17-year-old Lily seemed to sense something. Her hand suddenly stopped, and when she looked up, our eyes met. “Adrian?” At that moment, those clear eyes like spring water, which had long disappeared from my memory, appeared in front of me again. Her slightly dry lips parted, but before she could speak, a sudden burst of phone ringing came through. Looking around, I saw the house was in a mess. All done by 30-year-old Lily. The phone rang sharply. It was a call from 30-year-old Lily, her tone commanding, “Come to the coffee shop downstairs from the company right away, Marcus and I have something to tell you in person.” At the same time, several lines appeared in the diary. “Trust me, okay? I would never do such a thing.” “I like you so much that even if you want to take my life, you can.” A girl’s affection, as pure and beautiful as cherry blossoms. Always feeling that vows would become the most beautiful flowers, as long as they stayed by their loved one’s side, they would never wither. I gripped the pen tightly in my hand, my eyes downcast. Fine. Since you don’t believe me, I’ll let 30-year-old you tell you yourself.

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Three minutes before my personal training session ended, a female trainee unexpectedly clasped my hand and placed it on her waist, murmuring softly to me. “Coach, I prefer it when you help me correct my posture like this.” In the next moment, she tore her collar, fled the training room in tears, and accused me of harassment during a live stream. Within half an hour, I was labeled as the despised Beastly Coach. My fiancée refused to believe I’d do such a thing and vowed to gather evidence to clear my name. However, after I was fired and everyone turned against me, I accidentally overheard her speaking to her best friend. “Adeline, you framed Jasper to ensure Finn could become a manager. Aren’t you afraid he’ll find out and call off the engagement?” “Finn is struggling alone in this city; he needs this opportunity. As for Jasper, I’ll support him for life as compensation.” Upon hearing my fiancée’s words, I promptly canceled our wedding banquet. Narrative shift: It wasn’t until the shareholder fiancée helped her junior rise to manager that she remembered her fiancé, accused of harassing a trainee, had not reached out for a long time. She called her secretary, “I’ve been busy supporting Finn. Jasper hasn’t caused any trouble, right?” The secretary, trembling, replied, “Haven’t you heard? Jasper was beaten up during a live stream by the husband of the woman he allegedly harassed. His father suffered a heart attack and passed away due to the stress, and unable to endure the rumors, he took his own life.” The fiancée’s face turned ashen as she finally grasped the extent of the harm she had inflicted on me. Back then, to secure a better future for her junior, she orchestrated a false accusation against me. Within less than half an hour, I was branded as the despised Beastly Coach. I sought solace from my fiancée but happened to overhear her talking to her best friend. “Adeline, you framed Jasper to ensure Finn could become a manager. Aren’t you afraid he’ll find out and call off the engagement?” “Finn is struggling alone in this city; he needs this opportunity. As for Jasper, I’ll support him for life as compensation.”

“I’m sorry, everyone. I know Jasper can be a bit of a flirt, but I never imagined he’d do something like this! However, he’s still my fiancé, so I apologize on his behalf. Please forgive him this time!” Adeline’s words nailed me to the pillar of shame. I looked at her in disbelief: “Why are you apologizing? I didn’t harass anyone!” She smiled apologetically, then pulled me aside and replied impatiently. “I know you’re innocent, but if you don’t apologize, they’ll beat you up!” “I’m just worried you’ll get hurt!” With that, she pushed me, “Finn encountered a difficult trainee, go check it out.” “I’m not going.” I was stunned by her audacity, doing everything possible to harm me while claiming it was for my good, then expecting me to clean up Finn’s mess! Adeline grabbed my wrist, “Jasper, your father’s heart surgery can’t wait. If you agree, I’ll find a top specialist for him.” “You’re using my dad to threaten me?” Adeline averted her gaze guiltily. I took a deep breath: “Fine, I’ll go.” As soon as I was pushed into the separate training room, the door was locked from the outside. Finn’s voice came through: “Adeline, is Jasper okay? The woman inside has rabies.” Adeline replied disdainfully, “What are you afraid of? She won’t bite to kill.” The next instant, a shadow lunged at me! I sidestepped, and the woman bit my arm, shooting sharp pain through me. I flung her off, but she kept attacking like a rabid dog, blood drooling from her mouth. I pinned her hands and pressed her to the ground. “Boom!” The training room door was kicked open. I turned around in surprise, only to see numerous cameras pointed at me. A reporter screamed, “Look! This pervert even assaults rabies patients!” “Everyone, beat this scum to death!”

“Step aside!” Adeline pushed through the crowd and dragged me away from the rabid woman by my collar. Her eyes were red as she looked at me, “My fiancé may be unreliable, but he’s resigned and made amends. I’m begging for your forgiveness.” As soon as she finished, a burly man rushed out of the crowd and punched me in the face! I staggered back several steps, crashing into a rack, with equipment falling and hitting me. I barely managed to protect my head, but blood oozed from various places on my body. “Bastard! Touch my wife, and you’re dead!” I instinctively wanted to fight back, but Adeline held me down, her nails digging into my flesh. “Don’t make trouble. Harassing someone’s wife means you have to let them vent.” “Don’t forget, your dad’s specialist hasn’t been found yet. If things get out of hand, what if the specialist refuses to save your dad?” Hearing her threat, I collapsed, letting the man’s fists pummel me. Only when I felt close to death did he finally stop. And Finn leaned in, whispering with a smile. “Jasper, you know, because the higher-ups think you’re better than me, they wouldn’t let me take over as manager. So Adeline set this up for your ‘graceful’ resignation.” Even though I already knew, hearing it from Finn still made my heart ache. I said nothing, and Finn pretended to help me up. “Jasper, Adeline is so good to you, how could you cheat on her?” Adeline looked at me affectionately, “I believe he just lost his way for a moment. Let’s do this, I’ll call some friends to talk some sense into him.” I wanted to refuse, but Adeline quickly called some of Finn’s usual colleagues to drag me into a restaurant. The owner saw me, full of disdain. “Get out! We don’t welcome harassers here!” Adeline smiled at the owner, but her gaze towards me was chillingly cold. “Owner, he doesn’t need to sit at the table, just let him squat and eat with the dog.” My expression changed, and when I looked down, I saw a giant Tibetan Mastiff lying on the ground. Two years ago, I was almost bitten by a Tibetan Mastiff while saving Adeline, leaving an indelible scar and fear. But now, she wanted me to stay with a Tibetan Mastiff, knowing my fear? “Adeline, don’t do this to me, please.” I looked at her pleadingly, but she turned away. “Jasper, eating with the dog was the netizens’ suggestion. Once they see you’ve atoned, they’ll stop condemning you. As long as you behave, I’ll marry you and take good care of your dad.” She waved her hand, and Finn’s colleagues bound me next to the Tibetan Mastiff. The Tibetan Mastiff watched me intently, its foul-smelling drool seemingly dripping onto me. Beside me, Finn started a live stream, the streaming room’s name glaringly conspicuous. [Harasser atones by allowing a Tibetan Mastiff to bite!] He pointed the camera at me, signaling the owner to release the extra chains. The Tibetan Mastiff, free of restraints, charged straight at me.

My screams mingled with the Tibetan Mastiff’s growls. My wrists were chafed and bleeding from the ropes, but the area I could escape to was smaller than the Mastiff’s chain length. “Please, pull him away!” My pleas for mercy were drowned in Finn and the others’ laughter. Finn held up his phone, loudly reading the streaming room’s comments. “Hahaha, look at him, even worse than a dog!” “Harassers should be bitten to death!” I stumbled and fell. The next second, the Mastiff was on top of me, its hot breath on my thigh, just like when I saved Adeline two years ago. I completely broke down, blacking out. When I woke up, Finn had put away his phone, and the owner had chained the Mastiff again. Amid Finn and the others’ jeers, I staggered to my feet. As I passed Finn, Adeline shoved me. My forehead hit the table corner hard, blood streaming down my face. Finn looked at Adeline with fake gratitude, “Adeline, Jasper won’t hurt me, you don’t need to be so cautious.” Adeline frowned, “You’re the most important, nothing can go wrong.” Even though I’d decided to give up on Adeline, my heart still ached uncontrollably. I stood up to leave, but Adeline forcefully pushed me back onto the table. “Finn wants to have a meal with you. Stay and eat before you go.” Finn, under the guise of apologizing, kept stuffing food into my mouth. The dishes were spicy, greasy, and tasted strange. Almost ten minutes passed, and the bleeding from my forehead hadn’t stopped, my whole body was in pain. After the meal, as Adeline was about to take me away, Finn suddenly fell to the ground. He raised his scraped, slightly bleeding hand, looking pained. “Jasper, I’m sorry. I’ll never compete for Adeline’s attention again. Can you stop tripping me?” Adeline, distressed, helped Finn up and slapped me hard, “Get out of here yourself. I’ll take Finn to the hospital and deal with you later!” She left with Finn, ignoring my bleeding state. I endured the weakness from blood loss and stood up, but the restaurant owner grabbed me. “You can’t leave, harasser! You haven’t compensated for my losses.” I looked at my haggard, weak reflection in the lens, and before I could say anything, my phone suddenly rang. The restaurant owner eyed me suspiciously, then let go, “Take the call first.” I whispered my thanks and answered the phone, hearing an anxious voice on the other end. “Mr. Jasper, your father just had a heart attack and passed away after seeing the live stream about you online. Please, accept our condolences.” She left with Finn, ignoring me even as I was bleeding heavily. Despite feeling weak from the blood loss, I managed to stand up. The Restaurant Owner grabbed my arm. “You can’t leave, Harasser! You haven’t compensated me for my losses.” I caught a glimpse of my weary reflection in the camera. Before I could respond, my phone rang. The Restaurant Owner gave me a suspicious look and released his grip, “Answer your call first.” I thanked him softly and picked up the phone. A frantic voice came through on the other end. “Mr. Walker, your father just saw the Internet live stream about you and suffered a heart attack. He passed away. I’m so sorry for your loss.” My mind went blank from the shock; it was so overwhelming that I couldn’t even cry. “Finish your call and compensate me quickly!” I snapped back to reality. Forcing a smile, I looked at the Restaurant Owner. “The money is at my house. Come with me, and we can live stream the whole thing. I promise I won’t do anything to you.” The Restaurant Owner agreed and took out a first-aid kit to bandage my wounds. I gazed at him, feeling a complex mix of emotions. Once we reached my home, I went straight to my study and wrote a will. I had caused the death of my father, the person most important to me, yet I couldn’t even avenge him. I handed all the cash to the Restaurant Owner. “This is the compensation. My will is in the study.” The live stream continued, filled with comments cursing me. In front of the live stream camera, I climbed onto the balcony of the room I shared with Adeline. Below was a man-made lake. I smiled at the camera. “You only see what you want to see. I didn’t threaten the customer, yet you destroyed my family.” “Today, I die to prove my innocence.” “And all of you are the true culprits.” After speaking, I saw the Restaurant Owner rushing toward me. I gave a bitter smile and then jumped resolutely. At that moment, Adeline was at the hospital with Finn, who only had minor injuries. She was planning to comfort me while Finn applied medicine. But as soon as she picked up her phone, the message on the screen froze her in place. [The male coach accused of harassing a female student committed suicide today, claiming everyone is the murderer.] I’m sorry, but it looks like you’ve provided a template with instructions and placeholders for text. However, there isn’t any specific Chinese text included for translation. Could you please provide the exact text you’d like translated? 4 The screen kept replaying the final scene of my suicide in the Streaming Room, and she began to tremble. Finn came over and saw me in the act of suicide, his expression full of mixed emotions.

