Category: English

My boyfriend and his cousin were kidnapped. The kidnappers said they could only save one. I laughed on the spot. In my previous life, when my sister and I were kidnapped, my boyfriend chose to save my sister. This time, history repeats itself. As for who I would choose, isn’t it obvious? In the European-style banquet hall. Glasses clinked, and the air was filled with the scent of perfume and expensive clothes. My father and I stood on the podium, greeting guests with smiles. The butler quietly informed me: “Miss, all the guests have arrived. Please start the opening dance.” Today is my 18th birthday. My father has organized a grand birthday party for me, with all the elite of our social circle in attendance. I looked at the crowd below, but my designated “dance partner” was nowhere to be seen. My father leaned in and asked: “Where’s Jason? Where did he go? Doesn’t he know he’s supposed to dance the opening number with you?” Jason Sullivan, the eldest son of the Sullivan family, my boyfriend. He was also my “original dance partner” for tonight. I scanned the room. As expected, my half-sister “Rachel Wright” was also absent. If my memory serves me correctly, today was their first meeting in my previous life. Jason had gone to the garden for some fresh air and met Rachel, who was uncomfortable in high-society gatherings. They hit it off immediately, beginning an entanglement that couldn’t be cut or reasoned away. In my previous life, upon discovering Jason’s absence, I immediately rushed out to find him. As a result, I saw him chatting happily with Rachel, and in a fit of jealousy, I slapped Rachel. The consequences were being despised by Jason, scolded by my father, and gossiped about by the guests. Living this life again, I won’t make the same mistake. A dance partner? As if the young lady’s birthday party couldn’t go on without Jason Sullivan? My gaze coldly swept through the crowd. A young man in an oversized suit caught my eye. He was standing dejectedly by a pillar, lost in thought. The young man had picturesque features, a slender figure, skin as white as snow, and an elegant, noble air. Standing alone in this lavish, extravagant banquet hall, he seemed out of place. I lifted my dress adorned with handcrafted crystals and, to everyone’s surprise, walked towards him. Seeing me approach, the young man’s rosy lips parted slightly, his face full of uncertainty. “Liam, would you like to dance with me?” I extended my hand, adorned with a rose gold bracelet. Liam’s eyes flickered, pointing at himself in disbelief: “Amelia… are you asking me?” “Who else would I be asking?” I smiled brightly, playfully asking: “Do you know how to waltz?” “Yes…” Liam nodded, overwhelmed by the honor. He reverently took my hand, allowing me to lead him to the center of the dance floor. The guests automatically made way. The band immediately began playing the lively “Tales from the Vienna Woods.” Liam carefully placed his hand on my waist, and we began to dance. He was two years younger than me, not yet in his growth spurt, only slightly taller than me. As we glided across the floor, I admired his shy expression. A blush crept up his fair face, like a ripe peach. “Relax, I won’t eat you,” I teased. Liam’s palms were sweating, and his steps were a bit unsteady. “S-sorry…” Liam apologized awkwardly. In my previous life, I only cared about Jason, following his lead in everything. Influenced by Jason, I had a very poor impression of Liam. But I’ll never forget that in my previous life, when I fell from a tall building and was shattered, it was Liam who, without hesitation, knelt in the blood and performed CPR on me as I was dying. Only after dying once did I see clearly who was human and who was a ghost. I pulled back my wandering thoughts and continued to tease Liam: “Is this your first time dancing with a girl?” “Yes…” “Then I’m quite honored.” As I was bantering, my eyes met a pair of shocked eyes over Liam’s shoulder—

Jason Sullivan stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows of the banquet hall, staring at me intently. Behind him was the shy and delicate Rachel. It seems they had just returned. Jason probably didn’t expect that I wouldn’t wait for him and would directly choose Liam, whom he looked down upon the most, for the opening dance. I had returned to this life yesterday, and the moment I regained my new life, I vowed that this time I must live for myself. I am no longer anyone’s second choice, nor will I be anyone’s appendage. Ignoring Jason’s murderous gaze, I continued to “gaze lovingly” at Liam. “Liam, if you ever need help in the future, you can come to me. Your big sister will take care of you,” I said sincerely. Liam was not favored in the family due to his mother’s humble background. Just for what he did for me before I died in my previous life, I will repay him well in this life. “Thank you, Amelia…” Liam’s eyes misted over, his voice seemingly tinged with bitterness. As the song ended, Liam retreated to the corner. The guests paired up and successively entered the dance floor. While I exchanged pleasantries with the guests, I walked towards the buffet table and got myself a glass of juice. “What do you mean by this?” A voice laced with barely concealed anger sounded from behind me. I turned around to face Jason, whose face was frosty. I calmly took a sip of the sweet and sour orange juice and asked in return: “What do you mean?” “Didn’t you ask me to be your dance partner?” Jason tugged at the bow tie around his neck, accusing me first: “Are you playing games with me?” I couldn’t help but smile. How novel, the Jason of my previous life would never take the initiative to talk to me. Let alone use this complaining tone to question me. I retorted: “If I remember correctly, I only asked you one-sidedly if you wanted to be my dance partner. And Mr. Sullivan didn’t agree to me, and when it came time for the opening dance, Mr. Sullivan was nowhere to be found. Did I have to dig three feet into the ground to find you before the party could continue?” He stared at me as if he didn’t recognize me, surprised by my sarcastic tone. I used to never speak to him like this, and I had always called him “Jason” since we were young. This “Mr. Sullivan” sounded cold and distant, as if we were mere acquaintances. Taking advantage of his stunned silence, I added another sentence: “How old are you? Don’t you even understand this basic etiquette? Today is my birthday, don’t ruin my mood.” I left with these words, not looking back. As I turned away, a playful male voice echoed in my mind: “Congratulations, host! You have successfully humiliated the male lead, the system rewards you with 100 humiliation points. Collect 100,000 points to obtain the resurrection armor. Good luck!” Ah, yes, not only have I been reborn, but I’ve also been bound to a humiliation system. The system said that I had already passed away, but due to my strong desire, it gave me a chance to revive. But this doesn’t mean I’ve truly come back to life. I need to humiliate those who hurt me in my previous life, gain 100,000 humiliation points, to truly revive. And the time left for me is not much, I need to complete the task before the time of my death in my previous life. In my previous life, I died at the age of 24 at the hands of kidnappers. I have 7 years left, I must change my fate! In my previous life, I was solely focused on marrying Jason, only thinking about being the Sullivan family’s daughter-in-law after graduation. I sneer at my past self. Rather than supporting his lofty ambitions, it’s better to earn my own fortune. After my rebirth, my goals are clear. Besides ensuring my own survival, I also need to take over the family business, absolutely not letting the empire built by my birth mother and father fall into others’ hands. My father and my birth mother had an arranged marriage, a powerful alliance that multiplied the scale of the Wright family’s business several times over. Unfortunately, my father was an unfaithful man. Shortly after my mother became pregnant with me, he rekindled an affair with his first love, resulting in a secret pregnancy. This first love was Rachel’s mother. A year ago, my mother passed away due to illness, and she brought Rachel to our home, suddenly becoming the new mistress of the Wright family. My father, out of respect for my mother’s family, didn’t dare mistreat me. However, his heart had long since strayed. After returning to school, I began to work hard. To improve my grades quickly, I hired top university graduates as tutors at a high price. I also attended numerous prep classes, dedicating all my time outside of basic necessities to studying. During lunch break, I was in the classroom eating lunch prepared at home while silently reciting chemical formulas. Two girls who were usually quite friendly with me came over. One of them, named “Megan Parker,” showed me her phone. I glanced at it disinterestedly. The video was shot on the rooftop of the teaching building. From the angle, it was clearly taken secretly. A boy and a girl were sitting in the shaded area of the rooftop, eating boxed lunches together—

Who else could it be but Jason and Rachel? Rachel was sharing her food with him, and Jason, who claimed to have germaphobia, accepted it without hesitation. I looked away without changing my expression. Megan said indignantly: “This Rachel is so shameless. She knows the school heartthrob is your boyfriend, yet she still throws herself at him.” Another classmate named Lucy also gritted her teeth and said: “Like mother, like daughter. No wonder she’s the daughter of a homewrecker.” Megan immediately suggested: “Amelia, let’s teach her a lesson. Let’s lock her up and scare her a bit!” The whole school knew that Rachel’s mother was a homewrecker. In my previous life, although I disliked her, I initially only isolated her and didn’t cause her any actual harm. It wasn’t until I discovered she was getting closer to Jason. I overturned the vinegar jar, and with the instigation of some ill-intentioned people, I joined with several classmates to bully Rachel. Come to think of it, my untimely death in my previous life was also self-inflicted karma. I finished my meal, closed the lid of my lunchbox, and said leisurely: “Let them be. The mock exams are coming up soon, there’s no need to waste energy on idle people.” My response took them by surprise. Especially Megan, who pressed on: “Amelia, are you really going to let her off like this? Isn’t that too easy on her?” Lucy chimed in: “Yeah, Rachel is so bold, daring to steal your man. You can’t just let her get away with it.” I sighed and emphasized again: “Jason and I are just neighbors, we were never a couple. How can you call it stealing? He can be with whoever he wants, it’s none of my business. I just want to study hard now, I don’t have time for anything else.” Megan and Lucy looked at each other, unable to accept my change in attitude. I advised them: “Focus more on your studies. Nothing is more important than improving yourself.” Megan said unhappily: “We’re just looking out for you, and not only are you ungrateful, you’re lecturing us.” I couldn’t be bothered to argue with her, so I just put away my lunchbox and took out my chemistry notes to review. Seeing my cold attitude, Megan angrily dragged Lucy away. I thoughtfully glanced at her, recalling some things… The first class in the afternoon was a chemistry test. After the chemistry teacher came in, he looked around the classroom and asked: “Where’s Rachel?” Only then did I realize Rachel hadn’t come back. The classmates all said they didn’t know. The chemistry teacher turned his gaze to me. “Amelia, do you know where she went?” I said frankly: “Teacher, I haven’t left the classroom since the break. I don’t know.” After hearing my explanation, the chemistry teacher didn’t pursue it further and started handing out the test papers. Chemistry was my strong suit, and with the recent tutoring showing results, I finished the entire test in just half an hour. I double-checked my answers twice to make sure there were no mistakes. I looked up at Rachel’s seat, but she still hadn’t returned. Could something have happened? I frowned slightly. The chemistry teacher was also worried, pacing back and forth on the podium, occasionally looking towards the door. I decided to be a good person for once and raised my hand: “Teacher, I’ve finished my test. May I go look for Rachel?” The chemistry teacher was more than happy to agree. After leaving the classroom, I didn’t go directly to find Rachel, but instead turned to the neighboring classroom— “Excuse me, teacher, I need to speak with Jason Sullivan.” I stood outside the door, addressing the history teacher on the podium. The history teacher was slightly taken aback, and the students in the classroom immediately started buzzing. Jason looked at me with a stern face, while various teasing and mocking voices arose. The history teacher called for them to quiet down, then asked me: “What do you need him for?” I said calmly, without blushing or breathing heavily: “Rachel from our class hasn’t returned for class. Someone saw her eating lunch with Jason during the break, so I came to ask.” As soon as I finished speaking, the classroom erupted again. Jason’s expression became even more colorful, with anger and humiliation flying together. He stood up abruptly without waiting for the teacher’s signal. “I don’t know where Rachel went!” he said loudly. I raised my chin and said: “Anyway, she’s missing. Why don’t you come with me to look for her?” The other students joined in the commotion. The history teacher couldn’t take it anymore and impatiently shooed us away: “Jason, go with her to look! Come back when you find her!” I turned and left without waiting for Jason. He complained behind me: “Amelia Wright, what’s wrong with you? Every day, can’t you stop causing trouble for me?”

I ignored him. Actually, I knew where Rachel was. In my previous life, after I found out she was having lunch with Jason, I joined with Megan and others to teach her a harsh lesson. In this life, I’ve awakened and let her off, but that doesn’t mean others will leave her alone. I headed straight for a certain girls’ bathroom on the top floor. This floor was high up and rarely frequented. As soon as I reached the door, I could hear muffled sobs from inside. I rushed in without hesitation and, as expected, the door of the stall furthest in was tied shut with a rope. The rope was knotted tightly, and without a knife, I couldn’t undo it. Jason peered in from outside the bathroom: “Is she in there?” Before I could answer, Rachel, locked inside, called out: “Jason! Is that you? I’m in here!” As Jason hesitated, I crossed my arms and said: “What are you standing there for? Go be the hero and save the damsel. Can’t you kick the door down?” Provoked by my words, Jason finally strode into the girls’ bathroom. He raised his foot and kicked hard— Bang! Bang! Two loud thuds The bathroom door was kicked open. Rachel threw herself into Jason’s arms, crying her eyes out. Jason awkwardly held her shoulders, keeping her at a distance. “Who locked you in here?” Jason asked while glaring at me suspiciously. Rachel sobbed: “I-I don’t know… A girl I didn’t recognize said she left something in here and asked me to help look… As soon as I went in, the door was locked… sob I thought I’d never get out…” Jason turned on me fiercely: “Amelia Wright, you did this, didn’t you?” I calmly picked at my nails, giving him a cold glance: “Evidence.” “What?” I pointed at the surveillance camera in the hallway: “You say I did it, do you have any evidence? Why don’t we check the surveillance footage?” In my previous life, Rachel was locked up until almost the end of school before Jason rescued her. Jason used his status as the son of a school board member to demand the school check the surveillance footage. In the end, it was proven that I was behind it, and from then on, Jason became increasingly disgusted with me. Now, Jason was left speechless by my question. I sneered: “Don’t accuse me without evidence.” “If you didn’t do it, how did you know she was here?” Jason’s suspicion was not unfounded. I remained composed and said coolly: “In the entire school building, this is the most suitable place to lock someone up. Next time someone locks you up here, I guarantee you’ll be crying for help with no one to answer.” Without waiting for Jason’s reaction, I turned to Rachel: “There’s 40 minutes left for the chemistry test. If you don’t want to turn in a blank paper, you’d better hurry back.” Rachel looked utterly miserable, sobbing as she followed me back. I led her back to the classroom. The chemistry teacher was relieved, asked her a few questions, and then let her return to her seat to take the test. As I walked past Megan, I clearly saw her eyes flickering, her face showing dissatisfaction. Jason did end up checking the surveillance footage later and found out who was behind it. It was Megan. She had always had a crush on Jason but didn’t dare pursue him because of my presence. That day, after learning that Jason and I had “fallen out,” she thought about removing Rachel as an obstacle. Little did she expect it would backfire. After the incident came to light, Megan became a pariah that everyone avoided. And Jason was once again humiliated by me, this time even more severely than at my birthday party. The system rewarded me with 200 humiliation points, bringing my current total to 300 points. In this life, I focused all my energy on studying and no longer targeted Rachel. Jason and I also grew apart, and rumors spread among classmates that we had broken up— In reality, we had never even dated. Without me interfering and with her getting closer to Jason, Rachel gained quite a few girlfriends. Time flew by, and another half semester passed. One day, we had a PE class, and our class was having a basketball match against Jason’s class. When Jason took the court, the whole place erupted in applause. Rachel and her friends sat on the sidelines, cheering him on. Their disloyal behavior annoyed the boys in our class. I stood in the shade of a tree, silently reciting from flashcards filled with knowledge points. Cheers kept coming from the basketball court as Jason scored several baskets in a row, earning applause from the crowd. I dug at my ears, annoyed by the noise. Just as I picked up a flashcard to check, I caught a glimpse of a familiar figure in the corner of my eye.

