Category: English

My fiancé has a female best friend. He’s liked her for ten years, drunkenly confessing: “I don’t confess because I’m afraid if I say it, we won’t even be friends anymore.” I wasn’t angry. I quietly bought rings and ordered a wedding dress. My fiancé privately complained to his friends that I was forcing him into marriage, even joking that he’d leave me stranded at the altar. Until he realized that this wedding had absolutely nothing to do with him. “I’ll take this one.” In the bridal boutique, I finally chose a dress. The saleswoman asked, “Do you need to ask your partner’s opinion?” In the entire shop, every other girl was accompanied by her boyfriend. Only I was alone. I smiled: “No need, he’ll love it.” While sitting on the sofa waiting to pay, a notification popped up on my phone. A thread I followed had been updated. The title of the thread was “Loving a Girl for Ten Years.” The original poster was a guy. Underneath, countless people were urging him: 【Just confess already.】 He replied: 【I don’t dare. I’m afraid if I confess, we won’t even be friends anymore.】 The person who posted this thread was my fiancé, Arthur Sterling. 2 When I got home, Arthur was drinking with his friends. In a group of guys, there was only one girl. She had a smoking hot body, wearing black pantyhose, yet she sat cross-legged on the sofa, completely unbothered and carefree. I knew this girl. Her name was Mia. She was Arthur’s best “bro.” “Listen up, guys. Whoever gets a girlfriend has to let your ‘daddy’ approve first, got it?” Someone immediately cheered: “The one Artie’s dating is almost ready for marriage, right?” Mia’s smile stiffened for a second. She lightly kicked Arthur with her pantyhose-clad foot: “Oh? You’ve got it going on. No wonder you haven’t been coming out to play lately. Turns out you’re getting married? Bros before hoes, man!” Arthur leaned back lazily on the sofa, half-dodging: “Nothing like that.” “Don’t be shy. If you really get married, your ‘daddy’ will definitely give you a massive red envelope.” Mia laughed and patted Arthur, but for some reason, her eyes looked a bit red. She picked up her beer bottle and took a few gulps. Arthur looked at her: “Stop drinking.” “Mind your own business!” “You’ve had too much…” “You’ve had too much, damn it. I’ll drink if I want to, it’s none of your business!” Mia said this, but acting as if the alcohol hit her hard, she gradually slumped onto Arthur. “Arthur…” she murmured, seeming like she wanted to say something. Arthur couldn’t hear clearly. He lowered his head, bringing his ear close to the girl’s lips. The atmosphere reached its peak of ambiguity at this moment. However— Bang. I opened the door. 3 The whole house went quiet for a moment. I didn’t look at a single one of them. I put down my bag, changed my shoes, and went into the study. I didn’t say a word the entire time. Slowly, voices drifted from outside. Someone said: “Artie, I think your girl is mad.” They thought I was angry and giving Arthur an attitude. Arthur probably thought so too. I just heard him speak, his voice carrying impatience: “Leave her alone.” He put on a song using the speakers, and the originally chilled atmosphere in the living room gradually livened up again. Mia fell asleep slumped over to the side. Arthur took off his jacket and covered her with it. Someone said to Arthur: “Artie, call your girl out to hang with us.” Arthur’s voice was flat: “No need, she has social anxiety.” I indeed had social anxiety, or more accurately, an anxiety disorder. Speaking in a crowd made my hands shake and gave me cold sweats. Because of this, I had almost no social life. Everything revolved around Arthur. He once kissed me gently: “Chloe, I’m so lucky to have met a girl like you who only has eyes for me.” But now, what used to be a virtue had become a flaw. “You guys don’t get it. I really wish she’d go out and socialize more, make some friends,” Arthur complained after taking a sip of his drink. Someone joked: “Your girl is so pretty. If she really started socializing, a ton of guys would be fighting for her number. Then she wouldn’t have time for you.” Arthur chuckled: “Let her go. Meet some other guys instead of clinging to me every day like she does now.” His voice was very relaxed, certain that I wouldn’t go. My anxiety required regular hospital visits for medication; I simply couldn’t participate in any social activities. The so-called “fairness” of both sides being able to make friends of the opposite sex was really just to accommodate his own freedom. But it didn’t matter. I didn’t care anymore. Taking out my iPad, I started drawing a sketch for the wedding invitation. In the top left corner, I drew the initials of the bride and groom in a flourished script: “C & J”. The bride was me, Chloe. But the groom wasn’t Arthur. Once I finished drawing this invitation, I was going to marry the person I wanted to marry when I was sixteen. 4 Arthur thought I was giving him the silent treatment. He didn’t try to coax me, and slept alone that night. I drew until midnight. During a break, I scrolled through my phone and saw a “People You May Know” suggestion. It was Mia. Her latest post was from thirty minutes ago. In the video, with a mouthful of liquor, she kissed Arthur amidst the cheers of the crowd. The caption read: 【Childhood friends, but strictly lip service.】 The location was my living room. In the warm yellow light, their silhouettes looked handsome and beautiful, full of romantic atmosphere. In the comments, many oblivious people were shouting “Perfect match.” There were also a few sparse comments saying: 【Can’t stand this. If you’re flirting, just say so. What’s this ‘friendship’ nonsense?】 【This world has gotten too weird for me to understand.】 These comments were quickly attacked by a group of people. Mia personally replied: 【Don’t be so obsessed with gender norms, OK? I kiss guys and girls like this. I kiss pretty girls even harder.】 Her edgy response attracted another wave of new replies: 【Ahhhh I volunteer.】 【Kiss me, sis.】 For some reason, I actually laughed out loud watching this. My eyes felt hot, and tears streamed down. But it wasn’t because of Mia or Arthur. It was the phrase “childhood friends” that suddenly made me think of my Julian. I hadn’t dared to think about Julian this seriously in a long time. White shirt, iced soda, the boy’s unruly and untamed features under the sunlight. I rushed up and hugged him when he sank the final buzzer-beater three-pointer. Amidst the roaring crowd, he blushed: “Hey, you can only do this kind of thing with a girlfriend.” “What, you don’t want to?” My heart sank halfway. “No, it’s just… too fast.” He pulled out his phone, frantically checking an order. “The flowers I bought are still out for delivery.” Later, when Julian bought a car, the first thing he did was put a sticker on the passenger seat—”Reserved for Chloe.” He also bought a little plush bunny. “Here, the seat saver.” He patted the bunny’s silly head. “When Chloe isn’t here, you have to save this seat for her. Don’t let anyone else sit in it.” We were together for seven years. Julian bought a new little bunny every year. He said: “Once I collect all seven to summon the dragon, I’m going to apply to be your official husband.” He didn’t lie to me. Hidden in the little apron of the seventh bunny was a very large diamond ring. That was the last gift Julian left for me. He couldn’t give it to me himself. I ended up getting it from the police. The bunny in the blue apron was mixed in with a pile of evidence from the car crash scene. Everything else was stained with dark, almost black blood. Only this bunny, its fluffy white smiling face bright and radiant, remained spotless. The police said that before he died, Julian had hidden it in his chest, protecting it very well. Right now, that little bunny was sitting on my nightstand along with the others. I walked over and gently stroked their heads. Julian. I miss you so much. How can I miss you so much. … Suddenly, my hand froze. No, it wasn’t there. That little bunny wearing the blue apron was missing. A chill suddenly engulfed me, a wave of dizziness hit, and I opened my eyes wide, only then noticing— The sheets and blankets were full of wrinkles. On the pillow, there were two long chestnut hairs. Someone had slept in my room last night. But I didn’t care about that anymore. I just wanted to find the little bunny Julian left me. I searched the house like a madwoman, finally finding it in the kitchen trash can. The little bunny was mixed in with a pile of food scraps. Its body had become very dirty, and there was a dark footprint on it. From a high heel. Blood rushed to my head. I charged to Arthur’s bedroom door and pounded heavily on it. A few seconds later, he opened it. “Here to make up?” he smiled lazily. Arthur thought I was here to ask for peace. It had always been this way in the past. When I got angry, he ignored it, and in our long cold wars, I was always the one to back down first, knocking on his door to coax him. But right now, I held up that bunny: “What is this?” Arthur’s smile vanished. He tried to close the door impatiently: “How should I know?” I suddenly exploded. Forcefully holding the door open, I stared into Arthur’s eyes: “Who did you let sleep in my room last night? Mia, wasn’t it?” Arthur’s eyes showed a brief flash of guilt. But he quickly became irritable and impatient: “Yeah, so what? She drank too much. It’s not safe for a girl to go back late at night…” A crisp smack filled the air. I slapped Arthur across the face. Arthur was stunned. Then he became enraged. “Are you crazy? There’s nothing between us! If there really was something, I would have let her sleep in the master bedroom, alright?!” I looked at his face. For a long time, I stared blankly, lowering my eyes. “Let’s break up.” Julian, it was you who told me I must live happily, that I must find someone who loves me like you did. But I understand now. No one is like you. “Say that again?” I heard Arthur’s voice. He was truly angry. “We are breaking up.” I repeated expressionlessly. Not looking at Arthur’s expression anymore, I turned my head, took the bunny into the bathroom, and scrubbed it vigorously. As I washed, tears kept falling. Arthur’s voice came from outside: “Chloe, are you fucking crazy?” “How much is a bunny worth anyway? I’ll buy you ten more, okay?” Only the sound of rushing water answered him from inside. Arthur’s patience was completely exhausted. He turned and slammed the door as he left, leaving me alone in the house. 5 It took me a long time to wash that bunny clean. Hanging it out to dry on the balcony, in the wind of the clear sky, it gradually became snow-white, fluffy, and warm again. It will get better. Then I should too, right? I found a long-term rental at a bed and breakfast online, then packed my things. Not much—a small duffel bag was enough. The only things that needed to be boxed were the row of bunnies on the nightstand. The one with the bowtie, the one in the jersey, the one with sunglasses… The only one that made me hesitate was the bunny in the spacesuit. Out of all the bunnies, only this one was bought for me by Arthur. Back then, we weren’t together yet, and Arthur put a lot of effort into pursuing me. His family was wealthy. Growing up, whenever he met a girl he liked, he only knew to throw money at her, and he usually won them over. Except me. The luxury goods he bought me, I returned unopened; the fancy restaurants he took me to, I quickly paid for the next meal. Eventually, he found out from somewhere that I loved this series of little bunnies. At that time, this spacesuit bunny was just about to be released. It was a limited edition. He flew overnight to the launch event in New York, waited in line for over ten hours in a sea of people, almost got into a fight, and finally managed to snag the very last one. When I found him, he was covered in sweat, with a scrape on his face, but he waved at me vigorously through the crowd: “Look! Chloe! What is this!” His tall figure stood out in the crowd, his smile as radiant as the sun. He looked so much like Julian. That day I couldn’t hold it back, hugging the bunny and crying my eyes out. Arthur stood next to me, awkwardly comforting me: “Don’t cry, don’t cry. This little scratch doesn’t hurt. From now on, I’ll buy every single one for you…” In that instant, my thoughts drifted back to a sunny afternoon many years ago. Julian and I were sitting on a park bench on campus, and he suddenly asked me: “If I got a terminal illness, what would you do?” “Pfft, pfft, pfft!” I jumped up to cover Julian’s mouth. He dodged everywhere: “If! I’m saying if!” “Then I’d send you off first, and then follow you in death. Satisfied?” “No.” Julian pulled me into his arms. His expression suddenly became very serious. “Chloe, listen to me.” “You have to live a good, happy life. You have to find someone who loves you like I do. “And you have to love him well, because loving someone is even happier than being loved. I want to see you happy. “Only if you’re happy will I be happy in heaven.” Julian, do you know? The second year after you left, when Arthur held up that bunny to me in the crowd, I thought that person had appeared. I was going to work hard at living, work hard at packing everything related to you safely away in my memories, and clear out space in my heart for him. Work hard at being happy. But now I understand. No one is like you. And there never will be anyone like you again. I put the bunny in the spacesuit into my bag. It bared its teeth and smiled at me, cute and mischievous. “I’m going to return you now.” I patted its head and said softly.

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Sixteen years ago, my uncle gifted me a studio apartment. Today, its value has skyrocketed to $8.65 million. My uncle suddenly called, saying he urgently needed $3.4 million for a crisis. I was a bit hesitant; after all, it’s a massive amount of money. Unexpectedly, my husband jumped in before I could speak: “When your uncle gave you that condo back then, he definitely wasn’t expecting anything in return, right?” I nodded. He sneered: “Then what right does he have to ask you for money now? “What he gave you back then is yours. Now that the property is worth a fortune, he wants to leech off it? Keep dreaming!” I froze completely. And my uncle, on the other end of the line, heard every single word. 1 A dead silence fell over the phone line. That silence, transmitted through the receiver, was like a freezing steel needle piercing straight into my eardrum. Every second felt like being roasted in boiling oil. I could imagine how my uncle’s honest, good-natured face must have turned ashen in that instant. “Uncle…” I forced the word out, my throat feeling like it was stuffed with waterlogged cotton. Beep. The call was disconnected. It wasn’t an angry slam of the phone, but the kind of disconnect where the phone simply slips from powerless fingers. My hand was still frozen in mid-air, the phone screen already dark. The bright lights in the living room now made me shiver with cold. Arthur, my husband, the man I had shared a bed with for five years, sat on the sofa opposite me. His face showed not a sliver of guilt; he even looked somewhat smug. “See? Hangs up the moment I call him out. Guilty conscience.” He picked up an apple from the coffee table and took a huge bite, the crisp sound echoing in the room. “I’m doing this for your own good, Chloe.” “You’re just too soft-hearted, too easily swayed.” “These poor relatives, they just see you living well now, your property worth a fortune, and think they can come looking for a handout.” “Today he has the nerve to ask for three point four million. Tomorrow he’ll ask for more.” “It’s a bottomless pit, and we are not jumping in.” Every word he said was like a poisoned knife, accurately stabbing the softest part of my heart. I looked at him. This face that I once thought was incredibly handsome and reliable now seemed so foreign, so ugly. “Arthur, that’s my uncle.” My voice was trembling, carrying an anger I hadn’t even realized I possessed. “When my parents passed away, all my relatives avoided me like the plague.” “It was my uncle. He emptied his life savings to buy me this condo, just to give me a roof over my head.” “That kind of grace can’t be measured with money.” Arthur scoffed, casually tossing the apple core into the trash can. “Grace? Can grace put food on the table?” “Wake up, Chloe! What kind of society do we live in now? You’re still hung up on that sentimental nonsense?” “When he bought you that condo, how much was it worth? A couple hundred grand, tops.” “And now? Eight point six five million!” His eyes gleamed with greed. The number coming from his mouth carried a scorching heat. “He’s trying to use a couple hundred grand investment to cash out over eight million from us.” “He’s got it all figured out, hasn’t he?” I felt all the blood in my body rush to my head in an instant. So in his eyes, my uncle’s kindness was nothing more than a calculated investment. “Us?” I caught the specific word he used, a chill rising from the soles of my feet. “Arthur, this condo is my pre-marital asset.” His face darkened instantly. “Chloe, what is that supposed to mean?” “We are husband and wife. Isn’t what’s yours also mine?” “Have I not worked hard for this family? Do I get no credit?” He started listing all his “sacrifices” over the years. Going to work every day, accompanying me to visit my family during the holidays. He even painted himself as a peerless, devoted husband who worked tirelessly for our family without complaint. But I only felt a deep sense of irony. We’ve been married for five years, and I’ve borne the brunt of the household expenses. Because my salary is higher than his. As for his money, in his words, “A man needs to socialize and save up for big things.” Now, he was starting to dream about that eight point six five million. “Once we sell this place, we’ll upgrade to a big mansion in the Southside, the kind with a garden.” “And we’ll buy a starter home downtown for my brother. He’s not getting any younger.” “With the rest, we’ll put it in savings, and that covers our future kids’ college funds.” He planned it out so naturally. As if my uncle’s existence was solely to provide him and his family with a more luxurious life. My heart went completely cold. This man, whom I had loved for five years, who I thought would be my rock for life. In the end, in his world, family ties, gratitude, everything paled in comparison to a fraction of that money. I didn’t want to argue with him anymore. Any words felt pale and powerless in the face of such naked greed. I turned, walked into the bedroom, and closed the door. Shutting out all his filthy words. I dug out an old photo album from the deepest part of my nightstand. The cover of the album was yellowed, the edges frayed. On the very first page was a photo of me and my uncle. I was sixteen that year, having just lost my parents, as thin as a reed. I wore an ill-fitting school uniform, my eyes full of fear and confusion. My uncle stood beside me, his rough, broad hand wrapped tightly around my shoulder. His face showed unconcealable exhaustion, but the look he gave me was full of determination and tenderness. The background of the photo was the very studio apartment I was living in now. Back then, this place was just a barren construction site. But my uncle pointed at the site and said to me: “Chloe, don’t be afraid. This will be your home from now on.” Tears, without any warning, smashed onto the photo album, blurring a small patch. The bedroom door was violently pushed open. Arthur barged in, reeking of alcohol. “Chloe, I’m warning you, you are not allowed to contact that uncle of yours again!” His face was flushed, his eyes fierce. “And don’t you dare bring up money! Not a single word!” “If you dare give him money behind my back, we are done!” I looked at him coldly. “Arthur, what gives you the right?” He was enraged by my glare, his voice sharply rising. “What gives me the right? Because I’m your husband!” “Everything you eat, wear, and use, what isn’t provided by our Vance family?” “You’re just an orphan with no parents! If I hadn’t been blind enough to marry you, who knows where you’d be drifting right now!” “Do you really think you’re some city socialite?” “Let me tell you, not a single one of those poor beggars from your side of the family is getting a dime from me!” Every sentence was like a resounding slap, landing hard on my face. So, in his heart, I was always just that orphan who had nothing. All my value was attached to that constantly appreciating piece of real estate. I looked at him and suddenly laughed. That laughter even felt strange to myself—shrill, yet full of desolation. This night was destined to be sleepless. I kept my eyes open, staring at the ceiling until the first glimmer of dawn peeked through the window. I made a decision. No matter what, I had to help my uncle. Even if it meant selling this condo. 