Category: English

Seven months pregnant, I suffered from food poisoning and started bleeding. Gabriel rushed me to the hospital, constantly reassuring me that we could save the baby. In my semi-conscious state, I clung to his hand, placing all my hope in him. When I opened my eyes again, I overheard Gabriel talking to the doctor. “Mr. Anderson, if we perform a C-section now, your wife’s life will be in danger, and we might not be able to save the baby either.” Gabriel’s previous worry and anxiety vanished instantly, replaced by a cold and resolute tone. “Sophia has already given me a son. This one is unnecessary. Get rid of it quickly.” So he wanted to use my child to replace the one he had with his first love. The happy family I thought we had was just a facade for someone else’s benefit. If that’s the case, I’ll give you what you want. … “Quickly kill the baby in Mrs. Anderson’s womb and throw it in the trash. I’ve already brought Sophia’s child. We’ll say it’s Mrs. Anderson’s.” The doctor’s horrified voice replied, “Mr. Anderson, your wife has been coming for check-ups every month, taking such careful care. I really can’t bring myself to kill an innocent life. If you really don’t want it, we could at least let her give birth and send the baby to an orphanage…” “There’s no need. Since Sophia has already given me a child, I must take responsibility for her. Not being able to marry Sophia was my biggest regret. I promised her that her son would be the sole heir to the Anderson family.” The doctor hesitated before saying, “Mr. Anderson, this will leave your wife paralyzed from the waist down. She’ll be confined to a wheelchair for the rest of her life. If we could wait just two more months before harming the child, we could at least save your wife’s body.” “We can’t wait a single day. If she’s crippled, so be it. With the Anderson family’s assets, she can sit in a wheelchair for several lifetimes without issue.” Gabriel sighed again, “There’s no choice. If there’s anyone to blame, it’s her bad luck. Who told Sophia’s child to be born already?” “It’ll be over soon. I’ll make it up to her later.” As soon as he finished speaking, the restaurant owner called. “Mr. Anderson, we prepared all the food according to your requirements today. We haven’t settled the bill yet.” “Get lost! The dose was so small that the child was still alive when it arrived at the hospital. You have the nerve to ask me for money?” “Please, Mr. Anderson, I swear that entire bowl of soup was filled with abortion drugs.” The footsteps grew fainter as Gabriel made another call, instructing his assistant to pay off the owner with $100,000. After he left, I could no longer hold back my tears. The child I had carefully nurtured for seven months had been poisoned by its own father, causing premature labor. The doctor wiped my tears, and soon I fell unconscious. “I’m so sorry, Mrs. Anderson…” When I woke up again, there was a baby crying constantly by the bed. Gabriel was holding him joyfully. “Jane, come look at our son.” He gently kissed the baby. “From now on, you’ll be the only young master of the Anderson family.” I already knew I was carrying a girl from the prenatal checkups. This child wasn’t mine at all. I turned my head away, not wanting to look. I wanted to get out of bed and search for my baby in the trash, but my legs wouldn’t move no matter how hard I tried. I kept hitting them, using all my strength, but they remained numb. “If you want to hit something, hit me.” My wrists were grabbed. Gabriel looked at me with concern. “Jane, you can’t walk anymore because of giving birth to this child. From now on, let me be your legs, okay?” “And you can’t get pregnant again. This child will be our only one.” 2. I looked at him, wishing I were dead. Gabriel quickly hugged me again. “Don’t be sad. Look, at least our child is born. Isn’t that something to celebrate?” He pinched my cheek. “We’ll definitely be the happiest family of three from now on. I’ll always be by your side.” He had destroyed my life and spoke of it so lightly. Soon, my lower body felt like it was being torn apart. When I lifted the blanket, there was a bloody smell. Gabriel, however, wasn’t disgusted and personally helped clean my body, constantly asking if the water temperature was okay, acting caring and loving with convincing performance. “I’ve named our child Xin Xin, meaning everything will be new from now on. You’re the child’s mother, his role model, so you need to be strong.” This child’s features resembled Sophia’s, and besides, I was only seven months pregnant – the baby shouldn’t be this big. Gabriel called the doctor to check on my mental state. I left the hospital in a wheelchair. The wind was bitterly cold, and my clothes were thin. With great effort, I finally arrived at Gabriel’s private villa, where I had seen Sophia leaving just as I was being framed and sent to the hospital. Gabriel had said it was his newly established private club for entertaining clients. The door’s password was indeed Sophia’s birthday. When I saw everything inside the room, I was stunned. The walls were covered with photos of him and Sophia together. The screen in the living room was playing a video of him kissing Sophia. So this was their love nest. For three whole years, every time he said he was working late or in a meeting, he was spending time here. With each month Sophia’s belly grew, they would take a set of photos. A full ten months, documenting her entire pregnancy process, and even going to Hong Kong for check-ups every month. During my pregnancy, Gabriel never accompanied me once. Every time I had a check-up, it was when he flew to Hong Kong. Even when I told him the baby was healthy and showed him the examination reports, he never replied. Looking at the walls full of various intimate outfits, I finally understood how passionate he was with Sophia. No wonder he was always exhausted when he was with me. I thought he was tired from work and understood him, not realizing he had used all his energy on Sophia. The world’s most expensive crystal high heels, studded with diamonds, were displayed in an exquisite showcase. These shoes, hailed as “Shining Sun”, had Gabriel’s dedication next to them. [Sophia, you appeared in my life like the sun, forever radiant.] A pair of shoes worth $220 million was just the tip of the iceberg. Everything was expensive and luxurious, including a necklace worth over a billion dollars. I had seen Sophia wear it a few times, and Gabriel said it was from her wealthy husband. At the time, I joked about when he would buy one for me too. I still remember his expression now, “Those are all very ostentatious things. I prefer you without anything on.” Below the necklace was another message: Sophia, you deserve all the best in the world. Signed, Gabriel Anderson. Drawers full of giant diamond rings dazzled my eyes. The one on my finger was small and old, and the only one I had. I thought he was too busy to buy me gifts. Now I knew he wasn’t not buying, he just wasn’t buying for me. The kitchen was luxuriously equipped. He never cooked at home, but here he was a master chef. The walls were covered with photos of him wearing a chef’s hat, posing with tables full of gourmet dishes. [Only cooking for the one I love. Sophia, you’re the only one with this privilege in this life.] No wonder he didn’t like eating the food I cooked. His culinary skills were even better than mine. The last time I had a birthday, he said he was on a business trip abroad. Looking at the date on the photos, it was exactly when he was celebrating with Sophia in Hong Kong that they were having a boy. He had rented out an entire theater and invited celebrities to perform, all to celebrate the Anderson family having an heir. When I told him I was carrying a girl, there wasn’t a hint of happiness on his face. “After we have a daughter, we’ll have a son, okay?” “But Jane, your health isn’t good. Can you handle having so many children?” Thinking back now, it was truly ironic and laughable. He didn’t care about our child at all, yet I was still full of hope. 3. When I left the villa, my heart was already numb, my mind filled with videos of their love. I don’t know how I got back to the hospital. My body was already exhausted. As soon as the wheelchair went up the steps, I saw Mrs. Anderson glaring at me angrily, and she slapped me hard. The slap knocked me to the ground. Before I could regain my senses, she started berating me in front of all the doctors and nurses. “You useless thing, your body is ruined, and now you can’t even feed the baby.” Sophia hugged her affectionately. “It’s okay, Mrs. Anderson. I’m here. I’ll feed him.” Gabriel gave her a grateful look. On the way home, Sophia kept kissing and hugging the baby, constantly praising how cute and handsome he was. She sat in the front seat holding the child, occasionally looking at Gabriel with happiness, while I sat in the back like a stranger. She only said she was hot once, and Gabriel immediately turned on the air conditioning. Completely forgetting that his wife who had just had surgery couldn’t be in cold air. Passing by a globally air-shipped chocolate shop, Sophia said it looked delicious, and Gabriel immediately stopped to buy for her. A big bag, all sorts of chocolates stuffed into her arms, with none for me. Sophia ate one and then fed one to Gabriel, the two of them being lovey-dovey. Finally arriving home, when the car door opened, no one came to help me. They all crowded around Sophia. “Madam, you’ve worked hard. Quick, get ready.” At the housekeeper’s call, all the servants and bodyguards came out to welcome, each holding gifts that filled the hall. 100 maids each held a limited edition dress. From the hall all the way to outside the courtyard, they stood in neat rows. “Pregnancy and childbirth are the most difficult things for a woman, and naturally should not be underappreciated. So at this crucial moment, I want to thank…” Everyone’s eyes were on me. Gabriel continued, “Sophia.” How laughable. Sophia stepped forward and hugged him. “Gabriel, it’s just feeding the baby. No need to be so polite. Besides, it’s just a small effort on my part.” “Jane can’t walk now, so the clothes should be used to comfort her. I already have too many high-end dresses, I can’t wear them all even if I change every day.” “Moreover, Jane doesn’t have a single one of these styles.” I looked at the pajamas I was wearing, fidgeting uncomfortably. Gabriel said disdainfully, “She can’t even walk, what’s the point of dressing up? These are all specially prepared for you. With your model-like figure, you’ll definitely look good in them.” Sophia swayed her chest coyly. Soon, a stage with lights was quickly set up. She put on these limited edition dresses one by one, starting a fashion show. Each time she came out in a new outfit, a new look, it left Gabriel unable to take his eyes off her, while she confidently and arrogantly enjoyed everyone’s gaze. Their eyes were fixed on each other, intimately close. Every time she passed by me, Sophia deliberately swung her skirt, brushing my face as she twirled. I was filled with anger and resentment, pinching my thigh until it bled. With a cry, my cat scratched the baby. Sophia quickly rushed over, tenderly stroking the blood marks on the child’s face. “Mommy’s little darling, it must hurt so much.” When I was pregnant, the kitten often lay on my belly. Maybe it recognized that this wasn’t my child. Sophia tried to hit the kitten but couldn’t catch it as it ran around the room. The kitten climbed onto her face, scratching it continuously. Soon, her eye corners and mouth were bleeding. She pointed at the kitten viciously, “Quick, kill it!” “This is the good cat you raised, Jane. It only knows how to hurt people. Even cats can be jealous.” At Gabriel’s command, soon there was blood everywhere. My cat was beaten to death right in front of me. I broke down crying. The cat I had raised for three years died before my eyes. It had been like family, accompanying me every day. After I got pregnant, it became even more loving towards my baby, always being gentle and careful not to touch my belly. Looking at the bloody mess of a corpse, my heart was completely broken. Mrs. Anderson came out carrying a freshly boiled pot of soup. Seeing Sophia injured, she immediately threw it at my face. The scalding soup splashed all over me, burning painfully. I tried to find water to rinse it off, but Mrs. Anderson blocked my way. “Why didn’t this damn cat scratch your face instead? You taught it to do this, didn’t you? You’re just ill-intentioned.” “You truly deserve to die. You’re just redundant in this family anyway.” I knew her words were full of sarcasm, each one directed at me. With the help of the nanny, I finally managed to go upstairs in a mess. My bedroom had become chaotic, with hair of a different color than mine on the bed. Opening the video, I saw that yesterday, when I was in the most pain, Gabriel and Sophia were entangled on my bed. Watching the video, I tore off the sheets and threw them out the door. I angrily threw the clothes left on my bed onto the floor. At this moment, the door opened, and a mocking laugh came through. “I have plenty more videos of Gabriel and me together. Want me to send you some more to feast your eyes on?” 4. Soon my phone received dozens of videos, showing various positions and poses. Sophia’s seductive and charming appearance enticed Gabriel beyond control. I threw my phone far away. She rolled her eyes, “That’s how much he loves me. Hurts, doesn’t it? Jealous? With your ghostly appearance, he probably won’t touch you again.” “Jane, the feeling of never being able to walk again isn’t pleasant.” She lifted her skirt slightly, revealing her long legs. “Gabriel loves my legs the most.” “Wasn’t I beautiful just now during the fashion show? I dressed up specifically for you to see. You should thank me.” I looked at her with contempt, not bothering to respond. This reaction made her face contort with anger, and she shouted at me, “What do you have left to compete with me? No child, can’t have children, a cripple. How can there be such a stupid woman in this world? Soon everything in the Anderson family will be mine.” After saying this, she started slapping her own face dozens of times. I watched her in shock. I watched as her face went from red to swollen, finally looking like a pig’s head. While hitting herself, she shouted, “Jane, please stop hitting me.” “Ah, my hair…” Then she took the scissors from the table and cut off her own hair. I sat there motionless, yet was accused of such a great crime. Gabriel came running at the sound. “Sophia? What happened to you?” When he saw Sophia’s hair all cut off on the ground and her swollen face, he glared at me fiercely. “Jane, I never thought you could be such a cruel woman. Sophia kindly called you downstairs to eat, how could you do this to her?” “She changed into those dresses one by one downstairs just to make you happy, just to see you smile. Isn’t that enough?” He picked up the hair from the ground, pained. “Quickly apologize to Sophia, or don’t blame me for cutting off your hair.” He stroked Sophia’s face, glaring at me viciously: “Should I cut it, or will you?” Just out of the hospital, I was exhausted all over, without even the strength to speak. I was forced to back away by Gabriel, looking at him in terror. Sophia covered her face, “I never thought that coming to breastfeed the child out of kindness would provoke such jealousy. I might as well just die.” Saying this, she started banging her head against the wall. Gabriel stopped her and walked towards me step by step with the scissors. I shook my head and kept retreating to the corner, but he still grabbed my hair. The scissors weren’t working well, so he simply brought an electric razor. My hair fell to the ground in large clumps, and I was shaved bald. He stroked my head as if to comfort me. “Jane, this is what we owe Sophia. Otherwise, people might think we’re bullying her.” Looking at my hair, I was already at my breaking point. Ignoring me, he called all the doctors in the city to treat Sophia’s face. The hall was full of people. I put the prepared divorce papers in the drawer and left. To compensate Sophia, the news of Gabriel lavishly spending to make a movie for Sophia made headlines. He invited all the star lineup to complement her, even claiming it would win an Oscar. At the movie’s launch ceremony, she was dazzling, dressed more luxuriously than the celebrities. Everyone came to flatter the investor, and Sophia was already being put on a pedestal. The director even guaranteed, “Miss Lee, with your conditions, it would be a real shame not to act. You’ll definitely become an overnight sensation.” Even A-list celebrities came over to take photos with Sophia. She was carrying a limited edition bag worth millions, showing it off. The venue was full of media reporters, all waiting to interview Gabriel. But he had his assistant call me instead. “We’ve arranged a supporting role for the madam, playing a disabled person in the movie. Let the madam come over to get familiar with the other actors.” Sophia came over and swayed her body, “With me as the lead, that’s enough. Jane needs more rest, no need to trouble her.” The assistant went back and searched for a long time, but there was no trace of me at home. “It’s terrible, Mr. Anderson. Someone saw the madam being kidnapped by a gang. They want Sophia to go as an exchange.” [This marks the breakpoint in the original text.]