I squinted to look. It was Liam Harrison, whom I hadn’t seen in a long time. He was two grades below me, not on the same floor, so I rarely encountered him. He was walking towards the small woods by the sports field, where there was an old equipment room. I curiously watched for a few more moments and saw several boys standing in front of the equipment room door. One of them roughly grabbed Liam’s collar, and the others immediately surrounded him. Seeing the situation turning bad, I stuffed the flashcards back into my pocket and quickly ran over. I hadn’t gone far when I heard shouts behind me. “Jason!” Jason’s teammates were calling for him. I didn’t pay attention and continued running towards Liam. Before I could reach him, he was already knocked to the ground by those boys. I took the initiative, shouting as I ran: “Teacher! Over here! There’s a fight over here!” Upon hearing this, the bullies scattered in fear. I helped Liam up from the ground, covered in dust. His face was bruised, and his blue sportswear was stained with footprints. “Amelia…” he called out awkwardly. “Are you okay? Who were those people?” I asked with a frown. Liam shook his head and explained: “A few days ago, a girl in class gave me a love letter. Her admirers weren’t happy about it and came to cause trouble for me.” I thought to myself, can’t these young people care more about their future? They’re barely grown and already fighting over love. “We should report this to the teacher,” I said. Liam shook his head again. “It’s fine… It’s not a big deal, it’s happened before.” Despite both being Sullivan family sons, Jason was the school’s popular heartthrob, while Liam’s treatment was the complete opposite. Both at home and at school, he was targeted maliciously because of his background. I encouraged him: “Study hard, and when you grow up and become successful, you can really show them!” “Mm, thank you, Amelia…” “If they go too far, you still need to tell a teacher, or you can tell me too.” “Okay…” Liam agreed, but with his personality accustomed to being bullied, he had long lost the courage to fight back. “I’ll take you to the infirmary,” I said, supporting Liam as we walked towards the teaching building. Liam hurriedly declined: “No need to trouble you, Amelia. Don’t you have class?” I spoke frankly: “Watching boys play basketball is extremely boring. I have nothing better to do anyway.” Liam then obediently followed me to the infirmary. As I was supporting him inside, I unexpectedly saw Jason sitting there. Two male students were with him, and the school nurse was crouched beside him, spraying his knee with an antiseptic spray. His knee was scraped and slightly swollen. When I left earlier, I heard his teammates calling him. He must have fallen then. Seeing Liam and me, Jason’s expression changed dramatically. I ignored him and addressed the nurse directly: “Nurse, this freshman was beaten up by some students. Could you please check him?” The nurse said: “Wait a moment, I’m not done here yet…” Jason glared at us fiercely. Liam noticed his hostile gaze. He looked pitiful, his eyes reddening as he said: “Amelia, I’ll be fine on my own… Why don’t you go back…” “No need, I’m not in a hurry. I’ll see this through,” I insisted. Our conversation finally provoked Jason’s displeasure. He said sarcastically: “Miss Wright sure is charitable, even willing to skip class to help others.” I thought to myself, I haven’t even provoked you, why are you trying to assert your presence? I retorted: “Isn’t Mr. Sullivan supposed to be a basketball star? You got injured in a small inter-class match, have you been lacking exercise lately?” Jason’s face immediately darkened. His friend came to his defense: “Amelia, how can you talk like that? Jason got distracted when he saw you leave and was knocked down by a boy from your class.” Jason said angrily: “Shut up!” I snorted coldly, not taking it seriously: “He carelessly fell on his own, why blame others?” “You…” Jason’s friend wanted to say more. Liam beside me suddenly inhaled sharply. “Ouch…”

My attention returned to him, and I quickly asked: “What’s wrong?” He covered his cheek and said: “It’s nothing…” “Does it hurt a lot?” I moved his hand away and saw that half of his face was swollen. With the nurse’s permission, I got an ice pack to apply to Liam’s face. Jason’s friend couldn’t help but interject again: “Why don’t you care about Jason? Aren’t you boyfriends?” Jason remained silent, seemingly agreeing with his words. I remained quiet, casting a cold glance at them while continuing to apply the ice pack. Liam spoke in a barely audible voice: “Amelia… you don’t need to take care of me. I’ve dealt with injuries on my own before… You should go check on Jason… He needs you more…” This sounded a bit manipulative. But the young lady isn’t falling for this trick. No wonder men like these “green tea bitches,” who could resist this? I patted Liam and said: “Silly boy, you’re clearly the one who’s been wronged, yet you’re bottling it up. He has so many people around him, does he really need me too?” Ignoring the angry faces of Jason and his friends, I said solemnly: “Jason Sullivan, you’ve always claimed to be the embodiment of justice, so why do you turn a blind eye when your own cousin is bullied at school? If either of these two friends of yours were beaten, you wouldn’t stand idly by, would you? How come when it comes to your own flesh and blood cousin, you have this ‘not my problem’ attitude? Isn’t that the definition of a hypocrite?” In my previous life, when Rachel was bullied and I didn’t help her, this was exactly how Jason berated me. Apart from that one time I locked Rachel in the bathroom, I never bullied her again. It was always those who admired Jason who did things in my name. In my previous life, I knew Jason didn’t like malicious women, so I had already restrained myself from targeting Rachel. But Jason, without investigating, would blame everything that happened to Rachel on me. “When your own flesh and blood sister is bullied, you have this ‘not my problem’ attitude? Isn’t that the definition of a hypocrite?” These were his exact words to me back then. Now I’m throwing them right back at him, tit for tat. Jason was rendered speechless by my outburst, flushed with anger and frustration, unable to utter a word in rebuttal. His two sidekicks were also left dumbfounded. The nurse, feeling awkward, tried to mediate: “Alright, Jason’s injury isn’t serious. Go back and rest, avoid strenuous exercise, and it’ll heal in a couple of days.” Jason was helped away by his friends, one on each side. As soon as they left, the system came online:

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As I walked home, Abby hurled a burger at me, smearing cheese across my face. “Phony werewolf,” she sneered, her friends’ laughter ringing in my ears as they left me humiliated. Tina, once my closest friend, now delighted in my disgrace. Graduation was near, but with no wolf in sight, I was nothing but a target. My parents, though respected, were quietly disappointed by my failure to shift. With my eighteenth birthday looming, the future felt bleak. Deputy Dean Judi stormed into my math class, summoning me to her office while my classmates snickered. Tina blocked my path, smirking. “Father’s expelled you from the pack,” she hissed. I ignored her and entered the office, only to be soaked by a bucket of water. Soaked and humiliated, I stood as my mother arrived, her eyes locked on Tina. With a swift slap, she sent Tina fleeing in tears. “They’re not worth it,” my mother said, leading me to the parking lot where a moving van waited. “We’re starting fresh, up north.” “Are we kicked out?” I asked, nausea twisting in my stomach. “Yes,” my father said, lighting a cigar. “But don’t worry—we’re heading to a better pack.” “I won’t stay with a pack that rejects my daughter,” Dad said firmly. Guilt gnawed at me for uprooting them. Mom squeezed my knee. “Everything will work out. You’re just starting late. You’re still a werewolf.” “We’re heading to the Crescent Pack,” Dad continued. “Alpha Antony is offering us refuge.” “The Crescent Pack? The one at war with Mountain Ridge?” I asked, alarmed. “Yes, but Alpha Antony is a good man, despite his reputation,” Mom assured. “But he’s a monster,” I countered. “He’s infamous for slaughtering packs, even his own father.” “Don’t believe the rumors,” Mom said. “He must have had his reasons. Besides, no one else would take us.” Dad promised I’d be fine if I proved myself. When we arrived, the snow-covered landscape was breathtaking, but exhaustion weighed heavy. A beta with black hair and guards approached, his eyes narrowing at me. “Alpha Antony wants you at the packhouse immediately,” he said coldly. “Is this your daughter?” “Yes, this is Katrina,” Dad replied, offering his hand to shift the focus. “Beta Matthew,” he nodded curtly. “I hear you were a Beta at your old Pack. We could use your skills here.” Dad nodded, introducing Mom. “This is Dianna, my wife.” “Nice to meet you,” Mom said, shaking Matthew’s hand. His earlier hostility softened, though his wariness lingered. Matthew hurried us into his black Porsche. “Follow us.” We trailed him through the quiet town to the edge of the woods, arriving at a grand marble home with a snow-covered roof and ivy-clad walls. The house was stunning, a sharp contrast to the anxiety gnawing at me. Inside, the décor was opulent—marble floors, a portrait of Alpha Antony, and spruce wood trim. Mom admired it all, while I stood in awe and fear. Matthew led us to a guest lift, knocking on an office door. A deep, magnetic voice called us in, sending shivers down my spine. Dad entered alone. Mom stayed with me. “The Alpha will speak with each of us separately to verify our stories.” “What story?” I whispered, my heart pounding. “The story about me not being able to shift,” I said, fighting tears. “If he finds out, he might hurt us.” Mom hugged me tightly. “Shifting doesn’t matter to the Alpha. You’ll find your wolf eventually.” I nodded, terrified but resigned. Mom entered the office as Dad opened the door. “It’s not too bad,” Dad explains. “Just a small cut, mixing blood, and a pledge to bond with the pack.” A scream suddenly pierces the air—Mom’s. Dad rushes to the door as I hear the struggle and the handle rattle. Mom emerges, sobbing, clutching her head. Dad helps her, worry etched on his face. “Go on, Katrina,” Mom urges, her voice trembling. I shake my head, paralyzed with fear. Dad grips my arms. “We need this. Please, for us.” I nod, my heart racing. Dad opens the door to the Alpha’s office. Inside, Alpha Antony sits at his desk, his presence dominating the room. His jet-black hair, chiseled features, and intense gaze make him both handsome and terrifying. He eyes me coldly, sensing my lack of a wolf. “Come closer,” he growls. I shuffle forward, my blood running cold. “There’s a chair,” he says, pointing. I sit on the edge, my parents watching anxiously. “Your name?” he asks, his voice low and commanding. “Katrina,” I manage to reply. “You can call me Antony,” he says briskly. “How old are you?” “Just turned 17,” I answer, my voice barely steady. He examines my ID, confirming my age. “You haven’t finished school yet?” I nod, feeling the weight of his scrutiny. “I’m surprised you’re switching schools so soon,” Antony says, scrutinizing me. “Most students stay for academic reasons. You’ll finish your studies here with our pack.” I stay silent, letting Mom take the blame for the incident with Tina, though it wasn’t the real reason we left. “Your parents mentioned the trouble with the Alpha’s daughter, and your mother’s reaction?” Antony probes. I nod. “Good riddance to Nkosi,” Antony sneers, clear disdain in his voice. He stands and gestures for me to come closer. A shiver runs down my spine. “I promise, Katrina, I will never hurt you,” he says, though trust feels risky. He pricks my finger, letting blood trickle onto the table. “Sorry, it stings a bit,” he adds with a smile. He offers his wrist, and I realize the bond involves drinking his blood. Despite my fear, the taste is oddly sweet. He pulls me close, whispering, “Now, pledge your loyalty.” I nod, reciting, “In the name of Alpha Antony, I, Katrina, pledge everlasting loyalty and the fulfillment of all your wishes.” His scent overwhelms me, and when I nearly fall, he catches me, his grip firm. The bond snaps into place as the voices of my former pack fade. Antony smiles. “It’s done,” he says as I look up, dazed. His arms around me make me blush with embarrassment. My parents rush in as I pull away. Antony turns, and Dad tries to reassure me, though his words feel empty. “Tomorrow, Matthew will show you your new home. Katrina, start school tomorrow, and join pack training on Friday. Meet me Monday for your training.” “Pack training?” I ask, shocked. Antony’s gaze sharpens as Mom nudges me to stay quiet. “It’s mandatory,” he says. Mom steps in, shaking hands with Antony. “No problem.” Antony turns to her. “I’m interested in your experience with teens. Volunteer at the high school and keep an eye on Katrina.” Matthew leads us to a secluded cottage at the edge of town. As we approach, he offers the keys. “If it feels too remote, there are other options.” “This is perfect,” Dad replies. I stood on the lawn as Matthew curiously sniffed the air, his eyes narrowing. “You smell different from most wolves,” he remarked, making me tense. “I’m not sure what you mean,” I replied, trying to keep my voice steady. “Your wolf scent is distinct, yet subtle,” he said, raising an eyebrow. “You smell… familiar.” Before I could respond, he continued, “Pack training is every Friday at 5:00. No pressure if you can’t make it this week, but the pack will feel more comfortable with newcomers who attend.” “We’ll be there on time,” my father assured him. I took my things and went upstairs. The house felt musty and dim, the rich brown carpet almost black, and the large fireplace dominating one wall. My mother opened the windows to let in fresh air and light. As we unpacked, Matthew gave precise directions for each room. My bedroom was at the far end of the house, overlooking the woods. It was peaceful, but the loneliness gnawed at me. Three days flew by as we settled in. On Monday, I woke up, dressed in jeans and a white T-shirt, and packed my bag with as many textbooks as it could hold. It was the first day of school. My stomach churned with anxiety as we approached the school. My mother watched me in the rearview mirror. “It’ll be fine,” she said softly. “Just keep your head down and behave.” I groaned and slipped out the back door, staring up at the brick building, dread settling in. How awful it would be if they found out I didn’t have a wolf. As soon as I entered the office, a striking woman in her mid-30s greeted me. Her jet-black hair brushed her shoulders, and massive oval glasses perched on the bridge of her perfectly straight nose. She had cherry-red lips, and her warm smile instantly put me at ease. Her dark eyes met mine as I approached. “You must be Katrina,” she said warmly. She scanned my ID, then handed me my schedule, student card, and locker key. The combination was written on the card, and my stomach flipped when I saw the daily training sessions listed. “Two hours of classroom teaching and one hour of wolf training each day,” she explained. Panic bubbled up—I couldn’t hide my lack of a wolf for long. I thanked her and hurried to my locker, dreading the week ahead. The locker opened easily with the right code. As I grabbed my books, I noticed a girl watching me. She had a nose ring, short black hair, and thick eye makeup. “Hey, welcome,” she said with a grin. “I’m Ella.” She glanced at my agenda. “Ah, Katrina.” She seemed nice, so I followed her as she offered to show me around. “Word is you’re from Alpha Nkosi’s pack,” she said casually. The rumor was already spreading. “Beta Matthew and Alpha Antony were talking, and you must have Beta DNA,” Ella smiled. “It’s surprising Alpha Antony allowed a move since he despises Alpha Nkosi. Your parents must be something special.” She paused at an open classroom door. “No new students in years. Mr. Swift, our English teacher, is nice.” The students inside were engaged in calm conversations, a stark contrast to my last pack. I joined Ella at her table, where many students glanced our way. “That group over there—total nerds, always studying. And Nina, the blonde—she’s the worst. Avoid her,” Ella whispered. The teacher didn’t single me out as a new student, which was a relief. During lunch, as students and teachers prepared the training grounds, I noticed my mom and Alpha Antony arriving, which made me uneasy. “Does our Alpha often help with training?” I asked. “Every day, unless he’s in meetings,” Ella replied. We watched as Nina clung to Alpha Antony, clearly infatuated. “She thinks she’ll be his mate,” Ella commented. It made me anxious seeing Nina so close to him, but I kept my feelings hidden. Ella might be right about her being rude. The age difference between Alpha Antony and my old Alpha, who was in his sixties, was striking. “At 31, Alpha Antony’s a great leader—stern but fair. Thankfully, he’s not as awful as his father,” Ella said. “He took over after his father’s retirement?” I asked. “No,” Ella replied, lowering her voice. “At seventeen, Alpha Antony had him killed and seized control. But everyone welcomed the old Alpha’s death. He treated women like animals and killed anyone who disobeyed, even his mate.” My stomach churned. “That’s terrible,” I murmured. Ella nodded. “He disgusted all the packs. But when Alpha Antony took over, everything changed. He allowed women to join self-defense classes. Maybe that’s why he wanted your family here—your Beta genes give you an edge.” “Maybe,” I said, unsure. At noon, Ella and I changed into workout clothes and headed to the training grounds. “You want to watch the training?” she asked. I nodded. Alpha Antony invited me to sit with him in the stands. I watched as he helped the trainees, offering feedback. When he returned, he asked, “What do you think of school so far?” Feeling uneasy, I forced a smile. “Everything’s fine.” My mom’s anxious glance made me wary of him. “How often do you train with your mom?” he asked. “She doesn’t want me to miss training,” I replied. He nodded. “Good. Rest today and tomorrow, but on Monday, you’ll join the team.” Nina, standing in front of me, stared intently, her presence unsettling. “Nina, focus on training and get back to the pitch!” Antony shouted. She pouted, “I was just seeing if you needed help, Alpha.” Her interest in him was obvious. She narrowed her eyes at me before leaving, and I knew she’d be trouble from the start. Antony turned to me. “I have to head back out there, Katrina. See you around.” He walked over to my mom, who was scolding Nina for leaving the pitch. After school, my mom grabbed my arm as soon as she saw me, pulling me away from the crowd. “Katrina, you need to stay out of sight, especially from the Alpha and his Beta,” she warned. “I didn’t seek him out, Mom. He came to me.” “That doesn’t matter,” she snapped. “Just because you’re my daughter doesn’t mean you can slack off. Now, get out there and start running.” “What? Mom, seriously?” I protested. Beta Matthew appeared beside us. “Is there a problem?” he asked. Mom lowered her head. “No, Beta.” She pointed to the field. “Get going, Katrina.” Reluctantly, I threw my jumper at her and started running. Her sudden strictness confused me. “Thirty laps,” she yelled. I groaned and rolled my eyes as I began. By twenty laps, my legs burned, and my lungs felt like they were on fire. I stopped to catch my breath. “Ten more, Katrina! I didn’t say stop,” she barked. “This is ridiculous,” I muttered. “Want more added?” Mom threatened. Shaking my head, I pushed through the final laps, aware that Antony was watching, clearly displeased. When I finally collapsed onto the grass, gasping for air, my mom looked down at me. “Remember, Katrina, everything I do is for your benefit. I might go easy on you, but the pack won’t.” I tried to calm my breathing with my arms above my head, water bottle in hand. The pain was so intense I whimpered. Alpha Antony approached, but I stayed still, embarrassed by my weakness. “I need to speak with you, Dianna,” he said, heading toward my mom. I averted my eyes, feeling self-conscious. Ella handed me water, and I managed to sit up, though my legs felt like jelly. After school, as I struggled to get to my locker, Nina confronted me. Her blonde highlights and sparkling chocolate eyes made her look attractive, but her harsh demeanor revealed her cruelty. She shoved me against the wall and yanked at my shirt. “Don’t mess with the Alpha or I’ll make your life hell.” I wriggled free, sarcastically thanking her, “Wow, thanks for the heads up!” “Nina, stop it,” I said. She grabbed my hair, pulling hard. I punched her in the back of the head, causing her to scream and cover her face. Following my mom’s advice, I slapped her, causing blood to spill down her chin. “What’s going on?” Beta Matthew appeared in the corridor. Tina, sobbing, said, “The whore attacked me!” Ella spoke up, “She grabbed Katrina’s hair and threatened her.” I stayed silent as my mom and Alpha Antony arrived. My mom looked at Tina and said, “You brought this on yourself. Behave, or you’ll face worse in my training sessions.” Despite her strictness, I respected and loved her. Watching Tina flee in tears, I felt a pang of pity but quickly moved past it. She had become more of a rival than a classmate. Mom shook her head, clearly frustrated. “Katrina, trouble on your first day—goodness.” Ella stepped in. “Tina attacked her first. Katrina was just defending herself.” That made me appreciate Ella more. Alpha Antony announced, “Katrina, both of you will have detention tomorrow.” I noticed Mom’s displeased expression, though I didn’t quite understand it. Ella peered curiously. “Beta Mathew will deal with Tina,” Alpha Antony said, nodding to Mathew. “Go ahead,” Antony added, and I packed up quickly, trying to keep up with my mom as she stormed down the hall. “Always drawing attention to yourself,” she fumed. I ignored her, saying, “But you told me to defend myself.” “Katrina, I meant it. Without this pack, we have nowhere else to go. Nkosi made sure no other pack would take us.” She sighed deeply. “It was a miracle Alpha Antony took us in.” On the drive home, Mom was silent, her frustration evident in the way she slammed the steering wheel and sped off. The next day, during detention, I tried to stay out of the spotlight. When I got home, Dad stopped me before I could head to my room. “How was your first day at school?” he asked. Mom had told him about the argument and the detention. “Did you win?” he asked, always eager to support me. I forced a smile. Dad asked Mom, “What did you do to my daughter?” “We got home late because she had to run thirty laps,” Mom replied. I slipped away, feeling miserable. Mom told Dad, “Tomorrow, Katrina will have detention with the Alpha alone.” Dad’s face tightened. “Detention? We mustn’t anger the Alpha. If he finds out you don’t have a wolf before we prove your worth, we’re in trouble.” I worried about the embarrassment and burden on my family if we were expelled. The idea of standing out or being kicked out was terrifying. “Can I go now?” I asked, desperate to escape. Mom said, “Even if you go, remember that packs don’t tolerate members without wolves.” Feeling overwhelmed by their constant supervision, I went to bed early, hoping for some peace. The next morning, Mom yelled at me to get ready. She handed me a pie for the ride, and I ate it as she lectured me on fitting in. I nodded along, pretending to be attentive. At school, Ella waved and called, “Katrina!” “Geometry first,” she said, and I grunted in response. Despite my good grades, the class was excruciatingly dull and gave me a headache. While Mom spoke with teachers, Ella and I made the most of the first period. When noon came, I dreaded detention, but Antony hadn’t specified where. At the bell, Alpha Antony stormed into my classroom. I was stunned and anxious, knowing I’d disappoint Mom. Ella gave me a sympathetic look as I hurried out, deciding to face the Alpha despite my fear. “Does geometry class drag for you too?” Alpha Antony asks with a grin. “Yeah, a bit. Why do you ask?” I reply. “I used to skip it and get punished. Your expression reminds me of that.” I force a smile, hiding that my pain is his fault. He barks, “Let’s go,” and heads out. As he opens my locker, he chokes me lightly. “I know everything,” I say, raising an eyebrow. “High pulse rate. Your parents’ story doesn’t add up. I bet they didn’t leave just because your mother hit the Alpha’s daughter,” he says, rubbing my back. I wince as his grip on my hand numbs my arm. “Um, Alpha, your grip…” I start to say. “Sorry,” he releases me, confused. “What’s detention like?” I ask, following him down empty hallways. “Don’t worry, you won’t get in trouble,” he reassures me as we enter the faculty lounge. I sit in his chair, breathing deeply to mask his strong scent. Mathew enters with a dish of roasted meat and places it on the desk, eyeing me curiously. “Lunchtime?” I ask, confused. “Detention can be different. What do you prefer?” Antony raises an eyebrow. “Not this,” I admit, surprised by the laid-back approach. The meat is surprisingly good. After we finish, Mathew clears the trays and asks, “How’s it going here?” “Pretty well,” I reply, trying to smile. Mathew drapes an arm over my shoulder, sniffing me. I glance at Antony, who seems uninterested. When I try to move, Mathew pulls me closer. “Hands off, Mathew!” Antony shouts. Mathew grins, raises his hands, and steps back, giving us space. “Before you go, I have a few questions,” Antony says after Mathew leaves. “Why did you really join our pack?” he asks. “I wonder why you allowed us to join if you think we have secrets,” I reply, feeling awkward. Antony continues, “I chose the best fighters from Alpha Nkosi. I’m curious about your potential.” I ask, “What if I don’t meet expectations?” “You’ve got Beta blood. Your mother is a strong fighter,” he says, making me worry about my secret. “Can I ask a question?” I ask. “Sure,” he replies. “Have you met your mate yet?” “No, I’m not eighteen.” Antony presses, “Why did your family move?” I feel tight and sweaty, but say, “What my parents told you is true.” Antony nods, “You can go, Katrina, but we’ll talk again.” Alpha Antony’s POV As I watched Katrina leave, I knew her family was hiding something. If she weren’t my mate, I might’ve reconsidered admitting them. The chance to end the feud with Nkosi was too tempting. It was odd that Philip and Dianna never mentioned their children despite their high status. Katrina seemed off, though she came from a strong family. Mathew entered through the back, as I’d instructed, to investigate her further. “She’s your mate, right?” he asked. I sighed, acknowledging it. “I want to spend time alone with her.” Mathew asked, “Why not ask her parents directly?” “I don’t want to upset them. She’ll hate me if I clash with them,” I explained. “What’s next?” he inquired. “I don’t want to seem like a freak around her,” I admitted. Mathew suggested, “Check on her tomorrow. A pack run will be held every Friday. Let her adjust to the group first.” “Fine,” I said. Mathew asked with a smile, “Are you planning to confront her?” “Nothing major. Tina’s been a nuisance, so I paired her with Katrina for training,” I said, irritated. “Are you trying to provoke me?” Mathew asked. “I’ll ensure Tina doesn’t overstep. Her skills are useful, but her dislike of Katrina complicates things,” I replied. Katrina is fierce, no question. Mathew says “She will get what it takes.” “You best hope so because if she gets wounded, you will be dead.” “Her father was Beta and her mother fought well. Nothing to worry about.” Tina fights unfairly, as I’ve seen in crew training. I knew my partner could handle herself even in her condition. Given her strength and stamina, it would be intriguing to watch her wolf transformation. I was excited to meet her wolf. Hidden among the spectators, I avoided detection. Mathew’s pairing was odd. Dianna seems to be conversing to her kid as she approaches the playground. Katrina seemed sick and sweaty. “What’s the deal, is she truly doing fine?” I see Katrina go to the closest garbage can and puke. Dianna’s mother is strict. After staring at her daughter for what seemed like a lifetime, she told her to return to fieldwork. Ella approaches and shakily touches Katrina’s arm. Ella is a great buddy, and I’m happy to have her. Besides Tina and her friends, she gets along with everyone. Dianna, Katrina’s mother, advises her to “get it together,” and she nods before leaving. Katrina shakes Ella’s arm sharply after telling her to leave. “Why don’t you see any problems?” Mathew leans forward when I tell him. “To me, she appeared fine.”He answers. I wait on the stairs edge to observe Katrina and Tina enter their square before descending. Tina stands steadfast while Katrina staggers from weariness. Katrina’s wolf growls, keeping its distance. As Tina lunges, Katrina rolls onto her back to dodge, then kicks Tina in the face, sending her stumbling away with a bleeding nose. Katrina, drenched in sweat, looks troubled. My wolf growls, “Wolfsbane,” and I catch the scent. Mathew notices, “Something’s wrong.” She moved before I could take two steps down the stairway. The Katrina Pov My mother took me into her office on my way to training. “You scared me to death.” Her expressionless, steely face stared at me coldly. “Where have you been?” “Place of confinement; where else?” “I went looking for you, and I found out that neither you nor Tina were in custody.” “At fact, I am in the Alpha’s office.” “This is the day when the wolves go through their training.” Mom remarked forcefully, appearing alarmed. I’ll tell them I’m unwell, she says, shaking her head. A pocket item she pulls gives me the willies; I haven’t seen it in years. “You have to go, “she continues, but “we can make up a tale for why you can’t alter your situation if you take one of them. ” “I’m sorry, Mom, but it just can’t happen.” “There’s no way around it; we can’t risk them finding out until you’ve shown your usefulness to the pack.” Although I had no wolf, my mother fed me nevertheless when I was younger to hide it from the Alpha. She then fed me them to get me used to them so I wouldn’t have any issues. Until my dad discovered it. He stopped thinking about it, and I stopped taking the most fatal medicine to werewolves. “Don’t tell your father.”She warns. I told her my dad will smell it on me since he’s done it before. She opens her black medicine container. She opens it and shows me the white tablets. She hisses quietly while clenching her teeth. She expects me to swallow it. “No! ” She looks disgusted when I tell her. “But just because you’re acting like a spoilt brat won’t mean I’m going to throw everything away.” “And how should I explain?” “Just say you ate it somewhere,” Mom says, shoving the tablet into my hand. I refuse the water. “Swallow it now!” she commands. I chew the tablet, feeling excitement and fear clash inside me. If the Alpha finds out the truth, I’m in trouble. Outside, pain hits hard. “Mum!” I scream, clutching my stomach. “Kick their ass, just like I taught you.” “No, Mom, they’re wolves.” “Don’t let me down,” she echoes as she drags me to the pitch. I stagger to the nearest trash can, clutching my aching stomach, blood, and sweat pouring from me. “What’s happening, Katrina?” Ella’s voice fades as I blur out, unable to respond. My mother and Tina’s shouts ring in my ears. I can’t keep up; my legs give out. Tina charges at me, and I barely dodge her punch. I kick her away, but everything starts to darken. My bones ache, and I reach out mentally, whispering to my mother, “I’m sorry, Mom. I feel so weak.” As claws and teeth rush toward me, I brace for the worst. I open my eyes to see the brown wolf, and then the Alpha, bloody from Tina’s attack.

