Category: English

My brother claimed his IQ was 180 and no woman was worthy of bearing his children. So after kicking his wife out, He boasted that without a woman, he as a man could still get pregnant. And he guaranteed it would be a boy. At first I didn’t believe him. But unexpectedly, after just a few days my brother’s belly swelled up, and miraculously there was even fetal movement. But common sense told me men can’t get pregnant. To find out if he had some serious illness, I forcibly dragged him to the hospital for an examination. Unexpectedly, the ultrasound showed my brother’s belly was full of octopus tentacles attached to it. To save his life, I begged the doctor to perform emergency surgery. But he hated me for killing the child given to him by the gods. My mom even said I was jealous of my brother and demonizing her grandson. In a fit of rage, I was hacked to death by my brother and mother. When I opened my eyes again, I had returned to the time when my brother was pregnant. “I’m warning you, your brother is pregnant now, there will be a lot of expenses in the future. You must hand over all the money you earn to me for safekeeping,” my mom ordered me imperiously with her hands on her hips. “Did you hear me? Are you deaf?” Seeing no reaction from me, my mom reached out and pinched my arm. “Speak up, don’t pretend to be mute!” The pain brought me back to reality, dispelling my previous daze. My thoughts were suddenly pulled back to the present. Looking at my mom cursing in front of me, I felt a bit confused. Wasn’t I dead? How did I end up here? The scene before me was so real that for a moment I couldn’t tell if this was reality or a hallucination before death. I quickly scanned the living room. At this moment, my brother was lying on his side on the sofa, leisurely eating from a box of cherries while watching our mom scold me. His smug expression reminded me of how crazily he laughed when hacking me to death in my previous life. It sent chills down my spine. “Have you looked enough? Has this month’s salary been paid?” My mom only cared about money when she opened her mouth. She completely failed to notice the goosebumps that had risen on my skin from fear. Looking at my arm that she had just pinched, now bruised purple and painful, I realized I had been reborn. Seeing my mom constantly pressuring me for money, I readily took out my bank card. After all, this was the crucial moment of my brother’s self-destruction. I should play my part too. Whatever they wanted, I would give. “Mom, you don’t need to tell me. Since finding out about my brother’s pregnancy, I’ve already saved money for my nephew on this card. Now that my brother needs nutrition, you can use this money to buy supplements. Whatever my brother likes to eat, just buy it. Don’t hold back on my account.” My mom started to feel confused, after all in the past I would always argue with her at least a bit. But seeing the bank card I held out with both hands, she didn’t think too much. My mom smiled as she took it, “That’s more like it.” “The money you earn should be spent on family. Besides, that’s your own nephew.” “Of course!” I smiled and agreed! My brother was also very satisfied with my response. He said, “Sister, you should have had this realization earlier. Don’t worry, you don’t need to get married in the future. When this child grows up, I’ll have him support you in your old age.” I secretly sneered inside. Support me in my old age? Have a belly full of octopuses support me? Just thinking about it made my scalp tingle. I wouldn’t dare! I waved my hands repeatedly to refuse, “No need, brother. It doesn’t matter if my nephew supports me or not. As long as he supports you and mom, that’s enough. I don’t want the child to have too much burden when he grows up.” Seeing how sensible I was, my mom and brother looked gratified. Their gazes towards me held a hint of kindness.

In my previous life, my brother got a pregnancy secret recipe from a so-called master, saying men could also get pregnant and give birth. At first I thought it was just a joke. But unexpectedly, three days later, my brother came home whistling cheerfully. As soon as he got back, he said he had found a master. The master had even cast a fortune for him, saying he was destined to be an emperor in this life. The child he would bear would be blessed with gold and silver, and he himself would have great fortune and longevity. The master also said this child must be born from his belly for him and the child to have this good fortune. For this, he even spent thousands of yuan to get the pregnancy secret recipe from the master. As he spoke, my brother took out a package of sticky brownish stuff and started chewing it. I didn’t know what it was, I only knew the wind was a bit strong at the time. When a gust of wind blew by, I could smell the odor of rotting raw meat. I almost vomited. My mom also covered her nose and mouth, listening in bewilderment. Although she was uneducated, it was the first time she had heard of men being able to get pregnant. Watching him swallow it, my mom worriedly spoke up. “Son, won’t eating this stuff give you a stomachache?” My brother didn’t waste a bit, just focused on licking the sticky stuff left on the paper wrapper. Seeing him so absorbed, my mom’s heart tightened again. “Son, you haven’t been scammed, have you?” “Mom, you can rest assured, I guarantee I haven’t. The master is truly divine!” My brother licked up the last bit with a satisfied look. Then he put his arm around my mom’s shoulders, “Mom, your son can have a child without relying on a woman, and it will even be a boy. Aren’t you happy?” “A boy?” When my mom heard “boy”, her previously worried expression instantly turned joyful. “Son, are you telling the truth?” “Mom, it’s absolutely true. You just wait to hold your chubby grandson!” “The master also said as long as I take this secret recipe on schedule, I can naturally get pregnant in a few days, and successfully give birth in two months.” Although my mom was excited, she was still half skeptical. But I didn’t believe a word of it. A man getting pregnant? That would only happen if pigs could climb trees. But three days later, my brother actually did get pregnant. And his belly kept getting bigger. Miraculously, there was even fetal movement in his round belly. My mom was overjoyed! She prayed to the ancestors and gods. Thinking about how their combined intelligence was just 250, I kept trying to reason with them, saying it was physically impossible for a man to get pregnant and give birth. There must be something bad growing in my brother’s belly. If it wasn’t removed, it could be life-threatening. But my brother thought I was just being alarmist and cursing him. My mom said I was just jealous and couldn’t stand to see my brother doing well. They firmly believed the fetus in my brother’s belly was human. Faced with my pig-brained brother and uneducated mother, I forcibly dragged my brother to get examined. After a series of tests by the doctor, My guess was indeed confirmed. Under the ultrasound, countless octopus-like tentacles were attached to my brother’s belly. They varied in size, and each one was very strong. The doctor was horrified at the sight. The fat in my brother’s belly had been consumed by the octopuses, making his belly skin very thin. If not careful, it could be torn by the tentacles. If emergency surgery wasn’t performed quickly to remove the octopuses, they would move to other parts of the body and continue feeding. The end result would be my brother reduced to a skeleton. To save his life, I begged the doctor to arrange surgery for him immediately. Unexpectedly, not only were he and my mom not grateful to me, they even started hating me. My brother said I had cut off his path to fortune, that this was a divine child given to him by the heavens. My mom went further, saying I was jealous of my brother and had colluded with the doctor to put on this act. Killing her grandson and demonizing him. At the time, the doctors at the hospital all felt sorry for me, having to take care of two mentally ill people alone. They suggested that after my brother recovered, I should take him and my mom to a psychiatric hospital to get their brains checked. Finally back home, I busied myself taking care of them. I didn’t get a single kind word or look from my mom and brother. Instead, I was hacked to death and dismembered by them in the kitchen. “I finally got the master to help me get pregnant, and it’s all ruined by you, you bitch. I’ll send you to apologize to my son right now.” My brother’s eyes were red with killing intent as he stabbed me harder and harder. My mom didn’t even blink. She said it didn’t matter if I died since I was just a girl, I couldn’t support her in old age or carry on the family line anyway. Then she helped my brother deliver the fatal blow. Afterwards, to destroy the evidence, my mom and brother dismembered me together. Thinking of everything from my previous life, I felt I was somewhat to blame. After all, some people’s brains just aren’t normal. You try your best to save them, but they think you’re trying to harm them. Living again, I will no longer be a busybody caring about things that don’t concern me.

This life, I chose to watch coldly from the sidelines as they self-destructed together. Until they worked themselves to death. When necessary, I would even lend them a helping hand. “Brother, what are you saying? I’m your sister. Never mind whether my nephew supports me in old age or not. Just sharing the same surname with him means I’ll be his servant for life.” After saying this, I thoughtfully massaged my brother’s swollen legs from the pregnancy. “Brother, you’re truly our family’s great contributor. Our ancestors would be so happy to know our family produced a man who could get pregnant.” “After all, this is our family’s purest bloodline!” “That’s right! Not just the purest bloodline, if it inherits my high IQ it will be incredibly impressive.” My brother was quite confident. I laid on the flattery thick, making my brother and mom beam with joy. “Oh my, you’re absolutely right. When I was pregnant with your brother, I always dreamed of dragons and phoenixes and such. I knew this child would be special! See, it’s come true now. Your brother is so capable, actually pregnant with a divine child.” “Unlike that jinx who came into our family for three years and couldn’t even lay an egg.” The “jinx” my mom was referring to was actually my sister-in-law. My brother had been married before, but divorced. It wasn’t that my sister-in-law was bad, or that she was lazy. It was that my brother looked down on all women from the bottom of his heart. He claimed his IQ was 180, that no woman in the world was worthy of him or fit to bear his children. Especially my sister-in-law who hadn’t gotten pregnant in three years of marriage. My mom saw her as a thorn in her side. She would make sarcastic remarks at the slightest provocation, calling my sister-in-law a hen that couldn’t lay eggs. My brother was even worse. It was clearly his own problem, but he blamed the inability to have children all on my sister-in-law. He smoked, drank, and fooled around. His body was already ruined. To have a child sooner, my sister-in-law told him to quit these bad habits and then go to the hospital together for a checkup. But unexpectedly, he stomped on her stomach with his foot. “Your belly is useless, and you blame me?” “I’m warning you, I’ll play however I want. I don’t need you to teach me!” “A woman like you not being able to have my child means you’re not worthy.” When he got carried away with the insults, he even extended it to all women, “I’m warning you, not being able to have children is always you women’s problem. It has nothing to do with us men.” Seeing my sister-in-law groaning in pain on the ground, I kindly tried to persuade him that he should listen to her and go for a checkup. But I got beaten up along with her. My mom even said I deserved it. She said I was helping an outsider speak against my own brother. Because of this, I was often verbally abused by my mom. While my brother would beat my sister-in-law every few days. My sister-in-law was in tears, often complaining to me, but I was powerless to help. After all, in this family that favored boys over girls, I really had no say. Let alone her being my mom’s daughter-in-law, even I as the biological daughter was often mocked and ridiculed by my mom. In my mom’s eyes, only my brother who crawled out of her belly existed. I didn’t deserve to exist.

From childhood to adulthood, no matter whether it was my brother or I who was wrong, I was always the one who got beaten. She was just that biased. My brother never studied hard since he was young, but my mom sold everything to send him to expensive private schools. While I was ordered to drop out. Fortunately, my dad was still alive then and he treated me well, so I was able to continue schooling. Then I finally made it through to university graduation. Just as I started working, my mom and brother began to squeeze me dry. My meager intern salary was sucked up by them like leeches. I didn’t even get a single kind word or look from them. Although I sympathized with my sister-in-law, I was really powerless to help. Later, my sister-in-law became discouraged. My mom and brother also found her annoying, so they kicked her out with divorce papers. “Mom, why bring up that jinx out of nowhere? It’s bad luck!” “Alright, I won’t mention her anymore, I won’t!” Listening to their conversation on the side, I could only force a smile. After massaging for a while, I diligently went to the kitchen to make soup for my brother. But my mom took one look and said it was too bland. She jabbed my head hard, “How can such bland soup be good for pregnancy? Are you trying to abuse your nephew before he’s even born?” Then she cursed as she dumped it out and made a new pot, adding a large amount of supplements. Damn, I was so speechless I nearly died. I turned around and rolled my eyes. I had already added plenty of supplements to that soup. She still said it was bland? Hah~ If she wants my brother to die sooner, then I’ll just let her add whatever she wants. I put on a smile, “Yes, yes, mom, you’re right. This soup is a bit bland. So mom, you can take over making the soup!” Over the next few days, under my mom’s attentive care, my brother’s belly grew increasingly round. The octopus fetus inside his belly, having absorbed enough nutrients, moved more vigorously. It would even show through my brother’s belly skin from time to time. Because of this, my brother was often tossing and turning, unable to sleep. He still didn’t think to go to the hospital to get checked. He just kept spending large sums of money drinking the pregnancy-stabilizing medicine bought from that so-called master. Originally over 130 pounds, he had been fattened up by my mom. After drinking my mom’s heavily supplemented soups and that so-called master’s pregnancy-stabilizing medicine, my brother looked like a withered tree. His pale, sallow face looked like a dying person’s. But my experienced mom still hadn’t realized the seriousness of the situation. She held my brother’s hand with immense concern. “Pregnancy is always this uncomfortable. When I was pregnant with you, it was much harder than this. Just hang in there a bit longer, it’ll be better once the baby is born!” My brother had become gentler in temperament since getting pregnant. He had also gotten used to life as a “pregnant woman”. “I know, mom. For my son, it’s fine if I suffer a bit. But don’t forget what you said – once I give birth to your grandson, when the demolition money for the old house comes through, it all has to be given to me.” My mom rubbed my brother’s belly, bending down to whisper to it. “Don’t worry, it’s all yours. Mom will give it all to you. Oh, my precious grandson!” At this moment, another bump rose on my brother’s belly, clearly visible. My mom thought it was the baby’s hand. She grinned from ear to ear, “Oh my, it moved, it moved! My dear grandson!” Watching their excited expressions from the side, I really couldn’t help but mock them. How could people these days be so crazy, not even able to tell the difference between a baby’s hand and an octopus tentacle. They’ve truly lived in vain.

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I thought my fiancé and I, childhood sweethearts, had a true connection unlike other business marriages. Who knew that on the day we announced our engagement, the real heiress would be found. My fiancé, who once treasured me, now demanded I bow down to the real heiress at every turn. “You need to understand your place. If you hadn’t been occupying Emily’s position all this time, she would surely be more accomplished than you.” My excellence became their excuse to suppress me. They put the real heiress’s name on my work. Even my parents’ keepsakes were destroyed in the real heiress’s fit of anger. Since this family doesn’t like me, I’ll leave. But why is my fiancé, who always urged me to submit, now the first to bow his head? “This jewelry is my latest design. I hope everyone will like it,” Emily Anderson said on stage, elegantly bowing to thank the audience after explaining her design concept. The applause was thunderous, but I stared blankly at the piece on stage. This work was clearly something I had spent three months designing. I had even watched my fiancé accompany me to submit this piece. But why was it now Emily’s competition entry and concept? The murmurs around me felt like needles, each one piercing my heart. “So this is the Anderson heiress? She’s beautiful and talented. Looks like the Anderson family has a successor.” “Wasn’t the Anderson heiress different before?” “You’re behind on the news. The original Sophie Evans was switched at birth. This is the real heiress.” At this, several gazes fell on me, making me uncomfortable. “Come to think of it, Emily’s story is tragic. She was switched away for no reason. What Sophie’s parents did was criminal. It’s thanks to Emily’s kindness that this imposter is still allowed to stay in the family.” “This imposter has the nerve to keep staring at someone else’s work. Who knows what she’s thinking!” The voices were so loud that they caught the judges’ attention. “What’s all this commotion about?” I bit my lip and pointed at the work on stage: “That piece is mine.” Emily’s face changed slightly, and she immediately stepped forward to mediate. “Sister, this is my first public appearance. Do you have any issues with me?” She lowered her voice, her eyes reddening: “Sister, I know you resent me for coming back and taking your identity, but I am the Anderson daughter. I won’t yield to you in this matter.” “I spent months creating this piece. You can’t just claim it as your own for public recognition!” Emily cried, her tears barely held back, arousing sympathy from many. The most sympathetic was my fiancé, William Parker, who had just arrived. Seeing this scene, he blurted out: “Sophie, I’ve told you many times, Emily is the real Anderson heiress.” “Why can’t you just give in to Emily a bit and save me some worry?” I stared at my fiancé in disbelief. What did he mean by saying I couldn’t give in to Emily a bit? The piece on stage was something he had helped me create step by step. He knew best that I was innocent. Why did he accuse me without asking a single question? The disdainful gazes of the crowd around me felt like a tidal wave, drowning me. Bearing the pressure from everyone, I looked at William and said word by word: “This piece is mine.”

