Category: English

My sister Nina came home from a blind date and slammed the door, absolutely furious. “What trash! His salary isn’t even half of mine, and he had the nerve to tell me to stay local, get married this year, and have a baby next year. Going on a blind date with that kind of loser was absolutely disgusting!” Mom and Dad rushed over to comfort her. “We won’t set up any more meetings. That matchmaker has no standards, only introducing you to complete losers.” I stared at the gift box by the door and added quietly, “He was actually pretty nice. He just gave you a ride home and even brought gifts for the whole family.” Nina’s eyes flickered, and she suddenly laughed. “What? You interested in him?” She looked me up and down, her tone dripping with contempt. “Makes sense. You’re inferior to me in every way. A man like that is more than good enough for you.” She waved her hand impatiently. “You want him? Take him. I have zero interest in the kind of dead-end life you get stuck in after marrying someone in a small Southern town anyway.” I quietly added the contact information she pushed my way. I didn’t dare mention that when the man drove her home earlier, he was driving our company president’s car. And as far as I knew, his family owned over thirty properties in this small town alone.

Nina’s anger hadn’t subsided when her phone rang. After replying to the message, her expression grew even darker. “So annoying! He asked me to see a movie tomorrow. I said no, but he still won’t give up!” Mom quickly tried to persuade her. “Nina, don’t reject him outright.” “In a small place like ours, everyone knows everyone. If you shut him down today, tomorrow people will start gossiping, saying you think you’re too good for locals just because you work in New York.” Dad nodded along. “Exactly. Relationships are complicated around here. Who knows what relatives or friends his family knows? If you offend someone, it’ll be inconvenient whenever you come back to handle things.” Nina glanced at me, her tone patronizing. “Sarah, you go tomorrow instead.” “Just help me deal with him. Don’t mess it up.” I didn’t argue. I just nodded silently. No one asked if I was willing. In this family, I’d never had the right to say “no.” To avoid messing up, I stayed up all night researching the movie Rowan had suggested. The plot, the hidden meanings, the director’s filming techniques—I filled an entire page with notes. The next day when we met, Rowan was clearly surprised to see me. I explained, “Nina had something come up at the last minute. She asked me to apologize on her behalf.” Then I casually mentioned a couple things about the movie. His eyes lit up. “Since you understand film too, Miss Snow, the tickets are already bought. Let’s not waste them.” After the movie, he discussed it with me enthusiastically for quite a while. Dinner was his treat. It was relaxed throughout. None of the sleazy preaching Nina had described. Instead, he was very considerate, proactively serving me food and asking if everything was to my taste. After dinner, he suddenly led me into a nearby jewelry store and picked out two necklaces. Seeing the nearly thirty-thousand-dollar price tag, I froze and quickly tried to decline. He smiled and shook his head, paying for them. “Last time I brought gifts in such a rush, I didn’t have time to prepare something individual for you and your sister. You keep this one, and please give her the other as an apology from me.” I accepted the pendant, understanding in my heart that he still cared about Nina. After all, Nina was beautiful and an HR manager at a publicly traded company—a top student. As for me, I was decent-looking at best. Thoroughly ordinary. But I had no intention of giving the pendant to Nina just yet. When I got home, Nina glanced at my hands and snorted. “Oh, he didn’t buy you anything? I told you he was poor and cheap. Takes you out and doesn’t even know how to be generous.” I ignored her and went back to my room to put away the pendant hidden in my bag. I’d just sat down when SnapChat popped up a notification—Rowan had accepted my friend request from last night. I touched up my makeup, put on the pendant, took a photo, and posted it to my feed. Less than two minutes later, Rowan liked it. Outside my room, Nina’s complaints continued. “Thank god I sent Sarah instead. Otherwise he would’ve annoyed me to death. That broke loser actually thought he could chase me. He should take a good look at whether he’s even worthy.” Mom and Dad chimed in their agreement. “Exactly. Nina’s so outstanding, she’ll definitely find someone better in the future.” “I think we should just let Sarah handle these things from now on.” I leaned against the door, feeling nothing in my heart. I’d gotten used to it long ago.

Mom and Dad didn’t use birth control back then and had me by accident. They always felt guilty toward Nina, who should have been an only child. From childhood they told me, “Sarah, don’t compete with Nina. She’s your older sister. You need to defer to her.” Nina took all kinds of enrichment classes growing up—music, chess, calligraphy, painting—she excelled at everything. When I wanted to buy a practice workbook, Mom scolded me for “wasting money.” Nina had a high-paying job in New York, and Mom and Dad secretly supplemented her income with five thousand dollars every month. When I wanted to venture out and see the world, I secretly bought a ticket, but Mom and Dad tore it to pieces. That night, I overheard them discussing in their room: “Nina will get married eventually. We can’t burden her. Sarah’s obedient. Having her take care of us when we’re old will be enough.” In their eyes, Nina was always precious. And me? I was just there to shield Nina from trouble and grievances. A week later, Rowan asked Nina to go hiking. Without a second thought, she refused and pushed me out instead. “Sarah, you go again. Tell him I’m busy with work.” As always, I didn’t argue. I changed into athletic wear and went to the date. While hiking, I walked at a steady pace and would wait for Rowan when he fell behind. I handed him water and helped wipe his sweat. When we reached difficult sections, I’d remind him to be careful. The whole thing was relaxed. I didn’t deliberately try to please him—just did what felt natural. When we reached the summit, Rowan suddenly spoke. “Your sister said she’s busy, but she really just looks down on me, right?” My heart tightened. I was about to explain when he smiled. “I could tell something was off at our first meeting. Today’s hike confirmed it.” “Nina has never given me a kind look, much less been as patient and genuine as you. I won’t force her anymore.” He paused, his gaze becoming especially serious. “Sarah, you’re special. Want to try being together?” “Rowan and I are together now.” When I told Nina, I also took out the gold necklace from last time and gave it to her. “This is for you. Consider it thanks for letting me go on those dates.” Nina clutched the pendant, her brow furrowed, her eyes full of suspicion. “You take home five thousand a month and have to give Mom and Dad three thousand. How can you suddenly afford something this expensive?” I smiled in a seemingly naive way. “I used my savings to buy it for you. It’s not easy finding someone to date in our small town. Rowan makes eight thousand a month, he’s honest, and if I marry him and we’re careful with money, we can live better than most people.” She laughed, her tone dripping with sarcasm. “Oh, so I did you a favor?” “That’s all the ambition you have—picking up the man I didn’t want and thinking you hit the jackpot?” I lowered my eyes and didn’t respond. I’d listened to her mockery for over twenty years. I was immune to it by now. Since getting together with Rowan, we had dinner dates every Friday, but I was always late. It wasn’t intentional. Ever since Manager Lee’s divorce, he’d been making things difficult for me. Every time just before quitting time, he’d dump a pile of work on me and use “discussing work” as an excuse to grope me. That day, Rowan came to pick me up from the office to make sure I wouldn’t be late. I had just walked out of the office building. Manager Lee chased after me, pretending to hand me something, deliberately rubbing his fingertips across the back of my hand several times. I didn’t pull away. I even frowned slightly, showing a wronged and helpless expression. I knew Rowan could see everything clearly from the car. He suddenly honked the horn and shouted coldly toward the building: “Who are you? Why are you touching her?” Manager Lee jumped in fright and hurried away. The next day at work, the office exploded with gossip. Manager Lee had been urgently transferred to a remote rural township. Colleagues whispered that he must have offended someone important. Otherwise, how could he suddenly be transferred without even a chance to argue back? That evening when Rowan picked me up from work, I casually brought up what had happened. He looked at me, his eyes filled with tenderness. “I did it. I won’t let you be mistreated.”

He came clean about his family background. His father was the top executive at my parent company. His mother was the principal of a private school. He said, “I didn’t mention it during the blind date because I didn’t want to show off.” “I studied in Switzerland for several years and had a girlfriend there. We were together for three years with a great relationship, but when graduation approached, she found out I planned to return to develop my career in this small Southern town. She thought I lacked ambition and broke up with me.” “My parents are getting older and have been pressuring me to marry and have children, which is why I agreed to the blind date.” Suddenly it all made sense. No wonder such a high-quality man needed blind dates to find a partner. Rowan suddenly took my hand, his tone serious. “Sarah, I’m telling you all this because I’m not just playing around with you. I’m serious about getting married.” I looked into his sincere eyes and nodded firmly. In our second month together, I went home with Rowan to meet his family. His parents were wonderful people, completely satisfied with me, and even gave me a valuable gift. Half a year flew by, and we decided to get our marriage license. When I told my parents, they said dismissively that the family’s finances were limited and they could only give me ten thousand dollars as wedding gift. I didn’t argue. I gritted my teeth and took out a bank loan, bringing my wedding gift up to one hundred and eighty thousand. I didn’t want to be looked down on at my wedding, and I definitely didn’t want to be laughed at by Nina and parents. On the wedding day, my in-laws specifically spent a million dollars to hold a lavish ceremony at the best hotel in the area. Well-wishers came in droves—all prominent figures in the local community. Even leaders from my company came to offer their congratulations. But until the ceremony started, I never saw my parents arrive. Just as I stood on stage in my wedding dress, barely able to hold myself together, I received a message from my parents. Just a few short sentences: [Sarah, Mom and Dad aren’t coming. Nina suddenly got a fever, so we have to rush to New York overnight to take care of her.] [Your in-laws are just showing off, insisting on holding it at the most expensive restaurant. We looked at the smallest banquet hall there before—it’s barely bigger than a conference room. Going would just be embarrassing. Nina’s illness is more important.] My knuckles turned white as I gripped my phone. Only then did I realize my parents hadn’t even carefully read the invitation. Subconsciously, they didn’t care about me, and by extension, didn’t care about the husband and family I was marrying into. Fortunately, Rowan’s family didn’t take it to heart at all. In fact, my mother-in-law felt especially sorry for me. They said since I was marrying into the family without money to my name, they’d let me manage all the gift money received. Eight hundred thousand dollars in gift money. Four times the two hundred thousand dollar wedding gift my parents had prepared for Nina. That night, I posted our wedding photos to my feed. But the family group chat remained silent. No one sent a single word of blessing. Nina, however, soon posted a photo of a bowl of soup, captioned: [Family is always the most reliable harbor.] I wasn’t angry or sad. After all, I had eight hundred thousand dollars. Money is the best medicine for healing in this world. Shortly after the wedding, Rowan felt bad about my difficult commute and bought me a Ferrari. That morning, I drove to work and passed a flower bed by the road. I took a photo of the blooming flowers and posted it to my feed. Unexpectedly, Nina directly private messaged me, screenshotting the Ferrari logo visible in the corner of the photo, sending three question marks. [Where did you get a car? And a Ferrari?]

My heart skipped a beat. I immediately remembered that since childhood, Nina couldn’t stand me having anything better than her. Once she found out, she’d find ways to ruin it. I suppressed my thoughts and replied: [Just hitching a ride with a coworker.] Her response dripped with mockery: [Hahaha, hilarious. Someone who rides a bicycle goes to work every day with someone who drives a Ferrari and doesn’t feel inferior? Stop pretending. People get the kind of life they deserve.] I didn’t reply. Instead, I clicked on her feed. She’d been working in New York for four years, and this year her salary had risen to eighteen thousand. It looked glamorous on the surface, but to save commute time, she lived in a studio apartment that cost twelve thousand a month in rent, without even a balcony. Her most recent post was about flowers she bought at a subway station. I’d ridden that subway line before. Even at eleven at night, it was packed so tight you couldn’t breathe. Another post complained about ordering a pretty meal for delivery that cost over a hundred dollars but the portions were so small she couldn’t even fill up. Meanwhile, I only had to drive five minutes after work to eat a hot, home-cooked meal. Life is meant to be lived for yourself, not performed for others. Six months after the wedding, I got pregnant. The whole family was overjoyed. They wouldn’t let me do any chores and made me all kinds of nutritious supplements every day. Coincidentally, not long after, Nina also announced good news in the family group chat, saying she’d found a boyfriend who made seven hundred thousand a year and would bring him home next month during the holidays for Mom and Dad to meet. Mom and Dad were thrilled, praising Nina endlessly for being accomplished and having good taste in men. The holiday season arrived quickly. With my big belly, Rowan supported me as we returned to my parents’ home together. As soon as we walked in, Nina looked me up and down. “Sarah, why are you wearing so little? Poor thing, pregnant and just wearing a thin jacket. Can’t even afford a thicker down coat anymore?” I didn’t explain. The route from our home garage to my parents’ place had heating the whole way. And it was running at full blast, making my face flush red. Seeing my silence, Nina grew even more smug, deliberately raising her voice. “My boyfriend drove a Mercedes GLE here this time. I bet our little town doesn’t even have many luxury cars like that.” Mom and Dad crowded around her in praise. “Nina’s so accomplished! The man she found is rich and treats her well—ten thousand times better than what Sarah found! Sarah, you really need to learn from Nina.” Just as they were talking, Nina’s boyfriend pushed through the door, his face showing some impatience. “Uncle, Auntie, your complex is really hard to find parking in. I drove around in circles for ages before finding a spot.” “But I just saw a Mercedes G-Wagon downstairs. Didn’t expect your small town to have such wealthy neighbors.” The moment he finished speaking, Rowan helped me sit down and casually pulled out the G-Wagon keys from his pocket, placing them in my hand and saying gently: “Honey, are your hands cold?” “Hold onto the keys. When we leave later, you can get in the car first and turn on the heat.” The entire room instantly fell silent.

