Category: English

I stared at his journal entry, absolutely dumbfounded. [My brother has been a gigolo for years, but suddenly he can’t get it up anymore…] For the sake of this young child’s mental and physical well-being, I decided I needed to call his brother in for a serious talk. But somehow, the student completely misunderstood my intentions and stubbornly insisted on setting me up with his brother. I politely declined. “Honey, your teacher doesn’t really like men in… that line of work.” But the student didn’t understand. Instead, he got anxious. “My brother doesn’t have to be a gigolo! What about an escort? Do you like escorts, Ms. Chloe?” Me: ? 01 After reading my student’s journal entry. I felt like the sky had literally fallen on my head. [My brother has been a gigolo for years, but suddenly he can’t get it up anymore.] [Since his body isn’t working right, he can close his doors and rest for a few days to recover.] [Honestly, working in the service industry is really hard. I totally understand him…] The further down I read, the colder my heart got. What on earth is this?! Amidst the shock, a thick wave of absolute fury surged into my chest. “Timmy, when your brother does… all this… does he do it right in front of you?!” I slammed the journal onto my desk. Timmy blinked his big, round eyes, his hands politely folded in front of him as he stood obediently across from my desk. “Pretty Ms. Chloe, my brother always hides when he’s being a gigolo, but I can still smell it from outside his door.” Smell it?! What kind of massive commotion are they making that a kid can smell it from outside the door?! My temples throbbed violently. I lowered my head, desperately trying to suppress the raging fire inside me. For the sake of this innocent child’s future, it was definitely time to have a very serious chat with his brother. I gently took Timmy’s hand, softening my tone. “Timmy, from now on, when your brother is doing his… gigolo business, you are absolutely not allowed to go watch, do you understand? Also, this Friday…” Timmy suddenly started twisting his shirt shyly, interrupting me with a conflicted look on his face. “But pretty Ms. Chloe, my brother said that when I grow up, he’s going to pass the business down to me! He says it makes a ton of money!” I completely petrified into solid stone. He’s going to inherit the business?! Is that actually his biological brother?! Are we absolutely certain he wasn’t kidnapped by human traffickers?! I couldn’t wait until Friday for a parent-teacher conference. “Tell your brother to come see me. Tomorrow!” 02 The next day. Timmy’s brother didn’t show up. “Ms. Chloe, my brother was too busy with his business today. He said he got a massive order, and he’ll come apologize to you in person another day.” Timmy kept his head down, his eyes darting away nervously. I was boiling with rage and about to snap, but then I noticed Timmy’s shirt was on backward, and his hair looked like a bird’s nest. My anger instantly vanished. My poor, sweet boy. When the oldest brother acts as the father, what kind of horrible guardian is this?! For the sake of his disgusting “business,” he’s actually neglecting his own little brother! “Please don’t be mad, Ms. Chloe! My brother didn’t mean to skip it. But Jessica from the West End specifically requested my brother to deliver his services personally to her house, so he had to…” Seeing my face turn dark, Timmy’s eyes instantly welled up with tears, and he frantically tried to explain. He was always such a good boy in class. He was smart, friendly, and all the other kids loved playing with him. If it hadn’t been for this journal prompt about “Family”… I never would have known his living environment was this toxic. How did he grow up with a brother like that and not turn out completely twisted? My heart instantly melted into a puddle of mush. I reached out and pulled Timmy into a hug, heartbroken as I helped him fix his backward shirt, gently pinching his chubby cheeks. “If you ever need anything, or if things get too hard, you can always come to me, understand?” Timmy, clearly confused, nodded anyway. Then his eyes crinkled into happy little crescents, and he nuzzled into my chest, acting spoiled. Oh my god, my heart is breaking for this kid. 03 That overwhelming sympathy lasted right up until the next day. Since Timmy’s brother kept making excuses not to show up… I decided to do a home visit myself. “Ms. Chloe, my brother said he’ll be home in about half an hour. I’m going to go to my room and do my homework first!” Timmy put down the landline phone, grabbed his little backpack, and marched straight into his bedroom. He didn’t cry. He didn’t throw a tantrum. He didn’t turn on the TV. He didn’t even need anyone to remind him—he just proactively started doing his homework. He was unbelievably well-behaved. My absolute disgust for his older brother leveled up significantly in my head. After silently cursing his brother out for thirty straight minutes, I finally heard the front door unlocking. Trying to maintain my professional courtesy, I stood up, preparing a polite greeting. “Hello, Mr. Timmy’s brother, I’m…” Holy shit. Broad shoulders, narrow waist, impossibly long legs, and a perfect tan. With looks like that, actual male models would weep. No wonder he’s a successful gigolo. The figure in the doorway suddenly stopped. Seeing me go completely silent, he walked over and waved a hand in front of my face. “Ms. Chloe?” From far away, I couldn’t tell. But up close, not only was his physique elite, his face was unbelievably handsome. Sharp jawline, deep, dark eyes, slightly parted lips. But what really got me were his ridiculously long, curly eyelashes—it gave his razor-sharp features this unexpected, adorable contrast. I quickly turned around in a panic. I mentally scolded myself. Get it together! You look like you haven’t seen an attractive man in eight centuries! “Here, Ms. Chloe. Have some water.” A pair of incredibly elegant, long-fingered hands flashed in my peripheral vision, and a glass of water was gently placed on the table in front of me. “Hello, Ms. Chloe. I’m Nolan, Timmy’s older brother. Did he get into trouble at school?” Nolan sat down across from me, spreading his long legs and naturally leaning back into the sofa. But three seconds later, he abruptly shot straight up, forcing a stiff, unnatural smile. “Sorry, Ms. Chloe. I just finished a session and I’m exhausted.” Finished a session. My brain instantly locked onto the keywords. So what if Nolan was gorgeous? The business he ran was absolutely shameful. 04 I cleared my throat. “Nolan, I actually came here today to talk to you about your… work.” Nolan straightened his posture and nodded seriously. “Okay, I’m listening.” “It’s about you being a…” The words refused to leave my mouth. The sheer embarrassment hit me first. If I just blurted out the word gigolo, what if Nolan had a complete mental breakdown? I slammed on the conversational brakes and swerved. “Are you experiencing severe financial difficulties? Why on earth did you decide to get into… that specific industry?” The light in Nolan’s eyes instantly dimmed. “A few years ago, my parents had a really ugly divorce. In the end, neither of them wanted custody of me or Timmy. They just dumped us and vanished.” He forced a smile. “Ms. Chloe, Timmy and I are doing much better now. I know my business isn’t exactly high-class or respectable, and every time I finish a session my body gets completely filthy… but as long as I can provide a good life for Timmy, I’m completely satisfied.” I closed my eyes tight. My brain was screaming, I AM SUCH A TERRIBLE PERSON. All the horrible assumptions and accusations I made about him in my head before knowing the truth… suddenly transformed into crushing guilt. “Nolan, I am so, so sorry. I had no idea your family went through all of that, but…” God. I couldn’t even finish the sentence. To end this quickly, and for the sake of Timmy’s future psychological development, I decided to lay my cards on the table. “When you do… that… please try your best to avoid doing it when Timmy is around. He’s still young, so he doesn’t understand what it means. But what about when he grows up? What is he going to think of you?” “Or… are you considering switching careers? I can introduce you to some legitimate jobs.” Seeing the completely baffled, blank look on Nolan’s face… I panicked. “You could be a security guard! You could do Uber Eats! Timmy is such an angel, and you’re still so young! Why do you insist on being a…” “BIG BROTHER! YOU’RE HOME!” A tiny, chubby shadow bolted past me and launched itself directly into Nolan’s arms. “Brother, I finished all my homework! My tummy is rumbling.” Timmy blinked his massive eyes, looking up at Nolan pitifully. Nolan reached behind his back and produced a giant, novelty-sized lollipop. Timmy’s eyes instantly lit up like fireworks. “Ms. Chloe, stay and have dinner with us! Whatever we need to talk about, we can finish discussing it over food.” Nolan scooped Timmy up, placed him on the sofa, and stood up to head to the kitchen. I frantically waved my hands, hurriedly said my goodbyes, grabbed my purse from the sofa, and practically sprinted out the front door like I was fleeing a crime scene. Timmy was right there. I absolutely could not talk about his brother being a gigolo at the dinner table. I needed to figure out another plan. 05 After that day. My sympathy levels for Timmy broke through the ceiling. His brother working in that industry… was probably entirely against his will. Nolan didn’t look much older than me. We were probably the same age. Because his parents abandoned them years ago, he had to carry the entire weight of his family on his shoulders alone. Acting as both an older brother and a father, raising Timmy to be so healthy, chubby, and sweet—you could see exactly how much effort and love he poured into him. But he absolutely could not keep doing this out in the open! Timmy was still little, but what happens when he hits middle school? I couldn’t even fathom the psychological damage it would cause him when he realized the truth. The prejudice and judgment of society can utterly destroy a person. Thinking about this, I pulled snacks out of my desk drawer and shoved them into Timmy’s arms, my eyes full of maternal pity. “Eat up, sweetie. If you need more, just come find me.” Timmy nodded happily, and a second later, stuffed his cheeks full like a little hamster. He was too damn cute. After that, I requested Nolan come to school for a parent-teacher conference several more times. Until this issue was resolved, I wasn’t going to have a single moment of peace. But every single time, his brother wasn’t available. He was either “too busy” or “out of town on business.” “Out of town?! Your brother’s business requires him to travel out of town?!” I shot up from my desk. I was absolutely horrified. His clientele network is that massive?! Timmy looked up at me. “Yeah! He and a bunch of his friends went out of state this week to be gigolos over there! Our neighbor, Mrs. Smith, is watching me for a few days.” He has friends?! A GROUP OPERATION?! My vision literally went black. I almost passed out. I thought I was just quietly convincing a lone sex worker to leave the life. Turns out he’s part of an organized trafficking ring! This was dangerously close to crossing legal boundaries. If they got busted by a sting operation, what would happen to Timmy? An elementary school kid with no parents and his only brother in jail? And more importantly… with a felony on his record, Timmy could never get a federal job! “Timmy, the absolute second your brother gets back, tell him he needs to come see me immediately. Do you hear me?!” I pulled Timmy closer, lowering my voice, my face etched with extreme anxiety. Timmy looked at me and suddenly burst into a fit of giggles. Before I could even ask why, he covered his mouth and bolted away. Oh no. Timmy’s mental state seems to be deteriorating into madness! 06 A week later. Nolan finally showed up at my office. “Ms. Chloe, I’ve been unbelievably swamped lately. I’m so sorry it took me this long to come see you.” He rubbed his hands together and sat down in the chair across from my desk. The chair was a bit small, so he had to stretch his incredibly long legs out to the side. In an instant, he drew the attention of more than half the teachers in the office. He must have really rushed over here, because he was wearing a tight, white muscle tank. I have to admit, seeing a basic white tank top on him gave off this rugged, intense, masculine energy. No wonder he’s the gold standard in his industry. “Ms. Chloe, Timmy told me you wanted to talk. I have absolutely zero intention of changing careers. I know the work is exhausting and I get filthy every day, but it pays the bills and feeds me and Timmy. Plus, I actually enjoy doing it.” Nolan suddenly looked up, his eyes determined, neither arrogant nor submissive. Every single female teacher in the office shot their eyes over at us like laser beams. Chua, chua, chua. I panicked. Terrified he was going to expose himself completely, I grabbed his wrist and sprinted out the door. Nolan looked completely bewildered, just letting me drag him down the hall. It wasn’t until we reached an empty, secluded corner of the campus that I stopped, panting heavily, and finally let go of his hand. Looking around like a thief, I scolded him in a harsh whisper: “Why were you talking so loud in the staff office?!” If all those teachers found out what Nolan actually did for a living, how was Timmy supposed to survive the next three years of elementary school? I was just a student teacher on a temporary practicum. I was leaving in a few months. If Timmy got bullied after I left, who would protect him?! The more I thought about it, the angrier I got. I couldn’t help but raise my voice a little: “Is that the kind of thing you should be announcing in public?!” Nolan looked even more confused. “Is what I said really that shameful?” Shameful?! You could literally be arrested for it! “Look at you! You’re young, you have both your arms and legs, you could do literally anything else! Why do you insist on doing that?! What if you get caught? What’s going to happen to Timmy? And don’t you know doing that kind of work puts you at high risk for diseases?!” Nolan opened his mouth, clearly trying to explain, but a group of students started walking toward us down the hall. I quickly shoved him toward the campus exit, telling him in an exasperated tone to seriously think about what I said. Then I grabbed the students’ hands and walked briskly in the opposite direction. Just as we reached the classroom door, Timmy suddenly popped out from behind me, smiling like a sneaky little gremlin. “Pretty Ms. Chloe!” He tugged on my sleeve, signaling for me to bend down. “Ms. Chloe, what do you think of my brother? He’s single! And I like you so much… will you be my sister-in-law, please?” ?! All those times I asked his brother to come in for a meeting… Timmy must have completely misunderstood my intentions. I took a massive step back. Terrified of breaking Timmy’s little heart, I gently pulled his hand off my sleeve and gave him a soft, polite rejection: “Honey, your teacher doesn’t really like men in… that line of work.” But Timmy didn’t understand. Instead, he got anxious and gripped my sleeve even tighter. “My brother doesn’t have to be a gigolo! What about an escort? Do you like escorts, Ms. Chloe?” 07 “What?! He says his brother is an escort too?! So he literally caters to both men and women?!” I was on the phone, trauma-dumping this utterly mind-blowing revelation onto my best friend. My best friend let out a piercing, high-pitched scream that literally shook the phone in my hand. I groaned miserably. “Yes! His little brother is in third grade and already knows these terms! It absolutely has to be because of his older brother’s influence!” I originally thought Timmy just didn’t know what “gigolo” meant, but then he literally dropped the word “escort”! When he said that, I was so stunned I almost collapsed straight onto the floor. If Mr. Davis from the classroom next door hadn’t walked by and caught me, I probably would have ended up in the ER with a concussion. “Why don’t you just stop dealing with those two brothers? You’re just a student teacher anyway. You only have a few months left before you have to go back to campus for graduation.” My best friend paused for a second, hesitating before suggesting it. I had definitely thought about that. This wasn’t my permanent job. It was just a mandatory teaching practicum required by my university. I was only going to be here for another three or four months before I had to leave. Barring any miracles, I was never going to teach at this elementary school again. Very soon, a new teacher would take over my classroom. Whatever happened after that would have absolutely nothing to do with me. But Timmy was so young. He genuinely didn’t know what he should and shouldn’t be writing in his school journal. What if one day, he wrote about this again? And what if a new teacher saw it? What if she thought it was hilarious and made him read it out loud in front of the entire class as a joke? Not everyone who holds the title of “teacher” actually deserves it. That was what terrified me the most. My moral compass kept screaming at me: As long as you are the teacher in this classroom, you have to fix this. I’m the kind of person who helps an old lady cross the street even knowing I might get scammed. I’m the kind of person who gives money to the guy faking a limp on the sidewalk. I’m the kind of person who pays out of pocket for expensive vet bills when I find an injured stray cat. If the old lady scams me, that’s her bad karma. If the homeless guy is faking it… well, at least he isn’t actually injured, which is a good thing. If I heal the cat, it gets to live a happy, bouncy life again. When I see a problem, I physically cannot just walk away. “I have to fix this.” My best friend went quiet for a second, clearly having predicted my answer, and didn’t argue. But right before she hung up, she couldn’t resist throwing a jab at me: “Alright then. Just be careful you don’t accidentally fall in love with the gigolo while you’re trying to save him.” 08 Speak of the devil. I didn’t even have to hunt him down. The man who worked as both a gigolo and an escort voluntarily showed up right at my desk the very next day. But this time, he was bundled up tighter than a mummy. A crisp button-down shirt, black slacks, and he was even wearing a black surgical mask and a baseball cap pulled low. The only thing visible was a pair of bright, striking, fox-like eyes. I had just walked back from teaching a class when I saw him standing there. “You’re back, Ms. Chloe?” The moment he saw me, his eyes crinkled into a smile. I set my textbooks down and tilted my head, looking him up and down. “Why are you dressed like that?” Nolan sat down in the chair next to my desk, keeping his knees perfectly pressed together. “I was afraid Ms. Chloe would say I was dressed inappropriately again.” … Just because I told him his outfit the other day was inappropriate for a school setting. Now he was being incredibly passive-aggressive about it. He definitely holds a grudge. With a personality like that, how the hell does he survive in the service industry? “Ms. Chloe, I think there’s been a massive misunderstanding between us. I really want to clarify what we were talking about last time…” STOP! Why is he trying to talk about his sex work in the middle of the teachers’ lounge?! I lunged forward across my desk, slapping my hand directly over his masked mouth to cut him off. “Wait for me after school! We will find somewhere private to talk!” My adrenaline spiked, and I didn’t control my volume. Instantly, every single teacher in the room stopped what they were doing and stared at us with intense, burning curiosity. And there I was, practically sprawled across my desk, leaning entirely over Nolan’s chest. I shot backward in sheer embarrassment, grabbed his sleeve, and practically shoved him out the door to get him out of the room as fast as possible. When I scurried back to my desk and sat down. Ms. Davis, the English teacher sitting next to me, blinked her eyes rapidly, grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds, and leaned over. Her voice dripped with gossip: “Chloe, I saw you and him pulling each other outside the school gates the other day too.” “Is there… something going on between you two?” “You’ve got a great eye, Chloe! Timmy’s brother is hands-down the most gorgeous guy in this entire district.” “Spill the tea. How did it happen?…” …