2 The next day, the doorbell rang urgently and loudly. Through the peephole, I saw my mother-in-law, Martha’s, face etched with anxiety. I knew Arthur’s “reinforcements” had arrived. I opened the door, and Martha shoved past me, charging straight in. “Oh, my poor boy, what happened to you? You look awful.” She grabbed Arthur’s hand, looking him up and down as if he had suffered a massive grievance. Arthur immediately played along, putting on an exhausted and helpless expression. Martha turned her head, her gaze landing on me like a spotlight. “Chloe, I heard.” “Your uncle wants to borrow money from you?” The probing in her tone was as sharp as a needle. I gave a flat “Mm.” “How much?” “Over three million.” Martha gasped, her voice instantly becoming shrill. “Over three million? Why doesn’t he just go rob a bank!” “He’s trying to drain our family dry!” I looked at her coldly: “Mom, that’s my uncle, not a stranger.” “And, he just needs it to turn things around. It’s not like he won’t pay it back.” Martha plopped onto the sofa and started slapping her thigh, wailing. “What ‘turn things around’? When poor relatives borrow money, it’s like throwing meat buns at a dog—it never comes back!” “Chloe, oh Chloe, you can’t be so heartless!” “You’ve married into our Vance family now! Everything you have belongs to the Vance family!” “That condo of yours, even though you bought it before we got married, you married our Arthur, so it’s our family’s property too!” Her logic was literally the logic of a robber. I laughed out of sheer anger. “Mom, that’s really interesting.” “Since when did my condo become your family’s property?” Seeing I wasn’t buying it, Martha immediately changed her tune. She stopped crying, a shrewd, calculating look appearing on her face. “Chloe, let’s do this.” “Just to be safe, and to make your uncle completely give up.” “Add Arthur’s name to the property deed.” “That way, this condo becomes our joint marital property, and it won’t be so easy for him to scheme for it.” Finally, she showed her true colors. This was the real reason she came today. I refused without hesitation. “Impossible.” My one word was like a bucket of cold water, extinguishing her scheming. Martha’s face instantly turned a deep shade of purple. “You! You ungrateful wretch!” “Our Vance family must have had eight lifetimes of bad luck to marry a traitor like you!” Arthur, who had been silent on the side, finally found an opportunity to interject. He stood up, walked over to me, and looked down at me from a commanding height. “Chloe, what exactly do you take me and my mom for?” “We are a family!” “Why divide yours and mine in a family?” “You guarding against us like this, have you already planned your way out?” Every accusation he made felt like he was slapping a label of selfishness onto me. I was trembling with anger. “A family?” “My uncle is waiting for life-saving money right now, and what did you guys do?” “Have you treated them like family for even a second?” Martha jumped up from the sofa, pointing at my nose and cursing. “Whether your uncle’s son lives or dies, what does it have to do with our Vance family?” “Why should we use our own money to fill their bottomless pit?” That sentence was like a thunderclap exploding in my brain. I looked at the mother and son in front of me, at their self-righteous, cold-blooded, and ruthless faces. For the first time, I truly, genuinely entertained the thought of divorce. This home was not my home. They were not my family. They were just two leeches entrenched on my property, vainly attempting to suck me dry of my last drop of blood. I took a deep breath, suppressing the surging nausea in my stomach. “Get out.” My voice wasn’t loud, but it carried unquestionable resolve. Arthur and Martha were both stunned. They probably never expected that the usually docile me would say such a thing. “What did you say?” Arthur’s eyes widened. “I said, get out of my condo.” I enunciated every word clearly. Martha reacted and tried to lunge at me, throwing a tantrum. “You little bitch, you dare kick me out! I’ll beat you to death!” I sidestepped to avoid her and used all my strength to push them both toward the door. Arthur was still trying to reason, or rather, threaten me. “Chloe, you’re crazy! You’re going to sever ties with us over an outsider?” I didn’t answer. I just forcefully shoved them out the door. Then, with a loud bang, I slammed the door shut. I turned the key and deadbolted it. The world was finally quiet. I leaned against the cold door, my body sliding down uncontrollably. Yet a voice inside me told me with absolute clarity: This condo, this last shred of dignity, no one is going to take it away. 3 I sat on the cold floor until my legs went numb. After calming down, the first thing I did was return my uncle’s call. The phone rang for a long time before it was answered. “Hello?” It was my aunt’s voice, thick with a nasal tone and exhaustion. “Auntie, it’s me, Chloe.” “Where’s Uncle?” The line was silent for a moment before my uncle’s hoarse voice came through. “Chloe.” “Uncle is fine, don’t worry.” “Yesterday… I was out of line. Don’t fight with your husband over it.” He was still thinking of me. My eyes instantly welled up. “Uncle, please don’t say that.” “I’m the one who’s sorry.” “What exactly happened? You have to tell me.” Under my persistent questioning, my uncle finally told me the truth. My cousin, Leo, was diagnosed with acute leukemia. He needed an immediate bone marrow transplant. A match had been found, but the exorbitant $3.4 million surgical fee was like a mountain crushing this already modest family. “…Your cousin is still young, only twenty-five…” My uncle’s voice choked up. “The doctor said as long as we have the money, the success rate of the surgery is very high…” On my end of the line, I was already in tears. That was life-saving money. And I, because of Arthur’s bastard words, had wasted precious time. Guilt and self-blame drowned me like a tidal wave. “Uncle, don’t worry.” I wiped my tears, my voice carrying a firmness that even surprised me. “I’ll figure out the money.” “I will definitely get the money together for you in the shortest possible time.” Hanging up, I immediately opened my mobile banking app to check the joint account Arthur and I shared. But when I saw the balance, I was completely stunned. $36,217. We had been married for five years, and our combined salaries were over $30,000 a month. Minus daily expenses and the mortgage, we should have had at least a seven-figure sum saved up over five years. But now, there was only this fraction left. My heart sank, inch by inch. I called Arthur immediately. When the call connected, his voice still carried anger. “What? Figured it out? Ready to apologize to my mom?” I ignored his blustering and asked directly: “Where is the money in our joint account?” Arthur clearly paused. “What money? Isn’t it all in the card?” “Arthur, I’ll ask you one more time. Where did the money go?” My voice was ice-cold. He probably sensed something was wrong with me and started stammering. “It… it didn’t go anywhere…” “It’s just… my brother needed to buy a car a while ago, so I helped him out a bit.” “Also, my parents’ old house in the hometown needed renovating, so I took some money for that too…” “We’re all family, there’s no need to draw such a clear line…” My heart felt like it was being sliced open with a dull knife, cut by cut. So that was it. So the money I had worked so hard to save had become his capital to subsidize his original family. He used my money to play the role of the “filial son” and “good brother” for his family. Yet, when my uncle’s family was waiting for life-saving money, he spouted those cold-blooded, vicious words. I finally understood. In his heart, we were never a family. I was just an outsider, a host providing flesh and blood for him and his family. This realization struck me like lightning, leaving me freezing cold. I couldn’t rely on him. There was only one way left. Sell this apartment. I opened my laptop and started searching for real estate agents online. This place, which held all my youth and memories, my only sanctuary. Now, it was going to be used to save another family member’s life. I think, if this condo had feelings, it would support me too. My actions were quickly discovered by Arthur. Probably through my computer’s browsing history. He stormed into the study like an enraged lion. “Chloe! Don’t you dare!” He pointed at the agent’s contact info on the screen, his eyes bloodshot. “Let me tell you, don’t even think about selling this condo!” “Don’t even dream about it!” I looked up and met his gaze calmly. “Arthur, we’re done.” My relationship with him had completely hit rock bottom from the moment he insulted my uncle. And now, we were in the abyssal depths below that rock bottom. 4 Arthur and my mother-in-law, in an effort to stop me from selling the condo, started a ridiculous farce. They shadowed me constantly. If I went to the bathroom, my mother-in-law would stand guard at the door. If I went to the kitchen for water, Arthur would follow right behind me. They acted like two prison guards, watching me as if I were a hardened criminal. What’s worse, they confiscated my ID card, my household register, and the original property deed. “Chloe, let’s see how you sell the condo without these!” Arthur locked the documents in a safe, the smugness of a victor on his face. My mother-in-law chimed in from the side: “Exactly, let’s see what you can do now!” “Just stay home quietly and stop thinking about all that nonsense.” They thought this would give them complete control over me. I didn’t resist. I didn’t even argue with them. I just watched them silently, like watching a comical play. My submission made them lower their guard. They thought I had finally yielded and started flaunting their power in front of me. They mocked me every day, their words full of contempt and humiliation. “An orphan with no parents, really thinking she’s a big deal.” “If it weren’t for our Arthur, you’d still be living in some rundown shack.” “Now that your wings have grown a bit, you want to kick our Vance family to the curb?” I listened silently, etching all of this into my memory. But my eyes grew colder day by day. What they didn’t know was that I had reported my ID card lost and gotten a replacement a long time ago. The new ID card was lying quietly in a hidden compartment of a canvas tote bag I used often. They also didn’t know that for something as important as a property deed, how could I not have a backup plan? Copies, the purchase contract, all the relevant documents—I had backups of everything, hidden in a place they would never think of. I used the time when Arthur was at work and my mother-in-law was out grocery shopping to secretly meet with several real estate agents. I chose a middle-aged woman who looked the most professional and reliable. I laid out my situation entirely. After listening, the agent was filled with righteous indignation. “Girl, don’t you worry.” “I’ve seen this kind of thing plenty of times.” “Not having the original deed is a bit of a hassle, but it’s not completely impossible.” “As long as you have the purchase contract and your ID, we can sign an exclusive listing agreement first.” “I’ll help you navigate the rest of the process slowly.” Guided by the agent, I prepared all the necessary listing materials. Arthur and his mother were completely oblivious to this. They were still reveling in the thrill of controlling everything. Watching their smug faces, I felt no anger, only a bone-chilling coldness. That afternoon, while my mother-in-law was taking a nap and Arthur hadn’t finished work yet, I slipped out of the house and signed the exclusive listing agreement with the agent. The moment I signed my name. I knew my counterattack had officially begun. The first step went even smoother than I had imagined. 5 The process of selling the condo was slower than I expected. With every passing day, the anxiety in my heart grew. I was afraid my cousin’s illness couldn’t wait. To speed things up, the agent asked me to find all the old documents related to the condo to see if anything could be used. I dug out a dusty old leather suitcase. This was given to me by my uncle when we moved. He said it was just some unimportant old stuff and told me to put it away. For sixteen years, I had never opened it. I blew the dust off the suitcase and opened the rusted latch. Inside was a thick stack of documents. The original purchase contract, tax invoices, and some miscellaneous receipts. I carefully flipped through them. Hoping to find some useful clues. Just as I picked up the yellowing purchase contract, a folded piece of letter paper fell out from between the pages. The envelope was yellow and brittle, with no name on it. With a bit of confusion, I opened it with trembling hands. The familiar handwriting instantly brought tears to my eyes. It was my uncle’s handwriting. “Chloe, when you read this letter, Uncle might not be around anymore. There are some things I wanted to take to the grave, but after thinking about it, you deserve to know the truth.” My heart seized violently. Fighting back tears, I continued reading. The contents of the letter struck me like a bolt of lightning, splitting my entire being. It turned out that sixteen years ago, when my parents died in that car accident, the party at fault paid $1.2 million in compensation. In that era, this was an astronomical sum. But this money was completely divided up by my so-called relatives, like a pack of hungry wolves. They said I was a girl, destined to marry into another family, a financial burden, and didn’t deserve a penny of it. They said the money should be left for the male heirs of the family to carry on the bloodline. My uncle was just an ordinary worker back then, weak and outnumbered. He fought with them, argued with them, risked his life, and only managed to snatch back $300,000 from the wolves’ mouths. But my uncle felt that this was money bought with my parents’ lives. It was stained with blood and brought bad luck. He didn’t want this money to cast a shadow over my childhood. So, he made a decision. He took out his own hard-earned savings, half a lifetime’s worth, a full $200,000. He combined it with the $300,000, making $500,000. He paid entirely in cash to buy this studio apartment for me. He put the property in my name but told me he “gifted” it to me. He wanted to use this method to erase that ugly past. He wanted me to think that what I received was a pure love, devoid of any impurities. At the end of the letter, my uncle wrote: “Chloe, this is the last memento your parents left you, and it’s all Uncle can do for you.” “No matter what happens in the future, no matter what grievances you suffer, you must remember that this is your home.” “As long as you have this home, you have a foundation.” The letter slipped from my trembling hands. I could no longer control myself and burst into loud sobs. So that was it. This condo was never a gift. It was an inheritance bought with my parents’ lives. It was a sanctuary my uncle built for me with half his life’s blood, sweat, and tears. Hidden within it was the heavy love of my parents and the deepest protection of my uncle. And now, Arthur and Martha, this mother-and-son pair of executioners. What they wanted to snatch was not just a piece of real estate. They wanted to snatch my parents’ legacy, my uncle’s grace, my only root in this world. New grudges and old hatreds all surged into my heart in an instant. My tears slowly dried up. My gaze shifted from endless sorrow to a bone-deep coldness. Arthur, Martha. I’m not just going to win this battle. I’m going to win it spectacularly and make you pay the most agonizing price for your greed and shamelessness.

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My husband is a decorated undercover cop. To take down a drug cartel and save a hostage, he was tortured by drug dealers for a whole month. After being rescued, not only was his body covered in scars, but he also suffered from severe sexual dysfunction. The doctor said it was psychological trauma and couldn’t be forced. My heart ached for him. For three years, I didn’t even dare to breathe too loudly while sleeping, terrified of disturbing his fragile nerves. I not only spent all my savings treating his illness but also paid for the schooling of the poor girl he rescued. On the day of the police commendation ceremony, an unreleased surveillance video was mistakenly broadcasted on the big screen. In the video, the man who was always so timid and subservient with me was pressing that same girl onto a desk, venting wildly. His mouth was full of filthy words, his movements as fierce as a wild beast. He hastily covered my eyes. “Don’t look! It was just an act to gain the drug lord’s trust!” “Tech team! Who played that video! Turn it off immediately!” Captain Vance’s roar exploded in the auditorium. The blinding white light vanished from the big screen, and the entire auditorium plunged into a dead, silent darkness. I sat frozen in my seat, my hands and feet ice-cold. The hand covering my eyes carried the familiar smell of tobacco. But it was this very hand that, just moments ago on the screen, was tightly grabbing another girl’s hair. “Chloe, don’t look.” Arthur’s voice was in my ear, as steady as ever, yet with an imperceptible tightness. I didn’t move, nor did I speak. My fingers unconsciously twisted the hem of my shirt, twisting the soft fabric into a hard knot. It’s a small habit of mine when I’m nervous. The lights flipped back on with a snap, stinging my eyes. The gazes of the surrounding colleagues, family members, and everyone else focused on me like spotlights. Sympathy, curiosity, disdain, schadenfreude. Arthur let go, his face a bit pale under the lights, but his eyes remained steady. He took off his crisp police uniform jacket and draped it over my shoulders, covering my slightly trembling frame. “A misunderstanding. Just a special interrogation tactic.” He explained to the people around us. His voice wasn’t loud, but it was enough for the first few rows to hear clearly. “Everyone, please continue. Don’t let this minor hiccup affect the commendation ceremony.” His tone was calm, as if the footage on the screen, which rivaled a pornographic film, was truly just an inconsequential work recording. Captain Vance quickly walked over, apologetic and concerned. “Chloe, are you okay? Those kids in the tech team messing around, I’ll deal with them later!” The way he looked at me was purely an elder’s heartache for a younger generation. For three years, the entire police force knew about Arthur’s illness. They also knew that I had quit my job to take care of him, never leaving his side. In their eyes, I was a great, forbearing, selflessly devoted police wife. But now, this greatness had become a massive joke. “I’m fine, Captain Vance.” I spoke, my voice dry. Arthur put his arm around my shoulders, his grip heavy, carrying an unquestionable dominance. “I’ll take her back to rest first.” He didn’t give anyone a chance to ask more questions. Passing through countless complex gazes, he left the auditorium. The cold wind blew down the corridor, and I shivered. He didn’t let go of me until we got into the car. The space inside the car was cramped. The scent on him, a mix of sweat and wildness, smelled incredibly disgusting to me right now. I turned my head to look out the window, my stomach churning. “It was fake.” He started the car and finally spoke. “What was fake?” “What happened in the video. It was an act for the drug dealers, to gain their trust.” His explanation was exactly what I expected: calm, rational, and flawless. “That girl, Mia. She was in too deep at the time. Without some special tactics, she wouldn’t have talked.” “I thought this kind of footage had been destroyed long ago. I didn’t expect the tech team to make a mistake.” He drove, glancing at me from the corner of his eye. “I know it’s hard for you to accept, but that’s my job.” “Chloe, you have to understand me.” Understand. Those two words again. For three years, I understood the trauma left by his failed mission, understood his sexual dysfunction, understood all his sensitivity and fragility. I took care of him like a fragile porcelain doll. But I couldn’t understand how he could, without changing his expression, engage in passionate intercourse with another woman on a desk. Yet in front of me, touching me was like torture. The car stopped downstairs. I didn’t move. Arthur unbuckled his seatbelt and leaned over. His face was very close to mine. Those eyes that once made me drown were now full of exhaustion and a complex emotion I couldn’t read. “Stop throwing a tantrum, okay?” His voice was very soft, carrying a coaxing tone. “Mia is still upstairs waiting for us. She was terrified today.” That sentence was like a basin of ice water poured over my head. I snapped my head around, staring at him intently. “Why is she in our house?” 2 Arthur frowned, a flash of impatience in his eyes. “She’s scared to live alone. She just moved in a few days ago.” “I thought I told you.” He said it as if it were the most natural thing in the world, as if this wasn’t my home, but just a hotel where he could take anyone in at will. I clenched my fists, my nails digging deep into my palms. He hadn’t told me. He hadn’t said a thing. I pushed open the car door and stumbled upstairs. I inserted the key into the lock, having to turn it several times before it clicked. The moment the door opened, a waft of unfamiliar perfume hit my face. In the entryway, there was a pair of pink high heels that didn’t belong to me. On the living room sofa, a woman’s jacket was thrown casually. On the coffee table, half-eaten snacks and a fashion magazine. Everything here was declaring the presence of another mistress of the house. Mia walked out of the master bedroom, wearing my pajamas. It was a silk set I had gritted my teeth to buy for my birthday, but had never borne to wear. Now, it hung loosely on Mia’s slender frame. The neckline was open wide, revealing a large expanse of suggestive red marks. “Arthur, Chloe, you’re back?” Seeing us, she wore the panicked expression of a frightened rabbit, subconsciously pulling her collar together. “I’m sorry, Chloe, your pajamas… My clothes were all being washed, and Arthur told me to wear yours for now.” She looked at me timidly, her eyes watery, as if I were the villain who had taken over the nest. Arthur walked in and naturally took the water glass from Mia’s hand, taking a sip. “You were scared, right? It’s okay now.” He patted Mia’s head, his movements intimate and natural. That kind of gentleness I had only seen when he first returned from the mission, when his mind was at its most fragile. “I’ll go make dinner.” I dropped those words and fled into the kitchen. The cold water washed over my hands, but I couldn’t feel the chill. My body felt like ignited cotton, burning from the inside out. I could hear them talking in low voices in the living room. “Arthur, is Chloe mad? It’s all my fault.” Mia’s voice was tinged with crying. “Don’t overthink it, she just hasn’t wrapped her head around it yet.” Arthur’s voice was deep. “You had a scare today, go back to your room and rest early.” “But I’m scared. Every time I close my eyes, I see the images from the surveillance.” “Then I’ll stay with you for a while.” The door was gently closed. I turned off the faucet and leaned against the cold counter, trembling all over. So, it wasn’t that he couldn’t do it. He just couldn’t do it with me. For dinner, I made three dishes and a soup, all Arthur’s favorites. At the dining table, for the first time, I didn’t serve him food as usual. The atmosphere was terrifyingly oppressive. Mia kept her head down, taking tiny bites of rice, her eyes red. Arthur didn’t look good either; he put down his chopsticks after a few bites. “I’m full.” He stood up, pulled a stack of cash from his wallet, and put it on the table. “Living expenses for this month. Tell me if it’s not enough.” I looked at the stack of crisp, red bills and found it incredibly glaring. When did our relationship become reduced to just this? “Are Mia’s tuition and rent coming out of this too?” I asked, driven by some inexplicable impulse. Arthur paused, turned to look at me, his eyes turning cold. “She’s a girl, alone and helpless. It’s only right that I help her out.” “Chloe, I didn’t think you were this petty.” Petty? I spent all our savings to treat his so-called “illness.” I sold the jewelry my mother left me to pay for the schooling of this “poor” girl he talked about. And in the end, all I get is being called petty. My heart felt like it was gripped by an invisible hand, hurting so much I could barely breathe. “Yes, I am petty.” I looked up, meeting his gaze. “Arthur, tell her to move out.” “This is our home.” Mia’s chopsticks clattered to the floor. She shrank her shoulders in fear and burst into tears. Arthur’s face darkened completely. He didn’t look at me, but walked over to Mia and bent down to pick up the chopsticks. “Don’t be scared.” He pulled Mia up and shielded her behind him, as if facing some heinous enemy. “Chloe, have you thrown enough of a tantrum?” 