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My boyfriend is the heir to a corporate empire, but he’s pretending to be an amnesiac poor college student freeloading at my place. After my best friend tried to convince me to dump this pretty boy for the 101st time, I still refused. There’s no way I’m breaking up with this pretty boy. Until one night I overheard his secretary’s conversation: “Now that these fish have taken the bait, it’s time for me to reel them in.” “And what about Miss Williams? How do you plan to deal with her?” “She’s just a gold digger. A check will be enough to get rid of her.” Hearing this, I almost laughed out loud. I was finally going to strike it rich. Recently, Ethan has been sneaking out behind my back a lot. Every time before he goes out, he always cooks a delicious meal for me, sweet-talking me with pet names. After I fall asleep at night, he quietly puts on his clothes and sneaks out. What he doesn’t know is that I’m not actually asleep at all. Because day and night, I’ve been waiting for him to betray me. Tonight, after thoroughly wearing me out, he put on his clothes and left. This is the tenth time this month. Even the most patient person would start to feel restless. Taking advantage of Ethan’s absence, I threw on some clothes and secretly followed him out. I hid in the stairwell, pressing my ear against the door. Ethan’s voice came from the other side: “Those old fogies at the company seem to be getting impatient. It’s time for me to reel them in.” Another man responded respectfully: “Then young master, how do you plan to deal with Miss Williams?” Hearing this question, my heart tensed up a bit. After freeloading off me for so long, using my money and sleeping with me, he better not be planning to just up and leave. Ethan said in a low voice: “She’s just a gold digger. A check will be enough to get rid of her.” The man seemed surprised by Ethan’s answer and quickly added: “Miss Williams has taken care of you for so long. Isn’t it a bit cold-hearted to just give her a check?” Ethan seemed annoyed: “What else then? Should I bring her back as your young mistress? Her? A third-rate student from a third-rate school who got a third-rate job at a third-rate company? Is she worthy of entering the doors of the Blackwood family?” The man asked again: “Then how much should we write the check for?” Ethan just threw out four words: “Whatever she wants.” Hearing this, I tiptoed back to the room. I could barely contain my excitement as I kicked the air a few times. “Whatever she wants” This was truly the sweetest thing I’d heard in two lifetimes.

That’s right, two lifetimes. Because I’ve been reborn. In my previous life, I also met Ethan pretending to have amnesia at the hospital. Seduced by his good looks, I brought him home. I fed him, clothed him, slept with him. To be honest, we did spend a very happy time together. And because we were so happy, I thought love was everything back then. Ethan pretended to have amnesia due to a car accident from company infighting, using this chance to hide in the shadows and completely overhaul the Blackwood Group. The day the Blackwood family sent people to pick Ethan up, over a dozen Rolls-Royces drove into my soon-to-be-demolished neighborhood. Such a grand spectacle drew all the neighbors to gather outside my door to watch. I saw Ethan change into a tailored suit and put on a Rolex watch. He lowered his head and signed a $5 million check for me, saying it was to thank me for taking care of him all this time. Back then, I was so focused on Ethan that love was more important than anything else. I refused that check, only wanting to be with Ethan forever. I still remember the look in Ethan’s eyes. It was like looking at a stray dog on the street. Contempt, confusion, ridicule. Later, Ethan broke up with me unilaterally. I couldn’t accept it and went to the media to expose the details of our relationship during the time Ethan pretended to have amnesia. This gave Ethan a reputation for being cold and unfaithful. As the controversy grew, it caused new turmoil in the Blackwood Group that had just settled down from internal strife. In the end, under my pressure, Ethan proposed to me in public and married me into the family. On the second day of our marriage, I saw the headline news of Ethan entering a hotel with a famous model the night before. In the days that followed, Ethan tortured me daily, saying outright that seeing me made him sick. He even acquired the media company I had leaked the story to and revealed to the public that I was the original whistleblower. In an instant, I went from being seen as a kind-hearted wife who stood by her husband through hardship to a scheming social climber. Ethan’s cold violence and the online abuse finally drove me to depression. In the end, I committed suicide at home.

When I woke up again, I found myself lying in the same hospital where I first met Ethan, having fainted from low blood sugar. Seeing Ethan sweetly calling me “sis” this and “sis” that, I rolled my eyes so hard they nearly fell out of my head. This life, I’m going to get back that $5 million that’s rightfully mine! Others who are reborn seek revenge, but not me. I just want the money. Sure enough, in this life Ethan did the same as before, claiming to have amnesia and falling in love with me at first sight. Looking at his chiseled, devastatingly handsome face, I could practically see the words “$5 million” written on it. I rubbed my hands together gleefully and brought him home. Luckily, everything in this life proceeded smoothly along the same path as before. We naturally got together, and I was even more attentive to him than in my previous life. Baby’s tired? I’ll give him a shoulder massage. Baby’s hungry? I’ll cook him some noodles. Baby’s out of money? I’ll transfer him some. Baby wants to sleep with me? No problem, come on then! Even my best friend of many years said I was a fair-weather friend who’d throw her under the bus for a man. Seeing how I took care of Ethan, my neighbor went home to complain to his wife that he wasn’t getting enough love and care. Under my daily affection, my relationship with Ethan gradually heated up. Unlike my past life, Ethan also started learning to cook, learning to take care of me, and often bringing me lunch at work, making all my coworkers envious of my attentive puppy boyfriend. Heh, attentive my ass. The dog part is true though. Ever since taking in Ethan and deciding to get that money, my career had been on the rise, getting promoted three times. But I didn’t care about this small change. I wanted that $5 million. My phone suddenly lit up with a WeChat message from my best friend, Rachel. This was the 101st time she demanded I break up with Ethan. “Sophie! You have to break up with that pretty boy, or we’re not friends anymore! Look at yourself now, obsessed with love. Do you remember our dream of getting rich?” In my past life, Rachel had sent me a similar message. I refused her then because I loved Ethan. This life, I still refused Rachel, but it was for the sake of getting rich! “Rachel, I love Ethan, trust me. But that doesn’t stop us from getting rich. Hurry up and pack your bags, get your passport and visa ready. Your girl’s about to take you flying.” After sending the message, I heard a noise outside the door. Ethan was back. I quickly put down my phone and pretended to be sound asleep. I felt the familiar scent from the side of the bed as he quietly lay down, wrapping his arm around my waist before falling asleep. He may sleep soundly, but I was too excited to sleep because of those four words – “whatever she wants.” The day has finally come! My days of being a slave are over! I’m going to flip the script and sing the song of the common folk!