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I went out to dinner with my boyfriend and ran into a pretty girl. She stood timidly by our table: “Professor Thorne, can I sit with you guys?” My boyfriend frowned: “Can’t you read the room?” Tears welled up in the girl’s eyes as she silently went to sit at a table nearby. Halfway through the meal, I ran into her again outside the restroom. Dropping her timid act, she looked at me with absolute certainty and said, “I bet you I can steal your boyfriend in three months. Believe me?” 01 Just looking at her, the girl was cute and petite. But the words coming out of her mouth were obnoxious and bratty. She lifted her chin, her round eyes flashing with a cunning light. I silently finished washing my hands, and as I walked out of the restroom, I threw one sentence over my shoulder: “He doesn’t like you.” As I stepped into the hallway, I heard her excited declaration behind me. “Just because he doesn’t like me now doesn’t mean he never will! Just wait and see!” Back at the table, I looked up at Ethan Thorne sitting across from me. He was wearing a suit and rimless glasses, looking refined and handsome. True to his profession as a college professor, every gesture he made exuded a gentle, intellectual charm. Seeing me return, he gave me a warm smile and slid a plate in front of me. “I cut your steak for you.” I hesitated for a moment, but couldn’t help bringing it up. “Ethan, that girl from earlier—” “She’s a psycho. Don’t pay any attention to her,” he cut me off directly. “Is she… a colleague of yours?” “How is that possible? She only has an associate’s degree.” “Then how do you know each other?” “She just suddenly started showing up at my lectures at the university, saying she wanted to ‘improve herself’—” As he spoke, Ethan looked at me teasingly, “What, are you jealous?” “She likes you,” I said with certainty. Ethan got up from his seat and sat down next to me. He put his arm around my shoulders and comforted me gently, “Don’t worry about it. I have absolutely zero interest in that crazy girl.” I gave a slight nod. 02 A week later. Coming home from work, I saw the girl again at the entrance to my apartment complex. She was wearing a pale yellow sundress, her hair in pigtails, batting her big, innocent eyes. “Let me introduce myself. I’m Chloe, Ethan Thorne’s next girlfriend.” I had never met anyone so brazen. Or, more accurately, so shameless. How could a girl so confidently declare her intention to steal someone else’s boyfriend? “He doesn’t like you.” I repeated my stance once again. “Let’s put it this way: there hasn’t been a man I, Chloe, couldn’t conquer in three months.” She looked incredibly arrogant. “I’ve set my sights on Ethan Thorne. I will definitely pluck that ‘unreachable flower’ for myself.” “Stealing someone else’s boyfriend… have you no shame?!” For the first time in my life, I, known for my good temper, swore at someone. “Oh, is big sister mad?” Chloe blinked. “Didn’t you say he doesn’t like me? Why are you so nervous?” “I just don’t like your behavior.” I said sternly. “Ethan doesn’t like your type; you can’t steal him away.” “I know. He likes gentle, sensible girls like you! Immature and rebellious girls like me aren’t his type.” She shrugged. “Don’t worry, I’ll transform into exactly the kind of girl he likes very soon.” “Ethan Thorne isn’t like you. He has morals and self-control. He won’t fall for you,” I enunciated every word. “How about this? Let’s make a bet,” she said with a beaming smile. “I heard you two have a great relationship, he spoils you, and you’re already planning to get married. And, from what I know, you haven’t even moved in together yet. You’re a traditional girl, haven’t crossed that final line with him yet, right? I bet you, within three months, I will definitely sleep with him. Do you dare to take the bet?” “Psycho.” I walked past her and headed straight into the complex. “Why do you both love saying that word? Is that how ‘refined’ people curse?” She chuckled behind me. “I sent you a friend request on Snapchat. Accept it so I can update you on our progress anytime.” 03 Not long after I got home, the doorbell rang. I opened the door to find Ethan standing there with groceries. He headed straight for the kitchen, just like always. “You watch TV; I’ll make dinner.” Ethan is a great cook. As long as he doesn’t have an evening class, he comes straight to my place after work to cook for me. After dinner, we’d cuddle on the couch, watch TV, and chat. Sometimes, I’d go to the study to catch up on work, and he’d stick right by my side, reading a book. Occasionally, when we felt like it, we’d hold hands and go for a walk by the river, or catch a movie. We are both introverted and dislike loud, crowded places. Our days together were simple, but very warm. We had been dating for over half a year, and Ethan was flawless in every way. He had a mild temper and had never once lost it in front of me. He was considerate and took great care of me. When I was on my period, he’d make me ginger tea with brown sugar. He didn’t let me set an alarm; instead, he’d call me every morning exactly on time to wake me up. He cooked, cleaned, and did a lot of the housework. On top of that, he graduated from an Ivy League school, was knowledgeable and talented, and worked as a college professor. Sometimes, I felt like his wealth of knowledge was astounding. No matter what I asked him, he always had an answer. I like photography, and when I was buying a camera, he actually gave me professional advice. Once, we were watching a medical drama on TV. He chuckled and shook his head, critiquing it: “So unprofessional. Not even holding the scalpel right.” “You know that too?” I turned to look at him in surprise. “I’ve seen it enough times to know,” he said nonchalantly. I stared at him earnestly, my eyes full of admiration: “Ethan Thorne, is there anything you don’t know?” He thought for a moment, then sighed playfully: “Life is hard; you gotta have many skills.” Ethan Thorne was the perfect boyfriend many girls dreamed of. We had always gotten along perfectly. Last month, he proposed to me. “Isn’t it a bit fast?” I was a little surprised. He held me tightly: “Maya, I can’t wait to marry you.” “We haven’t even met each other’s parents yet.” “Then, for Thanksgiving, we’ll go meet them. My family first, then yours, okay?” “How about Christmas?” I hesitated. “Thanksgiving is only two months away. It feels too rushed; I’m not mentally prepared yet.” Ethan let out a soft sigh, his tone helpless but accommodating: “Alright, whatever you want.” 04 For dinner, Ethan made a lavish spread of three dishes and a soup, all my favorite flavors. After we ate, he washed the dishes. Then we watched TV together on the couch. The male and female leads in the romance drama embraced and kissed sweetly; even the air seemed filled with pink bubbles. Caught up in the atmosphere, Ethan turned to look at me, his eyes flickering with intense desire. He pulled my head toward him and gently kissed my forehead first. Then, his mouth slowly moved down. When I felt his hand about to slip under my shirt, I pushed him away. I hugged myself, looking down, my tone full of self-blame: “I’m sorry, Ethan, I just can’t accept this yet—” Ethan took a few heavy breaths. After a moment, he actually chuckled lightly: “It’s okay, Maya. I got carried away. I promised I wouldn’t touch you until we were married. I lost control.” I sobbed softly: “I know, I’m just too traditional. In today’s society, it’s totally normal for couples to sleep together. But I just can’t get past that mental hurdle. If we’re not legally married, I really can’t cross that line. Maybe there’s something wrong with me!” “No, there is nothing wrong with you.” Ethan gently pulled me into a hug. “It’s good for a girl to respect herself; you’re protecting yourself. I’m so happy and lucky to have met a girl as rare and precious as you. I will hold you in the palm of my hand and cherish you like a treasure.” Ethan looked at me with deep affection, the burning intensity in his eyes so strong it felt like it could incinerate me. Just as I was about to crumble under his intense gaze, his phone rang. “Answer it,” I reminded him. Ethan picked up the phone, glanced at it, and pressed ‘ignore’ with an annoyed look. “Why didn’t you answer?” “Irrelevant call.” But a moment later, the phone rang again. He ignored it again. The caller was persistent; the phone rang over and over. It seemed like a contest of patience. Ethan’s patience ran out, and he finally answered the call. His tone was very impatient: “What is it?” I don’t know if I was imagining things, but I thought I heard a girl crying through the receiver. Ethan took the phone out to the balcony. A few minutes later, he hung up. “Maya, something came up. I have to go.” “Okay.” He bent down, kissed me on the forehead, and left in a hurry. 05 That night, lying in bed, I tossed and turned. My routine is very regular; I’m usually in bed by 10:00 PM every night. By 10:30 PM, I’m asleep. So, every night before 10:30 PM, Ethan always sends me a “goodnight” text. But now it was 10:35 PM, and he hadn’t texted me. I opened Snapchat and saw the red notification dot. It was the friend request from that girl, Chloe. I tapped it repeatedly but hesitated to accept. After a moment of indecision, I finally pressed ‘Accept’. A notification popped up—You are now friends with Chloe. Almost immediately, a message from Chloe came through. “I sprained my ankle. I’m at the hospital right now. Guess who’s with me?” I replied: “Not interested.” Chloe: “Are you just afraid to face the truth? Well, I’m going to tell you anyway. It’s your boyfriend, Ethan Thorne. He brought me to the hospital, he’s with me right now seeing the doctor, and he’s going to take me home later.” I didn’t reply. But she was relentless, continuing her message bombardment. “I thought about it, and my previous clingy, desperate approach was a bit too aggressive; he probably doesn’t like that. He likes girls who are gentle and sensible, like you. I can fake that too.” “I’m a chameleon. To get a man, I can become any type of girl.” “It’s just acting weak; who doesn’t know how to do that? When I sprained my ankle tonight, I just cried on the phone to him and said the pain was unbearable.” “He totally fell for it. After just a few sobs, he rushed straight to my place. Seeing my swollen ankle, he insisted on bringing me to the hospital. What does this mean? It means he’s starting to care about me.” “Big sister, your boyfriend isn’t that hard to get after all.” 06 The next morning, I received Ethan’s wake-up call right on time. “Sleepyhead, time to wake up.” His voice was as gentle as ever. I sniffled: “Ethan, when you rushed off last night, was it for work?” There was a moment of silence on Ethan’s end. “Maya, I can’t lie to you. I’m sorry, yesterday I left because Chloe sprained her ankle and called me for help. I took her to the hospital.” He continued explaining: “She was crying so hard on the phone. I thought, she’s just a girl all alone here with no family or friends, so I—” “Ethan, I believe you.” I cut him off. “You’ve always been a gentleman. Even though you seem aloof on the outside, you have a kind heart. How could you not help someone in need?” Ethan breathed a sigh of relief: “Maya, thank you for understanding. I knew you were the most understanding and thoughtful girlfriend.” In the morning, I went to work and had a meeting that lasted over two hours. When I finally came out, I was starving. I grabbed my phone from my desk and rushed to the cafeteria. After getting my food and sitting down, I lit up my phone screen while I ate. Seeing over thirty missed calls, I jumped. While I was staring in shock, the phone rang again. I quickly answered it. “Ethan, why did you call me so many times?” An anxious voice came from the other end: “Maya, where did you go? Why didn’t you answer my calls?” “I didn’t go anywhere; I’m at the office.” “Then why didn’t you answer?” “I had a meeting this morning, you know that.” “But don’t your meetings usually only last an hour?” “The regional managers are coming for an inspection next week, so there was a lot of prep work to go over. The meeting ran long.” “Oh, I see. You scared me. I thought something happened to you; I was about to rush over to your office.” “Ethan, honestly, you don’t need to be so nervous. You know we can’t bring our phones into meetings. What could possibly happen to me at the office?” “I can’t help it. I just worry about you. When I can’t reach you, my mind starts racing, and I’m terrified something happened.” I sighed, comforted him for a while, and finally hung up. Ethan was great in every way, a textbook perfect boyfriend. But there was one thing: he was overly anxious about me. He would call me many times a day. If I missed even one call, he would keep calling non-stop. Most of the time, I keep my phone on me, so I can answer his calls immediately. But situations like today have happened before. I had told him not to be so nervous. I’d call him back as soon as I saw a missed call; he didn’t need to keep dialing. I told him that unless I didn’t answer or call back for over half a day, nothing bad had happened. A missed call for an hour or two really wasn’t a big deal. I told him: “I only talk to my parents every two or three days.” “No, I have to be able to reach you anytime, anywhere. I need to know what you’re doing,” he insisted forcefully.

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To fulfill the original host’s final wish, the moment I transmigrated into this novel, I was immediately hit with the female lead’s emotional blackmail. “Maya, I’m begging you, please give the valedictorian spot to me! This spot means nothing to you!” “But I’m different! This valedictorian spot is my only chance to turn my life around!” The female lead stood on the roof of the school building, her eyes brimming with tears. She seemed to be pouring her heart out, but her words were subtly accusing me of stealing the valedictorian spot that supposedly belonged to her. My homeroom teacher, who had always had it out for me, ignored the situation and forcefully demanded that I surrender the spot. The cameras were focused on my incredibly calm face. Watching this self-directed melodrama unfold, amidst the urging and accusations of the crowd, I slowly spoke up: “Sure, if you want it, I’ll give it to you!” 01 “W-What did you say?” Standing on the roof, Chloe seemed uncertain. A flicker of shock crossed her face, which had been prepped for a full-blown hysterical breakdown. Seeing her act so easily turned on and off, I couldn’t help but find it funny, but I still spoke loudly and clearly: “I said, if you want this valedictorian spot, I’ll give it to you!” Now, not only was Chloe stunned, but so were the principal, the teachers, and the students watching the spectacle. Everyone knew how incredibly difficult it was to get the valedictorian spot. Every year, students fought tooth and nail for it. It wasn’t something you could easily snatch away just by throwing a tantrum. Whoever gave it away would be an absolute idiot! But I really did give it away. “Are you telling the truth?!” Chloe was still standing near the edge of the roof, but her voice now carried a hint of hesitation. According to her plan, I wasn’t supposed to agree so quickly. I was supposed to be publicly condemned under her emotional blackmail, and only then would I reluctantly surrender the spot. After all, in the original novel, the host was cyberbullied relentlessly precisely because she refused to back down! But me? My whole brand is doing the unexpected! “What else can I do? You’re threatening me with suicide. Could I really just let you die?” I worked up some emotion, and my eyes instantly turned red the moment I spoke. The first step in countering emotional blackmail is, naturally, to retreat in order to advance, to use softness to conquer hardness! I spoke earnestly: “We’re classmates. Is there anything we can’t discuss privately? Threatening suicide like this, besides giving the school a bad reputation, is irresponsible to your own life.” “Have you thought about your parents? You’re their only daughter. How can you face them after doing this?” “I know you’re on financial aid and things are hard at home, but that’s exactly why you can’t joke around with your life!” “With so many classmates here as witnesses, I’m giving you the valedictorian spot. Please stop this and come down!” My voice choked with emotion, my eyes growing redder with every word. Every step I took back, every earnest word I spoke, almost immediately shifted the narrative that was previously against me. “Maya, are you really willing to give up the valedictorian spot?” The principal, who had just been urging me to agree, suddenly seemed hesitant. “I can’t just watch her do something stupid.” I sighed, my eyes red, looking wronged yet helpless: “Even though you promised me, Principal, that as long as I won gold at the Nationals, the only valedictorian spot would be mine.” “I don’t know why this happened, or why Chloe is acting like this. But if she wasn’t desperate, she probably wouldn’t be causing such a scene.” I lowered my head and wiped my tears. My words even carried a hint of manipulative innocence. Retreating to advance, showing vulnerability to the opponent and everyone else, and using manipulative language to frame myself as the helpless victim—I wanted to see if Chloe still had the gall to accept the valedictorian spot I was personally handing over! The principal looked at me with a hint of admiration. Only the homeroom teacher, Mr. Davis, looked at me with suspicion. He lowered his voice and said to me: “Are you serious? Don’t play games with me now!” “And now you’re blaming Chloe? If you had given up the spot earlier, none of this would have happened!” “I think you’re just selfish! Playing the victim while getting exactly what you want!” Damn it! What the hell is this?! My fists are itching! I looked at Mr. Davis, his eyes full of disgust, my own eyes turning icy. Remembering the unfair treatment the original host suffered because of him in the novel, anger flared within me. Without hesitation, I raised my voice: “Mr. Davis, how can you say that about me!” Because he had deliberately lowered his voice, the people around us hadn’t heard what he just said. In the original novel, the host always endured it, thinking