Category: English

In my previous life, my boyfriend Bobby ripped my priceless Water Affinity right out of my soul and handed it over to his precious golden girl, Lyla. They dumped me in the wasteland like a piece of trash, leaving me to bake into a mummified corpse under the scorching desert sun. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the exact day my powers awakened. A mechanical, icy voice echoed in my mind. [Please select your ability conduit: A. Equivalent Exchange. B. Lifespan Consumption.] Looking at the two hypocrites standing in front of me, I swallowed down a tidal wave of pure hatred and made my choice without a single heartbeat of hesitation. “I choose B.” You wanted my powers so badly, Lyla? Take them. Let’s see how well you play the untouchable beauty when you are wearing the face of a shriveled old crone. 1 My skin had cracked and blistered against the boiling desert sands. In the final moments before my consciousness faded, completely drained of moisture, the last thing burned into my vision was the nauseating sight of Bobby and Lyla standing over me. I hated them. God, I hated them. In my past life, when the Scorched Earth apocalypse hit, I awakened the ultra-rare Water Affinity. The system gave me two choices for my power source: Equivalent Exchange or Lifespan Consumption. Terrified of dying young, I chose the former. Every single day, I carefully extracted moisture from dirt and dead wood, trading physical matter to provide our survival camp with their only source of drinking water. I honestly thought my absolute devotion and caution would earn Bobby’s loyalty and protection. I was dead wrong. In his eyes, I would never hold a candle to Lyla, his childhood sweetheart. To ensure Lyla lived like a queen in the wasteland, he used his incredibly rare Siphon ability to forcibly rip my Water Affinity right out of my chest and graft it onto her. I was reduced to a crippled mortal. They tossed me into a dusty corner, and during a violent raid for supplies, I was left behind to die of dehydration under the merciless sun. “Serena! Serena, wake up!” My eyes snapped open. Blinding sunlight and a suffocating wave of heat instantly swallowed me. Hovering above me was Bobby’s familiar, detestable face. He was shaking my shoulders in an absolute panic. I was reborn. The cold, mechanical voice chimed in my head once more. [System Alert: Host mental state stabilized. Water Affinity awakened.] [Please select your ability conduit: A. Equivalent Exchange. B. Lifespan Consumption.] I was back. I was actually back. Back to the exact moment my powers manifested. My heart slammed against my ribs in a chaotic mix of wild ecstasy and homicidal rage. “Babe, are you okay? You awakened the Water Affinity!” Bobby’s voice trembled with poorly suppressed excitement. Standing right behind him, Lyla watched me with a highly calculated look, a frail, innocent smile tugging at the corners of her lips. It was exactly the same. Exactly like my past life. You love my powers that much? Perfect. In this life, I am going to give you a gift. A little surprise bought and paid for with human life. I lowered my eyelashes, burying the lethal intent exploding in my pupils. When I looked up again, I grabbed my head with both hands. My body began to violently convulse. I drained all the blood from my face. “It hurts. It hurts so much,” I gasped out, my voice ragged. “There is something inside my body. It’s tearing me apart. I can’t control it.” My acting was absolutely flawless. Anyone watching would assume this was severe biological rejection, a common side effect for newly awakened mutants. Bobby immediately pulled me into a tight, dramatic embrace, his voice dripping with fake sympathy. “Don’t panic. This is normal for a new awakening. Your body is just too frail. I’ve got you.” He glanced up at Lyla. His eyes were swimming with toxic, sacrificial love, while Lyla perfectly mirrored his gaze with a look of deep, theatrical concern. I knew the script. The circus act was about to begin. While leaning weakly against Bobby’s chest, I gave the system my final answer. “I choose option B. Lifespan Consumption.” The moment the choice locked in, I could have sworn I heard a demon laughing in the back of my mind. You wanted my power so desperately, Lyla? Let’s see how much you enjoy it when your youth rots away from the inside out. 2 I played the agony to the absolute limit. I slumped heavily against Bobby, hyperventilating as if I were about to pass out entirely. The rest of the survival squad crowded around us. Their cracked, bleeding lips and desperate eyes screamed of their thirst. But seeing my body violently rejecting the new power, their desperation morphed into anxiety and thinly veiled frustration. “Bobby, what are we supposed to do? Serena is in no shape to produce water!” one of the scavengers yelled, his voice cracking. “Yeah, we are dying of thirst out here!” Lyla stepped forward right on cue. She bit her lower lip, her voice sickeningly gentle. “Bobby, don’t force her. Look how much pain she is in. Awakening a power is a life-or-death gamble. With a constitution as weak as hers, forcing her to use it will literally kill her.” Bobby looked at Lyla with an aching tenderness. Then, a look of profound, heroic resolve washed over his face. “Everyone, calm down! I have a solution.” He took a deep breath. “Serena, my gift is Siphoning. Using it drains me heavily, but for you, and for this team, it is a risk I have to take. I will temporarily transfer your power into Lyla. Her physical stats are much higher than yours. She can produce the water we need, and once you fully recover, I will return the power to you. How does that sound?” Temporarily. What a beautiful lie. Return it. What a joke. In my past life, I was absolutely blinded by his deep, emotional performance. I actually thought he was putting his life on the line to save mine. I sneered internally, but on the outside, I forced out a weak, deeply moved smile. Tears pooled perfectly in my eyes. “Bobby. If you do this for me, won’t it damage your body? I can handle the pain, really.” “Don’t be silly. I’d do anything for you,” Bobby interrupted, his tone practically bleeding devotion. He didn’t give me a chance to argue. He slammed one hand onto my shoulder and the other onto Lyla’s. A massive, invisible force ripped through my core. I could physically feel the aquatic energy connected to my very soul being brutally hijacked, dragged out of my veins, and forced into Lyla’s body. Bobby’s face went chalk white. Beads of cold sweat erupted across his forehead. He swayed on his feet. That was the price of the Siphon. He was burning his own lifespan to make the transfer. Serves him right. When the final thread of energy severed from me, Lyla’s eyes snapped open, glowing with a brilliant, euphoric light. She eagerly raised her hand, palm facing the sky. “Water! I can feel the water!” A second later, a crystal-clear stream materialized out of thin air, spiraling elegantly above her palm before cascading down into the cracked, barren dirt. It hit the hot soil with a loud sizzle. “It’s water! Actual water!” “Lyla is incredible! We are saved!” The entire camp exploded into sheer delirium. Everyone rushed Lyla, forming a tight circle around her, gazing up at her with a feverish, cult-like worship. As for me? I was shoved aside so violently I crashed into the dirt. Bobby, the man who had just promised to protect me with his life, stood proudly by Lyla’s side, basking in her glory. I sat in the dust, wiping the dirt off my cheek. I hope you love the gift, you two. Lyla became the undisputed god of the camp. Everyone treated her like royalty, orbiting her like she was the center of the universe. “Lyla, I am so parched. Can I have just a sip?” “Lyla, my blades are covered in mutant blood. Can I get a rinse?” “Lyla, the heat is brutal today. Everyone is exhausted. Do you think you could… maybe give us a little rain to cool off?” She agreed to absolutely everything. She was completely addicted to the intoxicating rush of causing a crowd to cheer with a simple flick of her wrist. Spring water, hovering liquid spheres, even absurdly wasteful artificial rain showers. She squandered the stolen power with zero hesitation, pushing her status to absolute deity levels. She even conjured enough pure water to take a full bath. In the wasteland, bathing was an extravagance reserved for emperors. Basking in the jealous, awe-struck stares of the other women, her vanity fed on the attention like a parasite. I was entirely forgotten. The only time anyone remembered I existed was during ration distribution, when they would toss me the moldy, hardened scraps like a stray dog. I didn’t care. I just sat in the shadows, coldly watching Lyla summon water again and again. With every single drop that materialized, I could almost see the silver threads weaving into her hair. Karma didn’t keep me waiting long. Just three days later, after a massive water conjuring, Lyla instinctively pulled out her prized pocket mirror to admire her own reflection. A bloodcurdling, ear-piercing scream shattered the silence of the camp. 3 The scavengers rushed over in a panic. Lyla was pointing a trembling finger at her own face. The mirror slipped from her grip and shattered on the rocks. “My eyes. What is happening to my eyes?” Her voice was a hysterical, terrified quiver. The people closest to her leaned in. They gasped. The skin around the corners of her eyes, which had been flawless and tight that morning, was now etched with deep, unmistakable crow’s feet. “You’re probably just exhausted, Lyla. You’ve been working way too hard for us lately,” one of the men offered, his voice lacking conviction. Lyla snatched up a broken shard of the mirror, her panic skyrocketing by the second. It wasn’t just the wrinkles. Her vibrant, glowing hair looked completely fried. It was dull, brittle, and lifeless. A dark, terrifying premonition twisted in her gut. But the sheer addiction to the camp’s worship pushed the fear down. To secure her crown and prove to everyone that she was perfectly fine, she decided to pull a massive stunt. “Everyone, watch this!” Lyla climbed onto the roof of an abandoned transport truck. She took a deep breath, pushing the hijacked power to its absolute limit. “I am going to bring a true oasis down upon us!” Dark clouds aggressively materialized overhead. A torrential downpour crashed into the desert camp. Men and women danced in the mud, screaming her name, chanting for their goddess. Lyla stood perfectly in the center of the deluge, soaking in the god-like worship with a deeply satisfied smirk. What she couldn’t feel was the massive, terrifying volume of life force being violently sucked out of her marrow to fuel the storm. The rain stopped. When the clouds parted and the blinding desert sun illuminated Lyla’s face, the cheering died instantly. A graveyard silence fell over the camp. Absolute horror was painted on every single face in the crowd. Lyla’s previously youthful, delicate face was literally sagging before their eyes. Her cheeks were hollow and drooping. Deep, heavy laugh lines carved into her face like ravines. And the most terrifying part of all: thick strands of her hair had turned a stark, sickly gray under the sunlight. She no longer looked like a vibrant twenty-year-old. She looked like a haggard, exhausted woman pushing forty. Lyla sensed the dead silence. Her hands shot up, frantically feeling her own face. “My face. Oh my god, what is wrong with my face?!” Overnight, the wasteland goddess mutated into a monster. No one dared to flatter her anymore. The entire squad avoided her like the plague, casting fearful, paranoid glances her way. “Look at her. I swear she aged another year just walking over here.” “That power is cursed. Do you think she’s trading her actual life for the water?” “Shut up! Keep your voice down, or she’ll cut off our supply!” The whispers acted like toxic needles, driving themselves deep into Lyla’s fragile psyche. She locked herself in her tent. She shattered every reflective surface she could find. She spent her days entirely consumed by the suffocating terror of her own rapid decay. Finally, she completely snapped. “Bobby! Get your ass in here right now!” a hysterical, demonic shriek erupted from the tent. Bobby rushed inside, only to find a woman who looked like a deranged asylum patient. She lunged at him, grabbing him by the collar with claw-like fingers. “What the hell is happening to me? What kind of demonic curse did you put inside my body? It is eating my life! It is eating me alive!” Lyla sobbed, her voice raw and jagged. Bobby was equally horrified. Staring at Lyla’s sagging, aged face, a spike of pure ice drove straight up his spine. He wasn’t an idiot. Remembering how violently Serena had convulsed during her awakening, and seeing Lyla’s rapid decay, the truth slammed into him like a freight train. Serena’s Water Affinity demanded lifespan as payment. “I. I had no idea it would do this.” Bobby’s voice shook violently. He tried to peel her off him, but she clung to him like a rabid dog. “You didn’t know?!” Lyla viciously slapped him across the face. “You jammed this death sentence into my soul. And now you tell me you didn’t know?!” She hammered her fists against his chest like a maniac. “Give it back to her! Right now! Do it right now! Give this fucking curse back to that bitch! I don’t want it! I refuse to get old! I don’t want to die!” Her paralyzing fear of aging entirely obliterated her lust for power. Right now, her only goal in life was to throw this ticking time bomb back into the hands of its original owner. Under Lyla’s violent demands, and driven by his own rising terror, Bobby caved. He stumbled out of the tent and marched straight over to where I was sitting in the dirt, idly drawing circles with a dried twig. “Serena.” I looked up slowly, meeting his eyes with absolute deadpan silence. “It seems this ability is better suited for you,” he panted, out of breath. “Lyla’s body can’t handle the strain. I am returning it to you.” 4 His tone was incredibly arrogant, laced with a sickening sense of pity. “This is your destiny, Serena. Do your part and serve the camp until your time is up.” Lyla practically crawled out of the tent, her bloodshot eyes locked onto me like a predator. The rest of the camp gathered around, their faces plastered with cruel, expectant sneers. Bobby didn’t waste another second. He clamped one hand onto my wrist, grabbed Lyla’s trembling hand with the other, and forced his vile ability to activate. “Siphon!” A massive, familiar surge of energy rushed back into my body like a flock of birds returning to the nest. My veins burned with life. I could feel every inch of my skin, every single cell, practically singing in ecstasy. The moment the transfer finished, Bobby swayed violently. His face turned the color of ash. He looked completely hollowed out. But he ignored his own condition. Just like everyone else, his eyes were glued to me. “Do it! Use the power!” Lyla shrieked. She was vibrating with anticipation, desperate to see my skin wrinkle and my hair turn white. “You have the power now, right? Make some water for us!” “Yeah, come on! We’re thirsty!” someone in the crowd mocked. They were all waiting for it. Waiting for me to age. Waiting for my youth to evaporate. Waiting for me to suffer a fate far worse than Lyla’s. In that exact split second, the cold, mechanical voice chimed clearly in the center of my mind. [System Alert: Conduit mode reset.] [Please select your ability conduit: A. Equivalent Exchange. B. Lifespan Consumption.] “Why aren’t you doing it? Are you scared?” Lyla’s shrill voice cut through the air. Seeing my face remain perfectly youthful after receiving the power, a sliver of deep panic began to gnaw at her. “Serena, stop playing games. Produce the water right now!” Bobby barked. He assumed I was just stalling, trying to run away from my inevitable death sentence. Scared? I smiled. In the silence of my mind, I gave the system my final command. “I choose A. Equivalent Exchange.” In a fraction of a second, the fundamental nature of the energy coursing through my veins completely transformed. The violent, life-devouring parasite vanished, replaced by a pure, gentle, elemental force that seamlessly fused with my soul. Under the suspicious, hostile glares of the entire camp, I casually stood up and walked over to a pile of dried, rotted wood we used for firewood. “What the hell is she doing?” “Stop acting crazy!” Lyla and Bobby stared at me unblinkingly. They couldn’t compute why I wasn’t screaming in pain like they expected. I slowly raised my hand and pressed my palm flat against the dead timber. The next second, a miracle occurred. A surge of crystal-clear water, moving as if it had a mind of its own, erupted from the exact spot where my skin touched the dry wood. It cascaded to the ground, instantly forming a pristine, bubbling spring in the dirt. My complexion was glowing. My energy was practically radiating. There was absolutely zero sign of aging. Dead silence. Time literally froze in the camp. Every single expression completely solidified. The cruelty, the mockery, the gleeful anticipation of my suffering. It all shattered, instantly replaced by unfathomable shock and raw, unadulterated horror. “No. That’s impossible.” Lyla was the first to break. She let out a guttural shriek. “How is this happening?! Why aren’t you getting old?! Why?!” She couldn’t process what she was seeing. The exact same ability. On her, it was a lethal, parasitic curse. But in my hands, it was effortless. It was totally harmless. Bobby looked like he had been struck by lightning. He staggered backward, his face totally devoid of blood. He stared at me, then stared at the endless stream of pure water pouring onto the sand. A terrifying realization detonated inside his skull. The power didn’t work the way they thought it did. The rest of the scavengers didn’t even dare to breathe. They stared blankly at me, watching the endless flow of water, looking back up at my flawless, radiant face. The contempt in their eyes vanished entirely, instantly replaced by sheer awe and bone-deep terror. They finally realized the catastrophic magnitude of their mistake. They had treated the true god like a sacrificial lamb. And they had worshipped a pathetic, thieving clown as their savior. I pulled my hand back. The water stopped instantly. Looking at their horrified, trembling faces, a vicious, deeply satisfying thrill of vengeance washed over me.