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Managing the restaurant for thirty years, I finally had the chance to hand it over to my son and see my grandson start kindergarten. I eagerly asked my husband, “Do you remember the island road trip we talked about thirty years ago?” My husband frowned and shook his head, “Adeline, you’re a grandmother now, and you’re still thinking about having fun. Aren’t you embarrassed?” My son and daughter-in-law also objected, “Mom, how can we run the business without you in the kitchen? Stop dreaming.” But that night, I unexpectedly saw an RV reservation on my husband’s phone. It was booked for five people: my husband, son, daughter-in-law, grandson, and his childhood friend Nora. They were leaving the day after tomorrow. I felt a chill run through me. Before they left, my son reminded me, “Mom, the restaurant relies on you. We’ll bring you some local treats when we return.” Watching them leave with laughter, I turned around, sold the house, and bought a second-hand RV for myself. From then on, I set off on my own journey, free to go wherever I wanted. 0

After closing the restaurant, the sunset’s afterglow streamed through the glass windows, casting a warm glow on the tables and chairs. I wiped the last table with a cloth, my movements familiar but numb. Thirty years, every day the same. I heard footsteps at the door as my husband, Asher, walked in. He was looking down at his phone, slightly frowning, as if dealing with something important. “Why are you back so early today?” I asked casually, not pausing my work. “Finn said he’s ready to take over the restaurant. We’re having dinner at home to celebrate,” Asher said without emotion. My heart skipped a beat, feeling both anticipation and something else. At dinner, my son Finn was exceptionally excited, raising his glass. “Dad, Mom, the restaurant is in my hands now! You two can just relax!” I looked at Asher and mustered the courage to speak. “Asher, since Finn’s taking over, what about that island road trip we talked about thirty years ago? Is it still on?” The air seemed to freeze for a moment. Asher’s brows immediately furrowed, his face showing clear displeasure. “Adeline, you’re a grandmother now, why are you still acting like a child, always thinking about playing?” His tone carried the usual disdain and reproach, “The restaurant just got handed over to Finn. Shouldn’t you help him keep an eye on the kitchen? Be sensible.” My daughter-in-law chimed in immediately, “Yeah, Mom, we can’t do without you in the kitchen.” Finn put down his chopsticks, slightly impatient, “Mom, stop meddling.” “What’s so great about a road trip? It’s costly and tiring. Enjoy peace at home and help me with the kitchen, that’s better than anything.” Their words easily shattered my hopes. I lowered my head, looking at the cold rice in my bowl. Thirty years of dedication seemed only to earn the judgment to “be sensible” and “don’t cause trouble.” The promise of a distant journey was nothing more than an untimely joke to them. 0

A crisp doorbell broke the stalemate. Asher immediately stood, a warm smile on his face, quickly greeting the guest. “Nora, what brings you here? Come in, come in!” A well-dressed figure appeared at the door, accompanied by a sweet perfume. Nora, Asher’s childhood friend, always delicate and in need of care. She held a beautifully wrapped gift box, her face showing the perfect amount of surprise. “Asher, I heard Finn is taking over the restaurant, so I came to congratulate him.” Her gaze lightly swept over me, her smile sweet, with a hint of superiority in her eyes. “Adeline, you’re so lucky. Finn is so capable, you can enjoy life at home now.” Asher laughed heartily, “Isn’t that right?” Nora giggled, “Adeline’s cooking is the best. Finn must learn from her.” “Unlike me, clumsy and only busy outside, clueless about kitchen work.” With a few words, she lightly positioned me as just a cook. Finn enthusiastically welcomed, “Aunt Nora, have a seat! Try this fish my mom made; it’s her specialty.” My daughter-in-law also offered tea, “Aunt Nora, have some tea. My mom made it herself.” The whole family surrounded Nora, chatting happily. I stood aside, feeling like an out-of-place servant. Nora suddenly turned to Asher, speaking coquettishly. “Asher, remember to take me on the road trip next week!” “I’ve never been in an RV. I’m so excited just thinking about it!” Asher looked at her indulgently, “Don’t worry, your spot is reserved.” He turned to me, his tone turning stiff. “Adeline, we’re going out next week for about a week.” “The house and restaurant are in your hands, especially the kitchen. Make sure nothing goes wrong.” I was stunned, my heart like being gripped by an invisible hand. The island road trip? They were going to fulfill the promise I’d waited thirty years for, but without me. “What about me?” I blurted out, my voice dry. Asher frowned, “What would you do there? Someone has to watch the house, right?” “Besides, you get carsick so easily, you’d just suffer.” Nora chimed in, “Yes, Adeline, staying home and enjoying yourself is much better. Road trips are exhausting.” My son and daughter-in-law echoed, as if not taking me along was perfectly reasonable. I watched their joyful demeanor, my throat felt stuffed with cotton, unable to utter a word. 0

After dinner, I quietly cleaned up the mess. In the living room, I heard my grandson, Milo, whining with childishness. “Grandma Nora, are we really going on a big RV trip next week? That’s awesome!” Nora’s voice was so gentle it could melt, “Yes, Milo, are you happy?” “Happy! It’s more fun than going to the market with Grandma!” Nora looked up at me as I came out of the kitchen, her smile unchanged. “Adeline, look how much Milo is looking forward to this trip.” “Take care of yourself at home while we’re gone.” Asher sat on the couch, browsing travel guides without lifting his head. “Adeline, pack our luggage these days, especially the documents, don’t lose them.” “Finn and the others are young, inexperienced, help them pack too.” His tone was matter-of-fact, as if I was their free servant. Thirty years of marriage couldn’t compare to Nora’s coquettishness. The promise of an island road trip turned into a joke. In the days that followed, I moved like a lifeless shell, preparing their travel items according to Asher’s instructions. Buying various daily necessities, checking documents, arranging restaurant affairs… I was like a tireless spinning top, never stopping. Watching them excitedly discuss the trip details, my heart twisted like a knife. They were immersed in anticipation for the journey, sharing the surprises Nora brought. Meanwhile, I, the mistress of this restaurant, the mistress of this house, felt like an outsider. In the evening, after seeing off the last table of guests, I began cleaning. Asher leaned against the doorframe, looking at his phone, suddenly spoke. “Adeline, could you make some braised beef tonight?” His tone was casual, as if he was asking for something insignificant. Braised beef at this hour meant I wouldn’t have any rest tonight. But he wouldn’t care. “Make sure it’s ready by morning, Milo…” He quickly corrected himself, “Milo loves your cooking, so he’ll eat well on the road.” I took a deep breath, swallowing the lump in my throat, “Got it.” 0

The day of departure, dawn was just breaking. I showed up in the kitchen as usual. I opened the fridge, taking out the carefully marinated braised beef. The meat was firm, the sauce rich, a recipe I had perfected through countless trials. I packed them neatly into containers, along with some snacks they liked for the road. Oil pastries, mung bean cakes, all handmade by me. Asher put on the freshly ironed shirt, tying his tie in the mirror. “Adeline, the trash downstairs is full, could you take it out?” He asked without looking up. I nodded, picking up the heavy, full trash bag and heading out. Just as I reached the stairs, Asher’s call came through. “Oh, and Nora said she’s driving over to pick us up. Parking is tight around here, could you go down to the alley and hold a spot for her?” With the phone to my ear, the chilly early spring wind made me shiver. “Alright,” I replied dryly. I stood in the cold, windy alley for nearly half an hour, my hands and feet numb. Nora’s car finally arrived with headlights on. She rolled down the window, her makeup flawless, smile bright. “Oh, Adeline, you’ve been amazing! Parking here is a nightmare!” I forced a stiff smile, watching her expertly park in the spot I had saved with effort. “Asher, Finn, Phoebe, are you all ready?” Her voice was clear, filled with laughter. “Grandma Nora!” Milo immediately ran over. Nora bent down, hugging Milo, affectionately nuzzling his cheek. “Sweet Milo, Grandma brought you lots of treats.” Asher immediately approached, his face openly gentle. Finn and Phoebe also gathered around, warmly greeting her. “Aunt Nora, do you need anything else?” I managed a stiff smile as I watched her expertly park the car into the spot I struggled with. “Asher, Finn, Phoebe, are you all ready?” Her voice was clear and cheerful. “Nora!” Milo immediately rushed over to her. Nora bent down, picking up Milo and affectionately rubbing his cheek. “Good boy, Milo. Grandma brought you lots of treats.” Asher immediately approached, his face showing open gentleness. Finn and Phoebe also gathered around, exchanging warm greetings. “Aunt Nora, do you think we need anything else?” “No need, everything’s ready. Let’s go!” The family surrounded Nora, chatting and laughing as they headed out. Asher lingered behind, pausing as he passed by me. He looked me up and down, frowning slightly. “Adeline, look at your clothes, they’re covered in oil stains.” “Always so sloppy, no femininity at all.” He sighed, his tone filled with helplessness and comparison. I was freezing and just wanted to go into the kitchen to warm my hands with a hot drink. Maybe my hands were numb with cold, but I accidentally knocked over the kettle on the stove! Boiling water splashed onto my hand, and an excruciating pain hit me, making me scream. My hand rapidly swelled and reddened, burning with pain. Hearing the noise, Asher walked over with a frown, glancing at my hand. “What happened? So clumsy! Can’t handle such a small thing!” His voice was full of disgust and impatience, with not a hint of concern. “Quick, rinse it with cold water! Don’t waste time, we need to leave!” Finn and his wife stood at the door with Milo, looking impatient. Milo pouted, “Grandma is so clumsy, now we’re going to be late.” No one asked if I was in pain. No one offered to take me to the hospital. Their only concern was that I wouldn’t delay their trip with Nora. Asher waved his hand irritably, “Alright, alright, take care of it yourself, we’re leaving!” With that, he led his son and family out without looking back. They rolled their luggage, chatting and laughing as they left. I looked up, watching the five of them. Asher walked closely with Nora, talking quietly, intimately. Finn and Phoebe were arm in arm, all smiles. Milo hopped along, holding Nora’s hand. The sun shone on them, creating a scene of perfect happiness. Except it didn’t include me. I felt like an old, forgotten object in the corner, watching someone else’s joy. The RV engine started, slowly driving out of view. The dining room returned to silence, only the hum of the exhaust fan remained. The air was filled with the aroma of food mixed with lingering tobacco and Nora’s strong perfume. In that moment, my heart was completely dead. I turned, walked into the kitchen, and took off my apron, folding it neatly. I no longer needed his promises for my island trip. I should take a journey of my own. 0

Sunlight streamed through the restaurant’s glass windows, casting dappled shadows on the floor. The lingering smell of cooking oil seemed to fade a bit. This place had once been where I poured my sweat and soul. Now, it felt cold and unfamiliar. My phone screen lit up, showing a call from “Finn.” The ringtone kept ringing, over and over. I picked up the phone, looking at the familiar name, and swiped to silence it. The screen went dark, and the world returned to peace. I opened my laptop, starting to search for second-hand RVs. Different brands, various configurations, with prices all over the place. Some RVs looked cozy and comfortable, others rugged and off-road. Imagining myself driving one on endless highways, a long-lost excitement stirred in me. The phone vibrated again, this time it was “Phoebe.” I glanced at it, ignored it, and continued browsing RV forums. I read about road trip tips, modification experiences, and precautions from fellow travelers. A whole new world was slowly opening up to me. The phone rang persistently again. The caller ID showed “Asher.” After a moment’s hesitation, I answered. His slightly impatient voice came through the receiver. “Adeline, where did you go? Why isn’t anyone answering the restaurant phone?” “Did you count the new batch of seafood in the freezer? Where’s the receipt?” He ordered me around as usual, just like countless times over the past thirty years. “Also, Old Wang said the air conditioner in his reserved room is broken, get someone to fix it.” “Did you hear me? I’m talking to you!” I held the phone, slowly exhaling three words. “I’m not there.” I hung up before he could react. Almost immediately, Finn’s call came through again. I answered once more. “Mom! What’s going on? Dad said you’re not at the restaurant? Where did you go?” His voice was anxious, with a hint of blame. “The exhaust fan in the kitchen seems off, you should check it out!” “And the payment for Zhang’s order needs settling, the receipt’s in your drawer, right?” He fired off questions rapidly, laying out what I should do. I’m sorry, but it looks like the text for translation is missing. Please provide the text you’d like me to translate.

