Author: Momo Chan

I lost my memory. Alexander asked if I remembered who my boyfriend was. I pointed to his playful-smiling brother behind him. Alexander breathed a sigh of relief, as if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders. But later, on my wedding night with his brother, he frantically pounded on the door. “You can’t get married! Lily, please come out!” After the doctor told me I had lost part of my memory, Alexander visited me every day. The day before I was discharged, he suddenly asked, “Lily, do you remember who your boyfriend is?” I looked at the man sitting in the corner with a playful smile. Ethan, Alexander’s brother. Since I was hospitalized, he had come every day. He was quiet, and crucially, he was exactly my type. My best friend said that before I lost my memory, Ethan had been pursuing me. So, I pointed at him and said, “He’s my boyfriend.” I don’t know if it was my imagination, but after I said this, Alexander seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. He showed his first smile in days: “Yes, Ethan is your boyfriend.” Ethan chuckled and stood up. Broad shoulders, narrow waist, tall figure, combined with his outstanding looks, he was like walking testosterone. I stared at him as he approached me. “I’ll come pick you up tomorrow when you’re discharged, girlfriend.” The upward lilt in his voice was full of endless tenderness. I suddenly blushed, my heart racing as I watched him leave. “Lily…” I turned back to face Alexander’s displeased expression, and my smile faded. “Why are you still here?” Alexander’s eyes darkened slightly, “I’m getting engaged in a few days, so… I can’t come pick you up when you’re discharged tomorrow.” I waved my hand, “Thanks, but my boyfriend will be here, so it’s fine.”

Ethan showed up at the hospital room right on time the next day. He took my luggage and naturally reached for my hand. After completing the discharge procedures, he took me home – to his home. He told me my room was the guest room. When I saw him enter the master bedroom, I couldn’t help but ask, “Aren’t we sleeping in the same room?” Ethan was visibly stunned, then he said in a pitiful tone, “You don’t let me sleep in the same room with you.” The doctor said I had forgotten many things, and I couldn’t remember why I wouldn’t let him sleep in the same room. But to openly say I wanted to sleep in the same room with him, I couldn’t bring myself to do it. So I coughed lightly, “Let’s keep this arrangement for now, and… we’ll discuss it again when I recover.” He agreed readily, but his handsome smile made my hair stand on end. Ethan went into his room and didn’t come out again. Even at mealtime, there was no sign of him. I had no choice but to go to the kitchen to cook. Halfway through cooking, a strong presence enveloped me from behind. “What are you making?” I instinctively stepped back, and his solid male physique pressed against my back. The scorching heat transmitted through the thin fabric of our clothes. It was so hot that I dropped the spatula in my hand. I quickly bent down to pick it up, but my leg brushed against his, fitting perfectly. Before I could react, a pair of strong arms lifted me up and set me aside. I turned my head, only catching a glimpse of Ethan’s flustered figure retreating. Although I had forgotten many things, common sense remained. Realizing what I had just done, my entire face and neck turned red. After finishing cooking, I went to call him. When he came out, he didn’t mention the kitchen incident. Instead, he said, “My brother is getting engaged tomorrow. As my girlfriend, you should come with me.” I nodded. Then a thought struck me, “Doesn’t that mean I’m indirectly meeting your family?” Ethan resumed his casual demeanor, “You’ve already met them before. Just be yourself.” With Ethan’s reassurance, I felt at ease.

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He suddenly became passionate about fitness and started paying attention to his appearance. His clothes always carried a faint scent of lily of the valley. He was acting suspiciously flirtatious. So, I followed him. I overheard him insulting me while joking with his friends: “Olivia is no longer the campus beauty you guys knew. Now her figure is all saggy, no different from a middle-aged woman. I feel unlucky every time I see her bland face.” “If it weren’t for having to split half of our assets in a divorce, I would have married my little sweetheart long ago.” Later, I found a prenatal screening test for Down syndrome in his briefcase. It turned out that his mistress was already over four months pregnant. The information about the pregnant woman on the test caught my attention. When I saw that familiar name, I froze on the spot. What do you do when you’re middle-aged and discover that your husband, with whom you’ve built a life together from nothing, is cheating? This question seems difficult to answer. You have children together and have accumulated considerable assets through years of hard work. You’ve shaped a rash and naive young man into today’s gentle and elegant figure. But now, he belongs to someone else. Should you quickly divide some assets and get a divorce? It doesn’t seem quite fair. Should you drag them along, exhausting the last of your marital affection? But doing so would disgust them and yourself. So, what’s the best answer? My answer is, I can’t get divorced! But… I can become a widow!

Discovering Jack’s affair was actually a very accidental small incident. That day, before letting our housekeeper take Jack’s tailored suit for dry cleaning, I habitually checked the pockets. Then I pulled out a Chanel Coco Mademoiselle lip balm from the right pocket. The lip balm showed obvious signs of use. It couldn’t be something he had just bought for me. And it definitely wasn’t his own. Because this lip balm leaves a shimmering effect on the lips, something only girls would use. The faint lily of the valley scent from the clothes rushed into my nostrils. I stood there stunned for a long time without moving. Perhaps it was a woman’s unreasonable sixth sense. Just this lip balm and this whiff of fragrance made me certain that Jack was having an affair. He wasn’t a person without boundaries. He wouldn’t put a girl’s personal items in his own pocket. So, the lip balm might have been deliberately placed in his pocket by someone else to test me, or Jack might have kept it for that person and forgotten to return it. Either way, the result was obvious. I expressionlessly put the lip balm back in the pocket and returned his suit to its original place. I went to the bathroom and washed my face, trying to clear my dizzy mind. But it didn’t help much.

After sitting numbly for two hours. I called Ryan Thompson, Jack’s senior secretary. I originally wanted to subtly inquire about Jack’s whereabouts these days. When the call connected, I heard Ryan softly shush someone, and then the noise in the background gradually quieted down. A moment later, he asked with a hint of amusement in his voice: “Mrs. Wilson, are you looking for Mr. Wilson? What a coincidence, he just left to meet a client and isn’t in the office right now.” Meeting a client without taking along his capable and skilled senior secretary? The lie was rather clumsy. “No, I’m looking for you,” I directly denied. Ryan paused for a moment, then replied with a smile: “Mrs. Wilson, what can I do for you? Just say the word.” My fingers lightly tapped on the sofa armrest, my voice as cold as ice: “Ryan, do you remember how you climbed to your current position?” There were a few seconds of silence on the other end. When he spoke again, his voice carried a hint of guilt: “You sponsored my education, then brought me into the company and personally mentored me.” “Then why did I leave the company and can now only stay at home doing nothing?” I immediately asked again. “It’s… it’s because I dozed off while driving and caused an accident, resulting in… resulting in your left scapula being fractured. Since then, your left arm has had limited mobility…” Ryan stuttered in his response. Even without seeing him, I could imagine his uncomfortable and fidgety appearance at that moment. I took a deep breath, suppressing the anger about to erupt from my chest. “Now, I’m looking for Jack. Is he there?” “…Yes!” “Where are you now?” “The Jiuzhou Club.” “Room number.” “61008.” I hung up the phone.

As Ryan said, my left arm had limited mobility due to the accident injury, causing excruciating pain every time I raised or moved it outward. I couldn’t even hold the steering wheel with both hands while driving. I had been persistently doing rehabilitation for the past two years, but with little effect. I took a taxi to the Jiuzhou Club. Ryan was already waiting at the entrance on the first floor. When he saw me, he smoothly took the bag from my hand and led me towards the elevator. In the elevator, he wrung his hands nervously, awkwardly apologizing to me: “Mrs. Wil… I mean, Olivia, I’m sorry.” “It’s just that Mr. Wilson is only meeting friends today. I was afraid you’d worry, so I said he went to see a client.” Today he’s meeting friends. What about before? My expression remained cold, and I didn’t look at him again. How could I expect sincerity from an outsider when my husband of twenty-three years would cheat? Ryan escorted me to the private room door, then excused himself to go to the bathroom and left. I wanted to push the door open, to see which woman Jack was holding in his arms. Voices teasing Jack came from inside. I withdrew my hand and stood quietly at the half-open door of the private room. Someone spoke up to joke: “Old Jack is really behaving himself. We’re all surrounded by women, but he’s just sitting there drinking juice.” Someone quickly responded. “Of course, Jack married the campus beauty we all envied back then. She’s a perfect helper. I heard their son even got into Fudan University under Olivia’s guidance. Tsk tsk, having a virtuous wife really does bring prosperity for generations.” “You’re all wrong!” This voice belonged to Marcus Evans, Jack’s old friend. Half mockingly and half enviously, he said: “He’s keeping himself pure for his little girlfriend. She’s strict with him, set twenty house rules, including not drinking or messing around behind her back. Otherwise, she’ll punish him by not letting him into her bed. Last week he secretly drank and upset his little girlfriend. It took hundreds of thousands worth of jewelry to appease her.” “Really?” Several people snickered in surprise. Jack relaxed back against the sofa, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth. Marcus continued sarcastically: “The girl is only 26, just 7 years older than his son. He can actually bring himself to do it. Don’t you think he’s a beast?” No one responded to his words. Jack crossed his left leg over his right, looking even more at ease. “Haven’t you heard that men are forever young at heart? I’m just seeking some excitement. “You don’t know, Olivia is no longer the campus beauty you guys knew. Now her figure is all saggy, no different from a middle-aged woman. She’s always sickly. I feel unlucky every time I see her bland face. “Besides, even if she were a celestial beauty, I’ve been sleeping with her for over 20 years. I’m tired of it. “If it weren’t for having to split half of our assets in a divorce, I would have married your little sister-in-law long ago.”

