Category: English

It’s been three years since my family got trapped in this horror game, and I fell in love with an NPC. I died for him ninety-eight times. When bloodthirsty ants gnawed off my limbs, I desperately wished he’d just turn and look at me. When a monster swallowed me whole, I still wondered if he’d shed a single tear. After my ninety-ninth revival, he finally agreed to be with me. I thought it was salvation. Until my mother got caught by a monster. “Julian! Hit the switch, now!” I screamed until my throat bled. Activating that switch would set fire to those monsters and save her. But he spun around, pressing his hand firmly on the lever. “Seraphina is afraid of fire! No one touches it!” Mom’s screams cut off abruptly. Seraphina saw me sobbing uncontrollably. She hid behind Julian, peering out shyly. “Julian, Cassidy is crying. She said this world is just a game, and even if Aunt Eleanor dies, she’ll just revive.” But he had no idea. Here, if my mom died, she was truly gone. She’d never come back. I watched him protect another woman as they walked away. The boy who used to need me to hold his hand just to step outside was now a stranger to me, like he’d swapped bodies with someone else. Later, when monsters besieged our community, Julian, naturally, ordered me to lead them away. I turned around without hesitation and walked into the stronghold I’d built for myself. “Who do you think you are, to demand my life again?”

I froze, listening to the monsters’ guttural swallowing, my blood feeling like it had turned to ice in my veins. Julian still habitually gripped my wrist, his palm’s warmth once the only light in these three years of endless darkness. But now, that light felt poisoned, burning me with searing pain. “Get away from me! Don’t touch me!” I violently yanked my hand free from his grasp, shoved Seraphina aside, and rushed to my mother’s mangled remains. I hadn’t used much force, but Seraphina still stumbled back a good distance, falling into a reeking ditch full of rotting corpses. “Cassidy, what gives you the right to hurt her?!” Julian kicked me hard in the stomach. A gush of blood instantly spilled from my mouth. He’d forgotten. After my seventy-seventh revival, when I’d saved him, my ribs had been completely shattered. I’d spent ages recovering, and it still hurt with the slightest touch. He’d promised me that as long as he was there, he’d never let me get hurt again. Yet this time, he was the one who personally broke them. I watched him—a man who prided himself on being a clean freak—unhesitatingly rush into that stinking ditch and carry the other woman out in a princess carry. “Julian, it’s all my fault. If I weren’t so scared, Cassidy wouldn’t have lost her mom. She can hit me, she can yell at me, but why did she have to stain my favorite dress? You bought this for me…” She cried, tears streaming down her face, looking utterly heartbroken. Every tear was a heavy hammer striking Julian’s heart, making him ache with sympathy. So, in front of everyone in the organization, he coldly ordered me: “Take off your clothes and give them to Seraphina. Now, immediately!” My eyes blazed red as I looked up at him in disbelief. My mother had been indirectly killed because of them, and not a single apology. Now he was ordering me to strip in front of dozens of people in the organization, for another woman?! Seeing my refusal, Julian actually ordered his guys to hold me down and told his underlings to start tearing off my clothes. “Julian, are you insane?! I’m your girlfriend!” My voice was a raw, trembling mess with fear, my gaze sweeping past the crowd. I saw him reach up and gently ruffle Seraphina’s hair, his movements so tender they could melt steel. Yet these same hands, just three months ago, had trembled as they wiped away my tears. “Cassidy, when the blood ants gnawed at your skin, it must have hurt terribly, right?” For my seventy-seventh revival, he’d been ensnared by monstrous vines. I’d desperately cut open my own artery, bleeding as I rushed to sever the vines. I’d ended up with my own ribs crushed by them. On the day of my ninety-ninth revival, he’d knelt before me, kissing the back of my hand for the first time, his voice hoarse as he said: “Cassidy, from now on, I’ll protect you.” I believed him. But I never would have imagined that his idea of protecting me was to stand by and watch my mom get torn apart by monsters, just to comfort a woman afraid of fire! I crawled forward, grabbing his arm fiercely. “Julian, open your eyes and look! Seraphina’s clothes are only slightly dirty! What’s most important right now is to gather my mother’s remains and let her rest in peace, not for you to flirt with another woman here! How could you do this to me?! How could you do this to my mother?!”

During our first year in this world, my family members died one after another at the hands of monsters. Only my mother and I were left, along with Julian, whom I had saved. My mother treated him like her own son. She saved her share of the food she found, unwilling to eat it herself, giving it all to him. She even collapsed from starvation because of it. Now, he was willing to watch her die for another woman! “Cassidy, can you stop being so dramatic?” He clicked his tongue in annoyance, looking at me like I was some hysterical lunatic. “Can’t your mom just revive? Why are you making such a big deal out of it? Seraphina cares about her appearance and can’t stand having a stain on her clothes. Besides, even if your mom really died, you still need to take off your clothes and give them to Seraphina, right now!” As his words fell, he seemed to fear my resistance. He grabbed a long spike and nailed my limbs to a wooden board. The moment the spike pierced my flesh, my agonizing scream echoed through the sky. But this bloody scene still couldn’t stir a shred of softness in Julian. Seeing my pain, he, fearing it might scare Seraphina, turned and covered her eyes. “Cassidy, you dirtied Seraphina’s clothes and wouldn’t take them off for her. You deserved this!” Julian’s voice was as cold as ice. He didn’t notice the undeniable triumph in Seraphina’s eyes as she nestled in his arms. They stepped closer, their actions becoming increasingly unrestrained as they tore my clothes into shreds. Leaving large patches of my skin exposed. Most of them were survivors who had received my help in the past. Now, they all leered with crude amusement, even sneering and making vulgar jokes about me: “Wow, I never would have thought our capable Sister Cassidy had such smooth, fair skin underneath. You must’ve gotten a lot of ‘nourishment’ from Julian, huh?” “What are you talking about? Do you really think Julian alone could ‘satisfy’ a slut like that?!” “This is a good chance then. Julian alone probably can’t keep you happy, right? How about us guys give you a proper ‘service’ tonight!” Seeing this, Julian stepped forward and stopped them. My eyes instantly lit up. Just as I thought that after dying for him ninety-nine times, he might still have a little love for me… His next words plunged me back into the abyss. “Be careful not to hurt her, or I swear I’ll make you pay!” I suddenly burst out laughing. I laughed at myself, at how after my ninety-ninth revival, I actually believed this NPC could have real feelings. The bronze key in my pocket pressed against my chest. That was the pass to the stronghold, earned with sixty-six of my lives. The stronghold’s leader was Rhys, the strongest survivor in this game. His stronghold was impregnable, but not just anyone could enter. To secure a spot for Julian, I agreed to their demands and risked my life to scavenge supplies from the monsters’ main lair. I died sixty-six times there before they finally agreed to let Julian and me live inside. I had planned to tell him on his birthday, “Julian, we have a home now.” But then he used sharp steel cables to tightly bind me, just to save another woman. “Cassidy, you’ve already died so many times, what’s one more? But Seraphina is different, she’ll be scared to tears!” With that, he violently threw me towards the monsters. I watched in horror as the monsters closed in. The memory of my past agonizing deaths made me instinctively struggle violently. But the more I struggled, the deeper the sharp spikes dug into me. As the monsters came closer, I screamed desperately towards Julian: “Julian, I’m scared too! Please, come save me! I’m your girlfriend, you can’t just abandon me!”

Hearing my plea, Seraphina turned and snuggled deeper into Julian’s embrace. She whimpered sweetly, “Julian, those monsters sound so scary! Let’s go inside, quickly.” So I watched, my heart breaking, as the man I had protected with my life didn’t even glance at me again, turning to leave with the other woman. I reached out and grabbed his sleeve, but he violently shook me off. “What are you so afraid of? You’ll just revive after you die anyway. Didn’t you say yourself that this world is just a game to you?” But I hurt too. Every death, the pain that overwhelmed me, was real. “Julian, maybe… maybe we should just let it go. I’ll be fine. After all, Cassidy is your girlfriend…” Seraphina gently tugged his sleeve, feigning innocence as she deliberately exposed the bleeding claw marks on her arm. Seeing this, Julian’s eyes immediately darkened. He raised his hand and slapped me hard across the face. “Cassidy, how could you be so cruel and lay your hands on Seraphina!” The force of the blow made my ears ring, and blood instantly seeped from the corner of my mouth. Even so, he wasn’t satisfied. He directly grabbed a sharp, barbed wire and tied my hands with it, his voice chilling. “She’s all yours. Play with her however you like, just don’t kill her. After all, I still need her as a meat shield to get Seraphina her favorite strawberry cake.” As his words fell, my eyes instantly filled with terror. Looking at the dozens of men surrounding me, I couldn’t imagine if I’d survive the night. I desperately crawled forward, blood foam dripping from my mouth. Pleading with him to spare me: “Julian, do you remember when you died for the seventy-third time? I dug out my heart and used it as bait for you!” His face flickered. “When you were possessed by a vengeful spirit for the eighty-fourth time, I bit off my tongue and used my lifeblood to exorcise it for you! You said, ‘Cassidy, from now on, I’ll protect you.’ How can you go back on your word?! I don’t need your protection anymore, I don’t want you. I’m willing to let you and Seraphina be together, but I beg you, please let them leave me alone, okay? I’m begging you, otherwise, this time, I’ll truly die!” Julian disgustedly furrowed his brows, then stomped his foot on my hand, which was pressed against the ground, completely disregarding my heart-wrenching screams. “Cassidy, how long are you going to keep bringing up all that old stuff about your sacrifices? One tear from Seraphina is worth more than you dying a hundred times over!” Seraphina timely sniffled and tugged his sleeve. “Julian, don’t argue with Cassidy. She’s just sad because her mother died. But Cassidy, people need to learn to be generous. Everyone here has been holding it in for so long, and it’s not like you’ll actually die, so what’s wrong with entertaining them a little?” My pupils constricted. Generous? If she was so generous, why didn’t she strip naked and lie in those men’s arms to entertain them?! Julian heard her words and looked at Seraphina with an appreciative gaze. He then kicked me towards the group of men. “Seraphina’s right. It’s not like you’ll actually die, so why not sacrifice yourself and let everyone vent their frustrations on you. Everyone will remember your kindness.” He bent down and gently stroked my cheek, “Don’t worry, Cass, even if you’re ‘dirty,’ I won’t abandon you.” I laughed, shaking uncontrollably, and spat a mouthful of bloody phlegm directly onto his face. “Disgusting!” “Julian, I should have seen it sooner! You’re nothing but a hypocritical scumbag! I actually fell foolishly in love with you, and even indirectly caused my mother’s death!” Hearing my words, Julian showed no trace of guilt. His face darkened as he warned me, “This is all your fault! If you dare hurt Seraphina, I’ll make you pay a thousand times over!” “Anyway, your mother will revive, and as for you, even if you’re played to death by them, I won’t find you dirty.” Those men’s filthy hands were already on my waist, brazenly biting at various parts of my body. Humiliating tears streamed down my cheeks. The more I struggled, the harsher their actions became. I still didn’t give up, crying out for Julian to pull me away. But I saw him offer no resistance, letting the other woman stand on tiptoes and kiss him. Suddenly, I didn’t want to resist anymore. My gaze met Julian’s eyes precisely. “Julian, you’ll regret this!”

In ten minutes, the monsters would besiege the stronghold. If they hadn’t found shelter by then, they’d all be dead. But Julian seemed to hear the biggest joke in the world. He bent down and pinched my chin. He forced me to look into the mirror, to see how these men were humiliating me. To see how many more men were standing by, eager to get their turn! “Regret? When they have you crying and begging for mercy later, remember how ridiculous that sounds today!” Seraphina leaned into his arms, timidly adding, “Cassidy, don’t be so stubborn. Just cooperate, and everyone will have an easier time!” I closed my eyes in despair, my fingers subtly gripping the bronze key at my chest. Just as another man reached out to tear open my collar, an earth-shattering roar suddenly came from the distance. The sky instantly rolled with black mist, thick enough to blot out the sun. Monsters surged forward like a tide. “It’s a horde! The ultimate boss is leading a horde!” The crowd instantly erupted into chaos. Cries, gunshots, and monster roars became a tangled mess. Julian’s face instantly paled. He instinctively shielded Seraphina behind him, his gaze sweeping over the chaotic crowd before finally fixating on me. “Cassidy! Quick, cut off your arm and use your blood to lure them to the east gate! You can’t die, can you? Go now!” I coldly pushed myself up from the ground. Seeing me not move, Julian tried to rush at me, but a sudden pouncing monster forced him to retreat. He stamped his foot impatiently. “Cassidy, are you crazy? If you don’t go, we’ll all die!” I pulled out the last long spike piercing my ankle and stepped barefoot into the pooling blood. Step by step, I walked towards the stronghold. “Cassidy, are you kidding me? That’s Commander Rhys’s stronghold, not just anyone can get in! If you go now and lure those monsters away, I promise you, after you revive, we’ll get married, okay?!” He screamed my name like a madman, his voice filled with panic for the first time. I stopped but didn’t turn back. I just held up the bronze key in my hand. I lowered my head and chuckled softly: “Married? Julian, do you even deserve it?” Blood dripped from my fingertips onto the ground, reflecting his terrified face. “This is the pass I earned with sixty-six of my lives. I even secured a spot for you, but unfortunately, that disappeared the moment you stood by and watched my mother die for another woman!” “You and your precious sweetheart can stay here and be torn to shreds by monsters. I’m not saving you!” Julian stared at the bronze key in my hand in disbelief, watching me walk into the stronghold behind me. The moment the main gate was about to close, Julian finally panicked.

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My sister’s school was holding a charity sale. She came home clutching a love letter, holding it up like it was a priceless treasure she’d found. “Look, Summer!” she chirped, her eyes wide with excitement. “The name on this letter is just like yours!” I stared at the eight-year-old love letter and fell into a daze. The sender’s name at the bottom was Liam Scott. Wasn’t that my ice-cold deskmate from high school? And now, my ice-cold boss? I was about to ask Lexie for details when a call came through to our home phone. A kid’s frantic sobs erupted from the other end. “My Uncle Alex is going to kill me! I’ll give you a hundred dollars, just please give that love letter back!” Our entire team got chewed out because of an intern’s mistake. As team lead, I bore the brunt of the scolding. When I finally trudged out of the boss’s office, feeling completely deflated, my intern, Chloe, looked like she was about to burst into tears. “Ms. Summer, I’m so sorry. I dragged you down with me.” I saw the dark circles under her eyes. The workload had been intense lately, and our entire team had been working overtime. She hadn’t gotten any rest either. I waved a hand dismissively. “It’s fine. I’m used to getting yelled at. It barely stings anymore…” “Is that so?” A low, deep voice cut through the air. Chloe flinched, startled. My body tensed. I looked up to see Liam Scott pushing open his office door, his brow slightly furrowed as he watched me. Ugh… a stone-cold, unreadable face. Just looking at him made my blood boil. I forced a smile. “…No, it’s not.” Liam stared at me for a few seconds, then closed his office door. Later, when I stepped out to get some water, I overheard a few interns whispering: “The boss is so harsh on Director Summer.” “Director Summer must have a strong heart. If it were me, I couldn’t handle it.” “I heard Director Summer and the boss used to be high school classmates.” “Really? No way! The boss curses out his old classmate without holding back at all. He’s a monster!” I shrugged. Tell me about it. Liam Scott was, indeed, a monster. And he wasn’t just any high school classmate. We’d been deskmates for three whole years! Yet he still showed me zero mercy. I was about to leave when their conversation took a turn. “Oh, right, I heard the boss is engaged.” “I saw his fiancée drop him off at the company a while ago!” “What? The ice-cold Mr. Scott has a fiancée?” My steps faltered. My fingers, gripping my water cup, curled involuntarily. I looked towards the office at the end of the hallway. For some reason, my chest felt heavy and tight.

