Category: English

I’m the First Love Who Studied Abroad in Replacement Literature My ex-boyfriend fell for a trick. He got together with my replacement. On the day I returned home, he brought his current girlfriend to my welcome party. All our friends in the circle were waiting to see me make a fool of myself. I didn’t prepare any jokes, but I did bring my new boyfriend back with me. The day we broke up, Jack told me on WhatsApp: “I’m sorry, Mia. I broke my promise. I don’t want to wait anymore.” At that time, I still had one year left to complete my studies. We had made it through the first three years, but our relationship fell apart in the last year. There were early signs of his change of heart. So I wasn’t too surprised. Suppressing the bitterness in my heart, I replied: “It’s okay. Let’s just be normal friends then.” “Alright.” But later, I found out he had blocked me. A qualified ex should be like they’re dead. I didn’t blame him, and I blocked him in return. On the eve of my return home, my old friends insisted on arranging a welcome party for me. They didn’t tell me that Jack and his new girlfriend would also be there. It was my best friend who couldn’t stand it and leaked the information to me. “Mia, don’t go! They’re all waiting to see you make a fool of yourself! That current girlfriend of Jack is afraid he still has lingering feelings for you, so she’s putting on this show to claim her territory in front of you.” I replied indifferently: “Besides those two, there are others I know. Forget it, I’ll just do them a favor and go.” “Forget it, they’re all Jack’s buddies. Ah! I happen to have something that day, otherwise I’d go with you and definitely not let you be taken advantage of.” “Thank you for telling me. Someone has set the stage wanting to see me perform, how can I disappoint them? Don’t worry, I have a way to deal with it.” On the day of my return, I went to the appointment as scheduled. The waiter pushed open the door of the private room. As soon as I stepped in, I saw Jack sitting in the main seat. After not seeing him for over a year, he was still as handsome and dignified as ever, with the air of an elite in a high position. Sitting beside him was a beautiful woman, who must be his girlfriend. Emma, a new artist signed by Jack’s company. She looked about 80-90% similar to me. My heart tightened. I still remember two years ago when Jack sent me a photo of Emma. He said: “A new person came for an interview today, it scared me. I thought you had secretly come back to surprise me.” At that time, Emma looked more like me than she does now. Her hairstyle, makeup, and dressing style were all identical to mine. I didn’t take it too seriously at the time, and even joked: “Could she be related to me by blood? No way, I have to go ask my dad.” Jack said: “Probably not, she’s from out of town, both her parents are alive, and she has a twin brother who doesn’t look like her.” “You even investigated her?” “Of course, we need to understand the background clearly when signing new artists.” Who would have thought that the substitute I didn’t take seriously back then would now openly replace my position. Back to the present. Jack’s buddy “Ryan” stood up. “Welcome our talented Mia, returning in glory…” He was in the middle of his opening remarks when his voice suddenly stopped. Everyone looked at the man behind me. I calmly greeted them: “Long time no see, thank you all for still remembering me.” Ryan gave a dry laugh and asked curiously: “Mia, who is this? Won’t you introduce us?” I stepped aside to let them get a good look. I introduced with poise: “This is Leo, my boyfriend.” The word “boyfriend” hit like a bomb, and everyone present looked surprised. Leo flashed a neat row of pearly whites, smiling with two sweet dimples: “Good evening everyone, it’s an honor to join your gathering.” Leo was already stunningly beautiful, and his smile was devastatingly charming. The ladies present couldn’t take their eyes off him. A beauty with long straight black hair said frankly: “Wow, Mia, your boyfriend is so handsome!” The others immediately followed up: “Too handsome! Leo, are you a celebrity or a model?” Before I could speak, Leo immediately flattered them: “Thank you for the compliment, ladies. You’re all very beautiful too. Please, everyone just call me Leo.” Not only was he good-looking, but he was also sweet-tongued. The crowd that was originally waiting to see me make a fool of myself now had their attention completely drawn by Leo. Even Emma couldn’t help but steal glances at Leo. Jack’s expression was visibly displeased. He said in a deep voice: “Let’s all sit down and chat, don’t just stand around.”

After he spoke, the others finally restrained themselves. The waiter added an extra seat, and I sat intimately side by side with Leo. After sitting down, I introduced everyone at the table to Leo one by one. Originally, I was supposed to be the main character today, but everyone gathered around Leo asking him questions. Leo had been studying abroad since middle school, so he was Westernized, outgoing, and lively. I wasn’t worried about him feeling awkward. The beauty with long black hair teased me: “Mia, you really kept it a secret, getting a new boyfriend without a sound.” These words were somewhat subtle. Some people couldn’t resist their gossipy glances, scanning back and forth between me, Jack, and Emma. I smiled gently and said: “People always have to look forward.” Over there, Emma shyly leaned towards Jack. Jack immediately put his arm around her and asked with concern: “What’s wrong?” “I was filming late last night, feeling a bit tired…” After Emma finished speaking, she forced herself to perk up and smiled shyly: “I’m fine, I’ll just take a nap in the car later.” Jack said considerately: “Eat something quickly, I’ll take you back to rest.” He urged everyone: “Let’s order quickly.” Someone teased: “Jack is really a doting boyfriend maniac.” “With such a beautiful girlfriend as Emma, who wouldn’t want to dote on her?” Emma pretended to be shy and buried her face in Jack’s shoulder. “Don’t tease me, everyone…” Some meaningful glances fell on me, seemingly waiting for my reaction. My heart was bitter and salty, but I couldn’t show it. The boyfriend I had dated for many years was snatched away by a substitute who replaced me, and now they were showing affection in front of me. It would be a lie to say I wasn’t affected. There was a feeling of frustration, like the genuine article being defeated by a counterfeit. Doting boyfriend maniac? Huh… The deep affection that was once invested in me could be so easily transferred to someone else. I don’t know if this is my tragedy or his. Ryan politely let me order, turning the lazy Susan with the menu towards me. I tried hard to keep my expression indifferent, and graciously said: “I’m not familiar with this restaurant and don’t know what everyone likes to eat. Let me treat everyone today, please order whatever you like.” Jack said coldly: “This restaurant is members-only, it can be deducted from my account.” I said “Oh” and politely replied: “Thank you, Jack. Then I’ll treat next time.” Leo honestly and unabashedly picked up the menu. He leaned close to my ear and asked: “Mia, what is this fish maw and chicken slice soup?” “It’s a dish for beauty and nourishment, do you want to try it?” “I want to taste it.” He pointed at dishes on the menu and asked me. For everything I knew about, I earnestly answered. When we were talking, our faces were almost touching. The beauty with long black hair couldn’t help but ask curiously: “Leo, are you a bit younger than Mia?” Our way of interacting was obvious. I frankly said: “Yes, Leo is half a year younger than me.” The ladies all said flattering things: “An older woman-younger man relationship, how enviable.” “A younger man is good, young and energetic.” I inadvertently heard two of Jack’s buddies whispering together: “Probably hired a pretty boy to act…” “Must be, deliberately trying to make Jack jealous…” “Thought she really had a new relationship, turns out it’s just a kept man.” “Too concerned about face is also a kind of tragedy.” They were speaking in the local dialect, which Leo probably couldn’t understand. Regardless of whether what they said was true or not, discussing me like this in front of my face showed they didn’t take me seriously. Jack should have heard it too. He had a meaningful smile on his lips, and glanced at Leo with disdain. Emma asked him quietly: “Jack, do you also like older woman-younger man relationships?” Jack pointed at the mulberry but cursed the locust tree, saying: “I don’t like it. I’m more of a macho man, I can’t accept women older than me.” His words were too obviously directed at me. I held back my anger and didn’t react. Leo continued flipping through the menu, unconcerned. When he saw a sea cucumber soup, he said to one of the gossipy men: “Mr. Thompson, why don’t I order a sea cucumber soup for you?” That Mr. Thompson politely said: “Thank you, but how could I…” Leo smiled cheerfully and said: “I noticed your eye bags are quite large, and there’s a grayish-black color around your mouth. You’re probably suffering from kidney deficiency. It’s just right to eat some sea cucumber to nourish yourself.” No man likes to be told he has kidney deficiency. Mr. Thompson’s face changed immediately. He hurriedly denied: “I don’t…” Leo said with utmost sincerity: “Your complexion is dull and oily, and your nose is red. It’s probably a hormonal imbalance. You’d better see a doctor for treatment.”

Mr. Thompson looked embarrassed and didn’t know how to refute. I used a reproachful tone and said: “Leo, whether Mr. Thompson has kidney deficiency or not, his girlfriend would know better, right? Don’t worry about it.” Mr. Thompson’s girlfriend was right beside him. She didn’t know how to respond and just picked up her glass to drink water as a tactical move. Leo immediately apologized: “I’m sorry, Mr. Thompson. I was too direct in my speech. You’re a big person, you shouldn’t mind, right?” Could Mr. Thompson say he minded? He could only swallow his anger silently. The black-haired beauty, enjoying the show, deliberately asked Leo: “Leo, can you read faces too? Why don’t you take a look at ours?” “Not really, it’s just that my grandfather was a traditional Chinese medicine doctor, and I learned a bit from him when I was young…” Leo had just finished being modest when he immediately aimed at the other gossipy man from earlier: “For example, Mr. Davis, your eyebrows and beard are very sparse, but your hair is very thick. This looks like you’re wearing a wig at first glance.” That Mr. Davis had been balding since he was young and always wore a wig when going out to see people. This wasn’t a secret in our circle, but everyone just pretended not to notice. Several people couldn’t help but laugh, then quickly covered their mouths. Mr. Davis’s smile disappeared, and he said angrily: “What do you mean?” Leo continued to pretend to be surprised and said: “Ah? Did I say something wrong again? I’m sorry, I thought you were wearing a wig. I was thinking it looked so realistic, I wanted to buy one for my uncle too. Sorry, so it’s not a wig?” Mr. Davis hated it most when people mentioned his wig, and Leo had said it three times. He was bound to be furious. He was about to explode when I softly added in the local dialect: “Too concerned about face is also a kind of tragedy.” These were the exact words Mr. Davis had said earlier. He immediately deflated, swallowing his anger back down. Leo asked me innocently: “Mia, what did you just say?” I smiled and said: “Nothing, let’s just order the food.” The food arrived, and Leo and I acted as if we were at home, warmly inviting everyone to eat more. Emma was being considerate over there, helping Jack peel his shrimp. Leo was also being considerate here, helping me cut my steak. They were showing off their affection, and so were we. Everything was peaceful, but some troublemakers couldn’t sit still. A man with glasses spoke in a sarcastic tone: “Oh my, times have changed. Men are now doing women’s work.” He then praised Jack admiringly: “Our Jack here has good taste. When finding a girlfriend, you should find one who’s virtuous and can serve you well.” Before Jack could respond, some of the women couldn’t stand it anymore. The black-haired beauty snorted coldly: “Listen to yourself, are you looking for a girlfriend or a maid?” Another short-haired lady chimed in: “So women are just supposed to serve you guys, huh?” I smiled faintly and reminded them: “This isn’t the feudal era of male superiority anymore.” The troublemaker instantly became the public enemy of all the women present. He hurriedly tried to smooth things over: “It was just a joke, you’re all too sensitive.” Now we had become the unreasonable ones. Leo chimed in with a grin: “In my family, it’s natural for men to take care of women. My mom never has to peel her own shrimp, my dad always does it for her. Now my mom is almost fifty, and her hands are still soft and white.” As he spoke, he quickly peeled a shrimp in three moves, even removing the vein. Leo put the shrimp in my bowl, and I thanked him with a smile. The black-haired beauty once again provided support: “Leo and Leo’s dad are the true doting husband maniacs. Being doting isn’t just about saying it, it’s about actions.” Jack, who had just been praised as a doting boyfriend maniac, showed a trace of discomfort on his face. Even Emma looked embarrassed. The dinner went much more smoothly than I had expected. Even seeing my former lover being lovey-dovey with his new flame wasn’t as eye-catching anymore. On the way back, I gazed out of the car window at the night scene, feeling a bit lost. Leo asked ingratiatingly: “Sister Mia, how was my performance today?”

I smiled indulgently and said: “You performed exceptionally well, even better than I imagined.” “Of course, how could I let you be outdone?” “By the way, do you understand the local dialect?” I asked the question that had been on my mind. “Yes, I do.” Leo boasted: “I know four languages and fifteen dialects.” He proudly listed them for me: “The local dialect, Cantonese, Hokkien, Hakka… I know them all.” I sighed and said: “You’re really talented. It’s a waste for you to be just an artist.” “Not at all. Being an artist isn’t easy either.” That’s right, Leo is also an artist signed to my company. We were schoolmates; I studied economics, while he was from the art school. Leo is tall and handsome, with a lively and outgoing personality. He has a natural flair for performance, is good at improvisation, and has experience in stage plays. He often posts his daily life on social media and became a minor internet celebrity abroad. Several talent agencies wanted to sign Leo, and he was interested in entering the domestic entertainment industry. After asking around, Leo learned that one of my family’s businesses is a film investment company. So he actively came to seek my support. My family’s company is an old name in the circle, rarely signing new artists, with mostly trained, skilled actors under contract. Although Leo had an impressive educational background, he lacked experience and didn’t quite qualify to be hired. But I happened to need a skilled actor who was also strikingly handsome to accompany me back home to meet Jack and the others. So we hit it off and reached a cooperative relationship. Leo said ingratiatingly: “If you need me to act again in the future, just say the word.” “Thank you, but you’d better focus on your work,” I said, putting on a serious face: “I treat you the same as other employees. I hope you can stay in the company based on your abilities.” “Yes, boss!” Leo saluted me. When I got home and had just lain down after taking a shower, my best friend “Amy” sent me a voice message on WhatsApp: “I heard you brought a new boyfriend today? Wow! When did you start dating?” Even through the phone screen, I could imagine her excited, gossipy expression. I smiled wryly and told her the truth about the situation. Amy chuckled: “So he was really hired to act? Well, that’s not bad either. Handsome guy and beautiful girl, spending time together might lead to real feelings. You never know, it could turn into a real relationship.” I said helplessly: “I would never make a move on an employee. I don’t like mixing personal and professional life, it affects the work atmosphere.” “That’s true, the power dynamic would be off. But what if he has other motives?” Amy changed the subject: “I heard from Sarah that your little boyfriend was incredible, he put Jack’s bunch of old geezers in their place. What a pity, I had something come up today, otherwise I would have gone to see your little boyfriend’s performance!” Sarah was the cool girl with long black hair. “He does have a sharp tongue and quick reactions…” I was just saying this when a friend request notification popped up on my phone screen: “Emma baby, requests to add you as a friend” I clicked to check, and it was actually Emma. My ex-boyfriend’s current girlfriend wants to add me as a friend? I was a bit stunned. She had added me through Ryan’s shared contact card. I thought for a few seconds and finally accepted the verification. While I was busy with this, Amy asked me: “Girl, are you still there?” Me: “Still here, Emma added me as a friend.” Amy: “【Shocked emoji】 What does this woman want?” Me: “I don’t know, maybe she has something to ask me?” Amy: “So dramatic.” Not long after I accepted Emma’s request, she sent me a greeting message. I also politely replied with a 【Hello emoji】. Then she sent me a video clip. Although the lighting in the video was very dim, I could still make out that it was Jack with his shirt off. He was lying on a pillow snoring, and half of the filmer’s snow-white arm was visible. It looked like this person was also naked. I realized what this was and immediately felt sick to my stomach, as if I had swallowed a fly. Emma: “Jack’s snoring is so loud, was he like this before? He hugs me in his sleep, it’s so hot. He’s really clingy, sigh…”

Amy wasn’t wrong, she really was being overly dramatic. I didn’t know how to play along with her performance, so I simply exited the conversation, out of sight, out of mind. Amy was still asking me: “What did she add you for? Did she say anything to you?” I was very exasperated and sent Amy a screen recording of the video and conversation Emma had sent me. After Amy saw it, she sent a bunch of emojis: 【No way, is she sick?】, 【I’ve never seen someone so shameless】, 【Bitches are everywhere】, etc. Me: “I want to delete her.” Amy: “Don’t! Otherwise, she’ll think you’re afraid of her! Keep her, let’s see what other tricks she’ll pull!” Me: “Alright, I’m going to sleep now. You should get some rest too.” Amy: “You can still sleep? I’m so angry at that little bitch! Jack is such an idiot! To cheat on you for someone like her!” Me: “Originally, when I saw them together today, I was quite upset. But now I feel like I’ve let it go. Once unfaithful, always unfaithful. Thanks to Emma for letting me see Jack clearly.” Amy: “You’re right, I really envy you for being so emotionally stable. If it were me, I would have cursed that cheating couple to death by now!” I sent a 【I’m scary calm now】 capybara emoji. Me: “Alright, alright, don’t get angry over people who aren’t worth it.” I never replied to Emma, and she didn’t provoke me again. Only occasionally could I see her showing off her relationship in her Moments, posting photos of her and Jack’s faces pressed together or kissing. At first, I didn’t pay attention, but later I found out that she only made these posts visible to me, blocking everyone else. Wow, is she that concerned about my opinion? I simply blocked her Moments. Back to Leo, he officially became a signed artist of my company. The company was preparing to film a Republican-era spy drama called “Misty Shadows”. I helped Leo secure the role of the third male lead. He wasn’t overly ambitious and was quite satisfied with this. “Sister Mia, I’ve read the script. This role doesn’t have many scenes, but it’s very exciting.” I encouraged him: “You just need to act well. If you take the film route in the future, your status will rise quickly.” The male and female leads of the film were both well-respected, skilled actors who could elevate each other and the film. However, a month before filming was set to begin, the female lead was replaced. And she was replaced by Emma. As the producer, I was actually the last to know. The investor’s representative apologetically told me: “Jack personally came to find me, saying Emma really likes this script and must participate. We hope Miss Pei can be understanding…” If Emma was to participate, she would certainly be bringing investment. I said reluctantly: “Emma’s image doesn’t quite support this role. We could arrange for her to be the second or third female lead.” The investor’s representative said awkwardly: “Jack said it has to be the female lead… The investment platform and distributors have agreed.” This meant he had already arranged everything, and whether I was willing or not, I had to comply. I felt angry, feeling I had let down the original female lead. She had already signed the contract and was now forcibly pushed out. Unfortunately, I couldn’t make the final decision on this matter. I had just taken over the company, and my foundation wasn’t stable. This film was my first big project, and I needed strong financial backing. I couldn’t afford to offend the investors at this point. It felt like being forced to eat something unpleasant. It was extremely uncomfortable. I swallowed my displeasure and said with a stern face: “Since Jack is so wealthy, please inform him that he should also pay the breach of contract fee for the actress.” The representative hurriedly promised: “Of course… Jack said he would cover all losses.” And so, the matter was settled. 11 Before filming began, there was to be a closed training session. Together with the filming schedule, Leo would have to stay with the crew for nearly half a year. As a newcomer in my position, I was usually so busy that I had almost no time to communicate with him. Two months after the film started shooting, Leo messaged me on WhatsApp, acting cute: “Sister Mia, can you come visit me on set?”