It was like having a bucket of ice water dumped over my head. Chilled from head to toe. A chill running through my bones. If I hadn’t heard it with my own ears, it would be hard to believe these words came from the mouth of my humble and gentle husband. Some of what he said wasn’t wrong. You can never imagine how heartless a man can be once he’s changed his mind. He becomes a complete stranger to you. I didn’t disturb them and turned to leave. At the elevator, Ryan was pacing back and forth. Seeing me approach, he quickly came over, smiling: “Mrs. Wilson, I was right, wasn’t I? Mr. Wilson was just catching up with old friends. Those girls in the room have nothing to do with him. He even specifically asked me to order juice for him, afraid of getting drunk and worrying you.” I looked at the man before me, now full of shrewdness. The caution and sincerity in his eyes from years ago had long since disappeared. His face was full of ingratiating smiles: “Mrs. Wilson, let me take you home. Mr. Wilson is with his old classmates anyway, there’s nothing for me to do. Don’t worry, I won’t tell Mr. Wilson you were here.” I didn’t object to his kindness. Ryan was driving the business car used to pick up Jack. As I sat in the back seat, two sets of overlapping handprints, one large and one small, on the car window caught my eye. My heart suddenly sank. I stared fixedly at those chaotic large and small handprints, which seemed to be telling me what kind of dirty story had taken place here. After getting out of the car, I waved goodbye to Ryan. “Thank you for driving me back. “Oh, by the way, the back window is dirty. Remember to clean the glass next time after you’re done.” Ryan froze for a moment.

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I had been in love with Tara for five years, spoiling her like a princess. The day I returned from a business trip abroad, I wanted to surprise her by secretly attending a private dinner party to see her. But I saw her passionately kissing another man. To my shock, it was Henry, my college roommate. The dazzling diamond brooch on his suit jacket pierced my eyes. Because it was identical to the one Tara had given me. Five years of companionship had become nothing but a joke. It turned out I was the one destroying someone else’s marriage all along. Heartbroken and disillusioned, I quickly wrote an application to become a war correspondent in the Middle East. After I left, Tara turned Shanghai upside down looking for me like a madwoman. I snuck into the exclusive Hong Kong dinner party in disguise, using an invitation I had prepared in advance. This was a private event with no media allowed. I unlocked my phone, the wallpaper showing a photo of Tara and me from our last meeting. I smiled bitterly, realizing it had already been a month since I’d seen her. Just ten minutes ago, Tara had texted asking when I’d be back. “The assignment here isn’t finished yet, it’ll be another two days,” I had replied. Tara sent a sticker saying “Miss you hubby”. I couldn’t help smiling as I imagined her surprised face when she saw me. The crowd suddenly stirred. I turned around, scanning the room. Several VIPs walked by, and I froze when I saw the woman behind them. Tara was intimately holding the arm of an equally distinguished-looking man. It was Henry, my college roommate. His appearance hadn’t changed much. The diamond brooch on his suit jacket was dazzlingly bright, piercing my eyes. I looked down, quietly removing the identical diamond brooch pinned to my own jacket. As soon as they appeared, people came up to greet them, warmly calling her “Mrs. Wright”. Mrs. Wright… No wonder Tara always said there was no rush to get married. She had already become someone else’s wife long ago. “Mrs. Wright, how long have you been married? Any plans for children?” someone asked. Tara smiled and replied, “Henry and I have been married for three years. He thinks I’m still young, so we’re not in a hurry.” I felt my blood run cold. As they walked towards me, I hid in a corner. The two of them made a striking couple, perfectly matched, turning heads wherever they went. Even her hand remained tucked in his arm the whole time. How many passionate nights had she used that same hand to gently caress my body, whispering sweet nothings in my ear? “Jack, why are you so good to me? You’re truly the best gift heaven could give me.” “This business trip will be a bit longer. Take good care of yourself in Shanghai and wait for me to come back.” What frequent business trips? You clearly had a real home here in Hong Kong all along.

As the music began, Henry led Tara onto the dance floor. I masochistically watched their intimate display. When the song ended, amid enthusiastic applause, Henry leaned down and planted a deep kiss on Tara’s lips. After the party, I found myself following them to the parking lot like a man possessed. Tara had changed out of her evening gown and was about to get into a different car. “Where are you going? Back to Shanghai again?” Henry demanded. Tara ignored him dismissively. “None of your business.” “Your home is in Hong Kong. Why do you keep going to Shanghai?” Henry blocked her path, his tone sharp. “You still haven’t completely broken things off with Jack, have you? Tara! I’m your husband, I want you to stay and come home with me!” “You can’t leave! Come home with me!” Tara kept dodging back and forth. “Get out of my way!” Henry was forcefully shoved aside by Tara, left standing there stunned. “Henry, I’ve told you before, I won’t give up Jack. You’re the one who insisted on marrying me by any means necessary. Now you have to deal with the consequences!” Tara got in her car and slammed the door. On the road, she kept messaging me over and over. “Jack, what are you doing?” “Are you asleep?” “Why aren’t you replying?” “…” My phone kept lighting up in the dark room, painfully bright. I tossed it across the room. The fiery alcohol burned my throat, making me cough uncontrollably. This home was filled with sweet memories from our five years together. Now it just made me feel sick. I had thought I was the love of her life. Only now did I realize I was the most pitiful one in this relationship. Deceived in body and soul, forever living in a romance that could never see the light of day. I met Tara right after graduating college. She was gentle, caring and romantic, making my then-roommate Henry envious. Some people had warned me that a girl from Tara’s background wouldn’t be interested in someone like me, telling me to be wary of Henry. Henry came from money and had no shortage of female attention. I didn’t think much of it. Besides, Tara loved me so much. How could she possibly look at another man? Now I realized how foolish I had been. I looked at the company’s transfer notice and applied for the war correspondent position no one else wanted.

My overseas assignment had been successfully completed, but the editor-in-chief suddenly approached me angrily. My colleagues exchanged worried glances. “Jack, you actually want to be a war correspondent? You did an excellent job on this assignment. Once the article is published you’re due for a promotion and raise. You’re my most talented reporter with a bright future ahead. I really don’t understand why you’re doing this.” “Give me one good reason.” I smiled bitterly. “Because I don’t want to stay in Shanghai anymore.” After a night of drinking and smoking, my voice was terribly hoarse. The editor frowned hearing it. “Why have you done this to yourself?” “Boss, please just do me this one favor.” I looked up at him, my eyes bloodshot. I took some time off. As soon as I left the office, I saw a familiar Maserati parked nearby. Tara strode over, her brow furrowed with irritation. “Jack, what happened? Why haven’t you been answering my calls?” “Do you know I’ve been looking for you all night?” I spread my hands. “I only brought my work phone. The one at home got broken by accident.” My voice was nasal and hoarse. Tara noticed immediately. “You’re sick and didn’t tell me? Haven’t you been taking care of yourself these past few days at home?” Seeing her concerned expression, I felt even more bitter inside. In the past, I definitely would have played up being pitiful, just to see how much she cared. But now, remembering the scene of her passionately kissing Henry, I just felt nauseated. Tara drove me home, took my temperature, and sure enough I had a high fever. After taking medicine, I lay in bed. Tara slipped under the covers, her soft, supple body pressed tightly against me. But I didn’t have any other thoughts. “Jack, are you mad at me? Why won’t you talk to me?” “Are you upset I was gone too long this time?” Tara made to kiss me, but I dodged. “I’m still sick.” Her gaze fell on the nightstand. “Why did you take off that diamond brooch? Wasn’t it your favorite?” Yes, I used to love that brooch because Tara gave it to me. It was supposed to be one-of-a-kind. Now I knew even this handmade brooch had an identical twin, worn by her real husband. How laughable. “I put it away.” My attitude was cold. Tara lost interest and got up to leave. Tara received several strange calls that she angrily hung up on. When I asked who it was, she just said they were spam calls. I gave a soft “oh” and didn’t press further, because I knew it was her lawful husband Henry calling.

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In my previous life, I was envied by my infertile neighbor because I was pregnant with twins, a boy and a girl. She poisoned me with pesticide in the braised pork, killing me and my unborn children. As I lay dying, I saw her viciously kicking my pregnant belly, laughing maniacally: “Ha! I’ll show you what happens when you brag all day long!” “You think you’re so great because you’re pregnant with twins? I’ll make sure you never give birth!” When I opened my eyes again, I had returned to the day I was first diagnosed as pregnant. In the elevator, my husband Mike was carefully supporting me: “You need to be extra careful now in your condition.” As I turned around, I saw Sarah standing behind me, opening a delivery box containing a bottle of pesticide. At that moment, she was looking at me with a sinister gaze. 0 My heart raced, and I quickly grabbed my husband Mike’s arm, sobbing: “Honey, we’ve been married for five years and still don’t have a child. Will you leave me?” Mike looked at me in confusion and quickly responded: “What are you talking about? How could I ever leave you? Besides, aren’t we…” I hurriedly covered his mouth, pretending to be embarrassed: “Enough, let’s not air our dirty laundry in public. We’ll talk about this at home!” Sarah’s mother-in-law, who was standing nearby, suddenly sneered: “Another hen that can’t lay eggs!” “Who knows what sins you’ve committed to be cursed with no children!” She then shot a contemptuous glance at Sarah, her eyes filled with undisguised disgust. Sarah shifted her gaze from me, lowering her eyes as if holding back something. I noticed that the delivery box in her hand was almost crushed from her grip. My husband Mike struggled to defend me: “How dare you speak like that! My wife is not… mmph…” Afraid that Mike would let something slip, I covered his mouth tightly again, desperately trying to signal him with my eyes. But he couldn’t understand what I meant. At this moment, Sarah’s gaze returned to us, and I broke out in a cold sweat. Just then, the elevator door opened: “17th floor!” I let out a long sigh of relief and pulled Mike, fleeing back to our apartment as fast as we could. As soon as the door closed, Mike started scolding me: “Why did you say such things about yourself? The doctor clearly said you’re pregnant with twins, a boy and a girl. Why did you tell everyone you can’t have children?” He grew angrier as he continued: “And that old woman was bullying you. Why didn’t you let me talk back? I can’t swallow this!” I smiled and handed him a glass of water, hoping to calm him down. He quickly stood up to take it, his tone becoming proud: “From now on, you don’t need to do any housework. Why are you bringing me water? Can’t I get it myself?” I lay down on the sofa, snuggling into his arms and pouting: “Honey, do you know the saying ‘Loose lips sink ships’? We can’t tell anyone about this pregnancy until it’s stable, not even our parents. What if the news scares our little babies away?” Mike dismissed my concerns: “Nonsense! I thought it was something serious. You’re just being superstitious! If you won’t let me tell anyone, I’ll burst! I even bought a lot of candy to share with the neighbors!” Hearing this, I immediately shouted: “No way!” I remembered that in my previous life, as soon as I was diagnosed as pregnant, Mike had thrown a big celebration and invited the whole building for candy. He couldn’t wait to announce to the world that I was pregnant with twins, and he immediately invited his parents to come and take care of me. It was from that time on that Sarah started staring at my belly all the time. But back then, I was too happy to notice Sarah’s envious looks and the occasional bruises that appeared on her body. I still remember one time when she saw Mike kneeling down to tie my shoelaces outside. She came over and said with a sinister tone: “Your husband is so good to you? Well, of course, since you can bear children!” At the time, I felt uncomfortable hearing this but didn’t take it to heart. Little did I know that from that moment on, Sarah began to resent me. She hated our harmonious marriage and the fact that I could have children. The candy we kindly gave to their family and my gradually swelling belly all became mockery in her eyes. But what ultimately drove her to murder was another incident. At that time, I had just started showing, and someone in the community had posted big-character posters everywhere. They specifically named Sarah as a “hen that can’t lay eggs.” Although the property management sent people to clean it up the next day, the news had already spread throughout the community. Out of kindness, I made a box of cupcakes and brought them to Sarah to comfort her. Who knew that when I opened the door, I would see Sarah covered in blood, her husband and mother-in-law were beating her. I shouted: “You can’t hit her! If you continue, I’ll call the police!” But Sarah coldly pushed me out with a blank face: “Mind your own business!” She slammed the door shut. At the time, I only thought this person was ungrateful. I was trying to help her, and she treated me like this. I decided never to meddle in others’ affairs again. Who knew that in the afternoon, she would bring over a plate of braised pork, saying it was to thank me. Actually, I didn’t want to eat such greasy food while pregnant, but Sarah stared at me intently. Out of politeness, I ate a piece, and soon I felt a burning sensation in my mouth and throat, and I had difficulty breathing… It wasn’t until I was dying that I realized my kindness had become showing off and gloating in her eyes. She actually thought I deliberately went to see her being humiliated and killed me in a fit of rage. Thinking of this, I looked at Mike seriously: “Let’s sell this apartment!” 0