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My best friend Mia said I had a great voice and pressured me to quit my job to be her co-host on a relationship advice live stream. On the first day, a girl called in and asked me to help her reconnect with her ex-boyfriend who was about to get engaged. When the guy agreed, the girl suddenly changed her tone: “Actually, I’m his current fiancée, and we’re getting engaged tomorrow. It’s over between us.” I was bombarded with insults after that. People online accused me of helping a homewrecker. Mia not only didn’t clear things up for me but went live to spread rumors that I’d been dating rich old men since college and would do anything for money. This led to a stalker following and killing me. When I opened my eyes again, I was back at the moment I answered that call on the live stream. This time, I snapped: “A proper ex should be as good as dead to you. Aren’t you just trying to be the other woman here?” The psycho dragged me into a dark alley, methodically breaking my bones with a hammer. He sneered, “You’d go for 70-year-olds, but you won’t accept me? Is it just because I’m broke?” “You bitch! Die!” The next second I lost consciousness, I found myself back on the first day of the live stream. On my phone, the girl who called in was pouring her heart out. “My ex and I were in love for 8 years. We broke up 6 months ago due to a misunderstanding, and now he’s getting engaged to someone he met through an arranged date tomorrow. I can’t let him go.” “I want to be brave one last time for this relationship.” “Host, could you please call him for me?” Viewers in the chat were moved by her story. They kept sending messages urging me to agree to her request. Living through this again, I knew these were all paid commenters hired by Mia. “Don’t worry, Lily. I’ve received your contact info through a private message. I’ll call him right away to ask,” Mia said, sitting off-camera while scrolling through her phone, not forgetting to reply to the girl named Lily. I was still reeling from the near-death experience, barely able to breathe. But just before she could dial, I instinctively grabbed the phone and smashed it against the wall with all my strength. Mia was dumbfounded. Comments started flooding in at lightning speed. “Whoa, why did the host suddenly go crazy?” Lily’s voice sounded hurt: “If you didn’t want to help, you could’ve just said so…” I cut her off and went on the offensive. “Help with what? Do you know what an ex is? An ex is as good as dead. You knew you’ve been broken up for six months, what have you been doing all this time?” “He’s about to get engaged and now you want to get back together? That’s like trying to breastfeed a dead baby. What, are you eager to be the other woman?” “I despise people like you the most, using love as an excuse to manipulate others. Do you really think we’re all idiots?” I was speaking with a double meaning. I was scolding everyone in the live stream. After my rant, I didn’t give Lily a chance to explain and kicked her off the call. In my past life, after Lily stated her request, I had the same thoughts initially. But I knew everyone goes through relationship problems, and it’s normal to have a hard time letting go when you’re in the middle of it. I didn’t want to judge her from a moral high ground. I planned to politely decline and then slowly talk her through it. But Mia dialed the guy’s number before I could speak. Left with no choice, I reluctantly explained the situation to him. The guy promptly replied that he was willing to get back together. The live stream exploded with excitement over his response. At that moment, I felt bad for his fiancée, but then Lily immediately spoke up, saying, “Actually, I’m not his ex. I’m his current fiancée. Thank you, host. I guess there’s no need for this engagement anymore.” I felt a wave of relief wash over me, and I even felt glad that she had escaped from a bad situation. It wasn’t until I died that I realized… The girl who called in and the guy who answered the phone were all actors hired by Mia. She had planned from the beginning to sacrifice me to boost her own career. Mia panicked: “Everyone goes through breakups. She just wanted an answer. How could you attack a girl with such harsh words?” I flipped the camera to face her. “So what?” I challenged. “Just because she’s heartbroken, the whole world has to coddle her? Don’t be ridiculous, sis. What answer? Didn’t she get her answer when they broke up? Now that he’s about to get engaged, she suddenly wants an answer?” “I never realized your values were so messed up. Do you also think that it’s not cheating if you’re not the one being loved?” My words were sharp and my tone was biting. Mia was so taken aback by my verbal assault that she couldn’t even lift her head. She covered her face and actually started crying. Jack burst in and ended the live stream. Then he stood protectively in front of her, glaring at me with disappointment. “Mia was kind enough to bring you into live streaming to make money, and you’re being so aggressive over this little thing? How can you be so ungrateful?” I held my head high and replied firmly: “I’m sorry, but I can’t earn this kind of dirty money!” In the past, I had a gentle personality and didn’t want to argue with them. But my tolerance only led to them taking advantage of me more and more. Jack still didn’t take me seriously. He instinctively told me to apologize to Mia. He furrowed his brow, his eyes full of disappointment: “We’re all friends here. You’ve really gone too far today.” I walked up to them and held out my right hand. “Make up with a handshake? What are you, in elementary school…” Mia started to say. She hesitated, then reached out to shake my hand. Just as we were about to touch, I raised my hand high and slapped Jack hard across the face. His condescending words were cut short. He looked at me in utter disbelief. “I’m curious, I’m supposed to be your girlfriend, so why do you always take her side?” I coldly questioned him. “Tell me, when did you two start hooking up?” “You’ve misunderstood Jack and me. He came to see me last night because it’s your birthday soon, and he wanted to surprise you,” Mia explained, biting her lower lip. “We’ve been friends for 10 years. I would never betray you.” I turned to Jack: “Is that true?” Jack nodded, and I kicked him hard in the knee, making him fall to the ground. Mia rushed to help him up, her face full of concern. “I was just testing you, and you both confessed everything. Did I even mention anything about last night?” I said. “No wonder you wanted to help that homewrecker earlier. So you’re that kind of person!” “You don’t really think that only the one who’s not loved is the other woman, do you?” Jack hissed in pain and scolded me through gritted teeth: “Enough! Can’t you reflect on yourself at this point? If you were really that great, why would I look at someone else?” “Oh, great, now we’re blaming the victim, are we?” I retorted. While they weren’t paying attention, I flexed my wrists, grabbed both of their heads with my hands, and smashed them together hard. The sound of their heads colliding was quite loud. I felt like I was listening to heavenly music, and some of my anger dissipated. Along with Jack’s sharp intake of breath, Mia burst into tears with a loud wail. I felt even more satisfied. “You cheating bastard, we’re done!” “I hope you two snakes stay together forever, locked in misery!” Mia and Jack held their heads, having lost all their strength and tactics. I quickly made my escape. But I didn’t leave right away. Instead, I stood outside the room, wanting to hear if they had any more schemes planned. As soon as Mia recovered, she started badmouthing me. “That bitch Aria must have taken the wrong meds today. How dare she get physical? Wasn’t she your lapdog? How come she’s not even listening to you anymore?” “Who knows what’s wrong with her? She’s just a psycho!” Jack cursed, then started analyzing the situation rationally. “She must have found out about us. Otherwise, with her personality, there’s no way she would have been so aggressive today.” “What should we do? I was counting on her to help me grow my following,” Mia said, unwilling to give up. Jack reached out and pulled her into his arms. He buried his nose in her hair, inhaling her scent with pleasure. “Baby, why are you panicking? Worst case scenario, we’ll just edit the livestream video and say Aria was the one who put us up to it. We’ll have that actress who called in today come out and accuse her too.” “Nowadays, netizens believe whatever they hear first. No one will bother to investigate the truth.” “Besides, you’re her best friend, and I’m her boyfriend. We have the closest relationships with her. In outsiders’ eyes, we have the least reason to hurt her.” “The only downside is that we can’t go public with our relationship for a while. I’m sorry about that.” Mia looked at him with sparkling eyes, full of admiration: “Jack, how are you so smart?” Jack was very pleased with this kind of praise. I had been squatting under the window until my legs went numb. I originally planned to wait for them to leave, then go in to get my phone that I had left behind. I never expected these two scumbags couldn’t wait even for a moment. Things were heating up inside the room. Suddenly, I realized that they were the ones who should feel guilty. Why was I hiding? I’m just too moral of a person. I kicked the door open with one foot. The door slammed against the wall with a loud bang. Mia screamed, and Jack immediately lost his excitement. They both turned to look at me in horror. I was very calm: “Sorry, I left something behind.” Jack asked: “What did you leave?” Is that really the point here? I looked him up and down, my gaze lingering on a certain area. I made a gesture that Korean men hate the most. Then I turned to Mia and said: “Tsk tsk tsk, just this… how could you possibly fall for him?” Mia and Jack finally snapped back to reality and hurriedly looked for their clothes to put on. I took advantage of this time To quietly slip my phone into my pocket and leave. In my past life, I had very low self-esteem. So during the first livestream, I put my phone in a corner of the room to record the entire process, wanting to watch it later to see where I could improve. In my previous life, Mia’s plan went smoothly, and I didn’t capture any evidence that could help me. But now it’s different. After I got home, I edited out the NSFW parts. Then I uploaded the video online. “Perhaps it’s because my boyfriend cheated on me with my best friend that he would use this method to hint at me to leave on my own.” “I never thought something like this would happen to me. Although this whole thing was orchestrated by my best friend, I want to say that society is still too tolerant of such behavior.” “I may not have much influence, but I absolutely refuse to go along with people who have no moral compass. I’ve cut ties with them and broken up!” “Don’t worry, I’m not in the internet industry and never planned to make a living this way. The only reason I became a host was because Mia kept begging me.” “I’m heartbroken. Logging off now.” After experiencing so much in my past life, I knew exactly what kind of content netizens like to see, and how to stir up public opinion. After a night of fermentation, this video had over ten thousand shares, with impressive likes and comments. My former colleague from work commented: “I knew being an internet celebrity couldn’t be that easy. It turns out it was all a scheme. The boss wants you to come back to work right away. She doesn’t blame you.” I worked at a boutique perfume company and had been the top salesperson for three consecutive years. When Mia first asked me to quit my job, I refused. I thought she was being too unrealistic. Later, she came up with a nasty trick. While I was at work, she deliberately caused trouble, making me lose quite a few clients. After learning what had happened, my boss didn’t blame me and even gave me time to sort things out with Mia. Mia flew into a rage, stormed into the boss’s office, and trashed the place, sending the boss to the hospital. The boss wanted to press charges, but I, considering our years of friendship, begged her for half a month straight. Perhaps I was too much of a saint. In the end, the boss just sighed and said: “You’re not fit to stay in the company like this anymore. You should go.” Thinking back on all this, I felt increasingly stupid. I anxiously opened SnapChat. When I saw the unread message from my boss, I almost teared up. “You’ve grown. Now that you’ve sorted things out, come back if you want. I’m still waiting for you to make money for me.” “You got it, Sophia!” I replied. While Jack and Mia were drowning in a sea of online criticism, I was already standing in Sophia’s office. Sophia lectured me for a good while in a tone of disappointment. In the end, her eyes twinkled with amusement. “You woke up, and not too late.” I had joined this company right after graduation. Back then, it was just a small workshop. She focused on perfume research, while I handled sales. This unknown little brand could barely sell one item a month. At the worst of times, when we couldn’t even pay salaries, others left one by one. Only I stubbornly stayed. I was waiting for her to declare bankruptcy, and she was waiting for me to quit voluntarily. We stared at each other every day. Somehow, we managed to hang on for a few more months. Until we finally caught a break. That small workshop has now grown into a sizable company. “I knew you were a sentimental fool who clings to old relationships. If I didn’t let you see for yourself, you’d still be letting them suck you dry.” “From now on, work hard and try to help me buy a Cullinan soon, got it?” I looked at the car keys on the desk: “You want to buy another one? Why not try something else?” She laughed: “These are for you.” I was surprised: “For me?” “Don’t you need a nice car for business meetings? I bought it for you a while ago, but when I heard you had a boyfriend, I was afraid he might be after your money, so I didn’t dare give it to you.” Sophia picked up the car keys from the desk and tossed them to me. Seeing that I caught them, she smiled. Me: “Now that I’m famous, do I still need to go out for business meetings?” “Getting cocky, are we?” Sophia gave me a light knock on the head. It hurt so much my eyes welled up. “I mean, we can take advantage of this opportunity to open up online sales channels.” Sophia was surprised: “Didn’t you say in your statement that you won’t be involved in the internet industry?” I did say that. But I’m just riding the wave to grow our business, promoting the company’s products and managing operations without showing my face. Sophia’s eyes were full of approval. “I actually had similar plans.” We hit it off immediately and chatted until nearly lunchtime. As we were heading to the cafeteria together, I got a call from my parents. “Aria, we saw your video. Jack said it was all planned between you guys to grow the account. What’s really going on?” “Jack and Mia are at our house now. They say they want to discuss the next steps with you. Come home quickly.” Jack and I met through an arranged date. We had been dating for so long, and he had always pretended to be very reliable. If I hadn’t lived through this once before, I never would have discovered his true nature. Thinking about how much my parents approved of him, I couldn’t help but worry. I excused myself to Sophia and rushed home. Afraid that Jack, the freeloader, might cling to me, I didn’t dare drive the Cullinan yet. Just as I reached the door and was about to take out my keys, it opened automatically. Jack and I made eye contact. He was the first to break into a smile: “Aria’s back. We can start eating now.” He reached out naturally to take my bag. I dodged to the side. I changed into slippers and went inside. Mia, wearing an apron, happened to be bringing a dish out from the kitchen. My parents sat awkwardly at the table, visibly relieved when they saw me. My gaze darkened. In all the years I’ve known Mia, every time she came to my house as a guest, my parents would wait on her hand and foot. When had they ever let her cook? There’s no such thing as a free lunch. They must be up to something. I glanced around, getting a sense of the situation. “Aria, why are you just standing there? Come eat. I made your favorite sweet and sour ribs today. Try them and see how they taste,” Mia said. My eyes fell on the dish in her hands. Without responding, I turned and walked into the kitchen.

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It was the tenth year of my marriage to Kenneth Rogers. I discovered he was cheating on me not according to any photos or proof, just a gut feeling triggered by his unusually cheerful “Good morning” one morning. When the investigator sent me the photo, I was at my usual coffee shop, ordering my cappuccino. The steam from my coffee blurred the image on my phone, but the truth was clear. Kenneth had cheated on me with a girl who had just turned twenty, twelve years younger than me. The photo showed Kenneth gazing at her with deep affection. I set down my cup, feeling the bitterness of the coffee match my mood. It was two days ago that I found out the first signs of his cheating. That morning, he woke up beaming, wore a sweater instead of his usual dark suit, and greeted me with, “Good morning.” A woman’s intuition was often considered accurate, and mine proved to be correct. On a day when there were no photos, no evidence, and no woman at the door, I was sure that my husband of ten years had cheated on me. After he left, I hired a private detective, and today’s findings confirmed my suspicions. I felt unnaturally calm, almost as if I had lost my feelings for Kenneth. I saved the photos, made the final payment to the detective, paid for the coffee, and took a taxi to Kenneth’s office. The receptionist saw me and was about to inform him, but I stopped her. I took the elevator to the ninth floor. When I opened the door, Kenneth was absorbed in his phone, giggling. As soon as he saw me, his expression shifted to warmth. “Elaina, what brings you here?” I held his gaze, noticing the sweat forming on his forehead and the panic in his eyes. To make him uncomfortable, I said, “I just remembered today is our 10th anniversary, so I booked a restaurant and thought we could go out after work.” His face paled for a moment. He had completely forgotten. I knew he had plans to take the young girl to the amusement park that evening. The detective had even provided me with that girl’s Twitter account. Out of boredom, I browsed through it. They had met ten months ago, and her name was Jasmin Weaver. She was a dessert maker at a cake shop, which explained the frequent appearance of Jasmin’s Handmade desserts at home. Kenneth had even brought home mango desserts a couple of times, despite my allergy to them. She also owned a white cat, which explained the cat hair on Kenneth. Kenneth had always claimed to be allergic to cats, so I never owned one. It seemed he was sacrificing for this new love. The twenty-year-old was easy to understand, and she shared sweet moments with Kenneth online. Her posts were filled with affection, referring to Kenneth as “Uncle.” For the past nine months, she had documented their sweet moments together. [Uncle came to buy cake today. I drew love hearts on it, making it extra special.] [Uncle confessed his love to me. It feels like a dream. I’m the happiest girl in the world.] And she posted a picture of roses. That night, Kenneth didn’t come home. I remember it vividly because I had a stomachache and couldn’t reach him after multiple calls. The next day, he returned, hugged me, and apologized, claiming he had to work late due to a company emergency.

