Author: Momo Chan

My brother is a male mermaid. I’m a female mermaid. Since we were born with tails, our mom thought we were disgusting monsters and abandoned us without hesitation. Later, through sheer grit and working three jobs each, we became billionaires. Just when we thought we could escape and live our own lives, three domineering CEOs showed up at our door. Facing their overwhelming presence, my brother and I backed away in panic: “We can explain!” 0Our father was a mysterious merman from the ocean. After a random encounter, our mother gave birth to us. Hoping to make our father come back, she decided to keep us, even though she knew we weren’t like regular children. But three years passed, and our father never returned. As time went on, she became more impatient. Every time she saw the tails on me and my brother, her irritation turned into madness. Her hateful gaze would linger on us for hours. Overwhelmed by her growing frustration, she would sometimes lose control, grabbing us and yanking out the scales from our tails. Since we didn’t have legs, my brother and I were forced to stay in a filthy, rusted bathtub. She would scream at us, her voice filled with venom: “Monsters! You ugly little freaks—why don’t you just die already?” “I can’t believe I gave birth to you two. I should’ve strangled you the day you were born!” “You’re just like your useless, good-for-nothing father!” Eventually, she put an overdose of drugs in our food, stuffed us into a bag with rocks, and dumped us into a pond to drown. But she underestimated us. Our merfolk bodies were far more resistant to toxins than humans, and we could breathe underwater. Somehow, we survived. Despite being abandoned, my brother and I managed to grow strong on the fish in the pond and made it to the age of five. One day, we discovered that we could transform our tails into legs. Excited, we climbed onto land for the first time—only to be promptly arrested for wandering around naked. We didn’t know it was inappropriate. After all, no one ever taught us about clothing, manners, or shame. With no family to claim us and no records of our existence, the authorities sent us to an orphanage. We didn’t speak a word until we were five, so everyone thought we were dumb. And since we ate more than any of the other kids, no one wanted to adopt us. So, we stayed in the orphanage until we turned 18. My brother and I shared one dream: to buy a private island where we could live freely without constantly hiding our true selves. To achieve that dream, we each began working three jobs. My brother became a butler, driver, and something else to three separate CEOs. I, on the other hand, became a stand-in for one CEO’s lost love, a shameless simp for another, and a housekeeper for the third—a CEO who happened to prefer men. Yes, you read that right. My brother and I worked as a team. We didn’t care about love—only money. 0

My brother hurriedly changed into his butler uniform while I slipped into the signature white dress of the “lost love” I was pretending to be. We had just rushed back from another gig, and with time running out, we were both scrambling to get ready. The doorbell rang, and my brother immediately put on a stoic expression, standing stiffly to the side. I adjusted my face into a gentle, delicate expression, fully embracing my role. Zane pushed the door open and walked in. My brother greeted him with a straight face: “Welcome home, Sir.” I bit my lip to keep from laughing and pinched my thigh to stay in character. Zane stopped in front of me, his piercing gaze locking onto mine. “What did you do today?” he asked coldly. From the very beginning, Zane had been upfront with me: I was hired because I looked like his ex, his “ture love.” One million dollars a month for the role. My brother, as his butler, earned half that. Facing Zane’s question, I responded with utmost professionalism, my voice soft and tender: “I read some books, cooked a meal, and… thought about you.” Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my brother in the corner, his shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter, his teeth practically bared. Zane sat down beside me, his intense gaze never leaving my face. “Jenna’s coming back soon,” he said abruptly. “You won’t be needed anymore.” My smile froze. It felt like a bucket of money—no, a bucket of gold—was slipping through my fingers. “Wait,” I said, tears welling up in my eyes as I looked at him pleadingly. “Can’t you let me stay a little longer?” If I could just finish out the month, I’d earn another $100,000. Zane mistook my desperation for genuine emotion. “She’s fallen for me,” he thought smugly. But his heart belonged to Jenna. To him, I was nothing more than a replacement. His expression remained cold as he said: “You’re just a stand-in. I’ll never fall for you. I’ve already transferred $1 million into your account as a breakup fee. Disappear before Jenna returns.” My eyes lit up like a stadium under floodlights. This man. This generous, money-throwing man. He was my favorite client by far. But I was a professional. Even at the very last moment, I stayed in character. Tears streamed down my face as I gazed at him with heartbroken devotion. “Okay,” I whispered, my voice trembling. “I’ll do as you say.” Zane nodded, satisfied. He seemed almost reluctant as he added: “You should give up on any feelings you have for me. You can stay in this house—I won’t be coming back.” From his corner, my brother gave me an enthusiastic thumbs-up. This house, in an upscale neighborhood, had to be worth millions. If Zane wasn’t coming back, we could rent it out for a fortune. My brother and I exchanged a glance, instantly reading each other’s thoughts. Sometimes, it felt like we shared a single brain. 0

I brought out the takeout I had already plated and walked over to Zane with a look of heartfelt devotion. “This is the last meal I’ll ever make for you,” I said softly. “Please, Zane, let me watch you finish it, just this once.” Zane sighed inwardly but eventually gave a slight nod. “Fine. Since you like me so much, I’ll eat a little.” Right on cue, my brother chimed in from the side, his voice full of admiration: “It’s been a long time since the young master has eaten this much.” The problem with working alongside my brother is that we know each other far too well. Whenever he acts all serious and composed, it just makes me want to laugh. The moment we make eye contact, neither of us can hold it in. As soon as Zane finished eating and left, I finally let myself burst into laughter. “He’s so clueless! Have you been watching too many CEO dramas? What kind of butler even talks like that?” My brother rolled his eyes and plopped down beside me. “Your acting is too good. Seriously, though, don’t get too carried away. Remember, we’re here for the money, not the romance.” The laughter faded from my face as I nodded, sobering up. “I know. Of course, I know. With bodies like ours, no one would ever truly accept us.” We only had each other. Still, I couldn’t help but warn him in return: “You should be careful too. That sugar daddy of yours doesn’t look like someone you can mess with. Don’t let him swallow you whole.” My brother shrugged, scooping up the leftover food without a care. “Not a chance. I’m just his fake boyfriend to piss off his parents. He doesn’t even like men.” I wasn’t so sure about that. From what I’d seen while working as his housekeeper, the way Peyton looked at my brother was practically predatory. But my brother, blissfully oblivious, was still playing his role with utmost professionalism. After finishing his meal, he started talking about the island again. The one we wanted to buy was a remote, uninhabited paradise surrounded by endless ocean. There, we could finally shed our human disguises, swim freely in the sea, and never have to hide who we truly were again. 0

After tidying up, I listed the mansion online for rent. Every little bit of extra cash helped, and we were still a ways off from reaching our goal. My brother changed into another outfit, this time slipping on a pair of white gloves for his role as a driver. “Let’s go. We’re meeting with Ethan Greyson next.” I nodded. This was our second gig. I played the lovesick admirer, while my brother worked as Ethan’s driver. This job came about by sheer coincidence. When we first arrived in the city, fresh from the countryside, we witnessed a young woman chasing after Ethan, begging him to give her a chance. He humiliated her on the spot, throwing a wad of cash at her before walking away. “Here,” he said coldly. “This should be enough for you. Stop wasting my time.” My brother and I were stunned. We’d never seen such a display of wealth before and were instantly mesmerized. That’s when I decided—I wanted to be a “simp” too. I tracked down Ethan’s whereabouts, orchestrated a “chance” encounter, and confessed my feelings to him on the spot. Predictably, he rejected me without hesitation. But he also tossed a designer jacket at me, muttering something about it being dirty. I couldn’t see a single stain on it, but I sold it online anyway and made my first real profit in the city. As for my brother, he became Ethan’s driver by accident. Desperate to avoid me, Ethan hailed a random three-wheeled taxi—driven by none other than my brother. That was the first time Ethan experienced the thrill of riding in the open air, and he immediately hired my brother as his personal chauffeur. My brother even got his driver’s license out of the deal, saving us the expense. None of the CEOs knew about our connection. To keep up the act, I always got out of the car early, leaving my brother to drop Ethan off alone. This time, I jumped out about 500 meters from the destination and sprinted the rest of the way. When I arrived, Ethan was already walking toward me, surrounded by his entourage. One of his obnoxious friends sneered at me, his tone dripping with mockery. “Here she comes again. Ethan, your charm really is something else. Who would’ve thought she’d show up just because you called her?” Ignoring them, I focused on Ethan with a look of genuine concern. “You shouldn’t be drinking so much. Your stomach can’t handle it,” I said softly. 0

Ethan Greyson grabbed my chin roughly, his voice dripping with mockery. “Luna, is it really that hard for you to live without me?” Tears welled up in my eyes, and I gave him my most pitiful look. “Ethan, I really do care about you,” I said, my voice trembling. Behind him, his friends burst into laughter. “A penniless orphan like you, trying to match up to the Greyson family? Luna, stop dreaming. Ethan has plenty of admirers—you’re nothing.” Ethan chuckled coldly, then shoved me away. He pulled out his wallet, took out a thick stack of cash, and tossed it at my face. “You’re so annoying. Just look at yourself—pathetic.” Right on cue, tears slid down my face as I took on the perfect expression of someone utterly humiliated. “Ethan… I really do like you,” I whispered, my voice cracking. Without sparing me another glance, he got into his car, his back radiating cold indifference. As soon as Ethan drove away, leaving only his friends behind, I caught my brother giving me a thumbs-up from a distance, his grin practically splitting his face. “This was a good haul!” his expression said. I silently wiped my tears, waiting until Ethan’s group of friends left. Then, I immediately crouched down and started picking up the cash. Not bad, not bad at all. Today’s take was pretty decent. I counted the money—$4,500. Sure, it didn’t compare to what Zane had given me, but for us, it was a small fortune. At least now, my brother and I wouldn’t have to worry about living expenses for the rest of the month. My brother wouldn’t be done chauffeuring Ethan for a while, so I decided to treat myself to a nice meal in the meantime. I went to a restaurant Zane had taken me to before. It was a bit pricey, but the food was excellent, and today I felt like splurging. I picked a table toward the back, out of sight, to enjoy some privacy. But no amount of caution could have prepared me for what happened next: I spotted my brother’s “boss” sitting at the table behind me. It was Holden Reid, my brother’s sugar daddy. To my relief, he didn’t seem to recognize me. He sat with a troubled expression, a stunning woman standing beside him. Immediately, I felt a sense of danger on my brother’s behalf. Holden Reid was, in every way, a perfect man. Polite, thoughtful, and kind. He even treated me—the “housekeeper”—with respect. But when it came to my brother? He was next level. Holden was attentive to the point of perfection. If not for the secret my brother and I were hiding, I might’ve even encouraged him to marry Holden. But right now, watching the beautiful woman beside him, I couldn’t help but wonder: was my brother wrong? Did Holden actually not like men? I perked up my ears, trying to catch their conversation. Holden sighed heavily, his tone filled with frustration. “Do you think there’s something wrong with me? It all started because I wanted to piss off my parents, so I found a guy.” He paused, his voice growing softer. “But now, every time I see him, I can’t control myself.” The woman across from him practically jumped out of her seat, her voice bursting with excitement. “Go on! What do you mean?” I leaned in closer, trying to hear every word. Holden’s voice was barely audible, almost embarrassed. “I’m… attracted to him.” My eyes widened, and I nearly bit through my chopsticks. I knew it! I knew it! Holden always looks at my brother like he wants to eat him alive. I swallowed my excitement and continued eavesdropping. The woman, clearly Holden’s sister, clapped her hands together in delight. “Well, that’s great! When are you going to introduce me to your boyfriend?” I let out a quiet sigh of relief. So, she was his sister. Good. Holden’s expression turned bitter. “Forget it. He still thinks I’m just using him as an excuse to avoid marriage. He doesn’t feel anything for me.” I nodded to myself. That sounded about right. My brother definitely believed that Holden was only with him to defy his parents. I wanted to hear more, but suddenly, my phone rang, startling me. I fumbled to answer it, embarrassed. Zane’s voice came through the line, cold and direct. “I have a gala tonight. You’re coming with me as my date. I’ll send someone to pick you up.” I blinked, confused. Weren’t we supposed to be “broken up”? He had even wired me a breakup fee and told me never to show my face again. So why was he calling me now? But hey, only a fool would turn down easy money. I quickly gave him my address. On the other end of the line, Zane stared at the address I sent, his expression smug and self-assured. “She really does love me,” he thought. “She’s so obsessed she can’t even stay away—she’s gone back to the places we shared memories together.”