I readily agreed: “I was just thinking about that. I’ll come see you all in a few days.” Leo was so happy he squeezed out a cutesy voice: “Wow! Really? I’m so happy!” I knew why he brought this up. I had heard that Jack had visited Emma on set a few days ago. I smiled indulgently and said: “Yes, what other kids have, you’ll have too.” “Thank you, Sister Mia!” As the weather was getting colder, on the day of my visit, I specially prepared plenty of hot drinks for the crew members. Leo had just finished a scene and was still in his costume. He was wearing a well-tailored Republican-era military uniform, which made him look handsome and dignified. When Leo saw me arrive, he was as happy as a puppy seeing its long-lost owner, wagging his tail and bounding towards me. I patted his head and then his shoulder. Even though Leo was only half a year younger than me, I always felt like our interaction was like… Um, mother and son? Or owner and pet? As it happened, there were media here for interviews today. After Leo had some hot coffee, the director pulled him over for an interview. He and Emma happened to be free, and the two of them sat properly in front of the camera holding microphones. After asking some standard questions, the reporter intentionally asked Leo: “Leo and Emma are both newcomers. What do you think of each other’s performances?” Emma went into full green tea mode, acting coy and affected: “Leo, he gets along really well with everyone, he’s sweet-tongued and knows how to please people. Everyone likes him, even our producer came specially to see him today. I heard Leo was personally recommended by the producer to join the crew, and they’re schoolmates too. I believe he must have many outstanding qualities to be so favored by the producer.” Emma might as well have said directly: Leo is just a pretty boy who got his position by cozying up to the boss! I did intend to promote Leo, and he had the ability and talent for it. But Emma herself got in by Jack throwing money around. The pot calling the kettle black, how does she have the face? The reporter gave a dry laugh, then turned to ask Leo: “What about you, Leo? What’s your view on Emma?” Leo smiled brilliantly and said smoothly: “Of course, I have the utmost respect for Miss Emma. Miss Emma has invented a brilliant trick for memorizing lines. She has her assistant write the lines on large poster boards, and during filming, they hold them up for her to read from. Isn’t that just ingenious? No more worrying about forgetting lines, and it saves time on memorizing too! Why didn’t I think of that? Oh my! I’m so silly!” After he finished this exaggeratedly polite speech, Emma’s lips twitched with anger, though she forced herself to maintain a smile. The people around were both embarrassed and trying not to laugh, creating a strange atmosphere on set. Emma smiled with gritted teeth: “It’s not like that… I never actually look at the boards when filming…” Leo cut in again: “Oh! I’m just so forgetful, I can only use meal times and breaks to memorize my lines. Not like Miss Emma, who’s both beautiful and smart. She video chats with her boyfriend during breaks! So sweet, so blissful, I’m so envious of her…” After saying this, Leo pretended to be shocked and covered his mouth: “Oh? Was I not supposed to say that? Can we cut this part?” Emma’s face turned green, her eyes rolling skyward, unable to even maintain her expression management. The reporter quickly changed the subject, finally turning the page on this awkward moment. The media are quite savvy; they wouldn’t easily leak this kind of juicy scandal that could damage both parties’ images. Indeed, the only one who can defeat a green tea b*tch is someone even more bitchy. In my heart, I silently evaluated Emma: Drink some horse piss and you’re high and mighty, mess with Leo and you’re courting death. In the entertainment circle, artists privately tearing each other apart isn’t uncommon. As long as it doesn’t blow up, the company generally doesn’t interfere. But some people can’t stand feeling like they’ve lost out and insist on getting even. Not long after, I accompanied my brother to a business community event and ran into Jack, whom I hadn’t seen in a while. He said he had something to ask me and called me to a corner. Jack bluntly opened his mouth: “You should consider sending your little boyfriend to some etiquette classes, teach him how to behave properly.”

Hearing his sarcastic tone, it seemed Emma had complained to him, and he was here to stand up for his precious. I calmly crossed my arms and said: “Mr. Jack, if you have something to say, just say it openly. Where did you learn these passive-aggressive remarks?” Jack’s eyes flashed with a hint of embarrassment, but he quickly regained his composure and said: “Emma really likes this drama, that’s why I helped her get the female lead role. Since you agreed to let her participate, don’t secretly make things difficult for her. You’ve always been a reasonable woman in my eyes, don’t ruin my good impression of you.” I found this both laughable and irritating. Heaven and earth be my witness, who’s making things difficult for her? Do I really have nothing better to do? Moreover, she was the one who started it, and Leo just retaliated. Of course, I couldn’t expect Jack to view this matter objectively and fairly. It’s human nature to be protective of one’s own. Seeing that I didn’t answer, Jack continued on his own: “I know that Emma and I being together has hurt you… I was wrong about this, and I’ll make it up to you in other ways in the future. But please don’t target Emma, she doesn’t know anything. It was my insistence on being with her. If you want to hate someone, hate me.” This dialogue sounded so familiar. Did he think he was some tragic hero? I couldn’t listen anymore and interrupted with rapid-fire: “Mr. Jack, we ended long ago, and I have no lingering attachment to you. Also, I have never targeted your girlfriend. She was the one who actively added me as a friend and sent me a video of you sleeping. I’m not a part of your roleplay, I’m not interested in what positions you two sleep in. I only care about my company.” “Emma… how could she?” Jack couldn’t believe his delicate flower girlfriend would behave in such a green tea b*tch manner. I immediately pulled up my chat history with Emma to show him. Faced with irrefutable evidence, Jack was dumbfounded. I continued my counterattack: “If you have time, help your girlfriend enroll in more acting classes. As an actress, if she doesn’t properly memorize her lines and improve her acting skills, there will come a day when she falls flat on her face. The audience’s eyes are sharp; they can easily tell whether an actor has put in effort or not. If you’re really afraid of her suffering, just marry her and keep her well-fed at home. Don’t let her out to snatch roles that others have worked hard to get.” After I finished speaking, I ignored Jack’s ashen face and turned to leave. A month later, filming for “Misty Shadows” was completed. The distributor watched the sample and was very satisfied, planning to release it during the New Year season. I also received news that Jack had already found the right connections to secure Emma a Best Actress award. Since this film was invested in by my family, I didn’t mind him adding this extra boost. Leo’s manager asked me: “Should we let Leo compete for the Best Newcomer award?” “We can,” I emphasized, “But don’t spend money to find people. Let him win based on his own merit.” “Alright, he’s just debuted, even being nominated would be great.” I firmly believe in the principle that “undeserved position will lead to great disaster”. We had a clear plan for Leo’s career path. What he shouldn’t get, we wouldn’t go out of our way to fight for. Not long after Leo finished filming “Misty Shadows”, the director recommended him to a well-known international director in the industry, “Director Zhang”. Director Zhang was famous for his unconventional style and never being swayed by capital. After Leo went for an audition, he successfully got a small role. Even if it’s just a bit part, getting to appear in a famous director’s film is an honor. Compared to Leo’s step-by-step progress, Emma was quite different. Her team boldly declared that she would only play lead roles and only accept major productions. After this film, her next resource was an S+ level historical costume TV drama. Jack spared no expense, finding a bunch of popular stars to boost her. On the day the cast list was officially announced, Weibo exploded, with netizens directly calling Emma a resource-grabbing star. Fortunately, Jack had already arranged for water armies to control the situation and promptly deleted comments. This prevented too much controversy from arising. When Amy learned about this, she joked with me: “Emma gets to be the female lead, while your little Leo can only cameo as an extra. Raise girls rich, raise boys poor. You and Jack are quite in sync in this aspect.” I said helplessly: “This role is very suitable for Leo. Even if it’s only a few seconds of effective screen time, it can make him stand out. I don’t like artists who are forcefully promoted. I need him to walk steadily, not quickly.” Amy wholeheartedly agreed: “You’re right, forced promotion invites divine punishment. Don’t take on porcelain work without a diamond drill.” Who would have thought Amy’s words would turn out to be prophetic—

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I sponsored a poor student who was about to drop out, helping her complete college. But after I rejected her advances, she spread rumors that I wanted to keep her as a mistress. Suddenly, I found myself at the center of a storm, bombarded with countless insults. The prolonged depression left me disoriented, and I jumped from a window at school. Given a second chance at life, I vowed never to sponsor that ungrateful wretch again. When I opened my eyes again, a girl was standing before me, looking pitiful. I took a closer look – wasn’t this Mia Foster? What’s going on? How am I not dead? Checking the date on my phone, I realized I had truly been reborn. This time, I was determined not to repeat my past mistakes. “Professor?” Mia called out tentatively, noticing my prolonged silence. Her voice snapped me back to reality. “Yes, I’m listening. Please continue.” “I won’t be coming to school starting tomorrow. Mom says we can’t afford it anymore. Thank you for all your help these past few months.” As she finished, a few tears rolled down her cheeks. In my previous life, it was this pitiful appearance that moved me. Out of a sense of responsibility as a teacher, I had fully sponsored her tuition and living expenses. I had almost always granted her requests, just so she could focus on her studies and build a better life for herself through her own efforts. But she repaid my kindness with betrayal. After I rejected her subtle and not-so-subtle advances, she publicly spread rumors that I wanted to keep her as a mistress. I was left speechless and defenseless. Not only that, she wrote a long post questioning why I would sponsor her if I didn’t have ulterior motives. She argued that there were many students in need, so why specifically choose her if not for some hidden agenda? The rumors spread faster than I could have imagined. It got to the point where people would point and whisper whenever I went out. Some internet users even tracked down my family members. I was at a loss for words, and no one cared about the truth. They only chose to see what they wanted to see. After a long period of depression, I became disoriented. In an accident, I jumped from a school window, ending what should have been a bright life. Thinking about all this, I felt my blood run cold. The same thing absolutely could not happen a second time. “Alright then. If you and your parents have already decided, do as you see fit,” I replied. She looked stunned, seemingly shocked by my response. Seeing her still standing there, I spoke again, “Is there anything else? If not, you can go.” Watching her retreating figure, I let out a long sigh of relief. Finally, I had rid myself of this trouble.

The next day, however, Mia showed up for the 8 AM class. I frowned slightly. Hadn’t she said she was dropping out? Why was she still here? Though I had questions, I couldn’t ask them outright. “Professor, I’m not dropping out anymore. Tyler heard about my situation and offered to help me out a bit,” Mia explained. Tyler? I remembered him. He had been secretly in love with Mia for a long time. In my previous life, he had also played a role in stirring up trouble behind the scenes. Mia had timed it perfectly to fall into my arms, and before I could push her away, Tyler had quickly snapped a photo. With both witness and evidence, there was no way for me to clear my name, even if I jumped into the Yellow River. “Okay,” I replied briefly, then stood up to leave. But Mia reached out to stop me. I frowned in displeasure. “What is it?” “Tyler’s means are limited. He can only help with tuition. As for living expenses…” She trailed off without finishing her sentence. “You’re an adult now. There are many ways to earn money for living expenses. The school also has many work-study positions. If you need, I can help you apply for one,” I said. She bit her lip tightly, once again putting on a pitiful expression. “But those jobs are all so hard,” she complained. “I’ve given you options. If you can’t accept them, there’s nothing more I can do,” I replied firmly. She might as well have had “sponsor me” written on her forehead. “If there’s nothing important, please stop coming to me so often. There should be some distance maintained between teachers and students,” I added. Seeing that I remained cold and unresponsive to her hints, she could only leave reluctantly. As I watched her walk away, I couldn’t help but feel thoughtful. My instincts told me this wouldn’t be the end of things so easily.

The class monitor sent me a message. Mia hadn’t shown up for the 8 AM class today, and she wasn’t in her dorm either. No one could reach her. Hearing this, my mind went blank for a moment. What was she up to now? Not being able to contact a student is enough to drive any counselor crazy, let alone when it’s someone with ill intentions like her. As I was racking my brains, I suddenly remembered a place. I quickly pulled out the student registration form and found Mia’s home address. I then drove there as fast as I could. But Mia and her family weren’t there. As I was wondering where else Mia could have gone, I received a call from Nathan, another student. “Professor Carter, you need to come back quickly! Mia’s mother is here, crying and making a scene in the principal’s office.” Without further thought, I prepared to drive back. Just then, an elderly lady stopped me. “Are you the one who’s buying the Foster family’s house? They specifically asked me to keep an eye out for anyone coming to view the property. They said they’d be back soon.” I was taken aback. “Ma’am, I think you’ve mistaken me for someone else. I’m not here to view the property.” Perhaps my lack of knowledge sparked the lady’s gossipy nature, and she began to talk non-stop. “The Foster family is really lucky. Even such a run-down house has a buyer. They said it’s going to be some kind of livestreaming base? I don’t really understand, but apparently, they’re paying a lot. Soon, they’ll be living in a big house in the city.” So, the Foster family wasn’t as poor as they claimed? After briefly saying goodbye to the lady, I immediately drove back to school. As soon as I reached the building, I saw Mia’s mother coming out of the principal’s office with a satisfied smile. I didn’t approach her, instead hiding in the stairwell’s emergency exit. “See? If I hadn’t come to make a scene, the school wouldn’t have taken it seriously. Didn’t you say your counselor was a good person and would definitely sponsor you if he knew you couldn’t afford school?” I heard her say, followed by a cold snort. “I guess he’s not all that great. In the end, I had to come personally.” “Once we sell the old house, we can move to the city. Be careful not to let anything slip. We can save quite a bit if you don’t have to pay for tuition and living expenses for these four years of college. We should save where we can, okay?” “Okay,” Mia replied. So this whole family had come with a plan.

As soon as they left, I was called into the principal’s office. “Adam, what’s going on? How could you let a student’s parent come and make a scene at the school? The faculty evaluation is coming up soon. If this isn’t handled well, you can forget about any awards,” the principal scolded me as soon as I entered. The principal had always thought highly of me, and I knew he was saying this for my own good. “I understand, sir. I’ll handle this matter properly,” I assured him. “Sigh, it’s clearly just trouble-making on purpose. I’ve already said the school will do its utmost to help them. As for how to navigate this, that’s up to you now.” After nodding in acknowledgment, I left the office. I took out my phone and called Mia. “Come to Room 1201 in Building 3.” I chose this location because it was the only classroom with working surveillance cameras. Seeing Mia arrive late, I felt a surge of anger that I had to suppress, maintaining a calm exterior. “You know, you could apply for a student loan. If you don’t know how, I can ask other students to help you,” I suggested. Mia still appeared hesitant and uncertain. “But student loans have to be repaid, don’t they?” she said. Hearing this, my tone became a bit more severe. “What do you mean? Are you saying you just want to get something for nothing?” “No, Professor Carter, it’s not that. It’s just that a loan of over $10,000… I feel a lot of pressure. I’m afraid I won’t be able to pay it back in the future,” she said, shedding a few tears again. These tears were almost becoming her signature move. I turned away angrily to calm myself, but then I noticed Tyler lurking suspiciously in the corner. Alright, it seemed the scene from my previous life was about to replay. This time, I’d let them experience what it means to reap what they sow. “Professor… could you sponsor me? I promise I’ll pay you back when I earn money in the future. I’ll always remember your kindness,” Mia pleaded. Inwardly, I thought, “Who wants you to remember it forever?” Seeing that I didn’t respond, she thought there was hope and continued. “If I don’t go to school, I’ll have to go back home and get married. I’m still so young, I don’t want to waste my life marrying just anyone, Professor.” I patiently advised her again. “You have many ways to earn money for school, but you insist on holding out your hand, waiting for others to help you. I’ve already promised to help you apply for student loans and work-study positions.” Seeing that I kept saying this, Mia’s expression became irritated. Then she took out a small knife from her pocket and forcefully cut her arm. It happened so quickly that I couldn’t react in time. I could only rush forward to grab her hand, preventing her from making another cut. At this moment, I saw Tyler taking photos from the corner of my eye. But I didn’t expose him. Instead, I quickly took Mia to the school infirmary. After an examination, there was nothing serious, just a superficial wound. When we were alone, Mia whispered to me. “Professor, I’ve already hinted very clearly. Are you really not going to sponsor me?” “That’s right,” I replied, my tone leaving no room for argument. “Fine,” she said, a meaningful smile appearing at the corner of her mouth.

On the third day, the school’s website exploded. An anonymous post quickly rose to the top of the campus forum’s hot topics. [Professor Adam Carter of Business English Class 2 attempted to take advantage of a female student under the guise of sponsorship. When the student strongly resisted, the professor became physical. To protect herself, the student cut her wrist. I believe this incident has an extremely negative impact and sincerely request the school to take this matter seriously, giving everyone a reasonable explanation and resolution.] A photo was attached to the post. I have to say, the angle of the shot was quite good. It was clearly me trying to stop Mia from cutting herself, but it was shot in a way that made it look like I was forcibly grabbing Mia. Moreover, neither the wound nor the knife was visible in the frame. With such talent, it would be a waste to stay in school. I didn’t need to look to know it was Tyler’s handiwork. As soon as I left the dormitory building, I was surrounded by students, unable to move. “Professor! Is what the post says true? You look so respectable, how could you do such a thing behind closed doors?” “You’re supposed to be a role model. Are you even fit to be a teacher?” Some students from my class also spoke up in my defense. “Professor Carter isn’t that kind of person. The truth hasn’t come out yet, what are you all making a fuss about!” “That’s right! You don’t know anything about the situation, yet you’re questioning the professor. Is that appropriate?” Neither side was willing to back down. There was even a tendency for things to escalate into a physical confrontation. In the end, it was the security guards who dispersed the crowd. The principal also quickly summoned me to his office. As soon as I entered, I was met with a barrage of scolding. “Adam! Didn’t I tell you to handle this properly? What’s all this commotion about now? It’s not just about the faculty evaluation anymore. What about the school’s reputation? Do you know how big an impact this will have?” “I understand, Principal. Trust me, I’m being framed,” I replied. “What good does it do if I believe you! Do others believe you? What you need to do now is not to convince me, but to provide evidence to silence everyone else.” After giving the principal a firm assurance, I was also ready to counterattack. Tyler had posted that message while connected to the campus network. I found a professional technician who traced the post to Tyler’s phone. I confronted Tyler in front of the entire school. “You took the photo, didn’t you? Since you took the photo, you must have seen the whole incident. So tell me, what exactly happened at that time?” Tyler straightened his neck and replied righteously. “Of course I saw it. Otherwise, how could I have posted that message? I just can’t stand your hypocrisy.” “When you speak, you need evidence. You have to be responsible for what you say,” I pressed. Seeing that I was pushing too hard, Tyler showed a hesitant expression. But suddenly, Mia appeared at the bottom of the podium. “Professor Carter, don’t be hard on Tyler. He was just being too righteous. I can let bygones be bygones, so please stop intimidating him.”

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On my birthday, Jerry made an excuse about urgent company business and left me alone in the hospital with a high fever. But that evening, his first love posted a photo of the two of them with a giant cake. The caption read: “Someone who truly loves you will always come to celebrate your birthday, no matter how important their other commitments are.” No one liked the post because everyone knew she posted it specifically for me, Jerry’s official girlfriend, to see. I didn’t cry or make a fuss, I simply commented: “Why don’t you two just get married then!” When Jerry left me alone in the hospital, I had a fever of 103°F, I didn’t complain or make a scene, I just waited in the hospital for him to finish work so we could celebrate my birthday together. I waited all night, but all I got was Ivy’s Instagram post. Jerry was standing next to Ivy, with a three-tiered cake between them. [Someone who truly loves you will always make time to celebrate your birthday with you, no matter how important their other commitments are.] I immediately called him and we had an argument. “Don’t be ridiculous, Ivy wasn’t feeling well and needed me to keep her company because she was emotionally unstable.” “I just see her as a little sister, can you stop being so dirty-minded?” He hung up on me and didn’t contact me for several days, he told me the company had an urgent matter that needed his attention, and he’d come celebrate my birthday with me once he finished dealing with it. I had a high fever for several days that wouldn’t break, but my mind was unusually clear, I started to reflect on our relationship and whether it was really worth continuing. This wasn’t the first time we’d argued because of Ivy. Every time, Jerry would use the same excuse to shut me down: “I just see her as a sister. Don’t overthink it.” Every time, I would be the one to give in first, but these past few days, I found I didn’t miss him at all, I wasn’t anxious or irritable. I slept unusually well. Perhaps because I wasn’t making any conciliatory gestures, Jerry called me first for once. “I’ll come pick you up from the hospital this afternoon.” “No need to trouble yourself, I can take a cab home.” This was the first time Jerry had taken the initiative to make peace, but I didn’t take the bait, I wasn’t looking at my phone, just lying in the hospital bed catching up on sleep.