I had been waiting for this day, watching the stars and counting the months, and another month passed. In my previous life, Ethan had already gone back by this time. Why hasn’t he made a move in this life? When I got home from work and opened the door, I was stunned for a moment. Flowers, balloons, candlelight, food, and music. Um… what’s this? “Sophie, today is the one-year anniversary of our meeting,” Ethan said. I looked at Ethan, all dressed up, not understanding what he was doing. Seeing that I hadn’t reacted, Ethan waved his hand in front of my face. “Sophie, Sophie, what are you thinking about?” I coughed lightly, “I’m thinking about you, of course. Thinking about how much effort my baby put into preparing this surprise for me. I’m so touched I could cry.” I pretended to be deeply moved, nestling into Ethan’s arms and planting a kiss on his chin. Ethan held me tight, rubbing his chin on the top of my head. “For you, this is all I should do.” I pinched my palm hard, the pain bringing tears to my eyes. I looked up at Ethan with misty eyes, “Will you ever not want me? After all, I’m just a third-rate graduate from a third-rate university, working a third-rate job at a third-rate company.” “How could that be possible!” Ethan said firmly. Looking at Ethan’s determined expression, I found it laughable inside. These were the very words you once said. Now you’re putting on this act of undying love, who are you trying to fool? It’s disgusting, truly disgusting to the core. “Really? You really won’t look down on me? Will you marry me? Will we get married?” I pressed on. Hearing my words, Ethan froze for a moment. Heh, man, caught you off guard, didn’t I? “Of course we will,” Ethan replied. I didn’t expect Ethan to agree. If he found me so repulsive, why keep up this charade? He should have gone into acting instead. I lowered my head, pretending to be happy, and buried my face in Ethan’s chest. Ethan pushed me away gently, picking up an exquisite velvet box from the table. Seeing the box, my eyes suddenly lit up. At least the kid knows what he’s doing. It wasn’t all for nothing that I played along with him for a year. Judging by the box, the contents must be quite valuable. “This is for you,” he said. I accepted it with great joy, but when I opened it, I saw a plain red string bracelet. What the hell? Where’s my knife? Is this what the heir to a corporate empire does? Is this how the successor to the Blackwood Group treats me? Are you kidding me? If it weren’t for the habit I’d developed of wearing a fake smile in front of Ethan, I really might have slapped him. “What’s this?” I asked, looking confused as I carefully picked up the red string, examining it closely. Well… it really was just a red string. Not even a gold bead, let alone a silver one. “This is a safety knot I got for you from the temple today. Wear it, and it will keep you safe and sound,” Ethan said. Go to hell! I was cursing Ethan’s eighteen generations of ancestors in my mind, but my face still maintained a touched expression. “Really? I love it so much. You’re so good to me,” I said, hooking my arms around Ethan’s neck and planting a kiss on his lips. Ethan took the opportunity to capture my lips, slowly savoring them like jelly. Another sleepless night followed. In the last moment before I lost consciousness, I was still thinking, this man is so stingy, will he even give me that check?

The next day, I was woken up by a buzz of discussion. I sat up in bed, but Ethan was already gone. I got up, nursing my sore waist, and walked to the window. A whole row of Rolls-Royces downstairs dazzled my eyes. Finally! Finally! The day has come at last. Suddenly, my waist didn’t hurt anymore, my legs weren’t sore anymore, I felt like I could climb five floors in one go. I didn’t even have time to put on my shoes before I flew downstairs. I saw that Ethan had already changed into a well-fitted black suit. His black-rimmed glasses had been replaced with gold-rimmed ones, and on his wrist was a diamond-encrusted Rolex. A crowd of people had gathered in circles around the entrance to the apartment building. Several men dressed as bodyguards approached Ethan, bowing respectfully. Finally, they’re here. You’re finally here. I was so excited I could almost cry, but I still controlled myself, pretending to be scared: “Who are you? Where are you taking my boyfriend?” A man dressed as a secretary pulled my arm away from Ethan. “Miss Williams, please show some self-respect. This is the young master of the Blackwood family, the heir to the Blackwood Group. As a token of appreciation for your care of Mr. Blackwood over the past year, here is a check. You may fill in any amount you wish. Consider it a small gesture from the Blackwood Group.” This voice was the same one I had heard during Ethan’s late-night secret conversation. My lips trembled slightly, tears streaming down uncontrollably. I looked every bit the image of a wife abandoned by her husband. I put my hand back on Ethan’s arm. “Ethan, are you… are you leaving me?”

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When my mother died from an asthma attack, locked in her room by my son’s prank, where was my doctor husband? He was at his ex-girlfriend’s performance with our son. I was devastated. I called my husband over a dozen times before he finally picked up. But before I could speak, he snapped, “What’s your problem? It’s just a performance with our kid. You’re calling non-stop like it’s a matter of life and death. Always lying and making up excuses to get me home. Stop calling!” My son chimed in, “Mom’s so annoying! I wish Emma could be my mom instead.” Emma took the phone, “Kids say the darndest things. You won’t take it seriously, right?” Fine, I’ll give you what you want. I addressed my son through the phone, “If you want her to be your mom, tell your dad to come back and divorce me.” My mom died with her eyes wide open. In just a few short hours, a living, breathing person turned into a box of ashes. The pain of losing my mother was soul-crushing. My phone pinged with a message. It was my friend forwarding Emma’s Instagram post. “Performance wrapped up perfectly! Check out our six-handed piano play with my two clingy fans. How’s our chemistry?” In the video, my son and husband flanked Emma like two bodyguards. The three of them played the piano in perfect harmony, looking every bit like a happy family. My husband even commented: “Calling us clingy already? You ungrateful little thing.” Emma replied: “Hmph! You know very well how grateful I am, especially after last night ;)” The pain in my chest spread through my entire body. While my husband and his ex were playing piano with our son, my mother was having an asthma attack, with no one to help her. While they were flirting shamelessly, my mother had already been taken to the crematorium, turned to ashes. They got their perfect moment, but what about my mom? Who’s going to bring her back to life? I was filled with so much hatred! When my mom called for help, I immediately called 911, but the ambulance couldn’t arrive fast enough. I drove home as fast as I could, desperately calling Jacob to go save my mom. Emma’s performance venue was close to our house. It would have taken him just a few minutes to go back and forth. But Jacob remained unmoved, thinking it was just an excuse to get him home. “Abigail, you know I hate being lied to!” His tone softened, “I don’t want to miss a second of Emma’s performance. Be good and don’t cause trouble now.” No matter how I explained, he wouldn’t listen. He was convinced I was lying. I pleaded, choking back tears, “For the sake of how my father once saved your entire family, I’m begging you to save my mom. I’m not lying!” But my words only angered him, “Enough! How long are you going to use your father’s life to emotionally blackmail me!” At this moment, our son urged him to hang up, “Dad, ignore mom. Look! Emma’s on stage!” I screamed desperately, “Don’t hang up! Jacob, I’m begging you, my mom is dying.” Jacob’s patience ran out, “Then let her die.” My mom died because she didn’t get help in time, while their six-handed piano video went viral online. Emma even gained a bunch of new followers because of it. After dealing with my mom’s funeral and forcing myself to sign the divorce papers, I finally collapsed into a deep sleep. My husband and son returned three days later. “Is dinner ready? I texted you earlier. Why are you still sleeping?” Jacob barged in, roughly yanking the blanket off me, his face full of disgust as he questioned me from above. I must look a mess, but I couldn’t care less. Lucas pinched his nose in disgust, “Dad, I’m hungry. Let’s go find Emma. Let this dirty mom sleep to death.” My heart felt like it had plunged into an icy abyss. This was the son I had risked my life to give birth to. I almost died from massive blood loss during his birth. After he was born, he cried day and night. I held and comforted him around the clock, fed him, completely worn out. I had worked so hard to raise him to this age, yet his birthday wish was for Emma to be his mother. My son truly took after his father, even fancying the same woman. Looking at this flesh of my flesh, my heart shattered. It was because of him that I lost my mother. Thinking of my mom who died with her eyes open, I could no longer contain my emotions. I grabbed Lucas hysterically, demanding, “You knew grandma had asthma. Why did you lock her alone in the room? Do you know you killed her!”

I had never treated Lucas like this before. He was clearly scared, crying and hitting me, “Wah! Mom is so scary. I don’t want a bad mom. I want Emma!” Lucas’s fists kept landing on me. It didn’t hurt physically, but my insides felt like they were on fire. I cried back at him, “You don’t want me? I don’t want you either! Give me back my mom, and I won’t want anyone else. I just want my mom!” Lucas and I were both crying our eyes out. Jacob forcefully separated us, shielding Lucas behind him. He looked at me coldly, “Acting again, are we? Lucas was just playing around with your mom. It’s such a small thing, why are you scaring him like this?” Playing around? A small thing? That “small thing” killed my mom! I looked at him, grief-stricken and angry, “But my mom is dead!” “Enough! Your mom had her medicine in the room, how could anything have happened? I know you’re upset about me and Lucas going to Emma’s performance, but you don’t need to make up such lies with your mom! Aren’t you afraid of jinxing her?” Even now, he still thought I was jealous and deliberately using my mom as an excuse to make him feel guilty. The sorrow and anger made me want to laugh. At that moment, Emma called. Jacob answered and after a few words, he hurriedly prepared to leave. He spoke softly into the phone, “Don’t worry, I’ll be right there.” Lucas followed closely behind him. Looking at these two strangers before me. I suddenly laughed and handed Jacob the divorce papers on the table, “Before you go, sign these.” Jacob didn’t even look at them before mocking, “You’ve really gone to great lengths to get my attention, haven’t you?” “Divorce? You think you can live without me and Lucas? Stop these tricks, you’re just embarrassing yourself.” With that, he left with Lucas. In the past, every time we argued, no matter whose fault it was, I would always be the one to make up and apologize. But not anymore. As soon as they left, I quickly packed my things, dragged my suitcase out, and resolutely left. I returned to my mother’s old house. Family photos of the three of us still hung on the walls. But my beloved parents were gone. Ten years ago, my father died saving Jacob’s entire family in a mudslide. Back then, Jacob held me and said, “Don’t cry. You still have me. I’ll be with you for life.” Those words were deeply etched in my heart. Later, we got married and had a child. Jacob’s kindness made me believe we were soulmates. But everything changed when Emma appeared. He stopped sharing his daily life with me. He would often zone out, and inexplicably stare at his phone with a silly grin. On our wedding anniversary, Emma said she had a headache, and Jacob abandoned me to rush to her side. When I got into a car accident and needed his help dealing with threats, he was busy helping Emma dodge drinks. When I was sick and needed his care, he said he was busy washing Emma’s dog. No matter when or where, Jacob could drop everything and rush to Emma’s side at her slightest call or message. If I dared to question him, I was being unreasonable, emotionally blackmailing him, or trying to cash in on past favors. It was then that I realized, what was nectar to me was poison to him. What I thought was mutual love was, to him, nothing but an obligation to repay a debt. Even my son was often taken to meet Emma. Lucas no longer hugged my neck saying he loved me. Instead, he lamented why Emma couldn’t be his mother. Holding back my pain, I asked Lucas why. Eating the food I made, he said innocently, “Emma is gentler than mom. She and dad take me to eat things mom doesn’t allow. Her cooking is better than mom’s, and she can play the piano. She never scolds me and is very nice to me. Dad loves her too…” Lucas’s words hurt, but I thought it was just childish talk. I still tried to repair my relationship with him. But when Emma and I both fell into the water, my husband and son unanimously went to save Emma. My husband pulled her out of the water, while Lucas rushed to get towels and hot water. They fussed over her endlessly. I was invisible to them. At that moment, my suspended heart finally died. I decided to stop compromising myself. Just as I was about to divorce Jacob, my mom came from the countryside to visit. Her health wasn’t good, and I didn’t want to upset her, so I had to put off the divorce until after she left. But in this short time, they went too far, directly causing my mother’s death! I was grief-stricken and desperate! Not wanting my mom to be lonely on her journey, I asked the village uncles to help arrange a funeral for her. After the funeral, I returned home exhausted. The empty house was silent except for the ticking of the clock, a silence that bred despair. I called out of habit, “Mom, I’m home. What delicious food did you make for lunch?” But only endless silence answered me. Tears streamed down my face uncontrollably. Oh, that’s right. My mom is dead. Suddenly, the front door was kicked open with a bang. Jacob stormed in, his face cold as he glared at me fiercely. Emma and Lucas followed behind him. As soon as he entered, he began searching the house. Finally, he came back to me and asked, “Where’s mom?”

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My girlfriend was in a coma after an accident. I stayed by her side day and night, praying for her to wake up. When she finally regained consciousness, she was diagnosed with “post-traumatic stress disorder.” She had amnesia and forgot who I was. One day, I overheard her talking to a friend: “Amnesia? I’m faking it. I’m just bored and want a new boyfriend.” With no lingering attachments, I decided to have surgery to remove a brain tumor. The procedure would likely damage my memory, making me forget her completely. When we met again, she angrily confronted me: “Liam! Are you pretending not to see me?” I looked at her blankly: “Miss, do I know you?” After the breakup, I went home to pack my things. The person who opened the door wasn’t Sophia, but a young man I didn’t recognize. He seemed to know me but feigned confusion, asking, “Sir, who are you looking for? Can I help you?” “This is my home,” I said, immediately regretting my words. At least, it used to be my home. The apartment Sophia and I had shared for so long. I never imagined that right after our breakup, she’d bring another man home, acting like he owned the place. “Didn’t Sophia tell you I’d be coming to collect my things today?” I asked. The man put on an act of sudden realization. “Oh, so you must be Mr.Brown – I mean, Liam?” He smiled, his words laden with hidden meaning: “You know, since Sophia woke up, her memory hasn’t been great. It’s normal for her to forget some… unimportant things.” I nodded silently and walked past him into the apartment. Suddenly, I heard a familiar voice: “Maybe it used to be your home, but it’s not anymore.” I turned to see Sophia standing with her arms crossed. “Mr.Brown, even though I’ve forgotten many things, please have some self-awareness.” “When you’re packing, don’t try to take anything that doesn’t belong to you.” Her attitude was completely indifferent, as if she really had lost her memory. But I knew this was all an act. Why bother? If she no longer had feelings for me, she could have just asked for a breakup. I would have left on my own, without any fuss. Why put on this amnesia charade, making everything between us seem so disgraceful? This wasn’t just humiliating me; it was trampling on all the beautiful memories we once shared… I hid the pain in my heart and replied briefly, “I don’t have a habit of stealing.” With that, I walked into the bedroom and started packing. Sophia and her new boyfriend watched me like hawks. They flirted and joked around, just like Sophia and I used to do. She used to cling to me, acting cute, as if she couldn’t bear to be apart from me for a second. Now she was doing the same with someone else. I didn’t have many things – just a few clothes and some daily necessities. Amidst the heavy, sour emotions, I finished packing quickly. I stood up and asked Sophia, “Miss.Garcia, do you need to check my things?” She didn’t say anything, just waved her hand dismissively, as if shooing me away. I picked up my suitcase and walked straight out the door. The cold door closed behind me. I took a deep breath, my eyes burning. If I didn’t have those memories, would it be easier for me? I took out my phone, hesitated for a moment, and finally dialed the doctor’s number. “I’ve made up my mind. I’ll come to the hospital soon to discuss the surgery plan…”

Due to the tumor in my brain, I often had headaches. Not wanting to worry anyone, I didn’t tell a soul. The doctor said the tumor was currently benign but risked becoming malignant. It was best to remove it as soon as possible. However, the tumor was pressing on my nerves, making the surgery risky. There was a high chance of partial memory loss after the operation, and the doctor couldn’t be sure if I’d recover those memories. In the past, I valued my memories above all else, afraid of forgetting important people and events. But after breaking up with Sophia, I no longer had such concerns. Because it seemed I had nothing left worth being afraid to lose. I went to the hospital and confirmed the surgery plan with the doctor. Next, I needed to gather the money for the operation. I was an art major in college, specializing in fine arts, and later got into photography after graduation. With my skills in life drawing and portrait photography, I made a decent living, but the high cost of living in New York meant I hadn’t saved much in two years. Just as I was walking out of the hospital, worrying about money, I suddenly heard someone call my name, “Liam?” I turned to see Sophia and her new boyfriend, Chase, not far away. I nodded slightly in acknowledgment and was about to leave. But Sophia pressed on, “Are you sick?” I frowned and brushed it off, “No, just a routine check-up.” Sophia stared at me intently, her eyes showing concern and suspicion. Huh… Wasn’t she pretending to have amnesia? What act was she putting on now? Chase, sensing something was off, chimed in, “Sophia, I told you, it’s just a minor cold. You didn’t have to take half a day off work.” His words seemed apologetic but were actually boasting to me. See? She takes time off work even for my little cold. What about you? All alone and pitiful! I found it childish and didn’t bother to say anything. My head started to throb, and not wanting to show any weakness in front of Sophia, I turned to leave. Unexpectedly, Chase walked over and asked, “Mr.Brown, you don’t look well.” “Sophia’s planning to make some health supplements for me. Why don’t you come over to our place for dinner?” I was a bit surprised and couldn’t help glancing at Sophia. Of course, I knew she could cook, but I had never tasted her cooking. So I wasn’t worthy of it even during our most passionate times? “No, thanks,” I said and started to walk away. “Don’t be so distant,” Chase persisted, grabbing my arm. “Where are you headed? I can have Sophia drive you.” The pain in my head made me irritable. I jerked my arm away forcefully, “I said, I don’t need it.” I hadn’t used much strength, but somehow Chase stumbled and fell to the ground. He frowned, looking annoyed, “Mr.Brown, I kindly invited you for dinner and offered you a ride. You refused, which is fine, but why did you push me?” He had been showing off and clearly had no good intentions. Did he really think I couldn’t see through it? I couldn’t believe a grown man could be so shameless! “What are you doing?!” Sophia approached, her face cold as she questioned me. “I didn’t push him at all!” I retorted, refusing to back down. Hearing this, Sophia’s expression grew even colder. “Are you saying Chase threw himself down?” Even if that was the truth, who would believe it? I could see a glimmer of sly satisfaction in Chase’s eyes. “Apologize!” Sophia commanded me. “You know what will happen if you offend me…”