Hearing my words, Mike immediately jumped up from the sofa: “The housing market has dropped 30% in the past two years, and you want to sell now?” “If we sell now, we’ll even lose money on the interest!” I covered my face and remained silent for a while before saying tearfully: “Whether you believe it or not, I had a dream that if we continue living here, something will happen to me and the baby. I’m on edge every day and can’t even sleep well.” “Besides, I suggested selling the apartment at a higher price two years ago, saying it would definitely drop in value. You didn’t believe me, and now look, it’s really dropped by 300,000. If we sell now and buy back in two years, we might even make some profit!” Hearing my words, Mike fell silent, lost in thought. I lowered my gaze and tugged at his shirt: “I’m pregnant with twins. This apartment is only about 750 square feet, which isn’t enough for four people. Since everything has dropped in price, why don’t we sell now, keep the money, and buy a bigger place in two years? Isn’t that good?” Mike, who had been adamantly against it before, softened when he saw me like this: “If you really want to move, that’s fine, but it’s not easy to sell a house right now. Even if we want to sell, it won’t happen overnight.” He stroked my head and sighed deeply: “You’re just pregnant and prone to overthinking. But you’re right, since heaven has blessed us with two children, I, as a father, should work hard to get you all a bigger house!” “I’ll list the apartment with a real estate agency tomorrow.” That night, Mike held me as he fell into a deep sleep, but I lay awake all night. The past played out before me like a movie, scene by scene, as I pondered how to break this deadlock. After all, I was in the light and she was in the dark. I didn’t know when she would strike to harm me. Moreover, houses weren’t selling well now, so even if I wanted to sell, we couldn’t move out immediately. I still had to be her neighbor for a while. If we were to rent, it would increase our monthly expenses by at least two or three thousand. Adding that to the mortgage, car loan, property management, and utilities, it would come to over ten thousand a month, leaving Mike and me with almost nothing left. We would need a large sum of money for the birth of the children in the future. It was already beyond my expectations that Mike agreed to sell the house. It would be even harder to convince him that we should rent a place when we already own a home, spending thousands more each month. If I told him the truth about my rebirth, he would certainly worry and send me to see a doctor. He never believed in supernatural things. I sighed deeply. Now, the only option was to find a way to sell the house at a discount before I started showing, without arousing Sarah’s suspicion. Or to find the real culprit who framed Sarah. Suddenly, I remembered the Buddha statue I had seen in Sarah’s home in my previous life. As I thought about it, a rough plan began to form in my mind. The next day, I took a day off and invited a Taoist priest from the city to perform a ritual at our home. To attract Sarah’s attention, I deliberately led the priest around the community, pretending to be checking the feng shui. Sure enough, we ran into Sarah. She looked at me in surprise, her voice tinged with mockery when she spoke: “I thought you college graduates didn’t believe in these things. What’s on your mind, getting a Taoist priest to perform rituals?” Then she looked at me eagerly: “Is there some trouble at home?” She looked as if she couldn’t wait for me to have some misfortune. Seeing that she had taken the bait, I pretended to be sad and let a tear fall: “I have no choice. My mother-in-law said if I don’t get pregnant this year, she’ll make Mike divorce me.” “Yesterday at the hospital, the doctor said my uterus is small and it’s difficult for me to conceive. They didn’t even prescribe any medication. I can only try other methods now.” Hearing this, her expression became kinder, and she pulled me aside, not letting me leave. “I saw your husband being so nice to you the other day. Doesn’t he stand up for you when your mother-in-law treats you like this?” I scoffed, pretending to be disheartened: “That’s all just for show in front of others. He’s a mama’s boy, always listening to his mother.” I rolled up my sleeve, revealing the bruise from the pregnancy check-up: “To be honest, I’ve had so many injections and tests over the years trying to get pregnant. I’ve had enough!” “Once, I even had a fight with my husband. I said why doesn’t he get checked, maybe he has a problem too. He got so angry he hit me!” Hearing this, Sarah’s eyes widened: “Your husband hits you too?” I lowered my voice: “Don’t tell anyone else, it’s embarrassing!” “I need to go back home with the priest to perform the ritual now. We’ll chat another time!” I turned to leave, a smile playing on my lips. The best way to make someone not envy you is to show weakness, to make them think you’re no better off than they are, or even worse. It’s best if they think they have a little secret about you; that way, they’ll feel you’re safe. 0

After sending the Taoist priest away, I deliberately brought a plate of cupcakes to Sarah. At this time, her husband hadn’t come home from work yet, so I hopefully wouldn’t run into a domestic violence situation like last time. She opened the door and looked at me with delight, while her mother-in-law rolled her eyes at me: “How unlucky, another hen that can’t lay eggs.” “You really can only make friends with this kind of trash!” Sarah laughed awkwardly, but I keenly noticed the hatred in her eyes. I quickly handed the cupcakes to Sarah: “I came to tell you that we might be moving out soon. The Taoist master I invited today said our apartment isn’t good for having children, and told us to move somewhere else.” “We’ve already listed the house. In the next few days, people will be coming to view it. I hope we won’t disturb you too much.” Hearing this, Sarah’s mother-in-law rolled her eyes at me again, throwing some melon seed shells at me: “What nonsense! You can’t have children, so you blame the sky, the earth, and now even the house. How ridiculous!” “If you were my daughter-in-law, I would have told my son to divorce you long ago!” Hearing this, I seemed to remember something. Right! In my previous life, even though Sarah’s mother-in-law despised her for not being able to have children and her husband often beat her, I never heard anything about divorce. When a woman is infertile, but the man doesn’t want a divorce, there’s only one reason: the source of infertility is with the man. I tentatively asked: “Why don’t you try my method? The Taoist master also said my husband needs to go to the hospital for a check-up. From his birth chart, his children’s palace isn’t good, naturally he’ll have few offspring…” Before I could finish, Sarah’s mother-in-law used a broom to sweep me out the door, slamming it shut: “This is absolutely ridiculous! How dare you, a mere woman, speak ill of a grown man!” Seeing her reaction, I had a guess in my mind. It must be Sarah’s husband who is infertile. The mother and son knew this but didn’t want to bear the reputation, so they said it was Sarah’s problem and naturally abused her. As for the big-character posters in the community, were they posted by someone else or was it a self-directed show by the mother and son? Thinking of this, I immediately ordered some mini cameras and waited for nightfall to install them discreetly on the door plate when no one was paying attention. They were very inconspicuous, almost impossible to notice. The cameras were positioned to clearly view the movements at Sarah’s door. The next day, I went to work as usual. When I returned home, I found a talisman pasted on my door. The talisman was covered in red blood spots, looking very ominous. I was terrified and quickly called Mike. When Mike saw it, he was furious and was about to tear it off. Remembering the online rumors about talismans, I quickly stopped him, afraid it might bring bad luck. I took a photo and sent it to the Taoist master. The master’s reply made my blood run cold: “This is an exorcism talisman. Someone is treating you as an evil spirit and trying to suppress you! Light three incense sticks, explain the situation clearly, and then tear it off. That should be fine.” Exorcism? My mind immediately flashed to the image of Sarah’s mother-in-law chasing me away with a broom. Checking the video recorded by the camera, to my surprise, it was Sarah who had pasted the talisman on our door. I had already tried so hard to hide myself and even tried to be nice to her. Why would she do this to me? An idea popped into my head. Could it be that she thought her infertility was caused by the feng shui of our house? My heart sank. If she believed I was the source of her misfortune, she might try to harm me again. 0