I was well-behaved and obedient, packing up my things and taking a cab home by myself. Jerry still wasn’t back. I didn’t call to ask where he was or urge him to come home like I usually would, I just cooked myself something to eat, had a full meal, took a shower, and went to bed. With no one on my mind to worry about, I slept comfortably and had pleasant dreams. Early the next morning, I heard the sound of the keypad lock, Jerry pushed open my bedroom door. “Susie?” “Hmm? You’re back?” I didn’t rush to greet him joyfully like I usually would, I just rolled over and went back to sleep. He was still standing in the doorway. “Ivy had another episode yesterday. I was worried something might happen to her, so I was delayed a bit. Sorry.” “Mm.” My tone was flat. Jerry tried to explain, “I know you’re angry, but Ivy really needed someone with her.” I laughed and glanced at him. “Angry? What’s there to be angry about? A brother taking care of his sister – isn’t that normal?” Jerry was silent for a moment. “Susie, I know I’ve been neglectful lately…” “Go get some sleep,” I interrupted him. “I need to catch up on my rest too.” Jerry felt inexplicably irritated. I had never been this cold to him before. When I woke up, I saw a table full of breakfast dishes. Jerry had cooked himself. I was quite surprised. In the past, I would always pester Jerry to cook for me, but he would impatiently wave me off. “Susie, do you really have to eat something I cooked? You’re not a child anymore. Can’t you just cook for yourself?” “I’m exhausted from work every day.” But he, who was even more exhausted from work, could still run to Ivy’s house to cook a big meal for her with just one phone call. So it wasn’t that he was too tired from work. He just didn’t want to cook for me. “Susie, I made all your favorites. Hurry and freshen up.” “Mm, thank you for your trouble.” After washing up, Jerry personally served me rice and soup. This was treatment I had never received before. Jerry put a piece of eggplant in my bowl. “Susie, this is the eggplant you love. Eat more.” I smiled and put the eggplant back in his bowl. “I’ve never liked eggplant. It must be Ivy who likes it. You got mixed up.”

“But you used to…” Jerry stared at me, stunned. I peeled some shrimp and started eating on my own. Every time Jerry and I went out to eat, he would always order a dish of eggplant. But eggplant wasn’t something I loved. I just pretended to like it because he served it to me, and I would finish the whole plate. A phone call came in. Jerry stood up anxiously. “Susie, I’m afraid I can’t stay for the meal. Ivy’s having another episode.” “Go ahead, it’s fine. She’s more important.” I kept my head down, focused on eating, not bothering to look at his expression. Every mealtime, Ivy would use the same trick to lure Jerry over. The clever Jerry was always willing to play along. After eating my fill, I packed the leftovers into containers and put them in the fridge. After taking a few days of sick leave, I finally returned to work under Claire’s repeated urging. Claire came to me with a transfer order. “Susie, are you sure you don’t want to go develop your career at headquarters in Beijing? The resources there are much better than here.” I had refused Claire many times before. “Beijing is too far from home. I’d get homesick.” Actually, I was afraid of leaving Jerry. I often fantasized that if I went to develop my career in Beijing, Jerry would be heartbroken without me. But thinking about it now, he probably wouldn’t be. I had waited all these years just to marry Jerry and have our own little family. But Jerry had never brought up marriage. He always found excuses to put it off. “Susie, I’m not stable enough yet. Once I’m stable, I’ll go propose to your family.” “Claire, I’ve thought it through. I want to go to Beijing.” Claire was a bit surprised, since I had refused her many times before. “What? You’re willing to leave Jerry now?” I shook my head with a smile. “I’ve thought it through and decided to broaden my horizons.” Yuri called and asked me to go out drinking with her. I agreed. It had been a long time since I had hung out with friends after getting together with Jerry. Yuri put her arm around my shoulders. “That’s more like it. You need to relax sometimes too.” Yuri and I drank until late into the night. I ended up staying over at her place. When I woke up in the morning, I had over a dozen missed calls and messages from Jerry. I called him back. Jerry’s voice was tinged with anger. “Susie, where did you go? I called you all night.” “You never used to stay out all night before.” I yawned, acting nonchalant. “I went out drinking with Yuri last night. It got late so I just crashed at her place.” “Susie, what kind of attitude is this? Do you know how worried I was all night?” Even through the screen, I could feel Jerry’s anger. In the past, when he went out for business dinners and got drunk, ending up staying at Ivy’s place, I would wait up all night for him, calling countless times and sending countless messages. In the end, all I got was his flippant response: “Why are you so worked up? It’s just one night I didn’t come home.” I stretched lazily. “Jerry, why are you so worked up? It’s just one night I didn’t come home after going out drinking.” “Alright, alright, I’m heading back now.” Jerry’s tone softened. “Susie, I’ll come pick you up. Let’s go out for a meal together.” “Okay.” I waited for a long time outside Yuri’s building. Taxis passed by one after another. “Miss, do you need a ride?” I shook my head. “No thanks, someone’s coming to pick me up.” It was only about a 15-minute drive from home to Yuri’s place, but I waited for over half an hour before finally seeing Jerry’s car. There was a familiar figure sitting in the passenger seat. The window rolled down and Ivy poked her head out. “Susie, I’m sitting in front. You don’t mind, right?” I got straight into the back seat. “Of course not.” “The power went out at Ivy’s place. I figured since three people eating is the same as two, I might as well invite her along,” Jerry said, glancing at me in the rearview mirror. I shrugged indifferently. “That’s fine, the more the merrier.” Jerry frowned slightly. He felt like he couldn’t read me anymore. In the past, if he had brought Ivy along, I definitely would have thrown a tantrum. But this time, not only did I not make a fuss, I didn’t even care that Ivy was sitting in the front passenger seat. Jerry peeled several shrimp and put them in Ivy’s bowl. Ivy took a few and put them in my bowl. “Susie, don’t be mad. Jerry is just like this – he always thinks of me first.” I smiled faintly. “Why would I be mad? You two have such a good sibling relationship.” Seeing this, Jerry awkwardly peeled a few shrimp for my bowl too, but I didn’t eat them. The waitress brought in the last dish, looking at Ivy enviously. “Wow, miss, you’re so lucky. Your boyfriend is so attentive to you.” Jerry frowned with slight displeasure, but Ivy seemed quite pleased. “Susie, you’re not angry, are you?” Ivy was clearly doing it on purpose, trying to provoke me into a frenzy, but I refused to take the bait.

“Why would I be angry? You two look quite good together standing side by side.” I smiled brightly, as if it had nothing to do with me, and just focused on eating. “It’s a pity, really. If I hadn’t gotten sick, maybe Jerry and I would have already…” Ivy put on a regretful expression. Jerry cut her off, “Ivy! Watch what you’re saying!” Seeing Jerry’s cold face as he slammed down his chopsticks, Ivy immediately put on a pitiful look. “I… I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have come to disturb you two. I’ll leave.” She covered her face and cried. Jerry seemed to feel he had been too harsh. He gave me a troubled look. “Go after her and check on her. Don’t let anything happen to her,” I said proactively. Jerry immediately stood up, leaving with the words, “I’ll go take a look. I’ll come back to take you home in a bit.” “Mm, thank you for your trouble.” I continued eating. It would be a shame to waste such a big table of food. After eating my fill, I contentedly took a cab home by myself, because I knew Jerry wouldn’t be coming back. As soon as I got home, Jerry called. “Susie, where did you go?” “I came home,” I said flatly. “Didn’t I say I’d come pick you up to go home?” Jerry’s tone held a hint of resentment. “I figured you wouldn’t be coming back, so I just took a cab home. I had nothing else to do anyway.” In the past when I asked Jerry to pick me up, he would always make excuses. “Why can’t you just go home by yourself?” “You’re free anyway, what’s wrong with going home by yourself? Can’t you see how busy I am?” There was silence on Jerry’s end of the phone. I hung up directly and leisurely applied a face mask. As I had predicted, Jerry didn’t come home again all night. But I still slept soundly. Surprisingly, when I woke up, Jerry had already prepared breakfast. “You’re up. Come eat.” It was rare for Jerry to cook so frequently. I drank some congee as Jerry looked at me with a complicated expression. “Susie, do you know what time I came home last night?” I shook my head. “No, why?” In the past, if it was past 10 PM I would call Jerry to ask when he was coming home. But recently, not only had I not called him once, I didn’t even care what time he came home. It was like I had become a different person. Even when he smoked a whole pack of cigarettes at home, I only mildly said, “Smoking is bad for your health.” Sometimes I didn’t even notice. Jerry felt uncomfortable all over, like something was missing. “Susie, we’re both adults. If you have something to say, just say it. Don’t be like this.” Jerry finally couldn’t hold back and spoke up.

“What is there to say? I’m full. I need to go to work.” I finished the last bite and stood up to leave. “I’ll drive you. Susie.” Jerry offered to drive me to work for the first time. In the past when I asked him to drive me, he always made excuses. “How can you compare yourself to Ivy? Ivy needs me to drive her because of her health issues.” “I’m already so tired. Can’t you be more obedient?” “Okay, thank you.” “Susie, why did you suddenly become…” Jerry’s expression was complicated. I had been very strange these past few days. I became very polite, more and more sensible, but it gave him a feeling of loss and uncertainty. I took the initiative to sit in the back. Jerry had already opened the front passenger door. He stared at me in shock. “Susie, why are you sitting in the back?” I smiled. “What’s the difference?” In the past, Jerry wouldn’t let me sit in the front passenger seat. I would argue and fight with him. “Why can Ivy sit there when I’m your girlfriend!” Jerry would respond wearily, “Do you really have to fight over this with Ivy, who’s sick? Can’t you be more sensible?” When we arrived at the company, Jerry called out to me. “Susie, there’s a company dinner tomorrow. Family members can come too.” “Oh? That’s nice.” I stretched and looked at him indifferently. “Family members can come, Susie.” Jerry frowned at me. “You can come with me.” I would never miss opportunities like this in the past. I was eager for everyone to know that I was Jerry’s girlfriend. Jerry rarely brought me to these events before, and seldom introduced me as his girlfriend to others. “Okay.” I nodded and went back to the company. Claire handed me the transfer notice. “Are you really sure about this?” “I’m sure. I want to go to Beijing.” I signed without hesitation. I still hadn’t told Jerry about this, but there was no need to tell him anymore.

I had just gotten into Jerry’s car when I saw Ivy. “Susie, you don’t mind, do you? I begged Jerry to bring me along. I’ve never been to these kinds of events before.” Ivy had one arm linked with Jerry’s, and he didn’t push her away. It was as if I was the outsider. “It’s fine. Why don’t you two go then? I still have some documents to deal with.” I smiled faintly. Jerry frowned. “Susie, you already agreed. Now you’re not going…” “Isn’t Ivy going with you? You two can go, it’s fine. Ivy is your sister, so she counts as your family member too.” I glanced at the time. “Just drop me off at the company entrance.” Jerry drove irritably to the company building. I went in without looking back. “Jerry, is Susie angry?” Ivy leaned on Jerry’s shoulder. Jerry snapped angrily, “Whatever.” I leaned back on the sofa. My phone buzzed with a notification from one of my special follows. Ivy had posted on Instagram. It was a photo of her leaning on Jerry’s shoulder. [Caring is always being willing to bring me along, no matter when.] Ivy liked to post on Instagram. I had set her as a special follow just to keep an eye on her interactions with Jerry. Now I felt there was no need for that anymore. I casually unfollowed her. Ivy posted this specifically for me to see. No one liked it. Everyone was waiting to see how I, the official girlfriend, would react. I didn’t care. Soon it wouldn’t matter anymore. “Susie, Jerry got drunk and fell asleep at my place.” Ivy called me using Jerry’s phone. “Mm, then I’ll trouble you to take care of him.” Ivy made this call just to show off to me. Ivy and Jerry were childhood sweethearts. Technically speaking, she was Jerry’s first love. Later she got sick, and Jerry’s mom wouldn’t allow them to be together. She became the one that got away for Jerry. I started to wonder if Jerry’s initial reason for being with me was just to appease his mom. I took a shower, watched some movies, and went to sleep. In the middle of the night, I got a call from Jerry. “Susie, I’m drunk.” “I know. Ivy will take good care of you.” Hearing no response from the other end, I hung up and went back to sleep. In the past, whenever I got a call that Jerry was drunk, no matter how late it was, I would immediately go pick him up and bring him home. I would even forbid him from drinking. But he would complain impatiently to his friends, “She’s really annoying. She tries to control everything and doesn’t give me any freedom.” “This kind of relationship is suffocating. Not like Ivy – she’ll party with me and never restricts me.”

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Endless Revenge for Love In the third year of our marriage, Sir Adrian Stone promised me a grand wedding to make up for the hurried one we initially had. However, on that very day, we received a congratulatory letter from Seraphina Dewhurst, the most celebrated dancer in Stonehaven. My husband, cold as stone, remarked, “In my heart, there is room for only one woman, my lady.” Yet, when that woman threatened to end her life by cutting her wrists in the snow, he rushed out to cradle her in his arms. He said, “My lady, I cannot abandon her.” Later, when news of my elaborate re-marriage spread, the usually stoic general’s eyes reddened for the first time. My husband, Sir Adrian Stone, was the famed young general of Stonehaven, and we shared a harmonious bond. Our initial wedding was rushed, interrupted by urgent military duties. In the third year of our marriage, he suddenly decided to make up for it with a grand celebration. “Elara, I vow never to fail you in this life, and I wish to declare our love to the world.” Everyone spoke of how perfect our match was, and it was widely known that, despite our years together, Adrian had never taken another wife or mistress. A few days before the wedding, I secretly saw the doctor and found out I was three months pregnant. I planned to surprise Adrian with the news during the wedding banquet. That day, with thousands of doves released into the sky and the hall filled with distinguished guests, Adrian, dressed in a deep red ceremonial robe, walked slowly towards me, his hand reaching out as he smiled warmly. “Today, before all these esteemed guests, I pledge eternal devotion to my wife, Lady Elara Stonemore… From this day forth, I shall never forsake you.” The banquet was a carefully orchestrated affair, aimed at furthering his career and prestige. Since it was all prearranged, I remained calm, playing my part. After the ceremony, as we sat down, I put on a serious face. “Honey, there’s something I need to tell you,” I said. He immediately straightened up, his expression turning serious as he leaned in. “What is it, sweetheart?” His genuine concern was so endearing that I couldn’t help but burst out laughing. At that moment, the stage curtains suddenly opened, revealing a dancer in an aquamarine gown with a veil covering half her face. Her eyes, framed by a cascade of pearls, sparkled with a captivating allure. She danced gracefully, her flowing dress moving in sync with the music, her movements fluid and smooth. I noticed Adrian’s expression shift from surprise to something deeper, his gaze locked on the dancer, unblinking. After the performance, the dancer cast a lingering glance back at the audience before retreating backstage. Adrian and I followed her. His face was tense, his lips pressed into a thin line. “What are you doing here?” he demanded. To my surprise, the woman knelt down gracefully, presenting Adrian with a letter, her gaze as pitiful as a doe’s. “After all these years, I wished to deliver this letter to you in person, General, to find peace in my heart.” “You know her?” I asked in confusion. Adrian quickly explained that her name was Seraphina Dewhurst, a woman he had known back when he was still a nobody. Now, she was the most famous courtesan of Moonrise Manor in the capital. Her voice quivered , I heard about your wedding and signed up to perform just so I could see the love you share with Lady Elara.” She glanced at me, and in that brief moment, I saw something in her eyes—envy, resentment… and something else I couldn’t quite put my finger on. Before I could even wrap my head around it, Adrian, clearly exasperated, snapped, “Miss, we were nothing more than passing acquaintances. The world is big—there’s no reason for you to cling to me any longer.” The woman’s shoulders sagged, and she suddenly burst into tears. “I have no one else, General. I just want to stay by your side. I’d gladly marry you, even as a lowly concubine with no title.” My fears were confirmed. A wave of dizziness hit me, and I instinctively grabbed my maid’s hand for support. But Adrian, usually so perceptive, didn’t notice my distress. His gaze stayed locked on the woman as he said calmly, “Seraphina, don’t degrade yourself. There’s no need to sacrifice your dignity for me.”