After a month of grueling work, the project finally made significant progress. The company gave us five days off. The interns were so excited they nearly cried. I politely declined their invitation for a celebratory dinner, packed my bags, and drove straight back to my hometown. I hadn’t been back in half a year. Luckily, my hometown was only about sixty miles from the city where I worked, a four-hour drive. It was late at night when I arrived home. My sudden return startled my mom, who happily went to make up my bed, while my dad hummed a tune as he headed to the kitchen to fix me a late-night snack. I put away my luggage and quietly pushed open the door to a small room. By the light from the living room, I saw a little girl buried under her covers, sleeping peacefully and adorably. Lexie was an unexpected blessing my parents had when I was in high school. Suddenly having such a young sister was a big adjustment at first. But as Lexie grew up, she became more and more adorable, inheriting my mom’s patience and my dad’s intelligence perfectly. And she was so clingy. She always thought of me first whenever she got something good. The next morning, I groggily opened my eyes at the sound of movement and saw Lexie perched by my bed. Her eyes were bright, staring at me without blinking. “Summer, you’re back!” “Yeah.” I closed my eyes again. “Be a good girl, Sis. I need to sleep a little longer.” “Okay! I’m going to school now. I’ll bring you a present when I get back!” I mumbled a reply. Lexie quietly tiptoed out, carefully closing the door behind her. This little kid, she’s so thoughtful. Looks like she has quite a bit of allowance, to be able to bring me a gift? I was a little excited. By the time I got up, it was almost 11 AM. Lexie was picked up from school by Dad. Mom and Dad asked me to watch her for a bit, then they went to the supermarket together. As soon as they left, Lexie eagerly pulled something out of her backpack and mysteriously scooted closer to me. “Summer, guess what gift I brought you?” How was I supposed to guess that? I was about to blurt out a random answer when she couldn’t hold back anymore, holding up an envelope in front of me. “Summer, look! Your name is written on it!” I froze for a moment, then took the letter. The paper was a bit yellowed, looking like it was from years ago. The front of the envelope read, “To Summer.” My name? What are the chances of finding someone with such an uncommon name? Lexie chattered on. “Our school held a charity sale today. We brought old stuff from home that we didn’t need anymore, and students could buy whatever they wanted. All the money we raise will be donated to a charity! “My deskmate brought a lot of stuff—old books, old stationery. I found this letter inside a book and bought it for five dollars.” Lexie looked at me, expecting praise. “Summer! Do you like it?”

My first thought was, it must be a coincidence. Growing up, I was never considered pretty in class. I always wore thick glasses and had an introverted, quiet personality. I never knew how to respond when others tried to talk to me. So, no boy had ever sent me a love letter. I held the letter, feeling a little flustered. But Lexie was already urging me. “Summer, open it quickly!” “That’s not right…” After all, it was someone else’s property. Especially something as private as a love letter. “But I worked so hard to find it, and it cost me a whole week’s allowance!” Kids are impatient. She snatched the letter from my hand and ripped it open in two swift motions. Then she shoved it back into my hand. “Summer, read it to me.” “My classmate said he got it from his Uncle Alex’s treasure chest, and it’s full of good stuff, so this must be good too.” I was about to refuse, but my gaze caught the signature at the end of the letter. The handwriting was neat and elegant—Liam Scott. It was like a lightning bolt striking my mind. I stood frozen for several seconds before my gaze stiffly moved upward to the contents of the letter: [Summer, this is our third year as deskmates…] I slapped my hand over the letter, my face turning crimson, feeling like it was about to explode. My sister was still urging, “Summer, read it! I want to hear it too!”

I sent my sister away, clutching the envelope, and rushed into my room. I opened the window and stood there, letting the wind blow over me for a long time, but my heart still wouldn’t settle. I looked at the letter again. I was absolutely certain it was written by Liam Scott. After all, my handwriting in high school looked like chicken scratch. My English teacher couldn’t stand it and made me use Liam’s homework as a model for my handwriting for an entire semester. I could recognize his handwriting even if it were burned to ashes. But, why? Why would Liam Scott have liked me in high school? My thoughts drifted, and I remembered the first time I met Liam at the beginning of freshman year. Back then, I came alone from a small, rural town to a top-ranked city high school. I was carrying an oversized, worn-out canvas bag that seemed to contain everything I owned. I couldn’t carry it anymore by the time I reached the school gate, so I just started dragging it. But I overestimated the quality of that canvas bag. With immense friction against the ground, the bag ripped. I walked a long way before realizing the weight felt off. I turned around to see my belongings scattered all along the path. Books, stationery, toiletries, a lunchbox… Students around me were watching, laughter constantly echoing. “Oh my god, a country bumpkin came to the city.” “That bag is something else, seriously.” My face turned beet red. I knelt down and started retracing my steps, picking things up. I hadn’t picked up much when I bumped head-on into a boy walking toward me. The boy had a backpack, a handsome face, and was quite tall. He was holding a stack of miscellaneous items and calmly said, “I picked up what was ahead.” He looked over my shoulder at the ripped bag on the ground. “Do you have any other bags?” I awkwardly shook my head, barely daring to look at him. He thought for a moment, took a few books out of his backpack, and handed the backpack to me. “You can use this for now.” Confused, I took the boy’s black backpack and looked up blankly. “How do I give it back to you?” The boy pointed to the book I had just picked up. “Aren’t you in Freshman Class 3 too?” I froze, instinctively looking at his book. His class and name were on the cover. Freshman Class 3, Liam Scott. … To be honest, I was the one who liked him first. Unfortunately, that secret crush ended for various reasons. After graduating from college, I joined a small, obscure company for an internship, only to unexpectedly run into him again.