Just then, a disgusting scene appeared on the screen. Not long after Sarah left, her husband came out of their apartment. A woman, whose appearance clearly suggested an illegal profession, was tugging at the belt of his beer belly as they headed towards the emergency exit. Indescribable sounds could be heard. Ten minutes later, the woman’s phone rang with a PayPal notification of $50 received. Mike saw this and quickly covered my eyes: “Why are you watching such filthy things? It’ll dirty your eyes. That’s not good!” I looked at these scenes thoughtfully, stopping Mike: “Don’t tear off the talisman behind. If we have a clear conscience, we shouldn’t fear these things. Don’t worry about this, I know how to deal with her.” The next day, I invited the Taoist priest to our home again to perform a ritual. I deliberately left our door open, hoping to attract Sarah’s attention. Sure enough, it wasn’t long before I saw a figure lingering in the corridor, sneaking around. I pretended not to see her and kept kowtowing with the Taoist priest. At this moment, she couldn’t resist coming in: “Hey, what are you doing?” I made a mysterious “shh” sound: “The Taoist master said an evil spirit entered our house yesterday, but thankfully, a kind person gave us a talisman that suppressed it. Today, he’s going to exorcise the spirit. It will make selling our house much smoother.” Hearing my words, her eyes, which had been lowered due to guilt, suddenly lit up. “Really? I was going to warn you yesterday. I didn’t expect the person who pasted the talisman was doing a good deed?” I nodded vigorously, and she seemed to completely relax. Just then, the Taoist priest turned and saw her, his face changing dramatically: “Young lady, you… you…” She saw the priest’s expression and was startled: “What’s wrong with me?” The priest composed himself: “I see that your fortune is deep. It’s no harm to reveal a bit. Your children’s palace has been invaded. There might be evil spirits or demons harming your offspring. You need to bathe in moonlight every day after midnight to enhance your children’s fortune. Remember, you must not let anyone see you when you go out!” Sarah’s face turned pale: “You mean I don’t have children because of evil spirits? And bathing in moonlight can help? I don’t need to ask you to perform a ritual?” The priest waved his peach wood sword: “Don’t worry! For mere small ghosts, the method I taught you is enough. Why spend money? This old Taoist doesn’t work for money, I believe in the great Dao of our ancestors!” Hearing this, Sarah’s eyes brightened, and she kept bowing and thanking him. I curved my lips slightly. I had observed for several days that Sarah’s husband would find a prostitute at 11:50 PM on odd-numbered days, and today was an odd-numbered day. I was waiting to see a good show. After Sarah left, I gave the Taoist priest an extra hundred dollars as a reward for his performance. That night at midnight, I forced myself to stay awake despite feeling sleepy. Sure enough, I witnessed a good show. Sarah’s husband had just taken that prostitute to the emergency exit. Less than ten minutes later, Sarah also came out, and the two groups ran into each other. Sarah rushed over and started pulling the prostitute’s hair violently. The prostitute didn’t back down either, grabbing Sarah’s waist and headbutting her, cursing all the while: “You yellow-faced hag can’t take care of your own man, why are you hitting me?” “Your man said you’re like a dead fish in bed. If he wasn’t shooting blanks, he wouldn’t want you! If I were you, I’d have divorced him eight hundred times already. Being a whore is better than being you!” Hearing this, Sarah was stunned: “You bitch, who says Jack can’t have children? How dare you say that about my man? I’ll tear your mouth apart!” The fox-like woman sneered: “Your man is a eunuch, and you’ve been sleeping with him for so long without knowing? Why else would he pay me? He’s so short, soft, and has no volume. Only you don’t mind!” Sarah was dumbfounded. She burst into tears and started throwing her shoes at Jack.

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For years, our relationship was a secret. Finn Foster was a dazzling superstar, while I was his invisible little assistant. I accompanied him from obscurity to nationwide fame, and now he was embarking on a global tour. I arrived in the foreign country a day early to arrange everything for him. But upon landing, he received news of an earthquake. Fearing I might take the last available seat, Finn left without a word. He stole the car I had reserved and successfully rebooked a flight to escape, all without saying a single word. As the earthquake approached, I desperately messaged Finn, demanding to know why he had cut off my escape route. But my messages sank like stones in the sea. Taken advantage of by traffickers in the chaos, they stuffed me into a dumpster where I suffocated to death, harvesting all my useful organs. Just before I died, the screen of a nearby phone lit up with the latest message. “I’m home safe. Hope you’re okay.” 0 I died. On Finn Foster’s 27th birthday. A long, agonizing pain enveloped me, every minute and second before death was torture. An unfamiliar street corner in a foreign land. A dark, cramped dumpster. Rotting, foul-smelling garbage. And my corpse. My body had been hollowed out. Hollowed out in the physical sense. They had dug out my kidneys, liver, corneas… Yet left behind a gray heart. I thought, if a heart could truly stop beating from heartbreak, My time of death would have been two and a half hours earlier. The moment Finn abandoned me alone at the epicenter and left by himself. He really did keep that promise. “Zoe Lin, after I turn 27.” “I won’t care whether you live or die.” I withdrew my thoughts and floated towards the sky. After the earthquake, the world looked devastated. People came and went, not noticing this stinking dumpster. They would even cover their noses and walk away with frowns. This was fine too, no one would see me. That sight would scare them. Not far away were some friendly Asian faces, I floated towards them. Several girls huddled together in a corner, holding handfuls of photo cards. The white lightsticks in their hands emitted a dim glow, like scattered stars. They were Finn’s fans. At this moment, the girls’ faces were streaked with tears, their beautiful makeup ruined. I saw a wandering soul floating above them, a woman in her 40s. She hovered anxiously around their heads. She looked at one of the girls, muttering incessantly. “Sweetie, why didn’t you listen to mommy?” My heart ached a little. “Finn, you’ve let everyone down.” 0

At 3 AM, my body was discovered. The finder was a middle-aged foreign woman. She seemed too hungry and couldn’t help but come to the dumpster to find food. I’m really sorry, there’s no food here, and I scared her. She collapsed on the filthy ground and screamed. The dumpster lid was opened, the phone screen still lit. The screen was frozen on the chat with Finn. “You stole the car I reserved?” “Why?” “You knew about the earthquake beforehand, didn’t you?” “Finn, if you do this, I’ll die.” There was a two-hour blank in between, the timeline of my dried tears. In the last second before my heart stopped, I saw his reply. “I’m home safe. Hope you’re okay.” Seeing that cold message again still hurts. Oh, that’s right. I don’t have a heart anymore. The middle-aged woman shakily got up and took my phone. Then, she disappeared into the alley. I felt a bit sad, but comforted myself. If my phone could help her, that’s not bad. Only, Finn would never be able to contact me again. I think, if he knew, I wonder how happy he’d be. I stared blankly at my own corpse in the dumpster. If Finn doesn’t come, no one will claim me. 0

I floated towards home. In the suburban villa, Finn was writing a song on the couch. His expression was indifferent. Just like the photo on the TV cabinet. That was our only photo together. He wrote songs, washed up, and went to bed as usual. Until the next day, he still had no intention of contacting me. Seeing no breakfast in the kitchen. He frowned. I always used to get up early to make porridge for him. He irritably ruffled his hair, opened a food delivery app, glanced at it for a few seconds, then casually tossed his phone aside. There was a noise at the entrance, it was Sophia Baker, a popular young actress. She was also Finn’s dream girl. “Finn, I made you some porridge.” Sophia wore a pure white dress, her smile innocent and lovely. Finn finally showed a rare smile. “Isn’t Zoe here?” “Is she throwing another tantrum and not coming back?” Hearing this, Finn’s expression darkened. “Why mention her?” “It’d be better if she died out there.” My nose stung. Even though I was dead. Hearing these words, I still wanted to cry. “Finn, your wish came true.” “I really did die out there.”

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After her ex-boyfriend passed away, my wife became obsessed with training an AI. She even spent all of our daughter’s treatment money to buy a 30-year subscription to ChatGPT. She typed tearfully into the chat box: “Now I need you to play the role of my deceased love, Ryan Miller.” “You’re cold to others, but clingy like a puppy to me.” “You love to call me ‘Lily’ in a gentle voice, while being jealous of my husband Jack Thompson, trying to steal me away from him.” I watched the endless stream of payment notifications popping up, begging her to turn back from this dangerous obsession. But she was utterly disappointed in me. “Jack Thompson, can’t you understand? Ryan is dead, why are you still competing with him!” “Instead of wasting time, why don’t you go deliver more food to save your daughter?” But she didn’t know that not only was our daughter dying, but so was I. 0 Emma curled up on the hospital bed, crying in pain. “Daddy, it hurts so much. Emma is afraid she won’t make it until Mommy comes…” The six-year-old child, tortured by illness, had become so thin and weak that you could see her ribs moving as she breathed. My heart ached as I held her burning little hand to comfort her. “Sweetie, how could that be? The doctor said you’ll recover very soon.” “Mommy’s on her way, she said she’ll be here in a bit.” Just as I was about to call my wife to hurry her up, a familiar sobbing voice came from outside the door. Filled with intense sorrow. “Ryan, it’s been 380 days since I last saw you.” “Without you, I’m so miserable…” “If you were still alive, you wouldn’t let me suffer like this, would you?” Through the glass of the hospital room, I could see Lily leaning against the corridor bench, her face pale in the blue light of her phone screen. Her fingers were flying across the screen. Sometimes she cried in sorrow, sometimes she smiled like a girl in love. “Ryan, since you left, I’ve been wearing the citrus perfume you loved so much.” She mumbled into the voice input, her eyes filled with a long-lost coquettishness. “Jack always says this scent is too strong. He just doesn’t understand what class is…” My heart sank. I rushed out and snatched her phone away in an instant. In the chat interface, covered with pink heart bubbles, an AI named Ryan Miller was sending flirtatious messages. [Lily baby, your breath is my special blend perfume.] [Promise me you won’t let Jack Thompson get close to you, okay? Otherwise, I’ll have to kiss you in front of him!] Scrolling up, I found dense records of her training the AI, dating back more than a year! [You are my beloved Ryan Miller.] [We are soulmates, promised to grow old together.] [If you can’t be with me, my life will be meaningless.] … The more I scrolled, the paler my face became, my heart aching uncontrollably. Ryan Miller was her first love who passed away a year ago. Since then, Lily had been absent-minded, staring at her phone all day. I knew she had loved him for many years and only married me because she was of age and obeying her parents. But I never expected her to go so far as to use AI to reminisce about a dead man! I was deeply hurt: “Lily, what are you doing? Ryan has been dead for over a year.” Seeing me appear, her face showed a moment of unease. “You don’t understand, Ryan and I are soulmates.” “This is a special way to commemorate him.” Ryan Miller was an artist, and my wife always praised him for his taste and high EQ in front of me. Unlike me, an ordinary engineer with a good personality but awkward with words. Even after years of marriage, I still couldn’t come up with a romantic line. She said they were soulmates. And I was just her partner, a compromise to reality. Hearts are made of flesh; knowing this reality, how could I not be heartbroken? I swallowed my bitterness and said in an almost pleading tone. “Honey, Emma’s fever has reached 104°F, and she’s waiting for you in the hospital room.” “Please go see her.” Her expression tightened: “She was fine yesterday, how did it get so high today?” I was about to explain that her condition had worsened, but her eyes turned strange. She immediately started berating me. “Jack Thompson, can’t you understand? Ryan is dead, why are you still competing with him?” “You even drag our daughter into this, making up such a low-class excuse to get me to see you.” “If anything happens to Emma, it’s because you cursed her!” After saying this, she ignored me and snatched her phone back. “Give Ryan back to me quick!” “I haven’t replied to his message yet, I can’t keep him waiting.” 0