As the heiress of the Garcia family, Sophia had enough connections and power to make my life in New York impossible. Around us, several passersby stopped to watch. “This guy seems pretty ungrateful, doesn’t he? They kindly invited him, and he not only has a bad attitude but even pushes people?” “What a jerk! So disgusting!” “Hmph… I bet this guy doesn’t have many friends. Is he jealous of the happy couple?” Faced with the crowd’s condemnation, I clenched my fists helplessly. Chase got up from the ground, holding Sophia’s hand, and said, “It’s okay, it’s okay. I’m fine.” “I just didn’t expect Mr.Brown to have such a bad temper. It’s a good thing you broke up with him early, Sophia. I can’t imagine what might have happened otherwise.” Hearing this, the onlookers’ criticism grew even more intense, immediately labeling me as an “abusive boyfriend.” Sophia just looked on coldly, making no attempt to defend me. Instead, she sternly said to me, “Apologize!” Forced by the circumstances, I had to lower my head, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have pushed you…” I reversed black and white, trampling on my own character and dignity. “Is that enough?” I asked Sophia lifelessly, but noticed her brow furrowing almost imperceptibly. As I turned to leave, feeling dejected, she called out somewhat uncertainly, “Liam!” I heard her footsteps, but Chase held her back, “Sophia, I’m feeling a bit dizzy. Let’s go home.” Go ahead. You go to your home, and I’ll go to my rented room. It’s best if we never cross paths again. I was truly exhausted and didn’t want to have any more entanglements with Sophia. That day, my boss assigned me a big job. It required not only photography but also hand-drawing a portrait. In the entire studio, I was the only one capable of completing such a commission. According to my boss, this client was extremely generous. With the prospect of affording my surgery, I accepted without hesitation. But later, I discovered that it was Chase who had specifically sought out our studio and placed this order. I was to photograph them as a couple and draw a loving portrait of them…

Time flew by, and I arrived at the designated beach with my equipment. Out of habit, I knew exactly which angles would best capture Sophia’s beauty. No matter who she was posing with, I could take the most perfect shots. With this as a foundation, poses like gazing into each other’s eyes, embracing, and kissing became the icing on the cake. The entire photoshoot went very smoothly, with one sweet scene after another frozen in time as I pressed the shutter. Throughout the process, my heart remained as calm as a dried-up well, without a ripple or splash. As we neared the end, I needed to discuss with them which photo they wanted to use as the reference for the hand-drawn portrait. Chase took the camera and flipped through the photos. “Mr.Brown’s photography skills are really good, and your attitude is impressive too. You don’t seem affected at all.” I could hear the mockery in his words, but what did it matter? This was just work. “I’m glad you like them,” I replied neutrally. Soon, Sophia and Chase picked out a photo. “Let’s use this one for the oil painting,” they decided. In the image, they were facing away from the sunset, holding hands and smiling sweetly. The brilliant twilight painted everything in a beautiful glow. I couldn’t help but glance at Sophia. Back then, our first photo together also had a sunset as the backdrop. We were both so shy then, our awkwardness tinged with innocence and purity. I wondered if she still kept that photo. Never mind, whether she kept it or threw it away, it had nothing to do with me anymore. I packed my equipment into my bag and took a taxi home alone. Once I completed this commission and got paid, I could have the surgery. What would I forget then? I hoped it would be Sophia. I didn’t want to hurt anymore. It would be best if I never remembered her again for the rest of my life.

Chase had set a very tight deadline, frequently calling to rush me. On the phone, he deliberately used speakerphone so I could hear Sophia’s voice. Sophia played along with her new boyfriend’s showing off, speaking to him in sweet nothings, like an obedient kitten. As I worked on the portrait, uncontrollable images of her floated through my mind, down to the tiniest details like her slightly curled eyelashes and the wisps of hair moved by the breeze. The clearer the memories, the more my head hurt. I had to rely on painkillers to resist the urge to bang my head against the wall. The sunset was particularly challenging to capture. Mixing colors, applying ink, blending – the entire process was extremely tedious. For five days, I barely slept or rested. Meals were simple toast and milk. I was in a very poor state. When I put down the final brush stroke, I gazed at the completed work. In the oil painting, Sophia’s smile wasn’t exactly like the photo. It incorporated more of the beauty I remembered. Every stroke, every dot of paint was perfectly placed. I let out a long sigh, leaned back in my chair, and slowly closed my eyes, preparing to rest for a moment. On the table, my phone suddenly vibrated with an urgent ringtone. Ring ring!! As expected, it was a call from Chase. As soon as I answered, he pressed, “Mr.Brown, is our painting finished?” “Tomorrow is the deadline. If you can’t deliver on time, I’ll have to deduct from your fee according to our agreement.” My voice was hoarse from not speaking for so long. I had to cough a couple of times to clear my throat. “Ahem… Mr.Smith, the oil painting is complete. When would be convenient for you? I can deliver it to you.” Chase seemed surprised, pausing for a moment before saying, “Well then, how about now? Bring it to our home.” After agreeing, I hung up the phone. Since the painting had just been completed and the paint wasn’t completely dry, I had to take extra care in packaging it properly. When I stood up, my head suddenly spun. My legs weakened, and I nearly fell to the ground. I steadied myself against the table, shaking my head weakly, and muttered, “After I deliver the painting, I really need to get some good rest.” Carrying the canvas, I went downstairs, hailed a taxi, and gave the driver the all-too-familiar address. Leaning my head against the window, I unknowingly dozed off. The taxi stopped and started according to traffic lights, finally pulling over at the edge of a suburban area. “Sir? Wake up, we’ve arrived!” the driver called out. The brief rest didn’t make me feel any better; if anything, I felt even more lethargic. I groggily paid the fare and got out of the car, my steps unsteady. I forced myself to walk to the front door of the villa and raised my hand to press the doorbell. Ding dong— Ding dong— Whether intentionally or not, the doorbell rang for a long time with no one coming to answer. I could feel my breathing becoming rapid and my heart palpitating irregularly. My body was sending out warning signals. After an agonizing wait, the door finally opened. Chase was wearing a bathrobe, his hair wet as if he had just showered. “Sorry about that, Mr.Brown. I was just making love to my girlfriend,” he apologized, though his words were clearly meant to show off. I was completely indifferent now, my tone flat and emotionless. “It’s fine. I didn’t wait too long.” As I handed the painting over to him, I saw Sophia inside, wearing a thin nightgown.

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What’s it like to accidentally hire your own boyfriend as a nude model? I just want to run away. Can someone tell me why the professor who’s supposed to be on a business trip thousands of miles away suddenly showed up at the fashion show?! And why did he have to pretend to be someone else?! Even more terrifying, I brazenly agreed to let him be my boyfriend. At the masquerade fashion show, I immediately spotted a model who looked somewhat similar to Professor Ryan. What should I do? My hands are itching to ask him to be my nude model. I touched my own belly, which still lacked visible abs despite months of training with Professor Ryan, and gritted my teeth in frustration. It’s really infuriating how some people are just naturally gifted! Seeing him about to leave, I hurriedly stopped him and boldly examined the muscles bulging under his sheer outfit. I had to admit, he really could give my Professor Ryan a run for his money. “Would you like to be my nude model? Name your price,” I propositioned. “How about being your boyfriend instead?” the man replied with an enigmatic look. “I’m a guy!” I stood on my tiptoes and glared at him angrily. Although I may look somewhat feminine, my masculinity is so obvious – is he blind or something?! The man chuckled softly. “I know.” I was shocked speechless. What kind of luck is this, randomly picking up a guy who’s into men?! I stared at his enviable abs. If it weren’t for Professor Ryan, I would have agreed on the spot. After hesitating for a moment, I texted the professor who was away on his trip: “Professor, I feel so empty and lonely without you by my side.” “Is it as cold as the Arctic where I’m doing research?” “No wonder I’m so cold – it turns out you took my heart with you to the Arctic!” After confirming Professor Ryan hadn’t returned, I turned off my phone and nodded enthusiastically at the man, unconsciously licking my lips. After all, my professor is too conservative to let me enjoy his abs. Can’t I at least appreciate someone else’s from an artistic perspective? Besides, although this guy seems a bit soft, he’s still clearly a top. I’m determined to tease him until he willingly becomes my free labor. The man snorted and suddenly leaned in close, his hot breath tickling my ear. “Are you sure about this?” A tingling sensation instantly spread through my body. Damn, should I push him away now? After all, before meeting Professor Ryan, I was quite the player myself. It’s enough that I’ve only ever submitted to the professor in this lifetime. I hooked my finger around his hand, taking control of the situation. “You’re in luck – I don’t have a boyfriend at the moment.” I figured I could just break up before the professor returned. No one would ever know. The man in front of me chuckled softly, then suddenly removed his mask. A familiar face appeared before me, and I pushed him away in shock. Professor Ryan took off his glasses, as if removing a seal. His aura instantly transformed from scholarly to dangerous. He grabbed my waist and stared at me with eyes as dark as obsidian, as if he wanted to devour me whole. I unconsciously took a few steps back and gulped. This is bad – my ass is going to be sore. But giving in just like that would be a waste of all my player skills, wouldn’t it?

I quickly put on a smile and hooked my arms around his neck, pouting. “You’re so naughty – I recognized you from the start!” Professor Ryan seemed to believe what I said and loosened his grip. But his fingers traced my lips, as if wanting to vent his anger. “Nonsense. If you really recognized me, you would have exposed me on the spot.” Damn, being understood so well by Professor Ryan can be such a painful thing! If I were a girl, I’d definitely try to charm my way out of this with some coquettish act. But as a guy, that would be too affected. There’s no choice but to go on the offensive! I pushed him away and deliberately turned my head, refusing to look at him. “That’s normally true, but I’m angry right now!” Professor Ryan crossed his arms and stared at me intently, like he was watching a student try to weasel out of trouble. He let out a skeptical “Hmm.” Now I was genuinely angry. My voice unconsciously took on a whining tone. “Don’t you love me anymore? I’m always the one initiating contact, sending you messages, but you never reply. Am I not even worthy of a good morning or good night text?” This relationship has always been maintained by my efforts alone. From first falling for him to successfully seducing him, he’s always been so indifferent. I’m always the one creating surprises, while he just passively enjoys them. Sometimes I get tired too, you know! If I hadn’t confirmed that Professor Ryan frequented gay bars, I never would have dared to boldly pursue him. But Professor Ryan just silently stared at me, not saying a word. How about that – feeling guilty now, aren’t you? Just need to push a little more! I tugged at Professor Ryan’s collar in feigned anger and huffed, “You should reflect on your behavior. How can you blame me for this?” Professor Ryan finally moved his lips. Just as I thought I had everything under control, he gave me an inscrutable look and suddenly started showing me screenshots of my past flirtatious conversations, one by one. His tone was ice cold: “I know you yearn for freedom and love. I thought I was the harbor where you’d finally drop anchor, but now I realize I’m just another fish in your pond.” “They’re all just friends! Even though I like men, I can still be friends with guys.” “Oh, is that so? The kind of friends you sleep with?” As he spoke, Professor Ryan calmly opened his SnapChat. Damn, Professor Ryan actually went to the trouble of adding them as contacts! My heart instantly plummeted. I opened my mouth to say something but realized any explanation would be futile. Professor Ryan had long ago discovered I was a player, but he still chose to trust me. This time I really let him down. “Didn’t you ask me to get to know you better? Which part of what you told me didn’t I listen to carefully? But what about you?” Professor Ryan stared at me, his gaze dark. It’s true – even when I was just joking around, Professor Ryan always took me seriously, gradually becoming more and more of what I liked. He became so good to me that I couldn’t bear to leave him. But I’ve always approached relationships with a playful attitude, treating love like a game to be conquered. “I’m sorry, I lost control of my emotions.” With that, Professor Ryan hurriedly left. “How do you know I’m not sincere this time?” I shouted after him. To my surprise, my voice carried a hint of tears. But he, who had always been the best at comforting me, walked away without looking back this time. Fine then, just leave! I kicked a pebble on the side of the road and stomped home angrily, immersing myself in my artistic world. But this time I couldn’t focus on my art. My mind was filled with images of Professor Ryan. I texted him, but he didn’t reply. I crashed his class like usual, winking at him, but he ignored me completely. I tried to corner him after class, but he maintained a strictly professional attitude. Just as I was at my wit’s end, a heavy rainstorm came to my rescue.

Looking at the pouring rain outside the window, I crouched down and sent Professor Ryan a pitiful cat emoji, begging him to come pick me up. Professor Ryan’s chat bubble showed “typing” for a long time, but no message came through. My spirits lifted – surely this meant Professor Ryan still had feelings for me. I immediately called him. “It’s raining, and this poor little kitten can’t find his way home. Won’t you help him, kind professor?” There was silence on the other end for a moment. Just as I thought he was going to hang up, the professor’s cool voice came through. “Poor little kitten, I sympathize with your plight. Unfortunately, I’ve injured my leg and can’t come. Besides, as a man, you shouldn’t always rely on others when facing difficulties. You need to learn to be strong on your own.” Me: ??? Is this really the Professor Ryan I know? He can’t even be bothered to come up with a believable lie? It seems I was overthinking things. How could Professor Ryan still have feelings for me? He was probably just thinking of how to reject me politely earlier. “I guess love really does fade away.” I dejectedly pulled the phone away, about to hang up. “Wait, give me your address. I’ll call you a delivery service.” The professor’s icy voice came through. My spirits lifted again. So the professor isn’t completely cold-hearted after all. I was about to launch into a string of praises when he abruptly hung up. Hmph, I’ve still got him wrapped around my finger! I happily sent over my address, but after waiting for ages, no one showed up. Just as I was starting to suspect Professor Ryan was messing with me, I finally spotted the delivery guy. I enthusiastically reached out to take the umbrella from his hands, but he just stared at me in confusion and handed me a green hat instead. I was dumbfounded for a moment, then frantically searched through the bag. Apart from the hat, there was only a note: “I’m returning the green hat you gave me.” Me: ???!!! What the hell, is Professor Ryan really this petty?! Whether intentional or not, I suddenly noticed Professor Ryan’s home address on the bag.

Clutching the green hat in my hand, I sped over to Professor Ryan’s place on my electric scooter and frantically pounded on his door. As soon as the door opened, all the anger in my mind was instantly displaced by the sight of Professor Ryan’s body. He really does have a deceptively fit physique under those clothes. I didn’t get a clear view last time through the sheer outfit, but now I could see everything in perfect detail. I could even trace how the water droplets traveled down his eight-pack abs before disappearing into the towel wrapped around his waist. “Had enough of looking? If you’re done, close the door and get out!” Professor Ryan raised an eyebrow at me. That snapped me out of my daze. I tossed the green hat at him and turned my head away in annoyance. “Who’s looking? I wasn’t! I’ll definitely be bigger than you someday!” “Oh? Bigger where exactly?” Damn perverted old man! I glared at him, but for some reason, my eyes couldn’t help but wander downwards. I suddenly felt dissatisfied: We do the same exercises, so why does Professor Ryan have such great abs! If I had a body like his, wouldn’t I be able to pin him down instead? “Still looking?” “Who’s looking at you! I couldn’t care less! You’re the one doing a wet body tease – I’m just playing along.” Professor Ryan snorted. “So I should thank you then?” I nodded and pointed at the green hat I’d thrown at him earlier. “I don’t remember ever giving you a green hat. I think you’ve been drinking too much and developed paranoid delusions.” Professor Ryan set down the wine glass in his hand. “Do I need to remind you of what happened last time?” Under Professor Ryan’s interrogating gaze, I instantly cowered. But I couldn’t lose face. I suddenly stood up, looking down at Professor Ryan sitting on the couch. “I know I was wrong. But as an artist, you know we have to sacrifice for love. How can you not understand that?” Professor Ryan pushed up his glasses and looked up at me. “Then you should understand me too. As a scholar of literature, I need to seal off my heart and devote myself entirely to my work.” The smile on my face nearly crumbled. I really shouldn’t try to play word games with a professor. Since the soft approach wasn’t working, time for the hard approach. “Don’t you have a heart? I’ve been thinking about you so much I can’t eat or sleep. I’ve lost so much weight.” As I spoke, I pinched the flesh on my face and gave him a pitiful look. Professor Ryan suddenly stood up and leaned in close. My spirits lifted and I tilted my head up towards him. Was he going to touch me? Was he going to take pity on me? Just one more push! The next second, my facade crumbled completely. Professor Ryan had reached past me to grab a scale from behind. “Come on, let’s weigh you.” His tone was casual, but I swear I heard a hint of anticipation?! I stared at him in shock, unable to say a word for a long moment. Looking at the scale on the ground, then at Professor Ryan’s mocking gaze, I took a deep breath. Fine, I’ll do it. My classmates have all been saying I’ve lost weight lately. But when I saw the actual number displayed, I wanted to curl up and die. I’d actually gained 5 pounds? “This can’t be right. The scale must be broken.” Professor Ryan raised an eyebrow and stepped on it himself. Damn, he’d actually lost 4 pounds. Wait a minute?! If Professor Ryan lost weight, doesn’t that mean he’s been thinking about me?