William’s face showed panic, and he instinctively glanced at the piece a few times. Emily said tearfully: “Sister, that’s clearly my work. You can’t steal my work just to become famous!” “I know you resent me for coming back to this family and taking what was yours, but have you ever thought that those things originally belonged to me?” Emily was beautiful, showing no signs of mistreatment. In fact, perhaps due to genetics, she looked more like an heiress than I did. She stood there, looking pitiful and delicate. Everyone present couldn’t help but side with her. The one who sided with her the most was my fiancé, William. His face looked troubled, and his eyes held a hint of suppressed pain when he looked at me. Even his voice trembled slightly: “Sophie, look at the mess you’ve caused.” He couldn’t help but pull me aside and said: “I know you want to be famous, but don’t you want to be with me?” “If you just let Emily have this championship, she’ll surely support our relationship in the future.” I was stunned, staring blankly at the man before me. So it was he who had given my work to Emily. No wonder my competition entry had ended up in Emily’s hands. After all, I had trusted him too much. After finishing the design, I was tired and asked him to submit the work for me. “Why? Why must I give the championship to Emily? You know this piece is my heart and soul.” “You stayed up late with me, watching this piece come to life under my hands. To me, it’s like my child. Now you’re asking me to give it to Emily. On what grounds?” As I spoke, I became agitated and even angry. But William’s reaction was even stronger. “Your parents deliberately switched Emily away, making her suffer for so many years.” “You lived in the Anderson mansion, enjoyed the best resources, lived a privileged life. Shouldn’t you feel guilty?” William looked at me with disappointment, as if I had committed some unforgivable sin. My hands trembled slightly. Why was he so sure my parents had switched Emily? When Emily found her way back to the Anderson family, my parents had already passed away. She looked so much like Mrs. Anderson that she didn’t even need a DNA test to confirm her identity. In her account, she had suffered greatly. My parents didn’t let her go to school, were cold to her, and made her do all kinds of chores. Whenever my parents were slightly displeased, they would beat her severely, and even thought about selling her for a bride price. After my parents died in a car accident, she accidentally found a letter explaining that she was a switched child. She used that letter to find her way to the Anderson family. Overnight, I went from being an heiress to the daughter of criminals. The Andersons felt sorry for this newly found daughter but were unwilling to let me leave. For a time, my situation in this family became awkward. When Emily was found, William was the only one who stood by my side. He knew I loved designing jewelry, so he stayed by my side as I created pieces. I knew the Anderson and Parker families were destined for an arranged marriage. I had occupied Emily’s position, and William’s marriage partner should have been her. So I never thought about competing with her. I just wanted to keep the man I loved by my side in my own way. I had even agreed with my adoptive parents that if I could win this competition’s championship, As long as I stayed with the Anderson family as a designer, they wouldn’t force Emily and William together. But now, my boyfriend was asking me to give the championship to Emily.

I grabbed William’s sleeve and said softly: “William, you know how much effort I put into this piece. My parents…” Before I could finish, William shook off my hand. His expression showed a hint of annoyance as he angrily said: “Enough, Sophie Evans! Do you know how much I’ve sacrificed to be with you?” “Now you just need to give in to Emily a bit, and we can be together soon. But you’re obsessing over your work. Do you really love me?” “What’s more important to you, your so-called work or me?” I stepped back, almost falling to the ground. William left me and returned to the front, apologizing to everyone. “I’m sorry, my girlfriend is still having trouble accepting a new sister. Today’s incident is all a misunderstanding.” Emily, like a sweet and understanding flower, leaned gently against William. They looked very compatible. The audience below whispered among themselves. Their voices were soft, yet seemed loud, each word piercing my heart, extremely harsh. “She occupied Emily’s identity for over a decade. Now that the real heiress is back, she’s unhappy about it.” “Everyone knows her birth parents deliberately switched the children just to give her a better life. She’s no good either. Children take after their parents, don’t they?” “The Parker heir is a good man. Even in this situation, he still wants to be with this imposter.” Every word seemed to prove my unworthiness. This was the second time I had experienced such treatment. The first time was when Emily had just returned, and my adoptive parents heard about their birth daughter’s suffering. They were very dissatisfied with me. That time, William stood behind me. But this time, I was alone and helpless. Even William, who had always helped me, was now standing on stage, looking down at me from above. I took a deep breath and loudly interrupted: “I’m not crazy. I’m just stating the facts.” “Since it’s your work, you must know it very well, right?” Emily confidently said: “Of course!” She then went on to explain in detail what I had originally told William. “Every detail on this piece was designed by my own hand. How could I not know the details of this work?” “This piece is called ‘True Love,’ hoping that all girls can find their true love.” “Even the cutting method and design concept of this jewelry are my original creations, which will be used in Anderson Jewelry in the future.” These were the words I had originally told William. He didn’t know much about jewelry, but to make me happy, he had always stayed by my side. Afraid he would be bored, I told him about my design concepts. “William, the cutting method and design concept of this jewelry are my original creations. When they’re used in Anderson Jewelry in the future, my parents will surely be very happy.” At that moment, my heart felt like it was being cut by a knife. So the words I had shared with William, he had already told Emily. What did our vows and the words he said to me mean then? Thinking of this, my voice was filled with a sense of lifelessness. “It’s not called ‘True Love,’ it’s called ‘Queen.’ The creative concept isn’t about every girl finding true love, but telling everyone that girls can be their own queens.” “In the designs I create, I usually leave my own mark. For example, this piece has a ‘Y’ engraved on the innermost part.”

Emily was stunned for a moment, clearly not expecting this turn of events. She quickly composed herself and said: “The last letter of your name is ‘Y,’ and so is mine. You happened to know this and are deliberately trying to frame me!” “Judges, I request that this woman be expelled. She’s intentionally disrupting the competition.” No wonder she could pass off my work as her own. She could come up with such a rebuttal in such a short time, and it even sounded reasonable. “Every piece I’ve created before has this ‘Y’ in it. You can check them all.” “You can say I’m slandering Emily with this piece, but when I created those previous works, Emily hadn’t returned to the Anderson family yet. Surely I couldn’t have known her back then?” I had been in the jewelry industry for two or three years. Thanks to the Anderson family, I had many resources invested in me. I had created several pieces before, all well-received. Many people knew about my previous works, and some had even bought them at auctions as collectibles. But as soon as I finished speaking, William let out a cold laugh. Emily said gently: “Sophie, all your works have been collected by William. He knows there’s no such symbol in those pieces.” “I’ll overlook this incident for our parents’ sake. Please don’t make any more trouble in the future.” I was stunned for a moment and looked at William. In front of everyone, William shook his head. “There’s no such symbol on Sophie’s works.” My heart sank completely, and even my blood seemed to freeze. Security guards dragged me out of the competition. I had been driven here by the Anderson family’s chauffeur, but now he was gone. My phone had fallen in the venue during the scuffle, so I could only walk back. By the time I returned to the Anderson house, William and Emily had already arrived. They sat on the sofa, with Mr. and Mrs. Anderson warmly congratulating Emily on winning the championship. William gently stroked Emily’s hair. “Actually, it was Brother William who gave me a lot of inspiration!” Emily said happily, showing off her trophy to Mr. and Mrs. Anderson. “William has always been a good boy. As for your marriage…” Seeing me return, the air suddenly became silent. William’s gentle smile faded as he stood up and walked towards me. “Sophie, you’re back. I have good news to tell you.” “Your parents have agreed to our relationship. We can get married soon.” William’s voice carried a hint of joy. How ridiculous. This man had stolen my work and given it to another woman, even standing against me. Despite all this, he still firmly believed I would be with him. In that moment, I didn’t want to pursue anything anymore. Losing one piece of work to recognize this scumbag was actually a good thing. I spoke calmly: “No need. Let’s cancel our marriage plans.” I raised my head and looked at William, my eyes showing a hint of reluctance that quickly faded. “Our engagement was originally between the Parker and Anderson families. Now that Emily is back, she’s your real fiancée. As for me, I should return to my original status.”

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I was sold off for ten dollars by my parents and had a child at an early age. My husband had a strange temper and would beat me every day. I had three miscarriages, all because of the abuse. During the limited time I could see my son, I desperately tried to teach him, urging him to strive for a better life, to become a good person, and not to end up like his father. But when he reached the same age I was sold off, he brought home a girl who was already six months pregnant. I watched helplessly as the girl went through everything I had experienced—becoming a mother at an age when she barely understood anything, enduring abuse, and then being abandoned by my son. She, just like me, was locked away in a dark, windowless hut, suffering humiliation. At that time, I fully understood that my son was just like his father. They would never change. The only person I could ever hope for was myself. So, one bitterly cold night, while my husband and son were fast asleep, I quietly broke the door to their bedroom. I reached out my hand to the girl who always curled up in the corner, trembling. I said, “I’ll take you to live a better life. Will you come with me?”

I was sold off for ten dollars by my parents because my brother was about to marry, and they needed the money to pay for the wedding gift. It was hard to say how I felt at the time. I only remember the day before I left, my mother gave me a boiled egg, muttering as she handed it to me, “If you can do something for your brother, at least you won’t have come into this world in vain.” So, it was hard to tell if I should feel sad or, like she said, feel lucky to be the family’s benefactor. The place I married was far from home. It would take more than fifty hours on a train to get there. The only thing I took with me was a dress my mother had made for herself the year before. She said that since I was married, I should at least look decent. The train ticket was too expensive, and they were afraid I might run away, so my father had to accompany me. It just so happened that the new school year was starting, and a girl sat next to me on the train. Seeing that we were about the same age, she took the initiative to strike up a conversation. She asked, “Are you going to register for college? How lucky! Your father is even sending you off to school. “Actually, I think I’m quite fortunate too. Girls my age back home are all married. My parents may be poor, but they didn’t just pick any man for me to marry. I’m really thankful to them. We’re going to school now, and we’ll definitely see a bigger world in the future.” Her energy was infectious, but unfortunately, I wasn’t the kind of person she spoke about, someone who could go out and explore the world. I just gave a faint smile and didn’t respond. My father remained silent, staring out the window. I was just a pigeon that had been let out of a cage, and after a brief breath of freedom, I would soon be trapped in another dark cage. When the train stopped at a shared station, most of the passengers got off. I watched her grab her bag and stand up, and when she saw that I hadn’t moved, her expression turned puzzled. I couldn’t bring myself to say goodbye. After passing by each other, we were heading toward two entirely different worlds. I had merely exchanged a brief encounter with a future, capable woman. Yet, at that moment, I felt a glimmer of hope. I may have ended up like this, but I prayed that my child would be able to walk out into the world just like her. Maybe, one day, they could take me with them.

My husband was over ten years older than me, named John, and he was a man with a limp, unable to move easily. He didn’t talk much and often examined me with eyes that were hard to describe, making me feel an inexplicable sense of fear. It would be a lie to say I didn’t resent it, but I also accepted it. After all, for a woman like me, walking down this path was inevitable. It was just a matter of when my family would need me and which family could offer enough money to satisfy my parents. What troubled me most was that I didn’t even get the smallest bit of dignity from John, living like an animal. The day my father sent me to him was our wedding day. Many people came to his home, mostly single men from the village. After getting drunk, some of them boldly said to me, “John is really lucky. He actually managed to find such a beautiful wife. If I had spoken up earlier, maybe I’d be the one getting married today!” “Do you have any younger sisters? I’ll pay a bit more, and you can send her to me!” I pretended to be shy and didn’t respond, but I felt afraid of their inappropriate jokes and touches. John stood off to the side, smoking a cheap cigarette and blowing the smoke towards me, causing me to cough uncontrollably. I didn’t dare to look at him, but I could feel his gaze on me, even though he didn’t say a word. At the time, I didn’t understand that this was a sign of his anger, a prelude to the emotional storm that I couldn’t handle. That night, I was tortured by him, feeling as if I were dying. No one had ever taught me what was right or wrong. I just cried until exhaustion set in, numbly staring through the window at the moonlight. I couldn’t help but think of that girl, feeling a deep sense of envy. I envied her for not being treated this way by strange men. I envied her even more because she could sleep peacefully in a place where the future still seemed possible. One cannot be exposed to too many good things, or else longing and yearning arise. Then, when faced with the harsh reality, all that remains is unbearable pain. Before dawn, John slapped me awake, dragging me naked into the hut without saying a word. The early morning wind was chilly, seeping through the cracks in the walls, making me shiver uncontrollably. When the whip struck my skin, I screamed in pain, and the burning wounds became even more excruciating as the cold air touched them. I kept trying to pull away, unable to understand what I had done wrong. John, clearly enraged by my movements, grabbed my hair and slapped me again. Breathing heavily, he cursed, “Already trying to flirt with men? What’s the difference between you and an animal in heat? “I bought you! You’re just an object, and I can treat you however I want!” I didn’t dare to defend myself. If I raised my voice, he would just hit me harder, and tears flowed endlessly from my eyes. I saw the bloodshot gleam in his eyes, a twisted kind of excitement. The sound of the whip against my flesh mixed with the distant crowing of a rooster as if the soundtrack of my life had become this brutal moment, offering a glimpse into a future full of injuries.

After that day, I never saw anyone else. John locked me in the hut, where I ate and slept. I could only leave when he needed to release his desires. Perhaps because of his limp, John had never received fair treatment and had a particularly volatile temper. When he was in a bad mood, he would hit me to vent his frustration, usually after drinking, and then hold me, crying, “I’ve always been like this, but I don’t want to be like this! Why do they all laugh at me? Why don’t they respect me?” He longed for respect, but when faced with someone weaker than him, someone like me, he resorted to even more cruel methods. I was angry with him, but I didn’t dare to hate him. My mother had always said, “When you marry, you follow your husband.” And she also had been beaten by my father, so I thought this was normal. Luckily, I didn’t endure these beatings for long because I became pregnant. That was the first time I saw John smile at me and the first time I was able to sit at the table and eat. He became much more patient with me, asking me to sleep in the same bed and gently touching my belly, saying, “Make sure you give me a son!” Truth be told, I had always wanted a daughter. When I was younger, I imagined having a little girl and dressing her up like a little princess. But now, I didn’t mind having a son. If I had a daughter, she would suffer with me, and I wouldn’t be able to protect her. But if it was a son, I hoped he could protect me when John hit me. With this thought, I eagerly awaited his arrival. Whenever I sat outside in the sun and saw people walking by with bundles, I would quietly rub my belly and whisper, “Hurry up and grow, and one day, like them, you’ll take me away.”