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As a Serpentine Enchantress, my unique essence, when offered from the depths of my being, possessed the power to heal even terminal illnesses. After I cured Sterling of his cancer, I found another woman in our home. My six-year-old son grabbed a small knife and tried to hack at my serpentine tail. Both his and his father’s faces were twisted with disgust. “You killed Iris! You won’t get to kill Brittany too!” “I’ve already made it official with her. Now get out!” Leo rushed forward, clinging to Brittany’s leg, and spat at me. “I don’t want you, this ugly snake, as my mom! Aunt Brittany is my mom!” I massaged my chest, aching from having given my lifeblood, and my voice was raw with bitterness. “Then let’s get a divorce.” Sterling scoffed. “Our marriage license was fake. What’s there to divorce? Just get lost.” My son threw the toys I bought him directly at me. “Don’t come ruin our home with our new mommy! You’re not welcome here!” The front door slammed shut. I pulled out my phone. “Mr. Harrison, you heard it too. I really should go now.” A weary sigh echoed from the other end of the line. “Ah, Sterling has truly wronged you. Your debt has been repaid. Go, child, go…” **1.** The Serpentine Oracle stared at me, a cryptic smile playing on her lips. “Are you certain of your choice?” Outside the operating room, the red light pulsed, a blinding beacon. Sterling’s vital signs were fading, moment by moment. Cancer cells, like greedy vines, had coiled around him, leaving him with barely a breath. “Are you willing to sacrifice your very essence to unleash the primal power of your serpentine lineage, forever cursed to be half-human, half-spirit, enduring the eternal torment of the backlash?” The Serpentine Oracle’s voice carried a cold, tempting allure. “But your lifeblood… it can save him.” I gazed at Sterling’s pale face through the glass window. Six years ago, the memory of him kneeling in the rain, begging me to save him, suddenly flooded my mind. Back then, he wasn’t the high-and-mighty CEO Sterling he was today. He was just a man pushed to the brink by a terminal illness, clutching my hand, his voice choked. “Willow, if I live, I’ll protect you my whole life.” “I’m willing. Just as long as he lives.” I bit my fingertip and stained the ancient pact. A searing, bone-shattering pain instantly ripped through my entire body. The agony was so intense I couldn’t maintain my human form. My smooth calves merged and elongated, transforming into a long tail covered in shimmering silver scales. In a daze, I felt a warm liquid seeping from my neck. It was my serpentine essence, flowing down my collarbone. The Serpentine Oracle’s final gaze held a touch of pity. “Remember, each act of genuine affection will embed your scales deeper into your flesh; any wound inflicted by him will amplify the agony.” I dragged my serpentine tail, unable to retract it due to the extreme use of my power, and pushed open the front door. The pair of red high heels by the entrance were like a poisonous needle, plunging directly into my heart. “You hideous monster! Get out of our house!” My six-year-old son, Leo, wielding a small knife, lunged at me, his face contorted with hatred. “You killed Aunt Iris, and now you want to kill my Mommy Brittany too? Over my dead body!” I never imagined my own flesh and blood would attack me. I was too slow to dodge, frozen in place, until a sharp pain from my tail jolted me back to awareness. “Oh, Leo, be careful! Don’t let this thing that’s neither human nor beast hurt you.” Brittany pretended to reach out, seemingly to pull Leo away, but her fingers subtly pressed the small knife another half-inch deeper into my scales. I had spent the entire night healing Sterling, exhausting most of my essence. This scene before me now made me feel utterly desolate. The herbal soup I’d woken up at five in the morning to brew was still on the coffee table. It was a special concoction, made with my lifeblood and a rare serpentine extract, meant to nourish Sterling. Its fragrant aroma still lingered in the air. “Who told you to come back! You murderer, how dare you show your face and dirty Brittany’s eyes.” Sterling tenderly pulled Brittany into his arms. The blood-red gem around her neck seemed to pulse like an unstemmed gush of lifeblood. Sterling had bought it at an auction last year, claiming it was for his “most precious person.” Brittany feigned weakness, shrinking into Sterling’s embrace, her dress seemingly accidentally sweeping across the coffee table, deliberately knocking over the herbal pot. “Oh, my dress! My dear Cole specifically custom-made this for me. Sister, if you want it, I can let you have it.” Amidst the shattering sound of the pot, I heard the faint crack of my own scales. My lifeblood being so carelessly wasted felt like a blunt knife twisting repeatedly in my chest. Sterling’s gaze pierced me like an ice pick. “You trashy, low-class creature. Always resorting to dirty tricks. Get down on your knees and clean this up for Brittany.” Leo kicked me hard, spitting at me repeatedly. “Big bad monster! Big bad monster! Get on your knees and apologize to Mommy Brittany!” I instinctively curled my tail. The section of my tailbone, covered in fine silver scales, had just endured the backlash of the lifeblood sacrifice. It was now bruised purple, and large pieces of shattered scales, mixed with blood droplets, flew off. The Serpentine Oracle’s warning echoed in my ears again. The pain crawled up my spine, spreading through every limb. Tears streamed down my face uncontrollably. This was the child I had risked my life to give birth to after ten months of pregnancy! This was the husband I had saved by draining my lifeblood, enduring constant backlash, day and night! I humiliated myself, crawling towards Brittany, wanting to demand why she was destroying everything I had! She shrieked as if she’d been electrocuted. “Ah! Her scales scratched my leg!” Leo was distraught. “You actually hurt my mommy! You monster!” He lunged like a furious little beast, hacking at my serpentine tail with the knife, blow after blow. The sharp blade pierced through the scales, digging into my flesh. The pain made my vision swim. But Leo clapped his hands and laughed. “Tear open your snake skin! Let’s see how you can hurt anyone now!” I slumped powerlessly to the floor, the intense pain making it impossible to straighten up. I stared directly into Sterling’s eyes, trying to maintain some semblance of dignity. “Sterling, let’s get a divorce.” Sterling scoffed. “Our marriage license was fake. What’s there to divorce? Just get as far away as possible.” With that, he deliberately tossed a tattered little red booklet onto my wound. Fake marriage license? I froze. Six years ago, on that rainy night, he knelt before me, begging me to save him, saying that if he lived, he would be my true husband. I believed him, sacrificing half of my serpentine life, draining all my power! I fed him the powerful essence from my true form, watching him transform from a skeletal figure to a radiant, healthy man. But my cherished marriage license, like Sterling’s deceitful heart, had been fake from the very beginning. Another scale on my serpentine tail cracked, and I groaned in pain. The Serpentine Oracle was right after all. This bond, bought with my very life, was destined to be a pain that would pierce me to the bone, right from its root. **2.** The stench of blood mingled with the sharp scent of disinfectant, churning in my nostrils. The wound on my serpentine tail was still gushing blood. Every movement felt like countless needles piercing my marrow. The Serpentine Oracle’s warning of “double backlash” was now burrowing into my bones along the cracks in my scales. Brittany smugly stroked Sterling’s chest, her fingertips tracing his collar. That spot, where I used to playfully straighten his tie, was now Brittany’s territory, a symbol of her claim. Brittany chuckled, a sickly sweet sound laced with malice. “Sterling, look at her tail. So many scales have fallen off. It’s disgusting.” Sterling cast a dismissive glance at me, his eyes regarding me like a dirty rag. “You’re frail, don’t look at such vile things.” He raised a hand and beckoned the butler. “Drag her out and dump her in the old family mausoleum.” “No!” I snapped my head up, my tail twitching with urgency. “Sterling, have you forgotten? Six years ago, you were lying in that hospital bed, cancer cells spread throughout your body, and it was I…” “Shut up!” He cut me off sharply, his leather shoe grinding forcefully on my bloody, mangled tail. “If you hadn’t缠 wrapped me with your dark magic, why would I ever get involved with a monster like you?” “Iris was killed by your dark magic back then, and now Brittany is pregnant with my child. Are you trying to pull the same trick again?” Iris? My heart felt like it had been hit by a massive stone. That gentle, kind woman who used to secretly bring me healing salves… she had an accidental fall from a building. How had it become my fault? “Daddy, hurry and kick her out! I don’t want to see her for another second!” Leo ran over, brandishing the knife. Drops of blood from the blade fell on my hand, burning like fire. He suddenly remembered something, then rushed into the bedroom, emerging with a metal box. He slammed it hard into my face. The box burst open, spilling its contents onto the floor—my collection of shed serpentine scales from the past six years. Each piece had been meticulously cleaned and strung together with gold thread into protective charms. When he was little, he always wore them around his neck, saying, “Mommy’s scales protect me.” “These disgusting things! I’ve wanted to throw them away for ages!” Leo stomped on the specimens, as if crushing a pile of garbage. “Mommy Brittany said wearing them would turn me into a monster!” I looked at the crushed scales and suddenly laughed, though tears streamed uncontrollably down my face. So, six years of mother-son affection, in his eyes, was nothing more than the “mark of a disgusting monster.” Brittany suddenly let out a dramatic gasp, clutching her lower abdomen and frowning. “Sterling, my stomach hurts a little…” Sterling’s face immediately darkened. He yanked me up, his grip so fierce it felt like he would crush my bones. “You jinx! If anything happens to Brittany or the baby, I’ll skin you alive!” He flung me towards the door. My tail slammed against the doorframe with a sickening crack, as if my tailbone had fractured. The excruciating pain made my vision blacken. In a haze, I saw a red booklet, sealed away, on the hallway cabinet. It was a marriage certificate. In the photo, Sterling had his arm around Brittany, smiling so tenderly—a smile I had never seen directed at me. “See?” His voice was laced with ice. “*This* is legitimate. The one in your hand was just a trick to get you to use your powers to save me.” I used the wall to prop myself up. The blood from my tail left dark red streaks on the floor, like a desperate, bleeding serpent. “Sterling,” I rasped, each word tearing at my chest. “When I saved you, I expended ninety percent of my power, almost struck down by heavenly lightning. You promised you’d protect Leo and me for life.” “Witchcraft!” His eyes burned with malice. “Take your tail and get out of my sight!” Leo suddenly picked up a piece of broken glass from the floor and fiercely stabbed my uninjured tail tip. “Get out! Don’t you dare hurt my Mommy Brittany!” Amidst the shattering of scales, I finally, utterly, woke up. The Serpentine Oracle’s pact burned in my veins. So, for six years, what I’d given half my life for was nothing but a cruel deception. The child I’d fought to bring into this world had become the sharpest knife plunged into my heart. I dragged my broken tail towards the door. As I passed the red high heels, I glanced at them again—the heels were caked with dirt, as if they’d just come from a cemetery. The door slammed shut behind me, shaking my tailbone with another jolt of pain. I slumped against the wall, pulling out my phone. Blood from my fingers smeared the screen, and it took several tries to dial the correct number. “Mr. Harrison,” I whispered, staring at the closed door, hearing Brittany’s sweet-talk and Leo’s laughter inside. A metallic taste flooded my throat. “You heard it too. I really should go now.” A weary sigh echoed from the other end of the line. “Alas, Sterling has truly wronged you. Your debt has been repaid. Go, child, go…” I hung up, looking at my phone’s screensaver—a photo of Leo at three, fast asleep on my serpentine tail, his face flushed, clutching one of my silver scales. I wiped away my tears and tossed the phone into the trash. **3.** Just as I stepped out of the apartment building, the intense pain in my tailbone worsened dramatically. The Serpentine Oracle’s curse, branded beneath my scales, flared with heat. This was the backlash from excessive use of my essence. I stumbled, leaning against the wall, my vision swimming. I had to get to a hospital, even if just to deal with the bleeding wound. I flagged down a taxi and managed to gasp out the name of the nearest hospital before the pain stole my words. The driver kept glancing at me in the rearview mirror, hesitating, likely shocked by my blood-streaked serpentine tail. At the hospital, the emergency room buzzed with chaotic activity. I had just reached the triage desk when I heard a familiar voice. “Doctor! Quickly, my wife! She’s having severe abdominal pain!” It was Sterling. He was carefully supporting Brittany, his tension something I’d never seen, not even when I almost perished saving his life. Brittany leaned into his embrace, her face ashen, weakly whimpering, “Sterling, I’m so scared… will the baby be okay?” Doctors and nurses immediately crowded around them, asking questions in a flurry. “Quick, stretcher! Prepare for examination!” I bit back the agonizing pain and nausea, managing to say to a nurse, “Help me… I’m in so much pain…” The nurse looked at my bloody, mangled serpentine tail, then at Brittany, surrounded by the crowd, and her expression turned difficult. “Miss, it’s not that we don’t want to help you, but all the doctors have been called by Mr. Sterling to treat his wife.” “I can’t wait. I just need one doctor to help me,” I ground out, the pain in my tailbone almost making me black out. Just then, Sterling saw me. His eyes hardened, and he roared at the doctors, “Don’t mind this monster! Save my wife first! If anyone dares to treat her, they won’t work in this hospital again!” The doctors exchanged uneasy glances, but in the end, no one dared to approach me. I leaned against the wall in despair, feeling my life force draining away little by little. The Serpentine Oracle had said that when my serpentine essence was fully depleted, that would be the moment my soul scattered into nothingness. “You persistent, wicked creature, still trying to cause trouble!” Leo suddenly rushed out from the crowd, holding an iron rod, and fiercely swung it at my serpentine tail. “Leo!” I stared at him in disbelief. This child, whom I had carried for ten months, this child, for whom I had used my scales to ward off disaster, was repeatedly attacking me with such cruelty. The moment the iron rod struck the wound, the backlash of the curse erupted with a roar. I felt like I was thrown into a vat of boiling oil, screaming in agony. My vision went black, and I almost collapsed. “You deserve it! Who told you to bully Mommy Brittany!” Leo saw my wretched state and, not feeling satisfied, raised the rod to strike again. Just as I was sinking into despair, a hand firmly gripped Leo’s wrist. “How can such a young child be so vicious?” I looked up and saw a man in a white coat, his demeanor gentle, yet his eyes held a sharp, all-knowing insight. His name tag read “Dr. Julian, Head of Surgery.” His gaze fell on the wound at the tip of my tail, and he frowned slightly, seeming to recognize the faint golden covenant patterns glowing beneath the scales. “Who are you? How dare you interfere with the Sterling family’s business?” Sterling demanded, furious. Dr. Julian ignored him. He gently helped me up, his fingertips inadvertently brushing over the curse mark on my tail, and murmured, “I know this kind of pain. Just bear with it.” His voice was soft, yet it carried a reassuring strength. Dr. Julian ignored him and gently helped me up. “Miss, are you alright? I’ll arrange surgery for you immediately.” “No!” Sterling blocked him. “A monster, she’s dead anyway, why waste time?” Dr. Julian frowned. “In a hospital, there are only patients, no monsters. Mr. Sterling, please step aside.” He helped me, firmly bypassing Sterling. “Besides, you seem to forget, if it weren’t for this young lady six years ago, you wouldn’t be alive today.” I looked at Dr. Julian and gave a mocking smile. In my most desperate moment, my so-called family had all abandoned me, even adding insult to injury. Only a stranger, who seemed to know about the Serpentine Oracle’s curse, had resolutely extended a helping hand. “Thank you,” I said weakly. Dr. Julian simply nodded, speaking gently. “Don’t worry, I’m the best surgeon. Not only can I treat your wound, but I also know how to temporarily suppress the backlash of this pact.” He paused, then added, “My ancestors had a pact with the Serpentine Oracle, a vow to protect her descendants.” I smiled faintly. Behind me, Sterling’s enraged shouts and Brittany’s feigned dissuasion echoed, but I no longer cared. Inside the consultation room, Dr. Julian closed the door and began to meticulously treat my wound. “Hold still, it might hurt a little. But you’re safe with me. Even if I have to snatch you from the jaws of death, I promise I’ll save you.” I nodded, watching his focused profile, a warmth spreading through my heart. Perhaps, my life still had a chance. Just as I began to relax, Brittany’s piercing scream cut through the closed door. “Help! My baby! Blood, there’s blood everywhere, Sterling…” Sterling kicked the door with furious force, pounding it like a drum. “Willow! Get out here! If Brittany loses the baby, I’ll make sure you pay with your life!” **4.** My tail tip suddenly twitched. Dr. Julian’s hand on the back of my neck tightened. “Don’t move, the bone fragments will embed deeper.” His fingertips, stained with my blood, dripped red, like scattered plum blossoms, into the tray. “The serpentine curse is dangerous. We need to debride the wound immediately.” “Debride?” I gave a self-deprecating laugh, the movement tugging at my wound with excruciating pain. “He probably won’t even let me leave this room alive.” The backlash from my once beloved was more than I could endure in my current state. No sooner had I spoken than the consultation room door was violently thrown open. Sterling stormed in, clutching the hospital director’s collar. The director’s white coat was creased, still stained with Brittany’s ‘blood’—a color so vividly bright, it looked like freshly opened antiseptic. “Dr. Julian, please be accommodating,” the director said, rubbing his hands obsequiously. “Mr. Sterling is offering an additional one million. Could you… perhaps ask this lady to leave?” “One million?” Dr. Julian set down his probe, the clinking of instruments as cold as ice. “Is that enough to compensate her for six years of lifeblood, or to settle the Serpentine Oracle’s pact?” He looked up, his gaze sweeping over Sterling. “Six years ago, when you were in the ICU, you knelt and begged her to shed her blood to save your life.” Leo also squeezed through the door, clutching the treatment cart, and picked up a pair of surgical scissors, gesturing with them. “Monster, watch me cut off your serpentine tail! Mommy Brittany says if it’s cut off, she won’t hurt anymore!” “Leo!” I cried out in alarm, the pain in my tailbone suddenly turning numb. “See? Even our child knows who the real threat is.” Sterling’s eyes were poisoned with venom. “Willow, crawl out yourself, and I’ll leave you with a whole body.” “Sterling, are you truly unwilling to open your eyes and see?” I stared intently at the wall behind him, where Brittany was feigning weakness, leaning against it. “The ‘blood’ on her dress… isn’t that the antiseptic from the nurses’ station down the hall?” Brittany’s face instantly paled, but Sterling backhanded me. “Shut up! Still trying to sow discord.” My cheek burned, and the taste of blood filled my throat. I licked my lips and suddenly laughed. “Sterling, you’ll spend your entire life living in her lies.” Dr. Julian, quick as lightning, snatched Leo’s wrist. The tip of the scissors was barely an inch from my scales. Leo thrashed wildly in his arms, spitting on the doctor’s face. “She killed Aunt Iris! She’s a wicked, bad woman!” “Iris?” I stiffened. So this was the poison Brittany had been feeding Leo. Brittany suddenly covered her mouth, tears streaming down her face. “Leo, stop talking. She won’t admit it.” Sterling’s face turned iron-gray instantly. He grabbed my throat with both hands, his grip tightening. “I was going to spare your life, but it seems I was too soft-hearted.” Dr. Julian tried to intervene, but Leo bit his arm, holding on tightly. Just as the feeling of suffocation surged, a stern male voice echoed down the hallway. “You savage, let go!” Sterling’s hands, clutching my throat, froze abruptly. His strength drained away, bit by bit. He turned back in shock, and when he saw Mr. Harrison leaning on his cane, his Adam’s apple bobbed, unable to speak a word.

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My mom said she was on a mission. If she couldn’t make my dad fall in love with her again, the system would wipe her out. Completely erased from existence. I secretly told Dad, but he just said, “Then let her die.” Mom heard it too. She didn’t cry. She just held me gently. Later, Mom really died. But my cold, heartless dad, he went crazy. Mom slept for a really, really long time. It was way past time to take me to preschool, but she still wasn’t awake. I touched her body. It was cold, and stiff. Not warm and soft like usual. “Mommy, I’m hungry.” I shook her hard, but she still didn’t open her eyes. She wasn’t like this before. Before, if I just whined a little, she’d wake up instantly, pull me into her arms, and soothe me gently. But now, she was sleeping so deeply. I pulled the blanket over her to cover her properly, then climbed out of bed to call Dad. Dad hadn’t been home for days. Our neighbor, Ms. Davis, said his first love, Celeste, had divorced and come back last month, and that he didn’t want Mom and me anymore. Ms. Davis also said Mom looked a lot like Celeste, and Dad must have married Mom because he mistook her for Celeste. I didn’t know what a “first love” was, so I went to ask Mom. Mom was quiet for a long time before she said: “It’s about what you never truly had, what’s forever in the past.” I didn’t get it. I started to hate the moon. Because it took my dad away.

Mom had set a password on her phone so I couldn’t watch videos. I couldn’t call Dad. I held the phone up to Mom’s face, but it didn’t unlock automatically like it usually did. I said to the phone, “Voice Assistant, I won’t secretly watch cartoons anymore. Please unlock, I need to call Dad.” But the voice assistant didn’t respond. I went to knock on Ms. Davis’s door, but no one was home either. I had no choice but to climb back into bed and lie next to Mom, watching her. Mom was beautiful. Even sleeping, she was beautiful, more beautiful than any fairy on TV. Dad used to often watch Mom when she was asleep, and then he’d carry Mom from my side into their room. He’d playfully nip at Mom like a puppy. Mom was most afraid of dogs, but she never pushed Dad away. The next morning, Mom would always wake up late, rushing to make breakfast for Dad and me. Adults always say kids don’t remember things, but I remember everything. I remember that no matter how rushed Mom was back then, her eyes were always full of laughter. But Dad didn’t smile. He just sat there looking at his phone, then went to work after breakfast, dropping me off at preschool on the way. The teachers at preschool all loved it when Dad brought me. I heard them say my dad was the most handsome of all the dads, tall and good-looking and rich, like a movie star. They also said my dad was cold and aloof, and if only he were a little gentler, he’d be perfect. I thought they were wrong. Leo’s dad was clearly the best-looking. Leo’s dad always carried him on his shoulders when he brought him to preschool. How cool was that? My dad would just lift me down from the car and tell me to go into preschool by myself.

I took out the photo from Mom’s hand. We’d taken it at the art gallery a few days ago. Dad originally had plans and didn’t want to go with us, but Mom held his hand. “Just one more photo, please. Lily can look at it when she grows up. Otherwise… otherwise, it’d be so sad.” I saw tears in Mom’s eyes, but she held them back. Dad finally agreed. In the photo, Mom was holding me in a princess dress, leaning gently on Dad’s shoulder. Dad didn’t push Mom away; he quietly let her lean on him. Out of the three of us, I was the only one smiling the happiest. Last night before bed, Mom held me and looked at this photo together. She kissed my cheek and said, “I wish Mom were more useful.” “Lily, you have to grow up brave, and never be afraid.” I happily rolled around in her arms, “Okay, I’ll grow up brave!” She smiled too, but tears were on her face. She’d been crying a lot lately, even more than me. Then she sang me to sleep. In a daze, I heard her pleading with someone, “It’s not time yet, why are you here… Let me make a call and arrange things for my daughter… She’s only three, please…” I didn’t know who she was talking to. There were only two of us at home. But I was so tired, my eyelids felt too heavy to lift. When I woke up, Mom was lying next to me, her blanket barely covering her, which was why her body was so cold. I used my tiny hand to hold Mom’s, hoping she’d get warmer. No luck.