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Evan Grant has always had a “first love.” After giving birth to his son, she disappeared, leaving him behind with an incomplete family. To give his son a sense of normalcy, Evan found me—a woman who bore a slight resemblance to her. For three years, I played the role of the perfect woman for their little family: Gentle, kind, resourceful, and most importantly, emotionally stable. But everything changed the day I went to pick up his son from school and overheard something. Miles proudly told his classmates that I was just the nanny and that his real mom was coming back soon. It was Friday, which was supposed to be Evan’s day to pick up Miles from school. Every Friday was their father-son bonding time. Without fail, Evan would take him to a family-friendly restaurant for dinner, a tradition they’d kept for three years. But today, Evan called me last minute to say he had to leave for a business trip—and that I needed to pick Miles up instead. I rushed from the hospital to the preschool. When I arrived, the classroom was nearly empty, with only a few kids left waiting for their parents. Miles was surrounded by a small group of children, all of them admiring the charm bracelet on his wrist. “Wow, Miles, your bracelet is so pretty!” “Where did you get it? I’m going to ask my mom to buy me one too!” Miles puffed out his chest, looking smug. “My mom designed this just for me. You can’t buy it anywhere.” “Wow, your mom is amazing!” “She makes cupcakes and designs jewelry? I wish she were my mom too.” “I want your mom! My mom is so mean.” Under normal circumstances, I was the one who picked up Miles from school. He was more mature than most kids his age, but that also made him a bit withdrawn. To help him make friends, I often brought homemade treats for him to share with his classmates. This little gesture worked wonders—Miles became the most popular kid in his class. Everyone assumed I was his mom, even though he never once called me that. I smiled faintly from the doorway. The cupcakes? Yes, those were my handiwork. The bracelet? Absolutely not. I quietly stepped back, not wanting to interrupt. Sure enough, just as I expected, Miles’ voice—still soft but dripping with disdain—broke through the chatter: “She’s not my mom!” “She’s just my nanny.” “My real mom is a jewelry designer, and she’s awesome!” The kids gasped in unison, their admiration for Miles’ “real mom” growing louder as they bombarded him with questions. I stood at the back door, watching Miles beam as he talked about his mom. Surprisingly, I didn’t feel much of anything. In a way, he wasn’t wrong. Sure, his words were a bit harsh, but they weren’t entirely untrue. From the moment I married Evan, caring for him and Miles had become my only job. And while it was true that my duties often resembled those of a nanny, I wasn’t just any nanny—I was Evan’s legal wife. Technically speaking, I was Miles’ stepmother, not his babysitter. Miles was the son of Evan Grant and the brilliant jewelry designer Mina Scott. But Mina disappeared shortly after giving birth, leaving no legal ties between her and Evan. As Miles grew older, Evan began to notice the cracks in their little family. So, he started looking for a stepmother for Miles, someone who could give him a “complete” home. That’s where I came in. Out of all the candidates, I stood out because I looked just enough like Mina—maybe a 30% resemblance. The day I entered their lives, Miles knew I wasn’t his real mom. And I never intended to replace her. After all, Evan and I had a clear agreement: We were in a contract marriage. Three years, that was all. For those three years, Evan got a stand-in wife. Miles got a stepmother. And I got $3 million. I couldn’t say no. I needed the money—desperately. On the way home, I acted like I hadn’t heard a thing. I chatted with Miles as usual, asking him what he wanted for dinner. I’ve always known my place—I only take what I’m meant to take. Anything outside of that? I don’t concern myself with it. Miles, with his little serious face, rattled off a few dishes. I noticed him swallowing hard, trying to hide his excitement. I had to bite back a laugh. Say what you will, but my cooking skills are top-notch. Over the past three years, both Evan and Miles have filled out quite nicely. When we got home, Miles immediately locked himself in his room. I didn’t pay him any mind and headed straight to the kitchen to start cooking. Once the three dishes and a soup were ready, I went to call him for dinner. But as I raised my hand to knock, I heard laughter from inside his room. Miles was on a video call. Since he had the speakerphone on, I could hear everything clearly. There was Evan’s voice, and then… a woman’s voice. She called Miles “sweetheart,” and he excitedly called her “mom.” Miles was practically buzzing with joy as he told her how all his classmates envied his bracelet. At first, I thought Evan had bought the bracelet for him, just like he had done before to cheer him up. It wouldn’t have been the first time. Even though Mina had been gone for years, Evan had always made an effort to keep her presence alive for Miles—just in case she ever came back. But now, hearing this, it seemed the bracelet really was Mina’s design. After six long years, Evan had finally found her. This “business trip” of his? It was clearly a mission of love. How romantic. Not wanting to interrupt their little family reunion, I quietly returned to the dining table and distracted myself with my phone. When I heard Miles hang up, I knocked on his door and called him to eat. After dinner, I started cleaning up while Miles lingered at the table, looking like he wanted to say something but couldn’t bring himself to. Miles is practically a miniature version of Evan—handsome and refined, with an air of quiet confidence. His eyes, though, are even more striking. Maybe it’s because they’re so pure, so unguarded. They remind me of a pair of eyes I used to know, though they’re not quite the same. Leaning against the table, I smiled and asked, “Do you have something you want to tell me?” Miles pressed his lips together, hesitated for a moment, then shook his head and headed back to his room. I didn’t take it personally, nor did I care to press further. My job is simple: make sure he’s fed, clothed, and taken care of. Anything beyond that? Not my business, and not something I can control. Later that night, I wrapped myself in a blanket and sat on the couch, bawling my eyes out over a movie. When Evan came home, that’s exactly how he found me—face blotchy and swollen from crying. He looked shocked, and I felt embarrassed. I scrambled to stand up, my voice thick with congestion as I blurted out, “Why are you back so early?” He walked over, his gaze soft and steady, and even his tone was unusually gentle. “Why are you still up so late?” I pointed at the TV. “Watching a movie.” He studied me for a moment, sighed quietly, and reached out as if to pat my head. Before I could pull away, his phone rang. The caller ID said “Mina.” He stepped onto the balcony to take the call, while I slipped away into the kitchen to give him privacy. When he finished, I came back out. “Evan, let’s finalize the divorce next week.” Mina was back, and the timing couldn’t have been better—our agreement was almost up anyway. I thought Evan would agree without hesitation. After all, I’d served my purpose, and now that his true love had returned, my role as a stand-in was no longer necessary. But instead, his expression turned cold. “You’re in such a rush to get divorced?” “I’m busy next week.” With that, he walked away, heading straight for Miles’ room, leaving me standing there, completely bewildered. Evan and I may technically be husband and wife, but in reality, our relationship is more like a business arrangement. He pays, I work—it’s as simple as that. Now that the contract is about to expire and he’s reunited with the woman he’s been searching for all these years, shouldn’t we both be happy to part ways? So why is he acting like this? Evan spent the entire weekend working overtime at the office, leaving early and coming home late. I didn’t get another chance to bring up the divorce. On Monday morning, he handed me a small box out of nowhere, saying it was something he’d picked up at an auction. I was busy getting Miles ready for school, so I just tossed it into my bag without a second thought. As usual, I brought some homemade cupcakes for the kids at the preschool. They crowded around me, their sweet little voices ringing out, “Thank you, Auntie!” Miles stood off to the side, watching me quietly. After a moment, he slipped past the other kids and headed into the classroom without a word. Once I dropped him off, I had the driver take me to the hospital. When I got to the room, Sophia was by the window, practicing tai chi. She smiled when she saw me. “What’s on the menu today?” I held up the thermos in my hand. “Your favorite—chicken and mushroom porridge.” We sat on the bed, each with a bowl in hand, eating together. I pulled out my phone, opened the photo gallery, and handed it to her. “This is our house in Windmere. I had someone clean it up already.” “When you’re discharged next week, take Ayden there first, see if there’s anything else we need to add. Once I’m done here, I’ll join you both.” Sophia looked through the photos but didn’t say anything, just nodded quietly. I held my bowl and turned to look out the window. Through the glass, the sky was a brilliant blue. Fluffy clouds floated lazily in the breeze, and willow branches swayed gently in the wind. “Celia, we’ve been such a burden on you,” Sophia said softly. I kept my eyes on the clouds and replied, “Sophia, do you think Ayden would’ve liked that little house?” She froze for a moment, then her gaze softened, a faint smile spreading across her face. “He would’ve loved it. My brother adored windy places.” I smiled too. “That’s good to hear.” Sophia didn’t say anything else, just let out a quiet sigh. We sat there together, watching the clouds drift by, the trees swaying, and the sunlight shifting. On the bench outside, a mother and daughter were replaced by a couple, and later, by an elderly man sitting alone. People come and go in life, just like that—always in a hurry. I broke the silence. “Sophia, there’s no need for us to talk about being a burden.” “Without you and Ayden, there wouldn’t be a Celia in this world.” “We’ve been a family for ten years. That hasn’t changed.” In the afternoon, after finishing some grocery shopping, I went to pick Miles up from school. But when I got there, the teacher told me he had been picked up earlier in the day. She said he’d left with his mom and dad. Back in the car, I debated whether to call Evan to confirm. It was most likely him and Mina who picked Miles up, but when it comes to kids, it’s always better to be cautious. Just as I was about to dial his number, I noticed a notification on my phone—it was from Evan’s social media account. He had just posted something five minutes ago. I opened it. It was a nine-photo collage. The center photo was a shot of the three of them—Evan, Mina, and Miles—smiling brightly on a beach, all dressed in matching family outfits. Miles looked genuinely happy, the kind of carefree joy I hadn’t seen in him in three years. For once, even Evan was wearing something colorful. Standing next to Mina, his usual stern demeanor seemed to melt away, replaced by a softer, more relaxed expression. They looked like the perfect family. Since the post had already confirmed everything for me, there was no need to call. With Evan and Miles gone for a few days, I treated it as a mini vacation. Every day, I cooked meals and brought them to the hospital to eat with Sophia. We’d take walks together, browse the shops nearby, and enjoy the slow, peaceful days. It was a rare bit of leisure. I got Evan’s call in the middle of the night. I had already fallen asleep but was jolted awake by the ringing of my phone. On the other end, Evan’s voice sounded exhausted, and I could hear Miles crying in the background. “Celia, can you come to the children’s hospital?” He explained that Miles hadn’t been sleeping well these past few days, and after spending time in the sea breeze, he suddenly developed a high fever. Now they were at the hospital, but Miles was inconsolable and refusing to cooperate. I glanced at the pitch-black night outside, got up, and started getting dressed. Miles had always been a restless sleeper. When I first came into Evan’s life, Miles would often wake up crying in the middle of the night, and I’d spend hours holding him, singing lullabies to calm him down. He’d gotten much better in the past two years, but he still had his quirks. If he ever had to sleep somewhere unfamiliar, he needed his favorite pillow, bedsheets, and pajamas—otherwise, he wouldn’t sleep well. Whenever Miles traveled with his grandparents, I always packed these things for him in advance. Because I’d always handled it, Evan didn’t know about any of this. As I approached the hospital room, I could already hear Miles’ cries echoing down the hallway. His voice was hoarse from all the crying. I had expected Mina to be there, but when I walked in, it was just Evan and Miles. Evan’s tense expression relaxed slightly when he saw me. “You’re here,” he said, relief evident in his voice. On the hospital bed, Miles’ small face was flushed bright red—whether from the fever or from crying, I couldn’t tell. I told Evan to pick him up. While he held the child, I quickly replaced the hospital bed’s sheets, pillowcase, and blanket with the ones I had brought, then changed Miles into his familiar pajamas. I lay down beside Miles on the bed, holding him close and humming softly until his cries subsided. Gradually, he calmed down, curling up in my arms and clutching the edge of my shirt. Softly, he murmured, “Mommy.” I stroked his feverish cheek, sighing to myself. He was clearly delirious from the fever. I wasn’t his mom. I was just the nanny. After all the chaos, Miles finally fell into a peaceful sleep. The nurse was able to administer the shot without any trouble, and I joined Evan on the sofa to rest. Evan handed me a glass of water and rubbed his temples. “Sorry for disturbing you so late,” he said. I shook my head. “It’s fine. This is part of my job,” I replied. “Next time you take him somewhere, just remember to pack his pillow, pajamas, and bedsheets. It’ll make things easier.” Evan looked at me for a moment before asking, “Have you opened the little box I gave you the other day?” “No, not yet. Is it something important?” I reached for my bag on the other side of the sofa and pulled out the small box. When I opened it, I found a diamond ring inside. Before I could react, Evan covered my hand with his. “Celia,” he said softly, “don’t divorce me, okay?” I didn’t know what happened between Evan and Mina that made him willing to let go of someone he had waited six years for and turn to me with a marriage proposal. But I knew one thing for sure—it wasn’t because he loved me. Evan is the kind of man who’s terrifyingly rational and self-disciplined. Every decision he makes is calculated, weighed carefully to ensure it’s the most logical and beneficial choice. I had no interest in figuring out his motives. I’ve never been one to waste energy on things that don’t matter. I pulled my hand away from his and placed the ring on the coffee table. “Evan, we’re just contract partners. The agreement has expired. It’s time for us to end this.” He sat beside me, as if he hadn’t heard a word I said. Instead, he started explaining. “Celia, if this is about Mina, you don’t have to worry.” “It’s over between us. The only reason I saw her was because she wanted to spend time with Miles. There won’t be any contact between us moving forward.” He paused, then added, “These past few years, having you around has been comforting. Miles relies on you so much. Isn’t this life… good enough?” I looked at Evan, my expression calm. “No, it’s not.” “I don’t know or care what’s going on between you and Mina, but there’s no chance for us.” The only reason I agreed to this contract marriage in the first place was to pay for Sophia’s medical treatment. Now that she’s recovered, we have our own plans, our own lives to live. We’re going to settle down in a place where the wind never stops. Evan clearly hadn’t expected me to turn him down so bluntly. For the first time, I saw a flicker of hurt in his eyes. “Celia, do you really feel nothing for me?” I smiled faintly. “Of course I do—gratitude for a very generous employer.” I meant it sincerely. If it weren’t for the $3 million he gave me back then, Sophia and I wouldn’t have survived. That’s why, for the past three years, I’ve done everything I could to care for him and Miles. For anything related to them, I’ve always been there when they needed me. But that’s as far as it goes. I thought I’d made myself clear, but Evan didn’t seem ready to accept it. “You don’t need to answer me right away. I’m not in a hurry.” “It’s late. Let me have the driver take you home. I’ll stay here and take care of things.” Miles had developed a mild case of pneumonia from his prolonged fever and needed to stay in the hospital for a few days. Evan moved his work into the hospital room and stayed by Miles’ side the entire time. Mina, however, never showed up. Every day, I cooked meals at home and brought them to the hospital. One day, as I was feeding Miles lunch, I suddenly got a call from the hospital. The voice on the other end told me Sophia had suffered a brain hemorrhage and was in critical condition. The bowl slipped from my hands and shattered on the floor, the sound startling Miles. Evan happened to walk in at that moment. He rushed over to me, concern written all over his face. “What happened?” he asked. My hands were trembling uncontrollably, my mind blank, my breath catching in my throat. How could this be happening? I had just seen her yesterday. She was fine. She was supposed to be discharged tomorrow. Everything was supposed to be getting better. How could this happen? Clutching Evan’s sleeve, tears streamed down my face. It took everything I had to force out a single sentence. “Take me to Memorial Hospital.” Evan helped me to my feet and guided me outside. He called for two nurses to stay with Miles and phoned his parents to come to the hospital. Then he drove as fast as he could to get me to Sophia. The doctor told me that Sophia had collapsed while walking in the courtyard. The location of the bleed in her brain was critical, and they advised me to prepare for the worst. Thunder rumbled outside as heavy rain poured down, washing away days of suffocating heat. The air felt damp, thick with the scent of wet pavement. After eight hours of emergency treatment, Sophia was gone. The two lights in my life had both gone out, one after the other, leaving nothing but darkness behind. I quietly handled all of Sophia’s funeral arrangements on my own. Evan offered to help, but I didn’t let him. The day of her cremation, the sun was glaringly bright. I stood on the side of the street, holding her urn. Occasionally, I would catch snippets of conversation from passersby. “After so many overcast days, the sun’s finally out. What a beautiful day.” I looked up at the blazing sun, its rays harsh and unrelenting. It struck me as strange—how could such a bright sun fail to warm me at all? I didn’t know how long I stood there, frozen in place, unable to take a single step forward. Everyone else on the street seemed to have somewhere to go, a destination calling them forward. But I didn’t. Once, I didn’t know where I came from. And now, I didn’t know where to go. “Let’s go home.” I hadn’t noticed when Evan arrived, but he gently took my arm and guided me to the car. When we got back, I lay down and fell into a restless sleep. I dreamed—fragmented, hazy dreams that blurred the line between reality and illusion. At some point, I became vaguely aware of someone sitting by my bedside. A hand reached out to touch my forehead, as if checking my temperature. The room was dark, with no lights on, except for a faint beam of light spilling in from the doorway. The figure sat with their back to the light, their face obscured in shadow. Instinctively, I raised my hand and touched his eyes. He caught my hand, his grip firm but steady. His voice was calm, steady, and low. “Do I remind you of him?” In that instant, I snapped awake. I tried to pull my hand back, but he only held it tighter.

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In my previous life, when zombies overran the city, I went to save my parents and brother, only to be pushed towards the undead by them. Reborn, I decided to no longer care for them, letting them fend for themselves. I watched as my father turned into a zombie and was killed. My brother, in a desperate attempt to survive, even drank our mother’s blood. Finally, my brother knelt at my door begging: “Sister, please save me.” But I only sneered and slammed the door shut, leaving him to be devoured by zombies. “Come on, sis, have you been so immersed in your live streaming that you’ve become confused? You actually believe those ridiculous online news? I think you’ve really lost it,” Tyler’s voice on the phone carried a hint of mockery and dissatisfaction. I was momentarily stunned, trying to recall these familiar words. I… had actually been reborn! This sudden realization left me feeling a bit disoriented. I quickly adjusted my emotions and tried to respond in a casual tone, “Haha, you’re right. I was just being silly for a moment. It won’t happen again.” Tyler snickered on the other end of the line. Then, mom took over the phone, her voice tinged with reproach: “You really need to stop looking at all that nonsense online. Instead, why don’t you spend some time helping your brother find a job!” I absent-mindedly agreed to a few things, trying to end the conversation as quickly as possible. After hanging up, I fell into deep thought. The city I lived in was about to face an unprecedented disaster – a zombie outbreak. In my previous life, I had learned this shocking news from a friend working at a hospital in a neighboring city. He had warned me in advance, allowing me to prepare. At that time, although I was shocked, I quickly sprang into action. I told my family, urging them to prepare essential supplies for any emergency. However, my good-for-nothing brother scoffed at this, believing I was just being alarmist. My parents also believed his words, thinking I was making a fuss over nothing. Since they wouldn’t listen, I could only secure my own place, preparing a series of necessary supplies. But when the zombie outbreak actually happened, they called for help. Softened by their pleas, I decided to save them. I took advantage of noon, when zombie activity was at its lowest, to go to their place. Since my home and theirs were in the same community, separated only by a small garden, I thought there wouldn’t be any problems. However, just as we walked out of the building entrance, a group of zombies surged towards us. We panicked and ran towards my home, but just as we were about to reach my door, Tyler tripped and fell. Seeing the zombies getting closer and closer, I grabbed him and shouted, “Run!” But Tyler, due to his injured foot, was getting slower and slower, and the zombies were about to catch him. At that moment, Tyler suddenly used all his strength to push me towards the zombies. My parents, seeing this, hesitated for a moment, but as the approaching zombies drew near, they finally picked up Tyler and ran towards my home without looking back. I screamed in terror, struggling to break free from the zombies’ grasp, but to no avail… Finally, when they managed to run into my building, they shouted to me from behind the door: “Lena, we’re sorry… but your brother is the only son in our family, we must protect him…” At that moment, my heart felt like it was being torn apart…

The pain of being torn apart by zombies seemed to be imprinted on my soul, but compared to the physical pain, the wounds in my heart were even harder to heal. From a young age, I had lived under the shadow of my parents’ preference for boys over girls. Every bit of warmth and care in the family was prioritized for my brother. When I was little, because my brother loved cake, even on my birthday, the birthday cake that should have been mine was always devoured by him, while I could only watch silently from the side. After starting school, this unfair treatment became even more apparent. My brother could wear expensive brand-name shoes worth over two thousand dollars, showing off his “high-end” lifestyle at school. I, on the other hand, could only wear cheap shoes that cost a few dozen dollars, enduring the embarrassment of my shoes falling apart. Moreover, whenever classmates mocked me for being poor, my brother always pretended not to know me. When it came to the college entrance exam, a crucial moment that determines one’s future, I thought I could change my fate through my own efforts. But my parents, to save money, forced me to choose a ordinary local university that offered scholarships, making me miss the opportunity to enter a top university. As for my brother, even though his grades were terrible, they were willing to spend a huge amount of money and effort to pull strings and find connections, sending him to an expensive private university. After graduation, I made a name for myself in the new media industry through my own efforts and abilities, becoming a highly regarded live-streaming host. I earned my first bucket of gold and bought my own house. But when my parents learned that I had bought a house, their first reaction was not happiness or pride for me, but a demand that I also buy a house for my brother in the same community. They even threatened that if I didn’t meet their demands, they would let my brother move in with me and not leave. Standing by the window, looking at my brother’s home across the street, my heart was filled with complex emotions. Recalling their coldness and heartlessness towards me in my previous life, I decided that this time I wouldn’t care for them anymore, letting them fend for themselves. The threat of zombies was drawing nearer day by day, and I knew I had to act quickly. I initially wanted to leave this city directly, but suddenly realized I didn’t know how many cities this crisis would actually affect. If I went to an unfamiliar city and encountered the same crisis, it would be like going to my death. So I decided to stay. I needed to quickly prepare supplies and equipment to deal with the zombie crisis. Only then would I have a chance to survive.