I continued scrolling down, where I saw Kenneth accompanying her on birthdays, trips, and dates. They certainly looked very happy. Then, I saw her latest update. [Uncle finally agreed to ride the Ferris wheel with me tonight. We plan to kiss at the top, vowing never to part.] Kenneth chose me over her for the Ferris wheel. Ten years of marriage outweigh ten months, after all. At the familiar revolving restaurant, we enjoyed the best view of the city. From sharing a bowl of noodles to ordering two fresh steaks flown in from Barunya, our journey had been long. I pushed the gift I prepared for Kenneth across the table. He had to pretend to be touched. It was a pair of cufflinks, worth over a hundred thousand dollars, but Kenneth wasn’t wearing a suit. He didn’t even wear the wedding ring. “I’m touched, thank you, Elaina,” he said. “I also want to apologize for forgetting our anniversaries and not getting you a gift. Can you forgive me?” Kenneth took my hand, apologizing with a seemingly sincere tone. I smiled. “It doesn’t matter. I forgive you.” It was a double entendre I hoped he’d catch. We fell into silence, clinking glasses and cutting steaks, the sound of utensils harsh against our plates. Kenneth fidgeted, glancing at the clock. I asked, “Do you remember when we were struggling financially? One day, I got a part-time job as a waiter at a five-star restaurant. A table of guests ordered numerous expensive dishes, and while serving, I accidentally dropped a piece of dessert. The guests were furious, and that piece cost me one thousand dollars, which was half my monthly salary.” Kenneth seemed bashful. “Elaina, why are you bringing this up suddenly?” Ignoring him, I continued, “The supervisor scolded me and punished me stand there for two hours. After the customers left, I secretly packed up a plate of dessert. That day, we squatted in the rented room during the blackout and ate it. At that moment, I thought it was the best dessert in the world, but now…” I looked up to find Kenneth gazing at me sheepishly. “I suddenly forgot what it tasted like.” “Would you like some? I can have someone order it right away,” Kenneth said attentively. “Forget it, let’s eat,” I replied, lowering my eyes. Suddenly, Kenneth stood up. “Elaina, there’s an emergency at the company. I have to go back. I promise to make it up to you next time for our anniversary.” Flustered, he stumbled out without looking back. That girl updated her post. [Uncle is a liar. I don’t care about him anymore.] The picture showed her burned hand and a half-finished anniversary cake. I gazed out at the bustling city at night. Setting down my knife and fork, I finally remembered what that dessert tasted like. It was bitter. My tear-streaked face reflected in the glass. Kenneth had forgotten that night when we huddled on the tiny bed, him promising to succeed and take me to the highest point in the city for the finest meals. Now, we had the meal, but he was gone. It turned out ten months could truly outweigh ten years.

After that day, Kenneth didn’t come home for three days. Love was often impulsive and passionate. Before midnight, they rode the Ferris wheel, kissed at the top, and promised to stay together forever. The girl said, “Hello, here’s your cake.” “Thank you,” I politely apologized and switched off the photo of their kiss on my phone. I sized up the girl in front of me. She was Jasmin, Kenneth’s lover. She smiled warmly, revealing her eye teeth. She said, “This is our store’s signature cake. It’s super delicious.” Young girls were so different, energetic, and sunny. Taking a bite of her cake, I found it good, though overly sweet. I said, “It’s delicious. Pack me another. I want to bring it to my husband.” She smiled. “Okay. You and your husband are so affectionate.” I remained silent, watching her carefully tie the bow on the bag. As I left, she sweetly said, “Welcome next time. I hope your husband likes my cake too.” I replied, “He will. He’ll love it.” I gave her a meaningful look before turning away. I sat on the couch, waiting for Kenneth to return. Since he hadn’t been home in days, he wore a curt smile and said, “Elaina, I’ve been busy these past few days. I brought you a present. Please don’t be mad.” He wrapped his arms around my shoulders, burying his face in my neck, but I still caught that sweet scent. I didn’t pull away and handed him the packaged cake. His face went pale the moment he saw it. “Why did you buy a cake all of a sudden?” He was testing me. I remained expressionless. Kenneth pulled out a velvet box containing a gemstone bracelet. He said, “Are you still mad at me? I swear, it won’t happen again. Please don’t be mad.” Once, I thought Kenneth was clingy and childish, but I was glad. No matter how much he was slaying on the outside, when he came home he would always be my Kenneth. Now, that specialness felt like a cover for his lies and infidelity. I forced a smile. “I passed by and remembered you love it, so I bought it.” Kenneth sighed in relief and placed the bracelet on my wrist. “I knew you wouldn’t be mad at me.” I felt dazed, thinking Kenneth hadn’t changed, still the same twenty-year-old in my mind. Now, I noticed the subtle lines around his eyes, his sagging cheeks, and the gray in his brunette hair. I asked, “How many years have we known each other?” “Fifteen years. Five years in love and ten years married,” Kenneth answered quickly, as if afraid I would find his mistake. I said, “Fifteen years is a long time.” “Elaina, we have fifteen more to go,” Kenneth was eager to prove his loyalty. But fifteen years was a long time. It was long enough for some to grow tired of it.

After that day, Kenneth stayed home for a week due to guilt. Then, he began disappearing again. I went to Jasmin’s Handmade, sitting in the same spot as before, scrolling through Jasmin’s Twitter with downcast eyes. I learned Kenneth had taken her skiing the previous week. The same cake was delivered to me, and Jasmin greeted me with her usual smile. “See you again.” I nodded but didn’t touch the cake. “What’s the matter? Don’t you want to try it today?” she asked. “Tired of it,” I replied curtly, watching her expression stiffen before her smile returned. “It’s okay. We have other flavors, and they’re all delicious. You can try another one.” I picked up my phone, snapped a picture of the store, and posted it with the caption, [It’s delicious.] Moments later, Kenneth called, but I ignored it and silenced my phone. Jasmin was busy making a cake, so I walked over. “Do you want to try it?” she asked, smiling. “It’s different when you make it yourself.” I nodded. She led me into her workshop and taught me how to make the cake. As she worked, she chatted, “My boyfriend and I met while making a cake. The first time, his turned out crooked and ugly.” “You two are very affectionate,” I noted. Jasmin blushed, her eyes sparkling. “Yes, I like him so much.” “We have to trim the dough first,” she said, handing me a knife. I raised it, looking at her youthful face as suddenly I heard a shout, “No!” Kenneth rushed in, knocking me aside to shield Jasmin, his expression a mix of shock and urgency. “Elaina, I know I was wrong, but don’t do this to her.” Pain shot through my shoulder as I hit the wall, and the knife grazed my hand, drawing blood. I stared at Kenneth as I dropped the knife, standing straight. Jasmin didn’t know what happened and clung to Kenneth’s shirt. “What’s wrong, Uncle?” I held up my ring, a perfect match for the one on Kenneth’s left hand. She finally realized I was Kenneth’s wife whom he had lost his affection to. Her earlier words echoed in my mind. [So heartbroken for Uncle to be stuck in an unloving marriage, but it’s okay, I don’t want anything, I just want his love.] She knew all along that Kenneth was married. I watched her face turn pale with panic before she found her courage. Bowing slightly, she said, “I’m sorry. I know I’m immoral, but I’ll say it anyway. Uncle and I truly love each other. I don’t want anything. I just want him.” Kenneth gazed at her with deep emotion. Yet he had forgotten I had said the same thing a decade ago, kneeling before my dad with determination. “I don’t want anything. I just want him.” Back then, Kenneth held my hand and had promised he would never fail me. Now, he said, “Elaina, I’m sorry, but I love her.” Their relationship seemed stronger as they embraced, casting me as the villain in their story. I slapped Kenneth hard, my palm tingling from the impact. The wedding ring flew from my hand, rolling away before disappearing. Kenneth covered his face and didn’t dare to meet my gaze, while Jasmin looked heartbroken, wanting to speak but being held back by Kenneth. I said nothing, straightened my spine, and walked out of the workshop, fixing my hair and grabbing my bag. Turning back to Kenneth, I said the only thing I had since he arrived, “I emailed you the divorce papers. Sign them as soon as you can.” Their relationship seemed stronger as they embraced, casting me as the villain in their story. I slapped Kenneth hard, my palm tingling from the impact. The wedding ring flew from my hand, rolling away before disappearing. Kenneth covered his face and didn’t dare to meet my gaze, while Jasmin looked heartbroken, wanting to speak but being held back by Kenneth. I said nothing, straightened my spine, and walked out of the workshop, fixing my hair and grabbing my bag. Turning back to Kenneth, I said the only thing I had since he arrived, “I emailed you the divorce papers. Sign them as soon as you can.” The divorce papers were prepared long ago after I discovered Kenneth’s infidelity. I approached my attorney friend, who had witnessed our relationship, to draft the divorce agreement. Her initial reaction was disbelief, which turned to heartache when she saw the photos of Kenneth cheating. “I thought you guys were different.”

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I had a crush on James Sullivan for seven years. In my past life, I saved him during his lowest point. I married him and was willing to be his devoted wife. I let him run my company, allowing him to shine. But in the end, he ran off with my money and cheated on me with his first love. Later, his enemy kidnapped both me and his first love. I thought five years of marriage would soften his heart. But he unhesitatingly chose to save his first love, while I was brutally assaulted and killed by the kidnappers. In this new life, I’ve returned to the year when James was at his lowest point. My car stopped at the end of the alley, just in time to witness James being chased by several armed men in black. It was exactly the same as in my past life. I suppressed the complex emotions surging within me. “Frank, drive,” I said. Frank cleared his throat, hesitating. “Miss, Mr. Sullivan is up ahead. It looks like someone’s trying to kill him.” I glanced over. James was being chased, covered in wounds, and collapsed in front of my car door. He desperately knocked on the car door, begging me to help him. The door opened. I looked down at him from above. My mind flashed back to my past life, when I unhesitatingly saved him from danger and married him, caring for him in every way for five years. I thought true love could be reciprocated. But in the end, I met a tragic death. As my thoughts returned to the present, seeing him like this still tugged at my heartstrings despite everything. His handsome face, even covered in blood, couldn’t hide his good looks. He crawled to my feet, looking up at me with pleading eyes. Weakly, he said: “Chloe, please help me. I’ll do anything.” In my past life, he had begged me just as pitifully. I didn’t even hesitate before taking him away. I fed and cared for him, used money to rescue his brother, and kept him safe for five years. On second thought, I slowly replied: “Alright.” I would save him, but I couldn’t let him dirty my car. I kicked him away. I ordered my bodyguards to protect him. “Frank, let’s go,” I said. “Miss, isn’t Mr. Sullivan the man you’ve liked for so long?” Frank asked. I snorted. “Not anymore.” When I saved him in my past life, I didn’t expect anything in return. I only hoped he could like me, even just a little. But sadly, it didn’t end well. Back at the mansion, I saw James huddled in a corner, shivering. He crawled over to me like a dog. I brushed off my pants where he had touched them. Looking at him with disgust, I said: “James Sullivan, since you like being a dog so much, why don’t you stay by my side as my pet?”

Today was the first time James asked me for time off. “Chloe, I have something to do today. I need to go out, so I won’t be able to have dinner with you,” he said calmly over the phone, with no hint of anything unusual. “What is it?” I asked. “Chloe, I may be your husband in name, but I’m still a person. Can’t I have my own private space?” “You don’t deserve it,” I said coldly. “If you don’t listen, I can send you back to those men.” My tone was icy. He immediately deflated on the other end of the line. In this life, I still saved him, but I had no hopes for him. I only kept him by my side to torment him. He sighed and answered, “I’m going to see my mother.” “Is that so? You’d better not be lying to me.” When I rescued him back then, he begged me like an obedient puppy. “I’ll do anything you want,” he had said. An idea came to me, and I raised an eyebrow with a smile. “Marry me, so my family stops pressuring me.” He agreed. I used money to rescue his brother, And at the same time, I bought him for myself. To the outside world, I claimed he was my husband. In private, he was just a dog by my bedside. His enemies still wouldn’t let him go, so he had no choice but to rely on me to stay alive. This time, I once again bound him to me with a contract. The agreement stated that we would each get what we needed, and after five years when things blew over, I would set him free. For these five years, he never left my side for a moment. Whether as a husband or a bedmate, he was impeccable. At dinner time, James wasn’t there. The housekeeper made my favorite dishes. I picked up my chopsticks but had no appetite. “Miss, this is the cake Mr. Sullivan asked me to give you before he left. He waited in line for hours to buy it,” the housekeeper said, bringing over a slice of cake. It was my favorite flavor, very hard to get. I took a bite with my fork, then tossed it straight into the trash. Suddenly, I felt a bit lost. Today was my birthday. Thinking back to my past life, it was the same desolate scene. That day, he had gone to see his first love, Olivia. As I was lost in thought, my phone suddenly rang. “Hello,” I answered. An arrogant female voice came from the other end.

“Miss Morgan, thank you for taking care of my James these past five years.” I frowned. “Who are you?” “Never mind who I am. James loves me.” Before I could respond, she hung up. I collapsed onto the sofa, memories of my past life flooding back. James had been with me for five years, pretending to be devoted to me on the surface, while secretly carrying on with Olivia behind my back. Back then, I had spent five years trying to make him love me, but failed. In this life, I wouldn’t be so foolish again. If I can’t be happy, no one else will be either. I was the most notorious rich heiress in South River City. Wild and unrepentant. I’d been with countless men, living a life of debauchery. But they were all just passing fancies. James was the only one I truly loved. He used to be a young master from a family of equal status to mine, but fate was cruel and brought him to rock bottom. I dialed James’ number. “Where are you?” I demanded. His voice sounded tired. “I’m busy.” “Are you with another woman?” I asked shakily. “Chloe, don’t overthink it.” I suddenly lost my temper, raising my voice much louder, startling him. “I’m asking you, are you with another woman or not?!” “James Sullivan!” He sighed, speaking in a tone I’d never heard before. “Chloe Morgan, I thought we only had a contractual relationship. My private life is none of your business.” I was furious and heartbroken, at a loss for how to respond. “You said five years was the limit.” “Chloe, shouldn’t we follow the rules of the game?” In this life, I viewed men’s hearts as worthless. I thought I could play men like puppets. But once again, I was harshly slapped in the face. I lowered my voice, adding somewhat pitifully: “Today… is my birthday.” “Can you…” Before I could finish, he hung up. Starting over, James was still just as cruel.

In my past life, I had investigated Olivia. She was my high school deskmate, and we were very close back then. My crush on James was something only she knew about. Later she went abroad to study, and we lost touch. I never imagined she would turn out to be James’ first love. In this life, as soon as the five-year period was up, James stopped pretending with me. He moved out of my mansion overnight, throwing away the ring I had given him. The trash can in his room was stuffed full of gifts I had once given him. Even during our last intimate moment, I had to initiate everything. The last thing he said to me was: “Don’t make things difficult for her.” Those five simple words set me on fire. “Are you really that eager to leave me?” I asked. He turned his back to me, his voice hoarse: “Chloe Morgan, we were never meant to be together.” For many days after he left, I couldn’t sleep. In the cold early hours, I stubbornly drove out of the mansion. The housekeeper heard the commotion and tried to stop me. “Miss, should I call the driver? It’s too late for you to drive alone. Where are you going?” I didn’t know what to say. I cleared my throat. After a long silence. “Martha, it’s fine. I have some business to take care of.” Martha nagged for a while but couldn’t convince me. She ended up calling the driver to follow behind me. At 5:30 am, I arrived outside James’ apartment.

I knocked on the door, but there was no response for a long time. I thought he must be fast asleep and was about to leave to find somewhere to wait. Suddenly, the door opened. “Chloe?” James said sleepily as he opened the door, looking at me in disbelief. As if on cue, a figure appeared behind him. Olivia, wearing sexy pajamas, had one hand pulling on James. “James, who is it?” she asked. She turned to look at me, her eyes full of meaning. “Long time no see. I’m Chloe Morgan,” I introduced myself. After that, all three of us stood there awkwardly. “You investigated me?” James asked. I thought he would have a lot to say to me. But he opened with an impatient accusation. My heart sank. Looking into his eyes, I said slowly and clearly: “I just want to ask you one thing – did you ever love me during these five years?” Olivia’s expression changed. She clung to James’ arm intimately, her tone full of mockery: “Miss Morgan, James told me everything. You did save his life, that’s true. But he’s repaid that debt over the years. Now that the five years are up, shouldn’t you let him go?” “Besides, it was just a contractual relationship. Don’t tell me you actually thought it was love, Miss Morgan?” “Shut up, I wasn’t asking you!” I raised my voice to scold her, startling Olivia. “James, look at her. What kind of person bullies others just because they have money?” Olivia said, burrowing into James’ arms pitifully. “Chloe, no, Miss Morgan,” James said. “The five-year period is over. Let’s go to the civil affairs bureau sometime to handle the paperwork.” Without needing to ask further, James had made his stance clear. “Fine, don’t regret it!” I said angrily as I left. Behind me, I could hear Olivia’s mocking laughter. “James, after all these years apart, you still have such charm. Looks like I’ll have to keep a close eye on you from now on.” I couldn’t hear what James said in response. I returned home in a daze.

