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Aria’s life takes an unexpected turn when her twin sister Luna marries into wealth and they both become pregnant at the same time. But when Luna gives birth to a daughter with a congenital heart defect, she secretly switches the babies. Years later, Luna’s daughter grows up to be spoiled and unsuccessful, while the child Aria raised excels in both academics and career. As Aria travels the world and enjoys a fulfilling life, Luna’s jealousy reaches a boiling point. It’s only then that Aria discovers the truth about the baby switch. Before Aria can explain, Luna, driven mad with envy, stabs her through the heart. When Aria opens her eyes again, they’ve both returned to the day the children were born. This time, Luna fiercely guards her own daughter, refusing to let anyone near her. Aria can only smile coldly. Little does Luna know that in the previous life, her daughter had died of heart failure at just ten years old… Luna had trouble producing enough breast milk. Our mom, always favoring her, eagerly brought me over to nurse the baby as soon as she was out of the incubator. But Luna screamed hysterically: “Aria, get out of here!” She hurled various items at me, including a bottle that broke against my head. Blood trickled down my temple. I retreated behind the door, wincing in pain, my expression darkening. Mom rushed forward and grabbed Luna’s arm. “What’s going on? Did Aria do something wrong?” Luna glared at me with bloodshot eyes, as if I were her mortal enemy. She snarled through gritted teeth: “She’s trying to steal my baby!” “Daisy is my daughter! No one can take her away! She’s a kidnapper, I’m calling the police!” Her eyes were filled with hatred. For a moment, her face overlapped with the twisted, terrifying expression of the Luna who had killed me in my previous life. A chill ran down my spine as I suddenly realized – I wasn’t the only one who had been reborn. So had she. But in the previous life, she was the one who switched the babies, not me! How dare she call me a kidnapper? Ridiculous! Luna and I are twins, but our mom has always favored her. For the first thirty years of her life, everything went smoothly for Luna. After graduating from a mediocre college, she married into an elite family and gave birth to an adorable daughter, living a happy and prosperous life. Meanwhile, I had a child with a congenital heart defect and spent all my savings seeking medical treatment. Who would have thought that later on, the elite family Luna married into would go bankrupt? Without a substantial family fortune to rely on, her child grew up to be spoiled and incompetent. Soon, mother and daughter ended up homeless, forced to scavenge for food. My child, on the other hand, was raised well by me. She graduated from a top university, excelled in her career, and with the wealth I had diligently saved, we quickly acquired several villas and even opened our own studio. While Luna was picking through garbage, I was traveling the world. On my 40th birthday, Luna suddenly burst in, wielding a weapon and lunging at me with eyes full of hatred. She stabbed me viciously several times, then turned to my daughter with a pained expression: “Sweetheart, I’m your real mother! I’m your real mother! How could you not recognize me?” It was only then that I learned the truth – years ago, Luna had switched our babies out of fear of being cast aside by her wealthy in-laws! The spoiled child she raised was actually mine, while the one with the heart condition was her own daughter! Luna plunged the knife into my heart, her eyes wild with madness: “Aria, you stole my life! All of this should have been mine!” Her twisted expression merged with the Luna before me now. I laughed coldly inside, but kept my face expressionless. “Forget it, Mom,” I said. “If Luna doesn’t want me to nurse the baby, there’s no point in pushing it. I’ll leave.” As I turned to go, I heard Luna let out a sigh of relief. She probably thought her happiness was within reach now. After all, in the previous life, her daughter had grown up to be obedient, talented, and filial. All Luna had to do was enjoy the fruits of my labor. But little did she know… That true heiress had died of heart failure at just ten years old. The girl who came after was a child I had adopted from an orphanage after the real Daisy passed away.

Holding my biological child, my heart melted completely. In my previous life, Luna had turned her into a complete hellion – not only was she unfilial to her parents, but she even did all sorts of terrible things to make money, with no regard for her own dignity. She ended up in prison. By then I was already dead, floating in the air, watching her fate unfold with unbearable heartache. Given a second chance at life, I was determined to give her all the love and valuable education she deserved. She suckled contentedly, looking adorable and innocent. It was hard to imagine how Luna had managed to raise such a sweet girl into the mess she became later on. As I was lulling her to sleep, a commotion suddenly erupted outside. Luna was staying in a private room not far from mine. It should have been quiet, but now it was in an uproar. I went to take a look and saw that it was Luna’s wealthy in-laws, the Ling family. Mrs. Ling was looking at the quiet baby girl on the bed with obvious disgust. “Luna dear, does your family have a history of genetic disorders?” she asked. “Otherwise how could the baby be born with a congenital heart defect?” Mr. Ling didn’t even bother to show his face. Jack, Luna’s husband, had a conflicted expression. After some hesitation, he spoke up: “Luna, even if we can keep the child alive for now, we can’t protect her forever. I think it would be better if we had another baby…” Luna’s face turned ashen as she glared furiously at Jack. “What are you saying? Are you suggesting we give up on this child? You want to kill your own daughter!” Jack’s expression also darkened. “Can’t you be more sensible? It’s bad enough she’s a girl, but she also has a terminal illness!” Mrs. Ling chimed in with a nasty tone: “Neither our Ling family nor your Shao family has any history of genetic disorders. Who knows why this child was born with this condition!” Luna trembled with rage as she grasped the cruel implication behind those words. Standing at the doorway, I couldn’t help but let out a cold laugh. Luna only saw the comfortable life I enjoyed later on. How could she know the efforts I had made to raise that child to ten years old? To treat the child’s illness, I not only spent all my savings but also suffered my husband’s betrayal. In the end, I could only take her north and south by myself, spending day and night waiting outside hospitals, eating steamed buns and drinking cold water, enduring all kinds of hardships with the sky as my blanket and the earth as my bed. But Luna couldn’t see any of that! She only wanted to reap the rewards – how ridiculous! In the end, Luna’s insistence was met with a slap across the face from Jack. Jack exploded in anger: “Our Ling family can’t afford to lose face like this. If you insist on keeping this child, then let’s get a divorce!” To my surprise, Luna actually stood her ground, tilting her chin defiantly: “Fine, let’s get divorced!” Her eyes glinted calculatingly: “Your Ling family won’t last much longer anyway. I’d rather not be associated with you anymore!” I laughed to myself. So Luna’s rare moment of backbone was just a ploy to abandon a sinking ship.

On the day of discharge, my soon-to-be ex-husband Jack came to pick us up. To my disbelief, before my personal belongings were even loaded, my mom had already put Luna’s things in the trunk. Even Jack was being overly attentive: “Luna, you get in first. The wind is strong, don’t catch a chill.” Looking at this man before me, I felt nothing but disgust. I couldn’t help but laugh coldly: “What’s the meaning of this?” My mom, noticing my expression, hurriedly came over to take my suitcase. “Oh, look at my memory! I forgot to tell you!” she said. “You see, your sister has decided to divorce the Ling family for some reason. You know she got married right after graduation and doesn’t have a job or anywhere to go. So I thought, why not let Luna stay at your place for now!” Luna sat in the car, smiling at me: “Aria, I’m still recovering from childbirth. You wouldn’t refuse me, would you?” The two of them were trying to emotionally blackmail me. However, my heart had been hardened by the despair of my previous life. I immediately shook my head firmly: “No, I don’t agree.” My mom’s face fell, but before she could say anything, Jack spoke up: “Aria, how can you be like this?” “Postpartum recovery is so important for women. I know you’ve never liked your sister, but you can’t joke around with her health!” Jack said with a disappointed look. “I always thought you were a kind girl. Who would have thought you couldn’t even accommodate your own twin sister…” Looking at his disgusting face, I couldn’t help but recall my previous life. When I was taking our child around seeking medical treatment, he was fooling around with his assistant. After divorcing me, he married that assistant just two months later. In the years that followed, although he and his mistress didn’t become extremely wealthy, they lived a comfortable middle-class life without facing any real consequences. Given a second chance at life, I was determined not to let him off so easily. An idea struck me. Instead of refusing outright, I said: “If you want to stay at my place, that’s fine. But the rent is $2000 a month, not a penny less.” Luna’s face changed: “You’re taking advantage of the situation!” My mom pulled her aside: “It’s fine, she’s just being stubborn. She won’t really make you pay. Let’s move in first and figure it out later. Don’t argue with her.” Luna gave me a dirty look before sitting down to comfort her fussy daughter. I named my biological daughter Sunny, completely different from her name in the previous life. When Luna heard the baby was called Sunny, she was taken aback: “How come? Shouldn’t your child be called…” She caught herself mid-sentence and coughed, swallowing the rest of her words. But the suspicious look she gave me spoke volumes. I accepted her scrutiny openly. Even if she knew I had been reborn, so what? This time, I hadn’t interfered with her choices at all! Her child was still called Daisy, though the surname had changed from Zhou to Shao. And I remembered that Daisy’s first health crisis in my previous life was about to happen right on schedule. Although, the circumstances were subtly different from what had happened before.

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[I really want to lock her up.] After gaining the ability to hear the thoughts of beast-people, I started contemplating how to escape. Being human in this world of beast-people who extremely hate humans, I would die if my identity was discovered. I tightened the fake fox tail tied around my waist and climbed over the wall. But can someone tell me why the silver wolf, white tiger, merman… are all smiling at me from below? The black hawk embraced me from behind, asking in a low voice: [Isn’t it exhausting pretending to be a beast-person every day?] “I want to lock her up.” When I heard this thought, I was tutoring Lucas in our beast-people academy. My first reaction was that I must be hearing things. I continued solving the math problem on my scratch paper. This was an elite school for beast-people, and I was just an ordinary human. I’m not sure how the original owner of this body got in, but when I transmigrated here, I found myself in a dangerous situation where I could lose my life at any moment. I had no choice but to keep the fake fox tail tightly attached and carefully pretend to be… well, not human. Fortunately, the curriculum here wasn’t too different from my high school courses in my previous life, so I was able to keep up the act of the original owner. Finally finishing the calculations, I looked up at Lucas, the silver wolf. His eyes were wandering, clearly not having absorbed anything I taught! “She looks so obedient and soft… Are all foxes this seductive?” Before I could even get angry, I unexpectedly heard another thought. Lucas was sitting very close to me, his silver wolf tail swaying behind me, almost but not quite touching. “I want to kiss her…” As I watched that handsome face lean closer, the scratch paper crumpled under his arm with a soft rustle. I suddenly snapped back to reality. It seemed I could hear… Lucas’s thoughts? I finally couldn’t take it anymore and leaned back, but that fluffy wolf tail pressed against my lower back, not letting me retreat an inch. Behind me, another beast-student walked by. Lucas frowned slightly in annoyance: “Aria, if you lean back any further you’ll bump into someone. Am I really that scary?” “Does Aria dislike me? How sad… I just want to snuggle her, I don’t have any bad intentions…” Me: “……” I never would have guessed that Lucas, who usually wore a cold expression that kept people at a distance, was such a crybaby on the inside. Criticisms aside, I didn’t dare get too close to him. One way beast-people expressed affection was through mating. Mating… With my fake tail? Did I dare risk that? If the tail fell off, I’d be paying with my life! I swallowed hard and managed to hand him the pen with a trembling hand. Even though I was sitting up straight now, the tail behind me still refused to move away. The soft sensation transmitted through the thin fabric, brushing against the hem of my shirt, with a subtle tendency to explore further. My whole body went rigid. The thin strap holding my tail in place would be visible if my shirt rode up even a little!