I gave birth to Adam when I was still under twenty, and John was extremely happy. He even killed a chicken to take care of me and help me regain my strength. I thought that with Adam’s presence, I could have a normal married life with him. I didn’t ask for much from him. I only hoped that, for the sake of the son I had given him, he wouldn’t beat me anymore. I didn’t want to go back to that hut. It was dark and oppressive as if my whole life would be buried there. But my hope was in vain. When Adam turned one, John invited many people to our house. He wanted to show off his son but didn’t want me to be seen. However, a one-year-old child is very clingy, and when he couldn’t find me, he cried loudly. I couldn’t bear to hear him cry, and seeing that John had been relatively kinder to me recently, I couldn’t resist. I quickly came out and held the child to comfort him. But it was a huge mistake. And that mistake would ruin me forever. After soothing Adam to sleep in front of everyone, I thought it was over, but drunken John suddenly stormed in. He dragged me out of the bedroom, stripped me in front of everyone, and then picked up the whip that had been hanging on the wall for days, striking me with it fiercely. He laughed as he beat me, laughing wildly and provocatively at the people who had come. He said, “You all want to see her? She’s nothing more than a bitch to me! Today, if you want to see, you can look all you want!” I had never felt so hopeless. He truly treated me like a dog, crushing the last bit of dignity I had as a human. I was locked back in that room, running a high fever, delirious, and dreaming that I was once again on that train. But this time, when the train stopped, it was me who got off with a backpack.

The days I was pregnant felt like a dream. When I woke up, I had to return to the life that John had planned for me. Fortunately, John allowed me to see Adam every couple of days. Though my time with him was limited, as he grew older, he started to look more and more like his father, a painful truth I couldn’t change. It seemed like he was well cared for by John and had a gentle temperament, unlike his father. This gave me a glimmer of hope to keep going. But life always seemed to strike me down. I miscarried when Adam was six. This was the fourth child I had lost after Adam. The first two had been lost due to malnutrition, combined with years of beatings from John. I held a deep hope for this pregnancy. I prayed every day that this baby would grow safely and come into this world. But just because John kicked me, it was gone. It was the first time in all these years that I broke down completely. The blood-soaked straw mat beneath me, and John simply called a midwife from the village to take care of things. I heard Adam asking him from outside, “Mom’s bleeding. I saw Jack bleeding before, and his parents took him to the hospital. Aren’t we taking Mom to the hospital?” “Why bother? That dog out front had a leg so bad you could see the bone, and now it’s still hopping around. Your mom’s just like that dog!” “I get it. Women aren’t worth it, right? I heard Jack’s dad say that!” John laughed heartily. Both of them entered the room, and not a single person came to see me. The physical pain was nothing compared to the agony I felt at that moment. My son hadn’t come to protect me when I was desperate, and instead, he was learning things I didn’t want him to learn. He was quickly picking up all of his father’s bad habits.

Even so, I kept lying to myself. He was just a six-year-old child, after all. He didn’t understand anything, so I thought I should educate him well. Whenever I could see him, I usually just watched him play silently. But from that day forward, I became obsessed. Every day, I told him, “Adam, you have to study hard. You have to get out of this place.” At the time, I didn’t understand what the real problem was. I simply told him to leave. I naively believed that if he could just escape his father, if he could leave here, he would become the person I hoped for. I never told him that his mother was not like a dog. I deserved respect, just like any other human being. So he never learned to respect me, nor did he learn how to respect the thousands of women in this world. I thought my advice was working because I saw his grades improve. I often heard John say that his teachers praised him, and he would often share with me what he did in town. I was happy, thinking that this was his first step to getting out. But I never imagined that when he left, it wasn’t to escape. It was to hurt another unfortunate woman.

The first time I saw Sarah, she was already six months pregnant. When I asked her age, I almost couldn’t hold back my tears. She was younger than I was back then. She was even younger than I was… I lifted her clothes, and her body was covered in bruises. “Why are you here? Didn’t Adam say he went out to work?” The last shred of hope in my heart was collapsing, fearing the words she might say would tear me apart, but the truth was right there in front of me, ready to shred me to pieces. “I don’t know… Adam said he would bring me back to live a good life… I didn’t know…” The girl’s mental state was already disoriented. As she sensed my approach, she covered her ears and backed away, just like I did back then. This was the stress response from being tortured for too long. Adam walked in and saw me, and he smiled brightly, “Mom, she’s carrying your grandson. Can you help me take care of her?” Fear and despair spread throughout my body. Taking care of her? What good life could we have in this house? If he really wanted to take care of her, why would he torture her like this? “You tell me, what have you been doing outside? What did you do to this girl?” Tears filled my eyes, and Adam stood in front of me, his whole figure blurry to me. He just sneered and casually said, Free Point

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### ”Three years into my marriage to Nathan White, a “Divorce Compensation System” appeared in my life. The premise was simple: if Nathan and I divorced within thirty days, I’d receive a $5 million payout. It wasn’t that I needed the money—but who would turn down $5 million? Especially when this hollow, joyless marriage was as good as worthless. So I drafted the divorce papers and handed them to Nathan. He glared at me, his teeth clenched. “Claire, what kind of game are you playing now?” I was ready to snap back at him, but before I could, strange floating messages appeared in my vision: [Noooo! Mr. White hasn’t even confessed yet, and he’s already about to be dumped!] [Don’t do it! Mr. White loves you! If you leave now, his heart will shatter into a million pieces!] A compensation system and now… mysterious floating messages? Which one was I supposed to believe? Nathan barely glanced at the divorce papers before grabbing his coat and storming out of the house. The messages didn’t stop, though. They hovered in the air, taunting me. I waved my hand at them, trying to swat them away, but of course, I grabbed nothing but air. [He’s heartbroken! Did you see his red-rimmed eyes?] [Poor Mr. White. Three years and not a single word about his feelings. Give him another chance, Claire!] Nathan and I had been married for three years, but it wasn’t a real marriage. We were like roommates, living under the same roof but with separate rooms and lives. The marriage had been arranged. My parents’ company was in crisis, and they needed the White family’s financial support. Nathan’s mother adored me, so our families decided we should marry. Nathan and I were rivals growing up—we fought about everything. But as reluctant partners in this arranged marriage, we’d settled into a sort of truce. We didn’t interfere in each other’s lives. I thought we’d continue this way forever—until the divorce compensation system appeared. The thought of walking away from this charade of a marriage with $5 million was too tempting to resist. That money could help ease my family’s financial burden, and Nathan and I could finally stop pretending to be a happy couple in front of everyone. But Nathan didn’t take my divorce proposal seriously. He assumed it was some kind of prank. What a joke. I was nothing but sincere! No matter. For $5 million, I’d figure out a way to convince him. As I mulled over my next move, the floating messages kept distracting me. Compared to the ridiculous idea that Nathan might have feelings for me, the system’s promise of a payout seemed far more believable. Besides, Nathan’s first love, Ivy, had just returned to town. With her around, getting him to agree to a divorce should be a piece of cake. After three years of putting up with this sham marriage, my freedom was finally within reach. To celebrate, I called my best friend, Kelly, and invited her out to a bar. “Wow, Claire,” Kelly teased over the deafening music, leaning in close so I could hear her. “Is this your way of saying you’re finally letting loose? Aren’t you worried Nathan will flip out?” I smirked, glancing at the male model Kelly had brought along for the night. His physique was… impressive. I wondered if those chiseled abs were real. “What’s there to worry about?” I said. “If all goes well, Nathan will set me free soon enough.” Kelly’s eyes lit up with curiosity. “Wait, are you saying Nathan actually agreed to a divorce?” “Agree? What’s there to agree to?” I downed the drink handed to me by the model, the burning sensation making my eyes water. “There’s no love between us. This marriage was never real.” Kelly looked like she was about to launch into one of her romantic fantasy rants, but I waved her off. And then, once again, the floating messages appeared: [You’re so wrong, Claire. Nathan doesn’t just care—he’s obsessed. He’d rather die than let you go.] [You think you’re getting freedom? Think again. Divorce will hurt him more than death.] [Wait, what?! You brought a male model to drink with? Nathan’s already on his way, knife in hand!] I snorted. How ridiculous. As if Nathan cared. He was probably spending the evening with Ivy, reliving their glory days. Everyone thought our marriage was perfect—that we were childhood sweethearts who’d grown into a love story for the ages. Even Kelly, who devoured romance novels like they were candy, believed Nathan was secretly the cold, brooding type who loved me in his own twisted way. But I knew better. Nathan and I were oil and water, forced together by circumstance. Nothing more. In three years of marriage, the closest we’d come to physical affection was the occasional accidental brush of hands. As the night wore on, the drinks kept coming, and my notoriously low alcohol tolerance caught up with me. Three drinks in, and the male model was spinning around me like a carousel. “Hey, handsome,” I slurred, reaching out with a drunken grin. “Come here and let me feel those abs.” The alcohol had made me bold, and honestly, who could blame me? Resisting temptation was hard when it came in six-foot-tall, eight-pack glory. But just as my hand was about to land, someone grabbed my wrist. “Claire,” a deep, familiar voice growled. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” I blinked, trying to focus on the figure in front of me. Through my drunken haze, I saw a face that looked alarmingly like Nathan’s. “Kelly,” I giggled, turning to my friend. “Why does this guy look so much like Nathan? Did you hire a Nathan lookalike for me? Ha! Maybe I’ll take him home tonight…”

When I woke up, my head was pounding and my throat felt like it had been set on fire. I struggled to sit up, reached for the glass of water on the nightstand, and drained it in one go. The cool liquid soothed my throat, and I felt marginally better. Looking around the familiar bedroom and noticing my neatly changed pajamas, I couldn’t help but marvel at myself. I must have gotten better at handling alcohol because, despite being completely wasted last night, I’d somehow made it home. Though, admittedly, I had zero recollection of how I’d done so. As I silently celebrated my newfound “tolerance,” the door swung open. Nathan White walked in, his face as cold as a glacier. “Awake? Get up and eat,” he ordered, his tone clipped. The sight of him instantly soured my mood. “Mind your own business,” I snapped, pulling the blanket over my head. “I’m sleeping in.” Just as I was preparing to drift back into a blissful nap, the floating messages appeared again, hovering obnoxiously in my line of sight. [It’s over! Mr. White’s jealousy is about to explode, and the heroine is completely oblivious!] [He’s on the verge of losing it! Why can’t he just express his feelings like a normal person?!] Jealousy? Nathan? What did he have to be jealous about? Before I could make sense of what the messages were saying, Nathan yanked the blanket off me. “Get up and eat some porridge. You threw up everywhere last night—your stomach’s probably a mess.” He signaled for the housekeeper to bring in breakfast, and soon a tray of warm congee and light, refreshing side dishes appeared before me. I stared at the food, then back at him. How did he know I’d thrown up? I didn’t even remember doing that. “You knew I was drunk last night?” I asked cautiously, my voice tinged with unease. “Mm-hmm.” Nathan didn’t even look up from his meal, his face as unreadable as ever. “And… did I say or do anything?” My stomach churned—not from the hangover, but from sheer dread. Alcohol had a way of making me do stupid things, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that I’d made an absolute fool of myself. Nathan’s response was as devastating as it was deadpan. “You mistook me for a male model, tried to grope my abs, and demanded that I spend the night with you.” [LOL! Only the heroine would dare mistake her husband for a male model and then grope him in public!] [She even promised him a tip if he “performed” well! How much is Mr. White worth, anyway?] I froze mid-sip and immediately spat out the porridge in shock. My aim, unfortunately, was spot-on—all of it landed squarely on Nathan’s pristine shirt. Before I could fully process the colossal stupidity of my actions, I was hit with the mortifying sight of him slowly looking down at the mess I’d made. “You just threw up on me again,” he said flatly, his tone a mix of irritation and resignation. Without another word, he stood up and walked off to change, leaving me alone with my panic and a growing sense of doom. Still in a daze, I frantically grabbed my phone and called Kelly. “Wow, you’re up early,” she teased, her voice lazy and amused. “I guess Nathan didn’t punish you too badly last night, huh?” “What does Nathan have to do with anything?” I stammered, my voice trembling with anxiety. Kelly burst into laughter. “What do you mean? He came to pick you up from the bar last night! You were yelling about wanting to see his abs and insisting that he stay with you all night. Honestly, I didn’t know you had it in you to harass your own husband in public!” My heart sank as her words confirmed my worst fears. “Oh, and,” she added mischievously, “you were basically clinging to him like a koala. It was hilarious! Did he finally confess his undying love when he carried you home?” Kelly’s laughter echoed in my ears, but I couldn’t focus. All I could think about was the fact that Nathan had caught me red-handed. Calling over male models, getting drunk, and then mistaking him for one? It didn’t matter that nothing had actually happened—morally, I was already in the wrong. This was bad. Really bad. Fine. If I was already guilty in his eyes, I might as well use this as an opportunity. My goal was divorce, after all. Taking a deep breath, I marched to Nathan’s room and knocked on the door. When he opened it, I kept my gaze fixed firmly on the floor. “We need to get divorced,” I said, my voice trembling but resolute.