it was better to avoid trouble, believing that if she just put up with it, it would pass. But I’m different! “Mr. Davis, the principal gave me this valedictorian spot. It’s not just something you can give away on a whim!” “If you were in my shoes, would you willingly give away a spot you worked so hard for?” “I only gave it up to save Chloe’s life. How can you say I’m playing the victim while getting what I want?!” I deliberately raised my voice so everyone present could hear me. At this moment, all eyes were on Mr. Davis and me. Even the principal turned to look at us. And I seized the moment. I let the tears flow freely, acting completely emotionally shattered. I covered my face and started sobbing: “Waaaah—Was I wrong to work so hard for this valedictorian spot? Why is everyone forcing me? If this is how it is, why did you give it to me in the first place?!” “I’ve already decided to give it to her, why are you still criticizing me? I know you’ve never liked me, Mr. Davis. If that’s the case, I’ll just transfer schools!” “As long as I transfer, the spot can legitimately go to Chloe, and no one will be put in a difficult position!” I squatted on the ground, crying uncontrollably. Everyone looked at me with sympathy. Some teachers had already started gathering around to comfort me. But Mr. Davis stood there with a livid face, yelling at me as if his brain had shrunk: “Maya, if you have the guts, then transfer!” “Don’t think you can threaten the school just because you have good grades! Let’s see which school would take an orphan who can’t even afford tuition!” “Do you think you could have gotten into the Nationals without the school giving you the opportunity? Stop acting like you’re so great!” The principal had taken a phone call earlier and wandered off somewhere. Otherwise, Mr. Davis wouldn’t have dared to be so arrogant in front of him. Plus, as the head of the grade and the homeroom teacher of the school’s advanced class, no other teacher usually dared to cross him. He belittled me to nothingness, just as he did to the original host. It seemed that no matter how many achievements I had, or how good my grades were, in his eyes, I would always be useless. And his hatred for the original host didn’t come from nowhere. During a class, the host pointed out an error in his calculation and steps for a problem. Feeling humiliated, Mr. Davis flew into a rage, brutally berating the host in front of the entire class. But that was only the surface. The host was a genius. If she weren’t an orphan, her talent might have gotten her into an early college program, exposing her to a world others could never reach. Mr. Davis realized this more than anyone. But as a teacher, he didn’t feel sorry for her; instead, he was jealous. Jealous that she possessed a talent he didn’t, and that she would reach heights he could never touch. His internal imbalance twisted him. He constantly suppressed her, belittled her efforts, and mocked her background, all in an attempt to drag her down into the dirt so she would never rise! Disgusting! How does someone like him deserve to be a teacher?! Chloe had already been brought down from the roof by the dean. Hearing Mr. Davis belittle me, her face was full of smugness. So what if my grades were better? As long as Mr. Davis disliked me, I would always be beneath her! Mr. Davis looked at me with a sneer: “I think you might as well drop out. With your family background, even if you get into college, you won’t be able to afford it!” “You’re better off entering the workforce early so you don’t starve later!” “Transfer? Hah! Let’s see which blind school would take you!” 02 “I’ll take her!” As soon as Mr. Davis finished speaking, a booming voice echoed from nearby. The sneer on his face instantly morphed into shock. This was undeniably a public slap in the face! The onlookers felt that this scene was far more interesting than Chloe’s suicide threat. Following the voice, they saw a middle-aged man in his forties, hands clasped behind his back, leading a group of people swiftly toward us. The principal, walking beside him, looked as if he wanted to burn a hole through Mr. Davis with his glare—who knows how much of Mr. Davis’s rant he had overheard. “Are you—” Mr. Davis frowned at the bald man, seeming to recognize him. Just as he was about to ask, the man didn’t even spare him a glance. He walked right past him, grabbed my hand without hesitation, and said excitedly: “Maya! As soon as I got your text, our teachers and I rushed over here without stopping!” “I’m so thrilled! Absolutely thrilled! You finally figured it out!” The man held my hand tightly, looking at me as if I were a giant, glittering nugget of gold, his eyes sparkling. “Don’t worry, the offer is exactly the same as I promised before. If you come to our school, Lincoln High, not only will your tuition be fully covered, but the school will also give you a $2,000 monthly living stipend! Room and board are entirely on us; all you have to do is focus on the SATs!” “Furthermore, if you guarantee you’ll score in the top 50 in the state, the school will give you an extra $10,000 scholarship. Top 20 gets $15,000, top 10 gets $20,000! And if you become the state valedictorian, we double it!” “What do you say?” “Sounds good.” Under his expectant gaze, I nodded without hesitation. After all, from the moment I texted him, I had no intention of staying at this school! “Are you… Principal Carter of Lincoln High?” Mr. Davis swallowed hard, staring in utter shock at the scene unfolding before him, which was practically making his blood pressure spike. What did he just see? The principal of the top high school in the city not only publicly humiliated him but was also excitedly holding my hand, inviting me to transfer! And from the looks of it, Principal Carter had tried to poach me more than once privately. “Yeah, what do you want?” Hearing Mr. Davis, Principal Carter, who had just been so warm to me, instantly changed his expression, his voice dripping with annoyance. He didn’t even glance at Mr. Davis. Instead, he turned to Principal Miller, whose face was green, and mocked: “Miller, this is the kind of teacher you have at your school? Publicly belittling and insulting students? Where are his professional ethics? Eaten by a dog? Your school actually dares to employ someone like this!” After saying that, he immediately turned back to me, his face full of smiles: “But our school is different!” “Rest assured, Maya, I guarantee our teachers are absolutely student-centered and respectful. A situation like this—lacking professional ethics and moral boundaries—will absolutely, definitely never happen!” “Right, Ms. Wright?!” “Yes, yes, yes!” The female teacher behind him, having been called upon, stepped forward immediately without hesitation, gripping my hand tightly with a gentle smile: “Maya, it’s so good to finally meet you! Let me introduce myself, I’m the homeroom teacher for the advanced class at Lincoln High.” “I’ve heard so much about you, and I finally get to meet you today! Don’t worry, my senior class is a very united and warm family. You will definitely feel at home there.” What kind of pyramid scheme pitch is this! Looking at her gentle and sincere expression, I suppressed the twitch at the corner of my mouth and nodded at her. “I’ll be in your care, Ms. Wright.” Hearing this, the group of Lincoln High teachers who had come to poach me looked so happy they were ready to jump. “Let’s go, let’s go! We’re going to process your transfer paperwork right now! Which class are you in? I’ll have a teacher pack your things for you!” Principal Carter’s face crinkled into a massive smile. Ignoring Principal Miller’s dark expression, he pulled me toward the administration office. Now, not only was Mr. Davis dumbfounded, but Chloe was stunned, and all the watching teachers and students were completely floored! Who could have imagined things would turn out like this! Chloe stood there, looking like she was about to shatter. She only wanted to force me to give up the valedictorian spot. Who would have thought I would get poached by the top high school in the city! Mr. Davis was even more bewildered. He probably never imagined I had connections with the principal of Lincoln High, and it seemed they had tried to poach me multiple times! In the original novel, the host caught the eye of the Lincoln High principal long before moving from the state competition to the nationals. She repeatedly rejected his invitations out of gratitude to her current school, which had made an exception to admit her and waived her tuition. She remembered the school’s kindness and kept backing down. But when faced with Chloe’s scheming, emotional blackmail, cyberbullying, and public condemnation, the school abandoned her without hesitation. Her endurance and suffering gained her nothing, ultimately costing her her life! But in the face of injustice and emotional blackmail, enduring is an endless sea of suffering, and resisting is like throwing eggs at a rock—neither is the action of a wise person. Clearly, the original host didn’t realize this. Because if she had, she would have understood that her skills and grades were her greatest leverage. She didn’t need to endure, nor did she need to fight. She just needed to be ruthless! There’s always someone who appreciates her achievements and values her hard work. If this place doesn’t want me, another place will! Be ruthless, jump ship, and use your own abilities to deliver a resounding slap to the faces of everyone who ever bullied you! 03 “Maya, are you sure you want to transfer to another school during such a critical period?” “Even though Lincoln High is a top school, you’ve lived and studied here at Washington High for two years. Moving to a new environment will inevitably affect you!” “I promise you, as long as you don’t go to Lincoln High, the valedictorian spot is still yours!” “Or any other conditions, you can name them right now!” Principal Miller gritted his teeth, making his final stand. After all, he knew that with my grades, as long as I performed consistently, I had an 80% chance of becoming the state valedictorian in the upcoming SATs. What school would willingly let a potential state valedictorian slip away to a rival school! I imagine if it weren’t for today’s fiasco, or if he had been a bit firmer, things wouldn’t have escalated to this point! I clearly saw Principal Miller shoot a glare at Mr. Davis. I bet he wanted to rip Mr. Davis’s head off and kick it like a soccer ball! Mr. Davis kept his head down. This was the first time I saw a hint of panic on his face, probably because he knew that losing a top student like me would definitely make the principal direct his anger at him. Let alone keeping his position as head of the grade, he’d probably get stripped of his role as the homeroom teacher for the advanced class! So even if it meant throwing away his pride, he had to make me stay. “Maya, earlier… your teacher was just too anxious and misspoke.” “I apologize to you. Can you find it in your heart to be the bigger person? For the sake of the school that recognized your potential, please stay.” “Not a chance.” I shook my head at Mr. Davis without hesitation, saying slowly: “Mr. Davis, you really don’t need to bend over backward for me. Because deep down, you know you owe me more than just this one apology.” The naked sarcasm in my eyes made Mr. Davis’s face instantly darken. But with the principal present, he didn’t dare say a word in anger! “Alright, Miller, sign the papers and let her go! You couldn’t keep her because of your own issues; own up to your losses.” “If you have time to figure out how to keep students, you should instead investigate the ethics of your faculty, so no more students get poisoned.” “Of course, if your advanced class has any more students wanting to transfer, Lincoln High is more than happy to welcome them.” Principal Carter sounded like he was urging him, but his words were dripping with sarcasm. I can only say, as expected of a top high school principal—he knows exactly how to hit where it hurts! With things escalating to this point, and the rival principal showing up in person, not letting me go was out of the question. No matter how reluctant he was, Principal Miller had to grit his teeth and sign. “Now that’s more like it! Don’t worry about the little girl not adjusting. I’ll make sure she has the best environment to get top scores!” “This prized student you couldn’t keep at Washington High, Lincoln High is very happy to accept!” Principal Carter laughed heartily, grabbing the transfer form and trying to lead me away. But just as he stepped out of the office, Mr. Davis called out: “Wait!” Mr. Davis seemed to have remembered something, a sudden look of triumph appearing on his face. “For her to transfer, the school letting her go isn’t enough. Her legal guardian must also agree.” “Her legal guardian must be present and sign before this transfer is officially valid!” Mr. Davis looked at me with sheer amusement, acting as if he had grabbed my lifeline, completely carried away by his own smugness. “Davis, don’t give me that bullshit!” Principal Carter was furious. If they weren’t in a school, he’d probably have grabbed Mr. Davis by the collar without hesitation. “Everyone knows Maya is an orphan. Aren’t you afraid of getting struck by lightning for saying something like that?!” “Miller, how is a guy like this a teacher? Does Washington High even care?!” Principal Miller shot a glance at Mr. Davis. On one hand, he despised Mr. Davis’s actions; on the other, it was clear he really didn’t want to lose a top student like me. As long as he could keep a top student, who cares about looking shameless! “Carter, Maya’s situation is indeed very special. Our school took a huge risk accepting her back then.” “Transferring schools must follow procedure. How about this.” Principal Miller cleared his throat: “Why not give us some time? With everything that happened today, Maya’s emotions are probably unstable. I’ll make time to consult with the Board of Education and come up with a solution. What do you think?” Principal Miller was clearly stalling for time, ideally until college applications opened. Then, even if I wanted to transfer, I’d be out of luck and forced to stay here under their control. Old ginger is definitely spicier! These old geezers are digging deeper and deeper holes! “You!” Principal Carter’s cheek twitched with anger, but since he was on their turf and my situation was indeed unique, he could only try to think of another way. “Maya, why don’t you head back to class for now? We shouldn’t delay your studies!” Principal Miller looked at me with a triumphant smile. He must have thought my transfer was officially dead in the water. But… he was overthinking it! “Principal Miller, it really doesn’t have to be that complicated.” The corners of my mouth curled up into a smile, and right in front of him, I pulled out my phone: “It’s just missing a guardian’s signature, right? Calling my parents over will only take about ten minutes.” “It’s no trouble at all!” With that, ignoring their increasingly shocked and horrified expressions, I dialed the number saved as “Dad.” He answered almost immediately. After I briefly explained the situation, he didn’t hesitate for a second and said he was on his way. Mr. Davis’s mouth twitched, his face dark. He was the first to snap out of the shock, a look of disdain appearing on his face: “Maya, you didn’t just hire actors to fool us, did you!” I didn’t answer, just smiled silently at him. About ten minutes later, a middle-aged man in a suit walked into the office. Seeing the man’s face, which bore a striking resemblance to mine, the disdain on Mr. Davis’s face instantly turned to panic. Principal Miller literally stood up from his chair. But it wasn’t out of shock; it was out of fear. “Mr. Sterling!” Principal Miller looked in disbelief at the man standing beside me, his voice even trembling slightly. But he quickly recovered. “Mr. Sterling… Maya is your—” “My biological daughter!” Mr. Sterling’s voice was incredibly authoritative. After all, he was a self-made billionaire who built his empire from scratch; his aura was nothing like that of a normal person. Principal Miller’s face went pale, and Mr. Davis’s expression was equally unreadable. After all, who didn’t know Mr. Sterling? He was the richest man in the city, and not long ago, he had donated money to set up a scholarship at the school. At the time, Mr. Davis had been part of the welcoming committee with the principal. “So, what exactly is going on here?” Mr. Sterling looked at me, his eyes revealing worry and deep affection. And so, in front of everyone, I recounted everything that had just happened, down to the last detail. I also helpfully explained to the group how my family and I had reunited. “I still have to thank the school for giving me the opportunity to participate in the competition. Otherwise, my parents wouldn’t have seen the article about me in the newspaper and found me.” I smiled sweetly at Principal Miller and Mr. Davis, expressing my gratitude, but the smile didn’t reach my eyes. Although the original novel didn’t go into detail about this part, the host’s memories clearly recorded the entire process of reuniting with her billionaire parents. The reason the host didn’t reveal she had reunited with her billionaire parents was because she was used to her previously low-key life. Furthermore, her parents felt immensely guilty for losing her in the first place. They wanted to respect her wishes and didn’t want the news to affect her studies. They planned to throw a grand coming-of-age party after she finished the SATs to announce the return of their beloved daughter. Unfortunately, in the original novel, the host never made it to that day. Because of the overwhelming cyberbullying instigated by the female lead, she developed depression and died by suicide, swallowing pills. “So, in a place I couldn’t see, this is how your school treated my daughter, is it?” After hearing everything, Mr. Sterling’s face turned frighteningly dark. He looked at Mr. Davis as if he wanted to murder him right then and there! He shielded me behind him, slammed his hand hard onto the principal’s desk, and, furious to the core, roared: “I, Robert Sterling, owed my daughter for eighteen years! I finally get the chance to find her, and I haven’t even had the time to spoil her yet. Where do you get the nerve to say those things to her!” “The Sterling family isn’t short on money. Whatever Maya owes the school, I’ll pay back every last cent. From now on, my daughter owes you absolutely nothing.” “She’s Robert Sterling’s daughter. She can go wherever she wants. Let’s see who dares to stop her!” Hearing this, Principal Carter couldn’t help but look thrilled. Seizing the moment, he slid the transfer application toward Mr. Sterling. Watching Mr. Sterling sign it without a second thought, his smile was so wide his face practically bloomed. He patted my shoulder in praise: “Like father, like daughter! You and your dad have the exact same no-nonsense, decisive personality!” “Great! I love it!” Lol! I have to admit, I’m loving this face-slapping moment too! The tables had turned again, bringing joy to some and despair to others. Principal Miller slumped in his chair, looking utterly defeated. He lost a top student and offended Mr. Sterling. Now, the investment they had discussed earlier was surely going down the drain! With a cold snort, Mr. Sterling took my hand and walked out of the principal’s office.