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When I opened my eyes again, I found myself back in my first year of grad school. Before me, Eddie was standing in the stairwell, his eyes red-rimmed, clutching the overdue tuition notice that made him so distraught. He was crouched in the corner of the landing, his shoulders shaking uncontrollably, the notice crumpled and smoothed out repeatedly in his hand. I stood before him, two hundred dollars in cash fresh from the bank in my pocket, as memories from my previous life flooded back. Back then, I’d shoved the money into his hand without a second thought. But he later stole my experimental data, published a paper identical to my own research with himself as the primary author, and even married my advisor. When I confronted him, he, holding my advisor’s hand, claimed I was suffering from paranoid delusions. That’s how I ended up dragged into a psychiatric hospital, injected with tranquilizers for three years, and eventually died in a hospital bed. The white ceiling, the myriad needle marks on my arm, and the internal numbness when the tranquilizers were administered still send shivers down my spine. Eddie looked up at me, tears clinging to his face, his lips trembling slightly: “Ethan, I really don’t have any money left. My dad’s sick, and my family truly can’t afford this…” “If I can’t pay my tuition, I’ll have to drop out,” he added, his voice choked. I squatted down, pulled fifty dollars from my pocket, and placed it on his knee. Eddie clearly froze for a moment, looking at me with disbelief. “Take this for now,” I said. “I’ll ask the department about the remaining shortfall. There should be work-study positions available; you can apply for one. That way, you won’t have to pay me back so much all at once.” Eddie looked down at the fifty dollars, unmoving for a long time. After a while, he quietly asked, “Is that… all?” 1 Fifty dollars is a good amount. I only make a hundred and fifty from tutoring each month. I rummaged through my backpack for a piece of paper and handed him a pen. “Write a loan agreement. It’s not that I don’t trust you, it’s just a habit.” Eddie took the pen, his fingers hesitating. He smiled, a smile I knew all too well – lips curved upward, eyes devoid of warmth. “Alright, that’s fair.” He finished writing and handed me the note. I folded it neatly and tucked it into a hidden compartment inside my backpack. On the way back to the dorm, Eddie followed behind me, his voice still tearful. “Ethan, thank you, really. I’ll remember your kindness for the rest of my life.” I hummed, not responding. You said the same thing last time. Then you sent me to a mental institution. I didn’t sleep that night. Once Eddie’s breathing became even, I got up, opened my laptop, and exported all the experimental data from my hard drive. One copy to Google Drive. One copy to Dropbox. One encrypted and compressed, sent to my personal email. After sending that, I sent another to a different email address, titled “Grad School Experiment Progress Backup – Oct 17.” Three locations, three different passwords. I stared at the “sent successfully” notification on the screen, then closed my laptop. The hallway light was broken, flickering erratically. Eddie turned over, mumbled something, and fell back asleep. The next day at the lab meeting, Professor Thorne called on everyone to report their progress. Professor Thorne was forty-one, unmarried, wore gold-rimmed glasses, and exuded a gentle, intellectual aura. In my previous life, I thought she was a good advisor. Now I knew she was a fool easily sweet-talked by a pretty boy. When it was Eddie’s turn to report, he stood up, his voice soft, stumbled over a couple of sentences, and then his eyes reddened. “I’m sorry, Professor, something came up with my family recently, and my progress has been slow…” Professor Thorne pushed up her glasses, her tone gentle. “It’s alright. If you have difficulties, tell me. Don’t carry it alone.” Eddie nodded, secretly wiping away tears as he sat down. Several senior students in the lab looked at him, their eyes full of sympathy. Then it was my turn. I turned my presentation to the third slide and began to present the data I had run that week. Professor Thorne interrupted me halfway through. “What is the basis for setting this variable? Which paper did you reference?” “Dr. Peterson’s 2019 paper, and the one from the MIT group last year—” “Are you sure? I recall the conclusion of that article was inconsistent with your direction.” I recited the literature ID, and Professor Thorne scrolled through her computer, then said nothing. “…Alright, keep running your experiments.” After the meeting, Eddie approached, quietly saying, “Ethan, that experimental design you just presented was pretty good. Could you send me the PPT? I’d like to study it.” I unplugged my USB drive and slipped it into my pants pocket. “I’ll send it to you after I organize it.” I didn’t send it. A week later, he asked again. I said I forgot. He didn’t ask a third time. But that night in the dorm, he lay on the top bunk and suddenly said, “Ethan, do you have a problem with me lately?” “No, why?” “It’s just… I feel like you’re not quite the same as before.” I pulled my blanket up to my chin. “Maybe I’ve just been too busy with experiments lately. Don’t overthink it.” A few seconds of silence. “Oh, alright then. Goodnight.” “Goodnight.” I closed my eyes, hearing him toss and turn in the bunk above. Different? Of course, different. The Ethan from my past life was dead, dead on the 1087th day in the mental institution. This Ethan, he was a different beast entirely. Days passed quickly. I was immersed in the lab daily, backing up my data as soon as it came out. Every week, I sent myself an email, logging the week’s experimental progress. My lab notebook was never out of my sight; I even carried it in my backpack to the cafeteria. Eddie began to get close to the other people in the lab. He would bring coffee, one for each person, but never for me. It wasn’t that he forgot—he would count heads right in front of me. “One, two, three… enough.” Then he’d turn and walk away. Liam, a senior lab member, brought me a coffee and whispered, “Ethan, did you and Eddie have a falling out?” “No.” “Then why is he—” “Maybe he forgot.” Liam looked at me, said no more. In mid-November, I was washing my hands in the restroom when I heard someone talking in the adjacent stall. It was Eddie’s voice. “…Ethan is just like that, extremely suspicious. He locks everything up, carries his lab notebook everywhere. I mean, what normal person does that?” Another voice, a junior lab member named Dave, responded, “Huh? Really? That’s a bit much, isn’t it?” “I live in the same dorm as him, why would I lie? Last time, he wouldn’t even show me his PPT, and I just asked once, and he gave me that attitude.” “That’s a bit extreme…” “Sigh, I don’t want to badmouth him, but I just feel that, in academia, it’s good for everyone to communicate. For him to act like he’s guarding against thieves, it’s pretty hurtful.” The sound of running water from the faucet masked my footsteps. I turned off the water, dried my hands, and pushed the door open. Dave was just coming out of the stall; seeing me, his face flushed. “Et-Ethan…” “The paper in the restroom is finished. You should tell Facilities.” I walked away. From then on, the atmosphere in the lab changed. When I spoke at group meetings, no one responded. At noon, when everyone went to the cafeteria together, they didn’t call me. Once, I walked past the pantry, and a few people were chatting. When they saw me come in, the conversation suddenly stopped. Dave walked out with his cup, whispering to another junior student, “See, he’s got his notebook with him. Carries it everywhere. Isn’t that a bit much?” I filled my water bottle and walked away. In early December, Professor Thorne called me in for a private talk. When the office door closed, she sat behind her desk, fingers intertwined on the table. “Ethan, some students have expressed that your teamwork spirit in the lab isn’t very good lately.” “What exactly do you mean?” “For example, data sharing, literature discussion—you don’t seem to participate much.” “My data is in a critical phase. I can share it with everyone after the paper is published.” Professor Thorne pushed up her glasses. “To do academia, you need an open mind. Working in isolation won’t lead to good results.” “Professor Thorne, you’ve seen my project’s progress; the data trend is very good right now—” “I know,” she interrupted. “But good project progress doesn’t mean you’re faultless as a person. The lab is a team, do you understand?” I gripped the lab notebook on my lap, saying nothing. “Alright, you can go back. Think carefully.” I stood up and walked to the door. Outside, Eddie was walking towards the office with a cup of coffee. He saw me coming out of the office, froze for a moment, then smiled at me. “Ethan, did the professor call you in?” I ignored him and left. Behind me, I heard Eddie knocking on the door. “Professor Thorne, I bought you an Americano. I saw your office light was still on and figured you must be working late again.” Professor Thorne’s voice leaked through the door crack, ten times softer than when she’d spoken to me. “You’re too kind, dear. Come in and sit.” I quickened my pace. Back in the dorm, I sat at my desk and opened my laptop. My inbox held thirty-two backup emails, each with a clear timestamp. I opened the most recent one; the attachment contained the data I had run last week. Three control experiments, perfect results. This project would be finalized in another six months. In my previous life, when the results were published, the primary author was Eddie. Not this time. I closed my inbox and opened a new document. Title: Eddie’s Loan Record and Repayment Status. He hadn’t paid back a single penny to this day. I saved the document, synchronized it to three cloud drives. Then I turned off the light and lay in bed. Eddie’s voice came from the top bunk. “Ethan.” “Yeah.” “What do you think of Professor Thorne?” “What do you mean, ‘what do I think’?” “Like… do you think she’s easy to get along with?” “She’s an advisor. What does being easy to get along with have to do with anything?” Eddie chuckled. “True. Goodnight.” I didn’t say goodnight. Staring at the ceiling, I counted to three hundred until Eddie’s breathing evened out. I turned over, tucking my lab notebook under my pillow. After spring arrived, Eddie’s attentiveness to Professor Thorne visibly escalated. Mondays, he’d help her organize her desk. Wednesdays, he’d pick up her packages. Fridays, he’d deliver documents to the administrative building for her. On weekends—he started going to Professor Thorne’s house to “help clean.” Everyone in the lab saw it, but no one said anything. Only Liam once said to me in the pantry, “Eddie seems a bit… much lately?” I shook my head. “It’s got nothing to do with me.” “But he—” “Liam, just focus on your own project.” Liam looked at me for a few seconds, sighed, and left. In late March, I submitted my experimental funding application. I waited two weeks, no news. Waited another two weeks, still no news. I went to ask Professor Thorne. “Professor Thorne, my funding application was submitted almost a month ago—” “I’m still considering the direction of your project, no rush.” “But the experimental reagents will soon be—” “I said, no rush.” She didn’t even look up. When I walked out of the office, I happened to see Eddie’s funding approval form pinned to the notice board. Submission date: March twenty-eighth. Approval date: March thirty-first. Three days. My application had been sitting in her drawer for a month; Eddie’s was approved in three days. I stood in front of the notice board, staring at that form for a long time. A junior student walked past, muttering, “Senior Ethan, you’re still looking at that? Eddie’s project direction is indeed very promising.” I turned and left. In April, my funding finally came through. It was one-third less than what I requested. I didn’t argue with Professor Thorne, just paid the remaining two hundred dollars myself to cover the shortfall. The experiment couldn’t stop. In May, my core data started showing results. All three experiments ran perfectly, yielding surprisingly beautiful data. I immediately synchronized it to three cloud drives, and sent myself two emails. One with an attachment, one only with the experimental results and date. Then I opened my lab notebook and neatly copied all the data. After writing, I hesitated. I flipped to the last few pages and, using a pencil, copied a new set of data. This data was almost identical to the original, with just one difference—the p-value for the third control experiment, I changed 0.003 to 0.03. A difference of an order of magnitude. This error wasn’t obvious; it was barely noticeable without careful inspection. But anyone who had done research in this field knew that a p-value of 0.03 meant the results weren’t significant enough, and the conclusion wouldn’t hold. I placed these pages in the latter half of the notebook, inserting a sticky note labeled “To be verified.” Then I closed the notebook and left it on the table. Before, I carried it everywhere. Today, I left it on my lab desk. Before heading to the cafeteria, I adjusted the angle of the desk lamp. A strand of hair was pressed beneath the lamp base. My hair. After dinner, I returned. The lamp’s angle was off by two centimeters. The strand of hair was gone. The position of the lab notebook hadn’t changed, but the sticky note inside had shifted a page. I sat down, said nothing, and opened my laptop to start writing my paper. Late that night, as I left the lab, I passed the surveillance room. The security guard at the door was looking at his phone. “Excuse me, sir, I think I left my campus ID in the lab building last time. Could you check if anyone found it tonight?” “Which floor?” “Third floor.” “Let me check the footage for you.” He opened the surveillance playback. 18:32, I left the lab for the cafeteria. 18:41, Eddie pushed open the lab door and walked in. He stood at my desk, looked left and right, then opened my lab notebook. He flipped to the latter half—the pages where I’d placed the bait data. He pulled out his phone and took photos, page by page. He took four photos, closed the notebook, and put it back in its original place. Then he left. The entire process took less than three minutes. The security guard looked up at me. “Did you find your campus ID?” “Oh, no, maybe it’s not on this floor. Thanks, sir.” “No problem.” I walked out of the surveillance room and stood in the stairwell for a while. The corridor light was sound-activated; if I didn’t move, it wouldn’t light up. In the darkness, I put my hands in my pockets. Alright, Eddie. The fish has taken the bait.

