Category: English

I’m Sienna Reid, a D-list actress with crippling social anxiety. The constant pressure of the job is brutal, and my only lifeline is scrolling through videos of ridiculously muscular men. In real life, I’m the human embodiment of a mute button—quiet, apologetic, and meek. Online? I’m an absolute menace, firing off the kind of racy, unhinged comments that would get my agent fired. Every day, I unleash a torrent of thirst under various Gym Gods’ videos: “The top half is getting boring. When are we going to see the lower-body circuit?” “Just short-circuited my charging cable. That gaze is electric.” “It’s not th*rst, it’s an appreciation for nature’s finest bloom. Not looking would be a criminal waste of beauty.” I honestly thought everyone else was just messing around, too—a collective online roleplay. I never thought anyone would take me seriously. Then someone did. He was blocking my hotel room door, casually letting his shirt hang open just enough to show that bulging, sculpted chest. He cornered me, his eyes intense, and started chasing me down the hall. “Don’t run!” he demanded. “Didn’t you want to get a taste?” 1 The minute my scene wrapped for the day, I politely declined my co-star’s invitation for dinner. I ripped off my makeup, practically sprinted back to the hotel, double-locked the door, arranged my sad little takeout salad, and then—finally—opened my tablet for my daily feast of spiritual sustenance. I have to hand it to the algorithm. It really gets me. Today’s recommendations were exactly what I needed. I ate my greens with one hand and cackled with the other, occasionally having to wipe a nonexistent drip of drool from my mouth. I typed out a comment: “Are you new here? The Queen has never seen you before.” I added a giant, smug cartoon cat emoji. Swipe. Next one. Hmm. This one is also excellent. “I wouldn’t dare talk back to you, but I’d let you back me up on this, bro.” The videos got me so hyped up I stopped eating my healthy dinner. Honestly, I’ve never understood the psychology behind why these young guys post such revealing content. I might be a socially awkward hermit, but I want to keep up with the latest trends. So, I watched the videos repeatedly, even downloading a few to analyze the… artistry. Suddenly, an account I’d never seen before popped up. Broad shoulders, narrow waist, sculpted abs, and a perfect butt. The best part? His legs were longer than my whole career. I couldn’t resist clicking on his profile. Scroll, scroll, scroll. Holy hell. A true Gym God! He had one hundred and eighteen videos. That was enough to keep me busy for the entire night. I went through every single one, leaving detailed com—I mean, racy comments. “A stunning meal. kissy-face emoji.” “Your abs look… asymmetrical. DM me. I have notes.” “My friend says guys who only sway side-to-side in their videos are single. The ones who move back-and-forth have partners!” “So pale and soft. What’s your secret for that perfect skin?” When I got to the thirty-eighth video, the guy cracked. He sent me a direct message. Midnight Sculpt: If you like what you see, stop scrolling and start chatting. Don’t wait until I’m taken and you’re listening to Taylor Swift’s sad breakup playlist. He even included a fresh photo of his abs. He was so bold. How could I not love him more? It turned out this Gym God was just as absurd as I was. Since it was a long night and I had nothing else to do, I unleashed my full 18-gigabit-per-second internet speed chat skills. BerrySweetTreats: The little cat bows to the Cat King. Long live the Cat King, King of all the Cats! BerrySweetTreats: You shed a single tear, I’ll burn the city down. BerrySweetTreats: Why do I suddenly have two forks in my hand? Oh, my dinner just arrived. He didn’t back down: Midnight Sculpt: You talk a good game. Your mouth must be busy. Midnight Sculpt: Are you hungry, Queen? Tell me where you want to eat, and I’ll wash up first. I shot back: BerrySweetTreats: You bet I am. Can I come over for dinner tonight? And maybe nuzzle you for dessert? Wait. Did I really just say that? Whatever. It was the internet. Hit send. I was giggling hysterically behind my tablet. The experts were right—looking at muscle men prolongs life. Despite my dirty online talk, I was truly a cripplingly anxious homebody in real life. My greatest joy was staying home, surfing the net, and binge-watching TV. It was a cruel twist of fate that I ended up as a D-list actress. I had to go out and see people for the sake of the paycheck. Thank goodness I wasn’t famous enough to have fans waiting for me at the airport or stalking me on set. I’d die of embarrassment. I treated acting as a regular job—no grand ambition, but no slacking either. Luckily, my acting skills were decent, so I always landed small but respectable parts. The pay wasn’t huge, the time on set was short, and once my scenes were done, I could go home. I don’t have expensive tastes; the money was enough. All I really needed was a good Wi-Fi connection and a decent meal. Though, if a phone ever came out that allowed me to touch and experience the images on the screen, I’d work myself to death to afford it. Heh heh. After a few days, Midnight Sculpt and I were chatting up a storm. Apart from filming, my sole purpose was to harass him. BerrySweetTreats: Ugh, why do people have to work?! Everyone else looks refreshed, and I look like I’m about to have a psychotic break! (This was a death rattle I sent after a particularly intense scene with the leading man.) BerrySweetTreats: Do you like foreigners? Because I just made an absolute spectacle of myself. (I’d accidentally knocked the leading man over while filming. God, let the ground swallow me whole!) If he didn’t respond, I’d send him the abstract monologues. BerrySweetTreats: You haven’t answered my calls. Our child has a 104-degree fever. I carried him for 24 hours on foot to the county hospital, and you’re out here thirsting? What is the meaning of this marriage? BerrySweetTreats: Hey, handsome. Are you playing on social media alone? Aren’t you scared? Add me; I’ll protect you. BerrySweetTreats: I’m 63. I can still elbow my way onto the subway or fight a lady for the last carton of eggs at the grocery store, but when I see you, I get shy and can’t even look up… Since no one knew who I was online, I was completely uninhibited. Being an abstract, chaotic personality on the internet actually made filming less grueling. In between takes, I’d hide in a corner and secretly scroll on my tablet. The second I snapped the screen shut, I’d revert to my usual anxious, poker-faced self. No one knew I was a full-blown adult drama playing out in my mind. But the ancients were right: happiness is often followed by tragedy. After a late-night shoot, I dragged my exhausted body back to the hotel. I was hoping for some handsome-man therapy to help me sleep, but I saw a message from Midnight Sculpt sent five hours ago. Midnight Sculpt: LOL. Losing it at work is totally normal. Emotional stability costs extra. Midnight Sculpt: The captions are stolen, the moves are learned, the roses are pilfered, the courage is borrowed—but my love for you is inborn! Everything was normal until the next message, which made my heart leap out of my chest. Midnight Sculpt: Alright, no more jokes. Serious question: I checked the location settings, and we’re in the same city. I really want to meet the person behind this wild profile. Can we grab a drink? Me: ??? The Gym God wanted to meet me in person? Oh. My. God. Panic Mode. I thought he was just like me—quiet and anxious in real life, so he got wild online to relieve stress. I couldn’t have been more wrong. I used him as electronic comfort food, and now he wanted to make things real? My heart hammered against my ribs. I immediately logged out of the account. Lying in bed, tossing and turning, I decided even a burner account wasn’t safe enough. Sitting up, clutching my pillow, I went ahead and permanently deleted the account. Try finding me now, buddy! The next day, I wore huge sunglasses and kept looking left and right, convinced everyone I saw was Midnight Sculpt. At one point, a guy chased me halfway down the street. I nearly ran my legs off before realizing he’d mistaken me for some popular young starlet. Me: …[ugh]. I was not amused. When I finally reached the set, I breathed a sigh of relief. I took off my sunglasses, and a shadow suddenly fell over me. It was Jake, the supporting male actor, his face full of gossip. “Sienna Reid, why are you being so shady?” “Me? Shady?” A short distance away, the lead actor, Rhys Easton, glanced over. He was a huge star, an A-lister. I quickly smiled and nodded at him. Don’t mess with the big shots. Rhys nodded back, then turned his attention to the set. I slumped into my chair and fobbed off Jake with a vague excuse. I just didn’t want to socialize. I wanted to be a mushroom in the corner. Leave me alone! After several days of nervous anticipation, nothing happened. I started to relax—and then I got antsy. Beauty corrupts, truly! Without my daily dose of hunks, my healthy salad even tasted bland. After a few more excruciating days, I couldn’t stand it. I downloaded the app again. I had no choice; acting was too much pressure for an anxious person like me. Without this outlet, I was afraid I’d actually have a breakdown on set. The mere thought sent shivers down my spine. It was clear: another secret account was my best coping mechanism. I registered a new one, brimming with excitement. Hello, gorgeous people. Missed you terribly, missed you madly~~~ Just as I was about to unleash my pent-up energy, a shadow fell over my tablet screen, top to bottom. I looked up. It was Rhys Easton! I reflexively snapped the screen off and shot to my feet like a terrified schoolgirl. “Mr. Easton, hi.” Rhys looked at me, his gaze deep, almost probing. Under his scrutiny, my face flushed crimson, and I gripped my tablet until my knuckles turned white. He finally pulled his gaze away, simply stating: “Director Koster needs to see you.” Before the words fully registered, he was already six feet away. I scratched my head. It must have been my imagination. Why did I think the A-list actor just sighed? He’s a megastar. What could he possibly have to sigh about? I pushed the thought away and dragged my feet toward Director Koster with the air of a condemned woman. After the director, my agent called. Sweet Mother of Mercy! All I wanted was five minutes to quietly stare at abs. Why was it so hard?! I was finally done long after midnight. It didn’t matter. I was looking at abs tonight. I’d stay up late if I had to! Washing up and settling into bed, I finally clicked on the videos. After scrolling past a few particularly fine specimens, I let out a satisfied sigh. I wiped the imaginary drool from my chin and clicked on Midnight Sculpt’s profile. For some reason, out of all the Gym Gods on the internet, he was the one who most captivated me. His muscles, size, color, shape, even that mole on his side—it all made me dizzy with longing. His latest video was especially egregious: Broad shoulders, narrow waist, and bulging chest muscles glowing white in the dim light. To make things worse, he was wearing a chest chain. My fingers itched. I couldn’t help but leave a comment: BerrySweetTreats: Wait, my phone is a touchscreen. Why can’t I reach out and touch you? Zero stars! BerrySweetTreats: I need help, Counselor. I’m feeling poorly. I need to get a taste! Gimme, gimme! A second later, he sent a DM. Midnight Sculpt: BerrySweetTreats? !!! That was my old account handle! I was doomed! How did he recognize me instantly, even with a new account? I started to tremble, ready to run again, but his next message nailed me to the bed. Midnight Sculpt: If you delete this account, I will leak your identity. Midnight Sculpt: A-List Actress Harasses Innocent Civilian! Midnight Sculpt: SHOCKER: Cool-Headed Star Caught in Racy Online Scandal! I had to admit, he had a real knack for tabloid headlines. The titles were clickbait gold. If it weren’t me, I’d be the first one to click and read. The problem was, it was me! I wanted to cry. I didn’t dare delete the account. I took a deep, shaky breath. BerrySweetTreats: I don’t know what you’re talking about. He sent a smiling emoji. Midnight Sculpt: 🙂 Midnight Sculpt: Sienna Reid. Stop pretending. Aaaahhhh! Save me! This man knew who I was! He even knew my real name! Woe is me! Was my perfectly insulated reputation about to be destroyed? No! Do you know what people with my level of crippling social anxiety value most? Our carefully constructed, fragile dignity! I’ve been scrolling for so long, was I finally going to fail at the last hurdle?

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I woke up the day after my divorce was finalized with no memory of the past ten years. Later, my ex-husband, Asher, found me. He said that if I stopped acting crazy every day, he might consider remarrying me. I froze, biting down on my ice cream spoon. After a long pause, I finally spoke: “Let’s not! I… I… I’m actually perfectly fine just taking the money.” Chapter 1 When I woke up, my best friend, Chloe, was looking at me with a worried expression. She told me not to be sad. She said my body belonged to me, and even though I was divorced, I still had to live well. She said the kids wouldn’t be mistreated living with Asher, and there was no need for me to fight another lawsuit, especially since I wouldn’t win. I stared blankly for a long time before I couldn’t help but ask: “Who is Asher?” Chloe froze, looking completely baffled. After a long moment, she snapped out of it and ran to call the doctor. The doctor said I had amnesia from the car accident. Chloe hurriedly asked me how old I thought I was. I thought about it: “Eighteen! Didn’t I just finish my SATs yesterday?” Chloe burst out laughing, squatting on the floor clutching her stomach, pounding the bed with her fist. “Eve, you are amazing! This amnesia is fantastic! Yes, you are eighteen! Eighteen is great! No Asher, no kids… just the two of us…” I was even more confused. Chapter 2 Chloe took me home. Once it was confirmed that my memory was unlikely to return soon, she gave me a brief rundown of my current situation. I, Evelyn Vance, fell in love during my freshman year of college and met a poor boy named Asher Sterling. I dated Asher for ten years, from eighteen to twenty-eight. I accompanied him through his startup, ate ramen and leftovers with him, bore him children, and took care of his parents. Then, this year, he fought a lawsuit to divorce me. “??? What?” I was shocked. What kind of melodramatic tragedy was this? After a long while, I asked with a trembling voice: “So, you’re saying I served someone like a servant for ten years, and at twenty-eight, I was kicked out?” Chloe nodded: “Yes. You also have two children, a son who is six and a daughter who is four. But because you were a housewife with no earning capacity, and both children chose to live with their father, custody was awarded to Asher.” “…What??? The two children I worked so hard to raise are gone…” Although I hadn’t experienced any of this in my memory, it sounded terrifying. I was almost scared to tears. Then Chloe laughed and patted my shoulder: “Don’t be too sad. At least you still have money.” Tears swirled in my eyes as I tentatively asked: “How much?” Chloe sat up straight: “Eve, listen carefully. You got 20% of Asher’s assets, 10% shares in three listed companies, and two brownstones in Manhattan. The total value is about 270 million dollars.” “…” Silence. Thought. Then I tentatively asked: “Chloe, you’re not lying to me, are you?” “If I’m lying, I’m a dog.” That day, I stared dazedly at the sky outside the window. I had forgotten ten years of memories. I didn’t know how I had lived those ten years. But Chloe said I was rich. And at eighteen, what I loved most was money. So I figured this wasn’t too bad. Chapter 3 Chloe took time off work. For the next few days, she took me around to transfer various assets. I didn’t see the Asher person Chloe talked about. He had delegated all the divorce property division matters to his lawyers. We were busy for nearly a month. Later, Chloe helped me list all the properties under my name for rent. She calculated for me that the monthly rent would be around 170,000 dollars. That day, looking at the countless zeros in my bank account, I looked up at the mirror to see my exquisite twenty-eight-year-old self. I scratched my head. Not bad. Chapter 4 I had nothing to do at home, but Chloe had to work. I spent every day at Chloe’s place playing video games. When Chloe ordered takeout for lunch, she ordered for me too. Chloe got off work very late. When she came back at night, she was half-dead, collapsing onto the sofa lifelessly. I would drop my game controller and massage her shoulders. Perhaps due to muscle memory, I was excellent at massaging. After resting enough, Chloe started lamenting: “Asher is a freaking animal. Right after graduation, you worked for him for free. His mother was in poor health, and after work, you had to massage her back and shoulders.” “…” As she spoke, Chloe pulled me over and flicked my forehead: “Eve, you’re just spineless. When I’m not around, you let them bully you. That group of people just bullied you because you were an unloved child.” I rubbed my head, feeling a bit wronged: “I don’t remember any of what you said! I only remember you.” Chloe stopped talking, then laughed: “That’s right! You don’t remember. It’s better not to remember. Just remember me. I won’t bully you.” I believed Chloe because we grew up together. We both grew up in a foster home. When we were very young, I followed Chloe around. Chloe snatched snacks for me and helped me wash clothes. Later, when we grew up a bit, Chloe tutored me. She was a year older than me. When I was a senior in high school, she was a freshman in college. She called me every day, telling me to work hard. She wanted me to go to the same university as her, but Chloe scored too high. I studied myself to death, but I still couldn’t get into an Ivy League. The day the results came out, I hugged Chloe and cried. Chloe flicked my forehead: “What are you crying for? 1450 on the SATs, such an amazing score, what’s there to cry about?” She patted my head: “It’s already very good.” Later, I went to New York crying. Chapter 5 Chloe regretted it whenever she talked about it. She said she shouldn’t have let me go to New York: “If you hadn’t gone to New York, you wouldn’t have met Asher. If you hadn’t met Asher…” I interrupted: “Then I wouldn’t have these 270 million dollars.” Chloe put her hands on her hips: “Is money more important or your ten years?” I tried to guess the correct answer: “Money?” Chloe looked at me like iron that failed to become steel: “You are important! If you’re not happy, no amount of money is useful. Luckily you have amnesia, otherwise if you couldn’t think straight and did something foolish, what use would that money be?” “Hmm… buy me a nice cemetery plot…” Chloe laughed angrily: “Get lost!” “…” Chloe had always been amazing, and she was still amazing now. She was the general manager of a multinational corporation, with a monthly salary of around 60,000 dollars. But she was busy. Sometimes she had to travel for business and was worried about leaving me alone. So she took me along. Later, she figured since she was taking me everywhere anyway, why spend her own money? She hired me into her company as her assistant. I was familiar with this! I had read dozens of books about domineering CEOs falling in love with their little assistants in the past few months. On the first day, I wore a pencil skirt and went to work full of confidence. I made her coffee, organized her materials, and ran around. I looked very hardworking. Later, she laughed and told me to stop running. She gave me a spreadsheet: “Let Anna guide you. Work on this. Learn slowly, no rush.” “Okay, okay.” And just like that, I officially started working.

