Category: English

  • Exposing the Fake Innocent Adopted Sister: I Regained My Family’s Love

    After graduating from high school, my adopted sister got into a diploma mill, while I was accepted into Oxford University. My dad rewarded her with an apartment, but kicked me out of the house. Jade waved the property deed in front of me, gloating. “Amelia, what does it matter if you’re their biological daughter? You’ll never be able to compete with me.” The next day, I moved into the most expensive villa in the city, tears in my eyes. “Now this is fitting for an heiress! Haha!” Jade was the daughter of my dad’s good friend. Her mother died when she was young, and when she was ten, her father died in an accident at a construction site. My parents felt sorry for her and adopted her, thinking I’d have a companion. Little did they know, she would try to gradually replace me and take everything for herself. Of course, how could a child raised with a privileged education lose to an outsider putting on an innocent act? The day before my interview, Jade bought bubble tea for everyone in our class. She even made a grand announcement from the teacher’s podium. “I’ll cover the cost of our class gathering dinner.” Everyone cheered and praised her from below. As the noise died down, Fiona Taylor, who sat in front of me, deliberately spoke loudly with a sarcastic tone. “Jade, you’re so generous! Not like some people who have money but won’t even treat everyone to a few dollars’ worth of bubble tea.” Since middle school, Jade had been pretending not to know me at school. She was afraid that my outfit without designer logos would be associated with her. I rested my left cheek on my hand, watching these hypocrites praising each other. When Jade brought the bubble tea to me, she pretended to be kind. “Amelia, don’t mind what Fiona said. She’s just straightforward, try to understand.” I ignored her, rolled my eyes, and reached for my textbook. “Splash!” The bubble tea that had been sitting steadily on the desk suddenly spilled all over the floor. While I was still staring at the spilled tea in confusion, Jade was already playing the victim beside me. “Amelia, if you hate me, just say it. There’s no need for this.” All the students who had been focused on their homework looked up at the commotion. Fiona immediately stood up and went to Jade’s side, supporting her swaying body. “Amelia, Jade was kind enough to buy bubble tea for everyone. Not only are you ungrateful, but you’re also wasting her kindness. How can you be so heartless!” This works? What a manipulative bitch. Jade could go straight to the Film Academy with her acting skills. Seeing that the whole class was looking at her with sympathy, I knew that no matter how I explained, it would be useless. I glanced at the camera on top of the podium. Let’s see how you’ll act your way out of this one. “If everyone thinks I’m bullying her, then let’s go to the office and check the camera footage!” Hearing about the camera, Jade, who had been acting weak and pitiful, immediately came forward and grabbed my hand. “Amelia, I don’t want to make a big deal out of this. If you don’t want to apologize, let’s just forget about it.” “Framing someone and then playing innocent?” Before I could speak, a deep, sarcastic male voice came from behind.

    I turned back in surprise. It took me a moment to remember. He was Henry Carter, a repeating student who had just transferred to our class. I had been so focused on studying that I hadn’t paid much attention to him before. Jade’s scheme had been exposed in front of everyone. Her eyes filled with tears as she bit her lip. “Henry, don’t say that. It was clearly her…” “Cut the crap. If you have any shame left, clean up the mess on the floor and go back to your seat to do your homework. Stop chirping here and disturbing my sleep.” Henry impatiently interrupted her. At this point, the classmates were all whispering and gossiping about Jade. Jade glared at me hatefully and ran back to her seat, pretending to sob. Tsk tsk, how pitiful~ Haha, serves her right! Seeing the situation, Fiona didn’t dare to be arrogant anymore and quietly shrank back to her seat. I covered my mouth and lowered my head, secretly laughing.

    When I returned home after school in the afternoon. Jade tactfully told my parents about what happened at school. Without distinguishing right from wrong, my dad immediately asked me to apologize to Jade at the dinner table. “Amelia, how could you throw such a tantrum? Quickly apologize to Jade.” I looked up and saw Jade flash a challenging smile in the moments when my parents weren’t looking at her. As soon as my dad turned his gaze to her, she put on a teary-eyed act. “Dad, maybe Amelia was just in a bad mood. Don’t blame her.” Bad mood my ass. I had received an offer from Oxford University, I was in a good mood every day. Hearing this, my dad became even more convinced that I was being unreasonable. “Jade, don’t speak up for her. She’s just been spoiled since childhood.” I calmly put down my chopsticks and responded quietly. “Dad, I didn’t do anything wrong. Jade is twisting the facts.” My dad had always been very strict with me. Because they only had one daughter, he and mom didn’t allow for any mistakes in my upbringing. They always admonished me not to be too willful, not to be ostentatious, to be humble. When Jade threw tantrums, was arrogant, and overbearing, they never disciplined her. If it weren’t for the fact that her last name was Foster and mine was Wilson, I would have doubted whether I was their biological daughter. This was the first time I had ever talked back to him like this, and I could see he was holding back his anger. “Amelia, your father is just looking out for you. You can’t be so willful in life,” my mom came to my side and tried to persuade me in a low voice. Ever since Jade came to our family, my parents always believed her side of the story and did whatever she said. This time, I really exploded! “Ever since she came into this family, you’ve always listened to her side of the story, and everything I say is wrong. I said it wasn’t me, so it wasn’t me!” My dad finally couldn’t hold back. He slammed his bowl on the dining table and raised his hand to strike me. I gritted my teeth and glared at him, not showing any fear at all. In the end, he couldn’t bring himself to hit me. He sighed and lectured me. “Amelia, Dad just hopes you can be a magnanimous person, not so petty.” Hah, magnanimous. I’ve already been magnanimous enough, so much so that my mom and dad have almost become hers.

    Since she came into the Wilson family, she’s known how to please my parents. The most common things I heard from my parents were: “Amelia, look how well-behaved Jade is, she never gives us any trouble.” “Amelia, you need to learn to be independent. Jade has been without parents since she was little, you should be more understanding of her.” “Jade is so good, at such a young age she already knows how to think of us.” … I’ve had enough of these words. What’s the difference between having parents and not having them in a family like this? They only know that Jade has no parents and needs to be given fatherly and motherly love, but what about me? Letting Jade parasitize the Wilson family for so many years, it’s time for me to take back the familial love that belongs to me. This was the first time in many years that I had such an unpleasant argument with my parents. I’ll deal with that little bitch after the interview in a few days. That night, I took a shower and lay down in bed to sleep peacefully. “Bang!” The door was kicked open by someone. Whoever it is, disturbing this young lady’s beauty sleep, don’t expect to walk out of this room in one piece. No need to guess, it must be that bitch. My parents happened to be on a business trip abroad tonight, she’s dead meat. She stood in front of me arrogantly with her arms crossed. “Amelia, didn’t you already receive an offer from Oxford University? Why are you still going for an interview? What are you pretending for?” This person has completely worn away my patience. I was originally planning to let her have a few good days. But since she’s asking for a beating, I’ll grant her wish. I got up stretching lazily, giving her a disdainful look. Ugh, how disgusting. “Yes, I’m pretending. Why shouldn’t I show off when I have the ability to?” Jade sneered. “Amelia, no matter how hard you try, Mom and Dad will only listen to me. In their hearts, you’re just a spoiled daughter.” “Jade, I really don’t know what’s going on in your head. My last name is Wilson and yours is Foster. The Wilson family will eventually be mine. If you don’t try to please me now and instead provoke me, the consequences will be very bad for you.” Jade hated nothing more than her last name being Foster. Previously, she had hinted several times that she wanted my dad to change her last name to Wilson, but was always rejected by my dad. My dad might be loyal to his friends, but he’s not stupid enough to let an outsider compete with his own daughter for the family fortune. Jade was angered by my retort and lunged at me, trying to grab my hair. What she and my parents didn’t know was that while she was attending those art classes that I had already mastered in middle school, I was learning Taekwondo. I dodged to the side and grabbed her long hair, pulling it back. “Ah! Amelia, you dare hit me, I’m going to tell Mom and Dad!” I pinned her to the ground and quickly slapped her twice. Her fair cheeks immediately showed the imprint of my hand. Hah! I’m not the saintly protagonist from some tragic drama. I’ve always been the one hitting others, never the one being hit. Except by my dad! “Since you said I hit you even when I didn’t, I might as well not lose out.” “You dare!” Still talking tough while pinned down! “Slap!” I gave her another backhand slap. “This slap is to tell you not to provoke me when I’m sleeping.” Jade howled beneath me. “Ahh! Amelia, I’m going to kill you…” “Slap!” Another slap for her. “You can scream your throat raw tonight, Mom and Dad won’t come to save you.” I only stopped beating her when she begged for mercy, then I dragged her up. I kicked her out the door. Shut the door! That felt good. This is how you should deal with people like her. Warm-up complete, now I can sleep well.

    In the morning. I got up early to wash up. I put everything I needed to prepare into my bag. After getting ready, I went downstairs and saw a shocking sight. Jade had actually gotten up so early, and she was in the kitchen. This was the first time in eight years since she came to our family that I’d seen her making breakfast! I glanced out the window, wondering if I should bring an umbrella. It must be about to rain heavily. Seeing me come downstairs, Jade ran over to me with that swollen smiling face. I leaned back in disgust. Her tone had also become much gentler. “Amelia, I made breakfast for you. Let’s go to the interview together after we eat.” There’s no such thing as a free lunch, she must be up to something. I squinted at the exquisite breakfast on the table. A voice in my heart told me not to eat it. She couldn’t have tampered with the breakfast, could she? Seeing that I wasn’t touching the utensils, Jade urgently urged me from the side. “If you don’t eat now, we’ll be late. We have an interview today.” I gave her a cold sidelong glance, and she quickly ate her portion clean. “I’ve finished mine, are you satisfied now?” I used a fork to pick up a small section of sausage. Jade watched me with an expectant face, as if she couldn’t wait for me to eat it immediately. As the sausage reached my mouth, I stopped. “This sausage is too greasy, I’ve lost my appetite. Let’s go to school.” “Bang!” Jade angrily slammed the table as she stood up. “Amelia, don’t push your luck. I got up early to make breakfast for you and you dare not eat it!” Looks like it didn’t go according to her expectations, and now she’s furious. “Jade, you know very well who you are. I’m the genuine heiress of this family, it’s your honor to make breakfast for me.” I held up the milk and extended it to her. “Do you dare say you didn’t tamper with this food?” Jade looked at the milk, her confidence immediately deflating. She started putting on her innocent, pitiful act again. “Amelia, I was too excited earlier and didn’t express myself well. I really made breakfast for you with sincere intentions.” “Alright, if that’s the case, drink this milk and I’ll let bygones be bygones.” “Amelia! You…” Faced with this glass of milk, Jade actually retreated a few steps in fear. I knew this bitch was up to no good. I continued to hold the milk up to her mouth, and she turned pale with fright. “Enough! Amelia!”

    How did Dad come back? Wasn’t he supposed to be on a business trip for a week? I looked towards the door, Dad seemed to have rushed back, I didn’t even see his luggage. He walked over and swatted the milk out of my hand onto the floor. Jade immediately hid behind him. Crying pitifully. “Dad, last night Amelia beat my face swollen and wasn’t satisfied. This morning I made her breakfast to make her happy, but Amelia actually thought I was trying to poison her.” Dad saw her red and swollen cheeks and immediately believed her side of the story. “Amelia, if Jade hadn’t posted on Instagram last night and we saw it, we wouldn’t have known you hit her so hard. You’re getting more and more out of hand!” Hah, so that’s why she did it, to let Mom and Dad see. I’m not some stupid protagonist from a depressing story who lets an outsider suppress me. “Jade, stop acting weak in front of Dad. If you didn’t poison it, then eat my portion!” She’s really good at acting, this bitch! I grabbed her from behind Dad and pressed her head towards the breakfast plate. She screamed in fear. “Dad, save me! Amelia, what have I done to offend you? Just because I told Dad you bullied me at school, you’re treating me like this?” “Amelia, what are you doing! You dare to act like this in front of me!” Dad pulled me away, his hand raised to strike me. “Young miss, please stop fighting. You have an interview today and you’ll be late if you don’t leave now!” The family driver, Uncle Lee, appeared just in time, and Dad’s hand stopped in mid-air. He glared at me angrily, with a look of disappointment. “Amelia, after your interview, move out of this house. You need to go out and experience life. You’re too willful and unreasonable.” I didn’t argue, just felt disappointed by Dad’s bias. I picked up my bag and walked straight out the door. 6. After the college entrance exam, I packed all my clothes and called a moving company. I absolutely won’t stay in this house for another second. Jade came to my room, strutting arrogantly. She waved the property deed in front of me, gloating. “Amelia, what does it matter if you’re their biological daughter? You’ll never be able to compete with me.” “Dad said that whether or not I can get into college, he’ll arrange everything for me in the future. This house is his gift for my coming of age.” I pretended to approach her with a dejected face. “Jade, you’re so lucky. I have nothing, even if I got accepted into Oxford University, what’s the use?” Jade thought I was really beaten down by her scheme. She leaned in close to my ear, gloating. “Amelia, even though you didn’t get any rewards, at least you got into Oxford University. You can rent a place to live when you get to college, haha.” Looking at her smug expression, if she knew that this house originally belonged to her biological father, she’d probably be furious. A month before the interview, I accidentally overheard my parents talking about this house in the study. This house was bought by Jade’s father, who had saved money working at construction sites his whole life. He paid for it in full. Before he died, he left the property deed with my dad, to be given to her when she turned eighteen. Although it wasn’t in a great location, her biological father really loved her and made sure she had a safety net before he passed away. I never expected Jade to be so heartless. For the sake of becoming a rich heiress, she didn’t even want to keep her own last name. Moreover, her biological father was a taboo subject for her. She only acknowledged her identity as the young miss of the Wilson family. Her father’s identity as a worker only made her feel ashamed. Looking at her like this, I just found it laughable. I didn’t want to waste any more words on her. I’m moving into my big villa now!