3 Watching him protect another woman, I laughed out loud, but the tears fell disobediently. “Arthur, who exactly is throwing a tantrum?” “These past three years, I’ve lived like a ghost for you.” “I didn’t dare speak loudly, didn’t dare turn on the light to sleep, afraid of disturbing your fragile nerves.” “I treated you as my sky, my everything, and what about you?” “You’re out there sleeping with another woman, and then come home and tell me it was for work!” “How can you expect me to believe that? How can you expect me to understand?” My voice grew louder and louder, almost turning into a scream. Three years of accumulated grievances and pain exploded at this moment. Mia trembled even more violently behind him, crying and saying: “Chloe, don’t blame Arthur, it’s all my fault. If it wasn’t to save me, he wouldn’t have…” “Shut up!” Arthur suddenly growled, cutting Mia off. The chill in his eyes almost froze me. “Chloe, do you think I’m lying to you?” I bit my lip and didn’t speak, but the distrust in my eyes said it all. He suddenly laughed, a laugh full of self-deprecation and endless exhaustion. “Fine, since you don’t believe me, I’ll show you the proof.” He took out his phone, his fingers tapping rapidly on the screen, then threw the phone in front of me. On the screen was a hospital diagnosis report. Severe Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, accompanied by severe physiological dysfunction. The black and white text stung my eyes. Below it were a few video clips, recordings of his hypnotherapy sessions with the psychiatrist. In the video, he was curled up in a ball on the sofa like a helpless child, covered in cold sweat, muttering things I couldn’t understand. That was the most fragile side of Arthur I had never seen. “See?” His voice was terribly hoarse. “The doctor said my trauma stems from that month of torture. I have an instinctive resistance and fear of all intimate contact.” “The reason what happened with Mia was an exception…” He paused, seeming to search for the right words. “The doctor analyzed that it might be because she and I went through the same hell. My subconscious viewed her as safe, so it lowered its defense mechanisms.” “This is a pathological reaction, not a betrayal.” His explanation sounded flawless, even carrying a scientific rigor. So, I wasn’t his exception. I was the unsafe factor being excluded. “So, I’m the cause of your illness, right?” I muttered to myself. Arthur didn’t seem to expect me to say that and froze. He came over, wanting to hug me, but I took a sharp step back. His outstretched hand froze in mid-air, his expression complex. “Chloe, it’s not what you think.” “I love you, I just want to live a good life with you.” “Give me some time, okay? I’ll cure myself.” His voice was very light, carrying a hint of pleading. I felt like I was going crazy. That night, for the first time, Arthur didn’t sleep in the study. He lay beside me, his body stiff, but our hearts were separated by an unbridgeable chasm. 4 The next morning, when I woke up, Arthur was already gone. In a daze, I packed a few clothes and stuffed them into a suitcase. I needed to get out of here and clear my head. I sent Arthur a message, telling him I was going to stay at my mom’s for a few days. He didn’t reply. Dragging my suitcase downstairs, at the entrance of our complex, I saw Arthur’s car parked not far away. He hadn’t left. An indescribable feeling flashed through my heart. Pulling my suitcase, I walked step by step towards his car. The window rolled down, but the face revealed wasn’t Arthur’s. It was Captain Vance. “Chloe, where are you going?” Captain Vance’s expression was very serious. “I… I’m going home to stay for a few days.” Captain Vance sighed and opened the car door. “Get in, let’s talk.” The car didn’t head towards my parents’ house, but drove in circles along the city’s most congested main road. “Arthur, that kid, he’s got a stubborn and foul temper.” Captain Vance said as he drove. “I know you’ve been wronged, but you also know what he went through these past three years.” “That month, it wasn’t a life fit for a human. If it were me, I might have gone crazy long ago.” I kept my head down, my fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of my shirt again. I had heard these words countless times. “I know.” “Not only do you know, but you’ve done very well.” Captain Vance glanced at me in the rearview mirror. “Everyone in the squad says Arthur must have accumulated karma for eight lifetimes to marry such a good wife like you.” “But Chloe, some things can’t be solved just by being ‘good’.” My heart seized. “Captain Vance, do you know something?” Captain Vance was silent for a long time, so long I thought he wouldn’t speak again. He parked the car by the river, lit a cigarette. Took a hard drag. “About Mia… Arthur didn’t tell you the whole truth.” My stomach lurched, and a wave of nausea washed over me. This physical reaction was even faster than my brain. I didn’t expect that his next words would completely push me into the abyss. 5 “Mia isn’t just some ordinary hostage.” “She’s the god-sister of the drug cartel boss.” My brain buzzed, going completely blank. “What did you say?” “On that mission, Arthur’s objective was to take down the entire drug ring.” “Mia grew up in that environment and obeyed her brother completely. It took Arthur a long time to make her waver.” “Later, when things were exposed, her brother wanted to clean house. Arthur got captured trying to protect her.” “So, he wasn’t tortured because he was trying to save a hostage. He was protecting Mia?” I felt my voice shaking. “You could say that.” “Then, what about that video?” “It’s fake.” Captain Vance blew a smoke ring, the smoke blurring his face. “Arthur had the squad make a fake video to get the final piece of evidence.” “The squad unified the story to protect his reputation and to give Mia a chance at a fresh start.” My marriage, my love, everything I had given over the past three years, was built on a massive lie. “Why… why are you telling me this?” It took all my strength to ask that question. Captain Vance crushed his cigarette, his eyes full of struggle and pity. “Because Arthur, that kid, is in too deep.” “To him, Mia isn’t just a mission anymore.” The air in the car seemed to freeze. Better a short pain than a long one. How easy it is to say. Three years of my youth, my wholehearted devotion, the love I thought was unbreakable—it turns out it was a joke from the very beginning. I don’t even know how I got out of the car, or how I returned to that so-called home. Pushing open the door, the house was empty. Mia wasn’t there, and Arthur wasn’t there. That’s good. I needed space alone to digest the truth. I lay on the sofa, staring at the ceiling. My eyes ached with dryness, but I couldn’t shed a single tear. My phone vibrated. It was a multimedia message from an unknown number. A photo. In the photo, Arthur and Mia were sitting in a luxuriously decorated Western restaurant, making a wish in front of candles. Mia wore a birthday crown on her head, smiling brightly and sweetly. Arthur’s eyes held a gentleness and doting that I had never seen before. Below the photo was a line of text: Chloe, Arthur is celebrating my birthday, we’ll be back late. He was afraid you’d overthink it and told me not to tell you. My fingers began to tremble uncontrollably. I dialed Arthur’s number. It rang for a long time before being answered. “Hello?” His voice was a bit impatient. “Where are you?” My voice was terrifyingly calm. “In a meeting at the station, what’s wrong?” He lied without batting an eye. “Arthur, come back immediately.” “I said I’m in a meeting. Stop being unreasonable.” “I’m telling you to come back!” I finally lost control and screamed. The other end was silent for a few seconds, and then came Mia’s timid voice: “Arthur, is it Chloe… you should go back, I’m fine.” Beep beep beep… The call was hung up. I smashed my phone hard onto the floor, the screen instantly shattering into pieces. I rushed into the bedroom, pulled open the wardrobe, and threw out Mia’s eyesore clothes one by one. Dresses, underwear, stockings… The door crashed open with a bang. Arthur rushed in, saw the mess on the floor, and his face instantly darkened. “Chloe, what kind of crazy fit are you throwing now?” He grabbed my wrist with a force that almost crushed my bones. “Me? Crazy?” I shook off his hand, pointing at the clothes on the floor, yelling hysterically: “Arthur, you tell me, what are these?” “You bring her home, she sleeps in my bed, wears my pajamas, and now you lie to me saying you’re in a meeting while you run off to celebrate her birthday!” “What exactly do you take me for?” A flash of panic appeared in Arthur’s eyes, but it was quickly replaced by an icy calm. “I just felt sorry for her, having her birthday alone…” “Sorry for her?” I sneered. “She’s the sister of a drug dealer. She almost got you killed, and you feel sorry for her?” “Arthur, stop lying to me! Captain Vance told me everything!” “The so-called rescue was fake, and your love for me is fake too!” Arthur’s body stiffened violently, his eyes filled with disbelief. He stared at me dead on. “He told you?” “Yes.” The air was dead silent. After a long time, he suddenly laughed. That laugh no longer held any exhaustion or pretense, only a reckless indifference. “Fine, since you know everything, I have nothing to hide.” He walked up to me, looking down at me from above. “That’s right, it was all fake.” “What I feel for Mia isn’t a mission, and it isn’t pity.”

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My division commander’s son, Arthur Sterling, told me that if I wanted to marry him, I had to become a regimental commander first. “Eventually, this division will be handed over to us.” So, I worked my life away for eight years. Reconnaissance company, artillery regiment, operations and training section—wherever it was toughest, I went. I earned several third-class merit citations and shed layers of skin from the sun. This spring, I thought my promotion to regimental commander was a sure thing. But suddenly, the division dispatched me to the remote Northern Wasteland for construction work. Returning a year later, I saw Lily Vance from the propaganda section leading the regiment in training. I went straight to the division commander’s office. In the hallway, two staff officers were smoking. “Commander Vance is so lucky. Her father-in-law promoted her single-handedly.” “It’s a pity for Chloe Miller. She must have frozen her butt off in the Northern Wasteland, right?” “If you ask me, the division commander should have just told her directly that Lily Vance and his son filed their marriage report ages ago. Would have saved so much trouble.” Tossing their cigarette butts, the two walked away. I stood in the empty hallway, suddenly recalling every exhausting night of those eight years. It turned out that in the eyes of others, I was just a joke. So, I went downstairs and called home: “Dad, I’m coming home tomorrow.” 1 When I pushed open the door to the division commander’s office, I saw Lily Vance sitting on Arthur Sterling’s lap. They were pressed against the desk, Arthur’s hands wrapped around her waist. Hearing the door, Arthur sprang up, and Lily hurriedly wiped the corner of her mouth. The office was silent for a few seconds. “Chloe…” Arthur stood up, the collar of his uniform slightly wrinkled. “Don’t misunderstand. Lily accidentally slipped, and I was just catching her.” Lily adjusted her brand-new field-grade officer uniform and cleared her throat: “Major Miller, why didn’t you knock before coming in?” I slammed that crumpled appointment notice onto the desk. “When did Lily Vance become a regimental commander?” Lily let out a short laugh: “It was a collective decision by the division’s party committee. Do you have an objection?” Arthur pressed his hand on the paper, not meeting my eyes: “Lily graduated with a bachelor’s degree from the military academy, has excellent political standing, and is a young cadre prioritized for development by the organization.” “Chloe, the organization sees all your contributions, but you need to consider the big picture.” I smiled. The big picture? Who ever considered me? “Comprehensive quality? She can’t even mark a tactical map properly. Where is the quality?” “Chloe Miller!” Arthur’s voice suddenly rose, slamming a folder heavily onto the desk. “You’ve been in the military for eight years. Don’t you know that obeying orders is your bounden duty?” “Don’t bring your personal emotions into work!” The way he looked at me was like looking at a troublemaking soldier. Eight years of my life, in his eyes, had become “personal emotions.” I looked into his eyes: “Then what do my past eight years count as?” He looked away, his tone softening a bit, like coaxing an ignorant child: “I know it’s been hard for you. But the military needs to develop.” Lily walked up to me, her epaulets almost brushing against my chest: “I spent five years in the headquarters writing materials. What about you? You spent a year digging drainage ditches in the Northern Wasteland. Do you even have the right to talk about tactics?” The phone rang. It was Arthur’s mother. “Mom?” “Get Chloe Miller to get her ass over here immediately! We’re hosting a dinner tonight, and she must give an explanation! A woman messing around for eight years and still not becoming a regimental commander, isn’t it embarrassing!” Arthur’s face changed. He hung up the phone, looking at me with a bit of annoyance, but quickly put on his gentle facade again: “Stop making a fuss.” He walked over, trying to take my hand: “You know how my mom is, don’t take it to heart.” “I’ll go with you tonight, we’ll explain everything properly.” Just as Arthur finished speaking, there was a knock on the office door. It was a communications orderly from division headquarters, holding a document: “Officer Sterling, Commander Vance, the political commissar requests your presence in the conference room immediately for an emergency meeting regarding next week’s on-site demonstration.” Lily immediately stood up straight, the slight flippancy on her face vanishing instantly, replaced by the demeanor of a serious military officer: “Understood. We’ll be right there.” She turned to Arthur, her tone as natural as if discussing official business: “Arthur, shall we head over first? Let’s not keep the commissar waiting.” Arthur nodded and picked up his notebook from the desk. Right before walking out, he paused, didn’t turn back, and dropped a flat sentence: “Chloe, tonight at seven, my house. Don’t be late, and don’t say things you shouldn’t.” The door closed. That evening, I walked into the Sterling family’s small courtyard alone. The house was brightly lit, filled with loud voices. This wasn’t a family dinner; it was a celebratory banquet. The star of the show was Lily Vance. She was wearing a pristine field-grade woolen uniform, epaulets gleaming, holding Arthur’s arm, laughing and chatting with people. I felt like an outsider who had wandered in by mistake. All eyes turned to me—surprise, disdain, and then undisguised mockery. “Oh, Major Miller is back?” “The sandstorms of the Northern Wasteland didn’t bury you there?” Mother Sterling walked over, looking me up and down: “What are you doing here? Our family doesn’t entertain idle people.” Lily leaned close to Arthur, feigning concern: “Auntie, don’t say that. Major Miller also made contributions in the Northern Wasteland.” An elder walked over with a wine glass, patting Lily’s shoulder: “Arthur has good taste. Lily is young and promising, just promoted to regimental commander. This is what a daughter-in-law of our military region should be like.” He turned to me, his smile cutting: “Unlike some people, messing around for so many years and still just a major, shamelessly clinging to Arthur without looking at what she’s worth!” “Exactly! Hurry up and leave!” I looked at Arthur. He just stood there, watching coldly. He didn’t even furrow his brow. His silence was more piercing than those words. 2 I set down my wine glass, turned, and walked out of the Sterling family’s courtyard. “Chloe Miller! Stop right there!” Arthur chased after me, grabbing my arm tightly under the streetlight: “Haven’t you embarrassed yourself enough?” I threw off his hand. “Let’s break up.” He froze for a second, his face darkening: “Just because my mom told a few truths, you can’t handle it?” “Chloe, think about it yourself! Who’s to blame that you haven’t been promoted all these years? If you had become a regimental commander earlier, who would give you a hard time?” I looked at him, feeling only absurdity. His tone softened a bit: “Alright, stop making a fuss. It’s my fault, I shouldn’t have let you go in alone to get scolded.” He sounded like he was lecturing a disobedient soldier: “Without me, where could you go? Your current position is only because my dad did an old comrade a favor.” “Besides leading troops into battle, what else can you do? Which unit would want someone like you?” Without allowing any argument, he shoved me into his Jeep. The car drove to the small cafeteria behind the military service cooperative. He dragged me into a private room. The door was slightly ajar, and inside, several young staff officers were laughing and talking: “Officer Sterling is really devoted to Commander Vance.” “For sure. This afternoon, when Commander Vance saw that Officer Sterling still had Chloe Miller’s old photos in his notebook, her face turned black.” “Officer Sterling immediately had someone call Chloe back from the Northern Wasteland. He specifically brought her here to ‘smooth things over’ for Commander Vance.” “Being played for eight years and still kept in the dark, that’s really something…” I stopped dead in my tracks. Arthur’s face stiffened, and he pushed the door open. “What’s so lively in here?” He smiled and pushed me down onto a stool: “Chloe’s stomach isn’t feeling well, so I brought her over for some soup.” The private room fell silent. The officers exchanged weird glances. There were dishes on the table, and a bottle of high-proof white liquor in the middle. Arthur grabbed my enamel mug, poured half a mug of white liquor, and pushed it towards me. “Drink it, warm your stomach.” I have severe stomach issues; the whole division knows it. He knows it best. “Are you crazy? I can’t drink that!” “Giving you face and you don’t take it?” His voice turned cold, “Given the occasion today, don’t be ungrateful.” He picked up the mug and brought it to my lips. The spicy liquid poured in, burning my throat like a knife. I clutched my stomach and bent over, cold sweat breaking out on my forehead. Arthur glanced at me: “Stop pretending. You’re ruining the mood.” At that moment, Lily, sitting in the seat of honor, suddenly picked up her own mug of liquor, Tilted her head back, and gulped it down forcefully. She drank so fast and hard that the liquor spilled from the corners of her mouth. Arthur’s face turned completely pale. He frantically lunged over to snatch the mug: “Lily! What are you doing! Stop!” Lily pushed his hand away, deliberately taking another huge gulp before wiping her mouth and glaring sideways at me: “I’m unhappy, what’s wrong with having a drink?” Arthur was so anxious his eyes turned red. He pulled out a handkerchief to wipe her mouth, his voice trembling: “Do you want to die? It’s only been a few days since your stomach bleed! Have you forgotten what the doctor said?” He turned and glared fiercely at me, as if I had forced Lily to drink: “It’s all your fault! You had to make a scene! Are you satisfied now that you’ve made her so angry?” My stomach felt like it was on fire. I suddenly remembered three years ago. I had just come back from the frontlines, and had a couple of extra drinks at the celebration banquet. He smashed his cup right there, pointed at me, and said: “I hate women who drink and mess things up the most. If you drink like this again, don’t come looking for me.” Since then, I hadn’t touched a drop of alcohol. It turned out he didn’t hate the alcohol, it depended entirely on who was drinking it. 3 I rushed into the washroom, vomiting uncontrollably. Splashing freezing water on my face barely suppressed the burning sensation in my throat and the churning in my stomach. Just as I wiped my face and turned around, I saw three or four military officers, their faces flushed from drinking, swaggering over with their arms around each other. Leading them was Old Zhao, the commander of the First Battalion. “Well, well, well, isn’t this our great talent, Chloe?” Old Zhao stumbled over and slapped my shoulder hard, “The main character of tonight, why are you hiding here?” Next to him, Deputy Battalion Commander Sun from the Third Battalion immediately let out a strange laugh: “Old Zhao, that’s not right. Staff Officer Miller is battling the elements in the Northern Wasteland. That’s called ‘tempering oneself,’ how can you call it hiding?” “Right, right, right, ‘tempering oneself’!” Old Zhao slapped his thigh, “Back in the military academy, you, Chloe Miller, were the most badass, getting excellent marks in every subject. It’s been eight years since graduation, right?” “Oh, still ‘tempering yourself’ in a major’s position? We brothers are untalented, but we’ve all managed to reach lieutenant colonel.” “Staff Officer Miller has high ambitions, she’s meant to be a regimental commander!” “Regimental commander? I’d say if she ‘tempers herself’ for another eight years, she’d be lucky just to keep that uniform!” Their grating laughter echoed in the washroom. These guys were all my peers from the military academy. Back then, we called each other brothers. I don’t know when it started, but they got transferred and promoted one by one, While I kept bouncing around different battalions and companies, even serving as their deputy for a while. People’s hearts, I guess, just turn cold like that. Back then, they sourly said I had “latched onto a high branch, saving twenty years of struggle,” And now they were taking back the face they’d lost, with interest, by humiliating me. “You guys don’t know shit!” Deputy Battalion Commander Sun winked exaggeratedly, “Chloe Miller’s boyfriend is Division Commander Sterling’s young master! That’s called experiencing life, going deep into the grassroots!” “Her? She’s not even fit to carry Officer Sterling’s bags! A girlfriend? I think she’s daydreaming, she must be crazy!” Amidst the roaring laughter, the door to the cafeteria’s private room opened. Arthur, holding Lily’s hand, walked out surrounded by a crowd, probably having heard the commotion over here. Deputy Battalion Commander Sun’s eyes lit up, and he yelled at the top of his lungs: “Officer Sterling! Commander Vance! Perfect timing to ask. Chloe Miller goes around telling everyone that she and you… have that kind of relationship. Is it true or false?” In an instant, the entire hallway fell dead silent. All eyes were pinned on me. A few young female soldiers were already covering their mouths, snickering. I looked at Arthur. He looked back at me, his face expressionless. Then, a very faint arc curved at the corner of his mouth, and he spoke clearly: “Thank you all for your concern. However, there might be some misunderstanding here.” He raised his hand, which was clasped with Lily’s. His voice wasn’t loud, but it was enough for everyone to hear clearly: “Lily and I submitted our marriage application, and the organization has approved it.” “We will hold our wedding next month. We invite everyone to come have a drink with us then.” After speaking, he didn’t look at me again. Arm in arm with Lily, he walked out of the cafeteria doors with the laughing crowd. Old Zhao and the others still wouldn’t let me go. They leaned in, their alcohol-laced breath blowing in my face. “Hear that? Wedding drinks next month!” “Chloe Miller, you not only lie to us, you even lie to yourself!” “Back then, you were the most badass in the whole squad. And now? When you see me, you have to call me ‘Deputy Regimental Commander’!” I didn’t hear what they said after that. My head was buzzing, only Arthur’s words “marriage application, already approved” remained. Eight years of sweat, eight years of brutal fighting, eight years of hoping. Like a popped soap bubble, nothing was left. I pushed past them, walking through those needle-like gazes, and out of the cafeteria. As the night wind blew, the burning pain in my stomach suddenly seemed to turn numb.