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The third time my wife, Victoria, got pregnant with her lover’s child, my reaction was unnervingly calm. I even had the leisure to admire the wedding photos they’d taken behind my back. Victoria’s brow was furrowed, her voice a blade of ice as she subtly shielded her lover, Alex. “I know I promised you I wouldn’t have children with anyone else.” “But Alex has been with me for years. The first two abortions took a serious toll on my body. This child… we have to keep it.” “If anything happens to him, Liam,” she warned, her eyes like chips of stone, “even you won’t be spared.” She shifted into a defensive stance, probably expecting me to explode, to scream and fight like the madman I used to be. But I was tired. Three days ago, I had already agreed to be with someone else. (1) My eyes flicked to Alex’s hand, his knuckles white as he clutched the wedding photo. “Nice photos,” I said, my voice even. “That suit doesn’t really fit you, though.” If he hadn’t deliberately sent me the ultrasound pictures, I wouldn’t have even known Victoria was pregnant again. I’d grown used to his provocations over the years. The first time he’d paraded their affair in front of me, it felt like being thrown into freezing water. My body went into shock, my heart spasming with a pain so intense it felt like I was being split in two. My eyes had gone bloodshot with rage, and I’d smashed an ashtray over his head. Victoria had only watched with a weary expression, her words defending him. “Liam, your temper hasn’t changed a bit. You still have such a short fuse.” “But I really do love him. Let’s not make this a federal case. Was one hit enough? Do you need to hit him a couple more times to blow off some steam?” Back then, my world had collapsed. I lost sleep for weeks, my hair fell out in clumps, and I tormented myself until I was a ghost of a man. But now… now I felt nothing at all. Victoria paused, a slow, mocking smile playing on her lips as she studied me. “Changing tactics, are we, darling?” “You know it won’t do you any good, even if you try to stop me.” She was right. I nodded in solemn agreement. “I won’t stop you. Do whatever you want.” Seeing that I wasn’t going to cause a scene, Victoria finally relaxed, a flicker of guilt crossing her face. “Buy yourself something nice. Use my card.” With that, she ushered Alex out the door, as if terrified I might hurt him. Watching them leave, a wave of dizziness washed over me. When I first discovered her affair, I’d exposed it to everyone—our friends, our family. I wanted to force her to bow her head, to come back to me. Instead, the very next day, she doubled down, proudly introducing Alex to our entire social circle. Someone spoke ill of him, and she had their teeth knocked out. Someone else made a crude joke, calling him a homewrecker, and she had their leg broken. After that, no one dared to disrespect Alex again. I had screamed at her, my voice raw with a pain that felt like it was tearing me apart. “Victoria, what am I to you?! You said you’d love me forever!” “Let’s get a divorce!” She had just smiled, a soft, cruel little smile, and kissed me. “Darling, could you really bear to leave me?” “I never said I stopped loving you. It’s just… it’s been a long time. Things get a little stale. Can’t you just be good?” “And if we divorce, where would you go?” The words died in my throat. It was the news of her first pregnancy that finally made me snap. Before Victoria was acknowledged by her wealthy family, she was a wild child who ran with a rough crowd. When she was sixteen, she got into a fight, and I took a knife for her. The wound was deep, damaging me permanently. The doctors said it would be nearly impossible for me to have children. After we married, her mother constantly belittled me, calling me low-class. To protect me from the whispers and the shame, Victoria went and had her tubes tied. So when I found out she was pregnant, I called her a liar and a cheat. I hunted Alex down and beat him bloody. When Victoria found out, she sent men to dig up my grandmother’s grave. In that moment, a part of me died. My heart felt like it was being stitched shut with a thousand tiny needles, bleeding with every beat. I was as white as a sheet when I asked her if she had lost her mind. When she was poor and alone, wasn’t it my grandmother who gave her a place to stay, a meal to eat? Wasn’t she the reason Victoria was even alive? On her deathbed, my grandmother had treated Victoria like her own grandchild, splitting her life savings in two—half for me, half for her. She believed in us. She never could have imagined that ten years later, Victoria would desecrate her final resting place. I let out two sharp, bitter laughs, and coughed up blood. Victoria remained unmoved, sipping her wine on the sofa as if nothing had happened. “You laid a hand on him first, Liam.” “I warned you. You just didn’t listen.” After that day, she didn’t come home. For weeks, she stayed by Alex’s side, comforting him. I was a hollowed-out skeleton, living a life that was worse than death. When I saw the headlines that Victoria had bought out an entire charity auction just to please him, I slit my wrists. As life drained from me, the world faded to a dull hum. A bone-deep cold seeped into me, and I felt a profound sense of relief as I slowly closed my eyes. (2) But I didn’t die. When I opened my eyes again, Victoria was at my bedside, her own eyes red-rimmed and raw. She pulled me into a desperate, crushing hug, swearing to me through her tears. “Liam, you scared me to death.” “I won’t get pregnant again. I promise.” But that’s the thing about people. Once a promise is broken, it will be broken a thousand times more. The second time she got pregnant, she—a woman who never smoked—sat on the balcony and chain-smoked all night. I knew she was torn. She wanted the child but felt bound by her promise to me. Then Alex showed up at our door. Before I could even say a word, he threw himself to the floor, claiming I had pushed him. Victoria was livid. In her rage, she lost the baby. That was the first time I saw her truly lose control. She wrapped her hands around my throat, intent on killing me. “I already promised you! I was going to get rid of it! Why did you still have to hurt him?!” It was my second brush with death. My lungs burned, air turning to fire, and just as I thought I was about to black out, she threw me aside like a piece of trash. The undisguised disgust in her eyes was a physical blow. Any words of explanation I had were trapped in my throat, a nauseating lump of unspoken truth. Victoria moved out of the home we had built together with our own hands. From then on, if I ever needed to speak with her, I had to go through Alex. Only with his permission would she answer my calls. Two months later, I was diagnosed with a brain tumor. The doctors said it was too early to know if it was malignant, and they started me on conservative treatment. I sent Victoria a message. It was Alex who came. He cornered me in our empty home. “Do you really think faking an illness will make her come back to you?” “Don’t be so naive. Do you know what she said in my bed last night? She said the sight of your face makes her sick. If you hadn’t saved her all those years ago, she would have kicked you to the curb a long time ago.” As he left, when I wasn’t looking, he poured a bottle of hand soap onto the bathroom floor. Later, I slipped. My head cracked against the tile, and a pool of my own blood blurred my vision. I called Victoria, but the line was always busy. After the tenth call, she finally texted back four words: Alex says no. The ambulance was slow to arrive. By the time they got there, the blood around me had grown cold. The doctor said if they’d been any later, I would have been gone. Lying in the hospital bed, I stared blankly at the ceiling, trying to understand how Victoria and I had become this. I thought, let it be. It’s fine. Just let it be. From that day on, I think my love for Victoria finally died. And so today, watching their retreating figures, my heart was a placid lake. A specific ringtone, the one I had set for a special person, cut through my thoughts. I answered. “Yeah, the divorce papers are drafted. I’ll give them to her tomorrow.” “Come and get me the day after.” (3) I spent the day clearing out the house, packing up years of memories and tossing them into the trash. That night, for the first time in ages, Victoria came home. In the end, the divorce papers I’d drafted were unnecessary. She handed me a set of her own first. “Liam, Alex is feeling insecure. He doesn’t want our child to be born illegitimate.” “Let’s get divorced for now, so I can get the baby registered. Then… we can get remarried.” So that was it. An hour ago, Alex had texted me to get ready for a surprise. He was trying to provoke me, to start another fight between Victoria and me. But it was pointless. I didn’t love her anymore. Even arguing felt like a waste of energy. I calmly scanned the terms of the agreement. It was generous, fair even. She was splitting nearly all of her assets with me fifty-fifty. Without a moment’s hesitation, I signed my name. Afterward, I drank the lukewarm glass of water on the table and stood to go to my room. Victoria hadn’t expected me to be so compliant. A flicker of shock crossed her face. She shot up from her chair, her hand instinctively grabbing my wrist. “What’s wrong with you?” I turned back, my gaze distant and cold. “What’s wrong? Is there something else?” Her eyes darted nervously toward my bedroom. After a moment of hesitation, she went inside. I heard her gathering up anything sharp—razors, scissors, letter openers. Then she was on the phone, calling for the housekeeper from the main family estate to come over. She thought I was going to try to kill myself again. A laugh escaped my lips. “Don’t bother. I’m not going to do anything stupid.” Her phone rang. It was Alex, urging her to come home. She gave me a perfunctory nod and hurried out the door. The next morning, Victoria rushed me downstairs and into the car to go to City Hall. The interior was covered in childish stickers she used to hate. It was Alex’s aesthetic. I dutifully got into the back seat. She froze, asking instinctively, “Why aren’t you sitting up front?” I stared out the window at the passing scenery, my voice detached. “Isn’t that sticker on the dashboard the one that says ‘Alex’s Seat’?” Victoria fell silent. Several times during the drive, I caught her watching me in the rearview mirror, her lips parting as if to say something, but no words ever came out. After we filed the paperwork, the clerk informed us that after the mandatory waiting period, we could come back to finalize the divorce. I breathed a sigh of relief. Victoria stood frozen, a complex mix of emotions swirling in her eyes. “I’ll take you home,” she offered. I was about to refuse when Alex appeared out of nowhere. He wrapped an arm around Victoria’s waist and pressed his lips to hers. She swatted him playfully. “Be careful of the baby!” The moment he appeared, all her attention shifted to him. She didn’t even notice when I walked away. (4) That night, my bags were packed. I confirmed my flight details with Chloe for the next day and was about to go to sleep when the doorbell rang. It was Alex again. Victoria was at a business dinner, so he’d come here to stir up trouble. I didn’t want any, so I pretended I didn’t hear him and tried to sleep. At two in the morning, a bucket of ice-cold water jolted me awake. I opened my eyes to see Victoria standing over my bed, her gaze murderous. Her bodyguards dragged me violently from the bed. My wrist twisted at an unnatural angle, and I cried out in pain. “Victoria, what are you doing?!” She grabbed my chin, her grip like iron, her eyes burning with fury. “Liam, you have the nerve to ask me that?!” “Didn’t I warn you? If anything else happens to Alex, I won’t let you off the hook!” A sense of dread washed over me. “What happened to him?” Victoria let out a cold, sharp laugh. “Stop playing dumb. He fell at your apartment. If you didn’t push him, who did?” The color drained from my face. I remembered Alex’s taunts from before. “So what if my tricks are childish? As long as Victoria loves me, she’ll believe me. She’ll always take my side.” “It doesn’t have to be clever. It just has to work.” A bitter smile twisted my lips. “If I said I didn’t push him, would you believe me?” She didn’t answer with words. Her actions were enough. She had her men bring in a rattan cane. They stripped me naked, tied me up, and she began to whip me across my stomach, again and again. To soothe Alex, she took out her phone and started a video call with him, aiming the camera at me. His whining voice came through the speaker. “Victoria, you have to stand up for me! You have no idea, that loser wouldn’t stop insulting me, calling me a homewrecker, saying I was shameless… then he tried to push me! I was lucky I dodged, or I would have fallen down the stairs and been killed!” Victoria cooed at him, her voice gentle, even as the blows from the cane grew harder. Fiery pain spread across my abdomen. My skin was a mess of blood and torn flesh. I dug my nails into my palms, swallowing the screams that rose in my throat. Tears of humiliation and agony streamed down my face. Victoria’s brow furrowed, a muscle twitching in her jaw. A fleeting look of pity crossed her face before she looked away. “I have to stay with Alex. I’ll leave the rest to you,” she said to her men. I numbly endured the mocking stares of the bodyguards. Under the cover of the chaos, one of them let his hands wander over my body. “Are you crazy? That’s the boss’s husband!” another one hissed. The first man just smirked, his hands becoming bolder. “Is he really a man? Have you ever seen a guy with skin this soft? I’ve never been with a man before.” “Besides, we all know who the real husband is now. When she said ‘leave the rest to you,’ what do you think she meant? It’s an invitation.” “She wouldn’t blame us if something happened to this waste of space. You all know how much she dotes on the other one.” His words silenced the others. Their hands grew more brazen. A raw, blood-curdling scream tore from my throat. “Get off of me!” Just then, with a loud thud, the bodyguards in front of me collapsed to the floor. My eyes widened. A figure rushed to my side, gently pulling me into their arms. “I’m late.”