After a while, Mom’s phone rang. I went to answer, but the ringtone stopped. The phone was dead. I plugged the phone in to charge, but no one called back. I was hungry. I moved a small stool and opened the fridge, but I could only reach a bag of bread. I wanted to get the milk from deeper inside the fridge, but the stool fell, and I tumbled down hard. “Mommy, it hurts!” I cried as I went to find Mom. Mom still didn’t wake up. She was always so worried about me falling and getting hurt. I cried until I was tired, then fell asleep next to Mom. In my dream, I heard Dad’s voice. No, it wasn’t a dream. Dad really was back. I opened my eyes and heard the sound of the door code being entered. The door opened, but Dad didn’t walk in. Only his voice came through: “Lily’s preschool called and said she didn’t show up. I came back to check. Don’t worry, it’s normal after surgery. Go ask the doctor, I’ll be right there to find you.” He was on the phone, and his voice was so gentle. He had never spoken to Mom and me like that. He was always so indifferent to us, sometimes even cold. “Daddy.” I crawled off the bed from beside Mom and ran out. Dad frowned when he saw me. “Why aren’t you dressed? Where’s Mom?” I stopped, afraid to go closer, and whispered from the bedroom doorway, “Mommy’s sleeping on the bed.” He didn’t even look at Mom. He just said coldly to her, “Anya, I’ll give you three more days to think about it. The house and car here are all yours. Sign the divorce papers soon; it’ll be better for both of us.” Something fell in the bedroom. I thought Mom had woken up and ran to check. It was just the phone, which had fallen off the charger onto the floor. I went out to call Dad again, but he had already taken the elevator and left. I stood on my tiptoes, trying to press the elevator button to go down and find him, to tell him that Mom wouldn’t wake up. But Mom had said that children should absolutely, absolutely never ride the elevator alone. Once, when I was playing around, I took the elevator down to the underground parking lot. Mom looked for me for a long time and cried, she was so worried. I went back to Mom’s side and lay down. I didn’t want Mom to cry. When she cried, she was so sad, and she’d secretly hide so I wouldn’t see. I loved it when she smiled. The bread was all gone; I could only drink water. I was still hungry after drinking water, and Mom still hadn’t woken up. I thought Mom was sick. When I was sick, I also slept a lot, but Mom would feed me medicine and I’d get better.

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After the global collapse, my daughter Daisy’s radiation immunity became our family’s lifeline, finding us food and clean water. But my sister-in-law, Cassandra, pointed at Daisy, accusing her of stealing her son Leo’s abilities. The next day, my six-year-old Daisy was thrown by my husband, Julian, into an abandoned pipe crawling with mutated rats. I knelt outside the iron bars, my head slamming against the concrete, begging them to pull Daisy out. Julian impatiently kicked me away: “She can’t be poisoned to death anyway. What’s wrong with a few rat bites?” “We’re family. Just letting Cassandra blow off some steam.” I watched, horrified, as my daughter screamed and ran inside the pipe, her clothes torn, her tiny body covered in bloody gashes. Cassandra, bored, pulled Julian away to distribute food. Daisy’s cries grew weaker and weaker, until all that was left was the excited gnawing of mutated rats. When Julian finally returned, all that was left of Daisy was half a tiny leg, dragging from the pipe opening. He kicked away a rat still tearing at her, then sneered at me: “Still wailing? I only put common rats in there. They can’t kill a person.” “Who knew she was so stupid she wouldn’t even realize that?”

I knelt on the cold concrete ground, my forehead already raw and bloody. “Please… please, just pull her up… she’s just a child!” My throat was raw from screaming, my fingers scraping against the gaps in the iron bars, nails tearing and bending backwards, but I felt no pain. From deep within the pipe came rustling sounds, mixed with Daisy’s heart-wrenching screams. “Mommy… Mommy, help me! It hurts so bad… they’re biting me… Mommy…” That sound was like a dull blade, slowly, agonizingly carving into my heart. I frantically shook the fence, only to be met with Julian’s impatient kick. “So noisy!” He kicked me to the ground, looking down at me. “Willow, can’t you be sensible? She’s just a girl, is it really worth this?” I crawled over and hugged his leg. “Julian, that’s your daughter, your own daughter.” “Tsk.” He shook me off, turning to look at Cassandra, who was clinging to him. “Cassandra’s right. That girl is just overdramatic.” “So what if she’s radiation immune? If our Leo went out to find supplies, he’d be a hundred times better than her.” Cassandra chuckled, covering her mouth. Her fingers, adorned with vibrant red nail polish, traced circles on Julian’s chest. “Julian, I knew you were the most reasonable one. Kids, they need a little lesson to learn their place.” “Mommy… Mommy…” Daisy’s voice grew weaker and weaker, replaced by the excited squeaking and tearing sounds of the mutated rats. I trembled, lunging at the fence again, but Cassandra grabbed a handful of my hair. “Willow, don’t push your luck.” She leaned close to my ear, a smile twisting her lips. “Your daughter stole my son’s abilities. This is her deserved karma.” “What abilities? There are no abilities!” I shrieked hysterically. “Daisy is just… just physically unique…” “Enough!” Julian cut me off impatiently. “Cassandra, let’s go distribute the supplies. Don’t waste time here.” Cassandra immediately beamed. “Okay, I’m starving anyway.” Before she left, she deliberately kicked the fence. “Little bastard, enjoy yourself.” They walked away, embracing, as my daughter’s increasingly faint cries for help echoed in my ears. I fumbled for a piece of shattered rock on the ground and furiously smashed it against the fence lock. The sound echoed in the empty sewer, but it didn’t budge the sturdy iron lock in the slightest. “Daisy… Daisy, hold on… Mommy’s here…” My voice was choked, fragmented. The response from the pipe had dwindled to faint sobs, then the chilling sound of gnawing. I don’t know how long passed, my hands were already raw and bloody. All I could hear was the rustling feeding sounds of the mutated rats. When Julian and Cassandra returned, well-fed and satisfied, my tears had run dry. Julian carelessly kicked away a fat rat that crawled out of the pipe opening, then shone his flashlight inside. “Tsk, already given up?” He frowned, his eyes full of impatience. “I put common rats in there. They can’t kill a person.” I stared blankly at the pipe opening. Only half of a tiny leg remained, wearing the little bunny socks I had sewn for Daisy myself. Julian followed my gaze, then suddenly laughed. “Huh? That stupid girl, did she just scare herself to death? I told you she always lied and played victim since she was little, didn’t I?” In that moment, a surge of murderous intent ripped through me.

I curled up on the damp, cold concrete floor, my arms tightly wrapped around Daisy’s tiny, incomplete leg. The small limb was already ice-cold, the sock stained with dark red blood. From the next room, the rhythmic creaking of a bed frame and Cassandra’s exaggerated moans slithered into my ears like venomous snakes. “Ah… Julian… you’re so much better than that old hag…” I bit down hard on my lower lip, the taste of rust spreading in my mouth. The small sock in my arms suddenly slipped, revealing a stark white bone. That was the only part of Daisy that was still somewhat intact. My stomach clenched violently, bile and acid surging up my throat, but I swallowed it back down. Memories from three years ago suddenly flashed through my mind. Back then, the apocalypse hadn’t arrived. Julian knelt under a cherry tree outside the company building, holding a diamond ring, looking so sincere. His voice trembled slightly in the spring breeze. “Willow, I will protect you and our future child with my life.” At that time, the sincerity in his eyes made me cry like an idiot. The scene shifted to the day Daisy was born. In the delivery room, Julian held our swaddled daughter, his fingers gently caressing her tender, pink face, his eyes soft as a spring puddle. “Our princess is so beautiful.” He leaned down and kissed my sweaty forehead. “Thank you for giving me a complete home.” Seeing the joy in his eyes made all the pain feel worthwhile. When the first pollution alarm sounded, he drove through the night from the east side of the city to the west to pick up Daisy and me. In the rearview mirror, his gaze was as firm as iron: “Don’t be scared, I’m here.” Outside the car window, crowds scattered in panic, but his arms were my safest harbor. The fragments of memory suddenly sharpened. When did he change? Was it the day Cassandra arrived with her five-year-old son Leo, seeking refuge with us? Or when supplies became increasingly scarce? I watched his eyes grow colder, watched his growing disdain for our daughter, and his overwhelming care for Cassandra… A dull thud from the next room – bodies hitting the wall – followed by Julian’s sated sigh. My hands trembling, I unbuttoned my collar, carefully tucking Daisy’s small sock and that piece of bone into my pocket, close to my skin. The fabric immediately soaked with blood, burning against my heart. “Mommy, don’t be scared… Daisy will protect you…” Before my last outing, Daisy wiped away my tears with her tiny hands. She always said she was a little superhero, meant to protect her timid mommy. She didn’t know that Mommy was the one who should have protected her. Moonlight slanted in through the vent. I looked down at my blood-stained hands. I stood up mechanically, my legs long since numb. I stumbled before I could steady myself. The blast door opening required triple authentication, but I had long memorized Julian’s fingerprint sequence. When the third green light glowed, I opened the blast door. In the early morning, the howl of mutated wolves ripped through the night sky as I stood on the lookout tower. The sound was unlike a normal wolf’s howl; it made my scalp crawl. Soon, a dozen pairs of eerie green eyes gleamed in the darkness. Julian burst out, shirtless, Cassandra following, disheveled, one high heel missing. Their panicked flight towards the SUV made me laugh out loud. “Willow, are you insane?” Julian looked up, saw me standing on the lookout tower, and his face instantly turned ashen. In the moonlight, I could clearly see the un-faded lipstick mark on his neck, vivid red like blood. I didn’t answer, just watched silently as the first mutated wolf pounced on Cassandra. The beast was the size of a small calf, its fur patchy and falling out, revealing rotting muscle underneath. It bit into Cassandra’s meticulously styled long hair, dragging her to the ground. Her scream cut short as the second wolf clamped its jaws around her throat. Julian hesitated for a second. Just one second, then he plunged into the driver’s seat without looking back. The roar of the engine mingled with Cassandra’s dying screams. The SUV rammed through two mutated wolves blocking its way and sped off, leaving a trail of dust. More mutated creatures poured in through the open blast door. I knew this was just the beginning. Julian, you can escape for a while, but you can’t escape forever. From today on, I am no longer the weak Willow. I will live, live longer than anyone else, until I see Julian descend into hell with my own eyes.

I wandered through the ruins for three days. Daisy’s little finger, tucked against my heart, had taken on my body temperature. Sometimes I even imagined I felt it tremble faintly. On the evening of the fourth day, I was surrounded by a pack of wolves. They emerged from beneath a collapsed overpass—twelve of them, maybe more. These mutated wolves were the size of adult Tibetan mastiffs, their exposed skin covered in festering sores. Their fangs were grotesquely elongated, dripping corrosive saliva. The alpha wolf at the front had a rotting empty socket where its right eye should be, its remaining left eye fixed intently on me. I stood my ground. I didn’t run. Death was no longer terrifying to me; it would be a release. The pack slowly closed in, their foul breath hot on my face. I closed my eyes, waiting for the pain to descend. However, nothing happened. I opened my eyes and found the alpha wolf sniffing my clothing, perplexed. Its rotting snout brushed against my exposed arm, but it didn’t bite. The other wolves also appeared unusually agitated, circling me but not daring to approach. “What the hell…?” A rough male voice came from above the ruins. I looked up and saw six fully armed people standing on the edge of the broken overpass. The man in the lead wore a gas mask, but I could feel his sharp gaze fixed on me. He made a gesture, and the others immediately fanned out, moving as swiftly as a pack of leopards. Gunshots rang out, but not aimed at me. Precise shots took down three wolves closest to me. The pack stirred, but instead of attacking me, they bared their teeth at the source of the gunfire. “Ma’am, slowly move to your right.” The leading man shouted at me, his voice muffled through the gas mask. “There’s a recess there, you can temporarily hide.” I didn’t move. Why hide? Wouldn’t it be better for the wolves to tear me apart? The man cursed, then leaped down from the broken bridge. He landed with a forward roll to absorb the impact, his movements clean and precise. As he got to his feet, he had already drawn a military knife. A flash of silver, and a wolf that lunged at him had its throat slit with deadly accuracy. “Are you trying to get yourself killed?” He grabbed my wrist, pulling me behind him. He dealt with the wolves that rushed him one by one. After the last wolf fell, the man finally took off his gas mask. He had a sharply defined face, a scar above his left eyebrow, adding a touch of ferocity to his otherwise handsome features. He panted, but his eyes never left my face. “Are you hurt?” I shook my head, realizing my wrist was still in his grasp. His palm was wide and rough, surprisingly warm. “Why didn’t those wolves attack you?” He asked the crucial question. I didn’t know how to answer. In fact, I wanted to know the answer too. Was it because of Daisy? She could move freely in the radiation zones, and now part of her flesh and blood was integrated with mine… “Never mind. Let’s get out of here first.” Ryder released my wrist and spoke into his communicator. “Found a survivor, female, showing unusual circumstances. Requesting return to base.” “I’m not going to any base.” I took a step back. Ryder raised an eyebrow. “Then where do you plan to go? Continue wandering in the ruins?” “Next time, it might not be a wolf pack. It could be something far worse.” “That’s none of your business.” He stared at me for a few seconds, then suddenly smiled. “Interesting. Fine, go wherever you want.” He turned and waved to his team. “Pack up, we’re heading southeast as planned.” Southeast. My heart pounded. That was the direction Julian had fled. “Wait.” I heard myself say, “Are you… are you searching for survivors?” Ryder turned back, his gaze sharp enough to pierce through my thoughts. “Not entirely.” “We’re tracking a group of scavengers. They’ve looted several shelters.” He paused. “Heard the leader is a man with a missing left arm, with a crazy woman.” “Something about… Julian?” My nails dug deeply into my palms. Julian lost his left arm? When did that happen? “If you change your mind, follow along.” Ryder had already turned to walk away. “But fair warning, if you’re with us, you’re a team member. You follow orders.” I looked at his back, then touched Daisy’s little finger near my heart. I said, “I’m in.” My Daisy died. Why should Julian get to live unharmed?