Just as I was at a loss for what to do, I heard someone call my name from behind. “Aria, the physics teacher is looking for you.” A boy with fluffy white ears stood in the back doorway, coldly eyeing Lucas and me. Ethan, the white tiger. I breathed a sigh of relief and quickly broke free from Lucas’s hold. Lucas clicked his tongue impatiently, picking up his notebook and pen as he returned to his seat. He couldn’t resist a parting shot: “That big cat is so annoying. One of these days I’m going to beat him to a pulp.” I fell silent at his words. Big cat? I suppose tigers are big cats in a sense. “Let’s go, what are you spacing out for?” Ethan waved his hand in front of my face. Before I could react, he took my hand and led me out of the classroom. The boy’s fingers were long and slender, holding mine loosely with a cool touch spreading across the back of my hand. “Ah, I’m so excited! I’m holding Aria’s little hand, it’s so soft, I want to lick it…” As I listened, I looked up to see the tips of Ethan’s beast ears turning red. He looked so pure and innocent. Me: “……” Bro, what’s with that reaction? You’re not the one being harassed here, why are you getting all shy?! I wasn’t sure whether to pull away or let him keep holding my hand. The whole way to the office, my heart was pounding nervously as Ethan led me along. “Aria.” Ethan suddenly pinned me against the hallway wall, his golden eyes fixed on me like a predator eyeing its prey. “Why haven’t you responded to the love letter I sent you?” Love letter? What? When did he ever give me a love letter? I was dumbfounded, my language system malfunctioning as I struggled to say anything for a long while. Ethan stared at me intently. After a moment, I heard his thoughts: “No, I have to be patient. I can’t scare Aria.” He gazed longingly at my fox ears, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he swallowed hard. He seemed to be holding himself back with great difficulty. My heart was racing. I was terrified he might suddenly reach out and touch the ears. Even though they weren’t likely to fall off easily, what if they did? I abruptly pushed him away, hearing a muffled grunt. Without looking back, I turned and rushed into the office. As I closed the door, I caught a glimpse of Ethan’s disappointed face, and… His bright red ears. I fell silent. “What took you so long?” The physics teacher, Mr. Blake, sat on his desk. His smoke-colored glasses perched on his high, straight nose bridge, his narrow eyes sweeping over me with an intimidating aura even when not angry. You could tell at a glance he was an eagle beast-person. The reason was simple – his features were too sharp and striking, extremely distinctive. Mr. Blake was notoriously strict. There was hardly a student who wasn’t afraid of him. I was no exception. I licked my lips nervously as I walked towards him step by step. “Sorry sir, I got held up on the way. May I ask why you wanted to see me…?” Blake closed the book he had been reading and pulled out a form from beside him, handing it to me: “This is the sign-up sheet for the experiment. Fill it out.” He paused, then added: “The research project is confidential for now. The school is very pleased with your grades and personally recommended you.” I was flattered as I took the form. I had just glanced at it and was about to sign when I suddenly heard a voice: “Actually, I was the one who recommended her personally. This is a rare opportunity, I wonder how I can collect some payment from her?” The cool, restrained voice barely contained excitement and anticipation. It was both strange and familiar. “Maybe pat her ears?” “Or hug her, she smells so good…” I was startled, the black pen leaving a long ink mark on the paper. When I looked up, Mr. Blake was still staring at me with an expressionless face, his thin lips pressed into a straight line. There was no hint of emotion. Seeing my mistake, he frowned slightly and pulled out a new form for me: “What’s wrong?” “It’s nothing, I’m just too excited.” I broke out in a cold sweat, my mind in chaos. What was going on? Why could I suddenly hear so many beast-people’s thoughts? And they all seemed to be… Coveting me?!

Just as I was starting to feel anxious, Blake suddenly said: “You can go back now. I’ll let you know when there’s news.” The weight lifted off my chest and I put on a sweet smile again: “Thank you, sir!” As soon as the words left my mouth, a large hand suddenly covered the top of my head, gently rubbing my ears. I froze for a moment and looked up. Blake had already withdrawn his hand, his expression as cold as ever: “Keep up the good work.” He seemed like a genuinely caring teacher looking out for his student. If only I couldn’t hear his thoughts. “Her ears really are soft and tender…” “I want to lock her up in here and hold her while I sleep every night…” I fled in panic. I nearly tripped over my own feet as I rushed out the door. How could Mr. Blake be so different in private too? By the end of the day, I had finally accepted my ability to hear some beast-people’s thoughts. I returned to my apartment feeling dejected, contemplating ending it all as I collapsed on the couch. Just then, I heard the sound of running water coming from the bathroom. I glanced at the fish tank, understanding dawning. I walked over and knocked on the door: “Nolan, are you in there?” The water stopped, followed by a weak male voice: “Yes, sorry… did I disturb you, sis?” I sighed and turned the doorknob. In the bathtub full of water lay a stunningly handsome young man. His sky-blue fishtail, covered in water droplets, gleamed in the sunlight streaming through the window. Only the deep, bone-deep wound on his chest marred his beauty. When I found Nolan washed up on shore, he was barely clinging to life, filthy and battered. As soon as we got back to the apartment, he automatically reverted to his fishtail and slept in the water for half a month straight. “I came to the bathroom to clean my wound. I’ll tidy up afterwards…” Nolan looked pale as he leaned against the edge of the tub. The water beneath him was already tinged a faint red with blood. I shook my head: “Don’t worry about it, just focus on healing.” As soon as I finished speaking, water splashed up. The large fishtail rose from the surface, wrapping around my waist and forcefully pulling me into the fish tank. Caught completely off guard, I fell onto Nolan’s body. My clothes were soaked through, clinging to my skin and outlining my curves. Nolan’s arms held me tightly, his forehead pressed against the crook of my neck. His voice was low, his beautiful eyelashes wet with crystal-like water droplets, as if he’d been crying. “Sis, I had a nightmare. Can I hold you for a while?” I hadn’t even commented on his sudden action, but hearing those words made my heart melt. Nolan came from the Western Sea. He was the fourth prince, but unloved by his parents and nearly killed by his brothers’ schemes. I knelt straddling Nolan’s body, the soft fishtail beneath cushioning my thighs so my knees weren’t too uncomfortable. I stroked Nolan’s wet golden hair, my maternal instincts overflowing. Just as I was about to say some comforting words, an inexplicable drowsiness overcame me. I can’t fall asleep here… Even as I thought this, my eyelids grew heavier and heavier. An increasingly fierce fatigue washed over me, and I collapsed onto Nolan’s chest. Naturally, I didn’t see the flash of jealousy in Nolan’s cobalt blue eyes. He lifted his head from my body, his tongue licking along my neck. No longer the harmless creature he first appeared to be, he now exuded a bewitching aura. “These scents are so unpleasant…” White tiger, silver wolf, eagle… Nolan’s eyes darkened as he decisively removed my fake ears and tail. “Humans should just behave themselves. Otherwise they’re easily coveted…” “Let me clean off these scents for you, sis.”

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When the richest man in the country—my dad—placed four photographs before me, my mind uncontrollably drifted back to the tragic events of my past life. I was once my father’s only heir, unaware of the malice in people’s hearts due to my sheltered upbringing. I treated these four people as true friends, even sharing my jewelry and wealth with them. Declan, however, was a devout Christian who never accepted my generosity; he was always locked away in church, praying, never sparing me a glance. I thought he didn’t love me until I inadvertently opened the church door one day and found him kneeling before a poor female student, kissing her feet with devotion: “Luna, you are my only faith, greater than even the Lord.” Now that I’ve been reborn, I refuse to give them a good life again. Looking at my dad, I said firmly, “Dad, forgive me, but I want the one from the Johnson Family!” Dad was shocked, his eyes wide. “You must be kidding. Everyone knows he’s a complete scoundrel! Plus, he supposedly has some unsavory habits. Are you sure you want someone like that?” Of course, since I’ve been reborn, I must make the best choice for myself. But not long after, this man cornered me, and that’s when I realized he… had also been reborn.

On my twentieth birthday, it was time to choose my new fiancé. In my past life, I joyfully chose Declan, oblivious to the conflict and pain in his eyes. When I opened my eyes again, it was my turn to announce my fiancé. But Declan, holding Luna, sternly warned me, “I will not marry a vile woman like you! Just seeing you makes me sick!” “Adeline, in this life, don’t even think about breaking me and Luna apart!” Everyone watched us. They all knew I had been trailing after Declan, a humble suitor. Now, being publicly ridiculed, everyone was waiting to laugh at me. I clenched my trembling hands, the pain of my past haunting me, and forced a smile. “Rest assured, even if I choose a dog, I won’t settle for you.” Declan’s expression changed, and he looked smugly at me with Luna in his arms. “Sorry, Miss Lin, Declan isn’t the kind of person you can buy with money!” Declan held her tightly and commanded me, “Luna isn’t well. Go serve her well at Seaview Villa.” “Whenever you see her, you should kneel on the ground like a dog! Otherwise, I won’t take over Lin Corporation and work for you!” With that, he left with Luna in tow. Watching his back, a cold smile crept onto my lips. It seems Declan forgot that he isn’t the richest man yet, just a worthless orphan. The banquet ended unpleasantly. My parents, delayed by traffic, were furious after hearing about Declan’s humiliation towards me, ready to confront him. But I held them back. “Mom, Dad, I’m willing to marry Wesley.” My parents were surprised, hesitantly looking at me, “But don’t you like Declan?” I lowered my eyes, hiding my hatred. “Our Lin family is so wealthy, he’s just an orphan, not worthy of me.” My mom wasn’t well, so my parents adopted four boys as candidates for my fiancé to prevent my loneliness. Yet, they felt my adoption severed their hope of finding their real families, treating me with cold sarcasm behind my back. I pitied them, always compromising, which made them see me as weak and easy to manipulate, leading to a tragic end for my entire family. Mom gently advised me, “Adeline, we just want you to be happy.” I held my mom’s warm hand to my face. “Though Wesley is a womanizer, marrying into the Wesley family can still elevate our Lin family.” “Declan is poor and will only be a burden to our Lin family!” My parents exchanged a glance, sighing in the end. “But I heard that Wesley is quite the womanizer and might even have some disease. Are you sure you want to marry him?” Seeing mom’s reluctance, I acted spoiled in her arms. “Any disease can be treated. Besides, if it can’t, I just need his sperm.” “After all, having a child doesn’t necessarily require any contact with him.” Seeing my determination, my parents stopped advising me. They were just inevitably disappointed in Declan. They had already graduated from college, and technically, the Lin family didn’t need to support them anymore. Yet, under the guise of being my future husband, he continued to leech off the Lin family shamelessly. I just asked my parents to cut off their cards. Unexpectedly, they stormed into my house that night, furious.

As soon as the door opened, I was pushed hard, crashing against the shoe cabinet. Declan looked grim, “Adeline, besides using money to control others, what else can you do?” Following him, the three others looked at me with contempt. Griffin openly showed his disdain, “Everyone knows you’re desperate, can’t live without a man since you were young.” Asher rolled his eyes, “Miss Lin, is this another round of your four-choice game? Geez, if you’re itchy, find a tree branch to scratch against. Don’t stick to us, I find it dirty!” Finn, always the most hot-tempered, looked at me with disdain, “Causing us to be burdened by you, not only can we not find our real parents, but we’re also ridiculed for spending a woman’s money!” It seemed, in their eyes, I was despicable and shameless. But they willingly got adopted back then. I fought back tears, “Then why did you come today?” All four of them changed their expressions, looking at me with resentment and anger. Finn clenched his fists, growling at me in discontent, “That’s what the Lin family owes us! If we find our real parents, why would we need to endure the Lin family?” Declan, looking at the other three, warned me in a low voice as if granting charity. “If you don’t want Lin Corporation to go bankrupt, be good.” “Unlock the cards, and maybe I’ll allow you to be a hidden lover if I’m happy.” I just couldn’t understand. If my family hadn’t adopted them, they wouldn’t have even left that orphanage. My parents never stopped them from finding their families. It was their choice not to give up the affluent life with the Lin family. But why do they hate me so much? I was about to tell them the engagement was canceled when I was pushed hard to the ground again. “Miss Lin, sorry, I didn’t mean it. Please, don’t blame me!” Even though I was the one who got hurt, Declan immediately embraced Luna. “Adeline, if you’re angry, direct it at me. Stop bullying Luna.” He glared at me as if I had committed some heinous crime. But I hadn’t done anything. Luna was also a poor student sponsored by the Lin family, transferred to my school three years ago by my parents. To show gratitude, she offered to be my sidekick. I thought she wasn’t adjusting well and transferred her a thousand dollars to buy something for herself. But Declan, gritting his teeth, grabbed me, demanding with red eyes, “In your eyes, do poor people have no dignity?” I never did such a thing. I wanted to clear the misunderstanding with Luna. But as soon as she saw me, she knelt and kowtowed, “It’s all my fault. Miss Lin never forced me to be her toy.” The four of them immediately recalled the label of spending a woman’s money, looking at me with even more hatred. “Take your dirty money and get out!” “Luna is pure and hardworking. Don’t use your tricks to insult her. If you have issues, come at us!” “Besides using money to insult people, what else can you do? Adeline, you’re really disgusting!” I couldn’t bear the false accusations anymore, shouting that Luna was lying. But Luna, in front of everyone, rushed to the rooftop, crying. “Miss Lin, if I jump, can I prove my innocence?” In the end, Declan brought her down from the rooftop. He looked at me coldly, “Adeline, you really disappoint me. Apologize, or I won’t care about Lin Corporation anymore!” Finally, unable to bear Declan’s cold treatment, I tearfully admitted to mistakes that weren’t mine. I thought it would end things. But I didn’t know Luna would use this incident repeatedly to demand my concessions. A recommendation spot, competition eligibility, even a coming-of-age ceremony my parents meticulously prepared for me. As long as she shed tears silently, he would lead the three to isolate me. In this life, I finally understand. I was never the one in the wrong. I retorted angrily, “I’ve never seen beggars with such arrogance. You want money? Fine, kneel and beg me!” Declan sneered, locking onto me like a venomous snake. “Transfer Lin Corporation’s shares to Luna, and I might give you a chance to stay by my side.” I looked at him incredulously, “Are you crazy? Why should I give her shares?” Declan looked at me coldly, “It’s what you owe her, Adeline. If you want to save Lin Corporation, do as I say!”