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Three years with terminal bone cancer. The ex I’d “abandoned”—now a detective—stormed into my apartment as I reached for morphine just to stay upright. He watched, coldly sneering, as I shook on the floor. “Seven years, and you’re a junkie now? Where’s that gold-digger pride?” Trembling, I pointed. “Please… the medicine.” Vincent laughed, snatched the bottle, and flushed it all. “Want it? Go to rehab.” Looming over me, he added, “Seems when you ran off, your bones rotted too.” Agony ripped through me; I curled up, shaking. “Am I… going to die?” He just filmed my suffering. “For the anti-drug campaign,” he said. 1 “Get the camera rolling,” Vincent barked at his subordinate. “Zoom in. Close-up on her face. I don’t want to miss a single, pathetic detail. This will be the most powerful lesson in our new PSA.” The flashbulb went off, blinding me as the lens focused on my sweat-drenched face. The pain was a living thing inside my skeleton, a million ants with fiery teeth gnawing at the marrow of my bones. It was an itch I couldn’t scratch, a fire I couldn’t put out. I tried to claw at my own limbs, but my nails only scraped against the cold linoleum, a sound like screeching metal. Vincent crouched down, the tip of his black baton forcing my chin up. His face was a mask of disgust. “Look at the state of you. Even the stray dogs in the alley have more dignity.” My vision blurred. All I could see was the sharp line of his jaw, a line I once loved to trace with my fingertips. “Meds…” I squeezed the word from my throat, a dry, desperate whisper, and reached for the hem of his pants. Just then, a figure in a white coat stepped into the room. It was Sophia. The squad’s medic. Vincent’s trusted right hand. And once upon a time, my best friend. Her eyes swept over me, lingering for a moment on the faint, scarred lump just below my collarbone—my chemo port. “Oh my god, Vincent, look at her arm,” Sophia gasped, her voice a perfect symphony of feigned shock. “Classic track marks from long-term IV drug use. They’ve formed a venous cord. Can you imagine the kind of addiction it takes to do this to yourself?” I opened my mouth, wanting to scream that it wasn’t a track mark, that it was a port for my treatment. But my throat was a desert, scorched raw by pain. All that came out was a dry, rattling hiss. Hearing Sophia’s “expert” diagnosis, the last flicker of complicated emotion in Vincent’s eyes vanished, replaced by pure, undiluted loathing. He kicked my hand away from his pants with a vicious snarl. “Don’t touch me!” The force of the blow sent me rolling into the corner. My bones hit the wall with a dull, heavy thud, and a new, blinding wave of pain exploded through my body. “Make the announcement,” Vincent’s voice echoed in the small room, cold and final. “The suspect, Clara Hayes, will be put under a twenty-four-hour mandatory ‘detox’ live stream.” “Let everyone see what drugs do. Let them watch how a once-beautiful woman can become this… this thing. Neither human nor ghost.” “Captain, that’s… that’s not exactly by the book,” a younger officer stammered. Vincent whipped his head around, his eyes bloodshot, his voice a low, furious growl. “For a dealer who treats human life like a joke, you don’t go by the book. You make an example. I want every potential user out there to see this. This is their future. If there’s any fallout, I’ll take the heat. All of it.” 2 As the pain threatened to drag me into unconsciousness, Vincent’s search continued. He was nothing if not thorough, tearing the place apart, determined to uncover every last piece of my “criminal enterprise.” Finally, he kicked the bed frame aside and dragged a dusty iron box out from underneath. My heart seized in my chest. No! Not that. Anything but that! The things in that box were more precious to me than my own life. “Don’t touch it!” I don’t know where the strength came from, but I scrambled across the floor toward him, crawling on my hands and knees. My frantic desperation seemed to amuse him. The sneer on his face deepened. He easily kicked me aside again and pried open the box’s latch. Inside was a diary, its pages worn and curled from countless readings, and a single police badge, carefully wrapped in a piece of red silk. Vincent picked up the diary and flipped through a few pages. My handwriting chronicled every chemo session, every spike in pain, every adjustment in my medication dosage. March 7th. Sunny. OxyContin, 80mg. Pain. March 9th. Cloudy. Morphine shot. Pain so bad I wanted to die. But I think I saw Vincent on the street today. He’s still so handsome. March 15th. Raining. They upped the dose again. Feels like my bones are going to snap. He laughed, a harsh, ugly sound. He held the journal up for the camera. “And what do we have here? An addict’s diary!” he announced, his voice dripping with theatrical scorn. He read the line about seeing him aloud, his tone mocking and cruel. “‘Saw Vincent today.’ Hallucinating from the drugs, were you? Still thinking about me? God, Clara, you make me sick.” With a flick of his wrist, he tossed the diary into the trash can in the corner. Then, he picked up the silk-wrapped badge. It was my father’s. My father, who had been his mentor on the force. The moment he saw it, Vincent’s eyes turned to ice. “You don’t deserve to have this.” He walked over to me, his presence a suffocating weight. “A hero’s daughter, and you end up as scum. What would your dead father think of you now?” I shook my head frantically, tears and sweat streaming down my face. “No… it’s not…” He wasn’t listening. He pulled a lighter from his pocket. Click. A blue flame shot up. And right in front of my eyes, he set my diary on fire. He slammed his foot down on the hand I stretched out to save it, grinding his heel into my knuckles. I heard a sickening crunch and screamed as the bones fractured. “Watch,” he commanded, forcing me to look as the flames licked at the pages, turning my final testament to ashes. “Why keep this? So people can know what a pathetic waste you were after you’re gone? Or so everyone knows that I, Vincent Vance, once had a junkie for a girlfriend?” The fire consumed the paper, but it felt like it was burning through my marrow. From the sidelines, Sophia added her own fuel. “You did the right thing, Vincent. Something like that is just pollution. Better to burn it and be done.” I lay on the floor, pinned beneath his boot, unable to move. I stopped struggling. I stopped crying. I just watched the fire until the last page turned to black soot. That diary was the last piece of proof I had in this world. The only thing that could clear my name. And now, it was gone. 3 Dawn was breaking when two officers hauled me out of the apartment. Twenty-four hours without morphine had left me without the strength to even stand. The twin tortures of cancer and withdrawal were burning through what was left of my sanity. Outside, a mob was waiting. A sea of reporters and gawkers, their cameras and phones creating a forest of flashing lights, blocking the narrow hallway completely. “That’s her! The junkie!” “She looks so normal. How can someone be so rotten on the inside?” Vincent stood at the front of the pack, his uniform crisp and immaculate, his face a grim mask for the cameras. “This,” he announced, his voice booming with authority, “is Clara Hayes, apprehended yesterday. A textbook example of how greed and vanity can lead a person into the abyss of addiction.” His words were a signal. Someone in the crowd threw a rotten cabbage, and it hit me squarely in the face. Then came more vegetables, rotten eggs, people spitting. In the chaos, someone yanked the wig from my head, the wig I wore to hide the hair loss from my chemo. My bald, pale scalp was exposed to the world. “Freak! She’s a monster!” The jeers and insults washed over me like a tidal wave. I just stood there, numb, as filth dripped from my hair into my collar. Suddenly, an old, furious voice cut through the noise. “What are you doing?! Stop it! Leave her alone!” It was Mr. Henderson, my landlord. He brandished a broom like a sword, pushing his way through the crowd to stand in front of me. “Clara’s a good girl! She’s not a criminal! She’s sick, you bastards!” With his frail body, he shielded me from the garbage still flying through the air. I saw egg yolk and wilted lettuce clinging to his white hair, and my heart felt like it was being squeezed by an iron fist. It hurt more than the cancer. “Mr. Henderson…” I whispered. Vincent’s brow furrowed. He gave a subtle nod to his men. “Get that old man out of here.” Officers moved in, grabbing Mr. Henderson and dragging him away. Sophia, ever the opportunist, stepped up to the nearest camera. “Please, everyone, don’t be deceived,” she said, her voice full of false concern. “Addicts are often masters of manipulation, playing the victim to win the sympathy of kind-hearted people like this gentleman. We’re removing him for his own safety.” Her words reignited the crowd’s fury, now directed at my only defender. “Senile old fool! Getting tricked by a junkie!” “He’s probably her accomplice! They’re all trash!” They shoved Mr. Henderson roughly. He stumbled, fell, and cracked his head on the pavement. Blood bloomed on his forehead. “Mr. Henderson!” I screamed, my voice raw with anguish. Vincent moved close, his voice a venomous whisper meant only for me. “You see that, Clara? If you don’t want to drag that old man down with you, if you don’t want him charged with aiding and abetting a felon, you will do exactly as you’re told.” My body went rigid. He was using the only person in the world who cared about me as leverage. What could I do? I lowered my head, surrendering completely, and let the filth rain down on me. In front of a thousand cameras, I stood like a condemned prisoner, trembling and broken, all hope extinguished. 4 They took me to the city’s central plaza. Overnight, a massive, transparent glass box had been erected there. A cage for displaying a monster. And I was the monster. I was shoved inside, and a ring of powerful spotlights flared to life, so bright they hurt my eyes. Outside the glass, a huge crowd had gathered, their faces a mixture of morbid curiosity, contempt, and excitement. A forest of phones and cameras was pointed at me, broadcasting my agony twenty-four hours a day. Without the morphine to dull the pain, the cancer was finally unleashed. It exploded through my body with a terrifying, exponential force. Pain. So much pain I couldn’t breathe. So much pain I thought I could hear the sound of my own bones cracking, splinter by splinter. I began to writhe on the floor, thrashing, curling into a ball, trying anything to escape the inhuman torment. I slammed my head against the hard glass walls, the dull thuds echoing in my cage. I just wanted to pass out. I just wanted to die. The crowd outside roared with a mix of shock and laughter. “Look! Look! She’s going into withdrawal!” “Tsk, tsk. Serves her right. What a pathetic display.” Vincent stood just outside the box, a microphone in his hand. “Look closely, everyone,” he announced, his amplified voice booming across the plaza. “This is what drugs do to a human being. Once you’re hooked, you lose all your dignity. You become nothing more than an animal, begging for its next fix. This is the price of throwing your life away.” His words pierced through my pain-fogged mind. My consciousness began to fray. I started to hallucinate. The Vincent outside the glass was no longer a cold-hearted detective. He was the Vincent from seven years ago, wearing a white shirt, smiling at me under a warm sun, holding out his hand. “Clara, don’t be afraid. I’m here to take you home.” “Vincent…” I sobbed, reaching for the phantom. I used the last of my strength to call his name. “Vincent… save me…” My desperate plea was just another part of the show for the audience. Sophia immediately grabbed the microphone. “As you can see,” she explained with a tone of clinical pity, “the suspect is now experiencing severe hallucinations. This is a clear sign that the drugs have completely destroyed her mind.” The live stream chat exploded with mockery and abuse. [This chick is a lost cause.] The beautiful illusion shattered, and the endless ocean of pain swallowed me once more. Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore. The world went black. A bucket of ice-cold water shocked me back to consciousness. The public execution continued. I don’t know how much time passed. At the peak of another wave of agony, my body betrayed me completely. A warm liquid spread from my lower abdomen, soaking through my pants. I had lost control of my bladder. In front of the entire country. In that moment, the pain, the shame, the rage—it all vanished. All that was left was a profound, hollow numbness. My last shred of dignity had just been ground into dust. As my vision tunneled, I felt the glass door being thrown open. Someone stormed in and grabbed me by the collar. It was Vincent, his face contorted in rage. “Clara! Get up! Stop playing dead for sympathy!” He was so furious, he didn’t know his own strength. He shook me hard. A sickening snap echoed in the small space. It was my collarbone. Already eaten away by cancer, it had broken under his grip.