    When Grandpa found out I had been kicked out, he immediately gave me the most expensive villa in the city. He said that my acceptance into Oxford University brought glory to the family, and this was just the tip of the iceberg. In the future, all of the Wilson family’s assets would be mine. As soon as I arrived at the villa, the servants lined up to welcome me. This… is a bit too extravagant, isn’t it? I usually don’t like such a high-profile entrance, but who can refuse when their family is rich? Haha… “Welcome home, young miss!” At the end of the line of servants stood a small, white-haired old man in a suit, smiling kindly. That’s my grandpa. I immediately dropped my luggage and ran to him. “Grandpa!” “Oh my, my dear granddaughter, you seem to have grown taller.” I pouted, “Come on, we just saw each other last week, how could I change so quickly?” Grandpa laughed heartily and led me inside. The villa was very large, with a medieval-style interior, grand and luxurious. Grandpa first took me to sit in the pavilion. He had the servants bring some of my favorite cakes. I hadn’t eaten these cakes in a long time. Grandpa really loves me the most, it warmed my heart. I wolfed down several pieces. Seeing this, Grandpa frowned. “Did you suffer at your parents’ house? Tell Grandpa, I’ll go beat up your dad!” I drained my tea in one gulp. Pouting, I imitated Jade’s teary-eyed look and threw myself into Grandpa’s arms. “Grandpa~ They all bullied me~” I told Grandpa everything that had happened. After listening, Grandpa angrily slammed down his teacup.

    🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “294768”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #现实主义Realistic #惊悚Thriller #重生Reborn #魔幻Magic #励志Inspiring #浪漫Romance

  • Fall For You Again? No Way!

    I grew up with Ryan Parker, and we got married right after college graduation. After ten years of marriage, I still couldn’t have children. I felt incredibly guilty towards him and willingly quit my job to focus on getting pregnant. But my husband had long been involved with my housekeeper’s daughter. They sold off my family’s assets and plotted to kill my parents. They made me infertile, locked me in the basement, and forced me to watch their happy family of four while I died full of hatred. When I opened my eyes again, I had returned to my senior year of high school. Ryan Parker and I had been engaged since childhood. The year I graduated from middle school, Ryan’s father’s company went bankrupt due to mismanagement. Unable to bear the enormous debt, Ryan’s father chose to jump off a building. My parents felt sorry for the orphaned Ryan and his widowed mother. They paid off their debts and covered all their expenses. In other words, my family was supporting them. After college graduation, Ryan started working at my family’s company and married me. My parents were kind-hearted, but they ended up raising two ungrateful wolves. Ryan and his mother resented my parents for not paying off their debts before his father’s suicide. They conspired with others to kill my parents. Ryan also made me infertile and used my guilt to take control of my family’s company. By the time I discovered all of this, Ryan and his mistress already had two children. That day, after countless attempts at IVF, I finally succeeded in getting pregnant. Excited, I ran downstairs to share the joyful news with my beloved husband. It was also the day my family’s company declared bankruptcy. Ryan finally didn’t need to keep up appearances with me anymore. He brought his two children to meet me. I stood stunned at the bottom of the stairs, looking at the happy family of four. The two children looked just like Ryan. I couldn’t even deceive myself. “Ryan Parker, who are they?” I asked. “My wife and sons,” he replied. Tessa, sporting a baby bump, walked over to me step by step. She was my housekeeper’s daughter. “Miss High-and-Mighty, what good is your status now?” she sneered. “Your family’s assets are mine, and your man loves me.” She snatched the report from my hand. “Oh my! You’re pregnant?! How is that possible after all those birth control pills?!” Birth control pills? I had never taken any. Suddenly, I remembered the vitamins Ryan had prepared for me, always reminding me to take them. I turned to confront him, but Tessa pushed me down the stairs. I instinctively tried to protect my belly, but it was futile. A sharp pain shot through my abdomen. I struggled, begging Ryan to take me to the hospital. I saw Ryan covering his sons’ eyes, looking at me like I was trash. “Save me…” I pleaded. No one paid any attention. I felt blood slowly seeping from between my legs, my body growing colder. In my final moments, I heard Ryan’s voice. “Finally dead. If only she had been in the same car as those two old fools, we wouldn’t have had so much trouble.”

    “Chloe? Hello?” “This is Mrs. Chen’s class. How dare you zone out?” I found myself sitting in my high school classroom, as if waking from a long dream. I had returned to my senior year. “Tessa Thompson.” Hearing that name again, my hand clenched tightly around my pen. Tessa, with her high ponytail, stood up confidently from her seat to answer the teacher’s question. I turned my head slightly and saw Ryan through the gap of Tessa’s arm. And his eyes full of adoration. So Ryan had fallen for Tessa this early on. Ryan and Tessa consistently ranked first and second in our grade. In my previous life, they got into the same top university. I thought Ryan had fallen for her in college, but it turns out it was much earlier. Actually, at the beginning of high school, I was the top student. The kind that could beat the second place by dozens of points. Ryan always told me that my consistently outperforming him made him anxious. He said that with my family’s wealth, whether I went to college or not wouldn’t make much difference. He said his feelings for me wouldn’t change regardless of my grades, and that I should enjoy life instead of spending all my time studying. Gradually, influenced by him, I only got into an average college for my entrance exams. He, however, got into a top university along with Tessa. After we married, my ordinary degree became a reason for Ryan’s mother to look down on me. She felt that my average college education wasn’t good enough for her son who graduated from a top university. Thinking back now, I must have been out of my mind or kicked in the head by a donkey. Why did I pin my entire life on a man? And a man who relied on my family’s support, no less.

    During the break, I buried my head in my books. Although I hadn’t completely neglected my studies in my later years, I wasn’t as diligent as I had been in my freshman year. Given a second chance at life, I was determined to catch up on everything I had fallen behind on. My deskmate nudged my arm. Ryan had come over. “Chloe, this is for you,” he said. Just like in my previous life, it was a star bottle. I caught a glimpse of the reluctance hidden in Ryan’s eyes. “Thanks,” I said casually. As if he had completed a task by giving it to me, he turned and left without wanting to linger a moment longer. I carelessly placed the star bottle on my desk and continued reading my book. My deskmate stared at the star bottle for a while, then nudged me again. “Chloe, about this star bottle…” “What about it?” I asked. “I think I’ve seen it with Tessa before…” I nodded, still appearing to be focused on my book, but I was listening intently and keeping an eye on Tessa from the corner of my eye. I saw Tessa listening to Ryan explain a problem with a coy expression. I also overheard Ryan’s cronies talking. “Why is Chloe so calm today?” “Yeah! Ryan gave her something, hand-delivered it! Shouldn’t she be crying with joy?” “You don’t think she knows it’s something Tessa rejected, do you?” “As if! Getting something Tessa doesn’t want is an honor for her!” I remembered that in my previous life, when I received this star bottle, I had indeed reacted just as those boys expected. I was excited. I cried with joy. It was one of the few gifts Ryan had ever given me. That day, I posted about it on all my social media accounts. Back then, my deskmate had said the same thing to me, but I had flown into a rage. I looked at my deskmate with guilt-ridden eyes. Her face, still chubby with baby fat, looked terrified. She crossed her arms defensively, “Girl, I’m straight!” Way to ruin the mood. I went back to reading my book.

    After school, I couldn’t wait to get home. I missed my parents. I also wanted to tell them that I wanted to break off the engagement, that Ryan and his mother were ungrateful wretches. I excitedly rushed into the house but didn’t see a trace of my parents. I asked the butler, “Where are Mom and Dad?” “Miss, have you forgotten? The master and madam are abroad. They won’t be back for another two weeks.” Right, I had forgotten. I also realized something else. My father had always valued loyalty and friendship. He and Ryan’s father had been best friends, which was why he had paid off the Parker family’s debts after Ryan’s father died. If I suddenly brought up breaking off the engagement, Father would only think I was throwing a tantrum and definitely wouldn’t agree. But was I just going to let Ryan and his mother live comfortably for these two weeks? I couldn’t accept that. “Has the living allowance for the Parker family been given?” I asked. The butler replied, “Before the master left, he gave them three months’ worth of living expenses. It’s only been a month and a half.” The butler thought I wanted to give the Parker family their living allowance. As if I would. “Is it possible to freeze that card?” I asked. “You mean the one for the Parker family?” I nodded without hesitation. “That’s a card under the master’s name. It would require the master to do that.” If I couldn’t freeze the card, I could at least do some accounting. Since my middle school graduation, my family had been supporting Ryan and his mother. They needed to spit out every penny they had swallowed! “Gather all the records of payments made to the Parker family over the years. I want to see how much they owe us.” Back when Father had offered to pay for Ryan’s education, Ryan had been adamant about paying it back once he started working. The butler’s face showed confusion, but he couldn’t hide his smile. I wanted to slap myself hard. Even the butler could see that the Parker family was taking advantage of us. How had I been so blind in my previous life? During dinner, I received the account statement. “Thirty thousand dollars a month in expenses?!” Faced with my shocked expression, the butler nodded calmly. I only knew that my family was covering all the Parker family’s expenses, but I had no idea their spending was almost on par with my family, who lived in a mansion. “The master values loyalty, and young Mr. Parker is your fiancé. This amount of money is nothing to the master, so he didn’t pay much attention to it.” I ate my dinner with a cold expression. Now that my eyes were open, how could I let people treat my family like an ATM?

    At the teacher’s suggestion, our class formed study groups. Ryan, Tessa, three other classmates, and I were in one group. On the weekend, we met at the city park to study and discuss problems together. Ryan and Tessa arrived together. Now that I was immersed in my studies, I had no reaction to seeing them together. “Chloe, that question you asked last week really stumped Ryan. He even came to me to discuss it,” Tessa said. I glanced at Tessa, who was trying to make conversation, and saw the poorly concealed pride in her eyes, as well as the necklace around her neck. It was a limited edition piece from a luxury brand’s current season. Tessa was just my housekeeper’s daughter. The only reason she could attend the same high school as me was because my parents wanted me to have a companion. My family even paid her tuition. Where did she get the money to buy luxury goods? I had thought too highly of her. I had even considered letting her off the hook if she had been influenced by Ryan. Now I see, I won’t let her off at all. She can’t escape either. “Is that so?” I asked back. “But that question wasn’t difficult. I’ve already solved it.” “Re…really?” Tessa’s smile became a bit stiff. Ryan accused me, “If you’ve solved it, why waste my time?! My time is precious, you know?” “I just solved it,” I said innocently, pointing at the exercise book spread out on the stone table and Sam, who was sitting on the stone bench. Seeing Ryan’s expression like he had eaten something bitter, I felt very pleased. Ryan pulled Tessa to sit on the other side. I sat down too, continuing to eagerly bombard Sam, the real academic genius, with questions. I had to bribe him with a month’s worth of breakfasts before he agreed to tutor me. This was a true academic genius, the kind who could sleep through classes and still consistently rank tenth in the grade. Ryan and Tessa sat together, looking like a perfect couple. He was explaining problems to her, occasionally glancing at me. In his eyes, I should be madly in love with him now, ready to throw money at him to appease his anger. I did plan to go to him, but not to throw money. Towards the end of this group study session, I solemnly expressed my gratitude to Sam. Then, “Ryan, I have something to discuss with you.” I didn’t notice Sam’s initially pleased expression suddenly turn gloomy. Ryan wore a ‘just as I expected’ look and reluctantly said, “What is it? Speak.” I looked at Tessa and the other classmates, smiling somewhat mischievously. “I don’t mind, but you might care. Are you sure you want to do this here?” Ryan pulled me to the side. I handed him the account statement from my pocket. “You said it yourself back then that the money you used from my family was considered a loan. You’re an adult now, so here’s the bill. Remember to pay it back.” Ryan didn’t even look at the bill. With a face like death, he said, “You want me to pay you back?!”

    🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “294784”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #现实主义Realistic #惊悚Thriller #重生Reborn #魔幻Magic #励志Inspiring #浪漫Romance #擦边Steamy

