Category: English

1 My mother died from overwork. She worked three jobs to afford the mortgage on our house, the one in the good school district. Before she took her last breath, she gripped my hand. “Clara,” she whispered, “you have to keep studying. Your education is your life.” I was ten. I didn’t fully understand. Six months later, my father brought a new woman home. Her name was Gable, and she came with a daughter in tow named Willow. She was timid, her eyes like a frightened fawn’s whenever she looked at you. My father said, “Clara, this is your sister. You’re older. You need to be mature about this.” I felt the small passbook my mother had left me in my pocket and nodded. It held only five hundred dollars, the last of my mother’s private savings. 2 Our home was a two-bedroom apartment. I used to have my own room. The day after Mrs. Gable moved in, she was stroking Willow’s hair and sighed to my father. “Willow is such a light sleeper. Her room is right by the road, and the traffic… the poor thing woke up startled several times last night…” My father glanced at me, his eyes shifting away. “Clara, you’re the big sister. Let Willow have the second bedroom.” I stared at him. He looked away, pretending to search for a lighter. “Okay,” I said. I moved into the converted storage room on the balcony. It was where we used to keep junk and the washing machine. In the winter, drafts cut through the thin walls. In the summer, it was a sauna. While cleaning it out, I swept up a dry, shriveled cockroach from a corner. I didn’t scream. I just wrapped it in a tissue and threw it in the trash. 3 That night, Willow knocked on the glass door of my new room. She was holding a plate of sliced fruit. “Sister, this is for you.” They were cherries. My mother had never bought them. Too expensive, she’d said. I took the plate. “Sister,” she said, “don’t be mad at Dad. And don’t be mad at my mom.” I didn’t say anything. She left. I placed the plate of cherries on the windowsill. By the next morning, they were covered in mold. Willow started piano lessons, ballet, painting. The money for her tutors came from selling the gold jewelry my mother had bought years ago. My stepmother would say, “A girl needs a bit of polish to land a good husband. Clara, why don’t you sit in on a lesson?” I was scrubbing my sneakers by the door, my hands covered in soap suds. “No, thanks. I have homework.” I started studying relentlessly. I used the old textbooks Willow had thrown out, scribbling notes on the blank back pages. The storage room had no heating. In winter, my hands would get so cold I could barely hold a pen. I’d fill a hot water bottle and clutch it to my chest, relying on that small pocket of warmth to get me through another vocabulary list, one word at a time. My mother told me my education was my armor. 4 When I was twenty-two, the Vance Corporation posted a job opening for an executive assistant to the CEO. The requirements were sky-high. Multilingual, versed in business etiquette, impeccable background, and willing to live in. But the salary was five times that of a typical office job. When my stepmother heard, her eyes lit up. Her first thought was for Willow. She’d heard the Vance heir, Justin Vance, was incredibly handsome and the sole successor to the empire. If Willow could get close to him, it would be the score of a lifetime. But a few days later, she came back with new information. Justin Vance was a cold-hearted demon, with a temper so fierce his last assistant had run out sobbing. The job also required signing a strict non-disclosure agreement and offered almost no personal time. Willow burst into tears, terrified. My stepmother called both of us to the living room. “The Vances are a top-tier family, but they have so many rules. I hear it’s a very demanding job. Willow is too sensitive… I couldn’t bear to see her suffer.” She took my hand, her face a mask of loving concern. “Clara, why don’t you give it a try? You’re steady. You can handle hardship. And with that salary, you could pay for Willow’s graduate program abroad.” My father sat on the sofa, the TV volume turned up loud, pretending he couldn’t hear a thing. I looked at my stepmother’s eager face, then at Willow. Willow was picking at her freshly manicured nails. “Sister,” she whispered, “I’m scared…” “Okay,” I said. 5 The interview at the Vance Corporation was rigorous. They tested my language skills, my logical reasoning, reviewed my medical reports, and ran a background check three generations deep. The interviewer asked me, “With your qualifications, you could get a job at any top international firm. Why apply for this position?” I answered calmly, “Because I need the money.” The interviewer gave me a long, searching look. I was hired. Life at the Vance estate was a different kind of difficult. The rules were more numerous than lines of code. One wrong step was not an option. But the pay was real, the food and board were covered, and there were endless benefits. I was assigned to Justin Vance’s private villa, responsible for his personal affairs and some of his documents. Justin was, as rumored, not an easy man to serve. He spoke little, was relentlessly demanding, and a complete workaholic. He often held international conference calls in his study until the dead of night. I had to be on standby, ready to make coffee, organize materials, or take notes at a moment’s notice. He rarely gave direct orders. He would just glance at something, and I was expected to know what he needed. I learned quickly. I remembered everything. He only drank dark-roast coffee, served at precisely eighty-five degrees Celsius. He had a habit of using a blue fountain pen for his annotations. Within six months, I was the one usually on duty in the study. Once, exhausted from a merger case, he pinched the bridge of his nose and asked, “Have you read this file?” “I glanced at it while organizing,” I answered truthfully. “And?” “There’s an issue with the cash flow on their financial statement. The third-quarter accounts receivable are unusually high. It doesn’t make sense.” He looked up at me, then asked nothing more. Two days later, he tossed a thick stack of all-English due diligence reports onto my desk. “Proofread this. Find any gaps.” I took it. “Yes, sir.” The report was dense with technical jargon. I spent hours on it, making detailed notes on sticky tabs. He reviewed my work and said nothing. After that, he occasionally had me handle less sensitive business emails. My salary rose accordingly. 6 Three years flew by. I was twenty-five, a veteran by his side. People in the company called me Ms. Cheng, with a mixture of respect and fear. In October, the Vance Corporation held its anniversary gala. All the city’s elites and top executives were invited. Justin was required to attend, and he named me to accompany him. It was the first time I had appeared with him at such a public social event. I wore the standard high-end professional attire, my hair pulled back in a severe, perfect bun. The gala was held in the top-floor ballroom of the corporate headquarters. The lights were dazzling, the sound of a cello rich and melodic. I walked half a step behind Justin, my head slightly bowed, my job to field unwanted conversations and hand out business cards. The room buzzed with chatter, with flattery. Justin was a man of few words, offering a curt response here and there, his gaze cool and distant. I focused on my task, my senses sharp. Until a familiar, timid voice drifted toward me. “Mom, is that Mr. Vance? He’s even more handsome in person than in the magazines…” My fingers faltered. I lifted my eyes, following the sound. Near the dessert table, on the outskirts of the main crowd, a young woman in a pink gown was on her tiptoes, staring dreamily in Justin’s direction. It was Willow. She had matured, looking even more delicate and lovely. Her dress was from a major designer’s new collection. Not cheap. My stepmother stood beside her, craning her neck, her face glowing with vicarious pride. They hadn’t seen me. 7 Justin was speaking to someone, but his peripheral vision caught my momentary pause. Without turning, he asked in a low voice, “What’s wrong?” I immediately dropped my gaze and took a champagne flute from him. “Nothing, sir. A little spilled.” He grunted in acknowledgment. Midway through the evening, Justin stepped out onto the terrace for some air. As always, I followed. We passed through a set of French doors, leaving the noise behind. As we walked by a decorative arrangement of champagne roses, the chatter of a few interns reached us. “It’s so hard to get an internship at Vance, but just seeing Mr. Vance makes it all worth it.” “I heard he has an assistant, a Ms. Cheng, who’s supposed to be incredible…” “Please. No matter how incredible she is, she’s still just an assistant. Does she really think she’s the lady of the house?” It was Willow’s voice. Laughing, but with a sharp, acidic edge. I didn’t break my stride. But Justin suddenly stopped. He turned his head slightly, his gaze sweeping past the roses, catching a glimpse of the figures behind them. “You know them?” he asked, his voice even. I stood half a step behind him, my eyes on the floor. A cool autumn breeze drifted over, carrying the scent of roses. I heard my own voice, clear and steady. “No.” “They just look familiar.” “They look a lot like the sister who made me sleep in a storage room, and then sent me here to be your maid.” Justin said nothing. He turned and continued walking. I followed. I didn’t look back at the roses again. 8 After the gala that night, I returned to the villa as usual. Jenna, another assistant who lived there, hurried over, her eyes sparkling. “Clara, did you see? Some of those big-shot CEOs were checking you out all night.” “I didn’t notice,” I said, taking off my earrings. “Seriously! And Mr. Vance…” she lowered her voice. “When he came back from the terrace, I swear he looked at you a few extra times.” “Don’t be ridiculous,” I said, placing the earrings in their box. “Get some sleep. We have to prepare the materials for the morning meeting.” The next day, it was business as usual. Coffee, files, scheduling. In the afternoon, Justin handed me a report. “Review the departmental budgets for next month.” “Yes, sir.” I opened it. It was fresh from the finance department. One line item caught my eye: Two additional full-time positions for interns in the Public Relations department. PR was the most glamorous department in the company. There were no recent plans for expansion. I took my pen and wrote a small note in the margin: No current expansion needs for PR. Roster questionable. Please verify. When Justin took the report back, he glanced at my note but said nothing. 9 Two days later, the head of HR came to find me. Mrs. Vance wanted to see me. A knot tightened in my stomach. The matriarch lived at the family’s old estate and rarely involved herself in corporate affairs. I followed the director to the estate. Mrs. Vance was in the conservatory, pruning an orchid. She was in her fifties but impeccably preserved, radiating a calm, regal air. I bowed respectfully. “You’re the Cheng girl? The one working for Justin?” “Yes, ma’am.” “I hear you took this job in your sister’s place?” “Yes. My family was in financial difficulty at the time. My sister was young and timid, and my stepmother couldn’t bear to part with her, so I came instead.” “A sensible child,” she said, snipping off a withered leaf. “Now that you are with the Vance family, you are one of us. The past is the past. You should learn to let it go.” “I understand, ma’am.” “Good.” She gestured for me to have some tea. “Next month, we’re hosting a small family dinner for some old friends. You’ll accompany Justin. Be meticulous.” “Yes, ma’am.” When I left, my back was damp with sweat. Mrs. Vance’s words were a mixture of praise, promotion, and a clear warning. She knew about Willow. And she knew about our relationship. 10 Life went on. The documents Justin gave me to handle grew in complexity. Sometimes it was a simple itinerary; other times, a summary report from an overseas branch. I was meticulous. I made no mistakes. He never offered praise. When I returned his work, his fingertip would sometimes pause on a certain point, or he would give the slightest grunt. I learned to understand. This part was correct. This part needed more thought. Willow and my stepmother had somehow managed to get jobs at Vance. Willow was an intern in PR, and my stepmother was a supervisor for the cleaning crew in logistics. Once, when I was in the finance department filing an expense report, I saw Willow from a distance, carrying a stack of files. She was laughing with some male colleagues, still dressed in designer labels, her cheeks rosy. She saw me. Her smile froze for a second before she turned away, pretending not to know me. I didn’t linger. I signed my papers and left. My stepmother, however, cornered me in the break room one day. She was beaming, holding a thermal container. “Clara, now that we’re both at this big company, we’re still family…” I sidestepped the soup she offered. “Is there something you need, Mrs. Gable?” Her expression faltered. “Don’t be like that… It’s just, your sister in PR… her intern salary is so low. You’re in Mr. Vance’s good graces now. Could you maybe talk to HR, get her a permanent position ahead of schedule?” “No,” I cut her off. “The company has procedures. I’m just an assistant. I can’t help.” I walked around her and left. As I walked away, I heard her mutter under her breath, “Ungrateful wretch.” 11 The day before the family dinner, Justin had me go to the storeroom to select some gifts for the old estate. The storeroom manager was a veteran employee. He squinted at the request form I handed him. “Well, well, Ms. Cheng in person? Mr. Vance must think highly of you.” I showed him my ID badge. “You’re too kind, Mr. Lee. I’m just running an errand.” He checked my badge and ambled off to retrieve the items. I waited outside the door and overheard two junior clerks gossiping inside. “Did you hear? That new woman in logistics, Mrs. Gable, has sticky fingers. She was caught on camera taking leftover tea bags and pastries from a conference room…” “Tsk. She just got here. Isn’t her daughter in PR? She looks like such an innocent girl…” “Innocent? Please. The other day she tried to get up to the executive floor, but the secretaries stopped her…” I felt nothing. Mr. Lee came out with the items. I checked the list, signed, and left. On my way back, I passed the PR department’s floor. I saw Willow touching up her makeup in a compact mirror, her eyes darting toward the elevators. I walked past, holding the gift boxes. She saw me, bit her lip, but didn’t dare to speak. 12 The family dinner was a much more private affair than the corporate gala. The guests were mostly old family friends and their children. The atmosphere was relaxed. I remained by Justin’s side. He wore a casual grey suit, which softened his sharp edges, making him look more refined. But his expression was still distant, offering only a slight nod to the elders who greeted him. Halfway through the meal, a girl in a white dress suddenly appeared, holding a plate of sliced fruit, and approached Justin. “Mr. Vance, Mrs. Vance had the kitchen prepare some fresh melon for you.” Her voice was soft and sweet. It was Willow. She had somehow managed to join the serving staff at the estate. She was clearly dressed for the occasion, her hair in soft curls, her face made up to look naturally flawless. The chatter at the tables quieted. Several pairs of eyes turned our way. Justin looked up, his gaze falling first on the plate, then on her. Willow’s cheeks flushed, her eyes shimmering. I stood behind Justin, my head down, motionless. Justin didn’t take the plate. He spoke to the head butler standing nearby. “Take this. Distribute it among the children.” The butler stepped forward. Willow’s face went pale. She let go of the plate, flustered. She seemed to want to say something more, but Justin had already turned to speak with an old family friend beside him. She was stuck, unable to move forward or retreat. The butler prompted her in a low voice, “Shouldn’t you be leaving?” She bit her lip, her eyes red, and finally backed away. I never once looked up. As the melon was passed around, I heard one of the ladies laugh softly. “That serving girl is certainly pretty. A little too ambitious, though.” Another murmured in agreement, “Indeed. She doesn’t know her place.” The dinner continued as if nothing had happened. 13 After the guests had left, I was in the private lounge, gathering the documents Justin had left there. He was still there, sitting on the sofa, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the armrest. “The girl who served the fruit today,” he said suddenly. “That was your sister?” My hand paused. “Yes.” “Your thoughts?” I put down the briefcase and stood properly. “Mr. Vance, in my opinion, a formal dinner at the estate has its own etiquette. To approach you unbidden, to curry favor so blatantly, is a transgression. She should be handled according to the house rules.” He was silent for a moment. “You’re impartial.” “I’m stating a fact.” He stood up and walked to the window, gazing out at the darkened garden. “According to the rules, what is the procedure?” “A minor offense would be a pay deduction. A major one would be termination, with a permanent ban from re-employment.” He didn’t turn around. “Then follow the rules.” “Yes, sir.” “You will deliver the message.” I froze. “Me…?” “What?” He turned to face me. “Is it difficult for you?” “Not difficult, but… shouldn’t this be handled by the butler…?” “I want you to do it. Tell them it comes from me.” A knot formed in my chest. I lowered my head. “Very well.”