First, I contacted a renovation company and commissioned them to renovate my home. Previously, due to the requirements of live streaming, my home had already been soundproofed. But in the face of the zombie threat, an ordinary security door obviously couldn’t provide enough protection. I asked the renovation company to install a sturdy bulletproof security door for me, and added an extra iron door behind it as a double safeguard. At the same time, to ensure absolute safety, I also replaced all the windows with bulletproof glass and installed iron bars on the inside. The renovation workers were a bit confused by these requests, so I had to make up an excuse, saying that my address might have been leaked during live streaming, and I needed to enhance security for safety reasons. Meanwhile, I started buying large quantities of daily necessities online. Rice, noodles, oil, toilet paper, mineral water, instant noodles and other supplies were essential. I also purchased enough vegetables and meat to ensure self-sufficiency during the crisis. Considering the limited capacity of the refrigerator, I bought another large freezer, sealed all the meat and vegetables in vacuum bags, and froze them. I also bought some vegetable seeds, planning to grow some vegetables at home for emergencies. To cope with possible power outages, I specially installed solar panels for my home. This way, even if the power was cut off, I could still meet my basic electricity needs through solar power generation. Throughout this process, I remained vigilant and low-key. After all, in a doomsday crisis, the dark side of human nature would be triggered, and I didn’t want my preparatory actions to arouse suspicion from others. I tried to make everything look like part of my daily life as much as possible. Even the delivery guy thought I was just preparing for a live streaming event featuring daily necessities.

When all the preparations were settled, I called my parents. I told them that I needed to go to another city for a business trip for half a month. I knew that once the zombie crisis really broke out, they would definitely come to me for shelter. The experience from my previous life was imprinted in my heart like a brand. At that time, I had earnestly persuaded them to prepare in advance, but they turned a deaf ear. It wasn’t until the shadow of zombies loomed over our city that they started to panic. There were almost no reserves in their home, and in just a week, the food in the house was exhausted. At this time, mom called me, urgently demanding that I go over to pick them up. I suggested they come directly to my place, but they firmly refused, claiming that because of fear, she and dad were already unable to move. I had no choice but to go there myself, but after picking them up, we encountered zombies on the way. As a result, they pushed me towards those terrible creatures without hesitation. At that moment, I understood that they might have planned all along that if they encountered danger, they would use my life to exchange for their safety. To avoid such a tragedy from happening again, I decided to let them think I wasn’t at home at all. Only in this way would they completely give up the idea of seeking shelter at my place. After hanging up the phone, I carefully drew the curtains in my house tightly, ensuring that not a single ray of light leaked out. Because zombies could identify sounds and light sources, I had to avoid exposing myself as much as possible. Moreover, the windows of my house directly faced my brother’s house, so I couldn’t let them see any light from my house. To make them believe I wasn’t at home, I even posted a WeChat Moments visible only to them, showing that I was waiting to board at the airport. After doing all this, I took a deep breath, feeling the tension in my heart ease a little. I knew that the days ahead would be full of unknowns and challenges, but I was prepared to face this doomsday crisis.

Sure enough, the disaster came quickly. The neighboring city had officially announced the outbreak of the zombie crisis, and our city followed suit, urgently calling on citizens to prepare in advance. But by the time everyone realized the seriousness of the situation, supermarkets and shopping malls had already been looted empty. Looking down from upstairs, I saw dad, mom, and Tyler hurriedly going out, only to return with two packs of instant noodles and a bag of rice. This scene made me feel sad for them, as it foreshadowed the difficult days ahead. Soon, mom’s call came through, her voice full of anxiety: “Lena, have you heard? There’s a zombie outbreak in the neighboring city!” I pretended to be unaware, exclaiming in surprise, “What? Wasn’t that just fake news before?” Mom urgently said, “It’s not fake! Signs are starting to appear here too. The community has already issued a warning, telling everyone to stock up on necessities. Where are you now? When can you come back?” My voice was filled with helplessness: “I’m still in City B. Work hasn’t finished yet. The earliest I can come back is next week.” After hearing this, mom’s voice revealed disappointment: “Alright, we’ll try to figure something out ourselves then. Let us know when you’re coming back.” After hanging up the phone, I let out a deep sigh. Although I knew clearly that they had no place for me in their hearts, the fact that mom didn’t even say a word about staying safe at this critical moment made me feel even more heartbroken. I turned on the surveillance camera I had previously installed in their living room. At this moment, the whole family was gathered in the living room, nervously discussing what to do next. Tyler was still indifferent, curled up on the sofa playing games. Mom and dad, on the other hand, looked anxious and uneasy. Mom was fiddling with the meager supplies in her hands, while dad kept rummaging through the refrigerator, trying to find more usable food. I put down my binoculars and turned back to my room. I decided not to worry about them anymore. I took out my small electric pot and started to prepare for a hot pot meal. My supply reserves were abundant, with enough food to last me for at least half a year. Now, without their burden, I could also enjoy this rare moment of tranquility.

After a hearty meal, I took out the plastic buckets I had prepared earlier and began my water storage plan. In this period full of uncertainties, I couldn’t predict whether the water supply would suddenly be cut off, so I decided to store some water for myself every day, just in case. Next, I brought out the vegetable seeds and flower pots that I had prepared from the storage room. I sowed the seeds one by one in the soil, hoping that they would grow strong under my care and face the future crisis with me. As night gradually fell, I composed myself and stepped into my workroom. I pulled the newly bought backdrop behind me, creating a live streaming environment that looked like I was in another city. Although I was very limited in what I could do under these circumstances, I still managed to arrange a special live streaming session for daily necessities and food through my studio. I knew that this crisis might affect more cities, and I hoped that through my live streaming room, more people would realize the importance of stockpiling supplies. During the live stream, I noticed that viewers from different cities had started appearing in the comments, sharing the current situation in their cities. “Host, express delivery has completely stopped in our area. They say it’s because of a virus spreading…” “It’s not a virus, it’s zombies! We’re already forbidden to go out here, the streets are empty.” When this comment about zombies appeared, it was immediately blocked by the system. This shocked me, realizing that this crisis was no longer just a problem of one or two cities, but multiple cities had fallen into chaos. In the live streaming room, I tried to remind everyone in a subtle way: “Dear viewers, the situation is indeed a bit special recently. I suggest everyone should try to prepare more daily necessities and food, so that we can be more composed when facing the unknown.” After the live stream ended, it was close to midnight. I opened the surveillance of my brother’s house again and saw that the living room was empty, presumably they had all gone to rest. I thought they probably hadn’t realized the severity of this crisis yet, simply thinking that hiding at home for a few days would return everything to normal. However, I knew that things were far from that simple.

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On Valentine’s Day, my flower shop was bustling with business. One customer sent me a picture through DoorDash, asking if I could make the popular cash bouquet that was trending online at the time. I quickly counted, and the bouquet required 52 one-hundred-dollar bills to be stacked. However, he had only paid me 50 dollars. “I want it exactly like the picture, or I’ll leave you a bad review!” I patiently explained that the cash needed to be paid for separately, but all my messages remained unread. As the scheduled time drew nearer, and not wanting to damage my shop’s reputation, I reluctantly decided to use training banknotes as a substitute. The next day, to my surprise, the customer showed up with people to smash my shop. “You fucking bitch! I’ve been so nice to support your business, and you try to fool me with training banknotes? Now my crush won’t even talk to me! “I’m telling you, if you don’t pay me 50,000 dollars for emotional distress, I’ll make sure you regret this!” Robert Morales stepped on the fresh flowers and gestured with his hands. “Pay up! If you don’t, I’ll destroy your flower shop!” Many customers around stopped picking flowers and looked over. I felt heartbroken seeing the blue hyacinths crushed under his feet. This variety had just arrived at the shop. I loved them and had planned to keep a few for myself. A regular customer, Clara Jones, spoke up for me, “There must be some misunderstanding. We’ve been regulars here for a long time. She’s not the kind of person to do this.” Robert immediately pointed a finger at Clara and cursed, “You fucking bitch! None of your damn business!” Then Robert turned to me, his face full of anger. “If it hadn’t been for her using training banknotes in the custom-made cash bouquet for my crush, my crush would have been touched by my sincerity and would have agreed to be with me already!” As soon as he said that, people around started to think I had taken money for nothing, and began to criticize me. An older man’s face darkened, and he cursed at me, “As a business owner, how could you do something so unethical? “You took the money but didn’t deliver, and now you’ve ruined their relationship! How could you, a young girl, be so greedy for money? “Aren’t you going to return the money and compensate him?” Other customers didn’t directly shout at me, but they were all gossiping about me. I glared at Robert’s smug face and remembered why I had used training banknotes for the bouquet. It turned out that the night before, he had only paid 50 dollars and asked me to make a cash bouquet that needed 52 one-hundred-dollar bills stacked inside. I sent him many messages explaining that I was just running a small business. I asked him to bring cash to my shop or transfer the money to me. But he didn’t reply to a single message. According to DoorDash’s rules, if the order wasn’t delivered on time, the shop’s reputation score would drop. I had worked hard for years to maintain an excellent reputation score with no negative reviews. As the deadline approached, I had no choice but to use training banknotes to make the cash bouquet and deliver it. That evening, I received a negative review and a refund request. The reason was that the product didn’t match the picture. My DMs were flooded with angry texts. [You fucking bitch! Who allowed you to use training banknotes?] [How dare you try to fool me with these training banknotes? I guess you’re thinking of closing your shop, huh?] [My crush won’t even talk to me. According to DoorDash’s rules, you must compensate me ten times the amount, that’s 52,000 dollars. If you don’t, you’ll regret it.] He requested a refund only. Looking at those messages, my head was spinning. I immediately appealed on DoorDash, and his refund-only request was rejected. He was hopping mad and left some threatening messages in the chat. [You’ll regret this!] But I didn’t expect that he would show up at my shop this morning to pick a fight. I pulled out my phone and showed everyone the entire chat history. “I didn’t take money for nothing. The chat history can prove it. “He wanted a cash bouquet made from 52 one-hundred-dollar bills, but only paid me 50 dollars. How can this even be possible? I’m just running a small business. I can’t afford to deal with this kind of hassle. “And I also told him I couldn’t do it. I called him multiple times, but he never answered.”

This was absolutely ridiculous. I couldn’t believe something like this happened to me. I felt wronged and wanted to cry. The customers gathered around to look at the chat history. Clara comforted me, “I always said Ms. Wilson was an honest person. How could she do something like this?” Robert sneered, contemptuously smashing a vase on the floor. “You old hag, who asked you?” He then stomped his foot on my beloved fabric sofa, leaving a big black footprint. He pretended to be the one in the right. “She promised the bouquet would look exactly like the picture, that’s why I gave this order to her. “But she even messed up the most important part of the bouquet. Isn’t it normal for me to ask for compensation?” My flower shop promised that if a customer provided a picture, the finished bouquet would have no more than a 5% difference. The bouquet I made, compared to the picture he sent me, was exactly the same, except for the training banknotes. “If you didn’t want this order, I could have gone to another flower shop. Since you took it, you should have made it exactly like the picture!” I had never encountered such an unreasonable thug, so I was at a loss for words. “I sent you many messages saying I couldn’t do it, but all remained unread. I tried calling you, but you didn’t pick up. DoorDash doesn’t allow merchants to issue refunds without reason, so I had no choice but to use training banknotes. “For a flower order, after the platform takes its share and I cover the costs, I only get a few dozen dollars. Do you expect me to pay out of my own pocket for you? Is that even possible? “You think you can get a bouquet worth 5,200 dollars for just 50 dollars? No wonder she blocked you!” I was furious. This was clearly extortion. Everyone around me felt sorry for me and stood up for me. “You’re a grown man, and you actually think you can get a bouquet worth 5,200 dollars for just 50 dollars? Where in the world does something like that even happen?” “You must be nuts! Ms. Wilson isn’t running a charity. She’s going to lose money on your order.” “Exactly. Ms. Wilson is the real victim here, dealing with a customer like you. What you’re doing isn’t business. It’s robbery!” The customers were all defending me. Hearing this, Robert got even angrier. He jumped off the sofa, pointed a finger at me, and cursed. “Stop spouting nonsense. She’s the reason my crush won’t talk to me anymore. That’s the truth, right? “Am I not entitled to ask for some compensation for mental distress? “And then…” Suddenly, he changed his tone and stared at me. “With such a tiny profit, how can you even run a flower shop? “Who knows how you even manage to keep this shop open? “Every day, you dress all fancy, and men are coming in and out. Who knows what kind of shady business you’re running!” Robert’s friend immediately chimed in, grinning lewdly. “Exactly! I’ve seen men going in and out of her flower shop at night. “I kept thinking this girl looked familiar. Turns out she’s a call girl, only charging 200 dollars for the whole night!” Robert laughed loudly. “Well, that’s definitely a small business.” He picked up one of the potted roses I had planted, threw it on the ground, and stomped on it. “With a private life like that, how can you still buy flowers from her? Aren’t you afraid of catching something?”

They spread rumors about me, causing my customers to drop the flowers and leave. I was so furious that my hands were shaking. I was shocked by his shamelessness. The flowers in my shop were delivered every night, carefully arranged by me for sale the next day. Yet, this guy spread rumors, claiming that I had an inappropriate relationship with the delivery workers. My flower shop had been running for almost five years. I worked hard every day. Not only were my prices lower than most other shops, but my flowers were air-shipped fresh every day, so fresh that you could literally see the water dripping off them. I had been running this shop with integrity, but he slandered me with lies. I clenched my fists, telling myself not to show weakness. “Everything needs proof. If you’re spreading rumors, I’ll take legal action.” Today was Valentine’s Day, one of the most profitable days of the year. I had hoped to handle this privately, avoiding the time-consuming police report. But this guy, Robert, clearly wasn’t going to let it go. I pulled out my phone and called the police. He tried to grab my phone, but I dodged him. When the police arrived, his attitude was still arrogant. They stepped over the flowers and vases scattered on the floor and took both of us to the station. Once at the station, his arrogance quickly deflated. He no longer had that thug-like attitude. “This lady reports that you damaged her shop’s property and spread rumors about her shop’s illegitimacy,” the officer said, taking notes. Robert’s face changed immediately. “This is a misunderstanding, officer! “If it weren’t for her using training banknotes that my crush found out about, my crush and I would’ve been together! “She’s the one who destroyed my relationship! I was just giving her a little lesson!” Of course, he didn’t mention the part where he tried to get a bouquet worth 5,200 dollars for just 50 dollars. He conveniently skipped that part. I interrupted, “Why don’t you mention how you tried to get a bouquet worth 5,200 dollars for just 50 dollars? Dream on! Your crush just blocked you, and that’s already too much for you! She blocked you but didn’t even insult you.” He was angered by me and shouted, “You fucking bitch! Officer! She’s admitting that she ruined my relationship! I’m so angry. I have a headache and stomach pain. I need to go to the hospital, and she owes me compensation for emotional distress!” He was throwing a tantrum on the ground. “Stay quiet!” He forced a smile. “Yes, sir.” The officer turned to me. “Can you explain what happened?” I presented the chat history and security footage, showing that he had attempted to extort me and then damaged my shop’s facilities. “He also spread rumors about my shop being involved in illegal activities. “I’m going to sue him for defamation.” Robert, now frantic, shouted, “Look at how well-dressed you are, and with all those men coming in and out of your shop, it’s hard not to suspect something! I just said a couple of things. Why are you suing me for that?” The officer tapped the table with his pen. “Stay quiet.” He finally stopped talking. The officer looked up at him and said, “You really think you can get a bouquet worth 5,200 dollars for just 50 dollars? Why don’t you just go rob her? Your actions are clearly illegal.” “And you spreading rumors about me being involved in illegal activities has damaged my reputation,” I added. The officer nodded. “That’s right. You’re guilty of provoking trouble and will be detained for four days. You need to compensate the shop owner for the damages. “As for spreading rumors, you’ll be detained for five days and fined 500 dollars…”

