Category: English

My cat started talking after she was spayed. “I’m going to kill you!” I thought I’d misheard. Until she lunged at me and said it again. “I’m going to kill you!” My hair stood on end. I immediately called for Liam, my boyfriend. Liam said I was just imagining things because I was so worried about her. He told me to stop overthinking and locked her in her carrier. But late that night, she spoke again: *I’m going to kill you!* I jolted upright, opening my eyes to find her perched on my chest, glaring at me with pure malice. I shot up in bed, and she swiped at my neck. Liam snatched her up, threatening to throw her down the stairs. I quickly stopped him; I mean, I’d had her for two years! Besides, it was just post-op stress, we couldn’t blame her entirely. Only then did Liam put her back in the carrier. He then tied the carrier securely, front and back, with rope before finally relaxing.

But I couldn’t sleep anymore. I ended up scrolling through TikTok to lull myself to sleep. I stumbled upon a paranormal streamer named Rook, who was talking about why pets suddenly start acting weird. I quickly messaged him about my cat talking. The viewers in the chat exploded, saying it was impossible. Some even accused me of trying to get clout in the middle of the night, since my account was full of just cute cat videos. But Rook’s brow furrowed. He asked if I’d recorded anything. I quickly sent him the footage from my home security camera. Rook’s face went white after just one glance. He immediately ended his live stream and sent me a private message. “She’s not saying she wants to kill you, she’s telling you to run!”

My scalp tingled with dread. But I distinctly heard “I’m going to kill you,” didn’t I? Rook said cat-speak isn’t about phonetic similarities; it has its own distinct meaning. “But why would she tell me to run?” “Because someone in your family wants to kill you!” I wanted to curse. It’s just Liam and I living here. He loves me more than anything; how could he possibly want to kill me? I was already stressed enough; encountering some internet charlatan in the dead of night was just infuriating. I quickly shot back: “Your whole family wants to kill you, how about you go die instead?” Then I locked my phone and got ready to sleep. But Rook sent another message. “Is your cat named Grumble?”

My heart slammed. Two years ago, I found a tiny black kitten in the park near our apartment complex. I only meant to feed her and leave, but she followed me all the way to my door. I was completely won over and adopted her. The kitten would let out little “grr-ows” when she was hungry. Liam said, “Doesn’t she sound like she’s saying ‘Grumble’?” So, we named her Grumble. But how could this streamer, whom I’d never met, know such an unusual name? I thought for a moment, then shot back: “Is that against the law?” Rook then asked: “Did you move because of Grumble?” I jolted again. About six months after Grumble came to live with us, she started standing by the front door in the middle of the night, letting out those eerie “grr-ows.” I initially thought she was in heat and bought her lots of toys. But not long after, a female streamer across the hall suddenly died of cancer. I’d heard before that cats can see things we can’t. Had Grumble seen something? Liam tried to calm me, telling me not to overthink things. “Who still believes in old superstitions these days?” he scoffed. But not long after that, a young professional who had just moved in also suddenly dropped dead from a heart attack. I started to get scared, convinced this building felt… cursed. Liam also thought something was off. So, we decided to move. When we looked at new places, we’d bring Grumble. If she let out even one of those “grr-ows,” no matter how cheap the rent, we’d pass on the place. It took us over a month of searching before we finally settled on our current place. But how did he know all of this too? I directly questioned him: “Who are you, really?” Rook told me not to rush, saying he had just one last question. “Did your boyfriend make you get your cat spayed?” Grumble had been in heat, and her nocturnal serenades were driving us crazy. Liam was under a lot of stress from work. He’d nagged me for ages until I finally agreed. Rook sighed, then said, **”You need to run! I’m certain now; your boyfriend is trying to kill you!”**

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Olivia’s Nightmare: An intern named Rachel used some kind of “deposit transfer” on me. No matter how much money I put in my account, the balance would always become $50. In my previous life, I dreamed of buying a house near the company. I finally saved up $50,000 for a down payment. But when I tried to make the payment, the real estate agent told me my balance was insufficient. I checked my bank statements, questioned the bank, and even went to the police, but everyone treated me like I was crazy. Because my bank statements showed every transaction clearly. But I never made those purchases! I’ve always been so frugal! I called my parents in tears, but they just scolded me: “Olivia, are you making excuses for becoming a spendthrift?” “You’re could you make up such a ridiculous story! If you want money from us, just say it. No need to lie.” When I told my coworkers about this, after looking at my bank statements, some of the guys even joked: “Olivia’s spending thousands at a certain bar late at night. That price matches up perfectly with hiring male escorts!” Faced with all these misunderstandings, my explanations were useless. I anonymously posted about this online, but netizens all commented that I was making things up for attention. Only one comment suggested I observe if anyone around me had spending that matched my statements. After careful observation, I indeed noticed that whenever Rachel, the new intern in our department, made a purchase, a deduction would appear in my account. Even buying a drink would show up immediately. After confirming my target, I confronted Rachel directly. But she just laughed at me, saying I was spending recklessly and trying to blame others when I couldn’t save money. She said I must be going crazy. She even colluded with other colleagues and me sent to a mental hospital. After two years of torture in the hospital, I couldn’t take it anymore and escaped to jump into a river. But when never expected that when I opened my eyes again, I’d be back to the day before I was going to buy the house.

After my rebirth, the first thing I did was check my online banking balance. Sure enough, there was only $50 left. I quickly gathered my thoughts. At this point, my money had already been transferred to Rachel’s card through some unknown method. I wanted to confront Rachel and end it all, but remembering how my parents’ hair turned white overnight after my death in my previous life, I regretted my actions. If I acted impulsively again like last time, I’d only repeat the same tragedy. Just then, Sarah, our department manager, called me over. “Olivia, this order is tough be a bit tricky, but the commission is $500! Don’t say I’m not looking out for you!” I swallowed hard, almost instinctively. $500 would be enough for a month’s rent, with plenty left over. But I still declined. “Sarah, thank you. But I don’t want to take any orders for the next month.” Ignoring Sarah’s shocked expression, I turned and left the office. Because of the poor soundproofing, the colleagues outside had already heard everything. Immediately, discussions broke out. “Olivia is the top salesperson in the whole company, nicknamed ‘Hardworking Olivia’. She’s actually not taking orders today?” “Not just today, didn’t you hear her say she won’t take any for the next month!” Ignoring the chatter around me, I opened a food delivery app and ordered the largest iced Americano, then deducted the last $50 from my card. You should know, in my previous life, I couldn’t even afford a $4 sweetened coffee. To put down roots in this expensive city, I had tied my life to my belt. Every day, I’d work on client follow-ups until 2 or 3 AM, then get up before dawn to squeeze into the packed subway for two hours, just to clock in at the company on time. One late arrival meant a $50 fine. That was nearly a week’s worth of food money for me. I dreamed of buying a house near the company, even if it was just a 300 square foot studio. Every month when I got paid, I’d only leave $300 for living expenses. The rest, I’d put into my bank account. But I never expected that the $50,000 down payment I had desperso hard would up in someone else’s pocket! Just then, the office door was suddenly pushed open. “Girls! Lunch is on me!” Rachel’s loud voice instantly filled the room. She was beaming, carrying the latest Chanel bag, looking like she’d just won the lottery. “Let’s go to the New Moon Hotel! Order whatever you want!” The office erupted,oded with excitement, colleagues crowding around her. “Rachel, did you strike it rich?” “Which sugar daddy did you hook up with?” I didn’t move, just holding my coffee, staring at her coldly. Because I knew, she was spending my money. Rachel, surrounded by everyone, waved her hand, pretending to be modest: “Oh, it’s nothing. I just bought a lottery ticket the other day and won a small prize.” Someone immediately asked, “How much did you win?”

Rachel glanced at me, a smug smile tugging at her lips. “Not much,” she said casually, few hundred thousand.” “Whoa—” A collective gasp went around the room. A few hundred thousand was an astronomical figure for us working folk barely making over $10,000 a month. But I noticed that since Rachel entered, her gaze kept drifting towards me, intentionally or not. As if observing a lab rat’s reaction. She was watching to see if I had discovered that my bank card had become useless. I suppressed the hatred surging in my heart, holding back the accusations that almost spilled out. I couldn’t startle the snake in the grass just yet. I stood up, forcing a smile that was just right, even with a hint of envy. “Congrats, Rachel! You’ve me bask in your good fortune.” Rachel saw my normal demeanor and flashed a look of surprise, then secretly let out a sigh of relief. She probably thought I hadn’t noticed the anomaly in my savings yet. As lunchtime approached, Lily, who sat next to me, suddenly leaned over. “Olivia, didn’t you say you’d go house hunting once you saved enough for a down payment? When are you going? I’ll come with you.” At the mention of the house, I clenched my fists tightly, my nails almost digging into my flesh. But I quickly relaxed, my face still calm and collected. “No rush,” I said. “I lost my ID card a few days ago and it takes time to get a new one. Besides, with house prices falling so fast, I’ll wait and see a bit longer.” As soon as I finished speaking, I felt a gaze fall on me again. It was Rachel. She was looking at me again, her eyes unable to hide a hint of glee. Rachel was originally an intern who had only been with the company for two months. She was 5’3″, weighed 400 pounds, had an average appearance, and was at the bottom in terms of performance. In our sales department, which valued looks and results, she should have been at the bottom of the food chain. But in my previous life, it was her who took my $50,000 and first went for full-body liposuction, then plastic surgery. She transformed overnight into a beautiful rich girl that everyone loved. It was also her who used my money to buy people’s hearts, colluding with several male colleagues to have me sent to a mental hospital on the grounds that I was “mentally unstable”. Thinking of the torture in the mental hospital for those two years, I took another deep breath to calm myself. At noon, Rachel took us to the New Moon Hotel for lunch, telling us to order whatever we wanted with a grand air didn’t hold back. I opened the menu and pointed straight to the most expensive pages. “King crab, the biggest one.” “Australian lobster sashimi.” “And this, foie gras.” “Let’s have some bird’s nest soup too.” With each dish I ordered, the expressions of my colleagues around me became more and more interesting. Lily tugged at my sleeve and whispered, “Olivia, isn’t this… too wasteful?” I smiled at her without saying a word. How could spending my own money be called wasteful? Rachel’s cheeks twitched, but in front of everyone, she could only force a smile. “It’s fine, Olivia is our top salesperson, she’s worked hard and deserves to eat well, it’s only right.” She smiled brightly. “In the future, she’ll need to eat well and work hard to create more results for our department!” Before I could speak, a colleague next to me chimed in: “Oh, Rachel, you weren’t here this morning so you don’t know. Olivia just told Sarah that she’s stopping all her orders for the next month.” The air instantly fell silent. I wiped the corners of my mouth leisurely with a napkin, raising my eyes to look at Rachel. The smile on her face froze inch by inch. “What did you say?” She stared at me, her voice sharp as she shouted: “Olivia, why are you stopping orders?” “What do you mean?”

I met Rachel’s eyes that were almost spitting fire, slowly curling my lips. “Why are you so worked up about me stopping orders?” The colleagues around also looked at each other in confusion, the fire of gossip burning in their eyes. “Yeah, Rachel,” Lily couldn’t help but speak up, “Olivia isn’t in a hurry, why are you reacting so strongly?” “Right, anyone would think you’re the one stopping orders.” The chatter of the crowd was like cold water, instantly waking Rachel from her outburst. The ferocity on her face quickly faded, and she squeezed out an extremely concerned expression. “I… I’m just worried for Olivia!” She raised her voice, as if that would make her seem more sincere. “Didn’t you say you were just a few orders away from having enough for the down payment? The South City No. 1 orders are so hard to get, if you stop now, how much money will you lose! I’m just feeling bad for you!” She was on the verge of tears, acting as if it were real. I laughed. “I’m tired and want to rest,” I said casually, picking up a lobster and slowly peeling off the shell. “Besides,” I paused and up at her, my gaze pure and innocent, “didn’t you just win big? A few hundred thousand, right? If I really end up short on the down payment, you… wouldn’t refuse to lend me some, would you?” The air froze again. All eyes focused on Rachel. The color drained from her face in an instant, her lips trembling, unable to utter a word. I put the peeled lobster meat in my mouth, adding leisurely. “Our Rachel is so generous, she definitely would, right?” Caught in my trap and scorched by everyone’s gazes, she finally squeezed out a few words through gritted teeth. “Of… of course I would.” Afraid I might really ask, she quickly added: “But I didn’t win that much, it’s just… just pocket money.” I looked at the new Celine dress she was wearing, the limited edition Chanel bag beside her, and this table of food that could feed an ordinary person for half a year. Indeed. My $50,000 really wouldn’t last her long at this rate. I enjoyed this meal thoroughly. Before leaving, I had the waiter pack up all the untouched king crab and lobster. I heard a few colleagues whispering behind my back. “My god, taking leftovers home, how unsightly.” “Yeah, acting like she’s never eaten before, so embarrassing.” I heard them but pretended not to, just smiling at Rachel. “Rachel, look how much you’ve spent, it would be such a waste not to take all this good food home. I’ll take it back to eat, you don’t mind, right?” Rachel’s face had become a palette of colors. But in front of everyone, she could only grit her teeth and nod. “I… don’t mind.” Back at the company, I nonchalantly put the taketakeout boxes in the communal fridge, perfectly ignoring my colleagues’ strange looks. In the afternoon, I knocked on the door of the finance office. “Emily, I want to withdraw half a month’s salary in advance.” Emily, the finance manager, looked up at me: “According to the rules, it needs the manager’s signature, and it’s usually transferred to your account at the end of the month.” I handed over an application form that I had prepared earlier, already signed. “The manager approved it.” “And, I don’t want a transfer.” “Just cash.” If money in the card would mysteriously transferred away, then cash should be safe, right? An hour later, I was back at my desk, holding an envelope with a thick wad of bills. This was my base salary for this month and part of last month’s commission, $1,500 in total. I stuffed the envelope into the deepest compartment of my bag and zipped it up. In my previous life, it was from this $50,000 that I began my descent into the abyss, step by step. In this life, I would climb up from this $1,500. But I hadn’t even sat down for five minutes. My right eyelid started twitto twitch uncontrollably. Thump, thump, thump. Each twitch more violent than the last. An extremely ominous feeling instantly gripped my heart! I hurriedly unzipped my bag and reached into that compartment— Empty! The envelope was still there, but the thick wad of cash inside had vanished! My blood instantly ran cold, every hair on my body standing on end. I hadn’t expected that Rachel’s method of transferring my deposits would have no limits! Was she trying to cut off all my options? I looked towards Rachel not far away, just in time to see a flash of glee on her face. I clenched my fists tightly. Luckily, I had already thought of a way to break this deadlock!