The next day, we went to the civil affairs bureau to handle the divorce procedures. I rushed back to the mansion and cleared out everything related to James. Then I contacted my assistant. “I heard James is trying to start a business recently. Cut off his funding sources, remove him from the company, blacklist him in the industry, and have him sign an IOU for the $500,000 used to rescue his brother.” “Also spread rumors that the Parker heiress seduced a married man. Make sure her reputation is ruined.” “Lastly, what’s the latest on the Grant family, James’ old enemies?” My assistant replied: “I heard they’ve been looking for James everywhere recently.” “Then leak information to the Grants. Let them handle it as they see fit.” After making all the arrangements, I finally lay down in bed with peace of mind. My sister Vanessa rarely called me. “Chloe Morgan, congratulations on being yourself again.” “Sis, I just got divorced. Is congratulations really necessary?” “Oh please, there are plenty of men out there. I’m coming back at 10 pm tomorrow night. I’ll introduce you to some guys then.” Vanessa is my mom’s daughter from her previous marriage. People say she’s just like me – we both inherited our mom’s genes. Things like being unfaithful, fickle, enjoying playing with men. I’ve become numb to hearing it all. As soon as my sister got back, she dragged me to a bar. The whole way there she kept criticizing my outfit. “Look at you, did getting married turn you into some housewife? This won’t do at all.” She pulled out a low-cut black dress from her bag and cajoled me into putting it on. “Now that’s more like my sister,” she said approvingly. “Chloe Morgan, you’re a rich heiress. Why be so traditional? You used to be way more fun.” I rolled my eyes at her. “Vanessa, is this how you’re supposed to be teaching your little sister?” “Haha, don’t tell Mom.” When I was James’ dutiful wife in my past life, I never set foot in a bar. Just because James said he didn’t like noisy places like bars. “I heard there are some hot guys here tonight. It’s on me – I’ve ordered them all for you.” “Consider it celebrating your single status, and a belated birthday party.” The memory of eating cake alone on my birthday flashed through my mind, leaving a bitter taste. But I quickly pushed it away. Remembering that scene was quite a mood killer. My sister had her arms around two cute young guys, laughing heartily. The boy sitting next to me was very shy, but he mustered up the courage to say: “Hi beautiful. You’re so pretty.” His words were awkward, but I enjoyed hearing them.

He clumsily lifted his glass to my lips. I wasn’t paying attention, and the cold alcohol trickled down my lips onto the young hottie’s fingers. He shivered, looking at me a bit embarrassed. There was an indescribable emotion in his eyes. In the dim light, his tall muscular physique was barely visible. I couldn’t take my eyes off him. When we were leaving, I tossed the young hottie my business card. He called me “big sis” and waved goodbye reluctantly. “We’ll meet again,” I said. I’ve never had a high alcohol tolerance, but tonight I had a few extra drinks. As soon as I stepped outside into the cold air, I started stumbling. My sister got distracted and ran off with one of the guys, leaving me alone. I turned back and ran to the bathroom, hugging the toilet and throwing up for a while until my head cleared a bit. I heard a familiar voice from the next stall. “Olivia, I heard your ex-boyfriend got divorced?” Olivia laughed coldly and said: “Yeah, if I hadn’t heard he inherited his grandfather’s billion-dollar fortune, who would bother with used goods like him?” “True, Olivia never uses anything second-hand.” I hid in the bathroom stall without coming out. In my past life, I never heard about James inheriting a fortune. Could he be using this to win back his first love? Another possibility is that the so-called inheritance is actually my money. I was such a fool. Thankfully in this life, I didn’t let him into my company. And I didn’t give him a penny. I only gave him a small allowance each month, out of pity. The gossip continued. Olivia chuckled and went on: “But now there’s a tricky problem – his ex-wife turns out to be Chloe Morgan.” “Who? Your high school bestie? I remember she had a crush on James back then.” “That bitch Chloe, anything she wants, I have to snatch it away.” Olivia said through gritted teeth. Back then, Olivia was our high school beauty queen, stunningly gorgeous even at 16. I was quiet and antisocial. She actively befriended me, giving me my only friend in high school. When I liked James back then, she encouraged me to persist. Olivia was outgoing and straightforward. She helped me gather a lot of intel on James at the time. Back then, rumors spread that the school beauty Olivia and the school heartthrob James were getting close and probably dating.

Everyone said they were a match made in heaven. I had considered the possibility of James liking someone else, but I never imagined my best friend would also like James. I don’t know how long I stayed in the bathroom, but Olivia and her friend had long since left. I got up and walked out, my legs numb and wobbly. I looked at myself in the mirror – red-eyed and disheveled. I washed my face, preparing to head home. As soon as I walked out the main door, I found the young hottie from earlier standing there. “You…” The young hottie was wearing a sporty outfit, carrying a gym bag. He exuded the sunny vibe of a college athlete. “Waiting for you,” he said. As I walked over, I stumbled in my high heels, nearly falling. “Careful!” he said, catching me just in time. I took out a wad of cash from my purse and handed it to him. He hesitated, then took it and stuffed it back in my bag. “No need to pay, big sis,” he said. I narrowed my eyes slightly, smiling. “Consider it a tip for keeping me company today.” Without waiting to see his reaction, I took out my car keys to open the door. But he snatched the keys from me. “I haven’t been drinking. I’ll drive you home,” he said. I was taken aback for a moment, then pulled out a few more bills from my purse to give him. He took them this time, smiling. “Consider it a chauffeur fee then.” He drove very carefully the whole way, stealing glances at me in the rearview mirror. “My name is Leo Grant, big sis,” he said. My head was spinning a bit. I just responded lazily. “Mmhmm, got it.” I closed my eyes, dozing off without realizing. When I opened my eyes, I was…

“Where is this?” I asked, rubbing my aching temples. A light male voice came from outside the door. “Big sis, you’re awake?” The voice sounded familiar. It was Leo. He was shirtless, his skin taut, broad shoulders tapering to a narrow waist. His lean muscular build somehow had an eight-pack. I was mesmerized for a moment, not even noticing him walking closer. “Had enough of looking, big sis?” he teased. I blushed bright red in embarrassment. “I didn’t expect you to look so young but have such a great body.” Leo gave a mischievous smile and pulled me into his arms. “So big sis, have you thought about how you’re going to take responsibility for me?” I panicked internally, desperately trying to remember what happened last night. Last night I met him outside the bar, then he drove me home, and I fell asleep in the car… So why am I here? “Let me help you remember. You fell asleep last night before telling me where you live. I had no choice but to bring you back to my place,” he explained. “Did we… you know?” I asked hesitantly. Leo leaned in close, his gaze intense. “What do you think?” My mind was in chaos. Suddenly I remembered feeling strange about the drinks at the bar last night. Usually my alcohol tolerance isn’t bad. I shouldn’t have gotten drunk so quickly. “It must have been Vanessa,” I thought. I frantically took out my phone to call her. “Vanessa! You set me up!” A lazy male voice answered. “Vanessa’s still sleeping. What do you need?” “Damn it…” I hung up. Leo, standing in front of me, burst out laughing. “Big sis, you were drugged. Last night was my first time.” “Don’t worry if you can’t remember. I’ll help you recall.” Leo pressed me down onto the bed.

Looking closely, beneath his boyish charm, he had incredibly cold eyes. His facial features were stunningly handsome, with lips red as cherries, begging to be kissed. Coming back to my senses, I found myself breathless at our intimate position. I pushed him away forcefully, clearing my throat. “Ahem… well, we’re both adults. Since this is your job, let’s just settle up.” I took out a black card from my purse and handed it to him. “This is your payment.” With that, I got up to change my clothes. “Big sis, the name you called out last night – was it your ex-husband?” Leo asked suddenly. My heart skipped a beat and I clenched my fists. “Shut up!” “I don’t mind. If big sis needs me again, just call anytime.” He made a phone gesture by his ear, the corner of his mouth curling into a slight smile. As I left Leo’s apartment, I ran into James downstairs. I lowered my head, covering my mouth, afraid he would see me. “Chloe Morgan!” He strode over. Dressed in an all-black suit, he exuded an intense aura. “What are you doing here?” he demanded. I composed myself and stood up straight. “That’s none of your business.” He grabbed my bag, pulling me closer. “Who said you could stay out all night? Where were you last night?” James’ tone was displeased. “James Sullivan, we’re divorced,” I said with a cold laugh. “I’m single now. I can stay wherever I want.” “Chloe, I know you’re still angry, but can you not misunderstand me? Olivia was just dealing with depression recently and needed someone with her. She has no family here, so as her…” “As her ex-boyfriend, you had to divorce me within 24 hours to be by her side!” I cut him off. James frowned, his eyes impatient. “Chloe Morgan, can you stop throwing your rich heiress tantrums? Our divorce has nothing to do with Olivia, okay?”

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I thought my marriage to Lucas Keller was just a business arrangement. Initially, my only impression of him was his perfectly sculpted butt. But now, it seems like I’m actually falling for him. When we first got married, Lucas said, “It’s just a marriage of convenience, don’t think too much of it.” A few months later, he pinned me against the car and said, “Can you stop going out drinking with other men? I really care about you.” “Can you kiss me again?” As soon as I returned to the country, my parents arranged a blind date for me. They thought I was too wild and needed someone to tie me down. So Lucas and I got married the day after we met. Apart from close relatives and friends, hardly anyone knew. The last time I saw him was on our wedding day at the courthouse. Now, five days later, I’m at my eighth welcome-home party, drinking with friends. “Move in,” read the message that popped up on my phone. I stared at it, confused, unable to recall who the sender was. Three minutes later, another message: “My mom said so.” The chat history showed we had only added each other as contacts five days ago. “Aria, what’s wrong?” My friends noticed my distraction. “What are you looking at?” “I can’t remember when I added this person,” I admitted. “Let me see,” Emma said, taking my phone. She scrolled down and another message appeared: “Five days and you’ve already forgotten who you married?” I gasped, “Oh, I think he’s my husband.” I took the phone back from Emma, trying to recall our two meetings. I could vaguely remember his appearance, but the most memorable thing was his perfectly sculpted butt. I couldn’t help but chuckle. “How could you forget that?” Emma teased. “I’ll give him a nickname now.” I clicked on his profile picture, which was blank, and his timeline empty. I saved him as “Mr. Perfect Butt”. When I arrived at our new home, my luggage had already been unpacked. As I walked up to the third floor, I noticed the study door was ajar. Was someone else in the house? I carefully pushed the door open. The creaking sound startled the person sitting at the desk. He suddenly looked up, his piercing gaze making my heart skip a beat. His features were strikingly handsome – high cheekbones, a straight nose, and a healthy complexion. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you,” I apologized. Lucas stood up and walked towards me. I took a half-step back, swallowing hard. He was about a head taller than me, exuding an air of nobility that made him seem like a young master from a wealthy family. I had to admit, my mom had good taste. I tilted my chin up, meeting his eyes. He took a few large strides out of the room. “This entire floor is the master suite,” he said. I followed him into the bedroom. “Your clothes have been put in the walk-in closet. The rest of your things upstairs haven’t been fully unpacked yet…” he was saying, but I wasn’t really listening. My eyes were drawn to the large, soft-looking bed. The duvet was pink, completely at odds with Lucas’s style. I sat down on the bed without thinking. It really was as soft as it looked! Lucas cleared his throat. “I’m not your real estate agent.” I raised an eyebrow. So what? Did I ask you to show me around? Why are you acting all high and mighty? I walked further into the room and noticed another smaller bedroom. “Are we going to sleep separately?” I asked. “If you want,” he replied in a low, deep voice that made it sound like I owed him something. “Then…” I hesitated. “The housekeeper works for my mother,” he interrupted. “Does one of us have to sleep in this smaller room?” I pointed to the inner room. “I don’t want to.” “Why not?” “They’ve already put pink sheets on the big bed. Would it be appropriate for you to sleep there?” I argued. Lucas’s brow furrowed slightly. After a long pause, he reluctantly agreed, “Fine.” The club was filled with pulsing music. Lucas lounged casually on the sofa, his legs crossed. “Hey Keller, why the long face? You just got married,” his friend Jack teased. “Other than having a marriage certificate, what’s different from before?” Lucas retorted. He clinked glasses with Jack and downed his drink in one go. “Aren’t you going to bring her out to have dinner with us?” Jack pressed. Lucas thought about the past two days living together. Aria had been getting home even later than him. They were living under the same roof but barely saw each other. “Maybe some other time,” he deflected. Lucas stood up to leave. “I’m going to the restroom.” “I’ll come with you,” Jack said. The men’s room was crowded and rowdy. Jack leaned in close to Lucas and whispered, “Isn’t that Marcus Lee from Joy Entertainment over there?” Lucas followed Jack’s gaze and saw Marcus Lee talking to someone by the sinks. Joy Entertainment was a longtime rival of the Keller family’s business. “Mm,” Lucas grunted in acknowledgment. As they turned to leave, they overheard part of the conversation. “Did you hear Aria Collins is back in the country?” “The Collins family’s only daughter?” Lucas paused mid-step at the mention of Aria’s name. “Yeah, I met her before. That waist, those legs, that chest… damn,” the man said crudely. The two men’s lewd laughter continued. “Forget about her family’s wealth, I’d want to get with her anyway. Wonder how wild she got abroad. Bet she’s been passed around…” Before the man could finish his sentence, Lucas’s fist connected with his face, drawing blood. Seeing Lucas attack, Jack rushed to join the fight. Marcus and his lackey were caught off guard, their eyes swelling shut from the blows. “Who the hell do you think you are?” Marcus sputtered. “Your daddy,” Lucas growled. The beating was far from over. Lucas grabbed Marcus by the collar and shoved his head towards the toilet. He could hear Marcus choking as he repeatedly dunked his head. Jack called from outside the stall, “I’ve taken care of the other guy.” “Come hold him down,” Lucas ordered. Marcus was still bent over the toilet bowl. Lucas kicked him hard in the back. The sound of ceramic breaking mixed with splashing water. “Watch your filthy mouth in the future, understand?” Lucas threatened. When there was no response, he kicked him again. “We should stop before it gets too serious,” Jack warned. Lucas looked at Marcus, who could barely open his eyes, but still felt unsatisfied. One final kick. “I’m sorry! I swear I’ll never do it again,” Marcus begged, collapsing to the floor. “Never do what again?” Lucas pressed. “I’ll never make crude comments in public again.” Another kick. “What about in private?” “I won’t, I promise!” Marcus pleaded. Lucas stormed out of the bathroom, his clothes stained with water and blood. He had lost all desire to continue the night out and decided to head home. When Lucas pushed open the bedroom door, he found Aria twirling and dancing with her eyes closed. He could tell she had been drinking without getting too close. His irritation from earlier flared up again. “Aria!” he called out sharply. She finally noticed someone else was in the room. She stumbled over to Lucas and rubbed his jacket sleeve between her fingers. “Did you just slaughter a pig or something?” she slurred. “Mm,” he grunted noncommittally. Lucas moved to let her pass, but she grabbed his sleeve. “Hey, I’m not a pig.” “Can you drink less?” he asked, exasperated. “I can hold my liquor,” she insisted confidently, though it wasn’t entirely true. “Who brought you home?” “The driver.” “Take some bodyguards with you next time you go out.” “Why? I hate being followed around.” Even Aria herself didn’t realize how whiny and coquettish she sounded. The comfortable home environment made her relax and unconsciously act spoiled. Lucas pressed his lips together, hesitating before saying, “I’ve made some enemies recently. They might try to get to me through you.” “Is this person hiding in the house?” Aria asked seriously. Her curly brown hair brushed against his arm as she leaned her head on his shoulder. “Drunk fool. Go to sleep,” Lucas sighed. Aria whimpered in protest but made no move to comply. Lucas shrugged off his dirty jacket and tossed it aside. His shirt underneath was clean. He grabbed Aria’s arm and pulled her towards the bed, his grip firm but not painful. “Ow, that hurts,” she complained. The sudden movement caused Aria’s dress to ride up slightly. Lucas noticed for the first time what she was wearing – a black off-the-shoulder mini dress that accentuated her pale skin. His gaze traveled up to the gold chain necklace resting on her collarbone, then to her flushed face. When she smiled at him, her eyes curved into crescents and her long lashes fluttered. She looked like a mischievous kitten ready to scratch. The bangles on Aria’s wrist jingled as she struggled against his grip. When he finally let go, there was a faint red mark on her skin. Lucas lowered his head. “I didn’t use much force.” The little kitten looked ready to pounce now. “It’s fine, I’ll magnanimously forgive you,” Aria said with a cheeky grin. “I’m going to bed now.” “Goodbye.” Her voice was soft and sweet, melting Lucas’s heart. Lucas’s father’s summons came urgently. Aria was barely awake when she heard Lucas urging her to get up. “My dad wants us to go over,” he explained. Aria let out a small whine. Lucas had already learned to interpret her sounds – this meant she was stalling. “Should I have the housekeeper drag you out of bed?” he threatened. “I’m getting up now,” Aria mumbled. Lucas headed for the door. “I’ll wait downstairs. Don’t take too long.” Once the bedroom door closed, Aria clutched the sheets and forced herself to sit up. What could be so urgent? She was exhausted. In the car, Lucas also felt uneasy. He wondered if news of last night’s incident had already reached his father’s ears. He hadn’t expected it to spread so quickly. He stared out the window, his breathing heavy. “Sorry to keep you waiting,” Aria said as she got in the car. Lucas turned to look at her. She was wearing a long white dress with subtle makeup and dainty square-toed flats. She looked completely different from last night. In contrast, he was wearing one of his usual suits. To an outsider, they might look mismatched, like there was a significant age gap between them. “Do I not match you today? I thought…” Aria trailed off, uncertain.