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My dad’s old friend entrusted his daughter to our family. She was outgoing and lively, unlike me, who only knew how to study and take exams, quiet and a woman of few words. Dad doted on her like his own daughter. My brothers drove her to all the trendy spots for photos and bought her the latest gadgets. Even my boyfriend, the most popular guy in school, only paid lip service to complaining about her being too clingy and whining too much. But during every club activity, his eyes would unconsciously drift toward her. For the school anniversary gala, he even changed the song he had promised to sing with me to a four-hand piano duet with her. I looked down at the program in my hand, my name crossed out, and said calmly. “Let’s break up.” 1. Arthur’s hand froze mid-air. He looked at me in disbelief. Before he could speak, Mia, standing behind him, immediately got teary-eyed. She was wearing a white gauze dress, identical in style to the performance outfit I had prepared. “Chloe, please don’t blame Arthur. It was me… I wanted to perform at the gala so badly, and Arthur took pity on me, so he…” I ignored her and just looked at Arthur. “I said, let’s break up.” Arthur’s brows furrowed tightly, his face full of impatience. “Chloe, stop making a scene. It’s just a song. Is this really necessary?” “Mia just got here, and it’s her first time at the school anniversary. What’s wrong with me helping her out as an upperclassman?” “It’s one thing that you’re usually dull and boring, but since when did you become so petty?” I looked at him, didn’t say another word, turned around, and walked off the stage. The audience was buzzing; no one noticed this little episode in the corner. I threw that voided program into the trash, walked out of the auditorium, and sent Arthur a text. [I’m not discussing this with you. I’m informing you: we’re broken up!] When I got home, the living room was brightly lit. Dad, my eldest brother, my second brother, and Mia were sitting around watching the live stream of the gala. On the screen was Arthur and Mia’s four-hand piano duet. The piano music was melodious, and the two of them did look like a good match. “Wow, our Mia is so multi-talented. She plays so well!” My eldest brother clapped first. “Yeah, much better than some people who only know how to bury their heads in books all day.” My second brother shot a pointed glance at me. Dad’s gaze moved from the screen to me, full of scrutiny. “Why didn’t you come back with Arthur?” I changed my shoes, my voice flat. “We broke up.” The living room instantly went dead silent. Mia was the first to stand up, running over to me with tears in her eyes. “Chloe, I’m sorry, it’s all my fault. Please don’t break up with Arthur… I’ll go explain everything to him right now!” Dad’s face darkened, and he struck the floor heavily with his cane. “This is ridiculous! Chloe, how old are you? How can you be so willful!” “Mia is the younger sister. It’s only right for Arthur to take care of her. As the older sister, not only are you not magnanimous, but you’re also breaking up over such a trivial matter. Where are your manners?” I looked up and met his gaze calmly. “My manners are what my mom taught me before she died: never let yourself be wronged.” With that, I walked straight upstairs and started packing my things. Not long after, my door was pushed open. My eldest brother leaned against the doorframe. “Chloe, what kind of act is this now? Running away from home? Do you think you’re still three years old?” I folded a few pieces of clothing, put them in my suitcase, and ignored him. “Enough is enough. Go downstairs, apologize to Dad, and let this pass.” “Mia is a guest and the daughter of Dad’s old friend. We should treat her well. Why are you so intolerant of her?” “I’m not intolerant of her.” “I’m intolerant of you guys.” My eldest brother’s face instantly turned ugly. I pulled my suitcase and walked past him. Down in the living room, my second brother stopped me. “Chloe, what’s wrong with you? Will you only be satisfied when you’ve made things completely ugly?” I looked at him, then at my father on the sofa with a gloomy face, and Mia crying silently beside him. “I’m tired. I don’t want to play the role of the sensible, magnanimous, and understanding sister and daughter anymore.” “Please, let me go!” I pushed my second brother aside, opened the front door, and walked out without looking back. Behind me came my father’s exasperated roar. “If you dare walk out that door today, don’t ever come back!” I didn’t stop, disappearing into the night. They all thought I was just throwing a tantrum. That I would soon come crawling back, tail between my legs, because I had no money and nowhere to stay. Unfortunately for them, they miscalculated. 2. I took a cab to a penthouse apartment in a high-end complex. Fingerprint unlock, door open. This was my coming-of-age gift from my mom on my eighteenth birthday. She said back then: “Chloe, Mom hopes you’ll always have a foundation, a fallback plan for the rest of your life.” No one but her and me knew about this place. I put down my luggage, poured myself a glass of water, and stood in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, watching the dazzling city lights. My phone vibrated constantly in my pocket. I took it out and glanced at it. Missed calls from Dad, my brothers, and dozens from Arthur. I put my phone on airplane mode. I didn’t want to be harassed by them anymore. First thing the next morning, I went to the school and filed the paperwork to become a commuter student. My counselor was a bit surprised but approved it anyway. Just as I walked out of the office, I ran head-on into Arthur. He had faint dark circles under his eyes. He looked like he hadn’t slept all night. He was still wearing the suit from yesterday’s performance, now wrinkled. Seeing me, he rushed over immediately and grabbed my wrist. “Chloe, why didn’t you answer my calls? Do you know how worried I was? I searched for you all night!” His voice was loud, filled with suppressed anger, causing students in the hallway to look our way. I tried to shake off his hand, but he gripped it tighter. “What kind of tantrum are you throwing? There’s really nothing going on between me and Mia. I just saw that she’s new here, doesn’t have any friends, and is all alone. It’s pitiful.” “I’ve already scolded her, and she knows she was wrong. Come back with me, let’s talk properly. Let’s not break up, okay?” I looked at him and found it ridiculous. “Arthur, do you think the problem is Mia?” He froze. “Isn’t it?” “It’s that between me and her, you chose her.” “You handed over the performance I spent two months preparing for on a silver platter to her.” “When I needed you to stand by my side the most, you accused me of being boring and petty.” “So, we’re done.” Arthur was at a loss for words for a moment, wanting to keep me but not knowing what to do. “Chloe… I…” “Let go.” A cold male voice came from the side. Both Arthur and I turned our heads. Liam Vance. A big shot at our school. Not only was he the student body president, but his family background was also extremely prominent. He was half a head taller than Arthur. He frowned slightly, looking at Arthur gripping my hand tightly. Arthur obviously recognized him too. His face got even uglier, but he still refused to let go. “This is between us as a couple. It’s none of your business.” Liam didn’t speak. His gaze just lingered on me for a second. His eyes were calm, but it felt like they could see right through my feigned toughness. Then, he turned to Arthur. The temperature in his eyes instantly dropped to freezing, filled with disdain. He pulled out his phone and took a picture of us. Then he waved his phone and said flatly, “Tsk, tsk. Isn’t this fresh material of a campus simp? I think the forum will be very interested in an idiot like you who only knows how to use violence to resolve relationship disputes.” Arthur’s face turned even uglier. He glared at me fiercely, then reluctantly let go. “Chloe, you’ll regret this!” He dropped the harsh words, turned around, and left. I rubbed my reddened wrist and thanked Liam. Liam put away his phone, his gaze lingering on my face for two seconds. “The partner switch for your performance yesterday was quite sudden.” I nodded. “Heh, completely caught off guard.” He didn’t ask further, just said, “Living off-campus alone, be safe.” With that, he turned and left, leaving behind a tall, straight back. I watched his retreating figure, feeling a bit strange. We weren’t close. We had only met a few times during project group meetings, yet he had helped me again and again. This person, who seemingly stood above the clouds, wasn’t as distant as I had imagined. 3. I didn’t have classes in the afternoon, so I went to a bank downtown. I had two cards under my name. One was the supplementary card my dad gave me for monthly living expenses. The other was the one my mom left me. As soon as I walked into the VIP wealth management room, I got a call from the bank manager. “Ms. Davis, your father just called the bank and froze your credit card ending in 8888.” I wasn’t surprised at all. This was Dad’s usual trick. He thought that by cutting off my financial source, I would obediently listen to him. “Understood.” “What about the other card?” The manager’s tone became even more respectful: “Ms. Davis, the gold card your mother left you has the highest clearance. No one has the right to operate it except you personally. The current balance on the card is…” He read out a long string of numbers. Enough for me to live comfortably for the rest of my life. “Okay, thank you.” Hanging up, I transferred a large sum of money from the gold card to my regular debit card. Coming out of the bank, I received a message from my second brother. [Chloe, Dad stopped your card. If you’re out of money, come home early and admit your mistake. Don’t be stubborn out there.] Annoying. That evening, Mia sent me a message on WhatsApp. [Chloe, please don’t be mad at Dad and your brothers anymore. They are just too worried about you. Where are you now? I’ll ask Arthur to go pick you up and bring you home, okay?] A photo was attached at the end. It was my family’s living room. The four of them were eating fruit together, a picture of harmony. Mia leaned against Dad, smiling radiantly. On the coffee table, there was an opened gift box containing the latest gaming console. That was the one my eldest brother had promised to buy for me a few days ago. Now, it belonged to Mia. I curled my lips and replied: [Thanks, but no thanks!] The next day, I went to class as usual. As soon as I entered the classroom, I felt the atmosphere was off. Everyone was looking at me with strange eyes. My desk mate, a girl I usually had a decent relationship with, hesitated before coming over. “Chloe, did you… see the post on the campus forum?” I took out my phone and opened the forum. A red-hot trending title immediately caught my eye. [Massive Tea! Chloe Dumps Campus Heartthrob Boyfriend out of Jealousy over New Transfer Student, Runs Away from Home Overnight!] The post vividly described what happened on the night of the school anniversary. It painted me as a jealous, petty, and unreasonable mean girl. Mia, on the other hand, was an innocent, pitiful, and endearing little white flower. Arthur was portrayed as a “good man” who valued friendship and loyalty, willing to anger his girlfriend to help a friend’s daughter. The post also included several photos. One was Mia crying her eyes out backstage. One was Arthur on the phone, looking extremely anxious. And another was my back as I coldly turned and left. The angles were well-captured, making me look exceptionally cold and heartless. The comments below had already reached hundreds of threads. “I always thought Chloe was pretentious. Turns out this is what she’s really like.” “Tsk, tsk. Arthur really has the worst luck, ending up with a girlfriend like this.” “Feeling sorry for Mia. Getting bullied as soon as she arrives.” “Person above, I heard she’s even living at Chloe’s house. She’s in for it now, definitely going to get targeted.” My desk mate asked me cautiously, “Chloe, maybe you should go explain? You can’t just let them talk behind your back like this!” My nails dug deep into my palms. For a moment, I wanted nothing more than to drag out the person who posted this and rip apart their lying mouth. But eventually, the surging emotions turned into a numb wasteland. I put away my phone, my voice calm. “There’s nothing to explain.” The facts didn’t matter at all. They only wanted to believe what they wanted to believe. And it didn’t take a genius to figure out who made the post. Who else but Mia would have those “perfectly timed” photos? 4. The post went viral quickly. By the afternoon, my reputation as a “mean girl” had spread throughout the school. Walking around, I could feel people pointing and staring everywhere. Even classmates who usually greeted me took detours to avoid me. Arthur’s buddies even came up to me specifically and said sarcastically, “Chloe, you can’t be too selfish. You have to be forgiving when you can.” I couldn’t be bothered with these pests. However, when I ran into Liam again at the library entrance, he asked an extra question. “The forum post, do you need help handling it?” His tone was still flat, but I could hear the concern in his voice. “No need. Just a clown jumping around.” He gave me a deep look and didn’t insist. “By the way, I’ve set up a project group for a research topic on the ‘Digital Protection of Urban Cultural Heritage.’ We’re still missing a lead for data integration and analysis. Interested?” I was a bit surprised. I knew about this topic. It was a key project supported by the school, and only the top students from various departments could participate. “Why me?” “Because your grades are the best, and your logic is the clearest,” Liam said matter-of-factly. “I’ve reviewed all your past papers and coursework.” I didn’t expect him to pay attention to that. “Alright, I’m in.” I needed something to distract me, to keep myself busy. This project was the perfect opportunity. For the following days, I practically lived in the library and the project group’s activity room. Dad and my brothers probably realized the silent treatment wasn’t working on me and changed their strategy. My eldest brother started frantically posting pictures on social media of him taking Mia out to play. Disneyland today, skiing tomorrow, flying to an island resort the day after. The caption was always: “Sisters are the most considerate. A man with a sister is a treasure.” My second brother was even more direct. He changed his profile picture to a selfie of him and Mia. They thought this would provoke me, make me jealous, make me regret it. I just muted all their posts. I also deleted all past chat histories with my second brother. Out of sight, out of mind. Until one afternoon, I received a frantic phone call from our nanny, Aunt Zhang. “Miss, you have to come back quick! That piano your mother left… Mr. Davis is giving it away!” My brain buzzed. That piano was my mom’s gift for my tenth birthday. It was one of her most precious relics. I hung up, immediately hailed a cab, and rushed home. All the way there, my heart was tied in knots. When I reached the front door, I saw a few movers carrying the white grand piano out. In that moment, I felt all the blood rush to my head, and my eyes instantly turned red. But I gritted my teeth hard, forcing the tears back. Mia stood by, directing them with a look of “concern.” “Be careful, don’t bump it… This is very valuable…” Seeing me, a flash of panic crossed her face, but she quickly reverted to her usual innocent expression. “Chloe, you’re back? Dad said you don’t play this piano anymore, and it takes up space in the house. A friend of mine studying music happens to need one, so…” “Put it down!” The workers looked at each other and stopped. Mia bit her lip, her eyes turning red again. “Sister, don’t be like this… I know Auntie left this for you, but if it just sits there unused, doesn’t it lose its value? Isn’t it better to let it go somewhere it can be useful?” Her twisted logic was exactly the same as what Arthur said when he swapped my duet song. “Useful?” I sneered. “Its value is that someone like you has no right to touch it.” I took out my phone and dialed 911 directly. “Hello, police? I want to report a crime. Someone has trespassed into my private residence and is stealing my personal property.” Mia’s face went completely pale. “Chloe, you… how could you call the police? This is our own home!” “This is my house.” “The name on the deed is mine. All of you are currently living in my house.” “Including you, Mia. An outsider who doesn’t even count as a guest.” Before Mia could retort, Dad and my brothers hurried out upon hearing the commotion. Hearing that there was a theft in a wealthy neighborhood, the police arrived incredibly fast. Just as the standoff was escalating, the police arrived. Seeing the police, Dad’s face immediately darkened. “Chloe! Are you crazy! What are you calling the police for! It’s such a small matter, why waste police resources? Tell them to leave right now!” I ignored him and just said to the police, “Officers, this piano is my mother’s relic, valued at over a million. Now, without my permission, they are trying to move it out and sell it.” Hearing the high value involved, the police immediately became serious and started questioning Dad and Mia. Dad was shaking with anger, pointing at me and cursing. “You’re out of control! I am your father! I need your permission to dispose of a piece of furniture?” “Yes, you do. Because my mom left this to me. In this house, anything that belonged to my mom, you have no right to touch.” “Also, I am officially notifying you now. Please move out of this house within a week.” 5. Dad was so furious he almost blacked out. He grabbed a teacup nearby and smashed it hard on the floor, sending shards flying everywhere. “You’re out of line! You ungrateful daughter!” He pointed at me, his fingers trembling. My eldest brother, Julian, looked ready to explode. He lunged forward, trying to grab my collar, but my second brother grabbed him around the waist. “Chloe, are you crazy?! Do you have no conscience?! This is our home!” “Excuse you, this is my home.” “The deed has my name on it. It’s the pre-marital property my mother left me.” “If you want to keep living here, you can. Pay rent at the market rate.” My second brother’s face was also extremely ugly. “You’re kicking us all out for an outsider?” He glared fiercely at Mia, who was already scared silly nearby. Mia was so scared she just cried, unable to articulate anything. After understanding the situation, the police determined it was a family dispute. However, due to the high value of the item, they took statements and explicitly informed Dad that without my consent, they could not touch the piano. The movers had long since carefully put the piano back in its original place and slipped away. After the police left, Dad sat on the sofa, his chest heaving violently. My two brothers stood behind him, both looking at me like an enemy. Mia shrank in a corner, shivering. “One week,” I repeated. “If you can’t find a place, tell me. I can have a realtor help you.” With that, I turned to leave. “Stop right there!” Dad demanded. “Are you really going to be this ruthless?” I stopped but didn’t turn around. “You guys were the ones who abandoned me first.” From this moment on, between me and them, there was only blood, no family bond. Back at the apartment, I received a message from Liam. [Need any help?] I froze for a moment before realizing he had probably heard about my family. Our circle was very small; any little wind couldn’t be hidden from people. [No need, it’s all handled.] [That’s good. Tomorrow is the project group meeting, don’t forget.] [Okay.] The next day, I went to the project group meeting as usual. Pushing open the door to the activity room, everyone inside looked at me with complex expressions. Only Liam acted as if nothing had happened. He nodded at me and pointed to the empty seat next to him. “Sit.” The meeting went smoothly. When discussing data visualization for the later stages, disagreements arose. Based on the existing data models, I proposed a new presentation plan that could more intuitively display the loss of cultural heritage. My plan was logically rigorous and well-supported by data, quickly convincing everyone. Even the usually critical advising professor was full of praise for me. After the meeting, Liam stopped me. “I heard about what happened at your house. You did well.” This out-of-the-blue compliment surprised me. “Thank you.” “There’s a charity auction this weekend, sponsored by my family. I need a plus-one. Are you free?” He suddenly extended an invitation. I hesitated. “Don’t misunderstand,” he immediately said. “It’s just a pure social event. There will be many industry experts and scholars present, which will help our project. Also, Arthur and his parents will be there.” I instantly understood. He wanted to help me; help me win a round back. “Okay.”