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Since kindergarten, Holden Sterling and I had never gone more than three days without seeing each other. But ever since our families discussed getting us engaged. He hid from me for a solid year. He blocked me on every contact platform; the security guards at his company stated that “unauthorized personnel and Elara Vance” were forbidden from entering. Whenever I appeared in his line of sight, he would immediately turn and walk away. Eventually, even his friends couldn’t stand it anymore and snuck me in to see Holden. When I arrived, Holden’s cold voice drifted through the crack of the private booth’s door: “She’s just a little toy that comes running whenever I beckon.” “No capability, no personality. Honestly, getting engaged to her feels beneath me.” 1 My hand froze on the doorknob. I didn’t push it further. Standing behind me, Carter immediately covered my ears. “Elara, don’t listen to Holden’s nonsense. He’s had too much to drink; he isn’t thinking straight!” “I’ll go in there and yell at him for you!” He made a move to push the door open. I tugged on Carter’s sleeve and shook my head. For so long, I just wanted to ask Holden why he was so resistant to our engagement, to the point of making a scene known throughout our entire social circle. I had called him “brother” for nearly seventeen years. But he wasn’t my real brother. We were going to marry someone eventually, so why couldn’t it be me? And now, I finally knew the answer. It wasn’t that I wasn’t accomplished enough, or pretty enough. It was that he had never seen me as anything more than a “pet” he’d raised since childhood. Something amusing? A way to pass the time? Or maybe just something pretty to keep around. Carter wiped my tears away with his handkerchief, muttering under his breath, “What are Ben and the guys talking about in there? None of them are reliable…” “It’s okay now, Carter.” I took a deep breath. “Can you take me home? I don’t want to find him anymore.” “Okay, alright…” Just as we turned to leave, the booth door opened from the inside. We froze, stunned, coming face-to-face with Ben, who had opened the door. Ben, unclear on the situation, grabbed my arm and pulled me inside. This drinking gathering was supposed to be their chance to persuade Holden to reconcile with me. Ben pulled me down to sit across from Holden. “Holden, even if you want to rebel against your family, don’t treat Elara like this.” “We’ve all watched Elara grow up. Just talk to her nicely. Don’t let your sharp tongue cause misunderstandings.” From the moment I entered the room, Holden hadn’t looked up once. But the veins on the back of the hand gripping his glass were bulging. Carter followed us in, shaking his head and signaling with his eyes to Ben. Before Carter could pull me back up, Holden finally spoke. “Elara Vance, why won’t you listen to me?” “Didn’t I say that until my grandfather and parents change their minds, we shouldn’t meet?” “Why are you so selfish?” I lowered my head, not knowing what to say. The atmosphere in the room stagnated. The last time Holden was this angry was when an older student he was on good terms with confessed his feelings to me. Carter sighed, walked over, and patted my head. Then he motioned for the other guys in the room to leave, letting Holden and me talk alone. 2 Holden distractedly took a sip of his drink. “Elara, can’t you have a little self-respect?” “I told you I’m not interested in you. I’ve never looked at you as a woman.” “Instead of clinging to me all the time, couldn’t you go improve yourself?” “All day long, you just revolve around men…” “Are you pathetic?” “When I fully take over the company later, I’ll be traveling for meetings constantly. I can’t just drag you around with me.” I felt like I was sinking into the icy depths of the ocean. My whole body went cold, drained of the strength to speak. So, for all these years, this is how he saw me. “So be a good girl and stay away from me. Grandfather will probably give up on the engagement soon anyway.” “I understand.” “You won’t pester Carter and the others to help you find me anymore?” “I won’t.” Images from my childhood flashed through my mind like a revolving lantern. I used to treat these memories as my most precious treasures. Now, it seemed I was just ridiculous. I had ignored Holden’s increasingly impatient attitude toward me since high school. I ignored his undisguised disdain for how I dressed. I ignored the subconscious comment he made when he found out his senior liked me: “Someone actually likes her?” … I looked up and gazed at Holden earnestly. “Holden, I am very grateful that you saved me when I was small.” “From now on, I’ll learn my lesson. I will never bother you again.” I stood up and left without looking back. 3 Back at the mansion, I turned on the lights. The entire house was, as usual, familiarly empty. My parents were rarely home, and Grandfather lived in the mountains focusing on his wellness. I heard from Holden’s mother that since I was born, only a nanny had taken care of me. When I was three, the nanny went out to buy groceries and forgot to close the door. I ran out of the mansion and fell in the middle of the road. Holden, who was playing in his yard, heard crying and brought me back to the Sterling house. For the next decade or so, I grew up trailing behind Holden. I went to the same elementary school, middle school, and even university as him. When I was bullied for being withdrawn, it was Holden who stood up for me. He taught me how to protect myself. Calculating it out, Holden had spent far more time in my life than my so-called parents. I was too dependent on him. So when he first started hiding from me, I panicked and searched everywhere for him, feeling like the whole world was terribly empty. A year isn’t long. But it was harder to endure than the previous dozen years combined. I sat in front of my computer, staring blankly at the acceptance email for my exchange student application. My therapist suggested a change of environment and cultivating new hobbies to shift my focus. I had originally wanted to tell Holden… Thinking of this, I let out a self-deprecating laugh. He was probably desperate for me to stay far away from him. When I left, I only sent a text message to my parents, even though they wouldn’t really care. … Touching down in Italy, I stumbled through the various procedures and renting an apartment. It wasn’t as difficult as I imagined. While waiting for school to start, I traveled to nearby cities to sketch. It was just as the therapist said. Getting out and walking around really does change your mindset. Habits change too. After being pickpocketed three times and harassed countless times, I decided to learn self-defense. No one would protect me in the future; I had to learn to protect myself. 4 Two months into the semester in Italy, I suddenly received a call from Carter. “Elara, why didn’t you tell us you went to Italy? We only found out because we bumped into a classmate of yours.” “Yeah, I just came abroad to study and clear my head. I’ll be back in a few months, don’t worry.” “How is your daily life there? Is the place you’re living safe?” “Everything is fine, very safe.” “That’s good. Shouldn’t you tell Holden? He has friends over there.” “No need. I’m doing great, I don’t need to trouble anyone else.” “Alright, well, if anything comes up, contact me… uh, or Holden immediately.” In the Sterling Corporation office, Carter waited until the call ended before locking his phone screen. “She’s growing up.” Holden twirled a lighter, his face dark. “Come on, man. You were the one who told her not to find you.” Carter sat slouched on the sofa, looking at Elara Vance’s exchange student application form. “Not finding me doesn’t mean she can’t make a call or send a text.” “Oh my god, look at your blocked list.” “You said you had to make it look real, so bam, you blocked her. How was she supposed to tell you?” “If it were me, I wouldn’t bother with you either.” Carter rolled his eyes. He was Holden’s childhood friend and had also watched Elara grow up. He knew a bit about the Vance family’s situation. Unloved by her dad, unloved by her mom, didn’t talk much, but just clung to Holden. But Holden didn’t have romantic feelings for her. Now that she was far away, he was clearly worried, but too stubborn to admit it. This whole mess… Let them figure it out themselves! After Carter left, Holden rubbed his temples. There was a frustration in his chest that wouldn’t settle. It was worse than when he saw all those portraits of himself in Elara’s art studio. Both grandfathers were applying combined pressure, wanting him and Elara to get engaged. Elara was just a junior in college, a kid who had never dated anyone. What could she possibly know? Holden swiped at his phone screen. After hesitating for a moment, he pulled the contact “Elara” out of the blocked list. Then he dialed the internal line for Ms. Davis, his secretary. “Mr. Sterling, you wanted to see me.” “Elara ran off to Italy on her own.” The corner of Ms. Davis’s mouth lifted, a smug look appearing for an instant before being suppressed. “This shows that the ‘tough love’ approach I suggested is working.” “Miss Vance grew up with no discipline; no one corrected her when she did wrong.” “She’s a junior in college and still only knows how to revolve around you all day. What kind of future could she have?” “For a girl with no sense of self like that, if you don’t speak harshly to her, she’ll never grow a backbone and walk independently.” Ms. Davis explained with a smile. “Besides, Miss Vance going abroad doesn’t necessarily mean progress. She might just be playing hard to get, learning tricks from romance novels.” “I’m a woman too; I understand these little games.” “To correct her obsession with relationships, you must maintain your distance.” Holden looked thoughtful. “But she’s never traveled far on her own before…” “Miss Vance is a junior in college; what could she possibly not know? When I graduated high school, I was younger than she is now, and I ran to a strange city for college. It’s not that difficult. Girls don’t need to be coddled so much.” Holden thought about it and realized she made sense. Elara had probably seen too few men, confusing her familial affection for him with love. It was time to let her fend for herself out there. He told Ms. Davis to cancel the flight to Italy he had just booked, and turned back to dealing with company affairs.

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My brother and his wife were known throughout the community as the perfect couple. They even waited ten years to have children, just for me. My parents died when I was eight. They took me in without hesitation, raised me, and put me through school. To give me peace of mind, they even swore in front of my parents’ grave that they wouldn’t consider having children until I got into college. But on the day I graduated from college, on my nephew’s third birthday, I kicked him into a raging river. His body was never found. I also threw my six-month-old niece from a high-rise balcony. As for the brother and sister-in-law who treated me like the apple of their eye? I poisoned their dinner and watched coldly as they ate it. My sister-in-law survived by a thread because she ate less and was rushed to the hospital by a neighbor. My brother died on the way to the emergency room. The neighbors stared at me like I was a monster, cursing me for having no conscience. I remained unmoved, quietly waiting for the police to arrive. 1 The screams rising one after another sounded particularly piercing in the quiet night. Mrs. Higgins, the next-door neighbor, was the first to rush in. She let out a shriek when she saw my brother and sister-in-law lying on the floor. Simultaneously, the approaching sirens pierced the night sky. “Nora! What did you do to them?” Mrs. Higgins’ hand trembled as she pointed at me, then threw herself onto my sister-in-law. “Hold on, the ambulance is coming!” Other neighbors rushed over upon hearing the news, blocking the doorway, pointing fingers at me. Two police officers pushed through the crowd and walked in, seeing the two people lying on the floor. “You did this? They are your family, why would you do this?” My expression didn’t change as I admitted it directly: “That’s right, I killed them.” Hearing this, the neighbors’ faces changed, looking at me with horror. Someone couldn’t control their emotions and questioned me: “Why on earth would you do this! After your parents died, David and Sarah took you into their home. Afraid you’d feel mistreated, they refused to have children for ten years after getting married.” “When you first arrived, you fell seriously ill. Your sister-in-law worried the hospital food wasn’t nutritious enough, so she ran home three times a day to cook and make soup for you. I can’t believe they raised an ungrateful wretch like you who bites the hand that feeds her.” As I was taken away by the police, the neighbors gathered at the door spat at me, calling me a murderer, an animal. In the interrogation room, the young officer slammed the table for the fiftieth time. He asked angrily: “Why did you kill them?” “I already told you, to set them free~” Seeing me give the same answer, he grabbed the taser beside him and rushed up to me. “Starting when you were eight, your brother and sister-in-law raised you and put you through school. Did all your education go to the dogs? They were your family, your benefactors, how could you be so cruel?” “Your niece was only six months old, she didn’t even get a chance to see this beautiful world~” I leaned back in the chair indifferently, smiling at him. “That’s exactly why I sent the whole family on their way together. Consider it repaying them.” “Besides, what’s there to see in this world? Dying early means reincarnating early, isn’t that better!” “How can you still smile after hurting such small children!” Just as the taser was about to touch me, the older detective beside him stopped him. “Your brother had stomach cancer, but to pay for your tuition, he never went to the hospital once!” I was a bit surprised, looking innocent. “I didn’t know that. But it doesn’t matter, everyone dies eventually. Isn’t it better to be free from pain sooner?” “And your nephew, he had congenital heart disease. To save money, your brother and sister-in-law didn’t take him for surgery!” I remained unmoved, “I didn’t decide that either? Besides, heart disease can’t be cured, why spend the money~” He was so angry he raised the taser high, glaring at me. “Don’t do anything rash.” Clang! He threw the taser violently. Just as he was about to walk out the door, I suddenly spoke. “Do you really want to know the reason?” He turned around suddenly, looking at me and nodding. “I want some walnut cookies from Joe’s Bakery!” “You’re playing me!” The young officer’s anticipation instantly turned into rage. “I can’t interrogate her, this person is impossible!” Bang! He slammed the door and left. Well, that was easy. Young people really have a temper. 2 The next day, the young officer was replaced. He held a box of walnut cookies from Joe’s Bakery and handed it over. “Bought these for you.” I looked up at him, a little surprised. It was my college classmate. “Long time no see, Nora!” I didn’t expect him to start working here right after graduation. And I was the prisoner he was interrogating. “Ethan, congratulations, you have a bright future ahead~” The old detective saw we knew each other and stayed silent on the side. “Can you tell me why?” His tone was as gentle as ever. I looked at him and the walnut cookies in front of me, lost in thought. He was the sunshine of our class, an existence I could never reach. On my way back to the dorm from a part-time job in college, I was stopped by two thugs. He was the one who passed by and saved me. He also helped me out of trouble many times. He was one of my few friends in college. “I don’t want walnut cookies anymore~ I want the spicy soup from the place at the crossroads!” “I’ll go buy it!” Watching Ethan leave, the old detective spoke. “You went to the same university as him, why destroy your future like this?” His eyes were full of pity. “Everyone dies, sooner or later~” But he refused to give up, staring at me with sharp eyes: “Every action has a consequence. If you confess honestly, maybe you can get a reduced sentence!” “Reduced sentence?” I couldn’t help but sneer: “Intentional homicide? Reduced sentence? Do you take me for a fool?” The room suddenly became very quiet. Ethan returned half an hour later. Looking at the steaming spicy soup, I took a sip. Pfft. I pushed it forward, “I don’t want to drink it anymore.” “What do you want to eat? I’ll go buy it for you!” Ethan gently wiped up the spilled soup and cleaned up. I listed several snacks in a row, and Ethan walked out without hesitation. When he returned, besides the snacks in his hand, there was someone following him. My college roommate, Mia. Seeing me, her tears immediately flowed. Still such a crybaby. “Nora, you are not this kind of person at all! I don’t believe you would kill anyone, let alone your brother’s entire family of four.” She hugged me, crying uncontrollably. “Tell them quickly, there must be a hidden story here, right!” I stared at the old detective behind them. “Since you could call her over, you’ve investigated me thoroughly?” “But I still say the same thing, killing them was to set them free. After all, dying sooner or later is the same, and it saves social resources~” I raised my hand and gently patted Mia. “Stop crying, you won’t be pretty if you keep crying like this!” Her face was pale, gripping my hand tightly. “I don’t believe it, you are not this kind of person!” “The facts are what they are, believe it or not.” 3 Mia took out her phone and held it out to me. “This is when we came back from part-time jobs, you said you wanted to earn money to treat your nephew’s illness, and wanted to take your brother’s family to the beach.” “And every month you bought lots of toys to send home. Not only that, but you also sent all the money you earned from part-time jobs to your brother and sister-in-law.” “I saw your love for them with my own eyes… You wouldn’t do this? Right!” Her phone played the future she and I had imagined together. I was stunned, then closed my eyes and stopped talking. Before Mia left, she cried and begged me to speak up. “Your case is heinous, public opinion is huge, everyone is applying pressure…” Watching Mia leave, I let out a long sigh of relief. “You win, I’m willing to tell the truth. But before I speak, I want to see my sister-in-law.” The old detective immediately went to arrange it. I saw my sister-in-law again in the hospital. Although she survived, the multi-organ failure was irreversible. She was currently confined to a wheelchair. Seeing me, she launched into a tirade of abuse. “All these years, even a dog would know to wag its tail at me. But raising you for over ten years, we raised a murderer!” She coughed violently in agitation, instantly attracting a crowd of onlookers. Seeing the crowd, she seemed to open the floodgates. “To put you through school, we didn’t dare ask for leave even when sick, still insisting on working. Afraid you’d be bullied at school, we picked you up and dropped you off every day from elementary school to high school, rain or shine!” The crowd gasped, “Pick up and drop off even in high school? They really cherished her!” Ignoring the crowd, Sarah continued. “When you were a sophomore in high school, to help you drive away that thug, your brother was stabbed by him and lay in the hospital for a month!” The crowd looked at me as if they wanted to swallow me alive. I stood calmly in place, continuing to listen to her. “Since your nephew was born, afraid you’d be unhappy, we specially moved to a rental near your university.” “Your brother even said he’d buy you a car for your birthday!” “But you didn’t even spare a six-month-old baby, you actually threw her off the balcony!” After saying all this in one breath, Sarah couldn’t help but cry loudly. The crowd pointed at me. “Such a good brother and sister-in-law, to raise such an ungrateful sister!” Someone spat at me. “Pah, why don’t you die! Truly a scourge that lasts a thousand years!” For a moment, I was hated by the onlookers. If not for the police blocking them, I probably would have been drowned in the crowd’s spit. 4 Seeing me standing opposite, showing no sign of admitting my mistake. An old man walked out of the crowd and strode up to me. He raised his cane and hit me. “I’m not afraid of going to jail, I’m this old anyway. An animal like you deserves to be beaten to death!” Saying that, he hit me harder. Thump thump, hitting my body. I looked at him with an unchanged expression. I hadn’t done anything to him, but because of Sarah’s words, I took this beating. The police didn’t dare be rough because of the old man, only persuading from the side. He was creeped out by my stare, grunted, and walked away. Sarah cried even louder. “Your nephew looked forward to your return every day, I didn’t expect you, heartless wretch, to throw him into the river, leaving no bones~” “Beat her to death, beat her to death, such an animal is a waste of resources alive.” The hospital security hurried over and barely stopped the angry crowd. Sarah cried uncontrollably, two older women next to her went to comfort her. “My husband was your own brother. When your parents died, other relatives didn’t want to care. We took you home and cherished you for more than ten years.” “If there was anything good at home, it was all for you. It was the same after your nephew and niece were born, how could you be so ruthless?” Thinking of my brother’s tragic death, she looked at me with vicious eyes. The older woman next to her spat at me. “You really are a demon! To hurt your closest kin~ People like you must die.” “Yes, people like this must die.” The police standing next to me looked at the crowd nervously. Afraid that the next second they would rush up and tear me apart. In this tense atmosphere, I suddenly laughed out loud. “Sarah, your ability to talk nonsense is still so amazing!” Sarah’s face turned pale, she stopped crying and asked me back. “Did you poison our food?” I nodded and admitted: “It was me.” “The facts are right in front of us, where did I talk nonsense? I didn’t expect you to treat us like this. If I had known… we shouldn’t have brought you home in the first place.” She sighed deeply, her tone resentful. Someone came up and grabbed my hair, pressing me to the ground. Fortunately, Ethan reacted quickly and stopped it immediately, otherwise they would definitely have beaten me to death.