As soon as Robert heard that he had to pay such a large sum of money, he immediately backed down. I demanded legal action. The compensation I was entitled to was absolutely going to be received. After handling everything at the police station, I returned to the shop. I looked at the mess all over the floor and felt incredibly frustrated. This flower shop… I had spent five years building it up, little by little, into what it was today. The small chandelier hanging from the ceiling was something I had installed with my own hands. The fabric on the sofa was cut and sewn by me, piece by piece. The flowers and plants in the shop had been taken care of by me for a long time as well. In past years, I would usually make a little extra money on Valentine’s Day. But today, with the mess that Robert had caused, I couldn’t even make a profit—forget about earning money; I was losing everything. This couldn’t go on. I had to pull myself together. So, I began cleaning up the mess. I sold off the remaining fresh flowers at a low price. The next day, I noticed that there were noticeably fewer customers in my shop. But a few days later, a large order suddenly came in. The customer said it was for a birthday party. I couldn’t help but feel a little relieved, thinking that the loss caused by Robert might finally be recovered through this big order. I took a quick look at the recipient’s name—Jameson Cox. Robert’s incident had made me extra cautious. I decided to call the customer to confirm everything. It was a big order, and if the customer canceled at the last minute, I’d lose a huge amount of money again. The customer replied politely, so I felt a bit more at ease. Robert had been detained, so I assumed he would have learned his lesson. But I still felt a little uneasy inside. When I finally delivered and set up all the flowers, my previous unease turned into reality. Robert appeared with a group of people, grinning lecherously at me. “Hey, isn’t this the owner of Daily Blossom?” he mocked. I quickly realized that he was nothing but a thug—how could he possibly let this go so easily? “What do you want?” I asked, feeling both frustrated and unwilling to back down. I had worked so hard to run this flower shop. What did I do to deserve this? Was it just because I didn’t let him take advantage that he wanted to get back at me? Seeing my furious expression, Robert laughed loudly, but then his face turned dark. “I was locked up for ten days because of your call to the police, and I had to pay thousands of dollars in compensation. How could I just let you off the hook? No way!” He spat, spreading his hands wide. “One hundred thousand dollars in compensation, not a penny less. Otherwise, you’ll regret it!” To my surprise, just a few days later, even the amount of the compensation had gone up. One hundred thousand dollars—this was almost half a year’s profit from my flower shop. How could I possibly pay him that much? “That’s impossible! I won’t give you a single penny!” I said firmly. I dropped the flowers and walked out. He had a lot of people with him, and I was afraid of what they might do to me, so I left quickly, my palms sweating. I kept my guard up, thinking I would call the police if anything went wrong. But they didn’t do anything. Fortunately, they had already paid in advance. And since I believed there was nothing wrong with the flowers, I thought that even if they came up with all kinds of excuses, I was confident they couldn’t just get a refund. I kept reassuring myself. But when I got home and checked the messages on DoorDash, I was stunned.

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Jacob’s first love got pregnant and came to our house asking him to take her in. I refused. That night, she jumped off a bridge, killing herself and her unborn child. Later, Jacob asked me to go bungee jumping with him. The moment he pushed me off, he whispered in my ear, “If you hadn’t been so heartless and turned Lily away back then, she wouldn’t have taken her own life. You owe her this life.” He took out scissors and cut the cord. I fell to my death. When I opened my eyes again, I was back to the day his first love came to our house pregnant, asking for help. I smiled and said, “What a coincidence, I’m pregnant too. Let’s take care of our pregnancies together.” “Knock knock knock—” A series of knocks came from outside the door. I woke up startled from my nightmare. The nightmare left me feeling cold all over. I dreamed that Jacob took me bungee jumping, and the moment he pushed me off, he took out a pair of scissors. His face filled with hatred as he said, “Olivia, if you hadn’t been so heartless and turned Lily away, she wouldn’t have taken her own life. You owe her this life.” “Go to hell!” Jacob cut the cord with the scissors, and I fell to my death. The knocking outside continued, accompanied by a familiar voice: “Jacob, are you home?” I suddenly came to my senses. It was Lily’s voice. Lily was Jacob’s college crush. In my previous life, six months into our marriage, Lily showed up at our door. She said she was pregnant, and the father of the child didn’t want to acknowledge the baby or marry her. But she wanted to keep the child, and in desperation, she came to ask Jacob to take her in. At that time, I was also pregnant, and naturally, I didn’t want Jacob’s first love moving in. So, I politely refused her. Lily left disappointed, and that day, Jacob gave me the cold shoulder. Although he didn’t say anything, his actions told me he blamed me for not taking Lily in. That night, Jacob received a call from Lily. Lily told him on the phone: “Jacob, are you abandoning me too? I have nothing left to live for in this world. I’m on the bridge now, goodbye forever!” “Lily, don’t do anything stupid, wait for me!” Jacob was in the middle of dinner, but he immediately put down his chopsticks, grabbed his car keys, and rushed out. I watched Jacob leave the house in a hurry, driving to the bridge Lily mentioned. My heart sank. Jacob didn’t return until dawn the next day. He sat dejectedly in the living room, smoking. I came out of the bedroom and asked him, “How’s Lily?” “She’s dead, along with her unborn child.” Jacob’s eyes were red, filled with regret and remorse. “Olivia, you shouldn’t have turned her away. We had plenty of room in our house, why were you so heartless?” I retorted, “Jacob, you think it’s my fault? There are plenty of hotel rooms, why did she have to stay at our house?” He didn’t respond, just kept smoking. From then on, we had a cold war for a while. As the baby in my belly grew bigger, he started to reflect on his behavior. He realized it wasn’t my fault. He bought a car full of flowers to apologize to me. He held my hand and said, “Olivia, I was wrong. It was Lily who couldn’t cope, I shouldn’t have blamed you.” For the sake of our unborn child, I forgave him. From then on, he never mentioned the incident again and focused on our life together. He made healthy smoothies for me every day, but I still miscarried. I was devastated, and he comforted me: “Olivia, don’t be sad. We’ll have children in the future. Let me take you bungee jumping, they say when you jump from a high place, all your worries disappear.” I went bungee jumping with him to try and relieve my depression. But he gave me a fatal blow. It turned out he had never gotten over Lily, he had been resenting me all along, to the point of pushing me off from a great height. Before pushing me, he cruelly told me: “Do you know why you couldn’t keep the baby? Because I added ingredients harmful to pregnancy in the smoothies I made for you.” Recalling these past events, I trembled with anger. He had actually harmed his own flesh and blood for Lily’s sake. I got out of bed and pulled open the curtains to look outside. I had been reborn, back to the day Lily came to our door pregnant, asking for help.

Jacob had left for work early this morning and wasn’t home. I took out the pregnancy test result from the drawer. At this point, I was also two months pregnant. I thought, if only I had been reborn before marrying him, that would have been so much better. I would have called off the engagement without hesitation. This child came at the wrong time. Lily called out from outside the door: “Jacob, are you there? Olivia, are you home? Open the door quickly.” I put away the pregnancy test result and leisurely went to the bathroom to freshen up. I heard Lily take out her phone and call Jacob: “Sob sob, Jacob, are you busy? I’m at your front door now, Olivia won’t let me in.” “What happened? Don’t cry.” Jacob replied on the phone, “Wait for me, I’m coming back right away!” Lily waited outside the door for a full twenty minutes before I opened it and looked at her: “Can I help you?” Lily had a suitcase beside her feet. She touched her belly and said to me, “Olivia, I’m pregnant. The baby’s father doesn’t want this child. I have nowhere to stay now, can you and Jacob take me in?” I wasn’t close to Lily, we had only met once before. She came to our wedding. At that time, I didn’t know she was Jacob’s college crush. If I had known Jacob had a first love he couldn’t forget, I wouldn’t have married him. Jacob was on his way back. I pulled Lily into the house and smiled, “What a coincidence, I’m pregnant too. Let’s take care of our pregnancies together.” Lily looked at my belly and asked, “How many months along are you? Does Jacob know?” “Just over two months, he doesn’t know yet. I don’t plan to tell him for now.” As soon as I finished speaking, footsteps were heard outside the door. Jacob was back. He saw Lily and me sitting on the sofa, first looked surprised, then relieved. He went to pour water for Lily, his tone revealing his concern for her: “Lily, why are you here? What happened?” “I’m pregnant, and I have nowhere to go. I was hoping to stay at your place for a while.” Lily said, then glanced at me and added, “Olivia has already agreed.” Jacob was a bit surprised. He pulled me into the study, closed the door, and asked me: “Olivia, did you really agree to let Lily stay?” I generously replied: “Yes, she has nowhere to go now. If we don’t take her in, what if she does something desperate? Besides, we have three rooms, one more person won’t make a difference.” “Olivia, you’re so generous.” Jacob’s eyes lit up with joy, and he hugged my waist, about to kiss me. I felt disgusted but subtly pushed him away. He smiled and said: “You’re right, we have plenty of room. Let her stay for a while then!”

Jacob went to the living room and warmly greeted Lily. Lily said she hadn’t had breakfast yet. Jacob immediately put on an apron and went to the kitchen to make breakfast for Lily. He also said he would go to the supermarket later to buy chicken to make smoothies for her. He even asked Lily what fruits she liked. Lily coyly said: “You know, I like cherries, strawberries, and durian, preferably Musang King durian.” Jacob generously agreed: “Alright, I’ll buy them all for you later!” In the room, I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. Cherries are so expensive now, I can’t even afford them myself. And Musang King durian, several hundred dollars each, how dare she? Jacob cleaned out the guest room for Lily to stay in. He came over to say goodbye to me: “Olivia, I’m taking Lily to the supermarket, want to come?” I tried my best to contain myself: “No, you two go ahead.” Jacob nodded: “Okay, then tidy up the house a bit, I’ll buy your favorite oranges back for you.” “Go on.” I coldly watched Jacob and Lily leave. After they left, I quickly packed some luggage and dialed a long-forgotten number: “Ryan, are you free now? Can we meet?” Ryan agreed without hesitation: “Sure, where are you? I’ll come pick you up.” “No need, let’s meet at the coffee shop. I’ll go there myself.” Ryan cheerfully replied: “Okay.” I took a taxi to meet Ryan at the coffee shop. Ryan was my college classmate, once the campus heartthrob. He had pursued me before, and when he heard the news of my marriage, he, who never went to bars, got drunk at a bar that night. We hadn’t been in contact since my marriage, but I learned from mutual friends that he was starting a business in this city and was currently single. At the coffee shop, Ryan was already waiting for me. It had been a long time, and he looked more mature than before. At 6’4″, sunny and handsome, sitting by the floor-to-ceiling window, he attracted quite a few glances. After some small talk, I said to him: “Ryan, I have a favor to ask.” “Olivia, whatever it is, just ask.” I confessed: “I had a fight with my husband. I was wondering if I could stay at your place for a few days?” If the events of my previous life hadn’t happened, I definitely wouldn’t have asked a male friend to stay at his place. However, my mindset was different now. Jacob thought it was okay for Lily to stay at our house. Well, I wanted to see how Jacob would react to me staying at the house of a male classmate who once pursued me. Ryan was stunned for a moment, then nodded: “Sure, you can stay as long as you want.” And so, I moved into Ryan’s home. After shopping at the supermarket, Jacob took Lily to the mall and maternity store, buying her many sets of maternity clothes and daily necessities. They returned home carrying bags of all sizes. Jacob peeled Musang King durian for Lily, washed cherries and strawberries, and brought them to her. Then, he went into the master bedroom to call me out to eat fruit. The master bedroom was empty. Jacob noticed the suitcase in the corner was gone, and when he opened the wardrobe, my most frequently worn clothes were also missing. He dialed my number. I was eating fruit that Ryan had cut for me. Jacob asked angrily: “Olivia, where are you? Why is your suitcase gone?” I calmly replied: “The house was a bit crowded, so I moved to Ryan’s place.” Jacob knew Ryan and was aware that he had pursued me before. He had always seen Ryan as a rival. Upon hearing this, Jacob exploded, shouting: “What are you doing at Ryan’s house? Don’t you know it’s improper for men and women to live together? Come back home right now!”

I mocked: “Oh, so you do know it’s improper for men and women to live together? I thought you didn’t.” Jacob realized that I was doing this because I was unhappy about him letting Lily stay at our house: “Olivia, can you stop being dramatic? You were the one who agreed to let Lily stay, and now you’re the one who moved to Ryan’s house. What exactly do you want?” “I pretended to agree as a test for you, and unfortunately, you failed the test.” I didn’t want to say more to him, just added, “That’s all. Ryan has cut some fruit for me, I’m going to eat now.” The last sentence was clearly meant to mock him. Jacob grabbed his jacket, intending to come to Ryan’s house to find me. As he passed through the living room, Lily called out to him: “Jacob, I heard everything just now. It seems Olivia doesn’t welcome me. How about this, I’ll pack my things and leave now.” Jacob stopped and explained to her: “Don’t take it to heart, Olivia is just throwing a little tantrum. I’ll go get her, she’ll come back with me.” “I don’t want you two to fight because of me, I should leave.” Lily said as she went to the guest room to pack her luggage. Seeing that she wasn’t joking, Jacob quickly put down his jacket and went to comfort her: “Don’t you have nowhere else to stay right now? Even if you want to leave, there’s no rush. I’ve bought so much fruit for you.” “Jacob, you’re so kind. If only I had chosen you back then…” Lily sighed, her eyes revealing a hint of regret. Jacob’s ears turned red, and he asked eagerly: “Lily, why didn’t you choose me back then?” Lily smiled lightly and said: “There were too many people pursuing me back then, and sometimes people make the wrong choice. Let’s not talk about the past.” Perhaps Lily’s words gave Jacob hope. He decided not to go to Ryan’s house to find me. He solemnly said to Lily: “Don’t leave. This isn’t your fault, it’s Olivia’s. She’s too petty.” “You stay here. If she wants to stay at Ryan’s house, let her.” After saying this, Jacob asked Lily to go to the living room and continue eating fruit. Lily then said: “By the way, can you accompany me to my prenatal check-up tomorrow?” “Of course, tomorrow is Saturday. Even if it wasn’t, I could take time off to accompany you.” Jacob agreed without hesitation, revealing his true nature as a devoted admirer. “You’re such a good man, Olivia is so lucky.” Lily praised Jacob, then went on to criticize me, “You’re so good to her, yet she still picks fights with you. I feel like you deserve better.” “Ah, her temper is indeed a bit much, unlike you who’s so understanding.” Jacob sighed, looking at Lily with newfound interest. Lily smiled coyly, and the two exchanged meaningful glances.

The next day, I went to the hospital early in the morning. Coming out of the operating room, I ran into Lily and Jacob. Jacob was surprised to see me in the obstetrics department. He pulled me to the end of the corridor and asked in a low voice: “Olivia, what are you doing here?” My face was pale, my voice cold: “Didn’t Lily tell you I was pregnant too?” Hearing the news of my pregnancy, Jacob wasn’t very excited, just a bit surprised: “What? You’re pregnant too? Did you come for a check-up today?” I shook my head: “No, I came for surgery. I’ve already terminated the pregnancy.” Jacob was furious: “Olivia, you terminated our child without asking me? What’s the meaning of this?” “Jacob, let’s get a divorce. I wish you and Lily happiness.” I turned to leave. Ryan came from afar, he had gone to get medicine for me. Seeing Ryan, Jacob rushed over and punched him, shouting angrily: “Ryan, did you persuade my wife to terminate the pregnancy? You’re asking for death!” Ryan punched Jacob back, and nurses came forward to separate them. Lily came over to comfort Jacob: “Don’t be angry, we can talk about this when we get back.” I pulled Ryan away, leaving Jacob and Lily behind. Jacob, grinding his teeth in anger, shouted at my retreating back: “Olivia, think carefully! If you leave with him, our marriage is over!” I had thought it through clearly. Divorce, we must divorce! After returning from the hospital, I rested at Ryan’s place for a few days. When I was able to get out of bed, I moved out of Ryan’s house and into a hotel. I had originally stayed at his place to anger Jacob, which was a bit impulsive. After calming down, I knew I shouldn’t have done that. I proposed divorce to Jacob. He was also angry and agreed immediately. However, when it came to dividing the assets, some disagreements arose. We had a house, a car, and 300,000 in savings under our names. Originally, we planned to sell the house and car and split the marital assets equally. But Lily persuaded Jacob: “Olivia’s salary isn’t as high as yours, how can she get half? Giving her a third is already generous.” Jacob thought Lily made sense, so he proposed that he keep the house, I get the car, and of the savings, he gets 200,000 and I get 100,000. Of course, I didn’t agree. Although my base salary wasn’t as high as his, my year-end bonus could match his entire annual salary. That car was bought with my year-end bonus. When we bought the house, my family also contributed half. When we didn’t have enough money for renovations, I used most of my pre-marriage savings. I had originally planned to live a good life with him, but I never expected I had misjudged him so badly. Now that we couldn’t continue our life together, splitting the assets 50-50 was already generous to him. Since we couldn’t reach an agreement, we had to file for divorce in court.