I looked up at him hopefully. Professor Ryan seemed to understand my meaning and pointed at the workout plan on the wall. Well, I guess I was overthinking things. “So tell me, how did you manage to gain weight while supposedly unable to eat or sleep? And weren’t you saying you wanted abs to show off your manly strength?” He’s definitely mocking me! Did he really have to say it out loud just because I was bluffing?! I glared at him. “Haven’t you heard of emotional eating?! Yes, when I’m really upset I binge eat. It’s normal to gain weight.” Professor Ryan raised an eyebrow at me and lifted my shirt, his warm hand touching the soft flesh on my belly. The heated sensation made my whole body feel like it was on fire. “You touched me, so you have to forgive me now!” Professor Ryan sighed helplessly and continued fondling the soft flesh on my stomach. “Looks like you got lazy again without me around.” I hugged Professor Ryan tightly. “That’s right, so you need to be my personal trainer for life.” Professor Ryan glared at me. I grinned and stroked his earlobe, feigning surprise. “Oh my, Professor, your ears are turning red.” The next second, the tips of Professor Ryan’s ears really did turn bright red. I smiled at him triumphantly. “Just kidding, but now they really are red.” Our eyes met, and the atmosphere suddenly became heated. Noticing the reaction down below, my face instantly flushed red. I tried to get up and flee. But Professor Ryan grabbed me, his warm body still damp from the shower pressing close. “You’re feeling it too, aren’t you?”

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“Ethan, you married her?!” Lily was stunned. Ethan had always loved her, so why would he suddenly marry a woman he’d known for less than six months? In the past, Lily would have been thrilled for Ethan to marry someone else and sever all ties with her. But now, watching her only lifeline, her eternal backup plan, slip away, Lily felt like her world was crumbling. “You’ve always loved me. Divorce her! Ethan, it’s either me or her!” Lily cried. Ethan’s expression shifted. “Lily, have you lost your mind? I’m just your brother.” He would have given in to her before, but unfortunately for Lily, I had entered the picture. Lily’s return home was sudden. She had smashed the family photo and cut ties barely a month ago, yet here she was again, eyes downcast, looking as fragile as ever. When Lily saw me sitting next to Ethan, she froze, clearly not expecting another woman by her brother’s side. I looked at Lily, equally shocked. In just one month, life had taken a heavy toll on her. The once pampered princess now had frostbite on her hands and had lost considerable weight. Ethan abruptly stood up from the couch, his eyes dark with suppressed emotion behind his glasses. “What happened to your hands?” Lily tried to hide her hands in her sleeves. “I’ve been biking to the hospital lately…” she mumbled. After cutting ties with the Harrisons, Lily naturally had to return the car. She used to have gloves, but unfortunately, some patient at the hospital had stolen them. Before, Lily wouldn’t have even needed to mention it – someone would have automatically bought her a new pair. But when she casually told Jake about it, he immediately frowned. “Once a spoiled princess, always a spoiled princess,” Jake sneered. “You just can’t handle living like us common folk, can you? It’s just a pair of gloves, and it’s already making you think of the Harrisons again. Why don’t you just go crawling back to them then?” “My aunt gets up at 5 AM every day to bike to the market and her hands haven’t fallen off!” he chided unsympathetically. Lily quickly shut up, not daring to say another word. She gazed at Jake’s tense face in the warm light, her heart melting. “I know you’re just afraid I’ll get entangled with the Harrisons again,” she thought. “You don’t want to let me go.” After the fall-out with her family, Lily’s adoptive mother Victoria seemed to age several years overnight. Seeing the daughter she had doted on since childhood in this state, Victoria was the first to soften. “Lily, honey, if you’re willing to come back, we’ll return everything to you – your car, your house…” Victoria offered gently. “Stop, Mom.” Lily’s face immediately hardened. She clutched her bag, looking at Victoria with defiant vulnerability. “I told you, unless you accept Jake, I’m not coming back. You’ve already torn us apart once. I won’t let you control me again. I can’t change you, but I’ll die for him!” Lily braced herself for Victoria’s anger. Her mother had always been like this, making life decisions for Lily under the guise of knowing what was best. If not for Jake, who knew how much longer Lily would have suffered in that gilded cage! But instead of the scolding Lily expected, Victoria’s eyes filled with disappointment and pain. “You’d sever ties with your own parents for a man?” Lost in thought, Lily blurted out: “Adoptive parents.” That one word shattered everything, making the entire Harrison mansion tremble. With that single utterance, Lily had negated all the years of love and care Victoria and George had given her. “Fine, fine.” Victoria nodded repeatedly, her face gradually freezing into an impenetrable mask devoid of emotion. “From now on, you have no parents and no brother.” Lily left in tears, throwing herself into Jake’s arms. Ethan, who had rushed out still holding a tube of ointment for her frostbite, called after her. “Lily-” “Shut up!” Jake roared angrily. “Look at the state Lily is in. Can’t you just leave her alone? Are you trying to drive her to suicide?!” Lily cowered behind Jake, her doe eyes full of rejection and fear as if facing a mortal enemy rather than the brother she grew up with. “Ethan Harrison, Lily treated you like family, but what did you ever treat her as? A pawn to toss aside at will! She’s already suffering so much, yet you want to push her over the edge?!” Jake berated Ethan harshly, his brows furrowed into a deep ‘V’. Ethan’s hand holding the ointment slowly fell to his side, disappearing into the shadows. I noticed the veins popping on the back of his hand. When had this dignified man ever been shouted at like this by some lowlife thug? “Excuse me, Mr. Jake,” I said, eyes full of contempt. “This is the Harrison residence. You’re the ones who should leave.” I took the ointment from Ethan and tossed it at Lily’s feet. “Your brother just wanted to give you some medicine. No need to act like you’re on death’s door.” “You two claim to be madly in love, yet he can’t even afford to buy you gloves. Is this really the life you want?” “What’s wrong with this life?” Lily retorted, eyes red. Jake let out a cold laugh, gazing at me with undisguised disgust and a perplexing sense of superiority. “Our Lily isn’t as delicate as the likes of you!” The likes of me? I glanced down at my designer coat and lambskin boots, every strand of my hair perfectly styled. The likes of me lived in penthouses, not crammed into tiny apartments, fighting over the bathroom at 6 AM. The likes of me had a dozen cars to choose from, not biking for hours in the frigid wind before squeezing into the subway like frozen mutts. The likes of me dined on delicacies from around the world, not moved to tears by a plain bowl of porridge. “Lily, don’t come to regret this,” I warned. After Lily left with Jake, Ethan and I returned inside. Victoria had already recomposed herself. “Ethan, Olivia just got back from abroad and isn’t familiar with things here. Spend more time with her,” Victoria instructed, clearly pleased with me as a match. My mother had barely crossed the threshold before Victoria took my hand and invited me to stay for dinner. “Of course, Mom.” Ethan nodded. When he turned to me, his eyes behind the glasses held only unfamiliar detachment. I suddenly reached out and gently brushed a piece of lint off his shoulder. “Mr. Harrison, could you pick me up at Capital Hospital at 5 PM tomorrow? There’s an art exhibition I’d like you to attend with me.”

My mother was the president of the Capital Medical Association and wielded significant influence. After returning from studying abroad, I invested my first pot of gold into a medical research project. The person in charge was Dr. Xu from Capital Hospital. The next day, I made a special trip there. Dr. Xu brought me the list of team members. When I saw Lily’s name, I raised an eyebrow slightly. “This Lily has less than six months of experience. Why was she selected?” I inquired. Dr. Xu’s expression shifted subtly. “She…her abilities are outstanding. It was a special admission.” “Outstanding ability isn’t enough,” I said, setting the list aside. “I’m looking for well-rounded talents who excel in all aspects. Have all the selected candidates come here. I want to interview them personally.” Dr. Xu’s eye for talent wasn’t bad. The candidates he chose all showed promise – except for Lily, who stuck out like a sore thumb. Even while waiting, she stood far away from her colleagues as if mingling with them would sully her pristine wings. “During your job interview, you said that if a critically ill patient requested a transfer for surgery and you judged the success rate to be low, you wouldn’t accept the case because you didn’t want to risk your career?” “Yes,” Lily replied frankly, seeing no issue with her reasoning. I kept my tone level. “Those who heal must first be human. Have you forgotten the oath you took when you began studying medicine?” “I stand by my views. I’m the best surgeon at this hospital. Even if you take issue with me, you can’t deny that. I deserve my spot on this research team!” Lily gave me that look again, as if she had suffered a great injustice but refused to yield. I was speechless. I had merely been conducting a routine personnel assessment, yet Lily acted as if I was staging a personal attack against her. I simply didn’t want my investment to go to waste. Whether Lily made the cut or not, these interviews were a necessary procedure. “Can you truly be at peace with yourself?” I asked with a cold laugh. “I’ve seen your medical records. You’ve been seeing a psychologist for ten years and purchased antidepressants two months ago. Dr. Harrison, surely you know that surgeons can’t have depression.” Anger flashed across Lily’s face. “How dare you pry into my privacy!” “Apologies, but you submitted your own medical history,” I replied calmly. Lily was momentarily at a loss for words before raising her voice. “I’m not taking medication anymore. Ever since Jake came back into my life…” “I don’t care to hear about your cliché street romance,” I cut her off irritably. “Your psychologist’s diagnosis clearly shows your depression hasn’t fully improved.” “What if you have an episode during surgery? What about the patient then?” Lily argued stubbornly, “I won’t!” “Why should I believe you?” “Because of this hand!” She held up her right hand, gaze determined. I simply laughed, finding it absurd. Then I heavily crossed out her name on the team list. After I submitted the updated list, the hospital’s deputy director quickly found me. “This Lily is the young miss of the Harrison Group…” he mentioned subtly. “Not anymore,” I replied lightly. “As far as I know, she cut ties with the Harrisons a month ago for a man. Mrs. Harrison has already begun the process of terminating the adoption.” News of Lily being abandoned by the Harrisons soon spread throughout the hospital. “I knew she got in through connections. Now that she’s lost her backing, of course she got passed over.” “How embarrassing.” “Exactly. Without the Harrisons, how could she have had the chance to work with us…” Lily slammed her laptop shut. “I earned my spot through my own abilities,” she said coldly. “What abilities do you have?” A colleague rolled her eyes. With Lily’s powerful backing gone, they had all grown much bolder. “During your interview, when you said that to Dr. Xu, he rejected you on the spot. If not for your mother, do you think you could have gotten in?” Lily’s face darkened. What did that have to do with her? She had already said she didn’t need the Harrisons meddling in her work! Now they had caused everyone to look down on her, yet she was still expected to be grateful! Lily packed up heavily to leave, but her steps quickened at the thought of Jake and the plain porridge waiting for her at home. At least she had Jake. Otherwise, this life constrained by wealth and power would have driven her mad. Her mind and eyes were filled with that man whose face seemed carved from stone. But when Lily saw the Porsche parked at the hospital entrance, the smile immediately fell from her lips. Hadn’t she made herself clear enough? Why did Ethan keep pestering her? Even if she died, she wouldn’t go back! Lily had learned from Jake to furrow her brow. She lowered her head and walked quickly, pretending not to have seen anything as she tried to leave. I caught a glimpse of Lily and deliberately put on a bright smile as I approached Ethan. “Why did you come so early?” He opened the passenger door for me, his voice low. “Work wasn’t busy, so I came.” I discreetly blocked Ethan’s line of sight and nodded. “Then let’s go.” As the car pulled away, the confrontation Lily had imagined with her brother never materialized. She bit her lip,

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During my time studying abroad, my first love started dating my lookalike. On the day I returned home, she attended my welcome-back party with her current boyfriend. All our friends in the circle were waiting to see me make a fool of myself. I hadn’t prepared to be the butt of any jokes, but I did bring back a new girlfriend. On the day we broke up, Melody Quinn told me on SnapChat: “I’m sorry, Chase. I broke my promise. I don’t want to wait anymore.” At that time, I still had one year left to complete my studies. We had made it through the first three years, but our relationship fell apart in the final year. Her change of heart had shown signs early on. So I wasn’t too surprised. Suppressing the sourness in my heart, I replied to her: “It’s okay. Let’s just be friends then.” “Alright.” But later, I found out she had blocked me. A qualified ex should be like they’re dead to you. I didn’t blame her, and I blocked her in return. Just before I returned home, an old friend insisted on arranging a welcome-back party for me. They didn’t tell me that Melody Quinn and her new boyfriend would be there too. It was my buddy who couldn’t stand it and tipped me off. “Chase, don’t go! They’re all waiting to see you make a fool of yourself! Quinn’s current boyfriend is afraid she still has lingering feelings for you, so he’s insisting on doing this to publicly claim her in front of you.” I said nonchalantly: “Besides the two of them, there are others I know. It’s fine, I’ll just do them a favor and show up.” “Forget it, they’re all Quinn’s girlfriends. Ah! I happen to have something that day, otherwise I’d be there with you, and definitely wouldn’t let you be taken advantage of.” “Thanks for letting me know. If someone has set the stage expecting me to perform, how can I disappoint them? Don’t worry, I have a way to deal with this.” On the day I returned, I kept the appointment as scheduled. As soon as I stepped in when the waiter pushed open the door of the private room, I saw Melody Quinn sitting in the main seat. After more than a year apart, she still looked as composed and elegant as ever, with the air of an elite in a high position. Sitting beside her was a handsome man, who must be her boyfriend. Luke Carter, the new artist signed by Melody Quinn’s company. He looked about 80-90% similar to me. My heart tightened. I still remember two years ago when Melody Quinn sent me Luke Carter’s photo. She said: “A new talent came for an interview today, and it startled me. I thought you had secretly come back to surprise me.” At that time, Luke Carter looked even more like me than he does now. His hairstyle and dress style were exactly the same as mine. I didn’t take it too seriously then, and joked: “Could we be related by blood? I’d better go ask my dad.” Melody Quinn said: “Probably not. He’s from out of town, both his parents are alive, and he has a twin sister who doesn’t look like him.” “You even investigated him?” “Of course, we have to thoroughly understand the background of any new talent we sign.” Who would have thought that the substitute I didn’t take seriously back then would now rightfully take my place. Back to the present. Melody Quinn’s friend “Jenny Collins” stood up. “Welcome back our talented scholar, returning in glory…” She was in the middle of her opening remarks when her voice suddenly stopped. Everyone turned to look at the woman behind me. I calmly greeted them: “Long time no see, thank you all for still remembering me.” Jenny gave a dry laugh and asked curiously: “Chase, who’s this? Won’t you introduce us?” I stepped aside so they could get a better look. I introduced her casually: “This is Starr Simmons, my girlfriend.” When the words “my girlfriend” dropped, everyone present couldn’t hide their surprised expressions. Starr Simmons smiled, revealing two sweet dimples: “Good evening, everyone. I’m honored to be able to attend your gathering.” Starr Simmons was already stunningly beautiful, and when she smiled like that, you can imagine how devastating it was. The men present couldn’t take their eyes off her. A girl with long straight black hair said sourly: “Wow, Chase, your girlfriend is so beautiful!” The others immediately chimed in: “She’s almost too pretty. Miss Simmons, are you a celebrity or a model?” Before I could open my mouth, Starr Simmons immediately said sweetly: “Thank you for the compliment, you’re very beautiful too! Please, just call me Starr.” Not only was she gorgeous, but she was also good with words. The crowd that had been waiting to see me embarrassed now had their attention completely drawn by Starr Simmons. Even Luke Carter couldn’t help but sneak glances at Starr Simmons. Melody Quinn’s face clearly didn’t look good, and she said in a low voice: “Let’s all sit down and chat, don’t keep standing.”