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1 The year I was at my absolute rock bottom, I took on three capture missions at once. Target number one was a rising tech mogul. Target number two was a genius surgeon. Target number three was a titan of the legal world. Given how insanely busy they all were, I figured as long as I managed my time well, it would be a piece of cake. But I forgot one crucial detail: three alpha tycoons means three “ones that got away.” And so, my life became a living hell. In the morning, I’d be accused of stealing a bracelet by number one’s childhood sweetheart and forced to kneel for hours as punishment. In the afternoon, I’d be commanded by number two to donate a kidney to his old flame, warning me it was the only way I’d ever be accepted into his family. At night, number three’s “best girl friend” would take intimate photos of me and use them to slut-shame me, while number three told me to lighten up, saying she was “just joking.” Three missions meant I was being tortured 24/7. Utterly exhausted, I cried to the System, asking if there was an option to quit. The System replied: [Quitting is easy. You just have to die in this world.] So I took its advice. I faked my death to escape. But after I was gone, why did all three tycoons completely shatter? … I was dirt poor. So when the System told me I could earn a hundred million for completing a single capture mission, I was desperate enough to take on three without a second thought. After all, back in my own world, I was the ultimate grinder, used to juggling three jobs a day. I thought the missions would be about saving these damaged men, about falling in love. I never expected each of them to have an old flame, a “white moonlight,” lurking in the wings. For five long years, I was physically and emotionally abused by these three women. The Heartbeat Value monitors above the tycoons’ heads remained stubbornly frozen. My body and spirit, however, were on the verge of collapse. The moment the System told me death was my only escape, I was on my knees, being punished by my first target, Ethan. His childhood sweetheart, Claire, had just returned to the country and immediately lost a precious bracelet, which she, of course, insisted I had stolen. I denied it. Ethan, furious, slapped me across the face. “You were the only one who touched Claire’s purse. If you didn’t steal it, who did?” Claire stood beside him, her tears flowing like a spring shower. “Ethan, that bracelet was the only thing my grandmother left me. It’s all I have to remember her by. If I can’t find it, I… I’ll fall apart.” Her tears only fueled Ethan’s rage. He kicked me sharply in the knee. A jolt of agony shot through me, and my legs buckled, forcing me to the ground. “Sophie,” he snarled, “I’m asking you one last time. Did you take the bracelet? Where did you hide it? If you don’t talk, you can kneel here until nightfall.” It was the dead of winter. Even in the daytime, the temperature was well below freezing. Kneeling outside until evening would, at best, leave me crippled. At worst, I’d freeze to death. And knowing Ethan, it didn’t matter what I said. I was going to be kneeling all day regardless. I had endured this for five years. I couldn’t take it anymore. With a surge of adrenaline, I shot to my feet and screamed at him. “Fine, I stole it! I stole the damn thing!” “I deserve to die for stealing her bracelet! So I’ll just go and die! Are you happy now?!” Without waiting for their reaction, I turned and sprinted toward the villa’s man-made lake. Though artificial, it was notoriously deep. And Ethan was terrified of water. If I jumped, I would surely die. Reaching the edge, I didn’t hesitate for a second. But as I plunged into the icy water, I saw a second figure leap in right after me. “Sophie, are you insane?!” 2 Ethan was the first tycoon I met in this world. He was the illegitimate son of a wealthy family. When I met him, Claire had just dumped him for money, and his own family had cast him out after he was diagnosed with liver cancer. To complete my mission, I took him into my tiny apartment, cared for him, and worked myself to the bone to pay his medical bills. When we discovered our blood types matched, I even donated a part of my liver to him. With his health restored, I helped him build his business from the ground up, transforming him into a powerful CEO. And then, just as his Heartbeat Value for me reached 99%, Claire came back. She claimed she had never left him for money; she said Ethan’s family had threatened her. She spun a tale of suffering abroad, of how she never stopped thinking of him for a single day. Ethan didn’t say much, but I knew he was moved. On the very day she returned, his Heartbeat Value for me dropped to 90%. Then he brought her home to live with us. When Claire accused me of giving her the cold shoulder, his value dropped to 80%. When she framed me for pushing her down the stairs, it fell to 70%. For five years, Ethan’s feelings for me fluctuated, finally settling at a miserable 30%. I had given up hope of it ever moving again. So when I woke up in a hospital bed and saw his Heartbeat Value had jumped to 50%, I was shocked. It wasn’t just the number that had changed. His entire demeanor was different. As I sat up, he rushed over, placing a pillow behind my back. “Careful. The doctor said you have a mild concussion.” The lake had been frozen over. I must have hit my head on the ice. The pain was excruciating. But his gentle tone felt so foreign it was disorienting. He shifted uncomfortably under my stare. “They found the bracelet,” he said, looking away. “I was wrong about you.” “The maid took it. She said she mistook it for her own. I’ve already fired her.” “Sophie, Claire was just overly anxious and jumped to conclusions. I’ve already told her she needs to apologize to you.” Apologize? Claire was going to apologize to me? Before I could even process it, Ethan had pulled a reluctant Claire into the room. She shuffled to my bedside and mumbled a half-hearted “sorry.” Then, unable to resist a parting shot, she added, “Sophie, can we please just talk things out next time? You scared everyone half to death jumping into the lake like that. We’re all adults here; we can solve problems rationally.” In the past, to keep Ethan’s Heartbeat Value from dropping, I would have let it slide. But I was done pretending. “Who wasn’t talking things out? I told you from the start it wasn’t me, but you didn’t believe me. And you, Ethan, this is what you call an apology? When you wanted me to apologize to her, you were ready to make me kneel all night. Since she’s the one who wronged me, shouldn’t she take a turn on her knees?” Claire’s face went pale. Ethan frowned, but before he could speak, Claire launched into another performance. “Sophie’s right. I’ll go kneel right now, as long as it makes her feel better.” With that, she fled the room. Ethan turned to me, his face grim, but he refrained from his usual harsh words. “Sophie, how could you say that to her? Her health is fragile; she can’t kneel for that long. I’m going to stop her. Don’t make jokes like that again.” 3 After Ethan left, the System chimed in. [Host, that move was effective!] “What move?” I asked. [The dying move! Target number one’s Heartbeat Value shot up! Should we keep it up?] I refused. I attempt suicide, and his value only goes up by 20%? That proved he didn’t really care about me. Why bother continuing? Just as I was planning my next great escape, my phone buzzed. A text. “Empyrean Club, Suite 308. 30 minutes.” No name, no greeting. Before I could reply, the sender was gone. Unmistakably, it was my third target, Wyatt. Wyatt was a lawyer, and we only ever met at night. He suffered from severe insomnia and could only fall asleep holding me. At first, it was purely platonic. Then, one night, he came home drunk. He started getting handsy, and when I tried to push him away, he whispered, “I want you. I’ll take responsibility.” I’m no hopeless romantic, but Wyatt was ridiculously handsome—a movie star’s face on a personal trainer’s body. I simply made a mistake any woman would make. After that night, I finally remembered to check his Heartbeat Value. It was only 30%. But I wasn’t discouraged. I poured my heart into winning him over. I cooked for him, helped him heal his childhood traumas, and gave him anything he wanted. Just when I thought my devotion would finally move him, I overheard him talking to his friends. “Like her? Not really. She’s just a free lay. I have no feelings for her. The one I like is Hannah.” Hannah. His “best girl friend,” the adored princess of their little clique. After Wyatt brought me to one of their gatherings, she made me her personal target. Whenever we met, she’d make crude jokes at my expense and flirt outrageously with Wyatt right in front of me. At first, her tactics didn’t bother me. Compared to Claire’s physical torment, these verbal jabs were nothing. But when she realized her taunts weren’t working, she turned vicious. She had Wyatt take a series of intimate photos and videos of me. Then, whenever their group got together, they’d use my videos as betting chips in their games. Buy them with cash, or win them in a round of cards. The first time I found out, I was furious and threatened to call the police. Wyatt just laughed. “I’m a lawyer. Even if you call the cops, I have a hundred ways to get Hannah off scot-free. I can guarantee she won’t face any consequences. Can you guarantee your videos won’t end up all over the internet?” I couldn’t. And I still had two other tycoons to capture. Annoying their “white moonlights” just meant more abuse. If they found out I was juggling all three of them, they might actually kill me. I had planned to ignore Wyatt’s text, but then I had an idea. If they were going to release my videos, I might as well drag them all down with me. I grabbed my phone and walked out. I was ten minutes late to the Empyrean Club. As soon as I pushed the door open, Hannah’s smug face was in mine. “Sophie, you’re late. You know the rules. The price on your little photos just went up by another ten grand. Pay up, or we post them online.” She smiled, a triumphant glint in her eyes. Wyatt sat on the sofa behind her, watching with a look of indulgent amusement. Without a second thought, I said, “Fine. Post them.” 4 Hannah blinked, stunned. “What did you say?” “You all want to see my nudes, right? Don’t bother. I’ll post them myself.” I pulled out my phone, started a livestream, and began to strip right in front of the camera. “Hi everyone, my name is Sophie. I’ve been dealing with a little problem lately. A woman named Hannah has been blackmailing me with intimate photos of me and her ‘best friend.’ It’s so strange how she’s singled me out. Do you think maybe it’s because she’s secretly in love with him?” As I spoke, I shed my coat, my sweater, my thermal layers… Just as I was down to my last thin shirt, a black overcoat was thrown over my shoulders. Wyatt’s face was thunderous. “Sophie, are you out of your mind? Do you have a death wish?” It wasn’t just him. The entire room was frozen in shock. Hannah was as white as a sheet. I just smiled at Wyatt. “Yes, I think I do.” He stared at me, confused. “What?” Before he could react, I dashed to the window and swung one leg over the sill. A collective gasp filled the room. “Sophie, what are you doing? Get down from there!” Wyatt roared. “Wyatt,” I called his name. “After all this time together, I have just one thing to say to you.” As he stared at me, his eyes wide with panic, I delivered my parting words. “Go to hell, you absolute fool.” And then I jumped. Wyatt’s scream was much louder than Ethan’s. But unfortunately for me, I didn’t die this time either. When I opened my eyes, I was back in a familiar hospital room. Wyatt explained that a garbage truck had been passing by just as I jumped. I had landed in a pile of trash bags. All I had was a broken leg. Just a broken leg? I stared at my cast, on the verge of tears. I should have picked a higher floor. Seeing my crestfallen expression, Wyatt must have thought I was traumatized. He cleared his throat. “I know why you did this.” I looked up at him. His Heartbeat Value had climbed to 60%. “You’re angry that I’ve been siding with my friends over you all this time. Don’t worry, I’ve already confiscated all the videos. I told Hannah to stop with the ‘jokes.’ So… you should understand what I mean by now, right?” I stared at him, completely baffled. His face turned bright red. “Sophie, I will allow you to pursue me.” He tilted his chin up, a smug look on his face, as if expecting me to leap into his arms. The words “Who the hell wants to pursue you” nearly flew out of my mouth. Just then, his phone rang. It was Hannah. “Hey, stud, are you done with your hospital drama? We’re waiting for you to get online. Don’t you dare bail on game night, or you’ll have me to answer to.” Her voice was so loud I could hear every word. Wyatt shot me an awkward glance. “Go,” I said flatly. He hesitated for a moment. “I’ll just play one round and come right back. It’s Hannah’s ranking match tonight. If I don’t help, she’ll never let me hear the end of it.” And with that, he was gone. I still wanted to die. I dragged my broken leg out of the hospital and bought a knife. On my way back, I decided to stop by the front desk to settle my bill. I was about to die, after all; no need to leave behind any debts. And that’s when I ran into my second target, Liam, in the hospital lobby. He was with his own childhood flame, Julia, who was there for a check-up. He saw me and froze, his brow furrowing. “Sophie. Are you following me?” Before I could explain, his patience wore thin. “Actually, you’re just in time. Go get a full workup. Julia’s kidney won’t last another month. You’ll be donating yours to her in a couple of days.” He said it so matter-of-factly, I had to laugh. “You want a kidney?” I pulled the knife from my sleeve and pressed it against my side. “Don’t wait. I’ll give it to you right now!” “In fact, I won’t just give her my kidney. She can have my life, too!” I imagined a clean thrust, a spray of blood, a dramatic end. But before the blade could break my skin, a hand closed around the steel. I looked up into Liam’s eyes. The sight of blood welling up around his clenched fist shocked me so much I dropped the knife. It clattered to the floor. A wave of gasps went through the crowd of onlookers. The first to react was Julia, who screamed for a doctor. Liam’s grip on my arm tightened, his face pale. “Sophie, is this your new trick? Do you think this will make me let you off the hook? Dream on.” I wrenched my arm away. “This isn’t a trick. This is your last chance. If you don’t want this kidney now, you’ll never get one from me.” I bent down to pick up the knife, but Liam stopped me. “Sophie, what are you doing? Put the knife down.” “It’s none of your business!” I struggled against his grip. He frowned. “Is this because I asked you to donate your kidney? Don’t worry, I’m a doctor. You can live a perfectly normal life with one kidney. I’ll make sure you live a very long time. And besides…” He hesitated, a rare blush coloring his cheeks. “My sister-in-law said if you do this, she’ll convince my mother to let you into our family.” “To hell with your family! If it’s no big deal, why don’t you donate one of yours?” I bit down hard on his hand, but even as I drew blood, he refused to let go. Finally, exhausted, I softened my voice. “Okay, Liam. You’re right. I was just trying to get your attention. You saw through me. I won’t do it again. Now let me go.” He finally relaxed his grip, letting out a long sigh. “Sophie, don’t ever play these kinds of…” Before he could finish, I raised the knife and drew it swiftly across my own throat. Blood sprayed across his face. As I collapsed, I heard three distinct voices screaming my name. “Sophie!” The last thing I saw before my eyes closed was two other familiar figures pushing through the crowd, rushing toward me.