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My sister and I both got the chance to return to when we were twenty. She beat me to it, rushing to the intersection where the A-list actor was injured, waiting to save him. “Sister, the chance to marry him is mine!” I watched her back and laughed out loud. Who goes back in time and makes finding a man their first priority? Obviously, I chose to use the opportunity to get rich! Later, my sister successfully bagged my husband from my past life. While she was parading him around in front of me, the husband she was so proud of was kissing up to me with an eager smile: “Ms. Vance, it’s been far too long.” “I’d love to chat with you about the new movie you’re investing in!” Bet you didn’t see that coming. I’m making bank! 01 “Chloe, why hasn’t your sister been coming to class?” A classmate handed me the breakfast she bought for me and secretly asked why Mia had been skipping class again. I shook my head. “I don’t know, she hasn’t been sleeping at home lately either.” But I actually knew exactly where Mia was. She was keeping my future husband company. Mia and I both got a chance to return to when we were twenty and change our destinies. In my previous life, when I was twenty, I saved the A-list actor, Liam Hayes, from a car accident. Later, he introduced me to acting, and relying on that connection, my career took off. At thirty-six, Liam and I got married, and I transitioned into directing, a career that also went smoothly. When Mia saw me get my first acting role, she immediately quit the job our parents had set up for her and threw a tantrum until they let her enter the entertainment industry. She spent half her life struggling, but besides leeching off my name for a little exposure, she achieved nothing. She only left behind a few terrible movies that gossip accounts occasionally dragged out to mock. Mia always believed that all my success was solely due to saving Liam Hayes when I was twenty. So, as soon as we transmigrated back, Mia had our parents lock me in the house. “I’m going to save Liam Hayes. The chance to marry him is mine. “Even if we do this again, Mom and Dad still don’t like you, and Liam will fall in love with me!” I wasn’t angry. I had already experienced our parents’ attitude once, and I saw right through them. I didn’t expect anything from them in my past life, and I certainly wouldn’t in this one. “Do you really want to marry Liam that badly?” “Of course, why else would I go through all this trouble to come back?!” Through the glass door, Mia’s face was a bit blurry, but her voice was crystal clear: “Chloe, I brought you back specifically so you could watch it happen.” Uh… wow. I had to cover my mouth to keep my laughter from escaping. Who else could relate? Waking up and painlessly returning to being twenty. My sister has always been an idiot, but when aimed in the right direction, her idiocy can be a weapon of mass destruction. To make her feel secure, I grabbed the door handle and feigned agony: “How could you do this to me? “Liam won’t love you!” Mia lifted her chin high: “This time, the one who gets everything is me.” After Mia left, I wiped my face, cleaning off the tears I had just acted out. Looking at this familiar yet foreign room, I couldn’t help but laugh out loud. This is great. Having a second chance at life, who would waste it looking for a man? Of course, you use the opportunity to fix mistakes and get filthy rich! Besides, Liam Hayes is no saint anyway. 02 When school ended in the evening, Mia was absent, so Dad wouldn’t drive over to pick us up. But I was already used to this kind of behavior. After all, they weren’t my biological parents. In my past life, it took me a lot of time to find out that Mia’s dad, Arthur Vance, was actually my uncle. After my parents died, he inherited all their assets and told everyone I was his biological daughter. When I was young, I wondered why my parents treated me so poorly while spoiling Mia rotten. I later realized I was never truly part of their family. Arthur felt that adopting me was unfair to Mia. She was supposed to be an only child, but now I was added to the mix. Why didn’t he think about how his entire family was living off my parents’ money? In my past life, they kept me in the dark. By the time I found out the truth, Arthur had already used my parents’ money to start a company and had enjoyed it for more than half his life. But now, there’s still time for everything. Thank you, Mia, for using your smooth brain to help me achieve this dream. I don’t know what she traded to get the ability to reverse time, but it doesn’t matter, as long as it wasn’t my sacrifice. … “You want to audition?” The staff member at the door looked at me in confusion. “This is an internal casting call. How did you know about it? Don’t cause trouble, hurry up and leave.” I smiled. “Why not let me try? You could ask the director. Maybe I’m exactly what he’s looking for.” This secret audition was for a movie that would go on to win an Oscar in my past life, which is when the public finally heard about it. A major character was cut from the film because the director couldn’t find the right actor. In my past life, he personally told me that if we had met back then, that role would have been mine. Without Liam Hayes, I can still act. As I expected, Director Davis was extremely satisfied with my performance. After all, in my past life, he would talk to me about this character every time we met. Besides himself, I was probably the person who understood this character best in the world. “Chloe, your acting is excellent. You don’t seem like a newcomer who’s never been on screen before at all.” Director Davis sent me a video on WhatsApp. It was my audition tape. “You are the most naturally gifted person I have ever seen!” “Thank you, Director Davis.” I smiled at my phone. It wasn’t talent; it was a gift from fate. 03 While I successfully landed the role, Mia was still tangled up with Liam Hayes. She stopped going to school altogether, spending every day running around Liam’s hospital room. After all, in her mind, snagging an A-list actor was more important than anything. I decided to take a leave of absence from school first. Once that was sorted, I focused on studying the script, waiting to join the production. “Chloe, you’re not taking a leave of absence to go find Liam, are you?” Mia sneered: “He doesn’t even know you right now, it’s useless even if you go. “Stop struggling. I saved him before you could, he won’t love you anymore.” I was speechless, but I still pretended to be very sad. “I don’t believe it. Liam loves my soul.” Thank goodness I’m a good actor; I can deliver any line with a straight face. Mia looked even more smug. “Just wait and watch me become the Best Actress.” I almost burst out laughing. Mia had no idea that Liam’s car accident had left him with permanent, private damage. He married me in my past life to hide his condition. In exchange, he acted in my directorial debut for free, and I kept his secret. After we married, Liam had zero scandals, which in Mia’s eyes became proof of his love for me. It’s hilarious. He wanted to have scandals, but the equipment was lacking. “Chloe, you’re scared, aren’t you? Scared I’ll take everything from you.” Mia, who had been completely crushed by me in our past life, now had eyes full of malicious glee. I sighed softly. See, opportunities are only for those with brains. Someone like Mia could reverse time a hundred times and still fail a hundred times. Does a fool become smart just by going back in time? How is that possible? It’s not a brain transplant. Every time I see Mia wracking her brain to come up with some petty, spiteful scheme, I marvel at the wonders of creation. But I’ll still play along with her act. I just love watching people I hate run toward their predetermined doom and seeing the agonizing realization on their faces when they learn the truth. Oh, if this were a novel, I’d definitely be the evil step-sister. 04 I didn’t tell anyone I was joining the film production. The day I left home, Mia brought Liam back to the house. She linked arms with him and looked at me haughtily: “Sister, this is Liam, the famous actor.” I didn’t say anything, looking very sad. Liam looked the same as he used to. There was a hint of impatience in his eyes, but he hid it well. In our past life, he treated all the women swarming around him with this exact attitude. It seems Mia didn’t make very good use of her “saving his life” card. Arthur was very pleased with Liam. Like Mia, he warned me: “Stay away from your sister’s man.” I looked at his fat, greasy face, unable to find a single trace of resemblance to myself. If my real father were still alive, what would he look like? I pretended to be devastated and ran out the door. Behind me, Arthur yelled that I was ungrateful and told me never to come back. How is that possible, my dear uncle? Everything you took from my family, I’ll come back and take it all back, one by one. Mia thought I couldn’t handle the blow and ran away from home. She followed Liam onto his film set as a constant companion. Naturally, she didn’t know I had already taken a leave of absence from school. She was probably fantasizing about me crying my eyes out every day since I left. She didn’t know I was on the set right next to Liam’s. I filmed in secret with Director Davis for over half a year before returning to school. And Mia had already been expelled for excessive absences. The day I returned to school, Mia stood at the door, smiling as she watched me leave: “Chloe, going to school is your only option now, right? “Without Liam, how much better are you than me?” I smiled and said nothing. Director Davis had already paid me a portion of my salary. I took the money and consulted a lawyer to see how much of my inheritance I could get back, considering my current relationship with Arthur. The lawyer reviewed my information, thought for a long time, and asked me: “Have you ever considered one thing? “Your parents’ death might not have been that simple?” I froze: “Are you saying Arthur killed my parents?” My parents died in a fire. After they passed, Arthur took me in. Not long after, using the excuse that he didn’t want to leave me with psychological trauma, Arthur moved the whole family to a different city. That was all I had managed to find out before Mia and I returned to when we were twenty. Could it be that the fire that killed my parents was suspicious? 05 The lawyer said that arson is usually committed by someone the victims knew. “I suggest you investigate the fire that killed your parents first. “It’s almost impossible to get your inheritance back now. After twenty years, a lot of information is unverifiable.” His words lingered in my mind. So, the man I called “Dad” for so many years might be the murderer of my biological parents. In my past life, the information I found out said my parents had a great relationship and were deeply in love. The person helping me investigate even sighed and said to me, “Chloe, if your parents were still here, they would definitely love you very much.” They all felt sorry for me. But I’m someone who dislikes hypothetical scenarios. I believe in an eye for an eye. Fantasies solve nothing. Just as the lawyer said, after twenty years, I couldn’t possibly reclaim my inheritance through normal channels. But it didn’t matter. There’s no such thing as a perfect crime. If I peel back the layers and have enough patience, I will eventually get the ending I want. While I began investigating the fire from twenty years ago, paparazzi caught Mia and Liam together. Liam hadn’t responded yet. Mia couldn’t hold back and called me: “Chloe, you must be in so much pain, right? “Liam is planning to get engaged to me, and he even signed my management contract to his studio. “Without Liam’s help, you’re nothing. In this life, just wait to be crushed by me.” No matter what happens, Mia’s lack of intelligence never disappoints me. Is signing a management contract with Liam’s studio a good thing? Isn’t she just giving him complete control over her? “Mia, don’t just sign any contract without thinking.” “I have Liam looking out for me, I don’t need your fake kindness.” I smiled silently. “Mia, why do you hate me so much? In our past life, I tried hard to help you.” “You helped me? Then why didn’t you give your roles to me? Why did I have to start as a minor supporting character!” Obviously because your acting is terrible and you’re too ambitious! She could play a Z-list supporting character and still get dragged by netizens for her awful performance. I had the misfortune of seeing a compilation of her scenes. Every single facial feature landed in places I couldn’t even predict. If Liam is going to push Mia into acting in this life, I can only say the audience is in for a treat. In my past life, I did try to help Mia. I got her on variety shows and arranged roles for her. At the time, I hoped Mia would build a solid foundation. The roles I introduced her to weren’t major, but they were well-crafted. In her eyes, however, this was an insult. After one huge argument, I stopped caring about her entirely. Life is short. I can’t waste my time and kindness on irrelevant people.

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Because I went to the hospital a few times, I was collectively reported to the school board by the parents of my students. “Junior year is the most critical time! As the homeroom teacher, you need to be on call 24/7. Would it kill you to not go to the hospital?” “Even if it’s the weekend, what if we have an emergency and can’t reach you? If you don’t even have that basic level of dedication, why be a homeroom teacher?” “At the end of the day, he’s just selfish. People like him don’t deserve to be teachers!” I was both furious and stunned. For the past two years, I had poured my blood, sweat, and tears into a class that ranked dead last, dragging them all the way to number one in the district. I worked myself to the point of chronic illness, yet I didn’t dare take a single sick day because I was terrified it would negatively affect the students. And in the end, I was accused of being selfish? When my students found out I was being reported, they just looked at me with cold indifference. It had nothing to do with them. My heart completely froze. Fine. Whoever wants this homeroom teacher job can have it. A few months later, that same group of parents was standing on my front porch: “Mr. Evans, please, we’re begging you. Please come back.” 01 I got reported. The parents of my entire class signed a joint petition accusing me of “dereliction of duty,” demanding the school immediately strip me of my homeroom teacher title and my position as the AP Calculus instructor. When the principal broke the news to me, I felt like I had been struck by lightning. Ever since I took over this class, I had broken my back for them. I worked myself to the bone, always putting the students first. I practically handed them my beating heart on a silver platter. And these parents had the audacity to call me irresponsible?! “The parents in your class are extremely aggressive about this. They said if the school doesn’t meet their demands, they will escalate the complaint directly to the State Department of Education,” the principal said. My face looked terrible. The principal spoke sternly: “Mr. Evans, what you need to do right now is take a good, hard look in the mirror and reflect on your actions. If you were truly doing a flawless job, why would the parents collectively report you?” This was absolutely insane! How was this suddenly my fault? I opened my mouth to defend myself, but the principal waved me off impatiently. “Enough. Go home and wait for the administration’s decision.” Walking out of the principal’s office, my frustration boiled over. Finally, unable to hold it in, I typed a message into the class Parent-Teacher Group Chat. “Parents, since taking on the role of homeroom teacher, I have always put the well-being and academic success of this class first. I won’t claim to be perfect, but I have worked tirelessly. If you feel there are areas where I am lacking, you are always welcome to communicate with me directly. Baseless misunderstandings and accusations only serve to break the hearts of dedicated educators.” A few minutes later, a message popped up. Jacob’s Mom: “Misunderstandings? You think we’re falsely accusing you? A homeroom teacher who runs off to the hospital every other day—do you think that’s appropriate? Who gave you the right? Who gave you that kind of freedom? How are you supposed to focus your energy on the students like that? The final semester of junior year is the most critical time. Would it kill you to not go to the hospital?” That rapid-fire barrage of ruthless accusations left me completely stunned. 02 Two years of insanely high-stress, non-stop work had caused severe damage to my cervical and lumbar spine. Every night, the pain was so agonizing I couldn’t sleep. My doctor strongly advised me to take a prolonged medical leave of absence. But because it was their junior year, I was terrified that bringing in a new homeroom teacher would disrupt the students’ momentum. So, I compromised. I squeezed in time on the weekends to go to the hospital for conservative physical therapy. I told myself I could hold off on taking a real medical leave until after the students graduated. I never in a million years imagined that the parents would report me for this exact reason. I forced myself to reply patiently: “Jacob’s mom, teachers are human too. Getting sick is inevitable. Furthermore, I only go to the hospital on weekends during my personal time. It has never interfered with my responsibilities to the class.” I didn’t expect her next response to be even more unhinged. “Oh, please! ‘Personal time’? You don’t get personal time! You are a teacher, you are a homeroom teacher! You are supposed to be on call 24 hours a day!” Other parents started chiming in, backing her up. Chloe’s Dad: “I agree with Jacob’s mom. If you want to be the homeroom teacher, you need to have the dedication for it. If you can’t handle it, why did you take the job?” Mia’s Dad: “Last semester when you got married, you took three days off in a row. I thought it was completely inappropriate even back then.” Ethan’s Mom: “The only reason we agreed to let you be the homeroom teacher was because you were highly experienced. If we knew you were going to have so much drama and take so much time off, we would have just asked for a younger, newer teacher from the start!” I couldn’t hold back anymore. “Parents, my health has indeed taken a hit, but I have never allowed it to delay or negatively impact anything related to this class. For the past two years, no matter how exhausted or in pain I was, I pushed through for the sake of these students. If I really just wanted an easy life, I could have voluntarily stepped down from the homeroom position a long time ago.” Jacob’s Mom fired back: “Cut the crap! You make it sound so noble, but everyone knows it’s all about the money. Everyone knows homeroom teachers get paid a higher stipend than regular teachers.” 03 My blood pressure instantly skyrocketed. In that moment, I genuinely wanted to curse them out. Yes, homeroom teachers do get a slightly higher stipend than regular subject teachers. An extra $15 a semester. Can you believe that? We wake up before the sun and go to sleep long after midnight. We spend seventeen or eighteen hours a day at the school. We have endless administrative meetings, never-ending classroom management duties, piles of paperwork, constant parent feedback to reply to, and weekends consumed by grading and progress reports. Our phones have to be on 24/7 to handle whatever random emergency pops up. If you add it all up, the workload of a homeroom teacher is easily ten times that of a regular subject teacher. Did she really think I was working myself into an early grave for an extra $15?! Did she think I was that desperate? The attacks in the group chat kept coming. “Homeroom teachers don’t just get a higher stipend, they get priority for ‘Teacher of the Year’ awards and promotions. There are plenty of perks!” “No wonder he refuses to step down even when he’s sick… Lol. Honestly, I’m speechless.” “Damn it, if you want to chase a paycheck, fine, but don’t hold our kids back! Do we owe you something?” “Hurry up and resign!” I was so furious I couldn’t even type. If I was just chasing a paycheck, I would have left a long time ago. The elite private prep school in the next district had offered to double my salary to poach me, and I politely declined. Why did I stay? For the students! For their precious little darlings! Ms. Roberts, the English teacher, couldn’t sit back and watch anymore. Ms. Roberts: “Mr. Evans has been working through severe illness out of pure dedication to his students. Instead of showing him a shred of empathy, how can you say such horrible things to him? Do the students’ test scores not prove his dedication?” During my two years leading this class, they had gone from ranking dead last in the district to number one. That was an undeniable fact. The chat went silent for a brief moment. Then, one parent suddenly typed: “That’s because the kids worked hard themselves. It wouldn’t have mattered which teacher they had. It has absolutely nothing to do with him.” Immediately, a wave of agreement flooded the chat. “Exactly! My son studies until midnight every single night. Of course his grades are good when he works that hard!” “The stack of practice workbooks my daughter has completed is almost as tall as she is!” “He really knows how to take credit for other people’s hard work, doesn’t he?” 04 My neck throbbed with a sharp, shooting pain from the stress. The students did work hard, yes. But that was a study habit I forced them to build. To be brutally honest, Class 6 had a terrible foundation, weak fundamentals, and absolutely zero academic drive. If they had been assigned a teacher with even slightly less dedication or capability, they never would have moved an inch. Over the past two years, I pulled countless all-nighters designing personalized, individualized lesson plans for every single student in my class. I sacrificed my daily lunch breaks to provide one-on-one tutoring, usually surviving on a granola bar and a bottle of water. I spent my weekends and holidays offering free, extra tutoring sessions at my house. I spent my own money buying them supplementary study materials and reward prizes. I can say with absolute certainty that I poured more of my heart into my job than any other teacher at this school. And now, this group of parents was saying the students’ success had absolutely nothing to do with me. Nothing to do with me! Furious, I typed: “Since you all believe the students’ grades are entirely the result of their own efforts, then what impact does it have on them if I spend my off-the-clock time dealing with my own personal health issues?” The parents immediately started firing back. “Excuse me? Are test scores the only thing that matters? Let me ask you this: What if my kid doesn’t get enough to eat at lunch? What if they forget to drink water? What if they don’t wear a warm enough jacket and catch a cold? What if they feel sick?” “The kids are already exhausted from studying. The homeroom teacher should be the one taking care of all the janitorial and classroom cleaning duties.” “Late-night study hall ends too late anyway. If you ask me, the homeroom teacher should be responsible for driving the students safely back to their houses.” Ms. Roberts sent me a private text. “These parents have completely lost their minds, haven’t they? Do they think a homeroom teacher is a glorified babysitter?” Watching the messages rapidly scrolling up the screen, my temples throbbed violently. I took a deep breath. Using every last ounce of patience I had, I typed a sincere response: “Parents, we are less than six months away from college entrance exams. I beg you to trust me. Give me this chance, and I promise I will do everything in my power to fulfill my duties as their homeroom teacher until the very end.” Jacob’s mom’s response instantly shattered my final breaking point. “Wow, you really have no shame. Let me guess, you just want to stay so you can take revenge and sabotage our kids’ grades behind our backs, right?!” Jacob’s mom’s response instantly shattered my final breaking point. Fine. Fine. I’m done. I quit. 05 I had spent months developing a comprehensive, individualized Phase 2 and Phase 3 review plan for the entire class. Forty-five distinct, custom-tailored study schedules. Even though I wouldn’t be their homeroom teacher anymore, I still wanted to fulfill my final responsibility and give them this last gift before I left. During the afternoon study hall, I walked into the classroom. The room immediately erupted into groans and complaints. “Damn, why is that packet so thick?” “Every time I open my eyes, it’s just study, study, study. I’m so exhausted, I literally want to throw up.” “He’s taking up our free study period again…” These little brats. So what if you’re tired? What high school junior preparing for college isn’t tired? I was just about to speak when Jacob suddenly asked loudly, “Mr. Evans, if we all get into top-tier universities, do you get a massive cash bonus or something? Like tens of thousands of dollars?” I didn’t process the question immediately. “What?” “Otherwise, why would you work us like dogs every single day? It obviously benefits you somehow. But since you aren’t going to be teaching us anymore anyway, you probably shouldn’t waste your energy.” My face instantly fell. Jacob was the class loudmouth. If he knew something, the entire class definitely knew it too. I looked out at the classroom. Every single face was either annoyed or completely indifferent. Which meant, knowing that they were the reason I was reported, and knowing that the homeroom teacher who had carried them for two years was leaving… not a single one of them showed a shred of sadness or reluctance to see me go. Even more devastating was the realization that my students genuinely believed I was pushing them to succeed for my own selfish gain! In that moment, I didn’t even know how to describe the crushing weight in my chest. I said coldly, “I see. Then you can continue with your free study period.” The exact second I walked out the door, the classroom erupted in cheers. “WOOOO! The Grim Reaper is gone!” “Does this mean we’re finally free?!” “We finally don’t have to be forced to do all those extra packets! Holy shit, do you guys know I literally have nightmares about him?!”