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National Day, I went home, and Chloe took over my room. My mom said, “Guests are guests,” and asked me to sleep on the balcony. But when the family went to the zoo, Chloe pushed me into the python enclosure. I was partially swallowed by a python. I was rescued but ended up paralyzed from the waist down, confined to a wheelchair. Chloe showed no remorse; instead, she blamed me for being careless and falling in. Feeling depressed, I fell down the stairs and died. Chloe inherited my family’s property and even praised my death. It turned out she had poured canola oil on the stairs, intending to kill me all along. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day I returned home for National Day. The clock on the wall showed the date, and I realized I had been reborn. “Adeline, go wake up your cousin,” my mom urged me. It was the National Day seven-day holiday, with many college students taking the high-speed train back home. I had bought a ticket early to celebrate with my family. Last time, I told my mom in advance to help me change the sheets. She agreed, but when I got home, I found Chloe, Daphne, sleeping in my room. Chloe used my cup and toothbrush, and even wrote on my certificates of merit from my childhood. I angrily told her to get out, but she called me petty. “It’s just a broken cup and some old certificates. I have those too, and they’re worthless at home. If you’re that upset, I’ll just print you some new ones. Why make a fuss?” “So noisy!” Those certificates were proof of my hard work from elementary through high school, not just wastepaper. But her dismissive tone made it seem like she had more right to be angry than I did. My mom, stirring up trouble, said Chloe rarely visited, so I should be hospitable and let her draw on more of my certificates. “Adeline, I’ve been wanting to throw these away. If you want to deal with them, go ahead and do it.” Laughing, she pulled me out of the room, made a makeshift bed with a cardboard on the balcony, and told me to manage for a few days. “It’s not cold yet. You can manage until Daphne leaves and you can return to your room.” “You won’t suffer much.” This cousin of mine, Chloe, was spoiled, always acting like a princess and playing the victim. I couldn’t stand her. Having to sleep on the cold floor for her made me even more upset. But I didn’t expect this National Day to be the start of my nightmare. I sat up from the floor, taking in this unusual morning. After speaking, my mom went to the kitchen, happily making Chloe’s favorite food while Chloe lounged in my room. Seeing me not up yet, my mom urged me to hurry before the food got cold. “So annoying! Why get up so early? Skipping a meal won’t kill you!” Chloe, unhappy, threw a ceramic doll from my bedside at my feet. My mom didn’t scold her; she just smiled and patted her head. “Daphne, sweetie, Auntie made your favorite smoked pork sticky rice. You’ll love it!” Chloe glared at me, telling me to clean up the doll pieces, or they’d hurt her feet later. Humming, she washed up at the sink. When I looked, she’d already opened all my brand-new skincare products, squeezing out half and leaving them on the sink. “Why are you looking? You dare keep such cheap stuff?” “I thought it was some imported good, but I had to wash my face again after using it.” She took out samples from her bag, each costing thousands, flaunting them at me. “Stop using those bad things that ruin your face. Use mine.” “But you’re so ugly, it doesn’t matter what you use.” Chapter 2 In my past life, I broke down crying from all the grievances. Even though I tolerated her, she kept targeting me. Looking at her now, I smiled and slapped her hard. “Oh, your precious face still swells with five finger marks from my slap.” I used all my strength, and Daphne fell to the ground. The sink’s bottles and containers fell, hitting her face and body. Her face swelled with blood vessels popping, looking hideous. “You hit me? How dare you?” She held her face, stunned. I sneered. “You sleep in my bed, use my stuff, and talk without a filter. I could spare you, but remember, I’m not a pushover!” My mom rushed over, helping Daphne up, scolding me for hitting my cousin. In my past life, she always manipulated me like this. “Be nice to your sister. Be more cultured. She’s family, how much harm can it do?” When I became disabled, she didn’t even say a harsh word. “Riches are fate, life and death are destiny.” “It was meant to be. Don’t blame others.” With one dismissive sentence, she excused all of Daphne’s wrongdoings. This time, I won’t be so foolish. Coldly, I responded. “Are you deaf or blind? Didn’t you see her messing with my skincare products?” “I saved those for my teacher. If her actions affect my graduate school recommendation, I won’t let her off!” My mom realized this could impact my recommendation and went silent. Daphne, furious, pointed at me. “Kick her out, Auntie! Slap her and make her leave!” I crossed my arms and pinched her chin hard. “This is my house; if anyone leaves, it’s you! Did the mountain confuse you about who’s the host?” My mom brought ice to soothe her face, coaxing. “Daphne, sweetie, your cousin is stressed about her recommendation, acting crazy. Let’s not stoop to her level.” Since that slap, Daphne nagged me daily, and out of guilt, my mom gave her thousands in red envelopes. She took her to local restaurants for authentic cuisine. Daphne flaunted the gifts at me. “What do you think? You don’t have them, right?” “Auntie said I’m pretty and sensible, deserving new clothes. You, the useless kid, get the old ones.” She then showed the zoo tickets featuring a golden python. Her eyes narrowed meaningfully. “Let’s visit the zoo tomorrow. They say there’s a golden python there.” Having lived through this before, I knew her plan. I was ready this time. Due to the National Day holiday, the zoo was packed. The zoo’s main attraction was the “Golden Python Mountain.” The mountain housed over 20 golden pythons, each seven to eight meters long and 20-30 centimeters wide. Each ate at least 20 pounds of meat daily. They’re known for their gentle nature, so the zoo hired handlers, creating feeding and photo zones. Brave visitors could feed them and take photos with the 100-pound pythons wrapped around them. In my past life, Daphne pushed me into the python pool during a photo session. The startled pythons swarmed and attacked me, leaving me disabled. Daphne bought several pounds of raw meat and two golden python hairbands, sticking one on my head. “Adeline, let’s queue for a photo session. It’s cool to take photos with these pythons.” Chapter 3 She even dragged my mom along. But my mom, afraid of such things, quickly refused. “No, Daphne, Auntie really can’t handle this.” “If you don’t come with me, no one will,” Daphne pouted, playing cute. Of course, my mom pushed me to her side, patting my back. “Let your sister accompany you. She has experience taking pictures with pythons.” I shrugged, feigning fear. “No, I’m scared now.” “It’s okay, sister, I can protect you.” Daphne had no intention of protecting me; she just wanted to repeat her trick. We queued for half an hour before it was our turn for photos. In the large python pool, dozens of golden pythons writhed, resembling a giant multi-headed monster. The python handler placed a small python’s tail on Daphne’s lap, letting her hold a chicken leg near its mouth for a photo. Then it was my turn. As the handler brought the python for my photo, Daphne suggested loudly, “Brother, my sister wants a big one.” The handler searched for a large one, warning us not to step forward and disturb the pythons. Daphne agreed but subtly moved behind me, whispering. “Sister, are you really afraid of pythons now, or are you lying?” I looked at her coldly. “What are you implying?” Daphne shook her head innocently, smirking. “Nothing, just curious. You took photos with pythons as a kid, why the sudden fear?” I replied calmly. “People change as they grow.” “You were kind and gentle as a baby. How did you grow into a villain?” Daphne agreed verbally but quietly moved behind me. She spoke softly. “Sis, are you really afraid of pythons now? Or are you just joking?” I shot her a cold glance. “What’s your point?” Daphne shook her head innocently, a playful smile on her lips. “Oh, nothing. Just curious. You used to have photos taken with all sorts of pythons as a kid. How come you’re suddenly scared now?” I replied calmly, “People change as they grow up.” “You were kind and gentle when you were little. How did you become so nasty?” Her smile vanished instantly. She stared at me like an enemy, gritting her teeth. “Since you put it that way, I’ll show you what being nasty really means.” “You slapped my face! Just drop dead already!” Suddenly, she pushed me hard from behind, trying to shove me into the Python Pool. But I was prepared. I hooked her wrist with my fingers and yanked her down beneath me. We both fell into the Python Pool, with me on top. The pythons, startled, made low hissing noises and slithered towards us. I grabbed Daphne by the throat, propping myself up with one arm, and looked at her coldly. “I heard that because there are so many visitors, the zoo didn’t feed them yesterday so everyone could enjoy feeding the pythons.” “These cute snakes must be starving now.” “What… what are you going to do? You evil woman!” Realizing something was wrong, Daphne’s face turned fearful. She tried to push me off and get up. In the next second, I slammed my elbow hard into her arm joints. With two snaps, both her arms dislocated, and she couldn’t get up anymore. “You wicked woman! You dog! Are you trying to kill me? Shameless woman!” Daphne cursed me furiously, but I ignored her. I got out of the Python Pool before the pythons could reach us. “Ah! Someone save me! Help!” Just as she finished yelling, a python opened its mouth wide, drooling, and wrapped its thick body tightly around her. She couldn’t make another sound. ### Chapter 4 The incident caught everyone off guard, plunging the entire zoo into chaos. Many people pulled out their phones to record the scene. My mom was frantic, desperate to rush in and save Chloe herself. Unfortunately, the staff who had come to assist stopped her.

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Husband lied about being able to see everyone’s lifespan to make up for missed opportunities with Adeline. He claimed I had sixty years left, but his idealized love from the past had only seven days. So, during those seven days, he wanted to fulfill the promises he made to her in their youth. He brought her to our home to personally care for her, and they revisited their young love, rekindling their romance. I didn’t make a fuss. He professed his love to Adeline and then organized an extravagant wedding to marry her, making me the bridesmaid. I didn’t argue. Until he decided to break the ultimate barrier with her in our marital home. With guilt in his eyes, he asked me to move out of our house. The maids laughed at me, but I simply smiled and agreed. I then packed my belongings and moved into the guest room next door with my child. Seeing me as compliant as ever, my husband teared up: “I promise, this is the last time I’ll wrong you. Once Addie passes away, I’ll make it up to you.” He didn’t know I had seen through his lies. Nor did he know that it was actually me with cancer, with only seven days left. In three days, I’ll be gone.