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I induced labor early and gave birth to my child, then stuffed pillows under my clothes to pretend I was still pregnant until the day my sister and I were both sent to the delivery room. It was all because in my previous life, when my sister and I married into the wealthy Gray family together, our mother-in-law promised at the wedding that whoever gave birth to an heir would inherit the entire family fortune. But after carrying a child for ten months, I unexpectedly gave birth to a black baby, while my sister delivered a healthy, chubby white boy. My mother-in-law was furious, calling me a shameless whore for cuckolding her son. “Sister, I can’t keep covering up for you anymore about your secret meetings with that black man,” my sister said with tears in her eyes, acting as if I had been forcing her to keep quiet all this time. I struggled desperately to explain, but no one believed me. Even my father spat at me, saying I was born to be a disgrace. When my enraged mother-in-law locked me in the basement, my sister poured gasoline inside while gloating. “Your son will have to call me mom from now on. Everything that was yours is mine now!” When I opened my eyes again, I had returned to the time before giving birth.

“Lily, you must be carrying a boy!” “You’ll be their greatest contributor by continuing the family line. Dad’s future depends on you!” My father exclaimed excitedly, holding my sister’s prenatal check-up report. Meanwhile, my sister stared greedily at my belly, a barely noticeable smile on her face. Seeing the scene identical to my previous life, I couldn’t help but sneer inwardly. This time, I absolutely won’t let you have your way! I covered my mouth and bent over, dry heaving continuously. My father glanced at me with disgust and said impatiently, “I don’t know how the Gray family’s heir apparent took a liking to you.” “But it doesn’t matter. In the future, he and you won’t even be fit to shine Yvonne’s shoes.” After saying this, he exaggeratedly supported my sister, his face beaming with joy. Watching their retreating figures, I sneered. Sure enough, both father and daughter were despicable creatures. In my previous life, before my grandfather passed away, he struggled to arrange my marriage to Lucas Gray, my childhood sweetheart and the heir to the city’s most powerful family. When my sister heard the news, she threw a tantrum, saying she wanted to marry into a wealthy family too. But she was nothing more than the illegitimate daughter from my father’s affair. She was only able to move into our home because my mother had passed away early and my grandfather had been bedridden for years. My father pestered my grandfather time and time again until finally, to protect me from being bullied, grandfather agreed to let my sister marry into the Gray family as well, though she would wed Zack Gray, the family’s black sheep. The wedding was held in a castle, where our mother-in-law promised that whoever gave birth to an heir would inherit all of the Gray family’s assets. Coincidentally, my sister and I became pregnant on the same day and even gave birth on the same day. But fate played a cruel trick. Under their scheming, I gave birth to a pitch-black child. My father didn’t hesitate to sever ties with me. My mother-in-law also cursed me as a slut. They locked me, weak from just giving birth, in the basement, planning to wait for Lucas to return so he could personally throw me out. That night, my sister came to the basement with a can of gasoline. “Your son will have to call me mom from now on. Everything that was yours is mine now!” It was then that I realized I hadn’t given birth to a black child at all. My baby was healthy and fair-skinned. It was Yvonne who had given birth to the black child. She had always been jealous of me for being smarter and prettier, envious that my grandfather left everything to me, and resentful that I could marry Lucas Gray. She and my gold-digging father had conspired together, bribing all the doctors to give me her child and then accusing me of infidelity. Years later, after Yvonne gave birth to her own child, she orchestrated another “accident,” pushing my son off a luxury yacht, drowning him! She ensured that both my son and I died without intact bodies, while also bearing a lifelong stigma. Now, seeing her, I truly wished I could grind her bones to dust and cut her into a thousand pieces! By the time we reached the hospital entrance, my father was already helping my sister into the luxury car Lucas had bought for me. Looking at the empty driver’s seat, I curled my lips into an innocent smile. “Dad, I think you’re right. It’s of utmost importance for my sister to give the Gray family a child.” I turned to look at my sister’s strange expression. “As it happens, my best friend is returning from abroad today. She’s a professional nutritionist. Why don’t we have her take care of my sister’s prenatal care?” In my previous life, my best friend had always been worried about me, which was why she returned early to be by my side. Unfortunately, I was too stupid back then. I still believed in family bonds and rejected my friend’s good intentions. Hearing this, both my father and sister’s expressions changed. They stiffly refused, “You think marrying into the Gray family means you’ve reached the top? What nutritionist needs your approval? Do you have any sense of respect for your elders? Is this how your grandfather, that supposedly well-respected dean, taught you?” My father became increasingly agitated, his entire face turning red. My sister chimed in, “You’re asking your friend to take care of me? What if something happens to me? Wouldn’t that be convenient for you?” I coldly watched their reactions, understanding most of what was going on. Sure enough, there was still something wrong with my sister’s pregnancy. Seeing that I didn’t respond, my father excitedly got out of the car, grabbed my arm, and raised his hand. “I never thought you’d harbor such intentions!” “I can see now that you and your mother are cut from the same cloth!” Looking at my furious father, I couldn’t help but laugh, both for myself and for my foolish mother. This ungrateful social climber, who would scheme against even his own daughter, was truly eye-opening. But unfortunately for them, they would miscalculate this time. I wasn’t pregnant at all. Even my protruding belly was a fake one I had bought online. In this life, I wouldn’t give birth at the same time as her. How could they swap babies now? My father’s expression became even more unpleasant as I laughed. He gritted his teeth and squeezed out, “Today, I’m going to teach you a lesson!” As he finished speaking, his hand swung down hard. But before it could land on my face, someone kicked him away, sending him stumbling backward with a yelp as he fell to the ground. He was about to lash out when he saw it was Lucas Gray. Immediately, he switched to a fawning demeanor. “Son-in-law, why are you here? Weren’t you busy with the acquisition?” Lucas ignored my father’s attempt at flattery and pulled me into his arms. In my previous life, when I was accused of infidelity, he was the first to stand up and declare his trust in me. He even warned everyone over the phone not to touch a hair on my head. But just as he was rushing back overnight, his car’s brakes failed, and he plunged off a cliff, his body never found. Feeling his warm embrace, I suddenly felt overwhelmed with emotion. Thankfully, in this life, everything could still be salvaged. He whispered in my ear, “I’m sorry I’m late.” I shook my head, fighting back tears. “Who were you going to teach a lesson to?” Lucas’s imposing presence was palpable. As the normally stern heir to the city’s most powerful family, no one dared to come within half a step of him except for me. If he hadn’t been so concerned and careless in my previous life, he wouldn’t have fallen for their tricks. His gaze swept over my sister, who had been so arrogant just moments ago. Now she was terrified, her whole body trembling as she looked fearfully at my father. My father’s face flashed with embarrassment. He quickly approached again, bowing and scraping. “It’s nothing, nothing at all. I was just giving Lily a bit of fatherly advice.” Lucas kept his arm around my waist, not even bothering to look up. “You’re Lily’s father, so I I can overlook it.” “But what about Yvonne? Since when does the Gray family allow you to speak to your sister-in-law like that?” She was so frightened her legs gave out, and she burst into tears. Seeing her trembling in fear, I felt a rush of satisfaction. She was finally getting a taste of her own medicine! Lucas’s cold gaze swept across Yvonne’s face as he contemptuously spat out: “Apologize to Lily.” “Yvonne was just thinking of the baby and spoke without thinking. There’s no need for apologies between sisters!” My father swallowed hard and tentatively asked, “Good son-in-law, for my sake, please don’t be hard on Yvonne.” But Lucas had always been a man of his word. How could he allow anyone to bully me without seeking revenge? He pulled me back half a step and gave his bodyguard a cold look. The bodyguard immediately rushed forward, restrained my father to one side, and then slapped Yvonne more than a dozen times across the face. Her mouth bled and her cheeks swelled up. Yvonne’s tears flowed freely, but she didn’t dare resist or even cry out in pain. Lucas smirked at my father, who was now terrified. “You’re Lily’s father, so I’ve still shown you some respect.” “As for you?” He turned his gaze to Yvonne, whose face was now swollen like a pig’s head. “Don’t let me catch you bullying Lily again, or I won’t be so lenient.” Yvonne nodded without the slightest hesitation. Seeing the hatred in her eyes, I couldn’t help but smile slightly. She would never have imagined that I had returned to the past two months ago. And the first thing I did when I opened my eyes was to tell Lucas everything. Chapter 3 Lucas was furious, punching the hood of his luxury car so hard it dented. He even wanted to call a board meeting the next day to kick Zack and our mother-in-law out of the Gray family. Although the Gray family was nominally headed by our mother-in-law, she was only Lucas’s stepmother and couldn’t make any decisions for Gray Corp. The “black baby” incident orchestrated by my father and sister was indeed a good strategy. It could both throw Lucas off balance and allow Zack to take over smoothly. But how innocent were my son and I! He was so young that when he fell into the sea, he was pushed down by the waves without even a chance to struggle. How pitiful that all three of us died unjustly! After Lucas calmed down, he decided to play along with their plan. It would be a shame not to take advantage of such a perfect scheme. So he took me abroad in secret, arranged for a professional medical team, and induced my baby early. When I was lying on the bed writhing in pain after the induction, Lucas was so distressed he almost cried. “Lily, I’ve let you down.” Soon, I gave birth to a healthy baby boy. Lucas spent a fortune to put him in an incubator. When we returned to the country, I kissed him over and over again, reluctant to part. This was the child I had given birth to, not some illegitimate child. Originally, my sister and I were due on the same day, but now that I had already given birth to a healthy child, there was no chance for them to swap babies. How would my sister face the Gray family’s expectations now? When the time came, it wouldn’t be me who would be driven out of the Gray family! Thinking of this, I couldn’t help but smile. Perhaps because of the slaps from the bodyguard, my sister suddenly clutched her belly and started wailing. Her water broke, trickling down intermittently. My father hurried to support her, shouting heartrendingly, “Doctor! We need a doctor! My daughter is in labor!” Watching my sister being carried away on a stretcher, I exchanged a glance with Lucas and immediately clutched my own belly. “Oh no, I’m in labor too!” Lucas pretended to panic and carried me in his arms, rushing me to the delivery room as well. Two hours later, my father came to my hospital room carrying a swaddled infant. He rudely ordered me, “You have everything. You should give up the position of the Gray family heir to your sister.” “You owe her this!” I couldn’t help but want to laugh. Back then, it was he who had an affair and fathered an illegitimate daughter, not daring to bring her home, making her suffer. How could this be blamed on me? “What if I refuse?” I asked. My father’s gaze turned vicious as he gritted out a threat, “Then don’t blame me!” “Blame you for what?” My best friend pushed open the door, looking at my father’s stunned figure with a half-smile. “Uncle, you really are a good father, staying by your daughter’s side at a time like this.” After saying this, she quickly ushered in the bejeweled socialites behind her. “See, I told you Mrs. Gray was fine. It’s just childbirth after all.” The wealthy ladies crowded into the room, each offering unique congratulations, their faces full of flattery. One of them reached out to take the baby from my father’s arms. “This must be the second Mrs. Gray’s child, so quiet and well-behaved.” My father sneered and held the baby high. “This is Lily’s child!” The socialite kept smiling. “Miss Chen’s child must be extraordinary.” “After all, Mr. Gray…” As her eyes swept over the child, she suddenly screamed. “What is this!” “Why is it black!” “Miss Chen! Whose child is this?!”

