Category: English

In my past life, my sister was adopted by a wealthy family, while I was taken in by a cleaner. It turned out the rich family was embroiled in fierce internal power struggles. Their parents were cold, and the brother was a bully. In the end, my sister left with nothing. My home, however, was warm and harmonious. The wealthy young master even fell for me, the poor but pure-hearted girl. Everything unfolded just like a romantic movie. My sister, consumed by hatred, killed me, and we both returned to the day we were adopted. This time, she threw herself into the cleaner’s arms first: “Sister, this time, the teen movie lead is mine.” But she didn’t know that the lead became the lead not because of her background. My sister and I were reborn, back to the day we were to be adopted from the orphanage. Two families stood in Director Hayes’s office: the Sterlings and the Finches. All three members of the Sterling family were impeccably dressed. The man wore a tailored suit, the woman was dripping with diamonds. Their only son, Julian Sterling, wore a high school uniform, but his feet were shod in limited-edition, global-release sneakers. This was the city’s most prominent Sterling family. Mr. Sterling was a business magnate, his enterprises contributing the largest tax revenue to the city. Mrs. Sterling was a socialite, frequently seen at jewelry auctions and charity galas, rubbing shoulders with A-list celebrities. Their son, Julian Sterling, was known as the city’s golden boy. In contrast, the Finch family next to them looked rough. The man and woman’s hands were covered in the marks of manual labor. Their clothes were probably their best, but still showed unwashed sweat stains. According to Director Hayes, both husband and wife worked at the city’s top high school; the husband was a janitor, and the wife was a cleaner. In my previous life, my sister, Seraphina, had unhesitatingly chosen the Sterlings. Yet, in this moment, almost as if afraid to be late, she dove into the cleaner’s embrace: “Mom, please take me! I want to be your daughter!” “From now on, my name is Seraphina Finch!” Amidst my sister’s excited cries, I walked towards the Sterling family. And so, the choices were made, and we were taken away by our respective families. As I left the orphanage, I heard Director Hayes murmuring to herself in confusion: “Strange, Seraphina has always been fiercely competitive, always wanting to be on top. Before, with other potential adopters, if they were plainly dressed, she wouldn’t even glance at them.” “This time, the real wealthy family came, but why did she refuse them?” Director Hayes didn’t understand. But I did.

In the last life, my sister went to great lengths to be adopted by the Sterlings first, becoming Seraphina Sterling. She believed a princess-like life awaited her. Not to mention Julian Sterling, the city’s golden boy, becoming her brother. After all, a wealthy young master and an adopted daughter — that was the most common pairing in romantic novels. Living under the same roof, it was easy for feelings to develop over time. However, Seraphina never expected that Julian would not only show no hint of a gentle older brother, but on the contrary, he detested her: “I hate opportunistic people the most in this life. Don’t think I can’t see through you, you manipulative little schemer. All you want is our family’s money, isn’t it?” At home, Julian bullied Seraphina. At school, he brought a group of followers and tormented her. Even if Mr. and Mrs. Sterling knew, they would at most reprimand him half-heartedly. They had no affection for Seraphina. They adopted her only because a fortune teller told Mr. Sterling that adopting a daughter would bring him great fortune for the next decade. Between an adopted daughter and their biological son, the Sterlings naturally favored their son. While Julian bullied Seraphina, he was incredibly kind to me, who had been adopted by the Finch family. He saw me receiving scholarships, always ranking first in exams, attending school during the day, and helping my adoptive mother clean at night. I lived a tough life but never complained. “Anya Finch, that girl, she’s really something.” Just like in a teen drama, the rebellious rich boy fell for the resilient, poor but pure-hearted girl. Later, when Mr. and Mrs. Sterling passed away and the inheritance was being divided, Julian, with his team of lawyers, completely outmaneuvered Seraphina, leaving her with nothing. She walked away empty-handed, without a single penny of the family fortune. Months later, Julian married me. He even openly declared at the wedding, “Anya Finch, from now on, what’s mine is yours.” Unfortunately, I never got to enjoy Julian’s wealth either. Because a few days later, Seraphina, driven to desperate madness, ran me over with her car. Reborn into this life, my sister unhesitatingly chose the Finch family. Though there was no immense wealth, there was also no scheming or infighting. She could enjoy her parents’ complete love and grow up in a happy family. And because of this background, she would be pitied and protected by the rich young master, eventually getting a fairy tale wedding of the century. She smiled at me, saying: “Sister, this time, the romantic drama lead is mine to play.” “And you, you should taste everything I went through.”

Seraphina’s prediction wasn’t wrong. In fact, Julian’s bullying came even earlier than in the previous life. At school, my head was shoved into a sink, surrounded by the mocking laughter of a group of boys. Just as I was about to run out of breath, someone grabbed my neck and pulled me up. Julian looked at me with a smirk: “You want my family’s money? Fine.” “Drink all the water from the toilet. Drink one gulp and I’ll give you ten thousand. How about it?” His followers cheered, excited. I looked at Julian. This person, who had gently declared his love for me in the previous life, was now unrestrainedly unleashing his malice upon me. But Julian wasn’t looking at me. His gaze swept past me, looking behind me. I knew Seraphina Finch was there, bending over to scrub the floor. “Isn’t that Seraphina Finch?” “Why is she still scrubbing the floor?” One of his followers told Julian, “Seraphina’s mom is the school cleaner, you know. She goes to school during the day, but at night, she has to help her mom with work.” A flicker of shock, then a hint of pity, crossed Julian’s eyes. He called out loudly to Seraphina, “Hey! It’s so cold, stop scrubbing. Nobody’s checking anyway.” Seraphina straightened up, her black hair cascading over her shoulders, a stubborn expression on her delicate face. She shook her head, “I can’t.” “If someone comes to check and finds the floor isn’t clean, Mom will have a hundred dollars deducted from her pay.” “I know a hundred dollars is nothing to a rich kid like you, but for my family, it’s a week’s worth of groceries.” With that, Seraphina bent down and continued scrubbing the floor. Honestly, Seraphina’s intentions were obvious. With so much floor, she specifically chose to scrub in front of Julian. She even deliberately let her hair down and found the right angle to present herself in the most beautiful way. Too bad for her, Julian fell for it completely. Sure enough, Julian walked over, gently helped Seraphina up, snatched the rag from her hand, and tossed it to his followers: “You guys, help her scrub the rest of the floor.” He glanced at Seraphina’s red, frozen hands, then, after a moment’s thought, draped his jacket over her shoulders: “It’s too late. How are you getting home later?” “I’ll bike.” “You’re biking in this freezing weather?” Julian was shocked, then said without room for argument, “Go wait downstairs. I’ll have my driver take you home.” Seraphina left, shielded by Julian. As she walked away, she didn’t forget to discreetly glance back, giving a mocking smile to my disheveled self. A moment later, everyone dispersed, leaving only me by the sink. Struggling to get to my feet, I used my sleeve to wipe the water dripping from my hair. “Use this.” A cool, clear voice sounded from behind me. I turned my head. It was Hazel, our class representative. She was a quiet girl, very diligent in her studies, always wearing long sleeves regardless of the season. In my previous life, she had also helped Seraphina when she was bullied. She offered Seraphina a towel and advised her to expose Julian’s bullying. But Seraphina slapped her hand away: “What do you know? He’s my brother!” At that time, Seraphina was still dreaming of making Julian fall in love with her. So later, Hazel stopped bothering with her and continued her silent, solitary existence. Even later, just before graduation, Hazel took her own life. It was then we learned her family was incredibly poor. Her grandmother had been bedridden for years, and her father was a gambler who not only regularly abused her but also tried to sell her to pay off debts. Now, she stood beside me, a clean towel in her hand. I paused, then took it. She said nothing more, turning to leave. She probably felt there was nothing to say to a rich girl like me. Just as her back was about to disappear, I suddenly spoke: “Hazel!” Her steps halted. I scratched my head, “Uh, listen, I just transferred, and I don’t know my way around yet.” “Where’s the cafeteria? Can you take me there?”

On the cafeteria table were four dishes and a soup. Braised pork ribs, steamed minced meat with egg, Coca-Cola chicken wings, stir-fried greens, and clam and winter melon soup. It truly was the best high school in the city; their cafeteria food was always something to be proud of. I scratched my head again, “Ah, I accidentally ordered too much.” “Waste is shameful, and you haven’t had dinner yet, have you? Want to eat with me?” Hazel was silent for a moment, then finally picked up her forks and began to eat in small bites. I looked at her wrist, peeking out from her school uniform sleeve, so thin it looked fragile. Honestly, girls like Hazel were the ones who truly needed help. But they weren’t pretty, they didn’t cry out in pain, so they would only become barren weeds in the memories of youth, not even qualifying to be the lead in a romantic drama. This life, I wouldn’t just save myself; I would save her too. My mind made up, I spoke: “Ugh, conic sections are just so hard, I completely don’t get them.” “Hazel, you’re so good at studying, why don’t you tutor me?” Hazel, with a piece of braised pork rib in her mouth, looked utterly shocked, as if to say, “Are we even that close?” I didn’t give her a chance to refuse. I wrapped an arm around her shoulders cheerfully, “It’s decided then! I’ll pay you for tutoring!”

I gave a portion of my allowance to Hazel, calling it “pre-paid tutoring fees.” She stared at the hundred dollar bills in the envelope, too stunned to speak. In both my past and present lives, the Sterling family never skimped on their adopted daughter’s basic necessities, living expenses, or allowance. But what was pocket change for Julian was enough for Hazel to buy medicine for her grandmother and pay hospital fees. She could even rent a small apartment off-campus, away from her abusive father. After arranging a tutoring time with Hazel for the next day, I returned home. The luxurious villa was empty. Mr. Sterling was out on business, and Mrs. Sterling was at the beauty salon. As for Julian, he was probably having dinner at the Finch’s house right now. In my previous life, Julian had the driver drop me off at home, and when my adoptive parents, the Finches, saw him, they enthusiastically invited him to stay for dinner. Then, just like a standard scene in a romantic drama, one dinner allowed the young master, who had grown up in the cold, opulent world of a wealthy family, to experience the strong family warmth of a modest home. The simple smiles always on the Finch parents’ faces. The cramped, rundown but lively room. All these made Julian yearn for their life, and he grew even fonder of the pure-hearted, struggling girl from such a family. At this moment, even though he and Seraphina were eating simple, unadorned food, they were probably both very happy. I slowly put on my Hermès bathrobe, washed my face with Chanel cleanser, and ate a bowl of rock sugar bird’s nest soup brought by the housekeeper, a cold smile playing on my lips. No one knew that the Finch couple, though poor, were not simple-hearted. The couple favored sons over daughters and had originally wanted to adopt a boy. But there were no non-disabled boys in the orphanage, so they settled for a beautiful daughter, hoping she’d attract a promising son-in-law someday. When they saw Julian dropping their daughter off, the couple’s blood must have boiled with excitement. They immediately “captured” this potential high-flying prospect for a son-in-law and treated him lavishly. The so-called warmth, the so-called lively atmosphere, it was all just an act. After all, to impress a young master from a wealthy family, these were the only things they had to offer. And in my previous life, when I told them I didn’t want to marry Julian, my adoptive mother locked me in my room, and my adoptive father beat me half to death with a table leg and a belt. Seraphina thought this life she had entered paradise, but she didn’t know there was no true paradise in this world. The Sterling home was a rich hell, and the Finch home was a poor hell. And who could crawl out of hell alive, that depended on one’s own capabilities.

In the days that followed, Julian’s malice intensified. The lunch prepared by the housekeeper, when I opened the lunchbox, was filled with thumbtacks. My facial cleanser and toothpaste would have dead spiders squeezed into them. My dresses in the closet were covered in cigarette burns. And every time I was startled and looked up, I’d meet Julian’s malicious grin. He mouthed to me: *Anya Sterling, you deserve it.* Julian thought I would cry. But I calmly poured out the thumbtacks, threw the spiders into the trash, and folded the damaged dresses neatly away. Julian’s smile vanished. He stared at me, almost gritting his teeth as he said, “Let’s see how long you can keep up this act.” … Fortunately, this time, although I had to endure Julian’s malice, the Sterling family’s resources were entirely at my disposal. I no longer had to spend my days at school and my evenings helping my adoptive mother work. Instead, a housekeeper took care of me, a driver picked me up and dropped me off, and I only needed to focus on my studies. In my previous life, to buy extra study materials, I had to save money for a long time, and still had to worry about my adoptive father taking my money to buy alcohol and gamble. Now, my closet was filled with designer dresses, and my jewelry box held Van Cleef & Arpels and Cartier pieces, all casually given by Mrs. Sterling, requiring no money from me. In addition, at the beginning of each month, I received fifty thousand dollars in cash allowance and a credit card with a hundred thousand dollar limit. If I spent it all, I only needed to tell the butler, and new funds would be transferred to the card within half an hour. And the difficult life I had experienced in the past now completely fell upon Seraphina. I saw her sleeping through classes, utterly exhausted from helping her adoptive mother with work at night. Gradually, she stopped doing homework and started submitting blank test papers. In my past life, I lived on black coffee, and when I was truly exhausted, I’d prick myself with a pen to stay awake, studying with all my might. But Seraphina had lived a life of pampering and comfort in her previous life; she lacked that drive and perseverance. Not to mention, she didn’t care about her studies. In her view, becoming the Sterling heir’s fiancée was far more valuable than getting into any top-tier university. So, Seraphina focused all her energy on making Julian like her more. She didn’t listen in math class, instead secretly writing a diary meant only for Julian. She skipped dance rehearsals, sneaking out of school to drive around and stargaze with Julian. The result was, on the eve of the dance showcase… She sat outside the rehearsal room, crying. I assume Seraphina had specifically studied how romantic drama leads cry: gazing up at the sky at a forty-five-degree angle, tears welling in her eyes, stubbornly refusing to fall. And then, Julian happened to pass by and saw her. The moment Julian asked what was wrong, Seraphina’s long-suppressed tears finally spilled over. She threw herself into Julian’s arms and burst into sobs: “Julian, I lost my spot on stage.” “All the girls in the class are performing, but Anya wouldn’t let me participate…” Julian already hated me to the core, and hearing this, he immediately flared up: “Why?” Seraphina bit her lip, trying desperately to stop crying, but still couldn’t help but whimper: “She said my mom is just a cleaner, and my dad is just a janitor.” “She said I couldn’t even afford a costume, and didn’t deserve to be on stage.” Julian’s face grew uglier and uglier. He looked at Seraphina, who was gasping for breath from crying, and whispered, “It’s just a costume, isn’t it? I’ll buy it for you.” Seraphina shook her head, radiating the righteous aura of a pure-hearted, struggling girl: “No, one costs eight hundred dollars. I can’t accept such an expensive gift from you.” Julian was absolutely furious and heartbroken: “How dare Anya Sterling do that?” He blurted out in anger. Seraphina, teary-eyed, shook her head: “She is your sister, after all, the Sterling heiress.” “Several buildings in the school were donated by your family, and your father is an honorary school board member. Even if the teachers know she bullies, what can they do…” Seraphina didn’t notice that at that moment, a reporter conducting interviews at the school happened to pass behind her. Peeking his head in, the reporter, like a shark smelling blood, sensitively asked: “Bullying? What bullying?”

Things suddenly escalated like that. In the school’s largest conference room, a crowd of people stood silently. The principal, vice principal, dean of students, and homeroom teacher. Reporters from various news agencies. Both the Sterling and Finch parents were present. Mr. and Mrs. Finch stood in a corner of the conference room, protecting a tear-streaked Seraphina, their faces filled with grievance and indignation. Mr. and Mrs. Sterling had initially received the call and heard it was about me, and they hadn’t wanted to come. It wasn’t until they heard that even the newly appointed Director of the Education Board had arrived that they rushed over. The city’s top high school was a prime example for the Education Board. Mr. Sterling and the Director of the Education Board clearly had a past acquaintance. As soon as he entered, Mr. Sterling went to the Director’s side and smoothly began: “Such a small matter, it even disturbed Director Miller.” “Actually, it’s just children having a spat…” But Director Miller was very principled and completely unmoved: “Mr. Sterling, bullying is never a small matter.” “I know Anya Sterling is your daughter, but to me, all children are students, they are saplings. I cannot stand by and watch them grow crooked.” With words spoken to that extent, Mr. Sterling could say no more, only offering a smile: “Yes, yes, we are also unclear what happened. Please investigate thoroughly.” Returning to Mrs. Sterling’s side, the two exchanged a silent glance. I understood. If my bullying was truly confirmed, the Sterling family would immediately abandon me, their adopted daughter for whom they felt no affection, and completely cut ties with me. If Mr. and Mrs. Sterling’s attitude was already like this, what about Julian… He stood beside the constantly sobbing Seraphina, softly comforting her, occasionally raising his dark eyes to give me a cold glance. Seeing that everyone had arrived, the principal spoke, asking Seraphina: “Seraphina, please tell us what happened.” Seraphina raised her red, tear-filled eyes and quietly repeated what she had told Julian. The reporters were already indignant. One person quickly said: “Our preliminary investigation shows that Anya Sterling and Seraphina Finch were once friends from the same orphanage, even calling each other sisters.” “Later, Anya Sterling was adopted by the Sterling Group, while Seraphina Finch’s adoptive parents were just ordinary school employees.” “Anya Sterling, just because you entered a wealthy family, does that mean you can bully your former friend and steal opportunities that originally belonged to her?” A heavy silence fell. All the reporters’ eyes were on me, and the red lights of the cameras flickered incessantly. No one wanted to miss out on a sensational scoop. After all, this was a very sensitive social issue – in an era where social strata were gradually solidifying, if children from wealthy families continued to steal educational resources that originally belonged to impoverished children, blocking their path upwards, it could provoke considerable public outrage. Not to mention the protagonists of the news story were me and Seraphina, a dramatic contrast. In the pin-drop silent office, I suddenly let out a small laugh, the sound surprisingly abrupt. All the reporters exchanged confused glances. “Esteemed reporter, I read in a book that news professionals need to cross-verify and fact-check all information they receive.” “Why? Are you now skipping work steps just to rush out a sensational news story?” Immediately, the reporter’s face turned beet red. I stood up and pointed coldly at Seraphina: “Right now, she is the only source of information. Everything is just her side of the story.” I looked at Seraphina, whose face was pale from crying. I did once consider you my sister. But in the past life, you killed me out of jealousy. In this life, you climb by framing me. So if I destroy you, it’s your own doing. “Since the esteemed reporter is asking me now, I’ll tell you what I know.” “Seraphina is jealous of me. She feels that even though we both started the same, and she’s even prettier and smarter than me, why do I now live a better life than her?” “Out of jealousy and hatred, she fabricated this story to frame me.” At these words, Julian immediately retorted: “But…” He wanted to say that Seraphina had actively chosen the poor Finch family. Therefore, she couldn’t be someone who only cared about wealth, and my explanation was clearly twisting the facts. But before he could finish, the principal’s office door was suddenly flung open. Standing outside was a thin figure, with short hair, silent, like an inconspicuous weed. Our homeroom teacher recognized her: “Hazel? What are you doing here?” In the previous life, Hazel had already taken her own life by this time. But in this life, she was alive. Step by step, Hazel walked in and stood beside me. She said softly, “I’m here to testify.”