“What did you just say?” Nathan White’s cold voice echoed above me, sharp and unforgiving. “You heard me,” I retorted, forcing myself to sound calm. “I called over a male model last night. Who knows? Maybe I’ll actually cheat one of these days.” I took a deep breath, summoning every ounce of courage I had. “If we divorce now, at least we’ll save our reputations.” I looked up at Nathan, meeting his intense gaze. Fresh from his shower, he stood in front of me in a loose robe, the fabric barely clinging to his shoulders. The open collar revealed his toned chest, water droplets trickling down towards the edge of the robe. I couldn’t help but stare. Did he have abs? My mouth went dry as I unconsciously bit my lip, watching the water trail disappear into the folds of his robe. Sure, Nathan had been insufferable growing up, but I couldn’t deny that adulthood had done wonders for his physique. [Heroine, you nearly turned the screen into a mosaic last night with your wandering hands, and now you seriously can’t remember if Mr. White has abs?] [Poor Mr. White! He almost got “used” last night, and yet he didn’t even make it into the heroine’s memory.] [Mr. White’s too restrained. If he’d gone all in, there wouldn’t even be a divorce discussion right now.] The barrage of floating comments made my face burn. My hands turned clammy. Oh God, what exactly had I done last night? Did Nathan think I was using reverse psychology with this divorce talk? “Claire,” he said, his voice lower than usual, “are you divorcing me because of some male model?” His tone was flat, but the intensity in his eyes made my heart race. “What does that even mean?” I shot back, trying to regain control of the situation. “We’ve never been in love. This marriage was just a business deal. What, are we supposed to stay tied to each other forever?” Nathan and I had been fighting since we were kids, and that dynamic hadn’t changed. Sure, I was technically in the wrong about the male model thing, but that didn’t mean I’d back down. If anything, the comments floating in the air suggested I’d done something truly embarrassing. So what? Let Nathan think I was the villain here—the cold-hearted wife who used him and tossed him aside. After all, $5 million was calling my name. I couldn’t afford to get distracted by whatever nonsense this so-called “system” was throwing at me. Nathan didn’t love me, no matter what the comments claimed. They were just trying to mess with my head. Nathan stared at me for a long moment, his jaw tightening. Finally, he turned his face away, his voice rough. “Are you sure you want a divorce?” I opened my mouth to respond, but the floating comments exploded in front of me: [Heroine, don’t be so cruel! Please!] [I’m sobbing. Mr. White loves you so much. Don’t leave him!] [Forget $5 million—if you stay, he’d give you $1 billion and his life if he had to!] [Mr. White’s on the verge of tears. Stop breaking his heart, heroine!] Wait, $1 billion? Sure, I knew the White family was richer than mine, but I didn’t know it was that much. Not that it mattered. Nathan wasn’t going to hand over a fortune just because I stayed married to him. I glanced at his profile. His expression was unreadable, but… were his eyes a little red? No. That couldn’t be right. Nathan and I had always been at each other’s throats. When we were younger, he always managed to rile me up until I cried. After we got married, things had cooled into a sort of distant politeness. We didn’t fight anymore, but we didn’t joke around either. So why did he look so… fragile now? Impulsively, I reached out and turned his face to look at me. The moment my fingers brushed his skin, I felt him stiffen. His cheeks turned an unmistakable shade of red. “What are you doing?” he asked, his voice unsteady. His eyes darted away, refusing to meet mine. I cupped his face, forcing him to look at me. “Did you know Ivy’s back?” “What does that have to do with anything?” “She’s your first love. If we get divorced, you can pick things up where you left off.” The words had barely left my mouth when Nathan grabbed my wrists and pulled my hands away from his face. “Who said I want to get back together with her?” he snapped, glaring at me. “Claire, is your brain full of garbage?” There it was—that familiar, infuriating tone. My hackles immediately rose. “Oh, so now you’re insulting me?” I shot back. “Well, news flash, Nathan White: my brain is full of you!” The words flew out before I could stop them. We both froze. Nathan stared at me, stunned, while I stood there, mortified. What the hell was wrong with me? Every time we argued, I somehow managed to fall into the traps he set. It was like he had a sixth sense for making me say the dumbest possible things. Before I could recover, a glint of amusement appeared in his eyes. He leaned in close, his voice low and teasing. “If I’m all you can think about,” he murmured, “then stop asking for a divorce.” I stared at him, completely thrown off balance. How had this conversation gone so off the rails? Wasn’t I supposed to be the one pushing for divorce? The floating comments weren’t helping. [OMG, Nathan’s killing it! That comeback was perfect!] [I’m swooning. This is peak romance.] [Keep going, Nathan! You’re finally getting through to her!] I swallowed hard as Nathan’s face hovered dangerously close to mine. No. I couldn’t let this happen. “If we’re not getting divorced,” I said, forcing myself to sound calm, “then we’ll have to open the marriage.” Nathan’s expression darkened immediately. “Open the marriage?” “Yeah,” I said, my voice gaining strength. “You can go be with Ivy, and I’ll find myself a male model. Win-win, right?”

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# In the university dorm chat group, someone complained: “The hallways are always full of trash. It’s summer, and the smell is unbearable! Why doesn’t anyone take care of it?” Someone else joked back: “Pretend to be a delivery guy and knock on the door of whichever dorm keeps piling up trash. When they open the door, stab them in the chest. If one stab doesn’t do it, make it two. Once they’re dead, pack the body in a suitcase and take it out—no one will ever notice!” Not long after, I received a message from my roommate: “Mia? I just got into bed, but there’s someone at the door saying they have a delivery. I didn’t order anything—did you?” 0Delivery? What delivery? I was about to reply and tell her I hadn’t ordered anything when a new message popped up in the dorm chat group. “I pretended to be a delivery guy and knocked, but the person inside said they didn’t order anything and told me to leave it at the door.” My fingers froze above the keyboard. A chilling sweat broke out on my palms. I quickly typed a trembling response to my roommate: “I didn’t order anything! Don’t open the door—no matter what!” The dorm chat group was exclusively for residents of Building 3. When we joined, the dorm manager had instructed everyone to include their room numbers as part of their usernames. At our university, dorm numbers are formatted with the first two digits indicating the floor, and the last two digits indicating the room. For example, my room number is 2201, meaning I live on the 22nd floor in the room farthest to the left. The person who had just sent the message was listed as 2200 in the group. To avoid revealing their exact location, some people only included their floor number in their username. The person joking about the “delivery prank” was listed as 2222—but our floor only has 20 rooms. That meant they were also on the 22nd floor but hadn’t included their full room number. This wasn’t the first time people had used fake usernames. Whenever someone wanted to post anonymously, they’d temporarily change their username. My roommate sent another message: “Mia, the delivery guy said the room number is correct. Are you sure you didn’t order anything?” My breathing quickened. What if she went to open the door after sending that message? I typed as fast as I could: “Don’t open the door! Whatever you do, don’t open the door! There’s a killer outside!” My roommate wasn’t in the group anymore. She’d left it a while back because she was tired of people arguing over petty issues. To make sure she understood, I quickly screenshotted the messages from the chat group and sent them to her. 0

“This is from our dorm chat group.” “That ‘delivery guy’ prank was 2222’s idea, and 2200 is the one carrying it out!” “Their goal is to kill you! Don’t open the door!” I sent her three messages in a row, hoping she’d realize how serious the situation was. She replied quickly: “Mia, this has to be some kind of joke. I mean, who would actually do something like this? We’re in college!” Her response made my heart sink. But I couldn’t give up. “It doesn’t matter if it’s a joke or not. I didn’t order anything, and you’re alone in the dorm. Just be careful, okay?” I had barely put my phone down when another message popped up in the group: 2222: “Did she open the door yet?” 2200: “Not yet, but I can hear movement inside. [knife emoji with blood]” 2222: “Don’t rush it. Wait for her to come out. By the way, there are two people in that dorm. Are you planning to kill them both, or just one?” 2200: “Just one. Killing two would be too much work. Besides, I’ve noticed only one person’s been coming back to that room at night recently. She always wears those stupid Crocs.” When I saw that message, my heart stopped. I’d just moved out of the dorm a few days ago, leaving my roommate alone. And she had a habit of wearing Crocs in the summer. The description matched our room perfectly. This wasn’t a joke. It couldn’t be. I immediately opened my roommate’s chat. Just then, my phone buzzed with a new message from her: “Mia, relax! Look.” She sent me two photos. 0

The pictures my roommate sent were blurry, likely taken by holding her phone’s camera close to the peephole. The first photo showed the delivery person bending down to pick up a takeout box. The second photo captured the delivery person walking away, their back to the camera. Roommate: “Mia, I was just about to go grab the takeout, but guess what happened when I got out of bed?” I quickly typed back: “What happened?” Roommate: “The delivery guy said he made a mistake. Apparently, he got the room number wrong when filling out the order, so it wasn’t for us after all.” Despite her reply, I couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling in my chest. The messages from the dorm group chat were just too strange. Who jokes about such specific and unrelated details? After thinking for a few seconds, I forwarded the suspicious messages from the dorm group to her. This time, her response wasn’t as quick, and I started to feel anxious. Just as I was about to call her through the app, she finally replied. Roommate: “These people in the group are insane. They’re always stirring up nonsense. Don’t you remember why I left the group in the first place?” Of course, I remembered. How could I forget? She hadn’t just left because of the constant bickering over trivial issues. There was one incident where a student posted a chilling message in the group: 22:** “@2204, I’m standing outside your dorm. Keep talking that loudly, and you’ll never speak again. Dead people are the quietest!”** The message sent everyone on the 22nd floor into a panic, keeping them up all night. The dorm manager tried to reassure us by coming to investigate, but they found no one outside the dorm—it was just a prank. That incident had been the last straw for my roommate. She left the group to avoid the stress altogether. Roommate: “Every time, it’s the same thing in this group. Some small issue gets blown way out of proportion. It’s exhausting!” Her message calmed me down a bit. I realized my panic had caused unnecessary stress for her. To ease the tension, I sent her an apology: “Emma, I’m sorry for overreacting. I just got really worried and forgot about the other stuff.” After sending the message, I decided to focus on my work and stop checking my phone. But just as I was about to close the app, a new message from the dorm group caught my eye. 0

2211: “Hey, sorry about that! I accidentally put 2201 as the room number when I ordered takeout. I hope it didn’t cause any trouble!” 2222: “So it really was a mistake?” 2211: “[awkward emoji] Yeah, my bad! But honestly, your conversations are super creepy. Maybe don’t joke about stuff like that.” 2222: “Got it, got it.” 2200: “Wow, scared already? That was just one method, you know.” Seeing the conversation, I finally let out a deep breath. It seemed like I’d been overthinking. But as I was about to close the app, something about 2211’s message struck me. She said she’d ordered porridge. I immediately reopened my chat with my roommate and pulled up the first photo she’d sent of the delivery. Zooming in on the takeout packaging, I noticed something odd. The container in the photo was a plastic box. But at our school, porridge is always served in paper cups. Which meant the delivery person in the photo wasn’t from 2211’s order. Someone else had gone to our dorm. And then I remembered 2200’s last message: “That was just one method.” It was 2200. She really had gone to our dorm! This wasn’t like the earlier pranks where nothing happened. This time, it was real—a planned attack. My heart started pounding as I frantically opened my roommate’s chat and called her. The call connected but was immediately declined. Panicking, I sent her a message: “Emma, what are you doing?!” The chat showed that she was typing a reply, but no message came through. I sent another message: “Did you open the door?!” 0

This time, she replied quickly: “No!” A second message came right after: “Mia, I’m scared to talk. There’s someone in the hallway.” She attached a photo. The image was mostly dark, but at the bottom, there was a narrow strip of light. I stared at the picture and realized the light was coming from the gap beneath the door. It meant she hadn’t turned on the dorm lights, and the sound-activated lights in the hallway had been triggered. Wait. I zoomed in on the photo, focusing on the strip of light. In the middle of the light, there were two shadowy shapes. Legs. Someone was standing directly outside her door. It was the “delivery person.” They hadn’t left. Just as I was about to send her another message, she sent me a video. The video was dark, but the audio was clear—loud, frantic knocking on the door. Roommate: “Mia, the peephole’s been covered. I can’t see who’s out there! Someone’s knocking nonstop [scared emoji].” Me: “Emma, don’t panic. I’ve already called the police. Stay inside and don’t make a sound!” Roommate: “Where’s the dorm manager?! Why haven’t they shown up yet? [sweating emoji]” I checked the time. It was 10 p.m.—shift change for the dorm managers. During this time, the managers for different shifts often chatted for a few minutes while switching duties. That “few minutes” wasn’t fixed, and given how urgent the situation was, I didn’t have time to wait. I quickly found the duty schedule and called the current dorm manager’s number. But the call wouldn’t go through—it just kept ringing.

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When I unexpectedly lost the baby, Bobby George was waiting in line to buy the first cup of cocoa of autumn for his first love, Zara Monroe. Seeing my pale face, he gently covered her eyes. “Bad luck, don’t look.” Then he coldly said to me, “Don’t think I don’t know you purposely made your face so pale. What are you pretending for?” Afterward, he took Zara’s hand and turned to leave. Late that night, I heard Bobby play sleep-inducing piano music for Zara, who couldn’t sleep. I calmly dialed a number. I said, “Dad, I’ve made up my mind. I want to go back and take over our family business.” Listening to the sleep-inducing piano music echoing in the house, I thought about the child I had just lost. I calmly made a call. “Dad, I’ve made up my mind. I want to go home and take over our family business.” I didn’t even know Bobby could play the piano after five years of being together. Maybe it wasn’t that he couldn’t play, but rather, I wasn’t worthy of having him play the piano for me. Just as I hung up the phone, Bobby came out of the piano room. He wore a white shirt, and his eyes still held some lingering tenderness. In the past, when he came home, he was always too tired to talk and would fall asleep immediately. He never had the leisure to play the piano for half a night. “Who were you on the phone with?” Bobby asked, his eyes still glued to his phone. He scrolled through his phone and smiled carelessly. I told him the truth. It was my dad. He hummed in response and didn’t ask further. I knew he didn’t care about my family either. After all, we had been in a relationship for five years, and he had never once mentioned meeting my parents. He had never been interested in my family. When Bobby picked up a cup of water, he noticed that it wasn’t the honey water he usually drank. For the first time, his gaze reluctantly shifted to me. “You said you were going to the hospital today. Did you go?” he asked. I looked down at my phone and typed. “I did.” “Did you have a sickness?” Bobby asked casually. I smiled bitterly and shrugged. “No sickness.” It wasn’t really a sickness. I was pregnant. I had planned to surprise him. But on the way, I had an accident and lost the baby. It was pointless to talk about it now. After all, he and Zara were both there when it happened. “I think you’re just overreacting,” he said. “By the way, don’t forget my honey water next time.” Bobby reminded me about his honey water and went into the study with a smile. He didn’t even notice my pale face. I checked out his Facebook page with my secondary account. Sure enough, there was a post visible to everyone except me. [Guarantee Letter. I guarantee to buy Zara the first cup of cocoa of autumn every year from now on. I’ll never forget, and I’ll keep my promise. As compensation for almost forgetting this year, I’ll deliver breakfast to her every day for the next week.] I sneered as I read the comments below that praised them as so sweet in love. The pair of cheaters were getting compliments. I immediately contacted my family’s legal team. Since I had decided to separate, everything that belonged to me should be returned.