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The night before my wedding, my fiancé took me to meet his friends. He was attentive throughout the dinner, and his friends praised him, “Your bride is so pure and innocent, Liam. You’ve hit the jackpot.” Liam smiled smugly, “Of course my wife is the best. Not like those flashy gold-diggers out there.” But when I went to the restroom, I overheard him bragging in a low voice: “Innocent? What’s the use of that? She’s like a dead fish in bed. If she wasn’t Rosalie’s twin sister, I wouldn’t even bother touching her.” The next day at the wedding, my sister showed up with a baby bump. Liam, true to his words, asked me to step aside. I laughed coldly as I tore off my veil and walked to Alexander Grant, who was sitting in a wheelchair in the audience. “They all say you like me. Now that I’m single, do you dare to marry me?” “Haha, Stella Winters has gone crazy!” “Choosing a cripple? Talk about desperate!” “What a disgrace! She’s dragging the Winters family name through the mud!” The guests’ mocking laughter pierced my ears. Each word felt like a needle stabbing into my heart. My father’s face turned purple with rage, and my mother rushed to the stage, grabbing my arm tightly. “Have you lost your mind?! Ruining yourself out of spite?!” Below the stage, Liam Carter held Rosalie close, a smirk playing on his lips. “Well, well, I underestimated her. She’s got guts after all.” Rosalie let out a scornful laugh, her voice sickly sweet, “Guts? More like she’s lost her marbles. Stella dear, are you sure you want to spend the rest of your life with a cripple?” She deliberately caressed her swollen belly, her eyes challenging and triumphant. My heart felt like it was being torn apart. I thought tearing off the wedding dress would set me free, but all it brought was more humiliation. Alexander stood up and limped towards me. Compared to the polished and handsome Liam Carter, he was a world apart. I suddenly regretted my impulsive decision. Why did I choose a disabled man? Was I really going to spend the rest of my life with him? Alexander stopped in front of me and pulled out a ring from his pocket. The stone was made of crushed diamonds, dull and lifeless, not even a full carat. The diamond ring Liam had given Rosalie was a dazzling three carats. In comparison, this ring looked pathetically cheap. The mocking laughter from the audience grew louder. “Haha, even the ring is so shabby!” “Stella Winters, are you really content with this?” Tears nearly fell from my eyes. When had I ever suffered such humiliation in my life? But when Alexander held my hand, I froze. His hand was warm and steady. “I do,” he said firmly. Unlike Liam’s flowery words or the guests’ cold mockery, these two simple words made my heart skip a beat. “Are you sure? I might bring you trouble.” “I’m not afraid,” he replied without hesitation. The audience erupted into even louder laughter. “Two losers make a perfect pair!” “A cripple and a crazy woman, what a match!” Liam spoke up loudly, “Stella, don’t be stubborn. Come back. The baby in Rosalie’s belly needs a father, and you need a whole man.” A whole man? I sneered inwardly. What kind of whole man was Liam Carter? Betrayal, deception, playing with sisters’ feelings – was that his idea of being whole? I looked at Alexander. His leg might be crippled, but his character wasn’t. “Alright, I will,” I said, extending my hand to let him put on that dull ring. The ring was small, fitting perfectly as if it was made just for me. The audience below fell into shocked silence.

Liam’s face instantly transformed from contempt to fury. He strode over and grabbed my wrist, his grip so tight it felt like he might crush my bones. “Stella Winters, you’d rather choose a cripple to spite me than beg for my forgiveness?” Before I could react, my father rushed over. I thought he was going to stop Liam and protect me. Instead, he raised his hand and slapped me hard across the face. The crisp sound echoed through the entire wedding venue. My cheek instantly swelled up, burning with pain. Blood seeped from the corner of my mouth. The mocking laughter in the hall suddenly stopped, followed by even more piercing whispers. “You ungrateful child! You’ve completely disgraced our family! Get back there right now!” my father shouted, his eyes filled with anger and disgust, without a trace of concern. I covered my face, tears nearly spilling out. Not from the pain, but from the coldness in my heart. This man was my father. Rosalie then pretended to mediate, stepping forward. “Dad, Stella is just being impulsive. Please don’t be too angry…” As she spoke, she “accidentally” stomped on my foot with her high heel. The sharp pain made me lose my balance instantly. She then pretended to lose her balance and rammed her shoulder into me hard. I stumbled and fell to the ground. The pristine white wedding dress was instantly stained with blood from my split lip. The guests below started pointing and whispering. “The Winters’ family education, tsk tsk…” “The elder daughter is crazy, but at least the younger one knows better.” “Good thing Mr. Carter chose the right one.” Rosalie stroked her belly smugly, her eyes full of challenge. Alexander tried to help me up but was blocked by Liam’s friends. “Who do you think you are? You’re not worthy of touching her!” Liam sneered. I lay on the floor, watching Alexander’s anxious but helpless face. A despair greater than physical pain welled up in my heart. Was this the man I had chosen? He couldn’t even protect me. Liam looked down at me, his face full of triumph. “Stella, do you see now? This is your choice. How can a cripple who can barely stand protect you?” He squatted down and reached out to pull me up. “Come on, come back. I can forgive and forget all this, pretend it never happened.” This man, who just last night had called me a dead fish in front of his friends, was now putting on an act of deep affection. Disgusting. I used all my strength to slap his hand away. “Get lost!” Liam’s face instantly darkened. “You ungrateful bitch.” He stood up and kicked the wedding dress beside me. “Since you’re so cheap, go ahead and be with your cripple. But don’t come crying back later!” Seeing this, my father stepped forward again. “You ungrateful child, apologize right now!” My mother also rushed over, crying and wailing. “Stella, have you gone mad? Are you ruining your life just to spite us?” The guests below pointed and whispered, enjoying the spectacle. “Stella Winters has really lost it.” “Choosing a cripple out of spite, she must be desperate.” “What sin did the Winters family commit to have such a daughter?” Rosalie timely came forward, cradling her belly. “Stella, please calm down. We may have had misunderstandings, but Liam truly loves you. Look at Mr. Grant, he can’t even protect you. Is he really suitable for you to spend your life with?” Her words cut deep into my heart. I lay on the ground, feeling the malice from all directions. My parents’ disappointment. My ex-boyfriend’s mockery. My sister’s provocation. The guests’ ridicule. And… the helplessness of the man I had chosen. Had I really made the wrong choice? At this moment, Alexander finally broke free from those people’s restraint. He limped towards me, each step difficult. He knelt down and gently helped me up. “I’m sorry you had to suffer this,” he said softly. Then he turned to face Liam. “You’re right, I can’t protect her.” My heart instantly sank to the bottom. Was he going to abandon me too? But in the next second, he added: “But at least, I won’t hurt her.” He looked at everyone below the stage. “You mock her for going crazy, for choosing me out of spite. But have you ever thought about what would make a woman make such a choice on her wedding day?” The hall fell silent. “It’s betrayal. It’s deception. It’s hurt from those closest to her.” “My leg may be crippled, but my heart isn’t. I may not be able to give her the best material life, but I can give her the truest feelings.” Liam’s face turned ashen with rage. “Stop with this sentimental nonsense! You cripple, what right do you have-” “What right do I have?” Alexander interrupted him, “I have the right to love her. What about you?” “Stop with this mushy talk. Guys, get him out of here.” With that, Liam and his friends pushed Alexander out of the wedding venue.

My mother finally moved. Not to help me up, but to yank me off the ground. Before I could react, Rosalie had already grabbed my other arm. “Mom, what are you doing!” I struggled, but their combined strength was greater than mine. “Shut up! You’ve embarrassed us enough!” my mother hissed. They dragged me towards the back of the stage. The guests watched this scene unfold, some pulling out their phones to record. “Let go of me! Have you all gone mad?” I shouted. I tried to break free, but Rosalie took the chance to pinch my waist hard. The sharp pain made me lose all strength to resist. They dragged me to a storage room backstage filled with junk. The door slammed shut, followed by the sound of a key turning in the lock. I rushed to the door, pounding on it frantically. “Open the door! You can’t lock me in here! Open up!” Outside, Liam’s amplified voice came through the speakers, echoing throughout the venue. “Ladies and gentlemen, I apologize for that little scene earlier. It was quite embarrassing.” “Right now, my abandoned ex-fiancée is reflecting on her actions in a little dark room backstage. How long do you think it will take her to come to her senses?” Laughter erupted from the audience. “Mr. Carter is so witty!” “This is better than watching a movie!” “That woman deserves it!” I had become the public laughingstock of this wedding. My phone vibrated. I took it out and saw a message from my mother. “Stella, stop making a scene. Your sister’s happiness is the most important thing. Kneel down and apologize to Liam, and we can put this all behind us.” I stared at the words on the screen. My sister’s happiness is the most important thing. What about me? Doesn’t my happiness matter? Doesn’t my dignity matter? Am I destined to be humiliated, locked up, and treated like a joke? The music outside grew louder. Liam and Rosalie started dancing. The guests’ applause and cheers grew more enthusiastic. And I, like a piece of trash, was locked in this dark corner. My phone vibrated again. This time it was from Rosalie. “Sis, I know you’re angry right now. But think about it, Liam is so outstanding, he deserves better. Don’t be so stubborn, okay?” I slid down against the door, curling up into a ball. The physical pain, the betrayal from my family, the humiliation from my lover, and the departure of the man who said he would protect me – all of it pushed me into a bottomless abyss. I didn’t even have the strength to cry anymore. Let them laugh. Let them gloat. I had nothing left anyway. Liam’s voice came from outside: “Everyone, now it’s time for the most exciting part. Let’s go see if our ex-fiancée has come to her senses!” Footsteps approached. The sound of a key turning in the lock. The door opened, and blinding light poured in. Liam stood in the doorway, followed by a group of guests, all holding up their phones to record. “Stella, have you thought it through? Ready to apologize?” I lifted my head, about to speak. Suddenly, the main doors of the wedding hall burst open. A group of people stormed in, with Alexander standing at the front, followed by dozens of intimidating bodyguards in black suits. The entire hall fell silent. Everyone was stunned, including Liam. Alexander took off his suit jacket and strode towards me. His leg was still lame. He draped the jacket over my shoulders, then lifted me up in his arms without a word. “What are you doing! Let her go!” Liam finally reacted. Alexander didn’t even glance at him. At that moment, I felt alive again. “Alexander Grant, you think bringing a few men makes you invincible? You’re still just a cripple!” Liam shouted, his face red with anger and embarrassment. Just then, a middle-aged man in a suit stepped forward. He held a document which he threw directly in Liam’s face. “Mr. Carter, from this moment on, 35% of Carter Group’s shares belong to Mr. Grant. You have been removed from the board of directors.”