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1 At Victoria’s promotion banquet, in front of a room of corporate elites, she raised the limit on my linked credit card from $3,000 to $5,000. “Consider the extra two grand your pocket money for staying home with our kid,” she said, her voice full of CEO condescension. I declined, saying I had my own money, but her face darkened instantly. “Don’t I work hard for you and our daughter? Spend it. Max it out—I’ll make more,” she snapped. Her sycophants chimed in, praising her as a “true alpha” and joking about marrying her to be a kept man. That phrase stung, but seeing her excited face, I stayed silent. Days later, I accidentally charged $30 to the card. She dragged me into her company, shoved me in front of her staff, and shouted, “I gave you $5,000 and you blew it in a day?” “Get on your knees, kiss the floor five times, and swear you’ll never waste my money again—or I’ll divorce you.” Amid the crowd’s contempt, I tore off my jacket. “Fine. Let’s divorce. I’ll take full custody of our daughter.” Victoria laughed mockingly. “Everything on you is bought with my money. You’re broke—you can’t fight me for custody.” I met her eyes with a cold sneer. She was wrong. I didn’t have $200. I had $200 million. That morning, I had been slow-cooking a beef stew at home when Victoria violently yanked me out of the kitchen and dragged me to her office. Without warning, she kicked me squarely in the kneecap. Caught off guard, I crashed down onto one knee. Her perfectly manicured acrylic nails dug viciously into my forehead, jabbing me with every word. “Look at this materialistic, parasitic excuse for a man. I just opened that five-grand line of credit yesterday, and it’s already drained.” “My parents were right about you. You are a gold digger. You only married me for my bank account.” A dark wave of anger churned in my gut. But remembering that she was the mother of my little girl, I swallowed the fire burning in my throat. “What are you talking about, Victoria? I only spent thirty bucks today, and even that was an accident.” I patted my aching knee and tried to stand up. Suddenly, a heavy blow slammed into the back of my leg. A sickening crunch echoed through the room. My knee buckled involuntarily as blinding, agonizing pain crushed the air out of my lungs. I looked up. It was Blake, Victoria’s male secretary. He had sneaked up behind me and smashed a heavy wooden broom handle directly into my joint. He stood over me, puffing out his chest with sheer arrogance. “Did the boss give you permission to stand up? You don’t move until she says so.” “A freeloader like you belongs on his knees. You’re starting to forget your place in the food chain.” The dull, throbbing agony radiating from my shattered knee left me drenched in a cold sweat. But I was not a punching bag. “Who the hell do you think you are, barking at me?” I spat out. “What happens between my wife and me is none of your damn business.” The moment the words left my mouth, a brutal slap tore across my right cheek. The skin felt like it was ripping apart. “Who the hell do you think you are, talking to my employee like that?” Victoria screamed. “Blake is a hundred times the man you are. At least every dollar he spends is earned through his own hard work.” “If you want to live off my dime, you better show some gratitude. You think a kept man gets to eat his meals standing up?” “If you don’t kiss the floor five times right now and say ‘I am sorry my queen’ five hundred times, you are not walking out of here.” The metallic tang of blood flooded my mouth. I pressed my tongue hard against my loose back teeth, swallowing the hot liquid pooling in my throat. “I told you, I didn’t spend that five grand. I only used thirty dollars.” Her fury exploded. She grabbed me by the collar, shaking me violently. “The bank sent the notification directly to my phone. The limit is maxed out. If it wasn’t you, who was it?” “So now you’re not just a leech, you’re a liar too?” “My mother and sister were absolutely right. Poverty breeds deceit. You are nothing but a con artist trying to drain my accounts.” A suffocating wave of humiliation washed over me. I stiffened my neck, refusing to bow my head to her madness. “I said I didn’t spend it. And frankly, I have my own money. Victoria, the truth is, while I’ve been at home…” A chorus of roaring laughter erupted from the crowd, violently cutting off my confession. “He says he has his own money. What kind of cash does a house-husband who never sees the sun actually make?” “Did you hoard some loose quarters from the grocery change? If Victoria wasn’t out here crushing it in the corporate world, you’d be starving on the streets.” “Look at that grease stain on his shirt. I don’t know what the boss ever saw in him. Just looking at him makes me want to throw up.” “She just liked his face. He looks like a gentleman, but underneath, he’s just pure trash.” Victoria frowned, listening to the mocking whispers. Her face twisted into a mask of total disgust. “Are you done throwing this tantrum? Haven’t you embarrassed yourself enough? Since you refuse to admit it, I will show you exactly what you did.” She threw her phone onto the marble floor. “Look at it yourself. Look at the itemized bill.” A coworker standing nearby eagerly snatched up the phone and gasped. “Oh my god. Three hotel room bookings in a single day. Five boxes of premium condoms. And three grand dropped on luxury lingerie.” “Just how thirsty are you? Hooking up three times a day?” “What a degenerate. If Victoria divorces him, I’d gladly take his place. I eat less and spend less.” Victoria ignored the chatter, her eyes locked onto mine like twin glaciers. “You are cheating on me behind my back, and I am only asking you to kneel and apologize. I’d say I am being incredibly generous.” “If you keep acting up, we are done.” There was no point in arguing anymore. I was completely utterly baffled by that bank statement. Trembling from the agonizing pain in my knee, I forced myself up. I intended to wait until she came home to properly explain things. But the second I got my footing, Blake lunged. He grabbed the back of my neck and slammed my face brutally into the freezing tile floor. “Where do you think you’re going? You piss off our boss and think you can just walk away? Fine, you don’t want to kiss the floor. Crawl between her legs.” He said he wanted me to crawl under Victoria’s legs, but Blake deliberately spread his own legs wide, standing right in front of my face. I would rather die than be humiliated like this. Ignoring the screaming pain radiating through my entire body, I thrashed wildly, managing to break his grip. Before anyone could react, I threw a desperate, bone-crushing punch straight into Blake’s jaw. “Back the hell off. My family’s business is not for you to decide.” Blake crashed to the floor, five red finger marks instantly swelling on his cheek. Victoria shrieked. She threw herself onto the floor beside him, her hands gently and tenderly tracing the red marks on his face. The absolute heartbreak and pity overflowing in her eyes felt like a barrage of silver needles piercing my flesh. I knew that look. I had seen that exact look before. Years ago, when I accidentally burned my hand cooking her dinner, she had wrapped me in that exact same gaze. She had blamed herself, crying and promising, “I will work so hard. I’ll make enough money to hire a private chef so you never have to burn yourself again.” But I hadn’t seen that desperate, loving look directed at me in years. Lately, even when she came home to a hot meal, her face was twisted in disgust. “Chicken stew again? It smells disgusting.” “Why can’t you do anything right? You are completely useless.” My heart violently twisted in my chest. My breathing turned shallow and ragged. Because in that moment, I knew the truth. My wife had already given her heart to someone else. 2 An overwhelming tide of grief threatened to drown me completely. I wandered home like a ghost. My parents had just arrived to drop off Lily. Seeing my bruised and battered state, the color completely drained from their faces. “Jason, what happened to you? Please don’t scare us like this.” I didn’t want the two old folks to worry, so I brushed it off, muttering something about feeling a little sick. My mother’s heart ached for me. She silently started gathering up the massive pile of dirty laundry in the corner, stuffing it into a large canvas bag. “Take a break from the chores for a few days. I’ll take these home and wash them for you. If something is wrong, you have to tell your mother, okay?” The moment those words left her lips, the front door screeched open. Victoria marched in, trailing a crew of internet vloggers holding massive cameras. They walked right into the living room and immediately spotted my mother holding the stuffed laundry bag. Victoria’s expression instantly turned into a venomous snarl. “No wonder you burn through money so fast. You’ve been secretly funneling it to your pathetic parents.” “What did you two old thieves steal from my house this time? Trying to pawn off my things to fund your deadbeat younger son?” After spitting that poison, she turned gracefully toward the cameras, wearing a polite, elegant smile. “I originally wanted to give you guys a house tour, but it seems you’ve walked into a bit of a circus.” “You guessed right. My husband sits at home eating my food, spending my money, and secretly steals my belongings to subsidize his loser brother.” “To be completely honest, my husband can blow through five grand in a single day. I might make a decent living, but I can’t sustain a parasite like this.” Hearing those venomous words, my mother’s face went completely white. Trembling, she reached out and gently tugged at Victoria’s sleeve. “Victoria, please, listen to me. These aren’t…” Victoria viciously swatted my mother’s hand away, screaming right in her face. “Aren’t what? Aren’t things you stole from me?” “Spill it. How much cash did he secretly hand over to you this time? Is it hidden in here?” Right in front of the flashing cameras, Victoria lunged forward and actually began clawing at my mother’s blouse. It was the dead of summer. My mother was wearing a simple, conservative floral button-down. With one violent yank, Victoria tore the fabric open, exposing my mother’s camisole and half her shoulder. My deeply traditional mother froze, tears instantly welling up in her red eyes. But Victoria was relentless. “Did you stuff it in your bra? Or is it in your socks?” “The money I bleed for is not going to fund that useless brother-in-law of mine.” My mother stumbled backward under the assault, desperately trying to defend herself. “My younger son got a city hall job. He is not a loser.” “I swear to God we have never taken a single penny from you. We have our own retirement money.” Victoria let out a shrieking, demonic laugh. “What money? How much corn can you grow on your tiny plot of land? How much does that sell for?” “So what if he works for the city? He makes pennies. He can’t even afford a wife.” “Take off your pants. Let me see if you hid my cash in your underwear.” Watching Victoria cross every conceivable line, actually reaching down to forcefully rip off my mother’s trousers, the veins in my temples pulsed with blinding rage. “Enough. Get your hands off her. I said enough.” I lunged forward, grabbed Victoria by the wrist, and hurled her onto the floor. Victoria sat there stunned for a few seconds before morphing into an absolute banshee, launching herself at me. “You dare hit me? Who the hell do you think you are to lay a hand on me?” “You defend this old hag today, who knows what you’ll do tomorrow.” “You still haven’t explained how you blew five grand on hotel rooms, and now you are slipping cash to these leeches. I am absolutely done with this marriage.” She clawed desperately at my face. I stumbled back, trying to block her wild scratches. “Shut your mouth, you monster.” A fierce, authoritative voice ripped through the room. My mother, her hair totally disheveled, her blouse still ripped open, stood there with furious, bloodshot eyes. She screamed directly at Victoria. “You wanted to see what was in the bag so badly? I’ll show you.” She flipped the heavy canvas bag upside down. A mountain of dirty shirts, soiled pants, and stained socks rained down onto the hardwood floor. “Is doing your family’s dirty laundry a crime now?” Staring at the massive pile of unwashed clothes, a brief flicker of guilt flashed across Victoria’s eyes. But she masked it instantly, reverting back to her tyrannical self. “Even if you didn’t steal today, what about last time? What about the time before that?” “Every single one of you is just a blood-sucking tick trying to drain me dry.” “Your son is a useless piece of garbage who cheats on me. The apple clearly doesn’t fall far from the tree. You’re just a bunch of broke, pathetic rats.” Watching my elderly parents hang their heads under this relentless barrage of abuse, something inside me completely snapped. I closed the distance between us and delivered a resounding, full-force slap across Victoria’s cheek. “Divorce. We are getting a divorce. I am not spending another second in this living hell.” Victoria’s head snapped to the side. Tears welled up in her eyes. She glared at me, playing the ultimate victim. “Jason, I feed you. I house you. I gave you a child. You cheat on me, and now you demand a divorce?” “I don’t agree to it. I will never agree to it.”

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1 Four years. Four years since my daughter left, and now, finally, new life was within me again. The words Alec uttered just as I was wheeled out of the delivery room plunged me into an icy abyss. He said the heart our little Sasha had desperately waited for, he had given it to Pearl—my best friend Stella’s daughter. I simply couldn’t believe my ears; my blood felt frozen in that moment. Yet, he showed no remorse, instead defending himself by saying Pearl was his biological daughter, inheriting his brilliance, exceptionally gifted in physics since childhood. Unlike Sasha, who struggled with even simple math, as mediocre as me. In his eyes, giving the heart to Pearl was far more valuable than giving it to Sasha. He even proudly pulled out a photo, pointing to the trophy in it, saying Pearl had just won a major competition. He even thought it was an honor for my daughter to save such a “pillar of the nation.” My voice hoarsely asked him why he was only telling me now. He merely casually played with our newborn baby, saying Stella had always felt guilty and insisted he “compensate” me with another child. Now that the baby was born, he felt he no longer owed me anything. And Pearl was growing up, needing her father’s companionship. Finally, he coldly tossed me an ultimatum: either divorce, or pretend none of this ever happened. … That photo was thrown before my eyes. Alec held a spirited Pearl, his other hand entwined with Stella’s. The three of them smiled, a dazzling picture that any onlooker would mistake for a happy family. If my Sasha were still alive, she’d be that old too. Glancing at the date in the bottom right corner, it was fourteen hours ago. At that time, I was in agonizing labor in the delivery room, signing surgical consents alone, while my husband was with his illegitimate daughter at an award ceremony. And worse, the other woman was my best friend, Stella. The tearing pain beneath me. This wasn’t a dream. My eyes bloodshot, tears flowed uncontrollably. “Sasha was only five then. She loved you so much, still calling for ‘Daddy’ before she left… How could you be so cruel?” A flicker of guilt crossed Alec’s eyes, instantly masked by indifference. But she was so annoyingly dull! Anyone would choose a genius like Pearl over her. Seeing his self-righteous demeanor, a bitter taste surged in my throat, my voice trembling uncontrollably. “Then why, of all times, did you choose now to tell me the truth?” He knew perfectly well I had just given birth and couldn’t handle any shock. Alec frowned, sighing as if finally relieved. “Eleanor, you don’t understand. Nine years of sneaking around, Stella and I have had enough. I couldn’t wait another moment.” “Pearl is so brilliant, so talented, yet she has to be pointed at and called a fatherless bastard.” As he said this, his eyes suddenly reddened, filled with heartache. I froze instantly, a myriad of emotions churning within me. The day Sasha died, he hadn’t shed a single tear. I had rationalized it, telling myself he simply wasn’t good at showing emotion. All those deliberately ignored red flags now slowly surfaced in my mind. At the supermarket, he bought an eight-hundred-dollar model for Pearl but lectured Sasha on frugality over an eighty-dollar picture book. Eating out, he clearly remembered Pearl’s preferences but forgot what Sasha was allergic to. Even when we went out, Sasha twisted her ankle, but his eyes were only on Pearl, who had merely scraped her knee. Whenever I asked, he always had a logical explanation. “She’s your best friend, and it’s not easy for her with a child. Shouldn’t I look out for her?” Even Stella herself had joked with me more than once. “They say love extends to everything connected to the beloved. Looks like your Alec is truly head over heels for you.” It wasn’t that he was head over heels for me; he had simply fooled me terribly. And I was blind, letting them keep me in the dark, a fool for so many years. My vision went black, and I suddenly vomited a large amount of blood, staining the bedsheets. Alec’s expression changed, and he instinctively reached out. “Slap—” Stella suddenly burst in, slapped Alec, then rushed to embrace me, her face full of fury. “Alec, I step away for a moment, and you’re bullying my Eleanor like this?!” The perfume scent clinging to my nose was the same couple’s scent Alec wore. My heart turned completely cold, and I fiercely pushed her away. For nine years, whenever Alec and I argued, Stella was always the first to step forward and protect me. Every time, he would back down, immediately capitulating to me. And I, like a fool, was immersed in the dual happiness of love and friendship, blind to Alec’s special treatment of her. In her startled gaze, I curled my lips into a sneer. “Stella, stop pretending.” “Having an illegitimate daughter with my husband behind my back, and stealing my child’s heart—doesn’t your conscience bother you?” Stella’s pupils contracted sharply, and she fell to her knees with a sob. “You, you know everything? Eleanor, I’m so sorry… If I could, I truly wish I could dig out my own heart to give to Sasha.” When Sasha first passed, I was overwhelmed with grief; Stella even handled the funeral arrangements entirely. Countless nights, I cried hysterically in her arms, and she, with reddened eyes, said she sympathized with my pain. Now, thinking back, it was truly ironic. I threw a fruit knife in front of her, my eyes bloodshot as I shrieked. “Dig it out! I just fear you could have a thousand hearts, and none could bring back my Sasha!” Stella’s body stiffened, a flicker of resentment swiftly crossing her eyes. At the hospital room door, Pearl cried out in fear. Alec’s face instantly turned dark, his voice sharp and menacing, squeezed through clenched teeth. “Enough! You’ve scared Pearl!” “Eleanor, Stella has always protected you as her best friend. Do you have to force her to her death before you’ll stop? What’s past is past, don’t keep dwelling on it like a madwoman!” He frantically helped Stella up, then turned and gently hugged Pearl tightly, comforting her. But when Sasha was alive, Alec had never shown her a kind face. I couldn’t stand it anymore. I grabbed a teacup and threw it fiercely at them. “Get out! Get out of here with your mistress and your illegitimate daughter!” Hearing this, Pearl cried even harder. Alec was utterly enraged, his voice chilling to the bone. “Eleanor, watch your mouth! Don’t keep calling her a mistress and illegitimate daughter! Pearl was born a month before Sasha. If you really want to calculate it, you were the other woman!” Like a thunderclap out of nowhere, I stared at him, stunned. Something deep inside me suddenly felt mangled and bloody. Alec stared at my bloodshot eyes and spoke expressionlessly. “We had already slept together.” “The day your mother died in that car accident.” My mother had been in that accident delivering documents for Alec. The caller to the emergency services said the truck had rolled straight over my mother; she had been covered in blood at the scene. By the time I arrived, my mother had already taken her last breath. Alec’s message to me had been just two words. “My condolences.” It wasn’t until I had handled everything that Alec and Stella rushed to my side. They explained to me that their team had gone out of town for research and study. Stella was Alec’s deputy, always volunteering to “supervise” Alec’s schedule for me. I had never doubted her words. But the truth was, while I was heartbroken over my mother’s death, the two of them were in bed, fooling around. One, my beloved husband. One, my best friend. I had poured my all into supporting their research dreams, only to enable two deceitful, ungrateful ingrates. I stared at Alec, my voice trembling, persistently wanting an answer. “Why? Alec, I’ve been with you since I was eighteen. How have I wronged you?” Alec froze, lowering his head to avoid my gaze. After a long pause, his tone was stiff. “We were never on the same path. You’re vulgar, stupid, only capable of housework. But I have ambition and talent; only Stella can truly resonate with me.” “Blame your nouveau riche parents for not making you a genius like me.” My stomach churned, and I almost vomited from disgust. Back then, Alec was just a greenhorn who couldn’t even get research funding. He was too arrogant and proud, offending many people, even my parents disliked him. When we got married, we didn’t even have a wedding. I gave up my beloved painting, worked three jobs a day, splitting every penny. At my poorest, I drank eight bottles of white wine and miscarried a child, just to secure him a grant. Later, when Alec achieved success, I retreated behind the scenes, letting him focus on his research. Now, he called me vulgar, stupid, only capable of housework. In that moment, the gentle class president who had brought notes to me, a failing student, when I was eighteen, was completely dead in the past. Tears streamed uncontrollably from my eyes. In the dead silence, I heard my own voice. “Alec, let’s get a divorce.” “You cheated on me, so you leave with nothing. The assets and the child are mine, no problem with that, right?” I lowered my eyes, my voice mechanical and calm. Stella bit her lip, grabbing my hand, pleading. “Eleanor, Alec can’t leave with nothing. Pearl’s masterclass costs two thousand a session, and she used to call you godmother. How can you bear to ruin her future?” Hearing ‘masterclass,’ my body stiffened. Back then, my parents had pulled many strings to secure a spot for Sasha in a masterclass. Alec, after hearing about it, flatly said it would be a waste of good resources for Sasha. Sasha was heartbroken in my arms for a long time, promising to make him proud. But before she could even enroll, she died from her illness. I never imagined Alec would pull a switch, sending Pearl instead. In his eyes, Sasha attending was a waste; Pearl attending was her right. It felt like being cut by a blunt knife, the pain so suffocating. Stella cried, her face streaked with tears, slapping herself repeatedly as she begged for my forgiveness. I looked at her, my vision gradually blurring. In high school, Stella and Alec were desk mates. She knew all my teenage crushes, constantly trying to set us up. The day my confession succeeded, she got drunk and begged me not to forget her once I had a boyfriend. In my first month of work, she spent all her salary to take me on a trip. On the night of my wedding, she cried as she handed over half her savings, calling it my dowry, wishing me happiness. She was the one who loved me. But she was also the one who had a daughter with my husband. The next second, Alec stopped Stella’s movements, his face full of heartache. “Why hit yourself like this?” When he looked at me, those eyes that once held deep affection now only held disgust. “Eleanor, you don’t need to be so hard on Stella. From past to present, she has never done anything to wrong you!” “The Evans family is declining day by day. After your mother’s death, your father’s mental state hasn’t been good. His attending physician is my friend; I can have him sent to a mental hospital with one word.” My heart jolted, and I abruptly looked up. Alec was as calm as if he were discussing what to have for lunch. “Give me the assets. Nurturing a genius requires a lot of money.” “Also, I need to give Pearl a legitimate name. I won’t let her be slandered and abused again. So, now you are the third party attempting to infiltrate our marriage with a bastard child.” His gaze fell on the sleeping baby beside me. I trembled violently, unable to utter a single word, watching Alec protect both Stella and Pearl as they left. Alec looked back at me deeply, his tone unusually softened. “Eleanor, tonight I’ll have someone take you to the press conference.” “Think about your father. You know what to say and what not to say, I’m sure.” That evening, Alec’s people arrived as promised. Leading them was none other than Pearl. She stood elegantly, dressed in a haute couture gown. The amulet on her wrist, however, made my pupils constrict in shock. Four years ago, when Sasha was critically ill, I had bowed and prayed at countless temples, big and small, to obtain that amulet. Alec had scoffed at my superstition, calling it primitive, yet he had secretly taken it and given it to Pearl. Pearl shed her innocent facade, revealing her mischievous true nature. “Sorry, Godmother, Daddy and Mommy are busy, so I’ve come to get you.” Before I could react, several bodyguards forcibly seized me and shoved me into a car. But my baby and Pearl were still in the hospital room! I was frantic, struggling with all my might to break free and rush back to the room. At the end of the corridor, Pearl held my motionless baby, grinning at me with a sinister smile. I screamed in despair, pushing her away and snatching my baby back. My baby’s face was ashen, breathing faintly. I cried hysterically, begging the doctors to save him like a madwoman. But everyone avoided me. This was all at Alec’s instruction. The baby in my arms gradually grew cold. The immense grief caused my freshly-sutured post-delivery incision to rip open. Blood gushed onto the floor. I frantically squeezed Pearl’s neck, my eyes bloodshot, shrieking. “Why?! Why did you kill my child?! Pearl, I was so good to you! How could you be so vicious!” The next second, a powerful, wind-whipped slap landed heavily on my face. Alec, furious, shielded Pearl behind him. Behind him, reporters’ long lenses and flashes aggressively flickered at me. “Eleanor, you’re insane! Pearl is just a child! You killed your own child and now you want to frame Pearl and take it out on her?!” Stella, kneeling before me, was in tears. “Eleanor, we’re best friends! I don’t know how I offended you, that you would treat Pearl like this. Pearl has always looked up to you as her most respected person!” The reporters swarmed, verbally assaulting me. “Eleanor, not only did you interfere in your best friend’s marriage, but you also assaulted a child. Do you know that what you’re doing is illegal?” “Who knows which random guy you got pregnant with, and you dare to slander Professor Davies? You evil woman, how dare you lay hands on an innocent child!” I was exhausted from the pain, my neck stiff as I stubbornly argued. “My child isn’t a bastard! He’s Alec Davies’s child! Stella is the mistress who broke us apart!” “If you don’t believe me, we can do a paternity test!” Alec’s eyes were dark and somber. Moments later, he pulled out a paternity test report. But it showed that the baby had no blood relation to him. “He’s not my child at all. Are you going to keep harassing us with a bastard child? Stella, out of consideration for your friendship, has been endlessly tolerant of you, but it turns out she welcomed a wolf into her home!” The moment his words fell, he pulled out his marriage certificate with Stella and violently threw it in my face. “Everyone saw it, Stella is my legal wife! Pearl is my only daughter!” Alec picked up the injured Pearl, and before leaving, didn’t forget to warn me. “If anything happens to Pearl, I will never let you off the hook.” He left me alone, facing the swarm of reporters and their abusive curses. I desperately hugged my baby’s cold body, struggling to hide in the stairwell corner. Seeing the purplish marks on my baby’s neck, my heart felt as if it had been torn to shreds, the pain so suffocating. Just then, I suddenly received a phone call. “Ms. Evans, your father, Mr. Robert Evans, has committed suicide by jumping from a building due to severe mental distress. Please accept our condolences.” My phone instantly crashed to the floor. It turned out that everything that just happened had been live-streamed. I failed to protect my child and caused my kind father to die so humiliatingly. Watching the reporters about to break through the door, I slowly rose, step by step, climbing to the highest floor. Outside the clinic, Alec had a vague, uneasy premonition. Pearl, like him, had a hereditary heart condition. Her body hadn’t been well since the heart transplant. He and Stella had protected her like delicate porcelain. But Eleanor dared to frame and bully her like that! Stella cried, falling into Alec’s arms, saying Pearl’s condition was bad and she needed a blood transfusion. She secretly curled her lips, urgently tugging at his collar. “Eleanor has O-negative blood, she can do it!” But Alec suddenly remembered the puddles of blood beneath Eleanor… In her physical state, if she were to donate blood, she would surely die. As he hesitated, a figure rapidly fell from the window, like a butterfly. Alec’s eyes met hers, his pupils suddenly constricted, and he rushed to the window.