  • Fifty Billion to Cure Cancer

    I received fifty billion dollars for helping a stray dog. If I could spend all this money, my liver cancer would be cured without medication. I looked at the balance on my phone and wiped away my tears fiercely. At least I could spend lavishly before I die, that’s worth something! The day I was diagnosed with liver cancer was Christmas. Christmas carols played in the streets, creating a joyful atmosphere. I walked down the street in a daze, holding my test results. The words “late-stage liver cancer” stood out starkly on my medical record. The doctor’s words still echoed in my ears. “If there’s anything you want to do, do it soon.” “Treatment won’t do much for you now, you’ve only got a few months left.” I had sensed something was wrong with my body for a while, so the results didn’t surprise me. It was more of an “Ah, so that’s it” feeling. Maybe it was the long-term overwork. Maybe it was the frequent business dinners and drinking. Maybe it was the aftermath of malnutrition during my teenage years. My phone screen lit up. My boyfriend Lucas sent a message. [Babe, I have to work overtime today, so I can’t spend Christmas with you.] I looked at the embracing couple not far away. So this was his overtime? In the face of life and death, even being cheated on didn’t seem to matter much anymore. But he shouldn’t have brought his sword-selling to my doorstep! I walked up and pulled apart the two who were kissing passionately. I slapped Lucas hard across the face. “Overtime?” He was stunned by the slap. He turned to see my hand still raised and was about to explode in anger. I slapped him again on his right cheek. “Is this what you call overtime? Making out with a girl?” I had initially fallen for Lucas’s face – gentle, refined, and elegant. Although he looked like a weakling with a bunch of issues, I couldn’t help but like him. So I played the innocent rabbit for three years. Who knew he’d turn out to be such a jerk! I still felt unsatisfied, so I slapped him again. This time he was thoroughly agitated, panting heavily and clenching his fists as he rushed towards me. I kicked him in the chest. He staggered back two steps and shouted, “Aria Anderson, are you fucking crazy?” I laughed coldly, “Yeah, crazy sick. Dying, in fact.” I kicked him again, knocking him to the ground. Lucas gasped in pain, unable to form coherent words. I stepped on him, grinding my foot, then turned to look at the people around us. A crowd was gathering, some taking out their phones to record. “I’m dealing with a cheating scumbag. Does anyone want to beg for mercy for him, or take a beating in his place?” As soon as I finished speaking, the crowd dispersed quickly. Soon, only the pale-faced young girl was left. She looked young, probably just out of college. “How long have you been dating?” The girl answered softly, “Less than six months.” “Did you know he had a girlfriend?” The girl nodded, “I know now.” “Are you still planning to continue with him?” The girl shook her head frantically, “No, no, I’m breaking up with him! Right now!” I nodded in satisfaction, “Then why aren’t you leaving?” “I’m going, I’m going. I wish you both—” I impatiently cut her off, “Don’t bother with wishes, I don’t have a habit of recycling scumbags.” After she left, I grabbed Lucas by the collar and threw him against the railing. I was naturally strong and had learned martial arts for a few years, so dealing with Lucas was a piece of cake. “Now, let’s talk about us.” “We’ve been dating for three years. How much money have I spent on you?” Lucas, with his face swollen like a pig’s head, no longer looking refined or elegant. “Thirty thousand, no, no, fifty thousand.” “Are you sure?” “And, and the thirty thousand I borrowed from you, a total of eighty thousand.” “No interest?” Lucas quickly changed his tune, “A hundred thousand! A total of hundred thousand!” I stuffed the medical record into my coat pocket, “Pay it back then. Cash or bank transfer?” “Tr-transfer,” he stuttered. I coldly watched him, “Don’t forget to add a note.” Lucas’s body trembled, and he immediately added a note and shakily entered the password to transfer the money. My phone vibrated once, a hundred thousand credited, with the note “repayment”. As I was leaving, I kindly asked him. “Do you want me to call the police for you?” Lucas trembled like a sieve, completely cowed. “No need, I just fell by accident, I didn’t see you today!” I felt somewhat empty, “Alright then.” “I quite liked those hands of yours, it would be a shame if they got broken for not behaving.” “Okay, get lost now.” Lucas stumbled to his feet and ran away pathetically. Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through my body, making me almost unable to stand straight. Beads of sweat formed on my forehead as I crouched down, hugging my knees. It took a while for the pain to subside. I slowly walked back, receiving a call from my mom on the way. “Aria, you haven’t sent this month’s money yet.” My heart sank to the bottom. I suddenly realized how worthless my years of contributions to the family had been. I was dying. Yet my family only cared about why I hadn’t sent money this month. These were the family members I had been thinking of leaving my inheritance to! “What, isn’t five thousand dollars a month enough for you and dad to spend?” “It’s enough, but your brother just graduated, he needs to rent a place and pay car loans, he’s short on cash.” I coldly replied, “So he’s short on cash and comes to me for money, am I an ATM?” “Am I his father or mother? Since when does an older sister have to support her adult brother?” My mom’s voice suddenly rose. “Aria Anderson, how dare you talk like that, don’t you remember your brother saved you when you fell into the river as a child!” Saved me? Alex was two years younger than me but much stronger due to better nutrition. Just because I refused to let him ride on my back, he pushed me into the river from the bank. Sophia actually knew about this. But for her son’s benefit, she always used this to guilt-trip me, treating me like a fool. Out of familial affection, I never spoke up about it. But now, there was no need to hold back anymore. I interrupted her, “Do you think I don’t remember because I was too young?” “Why don’t you ask Uncle Wang who actually saved me?” Sophia fell silent. She was about to start yelling as usual, but I didn’t give her the chance. “I have bank records of all the money I’ve sent you every month, as well as the down payment and mortgage for the house.” “Not only have I paid back the cost of raising me, but I’ve also covered your living expenses until you’re both eighty.” “If you’re not thinking straight and still want to make a fuss, I’ll beat your precious son to death!” “See who cares then!” Sophia’s vicious curses immediately erupted. I promptly hung up the phone and blocked all contact information for their entire family. My heart was completely calm. The past grievances and resentment seemed trivial in the face of death. In the last few months of my life, I just wanted to be good to myself. As I passed through a small alley, a rustling sound came from behind. In the dim light, a burly man with a scruffy beard stood there, holding a knife. Despite his efforts to control it, his hand was shaking. A novice? Me: “Robbery?” The man: “Yes, ah, you’re not scared—” I interrupted him, “Is five thousand enough? Give me your phone number, I’ll transfer it to you.” I’d rather give this five thousand to this robber than let Sophia have it! The man was a bit dazed. I pried open his hand, took out his phone from his pocket, pulled up the QR code, and transferred him five thousand. The man still hadn’t come to his senses. I frowned, “Is five thousand not enough? Any more would be impolite.” “You, why are you so cooperative?” To be honest, the man looked a bit silly, hunching like a big bear. I took out my medical record and showed him, “See this? Late-stage liver cancer, I’m beyond saving.” The man’s face paled, and tears suddenly streamed down his face. He wiped his tears messily and transferred the money back to me. Then he emptied all his pockets, taking out a handful of cash and stuffing it into my hands. “I’m so sorry, sis. My grandpa has cancer too, I really had no choice.” “Listen to me, sis, get good treatment, there’s always hope!” With that, he left, wiping his tears. I clutched the crumpled bills in my hand, my eyes moistening. Even a stranger could be so kind, yet my own blood relatives were so cold. Near the garbage bins at the entrance of my apartment complex, I found a stray dog with dirty fur. I felt a pang of compassion. I took off my down jacket, wrapped the stray dog in it, and went to a nearby pet hospital. Fortunately, we arrived in time to save its life. On the way home with the dog, I felt someone following me. Another robber? I turned around. It was a middle-aged man with graying hair, looking tired and travel-worn. His eyes were fixed on the puppy in my arms, a mix of heartache, sadness, and a bit of relief. This person seemed strange. “Young lady, can you give me back my grandson?” I held the puppy tighter, “How can you prove it?” The middle-aged man made a strange gurgling sound in his throat, unlike any sound a human could make. The next second, the weak puppy perked up a bit. It opened its eyes and gently pawed towards the middle-aged man. The man took it and patted its head. “Young lady, let me give you some money for your trouble.” I waved my hand in refusal, “No need, I’m dying soon, money is useless to me.” Hearing this, the man’s eyes instantly changed color. His black eyes turned green, and he looked me up and down, making my hair stand on end. The middle-aged man: “Good deeds are rewarded. You saved my grandson, our entire clan will be grateful to you.” “If you spend all this money within three months, your illness will be cured.” Me: ? My phone vibrated once, and when I checked, a new bank card was linked to my account. I counted the zeros, 5 billion? When I looked up again, the middle-aged man and the puppy who were just in front of me had disappeared. Something heavy dropped into my pocket, I reached in and felt a bank card. Is this real? I tried clearing out my shopping cart, and the interface showed payment successful, waiting for merchant shipment. That middle-aged man wasn’t lying to me! I hailed a taxi and went straight to the city center. Even if the cancer doesn’t get better in the end, it’s worth it to spend lavishly before I die! In the Gucci store. My face was as pale as a ghost, and my clothes were smeared with dirt from holding the puppy. The sales assistant was a young girl with a fresh face, speaking timidly, probably a new employee. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been sent to serve me. She was nice though, seeing I wasn’t wearing a coat, she even poured me a cup of hot water to warm my hands. I pointed at two coats and asked her to ring them up. “Miss, don’t you want to try them on?” I shook my head, “Just bill them directly.” After the payment was completed, I took out my phone and checked, the balance on the new bank card had changed. At the same time, a small progress bar appeared on my phone’s desktop. It read 99.98%. I called over the sales assistant who had been looking down on me since I entered, her attitude disdainful. “Excuse me, can I…” She directly rolled her eyes, her tone contemptuous. “We don’t accept returns once items are sold—” I rudely interrupted her, “Can you move aside? You’re blocking my view.” Then I waved over the new employee, little Chen. “Come here, young lady.” “What can I do for you, miss?” “See those three rows of bags? The second one in the first row, the first one in the second row, and the fourth one in the third row.” Chen scurried over to get those bags, “Shall I wrap them up for you?” “No.” The onlooking sales assistant was about to say something. I continued, “Except for these three, wrap up all the others that can be packaged, and put them all on your bill.” Chen was stunned for a moment, then her face lit up with joy as she repeatedly agreed. Except for the items that needed to be specially ordered and a few I really didn’t like, I almost emptied the entire store. The manager smiled broadly as she saw me out, promising to deliver the goods to my home tomorrow. I put on my new coat, and unwrapped the sunglasses and handbag. Just as I was about to leave, I caught sight of that disdainful, arrogant sales assistant out of the corner of my eye.

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  • My Boyfriend Dumped Me After Winning $5 Million, A Month Later I Drove Up In A Maserati And Told Him: You’re Too Low For Me

    My boyfriend won $20 million in the lottery and immediately broke up with me. “Our social classes are different. You’re too low for me.” Then he turned around and hooked up with that girl at work. I laughed. He forgot that lottery ticket was from the previous draw. I rolled down the window of my Maserati and said to them, “You two are way too low for me.” 1 “Let’s break up, Harper Westbrook! I just won $20 million in the lottery.” Chase Collins stood in front of me, his expression smug as he spoke those words. “All because of that?” I asked, looking up at him. “Of course! You’ve probably never even seen that much money, have you? My mom says there are different classes of people. Now that we’ve made it to the top, you and I aren’t on the same level anymore.” I couldn’t help but laugh. $20 million, and they think they’re part of high society? I didn’t even have time to tell him that my dad owns several buildings that rake in more than $20 million in rent every year, not to mention his companies. But it’s fine. Honestly, I was glad to get rid of someone like him. Better to cut ties early. No tears over love, only sleepless nights thinking about money! Chase glanced at me. “By the way, even though you paid for the $50 lottery ticket, I’m the one who bought it. So don’t expect a penny from me.” He’d always had this habit of buying lottery tickets, dreaming of getting rich overnight. But when it came time to pay, he’d always have an excuse—his phone was dead, or his payment wasn’t working. Right, because the bank really cares about a few bucks, right? “My mom doesn’t like you either,” Chase added. “She thinks you’re too tacky. Remember last time you met her? All you gave her were some cheap, no-name gifts. You embarrassed us.” I shot back, “God must’ve spilled wisdom all over the world, but your family held up an umbrella!” I still remember the first time I met his mom. I gave her a pure wool scarf designed by an Italian luxury designer, worth five figures, and a bottle of French court perfume. Now it’s apparently a ‘cheap, no-name gift’ to them. Like a catfish splashing water, suddenly thinking it’s seafood. He continued, “I won’t argue with you because I’m an elite. But since we’re breaking up, let’s settle things. Why don’t you sell back the gifts I gave you?” Typical Chase. Even winning the lottery doesn’t change his stinginess. “No need! I still have all the stuff you gave me! I’ll return every bit of it.” “Your $9.99 skincare set? I was too scared to use it, in case it ruined my skin! “That $19.99 shirt and tie set? I didn’t want to wear it in case I broke out in hives! “And that $10 box of bread? I was worried it’d make me sick, and even the medical bills wouldn’t cover it!” The crowd around us burst into laughter. Chase’s face turned red as he snapped back, “Don’t just bring that up! What about all the money I gave you? Didn’t I send you cash on holidays?” “Sure did.” I nodded, pulling out my phone to check the records. Valentine’s Day: $5.20, Fourth of July: $6.60, Christmas: $8.80… “You’re so thoughtful. So generous!” I laughed. Even my cousin in elementary school gives me more than that. I used to think he was so sweet and attentive that I didn’t care about the little things. But now? Looking back, I must’ve had water on the brain. Enough to fill the entire Lake Michigan! Chase puffed out his chest. “That was the past! Things are different now. I’ve won $20 million! I can buy whatever I want, and you no longer deserve to be with me!” I nodded. “Alright then. In that case, why don’t you return the gifts I gave you?” Chase laughed. “The stuff you gave me? It’s all knockoffs, isn’t it? How much could it be worth?” Chase grew up poor. His dad passed away early, and he and his mom depended on each other. To protect his fragile ego, I always cut the tags off the gifts I gave him, and they didn’t have any flashy logos. “That belt you’re wearing? Gucci, limited edition. $10,000. “Those shoes? C-brand, $15,000. “That jacket? Also C-brand, $30,000.” I listed them off, one by one. Chase’s face fell. “You think I’m an idiot? You couldn’t afford the real thing. You must’ve just bought some knockoffs to fool me!” Right, because he couldn’t tell real from fake. I pulled out my phone. “Here’s the purchase history and receipts. If you don’t believe me, go check with the store.” “And the scarf and perfume I gave your mom? They weren’t any cheaper than the stuff I gave you. But I’ll let that go. Just give me $100,000 for everything else I’ve gifted you.” In reality, I’d spent over $200,000 on him over the years. But if he gave me $200,000, his mom would probably make my life a nightmare. Chase gritted his teeth. “Who knows if what you gave me was real or fake? Let’s call it $50,000. I’ll give you $10,000 now and the rest once I cash in the lottery.” Fine by me. Even though it’s a drop in the bucket compared to my bank balance, who says no to more money? 2 After receiving the $10,000 in my account, I stood up and said to Chase, “Thanks, Chase. That’s the first time you’ve been so generous!” He looked pained but still spat back, “Good. Don’t ever come looking for me again, loser! “And don’t ever try to contact me. I’m afraid your bad luck will mess up my fortune.” I nodded vigorously, making sure he saw me agree. After Chase left, I told my driver to bring my Bentley around from the garage. I’m done pretending. That night, Chase posted on Instagram. There were two photos: one of the lottery ticket, and another of him taking a selfie at the Maserati dealership. The caption read: “Just focus on two things: working hard and loving yourself. Luck will follow you if you smile enough. 😊” I almost gagged on my dinner. As I was about to delete him, something about that lottery ticket caught my eye. The numbers weren’t fully shown, but the draw number was clear: 38