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I was added to a weird group chat with the whole class. The group name: **[High-Temperature Apocalypse]**. Everyone else picked a safe house in the wilderness or a place with abundant water. I chose a high-rise apartment with no water or electricity. Chloe, the school’s queen bee, mocked me. No one wanted to team up with me, betting I’d die within three days. When it came to choosing abilities, everyone went for spatial or water-based powers. I picked reverse photosynthesis, which lets me get energy from air humidity. The group chat immediately muted me. They didn’t want to see my dying pleas for help. When the system removed the team-up and admin functions, everyone saw the group name reset: **[Heavy Rain Apocalypse]**. On that scorching summer day, my whole class and I were dragged into a strange group chat. **[Hello, 50 Hosts. Your group admin is the Apocalypse System.]** **[Survive for one week in the game, and you’ll receive a 100 million bonus.]** As if expecting skepticism, it immediately sent out a 1 million cash bonus in the chat. The students, who’d initially thought it was a prank or scam, instantly perked up. They frantically scrambled to split the bonus. “Holy crap, a week from now, I’ll be set for life!” “Quick, open it! Open it!” Only Finn, the class Vice President, seemed confused. “And if we don’t make it, do we die?” **[A total wipeout will reset the game. If there’s a winner, the game closes. Mid-game quitters must return the 1 million.]** Everyone exploded. Those who hadn’t snatched a bonus screamed even louder. “See, I knew it was a scam! I’m leaving the group!” “Go ahead, let’s see if you really have to return the 1 million.” But half an hour passed, and the number of members didn’t drop. Everyone was successfully hooked. The admin ignored the commotion and presented an option. Choose your safe house: 1. A 20th-floor apartment in a downtown city complex, no water, no electricity. 2. A countryside cabin, suitable for farming. 3. An uninhabited island, rich in food resources. 4. A city air-raid shelter, sturdy door, low temperature. 5. A food factory, abundant resource reserves. “Vice President, pick the food factory! You’re always so nosy and like managing things anyway.” “Yeah, Iris, then we can be merciful and team up with you.” Ultimately, no one chose option 1. Except me. Chloe, the school’s queen bee, gasped dramatically. “Iris, are you insane? A high-rise apartment with no water or electricity in a high-temperature apocalypse? You’ll be baked alive by the third day!” “Is it because you want to seem trendy living in the city, so you picked it without thinking it through?” “And she’s the Vice President, how dumb~” Chloe was usually everyone’s darling. As soon as she spoke, several guys agreed with her, mocking me. Even a few students who were about to pick option 1 canceled and chose something else. Five minutes passed, options closed, and the admin spoke again. **[Each Host is a temporary administrator. Hosts with the same option can choose teammates. Teammates will be allocated to the same safe house by default.]** Chloe immediately got excited. “Are there any lucky souls who chose the island like me? We can have a party there!” As soon as she said that, a dozen guys jumped out, begging to team up with her. She beamed, then mockingly @-ed me. “Oh my, so many classmates want to team up with me! Maybe I can spare a few for Iris @Iris? No one picked her, how pathetic!” Yes, everyone had teamed up. Except me.

After enduring dozens of mockery messages, Finn finally stepped in to restore order. “Hey, everyone, stop fighting! Admin, when does it start?” **[One more option: your ability for the coming week.]** 1. Infinite fresh water resources. 2. Invulnerable steel body. 3. Teleportation. 4. Infinite storage space. 5. Reverse photosynthesis. The chat instantly grew serious. Everyone started analyzing these abilities for high-temperature survival rates. Chloe got excited, giving a bunch of totally illogical advice, urging her male admirers to pick the infinite fresh water resource, claiming it would boost their survival rate. She chose infinite storage space herself: “I can help everyone store resources and avoid conflicts, after all, you’re all my good little babies~” Finn chose teleportation: “I can instantly go to your locations to save people.” In the end, no one chose option 5. Except me. I was mocked for dozens of messages again. “What kind of weird ability is that? Sounds like some random filler picked by the test setter to make themselves look smart.” “Hahahaha, what the hell did Iris pick? Doesn’t that mean she gets hungrier in the sun? Won’t she die even faster?” “Must’ve studied herself silly. Good thing we’re not in the same safe house as her!” “Some people act like Miss Perfect on her high horse, but now she’s just picking random abilities for herself. She should learn from Chloe and actually think about others!” I just took all their mockery, saying nothing. Finn, however, seemed to sense something subtly. He private messaged me. “Why are you being so foolish? You’ll be eliminated so quickly!” “Are you still mad I rejected your confession? Are you trying to make me worry this way?” I rolled my eyes and blocked him. Back in the group chat, everyone had confirmed their choices. The admin spoke again. **[Preparations complete. Game starting soon.]** **[Admin privileges will be disabled on the third day. Everyone can modify their teams before then.]** **[Deploying safe houses.]**

Day one, light rain. My apartment was calm and peaceful, with only the patter of rain outside. “Chloe: @everyone See? It’s raining! It definitely has to rain to cool things down before the heat wave, right?!” She followed up with a smug, sassy head-toss emoji. “Some people @Iris, feeling scared now? While it’s not hot enough to die today, hurry up and get a basin to collect water! Tomorrow, the moment the sun comes out, your crappy building will turn into an oven. Don’t go crying and quitting the group on the second day, that’d be so embarrassing!” The others, who had been wondering about the rain, immediately became lively, praising her intelligence. Finn’s message seemed out of place. “@Iris, how are things on your end? Did you find any supplies in your safe house?” This concerned inquiry provoked Chloe’s displeasure. “Vice President! Why are you so worried about her?!” “If you were so worried, why didn’t you team up with her back then? Feeling sorry for her now? Then go find her yourself! Humph!” Followed by a string of exaggerated emojis. Finn fell silent. The group chat also became eerily quiet for a few seconds, with only the faint sound of raindrops hitting the window. Soon, one of Chloe’s minions jumped out, directing his anger at me. “What’s wrong with the Vice President caring about everyone’s safety? Iris, you’re digging your own grave, don’t drag the Vice President into getting yelled at by Chloe!” “Exactly! Just seeing her message annoys me. Let’s mute her. That way, if she’s really dying, she won’t be whining and crying for help in the group, wasting resources and ruining everyone’s mood. Anyway, zero people want to save her!” **[Administrator ‘Mike’ has muted ‘Iris’.]** The cold system prompt popped up on my phone screen. No one said a word for me. Good. Peace and quiet. I put down my phone and started searching the apartment. The space wasn’t large, the layout was straightforward, but it was empty—not a single grain of rice. Finally, I pushed open the balcony door and took a deep breath. The scent of water molecules in the air filled my body. Reverse photosynthesis. As long as there are water molecules, I can replenish my energy. This time, I wouldn’t be troubled by any resource shortages. I felt mentally refreshed, and the faint hunger disappeared.

I sealed all windows except for the balcony, making sure the house wouldn’t get damp later, then I checked my phone. The class group chat was still flooded with messages. “Haha, the heavens sent us water! The field was just tilled, perfect for planting! I’m going to grow a whole vegetable garden in these ten days!” “Good haul, guys! Just went to sea and caught a few big fish! Fish BBQ party tonight!” Chloe also sent a photo: a beach and palm trees on an island, with a mountain of supplies in the center of the frame. Cases of bottled water, vacuum-sealed meats, canned goods, and even a few bottles of red wine. A few guys were gathered around her, their faces plastered with fawning, ‘look what I got for you’ smiles. “Oh my, I just can’t with them~” “I told them not to give me so much! Good thing my portable space is big enough, so I’ll grudgingly help everyone store it~ To be fair, if anyone needs anything, remember to register with me, okay~” Messages of envy and flattery flooded the screen. Some also grumbled about the piled-up resources. “…So much stuff, can it really all be registered and distributed? Feels like it’ll be a mess…” “Alex, what do you mean? Are you questioning Goddess Chloe?” “Chloe is doing this to prevent a free-for-all! If you’re not happy, go team up with Iris! Her crappy high-rise, not even a bottle of water there, absolutely no one will fight you for anything!” I closed the group chat, and with the sound of rain outside my window, I fell into a deep sleep.

Day two, heavy rain. It was no longer yesterday’s gentle drizzle but a torrential downpour. Water quickly accumulated in the city’s low-lying areas. The balcony of my 20th-floor apartment had become like a grotto with a cascading waterfall. I walked barefoot to the balcony door, greedily soaking up the water molecules. My whole body surged with power! I reinforced the balcony door and carved out the bottom of the railing to create a simple drainage system. Unless the balcony’s weight bearing capacity failed and it collapsed, the rainwater wouldn’t get into the house. The class group chat had already exploded. “Damn it, the rain’s too heavy! All the seeds we just sowed are ruined! The water’s almost flooding into the house!” “Help! The island’s tide is rising! Our high ground is almost submerged, and a lot of our food has been washed away!” “My ability is even water generation, completely useless now!” “@Chloe! Didn’t you say this ability was life-saving? What do we do now?!” With their interests jeopardized, many people turned their anger towards Chloe, who had been everyone’s darling just yesterday. Chloe looked aggrieved: “?? My fault?” “Did I hold a knife to your throats and force you to choose fresh water resources? You were all fawning over me, scrambling to pick it just to show off to me! And now you’re blaming me?” Finn tried to maintain order, his voice betraying a hint of imperceptible anxiety. “Everyone calm down!” “Chloe, this isn’t the time to argue. You have so many resources stored in your space, quick, take them out for everyone in this emergency!” Chloe’s voice rose even higher, laced with a tearful, spoiled tone. “Why should I?!” “I worked hard to collect those! I haven’t even finished registering them! And you want me to take them out now when the situation is unclear? What if the sun comes out tomorrow? Fifty-degree heat! That water will be life-saving!” Her words were like cold water splashed into a hot oil pan. “Chloe, are you still thinking about your registration at a time like this! Still thinking about high temperatures tomorrow? Does this rain look like it’s going to stop?” “You hoarded so many resources in your own space, aren’t you just trying to hold us hostage?” “Vice President, say something!” The group chat erupted into chaos, full of accusations and dissatisfaction directed at Chloe. Finn, overwhelmed trying to mediate, seemed to suddenly have an idea and @-ed me. “@Iris, aren’t you in a high-rise? It must be safe! Quick, tell us your address, I’ll teleport the people from the island over there to take shelter!” This move, however, triggered Chloe again. “Vice President, why are you always thinking of being with Iris! Do you like her?!” “I forbid it! Anyone who dares to go find her, I’ll never give them resources!” Finn said helplessly: “Chloe, stop messing around, lives are at stake!” “Who’s messing around? Don’t people need my space? Whoever swears not to go suck up to Iris, I’ll let them into my space for shelter!” With Chloe’s interference, I, who had just regained some attention, was once again forgotten by everyone. They went back to begging her for resources. She was once again the center of attention. I put down my phone and walked to a corner of the living room, where several unassuming cardboard boxes were stacked. Opening one, inside were neatly arranged power banks, laptops, and tablets, their indicator lights showing full charge. Another box held several thick physical books, a few board games, and even a small projector. These were the supplies I had quickly gathered in the few minutes when the system announced the rules, and everyone else was busy snatching cash bonuses and mocking me—some of the most useless items in a high-temperature apocalypse, but essential for maintaining sanity in a confined environment, “non-survival necessities.” I picked up a fully charged power bank, plugged it into my phone, and watched the heated arguments in the group chat. Day three, precipitation doubled again. If yesterday’s downpour was somewhat normal, today was a hurricane-level storm.

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The night before my crucial athletic scholarship tryout, a gang broke into the stadium. They beat me and humiliated me. The next day, my ex-girlfriend, Amber, spread rumors all over social media, claiming I cheated and was only after my family’s money. Back in our quiet town, my parents were suffocated by the whispers and rumors. Overwhelmed by the crushing despair, they tragically took their own lives. I promptly broke up with Amber and reported everything to the police, armed with evidence. The hospital report came back: my spine was damaged, making it impossible for me to stand for long periods, let alone run long distances. My appeals were rejected, one after another. That’s when Eleanor Vance, a powerhouse attorney, found me. She fought my case day and night. The day we won, she proposed to me. We were together for three years. My legs were useless, and I relied on a wheelchair, but she never left my side. Until today. I wheeled myself to her office to pick her up, only to overhear her tenderly coaxing her foster brother: “You said you envied his running skills? Well, he can’t run anymore.” “You admired his tall, strong build? I tampered with his medical records, making it seem like his leg nerves were damaged, so he’d be forever dependent on a wheelchair.” “Now you’re saying you envy his amber eyes? I can’t exactly gouge them out and make amber cufflinks for you, can I?”