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1 My roommate brought back a peculiar potted plant that didn’t bloom, claiming it could grant wishes. I paid it no mind, until my graduate school admission was stolen by her, and my health took a sharp turn for the worse. On my deathbed, I saw the flower finally blossom; its core was a perfect, twisted image of my face. Vicky, my roommate, stroked its petals, her smile gentle. “Thank you, Ivy. You granted my deepest desire.” I opened my eyes and found myself back on the day she carried the plant into our dorm room. “Ivy,” she asked, “should we raise it together?” I smiled and nodded. “Yes, we’ll nurture it carefully, together.” The next day, I clipped a few branches and mailed them back to her parents’ house, under her name. “Ivy, look! This is the treasure I brought back from my hometown!” Vicky’s voice vibrated with the excitement of someone presenting a precious gift, as she thumped a dusty terracotta pot onto my desk. Dust billowed, making me cough and cover my nose. Inside the pot was a strange-looking plant. It had no flowers, only a few thick, dark green leaves with ominous, dark red edges, like congealed blood. The entire plant radiated a chilling aura. I stared at it, and the suffocating sensation of my previous deathbed seized my heart. This was the plant. It was called a ‘Flesh-Wish,’ feeding on the life force of the person closest to it to grant the wishes of its caretaker. In my last life, Vicky had used it to drain everything from me. My grades, my honors, my health, and finally, my life itself. She got her wish, usurping my spot in the master’s program, snatching the national scholarship that should have been mine, and stepping over my corpse onto a bright, paved highway to success. I, meanwhile, at the age of twenty-one, had my life force utterly depleted, withering away like a faded flower on a hospital bed, silently fading. Before I died, I saw the ‘Flesh-Wish’ on the hospital windowsill finally bloom. Its blood-red petals layered upon each other, and in the center, the flower’s core was a face identical to mine, twisted in agony. Vicky sat by my bed, gently stroking that tortured face, whispering to my already voiceless body: “Ivy, don’t blame me. It’s not my fault you were better than me at everything.” “You should share a little bit of what you have, shouldn’t you?” Before my death in the previous life, I was filled with nothing but burning hatred. “Ivy? What are you staring at?” Vicky nudged me, grinning. “I’m telling you, this flower is magical! It can grant wishes!” “If we raise it together, your wishes can come true too.” Our other two roommates, Liz and Sarah, hid in the distance, their faces etched with revulsion. “Vicky, this flower looks really creepy. You should probably just throw it away,” Sarah whispered. Vicky’s face instantly darkened. “Creepy? What’s creepy about it?” “Ivy didn’t say it was creepy, so why are you making a fuss?” Sarah choked on her words, daring not to speak again. Liz just frowned, remaining silent. Our dorm was always like this: Vicky came from the wealthiest family and was accustomed to giving orders. The other two and I came from ordinary backgrounds, relying on scholarships to get by. In my previous life, I had chosen silence because I didn’t want to cause trouble, and because I understood Vicky’s personality—the more I opposed her, the more she’d dig in her heels. But my silence led to her increasingly brazen actions and my tragic death. This time, I wouldn’t be silent. No, not only would I not be silent, I would… embrace it with enthusiasm. I looked up, a brilliant smile spreading across my face. I reached out and gently touched one of the thick, fleshy leaves. It was cold and slick, like touching dead flesh. “It’s not scary at all. I think it looks so unique, really adorable.” I looked at Vicky, my eyes sincere. “Vicky, you said it can grant wishes? Is that true?” My reaction made Vicky freeze. She probably expected me to react like Liz and Sarah, urging her to throw the monstrosity away. “Of, of course it’s true!” she stammered, recovering, her voice barely concealing her triumph. “Everyone back in my hometown says so.” “That’s wonderful!” I feigned immense interest. “Then we absolutely must take good care of it. Vicky, I’ll take over the watering and fertilizing. I promise to make it grow big and strong!” Vicky’s smile froze. She eyed me suspiciously, as if trying to find a flaw in my expression. I let her scrutinize me, my gaze clear and open. After a long moment, she smiled again, though her eyes remained cold. “Alright, if our academic superstar Ivy says so, then I’ll leave it to you.” She happily shoved the flowerpot onto my desk. “Just leave it here. You love reading, don’t you? Let it keep you company and absorb some of your scholarly aura.” She had said the exact same thing in my previous life. Because the ‘Flesh-Wish’ feeds on the person closest to it. I smiled, accepting it with feigned gratitude. “Okay.” Watching her back as she walked away, a look of profound relief on her face, the smile on my lips slowly turned icy. Vicky, this time, I will help you nurture this flower very, very well. So well that you, and everyone you care about, will become its finest nourishment. 2 The next morning, while Vicky and the others were still asleep, I quietly set my plan in motion. I was a biology major, with a decent understanding of botany. In my previous life, tormented to the brink of death by this ‘Flesh-Wish,’ I had frantically scoured countless ancient texts, searching for a way to break its hold. Though I couldn’t save myself, I learned everything there was to know about this evil plant. The ‘Flesh-Wish’ was incredibly resilient, capable of asexual reproduction through grafting and cuttings. Each offshoot would establish a peculiar connection with the mother plant. They would simultaneously draw life force from their surroundings, but ultimately, all that energy would converge on the original provider – the wish-maker. At the same time, the offshoots would send energy demands back to the mother plant, which was Vicky. One ‘Flesh-Wish’ feeding on one me was enough to grant her wishes. But what if there were three, four, or even more ‘Flesh-Wish’ plants? I took out the sterile scalpel I had prepared earlier and carefully cut two of the healthiest branches from the base of the ‘Flesh-Wish’ stem. Dark red, viscous sap oozed from the cuts, emitting a metallic, rusty smell. I wrapped one of the branches in a damp paper towel and placed it in a small delivery box. The recipient was Vicky’s parents, living in their rural hometown. I had noted down their address when I helped her compile documents for a poverty assistance application last semester. For the sender, I neatly wrote her name: Vicky Chen. I even included a handwritten card, mimicking her seemingly innocent and carefree tone: “Dad, Mom, this is a treasure said to bring good luck and health.” “I planted one at school, and I’m sending you a branch specially.” “Wishing you good health and a long life!” After completing all this, I sealed the box and, as if nothing had happened, went to the cafeteria for breakfast, mailing the package on my way. The other branch was placed in a sealed bag and hidden deep inside my backpack. It had a more important purpose. When I returned to the dorm, Vicky was already awake. She sat at my desk, gazing with infatuation at the ‘Flesh-Wish’ plant. “Ivy, I just watered it. I feel like it’s grown a tiny bit,” she said excitedly. I smiled and walked over. “Really? It must really like our dorm environment then.” I glanced over, feigning indifference. Sure enough, where I had cut off two branches, two barely visible, tiny buds had already emerged. One wouldn’t notice them without looking closely. Its regenerative abilities were even stronger than I had imagined. Vicky stood up, satisfied, and clapped her hands. “Alright, I’m off to my date.” “Ivy, my precious baby is in your hands, okay?” “Don’t worry,” I waved at her. The person she was referring to as her date was Liam, the captain of the university’s basketball team. A handsome, charismatic figure from a wealthy family, with countless admirers on campus. He was also the only person who had stood up for me in my previous life, after Vicky had stolen my master’s program spot. Unfortunately, in that life, I was utterly exhausted, physically and mentally, by Vicky and the ‘Flesh-Wish,’ and had no energy to spare for anything else. In the end, Liam, because of me, became a target of Vicky’s resentment. After graduation, his business ventures repeatedly failed, leading to a miserable fate. In this life, Vicky was still relentlessly pursuing him. 3 That afternoon, we had a general education class, attended by our entire department. The lecture hall was packed. I deliberately chose the last row, where Liam and his roommates usually sat. Liam and his friends soon arrived, taking seats in the row next to me. “Hey, Ivy.” Liam greeted me directly, his tall frame radiating cheerfulness, a bright smile revealing his white teeth. I returned his smile as a greeting. Vicky saw this exchange and immediately squeezed through the rows, plopping down beside Liam and intimately linking her arm through his. “Liam, why are you sitting here?” “I thought you weren’t coming today.” Liam subtly withdrew his arm, his tone distant. “I always sit here.” Vicky’s face fell slightly, but she quickly recovered her smile and began chattering, trying to find a topic of conversation. After class, I called out to Liam. “Could you do me a favor and give this to Vicky?” I handed Liam a jade bracelet, exquisitely crafted. Within its pale green surface, a faint, dark red hue pulsed—the tiny ‘Flesh-Wish’ cutting I had hidden inside. “Why don’t you give it to her yourself?” Liam asked. “If I give it to her myself, Vicky will feel obligated to return the favor later. She helped me a lot recently, and I just want to thank her quietly. So, let’s say it’s from you.” Vicky, you like Liam so much. Let me give you a little push. “Alright,” Liam agreed. Days passed. The master’s program admission list was about to be officially announced. This was the first turning point of my destiny in my previous life. During that time, I inexplicably began to suffer from insomnia, headaches, and mental fog, yet hospital tests showed nothing wrong. Vicky, however, was radiant, brimming with joy every day. Ultimately, my name was replaced by hers. But in this life, I ate well, slept soundly, and felt an unprecedented surge of energy. It was Vicky, instead, who began to look unwell. She had heavy dark circles under her eyes, constantly dozed off in class, and her temper grew increasingly volatile. “Ivy! Can you stop flipping pages so loudly?! It’s driving me crazy!” she suddenly yelled at me. I was sitting at my desk, reviewing. Her outburst made me look at her, bewildered. Our other two roommates also cast surprised glances. “Vicky, Ivy’s turning pages very quietly,” Liz whispered. “I just think it’s loud! Is that a crime?” Vicky retorted unreasonably. Liz flinched, not daring to speak further. I closed my book and looked at her. “Vicky, have you not been getting enough rest lately? You look terrible.” “Mind your own business!” she glared at me fiercely, then rolled onto her bed and pulled the covers over her head. I ignored her. I knew. The ‘Flesh-Wish’ backlash had begun. The bigger her wish, the greater the ‘cost’ she had to pay. Admission to a master’s program, for someone with her grades, was undoubtedly a monumental wish. One mother plant, two offshoots – a threefold drain on her life force – was already starting to take its toll. That night, Vicky received a call from her mother. She hid on the balcony, speaking in a hushed tone, but I still caught snippets. “What? It’s worse again? How could this be… Weren’t you taking your medicine…” “Mom, don’t panic. I… I’ll come home tomorrow…” After she hung up, she walked back in, looking utterly distraught, her eyes red-rimmed. “Vicky, what’s wrong?” I asked, feigning concern. She glanced at me, hesitated, then shook her head. “Nothing.” In my previous life, her parents’ health, while not perfect, was never this severe. It seemed my ‘gift’ had reached them.