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At the company’s year-end party, the CEO’s wife’s male assistant quietly revealed that she was planning to publicly announce our relationship. As I walked towards my wife in my suit, holding a bouquet of flowers, the scheming male assistant suddenly knocked the flowers onto my head, crying uncontrollably: “Jack, I only told you about my relationship with Olivia, but I never thought you’d steal her from me. Even if you’re the core project manager, you can’t do this!” My wife not only didn’t refute his claim, but she also took away my year-end bonus and even arranged for the male assistant to join my project team to gain experience. Everyone in the company reacted, applauding to congratulate my wife and the male assistant on their fairy-tale romance. My team members even advised me: “Boss, I know you’ve had a crush on CEO Olivia for ten years, but now that the company is about to go public, just bear with it and say something nice.” I just smiled faintly and handed the project manager appointment letter to the male assistant: “How could I let the company’s new man work under me? I think only you are qualified to be the project manager and lead the company to greater success.” After all, I was the only one who knew the key formula for the project. I was curious to see how my wife would come up with that million-dollar breach of contract penalty.

Seeing me take out the appointment letter, everyone was stunned for a moment. My team members immediately helped me out, applauding and saying loudly: “Looks like our boss has really realized his mistake. CEO Olivia, please forgive him!” “Yeah, Jack is being so generous, there must have been a misunderstanding. He truly wishes you and Ryan the best.” Everyone was stirring up the atmosphere. Ryan tightly clutched the appointment letter, but his eyes were fixed on my designer suit. He said pitifully: “But Jack dressed up so nicely, isn’t it just to steal the spotlight…” Everyone was taken aback, not expecting Ryan to be so persistent. They all turned to look at me. In response to his provocation, my wife Olivia’s expression was unclear, and she didn’t say anything. I couldn’t help but laugh at myself. Ten years ago, I had received an offer from a major foreign company with an annual salary of millions. But because of Olivia’s plea for me to stay, I chose to start from scratch with her, living on a shoestring budget. She cried and said she would never forget my sacrifice. Once the company went public, she would officially announce our relationship, make me the vice president, and give me shares. But now, as the company was about to go public, all her favoritism went to a newcomer who had only joined six months ago. I took a deep breath and started unbuttoning my jacket. “I’m sorry, it won’t happen again.” I would never have any expectations of Olivia again. After saying that, I walked out of the meeting room wearing only a thin shirt. Outside the company, the cold wind blew, stinging my skin. I coughed softly. The doctor had told me that my lungs were damaged from doing experiments, and I couldn’t continue working such long hours. Olivia didn’t know yet that the key formula for this project was the result of my sleepless nights and tireless work. In three days, the project would be delivered. If there were no results by then, Olivia would face a million-dollar penalty. Perhaps it was time for me to live my own life. Instead of pouring my heart and soul out for someone who didn’t love me. Bang! While I was lost in thought, something hit the back of my head hard. I turned around to see Ryan looking at me maliciously. The project manager appointment letter was scattered on the ground. “Jack, how can you be so stupid? I pretended to tell you that Olivia was going to announce your relationship, and you actually believed it!” My heart trembled. Because I had always dreamed of Olivia announcing our relationship. So I was overjoyed and couldn’t help but believe it. I remained silent, but Ryan became even more arrogant. “Too bad, it seems Olivia prefers me. Not just a small position like project manager, if I cry a little, she might even kick you out of the company.” Ryan had always been two-faced. Because I didn’t like him during his interview, but Olivia specially recruited him into the company, he always came to cause trouble for me. After repeatedly provoking me, he would shed tears and act pitiful in front of others, causing Olivia to argue with me, saying I was jealous. Now, I just felt that my past self was naive. To actually compete with such a despicable person for Olivia’s affection. I turned to leave. Ryan’s eyes flashed, and he suddenly slapped himself hard, his thin cheek instantly turning red. Before I could understand what was happening, he was already in tears, bending down humbly to pick up the appointment letter from the ground, and handed it to me with trembling hands: “Jack, I know you don’t like me. You can hit me or scold me, it doesn’t matter. As long as you’re willing to stay in the company, take this appointment letter back. I’ll voluntarily resign and talk to Olivia about it.” The next second, I heard Olivia’s angry shout. “Jack, are you crazy?!” She threw the coat she was carrying on her arm to the ground and raised her hand to slap me: “Ryan was just joking around, and you decided to go on strike? Now you’re hitting people just to get back the position of project manager? When did you become so violent?” She looked like a mother beast protecting her cub. I licked my bleeding lip, laughing coldly in my heart. Whenever Ryan and I had a conflict, Olivia would blindly believe that I was bullying him, without asking for the truth. In the past, I would have argued until my lips were parched, feeling wronged. Now, I was truly tired of it all. I smiled, saying rather dejectedly: “Thank you.” Olivia’s anger suddenly subsided, and she asked in bewilderment: “Thank me for what?” I spoke in a flat tone: “Thank you for letting me know that in your heart, I’m just a jealous, unscrupulous person.” With that, I turned to leave. Olivia’s body trembled. She took a step, instinctively grabbing my arm, feeling how cold it was. In the dead of winter, the tip of my nose was already red from the cold. She picked up the coat from the ground in a somewhat panicked manner and stuffed it into my hands: “You… it’s so cold, put on your coat first. As for the project manager position, I’ll consider it carefully…” As soon as Olivia mentioned reconsidering the project manager position, Ryan immediately became anxious. He said indignantly, as if he couldn’t bear the insult: “Olivia, I know Jack is a veteran of the company, and I can never compare to your years of friendship. Please don’t argue because of me, I’ll go to HR and apply for resignation right now!” With that, he tightly clutched the appointment letter and ran back into the company. As he was going up the stairs, he deliberately stumbled, pretending to fall. His knee hit the steps, and he hugged his knee, crying out in pain. Olivia’s eyes widened as she looked at Ryan crying in pain, then back at me who was about to leave. After hesitating for a moment, she hurriedly said to me: “Jack, you go home first. I’ll talk to you later.” Then, without hesitation, she rushed towards Ryan.

At the bottom of the company building, Olivia reached out to help Ryan, her movements careful as if protecting a fragile piece of porcelain. Ryan, however, pushed away her hand with a stubborn look on his face, trying to stand up on his own. The next second, he fell into Olivia’s soft embrace. It was just after work hours, and there were many people on the street. Their public display immediately attracted a crowd of onlookers. I couldn’t help but curl my lips in a sarcastic smile. In public, Olivia never let me get within three steps of her, only allowing me to call her “CEO Olivia.” Once, after an argument, I just wanted to make up with her. I walked closer and held her hand. She jerked away as if electrocuted and flew into a rage. She accused me of breaking our agreement to keep our marriage a secret and avoid public displays of affection. She said she wasn’t a monkey in a zoo, with no desire to show affection in front of strangers. But now, the whole company was shipping her with Ryan, and strangers were stopping to watch them, yet she showed no restraint. I swallowed the sourness rising in my throat and hailed a taxi to go home. After returning home, the warm air made me finally feel the stinging pain on my face. In the mirror, I saw my face reddened by the rose thorns, with streaks of blood. How ridiculous, like a pathetic clown. On my phone placed by the sink, a message suddenly popped up: “Jack, have you really not considered our company? We’re a Fortune 500 company with great benefits, including four days off every week. You could even be our representative in the country!” The person contacting me was the HR from the foreign company, who had repeatedly extended olive branches to me. If we weren’t collaborating, I would have blocked them long ago. In the past, I would politely say I had no such plans for now. This time, I replied: “Alright, I’ll buy a ticket for tomorrow.” Instantly, the HR kept typing: “Great! Jack, I’ll transfer you $5,000 for travel expenses right away. You must come!” Looking at the $5,000 credited to my bank account. And the glaring bank balance: $5,000.13. I covered my face and laughed out loud. Five thousand dollars. Olivia, afraid that I would slack off if I had money in hand, only paid me $500 a month. I couldn’t earn this much in a year. She also said that even married couples should keep clear accounts. The rent was $200 a month, I paid for utilities and did all the housework. If I even used a roll of her toilet paper, she would charge me $10. Yet she never mentioned how to account for the money I spent on groceries, cooking, and daily necessities. After all these years, I found myself penniless. Adjusting my mood, I walked out of the bathroom, ready to pack my luggage for the flight. When I opened the drawer, I found an old digital camera in the corner. It was a product from ten years ago. I hadn’t used it in a long time, but surprisingly, it still turned on. I imported the data into my computer and started looking through the photos one by one. This camera was bought by Olivia specially for me when we first started our business. She said she knew I liked photography and promised to buy me a better one once the company went public. During those difficult times, because we were both orphans and couldn’t get help from our parents, we only had each other to rely on and keep warm. The photos included us sharing a bowl of instant noodles, dating on the subway to enjoy the warmth, and on New Year’s Eve with fireworks outside the window, when we fought over a piece of meat that ended up falling on the floor, and she ran to the bathroom crying in frustration. All these memories seemed like they happened yesterday, yet also felt like a lifetime ago. But as time went on, there were fewer and fewer photos. The last one was from six months ago. In the photo, Olivia, wearing a professional suit, looked mature and charming, frowning as she raised her hand to block the camera. That day, our project had achieved unprecedented success, and Olivia was already planning to take the company public. As usual, I took out the camera to take a photo. But she sneered and blocked the lens: “Jack, no wonder your experiment progress has been so slow lately. You’re not focused on work, but on taking my embarrassing photos. You’re still using this trash camera? If it were me, I would have smashed it long ago.” But when Ryan took out his phone to take a selfie with Olivia, she softened her expression and posed for quite a few pictures. From that day on, this camera, which once symbolized our love, was thrown into the depths of my drawer. As my thoughts returned to the present, I moved my fingers. I permanently deleted the entire photo album, then threw the camera into the trash can. Some things were meant to be thrown away. After doing this, I printed out a divorce agreement. I sat crookedly on the sofa, waiting until 10 pm, but Olivia still hadn’t returned. Just as I was about to get up and go to my room, I felt my whole body burning hot, and I couldn’t stop coughing. Looking at the thermometer showing 102°F, I realized I probably had pneumonia. Feeling that I might need to be hospitalized, I directly took my luggage with me, saving the trouble of coming back home to pack. During the consultation, I answered the doctor’s questions in a daze. Until a clear, worried female voice sounded: “Doctor, is he alright? Please check him carefully!”

My whole body trembled, and my consciousness instantly became clearer. It was Olivia’s voice. I turned my head to look. At the door of the consultation room, Olivia was holding a CT scan in one hand and supporting Ryan with the other. Ryan, a grown man, was leaning on Olivia pathetically, whining: “Olivia, you’ve been with me all night, you must be so tired. Why don’t you rest at my place like before…” Turning his head and seeing me, Ryan looked a bit surprised. The next second, he trembled and lowered his head, hiding behind Olivia. “Jack, did you see my social media post and come here on purpose to find me? Please don’t take revenge on me…” Ryan loved to provoke me by posting on social media. On a rainy day, he would use the excuse of forgetting his umbrella to let Olivia send him home, then praise the boss for being beautiful and kind-hearted on social media. When I made achievements and Olivia wanted to reward me, he would pretend to be sick or faint, interrupting and making Olivia take him to the hospital to care for him all night. Then he’d post on social media about how caring the boss was, saying he was in love. This happened several times, to the point where I felt desperate and heartbroken. No need to guess, today, Ryan must have posted something provocative on social media again. But now, I didn’t have any desire to see that post at all. Olivia frowned and gave me a deep look. Her chest heaved violently as she turned to ask the doctor: “Doctor, the young man says he’s having trouble breathing. Can you please check him?” The doctor immediately frowned in displeasure: “Patients need to queue up too.” Olivia pointed at me with a contemptuous expression: “Doctor, you don’t know, this man is just pretending to be sick. He’s deliberately wasting medical resources!” Just as the doctor was about to speak, I stood up and said calmly: “It’s fine, let them go first.” Only then did Olivia look satisfied, eagerly handing over the CT scan. The doctor sighed helplessly, looked at it and shook his head: “Your boyfriend is fine, he just needs some rest.” Olivia asked suspiciously: “Really? But he keeps saying he can’t breathe properly and needs someone to stay with him to feel better. Plus, he hurt his knee today!” Seeing her worried expression. I knew she was just overly concerned. All the family members in the hospital were caring attentively for their loved ones. But all these years, I always came to the hospital alone, and would even be scolded by Olivia for being lazy. Feeling a tightness in my chest, I walked out of the consultation room. Soon after, Olivia came out and said gently to Ryan: “Let’s go get an X-ray of your knee to check it out.” I was about to go back to continue my consultation when Ryan suddenly lashed out: “Jack, are you still pretending? Why don’t you stop bothering the doctor?” “I know you didn’t come here just to cause trouble for me. I’m sorry, whether it’s the year-end bonus or the manager position, I’ll give them all to you, okay…” His eyes reddened as if he had suffered a great injustice. Olivia immediately frowned and grabbed my clothes, saying sternly: “Jack, Ryan has been bullied by you like this, aren’t you ashamed? Apologize to him right now!” My steps were unsteady, and I couldn’t shake off her hand, so I could only silently endure her scolding. It wasn’t until Ryan went for his examination that I sat down on a bench and let out a sigh, coughing: “CEO Olivia, if there’s nothing else, I’ll be leaving.” But Olivia grabbed my hand. Noticing the temperature was off, her fingertips trembled. Then she stepped forward and, surprisingly, stood on her tiptoes to measure my temperature with her forehead. Seeing her face getting closer, I pushed her away in shock. She clenched her fingertips and said mockingly: “What are you pretending for? You came to the hospital because you’re jealous, right? Ryan wasn’t feeling well today, so I stayed with him a bit later. Didn’t I tell you before, he’s very similar to how we used to be? I’m just making up for our past selves.” After a pause, she added coyly: “You deliberately made yourself sick to get my attention. Fine, I’ll secretly give you the year-end bonus. Just don’t make a fuss about announcing our relationship again next time.” I shook my head. What I wanted was never about the year-end bonus. Before I could say anything, Ryan came out, instantly drawing Olivia’s attention away. Watching their figures supporting each other as they walked away, they looked like a loving couple. I suddenly remembered that I had brought something important with me. Taking out that stack of papers, I called out to Olivia: “CEO Olivia, please sign this first.” Olivia frowned in displeasure: “At a time like this, you still want me to handle work matters? We’ll talk about it at the office tomorrow!” I shook my head and handed it to her again: “Just sign it, it won’t take long.” Olivia looked at Ryan waiting pitifully for her, and impatiently took the papers and pen. Just as she was about to sign, she felt something was off. She frowned and flipped to the beginning, instantly losing her voice: “Divorce—”