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My billionaire husband, Finley Anderson, spent tens of millions on an art graduation exhibition for the college student he’d been sponsoring for two years, yet refused to pay twenty thousand dollars for our son’s medical treatment. After our son died of severe diarrhea and dehydration right before my eyes, I handed him divorce papers with a heart full of despair. When he saw the death certificate attached to the papers, Finley couldn’t help but let out a laugh: “Sorry, I never thought diarrhea could actually kill someone.” “I know you’re upset, but it’s okay. Lily’s due in three days.” “After sponsoring her all this time, she’s very understanding and grateful. I’ve already discussed it with her—once the baby’s born, we’ll bring it over for you to raise. You can just focus on being Mrs. Anderson. But there’s one condition: you have to let Lily visit the child regularly.” “No need,” I said with a self-deprecating smile. “I only want a divorce.” After failing to get money from Finley, I sold the engagement ring he’d once paid a fortune to create for me—sold it for next to nothing. Clutching the cash, I rushed back to the hospital. Through the long corridor, I could hear the sharp, piercing sound of medical equipment from the room at the far end. Then, seconds later, the world went silent, as if someone had pressed pause. “I’m sorry, Ms. Lane. Please accept our condolences…” “Actually, if you’d been able to pay the medical fees a few days earlier so we could administer medication, this wouldn’t have happened.” “Hospital policy states that without timely payment from the patient or their family, we cannot provide medication. I’m truly sorry, Ms. Lane. We did everything we could. Please accept our condolences…” I opened my mouth, but my throat felt like it was stuffed with cotton-wrapped razor blades—choking and painful. I dragged my heavy legs to the bedside. I didn’t know how to face my son’s death. Just this morning, the child lying in this bed had managed to smile and call me “Mom.” The TV on the white wall flickered for a moment. When the signal returned, Finley’s face appeared on the screen. He was smiling. The man who was usually so cold to outsiders now stood behind his sponsored college student, warmly greeting every guest at the exhibition. Some bold person didn’t hesitate to gossip about their relationship right in front of the media bloggers’ cameras: “With my years of experience as a matchmaker, I’d say Mr. Anderson and our painter Ms. Dixon aren’t just sponsor and sponsored, are they?” “Come on, spill it! Are you two tying the knot soon?” Lily Dixon blushed shyly under everyone’s teasing, her eyes constantly falling on Finley with a gaze full of love and bashfulness. He didn’t refute these comments. From the smile at the corner of his mouth, you could tell he was happy. “But isn’t Mr. Anderson married? His kid’s already five years old. Has Mr. Anderson divorced and just not announced it?” Everyone present fell silent for a few seconds. The person who’d asked shrank back into the crowd, not daring to speak again. Lily’s eyes reddened with embarrassment in front of the camera. She turned to ask the man timidly: “Finley, why didn’t your wife come to the exhibition? Is she still angry about what happened at the auction?” “Should I… go apologize to her again?” Without any hesitation, Finley refused. “No need.” “I’ve spoiled her so much she’s become petty. It was just a set of rare jewelry, yet she actually attacked you over it. Since she’s become so obsessed with money and material things, I won’t give her a single penny to spend. Can’t let that slap you took go unpunished.” “Seeing her take out her frustrations on you just irritates me.” This protective tone made everyone certain of the marital troubles between Finley and me, and also led most people to believe I was the one at fault for the relationship going bad.

“Mrs. Anderson must be such a petty person. Being with someone like that must be exhausting. No wonder Mr. Anderson’s affections shifted.” “Let’s set that aside for now—don’t they have a child? If they really divorce, what about the kid? If Mr. Anderson and Ms. Dixon continue to develop their relationship, they’ll definitely get married eventually. Being a stepmother in a wealthy family won’t be easy.” My heart felt like it was being fried in oil, flipped over and over thousands of times. I could no longer tell if there was more sadness or more anger in my chest. The air conditioning in the hospital room was set very low. Countless threads of cold air drilled relentlessly into my body. I shivered and couldn’t help but remind the family member at the next bed: “Could you please turn up the temperature? My child has severe diarrhea and can’t catch a chill.” I don’t know how much time passed, but that cold air kept drilling into the depths of my heart. I looked up somewhat impatiently, only to meet the horrified eyes of a nurse. “Ms… Ms. Lane, normally family members can’t stay in the morgue for more than fifteen minutes, but you’ve been here for half the afternoon. Please leave now. The director has been urging you to sign the medical death certificate. And what about the child’s father? He’s never shown up. Now that the child is gone, he should at least make an appearance. You should contact him as soon as possible.” My head exploded. I finally came to my senses and stumbled to my feet, heading out. The process of handling the death certificate was quick. In less than two hours, I stood in the cold wind, hands trembling as I called the funeral home. After that, I called Finley over thirty times. As expected, all went unanswered. Leaning against the cold tiles, I kept laughing at myself in my heart. The funeral home staff came to collect our son before the hospital director got off work. Along the way, I lost count of how many times I cried myself unconscious. After arriving at the funeral home, the staff immediately took our son to the cold storage room, then gently instructed me to go home and bring his favorite clothes for him to change into. To leave this world clean and neat. That’s right. Our son was just like Finley—both had obsessive cleanliness. “After the deceased’s body arrives at the funeral home, it usually must be cremated within 72 hours. But if the family requests, we can extend the cremation time—three days, five days, or seven days. Do you need that?” I reached out to touch our son’s face, which had no warmth left. “Three days.” …… It was already late at night when I made it home in a daze. Seeing me, the smile in Finley’s eyes faded. “Why are you back so late? Is Asher feeling better? Lily heard he’s been having diarrhea and was so worried. She specifically asked me to bring back two boxes of anti-diarrheal medicine.” I dodged to avoid the medicine he handed me. After seeing the date on the box clearly, I let out a cold laugh, and tears flowed uncontrollably again. “Expired medicine. Who’s she trying to poison?” Finley’s expression froze on his face. The side showing the production date turned over, and then a flash of impatience crossed his face. “Lily just didn’t notice, that’s all. Can’t you speak without being so sarcastic? You know pregnant women need to be careful with medication. She’s just a girl in her twenties—how can she keep track of everything?” “And why didn’t you come to Lily’s art exhibition today? I told you days ago how important this exhibition was. Did you have to cause trouble on this particular day?” He instinctively defended Lily by scolding me. I don’t know when he started being able to completely ignore my red-rimmed eyes. “Do you still remember your original intention for sponsoring Lily?” Finley froze. The scolding words were all swallowed back.

“You’ve forgotten, haven’t you?” “Do you still remember when your relationship with her started to change?” I looked at him calmly. “Do you remember what you said to me after I caught you two after your reckless night together?” The living room fell silent. The faint scent of vetiver in the air pulled both Finley’s and my thoughts back to the past. Lily was a college student Finley brought back from a business trip to a remote area two years ago. At that time, she was angry about her family wanting to marry her off to the neighboring village chief’s son and resenting her fate. She tearfully complained about how difficult it had been to stay in school and accused her parents of favoritism. The determination in her expression moved Finley. The billionaire CEO decided to sponsor her, so he brought her back and arranged for her to attend a prestigious university not far from the Anderson estate. He bought her a house, a luxury car for transportation, and gave her a black card as spending money. Gradually, Finley grew closer to her and more distant from me. He even became completely indifferent to our son. Finally, one night when he was working late, Finley came home to the wrong place. After I discovered them, he knelt on the ground, constantly pulling my hand to hit his face. “I’m sorry, Alana. It’s my fault. I had too much to drink at the business dinner. She was forced by me…” “I promise this is the only time. I won’t see her anymore. After she graduates, I’ll stop sponsoring her.” Then Lily got pregnant. A mocking smile tugged at my lips. “Finley, can you tell me—you slept with her once a year ago, so why is she eight months pregnant now? Has there been some new medical research showing that ovarian fertilization can be delayed by two to four months?” “Enough!” Faced with my questioning, Finley’s expression darkened. “I’ll explain all this to you later.” “Where’s Asher? Why didn’t you bring him back? It’s just diarrhea. Does he really need to stay at the hospital this long?” Thinking of our son, my heart felt like it was being pounded by thousands of iron hammers. I pulled out the death certificate and divorce papers from my bag, folded neatly. All strength left my body as I sat in the entryway, my face full of despair. “Three days from now, cremation.” “Find time to come see him with me, and let’s get the divorce finalized.” Taking the certificate and papers, Finley’s scrutinizing gaze fell on me. Suddenly, he couldn’t help but laugh. “What a coincidence with the timing, huh?” He let go, and the certificate and papers fell at my feet. “Sorry, I never thought diarrhea could actually kill someone.” “I know you’re upset, but it’s okay. Lily’s due in three days.” “After sponsoring her all this time, she’s very understanding and grateful. I’ve already discussed it with her—once the baby’s born, we’ll bring it over for you to raise. You can just focus on being Mrs. Anderson. But there’s one condition: you have to let Lily visit the child regularly.” I froze, turning to look at him in disbelief. “Finley Anderson! Saying something like that—are you even human?!” My voice was loud enough to wake Lily, who’d been sleeping in the bedroom. Finley glanced at me, his eyes full of disapproval. “Keep it down. Lily’s taking an afternoon nap with the baby.” A crisp slap rang out. Finley’s face turned to the side. He turned back, his eyes full of coldness. “Feel better now?” “Don’t make jokes like that again. Who ever died from diarrhea? Making jokes about Asher like this—aren’t you afraid he’ll learn bad habits from you?” So he didn’t believe the death certificate. A wave of exhaustion washed over me. I picked up the divorce papers and signed my name.

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On April Fool’s Day, my supervisor suddenly posted an announcement in the company group chat. “Our new intern, Hazel Matthews, is treating us all to dinner at the new restaurant!” I was too busy to notice the messages in the group chat. It wasn’t until a bunch of people frantically tagged me to pay the bill that I realized they had racked up fifty thousand dollars at the restaurant. After I sent back a question mark, the supervisor replied dismissively. “It’s April Fool’s Day. I was just joking around. Who knew everyone would take it seriously?” “Besides, you’re just a little intern. Isn’t it normal for someone new to treat everyone to a meal? Everyone else has done it. Why should you be any different?” What she didn’t know was that I wasn’t an intern, but a top-level developer that Mr. Wilson had earnestly invited to join the company. Looking at her message, I didn’t bother arguing. Instead, I replied directly. “Since the supervisor said this was an April Fool’s joke, I won’t take it seriously.” “I won’t be going to tonight’s gathering. Have fun, everyone.”

After sending that, I ignored the supervisor’s bombardment of phone calls and turned off my phone. The next day, Lily Cooper came over to my desk and slammed her hand down so hard the whole thing shook. “Who gave you the nerve to turn off your phone? You said you’d treat everyone to dinner. What’s the meaning of this?” “Everyone treated people when they were interns. Are you trying to be special?” “Or do you want us seniors to pay?” The surrounding colleagues became restless when they heard this. Splitting fifty thousand dollars wasn’t as simple as a few hundred bucks each. “Hazel, what do you mean by this? Coming in on your first day trying to shake up the workplace and intimidate us?” “That’s right. Everyone else treated people, so why shouldn’t you? With this attitude, you still want to become a full-time employee?” “Today you’re paying no matter what, or you can pack up and get out!” I calmly turned on my computer and poured myself some water. “Lily, you were the one who said you’d treat everyone to dinner, not me.” “Besides, you said yourself it was an April Fool’s joke. Of course jokes shouldn’t be taken seriously.” “And when did I ever say I was an intern?” When the others heard this, they all burst out laughing. “You’re pretty confident, aren’t you? One day here and you already think you’re a full-time employee?” “If you’re not an intern, what are you? Don’t tell me you think you’re that tech expert the company hired.” “That person doesn’t arrive for another week. You should’ve drafted your lies better before bluffing.” Everyone laughed uproariously. I didn’t continue to engage with them but turned and went into the break room. Ten minutes later, a message came through SnapChat. “You have been removed from the Cloud Technology Department group.” Shortly after, I saw a post on Lily’s timeline. “Some people at this company are really something. Just got here and already acting like they own the place, trying to pull that Gen Z workplace revolution nonsense. Too bad you ran into me. Don’t expect any good days at this company from now on.” All the surrounding colleagues were cheering her on in the comments. I gave her post a like and left the break room. When I tried to return to my desk, I froze. My original workspace was piled high with junk, and my belongings had all been thrown by the bathroom door like garbage. Next to it sat a wobbly wooden table without even a chair. Seeing me standing there dazed, Lily laughed smugly. “Hazel, we have too much stuff with nowhere to put it, so we’re borrowing your spot for a bit.” “You’ll be leaving soon anyway, so you don’t mind, right?” I shrugged indifferently and walked forward, sweeping all the junk they had piled onto my desk onto the floor. Various items clattered to the ground. Lily’s eyes went wide, her face flushing red with anger. She tried to push me, but I grabbed her wrist firmly. “How long I stay here is my business. Mind your own.” After saying that, I acted as if nothing had happened and reorganized my belongings. After settling back down, Mr. Wilson sent me a message. “Ms. Matthews, you arrived early without telling me. I’m still abroad, but I’m heading back now.” “Please forgive the poor reception. I’ll have someone arrange a private office for you right away.” Looking at Lily’s resentful gaze, I messaged back. “You’re too kind, Mr. Wilson. Let’s discuss the office later.” “I’m fine out here. It’s a good chance to get to know my new colleagues better.”