After she spoke, the others finally restrained themselves. The waiter added an extra seat, and I sat intimately next to Starr Simmons. After sitting down, I introduced everyone at the table to Starr Simmons one by one. Originally, I was supposed to be the main character today, but everyone was asking Starr Simmons all sorts of questions. Starr Simmons had been studying abroad since middle school, so she was Westernized, outgoing, and the life of the party. I wasn’t worried about her being at a loss for words. The girl with long straight black hair teased me: “Chase, you really kept this under wraps, getting a new girlfriend without a sound.” This remark was a bit subtle, and some people couldn’t resist darting curious glances between me, Melody Quinn, and Luke Carter. I smiled casually and said: “Well, people have to look forward, don’t they?” Over there, Luke Carter suddenly rubbed his brow. Melody Quinn immediately asked with concern: “What’s wrong?” “I was filming a night scene yesterday, feeling a bit tired…” After saying this, Luke Carter forced himself to perk up and smiled: “I’m fine, I’ll just take a nap in the car later.” Melody Quinn said considerately: “Eat something quickly, then I’ll take you back to rest.” She urged everyone: “Let’s order quickly.” Someone teased: “Ms. Quinn is really a doting wife.” “With such a handsome boyfriend as Mr. Carter, who wouldn’t want to dote on him?” Luke Carter proudly put his arm around Melody Quinn’s shoulders and said modestly: “Don’t make fun of me, everyone…” Some meaningful glances fell on me, seeming to wait for my reaction. My heart felt bitter and sour, but I couldn’t show it. The girlfriend I had dated for many years was snatched away by a substitute for myself, and now they were showing affection in front of me. It would be a lie to say I wasn’t affected. There was a feeling of being defeated by a knockoff as the genuine article. Doting wife? Huh… The deep affection that was once invested in me could be so easily transferred to someone else. I don’t know if this is my tragedy or hers. Jenny Collins politely asked me to order, turning the menu on the lazy Susan towards me. I tried hard to keep my expression neutral and said very graciously: “I’m not familiar with this restaurant and don’t know what everyone likes to eat. Let me treat everyone today. Please order whatever you like.” Melody Quinn said coolly: “This restaurant is members-only. Just deduct it from my account.” I said “Oh” and politely replied: “Thank you, Ms. Quinn. Then I’ll host next time.” Starr Simmons took the menu without hesitation and asked me, leaning close to my ear: “Chase, what’s this fish maw and chicken soup?” “It’s a dish for beauty and nourishment. Do you want to try it?” “I’d like to taste it.” She pointed to other dishes on the menu and asked me about them. For the ones I knew, I answered carefully. When we were talking, our faces were almost touching. I couldn’t help but overhear two of Melody Quinn’s friends whispering together: “She must have hired her to act, right?” “Definitely, just to make Melody jealous…” “And here I thought he really had a new relationship.” “It’s sad to care so much about saving face.” They were speaking in the local dialect, which Starr Simmons probably couldn’t understand. Regardless of whether what they said was true or not, discussing me like this in front of my face showed they didn’t take me seriously at all. Melody Quinn must have heard it too. She had a meaningful smile on her lips and glanced at Starr Simmons with disdain in her eyes. Starr Simmons continued flipping through the menu, unconcerned. After seeing a sea cucumber soup, she said to one of the gossipy women: “Ms. Anderson, why don’t I order a sea cucumber soup for you?” Ms. Anderson said politely: “Thank you, but that’s too kind…” Starr Simmons smiled sweetly and said: “I noticed your eye bags are quite large, and there’s a grayish-black color around your mouth. You must be suffering from kidney deficiency. This sea cucumber soup would be perfect to nourish you.” No woman likes to be called ugly. Ms. Anderson’s face changed immediately. She quickly denied: “I don’t have…” Starr Simmons said with utter sincerity: “Your complexion is dull and oily, and your nose is red too. You must be having hormonal issues. It’s best to see a traditional Chinese medicine doctor for treatment.”

Ms. Anderson looked extremely embarrassed but didn’t know how to retort. I said in a reproaching tone: “Starr, whether Ms. Anderson has kidney deficiency or not, she knows best herself. Don’t worry about it.” Starr Simmons immediately apologized: “I’m sorry, Ms. Anderson. I spoke too directly. You’re a big person, you won’t mind, right?” Could Ms. Anderson say she minded? She could only swallow her anger silently. The girl with long straight black hair, enjoying the drama, deliberately asked Starr Simmons: “Starr, can you read faces too? Why don’t you take a look at ours?” “Not really, it’s just that my grandfather was a traditional doctor, and I learned a bit when I was young…” Starr Simmons had barely finished being modest when she immediately turned her guns on the other gossipy woman from earlier: “For example, Ms. Parker, your eyebrows and eyelashes are very sparse, but your hair is very thick. At first glance, it’s obvious you’re wearing a wig.” Ms. Parker had been troubled by hair loss for years and had to wear a wig whenever she went out. This wasn’t a secret in our circle, but everyone pretended not to notice. Several people couldn’t help but laugh out loud, then quickly covered their mouths. Ms. Parker’s smile disappeared, and she said angrily: “What do you mean?” Starr Simmons continued to act surprised and said: “Oh? Did I say something wrong again? I’m sorry, I thought you were wearing a wig. I was going to say this wig looks so real, I wanted to buy one for my grandmother too. Sorry, so it’s not a wig?” Ms. Parker hated it most when people mentioned her wig, and Starr Simmons had said it three times. She was bound to be furious. Just as she was about to explode, I casually added in the local dialect: “It’s sad to care so much about saving face.” These were the exact words Ms. Parker had said earlier. She immediately deflated, swallowing her anger back down. Starr Simmons asked me innocently: “Chase, what did you just say?” I smiled and said: “Nothing, let’s just order our food.” The dishes arrived, and Starr Simmons and I acted as if we were at home, warmly encouraging everyone to eat more. Melody Quinn was over there considerately peeling shrimp for Luke Carter. I was over here considerately cutting steak for Starr Simmons. They showed their affection, and we showed ours. Everything was fine until someone who liked stirring up trouble couldn’t sit still. A woman said in a sarcastic tone: “My, how times have changed. Men are now doing women’s work.” She then praised Melody Quinn admiringly: “Our Melody is still so considerate.” Before Melody Quinn could respond, some of the other women couldn’t stand it anymore. Raven snorted coldly: “Listen to yourself. Are you looking for a girlfriend or a maid?” Another short-haired woman agreed: “So women are supposed to serve men, is that it?” The troublemaker instantly became the enemy of all the women present. She hurriedly tried to smooth things over: “I was just joking, don’t be so sensitive.” Starr Simmons chimed in with a grin: “In my family, it’s only natural for men to take care of women. My mom never has to peel her own shrimp, my dad always does it for her. Now my mom is almost fifty, and her hands are still soft and white.” As she was saying this, I quickly peeled a shrimp in three moves, even removing the vein. I put the shrimp in Starr Simmons’ bowl, and she thanked me with a smile. An uncomfortable expression flashed across Melody Quinn’s face. Even Luke Carter looked embarrassed. The meal went much more smoothly than I had expected. Even seeing my former lover being lovey-dovey with her new flame wasn’t as eye-catching anymore. On the way back, I gazed out the car window at the night scene, feeling somewhat lost. Starr Simmons asked coyly: “Chase, how did I do today?”

I smiled fondly and said: “You did great, even better than I had imagined.” “Of course, how could I let you lose face?” “By the way, you understand the local dialect?” I asked the question that had been on my mind. “Yes, I do.” Starr Simmons said proudly: “I know four languages and fifteen dialects. The local dialect, Cantonese, Hokkien, Hakka… I know them all.” I sighed and said: “You really are talented. It’s a waste for you to be just an artist.” “That’s not true at all. Being an artist isn’t easy either.” That’s right, Starr Simmons is also an artist signed to my company. We were schoolmates. I studied economics, while she was in the art school. Starr Simmons has an outstanding appearance and a lively, outgoing personality. She was born with a strong desire to perform and was good at improvisation. She also had experience in stage plays. She often posted about her daily life on social media and became a minor internet celebrity abroad. Several talent agencies wanted to sign Starr Simmons, and she was also interested in entering the domestic entertainment industry. After inquiring around, Starr Simmons learned that one of my family’s businesses was a film investment company. So she took the initiative to come to me for help. My family’s company is an old name in the industry and rarely signs new artists. Most of our artists are professionally trained performers with solid skills. Although Starr Simmons had an impressive educational background, her experience was still limited, and she normally wouldn’t have qualified for recruitment. But I happened to need a skilled actress who was both talented and beautiful to accompany me back to meet Melody Quinn and the others. So we hit it off and reached a cooperation agreement. Starr Simmons said coyly: “If you need me to act again in the future, just say the word.” “Thank you, but you’d better focus on your work.” I put on a serious face: “I treat you the same as I treat other employees, and I hope you can stay with the company based on your own abilities.” “Yes, sir!” Starr Simmons saluted me. When I got home and had just lain down after a shower, my buddy “Tony” sent me a voice message: “I heard you brought a new girlfriend today? Wow! When did you start dating?” Even through the phone screen, I could imagine his excited, gossipy expression right now. I smiled bitterly and told him the truth about the situation. Tony said cheerfully: “So it was really just for show? Well, that’s not bad either. A handsome guy and a beautiful girl, if you spend enough time together, you might end up falling for each other for real.” I said helplessly: “I would never make a move on an employee. I don’t like mixing personal and professional matters. It affects the work atmosphere.” “That’s true. The power dynamic isn’t equal, it would feel weird. Just be careful she doesn’t have ulterior motives.” Tony changed the subject: “Jenny told me your little girlfriend was amazing, she put Melody Quinn’s group of girls in their place so badly they couldn’t find north. What a shame, I had something come up today, otherwise I would have gone to see your little girlfriend’s performance in person!” Jenny is that cool girl with long straight black hair. “She does have a sharp tongue, and she’s quick-witted…” As I was talking, a friend request notification popped up at the top of my phone screen: “Luke’s Babe is requesting to add you as a friend” I clicked in to take a look, and it turned out to be Luke Carter. My ex-girlfriend’s current boyfriend wants to add me as a friend? I was a bit confused. He added me through the contact card shared by Jenny Collins. I thought for a few seconds, and finally approved the verification. While I was busy with this, Tony asked me: “Bro, are you still there?” Me: “Still here. Luke Carter added me as a friend.” Tony: “【Shocked emoji】What does this guy want?” Me: “I don’t know, maybe he has something to ask me?” Tony: “So dramatic.” Not long after I approved Luke Carter, he sent me a greeting message. I also politely replied with a 【Hello emoji】. Then he sent me a video clip. Although the lighting in the video was very dim, you could still make out that it was Melody Quinn topless. She was facing away from the camera, and half of the muscular arm of the person filming was visible. From the looks of it, this person was also naked. I realized what this was and immediately felt disgusted, like I had swallowed a fly. Luke Carter: “Melody likes to curl up in a ball when she sleeps, like a little cat, so cute…”

Tony wasn’t wrong, he really is quite dramatic. I didn’t know how to play along with his performance, so I simply exited the chat window. Out of sight, out of mind. Tony was still asking me: “What did he add you for? Did he say anything to you?” I was very frustrated as I screen-recorded Luke Carter’s video and chat and sent it to Tony. After seeing it, Tony sent a bunch of — 【WTF】, 【I’ve never seen such a shameless person】, 【Assholes are everywhere】 and other emoji stickers. Me: “I want to delete him.” Tony: “Don’t! Otherwise he’ll think you’re scared! Keep him there, let’s see what other tricks he tries to pull! Luke Carter is being blacklisted, and he’s not giving up. He goes to Melody Quinn’s company every day to wait for her. It’s so dramatic!” I sighed: “When I saw them together today, I was still quite sad. Melody Quinn giving me up for this kind of guy, now I see things clearly. Thanks to Luke Carter for letting me see Melody Quinn’s true colors.” Tony: “You’re right, the righteous need not fear a crooked shadow. They brought this on themselves!” I sent a 【I’m so calm it’s scary】 capybara sticker. Me: “Alright, alright, don’t get angry over people who aren’t worth it.” I never replied to Luke Carter, and he didn’t provoke me again either. But occasionally I could see him showing off his relationship in his SnapChat stories, posting selfies of him and Melody Quinn cheek to cheek and kissing. At first I didn’t pay attention, but later I found out that he only made these posts visible to me. He had blocked everyone else from seeing them. Wow, he really cares a lot about my opinion, huh? I simply blocked his SnapChat stories. Speaking of Starr Simmons, she officially became a signed artist with my company. The company was preparing to shoot a Republican-era spy drama called “Shadows in the Mist”, and I helped Starr Simmons get the role of the third female lead. She wasn’t overly ambitious and was very satisfied with this. “Chase, I’ve read the script. This role doesn’t have many scenes, but it’s very impactful.” I encouraged her: “You just need to act well. If you go down the film route, your status will rise quickly.” The male and female leads of the film were both well-known actors with good reputations, who could elevate the film and each other. But a month before filming was set to begin, the male lead was replaced. And he was replaced by Luke Carter. As the producer, I was actually the last one to know. The representative of the investors apologetically told me: “Ms. Quinn personally came to see me, saying Mr. Carter really likes this script and insists on participating. I hope Mr. Jiang can be accommodating…” If Luke Carter participates, he will surely bring investment with him. I was quite unhappy and said: “Luke Carter’s image doesn’t suit this role. We can arrange the male second lead for him.” The investor representative said reluctantly: “Ms. Quinn said he only wants the male lead… The investment platform and distributors have also agreed.” The implication was that he had already made all the arrangements, and whether I agreed or not, I had to go along with it. I felt angry, feeling I had let down the original male lead. The guy had already signed the contract, and now he was being pushed out like this. Unfortunately, I couldn’t make the call on this matter. I had just taken over the company, and my foundation wasn’t stable. This film was my first big project. I needed strong financial backing and couldn’t afford to offend the investors at this time. It felt like being forced to eat shit. It was extremely unpleasant. I had a lump in my throat as I said with a stern face: “Since Ms. Quinn is so generous, please tell her that she should also pay the actor’s breach of contract penalty.” The representative hurriedly promised: “Of course… Ms. Quinn said she would bear all the losses.” So, the matter was settled. Before filming, there would be closed training, and with the shooting schedule, Starr Simmons would have to stay with the crew for nearly half a year. As a newly appointed executive, I was usually too busy to communicate and keep in touch with her. Two months after the film started shooting, Starr Simmons whined to me on SnapChat: “Chase, can you come visit me on set?

I readily agreed: “I was just thinking of doing that. I’ll come see you all in a few days.” Starr Simmons was so excited her voice went up an octave: “Wow! Really? I’m so happy!” I knew why she brought this up. I’d heard that a few days ago, Melody Quinn had visited Luke Carter on set. I said indulgently: “Mm-hmm. Whatever the other kids have, you’ll have too.” “Thank you, Chase!” As the weather was getting colder, on the day of my set visit, I specially prepared plenty of hot drinks for the crew members. Starr Simmons had just finished a scene and was still in costume. She was dressed as a Republican-era songstress, which accentuated her graceful figure. When Starr Simmons saw me arrive, she was as excited as a puppy seeing its long-lost owner, wagging her tail and bounding over to me. I patted her head and then her shoulder. It wouldn’t be good to be too intimate. As it happened, there were media here for interviews today. After Starr Simmons had some hot coffee, the director pulled her over for an interview. She and Luke Carter happened to be free, so the two of them sat properly in front of the camera holding microphones. After asking some standard questions, the reporter intentionally asked Starr Simmons: “Starr and Luke are both newcomers. What do you think of each other’s performances?” Luke Carter went into green arrow mode, saying mechanically: “Starr, well, she gets along really well with everyone around her. She’s sweet-talking and knows how to please people. Everyone likes her a lot. Even our producer came to see her specially today. I heard Starr was personally recommended by the producer to join the crew, and they’re schoolmates too. I believe she must have many outstanding qualities to have gained the producer’s favor.” Luke Carter might as well have said outright: Starr Simmons is just the producer’s kept woman who got in through the back door! It’s true that I intended to promote Starr Simmons, and she had the ability and strength for it. But Luke Carter himself only got in by Melody Quinn throwing money around. The pot calling the kettle black – how does he have the face? The reporter gave a dry laugh and then turned to ask Starr Simmons: “What about you, Starr? What’s your take on Luke?” Starr Simmons smiled like a blooming spring flower, and she glibly said: “Of course I have great respect for Mr. Carter. Mr. Carter invented an amazing trick for remembering lines. He has his assistant write the lines in large print on posters, which are held up during filming so he can read from them. Isn’t that brilliant! No more worrying about forgetting lines, and it saves time on memorizing too! Why didn’t I think of that? Oh my! I’m just too stupid!” After she finished this sarcastic spiel, Luke Carter’s lips twitched in anger, though he forced himself to maintain a smile. The people around were both embarrassed and amused, and the scene fell into an awkward atmosphere. Luke Carter said with a forced smile: “It’s not like that… I never actually looked at the posters during filming…” Starr Simmons cut in again: “Oh! I’m just so forgetful, I can only use my meal and rest times to memorize lines. Not like Mr. Carter, who’s both handsome and smart. He spends his breaks video chatting with his girlfriend! So sweet, so happy, I’m so envious…” After Starr Simmons finished, she pretended to be shocked and covered her mouth: “Oh? Was I not supposed to say that? Can we cut that part out?” Luke Carter’s face had turned green, his eyes rolling skyward, not even bothering with expression management anymore. The reporter hurriedly changed the subject, somehow managing to turn the page on this awkward moment. The media are all very savvy. They wouldn’t easily leak this kind of juicy gossip that could damage both parties’ images. Indeed, the only thing that can defeat a green arrow is green tea. In my heart, I silently evaluated Luke Carter: Drink some horse pee and you think you’re high and mighty, but mess with Starr Simmons and you’re courting death. In the entertainment circle, it’s not uncommon for artists to privately catfight behind the scenes. As long as it doesn’t blow up, the company generally doesn’t interfere. But some people just can’t stand losing and insist on getting even. Not long after, I accompanied my sister to attend a business banquet, where I encountered Melody Quinn, whom I hadn’t seen in a long time. She said she had something to ask me and called me to a corner. Melody Quinn bluntly opened with: “You should consider sending your little girlfriend to some etiquette classes to teach her how to behave properly.”