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My husband’s first love got engaged. In an attempt to make her regret her decision, he left me right after our wedding to join a research team in Antarctica. Despite visiting him 66 times, my efforts were in vain. Five years later, I stopped going. At a birthday party, amidst laughter and conversation, he suddenly appeared. Upon seeing my slightly rounded belly, he was visibly upset, “I’ve been at the research institute for five years, and you ignored me all along. Whose child is in your belly?” I replied calmly, “It’s none of your business. According to the law, a couple can divorce after being separated for more than two years.” Upon hearing this, Jackson kicked over the birthday cake in anger, “Avery, I’ve only been away for five years, and you’ve already gotten yourself pregnant.” “Who does the child belong to?” “I’m going to make sure he can’t survive in New York City.” Watching Jackson ruin the carefully prepared birthday party, I got angry too, “Jackson, this isn’t the place for you to act out.” “If you’re not well, go to the hospital.” The mention of “hospital” made Jackson’s emotions flare up. He grabbed my arm and started dragging me outside, “We’re going to the hospital right now.” Jackson was so strong, I couldn’t even struggle. At that moment, Grandma Nora heard the commotion and hurried over with her cane. Seeing Jackson’s rough actions, she was instantly alarmed. “Jackson, let go of Avery!” “Avery is pregnant with…” Jackson’s mood softened a bit when he saw Grandma, but his anger surged again at her words. He interrupted Grandma Nora, “Avery, you’re quite clever, even fooling Grandma.” Then he raised his hand and slapped me hard. Blood trickled from my mouth as my cheek swelled. Grandma Nora was shocked by the scene. She tried to rescue me from Jackson’s grip. But the bodyguard by Jackson’s side kept her away. Jackson instructed the bodyguard to call the private hospital for a procedure. As he arranged things, he dragged me into the car. Grandma Nora reluctantly got into another car with the bodyguard. None of the surrounding friends offered help. Instead, they watched the scene unfold. Jackson’s family was wealthy and influential. They didn’t want to offend him and were happy to give him respect. The car quickly reached the private hospital. The director personally came out to greet Jackson. Ignoring the director’s flattery, Jackson dragged me to the OB-GYN department. “Jackson, let go of me. The child in my belly is…” Before I could finish, we ran into Phoebe, who had just come out of the doctor’s office. She was Jackson’s former sister-in-law and his long-cherished first love. Seeing Jackson, she happily ran over and hugged him. “Jackson, I’m finally pregnant,” she said, looking at Jackson with deep affection. Jackson let go of my hand and carefully hugged Phoebe. “Phoebe, you’re pregnant now. Be careful.” Phoebe playfully smiled and, noticing me, exclaimed in surprise, “Sister-in-law, you’re pregnant too?” Seeing their intimate actions, I instantly understood. Why Jackson left for five years and why Phoebe disappeared too. They had been together all along. Ignoring Phoebe’s provocative gaze, I simply replied, “Jackson, we’re no longer married, and you’re with Phoebe now.” “Let me go immediately, or you won’t be able to handle the consequences.” Grandma Nora was shocked to see Jackson and Phoebe together. But it was more important to stop Jackson from doing something rash. “Jackson, let Avery go home and rest.” Hearing this, Jackson immediately released Phoebe and sternly questioned, “Grandma, Avery cheated on me and is pregnant with someone else’s child. Do you want me to turn a blind eye?” Grandma Nora realized Jackson wasn’t going to let it go easily. She hurriedly said, “Jackson, the child in Avery’s belly isn’t someone else’s. It’s…”

Before Grandma Nora could finish, Phoebe interrupted, “Jackson, Grandma doesn’t look well. Is Avery not taking good care of her?” “Or is Grandma being threatened by Avery?” Hearing this, I found it laughable, “Jackson, you were raised by Grandma, and you disappeared for five years.” “You know better than anyone why Grandma’s not well.” Phoebe smirked and approached me, “You intruded on the relationship between Jackson and me. Don’t you know why Jackson left?” As she spoke, Phoebe pushed me hard. My belly hit a hospital bed in the corridor, and sharp pain shot through me. A warm sensation flowed down my thigh. Grandma Nora looked on in panic, “Doctor, come quickly. Avery’s child can’t be harmed.” The doctor and nurses were about to check when Jackson shouted, “No one is allowed to check. Today, I’m making sure she doesn’t keep the child.” At the director’s signal, the doctor and nurses didn’t dare move. Phoebe mocked, “Sister-in-law, carrying someone else’s child, betraying Jackson.” “How do you have the nerve to seek help from the family hospital’s doctors?” Grandma Nora anxiously searched her bag for her smartphone to call for help. Jackson ordered the bodyguard to take Grandma’s phone away. “Grandma, what kind of manipulation did Avery use on you?” “You’re still trying to help her.” “Grandma, I’m telling you, this child must not remain.” Grandma Nora was shocked, “Jackson, I’m your grandmother. Won’t you even listen to me?” Saying this, Grandma Nora supported me to leave and find another hospital. But the bodyguard restrained her. “Jackson, stop this madness.” I struggled to stand, clutching my belly, breaking out in cold sweat, “The child in my belly isn’t yours to touch. Let me go now, or you can’t handle the consequences.” Jackson stared at me, silent for a moment. Then Phoebe started live streaming with her smartphone. She whispered something in Jackson’s ear. Jackson took the smartphone from Phoebe and aimed it at me, “Avery, if you don’t want a dignified procedure in the hospital, I’ll do it another way.” “Remember the consequences of betraying me.” Jackson ordered the bodyguard to tie me to the hospital bed. I stared in horror at the bodyguard holding a stick. I struggled desperately, trying to break free. I was ready to reveal the true identity of the child’s father. “Jackson, you’re insane. The child I’m carrying is…” Before I could finish, the bodyguard, at Jackson’s signal, struck my belly with a stick. The intense pain turned my words into cries of agony. Blood seeped from the places my wrists and ankles were bound due to my struggles. “This is the price for betraying me and getting pregnant with someone else’s child.” The live stream audience, after hearing the story, joined in. “This woman is obviously trouble.” “Cheaters deserve to die. Don’t let her off easily.” “Teach her a lesson. Let all women see the consequences of infidelity.” Jackson showed me the live stream comments. “Avery, you not only betrayed me, but you also manipulated Grandma into deceiving me.” “Today, I’m going to make sure the child in your belly is dealt with.” Grandma Nora, who was locked in an office when the bodyguard tied me up, was now trying to intervene.

As the second blow was about to land, someone suddenly burst in. He stopped the bodyguard. “Young Master Jackson, Miss Avery isn’t someone you can touch now.” “Stop and apologize to Miss Avery. It might make your life easier later.” Phoebe looked uneasy at the sight of the bodyguard, but she said nothing. Jackson, however, stared at the intruder for a long time before speaking, “I see you’re familiar. You’re my brother’s bodyguard.” With that, Jackson suddenly grabbed the stick from the bodyguard and smashed it over his head. “How dare you meddle with my affairs.” Blood gushed from the bodyguard’s head as he collapsed on the ground. Watching the bodyguard who had been my only hope now lying there, possibly dead, plunged me into despair. “Jackson, please, I’m sorry. Spare the child in my belly.” I was desperate, crying as I spoke. Jackson glanced at the smartphone, then at me, and instructed the bodyguard to release me from the bed. “Now kneel in front of me and tell me what you did wrong.” “If the live stream audience forgives you, then I will too.” Clutching my aching belly, I painfully crawled to Jackson and knelt before him. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have betrayed you or gotten pregnant. I’m at fault.” “But the child is innocent. Please, spare him.” Jackson looked at my pitiful state and said nothing. Instead, he connected with a netizen’s microphone. A furious voice came from the other end of the smartphone. “You deserve to be punished. Show no mercy.” “Are you kneeling here to confess your mistakes?” “If the viewers in the live streaming room forgive you, then so will I.” Clutching my agonizing stomach, I painfully crawled to Jackson’s feet and knelt. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have been unfaithful, and I shouldn’t have gotten pregnant. I’ve made terrible mistakes.” “But the child is innocent. Please, I’m begging you, spare him.” Jackson surveyed my disheveled state in silence. Instead, he randomly connected a viewer’s mic. An outraged voice burst through the smartphone. “You deserve to be punished, you wretched woman. Someone should teach you a lesson.” Phoebe approached Jackson and spoke with deliberate calm, “Jackson, see, your sister-in-law is still unwilling to give up the child and won’t disclose the father’s identity.” “It seems she hasn’t truly realized her mistakes.” Their conversation made my face go pale. But for the sake of my child, I had to fight. I endured the pain and abruptly stood up, racing toward the exit. If I could just make it out of the hospital and call for help, the child might still have a chance. Just as I was about to escape through the hospital doors, Jackson grabbed my hair from behind. He yanked me back with such force, I felt my scalp tearing apart. “You’re still thinking of running away, are you?” “Without a lesson, you won’t learn.” He handed me over to the bodyguards, who restrained me on the operating room bed. “Doctor, perform the procedure and remove the child.” The medical team prepared to administer an anesthetic, but Jackson stopped them. “She’s disgraced herself, and the child is illegitimate. No need for anesthetic.” Under the harsh lights of the operating room, I whispered weakly, “Jackson, you’ll regret this.” I’m sorry, but it looks like the text you’re asking to translate is missing. Could you please provide the specific Chinese text that needs translation? Jackson listened indifferently and remarked,

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Husband was diagnosed with kidney failure at the hospital, and my kidney was a perfect match. A thought occurred to me, and in front of the entire family of in-laws, I lied, saying that I was the one who needed a kidney transplant. Their faces changed dramatically, and they almost immediately jumped up. “A kidney transplant? How much would that cost? Our family doesn’t have money to treat your illness!” “Let your husband donate a kidney to you? No way! He’s the only son of our family, his health must not be compromised!” “If you’re sick, just accept it. Don’t drag our whole family down! Hurry up and get a divorce, don’t hold back my son!” I was utterly heartbroken, leaving behind the medical report with his name on it, which they hadn’t even bothered to open. I signed the divorce papers and left with nothing. My fingertips brushed the paper, with a subtle, almost imperceptible tremble. My gaze was fixed on the creatinine level column. It was frighteningly high. As a seasoned surgeon, I instinctively understood what this number meant. End-stage renal disease! Impossible! Absolutely impossible! I rushed to the computer, my fingers turning white from pressure, and quickly retrieved more detailed examination records of Ethan from the hospital’s internal system. Each metric was like a judge’s verdict, coldly pointing to the same diagnosis—chronic kidney failure, end-stage renal disease. Driven by some inexplicable force, I opened the HLA matching records from our annual checkups. The result that popped up on the screen was like a lightning bolt striking me. A perfect match! All it would take is for me to nod, donate a healthy kidney, and he could live. The man who always chose silence and avoidance when I needed him most. A wild and bold idea, like vines breaking through darkness, quickly wrapped around my heart. I picked up the phone and dialed my mother-in-law’s number. “Mom, are you, Dad, and Lydia free this evening?” My voice was calm, without a trace of emotion. “Come to our house.” “I have something very important to announce.”