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1 The holiday wasn’t even here yet, but our little quartet in Newhaven was already holding a vote on one crucial matter. The agenda: whether or not to let Connor join our purely platonic circle. In my gut, I was certain my childhood best friend, my good buddy, and my girlfriend would all oppose it, just like me. After all, anyone could see Connor’s intentions; not only did he subtly and openly target me time and again, but he was always cozying up to my girlfriend. But reality delivered a brutal slap to my face. My childhood best friend, Jenna, said she agreed, completely nonchalant. She even went on about how excellent Connor was in every way, then accused me of jealousy. My good buddy, Liam, chimed in, saying I was too selfish, that I shouldn’t stop everyone from making new friends. My fists clenched in anger, pinning my last hopes on my girlfriend, Janelle. But she was already sending Connor a group chat invite. She even tried to convince me that a friendship of five wasn’t so bad, telling me not to be so dramatic. It was in that moment I finally understood: the love and friendship I had always deeply believed in had, it turned out, abandoned me long ago. … My throat felt like it was clamped by a giant hand, a wave of suffocation washing over me. I’d known them for twenty years. Elementary school, middle school, high school, even college – the four of us had always been at the same school. There was nothing happier in the world than having both friendship and love by my side. I thought our world of four would never include anyone else. Now, they were ganging up on me for a guy they’d known for less than three months. I couldn’t help but feel furious. “I don’t agree. Connor isn’t one of us. Why does he have to muscle his way in here?” “Liam, you know he’s sent ambiguous messages to Janelle privately. Are you still going to help him gang up on me?” Before, if other guys coveted Janelle, he would unhesitatingly curse them out for me. Why was it different with Connor? To my surprise, his face wore an expression that implied I was being unreasonable. “Ethan, why do you think so badly of Connor? He was just discussing group assignments with Janelle.” “You’re so paranoid and suspicious. It must be exhausting for Janelle, as your girlfriend, and we, your friends, are tired of it too.” Connor asked Janelle to bring him an umbrella at the movie theater. He asked Janelle to accompany him to the infirmary when he got hurt playing basketball. He even bought heart-shaped chocolates and wanted Janelle to try some. Was all this just my paranoia? I actually started to doubt myself. Tears welled up, but I forcefully held them back, making the tip of my nose ache. Janelle’s face began to show impatience. “Ethan, the world doesn’t revolve around you.” “All three of us voted yes. Connor will join our quartet now.” “Afterward, we can discuss where to travel. You like photography, right? Connor is great at taking pictures, so he can even get some good shots of you. Isn’t that a win-win?” My heart, however, turned cold inch by inch. The notification chime pinged. Janelle and the other two had smiles playing on their lips. I took out my phone and saw that the original group chat of four had become five. Connor had joined. [Hey everyone, I’m Connor. Please take care of me from now on! I can do basketball, singing, photography, and video editing, so you can always find me. ] He even tapped each of our four profile pictures. He tapped Janelle’s first, and mine last. Liam immediately sent a bunch of cute emojis, welcoming him. Liam: [A huge welcome to Connor joining our Newhaven crew!] Jenna: [Welcome, Connor!!!] Janelle: [Let’s go for a barbecue this weekend, as a welcome party for Connor.] They chatted merrily in the group. A tear dropped onto the screen, which I haphazardly wiped away. I bravely looked at them: “If you insist on him joining, then I’m leaving.” They merely gave me a fleeting glance. “Ethan, throw your fit if you want, but it won’t be so easy to get back in later.” Then they continued their lively chat with Connor. They thought I would compromise. They didn’t expect I would say goodbye. I swiftly exited the group chat that had existed for over ten years. Then I blocked all three of them. “Fine. From now on, we go our separate ways.” I turned and left decisively. I heard Janelle whisper, “He’ll regret it in a few days, just ignore him.” I quickened my pace, refusing to let myself wallow in betrayal again. Back in my dorm, I put on my headphones and started a movie. Frame after frame flashed by, but I wasn’t really watching. I couldn’t help but wonder what they were chatting about with Connor in the group. Were they talking bad about me behind my back, or were they simply avoiding the topic of my ‘buzzkill’ presence? I hated this feeling. My roommates’ discussion suddenly caught my attention. “Connor posted again, saying he’s made three really good friends and joined their little crew.” “He also said the four of them are going abroad for the May Day holiday and he’s really looking forward to it.” “Of course, being handsome means making new friends so fast. He only transferred here less than three months ago.” I clicked on his new post, and seeing the screenshots of their chat records, a chill ran through me. For him, Janelle and the others had changed the group chat name to “Connor’s Crew.” Connor had become the pampered favorite. And since I’d left the group and blocked them, there hadn’t been a single friend request on my phone. More than sadness, it was a profound chill. I became even more resolute about leaving. I turned off my phone and started packing. All the big and small gifts Liam, Janelle, and Jenna had given me went into a box. On the windowsill sat a beautifully blooming tulip. My roommate saw me about to throw away the tulip and immediately came over. “Ethan, why are you throwing away the tulip? I remember all four of you had one, and you said you’d hold them up for a photo together at graduation. It was your unique memory.” Yes, Liam had suggested that idea. Janelle had laughed, saying she wanted to plant the same pink tulip as me. That night, when we video chatted in our dorm, she gesticulated wildly, saying hers was growing better than mine. But now, there was no need for this tulip to stay. My tone was casual: “Things from the past, when it’s time to throw them away, you should.” They exchanged glances. “Ethan, is it because Connor took your place, so you’re cutting ties with them?” “Honestly, we get it. Connor’s gaze towards your girlfriend was never innocent. As your good friends and girlfriend, they weren’t blind; they just underestimated you, ignoring your hurt.” “You should distance yourself from everyone who hurts you. You’re doing the right thing.” I dreaded being comforted. Tears, disobedient, welled up. Such a simple truth, my roommates understood me, but Liam and the others, who had grown up supporting each other for twenty years, chose to sacrifice me. That night, I stayed awake until dawn. The next day was Saturday, our usual hangout day. To vent my emotions, I decided to book a small private karaoke room, hoping to feel better after singing. I just didn’t expect Connor to push open the door and pause my song. My voice was displeased: “It’s incredibly rude and uncultured of you to arbitrarily mess with my song like that.” But he maintained his innocent demeanor. “My apologies, I didn’t mean to. Ethan, I know you have a prejudice against me, but I genuinely want to be friends with all four of you.” “You specifically chose the room next to ours, didn’t you, hoping Janelle and Liam would come looking for you? I’ve come here to invite you, come join us for cake. Janelle bought such a big welcome cake; it’d be a waste not to finish it.” From the first time I met Connor, I clearly felt that his words and actions made me uncomfortable. He transferred to this university, a fellow architecture student like Janelle. At the freshman welcome party, Janelle sang a song. Connor, holding a bouquet of flowers, stared at her with sparkling eyes. “Janelle, you sing so beautifully, and your major coursework is top of our department. If you were my girlfriend, I’d slap myself during arguments.” Such ambiguous words really ignited my temper. Janelle looked at me, at a loss. I stood beside her, my arm linked with hers, declaring my claim. “Excuse me, but this is my girlfriend, Janelle. Please don’t say things like that again.” He thrust the flowers at her: “I’m just admiring her, I’m not actually trying to steal your girlfriend.” Janelle returned the flowers to him, tightening her grip on my hand. “Ethan and I have a great relationship. Please don’t make such dull jokes, you’re a fellow student.” Rejected, Connor wasn’t annoyed, simply smiled and walked away. I believed Janelle would give me enough security. When Liam found out, he even helped me fiercely scold Connor for being a sly one. “He’s nowhere near as good as our Ethan, just trying to cozy up to Janelle, shameless.” “Don’t worry, I’ll make Jenna play fewer games and keep an eye on Janelle for you. I’ll also keep an eye on Connor in the department, not letting him get close to your Janelle.” But for some reason, they soon became lax. I often heard them, the three of them, praising Connor. Jenna said, “Connor’s piano skills are really high level, he’s won major awards.” Liam said, “Connor has such a great personality, always smiling, and takes good photos. I’ve even followed his account!” Janelle didn’t even reject his ambiguous advances. “Connor’s architectural drawings are even better than mine. The professor is right, I should learn more from him.” Both friendship and love had quietly soured. I often argued with Janelle because of Connor. Liam and Jenna gradually stopped siding with me. Until this time, the group chat had him, and it lacked me. Finally, their wish had come true. I put down the microphone, my tone blunt. “Connor, I came to this karaoke place first; there’s no ‘specifically choosing to be next to you’ involved.” “I have no interest in how Janelle and Liam want to celebrate you, nor do I care for any big cake. Please leave.” Two clear, simple sentences were enough to make him tear up in perceived grievance. He took a step forward, his voice cracking with a sob: “Ethan, please don’t think so badly of me, okay? I also don’t want to be the reason you and Janelle fight.” The moment his tears fell, Janelle walked in through the door. She first shot me an annoyed glare, then took Connor’s wrist, standing in a protective stance over him. “Ethan, Connor feels terrible, he’s been trying so hard to mend things between you two, and you just have to be aggressive and embarrass him?” Liam poked his head out, patting Connor’s shoulder in comfort. He sighed, looking at me: “Ethan, your temper is really strange. You even made someone as good-natured as Connor cry. You’re truly no fun, no manhood at all.” Everyone sided with Connor; I became the scapegoat. Years of deep feelings had dissolved into a joke. “That’s right, I have a bad temper, and you’ve all been friends with me like this for twenty years.” “But you won’t get that chance anymore.” I grabbed my bag, ready to leave, but Janelle grabbed my arm. “Ethan, take the easy way out, don’t let it come to this.” “After we finish Connor’s welcome party, we can all go back to campus together.” “I don’t care for it—” She and Liam shoved me, forcibly pushing me into their private room. On the table was a three-tiered cake with Connor’s name on it. My gaze fell on the gift bags next to Jenna. At a glance, I recognized a pair of sneakers I had coveted for a long time. Janelle had even promised me she’d buy them for my birthday in June. There were also the over-ear headphones and camera Liam and Jenna had been clamoring to get me. Connor immediately picked up the three gift bags, his face radiating happiness. “I absolutely love all the gifts you guys gave me.” “Ethan, it’s okay, I’m just happy you could make it.” I couldn’t even bother to give him a look of disdain. Jenna, usually quiet, had always been good to me. She pulled me down to sit, saying faintly, “Ethan, know when to quit. The five of us are pretty good too.” I just found it utterly absurd. “What good have I received?” Music started playing, and Connor, surrounded by them, made a wish and blew out the candles. Afterward, he approached me with a canned beer. “Ethan, let’s drink one, let bygones be bygones!” I got up, not wanting to deal with a bunch of crazy people anymore. “No—” Connor, oblivious, came closer with the beer. Its sharp edge painfully grazed my wrist, making my whole body tingle. But his scream was even louder than mine. “Ah, my hand hurts so much!” “Ethan, if you don’t want to talk to me, I can leave, but my hand still needs to draw—” His fingernail was merely broken, it would heal in a few days. My wrist, however, was already bloody and mangled, hurting so much that I lost the ability to think. Janelle’s eyes were dark and stormy; she immediately grabbed Connor’s hand to check his injury. “Don’t be scared, I won’t let you be unable to draw.” Liam and Jenna also angrily rebuked me, displeased. “Ethan, how could you be so heartless? That’s his drawing hand!” “Ethan, as a friend, I’m very disappointed in you!” Connor cried incessantly, leaning into Janelle’s embrace. “Don’t blame him… hiss, it hurts so much…” Janelle, holding him, walked out. As she passed me, her accusing gaze would have startled even a bystander. “Ethan, you went too far. You ruined a perfectly good celebration.” She ignored my continuously bleeding wound, instead defending Connor. My eyes stung, but my voice was incredibly firm: “Janelle, we’re breaking up. From now on, we have nothing to do with each other.” “Liam, Jenna, we are no longer friends either.” Janelle paused, then led Connor away. “Suit yourself.” In the vast private room, I was left alone to bear the immense pain. The candlelight abruptly extinguished, just as our years of ties and affection reset to zero at that moment. I tore off some clothing to bandage my wound, held my breath, and walked out. At the door, I ran squarely into a law student, Anya. Her expression was solemn; she immediately hailed a cab. “Your hand is quite badly hurt, you should go to the hospital.” I didn’t refuse or dither; I got in the car. “Thank you.” She stayed with me throughout the wound treatment. Finally, Anya even dropped me off at my dorm. As she left, she seemed hesitant. “Ethan, a few of us students are planning to visit a law firm during the May Day holiday for an internship. Are you interested in joining us?” I figured I’d be alone anyway. Rather than wallow in sadness in my dorm, licking my wounds alone, I might as well find something to do and prepare for my future career. So I nodded: “Yes, I’ll come along. Thank you for the invitation.” Her steps were light as she left. The long-awaited holiday arrived as planned. However, I received a friend request from Janelle. [Ethan, you’ve been dramatic long enough. Take a cab to the airport now, apologize to Connor in person, and we’ll all happily go on our trip abroad together. You have one hour to get here.] Liam and Jenna sent similar messages, all demanding that I apologize to Connor. They even offered their forgiveness as a form of charity. I scoffed, ignoring them. I focused on visiting the law firm and learning with Anya and the others. At the airport, Janelle, Liam, and Jenna looked expectantly at the security gate. The broadcast announced boarding. Janelle looked grim. “We’re not waiting for Ethan. Maybe he’s regretting it and will buy a ticket to join us tomorrow.” The group of four boarded smoothly. Before turning off her phone, Janelle irritably opened her social media. But in someone else’s video, she saw Ethan with another girl. Watching him intimately embrace another person…