Feeling Ryan’s gaze, she cut off her words and became annoyed. She slapped the divorce agreement against my chest, gritting her teeth: “Jack, what more do you want? Haven’t you caused enough trouble?” Her slap made me cough even harder, but I still insisted: “CEO Olivia, please sign it. It’ll be hard to explain to Ryan later.” My words only made Olivia frown even more, and she stamped her foot. She lowered her voice and said sternly: “Explain? Explain what? I just care for him like a brother. Jack, can you stop being so unreasonably jealous? That’s enough, go home! I’m sick of seeing you.” With that, she didn’t even give me a glance and left supporting Ryan. Ryan looked at me smugly, secretly giving me a thumbs down. I didn’t say anything and returned to the consultation room. The doctor told me that I indeed had pneumonia and needed an IV drip. As the cold liquid flowed through my veins, my whole body cooled down. But my mind was clearer than ever before. If a normal divorce wouldn’t work, then I’d go for litigation. Also, I left in such a hurry today that I forgot to resign. Thinking about this, I took out my phone and directly applied for resignation through the system. Logically, since I was now just nominally a small team leader without any projects, I should be able to resign in a minute. But unexpectedly, the application was instantly rejected by Olivia. With an additional message: “Want to resign? Fine, if you have the guts, make a scene at the company tomorrow.” I couldn’t help but cough again. Early the next morning, my condition had improved significantly, and I went directly to the company. My workstation was a mess. My team members were carrying Ryan’s things, their eyes avoiding mine. Ryan smiled innocently: “I’m sorry, Jack. We knocked your things to the floor while moving. You’re not angry, are you?” Olivia was supervising and gave me a look, smiling insincerely: “Company property, certain people who want to resign have no right to be angry.” The CEO’s attitude said it all. The opportunists around immediately flattered and agreed: “Mr. Ryan, you’ve just been promoted to Vice President by CEO Olivia today. You’re Jack’s superior now. He should be apologizing to you for getting in your way!” “That’s right. Jack left work early yesterday and was late today. I think people like this should just get lost!” Ryan puffed out his chest, showing off his brand new Vice President badge. He looked me up and down and deliberately spread rumors: “Oh, Jack, you have such dark circles under your eyes, and you look so pale. Did you go clubbing at a hotel until now? You must have had quite a good time.” Olivia’s face instantly darkened, and she sneered coldly: “Some people are really bold, staying out all night and coming to work in this state. Our company really can’t keep someone like this.” How did she know I didn’t come home last night? Did she actually come home last night? I just coughed softly and took out my resignation letter, saying calmly: “CEO Olivia, please sign this. I’m in a bit of a hurry.” Olivia’s expression became increasingly unpleasant. After a long while, she smiled mockingly and raised her hand to sign. “You’re putting on quite an act. Jack, playing hard to get won’t work. Do you think the company can’t go on without you?” Throwing the pen down forcefully, she beckoned to Ryan, raising her chin at me proudly: “Ryan is a top graduate in materials science. He improved your formula in just one evening. All your team members praised his talent.” “What took you half a year, he finished in a few hours and handed it over to our partners.” “Jack, if you know what’s good for you, apologize sincerely now and swear to work hard from now on. I might reluctantly take you back as an intern.” Ryan pretended to be shy and said: “Jack, don’t worry. I’ll include your contributions when I report our work. Now we’re just waiting for the final payment from our partners, and the company can go public. If you regret it, just apologize.” It seemed that Ryan must have copied the formula I left at my workstation. But he didn’t know that while that formula looked reasonable, it couldn’t actually be put into production. They were digging their own graves by prematurely giving the wrong formula to their partners, facing impending disaster. Just then, the secretary hurriedly reported to Olivia: “CEO Olivia, people from our partner company are here. They look very anxious!” Olivia immediately brightened up, looking smug: “Looks like they’re very satisfied with our collaboration and want to increase the payment! Jack, I’ll give you one last chance to think it over.” I laughed out loud. Olivia asked suspiciously: “What are you laughing at?” Ryan covered his mouth and giggled: “Maybe Jack is so upset about not getting credit that he’s lost his mind?” I shook my head with a smile and stepped aside: “Let them tell you.” The next second, the partner rushed in and directly threw the contract on the table, saying through gritted teeth: “CEO Olivia! The formula your company provided has directly contaminated our production line. We demand a million-dollar breach of contract penalty, plus five million dollars in compensation!” Seeing the contract thrown in front of her, Olivia’s eyes widened in shock. Before she could speak, the partner’s face darkened as he took out a lawyer’s letter and slammed it in front of her. “CEO Olivia, please transfer the amount to our company account within seven days. Otherwise, we will sue directly!”

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Mom decided to remarry, and I followed her to our new family. My brother Ethan chose to stay with Grandma, eagerly waiting to inherit the massive family fortune. But Grandma only treated him like a delicate flower, never mentioning a word about the inheritance. On the other hand, under Mom’s guidance, I became a popular young actor, and my fiancée was even a well-known rich heiress. Later, Ethan was bullied and oppressed by our father’s illegitimate son, becoming paralyzed. He couldn’t accept his paralysis and was driven mad with jealousy towards me, blaming everything on me. So, he opened the gas valve, dragging me along to death. After the explosion, we both somehow returned to the day Mom was about to leave home. This time, he chose to leave with Mom, while I stared at the mansion, lost in thought: “Finally, it’s my turn to inherit this massive fortune!” Mom was a faded TV star. After Dad passed away, she decided to remarry. Grandma had made it clear early on: “You can remarry, but the children must stay.” Years ago, to marry into the wealthy family, Mom had signed a prenuptial agreement with Dad. Even after Dad’s death, she couldn’t get a penny, but Ethan and I had inheritance rights to the family fortune. For the sake of the huge fortune, Mom made a huge fuss, forcing Grandma to agree that if anyone was willing to go with her, she could take one child. She looked at Ethan and me, completely unsure who to choose. Ethan obediently walked up to her, hugging her and crying pitifully, trying hard to express his desire to go with her. “Mom, I can’t bear to be without you. I’m willing to endure any hardship as long as I’m with you!” “Please, don’t leave me behind, okay?” Mom looked at me with an overly apologetic expression, and I thought to myself: “No need for that.” In the end, Ethan held Mom’s hand as they walked out of the mansion, while I obediently stood beside Grandma. Ethan flashed me a bright smile: “Brother, living with our stepfather would mean being a guest in someone else’s home. You’d better stay with Grandma and continue being the young master of a wealthy family!” I also smiled cheerfully: “Sure thing.” Seeing me smile so happily, Ethan frowned and said: “Lucas, you won’t be smiling for long!” I smiled even more brightly. That remained to be seen! In my previous life, Ethan refused to go with Mom. I was moved by Mom’s tears and left with her. Grandma was furious and immediately kicked me out of the list of heirs. At that time, Ethan naively thought this meant he would get all the family assets. Just when Ethan was happily waiting to inherit the family fortune, Dad’s illegitimate son showed up. The paternity test results came out quickly. The illegitimate son was acknowledged by the family, started working in the company, climbed the corporate ladder step by step, and became the sole heir. Grandma passed away soon after, and the illegitimate son smoothly inherited all the family assets, while Ethan was left with nothing. To curry favor with a billionaire, the illegitimate son actively introduced Ethan to his daughter as her lover. Unfortunately, it didn’t last long. The billionaire’s son-in-law showed up with his men. In the scuffle, Ethan was beaten and left disabled by the billionaire’s son-in-law. The illegitimate son, however, magnanimously stated that Ethan was at fault to begin with, and being beaten into disability was what he deserved. To please the billionaire’s family, the illegitimate son even held a press conference, forcing Ethan to apologize to the billionaire’s son-in-law. The incident quickly trended on social media. I only learned how miserable Ethan’s life had become when I saw the news. Thinking about our blood ties, I rushed to his side overnight to support him. With my efforts, I successfully fought for a considerable compensation for him, enough for him to live comfortably for the rest of his life. I was able to do this because at that time, I was a popular young actor, and my fiancée was a well-known rich heiress. However, Ethan felt no gratitude towards me. Looking at his paralyzed legs, he couldn’t accept the reality of his disability. He believed that I had stolen his original destiny, and out of jealousy, he blamed everything on me. That night, he opened the gas valve, taking me along to death. Unexpectedly, we both came back to life, returning to the day when the wheels of fate began to turn. I watched his departing figure, laughing heartily. Ethan must have thought fate had given him a chance to start over. What he didn’t realize was that this was actually my opportunity for revenge.

I turned to Grandma, feigning innocence, and asked: “Grandma, why does Mom insist on taking Ethan? Doesn’t raising a child cost a lot of money? But Mom doesn’t even have a job, where will the money come from?” Hearing my words, Grandma stared at me deeply for a long time. She didn’t answer my question, but muttered to herself: “I didn’t expect the one who stayed would be the one who uses his brain.” After Mom took Ethan away, Grandma immediately contacted the lawyer. Ethan’s name was completely erased from the list of family estate heirs. In my previous life, Mom remarried an unknown director named Steve after taking me with her. After their marriage, I was quickly packaged as a celebrity and debuted. Although I was only seventeen, I was marketed as a sexy male star. Combined with my status as the heir of the He family, I attracted a lot of attention as soon as I debuted. With my innocent puppy face and toned body, plus excellent singing, dancing, and acting skills, I quickly grew into a popular young actor in just a few years. I had endless acting offers and so many product endorsements that I couldn’t keep up. I became the cash cow for Mom and Steve. Besides filming and attending events, I also had to participate in various dinner parties and social gatherings. There were always some creepy rich women at these parties who would say all sorts of vulgar things to me, and some would even get handsy. After the news of Ethan apologizing to the billionaire’s son-in-law at the press conference went viral, their behavior became even more outrageous. They would say things like: “Why did your grandma kick you out of the family? What shameful thing did you do to the rich family?” “Your brother could be a rich man’s boy toy, what’s stopping you? Too bad I haven’t played with rich brothers before.” “It’s just a bit more expensive than regular male celebrities. Name your price, how much to sleep with me for a night?” It was through their mouths that I learned about Ethan’s recent situation. I originally went to help him out of brotherly love, but I didn’t expect to be dragged down the path of death by him in return. As I was dying, I cursed the heavens for being blind, for my good intentions had not been rewarded. Now that I’ve come back to life, I want to apologize to the heavens for my words. Who says good intentions aren’t rewarded? Who says the heavens are blind? The heavens have excellent vision indeed! After Mom took Ethan away, just like in my previous life, he was quickly packaged as a celebrity and debuted. Perhaps because Ethan was too young, Mom arranged for him to go with a pure and innocent boy image. At his debut press conference, with his young face and wearing revealing clothes that showed off his chest muscles, his every move exuded a flirtatious aura. He said: “Although I come from a wealthy family, I really love the entertainment industry.” “I hope that through my own efforts, I can encourage boys to confidently show off their bodies.” “Grandma also supports my choice. I hope everyone will support and pay attention to me in the future!” Hmm, exactly the same lines they had prepared for me in my previous life. Thinking carefully, whether it’s a bad boy image or an inspirational boy image, these lines could work for either. It’s really a case of changing faces but keeping the same script. “He family young master debuts” and “Breaking clothing shame” quickly became trending topics. Ethan’s debut press conference received extremely high attention. I smirked while holding my phone, then turned and walked towards Grandma’s room. Grandma was old and had little contact with the online world, so she naturally wouldn’t know what kind of farce Ethan had staged. The people below her wouldn’t dare to tell her about this kind of news either. In my previous life, when Grandma found out that I had become a male star with a sexy image, she was furious. But by that time, I had already made a name for myself in the entertainment industry and had considerable commercial value. I also had a very professional PR team around me. With their help, even when Grandma issued a statement claiming to sever ties with me, I was able to counter it effortlessly. Grandma was portrayed as an unreasonable and old-fashioned rich old lady, while I became the brave grandson who refused to bow down for the sake of his dreams. Plus, when Mom jumped out to say how many rules Grandma had and how difficult she was to get along with, how she kicked us out and stripped me of my inheritance rights, so I had to work hard to earn money to support the family, etc., deliberately creating a disadvantaged position to gain sympathy from netizens. Under the guidance of the PR team, I became the epitome of the “poor little rich boy”, and my popularity soared even higher, making my image even more relatable. But now, Ethan had just debuted and absolutely couldn’t withstand Grandma’s heavy blow.

However, Grandma calmly watched Ethan’s debut press conference without even furrowing her brow. I waited for a long time but didn’t see any reaction from Grandma. I could only bite the bullet and cautiously opened my mouth: “Grandma, Ethan is still a grandson of our He family after all. We can’t just watch him ruin himself like this, can we?” But Grandma replied tepidly: “That’s his own business. He chose his own path, so he has to walk it. It’s none of your concern.” Seeing that I couldn’t provoke Grandma’s anger, I could only change direction to express my concern: “But Ethan said you support him, and your support means the He Group supports him. Some netizens have already posted saying our company has poor values.” “They even said that companies like this should be boycotted. Nowadays, netizens are really powerful. A little wind and grass movement can make a century-old enterprise collapse in an instant.” I even gave Grandma several examples, all typical cases of “success and failure by the same token”. Grandma glanced at me and casually instructed me to handle this matter. In her eyes, I seemed to see a hint of approval. I quickly issued a personal statement from the chairman in the company’s name, first stating my opposition to Ethan’s debut. It pointed out that at his young age, he should focus on studying well, and shouldn’t lie about the family elders supporting his activities in the entertainment industry. Then it hinted that Ethan was brainwashed by Mom to go down the sexy route. He was too young and lacked the ability to discern, hoping he would return to the He family soon and focus on his studies. Finally, it stated that if he really liked the performing arts, the family would support him to pursue an artistic path, apply to art schools, and would also be willing to provide opportunities during winter and summer vacations. This statement quickly gained support from netizens, mainly because Ethan’s image was problematic. Ethan was only fifteen years old, going for a pure and seductive boy image – there must be something wrong with his head! It wasn’t difficult to find several provocative and suggestive photos among the ones he released. Even if it was tied to the name of breaking clothing shame, those few photos taken out separately still gave people a very inappropriate feeling. The reborn Ethan, hindered by his miserable ending in the previous life, naturally wouldn’t return to the He family because of a statement. After failing to call Ethan back, Grandma (I) was extremely disappointed and angrily denounced Mom online for taking Ethan away with ulterior motives. And what these motives were, everyone could guess without saying – naturally Ethan’s inheritance rights. So, to force Mom to let go, and also to get Ethan back to school, with Grandma’s consent, I continued to use her name to reluctantly announce the revocation of Ethan’s inheritance rights. Everything fell into place naturally. How could any netizen not say Grandma had good intentions? As high as Ethan’s popularity was when he debuted, now there were just as many netizens who thought he was digging his own grave. Just like that, he became a problematic youth in the eyes of netizens. When people mentioned Ethan, they would only say: “Oh, that ungrateful rich young master.” Ethan’s image instantly changed from a brave and thoughtful rich young master to a rebellious youth with a not-so-clear mind. Debuting with such big controversy, many people who originally wanted to cooperate with him stepped back, deciding to wait and see. The saying goes, “the first push is vigorous, the second is weak, and the third fails.” This applies in any field. His debut’s first fire burned in a mess under my interference, but that was far from enough. I used the company’s PR department to send the topic “Can underage male stars go the sexy route” to the trending list, creating public opinion and attracting the attention of relevant departments. Two days later, Ethan was directly banned by the authorities, with the reason being promoting incorrect values and bringing bad influence to society. Mom and Steve’s plans hadn’t even sprouted before I nipped them in the bud. Grandma didn’t intervene throughout, just observing. I was a bit nervous, not knowing if she would blame me for not considering brotherly affection. Grandma didn’t express any opinion, but instructed me to intern in the company’s PR department. She said: “Work hard, if there’s anything you don’t understand, come back and ask me.”