At noon when I returned to the office, everyone in the tech department was missing except me. I didn’t bother wondering what they were doing but plugged in my USB drive and started working on the project. It wasn’t until nearly quitting time that they all shuffled back in, pushing and shoving each other. Lily walked over to my desk nonchalantly and tapped on it. “Hazel, you finished what I assigned you, right?” Before I could answer, she looked at me with exaggerated surprise. “You didn’t spend the whole afternoon doing nothing, did you?” “What’s this on your computer screen? This isn’t one of our company’s projects at all.” Before I could respond, she reached forward and yanked out my USB drive. “Doing other work on company time, and who knows which company it’s even for.” “I think you’re a spy sent by another company.” “If you want your USB drive back and don’t want others to know about this, hand over that fifty thousand.” Watching her smooth sequence of actions, I understood. She had intended to deliberately ignore me, then threaten me under the pretense that I wasn’t working during office hours. She just hadn’t expected to stumble upon my project content. I said coldly, “Return the USB drive to me now, and there’s still room to salvage this.” Lily burst into laughter after hearing this, her face full of disdain. “Now you’re threatening me?” “I’m giving you three days to pay up, or pack your things and leave.” After saying this, without waiting for my reaction, she pressed the shutdown button on my computer. All the data I hadn’t saved yet vanished. My chest heated with anger. I stood up and looked directly into her eyes. “First, I have no obligation to pay that money. Second, you made me lose this afternoon’s work data. If anyone should be compensating anyone, it’s you compensating me.” Lily’s eyes looked like they were about to shoot fire. She immediately called HR. “This intern is completely out of control! Not only does she owe me fifty thousand and refuse to pay, she keeps talking back in front of everyone.” “Fire this intern immediately!” The person on the other end was silent for a moment, then spoke with some confusion. “Intern? We haven’t had any interns join the company recently.” The call was on speakerphone, and everyone present froze in place. Someone nearby seemed to suddenly realize something and grabbed Lily in panic. “She’s not that tech expert the company invited, is she…” Lily’s face instantly went pale, her lips trembling slightly. The person on the other end of the line continued. “Probably not. If it were that expert, they would’ve already told me to open the door to that office.” Hearing this, the group slowly relaxed. “So she’s just some useless person who got in through connections. Just delete this Hazel Matthews’s information from the system. If there’s a problem, it’s on me.” “In all my years as supervisor, what I hate most are people who use backdoor connections.” What they didn’t know was that to keep me, Mr. Wilson had already entered my information into the system early on. That was why HR didn’t know about it. Lily looked at me, her expression somewhat twisted. “This is what happens when you go against me. I’m giving you two choices now. Either give me the fifty thousand and I can pretend none of this happened. Or tomorrow I’ll make sure you can’t even get through the company doors.” As the clock hand pointed to six, I picked up my bag and stood up. “I won’t be giving you that fifty thousand.” “But I’m warning you, don’t lose that USB drive, or the consequences will be serious.” After saying that, ignoring her curses, I walked out the door.

The next morning when I tried to scan my face at the entrance, the turnstile didn’t open. I tried again, and the turnstile’s alarm blared throughout the entire lobby. It wasn’t until I called her for the third time that she finally answered leisurely. “I told you yesterday, you’ve been fired.” “The stuff from your desk is at the entrance.” Only then did I notice that the pile of garbage at the entrance was my personal belongings. My cup, desk ornaments, picture frames—all smashed to pieces. Even my laptop screen was cracked beyond recognition. But I didn’t care about any of that. I kept searching frantically. “Where’s the USB drive?” I called her again. “You still have the nerve to ask me for the USB drive? Secretly doing another company’s project during work hours—this proves you’re a spy!” “I’ve already published the project from your USB drive. This is a warning to you and the company behind you. Next time won’t be this simple!” Before I could speak, she hung up. Three minutes later, she sent me a video. In the video, my USB drive was crushed to pieces under her high heels. “That’s what you get for using connections to be a corporate spy. Just wait to be fired by your company.” I didn’t bother explaining anymore. The project was already published. No amount of explanation would help now. I cleaned up the debris on the ground and went home. As soon as I got home, I saw a post. “Our department got a spy from another company. I caught her secretly writing projects for another company. Don’t let me find out which company it is!” The post already had high engagement, with comments continuously increasing. “Wow, the underlying code is directly published. The whole project is leaked.” “This concept is pretty good. Anyone who wants to do it should hurry!” “This loss is no small matter. This spy is probably screwed.” Seeing the comments, Lily was extremely smug. She kept clamoring. “That’s right, I had to teach her a lesson!” I exited the app and sighed. Looking at Mr. Wilson’s concerned message from ten minutes ago, I replied. “I’m sorry, Mr. Wilson. I’ve been fired by your employee.” “The project you assigned me will probably have to be put on hold.” “Please decide how to handle this.” Mr. Wilson’s response came instantly, and he even anxiously called me. “Ms. Matthews, I’m truly sorry. I’m already on my way back. Can you tell me what happened?” “Please give me a chance, give Cloud Technology a chance. I will definitely give you a satisfactory resolution to this matter. Would that be acceptable?” Hearing his sincere tone, I could only agree. “Mr. Wilson, let’s talk when you arrive. Don’t disappoint me.”

As soon as Mr. Wilson got off the plane, he immediately messaged me. After I briefly replied, I went to the company to wait for him. Mr. Wilson worked quickly. The company system had already re-entered my information. Seeing me return, everyone looked shocked. Lily blocked my path. “What, you’ve come to pay back the money?” Seeing I didn’t speak, she gritted her teeth. “Fine, if you don’t want to pay, I have plenty of ways to make you pay!” She pulled out her phone and started a live stream. “Come, let everyone see. This is the privileged princess who got into our company through connections. She’s probably some little executive’s mistress!” “First thing she does is scam me out of fifty thousand, then she openly does other companies’ projects during work hours! Disrupting the whole company!” “This person is named Hazel Matthews. Everyone remember that. All companies, avoid her like the plague!” Before this, I had always used an alias in my team. Very few people knew my real name. They were no exception. The number of viewers in the live stream grew rapidly. Comments kept scrolling. “Mistresses these days are so shameless? Not ashamed but proud?” “Hilarious. One look at her face tells you she has no real skills, just used that face to sleep her way into the company.” “All HR departments, remember this person’s name and face, so you don’t accidentally hire her!” Seeing the comments’ direction, Lily got carried away and shoved the phone in my face. “Lily, making false accusations carries legal consequences.” “Everything I said is true, right?” She looked at the other people in the office. Everyone nodded in agreement. I lost my patience and called Mr. Wilson. “Mr. Wilson, when will you arrive?” Lily stepped forward and knocked my phone to the ground. “Still putting on an act? Who are you trying to scare?” As she spoke, she stomped hard on my phone. “Today I’m going to see justice done. So tell me, whose mistress are you?” Just then, the office door was kicked open. Mr. Wilson, covered in sweat, rushed in. Lily smiled and sidled up to him. “Mr. Wilson, perfect timing. Our company doesn’t allow backdoor connections. Look, I caught someone red-handed for you!” But Mr. Wilson was furious. He stepped forward and roughly shoved her aside. “You blind fool!” Then Mr. Wilson turned around, smiling apologetically as he extended his hand to me. “Ms. Matthews, I’m truly sorry. We’ve wronged you.”

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I married into the Miller family in my third year when my husband, Ethan Miller, got into a car accident. His life was saved, but the doctor said he injured his lower body and could no longer have children. When I heard the news, my mind went blank. But Ethan held my hand, his eyes red-rimmed, and comforted me. “Charlotte, it’s okay. At least we already have a daughter. That’s enough.” I nodded. Back then, I thought as long as we were united as a couple, we could get through this hurdle. I never expected that Miranda would start talking behind my back. During the time Ethan came home from the hospital to recuperate, Miranda came over every other day. On the surface, she was visiting her brother, but in reality, she constantly picked at everything I did. While I was cooking in the kitchen, she would pull Ethan into the bedroom and whisper away. “Ethan, now that your body’s like this, you need to watch out for yourself. Look at Charlotte—she walks around with that cold face all day. She’s not caring at all. Does she look like someone taking care of a patient?” Ethan said nothing. Miranda continued, “And who’s managing the money in this house? Don’t be stupid and hand it all over to her. She’s got money but won’t spend it on you, and you’ve still got the rest of your life ahead of you.” The walls were thin. I heard everything. Ethan had been in the hospital after his car accident, and I’d been taking care of him day and night without rest. I paid for all the medical expenses and supplements. How dare she spin it like this? After Miranda left, I couldn’t hold back. I confronted Ethan. “What did Miranda just say to you?” Ethan’s eyes darted away. He wouldn’t look at me. “Nothing… nothing really. Miranda’s just concerned about me. She was asking casually.” “Asking casually? She’s guarding against me like I’m some kind of thief!” “Don’t overthink it. She’s my sister. Would she really harm me?” He refused to explain further. That weekend when I went back to my parents’ house, I told them about it. My mom tried to calm me down. “Charlotte, sweetie, sisters-in-law have always been natural enemies. Ethan’s been through something so terrible. She’s anxious, so it’s normal for her to say some harsh things.” My dad chimed in too. “That’s right. As long as she doesn’t actually do anything bad, just turn a blind eye and pretend you don’t know. You’re living your life with Ethan, not her. Don’t let outsiders damage your marriage.” After hearing my parents’ advice, I sighed. Fine. I’d endure it. As long as she didn’t do anything truly harmful, I’d pretend I hadn’t heard anything. But Miranda only grew bolder.

After Ethan came home from the hospital, Miranda visited even more frequently. Before, she came once a week. Now it was three times a week. She used to at least bring something—fruit, milk—nothing expensive, but it was a gesture. Now? She showed up empty-handed. The moment she walked in, she’d open the fridge, grab a couple of drinks, a handful of snacks, and stuff them into the big canvas bag she brought. When she left, the bag would be bulging. Once, I’d bought a new dress for Emma and left it on the sofa before I could put it away. Miranda picked it up, looked it over twice, and stuffed it straight into her bag. “Emma will outgrow this dress in two months anyway. I’ll take it back for my neighbor’s daughter. No point wasting it.” I opened my mouth to object, but Ethan said softly, “It’s just one dress. Don’t make a fuss.” I swallowed my words. That night after Emma fell asleep, I mentioned it to Ethan. “Miranda’s coming over way too often now. Every time she comes, she takes things from our house. This isn’t a supermarket.” Ethan sighed. “My sister practically raised me from childhood. She dropped out of middle school to work and put me through college. She sacrificed a lot for this family. Now that I’m doing well, she takes a few things—don’t be so petty about it.” I looked at him and said nothing more. For the sake of family harmony, I endured it. Until one afternoon, I was hanging laundry on the balcony when I heard Miranda whispering with Ethan again. “Ethan, how much money do you actually have on hand right now?” “Miranda, why are you asking?” “Who else should I ask? Leo’s old enough now. He needs to start preschool. You know that experimental kindergarten—you can’t get in without connections. Just the bribes alone will cost tens of thousands.” Ethan said nothing. Miranda continued, “And I ride my bicycle to pick up Leo every day. The kindergarten is so far from home. When it’s windy or rainy, the kid suffers. I want to buy a car. Nothing fancy—just a ten-thousand-dollar commuter car.” “Miranda, I can’t come up with that kind of money. Most of the accident compensation went to medical treatment.” Miranda lowered her voice. “You don’t have money, but your wife does. Her family’s better off than ours. Her parents even paid the down payment when you got married. You two are husband and wife—one unit. What’s wrong with using some of her money? She’s not a stranger.” I deliberately coughed—loud enough to carry into the bedroom but not too loud. Miranda immediately went silent. After a few seconds, she came out of the bedroom and walked toward the balcony. She saw me standing by the drying rack. I stared at her. She rolled her eyes, said nothing, turned around, grabbed her canvas bag, and left. That night after Emma fell asleep, I sat on the edge of the bed and asked Ethan. “What did Miranda say to you this afternoon? Something about connections and buying a car—where exactly are you planning to get that money?” Ethan rubbed his hands together. It took him a long time to speak. “Her husband’s been losing money in business lately. She’s tight on cash, so she wanted to borrow some from me.” “Borrow? What she’s asking for isn’t a small amount. Tens of thousands for kindergarten bribes, ten thousand for a car—you call that borrowing?” “She was just talking…” “She said you should spend my money. Was that ‘just talking’ too?” Ethan fell silent. I looked at him. “Ethan, our daughter will start preschool soon too. And then elementary school, middle school—everything costs money. We need to save for our child.” He still said nothing. He turned over and faced away from me. I lay in bed staring at the ceiling, thinking for a long time. Miranda’s appetite was growing bigger and bigger. From taking snacks and dresses to asking for tens of thousands. What exactly did she want? From that day on, I started paying attention to Miranda’s every move.