She entered so abruptly that the reporters were momentarily stunned. Someone asked, “Student, are you here to testify that Anya Sterling bullied Seraphina Finch?” After all, judging by her appearance, Hazel was clearly not from a wealthy family. At a glance, she seemed more like Seraphina. Hazel looked at the person who asked the question and shook her head. She said, “I’m here to testify *for* Anya Sterling.” I looked at Hazel in surprise. To be honest, I had prepared a lot for today’s confrontation. But Hazel was not a witness I had planned for. After all, we weren’t really that close. The last time I gave her money, she looked up the current market rates for tutoring, calculated it based on an hour a day, and then returned all the excess money to me. She taught me math for one hour every day, then promptly packed her bag and left, like some perfectly programmed AI robot. In my previous life, Hazel had jumped from a building right before college entrance exams. All her hopes were pinned on getting into a good university and earning money quickly to treat her grandmother’s illness. But a month before the exams, her father lost money gambling, drank a few bottles of rotgut alcohol, came home, and gave Hazel the worst beating of her life. Hazel’s right hand was broken. It was her writing hand. No one knew what else Hazel’s father did that day, or what else the bruised and battered Hazel endured. When people found her again, this perpetually silent girl had already jumped from the rooftop. In this life, even though Hazel and I hadn’t become close friends, I still wanted to save her. So, I paid two thugs to beat Hazel’s father into the hospital. That way, at least until the college entrance exams were over, that man wouldn’t be able to abuse her. To meticulously plan this, I had, for the first time, missed an evening study session. When I returned, Hazel, who was in charge of attendance records, caught me red-handed. She asked me, “Why did you skip evening study?” I scratched my head, desperately trying to think of an excuse. After all, I looked perfectly healthy, no sickness or injury, so I couldn’t exactly tell her, “Skipped class to beat up your dad.” Just then, Hazel was called out by the reception teacher: “Hazel, you have a call.” It was news about Hazel’s father. Five minutes later, Hazel returned, her face still bland and expressionless. She picked up the attendance sheet again, then put it down. “I won’t mark it this time,” she said calmly. “Don’t be absent again.” At that time, I breathed a sigh of relief and scurried back to my seat to study. Now, as Hazel used that same calm tone to say, “I’m here to testify for Anya Sterling.” It was then I realized that perhaps she knew. Facing the gazes of everyone in the room, Hazel pulled out a stack of forms and placed them on the table. Seraphina’s face instantly turned ashen. To enter the dance studio for rehearsal, according to school regulations, one had to fill out a form: what time the room was borrowed, who used it—everything was on the form. But this rule wasn’t strictly enforced, and filling it out was a hassle, so later, almost no one bothered; they just notified the dance teacher and went. No one expected that Hazel meticulously filled out the form every single time and kept all the records. So, under everyone’s watchful eyes, they could clearly see that out of over thirty forms, Seraphina’s name appeared in the “Users of the Classroom” section on only two. Meaning, out of more than thirty rehearsals, she had only attended twice. Hazel saw that everyone had clearly seen the forms, and then she slowly began to speak: “Seraphina said that Anya Sterling mocked her for not being able to afford a costume, and that’s why she wouldn’t let her on stage.” “But when I told Anya Sterling I couldn’t afford a costume and didn’t want to participate, she told me to continue rehearsing.” “The next day, I found out she had bought costumes for everyone.” “Seraphina also said that Anya Sterling bullied her because her father is a janitor and her mother is a cleaner.” “But my father doesn’t even have a proper job. My whole family relies on my grandmother’s meager pension.” Hazel looked at me: “If you bully poor people, why didn’t you bully me?” This kind of self-deprecating confession stunned everyone present. In the silence, I sighed, took out my phone, and played a video on speaker. In this video, everyone could see Seraphina missing beats, forgetting moves, and falling behind. Among everyone, she was clearly the worst. Well, after all, during previous rehearsals, she had been out stargazing with Julian. Actually, Seraphina hadn’t really wanted to participate in this showcase, but seeing that I had dropped her, she went to Julian to twist the truth and play the victim, making Julian like her more and hate me more. She hadn’t expected the matter to escalate so much, nor that I would have such complete human and material evidence. “Originally, I shouldn’t have taken the liberty of dropping Seraphina.” “However, this dance showcase offers special admission points, and two girls in our group are specialty students who are relying on these points for college admission.” “If I still let Seraphina participate, it would jeopardize the future of those two girls. Therefore, I had no choice but to make this decision.”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “297397”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #浪漫Romance #现实主义Realistic

In my past life, my sister forced me to marry an ugly, poor thug. Ten years later, that thug became a billionaire stock market genius, and I enjoyed a life of luxury alongside him. After being reborn, my sister rushed to grab the thug’s hand first, determined to marry him at all costs. But she didn’t know. I was the real stock market genius. Her man knew nothing – he was just a puppet I put on display. 0 I regained consciousness in the dim equipment room of the school gym. In front of me was Zack Shaw, my husband from my past life. He had torn open my clothes and pressed his face against my neck. I felt weak all over. Through the chaos, I struggled to realize that time had reversed – I was back to when I was 17 years old. Back to the day my sister Yvonne Quinn drugged me. Just as Zack was about to completely rip off my clothes, the door of the equipment room suddenly burst open from the outside. Someone rushed in. It was Yvonne. She looked like she had sprinted here, her hair matted to her face with sweat. Without bothering to fix her appearance, she threw herself at Zack and hugged him tightly. “Zack! Don’t be with her, you’re mine!” I suddenly understood. Yvonne had been reborn along with me. In my past life, Yvonne had a crush on the most popular boy in school, but he wrote me a love letter instead. Yvonne went mad with jealousy. She drugged me and forced me to marry Zack Shaw, the worst delinquent in the whole school. But over a decade later, Zack became a billionaire investment tycoon known as “The Wolf of Wall Street”. As his wife, I lived a life of luxury, carrying rare Hermès handbags and driving a $700,000 Rolls-Royce. Everyone envied me. They said: “Olivia really married well.” “Back when Zack was down on his luck, Olivia had the foresight to see his potential. Now it’s time for her to enjoy the good life!” Meanwhile, Yvonne’s rich husband had gone bankrupt and become a deadbeat chased by debt collectors. He would even suck up to Zack: “Brother-in-law, you’re the Wolf of Wall Street, right? I’m such a big fan! Could you give me some investment tips?” Every time Yvonne looked at me, her eyes were filled with barely concealed jealousy and deep regret. Sure enough, at a family gathering, after Zack said he was going to the restroom, I saw Yvonne follow him from the corner. In the hallway, I hid in the shadows and heard my sister’s drunken sobs through the thin door. “Zack, you liked me back then!” Yvonne threw her arms around Zack, trying to kiss him. Zack inhaled sharply and shoved her away. He said stiffly: “That was over a decade ago.” Yvonne fell to the ground but still cried out desperately: “Don’t you remember? You used to bring me breakfast every day, take me out on your bike, say I was your goddess forever, that you’d do anything I asked… Zack, you were supposed to be mine!” Zack didn’t respond. He straightened his clothes that Yvonne had messed up and hurried out the door. His expression was like he was fleeing from a plague to be avoided at all costs. Yvonne lost all hope and slumped dejectedly on the cold bathroom floor. I pushed open the bathroom door and looked down at her coldly. “Don’t sit there like that. People who know will think you failed to seduce your brother-in-law. Those who don’t might think you’re filming some angsty teen drama.” Yvonne jerked her head up to look at me, her eyes full of hatred. “Why you, Olivia Quinn? “How are you better than me? Why did you get to marry into wealth?” I coldly shook off her hand. “Sis, get it straight – I ended up with Zack because of you. “Now that you see Zack’s made it big, you regret it? Too bad, it’s too late.” My sister glared at me fiercely. After a moment, she shook her head and laughed viciously. “Olivia, you’re wrong. It’s not too late at all.” 0

At the time, I didn’t understand what she meant by those words. But now, looking at my 17-year-old body, I understood. Yvonne must have activated some kind of system that allowed her to be reborn, bringing me back in time with her. With a second chance at life, she wanted to win back the man who should have been hers. Now, in the equipment room, Zack was panting heavily. He looked at me: “I…” Yvonne forcefully turned Zack’s head, making him look at her instead of me. “Zack, I love you,” she said. She leaned in and kissed him. I struggled to my feet and stumbled out. Thank heavens. Thank you, Yvonne. I never dreamed I’d get a chance to relive my life and escape this nightmare. In my past life, Yvonne had drugged both Zack and me, locking us in the equipment room. Then she brought our parents and neighbors to catch us in the act. The neighbors witnessed Zack and me in a compromising position. My parents felt utterly humiliated and decided no other man would want me, so they forced me to marry Zack. When I refused, they imprisoned me at home, denying me food and water, beating me daily. Yvonne would cry and plead: “Little sister, just marry Zack. Otherwise, to save the family’s reputation, they’ll have to beat you to death.” In the end, on the brink of death, I was forced to marry Zack. Later, even with all our wealth, this incident remained a lifelong trauma. Now, I had finally escaped that shadow! 0

At dinner that night, Yvonne came home. As soon as she walked in, she eagerly announced that she was going to marry Zack. When our parents heard this, they nearly dropped their chopsticks in shock. “Yvonne, why on earth would you do that? “Zack has been held back so many times, he’s in his 20s and still retaking high school. How could he be good enough for you?” Yvonne shook her head firmly. “Dad, Mom, I promise you, Zack may be down on his luck now, but he’ll be hugely successful in the future!” Our parents couldn’t believe it and tried even harder to dissuade her. Mom even started crying. Finally, Yvonne got fed up and shouted: “It doesn’t matter if you try to stop me, I’m already Zack’s woman.” Our parents were stunned. Seeing their shocked and despairing expressions, Yvonne calmly smiled. She sat down next to them, affectionately putting her arms around their shoulders to comfort them: “Mom, Dad, you have to trust your daughter. “Remember when I told Dad not to do business with Uncle Liu, and told Mom not to go to that clinic on the east side? Now it turns out Uncle Liu ran off with the money, and that shady clinic had a medical accident. “You see, everything I say comes true – don’t you remember the fortune teller said I was born under a lucky star?” After Yvonne finished speaking, our parents’ expressions softened considerably. She pressed on: “So you should trust my judgment about men too. Zack has incredible financial luck. In the future, our whole family will benefit.” Mom was the first to be swayed: “Really?” Yvonne smiled. “Of course.” Dad was also gradually convinced by Yvonne’s confidence. He even started worrying in advance: “If Zack becomes successful, will he mistreat you?” Yvonne laughed lightly. “He won’t. Zack is clearly the doting husband type.” She must have been thinking of our past life. After Zack’s identity as the Wolf of Wall Street was revealed, countless young beauties threw themselves at him. But he always kept his eyes straight ahead, treating me, his original wife, better and better. He’d open car doors for me, serve me food at meals, and never dared to disobey me. Meanwhile, although Yvonne’s rich husband was drowning in debt, it didn’t stop him from openly ogling pretty young girls on the street. The contrast made Yvonne green with envy. Now, listening to Yvonne sing Zack’s praises to our parents, I kept my head down and focused on eating, pretending not to hear. But even though I didn’t want to engage with Yvonne, she insisted on getting my attention. That night, Yvonne pushed open the door to my room. She stared at me as I concentrated on my homework, a cold smirk on her face. “Olivia Quinn, don’t think I don’t know what you’re up to – acting all quiet on the surface, but inside you’re scheming how to steal Zack back. Am I right?” How should I put this… My sister’s mindset was so small, I was almost embarrassed to admit we came from the same mother. But I was happy to let her misunderstand. Let Zack occupy all her attention – that way, she wouldn’t compete with me for what really mattered. As Yvonne spoke, she walked over and grabbed my chin, forcing me to look at the mirror beside us. “I advise you not to waste your energy. Look at yourself – how could you possibly compete with me?” The mirror showed a skinny, dark-skinned girl wearing thick-framed glasses and an old, baggy school uniform. Next to her stood Yvonne with her fair, porcelain skin, silky black hair, and trendy new dress – the kind of stunning beauty that turned heads wherever she went. I did look less refined than Yvonne. Plus, our parents favored her, giving her the best food and clothes, which made me look even more malnourished and sickly in comparison. “Look at yourself. You really think any guy would like you?” Yvonne kept taunting me relentlessly by my ear, as if venting all the frustrations she’d suffered in her past life. “Zack was originally my loyal puppy. He only married you last time because he couldn’t have me. “This time, I won’t give you the chance. “I’ll marry him as soon as I’m old enough. Then when he becomes the Wolf of Wall Street, half of his fortune will be mine!” Yvonne’s eyes gleamed as she said this. Indeed, at his peak, the Wolf of Wall Street had billions in assets. Getting half in a divorce would be enough to live in luxury and date young studs for the rest of her life. I twirled the pen in my hand, keeping my head lowered. Yvonne thought I was crushed by her words. But in reality, I was lowering my head to hide my smile. My dear sister, I quite enjoy your contempt for me. It’s precisely because of this deeply ingrained contempt that even if you were reborn a million times, you’d never guess – I was the real Wolf of Wall Street. Yes, I was the one who built an empire from scratch through wisdom, courage and luck. I first made a fortune in the stock market, then invested heavily in Bitcoin at the perfect time, achieving true financial freedom. Since my username on investment forums was “qwertyu” – just random keys I’d hit on the keyboard – people called me the “Q God”. So many were curious about Q God’s true identity. I knew I couldn’t hide behind the scenes forever. So I pushed Zack out as my front man, making him my puppet. Or rather, my scapegoat. After all, our world of high finance was full of dramatic ups and downs. The nouveau riche became targets of universal envy, while the suddenly destitute attracted desperate characters. Over those years, Zack was kidnapped three times and violently beaten by enemies four times. When he came back with me to visit relatives, he had just been beaten up, with a broken rib. That’s why when Yvonne hugged him, he not only gasped in pain but immediately pushed her away. But even though he bore all the attacks as the public face, Zack absolutely didn’t dare reveal the truth. He couldn’t afford to offend me. As a puppet, he could at least enjoy the glory. Without me, he truly would be nothing. Now, looking at the clueless Yvonne, I gave a sincere smile. “Sister,” I said softly, “I wish you and Zack a lifetime of happiness.” Go ahead and tie yourself to him. Meanwhile, I’ll focus on acing my college entrance exams, saving money, going to university in Beijing, and leaving this family behind forever. 0

I sincerely hoped Zack would stay with Yvonne. However, after school, Zack cornered me. He rode his bike in front of me and whistled crudely: “Olivia, looking pretty today. Where are you off to all dressed up?” I stepped back, feeling disgusted. I knew Zack’s true nature all too well. He was a complete scumbag through and through. In the world of scumbags, the one they couldn’t have was always the most enticing. In my past life, that person was my sister. Now it had become me. Gritting my teeth, I tried to dodge around him: “I’m going to work. Get out of my way.” I’d recently started a part-time job as a cashier at a supermarket, wanting to save up some capital for myself. The boss was very kind. Seeing me in an ill-fitting school uniform with pants that were too short, he even gave me some of his daughter’s clothes to wear. The light blue cardigan and white skirt made me look much prettier than usual. But now it had attracted Zack’s attention. He leered at me, moving closer. “Work? I’ve got a job for you right here. Want to try it?” As he spoke, he tried to press his body against mine. Fighting back nausea, I silently reached into my bag, gripping the scissors I kept for self-defense. But before I could pull out the scissors, a figure rushed out from the side. She shoved me away hard, planting herself protectively in front of Zack: “Olivia Quinn, what are you doing rubbing up on Zack?” Her voice was loud as she pointed her finger in my face: “You’re trying to seduce your own sister’s fiancé. Have you no shame?” Zack stood off to the side, rubbing his nose and playing along: “I was just riding by and happened to run into Olivia. She wouldn’t let me leave.” Hearing this, Yvonne became even more enraged. “Olivia Quinn, you just won’t give up, will you? Have you looked in a mirror? How could you possibly be good enough for Zack? “I’m marrying Zack in this life no matter what. If you dare try to seduce him again, I swear I’ll have Mom and Dad sell you off to the mountains!” With that, Yvonne grabbed Zack’s hand and stormed off. But clearly, she was still uneasy. That night when I got home, I found my room had been ransacked. The metal box where I kept my savings had been found and was lying open in the middle of the room. Inside had been the wages I’d saved from my supermarket job. Now the box was empty, and Yvonne was holding the cash in her hand. Yvonne looked at me smugly, waving the bills in one hand while pointing at my nose with the other, her long nails nearly scratching my face. “So this is Olivia Quinn’s secret stash. “She’s always out and about these days, turns out she’s been sleeping with the supermarket boss for money. “I saw the boss give her cash with my own eyes, and even buy her new clothes.” Yvonne gestured at the cardigan and skirt I was wearing, her lip curled in disgust. “Tsk tsk, now everyone probably knows our family has produced a homewrecker.” Before I could say anything, my father rushed over, his face dark with anger, and slapped me hard across the face. My mother cried nearby, complaining: “The fortune teller said this girl would bring bad luck from the start. I took so many abortion pills but just couldn’t get rid of her. Now look, she’s completely ruined our family’s reputation…” My parents were always like this. They unconditionally favored my sister. Yvonne could do no wrong in their eyes. Meanwhile, I had been labeled an ill-fated child by a master even as a fetus. Not long after I was born, my father’s business went bankrupt. So everything I did was wrong in their eyes. Now, my father confiscated all the money I had saved and started whipping me with his belt. Yvonne’s lips curved in a triumphant smile, but her voice took on a tearful tone as she stood to the side, fanning the flames. “Olivia, don’t blame Dad for hitting you so hard. “If he doesn’t teach you a harsh lesson, you’ll never learn. “Girls need to value themselves. Please don’t ever try to earn that kind of dirty money again.” Finally, I passed out from the intense pain. When I woke up, I was lying in the yard. My parents had taken Yvonne out shopping. Yvonne was getting engaged soon, so they wanted to buy her a nice dress. Meanwhile, I had lost all my savings and didn’t even have medicine for my injuries. I struggled to my feet and stumbled out of the yard. The neighboring yard belonged to my cousin. Only my cousin’s wife Wendy was outside doing laundry. She was startled to see me so weak I could barely speak. “Olivia? My goodness, what happened to you?” Wendy dropped the clothes and came over to help me up, her hand coming away bloody. “Wait here, I’ll get you some medicine.” I lay on the empty ground in the yard, looking up at the sky. The moon was bright, but there were always dark corners of the world it couldn’t reach. Wendy was applying medicine to my wounds. “How could your parents be so cruel? No matter what, you’re still their own daughter…” Wendy wiped away tears. She was a kindhearted person with a difficult life. Barely literate, she had to quit school in third grade to help with housework and care for her younger brother. Later, her father sold her to my cousin to raise money for her brother’s bride price. Now she was tenderly treating my wounds, while I touched her arm, also covered in scars. My cousin often beat her. In my past life, Wendy had died before she even turned 30. After a long silence, I suddenly spoke up: “Wendy, do you have any savings of your own?” Wendy hesitated for a moment. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell my cousin.” She relaxed a bit: “I have 2,000 yuan. Why? “Is it because you need money for school and your family won’t give it to you? “If so, you can have it. Education is important, girls should go to school.” My nose stung as I forced back tears. At life’s most bitter moments, the unfortunate try their best to offer each other a bit of sweetness. I said softly: “That’s not it, Wendy. I don’t need you to support me – I want to help you make money. “I can turn your 2,000 yuan into 20,000, even 200,000…” Wendy burst out laughing. She clearly didn’t believe me, and humored me like a child: “Alright, you just take this 2,000 for school. When you graduate college you can pay me back. We’re family, I’m not going to charge you interest or anything.” I said nothing, gazing at the endless night sky. In my past life, I had made my fortune too late. By the time I returned home, Wendy had already died of depression. This life, I was determined to help her. And in doing so, help myself. Sister, you’re too foolish. Given the chance to travel back in time, all you can think about is snatching a man. Meanwhile, my mind is filled with stock ticker symbols. Do you even realize what kind of golden opportunity you’ve given me? 0