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My mom loves running all sorts of tests on me, her adult daughter. She knows I have insomnia, so she’ll bomb my phone in the middle of the night, demanding large sums of money. After scaring me half to death and I transfer the money, she’ll berate me for being stupid, saying it’s to teach me a lesson so I won’t just send money to anyone. She’ll sneak my phone out of my pocket while we’re on a family walk, making sure the entire neighborhood can hear her scolding me for being brainless. I was seriously suffocating. But my mom still wouldn’t let me go. She would tell anyone who would listen in the neighborhood, “If she doesn’t get married, I can’t even hold my head up.” I snapped. The next time she repeated this to an acquaintance in our complex, I pushed her head down like playing Whac-A-Mole and loudly announced to the person, “My mom can’t hold her head up! Because I’m not married, she’s too ashamed to show her face!” Dearest Mother, now it’s my turn to run a compliance test on you. 1 At 3 AM, I had just fallen asleep. The frantic ringing of my phone suddenly pierced the room, sounding like the Grim Reaper’s bell coming to claim my soul. It scared me so much my eyes flew open, a cold sweat breaking out on my back. Seeing it was my own phone ringing, I swallowed hard and reached for it on the nightstand with a trembling hand. The caller ID showed “Mom.” My heart lurched, and I quickly answered. “Hello?” As soon as the call connected, a barrage of roaring erupted from the speaker. “Why did it take you so long to answer? Are you trying to kill your mother!” “Cut the crap and transfer me a thousand dollars, now!” My heart skipped a beat, thinking something had happened back home. I quickly asked, “What happened? Are Dad and Mia okay?” Before I could finish, my mom started screaming like a maniac. “Transfer the money! Immediately! Right now!” “Are you trying to drive us to death? You unfilial daughter!” “You ungrateful wretch! I raised you all these years for nothing, aahhhhh—” Her shrill voice pierced my heart like a needle. With shaking hands, I transferred the thousand dollars to her. “Mom, don’t panic, the money is sent.” Upon receiving the money, my mom instantly regained her composure. She let out a scoff and began to lecture me triumphantly. “How are you still so stupid? I tell you to transfer money and you just do it? Your uncle’s dog is more obedient than you.” “Experience is the best teacher. Let this be a lesson to you, otherwise next time your stupid face will be on some true crime show.” “I’ll hold onto this money for you for now. Just consider it your contribution to household expenses.” The phone was still pressed against my ear. My brain, originally muddled from insomnia, was now throbbing with pain, and my stiff limbs felt freezing cold. My mom knew perfectly well that I’ve been suffering from insomnia recently, and that I have a crucial meeting with a major client tomorrow. Before hanging up, I could even hear my mom bragging to my dad, who was scrolling through TikTok. “I told you she’d transfer the money! She’s still so stupid!” “So what if she moved out? So what if she’s an executive? If I don’t teach her, she’ll still get scammed!” I heard my dad let out a snort of amusement, roll over, and continue playing on his phone. “Mom…” My throat was incredibly dry; I could only manage to force out one pale, powerless syllable. My mom panicked for a second, cursed at me, and then smack, hung up the phone. “You damn brat, hang up already! Are you paying the phone bill? You have too much money to burn!” Beep— 2 I stood frozen by the bed like a block of wood, holding my phone. I hadn’t even turned on the light. The darkness was like a whirlpool, threatening to swallow me whole. I can’t even remember how many times she’s pulled this kind of humiliating “test,” always under the guise of “doing it for my own good.” It was somewhat bearable before I became an adult and started working; she’d just call me stupid and say I couldn’t compare to my younger sister. But after I landed a good job and moved out, it was like she hit menopause. She started running all sorts of tests on me out of nowhere, using the beautiful excuse that she was afraid I’d get scammed out in the real world. But I am a fully functional, sound-minded adult. After this stunt from my mom, sleep was completely out of the question. I numbly moved my limbs and grabbed a bottle of ice water from the fridge. I twisted off the cap and took a gulp, temporarily freezing my throbbing head. I exhausted covered my face with my hands, feeling the soreness in my eyes and the dampness on my palms. When did my mom start escalating this behavior? It was last month, when I told the family I got promoted. I took them out to dinner and bought them gifts. During the meal, my dad happily praised me for growing up and making something of myself, saying I’d bring him pride during the holidays. My high school sister kept looking at me with adoring eyes, dropping hints that she wanted me to buy her an iPhone. My mom, however, sat there with a stinking face, radiating cold energy. When I paid the bill, she kept staring at my phone, as if it rightfully belonged to her. After dinner, my mom suggested our family of four take a walk in our apartment complex. My dad and sister didn’t object, and I actually felt pleasantly surprised. After all, they usually said my sister was still young and needed exercise, while I, burdened with studies, should stay in my room and study hard. I was overwhelmed by this unexpected favor, feeling incredibly joyful—so joyful I forgot to ask why my sister, who was currently burdened with studies, wasn’t staying in her room to study hard. Along the way, my dad’s face was wrinkled into a smile like a blooming flower, constantly bragging to passing acquaintances about how sensible and filial I was, and how I could finally help the family out. My mom squeezed me in the middle like the filling of an Oreo, staring at me like a hawk, her body pressed tightly against mine. To be honest, her glare gave me the creeps, making me feel uncomfortable all over. Right after my dad bragged to another neighbor about my success, my mom suddenly fired a question at me. “Where is your phone?” I met her gaze, which was intense and resolute, and patted my pockets, completely confused. “Isn’t it right here in my pocket?” I grabbed empty air. My heart suddenly skipped a beat. My phone contained the presentation for tomorrow’s report. I had just been promoted; I couldn’t afford any mistakes at this crucial juncture. I frantically searched my pockets inside and out, breaking out in a cold sweat, but still couldn’t find it. My dad’s previously smug expression darkened instantly, as if the person who was just praising my success never existed. My mom wore a cold smirk, watching me with disdain as I started searching the bushes. “What’s wrong with Chloe?” the neighbor, seeing my anxious face, asked kindly. “I lost my phone. I had it when we entered the complex,” I replied, my hands trembling and covered in dirt, a hint of a sob escaping my voice. Almost a split second before the neighbor could offer help, my mom launched into a barrage of sarcastic mockery. “How can you be so useless? You just excel at failing! Are you trying to anger me to death?!” “Look at you, just got promoted and you lost your phone. It has company documents on it, right? How are you going to face the bosses who trusted you!” “Such a good company, such good bosses, all gone because of your stupidity, your carelessness! Tell me, what can you actually accomplish?” “Your dad and I don’t expect you to strike it rich and buy us cars and mansions, but could you please just give us some peace of mind and be a little more reliable?” Cold sweat ran into my eyes, stinging them. My heart was in a panic. My mom’s voice flooded my ears like a torrent, turning my brain into mush. Her shrill voice attracted nearby neighbors walking around. They watched the hysterical mother, the despairing older sister, the indifferent father, and the unconcerned younger sister. People’s gazes scrutinized me like spotlights, their faces bearing intrigued expressions. I felt like I was in the deep sea, about to be crushed and suffocated. The initially kind neighbor looked horrified, being watched like a monkey in a circus. He wanted to leave but felt too embarrassed to just walk away. He carefully suggested, “Why don’t we find a security guard? Didn’t you say you were just holding it? It must have dropped somewhere in the complex.” My brain cleared, and reason returned. I stood up, my eyes determined, and spat out two words, “Call 911.” I looked around, a fighting spirit rising within me, my voice firm and resolute. “My phone was perfectly fine in my pocket. It must have been stolen by an experienced pickpocket without me noticing.” “If I let this thief go and act like nothing happened, tomorrow they’ll escalate and steal from other people with impunity.” Murmurs of agreement rippled through the crowd, and the kind neighbor understandingly began dialing the police. And then, my mom lost her mind. “Why call the police? You’re going to call the police over such a trivial matter? Can’t you solve your own problems?” “Calling the police in the middle of the night, do you think they’ll just agree? You think they only serve you?” I looked at my mom in confusion, unable to fathom any reason why she would forbid me, the victim, from calling the police. Questions also arose from the crowd. “Ma’am, if there’s a thief in the complex, it’s better to let the police investigate. It gives people peace of mind.” “The police are here to serve the people! Maybe catching a thief will even get them a promotion or a raise!” “Chloe’s mom, look how pale Chloe is. There must be important stuff on that phone. The priority should be getting the police to find it immediately. Why are you stopping her?” Even with people pointing fingers at her, my mom gritted her teeth and refused to relent. I frowned, acutely sensing that something was wrong, and spoke decisively to the kind neighbor. “Sir, call the police. I’ll take responsibility if anything happens.” The neighbor nodded and pressed the call button. Right at that moment, my mom started screaming and yelling like a lunatic, throwing something onto the ground as if venting her anger. “Don’t call the police! Don’t call! Your phone is right here!” We looked closely and discovered that what she threw was actually a phone. My eyes almost popped out of my head. Wasn’t this cracked phone mine?! The kind neighbor’s jaw dropped in shock, and he hastily ended the call. I picked up the phone like a slow-moving robot, my eyes full of disbelief as I looked at my mom. Before I could even ask, she pointed at me and scolded me indiscriminately. “I was just worried that you lack situational awareness when you’re out. I stole your phone to train you, is it really necessary to make such a big fuss?” “And you want to call the police? Fine, let the police arrest your mother and throw her in jail! I’ll just pretend I never gave birth to you!” I stood frozen in place, doubting if my ears were working properly, actually hearing such absurd words. The surrounding people, however, enjoyed the spectacle fully, whispering and chuckling amongst themselves. “So she’s the thief! She actually stole her own daughter’s phone.” “Her daughter was about to cry from anxiety. I bet if she hadn’t mentioned calling the police, she wouldn’t have brought the phone out.” “She’s really losing her mind, tormenting her own daughter like this!” “This is truly a case of a thief crying ‘stop thief,’ hard to guard against thieves in your own home.” Hearing these sarcastic remarks, my mom’s face turned shades of green and purple from anger. She cursed at the crowd, “What are you looking at? I’m disciplining my own daughter, mind your own business.” “She’s my daughter, I’m doing this all for her own good.” “Enough!” A violent roar erupted in the darkness, stopping my mom. My dad appeared from nowhere, his face so dark it blended into the night, glaring fiercely at my mom. “Haven’t you embarrassed us enough? Get home, now!” His forehead was creased so deeply it could crush a fly. He took the lead, heading towards home, not caring if his wife and daughters were following. My mom glared at me, then sheepishly trailed behind my dad’s retreating figure. Then came my sister. She covered her face and jogged towards our parents with quick, small steps, muttering “So embarrassing” under her breath. With the spectacle over, the crowd gradually dispersed. Leaving me standing there alone, gripping the cracked phone, feeling a bone-chilling cold, as if I would plunge into the darkness behind me the next second. 3 My thoughts drifted back to my rented apartment. I was currently enveloped in a similar darkness, agonizing over what my mom had done to me. Sleep was impossible, so I turned on the news to have some semblance of human presence around me. “Recently, a 28-year-old female teacher, pressured into marriage, tragically fell from a building on her wedding day, fading away in the prime of her life.” The news video reported on a female teacher who, after suffering 11 years of oppressive pressure to marry from her closest relatives, ultimately plummeted to her death from her bridal suite on her wedding day, using her life to pursue freedom beneath the blue sky. I stared at the anchor’s moving lips, my head spinning, feeling like I had plunged into an endless nightmare. Even in civilized society, incidents of people “eating” others still occurred! In that moment, I felt a profound empathy for this woman I had never met, who used her life to resist oppression. The torment my mom inflicted on me over these many days, my dad and sister’s apathetic disregard and exploitation of my pain—they were fundamentally no different from the actions of the female teacher’s family. Relatives, assuming a position of superiority and using “gratitude” to oppress us, were simply torturing a soul. The comments below, sharing various experiences, also spoke of the injustices faced by women. “My parents always lived in a fantasy where they had ‘the perfect son from another family’, and their ultimate mission was to marry me off.” “The year my parents drove me to depression, they were glowing with vitality. Later, I escaped that place called ‘home,’ and my depression vanished.” “My mom always says she can’t hold her head up if I don’t get married. I recommended she get a plaster cast for her neck, then she’d be able to hold it up.” “Attention all women: your body, your uterus, your soul, they all belong only to you. Anyone who tries to make decisions for these things is full of bullshit!” Hot tears fell from my eyes, and a fire ignited deep within my heart. Even if I only have a frail body and no one standing behind me, I still have to swing a massive sledgehammer and smash all the shackles that bind me to pieces. My alarm rang at that moment, like the bugle call of resistance. Morning light spilled through the window; the day had dawned. 4 Since then, I made up my mind not to give my mom any opportunity to torment me. I put her on “Do Not Disturb” on WeChat and ignored her messages. I didn’t answer her calls or just hung up. If asked, I’d say I was busy. I had never felt the world to be so peaceful. Until I received a call from my sister. She cried, saying Dad and Mom were fighting, begging her sister to come home and check on her. My damn soft heart gave in. At the time, I thought my sister was still young, her worldview hadn’t fully formed, and she shouldn’t have to bear the consequences of our parents’ mistakes. I rushed home in a taxi, burning with anxiety. When I walked in, the three of them were sitting on different sides of the room, looking exactly like a tribunal ready to judge me. My sister just gave me a fleeting glance, then held her hand out to my mom. “She’s here. You said if I got her to come, you’d give me ten bucks.” My mom gave her the money. After getting the cash, she headed straight to her room and slammed the door shut. That sound hit me right in the heart, shattering the image of the ignorant, innocent younger sister into pieces. “Chloe is back! Why are you standing there? Come over and sit!” My dad waved at me, wearing a smile like the Maitreya Buddha. I took a deep breath, warning myself: If it’s a blessing, it’s not a curse; if it’s a curse, it can’t be avoided. I sat down a bit further away from them, waiting to see what kind of trick they were playing. Since I walked in, my mom’s gaze had been scanning my face like an X-ray, investigating how I had been doing lately. Seeing the radiant glow on my face, she couldn’t help but make sarcastic remarks. “Well, look who it is! You don’t even answer your phone, do you still remember us old folks?” I poured myself some water and said lightly, “Been busy lately.” My mom wanted to say more but shut up after my dad glared at her. My dad cheerfully asked about my recent situation, and I responded with mild indifference. After asking about my food, clothing, housing, and transportation, my dad shifted the conversation and finally revealed the purpose of this setup. “You’re not getting any younger, isn’t it time to consider marriage?” “Do you remember Uncle Zhao? His son has good prospects, he’s a civil servant too.” I took a sip of water and said coldly, “I remember he’s been married once before.” My dad glanced at my mom, and my mom understood and started persuading me. “Older men know how to treat a woman better! Your Uncle Zhao’s family is close to ours; marrying his son would make our families even closer!” “Besides, your Uncle Zhao said the bride price for our family would be at least twenty thousand dollars. Don’t you want to show some filial piety and get your mom a new gold necklace or jade bracelet?” “Your sister’s grades are just average, I don’t think she’ll get into a good college. As her older sister, don’t you want to use this twenty thousand to pave a backup plan for her?” I almost laughed out loud. That Uncle Zhao, whose eyes are practically on top of his head, always coming to our house and ordering people around, and his greasy son who got divorced because of domestic violence—whoever wants to marry him can go right ahead! I pondered for a moment, pretending to agree with my mom. “I think you’re right!” My parents’ faces instantly lit up with joy, craning their necks for my next words. “Why don’t we let Mia marry Uncle Zhao’s son? That way, she’ll have a backup plan when she fails her exams.” “Marrying him will bring our families closer together; wouldn’t that be the best of both worlds?” I smiled amidst my parents’ shock, revealing my sharp canine teeth. My dad was the first to react, furiously slamming his hand on the table. “This is absolutely ridiculous!” “Your sister is still so young, how could she marry a divorced man in his thirties!” My sister’s scream also came from her room. “I don’t want to marry a divorced old man! If you make me marry him, I’d rather jump out the window right now!” My mom glared at me through gritted teeth, like a fierce mother wolf protecting her cub. “How can you be so vicious? You actually want your sister to marry a man so much older than her! Isn’t that pushing her into a pit of fire?!” I blinked innocently. “Didn’t you say it yourself, Mom? Older men know how to treat a woman better.” “Besides, that man is also ten years older than me. If I marry him, wouldn’t that be jumping into a pit of fire too?” “Or is it that you guys just have your eyes on the bride price they offered and want to sell your daughter? If that’s really the case, aren’t you afraid of drowning in other people’s spit? Where will you hide your faces in the future?!” My parents choked, opening their mouths but not knowing what to say. Seeing they had nothing to say, I slowly scrolled on my phone. After all, I wasn’t the one in a rush. From the corner of my eye, I saw my dad constantly kicking my mom under the table. I knew then that his “loving father” act was just for show. My mom couldn’t take the kicking anymore. She suddenly stood up, pointed at me, and spoke without thinking. “Let me tell you, we’ve eaten more salt than you’ve eaten rice! If you don’t listen to us, you’ll regret it one day, and don’t come crying to us then.” “You’re already so old and still not married, I can’t even hold my head up in the neighborhood.” “Tell me, if you don’t get married, people will gossip. You don’t even live here anymore, aren’t you destroying the harmony of our family of three?” Even knowing my mom’s words were vicious, my heart still felt like it had a gaping hole, constantly leaking air. A family of three. My dad, my mom, my sister. Not including me. I curled my lips in a mocking smile, deciding to fight magic with magic. I sneered, “Mom, if we’re talking about family, you’re the one with a different last name, aren’t you?”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “394732”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