“Why not, sis? Ever since Mom and Dad died, I only have you. You promised them you’d give me everything I wanted. Are you going back on your word?” Damian, her foster brother, wrapped his arms around Eleanor’s arm, his voice laced with a hint of grievance. Eleanor looked down, her fingertips gently tapping his nose. It was a comforting gesture. “Tonight is our three-year anniversary. All I have to do is sweet-talk him, and he’d give me anything, not just his eyes, but his very life.” Eleanor’s legal assistant, standing nearby, couldn’t stand it anymore. “Mr. Alex has suffered enough these past years, Ms. Eleanor. Mr. Damian, you already got what you wanted: first place in the tryouts, a strong physique, and Amber’s attention. Why keep tormenting Mr. Alex?” Amber! Those two words pierced my heart like ice. Wasn’t that my ex-girlfriend’s name? Damian laughed, a bit too loudly. He reached out and pushed the assistant’s shoulder. “I’m getting together with Amber next month, but the damn thing is, she still has that cripple’s photos on her phone.” “Even in her sleep, she’d gaze at his eyes, claiming she’d always admired how focused and profound Alex’s eyes were.” He changed the subject, turning his head to Eleanor. “Sis, tell me, are that cripple’s eyes really that beautiful?” Eleanor raised an eyebrow, looking nonchalant. “His eyes?” “How would I know? My gaze never lingered on trash like that. All I care about is my precious little brother being happy.” The early spring evening wind was still chilly. My hands, gripping the wheels of my chair, were stiff with cold. So love really can be faked. Was the salvation I once believed in just another abyss? I scoffed at my own foolishness, furiously pushing the wheels, desperate to escape. But my wheelchair got stuck in a pothole. I pushed frantically, my hands already raw and bloody. With a violent shove, the chair made a loud noise, a part seemed to come loose. I tumbled out of my wheelchair. The commotion caught Eleanor’s attention at the company entrance. She rushed towards me, kneeling down and shielding me with her body.

Seeing the scrapes on her arm, my heart lurched. “Alex, what are you doing here? It’s windy out, and you’re always so frail. What if something happened to you? How would I live alone?” The love in her eyes seemed to overflow. She looked at my bloody hands, her face filled with anguish. For a moment, I was disoriented, unable to tell which version of her was acting. It wasn’t until her tears fell onto my wounds, stinging, that my mind cleared. “Alex, why aren’t you speaking? Are you scared? It’s okay, I’ll take you home. Don’t be afraid.” She had said those same words three years ago, the day she confessed her feelings to me. She told me we were both people with no one to rely on, and she wanted to be my rock. I believed her. But at that moment, I realized it was all a joke. It was she who had turned me into someone with no one to rely on. Damian, unable to hold back, strode towards me. “Brother-in-law, I’m here for you too. Don’t worry, even if you’re not as mobile now, we won’t ever look down on you.” “From now on, just tell me if you need to go out. I’ll go with you. It’ll be safer that way.” On most days, Damian was cheerful and handsome. Living under the same roof, we’d never even had a single argument. When I fell down the stairs that year, he was the first to find me and rush me to the hospital. The conversation between the siblings at the company entrance echoed in my ears. As I thought about it, my chest tightened, and my whole body went numb. So that oily spill that caused my fall down the stairs that year was all his doing. And my legs, which could have recovered, were made worse by Eleanor’s fake medical records, making me miss the optimal treatment time, forever losing the ability to walk normally. I shoved Eleanor away from me, my eyes wide with horror. She froze for a second, a flicker of displeasure crossing her face. As if she had no more patience to console me. She shot a look at her assistant. “Get him in the car. I rented a yacht. Tonight’s anniversary has to be perfect.” I lifted my gaze in terror, meeting Damian’s eyes. He was staring at my eyes with a knowing, significant smile. My eyes inexplicably stung, and I remembered Eleanor saying she’d gouge my eyes out for Damian’s cufflinks. My stomach churned with nausea. The usually impartial, sharp, and capable legal elite was secretly involved in so many unspeakable deeds. I was forcibly helped into the car, sitting in the back seat with Eleanor, trembling uncontrollably. The assistant stepped on the gas, and the car headed towards the coast. I clung to a sliver of hope, looking at Eleanor. Her expression remained unchanged as she scrolled through her phone. The screen showed her chat with Damian. “Damian, don’t worry. I’ll give you whatever you want. Don’t be mad, it’s not good for your health if you get angry.” “Sis, you don’t worry either. I’ll be fine for you. You’re always the one I love most. If it weren’t for society’s views, I’d definitely choose to be with you.” Eleanor’s lips curved into an unstoppable smile as she read Damian’s messages. Sensing my gaze, she blacked out her phone screen and placed it face down on her lap. Her face remained calm, and she even reached out to caress my hair. “Alex, you once said you loved watching the sea.” “Tonight, you can watch as much as you want before we head back.” She shifted her gaze to my eyes, her hand slowly moving to my cheek. Her thumb caressed my eyelids: “I never noticed before, but Alex, your eyes are so beautiful.” I was trembling like a leaf, yet I dared not provoke her. “Watch as much as I want?” “Are we never going to the beach again?” “Or is it that my eyes are having problems too?”

Eleanor’s hand froze. A moment later, her gaze darted away, and she withdrew her hand. “Nonsense. If you want, we could buy a house by the sea. Then, you could every single day…” Watch the sea? She left those two words unsaid, and a dead silence filled the car. The assistant driving jolted their hand, swerving the steering wheel. I slammed into Eleanor’s shoulder. Eleanor immediately pulled me into her embrace, gently stroking my hair. “It’s okay. Get some sleep. I’ll wake you when we get there.” Looking at the face I had loved for three years, I couldn’t bear it and closed my eyes. After a long while, Eleanor seemed to think I was asleep. She let out a cold laugh and called her assistant’s name. “I’m warning you, if you dare to spill anything to Alex, your family will share the consequences with you.” The assistant stammered, their voice trembling. “Don’t worry, I won’t say a word.” Eleanor finally relaxed, sighing. “Blame him for getting in Damian’s way. Tonight, bring those thugs from before. I’ll get him drunk tonight, and you make sure they’re ready. Have them destroy his eyes. Even if it gets investigated, it’ll have nothing to do with us.” “If it goes to court, we’ll just say… it was those men retaliating against Alex after they got out of prison.” The assistant hesitated. “But Ms. Eleanor, Mr. Alex has a deep trauma from those men. He trembles just seeing strangers, let alone anyone besides you.” “If Mr. Alex is too traumatized, the consequences could be dire!” Eleanor reached back and gripped her assistant’s shoulder, her voice filled with cruelty. “So what? The worst that could happen is he goes insane. We’ll just keep him in the basement. I have plenty of money to support him anyway. He can live comfortably without ever working. He should be grateful.” “Unless you have feelings for my husband? Is that why you keep spouting such nonsense!” The assistant, cowed by Eleanor’s aura, could only squeeze out a few words of pleading. The car came to a smooth stop on the beach. I opened my eyes, clenching my fists as I looked at the turbulent sea. In this life, I had endured too much. I couldn’t bear this inhuman torment for another moment. Tonight, to be buried in the sea I loved most. Perhaps it was my best option. But before I die, Eleanor. I will make you pay for your actions! Eleanor thoughtfully prepared a new wheelchair for me, and she was now pushing me towards the yacht. The aroma of the early prepared dinner was inviting, but I had no mind to savor it. As she positioned my wheelchair, I slipped a sleeping pill into her drink. As we clinked glasses, Eleanor’s face flushed pink. Her movements became increasingly sluggish. My phone buzzed. I pulled it out of my pocket; it was a message from a reporter. “We heard about your experience and hope to speak out for you. Although you declined our invitation last time, I’d like to try again.” “As a rising star in the sports world back then, you were highly anticipated. But due to an assault by thugs and betrayal by your ex-girlfriend spreading rumors, your career and life plummeted.” “Although you won the lawsuit back then, the arrested individuals were hired. The real mastermind is still at large. Do you truly not want to uncover the truth of what happened that year?” My grip on the phone tightened. The hatred in my heart grew deeper. Eleanor, who was now slurring her words, looked up at me. “Alex, who are you texting? Didn’t I tell you?” “There are too many bad people in this world. It’s my fault for protecting you too well, making you so unguarded.” “You shouldn’t talk to outsiders. Be a good boy, give me your phone.”

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It was the sixth year of my marriage to Seraphina Sterling, and her 88th kept man showed up at our door. I kept my face calm, expertly handling the situation. Then, I got a message: my three-year-old daughter had been kidnapped by her new secretary and boy toy, Damon Thorne. I begged her to save our daughter, but she just wrapped her arms around Damon and glared at me. “Caleb Knight, three years ago, you used every dirty trick in the book to marry me, just to get rid of Damon.” “Now you’re trying to use that mistake of a child to stir up trouble between us, aren’t you? Her birth was a mistake anyway. She’s better off dead!” When our daughter’s legs were severed by the kidnappers and she was fighting for her life, Seraphina rerouted all the doctors to treat Damon, who only had a small scratch. Our six-year-old daughter bled to death. Even my sister, Lily, who was in a coma, had her heart removed and given to Damon. I clutched both urns and went to see Grandpa Sterling. “Grandpa, the Sterling family’s kindness, I’ve repaid it with two lives. From this moment on, we have no ties.”

Grandpa Sterling trembled, his face drained of color as he stared at the two small boxes. His lips quivered, and he tried to reach out to stop me. “Caleb, Seraphina… she was just confused for a moment…” I didn’t respond. I just took a thick folder from my bag and placed it next to the urns. “Inside are 88 agreements, and the information and accounts of 88 men.” “Over the past six years, I personally dealt with each one. Every single one was a struggling student I used to sponsor.” Grandpa Sterling’s gaze slowly shifted from the thick folder back to the two urns, and the last flicker of hope in his eyes finally died. He sighed deeply, then pulled a contract agreement from his drawer. “…Alright, I agree.” The agreement stated in black and white: Once Seraphina Sterling’s legs healed, Caleb Knight would regain his freedom. “I hope you’ll honor your promise.” I looked at the agreement as if it were a joke. Seraphina Sterling’s legs had healed three years ago. Grandpa Sterling nodded, tears streaming down his face. “I’ll handle the divorce. You can leave in three days.” He pulled out a black card, offering it to me. “This is compensation…” I shook my head, refusing it. Just then, my phone screen lit up. It was a taunting message from Damon Thorne. I tapped on it, and a video automatically played. In a dimly lit hotel room, Seraphina Sterling and Damon Thorne were entangled, their vulgar sounds filtering through the speaker. “Seraphina, if Caleb Knight found out about this, would he be furious?” “Who cares about him? He’s just a scheming gold-digger, a manipulative opportunist. He’ll always be your stand-in.” Before the video ended, another image popped up. On the screen, a fresh, still slightly beating heart was tossed into a Mastiff’s food bowl. Damon Thorne laughed triumphantly. “Caleb, look, this is your comatose sister’s heart. Fed to a dog. At least it served some purpose.” Seeing my sister’s heart desecrated like that, my chest tightened, I could barely breathe. I felt like I was about to pass out. So, my sister’s death was all his doing. How dare he! After I calmed myself, I showed the video to Grandpa Sterling. “Grandpa, is there any reason for me to stay with Seraphina Sterling?” “I’ve lost everything. The kindness the Sterling family showed me all these years, I’ve repaid it.” Grandpa Sterling also trembled with rage at the cruel footage. He leaned on me, tears streaming down his face. “My boy, our Sterling family has wronged you so terribly…” “If you hadn’t tirelessly cared for Seraphina for five years, she never would have walked again. Whatever you ask for, I’ll grant it!” “I’ll go catch that scoundrel right now and bring him back to apologize to you!” I gave a faint smile and bowed to him. “Grandpa, there’s no need.” “Please don’t tell Seraphina Sterling that I’m leaving.”