Early Monday morning, I took the money Wendy had given me to school, planning to sneak out during the long break between classes when no one would notice. I needed to go to a brokerage firm to open an account. But just as I had ridden my bike a short distance from the school gates, a figure suddenly darted out from an alley ahead. The person swung a spiked wooden club at me. I hurriedly tried to dodge but fell off my bike, hitting the ground hard. Ignoring the pain, I clutched my backpack protectively. It contained all the money Wendy had given me. A pair of shiny designer shoes appeared in front of me. Looking up, I saw a round face leering down at me with a malicious grin. I recognized him. He was Quincy Young, my sister’s husband in her past life. Quincy had been Yvonne’s devoted lapdog since middle school. He was a rich kid whose father did business down south. While the rest of us were still wearing drab school uniforms and cheap sneakers, Quincy could rattle off the names of luxury foreign brands. Quincy had pursued Yvonne for many years. Yvonne found Quincy’s looks distasteful, but she couldn’t give up his wealth. So throughout her teenage years, she strung him along hot and cold, keeping him as her number one backup plan. Later when Yvonne got older and hadn’t found a better man, she ended up marrying Quincy. Who knew that soon after the wedding, Quincy’s family would go bankrupt. Yvonne, who had invested with them, was also implicated. The whole family became deadbeats who couldn’t even take the high-speed rail. But no matter how down on his luck the future Quincy would be, right now he was still that arrogant young master from a prominent family, someone not to be trifled with. So I hugged my backpack tightly and carefully inched backwards, not wanting to provoke a direct confrontation. But Quincy wouldn’t let me go. He kicked my face with the toe of his shoe, sneering: “Yvonne’s always telling me what a dishonest little bitch her sister is. Looks like I caught you red-handed – sneaking out of school like this, what are you up to?” I said quietly: “Just buying some things.” “Buying things?” Quincy laughed. His smile suddenly vanished as he roughly grabbed the strap of my backpack, dumping out all the contents. Pencil case, books, and papers scattered on the ground. An envelope fell out with them. I tried to grab it, but Quincy was quicker, snatching up the envelope. “Well well, look at all this cash,” Quincy said, waving the bills. “What exactly are you buying? Wedding candy for your sister and me?” He pocketed the envelope and said coldly: “Don’t think I don’t know. Yvonne told me all about how you’re so vain and jealous of her that you’d even become someone’s mistress just to buy pretty dresses. So, did you steal this money or con someone out of it? I’m telling Yvonne.” Quincy kicked me into the corner of the wall. As dust flew up, making me cough, my mind suddenly became clear. Quincy had followed me on Yvonne’s orders. She had been reborn along with me. Even though she’d already snatched Zack, she still didn’t trust me. So she sent her lapdog Quincy to keep tabs on me. But that wasn’t the important part. The key was what Quincy had inadvertently said just now. “Wedding candy for your sister and me.” I suddenly burst out laughing. Perfect. Quincy clearly didn’t know that my sister was already with Zack. Come to think of it, he still had value to Yvonne. If she told Quincy she was engaged to someone else, how could he still be useful to her? Quincy had been about to leave, but seeing me smile, he frowned: “What are you laughing at?” My smile grew even brighter: “I’m just happy for my sister.” “You love her so much, always protecting her. I’m sure I’ll have a great brother-in-law soon.” I said softly. “I can’t wait for you two to get married.” This was music to Quincy’s ears. His expression softened, though he still eyed me suspiciously: “Saying nice things now to get me to let you off the hook?” “You don’t need to let me off. I haven’t done anything wrong,” I said, standing up and brushing the dirt off myself. “This money is from my cousin’s wife. She heard about my sister’s happy news and wanted me to buy some gifts for her.” Quincy’s expression suddenly changed. He frowned: “What happy news?” I feigned confusion: “I’m not sure either,, but I heard our parents say they’re planning to arrange an engagement for my sister before she goes to college. After all, in our hometown where everyone knows each other, childhood sweethearts are better than risking her getting tricked by some bad guy in the big city.” I studied Quincy’s expression, then smiled: “Silly, haven’t you figured it out yet?” Quincy looked bewildered: “Figured out what?” “The one my sister’s engaged to must be you, of course,” I said with a smile. “Think about it – everyone knows you like my sister. My parents mentioned childhood sweethearts, so out of all the guys around here, who could be a better match for my sister than you?” Quincy’s face lit up, but he still hesitated: “Why hasn’t Yvonne ever mentioned this to me?” I chided him: “My sister’s shy, of course she’d be embarrassed to say it. But she should tell you in the next few days – oh, I’ve often seen her running to that little grove behind the school lately. She must be preparing some surprise for you.” Quincy’s lovesick brain went into overdrive: “Really?” “Why don’t you go see for yourself?” I held out my hand to Quincy: “Give me back the money. I still need to pick out a dress for my sister – brother-in-law, do you prefer pink or blue? I’ll choose based on your taste.” One “brother-in-law” was enough to make Quincy’s heart soar. Without thinking, he slapped the envelope into my palm: “Pink!” With that, he took off running towards the school. He must have been eager to see what surprise Yvonne had prepared for him. I smiled and got on my bike, whistling cheerfully. This surprise… would surely be unforgettable for Quincy. 0

I rushed to the brokerage firm. Wendy was already anxiously waiting at the entrance. It was her first time in a trading hall. Looking at the screens full of flickering colors and numbers, she felt completely lost: “Olivia, can you really understand all this?” I didn’t even need to look. From the moment I bought my first stock, the market trends for decades before and after were etched in my mind, impossible to forget. I didn’t tell Wendy this, just smiled and said: “I understand it. Just trust me.” At the brokerage firm, I also saw a familiar figure. Quincy’s father, Mr. Young. He had been handling some business with his secretary, but after receiving a phone call, his expression changed drastically. He hurriedly got into the black sedan parked outside and drove off in the direction of our school. I stood at the entrance, silently watching the car disappear. Wendy finished the paperwork and came to my side: “What are you looking at?” I glanced at the sky: “Nothing, just looks like a storm’s coming.” … Sure enough, a storm hit. With my encouragement, Quincy had eagerly rushed to the grove, excited to see Yvonne’s surprise for him. But as soon as he entered the grove, he heard unmistakable sounds. Looking closer, he discovered the protagonists were none other than his goddess Yvonne and that lowlife Zack Shaw he’d never bothered to notice before. This was probably the biggest shock of Quincy’s nearly 20 years of life. By the time he came to his senses, the sound of ambulance sirens filled the air. He had beaten Zack so severely that Zack was rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment. When I arrived at the hospital, Zack had regained consciousness. He was wrapped in bandages like a mummy, lying motionless in bed. This scene was quite familiar to me. After all, in my past life when I pushed him out front to take the hits for me, he often ended up beaten to this state. But Yvonne had never seen anything like this before. She sobbed uncontrollably by the bedside, nearly hyperventilating. Quincy was dragged into the hospital room by his father, Mr. Young. Originally, Mr. Young was afraid his son would go to jail and came to negotiate a private settlement. But Quincy was like a raging bull. As soon as he entered the room, his eyes went red and he charged at Zack. If Mr. Young’s two secretaries hadn’t quickly restrained him, Quincy probably would have thrown Zack out the window. “Quincy! Apologize now!” Mr. Young was frantic. “Apologize for what? I didn’t do anything wrong!” Quincy panted heavily, pointing at Zack in the hospital bed. “He raped Yvonne, that’s why I beat him!” Poor Quincy. As an ordinary person without the perspective of being reborn, of course his first assumption upon seeing Zack with Yvonne was this. Now, Quincy looked pleadingly at Yvonne: “Yvonne, back me up. I was trying to save you.” Mr. Young also saw a glimmer of hope and turned to Yvonne: “Miss, you’re the eyewitness. Tell everyone the truth.” Suddenly, all eyes in the room were on Yvonne. She bit her lip, caught in a long moment of indecision. Finally, she said in a small voice, her face red: “It was consensual.” The color drained from Quincy’s face. “What? Yvonne, you couldn’t possibly…” Though his whole body was in a cast, Zack still managed a smug smile from the hospital bed. This gutter rat of a delinquent had never had the chance to make a rich young master like Quincy eat dirt in his life. Yvonne had actually given him this opportunity – he was practically giddy with joy. “That’s right, Yvonne and I are in love,” Zack declared loudly, ignoring his painful injuries. “Quincy deliberately assaulted me! He should go to jail!” Mr. Young’s expression darkened. He stepped forward, ignoring Zack in the bed and trying to pressure Yvonne instead: “Young lady, I suggest you think carefully before you speak…” The Young family was wealthy and influential. Even my parents started to get scared and hinted to Yvonne: “Yvonne, maybe you should reconsider…” Yvonne was clearly torn. But she couldn’t afford to offend Zack. Not only could she not offend him, she had to firmly hold onto his heart. After all, he was the Wolf of Wall Street. Compared to those future billions, the current Young family seemed insignificant. So she gripped Zack’s hand tightly: “What’s there to reconsider? Zack and I are truly in love. Anyone who hurts Zack should face the consequences!” Quincy couldn’t hold back anymore. He broke free from the secretaries’ grasp and rushed forward, slapping Yvonne across the face: “Yvonne Quinn, are you blind?” In her past life, Quincy had gone bankrupt soon after marrying Yvonne. He became quite pathetic in front of her, and Yvonne always looked down on him. This was the first time she had been slapped by this man she utterly despised. She immediately went berserk. “Quincy Young, who do you think you are?” She shoved Quincy hard. “Just a good-for-nothing rich kid. You think you’re so great because your family has money? Let me tell you, in a few years you’ll all be bankrupt!” As soon as the words left her mouth, even Mr. Young standing nearby turned ashen-faced. In the end, Mr. Young stormed out, slamming the door. Quincy chased after him, leaving just our family in the hospital room. My dad wrung his hands anxiously: “This… this, Yvonne, why did you have to offend the Young family?” My dad had recently started a small business using the Young family’s connections. With Yvonne burning bridges like this, my dad’s business was doomed. Yvonne impatiently furrowed her brow: “Dad, don’t be so short-sighted. So what if the business is gone?” She gazed at Zack with adoring eyes, as if looking at a priceless treasure: “With Zack, we’ll have everything.” 0

In the days that followed, my parents were busy dealing with the Young family’s interference in their business. My sister was busy visiting Zack in the hospital to show her devotion. I was busy studying and making money. Everyone had a bright future ahead. When Yvonne came home to make soup for Zack, she caught me diligently doing practice problems. “Study all you want,” she sneered. “Even if you get into a top university, you’ll just end up with a dead-end salary job.” I ignored her and focused on my work. In my past life, I was forced to marry Zack and lost my chance to go to university. Later I got a degree through adult education, but it left me with too many regrets. Yvonne didn’t understand that not all actions are motivated by money. Money is a tool for happiness, not happiness itself. For example, I wanted to experience four years of campus life, have an innocent college romance untainted by society,, gossip about the future with my roommates, organize events with club friends and go for late night snacks afterwards. These were all joys I never got to experience in my past life. After Yvonne left, I met up with Wendy. She had a scarf covering half her face, while I had pulled my baseball cap low. We both looked like we were up to no good. “I bought and sold exactly as you instructed,” Wendy said. “Here’s your money.” She handed me a bank book. I was surprised to find that besides the original 2,000 yuan capital, Wendy had given me all the profits. “What are you doing?” I said. “These profits came from your capital. It’s your money. I should just take a commission.” Wendy waved her hand: “I didn’t do anything. Why should I take the money? You just borrowed my 2,000 yuan, and now you’ve paid it back. I can’t take your earnings – I’d be struck by lightning!” I sighed and argued with Wendy many times, but she refused to budge. “How about this, Wendy,” I said. “I’ll hire you.” Wendy blinked: “Hire me for what?” “I still need to prepare for exams, so I need you to help me with a lot of things. Plus, I can’t open my own account until I’m 18, so I still need to use your account to operate,” I explained. “You should charge me a commission for all of this.” Wendy waved her hand again: “We’re family…” I grabbed her hand: “And you know, after I graduate, I’ll have my own business. I hope you’ll come work for me as my BD then.” Wendy’s eyes widened: “What’s BD?” I said: “Business Development. You’re outgoing, good with words, likeable, skilled at building relationships. I think this job would suit you well.” Before Wendy could respond, there was a commotion at my front door. Yvonne and Zack had returned. Wendy and I immediately exchanged a look and silently dispersed, each heading home. This was something we had agreed on beforehand – we now had a huge sum of money in our hands, like children carrying gold through a busy market. It was extremely unsafe. So before I became powerful enough, I absolutely couldn’t let anyone find out we had made money. I returned home alone and heard Yvonne and Zack happily chatting in the bedroom. Zack’s voice was filled with excitement, as if he was about to reach the pinnacle of life: “Mr. Li said that while everyone else was mediocre, he could tell at a glance that I was extraordinary. So he decided to teach me everything he knows about investing.” Yvonne was thrilled: “Zack, I knew this day would come!” I peeled an apple in the kitchen, eating it nonchalantly. Ah, Mr. Li. I knew what was going on. In her past life, Yvonne had been sent by our parents to a private prep school in Beijing, so she never met Mr. Li. But I had encountered him. This Mr. Li always dressed impeccably in a three-piece suit, spoke fluent English, and claimed to have returned from Wall Street. He had incredible charisma and was skilled at giving captivating speeches. In his talks, Mr. Li said he had already achieved complete financial freedom, and his current life goal was to help his fellow countrymen get rich together. Mr. Li’s appearance perfectly fit Yvonne’s expectations. After all, Zack had started as an ignorant delinquent, yet became the billionaire Wolf of Wall Street in the future. This kind of transformation was like a talentless youth suddenly becoming a great martial arts master. Surely there must have been some catalyst like finding a secret manual or meeting a wise mentor. Now, after waiting and waiting, Yvonne thought she had finally found this catalyst. “Tomorrow we’ll go see Mr. Li again. Zack, you focus on learning from him. Don’t worry about anything else,” Yvonne said. Zack looked troubled: “But Mr. Li mentioned a 60,000 yuan tuition fee…” Yvonne gritted her teeth: “I’ll get it for you!” The apple in my mouth nearly chipped my tooth. I knew Yvonne wasn’t very smart. But I didn’t realize her brain was this smooth. Then again, someone who blamed all her past life’s failures on not choosing the right man would naturally believe that all opportunities for redemption lay with a “Wall Street expert” Mr. Li who charged 60,000 yuan in tuition. In my past life, I had also encountered this Mr. Li. At the time, Zack was also incredibly excited, desperate to study under Mr. Li to get rich. I had stopped him. Back then, I was also just a young girl without much social experience. But I could still tell something was off about Mr. Li. People who can really make big money value their time immensely. Why would they come teach us how to get rich? And if he was already so wealthy, why did he need to charge us 60,000 yuan in tuition? At the time, Zack cursed me for being small-minded. “Don’t use your petty mindset to judge Mr. Li’s realm. He doesn’t care about making money anymore – he just wants to help us get rich. This is him accumulating good karma for his next life.” “Then why is he still charging 60,000 yuan tuition?” I had asked. “That’s just a screening process. Mr. Li wants to see our sincerity.” In the end, since I adamantly refused, Zack went to find Mr. Li on his own. He didn’t have money for the tuition, but Mr. Li didn’t insist on it. He even said he was willing to take Zack as a disciple. This made Zack feel Mr. Li was even more magnanimous. He wanted to repay Mr. Li’s kindness for life. Later Zack followed Mr. Li down south. I lost contact with him for over a year. When I saw him again, he had escaped from a pyramid scheme den and called me in tears: “Olivia, save me.”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “297398”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #浪漫Romance #现实主义Realistic

“Sister, don’t you hate it?” The night before my arranged marriage to Caleb Thorne, the heir of the powerful Thorne family, my stepsister suddenly knocked on my bedroom door. Seeing I didn’t answer, she continued, talking to herself. “Three years ago, your mom died in a car crash. A month later, Dad married my mom.” “Even the dynastic marriage your mother had arranged for you, my father just handed it over to me.” “Sister, you don’t actually believe your mom’s death was just an ordinary accident, do you?” Of course, I knew my mom’s death had everything to do with my stepmother. So, for everything you owed my mother and me, you wouldn’t get away with a single penny. Jasmine Vance, dressed in a million-dollar wedding gown, looked like a princess straight out of a fairytale. “Sister, I don’t understand what you mean.” I knelt to adjust the hem of her dress. “Heh, I hope you never understand, Sister.” Jasmine giggled, covering her mouth. But the next second, her laughter died. The dagger I’d hidden in my sleeve plunged deep into her abdomen. Blood quickly soaked through the pristine white gown. It was like a crimson rose blooming on fresh snow, stark and terrifyingly beautiful. Jasmine collapsed to the ground in pain, staring at me in disbelief. “You…” “Jasmine Vance, was it fun stealing my life? But anything that belongs to Cassidy Sterling, I’d rather destroy it than hand it over to someone else!” “Whether your little mistress mother and you were involved in my mom’s car crash or not, I’m putting it all on you.” “Don’t worry, you’re just bleeding a little, it’s not fatal. It just means tomorrow, I’ll be the one marrying into the Thorne family.” My smile in the dimly lit room was chilling. But then, everything went black, and I fell into an empty void. When my consciousness returned, I woke up in my own room. Wasn’t this supposed to be Jasmine’s bridal room, the one she’d stolen from me? The mansion showed no signs of an upcoming wedding. I grabbed my phone and saw the date: three years ago. Was that vivid experience just a dream? A grin spread across my face. “Mom, Mom!” “Mom, where are you?” I rushed downstairs, just as I saw Mom getting into her car, preparing to leave. A cold sweat broke out all over me. I screamed, “Mom, get out! Don’t take the car!” I darted to the car, clutching the door handle tightly, refusing to let the driver start. My mom frowned, looking at me. “It’s the weekend, why aren’t you sleeping in? What are you doing?” “Just get out of the car. I just want to be with you today.” Big tears streamed down my face. The scenes from my dream replayed vividly in my mind. My mother’s memorial service had been eerily silent, only me kneeling before her coffin, quietly burning paper offerings. After Mom left, Dad revealed his true colors, immediately bringing his mistress and illegitimate daughter back home. Even the memorial service, I had to arrange a place for it alone. While their family of three ate a happy family dinner, I had lost the closest person to me. My mom didn’t understand what was happening to me, but she got out of the car and comforted me anyway. If the dream had truly become reality, then I must have been reborn. So I wept tears of joy, because I had a chance to change the ending! That day passed peacefully.