While I was preparing the materials for the divorce lawsuit, Lily was still living in my house. And I was living in a hotel. The master bedroom in my house had a large bathroom with a bathtub. The bathtub was connected to an app on my phone that could remotely control the water temperature and massage frequency. That night, my phone app popped up a message showing the bathtub was in use. Water temperature: 40°C. I immediately became alert. This bathtub was exclusively mine, Jacob hardly ever used it. He only liked showers. Moreover, he didn’t like water that was too hot when bathing, 38°C at most. I suspected Lily was using my bathtub. My house clearly had two bathrooms. Besides the one in the master bedroom, there was a public bathroom next to the guest room. To confirm my suspicion, I dialed a video call to Jacob. Jacob took about ten seconds to slowly answer the video call. He was working in the study, looking at me in the video with a cold face: “What? Realized you were wrong? I won’t forgive you.” I didn’t answer his question, instead asking directly: “Is Lily taking a bath in the master bedroom?” Jacob was nonchalant: “So what if she is? There’s no bathtub in the guest room, she’s just taking a bath in the master bedroom. We’re about to get divorced anyway, do you still care?” “I can’t believe this!” I switched the video call to a floating window, opened the app controlling the bathtub, turned up the water temperature, and randomly pressed the massage buttons. From the other end of the phone came Lily’s scream: “Ah—” Jacob quickly got up and walked to the master bedroom door, calling out: “Lily, what’s wrong?” “Why is the water getting hotter and hotter? And it’s spraying everywhere.” Lily scrambled out of the bathtub. “Be careful, come out first, don’t soak anymore.” Jacob said this and returned to the study, picking up his phone to question me: “Olivia, are you controlling the bathtub? Can’t you be less petty?” I frowned: “No matter how generous I am, I can’t accept another woman using my bathtub. Tell her to get out!” “You’re sick.” Just as Jacob was about to scold me, another scream came from the master bathroom: “Ah—” Jacob, without even hanging up the video call, rushed into the master bedroom with his phone. The camera swept across Lily lying naked on the bathroom floor, her body wet. Lily said tearfully: “Jacob, come help me up quickly. I slipped when I got out of the bathtub.” Jacob went over, took a towel to cover Lily, and helped her up. He probably forgot that I could still see everything on my end. How entertaining. I promptly pressed the record button.

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I Died Three Years Ago, But My Husband Wants to Marry His First Love Three years after my death, my husband was preparing to marry his terminally ill first love. He came to my house and asked my mother to sign the divorce papers. My mom told him I was already dead. But my husband impatiently retorted: “What nonsense is this? She’s still playing these childish games!” “Olivia is dying. What’s wrong with me wanting to be with her in her final days? Why is Emily being so selfish?!” “Tell her if she doesn’t come out, I’ll cut off your medical expenses, old woman!” He was trying to use me to force my mother to reveal my whereabouts. Little did he know, my mother had already given up on treatment long ago. She was holding on only to see my husband’s regret. Three years after my death, Jack finally remembered me. But now he was a celebrated business tycoon, while I was just a cursed spirit, unable to move on. He stood at my family’s doorstep, scanning the empty room, and coldly said to my mother, “Tell Emily to get out here!” My mother’s frail body trembled as she replied numbly, “My daughter is dead.” Hearing this, Jack sneered, “Dead? How could someone as selfish as Emily possibly die?” “I get it now. It’s because Olivia is terminally ill and I want to be with her, so Emily’s putting on this act?” He laughed coldly and barged in, searching every room. But he couldn’t find any trace of me. My mother said, “Emily really is dead. If you want to find her, go look in her grave.” Jack’s face darkened. “You think these tactics will work? Let me tell you, if your daughter doesn’t come out and divorce me, don’t blame me for cutting off your medical expenses, old woman!” Seeing my mom remain silent, Jack laughed angrily and threw down the divorce papers: “Stubborn, aren’t you? But it’s useless.” “Make her sign within three days, then contact me immediately to finalize the divorce at the registry office. If you can’t do that…” At this point, Jack’s eyes showed a coldness I’d never seen before, “You might as well be dead.” He slammed the door as he left, leaving my heart in pieces. To divorce me, he would even threaten my mother’s life. But in my mother’s eyes, I saw a tenderness I’d never witnessed before. She calmly watched Jack leave, then turned and took out my childhood photos from a drawer. As she caressed my young face in the picture, I heard her whisper, “Emily, dear, Mommy will be with you soon.”

Naturally, I couldn’t divorce Jack. As expected, a few days later, he cut off all of my mother’s medical expenses. My mom was elderly with serious heart problems, along with high blood pressure, diabetes, and various other ailments. With continued treatment, there was still hope for improvement. But only I knew that three years ago, my mom had stopped using Jack’s money entirely. And her illness had already progressed beyond hope. Mom had wanted to join me long ago, but she couldn’t let go. She couldn’t bear the thought of her daughter, who had given her whole heart, being abandoned and trampled upon. So, until the moment Jack showed regret, she was determined to keep living in this world. A week passed, and my mom showed no signs of backing down. Jack finally lost his patience. He called my mom and sneered, “Your daughter is really heartless, isn’t she? To avoid divorcing me, she’s even using you in this ploy.” “I’m warning you, even if you die, I won’t feel an ounce of sympathy! Tell Emily to sign the divorce papers obediently!” My mother looked at my photo in her arms, her fingers digging into her palms, “Jack, I’ve already told you, my daughter is dead.” Jack scoffed, “Looks like you’re asking for trouble. You think your daughter can hide from my search? If she won’t come out, I’ll find her myself!” A bitterness spread through my heart. You want to find me, Jack? I really wish you could find me. But I hope you won’t regret it when you do. Just then, a weak female voice came through the phone, accompanied by some coughing, “Jack, dear, is there any news about Emily?” “Is she angry? Does she want to wait for me to die?” Jack quickly put down the phone to comfort her, “Rest easy, don’t worry. I’ll definitely divorce her and marry you.” But Olivia shook her head, her voice choked with emotion, “I know Emily must feel wronged and probably resents me now. I understand. I’m not trying to steal you from her, I just want you to be with me in my final days.” Her words were full of sincerity, but every sentence pointed the blame at me. As if I were the homewrecker. And I knew that Jack would never take my side. “Olivia, how could you think that? I love you. What right does Emily have to compete with you? Don’t worry, even if I have to search to the ends of the earth, I’ll dig up her bones to sign the divorce papers.” He seemed to deliberately raise his voice, making sure my mother could hear on the other end of the line, before hanging up abruptly. Listening to the dial tone, I could feel my mother’s heart turning to ice. She struggled to her feet, wiping away a tear. With a smile, she said, “It’s alright, daughter. Mommy will be with you soon.”

To find me, Jack mobilized all his connections in the city. I laughed bitterly to myself. This was probably the most attention I’d ever received from him. But it was useless. I watched as he turned the city upside down, even filing a missing persons report with the police, only to be told there was no record of me. Before I died, my mother had transferred my household registration to our hometown. I no longer had any official ties to this city. In his office, Jack flew into a rage. “Useless idiots! You can’t even find one person! Have you all been eating dog food?” His secretary stood trembling nearby, finally mustering the courage to speak, “Mr. Zhao, we’ve looked everywhere possible. Miss Emily is no longer in the city.” “Her mother is still here, where else could she have gone? She couldn’t survive without me and this city!” Jack furiously swept everything off his desk. Watching his self-important display, I couldn’t help but smirk. So he always saw me as a parasite in their family. No wonder he looked down on me and my mother. “Perhaps… we could check the hospitals. Miss Emily was hospitalized after a car accident three years ago. There should still be records,” the secretary suggested quietly. Jack’s mind cleared for a moment, but he quickly realized something was off. “Hospitalized? When was Emily in a car accident? Why don’t I know about this?” The secretary was about to continue when Jack’s phone rang. “Jack, my heart feels uncomfortable. I think I’m having a rejection episode. Can you come see me?” Olivia’s voice was urgent and helpless, and Jack’s heart melted. He immediately dropped everything, sending the secretary to investigate my situation, and rushed to Olivia’s side. My eyes stung with unshed tears. Once upon a time, Jack and I had shared such loving moments too. But now, none of that belonged to me anymore. Perhaps these things were never meant to be mine, and I shouldn’t have coveted them. In truth, Olivia had my heart. After three years in her body, it had likely adapted to its new host and wouldn’t have any rejection episodes. She just didn’t want Jack to be distracted by my affairs, taking away the love that belonged solely to her. Jack hurried to the hospital, and hearing from the doctor that Olivia was fine, he breathed a sigh of relief. Olivia’s eyes lit up when she saw Jack, “Jack, you’re here.” Seeing Olivia in good spirits, Jack realized she wasn’t in any real danger. He had been irritable lately due to not being able to find me, and Olivia’s constant demands were starting to grate on him. He couldn’t help but feel a bit annoyed. “Next time, if it’s not serious, it’s better to check with the doctor first.” His tone was still restrained, but the displeasure was evident. Olivia was stunned for a moment, but quickly put on a tearful expression, “Jack, I was just so bored in the hospital and missed you terribly. You’ve been so focused on finding Emily lately, you rarely come to see me.” “I don’t have many years left to live. I just wanted to see you as much as possible while I’m still alive.” This tactic always worked on Jack. He immediately felt guilty, “I’m sorry for not considering your feelings. I’ve let you suffer alone in the hospital.” “It’s all Emily’s fault. Even at this point, she’s still playing hide-and-seek. She’s completely heartless!” I smiled wryly. I truly was heartless. My heart had been given to Olivia three years ago. Finally, Jack’s secretary found my hospital records from three years ago. [Emily Johnson, female, 27 years old, died from injuries sustained in a car accident despite resuscitation attempts.] When he submitted this information to Jack, Jack’s entire body began to shake.

He flipped through the pages with bloodshot eyes, refusing to accept the reality. “This is all nonsense! It must be fabricated by the hospital!” Like a madman, he tore the documents to shreds, but the news of Emily’s death in a car accident was already deeply etched in his mind, impossible to erase. “How could this happen? Why did I never know about her car accident?” Jack tightly gripped his secretary’s collar, shaking him violently, “Why didn’t anyone tell me?!” The secretary reluctantly informed him, “Miss Emily was already on the brink of death when she was brought to the hospital. That day, you were busy preparing blood supplies for Miss Olivia. The hospital called you several times, but you didn’t answer any of them.” “The hospital said that due to a lack of suitable blood, Miss Emily died from excessive blood loss.” “How could there be no suitable blood source?! Doesn’t the hospital have a huge blood bank? Did they feed it all to dogs?!” Jack shouted angrily. The secretary could only reveal the cruel truth to him, “Miss Emily and Miss Olivia both have Rh-negative blood. You had taken all the Rh-negative blood from the hospital’s blood bank, so there was no blood available for Miss Emily. She could only wait for death.” Jack’s pupils constricted sharply. He painfully covered his ears and curled up on the ground, “How could this happen?!” “I didn’t mean to take all the blood from the bank. I didn’t know Emily had been in an accident that day. I didn’t mean to take all the blood! I didn’t!” The secretary sighed, “Mr. Zhao, what’s done is done. Please try to accept it and grieve.” He was about to help Jack up when Jack suddenly stood up as if remembering something. “Emily’s mother! She knew everything! It was her! She deliberately concealed it from me! You’re all lying to me. Emily can’t be dead. I must confront her!” Jack’s frenzied state made me feel both unfamiliar and amused. I never thought that one day, my death would drive him to this state. But even at the moment when the truth was revealed, he was still constantly shifting blame. Truly beyond help. Jack found my mother in our hometown. In the vast countryside, my mother had built a grave for me with her own hands. She was piously burning incense for me when Jack violently interrupted, knocking the incense from her hands. He stared in disbelief at my memorial tablet, angrily questioning my mother, “What are you doing?! Tell me what you’re doing?!” My mother ignored his shouting and calmly picked up the broken incense, placing it back in the incense burner in front of my grave. She spoke evenly, “Can’t you see?” “I’m burning incense for my dead daughter – your wife, Emily.”