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When I tried to enroll my daughter in our newly purchased $500,000 top-tier school district home, I discovered the address’s school enrollment spot was already taken. And inexplicably, my property deed now listed a seven-year-old boy as a resident. I furiously tracked down the boy’s parents, only for the father to brush me off: “My son’s already been going there for a year. Deal with it. At most, I’ll toss you two grand.” I was losing my mind. While preparing to sue, I used my status as his new legal guardian to transfer his school enrollment to a rundown school in a mountain town a thousand miles away. This time, they were the ones losing their minds. I stood my ground: “He’s registered at my address, which makes him my son. What happens to my son is none of your damn business!” 01 My daughter’s school application was rejected. The reason? The address’s enrollment spot had already been claimed and couldn’t be used again. How was this possible?! It’s my house; wouldn’t I know if the spot was used? I rushed to the elite local elementary school with my deed and demanded to see the enrollment records. The moment I heard the result, it felt like a slap in the face. The records showed the spot had indeed been used last year. Someone had been using my house’s spot to attend school for a whole year. And I had absolutely no idea! I was going crazy. My wife and I, with help from both our parents, had saved for years just to afford the down payment on this $500,000 house in a prime school district. All to give our daughter the best education possible. And now you’re telling me the spot is gone? These enrollment spots only reset every six years. We’d have to wait five more years to use it again. What about my daughter? I demanded the school immediately provide the other parents’ information. But they refused, citing student privacy. “I’m sorry, we can’t give you the parents’ information directly, but we can try contacting them for you.” I swallowed my anger. I told myself to stay calm. A short while later, the school official told me the other party refused to speak with me. “The parent claims their child used their own spot and has no obligation to explain anything to anyone.” My temples throbbed. My face was dark with fury. It was a teacher who finally reminded me that if the house was mine, only my child could use the spot. It took my brain a second to catch up. I immediately drove to the local county clerk’s office. When the clerk pulled up my property records, I froze. There was indeed an extra person registered at my address! 02 It was a seven-year-old boy named Leo Miller. I completely lost it. I demanded to know what the hell was going on. “The system shows Leo Miller was registered at your address last July.” “How is this possible?!” I yelled. “Why is a stranger suddenly registered at my house?” The clerk stammered, “It might just be a clerical error.” “An error? Do you have any idea how much damage this ‘error’ has caused us?!” I was so loud that everyone in the office turned to look. I forced myself to calm down. “I demand you remove this Leo Miller from my address immediately!” “Since it involves a minor, we need a consent form from the new legal guardian.” That made me even angrier. So someone can register their kid at my address without me knowing, but I have no right to remove them unilaterally? The clerk’s office was right next to the police station. I immediately filed a report. I provided all my evidence and stated that the registry change was absolutely not an internal family matter. The police told me to wait while they contacted the family listed on Leo’s original records. Those few minutes felt like years. Eventually, the police told me that Leo’s parents were out of town and we’d have to wait for them to return for questioning. Impossible. They were clearly dodging me! The school enrollment window was closing soon; I couldn’t afford to wait. My anger reached its boiling point. Leaving the station, I called a friend in the education consulting business. I refused to believe this. I have the kid’s name and school; how hard could it be to find his parents? 03 My friend suggested I contact a lawyer first, while he tracked them down. I rushed to a law firm. But after the consultation, my heart sank. The lawyer told me this kind of enrollment fraud wasn’t isolated. Even if I proved they wrongfully used the spot, the compensation I’d get would likely be far less than my actual losses. “A lawsuit takes a long time. I suggest you find another school for your daughter right now, just so she has a place to go.” I was silent. My wife had taken a much harder job just to help with the mortgage. My daughter was so excited, proudly telling everyone she was going to be a first-grader. Our four elderly parents had emptied their savings to help us. How was I supposed to tell them? I was burning with anger but had nowhere to vent it. But regardless of how terrible I felt, I had to act fast. I called my wife. “Honey, I have some bad news. Brace yourself.” Her tone turned serious: “What is it? Don’t scare me.” I explained the situation briefly. Like me, she was furious and panicked: “How could this happen? That’s our spot! They have no right!” “The priority is getting Lily into a school. I’ve already gone to the police and a lawyer. Whoever stole our spot, I won’t let them get away with it!” 04 My wife and I frantically contacted the public schools in our zoned area. But the news plunged us further into despair. Their enrollment was already full. Even the schools we wouldn’t have considered before had closed enrollment. My wife cried, “What are we going to do about Lily’s schooling?” I was silent for a long time. “There’s one other way.” “We wait a year.” And during that time, we fight the lawsuit or use other means to force them to return the spot. But the lawyer had warned that litigation is exhausting and the outcome is rarely satisfactory. If we lost, my daughter wouldn’t just miss out on the elite school; she’d waste a whole year. A massive wave of helplessness washed over me. Then, my friend called. He’d found the address and names of Leo’s parents. I jumped up excitedly: “Who is it?” “The dad’s name is Greg Miller. They live in the Rainbow Apartments, Building 5, Apartment 301.” Rainbow Apartments… that’s right near my house! Perfect. I wanted to see exactly what kind of scum could do something so shameless. Holding my breath, I rushed to Rainbow Apartments. I knocked for a long time before a mean-looking woman with curly hair opened the door. “Who is it?! Knock, knock, knock! Do you know what time it is?!” I kept my temper in check: “Are you Leo Miller’s parent?” “Who are you? What do you want?” I couldn’t help but raise my voice: “Your kid is using my house’s school enrollment spot! What do you think I want?!” The curly-haired woman’s face changed. The next second, she slammed the door in my face. 05 I was so angry I nearly fell backward. I kicked the door hard. “Get out here! Don’t think you can hide from this! Screw you! Aren’t you afraid of karma for doing something like this?!” My yelling alerted the other tenants on the third floor, who peeked out to watch the drama. I didn’t care anymore. In ten minutes, I swore more than I had in my entire thirty-plus years of life. The door to 301 finally opened again. This time, it was a heavy-set man with a face full of flab. The moment he stepped out, he yelled at the nosy neighbors: “What are you looking at?! Keep staring, and I’ll end you!” The neighbors seemed afraid of him. They all obediently shut their doors. I narrowed my eyes: “You’re Greg Miller, right? Have you no shame? How can you sleep at night stealing someone else’s spot?” Compared to my agitation, Greg was surprisingly calm. “I paid someone to get my son into that school. I don’t know how they did it, and I don’t care. Take your complaints somewhere else.” I swore again: “Bullshit! Your son is registered at my address, and you dare claim you didn’t know?” A fleeting look of guilt crossed Greg’s face. “So what do you want?” “Remove your son from my address! Return the spot immediately!” He flatly refused: “Impossible. My son needs an education.” I wanted to punch him. Your son needs an education, but my daughter doesn’t?! Just then, a chubby kid appeared behind Greg, looking exactly like him. This must be Leo. Leo pointed a realistic-looking toy gun at me. “Daddy, I’ll help you shoot the bad guy!” A sharp pain hit the corner of my right eye. Seeing me cover my eye, Leo cheered: “Oh, oh, oh! Gotcha! You’re dead!” 06 I was furious and terrified. A fraction of an inch closer, and that plastic pellet would have blinded me. This wasn’t a joke! But instead of stopping this dangerous behavior, Greg gave him a thumbs-up. “That’s my boy! Good job!” I was so angry I moved to discipline the little brat myself. His wife rushed out and shielded him. Greg pointed a finger in my face: “What do you think you’re doing?! Don’t you dare touch my son!” I was shaking with rage. If murder weren’t a crime, I might have killed him right then and there. Seeing I was on the brink of exploding, Greg suddenly softened his tone: “Look, man, to be honest, my kid has been there for a year already. Compulsory education laws mean they can’t just kick him out. You being upset won’t change anything. Tell you what, I’ll pay you some money, and we call it even. How about two grand? That’s a lot of cash.” Two grand. The audacity. “In your dreams!” Greg’s face darkened: “What, were you expecting twenty grand?” His wife spat at me: “Dressed all nice, but you’re just a filthy extortionist!” I had anticipated various reactions before coming here, but never this level of victim-blaming. Accusing me of extortion? I said, “I’ve already called the cops and a lawyer.” “Do whatever you want! My son is registered at your address, so using the spot is perfectly legal! Even God can’t help you!” “Enough, honey. Don’t waste your breath on him. We’ve been too nice.” The family slammed the door shut. It took me a while to calm down and avoid passing out from anger. Dealing with shameless scumbags like this, legal weapons clearly weren’t enough. It was true; Leo couldn’t be expelled. But the law doesn’t say he can’t be transferred. Early the next morning, I went to the clerk’s office and got a new copy of my property records. Looking at it differently, I was now Leo’s legal guardian. Is it too much for a guardian to send his unruly kid to a rundown mountain town to experience some hardship? 07 I quickly found someone to help me contact new schools. My only requirement: the farther, the better. I finally settled on a school across four states, over a thousand miles away, nestled deep in the mountains. Transportation was incredibly inconvenient. The conditions were exceptionally harsh. The school official was very surprised when I called to transfer a kid from the city. He asked me repeatedly if I was sure. “You need to think this through. Our policies are unique here. Once a student is transferred in, transferring them out is very difficult.” Wasn’t that exactly what I wanted? “Transfer him!” I said firmly. To facilitate the out-of-state transfer, I even did a short-term rental in the local town. Using the lease, my property records, and the transfer application, I smoothly obtained the school’s acceptance letter. There were only a few days left until the school year started. Despite my wife and I trying our best to hide it, my mom noticed something was wrong. “Why have you two been moping around lately?” “Also, the neighbor upstairs went to a parent-teacher meeting today. Didn’t you get the notice?” My daughter hugged me: “Daddy, what class am I in? I want to be in the same class as Emma!” My heart ached. My wife said, “Honey, we can’t hide this from Mom forever. Just tell her.” My mom immediately got anxious: “What are you two hiding?” I looked conflicted: “Mom, Lily… might not be able to start school right now.” “What did you say?!” My mom yelled. My daughter burst into tears: “Daddy, why can’t I go to school? Emma and I promised to be classmates!” After I explained everything, my mom wanted to go confront the Millers immediately, even suggesting we drag them to the Board of Education for an explanation. My daughter cried until she was hoarse. My wife and I spent half the night comforting them before they finally went to sleep. 08 The next day, sporting dark circles under my eyes, I went to the elite elementary school and submitted Leo’s transfer application as his guardian. I had done some digging. This kid wasn’t just a terror at home; his school record was atrocious. Being at the bottom of his class was the least of it. Using his size, he constantly bullied his classmates, openly disrespected and swore at teachers, and repeatedly ignored discipline, resulting in his parents being called in multiple times. But Greg and his wife had no intention of properly disciplining their son. Every time, they caused a scene at the school, claiming that since they sent their son there, educating him was the school’s problem. So the school was eager to get rid of this problem student. However, transfer procedures are complicated and take time. Next, I went back to the law firm. “Mr. Davis, based on the evidence you provided, your chances of winning are very high. We can file the lawsuit today. As for compensation, that will depend on the judge’s ruling.” I didn’t care about the compensation. Even if that awful family was willing to pay, it wouldn’t be the result I wanted, nor would it quell my anger. I suddenly asked the lawyer: “What happens if there’s a custody dispute between a guardian and biological parents?” The lawyer looked at me in surprise but answered seriously: “Generally, courts rule based on the ‘best interests of the child’ principle. This includes comparing financial situations, relationships with the minor, etc. Of course, the minor’s own wishes are also a very important factor.” I was deep in thought. Just then, my wife called. “Honey, it’s bad! Mom got into a fight with the Millers!” 09 I rushed toward Rainbow Apartments, my heart pounding the whole way. I knew exactly how awful that family was. My mom is elderly and has high blood pressure; she can’t handle stress like this. But the scene I arrived at was nothing like what I expected. I thought my mom would be fighting alone against three. Instead, over a dozen elderly men and women were surrounding the Millers, fighting them. Their door, shoe rack, and walls were covered in bright red paint. Greg’s clothes were torn, he had several bloody scratches on his face and neck, and a clump of hair had been ripped from his forehead. His wife was screaming obscenities at the crowd. Only to be slapped hard across the face by an old man with a catheter bag. “I’ve lived a long time and seen plenty of shameless people, but your family takes the cake!” Greg’s wife was stunned by the slap. When she recovered, she lunged at the old man like a madwoman. But the crowd held her back. The old man held up his catheter bag: “Come on! Hit me! You better beat me to death right here! I’ve lived long enough! Taking down two menaces before I go is worth it!” On the other side, my mom was twisting the brat’s ear, scolding him. His smashed toy gun lay on the ground. “You little brat, shooting people in the eye? If your parents won’t teach you, I will!” The kid wailed in pain, crying for his parents. It was utter chaos. My wife was on the sidelines, completely unable to stop them. Greg, red-faced and furious, yelled that he had called the police. Suddenly, my mom sat down on the ground, and the dozen other seniors followed suit in perfect synchronization, groaning in pain. The old man with the catheter bag was the loudest. Greg jumped up and down in anger: “You old farts! Don’t try that fake-injury scam on me!” Then he saw me. All his rage instantly focused on me. 10 “You idiot! Extortion didn’t work, so you sent your mom to cause trouble?!” He pointed at Leo, who was sobbing uncontrollably: “If my son is traumatized because of you, I’ll kill your whole family!” I said coldly: “Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Your son is registered at my address. Legally, I’m his guardian.” Greg sneered dismissively. “You can talk tough all you want, but no matter whose address he’s at, my son is my son! If you ask him to call you ‘Dad,’ do you think he will?” His wife purposely tried to provoke us: “My son being at your address is actually a favor to you! After all, your family only managed to produce a useless girl! Oh my, what if you two suddenly died one day? My son could inherit your property. Doesn’t that make you mad?” My mom jumped up from the ground. “You bitch! I’ll tear your mouth off!” But no matter how tough my mom is, she’s old, and I was afraid she’d get hurt if a real fight broke out. My wife and I quickly held her back. Then the police arrived. Both sides argued their case, leading to another verbal war. In the end, my mom and her group were given a verbal warning. Greg and his wife were not happy. “Why?! They came to our house to cause trouble! Now all three of us have been assaulted! Our house is ruined! And you’re just going to give them a talking-to?!” The officer said, “There’s a reason for all this, and these are elderly people. What do you want us to do? If you push them too hard and someone has a medical emergency, are you going to take responsibility?” Greg was still furious. As we were leaving, he threatened me: “I was going to pay you off and move his registration when he finished elementary school, but since you had to be a prick, I’m not giving you a dime, and I’m not moving his registration either! I’m going to make your life a living hell!” My mom was still crying angry tears on the way back. “It’s just terrible luck. How could the registration get mixed up and let a scumbag like that take advantage?” I comforted her: “Don’t be sad. I’ll definitely find a way to get the spot back!” 11 The day before school started, Leo’s transfer was finalized. The school notified me I could pick up the transfer certificate anytime. But since his registration was still at my address, the spot wasn’t freed up, and my daughter still couldn’t use it. To distract my daughter and stop my mom from impulsively seeking out the Millers again, I temporarily sent them back to our hometown. The next morning, I deliberately waited early outside the elite elementary school. The entrance was bustling with parents dropping off their kids. I immediately spotted Greg and his son in the crowd. Greg saw me too. He smirked disdainfully: “Are you still trying to cause a scene at the school gate?” Because it was the first day, there were several security guards and teachers maintaining order. Greg patted one of the guards. “That guy is lurking around, and he’s not dropping off a kid. Keep an eye on him!” The guard eyed me suspiciously. Greg shot me a smug look and said loudly to Leo: “Go on in, son! Study hard! Don’t waste our elite school spot!” He seemed certain I would start a fight out of anger. Too bad for him, I disappointed him. I just smiled and watched Leo’s back. As soon as the kid walked in, a female teacher said in surprise: “Leo? I thought you transferred. Why are you here?” Greg heard her. He leaned into the gate and laughed: “Ms. Chen, you must be mistaken.” The teacher was firm: “That’s impossible. The school notified me yesterday that Leo had completed an out-of-state transfer.” “Impossible!” Greg roared, startling the parents and students around him. Ignoring the stares, he asked anxiously: “Ms. Chen, I never transferred my kid!” I cleared my throat. “I did.” 12 Greg turned around, completely bewildered: “What did you say?” I raised my voice: “A week ago, I contacted a new school. Leo’s records have been successfully transferred. I’m here today specifically to pick up his transfer certificate.” All the color drained from Greg’s face. He instinctively retorted: “What right do you have to transfer my son?” I said confidently: “Because I’m his legal guardian!” Leo, seemingly missing a few brain cells, suddenly asked excitedly: “Daddy, does that mean I don’t have to go to school?” Greg was already furious, and hearing this made him explode. He slapped Leo on the forehead: “You idiot, why are you laughing! You wouldn’t even know if someone sold you!” I said softly to Leo: “Come here, kid. This school has nothing to do with you anymore. Your new school is over a thousand miles away. Let’s go home and pack!” Greg’s eyes shifted from confusion to disbelief, and from disbelief to sheer rage. “Motherfucker!” He roared and lunged at me. The surrounding students were terrified and scattered, screaming. The parents turned pale and quickly shielded their children. Thanks to Greg’s earlier “warning,” the security guards had been watching me the whole time. Seeing Greg strike first, they reacted swiftly. Before Greg’s hands even reached me, they had him pinned down. His face was contorted, like a vicious dog on a chain, barking at me: “Who the hell do you think you are?! What gives you the right to transfer my son! Transfer him back right now, motherfucker!” I said nonchalantly: “You better get your facts straight. Leo is registered at my address. The paperwork clearly states he’s my son. What happens to my son is none of your damn business!”