As we approached the shelter, a familiar cough echoed from a corner. My blood instantly froze. It was Julian. He was curled up in a pile of moldy blankets, his left sleeve empty and dangling, his face ashen like a corpse. Cassandra was squatting beside him, wiping sweat from his forehead with a dirty rag. Her son, Leo, was nowhere to be seen. The moment Julian looked up and saw me, his murky eyes suddenly lit up. “Willow?” He struggled to stand, his voice hoarse and unrecognizable. “You’re alive.” Cassandra whipped her head around, her meticulously drawn eyebrows raised high. “Well, well, still clinging to life, are we?” She sneered. “What, here to beg Julian for food?” My nails dug deeply into my palms. Ryder, sensing my unease, stepped half a pace to shield me. He asked quietly, “You know them?” “My husband.” I heard myself say. “My former husband.” Julian’s expression rapidly shifted from surprise to anger. “Willow, you have the nerve to come back?” He swayed as he stood. “If you hadn’t opened the blast door, how would I have…” He lifted his empty left sleeve, his voice choked. “How would Leo have…” So the child died. A twisted sense of satisfaction welled up in my heart, but it was immediately swallowed by a greater emptiness. A child’s death shouldn’t make me happy, even if it was Cassandra’s son. “Enough.” Ryder’s voice wasn’t loud, but it instantly silenced the entire shelter. He turned to the shelter’s manager. “This is Willow, a new member of our team.” “She has a unique constitution; she can move freely in heavily radiated zones without getting infected.” A collective gasp swept through the room. Julian and Cassandra’s expressions were priceless. First shock, then greed, then deep, profound fear. “Impossible!” Cassandra shrieked. “She’s just a regular housewife!” Ryder scoffed and pulled a radiation detector from his backpack. He gestured for me to extend my hand, then placed the detector against my skin. The instrument remained silent. But when he moved it towards himself, a piercing alarm immediately blared. “This…” Julian’s eyes widened, shimmering with an emotion I couldn’t decipher. “Willow, what’s going on?” I didn’t answer. Ryder clapped his hands. “From today on, Ms. Willow will be in charge of our supply exchange with the East District shelter.” “Anyone who disrespects her will be considered an enemy of the entire shelter.” Julian’s expression changed again and again, finally settling into a sickeningly fawning look. “My wife… I mean, ex-wife, she’s always been excellent.” He tried to approach me, but Ryder’s gaze pinned him to the spot. “Willow, we need to talk…” That night, I lay in the private cubicle assigned to our team, listening to the continuous coughing and groaning outside. A shadow appeared under the door crack. Then came a familiar, careful knocking. “Willow? It’s me.” Julian’s voice was barely a whisper. “Please, just five minutes.” I scoffed silently, but opened the door anyway. He slinked in like a stray dog, smelling of stale sweat and unwashed clothes. In the dim light, I saw the bloodshot in his eyes and his deeply sunken cheeks. “I know you hate me.” He dropped to his knees as soon as he spoke, his empty sleeve dangling limply. “But I truly regret it, Willow.” “That day, I was misled by Cassandra, I…” “Daisy was only six.” I said softly, my fingers unconsciously caressing the cloth pouch on my chest. “She was still calling for Mommy when she died.” Julian’s tears immediately flowed, whether real or fake. “I have nightmares every night…” He choked. “That pipe… I only found out later that a few mutated rats had gotten in…” Lies. All lies. I distinctly remembered him saying they were just common rats, saying Daisy was too stupid and scared herself to death. But now, looking at him sobbing, I suddenly understood what I needed to do. “Julian…” I reached out and gently stroked his dirty hair, my voice intentionally soft. “I… I also made mistakes…” He clung to my leg like a drowning man grasping a lifeline. “Can we start over? Just like before…” “Give me some time.” I said gently. “Right now, I have to follow the team, but… maybe after the mission is over…” Julian looked up, the hope in his eyes nauseating. “I’ll wait for you.” He said eagerly. “I’ll cut ties with that crazy woman, I swear.” Footsteps suddenly sounded outside the door, and Julian flinched. Ryder’s voice came from outside: “Willow? Everything alright in there?” Julian frantically let go of me. I quickly adjusted my expression and opened the door. Ryder stood at the doorway, his gaze like a knife, sweeping over Julian kneeling on the ground. “Am I interrupting your reunion?” His tone was chillingly calm. Julian scrambled up awkwardly, lowering his head, and slinked away. In the early hours of the morning, an alarm ripped through the shelter’s tranquility. “Mutated plant invasion! Everyone evacuate to the central hall immediately!”

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My lover has delusions. He sees me as his enemy, his mortal foe, the one person he despises most. Day after day, I play along with his twisted game. Until one day, I just couldn’t anymore. I was diagnosed with cancer. **1** When I got home, the house was dark. I dropped my bag, kicked off my shoes, and fumbled for the light switch on the wall. The moment my hand hit the switch, a plate flew past my head. I ducked, barely dodging it. The lights flickered on. Julian stood on the stairs, his face utterly blank as he stared at me. “So, you decided to show up.” “…” I managed a small smile and walked over to him. I reached out and wrapped my arms around him. “Can you stop acting like a whiny, complaining partner, Julian?” He smelled faintly of the cologne I’d picked out for him, a floral scent. I always hoped it would soften the icy aura he gave off. But it never did. His eyes still held pure revulsion when he looked at me. **2** Tiny shards of light glittered from the crystal chandelier. But even with the lights on, the living room felt unnervingly cold. And the man sitting beside me offered no warmth at all. I placed my tablet on my lap, flipping through pages to show him. “Look, for our wedding, don’t you think this dress would be perfect?” “The skirt is designed like a mermaid’s tail.” “It’s so beautiful, like shimmering light just gliding over it.” “And I really love this one too, the veil has stars on it, just like the ones you showed me at the—” A mocking laugh cut me off. He raised his head, his dark eyes fixed on me. “Did we ever *have* a past?” I desperately wanted to tell him we did, that we had so many wonderful memories together. But the man in front of me always saw me as a monster, the kind of villain beyond redemption. He grabbed my chin, pulling my face close, and his lips brushed against the corner of mine. His voice, usually so cold, had a seductive lilt, a dark, alluring whisper that made me shiver. “Good girl, now give me the medication.” **3** Julian listened to me, but only because… I had something he desperately craved. If he’d ever bothered to look through the agency’s internal reports from years ago, he would have starkly seen his name listed under drug enforcement commendations and injured in the line of duty. Julian developed an addiction during his undercover work. After his undercover assignment ended, he was diagnosed with a paranoid psychotic disorder. Essentially, delusions. He classified almost everyone around him as an enemy, and that included me. Even me, the person he once said he loved most, the one he swore to protect with his life. The gentle man I knew was long gone. He’d been dragged into his own personal hell, and his gaze when he looked at me was like looking into a thousand-year-old ice cave. The bedroom was dim. I yanked on his collar, pushing him back onto the bed. He was beneath me, yet his eyes were strangely calm. Even tainted by addiction, he looked as pure as a distant, untouchable god. A slight curl of his lips was still enough to take my breath away. I leaned down to kiss him, but with a surprising surge of strength, he flipped me over. He fumbled in my chest pocket for a moment and pulled out a syringe. Then, with practiced ease, he plunged it into his right arm. … To him, that syringe was a hit of pure drug. But it wasn’t. It was a specially formulated sedative, a psychiatric medication designed just for him. Addiction recovery isn’t something that happens overnight; it requires slowly tapering the dosage. Suddenly, I understood why he hated me so much. Because, in his eyes, I wasn’t his closest lover. I was the one who had gotten him hooked, then dangled just enough to manipulate him, day after day… Just a villain. **4** I had a dream. It was years ago, when Julian was still undercover. One Christmas Eve, I went to meet him. We navigated through the crowds, seeing each other only through the folds of newspapers we pretended to read. He had his hands shoved into his pockets, leaning against a railing like he didn’t have a bone in his body. Julian was handsome, and even a slight smirk made him look dangerously charming, drawing glances from every girl nearby. Right in front of me, he whistled at two of them. I kicked his shin. “Ow!” he yelped, then lowered his voice to call out to me. “Babe, I have to play the part, right?” He was already starting to pick up the rough edges of the underworld, but his eyes were still clear. Christmas carols jingled in the background. He tilted his head back, a playful tone in his voice. “Three years from now, then another three years, then another three…” It was a line from ‘Infernal Affairs,’ our favorite crime thriller. He turned his head, our eyes finally meeting in the reflection on the glass. “When am I finally going to marry you?” … I lowered my newspaper, brushing past him. “Finish your mission, and I’ll be waiting for you to marry me.” … The mission was over, but I never got to marry him. I woke up early the next morning, and the spot beside me was empty. No sign of him. I knew he hated me, that he didn’t want to share a bed with me. But when I went downstairs and couldn’t find him anywhere, panic set in. I searched every single room in the house. Nothing. I called a friend, my hand shaking so hard I could barely hold the phone. But he wasn’t anywhere. I clutched my head and sank to the floor. Lately, it was always like this. If I thought too hard about anything, my head would throb. My vision blurred from the pounding pain, but the desperate worry of not finding him was the real torture. Frantically, I typed out messages, even thinking of asking my old colleagues at the agency to help me track him down. My frantic heart pounded faster and faster, until a pair of white sneakers appeared in front of me. “What are you doing?” His voice was steady, still so cold and indifferent. Julian wasn’t Julian anymore, and yet, he still was. But the detached man standing before me could never truly merge with the playful boy from my memories. I stood up and wrapped my arms around him. I don’t know why, but I always loved holding him. It was like I could somehow imprint my warmth onto him, even though he never once hugged me back. “I thought you left, Julian.” He took a step back, subtly pushing me away. “I just went to water the flowers.” “…” I smiled faintly, tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear. “What do you want for dinner tonight? I’ll make you…”

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My roommate and her boyfriend had a major breakup, but I was the one who got kidnapped. In my previous life, Chloe told me her boyfriend, Ryan, was probably cheating and asked me to test his loyalty. I never imagined Ryan wasn’t cheating at all. Instead, he was obsessively in love with her. After Chloe broke up with him, he kidnapped me and forced an entire bottle of bleach down my throat, leading to my agonizing death. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the very day Chloe pulled the same old trick. Knowing the truth this time, I dialed 911: “Hello, Officer, I suspect someone just drugged me…” “Cassie, what are you spacing out for? Are you even listening to me?” Chloe’s sweet, yet oddly demanding voice, drifted into my ear through the phone. Familiar memories flooded back, and I felt a jolt, instinctively touching my throat. No burning sting. No numb sensation of chemical corrosion. I had been reborn?! In my last life, it was exactly today. Chloe had pleaded and pestered me on the phone, begging me to help her test if her boyfriend, Ryan, was really cheating. “Cassie, we’re best friends, you know? Only you can help me with this.” She sighed dramatically on the other end, her voice filled with such grievance, as if she’d suffered the greatest injustice. “I just have this gut feeling. Could you just go feel him out for me? Just chat with him a bit, see how he acts around other girls.” “You know Ryan. He seems aloof, but he totally falls for your straightforward type. If you test him, he won’t be on guard.” “If he really has changed, I can at least get over him, right? Please, help me out?” Back then, I had just graduated. I was naive and easily swayed. I couldn’t resist her repeated pleas and agreed. I never imagined my roommate, with whom I lived day in and day out, harbored such a venomous heart. In my past life, I followed Chloe’s script. At a party she’d conveniently arranged, I casually brought up relationship topics. I even said a few ambiguous things as she instructed. Ryan, already upset by Chloe’s recent coldness, blew up on the spot after my interference. Soon after, Chloe broke up with him. But then Chloe, sobbing dramatically with tears streaming down her face, told Ryan that I had been interested in him all along and deliberately stirred up trouble between them. “I knew she liked you for ages. Her eyes always looked at you weirdly. I thought she’d give up eventually, but I never expected…” “Cassie’s my best friend, I don’t want to hurt her, Ryan, let’s just break up!” All the words I had said, following her instructions, became “proof” of me “seducing” Ryan. Looking back now, Chloe wasn’t trying to test Ryan at all. She clearly wanted to break up but didn’t want to be blamed for cheating, so she staged this whole act. Ryan, with his extreme personality, was blinded by rage. He kidnapped me. “I wondered why she suddenly dumped me! So it was you messing things up behind her back!” I desperately explained that it was all Chloe’s setup, but he didn’t believe me. During our struggle, he pulled out a bottle of bleach from somewhere and forced it into my mouth. “She thought you were her best friend, but you secretly tried to steal her boyfriend!” “Chloe loves me so much, why would she break up with me?! It’s all because of you! Even now, Chloe refuses to get back with me.” “Since you like me so much, then just die!” I writhed on the floor in agony. Before losing consciousness, I only saw Ryan’s twisted, desperate face. By the time the police arrived, I was already dead, from acute chemical poisoning. Ryan was sentenced to life imprisonment for murder. His entire life was utterly ruined. His decent, hardworking parents turned white-haired overnight, nearly fainting from grief in the courtroom. And Chloe? At my funeral, she wept profusely, playing the part of a poor soul who had lost her dearest friend, but her eyes were full of triumph. “Cassie, don’t blame me. Blame yourself for being too trusting. I just said a few ambiguous words, and you actually believed them.” “I didn’t want to hurt you, and I wanted to break up with Ryan peacefully. But that lunatic Ryan would just smash things and get violent every time I mentioned breaking up.” “Besides, it was that lunatic Ryan who did it himself. It has nothing to do with me.” It turned out she had calculated everything from the start. She wanted to get rid of Ryan but was afraid of his extreme personality and what he might do, so she designed this whole thing to implicate me. She even posted tributes to me on social media, subtly implying that I had a crush on Ryan and was accidentally harmed when my advances were rejected. She cleaned her hands completely, winning widespread sympathy. My parents, having to bury their own child, had all the life drained from them overnight. They eventually withered away from grief and sorrow. Perhaps Heaven itself couldn’t stand such injustice, and miraculously gave me a chance to come back. This time, I would make Chloe pay back every single debt, down to the last penny!