    But… the winning numbers for draw 381 didn’t match those! I quickly looked up the results online and realized Chase had mistaken the previous draw’s numbers as the winning ones for his ticket. He probably watched a replay or looked at the wrong draw number, thinking he’d won $20 million! This was about to get interesting. I couldn’t wait to see his face when he learned the truth. 3 Midway through work, I was sneaking a break when I overheard Savannah Moore, the office gold digger, bragging to a coworker. “My boyfriend just moved into Ridgewood Heights.” I froze. What a coincidence. My dad had bought me a place there too, though I rarely stayed. Since Chase worked nearby, I’d given him a key to use the place when he worked late. I told him it was rented. He moved in without a second thought, never considering the rent probably cost more than his monthly salary. I was just thinking about taking back the keys when Savannah said, “He calls me his lucky girl. Ever since we got together, he won $20 million!” Everyone around her gasped with envy. Wait. Ridgewood Heights? $20 million? Could it really be…? I hesitantly asked, “Does your boyfriend happen to be named Chase?” Savannah shot me a wary look. “You know him? Don’t even think about trying to steal him just because he’s rich. He’s way out of your league!” Of course, it was him! Chase had been seeing Savannah while we were still together? Did he really think Savannah was upper-class material? If my dad knew about this, he’d die laughing. Savannah always flaunted fake designer bags, rotating them every day of the week. In Chase’s eyes, someone who couldn’t even tell real from fake, Savannah must’ve looked like a wealthy princess. Talk about a match made in heaven! Two gold diggers, perfect for each other! Best wishes. Please stay together forever. That night, Savannah posted on Instagram, a photo of her and Chase with the caption: “No more waiting. The one I’ve been waiting for is here.” Five minutes later, Chase posted their picture too, with the cringy caption: “Us.” 4 The manager of my favorite luxury store texted me, saying they’d just gotten new stock and invited me to check it out. Since I had nothing better to do, I decided to swing by. As soon as I walked in, there they were: Chase and Savannah. There was only one sales associate in the store. She glanced at me and completely ignored me, continuing to smile and serve them. Savannah was wearing a logo-plastered outfit, even though it was so last season. Meanwhile, I was in a simple t-shirt and carrying a canvas bag. No wonder the saleswoman thought I wasn’t worth her time. Savannah noticed me too. “What kind of people are they letting in this store?” Chase added, “Harper Westbrook, what are you doing here? You can’t afford anything in this store.” I smiled. “Oh? Did your family open this store? I didn’t know I needed permission to look around.” The saleswoman clearly picked up on the tension and sided with them. “I’m sorry, miss, but the lowest-priced item in our store is $30,000. If you can’t afford it, you really shouldn’t waste your time.” I couldn’t help but laugh inside. She had no idea who she was backing. After showing Savannah several bags, I overheard her say to Chase, “Baby, I want this one, and the second one in that row too.” The sales associate beamed. “Oh, you have such good taste, miss! These are our bestsellers. You’ve got a great eye.” Savannah, pleased, slung the bag over her shoulder and admired herself in the mirror. Then she noticed me. “Harper Westbrook, aren’t you embarrassed carrying around that cheap canvas bag? Aren’t you supposed to have a job?” I was carrying a canvas bag because I planned to go grocery shopping later. Gotta think green, you know? Save the planet. I shot back, “What’s wrong with a canvas bag? Does your family live by the sea or something? Why are you so concerned?” Savannah, frustrated, rushed back to Chase. “This one, that one, and the other one—I want them all!” Chase, trying to sound generous, said, “Buy them all!” The saleswoman’s eyes sparkled with glee. I picked up a black handbag, wanting a closer look, when the saleswoman stormed over. “I’m sorry, miss, but this is our latest model. It costs $150,000 and is only available to our VVIP clients. Please don’t touch it—you might get it dirty.” Savannah laughed. “Harper, don’t get your filthy hands on that bag. You couldn’t afford it even if you sold yourself.” I was about to fire back when a sharp voice came from the entrance. 5 “Who said Harper can’t afford it?” The saleswoman panicked. “M-manager, you’re back!” Amanda, the store manager, walked in and immediately apologized to me. “I’m so sorry, Harper. I went to grab your coffee. This new employee didn’t know any better.” She turned to the saleswoman and added, “Harper is one of our VVIP clients. She gets first pick of all new stock. Only after she passes on something can we offer it to other customers.” The saleswoman’s face went pale, and she hurriedly apologized. Chase’s face turned red. “You must be mistaken. Harper is just a regular office worker. How could she be one of your VVIPs? Don’t let her fool you!” The threshold for being a VVIP at this store is spending over $1 million annually. The manager glared at Chase and Savannah. “I’m sorry, but I’ll have to ask you two to leave. We’re closing the store for Harper.” Savannah huffed. “I wouldn’t shop here anyway! My boyfriend has plenty of money. He can buy me anything I want from any store. You’re all fools for falling for some poor girl’s tricks!” She grabbed Chase and stormed out. I turned to Amanda and said, “I’ll take the entire row of bags. Wrap them up for me.” 6 The next day at work, Savannah strutted around the office, showing off a new handbag. She made sure everyone noticed, circling the room several times. It wasn’t cheap—probably around $50,000. I guess Chase wasn’t completely stingy. I just wasn’t worth his effort. “Oh, this is the bag my boyfriend insisted on buying me,” Savannah said. “I didn’t even want it, but he just had to get it for me.” Coworker A: “Your boyfriend treats you so well! When will I get a sweet romance like that?” Coworker B: “Well, Savannah is gorgeous, and she comes from a good family. Of course, her boyfriend would be amazing. It’s all relative.” Bingo. A broke guy and a gold digger—a perfect match. Savannah walked over to me and said, “You can tell how much a man loves a woman by how much he’s willing to spend on her. Chase told me he never spent much on you when you two were together. How sad!” She wasn’t wrong. He used to buy me $9.99 lipsticks, and I’d pretend to be thrilled. Then I’d gift him designer clothes or shoes in return, always downplaying how expensive they were to protect his ego. I replied, “I was too young to know better. At least I’ve gotten rid of the trash now. “Speaking of trash, what brand of garbage bag are you? You seem to carry a lot.” Savannah’s face darkened. “You’re just bitter because you couldn’t keep Chase. He said you two aren’t even in the same league. Turns out, he was right!” 7 That weekend, I called a cleaning service to go to Ridgewood Heights and throw out everything Chase had touched. Just the thought of him using my stuff made my skin crawl. WWhen I got to the building, I tried to use the facial recognition system to unlock the door, but it kept saying “face not recognized.” Strange. Did I lose weight recently or something? Maybe that’s why the system didn’t recognize me? I was still mulling it over when I heard noise coming from inside the apartment.

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  • My Husband Had an Affair with Our Daughter’s Dance Teacher

    I recently noticed that my daughter’s mood has become unpredictable. She would get extremely excited or deeply disappointed over a single comment from her school teacher. After my repeated questioning, she finally admitted, “You’re a bad mom. I like my dance teacher more as my mom.” “If only Miss Diana could be my mom, Dad would definitely smile more,” she pouted. I frowned, my woman’s intuition screaming inside: That woman is seducing my husband, and worse, she’s trying to manipulate my daughter psychologically. My name is Olivia Wilson, 31 years old, married, and the only daughter of a small business owner. I have an MBA from overseas and currently work as a marketing manager in a company. To outsiders, I seem to be living an enviable life: born into a wealthy family, highly educated, and happily married with a child. But only I know that deep down, I’m actually a very insecure and weak person. Growing up in a single-parent family has made me cold and indifferent towards others. I’m not as devoted to my family as I am to my work. My husband is handsome and capable, and my daughter is sweet and well-behaved. The only flaw is that after giving birth, I immediately threw myself into a demanding project at work, missing the best time for postpartum recovery. As a result, I now have stubborn belly fat and a C-section scar that I can’t get rid of, which has become a big regret for me. Jack, however, doesn’t seem to mind. He often hugs me from behind and whispers, “Darling, you’ll always be the most beautiful in my eyes.” He’s said this to me twice before: once during our wedding vows, and once when I had a major hemorrhage due to breech position during childbirth. I was in the ICU then, tears blurring my vision, my body reeking. I asked him, “Honey, am I ugly now?” He kissed my hand gently, without any disgust, and said I was the most beautiful woman in his heart. Jack’s deep affection and tenderness have kept our marriage in a state of mild warmth since we got married. Now, our daughter Lily is four years old and in middle class at kindergarten. He takes on the responsibility of being a good father and husband. Since I’m usually busy with work and he often works night shifts as a programmer, he’s the one who picks up our daughter from school. One day, I saw a parenting forum on my phone suggesting that parental companionship is the most important factor in a child’s growth. After reading it, I felt guilty, realizing I hadn’t spent enough time with my daughter lately. So I left work early that afternoon and called Jack: “Honey, I’ll pick up Lily today. It’s Blue Bell Kindergarten, Middle Class 3, right? Is it still the east entrance for pick-up?” I admit I haven’t done enough in terms of spending time with our child, and Jack only picks her up from school because my work hours clash with her school dismissal time. But when we get home, I’m the one who cooks. For Lily’s healthy growth, I even got a nutritionist certificate in my spare time, just to prepare balanced and nutritious meals for them. I rarely visit my daughter’s kindergarten, having been there only once for a parent-teacher meeting. Due to a timing mistake, and unable to reach Jack on his phone, I ended up standing at the gate for an hour and a half before realizing other parents were already leaving. Lily came out with her little backpack, looking surprised to see me there to pick her up. Her big, bright eyes flashed with astonishment. As she approached, I quickly took her backpack and told her I had been waiting for her for a long time. My daughter pouted and said, “Silly mommy, today teacher gave me extra dance lessons. You didn’t even know!” I crouched down, feeling guilty. Jack hadn’t told me clearly, so I had come at her usual dismissal time. However, at that moment, I suddenly noticed a trace of chili oil at the corner of her lips. Although it was just a tiny bit, my keen eye caught it. As a certified nutritionist, I strictly forbid my baby from eating any junk food. Spicy snacks and chips are off-limits, even though she loves them. I held her small hand and sniffed it. Despite having been washed, the strong artificial flavor couldn’t be masked by the hand soap. My face darkened. “Lily, did you eat spicy snacks?” Seeing my anger, she immediately deflated, puffing up her cheeks and refusing to admit it. “Honey, didn’t Mommy teach you to be an honest child? No lying, okay?” I tried to stay calm, knowing that children this age need effective guidance rather than harsh criticism. Under my gentle coaxing, my daughter finally spoke up. She said the spicy snacks were given to her by their dance teacher, only to her, and she was told not to tell her parents or other kids. “If only Miss Diana could be my mom, Dad would definitely smile more,” my daughter said with a pout. I raised an eyebrow, my grip on her delicate wrist unconsciously tightening as I angrily said: “What did you say? Do you know how much it hurts Mommy to hear you say that?” She suddenly jerked her hand away in a fit of temper, tears of petulance glistening in her eyes. She grabbed the water bottle from my hand and threw it on the ground: “She buys me fried chicken and spicy snacks, and plays with me. You can’t give me anything.” I stood there in shock, watching my usually well-behaved daughter become increasingly spoiled and even break the water bottle. I began to realize how much I had failed in my role as a mother, to the point where my daughter thought another woman would be a better mom. However, her childish words inadvertently revealed some shocking facts to me: My husband had shown fondness for another woman in front of her.

    And to win over my daughter, she was pulling out all the stops to please her. This Miss Diana, I vaguely remembered, was the dance teacher at the kindergarten, named Diana Lee. My daughter loves dancing. Diana has been teaching Lily since the junior class. I had seen her in a class photo before and even joked with my husband: “Look at this teacher, she’s so pretty and fresh-faced. She looks like an older sister among the kids.” Jack, however, said she was already thirty years old. Seeing my surprise, he inadvertently added: “She used to be a yoga instructor. Her kid is already over three years old, but I must say, she’s maintained herself really well.” At that moment, a flash of surprise crossed my mind: why did Jack know so much about this teacher? But I just laughed it off. Perhaps it was because Jack often went to the kindergarten to pick up our daughter and had heard some things. Looking back now, there were clues all along. However, the caution ingrained in me from my family background made me reluctant to disrupt our family harmony without concrete evidence. What if, what if Lily was just saying things out of anger? What if that teacher was already married? After all, she was supposed to be a role model. I tried to comfort myself, afraid of wrongly accusing someone of something they didn’t do. Children’s Day was coming up in a few days, and my daughter was going to perform a “Fairy Dance” on stage. Diana was in charge of rehearsing their class performance. I decided to go and see her in person to investigate. It was already quite hot in our small southern city in June, but I didn’t dare wear a dress. I stuck to my usual outfit of a shirt and cropped pants. I hadn’t recovered well after my C-section, leaving scars on my abdomen and stretch marks extending to my legs, which made me very self-conscious. But as I entered the kindergarten, I saw her graceful figure from afar, by the stage. Even without beauty filters, she looked exactly like in the photo, perfectly embodying the “fair, young, and slim” aesthetic. I was momentarily stunned, involuntarily thinking how beautiful she was. If I hadn’t given up the best time for postpartum recovery due to work, I probably wouldn’t be so different from her. Miss Diana was wearing a white crop top, with several cute little buns in her hair, her curvy figure looking very alluring. At that moment, she was patiently crouching by the stage, gently encouraging: “Darlings, do you all remember the dance steps for when you go on stage?” “Yes, we do!” the children chorused in unison. The most excited voice among them was my daughter Lily’s. She had pointy elf ears attached to both of her little ears, and the shimmering purple eye shadow made her big eyes sparkle. I stood in the shade of a nearby tree, just tenderly watching my daughter, my most precious connection in this world. As for the incident from a few days ago, I only felt guilt and self-reproach towards my daughter. After thinking about it all night, I decided to sacrifice some work time when possible to spend more time with Lily and be part of her childhood. Rather than having her constantly thinking about adopting an outsider as her mother. At this moment, Diana seemed to notice my presence. With a wide smile, she walked towards me. “Excuse me, ma’am, which child’s parent are you? Why don’t you go sit in the audience area?” Perhaps due to her dance training, her figure looked even more stunning up close. Her slender waist seemed like it could be encircled by one hand, and there was even a small diamond piercing in her belly button. I snapped back to reality and quickly smiled apologetically, “Oh, I’m Lily Thompson’s parent…” But I was oddly stunned when I saw her expression upon hearing this. Because I clearly saw a glint of cunning in her eyes. “Are you her grandmother?” I frowned at her. Although I hadn’t recovered well after giving birth, I didn’t have any age spots or anything on my face. I clearly looked like I was in my early thirties. How could she mistake me for a grandmother? “…I’m her mother.” Diana feigned surprise, her voice still sweet: “Oh, so you’re Lily’s mom. I’m sorry, some of the other kids have grandmothers who come to pick them up, and they look very young too. Lily’s dad usually picks her up, so you don’t come often, right?” Her slightly passive-aggressive words instantly woke me up, reminding me of why I came here. My thoughts gradually became clear. No wonder Lily likes her. Women like her, both in appearance and tone, are extremely captivating and easy for people to warm up to. Thinking back to what my daughter said yesterday, I felt dispirited and listless throughout the entire kindergarten event. The camera in my hand captured snapshots of my daughter’s small figure. But my peripheral vision lingered long on Diana’s flower-like smile. We’re both thirty years old… but she’s maintained herself so much better than I have. Thinking of Lily’s closeness to her, I couldn’t help but feel an immense sense of panic, with tears welling up in my eyes. I have to say, if all my suspicions were true, my daughter would probably be very happy to have such a gentle and beautiful stepmother in the future. Jack would be happier too. Then what am I… Am I just a nuisance that others want to discard?