Our daughter was critically ill, her life hanging by a thread, yet all she cared about was her dear Ryan. In that moment, I clenched my fists, tears welling up in my eyes. “Lily, your daughter’s fever has reached 104°F, she’s been hoping you’d come see her, yet you’re sitting here playing with your phone?” To my surprise, she looked completely indifferent. “It’s just a fever, take some medicine and she’ll be fine! Why make such a fuss?” “I don’t see you making such a big deal when I have a fever.” Making a fuss? Last month when she had a fever of 102°F, I came home late from work and spent hours making porridge for her. But she complained it was too bland and wouldn’t eat it, saying the porcelain bowl was too tacky, unlike the exquisite ones Ryan had given her. In contrast, when Ryan was alive. He once gave her free seaweed soup from the cafeteria, and she was deeply touched, saying it tasted like a three-Michelin-star dish. A wave of bitterness washed over me. “Lily, Emma has leukemia, and now her white blood cell count has dropped dramatically.” “You should know that even a small illness could be fatal for her!” Red-eyed, I showed her the payment slip on my phone. “I only have $15,000, and we still need another $5,000.” “If we can do this surgery, Emma’s chances of survival will greatly increase.” But Lily kept typing on her phone, not even looking at me. “What leukemia? It’s just a small cold.” “Hospitals are all scams, why would she need surgery? Be careful not to get ripped off.” “Rather than wasting so much money on them, why not spend it on something meaningful?” She looked up, a gentle smile appearing on her face. “Honey, to accumulate good karma for you and Emma, I just subscribed to ChatGPT for Ryan.” “This is like extending his life.” “Saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda, heaven will bless you in the future!” I was stunned, not yet reacting when I felt my phone vibrating frantically in my pocket. It was a new bank card transaction message. “Your ChatGPT membership subscription has been credited, successfully unlocking 30 years.” “Bank card ending in 8863 deducted $150,000, balance $0.82.” In an instant, shock mixed with anger burst through my skull. “You used Emma’s life-saving money?” I felt cold all over, looking at her in disbelief: “Lily! You’ve gone mad! $150,000!” “The medical fees I worked so hard to save! You spent it all on AI?” “How could you spend it all? What about Emma?” Faced with my questioning, she frowned, her beautiful face full of displeasure. “You have the nerve to blame me?” She raised her hand and slapped me hard across the face. “Jack Thompson, who told you to be so useless.” “You only saved $15,000 in a year, and you’re breaking down over me spending a little money?” “Instead of wasting time, why don’t you go deliver more food to save your daughter.” I suddenly felt utterly disappointed. In seven years of marriage, Lily had never looked for a job. Daily living expenses, mortgage, and car payments were all my responsibility, leaving basically no savings from my monthly salary. Besides my main job, I would deliver food after work to supplement our household income. All the burdens of life were on my shoulders, yet in Lily’s words, I had become a useless man. Suddenly, I felt that all these years of effort, and the so-called wife and daughter who kept me going through wind and rain, were just a joke. Looking at her, my lips moved. But in the end, I said nothing. Lily, loving you has truly exhausted me. 0

As we stood there in a stalemate, her phone dinged. ChatGPT was sending a new message. “Dear Lily, why aren’t you responding? Did you go find that bastard Jack Thompson?” “Shall we try some roleplay tonight~” “You on top, me on bottom~” I watched as a smile spread across her face, and she typed back: [Don’t be naughty, Jack is still next to me…] I clenched my fists, unable to describe the anger in my heart. But now, the most important thing was Emma’s surgery. Her rapidly deteriorating condition didn’t allow me to waste time arguing with Lily. I said nothing more, turning to contact friends to raise money. Fortunately, I had good relationships, and when they heard I was in trouble, everyone dug into their own pockets to help. This moved me deeply, but also felt ridiculous. In a critical moment, it was my friends who helped me. While my wife, my life partner, turned a deaf ear to it all. Tears blurred my vision. I raised money while running food deliveries day and night in wind and rain. Even at three or four in the morning, I wouldn’t rest. Sometimes when I had too many orders and didn’t notice a restaurant’s mistake, customers would curse at me, pointing at my name. “Are you blind? This isn’t my order.” “You delivery guys are so stupid.” After a few days, I finally raised $20,000. “Emma, Daddy will come to the hospital to see you soon.” That evening, I sat outside a takeout restaurant, taking advantage of a quiet moment to video call my daughter. On the screen, Emma’s small face looked extremely weak, like a withering flower. She was only six years old, at the most innocent age. Yet she didn’t cry or make a fuss, understanding things in a way that broke my heart. “Daddy, I miss you so much.” She forced a smile at the camera. Choking up, I said: “Emma, we can do the surgery soon.” “After the surgery, when you’re better, Daddy will take you to the beach to collect seashells.” But Emma shook her head, solemnly telling me. “Daddy, I only have one wish.” “I want you to take me home, I miss Mommy so much.” Seeing her so understanding, I finally couldn’t hold back my tears. Gently stroking my daughter’s face on the screen. “Okay, Daddy promises you.”

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As my wife’s due date approached, my mother-in-law, Linda, came to stay with us to help during the postpartum recovery period. In less than a week, our newly bought toiletries were almost gone. Two lunch boxes disappeared, and twelve packs of tissues vanished. Even the new underwear I bought for my wife went missing! Watching our home gradually being emptied, I felt exhausted. “Honey, did you know your mom had this habit?” I asked my wife, Sophia. “Honey, where did you put the toothbrushes that were in the organizer? I can’t find them anywhere,” I asked, puzzled. This morning, I noticed my toothbrush was frayed and decided to replace it. However, I couldn’t find any new ones no matter where I looked. Sophia and I usually keep extra household items at home. I remember buying five toothbrushes at the supermarket just two weeks ago for future use. Sophia had used one recently, and Linda took one when she arrived. There should have been three left. Sophia walked over with a bun in her hand, peering into the organizer. “I put the toothbrushes right here. Can’t you see them?” I shook my head. “Are you sure you didn’t misplace them?” Sophia shot me an annoyed look. “I’m not that old to be forgetful!” She turned to ask her mother, “Mom, have you seen them?” Linda continued ladling porridge without pausing. “No, I haven’t seen any toothbrushes.” I had to rush to work, but I gave Linda a suspicious glance before quickly finishing breakfast and heading out. Ever since my mother-in-law arrived, I spent most of my time either searching for things or on my way to search for things. That afternoon, after a meeting, I received a message from Sophia: [Pick me up after work. We need to go grocery shopping. We’re out of tissues, laundry detergent, and body wash. Also, let’s buy two more cases of milk. I feel off if I don’t have milk every day (mischievous emoji)] I thought for a moment and asked her, [Honey, don’t you think a lot of things have gone missing from our house lately?] Last week, when I wanted to bring lunch to work, I discovered that the lunch boxes we bought less than two months ago had vanished. There were many similar incidents. One day, we had a cabinet full of tissues, and two days later, only six packs remained. On the day Linda arrived, we still had over two-thirds of our toiletries left. In just three days, they were almost gone. Usually, these supplies would last Sophia and me for at least a month. Unless she was drinking the body wash! The most ridiculous thing was that the underwear I carefully selected for Sophia on Amazon disappeared after being washed and hung on the balcony… When I asked Linda about it, she looked bewildered: “I didn’t see anything. The wind has been strong these past couple of days. Maybe they blew away?” I believe Sophia had noticed these strange occurrences in our home too, but she didn’t want to think about it too much. [It’s normal for things to be used up faster with an extra person in the house.] With less than a month until the due date, I didn’t want to cause any unpleasantness with my wife over this issue. So I simply replied: [Maybe you’re right.] Little did I know, this was just the beginning.

I stared at Linda with a grim expression. “I clearly remember the lucky charm was on the table yesterday. How come it’s gone today?” Our company evaluates employees’ performance annually, with one promotion opportunity. The previous supervisor had been promoted to department manager, and I was now the leader of the first team, competing with the leaders of the second and third teams for the supervisor position. In previous evaluations, my performance and abilities stood out compared to the other two. Colleagues were quietly saying the supervisor position was practically mine. However, nothing was certain until the very end. The boss called me into his office for a chat, hinting that the higher-ups favored me. If I could secure this cooperation deal, the supervisor position would be mine. Currently, I earn about $3,000 a month including bonuses. As a supervisor, my salary would increase by $500. Not only would the work be easier, but our quality of life would also improve. Recently, I’ve been running around non-stop trying to complete the task assigned by the boss. The potential partner was a tough nut to crack. I camped outside their office for ten whole days before finally meeting the project manager. I prepared a stack of documents, explaining the project’s construction process, our company’s advantages, and past case studies. After listening, the manager only said, “We’ll consider it.” Anyone who’s worked in an office knows that this official response usually means “you’re out of luck.” Having been in the workforce for so many years, I relied on my tenacity as an “unkillable cockroach.” After spending time and money, I finally found out that the manager’s child was sick. His wife was superstitious and went to the temple every day at dawn to pray for their child’s successful surgery and good health. So I took an overnight high-speed train to a famous temple in a nearby city to get a lucky charm. I originally planned to give this as a gift to the manager, but when I woke up today, the lucky charm I had placed on the table was gone! Linda defended herself: “I didn’t see any lucky charm. I just came in to clean the room and left.” Sophia knew how important this was and tried to persuade her mother: “Mom, if you took it, please return it now. This lucky charm is crucial for James’s work.” Even though we had made it so clear, Linda still insisted she hadn’t taken it. “Why would I take your lucky charm? It’s not like it’s worth much. If I wanted one, couldn’t I just go to a temple myself? I’m here taking care of you, and you treat me like a thief. I must have owed you in a past life!” Sophia seemed to believe her mother a bit and hesitantly said, “James, let’s look around some more. My mom really has no use for this thing.” Frustrated, I went back to the bedroom and lay on the bed to book another high-speed train ticket. As I was scrolling through my social media feed, I saw a new post from Emily, my sister-in-law. [Thanks for Mom’s love. Hope everyone stays safe.] The triangular object in her palm looked increasingly familiar… Wait, wasn’t that the lucky charm I got? Sophia was still sitting on the floor helping me search for the charm. I called her over, handed her my phone, and said: “Take a look at this. What is it?” Sophia recognized it immediately and confronted her mother with a stern face: “Mom, didn’t you say you didn’t take the lucky charm? Then why is it in my sister’s hands?” Linda’s eyes darted around. “I just thought your sister is studying alone away from home. Giving her a lucky charm would put my mind at ease.” Sophia exploded in anger, shouting, “I already told you how important this charm was! Are you deaf?” Linda’s tears fell on cue: “You ungrateful child! I serve you hand and foot all day, not even having time to visit a temple. What’s wrong with taking one lucky charm? Your sister is my child too!” Seeing Sophia getting increasingly agitated, I stepped in to calm her down. “Let it go. Don’t get worked up. Let’s just get the charm back.” Sophia nodded and immediately called her sister, explaining the whole situation. Emily exclaimed, “I had no idea! I’m so sorry, sis. Tell James to come pick it up at my school gate right now. I’ll wait for him there.” I quickly changed clothes and rushed out. After all, opportunity waits for no one. Before leaving, I advised Sophia: “Have a good talk with your mom. If she really wants something, she can ask us. But she shouldn’t take things without our permission.” It was exhausting enough coming home after working like a horse all day, without having to play detective on top of it.