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Everyone knew I was the fiancée handpicked by Grandpa Sterling. Whoever married me would inherit the Sterling family fortune. At the engagement party, wearing a custom-made gown, I was ready to go on stage and announce the union between the Sterling and Reed families. But my fiancé, Ethan Sterling, interlaced his fingers with my adopted sister, Mia Reed, pulling her into the center of the crowd to stand by his side. “I am in love with Mia. My wife can only be her.” “Clara is too willful. She doesn’t deserve the position of Mrs. Sterling.” The person engaged to Ethan became my adopted sister. Everyone looked at me with pity or mockery. But he didn’t know that the reason Grandpa Sterling wanted me to marry him was because my mother is the heir to the reclusive and powerful King family. In the future, I will return to the King family and inherit their business empire. Since Ethan has made his choice, it’s time for the Sterling family to change its heir too. 1 Ethan tightly held my adopted sister Mia’s hand, pulling her to stand firm in front of everyone. Mia exclaimed softly, trying to pull her hand back. “Ethan, we can’t do this. Your engagement to my sister was decided by Grandpa Sterling himself.” “The person I love is you. I won’t agree to marry anyone else.” He firmly interlaced his fingers with Mia’s, looking at Grandpa Sterling sitting in the high seat. “Grandpa, the person I’ve always liked is Mia. I will only marry Mia as my wife.” The guests present looked on with pity and mockery. Everyone knew Ethan and I grew up together as childhood sweethearts, and I was the granddaughter-in-law internally decided by Grandpa Sterling. But now, in front of everyone in this circle, Ethan slapped me hard in the face. Ethan’s tone was unquestionable. “Although I grew up with Clara, I always treated her as my sister and had no other thoughts.” “Mia and I are in love and have long confirmed our relationship. In my heart, my wife can only be Mia. No other woman will do.” Ethan’s parents’ faces changed, nervously looking at the expression of the old man in the main seat. Ethan put his arm around Mia’s waist and looked at me. His gaze held a hint of sarcasm. “Clara, you should know I have no romantic feelings for you. You don’t want to marry a man who doesn’t love you and waste your life, right?” “Besides, Mia and I are already together. You can’t just rely on Grandpa’s favoritism to intervene and break us up, can you?” I glanced at the two of them and bowed to Grandpa Sterling. “Grandpa Sterling, since they admire each other, how can I be the one to break up a loving couple? Let’s fulfill their wishes.” “I wish my sister and Young Master Sterling a harmonious union and a lifetime together.” Hearing me say this, a trace of displeasure flashed across Ethan’s face. Mia, however, carefully held Ethan’s arm. “Ethan, your marriage to my sister was decided by Grandpa. Will Grandpa be unhappy now?” Ethan patted the back of Mia’s hand soothingly and coaxed softly. “No, Grandpa loves me the most. How could he be angry with me because of her?” “Besides, you are the true daughter of the Reed family, the heir to the Reed family. Originally, it was a marriage between our two families. Why care about her, an outsider?” Outsider? My identity is only known to my father and Grandpa Sterling. My mother is the heir to the reclusive King family. Initially, my father and mother only had a cooperative marriage, and I will inherit the King family in the future, so I took my mother’s surname. Moreover, he thinks Mia is my father’s biological daughter? Grandpa Sterling frowned upon hearing Ethan’s words. “Ethan, don’t fool around. Are you sure you want to marry Miss Mia?” Ethan firmly put the ring on Mia’s finger, then planted a devout kiss. “Grandpa, I’ve thought it through. I won’t marry anyone but Mia in this life.” Grandpa Sterling looked at Ethan with disappointment. If he simply changed the marriage partner, the old man wouldn’t have any opinion of him. But he deliberately chose to embarrass me in front of so many people today, which is enough to prove that he is unreliable. “Fine, have it your way then.” 2 Grandpa Sterling spoke, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Many business celebrities were invited to witness the marriage between the two families, and everyone wanted to know the outcome. Amidst everyone’s whispers, Ethan held Mia’s hand and announced to the guests who came to celebrate today. “Thank you all for coming to the engagement ceremony of Miss Mia and me today.” The guests present had different expressions. They didn’t expect the Sterling and Reed families to switch people on the spot. My father didn’t expect this either; his face turned dark instantly. My face wasn’t looking good either, but I still braced myself to straighten my back. Amidst the discussions, I raised my glass to offer a generous gift. “Young Master Sterling actually switched fiancées on the spot. This gives Clara no face at all.” “Didn’t Grandpa Sterling insist on Clara being his granddaughter-in-law? Why did he agree to the switch?” “Switching people on the day of the engagement party is really embarrassing to talk about. I wonder what she did to make Young Master Sterling make such a move on the spot.” The guests’ discussions were not quiet. Father glared at Mia and wasn’t very polite to Ethan either. “By doing this, how much gossip do you want your sister to endure?” “And you, you’re not young anymore. doing things without considering the consequences, do you want to slap my face?” Mia was scolded by Father and timidly wanted to take off the ring and give it to me. Grandpa Sterling waved his hand to stop Mia’s action. He touched my head guiltily and said in a deep voice. “Clara, don’t worry. Grandpa Sterling will make decisions for you. If you are willing, there are several good children in the Sterling family.” Ethan’s parents heard the old man’s words and thought he was comforting me, so they didn’t care. To their surprise, I pointed at the illegitimate son of the Sterling family who was watching the show in the corner. “Actually, I have always liked Julian. I hope Grandpa can fulfill us.” Several gazes fell on Julian, looking back and forth between him and me. Julian is the illegitimate son of the Sterling family’s eldest uncle. After Uncle Sterling passed away, he was not welcomed at home and didn’t live well. After all, he was a child of the Sterling family. Grandpa Sterling didn’t want others to say the Sterling family abused children, so he simply brought him to his side to raise. Father looked at me in shock and persuaded me in a low voice. “Clara, Dad knows you are unhappy, but he is an illegitimate child. The Sterling family doesn’t value him.” I shook my wine glass indifferently and toasted Julian. “It’s not like he chose to be an illegitimate child himself. I think he’s quite good. I’m willing to try with him.” Julian met my gaze, his attitude lazy. “Since Miss King likes me, let’s try then.” The crowd looked at me even more meaningfully. The news of the Sterling family switching people on the spot spread quickly in the circle. Just as the banquet ended, I received a text message from my mother. In the private room, Mom hugged me distressedly, looking at Dad with unkind eyes. “James Reed, you dare let my daughter suffer such a great grievance. I see you don’t want your job anymore!” I held Mom’s hand and shifted the topic to business. “Grandpa Sterling switched my engagement partner. His name is Julian Sterling. I quite like him.” Dad wiped the sweat from his forehead and sighed again. “He’s just an illegitimate son, a marginalized person in the Sterling family. Why choose him?” I looked at my parents’ confused eyes and spoke slowly. “Grandpa Sterling and my maternal grandfather decided on the marriage alliance. I definitely have to marry into the Sterling family.” “Although Julian is an illegitimate son, he is the most capable among the young generation of the Sterling family. From a commercial value perspective, he is the most suitable partner.” 3 “Besides, as an illegitimate son, if I marry him, the King family will be the foundation for him to establish himself in the Sterling family. He definitely won’t treat me badly.” Nowadays, Mia has become a figure everyone in the circle flatters and tries to befriend. Countless people rush to get to know her. After all, the Sterling and Reed families are a powerful alliance. If there is an opportunity to cooperate, one can definitely take their industry to the next level. I had no time to pay attention to these things, concentrating on completing the tasks Mom gave me abroad. On the day of Grandpa Sterling’s birthday, Mia specifically sent me an invitation and made several calls, so I had to go. As soon as I stepped into the Sterling family’s gate, everyone’s eyes fell on me. I wasn’t embarrassed at all, smiling as I handed the gift in my hand to the Sterling family butler. “Why is Clara here? Wasn’t the engagement partner changed?” “You don’t know yet? At that time, Young Master Sterling insisted on changing partners. In a fit of anger, she chose the illegitimate son of the Sterling family for the alliance.” “Even marrying an illegitimate son to enter the Sterling family, Miss King really goes all out.” Just as everyone was discussing, Mia appeared holding Ethan’s arm high-profile. Unlike her usual low-key and gentle attire, she wore a haute couture gown today, carrying several sets of intricate and luxurious jewelry, making her look bejeweled but somewhat tacky. Seeing me here too, she came over affectionately trying to hold my arm. “Sister, it’s simply wonderful that we sisters can marry into the Sterling family together. For the sake of sisterhood, I will definitely ask Ethan to promote brother-in-law more.” I almost laughed at Mia. Even now, she still thought what I cared about was marrying into the Sterling family. Ethan thought so too. In his eyes, I would use any means to marry into the Sterling family. He looked at me as if I were something dirty. I couldn’t be bothered with these two people. I turned to leave but saw a pair of excellent quality jade bracelets on Mia’s wrist. These were the Sterling family heirloom jade bracelets, always kept by Grandpa Sterling. I didn’t expect them to appear on Mia. Plus, she wore at least three or four bracelets on her arm, so I didn’t recognize them at first glance. The Sterling family heir hasn’t been determined yet; how could these bracelets be on Mia? I pointed at the bracelets on Mia’s wrist, my eyes holding a trace of inquiry. “Where did these bracelets come from?” Ethan had a moment of guilt, while Mia stroked the jade bracelets on her hand, her face showing a bit of grievance. “Sister, these bracelets were meant for you before, but now the one marrying Ethan is me, so these bracelets naturally should be given to me.” Ethan also nodded righteously. After all, in his heart, he was already the certain heir. Taking out the bracelets in advance for his lover to wear wasn’t unacceptable. “These are my Sterling family heirloom jade bracelets. I can give them to whoever I want to wear them. What does it have to do with you?” After speaking, he looked me up and down, taking a step back in disgust. “Don’t delusionally think you can pester me this way. I won’t like you; my heart only has Mia.” Ethan’s voice wasn’t quiet. Several gazes around fell on me. “Clara usually looks quite aloof. I didn’t expect her to try snatching her own brother-in-law just to marry into the Sterling family.” “Their hearts are connected; why is she still thinking of pestering him relentlessly?” Mia blushed, hitting Ethan shyly. “Don’t be so fierce to my sister. After she marries in, we will still be family. You have to help them more then.” Ethan glanced at me and pinched Mia’s cheek dotingly. “Fine, for Mia’s sake, I won’t fuss about it. But if you have any improper thoughts about me, don’t blame me for being ruthless then.” The two were still being affectionate when a voice sounded behind them. “Why would my wife have improper thoughts about you? Ethan, it’s too rude of you to speak about your future sister-in-law like that.” 4 Julian supported Grandpa Sterling as they entered from the door. He had a smile on his lips, and his look at Ethan held a bit more provocation. Grandpa Sterling glanced at the bracelets on Mia’s wrist, his gaze darkening. “Who told you to wear them? Take them off!” Grandpa Sterling was majestic without being angry. Mia shivered in fright and hurriedly took off the bracelets. Ethan muttered with some dissatisfaction. “Grandpa, I brought them for Mia to wear. Anyway, these bracelets will be mine sooner or later. What’s wrong with letting her wear them?” Grandpa Sterling didn’t speak, just gave him a cold look, then led Julian to the head seat. He cleared his throat, looked at the guests who came to the birthday banquet, and announced publicly. “Today, besides celebrating my birthday, this old man has a happy event to announce.” “This is my grandson Julian Sterling. In a few days, he will be engaged to Clara. Everyone is invited to come for a drink then.” As soon as these words came out, everyone’s eyes widened, scanning back and forth between Julian and me. Ethan froze on the spot, looking at Julian and me in disbelief. “Grandpa, what are you saying? Why is Clara getting engaged to Julian?” “Julian is just an illegitimate son, he…” Grandpa Sterling sternly interrupted Ethan. “Julian is also my biological grandson; he is also a Sterling.” After the engagement party back then, I privately asked Julian to meet. In the private room, Julian looked at me meaningfully, a teasing smile on his lips. “I’m just an illegitimate son. The Sterling family has so many young talents; why choose me?” I handed a document to him. “Because you need me, and similarly, I need you. Cooperation between us is the optimal solution.” He just glanced at the document without taking it. “What cooperation can we have?” I calmly pushed the document towards him. “To be honest, I have investigated you. You are a very capable person, so I want to cooperate with you.” “Moreover, if you have no thoughts about the Sterling family, why make so many small moves in private?” His look at me was wary, but I didn’t mind. Leaning forward, I stared tightly into his wild eyes. “Don’t you want to know why Grandpa Sterling said only by marrying me can one inherit the Sterling family?” He looked at me for a long time. Just when I thought he was going to refuse, Julian extended his hand to me. “Happy cooperation, my fiancée.” Sure enough, after I chose Julian, Grandpa Sterling also began to value this grandson. Julian was brought back quietly back then and wasn’t announced to the public. Presumably, Grandpa Sterling must have investigated this grandson before choosing to announce the engagement news at the birthday banquet, taking the opportunity to let Julian show his face. Ethan’s parents didn’t expect such a change and were stunned for a long time before recovering. After all, Grandpa Sterling announcing Julian’s engagement to me at this time was undoubtedly sending a signal that he wanted to support Julian. In Ethan’s parents’ eyes, I was just a burden born to Father and his ex-wife, and I even had the ex-wife’s surname. After graduation, Father didn’t arrange for me to work in the family company; instead, he let me busy myself with unknown things. This was undoubtedly a signal to them that I couldn’t inherit everything from the Reed family. So they chose to acquiesce when facing the switch. After all, between an idle eldest miss and a daughter who would inherit the Reed family, it goes without saying which one was more beneficial to them. Ethan’s father finally recovered from the news, his hands trembling, stroking his chest to catch his breath. Guests who came to celebrate gathered around Julian to toast him. Ethan, who was high-spirited just two days ago, was now squeezed to the edge by the crowd. Ethan seemed furious. He stared straight at me and questioned: “You’ve only met Julian a few times. Are you marrying him just to spite me?” Before I could say anything, Julian stood beside me, looking down at Ethan from above. Julian was not only a head taller than him but also suppressed him in aura. “Did you not hear clearly? Clara likes me. Why do you think she would like you?” I took a step forward, held Julian’s arm, and looked at Ethan with a hint of helplessness, as if looking at a child throwing a tantrum. “I’ve already said, the person I like is Julian. In my eyes, he is better than you in every way. Please stop flattering yourself.”