    I was distracted for many days, feeling increasingly uneasy. Even Jack noticed that something was off with me. Seeing that I kept rejecting his advances, he asked curiously: “Honey, what’s wrong? Did I do something to upset you?” I shook my head. He had done everything well, perfectly, without anything to criticize. However, the calmer the surface of a lake appears, the more likely it is to hide turbulent undercurrents beneath. This seemingly uneventful life continued for another two weeks. I didn’t want to dwell on these trivial matters anymore. My new work was already keeping me extremely busy, but I didn’t complain. Because my boss had promised that after completing this project, I would have more free time. Then I could spend more time with my daughter. Tuesday was a rainy day. Just before I got off work, my daughter called me from the kindergarten’s landline. Her small voice on the other end sounded excited: “Mom, you don’t need to pick me up after school. I’m going to Nini’s house for a birthday party. Her mom said she’d pick us up.” I quickly responded with a couple of “oh”s, asking her why she didn’t tell me earlier so I could have bought a birthday gift for her classmate. Going empty-handed would be impolite. My daughter’s voice was filled with pride: “Miss Diana already took me shopping. She helped me pick out a gift, a crystal music box. It cost over $100!” So expensive? I was stunned, my suspicions growing stronger. Why would a kindergarten teacher help a student buy such an expensive gift for someone else? Miss Diana… it’s her again. Whenever my daughter talks about anything related to kindergarten, that woman’s name is always on her lips. As if she’s been bewitched. I had also privately asked other children, who all eagerly told me that Lily was their dance teacher’s favorite student. “She praises her every day. When others fail at doing the splits, they get punished to stand, but not her. Miss Diana is so gentle with her.” But I knew in my heart that my daughter didn’t have any particular talent for dance, nor was she diligent in practice. With this in mind, a flood of questions left me restless. I could only softly remind her to “be careful” before hanging up. My daughter on the other end seemed eager to end the call and quickly hung up. I held the phone in silence for a long time, then turned to my colleague and said: “Lisa, could you help me continue with this list? I have an urgent matter and need to leave work early.” My colleague looked troubled, “Olivia, you’ve been in charge of this overseas project all along. Even if I wanted to help, I couldn’t do it. I’m afraid I might mess things up for you.” My mind was in chaos, but I still didn’t want to jeopardize the company’s task or disappoint my boss’s trust in me. So it wasn’t until after 8 PM that I finally finished the list, exhausted. I didn’t even have time for dinner before rushing off to pick up my daughter. I looked through my daughter’s classmate directory and saw that Nini lived in Dream World Villa, Building 13. I quickly drove there. Nini’s house was very spacious. Because of the birthday party today, the doors were wide open, but strangely, there weren’t many people inside. The Filipino maid in the villa told me that Nini and the other classmates had all gone to the back bay to see the blue tears tide, a bioluminescent phenomenon. I quickly grabbed her and asked: “Did Lily go too? The girl with pigtails, wearing a red polka dot puff-sleeve dress.” The maid seemed to think for a moment, then replied, “Oh, I’ve seen her. She’s the child Miss Diana brought, right? They didn’t go to the beach, they’re talking in the house.” Everyone else had gone to play, why was she keeping my daughter in a room… I had an ominous feeling. Ignoring the maid’s attempts to stop me, I rushed into the house with my bag. I stopped at the door of the only noisy bedroom, frowning as I heard sounds coming from inside—

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  • My Cousin Sent Sexy Nightgown Photos to Seduce My Husband

    “Andrew, honey, I’m so lonely on Valentine’s Day. Won’t you come keep me company?” My husband immediately took a screenshot and sent it to our family group chat, then reported her account for harassment. I stood there stunned, my jaw dropping. Before I could say anything, Andrew’s warm body pressed against me again: “That didn’t count. I haven’t even gotten started yet.” He pushed me down onto the bed… As soon as the screenshot hit the family chat, it exploded. My younger cousin Emma snarked: “Wow, Mia’s really shameless!” My brother Jack tagged our older cousin and sneered: “Mia, you’re such a slut! Try to seduce my sister’s man again and I’ll chop you up!” Mia and I had never gotten along since childhood. She always tried to steal my things. But I never imagined her competitiveness would lead her to sell her own body. Two years ago, when Chris and I went home to discuss marriage plans with our parents, Mia seduced him. They slept together, and I caught them in bed. Two years later, she wanted to try the same trick again! Unfortunately for her, Andrew wasn’t Chris. Her tactics wouldn’t work on him! Just as I was thinking this, Andrew leaned in close. “So, honey, did that satisfy your need for revenge?” Andrew and I were very open with each other. He knew everything about my past. I smiled. “Yes, it was extremely satisfying!” Just imagining Mia furiously pulling her hair out in impotent rage made me feel incredibly happy! “But…” I waved my hand helplessly. “Let’s not celebrate too early.” Sure enough, just as I said that, I got a call from my dad. As soon as I answered, he started yelling: “Lily, are you trying to kill your cousin? Go clarify things in the group chat right now!” I laughed bitterly. “Clarify what? That she was dressed provocatively trying to seduce my husband in the middle of the night?” My dad choked for a moment. He said angrily: “Don’t talk nonsense! Your cousin just lost a game! Go explain!” I could hear Mia crying in the background as my dad spoke, along with voices comforting her. I rolled my eyes and sneered, “Fine.” If they want to ruin my Valentine’s Day, no one’s getting off easy! I hung up and immediately pulled up Mr. Liu’s contact. As luck would have it, Mr. Liu had been trying to get our company to collaborate recently, and I happened to be in charge of the project. And Mia just happened to work under him. After I sent the message, Mr. Liu replied immediately: “I’m so sorry, Ms. Lin. I’ll handle this right away and give you a satisfactory result.” In less than half an hour, he sent me the result. Mia had been fired. I thought she’d at least lay low for a while. I never imagined she’d try something in the middle of the night! In the middle of the night, I was sleeping hazily when Andrew’s phone kept ringing. I was about to turn off the sound when I saw it was Mia calling. My mind instantly cleared. Mia had sent Andrew a photo of herself wearing a thin nightgown, her face wet with tears. She looked pitiful. “I’m so sorry, Andrew. I lost a dare game. I didn’t think Lily would be so petty and post the screenshot in the group chat. She even tattled to Mr. Liu on purpose and got me fired.” “I know she must still like Chris, that’s why she’s always holding a grudge against me. Can you please tell Lily that I can give Chris back to her? Just ask her to stop targeting me, okay?” Looking at Andrew’s sleeping face, I immediately shook him awake and said through gritted teeth: “Look at this yourself!” “Psycho!” Andrew cursed after reading it, then started replying. “Cousin, you love seducing men so much, are you a prostitute? You know very well why you got fired, don’t you?” “And what’s Chris? He’s not good enough for my wife to think about. He likes prostitutes, so he’s perfect for you. You should keep him for yourself.” After sending that, Andrew blocked Mia without waiting for a reply. I kissed his cheek in satisfaction as a reward. The next day. I replied to messages from concerned relatives and friends, then went to work. After a tiring day at the office, I had just sat down when Andrew came home too. “Honey, I missed you so much.” Andrew put down his briefcase and hugged me from behind, nuzzling my neck. I glanced at him reproachfully, about to speak, when I suddenly smelled a familiar perfume on him. It was Mia’s! My face immediately changed. “Did Mia come find you?” “Yes.” Andrew quickly reassured me, “But I didn’t see her! The smell must have gotten on me by accident.” Andrew looked disgusted. “Your cousin is really crazy. She hid by my car and tried to pour perfume on me. I was so startled I kicked her to the ground!” “Pfft~” I couldn’t help laughing as I imagined Andrew kicking Mia away. “I’m glad you’re not angry.” Andrew sighed in relief. “I’m not mad at you.” I said softly. I wasn’t angry at Andrew, just disgusted by Mia and furious at her shamelessness! “If I’d known her smell got on me, I would’ve thrown the clothes away. So gross.” Andrew tossed his jacket into the trash in disgust. Then he went upstairs to shower. I was about to start making dinner when my phone kept ringing. Emma: “Sis, check Instagram quick! Did you grow a green hat again?!” [1] I’ve been cheated on again?! [1] Translator’s note: In Chinese culture, “wearing a green hat” means being cheated on. I narrowed my eyes slightly and opened Instagram. That’s when I realized Mia and Andrew were trending locally. “Shocking! CEO of An Corp caught making out with mistress in parking lot!” The image was very clear. Andrew had his head lowered, while Mia looked coy. They seemed to be embracing and kissing. “I knew CEO An was married, but I didn’t know his wife was so beautiful!” “Aww, they look so good together! I ship this couple!” There were even quite a few of An Corp’s business partners sending congratulations in the comments. Mia’s Instagram account had also been found by netizens. She took advantage of the trending topic and posted an ambiguous update, making people ship them even more. I was so angry I was grinding my teeth. Just then, Andrew came running downstairs from upstairs, not even fully dressed. “Honey! You have to believe me! This is a setup!” I sighed helplessly. “I know.” I had never doubted him for a moment! We don’t like our private lives being public, so we kept our wedding low-key. No one knew my identity, which gave Mia an opportunity to take advantage. Andrew was very angry and directly replied to the top comment: “Ships can be rare, but they can’t be evil.” Then he posted on Instagram: The truth may be late, but it will always arrive. The image was our wedding photo. Instantly, An Corp’s official Instagram exploded. “This is the real Mrs. An! Look at how sweet their eyes are!” “I knew it, CEO An clearly looked disgusted in that other photo! That woman was obviously forcing herself on him! You guys didn’t believe me!” Some netizens started turning against Mia. But some netizens began attacking Andrew, cursing him for cheating. An Corp was also slightly shaken, with many business partners watching to see how things would develop. But An Corp moved quickly. The PR department found the parking lot surveillance footage and tracked down the marketing account Mia had used to buy the trending topic. We posted all the evidence online together. Andrew wasn’t lying – he really did kick Mia away with one foot. I winced when I heard the thud of Mia hitting the ground. “Am I the only one who thinks CEO An looks so cool kicking her away?!” Andrew quietly liked that comment. “Boys, take notes! This is how you effectively deal with scheming women!” “Haha CEO An’s expression is like ‘Don’t touch me!’ So funny!” The comments were overwhelmingly on our side. Mia was being cursed horribly. She got scared and deactivated her Instagram overnight. But I wasn’t planning to let her off so easily! Everyone has to face the consequences of their actions! I asked Emma for some information. Turns out after Chris went bankrupt, Mia broke up with him. She clearly dumped him because he had no money, but she still pinned the blame for the breakup on me. I sneered, “How shameless!” “I know, right? Sis, are you planning to make a move?” Emma sounded excited. I nodded. She continued, “I’ve been sick of her for so long! Sis, I’ll send you something. Consider it my contribution!” After hanging up, I received an audio recording from Emma. After listening, I smiled. “Thanks, Emma. I’ll treat you to dinner another day!” I hadn’t even contacted Chris yet, but he came looking for me! The next day, I received a bouquet of roses at the office. I thought Andrew was being romantic and was feeling happy, until I saw Chris’s face. Instantly, I wanted to gouge my own eyes out. “Lily, Mia told me you still have feelings for me.” Chris raised his eyebrows confidently. Hah! No wonder Chris had the nerve to show up. Turns out Mia had brainwashed him and sent him here to annoy me! I frowned and said nothing. He thought I was just being shy and continued, “Actually, after we broke up, I realized you were the one I loved. Since we love each other, why can’t we be together?” “I don’t mind that you’re divorced. But if we get married, you’ll need to bring a house and car as dowry, otherwise my parents won’t approve.” Chris acted like he was the one making a sacrifice. It really made me sick. My face turned cold. “Chris, I’m not a garbage collector.” I could barely hold back my disgust as I said, “But I do have a gift for you.” “What gift?” Chris looked expectant. “Chris is so ugly. If Lily didn’t like him and he didn’t have money, I wouldn’t even look at him!” “He went bankrupt and still wants to marry me? Talk about a toad lusting after swan meat!” “…” My cousin’s voice echoed through the whole office. Many colleagues perked up their ears to listen. I saw Chris’s face change drastically. I mocked him, “Tsk, weren’t you and my cousin true love? Looks like it was true love of money!” “I heard your house has been mortgaged? You were so generous giving my cousin all those gifts back then. If you ask for some back now, you might be able to improve your life a bit.” I kept poking at Chris’s sore spots while redirecting his anger towards Mia. Sure enough, he stormed out of the office with a black face. I knew Chris well enough from dating him before. He was always petty and wouldn’t let Mia make a fool of him. So I called Andrew and told him to come with me to watch the show! When Andrew and I arrived, Chris had one hand gripping Mia’s hair and was slapping her face with the other! He hit her so hard that after just a few slaps, Mia’s face was swollen. “You bitch! It’s all because you seduced me! Otherwise Lily and I would be living happily together by now!” “It’s all your fault! I’ll kill you!” Chris wasn’t satisfied and kicked Mia to the ground, stomping on her head. In such a pathetic state, Mia caught sight of Andrew’s disgusted expression as she begged for mercy. She really started crying then, collapsing on the ground and whimpering. Seeing her miserable state, I almost couldn’t hold back my laughter. In the end, my parents rushed back and called the police before the farce ended. I heard the two of them took it to court afterwards. Mia sued Chris for intentional harm, while Chris sued Mia for fraud. What a dog-eat-dog world! A week later was my niece’s birthday party. Before the day arrived, my mom called me many times, saying she missed me and insisting I bring Andrew. My mom was the type of woman who lived for her husband. Whatever my dad said, she would do. If my dad hadn’t given permission, she probably wouldn’t have taken the initiative to contact me. Soon, the day of the party arrived. As soon as we got out of the car, we saw Mia. When she saw Andrew, her eyes lit up like a dog seeing a bone. Her gaze was full of determination. But her face was still a bit swollen. She had put on makeup despite the injuries, which just made her look more like a pig’s head. I curved my lips in a silent laugh. She glared at me fiercely. After playing with my niece for a while, it was time for lunch. I had just sat down when I suddenly felt some stomach pain. Andrew noticed my discomfort and worriedly helped me upstairs to rest. Unexpectedly, as soon as we reached the second floor, we heard some intimate sounds coming from the bathroom. That voice sounded familiar. It sounded a bit like my dad’s voice? Andrew and I immediately widened our eyes. Ignoring my stomach pain, I stood with Andrew outside the door listening to the blushing voices inside. “Mmm~ Uncle, don’t kiss me anymore. They’ll notice if we’re gone too long!” It was my aunt’s voice! I listened to these words in disbelief, frozen in place. Just then, my dad spoke again: “Don’t worry, they won’t notice.” It really was my dad! He’s still so frisky even at his age! I clenched my fists tightly, then looked at Andrew. He understood my meaning and immediately took out his phone to start recording. The two of them fooled around inside for a long time. I suddenly heard my aunt gasp, and then they finally finished. Andrew and I hid in a corner. They weren’t even trying to be discreet, walking out side by side. When they came out, my aunt’s cheeks were flushed and there were kiss marks on her neck. How shameless! How could they do this? How could they face my uncle and my mom? My dad is truly despicable! Has he forgotten that when the car accident happened, it was my uncle who used his own life to protect him? I watched their retreating figures, feeling angry and lost. I didn’t know how to tell my mom. Andrew saw my dilemma and said softly, “You go rest first. We can discuss this with your brother and sister-in-law another day.” “Okay.” I could only nod. After I rested, it was almost evening. The guests had left. My brother and sister-in-law took my niece to drop off my sister-in-law’s family at the station. Andrew and I were also about to leave. But my dad insisted on keeping Andrew behind, saying he wanted to chat with him. And my mom kept pestering me. I was looking for a chance to give my mom a hint and prepare her mentally, so I stayed behind with Andrew. By the way, I also wanted to see what exactly Mia was up to! “Alright, I’ll go upstairs to rest first. There should be a room for me here, right?” I smiled, deliberately giving them space. Mia let out a sigh of relief and quickly said, “Don’t worry Lily, we’ve already prepared a room for you.” “Mom, didn’t you say you missed me? Why don’t you come chat with me for a bit?” I looked at my mom. For some reason, my mom seemed a bit guilty. She avoided my gaze and said softly, “I still have a lot of things to take care of. I’ll come find you when I’m done.” I frowned slightly, said “Oh” and went back to my room. Seeing my mom’s behavior made me even more certain she was hiding something from me. I deliberately dawdled for a while before turning off the lights to sleep. After making sure no one was outside, I snuck out of my room and hid behind the living room door. “Dad, what did you want to talk to me about?” Andrew asked. My dad lit a cigarette. “How did you and Lily meet?” Andrew answered him honestly. I watched my parents asking Andrew about me, as if they cared about me. I couldn’t help feeling a bit of warmth in my heart. Maybe they do care about me after all? But I never imagined that in the next sentence, my mom would immediately say: “Andrew, you’re a good kid. Your uncle and I don’t want to hide it from you – although Lily is our biological daughter, she’s not good enough for you.” In an instant, I froze in place. Andrew also obviously stiffened. My mom continued: “Lily was a little delinquent. She started fooling around with boys in middle school and even had a few abortions…” After hearing my mom’s words, my heart was bleeding. I thought they just didn’t love me! I never imagined they would even make up lies to slander me! In that moment, my hands and feet went ice cold! My mom didn’t notice Andrew’s grim expression. She continued: “Mia is beautiful and accomplished. If you ask me, you should divorce Lily and marry Mia instead.” “That way, we’d still be one family!” At this point, I saw Mia walk out wearing a low-cut, see-through nightgown. She looked at Andrew coyly, “Andrew, I like you. I don’t need any status!” “If you’re worried Lily won’t agree, I’m willing to be your mistress.”