“She just moved next door without a fuss? Wouldn’t she be heartbroken, listening in at night?” “What? You want to help? Didn’t you see how much he dotes on Miss Adeline? She’s just a nobody now; you don’t know whom to flatter.” “Indeed, Mr. Lachlan and Miss Adeline are a better match.” I held my child, pushing boxes from our home, moving things next door trip by trip. I looked around for help, but no one responded. On the fifth day after my terminal diagnosis, my husband wanted to share our new home with his romanticized past love. The maids removed our photos, the bedding, and replaced them with red lovebird sheets, Adeline’s personal items, and their wedding photos. Lachlan glanced coldly over everything, not sparing me a look. He knelt by the sofa, feeding Adeline strawberries, full of indulgence: “I promised you everything a bride should have, you won’t lack anything, don’t let yourself suffer, be good, open your mouth…” My daughter sensed something wrong and whimpered, but Lachlan pretended not to hear. His heart and mind focused only on his first love, leaving me and our daughter to be ridiculed. I gently rocked my child, feeling a bitter ache in my heart. I had no choice; I was dying. After dealing with everything, I didn’t want to talk and planned to return to my room. But as I passed the living room, Adeline wouldn’t let me leave. Lachlan coaxed her for a long time before she shyly spoke: “I don’t have many days left and can’t have kids. I just want to borrow the baby for a few days to see what it’s like to be a mom, but I’m afraid of offending you, sister…” Instantly, everyone’s eyes were on me. I stared firmly at Lachlan. He let his mistress enter the house, making me the maids’ joke. Would he really take my child away, not letting me see her one last time before I die? Seeing Adeline’s face full of melancholy, Lachlan felt pity and looked at me earnestly: “Nora, since you can let go of our home, you won’t mind letting Addie take care of the baby, will you?” I almost forgot; Adeline was the one he vowed to marry when he was young. If Lachlan hadn’t loved her so much, willing to break up rather than hinder her future, they would have been married long ago, and I wouldn’t have picked up the pieces. I only became his wife because I was suitable. Besides responsibility, he had nothing left for me. I forcibly held back the dull pain in my head and asked him: “What if I mind? She’s our daughter, only a month old.” Lachlan paused his fruit-cutting, turned back coldly: “I said, just borrowing the child for three days. Addie’s dying and has never been a mom, what’s wrong with that?” “Anyway, you can live so long, you have plenty of time to see her.” “She’s my daughter! Without my consent, no one can take her.” My voice was resolute. I bled heavily for a whole day to barely give birth to her. And I only have three days left. If I don’t see her more now, I never will. “Nora, I didn’t think you’d be so selfish, can’t you wait just three days?” Lachlan frowned, his tone somber. “I really can’t…” But before I finished, he ordered the maids to restrain me and snatched my daughter, handing her to Adeline. I bit my lip, red-eyed, glaring at him, my heart feeling slashed and bleeding. Yet Adeline smiled triumphantly, her gaze full of pride. The pain in my body couldn’t compare to the pain in my heart. I broke free from the maids, pouncing to grab my daughter back. As I grasped the edge of the swaddle, I felt joy, but then saw Adeline’s sinister smile. I was puzzled when she suddenly fell back, loosening her grip. Seeing my daughter about to fall, I quickly reached out, holding her tight. I fell to the floor from inertia, my elbow throbbing with pain. Gasps surrounded me. But Lachlan caught Adeline, and she nestled in his arms, frightened and wronged: “Sister, if you didn’t want to lend me the child, just say so. No need to use her as a shield to push and bully me…” A maid also stepped up to defend her: “Ma’am, you overreacted. Little Miss is so small. If she hit her head on the ground, she couldn’t be saved!” Lachlan was initially moved by my willingness to protect our child, but after hearing this, his eyes filled with disappointment and anger: “Nora, I can’t believe you’re so cruel to use our child as leverage to bully Addie. You don’t deserve to be a mom!” He said, snatching my daughter from the floor. “For these few days, go stay in the maids’ quarters and serve Addie well.” After speaking, Lachlan saw my tears, curled on the ground, hesitating, a hint of concern in his eyes: “Are you unwell?” To the side, Adeline shrugged: “Sister, you didn’t hit your head. Why act like you have a concussion, trying to gain Lachlan’s sympathy?” “The child isn’t crying, but you, an adult, are. That’s not right.” Lachlan’s concern vanished, replaced by disgust: “Don’t act like you’re dying. Your bright sixty-year lifespan is clear. You can’t fool me.” My heart ached with countless pains. He’d been lying to me all along. Thinking of the time after our whirlwind wedding, the close moments with Lachlan, felt like a dream. In the later stages of my pregnancy, he pushed away work, cooked for me daily, and applied oil to prevent stretch marks. He didn’t mind my swollen, unattractive appearance, still hugging and kissing me… But in just five days after Adeline’s return, everything changed. Lachlan protected Adeline, even the maids sided with her. I was isolated, with no support. When the pain subsided, I sat up from the floor, finding the living room empty. Lachlan ordered I shouldn’t see my daughter for these days, even throwing my luggage from the guest room into the maids’ quarters. With my body unwell, I planned to return to my room but was stopped by Adeline. “Sister, I plan to let my Bichon Frise stay here. Maybe you can make do in the basement for a few days.” I gritted my teeth, glaring at Lachlan behind her. Lachlan pursed his lips, finally stopping her from moving me again: “Alright, the guest room next door is for your dog. The maids’ quarters suit her.” Hearing this, Adeline cheerfully ran upstairs to arrange the doghouse, and Lachlan comforted me: “Nora, I just want to make up for her dying regrets. I promise to stay with Addie for three days.” “After three days, we can spend sixty years together. She’s just passing through, you’re still my legal wife, nothing will change.” Lachlan touched my head. “Be good, be generous, and I promise you won’t be wronged again.” He said and walked away. But he didn’t know I had no time to be generous. We had no future. 2 Five days ago, I was diagnosed with brain cancer, only seven days to live. I told Lachlan about the cancer, but he didn’t believe me, saying I was pretending to be pitiful like Adeline. Since he didn’t believe me, I stopped explaining. The pain in my brain left me weak and limp. Dazed, I heard a knock on the door. Opening it, I found Mrs. Chen, sent by Lachlan with a gift for me—a bouquet of eternal gold roses. He also had Mrs. Chen convey that it was compensation for giving up the new house and my daughter. Mrs. Chen was the only one in the villa who truly cared for me now. She smiled, suppressing her distaste for Adeline, and advised me: “Mr. Lachlan is just temporarily blinded by a vixen. Sending an expensive gift shows he still cares for you.” “Maybe it’ll be better in a few days. Ma’am, just bear with it.” I placed the roses in the corner without expression. There were already four identical bouquets of eternal roses there. I nodded perfunctorily. Since Lachlan lied to me, he sent Mrs. Chen with such a bouquet every day. Mrs. Chen couldn’t see, but after three years of sharing a bed, how could I not know? He was just trying to ease his guilt, deceiving himself. Even sending flowers was done secretly; he didn’t think he was wrong. Looking at the eternal flowers in the corner, only two bouquets left. Once they’re gone, I’ll likely be gone too. There’s no eternity for me… Brain cancer is truly torturous. After a night of splitting headaches, I barely slept at dawn. Suddenly, my phone rang abruptly, pulling me from sleep. I pressed my temples hard, answering the call from my attending doctor. Dr. Xavier’s excited voice rang out: Mrs. Chen might not notice, but after spending three years by his side, how could I not see through him? He’s just trying to ease his guilt, fooling himself. Even when he gives flowers, he does it in secret. He doesn’t think he’s in the wrong at all. Looking at the Eternal Flowers in the corner, only two bouquets remain. Once they’re gone, so might I be. Where’s the eternity in that… Brain cancer is truly relentless. After an entire night of a splitting headache, I finally managed to catch some sleep at dawn. Suddenly, my phone rang, startling me awake. Pressing hard on my temples, I answered the call from my physician. Dr. Xavier’s excited voice came through: “Ms. Nora, a new drug that can inhibit brain cancer cells has just been released abroad. Supplies are limited, but I managed to get a bottle through some connections.” “It might help extend your life a bit. If you’d like, come to the hospital to pick it up.” Hearing this, I was overwhelmed with joy. Even if it’s just for my daughter, I need to live a few more days. So I agreed immediately and rushed to the hospital to get the new medicine. Dr. Xavier specifically reminded me that the new drug is precious and needs to be kept safe. He said it could help me survive the next two days and maybe extend my life until the next batch is produced. With tears in my eyes, I paid for the medicine and held it tightly in my hand. But as soon as I left the pharmacy, I ran into Lachlan and Adeline, who were there to pick up medicine too. Seeing the medicine in my hand, Lachlan immediately approached me, nervously asking: “Are you sick? Why are you at the hospital getting medicine?” Lachlan kept turning me around, trying to figure out what illness I had. These days, he’s been wavering between me and Adeline, making me think he still cares about me. I couldn’t help but find it amusing and casually told the truth: “Yeah, cancer, only a few days left to live.” Lachlan froze for a moment, but Adeline reacted first, bursting into tears: “Sister, you know I have cancer and live in pain every day, yet you joke about it with me.” “Yeah, if I die sooner, I won’t burden Brother Lachlan with taking care of me. I’m just a wretched short-lived ghost! Let me die!” She said this and tried to climb out of the corridor window, but Lachlan stopped her instantly. Lachlan was both angry and heartbroken, turning to scold me harshly: “Nora, why do you keep using cancer to provoke Addie? You’re living just fine. Do you know how tormenting illness is?” “You’re so selfish, acting like you’re dying all the time. Even the King of the Underworld wouldn’t take someone like you! You’re blind!” With that, he grabbed the medicine from my hand, speaking angrily: “I want to see what kind of life-threatening disease you really have!” “Don’t touch my medicine!” Knowing how precious the new drug is, I panicked and rushed to get it back. But Lachlan pushed me away, seeing the blank label on the bottle. The drug is still in the trial phase, so there’s no label on the bottle. Adeline sneered at me: “Sister, if you’re faking cancer, at least write something on the prop bottle. How crude. How can Brother Lachlan believe you?” “Brother Lachlan, who knows what’s in there. We can’t let her take it. What if it kills her?” I shot her a cold glance, gritting my teeth: “If I die from it, what… does it matter to you…” Before I could finish, Lachlan had already tossed the bottle out the window with a wave of his hand. Outside the window was the artificial lake!