But the next day, Dad still brought Jasmine home. Just like in my previous life, she looked shy, constantly darting glances at me. Seeing my mom’s cool, calm demeanor, I realized she had known about Dad’s affair for a long time. A stepsister two years younger than me. But unlike my previous life, Jasmine showing up now only solidified her title as an illegitimate daughter. “Cassidy, Jasmine will be your sister from now on. Please take good care of her.” Sister? The one who orchestrated my mom’s death, drove a wedge between me and my dad, and eventually replaced me to marry into an elite family? She wasn’t worthy. “Doesn’t Dad know I have a bad temper? It’s best to keep her away from me, or I might just lose control and hit her.” My dad glared at me, then unleashed his anger on my mom. “Look at the daughter you raised! So grown up, yet so thoughtless!” My mom had always been soft-spoken, usually deferring to my dad at home, never daring to contradict him. So, when I was about to speak, I was surprised by my mom’s response. “Did I give birth to her alone? Did you not raise her?” “Always look at your own issues first.” My mom rolled her eyes at him, then pulled me towards the dining room for dinner. I happily ate two bowls of rice. This was my mom, the one who always protected and stood up for me. My dad’s voice, comforting Jasmine, drifted from the living room. As long as she and her mother were here, I couldn’t rest easy. Jasmine stayed in the room diagonally opposite mine, about half the size of mine. That night, there was a knock on my door. Jasmine stood before me, holding a glass of milk, her voice still stammering. “Sister…drinking milk at night helps…helps you sleep.” “You didn’t put some slow-acting poison in it, did you? How could I drink something without an analysis report?” I folded my arms across my chest, leaning against the door as I watched her. Jasmine trembled with fright. “I just took it from the fridge. I didn’t bring anything when I came here.” I feigned sudden realization, nodding my head. “Didn’t bring anything? So you plan to take everything here for yourself?” “Sister, I’m innocent too. I couldn’t choose where I was born. You both have a father; I didn’t have one growing up. Why can’t you pity me?” Jasmine’s eyes welled up with tears. Was she trying to play on my emotions?

In my previous life, after Mom died in the car accident, I was so insecure, so afraid Dad would give everything to Jasmine. I tried so hard to be kind and forgiving, to tolerate everything. But in the end, I still lost everything, didn’t I? So, I, Cassidy Sterling, was born to be a villainess. I couldn could never be the tragic heroine. Feelings are the cheapest thing in this world; they change in an instant. Only what you hold firmly in your hands is truly yours. “My mom’s marriage was sabotaged, and I ended up with a half-sister. And *I*’m not pitiful?” I quickly shut the door, not wanting to see Jasmine’s pathetic face. My dad decided to host a banquet for Jasmine. He was going to acknowledge Jasmine’s identity to everyone. Was it just out of guilt? Or did he want to use Jasmine to secure another high-status marriage to consolidate his business? I thought the latter was more plausible. My dad was naturally cold-hearted; he only loved himself, that was clear. On the day of the banquet, many prominent families and their daughters arrived. I knew most of them, but Jasmine didn’t know anyone. Even dressed in a lavish gown, she stood in the center, unnoticed. She had a rather… off-putting vibe, honestly. “Cassidy, who is she?” Seeing Jasmine approach, my friend immediately asked. Of course, she knew who Jasmine was; she was just doing it on purpose. So, the several girls standing next to us immediately burst into laughter. Jasmine’s head was almost touching the floor, and she kept tugging at the hem of her dress. She seemed to gather courage and said, “Hello, my name is Jasmine Vance.” “Your name doesn’t matter, little sister. Go play somewhere else. Don’t bother us.” I smirked dismissively, waving my hand. “Sister, this is the banquet Dad is holding for me. How can you treat me like this?” Jasmine’s voice trembled; she sounded deeply wronged. But in my previous life, when she took everything from me with that innocent smile, there wasn’t a hint of sadness on her face, was there? “If you can’t handle it, call the cops. See if they care.” I let others mock her, even leading the taunts myself. Someone interrupted it all. “You’re Cassidy Sterling?” “I didn’t expect you to be so harsh to your own sister, completely devoid of sympathy.” Striding forward was Caleb Thorne, the Thorne family heir. He was just as he had been in my past life, drawn to weak, fragile women. Or rather, drawn to Jasmine. “Who could be as chivalrous as Sir Thorne?” I feigned politeness. Because… I couldn’t afford to offend him. “Miss Sterling, you should go back and read some more. You have no sense of honor or propriety.” Caleb Thorne dropped that line, then left with Jasmine. “Cassidy, your stepsister is something else. She just met him, and she’s already got Caleb Thorne’s attention?” “Don’t let her snatch your fiancé in the end.” My friend’s warning made me a little distracted. The Sterling and Thorne families had a childhood betrothal, arranged by our elders. My grandfather and Caleb Thorne’s grandfather were war buddies, who had endured hardships together. So, after they both retired from service and successfully started their own businesses, they set up this arrangement. However, Caleb Thorne’s father had caught a lucky break in his youth, and since then, his net worth had skyrocketed. He was now the wealthiest man in the city. Here, Caleb Thorne could pretty much do whatever he wanted; no one dared cross him. Marrying Caleb Thorne was the fantasy of many women. I had never liked him since I was a child; I found him hypocritical and falsely righteous.

But I knew I would marry him, because compared to men, status and wealth were eternal. This life was no exception. Jasmine couldn’t steal what was mine. I hired a few thugs to rough up Jasmine. If she came home covered in bruises the next day, everyone would know her reputation was ruined. But as I went to the underground parking garage to get my car, I saw a few guys loitering around it. “Boss, aren’t we supposed to kidnap the second Miss Sterling?” “What do you know? Didn’t you see the second Miss Sterling get into Sir Thorne’s car?” “Yeah, go ahead and get yourself killed if you want.” “So, what are we doing now?” “Of course, we’re kidnapping the first Miss Sterling! We’ll get a bigger reward from Sir Thorne, won’t we?” Hearing their discussion, I was terrified and ran back frantically. My heels clacked loudly on the ground. The thugs immediately spotted me and chased after me quickly. “Sir, please help me!” I bumped into someone and immediately cried for help. I didn’t expect it to be Julian Reid, the new rich guy in town. His ruthless business tactics were infamous, as was his reputation for being completely aloof with women. I’d just pulled a dramatic move by bumping into him. Was he going to think I was trying to stage some kind of dramatic scene to get his attention? In my previous life, Julian Reid’s beloved was Jasmine. How they met, I had no idea. Could it be… this kidnapping? “Please!” I clutched Julian Reid’s arm, my eyes almost pleading. But he simply pried my fingers off without a word, then walked towards his car. After the car remote unlocked, the thugs closed in on me. I was distraught, my mind a mess. Why could Jasmine capture his attention, but I couldn’t? Was I, a bad person, destined for bad things? But the good I did in my previous life didn’t yield any results either! The thugs’ reeking hands made my mental state tense. “Get away! All of you, get away!” I ripped off my heels, using their thin, sharp heels to strike at them frantically. Each blow opened a bloody gash. No one could save me; I had to save myself. If I couldn’t escape their grasp, I’d make sure it was a mutual destruction. A luxury car suddenly sped over, directly hitting and sending two of the men flying. The window rolled down, revealing Julian Reid’s cold profile. Before he could say anything, I hopped into the car. Only after the car drove away did my heart finally calm down. “You… do you think I deliberately tried to get your attention?” I broke the silence. To my surprise, Julian Reid slammed on the brakes. Not wearing a seatbelt, my forehead hit the dashboard. I winced, about to complain. “Get out.” “You’re safe now.” I looked around at the silent, dark streets, my eyes wide. But I still chose to get out. “Julian Reid, I’ll remember you.” What answered me was the car’s exhaust, speeding away into the night. He really didn’t hold back. No wonder people said he was heartless. My heels, stained with blood, had been thrown away before I got into the car. Now, I was barefoot, hailing a taxi home, which worried my mom terribly. “Cassidy, where are your shoes? Does your foot hurt?!” “Didn’t like them, threw them away.” I replied nonchalantly, and my mom finally relaxed. After showering, I immediately went to Jasmine’s room. She was leisurely applying a face mask. She jumped when she saw me. “Sister?” “Why are you back?” “Why shouldn’t I be back? I’m just curious, how did you get Caleb Thorne to drive you home after your first meeting?” I ripped the mask off her face, rubbing it off on her clothes with a hint of disgust.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “297387”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #浪漫Romance #现实主义Realistic

I was the only one in the world with the power to defy death, an innate conduit to life itself. Before a man’s body could fully stiffen, I could conceive his child. And as that precious life faded within me, the man would be brought back from the grave. In my last life, I used this very power to save my fiancé, Tristan Thorne, after a car accident left his organs failing. He awoke, overwhelmed with gratitude, vowing to marry no one but me. But on the very day I was about to give birth, he personally tied me to an operating table. Our child was forcibly cut from my womb. He branded our baby a “demonic spawn” and threw them into a shark tank, where they were ripped apart and devoured. I screamed, demanding to know why he betrayed me. His expression was chilling: “Now that Brooke is carrying my child, what use are you and this… *thing*?” “If you hadn’t faked being an innate conduit and meddled in our lives back then, Brooke and I would have been married ages ago!” He had someone yank out my oxygen tube, letting me suffocate to death. My family, too, was thrown into prison by him, where they died consumed by hatred. When I opened my eyes again, I was back to the day Tristan was on death’s door, the day his mother begged me to save him. I heard Mrs. Thorne weeping, asking if the Life-Exchange Ritual truly could bring Tristan back. I bowed slightly, declining: “There’s no such thing as an innate conduit in this world, Mrs. Thorne. That’s just an old folk tale.”

I lowered my gaze, avoiding Mrs. Thorne’s desperate stare. “Mrs. Thorne, the idea of bringing someone back from the dead is far too fantastical. I truly can’t help you.” Disappointment clouded Mrs. Thorne’s face, but she clung to my hand desperately. “Skylar, our families have been close for generations. Please, have pity on me. Just save Tristan’s life!” The Thorne family wielded immense power. If I refused, they would find a way to make me bend. I was still trying to devise an escape when the room door burst open. “Mom, why are you wasting time talking to a con artist?!” Tristan, pale, leaned against the doorframe, his eyes sharp. “Don’t play coy! You’re just trying to play hard to get, to raise your own value!” The moment he spoke, I knew it for certain: Tristan had also been reborn. But Mrs. Thorne was still persistent: “Tristan, the doctors have given up all hope! Skylar is your last chance!” He sneered, his face etched with calculation. “I’ll find my own way.” “Besides, Brooke is the *real* innate conduit. With her by my side, I can overcome any challenge!” When he spoke of Brooke, his voice was filled with an undisguised fondness. In my last life, Tristan always said that if it weren’t for saving him, I wouldn’t have lost our child, and he would have cherished and loved me forever. He spoke of love, yet in his heart, Brooke was the only one. Now, he’d returned with his memories, and I was no longer useful to him. Naturally, he wouldn’t give me another chance to entangle myself with him. This time, I just wanted to protect my family and sever all ties with the Thornes. “The Life-Exchange Ritual, it defies the natural order. There’s always a price, a bitter backlash. Mr. Thorne, your wisdom is a blessing.” I spoke calmly, then bid Mrs. Thorne farewell. As I reached the elevator, Tristan’s voice cut through the air behind me. “Stop right there!” I didn’t pause, instead pressing the down arrow. The next second, he lunged, grabbing my wrist and pinning me against the wall. My heart pounded as I looked up at him, terrified. “Mr. Thorne, what are you doing?! I’ve already refused your mother. Just let me go!” He stared at me, a cruel curve on his lips. “Stop acting, Skylar. You instinctively touched your stomach just now.” “That movement was exactly like it was in your last life, right before you gave birth.” “You came back too, didn’t you?” Since I was exposed, I dropped all pretense, looking at him coldly. “So what? What do you want?” Tristan scoffed: “Everything you owed me in the last life, I’ll collect from you in this one.” “I’m warning you, stay away from Brooke, or I’ll make sure your parents spend the rest of their lives in jail!”

My heart sank. So he was afraid I’d disrupt his relationship with Brooke. In my last life, I was utterly devoted to him, and he still turned on me without a second thought. Why should their happiness be paved with my parents’ lives? Looking at his smug, self-satisfied face, I felt nothing but disgust. I forced down the tidal wave of hatred, just wanting to escape first. “Mr. Thorne, rest assured, I will never interfere with your and Ms. Brooke’s happiness. I only ask that you let me go!” The more compliant I was, the deeper the suspicion in his eyes grew, and the tighter he squeezed my wrist, as if trying to crush my bones. “Last life, you loved me so much you were willing to die for me, even sacrificing your child.” “Now you want to cut ties with a few words? Skylar, do you take me for a fool?” I sneered inwardly. Last life, I mistook a wolf in sheep’s clothing for a true gentleman, and that’s why I met such a terrible end. This life, I just wanted to be as far away from him as possible. I struggled with all my might. “Tristan, I told you I wouldn’t bother you again! What exactly do you want?!” He immediately called his bodyguards, who forcibly dragged me onto a cargo ship. “Last life, if you hadn’t rushed to get pregnant with my child, Brooke wouldn’t have been so angry she refused to contact me for half a year!” “This life, I will never let anyone have a chance to hurt her!” “You’ll stay on this ship. Once Brooke and I are married, I’ll have someone send you back.” I was thrown into a dark, cramped room, the door locked from the outside. “Tristan, you lunatic! There’s nothing in here! Locking me up, you just want me dead, don’t you?!” He responded coldly from behind the iron door. “You won’t die. Last life, you locked yourself in your room and starved for three days just to see me, didn’t you?” My body tensed. I remembered that time, I’d just had a high fever and missed our date. He’d decided I was throwing a tantrum and gave me the silent treatment for an entire week. And I, foolishly, had actually knelt on the floor begging for his forgiveness, starving myself for three days. I was utterly, hopelessly stupid. Tristan’s footsteps faded into the distance. I slumped to the ground, and in my despair, I shakily pulled out my phone from my jacket pocket. The signal was incredibly weak. Just as I was about to give up, a speedboat approached the cargo ship. The cabin door was forced open, and a tall man’s figure stood silhouetted against the light. “Ms. Skylar, don’t be afraid. I’m Leo Harrison.” Leo Harrison… The Harrison Group was the Thorne Group’s biggest rival. In my previous life, the Harrison Group was the first to be swallowed by the Thornes. And Leo, soon after that, mysteriously disappeared. Leo’s people rescued me. This time, for my family, and for Leo. The life I was meant to save, was his.

Before I even set foot on shore, Tristan’s call came through. “Skylar, are you really trying to go against me? Do you truly think I wouldn’t dare touch you?” I couldn’t fathom how he had the nerve to say such a thing. To avoid further trouble, I patiently replied. “I don’t want to go against you. I just want to live my own life.” But he didn’t believe a word, his tone harsh. “Too late! The moment you escaped, you should have known the consequences!” The Thorne family’s influence was indeed vast. Overnight, my dad’s old legal dispute was dug up. All the major media outlets and social networks were plastered with headlines: “Daughter of Notorious Con Artist from the City’s Elite Circles, Venomous Schemer Trying to Manipulate Her Way into the Thorne Empire.” I became the daughter of a fraudster. “Like father, like daughter, a whole family of con artists!” “This kind of person wants to marry into the Thorne family? Mr. Thorne would be crazy to even look at her!” “I heard Mr. Thorne and Ms. Brooke are getting married soon. Now *that’s* a match!” Our home address and my photos were leaked. A group claiming to be victims’ families from my dad’s past surrounded our house, smashing our windows with rocks. They weren’t satisfied. In the middle of the night, they dumped trash and sewage at our doorstep, even cutting off our water and electricity. I was trapped once again. Tristan’s call came again. “Skylar, this was just a small warning. If you dare pull any more stunts, I’ll send your parents back to jail for good!” I trembled with rage. How dare he! Just then, a commotion erupted downstairs. Several police cars and black sedans pulled up. Leo, accompanied by lawyers and police officers, swiftly brought everyone blockading our house under control. The man leading them was cool, dignified, and exceptionally poised. “Skylar, I’m here to take you home.” I followed him to the Harrison family estate. It was there I learned that Leo’s sister, Celeste, had once been my dad’s most capable business partner. When my dad’s company ran into trouble, Celeste was implicated and eventually died of depression. Leo had been secretly investigating the truth behind those events. I offered to use my ability to help him, but Mr. Harrison shook his head. “My dear, we Harrisons don’t believe in such things. But the truth of what happened back then, we *will* uncover.” “You’re a good child, I can see that. The Harrison family is weathering a storm right now. Would you be willing to get engaged to Leo, to become allies? Our two families, together, against the Thornes?” I stared blankly at Leo. He looked a little shy. In my previous life, my soul hadn’t dissipated after my death. I witnessed Leo, in his efforts to clear my name and my family’s, squander his entire fortune. He ultimately blew up the Thorne Group’s building, dying with Tristan. He traded his life for Tristan’s. It turned out, the person I was truly meant to save had always been him. This time, I wouldn’t choose wrong again. “I will!” Hearing my answer, the tension in his body visibly relaxed. I took the jade pendant I always wore close to my skin and placed it in his palm. “This is my pledge. From now on, I will save you.”