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1 In the gilded cages of high society, everyone knows you don’t mess with a married man. Except, apparently, for my husband. Not only is he devastatingly handsome, with legs for days and the lean, hard body of a god, but his wife? A total pushover. You could fool around with him right in front of her, and she wouldn’t do a thing. “I heard Mrs. Leech used to be a real tigress. Felix couldn’t even hire a female assistant without her raising hell with the entire Leech family council.” “That was just Felix spoiling her. He’s tired of that game now. Look at her, meek as a mouse.” My best friend, visiting me for the afternoon, overheard the whispers. She was furious, ready to drag me to a lawyer’s office to divorce Felix Leech on the spot. I quickly stopped her. “First,” I said, my voice low, “he has no idea I had him sterilized. He can’t produce an heir to challenge our son’s inheritance.” “Second, the more he plays around, the more power over the Leech empire falls into my hands.” “And third, he’s drinking and screwing his way to an early grave. Why would I divorce a man who’s doing all my work for me? I should be thanking him.” … My friend left, satisfied. But when I walked into my own home, the scene on the living room sofa froze me in place. Felix’s back was to me. The woman straddling his lap was… She seemed to startle, shrinking back into his arms as if she’d just noticed me. Felix’s broad chest enveloped her, and he patted her back reassuringly. “It’s fine,” he murmured. “She won’t dare do anything.” The girl’s eyes were misty, whether from passion or fear, I couldn’t tell. “I… I’m sorry… I didn’t know you had a wife.” “Is that right?” For the first time ever, I interrupted one of Felix’s affairs. Not because my heart was breaking. But because I was genuinely shocked. I could understand strangers not knowing, but this girl? How could she not know? I remembered her in the orphanage, her eyes sparkling as she told me she wanted to be a woman who could stand tall on her own two feet. I took her in. I called in favors, sent her to the best business schools abroad. She grew exactly according to the plan I’d laid out for her. She used to fume with righteous anger whenever she heard rumors of Felix’s cheating. She once spat on a photograph of him. I wouldn’t have cared who was on his lap. But Lily? That was something I couldn’t quite accept. Didn’t she promise me she was going to be a woman who could stand tall? “But I heard… I heard your wife is a notorious tigress. I’m scared…” Lily trembled in his arms. Felix draped his jacket over her bare shoulders, then stood, positioning himself between us. “I’m the one who pursued her,” he said, his voice hard. “If you have a problem, you take it up with me.” My gaze lingered on the girl behind him for a moment longer. I sighed. I turned and walked into the bedroom. As the door clicked shut, I heard his voice, soft and coaxing. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. The whole ‘tigress’ thing is ancient history. She won’t touch you now.” I leaned against the window, exhaling a slow plume of smoke. He wasn’t wrong. When we first got married, I was a different woman. If Felix so much as looked at another woman for too long, I’d make him regret it for a week. Hiring a new female assistant? That was grounds for me to call a full meeting with the Leech family elders. His friends all laughed, saying he’d married a shrew. He would just smile and say a happy wife meant a happy life, and that they were all just jealous. He loved spoiling me, indulging my every whim, and he forbade anyone from calling me a tigress. Under my “strict supervision,” his business flourished. Then, one day, out of nowhere, he changed. “Are you ever going to let up?” he’d snarled, his patience finally snapping. It hit me then. Felix wasn’t that small-time business owner anymore. He was Felix Leech, CEO. A man with his own pride, his own power. He stopped hiding the lipstick stains on his collar. He fired the brilliant executive assistant I’d handpicked for him and replaced her with a string of pretty faces he preferred. The women came and went, a revolving door of faces. And those same friends who once called me a tigress now clapped him on the back. “Now that’s more like it! This is how a man should live!” From the living room, the woman’s moans grew deliberately louder. I hadn’t realized Lily was the type to gloat. I slipped in my earbuds and said nothing. After it was all over, Lily, wrapped in nothing but a towel, knocked on my door. “Aurora,” she began, “I… I want to explain.” 2 “Oh, don’t bother.” I tried to step past her, but she blocked my way. “I used to hate him, I really did! But…” She paused. I stared at her, waiting. She took a deep breath as if steeling herself for a confession. “But one day, I realized that what I could kill myself trying to achieve, I could get just by spending one night in his bed.” “And that,” she added, a new hardness in her eyes, “is something you could never give me.” “I told you I wanted to stand tall, to make it on my own. Well, my body is a resource, too. Why shouldn’t I be allowed to use it?” She finished, watching my face, clearly expecting a reaction. I gave her none. I just held her gaze for a long moment. Then, I nodded. And walked around her. “Aurora!” she called out from behind me. “Are you looking down on me? Is that why you won’t even talk to me?” “You’re overthinking it,” I said, my voice perfectly level, as placid as the day I first saw Felix bring another woman home. That day, I had calmly walked away. I took the expensive gifts he’d bought to appease me over the years and donated them all to charity. Then, while he was under anesthesia for a routine endoscopy, I gave my associate at the hospital a quiet order. A small, secondary procedure. To ensure his infidelity would never threaten my son’s future. If I couldn’t stop people from changing, then I would, at the very least, protect the things that shouldn’t. Like power. Like wealth. Like my son’s inheritance. But this time, Felix went too far. He found me in my office, his expression grave. “I’ve been thinking. I want you to transfer your authority as acting CEO to Lily.” My hand, poised over a document, froze. “Her?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. “A fresh college graduate?” “I know she lacks experience. That’s why you’ll stay by her side, guide her. You can teach her what she doesn’t know, and if she makes a mistake, you’ll be there to fix it.” I closed the folder in front of me. Now I understood what Lily meant by what she could get from him that I couldn’t. It was true. This power I held, maybe one night with Felix really was the price. A price Lily could pay. But for me, his wife of so many years, that currency was worthless. The only card I had left to play was our history. So I tried to cry. But the tears wouldn’t come. I had to force them, dredging up memories from a lifetime ago. Me at fifteen, kicked out by my stepfather, and Felix holding an umbrella over my head in the pouring rain. My mother’s funeral, the depression a black fog around me, and Felix patiently helping me dress, combing my hair. The nights my stepfather wouldn’t feed me, and Felix showing up with a hot potato hidden in his coat, burning his own skin just so I could have something warm to eat. A single tear finally escaped, landing with a soft plink on the polished desk. He flinched. I quickly wiped my eyes. “Felix,” I whispered, my voice thick with a broken strength, “how did we get here?” “Aurora?” He looked stunned, taking a step toward me. I dabbed at my eyes more furiously, my tone defiant. “I thought we at least had our past. I thought, as long as I didn’t make waves, I could at least grow old with you. But it seems I overestimated my own worth.” He stood frozen for a long moment. Then he reached out, his thumb gently brushing away a tear from my cheek. “Forget I said anything.” My power was safe. But my relief didn’t last long. Three days later, he burst into my office, his eyes wild and bloodshot. He grabbed my hands, his grip desperate. “Lily ran off! She’s gone! Aurora, I’m begging you, for the love of God, just give her the position!” 3 So Lily had run away. No calls, no texts, location services turned off. A classic move for a girl trying to make a point, and one with a surprisingly high success rate. And it was working perfectly. Felix was a complete wreck. He revoked my position as acting CEO on the spot. This time, my tears were useless. Because wherever Lily was, she was clearly crying much harder. I leaned back in my chair, exhaling a cool stream of smoke. She still didn’t understand. Felix’s approval meant nothing without the family’s. One phone call from Felix’s father was all it took. That evening, thirty or forty members of the Leech family council convened. “If you dare put that woman in charge of Leech Industries,” the old man thundered, “we’ll dare to make sure she has a very permanent, very fatal accident!” Felix might be a fool, but the Leech elders were not. They remembered how, under my rod-and-stick discipline, he’d transformed from a good-for-nothing playboy into a capable CEO. They had also seen how, after he’d reverted to his old ways, I’d seamlessly taken the reins, managing the company with an iron fist. Under the patriarch’s unyielding gaze, Felix knelt on the floor, his hands clenched so tight they trembled. He looked over at me, kneeling beside him as tradition dictated. Through gritted teeth, he spat out a single word. “Bitch.” Even after all these years, even with a heart I thought was long dead, that word sent a shiver through me. If the teenage girl I once was could see this, see the boy she called her protector say that to her, she never would have believed it. I stood up and walked out. It was snowing outside. I passed a street vendor selling roasted chestnuts. Someone called my name from behind. “Aurora!” I stopped. Felix caught up to me, his jaw tight. “I’m sorry…” I didn’t turn around. I just kept walking. No matter how much Felix doted on her, Lily was no match for the entire Leech dynasty. So, I remained secure in my position. But Lily was not one to give up easily. I was working late one evening, and as I walked to my car, she ambushed me. A cloth, soaked in something sweet and cloying, was pressed over my nose and mouth. Rough hands dragged me into a vehicle. Through a dizzying haze, I could see Lily at the wheel, on the phone. “Yeah, we’re ten minutes from the Elysium Club. Get the men ready.” She hung up and her eyes met mine in the rearview mirror. “You think you can use the Leech family to bully me, don’t you, Aurora? What do you think they’ll do when they find out you’re a promiscuous whore? Will they still protect you then? And what about your precious son, studying abroad? Maybe they’ll start to wonder if he’s…” She let out a sharp, cruel laugh. “Tsk! Maybe they’ll wonder if he’s even a real Leech.” I was a dead weight in the back seat, with no strength to even reach for my phone. I could only watch as the GPS navigation ticked closer and closer to the Elysium Club. My last resort, my only hope, was the emergency call feature on my watch. Felix wasn’t my emergency contact. He probably wouldn’t have had time for me anyway. I pressed the button, and the world faded to black. Through the fog, I heard Lily’s frantic shrieks. “Who are you! Who gave you the right to stop my car!” SMACK! “Ah! You hit me! You actually hit me!” When I opened my eyes again, I was back in the Leech mansion. My emergency contacts were Felix’s mother and father. I felt weak as I stepped out of the bedroom. Downstairs, nearly the entire family council was assembled. Lily was thrown to the floor in front of Felix’s father, a dashcam recording playing on a large screen beside her. “You dare to lay a hand on the Matriarch of this family? You must have a death wish!” “No, that’s not… I…” Lily had never faced the full, terrifying might of the Leech dynasty. Cowering before their collective glare, she burst into tears. “No! Let go of me! Ahh!” As two bodyguards seized her, she looked up and saw me standing on the landing. “Aurora! Help me! Sister, please!” Just like countless times before, she instinctively cried out to me when she was in danger, completely forgetting that this time, she was the one who had put me there. I turned my head away. “Aurora!” Her sobs were more desperate than I’d ever heard. Just then, the front doors burst open. Felix stormed in, kicking away one of the guards. “Esteemed elders,” he declared, his voice ringing with defiance, “if you want to touch her, you’ll have to go through me first.” “Felix.” I looked down at him from the top of the stairs. “Do you have any idea what she just did to me?” He looked up, his eyes meeting mine. “I’m sorry, Aurora. But… she’s pregnant.” I froze. “It’s mine.” My jaw dropped.