I never imagined Miranda could be so shameless. On May Day, I was at home playing with Emma when my phone suddenly buzzed. It was a text from the bank. The supplementary card I’d set up for Ethan—one transaction, one hundred thousand dollars. Recipient: National Life Insurance Company. I stared at the screen for several seconds. One hundred thousand? Insurance? Ethan had left that morning saying he was going to visit Miranda. He hadn’t mentioned anything to me. My first thought was that after his car accident, he might be feeling anxious and wanted more protection for himself and the family. Buying insurance wasn’t a bad thing, but one hundred thousand wasn’t a small amount. How could he not even discuss it with me first? I called the insurance company’s customer service. “Hello, I’d like to inquire about a policy purchased this morning. The policyholder is Ethan Miller.” After verifying my identity, the representative told me: “This policy is an accident insurance policy. Policyholder: Ethan Miller. Insured: Ethan Miller. Coverage amount: five hundred thousand dollars.” “Who’s the beneficiary?” “The beneficiary listed is Leo Jackson.” Leo Jackson. Leo. Miranda’s son. My grip on the phone tightened instantly. “Who came in person to process the policy?” “The system shows the policyholder came in person. One accompanying person was registered—Ms. Miranda Miller.” I hung up and sat motionless on the sofa. Emma came over with her toys. “Mommy, look—a castle.” I absentmindedly patted her head. “That’s great, sweetie.” Around four o’clock that afternoon, Ethan came home. I handed him my phone with the bank text displayed. “One hundred thousand dollars. Insurance company. Explain.” His face stiffened. He took the phone, glanced at it, and put it down. “I was just helping my brother-in-law meet his quota. He’s been selling insurance part-time lately. His company has performance targets. If he doesn’t bring in enough business, they dock his pay. I was just helping him out.” “Helping him out costs one hundred thousand?” “It’s a dividend policy. It’s not wasted money. When I reach retirement age, I can get all the principal back, plus annual dividends.” He spoke haltingly, his eyes constantly drifting to the side. “Then why is Leo listed as the beneficiary?” “Well, it’s accident insurance. It only pays out if something happens. I’m not unlucky enough to keep having accidents, am I? The beneficiary doesn’t really matter—I’ll never need to use it. My brother-in-law said putting Leo’s name makes it easier to process through the system.” “Why not Emma? Why not me? Why does it have to be your nephew?” He opened his mouth but couldn’t answer. I stared at him for a long moment. He turned his head away. I didn’t press further. Even if I kept asking, he’d just keep using the same excuses. I remembered what Miranda had said in the bedroom last time, lowering her voice: “You don’t have money, but your wife does.” One hundred thousand dollars—spent just like that. Spent on a policy with his nephew listed as the beneficiary. Before Ethan’s car accident, Miranda wasn’t warm to me, but she’d never done anything too outrageous either. From the moment Ethan had his accident, she completely changed. She became entitled. She became insatiable. Now I understood why she’d changed. Because of money. Ethan could no longer have children. He only had Emma, a daughter. In Miranda’s eyes, this family would eventually have no male heir. Eventually, this money would have no one to spend it. Rather than let it go to outsiders, why not take it herself? She wasn’t targeting me personally—she was targeting our family’s money.

Since she was after our family’s money, I couldn’t keep turning a blind eye. I decided to go to Miranda’s neighborhood and ask around. Miranda lived in the Maplewood Estates complex on the east side of town. An old complex where residents ran into each other constantly. Nothing stayed secret. I went on a weekday morning and sat near the entrance for a while. Several elderly ladies were sunbathing outside, chatting animatedly. I struck up a conversation, saying I was Miranda’s cousin. “Miranda? She’s not home. Probably out shopping again.” A woman with permed hair was very friendly. “Are you looking for her?” “Nothing urgent. I just heard she’s been doing well lately. Thought I’d come see her.” “Doing well? That’s an understatement!” A plump woman nearby jumped in. “She’s been living large lately. A while back, she bought a gold necklace—thick one too—and parades around the complex with it. Last month she bought several new outfits. Said they were some brand name. Not cheap, anyway.” Another woman joined in: “And that’s not all. Just the other day she told me she’s planning to buy three properties all at once. Said Ethan’s paying for them.” My heart dropped. Three properties? “Her brother’s that rich?” a short-haired woman asked. “She said her brother got into a car accident and received a huge settlement, plus what he’d saved over the years. It’s quite a lot.” I gripped my bag tighter, trying to keep my voice calm. “Doesn’t her sister-in-law have a say in buying properties?” “Sister-in-law?” The short-haired woman curled her lip, lowering her voice with a gossipy expression. “Miranda said her sister-in-law isn’t clean. She’s been cheating.” My blood ran cold. “She said her brother only has one daughter—just a worthless little girl. The kid looks less and less like her father as she grows. Right now she’s young enough to fool people, but when she gets older, anyone with eyes will see she’s not his biological child.” The woman next to her added fuel to the fire: “That’s right, that’s right. Miranda also said that once her brother figures it out, he’ll kick that woman out sooner or later. Then the family assets will go to her son, and her brother won’t be deceived anymore.” My nails dug into my palms. I circled the complex again, asking several groups of people. The convenience store owner, the vegetable seller at the market—everyone said roughly the same thing. Miranda was spreading rumors all over that I was cheating. That my daughter was illegitimate. That I should leave with nothing. That her son Leo would inherit all our family assets. She painted me as promiscuous and my daughter as worthless. And these rumors spread through the complex like wildfire, known by everyone. When I walked out of the complex gates, I was so angry my legs felt weak. I sat on a bench by the roadside for a long time, my heart pounding, my chest tight. I’d endured for so long, given in again and again, and she just kept pushing, bullying me to death. I pulled out my phone and scrolled through my contacts to find a name—Sarah Collins, a college classmate who worked as a family law attorney at a local firm. When she answered, I didn’t bother with pleasantries. “Sarah, I want to consult about divorce.” There was a pause on the other end. “Are you serious?” “I’m serious.” “Alright. Tell me the situation.” I took a deep breath and told her everything from start to finish. After hearing it all, Sarah told me to first get clear on the property situation—insurance policies, savings, real estate—go through everything. Regarding whether Emma was Ethan’s biological child, Sarah told me the most powerful evidence would be a paternity test.