Tristan was utterly enraged when he learned of my engagement to Leo. The next day, I received a text message from Leo’s number, asking me to meet him at a suburban sanatorium. But when I arrived, it was Tristan I found. “What, couldn’t marry me, so you immediately found a replacement? Skylar, you con artist, are you that desperate, rushing to get a man to sleep with you?” “Who I marry, and when, is my freedom, Mr. Thorne. It has nothing to do with you, does it?” I glared at him with disgust. I turned to leave, but two bodyguards blocked my way. “Don’t be in such a hurry to leave, Skylar. Don’t you want to see what your fiancé has become?” Just as he spoke, a muffled thud echoed from within the sanatorium. My heart pounded with anxiety. I yelled at him: “What did you do to Leo?!” The smile on his lips deepened. He clapped his hands. Brooke pushed out a wheelchair. Leo was tied to the wheelchair, his chest bound with several bombs, their timers counting down. “You claim to be an innate conduit, capable of bringing people back from the dead, don’t you?” Tristan held up his phone, the screen facing us, and started a live stream. “I’ll let everyone see if you can truly save Leo’s life.” I bit down on my teeth in fury. Leo and I hadn’t consummated anything. How could I perform the Life-Exchange Ritual?! After a long pause, Tristan finally relented, looking at me as if bestowing a favor. “However, Skylar, considering our years of history, as long as you kneel before Brooke and apologize, admitting you were jealous and stole her place, I’ll let Leo go.” Looking at Leo’s pale face and the stark red countdown on his chest, I had no choice. My knees buckled, and I sank heavily to the ground. “Please, Ms. Brooke, I beg you, let us go.” Brooke’s face lit up with a triumphant smile. “Sister Skylar, you don’t have to do this. I’ll immediately plead with Tristan to let you both go!” But the very next second, Leo’s face turned ashen. Blood gushed from his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. He clutched his face in terror, but he couldn’t stop it. I slowly stood up, a cold sneer forming in my heart. Before coming here, I had already sensed something was wrong and had called the police. The live stream’s comments exploded instantly. “Brooke, what are you waiting for?! Didn’t you say you could save Mr. Thorne?” “Quick, save him! You must be able to perform the Life-Exchange Ritual too!” Brooke was pushed into a corner. She could only pretend to pat him a few times, muttering something under her breath. A moment later, Tristan’s bleeding actually stopped. I rushed forward to untie Leo. Brooke was a fake innate conduit; her actions were nothing more than pathetic charades. I didn’t have time to bother with her. I looked at Tristan mockingly, a cold smile on my face. “Tristan, are you feeling a churning in your gut right now?” Tristan froze, then felt a sharp, twisting pain in his chest. Brooke patted his back, feigning innocence. “Sister Skylar, I know you’re jealous of me. But now the truth is out, you’re just a fraud! Why are you still trying to slander me?” Tristan clutched her hand, glaring at me. “Skylar, you’re incorrigible! Guards, tie her and Leo up!” The moment he spoke, there was a *gurgle*. A large mouthful of blood sprayed from his mouth, splattering onto Brooke’s designer dress. Everyone cried out in panic. “Mr. Thorne, what’s wrong?!” The live stream’s comments section exploded again. “What’s going on? Didn’t Brooke just save him?”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “297388”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #浪漫Romance #现实主义Realistic

The day I was critically injured in a car crash and begged the system to change my assigned targets, they barged into the operating room, ignoring all warnings, to force me to donate my heart. Just because the son of our long-time family assistant was suffering from a critical illness, his wife demanded they drain every drop of blood from my body. “Julian! If you stop this surgery now, I’ll die! Please! Don’t!” Hearing my desperate plea, the woman who once claimed to adore me, the one who had orchestrated the downfall of my entire family because of my abused childhood, her eyes blazed red. Yet, she still brutally cut open my chest and ripped out my heart. My heart had turned to ash as I lay on the operating table, waiting to die. When the system was about to erase me, my three former assigned targets, with bloodshot eyes, cradled my bloodied body and buried my remains. Their affection levels, which had been at zero, suddenly skyrocketed to a hundred. After avenging me, they ended their own lives, following me into death. When I opened my eyes again, I was back to the day I changed my targets. This time, I wouldn’t give them up. But in the first year after my rebirth, the three targets who had once loved me fiercely suddenly changed. They forced me to donate a kidney, then my heart, turning me into Liam’s personal blood bank. With red-rimmed eyes, I asked them why they no longer cared about me. All three women scoffed in unison, “Julian, not everyone has to revolve around you forever.”

“System, I’m abandoning the mission.” “If the host chooses to abandon the mission, you will be erased by the system. Do you confirm?” A bitter laugh escaped my lips as I listened to the system’s cold, mechanical voice. “I confirm.” Just as I came to my senses, the hospital room door burst open with a kick. Eleanor walked in, leaning on Liam, her voice like shards of ice. “Liam is still sick, and you’re making him cook you porridge! You really think you’re something, don’t you?!” I couldn’t even bothered to lift an eyelid, scoffing, “Liam is someone my family pays to work for us. If he doesn’t cook, do you expect me to trouble your highness, Miss Eleanor, to do it herself?” Then, I looked at Vivian and Chloe, who stood a little further from my bed. “Or… do you two sisters want to step in?” My subtly mocking words instantly made their faces fall. Vivian got angry, pointing at me as she harshly rebuked, “Julian! All we’re asking for is one of your kidneys!” “You won’t die without one kidney, and this one is to save Liam’s life!” I was so furious, I laughed. To get a kidney for Liam, they had knocked me out and dragged me to the hospital. If I hadn’t woken up on the operating table in time, my kidney would probably be inside Liam right now. I scanned the three of them, a slow smile forming on my lips as I articulated each word. “Please get this straight, all three of you. First, you are my arranged marriage partners, not Liam’s.” “Second, I am the primary heir of the Hayes family. Liam is just a staff member. How dare he take my kidney? Are you out of your minds?” Liam carefully brought a thermos to my bedside, his eyes red as he said, “Master, I know my place. How would I ever dare to take yours…” I impatiently waved him off. “Get that away from me. I wouldn’t dare drink anything from you!” The next second, Liam unexpectedly stumbled and fell to the floor, the scalding hot porridge spilling all over him. He shrieked sharply, “It’s burning! Ah!” Eleanor reacted first, rushing over to embrace Liam with a heartbroken expression. Vivian and Chloe also anxiously crowded around him. Watching this scene, I froze. I hadn’t even touched Liam. How could he have fallen? But in that brief moment of stunned confusion, Eleanor immediately rose. She furiously grabbed my neck, her voice razor-sharp, “Julian! Why did you hurt Liam?!” I choked, struggling to pry Eleanor’s fingers off. “Let… go. I didn’t touch him! He himself…” Just as the words left my mouth, Liam surprisingly knelt in front of the spilled porridge, his hands trembling as he scooped it up and fed it to himself. “Master, I just cooked this porridge this morning. I truly didn’t do anything to it…” “Please, don’t kick me out, okay? This is the only job I have to support myself!” Liam’s actions completely ignited Eleanor’s rage. Her eyes practically wanted to gouge me out. “Julian! Today, you’re drinking this porridge whether you like it or not! Otherwise…” “I will break off the engagement with the Hayes family!” Vivian and Chloe echoed her with harsh voices, “If Eleanor doesn’t want you, then we won’t marry you either!” A searing pain suddenly shot through my chest. I swallowed back the tears threatening to spill, gritting my teeth as I said, “Do you really think you three are the only ones I can marry?” Before I could finish, my arms were pinned down by Vivian and Chloe, one on each side. Eleanor went back, scooped the porridge from under Liam into a bowl, and once again seized my jaw. My body instinctively recoiled from the bowl of porridge. My pupils constricted, and I yelled, “Eleanor! Stop! Don’t you know I’m allergic to yams?!” Eleanor’s hand visibly paused, a flicker of doubt in her eyes. But Vivian and Chloe didn’t believe me, scoffing with disdain. “Stop lying! We’ve never heard of you being allergic to yams!” An expression of disbelief slowly spread across my face. How was that possible? In the first year after my rebirth, I had clearly told them all three about my yam allergy. They were so worried the staff might make a mistake that they had even written it down themselves on a sticky note on the fridge. How could they not know? Unless…

Unless they had all been reborn too? But why would their attitude towards me be so different from my previous life? Liam was still whimpering softly, as if he had suffered the greatest injustice. Eleanor’s hand suddenly moved. She forcefully shoved the bowl of porridge down my throat. “So what if you’re allergic? It’s not like it’ll kill you!” Hearing Eleanor mention the word ‘death,’ I could no longer suppress my emotions. My eyes red, I roared at her, “Eleanor! I’m really dying!” The moment the words left my mouth, the muscles in my throat convulsed and swelled. A suffocating sensation washed over me. Even as I desperately gasped for air, I still couldn’t breathe. Seeing me in such distress, Vivian and Chloe instinctively let go of my arms. Eleanor frowned, her hand by her side clenching into a fist, knuckles white from the pressure. I struggled to force out a few words, my survival instinct making me grab Eleanor’s wrist. “Call… call the doctor. Quick.” At the same time, all three of them reached to press the call button by the bed. In that moment, I actually saw a strong flicker of… concern in their eyes? Liam pulled on Vivian’s sleeve, whimpering, “Is Master still mad at me, so he’s pretending to be allergic? Does he want to kick me out, that’s why he’s doing this?” They instantly believed Liam, and that flicker of concern felt like a mere hallucination. Eleanor looked at me with disgust. “Julian! You truly are as cunning as ever!” My lungs felt swollen with anger, making it almost impossible to speak. My face, my neck, even every patch of skin on my body broke out in red rashes. Eleanor seemed to realize I wasn’t faking it. Just as she was about to check on me again, the hospital room door was kicked open. Several doctors rushed in, their voices anxious. “Miss Anya sent us. How’s the patient?” Eleanor’s demeanor grew even colder at those words. I was rushed to emergency. When I came out, the doctor spoke to Eleanor. “The patient is experiencing an allergic reaction, and… and his body’s various functions are deteriorating, but we can’t find the specific cause.” “Our recommendation is to seek treatment abroad. There might still be a glimmer of hope.” But the three of them seemed indifferent. After the doctor left, Eleanor scoffed at me, “Julian, you already arranged for someone to conspire with the doctors, didn’t you? Next, are you going to use death to beg us to marry you?” I instinctively wanted to deny it. But suddenly, Liam knelt before me, banging his head on the floor repeatedly. “Master, I’m so sorry! I didn’t know you were allergic to yams!” In no time, Liam’s forehead was already bruised and bleeding. I looked at Liam coldly. “You didn’t know? All my preferences are posted on the fridge! You’re a Hayes family employee, how could you not know?!” “A severe allergy can kill someone, do you even know that?!” Eleanor tenderly helped Liam off the floor, a vein pulsed angrily on her forehead. “Enough! Julian, you’ve had more than enough since birth. Do you really need to constantly remind us of the difference between you and Liam?!” As if I’d heard something hilarious, a few low laughs escaped my throat. “Eleanor! He’s *my* family’s employee. Since when do *I* need *your* permission to discipline my own staff?!” Vivian and Chloe trembled with rage. “You’re *you*, and your father’s *him*! Liam just didn’t know your preferences. Can’t you be a little more lenient with him?!” “It seems we’ve clearly spoiled you rotten!” Liam, who was on the floor, scrambled up and cried out, “Master! I’ll just pay you back with my life!” He shouted as he lunged towards the fruit knife on my bedside table, gripping the handle tightly and pressing it against his arm. Eleanor’s face changed first. All three women’s gazes were fixed on Liam. Eleanor was quick, snatching the knife from Liam’s hand. I couldn’t help but sneer. “If you really wanted to pay me back with my life, you should be aiming for your neck!” A heavy slap landed across my face, the force so great that half my face went numb. After a jolt of sharp pain, blood slowly seeped from the corner of my mouth, and my ears rang incessantly. Eleanor glared, her voice cold. “Shut up! Are you trying to drive Liam to suicide?!” Even Chloe, usually the most mild-tempered, had her chest heaving violently. “Julian! Eleanor has already agreed to the engagement with you, why do you keep targeting Liam?!” The system in my mind blared a warning. A metallic taste filled my throat, and a mouthful of blood forcefully erupted from my mouth. In the last moment before losing consciousness, I heard three panicked voices. “Julian!”

When I regained consciousness, I found myself not in the hospital. But in… Anya’s house, where she and I lived in my previous life? I immediately struggled to get up and leave. Anya saw I was awake, her face filled with relief. She quickly pulled me back, her voice earnest. “Julian, please don’t go back, okay? I won’t hurt you like I did in our previous life. Can you please stay?” Seeing my photos covering the bedroom walls, a chill ran down my spine. “Anya, I refuse.” After my rebirth, I hadn’t changed my assigned targets, so I should have had no more dealings with Anya. But she showed up at my door in the second year of my rebirth, offering the Hayes Group as a betrothal gift to marry me. At that moment, I knew Anya, like me, had also been reborn. Anya desperately grabbed my arm. “I know you don’t trust me now, and you’ve refused me many times, but it’s okay, I’ll slowly prove myself to you!” Mid-struggle, her bedroom door suddenly crashed open. Eleanor was stunned when she saw me. “Julian, why are you here?” Before I could even process how they found Anya’s house, Vivian angrily yelled at Anya, “Anya! Where did you take Liam?!” My blood froze instantly. How did *they* know Anya? That absurd thought, like a lightning bolt, struck my mind again. Had they all been reborn too? Just as I wanted to press for answers, Liam burst into the bedroom, covered in blood. “Eleanor! Master tried to kill me! He wants me to pay him back with my life!” I watched Liam’s hysterical cries, utterly at a loss for words. “I have no idea why he’s here. I…” Eleanor didn’t listen to my explanation. Her eyes blazed with furious anger. Anya tried to protect me but was pinned to the ground and brutally beaten by Vivian and Chloe. Eleanor dragged me home like a sack of potatoes, going straight to the top floor of the villa. My body scraped against the ground the entire way, the pain making me almost pass out. Eleanor’s voice was devoid of warmth. “Julian! You will pay the price for what you’ve done!” She personally tied the rope around my wrists. I cried out, “No! Eleanor! Don’t do this to me!” “Let go!” With that command, my back, pressed against the cold marble exterior wall, dropped sharply. The rope rubbed my wrists raw and bloody. A biting wind whipped past my ears. The extreme fear made it impossible to keep my balance, and my body swayed even more violently. Eleanor put her arm around Liam, looking down at me from above. “Do you know you’re wrong now?” Vivian and Chloe’s cold gazes were like they were looking at a complete stranger. I screamed, tears pouring uncontrollably. Humiliated, I bit down on my lower lip. Crimson blood seeped from my bitten mouth, and my heart throbbed with a dull ache. Why, why were Eleanor and the others doing this to me? Even if they no longer loved me, no longer cared about me, they shouldn’t be so cruel! After what felt like an eternity, Eleanor finally untied me and dropped me to the ground. I crawled back to my room, curled up on the floor, and cried silently. After a long silence, I finally made up my mind. I dialed Alexandra, the wild card heiress from the city’s most powerful circles. “Marry me. The Hayes Group will be yours. And, I want to see the Hayes and Green families completely ruined!” Just as I hung up, Eleanor kicked open my door, raging. “What did Liam ever do to you? Why do you want to kick him out?” Vivian and Chloe chimed in from the side. “Do you have any idea how much effort Liam put into this job?!” “You already have so much, why can’t you stand to see Liam doing well?!” Their condemning tone was like a harsh slap across my face. The system’s warning of rapidly dropping life points echoed in my brain, and I violently coughed up a mouthful of fresh blood. The warm blood splattered on Eleanor, Vivian, and Chloe’s faces. All three of them instantly blanched. Enduring the searing pain in my chest, I suddenly wanted to know the question that had always puzzled me. “Did you three also get reborn? But why, after being reborn, do you no longer care about me?” Their pupils constricted slightly, and their breathing grew heavy. Eleanor, in particular, avoided my gaze, her voice hoarse. “What rebirth? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “297389”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #浪漫Romance #现实主义Realistic

Seeing my billionaire CEO husband in bed with another woman, I finally filed for divorce. Alex scoffed, “Cut the drama. Didn’t you always say I was your world?” But all I did was throw a signed divorce agreement at him. For three whole years, a transmigrator had been living in my body, absolutely obsessed with him, practically worshiping the ground he walked on. Now, she was finally gone. From this moment on, I was taking back control of my life! I don’t know when it started, but one day, I suddenly realized I couldn’t control my own body anymore. My consciousness felt trapped in a void. I could see, hear, and speak, but I couldn’t move. Then, I heard a voice. That’s when I learned it was a transmigrator who had taken over my body. After she accidentally discovered my existence, she said she couldn’t help it; a system was forcing her. She told me this was actually a novel world. Just because some “Main God” didn’t like the original ending, they sent a system to grab someone to do tasks and change it. She said my billionaire CEO husband, Alex, was the male lead of this world. She also said the Main God loved seeing the sweet, naive type and the CEO get their HE (happy ending), but loved seeing rich and powerful women like me, who were on equal footing with the CEO, get a BE (bad ending). She commented that the Main God must have the brain of a rusty doorknob. The system’s task for her was to make Alex fall in love with Lily—the sweet, naive type who was useless except for being kind. Apparently, the ending only counted if the two of them ended up in bed together. Hearing this, I couldn’t help but secretly agree with her assessment of that Main God. It seemed that Main God wasn’t just a total simp for romance, but also constantly dreaming up filthy fanfiction scenarios. In the kitchen. Chloe, the transmigrator, was sweetly but frustratingly trying to make a difficult latte art coffee as required, all while complaining to me, “Look at your taste! How could you marry such a high-maintenance jerk?” “If he likes handmade latte art so much, why doesn’t he just hire someone to make it at home? He’s not broke!” “But speaking of which… how much money does he actually have?” At her words, I couldn’t help but fall into thought. Even if I didn’t know his exact net worth, a typical billionaire CEO in a web novel world would definitely be loaded enough to rival a small country. Otherwise, how could he be the male lead? Just because of that… chiseled, almost unreal face of his? After much frustrated fiddling, Chloe grumbled, poured the coffee down the drain, and started over. But this time, while making it, she started complaining about *me*: “You actually make him a latte art coffee every single day, and with different designs!” “How in the world do you keep that up?!” “Seriously, do all you rich socialites have your heads in the clouds or something?!” I immediately countered that maybe he just… got used to it. I started making him a latte art coffee every day ever since we moved in next door to each other, over a year before our actual marriage, as a trial. But I wasn’t desperate to impress him. Because every day, he’d also bring me a different, exquisite, and expensive collector’s item. To me, it was a fair trade. I just didn’t know why, after Chloe arrived, Alex stopped sending me figurines. Though, maybe it was because… Chloe had never made a single decent latte art coffee? The sound of the door opening meant Alex was back. Chloe wanted to keep complaining, but she had to constantly maintain her “devoted, virtuous wife” persona. So, she twisted her smile into a welcoming one and sweetly, gently called out, “Alex.” However, Alex, dressed in his perfectly tailored suit, actually flinched. He turned to look at her with a horrified expression, as if she were some kind of monster. Seeing her make a move to pounce, he even took a few wary steps back. “Stay right there!”