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When I learned that my CEO brother was acting like a total simp for the heroine, I hugged my little blanket and slept at the villain’s door. As he was about to send me back, he noticed the bruise on my wrist. “Did Julian Sterling abuse you?!” I nodded sleepily. After my brother was dumped by the heroine yet again, he finally remembered he had a little ancestor at home. By then, the villain was already attending my kindergarten parent-teacher meetings for me. My brother’s vision went dark: “I only left for a month, I didn’t die! Why won’t you acknowledge me?” The villain coaxed me with a lollipop: “Be good~ How about changing to a different brother?” 1 When I was three years old, I accidentally had a dream. I learned that my brother was just one of the heroine’s simps. He would infinitely lower his bottom line for the heroine. Acting crazy for her, mad for her, banging his head against the wall for her. In the end, he willingly offered his family fortune as the heroine’s wedding gift. And he took me to live in a 30-square-meter cheap apartment, listening to the couple next door arguing three times a day. To change this ending. I used my limited IQ to try a series of efforts, including but not limited to crying loudly when the heroine called him late at night saying she was scared alone, trying to keep him. When the heroine had period cramps, I deliberately spit up milk to make him change my clothes. When the heroine had her graduation performance, I learned to sing “Only Brother is Good in the World” to move him… But I forgot. My family has a nanny, but the heroine is an orphan. My brother threw me to the nanny to coax me. Seeing more and more water entering his brain, I solemnly decided to find myself a new brother. So I picked a little brother in the villa area next door. He is the villain, and also my brother’s nemesis, who would trip up the heroine’s simps. Sinister and cunning. Looking exactly like a dog training master! And he does have a Border Collie. Once my brother bought fruit for the heroine and forgot me at the fruit shop. He happened to be there too. I took an apple from the shelf next to me and handed it to his Border Collie. In return, he had his dog carry me home. I wanted him to punish my brother. Yesterday was my third birthday. The nanny specially put a princess dress on me to wait for my brother to come back. But he went to the movies with the heroine. The nanny coaxed me, saying when Harper Lane becomes my sister-in-law, there will be two people loving me. But I know, she won’t be my sister-in-law. The heroine is destined for the male lead! So, I decided to run away from home! Put some pressure on my simp brother. After nightfall, I successfully dodged the nanny who was chatting on the phone in the toilet and crawled out through the dog hole in the wall. I hugged my little blanket and walked barefoot to the villa area next door. Twenty minutes later, I stood at the door of Damien Darke’s house. This villa was even bigger than mine, but the lights were dim, looking cold. I took a deep breath, spread the little blanket on the steps in front of the door, and curled up to lie down. Just as I was about to fall asleep, I suddenly heard barking and footsteps from inside the door. The door opened, and a slipper almost stepped on my face. “What the hell?!” Damien’s voice stopped abruptly. I rubbed my eyes and sat up, meeting a pair of surprised eyes. Under the moonlight, his tall figure loomed over me, wearing a bathrobe, the collar slightly open, revealing exquisite collarbones. “Why are you here?” Damien frowned and asked. Before I could answer, a black and white shadow darted out from his leg and pounced on me enthusiastically. Dumpling’s wet nose sniffed all over my face, tail wagging so hard it was about to fly. “Dumpling!” Damien scolded: “This isn’t a kitten, you can’t keep it!” Dumpling whimpered aggrievedly but stubbornly put its front paws on my shoulders and started washing my face with its tongue. I giggled, taking the opportunity to scramble up and hug Damien’s calf directly: “Brother, hug!” He stiffened all over, like the pause button was pressed. Dumpling seized the opportunity, grabbed my back collar, and dragged me into the house. “Hey! Stupid dog! Stop!” Damien wanted to stop it, but Dumpling had already successfully dragged me into the entryway. I took the chance to let go of my collar and climbed onto Damien using both hands and feet. “Get down,” he said coldly. I shook my head and buried my face in his neck: “Ruan Ruan is cold…” 2 Damien’s body stiffened further, but he didn’t forcefully pull me off. Dumpling spun around excitedly beside us, occasionally nudging my foot with its head, as if saying “Look at me, look at me!” “Does Julian know you’re here?” he asked coldly. I pouted, tears coming instantly: “Brother doesn’t want Ruan Ruan anymore…” My sleeve slipped down, inadvertently revealing a bruise on my wrist. Damien’s eyes changed immediately. He grabbed my wrist: “What happened here?” I shrank my neck timidly: “Ruan Ruan hurts… Brother is angry…” Actually, I bumped it myself when crawling under the table to get a ball. After my brother came back, he threw a fit, blaming the nanny for not watching me properly. The nanny was indeed negligent; she was scrolling through happy short videos. Damien’s face was terrifyingly gloomy. “Julian hit you?” I didn’t answer, just lowered my head, acting out the grievance vividly. Damien took a deep breath, seeming to suppress his anger. Just then, Dumpling ran over with its food bowl in its mouth, put it in front of me, and looked at Damien expectantly. Damien looked at his dog speechlessly: “It’s 2 AM.” Dumpling stood stubbornly still. I touched my belly: “Ruan Ruan is hungry.” Dumpling immediately picked up a piece of dog food, spat it at our feet, wagging its tail even more happily. Damien rubbed his temples: “I’ll go heat some milk for you.” He pointed warningly at Dumpling: “Don’t hide her in your doghouse.” Dumpling tilted its head, an innocent expression of “I don’t understand what you’re saying.” Ten minutes later, Damien returned to the living room with two saucers of milk. Dumpling immediately pricked up its ears, tail beating a cheerful rhythm on the floor. “Sit,” he ordered. Dumpling immediately sat up straight, front paws together, like a well-trained soldier. I blinked and followed suit with a “Woof,” sitting up straight too. Damien’s hand paused in mid-air, milk almost spilling: “What are you doing?” “Table manners,” I tilted my head, imitating Dumpling’s expectant expression: “At home, Nanny Li teaches me like this.” Damien’s brows knotted: “She makes you bark like a dog?” I nodded, recalling: “She said this is noble etiquette. Once I didn’t bark, she told my brother I ate with my hands.” Speaking of this, I suddenly became sad. My brother was very angry that day. At dinner, he deliberately put down his chopsticks and fed me a chicken leg with his hands. He pinched my cheek with his greasy hands: “My Ruan Ruan can eat however she wants.” My brother was good to me, but he didn’t have time to change the nanny for me. Just because Harper Lane said I had feelings for this nanny, and if I changed to a new one, I would definitely be shy. And later, he got busier and busier, never eating with me again. Damien put the milk in front of me and Dumpling, his face terrifyingly gloomy: “Is that nanny still working at your house?” “Mm.” I took a small sip of milk: “Auntie Li also taught me how a pony drinks water. Does brother want to see?” His thumb gently stroked the bruise on my wrist, voice so low it was almost inaudible: “Julian, that bastard…” I finished the milk and looked up tangledly: “Brother, my brother doesn’t want me anymore. Can you take me in? I eat very little.” In my dream, Damien also had a sister, but she had congenital heart disease from birth and later died young due to negligence. He didn’t even have time to spoil her. After that incident, his parents divorced. Coincidentally, my parents also divorced. They had a business marriage. After the divorce, neither wanted the child, each going to find true love. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been left to my brother. 3 Damien’s brows knitted into a knot. He looked down at me clinging to his thigh, then at Dumpling spinning excitedly, veins throbbing on his temples. “I’m usually very busy,” he rubbed his brow: “No time to take care of a kid.” I immediately held up three little fingers: “Ruan Ruan will be very good! Can eat by myself, sleep by myself, play by myself!” As if understanding our conversation, Dumpling suddenly rushed into the living room, dragged its huge dog bed over huffing and puffing to my feet, then barked proudly “Woof,” tail wagging like a propeller. Damien looked at it expressionlessly: “She’s not a kitten, she can’t sleep with you, you’ll crush her.” Dumpling whimpered unconvinced, nudging my hand with its wet nose, as if saying “I won’t.” Finally, he sighed deeply: “…If you don’t cause trouble, I can reluctantly keep you for a few days.” “Thank you brother, thank you Dumpling~” I hugged Dumpling and gave it a big kiss. Dumpling was even more excited than me, running around the house with my small blanket in its mouth, finally frozen in place by Damien’s look. “Sleep.” Damien picked me up by the back of my collar like carrying a kitten into the guest room. I obediently crawled under the covers, watching him turn off the light and leave. The moment the door closed, the whole room plunged into darkness. The wall clock ticked, tree shadows swayed outside the window, casting ferocious shadows on the wall. I clutched the quilt tightly, finally unable to resist crawling out of bed. At the end of the corridor, a ray of light leaked from under Damien’s door. I gently pushed open the door and saw Damien leaning against the headboard reading documents. The bedside lamp cast warm shadows on his chiseled profile. Dumpling discovered me immediately, running over happily wagging its tail. “What now?” he asked without looking up. I twisted the corner of the quilt, whispering: “…Ruan Ruan is afraid of the dark.” Damien looked up then, seeing me shivering at the door. His expression softened under the light, but his tone remained stiff: “Afraid of the dark at three years old?” “Auntie Li said if I don’t sleep, monsters will catch me at night!” I said in horror. Damien stared at me for a full ten seconds, finally closing the file in defeat: “Come here.” My eyes lit up, hugging the quilt and trotting over. Dumpling was faster than me, already jumping on the bed to occupy the best spot. “Not here.” Damien pointed to the chaise longue in the corner: “You sleep there.” I obediently climbed onto the sofa, wrapping myself into a silkworm baby with the quilt. Dumpling whined in dissatisfaction but still jumped off the bed, lying on the carpet next to me to guard me. Damien turned off the main light, leaving only a night light. Although I wanted to pressure my brother to care about me again. But I didn’t expect that I had run away from home for a day, and he still hadn’t discovered I was gone! He took Harper Lane on a business trip. Damien sent someone to check. When Auntie Li saw I was gone, her first reaction was not to tell my brother but to run away for fear of responsibility! “Very good.” He sneered, looking very much like the big villain in cartoons: “Is the Julian Group negotiating the real estate project in the east of the city recently?” Assistant Chen pushed up his glasses: “Signing tomorrow.” “Before twelve tonight, I want to see this project surnamed Darke.” Damien threw the broken pen into the trash can: “I’ll pay double the breach of contract penalty.” I was counting on my fingers how much double was when he suddenly picked me up and put me on the desk. 4 He supported himself on both sides of me, eyes narrowing dangerously: “Kid, does your brother treat you like this usually?” Dumpling barked anxiously at the edge of the table. I took the opportunity to use its paw as a handrail: “Brother is just… busy?” Actually, before he met Harper Lane, he would take me to Disneyland and accompany me on the Ferris wheel. On my second birthday, he even wore a Jojo mascot costume to celebrate my birthday. Damien’s expression became even scarier. Three days later, a card suddenly appeared in my small backpack. Damien was tying my pigtails, although his skills weren’t great. He said casually: “The profit from the third project Julian lost is in there.” “Wow!” I held up the shiny bank card: “How many cheese sticks can this buy?” His hand paused: “…Is that the point?” “Otherwise?” I tilted my head to look at him: “Then… can I afford a Peppa Pig watch?” Damien choked: “At market price, you can buy the cheese stick factory directly and eat for a lifetime!” My mouth opened into an O shape! This is simply a dream come true! Damien is not a big villain! He is Santa Claus! “Hide it well.” Damien stuffed the card back into my dinosaur-printed backpack: “This is your…” “Dowry!” I answered quickly, just learned from TV recently: “Then can I buy teething sticks for Dumpling?” The corner of Damien’s mouth twitched: “…As you wish.” I pounced on him and gave him a big kiss. Damien petrified instantly, not even reacting when I pulled his six-figure tie askew. “Brother Damien is the best!” I hung around his neck swinging: “Better than my real brother!” The tips of his ears turned red at a speed visible to the naked eye. He stiffly pulled me down but reached out to rub the top of my head. I played wildly with Dumpling at home for three days, almost forgetting about kindergarten. Until Damien came home from work and saw the neighbor picking up his son, he realized I had been skipping school for days. He planned to send me to kindergarten. But I didn’t want to go. Early in the morning, Damien’s voice came from outside the bed. “Ruan Ruan, come out!” I shrank further under the bed. From this angle, I could see his polished leather shoes pacing irritably by the bed, already seventeen round trips. “If you don’t come out in three minutes, today’s cheese stick is canceled.” I covered my mouth. Despicable! Actually threatening a three-year-old with snacks! Dumpling’s tail swept across my face. It tilted its head to look at me, its black grape-like eyes written with “Told you hiding here is useless.” “Five, four, three…” When I crawled out using both hands and feet, I met Damien’s squatting gaze. He wore a black shirt today, collar slightly open, looking very much like the big bad wolf that eats children in cartoons. “Reason.” He picked me up by the back collar of my pajamas: “Why not go to kindergarten?” I kicked my legs in mid-air: “…Stomach ache.” “Liar.” Damien narrowed his eyes: “Yesterday you said you liked the plush bunny in kindergarten the most.” I pouted, suddenly my nose soured. That plush bunny named Snowball was cut to pieces by Ms. Li long ago, just because I said it was my only good friend. Damien’s expression changed suddenly. He put me on the bed, kneeling on one knee to look me in the eye: “Someone bullied you?” Dumpling took the chance to burrow out, rubbing my palm with its wet nose.