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There was a BBQ joint downstairs that stayed open until dawn every single day. Drunken shouting, blaring music, and obnoxious noise kept the entire neighborhood awake. When the residents went to the owner to demand an explanation, the guy acted like an absolute thug, totally unreasonable. So, I printed a notice and stuck it right on his storefront: “If you’re afraid of noise, move to a mansion. Otherwise, poor people just need to learn how to endure.” That single piece of paper made the entire apartment complex explode. 1 A passing homeowner quickly snapped a photo of the notice and dropped it into the HOA group chat. Everyone was already exhausted and agitated from the noise. Nobody expected the owner to be so shamelessly arrogant. Furious, the men from over a dozen households gathered together and blocked the entrance of the BBQ joint, demanding answers. The angriest was the guy living on the second floor. He kicked over a folding table in a fit of rage, pointing right at the owner’s nose. “You dare say that to us? You think we’re pushovers? Believe me, I’ll smash this place to pieces! I can afford to pay for the damages!” The owner, Frank, looked completely bewildered, having no idea what was going on. It wasn’t until his wife—who lived in the apartment complex—sent him a picture of the notice that he understood. Seeing that he had thoroughly provoked the wrath of the crowd, Frank immediately swore he didn’t post the notice. He also promised to cut his hours and close by midnight. Only then did the angry mob disperse. I had been watching the whole spectacle from my upstairs window. Seeing Frank bowing and scraping like a coward was incredibly satisfying. 2 This wasn’t my first clash with their family. They were the typical “Happy Family” type, with matching cartoon family avatars for their group chat profiles. They were the absolute tyrants of the HOA group chat and the ultimate troublemakers in the school parent groups. Their life motto was to make themselves happy by inconveniencing everyone else. The only reason they could open a BBQ joint in a residential complex was because they threw such massive tantrums. They were so loud and obnoxious that the HOA didn’t dare cross them, resorting to giving them perks just to shut them up. Otherwise, who could stand them picking fights every other day? I happened to live right above them, in apartment 602. And because of that, I got a front-row seat to their unhinged audacity. The day I moved in, they saw me packing with the door open. Frank’s wife, Brenda, swaggered right into my apartment, bold as brass. Without a single word, she handed me a printed piece of paper and walked out, her nose stuck in the air. I looked closely at the contents. Holy crap: “Building Rules: My kid has to do homework at night. No cooking in the building from 6 PM to 10 PM. Anyone who turns on a range hood and makes noise, I’ll smash your door in! My wife has a weak nervous system. All renovations are strictly banned. Not even on weekends. If a contractor comes, I’ll break their legs! No cats or dogs allowed in the building. Get rid of them within a week, or I’ll throw them out myself! No using the elevator after 10 PM. My family sleeps light, and the doors opening and closing is too loud!” And that was just the first few rules. The entire page was packed with over seventy ridiculous demands. It was practically the Code of Hammurabi for psychopaths. 3 A lot of people couldn’t handle this family and simply sold their condos and moved away. When I was buying the place, I noticed how cheap it was and asked the previous owner what happened. After some prodding, he told me about the nightmare tenants downstairs. Instead of worrying, I was thrilled. Because honestly? I’m a bit of a menace myself. I’ve never been the well-behaved type. I fought guys who started rumors about me and went scorched-earth on teachers who blindly protected their favorite students. When I grew up, my parents couldn’t stand my chaotic energy anymore, so they gave me a lump sum of cash to move out. I figured if my neighbors were nice people, I’d have to suppress my crazy side. Who knew I’d struck gold! Before I could even finish reading all the absurd rules on the paper, Frank posted a massive paragraph in the HOA group chat: “Listen up, everyone! Just got back from the doctor, and my wife is pregnant! To ensure the baby is born healthy, I’m announcing some new rules. Anyone who disobeys, don’t blame me for getting ugly! All WiFi in the building must be turned off at 9 PM. Radiation causes birth defects! No voice chat while playing video games at home. No keyboard or mouse clicking sounds either. If you wake my wife, I’ll cut all your internet cables! The use of any perfume, makeup, or skincare products is banned. These rules take effect today. Disobey at your own risk!” Wow. Just blatant dictator demands. Like hell I was going to indulge him. I immediately went online and ordered a heavy-duty mobile hotspot. Same-day delivery was fast. I plugged it in and changed the network name to: “Nuclear-Grade Ultra Radiation Fetus-Destroying Signal.” That very night, Frank went absolutely feral with voice memos in the group chat. Message after message, completely hysterical: “Which sick bastard is doing this?!” “Step out if you have the guts! Watch me kill you!” “Turn it off! Turn it off right now! If the radiation hurts my wife and kid, I’ll take down this whole building!” The group chat was dead silent. Nobody made a peep. But I knew plenty of people were secretly enjoying the show. I ordered some takeout, and just as I started eating, I heard violent pounding on doors downstairs. “Open up! I need to inspect your apartment!” Frank’s roar echoed viciously through the hallway. He was actually going door to door. I immediately pressed myself against my door, holding my breath and watching the show. Frank was like a headless fly, running up and down the halls. But he couldn’t find the culprit. He finally stopped at my door and pounded on it relentlessly. I casually pulled it open. “Can I help you?” His eyes were bloodshot. He practically shoved his phone into my face. “Is this WiFi network yours?” I shook my head, feigning complete innocence. “No, Frank. My WiFi is named ‘Mess With Me And You Die’, see?” Frank looked at my phone, cursed under his breath, and stormed off. Of course he couldn’t find it. My mobile hotspot was battery-powered. I had just tossed it behind a utility box in the stairwell. He was never going to locate it. After Frank went back home, he fired off another barrage of voice messages in the chat. “Fine! Real nice! You want to play dirty?!” “I dare you to never turn it off! Don’t let me catch you!” “When I find out who’s doing this, I’m going to slaughter your whole family!” “Still not admitting it? Then listen up! For every day that trash network stays on, my BBQ joint is staying open until dawn! You’re all going to suffer!” “Nobody is getting any sleep!” The group chat remained silent. But I knew the number of people secretly cheering had skyrocketed. Unfortunately, a single person rebelling wasn’t enough. Frank’s retaliation hit everyone right where it hurt. From that day on, the BBQ joint stayed open until 2 or 3 AM. This was a paradise for all the local bachelors and drunks. Every night, they ate, drank, and sang loudly right below our building, making it impossible to sleep. A group of fed-up residents created a private side-chat to vent about the family’s tyranny. It turned out those 70+ rules weren’t just bluffs. One family upstairs was just fixing their balcony drain, and Frank’s family splashed red paint all over their door! The sidewalk and fire lanes in front of the shop were treated as their private property. Nobody else was allowed to use them. Brenda was like a walking nuclear weapon. They never paid HOA fees, yet she forced the complex’s janitorial staff to clean the greasy mess inside and outside their restaurant. If anyone dared complain, she would block their door and curse out their ancestors for hours. Not to mention their bratty kid. He threw rocks at cars, wiped boogers on the elevator buttons, and spat on people walking by. His parents always defended him, their favorite catchphrase being, “Why are you arguing with a child?” It was a history of blood and tears for the older residents. But in the end, nobody dared to actually confront them. After all, everyone had elderly parents and young kids to worry about. Fighting with psychopaths would only end badly for them. Well, well, well. Looks like it was time for me to take the stage. 4 After that printed notice incident, the BBQ family kept their heads down for a while. One day, I was curled up on the couch watching a show when someone started smashing my door. “Open the door! You bastard! Get the hell out here!” I didn’t open it. I looked through the peephole and saw Frank’s face, twisted and deformed with rage. “Who is it?” “Keep playing dumb! Keep playing fcking dumb!” He slammed his fist hard against the door panel. “I checked the security footage! The one who posted that notice the other day was you, you piece of trash!” Oh, he finally figured it out. Slower than I expected. I let out a scoff, kept the security chain fastened, and cracked the door open. “Wow, it took you this long to find out, Frank? With that kind of efficiency, no wonder you’re stuck running a trashy BBQ joint.” Frank tried to force the door open, but the chain held tight. He could only slam his shoulder uselessly against the metal. “I’ll fcking kill you! You have a death wish!” I taunted him. “Just to let you know, I posted the notice, and I was the one who changed the WiFi name to the Fetus Deleter. You mad? Are your lungs about to explode?” Frank completely lost his mind. Like an enraged wild animal, he kicked and smashed my security door. Bang! Bang! Bang! The deafening noise echoed through the hallway, making the entire floor vibrate. “You just wait!” He finally got tired of hitting the door. “If I don’t drive you out of this neighborhood, my name isn’t Frank!” With that, he stomped down the stairs. I casually shut the door and locked it. Wait? Alright. I’ll be waiting. 5 3:00 AM the next morning. A massive, muffled booming sound erupted. It shook the floorboards so hard they vibrated. I jolted upright in bed, completely disoriented. The noise was continuous, a deep, heavy bass that pierced right through the walls and floors. Even the window panes were rattling. This wasn’t just a standard floor-thumper. This was a professional-grade subwoofer, pressed flush against the ceiling. That was a genuinely dirty move. And calling the cops wouldn’t work. Frank and his family had definitely checked into a hotel for the night. When the police arrived, he could just use an app to remotely turn it off. They wouldn’t catch him in the act. Besides, I despised relying on the cops for things like this. But I had to admit, the effect was devastating. Covering my head with a pillow did nothing. The bass drilled into my ears from every direction. In less than ten minutes, my temples were throbbing, and I felt so nauseous I wanted to throw up. The neighborhood group chat exploded: “Holy crap! Is it an earthquake?” “What the hell is going on?! Who’s blasting bass in the middle of the night? My kid is terrified!” Frank quickly admitted it in the chat: “Just testing out some new audio equipment. There might be a little vibration. Everyone just endure it for a few days.” Then he sent another message: “I can’t help it if it’s keeping you awake. If you want to blame someone, blame that troublemaker in 602! She brought this on herself, now she can suffer the consequences!” He pointed the spear right at me. People started tagging me in the chat: “@602, what’s going on? Can you fix this?” “@602, we can’t take this anymore. Did you provoke Frank? Just apologize to him and ask him to turn it off! Don’t make us suffer because of you!” It seemed Frank wanted to use the collective resentment of the entire complex to crush me. A bunch of cowards acting like lapdogs for a BBQ owner. I sneered and typed rapidly: “@ExtremeBBQ, if you want to test your equipment, take your time.” “Also, you better not turn it off. I was just looking for a good lullaby.” 6 Was I going to fight him with sonic warfare? Too low-level, and too noisy for me. If I actually did that and things escalated, he would just push the blame onto me, playing right into his hands. If I was going to play, I was going to do something much more disgusting, much more lingering, and specifically targeted at him. Early the next morning, I drove straight to the largest farmer’s market on the outskirts of the city. I stopped at a stall selling fermented goods. “Boss, give me a bottle of your most pungent stinky tofu brine, and a jar of fermented fish juice.” When I got the goods, I popped the lid slightly. The smell was ungodly. I paid and left without hesitation. When I got home, the subwoofer bombardment had already stopped. Taking advantage of the fact that Frank’s family was catching up on sleep, I tipped the two jars of biochemical warfare sideways and placed them right under my window—directly above their bedroom and living room windows. I cracked the lids open just a fraction. The juices dripped down, drop by agonizing drop. Instantly, the stench acted like an invisible poison gas, seeping right down through their window cracks. After setting the trap, I locked my balcony door and went back to sleep. The results were immediate. Brenda bombarded the group chat with voice memos, gagging between words: “Which sick psycho dumped garbage juice down our windows?! It smells like death! We can’t even open the doors! My kid is throwing up!” She targeted me directly: “@602, is it you, you bitch?! Clean up that smell right now! Or I swear I’ll kill you!” I casually typed back: “@HappyFamily, Brenda, you need proof before you speak. I was sleeping perfectly fine in my apartment. What does your smelly window have to do with me? Maybe your sewer pipe exploded?” “Call the cops? Sure, go ahead. When the officers get here, they can check out how well your new ‘audio equipment’ is testing. Boom, boom, boom—the whole building heard it.” The group chat went quiet. The stench was unbearable, but they had no proof I did it, and it only affected their unit. Meanwhile, that infuriating subwoofer had demonstrably tortured the entire building! Frank went completely radio silent, but I wasn’t about to let it go. That was just the appetizer. His restaurant was his lifeblood. Around 4 or 5 AM, shortly after the BBQ joint closed. I put on a disguise, hopped on a rented bike, and casually rolled past his storefront. From my backpack, I grabbed several huge handfuls of a mixed birdseed blend—millet and cracked corn—and scattered it evenly across the sidewalk, the front steps, the shop’s awning, and even tossed some into the bed of his supply truck. I rode away, a silent phantom in the night. For the first two days, nothing much happened. Starting on the third day, people passing by in the morning started posting photos in the chat: “Oh my god! Why is there so much bird poop in front of Extreme BBQ? It’s a blanket of white!” “Disgusting! You can’t even step anywhere!” “Is Frank going to clean this up? Does he even want to do business?” Frank assumed it was a freak accident and replied that he’d clean it up. That afternoon, right before opening, he spent hours with a power hose, exhausting himself to get it clean. However, the fourth day. The fifth day. Every single morning, a dense, targeted layer of bird droppings precisely carpet-bombed the ground and sign of his shop. It looked like the place had been hit by an airstrike. Frank’s cleaning speed couldn’t keep up with the frequency and volume of the avian air drops. Photos flooded the neighborhood chat. “Holy crap! Frank, your shop is getting carpet-bombed by birds!” “That is so vile!” “Frank, did you commit some terrible sin? Even the birds can’t stand you!” Frank finally caught on. He frantically tagged me in the chat: “@602! Was it you scattering birdseed in front of my shop, you shady rat?! Playing these dirty tricks!” I instantly replied with an innocent-sounding voice memo: “@ExtremeBBQ, Frank, your imagination is running wild! Why would I do that?” “Who says it’s birdseed? Maybe your BBQ is just so delicious it perfectly suits the birds’ tastes?” Then I twisted the knife: “Besides, birds pooping is an Act of God. The police can’t exactly arrest a pigeon. You better hire a professional cleaning crew, otherwise you’re going to go out of business.” Frank didn’t say another word. The subwoofer downstairs never played again. Standing on my balcony, gazing at the absolute mess of a BBQ joint in the distance, I felt incredibly refreshed.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “403338”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