I am a top-tier gold digger, and I’ve transmigrated into a green tea supporting female character who was cyberbullied to death. On the campus forum, there’s a photo of me and the male lead hanging there. 【I heard Arthur Sterling has someone he likes. Could it be her?】 【We’re about to witness Cinderella marrying into a wealthy family.】 The girl egging things on in the comments is my roommate. She smiles brightly and says, “Be bold and confess your feelings! He doesn’t have a girlfriend anyway.” Floating text comments drift past my vision: 【The male lead doesn’t have a girlfriend, but he has a fiancée, wow!】 【The female lead is too kind. She saw the supporting character secretly likes the male lead, so she kept her identity as the fiancée a secret.】 【The supporting character shouldn’t flatter herself. The male lead only likes her roommate.】 【As soon as the clown supporting character confesses tonight, the male lead will publicly announce the female lead.】 I curl my lips and post a faceless selfie on a new account. Caption: 【My good friend keeps telling me to confess to her childhood friend. What should I do?】 1. Because the selfie page is tagged with a local IP from my university, it’s quickly pushed to the campus network. Alumni comment: 【Are you interested in her childhood friend?】 【OP’s figure is fire, love it. Does your friend want to keep the good stuff within the family?】 【Is her childhood friend handsome?】 I reply to them one by one: 【I like him a little bit.】 【Maybe so. She’s always trying to set us up, bringing me along to all sorts of activities.】 【He’s very handsome. But our family backgrounds don’t really match.】 Soon, the alumni reply jokingly: 【You’ve already tested into this university; what are you worried about family background for? Unless it’s someone like Arthur Sterling, then you might have to worry a bit.】 【What’s there to worry about? Go for it, sister! If you break up, you might even get a ten-million-dollar breakup fee thrown at you.】 I like all their comments. The floating text comments surge rapidly. 【Does the supporting character think she can seduce the male lead just by showing off her figure? Dream on! The male lead only follows Emily Chen.】 【Posting this kind of thing is so green tea. Good thing the male lead won’t see it, otherwise what if he misunderstands the female lead?】 These floating comments are in real-time. If used well, I can grasp a lot of information. I curl my lips. Although I don’t know the male lead’s account, I know my roommate Emily Chen’s account. I click into her following list. She only follows 36 people in total. 【Lmao, is the supporting character trying to find the male lead’s account?】 【Give up, she definitely won’t find it.】 I investigate them one by one and finally lock onto a “momo” with 1 follower. Because only this account follows solely the female lead, and its IP address has always been in this city. I click follow. The floating comments explode. 【Holy shit! Scheming bitch!】 【How did she find it?】 Arthur Sterling’s account has always been quiet. Except for a few close friends in his circle, no one knows this “momo” is his account. He looks at the new follower that suddenly popped up and frowns slightly. Who is “A Cup of Oolong”? He pays it no mind and turns off his phone. The floating comments gloat. 【The male lead didn’t even click into the supporting character’s homepage.】 【This supporting character is such a dead green tea; her ID really suits her.】 【This novel is about childhood sweethearts and love after marriage. The male lead is very responsible and will only love the female lead after marriage. It doesn’t matter how beautiful the supporting character is.】 【The female lead always suspected he didn’t love her because he was so cold to her. Later, seeing the beautiful supporting character’s confession ruthlessly rejected, she was instantly relieved.】 【The clown supporting character is just a touchstone for their love.】 I look at my bank card. Before I transmigrated, Emily Chen told me to buy a dress worth $25,000. She said a confession required a battle outfit, and that people in their circle wouldn’t wear cheap stuff worth a few hundred dollars. Driven by an inferiority complex, the supporting character gritted her teeth and bought an expensive but tacky out-of-season dress. Now the balance on my card is 0, and I still owe money on credit. I look coldly at the balance and without hesitation, put the dress up for sale on a secondhand app. Gold Digger Rule No. 1: Never spend an extra dime for a man. 2. My roommate’s account is also managing a rich heiress persona. On her account, there’s a perfect fiancé. Rich, handsome. Whatever she wants, her fiancé can immediately satisfy her. Because their marriage alliance was only recently arranged and hasn’t been made public yet, she has never revealed their identities on it. She just frequently does giveaways for the fans who ship them in the comment section. The sentimental little love stories she writes get tens of thousands of likes each. Actually, she didn’t have that many followers at first. Until she posted the marital home her fiancé gave her, which costs over $80,000 per square meter. The post instantly blew up. I leave a comment underneath: 【So sweet to ship! Sister, your fiancé is so good to you. If only I could snag someone like this.】 【What type of girl does he like? wow!】 Emily Chen has always liked seeing fans ship them. But when she sees my comment, she frowns. She replies: 【He has very high standards. It’s best to be skilled in various talents and highly educated. You don’t even know how long I worked hard just to make him notice me.】 Then she likes a comment below hers. 【The most important thing is matching family backgrounds.】 Everyone below is crazily shipping them. 【The heiress gave up studying abroad and tested into this university just to pursue love.】 【Bright and glamorous heiress VS Ice-cold childhood friend.】 【As long as he turns around, he can see the heiress has always been behind him.】 【Patience pays off! After the marriage alliance, the childhood friend’s attitude immediately changed. He used to ignore her, now he brings whatever the heiress wants right to her.】 【The heiress’s childhood friend’s family is so rich, yet he’s starting a business in college. So motivated. Unlike me, who just wants to eat and wait to die.】 As the only insider to the original novel. I know that their true romantic arc happens after my cannon fodder supporting character is written off. It follows the “love after marriage” plot, and right now, the male lead’s kindness to the female lead is solely due to their marriage alliance. Heh, this dog couple is using the original owner as a stepping stone. 3. I twitch the corners of my mouth and upload a video of myself playing the piano on my homepage. An essential quality of a top-tier gold digger: proficiency in various high-society talents. Whether it’s piano or equestrianism, I’ve studied them all. I reply: 【I know a lot, actually! I’ve been studying hard lately~ hoping to catch the guy I have a crush on.】 Many people think my comment sounds a bit like a green tea showing off and click into my homepage. Then, they teasingly reply: 【What a coincidence, Little Oolong is also a beauty from this university.】 【Don’t just fake the IP to this university; show us your student ID on the official website.】 I ignore them. Because soon, university alumni recognize that the background of my first photo is exactly the school dormitory. The most-liked post on my homepage is a faceless selfie. Caption: 【So conflicted. My friend keeps telling me to confess to her childhood friend, what should I do?】 Emily Chen wouldn’t associate me with her shy, easily-fooled little roommate. Because the original owner couldn’t do anything. A while ago, she was dragged by Emily to play the piano at her birthday party and embarrassed herself because she was unskillful. She encouraged the original owner to go up and play the piano to attract the male lead’s attention, so the original owner went up and played “Happy Birthday.” The female lead’s best friends mocked her for playing terribly, and Arthur Sterling spoke up to bail her out. From then on, the original owner developed a crush on the male lead. She didn’t know the male lead’s fiancée was Emily Chen herself, and under her instigation, foolishly went to confess. In the end, Arthur Sterling publicly announced his fiancée on the spot. The original owner lost all face in front of the entire school. Later, the female lead wrote a sad essay about her secret crush, caused by feeling inferior because of her roommate’s beautiful looks. This led the original owner to become a scheming green tea in everyone’s eyes, and she was eventually cyberbullied to death. Floating comments jump up: 【The supporting character is so scheming. Is she trying to get attention?】 【It’s fine. Once the male lead rejects her tonight, she won’t be able to jump around anymore.】 Emily Chen originally wanted to chat with Arthur Sterling. But she noticed his follower count suddenly increased by one. Suppressing her anger, she clicks into my homepage. After scanning around and seeing the photos, a hint of dissatisfaction reveals itself in her eyes. She keeps feeling that this figure looks indescribably familiar. And my process of starting this account is very similar to hers. If it’s not posting talents, it’s posting about a secret crush. Arthur Sterling’s alt account is only known to a few close friends around her, and she deliberately showed it off in a group chat. She guesses it might be some little heiress who caught wind of it. So, she directly @’s Arthur Sterling under my photo: 【Nice figure, do you like it?】 Arthur Sterling casually lingers on the screen for a second, the photo flashing past. 【Boring…】 Seeing the reply, Emily Chen laughs out loud. She turns around and shares this as a joke within their circle. Floating comments jump up: 【Hahaha, the male lead looked at the photo the supporting character painstakingly took and just said ‘boring’.】 【Lmao, working hard for nothing.】 【Just a clown supporting character. If it weren’t for her confession, I reckon the male lead wouldn’t have agreed to make the female lead’s identity as his fiancée public.】 【After all, the male lead is currently developing the game ‘Phantom Journey’ behind his family’s back. It’s still in closed beta, and he doesn’t want to cause any extra trouble.】 【Feelings will grow over time after marriage~ The male lead isn’t frigid at all. After marriage, the female lead is going to be shocked faint by the tricks this dog of a man comes up with.】 【The male lead’s family are all old-fashioned. They oppose him making games. The little childhood friend is the only one who understands him in the future.】 【In the future, the male lead’s game will be a massive hit, becoming a national sensation. Even the streamers who broadcasted it early on will make tens of millions.】 I extract information from the floating comments. A few days ago, I already applied for the closed beta qualification for “Phantom Journey” on the official website. Emily Chen still doesn’t know about the game’s existence. Using the game to get close to Arthur Sterling is the best entry point. 4. My game ID is still 【A Cup of Oolong】. I curl my lips, switching screens to message Arthur Sterling while grinding my game level. In the original text, the supporting male character, Julian Vance, is also grinding mobs here. He’s the male lead’s roommate, and they’re all in the same circle. Back then, after reading the female lead’s essay about her inferior secret crush, he misunderstood the original owner as deliberately trying to be the other woman, and he cursed her out the most viciously online. Stupid, reckless, and self-proclaimed righteous. He’s the most suitable to be used as a tool. I target Julian Vance, team up with him, and then steal his mob at the final hit, opening my mic and saying coquettishly: “Thank you, big brother.” Julian Vance’s hand trembles, his victorious smile freezing on his face. Arthur Sterling looks at his phone. The screen pops up a complaint from his good bro: 【Bro, there’s this highly skilled cross-dresser who stole my mob! My ‘First Blood of the Server’ title is gone!】 【I hate this! That person called ‘A Cup of Oolong’ or whatever is now at the top of the leaderboard! So shameless!】 Floating comments jump up: 【The supporting character’s methods are just dirty! Who steals the last hit!】 【Just deliberately trying to attract the supporting male character’s attention. Stop dreaming, the supporting male character only likes pure, innocent girls.】 After following Arthur Sterling, I only sent him one sentence: 【Thank you, Arthur, for bailing me out before~ Can I treat you to dinner tonight?】 After that, I posted a screen recording of the game with the “Phantom Journey” tag on my new account. 【The experience of this game is awesome!】 Smooth operations, combined with hyped-up editing and background music, quickly gained a wave of popularity. Arthur Sterling looks at the familiar ID, a trace of surprise appearing on his face. He clicks on my profile picture. The first thing he clicks open is the game recording I edited. The cover is the settlement screen where Julian Vance got his mob stolen. Floating comments jump up: 【Lmao, the male lead is a straight guy through and through; he’s only interested in games.】 【Suddenly relieved, the male lead definitely won’t pay much attention to the supporting character.】 【Even if the supporting character plays games well, so what?】 At the end of the game video. He unexpectedly hears a sticky, charming: “Thank you, big brother.” The video comments also suddenly increase here. Arthur Sterling’s finger pauses slightly. Then he drags the progress bar back. And listens again. In the original text, he is a closet voice-con. He only discovers he’s a voice-con while in the female lead’s bed. I deliberately recorded this voice at the end of the video. I bet he would watch to the end. The floating comments are all cursing— 【What exactly is the supporting character being so slutty for!】 Arthur Sterling restrains himself and only replays it once, then exits the video. On my homepage, the only photo showing my full body is of my back. The composition is great, my body proportions are excellent, and I didn’t even use a leg-lengthening filter. Logically, he should exit the homepage. But he takes an extra look and finds it somewhat familiar. He then clicks on the new video posted today. It’s a clip of me playing a piano piece, fluid music pouring out. The caption is: 【If my confession fails today, I’ll change my name to Tisu and beat up scumbags.】 He suddenly guesses who the woman on the other end is. Because Emily Chen just sent him a message. 【Come to the dorm tonight; my little roommate has something to say to you.】 Arthur Sterling: 【Tisu again? Didn’t you tell her about our relationship?】 Emily Chen replies vaguely: 【A young girl’s crush is understandable. You can just reject her privately later, right?】 He tries to search his memory to see if he ever offended Tisu. His mind only retains the clumsy “Happy Birthday” I played last time. In his perception, apart from her beauty, Tisu has no memorable traits and stutters whenever she gets close to him. Online, however, she is much more vibrant. Logically, he shouldn’t agree to have dinner with me privately. But he hesitates. First, he clicks into the piano video and comments: 【Just started learning? Fast progress.】 Floating comments fly up rapidly. 【??? Why is the male lead paying attention to the supporting character?】 【Poseur! The female lead has studied piano since childhood; how can the supporting character compare!】 I reply with a cute emoji, lying righteously: 【Yeah, just started! Even the teacher praised me for having a talent for it.】 【Plus, I learn everything super fast!】 Arthur Sterling looks at the “scumbag” in the caption, his finger pausing slightly, then finds the chat box and replies to me. 【I’ll pick you up downstairs at five.】 The time Emily Chen arranged for him is 8 PM. He thinks a private rejection earlier might be more appropriate. He doesn’t think the tiny ripple that just stirred up in that instant will make him betray his fiancée. The male lead in the original text has always been principled, so the supporting character’s confession tonight is bound to fail. What I need to do now is pull myself from the position of the “other woman” to the identity of an innocent party. I curl my lips and reply with a cute emoji: 【Okay! (finger hearts)】 Then I send another sentence. 【Can we not order anything too expensive.】 【Kitten begging for mercy gif.】 Arthur Sterling looks at the conversation and raises an eyebrow. I send a screenshot, saying pitifully. 【My roommate said I needed to buy a nice dress, and now I have no money.】 The screenshot is of a ripoff dress Emily Chen strongly recommended, along with my payment page showing $25,000. Arthur Sterling looks at the big red dress and remains silent for a moment. In less than three seconds. He replies: 【Send your card number.】 I don’t play hard to get; I quickly send it over. My bank card receives a deposit of $30,000. The note tells me to eat well. The money I spent in the game easily multiplied and came back to me. This kiss was worth it. It’s his first kiss; he’ll definitely remember it deeply. And this round, I have the upper hand. His bottom line was breached, but he feels guilty and can’t blame me. Killing two birds with one stone. A person’s bottom line is always slowly lowered.