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The news spread throughout the company that the CEO’s fiancée, whom I risked my life to save, is going to marry her idealized love due to her pregnancy. Everyone assumed that I, as the fiancé, would be furious over her marrying someone else. But even after their child was born, I stayed composed and didn’t cause any trouble. Instead, I took initiative and focused on projects to support the struggling company. The fiancée believed I had finally accepted my role as just a tool to help her manage the company. With a condescending air of self-satisfaction, she promised me, “Since you’re so considerate in earning money for me and the baby, I’ll reluctantly let you stay in the company and give you a chance to continue taking care of us.” However, she was sorely mistaken. I am not working for her and the child; I’m preparing to take over the company next week. From now on, I won’t compromise and be her supportive partner behind the scenes. I’ll replace her and become the new CEO! 1 I had just wrapped up a project discussion with a client and stepped out of the meeting room when I saw Jasper at my desk changing his and Josephine’s baby’s diaper. “Assistant Jiang, you’re really juggling a lot, working and taking care of the baby. Once CEO Shen finishes her postpartum recovery and returns, you definitely deserve a big promotion and raise!” “Yeah, babies born in the Year of the Snake are considered destined for greatness. When they grow up, they’ll surely be exceptional individuals and company pillars, just like Assistant Jiang.” The small five-square-meter room was packed with project team colleagues. This used to be my office, but now it was filled with baby supplies and had become Jasper’s nursery at the company. Even the awards I earned for the company that were on the wall had been replaced with photos of the baby from birth to the first month. Actually, due to layoffs, there have been plenty of empty rooms in the company these years. But Jasper claimed that a master advised him that only my office was suitable for the child’s growth. Everyone could tell it was just an excuse Jasper made up to squeeze me out. Yet Josephine, who usually has a firm belief in materialism, believed it. She even wanted me to move to the small desk by the restroom to block some negative energy for her and Jasper’s child. There was no hint of remorse for breaking the engagement she had with me long ago and marrying Jasper and having his child. Coming back to the present, Jasper noticed the contract I had just signed in my hand and approached me with a smile: “Really sorry, Director Ye.” “I’ve been busy with the baby lately, and Josephine still needs a few more days to finish her postpartum recovery. I’ve been troubling you to run the business, but I’ll definitely tell Josephine about your contributions later!” Although Jasper was polite, his right hand tried to snatch the signed contract from me. Since Jasper joined the company a year ago, taking advantage of Josephine’s favoritism towards him, he had often stolen projects and achievements from me. Before, I always compromised and indulged him because of my feelings for Josephine. But now that Josephine had married him, I had no reason to tolerate it any longer and directly slapped his hand away. “Jasper, you took my fiancée, and now you want the contract I closed?” Before Jasper could respond, our colleagues rushed to defend him: “What do you mean by ‘took’? Director Ye, your words are too harsh!” “Exactly, Assistant Jiang was just too busy with the baby and had to hand over the project he brought in to you. You got an easy win and still complain. You’re just a freeloader with no right to bark here!” I only found it ironic. Yes, Jasper did bring in this project. But to prove himself, he exaggerated the project proposal’s price to 60% of the original during a drinking session with the client. He secured the business without considering its feasibility. In the end, I had to work overtime, optimize the technology, and even use my own money to smooth things over with suppliers to barely reduce the costs. Yet, the credit went to Jasper. Seeing my firm stance, Jasper smiled and said earning money for the company was all that mattered. But when no one was looking, he pinched the baby in his arms. The next moment, the baby started wailing, and poop and pee splattered all over me. Even the contract I had just signed was stained and ruined. “Oh dear, Director Ye, my apologies. It’s my first time being a dad, I’m inexperienced. My hand slipped, please forgive me.” Noticing my dark expression, the nearby colleagues wouldn’t miss the chance to impress Jasper and chimed in: “Ezra, are you seriously arguing with a baby just a month old? Have some shame.” “With that bad temper, no wonder CEO Shen broke off the engagement. You can’t compare to Assistant Jiang’s gentlemanly demeanor.” Hearing them mention the broken engagement, I couldn’t help but laugh coldly. Josephine and I had been together for seven years, engaged, and were about to get married. But a year ago, her ex, Jasper, suddenly appeared. Josephine brought him into the company unusually, and before long, she hurriedly sent me on an overseas trip. When I returned, I heard the news of their shotgun wedding. Rather than a gentleman, “beast in a suit” suits him better. But now I had more pressing matters and no time to bicker with them. I calmly took a file from my drawer and threw the diaper Jasper had intentionally left on my desk back at him. “Sorry, I’ve been working overtime a lot, and my eyes are blurry. I meant to throw it in the trash. My hand slipped too, forgive me.” For a moment, a foul stench rose from Jasper’s expensive suit. His face turned green, but I didn’t give them a chance to criticize me and left with my files, driving to the business registration office to hand the file to a staff member. “Please register the shareholder information update for me.” This was the share transfer agreement Josephine personally signed six months ago before I went abroad for negotiations. It transferred all her shares back to me. Actually, I had founded the company myself, with all the funds and technology being mine, so naturally, the shares were initially mine too. A few years ago, when the company began to succeed, I gave her 51% of the shares to compensate for the hardships she endured with me, fulfilling her dream of being a boss. During these tough times, I intended to take back all the shares to bear the risks myself and not let Josephine fall into debt. I thought it would be difficult and prepared many excuses to persuade her, fearing she’d misunderstand my intentions. But the day before I went abroad, when I approached Josephine, she signed without even looking and urged me to leave the country quickly. At that time, I asked her if she wasn’t afraid I’d con her. But she just smiled while packing my luggage, saying we were about to get married and were one family, so why differentiate between mine and yours. Back then, I thought Josephine loved me deeply and left that night, determined to secure the deal and save the company. After successfully securing the order and returning, I found she had married Jasper and even had a big baby boy with him. Only then did I realize she hadn’t trusted me but was pregnant and eager to marry Jasper, fearing I’d discover her secret, hence the rush to sign and send me away. But now it’s just right; at least the company is still in my hands. After confirming the agreement, the staff suddenly asked: “Mr. Ye, shareholder transfers are significant. Why didn’t Miss Shen come with you?” I calmly shook my head: “She’s still in the postpartum recovery period.” Hearing this, the staff was initially stunned, then congratulated me on becoming a dad and happily proceeded with the shareholder transfer procedures. But I couldn’t smile. Because I’m not the child’s father, nor am I her husband. While waiting for approval and lost in thought, my phone suddenly rang. It was Josephine calling. As soon as I answered, a roar came from the other end. “Jasper just dirtied the contract. Can’t you ask the client to sign again? Why are you acting up at work and scaring the baby?” Before she could finish, the staff handed me the paperwork to sign. “Signing?” “Ezra, it’s work hours. Where are you instead of being at the company?” After signing, I explained: “I’m signing an agreement.” On the other end, Josephine paused, then her tone softened considerably. “That’s more like it. Seeing how eager you are to make money for me and the baby, I’ll reluctantly keep you in the company and give you a chance to take care of us.” But I wasn’t listening to her words. Looking at the new shareholder list, with me holding 91%, making me the true CEO of the company, I couldn’t help but laugh. Josephine, on the other end, misunderstood, thinking I was grateful to her, and smugly said: “Look at you, all smug. Work hard, and when I return from the postpartum care center, I might consider promoting and giving you a raise.” After a few more words, Josephine laughed and hung up. But she didn’t know that in two days, once the review period was over, I’d be the new CEO of the company. I wonder if she’ll still be able to smile then. 2 Having firmly regained my company, I felt a huge relief and went home first, planning to pack my things and completely end things with Josephine. But as soon as I opened the door, a musty smell hit me. Josephine had been in the hospital for prenatal care, then went straight to the postpartum care center after delivery, and I had been away on business trips. This home hadn’t been tended to for nearly half a year. I intended to open the windows to air it out, but as I walked into the living room, I tripped over something. I found a large photo frame on the floor. Lifting it, I realized it was the wedding photo Josephine and I had taken. After our engagement, Josephine had insisted we go to the studio for a photo shoot. She had me try on dozens of suits, never quite satisfied, and it took an entire afternoon to choose a white suit she liked. Though it wasn’t my style, knowing she had spent the whole afternoon choosing it for me, I accepted it willingly. Her serious gaze from that time remains vivid in my memory. Coming back to reality, I dusted off the frame, feeling puzzled. I had always kept the wedding photo in the bedroom. Why was it thrown in the living room? Entering the bedroom, I immediately understood the reason. Above the head of the bed now hung a photo of Josephine and Jasper from their wedding. In the photo, Josephine, with her pregnant belly, was nestled in Jasper’s arms, smiling like a girl who had just won the world. Although it wasn’t my style, knowing Josephine spent an entire afternoon choosing it for me made me accept it with a smile. Her earnest look from that day is still vivid in my memory. Bringing myself back to the present, I wiped dust off the photo frame, feeling puzzled. I always hung our wedding photo in the bedroom, so why was it tossed on the living room floor? It wasn’t until I walked into the bedroom that everything became clear. Above the headboard was a wedding photo of Josephine and Jasper. In the picture, Josephine, with her pregnant belly, was in Jasper’s arms, smiling like a girl who had the whole world in her grasp. They wore the very same wedding dress and suit Josephine had meticulously chosen that day. It hit me why Josephine wasn’t satisfied after trying all afternoon and eventually picked a white suit that didn’t suit me at all. It was never meant for me. Over the years, my skin had tanned due to long business trips outdoors. Josephine chose a pure white suit for me, which naturally looked odd against my complexion. However, Jasper, who always stayed in the company assisting Josephine, was fair-skinned and refined. The white suit made him look like a storybook prince. I chuckled sarcastically, planning to pack my things and sell the house. This house was originally prepared by my parents as a marital home for me. Since the marriage isn’t happening, there’s no reason to keep it; it might as well be sold to alleviate the company’s financial strain. But when I opened the wardrobe, my fists clenched. All my belongings were gone, replaced by Jasper’s frequently worn shirts. I immediately messaged Josephine, demanding to know where my clothes were. It wasn’t until half an hour later that Josephine replied: “Of course, I threw them away. Jasper’s rental is too far from the company, so I let him move in directly.” “Your stuff doesn’t suit his cleanliness, so I tossed it all.” “Besides, you used my salary to buy these things, so technically it’s my money. I can do whatever I want with it, and I don’t need your permission, do I?” I have to admit, Josephine has always been skilled at twisting logic. Seeing that I had no response, Josephine sent another message: “What, feeling sorry for your junk?” “I heard about the company situation this morning. If you hand over the project to Jasper, I’ll get you some high-end stuff and even leave you a storage room to rest.” “No need.” Before Josephine could finish typing, I blocked her on SnapChat and called a junk removal service to clear everything out of the house. Then I contacted a real estate agency to list the house for sale and went to a hotel to rest. The next morning, the junk removal service transferred the money to me. Although it was collected at a low rate as scrap, I still made quite a bit of cash. It showed how much Josephine cared about Jasper, eager to give him the world. Just as I was about to freshen up and get out of bed, Josephine suddenly called. “Ezra, who allowed you to sell the marital home? Where are Jasper and the baby supposed to live now?!” “And what about his designer suits and game console? Where did you throw them?” On the other end, Josephine was so furious she could barely breathe. I found it ironic. My belongings could be casually thrown away, but Jasper’s things were treasures. I replied calmly: “You do realize that was our marital home, right? Since you’re married to Jasper now, what’s wrong with me selling it?” “As for the stuff in the house, I sold it all as scrap.” Josephine was speechless with anger, but soon she let out a disdainful laugh. “Ezra, do you think selling the house is going to stop me?” “Don’t think I don’t know you’re trying to play hard to get, using these little tricks to get my attention.” “Know your place. You’re just a tool working for me, don’t delude yourself with thoughts you shouldn’t have!” With that, Josephine hung up. Almost simultaneously, Jasper updated his Facebook status. It was a photo of him signing a real estate contract with an agency. He even captioned it: “Finally got my own place in this city.” Jasper’s position at the company was just an assistant role, and his monthly salary wasn’t much. Plus, he was a big spender, so buying a house was out of the question. Clearly, Josephine paid for it and bought back the house I just listed for sale. And Jasper intentionally posted on Facebook, obviously to flaunt it to me. But instead of being angry, I almost couldn’t hold back my laughter. Although property prices had dropped over the years, I had bought the place early on, so overall, I still made a profit. Josephine, on the other hand, basically handed me the money the company made over the past two years for a depreciating house that Jasper now treasures like gold. To celebrate, I treated myself to a rare feast. The business registration office also sent a message notifying me that the shareholder information update had been approved. I was ready to return to the company and take over. But as soon as I walked through the door, I ran into Josephine. “What are you doing here? Aren’t you supposed to…” Before I could finish, Josephine, with a cold expression, slapped me. “Ezra, as a senior employee, is this how you set an example?” “Absent for two days, you’re nothing but a disruptive influence!” “I didn’t work hard to run this company so you could slack off and draw a salary!” “Starting tomorrow, your performance for the next year is wiped clean. You’re no longer a director; go assist Jasper and learn how to be a proper person.” Hearing Josephine’s punishment, my colleagues around me didn’t even try to hide their mockery. After all, the company wasn’t that big, and with Jasper’s embellishments, I had long become the target of ridicule. However, the absence Josephine mentioned was pure nonsense. I had applied for a week of fieldwork a month ago and didn’t need to clock in. Josephine herself had approved it. It was clear she was just finding excuses to vent Jasper’s anger. Seeing me remain silent, Josephine frowned: “Ezra, I’m talking to you. Are you deaf?” “Don’t you see the baby soiled his diaper? Hurry up and help Jasper clean it, or do you want to stink up the entire company?” Still, I didn’t move. After all, I’m the owner of this company now. Before I could speak, Jasper was quick to play the good guy. “Josephine, don’t be mad. Ezra must be exhausted from running errands the past two days.” “I’m young and energetic; I can manage work and childcare.” But before he could do anything, Josephine stopped him with concern: “No need, you’ve been busy with paternity leave and childcare, and you’ve lost weight.” “Plus, you just got promoted and the project is yours now. Focus on preparing your speech for the release event.” “As for him, if he wants to stay in the company, let him do some hard labor. It’ll teach him not to be lazy and help him realize how hard you’ve had it with the baby.” Watching Josephine’s concern for Jasper, I found it absurd. Jasper was all talk. At work, he’d dump childcare and tasks onto colleagues who fawned over him, while he hid away eating fried chicken and gaming. Meanwhile, due to poor business performance, I frequently had to go out and hustle. I even prioritized a contract meeting over hospital care after a car accident, impressing clients with my dedication. Yet, in her eyes, I was a lazy freeloader. Love or the lack thereof was painfully obvious. Bringing myself back, I looked straight at Josephine, speaking steadily: “I recall the company’s manual clearly states that infants aren’t allowed to disrupt the office.” “Moreover, I applied for fieldwork in advance, so I don’t need to clock in. You have no grounds to penalize me.” In seven years, this was probably the first time I openly defied Josephine. She was stunned but quickly sneered: “Ezra, I’ll admit, you’ve gotten my attention, but you’re going about it the wrong way.” “I’m the CEO of this company. If I say you’re absent, then you’re absent!” “I’ve already backed up all the projects and client info you have. Do you really think you’re irreplaceable?” “HR, prepare the termination papers and notify all our partner enterprises to add him to the employment blacklist.” Before HR could make a move, I stopped them: “No need. I’ve already prepared resignation letters.” Jasper was overjoyed but pretended to be regretful: “Ezra, why put yourself through this?” “Why not apologize to Josephine? She’s kind-hearted; considering you cared for her for several years, she’d surely give you a break and let you clean toilets and unclog drains.” Next to him, Josephine, seeing me stop HR, raised her chin arrogantly. “Didn’t expect you to have some self-awareness.” “Tell you what, since you’ve been a useful tool, if you willingly give up…” Before Josephine could finish, I interrupted, tossing resignation letters to her and Jasper. “Enough, no need for small talk. You’re both dismissed.” Looking at her own resignation letter, Josephine was momentarily stunned, then scoffed. “What right does an employee have to fire me?” I smiled calmly and handed over the shareholder transfer notice. “Miss Josephine, you’ve forgotten something important.” “I’m the CEO of this company now.” “Alright, since you’re nothing but a convenient lackey, if you voluntarily give up…” Before Josephine could finish, I cut her off and tossed two termination letters to her and Jasper. “Enough of the pointless chatter. You both can get out now.” Holding her termination letter, Josephine was momentarily stunned, then sneered with disdain. “What right do you, just an employee, have to fire me?” I smiled dismissively and presented the formal notice of shareholder transfer. “Miss Shen—oh wait, no, Miss Josephine—your esteemed status seems to have made you forgetful.” “Take a good look, I’m the CEO of the company now.” “As for you and Jasper, you’re both fired immediately for violating company policy, disrupting workplace order, and stealing company project secrets.” I’m sorry, but it appears that the specific text you need translated is missing. Could you please provide the text you would like me to translate? “`plaintext 4 As Josephine read the shareholder information update on the notice, her face turned pale.