For my boyfriend’s mom’s birthday, I gifted her a luxury La Mer skincare set. That very night, I found the exact same gift set listed for cheap on Facebook Marketplace by my boyfriend. I immediately bought it and confirmed the delivery the second I got it back! Then, I dialed my boyfriend’s number: “Hey babe, that heavy, solid gold bangle I hid inside the gift box… did it fit your mom’s wrist okay?” 1 I was mindlessly scrolling through Facebook Marketplace when a seller’s post caught my eye. [La Mer Luxury Skincare Bundle. Unopened, 100% authentic, brand new. Need cash ASAP! Only $400!] At that price, it had to be a knockoff, right? I had just bought that exact bundle at the department store yesterday for nearly $800! But wait… the longer I looked at the photos, the more familiar it seemed. Wasn’t this the exact set I gifted to Brad’s mother? Even the luxury gift bag was the one I specifically picked out. The silk ribbon on top was tied exactly the way I had tied it. I clicked on the seller’s profile to check the details. ID: B-Rad. Location: Los Angeles, my exact city. I opened a direct message chat. [Hi, is this still available? Is it authentic? Why so cheap?] “B-Rad” instantly replied with an audio message. “Hey gorgeous, 100% authentic. It was a gift from someone else, hasn’t even been opened yet!” That voice… it was unmistakably Brad, the boyfriend I had been madly in love with for the past three months. I scrolled through his seller history and discovered something even more sickening. Over the past few months, every single valuable gift I had given him had been listed and sold on this page. Thinking back on our three-month relationship… If it wasn’t his birthday coming up, it was his little sister’s birthday. Just last week, he wouldn’t stop dropping hints in my ear about how his mom’s birthday was right around the corner. Turns out, he was just using me as a personal ATM to liquidate goods for cash! In that moment, I wanted to confront him directly and dump him on the spot. But on second thought, that would be letting him off way too easy. With a smirk, I changed the delivery address to my neighbor’s house. I used the name and phone number of my family’s housekeeper, Maria. Making sure there was nothing to tie the purchase back to me, I hit “Buy Now.” The moment the payment went through, a message popped up. [Awesome, you’re a fast buyer! Since we’re in the same city, I’ll just order an Uber Connect courier to drop it off right now!] [Make sure you hit “Confirm Receipt” on the app the second you get it!] I played along enthusiastically, while keeping my eyes glued to the tracking link. Watching the courier get closer and closer to my neighbor’s house, I quickly sent Maria next door to wait for the drop-off. Everything went smoothly. The luxury box was back in my hands. Even though I already knew it was the La Mer set I had bought for Brad’s mom, seeing it with my own eyes still felt like taking a blunt force object to the chest. The ribbon on the box was completely untouched. Every single crease was exactly how I had tied it. That piece of trash didn’t even care enough to open it. He just couldn’t wait to flip it for a quick buck! Right then, my phone buzzed with a Marketplace notification. “Hey gorgeous, I see it got delivered!” “Could you do me a huge favor and confirm the receipt on the app ASAP? I really need the cash!” I pointed my phone at the gift box and recorded a short video. [Hi there, I shook the box and heard something rattling inside. Did the glass bottles break?] In the video, I gently shook the box, strategically playing a pre-recorded glass-clinking sound effect from my iPad just out of frame. Brad totally panicked. He fired back three voice memos in a row, his tone filled with anxious rage. “It was in perfect condition when I handed it to the courier! No rattling at all! You must have broken it after you took it inside!” “You didn’t open it in front of the driver, so that’s on you! You need to hit confirm receipt right now!” “Let me tell you something, don’t even try to scam me or get a refund! The second that box left my hands, it was no longer my problem. Whether the bottles are shattered or there’s literal gold inside, it has nothing to do with me!” Perfect. That was exactly what I wanted to hear! I immediately hit “Confirm Receipt.” The second the $400 hit his account, the Marketplace chat displayed: [You have been blocked by this user.] That trash bag blocked me the second he got his money. That’s fine. I was absolutely certain that in about five minutes, he’d be crawling back like a pathetic dog, begging me. 2 I called Brad on FaceTime. The moment it connected, his eyes crinkled with absolute joy. “Hey babe, miss me already?” I smiled. “You look happy. Did something good happen?” Brad paused for a second, quickly fabricating an excuse. “Oh, we were just at the dinner table talking about some funny childhood memories. Just feeling nostalgic and happy!” I pressed on. “Did your mom like the gift I sent her?” The mention of the gift made Brad’s face instantly awkward. Behind him, I could see his mother, Mrs. Jenkins, and his younger sister, Maya, sitting on the couch. Both of them smirked with clear mockery on their faces. “Uh… Chloe, about that gift… my mom actually wasn’t too thrilled.” “She’s never been one to wear expensive creams and makeup. She’s not high-maintenance and obsessed with her looks like you are!” I quickly cut in. “Oh! Since she doesn’t like it, why don’t you bring the skincare set back to me?” Brad panicked the second he heard that. “Chloe, I can’t do that! Who takes back a gift after giving it?” “My mom already opened it and started using it! Even though she hates all those chemicals…” “…she wanted to give you face because it was from you!” “If anyone says you’re a bad girlfriend, I’ll be the first to defend you!” After saying that, Brad even turned around and gave his mom a pointed look. His mom forced a fake smile and nodded at the camera, but her eyes were full of disdain. Listening to his incredibly flawed, patched-together lies, I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing out loud. Seeing that I was still in a “good mood,” Brad struck while the iron was hot. “Babe, next time, you really shouldn’t buy such impractical gifts!” “They cost a fortune, and they don’t hold their value at all!” “If we ever needed cash in an emergency, you can’t resell that stuff for anything… Not like…” I took the bait. “Not like what?” Brad’s mom immediately jumped into the frame. “Not like gold! Gold holds its value and even appreciates! It’s way more practical than a bunch of little jars and bottles!” Ah, now I completely understood! No wonder when I pulled out the luxury gift box at dinner, his mom’s initially glowing face instantly dropped. Hah. They were mad that my gift wasn’t something they could easily pawn for maximum cash. Since they were dropping hints about wanting gold, I figured I’d grant their wish right now! “You’re so right, Mrs. Jenkins! Gold definitely holds its value best!” “So, the solid gold bangle I put inside… does it fit? I hope you… liked it?” 3 Before I even finished my sentence, Brad jumped like he had been electrocuted. “Ah!!! What gold bangle?! You bought a gold bangle?!” I looked at the screen, curving my lips into a cute, playful smile. “Yeah! Didn’t your mom open the box already? Didn’t she see the heavy solid gold bangle inside?” Brad’s face drained of all color, turning a sickly pale. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead. The two women behind him panicked just as hard, pacing frantically around the living room in circles. I could even faintly hear his mom hissing at his sister, Maya. “Why didn’t you open it and check?! How did you not see a gold bracelet inside?! You idiot!” Maya defended herself, looking incredibly wronged. “I told you I wanted to keep it to use! You and Brad insisted on selling it for cash! You said I didn’t deserve to use such expensive skincare!” “I wanted to open it to post on Instagram, but you guys wouldn’t let me break the plastic wrap! Now look what happened!” Brad clicked his tongue impatiently, and the mother-daughter duo finally shut their mouths. I pretended I didn’t hear a word of it, dragging out my words with fake concern. “Babe, what’s wrong~?” I elongated the syllables, dripping with just the right amount of innocent worry. “Does your mom not like it?” “It’s my fault, really!” I sighed softly, my tone laced with self-blame. “I just wanted to buy something with a heavy carat weight to show how much I respect her!” “But you know how it is… when the gold is too heavy, the bracelet can look a bit chunky and lose its delicate charm.” “If she really doesn’t like it, I’ll take her to the Cartier store tomorrow to exchange it for a different style!” “A 2.5-ounce solid gold bangle is pretty heavy. We could melt it down into a thinner bracelet, a necklace, and some earrings…” I was still speaking slowly and methodically when Brad abruptly interrupted me. His voice was trembling with uncontrollable panic. “Chloe, you… you put 2.5 ounces of solid gold inside that gift box?” “Why didn’t you tell me?! How do you even have that kind of money?!” I immediately put on a deeply wronged expression. “I used all the savings from my trust fund allowance! I just wanted to make a perfect impression on my future mother-in-law!” Then, I shifted gears, raising my voice in feigned shock. “Is the bracelet missing?! Did you guys lose it?!?” Dead silence on the other end of the video call. For a full thirty seconds. Finally, Brad’s mom, thinking on her feet, stammered out an excuse. “No… no, of course it’s not lost. I was just so focused on applying the face cream that I must not have noticed it!” I pretended to breathe a massive sigh of relief, patting my chest. “Oh, thank god. You scared me to death. As long as it’s not lost. That’s 2.5 ounces of 24-karat gold!” “At today’s market price, plus the jeweler’s crafting fee, that’s nearly $8,000!” “If it was really lost, I would have been sick to my stomach!” Saying that, I pulled out the actual receipt for a 2.5-ounce solid gold bangle and waved it at the camera. “Look, here! With taxes and fees, it came out to $8,450!” I even snapped a photo of the receipt and the picture I took of the bracelet at the jewelry counter, sending it to him in the chat. “Babe, look! Isn’t it gorgeous? It’s going to look so classy on your mom!” The truth was, the day I bought the skincare, I actually did go to the jewelry department next door and bought a $8,000 solid gold bangle. Except, that bracelet was a birthday present for my mother, whose birthday was next week. “Eight thousand… eight thousand dollars…” Brad looked like his soul had left his body, just muttering the number repeatedly. Mrs. Jenkins leaned in to look at the photo of the receipt, then frantically started pinching her precious son’s arm out of sheer anxiety. “Chloe, I gotta let you go. Maybe we just didn’t unpack the box all the way, we’ll go look!” Before I could even reply, the call was ruthlessly disconnected with a click. A second later, Maria’s phone started blowing up, and my Facebook Marketplace notifications went absolutely crazy. 4 [Hey!! Do you still have that La Mer bundle you just bought?! Please tell me you didn’t open it!] [I’ll pay you extra! Name your price! $1,000? No, $1,500! I’ll Venmo you right now!] [Where are you? I’ll come pick it up myself! I am begging you, please!] I stared at the screen, laughing so hard my stomach hurt. My fingers flew across the keyboard: [I was just about to open it when your messages distracted me!] He replied instantly, his voice memo literally cracking with tears: “I was being an asshole earlier! There’s something else inside that box! Something extremely important! My mom needs it desperately!” [What’s inside?] Silence for a solid ten seconds, before he sent a frantic, incoherent block of text: [It’s a cheap little trinket my girlfriend gave my mom!] [It’s not worth any money, but it has huge sentimental value!] [I’ll give you $2,000, please just give it back to me!] [If my girlfriend finds out I sold her gift online, she’ll break up with me for sure!] Brad kept heavily emphasizing that it was “cheap,” obviously terrified that the seller wouldn’t want to return it if they knew the real value. Seeing that I wasn’t replying, he panicked and spammed me: [What is wrong with you? Do you have no morals?] [Give it back right now. I have your address, do you think I won’t drive over there right now?!] [If you don’t return it, I’m calling the cops!] I calmly screenshotted the voice memo he had sent me earlier—“Whether there’s literal gold inside, it has nothing to do with me!”—and sent it back. [Call the cops? And tell them what? That I scammed you? Or that you pawned your girlfriend’s gift and now you have seller’s remorse?] The “Typing…” bubble danced on the screen for a long time before he finally sent one sentence: [I’m sorry. How much do you want?] I looked at the gift box sitting on my table—the one he had treated like garbage, but was now desperate to redeem—and typed a number: [$3,000!] I thought Brad might try to haggle, but he replied instantly: [Post the custom listing. I’m buying it!] Well, from his perspective, even paying $3,000 meant he’d still walk away with a net profit of over $5,000 once he retrieved the “gold.” I recorded a video. The camera slowly panned from the perfectly intact plastic wrap all the way down to the immaculately tied ribbon. Just to prove that I genuinely hadn’t opened it. Then, I ordered an Uber Connect courier and sent it right back to the address on his seller profile. While it was in transit, I purposely spammed Brad’s personal phone with a bunch of sweet texts, all of which went completely ignored: [Did your mom put the bracelet on? Does she love it?] [I guessed her wrist size, is it a good fit?] [Babe, why are you ignoring me? Are you super busy?]… I made sure to slip the Uber driver a $50 cash tip, specifically asking him to record a video of the exact moment he handed the package over to Brad. I also instructed the driver not to hand over the bag until Brad clicked “Confirm Receipt” on the Marketplace app in front of him. Cash in my account, box in his hands. When I told Brad these terms over the app, he agreed immediately. After all, for every second that box was out of his possession, he was probably having a heart attack. The courier was fast. In less than thirty minutes, the app showed “Delivered.” The second the notification popped up, Brad’s text finally came through on my personal phone: [Babe! My mom said she absolutely loves it. She said it’s the most beautiful gold bracelet she’s ever seen in her life!] 5 Seeing his text, I knew Brad hadn’t even opened the box yet. He was just rushing to appease me so I wouldn’t get suspicious. But that fake peace only lasted for exactly one second. The next second, my Facebook Marketplace inbox completely exploded. Brad spammed me with voice calls, video calls, and relentlessly blew up Maria’s phone number, all of which I swiftly rejected. Then, a tidal wave of vile, unhinged abuse flooded the chat. [You lying bitch! You said you didn’t open it! The gold bracelet is gone!] [Hand over the bracelet right fucking now or I’m calling the police!] [You fucking **** I’ll **** Give it back!] [****, go **** yourself, I see you reading these, reply to me!] [I’ll kill your whole fucking family, you stole my shit and scammed me out of $3,000!] [Go to hell, rot in hell!] Honestly, I’ve heard my fair share of trash talk, but this was nothing. What shocked me was that I had never heard language this filthy come out of Brad’s mouth. He had chased me for six months, and we’d been dating for three. In all that time, I had never even heard him raise his voice. Whether it was to me, his friends, or total strangers, he was always perfectly polite, gentle, and refined. Clearly, that was all just a carefully curated persona designed to hook me. The maniac behind the screen right now was his true self. Unhurried, I sent him three video clips. The first was Maria taking the perfectly sealed package from the first courier. The second was me handing the completely untouched, sealed package to the second courier. As for the third… it was the video the Uber driver just took of Brad receiving the box. Three videos. Ironclad proof. Evidence that from start to finish, I never once unsealed the box. [Go ahead and call the cops! When the police investigate, they’ll definitely have to call your girlfriend to verify the contents.] [If your girlfriend finds out you sold her mother-in-law’s gift on the internet for quick cash, do you really think she’ll stay with you?] After sending those two messages, I switched over to iMessage and replied to his sweet text as “Chloe”: [I’m so honored that your mom loves it!] [Take a picture of her wearing it for me!] [I want to post it on my Instagram to show off what a great future daughter-in-law I am! Gotta score those brownie points! 😉] 6 Total radio silence from Brad on both platforms. I kept launching psychological attacks on his iMessage. [Babe, why aren’t you replying? You’re acting so weird!] [Did you actually lose the bracelet?] [Or… did you lose the whole gift box?] On Facebook Marketplace, the “Typing…” bubble kept appearing and disappearing, but a message never came through. I knew exactly what was happening. He was spiraling. He was absolutely calculating the domino effect of calling the police, and weighing the catastrophic consequences it would bring. Honestly, I was slightly worried he actually would call the cops. After all, three grand wasn’t a small amount of money to him. Not that I was afraid of getting charged with fraud. The account was under Maria’s real identity, and those three videos proved we never tampered with the box. Most importantly, Brad was the one who voluntarily offered to pay a premium to buy it back. If push came to shove, I could just claim I “forgot” to put the bracelet in the box, have Maria refund him, and the police would treat it as a civil misunderstanding and drop it. But if that happened, it would be way too boring! It completely ruined the script I had mapped out. I quickly made a phone call, arranging the final pieces of my plan, and waited quietly. I was certain Brad would never call the cops. Sure enough, a few minutes later, a message popped up on Marketplace. [You’re ruthless. Make sure you look both ways crossing the street with that dirty money.] I let out a sigh of relief. My read on him was spot-on. Before I could even type my next attack on iMessage, Brad actually initiated a FaceTime call. “Chloe, you really are my lucky star! I love you so much!” “How did I get so incredibly lucky to find a wife as kind, beautiful, innocent, and generous as you?” This sudden, aggressive barrage of flattery almost made me break character and laugh out loud. I forced a coy, slightly pouty expression, playing the part. “If you love me so much, why were you ignoring my texts? Were you chatting up other girls?” Brad quickly laughed it off, his voice dripping with barely concealed excitement. “You silly girl, of course not! I have amazing news. I just got the job at Sterling Enterprises.” “Their HR just called me. I start next Monday!” I played dumb, raising my voice in fake awe. “Oh my god! Really?! Sterling Enterprises has insanely high standards!” “If my mom knew my boyfriend was that capable, she’d force me to marry you tomorrow!” Hearing that, Brad’s smugness and excitement practically radiated through the screen. “Babe, it’s all because of you. Ever since I met you, my luck has been off the charts!” “My life is just getting better and better. You must be an angel sent from above!” I mirrored his blissfully happy expression, dialing up the cutesy act. “Then you better cherish me! If you lose a treasure like me, it’ll be the biggest loss of your life!” Brad enthusiastically agreed, smiling so wide his eyes disappeared into slits. Of course it was because of me. I was the one who just called my family’s HR department and told them to push Brad’s hiring paperwork through. I even had HR drop subtle hints that the only reason he got his foot in the door at a multi-million dollar corporation was because of his connection to Chloe Sterling. Even an idiot would realize what the name “Sterling Enterprises” meant by now. Brad didn’t expose the truth directly. Clearly, he intended to keep playing along with this “rich heiress testing the poor boy” trope. After all, as long as he locked me down, he was set for life. He would never have to work a day again. Back when I was just playing the role of a comfortably upper-middle-class local girl, he stuck to me like a leech, entirely focused on draining me for free meals and gifts. Now that he realized my family was this powerful? He’d rather die than let me go. Following the flow of the conversation, I pressed the issue: “So what about the bracelet? Is my future mother-in-law happy with it or not?” 7 I thought this question would finally make him stutter, but surprisingly, he looked completely relaxed. “Of course she’s happy! She’s literally at the mall right now showing it off!” “Hold on… let me go find her and video call you so you can see!” Before I could react, he hung up. What the hell kind of game was Brad playing? Was he actually going to bite the bullet, drain his bank account, and go buy an identical solid gold bracelet to cover his lie? Brad’s house was close to a luxury outdoor mall. Ten minutes later, he sent a FaceTime request. When I answered, Mrs. Jenkins’s giant face filled the screen. “Chloe! Look, doesn’t it look beautiful on me? Doesn’t it make me look like a wealthy socialite?” “I just ran into some of my girlfriends, and when they saw the bracelet you bought me, they were so jealous! They kept saying how blessed I am!” As she spoke, she purposefully raised her wrist, shoving the bracelet right up to the camera lens. With one glance, I recognized it. It was the exact same model I had at home. Looking at the background behind her, they were standing mere feet away from a fine jewelry counter. Did Brad seriously drop eight grand to keep up the lie? After a few minutes of fake, overly sweet small talk, we hung up. I was sitting there, utterly confused, when Jessica—the sales rep who sold me the gold—called me. I always went to her for my jewelry, so we were pretty close. “Miss Sterling, a man just came to my counter holding a photo of your receipt and a picture of the bracelet you bought.” “First, he used your photos to aggressively confirm with us that you were the one who bought that exact piece two days ago.” “After we confirmed it, the older woman with him demanded to try on that exact display model. She wore it for several minutes, got on a video call with someone, and bragged about how her ‘daughter-in-law’ bought it for her! We honestly thought it was some kind of scam and my manager called security. Thankfully, she hung up the phone and handed the bracelet back.” Jessica paused, then added, “I just felt like the whole situation was incredibly sketchy, and since it involved your name, I wanted to give you a heads-up.” I thanked her and hung up, bursting into uncontrollable laughter. I laughed at how utterly blind I had been to ever fall for a guy like this. If he had actually gritted his teeth and spent the money to buy a real bracelet to cover his tracks, I might have respected him a tiny bit. Who could have predicted his family would pull off a stunt this pathetic and absurd? Did he think he could fool me for a day, or did he think he could fool me for the rest of our lives? What went through his head? His brain was on a completely different frequency than the rest of humanity! Just as I was gasping for air from laughing so hard, a notification popped up from Temu. (I had downloaded the app ages ago when Brad begged me to use a referral link for him.) I absentmindedly clicked the notification, and my jaw hit the floor. Exactly five seconds ago, Brad had placed an order for a $4.99 “gold” bangle. I rubbed my eyes, wondering if I was hallucinating. Are those human words? $4.99? Gold bangle? I clicked on the item details. The design was a direct ripoff of the Cartier-style bangle sitting in my room. Scrolling through the review photos, the fake actually looked shockingly realistic from a distance. Instantly, I understood. Brad was planning a bait-and-switch!