He called her Seraphina with such ease, unaware of the intimacy with which she had once addressed him. “I have a wife now,” Adrian said firmly, “and I’ve promised her a lifetime of love. She is my wife, and I have no intention of marrying anyone else.” Adrian’s words were resolute as he waved a servant over to escort her out. After dealing with the situation, he took my hand, meeting my puzzled gaze. “Just an old acquaintance. She won’t trouble us again.” As I gazed at him, unwavering and formidable as always, a tremor of doubt seized me for the first time. His sharp features, those predatory eyes, and the faint scars etched into his cheeks spoke of a storied heroism. But as I traced the lines of his strong hands, I wondered—how many hearts had those very hands ensnared with their touch? How many whispered promises had they forged in shadows, only to leave a trail of broken dreams in their wake? When I first met him, my father was the master horse trainer in the Royal Stables, and I was the most skilled horsewoman in all of Stonehaven. I often helped my father with his work. Back then, Adrian had just achieved his first military victory, and the King had gifted him a fiery red stallion. The horse was wild and unmanageable, yet I tamed it and personally led it to Adrian. He fell for me at first sight and pursued me relentlessly, and I, too, found myself drawn to the young, handsome general. He treated me with utmost care, and our love became the talk of Stonehaven. Rumors spread that “if one must marry, let it be to Sir Adrian Stone, and if one must be a wife, let it be like Lady Elara.” My thoughts snapped back to the present, and I found myself gazing at him, his face eerily unchanged from three years ago. I lowered my eyes, struggling to steady my voice. “That woman’s feelings for you,” I said, my tone laced with tension, “seem so deep and sincere. It’s almost impossible to believe she was merely a passing acquaintance.” Adrian sighed heavily. “Elara, do you doubt me? I swear there’s nothing between us beyond what I’ve told you.” He then confessed the truth: years ago, while on a mission, he had rescued Seraphina from bandits and taken her into the camp as a servant. It was only later that he discovered she was a courtesan. Seraphina had once confessed her feelings to him, pleading not to be sent back, but he had refused her. “I was the one who sent her back,” he said softly. “How could I possibly have any feelings for her?” He reached out tentatively, drawing me into his embrace. “I’ve spoiled your mood today. I’ll make it up to you on your birthday. I promise to be with you, sharing all the important moments of our lives, growing old together.” But my heart was heavy with conflicting emotions, and the surprise I had planned for him remained unspoken. On the night of the winter festival, I was on High Street distributing food to the poor when snow began to fall gently from the sky. Adrian was inside studying military matters and did not join me. I, sensitive to the cold, couldn’t help but cough. “My lady, we should return inside. You’re not strong enough to endure this weather,” my maid Liana urged, wrapping my cloak more tightly around me. “No need,” I replied, glancing back only to see a woman covered in wounds, kneeling in the snow. It was Seraphina Dewhurst, the same woman who had disrupted our wedding banquet. She knelt silently before our gate, and then, without warning, she drew a dagger and slashed her wrist. The blood that seeped into the snow was stark against the white, making her frail figure appear even more pitiful. Before long, I saw Adrian rush out like an arrow from a bow, scooping her up in his arms. She lay weakly against him, her breath faint. “Without your love, I have no reason to live. I don’t want to trouble you any further, General, so…” Her voice trailed off, and she fainted in his arms. 3 He carried the woman straight back to the manor and immediately summoned the physician to treat her wounds. The snow outside was heavy, but the fire within burned as warmly as a spring day, creating a stark contrast to the world beyond. Seraphina finally awoke, lying softly in my husband’s arms, her beauty enhanced by the light reflecting off the snow outside. When our eyes met, hers were sharp and mocking. “The General may be able to leave without a care, but what shall do?” she asked, struggling to lift her head. Then, her eyes filled with tears as she quickly removed her clothing, exposing her pale shoulder where a tattoo was clearly visible—it was the name “Adrian.” “In the past, you pitied me for my tragic fate and personally marked me with your name, promising me a lifetime of protection. Do you still remember that promise, General?” Adrian finally lost his composure, pressing her head against his chest, his voice trembling. “Why are you doing this to me, Seraphina? Do you know how much you make my heart ache?” Soon, the physician arrived and found that Seraphina’s body had been weakened by the harsh winter chill, making her incapable of bearing children. It turned out that, to perform that dance for Adrian, she had taken a dangerous potion. This potion gave her the grace of a swan and a snow-like beauty, but the musk it contained had come at the cost of her reproductive function. Barely able to speak, Seraphina rasped, “Though I was surrounded by courtesans, my heart has always been yours, General. I could never belong to another. When my madam compelled me to take another client, I fled, choosing to die at your doorstep rather than betray my devotion to you.” “Seraphina, enough,” Adrian said, turning his head away, though the redness at the corners of his eyes was unmistakable. As expected, he pulled me outside, where the wind and snow howled around us. In our three years of marriage, we had never faced each other in silence like this. Finally, he broke the stillness with a strained voice. “Elara, this is a serious matter. I can’t just turn my back on her.” “Adrian, we should part ways,” I said calmly. “That’s impossible,” he interrupted me quickly. I smiled faintly, “It was know to all—the same General who vowed never to forsake me at our wedding banquet just days ago has brought a courtesan into our home and marked her with his own name. Do you want me to be the laughingstock of all of Stonehaven?” “If you can’t keep your promises, then let’s end this marriage and go our separate ways.” I turned to leave, but Adrian’s hand clamped down on my sleeve. The man who had never faltered in the presence of the King now stumbled over his words. “Elara, please, believe me. I only took her in out of pity. My heart—my heart is only for you.” I cut him off sharply, “How many women have you said these words to?” Seeing that I remained unmoved, he grew angry. “Elara Stonemore, there is no divorce between us, only death can part us. It seems I’ve spoiled you too much, making you forget that a wife must obey her husband!” With that, he stormed back inside, convinced I would never leave him, convinced I would eventually accept this, as other women did, and share him with another. Suddenly, I felt a deep sadness. How much better it would be if I had never loved Adrian, never cherished those moments of romance. The bitterness of his betrayal melted away like a snowflake on my fingertip. I calmly made a decision and instructed my maid, Liana, to procure two items for me: one, a potion to terminate the pregnancy, and the other, a concoction to ensure Adrian would never father a child again. Adrian placed Seraphina in the west wing, granting her no title but assigning two maids to attend to her, making her an exceptional presence in the manor. Meanwhile, I remained secluded, quietly executing my plan as the signs of my pregnancy became more apparent. One day, as I was admiring the flowers in the garden, someone I thought I’d never interact with again approached me. She looked well-cared for, her complexion radiant as she smiled and said, “Sister, how have you enjoyed these past three years, keeping my husband to yourself?” I didn’t want to engage with her, but Seraphina sighed and stepped back a few paces, her delicate steps as light as a whisper. “But now I’ve returned, so isn’t it time for you to step aside?” Before I could respond, she turned on her heel, a satisfied smile playing on her lips. Moments later, the sharp sound of shattering ice echoed through the garden as the pond’s surface gave way beneath her. Seraphina’s screams pierced the air as she floundered in the freezing water. She accused me of pushing her—a ludicrous, transparent scheme that once would have made me scoff at its sheer amateurishness. But Adrian, blinded by his guilt and her theatrics, believed her without hesitation. When he came to confront me, I remained calm and said, “I didn’t do it.” He frowned, finally relaxing his clenched fists. “Very well, I believe you.” Just then, a servant rushed in. “General, Lady Seraphina has taken a sudden fever and is now unconscious!” Once again, he left me to rush to her side and never returned. 4 That night, the snow on the roof melted, and the intricately carved bed Adrian had ordered for me sat unused in the west wing, creaking throughout the night. I touched my still-flat abdomen, feeling the two heartbeats within me. What had once been a life I longed for now felt like a burden of grief. The Moonrise Manor, which should have been closed and dark after the curfew, unexpectedly kept its lights on all night. I, unable to sleep, stared at it from afar, as if looking at the last flicker of light in a deep abyss. The next morning, Adrian was summoned to the King, and I heard he left with a spring in his step, looking pleased with himself. I knelt before the altar in the courtyard, reciting prayers, when I heard footsteps approaching. Seraphina came up beside me but did not kneel. “Are you praying for the General’s favor, sister?” I looked up at the idol above and kept chanting, ignoring her completely. But she wasn’t about to let it go. Leaning in close to my ear, she whispered, “The General was so strong in bed last night, and so considerate. He told me to be patient, and I couldn’t have been more satisfied.” I sneered, “He once despised you for being a courtesan, yet now that you’re back in his favor, you’re so certain your beauty will never fade, and his love will never wane?” Seraphina smiled mysteriously. “Sister, you are truly virtuous, but don’t you know? What makes a man remember isn’t just beauty.” I thought of the potion she had used and suddenly understood. Indeed, she was now truly captivating, her voice dripping with honey. No wonder even the most clever men couldn’t resist the allure of a beautiful woman. Adrian never came to my room again, his absence a cold and silent rejection. I heard that his management of the Royal Guard had earned him favor, and for his previous military achievements, the King had offered him any reward he desired. He knelt before the throne and refused land or gold, asking only to make Seraphina his second formal wife. The whole city marveled at his deep love and loyalty, admiring how he balanced his affections between his new love and old commitments. He declared his intent to give Seraphina the grandest wedding the city had ever seen. 5 On that day, with falcons as messengers and blossoms as witnesses, a luxious carriage made its way into the notorious Red Lantern Alley, where a young general was to marry a courtesan—an event rarely seen. Disguised, I slipped into the alley, coldly observing the spectacle. Adrian rode a magnificent horse straight to the Moonrise Manor, brandishing a thousand silver coins, arrogantly demanding to buy her freedom. “I demand to see the master of this manor. This should be more than enough to buy Seraphina’s freedom.” “How could that be enough?” A clear male magnetic voice drifted down from the upper floor. Pale fingers parted the curtain, revealing a face of unparalleled beauty. It was my first time seeing the master of Moonrise Manor. His jet-black hair and crimson lips, with long eyes drooping slightly with a trace of red at the corners, held an air of both elegance and nonchalance. As he moved, dressed in white robes, I realized that true beauty transcends gender. The handsome boss tapped his fan lightly against his chin, his eyes curving into a smile. “Seraphina is the most enchanting of all the girls at Moonrise Manor. The line of men wanting to be with her could stretch to the neighboring kingdoms. How could mere silver buy her freedom?” Adrian’s smile faltered, his face stiffening. “Then how much do you want?” The beauty unfolded his fan with a lazy smile. “I’ve heard that General Adrian turned down the King’s reward of gold and land to marry this woman as your second wife. Such devotion must be worth at least ten thousand gold pieces.” The entire Red Lantern Alley watched the scene unfold. Although they didn’t know the history between them, it was clear the handsome boss was humiliating Adrian. A strange sense of satisfaction welled up in me as Adrian’s lips twitched. For the sake of his pride, he gritted his teeth and agreed. In front of everyone, he signed and sealed the contract, paying ten thousand gold pieces to buy back Seraphina’s freedom. This was his entire savings from two years of military service and rewards, plus a substantial loan. Yet, despite his triumph, the boss’s demeanor was chillingly indifferent to the money. He instructed his men to count it with a detached air, barely glancing as he sneered, “You’re fortunate to have regained the beauty.” With an air of haughty disdain, he crumpled the contract and flung it over the high balcony, watching as it tumbled into the void below. “Take her away,” If there was a way to shatter a man’s spirit, this was it. … With this act, Seraphina’s status was firmly entrenched and known by all. After the grand wedding, her boldness grew even more audacious. She marched into my courtyard with an imperious air, demanding tokens of Adrian’s affection that he had once bestowed upon me. Her voice was a sharp command as she insisted I return every memento, as if reclaiming them would seal her victory and further cement her newfound power. “The General has declared that we are meant to be together for life. You may stay in the manor, but don’t cling to any illusions. You and the General are no different than being divorced.” Facing her provocation, I smiled faintly. “So be it. I only hope he truly cherishes you.” Seraphina, eager to prove her point, said, “He gave up all his military achievements just to make me his equal wife. If that isn’t true love, what is?” I didn’t respond. Instead, I pointed to the wooden box on the ground, where all the hairpins and jade ornaments Adrian had given me were stored. “Please, hand these back to him.” I lowered my gaze. “It’s just a shame that the kites he made for me, the summer fireflies he placed in my hands, the hurried love letters from the battlefield… those can never be returned.” In the past, Adrian would rise before dawn to train, regardless of the weather, and I would silently accompany him, handing him a towel when he was done. I knew he was the backbone of the kingdom, the guardian of the realm. But now, he spent day and night wrapped up in Seraphina’s company, taking potions to boost his stamina. It was as if he had been drained of life; dark circles formed under his eyes, despite being only in his twenties. As my morning sickness worsened, I had Liana procure a potion to terminate the pregnancy and arrange for a medical retreat. During this time, I had been secretly poisoning Adrian’s food with a concoction to render him infertile, ensuring he could no longer father children. It was time to end this. That day, while Adrian and Seraphina were lost in their daytime pleasures, I took the divorce papers I had already prepared, stamped them with Adrian’s seal in his study, and left decisively. As I reached the door, a sudden, excruciating pain gripped my abdomen, and I felt warm, sticky blood flowing down. I was struck by a sudden realization—how could this be? I hadn’t taken the potion yet. Who had poisoned me? Soon, Adrian rushed out, panic written all over his face when he saw me lying in a pool of blood. “Elara, what’s happening?” Then, with a loud thud, Adrian was kicked to the ground, coughing up blood. The pain was overwhelming, and as I curled up on the ground, tears blurred my vision. A cold drop fell on my eyelid, but it wasn’t my own. “Don’t be afraid, I’ll take you away.” I was lifted into warm arms, the heat of his body nearly stealing my breath. For a brief moment, my vision cleared enough to see the face of the man holding me. It was the beautiful master from Moonrise Manor, whom I had glimpsed that day. 6 This time, however, there was no trace of those vibrant or the seductive allure. His appearance had changed, now possessing a more masculine edge, though I recognized him instantly from the clarity in his eyes. He held me firmly as he stood, his gaze sharp as he glanced back at the man behind us. “Where are you taking Elara? Put her down! She is the lady of this house and must stay here to recover. She cannot go anywhere!” Adrian’s frantic shouts echoed behind us as he clung desperately to the man’s leg. But the master swiftly kicked him aside. Adrian, weakened by his excessive indulgence, struggled to stand, his face twisted in fury, yet unable to do anything

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At the family reunion, the fake heiress held my hand with tears in her eyes: “I’m so sorry for taking over your life. Don’t worry, all the family assets will be yours from now on.” I gripped her hand back and pulled out a document renouncing inheritance rights. “Well then, dear sister, why don’t you sign this?” Before she could protest, I threw myself on the ground, thrashing wildly. I pulled my hair, clawed at my neck, screaming and crying as I rolled around. Finally, I started convulsing as if having an epileptic fit, foam bubbling from my mouth. I’m Amelia Carter, the long-lost true heiress of the Carter family. From a young age, I knew my mother didn’t love me. No matter how obedient or understanding I tried to be, she always found reasons to hit me. It wasn’t until the Carters found me that I learned the truth – I wasn’t her biological child. I thought the Carters would be my salvation. Instead, I met a tragic end in a foreign land. My previous life taught me a harsh lesson: if you don’t look out for yourself, no one else will. You can’t rely on anyone but yourself. Zoe stood frozen, not daring to move. She hastily signed the document and pressed her thumbprint to it. I got up, brushed off the dirt, and flashed a perfect flight attendant smile. “Thank you for your cooperation.” Turns out acting crazy works wonders. What was I thinking in my past life, being so careful and accommodating? The art of going berserk hasn’t let me down! I handed the signed document to the lawyer. Professional matters should be left to professionals. People may change their minds, but the law won’t. This time around, you can keep the love. I’ll take the money. Seems fair to me. The next day, my parents came to my apartment. Father tentatively spoke up: “About that document Zoe signed yesterday…would you let me take a look?” This time, I hadn’t moved back in with them. Instead, I chose a riverside apartment for myself. In my previous life, the three of them were one big happy family. I was like a clown coveting something that didn’t belong to me. There’s no point forcing yourself into relationships where you don’t belong. It only makes things awkward for everyone involved. I smiled and said, “No.” Mother was taken aback by my direct refusal. She glared at me coldly. “How can you be so heartless? You may be our biological daughter, but the mix-up wasn’t Zoe’s fault. You’re going too far.” In my past life, I did as they said and didn’t compete with Zoe. But they still thought I was an embarrassment for dropping out of middle school. They barely spared me a glance most days. Even the household maid could walk all over me. Meanwhile, Zoe was their pampered princess under their doting care. Why was I the only one with such a miserable fate? Seeing I wasn’t responding, Father’s face darkened. “Your mother and I are still alive and well. How can you be so cold-blooded, already scheming over the inheritance?” Hearing their words, I silently counted down in my head. Three seconds later, I stood up, channeling my inner madwoman. I frantically patted myself all over while running wild around the living room. “Ahh! Who stole my mom and dad?! Suffering alone for 18 years wasn’t enough, now even my parents have been body-snatched!!!” “Heavens above, Buddha have mercy, please give me back my mom and dad!” My parents were startled by my antics. They didn’t dare bring up the document again.

Just like in my previous life, Zoe suggested we attend school together, claiming it would help foster sisterly bonding. But I had dropped out in middle school. Forcing me to join her in senior year of high school was a recipe for disaster. As expected, I consistently ranked dead last in every exam. I had never even heard of the luxury brands, art, and countries they casually discussed. Gradually, everyone grew to despise me. They said I was living the life of a phoenix despite having the fate of a chicken. Zoe used my inadequacies to highlight her own excellence. Over time, everyone knew the Carters had an embarrassment of a daughter who couldn’t be shown in public. The Carters couldn’t bear the shame, so they chose to abandon me abroad to fend for myself. This time, I won’t let you trample over me again. So when Zoe excitedly introduced me to her friends as her twin, I slammed my hand on the table. I lifted her bangs, cupped her round face, and ripped off her double eyelid tape. “Open your damn eyes and look closely. Do we look like twins?” The surrounding classmates were frightened by my ferocious expression. “Say it! Do we look alike? Who’s prettier? Speak up!” “N-no…you don’t look alike. Y-you’re prettier.” I turned back to Zoe. “What exactly is our relationship? Spit it out.” She held back tears, refusing to speak. I immediately flipped over the table in front of her and started going berserk. “Good lord! This ugly girl dares to claim we’re twins? What sins have I committed?!” “I’m the real heiress, but she’s stubbornly clinging to my rightful place. Is she trying to steal my destiny? Heavens above! I can’t go on living!!!” Seeing all eyes on her, Zoe covered her face and ran out. I sat back down, a chilling smile on my face. The power of public opinion is formidable. News that Zoe was a fake heiress spread like wildfire through the entire high school. She never came back after running out.

That evening, just as I got home, the Carter parents brought Zoe to my place. “What gives you the right to tell everyone at school Zoe isn’t a real Carter? How does that benefit you?” “The benefit is letting everyone know I’m the real Carter heiress. You all better watch yourselves.” Father angrily pointed at my head. “I’m not dead yet, you little brat. I’ll decide who the heir is.” I let out a cold laugh. “Is your head full of bubbles? Do you own this house? Do you have any company shares? What right does a kept man have to bark at me?” Mother and Zoe were stunned into silence by my words. They had always coddled Father’s fragile ego, treating him with deference. After being pampered for so long, Father had started to believe his own hype. Seeing him trembling with rage, I continued twisting the knife. “Everything in this house belongs to the Carters, including what you wear and use. Don’t forget Grandpa is in charge now. Only he can decide if I’m the heir. What say do you have in the matter?” “If you show me some respect, I might throw you a bone. Otherwise, once I take over, you’ll be the first one kicked out.” Father took off his shoe and hurled it at me. “You ungrateful bastard with no manners! I’ll tear that mouth off your face.” I easily dodged it and turned to Mother. “Your husband is trying to hit your biological daughter. Are you just going to stand there and watch? Is this how you make up for 18 years of separation? Is a leech of a husband worth more than the daughter you carried for 10 months?” Under my relentless questioning, Mother remained unmoved. “Your father has every right to discipline you.” Seeing the situation, I quickly threw open the front door and ran out crying. “Help! Murder! Someone’s killing his wife and abusing his daughter!” Neighbors rushed out to see what the commotion was about, surrounding our home. Some even pulled out phones, wanting to record the scene. Father had always cared about keeping up appearances. Seeing the situation, he had no choice but to back down. After these incidents, Zoe realized going head-to-head with me would only backfire. She started trying to create an image at school that I was bullying her, hoping to turn the other students against me. What could I do? Of course, I questioned her, empathized with her, became her – and ultimately helped make it a reality. “Sister, do you dislike me?” “Remove the ‘do you’ and that’s accurate.” “Sister, I brought you some snacks. Why aren’t you eating them?” “Afraid you poisoned them.” … Finally, through our joint efforts, everyone came to know Zoe as kind and understanding. She even gave up her inheritance to wholeheartedly take care of her newly returned sister. Meanwhile, I was seen as overbearing and aggressive, constantly targeting Zoe despite our sisterly bond, just because I had some blood ties to the family. Listen to that nonsense. Without blood ties, where’s the sisterly bond?