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My best friend came to me, asking for help. She said she was being harassed by her ex-boyfriend and pressured by her parents to marry. She wanted to have a sham marriage with my husband. I was shocked when my husband agreed and even let her move into our house. Hearing the unsettling noises from the living room every night, I felt like I was falling apart… I’ve been married to my husband, Declan, for three years. He is thriving in his career while I am the lovely and charming presence at home. We are in love and harmonious. But something happened three days ago that left me in turmoil. My best friend Keira insisted on giving me $100,000, saying she needed to marry Declan. Her reason was that she was being harassed by her ex-boyfriend and pressured by her parents to marry. She needed a man to protect her temporarily and provide an explanation to her parents. After this period, she promised to return Declan to me. This was outrageous! Even though she is my best friend, I couldn’t agree to it. $100,000 is insignificant to me; I have countless such amounts. But just as I was about to transfer the money back to Keira, my husband Declan came home. He sighed and said, “Honey.” “Why the long face? Was work difficult?” “No.” He opened Instagram, “Honey, look how pitiful Keira is. A girl being harassed every day, it’s awful.” I saw Keira covered in bruises, and my heart ached. It made me start to struggle with whether or not to help her. Every day after that, Keira called and sent voice messages, crying to me about her miserable life. “Please, you are my only good friend, my best friend, help me. My parents say if I don’t get married, they’ll jump off a building.” “After this period, I’ll get a divorce certificate with your husband. He will always be yours.” Against my better judgment, I agreed. When I saw the divorce certificate with Declan and the marriage certificate with Keira, my mind was still buzzing. It all felt like a dream. The day they got the marriage certificate, Declan came home and gave me a bouquet of roses. “My kind and beautiful goddess, you’ve worked hard lately.” Looking at my affectionate and gentle husband, I suddenly felt calm. All the troublesome things seemed to vanish into thin air. Born into a privileged life, I’m actually easy to appease. That night, Declan and I were intimate and close. Midway through, Declan held my wrists and whispered in my ear. “Wife, I heard Keira is still being harassed. Should we let her stay with us?” I frowned slightly. Why was he bringing up Keira at this moment? “Would she want to? It’s just a sham marriage with you. Don’t make it awkward for her.” “Let’s give it a try.” I thought Keira wouldn’t come to my house, so I made a phone call pretending to invite her. “Really?! Thank you, Phoebe, I’m so happy. I’ll come over tomorrow.” Me: “…” I felt uncomfortable. On Keira’s first night at our house, Declan took us out for fondue to celebrate Keira’s visit. I was a bit jealous. Was my husband being too nice to Keira? I tossed and turned that night, unable to sleep. Declan held me and softly said, “Don’t worry, it’s just a sham marriage with her. Didn’t we agree? After some time, she and I will divorce, and I’ll remarry you. It’s fake with her.” I thought I might be overthinking, but my mind wouldn’t cooperate. I soon noticed Keira being particularly diligent around the house. She always liked talking to Declan and treated him warmly, making it seem like she was the lady of the house. Every time Declan came home, Keira would wear some revealing clothes. Once, I couldn’t hold back and told Keira, “Keira, Declan is my husband. Could you dress more appropriately?” Keira looked at me with wide eyes and admitted her mistake, “I know I was wrong. I won’t dress like that anymore.” Seeing her admit her mistake, I didn’t want to ruin our rare friendship. After that, Keira’s dressing was normal, but her behavior wasn’t. For example, when I was intimate with my husband, Keira would knock on the door, interrupting us. I asked her what was wrong. She sobbed and said, “I had a nightmare.”

Then she looked pitifully at Declan, using a sweet tone, “Declan, I’m so scared, can you stay with me?” I was a bit angry, but Declan immediately reassured me, “It’s okay, don’t worry.” His firm gaze calmed my annoyed heart. I reluctantly told him, “Then go accompany her.” So Declan took Keira to our guest room. Then I heard some strange noises coming from the guest room. I vaguely heard Keira say, “I’m so scared, Declan.” Declan said, “It’s okay, don’t be afraid. In my house, I can protect you.” I immediately pulled the blanket over my head, afraid I would overthink if I listened more, but I trusted Declan’s character. The next day, I thought it over and handed $100,000 to Keira. “Please leave my house, Keira. Leave my husband, and divorce him, okay?” Keira’s tears rolled out in three seconds. She clung to my arm like a kitten, pushing softly, “Phoebe, I swore before that after this period, once I explain to my parents about the marriage, I’ll immediately divorce. You may not believe me, but don’t you believe Declan? If you insist on this, won’t he feel like you don’t trust him?” I felt stifled. I only believed in Declan. But believing in someone doesn’t mean you won’t overthink. I was still anxious. But then Keira told me she wanted to take Declan back to her hometown. After explaining to her parents, she said they could immediately get a divorce certificate. I was thrilled. As long as they got a divorce certificate, that was fine. While adjusting Declan’s tie, I reminded, “Just act natural in front of Keira’s parents, okay?” “Don’t worry, my dear wife.” “Slick talker,” I laughed. I dressed Declan elegantly and personally sent them off to board their flight. After Declan left, I really missed him, so I kept sending him messages. He always replied with a flower and a smiley face, then photos. But a few times, I noticed something odd. He posted many photos of Keira on his feed. Some netizens teased, asking if he had found a girlfriend… Soon, they returned. After they got back, I asked Keira, “Can you get divorced now?” Keira suddenly covered her face, crying and sniffling, “No, Phoebe, I can’t yet.” I got angry in a second, “Why not?” “Because I’m pregnant.” “What?” Did I hear that right? Declan came over and put his arm around my shoulder, “The baby in her belly is her ex-boyfriend’s. Now she’s a pregnant woman, she can’t divorce me.” I couldn’t describe my feelings. I was relieved the baby wasn’t my husband’s. I was disgusted she wanted to keep clinging to my husband, yet my husband didn’t object. Because of this, in the following days, I was distant with Keira, feeling her presence in my house gave me a headache. Once, Keira held my hand and said, “Phoebe, I know you’re upset, but I swear once my baby is born, I’ll definitely divorce Declan. I have no choice, I need a man to give me courage. Declan has always liked you, he treats me like a friend.”

Whenever she spoke to me, she was sweet and cute, making me look like the villain. Seeing her tears, I couldn’t bear to drive her away, so I made peace with her. I even personally made broth for her and ensured she had a nutritious diet. During this time, she indeed kept a respectful distance from Declan, which made me more comfortable serving her. Keira had a healthy pregnancy with my care, turning plump and healthy. Ten months later, Keira went into labor. That day, Declan suddenly took leave and went with me to the hospital. “Didn’t you say there’s a multi-million project? Why come to the hospital?” I didn’t understand Declan’s actions. Declan didn’t look at me but anxiously watched the maternity ward door, brushing me off, “It’s okay, it won’t affect it.” For a moment, Declan felt so unfamiliar to me. While I was full of doubts, Keira’s eight-pound son was born healthy. When the doctor opened the maternity ward and asked who Keira’s husband was, Declan rushed in like a rocket, “It’s me, it’s me, I’m her husband.” “Congratulations, this is your son.” The doctor placed the baby in Declan’s arms for him to hold first. Me: “…” What was I feeling? Like eating something vile. Soon after, Keira was wheeled out by the nurses. Although she had just given birth, because she was young, she recovered well. Keira was soon settled in a private hospital room. Looking at the delicate newborn, I sincerely said to Keira, “Congratulations, this baby looks so much like you.” Keira gazed at the baby with gentle eyes, her tone filled with maternal love, “He not only looks like me, but he looks more like his father.” Then she side-eyed Declan. Did she mean the baby looked like Declan? Yet Declan didn’t deny it and seemed more excited about the baby than Keira. I was very upset. I felt suffocated in this environment, so I went out for some air. Just as I stepped out, I realized I hadn’t taken my bag. When I turned back to get it, I overheard Declan and Keira’s conversation. “Darling, this is our son. Your wife can’t give you a baby, but I can. Are you happy?” I noticed her give Declan a sidelong glance. Was she implying that the child resembled Declan? Surprisingly, Declan didn’t refute it. He seemed even more thrilled about the child than Keira did. A surge of anger rose within me. Feeling suffocated by the situation, I stepped outside to catch my breath. Just as I left, I realized I’d forgotten my bag. When I turned back to retrieve it, I overheard Declan and Keira’s conversation through the door. “Darling, this is our son. Your wife can’t give you a child, but I can. Are you happy?” “Keira, you did such a great job. The boy is absolutely adorable.” “Yes, what a cute child. We have a son now.” Their conversation felt like a knife cutting through me. One was my best friend, the other my husband. I recalled how my best friend had given me ten thousand to “borrow” my husband, and I had actually agreed. Now, the ridiculousness of it all hit me like a slap in the face. I wanted to burst in, scream, and tear them apart. But I restrained myself, taking a deep breath to calm down. I should have known there couldn’t be an appropriate relationship between them, but I trusted Declan’s integrity. Reality, however, proved me wrong. Declan had betrayed me, and Keira was a traitor. I composed myself, pretending nothing had happened, grabbed my bag, and left. That night, I went out to drown my sorrows, drinking until I was a wreck. I drank, vomited, then drank and vomited again. No one knew the depths of my pain, feeling as if I were being torn apart and ground to pieces. Declan, the man I loved most, had always assured me of his character. Yet, he had fathered a child. His integrity was worthless, absolute garbage. That night, I betrayed Declan and ended up in bed with a younger guy. Then I acted as if nothing was amiss, waiting for Keira and their little family of three to return. I watched as Declan personally prepared postpartum meals for Keira. “Keira, the child is born. Can you divorce my husband now?” Hearing my words, Keira held her son, looking pitiful and aggrieved. “But the child is still young. He can’t be without a father…” “Declan isn’t your child’s father. You had a sham marriage.” I pretended to know nothing. Keira cried, holding her child, appearing weak and helpless. Hearing the commotion, Declan rushed in angrily and said to me, “Phoebe, what are you trying to say? Keira is still in her postpartum period; can she afford to cry now? What about the risk of postpartum complications?”

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I induced labor early and gave birth to my child, then stuffed pillows under my clothes to pretend I was still pregnant until the day my sister and I were both sent to the delivery room. It was all because in my previous life, when my sister and I married into the wealthy Gray family together, our mother-in-law promised at the wedding that whoever gave birth to an heir would inherit the entire family fortune. But after carrying a child for ten months, I unexpectedly gave birth to a black baby, while my sister delivered a healthy, chubby white boy. My mother-in-law was furious, calling me a shameless whore for cuckolding her son. “Sister, I can’t keep covering up for you anymore about your secret meetings with that black man,” my sister said with tears in her eyes, acting as if I had been forcing her to keep quiet all this time. I struggled desperately to explain, but no one believed me. Even my father spat at me, saying I was born to be a disgrace. When my enraged mother-in-law locked me in the basement, my sister poured gasoline inside while gloating. “Your son will have to call me mom from now on. Everything that was yours is mine now!” When I opened my eyes again, I had returned to the time before giving birth.