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Driven to suicide by her, I thought my death would finally bring her remorse. Instead, I watched her pay a fortune to an occult medium: “Medium, exactly how many Spirit Dollars do I need to burn every day to stop her from overspending down there?” “Is there a way to make her ‘check in’ every day, just like when she was alive? If she behaves, I’ll burn more money.” In that moment, I actually felt a wave of relief— Thank God I was dead. I was finally free from her control. But the medium’s chilling voice instantly shattered my illusion: “Yes. “There actually is a way.” 1 After I died. My mom burned exactly twenty Spirit Dollars for me every single day. Just like when I was alive, she would transfer exactly twenty bucks to my bank account every morning for living expenses. Exact to the penny. Not a cent more. But surviving in the Netherworld was far more destitute than anyone could imagine. I stood shivering in the biting spectral wind, struggling to calculate today’s expenses: “Crypt Lease”—even the most rundown wooden coffin cost 10 Spirit Dollars a day. “Reaper Protection Fee”—to avoid being bullied by vicious poltergeists, you had to pay the Reapers 200 Spirit Dollars a month. “Soul Painkillers”—ghosts who died unnatural deaths, like me, were forced to repeatedly experience the agonizing pain of our final moments. You had to drink the painkillers to suppress it. Each dose cost 15 Spirit Dollars. On top of that, there were “Reincarnation Taxes,” “Soul Mending Fees,” “Incense Meals,” “Phantom Garments”… With twenty Spirit Dollars a day, I could barely afford to suppress my agonizing pain. Let alone find a safe place to live or avoid getting harassed. “Tsk.” The Reaper collecting the protection fee weighed my few, thin paper bills in his hand, looking at me weirdly. “When other families burn money, it’s tens of thousands at a time. This person in your family… burning twenty bucks a day? If I say she cares, she clearly remembers you. If I say she’s cheap… wow, she’s literally cheaping out the Netherworld.” I pressed my lips together tightly, not saying a word. They didn’t understand. This was my mother’s obsession with control, carved deep into her very bones. It was like this when I was alive. And now, in death… it followed me like a shadow. “Look, why don’t you request a Dream Visitation? Tell your mom to burn more cash. She probably just doesn’t know how expensive the Afterlife is,” the Reaper suggested slowly. “Every new soul gets one free Dream Visitation voucher, just so you can tell your folks to send more money.” Dream Visitation? That meant I’d have to face my mother again? A shudder violently racked my body. Just the thought of it made my soul run cold. I still clearly remembered how every single day of my life was spent simmering in fear and suffocation. My mother demanded that I video call her three times a day—morning, noon, and night. I had to report every microscopic detail of my college classes and my social life. Furthermore, I had to go to the library every single day, record a video of myself studying as a “check-in,” and state to the camera: “Today is day X of working hard.” Only when all of this was completed would I receive my twenty dollars for the next day. I tried to object once. But my mother was self-righteous: “Twenty bucks! I calculated it perfectly. It is exactly enough for your food and water! College girls are easily corrupted by temptations. I am controlling your materialistic desires so you build good, frugal habits. You ungrateful brat, I put my heart into this and you think I’m hurting you?!” The sheer entitlement in her voice instantly crushed any argument I had. I knew fighting back was useless. So, I learned to be silent. I learned to shove every ounce of grievance and every shred of desire deep down into my chest, building a shell of “obedience” just to earn my pitiful right to survive. Yet, even trying my absolute hardest, I could never seem to meet her demands. When I needed to buy tampons. When I ran out of toilet paper. When I just wanted a piece of fresh fruit. I was constantly trapped in humiliation. I couldn’t have a normal social life. When my roommates asked me to get boba tea or grab dinner, what was I supposed to say? Hold on, let me ask my mom to authorize a Venmo transfer? Besides, I knew that even if I asked, she wouldn’t give it to me. Once, I gathered my courage. After a roommate kindly bought me a coffee, I begged my mom for an extra twenty dollars so I could treat her back. My mother demanded I write a two-thousand-word essay detailing the exact justification for the extra funds. After I racked my brain to write that essay, she replied with only two words: [Request Denied.] There was another time when my period cramps were so bad I couldn’t get out of bed on time. At 7:00 AM sharp, her phone call rang out like a death warrant: “Where the hell are you?! Where is the video? Where is the check-in?! It’s only been a few days and you’re already slacking off?! Are you hanging out with those trashy girls again? I’m telling you, if today’s check-in isn’t done, don’t even think about tomorrow’s money!” Even as I explained through trembling lips that I was sick, she didn’t soften in the slightest. “So what if it’s your period?! What woman doesn’t get her period? I don’t see anyone else acting as dramatic as you! You’re just lazy to the bone and making excuses!” She didn’t even care that I had a final exam that day. The only thing that mattered was that I hadn’t greeted her at the exact right second, and her rage ignited like a wildfire, screaming that I didn’t respect her as a mother. I thought about running away. Getting a part-time job. Doing anything. But it was useless. My mother was a 24/7 surveillance camera. She would show up at my college unannounced to audit me. She kept her eyes locked on me, driving me like cattle. If I deviated even slightly, what awaited me was slap after slap, and a tidal wave of verbal abuse. I couldn’t defy her. I didn’t dare. So, I chose to jump off the roof. I used the most absolute, decisive method to finally find my escape. I wanted her to cry over my body. I wanted her to repent. I wanted her to admit that her suffocating “love” was wrong. I wanted to escape her control forever, and ever! So, looking at the Reaper, I shook my head. “I don’t want a Dream Visitation. Are there any jobs in the Netherworld? Can I earn my own Spirit Dollars?” The Reaper gave me a sideways glance, like he was looking at a defective product. “Ghosts like you who commit suicide are classified as ‘Self-Destructive Souls.’ Down here, you’re the equivalent of a high-risk felon. Who’s gonna hire you?” I refused to believe it. Dragging my weakening soul, I wandered through the gloomy, shadowy alleys, begging for work. “Get lost! Bad luck!” Cold rejections slammed into me over and over again. Without a crypt to shelter me, the spectral wind sliced through my soul like razor blades. Without Reaper protection, the malicious glares of older, violent ghosts pricked at my back. But the deepest despair was the agonizing, bone-shattering pain of my fatal fall, repeating itself on an endless loop every single day… “Ah—!” Torn apart by the phantom agony, I couldn’t help but cry out that name from the bottom of my heart: “Mom…” In that split second, a tiny, flickering flame of hope sparked in my despair: I’m dead… Mom must know she was wrong by now, right? Those twenty dollars she burns every day… it’s probably just because she doesn’t know how hard it is down here, right? That pathetic, desperate little hope gave me the strength to raise a trembling finger and tug at the Reaper’s sleeve. My voice was as thin as a thread: “Excuse me… where do I go to request a Dream Visitation?” 2 That night, I slipped into my mother’s dream. Her dreamscape was a cold, clinical prison of order. I saw countless versions of “me”— All wearing identical, perfectly pressed uniforms, sitting expressionless at identical desks, obediently copying Bible verses. The walls were plastered with schedules precise to the minute, and the air smelled heavily of bleach and ink. She sat high above it all in a carved, gothic armchair. Her eyes were sharp as a hawk’s, scanning every “daughter” to ensure our handwriting was neat and our posture was perfect. This was probably her ideal version of me. Obedient, flawless, and completely stripped of a soul. “Mom…” My voice drifted, broken and hollow. Because I couldn’t afford the protection fees or a place to sleep, my soul had been tortured until it was withered, flickering like a candle in the wind. Standing on the edge of her “perfect world,” I looked like a stain that didn’t belong. “Who’s there?” she snapped, her voice carrying a trace of caution. “It’s me.” She shot up from her chair, her eyes instantly focusing through the haze of the dream. “Serenity, is that you? You finally came to my dream…” Her voice carried a kind of profound relief. She reached out her hand to me, a gesture that made it seem like I had just had a bad day outside and was coming home to her embrace. Seeing her like this, a sour, emotional lump rose in my throat. Had she been waiting for me? Did she finally realize how cruel she had been? Did my death finally make her understand? “Mom, I’m doing really badly in the Afterlife.” My heart softened, and my tone unconsciously slipped into a pathetic, wronged whine. “It hurts so much. The pain of hitting the pavement… it repeats every single day… I need painkillers. I need to rent a crypt. I need to pay the Reapers for protection. Can you… can you please burn a little more money for me?” I don’t know why, but even though I was already dead, the moment I opened my mouth, I reverted right back to my old, submissive tone. I sounded like a lowly beggar, wagging my tail for scraps. That familiar feeling made me hate myself even more. But what I didn’t expect was for my mother’s face to instantly darken. “You useless disappointment!” Her voice suddenly shrieked. “You were a failure alive, and you’re a debt-collector in death! I always said you had cheap bones, no self-discipline! You go down there, and you still haven’t repented! You’re still infected with the disease of spending money! Do you think money just falls from the sky?!” I stood frozen, feeling like I’d been struck by lightning. My soul vibrated with shock. “Mom, you burn 20 dollars a day. Just the painkillers cost 15. I don’t have a place to live, and I have to save 200 a month for protection. If I want to reincarnate, there are taxes…” “Enough!” She cut me off viciously, her spit flying in the dream’s light. “Excuses! Twenty bucks was plenty for you to eat and shit when you were alive! You don’t even need to eat or drink down there. Twenty Spirit Dollars is more than enough. Don’t think I don’t know how it works. I consulted an Occult Medium! Twenty dollars is absolutely enough! It’s because you haven’t fixed your disgusting habits down there that you’re spending so much!” My mother’s voice was a sharp knife, piercing through every last drop of emotion I felt for her. “Did you think I was burning money for you to enjoy yourself? Let me tell you right now, I burn money every day so you remember every single second: I am your mother! I still control you! Don’t you dare think you can fly out of my palm just because you’re dead!” Something cracked deep inside my soul. So, my mother wasn’t burning money out of love. She was doing it out of “control.” She hadn’t changed one bit from when I was alive. In fact, she had gotten worse. “Do you really think… that you haven’t made a single mistake?” I asked, completely hollowed out. “I am your mother! Everything I do is for your own good!” She exploded like a powder keg, her voice piercing the air. “Look at me, I’m getting old, and I still have to break my back worrying about you! When you were alive, I bled for you, I taught you, and why the hell were you so fragile? You jumped off a roof over a little hardship! And now, you’re dead, and you still don’t understand shit!” She took a menacing step forward, and all the “perfect daughters” in her dreamscape crumbled into dust behind her. Leaving only her twisted face, contorted by her obsession with control. “Do you know why I named you Serenity? ‘Serene’ means quiet obedience! It means you shut up and follow orders. What you need right now is to reflect on your mistakes! Not think about how to squander money!” The one who needs to correct their mistakes… is me? I screamed silently in my head as tears streamed down my spectral face, utterly uncontrollable. My mother showed no sign of stopping. “From now on, do exactly as I say! Visit my dreams every night. Greet me, and tell me this is day X of your sincere reflection in the Netherworld. Be good! Let me see your ‘progress’! If I find out you’re not behaving—” A cruel, triumphant sneer tugged at the corner of her lips. “Then I’ll cut the Spirit Dollars off completely! Then we’ll see what you do!” She actually wanted me to continue “checking in” from the Afterlife? Even though I didn’t breathe anymore, I felt like I was suffocating all over again. The nightmare of my living days was replaying in the Netherworld in an even darker, more desperate way. But this time, from the depths of my freezing despair, a blazing, all-consuming fire suddenly roared to life! When I was alive, I was powerless to fight back. But now… I was already dead. What did I have to be afraid of? “I originally thought… my death might buy a single shred of remorse from you…” I laughed mockingly at myself, raising my hand and pointing directly at her hateful face. “Now I see I was incredibly stupid! Naive and ridiculous! “Let me tell you something: even if my soul shatters into a million pieces down here, I will never, ever visit your dream for another second! “You will never control me again! Not for a single minute!” My mother stared at me in shock, reaching out to grab my soul— “You think you can escape me? I’m telling you, even if you don’t visit my dreams, I have ways to make you—” Before she could finish, I scattered like smoke. The Dream Visitation was over. 3 “Are you okay?” Coming out of the dreamscape, Harper, the Reaper at the Department of Dream Visitation, caught my arm. My soul was practically disintegrating. It felt like all the energy had been drained from me, and I couldn’t even stand steady. Harper looked at me, hesitating. After a long pause, she sighed and gently patted my shoulder. “Getting stuck with a mom like that… you’ve had it rough.” I forced a tight, ugly smile. “You saw all that?” “Dream Visitations are monitored. Standard procedure.” She paused, asking tentatively, “So… are you really going to ‘check in’ with her every night?” I shook my head, my voice lighter than a wisp of smoke. “I jumped off a roof because I couldn’t stand her ‘checking in’ anymore. Now that I’m dead, no matter how much my soul hurts… it’s better than being controlled by her again.” Harper stayed silent for a moment, then suddenly lowered her voice. “Actually… your mom refusing to burn you money might be a blessing in disguise.” I looked up. “If no one burns paper money for you for three consecutive months, and your personal assets fall below ten thousand Spirit Dollars, you can apply for ‘Netherworld Welfare.’” “Netherworld Welfare?” I sat up straight, a light kindling in my eyes. “Yeah. It’s 1,500 Spirit Dollars a month.” 1,500 dollars! That was huge! Even if my mom burned money every day, that was only 600 a month. The Afterlife’s welfare was more than double! Suddenly, my existence felt like it had a future. As long as my mom didn’t burn money for three months straight, I could get welfare! Looking at it this way, being dead was pretty great. Even if it was destitute, it wasn’t a dead end. Probably out of pity for what she saw in my dream, Harper sighed and pulled a dozen “Soul Painkiller” vials from her pocket, shoving them into my hands. “Take these. They’re Department perks. I don’t use them, and I was going to sell them on the side, but seeing how hard you have it… just take ’em.” Overwhelmed by her kindness, I took them, thanking her profusely. Harper thought for a moment, then added, “The workload here is getting intense. If you’re willing to help me out, I’ll give you all my monthly painkiller allocations from now on. But you can’t breathe a word of this outside. You’re a high-risk suicide soul. If the higher-ups find out I’m using you for labor… we’re both screwed!” I was ecstatic and quickly agreed. “Don’t worry, I won’t say a word!” With this job, even if my mother stopped burning me money, I could survive the three months. After three months, I’d get my welfare, and life would only get better! I bowed deeply to Harper. A Reaper I had never met before was willing to extend a helping hand when she saw my suffering. And my own mother, who claimed to love me, refused to let me go even in death. She probably… never loved me to begin with. Accepting that truth brought me a strange sense of peace. In the days that followed, I worked diligently at the Department of Dream Visitation, helping Harper with the grunt work. Filing life-and-death ledgers, calibrating visitation timelines, and floating between filing cabinets that smelled faintly of phantom lilies. Harper found a corner in the archives for me to stay in temporarily. Though the painkillers she gave me weren’t many, drinking half a vial a day was enough to ease the crushing agony in my soul. Day by day passed. Two months. Just one more month, and I could claim my welfare! I’d be financially free! But then, on that exact day. I was head-down, organizing dream files. Suddenly, a brutal, overwhelming force gripped my soul! Like an iron hook piercing my collarbone, I didn’t even have time to scream before I was violently yanked upward! When I opened my eyes, the blinding sunlight scorched my phantom body. —I had been pulled back to the living world. No, more accurately, my soul had been stuffed into a stuffed animal. My favorite childhood teddy bear. “It worked!” An old man with a greying beard stroked his chin, looking immensely smug. He was an Occult Medium. My mother stood to the side, wearing a triumphant, long-lost victor’s smile. She leaned down, her fingernail poking hard into the teddy bear’s head. Her voice was so cold it made my skin crawl: “Caught you, Serenity.” 4 “I told you to visit my dreams and check in every day! Why didn’t you listen? Huh? Your wings got tough, so you thought you could rebel even in death?!” My mother’s interrogation crashed down on me. Her nails dug deep into the cotton stuffing of the toy, sending spikes of pain through my soul. I could barely force a voice out. “I told you, I’m never checking in with you again! I’m already dead… why should I still follow your rules?” “How dare you talk back to me?!” Her pitch skyrocketed. She violently hoisted the teddy bear into the air, forcing my “eyes” to stare directly into her furious, contorted face. “I didn’t burn a single cent for you these past two months just to punish you and teach you a lesson! And what happened? You didn’t starve to death, did you? I knew it! The Afterlife doesn’t force you to spend money! You lied to me to squander my cash! Thank God I didn’t spoil a debt-collector like you!” A coppery taste of despair surged in my phantom throat, but I couldn’t even manage a whimper. —How laughable. She’d rather believe the bullshit of a random occult scammer than believe her own daughter when I said, ‘It hurts so much.’ “But I really didn’t expect you to be this stubborn.” Her tone carried the cruel amusement of a cat playing with a mouse. She dropped me back onto the table, poking my “face” over and over again. “Two whole months, and you didn’t visit me to say hello even once! You completely abandoned your filial duty! Fine, you won’t come? If you won’t come, I have ways to make you come! From now on, every single day! I will have the Medium drag you up here! You will respectfully greet me just like before, report on your reflections without missing a syllable, and listen to my lectures until your deeply ingrained flaws are completely fixed!” Every single day? The words drove through my soul like an ice pick. A drowning, absolute terror, far deeper than death itself, seized me. “How is that possible? I’m dead, you’re alive. We’re separated by life and death! How can you just pull me up whenever you want?” “It’s all thanks to the Medium’s vast powers.” My mother smugly pulled out a stack of dark yellow parchment, covered in twisted sigils drawn in blood-red ink. “Do you know what this is?” She waved the parchment in front of my face. “A ‘Soul-Binding Sigil.’ “Burn one a day, and no matter where you are, you will instantly be summoned before me.” Her fingers brushed against the teddy bear’s fur. The movement was gentle, but laced with a terrifying possessiveness. “I know you always loved sleeping with this ratty old doll. It’s covered in your essence. It’s the perfect vessel to trap your disobedient little soul! Daughter… do you finally understand your mother’s ‘good intentions’?” I felt an icy, agonizing dread wash over my entire being. With these cursed sigils, my soul was nothing more than a kite on her string. When she wanted me, I had to come. Trapped in this tiny stuffed animal, forced to listen to her lectures and curses. This was even more hopeless than when I was alive… “Now, just like before, give me a status report on your friends in the Netherworld. “What do those ghosts do for a living? How is your relationship with them? Tell me everything! Don’t you dare hide anything, and don’t you dare associate with those trashy, low-class wild ghosts! Do you hear me?” I just felt like laughing. —Mom, do you even know? I wander the Netherworld homeless. I drift from place to place. I am the trashy, low-class wild ghost you’re talking about. And you made me this way. “The sigil’s time limit is almost up. Hurry it up,” the Medium reminded her from the side. Only then did my mother reluctantly stop talking. But before I vanished, her freezing glare locked onto me. “I am extremely dissatisfied with your performance today! But considering you haven’t had any ‘living expenses’ in a long time, I’m sure you’ve suffered a bit… “I will still burn today’s twenty Spirit Dollars for you. Remember, tomorrow! I expect a proper report! Or else…” Twenty Spirit Dollars? My head jerked up. No! Absolutely not! I only had one month left before I could collect my Netherworld Welfare! If she resumed burning money, I wouldn’t meet the welfare requirements anymore! “I don’t want it!” I screamed with every last ounce of strength I had. “Take your filthy money back! I won’t check in, and I won’t take your living expenses! I’m cutting ties with you, and I will never use another cent of your money!” “Cut. Ties. With. Me?” My mother enunciated each word slowly, her smile suddenly turning grotesque. “Don’t think I don’t know what you’re plotting. The Medium already told me. The Netherworld has a welfare system. If nobody burns paper money for three months, you can claim it.” She leaned in close to the teddy bear, dropping her voice to a sinister whisper: “But don’t even dream of getting it. I am your mother. Every single Spirit Dollar you get must come from me. If you think you can escape my control, keep dreaming!” The welfare… she even knew about that! My soul collapsed entirely, the last shred of my strength violently ripped away. There is no despair deeper than this. My body suddenly felt weightless, and I plunged heavily back down to the Netherworld. Lying in my palm were 20 Spirit Dollars—the “living expenses” my mother so graciously bestowed upon me. They felt like glowing branding irons, burning through my hand, burning away my final, desperate sliver of hope. The welfare… was gone. And tomorrow, the day after, the endless tomorrows… That daily “check-in” would follow me like maggots on a corpse, an inescapable shadow. At that moment, I wanted nothing more than to die a second time, just to find release. But I couldn’t. I was already a ghost. There was nowhere left to run. I couldn’t even find an escape in death…