At 7 p.m., the doorbell rang on time. I adjusted my expression, making myself look haggard and weak. Father-in-law, mother-in-law, and sister-in-law Lydia stood at the door. Their faces carried the usual critical and scrutinizing look. Ethan followed behind them, seemingly a bit clueless. “Adeline, what’s going on, being all secretive?” my mother-in-law spoke first, with a hint of impatience in her tone. I didn’t answer immediately. I just silently let them into the living room. “Dad, Mom, Lydia, Ethan… ” My voice carried a deliberately suppressed tremble. “I… am sick.” The usual impatience on my mother-in-law’s face froze like a cheap mask. Father-in-law frowned, eyes scrutinizing. Sister-in-law Lydia smirked, as if saying, “What’s she up to now?” Only Ethan. He stared at me nervously, his voice trembling: “Adeline, what’s wrong? Is it serious?” I deliberately avoided his eager gaze. “The doctor said… it’s chronic kidney failure, end-stage renal disease.” Mother-in-law’s eyes widened, her voice instantly rising: “What?! Kidney failure?!” “How could that be?” her voice was sharp with intense skepticism, as if interrogating a criminal, “You seemed perfectly fine. How could you suddenly have such a serious illness?” She paused, her gaze sharper as she looked at me: “Did you know about this long ago? Have you been hiding it from our family?” I lowered my eyelids just in time, hiding the mockery in my eyes, my voice low, with just the right amount of fatigue and vulnerability. “It was discovered during a recent checkup.” “The doctor said the only treatment is a kidney transplant.” “Kidney transplant?!” Her voice rose several more pitches, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. “How much would that cost?!” “What about a donor? Who’s going to donate to you?!” Here it comes. My gaze, slowly, like a slow-motion camera, landed on Ethan’s bloodless face. “Ethan and I… went for a matching test.” “The result…” I paused. “Ethan is the only perfect match.” Ethan’s face turned as white as a sheet of paper, and he instinctively stepped back. Mother-in-law’s eyes flickered intensely. “A match… matched?” she muttered, her voice changing pitch. “No way! Absolutely not!” Like a lit firecracker, she suddenly became agitated, sprang up from the sofa, and pointed at me. “Ethan is the only son of the family! The only heir!” “He has to work! He has to support the family! He has to continue our family line!” “How can he donate a kidney?! Huh?!” “Mom!” Ethan finally found his voice, looking at me with a trace of plea and guilt in his eyes, “Adeline, she…” “Shut up!” Mother-in-law glared at him like a protective hen, cutting him off. “You have no say here! What do you understand?!” She turned to me, instantly switching to a concerned demeanor, her eyes reddening on cue. “Adeline, it’s not that mom’s being heartless, it’s just… don’t you know our family’s situation?” “Ethan’s dad is also not in good health, always on medication, basically a medicine jar.” “Everything in and out of the house relies solely on Ethan!” “Where do we have the spare money for you to have a transplant surgery? I heard it costs hundreds of thousands! And it’s not even guaranteed!” She started crying poor, tears came just like that, even raising her hand to pat her thigh, wailing. Lydia chimed in, her tone sharp and cutting like a knife. “Exactly, sister-in-law, it’s not that we don’t want to help you.” “It’s just that there’s absolutely no way.” She paused, her gaze sweeping over me with undisguised disdain. “Besides, your illness… sigh.” “Why wasn’t this found before you got married?” “Did you hide it on purpose?” “Can you still have kids now?” “If my brother donates a kidney, his health fails, then what about the family’s legacy? Who will carry it on?” Father-in-law, who had been silent, now had a face so dark it could drip water. He gave a heavy snort. And said firmly: “If you’re sick, accept it, don’t drag down our whole family!” He paused, each word like an ice spike laced with poison, stabbing into my heart. “Hurry up and get a divorce, don’t hold back my son!” And Ethan? He stood there like a wooden post. Just like numerous times before. When I needed him most. He chose cowardly silence.

Not long after. My phone buzzed. A new SnapChat group chat invitation popped up. The group name was conspicuous: “Johnson Family Internal Communication Group.” Initiated by sister-in-law Lydia. In the group, besides me, were my in-laws, Ethan, Lydia, and several distant relatives of the family. Lydia’s message popped up: “Brother, you must not be foolish! That woman is bad luck, a jinx!” “She can’t even have children, and now she wants to drag you down!” Mother-in-law immediately sent a voice message, the tone sharp and cutting: “Exactly! Our family absolutely cannot spend this money, and she wants you to donate a kidney, what a joke!” “If she really can’t make it, just let her go back to her family! Don’t drag down our family!” A person noted as “Aunt” messaged: “Oh dear, this woman is really unlucky, marrying her in and she gets this illness in a few years, she must be faking it, trying to scam our family’s money?” Another noted “Uncle” chimed in: “Ethan, listen to your mom, quickly cut ties with her, divorce!” “Otherwise, there will be endless trouble in the future!” I looked at those unbearable words without any expression. Saved the chat records as screenshots. The last bit of warmth in my heart. Extinguished completely at that moment. Ethan began avoiding me like the plague. He no longer came home from work with exhaustion but gently embraced me, asking softly if I was tired today. Now, he always came home late. Either reeking of alcohol or simply saying “working overtime at the company,” then throwing himself onto the office sofa overnight. Even when he was rarely home, he stayed locked in the study, that small space. I didn’t hysterically question him. I just watched coldly, with a kind of cruel calmness. That night, I went to the bathroom, the cold floor making my mind especially clear. Passing by the tightly closed study door, I vaguely heard Ethan’s suppressed, altered voice. “Mom, I know… I really know… Please stop pushing me, okay?” His voice carried a fatigue on the verge of collapse. “Adeline, she… her health is already like that, how can I at this time…” “What do you mean I’m foolish?! Should I just watch her… watch her die?!” He seemed to raise his voice a bit, but was quickly drowned in helplessness. “I don’t mean that… but… donating a kidney… Mom, it’s a kidney! I…” Then, from the other end, mother-in-law’s sharp, cutting, highly penetrating voice, even through the thick door, pierced my eardrums like ice spikes, word by word. “Die? What kind of illness does she have? It’s a bottomless pit! It’s an incurable disease! She wasn’t going to live long anyway!” “Even if you donate a kidney to her, can you save her? Don’t be foolish, son!” He seemed to raise his voice a bit, but was soon swallowed by a wave of helplessness. “I don’t mean that… but… kidney donation… Mom, it’s a kidney! I…” Then, from the other end of the phone, my mother-in-law’s sharp and biting voice cut through the thick door, piercing my ears with each word, like a needle. “Die? What kind of illness does she have? It’s a black hole! A terminal illness! She wouldn’t live long anyway!” “Even if you give her a kidney, can you save her? Don’t be foolish, son!” “When the money’s spent and she’s gone, and you collapse too, who will take care of you? Who will look after us in our old age? Who will carry on our Johnson family name?” “Ethan, I’m telling you now! If you dare to think about donating a kidney, I’ll die before you do!” “Now! Immediately! Go ask her for a divorce!” “Tell her you love her, that you’re afraid of dragging her down! That you don’t want to hold her back! Make her go back to Adeline’s family to rest!” “Better a short pain than a long one! Our Johnson family can’t be dragged down by this jinx!” In the study, Ethan’s breathing became heavy. He was locked in a fierce battle with himself, a battle he was destined to lose. For a long time, long enough for the air to feel like it was frozen. “…I understand, Mom.” I turned around without a word, my footsteps as light as a feather, silently returning to the bedroom. Sure enough, what had to happen couldn’t be avoided. That day, Ethan, unusually, didn’t stay out late for socializing and came home early. During dinner, the tension at the dining table was so thick it felt like it could be cut with a knife. He barely touched his food, his gaze unfocused, opening his mouth several times but stopping as if something was holding him back. After dinner, I quietly cleaned the dishes as usual. Then he suddenly called out to me, “Adeline.” I stopped what I was doing, turned around, and looked at him with an extremely calm gaze. “Let’s… get a divorce.” Finally, the Sword of Damocles hanging over our heads fell. I looked at his face, filled with struggle and exhaustion, feeling no stir in my heart. It was as if I was merely listening to the end of a story that had nothing to do with me. “Adeline, don’t misunderstand… It’s not because you’re sick that I’m rejecting you…” “On the contrary, it’s because I… I love you too much, I don’t want to drag you down.” Ethan began his clumsy and hollow performance. “Look at me now… The work pressure is so high, I feel worse every day, I’m really afraid… afraid that if I collapse too, who will take care of you then?” “So… while we can… let’s part ways. You go back to Adeline’s family, the environment is better, you can rest and maybe… maybe find better treatment…” His reasons were incoherent, each one as fake as a plastic flower, glaringly false. “Afraid of dragging me down?” I softly repeated, unable to control the faint, icy, and sarcastic smile on my lips, “Ethan, ask your conscience, is this really what you think?” He looked as if he’d been caught off guard, his head snapping up, eyes filled with panic and embarrassment: “Of course! Adeline, you have to believe me! I mean it! I’m really doing this for you!” “Fine.” “I agree to the divorce.” My calm and straightforward response was clearly beyond his expectation. It appears that no text was provided for translation. Could you please supply the Chinese text that needs translating?