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My mom loves asking me to buy things for her. But she has “bad eyesight,” so when she transfers me the money, she always misses a zero. I never really cared and just quietly made up the difference myself every time. Until my sister started acting passive-aggressive in front of me: “Every time Mom buys something, she transfers you the money to buy it for her.” “I’ve never seen you post the actual receipts. Who knows how much you’re pocketing off the top.” My mom just smiled and didn’t explain, seemingly agreeing with my sister. My heart instantly went cold. Over the years, she’s asked me to buy all sorts of things, big and small, and every time, she underpaid me. And she’d always brush it off with: “My eyesight is bad, I hit the wrong button.” Adding it all up, I’ve subsidized her at least thirty to forty thousand dollars, only to be branded a thief. So, when my mom once again transferred me money to book a four-thousand-dollar New Year’s Eve dinner, I accepted the transfer, turned around, and booked a four-hundred-dollar dinner instead. … No one at the dining table touched their silverware, their faces showing various expressions as they looked at the food in front of them. I urged them, “Don’t just sit there, eat up.” My mom’s face was so dark it looked like it was dripping water. She was only holding back her temper because of the other people present. Suppressing her anger, she asked, “Are the rest of the dishes still coming? Go find a waiter and hurry them up.” “That’s everything,” I replied flatly, then urged the relatives again, “Hurry and eat, or the food will get cold.” Smack. My mom slammed her chopsticks down, her chest heaving heavily. “We have a huge table of over a dozen people, and you only ordered these few dishes?” A relative next to her chimed in, “Chloe, is there a mistake? It wasn’t like this in previous years.” In previous years, the table was piled high with king crab, lobster, and endless seafood. This year, there were a total of six dishes, making the table look empty. The only thing even remotely related to seafood was a plate of salt and pepper shrimp. I couldn’t blame them for finding it weird. “No mistake,” I shook my head. My mom’s eyes turned red with anger, and she demanded, “I gave you money to handle the New Year’s Eve dinner, and this is what you feed everyone?” I glanced at the food on the table and sighed. “I had no choice. Funds were limited, so this is all we could get.” My sister, Mia, slammed the table and stood up, pointing at me. “Don’t think I don’t know! Mom sent you four thousand dollars to organize this dinner.” “This whole table put together isn’t even worth five hundred bucks! Did you pocket the rest of the money?” “I know you always use the excuse of buying things for Mom so she transfers you money, just so you can skim off the top. But you’ve gone too far this time!” Hearing my sister’s words, the relatives’ looks toward me instantly changed. My mom added from the side, “Chloe, I usually don’t say much when you do this.” “But right now, the whole family is gathered for New Year’s Eve dinner. Is it appropriate for you to pull a stunt like this?” My uncle’s son started whining, “Dad, I want king crab! Didn’t you say there’d be king crab today?” My aunt scolded me, “Chloe, I always thought you were a good kid. How could you do something like this?” The others present also chimed in, criticizing me. My mom spoke up right on cue, “Alright, go find a waiter and add more dishes right now. We’ll let this slide for today.” The relatives also tried to smooth things over, telling me to quickly go find a waiter and order more food according to the usual standard. But I remained unmoved and said coldly, “I can’t.” “Why can’t you?” My mom couldn’t help but raise her voice. I turned to look at her. “Mom, did you forget?” “You only transferred me four hundred dollars. Ordering these dishes already spent all the money.” “I even put in a few bucks of my own.” A hint of panic flashed across my mom’s face. She clearly hadn’t expected me to just say it out loud. But she quickly covered it up. My mom fake-coughed a few times, constantly gesturing with her eyes. “What nonsense are you spouting? I clearly sent you four thousand.” My sister mocked me even more, “Still trying to deny it? I heard Mom on the phone with you. She said she transferred four thousand!” “Four thousand turning into four hundred. Even if you wanted to skim, you shouldn’t be so greedy.” With my sister as a witness, the relatives looked at me with even more disdain. My uncle said angrily, “Chloe, profiting off your own mother—do you have a conscience?” Seeing that they didn’t believe me, I had no choice but to pull up the transfer record from my mom. “Look, my mom only sent me four hundred dollars at the time.” My mom did call and say she was sending four thousand for the dinner. But when the money came through, it was only four hundred. This was her usual trick. If I didn’t bring it up, she’d act like she didn’t know. If I did bring it up, she’d use the excuse of bad eyesight and missing a digit. Then she’d criticize me: “So I sent you a little less, do you have to come specifically to remind me? I raised you, and you’re not even willing to spend a little money on me?” “You’re really nothing like your sister. What an ungrateful wretch!” My aunt, sitting next to me, took a look and looked up. “Sis, you really only sent four hundred.” My mom couldn’t hold her face anymore. She gave a dry laugh. “I’m getting older and my eyesight is bad. I probably missed a zero by accident.” With that, she glared at me again. “If I sent the wrong amount, why didn’t you say something earlier?” Reluctantly, she sent me the money again, her tone a bit stiff: “Alright, the money is sent. Go order according to the previous standard. Don’t delay everyone’s dinner.” I was just about to speak when Mia beat me to it. “Mom, why are you giving her money?” She gave me a cold smile, then raised her voice. “Over the years, you’ve probably made tens of thousands off Mom!” “It’s just one time she accidentally underpaid you. Can’t you make up the difference yourself?” “Because you didn’t get to pocket the change this time, you deliberately made Mom lose face in front of the relatives, didn’t you?” My mom gave her a reproachful look. “You child, how can you talk nonsense in front of the relatives.” She seemed to be scolding her, but in reality, she was tacitly agreeing with Mia’s accusation that I was skimming off the top. My hand paused, then I clicked ‘Return’ and said flatly, “In that case, I’m returning the money. You can order the food yourself, so you won’t say I’m skimming again.” My mom’s expression froze. She knew clearly that according to the previous standard, a table would cost at least a thousand bucks. My mom is very competitive in front of relatives. Her marriage wasn’t happy, so she planned to make up for it elsewhere. Every year, she used the excuse of hosting the New Year’s Eve dinner to prove to the relatives that she was doing well. Before, I silently subsidized it to give my mom face in front of the relatives, but now I didn’t want to. Mia rolled her eyes and scoffed. “Why are you acting all high and mighty now?” “Weren’t you going to return the money? Don’t just return this one time! If you’re going to return it, return all the money you’ve made off Mom!” “Since all the relatives are here today, let’s settle the accounts clearly and see exactly how much you skimmed!” Hearing this, my mom’s face changed. She pulled Mia’s hand. “What accounts are we settling on New Year’s? If there’s an issue, we’ll talk about it when we get back.” “No! I want to talk about it now!” Mia forcefully shook off my mom’s hand. With red eyes, she said sharply, “Don’t think I don’t know. You just use the excuse of having my sister buy things for you so you can legitimately send her money and subsidize her!” “We’re both your children, why are you so biased?” “Today we must settle this clearly in front of the relatives. You must transfer me every penny you’ve subsidized her over the years, without missing a cent!” Seeing my sister’s resentful expression, I understood. She wasn’t making this scene to stick up for Mom. It was just that she felt Mom was secretly subsidizing me, and she felt it was unfair. So she wanted to cause a big scene to get her share of “compensation.” My uncle spoke up for Mia. “Sis, didn’t you always claim to treat both daughters equally? How can you be biased towards Chloe?” “Mia, Uncle supports you. You have to bravely fight for your rights!” The other relatives also sided with Mia. It wasn’t that they genuinely wanted to help Mia; they were just taking the opportunity to watch our family drama. My mom’s face gradually grew paler. She forced a smile: “You adults shouldn’t follow a child in making a fuss. Who among you doesn’t know I treat both daughters the same.” “I’ll go find a waiter to order…” Saying that, she got up to leave. Mia blocked her path with outstretched arms. “Mom, are you feeling guilty and trying to run away?” My mom gave a forced laugh. “My phone broke a few days ago, and I just got a new one. All the chat history is gone. Even if I wanted to check the accounts, there’s no way.” “How about this, I’ll send you two thousand…” My sister interrupted her with a cold smile: “You think two thousand is enough to brush me off? The money you’ve subsidized Chloe over the years is definitely more than two thousand!” “Besides, what I care about isn’t the money, it’s fairness!” Her words rang loud and clear, and my aunt led the applause. “Well done, Mia.” “If you’ve suffered a grievance, speak up. We’ll all back you up.” My aunt looked excited and raised her phone, pointing it at us. She was a minor influencer with a few tens of thousands of followers on a short-video app. I instantly understood what she was trying to do. Sure enough, using my burner account, I checked my aunt’s profile and saw she was live streaming. However, there were only a handful of people watching. Dissatisfied with the viewer count, my aunt added a few more provocative comments, hyping up the relatives. Seeing the relatives on her side, Mia puffed out her chest, feeling even more confident. She said loudly, “You always say you treat us both equally, but behind my back, you favor Chloe. Did you think I couldn’t feel it?” “Today, I must demand fairness for myself!” My mom looked at me with pleading eyes, wanting me to step in and say something. I sighed inwardly. Although I was disheartened by my mom’s actions, this was ultimately our family business. It was one thing to talk about it in front of relatives, but now that my aunt had started a livestream, the nature of it changed. Because of my aunt’s instigation and the relatives’ agreement, more people were pouring into the livestream to watch the drama. I didn’t want our family business to be used as my aunt’s tool to gain traffic, nor did I want a bunch of ignorant strangers discussing it. So I interrupted Mia. “Whatever it is, we’ll talk about it when we go back. Let’s just eat properly for now.” I gave her a look, but Mia obviously didn’t get it. She scoffed. “What right does a beneficiary like you have to speak here?” “I’m the one who’s being treated unfairly. Is it wrong for me to demand an explanation now?” “If we go back, you and Mom definitely won’t admit to the favoritism, so we must clear it up now!” Mia was relentless, and my mom’s face grew uglier by the second. Suddenly, whatever she thought of, her expression calmed down. She looked up at me. “Chloe, the fact that I secretly subsidized you under the guise of buying things was indeed unfair to Mia.” I froze. Just as I was about to ask her when she had ever subsidized me, I heard my mom continue: “The chat history is gone, and besides, it’s hard to calculate all the scattered bills over so many years.” “But I estimate it adds up to around twenty thousand.” “How about this, you give your sister ten thousand, and we’ll let this matter rest.” After finishing, she ignored my reaction and turned to ask Mia for her opinion. Mia wrestled with it for a moment, then nodded reluctantly. “Fine, whatever.” So the reason she didn’t agree to the two thousand compensation my mom offered earlier was because she thought it was too little. My mom looked at me again, signaling me to hurry up and send the money. To save her own reputation, she was forcing me to admit to something that never happened, and she wanted me to give Mia money. I was absolutely infuriated and laughed. Mia rolled her eyes at me and urged, “What are you staring at? Hurry up and send me the money.” I stared intently into my mom’s eyes. “You’re saying that over the years, using the excuse of buying things for you, I’ve pocketed over twenty thousand. Then show me the proof.” My mom looked away. “I already told you the chat history is gone. Where am I supposed to get proof?” Then she whispered in my ear, “Just send the money to Mia first. Making a huge scene during the New Year will just make us a laughingstock to the relatives.” “When we get home, I’ll explain it clearly to Mia and have her give the money back.” She thought that just like when she sent the wrong amount before, a casual “I hit the wrong button” would make me compromise. But this time I was unusually firm. I wasn’t going to accept this just because of a few words from my mom. Otherwise, both the relatives and the netizens watching the stream would believe I had been skimming money off my mom all these years. When that time comes, no matter how I explained, they wouldn’t believe it, and I’d lose ten thousand dollars for nothing. I raised an eyebrow. “Without proof, on what grounds are you saying I skimmed money?” At first, the netizens didn’t understand what was happening, but my aunt typed out an explanation in the chat. Hearing the whole story, the netizens all thought I had skimmed money using the excuse of buying things for my mom. I lowered my eyes and saw that the livestream chat was now full of people cursing me. Mia slammed the table and said shrilly, “Mom already admitted it, and you’re still stubbornly denying it!” “You just see that Mom said the chat history is gone, so you’re refusing to admit it, right?” The other relatives also chimed in, urging me to fork over the money. “Chloe, you guys are blood sisters after all. Don’t make things too ugly over a little money.” I said coldly, “If there isn’t any, there isn’t any. I will not send her money.” My sister’s eyes instantly reddened. The next second, a slap landed on my face. My mom slapped my cheek so hard it went numb. My mom pointed at me, filled with righteous indignation. “You are truly too selfish! Your sister didn’t even haggle over the exact amount, and was willing to just take ten thousand and let this go.” “But you value money more than family ties!” My heart completely turned cold. “Fine, didn’t Mia say I used buying things for you as an excuse to skim money?” “Then let’s calculate it clearly. If I really did profit, I will return every single cent.” Mia scoffed disdainfully. “Sounds nice, but the chat history is gone. Where are you going to check the accounts?” I waved my phone. “It’s fine. Mom’s records are gone, but I still have mine.” Hearing this, my mom’s face turned a bit pale. But before I could even open the chat screen with her, my mom suddenly snatched my phone while my guard was down and smashed it hard on the floor. “I didn’t want to show the transfer records because I didn’t want to see you sisters fighting endlessly over a little money.” “I didn’t expect you to completely fail to realize my good intentions.” “You clearly got more benefits than your sister, yet you stubbornly refuse to take out a little money to share with her. You really disappoint me!” Looking at her expression and tone, if I hadn’t known the truth, I really would have been fooled by her. I picked up my phone. The screen was shattered, and it wouldn’t turn on at all. My mom let out a barely noticeable sigh of relief. She seemed to think that with my phone broken, there was no way to check the accounts. Unfazed, I pulled out a stack of paper from my bag. Seeing the contents, my mom’s face changed drastically. She lunged forward to snatch the papers away. But this time I was prepared and dodged to the side. My mom’s face was dark, and she gritted her teeth. “Give that to me!” Seeing the commotion, the relatives were curious about what was on the paper that made my mom react so strongly. Even my sister asked in confusion, “Mom, is there something on those papers?” My mom realized she was overreacting and gave a few dry laughs. “It’s nothing, she’s just holding a few pieces of paper and trying to be mysterious.” My sister furrowed her brows. “Didn’t she just say she has the bills there? Then why did you smash her phone?” “You don’t dare let us see the bills because there’s something fishy about them, right? The amount you subsidized her is definitely more than twenty thousand!” My mom’s refusal to let others see the bills caused suspicion. But they all thought it was because the money she subsidized me was more than the twenty thousand she claimed. That’s why she didn’t dare let anyone see the bills. My aunt was fanning the flames, loving the drama, and casually driving traffic to her livestream: “Yeah, first you said your phone chat history was gone and you couldn’t produce the bills.” “Then Chloe said she had the bills, and you smashed her phone. Isn’t it obvious you don’t dare let us see the bills?” Hearing this, my sister said angrily, “You really are biased towards my sister!” “You tried so hard to keep me from seeing the bills, just because you were afraid I’d ask for more money, right?” My mom opened her mouth, completely unsure of what to say. She indeed didn’t dare let anyone see the bills. But not because of how much she had secretly subsidized me over the years, but because every time she transferred money, it was short one digit. She cared about her face in front of the relatives. She always said she had money on hand and didn’t need her children to spend money on her, and instead subsidized us from time to time. I don’t know if she secretly subsidized my sister in private, but I hadn’t received any for all these years. Not only had I not received any, I had actually paid out twenty to thirty thousand dollars out of pocket. And as a result, I was accused by her of using this to skim money. If they saw the transfer records now, her lies in front of the relatives all these years would be exposed. She tried to explain, “I didn’t let you see the bills because I didn’t want to see you sisters calculating back and forth over a little money, and ending up hurting your relationship.” My sister sneered. “Then when you secretly subsidized my sister, why didn’t you think it would hurt our relationship?” “You’re just making excuses for your favoritism!” I waved the papers in my hand. “It’s fine, even though the phone is broken and we can’t look at the bills, I’ve already printed out the bills from all these years in advance.” “Didn’t you say I used buying things for Mom to skim money? Let’s calculate exactly how much I skimmed now.”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “394733”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

At my twenty-fourth birthday party, my fiancée’s sponsored student almost died from an allergic reaction to a fruit wine I gave him. That day, I discovered the ambiguous, intertwined feelings between them. I insisted on breaking the engagement, but Chloe brought both our parents and cried in front of me, begging for my forgiveness. Under the persuasion of our parents, considering the five-billion-dollar partnership between our two families, I compromised. But on the third day after our wedding, she got into a car accident. Her lower body was severely injured, rendering her unable to be intimate. To prevent her from being blamed by my family, I had to lie to the outside world, claiming I preferred the DINK lifestyle and didn’t want children. Four years later, on a foreign variety show, I saw my wife, Chloe, playing games with a little girl. After some investigation, I discovered that four years ago, Chloe had settled abroad with Liam. She even gave birth to his daughter, Emma, and was currently pregnant with another. I stormed into her office to confront her, only to accidentally overhear her talking with a friend. “Just to punish your husband for giving Liam a glass of wine, you faked a car accident and haven’t let him touch you for four years? You’re really something.” Chloe casually examined her new manicure and sneered, “Who told him to almost kill Liam back then? This is his lesson.” “When my daughter with Liam grows up, I might consider bringing her back to let him acknowledge her as his daughter. He has the title of my legitimate husband and gets a daughter for free. He should be content.” My body felt like it was plunged into an ice cellar. So, all these four years of visiting doctors and praying to gods everywhere, my bottomless tolerance towards her, were all a punishment for a single glass of wine. Since that’s the case, this marriage of convenience can go to hell. 1 The conversation inside continued. “Chloe, honestly, your husband treats you really well. A pampered rich kid, traveling everywhere to find famous doctors for you, even kowtowing up the mountain to pray for blessings.” “Isn’t it a bit too cruel to treat him like this? Making him celibate for life, growing old without children, it’s a bit…” Chloe’s mocking laughter rang out. “This is the price he pays for hurting Liam.” “So what if he’s a rich kid? Does that mean he can bully Liam just because he has no one to rely on? I’m just making him taste the bitterness others have suffered, so he doesn’t spend his whole life only knowing how to bully people.” Her friend sighed. “Chloe, aren’t you afraid your husband will find out the truth and make a huge scene demanding a divorce?” Chloe’s gaze immediately sharpened. “Autumn, you didn’t get soft-hearted and tell him, did you?” Autumn shook her head, helplessly looking down and sipping her tea. Chloe’s cold voice continued. “Don’t you dare ruin my big plan. I’ve been plotting this for half a year.” “Since I promised Liam I wouldn’t let him touch me for the rest of his life, and that our children will be the sole heirs of both families, I can’t let Liam down.” Chloe’s tone was full of warning, terrified of leaking any information, failing her scheme, and making her Liam sad. I couldn’t help but recall those bitter nights. My desires were clearly about to explode, yet I endured and didn’t touch her. It was hard on her to fake heartache, trying to use various little tricks to help me release. At that time, I even thought she had no choice either. It turns out she was just keeping herself pure for her little lover. I listened to the conversation inside in humiliation, my heart feeling like it was pierced by ten thousand ice swords. So she wasn’t just treacherous, she was vicious. These four years, amidst the gossip of high society, enduring the humiliation, I gritted my teeth and bore it all. My knees still bore the scars from kneeling while praying for blessings, stinging every time it rained. Back then, I devoutly hung the amulet I prayed for around Chloe’s neck. What was she doing then? Rolling in the sheets with her sponsored student, enjoying paradise, even mocking my stupidity and pitying me. Then letting her group of friends judge me with sympathetic and mocking eyes. I wiped away my tears, turned and left, and canceled the American specialist I had booked for Chloe. The person on the other end asked in surprise, “Mr. Vance, this is Professor Chemistry, whom you pulled so many strings to get. Why are you suddenly canceling?” I laughed self-deprecatingly, “Because my wife is cured, and she even gave birth to a beautiful daughter.” 