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Tommy, my stepson, was being held hostage by drug dealers. They demanded to negotiate only with my wife. Meanwhile, she was at an amusement park with Daniel, her crush who had just returned from abroad, and his daughter. She accused me of putting on an act. “Chuck, I finally got a day off after cracking a big case. I’m at the amusement park with Daniel and Lila. Can you stop this act? Using our son to threaten me? Are you even a man?”Kara hung up before I could explain. When I called again, her phone was switched off. That day, my stepson was held by a drug dealer who jumped off a building with him. Tommy died on the spot. … “Chuck, the situation is critical. Contact Captain Thompson immediately! The drug dealer is unstable and could harm the hostage at any moment!” Officer Mike shouted desperately from the doorway, his gun aimed at the drug dealer. “Ask the captain where she is. If she doesn’t come to negotiate soon, it’ll be too late!” Panicking, I quickly dialed my wifeKara’s number. Fortunately, she picked up this time. “Chuck, aren’t you tired of this? I finally get a day off, and you won’t stop bothering me?” I hurriedly explained, “Tommy’s been taken hostage. They say they’ll only negotiate with you…” Before I could finish, the line went dead. I tried calling again, but her phone was off. My eyes turned bloodshot as I frantically dialed her number over and over. Off. Still off. Tommy is my wife’s biological son and my stepson. In the years since our marriage, I’ve always treated Tommy as my own. I couldn’t bear to see his life threatened. I clenched my fists so hard that my nails dug into my palms, drawing blood. The pain forced me to stay calm. My wife had mentioned that Daniel, her crush, lived in M District, and there was an amusement park nearby. When I arrived, I found my wife and Daniel playing with his daughter. They sat side by side, with Daniel’s daughter on their laps, looking like a happy family of three. The situation was dire, so I had no time to dwell on it. I rushed over in a few quick strides. Emma’s face darkened when she saw me approach. “Chuck, are you stalking me?” “Don’t you know what I do for a living?” She scolded me harshly, her eyes full of disgust. It was as if I shouldn’t have appeared here, interrupting their family time. “Our son is being held hostage by drug dealers. Come with me quickly. The dealers specifically asked to negotiate with you. Otherwise, our son will die!” She blocked my hand and looked at me with contempt and impatience. “I dropped our son off at kindergarten half an hour ago. If you’re going to lie, at least make it believable.” Emma didn’t believe me at all and thought I was making a fool of myself. Daniel smiled and stood betweenKara and me, chuckling lightly: “Emma, it’s okay. It’s normal that Chuck doesn’t want you to accompany my daughter. After all, we’re just outsiders.” “You should go back. I’ll comfort Lila later.” Emma frowned, glaring at me coldly. “There’s no need. I’m here for Lila. Even if she’s not my daughter, what’s wrong with using my day off to provide psychological counseling for a child I saved?” She glanced at me and continued: “Chuck, you’re beyond help. How dare you use our son’s life as a prop for your act. Get out of here right now!” I didn’t care how my wife saw me. I just wanted to save our son. “Every word I’ve said is true. Our son was taken hostage right after you left. He’s on the rooftop now, in a standoff with your colleagues! If you don’t believe me, call Officer Mike and you’ll know!” Thinking of our son crying out, my heart felt like it was being cut by a knife. I just wanted to dragKara to the scene. Daniel frowned and pretended to persuade me: “Chuck, I’ve been there. It’s normal for couples to have conflicts, but it’s going too far to joke about a child’s life. Even if Tommy isn’t your biological son, there’s no need for this, right?” “Listen to me, talk it out withKara properly. Any conflict can be resolved through communication, rightKara?” As he spoke, he took my wife’s hand and patted it gently. Seeing this, I almost exploded with anger and finally couldn’t hold back: “Let go of her, you bastard! Say that again if you dare!” Daniel retreated a step, hiding behind my wife. “I’m just telling the truth. There’s no need to react like this, is there? Look, being selfish is one thing, but there should be limits. What if something really happens to Tommy?” Emma’s face darkened, and she slapped me hard. “What are you trying to do? Are you jealous of Daniel and have to drag our child into this? Is there no end to this? Have you lost all sense of decency?” My voice was hoarse as I clenched my fists without retaliating. “Emma Thompson, think carefully. Tommy is your flesh and blood. He’s in the hands of drug dealers right now, his life hanging by a thread. Only you can save him!” “Are you really going to ignore your own son’s life just to play with someone else’s daughter at an amusement park?” Emma’s face turned cold. She was about to say something when Daniel suddenly spoke up: “Emma, it’s our turn for the next activity. Didn’t you say you wanted to do the parent-child game with Lila? Leave the observation to me. I’m her father, so I’m more attentive to these things.” My wife’s fleeting doubt instantly vanished. She said decisively: “No need to pay attention to him. Let’s go find Lila. I’ll observe the child’s psychological state myself.” I grew desperate and grabbed my wife’s arm, begging, “Emma, I’m begging you. Our son’s life is really in danger. He’s the child you carried for ten months. You can’t just watch him die…” Daniel pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses, his eyes mocking as he said: “Looks like Chuck is determined to see this act through. We don’t need to expose him.Kara, you should go back with him. I’ll be fine here.” I was so angry I nearly ground my teeth to dust. Thinking of our son’s life hanging by a thread, I made up my mind and fell to my knees with a thud. “Emma Thompson! Come with me! I’m begging you! If you don’t go, our son will die. He’ll really die!” Emma was stunned, a flicker of hesitation crossing her face. Seeing this, Daniel became truly anxious. “A man’s knees are worth their weight in gold. I can’t believe I called you ‘Chuck’. How embarrassing!” “It’s one thing to lose face for the sake of an act, but kneeling in public? Who are you trying to pressure? Don’t you care aboutKara’s reputation? Even I, an outsider, can’t stand to watch this!” He pointed at me self-righteously and continued to rebuke me, “We’re both men. I understand you might not care for your stepson, but that’s no reason to use a child’s life as an excuse to deceive people!” Daniel spoke with such conviction that people around us started to look over. Seeing the gazes of onlookers, my wife’s eyes filled with disappointment and disgust. “Chuck Wilson, get out of here. I don’t want to see you again. This is an amusement park. Don’t scare the children.” With that,Kara took Daniel’s hand in one hand and his daughter’s in the other, turning to walk deeper into the amusement park. My heart sank, and I felt my vision darken. Before I could catch my breath, Officer Mike called. “Chuck, where’s Captain Thompson? The drug dealer is losing patience. Where are you guys?!” My hands and feet turned ice-cold. I scrambled to my feet and drove straight to the scene. Just as I arrived at the building, I heard a gunshot. The drug dealer fell from the building, holding my son. I rushed over like a madman, kneeling in the pool of blood and holding my son. “Tommy, you’ll be okay. Daddy’s here, daddy’s here.” Tommy raised his small hand, his face pale, breaking my heart. “Daddy, don’t blame mommy. Mommy is a great hero. She must be catching other bad guys. Tommy won’t cry. Tommy is the bravest.” I watched his little hand fall lifelessly and held my son tightly, opening my mouth in a silent roar, unable to make a sound. Blood stained my chest red. I was like a walking corpse, my body convulsing from the immense pain. I was taken to the hospital by other police officers, then went to the funeral home in a daze with the death certificate. When I came out of the funeral home holding my son’s urn, the once lively and talkative Tommy was now contained in this small box. I didn’t know how to explain to Tommy why his mother hadn’t come. I couldn’t forgiveKara, nor could I forgive myself. I took the urn home and sat on the sofa all night. For the entire night,Kara didn’t come back. I silently got up and changed into a black suit. Tommy died at the age of five. According to our hometown customs, he should be buried in the southeast direction. I needed to find a burial plot. Just as I went downstairs, I saw Daniel’s car parked at the entrance. Emma got out of the car. Seeing me standing there, she walked towards me with a cold face. “Chuck, you…” She was about to scold me when she saw the urn in my hands. “What is that?” I looked at my wife’s face, my vision blurring. I seemed to see the person she once was. We were middle school classmates, then happened to be in the same class in high school. You could say we went from school uniforms to wedding dresses. Back then, my family had an accident. My parents died in a car crash. I couldn’t accept it and became withdrawn.Kara was always there to help me. I felt the world had no meaning, and she told me to make her my reason for living. I took it seriously, and she told me she would definitely try to be my reason for living. Even when we met again after college graduation and she had a child, I still chose to stay with her without hesitation and married her. I thought our family of three would live happily ever after, but everything changed when her crush Daniel returned from abroad. She often didn’t come home at night, saying she was too busy with work. But I knew it was because Daniel was in a bad mood and drinking, so she kept him company. She couldn’t make it to our wedding anniversary because Daniel wanted to watch the sunrise on a mountain. I didn’t confront her, but she became even more blatant. Because ofKara’s indulgence, Daniel even dared to call my wife in front of me, asking her to leave. No matter what she was doing, she would drop everything and rush over. I still didn’t say anything, just became more and more disappointed in her. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to speak up, but because of our son Tommy, I kept enduring. Even though Tommy wasn’t my biological son, I always treated him as my own. I thought that as long as Tommy was here,Kara would eventually come to her senses. I even thoughtKara’s existence was to lead me into this family, to make Tommy and me father and son without blood ties. After marriage,Kara was no longer my only reason for living. Tommy was too. As long as Tommy was here, we had a home. Now, Tommy, who wasn’t my biological son but was as good as one, had died. She had destroyed my other reason for living with her own hands. I came back to my senses and looked at her face, feeling waves of hatred surging in my heart. I raised the urn and sneered: “Emma Thompson, how can such a capable police captain not recognize this? How can you not guess?” She was stunned for a moment, then stared intently at the urn in my hands. Her gaze then fell on my face, as if observing those criminals, trying to see any flaws or traces of lying on me. Unfortunately, I disappointed her. The expression on my face was as still as the air around us, like a dead pond without a single ripple. After a while, she couldn’t help but ask, her expression angry: “Chuck Wilson, even if I didn’t come home last night, you shouldn’t use our son’s life to make a point. You’re getting more and more disgusting. How dare you bring out an urn to curse our son!” Emma pushed me aside and hurried towards our son’s room. “Tommy, Tommy…” Her calls were met with dead silence. Of course, Tommy wouldn’t run out laughing and hug her, calling her mom anymore. Our son had become this small box in my hands. WhenKara didn’t hear Tommy respond, she simply pushed the door open and rushed in to search. But what could she find? A moment later, she finally panicked, grabbing my arm and shaking it, demanding: “Chuck Wilson, where’s our son? Tell me, did you send him to play in the park?” I didn’t want to answer her self-deceptive questions. Thinking that our son was indirectly killed by her, the anger in my heart couldn’t be suppressed. I directly raised the urn and shouted: “Our son?Kara Thompson, are you blind or is your heart blind? Our son is right here, open your eyes and look carefully! Can’t you really see?”

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I can see the cheating rates hovering above everyone’s heads. When the rate hits 100%, it starts counting the number of times they’ve cheated. I’ve been married for three years, and my husband has always treated me like a queen. Everyone praises him, calling him the perfect husband. But only I know the truth. The number above his head says: 56. It started about six months ago. My gentle, caring husband’s cheating rate suddenly changed. Overnight, it jumped from 0% to 50%. At first, I didn’t think much of it. After all, men are men. They’re bound to scroll through a few TikToks of girls in skimpy outfits. A momentary thrill is inevitable. Even my best friend, Abby, has fluctuations in her cheating rate whenever she switches celebrity crushes. But soon, I realized something was off. The number didn’t go down. Instead, it climbed higher every day. In just three days, his cheating rate hit 68%. Now that was interesting. I started to get curious. Who was the little temptress stealing my husband’s attention?

Quinn and I had a whirlwind romance. He’s seven years older than me, with a stable job, a charming sense of humor, and undeniable good looks. But his family? Not so great. His dad is a farmer, his mom has a chronic illness that requires constant medication—she can’t afford the $2,000-a-month imported drugs, so she gets by on cheap generics from India. Then there’s his younger sister, who dropped out of vocational school and spends her days glued to video games at home. As for me, I come from a wealthy family. My dad is a CEO, and my mom is a high-powered lawyer. I’ve been privileged since the day I was born. When I first met Quinn, I thought he was just handsome. We exchanged numbers, and that was that. But then he started pursuing me relentlessly. Three months later, we were married. Before the wedding, my mom was completely against it. She kept saying we were from two different worlds. But I had my reasons. Out of all the men I had ever met, Quinn had the lowest cheating rate and the best looks. A catch like that? I wasn’t about to let him slip away. In the end, my persistence won, and my mom reluctantly gave her blessing.

After the wedding, Quinn turned out to be the perfect husband. He handed over his paycheck without question, took care of all the housework when he had time, comforted me when I was upset, and celebrated with me when I was happy. He was polite and respectful to my parents, never holding a grudge against my mom for opposing him initially. In fact, he was so genuine that she eventually warmed up to him and treated him like family. My mom even used her connections to get him a cushy job in a government office, setting him up for a bright future. She found his sister a low-stress job as a library assistant, despite her lack of qualifications. And thanks to my mom’s doctor friends, my mother-in-law now had access to the expensive medications she needed—for free. Her health began to improve day by day. So… was this why Quinn started seeking “excitement”? When men’s lives become too comfortable, do they start looking for a thrill? In just one short week, Quinn’s cheating rate soared past 90%. Based on my experience, it meant he was seriously considering cheating. All he needed now… was the right opportunity.

The next day, Friday, Quinn came home from work looking restless. He was trying hard to act normal, but I could tell something was eating at him—especially since the cheating rate above his head had climbed to 95%. Wow. That’s like dry wood waiting for a spark to set it ablaze. Even when I asked him what we should order for dinner, his responses were vague and distracted. During dinner, I decided to tell him a little story. “Hey, honey, something wild happened back in Abby’s hometown. It even made the news.” “Oh? What happened?” he asked absentmindedly, biting into a chicken wing. “Abby’s neighbor caught her husband cheating. She literally walked in on him and the other woman, you know, in bed. Guess what she did?” I made a scissor motion with my fingers. Quinn froze mid-bite. The number above his head dropped instantly to 60%. “She got so mad, she chopped off his… you know. Blood everywhere—soaked the whole bed! Then she flushed it down the toilet.” 30%. I smiled sweetly at him. “Oh, and when the man called the cops, guess what the police did?” Quinn rubbed his nose awkwardly, avoiding my eyes. “Uh… what?” “They detained her for ten days and fined her 200.Canyoubelievethat?Aman’s…uh,∗pride∗isonlyworth200. Can you believe that? A man’s… uh, *pride* is only worth 200.Canyoubelievethat?Aman’s…uh,∗pride∗isonlyworth200!” 10%. He looked genuinely shaken. He forced a laugh and mumbled, “Well, uh… I guess she has a bit of a temper. If she couldn’t stand him anymore, she should’ve just divorced him instead of, uh, using a knife.” I shook my head and replied, “Honestly, I think she was being pretty polite. When I visited Abby once, we played cards together, and she told me, ‘In my world, there’s no such thing as divorce. Only widows.’” Quinn’s hand trembled slightly. “Uh, what did you say to that?” I smiled wider and leaned in. “I told her, ‘Same here.’” I stared straight into Quinn’s eyes, and for a moment, he looked away. But then he quickly recovered and grabbed my hand, putting on his best devoted husband act. “Baby, you don’t have to worry. I’ll only ever love you in this lifetime.” 3%. Quinn barely touched his food after that. He shoveled down a few bites before hurrying off to take a shower. The reason I told him that story was twofold: to warn him and to give him one last chance. If he understood where I stood on cheating and still chose to chase after a cheap thrill, well… then he’d only have himself to blame.

Quinn’s showers usually take about 10 minutes. That night, it stretched to almost an hour. And considering our water heater only provides hot water for 30 minutes, that was… interesting. I rummaged through the house briefly and, sure enough, his phone was missing. He had taken it into the bathroom with him. I pressed my ear to the door. Amid the sound of running water, I could faintly hear his voice. He was speaking softly, stopping and starting, as though trying to comfort someone. When he finally came out, towel-drying his hair, he put on an exaggerated grin and said, “Man, that shower was so refreshing!” But what caught my eye was the number above his head—it had jumped back up to 80%. Not long after, his phone rang. After taking the call on the balcony, he came back inside with a heavy sigh. “Babe, my company just called. They need me to deliver some documents tonight, so I won’t be able to come home.” “Why would delivering documents take all night?” I asked, keeping my tone casual. “The boss is at a conference in the next city over. There’s an important presentation tomorrow, and they need these files first thing in the morning. If you’re not comfortable with it, I can ask someone else to go instead.” I stared at him, barely able to suppress my laughter. Wow. An Oscar-worthy performance. When I didn’t respond right away, his face fell, and he added, “If you don’t want me to go, I won’t. I’d rather stay with you.” The number above his head dropped to 50%. “If it’s for work, you should go,” I said lightly. “Just come back as soon as you can.” He tried to hide his excitement, but I could see it in his eyes. He mumbled an apology, kissed me a few times, and left reluctantly, closing the door behind him. I watched him walk away. The number above his head had climbed back to 100%. So he didn’t take my story seriously at all. Fine. If that’s the case, he can’t blame me for what comes next.

The next day, Quinn didn’t come home until almost afternoon, looking disheveled and tired. To “make it up to me,” he even brought back a famous crispy duck from the neighboring city. The dark circles under his eyes betrayed his exhaustion and sleepiness, but there was also a faint trace of satisfaction in his expression. Of course he was tired—how could he not be? Because now, the percentage above his head wasn’t there anymore. It had been replaced by 7. Oh, wow. Seven times in one night? Truly impressive. He eagerly peeled fruit for me, rambling on about how his boss praised him the night before and promising that, once he gets a raise, he’ll buy me the latest Louis Vuitton bag. Listening to his empty promises, I only felt disgusted. I had been so careful in choosing Quinn, thinking I’d found someone with the lowest cheating rate. But in the end, he still cheated. I knew one thing for certain—once a man gets a taste of infidelity, it becomes addictive. The first time would lead to a second, and then countless more. This man? He had to go.

I started thinking back to when Quinn’s cheating rate first began to change. Wait a second—wasn’t it the day he went to his high school reunion? At the time, he came back acting perfectly normal, so I hadn’t thought much of it. But now that I think about it, reunions are the breeding ground for rekindling old flames and starting affairs. A few drinks, and people start acting like dogs in heat, forgetting their families and their morals. Sure enough, it wasn’t long before the number above Quinn’s head climbed to 15. I hired a private investigator to dig into the details. Just as I finished setting that up, the doorbell rang. Looking through the peephole, I saw Quinn’s parents and his younger sister, standing on my doorstep. Great. These three had bent over backward to impress me before the wedding, treating me like royalty. But after the marriage, their true colors came out, revealing their greed. First, when my mother-in-law’s health improved, she wanted to rebuild their old house in the countryside. She “borrowed” a huge sum of money from me—calling it a loan, but conveniently forgetting to mention any repayment. Then, Quinn’s sister, Wendy, asked me to introduce her to a wealthy guy. To be fair, Wendy is decently attractive. If she had behaved herself, she might’ve actually landed someone rich. I introduced her to a family friend, a second-generation millionaire. But on their first date, she demanded that he buy her a designer bag and necklace, even hinting that they could get a hotel room that night. No rich guy is stupid enough to marry someone like that. When I found out, I was furious. She wasn’t just embarrassing herself—she was embarrassing me. But when I confronted her, my mother-in-law defended her, saying, “Men act all pure, but they’re only thinking about what’s in their pants. He wasn’t losing anything, so why be so uptight?” It was then that I fully understood how disgusting and shameless this family could be. And now, here they were, once again. I could only imagine what they wanted this time.

“Sweetie, Quinn is the only son in three generations of our family. I went to a spiritual healer and got this special holy water for you to drink—guaranteed to help you have a baby boy!” My mother-in-law barely sat down before pulling out a plastic bottle filled with some murky black liquid and shoving it into my hands. I rolled my eyes internally. From the day we got married, she had been nagging me about having kids. Even after I clearly told her that I was focused on my career and wouldn’t consider children until after 30, she just wouldn’t stop. I glanced toward the bedroom, where Wendy was casually trying on my lipstick at my vanity without even saying hello. In the corner of the couch, Quinn’s dad sat puffing on his pipe, absentmindedly letting ash fall all over the carpet. The whole family showing up at once? This was clearly about something big. Suppressing my annoyance, I forced myself to stay calm and asked, “What’s going on?” My mother-in-law hesitated for a moment before glancing at Wendy. “Well,” she began, “Wendy’s been dating this guy. He works in finance, and they’ve been together for a while now. Recently, he told her about a great investment opportunity. It’s guaranteed to make big money! And, well… since it’s such a great opportunity, we thought—why not let everyone in the family make some money together?” The moment I heard “finance guy,” “investment opportunity,” and “big money,” I knew exactly what was going on. Wendy had clearly fallen for some kind of pyramid scheme or scam. My mother-in-law kept rambling, hinting that they didn’t have enough money for the investment and wanted me to pitch in $30,000 to help them “make it big.”