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My mom is an amateur archaeologist with questionable ethics. She insisted on taking the whole family grave-digging on the summer solstice, claiming it was the day with the strongest positive energy of the year. We didn’t find any antiques, but we did unearth a thousand-year-old vampire. My family pushed me forward as a sacrifice to be the vampire’s groom. They thought the vampire queen would drain me dry and kill me. But not only did I survive, the vampire queen also helped me find many valuable antiques. My brother Ryan saw me with all the antiques and got jealous. He used a homemade bomb to kill me. When I opened my eyes again, we were back on the day my mom dug up the thousand-year-old vampire. This time, Ryan volunteered to be the vampire’s groom. I secretly laughed. Did he really think sleeping in a coffin with a vampire every day and having his energy drained was a good thing? 0 After being killed by my brother’s homemade bomb, I was reborn. I woke up on the day my family pushed me out to be the vampire’s groom. My mom is an amateur archaeologist with questionable ethics. In my previous life, she had found a tomb, but it was surrounded by such strong negative energy that she didn’t dare to dig it up normally. The summer solstice is the day with the strongest positive energy of the year, which can counteract the negative energy. So on the summer solstice, my mom took our whole family to dig up the grave. But what we didn’t expect was that after we finally dug our way in, there was only a coffin inside. My sister Emily saw it and got excited. “Mom, this coffin is made of nanmu wood! There must be valuable burial objects inside!” Nanmu wood was something only the nobility could afford in ancient times. It was clear that the tomb’s owner must have been a wealthy person. My mom nodded in agreement. She wouldn’t let us men touch it, saying our energy might disturb things. So she and Emily worked together to lift the coffin lid. But when they opened the coffin, there were no burial objects. Instead, there was a beautiful female vampire dressed in ancient royal robes. My mom was stunned. Then, before the vampire queen woke up, she whispered harshly, “Jack, come here quickly.” Before I could react, my brother Ryan pushed me in front of my mom. Mom cut my palm with a knife and shoved me into the coffin. “Your Highness, we didn’t mean to disturb your peace. This boy has a pure yang constitution. We offer him to you as an apology.” Then they hurriedly closed the coffin lid. I begged them desperately to let me out. But the thousand-year-old vampire queen on top of me woke up at that moment. She grabbed my wrist tightly, trapping me. I was so scared I stopped breathing. The next moment, a cold breath brushed against my neck. “Are you my groom?” Her voice was unexpectedly cold and pleasant. I lay there trembling, my teeth chattering in fear. “N-no… I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to intrude into your coffin.” “Can you please let me out?” But she just chuckled and stroked my face. “Your blood has already formed a contract with me. From now on, you belong to me.” Then she extended her cold fingertip and slowly traced my Adam’s apple. I felt like a snake was staring at me, ready to strike. When dawn came, she finally released me. Licking her crimson lips, she commented, “Pure yang blood is indeed nourishing.” After that, I became her tool for absorbing positive energy. At night, I had to sleep with her in the coffin, letting her feed on me. During the day, I had to fend for myself to avoid starving to death. Fortunately, when she learned I had no money, she voluntarily took some valuable burial objects from the tomb and gave them to me to sell. It was when my brother caught me exchanging antiques for money that he stopped me. After learning that all the antiques in my possession were provided by the vampire queen, he forced me to ask for more antiques from her for him. When I refused, he followed me to the tomb and killed me with a homemade bomb. What he didn’t know was that even if he hadn’t acted, I wouldn’t have lived much longer. The vampire queen was an evil creature. My energy had been nearly depleted from her constant feeding day and night. It’s not that I hadn’t thought about escaping, but she had placed a curse on me. No matter where I ran, she could always drag me back. Living again, watching my brother eagerly volunteer to take my place… I couldn’t help but laugh coldly. Did he really think being the vampire’s groom was some cushy job? 0

Thinking of everything from my past life, I couldn’t help but clench my fists. At this moment, Mom and Emily were already excitedly pushing open the coffin lid in front of me. I instinctively took a step back. The next second, the joy on Mom and Emily’s faces froze when they saw the vampire queen in the coffin. Then, just like in my past life, Mom turned to me and hissed. “Jack, come here quickly!” I looked at them warily and stepped back again. This time, no one was going to force me to be a vampire’s groom again. Living day and night in a narrow coffin, sleeping with a cold vampire – I never wanted to experience that life again. If they tried to force me, I’d bash my head against the coffin and die. Then none of them would be able to escape. But what I didn’t expect was that this time, Ryan rushed out from behind me. “Mom, let me be the vampire’s groom!” Ryan’s eyes flashed with excitement. Hearing Ryan’s words, Mom’s face changed. “Ryan, don’t be reckless. Come back here.” But Ryan urged Mom, “Mom, hurry up! If she wakes up, it’ll be too late.” Seeing this, Mom hesitated no longer. She immediately cut Ryan’s hand and chanted a string of incantations. Ryan was very cooperative. He didn’t even need Mom to push him; he eagerly climbed into the coffin himself. Before going in, he waved to us and said, “Mom, Dad, you guys should leave quickly. I’ll be fine.” Seeing this, I was certain Ryan had also been reborn. But I didn’t say anything. I just turned and ran quickly towards the exit of the tomb. 0

I was the unexpected second child in the family, so I was never favored by my family members since childhood. When I was born, my grandfather had originally planned to drown me in the pigsty. But my mom, being an amateur archaeologist, was already doing things that could bring bad karma. She was worried that if my grandfather drowned me, it would affect the fortune of her descendants. So she stopped my grandfather. The result was that although I survived, I grew up unloved by my parents. Add to that, I wasn’t as good at sweet-talking and pleasing people as my brother, and I couldn’t produce results no matter how hard I was pushed. So my parents liked me even less. As far back as I can remember, all the household chores like washing clothes, cooking, feeding pigs and chickens were done by me. To them, I was just a workhorse they could sacrifice at any time. Mom used to often tell me that if it weren’t for her soft-heartedness, I would have been drowned by my grandfather on the day I was born. Because of her words, I had always been grateful to her. But it wasn’t until she instinctively sacrificed me first when danger came that I realized she had never cared about me at all. And even if I really owed her anything, in my past life, I had already repaid it. In this life, I just want to live for myself. 0

After escaping from the tomb, my dad cried and slapped me hard. “You little jinx, why didn’t you go when your mom called you?” “Your brother sacrificed himself for you.” “Why couldn’t it have been you who died?” My dad’s eyes were full of hatred as he looked at me. I just stood there expressionlessly, looking at him. “Dad, my brother didn’t sacrifice himself for me. He sacrificed himself for our whole family.” “If you really feel sorry for him, why didn’t you stop him and take his place as the vampire’s groom?” I stared straight at my dad and asked. My dad’s face immediately showed embarrassment and anger. “You little bastard, are you cursing me to die?” “Besides, I’m already married. How could I be some vampire’s groom?” Mom impatiently looked at us at this point. “Alright, stop arguing. While the positive energy is still strong, let’s hurry home.” Mom urged irritably. Seeing Mom angry, Dad didn’t dare say anything more. It wasn’t until we got home that Mom collapsed into a chair, letting out a long sigh of relief. Then she instructed us, “If anyone asks in the future, just say Ryan eloped with his girlfriend, understand?” We all nodded quickly. Dad glared at me again at this point, “What are you standing around for? Go boil some mugwort water for your mom and sister to bathe in and get rid of the bad energy!” I silently turned and walked towards the kitchen. As I boiled the water, I was thinking about how to deal with that vampire. In my past life, I lived with that vampire for three years. Her powers were extremely high, but she was still afraid of light and only dared to go out on rainy days. During the day, she usually cultivated in places with extremely heavy negative energy. At night, she would pull me into the coffin to absorb the positive energy from my body. But before I was killed by my brother’s bomb, she had tried to reach out her hand under the morning sun. So I had a feeling that if that vampire queen was allowed to continue cultivating, she would eventually become an even more terrifying monster. By then, it was uncertain if anyone could deal with her. So I had to quickly spread the news of the vampire queen’s appearance. But what I never expected was that the vampire queen would appear at my house that very night.

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I was kidnapped by my father’s enemy. They demanded a ransom of $10 million. To my shock, my father wasn’t even willing to pay $1000 for me. He told them to just keep me as a wife instead. “If your father doesn’t pay up, you know what will happen to you, right?” the kidnapper threatened to throw me into the sea. My teeth chattered as I replied, “I know.” A year later, my father finally called. The man yelled at him: “Forget the money, just take her back! I’m not your babysitter!” He hung up the phone, chewing on a cigarette as he angrily scrubbed my little stuffed animal. In a rundown apartment, the man wore a black cap pulled low, his muscular arms covered in tattoos. “Remember what to say?” he asked. “Yes,” I nodded. My life hung by a thread. The call connected. “I have your daughter Olivia…” “Dad…” Click. As soon as he heard my name, he hung up. The man called again. “I don’t have money, just take the girl.” The next call, my dad’s phone was turned off. Everyone in the room stared at me. “Boss, what do we do now?” they all looked to him. I later learned his name was Ethan Cole. Ethan looked at me, put out his cigarette, and said in a hoarse voice, “Throw her in the sea.”

In the end, I was thrown into a swimming pool instead. There was no sea anywhere near this remote area. Half an hour later, I climbed out soaking wet and returned to my original spot, sitting quietly as I awaited my fate. They were playing cards. Ethan glanced at me, casually tossing down a card, but otherwise ignoring me. The others started discussing me. “Boss, she’s from the city. Won’t she catch a cold being all wet like that?” “Yeah, city folk go to the hospital over a paper cut.” I sat nervously, barely daring to breathe. “You seem so concerned. Want to take her as your wife?” Ethan snapped. “Boss…” “I thought you came here for money, not to pick up girls.” He shot the group an annoyed look. They all fell silent. He turned back to me. “Why are you just standing there?” “Oh.” I stood up uncertainly, moving to a nearby stool. “Go take a shower. There’s no hospital here if you get sick.” He got up and lit a cigarette as he walked out, grumbling, “So high maintenance. Bathroom’s on the left. Don’t you dare wear my clothes!” I replied meekly, “Okay.” He was so fierce.

I cried as I showered, but not because my father abandoned me. I cried because I somehow managed to learn how to swim in just 30 minutes. My name is Olivia Young. My father is a wealthy businessman who’s been married over a dozen times. There are 20 children in the family, and I’m the dumbest one. He never believed he could have produced such a slow, underdeveloped child. Until one day, he laughed as he looked at my paternity test results. “I knew I couldn’t have such a stupid kid!” But as he kept laughing, his face started turning green. After that, I was cast aside. My allowance disappeared. I lost my private room and was moved to the basement. Every day I got up early to cook, clean, and do laundry for the whole family. I asked my grandmother, “Why doesn’t Dad like me?” She glared at me. “Go ask your mother.” I shook my head. Grandma’s dementia was acting up again. My mom had been dead for 10 years. From then on, I was careful with my words and actions, working hard without complaint, afraid of upsetting my father. I thought that would be my life forever. But then I was kidnapped. My peaceful existence was suddenly shattered.

After showering, I had no clothes to wear. I searched the closet and found a t-shirt. I couldn’t find any suitable pants. Hearing voices outside, I didn’t dare linger too long. I had no choice but to go out. When I walked out, everyone immediately stopped horsing around and stared at me – or rather, at my legs. Ethan stared too, frowning as he abruptly stood up. “What are you looking at? Never seen a woman before?” he yelled at the others. “Boss…we weren’t looking.” “Get out!” The group grumbled as they left the mahjong game and filed out. “You, get back inside.” Ethan glared at me. “I…okay.” I didn’t dare argue, turning to run back to the room. I heard his footsteps behind me and frantically closed the door. BAM! He kicked it open. “Dressed like that?” He looked me up and down again. “Kids these days…” “I’m sorry. I…I don’t have any clothes.” I explained shakily, not daring to move as he blocked the doorway. “If you don’t have pants, don’t go out with bare legs.” He leaned against the doorframe, staring at me. “You know those guys out there are all wolves, right? They’d eat you alive if they could.” “I didn’t know…” “Well I’m telling you now. They’re all single guys who haven’t touched a woman in months or even years.” I’ll admit, that scared me. A tear slipped out before I could wipe it away. “Why are you crying? Now you’re scared?” “…” I bit my lip, holding back tears. “For crying out loud!” He chewed on his cigarette as he rummaged through the closet, finally pulling out a pair of athletic shorts and tossing them at my head. “Put these on! And stop crying, or I really will throw you to the dogs. Got it?” “Got it.” I quickly started putting on the shorts. “In the bathroom!” He stared at me and sighed. “I’m a man, and a bad one at that. Do you even know what you’re doing?” “Okay!” I ran to the bathroom with the shorts.