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  • My Husband’s Affair with Our Young Housekeeper

    You wake up in the middle of the night and discover your husband is not beside you. You walk out of the bedroom and search the house, but he’s nowhere to be found. As you approach the young housekeeper’s room, you hear your husband’s voice coming from inside. I woke up in the middle of the night and realized my husband wasn’t beside me. I walked out of the bedroom and searched the house, but he was nowhere to be found. As I approached the young housekeeper’s room, I heard my husband’s voice coming from inside. My name is Faye, and I’m 28 years old. My husband Charlie and I work at the same hospital. I’m the head nurse, and he’s an associate professor and chief physician. We’ve been married for over four years, and our relationship has always been good. Charlie is humble and polite, handsome, and very attentive to me. After we got married, no matter how busy work was, he would always send a bouquet of flowers to my nursing station every Valentine’s Day and anniversary. My colleagues would gather around, teasing me about how lucky I was to have married such a perfect husband. I basked in their envious gazes, feeling as if I were living in a honeypot. The only regret in our perfect marriage was that we hadn’t been able to have a child of our own. After I miscarried shortly after getting married, I hadn’t been able to get pregnant again. I knew Charlie really wanted a child too. When I was pregnant, he found all sorts of medications to prevent miscarriage and even hired a young housekeeper to take care of me. I’ve always felt very sorry about the miscarriage, but Charlie has always been by my side comforting me, saying it’s okay, while helping me find various medicines to regulate my body. However, after taking those medicines, my figure started to change, gradually swelling up like a balloon, and my body began to be covered with stretch marks. But I still completely trusted Charlie, believing that as long as we could have our child, I could endure all of this. … Five years ago, Charlie was still a master’s student under my father. My father was a professor and chief physician at the hospital, and it was during my last year of studying at the nursing school that my father arranged for me to intern at his hospital. The first time I saw Charlie, I was attracted to him. Not only was he good-looking, but his behavior and manners exuded the qualities of a gentleman. I learned from my father that Charlie’s family background wasn’t good, he came from a rural village, and he was the only college student in his entire village. This didn’t make me prejudiced against him; instead, it made me admire him even more. It made me even more impressed by his humble demeanor. In my eyes, he was like a noble plum blossom standing alone in the wind and snow. I’ve always been shy about actively asking for contact information from the opposite sex. Even though Charlie attracted me, I only dared to visit my dad’s department more often and steal a few more glances at him. But unexpectedly, Charlie later took the initiative to add me on SnapChat, and after that, he often invited me out to eat, shop, and watch movies. Our relationship grew closer with each date, and later, naturally, Charlie confessed to me. I accepted, touched, feeling like I was the happiest woman in the world. However, all of this has now come crashing down. What a load of crap about being a gentleman, it turns out it was all an act!

    Charlie and I hadn’t been dating long when I got pregnant, and he naturally proposed to me. Although my father was somewhat averse to this premarital behavior, on one hand, because I was already pregnant, not getting married quickly would invite gossip once I started showing, and on the other hand, he thought Charlie was quite steady and worthy of entrusting me to, so he didn’t say much more. Our wedding, from planning to completion, took less than a month. I happily entered into marriage, ready to welcome the new life. However, during the first prenatal check-up after marriage, I was told that the fetus was unstable and there was a risk of miscarriage. I was very afraid of losing our first baby like this. At that time, I didn’t hesitate much and decided to stop working and stay at home to rest and nurture the pregnancy. Charlie was also very anxious at the time, busy finding all sorts of medications to prevent miscarriage for me to take. Feeling his desire for this life as strong as mine, my originally panicked heart gradually calmed down, and I peacefully took the medicine he found for me. Later, he even specially found a live-in housekeeper to take care of me 24 hours a day. The housekeeper’s name was Lily, a very young country girl who kept her head down shyly and didn’t dare to speak when she first came to our house. Whenever you called her name, she would raise her head bashfully, her watery eyes blinking as she looked at you, very endearing. Charlie said this young girl was from the neighboring village of his hometown, only 18 years old, had just come to the city to find work, and he saw her at the domestic service center and felt a connection, so he brought her back. I didn’t have any doubts about this, and seeing that this young girl was quite likable, I let her stay. However, even though we did so much, things still didn’t go as we wished, and I still lost the baby. After losing the child, both my emotions and physical condition deteriorated a lot, so I stayed at home to recuperate for a long time. During that time, Charlie was very busy with work and rarely at home. I spent most of my time every day with Lily. Although Lily was shy when speaking, she was very efficient in doing things and very skilled in taking care of people. Moreover, her cooking was very much to Charlie’s taste. Whenever Charlie had the chance, no matter how busy he was, he would rush home to eat. I became more and more satisfied with her, to the extent that when I later returned to work, I still chose to keep Lily. All in all, Lily has been working in my home for almost five years, and we have given her a raise every year. She has also changed from being shy and not daring to look at people when she first started, to gradually becoming cheerful and smiling now. As Lily worked longer in the city, she also became more and more adept at dressing herself up. She was no longer dressed in the simple style she had when she first came to the city. She learned to wear makeup, follow trends, go shopping, and keep up with fashion, becoming increasingly graceful and elegant. However, after my miscarriage, my body gradually changed shape. Looking at myself in the mirror, even I found myself unattractive. Every time I saw the increasingly pretty Lily, I always felt a bit uncomfortable. I don’t know if it’s because of overfamiliarity, but I’ve been feeling lately that Lily’s attitude towards me has become increasingly casual. When I talk to her, she sometimes acts as if she hasn’t heard and doesn’t respond. Moreover, whenever Charlie isn’t home for meals and it’s just me, the dishes on the table are always very plain and pitifully few. When she first came to the city, she didn’t have many clothes to wear, wearing the same one or two pieces of nearly worn-out clothes every day. At that time, after my miscarriage, my figure had changed, and I couldn’t fit into some of my previous brand-name clothes. Seeing her pitiful state, I picked out a couple of suitable pieces for her to wear. But after that, my closet would often show signs of being rummaged through, and some clothes would mysteriously disappear. What made me even more uncomfortable was that her attitude towards Charlie was completely different from her attitude towards me. Sometimes I would hint at her indirectly, telling her to have some boundaries, but she would just laugh it off as if she hadn’t understood. I had also talked to Charlie about wanting to fire Lily, saying that her thoughts had become a bit crooked, her hands weren’t clean, and she was becoming increasingly casual with me, and besides, we didn’t really need a housekeeper anymore. But Charlie said, “Aren’t you being too sensitive? I think she’s doing well in all aspects! You usually place your things carelessly, don’t wrongly accuse the poor girl when you can’t find something! Besides, if you suddenly fire her, where would a helpless young girl go in this city?” I didn’t want Charlie to think I was a petty, complaining wife, so after hearing his words, I didn’t dare to mention firing Lily in front of him again.

    Recently, there has been another wave of COVID-19 outbreak in the neighboring state. The sudden outbreak caught the local government off guard, and a shortage of medical personnel and resources was inevitable. I was dispatched to provide support, while Charlie, due to having too many scheduled surgeries, couldn’t leave and stayed at the hospital. Although the work on the anti-epidemic front line was very arduous, every night when I received a FaceTime from Charlie asking about my return date and sweetly saying goodnight, I felt warmth in my heart. We’ve been married for so many years, and it seems like it’s always been Charlie preparing surprises for me. This time, I thought about telling him a later return date than planned, so I could come back early and give him a surprise. I specifically chose his day off to rush back. On my way home, my whole body was fluttering like a young girl in love. However, an hour later when I arrived home, I couldn’t help but laugh at my current foolish self. I pushed open the door, and the whole house was immersed in an eerie silence. Did Charlie suddenly have to work overtime today? Lily didn’t seem to be at home either. The curtains in the house were drawn tight, and although it was bright and sunny outside, not a ray of light penetrated inside. The air also seemed not to circulate well, permeated with a strange smell. I turned on the small light in the entrance hall and looked around. Everything seemed normal. I went upstairs to the second and third floors but didn’t find anyone. Back on the first floor, I went to open the curtains. The sudden direct sunlight made me squint uncomfortably for a moment, but I quickly adjusted. After opening the windows to let in some air, I sat down on the sofa to relieve some of the fatigue from the journey. However, as soon as I sat down, my left hand came into contact with an unknown liquid on the sofa. I frowned, and an ominous feeling quietly sprouted in my heart. Was it Lily or Charlie, or both of them? Once the seed of suspicion sprouted, it grew uncontrollably wild. I don’t know what kind of mindset I had when I cleaned this up. Then suddenly a wave of disgust surged up inside me. I rubbed my hands repeatedly, but this didn’t suppress the nausea in my heart, so I went to the bathroom and washed my body over and over again. After that, I sat on the single sofa in the living room, my gaze empty as I fell into deep thought. At this moment, for some reason, I was unprecedentedly calm. My mind kept flashing back to Lily’s casual attitude towards me, as if she had nothing to fear, and Charlie’s protection of her, which I had thought was just him simply feeling sorry for a country girl working away from home. These details, which had once made me think I was being petty, now took on a different flavor, everything connecting together at this moment seemed unusually reasonable. Sitting here for I don’t know how long, the sky outside gradually darkened, with only a dim entrance light remaining in the room. Finally, the sound of the smart door lock keypad rang out, as if to verify my guess, Charlie and Lily entered the house laughing and talking. “Lily, did you forget to turn off the entrance light when you went out?” As he said this, he turned on the big living room light, and the sudden brightness exposed all the ugliness. I looked at this pair, their smiles not yet faded, frozen stiffly on their faces when they suddenly discovered me. “Honey! Why did you suddenly come back? Didn’t you say you’d be a few days late?” Charlie reacted first, quickly composing himself. No wonder! Asking me every day on SnapChat about my return date, it was for this! I suppressed the disgust in my heart and replied to him with a forced smile. “I thought I’d come back early to give you a surprise. I just got back and you weren’t home, so I sat here to rest and wait for you!” Seeing my gaze floating back and forth between him and Lily, Charlie spoke up, seemingly casually. “I just had an emergency surgery at the hospital, went back to work overtime, and on the way back I happened to run into Lily who had finished buying groceries, so I brought her back.” In the past, I believed everything he said without question. But at this moment, I thought, wasn’t it that they went out shopping together, enjoying their time alone while I was away? But on the surface, I still maintained a normal expression and said. “Why are you explaining this to me? Oh, by the way, Lily, I just bought a roast chicken and put it in the kitchen, heat it up and prepare for dinner.” Charlie didn’t seem to intend to explain anything more, as if he was long accustomed to me being a stupid woman deeply in love and easy to fool.

    Before bed, Charlie brought me the carefully prepared body-conditioning medicine as usual. I stared at the dark bowl of medicine in front of me. In the past, I would have obediently drunk it despite the bitterness. “Put it here, I’ll read for a while and drink it before going to bed.” Charlie didn’t suspect anything and said, “Okay, drink it while it’s hot. I know the medicine is bitter, but it’s all for our baby. I’ll go organize some documents first, I’ll be back later.” Saying this, he kissed my forehead. I restrained the urge to push him away and acted coy as I had in the past. In my heart, I cursed silently, to deceive a woman, a man can actually act so naturally and unaffectedly cherishing! After Charlie left the room, I got out of bed intending to put some of the medicine into a separate bottle to hide, and pour the rest into the toilet in the master bathroom and flush it away, then put the bowl back on the bedside table. After lying down, I closed my eyes pretending to be asleep. It wasn’t long before Charlie came back. As soon as he entered the room, he walked to my bedside and shook my shoulder, seemingly trying to confirm if I was asleep. I remained motionless. He then walked back to his side of the bed, turned off the small night light I habitually left on for him, covered himself with the blanket, and lay down beside me. I closed my eyes without a hint of sleepiness, instead becoming increasingly alert. Less than half an hour after the lights went out, Charlie couldn’t control himself anymore.