That day, Zoe didn’t come home. Our parents anxiously paced the living room, sending out search party after search party, but there was no good news. It wasn’t until morning that the school security guards found Zoe locked in the equipment room. Zoe was shivering from the cold. As soon as she saw our parents, she burrowed into their arms. “Little sister probably just wanted to play a prank on me. Please don’t blame her, Mom and Dad.” Ha! As if I’d do this just for a prank. When I found out she was planning to lock herself up and frame me, I made sure to turn off the air conditioning in the equipment room. In this freezing winter weather, I sent her a special gift. Hearing her words, Father rushed over and slapped me hard across the face. “Such a vicious child at such a young age. Apologize to your sister right now!” I rubbed my stinging cheek. Walking over to Mother, I yanked Zoe out of her arms and slapped her twice across the face, once with the front of my hand and once with the back. A daughter pays for the father’s debt. Buy one, get one free. “Tell me, which of your eyes saw me lock you up?” Zoe started wailing loudly. “Amelia, stop it! I’m so disappointed in you.” Ha! As if I care about your disappointment. I shot back a fearless look and slapped Zoe even harder. I grabbed a fistful of Zoe’s hair with one hand while secretly pinching her flesh under the table with the other. Zoe could only howl in pain. “Stop! Stop! I’ll tell the truth…I accidentally locked myself in. Waaah…” “Why did you lock yourself in? Don’t you dare lie.” I pinched her waist viciously as I spoke. “Waaah…because…because I wanted to frame you.” I let go of Zoe. She immediately scurried to the side like she’d activated a sprint ability. I walked over to Father. “Did you hear that clearly? You should be disciplining your precious daughter, not falsely accusing people left and right.” The teachers in the office pointed and whispered about me. “Ah! They’re slandering me and won’t even let me clear my name!” “Heavens above! They didn’t even check the security footage before spreading rumors! Are they trying to drive me to my death?!” I crawled across the ground, twisting my body grotesquely. After a while, I closed my eyes and pretended to faint. But in the following days, rumors of me bullying Zoe still spread everywhere. I found my homework torn up and paper scraps in my water bottle. How childish. This was child’s play to me. At lunch, I came out of the bathroom to find the door locked from the outside. I could faintly hear muffled laughter. Sister knows no fear and backs down from nothing! I took a step back and kicked the door open with one foot. Then I grabbed the toilet plunger, dunked it in the toilet bowl, and started swinging it at them. Zoe and her gang were so scared they kept backing away. I didn’t care. I swung indiscriminately, aiming straight for their faces, especially their mouths. I’ll make you all sick to your stomachs. A shit-covered spear, whoever it touches dies. In no time, their faces and clothes were covered in filthy stains. “Amelia, I’m not done with y- hurk” The group took turns vomiting in the hallway. It was truly a ridiculous sight. Seeing me laugh, Zoe got angry and lunged at me. I didn’t hold back. I swept her legs out from under her with the plunger handle, sending her sprawling on the ground. Zoe yelped in pain. I leaned against the doorway, one foot propped on the doorframe, blocking their way into the classroom. “No dirty things allowed in the classroom.” We were at an impasse when the homeroom teacher rushed over. Seeing the plunger in my hand, he didn’t dare get too close. “Amelia, how dare you! School is not a place for you to throw tantrums. Apologize to your classmates right now, then write a 3000-word self-criticism.” I scoffed, continuing to block the classroom door. “Young lady, I’m talking to you. Have you no respect for teachers? One bad apple really does spoil the whole bunch. How did the Carters produce a daughter like you?” “Respect for teachers? Hah! You’re not worthy of being called a teacher. Your teaching quality hasn’t improved at all. All you know how to do is suck up to the higher-ups. You’ve divided the students into different tiers, using scholarships and awards as tools to curry favor. Today is your day of reckoning. Better prepare for an investigation.” The teacher was so angry his mustache quivered as he glared at me. “How dare you!” “Instead of wasting time scolding me here, you’d better count up how many bribes you’ve taken. Return them quickly if you want any leniency.” In my past life, he’d taken plenty of gifts from Zoe. That’s why he turned a blind eye to my suffering. The disadvantaged students in our class who were often treated unfairly now looked at me with a glimmer of hope in their eyes. I felt a bit embarrassed by their gazes. The next day, we had a new homeroom teacher who was fully dedicated to helping us prepare for college entrance exams. Without all the toxicity, the learning environment became much more pleasant.

On the weekend, the Carters sent a driver to pick me up for a family dinner. It didn’t take a genius to figure out this was a trap. I deliberately changed into workout clothes that allowed for easy movement. I can’t let my outfit hinder my performance. I had barely sat down and only taken a few bites when Father started lecturing me. He went on and on about how I was selfish, disrespectful, vulgar and materialistic. Then he tried to force me to hand over the agreement Zoe had signed renouncing her inheritance. “You didn’t grow up with your mother and me, so you have some bad habits. But as long as you listen and change, you’re still a good kid. We won’t mistreat you.” I looked at Mother, my birth mother. “Mom hopes you can get along well with Zoe.” To think there are really people in this world who would choose a man over their own child. I stood up and smashed my plate on the ground. “What a joke. When have you ever treated me fairly? Since I came back, have you ever truly cared about what kind of life I had before? I want to get along too, but Zoe keeps targeting me. How many times has she struck first? Have you ever, even once, taken my side?” “Amelia, stop slandering me! Mom, Dad, you can ask around at school. I really want to get along with my sister…” Before Zoe could finish, I dumped a plate of food on her head. “Shut up!” Father: “Amelia, you’ve gone too far! How dare you hit someone in front of your parents.” He called over some security guards who pinned me down. No matter how crazy I acted, I was no match for two grown men. “I’ll beat some sense into you, you rebellious brat.” Father grabbed a stick and started beating me. I was in so much pain cold sweat broke out on my forehead. Mother didn’t try to stop him. She just carefully wiped the food off Zoe’s head. Zoe played the role of the white lotus to perfection, sniffling while comforting our parents and saying she was fine. The scene was truly absurd. I fought back tears. This was nothing compared to my previous life. After several blows, Father saw I wasn’t resisting and thought I had submitted, so he stopped. I slumped to the ground. Seizing the opportunity while he was off guard, I snatched the stick and whacked him over the head with all my might. Father crouched on the ground, unable to get up. The security guards were dumbfounded. Mother screamed. She rushed over and slapped me hard. “Amelia, I don’t have a daughter like you.” Then she immediately went to help Father up. Very well. I don’t want parents like you either. The villa was in chaos. Seeing someone about to make a phone call, I raised the stick threateningly. “Who dares to call anyone?” The maid was frightened into inaction. After all, I had proven I would actually hit people. In my mind, I chanted: Eighty! Eighty!…Eighty! I smashed everything in the house to pieces, one blow after another. Mother was furious. “Amelia, get out!” I left without hesitation, stick in hand. No one dared try to stop me.

In the days that followed, no one from the Carter family contacted me. Zoe would take detours to avoid me at school. I heard Father was hospitalized for several days. Just a few days? I must have gone too easy on him. They cancelled all the cards they had given me and took back the apartment. They even had a lawyer bring over papers to sever our parent-child relationship. I signed without hesitation. Let them be happy for a few days. On our 18th birthday, the Carters threw a grand party for Zoe. I wasn’t invited. So what? It’s not like I don’t have legs. That day, I put on the latest designer gown and made a grand entrance, fashionably late. Zoe looked at me like I was the plague. “You’re not welcome here. Get lost!” Father came over when he heard the commotion. “You signed the papers severing our relationship. Leave now.” “In that case, your family of three needs to leave the Carter mansion. I don’t like strangers in my home.” Father raised his hand to hit me again, but the security guards beside me immediately restrained him. Learning from last time, I had brought over a dozen professional security guards with me this time. I walked straight onto the stage and took the microphone from the host. “Good evening everyone. I’m Amelia Carter, the sole heir to the Carter family. I will be taking over Carter Industries in the future.” All the heavyweight guests invited today had business dealings with the Carters. They had never seen me before, so my words caused quite a stir. Father tried to come on stage to stop me, but my security team was too strong. I dropped my second bombshell: “The board of directors has decided to remove Mr. William Carter from all positions at Carter Industries. We will also be investigating his illegal activities during his tenure.” Hearing my words, Father forgot all propriety and started cursing loudly from below the stage. “Amelia, you little bitch! Without the old man’s approval, you’re nothing. You’re barely an adult. Who gave you such authority to try and kick me out? I’ve been with the Carters for 20 years. I’d like to see who dares listen to you!” “I gave her that authority.”

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Connor returned from fishing at sea, bringing back a beautiful mermaid. The woman had snow-white skin, her upper body bare, while her lower half shimmered with light blue scales. “Aria, after I skin her, I’ll make you a flowing celestial dress. How about that?” Connor said, grinning at his sister. But at night, I saw Connor forcing the mermaid to kneel before him, emitting strange and pleasurable sounds. It wasn’t until later that I suddenly discovered scales growing on my own body. Late at night, Connor returned from fishing, wearing a straw raincoat. He looked tired, but his eyes were bright. He dragged a sack behind him, smiling as he said, “Aria, we’re going to be rich.” I hurried forward to take it from him, but when I pulled the open sack, the heavy contents inside startled me. “Connor, did you catch a mermaid?” I asked, my voice trembling slightly. Our village was called Pearl Village, and it had a long-standing tradition of hunting mermaids. Every part of a mermaid was valuable. The fabric they wove was called mermaid silk, as light as floating moonlight, worth a thousand gold pieces per yard. The tears they shed were rare mermaid pearls, exclusively for royal use. The candles made from mermaid fat could burn for a thousand years without extinguishing. The skin and scales could be made into flowing celestial dresses, and even the bones could be used in medicine to cure all diseases. When my grandfather was alive, he was the best fisherman in the village, almost catching a mermaid every year. This skill was passed down to my father, and after my father became lame, it was passed on to Connor. However, as humans overfished, mermaids became increasingly rare. It had been five years since anyone had caught one. Our family’s fortunes had declined as a result. This was also why Connor, in his twenties, still hadn’t found a wife. The market price for mermaid products had been steadily rising, reaching the value of tens of thousands of gold pieces. The female mermaid Connor had caught was exceptionally beautiful. Although she was still unconscious, she had a pair of mesmerizing eyes, a willow-like waist, and an unusually full upper body. Her cherry-red lips opened and closed slightly. Her long hair clung to her snow-white skin, and her arms seemed cold, hugging her trembling bosom. Mermaids were known to weave their own silk, but this mermaid was completely naked when Connor brought her back, her skin covered in bruises. I wondered why such a beautiful mermaid wasn’t wearing clothes in the sea. Mom and Dad quickly rushed over when they heard the commotion. They were delighted to see the mermaid locked in the iron cage by Connor. They decided to skin her and render her fat into oil the next morning. “My good son, you’ve finally made something of yourself. Now our family’s fortunes will improve. You’ve truly brought honor to our family!” Mom exclaimed. But Connor hastily stopped them. “The mermaid I caught with my own hands, only I can decide when to dispose of her,” he said firmly. “Besides, she’s so thin. Even if we rendered her fat now, we wouldn’t get much. It’s better to collect some mermaid pearls first and fatten her up before skinning her. There’s no rush.” Mom and Dad looked at each other, finding his reasoning sound, and happily went back to sleep. Connor turned to me and said, “Aria, go to sleep now. When it’s time to kill this mermaid, I’ll skin her and make you a flowing celestial dress. How about that?” I shuddered, looking at the injured mermaid, and shook my head. “Connor, I don’t want a dress. As long as it can help improve our family’s life, that’s good enough.” That night, I curled up in my small thatched hut, unable to sleep. Suddenly, I had a strong urge to see the beautiful mermaid from earlier that day. So, I tiptoed to the barn where she was kept, only to find the iron cage empty. I was about to shout that the mermaid had escaped when I noticed the light still on in Connor’s room across the yard. I quietly walked over and heard strange sounds coming from inside.

“Mmph—” From the narrow, cramped room came the muffled sounds of a woman’s discomfort and the rattling of chains. Terrified, I peeked through the slightly ajar door. The mermaid was still completely naked. Female mermaids were generally smaller in stature, and she was almost buried in Connor’s large shadow. Connor had his back to the door, allowing the mermaid to kneel on the bed. The mermaid was in great pain, a chain around her neck, but it seemed as if something was blocking her mouth, only allowing her to make muffled groans. After about fifteen minutes, Connor finished. He narrowed his eyes in satisfaction, casually pinching the mermaid’s delicate body once more. “You’re truly a beauty. It’s a pity you don’t have legs. Almost perfect,” he murmured. I didn’t understand what Connor was doing, but I felt scared because the room was littered with mermaid pearls—they were the mermaid’s tears. The next day, Connor caught another mermaid in the same bay, and the whole family was overjoyed. However, this one wasn’t as lucky as the previous mermaid. Mom and Dad decided to kill him quickly to sell for money. This was a male mermaid, seemingly quite young, his scales not as shiny. That night, he was skinned and his tendons and bones were removed. His screams and struggles lasted half the night before Dad and Connor finally pinned him down, and he fell silent for good. “Aria, why are you just standing there? Come and help!” Dad called out, his forehead beaded with sweat, asking me to come in and help tend the fire. This was the first time I witnessed the slaughter of a mermaid, and the shock and fear were indescribable. Blood trickled out of the room, and the pungent smell of blood filled the air. Two eyeballs, empty and lifeless, had fallen to the ground, along with strangely shaped mermaid pearls. The male mermaid’s head was hung on the wall, like a victory banner. Chunks of mermaid meat with snow-white fat were cut into pieces. The fat layer was sliced off and thrown into a boiling pot to render into oil. Under Mom’s stirring, it quickly turned into a pot of pure white, smooth mermaid oil. A strange, sweet scent spread through the air, mixing with the smell of blood. Connor’s eyes narrowed in a smile, the freckles on either side of his nose twitching with excitement. “Aria, tonight we’ll have a mermaid feast. Mermaid meat is good for longevity, you know!” They busily prepared a table full of dishes made from mermaid meat. The plates were filled with white fat, and they devoured it like three gluttonous beasts. I lied about catching a cold and having no appetite, not eating a single bite. The next day, the villagers thought we were killing someone and even reported it to the authorities. When the officers came, Dad just packed some things and went to the magistrate’s office with them. Not only was he quickly released without charge, but he also brought back a box full of gold, silver, and jewels. He explained with a broad smile that he had sold them the mermaid skin and candles. Although they weren’t top quality, their rarity made them valuable. The rich and powerful in the city loved these things. I felt very uncomfortable, but Mom told me that Pearl Village had lived this way for thousands of years. Killing mermaids was no different from killing other fish, she said. That night, the mermaid locked in the barn let out a heart-wrenching cry. It turned out that the male mermaid Connor had killed that day was her younger brother. The mermaid stopped eating and drinking, heartbroken in her iron cage every day. Mom and Dad became anxious. If this continued, her scales and skin would be damaged, and naturally wouldn’t fetch a good price. Mom asked me to feed her. “You’re a young girl, the mermaid won’t be wary of you. Go and persuade her to eat something,” she said. I made food they liked with seaweed and scallops, arranged it nicely on a plate, and handed it to the mermaid in the cage. She still had her back to me, not saying a word. I tried to persuade her kindly, “You should eat something. If you starve yourself, my parents will only kill you sooner.” “I won’t eat your food,” she replied softly. I became anxious, “If you don’t eat, Connor says he’ll teach you a lesson. I’m being the gentlest here! You should think it through.” The mermaid finally turned her head, her bright, clear moon-blue eyes looking at me. In the next moment, she revealed a shocked expression. For some reason, that look made me very uncomfortable. “Fine, if you won’t eat, so be it,” I said, standing up. As I was about to turn and leave, a jade-like arm gently grabbed my hand. “Little girl,” the mermaid said softly.

“Would you like some candy?” she asked, opening her palm to reveal a translucent light red candy. In this small fishing village, candy was a rarity, something only rich people in the city could afford. Even I only got to eat rice candy that Connor bought back during festivals. Dad had told me that mermaids were best at bewitching people’s hearts. She was probably just trying to lure me because I was a child, using candy as bait. I shook my head. “Are you trying to escape? Don’t play any tricks. My parents won’t let you go.” The mermaid sighed. “I just saw you and remembered my younger sister back home. I’m a bit homesick, that’s all. If you don’t believe me, that’s fine.” My heart pounded. “I admit you are indeed very beautiful, but our family makes a living by catching mermaids. If we let you go, we won’t be able to maintain our livelihood,” I said, quickly adding, “But I’ll try my best to persuade Dad to just let you produce mermaid pearls and not harm you.” She regretfully put away the candy, saying that since I was so kind to her, she wanted to tell me a secret. I pretended to be angry, putting the plate on the ground with a huff. “What secret? Unless you eat properly, I won’t listen.” The mermaid obediently started eating. As she took small bites, she said: “Actually, this isn’t even the best candy.” “I know of a kind of candy made from moonlight grass. That’s truly a heavenly delicacy. The moonlight grass grows on the sandy beach under the moonlight. If you hold the stem in your mouth, it’s sweet and slightly cool, like seawater.” I fell silent. I had never seen moonlight grass. Mom and Dad said the seaside was dangerous, and because I was weak, they never allowed me to touch seawater. But the mermaid’s description of the sweetness aroused my intense curiosity. I had a sweet tooth, but candy was expensive, and given our poor family circumstances, I had never dared to hope for it. That night, I snuck out of the house and went to the beach. Sure enough, as the mermaid had said, it was full of moonlight grass with silvery-white leaves swaying. These plants, invisible during the day, quietly swayed on the beach in the silent night. As if possessed, I stepped forward, picked a blade of moonlight grass, and put the stem in my mouth. A strange, clear sweetness filled my mouth. It was so delicious that I forgot to spit it out and swallowed the sweet juice with a gulp. I hurriedly threw away the stem and ran back home. But that sweet taste lingered in my mind, growing stronger in my memory. The day after eating the moonlight grass, something terrifying happened. Because the next morning, I discovered that a small patch of skin on my wrist had started to grow scales. It was a small patch of light purple fish scales, shimmering with a beautiful blue-purple light, but it scared me to death. Mom and Dad rarely got angry with me, but thinking about how they looked on those rare occasions when they were angry, I became frightened. It must have been the mermaid’s doing. The moonlight grass was poisonous! When I angrily went to confront the mermaid in the iron cage, questioning why she had harmed me, she laughed coldly, as if she had expected this. “Silly girl, you were always a mermaid. We are the closest kin, yet you’ve been deceived by them and are even helping them do evil. Don’t you know that they’re raising you, and the next one they’ll skin and remove tendons from will be you…” I staggered back a few steps in shock, shaking my head continuously. “You’re lying!” I exclaimed. Mom and Dad treated mermaids like animals to be slaughtered, mercilessly removing their scales, skinning them, and removing their bones. Everyone praised our family for being kind-hearted. In this village where boys were favored over girls, most baby girls were drowned in chamber pots at birth. But my parents had picked me up and brought me home, raising me well with good food and care. I had Connor who doted on me and was never made to do hard work. I thought I was the happiest person in all of Pearl Village. How could I possibly be a mermaid?