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I was reborn along with Arthur, but he had no idea. He thought I was still the same love-struck, delusional girl from our past life. The girl who provided him with the best of everything, sent him to the finest university, and supported his startup even if it meant driving my own family into bankruptcy. And in return? Once he had drained every drop of my usefulness, he kicked me to the curb. To add insult to injury, he brought my lifelong nemesis to my face just to tell me he “finally didn’t have to endure the humiliation of my money anymore.” Reborn, I swore I wouldn’t give him a single rusty penny. When it came time to select a student for our corporate scholarship program, he stood in front of me, arrogant and brimming with confidence. But I looked right past him and chose the quiet, battered kid standing next to him. 01 It was the annual charity gala, and I was attending as the representative for the Sterling Corporation. To show our dedication to philanthropy, every year we selected one exceptional student from the applicant pool for a full-ride, one-on-one mentorship and financial sponsorship, handled directly by our executive team. In my past life, this was the exact moment I laid eyes on Arthur and chose him immediately. Unfortunately, he turned out to be an ungrateful parasite. This time, before I arrived, I made sure to invite Chloe. She was my rival—and Arthur’s long-time crush. In our previous life, Arthur had told me more than once that long before I ever sponsored him, Chloe had been secretly in love with him. He claimed that my money had been the only thing standing in the way of their true love. Well, this time, I wanted to see if Chloe would even spare him a passing glance before he became the “Sterling Corporation’s Golden Boy.” When Chloe and I arrived at the grand hall, the administrators and applicants were already gathered. There were over a hundred students crowding the room. I spotted Arthur instantly. I had to admit, purely from an aesthetic standpoint, my past self had good taste. He was over six feet tall, lean, with striking features and pale skin. Standing among a crowd of plainly dressed, underprivileged students, Arthur stood out like a swan among a flock of ducks. Sensing my gaze, Arthur straightened his posture and tilted his chin up even higher. I knew he was reborn, just like me. I wondered how the former billionaire CEO Arthur was adjusting to suddenly waking up as a broke, struggling teenager again. And I was incredibly curious to see how he would react when his most hated enemy humiliated him today. I walked in with a bright, enthusiastic smile. The university officials were incredibly warm, constantly thanking the Sterling Corporation for giving these students a chance to focus on their studies without financial terror. See? Even strangers knew how to be grateful. But simply because I loved him, Arthur had twisted all my sacrifices into a personal insult. Well, this time, I was revoking that love. I hope he’s satisfied. I offered a few polite, humble remarks about corporate social responsibility. Then, it was time for the main event. The university had pre-screened the applicants based on GPA, awards, and extracurriculars, presenting me with a shortlist of ten candidates. I had to choose one for the full-ride sponsorship. I sat at the head of the conference table. The coordinator lined the candidates up to introduce themselves to me one by one. They were all exceptional kids. Their only limitation was a lack of financial resources holding them back from their true potential. Our sponsorship was designed to be the boat that carried them across that first impossible river. The students looked at me with gratitude and burning hope. Everyone knew the one-on-one sponsorship came with massive networking resources and a golden ticket to a brighter future. Soon, it was Arthur’s turn. He really was brilliant. He consistently ranked in the top ten of his class and had a resume packed with state and national academic awards. The coordinator clearly favored him and prompted him to say a few words to make a strong impression on me. But Arthur didn’t play along. He just stared at me coldly and said a flat, “Hello.” The coordinator’s face darkened. Arthur couldn’t care less. He looked at me with an expression of pure, arrogant disdain. In my past life, after hearing his resume, I had bypassed the rest of the candidates and immediately selected him on the spot. He was definitely expecting me to do the exact same thing today. Too bad for him. I turned to the coordinator. “No need to force him. Let’s move on and meet the next student.” Arthur froze, clearly not expecting to be dismissed so quickly. He didn’t move. The coordinator immediately ushered him along. “Arthur, please step aside. We don’t want to waste Ms. Sterling’s time.” Arthur shot me an icy glare before turning on his heel and walking away. See? If I don’t choose you, you aren’t even qualified to stand in front of me. I didn’t even spare him a second glance, focusing my attention on the next candidate. After listening to all ten presentations, I chose a boy named Liam. He didn’t have a laundry list of flashy extracurricular awards, but his GPA was flawlessly ranked number one year-round. He was also the only student with a visible, fading bruise on his face. Rumor had it his alcoholic father beat him regularly. He didn’t seem to harbor any hope of being chosen. It wasn’t until I announced his name that he looked up at me with his dull, lifeless eyes and quietly muttered, “Thank you.” Arthur, unable to accept the loss, sneered loudly from the back of the room. “Just a mindless bookworm.” Liam’s lips pressed into a tight line, but he didn’t say a word. I, however, had absolutely no intention of letting that slide. “Excuse me, applicant. Are you verbally bullying your peer?” I asked, my voice dropping to a freezing temperature. Arthur looked at me in genuine shock, before his face morphed into a subtle, smug expression that clearly said: Ah, I see. You’re just doing this to get my attention. I wanted to vomit. Arthur just put on his best aloof, unbothered persona. “I was just stating a fact.” “So, you don’t believe your behavior is inappropriate?” I didn’t even bother engaging with him further. I turned directly to the university officials. “This is the caliber of candidates you shortlisted? “I seriously question the moral character of this selection pool. “The Sterling Corporation sponsors future leaders who will pass this kindness forward. “If this student treats his peers with such arrogance and cruelty now, I highly doubt he will ever extend a helping hand to those in need when he gains power.” I threw the book at him, aggressively escalating it into a moral issue. Having lived this life once before, I refused to waste my charity on a parasite. As expected, my words threw the administration into a panic. The coordinator immediately jumped in, demanding Arthur apologize to Liam, threatening to revoke his eligibility for any future financial aid if he refused. Arthur glared at me with furious indignation. I didn’t even look at him. Didn’t you say my money was an insult to your dignity? Let’s see if the great CEO Arthur is willing to swallow his pride and beg me for a few thousand bucks of ‘humiliation’ today. “I will not apologize.” Arthur stood his ground. “Don’t think you can use your money to force me to bow my head. “One day, I will show you exactly what I’m capable of! Don’t underestimate a man just because he’s poor today!” Arthur delivered his self-righteous, cinematic monologue. Everyone in the room just stared at him in profound silence. So, me choosing not to give you free money means I’m bullying you? What an absolute, staggering ego. The awkward silence was broken by the sudden, slow clapping of hands. It was Chloe. She clapped as she walked over to stand beside me. “What an incredibly principled young man. You shouldn’t be so harsh on him, Chloe.” Chloe played the manipulative “pick-me” card perfectly, trying to paint me as an elitist bully picking on a poor student. Arthur’s eyes lit up the second he saw her. In his head, he was probably scripting a romantic movie scene where his fragile, secret crush bravely stood up against the evil billionaire to defend his honor. Unfortunately for him, I saw the smug, mocking smirk hiding in the corner of Chloe’s mouth. She was just using Arthur as a pawn to annoy me. I wasn’t the naive idiot I used to be. I wasn’t going to let her play the saint at my expense. “But he was the one who refused to apologize first,” I pointed out, shooting Arthur a look of pure disdain. Predictably, he tilted his chin up defensively and glared at me. “I did nothing wrong.” I let out an exaggerated, theatrical sigh. “The Sterling Corporation absolutely refuses to sponsor candidates who create toxic, hostile environments for their peers. “However—” I pivoted sharply. “Since you are so impressed by this young man’s principles, Chloe, why doesn’t your family sponsor him?” The moment those words left my mouth, Arthur’s eyes sparkled with desperate hope as he looked at Chloe. Chloe, however, choked on her words. Her face contorted awkwardly. She finally mumbled a vague excuse, “I… I’ll have to discuss it with my family.” Heh. She was a neglected, illegitimate daughter from a minor branch of her family. She couldn’t secure a five-dollar loan if she tried. But seeing the arrogant smirk on Arthur’s face—clearly believing that even without me, he had Chloe to back him up—I simply grabbed some mental popcorn and took a seat. I was incredibly excited to see how far Arthur would get this time without the Sterling family’s bottomless bank accounts. 02 Liam and I both enrolled at Columbia University. Arthur ended up at a local state college. His grades were originally high enough for Columbia. But the state college offered him a massive financial aid package, incredibly cheap room and board, and a monthly living stipend. Liam and I bumped into Arthur on the street one day. His eyes swept over Liam dismissively from head to toe, and he scoffed. “Gold-digging toyboy.” This exact scenario had played out in my past life too. Back then, I was obsessed with him. I found every excuse in the book to hang around him. Rumors started spreading that he had latched onto the Sterling heiress and was set for life. One day, while I was waiting in line with him at the cafeteria, a guy passing by muttered “sugar baby.” Arthur’s face instantly turned black. While the guy swaggered away laughing, Arthur spun around and violently slapped my lunch tray out of my hands, screaming at me to stay the hell away from him. Greasy food splattered all over my clothes. The entire cafeteria stopped and stared at me. Even now, I can remember the suffocating, agonizing humiliation of that moment. I wanted the floor to swallow me whole. I deeply regretted not slapping him across the face right then and there. What an absolute piece of trash. Someone insulted him, and he took his bruised ego out on me. And now, he was mercilessly insulting the guy who had taken his place. I was just about to rip into him when Liam stepped forward, staring dead into Arthur’s eyes. “You’re jealous of me.” It wasn’t a question. It was a flat, objective statement delivered with chilling clarity. Arthur took a step back, desperately trying to maintain his composure. “Why the hell would I be jealous of you?” Liam took another step forward. “You’re jealous that I got into Columbia, and you didn’t. “You’re jealous that Chloe chose me, and she didn’t choose you. “You’re jealous that I’m the one standing next to her right now, and you aren’t.” A lethal, three-strike combo. I honestly wanted to give Liam a standing ovation. Arthur was completely outmatched. After all, he couldn’t exactly claim he chose state college because he thought Columbia was beneath him. In the end, all he could do was mutter a pathetic “I don’t have time for your bullshit,” and scurry away. Only then did Liam drop his aggressive, intimidating aura and step quietly back to my side like an obedient puppy. “You aren’t mad?” I asked. “I know it isn’t true,” Liam replied simply. Perfect. At least the guy I picked this time was mentally stable, unlike the last one who turned into a rabid dog over a single stray comment. 03 I thought after an absolute humiliation like that, a guy with an ego as massive as Arthur’s wouldn’t show his face around me for a very long time. I severely underestimated his shamelessness. While I was studying in the library, he tracked me down. “Chloe, I’m giving you the opportunity to invest in my new clean-energy tech startup. “If you give me $5 million, I’ll give you 0.1% of the founder’s equity.” Arthur stood in front of my desk, planting both hands on the table, staring down at me with absolute authority. His eyes were a perfectly calibrated mix of 30% mockery, 30% indifference, 30% coldness, and 10% charity. It was an aura of pure, unadulterated “Billionaire CEO.” But who the hell pitches a venture capital investment like an absolute psycho? I kicked the leg of the table hard and shoved my chair back, standing up. “You’re standing too close to me.” Arthur’s hand slipped, and he stumbled awkwardly before catching his balance. Good. His “Alpha Male” aura was still leaking, but at least it wasn’t suffocating me anymore. The students studying nearby shot us annoyed glares. I bowed my head apologizing profusely. “I am so sorry. This guy from another school was harassing me, and I couldn’t hold it in.” “Who the hell said I was harassing you?!” Arthur yelled. Instantly, several large, athletic guys sitting nearby stood up, glaring at Arthur. Arthur instantly deflated. “It’s a misunderstanding. Just a misunderstanding.” I signaled that I was fine, and the guys sat back down. Arthur leaned in close, gritting his teeth in a furious whisper. “Chloe, do not push your luck.” I shrugged, showing him his threats meant absolutely nothing to me. Furious but lacking options, Arthur forced himself to negotiate. “Chloe, think this through. “If you don’t invest in my company now, when your family’s empire collapses, don’t blame me for not giving you a lifeline.” Arthur looked down at me from his imaginary pedestal, looking exactly like a benevolent god staring down at an ant. In that moment, everything clicked. Right. In my past life, to fund his startup, I threw a suicidal tantrum and forced my family to liquidate every cent of our cash reserves to invest in him. Because of the massive cash drain, our company almost went bankrupt. It was only when his core technology finally achieved a major breakthrough that he secured series B funding and pulled my family out of the crisis. No wonder he always acted so arrogant and superior around me. He genuinely believed he was the savior of my family. But if I hadn’t drained our entire cash flow to fund him in the first place, we never would have faced bankruptcy at all! A guy like him… even reborn, he only remembered the parts of history that glorified him. The actual facts and context? Completely irrelevant. Now that I understood his psychotic mental gymnastics, I was going to be even more ruthless. “You want an investment? Show me your corporate incorporation documents. “Where is your engineering team? “Where is your business plan? “Where are your projected ROI reports?” A rapid-fire barrage of basic questions. Arthur couldn’t answer a single one. I looked at him with pure, unadulterated contempt. “You show up here with absolutely nothing and demand my money? “Based on what? “That pretty face of yours?” I genuinely just wanted to insult him. But his brain must have gone to a very weird place, because he looked at me with an expression of deeply offended, violated modesty. “Chloe Sterling, don’t think that just because you have a little money you can do whatever you want! “I will never, ever submit to you! “If you won’t invest, fine! “I’ll wait for the day you come crawling back, begging me.” Then he literally jogged out of the library in a huff. It looked bizarrely like a Victorian maiden fleeing a scandalous proposition. But God as my witness, I literally just didn’t want to give him my money. Somehow, Arthur still managed to secure funding. Rumor had it Chloe used her connections to secure a $500,000 seed investment for him, taking 51% of the equity in his newly formed startup. Arthur became an instant legend at his state college. He was enrolled in their prestigious education program, but those classes were completely useless for his tech startup. So, he simply stopped going to class. When a professor criticized him for slacking off, he arrogantly snapped back, asking the professor how many decades of teaching it would take to earn the half-million dollars he just secured in funding. After that, no one at the school bothered to discipline him again. I knew exactly what Arthur’s startup project was. He was a smart guy. In his past life, he entered the electric vehicle sector, specifically focusing on extending battery life and efficiency. Back then, I loved him, so naturally I thought he was a misunderstood genius. I used my family’s massive influence to pull strings and get him accepted into Columbia’s elite Energy Science and Engineering program. He spent four years laser-focused on his studies in a world-class environment, and during his Master’s, he co-founded his company with his thesis advisor. But now? He was just a freshman at a mid-tier state college. Even with his memories of the future, he had spent years sitting behind a CEO’s desk, completely detached from the actual front lines of R&D. Could a washed-up CEO really single-handedly develop revolutionary battery technology from scratch? I couldn’t wait to watch the train wreck. 04 Arthur assembled his startup team. He hunted down the people who had co-founded his company in our past life. Unfortunately for him, only the guys who were currently broke and desperate enough to listen to his sales pitch actually joined him. As for his genius thesis advisor from our past life? I heard he refused to even take a meeting with Arthur. Obviously. He was a globally recognized titan in his field. Why the hell would he entertain a pitch from a random freshman at an unrelated state college? I, however, took a different approach. Leveraging my status as an alum, and armed with $3 million in venture capital, I happily finalized a partnership with that exact professor. And I slipped Liam into his lab as a research assistant while I was at it. He was majoring in the exact same field anyway. Getting him early access to an elite R&D team and setting him up for a seamless Ph.D. track? Win-win. Shortly after joining the lab, Liam started sharing the gossip his upperclassmen had about Arthur. For example, Arthur had marched into a meeting and commanded: “I want a complete dossier on every single one of our competitors on my desk in three minutes.” One of the grad students painstakingly opened an industry database, typed in a flurry of commands, and hit a paywall requiring an expensive corporate subscription to proceed. He turned the monitor around to face Arthur. Arthur’s intimidating, billionaire-CEO aura instantly vanished the second he saw the price tag. It cost $30,000 a year. To the Arthur of his past life, backed by the Sterling family’s endless wealth, those reports were just a few clicks away. But in this life, he was getting a brutal reality check on exactly how expensive raw, actionable market data truly was. He obviously didn’t pay for the subscription. An hour later, Arthur tossed a list of target companies to the team and told them to manually scrape the internet for product specs. But after hours of searching, they found barely anything. One of the companies on his list hadn’t even been incorporated yet. When the student tried to hand in the pathetic results, Arthur screamed in his face for half an hour, yelling that these were industry titans and it was impossible that there was no data on them. Terrible pay, psychotic demands. The student snapped, got into a screaming match with Arthur, and quit on the spot. When he returned to Columbia, he vented to Liam and the rest of the lab, saying Arthur didn’t have the destiny of a CEO, but he definitely had the mental illness of one. I thought that summary was absolutely flawless. Arthur had always been arrogant. In our past life, his smooth, meteoric rise to success was entirely because I was paving his path with the Sterling Corporation’s limitless resources. He needed data? My corporate strategy department held platinum subscriptions to every major database in the world. He needed a business plan? I had a dozen elite project managers draft individual sections, compiled it, and let Arthur present it as his own. He needed a technological breakthrough? A lab full of brilliant, exhausted engineers pulled 80-hour weeks for months to secure the patents… and put Arthur’s name as the lead inventor. Those were the people who forged the halo that made Arthur look like a brilliant tech visionary and a billionaire prodigy. But he was so narcissistic he genuinely believed he was the sun, radiating light all on his own. And the old me had been so utterly blind and love-struck that I actually believed he was a diamond buried in the rough.