As a transmigrator, Chloe was absolutely enraged. She cursed at me repeatedly, “I’ve been kissing up to him for a whole damn year, and he still won’t let me near him?!” “What, is he gay or something?!” “How am I supposed to do tasks like ‘getting owned by the female lead’ and ‘successfully playing the jealous harpy’ later?!” “Ugh, this is too hard. Just let me die, I want to go home!” “…” I wanted to speak, but in the end, amid Chloe’s furious ranting, I silently slipped into my memories. I had to admit, Alex’s reaction was a bit unexpected. Because, in my memory, he wasn’t actually averse to my closeness. Like on the day I lost control of my body—which was also our wedding night. The guests had tactfully left after the celebration, and he stumbled toward me, bending down, his face flushed slightly. He closed his eyes and leaned in as if to kiss me. A faint scent of wine and crisp cologne enveloped me, but I didn’t dare move. Yet, his breathing had quickened, and the veins on his hands were bulging. So I couldn’t help but wonder, for a moment, if he was… nervous too? But just as he was about to touch me, there was a *boom* in my head, and I lost consciousness. When I became aware of Chloe’s presence, it was already the third day. Chloe said that when she woke up in my body, she was in a hospital. At the time, Alex’s face was terrifyingly grim, watching the doctor meticulously give her a full body check-up. She was so scared she didn’t dare say anything, so she just continued to feign sleep. But ever since then, Alex’s attitude toward “me” had been consistently distant. Though, he’d always been a bit distant with me. He was just that type of person, always keeping a certain distance. I had no idea how he would be conquered by a clumsy, sweet-but-useless type like Lily. Perhaps, that’s what they call a “contrast effect.” Is this… the charm of CEO novels? Seeing Alex retreat to the door with a wary, almost panicked look, as if terrified Chloe would take advantage of him in the slightest… I found it both amusing and, strangely, a little sour in my heart. Did he really not want to be close to me? I shook my head, trying to get my thoughts back on track. This was about Chloe’s mission and my future, after all! So, I wondered again, could it be that my unexpected fainting that night had scared him, leaving him with a psychological shadow? I don’t know what the system said, but Chloe took a deep breath, then feigned sadness. “You, you… what’s wrong with you?” Alex frowned, a look of distaste on his face. “What did you do to yourself?” Chloe: “…?” Alex impatiently rubbed his temples. “Go clean yourself up.” Chloe followed his gaze down and finally saw the coffee stains all over her clothes. …Right. Alex, like me, was a bit of a germaphobe. Sure enough, he said coldly, “If you can’t make coffee, don’t force it. If you break the coffee machine, remember to pay for it yourself.” After saying that, he picked up his briefcase and went to the guest bedroom. Looking utterly heartless, as if out of sight, out of mind.

Yep, he and “I” had always slept in separate beds. Of course, Chloe didn’t actually want to sleep with him either. Because Chloe had someone she liked in her own world. She could fake it for the show, but she couldn’t let it become real. Chloe glared at his retreating back, growing even more irritable. “Ugh, this CEO is so cheap! What the hell?” “It’s just a coffee machine! Is it that big of a deal?!” “…” If you asked me, yes, it was a very big deal. After all, that coffee machine was worth tens of thousands of dollars. CEOs in novels might throw money around without a second thought. But a real CEO? They wouldn’t waste anything casually. They could abandon or exchange things, but they would never waste. Because they knew that only by developing cautious habits could they make relatively precise and decisive choices. At least, that’s what my successful businessman father taught me. And as the rich socialite Chloe called me, I was the same. Whatever I decided to learn, I would learn it seriously, giving it my all. For example, making latte art was something I excelled at because I had a strong foundation in art from a young age. So, I could directly free-pour latte art onto finished coffee, doing it in one smooth motion. But Chloe clearly had no artistic talent or interest, nor did she put any effort into it, so she naturally only produced failed “impressionist” works. Chloe glumly chugged the coffee, then washed herself clean, and finally holed up in the room, sighing dramatically to me, eventually tossing and turning all night. The next day, she forced herself to perk up and rushed to Alex’s company. Because today was the day Lily, the sweet, naive female lead, was supposed to officially catch the CEO’s eye. Lily, a freshly graduated intern, would naturally fall head over heels for the successful, tall, and handsome CEO Alex at first sight. Her character was clumsy, kind to stray animals, yet also brave enough to love. Even knowing that CEO Alex was already married, she didn’t hide her feelings. So what if he was married? Who could control their heart? Besides… they were just in a marriage of convenience anyway! Lily not only didn’t proactively distance herself from Alex, but she also wouldn’t do something decisive like immediately quitting her job. As she put it, she was just young and fearless, not wanting to regret it when she got old, so she chose to follow her heart. Chloe, following the script provided by the system, called Alex’s driver and secretary and learned of this “affair.” In a fit of rage, she dressed herself in an undeniably opulent manner, then stormed into Alex’s office, clutching the homemade lunch our housekeeper had lovingly prepared. Lily, in a fresh and bright white dress, had a hint of pure, unadulterated naivety lingering in her eyes. She was holding a stack of files, leaning to look at Alex’s computer. However, as Alex patiently explained something, he suddenly looked up at her, and she flinched. Naturally, the files tilted. In a panic, she quickly tried to grab them, but accidentally… stumbled and landed right on his lap. Lily’s face flushed crimson, but for some reason, she couldn’t seem to stand up. From an outsider’s perspective, she was squirming around on him, making the whole scene look incredibly… suggestive. Alex’s forehead veins pulsed, and he gripped her shoulders tightly, his gaze fixed on “me” with a strangely… panicked look? Was he not trying to hold her, but rather push her away, because he was afraid “I” would misunderstand? No, no, how could that be? This was his destined female lead; how could he possibly push her away? I thought with a bitter smile.

Looking at Lily, she was awkwardly flailing, her limbs soft, moving around on him, all while constantly apologizing with a red face, “Mr. Alexander, I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry.” Seeing this, Chloe excitedly roared, “What are you two doing?!” Only then did Lily seem to suddenly regain her courage, springing upright. She nervously tucked her hair behind her ear, feigning composure. “You, who are you?” “Who am I?” Chloe scoffed, pointing at Alex imperiously. “I’m his wife!” Lily looked down incredulously, her face full of disappointment. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know.” Chloe was utterly stunned, she couldn’t help but rant to me, “Oh my god, she can’t even hold files properly, and all she does is apologize?! She’s a… a total waste! And *she* gets to be the female lead?!” “Seriously, where’s the justice in that?!” I was speechless, feeling just as annoyed. Yes, where was the justice? And why did this system even exist? Lily bit her lower lip, her eyes reddening, looking utterly pitiful. Chloe had told me that she *hated* women like this the most. Because she herself had been in a car accident, left hanging by a thread, and then forced by this damn system to do these tasks, all thanks to a woman like that. So she just sneered and launched into a series of rapid-fire questions: “You didn’t know?” “Who in this company doesn’t know what the boss’s wife looks like?” “At the very least, our wedding photos are all over the internet…” “What, is this your first day online, or your first day in this company? Don’t try to play innocent with me!” Alex adjusted his suit, walked around his desk, and looked at Chloe with displeasure. “Why aren’t you managing your charity foundation? What are you doing here?” I froze for a moment. He actually knew about my charity foundation? No, it had to be just an excuse. I couldn’t believe that in such a short time, he had reverted to his cold CEO persona, so composed as he protected the woman he supposedly loved. Love truly makes one’s potential limitless, I thought, a hint of bitterness. “I came to catch… to bring you a loving lunch! But who knew…” Chloe snorted, reading her lines with feigned anguish. “I love you so much, I’m so good to you! And this is how you treat me?!” “That was just an accident, don’t overthink it. We were just discussing work.” Alex’s voice was dangerous, yet strangely pleasant to listen to. Chloe was furious. She pointed at Lily and spat, “You two were discussing work by hugging and cuddling? Why don’t you just kiss already?!” Lily’s face turned red. “Mrs. Alexander, you’ve misunderstood. How can you slander someone so unfairly?” “I’m slandering you? Your intentions are practically written all over your face! You…” “Enough.” Alex reached out and stopped the increasingly agitated Chloe, saying with displeasure, “Go back home. Don’t let your imagination run wild.” However, Chloe continued to unleash a torrent of curses at both of them until she felt satisfied, then turned and walked away with her head held high.

Once in the car, she immediately changed her expression, beaming. “After I reamed him out, the female lead will definitely cry to him for comfort. That way, their relationship will warm up faster, and I can go home sooner!” Not wanting to spoil her mood, I agreed repeatedly, though I wasn’t entirely convinced. After all, a CEO’s every second at work was precious; on average, millions of dollars could pass through their hands each second. A competent CEO shouldn’t be too distracted during work hours. But… I couldn’t help but feel a little sad. This was a novel world, after all. Maybe he *would* abandon a million-dollar deal for a smile from his beloved? In the evening, Alex called to say he had a work dinner and wouldn’t be home for dinner. Chloe was secretly thrilled, but she pretended to be angry, taking the opportunity to sarcastically remark about him before agreeing. “Do you think he’ll get tipsy tonight and end up getting intimate with Lily?” She chattered on, making continuous guesses. It was clear she was desperate to speed up the plot and go home. But I never liked to jump to conclusions about uncertain things, so I mostly remained silent. Chloe suddenly stopped, then carefully asked: “Vivian, I’ve known you for a while now. Why don’t you talk much?” “You don’t… actually love Alex, do you?” I was stunned. To be honest, that question… I hadn’t really thought about it. Chloe thought she’d hit the nail on the head and sighed wistfully: “Then you must be really sad every time you see them together.”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “297390”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #浪漫Romance #现实主义Realistic

Seven years into my marriage, my husband brought home a kept woman. He didn’t even try to hide it. “I’m only playing around for ten years, Scarlett. After that, I promise I’ll come back to you, settle down, and be a good husband.” He was so sure I wouldn’t dare refuse. My father had given all the family assets to my half-sister, Chloe, and we’d always been at each other’s throats. I’d been a stay-at-home wife for seven years; I couldn’t imagine surviving without him. I managed a desolate smile. “Whatever makes you happy.” He looked pleased, then leaned down and kissed my forehead. “Wife, I knew you’d understand me.” The moment he left, I ripped off my wedding ring, packed my bags, and walked out. My childhood friend, Liam, couldn’t wait to swoop in. “Hey, heiress. I’m handsome, loyal, and loaded. Care to give me a chance?” Before I left, I looked around the house I’d lived in for seven years, a wave of bitterness washing over me. Julian and I were college sweethearts. I stood by him through thick and thin, from nothing to having everything. He’d once sworn eternal love, promising to put the house in my name. He said if he ever changed his heart, he’d be homeless. Now, his heart had changed. But he had countless homes. As I reached the front door, my phone rang. Habitually, I answered it. “Bianca’s having cramps, Scarlett. Make some red date and bird’s nest soup and bring it over.” I was about to refuse, then remembered I still needed his signature on the divorce papers. Stepping into the lavish villa, I found Bianca Stone draped in a sheer, almost see-through nightgown, nestled in Julian’s arms. She pouted, her voice soft and sweet. “I hope Scarlett won’t be mad, will she?” “She’s the legitimate Mrs. Hayes. I’m just a nameless, status-less golden canary. How could I possibly deserve…” Julian lowered his head and kissed her lips, effectively shutting her up. After a long moment, his thumb gently traced the corner of her tear-filled eye. He looked utterly content. “Without me, she’d have starved long ago.” “Besides the title of Mrs. Hayes, what else does she have? Just looking at her makes me sick.” My nails dug into my palms. Three years of dating, seven years of marriage, and he called me disgusting? I gritted my teeth and walked up to them. Julian’s face instantly darkened. “Where’s the soup?” Bianca deliberately tugged at her flimsy nightgown, revealing a landscape of kiss marks and damp patches beneath her. Her fair hand quickly covered his mouth. “How could I possibly trouble Mrs. Hayes? I should be serving her.” My gaze flickered to the photos in the living room, and a sharp pain pierced my heart. Julian never let me meet his friends, nor would he meet mine. But here he was, taking Bianca on picnics with his friends. He’d always said he hated flowers, calling them wasteful and impractical. Yet, everywhere I looked, there were vibrant roses of every color, even rare, priceless Juliet roses. He said he was too busy to go on a honeymoon. But the photo wall in the living room was covered with pictures of him and Bianca traveling the world. I suddenly wanted to laugh—to laugh at how blind I’d been. Seeing my smile, Julian’s rage intensified. He grabbed an apple and threw it at me. “Funny? You’re really starting to disrespect me, aren’t you? Your allowance for next month is gone.” Bianca suddenly began to dab at her eyes, looking utterly pitiful. “Mr. Hayes, no, please.” “I’ve already stolen your love, I’m so sorry to Scarlett. Don’t be angry with her because of me. I don’t deserve it.” Julian’s voice was cold as he commanded me. “Come here and explain it clearly to Bianca. Tell her you approve of us, and that you’ll willingly take care of her.” Meeting his urgent gaze, I let out a cold laugh. “Julian Hayes, what century are you living in? Still dreaming of having a harem?” “I’ll never, ever share my man with a shameless mistress.” I turned my gaze to Bianca. “Stop faking it. You’re a mistress hiding in the shadows, yet you want a good reputation? You’re truly delusional.” She immediately shrank into Julian’s arms, sobbing uncontrollably, as if she’d suffered the greatest injustice. “Mr. Hayes, I… I just admire you. If Scarlett can’t tolerate me, then I’ll leave right away! I’ll never bother you two again.” She made a move to leave, but Julian held her tight. “If anyone’s leaving, it’s her.” “Scarlett Sterling, you’re getting more and more out of control. You need to be taught a lesson!” He motioned for his bodyguards to pin me to the ground and ordered them to slap me. Rough, powerful slaps soon swelled my cheeks, and blood streamed from the corner of my mouth. It hurt, but my heart hurt more. “When you realize your mistake, when you’re willing to bow down to Bianca, then they’ll stop.” “Mr. Hayes, it’s a good thing you care about me so much~” Julian’s restless hand roamed over her body, eliciting a soft moan from her. “Naughty~ Mrs. Hayes is still here…” His voice grew even more triumphant: “Good. She can learn how to seduce me from you.” The decadent, sickening sounds brutally assaulted my ears, leaving me almost deaf. I refused to bow down or apologize. Julian ordered me locked in the basement to reflect. He didn’t let anyone treat my wounds, leaving my face to fester and rot. That night, my fever soared, and I began to ramble. He got scared I’d die and had me sent to the hospital. In a haze, I heard him say, “You still think you’re some high-and-mighty heiress, do you? The Sterling family has nothing to do with you anymore. You’re completely dependent on me now, why can’t you change your temper?” “If you were even half as obedient and sensible as Bianca, I’d be satisfied.” Opening my eyes, I found my face heavily bandaged. My lower abdomen throbbed with intense pain. A nurse walked over, her voice soft. “Don’t move. You just had a miscarriage, so you need to be very careful.” I was pregnant, but the medication for my wounds posed a risk of fetal deformity, so they had arranged an abortion. Julian’s face was resentful, filled with impatience. “Would it kill you to just admit you were wrong?” “We’ve been married seven years and finally had a child, and you just threw it away!” I couldn’t hold back any longer. Hot tears welled in my eyes. It was naturally difficult for me to conceive. For seven years, I’d seen countless doctors and taken countless medications. Finally, I had a child, and it was gone just like that. Most likely, I could never be a mother again. Seeing me cry, he suddenly panicked, his tone softening considerably. “You can have another child later, or when Bianca has one, you can raise it.” Looking at the man I’d loved for ten years, he suddenly felt like a complete stranger. Years ago, my father had chosen Liam, my childhood friend, as my arranged marriage partner. But I stubbornly fell in love with Julian, who had nothing. I poured most of my fortune into supporting his startup, begging and pulling strings everywhere to land him projects. His eyes red, he held my hand, his face full of devotion. “Scarlett, I promise I’ll make sure you continue to live like a pampered princess.” Now, he’d completely forgotten those vows. I recoiled from his touch, my voice as cold as a stranger’s. “Julian Hayes, let’s get a divorce.” He panicked, then laughed with anger. “Scarlett Sterling, I hate being threatened.” I added, “I’m serious.” He smiled, gritting his teeth, then sighed, seeing me as utterly delusional. “You won’t get much of the Hayes’ assets. The Sterling family won’t take you back, and you haven’t worked in seven years. Just feeding yourself will be a problem.” “If we divorce, you’ll barely survive.” I said calmly, “You don’t need to worry about that.” His finely-boned hand rested on my lower abdomen, but I felt a chill run down my spine.