“Cassie? Are you listening or not? Just help me this once, please? I’ll treat you to dinner tonight!” Chloe’s voice on the other end of the phone continued to nag. I took a deep breath, suppressing the rising hatred. “Okay.” Chloe’s voice instantly brightened, full of undisguised eagerness. “I knew you were the best! You wouldn’t just stand by and let me be fooled.” I clutched my phone. “Well, he is your boyfriend. You need to know the truth. Tell me, what should I do?” “Just find a chance to ask Ryan out for dinner.” Chloe lowered her voice, a calculated excitement in her tone. “Just say… say that I’ve been complaining to you lately about him not being attentive enough, and you’re sticking up for me, wanting to talk some sense into him.” “Then you can subtly ask if he has something on his mind, or… if he’s met any girls who caught his eye.” She paused, then added, “Remember, don’t be too direct. Act like it’s just casual conversation.” “If he avoids eye contact or speaks vaguely, then something’s definitely wrong! Make sure to tell me right away so I can make my plans.” I intentionally dragged out my words, pretending to hesitate. “Is that really okay? What if he finds out you put me up to it? Won’t he get mad?” Chloe scoffed, her voice confident. “Don’t worry, he trusts you so much, why would he suspect anything?” “Besides, even if he found out, he’d only blame me for being nosy. At most, we’d have an argument, which would be a perfect chance to see his true colors.” I “reluctantly” agreed. After hanging up, the smile on my face instantly vanished. Chloe wasn’t looking for the truth at all. She clearly wanted to use me to plant a seed of doubt in Ryan’s mind, paving the way for her future “victim” persona. In my past life, she taught me the exact same way, step by step, leading me into the trap she had dug. But this time, the hunter and the hunted were about to swap places. After hanging up, I immediately opened Amazon and ordered a tiny voice recorder and a few miniature pinhole cameras. Then I contacted a realtor, giving “roommate’s incompatible schedule” as my reason for urgently seeking a new apartment. I didn’t want to spend another day in that place. Soon, I arranged to meet Ryan, following Chloe’s “script.” The location was a nice Western restaurant. I specifically booked a private room, making it easy to set up the equipment. Arriving half an hour early, I skillfully hid the cameras in a potted plant in the corner of the room and behind a framed painting. I also placed the voice recorder in the side pocket of my canvas bag, ensuring it could clearly pick up sound. As expected, after only a few minutes of chatting, Chloe “surprisingly” appeared with a few mutual friends. “Oh, Cassie, what a coincidence!” She beamed, intimately linking her arm through mine, her eyes quickly scanning the private room as if checking for something. “My friends and I were just shopping, and we happened to pass by here. We just came to say hello, hope we’re not interrupting?” I scoffed inwardly but kept my face neutral. “Of course not, the more the merrier.” Ryan was clearly a bit surprised but still stood up and greeted them with a smile. He had indeed been troubled lately by Chloe’s hot-and-cold attitude, and a hint of subtle fatigue was etched on his brows. During the meal, Chloe acted incredibly dependent on Ryan, showing him much care and concern, as if their relationship was perfect. But I noticed that when she lowered her head to play on her phone, her sweet smile would vanish instantly. Her eyes even held a hint of subtle distortion and annoyance. Mid-meal, the private room door opened. A waiter entered, pushing a beautiful cake, singing “Happy Birthday.” Ryan stood up, holding a bouquet of Chloe’s favorite white roses. He awkwardly scratched his head. “Happy Birthday, sweetheart. I meant to surprise you tonight, but I didn’t expect everyone to be here.” Everyone immediately started cheering and clapping, exclaiming, “How romantic!” and “Ryan’s so thoughtful!” Chloe’s smile froze for a second. Then it became exaggerated, and with reddened eyes, she threw herself into Ryan’s arms. “You scared me! I thought you forgot!” But I was sitting diagonally across from her and saw it clearly. When her face was buried in Ryan’s chest, her lips were turned downwards, and her eyes were filled with a grim, hateful look. I picked up my water glass, hiding the coldness in my eyes. While everyone’s attention was on them, I casually leaned towards Ryan and said: “Ryan, you’re so good to Chloe.” “Honestly, girls love these kinds of surprises, especially when you feel she’s been a little distant lately. Maybe a surprise like this can cheer her up.” Ryan paused, then thoughtfully glanced at Chloe. “You’re right. Maybe I’ve been neglecting her too much lately.”

After the dinner, back at our shared apartment. Chloe immediately dropped her facade. She closed the door, then turned around and questioned me, “Cassie, what did you say to Ryan? He was looking at me weirdly today.” I feigned a troubled expression and pulled out my pre-prepared explanation. “I didn’t say anything… just chatted about how you two have been lately.” “He said he felt you hadn’t been very happy recently and asked me if you had something on your mind.” I deliberately showed a confused expression. “Speaking of which, Ryan is quite considerate towards you, sending flowers and preparing a cake. How come you don’t seem very happy? Did you misunderstand something?” Chloe’s face instantly became unnatural, her eyes darting away. She probably hadn’t expected me to not only fail to sow discord as she’d planned but also to mention her “having something on her mind” to Ryan. This uncertainty made her a bit flustered. “No… nothing,” She forced a smile, her tone a little stiff. “Maybe I was overthinking it… Anyway, it’s getting late. I’m going back to my room.” Watching her flee, I knew she wouldn’t dare make any rash moves for now. In the following days, Chloe’s attitude towards me became noticeably colder. She no longer clung to me like before, but her eyes held a new wariness and scrutiny. I enjoyed the peace and quiet, dealing with her while speeding up my apartment search. Soon, I found a satisfactory apartment from the listings my realtor sent me. While Chloe was at work, I arranged for a moving company, ready to pack up and leave. Just as I was directing the movers to secure the boxes, hurried footsteps echoed in the hallway. Chloe stepped out of the elevator and froze instantly at the sight of my packed luggage at the door. “Cassie? What are you doing?” She rushed over and grabbed my arm, her panic barely concealed. “Why are you suddenly moving? Did I do something to upset you?” I gently pulled my arm free and took a step back. “You’re overthinking it. It’s just that this place is too far from my office, and the commute isn’t convenient.” I frowned. “By the way, why are you back? Isn’t it your work hours?” “I left some files at home, so I came back for them.” As she spoke, she tried to get closer to me again. “Are you still mad at me? Just because I asked you to help me test Ryan?” “My tone was bad last time, I apologize. Please don’t be like this.” Her fake concern, in my past life, would have gone unnoticed. I might even have softened. But now, I just felt disgusted. I ignored her, stepped aside for the movers, and followed them out. At my new place, I pulled out my phone and opened the live feed from the camera app. Sure enough, a leopard can’t change its spots. Just like in my past life, Chloe was on the phone with Ryan, feigning tears.

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I died in the year I loved him most. His fortune, worth hundreds of millions—he just walked away from it all. He let his entire empire burn, just to be with me. Then I opened my eyes again, ten years earlier. We had just gotten married, and I hated him more than anyone. I rushed to his company, and the moment I saw him, I choked out, “Julian, I’m sorry.” He froze for a brief moment, then his expression turned cold. “Go on, tell me. How are you going to torture me this time?” I remember Julian didn’t make it out of that final explosion. He, who was always so impeccably neat, knelt beside me and whispered, “Clara, don’t be scared. I’m here with you.” He was 38 that year. A fortune worth hundreds of millions—he just walked away from it all. He let his entire empire burn, just to be with me. … It was a midsummer evening, and the setting sun outside the window bled like fire. A muggy breeze drifted into the room. I woke from my dream, sitting on the bed in a daze. The alarm clock in the corner ticked softly, and the desk calendar lay quietly on the table. “Madam, Mr. Julian just called. He said he won’t be back tonight.” Martha’s voice drifted in from the living room, calm and peaceful. I looked down at the brand-new wedding ring on my ring finger. I closed my eyes for a moment. I was actually back ten years in the past. The sky-high flames from before I died, and that warm, strong embrace, felt so real. In his final moments, Julian had still been telling me, “Don’t be afraid, Clara. I’ve waited for you for too long in this life. In the next, I’ll find you early.” Was this a dream, or reality? I pinched myself, and a dull ache shot up my thigh. The blaring car horns outside the window jolted my chaotic thoughts awake. After the initial shock, a deep, lingering ache and bitterness washed over me. A meticulously orchestrated misunderstanding had made me hate Julian for many years. During that time, his rivals used every dirty trick to crush him. They left him no room to breathe. At home, my coldness kept him away, so he rarely came back. Julian’s parents had passed away young, and he had no other relatives. He lived for half his life, guarding a vast business empire all alone. Later, the misunderstanding was resolved. We had a brief six months of happiness, and I even became pregnant with our child. But before I could tell him the news, I died a tragic death. … “Madam, the flowers have arrived. Are you ready to go?” Martha came in to ask. “What?” My mind was still reeling. “The flowers, weren’t you going to see Mr. Noah?” Noah… Hearing that name suddenly, I froze. A tangled mess of thoughts suddenly found a thread. So, it was this day.

Noah was my childhood friend. He was also a very talented actor. Unfortunately… a “accident” left him with severe burns all over his body, requiring long-term hospitalization. On this day in my previous life, I carried a bouquet of flowers to the hospital. After celebrating Noah’s birthday at the hospital, I emerged to find Julian sitting in his car, a cigarette burning down to its filter between his fingers, completely oblivious. I didn’t want to explain anything, didn’t even want to see him. “Clara.” Julian spotted me, stubbed out his cigarette, and got out of the car, his voice filled with sorrow. “…It’s my birthday today.” I stopped, turning back to look at him coldly. “So what?” Julian’s dark eyes stared at me, silent. I said, “It’s Noah’s birthday too. You did whatever it took to marry me, ruined his face, and destroyed his future. What more do you want from me?” Julian opened his mouth, but only managed to say, “That was just an accident…” “If you hadn’t invited him that day, he wouldn’t be lying in a hospital now. How can I believe that was an accident?” Julian fell silent. Finally, he told me, “I’m sorry.” From that day on, my relationship with Julian plummeted. A long and agonizing cold war began. Later, I learned that what even Julian believed was an “accident” was nothing more than a scheme by certain people to drive a wedge between us.

“I’ve already put your things in the car for you. If you leave any later, you’ll hit traffic.” Martha came back to call me. Outside the window, the sunset was halfway down, casting dim light. I snapped back to reality, hastily pulling on my coat, and got into the car. Because I suddenly realized that this was ten years ago, and everything could still be changed. The driver merged into traffic. “This road to the hospital is already jammed. Maybe you should call Mr. Noah and ask him to wait…” “Not the hospital.” I looked at the constantly changing traffic lights outside the window, and changed my mind. “To the company.” … Truth be told, I didn’t have many memories of Julian’s company. When I was younger, I hated him so much I never bothered to visit. Later, when I loved him, he was being targeted by enemies, and danger lurked everywhere, so I didn’t dare go looking for him. Which is why, at this moment, standing beneath a cluster of towering office buildings, I felt a bit lost. Which one was his office building anyway? Passersby eyed me curiously: holding a giant bouquet, dressed elegantly, with makeup on, like a girl about to confess her feelings. I awkwardly pulled out my phone and dialed Julian’s number. Just his full name. Not even listed as an emergency contact. I pressed call, expecting to wait a long time. But after just two short rings, he picked up. His cool, distant voice came through the receiver. “What is it?” Hearing his voice again, my eyes suddenly welled up, and my voice involuntarily caught in my throat. “Julian, where’s your office? I can’t find it…” The passersby looked at me even stranger. A woman who couldn’t find her husband’s office, standing on the curb, sobbing. Julian seemed to be in a meeting. He paused briefly, then said, “Let’s stop here for today.” Then he told me, “Go stand on the sidewalk. I’m coming down.” A few minutes later, Julian walked out of the office building. His tall figure cut through the neon lights, dressed in a sharp suit, noble and self-possessed. In contrast, my reflection in the glass showed eyeliner streaking down with my tears, like the girl from ‘Orphan’. Damn it, it was all ruined. “Why are you here?” His tone was flat, almost icy. I turned my head. The tall, handsome man was looking at me with a cold expression, his pupils reflecting my scribbled-on face, his expression stiffening slightly. No matter when, Julian was always perfectly composed. Like a flower blooming on a cliff, unsullied. “I’m sorry,” I said, lowering my head, not daring to look at him. “Did I bother you…” “Today…” He only said two words, then stopped. I knew what he wanted to say. Today, I should be celebrating Noah’s birthday, not showing up here. That actually reminded me. I shoved the flowers into his arms, mumbling vaguely, “Happy birthday.” A long silence followed. I secretly glanced at him and noticed he was staring at the bouquet, but he didn’t look very happy. After a long moment, he let out a bitter, sarcastic laugh. “Clara, those are his discards, aren’t they?” “What?” I realized his mood had shifted, and my gaze suddenly fell on the bouquet, my heart sinking. Oh no! Ice-blue roses. Their meaning: to give you the stars and the sea. Noah’s favorite things were also the stars and the sea. My memories upon waking had been too chaotic. I’d been so focused on finding Julian that I’d overlooked these details. “I’m sorry, I—” “Thank you for the birthday gift.” Julian’s tone was almost stiff. “It’s getting late. Have the driver take you home.” He turned to leave. I quickly grabbed the hem of his suit. “Wait!” Julian hadn’t expected my move and didn’t stop, causing me to stumble and crash hard into his back. His bespoke suit was a crumpled, colorful mess. Julian turned, staring at my fingers, silent for a long time. I was stubborn, insisting, “Julian, I’m not going back.” His expression was desolate. “Clara, how are you going to torture me this time?” That question was really hard to answer. From my memories, Julian and I had just gotten married around this time, and I was constantly picking fights with him. I was 23, he was 28.