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To avoid inheriting the family conglomerate, I endured my teacher’s blatant favoritism. To avoid an arranged marriage with another wealthy heir, I endured bullying from certain classmates. Until, that is, the bully stole my guaranteed university admission. I instantly stopped acting. At the pre-exam assembly, I took the stage as the representative of the board of directors. The principal fell to his knees on the spot. 1 I made a bet with my parents. As long as I could secure a guaranteed admission spot on my own merit, I wouldn’t have to follow the path of a corporate heiress and could choose a life I loved. To achieve the freedom I desired, I burned the midnight oil and studied like my life depended on it. In the final joint exam before the college entrance exam… I didn’t let myself down; I ranked first in the entire city. But the admission spot that should have been mine was given to my homeroom teacher’s daughter, Chloe Chen. I couldn’t hold back anymore. I stood up from my seat. “Teacher, I was the one who ranked first in this joint exam!” My voice was resonant and powerful, without a trace of my usual feigned weakness. My homeroom teacher, Mrs. Chen, probably didn’t expect such a big reaction from me. After all, over the past semester… There were so many times she had controlled things single-handedly. The class monitor was supposed to be elected by votes. She still gave the position to Chloe. The top scorer of the midterms was supposed to give the speech at the assembly. She still gave the speech opportunity to Chloe. These were all trivial honors; I didn’t care who Mrs. Chen gave them to. So I never argued with her. But now, this was my guaranteed admission spot! She dared to openly give it to Chloe? Mrs. Chen clicked her tongue slightly, a flash of coldness crossing her face, before saying amiably in front of the whole class, “I was quite surprised too, but this admission spot for Harvard was designated for Chloe Chen by the university itself.” I stared into her eyes and asked, “Are you sure Harvard specifically designated Chloe for admission?” Mrs. Chen felt a chill under my gaze, her lips moving slightly. “I said yes, so of course it is.” Chloe also stood up from the best seat in the classroom, retorting angrily, “Lily Vance, is it so hard to admit others are excellent? Harvard values my extensive extracurricular experience, so they specifically asked for me. Look at yourself. Besides good grades, you have no hobbies or interests. Why would they want a nerd?” A nerd? Me? Heh! I’ve been learning violin, piano, ballet, ice hockey, speed skating, and golf since I was little. I’ve reached the top professional levels in all of them. Not to mention my specialty, martial arts. I’m a nationally certified first-class female martial artist! And what Chloe learned were just interest classes paid for with a little money… Let alone professional level, she probably wasn’t even qualified to take the grading exams. With her half-baked skills, Harvard would specifically ask for her? What a joke. I didn’t speak. I directly took out the phone I rarely used. Spent three seconds finding the number for the Harvard Admissions Office. Spent another three seconds dialing it. Three seconds later, it connected. I turned on the speakerphone and asked in front of all my classmates, “Hello, is this the Harvard Admissions Office?” The moment the call connected, Mrs. Chen and Chloe glared at me. 2 “Yes, this is the Harvard Admissions Office. How can I help you?” I asked word by word, “May I ask how many guaranteed admission spots your school has given to Hua Xin First High School this year?” The person replied, “One.” “Are you sure?” “Of course. Based on Hua Xin First High’s past performance, our school didn’t intend to give them any spots. But this year is special. A student from Hua Xin ranked first in the city in this joint exam. After discussion, we gave the spot to this student.” “Then may I ask, is this student named Chloe Chen?” The person hesitated. I heard the sound of a mouse clicking on a computer. Then they replied, “No, it’s Lily Vance.” When my name came out of the phone, the whole class went into an uproar. All the students’ eyes were fixed on Mrs. Chen and Chloe’s faces. And the voice from the Harvard Admissions Office continued. He said, “This student, Lily Vance, not only ranked first in total score in this joint exam but also ranked first in every subject. Especially in the final bonus question in Physics, she used a theory recently proposed by international physicists to solve it, which shocked our grading teachers. That’s why Harvard specially named Lily Vance for admission from Hua Xin First High.” “Thank you, teacher. Thank you for Harvard’s recognition.” “You? You are Lily Vance?” The voice on the other end became excited. “Did you already know you were admitted to Harvard, so you called to verify? Haha, we were actually afraid you wouldn’t come…” “No,” I interrupted him. Then, I explained, “My homeroom teacher said the Harvard admission spot was designated for a student named Chloe Chen. They said Harvard values overall quality more, and wouldn’t look at a nerd like me who only knows how to study.” The person was surprised. “Chloe Chen? Who is that? Harvard never intended to recruit this student. Besides… this name seems to have been disqualified from the joint exam for cheating!” Mrs. Chen and Chloe’s faces were already beet red. Especially Chloe. As arrogant as she was just now, she was that ashamed now. But she was still quibbling, “He’s lying! I-I didn’t cheat! I didn’t…” The classmates looked at each other, and various voices arose. “It’s one thing for Mrs. Chen to favor Chloe usually, but daring to openly steal an admission spot is shameless enough.” “Cheater. If someone like that can be admitted to Harvard, Harvard must be blind.” “Exactly. What is Chloe? If she weren’t the teacher’s daughter, she’d be nothing.” “Disgusting. If Chloe really got the Harvard admission, I’d report it to the Education Bureau immediately. There’s no justice.” Whispers ran rampant. I wasn’t sure if the person on the phone heard them. But his voice clearly became serious. He said, “Student Lily Vance, as an admissions officer, I promise you today that no one can take away your admission qualification. If they do, then that person, and the student you mentioned who was ‘admitted,’ will definitely receive appropriate punishment.” “Okay, thank you.” The call ended. I looked at Mrs. Chen again. Mrs. Chen couldn’t keep her composure, but the class was still going on. With so many eyes watching her, she could only bite the bullet and say, “Lily, there might be some misunderstanding here. What’s yours is definitely yours. I’ll clarify with the school later. Maybe I read it wrong.” “Really? My name doesn’t look like Chloe Chen’s.” I narrowed my eyes. Mrs. Chen coughed lightly twice. “Maybe I heard it wrong.” I didn’t let this opportunity go and pressed on, “Heard it wrong, huh? Then why don’t you just leave the mistake as is?” Mrs. Chen was stunned. “W-what do you mean leave it as is?” I smiled and said, “I don’t want this admission spot anymore. Give it to whoever you want! Anyway…” anyone other than me who gets the spot will be punished accordingly! 3 Mrs. Chen immediately understood what I meant. She was startled, her face changing color. “Lily, don’t cause trouble!” Cause trouble? Who caused trouble first? Weren’t you quite self-righteous at the beginning? Weren’t you lying without blushing or skipping a beat? I sneered and ignored her. I simply picked up my schoolbag and walked out. Mrs. Chen shouted from behind, “Lily Vance, if you leave here today, don’t even think about coming back!” Come back? Unless you kneel and beg me! Chloe looked at me resentfully, gritting her teeth hard. As I walked out the classroom door, I saw her mouth shape seem to say: “Bitch, I’m going to kill you”! Chloe’s mother was the homeroom teacher. Chloe’s father was the school principal. Chloe’s arrogance was entirely due to the contributions of these two. I was actually a little expectant to see how Chloe would “kill” me! I walked out of the school without looking back. In a short while, I arrived home. This was a two-bedroom apartment I bought casually with my pocket money. Because I moved in hastily, I directly used the old furniture left by the previous family. The whole house looked small and old, but it had a strong family atmosphere. After taking a shower, I lay in bed and received a call from my dad. “My darling baby, do you miss me?” “I miss you.” Then I asked, “Dad, aren’t you in Siberia discussing nuclear energy supply with their king? How do you have time to call me?” “Oh, we ran into a technical problem, so I wanted to ask you.” Then, my dad handed the phone to the project’s technical staff. It took the technician half an hour to explain their problem clearly. I thought about it carefully and checked a certain detail with him. He suddenly exclaimed, “Right, that’s it! I didn’t notice the parameter in this place, that’s why the problem occurred. Oh my god, Miss Vance, you are a genius!” “Uh…” I didn’t know how my two sentences touched him. But anyway, the problem was solved. After the conversation with the technician ended, my dad asked about my life. I sighed slightly and said, “Dad, life for ordinary people is really restricted everywhere. I suddenly understand why Shawn was like that back then.” Shawn was the child of our family’s servant. He was upright and smart. I could see almost all the beautiful qualities of humanity in him. But such a well-behaved and sensible child was eventually forced to jump from the 30th floor. Shawn… Thinking of him always made me a bit sad. He once said that if I hadn’t grown up in such a family, I would be like him, only able to suffer the injustice of this world. And the reason I chose this experience was to verify the injustice Shawn spoke of, to see to what extent it could be unfair. “If you want to give up experiencing the life of ordinary people, Dad has no objection. Dad just wants his baby to be happy. Shawn’s case was just an exception; you don’t need to prove anything for this society.” I nodded. After hanging up, I prepared to rest for a while. But messages from the class group chat kept bombarding my phone. I opened the group, intending to mute it. But I found they were discussing my stolen admission spot. Through my classmates’ chat, I learned that after I left school, the teachers from the Harvard Admissions Office came with leaders from the Education Bureau. They threw a huge temper tantrum in the principal’s office. And they pointed out that if it wasn’t me being admitted, Harvard wouldn’t accept anyone who got the spot. As for Chloe, who replaced me this time, she was blacklisted by Harvard. The Harvard Admissions Office would never allow a student who cheated to enter the school. This was the first time Harvard University had targeted a student with such fanfare. “Harvard is the top of the Ivy League. If Harvard doesn’t want Chloe, other colleges definitely won’t want her either. Chloe’s parents have accompanied her to the end of the road for the college entrance exam.” “Hehe, she usually struts around, wishing she could walk sideways in school. This time she ran into a tough one in Lily.” “To be fair, it’s because Lily has real skills. A robber who only knows how to snatch deserves this ending.” Watching these messages, the knot in my heart loosened a bit. Just then, I received a call from an unknown number. I hesitated for a moment and answered. I heard Mrs. Chen’s voice on the other end: “Student Lily, um, can you come to the principal’s office now? We… we have something to discuss with you…” I chuckled lightly: “Teacher, didn’t you tell me not to go back?” Mrs. Chen choked, then lowered her voice: “Lily, you know I’m your teacher. Come back quickly, or you’ll be waiting for…” I didn’t wait for her to continue. I hung up the phone with a “snap.” Then I blocked the number and went to sleep. They were already being roasted over the fire, yet they were still so arrogant in front of me. If I continued to spoil them, I would really be letting down the classmates who spoke up for me. 4 When I woke up again. It was already dark outside. The messages in the group had scrolled to 999+. I opened the messages and skimmed through them. It said that Mrs. Chen and the principal both received punishments from the Education Bureau. Mrs. Chen was fired. The principal was demoted. And the Harvard Admissions Office was looking everywhere for my address, determined to give me an explanation. It was also at this time that I noticed hundreds of missed calls on my phone. Mostly from unknown numbers. I guessed there should be calls from the Harvard admissions teachers in there. Just as I was about to call the admissions office proactively, another call came in. I answered, and the other party asked if I was Lily Vance. I gave an affirmative answer. “I’m very sorry, Student Lily. I am the director of the Harvard Admissions Office. I know this incident has hurt you greatly. We would like to meet with you to see if there is anything we can do to make it up to you.” I have to say, Harvard is truly magnanimous. A few sentences made me feel embarrassed. After some pleasantries, I agreed to their request to meet. We agreed to meet at a restaurant near my apartment complex. I tidied myself up and headed over, not realizing anything was wrong. Until I walked into the restaurant. The restaurant was empty. Several female delinquents walked out from the back kitchen holding iron rods. I frowned and became alert. Then, I saw Chloe hiding in the crowd. I realized that the phone call just now was a lie from Chloe. Chloe said to the blonde leader, “Sister Ma, it’s this damn girl who caused my parents to be reported. Teach her a lesson. My parents will definitely get you the high school diploma you want. Whether you want to continue school or go out to work, it will be useful.” At this moment, I had already pressed the recording button on my phone. Successfully recorded what Chloe said. The person called Sister Ma glanced at Chloe disdainfully: “Your parents have stepped down. Are you sure you can get me a diploma?” Chloe said firmly: “Of course. Even if my parents stepped down, a starving camel is still bigger than a horse. Without power, they still have money. Did you forget when you messed with Shawn? Whatever amount you said, my parents sent it to your house. This diploma is a small matter. Besides, even if I can’t get the diploma, I won’t short you on the money. Ten thousand dollars takes a long time to earn by working.” Sister Ma listened, her expression moved, and the iron rod in her hand moved up and down. And I focused on the name they mentioned… Shawn. I narrowed my eyes and asked: “What do you have to do with Shawn?” Sister Ma sneered: “What else? Didn’t we drive him to death?” Chloe tilted her head back, with the pleasure that I was about to meet my doom: “Shawn won first prize in the Math Olympiad and got a guaranteed admission to Harvard. I asked him to give the spot to me, but he refused and proved his will with death. So I could only fulfill his wish. But he didn’t die further away; he had to jump from my building. Bad luck… caused my house price to drop by a million.” Chloe walked out from the crowd, arms crossed, proud as a peacock. “Do you want to know how Shawn was driven to death by us? We, well, dragged him into the toilet every day after school, sprayed him with cold water, slapped him, pricked him with needles. I even asked Sister Ma to find thugs to force themselves on him. Shawn was good-looking; some perverts like his delicate skin.” She sized up my face. Then she said to me: “Your face looks ugly at first glance, but looking closely, your features seem even more correct than Shawn’s. Maybe throwing you to those thugs would let them have a good time too!” Listening to her voice, I had already clenched my fists. I had an impulse to tear her mouth apart. “Your phone is recording, right?” Chloe looked at me and smiled. A seventeen-year-old girl looked like a devil at this moment. She reached out and took my phone from my pocket, saw the recording interface, and laughed wildly and arrogantly. “Want to take this to the police station? Hahaha, dream on!” She casually smashed the phone on the ground, shattering it into pieces. I slowly raised my eyes and looked at the person who had been bullying me all along. She stole the speech hosting spot, the Math Olympiad qualification, the honors that belonged to me… I didn’t care. Because those medals and trophies already filled a wall in my home. Having more would just take up space. But not only did she feel no guilt towards me, she wanted to suppress me to death because of her dominance. She said in front of classmates that I was promiscuous; I ignored it. She said my family were garbage-picking paupers; I didn’t bother to argue. She said I started getting plastic surgery at a young age; I found it laughable. Even this time, when she snatched my admission spot, I just treated her as a stupid clown. She shouldn’t have, absolutely shouldn’t have let me know the truth about Shawn’s jump. So, it was she and Sister Ma who drove Shawn to death.