His words were cold and dangerous. “You deliberately provoked me, got yourself hurt, and conveniently got rid of the child. You wanted me to feel guilty so you could divorce me.” “You wanted everyone to think I rose by relying on the Sterling family, then abandoned you, so they’d condemn me.” “It’s all carefully planned.” I suddenly understood why my father had so vehemently opposed my marriage to him back then. He was clearly the butcher, yet he was packaging himself as the victim. “You really should learn from Bianca’s gentleness. She doesn’t have your malicious thoughts; she only tries every way possible to please me.” “Out of consideration for our marriage, I won’t pursue this. But if there’s a next time, don’t blame me for being ruthless!” I gently shook my head and slowly spoke. “Julian Hayes, I will never learn the shamelessness of a mistress, nor the lack of shame of someone who cheats.” “Either we get a divorce by agreement, or I’ll sue you for it.” Julian was completely enraged. He pointed at me and roared in public. “Don’t use divorce to threaten me! Bianca is a thousand times better than you. I would never leave her, so you might as well give up!” “For a man of my status and position, having three or five mistresses is perfectly normal. I’ve already been very discreet. You’re just too ungrateful.” I wanted to laugh. How blind must I have been to fall for him? He would never realize that I couldn’t tolerate him, not just Bianca. With that, he walked away without a backward glance. I felt no reluctance; instead, the air seemed to clear. Yet, there was still an empty ache in my heart, as if a piece was missing. For the next half-month, he never appeared before me again. He and Bianca were kissing under the Northern Lights, exploring rainforests, vacationing on islands, and splurging on jewelry at auctions. I didn’t want to pay attention to them, but their exploits frequently topped the news trends, making it impossible to ignore. I looked down at the wedding ring on my hand. It was bought three years into our marriage. On our wedding day, I wore a rented dress and cheap, online-bought jewelry, willingly marrying him. He’d wept and promised that once he was rich, he’d make it up to me with a grand,世纪婚礼 (century wedding – a grand, once-in-a-lifetime wedding). Later, when he had money, he said jewelry was expensive and useless, so why waste money? I nagged him for a long time before he finally bought this less-than-one-carat diamond ring. He never wore his own. Whether to get back at me or to make Bianca happy, I don’t know. He really did prepare a lavish, grand wedding. Sadly, I wasn’t the bride. He hired a professional photography team to document every step: choosing wedding rings, trying on wedding dresses, and so on. Their wedding ring was made from a pigeon-egg-sized diamond auctioned off in a Southern country, the diamond alone worth $300 million. Bianca’s wedding dress was encrusted with tiny diamonds, shimmering under the lights like a fairy descending from the Milky Way. It sparkled even more brilliantly in the sunlight. Chloe, my sister, threw an invitation in front of me, angrily demanding, “Is this the man you were so determined to marry? You’re truly an embarrassment to the Sterling family.” My stepmother, Eleanor, nearly fainted from anger. I begged them to attend the wedding. If the Sterlings didn’t go, those high-society families definitely wouldn’t. The day before the wedding, Julian was unusually pleasant to me. “Bianca wants a wedding of her own. Don’t cause any trouble.” I nodded. On the wedding day, I announced my divorce in front of all the guests. “My husband, Mr. Julian Hayes, is holding a grand wedding with his mistress today. I choose to grant them their wish.” “We’re getting a divorce.” He quietly warned me, but I wasn’t fazed. “Either we divorce, or I’ll sue you for bigamy.” His face flushed from green to red. He had no choice but to sign the divorce agreement in front of everyone. That day, Julian Hayes dominated the trending topics. 【Hayes Group CEO Holds Century Wedding for Mistress!】 【At the Wedding, the Original Wife Announces Divorce!】 【Relied on Wife for Wealth, Now Flaunts Affair with Mistress!】 His high-profile photos and videos with Bianca, showing off their affection, became the damning evidence that nailed him to the pillar of shame. I went home to get my luggage, but I heard Bianca’s heart-wrenching screams. Rushing in, I saw her being assaulted by two men, blood flowing freely from beneath her. I was frozen in shock, standing there, unsure what to do. Julian rushed in, frantic. The two men, startled, quickly scaled the wall and fled. Bianca lay in a pool of blood, sobbing almost to the point of collapse. “Our baby… it’s gone…” “Ms. Sterling, you can hate me, hit me, curse me, even kill me if you want.” “But why would you hurt my baby? If you’d just said the word, I would’ve taken the baby and left the country, never to return.” “Why…” Julian held Bianca, crying like a fountain. When my baby was gone, he hadn’t shed a single tear. He stayed by her side in the hospital, sleepless for three days and three nights. Every day, while she slept, he’d personally go home and cook soup for her. Seven years of marriage, and I never knew he could cook. On the fourth day, Bianca’s emotions finally stabilized. He ordered his bodyguards to tie me up and take me to an abandoned factory on the outskirts, where they threw me onto the ground like trash. The rough gravel dug into my body, hurting everywhere. I stared at him, incredulous. “Julian Hayes, how could you do this to me?” He raised his foot and cruelly stomped on my lips until they were a bloody mess. “It’s all because I was too soft on you, which emboldened you to harm my child.” I shook my head frantically, the back of my head bleeding from being scraped by the gravel. “I didn’t! It wasn’t me!” “Still trying to deny it?!” He gathered all his strength and delivered a savage kick to my lower abdomen. My face turned pale from the pain, and sweat poured down me. But he felt it wasn’t nearly enough. Punches, kicks, and sticks rained down on my abdomen. Soon, it was a bloody, mangled mess, and the blood beneath me stained the ground. Gradually, I stopped feeling the pain. All I felt was cold. My consciousness faded, and the footsteps seemed to grow distant. They didn’t take me with them. I was going to die. When I woke up again, everything was white. Perhaps this was heaven. Liam Anderson, my childhood friend, was watching over me, his eyes red. Seeing me awake, he couldn’t help but cry again. “Scarlett, you’re finally awake! You scared me to death!” I didn’t speak, tears streaming down my face and soaking the pillow. He carefully held me, and a wave of warmth passed through my hospital gown. “I’m sorry, I came too late.” After he heard about my divorce, he caught the next flight home, only to learn I’d gone missing. The Sterling family and the Anderson family had moved mountains to find me, barely rescuing me when I was on the brink. After my surgery, Chloe and Eleanor arranged for two nurses to care for me, and they made time to visit me every day. Liam stayed by my bedside, refusing to leave for anything.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “297391”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #浪漫Romance #现实主义Realistic

I’d been in love with Liam Hayes for seven years. Three years after our wedding, the one I’d wished for more than anything, I wanted a divorce. On our anniversary, Liam ditched me to be with his first love. My heart utterly crushed, I prepared the divorce papers the very next day and handed them to him. He didn’t even hesitate before signing. But when it truly came down to it, Liam’s eyes turned red, and he begged me not to leave. It was the third year of my marriage to Liam Hayes, and I wanted out. “Mrs. Hayes, this is the third-anniversary gift Mr. Hayes prepared for you.” Three years married, and Liam barely came home. Even on our third wedding anniversary, he just had his assistant send a gift. I barely glanced at the exquisite jewelry box sitting in front of me, not bothering to pick it up. “Where is he?” “Mr. Hayes is away on a business trip.” I pursed my lips, a bitter ache twisting in my chest. Looking back, I’d seen Liam’s assistant more times than I’d seen Liam himself over these past three years. I casually took the jewelry, just about to call my besties to blow off some steam, when suddenly, rows of pop-up comments flashed before my eyes. 【Chloe, you’re so clueless! Your husband’s never home, but you have unlimited spending money every month, and you still want a divorce?!】 【OMG, girl, the male lead loves you SO much! He just doesn’t know how to say it. He’s too shy!】 【Exactly! He just loves you too much, that’s why he’s scared to see you!】 【Baby girl, Liam really is busy! If it weren’t for the branch office crisis, he would’ve been back already! You know, the male lead started preparing for your third anniversary a month ago!】 【The male lead became an orphan when he was young, he used all sorts of schemes to get his company back. It’s natural for him to feel insecure facing a girl he loves so much. If only the female lead could be more understanding!】 I was skeptical. Liam loved me? That’s a joke! Liam and I were in a strategic alliance between our families. But what Liam didn’t know was that, even before we got married, I had silently loved him for seven years. The first time I saw Liam was at the freshman orientation for high school. Liam was giving a speech as an outstanding senior student representative. While all the other guys around him were pimply and loud, Liam’s cool, detached demeanor was like a splash of cool green on a scorching summer day. What’s more, Liam’s looks were top-tier, perfectly fitting my aesthetic. Liam was a big deal at school, not just for his incredible looks, but also for his off-the-charts intelligence. He was the academic powerhouse everyone talked about. Falling for Liam was almost inevitable. It’s just that the distance between us felt too vast, something I couldn’t bridge no matter how fast I ran. So, when I heard Liam was to be my husband in a business marriage, I was practically ecstatic. In the early days of our marriage, I was full of passion, eager to make things work with Liam. I’d never lifted a finger in the kitchen before, but after we got married, I worked tirelessly honing my cooking skills. After cutting three fingers and enduring countless oil burns, I finally cooked my first dish. Full of excitement, I rushed to Liam’s office, hoping he could have my special homemade lunch early. But the moment I arrived, his secretary blocked me. “I’m sorry, Ms. Chen, Mr. Hayes is busy. You can’t go in without an appointment.” I called Liam again and again, but he didn’t pick up. I waited for over an hour in the busy lobby, standing there as people bustled around. I could even hear the whispers of those nearby. Eventually, Liam’s assistant came downstairs to deliver some documents, saw me, and finally led me to Liam’s office. But the moment I saw Liam, all my sadness vanished. I joyfully arranged the dishes I’d cooked in front of him. “Taste it! I made it especially for you!” Compared to my excitement, Liam was merely indifferent. He took one bite, frowned, and didn’t touch his forks again. “From now on, the housekeeper can handle these things.” “My assistant also prepares lunch for me. You don’t have to bother bringing it.”

My eager enthusiasm was instantly doused with ice water. Later, I tried various ways to get closer to Liam. But… The thoughtful gifts I painstakingly chose always ended up gathering dust in a cabinet. My messages to him went unanswered, like stones dropped into the ocean. At company galas, Liam preferred to bring his secretary instead of me. Even in bed, Liam seemed uninterested. He’d often finish in a rushed two or three minutes, even if he clearly wasn’t satisfied. Everyone outside knew that I, Mrs. Hayes, was nothing more than a title without substance, someone anyone could step on. … After a while, even an idiot would have known that Liam didn’t love me. Yet now, the pop-up comments were telling me that Liam loved me, even loved me to his core. I scoffed. As if I’d believe those comments. I immediately called Zoe and went to a bar. My best friend, Zoe, raised an eyebrow, looking quite surprised when she saw me. “Well, well, look who it is! Isn’t today your third wedding anniversary with Liam? How do you have time to come out drinking?” I gave a bitter smile, trying to hide the disappointment in my eyes. “He’s on a business trip.” “Zoe, I’m planning to divorce him.” Zoe’s eyes widened in disbelief. She knew how much I loved Liam, so hearing about the divorce, she looked stunned. She even tugged at my cheek, suspecting I’d been possessed. I slapped her hand away and smiled. “Liam, he just doesn’t love me.” “I used to think that even if he didn’t love me, as long as I was Mrs. Hayes, I could be tied to him forever.” “Even just being by his side, I felt content.” “But Zoe, people are greedy. The longer I stayed by his side, the more I wanted. But he can’t give me what I want. It just makes me more miserable.” “Instead of making us both suffer like this, it’s better to part ways amicably.” Zoe sighed, pulling me into a comforting hug. “Chloe, I’ll support you no matter what you do!” “Out with the old, in with the new! We’ll find someone way better next time!” More comments floated across my vision. 【My poor girl, Chloe! If only she could give the male lead more time!】 【If the male lead doesn’t speak up soon, he’s going to lose his wife!】 【Nooo, baby girl! No one loves you more than the male lead!】 【Don’t panic, comments! The male lead rushed over as soon as he heard his wife was at the bar! He’s quietly protecting her from behind right now!】 Liam came? I froze, instinctively turning to search for him. He was there, at a booth not far away, raising his glass and chatting happily with the woman next to him. He was definitely *not* quietly watching me, as the comments claimed. “Liam? Why is he here? Wasn’t he on a business trip?” Zoe clearly saw Liam too. Fuming, she grabbed my arm and dragged me towards him. As we got closer, I finally got a good look at the woman beside Liam. She wore a striking red dress, her features bright and captivating. At that moment, she was clinging to Liam’s arm, playfully begging him to drink for her. Their posture was intimate. I could even see her hair draped over Liam’s arm, creating an undeniable, suggestive aura that spoke volumes of their closeness. It was a closeness Liam and I had never shared.

Perhaps he didn’t notice me, or perhaps he simply didn’t care, but Liam looked at the woman, a gentle smile on his face, and took the glass from her hand, downing it in one go. 【Oh no, oh no, the female lead is definitely going to misunderstand! Male lead, hurry and look at Chloe!】 【Baby girl, Chloe, this is just a classmate of the male lead’s. His heart is only for you.】 Watching the words on the screen, I pursed my lips. The way Liam looked at her was so tender it was practically dripping with affection. Only an idiot would believe there was nothing between them. He had never looked at me that way. If I had to rely on pop-up comments to know if Liam loved me, to find evidence, then I was truly pathetic. Besides, I was more than good enough. I didn’t *need* Liam. “Liam Hayes, is this what you call a ‘business trip’?” Seeing me, a flicker of discomfort crossed Liam’s face. He cleared his throat, about to speak, when the woman beside him stood up and generously extended her hand to me. “You must be Chloe Chen, Liam’s business marriage partner! Hello, I’m Victoria, Liam’s ex-girlfriend.” Victoria stared at me intently, her eyes filled with a mix of triumph and mockery. I knew who Victoria was. She was Liam’s high school classmate, the only one who could rival him in their academic achievements. She was his “first love,” the one everyone called the perfect couple. Their passionate high school romance was always a talked-about topic until she went overseas. Liam was reportedly in a slump for a long time because of it. Rumor had it, he even underperformed on his college entrance exams and missed out on his dream university. From the looks of it now, Victoria must have reconnected with Liam the moment she returned to the country. I didn’t shake Victoria’s hand. I just stared at Liam, unblinking. Victoria, however, pouted, then turned to Liam with a look of feigned hurt. “Liam, I told you not to come so late just to see me. Look, your wife is upset.” “Chloe, don’t be mad. I just got back to the country, and I haven’t reconnected with any of my old friends except Liam… I’m sorry, but Liam and I truly have nothing going on. Please don’t be upset…” I smelled the sickly sweet act in the air and scoffed. My eyes still on Liam, my voice was devoid of any warmth. “Liam Hayes, do you have nothing to say to me?” Liam frowned, his face unreadable. “Go home early.” My nose suddenly stung, and tears threatened to spill. At that moment, the comments section exploded. 【Ahhh, baby girl, Chloe, don’t misunderstand! It’s clearly the rival female lead who’s throwing herself at him!】 【Baby girl, you HAVE to believe the male lead! He was tricked into coming here by her! And he’s fuming right now because he saw you here and worried other guys might hit on you! Go comfort him!】 【Baby girl, Chloe, just sweet-talk the male lead, call him ‘honey,’ and he’ll give you his life!】 【Can the rival female lead just get lost already?! Spreading rumors about her intense love affair with the male lead in high school wasn’t enough, now she has to interfere in the male and female lead’s relationship!】 Upset? I scoffed again. Liam told me he was on a business trip for our anniversary, but he was here with his high school first love, and *he* was upset? What about me? Was I supposed to just accept it? Perhaps before, I still felt a tiny bit reluctant about this marriage, but at this moment, my decision to divorce was rock solid. “Liam Hayes, come back tomorrow.”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “297392”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #浪漫Romance #现实主义Realistic

I’m Valerie Acosta, and I’ve been married to Ashton Jones for three years. I’ve been pregnant twice, but I couldn’t keep either baby. The reason? A talking parrot owned by his parents. During my first pregnancy, I was staying at Ashton’s parents’ house when that parrot stared at my belly and kept repeating: “Abortion, abortion.” During my second pregnancy, I returned to Ashton’s parents’ house, and that parrot did the same thing—staring at my belly and saying those same words. At first, I thought it was just random squawking, but I never expected that after hearing the parrot’s words, Ashton’s parents Brian Jones and Bella Jones would actually take me to the hospital for an abortion. I showed them the doctor’s prenatal examination report, telling them the baby was perfectly healthy, begging them not to do this. But Brian and Bella insisted on dragging me to the hospital, forcing me to have an abortion. During my third pregnancy, to be safe, I went straight for an amniocentesis test. The report showed the fetus was healthy, with a 99.9% DNA match to Ashton. I thought I could finally carry this baby to term in peace, but the moment that parrot saw me, it started shouting “abortion” again, and Brian and Bella immediately wanted to take me to the hospital once more. I couldn’t understand it—the baby was clearly healthy, and the DNA proved it was Ashton’s. Why would they listen to a parrot and insist on making me have an abortion? “This baby cannot stay. You must go to the hospital for an abortion right now!” “We’ve already scheduled the procedure. Come with us now!” Brian and Bella spoke while grabbing me by the arms, trying to drag me out the door. The parrot in the living room kept screeching: “Abortion, abortion!” Terror filled my eyes as I desperately clutched the sofa armrest. “No, I won’t! There’s nothing wrong with the baby. Why are you forcing me to have an abortion?” I desperately wanted an answer, but Brian and Bella never responded. Seeing me holding on tight, Brian stepped forward and forcibly pried my fingers open, saying sternly: “You’re Ashton’s wife—where do you get off asking so many questions? When we tell you to do something, you do it!” When my last finger was pried loose, the fear in my heart turned into deep anguish. I screamed almost hysterically: “The baby is healthy and definitely Ashton’s child—it’s written clearly in the report. Why do you insist on listening to a parrot and forcing me to have three abortions?” This was already my third child. The first was only five weeks along when Brian and Bella heard the parrot’s words and immediately dragged me to the hospital for an abortion, without any explanation. The second baby was only a month along when they once again listened to the parrot and forced me to have an abortion that very day, again without any reason. I fought back. The second time, I even showed them the prenatal examination report, but they wouldn’t even look at it. This time, I waited until three months, had the amniocentesis and all necessary prenatal tests done, confirmed the baby was Ashton’s and developing completely normally before telling them, but their attitude remained the same—they insisted on forcing me to have an abortion no matter what. Thinking about all this filled me with both anger and pain. I thought: “Is my third child also doomed to be aborted?” Faced with my questioning, Brian and Bella remained silent, simply dragging me out of the house by force. I wasn’t strong enough to resist them and was eventually dragged outside. While waiting for the elevator, I knelt on the ground and pleaded: “I’m begging you, the baby is innocent. You can’t take away his life! That parrot is just an animal—don’t listen to it. I’m begging you to let me keep this baby!” Even as I cried and kowtowed on the ground, Brian and Bella remained unmoved. Bella looked down at me coldly and said: “You’ve had two abortions already—why don’t you understand? The baby in your belly today is destined to be terminated!” Just when I thought I had to accept my fate, the elevator doors opened, and inside stood my parents, Colton Acosta and Dianna Acosta. In that moment, I felt like I was seeing hope.