2 That night, when Chloe came back, I almost couldn’t control the urge to rush over and tear her apart. I wanted to confront her, why did she lie to me like this? Was it really just because I gave Liam a glass of fruit wine? For four whole years, the torment I suffered, from sadness to worry, even preparing to live a monk’s life with her forever, all ended up being just a joke. I watched Chloe calmly walk into the living room, throw herself into my arms, tilt her head up, and kiss the corner of my mouth. “Hubby, I learned some new tricks tonight. I want to make you happy too.” I stared fixedly at Chloe, trying to see if there was a trace of guilt or a guilty conscience on her face. Finally, I gritted my teeth and nodded. “Okay!” That night, Chloe washed up and wore a bathrobe, while I lay naked on the bed as she requested. She raised an eyebrow and winked at me. I sneered, carefully examining her expression. Following her line of sight, I finally discovered the anomaly. In the eyes of the huge wedding photo opposite the bed, there was a faint glimmer of light. I instantly understood. She clearly didn’t love me, so why was she willing to use various little tricks to please me? Before I could react, Chloe threw off the thin blanket covering me, exposing my naked body. Thinking about who might be on the other end of that micro-camera? A wave of nausea washed over me. I vomited with a “bleh,” spraying it right onto Chloe. Chloe immediately frowned in disgust and pushed me away. “Arthur, if you’re disgusted by me, just say so. There’s no need to be so disgusting.” “From today on, go sleep in the guest room. No need to force yourself.” If it were in the past, I definitely would have patiently coaxed her, then willingly tried again and again, enduring the humiliation and anger. But this time, I just silently stood up, looked at her coldly, said “Okay,” and turned to walk out. Chloe froze, then with a bang, a teacup was smashed onto the floor. “Arthur, I knew you weren’t sincere towards me! It’s only been four years, and you’re already disgusted by me, aren’t you?” I paused, turned back, and looked at her self-deprecatingly. “Chloe, aren’t you disgusted?” Chloe looked at the seemingly knowing expression on my face and couldn’t help but freeze. All her accusations instantly stiffened on her face, her eyes darting around guiltily. “Arthur, what nonsense are you talking about? We’re a loving couple, what’s disgusting about that?” I slammed the door shut, never wanting to look at her again. That once pure and elegant aura was now only left with shameless disgust. The next day, while she was at work, I decisively hired a private investigator. When the private investigator placed the investigated information and videos in front of me, I instantly slumped into my chair. In that moment, I had the urge to take a knife and hack her to pieces. Chloe, how could you deceive someone like this? Aren’t you afraid of going to hell? Since that’s the case, the evil you have committed, I will definitely repay double. 3 I holed up at home for three whole days, unable to face those videos. Even less daring to imagine how many people had seen them. When Chloe came back, she saw me sitting by the window, drunk. She came over, took my arm, and sighed. “Arthur, I’m sorry. Did someone gossip again? If you really can’t stand it, let’s get a divorce.” She looked so sad, so deeply in love. I calmly pushed her away and stared dead into her eyes, trying to see a fraction of sadness, trying to see if my sacrifices over the years were worth even a little bit. “Chloe, I didn’t do anything wrong. Why treat me like this?” Chloe froze completely, then her eyes reddened with grievance. “Arthur, I can’t please you. I understand if you despise me, but I really don’t want to leave you.” Saying that, she hugged me and cried. At this moment, I seemed to see the Chloe from ten years ago. Back then, she followed me around all day, calling me “Brother Arthur,” bringing the best pastries to my hands. When climbing mountains with me, she chattered like a happy little sparrow. Under the brilliant starlight, the young girl’s eyes were brighter than the stars. She held my hand tightly. “Brother Arthur, I don’t want to leave you in this lifetime. Let’s be together forever, okay?” Back then, I thought we would have a forever future. Until Chloe and I went playing in the mountains and met fourteen-year-old Liam. He was being held down by several men, trying to lift him onto a tricycle. He knelt on the ground, struggling desperately and begging, “Dad, don’t give me away. I’ll go up the mountain to chop wood, I’ll go to the fields to plant vegetables, I can make money.” Tears mixed with dust plastered his dark face, his hair messy and rough. From the murmurs of the people around, I learned that it was his father, wanting to sell him to an illegal brick factory as a laborer to get money to build a house. I immediately felt pity, scolded those people away, and protected him behind me. In the end, after an argument, Chloe gave all our travel expenses to Liam’s dad, saving him, and promised to sponsor his education in the future. I didn’t expect that after graduating from college, Liam would run straight to the city to find Chloe and stay by her side as an assistant. He constantly played the victim, acting timid and subservient in front of me, as if I were bullying him. Chloe said more than once that Liam was timid, telling me not to be forceful when speaking to him, to be gentle. I thought he was just naturally unpresentable. I didn’t expect he was deliberately digging traps for me. Until my birthday, I kindly handed him a glass of fruit wine. “Liam, let me introduce you to some friends. Hang out with them more in the future.” I didn’t expect that after taking just two sips, he would clutch his stomach and say I forced him to drink, intentionally causing his allergy. He cried hoarsely, clutching his stomach and collapsing into Chloe’s arms. That day, Chloe looked at me with eyes like poisoned arrows. In the end, she said nothing and rushed Liam to the hospital. That day, I was also furious. I had a huge fight with Chloe and wanted to break the engagement. Ultimately, under her pleading and the mediation of both our parents, I naively thought the matter was just over. But I didn’t expect the seed of resentment had already been planted. Chloe believed I intentionally tried to kill Liam and began using her whole life to punish me. I apathetically raised my hand, touched her head, and sneered, “Chloe, if you had to choose between me and Liam, who would you be reluctant to leave?” A flash of panic immediately appeared in Chloe’s eyes. “Arthur, why bring him up out of nowhere? Did you hear someone say something?” “I haven’t contacted him for a long time, don’t overthink it.” I lowered my eyes, wiped away my tears, and stood up apathetically. “No one said anything.” “I was just feeling sentimental. If I hadn’t made Liam drink that glass of fruit wine back then, maybe you guys would have been together for five years.” Seeing her expression visibly tense up and her back stiffen, she blurted out, “Arthur, how could I possibly be with a lowly mud-leg? I’d rather die alone in this life than be with him.” I sneered, supporting my body and slowly walking towards the bedroom, clutching the message Liam had just sent me. “Arthur, do you know what Chloe says about you? A high-and-mighty rich kid, not even as good as a gigolo in a club.” “Oh right, to prove her sincerity to me, every time you act slutty, she specifically video calls me. I thought it shouldn’t go to waste, so I did a live broadcast. The fans watching exceeded a million. Everyone praised you for being slutty enough.” Chloe, if you betray me, I will never let this go. I will make sure you get your retribution. 4 I silently deleted all the messages, without questioning or roaring. Because I know, if roaring could solve problems, the ruler of this world wouldn’t be the tiger, but the donkey. The five-year project between our two families was successfully completed. I specifically chose Blueberry Manor and invited all relatives, friends, and partners to celebrate together. On this day, I specially prepared a huge gift for Chloe. She even giggled and asked me what I had prepared. I just smiled and told her, it would be something she’d never forget for the rest of her life. The crystal chandeliers of the cooperation celebration banquet reflected the mingling of guests. Chloe took my arm and walked onto the stage. As the confetti bloomed above our heads, it represented the success of the Vance-Smith cooperation. I smiled, took the contract, and secured the interests belonging to the Vance family. Amidst thunderous applause, I took the microphone, my gaze sweeping across the entire venue. “Distinguished guests, relatives, and friends, today is not only the successful conclusion of the Vance-Smith cooperation, but also the fifth anniversary of my marriage with Chloe.” “Today, I have a big gift I want to give her, to let everyone witness Chloe’s true feelings for me over these five years.” As the applause died down, a few bodyguards carried in two large boxes, even wrapped with exquisite silk bows. I chuckled lightly and pushed Chloe in front of the boxes, signaling her with my eyes to open them. The entire venue instantly fell dead silent. Everyone craned their necks, curiously looking at the wide boxes, wondering what precious gift I would give. Chloe looked at me sweetly, then reached out, undid the latch, and flipped open the lid of the box with a smack. Under her shocked gaze, a man slowly stood up from the box. The moment he looked up and saw Chloe in front of him, he immediately burst out crying and hugged her tightly. “Wife, you scared me to death! Didn’t you tell me to bring our daughter back to attend the celebration?” “Getting stuffed into a box right after getting off the plane, it’s really, too scary.” Saying that, he turned his tears into laughter and hugged Chloe’s waist. After three seconds of silence, the entire venue suddenly erupted in an uproar. “What’s going on? Why is this man calling Chloe ‘wife’?” “And brought a daughter? Isn’t Chloe infertile?” Chloe’s face changed drastically. She immediately spun around and flipped open the other box. Her daughter was inside, eyes tightly shut, sleeping soundly. Chloe was immediately horrified. She lunged over, snatched the child out, and shouted loudly. But the little one just slumped her head on her shoulder, motionless. Chloe panicked. After patting her a few times, she cast her gaze on me. “Arthur, what did you do to Emma?” I sneered and walked forward, staring at her with chilling eyes. “Chloe, why are you so nervous? Could it be this is your daughter?” “Oh, right, I forgot. Our Ms. Smith was injured in a car accident, she probably couldn’t give birth to such a cute child.” Saying that, the ring on my hand gently traced across the child’s cheek, leaving a red mark. Chloe froze. Without pondering for even a second, she forced a smile onto her panicked face. “Arthur, don’t misunderstand. This child… this child…” In a rush, even someone as shrewd as Chloe couldn’t find a suitable excuse for a moment. Suddenly she seemed to think of something and immediately presented the child in front of me. “Arthur, this child is Liam’s little niece. Liam knew we couldn’t have children. To repay our kindness, he specially gave this child to us to be our daughter.” As she spoke, her voice steadied, becoming excited for finding such a good excuse. “Arthur, look how cute this child is. Haven’t you always wanted a child? Good people get good rewards. Liam is grateful for our sponsorship and really gave us a child.” Seeing the child in my hands, Liam couldn’t help but get anxious. Just as he was about to rush over, Chloe grabbed his arm and glared him back. I slowly stroked the child’s soft hair. My sharp ring traced across the child’s delicate face again and again, leaving white marks. Watching Liam’s eyes turn red with anxiety, admiring Chloe nervously swallowing and her eyes darting around. Suddenly, I grabbed the child by the neck and sharply rebuked, “Liam, you almost died by my hands once. Do you want your daughter to die by my hands too?” Liam was horrified. A high-pitched yell echoed through the hall. “Arthur, that’s Chloe’s daughter! You can’t hurt her!”

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I dated my brother’s best friend in secret for three years, until his non-biological sister returned from abroad. I immediately decided to break up and, turning right around, agreed to the marriage arranged by my family. The engagement party didn’t invite any outsiders; it was just our own relatives. Right as I was serving tea and formally changing how I addressed my future in-laws, my brother’s phone rang. He answered and joked playfully: “You’re not even coming to Chloe’s engagement? She used to follow you around calling you ‘brother’ all the time when she was little.” The other end of the line suddenly went dead silent. It took several seconds before Arthur’s hoarse voice came through: “Whose engagement?” 1 “What’s up, did you split with your mysterious boyfriend?” My brother, Liam’s, tone was irritatingly smug, clearly enjoying the drama. No wonder. For these past three years, I had adamantly refused to make my relationship public. He had warned me long ago: “A man who doesn’t even have the guts to come home with you to meet your parents, what kind of responsibility can he have? You’ll break up sooner or later.” Back then, I wouldn’t listen to a word of it, firmly believing that true love would last forever. As a result, reality slapped me hard in the face. My tone was flat: “Yeah, we broke up.” Hearing how decisive I was, the other end of the line was quiet for a good while. “Did he bully you?” I hadn’t felt much of anything anymore, but that question suddenly made my nose sting. I took a breath and shook my head at the empty air: “No, it was an amicable split.” “Fine. If he dares to bully you, I’ll definitely teach him a lesson.” “Chloe, there aren’t many men you can rely on. If you really want to get married, it’s better to find someone from a family that matches ours. At least it’s solid.” “Okay, you set it up. I’ll come back the day after tomorrow.” Just as I hung up. Arthur pushed the door open and came in: “Who were you on the phone with?” Afraid he’d see I’d been crying, I didn’t turn around: “A classmate.” “Hmm.” He walked right past me and went into his study. Together for three years, and he’d always been this cold. I used to always think that was just his personality, that he couldn’t act affectionate with anyone. Until last night, when I came back early from a business trip. I originally wanted to sneak in and surprise him. His study door was always shut tight, but that day it was slightly ajar. Warm yellow light spilled through the crack. I leaned in, about to knock, but saw Arthur inside with a pained expression. His eyes were fixed on his phone, one hand moving beneath the desk. I froze on the spot. The person on the screen wasn’t just anyone. It was his family’s adopted sister, Lily. He was so engrossed he didn’t even hear me open the front door and leave. I sat in a hotel room all night, thinking a lot. And finally understood. Arthur’s coldness towards me these past three years wasn’t because of his personality. His refusal to make our relationship public wasn’t because he was afraid my overly protective brother would give him trouble. It was all simply because— He didn’t like me at all. He just needed a smokescreen to cover up his feelings for that “sister.” So, I, who had chased after him, was the perfect shield. That night, Lily posted a status update: “Coming back to the US tomorrow, hurry and come welcome me~” 2 After finishing the call with my brother, I took a cab back to the villa I shared with Arthur. There were still some things I needed to pack and take away. He was eating breakfast. Looking up and seeing me, he flatly told the housekeeper to make another portion. “Didn’t know you were coming back at this hour, didn’t prepare yours.” I nodded: “Okay.” It’s not that he didn’t know; he just didn’t want to know and couldn’t be bothered to ask. Arthur’s movements paused. He looked up from his phone, a trace of confusion flashing in his eyes. Yes, if it were the past, I would definitely have squeezed in next to him and snatched his breakfast. Saying, “Who told you not to prepare mine? Then I’ll just eat yours.” Or hugged him from behind, pinched his ear, and asked if he forgot me because he didn’t love me anymore. Arthur was smart; of course, he could instantly notice my change. But he didn’t say anything more, just nodded: “I’m going to the office, eat slowly.” He took the suit jacket the housekeeper handed him. Hesitated for a moment. Just as I thought he might be waiting for me to bounce over and help him put it on like usual… He put the suit jacket on himself. The sound of his footsteps and the door closing vanished together. The housekeeper asked me: “Ms. Miller, what would you like to eat?” I shook my head: “I’m not eating. Help me find a few cardboard boxes, I need them today.” I took my suitcase back to the bedroom. When the housekeeper brought the boxes, I packed up my clothes and daily necessities. Then I went to Arthur’s walk-in closet. Over the years, I had given him quite a few ties, cufflinks, clothes, watches, and things like that. But he rarely used them. Unless I forced him to wear them, those things barely saw the light of day. Just like me as a girlfriend, only meant to be hidden in the dark. I swallowed the bitterness in my throat and packed the things I gave him into the boxes one by one. It took a long time to finish packing. I sat on the edge of the bed to catch my breath. My phone received a message from Arthur: 【I had the driver go pick you up, he’ll be there in half an hour.】 Concise and to the point, couldn’t even be bothered to give context. He was so sure I would never refuse him. I smiled self-deprecatingly. Fine, it was time to tell him we were breaking up. 3 The lights flashed erratically in the club. This used to be one of my favorite places to go, too. I was spoiled growing up, with a fiery personality. My friends all joked that I was the little spitfire of our social circle. At the anniversary celebration for my brother’s university, I saw Arthur for the first time and was attracted by his icy demeanor. I beat around the bush asking my brother if he had a girlfriend. My brother rolled his eyes: “With that iceberg face of his, who would dare get close to him?” My heart leapt with joy. He was cold, I was hot. A perfect match. I started chasing him relentlessly behind my brother’s back. I even changed my college application from New York to Miami, where Arthur was. When my brother found out I changed my choices, he was so angry he yelled at me. But despite the yelling, he still cared about me and called Arthur, asking him to look out for me. I secretly rejoiced: everything was going according to my plan. Back then, I thought I was so smart, that I had calculated both Arthur and my brother. Now I know, I was pathetically stupid. The waiter led me to the door of the private room. It was lively inside. Someone was jeering and asking: “Arthur, you keep that little girlfriend of yours hidden tight, rarely bringing her out to meet the guys. Now Lily’s back, and this is your favorite sister. Gotta ask you, who’s more important, the girlfriend or the sister?” I stopped in my tracks. Held my breath, waiting for the answer. Arthur took a sip of his drink, saying nothing. Lily stomped her foot and pouted at him: “Brother!” Only then did Arthur smile. His glass clinked against the marble table. His cold, clear voice rang out: “You can always get a new girlfriend, but I only have one sister. Who do you think is more important?” “Ooh~~ so cheesy.” The group jeered. Lily stood up triumphantly, pointing at more than half the people in the room: “You, you, and you, you lost the bet, pay up.” Arthur didn’t understand: “What’s going on?” Lily explained: “They made a bet with me, betting on whether you cared more about your girlfriend or me. The losers each have to transfer me a thousand dollars.” Amidst a chorus of wails, everyone pulled out their phones to transfer the money. Arthur looked at their exaggerated reactions and chuckled: “Serves you right!” I raised my hand and knocked on the door. 4 The lively atmosphere from a moment ago suddenly stopped. Arthur looked over; there was an empty seat next to him. He hadn’t brought me to meet his friends many times. But each time, he gave me enough face. When I was chasing him to the point of almost giving up, he actually offered to take me to meet his friends. That time, his friend said to me: “Sister-in-law, besides Lily, Arthur has never brought another girl here.” At that time, I only saw Lily as his sister. Didn’t think much of it. I even foolishly thought that Arthur was just cold on the outside, but actually cared about me inside. Thinking about it now, he was probably just putting on a show, or it was purely good upbringing. To him, it was a zero-cost method to make me even more dead-set on him. Back to reality. I ignored the empty seat next to Arthur. And sat in the corner furthest from him. Arthur’s face darkened: “Chloe?” I smiled, saying nothing. Lily picked up a glass of wine and walked towards me: “You must be Chloe, right? I’m Lily, Arthur’s…” She paused, as if not knowing how to say it. Arthur filled in: “Sister.” Lily frowned, a bit impatient. She handed me the wine, saying as if out of spite: “Right, sister. I just got back to the States. Chloe, here’s a toast to you.” Without having to think much, I immediately felt Lily’s hostility towards me. That was definitely not the attitude a sister should have towards her brother’s girlfriend. So, Lily also liked Arthur. Thinking of Arthur masturbating to her photo in the study. I only felt it was absurd. I smiled faintly: “Welcome back, but I’m not feeling well, so I won’t drink.” The corners of Lily’s mouth turned down: “Chloe, aren’t you being a bit disrespectful? I came all this way back, and this is my welcome party, and you won’t even drink a toast from me?” “I said I’m not feeling well.” Lily became even more unhappy, turning back to look for Arthur: “Brother, does she not like me?” Arthur’s eyes were icy, and his tone had no warmth: “Chloe, stop making a scene, drink it.” I almost laughed coldly out loud: “You called me here just to make me drink?” He lifted his eyelids and said flatly: “Lily wanted to meet you.” So, it was just because Lily wanted to see me. Just to make both of them wake up and stop having fantasies about each other. Using me as a tool. I stood up: “Now that we’ve met, can I go?” Probably sensing that I was exceptionally uncooperative today. Arthur’s eyes darkened. I knew he was angry. But I didn’t want to coddle him anymore. “What exactly have you been making a fuss about all day?” The atmosphere in the room grew cold because of his lowered tone. I looked into his eyes, smiling meaningfully. Arthur, I know all about your little secret. I’m not playing along anymore. I turned to leave, but Lily grabbed my wrist: “Chloe, I’m the main character today. I haven’t agreed to let you leave yet.” I slapped her hand away and slapped her across the face: “No parents to teach you manners, is that why you’re so unruly?”

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