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When we got our marriage license, Ethan Blackwood told me he didn’t know how to love. So, for five years of marriage, he gave me everything—sex, desire, loyalty—except his heart. It was an arranged marriage between families. I knew I couldn’t be greedy, and I thought what he gave was enough. Until the night of our fifth anniversary. I broke his “bedroom rules” and secretly took off the blindfold for the first time. Only to inadvertently see a name tattooed on the small of his back. In that moment, I realized. Ethan Blackwood wasn’t incapable of love. He had just hidden it all away, saving it for my adopted sister. We had a huge fight, wishing each other dead. Unexpectedly, words became prophecy. We both plummeted off a cliff in a car accident. Before dying, Ethan, his face covered in blood, looked at me and begged: “Serena, if there is a next life, let’s not be husband and wife, okay?” I stared at him and laughed miserably, like a madwoman. When I opened my eyes again, I saw Ethan kneeling straight-backed on the floor: “Uncle, Auntie, I cannot marry Serena. The one I love is Layla.” I froze. But relief quickly followed. Coincidentally, I didn’t want to choose him this time either. 1 “Are you really sure about marrying Julian?” Mrs. Blackwood looked at me with some reluctance, but I calmly exchanged the betrothal documents with her. Confirming the name on the paper was Julian Sterling, I smiled faintly. “I’m sure, Auntie.” Mrs. Blackwood tried to persuade me again, her tone earnest. “The fortune tellers say Julian won’t live past thirty. You…” “Serena, even if Ethan doesn’t agree to the marriage, you don’t have to choose a husband only from the Blackwood family.” In my past life, Julian Sterling did die at thirty. Mrs. Blackwood fainted from crying, and Mr. Blackwood aged overnight. Everyone mourned his passing. He was formidable, becoming the head of the Sterling family at a young age. Beneath his sickly body lay the most steadfast heart. Before he died, I intended to see him one last time. Instead, I heard him say, “I like Serena Jiang.” “She doesn’t need to know what I’ve done. I only hope she is well.” He said not all love needs to be spoken, nor does all love beg for a return. So year after year, no one but his assistant knew. His love was hidden so deep that I never noticed a trace of it until the final moment he left this world filled with regret. So, even if just for that “I like you.” I wanted to help him. At least to let him leave without regrets. After a long while, I raised a smile and gently patted the back of Mrs. Blackwood’s hand. “Auntie, Julian will live a long life, to a hundred years old.” 2 After Mrs. Blackwood left, my mother also came to ask me, “Are you really not just doing this out of spite toward Ethan?” She knew how much I liked Ethan Blackwood. Childhood sweethearts, when love first blossomed, no other boy could enter my eyes. I thought he felt the same, never imagining it was unrequited love from beginning to end. In my past life, when Ethan and I got our marriage license, he told me: “I grew up amidst schemes and calculations. I don’t understand how to love, nor can I love. But whatever I can give, I will give to you.” For five years of marriage, we were the model couple in our circle—talented man, beautiful woman, seemingly deeply in love. To maintain this marriage, I was willing to teach Ethan how to love me. I could even indulge his occasional willfulness. Even his bedroom quirks, I could endure. In my past life, before intimacy, Ethan would always hand me a blindfold or use a tie to cover my eyes. He said: “Serena’s eyes are too beautiful. I’m afraid I’ll lose control and hurt you.” Every time, I blushed to the tips of my ears. Later, once or twice, he forgot to blindfold me. I joyfully wanted to see him overcome with passion, but he just coaxed me into changing positions, then ingratiatingly kissed my back inch by inch. We almost never faced each other. I took it all as Ethan’s habit. Until our fifth anniversary. I secretly took off the blindfold for the first time and accidentally discovered the name tattooed on his lower back. Humiliation and betrayal hit me simultaneously. In that moment, I felt like I had fallen into an ice cave. I went crazy, smashing everything in the bedroom, grabbing an ashtray and hurling it at Ethan. We hurled vicious words at each other, wishing the other dead. Cursing him to eternal hell. But doing it all over again, I found I didn’t want to do anything except stay far away from him. Thinking about it carefully. Ethan treated me well, he just didn’t love me. 3 The engagement party was set for next month. Mrs. Blackwood said the Blackwood family would handle everything; I just needed to wait peacefully. She gave me the chance to back out anytime. I replied with a helpless smile, “That wouldn’t be fair to Julian.” He was just sick. I messaged my assistant at the research institute to prepare the lab equipment. In my past life, after Julian’s heart transplant, I locked myself in the lab researching antibacterial drugs for a while. Later, the drug was ready for production, but he had already died from infection. I hope I can make it in time this life. Suddenly, Ethan sent me a message: “Come to The Ninth Night Club. I need to discuss something with you.” I refused directly. The first thing Ethan did after his rebirth was come to my house to cancel the engagement and confess his love to my adopted sister, Layla. To make Layla happy, he set off fireworks all night. They had been trending at number one, with everyone saying they were a perfect match. Paparazzi caught videos of them walking by the sea. Layla seemed tired and coquettishly asked Ethan to carry her. I thought he would refuse. But he didn’t. He smiled dotingly, knelt on one knee, gently rubbed her ankle first, then carried her on his back. His movements were smooth, gentle, and affectionate. A netizen commented: “Young Master Blackwood really loves Layla to death.” During this time, he stayed by Layla’s side, dutifully pleasing her, spoiling her like a little princess. He was trying his best to make up for the regrets of his past life; he wanted a different life. I didn’t object, as long as it didn’t involve me. But in the end, I went to The Ninth Night Club, though not for Ethan. I wanted to see Julian. His assistant called me back: “Miss Jiang, Mr. Sterling is discussing business at The Ninth Night. If it’s urgent, you can come directly.” I subconsciously frowned and couldn’t help teasing, “Drinking even when sick? Is he afraid he won’t die fast enough?” The assistant on the other end went silent. After a long silence, only a faint cough was heard. Finally, the assistant hurriedly left a room number and hung up. 4 Unexpectedly, Ethan seemed certain I would come and had sent people to watch for me early on. As soon as I showed my face, two bodyguards at the door forcibly took me to Ethan’s private room. After pushing the door open, they pressed down hard on my shoulders, forcing me to kneel. The cold from the floor seeped into my knees. The feeling of humiliation swept over me again. I clenched my fists and stared at the man in front of me: “Ethan Blackwood, are you sick?” The lighting in the room was dim. Ethan took a cigarette from a pack, lit it, took a drag, and exhaled white smoke. “I didn’t want this either.” “It’s you who won’t cooperate. If you’re unwilling to cancel the engagement, don’t blame me for playing dirty.” My mind went blank. The engagement with Ethan had clearly been canceled long ago. Did he not know? I struggled instinctively, opening my mouth to explain. Ethan had already walked up to me. Holding a glass of wine, he pinched my chin: “Serena, don’t blame me.” “I just want to live the life I want for once. As long as you’re ruined, they won’t force me to marry you.” I stared at Ethan, endless sorrow bursting from my eyes. My heart ached convulsively. Childhood friendship, five years of marriage, truly as cheap as dirt. “So you’re going to drug me and send me to whose bed?” For a moment, Ethan seemed dazed. His thin lips pressed tight, his hand pausing for two seconds. But in the end, he forced the wine into my mouth. “The Blackwood family has been busy with our engagement party for the last two days. I really can’t wait any longer.” “I found a young master of equal status for you. He will take responsibility; he will marry you.” “Ethan, you’re crazy, you’re really crazy…” I desperately tried to break free, but the two bodyguards behind me were too strong to resist. The wine poured fiercely down my throat. The intense stimulation made me cough uncontrollably. My face turned red, and spilled wine ran down my chin, wetting the shirt on my chest. Clinging tightly to my skin. “Serena, be good.” His tone was very light as he reached out to wipe the wine stain from the corner of my mouth. The bodyguards had let go of me by now. I panted heavily, my face still showing signs of distress. My hands propped weakly on the floor, physiological tears welling up in my eyes. My red lips curled into a self-mocking arc: “Ethan Blackwood, I didn’t want to marry you, and I won’t marry you.” Hearing this, he smiled contemptuously: “Really? Serena, I know you too well.” “I know how much you like me, so I had no choice but to do this.” He was so confident, so certain. Suddenly, Layla appeared at the door of the private room. She clutched the corner of her dress tightly, her gaze fixed straight on me. Voice trembling: “Sister, Ethan, you…” Ethan’s body stiffened instantly, his smile freezing on his lips. “Layla, why are you here…?” “Who brought you here? It’s so dirty here; you shouldn’t have come.” He walked helplessly to Layla, his voice gentle, movements soft and obedient. At this moment, he was like a devout believer, his eyes filled with sincere love. It was a look I had never seen before. Sure enough, love and lack thereof are truly distinct. I stared at Ethan for a long time, an indescribable sourness surging up. People are truly strange. In my past life, after Ethan and I got married, Layla went abroad and never came back. He regretted the past now, but back then, if he had wanted to marry her, who could have stopped him? If he really loved her that much, a plane ticket to the US… Cost a few hundred dollars. But did Ethan ever go to see Layla? No. Sometimes I didn’t know whether to be glad he was loyal enough to me in my past life, or glad he was cowardly. Ethan coaxed Layla to go home. She pressed her lips together and didn’t say much, looking at me with unclear emotions. Finally leaving me alone in the same spot.

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The video call was grainy, but the terror in Harrison’s eyes was crystal clear. His “Golden Girl”—his perfect ex, Isabelle—had barely been back in the country for forty-eight hours before she was snatched. The kidnappers weren’t just asking for thirty million in cash. They wanted a trade. They wanted me. I pointed at my own chest, genuinely baffled. Why would a group of professional criminals want a girl like me? I was a nobody, a girl from a backwoods town with no pedigree and no social standing. But then I heard Harrison’s voice, thick with a jagged, desperate kind of pain. “I’m sorry, Sera. I can’t let anything happen to Isabelle.” Before I could process the betrayal, his security detail moved in. A sharp blow to the back of my head sent the world spinning into black. When I woke up, I was in the hands of monsters. I watched through heavy eyelids as Harrison traded me like a piece of currency, his arms wrapped around an unconscious Isabelle as he turned his back on me without a second glance. He carried her away like she was a fragile treasure, leaving me in the dirt. Once the sound of his engine faded into the distance, the leader of the group set up a tripod. He started unbuckling his belt, his eyes roaming over me with a predatory hunger. I looked around the abandoned warehouse, my voice steady despite the situation. “Is Harrison gone? Are they all really gone?” The man laughed, a wet, ugly sound. “Not a soul for miles, sweetheart. You must have really pissed off the wrong people to end up as a sacrificial lamb.” As his hand reached out to touch my face, I finally let out a long, weary sigh of relief. “Good,” I whispered. “They’re gone.” In a blur of shifting bone and scales, I shed my skin. Within seconds, a massive white python—thick as an old-growth oak—coiled where a girl had been. I didn’t give him time to scream. I opened my jaws and swallowed him whole. his crew stood frozen, their bravado evaporating into whimpers. I didn’t give them a head start. One by one, I picked them off like grapes until the warehouse was silent. 1 I let out a soft, satisfied burp. I didn’t shift back into my human form immediately; instead, I lay there in the dust, basking in the rare sensation of a full belly and a quiet mind. I hadn’t been my true self in years—not since I met Harrison. My mother had warned me since I was a hatchling: never eat the humans. If you do, you’ll either be struck down by the heavens or caught by a Hunter. My aunt had made the mistake of consuming a man who possessed a “purple aura”—a mark of destiny—and she ended up bottled in a Hunter’s cellar, steeping in medicinal wine. After that, our clan retreated into the deep forests. It was only in the last few decades that we dared to venture out again. My mother insisted that the world had changed; she said being illiterate was the new death sentence. So, she sent me to school as soon as I could hold a human shape. I discovered that I loved human food. By the time I moved from my rural county to the city for university, I realized the world was a buffet of flavors I’d never dreamed of. That was where I met Harrison. The first time we locked eyes, he stared at me for what felt like an eternity. I didn’t know then that it was because I shared a fifty-percent resemblance to the woman who had broken his heart. All I knew was that he pursued me with a frantic, almost obsessive energy. My roommates were envious. Harrison was the city’s most eligible bachelor—handsome, obscenely wealthy, and miraculously scandal-free. They told me to grab the opportunity with both hands. But I didn’t care about the flowers or the designer jewelry he sent. I returned every gift, untouched. Instead, I took a job as a server at a high-end hotel. My appetite was expensive, and I’d blown through my semester’s living expenses in two months. When I called my mother, she told me she was broke and that I needed to figure it out. “You’re a grown woman now, Sera,” she’d hissed over the phone. “If you want to live among the humans, learn to earn your own keep.” Useless old woman. Hundreds of years old and not a cent in savings. So, I worked the hotel shifts. I’d read online that hotel staff could sometimes sneak the leftovers from the banquet halls. It seemed like the perfect plan: get paid and get fed. I was in a private suite, devouring a tray of untouched lobster tails and prime rib, when Harrison walked back into the room. I froze, a giant lobster claw halfway to my mouth. He stared at me in silence for a long moment, and then, to my surprise, he laughed. “Sera,” he said, his voice soft. “Let me take you to dinner.” It was the first time anyone had ever offered to feed me. He took me to a five-course gala. He watched, mesmerized and slightly terrified, as I cleared every plate on the table. His hand trembled slightly as he set down his scotch. “I had no idea you were so… hungry.” He paused, a strange look in his eyes. “But I can afford to keep you full. Sera, move in with me. I’ll make sure you never have to work a shift again. You can eat whatever you want, on my tab.” 2 The moment he said those words, Harrison became the most beautiful man I’d ever seen. I wiped my mouth, unable to resist the lure of a lifetime supply of gourmet meals. “Fine. Deal.” I moved out of the dorms and into a sprawling estate Harrison bought for me. He hired two professional chefs who prepared a feast every single night. I called my mother while gnawing on a roasted duck leg. “Mom, look! I have a boyfriend. He bought me a house, and he covers all the catering. I’m retired.” My mother sounded skeptical. “Sera, are you sure you aren’t being scammed? Humans don’t just give away free food.” I pulled a perfectly clean bone from my mouth. “I don’t think so. He’s great. Room, board, and a huge monthly allowance. He’s way more generous than you ever were.” “Watch yourself,” she muttered. “Men have hidden faces. If things get dangerous, you shift and you run. Understand?” “I’ve got it under control,” I said, waving her off. The sunlight caught the diamonds on my new bracelet, nearly blinding her through the screen. She squinted. “He bought that too?” I nodded. A look of realization dawned on her face. “Sera… you’re a kept woman. He’s ‘maintaining’ you.” “Maintaining?” I tilted my head, trying to find the right human term. “Is that like being a pet? Like a… domestic animal?” I wasn’t sure. I was a snake. Being “maintained” sounded a bit weird, but being “fed and housed” made perfect sense for a predator of my stature. “Whatever it is,” my mom said, “if he’s giving you that much money, Venmo me a few hundred. I just learned how to use Amazon, and I need some gardening supplies.” It was pathetic how poor she was after four centuries. I transferred ten thousand to her account. “Spend it. Let me know when you need more.” She practically teared up. “My daughter, the success story.” For four years, I lived a life of pampered luxury. There were rumors at the university about my “arrangement,” but Harrison shut them down by publicly declaring me his girlfriend. He treated me well, so I tried to be a good partner in return. Two years ago, Harrison’s business rivals kidnapped him. I tracked them to an old cannery and took them out single-handedly. His right hand had been crushed in the struggle. To heal him, I exhausted nearly all my spiritual essence—the energy that allowed me to keep my human form. I barely managed to drag him to safety before I felt my skin start to itch and tighten. Luckily, he was unconscious. He never saw me revert to the twenty-foot monster that I was. If he had, he would have been horrified. Now, lying in the dirt of the warehouse, I thought back to a few weeks ago. Harrison had taken me to a high-society gala, claiming he wanted to finally introduce me to his inner circle. I remembered the way they looked at me when I entered the room—like I was a cheap knockoff in a designer dress. They didn’t even try to hide their whispers. “I told you Harrison couldn’t get over Isabelle. Look at that face. It’s a mirror image.” “She’s a total rube, though. No class. Isabelle had grace. This girl looks like she’s just happy to be invited.” “Isabelle is coming back next month. I wonder how fast he’ll dump the placeholder.” I didn’t understand all their metaphors, but I understood the venom. Harrison’s face had darkened. “That’s enough. Sera is my guest. If anyone has a problem with her, they have a problem with me.” The room went quiet, but the atmosphere remained cold. Later, while Harrison was distracted, a woman in a gown that cost more than my first car cornered me near the restrooms. “Don’t get comfortable,” she sneered. “You’re a distraction. A way for him to spite Isabelle for leaving. When the real thing comes home, the counterfeit gets tossed in the trash.” 3 I blinked at her, unfazed. “Who is Isabelle?” The woman gasped, her voice hitting a shrill note. “You don’t even know? Typical.” She took great pleasure in explaining it to me. Isabelle was the childhood sweetheart. The “Golden Girl.” The only woman Harrison had ever truly loved. They’d had a massive falling out, she’d moved to Paris, and Harrison had been a ghost of a man until he found me. “He only chose you because you look like her,” the woman finished, looking me up and down with disgust. “Learn your place.” I felt a strange, sharp pang in my chest. I remembered the nights Harrison would get drunk and pull me close, whispering “Isa” into my hair. I had thought it was a pet name. Now I knew it was just a different name entirely. A month later, Isabelle actually returned. Harrison became a different person. He was distracted, distant. He would stare at his phone for hours, ignoring the feasts I’d prepared. I sat across from him one night, my chin in my hands. “Do you miss her? Isabelle?” I’d spent the week listening to his friends tell stories about them. How he’d skipped school for her. How he’d fought his parents to be with her. How he’d flown her to the Maldives for her twenty-first birthday. His entire youth had been a monument to her. Harrison froze, then shook his head. “Don’t talk about her. That’s over. It’s just you and me, Sera.” He blocked her number. He declined the parties where she’d be present. He acted like a man made of stone, refusing to see her. Until the news broke that she had been taken. Harrison’s composure shattered. He pushed me aside so hard I nearly fell, sprinting out of the house screaming her name. When the ransom video arrived, showing Isabelle tied to a chair, pale and trembling, Harrison looked like he was the one being tortured. The kidnappers’ voice was distorted, demanding the money and—specifically—me. “The choice is yours, Mr. Sterling. Which one matters more?” Harrison let out a choked sound, his fist slamming into the mahogany desk. “It’s the rivals from two years ago. They’re back for blood.” He looked at me, his eyes bloodshot and foreign. “I’m sorry, Sera. I can’t let her die.”