The next morning, Bobby woke up early and went to a famous restaurant to buy food. I was about to open the heat-preserving bag when Bobby slapped my hand. “Don’t you like salad?” he asked. “This one is for you. Eat this.” I was stunned for a moment, then quickly remembered the content from his post yesterday. It seemed that the beautifully packaged food was for Zara. I stared at the salad being pushed toward me and coldly said, “Bobby, we’ve been in a relationship for five years. Don’t you know I don’t eat salad? Don’t you know the smell makes me sick?” Bobby froze, saying coldly, “It’s good enough that I bought it for you. Eat it if you want, stop being so picky.” I glared at Bobby, who didn’t care about my preferences. I turned and went back to the room, pulling out a bag. I said, “When you see Zara, give her this pair of underwear I found in the master bedroom.” Bobby looked surprised, then quickly tried to explain, “Zara always leaves things behind. I’ll remind her to be more careful next time.” “As your secretary, Zara left something in the master bedroom. She really needs to be more careful,” I scoffed. “Jasmine, watch your words. I won’t allow you to speak badly of Zara,” Bobby huffed, irritated. I couldn’t be bothered to say anything more, just coldly watching him. Bobby seemed to realize his reaction was too strong, so he offered to take me to work today. Just when he thought I would be grateful, I shook my head and refused. We had been together for five years, and I had been there for him during the difficult days of building the business. Even when I had stomach bleeding from drinking with clients, I never got the privilege of having Bobby pick me up and drop me off from work. Now, finally, he offered this, but it was to make up for another woman. It was laughable. This kind of compensation meant nothing to me. I turned and left the house. Once I arrived at the office, I began preparing my resignation letter. For some reason, most of my colleagues looked at me with sympathetic eyes. “Ms. Harper, you’re finally here,” my assistant, Lexie Dunn said hesitantly. I looked at her anxious expression, realizing she was genuinely worried about me. I gave her my only real smile in the past few days. “What’s the matter? Why are you so urgent?” I asked. “Ms. Harper, you should see this.” Lexie showed me a video. It was shot at the company entrance. Bobby was holding a cup of cocoa while gently helping Zara out of the car and taking her bag. They smiled at each other, as if they were a couple. The sight of Bobby’s careful actions and his tender gaze broke my heart. Zara was his first love. Compared to her, I was just an unimportant person who had been there since the beginning of his business. Looking at the cocoa in Bobby’s hand, I couldn’t help but recall the message he sent me a few days ago. [What kind of cocoa do girls usually like?] At that time, I happily named my favorite. I even read many articles about the first cocoa of the fall season. But then, I saw Zara’s post: [The first cocoa of the fall is here!] The picture was of the cocoa I liked. That was when I realized that Bobby had never planned to treat me well. I remembered how he found all kinds of reasons to hire an art student as a secretary. He must have had many intentions from the start. I was the only fool who believed that Bobby would never betray me. I looked at the broken mug in front of me. It had slipped from my hand and shattered. Bitter coffee spilled out, just like my mood. I was broken and bitter. I gritted my teeth and stepped on the pieces. I said, “It’s fine. I know everything. I’m resigning. None of this will matter to me anymore.” I gave Lexie a new phone number, then turned and entered the CEO’s office. I threw my resignation letter in front of Bobby. I said, “Bobby, I’m resigning. Please settle my salary. Oh, and my shares, I want them cashed out.”

Bobby lifted his head from the documents and frowned. He sulked, “What nonsense are you pulling? Just because I didn’t go to the hospital with you yesterday? We’re adults. Does it even matter if I accompany you? You’re grown. Are you afraid of getting lost? By the way, how’s the business in Flibus going?” I saw his impatience and repeated myself, “I want to resign. Convert all my shares. Please arrange it as soon as possible.” He stared at me and snorted, “Do you even know what you’re saying? I was planning to propose to you, and now you’re talking about settling accounts. Wasn’t marrying me your dream all along?” I stayed silent and just looked at him. There was a time I wished to spend my life with him. If it were the old me, I’d have been thrilled to hear these words. But now, using marriage to keep me tethered was impossible. Whether he agreed or not, I could still reclaim everything with the Harper family behind me. I couldn’t stay in this wretched company another day. My silence made Bobby nervous. He said, “Jasmine, I know I’ve been too kind to Zara lately. She’s my classmate and my secretary. She’s alone in this city, so it’s only right to help her. “I admit I’ve neglected you. I’ll make it up to you. “Tell me, is there something you’ve wanted recently?” “Bobby, this dress you bought is beautiful!” Zara’s cheerful voice interrupted his words. I turned to see Zara wearing the latest dress in the lounge. She looked at him sweetly. She said, “Sorry, Ms. Harper. I didn’t know you were here. I just wanted to thank Bobby for the dress. You don’t mind, do you?” She casually flipped her hair, revealing a bracelet on her wrist. It was a familiar bracelet. Bobby had been wearing the same one recently. I recalled how surprised I was when I first saw him wearing it. Bobby never wore accessories. When I asked why, he casually said it was for luck. But now, it was clear he wore it to please Zara. I didn’t care about it anymore. I wouldn’t care even if they wore wedding rings someday. I sneered, “Why would I mind? Once I resign, you two can change clothes here or even strip if you want. Do whatever you like.” Bobby snapped, “Enough, Jasmine! I’ve been speaking to you nicely. But your attitude toward Zara is unacceptable. Apologize to her now!”

Bobby snapped, “Get out of my office if you won’t apologize!” I countered, “If you don’t want to see me, then give me my money. I’ll leave immediately.” Bobby hesitated. I knew he didn’t want to spend a large amount of money. He also didn’t want to lose a loyal and useful “subordinate” like me. But that had nothing to do with me. Even though I came from a wealthy family and didn’t lack money, I would take back what was mine. I wondered how long these cheaters’ luck would last. “Mr. George, I’ll wait for your call. Don’t contact me about company matters anymore.” I turned and left without hesitation. Before I received a call from Bobby, I got one from his mother. Bethany George said warmly, “Jasmine, it’s my birthday the day after tomorrow. You must come to celebrate with me.” I was surprised. It was unusual for Bethany to call me. Everyone in the George family knew she didn’t like me. She had criticized me in front of their relatives many times. Now she was inviting me to her birthday party, likely setting a trap for me. I agreed with a cold smile, “Sure, I’ll come. Anything else?” Since I didn’t care anymore, I’d go and watch the show. “Can you bring the bracelet you wanted to buy me?” she asked. Greed was evident in her voice. I laughed silently. She didn’t like me but expected a gift. The George family members were greedy. I hung up the phone. Shortly after, I received a text from Bobby. [You don’t need to come to my mom’s birthday. Make sure to prepare a handmade cake.] Ever since Bobby and I were together, I had made cakes for his family every year. As a pampered lady, I had burned my hands countless times to make them happy. I received nothing in return. No one appreciated my efforts. And now, he had the nerve to tell me to do it again. I called the housekeeper. “Prepare a cake for me. Any flavor is fine, and it doesn’t need to be fancy. Write some words on it.”

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Ave was streaming a movie on the TV when she went to the bathroom and forgot to turn it off. On the screen, Ave was chatting with a man. The man: [Today is my birthday. I bought you a bunny girl outfit. Want to try it on tonight?] Ave: [Wait for me, I’ll be there soon.] I forced myself to stay calm. I picked up my phone and recorded their chat. The sound of the bathroom door opening reached me. Quickly, I turned off the TV. “Daniel, my best friend’s birthday is tonight, so I won’t be home for dinner.” I forced a smile. “Okay, have fun.” After Ave left, I picked up the recording and watched it over and over. The man had sent Ave the delivery code, revealing his phone number. I searched for him on social media. The latest post was a short video. It showed Ave, wearing a very short skirt, being kissed on the head by a man at the beach during sunset. Because of the lighting, I couldn’t make out the man’s face. My hands trembled as I kept scrolling. The man posted a picture of an expensive phone. The caption read: [She loves me so much.] The dazzling light from the phone hurt my eyes. Further down, there was a collage photo. The top half showed a pregnancy test, with Ave’s name written on it. The bottom half showed the man pressing his face against Ave’s belly. The caption: [She only has one body, but two heartbeats.] At that moment, it was as if I had been struck by a cold wave. I shook uncontrollably. We had been married for five years, and I had always wanted to have a child with Ave. A month ago, she grabbed my hand excitedly and told me she was pregnant. I was so moved that tears welled up in my eyes, and I spun her around in my arms. Since that day, I had been extra careful with her, always on edge. I suggested she quit her job. She said she didn’t want to be a parasite and wanted to be a modern woman. I couldn’t argue with her, so I made her nutritious meals every day. Worried she’d be anxious during the pregnancy, I turned down work to take her on trips to relax. If she craved cake in the middle of the night, I’d drive across half the city to get her favorite kind. I thought, even if I had to die for her, I would. But I never expected this. She had an affair! And the child might not even be mine. I suddenly laughed, but it wasn’t out of sadness. Was it wrong for her to seek excitement? Where did she go wrong? The mistake was choosing to indulge while still being married to me! Love, that luxury, only existed in novels. In real life, it was best to just forget about it. I tried to use Ave’s computer. I tried both our birthdays, but neither worked. Then I remembered the man had said today was his birthday. Being nervous, I typed it in, and it opened. Pain suddenly gripped my chest. I clicked on a folder named [Hawke.] Images of explicit photos appeared on the screen. The same man, but never showing his face. The most recent photo was taken two days ago. Ave and the man were embracing, naked. That day, she was supposed to be on a business trip. I opened Ave’s shopping app. There were chat records between her and the man. “This new phone looks nice.” “I’ve ordered it for you, love you.” I checked her purchase history. Sexy lingerie, limited-edition running shoes, several men’s outfits, and even some adult items made my heart race just from reading the titles. The delivery address was always the same. The neighboring community. Ave had never bought me a gift. She always said that since we were married, giving gifts was too formal. I had always thought she was someone who couldn’t show affection. At that moment, I realized I didn’t know her at all. I deleted all the browsing history, put the computer back in place, and wiped off any fingerprints. After finishing all of that, the man updated his social media. It was a picture of a woman in bunny girl lingerie, kneeling on a bed. Though her face wasn’t visible, I recognized Ave immediately. My fingers clenched the phone so tightly they turned white, but I didn’t feel a thing. I wanted to tear these two apart. I wanted them to be ruined. But I knew I had to hold back, plan carefully, and act when the time was right.

The next day, I installed a few hidden cameras around the house. Ave came back in the afternoon, carrying a large bouquet of roses. As soon as she saw me, she panicked and said, “Daniel, why aren’t you at work today?” I smiled and looked at her. I said, “I’m going on a business trip tomorrow, so I’m packing my luggage today. “That bouquet… is it for me?” It gave her an easy out. Ave handed me the flowers. “These are from my best friend. She congratulated me on becoming a mom. “I’m giving them to you. Congratulations on becoming a dad.” How disgusting. Would a best friend really give champagne roses, which symbolize love? And the one becoming a dad was probably someone else. I suppressed my disgust. I took the flowers and played along with her act. Ave sighed in relief and quietly tossed the card into the trash can. I saw everything but didn’t expose her. Once Ave went into the bathroom, I picked up the card. It read: [Ave, I will always love you.] No signature. But the handwriting seemed familiar. When Ave came out, I pretended to be packing my luggage. “Daniel, when will you be back?” I stopped what I was doing and said with regret, “Maybe one or two months. This project is important.” “Such a long time?” she said, pretending to be reluctant. I turned and hugged her, trying to test the waters. “How about I cancel the project and stay home with you? You’re pregnant, and I’m worried about you.” But Ave suddenly pushed me away. “That’s not possible.” She came back to comfort me realizing she had overreacted. “What I meant is, if you don’t work, how will you support me and the baby? “Don’t worry, my best friend will be here with me.” She watched me carefully and was afraid I’d change my mind. I couldn’t be bothered to argue with her. I turned away and smiled. I thought, “The trap was set. Ave, I hope you won’t disappoint me.”

The next day, I took my suitcase and checked into a nearby hotel. In the hotel room, I cast the surveillance footage onto the TV. I lay on the sofa, reflecting on our past. My marriage to Ave was purely accidental. At the time, I had just started my business. To be closer to the studio, I rented a place in an old community for convenience. Then the unexpected pandemic trapped me at home. I signed up to be a volunteer. Ave was one of them. We were assigned to the same group to distribute supplies. Ave was kind-hearted and gentle. For three months, we stayed together. As time passed, we grew closer and eventually became a couple. She worked as an employee at a small company. Despite her tough work schedule, she always made meals for me when I came home. Her meager salary was mostly sent back home to her family. Even so, her mother, Sarah was never satisfied. She forced Ave to send all the money to buy a house for her brother. I felt heartbroken for Ave, seeing how hard her life had been. I wanted to pull her out of that abyss. So, when we got married, I gave her family two million dollars as a wedding gift. The condition was that they would no longer interfere in Ave’s life. After marriage, I gave her fifty thousand dollars every month for living expenses, so she wouldn’t have to suffer the hardships she’d endured as a child. Her life did improve. She often went shopping or out to parties with friends. She even went to music festivals and concerts by herself. I thought that with enough love and money, I could erase the shadow of her family’s past. But I never imagined that the money would make her more beautiful and sophisticated, and also lead her down a path of decadence. At that moment, Ave appeared on the monitor. She picked up the phone and called me. “Daniel, where are you?” “I took an early flight today, and I’m already at the workplace.” “Take care of yourself. I won’t bother you.” She hurriedly hung up the phone and immediately called someone else. “Hurry up, he’s gone.” She really couldn’t wait. A few moments later, a person, fully covered up, entered the house. My mind buzzed when he removed his hat and mask. I recognized him immediately. He was James Hawke, a rapper from one of the shows my company created. He was someone Ave had recommended to me. Ave told me he was a rising rap star, who had performed at bars and attended many music festivals. He had a large following on social media. She suggested having him on the show, claiming it would boost the ratings. At the time, I joked with her, asking if she was only pushing him because she liked him. I never expected that one casual joke would inadvertently reveal the truth. I turned down the volume. Then I called my assistant, asking her to send me James’ profile.

James took off his hat and mask and swaggered into the living room. He sat comfortably on the sofa as if it was his home. “Perfect timing, with Daniel on a business trip. I don’t have any performances these days.” Ave jumped into his arms, giggling. “So coincidental, huh? Well, you better spend some time with me.” “How long is Daniel gone? Hope he doesn’t come back suddenly…” he whispered ambiguously in Ave’s ear. “Don’t worry, he’ll be gone for one or two months.” James grinned and pulled Ave closer. “Great, then I’ll take good care of you.” Their conversation hurt my heart, but I forced myself to keep recording. “Remember, no one touches you except me!” “You’re so possessive.” I thought they’d quickly get to the point, but they just sat there on the sofa. Ave sat on James’ lap, their fingers intertwined, looking like a couple deeply in love. James asked, “Ave, do you love me?” “If I didn’t love you, why would I be carrying your child?” They cuddled and flirted for a while. Three minutes later, my assistant sent me James’ profile. James came from an ordinary, even somewhat poor family. He dropped out of school early and worked various jobs. Waiter, delivery man, and factory worker. Later, he started performing as a bar singer. His good looks attracted many female fans. Once he became famous, he was invited to many music festivals. I took a closer look. Ave had been to the bar where James performed. She and her friends stayed out late one night, and I went to pick her up. Ave had been to most of the music festivals James attended as well. I froze, staring at the profile, my eyes bloodshot. It turned out they had already known each other at the bar. I suddenly recalled that during the recording of the show, Ave insisted on attending the rehearsal. When James came on stage, he looked in our direction during his self-introduction. He said he wanted to thank the important people in his life. Then he smiled at me. Looking back, that smile was full of provocation and mockery. The funny thing was, I actually thought he was thanking me for giving him the opportunity. Sitting on the sofa, I stared at James’ profile, and a plan began to form in my mind.