“Lily, you must be carrying a boy!” “You’ll be their greatest contributor by continuing the family line. Dad’s future depends on you!” My father exclaimed excitedly, holding my sister’s prenatal check-up report. Meanwhile, my sister stared greedily at my belly, a barely noticeable smile on her face. Seeing the scene identical to my previous life, I couldn’t help but sneer inwardly. This time, I absolutely won’t let you have your way! I covered my mouth and bent over, dry heaving continuously. My father glanced at me with disgust and said impatiently, “I don’t know how the Gray family’s heir apparent took a liking to you.” “But it doesn’t matter. In the future, he and you won’t even be fit to shine Yvonne’s shoes.” After saying this, he exaggeratedly supported my sister, his face beaming with joy. Watching their retreating figures, I sneered. Sure enough, both father and daughter were despicable creatures. In my previous life, before my grandfather passed away, he struggled to arrange my marriage to Lucas Gray, my childhood sweetheart and the heir to the city’s most powerful family. When my sister heard the news, she threw a tantrum, saying she wanted to marry into a wealthy family too. But she was nothing more than the illegitimate daughter from my father’s affair. She was only able to move into our home because my mother had passed away early and my grandfather had been bedridden for years. My father pestered my grandfather time and time again until finally, to protect me from being bullied, grandfather agreed to let my sister marry into the Gray family as well, though she would wed Zack Gray, the family’s black sheep. The wedding was held in a castle, where our mother-in-law promised that whoever gave birth to an heir would inherit all of the Gray family’s assets. Coincidentally, my sister and I became pregnant on the same day and even gave birth on the same day. But fate played a cruel trick. Under their scheming, I gave birth to a pitch-black child. My father didn’t hesitate to sever ties with me. My mother-in-law also cursed me as a slut. They locked me, weak from just giving birth, in the basement, planning to wait for Lucas to return so he could personally throw me out. That night, my sister came to the basement with a can of gasoline. “Your son will have to call me mom from now on. Everything that was yours is mine now!” It was then that I realized I hadn’t given birth to a black child at all. My baby was healthy and fair-skinned. It was Yvonne who had given birth to the black child. She had always been jealous of me for being smarter and prettier, envious that my grandfather left everything to me, and resentful that I could marry Lucas Gray. She and my gold-digging father had conspired together, bribing all the doctors to give me her child and then accusing me of infidelity. Years later, after Yvonne gave birth to her own child, she orchestrated another “accident,” pushing my son off a luxury yacht, drowning him! She ensured that both my son and I died without intact bodies, while also bearing a lifelong stigma. Now, seeing her, I truly wished I could grind her bones to dust and cut her into a thousand pieces! By the time we reached the hospital entrance, my father was already helping my sister into the luxury car Lucas had bought for me. Looking at the empty driver’s seat, I curled my lips into an innocent smile. “Dad, I think you’re right. It’s of utmost importance for my sister to give the Gray family a child.” I turned to look at my sister’s strange expression. “As it happens, my best friend is returning from abroad today. She’s a professional nutritionist. Why don’t we have her take care of my sister’s prenatal care?” In my previous life, my best friend had always been worried about me, which was why she returned early to be by my side. Unfortunately, I was too stupid back then. I still believed in family bonds and rejected my friend’s good intentions. Hearing this, both my father and sister’s expressions changed. They stiffly refused, “You think marrying into the Gray family means you’ve reached the top? What nutritionist needs your approval? Do you have any sense of respect for your elders? Is this how your grandfather, that supposedly well-respected dean, taught you?” My father became increasingly agitated, his entire face turning red. My sister chimed in, “You’re asking your friend to take care of me? What if something happens to me? Wouldn’t that be convenient for you?” I coldly watched their reactions, understanding most of what was going on. Sure enough, there was still something wrong with my sister’s pregnancy. Seeing that I didn’t respond, my father excitedly got out of the car, grabbed my arm, and raised his hand. “I never thought you’d harbor such intentions!” “I can see now that you and your mother are cut from the same cloth!” Looking at my furious father, I couldn’t help but laugh, both for myself and for my foolish mother. This ungrateful social climber, who would scheme against even his own daughter, was truly eye-opening. But unfortunately for them, they would miscalculate this time. I wasn’t pregnant at all. Even my protruding belly was a fake one I had bought online. In this life, I wouldn’t give birth at the same time as her. How could they swap babies now? My father’s expression became even more unpleasant as I laughed. He gritted his teeth and squeezed out, “Today, I’m going to teach you a lesson!” As he finished speaking, his hand swung down hard. But before it could land on my face, someone kicked him away, sending him stumbling backward with a yelp as he fell to the ground. He was about to lash out when he saw it was Lucas Gray. Immediately, he switched to a fawning demeanor. “Son-in-law, why are you here? Weren’t you busy with the acquisition?” Lucas ignored my father’s attempt at flattery and pulled me into his arms. In my previous life, when I was accused of infidelity, he was the first to stand up and declare his trust in me. He even warned everyone over the phone not to touch a hair on my head. But just as he was rushing back overnight, his car’s brakes failed, and he plunged off a cliff, his body never found. Feeling his warm embrace, I suddenly felt overwhelmed with emotion. Thankfully, in this life, everything could still be salvaged. He whispered in my ear, “I’m sorry I’m late.” I shook my head, fighting back tears. “Who were you going to teach a lesson to?” Lucas’s imposing presence was palpable. As the normally stern heir to the city’s most powerful family, no one dared to come within half a step of him except for me. If he hadn’t been so concerned and careless in my previous life, he wouldn’t have fallen for their tricks. His gaze swept over my sister, who had been so arrogant just moments ago. Now she was terrified, her whole body trembling as she looked fearfully at my father. My father’s face flashed with embarrassment. He quickly approached again, bowing and scraping. “It’s nothing, nothing at all. I was just giving Lily a bit of fatherly advice.” Lucas kept his arm around my waist, not even bothering to look up. “You’re Lily’s father, so I I can overlook it.” “But what about Yvonne? Since when does the Gray family allow you to speak to your sister-in-law like that?” She was so frightened her legs gave out, and she burst into tears. Seeing her trembling in fear, I felt a rush of satisfaction. She was finally getting a taste of her own medicine! Lucas’s cold gaze swept across Yvonne’s face as he contemptuously spat out: “Apologize to Lily.” “Yvonne was just thinking of the baby and spoke without thinking. There’s no need for apologies between sisters!” My father swallowed hard and tentatively asked, “Good son-in-law, for my sake, please don’t be hard on Yvonne.” But Lucas had always been a man of his word. How could he allow anyone to bully me without seeking revenge? He pulled me back half a step and gave his bodyguard a cold look. The bodyguard immediately rushed forward, restrained my father to one side, and then slapped Yvonne more than a dozen times across the face. Her mouth bled and her cheeks swelled up. Yvonne’s tears flowed freely, but she didn’t dare resist or even cry out in pain. Lucas smirked at my father, who was now terrified. “You’re Lily’s father, so I’ve still shown you some respect.” “As for you?” He turned his gaze to Yvonne, whose face was now swollen like a pig’s head. “Don’t let me catch you bullying Lily again, or I won’t be so lenient.” Yvonne nodded without the slightest hesitation. Seeing the hatred in her eyes, I couldn’t help but smile slightly. She would never have imagined that I had returned to the past two months ago. And the first thing I did when I opened my eyes was to tell Lucas everything. Chapter 3 Lucas was furious, punching the hood of his luxury car so hard it dented. He even wanted to call a board meeting the next day to kick Zack and our mother-in-law out of the Gray family. Although the Gray family was nominally headed by our mother-in-law, she was only Lucas’s stepmother and couldn’t make any decisions for Gray Corp. The “black baby” incident orchestrated by my father and sister was indeed a good strategy. It could both throw Lucas off balance and allow Zack to take over smoothly. But how innocent were my son and I! He was so young that when he fell into the sea, he was pushed down by the waves without even a chance to struggle. How pitiful that all three of us died unjustly! After Lucas calmed down, he decided to play along with their plan. It would be a shame not to take advantage of such a perfect scheme. So he took me abroad in secret, arranged for a professional medical team, and induced my baby early. When I was lying on the bed writhing in pain after the induction, Lucas was so distressed he almost cried. “Lily, I’ve let you down.” Soon, I gave birth to a healthy baby boy. Lucas spent a fortune to put him in an incubator. When we returned to the country, I kissed him over and over again, reluctant to part. This was the child I had given birth to, not some illegitimate child. Originally, my sister and I were due on the same day, but now that I had already given birth to a healthy child, there was no chance for them to swap babies. How would my sister face the Gray family’s expectations now? When the time came, it wouldn’t be me who would be driven out of the Gray family! Thinking of this, I couldn’t help but smile. Perhaps because of the slaps from the bodyguard, my sister suddenly clutched her belly and started wailing. Her water broke, trickling down intermittently. My father hurried to support her, shouting heartrendingly, “Doctor! We need a doctor! My daughter is in labor!” Watching my sister being carried away on a stretcher, I exchanged a glance with Lucas and immediately clutched my own belly. “Oh no, I’m in labor too!” Lucas pretended to panic and carried me in his arms, rushing me to the delivery room as well. Two hours later, my father came to my hospital room carrying a swaddled infant. He rudely ordered me, “You have everything. You should give up the position of the Gray family heir to your sister.” “You owe her this!” I couldn’t help but want to laugh. Back then, it was he who had an affair and fathered an illegitimate daughter, not daring to bring her home, making her suffer. How could this be blamed on me? “What if I refuse?” I asked. My father’s gaze turned vicious as he gritted out a threat, “Then don’t blame me!” “Blame you for what?” My best friend pushed open the door, looking at my father’s stunned figure with a half-smile. “Uncle, you really are a good father, staying by your daughter’s side at a time like this.” After saying this, she quickly ushered in the bejeweled socialites behind her. “See, I told you Mrs. Gray was fine. It’s just childbirth after all.” The wealthy ladies crowded into the room, each offering unique congratulations, their faces full of flattery. One of them reached out to take the baby from my father’s arms. “This must be the second Mrs. Gray’s child, so quiet and well-behaved.” My father sneered and held the baby high. “This is Lily’s child!” The socialite kept smiling. “Miss Chen’s child must be extraordinary.” “After all, Mr. Gray…” As her eyes swept over the child, she suddenly screamed. “What is this!” “Why is it black!” “Miss Chen! Whose child is this?!”

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I married the young, handsome billionaire, but on our wedding night, he didn’t touch me. He said, “I want to save our precious first time for the most beautiful day.” But even after more than ten years of marriage, my husband still hadn’t touched me once. I initially thought he had some embarrassing medical issue and spent years helping him seek treatment, but to no avail. It wasn’t until I saw Derek Starr in Hawaii, arm-in-arm with my sister, surrounded by a pair of twins who were the spitting image of him and called him “Daddy,” that I finally woke up from my delusion. He didn’t have any problems at all. He just wasn’t interested in me. When I opened my eyes again, I had returned to the day I was about to join the wealthy Starr family. I saw the pink roses that Derek had planted for Sophia, filling the entire living room and our marital bedroom. But he didn’t know that this time, I was going to marry his uncle instead. The moment the text message was delivered, the phone rang. The voice on the other end was filled with barely contained magnetic joy: “Good, uncle wants to marry you too.”

On the day we set the wedding date, I ran into Derek at a bar. His friends saw me suddenly appear and their faces were full of disdain and mockery: “Oh look, Young Master Starr, your little crybaby stalker has followed you here!” “Mrs. Starr-to-be, the news of your engagement to the Starr family is all over social media. Why are you still keeping such a close eye on him? We’re throwing one last bachelor party for Derek here – are you trying to ruin it?” When Derek looked up and saw it was me, he angrily downed his drink in one gulp. “Lily Frost, are you really that desperate to throw yourself at me? You sent over the dowry without my consent, and now the whole world knows you’re about to become Mrs. Starr. You’re quite the schemer, aren’t you?” His look of disgust made my heart skip a beat. After a moment, I calmly replied: “The person I’m marrying isn’t you, so why would I need your consent?” As soon as I said this, the whole place erupted in laughter. Derek’s buddies were laughing so hard they had tears in their eyes. They urged him: “Derek, you’d better comfort your little wife here, or she might start crying and making a scene to get sympathy again!” Derek frowned: “Where did you learn to play hard to get? Let me tell you, Lily Frost, that trick won’t work on me.” “You’ve set the wedding date with my family, who else could you possibly be marrying if not me? My father?” “Besides, you’ve been following me around like a lovesick puppy since elementary school. Who would believe you’re marrying someone else?” He walked over and stroked my messy hair in a seemingly affectionate gesture, but his grip was painfully tight. “I’ll let the unauthorized engagement slide, but listen carefully – I can go through with a wedding ceremony for show… but don’t even think about me touching you!” He leaned in close to my ear and lowered his voice: “If you don’t want to live as a lonely wife, you’d better wise up and get lost. I’ll only have children with someone I truly love!” Hearing this, I frowned slightly. In my past life, Derek had indeed obediently followed his family’s arrangements and quickly married me. Could it be… that he had been reborn too? Before I could further analyze the information hidden in his words, my sister Sophia suddenly appeared at the door. Seeing Derek’s intimate behavior next to me, Sophia’s eyes suddenly welled up with tears as she covered her mouth. “Derek, I heard you’re going to marry my sister. Even though we’ll be family soon, I didn’t bring any gifts. I just wish you eternal happiness!” With that, Sophia ran out crying as if escaping for her life. “Lily Frost, are you fucking satisfied now?” Derek pointed at me, fuming with anger, then stormed out without looking back. Chapter

Half an hour later, Sophia was led back in by Derek, holding his hand. She walked with a limp, and there were obvious signs of tearing on the stockings on her inner thighs. Everyone looked at me with schadenfreude, waiting for me to make a scene. Because in the past, I would have inevitably cried my heart out in this situation, drawing attention to myself. Derek pulled Sophia behind him protectively, his expression seeming to anticipate the drama as well. However, several minutes passed, and I remained calm, slowly swirling the drink in my hand. Derek was a bit surprised. After a moment, he let out a cold laugh: “Well, well, looks like you’ve grown up and aren’t making a fuss like before!” I couldn’t be bothered to watch him make a fool of himself, so I picked up my bag to leave, but he grabbed me: “You’ve been drinking, it’s late. Don’t go wandering around alone – I can’t have you getting picked up by some stranger and embarrassing me!” Since someone was offering to take me home, I naturally didn’t refuse. When I tried to walk towards the back seat, Derek quickly blocked the front passenger door. “Sit in the back.” He then helped Sophia into the front passenger seat. “Derek is worried I’ll get carsick. You won’t be petty about this, will you, sis?” Sophia’s tone was apologetic, but her expression was smug as she looked at me. I sat quietly in the back seat, not saying a word. Thinking I was so weak, she became even more unbridled. Taking advantage of the traffic jam ahead, Sophia took off her shoes and propped her long, slender legs up on the steering wheel. “My legs hurt so much. Derek, your hands are so big and strong. Sophia loves it when you massage my legs.” Seeing the beautiful feet in front of him, Derek froze, his breathing becoming heavy. The next second, Derek suddenly looked back at the rear seat, as if just remembering I was in the car too. “Don’t hold back on my account. We’re all going to be family soon, no need to be shy around me.” Seeing me looking out at the night scenery nonchalantly, his expression faltered, and he gently put Sophia’s feet down. The car pulled up in front of my building first. After I got out and headed straight upstairs, Derek chased after me. He pulled out a diamond ring and handed it to me: “You’re still my fiancée in name, so consider this ring a compensation from me.” Seeing that I didn’t take it, Derek took a deep breath and continued trying to persuade me. “That’s enough, you’ve embarrassed me so much tonight. How am I supposed to face others in the future?” “As long as you don’t make trouble, I’ll make sure you keep your position as Mrs. Starr securely. There will be plenty of benefits for you in the future.” I took the ring and tried it on, finding it a size too big. I looked up and asked: “So who’s the real Mrs. Starr you’re going to have children with? Sophia, right?” Derek suddenly became angry, but his expression also held a hint of smug satisfaction. “So you knew all along. I’m warning you, you absolutely cannot breathe a word of this to our parents!” “Sophia and I are meant to be together! She’s pure and kind, not scheming like you. If you dare to make her cry again like tonight, be careful or you’ll end up with nothing!” I laughed. He was clearly the one who was cowardly and afraid to tell his family his true wishes, yet somehow I had become the schemer standing in the way. I ignored him and turned to go upstairs. Just as I was about to go to sleep after showering, I received a video from Sophia. In the video, Derek was lovingly and carefully helping her put on an even larger diamond ring. “This one suits my beloved Sophia much better. That outdated piece of junk from earlier – I threw it away.” When things got heated, the two of them fell onto the bed in a tight embrace. The screen went black, but unmistakable sounds could still be heard. At the end, Sophia sent me a string of text messages like a victor: [Be content, sister. Even though you’re getting my leftovers, not many people can compare to this life of luxury.] [For the rest of your life, just keep playing your role well. We won’t mistreat you.] Chapter