Grandpa Sterling had indeed been kind to me. My sister, Lily Knight, and I grew up together in an orphanage. It was the Sterling family’s sponsorship that allowed us to continue our education. Later, Lily saved me in a car accident, becoming a comatose patient. To pay her exorbitant medical bills, I agreed to Grandpa Sterling’s request. At that time, Seraphina Sterling’s parents were victims of a car accident, both dying. Seraphina herself was left with paralyzed legs from the same crash. And her fiancé at the time, Damon Thorne, disgusted that she was confined to a wheelchair, fled before their wedding. To protect his granddaughter from further trauma, Grandpa Sterling concealed the truth of Damon Thorne’s departure abroad. But he also wanted to find a husband who could care for his granddaughter for the rest of her life. We then made an agreement: I would marry Seraphina Sterling in Damon Thorne’s place. Life after the marriage was unexpectedly peaceful. I discovered that Seraphina Sterling, though she appeared cold, had a genuinely warm heart. My feelings for her evolved from pity to concern, and finally, to love. We fell in love and even had a beautiful daughter, Chloe. I tried to be a good husband, massaging her legs daily, helping her with personal care, and assisting her with rehabilitation. Chloe would always hug her mother’s neck and say in her sweet voice, “Mommy, I love you most! Get better quickly so we can play house together!” However, the day her legs finally healed and she could stand again, everything changed. She slept with one of the male students I sponsored. When I confronted her, she fiercely threw that contract agreement in my face, her eyes filled with scorn. “Caleb Knight, who do you think you are? A scheming gold-digger who’d stop at nothing to get what he wants! You were so conniving, you even dared to chase Damon away just to marry me!” “Don’t forget, your sister’s life is still in my hands. One word from me, and she’ll be gone.” “So, stop with that disgusting act and behave yourself!” After that humiliation, Seraphina Sterling seemed like a different person. She grew more brazen, constantly having affairs with the young men on my sponsorship list, each time feeling like a slow torture to my soul. She tested my limits repeatedly, watching my reactions, seemingly drawing pleasure from my pain. Until Damon Thorne returned. She immediately arranged for him to be by her side, as her personal secretary. Then, my little Chloe was kidnapped right under my nose, her legs severed, and she ultimately bled to death due to lack of medical attention. Grandpa Sterling had promised me that if Seraphina Sterling didn’t repent, he wouldn’t force me to stay. But now, even my last hope, my only sister, had been cruelly killed by them. I slowly wiped away the tears from my eyes, my heart dead inside. Perhaps, this was for the best. Both Seraphina Sterling and I were finally free. Just as I stepped out of the Sterling mansion, Seraphina Sterling called. “Caleb Knight, you’re nothing but a stand-in.” Her voice was laced with irritation. “I’m warning you, Damon has a weak heart. You’d better behave yourself and not play any tricks to provoke him!” In the past, her words would have pierced me to the core. Because of Chloe, my only request of Seraphina Sterling was not to have illegitimate children outside. But now, Chloe was gone. I coldly uttered three words: “Whatever you say.” There was a moment of silence on the other end. Seraphina Sterling seemed surprised by my reaction. Then came a surge of greater anger and a hint of subtle unease. “Heh, so you’ve got Grandpa backing you up now, feeling all confident?” she sneered. “Don’t forget, I can cut off your comatose sister’s medical expenses anytime. If you dare to cause any more trouble, I don’t know what else might happen!” My hand involuntarily clenched into a fist! My sister? She was already dead! Her heart had been dug out by her little lover, Damon Thorne. Now, only a handful of ashes remained! A searing, throbbing pain erupted in my chest, impossible to suppress. I remembered the first time I discovered her cheating. After I slapped that man, her furious retaliation followed. She tied me to the balcony of our bedroom, forcing me to watch them spend the night together. The wind that night was chilling, colder than my heart felt at this moment. It was from that day on that I became numb, learning to calmly deal with every man who showed up at our door. Now, my sister and Chloe were gone. I had no weaknesses left! I coldly hung up the phone and booked a flight for abroad, three days from now.

Back at the marital villa to pack my things, I ran into Seraphina Sterling. She leaned against the doorway, her eyes scanning me with contempt. “So, my daughter’s kidnapping act was exposed, and now you’re dropping the pretense?” “Just as I thought, everything about you, right from how you first approached me, was fake.” “What if I told you I married you because Damon Thorne dumped you for being paralyzed and left the country? Would you believe me?” I looked at her calmly. She scoffed indifferently. “You’re really good at slandering Damon.” “Stop with your pathetic act. I’m sick of it.” She stepped forward and grabbed my wrist. “Since you’re so idle, move back in and serve Damon and me properly.” “And if you’re feeling lonely, I don’t mind if we all share the bed.” She leaned close to my ear, her voice barely a whisper for only us to hear: “Your suffering expression is my best thrill!” I didn’t struggle, just stared at her numbly. She seemed to find it boring, let go of me, and turned to her assistant. “Where’s my daughter? He’s done with his act, it’s time to bring the child back, isn’t it?” The assistant stammered, but I no longer wished to explain. Just then, Seraphina Sterling’s phone rang. The moment she answered, her face changed dramatically. “What? Something happened to Damon?” Seraphina Sterling instinctively looked at me. “Is this another one of your dirty tricks! I knew you were still as malicious as before!” “Do you think playing these little games in front of me will make me change my mind?” “Dream on!” She hung up and furiously kicked me hard in the chest. I cried out, falling to the floor. She wasn’t satisfied, though, and kicked me again from above. “Caleb Knight! You dare to pull the same stunt again! Three years ago, you forced Damon away, and now you want to do it again?” Her eyes were bloodshot, like an enraged lioness. “I’m telling you, if anything happens to Damon, I will never let you go!” With that, she rushed away without a backward glance. The assistant was terrified and quickly helped me, weak as I was, to my feet. “Mr. Knight, why didn’t you explain to Ms. Sterling just now? It was Grandpa Sterling who called the police and launched an investigation into Damon Thorne.” I closed my eyes, tears rolling down my cheeks. “I’m tired. And even if I explained, she wouldn’t believe me.” “Just let it be.”

The night before I left, I don’t know what Damon Thorne said to Seraphina Sterling, but to appease him, she not only transferred the title of our marital home to Damon. She also spent a fortune buying a star, naming it “Damon” and proclaiming it to the world. Damon Thorne ostentatiously flaunted their love on Ins. “Some people schemed to get this position, then made my original partner’s heart condition flare up, forcing me to recuperate abroad for years. Only now do I have the chance to return and find my true love. Fortunately, what’s mine, he can never steal.” Below, the comments were filled with sympathy for him and insults directed at me. I vaguely recalled the earliest days, when Seraphina Sterling’s legs were still immobile. She felt bad for me, carrying her to and from bed every day, always gritting her teeth late at night, repeatedly falling from her wheelchair, then climbing back up, silently practicing how to move on her own. She would ask me to go to the garden every morning to pick the freshest, dew-kissed rose for her, placing it by her bedside. The time I had a fever, she was frantic, trying to pour herself water, but she accidentally fell from her wheelchair, hitting her forehead and drawing blood. But as soon as her legs healed, all that tenderness vanished like smoke. I understood now. In this decaying relationship, dwelling on the past was meaningless. Under his Ins post, I calmly left a comment: “May your unwavering love last until old age.” Minutes later, Seraphina Sterling’s call came through. “Caleb Knight! Why would you do that? You know Damon has a heart condition, and you still provoke him! Is your heart made of stone?” On the other end, Damon Thorne weakly coughed. “Seraphina, don’t blame him. I shouldn’t have made our love public, after all, the position of Mrs. Sterling is still his, I understand…” I said nothing, just hung up and blocked her number. The day I left, Grandpa Sterling insisted on seeing me off. “Chloe is still your child, aren’t you going to see her off tomorrow for the last time?” My heart ached again. “Grandpa, the memories would be too much to bear. Let Chloe rest in peace in her favorite garden.” Grandpa Sterling held my hand, his eyes red, filled with guilt and reluctance. Just then, Seraphina Sterling returned. Seeing my luggage by my feet, a mocking sneer played on her lips. “Caleb Knight, what stunt are you pulling now?” “What, your last act of kidnapping our daughter was exposed, so you’ve got a new trick?” I couldn’t be bothered to argue with her. I picked up my suitcase and turned, intending to walk past her. But my silence seemed to infuriate her. She took a few steps forward, snatched the suitcase from my hand, and snapped: “Did I say you could leave? Where do you think you’re going?” She pulled too hard, and the old suitcase burst open, spilling its contents onto the floor. Seraphina Sterling’s gaze fixed on the scattered letters, her face stiffening. She was all too familiar with the style of those envelopes. “Aren’t these the letters Damon wrote to me!” Seraphina Sterling carefully began picking up the letters. She looked up, her bloodshot eyes glaring at me. “Caleb Knight! What were you trying to do by stealing them? Destroy them to get revenge on Damon and me?” “How can your methods be so despicable!” Seraphina Sterling had always believed that Damon Thorne had secretly written those letters to her while he was abroad. But those letters were anonymous notes I had written to encourage her. Now, I no longer wanted to explain. “You scoundrel!” Grandpa Sterling trembled with rage, pointing at her nose. “Don’t you know, those letters were…” His words were cut off by Seraphina Sterling’s phone ringing. She haphazardly stuffed the letters into her arms, stood up, and impatiently told Grandpa Sterling, “Alright, Damon’s not feeling well and needs me. I’m leaving.” She walked up to me, looking down, and dropped a warning: “Caleb Knight, you’d better watch yourself.” “You stop right there!” Grandpa Sterling was furious, but Seraphina Sterling disappeared out the door without a backward glance. I silently knelt, picking up the scattered items one by one and putting them back into the suitcase, as if I were not the one who had just been humiliated. Grandpa Sterling sighed deeply and handed me a signed divorce agreement. “Caleb, you’re free.” I quietly took off my wedding ring and tossed it into the trash can. Then, holding my sister’s urn, I got into the car headed for the airport. “Lily, it’s all over. Brother will take you to see the world.” After Seraphina Sterling soothed Damon Thorne, she went straight to a club and partied all night.

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I was a Blessed Bearer, chosen by the System. After fulfilling 999 fertility wishes for people, I should have been able to sleep for a century, but instead, a mystic cult leader from the East kidnapped and imprisoned me. He screamed like a madman, raving about adding my skull to his collection. At death’s door, Julian, a powerful magnate from the capital’s elite, casually forked over 9.9 billion dollars and paid a fortune to buy my freedom. Moved, I pledged myself to him. But ten years into our marriage, I delivered nine stillborn babies, one after another. Finally, I was pregnant with our tenth child. Excited, I held the scan results, ready to tell him the good news, when I unexpectedly overheard his conversation with his secretary: “Mr. Sterling, Mrs. Sterling’s uterine wall is paper-thin. If she goes through this again, she might not even survive.” “Every time a baby was born, we’d give them a drug that induced a death-like state, then they were sent off to be processed for Delilah’s ‘health tonic’. What if your wife finds out?” Julian’s voice turned cold. “What? You pity her? Or should I send *you* to be made into her ‘tonic’?” “No, no, Mr. Sterling, that’s not what I meant. It’s just, what if your wife finds out…” Julian sneered, “And what if she does? Being Delilah’s personal supply line is her good fortune.” “Delilah was on the verge of depression because she couldn’t conceive. Giving her nine children was the only thing I could do.” “As for Serena, allowing her to be Mrs. Sterling was my greatest act of charity.” My legs turned to jelly. The ultrasound scan results slipped from my trembling hand and fell to the floor. So, the sweet decade we shared was nothing but a meticulously crafted lie. Every tender gesture, every soft word from him, was just to make me willingly continue to conceive and give birth. My nine children were skinned and deboned alive, stewed into bowls of ‘tonic soup’, and delivered directly to Delilah’s mouth! If that’s the case, this rotten marriage needs to be severed, right here, right now.

Through the door, Julian’s sigh drifted out: “Not being able to be with Delilah forever already wronged her… The only thing I can do is ease her pain of infertility.” He turned, his gaze sharp, to his secretary Chloe: “As for Serena… keep your mouth shut. I won’t let her know.” Chloe felt a pang of pity, her voice trembling, “Mr. Sterling, all these years, I’ve watched you pour everything into Delilah. She gets whatever she wants…” “IVF was an option, yet she specifically demanded your wife’s children for her tonic… This cruel method, she’s clearly doing this on purpose! She just wants to sabotage your relationship with Serena!” Julian’s gaze turned icy. “Have you said enough?” “If this secret ever gets out, Mrs. Sterling might not be able to bear the blow… Those were her own flesh and blood! And if word gets out, the company’s stock would tank…” Chloe bit her lip, gathering her courage. “I don’t care.” Julian’s tone was indifferent. “For Delilah, I’ll do anything. I’m completely willing.” He paused. “Besides, Delilah said that once she gets a perfect ten, once she has her tenth child… everything will be over.” “But… what about Mrs. Sterling? Her body is completely depleted from giving birth to this child… What if she finds out? I’m afraid she won’t be able to cope.” “Her? She’s a Mystic, she’ll be fine.” Julian scoffed. “Even if she finds out, she won’t bear to leave me.” “After all, I was the one who pulled her out of hell with my own hands… She’s hopelessly devoted to me, deeply rooted in her affection.” I stood frozen outside the door, unable to believe what I was hearing. Every word spoken by the husband I’d loved for ten years was like a knife, flaying me alive. Ten years ago, when I was imprisoned by the cult leader, on the brink of death, Julian appeared and rescued me from the darkness. He said he fell in love with me at first sight. I believed him, pledged myself to him, and went home with him… But I never imagined it was all a lie and a trap! I was nothing but a tool for him to curry favor with Delilah… Every sweet nothing whispered in moments of passion, every time he coaxed me into intimacy… I thought it was an expression of his love… In truth, it was all just to make me conceive and give birth again and again… and then for him to personally send my children off to be made into a tonic! It was… utterly ridiculous! Click— The door suddenly swung open. I quickly composed my expression. Julian saw me sitting on the floor, his brow furrowed. He immediately reached out and pulled me up. “Why are you here? You didn’t say anything. I was just about to come get you.” His voice was tender, as if the cold, cruel man from moments ago wasn’t him at all. I forced a smile. “I was afraid of disturbing your work.” He kissed my cheek, then naturally took my hand, but paused. “Your hand is freezing. Are you feeling unwell? Do you need to go to the hospital?” I shook my head, forcing out, “I’m fine…” Julian then noticed the scattered scan results on the floor and bent to pick them up. His eyes lit up with wild joy. “You’re pregnant?!” He pulled me into a fierce embrace, his voice filled with excitement, “This time we’ll definitely keep this baby! Don’t worry, I’ll use all my connections, get the best specialists in the country, to protect your pregnancy!” Suppressing my emotions, I nodded submissively. “Okay…” Julian escorted me back to the room, left a gentle kiss on my forehead, then was hurriedly called away by a phone call. I knew… it must be Delilah. After he left, I slowly got up and walked toward the basement door he never allowed me near.