I first created a new account on social media. Under James’ posts, which had millions of followers, I left a comment: [James seduces married women and willingly plays the third wheel.] Soon, some of his crazy fans began attacking me. [Who is this? How shameless, trying to gain attention by mentioning James.] [Some people have no bottom line just to get famous.] [He is gentle, handsome, and well-mannered, how could he possibly fall for a married woman?] [James, quickly deny this and crush the haters!] Everyone tagged James, but unfortunately, he was busy enjoying his time with Ave. I ignored the fans. Because I knew, the higher the expectation, the happier I would be in the end. These were just bait. I sent all the materials I had collected about James and Ave’s affair, including her pregnancy, to the paparazzi. I didn’t ask for a single penny, just one request. I wanted to make sure this news would hit the trending list. While waiting, I thought of Ave’s parents. At the time of our marriage, I had set a condition to give a large wedding gift, with the stipulation that they would no longer harass Ave. But after marriage, over the years, I still sent them a little living allowance each month, as a favor to Ave. Her father, Evan, and her mother, Sarah constantly boasted about how their daughter had found such a wealthy husband. Their relatives would flatter them all the time. But in reality, they were incredibly envious. They would tell their daughter to learn from Ave. So, I decided to send these materials to the Taylor family’s group chat. Soon, the chat exploded. [Daniel, what is this that you’ve sent?] Ave’s cousin was the first to see it. He was always the first to respond whenever I posted something in the group. But after reading it, he was speechless. Ave’s aunt was the first to react. [Oh my, this is too dirty! Ave, this girl is too… bold.] [Such bad behavior, what a disgrace!] [Exactly, to reject such a good husband and go behind his back.] [You’ve completely embarrassed our family.] [If this gets out, I won’t be able to face anyone.] [Don’t be sad, Daniel, we have many good girls in the Taylor family besides Ave.] [My daughter is great, too. She has excellent grades, and graduated from a good university…] Aunties from the Taylor family with daughters stood up to recommend their daughters. “What are you doing? Trying to steal from our family?” Sarah spoke up, and the chat group fell silent. “Daniel, where did you get this video from? It must be some jealous person trying to smear Ave. “You can’t fall for this trick! “Ave has always been well-behaved and thoughtful, she would never do something so disgraceful. “Isn’t it common for things online to be doctored? This must be fake.” Sarah, who couldn’t type, sent dozens of voice messages in a panic.

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My CEO girlfriend Celeste docked my entire bonus and gave a car to the least competent assistant, calling it his year-end bonus. That evening, the assistant boasted about it on Snapchat. “Thanks to my generous boss and my own excellence.” The picture showed them standing next to the new car, forming a heart with one hand, smiling sweetly. This time, I didn’t have a meltdown, nor did I get jealous or confront her. Instead, I quietly maxed out her credit card to buy cars for all my colleagues. Take them together to thank. “Thanks to a generous boss and to everyone’s excellence.” Barely two minutes after posting, Celeste called me. “Asher, are you out of your mind?” “If Finn hadn’t told me, I wouldn’t have known you’d do something so outrageous.” “Sort this out before I get back, or face the consequences!” She hung up in anger. Just before the line went dead, I heard Finn’s pitiful voice. “I’m sorry, Celeste, for putting you in this position.” “You have nothing to apologize for. He made the mistake, not you.” Celeste’s gentle, reassuring tone was completely different from before. I knew she said it for my benefit, expecting me to clean up the mess as usual. The old me never dared stand up to her. But she doesn’t know that this time I’ve completely lost hope and won’t help her anymore. A colleague anxiously said, “Asher, does Ms. Celeste not know about this? Maybe we should return the cars, or she’ll hold you responsible.” Others agreed, trying to sound relaxed but visibly disappointed. When I told them about the cars earlier, I only said it was a year-end bonus, nothing more. They assumed it was Celeste’s doing and praised her for the surprise. Now, the surprise turned into a shock. One colleague, worried about my punishment, rushed to cancel the sale. I came back to my senses and stopped him, assuring everyone I’d handle it. Then I went home, relaxed, and took a nap. By the time I woke up, it was already early morning. I heard noise at the door and found Celeste entering the living room with a dark expression. Seeing me, she slammed her bag onto the table, making a loud noise. I knew she was trying to intimidate me, forcing me to admit my mistake and find a way to appease her. In the past, I would have done just that. But now, I just glanced at her, yawned, and said, “You’re back.” Seeing this, Celeste grew even angrier. “How can you still have the face to sleep?” “I told you to take back everything you gave away. Why haven’t you done it yet?” “Asher, you’ve got some nerve. I’m giving you a chance to fix this, and you still don’t care.” I used to fear this side of her, not because she was angry, but because it was bad for her health. After her outburst, I’d rush to comfort her, admit my mistake, and try to fix things. But now, I calmly said, “Why should I fix it? I didn’t do anything wrong.” Maybe hearing me talk back for the first time stunned Celeste. “What did you say?” I scoffed, “Even the worst performer gets a year-end bonus. So why shouldn’t everyone else, who’ve worked themselves to the bone for the company’s success, get one too?” Celeste’s face turned red with anger. “Finn may not be outstanding now, but he’s new, and for a rookie, he’s doing quite well. I’m sure he’ll be a top performer by next year.” “Besides, do you even know how many mistakes they’ve made this year? It’s good enough I didn’t dock their pay. Why should they get a bonus?” “…” Celeste kept listing their faults, and I found it amusing. Her examples were trivial mistakes she kept repeating, like forgetting to water the plants or mistakenly submitting an extra invoice. These were outside of work tasks. Besides, they always corrected their mistakes promptly. Everyone understood that starting a business is tough, so they often worked overtime without complaint for four years. Now that the company has grown, Celeste not only didn’t acknowledge their efforts but also shamelessly assigned them more work. Finn joined last year, making fewer mistakes because he relied on Celeste’s favoritism and didn’t actually work. His mistakes were in his primary duties, almost always detrimental to the company. From sending hundreds of messages to partners in the middle of the night to misreporting product prices in contracts, causing a lawsuit that cost the company eight million. Finn claimed I distracted him with work, which I found laughable, and so did everyone else. Yet Celeste believed it and unhesitatingly docked my entire year’s bonus. Seeing I wasn’t speaking, Celeste assumed I was reflecting on my actions like before. Her tone softened slightly. “Right after the call, Finn said it was tough for me and wanted to return the car. Can’t you learn from him?” “He’s just an ordinary employee who joined the company last year, yet he cares about me. And you…” Before she could finish, I interrupted, “Fine, then let him return the car. If he does, I’ll have everyone else return theirs too.” Celeste was speechless. I knew she wouldn’t let Finn return it. This wasn’t the first time this had happened. Celeste, though thrifty, would always fight for Finn’s benefits under any pressure. And Finn’s offer to return was just lip service. She might know this too, yet she still supports him unconditionally. Caught off guard by my firm stand, Celeste was furious and finally poked my forehead, annoyed. “Why are you so childish?” “Asher, this is your last warning. Tomorrow, take back everything you gave out, or don’t bother staying at the company. Just resign.” “Even if you’re my boyfriend, I can’t accept someone who doesn’t follow orders in the company.” She looked at me condescendingly, sure I’d never leave. But this time, I didn’t compromise or go against my conscience to please her. Instead, I handed her the prepared document. “I was thinking the same.” “This is my resignation letter. Just sign it.”

Celeste was momentarily stunned, not expecting me to resign. I had given up a high-paying opportunity to support her startup, even invested half of my savings into the company without asking for any shares. I drank with clients till dawn, putting up with being treated like a clown. To perfect projects, I worked on just three to four hours of sleep, pushing myself to multiple cardiac arrests. Now that the company is big, anyone would think twice before leaving. Celeste, realizing this, laughed coldly. “Think carefully, resigning means no compensation. Even as my boyfriend, there’s no exception.” “I know. But I’ll take them all with me.” “Here are their resignation letters. Have a look.” I handed her a stack of resignation forms from the colleagues who had their bonuses docked. They had long been fed up with Celeste’s exploitation and favoritism towards Finn. They’d been submitting resignation applications to me, which I had been holding back. I tried convincing them to hang on, assuring them Celeste wasn’t always like this. Maybe she just needed time for Finn to adapt. They didn’t believe me, but for my sake, they stayed. This incident, however, left us all disheartened. Celeste’s face darkened. “A bunch of ingrates. I supported them for four years, and they show no gratitude.” “Forget it, I’m too tired to argue.” She quickly tore up the resignation letters and tossed them into the trash. “Let’s just forget about this incident. I won’t hold it against you, okay?” Celeste acted magnanimous. But I knew she didn’t have the luxury to hold a grudge. Despite her disdain for us and favoritism for Finn, she was well aware that most of the company’s operations were in our hands. If we left, the company would collapse. Perhaps fearing I might press further, Celeste tried to ease the tension. “Let’s just end this matter here.” “Knowing you were so stubborn, I shouldn’t have set a year-end bonus.” “These cars add up to over five million, you know. Don’t forget it’s your money too. We’re now further from getting married, it’s heartbreaking.” Celeste sighed, but I found it mildly amusing. She often said things like that. She had a bank card where she deposited money each month, telling me we would marry once it reached ten million. I believed her completely, often secretly adding money to it myself. It wasn’t until last month that I stumbled upon the fact that the card, which should have contained nine million, had only five million left. Upon checking the statements, I discovered she spent the money on dates and gifts for Finn. Shoes costing twenty to thirty thousand each pair, and she had given over twenty pairs in just half a year. Underwear costing two thousand each, and she once bought eighteen pairs. A seafood banquet for their dates cost at least eighty thousand per table. These were luxuries I couldn’t even dream of. Yet, whenever I wanted to buy a new outfit for a hundred bucks, she’d scold me for being wasteful, questioning if I was serious about marriage. It was absurd. I often blamed myself, not realizing that she was the one not serious about marriage. I couldn’t understand how she could lie so effortlessly. Just as I was about to speak, her phone rang. Celeste dismissed me, stepping onto the balcony to take the call. Whatever was said seemed to lift her spirits, as she returned humming a tune, looking pleased. Seeing me, she suddenly seemed to remember something, her smile fading, her expression turning awkward. “A business partner needs to see me. I have to go, take some time to think things over at home.” I didn’t bother to confront her. I watched her pick an outfit from the closet, choose a different purse, and then leave. I checked the bank card details. Just then, another hundred thousand was withdrawn. The payee was a bar she frequented with Finn. After a few moments of silence, I picked up my phone and called the police.

When I arrived with the police, Celeste and Finn had just finished a toast. Amidst the loud music and chatter, their spirits were unusually high. “Sister Celeste, I can’t believe you’re still with Asher after all his reckless behavior.” “You have such patience. You’ve founded a company and have so many assets, you’re a modern-day leading woman, yet you still humor him.” “Anyone else would have switched boyfriends long ago and avoided such trouble.” Finn was indignant on Celeste’s behalf. Celeste sighed, her tone somewhat helpless. “I can’t help it. He did contribute when the company was founded. If we break up now, everyone would think I’m ungrateful.” “Blame it on my poor judgment. I never thought he’d turn out like this.” “Once the time is right, I’ll find a way to get rid of him.” Her words were clear to my ears, but I only found them amusing. I had asked Celeste early on why she chose this path. At the time, I was a manager at a multinational company, earning a substantial salary, more than enough to support us. But starting a business came with many uncertainties and could be tough. Back then, Celeste looked me in the eye and sincerely told me she didn’t want me to struggle alone. She wanted to stand by my side and walk further together. I stepped out of my comfort zone to help her reach her current position. She had indeed come a long way, but not only did she not want to be by my side, she felt she had every right to kick me aside. Yet, I wasn’t sad. Her words confirmed what I had suspected for a while. The police gave me a sympathetic look. To avoid causing a scene, they had the manager call her out. After explaining the situation to Celeste, she looked at me, incredulous. “Asher, what are you doing now? Reporting to the police over a little money, is it really necessary?” Finn clutched his chest, coughing violently. Celeste hurriedly soothed him, her eyes full of worry and anger, then glared at me: “Don’t you know Finn’s health is poor and can’t handle stress? If something happens to him, how will you take responsibility?” But I remember during our hardest winter, when I was feverish with a temperature of 104 degrees, she wasn’t this concerned. Instead, she told me to endure it to boost my immunity. I ended up with a chronic condition, struggling to breathe when the weather turned cold, and she never cared. I couldn’t help but snicker. “You’re still laughing! Asher, you’re so cold-hearted!” Celeste looked at me coldly: “If you’re making a fuss over this little money, I think you’re not fit to be my boyfriend. Let’s just break up.” “Fine, let’s break up.” I nodded. Celeste looked at me, shocked, her eyes widening. I knew she didn’t believe I would break up. In the past, whenever she mentioned breaking up, it was just a tactic to get her way, a means to threaten me. We both knew that, but I always found a way to appease her, even apologizing and asking for forgiveness when I wasn’t at fault. This was the first time I truly agreed to break up. Celeste’s lips quivered, as if she wanted to say something. Finn hastily chimed in: “Asher, I know you’re jealous, but Sister Celeste only said that out of anger. She doesn’t really want to break up with you, don’t agree to it.” He seemed to be pleading on my behalf, but I could still see the faint pride in his eyes. Sure enough, Celeste snorted: “Finn, no need to explain for him. Let’s break up, just hope he doesn’t regret it later.” With that, she grabbed Finn’s hand and started to leave. I raised my hand to stop them: “Since we’re breaking up, shouldn’t you return the money too?” I gestured to the police. When I made the report, I had already shown all the evidence, proving that Celeste had taken a large sum of my money without permission. The police nodded, advising Celeste to return the money if the situation was true, to avoid escalating it to court. Celeste didn’t respond, but Finn protested: “He used Sister Celeste’s card to buy dozens of cars before, yet she didn’t report it.” “If you want to report, go ahead. Now that we’ve broken up, you can settle our accounts too.” I looked at Celeste. I knew she didn’t want to report because she was afraid. If we really settled our accounts over the years, what Celeste owed me was far more than just four million. Finn wanted to argue, but seeing Celeste’s pale face, he wisely kept silent. Celeste gritted her teeth, glaring at me, then worked her phone for a while. “I transferred it. Are you satisfied now?” After saying that, she shot me a glare, grabbed Finn’s hand, and left. I thanked the police, went back to file the report, and then headed home. Just as I walked in, a colleague from the finance department called. “Asher, Ms. Celeste just withdrew over four million from the company’s funds.”