He really was fierce, even more than my father. I didn’t dare defy him. When I came out in the shorts, the room was empty. I saw him at the door getting takeout as I walked out. He had only ordered one portion. I sat next to him, watching as he opened a container of twice-cooked pork fried rice. My mouth started watering. He glanced up at me. “Want some?” “Mm.” I nodded honestly. “Too bad.” He tossed down his chopsticks. I fell silent. Even if he wouldn’t give me any, I couldn’t just take it. I definitely couldn’t overpower him. “Do you know how much your father owes me?” “Ten million dollars.” “So you do know.” He laughed bitterly. “And you still want to eat my food? What, you want to add another $30 to that debt?” I hadn’t eaten in a day. All I could think about was the twice-cooked pork. “Is that okay?” I looked at him pleadingly. “In your dreams.” He dragged out the words. “Don’t think acting all pitiful will make me soft. That doesn’t work on me.” “Okay.” I swallowed hard and sat quietly beside him, not daring to make a sound. He opened the takeout container and poked around with his chopsticks before cursing, “Tastes like crap.” Then he grabbed his cigarettes and lighter and went out to the balcony. I watched silently as he smoked cigarette after cigarette, tilting his head back. My stomach growled loudly, but he still hadn’t come back inside. I looked at the pork, then at my stomach. When he wasn’t looking, I quickly grabbed a piece of meat with my hand and stuffed it in my mouth. He turned back just as I did it. My heart stopped and I froze, not daring to chew. But he just glanced at me before pulling out his phone to make a call, turning his back as he talked. I finally breathed a sigh of relief. Hunger won out over fear, and I kept sneaking bites of meat. By the time he finished his call and walked back over, I realized I had eaten all the meat, leaving just rice. “Where’s the meat?” He squinted at me. “I don’t know.” “You don’t know?” He stared me down, suddenly raising his hand- I thought he was going to hit me. I wanted to move but was too scared. But his fingers stopped at my lips, brushing away a grain of rice and holding it up. Busted! “Ate the rice too. Now, how are you going to pay back your father’s debt?” He leaned back, regarding me coolly. “Can’t you make him pay?” “He skipped town.” “Then…I’ll pay it back?” “You? How exactly? You really think a scrawny little thing like you is worth $10 million?” “You…” I felt insulted but didn’t dare get angry. “Finish eating and get out. Don’t bother me anymore.” He stood up and stormed out, slamming the door. Of course I wanted to leave. Only an idiot would stay after being told to go! I quickly finished the rice and ran out as fast as I could. But half an hour later, I was back at the apartment, bedraggled and defeated.

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Adrian hasn’t touched me in the three years we’ve been married. I put on a lace nightgown, faked some kiss marks, and sent him a sleeping selfie from his perspective. “Dude, she smells amazing. Why don’t you divorce her and let me have her?” I guessed Adrian would be disgusted and angry when he received this anonymous message, and would throw me away like trash, the sister who was just a replacement. I thought that this time, I’d finally be able to divorce him. Natalie was on vacation in Europe, celebrating her third wedding anniversary. She asked me what gift I wanted, and I asked for an anonymous international phone card. Holding the phone card, standing in the empty hotel room, I let out a tired sigh. Then I put on the sheer lace nightgown I had bought specifically for this plan. In front of the mirror, I created fake kiss marks on my collarbone and neck. The marks were scattered, as if left by a man consumed by desire, forceful and domineering. One strap of the nightgown was “torn” by the “man”. Finally, I carefully smudged my lipstick in front of the mirror. Then I sat on the bed, making the other side look as if someone had slept there. I closed my eyes. The camera was set on a timer from his perspective. Three, two, one. In the photo, the woman seemed to have just fallen asleep after an intimate moment, completely defenseless. I stared at it for a long time. I couldn’t help but think of Adrian’s notorious reputation in the business world. The smiling tiger. The capitalist who devours without spitting out bones. But what I was most familiar with was his perpetually cold and emotionless face. Although handsome, all his affection was only for my sister. I prepared for the worst. Even if Adrian had no feelings for me, a man should find it hard to tolerate a woman’s betrayal. He might seek revenge. But in the end, he would disgustedly and angrily abandon me and divorce me. As long as I could get a divorce, that’s all I wanted. I closed my eyes and pressed send. On the phone screen, that casually worded text message— “Dude, she smells amazing. Why don’t you divorce her and let me have her?” Along with that photo. Sent successfully.

In less than two seconds. I received a reply. Adrian: “Who are you?” I changed clothes slowly. Almost mischievously prolonging the response time. Was he about to explode with anger, desperately wanting to tear the anonymous sender apart? He, who had always been heaven’s favorite, perfect from childhood to adulthood, was now having his emotions controlled by someone else, and by someone like me who he had always held in the palm of his hand. Three years of depression and pain, finally getting a moment of satisfaction today. I changed into my regular clothes, and during this interval, Adrian sent two more messages. “Don’t use such poor AI face-swapping. Tell me your purpose.” “I advise you to come clean yourself, and I might leave you in one piece.” I chuckled. “Mr. Shaw, why don’t you ask your wife if it’s AI face-swapping? You’ll know then.” “The kiss marks on my baby’s neck won’t fade that quickly (＾ｖ＾).” I dared to say this because I knew Adrian was abroad negotiating an important deal. He couldn’t come back for at least half a month. The next moment, my own phone suddenly rang. I was startled. The phone kept ringing furiously, it was Adrian calling. I pursed my lips, staring at the phone until the call ended. But soon, the screen lit up again, Adrian was persistently calling me. I understood that this time, he was really angry. My heart was pounding, feeling like I was walking a tightrope, playing an absolutely dangerous game. I sent: “Mr. Shaw, stop calling. We did it five times, your wife is exhausted and asleep.” The phone finally stopped ringing. My phone fell into dead silence. I sent from the anonymous phone card: “I didn’t mean to break you up, Mr. Shaw. Your wife and I are truly in love. Be magnanimous and divorce her soon, give her to me. Otherwise, if word gets out about you being cheated on, you’ll lose face.” Adrian didn’t reply anymore. I nervously threw the torn lace nightgown into the trash, checked out of the hotel, and returned to the mansion. The housekeepers were cleaning. Everything was perfectly normal, as quiet as if nothing had happened. Wash up, sleep. At dawn, when the sky was turning white, I vaguely heard the roar of an engine and the sharp sound of tires braking outside the window. When I realized and opened my eyes in panic, the bedroom door was knocked at the same time. “Aria, open the door.” That voice was cold, the tone forcibly controlled to be steady, only faintly revealing a hint of anxiety and unease. I was wide awake now, as if cold water had been poured over me, my whole body cold. It was Adrian.

I panicked. How could he be back? To him, I was just an insignificant replacement tool. The knocking sounded again, still three knocks, extremely restrained. He spoke a bit faster: “Aria, I want to see you.” I sat up, trying not to panic, not to give myself away. I took a deep breath and said sleepily but pretending to be calm: “Mr. Shaw, I… need to use the bathroom and take a shower. Please wait a moment.” I quickly ran into the bathroom, turned on the shower, then stared at the kiss marks on my neck. These were marks I had made myself yesterday by pinching with a bottle cap. For the sake of realism, I had been rough, and now they were so obvious that even foundation couldn’t cover them! But I couldn’t not cover them either. Because the first reaction of someone who’s cheating would definitely be to lie and cover up. Adrian was shrewd; I had to play my part thoroughly. I wet my hair to look like I had just showered, then changed into a high-necked black dress that covered everything, including my arms. I carefully covered the half-visible kiss mark at the neckline with a band-aid. I looked in the mirror, practicing an expression of guilt poorly hidden beneath forced calmness. Disgusting enough, right? Adrian would surely be repulsed and immediately propose divorce, telling me to get lost. I opened the door. Adrian was sitting on the sofa, brows furrowed, eyes closed as if resting. His face was a bit pale, with a faint shadow of stubble on his chin. He had forgotten to wear his watch, and the cufflinks that matched his suit were missing. One hand tightly gripped his phone, the other hung on the sofa armrest, with four deep wounds on the knuckles. As if he had hit something hard, more than once. But he didn’t seem to care, not even bothering with a band-aid. “Mr. Shaw, why are you back?” Adrian opened his eyes and looked at me, his pupils dark and deep. He stood up from the sofa, the man who had been so anxious just now suddenly moving very slowly as he walked up to me. I instinctively stepped back, but Adrian grabbed my arm and pulled me back. He lowered his eyes to look at my neck, his pupils contracting. I forced a smile and said, “Did something happen?” He didn’t answer, just used his cold fingers, two fingers together, slowly hovering over the band-aid, as if he would roughly tear it off the next second, along with all my lies, and then angrily, humiliated, tear up our fake marriage contract. My body started to tremble, I closed my eyes waiting to be exposed. But his index and middle fingers just lightly touched the band-aid. Adrian calmly asked, “How did you get this?” I deliberately avoided his gaze, “Just… just accidentally got scratched by a book page yesterday.” “Book page…” Adrian blinked very slowly, “What were you doing last night?” His fingertips explored into my collar, just a little more force and he could see the kiss marks hidden under the fabric. I swallowed, “I went out for a hair treatment last night.” Adrian’s breathing became heavy. He looked at me expressionlessly, for a moment, I had the illusion that he would devour me whole. His fingers tightened on my collar, I stumbled along with that force, almost falling into his arms, I quickly extended my arms to block his chest. His palm encircled my lower back, like an iron hoop, tightening bit by bit, that restrained anger seemed to be venting in this way. I couldn’t match his strength, my resisting arms began to soften. Adrian approached me inch by inch. “Mr. Shaw, don’t,” I said trembling, though I didn’t know what he intended to do, but instinct told me it would be dangerous. My mind went blank, my voice shaking, I begged incoherently. After three or four seconds. He actually slowly withdrew his fingers, clenched them into a fist, his face turning iron-gray, his lips tightly pursed. I realized what I had been saying — “I’m scared, don’t touch me, please.” “I’ll assign you two personal bodyguards. They’ll follow you when you go out from now on to ensure your safety,” Adrian announced flatly. Then he turned and left without hesitation. When I heard the familiar engine sound from outside, I finally came to my senses— He’s not pursuing it? How could this be?!