Hearing her pointed tone, it seems Luke Carter had complained to her, and she came to stand up for her darling. I crossed my arms and said calmly: “Ms. Quinn, if you have something to say, just say it plainly. Where did you learn to speak in such a passive-aggressive manner?” A flash of embarrassment crossed Melody Quinn’s eyes, but she quickly regained her composure and said: “Luke really likes this movie, that’s why I helped him get the male lead role. Since you agreed to let him participate, don’t secretly try to make things difficult for him. You’ve always been a reasonable man in my eyes, don’t ruin the good impression I have of you.” I couldn’t help but laugh inwardly. Heaven and earth be my witness, who’s trying to make things difficult for him? Do I really have nothing better to do? Besides, he started it first, and Starr Simmons was just retaliating. Of course, I couldn’t expect Melody Quinn to view this matter objectively and fairly. It’s human nature to be protective of one’s own. Seeing that I didn’t answer, Melody Quinn continued on her own: “I know that Luke and I being together must have hurt you a lot… I was wrong about this, and I’ll make it up to you in other ways in the future. But don’t target Luke, he doesn’t know anything. I was the one who insisted on being with him. If you want to hate someone, hate me.” This dialogue sounds so familiar. Does she think she’s the fat orange cat now? I really couldn’t listen anymore, so I interrupted her rapid-fire:

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “294536”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #重生Reborn #校园School #浪漫Romance #魔幻Magic #现实主义Realistic #励志Inspiring #后宫Harem #玄幻Fantsy

I was scrolling through my feed when I came across a local community post. “Selling infected blood.” For some inexplicable reason, I clicked into the comments section. The first comment instantly made me draw in a sharp breath. “I’m interested. DM me.” The profile picture belonged to my husband. Just then, Derek walked in with a syringe in hand. “Honey, it’s time for your pregnancy maintenance injection.” … Looking at the opened syringe and recalling the post I had just seen, I involuntarily drew in a sharp breath. “Just leave it here. I’ll do it myself later.” A flash of surprise crossed Derek’s eyes, but it quickly disappeared. He smiled at me gently. “What’s wrong? I’ve always given you the injections. Are you feeling unwell?” I shook my head. “No, I just want to rest for a bit.” Derek and I had been married for seven years without having a child. After a medical check-up, the doctor said it would be difficult for me to conceive naturally and suggested we try IVF. Initially, Derek disagreed, worried that my body couldn’t handle it. It was my persistence in wanting our own child that gradually made him give in. After I got pregnant, the doctor said the embryo quality was poor. To maintain the pregnancy, I needed to be on bed rest and receive regular injections. So, I quit my job to focus on preserving the pregnancy. Derek cherished this hard-won baby too. He took over all the household chores and always gave me the injections himself. But could this man, who was so considerate towards me, really be trying to harm me by buying infected blood online? Noticing me lost in thought, Derek gently kissed my forehead. “Alright then, you lie down and rest. I’ll go take a shower and come back to give you the injection.” I nodded thoughtfully. Derek gave me a long look before turning to leave. As soon as he left, I carefully wiped the needle with a tissue. Sure enough, a red stain appeared on the white paper. In that instant, all the blood in my body rushed to my head. After a few seconds, I forced myself to calm down. I packaged up the syringe and threw it in the trash. I opened the post from earlier again. The poster’s profile was full of listings selling items from infected patients, including blood, used toothbrushes, worn clothes, and shoes. I never imagined people would sell such things. Only the latest post had Derek’s comment. He must be a first-time buyer. I thought for a moment, then opened a chat with the poster. “Hi, I’d like to ask how infected patient’s blood is used?” After typing this, my heart instantly jumped to my throat. The reply came quickly. “Just inject it directly into the person’s body. 100% infection rate.” “Do you have many buyers? Will the police find out?” “We have limited daily supply. Today’s stock is already sold out. If you want to buy, come back tomorrow. We guarantee confidential transactions. You won’t be discovered, don’t worry.” So, today’s stock was sold to Derek. Just then, Derek came out from his shower. I quickly hid my phone under my pillow. He glanced instinctively at the trash can. Noticing the syringe inside, a barely perceptible smile tugged at his lips. “You’ve had your injection? Get some rest then.” I nodded hurriedly, turning off the light to avoid him noticing anything unusual. I lay on my side, facing away from him, thinking about all our years together. We were college sweethearts, getting together in university and marrying after graduation. Derek’s family wasn’t well-off. My family provided the house and car. But out of consideration for his pride, I never mentioned these things. Over the years, he had been so attentive to me. Even my mom said no one else could put up with my bad temper like Derek. How could someone like that want to harm me? I don’t know how long I lay there before I heard a tiny sound from behind me. “Honey, are you asleep?” I closed my eyes, pretending to be sound asleep. Derek called out several times. Seeing no response from me, he took his phone and quietly went into the bathroom.

Soon, I could hear his deliberately lowered voice coming from the bathroom. I crept to the door. The words that reached my ears felt like an electric shock through my entire body. “Baby, don’t worry. I’ve already injected her with the infected blood. In a while, I’ll take her for a check-up under some pretext. Once the results come out, I’ll post them online for everyone to see what a cheap slut she is for sleeping around. Then all her family’s assets will be ours.” “Of course I love you the most. That yellow-faced bitch is like a dead fish in bed. She’s nothing compared to you. Tomorrow, book the room and wear that lingerie I just bought you. Just thinking about it makes me impatient.” The rest was just flirting between the two. I couldn’t bear to listen anymore and slowly moved back to the bed, collapsing onto it. So Derek had been cheating for a while. Now, for my family’s assets, he was even willing to smear my reputation and kill me. I never imagined the man sleeping next to me could be such a monster. I don’t know how long it was before Derek finally finished his call and came back. He lay down beside me, his right hand unconsciously sliding under my clothes, reaching for my chest. Feeling nauseated, I pushed his hand away. “Don’t. I’m not feeling well today. I want to rest properly. Why don’t you sleep in the other room?” Derek paused, quickly adjusting his expression and speaking in his usual gentle tone, “Alright, I’ll go to the other room. If you feel unwell during the night, just call me anytime.” Lying alone in the empty room, I really couldn’t accept how a man everyone saw as perfect could be so terrifying behind the scenes. Should I really keep the baby in my belly? Early the next morning, Derek had already prepared breakfast and brought it to my bed as usual. What used to move me now only disgusted me. My voice was cold, “Just leave it there. I’ll eat when I’m hungry.” Derek finally sensed something was off. He looked me up and down, puzzled. “Honey, you seem a bit strange. Do you have a fever?” He hurriedly pressed his forehead against mine, his tone tinged with disappointment when he found my temperature normal. “No fever? Maybe you’re just not well-rested. I have to go to the office for overtime today. Take care of yourself at home.” Before I could speak, Derek grabbed his bag and left. Overtime? More like rushing off to flirt with his mistress. As soon as Derek left, I took a taxi to the hospital. Although it was his first time buying infected blood to inject me, I didn’t know if he had tried to harm me in other ways before. A full check-up would be most reassuring. I had originally planned to go to the private hospital where I usually had my prenatal check-ups, but suddenly remembered that Derek always accompanied me there, and the doctors and nurses all knew him. To avoid alerting him, I decided to go to a different hospital. The results came out quickly. Everything was normal. When I got the health report, I let out a long sigh of relief, grateful that I had discovered this in time. I thought I might as well do a prenatal check-up while I was there, to see how the baby was developing. When the results came out, the doctor frowned for a long time, finally speaking hesitantly. “Have you been taking any medication recently? There seems to be a problem with your baby’s development.” Hearing the doctor’s words, my heart immediately jumped to my throat. “I’ve been getting daily pregnancy maintenance injections. During previous check-ups at the hospital, the baby was very healthy. How could there be a development problem?” The doctor’s frown deepened. “According to the test results, there are large amounts of drug residues in your body. This can lead to incomplete fetal development. You mentioned you’re getting injections. Can I see them?” Fortunately, I had a habit of carrying my medications with me. I quickly took out the pregnancy maintenance drugs from my bag and gave them to the doctor. He stared at the drugs for a long time, then threw his glasses onto the desk angrily. “Which hospital prescribed these drugs for you? This medicine contains large amounts of hormones that pregnant women shouldn’t use. If you’ve been using this for injections every day, of course the fetus will have problems!” “Moreover, your body is very healthy. You don’t need bed rest at all. How can this hospital be so irresponsible!” I suddenly felt like I had been struck by lightning. The hospital where I had the surgery and prenatal check-ups was all arranged by Derek. He said this private hospital had good technology and service, and he couldn’t bear to let me suffer even a little discomfort. After the embryo transfer surgery, it was also Derek who told me that my constitution was too weak and I needed bed rest and injections to keep the baby. I believed his words without doubt. He always went to get the medications prescribed by the hospital, and he accompanied me to the check-ups. It turns out I never needed bed rest at all. Everything he did was to cut off my contact with the outside world as much as possible. This whole thing was a scam orchestrated by him and the hospital from the beginning. He knew how much I wanted a child of my own, yet he never intended to let our child live. For his own selfish desires, he could even erase his own flesh and blood. Derek was simply not fit to be human. The air in the consultation room froze for a few seconds. The experienced doctor looked at me with some sympathy. “This child is born with developmental defects. From a medical perspective, I don’t recommend keeping it. Think it over carefully. You don’t have much time left.” Hearing the doctor’s words, I felt like I had plunged into an ice cellar. I had felt the baby move just this morning, and now I was facing such a cruel choice. The culprit behind all this was that scumbag Derek. I absolutely couldn’t let him off. After calming down for a few seconds, I tried hard to control my trembling voice. “Keeping this child would only harm them. I won’t be that selfish.” But baby, can you help mommy one last time? By the time I got home, Derek had already returned. As soon as he saw me, he hugged me with a somewhat panicked expression. “Why did you go out alone? I called you but you didn’t answer. I was so worried. Didn’t the doctor say you needed bed rest?” The unfamiliar smell of hotel shower gel reached my nose. I frowned and pushed him away. “I’ve been lying down at home for too long, so I wanted to go for a walk.” Derek didn’t suspect anything. “The doctor said you need plenty of bed rest. Next time, wait for me to come back if you want to go out. What if you feel unwell and there’s no one with you? I’d be worried.” Looking at his sincere expression, I suddenly asked, “By the way, didn’t you say you were going to work overtime today? Did you finish?” Derek’s eyes started to wander when I suddenly changed the subject. “Of course. It was just some small matters. I thought about you being alone at home, so I hurried to finish and come back to be with you.” I nodded noncommittally. “I want to go stay at my mom’s for a few days. It’s been a while since I’ve been back. I want to see them.” A flash of displeasure crossed Derek’s eyes, but it quickly disappeared. “Alright then, let me pack some things and we’ll go visit your parents together.” I shook my head firmly. “No need. I want to go back and stay for a few days by myself. You’ve been working hard lately, take a rest at home. I’ll stay for a couple of days and come back. Don’t worry, nothing will happen.” Intentionally or not, I emphasized the words “working hard”. Derek lowered his head and thought for a few seconds, then smiled. “That’s fine too. In a few days, it’ll be time for your prenatal check-up. I’ll take you then.” At the mention of the prenatal check-up, my heart instantly felt like it was being stabbed. I avoided his gaze and said perfunctorily, “Can you go to the pharmacy and get some common medications for me? You know best what medicines I take. I’m worried they might not have them at my parents’ place.” Hearing this, Derek nodded eagerly. “That’s a good idea. I’ll go now. You rest at home for a bit. I’ll help you pack when I get back.” Watching Derek’s hurried figure leave, I opened my phone and saw his comment under the poster’s latest post: “I want today’s toothbrush.” That’s probably why he rushed out. After making sure Derek was gone, I took out a hidden camera from my bag and installed it in the corner facing the front door. With this, the next steps would be much easier. Derek took a long time to come back. I didn’t ask much, just watched him neatly pack my luggage. “I bought this toothbrush for you just now. You can use it directly when you go back.” I looked at the obviously used toothbrush but didn’t expose him, letting him put it into my suitcase. He offered to send me back, but I refused. “I’ve already called a car. It’s waiting downstairs. You can just help me take the luggage to the car.” This time he didn’t refuse. Shortly after I got in the car, I saw him hurriedly take out his phone and start making a call in the rearview mirror. We both knew very well who that call was for. After leaving the coffee shop, I turned off the voice recorder in my bag. From the moment I entered the coffee shop, I started recording. Derek was certainly hateful, but the poster selling items from infected patients wasn’t a good person either. They would all face legal consequences. I found a hotel nearby to stay. After settling in, I opened my phone. The screen showed Derek and a woman entangled together. Sure enough, less than two hours after I left, they were already so eager. I immediately took a taxi back to the community. With my pregnant belly, I sought help from the security guard uncles. “Uncle, I think there’s a thief in my house. I’m pregnant and can’t handle it. Could you come with me to check? I’m a pregnant woman and it’s not convenient for me.” The security guard was very responsible. He took an iron rod and patted his chest, assuring me, “Don’t worry, with me here, no thief can escape.” A kind auntie nearby also wanted to come along. “Young lady, auntie will go with you. It’s dangerous for a pregnant woman. More people means more strength. Auntie will accompany you.” Looking at the warm-hearted auntie who often cracked sunflower seeds and gossiped in the community, I felt a bit more secure. So, our group of several people marched imposingly towards my house.

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Adrian had fallen for Lucas. When this thought popped into Adrian’s mind, he was completely stunned. He must be going crazy! Holding his digital pen, he couldn’t bring himself to start drawing. The editor had already called several times and sent over a dozen messages on SnapChat. “For heaven’s sake, you’ve already missed the deadline. Your fans are eagerly waiting. Haven’t you been working on the draft lately?” “You must submit chapter 45 of the comic by 3 PM today. Otherwise, I’ll come to your place and watch you draw!” … Adrian, already irritated, felt even more annoyed seeing these messages. He tossed the digital pen aside, stood up, grabbed a clean set of clothes from the closet, and left his room. The shower in his en-suite bathroom was broken, and he hadn’t had time to fix it. He had to use the one in the living room. His mind was in chaos. How could this be possible? How could he have fallen for Lucas? Lost in thought, Adrian pushed open the bathroom door. The room was filled with steam. Sensing something was off, Adrian looked up. Lucas’s wild, wolf-like face suddenly came into view. The young man stood at 6’1″, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. His six-pack abs and ruggedly handsome face were enough to make any girl turn her head. Adrian stood there, dumbfounded. Lucas, his body covered in water droplets, grinned mischievously when he saw Adrian enter. “Want to shower together…” Bang! Before he could finish his sentence, the bathroom door slammed shut. The beautiful – no, handsome – man with his cool demeanor had vanished. Adrian fled from the bathroom, his mind filled with images of Lucas’s body.

Adrian first saw Lucas in the park near his house. The 18 or 19-year-old boy was wearing a loose black T-shirt, cargo pants with a silver chain, and black lace-up boots. With his rebellious, wolfish face, he was feeding a stray cat with a stick of beef jerky. He was muttering to himself. “This is my last beef jerky. I’ll give you half.” “After you finish this half, don’t follow me anymore. I’ll be homeless just like you.” “Damn! Don’t bite the top part! That’s mine!” From Adrian’s perspective, the scene was quite amusing. The boy’s appearance gave him inspiration for the new male protagonist in his comic. Out of curiosity or perhaps sympathy, Adrian, who usually minded his own business, decided to intervene for once. “Do you… want to stay at my place?” The moment Adrian said those words, he immediately regretted them, but it was too late to take them back. Lucas looked up at the man standing before him. He wore a casual white shirt paired with plain black trousers, and his face was… beautiful. Yes, beautiful. The kind of beauty that blurred gender lines. If he hadn’t spoken, Lucas would have thought he was a woman. But his voice wasn’t feminine at all. Hearing the man’s offer, Lucas’s eyes lit up. “Really?” Adrian: … He wanted to say no. But seeing the puppy-dog eyes and that face, well, he shamefully softened. And just like that, Adrian, who had been living alone, gained a roommate.

Adrian flopped onto his bed, recalling his first encounter with Lucas. Now, Lucas had been living with him for almost two months. Time had flown by so quickly. Knock knock— While his thoughts were still wandering, there was a knock at the door. With only him and Lucas in the house, it was obvious who it was. Adrian got up, patted his face to regain his usual expressionless look, and opened the door. As soon as he did, the young man’s tanned chest came into view. As expected, this guy hadn’t bothered to dress properly again. He only had a large towel wrapped around his waist, and his hair was still dripping. Lucas grinned, “Can I borrow your hair dryer?” Water droplets slid from his hair to his shoulders, then down further. The air between them was thick with testosterone. Adrian coolly averted his gaze, turned around to find the hair dryer, and Lucas took the opportunity to slip into Adrian’s room. Adrian’s room, like the man himself, was immaculately clean. The overall color scheme was light blue, with a large bookshelf filled with books and comics. Next to the bookshelf was a large computer desk, currently holding a graphics tablet. The computer screen was on, displaying an unfinished comic. Adrian retrieved the hair dryer from his bathroom and came out to find Lucas, clad only in a towel, wandering around his room. Seeing him approach the computer desk, Adrian panicked. He quickly walked over, shoved the hair dryer into Lucas’s hands, and coldly said, “Get out.” Lucas was startled, but seeing Adrian’s cool, jade-like face and indifferent gaze, he immediately left the room with the hair dryer, thoughtfully closing the door behind him. As the door closed, Adrian went over and locked it. He operated the computer, switching the screen to display the character he had drawn. The image showed a wild, untamed young man with wolf ears, his hands bound by black leather straps, kneeling on the ground. The scene was incredibly intense, and given Adrian’s exceptional drawing skills, it was incredibly lifelike. Looking at this drawing, a faint blush crept across Adrian’s pale skin, even reaching his ears.

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