“The reconciliation is coming up, will you cover for her again this quarter?” Celeste often withdrew money from the company account. Initially, she remembered to pay it back, but eventually, she always forgot. She’d have the finance department wait until she couldn’t cover it at reconciliation, then they’d come to me. Each time, I’d use my own savings to fill the gap. I’d mentioned it to Celeste, but she called it trust. It wasn’t until last month that I discovered a large portion of Celeste’s expenses went to Finn. She didn’t trust me; she just saw me as a fool. “I won’t cover it this time. Report it as is,” I said calmly. “And don’t come to me for these things anymore; we’ve broken up.” Hearing this, the finance officer actually sighed in relief. “You finally came to your senses. I was going to advise you this time. Covering the company’s shortfall often takes a quarter of your total income. The company doesn’t seem like Ms. Celeste’s, it feels more like yours.” “After all, you’ve been managing it diligently for years. Even her tax evasion was covered by you. Without you, she wouldn’t have made it this far.” After hanging up, I reflected for a moment. I used to think we were one unit, that Celeste’s problems were my problems since we’d eventually marry. In hindsight, my thinking was laughable. Even outsiders could see my contributions, yet Celeste couldn’t. She was still trying to shake me off. I knew Celeste wouldn’t let this go easily. Sure enough, in the following days, she and Finn became bolder. Where they used to hide, now they held hands openly, fingers intertwined. Celeste used to find excuses. Now she directly assigned my projects to Finn, crediting him instead. Just as I entered the company doors, Finn handed me a mop. “Sorry, Asher. Sister Celeste said the company just paid out year-end bonuses, so funds are tight. We won’t be hiring cleaners for now, so internal staff will handle cleaning.” “Management should lead by example, and since you’ve done it before, you can start.” He looked at me, eyes full of mockery. I knew he was doing it on purpose. This wasn’t the first time. Once, when Finn broke a contract, I scolded him in public. Celeste claimed my emotions were unstable and made me clean the toilets for a week. As soon as I arrived at work that day, Finn handed me a mop. “Sorry, Asher,” he said. “Celeste mentioned that the company just paid out year-end bonuses, so funds are tight. We can’t afford a cleaning service right now, so we’ll have to handle the cleaning ourselves.” “Management needs to set an example,” he added with a smirk. “Since you’ve done this before, you should lead the way.” I knew he was doing this on purpose, mocking me with his smile. It wasn’t the first time. Previously, Finn had broken a contract, and when I called him out publicly, Celeste punished me by making me clean the bathrooms for a week, claiming I was being too emotional. “That’s too much!” Finally, a colleague couldn’t hold back and spoke up for me. “Why don’t you clean up for Asher then?” Finn sneered at him. “Clean what?!” The colleague grabbed the mop and tossed it back at Finn. “Asher, why are we still here? So many companies have tried to poach us, but we’ve stayed loyal to this company, to her. And this is how she repays us. She’s clearly trying to push us out.” Other colleagues chimed in, expressing their agreement. Soon enough, Celeste walked in with a stern expression. Finn, seeing her as his savior, exaggerated the story to her. “You want to leave? Then go ahead!” Celeste sneered. Another colleague tried to defend me, but Celeste retorted, “You must all have been bribed by Asher to speak for him.” The colleague was left speechless. I found her accusations laughable. Whenever anyone defended me, she would accuse them of being bribed, effectively shutting them up. Staying seemed pointless now. I began packing my things to leave. Seeing this, my colleagues also started packing. Celeste paused in shock and then got angry. Just as she was about to speak, Finn whispered something to her, and her expression softened. “Those who want to leave, may do so. But for those who stay, there’s a $5,000 monthly raise, and when the company goes public, you’ll receive stock options.” Several people paused and looked at her. I knew they were surprised that Celeste still hadn’t realized the company couldn’t go public anymore. Recently, the finance department had repeatedly raised concerns about the accounting issues, but she ignored them. They finally reported everything truthfully. They planned to inform her later, but last night, our competitor had already taken her to court. Celeste was oblivious, mistaking their pause for hesitation to leave. She looked smug. “I’m pleased with your decision. Tonight, our investors will be coming to evaluate us. As long as you all perform well, I won’t disappoint you.” “This year’s year-end bonus is a car, and if you do well, next year’s will be a house.” She glanced at me triumphantly, then whispered, “See, Asher? No matter how much you try to get them cars, in the end, it’s all about the money.” “As long as I offer enough, I can keep them here.” I was about to respond when the receptionist rushed in to inform Celeste, “Ms. Celeste, someone is here…” Before she could finish, Finn interrupted loudly. “Is it our business partner? They weren’t supposed to arrive until the evening. Maybe they see our potential.” Celeste also realized and sneered at me. “You’ll regret this now.” Just then, there was a commotion outside, and Celeste hurried to the door. She froze when she saw who it was. Two police officers entered. They presented their badges and said coldly, “Celeste, you’ve been reported for embezzling company funds and tax evasion. Please come with us for investigation.”

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During Freshman Orientation Week, my family’s housekeeper’s son publicly confessed his love for me. After I rejected him, he turned the whole class against me, isolating and bullying me. He even had his admirers put snakes in my bed to bite me. Driven to the brink of a mental breakdown, he pretended to help me, only to get me drunk and hand me over to the notorious class monitor and some street thugs. “I wanted you to marry me, then I’d spare your life. Now it’s perfect. Your mom only has me as her child, and all your family’s wealth will be mine.” I was tortured to death. When I opened my eyes again, I had returned to the day of his confession. “Cassie, be my girlfriend. I’ll treat you like a princess!” Lucas Harrison knelt on one knee, holding a bouquet in one hand and a soda can tab in the other. “I’ll be good to you forever, trust me, okay?” “Get together! Get together!” “Oh my god, the teaching assistant is so handsome! And he’s rich too. Cassie is so lucky!” The voices bombarded my ears. Seeing the smugness in Lucas’s eyes, I finally realized – I had been reborn. Lucas had saved my mom’s life once, so she became his godmother. He and his mother pretended to be rich, but they were always spending my family’s money. I had tolerated all of this, but he went too far when he publicly confessed his love to me just to get his hands on my family’s fortune. After I rejected him, he harbored a grudge. He secretly had people bully me, then pretended to be a caring brother and invited the whole class to an entertainment venue, claiming he wanted to clear up any misunderstandings. But halfway through, he deliberately got me drunk and drugged my drink. As I was dizzy and disoriented, he dragged me into a room. Inside wasn’t just anyone, but Mark Lewis, the class monitor who had always been harsh on me. Mark was utterly despicable and tried to force himself on me. I bit my tongue to stay conscious and managed to escape. But outside the door, a group of thugs was waiting. I was violated to death. Mark, fearing for his reputation, worked with Lucas to tie my body to a rock and throw it in the river. They even used my phone to scam my mom out of millions. My poor mother lost her daughter in middle age. She searched for me day and night without sleep, aging a decade in just a few days. I clenched my fists tightly. “Slap!” Just as Lucas grabbed my hand to put the soda can tab on my finger, I gave him a hard slap. Under his surprised gaze, I sneered, “Tch, aren’t you supposed to be the young master of Sullivan Corp? Proposing with a soda can tab?” “What kind of rich heir is so cheap?” Lucas’s expression changed, and immediately someone came to his defense. “Lucas just thought you weren’t a materialistic girl. Who knew you were so money-hungry!” “It’s rare to find such a pure-hearted rich guy like Lucas these days.” Hearing this, I couldn’t help but laugh. “Rich guy? I’ve never heard of any Mr. Harrison in the Sullivan family. But I do know the Sullivan family’s housekeeper has a son named Harrison.” “Cassie Sullivan!” Lucas glared at me angrily. “That’s enough!” I leaned in close to him, my voice cold. “Now, apologize to me and get lost, or I’ll have your teaching assistant position revoked immediately.”

“Cassie Sullivan, what are you playing at? How dare you tell Lucas to get lost? Look at yourself in the mirror. Do you think you’re worthy of him?” I scanned them with a mocking smile. “I have excellent grades and I’m beautiful. He has beady eyes and a flat nose – looking at him would give me nightmares. Me, worthy of him? I’d be lowering my standards!” Lucas was so angered by my words that he couldn’t control his facial expressions. He shot me a vicious look, with a hint of confusion in his eyes. Perhaps he couldn’t understand why I had changed so much today? He gritted his teeth. “I was too forward today. I thought Cassie had feelings for me. I didn’t expect things to turn out like this.” “I’m sorry.” With that, he turned and left, pretending to be dejected. Many people started cursing at me behind my back. But this time around, I wouldn’t be as weak as in my past life. Just then, a whistle sounded from behind. Mark Lewis, the one who had a hand in my death in my previous life, walked out. I saw him exchange a glance with Lucas in the distance before he angrily reprimanded me. “Cassie Sullivan! You’re violating discipline again!” Mark stared at me with hostility. “Always up to no good. Do you think Orientation Week is a place where you can do whatever you want? Run twenty laps around the field!” “On what grounds?” I said coldly. Mark’s face darkened. “You dare to argue! If it weren’t for you, why would all the students be gathered here wasting training time?” “And on the first day of orientation, you’ve altered your uniform to make it so small. What are you trying to show off? Everyone can see clearly. You’ve just entered college and you’re already learning bad habits, trying to seduce others. You have no self-respect!” Hearing this, everyone looked at me. Their gazes were scrutinizing, and some even lewdly scanned my entire body. “Monitor, you seem to have a selective memory. When we were given our uniforms, I asked for a size larger, but you insisted on giving me the smaller one. Now you’re using body shaming to attack me?” I laughed coldly. “Fine, I recorded it. The uniforms were distributed in the classroom, which has surveillance cameras. Why don’t we go ask the principal how they admitted such a perverted student with a dirty mind?” “You dare!” Mark grabbed me, his eyes full of warning. I skillfully dodged and punched him in the face. “Everyone, come look! The monitor is harassing a female student!” At this point, Lucas couldn’t sit still anymore. He quickly ran over. “Cassie, stop making a scene! Mark—” “Everyone, come look! The teaching assistant is harassing a female student! Could the female students please call the police for me!” Hearing about calling the police, the two men saw that the situation was getting out of hand and even tried to cover my mouth. Just then, the drill instructor walked over. “It’s break time. What’s going on here?” After a cacophony of explanations, the situation was finally clarified. The drill instructor gave Mark a cold glare, then looked meaningfully at Lucas. “During orientation, unauthorized personnel are not allowed to interfere.” Lucas’s face darkened. The head instructor ordered Mark to apologize to me before quickly taking them away. I also called the principal after class, and by the afternoon, Mark had been stripped of his monitor position. When he looked at me now, his eyes were full of venom. What’s there to be afraid of? I smirked. This was just the first step!

In the evening, to save face, Lucas invited the whole class to eat at the cafeteria. “Lucas, I heard Sullivan Corp donated a building to the school because you came to work here. That’s so generous.” “Our school is one of the top universities in the city. Lucas gave up working at the company to come here… he must be here to gain experience, right?” The classmates chattered away. Lucas neither confirmed nor denied, letting them talk. He enjoyed being the center of attention, as if he had the whole world in the palm of his hand. Just then, a girl said in a sarcastic tone, “Cassie Sullivan really has no luck. She offended Lucas and now she’ll never have the fortune to eat in the VIP dining hall.” As soon as she finished speaking, I sauntered past her, carrying two plates of food. The VIP dining hall was donated by my mom. I’ve been a picky eater since childhood. Worried that I wouldn’t adapt to the food, my mom specially donated a dining hall building, and the third floor was practically my private restaurant. Seeing this, everyone’s faces fell. The girl muttered, “She couldn’t have sold herself, could she?” As soon as the words left her mouth, a resounding slap landed on her face. Under her shocked gaze, my bodyguard stepped back and respectfully said to me, “Miss Sullivan, I’ve dealt with the foul-mouthed individual for you. Please enjoy your lunch.” I raised an eyebrow slightly. My mom taught me to be low-key, but some people are really despicable. If you’re low-key, they’ll think you’re easy to bully. So, after my confrontation with them this morning, I hired two bodyguards to protect me. My life comes first. Under the girl’s murderous gaze and Lucas’s gloomy eyes, I raised an eyebrow and smiled. “Lucas, can you afford this?” Sure enough, Lucas was provoked by me. In his anger, he took everyone to the most expensive area. After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, the bill came to nearly ten thousand dollars. He trembled slightly in pain but pretended to be generous as he handed over his card. The cafeteria lady took it and swiped it on the machine. “Insufficient balance. Please top up.” Suddenly, the air went quiet. Lucas frowned slightly. He snatched the card back in disbelief and swiped it on the machine a couple more times. Still insufficient balance. He tried other methods, all showing no money. He cursed in frustration, then under the gaze of his classmates and the cafeteria lady, Lucas took out his phone and messaged me. “Cassie, come over quickly and let me use your meal card. Godmother said we should help each other in the new school.” I immediately blocked him. Having seen enough of the show, I turned to leave. Not wanting Lucas to be embarrassed, one of his admirers grabbed me. “Cassie Sullivan, here’s a chance for you to redeem yourself. Hurry up and pay for Lucas!” Seeing me, Lucas’s eyes lit up. He took a few steps towards me and pulled me over. “Use your meal card to pay. I’ll forget about what happened this morning and treat you even better in the future.” I rolled my eyes and kicked Lucas in the leg. He grimaced in pain, and I continued to twist the knife. “Used to being a beggar, aren’t you?” I showed everyone the message he sent me. “Using my family’s money to gain fame, then slandering me, and now ordering me around? The housekeeper’s son has really opened my eyes.” “Trying to mooch off me, huh?”

Everyone looked at Lucas with meaningful gazes. Some of the sharper ones seemed to have caught on to what was happening. “Cassie Sullivan!” Lucas’s face was ugly. In this life, he probably hated being called the housekeeper’s son more than anything. He clenched his fists tightly, wanting to hit me, but when he saw my bodyguards behind me, he immediately backed down. He gritted his teeth. “Cassie, we grew up together. Even if you don’t like me, you shouldn’t slander me like this.” “Which part of what I said was wrong?” I hadn’t said a single wrong word, but his admirer Wendy jumped out. “You’re not slandering him? If Lucas isn’t Mr. Sullivan’s son, why would Mr. Sullivan donate a building to the school?” “I heard this with my own ears.” “And how many expensive gifts has Lucas bought for you?” I laughed in disbelief. “You mean the 99-cent roses from the dollar store? The ones that lost their color? Or the random soda can tab he picked up from the street?” “You want this kind of treatment? Be my guest.” Wendy threw herself into Lucas’s arms, whining. “Lucas, look at what this gold digger is saying. She’s not even willing to spend ten thousand dollars on you. All the designer clothes and accessories she’s wearing were bought with your money. She doesn’t deserve your affection!” “I say, you should make her return everything and teach her a lesson!” I felt like I had just heard the joke of the century. I turned to look at Lucas. “You bought them? Can you even afford them?” Lucas coughed lightly, his eyes darting around. “You… you hurry up and pay. I’ll have my mom transfer the money to you later.” “Then why don’t you ask your mom to transfer it to you now?” I looked at him mockingly. Under everyone’s gaze, he sent a message to my mom, only to receive a red exclamation mark. Hmm, Special Assistant Wang did a good job. Before coming to the cafeteria, I had already asked Special Assistant Wang to freeze the cards of Lucas and his mother. Not only that, to prevent him from deceiving my mom, I directly had Special Assistant Wang block them all. Under everyone’s gaze, Lucas was extremely embarrassed. “I contacted the wrong person.” “Tsk, can’t even find the right mom.” I smiled and said, “You’re not planning to dine and dash, are you?”