I ran back to my room, using my wide sleeves to cover my wrist, hoping the poison would dissipate on its own. Passing through the main hall, I saw the mermaid’s head with empty eye sockets and the bloody fish tail hanging on the wall. I couldn’t help but shudder. In the evening, Connor came back drunk from the city. Since we had some money, he had been spending his days visiting brothels and gambling dens in the city. “I’ve lost all the money. Let that damn fish cry again, give me a pile of mermaid pearls, and I’ll definitely win it back tomorrow,” he muttered. At night, Connor went to torment the mermaid again. As usual, the room filled with sounds of pain and pleasure intertwined. This time it lasted for a full half hour. I heard Connor whipping the mermaid. I knew he was trying to make the mermaid cry to get more mermaid pearls. However, after Connor left, to my surprise, Dad also snuck into the barn while Mom was sound asleep. When he went in, his face was flushed red, and he was carrying an opium pipe. The mermaid’s cries became even more heart-wrenching. Her voice was filled with despair, and I broke out in goosebumps. I pressed my hand against my chest, feeling an inexplicable sadness wash over me. What was happening to me? The summer heat was stifling, and I had a habit of bathing before bed. Just after I finished my bath and was drying myself, I wiped a streak of red blood from between my legs. It turned out I had gotten my first period. I immediately felt relieved. Mom had said that girls would get their period when they came of age, and it was a sign of becoming a woman, so I was mentally prepared for this. The mermaid was indeed lying. Only human women would have periods. I was coming of age this year, and my body was developing well, but I was conservative and always used a chest binding to hide my growth. Now, standing in front of the bronze mirror, I removed those constricting bandages. My full, snow-white breasts could no longer be contained. At that moment, I suddenly noticed a face in the mirror, peering through the door crack. I let out a small cry, covering my chest with my hands. “Who’s there?” I called out. Connor pushed open the door and walked in, his smile deepening as his gaze roamed over me. “Don’t shout, it’s me. I came to get something,” he said, his eyes still examining my naked body up and down. “Connor, why didn’t you knock? You scared me,” I said, my face burning hot as our eyes met. Although Connor had bathed me and put me to bed since I was little, now that I was older, it felt inappropriate for a man and woman to be so close. “Aria has grown up. You’re almost a young woman now,” Connor said, leaving behind a meaningful comment as he retrieved what he came for and left. When Mom learned I had gotten my period, she was overjoyed. She even went to the market to buy a bolt of red silk, saying she would make me new clothes. But I couldn’t shake the strange feeling in my heart. I didn’t dare tell anyone about the scales growing on my wrist. That small patch of scales was like a thorn, pricking at my heart. One day, while washing dishes, I took the bowls to the backyard to clean. Unintentionally, I overheard Mom and Dad talking in the kitchen. They were both deliberately lowering their voices, but I still caught fragments of their conversation. I heard phrases like “in a month,” “conceive,” and “useless money-losing goods.” I widened my eyes in shock. “After ten years, it’s finally ready!” Dad exclaimed. “Aria will come of age in a month, and their marriage should be arranged. Now her body is plump and round, perfect as a vessel,” Mom said with a hint of pride in her voice. She paused for a moment, then added, “Her skin should be peeled off now.”

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After four years of marriage, my wife finally got pregnant. I was overjoyed. Sophia had always been in poor health and disliked exercise. When I found out she was pregnant, I became even more attentive and caring. But she still had a miscarriage. While I was apologizing to her for not taking better care of her, she posted on Instagram: “Ryan, don’t worry. I won’t keep a child that isn’t yours.” The moment I saw that message, I felt my blood run cold. As everyone waited for my reaction as the lawful husband, I calmly responded, “Since you had a miscarriage for him, wouldn’t it be inappropriate not to divorce me and marry him?” 0 After commenting, I called up a few friends and headed to a bar for drinks. As I was drinking, my phone rang. I glanced at the caller ID and saw it was Sophia. Without thinking, I hit the decline button. But she quickly launched a barrage of calls. My friend next to me asked awkwardly, “Is that your wife calling?” “What wife? From now on, she’s not anymore.” I answered the call in front of everyone. Before I could speak, Sophia’s angry shouts came through. “Jack, where are you? Why aren’t you answering my calls?” “The music is so loud there. Are you at a bar again? Are you even a man? I just had a miscarriage…” I quickly cut her off. “You had a miscarriage. Shouldn’t you be happier about that?” She paused for a moment. “What do you mean? Explain yourself.” “There’s nothing to explain, Sophia. Let’s get a divorce.” With that, I hung up. In the past, to maintain the image of a “good husband” that Sophia talked about, I had “suppressed” myself too much. I gave up almost all my hobbies. I used to enjoy having a drink occasionally to relieve stress, but after marriage, I quit both smoking and drinking. She didn’t like me playing video games, so I quit that too. Then, without my consent, she sold the high-end gaming computer I had painstakingly built and bought herself a designer handbag she liked. She even bragged about it to my face. “Jack, look at this bag. Isn’t it much prettier than that old computer of yours?” I can honestly say I never shortchanged Sophia in our relationship. We dated for three years and were married for four. I took care of her meticulously. When she didn’t want to work, I handed over all my salary to support her. In the dead of winter, when she was uncomfortable during her period, she called me at 2 or 3 AM. Without a word, I got up, bought medicine, and delivered it to her in the snow. When her mother was unwell and needed surgery, I accompanied her the whole time, contributing both money and effort. Sophia never cooked, so despite being very busy, I always tried to squeeze out time to prepare meals for her mother while she was ill. I devoted myself to her wholeheartedly. I thought that even if she were made of ice, she should have melted a little by now. But she seemed unchanged. I knew that before she was with me, she had a childhood sweetheart she had dated for many years. Later, this childhood sweetheart went abroad to study, and they lost touch. For these seven years, I handed over my salary and gave my all to her and her family. Yet it still couldn’t compare to her childhood sweetheart saying, “I’m back in the country, Sophia.” With just one message from him, she “cleared out” her womb, ready to welcome her beloved childhood sweetheart back? 0

Shortly after I hung up, Sophia called again. I didn’t answer and turned off my phone instead. My friends all looked at me in shock. “Jack, are you serious about this?” “Yes, I’m serious now.” I know why they’re looking at me like this. In the past, whenever Sophia called, I would drop everything and rush home immediately. I downed a glass of whiskey in one go. These seven years have really been enough. For Sophia’s sake, I completely lost myself. For seven years, I lived only for her. I stayed in this city for her, giving up countless good job opportunities. Thinking about it now, it’s just endlessly ridiculous. After finishing our drinks, I went home and fell asleep on the couch. The next morning, I was woken by violent knocking on the door. The “bang bang bang” sound kept coming. I got up to open the door, and two people quickly rushed in. I was still groggy from the alcohol. They started berating me, “Jack, I entrusted my precious daughter to you, and this is how you take care of her?” “You knew she was weak, yet you still made her do housework. Now look what happened, the baby is gone. Are you happy now?” Sophia’s mother stood with her hands on her hips, confronting me. “My daughter is still lying in the hospital, and I heard you were out drinking at a bar last night. Look at you, reeking of alcohol. Have you no conscience?” I couldn’t be bothered to argue with them. “The one who should be happy isn’t me, but her and her dear childhood sweetheart Ryan.” Leaving them with that, I walked out towards the hospital. They quickly followed. I arrived at the hospital first, with them close behind. In the ward, I saw Sophia lying pale on the bed. The moment she saw me, anger flashed across her face. I knew she was about to throw one of her “princess” tantrums. I spoke first, “That’s enough. Why hasn’t Ryan come to see you?” “What do you mean?” “You cleared out your womb for him, and he doesn’t even come to see you. He’s not much of a man, no sense of responsibility at all.” I said with a cold smile. I knew Ryan was a “playboy” who never lacked female company. Sophia doing all this was probably just wishful thinking on her part. “You… you… Jack, you know I was just joking on Instagram. How can you say such things to upset me now? Are you only satisfied if you anger me to death? I’ve lost the baby, do you think I’m not heartbroken?” She looked at me with icy eyes. “Now that the baby is gone, don’t you think I’m devastated?” Looking at her fake act, I said, “I don’t know if you’re heartbroken or not. But do you think Ryan would be heartbroken?” 0

The door to the ward was pushed open, and Sophia’s parents rushed in. “What are you standing there for? Hurry up and pay for Sophia’s miscarriage and hospitalization fees.” “Better get a high-end nurse to take good care of Sophia, and buy some nutritious supplements for blood replenishment.” “What kind of supplements for blood replenishment?” I asked. “Of course, things like donkey-hide gelatin, bird’s nest, abalone. The more expensive, the better.” Sophia’s mom said in a commanding tone. I sneered, “Let Ryan buy those.” “What did you say?” “She cleared out her womb for Ryan, so he should buy these blood-replenishing supplements. And the hospital fees too, you should ask Ryan for those.” When Sophia’s parents heard me say this, their faces immediately turned red with anger. “You… are you even human?” “I’m not human? What about what your daughter did? For another man, she didn’t even want the child in her belly? Is this the good daughter you raised?” I said irritably. Sophia’s mother jumped up and started cursing at me, “Jack, you ungrateful wretch! My daughter is so good to you, and this is how you treat her? Are you even human?” Her commotion was quite loud and soon attracted a crowd of onlookers. After hearing Sophia’s mother’s words, people gathered around, pointing and criticizing me. “Young man, your wife had a miscarriage, and you’re acting like this? That’s not right.” “You should be taking good care of your wife.” “You’ll face karma for this.” I looked around at everyone and said, “If your wife deliberately aborted your child for another man, would you still be able to stand on your moral high ground and judge others?” Hearing this, their expressions changed, disbelief crossing their faces. Seeing the situation turn unfavorable, Sophia’s mother quickly said, “Even if Sophia aborted your child, don’t you bear any responsibility?” “Why don’t you reflect on yourself? Is it because you haven’t been good to her, making her unhappy, that she aborted your child? Don’t you think you’re at fault at all?” I just laughed coldly in my heart hearing this. Sophia was still playing the victim, her eyes reddening, “Jack, you used to say you’d love me forever. Is this how you treat me now?” “Oh, how do you think I should treat you? I don’t want to waste words with you anymore. Let’s find time to get divorced.” I looked at her expressionlessly. “Your dear childhood sweetheart Ryan is back now. After divorcing me, you can hurry up and marry him.” I left after saying this, walking out of the ward. Sophia’s voice came from behind, “Jack, if you want a divorce, fine. I’ll be better off without you.” “That’s right, my daughter is naturally beautiful. After divorcing you, she’ll definitely find a rich and handsome man to marry.” Sophia’s mother’s voice also came through. 0

Leaving the hospital, I returned home. Without hesitation, I made a phone call. It was soon answered. A sweet voice came through, “What? Have you changed your mind and finally considered it?” I nodded, “I’ve considered it. Do you still have that position available for me?” The person on the phone was a former colleague of mine, also kind of my “apprentice”. Her name was Emma. After graduating, she worked with me at the company for two years before jumping to a Fortune 500 company. She was doing very well there and said it was all thanks to what I taught her. Now she held an important position. For the past few months, she had been contacting me, saying their company was expanding and needed someone experienced and capable to lead a new team in market development. The benefits and salary they offered were several times what I was currently getting. Emma told me she had recommended me to the company, and they were very satisfied with my qualifications. I graduated from a top university and had rich experience and a good resume. But at that time, I was always considering Sophia. After all, she had been trying to get pregnant then. I couldn’t possibly leave her to work in another city, so I had always politely declined Emma. Now that she received my call, she sounded a bit surprised from her tone. “Jack, I’ve been telling you this position hasn’t found a suitable candidate. If you’ve made up your mind, I can arrange an online interview for you. When are you available?” “The sooner the better. How about tomorrow? I’ll prepare my resume first,” I said. Emma was a very perceptive person. Hearing me say this, she seemed to sense something, “Jack, did something happen? Do you need money? I can lend you some first.” “It’s not about money. I just want a change of work environment.” I didn’t tell her about the mess in my personal life. I had been working at my current company since graduation, working my way up from a junior employee to a team leader, and now a department head. Every step was not easy, but I persevered through each one. “Alright then. Jack, let’s agree on this. You prepare your resume tonight, and I’ll arrange an online interview for you right away.” “Okay, thank you.” I agreed. “Jack, there’s no need to be so formal with me.” Emma said. After hanging up, I splashed some cold water on my face to stay alert, then took a shower and started preparing my resume. Although I was experienced, this was a Fortune 500 company after all. I carefully polished my resume, working on it for five or six hours before I was satisfied. I didn’t delay and sent it to Emma right away. Emma told me she had received the resume and would confirm the interview time and let me know soon. I let out a long breath, feeling relieved. “Okay.” By now it was already 3 or 4 in the afternoon. I got up and stretched, accidentally glancing at Sophia’s closet full of clothes next to me. She always brainwashed me, saying a woman’s closet is always missing one more piece of clothing. The closets in the master bedroom and even the guest rooms were all filled with her clothes. In our seven years together, I handed over almost all my salary, and in the end, not a penny was saved. Once when it was my parents’ birthday, I wanted to take some money from her to buy gifts for my mom and dad. After much pleading, she threw me $20, saying to spend it wisely because my parents were old and wouldn’t need much. But when it was her parents’ birthday, she had me book a fancy restaurant, buy a birthday cake, and even took her parents shopping for gold and silver jewelry. Thinking of these things, I felt I had greatly shortchanged my parents. Besides this, her treatment of me was also beyond words. Once when I had a bad cold and wanted to get an IV, she told me a man shouldn’t make a fuss over such a small illness and should just take some medicine. She rummaged around and found an expired box of cold medicine for me to take. After taking it, I almost didn’t wake up the next day. But when it was Ryan’s birthday, she immediately spent money to buy him expensive gifts. 0

Thinking of all these things, I found myself utterly ridiculous. Just then, my phone rang again. I looked at the caller ID and saw it was Sophia. I hesitated for a moment before answering. Her voice came through, “Jack, even if I was wrong in this matter, don’t you have any faults yourself?” “What faults do I have?” I asked. In these years, I’ve done everything short of feeding her with my own hands. “I don’t care what faults you have. I’m admitting my mistake to you now. Take this opportunity to back down.” I laughed coldly in my heart. In the past, she just had to give me a little sweetness, and I would be willing to give her my life. Now she thinks saying “Even if I was wrong in this matter” counts as her backing down. “I don’t want to waste words with you. Meet me at the Civil Affairs Bureau early tomorrow morning.” Sophia angrily said, “I’ve already admitted I was wrong. Why are you still holding onto this? How can you be so petty as a man?” “You should ask Ryan to be more generous to you.” “You… you’re going too far. Fine, tomorrow morning, whoever doesn’t show up at the Civil Affairs Bureau is a dog.” She hung up angrily. I laughed coldly, ignoring her and focusing on my own affairs. I tidied up the house a bit, sorting out my own things. In the end, I realized that in this 1500 square foot house, apart from a work laptop and a few sets of clothes, everything else belonged to Sophia. The dressing table was covered with various high-end lipsticks, roughly counting, there were dozens. Not to mention the expensive cosmetics and designer bags. It seemed that after being with me, she never knew how to save. As soon as I got paid, it was basically spent. Only now did I realize that Sophia never intended to build a good life with me. Around 7 PM, I received a call from Emma. She said, “Jack, the company is very satisfied with your resume. Are you free tomorrow at 2:30 PM?” “Yes, I am.” “Great, then let’s schedule your interview for 2:30 PM tomorrow.” “Okay,” I agreed. Perfect timing – divorce in the morning, interview in the afternoon. If the interview goes well, I can leave this city in a few days and start a new life. At 8 or 9 PM, I made myself a simple meal. Just then, I suddenly received a video from a friend. In the video, Ryan had his arms around two women. The women were tall and seemed very intimate with Ryan. The camera panned, and I caught a glimpse of another figure. I was a bit surprised because this figure was none other than Sophia. She had just had a miscarriage to “clear her womb,” and Ryan was throwing a party. Even though she was unwell, she had dragged herself to the party. But from the video, it seemed she was sitting alone, looking rather lonely. Ryan didn’t seem to be paying her much attention. My friend messaged: “Jack, your wife is here. Why didn’t you come?” “Oh, she won’t be my wife for much longer.”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “294556”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #重生Reborn #校园School #浪漫Romance #魔幻Magic #现实主义Realistic #励志Inspiring #后宫Harem #玄幻Fantsy