I broke free from Brian and Bella’s grip, stumbling toward Colton and Dianna. I grabbed their hands desperately, choking back tears as I said, “Mom, Dad, save me!” Colton and Dianna were clearly startled by the tear stains covering my face, frowning as they looked me up and down. Dianna asked, “Valerie, what happened? Didn’t you say you had good news to tell us? How did you end up like this?” I had called Colton and Dianna myself. Since Brian and Bella had forced me to have abortions during my previous two pregnancies, I’d called them ahead of time just in case. Thank God they actually came to back me up. With newfound courage, I sobbed, my body trembling, “Mom, Dad, they’re bullying me.” Hearing this, anger flashed across Colton and Dianna’s faces. Dianna said, “Brian, Bella, my daughter married into your family, not to be mistreated!” Colton chimed in, “You owe us an explanation today, or this isn’t over!” Brian and Bella glanced at Colton and Dianna without offering any defense, simply inviting us into the living room with indifference. Then Brian spoke up, “Valerie is pregnant. The child cannot stay.” My heart tightened, and I was about to ask them to take me away when Brian and Bella’s parrot suddenly spoke again. It stared at my belly, chattering incessantly, “Abortion, abortion!” Just those words alone changed Colton and Dianna’s expressions completely. They locked eyes with Brian and Bella for a moment, seemingly reaching some kind of understanding. The next second, both turned to look at me with grave expressions. “Valerie, you cannot keep this child!” “Be good and go to the hospital with them!” These words hit me like a bolt from the blue. I never imagined that even my own parents would be as absurd as Brian and Bella, forcing me to have an abortion based solely on a parrot’s words. Hearing this from my closest family members made my heart ache even more. I stared wide-eyed, asking in disbelief, “How can you listen to a parrot? This is your own grandchild in my belly! What century are we living in? Are hospital test results worth less than a bird’s nonsense?” I picked up the scattered medical reports from the floor and shoved them at Colton and Dianna, begging them to take a look and stand up for me. Unfortunately, they pushed my hands away, full of reproach, “This child cannot stay. Can’t you be reasonable? Be good, go to the hospital for an abortion, stop making a scene!” The parrot squawked even more enthusiastically nearby, fueling my rage. My eyes red with anger, I despised that parrot, “It’s you spouting nonsense, you’re the one who deserves to die!” As I spoke, I lunged forward trying to strangle it, but Colton and Dianna held me back firmly. Dianna even slapped me while Colton gripped my arm tightly. Both said in unison, “Valerie, stop embarrassing yourself and go to the hospital for an abortion!” Looking at my parents who had just laid hands on me, my heart turned ice cold. During the first and second forced abortions, I never dared tell them. I was afraid they’d worry, afraid of causing trouble with Brian and Bella. So I kept it hidden, bearing the pain of losing my children alone. This time I really couldn’t hold on anymore, so I had to turn to them for help. I thought they would stand by my side, that they would back me up. But I was wrong. My own parents were joining them in forcing me to abort this child. I gently caressed the child in my belly, tears dropping to the floor one by one. No one would help me. I could only rely on myself. I spotted the open door and bolted toward it, but Brian and Bella quickly blocked my path. My repeated non-compliance and attempt to escape completely enraged them. Brian tied me up with rope while Bella brought abortion pills. Seeing them about to force me to take the medication, I panicked completely, desperately shrinking backward. I cried and begged them, “Please, for the sake of all the years I’ve served you since marrying into this family, spare this child! As long as you let me keep this baby, I’ll do anything! He’s only three months old, he’s done nothing wrong. Please, give him a chance to come into this world…” I also pleaded with Colton and Dianna, hoping they would speak up for me, “Mom, Dad, help me. I’ve already lost two children, I can’t lose this one too! I’m your own daughter, please don’t watch me suffer!” I cried my heart out, trying everything, but couldn’t earn even a trace of their compassion. Their eyes held only coldness, only the determination to eliminate the child in my womb. Before forcing the abortion pills down my throat, Bella said, “Valerie, the parrot says this child must be aborted! Don’t blame us—this child just isn’t meant to be with our family!” Brian nodded in agreement, “You can have more children later. If this one’s gone, it’s gone.” They spoke so casually. Colton and Dianna didn’t speak, but their silence was tacit approval of Brian and Bella’s actions. Only I was drowning in pain, collapse, and despair. The agony of having my previous two children torn from my body was still vivid in my memory.

Bella pried open my mouth and ruthlessly forced the abortion pills down my throat. I choked violently, coughing uncontrollably and nearly suffocating. Just then, an angry roar cut through the chaos: “What are you doing to Valerie?” I looked up to meet Ashton’s shocked and bewildered gaze. Seeing my savior, I felt even more wronged: “Ashton, please save our child.” Ashton rushed over, pushed his parents aside, quickly untied the restraints on my hands, and pulled me tightly into his arms. Seeing me cry so heartbreakingly, his eyes reddened with distress as he gently patted my back to comfort me: “It’s okay, Valerie, don’t be afraid. I’m here!” Finally feeling supported, I broke down and sobbed. Ashton loved me deeply and treated me with infinite tenderness, never bearing to let me suffer the slightest grievance. He often traveled for business for weeks at a time, and each time he would hire several nannies to take care of me at home, fearing I might not be well cared for. His return this time was also because I had specifically called him back. Only after I gradually calmed down did he turn to look at Brian, Bella, Colton, and Dianna. He glared at his parents: “Mom, Dad, Valerie is my wife. How could you treat her like this? Didn’t you say you would love her like your own daughter?” He then looked at my parents, his voice full of disappointment: “You’re her biological parents. How can you just watch her being bullied like this? Do you even deserve to be called parents?” Brian, Bella, Colton, and Dianna didn’t argue back, only stating the fact of my pregnancy. Ashton ignored them. But just as Ashton was about to carry me to the hospital, that parrot spoke again. It opened its mouth with those bone-chilling words: “Abortion, abortion!” I instinctively covered Ashton’s ears, looking at him through tears: “Ashton, please don’t listen.” But I knew he had heard it. Sure enough, his expression changed. He avoided my gaze and turned to look at the parrot. The parrot’s cries echoed throughout the room, as if drilling into my brain. I trembled with fear, cupping Ashton’s face with both hands, forcing him to look at me: “Don’t believe it. This parrot is talking nonsense. Don’t believe it! I’m begging you, don’t listen to it.” I still held onto a glimmer of hope. Ashton loved me so much, and he wasn’t superstitious. I thought he surely wouldn’t force me to have an abortion. However, under my expectant gaze, he said something that sent me plummeting into an icy abyss. He said: “Valerie, get rid of the baby.” Ashton’s words struck like lightning, shattering my last thread of hope. I clutched his collar desperately, my hands trembling almost uncontrollably: “Ashton, do you know what you’re saying?” Ashton nodded: “This child cannot stay. You have no choice!” I slapped him hard across the face. I grabbed the report from the floor and shoved it in front of him, questioning him on the verge of emotional collapse: “Ashton, this is your biological child. He’s perfectly healthy, nothing wrong at all! Are you going to be like them, believe this parrot’s words, and kill him?” Ashton glanced at the report and frowned, saying coldly: “No matter what you say, this child cannot stay. Whether you’re willing or not, you must have an abortion.” Hearing those words, I felt as if all my strength had drained away, and I couldn’t help but laugh bitterly. My laugh was desolate: “Ashton, the baby in my belly is our third child! The first and second ones were both forced to be aborted by your parents!” Upon hearing this, shock and disbelief flashed in Ashton’s eyes, and he stood there stunned. I had never told him about those two children, never even mentioned being pregnant. I had originally wanted to wait for him to return from his business trips to surprise him, but each time it was ruined by Brian, Bella, and that parrot. Ashton loved me, and I was afraid that if he knew his parents forced me to have abortions, he would resent them or even break ties with them, so I had always kept it from him. But now it seemed I had been overthinking. They were all the same. Just then, I felt a sharp, excruciating pain in my lower abdomen, and bright red blood gushed between my legs. I knew the abortion pills had taken effect, claiming my child’s life. And all five of them breathed a sigh of relief. That parrot also finally shut its mouth, satisfied. Everyone was celebrating that this child was finally gone, while only my heart was being torn apart. When I was taken to the hospital for a dilation and curettage procedure, my consciousness remained clear, and I could distinctly feel my child being scraped away from my womb. Before I lost consciousness, my only feeling was deep regret that I couldn’t protect this child. Or more accurately, I regretted conceiving this ill-fated child in the first place. When I woke up, it was already late at night. I was lying on the guest room bed at Brian and Bella’s house, with Ashton slumped over beside the bed. I wanted to escape this hypocritical and filthy house, so I quietly got up. As I passed the study, I heard the chirping sounds of that parrot that had caused me to lose my child. The moment I heard its voice, towering hatred ignited in my heart, and I unconsciously opened the study door, wanting to kill it with my own hands. But the moment I pushed open the door, I witnessed a scene I would never forget for the rest of my life. I finally understood why Ashton’s parents, my parents, and Ashton himself all believed that parrot’s words and insisted on forcing me to abort three children!

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MyFiction” app 🔍 search for “398171”, and watch the full series ✨! #MyFiction #FamilyDrama #Pregnancy #WitchWizard #Revenge #Hurt

Mayor Vincent Harris was rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment after a car accident. My boyfriend Jeffrey Barnes, in order to make up for Andrea Jansen being late due to making coffee, actually brought all our department colleagues together to deliberately delay Vincent’s surgery, wanting to make her Vincent’s lifesaver. Vincent’s life hung by a thread. If he died because of this, our entire department would face imprisonment. I, Claire Easterlin, desperately begged everyone to operate on Vincent as soon as possible, but was met with accusations from the crowd: “You’re just jealous that Jeffrey promised to make Andrea permanent, so you’re deliberately making her miss Mr. Harris’s favor!” I knelt on the ground, kowtowing until my head was bloody and broken, and only then did everyone reluctantly enter the operating room. With me as the lead surgeon and Jeffrey and colleagues assisting, after 12 hours of emergency treatment, we finally succeeded in saving Vincent’s life. After the surgery, our entire department received a million-dollar bonus from Vincent, and both Jeffrey and I were promoted. However, on the night of the promotion, I was drugged unconscious by Andrea and sent directly to the hospital morgue’s freezer, where I froze to death. Jeffrey then led all the department colleagues in giving false testimony to the police: “Claire was medically incompetent. To get promoted, she stole Andrea’s credit for saving Mr. Harris’s life, and ultimately committed suicide out of guilt.” I died with grievances unresolved. Andrea took this opportunity to successfully become permanent and, with Vincent’s help, was promoted to department head. My father Allan Easterlin always believed there was more to my death and appealed everywhere, but was sent to a mental hospital by Jeffrey, where he was ultimately beaten to death by mental patients. Only after death did I understand that this was all a conspiracy carefully planned by Andrea and Jeffrey. Andrea had no ability to perform surgery at all. She delayed time just to steal my position! When I opened my eyes again, I found myself reborn to the day when Jeffrey led all the department colleagues to wait for Andrea, preparing for Vincent’s surgery. In this life, I decided not to stop them anymore! ***** “No way, Andrea went to make us coffee. We must wait for her to start the surgery together!” When Jeffrey said the exact same words as in my previous life, I truly realized I had been reborn. Watching him explain to the department colleagues, my heart surged with overwhelming hatred. Before I could make any move, Jeffrey looked at me with anger: “Claire, you’re so selfish! Andrea isn’t here yet. What’s wrong with waiting two more minutes?” The colleagues present also cast impatient looks: “Exactly, Andrea is our colleague. How can we not let her participate in such a precious moment?” “Before Andrea arrives, no one is entering the operating room today!” Looking at these brainwashed colleagues, I felt a wave of sadness in my heart. In my previous life, Vincent’s car accident caused severe leg bleeding, which could easily lead to excessive blood loss and internal infection. I knew that further delays would miss the golden rescue time, and our entire department would face imprisonment! So I knelt on the ground, kowtowing until my flesh was mangled, and only then did they reluctantly enter the operating room to help me save Vincent. But my good intentions became the best evidence in their eyes that I was jealous of Jeffrey and Andrea’s relationship and was power-hungry. Everyone in the department hated me. Jeffrey walked up to me under everyone’s gaze, his face full of disappointment: “Claire, we’ve been together for so many years. I really didn’t expect you to be such a vain person. Andrea practices medicine properly and treats people humbly – everyone can see this. Now with such a good opportunity, how can you be so selfish and not let her participate?” Looking at Jeffrey’s righteous appearance, I felt nauseated. This beast in human clothing – I had loved him for six whole years! I dug my nails deep into my palms, wanting nothing more than to slap him immediately. But I suppressed my anger and spoke coldly: “Mr. Harris is bleeding severely from his leg. If we don’t operate immediately, who among you will take responsibility for the consequences? Since everyone is willing to risk their careers to accompany Andrea in putting Mr. Harris’s life aside, then suit yourselves.” Jeffrey immediately responded with cold mockery: “Are you the only doctor here? We’ve done so many surgeries. Mr. Harris’s condition is just a minor operation. What could go wrong?” Looking at these hopeless people, I had nothing more to say and turned back to the duty room. Jeffrey continued to cheer and celebrate with all the department colleagues in the hallway, completely disregarding hospital regulations. Under Jeffrey’s instigation, the great honor of saving the mayor had them all daydreaming about promotions and fame in the medical field. Through the duty room window, I watched their carried-away behavior and sneered coldly. I wondered if they would still be able to laugh at this time tomorrow. Thinking of how I was frozen to death in the morgue’s freezer in my previous life, and how Allan was sent to a mental hospital and ultimately beaten to death, the hatred in my heart burned like wildfire! This time, I would send them all to hell! My eyes turned red as I sent Allan a message. Just then, the vital signs monitor by Vincent’s bed suddenly sounded a piercing alarm. Vincent was in critical condition! Even if we operated immediately now, the risk would be enormous!

The golden window for emergency treatment was slipping away minute by minute, yet Jeffrey remained completely unmoved. Vincent lay on the hospital bed, having lost nearly all his blood. It wasn’t until forty minutes later that Andrea finally appeared, slowly carrying a large pot of coffee. The journey from the hospital break room to the department was only a three-minute elevator ride, yet she put on an act of being drenched in sweat from the heat. Such acting skills were truly wasted on the medical field. Seeing that everyone in the department was still waiting for her in the hallway, she instantly began her performance, looking touched as she said to everyone: “How can you all be so good to me? How can I ever repay everyone for taking such good care of me!” Through the glass window of the duty room, she flashed me a mocking smile. At that moment, Jeffrey took the coffee pot from her hands and gently wiped the sweat from her forehead: “Silly girl, of course it’s because you deserve our kindness!” Just then, my phone rang. Seeing Allan’s reply, I chuckled softly. I hesitated no longer, walked out of the duty room, and looked at everyone: “Since Andrea is here now, let’s quickly arrange surgery for Mr. Harris.” Everyone shed their previous reluctance and began actively throwing themselves into pre-surgical preparations. While changing into surgical scrubs, Andrea approached me with a cup of coffee, looking aggrieved as she apologized: “Claire, I’m sorry, it’s all my fault. I just saw everyone working so hard and wanted to make coffee to help everyone stay alert.” Before I could respond, Jeffrey immediately stepped in to shield Andrea: “Andrea, what did you do wrong? It’s people like her—vain and lacking any sense of collegiality—who are truly despicable!” Other colleagues sipped their coffee while chiming in to comfort her: “That’s right, Andrea, don’t blame yourself. We all waited for you willingly!” “We only delayed a few minutes. Mr. Harris will be fine. You’re so good to us, of course we want to return the favor. We’re not like certain selfish people!” Listening to their passive-aggressive mockery, I felt completely unmoved. I hoped their precious collegiality would last a while longer. Otherwise, how would this charade continue after the surgery ended? Fate had already marked a price for everything in this world, and Andrea’s pot of coffee would purchase what remained of their freedom. I ignored them and walked straight into the operating room. Vincent on the hospital bed was deathly pale, with a large pool of dark red blood beneath the bed. Without even consulting me, everyone directly let Andrea take the lead. Andrea looked at everyone, a flash of panic in her eyes: “Are you sure you want me to be the lead surgeon?” Everyone’s gaze toward her was full of trust: “Andrea, don’t be afraid. We believe in your medical skills!” Jeffrey also affectionately patted her head: “Don’t be scared, I’m here. As long as you successfully operate and save Mr. Harris, you’ll be his lifesaver. From then on, you’ll have your place in the medical world, and we can all benefit from your success!” Andrea looked into Jeffrey’s gentle eyes and nodded hesitantly. The surgery began. Jeffrey provided detailed guidance to Andrea without hesitation, and everyone worked with clear division of labor and seamless coordination. Only I stood out like an outsider, completely excluded from the surgery and assigned to menial tasks like changing water, wiping sweat, and passing instruments. I let them order me around while quietly waiting for the drama about to unfold. Suddenly, there was a cry of alarm as the scalpel dropped from Andrea’s hand. Vincent on the operating table had already missed the optimal rescue window. Due to excessive blood loss, he had developed serious complications and tissue necrosis. To prevent the condition from spreading throughout his body, the only option was amputation. Andrea was so frightened she crouched on the floor, muttering: “I can’t… I really can’t…” Jeffrey felt heartbroken seeing her terrified state. He turned to look at me, shouting impatiently: “What are you standing there for? Hurry up and hand me the scalpel!” I numbly handed him the scalpel. With everyone’s assistance, he didn’t hesitate to operate on Vincent’s legs. I couldn’t help but smile. The end was near for these ungrateful people!

The surgery was finally over. Vincent slowly regained consciousness as Jeffrey approached with Andrea on his arm, his face beaming with joy: “Mr. Harris, you’re finally awake!” The hospital room was packed with the entire department staff, all eager to make a good impression on Vincent. Andrea once again displayed her masterful acting skills, looking at Vincent with tears in her eyes: “Mr. Harris, this was my first time as lead surgeon, and operating on someone as important as you made me incredibly nervous. But thankfully, your surgery went very smoothly.” Vincent looked at her and smiled weakly, saying softly: “I never expected someone so young to have such exceptional medical skills. I truly owe you my life.” Jeffrey timely wrapped his arm around Andrea’s shoulder, speaking to Vincent with obvious pride: “Andrea is my direct junior from medical school. She’s been at the hospital for less than half a year, and having the opportunity to operate on you is both her honor and our entire department’s honor!” Vincent surveyed everyone in the room and nodded with satisfaction: “Excellent. Once I recover and leave the hospital, I’ll make sure to properly reward all you talented young professionals.” I stood to the side, watching the smiles on everyone’s faces while feeling ice-cold inside. So this was it—this entire group had worked together to position Andrea as Vincent’s savior, helping her establish a solid foothold in the medical field. These colleagues were certainly devoted to her cause. Jeffrey continued: “Mr. Harris, talents like Andrea are exactly who our hospital should be focusing on developing. Unlike some people who don’t deserve their positions, relying on family connections to secure a department head role, only to be completely useless when you needed surgery.” Jeffrey held Andrea close as he continued slandering me in front of Vincent. Everyone turned their gaze toward me, their eyes filled with disgust. Just then, the hospital room door burst open as Vincent’s wife Lydia Harris and daughter Jane Harris rushed in with several officials. Lydia threw herself onto Vincent, tears streaming down her face: “You nearly scared us to death! If something had happened to you, how could we go on living?” Vincent gently stroked Lydia’s back, softly comforting her: “I’m fine now, aren’t I? I owe it all to Dr. Jansen’s dedicated treatment—she saved my life.” Lydia and the accompanying officials all turned their attention to Andrea, nodding repeatedly in gratitude. Andrea modestly bowed to Lydia, but when she glanced at me, her eyes were full of smugness and provocation. I stood to the side, expressionlessly watching everything unfold in the hospital room. Lydia immediately ordered gifts to be prepared and sent to the hospital to thank Andrea for saving Vincent’s life, and even announced on the spot that she wanted to adopt Andrea as her goddaughter, promising to cherish her from now on. Just as the atmosphere in the room reached a celebratory peak, Jane suddenly pulled back the blanket covering Vincent. Jane immediately burst into tears: “Daddy, your legs… where are your legs?” Following Jane’s cries, everyone’s eyes fell upon Vincent’s legs. Beneath the blanket, Vincent’s legs were completely gone—only thick gauze wrapped around the stumps remained.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MyFiction” app 🔍 search for “398173”, and watch the full series ✨! #MyFiction #B×G #Rebirth #Coworkers #DoctorPatient #Betrayal