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On the day of my shotgun wedding to Liam Vance, his childhood friend cried and asked him: “If she and I ever get into a fight in the future, whose side will you take?” Liam impatiently told her she was being ridiculous. Yet, he sided with her every single time. When his childhood friend orchestrated a cyberbullying campaign against herself, Liam was convinced I was the mastermind and forced me to issue a public apology across all platforms. “Mia, when you do something wrong, you have to apologize.” But he didn’t know. Every apology was a countdown to our separation. Once I completed the final three forced-apology plot points, I could detach from the system and go home. 01 Popular actress Chloe Sterling was accused of being a homewrecker, interfering in my relationship with Liam Vance. That same day, she stormed into my studio and slashed my wrist. Just as my manager, Sarah, grabbed Chloe to call the police, Liam arrived. The moment he walked in, Chloe started crying pitifully: “Liam, everyone online is attacking me. Can you ask Mia to clear things up for me?” Everyone knew she was the childhood friend Liam had spoiled since they were kids. Every time she framed me and cried, Liam always assumed it was my fault. Sarah realized this too, her face turning pale with anger: “Based on one photo, why are you assuming it’s Mia’s doing?” The photo exposing Chloe was plastered all over the internet. In the photo, Chloe was on her tiptoes, trying to lean in and kiss Liam. Coincidentally, I had a very similar photo on my phone. So, Chloe insisted I was framing her. I looked up at Liam, about to explain, but he grabbed my wrist. He usually maintained a calm, indifferent demeanor. But when his eyes fell on my bandaged wrist, he frowned. “Does it hurt?” The warmth of his fingertips transferred through the gauze. Maybe the pain was making me delusional. In that moment, I almost thought Liam was going to believe me this time. But the next second, Liam let out a soft chuckle. “If you knew it would hurt, why did you do it?” My heart dropped, sinking lower with his words. I slowly looked up, meeting Liam’s gaze. I saw the blatant mockery in his dark eyes. “Mia.” He pinched my chin, forcing me to look at him. “Why can’t you just learn to behave?” 02 Liam still didn’t believe me. He was convinced I had posted the photo out of jealousy. He demanded I apologize and clear her name across all platforms. As soon as he finished speaking, a dead silence fell over the studio. I didn’t look up, but I felt numerous eyes on me. Relying on Liam’s backing, Chloe had stolen many roles and endorsements from me over the years. My current position in the industry was already precarious. Stepping forward to apologize now would completely ruin my career. Liam knew this better than anyone, but he showed no mercy. I looked up at him, my nose stinging uncomfortably. “So from the very beginning, you came here to interrogate me on her behalf.” From the moment he walked through the door, I had clung to a sliver of hope. Thinking that after being by his side for five years, he would stand by me just once. But he never did. Liam was now a prominent figure everyone in the city looked up to. His features hadn’t changed much from five years ago. His downcast eyes always seemed to carry a hint of tenderness. “I don’t play favorites,” he looked at me, enunciating every word. “Mia, when you do something wrong, you must make amends.” There’s that phrase again. But Liam. What gives you the right to condemn me so easily? The system sighed, unable to watch: [I told you not to invest real feelings when doing missions!] [Just endure it a little longer. Only three apology missions left, Host.] Seven years ago, I was pulled into this world. The only way home was to play the role of the long-suffering original wife and complete the idiotic forced-apology plot missions. And now, I was only three away. The sudden ringing of a phone shattered the silence. Sarah answered it. But the next second, all the color drained from her face. “Mia,” Sarah looked up at me, her voice strained. “The Best Actress award… they changed the winner.” My throat tightened. “…What?” 03 This was the award I had spent seven years fighting tooth and nail for, risking my life. For one close-up shot, I stayed in freezing water during winter for over forty takes, leaving me with severe lingering health issues. After being nominated and losing for three consecutive years, I thought my hard work was finally going to pay off this time. Chloe slowly peeked out from behind Liam, her eyes curving into a smile at me. “Sorry, Mia.” “I forgot to tell you.” “Liam said this year’s Best Actress award is my birthday present.” A loud ringing filled my head. I looked at Liam, suddenly unable to say a word. Chloe’s sweet, syrupy voice kept drilling into my ears. “I actually told him I didn’t really need it, but Liam insisted on giving it to me…” I couldn’t listen anymore. I grabbed whatever was nearby and hurled it at them. Chloe hid behind Liam in fear. Liam stood in front of her, frowning, “Stop making a scene.” “Stop making a scene, did you hear me?!” I didn’t want to lose face like this, but the tears wouldn’t stop falling. I knew I must look ugly and ridiculous right then. I looked at Liam and asked him: “What gives you the right? I risked my life for that. What gives you the right to just give it to Chloe?” Not expecting such a huge reaction from me, Liam was stunned. “It’s just one award. I’ll get you a more prestigious one next time, okay?” “Stop crying.” … But Liam, I don’t have a next time. Then, as you wish, I’ll apologize. That way, I can quickly finish the plot and return to my own world. 04 I typed out the clarification post word by word while crying. A few hundred words with only one core message: I was jealous of Chloe and maliciously took a misleading photo to deceive the public. After posting it, overwhelming abuse flooded my feed. [So disgusting. She staged a fake photo to create drama for herself.] [Our Chloe has always said she doesn’t plan on getting married. Besides, they’ve been platonic childhood friends for over twenty years. Stop acting crazy and throwing dirt, old lady.] [Mia is not that kind of person! I’ve been her fan for years, I know her better than you do. Mia, if you’re being threatened, change your profile picture!] [Stop trying to clean up her image. No one cares. I hope old lady Mia and her brain-dead fans go to hell.] … My vision suddenly went dark. Liam had returned at some point. He blocked the screen, preventing me from reading further. “If it’s just meaningless talk, don’t take it to heart.” “Just get through tonight, and I’ll suppress the trending topics.” I didn’t say a word. The living room was completely quiet. Liam reached out to tuck a stray strand of hair behind my ear. “I explained the photo to you at the time. Chloe was drunk.” “I’ve always seen Chloe as a little sister. You don’t need to keep making things difficult for her.” Liam seemed to have never considered that Chloe was the one who provoked me first. He had never believed me. I looked up at Liam. Suddenly, I wondered. If he knew I was innocent. If he knew that every apology accelerated my departure. What kind of expression would he have? 05 The second-to-last apology came very quickly. Sarah couldn’t stand seeing me bullied and publicized my marriage certificate with Liam. She even added thousands of words detailing how Chloe had been causing trouble. To the public, Liam and I had always just been dating. Dropping this massive bombshell instantly shifted public opinion. People love drama. They don’t really care about what’s true or false. Many rushed to Chloe’s social media accounts, cursing her out. I found out about this late at night. I had been severely ill for the past few days. In my feverish haze, I felt someone push the door open. In the darkness, my eyes met Liam’s. In that moment, I felt a sudden disorientation. In the past, when I was sick, Liam would be so worried he couldn’t sleep all night. Drifting between sleep and wakefulness, I would see Liam sitting by my bed, watching me. Even an arrogant rich kid like him would get red-rimmed eyes from distress in the middle of the night. But now, he looked at me quietly, a smile on his face that didn’t reach his eyes. “Did you orchestrate Sarah’s post?” His cold fingers combed through my hair, the chill making me shiver. He asked me with a smiling tone: “Do you know what I’ve been busy with these past few days? I’ve been busy winning the auction for that limited-edition necklace you wanted.” “But what did you do?” “Mia, will you only be satisfied when Chloe is dead?” I propped myself up, my eyes full of confusion. Liam had no intention of giving me a chance to explain. He dragged me, still running a fever, to the hospital. It was only when he pushed open the hospital room door that I found out. Chloe had slit her wrists. 06 Lying in the hospital bed, she burst into tears the moment she saw me: “I never wanted to fight with you for anything.” “Mia, why won’t you just let me go?” She sobbed incoherently: “When I’m discharged… tonight, I’ll leave this city. I won’t appear around Liam ever again.” My head was spinning, and it took me a long time to react. …It’s these same cheap tricks again. Yet Liam believed them implicitly. In the beginning, I used to be so upset I couldn’t sleep, explaining things to Liam over and over again. He seemed to side with me, but whenever he spoke, he always favored Chloe. He always said making me apologize was for my own good. But it felt like he never actually believed me. Later, I started fighting with Liam. By the end of every argument, all that was left was resentment. Gradually, I began to realize that compared to me, Liam instinctively trusted the childhood friend he had spoiled since they were kids. No one could intrude on the bond between them. A wave of exhaustion deeply enveloped me. I asked him numbly, “How do you want me to apologize this time?” “Is it ‘you must make amends for doing something wrong’ again?” “Or an eye for an eye? Want to cut me again?” Liam’s eyes were complex. He reached out and rolled down my pushed-up sleeve, his voice somewhat helpless: “Stop talking nonsense.” I quietly waited for his next words. Like waiting for the final blade of execution. “I’ve thought about it carefully. We still need to minimize the chances of you two interacting.” Liam looked at me. “Mia, retire from the entertainment industry.” “You can do whatever you want in the future.” “I’ll…” A sharp slap interrupted Liam’s words. I pulled my hand back, my fingertips tingling. Liam’s head was turned to the side from the force of my slap. He turned his head back to look at me, finishing his sentence as if nothing had happened: “I’ll be right here with you.” 07 “Absolutely not!” An urgent, panicked voice rang out. Sarah, who had rushed over, stood in the doorway. She must have come in a hurry; her chest was heaving. “I did this on my own. Don’t make things difficult for Mia.” Sarah had always been strong, but that day, she stood in front of me and cried. She stared at Liam, incredibly sad. “I can’t stand seeing Mia suffer like this.” “Piece by piece, you’ve shown enough favoritism toward Chloe over the years.” “It wasn’t easy for Mia to get to where she is now.” “Could you at least… just once… choose to stand by her side?” 08 Liam ultimately didn’t change his mind. Before long, I would be completely blacklisted and hidden away. On the way back with Sarah, a sudden autumn rain began to fall. The cold wind felt like it was drilling into my bones. Sarah frantically tried to hold an umbrella over me. But the rain came too fast, and we still got mostly soaked. The wet clothes clung to my body, cold and sticky. I stared silently at my soaked cuffs. It felt like just a sudden downpour, but it seemed like these past seven years had all been this damp and cold. 09 The mission progress reached 99%. Just one last apology, and I could go home. I started packing my final belongings, giving whatever I could to Sarah. Sarah stared at me blankly. “What are you doing? Don’t do anything stupid.” “Didn’t Liam say he’d support me? I’ll spend his money, and I’ll use his money to support you.” I placed a bank card in Sarah’s hand. “Keep this safe for me.” “Mia, no matter what happens, I’m here.” “If you’re unhappy, come find me. Worst case, just divorce him.” I turned to walk back, waving at Sarah. If I had known that would be the last time I saw her, I would have said a few more words and given her a proper goodbye. 10 The sky was overcast when I left Sarah’s place. It looked like a heavy rain was about to pour. After picking up the custom watch from the store, I texted Liam as I walked back. [Birthday present. Come home early.] Liam replied very quickly, a low chuckle in his voice note: “Okay. Don’t trick me again today.” After I was blacklisted, Liam practically stuck to my side, inseparable. I called him disgusting. I found excuses to mess with him time and time again. Liam got quite angry. But I didn’t plan on messing with him this time. Today was his birthday. I wanted to use this birthday present to negotiate a better position for Sarah. After I leave, she’ll truly be alone. But I seem to have terrible luck. The more I want to do something, the less likely it is to happen. I was kidnapped.

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I saw a video of firefighters training online and couldn’t resist dropping a thirsty comment. “Nice waist, bro. I’d ride that.” The guy replied instantly: “? Don’t let me catch you.” Karma works fast. The next night, I rolled over in my sleep and somehow got completely wedged in the gap between my mattress and the wall, unable to escape. When the fire department broke down my door, my phone was still stuck on the comment section of his video. Our eyes met. The guy from the video was standing over me, holding a reciprocating saw, giving me a half-smile. “Wow, it’s you. Don’t remember me? You’re the one who ripped my underwear off while saving a cat.” Me: I am so dead! New grudges piled on top of old ones! 01 Stuck in the narrow gap between the bed and the wall, I tried to suck in my stomach and regulate my final, desperate breaths. The violent sound of my door being battered down echoed from outside, accompanied by the TikTok audio of a trending beat-drop song looping for the 800th time from my phone lying next to me. After what felt like an eternity, right as I was about to suffocate, I finally heard the sound of the deadbolt being popped. The door swung open, and a blast of freezing wind swept in. Along with the wind came several young, incredibly attractive firefighters. “I’m here… I’m down here…” A pathetic, weak voice squeaked from the gap like a dying kitten. The firefighters reacted quickly and tried to pull the bed away from the wall. I immediately let out a blood-curdling scream. “Whoa, relax! Don’t panic, we’ll get you out right now,” a firefighter reassured me patiently, while giving the bed a forceful heave. My vision went black, and I squealed like a slaughtered pig. By the time I recovered from the shock, I had been dragged out of the gap. The firefighters peeled back the six layers of blankets I was wrapped in, finally getting a clear look at my calf, which was still wedged tightly into the bed frame. It was covered in dried blood and swollen to twice its normal size. “Captain, the victim’s leg is trapped in the frame. We need tools to cut it.” Just as the firefighter spoke, the looping TikTok audio suddenly stopped. The man standing at the very back of the group had picked up my phone. With an icy, expressionless face, he crouched down by my feet to inspect the injury. I stared at his sharp, chiseled jawline and the name embroidered on his chest patch, instinctively gulping. Ethan Cole. God, he’s hot! “It’s wedged too tight. Go down to the truck and grab the reciprocating saw.” I closed my eyes in absolute agony. Great. Now I have to pay for a broken front door and a new bed. My poor bank account… Ethan, crouching beside me, seemed to sense my inner turmoil. He turned his head and patted my shoulder. “It’s okay. Just try to relax.” Looking at his devastatingly handsome face, a sudden realization clicked in my brain. He looks really familiar. I feel like I’ve seen him somewhere before… The saw arrived quickly. Someone plugged it in, and the loud, buzzing roar of the motor filled the room. Ethan stood up, took off his heavy turnout coat, and grabbed the saw. I looked up at his olive-green t-shirt clinging tightly to his sculpted abs, and the veins popping on his forearms. My brain instantly short-circuited. Wait. Isn’t this the exact same guy doing pushups in the viral video I was just drooling over?! Which means… when he was holding my phone a minute ago… he definitely saw my comment. I got caught red-handed. My brain spun frantically, trying to figure out how to explain that I was just a keyboard warrior who was all talk and no action. But Ethan was already approaching me, holding the saw, a dark half-smile playing on his lips. “Hold still. I’m very fast.” My face drained of all color, my eyes darting around in panic. The next second, his deep, deliberately lowered voice reached my ears. “Well, well. Don’t remember me? You’re the one who ripped my underwear off while saving a cat.” My confused expression instantly shattered. My temples throbbed so hard I thought my head was going to explode. I am so dead! New grudges piled on top of old ones! Watching Ethan lower the spinning saw toward me, I burst into terrified tears and screamed in sheer panic: “I’M SORRY! I WAS WRONG! I’M SO SORRY, HUBBY…” 02 That single “Hubby” completely obliterated whatever dignity I had left. Under the shocked and highly amused stares of the entire fire squad… I was tossed over Ethan’s shoulder, my face burning brighter than a tomato, and carried out to the ambulance. Yes, carried like a sack of potatoes. To maintain professional boundaries, my 100-pound self didn’t get a romantic bridal carry. I got the “hauling a dead boar out of the woods” carry. At the hospital, my best friend finally arrived. She stared at my calf, which was currently swollen to the size of a tree trunk, and slapped her thigh, honking with laughter. “Chloe, you are incredible. You literally made the local news.” My brain was still buzzing, and my leg was throbbing in agony. I quickly pulled out my phone. “SHOCKING!!! Woman wrapped in six blankets gets stuck in bed frame, nearly assassinated by her own bedding!” “Girl stuck in bed carried into hospital by firefighter, weight currently incalculable!” Me: [Angry embarrassment.jpg] When my best friend wheeled me out of the hospital, she relentlessly interrogated me about how I managed to rip a firefighter’s underwear off. To avoid being dumped on the freezing street, I gritted my teeth and recounted the most humiliating moment of my life. It happened three months ago, late at night. I was walking home from working overtime when I heard meowing coming from the bushes by the sidewalk. After searching, I found a tiny calico kitten stuck high up in a tree, too terrified to climb down. The kitten looked like it had barely been weaned, shivering violently in the branches. My heart broke, and I decided to save it. But I couldn’t find anything to climb on. Right at that moment, Ethan happened to run past on his nightly jog. So, I aggressively recruited him for a rescue mission I would never forget for the rest of my life. The kitten, terrified by our commotion below, kept crying and climbing higher. Ethan didn’t hesitate. He tied his shoelaces tight and started climbing the tree. The tree was incredibly thin. Ethan swayed precariously as he climbed, looking like he was going to fall at any second. I stood at the base, grabbing his calves to help stabilize him. Just as he was inches away from grabbing the kitten… the branch he was standing on snapped under his weight. Ethan panicked, trying to jump down safely. Blind panic took over me, and I reached my hands up, desperately trying to catch him. In a split-second flash of absolute chaos… my hands accidentally grabbed onto his upper thigh… and I violently ripped the side of his tight athletic shorts wide open. With the loud RIIIIIIP of tearing fabric, Ethan scrambled to adjust his footing and somehow managed to wrap his arms around the trunk, hanging on for dear life. The kitten, however, was launched from the shaking tree, landed safely in the bushes a few yards away, and bolted into the night. Just as this happened, a city bus slowly pulled up to the stop right next to us. Illuminated perfectly by the bus headlights… was Ethan, clinging to a tree, wearing shredded athletic shorts that fully exposed a pair of bright crimson, Year of the Dragon novelty boxers. The golden dragon embroidered on his crotch literally sparkled under the headlights, gleaming in all its majestic glory. The sheer, apocalyptic embarrassment was too much. I instantly hit the deck and combat-crawled straight into the bushes to hide. Leaving Ethan and his golden dragon crotch to make awkward, agonizing eye contact with the men, women, and children staring out the windows of the passing bus… “Are… are you okay?” After the bus drove away, I poked my head out of the bushes, cautiously asking Ethan, who had just dropped down from the tree. His face was pitch black. One hand was covering his ass, and the other was clenched into a tight, trembling fist. “What do you think?” I was absolutely terrified. I took three huge steps back, took off my jacket, and handed it to him. “It’s fine! Everything’s fine! At least we saved the cat, right? The cat…” The cat was long gone. I was crying internally. Please don’t punch me! Thankfully, Ethan just looked pissed. He snatched my jacket and tied it tightly around his waist. But the violent yank of the fabric caused the torn piece of his athletic shorts—which I had unknowingly stuffed into my jacket pocket—to fall out and land directly at his feet. Oh my god! What sin did I commit in my past life to deserve this?! My hands were shaking violently as I pulled out my phone and opened my Venmo QR code. “Sir, I’ll pay you for the shorts. Please, just add me.” Ding… The second he accepted the request, I turned and sprinted away faster than Usain Bolt. 03 Sitting on the curb, my best friend ignored the strange looks from passersby, slapping my head and laughing until she couldn’t breathe. For a very long time after that, it became her favorite piece of ammunition to mock me. Recovering from my leg injury at home was agonizingly boring. I saw the viral video of Ethan carrying me into the hospital being turned into meme edits all over Twitter. I decided it was time to exact my revenge. I was going to harass Ethan late at night. “You asleep yet, babe?” He replied instantly: “? Are you paying me back?” The smug smile vanished from my face. My brain was instantly flooded with the image of his golden dragon boxers and his incredibly firm, sculpted thighs. I hesitated for a few seconds, then Venmoed him $52.00. He accepted the payment instantly. Me: ??? FUCK!!! People really shouldn’t stay up late. I tried to troll him, and ended up losing money instead. So unlucky. But looking at the algorithm pushing more videos of his abs onto my feed… I decided I wasn’t going to let that money go to waste. My official goal for this year: Touch Ethan’s abs! To achieve this goal, as soon as my leg healed, I bought several massive orders of boba tea and delivered them to the fire station. My excuse? Showing my deep gratitude to Ethan for saving my life. The atmosphere at the station was great. A bunch of young, grinning firefighters grabbed the drinks and immediately scattered, giving us space. In the middle of the massive training yard, it was just me and Ethan, staring at each other. I handed him the last cup of boba. “Here. This one’s yours. I secretly told them to add extra boba.” Ethan hesitated for a few seconds before finally taking the cup. “Thanks.” His lips parted slightly. The olive-green t-shirt he was wearing was soaked with sweat from training, clinging tightly to the sharp outline of his abs. My mouth moved faster than my brain, and I blurted out: “If you really want to thank me, let me feel your abs.” The moment the words left my mouth, Ethan’s cold, aloof expression shattered, replaced by sheer, unadulterated shock. I pressed my lips together, my face burning hot. Okay, maybe that was a little too direct. But since the elephant in the room was already tap-dancing, I decided to just go all in. “Ethan, I already asked around. You don’t have a girlfriend. Can I pursue you?” The guy standing across from me was clearly still buffering from the shock of my first sentence and definitely didn’t process the second one. I didn’t give him time to react. I kept going. “Not gonna answer? Then I’ll take that as a yes, boyfriend.” And just like that, based entirely on my own unilateral assumption, Ethan was officially my boyfriend. By the time I left the station, several of the younger firefighters were already calling me “Sister-in-law.” I didn’t hold back either. I answered them brightly and enthusiastically. “Bye, Sister-in-law! Come back soon!” I nodded, turned to Ethan, and smiled. “I’m heading out! Bye, hubby.” Ethan had been standing there with a dark expression for five minutes, opening his mouth several times to say something. But that final “hubby” completely short-circuited his brain, leaving him speechless. 