I was monitored very strictly, with almost no chance to take out that phone to make contact. Adrian, who was supposed to be abroad, somehow finished his business trip in just five days this time and hurried back. After he returned, the surveillance on me loosened a bit, and I finally had the chance to pick up the phone again. I sent a message using that anonymous phone card. “Dude, you can’t take it like a man? Even if she cheated, why not just divorce? Why lock your wife up?” Adrian replied quickly: “She didn’t cheat. I trust her. Aria isn’t the kind of person who would do such things.” I stared at this text message in a daze. What does he mean? Although I indeed didn’t have the courage to actually find a man to cheat with, which is why I resorted to this plan. But how could Adrian understand so well what kind of person I am? He had always been so cold to me. I pushed on, disregarding everything else, adding fuel to the fire: “Mr. Shaw, you don’t know your wife better than I do.” “She has three moles, on her ribs, near her belly button, and… Every time I trace them with my finger, connecting the dots, she trembles uncontrollably from the stimulation.” “But you’re her husband, married for three years, you must have known this long ago, right?” The last sentence was dripping with sarcasm, because in these three years, Adrian had never touched me. “Bang!” Just as I sent it, suddenly a huge crashing sound came from upstairs. The sound came from Adrian’s study. I trembled, nervously hurrying to hide the backup phone. The crashing sound rang out a few more times. Then, I heard Adrian coming downstairs. He tiredly instructed the housekeeper: “Find someone to clean up, the computer needs to be replaced.” Footsteps approached. I was so scared I was shaking, vaguely feeling that I would be the next thing he tore apart. I escaped into the blankets, pretending to be asleep. The lock on my door had mysteriously broken since he returned. Adrian gently turned the handle, seeing the bedroom was dark, he didn’t say anything. In the dead silence, his heavy, uneven breathing and unsettled heartbeat were extremely obvious, so much so that I wondered if Adrian could hear my own racing heart. He came closer and closer. I kept my eyes tightly shut. Adrian didn’t shake me awake, didn’t furiously grab my neck demanding an explanation. He stood by my bed. Even though I didn’t open my eyes, I could still feel a sharp, burning gaze deeply fixed on my lower abdomen, as if hesitating whether to check. Don’t shake, keep breathing steady, keep acting! I didn’t move. Suddenly I felt the mattress sink down beside me. Adrian slowly lay down next to me. That icy yet burning gaze still focused on me. I gritted my teeth, no gain without pain. I gave him more fuel! As if lost in a sweet dream, I murmured and turned towards him, nuzzling my head into his embrace. Adrian paused for a moment, that fierce, burning gaze suddenly softened. “Honey…” I mumbled. Adrian stiffened for an instant. I persistently wrapped my arms around him, using the sweetest voice I could muster, “Honey, hug me.” I thought he would get angry, even wake me up with a slap. Because I had never called him honey before, he knew I was calling someone else. But— He stared at me hard, gripping my arms tightly, trembling with anger, but the next moment, hearing my muffled whimper, he forced himself to loosen his grip. Adrian held the back of my head, letting me hug him tighter. He kissed my hair. Then he stroked my back from top to bottom with his palm, in a clumsy yet gentle soothing gesture. He said softly, “Mm, honey’s hugging you.” I froze. This kind of eerily calm reaction was utterly insane. Adrian was an exceptionally intelligent person. He should have understood I was cheating from the first text message he received. To avoid a scandal, he should have quickly drafted divorce papers and forced me to leave with nothing. But instead, he denied it again and again, frantically, obsessively insisting that I hadn’t slept with someone else. Even now, he was almost self-hypnotizing, snatching away the pet names meant for someone else. What on earth was he doing? Adrian thought I had stopped sleep-talking and fallen into a deeper slumber. He silently lifted the blanket, his finger resting on my ribs, then lightly sliding down along the direction of that mole. A light touch, his fingertip cool. So quick, I didn’t even have time to react before I suddenly curled up, shaking uncontrollably. That text was something I had made up, I didn’t even know myself that being touched on the moles would cause such an electrifying stimulation! I trembled pathetically, unable to keep up the act any longer, immediately wanting to turn away and hide. Adrian stopped his caressing motion and completely enveloped me in his arms, forcing me to face him chest to chest. Forceful, secure, like interlocking hearts, so tight that I could feel his heartbeat from beneath his ribcage against my chest. Chaotic, frenzied, powerful. He whispered softly: “You are mine, I am yours.” He had truly gone mad. He had completely abandoned all rational, cool logic and weighing of pros and cons, becoming a wild beast. Savage, direct, possessive without compromise. As if I had been carried into his lair, and could only belong to him. Adrian had objectified me, objectified himself. We were not humans with fragile shells and sensitive souls, but two lifeless iron locks. With a “click”, locked together. He could stubbornly believe, I am his, he is mine. He had truly gone mad. I opened my eyes in the darkness, looking at Adrian’s sleeping face with complex emotions, between his burning chest and arms. Until my eyelids grew heavy and I fell into a dream. In the dream, three years ago, I cried and begged Adrian to let me go. He looked at me coldly. Until I shouted: “I don’t owe you anything, you have no reason to lock me up!” Only then did he take a step back, silent for a full minute before looking up, “You do owe me. Your sister ran away and ruined the engagement, so you have to pay me back for life. I won’t let you go.” At that time, I collapsed on the ground, touching the face so similar to my sister’s, finally understanding that he would never let me go because he saw me as a replacement for my sister. Three years passed like this, bitter and unbearable. When I opened my eyes, Adrian was already gone. The bed beside me was neat and clean, as if no one had ever been there.

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I’m a relationship tarot reader. At a party, my husband’s female colleague asked me to read her love fortune. My husband suddenly became anxious, “You always talk nonsense! You’ll make her cry!” But his colleague had already drawn the tarot cards on the table. Looking at the cards, I answered honestly: “This man is very handsome and a high-level executive in the company, but he’s already married.” The female colleague glanced at my husband, “Will we have a future together?” My husband’s breath caught for a moment. I deliberately curled my lips: “No, you won’t. If you insist on being together, you’ll end up in a terrible situation.” The once pleasant weekend gathering suddenly became tense. The men tried to use me as a fire extinguisher, desperate for me to say something comforting: “What’s all this talk about terrible situations? How could you scare our team’s lucky charm like that!” “Sis, you’re in the wrong here! Tarot cards aren’t supposed to predict life and death! Quick, say something nice!” I ignored them. I picked up my fork and helped myself to a tender and flavorful pork rib. Today was my third wedding anniversary with Jack. I had been preparing this meal, including these ribs, since 1 PM. I even started the soup three hours in advance. He had promised me a week ago that he would set aside the whole day to celebrate our anniversary. I waited for him to come home with excitement. When he opened the door, He brought his noisy project team members home with him. Our promised anniversary celebration turned into his team’s success party.

Seeing that I had no intention of speaking, His colleagues turned to Jack for help: “Boss! You can’t cover for her this time! You have to take a drink as punishment for your wife!” I glanced at Jack. His usually calm eyes involuntarily drifted towards the corner where the little crybaby sat with rabbit-like eyes. When he looked back at me, his expression returned to its usual rational and indifferent state: “Tarot cards are just a Western method of predicting weather using astrology. It’s not as accurate as our Chinese zodiac predictions. Besides, talking about fate like this breaks the spell and makes it invalid. “Although Alice is my wife, I’ve always been objective and fair. In this case, Alice was indeed wrong, so I’ll take a drink as punishment for her.” Jack, who had gastritis, had been abstaining from alcohol for half a year at my request. But seeing Fiona with her red eyes, he gripped the glass tightly and downed it without hesitation. As he drank, the chill in my heart grew deeper. There was clearly no point in continuing this meal. But Fiona’s tears kept flowing: “I have no right to blame you, sis. I heard you used to be a tarot streamer, so you must be accurate.” She sobbed. Raising her wet eyes to look at Jack, She seemed to make a painful decision: “I’ll definitely listen to you, sis. I’ll cut ties with this man completely.”

After the gathering, The table of leftovers looked just like the anniversary that someone had forgotten today. Jack, who usually helped clean up the table, suddenly changed his habit. He walked over to me. Still with an overly rational tone: “I know today is our anniversary. “If you’re just upset because I broke our promise and decided to pick on the softest target among my colleagues, then any guilt or regret I had is now completely gone.” After saying this, He lit a cigarette and went to the balcony, smoking one after another. Through the glass door, I saw the chat message he sent: “She’s not accurate, you don’t need to listen to her.” I watched him for a long time, until I lost myself in thought. That face of his. I had originally planned to love it for a lifetime.

From the moment I was born, my birth mother didn’t want me. The foster parents who took me in raised me until I was five, but after having their own child, they didn’t want me either. The kidnappers who took me away had their den busted by the police in the second month after abducting me. I finally managed to convince a kind-hearted couple to take me in. But a blind fortune teller told them: “This child’s fate is too strong, you won’t be able to handle her.” They adopted me anyway, but within six months, the couple divorced, and I had nowhere to go again. I wandered half-dead until I was twelve. I set my sights on a homeless tarot reader who was very accurate in fortune-telling and seemed to have an even tougher life than me. To make him adopt me, I deliberately occupied someone else’s begging spot and was almost beaten to death in a deserted street corner. I got my wish and was rescued by him, but he refused me again: “Calling me brother, uncle, or even dad won’t work! I won’t adopt you forever, I’m only six years older than you, I can barely take care of myself!” Despite saying this, I knew he was kind. Even his refusal seemed clumsy: “I’m warning you! I’m destined to be alone! Otherwise, I wouldn’t have ended up as a homeless person! If you insist on following me, I’ll teach you tarot, and once you have a skill, you can leave and be independent.” Zack, who always said he was short-lived and destined to be alone, ended up becoming family with me without any issues. I inherited his skills and started doing tarot readings for people everywhere. Because I was accurate, I helped many girls who were about to fall into traps, and even accurately predicted the direction of their true love. So, I really did fulfill what he said. I started to have the ability to be independent. In the year when live streaming became popular, I gradually built a stable client base online by doing tarot readings. At eighteen, I bought the pork ribs we used to crave but couldn’t afford, and returned to the house we had bought together with our family savings. Even ten years later, I can still clearly remember my pounding heart as I thought about how to confess my feelings to him, facing the sunset that had dyed the horizon red in early summer. But when I opened the door, All I saw was a note he left behind: “Our fate together has come to an end, and there’s no possibility of meeting again in this life. But I will always protect you.” At that moment, I knew I was done for. My life was like that bag of pork ribs that couldn’t be eaten by my loved one. In the days to come, it would only slowly rot and stink with time.

I frantically searched for him for two years. The tarot cards told me he was gone, and I even found out the location of his grave. But I didn’t believe he was dead. I kept looking for him while living a free and easy life in Dali, until one day, while setting up a tarot stall on the old street, I saw a man whose features were 99% similar to Zack’s. My heart was instantly gripped. I stared at him intently, as if traveling through time and space, seeing Zack. “Hello, are you a tarot reader? Can you do a reading for me?” He crouched down, his eyes sincere, as if it was the past me asking Zack: “Hey tarot reader, can you do a reading for me?” Time seemed to intersect at that moment. I couldn’t tell for a moment if the man in front of me was Zack I had imagined, or if my memory was playing tricks on me. How could there be two people in this world who looked exactly the same? I chatted with him for a bit, and he said his name was Jack and wanted me to predict when his lucky person would appear. So I let him draw a few tarot cards. He drew several cards in succession: The Magician, Six of Cups, The Sun, and The Tower. Looking at the cards, I immediately understood. I said honestly: “You will have a female benefactor who will help you. As long as you’re with her, your career and relationships will be full of opportunities. “But with The Tower present, it means you won’t have any ability to protect yourself in front of her.” I always have an instant feeling about tarot cards. I even had a rough impression of this female benefactor: “This woman is very mysterious, her work is related to Western mysticism, but I can’t see what her feelings for you are, the tarot cards didn’t say anything about that.” Jack crouched in front of my stall, a flash of shock crossing his eyes: “The only girl I know who’s into Western mysticism is you, isn’t it?” Ever since I met Jack, I suspected that he might be the one sent by Zack to protect me. After all, even their names were so similar. I loved making pork rib soup for him. Especially on early summer evenings when the sunset dyed everything red, I would serve him a bowl of rib soup and listen to him say over and over: “Alice, I love you so much. “I will love you forever.” Then I would walk over, completely satisfied, hug him, and kiss his eyes, jaw, and the corners of his mouth. I almost believed that he wasn’t sent by Zack. He might actually be Zack. Later, we had a child. I cherished him immensely. I believed this child Would be my only hope for the rest of my life.

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