��Wait a second, Wendy. Do you actually know this finance guy? Have you even met him in person?” Wendy sauntered over and replied, “Of course I know him! We’ve been dating for a whole month now. We haven’t met in person yet, but we’ve video-chatted plenty of times.” “He’s in Southeast Asia right now, but he said he’d buy me a plane ticket for next month so we can finally meet.” I frowned. “You haven’t even met him, and yet you’re willing to give him money? Have you ever considered the possibility that he might be scamming you?” Wendy got defensive immediately. “Sure, we haven’t met in person, but the villa and yacht he showed me can’t possibly be fake! I even saw his property deed. And anyway, I already invested 5,000afewdaysago,andit’salreadygrownto5,000 a few days ago, and it’s already grown to 5,000afewdaysago,andit’salreadygrownto8,000.” “This is such a great opportunity, I wouldn’t even tell most people about it!” I crossed my arms and said flatly, “This is textbook financial fraud. My advice? Call the police before you lose everything.” Hearing the word “fraud” made Wendy blow up. Her face turned bright red as she shouted, “If you don’t want to lend me the money, just say so! Why are you spreading lies about my boyfriend and calling him a scammer? You owe him an apology!” I gave her an exasperated look. There was no reasoning with someone this clueless. I turned to leave, but Wendy grabbed my arm, yanking me so hard I nearly stumbled. “You’re not going anywhere! Apologize to him right now!” “You just don’t want our family to do well, do you? You want us to always live beneath you!” “And don’t even get me started on that ‘rich guy’ you introduced me to. What a cheapskate! He wouldn’t even buy me a bag! Please, as if I’d want someone like him. I’m the one who’s out of his league!” My mother-in-law came over, pretending to mediate. “Oh, Wendy, calm down. Your sister-in-law didn’t mean it like that.” But then she turned to me and said with a sneer, “Still, she’s got a point. At least the hens in our backyard know how to lay eggs. You’ve been married to Quinn for three years and haven’t given us a single child. Are you even as useful as a chicken?” Quinn’s father banged his pipe against the coffee table twice, sending ash flying everywhere. At this, Wendy finally stopped shouting, but she continued glaring at me with an angry pout. Quinn’s father cleared his throat and said, “If we’re not welcome here, we’ll leave. But don’t go slandering my son-in-law, calling him a scammer. Wendy’s right about one thing—on a farm, a chicken that doesn’t lay eggs doesn’t last a year. It’s been three years, Celia. You owe the Quinn family an explanation. Are you having kids or not? Give us a straight answer.” My mother-in-law chimed in, “Exactly! Three years! Don’t tell me it’s because you’re the one with the problem?”

I almost laughed out loud. You know those videos of scam victims yelling at anti-fraud officers, accusing them of ruining their chances to “get rich”? I used to think, How can people be so clueless? But today? I got to witness it in person. I had half a mind to warn them again, but their attitudes changed my mind. Why bother? In fact, I decided to play along and set them up instead. I put on a thoughtful expression and said, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have doubted your boyfriend. If this opportunity is as good as you say, then it must be legitimate. You should definitely invest more before it’s too late.” Wendy’s lips curled into a smug smile. “But,” I continued, “we really don’t have the money right now. If you’re short on cash, why not consider taking out a loan? If the project is guaranteed to double your money, the interest on a loan is nothing to worry about.” “Actually, if it’s a sure thing, why not borrow as much as you can? The more you invest, the more you’ll make!” “I know a great loan app you can use. You could borrow, say, 100,000.Whenitdoubles,you’llhave100,000. When it doubles, you’ll have 100,000.Whenitdoubles,you’llhave200,000 in no time!” Her smug grin faltered when I mentioned the loan. But when I brought up the idea of borrowing $100,000, I saw a flicker of excitement in her eyes. “Oh, and about having kids,” I added, “we were actually planning to start trying this year. We wanted to surprise you, but I guess you beat us to it by bringing it up first.” Hearing this, my mother-in-law clapped her hands in delight, her face lighting up with joy. After I finally sent this ridiculous family on their way, a cold smile crept across my face. I couldn’t wait to see the day they were drowning in debt, desperately running from loan collectors.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “295906”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #现实主义Realistic #浪漫Romance #校园School #重生Reborn #励志Inspiring #魔幻Magic #惊悚Thriller #玄幻Fantsy #擦边Steamy

I’m a college student who tutors kids on weekends to make a little extra money. My latest employer? A wealthy single dad—charming, polished, and devastatingly handsome. But I never expected that after drinking a cup of coffee his daughter handed me, I’d lose all strength, helplessly watching as he walked toward me step by step. He carried me into his bedroom. No matter how much I begged, he ignored me. In the end, he shattered my innocence completely. My name is Leah White, and I’m a student at Crestwood University studying to become a teacher. On weekends, I tutor kids to make ends meet. One day, someone introduced me to a new tutoring gig. The student’s name was Shannon, and her father wanted me to give her intensive lessons over two full days during the weekend. The Landons are filthy rich, and the pay they were offering was unbelievable. I called the number on the card and spoke to Shannon’s father, Ryan Landon. Ryan was quick to seal the deal—he wired me a hefty deposit right away. When I saw all those zeros in my account, my hands literally shook. This man was generous! Early Saturday morning, a car arrived to pick me up and drove me to the outskirts of town. The Landon mansion was massive, complete with a sprawling yard. It looked like something straight out of a movie about the rich and powerful. The kind of wealth I couldn’t even begin to imagine. Waiting for me at the door was a strikingly handsome middle-aged man. He was tall, with sharp features and a polished demeanor that made him look like he belonged in an expensive magazine ad. “Welcome, Ms. White. I’m Ryan Landon, Shannon’s father,” he said warmly, extending a hand to me. He greeted me with a polite smile, clearly pleased that I’d arrived. As I stepped into the grand, luxurious living room, Shannon came down the spiral staircase. She looked frail and pale, like someone who didn’t get much exercise. I followed her upstairs to her room, and we began the lesson. The room was warm—too warm. Within minutes, I was sweating. I took off my sweater, leaving just a fitted T-shirt underneath. That’s when I heard it—the sound of someone swallowing hard. I glanced up and froze. Ryan was standing behind me, his eyes burning into me. His hand rested casually on the back of my chair. I had no idea how long he’d been standing there, watching me. I felt uncomfortable, but what could I say? “Don’t mind me, Ms. White. Please continue,” he said, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose as if nothing was amiss. “You’re an excellent teacher—I’d love to sit in and listen.” He made no move to leave. He was the one paying me, so I had no choice but to force a smile and keep teaching. Shannon was focused on her notes, but I could feel it—Ryan’s eyes, hot and heavy, watching me. Every time I turned around, his gaze seemed to follow my every curve. Finally, I “accidentally” glanced back. Sure enough, his eyes were fixed on the neckline of my T-shirt. “Mr. Landon,” I said firmly, “don’t you have something else to do?” But he just smiled, unbothered. “Well, Ms. White, I am paying you a lot of money. I just want to make sure I’m getting my money’s worth.” The light reflecting off his glasses couldn’t hide the way his eyes roamed over me. I stiffened and grabbed my sweater, pulling it back on despite the heat. “Aren’t you hot, Ms. White? You’re sweating so much—it’s soaking through your shirt,” he said. Then, to my horror, he reached out and touched my cheek. I jerked my head away, glaring. “Mr. Landon, you’re distracting us from our work. Please leave.” He chuckled, brushing his hand against his lips. “You’ve got a bit of a temper, don’t you?” he said, amused. “Alright, I’ll leave.” Finally, he walked out, but he didn’t close the door. It stayed slightly ajar, as if he planned to come back. After he left, I leaned toward Shannon and asked quietly, “Shannon, when is your mom coming home?” We’d agreed I’d spend the weekend at their house to tutor her, and I hadn’t been worried about it before. But now, I was on edge. Shannon’s eyes filled with tears. “My mom passed away,” she said softly. My heart sank. “I’m so sorry, Shannon. I didn’t know,” I said gently. I tried to compose myself and refocus on the lesson, but something felt off. That’s when I heard it—a faint clicking sound. Looking around the room, my eyes landed on a camera mounted on top of Shannon’s wardrobe. The lens followed my movements, its tiny red light blinking as it recorded everything. “Shannon, keep working on your problems,” I said, forcing my voice to stay calm. I walked to the door and yanked it open. Ryan was still there, leaning casually against the wall. “Mr. Landon, what the hell do you think you’re doing?” I demanded.

Ryan turned off his phone screen and straightened up, his face flushed with excitement. “I didn’t do anything,” he said with a smirk. I glared at him, my voice cold. “I saw everything. You’ve been spying on me through the camera in Shannon’s room!” My eyesight is sharp, and I had caught a quick glance at his phone earlier. He wasn’t just watching me—he was zooming in on specific parts of my body! “What’s wrong with checking security footage?” he said, feigning innocence. “Ms. White, why are you so defensive? Unless… you’ve stolen something?” I may come from a poor background, but I still have my dignity. This was a line I refused to cross. I had no interest in “playing along” with his twisted games. “Mr. Landon, I haven’t stolen anything, but I can’t continue teaching Shannon. You’ll need to find someone else,” I said firmly. Ryan’s lips curled into a sly smile. “Ms. White, accusations require proof. Perhaps I should search you, just to make sure you’re not hiding anything under your clothes.” Before I could respond, he stepped closer, trapping me between his arms. “If you touch me, I’ll scream,” I warned, my voice shaking with rage. His eyes narrowed dangerously. “If I’m unhappy with your ‘service,’ Ms. White, I can make sure no one in this town ever hires you to tutor again.” I stared at him, stunned by his audacity. He was actually threatening me, using his wealth and connections to control me. “You know exactly why I don’t want to stay,” I said through clenched teeth. “Your threats won’t work on me. I’ll return every cent you paid me, down to the last dollar.” Without waiting for his response, I turned on my heel and headed back to Shannon’s room to pack my things. Shannon watched me with wide, teary eyes, like she wanted to say something but couldn’t find the words. “Shannon,” I said softly, “if you ever need help with your homework, you can send me a message, and I’ll explain the problems to you.” With my bag in hand, I walked downstairs, determined to leave. But when I reached the front door, my heart sank. The car that had brought me here—and the driver—were gone. I stood frozen, staring out into the darkness. The mansion was isolated, surrounded by nothing but dense forest. There wasn’t a single house or shop in sight. I pulled out my phone and opened the map app, but it couldn’t even locate where I was. The entire screen showed nothing but blank space. Ryan followed me to the door, looking completely unbothered. “Ms. White, this house is in the middle of the mountains. You won’t make it far on your own.” Cold sweat dripped down my back. My hands were clammy as I clenched my phone tightly. “Mr. Landon,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady, “please ask the driver to take me back. I’ll pay for the gas if that’s the issue!” He chuckled, shaking his head. “Money isn’t a problem for me, Ms. White. But I think it’s best if you stay and stick to the plan.” Before I could respond, Shannon came running down the stairs, clutching her workbook. “Ms. White,” she said nervously, “there are bears in these woods. It’s too dangerous for a girl to walk out there alone. You should stay the night. The driver will definitely be here tomorrow to take you home.” I clenched my teeth, furious. But what choice did I have? Ryan had planned this entire situation perfectly. I sighed and nodded, deciding it was best to stay close to Shannon. As long as I stayed by her side, Ryan wouldn’t dare try anything. I followed her back inside. As she closed the door, she shot her father a pleading look. Ryan didn’t say anything, but his behavior became noticeably more restrained afterward. For the next few hours, he didn’t show up, and the camera in Shannon’s room stayed off. Before I knew it, it was nighttime. Shannon yawned a few times, rubbing her eyes. “Ms. White, can we stop here for today? Let’s continue tomorrow,” she said, her voice soft with drowsiness. I was exhausted too. My throat was dry, and my head felt heavy. Reluctantly, I agreed. The Landon mansion had two floors, but strangely, there were no maids or staff in sight. “Where will I be sleeping tonight?” I asked. Shannon gave me a small smile. “The guest room is ready for you, Ms. White. The sheets are brand new.” I hesitated. “Shannon, I’m afraid of the dark. Can I share your room tonight?” Her face fell, and she looked at her single bed nervously. “My bed is really small, Ms. White. I don’t think we’ll both fit.” “I’m also not used to having someone else in my room. I wouldn’t be able to sleep,” she added apologetically. I sighed. “Alright, I’ll manage in the guest room.” The guest room was on the first floor. As soon as I walked in, I grabbed a chair and wedged it under the doorknob. It wasn’t much, but it gave me a small sense of security. I didn’t dare sleep deeply. Instead, I leaned against the wall, drifting in and out of a light doze. At some point, I was startled awake by the sound of distant screams—high-pitched and desperate, like a woman crying out in agony. Mixed with the screams was the deep, guttural roar of a man shouting angrily. For a moment, I thought I was dreaming. But the sounds continued, sending shivers down my spine.

The sound nearly made my heart jump out of my chest. The mansion was eerily quiet at night, surrounded by pitch-black darkness outside. Empty and silent, it felt suffocating. The cries kept coming in waves, faint but persistent. I couldn’t stop myself from worrying about Shannon. Finally, I decided to crack open the door just a little to peek outside. The sound was coming from the living room ahead. I tiptoed down the hallway, careful not to make a sound. When I reached the living room, I found it empty. But on the massive flat-screen TV, an explicit adult film was playing. My face instantly turned red as I realized what I was seeing. In the scene, a woman was being restrained by several men, struggling and crying out in anguish—the same screams I had heard earlier. I spun around to leave, but I slammed straight into a wall of muscle. Ryan was standing right behind me, blocking my way. Before I could step back, he grabbed me by the waist, his hands moving over me as his alcohol-laced breath filled the air. “Can’t sleep, Ms. White?” he asked, his voice low and predatory. I pushed against him, trying desperately to put some distance between us. “I heard strange noises and thought something might be wrong. I just came to check,” I said quickly, using Shannon as a shield. “If there’s nothing wrong, I’ll head back now. I need to be ready to teach Shannon in the morning.” But Ryan didn’t move. Instead, he smirked, clearly amused by my excuse. “Strange noises?” he said, leaning closer. “Ms. White, surely you know exactly what kind of noises those were.” I pretended not to understand, turning my head away to avoid his gaze. “Ms. White,” he said, his grip tightening around my waist, “don’t tell me you don’t have a boyfriend yet?” His voice dropped as he leaned even closer, his lips nearly brushing my neck. “You smell amazing.” “Mr. Landon, behave yourself!” I snapped. “Your daughter is asleep right upstairs!” “And so?” he replied nonchalantly, his tone dripping with arrogance. “Everything in this house—I paid for it. I worked hard to earn it all. On my property, I can do whatever I want.” “Don’t you care that Shannon might find out?” I shot back. “Find out what? That her mother’s gone, and her father gets lonely sometimes? She’s old enough to understand that much,” he said, his voice calm, as if he were discussing the weather. What kind of father talks like that? I was so angry my hands were shaking. Ryan’s eyes shamelessly lingered on my heaving chest, his gaze making my skin crawl. “Ms. White,” he said, his voice a mix of mockery and temptation, “name your price.” “What… are you talking about?” I asked, narrowing my eyes. “You’re a smart girl. Surely you understand,” he said with a crooked smile. “Let’s make a deal: I pay, you stay. Simple as that. A mutually beneficial arrangement.” Anger boiled up inside me. Without thinking, I swung my hand, aiming to slap him across the face. But Ryan caught my wrist mid-air, gripping it tightly. His fingers moved over my skin, sending waves of disgust through me. “Ms. White,” he said with a sly grin, “drop the act. You didn’t come here in those tight, curve-hugging clothes for nothing, did you? You wanted my attention, and now you’ve got it.” I was so furious I couldn’t even speak. Just then, Shannon appeared at the top of the stairs, clutching a stuffed animal. “Dad? Ms. White? What are you doing?” she asked, her voice groggy from sleep. I froze, unsure of how much she had heard or seen. Ryan instinctively let go of my hand and turned to Shannon. “Oh, nothing, sweetheart,” he said, his voice suddenly warm and fatherly. “Ms. White just came down for a glass of water. Go back to bed, okay?” But I didn’t wait for his permission to leave. I ran back to the guest room and locked the door behind me. Before I closed it fully, I caught a glimpse of Shannon still standing at the top of the stairs, staring down at her father with an unreadable expression. Maybe she sensed something was off. Whatever the case, her unexpected appearance had bought me some time. For now, Ryan backed off. I didn’t dare go back to sleep. I turned on every light in the guest room and sat by the window, gripping a dumbbell I had found in the corner. If he tried sneaking in, I was ready to smash it over his head. But the night passed without any further incidents. It seemed Ryan had actually gone to bed. By the time dawn broke, I was utterly exhausted. At some point, I had dozed off at the desk, my head resting on my arms. A sudden knock at the door jolted me awake. I sat up with a start, my heart pounding. I quickly checked myself, relieved to find my clothes still intact.