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  • Heatwave Apocalypse: Aunt Hid In Safety But Died By Her Own Deeds

    When Grandpa Joe suddenly passed away, he left two houses behind. Aunt Karen, usually tight-fisted about everything, chose the old, rundown place, leaving the high-value, centrally located school district property to us. We were surprised but didn’t think much of it and signed the paperwork. But as we were finalizing everything, I caught a glimpse of Aunt Karen’s thoughts. “Ha! You think you got a deal, huh? I chose the safe zone, and in a few days, you’ll all roast to death!” “We’re not fighting you for it this time; we’ll take Maplewood Grove Apartments!” Aunt Karen declared. The four of us exchanged baffled glances. Grandpa Joe had just passed away three days ago, and after rushing through all the arrangements, we’d finally gotten through the funeral. Aunt Karen and her family had shown up halfway through, showing not a trace of grief; if anything, they seemed excited. I could guess why—she was likely hoping to avoid contributing financially, something she’d done countless times before. For years, we’d shouldered the expenses for Grandpa’s needs, from everyday essentials to medical costs. Aunt Karen’s only child, Ryan, had dropped out of school early and regularly asked Grandpa for money. Dad had always said it was only for Grandpa’s sake that he didn’t cut them off entirely. Now that Grandpa had passed, he figured we’d sever ties for good. We fully expected a big showdown over the inheritance today, with Aunt Karen kicking up a storm given the two houses’ vastly different values. But Aunt Karen had suddenly volunteered to take Maplewood Grove Apartments. Maplewood Grove was an old community complex from decades ago. Its neighborhood was run-down, mostly occupied by older folks. Young people wouldn’t even consider it. Riverside Gardens Apartments, however, was in the heart of the city, close to everything and right next to a top school. “Karen, are you sure about this?” Dad asked, like he was double-checking one last time. “Of course, I’m sure! You signing or what? We’ve got things to do!” she snapped, looking at us like we were wasting her time. Dad glanced back at us, then went ahead and signed his name. “Finally! What took you so long?” Aunt Karen blurted, a huge grin on her face, unable to hide her glee. Uncle Roy gave us a strange look as if he knew something we didn’t. As they turned to leave, I heard that familiar, sharp voice in my head again. “John thinks he’s getting a freebie? Ha! I’m back from the future, honey! I got the safe zone first. In a few days, they’ll burn up! Let’s see them beg me for help then!”

    On the way home, the more I thought about it, the stranger it seemed. “Dad, Mom, Rachel—are you sure none of you heard what Aunt Karen said?” “Nope. Are you sure you’re not just stressed out and hearing things, Jessie?” Rachel asked, half-joking. It wasn’t impossible, but it didn’t seem likely either. Something about what she’d said—about a “safe zone” and coming back from the future—was just too strange. To be cautious, I told them what I’d heard. “A safe zone? From the future?” Rachel was still in college and had the lighthearted skepticism of her age. “Maybe, maybe not. Better to be safe than sorry. Rachel, pull up Aunt Karen’s Facebook,” I said, handing her my phone. It looked like they’d just left the lawyer’s office and went straight to Maplewood Grove. She’d posted a picture of herself inside the apartment. The place was covered in dust and badly rundown. Grandpa had moved to a new place years ago, leaving this one empty. “Read her caption,” I told Rachel. She read it, her eyes widening. Aunt Karen had written, “Who cares if this place isn’t fancy? You’ll all be jealous soon enough. You’ll be begging me, and I won’t even look at you!” “Sis, this…” Rachel looked worried, and then thoughtful. Mom, who’d seen it too, now looked serious. “Jessie’s right. Better to be cautious than caught off guard. John, we’d better prepare,” Mom said.

    Back at home, the four of us sat down in the living room to hold an emergency meeting. With Dad and Mom discussing and my adding in what I’d overheard, we pieced together a theory: the heat was about to get much, much worse. The human body can’t survive past about 136 degrees Fahrenheit without dehydration. If it was really about to reach those extremes, it might be as high as 140 degrees. “Elaine, you and Jessie check prices and make a list of supplies. I’ll take Rachel to Willow Bend and start setting up. If all goes well, bring everything over,” Dad said. Willow Bend was Mom’s hometown. Her parents had been farmers, and when they passed, they left their land to Mom. Once Mom got a steady job in the city, she’d stopped tending it. Later, there were rumors about the land being seized for government projects, so she left it idle. But Dad’s focus wasn’t on the land; it was on the old bunker nearby, built decades ago during wartime. The entry point was hidden near the farmland. Willow Bend had become a ghost town, with only a handful of elderly residents left. It was the perfect spot to quietly set up. “John, should we consider selling Grandpa’s other house?” Mom asked. “We’d have more funds if we need to act quickly.” Dad thought it over for a moment. “No. If we sell, Karen will figure out we’re planning something. Just post a picture at the house, make it look like we’re unaware of anything. I’ve been more than fair as a brother. If there is a ‘safe zone,’ let’s see if she can really hold onto it.”

    Once Dad and Rachel left, Mom and I headed to a nearby warehouse store. Before we left, Mom and Dad went over our savings. Selling a house or car would take too long, and we didn’t know how soon the heatwave might hit. After years of saving, plus my own contributions, we could pull together about $300,000. It wasn’t a fortune, but it would do. At the warehouse, we spoke to a manager about placing a large order. To avoid suspicion, we claimed we were stocking a new grocery store. Fresh produce wouldn’t last long in the heat, so we focused on non-perishables. We loaded up with 100 crates each of beef jerky, chicken jerky, and other dried meats. They were filling, nutritious, and didn’t spoil easily. Next were dried vegetables and fruit—another hundred crates each. Already, we’d spent nearly half our budget. We weren’t done yet. We bought emergency rations, canned goods, and every type of seasoning, another hundred crates. Our last major expense would be water. Mom and I visited three stores, buying out every jug and bottle of water we could find, and spent over $100,000. She rented two box trucks, and by the time we’d finished, both trucks were full, with a third nearly there. To keep it discreet, Mom planned to leave the trucks in a parking lot and drive them out one by one. Mom and Dad had a history of long-haul driving, so both had their commercial licenses. Willow Bend wasn’t far—about a three-hour drive. Mom and I drove one truck home, with Dad meeting us halfway to switch cars. He took the supplies on to the bunker while we returned to load more. We spent the next few hours shopping for essentials: toothpaste, soap, tissue paper, underwear, bedding, and items we’d need daily. We stocked up on bags of cat litter and composting chemicals, knowing that waste disposal might be an issue. On our final trip, we got solar panels to help generate electricity. There was no guarantee of cell service, but with a generator, at least we’d have light. We also grabbed rechargeable lamps, flashlights, and basic first-aid supplies—anything that might be difficult to find later.

    For three days, Mom and I drove the trucks, while Dad and Rachel handled the smaller trips. Between us, we barely slept ten hours in those three days. We were anxious, watching every minute tick by. By the time we hauled the last truckload to Willow Bend, we were exhausted. Dad and Rachel had spent days cleaning and organizing the bunker. When we arrived with the last batch of supplies, they were covered in dirt and looked like they’d both lost weight. Together, we hauled boxes into the bunker, filling every available inch. When we were done, Dad even set up a small bathroom. Finally, Mom and Dad returned the trucks to avoid drawing attention, driving the last car back with a few extra tools in case we needed them. That night, we lay on the ground under the stars, grateful for a moment of peace, even knowing it might be a while before we’d get another like it. Just then, Dad’s phone buzzed. After reading the message, he let out a bitter laugh. “Karen finally cracked.” We gathered around to read Aunt Karen’s furious messages: Karen: “John, your family’s got some luck, huh? Bet you’re real cozy in that mansion.” Karen: “When have you ever given me anything when I asked? All you’ve ever done is preach at me!” Karen: “I bet that big house feels nice! You just wait until tomorrow! Your family will be on its knees begging me for help, and I won’t even look at you!”

    And just as Aunt Karen had warned, the next day at noon, the outdoor temperature spiked dramatically. Mom was quick to react, pulling the clothes off the line and shoving us all into the depths of the bunker. Near the entrance, we still had cell signal. Rachel and I huddled together, scrolling through news alerts. “City’s issued a red alert heat warning. Temperatures will keep climbing over the next few days. Citizens are urged to stay indoors and avoid direct sunlight.” “Jess, it’s already 122 degrees outside!” Rachel said, curling up in fear. “They say they’re lowballing it—that it’s probably even hotter!” We both glanced toward the shelter’s entrance. Outside, what had once seemed warm sunlight now felt ominous, bringing a chill to our bones. The air shimmered with waves of heat like fiery snakes, ready to scorch anyone in their path. “Jess! Look at this!” Rachel turned her phone to me. A few pictures caught my attention. It was Aunt Karen and her family, lounging around in the sun. “In this heat? They’ll get killed out there!” “Something’s not right…”

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  • My Husband Always Thinks I Don’t Love Him

    My gold-digging sister-in-law suddenly seemed like a different person. Watching her and my brother act out the drama of a domineering CEO’s marriage before love every day, I was grateful that at least my husband was a normal person. One day, my sister-in-law suddenly asked me curiously why I would marry someone I didn’t love. I was confused. It turns out my husband had always thought he had forcefully taken me as his wife? My sister-in-law, Lily Evans, was known to everyone as a manipulative social climber. A few days ago, she had just married my brother Ethan. But it was Emma, Lily’s sister, who had been Ethan’s long-time crush. My parents were a bit unhappy about the marriage, but I thought it was Ethan’s own decision. Unexpectedly, after the wedding, Lily seemed to have become a different person, and her reputation gradually improved. Today, Ethan brought Lily back to our family home for the first time. She behaved very appropriately, and my parents finally felt a little relieved. Lucas had left on a business trip the day before yesterday, so he didn’t come with me this time. After dinner, Lily casually offered to drive me home. My parents frantically signaled to me with their eyes, hoping I would agree so that I could judge her character more. I agreed indifferently. In the car, there was silence all the way. I was used to such situations, but she seemed to be having a hard time with it. When she failed to start a conversation for the third time, I sighed. “You don’t need to try to make small talk with me. I won’t interfere with Ethan’s marriage.” Lily smiled awkwardly, “I’m sorry, it’s my first time being alone with you, and I’m a bit nervous.” I turned my head to look out the window, “It’s okay, many people don’t like to be alone with me.” Due to being kidnapped as a child, I suffer from emotional deficiency. For example, right now, I understand that we should be chatting about something, but I don’t actually feel awkward. “I don’t dislike it!” Lily firmly refuted, “On the contrary, I really like you. It’s just…” “This question might be a bit intrusive.” Her fingers tightened on the steering wheel, “I don’t understand, why did you marry someone you don’t love?” “What?” I heard every word clearly, but I didn’t understand what she meant. “I think you’re a very independent person, I don’t believe you would accept an arranged marriage.” I was unusually stunned, “Lucas and I fell in love naturally, what arranged marriage?” Lily also realized something was wrong, “Did I misunderstand?” I nodded. Who spread such rumors? As we got out of the car, Lily seemed to want to say something but hesitated. I unbuckled my seatbelt, “You don’t need to take today’s conversation to heart. I don’t participate much in social interactions, so it’s normal for outsiders to misunderstand.” “Sister…” Lily called out to me, as if finally making up her mind, “It’s not outsiders who think you don’t love Lucas, it’s Lucas himself…” My hand paused as I was opening the door. “I really like you, and I know you won’t tell others.” Lily looked at me sincerely with her big eyes, “Actually, this is all from a book. I accidentally traveled through time and came here.”

    As I connected a video call with Lucas, I was still thinking about Lily’s words. She said that everyone thought I didn’t care about marriage. Lucas loved me, and my parents and Ethan thought Lucas was a reliable person, so when Lucas proposed an arranged marriage, my family agreed. She also said that she thought the same when she was reading the book. My eyebrows furrowed uncontrollably. I may have some degree of emotional deficiency, but I’m not completely ignorant of human relationships and social norms. Lucas and I met in college, confirmed our relationship in the second semester of our sophomore year, got married after graduating, and have been happily married for eight years now. How could Lucas possibly not know that I love him? “Aria, is something wrong?” Lucas’s gentle voice came through the speaker, interrupting my thoughts. I focused my eyes on Lucas’s handsome face on the screen, “Sorry, I was lost in thought about something else.” Lucas slightly pursed his lips, “It’s okay, if Aria has other things to do, you can go ahead, I don’t mind.” In the past, I only thought this was his little habit, but now I sensed something off about it. “Honey.” I called out to him, and Lucas immediately smiled with his eyes narrowed. I glanced at my expressionless face reflected in the camera. It seems that it might indeed be possible? “I love you.” My emotionless words floated in the empty room. In the video, Lucas was stunned for a moment. I looked at his slightly widened eyes, feeling it was a bit cute. But after a few seconds, the image shook, and with a “click”, it went black. After a few minutes, a landline number called my phone. Lucas’s voice was slightly hoarse, “Aria, did something happen at home today?” “Nothing.” Since he might not know, I might as well tell him now. There was silence on the other end for a while, then a forced laugh, “I know, it’s okay.” What kind of nonsensical answer is this? Before I could ask, Lucas suddenly said, “It’s getting late, you should rest early.” Then he hung up the phone. This was the first time he had ever hung up on me, and I was confused. I called back, but it was rejected. Lying in bed, I was genuinely puzzled. Could it be that Lucas actually thought his marriage to me was something he had forcefully obtained?

    I had planned to book a flight to find Lucas, but unexpectedly, he came back early the next morning. I was groggily going downstairs when I bumped into him coming up. Lucas gently rubbed my forehead where we had collided, “Did it hurt? Did I wake you up?” I shook my head slightly, removing his hand before answering the latter question, “I heard a noise and guessed you were back.” Lucas smiled, carrying me back to bed, “Want to sleep a bit more? I’ll go take a shower and change clothes.” I nodded, thinking this was a simple thing that just required a verbal response, so I wasn’t in a hurry. Half-asleep, I heard the bedroom door open and close, but didn’t feel him come to bed. I opened my eyes, and Lucas was standing bent over by the bed, looking at me tenderly. The corners of his mouth were curved up just right, but unfortunately, I couldn’t ignore those melancholic eyes, “The company still has some business, I have to go.” “Have you been very busy lately?” Lucas nodded, “I’ll be staying at the apartment for the next few days, so I won’t be coming back home.” I was instantly wide awake. The apartment was closer to the company, and sometimes when he was too busy, he would rest there. But I hadn’t heard of any project being so busy lately.