I stood before the basement door, my fingers trembling slightly on the keypad lock. I tried my own birthday – incorrect. Then I tried Julian’s birthday – still incorrect. An unspeakable chill rose in my heart. I turned and went back to his study, opening his computer, trying to find an answer. On his calendar, a date marked with an asterisk caught my eye. My intuition told me it was Delilah’s birthday. I returned to the basement, my hand shaking as I entered the numbers. Correct. The cold electronic voice ripped my heart to shreds. “Couples need privacy. That’s how a relationship lasts.” Julian’s tender expression when he said those words was still fresh in my mind. Turns out, his so-called privacy was just a shield for secrets he shared with someone else. I pushed the door open, and the sight before me nearly suffocated me. The entire basement was packed wall-to-wall with photos of Delilah, and pictures of them together. Each one was carefully laminated and preserved, neatly arranged in chronological order. In the center of the main wall was a family photo of their eleven-person family, with Delilah in the very middle, smiling radiantly. I could barely stand. He had spent an entire decade weaving a deception under the guise of love, all just to fulfill his idealized ‘white moonlight’s’ wishes. And my children and I? We were nothing but tools for him to achieve his goals. If it weren’t for her, my children could have grown up healthy, instead of becoming ‘nourishment’ for the woman in those pictures. I had doubted myself countless times, filled with self-doubt and guilt. But now, it was clear: I was just a puppet, completely manipulated. He knew I was in agony, struggling, yet for ten years, he never showed me an ounce of pity. The passionate devotion I thought we shared, the gentle warmth of those nights—it was all just a mere echo of another woman. I scanned the room and found an exquisite safe in a corner. I opened it, and inside was a thick stack of documents. The undeniable words printed on those pages completely shattered my world. From being kidnapped and imprisoned by the cult leader to being rescued by him, everything had been a script, a conspiratorial plot they concocted. The only goal was to make me fall hopelessly in love with him. The last page of the document bore his signature. I collapsed to the floor, tears streaming down my face. The man I had always seen as my salvation was the demon who had personally pushed me into hell. After I calmed my emotions, I took photos of all the pictures and documents as evidence. Immediately, I left and went to a private clinic owned by a friend I hadn’t contacted in a long time. She looked at me worriedly. “Extracting the fetus for external incubation is incredibly invasive, like a live dissection. It will cause severe damage to your body, and the baby will also face certain risks.” “Are you really sure?” I held back my tears. “I’m so sorry, my baby… But to save your life, Mama has to do this.” I endured excruciating pain during the procedure, then dragged my still-unstable body home. Julian was already there. I had thought he’d spend the night with Delilah. Seeing my pale face, he immediately came to support me. “Why are you so pale? Where have you been?” I forced myself to stay calm. “I felt unwell this afternoon and went to the hospital… The doctor said… the baby was gone again…” He looked surprised, quickly pulled me into a hug, and gently comforted me. “It’s okay, we can try again.” With that, he scooped me up in his arms and carried me into the bedroom, initiating forced intimacy. “For us to have our own baby soon, we need to try hard, don’t we?” As he spoke, his burning hot hand was already exploring beneath my dress. At that moment, I felt utterly disgusted. I had just supposedly ‘miscarried,’ and he was already impatient to ‘plant seeds’ again. Even though I was weak, my face pale, he was completely indifferent. He never cared about me. I suppressed my rage. “I want to rest… The baby’s gone, I’m heartbroken.” But he was relentless, holding me tight. “Baby, I know you’re sad, but for our love’s fruition, we need to try, don’t we?” I closed my eyes, forcing down the nausea, and let him finish. He immediately fell asleep, while my heart was ashes. He exhausted his energy with Delilah, then came back to play the part of a loving husband, not even bothering to pretend anymore. I put on my bathrobe and walked into the study, silently printing out a divorce agreement. A decade of emotions would finally come to a close. Seven days later, the Sterling family was set to hold a grand ‘recognition ceremony’ for a son. Publicly, it was announced as a way to foster good relations with the Delilah family and strengthen their long-standing family ties. The true purpose of the ceremony was for him to officially enter Delilah’s oldest child into the family lineage. It was to pave the way for Delilah’s children and help her secure the future inheritance of the Sterling empire. I had once been naive, thinking that Julian had ‘adopted’ the child from Delilah because he ‘felt sorry for my infertility.’ He wanted to compensate for my inability to continue his bloodline, which was why he let me raise the boy under the guise of a foster mother. I had actually believed it and was once filled with tearful gratitude. I was almost stupid enough to raise a child for my enemy. He claimed to love me incessantly, yet behind my back, he systematically cleared obstacles and secured status for his cherished ‘white moonlight.’ This farce had to end.

Early the next morning, I walked into the Sterling Corp headquarters with the drafted divorce agreement. As soon as I entered the lobby, I heard whispers behind me. “Is that Mr. Sterling’s wife? She looks so shabby, with no sparkle, no life…” “I heard she used to be that ‘Blessed Bearer’ or whatever. Probably worn out from sleeping with countless men.” “Married to Mr. Sterling for ten years, couldn’t keep a single baby, all stillbirths. Such bad luck.” “I don’t know what kind of good fortune she has, to shamelessly cling on in the Sterling family for ten years.” “That beautiful lady who just left was a feast for the eyes! Heard she has nine kids. Mr. Sterling’s eyes were glued to her when he saw her!” “It’s only natural, isn’t it? The one at home can’t even pop out a single baby. Who could stand that?” These words pierced my eardrums like needles. I fought back tears, refusing to break down in front of people. I looked up at the CEO’s office, gritted my teeth, and walked towards it. As I approached, the voices from inside pinned me to the spot. “Julian, you still have to be all lovey-dovey with that woman every day. I’m genuinely jealous…” Delilah’s voice was filled with unending grievance. Julian immediately consoled her. “I’m doing this for you, aren’t I? As long as she gets pregnant again, next time we’ll have our tenth child.” “Too bad she lost the baby this time. Such a useless woman.” My heart clenched, my fingers stiff on the cover of the divorce agreement. Delilah giggled sweetly again. “Julian, you’re sacrificing so much for me. If it weren’t for you, I don’t know what I’d do…” Suddenly, her voice paused, and she pouted playfully. “Why aren’t you using protection again?” Julian groaned low. “You’re infertile anyway. This way is more thrilling, isn’t it?” I stood outside the door, peering through the crack, frozen. Julian was stripped to the waist, sweat beading on his back as he passionately drove into her again and again. Their bodies were tightly intertwined, the bed frame groaning loudly with their rhythm, mingling with Delilah’s breathless moans. They were lost in their passion in the room, so consumed they didn’t even notice me standing outside. ———-此处为截断点———- I felt utterly ridiculous at that moment. The first time I miscarried, I cried all night, almost falling into depression. He was the one who gently comforted me, took me traveling to clear my mind, slowly helping me emerge from the shadows.

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I used to think his love was the most beautiful thing in the world. Until it became the knife that carved scars into my flesh and soul. Four years ago, when Lucas fell into a family scandal, I took two million dollars from his cousin and spoke ill of him in front of reporters. Four years later, I was kicked out by his cousin. I knelt at Lucas’s doorstep, my face ruined beyond recognition even with a mask on. Lucas, impeccably dressed in a suit, carefully supported Jasmine, who was pregnant. Jasmine stared at my face and suddenly felt nauseous. “Honey, she’s disgusting.” Lucas comforted her, rubbing her back, while looking at me with disdain. “Didn’t my cousin give you money? Couldn’t you afford a piece of cloth to cover that ruined face?” I instinctively wanted to lower my head, but he grabbed my mask and yanked it down violently. The scabs tore open, blood trickling down my chin. I trembled in pain. He took out a hundred-dollar bill, slapped my painfully sore face with it, then stuffed it into my chest. “Enough to buy some disinfectant. Clean up that rotten face. You made my wife sick. Can you afford to compensate her?” I fought back tears. That two million dollars – I had anonymously hired a top lawyer to clear his name of all accusations. In return, his cousin poured boiling water on my face. Now, my burns were infected, and I could go into shock at any moment. As Lucas was about to leave, I crawled to his side on all fours, clutching his pant leg. Under his icy gaze, I struggled to speak. “Lucas, please, save my grandma. She has terminal lung cancer. She needs money for treatment.” Trembling, I pulled out a brand new designer box from my pocket. Inside was a scarf I had saved up for a long time to buy. Dark gray, his favorite color. I held the box with both hands, as if cradling the last flicker of hope. “Please, for old times’ sake. For how good my grandma was to you.” “She made dumplings for you so many times, always talking about how much you loved them. Please lend me money to save her. This is a small token of my appreciation.” I could barely continue, tears welling up in my eyes, but I held them back fiercely. Jasmine glanced at it and covered her mouth, laughing. “Even my dog wouldn’t wear that brand.” Lucas extended two fingers, contemptuously pinching a corner of the scarf. “You want me to lend you money to save that old hag?” He sneered. “Where was she when you took money to slander me back then? What kind of person could she be to raise a granddaughter who would sell anything for money?” Blood rushed to my head instantly. My whole body shook violently, fists clenched tight. Lucas watched my anger, a flash of excitement in his eyes. He relished the feeling of being able to ignite me so easily, then crush me into the mud just as effortlessly. He carelessly tossed the scarf to the ground. “Want to borrow money to save that old waste?” He looked down at me condescendingly. “Sure.” I suddenly looked up, with a hint of disbelieving hope. But when I saw the undisguised hatred in his eyes, my heart sank again. Jasmine seemed surprised, tugging at Lucas’s sleeve coquettishly. “Honey, don’t.” Lucas gave her an indulgent smile. “Be good, I’ll let you and the baby see something interesting in a moment.” He turned to me and said slowly, “Kneel here and say loudly, ‘My grandma Rose is an old bitch. She deserves cancer.’” He paused, savoring my face that had turned as white as paper. “Say it from the bottom of your heart, as genuinely as when you accused me in front of reporters back then. Say it once, and I’ll give you a hundred thousand. How about that?” Jasmine giggled beside him. “Say it quickly, or your grandma will die.” The world seemed to fall silent instantly. I looked at the disgust in his eyes for me, and suddenly flashed back to the image of him looking at me with eyes full of love. I couldn’t help but take two steps back. Anger, despair, and guilt towards my grandma rushed to my head at this moment. “Impossible.” I squeezed out a few words through gritted teeth. Lucas raised an eyebrow. “Then get lost.” I was on the verge of collapse. The image of my grandma’s haggard, desperate face and the doctor’s cold bill of payment involuntarily flashed before my eyes. In the end, the desire for grandma to live on crushed my last bit of dignity. I opened my mouth: “My grandma Rose… is… is an old bitch…” The moment these words came out, I heard the sound of my heart breaking. Lucas’s eyes suddenly flickered. He remembered when he was bullied by his cousin as a child, it was grandma who chased him away with a rolling pin for half a street to protect him. She always hid shrimp, his favorite, in the dumplings. But this hint of wavering disappeared in an instant. “Wait,” Lucas suddenly interrupted me and dialed a number. “How can there be a good show without an audience?” My heart instantly sank into an ice cave, an ominous premonition rising from the bottom of my heart. In less than five minutes, several cars stopped by the roadside. The car doors opened, and a group of reporters carrying cameras swarmed in with excitement on their faces. My pupils constricted violently. They were the same people I had spoken ill of Lucas to years ago. “Oh my God, Miss Zoe, what happened to your face?” The reporters snapped furiously at my face. I instinctively wanted to put on my mask, only to find that Lucas had already stepped on it. “Miss Zoe, are you kneeling here to repent?” “We heard you were abandoned by your sugar daddy? Now you’re back looking for Mr. Lucas?” I felt as if I had been stripped naked and thrown into a busy market. The immense shame and fear made my whole body rigid. Lucas watched this scene with satisfaction and slowly opened his mouth: “Face the camera with your ruined face and say it properly.” Some reporters started live streaming, focusing on my face. Tens of thousands of viewers instantly flooded into the live stream. “She doesn’t even care about her face for money, now pretending to be filial?” “Like grandmother, like granddaughter. They’re all scum.” “Her face is karma! Go die already.” I stared blankly at these vile words in front of me and opened my mouth again: “My grandma Rose is an old bitch.” Just as I was about to say the next sentence like a walking corpse, my vision suddenly went black and I fell forward. Lucas instinctively wanted to support me but deliberately stopped. At this moment, my phone rang. “Miss Zoe, we’ve stopped your grandmother’s painkillers. She was just rolling in bed in pain. When are you coming to pay?” Lucas snatched the phone from me, put it on speaker, and sneered at the receiver: “Tell that old hag her granddaughter is calling her an old bitch right now.” Jasmine clapped her hands and laughed beside him: “Nurse, you must let her grandma hear this!” I anxiously grabbed the phone back, about to say something, when I heard a long beep from inside. “I’m sorry, Ms. Zoe. Your grandmother has passed away.” I stood there stunned, the phone falling to the ground with a thud. Lucas’s gaze swept over my old phone that had just fallen at his feet. Covered in cracks, it looked jarring. He raised his foot and kicked it hard. With a crack, the phone hit the corner of the wall, the battery flew out, and the screen shattered completely. “No!” I let out a heartbroken roar. It contained voice messages my grandma had recorded one by one, full of her concern and advice for me. Almost with my last breath, I crawled on all fours towards the pile of debris in the corner. “Grandma!” I cried out, tears mixed with blood flowing down my face. I frantically scrabbled with both hands, trying to pick up those pieces. The sharp glass shards instantly cut my fingers, but I didn’t even notice. The reporters were even more excited to record this scene, their cameras precisely aimed at my distorted, anguished face. The barrage of comments in the live stream went crazy: “She deserves it.” “She even cursed her own grandmother. Asking for money? I think she’s just putting on a show.” Suddenly, a cold sneer came from above, piercing my collapsed nerves. Lucas looked down at me with bloodshot eyes, a flash of extremely complex emotions in his eyes – shock, hatred, and a hint of heartache he didn’t even notice himself. Jasmine leaned forward, frowning: “Honey, has she gone mad? Crying like this over a broken phone? Could it be that she has some scandalous photos with a sugar daddy in there?” Lucas’s gaze turned cold. “Look at yourself now. You’re crawling around like a mad dog for a broken phone?” He raised his foot, carelessly nudging the pile of debris with his toe. “If your grandma knew you were just cursing her, do you think she’d die again in her grave?” “Shut up!” I suddenly raised my head, my bloodshot eyes glaring fiercely at Lucas. He stared at the intense hatred and despair in my eyes, stunned for a moment. Jasmine pointed at my nose: “What are you yelling for? Your grandma, that old hag, raised a granddaughter as cheap as you. She deserved to die.” My grandma’s painful gasps before she died, the irreparable phone, the humiliation I suffered today, everything made my sanity snap completely. With a loud slap, a resounding slap landed on Jasmine’s face, instantly leaving a red handprint. She covered her face, staring at me in disbelief. “Honey, she hit me!”