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I attended an academic conference and won a five-thousand-dollar award for my paper. Adrian, the new junior in our lab, demanded I hand over the prize money, declaring, “Results obtained using lab resources mean the prize money belongs to the lab.” What was colder was that my girlfriend of two years, Evelyn, nodded in agreement. “Those are the rules.” Adrian smirked triumphantly. To further undermine me, he had me removed from the core project and reassigned as an equipment maintenance technician. It wasn’t until the presentation for a national-level project that Evelyn, in front of everyone, pushed me towards the stage. “Go on, just like every other year.” I threw up my hands. “Dr. Lin, I’m just the equipment tech now. According to the rules, I can’t do presentations.” 1 I had just returned from a major academic conference, clutching the “Outstanding Young Scholar Paper Award” certificate and an envelope containing five thousand dollars in prize money. “Damn, Leo, you killed it again!” “Let’s see it! The academic prodigy of our lab strikes again!” A few of my lab mates gathered around, the atmosphere warm and celebratory. I smiled, showing them the certificate. “Just got lucky. The review committee said my model had some decent innovation.” In the midst of the cheerful noise, a dissonant voice cut in. “Leo.” Adrian, a junior who had only been in the lab for a few months, strode over, his face wearing a seriousness that didn’t match his age. Without any pleasantries, he snatched the certificate and the envelope from my hands. I froze. The chatter around us died instantly. A business-like smile touched Adrian’s lips. “Leo, according to Chapter Three, Section Seven of the lab’s management regulations, all academic achievements derived from the use of lab equipment, data, or a professor’s research resources, including all resulting honors and financial gains, are to be managed and distributed by the lab.” It took me a second to process his words. “Adrian, you might be mistaken,” I explained. “The core algorithm in this paper was something I developed myself during my PhD. It didn’t use any of the current project’s proprietary resources, and the data is from a public dataset.” This paper was the culmination of my entire doctoral career. The foundational idea for its core algorithm had taken root in my mind during my first year, refined through countless failures and iterations. The data I used was publicly available. Aside from having the lab’s name on it, the work was almost entirely my own intellectual property. “Did you or did you not attend the conference under the lab’s name?” he retorted aggressively. I nodded. “I did.” “And were your flight and accommodation reimbursed from the research group’s funds?” I frowned. “Yes, that’s standard academic support.” “Exactly,” Adrian said, slapping the certificate and envelope down on his desk. “The opportunity to attend the conference was given to you by the group. You, yourself, are the lab’s most important ‘resource.’ Therefore, this prize money must be turned over to the lab for collective management.” His gangster logic was so absurd I almost laughed. He was just a new master’s student. He wouldn’t dare act like this without someone backing him up. I called Evelyn. She was my senior in the lab, my girlfriend, and the one who actually managed the lab’s day-to-day operations under our professor. Her voice on the phone had a familiar, hesitant quality. “Leo, Adrian is just following the rules. We do have an unwritten rule about this, mainly to stop people from focusing on making money on the side. Look, I worked hard to get you the opportunity to go on this trip. When it comes to the results, we have to keep our personal and professional lives separate.” “‘Separate’?” A chill crept into my heart. “Evelyn, does your idea of ‘professional’ mean taking my personal earnings and handing them over to you and Adrian to ‘distribute’?” “Oh, don’t think of it like that, that’s not what I meant…” She tried to explain, but it was useless. I hung up. I didn’t want to hear any more. Everyone was staring at me. Some with pity, some with curiosity, and some with undisguised schadenfreude. I walked over to Adrian’s desk and said calmly, “You’re right. We should keep things professional.” Then, I turned and went back to my workstation. One week later, the lab received a notice for an urgent proposal submission for a national-level key research and development program. This was the most important event of the year, determining our funding and reputation for the next three years. Just like they had for the past five years, everyone in the lab automatically looked at me. After all, the core of every winning proposal they were so proud of had been written by me. I was in the middle of packing my personal belongings into cardboard boxes. Evelyn walked over, her tone taking my cooperation for granted. “Leo, stop sulking. The national project announcement is here. Put your things aside and take the lead on writing the proposal. We need the framework by tomorrow.” I looked up and gave her a professional smile. “I’m sorry, Dr. Lin. I’ve already submitted my application to the university to finalize my graduation procedures. As for the project proposal, I’m afraid you’ll all have to handle it yourselves.” She froze on the spot. 2 Evelyn didn’t take my refusal seriously. She thought I was just throwing a tantrum. She told me to cool down, sent a few half-hearted, placating messages, and when I didn’t respond, she assumed the matter was closed and I would go back to being her compliant workhorse. Let her think what she wanted. She would find out soon enough. The conflict didn’t just blow over with my concession. Some people seemed to mistake my silence for weakness. That afternoon, during a break, I stepped out of the lab for a moment. When I returned, I walked into a farce. Adrian was fiddling with my brand-new tablet, which I’d bought specifically for academic drawing and efficient literature review. He was showing it off to a few other graduate students, his voice exaggerated. “Wow, is this the top-of-the-line model? Over a grand? Leo must be loaded. I wonder if this was also bought with the ‘earnings’ from his conference trip?” A ripple of suppressed snickers went through the group. I saw familiar faces, their expressions gleefully stirring the pot. I even recognized one of them as the guy who had begged me to help revise the introduction to his paper just last week. I didn’t walk towards Adrian. Instead, I scanned the whispering crowd. “Catherine,” I said, calling out one of the senior students. “You went to a conference in Chicago last month. You came back with a new limited-edition mechanical keyboard. You said you snagged it at a local specialty shop, right?” Catherine’s face stiffened. “Jenna,” I turned to another. “That expensive simulation software license on your laptop… didn’t you get that in Hong Kong last time you went to a conference, using the meal allowance you saved up? You were bragging to all of us about it.” Jenna’s face turned beet red. “And you, Mark,” my gaze finally landed on a male student. “You said the best thing you got out of the Beijing conference wasn’t the content, but running into the professor you admire and getting a letter of recommendation. Does that letter count as a ‘personal gain’ obtained using the research group’s resources?” The room fell silent. Finally, I looked at Adrian, smiling. “According to your logic, shouldn’t all these ‘gains’ also be reported to the lab for you to distribute?” Adrian’s face went from red to white. He was speechless. In his flustered anger, his hand slipped, and the expensive tablet went crashing to the floor. CRACK! The screen shattered into an ugly spiderweb. Adrian snatched his hand back as if he’d been burned. “Oh my god! Leo, why didn’t you catch it?” I stared at him coldly. “There’s a security camera right there. Will you be paying in cash or by transfer?” Adrian’s eyes welled up. Before he could say anything, Evelyn rushed out from the inner office. Seeing the shattered tablet and the tense atmosphere, she immediately turned on me. “It’s just a tablet! Do you really have to be so petty with a junior? It’s not a big deal. Apologize to him, and we’ll forget about it.” “Apologize?” I almost laughed out loud. “Apologize for what? For him dropping my tablet?” “You!” Evelyn was at a loss for words. She lowered her voice. “Don’t make a scene in the lab!” I didn’t say anything. I bent down and picked up the broken device. The power button still worked. The screen lit up, the wallpaper a photo of Evelyn and me, smiling brightly. I held it up to her. “Do you remember this?” I asked softly. “You gave this to me last year when I won the university’s ‘Rising Scholar Award.’ You said it was a recognition of my hard work.” Evelyn’s expression became incredibly complicated. I didn’t give her time to react. I turned and decisively tossed the broken tablet, once a symbol of our shared memories, into the electronics recycling bin. “But none of that matters anymore,” I said, looking back at her. “Evelyn, we’re done.” I blocked her number and all her messages that day. The next day, I saw a post from Adrian on an academic social media platform. The title read: “A Positive Force in Academia: Lab Newcomer Bravely Confronts Senior Who Hoards Academic Resources.” In the post, I was painted as a greedy, selfish senior who exploited his juniors and treated the lab’s resources as his personal property. He, of course, was the brave hero who stood up to tyranny and defended the collective’s interests. What hurt the most were the familiar profile pictures that had “liked” the post. These were the same people who had once come to me, manuscript in hand, respectfully asking for my guidance. Now, they repaid my years of late-night, unpaid help with a single “like.” 3 I began to strictly enforce the principle of “keeping things professional,” only this time, I was the one defining the boundaries. Ten o’clock at night. The lab was still brightly lit. For graduate students, this was just the beginning of their workday. But I packed my bag, ready to leave. “Leo! Wait up!” A few lab mates surrounded me, holding laptops and printed drafts, their faces plastered with their usual ingratiating smiles. “Leo, you’re the best at experimental design. Can you take a look at my protocol and see if there are any logical flaws?” “Leo, my introduction is so dry. Can you help me polish it? The submission deadline is the day after tomorrow!” In the past, I would have found it hard to refuse. But now, I just looked up at them, not reaching for their papers. “Sorry,” I said with a smile. “Your research areas aren’t exactly my core expertise. Writing and revising your papers are your own responsibilities. I’m afraid I can’t help.” Their smiles froze. Just then, Adrian walked out of the inner office, arms crossed, a sneer on his face. “Everyone’s working overtime for the big project, and some people are already rushing off? If you’re so unwilling to contribute to the team, you can apply to leave the group. No one’s stopping you.” I glanced at him and pointed to the clock on the wall. “The lab’s official working hours are from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Adrian, since you’re so insistent that ‘achievements derived from lab resources belong to the lab,’ then any intellectual labor I perform outside of working hours should naturally belong to me.” I paused, my gaze sweeping over my anxious colleagues. “In the past, when I stayed here after 10 p.m. to help you revise papers and discuss protocols, that was my personal time, which I gave voluntarily. As of today, that volunteering has ended.” “But… but my paper is due the day after tomorrow!” one of the junior women exclaimed, nearly jumping out of her skin. I gave her a helpless smile. “I suggest you work ‘overtime’ yourself tonight and revise it properly. After all, it’s your paper.” Then, amidst their stunned, angry, and panicked gazes, I turned and walked out of the lab. 4 The atmosphere in the lab grew increasingly strange. I stuck to a strict 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. schedule. During the day, I worked on my own graduation thesis data. At 10 p.m., I left on the dot. No matter who asked for help, I politely declined, citing “outside my responsibilities” and “after working hours.” They soon felt the consequences. A long-term corporate partner wanted to sign a lucrative research project. I had been handling the technical proposal, and we were in the final stages of signing the contract. That afternoon, the company representatives arrived as scheduled, but Adrian couldn’t find the final version of the technical details. He was running around like a headless chicken. Finally, he cornered me as I was leaving the conference room. “Leo, quick, the clients are waiting inside. Go in and explain the technical details to them again,” he hissed, his tone demanding. I looked at him, then walked straight into the conference room. To the surprise of the company representatives and Adrian, I bowed slightly to the clients. “Gentlemen, I sincerely apologize,” I said earnestly. “I just reviewed our previous communication records and found that several discussions about the core technical proposal took place after 10 p.m. via my personal email. According to our lab’s principle of ‘personal ownership of work done outside of working hours,’ these communications were not compliant with our procedures.” The clients’ faces darkened. I continued, “To avoid any potential intellectual property disputes in the future, I personally suggest we postpone the signing of this contract. The lab should reassign a project lead and schedule a formal, compliant technical review meeting during official working hours, with proper minutes taken. This will provide better protection for both our parties.” Adrian was trembling with rage. “Leo, you!” The lead representative was clearly a man who valued process and risk management. He listened to me and then said to Adrian, his voice displeased, “This young man has a point. Our partnership must be built on a foundation of compliance. Mr. Chen, it seems your lab’s internal management is somewhat chaotic. Please contact us again when you have your house in order.” With that, he and his team left without a backward glance. A project worth nearly a million dollars was gone, just like that. Adrian’s eyes were red. He practically shrieked at me, “Leo! Do you have any idea how important this project was to the lab? You’re doing this for revenge!” I stopped and looked at him calmly. “Important? But I recall you saying that someone like me, who is ‘only good for taking petty advantages’ and ‘can’t separate personal from professional,’ would only mess up a core project. My actions just now were strictly in accordance with the lab’s management requirements, to prevent potential risks. I was helping you, and the lab, Adrian.” “You… you just wait!” he snarled, then ran off to tattle to Evelyn. Sure enough, less than ten minutes later, Evelyn stormed over to my workstation. It was already piled high with miscellaneous items she had allowed to accumulate there. She slammed a thick stack of research papers onto my desk with a loud bang. “Leo, what the hell are you trying to do?” she hissed. “Are you not happy until you’ve turned this whole lab upside down? Do you have to humiliate everyone?” I calmly tidied the papers she had scattered. “I’m just following the rules,” I said flatly. “To hell with the rules!” she finally exploded. “It was my idea to have Adrian co-manage the projects! By targeting him, you’re undermining me! Do you have any respect for me at all?” I looked up, meeting her angry, distorted face, and smiled. “Evelyn, you finally told the truth. So it wasn’t about the lab. It was about you.” 5 My uncooperative attitude finally provoked a more drastic response. At the regular Monday group meeting, our professor was away on business, and Evelyn was presiding. For the final item on the agenda, Adrian walked to the front, holding a printed “Disciplinary Action” notice. He cleared his throat. “After a review by the lab’s management team, the following actions will be taken against Leo for his recent series of violations of lab management discipline. “First, the five-thousand-dollar prize money Leo won at the academic conference will be confiscated in full and added to the lab’s team-building fund. “Second, an additional five thousand dollars will be deducted from his next research assistant stipend as compensation for the project losses caused by his improper conduct. “Third, Leo is required to make a public, in-depth self-criticism at this meeting for his failure to separate personal and professional matters and his insubordination.” A wave of murmurs went through the room. Confiscating prize money and stipends, and a public shaming… in academia, this was a deeply humiliating punishment. Evelyn sat at the head of the table, her face impassive, as if waiting for me to beg for forgiveness. Under everyone’s gaze, I slowly walked to the front. I picked up the microphone, my voice calm. “I am here to make a profound self-criticism.” The room fell silent. Even Evelyn and Adrian looked surprised. “First, I have deeply reflected on my behavior over the past five years. I have indeed severely blurred the lines between personal and professional, using a vast amount of my precious personal time to revise papers, design experiments, and process data for almost every member of this lab, free of charge. This is a serious violation of the sacred principle that ‘work produced during working hours belongs to the lab, and work produced outside of working hours belongs to the individual.’ I am ashamed of my past selfless dedication.” A stir went through the audience. Some faces showed embarrassment and unease. “Second, I failed to focus on my own research area, frequently overstepping my authority to help others with research problems that were not my responsibility. This not only drained my personal energy but also fostered a culture of academic laziness among some of my colleagues, leading to chaos in the lab’s management. I apologize to the management team for my past ‘helpfulness’.” My voice was steady and clear, each word landing like a hammer blow. “Therefore, I solemnly promise: from this day forward, I will strictly abide by the lab’s rules and regulations. First, I will strictly adhere to the 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. working hours and will not handle any matters related to the research group outside of these hours. Second, I will strictly perform the duties of the position newly assigned to me by the management team—” I paused and picked up the position change notice from the table, signed by Evelyn and delivered by Adrian. “—that is, the duties of ‘Lab Equipment Maintenance and Administrator.’ I promise that from now on, I will only be responsible for the daily maintenance of the servers and the checking in and out of equipment. I will no longer participate in any research project discussions, grant proposal writing, or paper advising that falls outside this scope.” The moment I finished, the room exploded. “What? What about my grant proposal? The core innovation part still needs Leo’s input!” “My simulation result figures for next week’s presentation are a mess, and no one has reviewed them yet!” “Equipment administrator? Are you kidding me?” Evelyn’s face had turned a furious shade of purple. She slammed her hand on the table and shot to her feet. “Leo! Is this a self-criticism or a threat?!” I put down the microphone and gave her a slight smile. “Dr. Lin, I am simply following the lab’s regulations and Adrian’s management requirements. I fully support the management team’s decision.” That afternoon, my workstation was cleared out and moved to a tiny corner next to the server room. I had officially been demoted from the lab’s “academic star” to its “equipment administrator.” As I walked past the main lab area, I could hear the hushed, excited chatter from within. “Serves him right. He should have known his place.” “Let’s see him act high and mighty now! This is going to be good. The academic star is now a machine janitor!” “But… who’s going to help us with our papers now?” 6 The final day of the countdown arrived. It was the day of the university’s most important annual event: the presentation for the “National-Level Key Research and Development Program.” Our lab, as last year’s winner, was determined to secure it again. Everyone was dressed in their best suits, sitting in the auditorium. Evelyn, as the project lead, sat in the front row, with Adrian, her “capable assistant,” right beside her, his face beaming with pride. As the “equipment administrator,” I was seated in a corner in the very last row. The presentation went smoothly at first. Evelyn handled the introduction and background, and it sounded plausible enough. But everyone knew the main event was still to come. Finally, the presentation reached its most critical stage: the explanation of the core technical proposal and the Q&A with the expert panel. The moderator announced, “Next, we invite the representative from the ‘Intelligent Sensing and Computing Lab’ to present the core technical proposal of the project.” Instantly, every eye in the room, including those of the esteemed professors and academicians on the review panel, flew over the front rows and landed on me, in my corner seat. For the past few years, I had always been the one to present this section. My presentations were known for being clear, rigorous, and incredibly persuasive. Evelyn turned around, mouthing the words to me: “Go on, Leo. Just like every other year.” After everything that had happened, she still expected me to be her workhorse. I didn’t move. I just glanced at my phone. The time on the screen was clear: 10:00 p.m. My workday was over. I stood up, but not to walk to the stage. “Mr. Moderator, esteemed experts, professors, everyone,” I began. They all thought I was about to start my presentation. “Before the presentation begins, I need to clarify a situation,” I continued calmly. “My name is Leo, and my research assistant employment contract with the ‘Intelligent Sensing and Computing Lab’ has, as of this moment, officially expired.” “According to the terms of the contract, all my work responsibilities have been fulfilled. Therefore, as of this minute, I am no longer a member of this lab, nor do I have the authority to represent the lab in any form of presentation or defense.”

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