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At the family reunion dinner, my father pointed at his mistress decked out in designer brands and told me to call her “Mom.” My real mother rushed in, just like in my previous life, only able to wipe away her tears. She had put on her most presentable outfit, yet still looked poor, haggard, and timid. She didn’t even dare to speak up and say she was my birth mother. My heart ached, but I restrained myself from offering her a tissue. I couldn’t choose her again, or we would both die horribly. So when Mandy, the mistress who clearly wanted me gone, fake-affectionately hugged me and said, “Emily, we’ve kept your room just as it was,” I saw my chance. I made sure the cameras were on me as I threw myself into her arms. “Mom, I’ll move in tonight!” My father was stunned, a flicker of embarrassment in his eyes. I knew he wasn’t truly looking for me – he was just using the guise of a family reunion to craft a public image and make money. When I was three, he slapped me for playing with toys that disturbed his nap. My mom quickly took me out to play, afraid I’d keep crying and get hit again. In that brief moment while she bought me candy, I was kidnapped. My always fashionable mom became disheveled after that. She handed out flyers everywhere, kneeling before strangers to beg for help. Soon my father grew to resent her. “Searching for a child is a bottomless pit – even two companies and six houses can’t fund your wasteful spending!” “Besides, you lost the child – why should I suffer for it?” My father constantly blamed my mom. When she suggested selling a house to fund the search, he finally exploded: “Let’s divorce. You leave with nothing and go search on your own!” Out of guilt, my mom really did divorce him and leave empty-handed. Not only that, she naively believed my father’s words were just spoken in anger. She thought if she found me, we could be a family again. But my father didn’t wait for us at all. He immediately married his mistress. Unexpectedly, the mistress was even more extravagant. She wore designer clothes, bought limited edition bags, and only drank $200 imported French water. In just three years, she nearly bankrupted my father. It was then that a parent went viral online while searching for their child, accidentally becoming rich and famous. My father was tempted. He jumped on that trending topic, gaining both fame and fortune. Money was so easy to make this way, my father definitely wanted to keep searching for me. To keep searching, but never actually find me. Unfortunately, I was a DNA match in the database. He had no choice but to host this grand reunion dinner. To maintain his image, he came up with this farce of passing off the mistress as my birth mother. But the mistress had her own agenda. She felt my father was already worth over $100 million – why bother making more money from netizens? Besides, she had given my father a son. She didn’t want anyone else coming to split the inheritance. “That woman in the shabby dress is your real mother…” Mandy whispered in my ear, avoiding my father’s gaze. Of course I knew the haggard woman standing in the corner, crying and smiling as she looked at me, was my birth mother. I also knew that to raise money to find me, she delivered food and collected recyclables, suffering in a basement apartment. So what? I didn’t want to live a life of poverty. My eyes stung. I pretended not to hear, hugging Mandy tightly as I cried, “Mom, I’m willing. I’m willing to officially register as part of the family.”

“What nonsense are you saying! I didn’t even ask…” Mandy was startled, her nails digging into my flesh. My father looked confused, but forced a smile and nodded in agreement for the cameras. Seeing my father nod, Mandy grew anxious. While my father was chatting with other parents searching for lost children, she secretly encouraged my mom to claim me. “Sister, you’ve suffered so much looking for your child. You should let her know.” My mom was oblivious to the manipulation, thinking this was my father’s intention. Her eyes lit up. “Emily, I… I am…” Perhaps daughters are more easily moved by their mothers. In my past life, I chose her without hesitation. And in doing so, I hurt her again. The year of the reunion dinner, I was a high school junior. To pay for my education and move us out of the basement, she worked three jobs a day. In the end, she collapsed and died while delivering food. Her funeral was hastily arranged. No one sympathized with her. My father said, “Your mom just had to prove herself. First she insisted on finding you, then she insisted on fighting for you. Look at her – no skills at all, yet she dared to defy me.” Relatives said: “Your mom brought this on herself. She gave up a life of luxury to suffer like this.” The mistress also said… She covered her mouth and whispered in my ear: “We should thank you both. If you hadn’t stupidly gotten kidnapped, if your mom hadn’t stupidly insisted on finding you, I wouldn’t be living this life of luxury now. Haha, I’m so grateful to you two idiots.” Mandy, my father’s mistress, smugly jangled her diamond bracelet. I didn’t understand – why did a mother so devoted to finding her child not have a happy ending? And I didn’t have a happy ending either. Working part-time through college, I finally graduated and landed a job at a Fortune 500 company. But Mandy was afraid I’d come back for the inheritance since I studied law. She hired some thugs to gang rape me to death. Not only did she turn it around and say I was promiscuous, she spread photos everywhere. And so I died at my most humiliating moment – filthy, degraded, without even getting revenge for my mom. My heart clenched. I couldn’t repeat those mistakes. I couldn’t bear to look my mom in the eye. I tugged on my father’s sleeve. He hadn’t noticed Mandy’s scheming, and instead scolded my mom for being inconsiderate. “Stop crying. You’re just here to see her once, don’t push your luck.” Afraid of being exposed if we stayed too long, he quietly threatened my mom. “Leave quickly. You don’t want to affect her college entrance exams, do you?” My poor mom still harbored illusions about my father even now. She kept looking back as she left, hoping my father would call her back out of concern. But of course, my father couldn’t see how thin she had become. He rushed back to the table, focused only on serving food to Mandy. When the meal was almost over, someone asked if my father had prepared a gift for me. Only then did he pretend to be generous and ask what I wanted. I couldn’t ask for too much at first. I acted shy and mumbled, “I’d like a laptop for studying.” I knew my father couldn’t refuse me in public. But to my surprise, he only bought me a $400 off-brand laptop. Who would believe this was the tycoon who had offered a $3 million reward to find his daughter online? I realized this way of getting money was too slow. I took a photo of the laptop and posted it online with the caption: “My first ever laptop. Thanks, Dad.” My father knew how to play the internet game, but so did I. As expected, netizens didn’t disappoint me. Not only did they curse my father for being stingy and hypocritical, they also dug up Mandy’s identity as the mistress…

My father was furious, blaming me for posting the photo online. I cried silently, “The buyers weren’t nice to me. I just wanted to show off some fatherly love I never had before.” Blood is thicker than water after all. My father hesitated, then couldn’t bring himself to blame me further. He thought staying silent would cover up the truth, and ordered me to delete the photo. But as soon as I deleted it, netizens had more to say. “The old scammer won’t clarify anything, just forces his daughter to delete the photo! That woman at the reunion dinner was definitely the mistress!” My father not only lost a million followers, but his company’s stock price also fell. Because netizens not only found my mom, but also dug up her impoverished living conditions. Now the deceived netizens were truly angry! They rained fire on my father and Mandy. “You heartless bastard! How dare you make your daughter call the mistress ‘Mom’! Have you no conscience?” “Homewrecker! You stole someone’s husband 14 years ago, now you’re stealing their daughter! Have you no shame?” “Damn, they even have a son!” The all-knowing netizens uncovered 5-year-old Tyler. Unexpectedly, this gave Mandy an opportunity. She seized on it to try and take the money and run. “What should we do? They know about our son now. Will they harm Tyler?” “I don’t care, I want to emigrate. I want to live abroad.” When it came to his son, my father hesitated. But he was reluctant to let years of hard work go to waste. He decided to send me to find my mom and put out the fire. My mom was surprised to see me. Her eyes held a glimmer of hidden hope. She nervously wrung her hands, hesitantly asking, “Emily, why are you here? Did your father…” Even at a time like this, she was still fantasizing that my father would take her back and we’d be a family again. I had to be cruel and tell her the truth. “Mom, my father and Mandy have a son. They’re preparing to leave the country.” “Can you help me fight for some of the inheritance?” I knew it would be hard to change my mom’s mind quickly. So I had to use harsh medicine to make her give up hope. In my past life, she washed dishes during the day, delivered food at night, and collected recyclables in her spare time. No matter how difficult or tiring it was, she never asked my father for child support. Because she didn’t know he had a son. She firmly believed my father would feel sorry for her, feel sorry for his daughter. If she had asked for money before that, it would have cheapened her in his eyes. Only then did I learn that my father had lied to my mom. He had promised her he wouldn’t have more children, that all his assets would be left to me… My mom finally woke up. She took out a loan to hire a lawyer and file a lawsuit. That lawyer was incredibly skilled and knew how to use public opinion to our advantage. My father was clearly in the wrong. After consulting many lawyers, he had no choice but to curse and grumble as he gave my mom three houses and $750,000 in cash. To my father’s current net worth, this was a drop in the bucket. But it was enough for my mom to start over. After getting the money, my mom eagerly asked me, “Emily, now that Mom has money, are you willing to live with me?” Her eyes were full of longing. She wanted nothing more than to make up for all the years of lost motherly love. But Mom, you already repaid everything in your past life. This life you should live for yourself. Using the excuse of preparing for college entrance exams and it being more convenient to stay at my father’s, I gently refused her. “When I can earn money, I’ll live with you, Mom. But before then, you need to take good care of yourself. Stay healthy and beautiful.” My mom seemed to understand my meaning. She hugged me and cried for a while, then lightly nodded. At this critical moment, my father didn’t dare stop me from going back. But when I walked in, his expression wasn’t good. Seeing my father’s cold attitude towards me, Mandy couldn’t hide her glee as she taunted me. “Oh Emily, are you really on your father’s side?” “Your father trusted you to find your mom and film a video to clear things up. What did you do instead?” “You helped your mom take your father’s assets!” I definitely wasn’t on my father’s side, just like how his search for me across the country was really just traveling around with Mandy. He wasn’t on my side either. Recalling the details uncovered by netizens, I took out the video I recorded with my mom. “Dad, my mom only found a lawyer after seeing netizens’ comments. I really didn’t know…” My father was still riled up by Mandy’s words and ignored me. With no other choice, I had to take a step back. “Dad, people online are saying you didn’t really want to find me. Is that true?” Of course my father couldn’t admit his hypocrisy. He stubbornly replied, “That’s nonsense!” I seized the opportunity to advise him: “If you officially register me as part of the family, transfer me to a new school, and film a video of Mom agreeing to an amicable split, wouldn’t that disprove the rumors?” “Well…” My father felt my words made some sense. Seeing my father waver, Mandy finally dropped all pretense. She pointed at me and sneered. “It’s either her or me in this house!”