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In my past life, I was Emily Foster, the substitute for Alexander Carter’s idealized first love – cherished one moment, discarded the next. Just because a new girl appeared who looked more like his first love, I was ruthlessly abandoned. In the end, I was killed by his new flame. When I opened my eyes again, I had been reborn as my suicidal twin sister. It felt like jumping from one cage into another hell. The good thing was, the substitute for his first love was gone, and now I had become the substitute. Alexander Carter started acting like a clingy puppy that couldn’t be shooed away. As memories flooded back, my head felt like it was about to split open. The last image that flashed before my eyes was Olivia Parker’s smug face. “Emily, don’t blame me. If you have to blame someone, blame yourself for being in the way.” “Alexander loves that face, and I look more like her than you do, don’t I?” “So, just die already.” She laughed as she pushed me off the 30-story building. Seconds later, I was engulfed in darkness. So, I was never more than a shadow of Alexander Carter’s idealized first love. A cheap substitute that could be replaced at any time. A dull ache spread through my chest. I struggled to sit up, looking around the unfamiliar and dilapidated room. The walls were peeling, and the only furniture was an old wooden table and a chair with a broken leg. I stumbled to the only mirror hanging on the wall. The person in the mirror made my pupils constrict. My arms were covered in purple bruises, old injuries layered with new ones. But the facial features were clearly seven or eight tenths similar to mine before I died. Only younger, and more… battered. Who was this? Why was I here? “You lazy brat! What are you dawdling for? Have you washed the dishes yet?!” A woman’s shrill, harsh voice came from outside the door, accompanied by loud banging. I instinctively shrank back, my body’s reflexes carrying deep-seated fear. An obese figure burst through the door, hands on hips, spittle flying as she pointed at me. “Always slacking off! Get your ass to the kitchen and wash those dishes! Do you want to starve?!” I looked at her, my gaze cold. It seemed the heavens hadn’t let me die completely. They had given me a new identity. The original owner of this body was called Mia Foster, an adopted child in this family. The fat woman was her foster mother, Linda. There was also a foster father, Frank, who spent his days idling and either beating or scolding her, and a good-for-nothing brother, Tyler. In this family, Mia was treated like an unpaid servant, living a life worse than a dog’s. Her personality was timid, submissive, even numb. This made it convenient for me to hide my true self. Until that day, when I found an old notebook under the floorboards. It was Mia’s diary. Out of curiosity about the original owner of this body, I opened it. The handwriting was messy, recording years of darkness. “Got beaten again today. My arm hurts so much. Mom said it’s because I was disobedient.” “Tyler stole the five dollars I had secretly saved up. Dad saw and just laughed at me.” “They said I’m an abandoned bastard, eating for free, so I should do all the work.” “I want to die so badly. Would death finally set me free?” Page after page, line after line, all were cries of despair and pain. Long-term physical abuse and mental torture had left her unable to see any light. The last few pages of the diary detailed her plans for suicide. So, I had been reborn because she had actively given up her own life. My chest felt tight. I continued flipping through, and several photos slipped out from the diary. One was a family photo of young Mia with her foster parents and brother. She was timidly hiding in the corner. There were also a few photos of a gentle, beautiful woman holding a baby. That woman’s face… My breath caught sharply. It was my deceased mother! In her diary, Mia had written that she was abandoned, with only a photo of her mother holding her as a keepsake. Combined with this face so similar to mine… A ridiculous thought struck me. Mia Foster was my long-lost twin sister! We were actually twins! I held the photos, tears silently falling. So I wasn’t alone after all. I once had a sister. But she had died in this hell, tortured to death.

From that day on, Mia Foster changed. When Tyler came home drunk again, wanting to get handsy with me like usual, I didn’t dodge. As he approached, I grabbed the ashtray from the table and smashed it against his forehead. He clutched his bleeding forehead, looking at me in disbelief. “You dare hit me?!” I coldly looked at him. “Get lost.” He cursed and charged at me. I dodged to the side, simultaneously knocking out a small packet of white powder hidden in his pocket. His face changed drastically as he hurriedly tried to pick it up. I didn’t give him the chance, immediately calling the police on my phone. “Hello, police? I’d like to report drug use and illegal gambling.” When Tyler was taken away by the police, his eyes were full of hatred. Linda and Frank naturally took out their anger on me. Linda pointed at my nose and cursed, “You ungrateful bitch! You jinx! How dare you hurt your brother!” Frank raised his hand to hit me. I didn’t dodge, instead meeting his gaze and speaking. “Dad, you didn’t come home last night. Were you at that widow Jenny’s house down the street?” “I saw you, you know. She had her arms around your neck, calling you ‘darling’.” Frank’s face instantly turned pale, his raised hand frozen in mid-air. Linda was stunned for a moment, then pounced on Frank like a madwoman, scratching and hitting. “You bastard, Frank! How dare you cheat on me!” “I’ll kill you!” The house instantly descended into chaos. The news of her husband’s affair was enough to keep Linda occupied for a while. She wouldn’t have the energy to cause me trouble for now. I coldly watched all this, feeling no ripples in my heart. This was just the beginning. Using Emily Foster’s memories from my past life, I had accumulated some knowledge and insight into the financial markets. I used the little money Mia had secretly saved as seed capital and made a few short-term trades in the stock market. Luck was on my side, and I earned my first chunk of startup capital. I kept quiet about it, secretly moving out and renting a small studio apartment in the city. I bought a few well-fitting clothes and applied light makeup. The girl in the mirror had shed her previous timidity and dullness. Though still thin, her eyes were calm and sharp. This face looked so much like Emily Foster’s. Enough to make Alexander Carter lose his composure. I knew Alexander Carter’s habits. Every Friday afternoon, he would go to a teahouse in the west of the city. It was the place he and his first love used to love going to. How devoted. I timed it perfectly and walked into the teahouse. I chose a seat by the window and ordered the most ordinary green tea. Before long, Alexander Carter’s figure appeared. He was wearing a well-tailored black suit, handsome and dignified. He walked straight towards his usual private room. As he passed by me, his footsteps faltered. I could feel his gaze on me, scrutinizing and uncertain. I didn’t look up, pretending to be focused on the view outside, my fingers unconsciously tracing the rim of the cup. From the corner of my eye, I saw him standing there, looking at me for a full half minute. Then he continued towards the private room, though his steps seemed to have slowed.

A few days later, someone claiming to be Alexander Carter’s assistant contacted me. “Miss Foster, our Mr. Carter would like to invite you to dinner. Would that be convenient for you?” I spoke into the phone, my voice tinged with timidity and confusion. “Mr. Carter? I don’t know him…” “It’s like this – Mr. Carter saw you at the Serenity Teahouse the other day and thought you looked very similar to an old acquaintance. He’d like to get to know you.” I inwardly smirked, but outwardly agreed. “Oh, alright then.” The dinner was set at a high-end Western restaurant. Alexander Carter sat across from me, his gaze barely leaving my face. “Miss Foster, I apologize for being so forward, but you look very much like someone I know,” he began, his voice low. I lowered my head, fidgeting with the hem of my clothes, putting on an act of nervousness. “Is that so?” “Her name was Emily Foster.” He said the name slowly, watching intently for my reaction. My heart stung sharply, but my face showed only confusion. “Emily Foster? I don’t know her…” He seemed somewhat disappointed, yet also relieved. For the rest of the time, he probed indirectly about my background. I responded with half-truths and half-lies, portraying myself as Mia Foster – a girl from a poor family with a sad past. I deliberately mimicked some of Emily’s small habits, like slightly pursing my lips when drinking water, or gently biting my lower lip when thinking. These details made Alexander Carter’s gaze grow increasingly complex. Over the next few days, he frequently asked me out, sent me gifts, and took me to various high-end places. Bags, jewelry, clothes – all brands and styles that Emily used to like. The way he looked at me was sometimes gentle, sometimes dazed, as if seeing someone else through me. I knew that in his eyes, I had become another substitute. How laughable. He would never know that this new substitute he was trying to control had the soul of Emily Foster, the one he had abandoned. Once, while dining with Alexander Carter, I accidentally raised my hand to brush back my hair, revealing a bruise on my wrist that hadn’t fully faded. Alexander Carter’s gaze instantly froze. He grabbed my wrist, his face terrifyingly dark. “How did this happen?” I hurriedly pulled my hand back, lowering my head, my voice trembling. “It’s nothing, just an accident.” “Mia Foster!” He raised his voice. “Tell me, who did this?”

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I was the real daughter of the Miller family, swapped at birth. The first thing I did when I returned to the Millers was to give my biological parents two choices. “Give me two hundred thousand, and I’ll cut ties with you. I leave. Or, Isabella leaves within twenty-four hours, and I stay.” My biological parents found me while I was working odd jobs at my foster parents’ diner. Someone bumped into my shoulder on the way to serving a customer soup, and the hot liquid splashed all over my leg. The porcelain bowl shattered on the floor with a loud crash. My foster mother, Brenda, who was binge-watching a show on her phone and munching on chips at the counter, heard the commotion. She rushed over and slapped me across the face. “I must’ve committed some sin in my past life to have a jinx like you!” she spat. My face and leg stung. Just as she muttered curses and raised her hand for a second slap, an enraged voice stopped her cold: “Stop! Who gave you permission to lay a hand on my daughter!”