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When the earthquake hit, I was trapped under the rubble alongside another woman. “She has a steel rod piercing her chest,” the doctor said, gesturing toward me. “She needs immediate attention, or she won’t make it.” Just as the rescue team was about to rush to me, my husband, Eric Blake, appeared out of nowhere. “Save her first!” he shouted, pointing at the other woman. “She’s pregnant!” I followed his gaze and saw the desperation in his eyes as he looked at her. But he didn’t know—I was pregnant too. The doctor attending to me called out urgently, “She’s losing too much blood! I suspect she has a clotting disorder. If we don’t act now, she won’t make it!” I nodded weakly, my vision blurry, silently begging Eric to choose me. But Eric’s voice was calm, deliberate, and unyielding. “I’m her husband,” he said, pointing at me. “If anything happens, I’ll take full responsibility.” Eric’s words made the rescue team hesitate for a moment, but ultimately, they turned away from me and went to the other woman. After all, with a family member willing to take responsibility, it didn’t matter who they saved first. I lay there on the cold, crumbling ground, my mind spinning with disbelief. Eric’s words echoed over and over in my head. The doctor and nurse working on me exchanged glances and couldn’t hold back their frustration. “Unbelievable,” one muttered. “His wife is critically injured, but he’s prioritizing another woman?” “And that woman doesn’t even look hurt,” the other nurse chimed in. “Just a few scrapes and bruises, but she’s acting like she’s the most injured person here.” “Seven years of marriage, and this is what she gets,” the first one added bitterly. “Her chest is literally impaled, and her husband doesn’t even blink an eye.” Their words cut deeper than the wound in my chest. I turned my head slightly and saw Eric cradling the other woman—her name was Lauren. His hands were trembling as he held her close, his face full of worry, guilt, and tenderness. It was a side of him I had never seen in all our years together. Not once, in seven years of marriage, had he ever looked at me like that. He wasn’t heartless. His heart just didn’t belong to me. It belonged entirely to Lauren. As my body grew colder, I realized I was losing the strength to hold on. If something didn’t change soon, I wouldn’t just lose my life—I’d lose my baby too. Summoning every ounce of energy I had left, I grabbed the nurse’s hand, my voice trembling. “Please,” I begged, “save me. I’m pregnant too…” Before the nurse could respond, Eric walked over, still holding Lauren in his arms. When he heard my words, his face twisted with disgust. “Even now,” he sneered, “you’re still trying to manipulate me with your little sob stories. How pathetic.” His words hit me like a slap. “You’re lying,” he continued coldly. “You’re just saying that to compete with Lauren. She’s the one who’s actually pregnant.” He turned to the doctor with a sharp tone. “Don’t waste your time on her. She’s perfectly fine. Check on Lauren instead—she needs a full examination.” I couldn’t fight anymore. My grip on the nurse’s hand loosened, and my vision dimmed. The nurse screamed, “She’s crashing! We’re losing her!” But Eric didn’t even glance my way. “I told you,” he snapped, “if anything happens, I’ll take responsibility. She’s just faking it. Focus on Lauren—she’s the priority here!” The doctor hesitated but ultimately followed Eric’s orders, leaving me behind to check on Lauren. Only the young nurse stayed by my side, her hand gripping mine tightly. “Hang on,” she whispered, her voice trembling with emotion. “We’re going to save you. I promise.” I tried to stay awake, but the pain was unbearable. Warm blood was seeping out of me, and no one seemed to care. As my tears fell silently, I had one last thought before slipping into unconsciousness: How could this hurt so much? Seven years of marriage, and when it came down to life or death, he didn’t even hesitate to choose someone else. I woke up in the ER, the blinding white light above me making me squint. “Hey,” a soft voice said. It was the young nurse who had stayed with me. Her eyes were red, and her voice wavered as she spoke. “You’re awake,” she said, relief flooding her face. “Thank God.” She hesitated, biting her lip before continuing. “Do you have another family member we can contact? We need someone to sign the anesthesia consent form.” I stared at her, confused. “We’ve been calling your husband,” she explained, “but he’s not answering.” My chest tightened. Of course, Eric wasn’t answering. He was probably too busy taking care of Lauren to even think about me. “It’s fine,” I whispered, my voice hoarse. “I’ll sign it myself.” The nurse looked at me with pity as I shakily scribbled my name on the form. As the pain threatened to pull me under again, I heard the faint murmur of voices from the staff around me. “Marriage really is a gamble, isn’t it?” one of them said. “Look at the guy with the pregnant woman—he’s treating her like she’s made of glass.” “Yeah,” another agreed. “And then there’s this poor woman. She’s on death’s door, and her husband’s nowhere to be found.”

The young nurse’s voice was uneasy, and when she noticed the whispered remarks from the other medical staff, she quickly interrupted, worried I’d overhear. “Please, stop talking!” she snapped. But I wasn’t upset. In fact, I almost wanted to laugh. What would they think if they knew the man they called a “good husband” had abandoned his wife and unborn child to fawn over another woman? None of it mattered anymore. The only thing I cared about now was saving my baby. As the anesthesia began to flow through my veins, I caught the nurse’s gaze and whispered weakly: “My baby…” But before I could say another word, the darkness swallowed me whole. When I opened my eyes again, the sharp smell of disinfectant filled my nose. The lingering effects of the anesthesia made my limbs feel heavy, but the first thing I did was lift a trembling hand to my stomach. “You’re awake! How are you feeling?” The young nurse, now standing in the doorway, let out a sigh of relief when she saw me stir. Her eyes sparkled with joy as she stepped closer, pulling the blanket snugly around me. “Don’t worry,” she said gently. “The baby is safe.” Hearing those words, I exhaled deeply, my heart easing for the first time in what felt like an eternity. But the nurse wasn’t finished. She pouted, her tone tinged with frustration as she continued. “Still… I don’t understand. Your husband treats you like this, but even when your life was on the line, all you cared about was his child. Is it really worth it?” I forced a weak smile, one that barely reached my eyes. “The baby is innocent,” I murmured. “At least they deserve a chance.” The nurse paused, her expression softening with sympathy. She nodded slowly, though her pity was clear in her eyes. Without saying more, she told me to rest and left the room. I tried to let sleep claim me again, my body heavy with exhaustion. But just as my eyes fluttered shut, muffled voices drifted in from the room next door. The voices were unmistakable. “Eric, it hurts so much,” a woman whimpered. “Lauren, I’m right here,” Eric replied in a voice so soft, so tender, that it sent a chill through me. My lashes trembled. I stared blankly at the ceiling, my chest tightening. “Eric… the baby…” Lauren continued, her voice laced with fragility. “Don’t worry,” Eric soothed her. “I’m here. The baby’s fine. I won’t let anything happen to you or the baby.” His tone was filled with a warmth I had never heard before—a patience and care he had never once shown me. “Shouldn’t you check on her?” Lauren asked hesitantly. “Your wife… she seemed really badly hurt.” And just like that, the warmth in Eric’s voice disappeared. “Why should you care about her?” he snapped. “You’re too kind, Lauren. That woman is manipulative and cruel. She even tried to lie about being pregnant just to steal resources from you. Someone like that… if she dies, it’s what she deserves.” My mind went blank, and before I could stop them, tears spilled from my eyes. The steel rod that had pierced my chest didn’t hurt nearly as much as the words Eric had just said. I couldn’t listen anymore. I forced my eyes shut, trying to block out the pain. When my condition stabilized, they moved me to a standard recovery room. I decided to call the housekeeper, Mary, to help take care of me. The phone rang for a long time with no answer. Just as I was about to hang up, the door creaked open. Mary walked in, carrying a food container. Our eyes met, and I immediately noticed the awkwardness in her expression. She looked startled and unsure, like she had walked into the wrong room. “Mary,” I said slowly, setting my phone aside. “Why didn’t you answer my call?” She hesitated, gripping the container tightly behind her back. “I… I’m here because Mr. Blake asked me to come,” she stammered. I let out a bitter laugh, though I wasn’t surprised. Of course Eric had sent her. If he could insist on saving Lauren during the earthquake, it was no stretch to think he’d send the housekeeper to care for her afterward. I cleared my throat and smiled faintly at Mary. “Well, since you’re here, why don’t you take me for a walk?” Mary hesitated for a moment but eventually nodded, pushing a wheelchair toward me. We stopped in front of Lauren’s room. Inside, I saw her lying on the hospital bed. She was young and beautiful, with flawless porcelain skin and delicate features. Her arched eyebrows framed a pair of clear, innocent eyes. When she noticed me, she didn’t look surprised. Instead, she regarded me with a calm, almost entitled expression. “Mary, who is this?” Lauren asked, her voice soft but filled with authority. I didn’t answer. I just stared at her in silence. Mary fidgeted nervously before clearing her throat. “She… she’s Mr. Blake’s wife,” Mary said, her voice barely above a whisper. Lauren’s expression shifted instantly. She put on an exaggerated look of pity, her voice turning saccharine. “Oh, so you’re Eric’s wife,” she said, emphasizing the word wife with a pointed sweetness. “Please don’t blame Eric,” she continued, her eyes brimming with fake remorse. “It’s all my fault. If I hadn’t gotten hurt… if I hadn’t been pregnant… Eric would never have left you to take care of me.” Her words dripped with mock humility, but I could hear the triumph hidden beneath her tone. I chuckled coldly. “Eric has terrible taste,” I said plainly. “If he likes you so much, he can have you. A man like that isn’t worth keeping.” I turned my wheelchair to leave, but before I could get far, I felt a sudden, violent shove from behind. The wheelchair slammed into the bedside table, and I was thrown to the ground. Pain shot through my body like fire, leaving me gasping. Mary rushed to help me, her face pale with panic. “Are you okay?” she cried, trying to lift me back into the chair. Behind me, Lauren’s voice was sickeningly sweet. “Oh no, I’m so sorry,” she said, her tone dripping with insincerity. “I didn’t mean to push you. I just got so anxious—I didn’t want you to misunderstand me and Eric.” Her words barely registered. A warm, wet sensation spread between my legs, and when I looked down, I saw blood staining my hospital gown. Lauren let out a dramatic gasp. “Oh no, she’s bleeding! Someone help! We need a doctor!” Her voice was filled with panic, but as our eyes met, I caught a fleeting glimmer of satisfaction in her gaze. They rushed me into the operating room, but this time, luck didn’t save me. When I woke up, my baby was gone. Eric was sitting beside the bed, his expression dark and brooding. For a brief moment, I thought he had finally realized what had happened. But his first words shattered that hope. “You shouldn’t have gone to see Lauren.” “What?” I whispered, staring at him in disbelief. Eric’s tone was cold and accusatory. “You brought this on yourself,” he said flatly. “If you’d just stayed in your room and left Lauren alone, none of this would’ve happened.” I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms as I fought back tears. He didn’t even know about the baby. And he never would. Reaching into his pocket, Eric pulled out a pair of earrings and placed them on the bedside table. “What’s this?” I asked, my voice hollow. “It’s for you,” he said, clearing his throat. I recognized the earrings immediately. They were a pair I had once begged him to buy. Back then, he’d scolded me, saying a married woman shouldn’t waste money on frivolous things like jewelry. So why now? Eric’s next words answered my question. “There’s been a lot of media attention on the earthquake,” he said carefully. “And?” “And… reporters are coming to the hospital tomorrow. I need you to let Lauren take your place for the interview. She’ll pretend to be my wife.” Chapter 4 Eric’s shameless words disgusted me to the core. I couldn’t hold back and asked coldly, “And how exactly am I supposed to ‘let’ someone else be me?” Eric glanced at me, his tone calm, as if he’d already planned everything. “I’ve already taken care of it. The medical records have been swapped. No one will ever find out.” I stayed silent. Seeing my lack of response, Eric softened his voice, mistaking my silence for hesitation. “I know you’ve always wanted a child. Once you recover, we’ll have another one. I promise.” He leaned in slightly, his tone almost coaxing. “You know, my company is about to go public. This kind of publicity is exactly what we need to solidify its reputation. And with Lauren being a public figure, her involvement will draw even more attention.” He paused, as if delivering the final pitch of a business deal. “If we handle this right, it’ll be a win-win for all of us. This is for the greater good.” I couldn’t help but laugh—cold and bitter. Of course, even now, Eric’s only thoughts were for Lauren and himself. Not once, not for a single moment, had he considered me. “Fine,” I said flatly, nodding without hesitation. Relief washed over his face as he grabbed my hand, his voice suddenly filled with faux affection. “Thank you for understanding. We’re in this together, aren’t we? When I succeed, you’ll benefit too.” He stood up, patting my hand like a business partner sealing a deal. “Get some rest. I’ll check on you later.” But the irony was, he never came back. By the morning of the interview, Eric hadn’t visited once. Through some inquiries, I found out the press conference was being held in the hospital’s main hall. Ignoring the pain coursing through my still-healing body, I dragged myself there, timing my arrival perfectly. When I reached the crowded hall, reporters had already packed the space, their cameras clicking nonstop. Through the sea of people, I spotted Eric immediately. He was standing beside Lauren, who sat demurely in a wheelchair. Lauren had dressed herself to look as if she’d barely survived the disaster—her face pale, her arm in a sling, and a thin blanket draped over her lap. Eric stood behind her, his hands resting protectively on the wheelchair handles. They looked every bit the perfect, loving couple. Reporters swarmed them, microphones thrust forward as questions flew. “Ms. Hayes,” one reporter asked, “you’ve been through so much. Who would you say you’re most grateful to for surviving this ordeal?” Lauren gave a faint, angelic smile, her voice soft and delicate. “I want to thank the doctors who saved me. Without their incredible efforts, neither I nor my baby would be here today.” She paused strategically, her hand brushing over her stomach, before continuing: “But most of all, I want to thank my partner. During those life-and-death moments, his unwavering support gave me the strength to hold on.” The crowd erupted into applause, voices rising in admiration. “How inspiring! Your love must have only grown stronger through this experience.” “Absolutely. With so many families torn apart by the earthquake, it’s a miracle that the three of you made it out alive. You’re truly blessed.” Another reporter turned to Eric, their voice brimming with praise. “Mr. Blake, not only are you a successful businessman, but you’re also a devoted husband. You’re an inspiration to men everywhere. Do you have any advice for others on how to balance work and love so perfectly?” Eric, ever the performer, bent slightly toward the microphone. He looked down at Lauren with a gaze so tender it made me sick to my stomach. He cleared his throat, preparing to deliver yet another well-rehearsed line. But before he could say a word, I stepped forward. Pushing through the crowd, I walked directly toward him, clutching the item I had brought with me. The room fell silent as I approached, my every step echoing in the tense air. And then, without hesitation— SLAP! The sound of my palm striking Eric’s face echoed through the hall. He stumbled back, nearly losing his balance, his hand flying to his cheek in shock. The room erupted into chaos. Reporters gasped, their cameras whirring as they turned to capture the scene. “Lydia, what the hell are you doing?!” Eric shouted, his voice a mix of anger and disbelief. But I didn’t look at him. My gaze was locked on Lauren, who stared at me wide-eyed, frozen in her wheelchair. I pointed directly at her, my voice sharp and unyielding. “She’s your wife?” I said, my tone dripping with sarcasm. “Then who am I? Did you ever stop to think about our child?” Eric’s mouth opened, but no sound came out. Before he could respond, I reached into my arms and tore away the black cloth I’d been holding. Gasps filled the room as I revealed the small, square box underneath. It was a child’s urn.

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