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After the college entrance exam scores were released, I, who ranked second in the whole school, resolutely jumped from a high building. Just because the night before the exam, Mia Song told me she had mind-reading skills, could not only know all my answers, but also score exactly one point higher than me. I didn’t believe in superstition, didn’t think about anything during the exam, but when checking answers after the exam, Mia Song recited my answers fluently backwards. After the scores were out, she suppressed me by a difference of one point, snatching the last quota for Tsinghua and Peking University. She patted my pale face, smiling smugly. “Chloe Su, a low-class bumpkin like you, still delusionally wants to change fate through the college entrance exam? Hurry up and die with your short-lived parents!” I, who didn’t get the Tsinghua and Peking University scholarship, watched helplessly as my seriously ill parents passed away, then jumped from the building with despair. But before dying, I didn’t understand why Mia Song could know all my answers and score exactly one point more than me? Could there really be mind-reading in this world? Opening my eyes again, I returned to the eve of the college entrance exam. This time, I definitely won’t lose again! 1 “Tomorrow is June 7th, the national college entrance exam will kick off…” Listening to the voice from the TV, I woke up with a start. June 7th, college entrance exam? Didn’t I already take it? Not only took it, but also ended up with my family broken and dead. After confirming the time repeatedly, I discovered with surprise that I was reborn! Reborn on the day before the college entrance exam! All nightmares haven’t happened yet. Excited, I wept with joy, but soon I received that message that made me break out in a cold sweat. The sender was my classmate Mia Song. She said: “Chloe Su, although you have always been first in the grade and the only person in the whole school with hope of getting into Tsinghua and Peking University. But believe it or not, I have mind-reading skills. During the two days of the college entrance exam, I will not only know the answers to all your test questions, but also accurately control it, scoring one point higher than you!” In my previous life, I scoffed at receiving this text message. Relying on her family having some money, Mia Song always bullied poor students like us. Also because my grades were good, she hated me exceptionally, always tripping me up. This text message was probably just her playing tricks, wanting to disturb my mood. But unexpectedly, when checking answers after the first day of exams, Mia Song actually recited the answers to all my multiple-choice questions fluently backwards, even counting my composition materials used in the Chinese exam as her own treasures. I was shocked at the time, but Mia Song pulled the corner of her mouth sarcastically: “Told you I have mind-reading skills, why didn’t you believe it?” I really didn’t believe anyone in this world could read minds, so the next day I held my breath, emptied my head, and wrote all steps on paper. But unfortunately, when checking answers again, Mia Song’s answers were completely identical to what I wrote down. She deliberately sighed: “Chloe Su, you were very tangled writing the last big physics question, almost made me have no time to finish writing.” This time, I completely collapsed. But the desperate thing happened after the scores were released. Mia Song, who had always had poor grades, not only scored 700 points like me, but also scored exactly one point higher than me. It was this one-point difference that made me lose the opportunity to be admitted to Tsinghua and Peking University, which also meant the school would not give me that huge Tsinghua and Peking University scholarship. And my parents waiting in the hospital for me to bring life-saving money also passed away in despair. I watched helplessly as my parents were pushed into the morgue. Turning my head, I saw Mia Song’s smug face. She patted my bloodless face and said with a smile: “Chloe Su, a low-class bumpkin like you, still delusionally wants to change fate through the college entrance exam? Hurry up and die with your short-lived parents!” “Don’t curse me in your heart. I know all the thoughts in your heart clearly. Including, that little secret of yours unknown to others…” Mia Song leaned over and spat out the deepest secret I pressed in the bottom of my heart word by word in my ear. My spirit completely collapsed. In despair, I came to the top floor of the hospital and jumped down with all thoughts gray. Fortunately, heaven gave me a chance to start over. This time, I must unveil the veil of Mia Song’s mind-reading skills and take a good look at what tricks she is playing! 2 After receiving the text message of Mia Song’s mind-reading threat, I took deep breaths for a long time before calming down my emotions. Then immediately searched non-stop on the internet how to resist mind-reading. People on the internet said to keep a distance from people who can read minds. I remembered during the college entrance exam, Mia Song and I were not in the same classroom, so distance shouldn’t be a problem. They also said some objects are likely to be mediums for mind-reading. I suddenly remembered Mia Song once gave me a little bear hair clip and a cheap plastic bracelet. At that time she distributed them to the whole class, so I took them all. Now it seems very likely there are ghosts in these two small objects! I brought a hammer and smashed the bracelet and hair clip to pieces with maximum strength. I thought, this time I shouldn’t be read by Mia Song again. The next day, I arrived at the college entrance exam venue early like in my previous life. Seeing me, Mia Song smiled all over her face, pretending to hug me intimately, but actually whispered like a demon in my ear: “Chloe Su, you received that text message yesterday, right?” I was startled violently, hair all over my body standing up. She patted my face and said in an encouraging tone: “Chloe Su, you must take the exam well. If you don’t do well, how can I get into Tsinghua and Peking University?” She left laughing loudly, while my fingernails almost embedded into the flesh of my palms. Because I had taken the exam once, I answered unusually smoothly this time. I have already thrown away the things Mia Song gave me. Now, she shouldn’t be able to write the same answers as me, right? After the first day of exams ended, as expected, classmates gathered together to check answers again. Listening to them reporting the answers to all multiple-choice questions, I remained calm on the surface, but was actually jumping for joy inside. Because my answers were completely consistent with the standard answers! This time, I can not only aim for 700 points, but possibly even close to full marks! This way, I will definitely be admitted to Tsinghua and Peking University, get the scholarship to treat my parents. But just as I was about to leave, Mia Song suddenly grabbed my shoulder. She smiled and said to me: “Chloe Su, you did really well in the exam this time, actually got all multiple-choice questions right! But I think your composition wasn’t written well. What era is it still using Li Bai’s poems as material, old-fashioned.” Hearing her words, goosebumps all over my body exploded, and a drop of cold sweat slowly slid down from my forehead. Why, why does she still know all my answers, even knowing I used Li Bai’s poems in my composition! Clearly for this composition, what I wrote was completely different from my previous life, and the materials used were all new. I asked with teeth chattering: “How do you know?” “Told you, I have mind-reading skills.” She left laughing loudly. Every laugh was an insult to my personality. 3 The next day, I sat in the college entrance exam venue, pursing my lips with a solemn face. After the exam bell rang, everyone around immediately started answering the paper, fearing delaying a second. But I still sat straight without a trace of movement. The invigilator noticed my abnormality, walked over and kindly reminded me: “Student, the exam has started, hurry up and answer the questions.” But I nodded, yet didn’t move my pen a bit. I had already thought it through. Since whatever answers I write will be known by Mia Song, I might as well not write. I looked at the sky and the ground, looked at the leaves outside, just didn’t look at the paper. I don’t believe she can still know what my answers are like this. Sure enough, after the exam ended, before I walked out of the exam room, Mia Song rushed over like crazy. She came up and choked my neck, roaring with a ferocious face: “Why! Why didn’t you write a single word! Are you crazy!” My face was flushed red from being strangled by her, but I showed a victorious smile for the first time: “Yes, I am crazy, so don’t even think about copying a single answer from me again!” Our matter attracted the attention of countless people in the corridor. The invigilator pulled Mia Song away and asked in confusion: “How do you know Chloe Su turned in a blank paper?” Mia Song stopped talking. She flung the invigilator away: “Is it your turn to manage me! Get away!” Before leaving, she pointed at my nose and ordered viciously: “I tell you, for the last exam in the afternoon, you must take it well for me! Otherwise I’ll make you look good!” Classmates beside were talking about it, not knowing what exactly happened between us. I tidied my clothes and left the exam room with a normal expression. She asked me to take it well, I won’t. So for the second exam in the afternoon, I still turned in a blank paper. Although the invigilator persuaded me several times, I remained indifferent. After the exam, not surprisingly, Mia Song appeared outside my classroom door again. But this time, because teachers were protecting me, she couldn’t come over to hurt me. Mia Song could only stare at me from not far away, sneering again and again: “Chloe Su, playing this kind of small trick with me is useless. My family has plenty of money. If I fail the college entrance exam, my parents can send me abroad. And you, if you fail to get into Tsinghua and Peking University, your parents won’t have money for treatment, and your whole family will be finished!” I lowered my head and remained silent. And when I went to the hospital to visit my parents, my mom on the sickbed tightly grasped my hand. “Daughter, your school teacher called just now, saying you turned in blank papers for today’s exams. You, did you really turn in blank papers?” I dared not look into mom’s eyes, falling into silence. My parents are both migrant workers on construction sites. Three months ago, the construction site suddenly exploded, and both of them suffered serious injuries. My dad is still unconscious, and although my mom is conscious, she lies in bed unable to move. The boss of the construction site ran away with the money, and we have to pay all medical expenses ourselves. The whole family pinned hope on the college entrance exam, because the school once promised that as long as I get into Tsinghua and Peking University, they will give me a huge scholarship. With this money, mom and dad can have surgery, so the college entrance exam is crucial to my family, and my mom also cares very much about how I did. Seeing mom’s anxious look and red eyes, I nodded honestly. “Yes, I turned in blank papers for both subjects today. But Mom, don’t worry, I will take out your medical expenses on time.” My mom didn’t understand, but seeing me speak vowedly, she didn’t pursue further. Before leaving, mom said to me again: “Daughter, our family’s lives and property are all on you.” I nodded heavily: “I know Mom, I won’t let you down.” 4 Soon, it was the day the college entrance exam scores were released. The school asked all of us to go to the school’s computer room to check scores. But actually I knew long ago roughly how much I could score. I did very well in Chinese and Math on the first day, approaching full marks in both subjects. But I turned in blank papers for English and Comprehensive Science on the second day, so it was a blatant zero. Adding up to a total score of 750, I scored 295. This result made everyone’s jaw drop. In the classroom, the teacher looked at the computer screen in front of me, refreshing again and again. But no matter how refreshed, it was 295. The teacher issued a desperate question: “Chloe Su, didn’t you say you did well? How can there be two zeros!” “You are our school’s only seedling for Tsinghua and Peking University. You, you are harming others and yourself!” And just then, at the other end of the classroom came the exclamation of Mia Song’s good friend. “Mia Song, how did you only score 296 points!” “Yeah, didn’t you say you would definitely perform extraordinarily in the college entrance exam and sprint for Tsinghua and Peking University?” Hearing this score, my heart thudded again. Why, why can Mia Song always be one point higher than me? Before I could figure it out, Mia Song had already rushed towards me from the other end of the classroom. Like a beast, she pounced on me directly from the chair, then choked my neck tightly, slapping my face. “Chloe Su, you bitch! You harmed me! You will die a bad death!” The crazy Mia Song surprised everyone present. Teachers wanted to pull her away, but her strength was immense, and for a while, everyone couldn’t do anything about her. I lay on the ground, watching Mia Song hysterical in front of me, couldn’t help feeling happy inside. Two lifetimes, I finally can win her once! Mia Song saw me smiling, but laughed loudly herself: “Haha Chloe Su, do you think turning in a blank paper can change your destiny? Idiot! Now let alone getting into Tsinghua and Peking University, it’s hard for you to even reach the undergraduate line! But your pair of short-lived ghost parents are still lying in the hospital, waiting for your scholarship to save their lives! I’d like to see, failing to get into Tsinghua and Peking University, what you use to save your parents’ lives!” And just then, the classroom door was knocked from outside. The uncle from the mailroom asked loudly: “Is student Chloe Su from your class here? A scholarship has been mailed to the school, need her to sign for it.” This time, Mia Song was completely surprised. “How is it possible?! You, a person who didn’t even score 300 points, on what basis can you get a scholarship!” I pushed Mia Song pressing on me away, stood up and tidied my clothes, calmly walked towards the door. Then took the letter from the mailroom uncle. After tearing it open, inside was a check for one hundred thousand. Seeing this check, the big stone in my heart finally landed. With this money, mom and dad can both have surgery. Not only Mia Song in the class, all classmates were shocked. The teacher walked quickly to my side, staring at that check again and again: “Heavens! One hundred thousand scholarship! Chloe Su, you only scored this many points, who gave you the scholarship?!” Mia Song stood up and sneered disdainfully after hearing the scholarship amount. “Mere one hundred thousand, what use can it be?” “Your parents, one vegetable one seriously ill, one hundred thousand isn’t enough for staying in ICU for a day. Poor country folks, don’t squeeze in the city wasting our educational resources!” Mia Song’s words were very ugly, but because she is the school beauty and has a good family background, she usually has many lackeys in the class. Plus before school teachers protected me because of good grades, now I scored less than three hundred points, status plummeted. So many people in the class began to echo one after another. “Exactly! Before Chloe Su was fake aloof in class, ignoring when others spoke. Claiming to be top scholar every day, now isn’t it just a vocational college score? Pretending to be so amazing!” “Also this what one hundred thousand scholarship, where is there a scholarship mailed to school mailroom? I think it’s Chloe Su directing and acting a play herself, just finding some face for herself!” “Country folks indeed have no brains, still stubbornly want face, doing things so full of holes, simply making a huge joke!” … Facing everyone’s doubt and humiliation, I said nothing, just put the check away into my pocket. But the angry Mia Song didn’t plan to let me go. She forcibly snatched the check from my pocket. Just as the mocking expression was put on, it froze. “Mere ten thousand—US dollars?! How can this be a US dollar check?!” Mia Song couldn’t believe her eyes, rubbed her eyes and continued staring at the check: “I didn’t see wrong, it is US dollars!” The teacher was also surprised, snatched the check to his hand to look, following with an earth-shattering shout: “Ten thousand US dollars? Then isn’t that seven or eight hundred thousand RMB!” Not only them two, the rest of the classmates in the class also widened their eyes and opened their mouths. They gathered around, craning their necks and standing on tiptoes to look. Finally discovered with surprise, it really was ten thousand US dollars! I saw Mia Song’s brows pressed down, knowing she was hiding bad water in her belly again, so snatched the check back from the teacher in advance and stuffed it into my own pocket. “Now everyone has seen I have a check for ten thousand US dollars. If anyone dares to damage my check, I will call the police to arrest him to jail!” Although words were spoken to everyone, my eyes stared firmly at Mia Song. Her face changed, seeming annoyed that her little thought was seen through by me at a glance. Soon, a smile rose on Mia Song’s face again, arms crossed over chest, revealing an understanding smile. “Oh I know, fake, must be fake. Really hard for you, even finding the mailroom uncle to act this play with you. Say it, how much commission did you pay the uncle?” After Mia Song finished speaking, the whole class burst into laughter. A few even bent over laughing, unable to lift their heads. “Truly worthy of being a big scholar, the face-saving pretentious method thought of is so special.” “If not for blowing too much, even US dollars came out, I might really have believed it!” “Shh, stop talking, what if the scholar cries? Careful she finds foreign mercenaries to beat us!” The teacher didn’t stop their ridicule of me, even secretly nodded in agreement. Facing everyone’s ridicule, I didn’t have much reaction, just said: “Summer insects cannot speak of ice. I have nothing to say to you. My university admission notice will be delivered in a few days. Then you will know if I was lying and acting.” Mia Song sniffed, while I strode out of the classroom, hurrying to the bank to withdraw money.