After the doctor treated my burns, Victoria, my biological mother, clutched my hand tightly. She had been crying since she first hugged me on the way to the hospital. Richard, my biological father, stood by, constantly comforting her, his eyes filled with guilt as he looked at me, occasionally handing his wife a fresh tissue. Victoria sniffled, “It’s all… it’s all our fault. If only we had arrived a little sooner, you wouldn’t have been hurt.” Victoria’s hand felt warm, making my palm sweat. Just like her embrace, it was intensely warm. And she smelled really nice. Maybe it was her overwhelming perfume, but the burning sensation on my leg seemed to fade significantly on the way over. I turned my face away from her, pulling my hand free without hesitation. “You can both leave. I’m a little tired.” “Hazel…” Victoria tried to say something more, but Richard stopped her, leading her out of the room. I watched them walk out of the hospital room, my gaze fixed on Victoria’s tightly clenched hand. In it, she held a strand of my hair, which she’d subtly plucked when she hugged me. My scalp had stung when she pulled it, but I had to pretend not to notice a thing. She was trying to be clever, but it wasn’t exactly rocket science.

Half a month passed, and Richard and Victoria came together to pick me up and take me back to the Miller family home. During those two weeks, they had been incredibly diligent in their visits. Victoria, especially, acted as if she wanted to move into the hospital with me. Victoria constantly introduced me to the Miller family members, telling me I had two older brothers and an older sister. An older sister? Before they even found me, I already had the Millers all figured out. After all, I was the one who had that paternity test delivered to their doorstep. The Millers only had one daughter. The so-called sister was Isabella, the girl they had raised for seventeen years. Isabella, huh. What a precious name. A smile involuntarily curved on my lips. Victoria thought I was happy to hear about them and went on to talk about the three siblings. It was always her talking, and me staying silent. She asked about my life for the past seventeen years, and I remained silent. But when she mentioned how excited my two brothers were to meet me and how well they would treat me, I finally spoke. My eyes lit up as I looked at her, asking with a mix of anticipation and caution, “R-really?” Liam Hayes had never been stingy with his praise for my acting skills. Watching Victoria’s delighted expression, I wholeheartedly agreed. She smiled, and I mirrored her, my fingertips unconsciously tracing the blanket covering me. If they truly welcomed me, why hadn’t they bothered to show their faces even once in two weeks?

The car pulled up to the villa, which was shrouded in darkness. Richard and Victoria led me inside. The lock clicked, the lights flickered on, and party poppers went off. Inside, a girl in a pink dress, holding a cake with a radiant smile, cheerfully announced, “Welcome home, Hazel!” She was flanked by two guys. The one on her left had a gentle smile as he looked at me, saying, “Welcome, little sister.” The one on her right looked completely bored. As if sensing it, Isabella subtly tugged at Blake’s sleeve. Blake’s voice was ice-cold. “Welcome.” Richard’s face instantly darkened, and he bit out, barely suppressing his rage, “Blake!” Victoria quickly stepped in to play peacemaker, linking her arm through mine. “Hazel, Isabella knew you were coming home today. She organized this welcome party especially for you.” I offered a faint smile, letting Victoria guide me towards Isabella. I mumbled a “thank you,” but my hand had a mind of its own. In one swift motion, I *accidentally* flipped the cake, sending a tidal wave of frosting splattering all over Isabella’s pristine new dress. The entire Miller family’s expressions soured. Blake, quick as a flash, pulled Isabella behind him, glaring at me with malice. “What the hell are you doing?!” he roared. Isabella cowered behind him, her beautiful eyes, wide and innocent, filling with tears. Honestly, her looks definitely took after my foster mother, Brenda. Their eyes were strikingly similar – those innocent, tear-filled eyes, designed to make anyone pity her. And her acting? Not bad at all. I met Blake’s gaze, a taunting smirk on my face. “She stole seventeen years of my life. Isn’t it perfectly natural for me to hate her?” Victoria seemed surprised by my attitude. In the hospital, I’d always smiled sweetly whenever Isabella was mentioned. “What does this have to do with Isabella? She didn’t intentionally get swapped! She’s innocent! Why do you hate her so much?!” Blake yelled. I shot back, “Her innocence has nothing to do with me.” “Besides, who said I hate *her*?” I stepped closer, closing the distance between us. “The one who messed up the baby tags, causing the mix-up all those years ago… wasn’t that you?” Blake stumbled backward in shock, dragging Isabella with him. They both lost their footing and tumbled to the ground in a heap. I burst out laughing, completely unmasked. When I accidentally watched a show once, I utterly despised the older brother character. Now that it was happening to me, this brother was even more insufferable. **截断点**

“Isabella…” Victoria immediately released my hand and rushed to help her up, frantically checking her for injuries. Isabella’s chin had hit Blake, and it was bright red. Leaning on Victoria, she whined pitifully, “Mom, it hurts… I think my mouth is bleeding.” Blake scrambled to his feet and immediately apologized to his sister. Daniel, who hadn’t spoken until now, looked at me, a frown creasing his brow. “You went too far.” The Miller family was in chaos, and I watched the scene unfold. Victoria anxiously told Isabella to open her mouth so she could check. Blake was fumbling around, apologizing profusely. Daniel had run off to another room, phone to his ear, calling for a doctor. A strange discomfort stirred within me. Maybe it was Victoria’s excessive care for me in the hospital, and I was somehow swayed by it. Kindness can be a powerful, insidious weapon. It cuts deep. The ancients were truly wise. Richard suddenly spoke, “Hazel, I know you’ve suffered. But Blake’s right, Isabella is innocent. You can’t let your resentment…” I knew Richard had been investigating my past life while I was hospitalized, and I had shown him exactly what I wanted him to see. The Dawsons, my foster family, were incredibly old-fashioned, always favoring boys. My life had been tough from a young age. My foster father, Frank, was an alcoholic and abusive, and my foster mother, Brenda, had been cruel to me since I was a child. I was constantly mocked and ostracized at school. Richard had uncovered all of this, and he had kept it from Victoria. I cut him off before he could finish, formally calling him, “Mr. Miller.” “Give me two hundred thousand, and I’ll cut ties with you. I leave. Or, Isabella leaves within twenty-four hours, and I stay.” Victoria stopped her movements, her eyes wide with surprise as she looked at me. She quickly said, “How can you say that?! Hazel, you and Isabella are both my daughters!” I ignored her, continuing my negotiation with Richard. “I’m still underage, so you have a responsibility to support me. You never raised me for the past seventeen years. Two hundred thousand for a clean break is pocket change for the Millers. It’s a very good deal for you.” After all, Isabella’s monthly allowance was more than two hundred thousand. Richard’s gaze was fixed on me, and he asked seriously, “In your eyes, is this just a transaction between us? Do you think we’ll always favor Isabella?” I shrugged. Some people always think they’re the epitome of fairness. 5 (Continued) I walked out of the Miller’s villa. Richard and Victoria didn’t want me to leave, but I stated clearly: if Isabella was in, I was out. Blake wanted to explode, but he crumbled the moment his eyes met mine, a flicker of guilt crossing his eyes. I gave Richard the address of my small apartment, telling him to let me know his decision. Seeing my insistence, Richard told Daniel to make sure I got home safely. Daniel agreed, but by the time he opened the car door, I had already walked far away. He quickly chased after me, but I shook him off in no time. After all, I’d walked alone at night plenty of times. A girl always had to be careful, especially then. I was pretty good at losing people. Of course, except for Liam. But he used to say I was brilliant, that my safety awareness was too good, making me hard to catch. The night wind was cool as I walked along, guided by the streetlights. Thinking of Isabella’s smile, I impulsively plucked a flower from a roadside planter. I tore at it as I walked, grinding the petals between my fingers until the sap stained my hands and it was nothing but a mangled mess. I hated Isabella. When she smiled, it was like something out of a fairy tale: sunshine, sweet candy, a beacon of light. She wore pristine dresses, vibrant and lively, and would sweetly flirt with her brothers, father, and mother. Every beautiful word in the world could describe her. I was different. I was rotten to the core, my very bones steeped in bitterness. The perfect villainess from a story — that was me. The moment I saw her eyes, I thought of my foster mother, Brenda Dawson. I thought of her smiling as she snatched my favorite doll and threw it into the furnace, holding me back so I couldn’t save it. I thought of her pushing me into the living room after my foster father got drunk, hiding in her room, listening to my cries as he beat me, punch after punch. I thought of her grabbing my backpack, searching for the scholarship money I’d just received from school, and then stepping on my textbooks on her way out. I thought of her slapping me across the face when she saw the medicine I bought for my foster sister, telling me I was wasting money. I thought of her casually saying, “If she dies, she dies…” They say love extends to everything associated with it, but so does hatred. It can implicate others.

“What’s my little witch thinking about? You don’t look too happy.” A teasing voice broke through my thoughts. As I stepped out of the villa complex, I saw someone leaning against a small scooter parked nearby, their eyes fixed on me. I hurried over, taking in the scooter’s pink finish, adorned with several Doraemon stickers. “Manly pink?” I chuckled, looking at Liam Hayes, then feigned a look of grave disappointment. “The great Young Master Hayes, riding a scooter? That’s really falling from grace!” Liam gave me a gentle flick on the forehead, stopping my dramatic act. I glared at him, annoyed, grinding my teeth. “Ow! That hurt, you jerk!” Liam rubbed my forehead, which actually didn’t hurt anymore, and chuckled. “A jerk’s girlfriend is just as much of a jerk, right?” “Who’s your girlfriend?” I glared at him! “Your future is already sealed with me. You think you can run off with some other guy?” He smiled, spreading his hands helplessly, two shallow dimples appearing on his cheeks. I rolled my eyes dramatically. If looks could kill, Liam would have been six feet under eight hundred times since I met him. But now… I thought about it. I wouldn’t want to. Liam noticed my hands stained with flower sap. He pulled out a pack of wet wipes from his pocket and meticulously cleaned them. Then, he gently put a helmet on my head. It was black, with ‘Cool’ sprayed in white paint on the top, looking absolutely awesome. When my foster brother used to watch TV as a kid, I’d sometimes catch glimpses. That kid, Noby, had a robot cat by his side. Doraemon’s magic pocket could always pull out amazing gadgets to help Noby. I looked up Liam’s jawline. His eyes were serious. Liam didn’t have Doraemon’s magic. He couldn’t conjure up amazing gadgets or change the things I had hated and tried to escape for years. But when did Liam become *my* Doraemon?

His pink helmet had two fluffy ears, and I couldn’t resist reaching up on my tiptoes to pinch them. We were suddenly very close. Then, I heard an angry shout from behind us, “What are you doing?!” I turned around to see Daniel, who had rushed out, looking furious, like he’d caught us doing something scandalous. Oops. Our little flirtation had taken a bit too long. Daniel’s eyes were wide and bulging, just like my hateful foster father when he was angry. I patted Liam’s shoulder, ignoring Daniel. “Let’s go.” Liam smoothly hopped onto the scooter, and I quickly followed. Daniel yelled at Liam, “Young Master Hayes! My sister is still young! Isn’t it inappropriate to lead her into an early relationship and have her stay out late at night?!” It wasn’t surprising that Liam and Daniel, both from wealthy families, knew each other. But I thought about Daniel saying “late night” and checked my phone. 8:30 PM. For a night owl like me, the night was just beginning. Had the young master of a rich family started living such a healthy lifestyle so early? It didn’t seem to be working, though. I glanced at Daniel’s hair. Even with his bangs covering his hairline, I could see a hint of the edge. Hmm… a little bald. Liam turned his head to look at him, raising an eyebrow coolly. “Sister? Not necessarily! When did Young Master Daniel’s brain go bad enough for him to claim sisters and meddle in my Hazel’s business?” He paused, seemed to assess Daniel for a moment, then nodded seriously. “Our Hayes family’s private hospital has pretty good neurologists. I can introduce you to one if you like. Oh, and our doctors are also excellent at hair transplants.” Liam must be a mind-reader. He knew exactly what I was thinking. I clung to Liam’s shirt, not even trying to stifle my laughter. His words were sharp, and I’d experienced them many times before. Daniel’s expression looked like he was ready to eat someone, and he was about to rush forward to pull me off the scooter. Liam twisted the throttle, and the scooter whirred, speeding away at 25 mph, leaving Daniel far behind. From where I was, the distance wasn’t *that* far, but Daniel wouldn’t be able to catch up on foot. All the way, Liam hummed a happy tune. I listened to his off-key singing, “Riding my beloved little donkey, I’ll never be stuck in traffic…” Liam’s speaking voice was pleasant, but his singing was dreadful, always tormenting my ears. Using his body to shield myself from the wind, I said, “Liam, you won’t go bald that fast too, will you?” A bald boyfriend… I imagined Liam’s handsome face with a receding hairline, and I shivered involuntarily. “Maybe we should just break up while we’re ahead!” “No way!” Liam’s gritted voice pierced through the wind. “No one in the Hayes family has that balding gene.” He said that, but later, when we officially started dating, I noticed his shampoo bottles – every single one was for hair growth and strengthening. The next afternoon, Richard appeared outside my small apartment door. The apartment was tiny; Richard struggled to find a place to stand when he entered. At that moment, I had just finished bathing Buddy.

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