“Ms. White, are you awake?” It was Shannon calling me for breakfast. I quickly freshened up and followed her to the dining room. Ryan was already there, sitting at the table, engrossed in the financial news. He looked every bit the picture of a polished, successful businessman. If I hadn’t experienced what happened yesterday, I would’ve been fooled by this calm, picture-perfect image of him. Today, however, he seemed different—almost like someone else. He barely acknowledged me, only glancing up briefly to greet me. “Good morning, Ms. White,” he said simply, then returned to sipping his coffee, his eyes glued to the news. Not a single lingering look, not a trace of his usual predatory presence. I sat next to Shannon, who seemed genuinely thrilled to have me there. She kept piling food onto my plate. “Ms. White, you have to try this custard bun! It’s so good.” “Ms. White, these rice rolls are my favorite. Do you like them?” I didn’t know why she was so warm and friendly toward me, but her enthusiasm was contagious. Before I realized it, I’d eaten far more than I usually would. After barely sleeping last night, I was exhausted. “Ms. White, you’ve got such dark circles under your eyes! Did you not sleep well in a new place? Let me make you some coffee. Our Blue Mountain beans are amazing,” she said, already heading toward the kitchen. Coffee sounded good. I’d never had proper, high-quality coffee before—mostly because I couldn’t afford it. Every penny I earned from tutoring went to support my mom. At school, I lived as frugally as possible. Spending 5or5 or 5or6 on a cup of coffee at a café always felt like a luxury I couldn’t justify. So, I didn’t decline. Shannon quickly returned with two cups, one for each of us. The coffee was rich and aromatic, and after just one sip, I felt a little sharper and more awake. After breakfast, Shannon pulled me upstairs to start the lesson. Ryan grabbed his car keys, looking like he was heading out. “Study hard with your teacher,” he said to Shannon before nodding at me and stepping outside. Was it possible he felt guilty after Shannon had caught him last night? Maybe his conscience had finally kicked in. Either way, as long as he stayed away, I didn’t care. Once this lesson was over, I swore I’d never set foot in this mansion again. With Ryan gone, I felt a wave of relief. I threw myself into teaching, finally able to focus. Shannon worked diligently on her essay while I recorded practice questions for her oral exercises. Time flew by—until something strange happened. My eyelids started to feel impossibly heavy. The words on the worksheet began to blur and swirl in front of my eyes. What was happening to me? I tried to shake it off, but the room spun around me. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw Shannon suddenly slump forward, her head hitting the desk with a loud thud. “Shannon! Shannon, wake up! Are you okay?” I tried to call out to her, but my voice came out weak, barely above a whisper. She didn’t respond. A wave of panic surged through me, but my body felt like it was weighed down by lead. I couldn’t move. I summoned every ounce of strength I had to stand, but my legs buckled, and I collapsed onto the floor. Help… someone help us… The door creaked open. Ryan’s familiar face appeared in the doorway. He had come back. When he saw the scene in front of him, a slow, sinister smile spread across his face. I was doomed. Ryan stepped inside, shutting the door behind him. He bent down and scooped me up effortlessly. “Ms. White, why are you resting on the floor? Wouldn’t the bed be so much more comfortable?” I wanted to fight him off, to scream, to curse him—but my body wouldn’t obey me. I could only watch helplessly as he carried me into an unfamiliar room. The walls were covered with photos. Photos of Ryan with a woman who bore an eerie resemblance to me. A chill ran down my spine. Before I could process what I was seeing, Ryan laid me down on the bed and pinned me in place, his weight pressing down on me. He leaned in, his lips brushing against my neck. “Ms. White,” he whispered, his voice dripping with mockery, “you’re such a bright student. Surely you’ve heard the phrase ‘all roads lead to the same destination’? You struggled so much yesterday, but look where you are now—right here in my bed.”

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Recently, I’ve had this unsettling feeling—like I’m not alone in the house. I’m a professional haunted house tester, and this is my final five days in what is known as the “most haunted mansion in the country.” But today, when I woke up, my live stream’s comment section exploded. 0″Two grand a night—stay for 30 days. Do you dare?” When my dad needed an expensive medical procedure, and all I could think about was how to make quick cash, I took the offer without hesitation. Dare? Of course, I dare. Who wouldn’t take that kind of money? To make the most of it, I started live streaming my stay. On the first day, viewers tipped me like crazy, even asking me to check every room in the mansion. There was nothing unusual. The place was dusty, the faucets were slightly rusted, and it was clear no one had lived here for a long time. “Boring. This is supposed to be the most haunted house? Nothing creepy at all.” “Yeah, are you sure you checked every room?” The comments kept coming, and I felt a little guilty. I smiled awkwardly and said, “Guys, I swear I’ve checked everywhere. Nothing strange to report.” “Maybe the ‘haunted’ thing is just a gimmick.” I lied to them. There was one room I hadn’t checked—the one right next to mine. It wasn’t because I was scared of what might be inside. The door wouldn’t open. I knew my audience too well: the more a door refuses to open, the more they’ll insist I break it down. But I couldn’t risk damaging the property. The decor alone screamed “expensive,” and breaking the lock would probably cost me my entire paycheck—maybe even more. Forget saving up for my dad’s treatment, I’d be broke. So, I brushed it off. My audience bought the excuse and focused on trying to spot something paranormal at night. They failed. Meanwhile, I ate well, slept soundly, and carried on without a care. More than half the month flew by, and my live stream’s audience dwindled to just four or five regular viewers. At least one familiar username was still there, so I wasn’t completely alone. With only five days left, I didn’t expect anything exciting to happen. But deep down, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something wasn’t right. Recently, I’ve had this strange sensation—like there’s someone else in the house. For example, I spend most of my time in one bedroom, but I keep hearing faint shuffling sounds outside. Or how the TV remote on the couch always goes missing, and the ashtray on the coffee table seems slightly out of place every time I look at it. Then, there was the time I left my dishes on the dining table after lunch. By evening, when I went to make dinner, I reached for the plates to clean them. But I froze. I’m left-handed, so I always place my chopsticks on the left side of the plate. Why were they now on the right? I swallowed hard, my nerves on edge, but I forced myself to act normal and quietly cleaned up. From that moment on, I started paying closer attention. I made sure to leave my chopsticks on the left every single time. I didn’t mention any of this during the live stream. I didn’t want to say anything until I was sure. Then it happened again. The chopsticks were on the right. This time, my chest tightened, and I couldn’t ignore it anymore. Am I really the only one in this house? By Day 26, I was counting down the hours, praying for the time to pass so I could collect my money and leave. But what I didn’t expect—what I couldn’t have imagined—was waking up to find my live stream trending, ranked #2 in popularity. The comment section was flooded, with messages flying so fast I could barely read them. When I finally managed to make out a single comment, my blood ran cold: “Run, get out now!” 0

I froze. Run? A chill crept up from the soles of my feet. “What do you mean, run? What’s going on?” Panic crept into my voice as I stared at the screen. My reflection in the lens looked twisted and tense, but I didn’t care. My hands flew across the screen, scrolling through the flood of comments, trying to pick out any useful information. Finally, a few comments from twenty minutes ago caught my eye: “Miss, the wardrobe door opened! Wake up!” “Holy crap, why is there a doll in there?!” The wardrobe? I whipped my head around to look at it. It stood there silently, completely closed. Not a single sign that it had been opened. I forced a smile, though it didn’t quite reach my eyes. “You must’ve been imagining things.” “Get out of there now!” “Why are you just standing there? RUN!” The comments became more frantic, angry even, as if they couldn’t believe I wasn’t reacting. Someone even sent me a big tip, writing: “Run, and I’ll send you more!” My feet felt like they were encased in cement. I couldn’t move. Was it because I didn’t want to leave? No. If I left now, I’d break the contract. How would I pay for my dad’s treatment then? No. I couldn’t leave. That’s when I noticed my phone battery was almost dead. I quickly grabbed my charger. “Sorry, everyone, my phone’s dying—wait, what the hell? The power just went out!” The comment section exploded into chaos. But I just frowned at the charger in my hand, hesitated for a moment, and shook my head. I couldn’t leave. What do I do now? No electricity, no way to charge my phone. My battery was at 1%. Just as the screen went dark, I saw one last comment that sent a jolt down my spine: “Miss, behind you!” As soon as the phone shut off, I heard it—a faint creak behind me. My body froze. Slowly, I turned my head. The wardrobe door was open. Inside, there was a doll. It wore a brightly colored dress, its glassy black eyes staring out into the room. I don’t know how long I stood there, paralyzed. Then, out of nowhere, I laughed. What am I freaking out about? What’s the big deal? It’s just a doll. It’s not like it’s alive. I wasn’t sure if I was trying to convince myself or someone else. I walked over to the wardrobe, grabbed the doors, and slammed them shut. But just as I did, I felt a shiver run down my spine. For a split second, as the doors closed, I could’ve sworn the doll’s glass eyes were watching me. The power outage was making everything worse. I glanced at the landline phone by the bed. The man who hired me had specifically warned me: “Don’t use the landline unless it’s absolutely necessary.” I hesitated, my hand hovering over the receiver. Then I picked it up and dialed the service line for the gated community. Beep. The line didn’t connect. All I got was a loud, piercing tone. But beneath it, I thought I heard something—something faint, like nails scratching against a wall. A wave of cold washed over me, and a splitting headache flared up behind my eyes. I instinctively touched my left ear, then slowly put the receiver back down. No one was coming to help. I couldn’t leave the property, but I had to figure something out myself. Pushing myself up, I started searching for the electrical box. I made my way down the staircase to the first floor. But when I reached the box, I found nothing wrong. The breakers were fine—the outage wasn’t caused by anything here. I was about to close the panel when something caught my eye. Taped to the top of the box was a small piece of paper. Without thinking, I pulled it down and unfolded it. My hands froze. On the paper, written in elegant handwriting, were the words: “The power’s out, isn’t it? Go upstairs and find the doll!” 0

I froze, gripping the note tightly in my sweaty palm. A prank. This had to be some kind of prank! I rushed back upstairs to the second floor and flung open the wardrobe. Fear was the last thing on my mind—I was furious. Without thinking, I grabbed the doll in its flower-patterned dress. Its glassy black eyes seemed to flicker for a moment. Something fell out from underneath its dress—a journal. I tossed the doll back into the wardrobe and unfolded the journal. The handwriting inside was the same elegant script as the note I’d just found. The first entry was dated May 18 of last year. “I’m so excited. But I’ve already spent an entire day in this so-called haunted house, and nothing has happened.” The next entry came on May 19. “Slept like a baby. I wonder if anything interesting will happen today?” Page after page, the entries described uneventful days. From the tone of the writing, the journal’s author was growing increasingly frustrated, clearly starting to doubt the mansion’s reputation as “haunted.” Was she also hired to test this house, just like me? If someone else had already tested the house last year, why did they hire me to do it again? That man who hired me… he never mentioned this. My stomach churned as a chilling thought crossed my mind. Did something happen to her during the trial? Did she fail to complete her stay? I flipped to the entry dated June 3. My hands began to tremble. “I keep feeling like someone’s been moving my things. Am I imagining it?” June 5: “I keep hearing noises outside my room, but when I check, there’s nothing there. I must be going crazy from being cooped up here for so long.” No. It wasn’t her imagination. I’ve been hearing those noises too. I frantically flipped through the pages, desperate to find something useful. “I heard the wardrobe open. But when I looked inside, there was nothing. How did it open by itself?” “I’m starting to feel scared. The power went out.” The blood drained from my face. My fingers trembled as I turned the page. The date of the entry? The 26th day of her stay. The same day as today. The same power outage. This wasn’t a coincidence. It was deliberate. My breath hitched as I read further. “The landline is useless. It doesn’t connect to anything. I tried to leave, but the front door is locked! That man lied to me!” Locked? That couldn’t be true. I bolted downstairs, cold sweat dripping down my face. I grabbed the doorknob and twisted it. It didn’t budge. The door was locked. Even if I’d wanted to leave today—regardless of the money—I couldn’t. A wave of cold washed over my back. My chest tightened as I gulped hard and shakily returned to the journal, determined to keep reading. “This is insane! They told me the power would be out for five days! I’ve been tricked!” “I’m terrified. That room next to me—the one that’s supposed to be locked—how is it possible that there’s someone in there? I can hear scratching noises coming from the walls!” The journal ended there. Sweat dripped down my forehead as I gripped the journal tightly. Why did it stop? Did she leave the mansion? Or did something happen to her before she could write more? A crushing sense of dread settled over me. No. This can’t be the end of the journal. There has to be more! Just as I was about to turn the next page, the landline phone on the second floor started ringing. 0

I didn’t have time to keep flipping through the journal. Gripping it tightly, I sprinted back to the landline, breathless, and picked up the receiver. A cold, monotonous mechanical voice greeted me. “Hello, due to current electrical issues, your call may experience interruptions. Please state your request.” I didn’t care anymore. I blurted out, “Call the police! I need to get out of here!” “Sorry, I did not understand your request. Please repeat.” “I said, call the police!” My vision blurred as frustration and fear took over. My whole body was tense, my muscles aching from the strain. “Sorry, I did not understand your request. Please repeat.” I collapsed onto the floor, defeated. The journal slipped from my hand and landed beside me. The realization hit me like a punch to the gut: no matter what I said, there would be no help on the other end of the line. I took a deep breath, trying to steady my voice. “How many days will the power be out?” My throat was dry, and I licked my cracked lips. Maybe—just maybe—the journal was wrong. Maybe what it said wasn’t true. “Due to line maintenance in your area, the power will be out for 5 days. Please remain patient.” Beep. The line went dead, like someone had cut it off with precision. Five days. It was true. My last shred of hope was crushed. It was all too perfectly calculated. The moment my question was answered, the phone became useless. I had no choice. I had to save myself. Whatever was causing this—human or not—I couldn’t just sit here and wait for things to happen. A breeze blew in through the window, rustling the pages of the journal. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed new writing had appeared. Shaking, I grabbed the journal again. Skipping over the blank pages, I flipped forward. “At least I have my doll to keep me company.” “She’s the only one I have left.” That flower-dressed doll… it belonged to her? No wonder she wrote about the wardrobe opening and finding it empty. But when I got here, the doll was inside. I kept reading. “Stop flipping through this. The clock is almost at midnight.” I froze. My head snapped up, and I glanced toward the clock in the living room. From this angle, I could see it clearly. It was exactly midnight. From behind the wardrobe, I heard it—the sound of nails scratching against the wall. Sharp, deliberate, and relentless, like someone was clawing at the wall, trying to dig their way through from the locked room next door. Sweat poured down my back, and a thin layer of moisture coated my trembling fingers. Steeling myself, I turned the page. “Since you’ve read this far, let me teach you a few ways to stay alive. Follow these rules exactly!” What? I blinked in disbelief. My heart raced as I continued reading, unable to stop even though every word sent chills down my spine. “On Day 5 of the countdown, you’ll face extreme danger. During the day, you’re free to move around anywhere except the locked room. However, at night, you must lock your door and never, under any circumstances, leave your room.” “You can sleep during the day, but avoid closing your eyes at night. If you absolutely can’t stay awake, hold the doll while you sleep. If the doll goes missing, immediately open your eyes and find it.” “Do not read past this entry until tomorrow.” I let out a shaky laugh. Seriously? This was all I had to do? I already didn’t dare leave my room at night. But the final line felt like a warning. My hand hesitated over the journal. With everything so uncertain, I decided to follow the instructions and closed it. Even though it was still daytime, I didn’t dare leave my room except to grab a quick bite to eat. Afterward, I stayed put. As the hours dragged on and the sky darkened, I made sure to use the bathroom, then locked my door securely. I lay on the bed, clutching my dead phone like it was some kind of lifeline, a tiny source of false comfort. To my left was the flower-dressed doll. Then it began. The scratching sounds returned, relentless and sharp, piercing my ears until they ached. What terrified me the most was the realization of what it meant: Something—someone—was pressed up against the wall, furiously clawing at it with their nails, trying to break through. How long had this been going on? Long enough that the sound was starting to feel normal. That’s when I heard it. A knock at the door.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “295904”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #现实主义Realistic #浪漫Romance #校园School #重生Reborn #励志Inspiring #魔幻Magic #惊悚Thriller #玄幻Fantsy