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Upon learning that my best friend’s brother needed a partner for a marriage alliance, I immediately volunteered myself. After all, he’s handsome, wealthy, and has that cold, abstinent vibe. The key point is, he gives a seven-figure monthly allowance. After getting married, I hugged my best friend and snickered. “From now on, we’ll spend it together.” But tonight, when my best friend and I tried to sneak out to the bar in the dark, we were blocked right at the door by the man. “How about not going out?” 1 I married my best friend’s brother. But the two of us are like roommates sharing a house. When Julian leaves for work in the morning, I’m sleeping. When I go out clubbing at night, Julian hasn’t gotten off work yet. The bar is full of lights and wine, handsome guys and pretty girls swaying freely to the rhythm of the music under the influence of lights and alcohol. Ava downed the glass in front of her and shouted at me over the noise. “You come out with me like this every night, my brother doesn’t care?” I smiled gently at the young guy diagonally in front who kept stealing glances at me, slowly tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, and then spoke slowly. “How could he? I don’t even see your brother’s face all day, how can he manage me?” Ava tugged at my skirt lightly, looking a bit unnatural. I ignored it, circling my index finger on the wine glass, continuing to talk to myself. “I’m not familiar with him, and he can’t control me. “Also, let me tell you, I think your brother, he doesn’t…” Before I finished speaking, a figure stood beside me. Thinking it was the shy boy just now, I raised my left hand and turned around wanting to tell him I’m married, but heard Ava stuttering. “Bro… Brother, you also… came here… what a coincidence haha.” I straightened my back unconsciously and turned my head awkwardly. “What a coincidence.” Julian stared straight at me, his usual cold eyes gone, replaced by heat and bewitchment. He parted his thin lips slightly. “Not a coincidence, I came to find you.” Pausing, he leaned down, close to my right ear. “To be precise, I followed you here.” The hot breath exhaled between words was like an electric current, making me numb. Before I could react, Julian took off his jacket and wrapped me tightly, grabbing my wrist and preparing to leave. I had a flash of inspiration, pointing at Ava trying to struggle. “Ava is still here, you feel assured leaving her alone here?” Julian turned sideways and glanced at Ava expressionlessly. Ava quickly raised her hands in surrender. “I will call a designated driver to take me home now, immediately, right away.” As soon as the words fell, Ava walked away without looking back. Leaving me alone in the wind. What happened to sharing weal and woe? ??? On the way home, Julian didn’t look at me again, nor did he say a word to me. Although he drove with an indifferent expression, the veins bulging on his hands on the steering wheel had already exposed his full anger. I dared not make a sound, taken home by Julian like a quail. As soon as we entered the house, Julian pulled me into his arms and lowered his head to kiss me. I pushed and hit wanting to scold him, but he took this opportunity to kiss me deeper. Until he felt I wasn’t resisting so much, Julian gave me a moment to breathe. I couldn’t stand firm. Sensing this, Julian chuckled lightly and picked me up horizontally. “Just this?” I glared at him reproachfully, my tone unconsciously carrying a hint of coquetry. “Isn’t it all your fault?” Julian’s body stiffened suddenly, breathing became a bit rapid, eyes darkened, looking like a storm was coming. I hooked my lips and leaned forward to offer a kiss actively. But Julian turned his head to avoid it, his voice deep. “You clearly saw that little boy in the bar liked you just now, yet you smiled at him.” I raised my eyebrows secretly, is this jealousy? My curved index finger slowly hooked up Julian’s tense jaw, forcing him to look at me, and I bit his lower lip lightly. “Are you sure you want to mention other boys at a time like this?” 2 The moonlight outside the window was just right, and the atmosphere inside was thick. But Julian was still pursuing unromantically. “Why?” I frowned slightly, feeling Julian was really a killjoy. “That was just a little boy, and he had friends with him. Was I supposed to walk up directly and warn him not to look at me?” I raised my left hand in front of his eyes. “I’m wearing a wedding ring. Whoever dares to hit on me, I’ll show it directly and tell him, I, am, married.” Julian looked at the wedding ring on my ring finger, a smile brewing in his eyes, corners of his mouth rising completely. But I didn’t see these. I lowered my eyes and rubbed them helplessly. Julian gently held my left hand, interlaced his fingers with mine, and rubbed the back of my hand with his thumb repeatedly. “Then what did you mean by saying you’re not familiar with me and I can’t control you?” I was stunned for a moment, tilting my head to look at Julian. “Didn’t you say before that we are only husband and wife in name, and have nothing to do with each other after marriage?” Julian’s deep eyes scanned my face back and forth. After confirming I wasn’t joking, he put me heavily on the sofa. Supporting himself against the wall with both arms, he encircled my whole person in his arms. He leaned in, stopping at a distance of a fist from me, voice hoarse. “‘Nothing to do with each other’? Good! Very good!” My body lightened, Julian got up and walked straight back to the room, slamming the door loudly. I stood there pondering, my guess seemed to be confirmed. Julian seems to really be impotent. If the first time Julian didn’t touch me was because he wasn’t feeling well. What about this time? The atmosphere was all set! Julian clearly felt it too, but he still didn’t touch me. Then there is only one possibility— Julian can’t do it! After figuring this out, I suddenly realized. No wonder Julian wanted to be husband and wife in name only with me, and gave me so much living expenses. Before knowing the reason, I dared not spend Julian’s money recklessly, holding a black card purely as a decoration. Now knowing the reason, spending money feels justified. At worst, I’ll take more care of him in daily life. After all, Julian is more or less my sugar daddy now. After Julian left the next day, I went straight to Ava’s house. I pinched Ava’s neck with a fierce look. “What happened to stabbing yourself for your best friend? You defected too fast, didn’t you? Did it take more than three seconds?” Ava smiled sheepishly and winked at me. “Then stabbing your best friend twice can barely count as stabbing yourself, right?” I was speechless. Seeing I didn’t respond, Ava shook my arm and acted spoiled. “My good Chloe, you know too, my brother’s killer look is too scary.” I sighed and let Ava go. After all, let alone Ava. I myself am also scared to death of Julian’s look. Actually, Ava, Julian and I grew up together. Originally quite normal, laughing and playing happily. But Julian just had to act crazy, inexplicably becoming aloof. A girl also has self-esteem. After I initiated conversation with him several times and he ignored me, I never looked for him actively again. My relationship with Ava was as good as ever, but I became more and more distant from Julian. Later Julian’s killer look reached the peak. So perverted that he only needed to glance at you lightly. Even if you didn’t do anything wrong, you would feel guilty as hell. I was never a rule-abiding person. So as soon as Julian’s gaze fell on me, I felt so guilty I wished I could confess all the mistakes in my past life on the spot. Therefore, I always stayed as far away from Julian as possible. But now, I actually married Julian. Two parallel lines that originally crossed and then separated, crossed again after Ava’s birthday. 3 After celebrating wildly outside, Ava felt it wasn’t enough, insisting I accompany her home to continue drinking. Julian was home alone, but he wasn’t feeling well, greeted us simply and went back to his room to rest. Ava and I drank in the living room for a long time. In the end, Ava lay motionless, and I still had a trace of rationality. After barely dragging Ava back to her room to lie down, I staggered out again to drink the remaining wine. Until feeling dizzy, I shook my head, groping my way back to Ava’s room based on memory. But probably because I drank too much, I groggily entered Julian’s room. Waking up, my clothes were scattered all over the floor. Julian had a thin layer of sweat on his forehead, shirtless, brows furrowed tightly, cheeks flushed red. I felt something was wrong, reached out to touch, and sure enough Julian was running a high fever. Knowing Julian’s house always kept a medicine box, I quickly got out of bed, put on clothes, and prepared to go out to get medicine for him. We are all adults, I planned to digest last night’s events myself. But when tiptoeing out of Julian’s room, I accidentally bumped into Julian’s mother. At that moment, I collapsed inside. I tried hard to squeeze out a fake smile. “Auntie, good morning…” Julian’s mother looked at the just closed door, then at me with messy hair. Her expression was first stunned, then gossipy, and finally ecstatic. Our families have been friends for generations, and Julian’s mother has always liked me very much. As if afraid I would slip away, she held my hand tightly with excitement, and called Julian’s father and my parents. Both parents laughed from ear to ear, even starting to discuss wedding details on the spot. Ridiculous! It was me who reminded Julian’s mother that Julian was running a high fever, allowing him to successfully take fever medicine. 4 After Julian recovered, he actively found me to explain. “That night, we… actually nothing happened.” I understood, nodded, didn’t think it was strange. When getting out of bed that day, my body indeed felt no discomfort. I was puzzled at the time. With Julian’s height of 1.88 meters, looking slim in clothes and muscular without. Logically it shouldn’t be. Wait! We both stripped like that, yet nothing happened? This Julian… Could it be… he can’t do it? “Cough cough…” Perhaps my scrutinizing gaze was too obvious, Julian coughed twice, ears slightly red. I woke up from a dream, smiling awkwardly. “You explained to me because of our parents, right? “They were also dizzy for a moment, making random matches. “Don’t worry, since nothing happened between us, I’ll go back and explain clearly to my parents and cancel this marriage. “And even if something happened, actually…” Julian interrupted my chatter with a calm face. “No.” I blinked, a bit confused. “Then?” Julian looked at me seriously, eyes warm and calm. “I want to marry you.” “Huh?” “I thought about it carefully. Our families are old friends, and both sides are familiar with each other. “My family is indeed urging tight, and you also broke up…” I made a stop gesture, puzzled. “Wait, how did you know I broke up?” I only told Ava about dating Leo, even my parents didn’t know. And breaking up with Leo happened two days ago, I planned to tell Ava tomorrow. Julian pursed his lips, dodging my inquiring gaze. “You… said it yourself that night.” “Oh.” I nodded thoughtfully. Drinking makes it easy to forget things, don’t know if I said other messy things. Julian continued. “We can be husband and wife in name only, have nothing to do with each other after marriage, just to deal with elders in the family.” My eyelid twitched uncontrollably. “Husband and wife in name only”, “nothing to do with each other”, “deal with elders”. Who would have thought these words came from Julian? Seeing no response from me, Julian upped the ante. “You also said that night you wanted lots and lots of love, if not, then you wanted lots and lots of money.” My mouth twitched. Heavens. Being drunk isn’t scary, being drunk and having someone help you recall is truly scary! Julian calmly took out a black card, dealing me a fatal blow. “This is my supplementary card, no limit, no password, use it as you like.” The black card was too dazzling, Julian saying this seemed to be glowing. I nodded inexplicably. Julian took me to the Civil Affairs Bureau to handle the procedures right then. Walking out of the Civil Affairs Bureau, Julian handed me a key. “This house will be our marital home. I’ve had people clean it up, you can move in anytime directly. “If you want to today, that’s also fine.” I held the marriage certificate in my left hand and the key in my right. Felt something wasn’t quite right, but couldn’t quite put my finger on it. An inexplicable illusion of helping count money after being sold. I was quite curious, when did Julian make these preparations? This is too sufficient! He even had my household register? Ridiculous!