    As if to prove that he was really busy lately, Lucas hadn’t let me see him in person. The development of the situation was beyond my expectations. It seemed that this issue couldn’t be resolved just by talking. I made an appointment with Lily and briefly explained my predicament. She said I should take the initiative. I pondered over it for a night after returning home, and came up with an idea. Lucas had mentioned a while ago that a junior from my Ph.D. program had recently joined his company, Xun Yao. I scrolled through my contact list. Ryan, that was him. After chatting briefly, Ryan agreed to help me get a job at Xun Yao. I specifically instructed him not to reveal too much of my information, saying I would discuss the details with the boss in person. Ryan was a bit confused, but I didn’t want to expose that I was going to resolve marital issues. Fortunately, Ryan was familiar with my personality and didn’t ask further.

    On the day of the interview, I arrived at Xun Yao early and contacted Ryan. Ryan led me to an office, “Senior, please wait for a moment. The CEO will be here in about half an hour.” Ryan held a high position and wasn’t in a hurry to get back to work. He sat down next to me, “Senior, why did you suddenly decide to look for a job?” “I need to take care of some things recently.” Ryan had a boyish charm, and now he smiled, still looking youthful, “Back then, when you didn’t continue academic research or enter the industry, Professor Gao was so upset. He kept talking about you afterwards.” Professor Gao was my advisor. He had hoped I would stay in his team after graduation, but I refused. “I was too tired at that time. I didn’t like such a dull life.” I took a sip of tea, “Professor Gao probably wasn’t really that regretful about me, he just felt it was convenient to have me do work for him.” “Senior, you’re still so straightforward. But,” Ryan laughed, then suddenly changed the subject, “I heard from Professor Gao that it was because your husband wanted you to stay at home.” “Could it be that he regrets it now and wants you to go out and earn money?” Ryan smiled mischievously. I raised an eyebrow slightly, “Professor Gao said that?” The old man wouldn’t be that idle. Ryan’s hand holding the teacup paused, his smile fading as he awkwardly scratched his head, “No, I made that up.” “I was just curious. Back then, which of our classmates wasn’t curious about your love life?” Ryan put his hands together, almost pleading, “I finally get to see you again, let me pry a little.” The corners of my mouth curved slightly. Among our classmates back then, Ryan was the most favored. One reason was his face, and the other was this mischievous personality that was hard to dislike. Although I only had superficial relationships with everyone, Ryan acted as if we were still close. I was about to answer when the office door was pulled open from the outside. Lucas stood at the door with a serious face, looking at us with an indescribable expression. Ryan quickly stood up and introduced us to each other. I reached out my hand and said calmly, “Good morning, Mr. Ward.” Perhaps thinking my usual toneless voice might seem disrespectful, Ryan kindly explained for me: “Boss, due to a physical condition, my senior’s tone and expressions might be a bit flat. She doesn’t mean any disrespect.” Lucas gave an almost inaudible “Mm” and lightly shook my hand, letting go quickly. I had never been to Xun Yao before, but his assistant Zhang Ke knew me. Now he stood behind Lucas, a flash of shock crossing his face. But with his good professional qualities, he quickly returned to normal. “Miss Hayes, if there’s no problem, we can start the interview now.” I nodded. Zhang Ke turned around, “Mr. Lee, you can go back to work now.” As soon as Ryan left, Lucas calmly spoke, “You can go out too.” Zhang Ke wasn’t surprised, “Then I’ll go back upstairs.” As soon as the door closed, Lucas smiled helplessly, “What made you decide to interview at Xun Yao like this?” I stared straight at him, answering a different question, “You’ve been avoiding me.” Lucas’s body stiffened, and he didn’t speak. I stepped forward, approaching him with slightly furrowed brows, “Why?” Even if he didn’t believe my words, he could have interacted with me as usual. Under Lucas’s complex gaze, I leaned into his embrace, “Don’t avoid me.” I had tried very hard to learn how to discern people’s emotional changes. But in the end, I found that the input-output ratio of this task was so low. I don’t care about most people’s opinions of me. But I can’t not care about Lucas. Lucas let out a light sigh, cupping my face with both hands, and said gently: “How could I bear to avoid you?” I stared at him steadily. Liar. Lucas’s lips tightened slightly, and after a long while, he gently hugged me back to him, “I’m sorry.” I leaned on his shoulder, looking at his beautiful neck. I pressed my hand against his Adam’s apple, and Lucas involuntarily swallowed. My finger slid along with it. “Lucas, I don’t want ‘sorry’.” Apologies don’t have much use for me, as I don’t derive psychological comfort from them. “Okay, it won’t happen again.” For some reason, I heard a hint of bitterness in his tone. “Never mind.” I comforted him, wrapping my arms around his neck and resting my head on his shoulder dependently. Actually, it’s okay if it happens again. After all these years, I didn’t know that due to my emotional deficiency, he had been fumbling through this relationship for eight years. There are some things I can’t change, so I should at least give him a chance to breathe. Suddenly, a cold liquid flowed down my neck. Lucas spoke softly, but still couldn’t control the crying in his voice, “I don’t want to let it go.” I was stunned and quickly raised my head. The man in front of me had red-rimmed eyes, tears filling them to the brim. I stared at him blankly, full of confusion, “Why are you crying?” Lucas turned his face away, not letting me see, “I’m not.” My brain was spinning frantically, “You don’t want to let it go? Okay, then as you wish, it won’t happen again.” Lucas’s pupils dilated, and he suddenly turned to look at me. I gently wiped away the tears on his face. It was the first time I’d seen him cry. It was quite cute, so different from his usual self. “You mean let this matter go?” I nodded matter-of-factly. What else could it be?

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  • The Celebrity Boyfriend I Funded Cheated with a Rising Starlet

    Sebastian said to me, “I need a partner who can keep up with me. You’re just holding me back.” I hung up with a smile, then immediately called all the brands he was collaborating with to terminate their contracts. My boyfriend was a rising star in the entertainment industry. We had agreed to keep our relationship secret for the sake of his career. Today, he was supposed to come celebrate my birthday with me. Instead of him showing up, I saw a video announcement of his relationship with Rachel, a popular young actress. In the video, he was smiling brightly, just like when I first met him. The content was a vlog of their recent overseas trip together. During that time, he had told me he was filming abroad for work. I felt like such a fool. I called him to confront him about the trending video. “Sebastian, what’s going on with the Hot Search?” He laughed scornfully, “Isn’t it obvious? Natalie, Rachel and I are together now. She can offer me the best resources. I need someone who can keep up with me, while you’re just holding me back.” After hanging up, I called all the advertisers working with Sebastian and told them to immediately terminate their collaborations with him. If there were any contract termination fees, I would cover them. For the past few years, I had been secretly helping Sebastian connect with major brands, linking him to various resources, elevating him from an unknown trainee to today’s hot commodity in the entertainment world. But he never knew about any of this. In his eyes, I was just a plainly-dressed, makeup-free fangirl who loved him to the bone. When we first got together, he was still a new trainee at his company. At that time, his company released a dance practice video of him that had zero views and zero comments. I became the first person to click on it, and his first fan. I followed him on Twitter and sent him encouraging private messages. He said he was so excited he cried. Back then, I thought he was down-to-earth, bright, and had clear goals. After we secretly got together, I felt bad that he wasn’t getting attention from his company and had no resources. So I privately pulled some strings to gradually elevate him to where he is today. But he had long since been blinded by the spotlight and applause. This wasn’t the first time Sebastian and Rachel had trended together online. The last time was when they were filming together and the media caught them spending five hours in a hotel room. At the time, I confronted Sebastian with the media reports. He just impatiently said, “We were just discussing the script. Should we have done that in the hotel lobby? Do you trust those gossip reporters more than me? I really can’t talk to you anymore.” We parted on bad terms after that, and his attitude towards me grew increasingly cold. I even wondered if my distrust had pushed him away. Looking back now, I was overthinking it. Sebastian had long wanted to kick me aside and fly to Rachel. Early the next morning, announcements of multiple brands terminating their collaborations with Sebastian successively trended online. Netizens were all speculating whether Sebastian had done something wrong or offended some big shot. Of course, no one would know it was all because of one word from me. Those brands wouldn’t dare reveal my name either. My family was a top financial group in the country. Offending me would be like cutting off their own funding. Rachel’s fans, who were congratulating the couple just last night, immediately flooded Sebastian’s social media with insults. “Have some self-awareness and stop dragging our sister down.” “If you know what’s good for you, break up now. Don’t bring our Rachel down with your bad luck.” “Are you just a gold digger?” “Are you using your relationship with our Rachel to distract from your own scandals? Gross. Rachel, run away fast!” Some netizens even started their own wild speculations: “I heard Rachel has a powerful backer. This relationship announcement must have angered the backer, so they stepped in to cancel all of Sebastian’s endorsements.” I laughed out loud when I saw this comment. It was pretty much on point. Except I wasn’t Rachel’s backer getting angry. I was more like Sebastian’s behind-the-scenes backer. But actually, Rachel did have a powerful supporter. More accurately, someone who saw her commercial value and decided to promote her. That person happened to be my childhood friend who grew up with me but we never got along – Zachary. To be honest, before last night’s relationship announcement video, I always thought Rachel would end up with Zachary. After all, Zachary was handsome and rich, albeit with a bit of an attitude problem. Thinking of this, I suddenly wondered if I should comfort Zachary. We’ve known each other for so many years. It’s normal for two heartbroken people to comfort each other, right? I sent him a message: “Don’t be sad, there are plenty of good women out there.” Zachary replied instantly: “?” “It’s okay, I know you’re upset. Go ahead and cry if you need to.” “You’re crazy.” Never mind, he must be in a bad mood after the breakup. I won’t hold it against him. I glanced at Twitter and saw the trending topics had changed again. This time it was a statement from Sebastian’s company, basically saying they would take legal action against netizens spreading rumors. They also announced the cancellation of all of Sebastian’s upcoming schedules. The underlying message was clear – Sebastian was being frozen out of the industry. (Note: Being “frozen” in the entertainment industry means an artist is sidelined and not given any work or opportunities by their company, often as punishment.) Looking at this trending topic, I couldn’t help but smile. It felt so satisfying. Later, some brand representatives called me, saying Sebastian’s manager was blowing up their phones asking why they suddenly terminated the contracts. The overwhelmed representatives asked if they should make up some excuse. I just snorted coldly, “Then tell him it’s because his artist brought this upon himself.” When I loved you, I could give you everything. But now that I don’t love you anymore, I’m taking all my love back. A few days later, Zachary invited me to attend a cocktail party with him. I rarely attend these kinds of social gatherings because I really dislike the superficial socializing. But thinking I should keep the heartbroken guy company, and that I could use some distraction myself, I agreed. I wore a custom-made spaghetti strap cocktail dress that hugged my curves, put my hair up in an elegant updo exposing my smooth shoulders and neck, and did glamorous makeup – very different from my usual look. When Zachary saw me, his pupils dilated, but his face remained as cold as ever. He took off his suit jacket and draped it over my shoulders, saying curtly, “The AC will be cold at the party. I won’t be responsible if you catch a cold.” I pouted and tossed his jacket back at him, “This looks awful.” Zachary didn’t say anything, but his face got even colder. At the venue, I ran into an old acquaintance. Sebastian walked right past me wearing the custom suit I once bought him. He probably didn’t recognize me immediately since I looked so different from usual. That suit cost six figures, but to avoid making him feel burdened, I had told him it was just a $10,000 off-the-rack suit. Sebastian’s work had all been suspended now, so the fact that he was here meant Rachel must be here too. I suddenly realized Zachary’s purpose in inviting me today – it was to make his ex-girlfriend jealous. Who knew this ice-cold jerk had such sneaky thoughts. I immediately linked my arm through Zachary’s, giving him a look that said “I get it.” After all, my ex was here too. Might as well let Sebastian feel some regret. Zachary looked down at my arm linked with his, “What, using me to make your ex jealous?” ? How dare he accuse me first when he was the one who wanted to make his ex jealous? I was just going along with it. “It’s rare for all of us to gather. I’m helping you, so you need to help me too. Don’t be stingy.” I tried to reason with him patiently. Unexpectedly, Zachary tossed out another “You’re crazy.” But he didn’t remove my arm. Hmph, men. Denying it verbally, but their bodies are still honest. Afterwards, Zachary and I started making awkward and fake compliments to various business people and entertainment bigwigs while sipping champagne. While chatting, I kept looking around but didn’t spot Rachel. Just then, a short, plump middle-aged woman approached us. I remembered her. She had inherited her husband’s massive fortune last year and loved dressing up extravagantly to attend various parties. Each time she had a different young man as her date. There was a hand around her waist, wearing a very familiar watch. I looked up and – wow, it was Sebastian. “Well if it isn’t little Sebastian,” Zachary started with his sarcastic tone before I could say anything. “You know each other?” The woman looked at Sebastian in surprise. Sebastian finally recognized me then, pointing at me in confusion, “Natalie?” “Yes, Charlotte, we’re old acquaintances,” Zachary said with a smile, patting my hand on his arm. Sebastian and Zachary didn’t actually know each other, but Zachary knew about my relationship with Sebastian. “Sebastian, how come we don’t see Rachel today?” I joined in on the sarcasm. “Rachel is old news for Sebastian now,” Charlotte said, stroking Sebastian’s hand. Her face scrunched up, the bright red lipstick almost reaching her ears as she grinned. I clearly saw a flash of disgust cross Sebastian’s face. Zachary and I exchanged a knowing glance, smiling. Poor Rachel, she was just a pawn in the end. Perhaps our little exchange irritated Sebastian. With Charlotte’s words boosting his confidence, he looked at me scornfully. “Haven’t seen you in a few days and you’ve already climbed up the social ladder?” As soon as Sebastian finished speaking, Charlotte hurriedly covered his mouth, looking at me in panic. “What nonsense are you saying? Apologize quickly.” Clearly, brains are a good thing to have, but Sebastian didn’t possess them. “Don’t worry, Charlotte. I know this woman well, no need to fear her,” he said. “Hmph, Charlotte, is this your date?” I raised my chin, my tone slightly threatening.

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