In the third year of our marriage, Sir Adrian Stone vowed to make amends for our rushed wedding with a grand celebration, one that would rival the most opulent of affairs. Yet, on that fateful day, as we prepared for the festivities, a congratulatory letter arrived from Seraphina Dewhurst, Stonehaven’s most illustrious dancer. My husband, ever unyielding, declared with icy resolve, “In my heart, there is room for only one woman, my lady.” But when Seraphina, driven to the edge by despair, threatened to end her life beneath the falling snow, he dashed to her side with an urgency I had never seen. “My lady,” he pleaded, “I cannot abandon her.” As the news of our resplendent re-marriage swept through the town, I witnessed something that defied his usual composure. For the first time, the stoic general’s eyes, so often hardened by duty, were rimmed with red, and in that moment, I saw the cracks in the stone facade of his heart. Sir Adrian Stone, the renowned young general of Stonehaven, and I shared a bond that seemed forged in perfect harmony. Our first wedding, a hurried affair, had been overshadowed by his pressing military duties. But on the third anniversary of our union, he vowed to make amends. “Elara,” he declared with solemn sincerity, “I vow never to fail you in this life, and I wish to declare our love to the world.” The grand celebration was a spectacle of opulence and devotion, and whispers of our perfect match filled the air. It was known far and wide that despite the years we had spent together, Adrian had never sought another wife or mistress. The world looked on, admiring our unblemished love, and I felt as if we were the epitome of a fairy-tale romance. Yet beneath the glittering façade of our perfect union, shadows lurked—secrets that would soon unravel in the most unexpected ways. A few days before our grand celebration, I visited the doctor in secret and learned I was three months pregnant. I planned to reveal this joyous surprise to Adrian during the wedding banquet. On the day of the event, with thousands of doves soaring into the sky and a hall brimming with distinguished guests, Adrian approached me in his deep red ceremonial robe. Each step he took was deliberate, his hand outstretched towards me, his smile radiant. “Today, before all these esteemed guests,” he declared, his voice rich with emotion, “I pledge eternal devotion to my wife, Lady Elara Stonemore… From this day forth, I shall never forsake you.” The banquet, a spectacle of grandeur, was meticulously orchestrated to bolster his career and prestige. Every detail was prearranged, every moment calculated. As I stood by his side, poised and serene, my heart swelled with anticipation. The world watched as Adrian made his vows, oblivious to the secret that would transform our lives forever. After the ceremony, as we settled into our seats, I adopted a serious expression, the weight of my secret heavy on my shoulders. “Honey, there’s something I need to tell you,” I said, my voice steady but my heart racing. Adrian’s demeanor shifted instantly. He straightened, his eyes locking onto mine with a gravity that was both earnest and endearing. “What is it, sweetheart?” he asked, his voice laced with genuine concern. The sincerity in his gaze, the way he leaned in as if bracing for a revelation, struck a chord deep within me. Despite the moment’s gravity, I couldn’t hold it any longer. The tension dissolved into an unexpected burst of laughter. At that precise moment, the stage curtains parted with a dramatic sweep, unveiling a dancer in an aquamarine gown, her face partially concealed by a delicate veil. Her eyes, glinting like stars through a cascade of pearls, held an enchanting allure that captivated the entire room. As she began to dance, her movements were a mesmerizing blend of fluid grace and hypnotic rhythm. The gown flowed like water with each step, harmonizing perfectly with the music’s ethereal strains. The room seemed to hold its breath, all eyes drawn to the dancer’s spellbinding performance. But it was Adrian’s reaction that drew my attention most. His face, previously animated with joy, now reflected a deeper, more profound shift. His gaze was locked on the dancer with a piercing intensity, unblinking, as if drawn into a trance by her every movement. After the dancer’s performance, she cast a lingering, enigmatic glance over her shoulder before slipping gracefully backstage. Adrian and I followed, our footsteps echoing in the grand hallway. Adrian’s face was taut with a mix of tension and resolve. His eyes, usually so steady, were stormy, and his lips were pressed into a thin, hard line. “What are you doing here?” he demanded, his voice slicing through the silence with an edge of barely contained fury. To my astonishment, the dancer knelt down with a fluid grace that seemed to echo the haunting elegance of her earlier performance. Her eyes, now filled with a deep, melancholy plea, looked up at Adrian as she extended a letter towards him. Her gaze was as tender and vulnerable as a doe’s, a stark contrast to the tension that crackled in the air. “After all these years,” she said, her voice trembling with a fragile emotion, “I wished to deliver this letter to you in person, General, to find peace in my heart.” The words hung in the air, heavy with the weight of past secrets and unresolved emotions “You know her?” I asked, my voice laced with bewilderment. Adrian’s explanation came swiftly, almost too swiftly. “Her name is Seraphina Dewhurst. I knew her back when I was still a nobody. She’s now the most celebrated courtesan at Moonrise Manor in the capital.” As Seraphina’s quivering voice broke the silence, she continued, “I heard about your wedding and signed up to perform just so I could witness the love you share with Lady Elara.” Her gaze flickered towards me, and in that fleeting moment, I saw a storm of emotions in her eyes—envy, resentment, and a deep, inscrutable longing. Before I could even process the revelation, Adrian’s frustration erupted. His voice, usually so measured, cut through the air with a sharp edge. “Miss,” he snapped, his eyes blazing with exasperation, “we were nothing more than passing acquaintances. The world is vast—there’s no reason for you to cling to me any longer.” Seraphina’s shoulders slumped under the weight of Adrian’s rejection, and in an instant, the facade of composed elegance shattered. Tears streamed down her face, her sobs escaping in ragged, heart-wrenching bursts. “I have no one else, General,” she cried out, her voice breaking with raw desperation. “I just want to stay by your side. I’d gladly marry you, even as a lowly concubine with no title. My fears, now crystal clear, sent a wave of dizziness crashing over me. I clutched my maid’s hand tightly, seeking any semblance of support to steady myself. Yet, Adrian, so often astute and aware, seemed blind to my turmoil. His gaze remained steadfastly fixed on Seraphina, his voice an unsettling calm as he addressed her. “Seraphina,” he said, his tone steady but cold, “don’t degrade yourself. There’s no need to sacrifice your dignity for me.” 2. He called her Seraphina with such ease, unaware of the intimacy with which she had once addressed him. “I have a wife now,” Adrian said firmly, “and I’ve promised her a lifetime of love. She is my wife, and I have no intention of marrying anyone else.” Adrian’s words were resolute as he waved a servant over to escort her out. After dealing with the situation, he took my hand, meeting my puzzled gaze. “Just an old acquaintance. She won’t trouble us again.” As I looked at him, unyielding and formidable as ever, a tremor of doubt seized me for the first time. His sharp features, those hawk-like eyes, and the faint scars etched into his cheeks spoke of legendary heroism. But as my gaze traced the contours of his strong hands, a question gnawed at my heart—how many hearts had those very hands ensnared with their touch? How many whispered promises had they crafted in the dark? When I first encountered him, my father was the esteemed master horse trainer of the Royal Stables, and I was renowned as the most skilled horsewoman in all of Stonehaven. My days were spent assisting my father, immersed in the world of powerful steeds and intricate reins. At that time, Adrian had just claimed his first military victory, and the King had bestowed upon him a fiery red stallion—wild, unruly, and impossible to tame. I took it upon myself to subdue the beast, and with a deft touch and unyielding resolve, I led the stallion to Adrian personally. The moment he laid eyes on me, something shifted in the air. His gaze, intense and captivated, locked onto me with a fervor that spoke of destiny. His pursuit was relentless, each gesture a testament to his burgeoning passion. And I, caught in the tempest of his ambition and charm, found myself irresistibly drawn to the young, handsome general. Our connection was ignited in that single, fateful moment. He treated me with the utmost care, and our love quickly became the talk of Stonehaven. Rumors spread that “if one must marry, let it be Sir Adrian Stone, and if one must be a wife, let it be like Lady Elara.” My thoughts jolted back to the present, and I stared at him, his face frozen in time as if no years had passed. I lowered my gaze, my voice trembling with barely contained emotion. “That woman’s feelings for you,” I said, each word heavy with tension, “are so profound and genuine that it’s nearly unimaginable she was only a passing acquaintance.” With a resigned breath, he revealed the truth. Years ago, during a perilous mission, he had saved Seraphina from a band of ruthless bandits and brought her into his camp as a servant. Only later did he learn she was a courtesan. In a moment of raw vulnerability, Seraphina had confessed her feelings to him, begging him not to send her back to her old life. But he had turned her away. “I was the one who sent her back,” he murmured, his voice heavy with regret. “How could I possibly have any feelings for her?” He reached out, his touch tentative yet full of longing, drawing me into his embrace. “I’ve tarnished our day with shadows of doubt,” he said, his voice breaking with sincerity. “I’ll make it up to you on your birthday. I swear, I will be with you through every cherished moment, through every joy and sorrow. We will grow old together, bound by the promises we’ve made and the love we share.” But my heart was weighed down by conflicting emotions, and the surprise I had planned for Adrian remained unsaid. On the night of the winter festival, I was out on High Street, handing out food to the poor as snow began to fall gently from the sky. Adrian stayed indoors, engrossed in military matters and not joining me. Sensitive to the cold, I couldn’t help but cough. “My lady,” my maid Liana urged, wrapping my cloak tighter around me, “we should go inside. You’re not strong enough to withstand this weather.” “No need,” I replied, my voice barely above a whisper, as I glanced back. There, amidst the falling snow, was a woman covered in wounds, kneeling in the frozen silence. It was Seraphina Dewhurst, the same woman who had shattered our wedding banquet with her presence. She knelt before our gate, her expression a haunting tableau of despair. Then, in a sudden and chilling motion, she drew a dagger from her cloak and slashed her wrist, the crimson blood mingling with the snow in a macabre dance. The blood seeping into the snow was a stark contrast against the white, making her frail figure appear even more pitiful. Before long, Adrian burst through the door like an arrow from a bow, rushing to her side. He scooped her up in his arms, and she lay weakly against him, her breath faint and labored. “Without your love, I have no reason to live,” she whispered, her voice quivering with a desperate finality. “I don’t want to burden you any further, General, so…” Her words faltered, and her eyes closed as she fainted, collapsing limp in his arms. He carried her swiftly back to the manor, his stride resolute as he summoned the physician to tend to her wounds. Outside, the snow fell heavily, cloaking the world in a blanket of cold silence. Inside, however, the fire roared with the warmth of a spring day, its glow casting a stark contrast against the frigid night. Seraphina eventually stirred, her eyes fluttering open to find herself cradled gently in Adrian’s arms. The light from the snow outside cast an ethereal glow upon her, accentuating her beauty in a way that seemed almost otherworldly. When our eyes met, her gaze was sharp and mocking. “The General may be able to leave without a care, but what about me?” she asked, her voice trembling as she struggled to lift her head. Tears welled up in her eyes as she swiftly removed her clothing, revealing her pale shoulder. There, etched into her skin, was a tattoo of the name “Adrian,” stark and undeniable. “In the past,” she said, her voice choked with emotion, “you pitied me for my tragic fate and personally marked me with your name, promising me a lifetime of protection. Do you still remember that promise, General?” Adrian’s composure shattered as he pulled her head against his chest, his voice trembling with raw desperation. “Why are you doing this to me, Seraphina?” he asked, his words laced with anguish. “Do you have any idea how deeply you wound my heart?” Soon, the physician arrived and assessed the situation, revealing a devastating truth. Seraphina’s body, ravaged by the harsh winter chill, had been rendered incapable of bearing children. The physician’s grim report unveiled that, in a desperate bid to captivate Adrian with her dance, she had ingested a perilous potion. This potion, while bestowing upon her the ethereal grace of a swan and an almost otherworldly beauty, had a devastating price: the musk it contained had sacrificed her ability to conceive. Barely able to speak, Seraphina gasped, “Though I lived among courtesans, my heart has always been yours, General. I could never give myself to anyone else. When my madam forced me to take another client, I ran, preferring to die at your doorstep rather than surrender my loyalty to you. My love for you was my only refuge.” “Seraphina, that’s enough,” Adrian said, his voice cracking as he turned his head away. The redness at the corners of his eyes betrayed the storm of emotions he struggled to contain. As expected, he pulled me outside, into the fury of the howling wind and swirling snow. In our three years of marriage, we had never stood in such profound silence. Finally, he shattered the stillness with a voice fraught with tension. “Elara,” he said, his words trembling with the weight of his struggle, “this is a grave matter. I can’t simply turn my back on her.” I forced a smile, but it barely touched my lips. “It seems the entire realm has witnessed this betrayal,” I said, my voice trembling with barely restrained fury. “The very General who swore, in front of our closest kin, never to abandon me—only days ago at our wedding feast—has now brought a courtesan into our home and branded her with his own name. Is it your wish to make me the jest of Stonehaven, reduced to a mere spectacle of mockery?” “If you cannot uphold your vows, then let us dissolve this marriage and part ways.” I spun on my heel, but Adrian’s grip tightened on my sleeve. The man who stood unwavering before the King now faltered, his voice cracking with desperation. “Elara, you must believe me. I took her in only out of compassion. My heart—my heart belongs solely to you.” I interrupted him with cold finality. “How many women have you uttered these words to?” His frustration boiled over, and his voice rose with fury. “Elara Stonemore, there is no divorce between us—only death can sever our bond. It seems I have indulged you too much, making you forget that a wife is bound to obey her husband!” With that, he stormed back inside, his conviction unwavering that I would never leave him—that I would, in time, acquiesce as other women had, and share him with another. A profound sadness enveloped me. How much simpler it would have been had I never loved Adrian, never cherished those fleeting moments of romance. The sting of his betrayal dissipated like a snowflake melting on my fingertip, leaving only the cold, empty void of what might have been. With steely resolve, I made my decision and called for my maid, Liana. “Bring me two things,” I instructed, my voice steady but laced with unspoken resolve. “First, a potion to end this pregnancy. And second, a concoction to ensure Adrian can father no more children.” Adrian relegated Seraphina to the west wing, bestowing upon her no title but assigning two maids to attend her every need, thus elevating her presence within the manor to one of startling prominence. Meanwhile, I retreated into seclusion, meticulously enacting my plan as the unmistakable signs of my pregnancy grew more conspicuous. One day, as I lingered in the garden, lost in the vibrant beauty of the flowers, an unexpected figure emerged from the shadows. She was a vision of poise and vitality, her radiant complexion glowing under the sun. With a chilling smile, she approached and said, “Sister, how have you relished these past three years, hoarding my husband for yourself?” I had no wish to engage with her, but Seraphina sighed, her demeanor as serene as a drifting breeze. She took a few deliberate steps back, each movement as light and deliberate as a whisper. “But now that I’ve returned,” she said with an almost ethereal calm, “isn’t it time for you to step aside?” Before I could respond, she turned on her heel, a satisfied smile playing on her lips. Moments later, the sharp sound of shattering ice echoed through the garden as the pond’s surface gave way beneath her. Seraphina’s screams pierced the air as she floundered in the freezing water. She accused me of pushing her—a ludicrous, transparent scheme that once would have made me scoff at its sheer amateurishness. But Adrian, blinded by his guilt and her theatrics, believed her without hesitation. When he stormed in, fury crackling in his eyes, I remained unnervingly calm. “I didn’t do it,” I said, my voice steady as a stone. His fists, once clenched with the intent to shatter, slowly relaxed. He frowned, the anger in his gaze flickering before finally dimming. “Very well,” he murmured, almost to himself. “I believe you.” But before the fragile truce between us could settle, a servant burst through the door, breathless and frantic. “General! Lady Seraphina has been struck by a sudden fever—she’s unconscious!” Without a word, his eyes widened in alarm, and he spun on his heel, racing to her side. He never looked back, and once again, I was left in the shadows of his unyielding devotion, abandoned and forgotten. 4. That night, the snow on the roof began to melt, the dripping water a mournful rhythm in the silence. The intricately carved bed Adrian had commissioned for me sat cold and unused in the west wing, its wood groaning and creaking as if echoing the weight of unspoken sorrow. I lay awake, my hand resting on my still-flat abdomen, feeling the two heartbeats flutter within me. What had once been the promise of a life I yearned for had transformed into a silent burden, a grief that grew with every pulse. Each beat was a reminder of the love that had withered, leaving me to cradle the remnants of a future that no longer felt like my own. Moonrise Manor, which should have been shrouded in darkness after curfew, defiantly kept its lights burning through the night. The windows glowed like haunting beacons, casting eerie shadows across the grounds. I, sleepless and restless, stood at a distance, my eyes fixed on that solitary blaze. It was as if I were staring into the last flicker of light in a vast, unforgiving abyss—one final, desperate spark before the encroaching darkness swallowed it whole. The next morning, Adrian was summoned to the King. Word quickly spread that he had left the palace with a spring in his step, his eyes gleaming with satisfaction. The news cut through the morning air like a bitter wind, chilling me to the bone. I knelt before the altar in the courtyard, my lips moving in silent prayers, seeking solace in the whispered words.Then, amidst the stillness, I heard footsteps approaching, slow and deliberate, echoing like a distant thunderclap. My pulse quickened, each beat heavy with dread. I looked up at the idol towering above, my chants steady and unwavering, as if each word could shield me from the venom in her voice. I tried to drown her out, focusing on the ancient prayers that had always brought me peace. But Seraphina wasn’t one to be ignored. She leaned in, her breath hot against my ear, her words a blade meant to cut deep. “The General was so strong in bed last night, so thoughtful,” she whispered, her voice dripping with malice. “He told me to be patient, and I couldn’t have been more satisfied.” I sneered, “He once scorned you as a mere courtesan. Now that you’re back in his favor, you cling to the illusion that your beauty is eternal and his love unshakeable?” Seraphina’s smile was a whisper of enigma. “Sister, your virtue blinds you. Haven’t you learned? It’s not mere beauty that engraves a memory, but the shadows we cast in the depths of his desires.” I sneered, “He once despised you for being a courtesan. Now, with your beauty restored and his favor regained, you’re so sure that your allure will never falter and his love will never fade?” Seraphina’s smile was a cryptic curl of her lips. “Sister, your virtue is admirable, but naive. What makes a man remember isn’t simply the surface of beauty, but the depths of desire that linger long after the visage has dimmed.” I recalled the potion she had used and an unsettling clarity washed over me. She was now an enchantress in her own right, her voice a melody laced with honey. No wonder even the most astute men fell prey to the spell of such breathtaking beauty. Adrian never graced my room again, his absence a chilling testament to rejection. Whispers reached me of his ascendancy; his command of the Royal Guard had earned him unprecedented favor. For his valor in battle, the King had granted him any reward he desired. Adrian approached the throne and, with a demeanor both resolute and humble, he rejected land and gold. Instead, he knelt and made a singular request to take Seraphina as his second formal wife. The entire city was enraptured by Adrian’s profound display of love and loyalty, marveling at his ability to harmonize his affections between his new love and longstanding duties. With a flourish befitting the grandeur of his promises, Adrian vowed to bestow upon Seraphina the most opulent wedding the city had ever witnessed. On that fateful day, with falcons soaring as messengers and blossoms scattered like silent witnesses, a resplendent carriage wound its way through the infamous Red Lantern Alley—a place where a young general’s marriage to a courtesan was an unprecedented spectacle. Disguised, I melded with the shadows of the alley, my gaze as icy as the winter wind, dissecting every moment of the unfolding drama. Adrian arrived astride a horse of unparalleled magnificence, his presence commanding as he thundered down the alley. The street was awash with the glint of a thousand silver coins, which he brandished with an air of disdainful arrogance.His demand was as audacious as it was clear: he sought to purchase Seraphina’s freedom, This was his entire savings from two years of military service and rewards, plus a substantial loan. Yet, despite his apparent triumph, the master’s demeanor was chillingly indifferent to the money. He watched with a cold, detached air as his men counted the coins, scarcely bothering to acknowledge their labor. With a scornful sneer, he declared, “You’re merely fortunate to have reclaimed the beauty.” In a gesture of haughty contempt, he crumpled the contract and hurled it over the high balcony, letting it cascade into the abyss below. The finality in his voice cut through the air like a blade: “Take her away.” “The General has declared that we are meant to be together for life. You may remain in the manor, but don’t harbor any illusions. You and the General are as good as divorced.” Facing her provocation, I offered a faint, enigmatic smile. “So be it. I can only hope he truly cherishes you.” Seraphina, eager to underscore her triumph, retorted with a haughty gleam in her eye, “He sacrificed all his military honors just to make me his equal wife. If that isn’t the very essence of true love, then what is?” I remained silent, my gaze unwavering as I pointed to the wooden box resting on the ground, filled with the hairpins and jade ornaments Adrian had gifted me. “Please, return these to him.” I lowered my gaze, a hint of melancholy in my voice. “It’s a pity, though, that the kites he crafted for me, the summer fireflies he once placed in my hands, and the hurried love letters from the battlefield… those are treasures that can never be reclaimed.” In days gone by, Adrian would rise before dawn to train, unfazed by the harshest weather. I would silently accompany him, offering a towel when his grueling session ended. I knew he was the kingdom’s backbone, the stalwart guardian of the realm. But now, he was consumed by Seraphina’s presence day and night, resorting to potions to sustain his vigor. It was as though the very essence of life had been siphoned from him; dark circles etched deep beneath his eyes, a haunting reminder of his age, despite his youth As my morning sickness intensified, I instructed Liana to procure a potion to end the pregnancy and arrange for a medical retreat. During this time, I had been surreptitiously poisoning Adrian’s food with a concoction designed to render him infertile, ensuring he could no longer father children. The moment had come to conclude this chapter. That day, while Adrian and Seraphina were enshrouded in their daytime indulgences, I took the divorce papers I had meticulously prepared. I stamped them with Adrian’s seal in his study, a final act of ruthless precision. With a steely resolve, I departed, leaving the documents behind like a cold declaration of finality. As I reached the door, a sudden, excruciating pain gripped my abdomen, and I felt warm, sticky blood flowing down. I was struck by a sudden realization—how could this be? I hadn’t taken the potion yet. Who had poisoned me? Adrian burst through the door, his face a mask of panic as he saw me sprawled on the floor, drenched in a pool of my own blood. “Elara, what’s happening?” he cried out, desperation tinged in his voice. But before he could reach me, a brutal kick sent him crashing to the ground, his body convulsing as he coughed up blood. The impact was jarring, and the scene blurred with the sharp sting of pain. As I lay curled on the cold floor, tears streamed down my face, mingling with the blood, my vision darkening with the weight of anguish A cold drop fell onto my eyelid, but it was not my own. “Don’t be afraid,” a voice murmured gently. “I’ll take you away.” Warm arms enveloped me, the heat of his body radiating intensely, nearly stealing my breath away. For a fleeting moment, my vision cleared enough to catch the face of the man holding me. It was the enigmatic master from Moonrise Manor, the very one I had glimpsed that fateful day. .6 This time, however, there was no trace of those vibrant or the seductive allure. His appearance had changed, now possessing a more masculine edge, though I recognized him instantly from the clarity in his eyes. He held me firmly as he stood, his gaze sharp as he glanced back at the man behind us. “Where are you taking Elara? Put her down! She is the lady of this house and must stay here to recover. She cannot go anywhere!” Adrian’s frantic shouts echoed behind us as he clung desperately to the man’s leg. But the master swiftly kicked him aside. Adrian, weakened by his excessive indulgence, struggled to stand, his face twisted in fury, yet unable to do anything.