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I transmigrated into the villainess of a dark romance novel, only to find myself giving birth to the ruthless CEO’s triplet daughters. To win a smile from Veronica, the woman he adored, he packed me and our three wailing baby girls into an underground fighting arena. On the live stream, he wrapped an arm around Veronica, his voice chilling: “You and these worthless liabilities – whoever survives till the end, I’ll allow them to come back.” Veronica giggled, her laughter sickeningly sweet: “Oh, Dominic, you’re so naughty! Hurry, let everyone see the thrill of a mother and daughters tearing each other apart!” I closed my eyes in despair, clutching my three starving daughters. *Ding! Congratulations, Host! The ‘Husband’s Hellfire Redemption’ System has activated.* I curled my lips, revealing a chilling, white smile to the camera. “Dominic, darling, are you ready to lose everything and crawl on your knees to beg me?” *Ding! Newbie Gift Pack issued: Pain Empathy (100%). All physical and psychological pain you endure will be transmitted to the ‘target’ — the male lead of this dark romance — with zero delay and zero loss.* Our clothes were ripped off, leaving me and my three daughters wrapped only in a greasy, tattered tarp, then we were thrown into the arena like trash. My three daughters were burning with fever, their small bodies terrifyingly hot, whimpering like kittens in my arms. Barefoot, I stepped onto the slick, greasy ground. A bone-chilling cold shot straight up my spine. Almost at the exact same moment. “Ah!” Dominic Hayes’ caviar dropped to the floor. He clutched his mouth, a powerful wave of nausea surging up his throat, as if he’d just swallowed a mouthful of rotten swill. “Dominic, darling, what’s wrong?” Veronica Lane leaned into him, wiping the corner of his mouth with a concerned handkerchief. “Nothing.” Dominic frowned. “Maybe the seafood wasn’t fresh. There’s suddenly a taste of rust and sour slop in my mouth.” He picked up a glass of ’82 Lafite from a nearby table, elegantly rinsed his mouth, then spat onto the expensive Persian rug beside him. “Baby, don’t mind me. Try this – air-freighted bluefin tuna.” He spoke in the gentlest tone, with the most caring words. I watched coldly from the giant screen on the ceiling. “System, the game has begun.” Dominic was about to feed Veronica a piece of tuna when his heart violently spasmed, as if an invisible hand had brutally squeezed it. It was an extreme, gut-wrenching sense of abandonment. He didn’t know it was precisely how I felt at that moment. *Clang!* At the other end of the iron cage, a small door opened, and a guard threw in a metal bucket. Inside were foul, maggot-ridden scraps, emitting a nauseatingly sour stench. “Eat it, bitch. Mr. Hayes said if you want to live, you have to eat like a dog.” The guard’s mockery echoed through the arena via the live broadcast. My eldest daughter, Lily, was delirious with fever, her lips cracked, unconsciously whimpering: “Mommy… water…” I stared at the bucket of maggots, my stomach churning. But I knelt anyway, using my hands to carefully push aside the squirming maggots in that slimy filth, trying to find a drop of clean water underneath. The moment my fingertips touched the cold, slimy maggots— “Ugh!” Dominic could no longer hold it in. Right in front of Veronica, he vomited the top-tier meal he’d just eaten all over the floor. The head-spinning, nauseating sensation that came from my fingertips was 100% synchronized to his nerve endings. Veronica recoiled in disgust, pinching her nose. “Dominic, you’re so disgusting! What’s wrong with you?” “I… I’m fine…” Dominic hadn’t finished speaking when a rustling sound came from the shadows of the iron cage. The first “appetizer” arrived—a pack of starving, rotting rats. Their eyes gleamed red in the dim light, and they charged at us without hesitation. I instinctively clutched my three daughters tightly, forming a wall of flesh with my back and legs. “Ah—!” A rat sank its teeth viciously into my calf. Sharp teeth pierced through flesh, sending excruciating pain through me! “Argh!!!” At the same instant, Dominic clutched his calf, letting out a horrific scream in front of everyone, rolling off the sofa. The wealthy socialites present were stunned. Veronica was startled too, but mostly she felt mortified. “Dominic! What’s wrong with you? It’s just a leg cramp, isn’t it? Everyone’s watching!” “It’s not a cramp! It’s… it’s like a dog bite! It hurts! It hurts so much!” He couldn’t comprehend why his perfectly intact skin, beneath his thousand-dollar custom suit pants, was experiencing the agonizing sensation of being torn open alive. I endured the pain, listening to his screams from the big screen, and I smiled. Dominic, this is just the appetizer. The large cage door opened again, and a hungry, drooling wolf stalked in. The wolf’s target was clear: my wailing daughters in my arms. It lunged suddenly! I didn’t have time to think, instinctively blocking it with my left arm. *Splatt!* The wolf’s fangs sank deep into my arm, tearing a gash so deep the bone was visible. Blood instantly stained the dirty tarp. “Aaahhhhhh—!!!” A bomb seemed to detonate in Dominic’s mind. The agonizing pain of his arm being brutally ripped open made him instantly crush the wine glass in his hand. Glass shards dug deep into his palm, bleeding profusely. But he found that the pain in his hand was less than a thousandth of the excruciating pain originating from me in his mind.

Amidst the agonizing struggle with the wolf, the cold system prompt sounded again. *Ding! Host’s will to survive is strong, unlocking new skill: Memory Whiplash. You can select one of your most painful memories and 100% synchronize it to the empathy target, causing a mental shock.* I spoke without hesitation: “Select the memory of the triplet’s difficult birth!” Memories surged like a tide, overwhelming Dominic’s mind through the system. *Memory Scene One: The Delivery Room* I was drenched in sweat from the pain, gripping the bedsheets, pleading with the doctor: “Please, a C-section! I can’t take it anymore!” The doctor’s face was expressionless: “We need a family member’s signature.” The call went to Dominic. In the background, Veronica’s娇滴滴 voice: “Dominic, the doctor says my ankle is only a slight sprain, but I’m so scared! Stay with me, don’t leave.” Then came Dominic’s impatient roar: “Natural birth! Make her endure it! What woman doesn’t go through pain during childbirth? Stop being so dramatic!” *Memory Scene Two: Outside the Operating Room* I was hemorrhaging, my life hanging by a thread. The doctor rushed out and asked him: “Mr. Hayes, the mother’s condition is critical. Who do we prioritize, the mother or the baby?” He was gently applying a cold compress to Veronica’s ankle, not even looking up. “Save the baby. She won’t die. It’s just giving birth. Doesn’t every woman give birth?” *Memory Scene Three: The Hospital Room* I was weak postpartum, suffering from incontinence. The nurse’s aide, bribed by Veronica, deliberately left me on a bed soiled with filth for several hours. She even loudly mocked me in front of everyone else in the room. “Look at you, Mrs. Hayes, what a mess you’ve made! You’re humiliating Mr. Hayes!” The excruciating twelve-level labor pain, the bone-chilling abandonment, the boundless humiliation of being shamed, combined with the fear of being torn by the wolf—four layers of pain piled up, like a towering mountain, crushing Dominic’s soul. “Ugh… ah…” His eyes rolled back, foam escaped his lips, and he collapsed onto the floor, convulsing violently. “Dominic! Dominic, what’s wrong? Don’t scare me!” Veronica shrieked, but her first reaction wasn’t to call a doctor. Instead, she quietly pulled out her phone, aimed it at Dominic’s grotesque face, and started recording. “Darling, look, he seems to be dying.” She cried hypocritically while rapidly texting her backup lover. In the arena, the wolf seemed to pause for a thousandth of a second due to Dominic’s violent reaction as the empathy target. Now was my chance! I seized the opportunity, picking up a sharp metal shard someone had dropped on the ground with my uninjured right hand. I used all my strength and slashed at the wolf’s throat! Warm wolf blood splattered across my face. The wolf crashed to the ground. *Ding! Congratulations, Host! You have achieved a counter-kill. Reward: Newbie Gift Pack – Potent Hemostatic Spray x1, Compressed Biscuits x3.* I didn’t stop my bleeding first. The wound on my arm was still gushing blood, but I merely knelt on the ground, my trembling hands carefully breaking the three precious compressed biscuits into small pieces, feeding them bit by bit to my terrified daughters. “Don’t be scared, babies. Mommy’s here.” This maternal love, born in the depths of despair, was clearly transmitted through empathy to the convulsing Dominic. This feeling wasn’t pain, yet it tormented him more than any pain. Because in his memories, he had just personally ordered the扼杀 of the very source of this warmth.

The wolf was dealt with, but the danger wasn’t over. The metal net above the arena opened, and dense swarms of venomous snakes rained down. “Oh my God! Snakes!” “They’re done for, aren’t they? With three liabilities.” “Mr. Hayes sure knows how to entertain! I’m getting excited! Yay! I bet 10 million that woman will throw her kids away first!” On the big screen, the excited chatter of the wealthy elite was relentless. I immediately shielded my daughters in a corner, forming a barrier with my body. Mixed among the snakes were several massive, slimy carrion-eating monitor lizards. Their target wasn’t us, but the still-warm wolf carcass nearby. The giant lizards opened their gaping jaws, tearing and swallowing the rotting flesh, nauseating fluids splattering everywhere. This primal, barbaric scene intensified one of my daughter’s fevers, causing her to hallucinate. She mistook a slowly slithering snake for my hand and actually laughed, reaching out to grab it. “Baby, don’t move!” I was terrified, clutching my daughter’s crying, struggling body with my uninjured hand. This tearing sensation, where I had to hurt her to protect her, felt like a knife twisting in my heart. *Ding! Host’s clever survival tactics have been recognized, rewarding new permission: Public Opinion Control (Basic). You can edit videos under 30 seconds and anonymously upload them to any online platform.* My chance had arrived. I deliberately allowed a colorful, non-venomous snake to bite my ankle. The illusion of being “poisoned” and the sharp pain were immediately synchronized to Dominic. “Help… I’ve been poisoned… there are snakes…” In Dominic Hayes’s corporate office, he writhed on the floor in agony, disrupting everyone trying to help him. At the same time, I activated [Public Opinion Control]. I didn’t spread videos of my own suffering; that would only satisfy the spectators’ morbid curiosity. I carefully edited a 30-second video: The background was the hellish scene of snakes encircling us and giant lizards devouring a corpse. The foreground was me, enduring the agonizing pain in my ankle, gently wiping away my daughter’s tears with the blood-stained hem of my clothing. I made no sound, only silently mouthed to them: “Mommy’s here.” The video ended with my feverish, hallucinating daughter placing her small hand on my face, innocently asking: “Mommy, are we playing a game?” I titled the video: *Mother of the Year: Hell-Level Parenting in Action.* Then, I anonymously uploaded it everywhere online. In less than ten minutes, the video exploded. #HellLevelParenting gained viral traction, rocketing to the top of the trending topics on Ins. “Holy crap! Is this a movie? It looks so real!” “That’s not special effects! Look at the mother’s arm wound, it’s real! And those snakes and monitor lizards!” “Investigate! Find out! Where is this? This is murder!” “That mother’s eyes… I’m crying. For her children, she truly fears nothing.” Soon, resourceful netizens, through a fleeting logo in the live stream background, identified the owner of this underground fighting arena—Dominic Hayes, CEO of Hayes Group, a man known nationwide for his “loving husband and devoted family man” public persona. Public opinion utterly erupted. “What ‘loving husband’ persona? His wife and kids are being fed to snakes in a fighting pit! That bastard!” “Boycott Hayes Group! This scum’s company must go bankrupt!” Hayes Group’s PR department’s phones were ringing off the hook, and their stock began a precipitous freefall. Dominic received countless calls from shareholders and partners demanding answers. But his mind was filled with the slimy sensation of snakes and the innocent cries of his daughters, making him roar incoherently: “Get away! Don’t touch me! There are snakes!” On the cold floor of the arena, I watched the Hayes Group’s market value evaporate on the system panel, and for the first time, a chilling smile touched my lips. Dominic, it seems that only by hurting myself, did I truly, for the first time, hurt you.

Under public pressure, the bloody live stream was forcibly paused. My daughters and I were dragged out of the arena and locked in a damp isolation room. My daughters’ fevers worsened, and they began to babble deliriously. Just as I was about to despair, the door quietly opened. A doctor in a white coat, carrying a medical kit, walked in. “Miss Reid, I was sent by Mr. Hayes.” He injected my daughter with a fever reducer, speaking in a low voice. “Mr. Hayes saw the online backlash and regretted it. He sent me to get you out.” He slipped a keycard into my hand. “This path leads to the parking lot outside. Hurry, before you’re discovered.” I looked into his sincere eyes, half-believing, half-doubting. Dominic Hayes having a change of heart? Pigs would fly first. But looking at my dying daughters in my arms, I had no choice. This glimmer of hope, this chance at escape, was also synchronized to Dominic through the system. His tortured nerves received a brief respite, and he even had a fleeting illusion that “maybe things could still turn around.” I held my three daughters, following the doctor’s directions, moving with difficulty through the labyrinthine underground passages. Finally, at midnight, I saw the door marked “Exit.” Freedom was just ahead. I used my last ounce of strength, swiped the keycard, and pushed open the heavy metal door. Beyond the door was not the free parking lot. But blinding spotlights, countless high-definition cameras aimed at me, and… Dominic Hayes and Veronica Lane, standing in the center of the arena, applauding. My heart instantly plummeted into a bottomless abyss. Dominic put his arm around Veronica, a devilish grin on his face. He spoke into the microphone, his tone like an art connoisseur: “Having fun, my dear wife?” “To provide our esteemed guests with an even more thrilling spectacle, I meticulously prepared this survival reality show just for you. It’s a custom-made, paid-access experience, you know.” As Dominic’s words fell. The iron door behind me slammed shut. At the other end of the arena, a massive iron cage was hoisted, and a狂暴 black bear, injected with an overdose of stimulants, was unleashed with a roar. Its eyes were bloodshot, and its size was three times that of the previous wolf. The power imbalance was absolute. I looked at Dominic’s sneering face, Veronica’s triumphant smile, and the charging black bear. My physical and mental defenses completely collapsed at that moment. Tears of blood streamed down my face. Only one thought remained: if hell had an end, it would be here. But the boundless despair of my towering hatred simultaneously exploded in Dominic’s mind. “Ah—!” Dominic clutched his head, emitting an inhuman scream. Fine trickles of blood oozed from his eyes and mouth, his face a mask of utter agony. And at the very edge of that despair, I finally heard a familiar electronic prompt.