“What kind of talk is that!” Ever since returning from the reunion dinner, my father had been singing Mandy’s praises to me, saying how hard she worked to help search for me. Now that the lies were exposed, my father glanced at me awkwardly before hurriedly pulling Mandy into another room. I don’t know what they said, but when they came out, Mandy was like a different person. She enthusiastically hugged me, “Emily, welcome home.” Much later I finally learned that my father had promised her then, “All the assets will go to Tyler. We’ll just use Emily to make money.” But it didn’t matter anymore. I had finally moved into my father’s mansion and met my 5-year-old half-brother Tyler, who was cared for by two nannies. The household registration transfer smoothed over some of the online criticism. My father was pleased and bought Mandy a Hermès bag. Placated by the bag, Mandy became two-faced. She no longer gave me trouble in front of my father, but secretly schemed against me. She arranged for different thugs to wait outside my school and whistle at me. “Emily, be my girlfriend.” Memories of my horrific death in my past life surfaced. I covered my mouth and retched. I called my father: “I’m being harassed.” He just coldly replied: “A fly won’t bite a seamless egg.” That response was too ridiculous. I carefully selected a male model online and sent him photos of Mandy with her wall of luxury goods. “Want to make big money?” He instantly replied: “Thanks sis.” That weekend, Mandy dressed up beautifully to go out. The nanny happened to have a family emergency and needed time off. I thought Mandy would cancel her date, but she just dumped the kid on me. “Don’t just focus on studying. Take good care of your brother. If he gets even a tiny scratch, your father won’t let you off!” My brother was the apple of my father’s eye. I nodded obediently. In a rush to her date, Mandy warned me sternly before leaving satisfied. Although Tyler was only 5, his destructive power was shocking. He was hostile towards me, muttering “bad sister” while constantly throwing toys at me. I didn’t bother with him. I took out some homework and did my assignments while keeping an eye on him. Seeing me ignore him, he started crying and throwing blocks around with loud crashes. The noise finally woke my napping father. He came downstairs yelling: “Are you all deaf? Can’t you hear Tyler crying?” He was still as hot-tempered as ever. Remembering the slap I got at age 3, I carefully explained: “The nanny had to leave and Mandy went out.” Luckily my father saw I was studying and didn’t take his anger out on me. He tried to pick up Tyler but tripped over some toys after just three steps. This made my father even angrier. He blamed Mandy for going out. His angry appearance was too scary. Tyler cried even louder. “There, there, don’t cry…” My father clumsily comforted Tyler. Sprawled on the couch catching his breath, he finally asked me: “Emily, how… how has your mom been lately?”

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Everyone knows that Liam White, the heartthrob of A University, is hopelessly romantic. On the first day he met me, he confessed his love and gave me a card with five million dollars. When I was sick, he skipped classes to take care of me and personally prepared nutritious meals. He said, “Wil, I’ll always be by your side when you’re sick. I’ll take care of you forever.” To celebrate my birthday, he scoured the entire city to buy enough roses to fill an entire room. In the night sky, dazzling drones proclaimed his love for me to the world. [Wil, I love you forever] We embraced sweetly under the fireworks. Even in his room, it was full of my photos. Every day, he would post on social media about his love for me. But just now, I found a photo on his computer. The person in the photo looked almost identical to me. But she was wearing clothes I had never worn before. My hand froze on the mouse as I pondered the origin of this photo. But I was certain I had never taken this picture. Looking closely, the person in the photo seemed more fragile, with a hint of sadness in her eyes. The look she gave was somewhat reproachful, an expression I would never make. I suddenly remembered that my best friend Tanya had mentioned to me a while ago that Liam seemed to have had a crush on someone in high school. My heart suddenly felt a bit uneasy. Liam loved taking photos, and he loved taking photos of me too. But every time, he would make me pose in specific ways, never letting me pose freely. Whenever I wanted to pose on my own, his face would suddenly darken. I always thought it was just his unique photography quirk. So I would always comply with his wishes, and after taking the photos, he would always hug me and say: “Wil, you look best like this. I want to capture your most beautiful moments.” Afterwards, he would take me to various popular spots for couples and buy me all sorts of nice things. I always thought I was overthinking things before, but what if there really was something more to it? Considering the possible outcome, my body started to feel cold. My hand gripping the mouse tightened, involuntarily shaking a bit. Suddenly, I discovered a folder, but it was password-protected and I couldn’t open it. “Wil, have you finished checking the materials?” The moment I heard Liam’s voice, I instinctively exited the folder and returned to the initial page. My heart was racing violently, accompanied by a slight tightening that was somewhat painful. I turned to look at him, my face somewhat pale. “Wil, what’s wrong? Are you tired from writing your paper? I told you not to apply for your professor’s graduate program. You’re already so exhausted now, they’ll definitely squeeze you even more in the future.” “Besides, your boyfriend is so rich. After you graduate, I can just support you!” Liam hugged me worriedly, comforting me attentively. I buried my face in his chest and took a deep breath, still smelling that faint citrus scent, then wiped away the tears that had inexplicably fallen from the corners of my eyes. I looked up at the person in front of me, Liam’s eyes full of concern. In our four years together, he had always been very attentive to my emotions. Even though my body was very healthy and I had some natural athletic ability, he always thought I wasn’t good at sports. Every time I finished a sports competition, he would wait at the finish line looking at me with worry. My classmates all said he really loved me, and I thought he was very good to me too, just a bit too careful. “Liam, don’t be like this. I just ran 800 meters, you don’t need to be so nervous.” I wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. His face was even paler than mine after I had just finished running. He just carefully hugged me and said, “Wil, don’t participate next time. I’m worried about you, after all, your health isn’t good.” The last half of his sentence was too quiet, and I just thought he was too concerned about me. But thinking about it now, maybe there really was someone with poor health, just that person wasn’t me? Just thinking about this possibility made my heart ache. “Liam, this photo, I don’t think I’ve ever taken it?” I saw a flash of panic cross his face, but he quickly regained his composure. “Wil, where did you see this photo?” “On the desktop.” Without thinking, Liam blurted out, “I wanted to buy you new clothes, so I used AI to see how they would look on you. The result was very nice, so I bought that white dress set you haven’t worn yet.”

I looked straight into Liam’s eyes. There wasn’t a trace of lying in his eyes, just full of affection for me. His voice was steady, and the whole explanation was very reasonable, but it came so quickly that it gave me a strange feeling. It seemed as if he had prepared this reason long ago. I remained silent, but Liam panicked. His eyes reddened slightly as he took my hand. “Wil, don’t you believe me? Who else could it be if not you?” “You know, since being with you, except for business, I hardly ever spend time alone with other girls. I only love you.” His eyes were already glistening with tears as he explained, pleading with me with his gaze. My doubt seemed to make him extremely upset. “Wil, I love you. If I ever fall in love with someone else, may I die without a burial place!” With that, he hugged me tightly. I felt my shoulder becoming a bit hot. Liam’s words were too resolute, so resolute that I couldn’t doubt him anymore. Perhaps I was really overthinking things. I hugged him back. “I’m sorry, Liam. I’ve been too tired lately.” “I believe you love me. You wouldn’t lie to me.” Liam happily hugged me and spun me around upon hearing this. Not long after, he led me to the living room where the coffee table was filled with various fruits. Then he went to the kitchen to prepare dinner. In our four years together, Liam had gradually taken over my three meals a day. He said outside food wasn’t healthy. No matter how busy he was, he would always make time to prepare light meals for me with the freshest ingredients. When I was too busy to come home to eat, he would even deliver to my lab. My lab mates would say, “Why don’t you just hire a housekeeper? Isn’t it a waste of time to cook every day?” How did Liam always respond? He would say, “Wil loves my cooking the most.” But I had only told him I loved his cooking at the very beginning. As time went on, being someone who loves spicy food, I would often complain to him that the dishes were too bland. But he would just smile and say to me, “Eating light is good for your health.” He never mentioned making the food more to my taste. I kept staring at the kitchen. Perhaps Liam noticed my gaze, he turned back to look at me and then smiled gently. Not long after, he brought out three light dishes and a soup. The portion wasn’t large, just enough for two people. But I had accidentally been to the kitchen before and saw the ingredients Liam bought. There was definitely more than just this amount. At that time, I thought he was a novice and there was some waste, but the taste of his cooking was definitely not that of a novice. Thinking about it now, there seemed to be many loopholes. It’s just that I never doubted before, so I directly ignored them. After dinner, he sat beside me as I wrote my thesis. Suddenly, a clap of thunder outside, and Liam’s phone rang instantly. For a moment, I felt like my ears were going deaf. This ringtone, I had never heard before. Liam’s expression immediately became panicked, his movements became agitated. When I was busy before, he would never disturb me like this. I turned to look at him with some annoyance, but saw his face full of panic, anxiously saying: “Call the doctor quickly.” Then he left immediately without even considering me, followed by the sound of a car starting in the yard. Without Liam’s company, the thunder in the deep night became terribly frightening. I remember telling Liam that I was afraid of thunder. And at that time, besides sympathy, there seemed to be a bit of delight in his eyes. He said, “In the future, when there’s thunder, you’ll have me. I can protect you.” But Liam, you’ve broken your promise. When I need you now, you’ve abandoned me. I closed my computer and opened the location tracker installed on Liam’s phone. This was something he installed himself to prove his love for me. A strong urge told me to go to where the red dot was. I didn’t hesitate, put on my clothes and left. But I never expected to see such a scene.