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My neighbor messaged me, telling me to keep my windows closed when I’m busy. Their kids are still young. It took me a while to understand what he meant. My heart sank. I’ve been away on a business trip these past few days. Only my wife has been at home. Back at the hotel, I tried to calm myself down. Could my wife be… The more I thought about it, the worse scenarios I imagined. Impossible. Sarah and I have only been married for two years. I’ve always treated her well. I haven’t let her work since we got married. I transfer $2,000 to her card every month for living expenses without fail. I opened our WhatsApp chat. The last messages were us saying goodnight to each other yesterday. I wanted to say something but didn’t know how to start. I clutched my phone tightly for a while, thinking. Then I opened a food delivery app, changed the delivery address to our home, and ordered a meal. After a driver accepted the order, I immediately called him. I told the driver to say he delivered to the wrong address when he arrived. Then I asked if he could check how many people were in the house, and if possible, secretly take a photo. The driver refused at first, but when I offered to pay him $200 and let him keep the food, he agreed readily. I added the driver on WhatsApp and promptly transferred him $200. About half an hour later, the driver sent me a photo taken from an odd angle. The photo was blurry, but I could still make out that it was my house. I looked closely and could definitely recognize my wife Sarah. There was a strange man standing next to her, but I couldn’t see his face clearly. Even though I had mentally prepared myself, seeing the photo still made my blood run cold. In the photo, the man was wearing the blue pajamas Sarah had bought for me. I sat on the hotel sofa, my whole body shaking.

Sarah and I met through a mutual friend. Mainly because my family was pressuring me to get married, and Sarah seemed like a good match overall. I already had a house and a car. Her family was satisfied with me too. So we got married pretty quickly. After the wedding, I didn’t let her continue working. I own a company myself, so I could easily support our family on my own. Thinking about how I paid $188,000 in bride price to marry her, only for her to use my money to betray me in the house I bought for $10,000 per square meter, made me shake with anger. The most important thing now was to find out who this man was and when their affair started. After calming down, I sent Sarah a WhatsApp message. I told her I had some unexpected meetings here and would be away for a few more days. The goal was to make her let her guard down. Then I immediately booked a flight back. When I returned, I went straight to my childhood friend Mark’s place. Mark is a rich playboy who only knows how to eat, drink and have fun all day. He never works. After returning from studying abroad, he never cared about his family’s business. His dad lectured him once, which sparked his entrepreneurial spirit. As a result, he lost several million dollars in just six months. I can’t help but suspect he did it on purpose. Since then, his family never mentioned work to him again. They just give him money on schedule to let him live extravagantly. When I found Mark, he was sunbathing on his large balcony. I didn’t tell him why I came. I just asked to stay at his place for a few days. We’ve been close since childhood, so he never questions what I do. After dropping off my things, I secretly took a taxi back to my neighborhood. I didn’t go upstairs. I went to the underground parking lot first. I checked the dashcams in each of my cars one by one. Sure enough, I found something suspicious in one of the cars. Their conversation made my blood boil again when I heard it. The two of them were flirting in my car. I never imagined the Sarah who acted cute and innocent in front of me could be so flirtatious with another man. I didn’t have time to be angry. I quickly made a copy of the footage. Then I went to the security room of the complex. Old Lee in the security room knows me well. As soon as I walked in, I saw Old Lee dozing off inside. “Sleeping on the job, eh, Old Lee?” I teased. He smiled and wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth. “Haha, the construction site next to my house was too noisy last night. Didn’t sleep well.” “What brings you here, Mr. Johnson? Don’t usually see you in this little place.” I took out a pack of cigarettes and handed it to him. “I found a scratch on my car today, but I’m not sure when it happened. I wanted to check the footage to see which day it got scratched so I can file an insurance claim.” He exchanged pleasantries with me before accepting the cigarettes. “Alright, take your time looking. I’ll go have a smoke to wake myself up.” I quickly scanned through the footage. Sure enough, on the evening I left for my business trip, that man clearly entered my home. The security camera captured his face clearly this time. While Old Lee was still away, I quickly took some photos with my phone and left.

Back at Mark’s place, he had gone out. I sat on the balcony, trying to recall the man’s face from my phone. After a while, I was certain I had never seen him before. If I had met him before, I would definitely remember. But this face was completely unfamiliar. After smoking half a pack of cigarettes on the balcony, I took out my phone and made a reservation at a restaurant. Then I sent Sarah a WhatsApp message telling her I found a great restaurant while on my business trip. I wanted her to try it, so I made a reservation for two people. I told her she could bring a friend to check it out. Sarah quickly replied with a cute emoji, saying “Thank you, honey.” I used to find it adorable. Now I just felt disgusted. As the time approached, I went to the restaurant first and found a seat in the corner. Soon after, Sarah arrived with her boyfriend. They walked in holding hands, like a couple in love. At that moment, I felt like a clown, hiding in the corner afraid to make a sound. During the meal, they took sweet photos together and fed each other food. After taking some clear photos, I slunk out through the side door. The photos I had now were enough to kick her out of my house. But reason told me I couldn’t handle this so simply. Back at Mark’s place, he still wasn’t home. He had probably gone to a bar again. I sat on the couch looking at the photos I had just taken, thinking about my next move. Suddenly, Mark appeared behind me. “Bro, what’s wrong? Why the long face?” I was startled. “Shit, you scared me. Didn’t you go out?” “Nah, I was feeling sleepy this afternoon so I took a nap. Didn’t expect it to be dark when I woke up.” “Let me take a shower, then we’ll go grab a late night snack.” I was feeling pretty troubled, so I agreed. We went to the barbecue stand we used to frequent when we were in school. After sitting down, Mark started asking me, “Did something happen? You’re not going home, hiding out at my place.” I originally didn’t plan to tell him, but I figured he’d find out sooner or later anyway, so I just spilled everything. “Fuck! You treated her so well, and she still betrayed you!” His voice rose several decibels when he heard the story. “If there’s anything I can do to help, just say the word, bro.” “Actually, there is.” I took out my phone and sent him the man’s photo. “You’ve got connections. Help me look into this guy. Just investigate, don’t do anything else.” “Leave it to me, I’ve got this.” He patted his chest, assuring me.

The next day, I slept until noon at Mark’s place. As soon as I woke up, I received a WhatsApp message from him. He told me he had found information on the guy I asked about, then sent me a document. All of the man’s information had been dug up. I spent a few minutes reading the document Mark sent me. After finishing, a chill ran down my spine. The guy’s name is Luke. He’s from the same hometown as Sarah. They were even high school classmates and dated for a while in college. That was just two years before we got married. So is this an old flame rekindled? The more I thought about it, the sicker I felt. Her family had taken so much money from me over the years. Sarah acted all cute and innocent in front of me, but stabbed me in the back. Counting the days, it was about time for me to return home. I sent Sarah a WhatsApp message in advance, giving her enough time to get her old flame out of my house. “You must be tired after these days away, honey.” Sarah pounced on me as soon as I got home. I felt disgusted and stepped back. “Sarah, the shower in my hotel was broken yesterday. I haven’t bathed and I smell. ” “That’s okay, honey. Go take a shower first. I’ll take care of your things.” She smiled and took my luggage from me. In the past, I would have felt so blessed to have such a cute and sweet wife to heal me after a tiring day at work. I never imagined she was so wild behind my back. After showering, I sat on the couch dealing with company matters from the past few days. She bounced over and sat next to me, holding my arm. “Honey, I’ve had my eye on a bag recently, but it’s a bit pricey,” she said in a coquettish tone by my ear. “That’s fine, buy it,” I said without looking at her. “But wait until next month. I’ve put my money into the company for now. I’ll buy it for you when the project payment comes in next month.” “Okay, thank you honey. You’re the best.” She happily kissed me on the cheek and went back to the bedroom to watch her TV shows. As soon as she left, I rushed to the bathroom to wash my face. Damn, how unlucky. She came out again after a while. “Honey, when are you coming to bed?” “You go to sleep first. I still have a lot of company documents to review. I’ll come to bed when I’m done.” Looking at her drowsy appearance, I guessed the sleep-inducing aromatherapy Mark gave me was working. Mark had given it to me before I left today, telling me to use it to check Sarah’s phone. I told him Sarah usually keeps her phone under her pillow, so it’s hard to get. He then pulled out an aromatherapy diffuser, saying it helps with sleep. Put it by the bed at night and she’ll sleep like the dead. [Breakpoint]

This stuff really worked. To be safe, I waited another hour. When I entered the bedroom, Sarah was sound asleep. I called her name twice but she didn’t respond, just rolled over. I quickly grabbed her phone. I tried several passwords but couldn’t unlock it. I never thought much about it before. I just believed couples should trust each other. Besides, she doesn’t work, so there’s no chance of an office romance. So her phone doesn’t have my face ID or fingerprint, and I never asked about her password. I thought for a long time but still couldn’t unlock it. Her birthday, our wedding anniversary, even my birthday – none of them worked. At this point, I suddenly felt ridiculous. I’m just an ATM to her. How could she possibly use my birthday as her phone password? Suddenly I thought of her lover. I found the document Mark sent me, which had that man’s birth date. With trepidation, I entered the numbers one by one into the phone. To my surprise, it unlocked. Although I was annoyed, now wasn’t the time for revenge. I stood there scrolling through it for a long time, but strangely found nothing. From her WhatsApp contacts to other social media apps like Facebook and Instagram, I didn’t find any suspicious friends or chat content. Impossible. They must be in contact somehow. There can’t be no trace at all. I started to feel dazed. I began to doubt the reality of Sarah’s betrayal that I had discovered. I specifically went back to check the photos I had taken earlier. That was definitely Sarah and her old flame Luke. And I’m certain she only has this one phone. She usually sells her old phones on secondhand platforms when she gets a new one. I was very confused. They must have some way of communicating, I just haven’t found it. I couldn’t find any messages on the phone. Apart from the unlock password, I found nothing else. I had no choice but to put the phone back in its original position. As I got up, I inadvertently glanced at the tablet beside the bed. This was a tablet I had specifically bought for her to watch TV shows. Could it be on here? I picked up the tablet with a glimmer of hope, but gave up as soon as I touched it. The tablet wasn’t even locked. Apart from TV streaming apps, there was nothing on it. Feeling dejected, I put the tablet back in its place. I went out to the balcony and smoked half a pack of cigarettes, still unable to figure out what was going on.

The next day, I went back to the company to briefly handle some business matters, then went to find Mark. “Did you find anything?” he asked curiously. “Nothing at all. Apart from the phone unlock password being that guy’s birthday, I found nothing.” “Could she have deleted the chat history?” “Probably not. Even if she deleted the chat history, there should be some trace left, right?” “Forget it, bro. I say, just use those photos to confront that woman. She’ll have no defense for a divorce. Then I’ll find some guys to teach that man a lesson.” Mark picked up his phone, ready to start rallying people. “Let me see where this guy works. I’ll have people go ambush him.” “Don’t be so hasty.” I glanced at him, suddenly having some questions I wanted to ask. “I heard you used to date several girls at once in college. How did you manage that?” “Back then I had several phones. Some phones could even create virtual numbers. It was impossible to discover.” He bragged to me proudly. “Virtual numbers?” This phrase caught my attention. Suddenly, a light bulb went off in his head. “Oh right, if she’s using an Android phone, it’s possible she’s using a virtual number.”

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After a Business Marriage, I Got a 4-Year-Old Son Before meeting my son, I was complaining non-stop. I imagined I’d live a “miserable” life with a husband who ignored me and a stepson who pretended I didn’t exist. But when I saw the little cutie calling me “Mom” while nervously tugging at my clothes, I surrendered instantly. I even asked my husband, “If we divorce, can I keep our son?” A certain man: “???” When my company ran into trouble, my father didn’t hesitate to arrange a business marriage for me with a business tycoon who already had a son. Of course, I was perfectly fine with this arrangement. After all, I was a firm believer in staying single. If he already had a son, I wouldn’t have to worry about having children in the future. Moreover, the guy was a workaholic who had no time to spend with his son. The child was mostly taken care of by a nanny. I figured I could just coast through life from now on. My husband was a CEO after all, and I wouldn’t even have to raise the kid. The wedding ceremony wasn’t lively. It was a simple, small wedding with few attendees. Of course, I didn’t see the child either. True to his workaholic nature, my husband went straight to the office as soon as the wedding was over. As he was leaving, he said, “The company’s busy, so I won’t be home for the next few days.” “Samuel’s already at home. You should go back and get to know him later.” Samuel Quinn, that’s the name of my stepson. My parents divorced, and I had a distant relationship with my father. I didn’t take much from home when I left, just a necklace pendant.

“Mrs. Quinn, young master is waiting for you in the living room,” the housekeeper cheerfully informed me as soon as I entered. Ugh… giving me a hard time so soon? Well, I’ll deal with whatever comes my way! How scary can a kid be? But… Who’s this adorable little mochi sitting on the sofa?! So tiny! So cute! So soft! While I was still in a daze, the little mochi walked up to me. Then in his baby voice, he said: “Mrs…. Auntie, this is… a gift… Sam prepared… for Auntie.” It was a pink teddy bear. Even though the teddy bear was bigger than him, he was still trying his best to hand it to me. Despite this being our first meeting, he was incredibly friendly towards me. I was so touched that I quickly took the teddy bear and crouched down, holding his chubby little hands. “Wow! Thank you, baby! I love it! Your name is Sam, right? I’m your mom, you know. There’s no need to be so formal. We’re family now, you can call me Mom.” Wow! So adorable! I want to hug him! That good-for-nothing husband of mine is truly heartless, neglecting my son like this. My poor baby! That’s right, from now on, he’s my own son! The little mochi seemed surprised by my words. His tiny body trembled, and his fair face turned bright red. He nervously clutched at his clothes and timidly called out: “Mo…Mom?” After saying this, he shyly lowered his head, occasionally stealing glances at me. Oh my god! Forget about the dad, the son is mine now!! I cleared my throat and solemnly responded with an “Mm-hmm.” Then I turned to the housekeeper who had been standing nearby and said, “I’ll take care of the child from now on. You can go about your business.” “Yes, Mrs. Quinn.” This feeling is simply amazing! I suppressed my inner joy and tried to act nonchalant as I gently picked up the little mochi. Then, with one arm holding the little mochi and the other carrying the teddy bear, I headed upstairs. I had visited a few times before the wedding, so I was quite familiar with the general layout of this six-story mansion, complete with three elevators and two small gardens. As expected of a tycoon, even the decor was grand. I took Sam to the room Alexander had prepared for me and placed the teddy bear next to the pillow. “Sam, I’m sorry I didn’t prepare a gift for you, but this necklace pendant is very important to me. Can you keep it safe for Mom?” “I’ll look at it every day,” he promised. I put it around his neck, and he looked very happy. “How about sleeping with Mom tonight, and then tomorrow Mom will take you to preschool? Is that okay?” I asked, trying to keep my voice soft and gentle. If my best friend saw me being this gentle, she might think I was possessed. “Okay,” came another soft reply. So cute. I was lost in my own thoughts and didn’t notice the momentary stiffness on the little mochi’s adorable face. That night. “…And so, the little fox and his mother lived happily ever after.” After finishing the story, I looked down at the sleeping Sam and gently put down the storybook. Just then… my phone suddenly rang. I was so startled that I almost dropped my phone, and I quickly hung up. Hearing Sam’s steady, even breathing, I finally let out a sigh of relief. I tiptoed out of the room and only called back when I was sure Sam couldn’t hear me. “Charlotte West, how dare you hang up on me!” the woman on the other end of the line shouted unhappily. “I was with my son just now. Besides, it’s my wedding night, for goodness’ sake. Why are you calling so late?” I said, exasperated. “Oh, please. Everyone knows your husband isn’t even home. He went straight to the office after the wedding.” “Wait! What did you just say? Son? Since when did you have a son?” The person on the other end was shocked. I frowned, “It’s my husband’s son, but now he’s my own son too.” It’s normal that she didn’t know. I only found out when I was told about marrying Alexander Quinn. Alexander had kept this child very well hidden. But now the news about the child has been made public. “And don’t be so loud,” I added. “Aren’t you the one who doesn’t like kids? I know you’re alone in that big house, so I came to comfort you,” Sarah said bluntly. How could I have known Sam would be so adorable? Although that’s what I thought, I didn’t say it out loud. “What’s up?” I asked instead. “You must come to the class reunion this Saturday. That little princess is coming too. Remember! Dress up beautifully and outshine her!” Just from her tone, I could tell how angry Sarah was. Her expression must be awful. I couldn’t help but laugh, trying to comfort her, “Come on, it’s been years. I’ve long forgotten about all that.” She just snorted, not saying anything more. After chatting briefly, we hung up. I stood by the fifth-floor window, staring at the sky lost in thought. Suddenly, I remembered the summer after high school graduation.

In high school, Sarah, Chloe, and I were very close friends. At a dinner gathering after the college entrance exam, the school heartthrob suddenly confessed to me. At that time, everyone was cheering and watching the excitement. I was annoyed by the commotion and rejected him outright. But what I didn’t know was that Chloe had liked that guy for a long time and had been chasing him privately. Because of my rejection, the heartthrob, feeling upset, immediately got together with Chloe. Everyone said she was able to be with the school heartthrob because of me. This way, our relationship became increasingly strained. I thought we wouldn’t see each other again after going to college. But what I didn’t expect was that even though we weren’t at the same university, she still came to spread rumors about me, always trying to make things difficult for me. However, she and the heartthrob didn’t stay together for long before he cheated on her. I heard that Chloe will also be attending the class reunion on Saturday. “Argh! So annoying!” I vented by ruffling my hair. But well. It’s been such a long time, maybe she’s forgotten about it all. Thinking this, I relaxed. For the next few days, I stayed at home every day to accompany Sam. Apart from picking up and dropping off the child every day, I worked on my design drafts. I’m a fashion designer for a well-known brand, and I won’t abandon my work just because I’m married. That would be too boring. Recently, because of Sam, I’ve been bursting with inspiration. It would be a shame not to design something!

On Saturday morning, I watched Sam quietly playing with building blocks, and my face bloomed into a smile. But when I thought about the people I had to deal with in the afternoon, I couldn’t help but sigh. Why am I going to a class reunion instead of a parent-teacher conference? Noticing my mood wasn’t good, Sam looked at me worriedly. “Mom, are you unhappy?” I rubbed his chubby little face and said, “Mom has to go to a gathering this afternoon. Can Sam stay at home and play by himself?” After these few days together, Sam had become increasingly close to me. “Can Sam go too? Sam will be very good,” he said. Thinking about Chloe coming to the gathering, I refused Sam’s request. Those bright eyes immediately dimmed, “Okay, Sam will wait for Mom at home.” Great, now I feel guilty. It should be fine to take Sam along, right? I’ll keep an eye on him. If I leave him alone at home, wouldn’t I be just like his dad? “You can go, Sam. Will you accompany Mom?” I asked. “Okay~” Seeing those eyes brighten again, I breathed a sigh of relief. But why do I feel like I’ve been tricked somehow? The gathering was in a private room. When we arrived, it had already started. “Isn’t this the goddess Charlotte? Why so late? Come quick, we’ve been waiting for you.” As soon as we entered, we were noticed. So much for quietly staying in a corner. I smiled and greeted everyone, then saw Sarah waving at me. I took Sam’s hand and walked over. At this point, everyone else stopped what they were doing. “The goddess is here. And this child is…?” someone asked. I sat down and lifted Sam onto my lap. Frowning at the bottles of alcohol on the table, I spoke softly, “My son.” Then I turned to a nearby waiter and asked quietly, “Do you have any drinks here suitable for children?” “Yes, of course.” After settling Sam, I looked at Sarah, “Stop staring like that, you’re scaring my son.” Sarah grinned, “Your son is so cute. Does he need a godmother?” She looked mischievous. “Get lost,” I said, giving her a look of disdain. Then we chatted while eating. After a while, a strong scent of perfume wafted over. The next second, Sam sneezed. At the same time, a familiar voice rang out, “Charlotte, I heard you recently married a man with a child. Are you that desperate? You’re not… ” She didn’t finish her sentence, but I knew what she meant. “Chloe, who are you trying to provoke with your sarcasm!” Sarah’s temper flared instantly, and she glared angrily at Chloe.

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