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I woke up one morning and saw numbers hovering above everyone’s heads. Above my mom, it was 9450. Above my dad, it was 8639. The numbers above our housekeeper and butler were far lower than my parents’: in the hundreds, even the tens. Dazed, I drove out into Crescent Bay to test the theory. Most strangers had single-digit numbers floating above them; seeing anything above 10 was rare. I drove home with my mind spinning, only to find my parents’ numbers had changed. Both were down by 1 since the morning. A jolt ran through me. Could these be the remaining times I would see them? The thought sent a chill down my spine. Today, I also saw my sworn enemy, Rhys Montgomery. But the number above his head— It was only 3. 1 To test my suspicion, I paid an unannounced visit to the Montgomery estate the next morning. The sight of me, a rare visitor, made Rhys’s parents beam. They warmly ushered me to the sitting room. I stared at the numbers above them, both close to 2000, and grew more confused. I had over two thousand chances to see his parents, but only three left with Rhys himself? Just then, Rhys sauntered down the main staircase, still tying his bespoke tie. Sure enough, the number above his head had dropped to 2. My heart skipped a beat. I held the teacup, momentarily speechless. “Savannah Finch, what brings you here?” He caught sight of me, a flicker of surprise in his eyes, as he walked over with a smirk that never quite reached his eyes. I put down the cup, abruptly stood up, and, completely out of character, looped my arm through his. “Rhys Montgomery, are you planning a long trip or, say, emigrating soon?” He lowered his lashes, focusing on my hand on his arm, a puzzled look on his face. “Recently? No.” I blinked, and amidst the knowing glances of the staff around us, I leaned in and whispered a suggestion: “Are you free today? Let me take you for a full medical checkup.” Rhys was my rival, my tormentor since childhood, but the genuine possibility of him having a sudden, terminal illness sent a wave of panic through me. His expression shifted slightly, then he laughed dismissively and lightly tapped my nose. “I just had a physical a few weeks ago, perfectly healthy. Want me to forward you the results?” On the sofa, his parents exchanged a look, as if they wanted to say something but couldn’t. I knew they were wondering why I was acting so intimate with Rhys today, only six months after I flat-out refused the proposed Montgomery-Finch merger/marriage. I couldn’t explain. I clung to him, my gaze darting up to the stark ‘2’ above his head. If it wasn’t an acute illness, could it be an accident? “Rhys Montgomery, I’m sticking with you today. Where you go, I go!” After making that bold declaration, I marched out, clutching his arm tightly, under the amazed eyes of everyone present. I was inseparable from him all morning. When he led the morning board meeting, I stood outside the clear glass wall of the conference room, my eyes fixed like a laser beam on the number above his head. At one point, his secretary brought me a chair and a coffee, clearly worried I’d tire myself out. When Rhys stepped out to use the restroom, I followed him down the hall, not letting him out of my sight. He finally looked at me, a helpless expression on his face. “We’ve reached the door. You can stop now.” I shamelessly tightened my grip on his suit sleeve, justifying myself. “This is your private washroom. I’ve known you since we were in matching toddler overalls; following you in is hardly out of line.” He managed a strained smile. “You’re taking a dare this seriously? Who did you lose to, Tatum Bell? Only she could come up with something so vindictive.” I instantly realized he thought I was just fulfilling a humiliating social debt. But this clinginess couldn’t last forever. If he needed to… do more than wash his hands, was I supposed to stare at him from inside the stall? … That image was too much. I’d just let him go and see if the number changed when he came out. I still had one visit to spare, anyway. In those few seconds, my mind raced. Until I heard Rhys’s resigned voice. “You want to come in? Fine. Come in. If you’re not embarrassed, why should I be?” He started to pull me inside. I stopped abruptly, pulled my hand away, and looked away. “On second thought, no.” Rhys let out a dry, short laugh. “Tapping out already.” But the moment his back disappeared behind the door, a fresh wave of panic hit. Ignoring everything, I pulled out my phone and dialed a video call. A few seconds later, the call connected. The screen showed the bathroom ceiling, and I could hear running water. “Rhys Montgomery, point the camera at your face!” 2 At my non-negotiable command, Rhys turned off the faucet, dried his hands with a tissue, and slowly raised the phone. “Savannah, my great aunt, you’re only going to torture me for one day, right?” In the camera, his brows were slightly furrowed, but there wasn’t a hint of real annoyance. When he finally emerged, the number above his head was still 2. I silently let out a breath of relief. It seemed the number didn’t decrease simply because we were in separate rooms. It only counted as a new meeting after a certain amount of time apart? I didn’t dare relax and continued to shadow Rhys, glancing at his head every thirty seconds. By the end of the day, my eyes felt like they were twitching. At quitting time, Rhys and I walked out of the Montgomery Industries building. A Bentley slid to a stop in front of us, and the window rolled down to reveal Tatum Bell’s grinning face. “Ha! Busted!” Today was my weekly gathering with Tatum, but I had bailed on her to keep an eye on Rhys. I couldn’t believe she tracked me down here. Rhys turned his head to me, a hint of dissatisfaction in his tone. “Didn’t you say you were having dinner with me tonight? Why is she here?” I froze, stunned by the number above Tatum’s head. Tatum was my fiercest friend, my shadow since we were toddlers, so why was her number only 15?! I immediately yanked open the car door, pulling Rhys in after me. “I’m in a good mood today. I’m treating you both to a hot spring spa and a huge dinner.” I sat in the middle of the back seat, flanked by them both, and gave the driver the address of a resort lodge outside the city. The driver, seeing Tatum look confused but not object, drove on. This was crazy. Even Tatum’s driver had over 500 more visits left with me! Was this girl hiding something crucial from me? In the car, Tatum nudged me with her elbow. “Hey, when did your relationship with the Montgomery Devil get so cozy? You used to avoid him like the plague.” Before I could answer, Rhys chimed in. “Thanks to you, Savannah is now incapable of leaving my side.” Tatum looked completely bewildered, pointing a finger at her own face. “Me?” I pulled her hand down and gave her a meaningful look. “Remember? We played Truth or Dare last time, and I lost to you? You dared me to stick to Rhys like glue.” My trusted accomplice quickly caught on and played along. “Oh, right, right! I totally forgot. My bad, I’ve been so busy lately.” Hearing that, I narrowed my eyes and pressed her. “Busy with what?” Tatum sighed, half-pensive, half-dreamy. “Ugh, my dad and my stepmom have decided to send me overseas for grad school. They say my ‘pretty little head’ needs to learn some real knowledge and independence.” 3 The moment I heard “overseas,” the alarm bells in my head went off. “Overseas? You’re telling me this now? When are you leaving? Which school? Are you coming back?” Tatum hadn’t expected my dramatic reaction and stammered her reply. “I—I only found out recently. My stepmom even contacted the school. I have to leave right after the New Year. But it’s only a one-year Master’s, and the school has a summer break. I’ll definitely be back; I don’t want to live on a revolving door of gray-tasting foreign food forever.” I quickly did the math. At our current meeting frequency, 15 was about the number of times we’d see each other before she left. From then on, I’d never see Tatum again? I felt my blood run cold. I was about to say something, but Rhys, who had been resting with his eyes closed, suddenly spoke in a low voice. “Your stepmother sounds quite eager about this.” Tatum nodded. “She does, but Dad also said studying abroad is good for me.” Rhys opened his eyes slightly and smiled, seemingly casually bringing up a topic. “Didn’t your stepmom just have another little boy this year?” Everyone in our circle knew about the Bell family’s new addition. Tatum’s biological mother died young, and her father married a beautiful second wife who gave birth to a son within a year. This year, their fifth year of marriage, the Bells welcomed a second son, Leo. The puzzle pieces clicked into a terrifying picture. The Bell family was one of the wealthiest in Crescent Bay. My suspicion was clear. If the stepmother had any ill intentions… I shivered. Once we reached the resort, changed into our swimsuits, and were soaking in the hot spring, I spoke to Tatum in a serious tone. “Tatum, listen to me. Don’t go abroad this time. Find an excuse to refuse. If you want to study overseas, choose the country and school yourself after the New Year. Do not let your stepmother interfere.” Tatum blinked her wet eyes at me. “Why, Sav?” Seeing her clueless expression, I decided to go all-in. I told her everything—about seeing numbers above people’s heads and what they meant. Tatum’s face went white. She lunged forward, clutching me in a hug. “Savannah, promise me you’re not telling me a horror story!” “Where would I get that kind of imagination?” I patted her back helplessly. Tatum, ever the dramatic one, immediately grabbed her phone from the edge of the pool. She called her dad, alternating between pleading, feigning illness, and threatening him. Finally, her dad conceded, agreeing to discuss the study abroad plan after the New Year. The instant Tatum hung up, I clearly saw the number above her head shoot up from 15 to 2000+. My eyes widened. I stood up in the pool, overjoyed. The number could change! Rhys was saved! 4 I quickly wrapped myself in a robe and sprinted toward the men’s spa. Rhys had just finished and was toweling his wet, short hair as he walked. I stopped in front of him, bent over, catching my breath. I was about to look up to check his number, but my gaze somehow lingered on his bare chest for too long. He finally broke the silence, scoffing. “Running that fast? Did a ghost chase you?” Normally, I’d have a sharp retort ready. But when I saw the unmoving 2 above his head, I didn’t know whether to feel relief or disappointment, and I couldn’t speak. What exactly did I need to do to make the number shoot up? The thought stopped me cold. Was the idea of seeing Rhys only twice more that upsetting to me? Was I really trying this desperately to change it? The thought of him facing an accident made my heart sink. I quickly stepped closer to him. “Rhys Montgomery, we’re sleeping here tonight. Don’t go back. Tomorrow is Saturday; you don’t have to clock in at Montgomery Industries. What do you say?” Just as I was racking my brain for a way to convince him to share a room, he reached out and touched my head. “Sure. And not just tomorrow, Savannah. I won’t need to be the CEO of Montgomery Industries anymore.” I froze, sure I heard him wrong. I looked up and saw Rhys watching me with a complex expression. He was tall, handsome, with eyes that could charm the devil. He was brilliant and capable. Every time he smiled, I felt like he was a cunning fox about to cause trouble. He was also a master of telling terrifying ghost stories. That’s why, since high school, I’d done my best to avoid him. Yet, the Finches and the Montgomerys were business partners for decades. Rhys and I were constantly in each other’s orbits. When he said he was quitting, I instinctively grabbed his wrist, a thread of panic in my voice. “What do you mean? Bored of being CEO? Want to try the common life?” Rhys looked down, his gaze fixed on my hand gripping his wrist. He didn’t speak for a long moment. It was then that the 2 above his head suddenly jumped to 10! I blinked, confirming I hadn’t imagined it. Holding hands made the meeting count go up? What was the logic here? Instinctively, I reached for his other hand and grasped it tightly. Rhys’s eyes moved slightly, and the number above him jumped again—to 15. I threw caution to the wind. I let go and pulled him into a full-body hug. The rhythmic pounding in my chest vibrated against his. I closed my eyes, counted to five, and released him. I looked up. —30! Exponential growth! Before my smile fully formed, and before I could proceed to the next step, Rhys’s fingers gently pinched my chin. “Savannah Finch.” His voice held a hint of warning, and his eyes had grown darker. I held my breath, my smile freezing on my lips. “What exactly is on the top of my head that you keep staring at all day?”

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My son, Leo, stood in the doorway, holding a phone. I was washing dishes and asked, without looking, “Where did you get that?” “From Dad.” “Put it back.” “But Dad has two phones, Mom.” I dried my hands and walked over. It was an older Samsung, not the sleek new iPhone Daniel usually carried. “This one…” I took the phone. The screen lit up. The WeChat interface. The pinned chat was labeled, “Wifey.” I stared at the two words, my fingers going rigid. “Mom, the other phone Dad has, there’s an auntie who calls him ‘Honey,’ too.” Leo tilted his head, blinking up at me, his face utterly innocent. The clock in the living room ticked, a slow, relentless sound. I slowly crouched down and stroked my son’s hair. “Leo, Mommy is going to keep this phone for a while.” My voice was unnervingly calm. But the hand holding the phone was shaking. 1 Daniel didn’t come home that night. He sent a text saying he had client obligations and told me not to wait up. I didn’t reply. I sat on the sofa with two phones laid out before me. One was his usual iPhone; the other was the Samsung Leo had dug out of his gym bag. He’d left in a hurry and forgotten it. Or, more accurately, for six years, he had hidden this phone flawlessly, never bringing it home. Until tonight. I took a deep breath and opened the Samsung. There were only two contacts in the chat list. One was “Wifey,” and the other was “Mom.” I tapped on “Wifey’s” chat log. The date of the very first message was March 7, 2018. That was the second year of our marriage. “Honey, I miss you.” “Me too, babe.” I scrolled down. “Honey, can you come out tonight?” “Can’t. She’s watching me closely lately. Just wait.” She. That was me. I kept scrolling. “Honey, you said you’d marry me, right?” “Of course, when the time is right.” “Honey, this month’s rent is due.” “Okay, I’ll transfer it now.” The transfer records. $1,500. Every single month, without fail. $1,500. My hand trembled. Further down. “Wifey, I found the car I promised. The Mini Cooper you like.” “Really? You’re the best, Honey!” “It’s forty thousand down. I’ll cover it.” Another transfer. I continued. “Wifey, I’m looking at condos for us. As soon as I save up the down payment, I’ll buy it.” “Oh, Honey, I want one with a huge balcony!” “Done. Whatever you want.” I scrolled mechanically. One year. Two years. Three years. Four years. Five years. Six years. Six years of chat logs. Six years of wire transfers. Six years of sweet words. Six years of “Honey” and “Wifey.” And me, his legal wife, in those six years, I was criticized for spending $50 on a new top. I opened the transfer records and began calculating, transaction by transaction. $1,500 x 12 months x 6 years = $108,000. Add the $40,000 car down payment. Add the down payment for the condo—I found the record—$100,000. Plus scattered gifts, red envelopes, bags, clothes, vacations… It took me two hours to total all the transfers. $300,000. Six years, $300,000. I sat on the sofa, staring at the number, my eyes aching with dryness. Last year, my mother was hospitalized and needed surgery. $8,000. I went to him for help. What did he say? “Your mother’s issues are yours to handle. Where am I going to find eight thousand dollars? The company’s cash flow is tight.” I begged him, on my knees. He sighed, “Fine, stop crying. I’ll see what I can do.” He finally gave me $5,000. And I was tearfully grateful, believing he was a good husband. $300,000. How many surgeries would that cover for my mother? The living room light was harsh. I closed my eyes, then opened them again. Then, I started taking screenshots. One by one. Chat logs. Transfer records. Voice messages. Photos. His selfies sent to her. Her selfies sent to him. Photos of them together. Pictures from a trip he told me was a “corporate retreat.” I spent another two hours compiling everything. When I was finished, I placed the phone back in his gym bag, precisely where he had hidden it. Then, I washed my face, checked Leo’s homework, and tucked him into bed. Lying in our bed, I stared at the ceiling. Daniel. We’ve been married for seven years. You’ve lied to me for six. I didn’t know what I was feeling in that moment. Anger? Heartbreak? Despair? All of the above. But more than anything, there was a strange, cold calm. It was as if someone had stabbed me, and while the blood poured out, I became perfectly lucid. The phone vibrated. It was Daniel’s text: “Wife, too much to drink at the dinner tonight. Staying out. Go to sleep early.” I stared at the message, the corner of my mouth twitching. Then, I opened his chat with the mistress and found today’s date. At the exact same time, he sent her: “Wifey, I’m home. Spending the night with you.” Home. His home was not here. It was with her. I put the phone down, closed my eyes, and waited for the morning. Daniel, you think I’m going to cry? I won’t. I’ve made my decision. 