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Mandy Gu’s young kept man contacted me out of the blue. “We’ve been on 100 dates in total. She initiated 68 of them, and I asked her out 24 times.” “Oh, and 8 times were at your place.” … I knew him. He was a minor character in Mandy’s new drama. I remember the first time I saw him on set, I knew. This 18-year-old boy looked exactly like Mandy’s first love from years ago. She still couldn’t forget him. “You’re just a personal assistant with a measly $300 monthly salary.” “You can’t satisfy her needs. I can satisfy everything.” With a click, the call ended. After standing there stunned for a long time, I put out my cigarette. Then I edited a text message and hit send. [Sis, I agree to the arranged marriage.] That night, Mandy’s young kept man called me. His sickeningly sweet voice made me nauseous. “Ethan, I’ll call you ‘bro’ one last time.” “You know what? I just got out of Mandy’s trailer.” “Just now, we used up the hundredth one.” My hand holding the cigarette trembled, ashes falling onto the leather sofa, burning a small black hole. “And then?” The other end of the line seemed startled by my feigned calmness, sounding a bit dissatisfied. “Mandy doesn’t love you at all!” “To tell you the truth, the set was on break today, but she stayed behind to be with me.” I couldn’t help but laugh. Are young people these days always so blunt? After taking a deep drag of my cigarette, I replied. “I’ve been by her side for ten years. You’re not the first man to appear in her life.” An angry voice came from the other end of the phone. “Mandy is an A-list actress. You’re just her personal assistant with a $300 salary. Do you think you two are a match?” “You can’t satisfy her needs. I can satisfy everything!” “Both in bed and in the entertainment circle!” I smirked. Turning my head, I looked at the twelve dishes laid out on the table. They had long gone cold. Each one was made by me, all Mandy’s favorites. An hour ago, Mandy called to say she had to work late at the set and wouldn’t be coming home. An hour later, her kept man called to gloat. No wonder everyone else on the crew got time off except the two of them who were “working overtime.” No wonder her voice sounded a bit breathless on the phone earlier. I lit another cigarette, exhaling smoke. “Anything else interesting? Go on.” My attitude angered the person on the other end of the line. “Ethan, let me tell you the truth!” “Last month when you had a gastric ulcer emergency, she was with me when you called her. I told her not to go.” “On your birthday six months ago, she didn’t come back because she was out of town with me at a hot spring.” “Don’t forget, there was also that incident three years ago…” … Beep beep beep. My brows furrowed as I hung up the phone, my chest aching uncontrollably. She even told him about the incident from three years ago. And during all those moments when I was struggling alone, Mandy was cuddling and flirting in someone else’s arms. I couldn’t help but laugh bitterly. A first love is indeed a first love. Even with just a slight resemblance, it could make Mandy willingly give her all. Without realizing it, the ashtray was full. Three years ago, Mandy accidentally got pregnant with my child. But we weren’t married. Although I had been her boyfriend for many years, I always claimed to be her personal assistant to the outside world, living and eating with her. Because Mandy was still waiting for her first love who had gone abroad years ago. She refused to marry for Lucas Lu’s sake, so naturally, she wouldn’t keep a child with me either. Three years ago, Mandy went to the hospital for an abortion without discussing it with me. “My child can only be Lucas’s. This is non-negotiable and doesn’t require your consent.” “Remember your place, Ethan. You’re just my personal assistant. Don’t foolishly think you can tie me down with a child.” Around the same time, this young kept man joined the crew. His name was Alex Liu. The moment I saw him, I knew. He looked very much like Lucas Lu. Very much like that childhood sweetheart of Mandy’s.

Originally, Alex was just an extra. But Mandy insisted on signing him, bringing him into every production she was in. She even gave him a stage name, Alex Lu. Over the years, Mandy had many men around her, coming and going too many to count. But besides me, he lasted the longest. Because he really looked too much like Lucas. Like that sunny, tall Lucas who had gone abroad and never been heard from again. How could she not like him? I stood up and cleared the ashtray. With a beep, my phone received a message. “Have you considered it? This arranged marriage would benefit both our families.” “Little Ethan, you’ve been drifting outside for that actress for so long. It’s time to come home.” I paused, looking back at the house I had shared with Mandy for years. Empty and cold. Yes, indeed there was nothing worth staying for anymore. I let out a sigh, opened my phone, typed a line and hit send. “Sis, I’ve broken up.” “I’ll attend the engagement party as scheduled next week.” I turned off my phone and tossed it into the bathtub behind me. The surface was covered with red rose petals, scattered as the phone fell in. Red roses were Mandy’s favorite. If she knew I had thrown my phone in there, she would definitely be angry. But what did it matter? In a week, everything would be over. Ten years ago today, I met Mandy. I had been orphaned since birth, but fortunately, I had a fabulously wealthy CEO sister. She had me receive an elite education from a young age. As the sole heir to the Zhou Group, my sister secretly groomed me for my safety. Ten years ago, I skipped grades and was admitted to the top finance program at a prestigious university in the country. That’s when I met Mandy. She was my senior, three years older than me. After starting university, it was my first time interacting with people outside the family. Mandy provided me with a lot of help and encouragement, making me quickly let my guard down. On my eighteenth birthday, my sister was busy with an international conference and had no time for my birthday. From childhood, I had always been taught that birthdays were meaningless, that it didn’t matter whether they were celebrated or not. But that night, for the first time, someone celebrated my birthday. It was also the first time someone taught me the meaning of birthdays. It was very late that day, and it was pouring rain. Somehow Mandy found me, holding an umbrella, with a cake in her hand. The usually elegant and intellectual Mandy had messy hair, runs in her stockings, and was soaking wet, looking completely disheveled. But when she found me, the first thing she said was, “Ethan, are you cold?” In that instant, I completely let down all my defenses. Not long after, we naturally got together, and she took me to meet her friends. When her friends saw me, they exchanged glances. “Mandy, this guy doesn’t look anything like Lucas Lu.” “Have you moved on?” At that time, I didn’t know who this Lucas Lu was that they were talking about. Every time I wanted to ask, Mandy would interrupt me. “It’s nothing, just a friend.” “I’ve forgotten all about him.” But later, as I gradually became more involved in Mandy’s life, I discovered that this man called Lucas Lu was actually Mandy’s first love. Although Mandy said she had forgotten him, traces of him were everywhere in her life. From the small photo she always kept in her wallet, To the fact that every boyfriend she had besides me looked very much like Lucas Lu. Even her choice to become a celebrity was so Lucas Lu would see her. She lied to me, and to herself. She had never forgotten Lucas Lu from the very beginning. But I still held onto hope. To make Mandy completely let go of him, to marry her and have children and live an ordinary life, I forced myself to ignore all of this. For a full ten years. I accompanied Mandy from being unknown to becoming the lead actress in hit dramas. After graduation, I gave up inheriting the family business to become her personal assistant, earning a pitiful monthly salary. $300, not even enough to buy what I used to in the past. But in these ten years, Mandy never agreed to my proposals. She even had an abortion without discussing it with me. “I will never marry you, give up that idea.” “If you’re willing, you can always stay by my side as my personal assistant.” Lucas Lu was her bottom line, not to be touched by anyone. Naturally, that included me. Countless times in the middle of the night, when she was sound asleep, she would mutter “Lucas, Brother Lucas.” And when she woke up and saw it was me, her eyes were full of disappointment and loneliness. “…Oh, it’s you.” Then Mandy would always sigh softly and bury her face in my arms, coyly saying with her head down, “Ethan, I’m hungry.” And I would always remain silent for a long time. Looking at her face that had become thinner and thinner for the camera, I would get up and light a cigarette. “What do you want to eat?”

Mandy didn’t come home until the next afternoon. I was lying in bed when the sound of the door closing woke me from a nightmare. In the dream was the child Mandy and I never had. Mandy took off her coat and collapsed into my arms reeking of alcohol, no longer resembling the A-list actress she was. “I’m home.” I didn’t want to talk, not even looking at her. “Ethan, why aren’t you responding to me?” She tried to kiss me like before, but I dodged it. Mandy instantly became angry. “Ethan, don’t go too far. What are you sulking about!” As she finished speaking, her eyes caught sight of the twelve dishes on the table. Each one was her favorite. Mandy thought I was upset because she didn’t come home last night, so she approached me again, trying to control her temper. “Ethan, we had to work overtime at the set last night. I didn’t want to either.” “Let’s heat up the food and have a meal together, okay?” Mandy had always been a clean freak. Every time she finished work, she would shower first thing before coming home. But this time, her body carried the scent of an unfamiliar cologne. I no longer felt hurt by this, just utterly exhausted mentally and physically. “Mandy.” “Hm?” “Let’s break up.” Mandy froze for a second, sitting up straight. In the dim room, I couldn’t see her face clearly, but I could hear her extremely impatient sigh. “Ethan, what are you going crazy about now?” “You’re not a kid anymore, always throwing tantrums.” Mandy turned over, lighting a cigarette. “Hah, break up?” “With your $300 monthly salary, which woman besides me would be blind enough to like you?” “Who would marry a man with no car, no house? Are you being childish?” My body stiffened. If I hadn’t met her, I wouldn’t be earning a $300 monthly salary, but would be sitting on the Zhou Group empire. For her sake, I had given up almost everything that was within my grasp. But in the end, all of this became the sharp knife she used to stab me. “Mandy.” Looking at that face I had once loved deeply, I couldn’t help but ask. “If one day I suddenly disappeared and married someone else, you…” “Enough! Ethan, are you done with this nonsense?!” Mandy irritably interrupted me. She threw the bedside lamp onto the floor, her tone full of impatience. “Marriage, marriage, all you ever talk about is marriage!” “I’ve been so busy lately, and when I come home I have to see your gloomy face. Isn’t it annoying?!” “I don’t have the energy to play house with you!” Mandy took a deep breath, putting out her cigarette, her tone softening slightly. “Stop making a fuss, okay? Next week, come with me to see my parents.” “Don’t misunderstand.” “They’ve been pressuring me about marriage. Help me deal with it.” My eyes suddenly stung. I really didn’t know what I had been hoping for. The person Mandy wanted to marry had always, always been only Lucas Lu. Just then, her phone rang. Seeing the name “Alex Lu” on the screen, Mandy’s furrowed brows instantly relaxed. She turned her back to me, her voice becoming cute, like a girl in the throes of young love. I had to admit, this kept man really knew how to make her happy. “Hello.” Alex’s voice came through, but I couldn’t make out what he said. After a few exchanges, Mandy’s expression suddenly turned worried. “What happened to you?” “Don’t worry, I’m coming over right now.” Mandy hurriedly put on her coat, ready to leave. Looking at her back, I couldn’t help but laugh, “A colleague?” “Mm-hmm.” “Mandy, do you think I’m an idiot?” “He called earlier today.” Mandy’s movement of putting on her high heels suddenly stopped. Although I couldn’t see clearly, I guessed her expression must have turned very ugly. “What did he tell you?” I had always been in the habit of recording calls. I scrolled through my phone’s memory and played those few minutes of the conversation for her. Mandy’s brows furrowed. She just glanced at it and continued walking out. “Don’t blame him, he’s just childish.” “Don’t worry, I’ll be back later.” “He’s hurt, I should go check on him.” I laughed coldly. “Fine, you don’t need to come back after you leave.” “Next week…” “Enough, Ethan.” She interrupted me again, her beautiful eyes full of impatience. “You’re not a kid anymore, can’t you understand? After all these years, I just realized how annoying you can be.” “If anyone’s leaving, it should be you. Who are you trying to scare?” “Don’t forget this house was bought with my money. You’ve been the parasite all along.” With that, Mandy slammed the door and left. I didn’t try to stop her, just closed my eyes completely. In the darkness, I muttered to myself. “Mandy, I’m getting engaged next week. I’ll send you an invitation.” ———-This is the cutoff point———-

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After losing his job, my husband Ethan insisted on franchising a trendy bubble tea shop. I refused, saying our daughter Lily had leukemia and urgently needed money for treatment. To my shock, he immediately went and took out a high-interest loan, sneering at me: “I don’t believe she’ll die tomorrow.” “The bubble tea shop will make over $10,000 a day. In just two months, we can cure any disease!” A few months after opening, Ethan was raking in money. He sent countless large red envelopes to relatives who fawned over him, but wouldn’t spend a penny on our sick daughter, believing she was blocking his path to wealth. When his business was booming, he asked me for a divorce, saying, “If you hadn’t always held me back, I would have made it big five years ago. You were born to bring bad luck to your husband!” Without tears or fuss, I signed the divorce papers and left with our daughter, taking nothing else. On the day of the Consumer Protection Program, the trendy bubble tea was exposed for using a “deadly formula,” and my ex-husband was taken away for investigation on the spot. In court, he cried that he was wronged, “I was just a franchisee, I knew nothing!” But what he didn’t know was that I was the undercover reporter who took down the trendy bubble tea brand, and I had the purchase order for the “deadly ingredients” with his personal signature.

“You short-sighted woman! You’re only fit to be a coward all your life!” Jack slammed his chopsticks onto the table, pointing at me as he yelled. “Tom has made it crystal clear. An initial investment of $50,000, and we’ll break even in just three months!” “This is a guaranteed money-maker. If I wasn’t his cousin, he wouldn’t have let me in on such an amazing opportunity!” I tried to reason with him anxiously, “Jack, you’ve just lost your job. The severance pay is only $10,000, nowhere near $50,000.” “Besides, countless bubble tea shops have gone bust in recent years. How can it be a sure thing?” “Emma is still in the hospital. We need money for her treatment. I don’t agree with you joining this bubble tea franchise!” Seeing my refusal, Jack swept all the dishes off the table in a fit of rage. “When I married you, you were so down-to-earth. When did you become such a money-grubber?” “Yes, I lost my job, but that’s because the manager felt threatened by me and bribed other colleagues to give me low scores! If it wasn’t for him, I’d have been promoted by now, with my salary doubled!” “I don’t have enough money on hand, but if we mortgage the house, won’t that be enough?” Our daughter had leukemia and needed money for treatment, yet he not only called me greedy but also wanted to mortgage the house. I felt my heart sink to the bottom. “The franchise fee is $30,000, equipment costs $10,000, and rent plus renovation is another $10,000. If the bubble tea shop doesn’t do well, all this money will go down the drain!” I tried to make him see reason. “We absolutely cannot mortgage the house. If Emma’s condition worsens, this will be our last lifeline!” Jack let out a cold laugh, “My shop hasn’t even opened yet, and you’re already cursing it. You really can’t stand to see me do well, can you? Afraid I’ll earn more than you!” “She’s already cost us over a hundred grand, and she’s still not better. Isn’t that money down the drain too?” His words stabbed at my heart. After having our daughter, I became a full-time housewife. He never missed a chance to remind me that I didn’t earn a penny and only knew how to spend. But the truth was, before we got married, both the house and car were bought outright with my salary. He was the one who moved in with just his bags. Back then, he proudly boasted to all our relatives, “My Olivia is beautiful and capable. Marrying her is the greatest fortune of my life.” But since I quit my job, all his gentleness and consideration vanished, replaced by tyranny and bullying. I had endured all of this, wanting only for our daughter to have a complete family. However, I never imagined he would think the money spent on our daughter’s treatment was a waste. Jack’s face turned red with anger, “Let me tell you, Olivia, I’ve researched this brand thoroughly. It’s the newest trending franchise in our city.” “They use only pure tea and milk for their bubble tea. From 3-year-old kids to 80-year-old seniors, everyone can drink it. How can a bubble tea that appeals to all ages not be successful?” “Stop trying to stop me. Tom said he’d help me run it. I’m definitely joining this franchise!” With that, he stormed out, slamming the door behind him. Not long after, he posted on SnapChat: “All in!” The image was a loan contract. In our family group chat, messages kept popping up. Tom complained, “Sister-in-law, you’re just too timid. You don’t have my brother’s guts. You’ll never make money like this!” I couldn’t help but send a message, “All I know is that right now, my daughter needs money to save her life!” Jack’s reply came quickly, “I don’t believe she’ll die tomorrow.” “The bubble tea shop will make over $10,000 a day. In just two months, we can cure any disease!” The relatives in the group chat chimed in, each supporting Jack, implying between the lines that I was overbearing and didn’t know how to support my husband. My in-laws even sent a voice message, cursing our daughter as a debt collector, not only causing her father to lose his job but also draining the family’s money for treatment. Looking at my daughter lying pale-faced in the hospital room, I couldn’t bear to read these heartless words anymore and turned off my phone. Since you’d rather take out a high-interest loan to open a bubble tea shop, I won’t try to persuade you anymore!