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I worked part-time during college to make ends meet. I found a job, but rumors spread around campus that I was working in an unsavory industry. Years later, as if fulfilling their assumptions, I became a VIP room manager at a nightclub. At a class reunion, my former classmates mocked me with cold remarks. But the infamous lawyer Mr. Yates, known for his stern demeanor, unexpectedly knelt before me in his crisp suit— 0 “Ava, please, save me a room tonight…” I started working at Horizon, the city’s most popular nightclub, after graduating college. My job was VIP room sales, mainly booking private rooms and selling drinks. I was approaching 30 and had worked my way up to sales manager. Our team, mostly young women, consistently performed well. Lisa’s team also did well, though they occasionally had off nights. On those evenings, she would start bombarding me with messages on Snapchat as early as 5 PM, frantically saying: “Ava, how many rooms has your team booked? We only have three so far. If we’re really struggling by tonight, can you lend us some of your bookings? Next time there are difficult clients, I’ll have Angela and the girls help out with drinks.” Lisa was nine years my senior, a veritable cougar with permed reddish-brown hair. We got along well, mainly because of her straightforward personality. And I was even more direct than her. Horizon was the largest and liveliest nightclub in the city. There wasn’t much scheming between the sales teams, since besides Lisa and me, the only other sales manager we regularly dealt with was a man. We called him Chris. Chris was also easy to talk to and treated us all like sisters. At 7 PM, Horizon opened for business. The girls arrived one by one through the back entrance, gathering in the dressing room. Some still had remnants of last night’s makeup, mascara smudged around their eyes. Others arrived bare-faced in tank tops, carefully applying skincare in front of the mirror. Those who weren’t skilled at makeup could pay $30 for the part-time makeup artists to do a pretty look. The makeup artists brought basic foundation, but the girls usually requested to use their own MAC or Armani products. Of course, some didn’t bother, like the new college student on my team. She was introduced by her classmate Tina to work part-time. The girls here all used stage names. Tina’s real name was Chloe, a sophomore in college. Her friend had already picked out a name before coming – Mandy. Mandy looked a bit plain, with small eyes and a hesitant demeanor. Initially I didn’t want to take her on, but Tina clung to my arm and pleaded: “Come on Ava, let her stay. Her dad has cancer and is in the hospital. They’ve used up all their savings and are in debt. They can’t even afford her living expenses. She really needs the money.” I sighed reluctantly, “Not everyone is cut out for this line of work. Looks are secondary – with makeup, no one looks too bad. But in other aspects, do you really think she can handle those clients?” I’ve always been good at reading people. This girl was too naive – unlike Tina, who was lively and socially savvy. Tina had been working part-time here for almost a year. She was clever and could hold her liquor well. I once asked her why a nice girl like her would work in a place like this. She blinked innocently and said matter-of-factly: “I don’t have enough money. My mom only gives me $100 a month. One set of skincare products alone costs $180. Plus all the cute bags and shoes – who doesn’t like shopping for designer brands at the mall?” I’ve seen all kinds of reasons girls work in nightclubs, each more outlandish than the last. In Lisa’s group, there was a girl called Hannah who came to work here because of her boyfriend. The guy was constantly unemployed, lying around at home playing video games all day. So she came to work at the nightclub to support them both. Girls like that were rare. It usually took hitting rock bottom before they’d wake up. More common were girls like Mandy, who came to work here because they desperately needed money. And they needed a lot of money. Like my best friend at Horizon, Angela. She was already working here when I first started. Originally it was because she fell victim to an online shopping scam and maxed out her credit cards. She managed to pay off her debts and left for a year. But when I became a sales manager in charge of a team, she came back. This time it was because she got caught up in an online romance scam. She was brainwashed and took out all kinds of loans. Now she owed over $100,000. Then there was Yolanda, a 26-year-old single mom. She divorced due to domestic violence and was raising two kids on her own. Everyone had their reasons for working in nightclubs, but not everyone was suited for it. But Tina kept insisting, even promising: “No one is born cut out for this industry. Don’t worry Ava, Mandy is very adaptable. I can help her. How about this – let her try for a few days with me guiding her. If you’re still not satisfied then, you can let her go.” Because of that, Mandy really did end up staying. She didn’t have great features, so she always carefully had her makeup done by the makeup artists. I have to say, with makeup she looked quite innocent and sweet, a bit like that Korean actress with small eyes, Jung Da-bin. I knew that agreeing to keep her was partly because of what Tina said – “No one is born cut out for this industry.” Every evening around 6-7 PM, the two large dressing rooms and changing rooms would be bustling with noise and activity. In the end, everyone would emerge dolled up and glamorous. When changing, if they couldn’t reach the clasps on their bras, they’d even call Chris over to help. After it all quieted down, I would usually light a cigarette in the dressing room, exhaling smoke as I stared at my solemn reflection in the mirror, feeling strange and distant. I once told Tina: “When I was in college, my monthly living expenses were only $50. You’re still young, so those designer skincare products and bags aren’t necessities. You’ll have chances to buy them in the future.” Tina dismissed this, simply telling me: “Times are different now, Ava.” Times may be different, but some truths remain the same. As the famous quote from Zweig’s “Marie Antoinette” goes – “All the gifts bestowed by fate have their price tag already marked.” Some people are born with everything, silver spoons in their mouths. Others are born with nothing, in abject poverty. We all enter this world differently. Life has no rehearsals or scripts. Once a path is walked, it cannot be retraced. That’s why we should cherish the good cards we’re dealt. And when dealt a bad hand, we must study it carefully and play to win big. It would be a shame to only play a bit part on the stage of your own life. As I stared into the mirror lost in thought, cigarette smoke swirling, I couldn’t help but wonder what my era was like. At 20, I seemed to be like Mandy – introverted and reserved, walking with my head down in silence. The difference was, I had no friends at school back then. And because of a boy’s impulsive confession, I became a public enemy, subjected to insults and abuse. Then I would naturally think of Zack, that little troublemaker who shone a light into my long, dark life. In my memories, he smiled at me backlit, forever young. Those thick, unruly eyebrows. The hint of mischief in his eyes. Even after all these years, the memory remained vivid and alive. Those recollections would make me irritably stub out my cigarette. I’d spend a few minutes composing myself, then walk out of the dressing room as if nothing had happened. I’d hold a quick meeting with my team in the main hall. Then everyone would get to work, welcoming clients amidst the lavish and bustling atmosphere of the nightclub. The same routine every night – singing karaoke, playing dice games, drinking, whispering in ears…VIP packages with expensive liquor on the table. As long as the clients’ dirty jokes and wandering hands didn’t go too far, the girls could flirtatiously fend them off. Nightclubs nowadays are different from before. I still remember 10 years ago when Frank partnered with someone to open a karaoke club. Back then it was truly chaotic, breeding grounds for criminal activity. The clubs had nude shows, erotic dances, almost becoming a seedy industry chain. There were other unsavory dealings too. Frank felt helpless at the time – he wanted to establish roots in the city, but there were people he had to rely on. Many things he didn’t want to do, he had no power to refuse. Fortunately, he’s made it big now and gone legitimate. In both legal and illegal circles of the city, mentioning his name now inspires a degree of fear. Frank owns many businesses – restaurants, clubs, tech companies…Perhaps knowing how hard it was to go clean, he’s completely distanced himself from any illegal activities. Take Horizon for example. Despite being a nightclub, it was even nominated as one of the “Top 10 Civilized Establishments” in the city’s year-end evaluations. I’ve long known that Frank is a ruthless man. Horizon operates until 2-3 AM. By closing time, everyone reeks of alcohol. Some of the more energetic girls will invite others out for late night snacks after work. I rarely join their after-work activities. When faced with enthusiastic invitations, I just smile and say: “You girls go ahead. I’m getting old and can’t keep up with you young ladies. I need to rest or I’ll get wrinkles.” I’ve always had trouble sleeping, so I usually go straight home. There are always lots of taxis waiting outside Horizon at that hour. Lately when leaving, I’ve made a habit of glancing towards the east end of the street. Sure enough, for a week now, that black Mercedes has been waiting there at the same time. The person inside seemed to notice me. A tall, straight figure got out of the car. From a distance, the man stood with his hand on the car door, gazing over steadily. I ignored him and got directly into a taxi, giving my address. After arriving at my apartment complex and paying the fare, I unsurprisingly saw that Mercedes had followed me here. For most people, this might seem scary. But not this man. His name was Ethan Yates, a lawyer. More specifically, he was a well-known lawyer in the city. Ethan came from a good family and graduated from law school at Kingsley University. His father was a judge and his mother worked for the prosecutor’s office. He was famous even in school. While getting his master’s degree, he worked with a law firm in Southport on a high-profile forensic evidence case, with the university’s recommendation. Two years ago, he co-founded Kingsley Law Firm with some college classmates. He specialized in criminal defense and handling complex legal matters. I knew a lot about him, not just because I also went to Kingsley, but because I had just dumped him a week ago. “Dumped” may not be the right word, since we were never really in a proper relationship to begin with. Two months ago, their law firm helped the CEO of Qishi Group win an economic dispute case. The CEO booked a room at Horizon and insisted on inviting the lawyers to celebrate. The room was booked through Angela, so the commission went to our team. The CEO generously ordered the Hennessy package, so I went to offer some toasts. That’s how I met Ethan. The large private room was packed, with the CEO and his group all seated. Amidst the clinking glasses and dazzling lights, the lively atmosphere was in full swing. I exchanged some pleasantries with the CEO, who then introduced me to Ethan. “Ava, I hear from Angela that you also graduated from Kingsley? Come, let me introduce you to Mr. Yates – a fellow alumna, and quite a beauty too.” The room was crowded and I hadn’t noticed him at first. But when our eyes met, the air seemed to freeze for a moment. There’s always a certain chemistry between people. Ethan was young and handsome, in a way befitting an elite lawyer’s proper image. Sleek, impeccable hair. A smooth forehead and high nose bridge. Thin lips pressed together. Handsome, faultless features. He wore gold-rimmed glasses, looking scholarly and refined, while also cleverly concealing the sharp glint in his deep-set eyes. One glance was enough for me to know something should happen between us. Rumor had it that Ethan never drank and had a cold personality. Whether for work or in private, he was said to rarely smile. That night, true to the rumors, he had been dragged there by another partner at the firm. He didn’t drink a drop of alcohol the whole time, and no women were seated next to him. It was clear he disliked such occasions. Though his face remained impassive, his occasionally furrowed brow betrayed his irritation. Fortunately, I came to his rescue. I sat down next to him, meeting his inquiring gaze. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Yates.” “You also graduated from Kingsley?” Ethan’s voice was cool and low. He turned slightly to look at me, light reflecting off his glasses and illuminating his dark pupils with a deep, mysterious glow. When a man takes initiative to ask questions about a woman, it means he doesn’t dislike her. I’ve always known I’m good-looking. After years in the nightlife industry, the smile on my face was polite and gentle. If I wanted, that gentleness could take on a flirtatious edge. I had graduated from Kingsley a year ahead of him, so I suppose I was his senior. Ethan must have been very puzzled as to why a Kingsley graduate would be working at a nightclub. I didn’t need to explain this to him. If he was interested in me, he’d find out everything with a bit of digging later. That night at closing time, I took the initiative to ask if he could give me a ride home. He sat in the car looking at me, raising an eyebrow. His gaze was deep and unreadable. In the end, he silently allowed me to open the passenger door. When we arrived at my apartment, as I was getting out, I asked with a smile: “Want to come up for coffee?” It was a clear invitation. We were both adults, no need to beat around the bush. I looked at him openly, my expression calm. As if it didn’t matter whether he refused or not. He pressed his lips together, eyeing me. Finally he said: “Do you live alone?” “Of course.” “…Do we need to stop by a convenience store first?” “No need, I have supplies at home.” I smiled coyly at him, deepening the curve of my lips: “Plenty.” Our eyes met. Ethan frowned. In that moment, he was hesitant and conflicted. I could guess what he was thinking – on one side, the shackles of morality. On the other, an attractive woman with good chemistry, nonchalantly propositioning him. And he happened to be single, at an age when passions run high. He was a lawyer, not a saint. So he took the bait. Mr. Yates was quite restrained at first. But once we got upstairs and he took off those glasses and loosened his shirt, he was every bit the wolf in sheep’s clothing. He was gone when I woke up the next day. By the time I got up it was already 11 AM. There was a stack of cash on the nightstand. Perfect. We both got what we wanted, no need for emotional baggage on either side. I sat in a chair on the balcony. As the midday sun blazed, I lit a cigarette, examining the tiny ember at the tip. Just before it burned out, I took a deep drag. The feeling of smoke filling my lungs was strangely satisfying. 0

A few days passed with no word from Ethan. But half a month later, I made an excuse to seek him out. It started with that girl Mandy getting her head smashed with a bottle. The man who hit her was called Harvey, a regular at Horizon. We usually called him Mr. He. That’s right, he was a rich second-generation heir. And he was infamous in the city for his arrogance. When I rushed over after hearing the news, I pushed open the door to see Mandy crouched on the ground clutching her head, blood seeping through her fingers. Tina and the others stood to the side, faces pale, not daring to make a sound. Seeing me enter, the young heir narrowed his eyes and sneered: “Ava, am I short on cash or stingy with tips? Why the hell are you sending me these prudes? Playing hard to get when I’m trying to drink with them. Who do they think they are, trying to act all chaste in a place like this?” I didn’t need to guess what happened. Keeping a smile on my face, I went over to help Mandy up. “I’m so sorry Mr. He, we’ve ruined your good time. Please don’t be angry, we can talk this out. Let me call someone to take the girl to the hospital first. That bottle was no joke.” Chris and the others who had rushed over took Mandy away. I gestured for Tina and the rest to leave too, leaving only myself and the floor manager Ryan to smooth things over. I’ve known Ryan for over a decade, back when Frank was just starting out in the city. He was about the same age as Frank, a gruff man in his late 30s. For him, this kind of scene was nothing new. Good-naturedly, Ryan chatted with Harvey for a bit, then said: “The girl was out of line, she definitely needs more training. But Mr. He, we’re living in a society of law and order now. Hitting people is still not right, no matter what.” Harvey was young and arrogant. He retorted dismissively: “I was just trying to scare her. Who knew she’d be dumb enough not to dodge. Fine, I hit her – I’ll pay the medical bills, that’s that.” Rich people are always so fearless. I smiled and said: “Mr. He, that blow was no joke. It’s a concussion at the very least. The bill won’t be less than $70-80,000.” “What? How much did you say?” Harvey looked at me like he’d heard a joke, laughing coldly. “You think you can just name a price? Who do you think you are?” “Who I am doesn’t matter. What matters is that you’ll be paying not just medical bills, but emotional damages too. If the poor girl is traumatized for life, that shadow will follow her forever.” I smiled calmly as I watched his face grow increasingly dark. Then I added: “If Mr. He thinks the price is too high, how about I call Frank and let him discuss it with you?” I’ve said before, in this city, mentioning Frank’s name always inspires a degree of fear. Harvey stared at me, his expression flickering between anger and uncertainty. Finally he let out a laugh. “Fine, whatever price you name. I’ve got plenty of money. Next time if I accidentally hit you on the head, we’ll use the same rate to settle up.” The threat in his words was clear. I just smiled silently as I looked at him. Ryan frowned first. “Mr. He, you can’t say things like that.” Harvey laughed heartily. “It’s just a joke, why so serious? Ava’s no ordinary woman, how could I dare touch her? Would Frank let me off if I did?” He was right. He wouldn’t dare touch me. Everyone knew that Ava, the sales manager at Horizon, was under Frank’s protection. In fact, many people booked rooms through me as a way to get on Frank’s good side. Ryan drove me to the hospital. Tina was crying when she saw me: “I’m so sorry Ava, I didn’t know Room 503 was Harvey’s. He came late, and when he arrived he specifically asked for Mandy to drink with him. There was nothing I could do no matter what I said.” She felt very guilty. When Mandy first started, I had repeatedly instructed Tina to only let her into rooms with familiar, well-behaved clients until she got used to the work. There were clear finger marks on Tina’s face from being slapped, no doubt by Harvey as well. I patted her shoulder reassuringly. “It’s alright. Look on the bright side – now Mandy will have money to pay for her dad’s medical bills.” Mandy wasn’t seriously hurt. The diagnosis was a moderate concussion, requiring a few days in the hospital. As I expected, she was quite willing to settle privately. No one turns down money. Especially such a large sum. After leaving the hospital, I went straight home. Checking the time, it was almost midnight. After some thought, I called Ethan at this hour. I had found his number on the law firm’s official website. When he picked up, his voice was cool and low as usual, with a hint of annoyance at being woken up: “Hello, who is this?” “Mr. Yates, this is Ava from Horizon Nightclub.” “…” Ethan didn’t speak. He seemed to have woken up fully, falling into a brief silence. I laughed lightly. “I’m sorry, one of our girls was just assaulted. I wanted to consult you on whether we can press criminal charges for intentional injury.” “Where are you right now?” “Um, I just got home from the hospital.” I stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows, gazing out into the dark night. A smile slowly curved my lips. “I don’t know if you could come over at this hour. I can tell you all the details of what happened.” About half an hour later, in the dead of night, Ethan arrived as requested. When I opened the door wearing a lace camisole dress and holding a bottle of wine, he raised an eyebrow, as if expecting this. I smiled too, my damp hair falling loosely around my ears. I raised the wine bottle. “Want a drink?” “I don’t drink.” “Oh? What happens if you do?” He gazed at me intently, moving closer to grip my waist. Lowering his head to my ear, he let out a soft laugh. “I go crazy.”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “297243”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #现实主义Realistic #浪漫Romance