2. Daniel came back the next morning. He looked a little tired but was in a good mood and was carrying a bouquet. “Wife, these are for you.” I took the flowers and smiled. “Thank you.” “Where’s Leo?” “At daycare.” He nodded and walked toward the bedroom to change. I watched his retreating back, my voice flat. “Did you find your Samsung phone?” His step hitched. Just for a second. Then he turned around, his expression normal. “What Samsung phone?” “Leo said there was a phone in your gym bag.” “Oh, that. That’s a work phone the company gave me. Just for business.” He smiled easily. “Kids always rummaging through things. I’ve told him a thousand times.” “A company phone?” “Yeah, business needs. Two phones make things easier.” He said it so casually. I nodded. “I see.” He visibly relaxed and went into the bedroom. I stood in the doorway, looking at the bouquet in my hands. Lilies. My favorite. He actually remembered. But what good were a few flowers? What he gave her was a car, a condo, and six years of devotion. What he gave me was a $20 bouquet of lilies. I put the flowers in a vase and walked into the kitchen to start dinner. As I was chopping vegetables, I spoke, my voice loud in the quiet house. “Honey.” “Hmm?” He was watching sports in the living room. “Last year, when my mother was hospitalized, you said the company’s cash flow was tight and could only give me five thousand.” “…Yeah, what about it?” “Nothing.” I paused. “Just thinking about it.” The knife came down sharply on the cutting board, a clear, decisive thwack. “I did the math. The person on your… ‘business phone’—you’ve transferred them about three hundred thousand over the years.” Silence blanketed the living room. The sound of the TV was still there, but Daniel didn’t speak. “Three hundred thousand.” I repeated the number, still perfectly calm. “How many surgeries would that cover for my mother?” “What are you talking about?” His voice came from the living room, laced with sudden tension. I didn’t answer. I heard him get up, his footsteps approaching the kitchen. “Maya.” He stood in the kitchen doorway, his voice low and dangerous. “Did you go through my phone?” I looked up at him. His eyes held panic, annoyance, and a sliver of… guilt. “I did.” I said. “You—” “Seven years married, six years cheating.” I cut him off. “Daniel, do you have anything to say for yourself?” His face flushed a deep red. “You goddamn—” “Three hundred thousand.” I said the number again. “How many surgeries for your mother? You always claimed we were tight on money.” He froze. “You—” “You bought her a condo, a car, and transfer her fifteen hundred in allowance every month.” I listed each item calmly. “But you complained when I bought a fifty-dollar top.” “Maya!” he roared. “Why are you shouting?” I put the knife down and looked at him. “A guilty conscience?” His chest was heaving. “You, you let me explain—” “No need.” “That woman was harassing me! It wasn’t serious—” “Daniel.” I interrupted him again. “You called her ‘Wifey.’” His words caught in his throat. “You called her Wifey, and you called me Wife.” I smiled faintly. “How many wives do you have?” He opened his mouth, speechless. “You say it was nothing. What was the three hundred thousand for? Throwing money away?” “That was—that was—” “What was it? Say it.” He fell silent. I waited a few seconds, then turned back to chopping vegetables. “Nothing more to say, then. I know everything I need to know.” “Maya, what do you want?” “What do I want?” I didn’t look up. “I haven’t decided yet. But you can start thinking about what you want.” “What does that mean?” “Divorce.” I said the word with careless ease. He stared for a moment, then sneered. “Divorce? Dream on.” “Oh? You disagree?” “Maya, I’m telling you, you can have a divorce, but you aren’t getting anything from this marriage.” My chopping stopped again. “The condo is in my parents’ name. The car is in mine. Savings…” He smirked. “What are you going to take?” I turned and looked at him. His face was a mask of smug entitlement. “You can leave,” he articulated slowly, “but you aren’t taking anything with you. Except your son.” I looked at him, and then I smiled. “Daniel.” “What?” “You forgot one thing.” “What?” “Before we got married, when you were chasing me, you signed an agreement.” His color changed. “What agreement?” “You forgot?” I tilted my head. “It stipulated that if you committed adultery, you would voluntarily relinquish all claims to marital assets.” “That—that was—” “That was your signature, and your thumbprint.” His face went completely white. “I…” “Well?” I watched him. “Did you remember?” He opened his mouth, unable to speak a word. I turned back around, continuing to chop the vegetables. “Like I said, I haven’t decided yet. But you should start thinking about how you plan to handle that agreement.” The kitchen fell quiet. Only the sound of the knife hitting the cutting board. Clear. Forceful. 3. That night, Daniel didn’t sleep in the master bedroom. He took the guest room. I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, my mind a whirl. The agreement was a deliberate move. It was real. Before we married, he’d pursued me for two years, and I kept turning him down. Finally, I gave him a condition: sign a written fidelity agreement, guaranteeing loyalty after marriage, or forfeit all assets. He signed it. At the time, he’d been full of passionate promises that he’d only ever love me. I believed him. I filed the agreement away, hidden where he would never look. I thought I’d never need it. Now, I did. But the agreement alone wasn’t enough. I needed more evidence. The next morning, I took a personal day and went to Sophia’s law office. Sophia was my college roommate and became an attorney after graduation. She listened to my story, her expression hardening. “Jesus, this Daniel.” She swore. “Maya, what’s your plan?” “Divorce.” “Good. I’m with you.” “But I need solid evidence.” “You have the chat logs and transfer records, don’t you?” “Those are from his burner phone, just screenshots,” I explained. “I need the bank statements to prove that the three hundred thousand came out of our joint marital accounts.” “I can pull those for you.” Sophia nodded. “What else?” “Information on the mistress. I only know her WeChat name; I don’t know who she is or where she lives.” “That’s searchable.” “And…” I paused. “I need to know if the condo he bought her can be recovered.” Sophia pondered this. “If we can prove it was purchased with marital funds—joint savings—then we can certainly file a claim for recovery.” “Good.” “Maya.” Sophia looked at me closely. “You’re incredibly calm right now.” “If I wasn’t calm, what good would that do?” I gave a wry smile. “Cry?” “You’re allowed to cry.” “Would it change anything?” Sophia sighed and reached out, gripping my hand. “I’ll help you.” “Thank you.” “Don’t thank me. I’ve never liked Daniel anyway. A jerk needs to be taken down.” I nodded. Walking out of the law office, the sunshine was blinding. I stood on the street corner and took a deep breath. My phone rang. It was Daniel. “Where are you?” “Out.” “When are you coming home?” “Later.” “Maya, don’t make a scene. Come home and we can talk.” I didn’t reply. I hung up. He thought I was making a “scene.” He assumed I was just having a tantrum and would get over it in a couple of days. He had no idea I had started a campaign. Three days later, Sophia sent me the investigation results. The mistress’s name was Madison, Maddy, for short. Twenty-eight years old, a server at a high-end cocktail lounge. She met Daniel at a client dinner. Daniel had just been promoted to Sales Director, which meant more outings and more drinking. Maddy was a server at the high-end spot. Daniel noticed her immediately. That year, I was six months pregnant. I was home, nauseous and caring for my unborn child, while he was out flirting and sleeping with other women. I looked at the documents Sophia sent me, a heavy stone settling in my chest. But I didn’t shed a tear. I kept reading. In 2020, Daniel bought Maddy a Mini Cooper. $40,000 down, which he paid. In 2021, Daniel started looking for a condo for Maddy. In 2022, Daniel bought Maddy a small two-bedroom condo. The down payment was $100,000; it was a cash purchase. The deed was in Maddy’s name. But the purchase funds came directly from Daniel’s salary account. And that salary account was a joint marital asset. I organized all the information and saved it in an encrypted folder. Then, I started going through the bank statements Sophia got for me. Six years. 267 transfers. Aside from the fixed $1,500 monthly allowance, there were countless gifts, shopping sprees, vacations, and bonuses… I went through them, transaction by transaction, and the irony was suffocating. May 2019, Transfer $3,000, Note: Happy Birthday, Babe. The same day was my birthday. He treated me to dinner, $150 a person. February 2020, Transfer $8,000, Note: For a New Designer Bag. The same month, I asked about enrolling Leo in an early education class. Daniel said it was too expensive and unnecessary. July 2021, Transfer $15,000, Note: Maldives Trip for Us, Babe.

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I was having dinner when suddenly, my husband and my best friend both disappeared. After searching for a while, glowing text—like a livestream chat—floated before my eyes: [Omg, thank god the Male Lead grabbed the Female Lead and hid in the walk-in freezer! If the Supporting Female Lead saw them, it would be over!] [But they’re naked! They can’t hide in there forever, they’ll freeze to death!] I froze. So my husband was hugging my best friend in a freezer, and I was the “Supporting Female Lead”? I walked toward the freezer door, but the owner blocked me. “That’s our ingredients freezer, customers only!” The chat panicked too! [Wow, thank god the FL’s bestie blocked the SFL, or they’d be caught.] [It’s fine, it’s fine. As long as the SFL leaves, they can come out!] The words “freeze to death” flashed in my mind. I changed my strategy. “I want to change tables. I’m sitting right here.” The owner and the chat were dumbfounded. “What? Sit here?” [WTF, what is the SFL doing? If she sits in the main hall, how can our leads get out!] 1 I tore my eyes away from the floating text, suppressing a cold sneer. Everyone’s surprised? Then I better eat well, and eat slowly. Otherwise, I’d be letting down the two people hugging in the freezer. The owner was named Bella. I’d been here a few times, so we were acquaintances. But I didn’t know she was even closer with my “best friend,” Chloe. Close enough to be co-conspirators. Now, to cover for Chloe and my husband, David, she was blocking the freezer door. I looked at her coldly. “Is there a problem, Bella?” “The private room is stuffy. I want to sit in the hall. And I want to order more food. A grilled fish, and other dishes.” “I was holding back inside. Now I can eat freely.” “Besides the fish, I want two cases of beer, spicy chicken wings, 100 lamb skewers, 20 chicken legs, 50 oysters…” Bella looked confused for a second. Hearing the huge order, she instinctively picked up her pad to write it down. While she was writing, I called my friends in the private room. “Guys, come out! We’re switching tables. I ordered a feast and booze!” “Bring my bag and coat.” My friends on the phone started cheering. “Damn, Sarah! Ordering more? Are we drinking till dawn?” “Seriously, I thought we were wrapping up. Didn’t expect Sarah to go hard just because she stepped out. If we don’t eat, we’re disrespecting her!” “Let’s go, let’s go!” When they came out and sat down, I laughed loudly. “Eat! Nobody goes home until we’re stuffed!” 2 Bella was stunned. Holding the menu, she didn’t know whether to kick us out or tell the kitchen to start cooking. She looked worriedly at the freezer door, hesitated for a few seconds, then tried to make us leave. “I just remembered, we’re out of ingredients for these dishes. Can’t make them. You guys should go.” The chat reacted and praised Bella desperately: [The FL’s bestie is the real MVP! Giving up money to save her friend!] [That order was at least a grand. Bella is loyal!] [This SFL is so vicious. She wants to freeze our leads to death! Hmph, dream on!] [If the SFL and her friends don’t leave, it’s actually dangerous. That freezer is -5 degrees. They’re naked. They won’t last an hour.] [Sob, what to do? I want to rush in and kick them out!] Bella wished she could too. She wanted us gone now. But we had already moved the unfinished dishes from the private room to the new table. My friend Mike, mouth full of food, snapped at Bella: “Bella, that’s not cool. We haven’t even finished our food, and you’re kicking us out?” “Plus, we’re ordering more. You’re running a business, you have no reason to drive us away, right?” Panic flashed across Bella’s face. “Don’t misunderstand. I’m not kicking you out. We really are out of ingredients.” I stood up and looked at the display fridges behind her. Rows of ingredients were neatly stacked. Fully stocked. “Bella, the food we ordered is right there in the glass case. How can you be out?” “Hurry up and serve us. I have more people coming. We’ll probably order even more.” Bella froze. “What? More people?” I waved my phone and smiled. “Yeah. I called my mother-in-law and her bridge club friends.” “They love your food. They’re big gossips. Treat them well, and they’ll give your restaurant free publicity.” 3 Bella turned to stone. So did the chat. [WTF! What is the SFL doing! Why call the ML’s mom? This is a death sentence!] [Even though the ML’s mom likes the FL, if she sees her son cheating and gets embarrassed in front of her friends, she’ll never agree to them being together!] [Exactly! She told the ML that the FL is way better than the SFL, but if they get caught now, that image is ruined!] [You guys are thinking about that? If the SFL doesn’t leave, our leads will freeze to death! Look, they’re shivering, there’s frost on their faces!] [Yeah, so pitiful. What do we do? I’m dying of anxiety.] [Don’t worry. The FL’s bestie will solve it.] I laughed internally. Really? Bella can solve this? Then I’ll watch and see how she solves it. Bella finally snapped out of it. Since the “out of stock” excuse failed, she tried another. “The kitchen just told me the gas is out. Can’t cook. If you want to eat, go somewhere else.” Anger rose in my chest. I rushed to the kitchen door. The chefs were cooking furiously, flames high. Just then, the restaurant’s speaker announced: “New DoorDash order received.” I sneered. “Bella, you’re acting really weird today. Why are you desperate to kick us out?” “Do you have some dirty secret?” “Your kitchen is busy, and there are spare gas tanks right there. This isn’t a roadside stall; you don’t just ‘run out’ of gas.” “If you don’t explain clearly today, we’re not leaving. I recorded a video. I’ll post it online and let the internet judge!” 4 Bella nearly fainted from anger. The chat was full of angry emojis. [Damn it, I want to slap this SFL!] [Why is she arguing with the FL’s bestie? Our FL is so cold she can’t speak. If the ML wasn’t hugging her tight, she’d have passed out!] [It’s okay. If they survive this, this life-and-death experience will make their love invincible.] Really? Invincible love? Sorry, I won’t let that happen. My friends started shouting about reporting Bella to the Better Business Bureau. Bella had no choice but to take the order to the kitchen. Watching her reluctant back, I felt a thrill of revenge. But it came with pain and rage. I treated Chloe well. I got her a job at David’s company when she was unemployed. She had nowhere to live, so I made David rent her a studio apartment. I included her in everything fun. And this? This is how she repays me! But it takes two to tango. David is scum too. Rabbits don’t eat the grass around their burrow, but he not only ate it, he dared to do something this thrilling right under my nose, with all our friends present. Since they want a thrill, I’ll give them enough thrill. Today, I’ll block them in there and see if they have the luck to walk out alive! “Sarah, you’re amazing. Spending my son’s money on food and drinks behind my back again? And bringing so many people!” A voice full of anger interrupted my thoughts. I turned around. My mother-in-law, Karen, arrived with her two sisters. Three women with permed hair and heavy makeup, thinking they were high society. But in reality, the Sterling family was barely middle-class in this city. Not worth a second look. Yet, Karen despised me, thinking I wasn’t good enough for David. After all, my family was just… normal. She always said I was spending David’s money. If another woman were his wife, she wouldn’t say that. Earlier, she didn’t want to come. When I mentioned a feast, she ran over. Said she wanted to eat back her son’s money. Ignoring her anger, I welcomed her with a smile. “Mom, Auntie Linda, Auntie Sue! Come sit!” “It’s not just my friends. David is here too. He just stepped out for a bit.”

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