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1 When I opened my eyes, I was back at my wedding. My maid of honor stood on stage, mic in hand, wearing a sly smirk. “I’m so happy for her,” she announced, “though just last month, she was in the OB/GYN clinic VIP ward. I honestly thought she would never marry.” The hall erupted in whispers. Everyone stared at me. She covered her mouth, pretending innocence. “Oh, I am just joking. Do not read into it.” In my past life, those words destroyed me. I had tried to explain it was only cyst removal, but she laughed it off. “Sure, and that needed a man’s signature? Just a joke. Do not be so sensitive.” My furious fiance then called off the wedding, and I later took my own life. Now, I took a deep breath, squeezed my already angry fiance’s arm, picked up a mic, and held it toward her lips. “Do not stop,” I said softly. “Go on.” I wanted to see if her jokes could save her once I revealed the truth and let everyone see her malice. The microphone was thrust right up to Lynn’s lips. She probably hadn’t expected me, usually so gentle and timid, to confront her head-on in front of hundreds of wedding guests. She recoiled, her neck pulling back, putting on a show of being a startled, fragile little thing. “Oh, Aubrey, what are you doing? You scared the living daylights out of me, shouting like that!” “I already told you, I’m just a straight shooter, no filter, just love a good laugh!” “It’s a happy day, why are you taking it so seriously?” I clutched the microphone, unyielding. “If it’s a joke, let’s see it through.” My voice cut through the air, cold and hard, hitting every guest’s ears. “Share everything you saw and heard at the OB/GYN clinic, word for word. Let’s give everyone a good chuckle.” A flicker of wild glee sparked in Lynn’s eyes; she thought I was bluffing. “Aubrey, don’t push me, everyone’s watching.” “I really didn’t mean to bring up that old guy with the big belly.” She suddenly raised her voice, clearly wanting everyone to hear. “I swear! I absolutely did not see that old man not only pay your surgery fees but also sign on the family member line!” After she finished, she clapped her hand over her mouth again, eyes wide, feigning extreme regret. “Oops, oops, oops! My big mouth.” “Joey, Mrs. Davies, please don’t believe it. That old man was definitely Aubrey’s distant relative, please don’t jump to conclusions!” The entire hall fell into a deathly silence. Three seconds later, the reception hall, filled with hundreds of people, erupted. The buzzing noise threatened to lift the roof off. “Do we even need to guess? She obviously messed around behind her fiancé’s back, got pregnant, and went for an abortion.” “She looked so pure and innocent, but turns out she’s trash. The Davies family’s reputation is completely ruined.” Joey, my fiancé, whom I’d just pushed away, now charged forward like a raging lion. “Aubrey, what the hell is going on?!” His eyes were bloodshot, fixed on me. At the head table, Mrs. Davies, always so poised, instantly turned crimson with rage. “Smack!” She slammed her hand down on the marble table, making wine glasses topple. “Aubrey! Our Davies family comes from a respectable background; we will never marry a shameless hussy!” “If you don’t explain yourself today, this wedding is off!” I watched their frantic antics, not a hint of panic in me. I turned to the furious Joey and asked, my voice utterly calm, “Joey, she, Lynn, just opened her mouth, said a few ‘jokes,’ and you believe her?” Watching Lynn’s gloating expression, I scoffed internally. The quicker he believes her now, the harder he’ll try to throttle her later. Joey froze, a flicker of struggle in his eyes. But just then, Lynn suddenly clapped her thigh and burst into unrestrained laughter. “Oh, Aubrey, you’re really good at twisting things around! If you haven’t done anything wrong, why are you forcing Joey to take a stance?” Lynn, in her heels, strutted over to me, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “Do you dare say you didn’t go to the OB/GYN clinic on the fifteenth of last month for surgery? If you swear you didn’t go, I, Lynn, will kowtow to you right here and now.” The gaze of everyone in the room felt like countless knives, all aimed at me. The last trace of struggle in Joey’s eyes vanished, replaced by extreme anger and humiliation. “Aubrey, answer Lynn’s question!” Joey pointed at my nose, his voice trembling. “On the fifteenth of last month, did you or did you not go to the VIP section of the City General Hospital’s OB/GYN department?!” I looked at him, my voice as calm as still water. “I did.” The entire hall erupted again. My parents, down below, were frantic. My mother, eyes red, tried to rush forward but was held back by several malicious relatives. “Aubrey went for an ovarian cyst removal, it’s not what you’re thinking!” My mother cried out in despair. Hearing that, Lynn laughed even more wildly. She clutched her stomach, shaking with laughter, tears almost streaming down her face. “Right, right, Mrs. Davies is right, it was for an ovarian cyst removal.” She turned to the guests, her face innocent yet triumphant. “But Mrs. Davies, does removing a cyst require an irrelevant old man’s signature? I get it, I get it!” Mrs. Davies rushed forward like a madwoman. “You shameless hussy, you still have the nerve to bring up an ovarian cyst!” She pointed at me, screaming profanities. “Do you really think our Davies family takes in trash?!” Joey completely lost it. He ripped off the groom’s boutonnière from his chest and violently flung it at my face. “Aubrey, you always acted so pure, but behind my back, you were messing around with an old man! You’ve disappointed me so much!” I stared coldly at the boutonnière on the ground, my last shred of hope gone. Go ahead and believe her lies, the real show is yet to come. “The evidence is clear! You even admitted you went to the OB/GYN, what more do you have to say?!” “I, Joey Davies, would rather stay single my whole life than marry a hussy like you!” “Fine.” I spat out the word decisively and pulled off my veil. “Since your Davies family values these ‘jokes’ so much, then this wedding, I’m calling it off.” Mrs. Davies immediately put her hands on her hips. “Then it’s off! Return the five hundred thousand dollars dowry to me, exactly as it was given! And the cost of today’s banquet!” I didn’t even blink. I pulled out my phone, opened my banking app, and right in front of everyone, transferred the five hundred thousand dollars back to Joey’s account. “The money’s returned. From now on, you go your way, I’ll go mine.” I turned to leave the stage. But Lynn grabbed my arm, yelling loudly, “Aubrey, how can you just leave like that? If you walk away now, it’s like admitting guilt, isn’t it?” She suddenly turned to another bridesmaid. “Mia! You were interning at the City General Hospital last month. Tell everyone, did you see it too?!” Looking for a witness, huh? I wanted to see how this rock she brought to crush me would end up crushing her own foot. Mia, suddenly called out, was startled. She was Joey’s distant cousin, interning as a nurse at the City General. Lynn dragged her out of the crowd and pushed her to the microphone. “Mia, you’re always the most honest one. Tell your cousin the truth!” Lynn’s eyes gleamed with excitement. “Did you personally see Aubrey, wearing her khaki trench coat, hat, and mask, being escorted into the VIP operating room by a fat man that day?” Mia stammered, her gaze flickering. Hundreds of people stared intently at her. “I… I was indeed on duty at the reception desk that day…” Mia swallowed hard, not daring to meet my eyes. “I did see someone whose build was very similar to Aubrey’s… with a very fat man beside her…” This statement, undoubtedly, hammered the final nail into my coffin. The entire hall completely exploded. “The bridesmaid really wasn’t lying! She might have a loose tongue, but she was telling the truth!” “The bride has some nerve, why doesn’t she just scram?!” Mrs. Davies, trembling with rage, pointed at me. “What do you have to say now? Even our Mia saw it, you harlot!” Joey, shaking with fury, lunged forward, raising his hand to slap me, but ultimately brought it down with a vicious snarl. “Aubrey, I must have been blind to ever fall for you!” Lynn’s lips were practically stretched to her ears with glee. She let out a fake sigh and patted Joey’s shoulder. “Joey, don’t be too sad. I’m just a straightforward person; if I hadn’t risked offending everyone to say this today, you would have worn that cuckold’s hat for life.” She turned to me, her eyes full of mockery. “Aubrey, out of all the men you could have chosen, why go for an old, pot-bellied guy? What were you after? His age? His hygiene?” Lynn crossed her arms, deliberately clearing her throat. “Mia, what did you tell me back then? Didn’t that woman smell of that limited-edition perfume Joey bought from abroad last month?” Mia flinched, startled, and nodded frantically. “Yes… it was that scent. That perfume is very distinctive, I couldn’t have mistaken it.” Lynn slapped her thigh, shaking with laughter. “Hear that! Even the perfume scent is identical. Aubrey, you can’t say that’s a coincidence, can you?” I quietly watched Lynn in her moment of triumph. The richer the fabricated details, the harder the slap back would be. I didn’t refute her; I simply smiled faintly. “The perfume scent is indeed excellent evidence. But Lynn, is that all you have?” Lynn’s eyes darted around, and to everyone’s stunned surprise, she snatched up my bridal clutch. “I really didn’t want to be this cruel, but your audacity is just too much!” She turned around, holding the clutch high. “Don’t blame me for being nosy, everyone. I just have clumsy hands; when I was helping Aubrey put away the red envelopes earlier, I accidentally felt something hard!” She yanked open the zipper, turned the bag upside down, and shook it vigorously. “Clatter!” Lipstick, cushion compact, and tissues scattered everywhere. Along with them fell an unopened box of pills and a crumpled ultrasound report! And even, a five-star hotel room key card! Lynn quickly picked up the ultrasound report, holding it high. “Everyone, look! Early intrauterine pregnancy, seven weeks!” She then kicked the box of pills, her voice sharp and piercing, echoing through the hall. “Mifepristone tablets! These are legitimate abortion pills!” She clapped a hand over her mouth, feigning heartache. “Aubrey, you call this an ovarian cyst? This cyst seems to have grown arms and legs!” “Oh no, I spoke out of turn again! Everyone, please don’t believe it. Maybe Aubrey found this pregnancy report on the road, and these pills were bought to feed stray dogs. Just a joke, don’t take it seriously, okay!” The entire hall completely lost control, the uproar of angry shouts threatening to tear the roof off. “Disgusting! With ironclad evidence, she still dares to stand there!” “This is an utter disgrace to the Davies family!” Mrs. Davies’s eyes rolled back; she fainted backward, caught by frantic hands. “Kill her, Joey, beat this vile hussy to death!” Mrs. Davies shrieked hysterically. Joey’s eyes were bloodshot, fixated on the abortion pills and room key card on the floor. He was trembling violently. “Aubrey, you still dare to say you didn’t go? You even carry abortion pills with you!” “You slut, ridden by a thousand men!” Joey suddenly grabbed a heavy red wine bottle from the table and, like a madman, charged at me. “Go to hell!” My eyes flashed cold, and I swiftly dodged. With a loud “thud,” the wine bottle smashed heavily on the steps, glass shards flying everywhere. Lynn stood to the side, watching the scene spiral out of control, a barely concealed look of wild glee playing on her lips. Smash away, make a scene. Lynn, the heavier the hammer you drop now, the more satisfying it will be when I crush you into a pulp later. Lynn let out a fake scream and rushed to embrace Joey’s arm. “Joey, don’t be impulsive. It’s not worth killing someone over a woman like this.” She turned her head, her eyes full of triumph as she looked at me. “Aubrey, after all this, why are you still holding out?” “You made a mistake, you should admit it! If you kowtow three times to Joey and Mrs. Davies in front of everyone today, maybe they’ll soften and forgive you.” “I’m helping you get a lighter sentence!” The surrounding guests pointed at me, cursing profusely. “This woman is too cunning. If the maid of honor wasn’t so straightforward, this cuckold’s hat would have been firmly on!” I slowly walked forward. Ignoring Joey’s murderous gaze and the curses from the crowd. I walked up to Lynn and looked down at the abortion pills and room key card on the ground. “Lynn, you just said that these things fell out of my bridal clutch?” “Of course!” Lynn lifted her chin without hesitation, shamelessly. “Hundreds of eyes saw it! Did I put them in there myself? I don’t have that kind of time!” “Are you sure?” I stared into her eyes, my voice chillingly cold. “I swear on my honor, they absolutely fell out of your bag.” Lynn patted her chest confidently. “Good, very good.” I nodded, a chillingly cold smile playing on my lips. “Since you’ve sworn on your honor.” I raised my hand and snatched the spare microphone from the hand of the already terrified emcee. “Then I’ll just, coincidentally, invite everyone to see something even more interesting.” Lynn’s smile stiffened slightly. “What… what do you mean? Don’t try to be so mysterious!” I ignored her. I took out my phone and, in front of everyone, dialed a number. Lynn tried to maintain her composure, yelling loudly, “What new trick are you playing now? Do you think finding some random extra will clean up the ironclad evidence of your pregnancy and abortion?!” I sneered. “I don’t need to clean it up. Since you’ve set the stage, I might as well perform with you.” The moment my words fell. “Bang!” The heavy banquet hall doors were kicked open from the outside. The cursing abruptly ceased. Hundreds of people in the hall gasped simultaneously. And the wild grin on Lynn’s face, which she hadn’t managed to wipe away, froze into a deathly pale mask the moment she saw who was at the door.

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My best friend had recently become obsessed with online prank culture, so much so that she paid $9.99 for a so-called “Surprise Tutorial” package. That day, I rushed to what was supposed to be my own surprise proposal, only to find a scene from a horror movie. Blood splattered across the walls, and my mother lay unconscious in a crimson pool on the floor. I lunged forward, gathering her into my arms, my entire body shaking uncontrollably. Beside me, my best friend clicked her tongue in annoyance. “What a buzzkill. It’s just pig’s blood. I can’t believe it was enough to make your mom faint. The older generation really can’t take a joke.” It all clicked into place. She had doused my apartment in pig’s blood and then told my mother that I had been raped and murdered during a home invasion. The shock had triggered my mother’s weak heart, causing a massive coronary event. I snatched her phone and smashed it against the wall, then slapped her hard across the face, twice. Even with the proposal ruined and my mother’s life hanging in the balance, my boyfriend rushed to defend her. “Ashley was just trying to create an ‘unforgettable memory’ for us! Why are you overreacting like this?” I didn’t have time to argue. I scooped my mother into my arms and sprinted for the hospital. Later, the “prank video” she recorded went viral. High on the digital fame, she decided to try and scare me again, this time dressing up as a masked robber. And this time, I was ready for her with an AK-47. … My best friend, Ashley, jumped into the ambulance with us. I initially thought she was overcome with guilt, that she was there to help. But she immediately started a new live stream, pointing the camera directly at the paramedics performing CPR on my mom. “My friend’s mom is having a heart attack, and the nurses are trying to save her! It’s all because of you guys and your crazy prank ideas.” “Everyone, type ‘1’ to send good vibes! Let’s all beg the Grim Reaper to spare her, okay?” A nurse beside her shook her head in disbelief. I snatched the phone from her hand, my voice shaking with rage. “You scared my mother half to death! Do you have any conscience at all?” Ashley panicked, lunging to get the phone back. “Don’t touch my phone! Look at this engagement! We just hit number one on the city’s trending list! We’re about to go national!” Her complete lack of remorse was staggering. I grabbed her by the collar, ready to throw her out of the moving vehicle, but the nurse quickly intervened. “Don’t do anything rash! Your mother needs you!” Ashley wriggled free, muttering under her breath, “Some best friend you are. Can’t even take a joke.” My face went cold. “What did you just say?” She lifted her chin defiantly. “She’s not actually going to die, so what’s with all the yelling?” “It’s not a big deal! And you broke my phone!” That’s when I noticed the phone she was holding wasn’t hers. It was my boyfriend, Mark’s. Hers was in pieces back at the proposal site. “It was just a prank! Your mom probably didn’t even take it seriously. Besides, she’s old and has a bad heart anyway. You can’t put all the blame on me.” “And I tried to make up for it, didn’t I? I told all my followers to pray for her! You’re making a mountain out of a molehill.” This wasn’t her first “prank.” Once, she stuffed a bag of flour into my purse and yelled that I was carrying drugs as I went through airport security. I was tackled to the ground by security and missed my flight. A multi-million dollar contract fell through, and I was fired. Another time, at a crowded city square, she screamed, “There’s a bomb!” We were both detained and lectured. She just shrugged it off as a joke. Her online fame grew with each stunt, her follower count soaring. Because we had been friends for so long, I had always let it slide. But now, Ashley was gambling with my mother’s life. I trembled with fury, pointing a finger at her. “Ashley, your so-called joke almost killed my mother! Are you even human?” Just then, the ambulance screeched to a halt. The doors flew open, and Mark was standing right there. Ashley immediately scrambled out and threw herself into his arms, sobbing. “I didn’t mean it! I was just trying to make a viral video to raise money for charity!” Mark held her close, then turned to scold me. “Didn’t you hear her? She had good intentions! Can’t you have a little compassion?” “Your idea of compassion is making money by joking about my mother’s death?” I shoved them both aside. “Get out of the way!” I couldn’t waste another second arguing. I helped the paramedics rush my mother’s stretcher towards the emergency room. Fortunately, we had gotten her there just in time. She was stable. Ashley stood outside the hospital room, a look of profound victimhood on her face. She had known my family for years. My dad recognized her and, seeing her apparent distress, tried to comfort her. “As long as she’s okay, that’s what matters. Just no more of this foolishness, alright?” Ashley nodded meekly. But I never could have imagined what I would see moments later. I found her in the stairwell, holding her phone up. “See, guys? The streamer has been forgiven! The show can go on!” “But my friend’s mom is still in the ICU. C’mon, everyone, let’s crowdfund her medical bills! Send some rocket gifts!” When Ashley tried to re-enter the room with her phone, I blocked the doorway. “From this day forward, we are no longer friends. Get out.” She stared at me, stunned, then pouted and walked away. I thought that would be the end of it. But the next morning, when I arrived with breakfast, my mother was gone. I raced to the nurses’ station, my voice trembling. “My mother! Where is she? She’s not in her room!” The nurse on duty looked bewildered. “I don’t know what you mean. She was there during shift change.” My head was spinning. I grabbed a doctor’s arm. “A living person just vanished from inside your hospital?” The doctor panicked and immediately sent staff to check the security footage. Out of nowhere, Ashley appeared, jabbing a finger in my face. “Oh, stop the theatrics, Mandy! Playing the victim again? We all know this is another one of your pathetic stunts!” My eyes snapped to her. “Ashley, was this you?” Her eyes darted away for a fraction of a second before she raised her voice. “Don’t you dare accuse me!” “You’re the one who probably chopped her up and sold her for parts!” The blood in my veins turned to ice. “What did you just say?” Several police officers hurried over. “What’s going on here?” Ashley immediately latched onto them. “Officer, she’s the prime suspect!” “I bet she’s hiding her mom, or maybe even killed her for the insurance money or to sell her organs!” My vision went black with rage. “Ashley! For the love of God, shut your mouth!” “Officer, she’s a prank streamer! You can’t believe a word she says!” Ashley turned her phone screen toward the police. It was black. “I’m not streaming! I’m telling the truth! Mark can vouch for me!” Mark immediately chimed in. “Yes, officer! Mandy’s been spending a ton of money on designer clothes and bags lately. She must have gotten her hands on some dirty cash!” “Check her purse! I bet you’ll find a contract in there!” He and Ashley exchanged a subtle, knowing glance. The officer looked at me. “Ma’am, would you mind if we took a look?” I handed over my bag. They searched it thoroughly. Wallet, keys, phone, and some medical records. “There’s no contract here,” the officer said. I took a deep breath, pointing at the two of them. “Officer, Mark is my boyfriend. Ashley is my former best friend.” “I believe they conspired to kidnap my mother! You should search them and their bags. They probably have tools or a plan for moving a patient!” Ashley thrust her purse forward with a sneer. “Mandy, you’re getting desperate. See? There’s nothing in my bag!” She turned it upside down and shook it. A few loose items fell out, and with them, a folded piece of paper fluttered to the ground. An officer picked it up. His expression changed instantly. It was a draft of a black-market organ sales agreement. With a sharp command, the officers tackled Ashley to the ground. As they cuffed her hands behind her back, she shrieked, her face pressed against the linoleum. “Mandy! You set me up!” Right before I left the house, I saw Mark rummaging through my purse. In the hospital restroom, I ran into Ashley. While she was distracted, I slipped the paper into her bag. I never thought she would actually use my mother’s life for clout again. Cell phone cameras from all around were now pointed directly at her. Pinned to the floor, Ashley finally started to panic. “Stop filming! It’s a joke! It’s all a script! The old lady is fine!” “She’s just sleeping next door, I swear!” I bolted into the adjacent public restroom and found my mother in the last stall. She was curled up on the floor, unconscious, her face a ghastly shade of gray. A nurse did a rapid check. “Her heart rate is erratic, and her blood pressure is dropping! We need to resuscitate, now!” I scrambled to help the nurse lift my mother, when I noticed a flashing red light on a brooch pinned to Ashley’s shirt. I ripped it off her. “You said you weren’t streaming!” The police officer, watching this circus unfold, was utterly exasperated. He first turned to Ashley, his voice stern. “This isn’t a joke, it’s a crime! You’re going to be processed accordingly!” Then he turned to Mark. “You too! You have no sense of right and wrong, just egging her on!” Mark had been looking smugly indifferent until then. His phone rang. It was his boss. After he hung up, Mark exploded, charging at Ashley. His neck was beet red as he screamed, “Couldn’t you at least have blurred my face in your stupid live stream?!” “The whole office saw it! My boss chewed me out! I lost my year-end bonus! You’ve ruined my life!” It only hurts when the knife is in your own back. Ashley’s eyes filled with tears. “It was just a joke.” “You used to say you loved my sense of humor.” Mark cut her off brutally. “That doesn’t mean you drag me into your mess! What if I lose my job?!” Ashley pouted, her eyes darting around. Suddenly, her gaze landed on me again. “Mandy, about your mom’s AIDS… is she cured yet? We wouldn’t want her to infect the nice nurses, would we?” The nurse, who was carefully trying to lift my mother, went pale. My mother was still on the floor, her life hanging in the balance. Something inside my head snapped. I lunged forward, grabbed a handful of Ashley’s hair, and yanked her head back. “You like running your mouth, huh?” I stared into her eyes, my other hand swinging hard. CRACK! “I dare you to say it again!” CRACK! “Say it!” CRACK! Ashley was stunned, her cheek swelling rapidly. The police immediately intervened, pulling me off of her. We were both taken to the station for disturbing the peace. After a severe reprimand, Ashley was detained on suspicion of unlawful confinement, spreading false rumors, and disrupting public order. Mark was also fined for his role in the chaos. As I was leaving, the officer said to me, “Protecting your family is one thing, but don’t resort to violence. Next time, just call us.” I nodded, walked out of the station, and went straight back to the hospital. A week later, my mother was moved from the ICU to a regular ward. The doctor recommended a change of scenery for her recovery. I decided to take her to stay with my aunt in the United States. Before we left, on a whim, I opened the video platform. The “prank” video Ashley had live-streamed from the hospital bathroom had gone massively viral. Millions of likes, hundreds of thousands of comments. I started scrolling through the comments, my fingers slowly going numb. The top comment read: “This old lady’s acting is phenomenal! Puts all these young stars to shame!” Thousands of replies followed: “Seriously, her micro-expressions when she fainted were perfect. She deserves an Oscar.” “The script is great, but the daughter’s acting is a bit over the top.” “Am I the only one who thinks this prank is super creative? More, please!” “The streamer is such a martyr, getting slapped like that. I feel for her. Followed.” “She must have made a killing off this. When’s the next one? Can’t wait!” “Liked, subbed, and shared! Gimme more!” Ashley had replied: “Working on part two! Stay tuned!” Mark called me, asking where I was. He said he had a surprise for me. I told him I had taken my mom to my aunt’s place in Texas to recover and sent him the full address. After hanging up, I booked two more plane tickets and sent an invitation to his parents. Ashley’s video teasing a second prank blew up. Her follower count skyrocketed, and the comments were a frenzy of anticipation. Ashley was ecstatic. In a new video, she showed off her plane ticket to the US, a realistic-looking black ski mask, and a high-quality replica toy gun. She even video-called the team that sold her the “Surprise Tutorial,” announcing an “international collaboration.” With each reveal, the comment section erupted. “The streamer is going all out!” “Can’t wait! Hurry up!” “This is gonna make her ex-best friend piss her pants, LOL!” Buoyed by the cheers, she boarded her flight to come find me. At the same time, I went to a well-known local “underground market.” Here, as long as you had the proper documentation, owning a firearm was perfectly legal. The shop owner greeted me warmly as I entered. “Ma’am, first time buyer? What are you looking for? Self-defense?” I nodded. He immediately pulled out several elegant handguns from under the counter. “This one has low recoil, perfect for a lady. This one is more compact, easy to carry.” “If I were alone, facing multiple attackers, which would be the most suitable?” The owner’s eyes lit up. “Ma’am, then you shouldn’t be looking at these little guys.” He heaved a heavy black case onto the counter. “AK-47.” He patted the steel frame. “Heavy firepower, simple to operate. Nothing better for what you’re describing.” “I’ll take it.” Mark’s parents arrived on a flight just before Ashley’s. I picked them up from the airport and drove directly to a lakeside park. On the way, Mark called to ask where I was. I told him I was on my way to the park. “Just wait for me at the park! Don’t go anywhere! I’ll be there soon, I have a massive surprise for you!” I set up a tent in an open area by the lake, the AK-47 inside. Mark’s parents sat on folding chairs, already starting to complain. “That economy class was torture. My back is killing me after all those hours. Why couldn’t you have booked us business class?” I ignored them and pulled out my phone, opening the video app. As expected, Ashley was already live-streaming. She wore a pair of ridiculously oversized sunglasses, flashing a peace sign at the camera. “Hey, everyone! Almost there! This time, I promise you’ll see my ‘ex-best friend’ absolutely lose her mind!” The chat was scrolling at lightning speed: “Here we go! Front row seat!” “So hyped for this!” “Haha, I can’t wait to see that woman scream!” “This is gonna break the internet!” “Donations are rolling in! Let’s hype up the streamer!” I adjusted the angle of the AK-47, aiming it at the park entrance.