So Sophia had been reborn too. No wonder in my past life, she and Derek had no apparent connection on the surface, yet they had secretly been carrying on behind the scenes. I suppose they had already confessed their feelings to each other and were looking to rekindle their relationship in this life. I lowered my eyes, remembering how after I married into the Starr family in my past life, Starr Industries suddenly took off, not only securing endless contracts but also going public on NASDAQ. The Starr family elders all praised me for bringing good fortune to my husband, and treated me like their own daughter. So even though Derek and I never had children of our own, I always thought I was happy, until I later discovered the truth. My mother called to tell me that Harrison Moon was about to return to the country. I was a bit surprised, because in my past life, Derek’s uncle, who was only ten years older than him, never married. I hadn’t expected our arranged marriage to progress so smoothly. I only vaguely remembered him as a stern elder who rarely smiled. When I was little, every time Derek bullied me to tears, he would patiently hand me tissues. Then a few days later, Derek would sport bruises and be on his best behavior towards me for a while. I had thought our relationship was simply that of an elder and a junior, nothing more. Until in my past life, after I accidentally discovered Sophia and Derek’s family of three and died from falling into water in shock. At my funeral, I saw Harrison Moon with bloodshot eyes, pinning Derek to the ground and beating him over and over again. Only then did I realize that his feelings for me had unknowingly sprouted long ago. The next day, I arrived early at my clothing workshop in the company to modify the design of my wedding dress. Ever since I started studying fashion design in college, I had been working on designing my wedding dress. Except back then, the person I wanted to marry with all my heart was Derek. From the style to the accessories, everything had to be according to his preferences, without any of my own ideas. In this life, I could finally wear the wedding dress I truly wanted, to marry someone else. I hadn’t rested well for several days. After finishing the dress, I slept for a day and a night. When I woke up, I saw Sophia’s social media post. In the photo, my newly altered wedding dress had its skirt cut off, turned into a short dress worn on her body as she coquettishly posed in Derek’s arms with her legs raised. [Derek knew I was doing a photoshoot, so he specially brought this for me~ It feels so good to be loved!] I rushed to the photo studio in disbelief. Sophia and Derek were resting, while my wedding dress was crumpled into a ball and tossed on the ground like garbage. “How dare you touch my wedding dress and deliberately ruin it!” Seeing me, Sophia immediately put on an act of being scared and started crying. “Derek… Did I make my sister angry? Why does she look like she wants to hit me?” Derek pulled her behind him protectively. “Lily Frost, it’s just a dress! You were going to wear it for me to see anyway, so what’s wrong with letting Sophia wear it for a photoshoot?!” “Besides, I don’t even like this style. You might as well make a new one! Don’t make such a big deal out of nothing!” I could hardly believe his shamelessness. “Stop being so full of yourself! This is the wedding dress I made for myself!” Derek shook his head and sneered, “That’s enough, Lily Frost. Isn’t our wedding basically our wedding? I’ve already agreed to marry you, don’t push your luck here!” I grabbed the Zippo lighter from the coffee table and flicked it open. Sophia thought I was going to burn her alive and hid behind Derek in terror, her face pale with fright. “Derek Starr, open your eyes wide and watch carefully! I won’t keep anything that’s been dirtied! And I certainly won’t stoop so low as to marry a man who has hurt me countless times!” I picked up the ruined wedding dress, set it on fire, and tossed it into the air before turning to leave. Seeing my resolute attitude, Derek was caught off guard. In the past, no matter how much I cried and made a fuss, I would always give in first. He had never seen me act like this before. He instinctively wanted to stop me, but Sophia’s exaggerated, affected voice rang out at the wrong moment. “Sophia is so scared, my heart is racing… But it’s okay, Derek, don’t worry about me. It’s all my fault, you should go after my sister…” Derek hesitated for a moment, then looked at my retreating figure and snorted coldly: “Who are you trying to impress?! Lily Frost, you said it yourself – even if you strip naked and kneel on the ground begging me later, I won’t marry you!”

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Graduation felt like it led straight to unemployment. To make ends meet, I decided to alter my educational background to show I only finished middle school and entered the housekeeping industry. On my first day, I unexpectedly witnessed what could be described as a high-society family drama. The 9-year-old daughter, attempting to frame her 6-year-old brother, actually jumped off the stairs… 1 Her little scheme, naturally, didn’t succeed. Besides me, the surveillance cameras captured everything clearly. The young lady was fighting with her brother over something, couldn’t get her way, and ended up falling down the stairs herself. As a result, her mother, my employer, left her in the hospital without even visiting. The other maids in the house, disliking her behavior, pushed the responsibility of caring for her onto me. I hadn’t even moved into my dormitory yet and was already staying at the hospital. She cried from evening until morning, making my head throb. I wanted to give up, but my financial situation said otherwise. If I left now, finding another job as good as this one would be impossible. Free meals and lodging with a good salary. At least, at least I should stay until my debts are paid off. I had to figure out a way to mingle with the other maids and gather some information. “I’ve never seen such a troublesome child. When her brother enters her room, she burns it down to blame him.” “Her dad brought cookies from abroad, and when her brother unknowingly ate them first, she almost strangled him.” “She can’t stand it when her parents praise her brother. Whenever they do, she hits him.” “Back in our hometown, a girl like that would have been dealt with harshly.” These comments made me uncomfortable. Suddenly, a voice came from behind me: “So what if I’m that vicious person?” I was so startled that I dropped my phone and turned around to find her standing behind me, eyes swollen from crying and glaring at me. She tried to kick me: “You, a mere servant, dare to gossip about me behind my back.” “Believe it or not, I can have you fired.” I managed to dodge her kick just in time. But she slipped and fell. Suddenly, her cries were deafening. I quickly helped her up, holding her gently to calm her down. I thought she’d make an even bigger scene. But she calmed down unexpectedly. I looked down in surprise to see her snuggling in my arms, looking very docile. When she noticed my gaze, she looked up and met my eyes. She immediately looked down. Then she reacted and shouted fiercely at me: “What are you looking at?” “Believe it or not, I’ll gouge your eyes out.” Why is such a young girl learning lines from TV shows? I found it a bit amusing and carried her back to the ward, pressing the call button to get a doctor to check her. The good news was she wasn’t seriously hurt. The bad news was she claimed to be in pain and insisted I massage her, or she’d report it to the family. When Mrs. Taylor came to deliver food, she saw me massaging her leg. My hands were sore, alternating between my left and right hands. One hand massaging, the other shaking. Mrs. Taylor set the food down and gave me a look. I made an excuse to wash the dishes and met Mrs. Taylor outside. Mrs. Taylor immediately said with a disdainful expression: “If you hold her like this now, she’ll make a fuss if you don’t hold her next time.” I found it a bit strange. But I didn’t agree with Mrs. Taylor, just gently refuted: “Kids need affection, right?” 2 It didn’t seem like a big deal. But Mrs. Taylor gave me a knowing look, said nothing, and left. I was completely confused. I decided not to take Mrs. Taylor’s words to heart. As long as I appeared conscientious in front of others, that was enough. I returned to the ward to feed the young lady. She was indeed quite picky. Not only did she want me to feed her, but she also nitpicked: “Oh, I don’t eat onions.” “Why aren’t there any drumsticks? Asher must have eaten them.” “I’ll give him a piece of my mind when I get back.” I coaxed her while feeding her: “Then you can’t be picky.” “A balanced diet will make you strong enough to stand up to your brother.” Hearing this, she widened her eyes at me: “Aren’t you advising me to let Asher off the hook?” I looked innocent: “Why should you let him?” She frowned: “Everyone says it’s because I’m the older sister.” With an indignant look on her face, she said: “Why?” “Yeah, why?” I guided her: “You’re a few years older than him and will always be.” “Does that mean you have to let him have his way forever?” Hearing this, she got interested, looking at me with shining eyes: “Not bad, not bad, I like you.” “From now on, you’re on my side.” I found it amusing; she’s just a kid. I figured out how to handle her. As long as I hug her, tell her fairy tales, and agree with her. This young lady isn’t so hard to please. After three days in the hospital, the doctor confirmed she didn’t have a concussion and issued a discharge notice. I took her home, where there was an invisible hostility towards her arrival. Her mother frowned when she saw her, turned around, and left with her younger son. Other maids whispered when they saw her. Their eyes were full of undisguised disdain and disgust. Just as she was about to throw her toy at someone, I quickly grabbed her hand. I squatted down and gently advised: “Don’t you love the little rabbit?” “If you throw the rabbit, it will get hurt.” Hearing this, she quickly hugged the rabbit, stroking it continuously. I sighed inwardly, feeling sorry for her and worried she’d cause trouble and implicate me. I heard that whenever she caused trouble, a maid would be fired. I took her to her room. Because she previously burned her own room, she now lived in a narrow, windowless utility room. There was no light, and it had a strange smell. No exaggeration, my dorm was much better. Oddly, she showed no discomfort but placed her rabbit toy on the bed. Carefully covering the rabbit with a blanket. I opened my suitcase and tidied up her room. A voice came from above, sounding uneasy: “This is my mom’s punishment for burning the room.” “When she calms down, she’ll let me move back to my original room.” “She doesn’t dislike me.” I looked up at the little girl. She tried to act indifferent, not looking at me. But she was gripping the blanket tightly. I pretended not to see her stubbornness, casually saying: “Yeah, yeah, as long as you know it was wrong.” “Burning the room is dangerous. If something happened to you, how would your mom cope?” Out of the corner of my eye, I saw her sigh in relief. I think she also needed someone to affirm that her mom loved her, right? 3 The dark and damp room was really not suitable for living. Even though I cleaned it three times a day and used all sorts of effective pest control products, she always had some bug bites on her. Her fair skin was covered in red, swollen marks, with blood faintly visible beneath. I advised her: “How about you sleep with me at night?” “Staying in the employee dorm, you’re still being punished.” She was obviously tempted, but she stubbornly shook her head: “No, I have to let mom calm down.” “If I go to you, mom might think I’m disobedient.” Just then, Mrs. Johnson passed by, clicking her tongue disdainfully: “If she’s so obedient, why does she always anger her mom and hit her brother?” The little girl bit her lip, a look of grievance appearing on her face. Just as anger appeared on her face, I quickly scolded Mrs. Johnson: “Mrs. Johnson, we’re just workers here; it’s not our place to meddle in the family’s affairs, right?” “Mr. and Mrs. don’t like us pointing fingers at their family matters, do they?” Mrs. Johnson snorted from her nose and swayed away. I turned back to the little girl, seeing her eyebrows knitted together, tears welling up in her eyes. “I really want to listen to mom.” “But I really, really don’t want to…” I hugged her, holding her tightly, telling her: “You did nothing wrong.” “My young lady is a very obedient and well-behaved child.” “It’s them who are unfair, always forcing you to give up your rights.” Her actions were indeed excessive. But a little girl, not wanting her brother in her room, had to resort to burning the room. She had to use the threat of strangling her brother to gain the right to share food equally. The ones at fault are clearly the parents. I’m just a housekeeper and can’t possibly criticize my employers. I can only do my best to make her life better. Decorating her room. Changing her night light to the cutest little rabbit. Placing jasmine flowers so she can sleep with the fragrance… Thunder roared in the middle of the night, and the temperature plummeted. Awoken by the noise, I saw a shadowy figure in the room. I screamed in fright. The figure screamed too. I turned on the night light. The little girl was holding a pillow, looking at me, wearing a thin nightgown, her face pale from the cold. I quickly got up, pulled her into bed, and wrapped her tightly in the blanket: “What’s wrong?” “Why didn’t you wear a coat? What if you catch a cold?” I couldn’t help but scold her. She sniffled and told me: “The noise is so loud, I’m scared.” Place some jasmine flowers by her bed so she can fall asleep with their comforting fragrance… In the middle of the night, thunder roared, and the temperature plummeted. The noise woke me up, and I saw a dark figure in the room. Startled, I screamed. The figure screamed as well.

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