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Just a week after my husband’s death, my father-in-law was forcing me to have an abortion. “My son had azoospermia. Get rid of that bastard in your belly and get out!” he shouted. “You’re the one at fault here. You have no right to inherit my son’s estate!” I looked at my mother-in-law standing beside him, constantly retching. I clutched the medical report I had just received tightly in my hand. It was clear who actually had azoospermia. So where did my husband’s and mother-in-law’s fetuses come from? “Tell me, where did that bastard in your belly come from?” my father-in-law demanded. “How shameless! How could our family end up with such a promiscuous woman!” As soon as I opened the door, my father-in-law rushed in and slapped me hard across the face twice. “Bring out your lover right now. I’ll kill him today!” My father-in-law’s eyes were bloodshot as he violently shook my shoulders, interrogating me. I was stunned by the slaps and took a while to react. “Dad, what’s wrong with you?” I finally managed to ask. My father-in-law let go of me and started rummaging through the house: “My son had azoospermia. How could you possibly be pregnant with his child?” “Oh, my poor son! His body isn’t even cold yet, and he’s already wearing such a big green hat!” My vision went dark for a moment before I opened my mouth to explain: “That’s impossible. Jack was perfectly healthy. He definitely didn’t have azoospermia!” My father-in-law was so angry he was panting heavily: “You… you’re talking nonsense!” “It’s written in black and white. I’m not blind!” I clutched the medical report in my hand tightly, unsure of how to begin explaining.

My father-in-law was still seething with anger. “Emily, you committed adultery during your marriage. The evidence is conclusive. As the party at fault, you have absolutely no right to inherit my son’s estate!” My heart filled with bitterness, and tears began to flow. Could it be that he was deliberately slandering me for money? When my husband was alive, we were known as a model family in the neighborhood, admired by everyone. My husband loved and doted on me, and my in-laws treated me like their own daughter. My husband did leave behind a considerable inheritance, but in my heart, the relationship with my in-laws was priceless. He must be unable to bear the pain of burying his son, which is why he’s acting so out of character. Yes, that must be it! Thinking this, I forced a smile: “Dad, what are you saying? You know how much Jack and I loved each other!” “The baby in my belly is absolutely your flesh and blood grandchild! He’s already seven months along. How heartbroken he would be if he heard his own grandfather doubting him like this!” Hearing this, my father-in-law became even angrier. He grabbed my arm: “Shut up, you shameless woman!” “Our family won’t acknowledge such a bastard! Come with me to the hospital right now and get rid of it!” Being in late pregnancy, I almost fell when he pulled me. “Dad, please calm down! The doctor must have mixed up the reports!” As soon as I finished speaking, my mother-in-law, who had been standing silently in the corner, suddenly reacted. One hand lightly stroking her chest to calm herself, the other covering her mouth as she dry heaved, looking extremely uncomfortable. My heart sank. Ignoring my own predicament, I asked with concern: “Mom, are you alright?” My father-in-law let go of me and hurriedly helped my mother-in-law sit down. “Honey, you’re not taking care of yourself. Why were you just standing there?” “You need to be extra careful now. Sit down and rest!” I looked up at the window in surprise. Had the sun risen from the west today? How did my chauvinistic father-in-law suddenly turn into such a doting husband? Perhaps my husband’s sudden death had made my father-in-law realize the true meaning of life? My mother-in-law gently pushed away my father-in-law’s arm that was holding her. “I’m fine. Let’s focus on the matter at hand!” My father-in-law obeyed immediately, turning his head to glare at me fiercely: “We definitely won’t acknowledge that bastard in your belly. You must abort it today, there’s no room for discussion!” “Don’t even think about getting the house, car, or money. Otherwise, I’ll let the whole country know what a promiscuous woman you are!”

I ignored him and brought a cup of hot water to my mother-in-law. “Mom, are you feeling better? Is it your old stomach problem? Should I take you to the hospital?” My mother-in-law lowered her head without responding, but I could see her ears turning slightly red. Huh? My mother-in-law was acting a bit strange today! Everyone gets sick sometimes. There’s nothing to be embarrassed about seeing a doctor when you’re ill. Seeing me lost in thought, my father-in-law snatched the cup from my hand and smiled smugly: “Stomach problem? You wishful thinking bitch!” “I’m going to be a father again! I guess Jack couldn’t bear to leave us old folks alone, so he came back!” This was too much information to process at once. My mouth moved faster than my brain: “Jack has only been gone for seven days. Even if it were an early pregnancy, it wouldn’t show up on a test yet!” My mother-in-law’s thin shoulders began to tremble, and a wet patch quickly spread on her black pants… “Mom, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean anything by it.” “What did you mean then? Are you hoping our family line will end so that bastard in your belly can benefit?” my father-in-law snapped. My mother-in-law looked even more uncomfortable, her back hunched over as she covered her face with both hands. I rushed over anxiously: “Dad, look how upset Mom is. Stop talking nonsense and take her to the hospital!” My father-in-law smugly waved a piece of paper in my face: “We’ve already been to the hospital. The doctor praised me for being so virile at my age!” “Don’t think you’re the only one who can get pregnant, you shameless woman!” I looked at the hCG levels on the report, which were as high as several hundred thousand, and rubbed my eyes in confusion. So my mother-in-law really was pregnant??? But before my husband passed away, I had taken the whole family for a full-body check-up at the most authoritative hospital in the city. I had been busy with my husband’s funeral arrangements and only got the reports back today. Before they came in, I had been wondering. How could my father-in-law have azoospermia? Where did my husband come from then? The deceased is gone, so we’ll set aside the question of my husband’s origins for now. But this second child of my mother-in-law’s definitely couldn’t be my father-in-law’s! Seeing that I wasn’t saying anything, my father-in-law stood up and looked around the room I had prepared for the baby: “You shameless woman, you certainly don’t hold back when spending my son’s money!” “After we get rid of that little bastard in your belly, this room will be perfect for my son Guangyong.” It felt like two little people were fighting in my head. Should I say something or not?

If I don’t say anything, my father-in-law will be convinced that I’ve been unfaithful. But if I do speak up, it’s better to tear down a temple than to break up a marriage. What if it affects the relationship my in-laws have built over many years? How could I face my husband in the afterlife? After a long while, I finally thought of a solution that could satisfy both sides: “Dad, I understand and sympathize with how you’re feeling.” “If you’re really worried, I can go to the hospital for an amniocentesis and paternity test.” “I’ve kept all of Jack’s belongings, so it would be easy to get a biological sample.” My father-in-law looked like a bundle of firecrackers about to explode: “Do you think I’m stupid? You probably bring your lover home every day. Who knows whose sample you’d use!” I frowned. Had my father-in-law gone mad with grief? Why was he being so unreasonable? If only he had raised these doubts before my husband was cremated. What could we do now… Seeing that my father-in-law was about to lose his temper again, I gritted my teeth and made a decision. At this point, I could only take a gamble. What if my father-in-law’s azoospermia was a recent condition? “How about we do the test with you? That can’t be faked!” I suggested quickly before he could explode. “As long as we can prove there’s a genetic relationship with you, it will prove my innocence!” My father-in-law was about to speak when my mother-in-law burst into tears. “We’re all family. We should settle this at home!” she cried. “There’s no need for any tests that will cause a scandal. Emily is still young. How will she face people if something goes wrong?” A strange feeling crept over me. What??? Was my mother-in-law trying to help me? Why did it sound so odd! Thinking about how good she had been to me in the past, I forced a smile: “Mom, it’s okay. The truth will come out!” “No one knows better than a mother whose child she’s carrying!” “Dad is getting on in years. There’s no need to trouble him over such a small matter. We can just do the test. The hospital will protect patient privacy!” My father-in-law reached out his hand to make a pact with me: “If that bastard in your belly has nothing to do with me, you must get rid of it immediately and get out of the Zhang family!” “Otherwise, your entire family will suffer the consequences!”

I looked at the bottles of expensive wine on the coffee table, feeling very upset. My father-in-law loved to drink, and these were wines my dad had painstakingly brought back all the way from France. If he knew that his usually friendly in-law was cursing his family behind his back, how heartbroken would my dad be! Before I could open my mouth to argue, my mother-in-law started crying even louder. “What are you trying to do? Do you want to drive me to my death?” “My poor son’s body isn’t even cold yet. Can’t we resolve this peacefully instead of tearing the family apart?” My heart tightened. It seemed like my mother-in-law had something else to say! I needed to think this through carefully. Generally speaking, cheating is a habitual behavior. So, could this not be my mother-in-law’s first time? What if my husband really wasn’t my father-in-law’s child? Then the baby would definitely have no genetic relationship with my father-in-law. If that were the case, with my husband gone, there would be no way to prove it. My father-in-law would direct all his anger at me. There would be no way for me to clear my name! What should I do? When my husband was dying, he held my hand tightly and wouldn’t let go. He only closed his eyes peacefully after I promised to take care of his parents as if they were my own. With that promise still ringing in my ears, how could I go back on my word? Suddenly, an idea struck me. I had thought of a solution that could satisfy everyone. I turned to look at my mother-in-law: “Mom, since you’ll need to have regular prenatal check-ups anyway, why don’t you do a paternity test with the baby?” I couldn’t help but applaud myself internally! Even if my father-in-law might not be my husband’s biological father, my mother-in-law must be his birth mother, right? This way, everyone’s face would be saved, and my father-in-law could let go of his suspicions about me! My mother-in-law was about to speak when my father-in-law interrupted her impatiently: “What paternity test? Why should we waste thousands of dollars for the sake of that bastard in your belly!” I choked up, almost crying out loud. Hand on heart, I had never shown the slightest disrespect to my in-laws. My husband’s body wasn’t even cold yet. How could they bear to humiliate his widow and unborn child like this? Tears kept falling, gradually blurring my vision.

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