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Three years after overcoming my depression, I applied to join a suicide prevention organization. On the day my internship was about to end, I received a call from a man: “Ma’am, I’m getting married tomorrow. But when I think about marrying a woman I don’t love, I don’t want to live anymore.” I froze. My wedding was tomorrow too. But I was lucky—my fiancé loved me deeply. Just as I was about to comfort him, I heard urgent gasping and a woman’s scream from the other end. The call was abruptly disconnected. My heart tightened. My colleague and I quickly located his position and rushed to the rescue. But when we broke down the presidential suite door at the hotel, what greeted us were two bodies entangled in intense intimacy. The scar on the man’s arm was identical to the one my boyfriend got when he grabbed the knife to stop me from self-harming. The commotion of breaking down the door startled the two people inside. When they turned around, the last shred of hope in my heart completely shattered. One was my fiancé who treasured me like a precious gem. The other was my closest friend. But at this moment, they were naked, tightly pressed together. My brain buzzed. Pearson quickly pulled the blanket over himself and Ivy, coldly saying, “Get out!” My supervisor and colleagues never expected that after racing here at breakneck speed, our rescue mission would turn into catching adultery. My supervisor apologized frantically, then dragged me outside and gave me a harsh scolding. “Zoe Harper, what the hell are you doing? That’s Mr. Pearson! Our organization’s biggest sponsor! Your A-level suicide risk assessment—it was just Mr. Pearson being intimate with his lover? I think you’ve lost your mind chasing success! Don’t even think about passing your probation!” The chance at permanent employment I’d hoped for over three whole months shattered into nothing. But when did my fiancé become the esteemed Mr. Pearson? Back when I finally got into college, my stepfather forced me to marry. In my despair, I was ready to end it all. But I was unexpectedly saved by Pearson, who was drowning in debt at the time. Later, I met Ivy, who was just as poor. The three of us supported each other, squeezed into a tiny rental apartment. Though our days were tight, we were happy enough. But I never knew that the boyfriend who worked day and night delivering food to scrape together money for my antidepressants was actually the CEO of Pearson Group. The best friend who ate bread for a whole month just to buy me a luxury sleep aid was actually my boyfriend’s fiancée. Seeing my disbelief, my supervisor waved dismissively. “You don’t know Mr. Pearson of Pearson Group? You don’t know the heiress of the Ashford family? Their families arranged a business marriage when they were children—they’re engaged for real.” “Everyone in the circle knows Mr. Pearson always protects his own. You’ve offended Mr. Pearson and his lover—you can forget about staying in this field. Go pack your things and get lost!” With that, my supervisor stormed off with the team. Two streams of tears suddenly rolled down my face. I covered my face and broke down crying. I don’t know how long I cried. Suddenly, someone handed me tissues. Pearson’s expression was indifferent. “The floor is cold. Get up. Let’s go inside and talk.” I’d been crouching too long. When I stood up, I couldn’t help stumbling. Pearson naturally reached out to steady me. I pushed his hand away and supported myself against the wall. As soon as I entered the room, the smell of sex made my stomach churn. The familiar contraceptives and lingerie scattered on the floor made my eyes sting. Just this morning, Ivy had pulled me into an adult products store, whispering with a mischievous smile, “Buy this whip—it feels so exciting. And this nightgown, Pearson definitely likes it.” “For my bestie’s sexual happiness, I’ll eat bread for another half month just to get all of these for you. Consider it my wedding gift to you two!” Thinking back carefully, there had been signs all along. I bit my tongue hard until I tasted blood, forcing myself not to lose composure. I took a deep breath, suppressing the sob in my throat. “Mr. Pearson, Miss Ashford, don’t you owe me an explanation?” Ivy’s flushed face instantly turned pale. She opened her mouth and let out a tearful sound. “Zoe…” Pearson calmly blocked Ivy, frowning at me. “Then I’ll tell you straight. I agreed to marry you only to force Ivy to see her own heart and marry me.” “Because Ivy wanted to become a psychological counselor, I pretended to be poor with her and played this rescue game with you for three years.”

During those dark days, Pearson had countless times snatched sharp objects from my hands, encouraging me to overcome my emotions and move toward a new life. Ivy stayed by my side constantly, eating and sleeping with me, using her gentle voice to untangle all my emotional knots. They healed me, and I loved them too. So when Pearson said he needed money to start a business, I sold my mother’s bracelet without a second thought. When Ivy accidentally caused a counseling incident, I took all the blame without hesitation. But now I learned it was just a game the rich played with me. And my role was the clown. Ivy choked out, “Zoe, I know this is hard to accept right now. I can apologize to you.” “It’s just that we already registered our marriage today. If you can forgive me, I can give you the wedding ceremony! I’ll even be your bridesmaid!” Give? I laughed bitterly. “No need. Unlike you two, I find a fake wedding disgusting.” Pearson gripped my wrist hard, confused. “Zoe Harper, what exactly do you have to feel wronged about? Ivy and I lowered ourselves to squeeze into that rental eating noodles with you. We acted out love and friendship for you. Didn’t you enjoy it yourself?” “Ivy was even afraid your wedding would be embarrassing, so she coaxed me into doing it a few more times before I agreed to the fake ceremony. We’re giving you a way out. Don’t be ungrateful.” I shook off his hand and said word by word, “I don’t need fake feelings!” I took off the diamond ring from my finger and threw it at Pearson. I went downstairs to the lobby. Outside the hotel entrance, a large crowd had gathered, noisy and chaotic. “Didn’t they say someone was suicidal? Why did the emergency responders leave?” “I heard a female psychologist made a wrong diagnosis. She actually came to catch someone cheating!” “I hate homewreckers the most. When we beat up the mistress, I’ll help.” Ivy had been chasing after me, but seeing this scene, she stumbled back a few steps. Someone in the crowd immediately said, “I just went upstairs to look. The homewrecker is one of them!” Ivy hid behind Pearson, anxiously refuting, “It’s not me. I already registered my marriage with Pearson. Zoe, help me explain.” In an instant, everyone’s eyes locked onto me. “Isn’t that Zoe Harper from the news? The psychological counselor? The news reported she seduced a client who had a wife!” “That’s her! During counseling, she even advised my wife to divorce me!” “How can a homewrecker be qualified to counsel others?” The accusations rushing at me made my heart tighten. Seducing a client was the boundary violation Ivy caused during her counseling internship. I was afraid she’d get in trouble, so I took the blame. Counselors rarely give advice, but when Ivy was playing with my phone, she jokingly advised clients seeking help to break up or divorce. Watching the crowd close in, I could only try to buy time waiting for security. “This is all a misunderstanding. Actually, actually…” But Pearson cut me off urgently. “Zoe Harper, you did all these things yourself. Who are you trying to slander? You have depression to begin with. You got married at 18 and ran away. With someone like you, nothing you do would be surprising!” As soon as he spoke, everyone’s gaze became both curious and contemptuous. My heart raced and I gasped for air, trembling as I hugged myself. When I used to be too afraid to sleep, Pearson stayed by my bedside with a baseball bat for several nights. When I cried all night because of depression, Pearson held me and patiently told me over and over that it wasn’t my fault. What I once thought was light had now become a piercing blade. Pearson’s words enraged the crowd. An extreme man raised his mineral water bottle and threw it hard at me, but it missed and flew toward Ivy instead. Ivy grabbed me and used me as a shield. The rough plastic instantly sliced across half my face. Blood flowed with the sharp pain. At the sight of blood, the onlookers screamed in panic. “There’s blood! Someone’s killing people! Everyone run!” The crowd scattered. In the pushing and shoving, a strong force hit me. I was pushed down the steps. My abdomen slammed hard into a ground pillar. The pain made my vision go dark. I used all my strength to call for help, but when security arrived, they were stopped by Pearson. Watching Pearson and security protect Ivy as they left, I smiled bitterly and closed my eyes, letting my consciousness sink into the abyss.

When I woke up, both Pearson and Ivy were by my bedside. The side of my face was wrapped in gauze, and my abdomen ached with a dull pain. Pearson trembled as he held my hand, saying softly, “I’m sorry, Zoe. The doctor said your ovaries were damaged. You’ll never be able to have children of your own.” Pearson’s words hit me like a blow to the head. I opened my mouth but didn’t even have the strength to speak. Ivy’s eyes were red as she hesitated. “It’s all my fault for being afraid of blood. Pearson made a big deal out of it and insisted I get in the ambulance first. The doctor said if you’d come earlier, there would have been hope.” Pearson disagreed. “You’re pregnant. It’s right to be careful.” Ivy comforted me. “Zoe, you don’t need to be too sad. The doctor said I’m pregnant. I’ll let you be my baby’s godmother, okay? Since you can never get pregnant again anyway, you can just come back to the villa with us and help me take care of—” Before she could finish, I slapped Ivy. Pearson grabbed my hand, furious. “Zoe Harper, are you crazy? Ivy was trying to comfort you, and you hurt her? Apologize to Ivy!” I said coldly, “Impossible.” Pearson’s grip became even more brutal, but even though the pain nearly crushed my wrist bone, I refused to back down. Pearson threw my hand away and suddenly sneered. “Zoe Harper, you really think I have no way to deal with you? Let’s see just how stubborn you can be!” With that, Pearson took Ivy to find a nurse. I recovered from the pain, got up, changed clothes, and went to see my mom. My mom had a bad heart and was receiving long-term treatment at this hospital. Just as I was about to enter her room, someone covered my mouth with brute force and dragged me to the hallway. The person violently slapped me. I was knocked to the ground, followed by fists and feet raining down on me like hail. “Damn it, you little bitch hid pretty well. If it weren’t for Mr. Pearson, I wouldn’t have been able to catch you two!” “You’ve made quite a bit off men these years, haven’t you? Spit it all out and go back to the village to get married. Try running again and I’ll beat you to death!” Hearing my stepfather’s curses, I instantly felt like I’d fallen into an ice cave, cold as death itself. I hugged my head and curled up numbly, taking the beating. Tears poured out in large drops. So the person who pulled you from the abyss also knows best how to push you into hell. My mom heard the commotion and tried to rush over to protect me, but my stepfather kicked her away. She had an acute attack. My stepfather tried to go after her again, but I desperately held onto his legs, refusing to let go no matter how much it hurt. Seeing Pearson watching coldly from the crowd, I finally broke down. “I was wrong. I’m sorry. Please, let my mom and me go!” Pearson waved his hand, and my stepfather was taken away. He sighed and helped me up. “Wouldn’t it have been better to apologize earlier? Why make yourself so miserable?” “You hurt Ivy’s feelings. Tomorrow’s wedding will be mine and Ivy’s now. Be a good bridesmaid and make amends.” “Remember to hide your wounds. Don’t scare her. I’ll cover all the medical expenses for you and your mom.” I clenched my fists but weakly nodded.

The next day at the wedding, the ceremony and banquet were countless times grander than what I’d originally planned. Ivy wore the wedding dress Pearson and I had designed together. I held up her train under the strange looks of the guests. Ivy was pregnant, so Pearson had me down glass after glass of champagne in her place. Behind me, people gossiped. “Wasn’t Zoe Harper supposed to be the bride? How did she become the one holding the train?” “Getting cheated on and still being this pathetic—was Zoe Harper a turtle in her past life?” “If I had a friend like this, I’d die of shame. I should’ve said I was Ivy’s friend instead.” Pearson pulled me aside and handed me a box of stomach medicine. “Why didn’t you tell me your stomach problem flared up? Ivy’s being naughty, but you don’t need to indulge her tantrums. Take the medicine. I don’t have time to make you soup today.” I ignored him. Pearson laughed coldly and threw the pills in the trash. Ivy glanced at me and pulled Pearson onto the stage. Just as they were about to exchange vows, Ivy suddenly said while holding the bouquet, “That lady down there is my best friend, Zoe Harper.” “Zoe is very pitiful. Her father died when she was young. Her stepfather sexually abused and beat her for years, forcing her to marry at 18. She even developed depression because of it…” My past wounds were ripped open bloodily. My body went numb with cold. Everyone’s gaze made me feel like I was being stripped naked and mounted on an operating table with nowhere to hide. Ivy’s voice lifted. “On this happy day, I hope my best friend can get married with me.” “All of Zoe’s friends and family are here anyway. So whoever catches my bouquet, I’ll marry Zoe to him right now!” Hearing this, quite a few lewd men in the crowd whistled and jeered. Before I could refuse, Ivy had already thrown the bouquet to a middle-aged man in his forties. The man grinned, showing a mouthful of yellow teeth. “Well, I was just worrying about finding a woman to give me children. Marry me and I’ll definitely spoil you rotten!” Ivy’s bridesmaids forcibly dragged me onto the stage. The man groped my waist with a lecherous smile. I looked pleadingly at Pearson. Pearson frowned, about to help me, but Ivy cut in. “Pearson, I just want to get married at the same time as my best friend. If she doesn’t get married, then I won’t either! It’s fake anyway. Just satisfy this one little wish of mine.” Pearson said helplessly, “A wedding is once in a lifetime. Since Ivy likes it, Zoe, just cooperate.” My heart died. I took vows, exchanged rings, and was forced to kiss a strange man in front of everyone. Ivy waved her phone. “Zoe, marriage is a big deal that needs parental consent. I already sent this video to your mom!” I lunged to grab her phone, but it was too late. The phone rang like a death knell. “Ms. Harper, your mother had a sudden cardiac episode and died despite resuscitation efforts.” Hearing this, my internal organs felt like they were being crushed by an invisible hand. The pain nearly suffocated me. I tried to rush at them like a madwoman for revenge, but Pearson grabbed me and said in a low voice, “This is my and Ivy’s wedding. Stop making a scene. Whatever it is, I’ll compensate you after the banquet ends.” Then, like throwing out trash, he tossed me to a man. “Take her away and watch her!” The man chuckled and dragged me outside. I laughed through my tears. “I’d rather have never been saved by you. This life—I’m giving it back to you now.” With that, I broke free from the man and, under everyone’s shocked gaze, climbed out the window and jumped.