The bubble tea shop Jack franchised opened in just a month. He deliberately chose a location near an elementary school. Every day at dismissal time, students would rush into the shop to buy bubble tea. Because of the promotional slogans plastered all over the store, parents paid without hesitation. With low prices and claims of using only pure tea and milk, the shop’s turnover reached $500,000 in just a month of operation, with Jack guaranteed to pocket at least $100,000. At the celebration dinner, Jack proudly announced to the whole family that his business venture was a success, and he planned to become the city’s largest bubble tea franchisee in the future. My mother-in-law excitedly said, “I’ve always said that Jack was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. He was destined to be a big boss!” My father-in-law chimed in, “That’s right, Jack was never meant to be someone’s employee!” Jack smiled smugly, then looked at me with disdain, “It’s a pity some people don’t think so!” “People can’t earn money beyond their comprehension. She’s destined to be a poor wage earner, without any vision. All she knows is to cling to her measly earnings!” The relatives present all knew who he was referring to and looked at me scornfully, their eyes full of contempt as they sized me up from head to toe. Although I had long known they didn’t like me, I couldn’t help feeling hurt. “Now that it’s open, you need to manage it well. If…” I hadn’t finished speaking when I was interrupted. “There are no ‘ifs’! I can see you’re just jealous that I can make money!” Jack glared at me fiercely, “Your mouth never has anything good to say!” Being scolded in front of so many relatives, my heart turned cold. Tom stepped in to smooth things over. He took out his phone to show Jack, “Brother, this is my bank statement for one month.” “See? I didn’t lie to you! Opening a bubble tea shop is quick money!” Jack’s eyes widened, “How is your monthly turnover four times mine?” Tom smiled smugly, “I’ve opened three more bubble tea shops, and they’re all doing just as well. Of course I’m earning more!” “Let me give you some advice as your brother, the earlier you get in, the more you earn. Once others rent out all the good locations, you’ll only have regrets!” Jack furrowed his brow, deep in thought for a while. Then his eyes grew increasingly feverish, “You’re right, the earlier in, the more we earn. I’m going to open another shop!” “That’s more like it.” Tom smiled as he poured him a drink. Jack hadn’t even recouped his initial investment, and the high-interest loan wasn’t paid off, yet he was already thinking about a second shop. I felt uneasy. “This is too risky. If business isn’t good, with compound interest, the debt will keep growing. It’s better to pay off the loan first.” “When you’ve saved up enough capital for a second shop, then open one. There’s no rush!” As soon as I finished speaking, my mother-in-law splashed her red wine all over me. She angrily said, “When men are discussing important matters, you have no right to butt in!” “Didn’t you hear what Tom said? It’s guaranteed profit!” Jack looked at my disheveled state, his eyes devoid of any warmth. “I’ve already decided, and it’s not up to you to object!” “I’m the head of this family. You rely on me to support you, so you have no right to criticize me.” “Get out now. You’re not welcome in this family!” I looked at him in disbelief. I had merely advised him to consider carefully, yet he trampled on my dignity in front of everyone. My heart ached to the point of suffocation. I resolved never to ask him another word about the bubble tea shop. Over the next few days, I watched coldly as he sweet-talked relatives into giving him more money and franchised a second shop.

The hospital told me that Emma’s chances of recovery were high if she underwent a bone marrow transplant. Hearing this news, I was overjoyed. But the bone marrow transplant surgery required a large sum of money, and I had long since exhausted my savings from earlier years, leaving me in dire financial straits. Just as I was at a loss, my phone screen kept lighting up with notifications. When I opened them, I found that Jack was sending out red envelopes in the family group chat. He sent out over a dozen red envelopes, each containing $500. In just a few minutes, he had given away $5,000 or $6,000. The relatives in the group kept complimenting him, praising his generosity. Everyone was saying how generous and kind-hearted Boss Jack was, calling him the most successful person in the Lin family of this generation. But all I knew was that he was Emma’s father, and he should have stepped up when Emma needed money for medical treatment! I returned home from the hospital to find Jack already drunk. When I told him the news that Emma could be cured after surgery, he showed not a hint of joy, his expression very irritated. “When I wanted to join the bubble tea franchise, you didn’t give me a penny. Now that I’ve earned some money, you’re after it. I won’t give you a cent!” “I’ve opened another bubble tea shop and invested a lot of money. I don’t have any cash on hand now. You figure it out yourself!” I looked at him in disbelief. Emma’s surgery would cost only $150,000, much cheaper than opening a bubble tea shop. He had money to open another shop but was unwilling to pay for his own daughter’s treatment. Did he deserve to be a father? Disappointed, I left and called my best friend to borrow money. After learning about Emma’s situation, my friend transferred $100,000 to me without hesitation. She apologized, “That’s all I have on hand. Try to borrow more from others. Don’t delay Emma’s treatment.” With a mortgage and a child to raise, it was already a big deal for her to lend me $100,000. I felt deeply touched. For the remaining $50,000, I had no choice but to borrow from my parents. They had already given me a lot of money when Emma first fell ill. Having to ask them again made me feel very awkward. But my parents didn’t hesitate for a second and transferred the money right away. They even told me not to scrimp and save, and to take care of myself. I felt both moved and guilty. With this hard-earned money, I sent Emma into the operating room. But as I waited anxiously, my best friend called me. “I saw Jack with a woman inspecting the bubble tea shop. He even had the staff address her as the boss’s wife. The woman had a big belly, looked like she was pregnant!” “Jack said he was preparing to open his sixth branch, and then he wants to open even more, to dominate the bubble tea market in our city.” “Olivia, he has enough money to open a sixth store, his liquid assets must be at least a million dollars. He definitely lied to you when he said he had no money!” I gripped my phone tightly, feeling a surge of grief and anger. Not just because of his betrayal, but also because of his disregard for our daughter. Since you’re so heartless, I won’t show you any mercy! ———-This is the breakpoint———-

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I was kidnapped along with my wife’s first love. But my wife only paid the ransom to save her first love. When I used my last chance to call my wife for help, she impatiently blocked me, “Just die if you want to die! I gave you $500,000 already, how can there be such a greedy person like you!” She thought this kidnapping was staged by me. Just to get her attention. Later, the kidnappers became enraged and stabbed me to death. After death, I didn’t directly embark on the journey to heaven or hell, but instead floated back to Wendy’s side. She was anxiously waiting outside the hospital room. When the doctor walked out, Wendy immediately rushed up, grabbed the doctor’s hand and asked, “Doctor, how is Zach?” The doctor said calmly, “The patient is in shock and not in a good mental state. We’ve treated the wounds on his body, there’s no danger.” Wendy let out a sigh of relief after hearing this and muttered to herself, “Thank goodness Zach is okay, heaven really has eyes.” As her husband, I leaned against the wall watching this scene. I thought I wouldn’t have any feelings after death. But now my heart felt like it was being stabbed by a knife, painfully. Zach only received a shock, yet Wendy was so worried she dropped everything to stay by his side. But when I was in the hands of the kidnappers, she didn’t care at all, as if my life and death were trivial matters. I smiled bitterly as the last memories before my death flooded back into my mind. After being beaten by the kidnappers for several days, there wasn’t a single good spot left on my body. Seeing me on the verge of death, the kidnappers impatiently threw me a phone, letting me call Wendy, my wife. As soon as the call connected, Wendy’s impatient voice instantly came through: “Are you done yet, Charlie? What trick are you trying to pull now?” I begged her for help: “Wendy, I’m not pulling any tricks… Save me, I’m about to die…” Before I could finish, Wendy laughed coldly on the other end of the phone: “I gave you $500,000 already, isn’t that enough? How can there be such a greedy person like you?” “Weren’t you kidnapped? Fine, tell them I won’t give them a single cent, let alone $500,000!” “If they want to kill you, go ahead! You selfish bastard, it’s better if you die!” With that, she hung up the phone without giving me a chance to explain. I called back in disbelief, only to hear the blocked number tone echoing through the room. The kidnappers beside me saw her attitude and became furious, kicking me hard: “Isn’t she your wife? Why doesn’t she care if you live or die? Damn, you made us waste our efforts!” Realizing there was no hope for my ransom, they suddenly swarmed me, punching and kicking harder than before. Finally, after days of torture and no food, my already weak body couldn’t hold on any longer. After a few more blows, I coughed up blood. The skinny man beside me was startled and stammered to the kidnapper boss: “Boss… if we keep beating him he’s going to die…” The kidnapper boss looked at me with disdain: “So what if he dies, no one cares about him anyway, no one will give a damn if he’s dead!” I felt only desolation in my heart as my vision gradually darkened. The despair and fear of impending death instantly filled my mind. I reached out my hand into the air. Wanting to grasp something, but in the end it fell limply. On the verge of death, I thought of all I had given to Wendy over the years. From the moment I met her until I closed my eyes, it was all one-sided giving on my part, while Wendy was always on the receiving end. Actually, from the very beginning, it wasn’t worth it. With regret and unwillingness, I closed my eyes forever.

After entering the hospital room, Wendy’s first sight was of Zach trembling in the corner. She immediately rushed over and carefully embraced Zach, as if protecting a priceless treasure. Zach looked up at Wendy shakily and said, “Sister Wendy, I’m so scared, those kidnappers were so terrifying…” Seeing him like this, Wendy’s eyes reddened. She held him tightly and said, “Don’t be afraid, Zach. I’m here with you, no one will dare touch you.” How ridiculous. I was her lawful husband. But in her eyes, I probably mattered less than a stranger she met on the street. I remembered once when I caught Wendy and Zach being intimate in the office, I angrily rushed in to confront Wendy. Unexpectedly, Wendy slapped me directly and looked at me with disgust: “Can’t you be less narrow-minded? Your heart is filthy, so you think everyone else is filthy too!” Those words were like shards of a shattered glass bottle, deeply embedded in my heart. Whenever I recalled them, they were always accompanied by a dull ache. Zach nodded while sighing, not feeling there was anything wrong with lying in another man’s wife’s arms. He said with a pale face: “How’s Charlie? Wasn’t he kidnapped too? Has he come back?” Hearing her mention my name, Wendy’s expression instantly became visibly annoyed. She said with disgust: “What does it matter to me if he comes back or not? That beast deserves to die out there!” “He even dared to kidnap you. It’s because I’ve been too lenient with him time and time again, letting him forget his place!” “If he really died, that would be great. One less burden, my life would be so much easier.” Seeing her frowning expression and these cold words, I felt as if I had fallen into an icy pit, my whole body numb. I was an orphan, discriminated against by others since childhood. It was Wendy who appeared and rescued me from being bullied. She promised to protect me for life, and I believed her. I wanted to give her my heart. But after Zach appeared, everything changed. She started to get tired of me, started staying out all night. Leaving me alone at home waiting from dusk till dawn. Every time I brought up not wanting to be left alone, she would impatiently push me away saying: “Haven’t you had enough of your pity party? I’m busy, don’t bother me.” After that, I learned to keep my mouth shut. Hearing Wendy’s loving words, a flash of smugness passed through Zach’s eyes, but he quickly feigned concern again: “It’s not Charlie’s fault, it’s all my fault for making Charlie jealous and doing these things…” He was deliberately provoking Wendy, gauging her attitude. Sure enough, Wendy’s face grew increasingly unpleasant. She gritted her teeth and said fiercely: “Using these despicable tactics will only make me despise him more!” After saying that, she stood up with a face full of tenderness and poured Zach a cup of hot water, placing it in his hands: “Your main task now is to recover. With me by your side, you have nothing to fear.” She then picked up the phone Zach had tossed on the pillow and opened the WeChat message list. Since the kidnapping drama began, I hadn’t sent her a single message. In the past, I would send a dozen messages a day. Looking at the message column dated to last week, a fire of anger rose in her heart. She was certain I must be safe and sound, not sending messages was just another ploy to play hard to get. She didn’t want to find me. After scrolling through the phone for a while, she turned off the screen and tossed it aside again. Zach saw her little action and said pitifully: “Charlie still hasn’t messaged you? Should I apologize to him and promise not to get in his way anymore?” Wendy immediately flew into a rage: “You’re just too kind-hearted! We shouldn’t care whether that kind of person lives or dies!” “Besides, I’ve already been tolerating his harassment of you every few days. Now he even dares to set his sights on you, arranging this kidnapping.” “What right does a viper like him have to make you apologize? He should come kneel down and beg for your forgiveness!” As she said these words, the disgust and contempt on her face were undisguised. It was like the sharpest sword piercing my heart. A flash of joy passed through Zach’s eyes. Wendy hating me so much now was exactly what he wanted. But he still pretended to be troubled: “Don’t fight with Charlie because of me…” Wendy’s face was expressionless: “Don’t worry about him. He’s the one who wronged you. That kind of person doesn’t deserve a second glance from me!” With that, she picked up the porridge she had bought and started feeding it to Zach spoonful by spoonful. Watching this intimate scene between the two, I tightly closed my eyes, not wanting to look anymore.

To help Zach get over the trauma of being kidnapped, Wendy eagerly took him on a trip as soon as his mental state improved slightly. Watching them take photos together and play around at various scenic spots, my heart felt like it was being tightly squeezed by a large hand, unable to breathe. I had begged Wendy many times in the past to go on a trip together, even if just for one day. But she was always either busy with work today or had a business trip tomorrow. Each time she would impatiently tell me: “Why do you have so many annoying habits? When do I have time to accompany you? The company has so much business, which isn’t more important than you?” So I never brought it up again. But now, to accompany Zach, Wendy had specially taken several days off from the company, pushing aside all her tasks. I finally understood. It wasn’t that Wendy didn’t have time. It was just that in her heart, I wasn’t even worth one ten-thousandth of Zach. I followed the two of them like this, watching their sweet moments together as if they were a married couple every minute of every day. After all these years, it was like I was meeting her for the first time. On the way back, Zach fiddled with the photos in his hand, suddenly asking with red eyes: “Sister Wendy… if Charlie finds out we went out to play together, will he kidnap me again?” Zach seemed to have some deep grudge against me, not forgetting to bring me up even at this time. Sure enough, Wendy’s face instantly turned from smiling brightly to stormy. She raged: “He wouldn’t dare! Don’t worry, just stay by my side. I’d like to see how he could do anything to you!” Zach’s face immediately lit up with a bright smile: “Sister Wendy, you’re so good to me…” Looking at the sweet couple, my heart could no longer stir any waves. Perhaps it was because I was dead, or perhaps after being by her and Zach’s side for so long, I finally understood. She had never liked me. It was all just my wishful thinking. Why did I bother deluding myself? Just then, for some reason, Wendy became very agitated. She kept taking out her phone to look at it. I suppose she had gotten used to my attentive care and concern, and felt uncomfortable not receiving any harassing messages from me for so long. I’m sure she’ll be freer from now on, at least without me, this annoying lapdog, getting in her way. “Sister Wendy, what’s wrong?” Zach noticed Wendy’s change and purposely asked. Wendy shook her head, “It’s nothing. I just wanted to see if Charlie had repented these past few days and sent a message to apologize to you.” “Looks like I gave him too much face.” Wendy glared coldly, taking her phone out and putting it back several times. In the end, she still opened my phone number and called me. Unfortunately, dead people can’t answer phone calls. After calling three or four times with no answer, Wendy’s patience finally reached its limit. She laughed coldly and blocked me, “Since you don’t want to answer, don’t ever call again!” Zach said softly: “Is Charlie deliberately trying to get your attention? Or is he jealous of me and doesn’t want to talk to you…” Wendy gritted her teeth: “He still hasn’t had enough of these boring tricks! Why can’t he learn a thing or two from you!” I listened to the two of them complaining about me with disgust, letting out a bitter laugh. They still thought I was playing games. Wendy, what would you think if you found out I was dead?

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “296000”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #现实主义Realistic #重生Reborn #浪漫Romance #励志Inspiring #惊悚Thriller