04 For the next few weeks, I lived a life of aggressively, unilaterally dating Ethan. To win him over and speedrun my way to touching those abs, I started posting on Reddit asking for advice. Finally, a highly-rated comment gave me a revelation: “These guys who act like tough, stoic walls of iron usually have a super flamboyant inner self. Otherwise, why would he be wearing bright red novelty boxers?” “Trust me, girl. Be direct. If he’s secretly wild, you have to be overtly wild. If that doesn’t work, just sexually harass him! Go get ’em!!!” Armed with this divine knowledge, I began my practical application. “Good morning, babe. I didn’t sleep at all last night, because I spent the whole night thinking about you in my dreams…” “Baby, the wind is so strong today. It’s almost as strong as my desperate need for you!” “I can’t sleep. My bed feels so cold. It feels like something’s missing… Oh, right. It’s missing you.” After a full week of aggressively sending him thirsty texts, Ethan only replied to me exactly two times. “Morning.” “If you’re cold, turn on the heater…” I mentally cursed that Reddit user 800 times. After agonizing over my failure, I came to a painful conclusion. Texting creates too much distance. I needed to show up in person and force my existence onto his radar. So, when I found out the city was hosting a firefighter skills competition and livestreaming it, I woke up earlier than I ever had in my life. When I arrived at the training facility, it was already packed with a massive crowd. Official drones buzzed overhead, filming the event. I tied my hair up tight and aggressively elbowed my way to the very front of the crowd. When the whistle blew, my eyes locked onto Ethan’s figure. Watching him hurdle over obstacles, low-crawl through the dirt, and drag massive tires over towering walls… I let out a feral, groundhog-like scream. Hot! He is so fucking hot! When the competition ended, the livestream host announced they would pick one random audience member to interact with the first-place winner. Standing in the front row, I frantically blew kisses and shot heart hands at Ethan, completely shameless. My unhinged behavior successfully caught the host’s attention, and I was gloriously selected as the lucky winner. On the live broadcast, the host asked me what I wanted to say to the champion. I grabbed the mic and walked right up to Ethan. His clothes were soaked in sweat, his chest heaving as he chugged a bottle of water. Staring at his bobbing Adam’s apple and his incredibly sexy collarbones, I made my bold request. “I want to see you do pushups. 100 of them.” “Also… can I sit on your back?” The crowd erupted in cheers. I tilted my head up, raised an eyebrow at Ethan, and flashed a triumphant, wicked smile. His face darkened. He silently put down his water bottle, dropped to the ground, and assumed a flawless pushup position. His flexed muscles showcased perfect, fluid lines, and the veins popped on his arms, radiating pure masculine energy. A group of girls in the crowd gasped. He looked up at me, his voice slightly strained through gritted teeth. “Sit!” The late afternoon sun hit his back, bathing him in a golden glow. A single drop of sweat dripped from his bangs, catching the light perfectly. The sight struck my heart, sending ripples through me. I happily kicked off my shoes, grinning like an idiot as I climbed onto his back. As he moved up and down, I almost slipped, so I leaned forward and wrapped my arms around his neck. The very next second, his entire body went rigid. I secretly smiled, leaning close to his ear, and whispered. “Keep going, hubby. You got this.” Underneath me, doing incredibly stiff pushups, Ethan’s ears turned a violent shade of crimson. Hehehe. I definitely got a feast today. One step closer to my ultimate goal! 05 After the livestream ended, I relentlessly harassed Ethan until he agreed to walk me home. As we walked past a row of street food stalls, the smell of barbecue was overwhelmingly intoxicating. I was literally drooling. Ten minutes later, there was a case of beer and three plates of grilled meat on our table. “When exactly are you planning to go home?” Ethan sat across from me, gripping a grilled sausage, his brows furrowed deeply. I aggressively gnawed on a grilled chicken wing, my voice muffled. “When I finish eating. Once you finish eating with me, I’ll go home.” Swallowing the chicken, I popped open another beer for Ethan. A few beers later, I was violently throwing up. Next to a trash can by the sidewalk, I stared at Ethan—who currently had three blurry clones overlapping him—and stumbled directly into his chest. “You smell so good!” Ethan completely froze in place, his hands hovering awkwardly in the air, having no idea what to do. “You’re drunk. Let me take you home.” I shook my head, aggressively rubbing my face against his chest. It was rock hard, and my nose actually hurt. “No. No way. You’re so mean to me. So cold and ruthless.” A heavy sigh came from above me. It sounded faint, but I could feel Ethan trying to push me away. I quickly wrapped my arms around his waist like a vice, hanging my entire body weight onto him. “Don’t move. You are not allowed to push me away.” “I like you so much. Can’t you just like me back, even a little bit?” I heard the sound of Ethan swallowing hard. A heavy, ragged breath blew down my collar, brushing against the back of my neck. It sent a tingling, electric shock down my spine. I tilted my head up, staring hazily at his devastatingly handsome face, and asked, word by word: “Ethan, do you like me even a tiny little bit?” The only answer I got was the sound of the wind. Then, Ethan hoisted me up with one arm and pulled me tightly into his chest… I never got an answer to my question. But the text messages from Ethan started becoming a lot more frequent. I just kept casually harassing him. I’d randomly show up at the station to drop off boba, then force him to walk me home. Half a month later, while walking me home, Ethan received an emergency dispatch page. Watching him sprint back toward the station in a panic, my right eyelid started twitching violently. Soon after, fire trucks roared past me, their sirens echoing through the streets. A news alert popped up on my phone: “Gas explosion at Sunset Apartments in the historic district triggers massive fire… Casualties unknown!” The second I saw the notification, I dropped my half-empty boba cup on the pavement. I unlocked a rental bike and pedaled like a maniac. My parents lived in Sunset Apartments!

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The new intern at the office handed me a thick, cream-colored envelope embossed with gold foil. A wedding invitation. I opened it with the distracted air of a busy executive, my mind already drifting to the afternoon’s quarterly projections. But as my eyes snagged on the groom’s name, the air left my lungs. Killian. My fingers went rigid. Killian. That was my husband’s name. I forced a brittle smile, my heart hammering a frantic rhythm against my ribs. It’s a common enough name, I told myself. A coincidence. A cruel, statistical anomaly. The world was full of men named Killian. Across the open-plan office, my staff was already swarming the intern, Lexie. “God, Lexie, you really hit the jackpot,” one of the junior analysts chirped, her voice dripping with envy. “Marrying a literal titan of industry? Even if he is ten years older, who cares?” Another girl chimed in, “Older? Please. I saw his Instagram—he’s in better shape than most guys our age. And that jawline? Lethal.” Someone tapped a command on their laptop, and the projector on the far wall hummed to life. A photo filled the screen. I looked up. The world tilted on its axis. The face staring back at me—the sharp, intelligent eyes, the slight quirk of the mouth I’d kissed every morning for fifteen years—was the man I had shared a bed with last night. The blood in my veins turned to ice. On the day of the wedding, I arrived at the Fairmont ballroom thirty minutes early. The air was cloying with the scent of expensive lilies and floor-to-ceiling peonies. Lexie was there, a vision in a bespoke Vera Wang, her smile radiant enough to light up the city. She glided toward me, her hand outstretched. “Elena, I’m so glad you could make it!” Her voice was like spun sugar, sweet and sickly. “It means everything to have you here to witness our beginning.” … I felt a thin, cold smile stretch across my face. Witnessing. That was an interesting word for it. To be more accurate, I was here to witness a crime scene—the slow-motion demolition of my life. Two massive, framed portraits flanked the entrance. In them, Killian held Lexie by her slender waist, their laughter captured in high-definition bliss. Looking at them, I felt a physical sensation of being torn apart, as if invisible hooks were pulling my skin in opposite directions. Lexie took my hand, her eyes shimmering with a performative shyness. “Elena—” she paused, her smile turning probing. “On a day like this, formalities feel so cold. Can I call you Len? Like a big sister?” She was twenty-two. A recent NYU grad with skin like porcelain and eyes that hadn’t yet learned how to hide a secret. At that age, you don’t need makeup to be beautiful; you just need to breathe. My heart throbbed with a dull, persistent ache. “Sure,” I managed to choke out. “Len is fine.” She led me to the VIP lounge, hovering over me with tea and fruit, her excitement so palpable it reminded me of myself fifteen years ago. My chest felt like it was being crushed by a lead weight. Before leaving for the “wedding” this morning, I had called Killian. He told me he was still stuck in Chicago on business. On the FaceTime call, he looked tired, his eyes softening with that familiar, curated devotion. He even showed me a Tiffany box he’d bought for me. “Three more days until I’m home, El,” he’d whispered, looking like a man who missed his wife. “It feels like a century. I miss you so much it hurts.” I had come so close to screaming then. I wanted to rip that mask off his face right through the screen, but I held back. For fifteen years, Killian was the gold standard. The perfect husband, the doting father, the son-in-law my parents bragged about at every country club dinner. Until last week, I believed he was the best man I’d ever known. The height of that pedestal made the fall infinite. Bella, a gossip-loving manager from my department, walked over and grabbed Lexie’s hands. “You look stunning! Absolutely breathtaking!” Lexie blushed, glancing at me. “It’s just the contouring, believe me. Elena is the real beauty here.” It was a known fact in our circles. I was the “classic” beauty, the former homecoming queen who had aged into a sharp, sophisticated grace. Even next to a twenty-two-year-old, I held my own. But I knew better than anyone that marriage isn’t a beauty pageant. If it were, I wouldn’t be standing in the wreckage of mine. “So, Lexie,” Bella leaned in, her voice dropping to a theatrical whisper. “I heard you’ve been together for four years. How did you land a billionaire catch like this? Is there a brother? I’ll sign my divorce papers today if there is.” Four years. The words hit me like a physical blow. Four years. He had maintained a parallel universe for four years without leaving a single fingerprint on our life together. I felt a surge of nausea. “He was a gift from the universe,” Lexie said, her voice soft and reverent. We sat down in the plush velvet armchairs. “My freshman year at Columbia, my parents were killed in a car accident. I was going to drop out—I couldn’t afford the tuition. It turned out Killian was a major donor to his alma mater. He gave five million a year to the scholarship fund, and I was one of his recipients.” She smiled into her tea. “That first winter was brutal. To thank him, I hand-knitted him a charcoal cashmere sweater. That sweater… that was the beginning of us.” I remembered that sweater. Killian treated it like a holy relic. He’d told me his late mother had knitted it for him before she passed. Once, our son accidentally dropped it on the floor, and Killian had flown into a terrifying, uncharacteristic rage. He’d actually struck the boy. And the five million a year? I knew nothing about it. Two years ago, Killian told me the firm was in a liquidity crisis. He’d mortgaged our penthouse, his father’s estate, and even my parents’ retirement home to “save” the company. He’d painted a picture of a business on life support, barely breaking even. But he wasn’t broke. He was just funding a fantasy. “I heard he’s loaded,” Bella continued, oblivious to the blood draining from my face. “And that he’s turned everything over to you. Why are you even working that soul-crushing job at our firm?” I watched Lexie closely. “He did,” she said, her expression serene. “He’s given me more than I could spend in ten lifetimes. But I want my own life, you know? I don’t want to be just another trophy wife. I need to have my own value.” Ten lifetimes. My lungs felt tight. Just last month, we couldn’t “afford” the $70k tuition for our son Teddy’s private academy for children with special needs. We had to move him to a crumbling public school. The transition had triggered a massive depressive episode for my ten-year-old; he’d stopped eating, stopped talking. “What exactly does your husband do that’s so lucrative?” I asked, my voice terrifyingly calm. “Most of his holdings are offshore,” she replied. “The domestic companies don’t really make much, apparently.” I felt a jolt of shock. I had no idea Killian had international entities. For four years, he’d claimed the business was failing so he could stop contributing to our household. My salary—six figures after tax—covered everything. When my mother-in-law was dying four years ago, the medical bills topped two million. I paid for all of it. I borrowed half of that money, working eighty-hour weeks and hiding my grey hair under expensive dye just to keep up the appearance that we hadn’t fallen from grace. Killian had watched me cry myself to sleep from the stress. He’d watched me sell my grandmother’s jewelry. And he hadn’t contributed a single cent. Bella leaned in closer. “I heard he’s a divorcee. Is he… you know, over the first wife?” I felt a cold laugh bubbling in my throat, but I kept my face a mask of polite interest. Lexie didn’t hesitate. Her smile was tinged with a practiced, tragic sweetness. “His first wife and son are dead.” The world stopped. I couldn’t breathe. The air in the room turned into jagged glass in my throat. He told her we were dead. “It was an accident,” Lexie added, looking genuinely mournful. “Such a shame. She never got to see the man he became, or enjoy the life he can provide now.” More colleagues arrived, and Lexie fluttered away to greet them. They circled her like she was a miracle, gushing over her luck. Suddenly, Lexie’s phone buzzed with a FaceTime request. It was Killian. “Pick it up!” the girls squealed. “Let us see the groom!” Lexie blushed and declined the call. “No. I want the first time he sees me today to be when I’m walking down the aisle. I want it to be a surprise.” She turned back to us, her eyes moist. “To be honest, Killian never had a real wedding with his first wife. No photos, no big party, he never even saw her in a dress. I want today to be the most beautiful, unforgettable day of his life.” She was right about one thing. Fifteen years ago, Killian was a nobody. We’d eloped in a courthouse. Our “rings” were ten-dollar bands from a street vendor. Every penny I had went into his first startup. Three months ago, Teddy had asked his dad if we could take family portraits at a professional studio. Killian had just laughed it off. “We’re an old married couple, Ted. We don’t need all that fuss. Maybe next year.” I’d felt a twinge of disappointment, but I’d let it go. I thought we had the only thing that mattered: a life together. I remembered our wedding night in a $40 motel room. He’d held my hands, his eyes red with tears, and promised me: “One day, El, when I’ve made it, I’m going to give you the wedding of your dreams. The dress, the diamonds, everything. I’ll make it up to you.” He was making it up to someone, alright. Just not me. “Wait,” Bella gasped. “He had nothing with the dead wife?” “He said there was no love there,” Lexie said casually, as if she were discussing the weather. “He said it was an arrangement his parents forced on him. He told me that when she died, he felt like he could finally breathe again. Like the sun finally came out.” The pain in my chest was so sharp I thought I was having a heart attack. He’d proposed to me twenty times before I finally said yes. He’d cried at our son’s birth. And now, I was a suffocating shadow he’d finally escaped. Lexie suddenly turned pale and clutched her stomach, let out a small retching sound. “Morning sickness?” I asked. Her eyes lit up. She nodded. “Good eye, Len. We just found out. Two months.” The congratulations poured in. They called the unborn baby the “heir to the empire.” “Killian’s already transferring everything into a trust for me and the baby,” Lexie said. “He wants me to quit the firm immediately. He’s moving us to London next month. He says he wants us to have the best of everything.” I felt a chill settle into my marrow. Her child was the heir? What about Teddy? My ten-year-old son who, at age eight, had run into a burning warehouse to save his father’s life? Killian had been trapped during an electrical fire at a site visit. Teddy didn’t hesitate. He’d dragged his father out, but a falling beam had crushed the boy’s leg. My healthy, athletic son was now a “lame” child who walked with a heavy brace and lived with crushing anxiety. Killian had cried for days after that. He’d promised Teddy: “I’m going to work so hard that you’ll never have to worry about anything. You’re going to be a king, son.” It was the greatest lie ever told. “Lexie,” Bella sighed, “the universe really loves you. Your husband is obsessed with you. You guys are going to be happy forever.” Lexie squeezed Bella’s hand. “I know he loves me. He’s literally risked his life for me.” I raised an eyebrow. “Really? What did he do?” “Two years ago,” Lexie said, her voice dropping into a romantic hush, “we were at one of his warehouses. I lost an earring—just a cheap $30 stud, but it was my favorite. He went back inside to find it. An electrical fire broke out while he was in there. He almost died, but he wouldn’t leave until he found that stupid earring for me.” The blood roared in my ears. My nails bit into my palms so hard I drew blood. My son lost his leg because of a thirty-dollar earring. Fifteen years. I had slept next to a monster for fifteen years and called it love. “Oh my god, that’s so romantic,” someone whispered. “What about his parents?” another girl asked. “Are they as sweet as he is?” I looked at Lexie. She nodded enthusiastically. “They’re wonderful. They treat me like their own daughter.” My skin crawled. Killian’s mother died four years ago. His father has advanced Alzheimer’s and lives in a high-security memory care facility. Lexie adjusted her lace sleeve, revealing a pale wrist adorned with a familiar jade bangle. It was an identical match to the one I was wearing. “My mother-in-law gave me this,” Lexie said, showing it off. “She told me it’s an heirloom. Only passed down to the women who join the family. It’s been in their family for generations.” I looked at my own wrist. I looked closer. For the first time, I realized the luster of my bangle was off. Mine was a fake. The real one had been bought by Killian’s mother with a year’s worth of wages from her job as a dishwasher. She loved me. She’d told me I was the daughter she never had. That’s why I’d bankrupted myself to try to save her life. And Killian had swapped it out for a glass replica to give to his mistress. A wedding coordinator appeared. “Bride? We’re starting.” Lexie gathered her skirts, beaming. “See you all inside!” “See you inside,” I whispered to the empty air. The ballroom was packed. I saw a couple sitting in the front row with “Father of the Groom” and “Mother of the Groom” boutonnieres. I felt a bitter laugh rise in my chest. He had actually hired actors to play his dead mother and demented father. The music swelled. Killian stood at the altar, looking regal and composed, a smile of pure joy on his face. I stood in the shadows at the back, a searing, white-hot hatred boiling over in my soul. I watched him watch her. I watched him take her hand. I listened to them exchange vows that were built on the bones of my son’s future. The officiant turned to Lexie. “Do you, Lexie, take this man…” “I do!” she chirped, her voice ringing out. I stepped out of the shadows, a microphone in my hand. My voice cut through the room like a serrated blade. “Actually, I have a few notes on that.” I locked eyes with Killian. His face went gray. “Don’t I get a vote, sweetheart?”

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