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To cancel the arranged marriage, I begged my mother to replace my photo with one covered in acne scars. All because Angel Williams, the heiress of a wealthy family, was an extreme looks-obsessed person. Anyone ugly who came within three meters of her would be thrown out by her bodyguards. I hid my handsome, refined face and pretended to be ugly every day, until Diana appeared. On the day she proposed to me, she held my hand and promised: “Julian, I don’t care about your appearance. No matter what you look like, I will always love you.” I believed her. Despite my mother’s objections, I insisted on getting engaged to her. But on our wedding day, during the ring exchange, she looked lovingly at her first love’s plastic surgery face, shook off my hand, and fled the wedding on the spot. The guests erupted in an uproar, casting sympathetic glances my way. But I just smiled. So it was this simple to see a woman’s true colors. Perfect. Now I could become the Williams family heir with peace of mind.

The wedding march came to an abrupt halt. The undisguised mockery and contempt from the guests nearly swallowed me whole. “How humiliating! He can’t even keep his own woman!” “I told you so. How could Diana, the heir to the Peters family, actually marry such an ugly freak!” “I bet Miss Diana regretted it. I mean, with that face, you’d have nightmares just looking at it at night!” My knuckles turned white as I gripped the bouquet. In my line of sight, Diana was staring intently at her phone screen. On it was a shocking crimson photo of slashed wrists. She looked up, her face full of anxiety, her eyes showing a hint of guilt and pleading as she looked at me. “Julian, Manuel slit his wrists. He’s in the hospital being resuscitated right now!” “I have to go. Wait for me to come back, and I’ll definitely give you an explanation!” I looked at her coldly, my voice not loud, yet it carried clearly throughout the silent chapel. “Diana, if you walk out that door today, we’re completely finished.” The moment my words fell, Diana’s footsteps suddenly froze. She turned around, her face full of struggle. “Julian…” But the next second, from her bridesmaids behind her, one of her childhood friends loudly chimed in: “Diana, just go! Julian loves you so much, he’s not going anywhere, right?” “Besides, with Julian looking like that, who would dare to steal him away!” Sharp laughter instantly filled the entire banquet hall. I ignored those voices, just quietly watched Diana, and said word by word: “If you dare to leave today, I dare to marry someone else.” She froze for a moment, then a smile I’d never seen before appeared at the corners of her mouth. “Julian, stop making a fuss. Besides me, who else would want you?” “Wait for me to come back, I’ll definitely make it up to you!” With that, she turned around without hesitation and rushed out of the wedding hall resolutely. The moment the door closed, what surfaced in my mind was three years ago, the day I first met Diana. I was being surrounded and humiliated for being ugly, and she descended like a god, draping her coat over me. She gently wiped the dirt from my face with a handkerchief, her voice as tender as spring water: “Don’t listen to them. You’re good-looking.” Back then, her eyes were clean and sincere. But now… A mocking smile curved at my lips. She was certain I was ugly, certain I couldn’t leave her, so she dared to trample my dignity so brazenly. Under all those sympathetic yet contemptuous gazes, I calmly pulled off my tie and threw it on the ground. I turned around and walked toward the dressing room without looking back. Sitting in front of the vanity mirror, I picked up a wet wipe and slowly wiped my cheeks. The dense acne marks were wiped away, revealing a handsome, striking face. The door opened, and my mother walked in. Looking at me, she sighed heavily. “Julian, the Williams family sent someone. They’re asking about the arranged marriage again…” Before she could finish, my phone vibrated with a buzz. It was a message from Diana on SnapChat: [Julian, Manuel’s been resuscitated. He’s very scared. I need to stay with him tonight. Let’s postpone the wedding, okay?] Immediately after, there was a new notification on Ins—it was Manuel’s post. A photo of Diana peeling an apple for him at his bedside, her profile gentle and focused. The caption read: [As long as you abandon everything for me, that’s enough.] A mocking arc formed at the corner of my mouth. Just as I was about to block and delete both of them, Diana’s call came through. “Julian, issue a statement saying you suddenly fell ill, that’s why we canceled the wedding.” “Manuel can’t handle stress… and besides, you don’t like seeing people anyway.” Don’t like seeing people? Ha! Just because I’m ugly, my emotions don’t matter to her? I couldn’t be bothered to deal with Diana anymore and hung up directly. Then, facing the mirror, I used makeup remover to wipe away the makeup on my face bit by bit. A stunningly handsome face appeared in the mirror, striking enough to shock anyone.

My mother looked at my restored face, her expression complicated as she sighed: “Child, if it was going to be like this, why did you pretend to be ugly in the first place?” My eyes swept across my reflection in the mirror. The person in the mirror had eyes like cold stars, a high nose bridge, and sharp features, looking exactly like my father in his youth. Father married my mother through an arranged marriage, abandoning his first love. Before he died, he clutched my hand and said: “Julian, you must marry someone you truly love in the future. Only then will you be happy.” That’s why when I learned I was to have an arranged marriage with that pampered princess from the Williams family, I deliberately made myself ugly. I didn’t want an arranged marriage. I didn’t want to become someone like my father. But Diana used three years of tenderness to trick me into giving her my heart. In the end, she was just like everyone else. Since sincerity was worthless, I might as well trade it for tremendous wealth. I turned my head and looked at my mother, who was shocked speechless, my thin lips parting slightly. “Mom, tell the Williams family—this marriage, I accept.” As soon as news of my acceptance of the arranged marriage reached the Williams family, the family’s matriarch Jennifer insisted on meeting me in person. That evening, at the Williams family villa. Jennifer’s gaze fell on my face, with unconcealed amazement. In the past, I would have felt uncomfortable with such a gaze and would even instinctively lower my head. But now, I simply straightened my back, met her gaze, and wore a perfectly appropriate smile at the corners of my lips. Jennifer nodded repeatedly, praising me endlessly: “Angel is so fortunate. This Julian from the Franklin family—his looks, his bearing, even better looking than the male models in magazines!” Her eyes full of affection, she gave me a ring. “This is the Williams family’s heirloom sapphire ring. From now on, you’ll be the Williams family heir!” After settling the arranged marriage, as I was leaving, Jennifer suddenly lowered her voice: “Julian, you should continue pretending to be ugly before the wedding. That way you can give everyone a surprise.” I touched the ring on my hand and thought of the rumored looks-obsessed capital city heiress. Angel, the Williams family’s only heir. A few years ago, to avoid her running away from marriage, I pretended to be ugly and met Diana. She and I had never met, but to avoid any complications, I still followed Jennifer’s advice. The next morning, I was packing my luggage, preparing to move out of this wedding house I had personally decorated over three years. The door lock suddenly turned. Diana came in carrying seafood sandwiches, her face wearing an ingratiating smile: “Julian, still mad? Look what I bought you?” I looked at the sandwich in her hand, a mocking smile forming at the corner of my mouth. On the day we started dating, I had already told Diana I was allergic to seafood. The next second, I expressionlessly picked up the sandwich from the table and threw it in the trash. Diana froze: “Julian, I waited in line for an hour to buy this. How could you…” Suddenly, seeing my direct stare, she slapped her forehead in chagrin: “I’m sorry, Julian. I forgot you’re allergic to seafood.” “No need to apologize, since we won’t have any relationship in the future anyway.” I directly threw all her personal belongings that I’d packed overnight, along with the ring we hadn’t exchanged, at her feet. I watched as Diana’s face turned pale inch by inch. Watched as she crouched down, picked up the ring, her fingertips trembling slightly. “Julian, don’t be like this… I know I was wrong. We can have the wedding again…” Before she could finish, I impatiently interrupted her: “No need! Now, take your things and get out of my house. From today on, our engagement is dissolved!” She stared at me intently, her eyes actually reddening: “Julian, why?” I looked at her reddened eyes and suddenly found it somewhat amusing. “Why? Because I’m marrying another woman, of course. My fiancée doesn’t want to see me entangled with another man anymore!” Diana’s pupils contracted sharply, shock and panic surging in her eyes. “Who? Julian, are you doing this because of what my friends said yesterday? Are you trying to spite me?” A trace of mocking smile spread from my eyes. I looked at her calmly: “What’s there to be spiteful about? Diana, you think too highly of yourself!” After a long ten seconds, Diana looked at my expression and finally said through gritted teeth: “Fine. If you really want to marry someone else, then tell me who you’re marrying!” “I don’t believe that besides me, there’s anyone else…” She didn’t finish, just looked at me. I was about to say Angel’s name when a timid cough suddenly came from outside the door. Manuel stood at the doorway, his face pale, looking pitiful. He walked in, his gaze greedily surveying this luxurious penthouse duplex. Finally, it landed on the suit hanging on the wall—one I’d spent a year sewing by hand, stitch by stitch. “Diana, this house is so beautiful. I really like that suit too.” “Too bad I’ll never have the chance to wear such a handsome suit in my lifetime…” I looked at the undisguised triumph and provocation in Manuel’s eyes, the smile at the corner of my mouth deepening. Sure enough, the next second, Diana immediately hugged him protectively and turned to look at me, her eyes full of pleading. “Julian…” Looking at her face, I couldn’t help but laugh lightly: “Diana, you don’t want me to let him live in this house and give him this suit, do you?” Diana opened her mouth, about to speak, but her pupils suddenly contracted sharply. Because the next second, I had already grabbed the scissors from the table and viciously cut that suit in half! As the suit fragments floated lightly to the ground, I said word by word: “My things—I’d rather destroy them than let trash touch them!” Manuel screamed and hid behind Diana. “Psycho! Diana! He’s crazy!” Diana looked at the cut-up suit on the ground, then at me, her eyes full of disbelief. “Julian! It’s just a suit!” “Even if you didn’t want to give it away, you didn’t have to destroy it. What will you wear at the wedding?” The smile at my lips deepened: “That’s none of your concern. The Williams family will naturally prepare a new one for me.” Diana’s whole body shook. “The Williams family? You don’t mean the heiress Angel, do you?” Shock flashed in her eyes, then she sneered with disdain: “Julian, everyone knows Angel hates the most…” She looked at me strangely and didn’t continue, but I knew what she was going to say. In the past, I hid my appearance to find a sincere heart untainted by superficiality. Thinking of this, I was too lazy to continue entangling with Diana. I directly took out makeup remover wipes, about to wipe off the disguise on my face to make this woman, whose eyes were full of disbelief, shut up and leave. But the next second, seeing me silent, Diana reached out her hand, about to grab me. “Enough, what are you doing with that? No matter how much you wipe, your face can’t change into…” Before she could finish, my phone suddenly rang. The Williams family’s old butler’s respectful voice rang out in the quiet room, each word clear: “Mr. Julian, Lady Jennifer has instructed that the wedding date is set for three days from now.” Dead silence in the room. The color drained completely from Diana’s face.

“Impossible! How could the Williams family…” She reflexively objected, the panic in her eyes nearly overflowing. “Diana, he must be lying to you!” “How could the Williams family possibly… He’s just mad you ran away from the wedding. He’s deliberately getting someone to put on an act to scare you!” Manuel insisted I was lying. Diana’s gaze lingered on my face for a moment. The wavering in her eyes immediately disappeared. “Julian, stop it. I know you’re mad I left you for Manuel, but you can’t joke about your lifelong happiness.” “Angel…” She swept her gaze across my disguised face and said through gritted teeth: “She’s an extreme looks-obsessed person. How could she possibly marry you? As long as you apologize to me now and say this is all fake, I can…” “Can what?” I interrupted her, my voice calm and unwavering: “Continue keeping me as a backup, and when you’re tired of your first love, you’ll come back to me?” “Diana, do you think I, Julian, am that cheap, that unable to leave you?” She was left speechless by my question, her face turning green then white. Seeing this, Manuel immediately leaned over weakly, his voice carrying a sob: “Diana, let’s just go. Don’t make Julian angrier here.” “Julian is obviously confused with anger. When he thinks it through, he’ll naturally know who really treats him well.” As he spoke, he didn’t forget to shoot me a provocative look. With Manuel’s persuasion, Diana seemed to find a way out. She took a deep breath and looked at me: “Julian, I’ll give you time to calm down. When you’ve thought it through, call me anytime.” With that, she helped Manuel and left without looking back. Ironically, the doorbell rang right after she left. The Williams family butler, along with two assistants, respectfully delivered a huge gift box. When the lid opened, inside was a suit custom-made by a top international designer. Diamonds adorned it, shimmering brilliantly.

Over the next two days, Manuel kept sending me intimate photos of himself with Diana. The backgrounds ranged from hospital rooms to high-end restaurants to the passenger seat of Diana’s sports car. In every photo, Diana looked at him tenderly. I read them all without replying and blocked them directly. Until the night before the wedding, I received a message from Diana’s best friend: [Julian, Diana is just being stubborn. The person she loves most in her heart is still you.] [Come to SKY Hotel tomorrow. She’ll definitely propose to you on the spot and give you a makeup wedding!] I looked at the screen, sneered, and tapped lightly. [Sure, I’ll definitely be there!] How could I not go? My engagement ceremony with Angel was also at SKY Hotel. As if the provocation wasn’t enough, Manuel soon sent me a video. In the video, Diana’s friends laughed mockingly, loudly jeering. “Diana, your fiancé is so ungrateful. Looking so ugly but daring to throw a tantrum at you?” “Exactly! He’s not even half as handsome and considerate as Manuel!” The camera shook and finally focused on Diana’s face. She held a wine glass, her face showing some drunkenness, smiling contemptuously: “Before, I indulged him because he was obedient. Now that he’s not obedient, he needs to be taught a lesson.” “Well said! Diana really knows how to manage her husband!” Everyone laughed loudly, egging Diana and Manuel on to drink a toast. I didn’t continue watching. I just calmly blocked Manuel’s contact. The next day, in the VIP dressing room on the top floor of SKY Hotel, I sat by the floor-to-ceiling window. The makeup artist used makeup remover to wipe away the spots and dullness on my face bit by bit. When the last bit of disguise faded, a stunningly handsome, refined face appeared in the mirror. I changed into the haute couture suit the Williams family had sent, inlaid with 999 small diamonds. Meanwhile, on the second floor of SKY Hotel. Diana had arranged the proposal scene like a dream, with roses covering the entire hall. Although it was under the guise of proposing to Manuel, she kept looking toward the entrance, her eyes showing undisguised anxiety. Manuel held her arm, saying sweetly: “Diana, don’t worry. He’ll definitely come!” But after a full hour, I still hadn’t appeared. The anticipation in Diana’s eyes gradually turned to irritation. Just as she was about to lose her temper, the hotel manager suddenly ran in, sweating profusely. “Miss Diana! Please wrap this up quickly!” “Today the top floor is hosting the heiress of the Williams family’s wedding of the century. All the big shots from the capital are here. If we disturb the distinguished guests, we’re all dead!” Manuel froze for a moment, then took Diana’s arm and said quietly: “Should we go up and see? Just in case it really is like Julian said, we should go congratulate Julian, right?” Diana snorted coldly: “How is that possible? Let’s go up and see!” She led Manuel and a group of friends to the top floor banquet hall. As she walked, she took out her phone, clicked on my profile picture, and sent a voice message: “Stop this, Julian. The Williams family princess is having her engagement party today. I already know you were lying.” “Get to me within ten minutes, and I’ll pretend all your nonsense before never happened.” Just as her voice message was successfully sent. The priceless rosewood door in front of her slowly pushed open to both sides. Thousands of spotlights suddenly shone down. I walked out in that brilliant suit, step by step, in full view of everyone. That devastatingly handsome face was completely exposed to everyone’s sight without reservation. Outside the door, Diana was instantly thunderstruck. She stared fixedly at that face of mine, then at my all-too-familiar figure. Her brain completely crashed, and she murmured in disbelief: “Ju… Julian? Impossible… This is absolutely impossible!” She wanted to rush over like a madwoman. But before she could get within three meters of me, several bodyguards in black instantly pressed her firmly to the ground. A crisp, proud, and extremely oppressive female voice rang out from behind me: “What trash dares to block my husband’s way?”

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