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My boyfriend, Ethan, suddenly got into a car accident and was rushed to the hospital. Our classmates were all chipping in and donating money, but I acted like nothing had happened. Ethan’s sister tracked me down at school, her eyes red and swollen. “Maya, our family isn’t rich. Can you please take out the money my brother has been saving with you all these years to help pay for his emergency surgery?” My expression remained flat. “The money he saved? That was spent a long time ago.” Tears streamed down the girl’s face. “My brother gets a $500 monthly allowance, and he transfers $400 of it straight to you. Plus all the money he makes from his part-time jobs… he asked to borrow money from me several times and told me to keep it a secret from our parents…” “You’re his girlfriend. How can you just leave him to die?” At that moment, Ethan’s college roommate stepped forward to back up the girl’s claims. But I stood my ground, insisting I had no money. When Ethan regained consciousness, he immediately demanded a breakup. The entire student body rallied behind him. Faced with everyone’s harsh accusations, I pulled out the joint income and expense records from our two-year relationship. 01 The hem of the girl’s t-shirt was frayed, making her look like she came from a struggling, working-class family. She looked at me, swallowed hard, and spoke up amidst the confused stares of the crowd. “Maya, can you please just take out the money my brother left with you to cover the hospital bills?” “Mom has already borrowed from everyone she can, but we’re still short…” “I know my brother has been depositing his money with you since the very beginning.” I frowned, completely unmoved by her pitiful display. “The money he saved with me was spent ages ago.” My face was completely calm, but the girl’s eyes instantly welled up with tears. “Spent? How is that possible?” Her voice was laced with shock. “My brother has been dating you since freshman year, it’s been almost four years. Out of his $500 monthly allowance, he sends you $400 and only keeps $100 for his own food.” “Not to mention the side hustles he works. All that money went into your shared savings app. There has to be at least ten thousand dollars in there! How could it possibly all be spent?!” “There were times he was so broke he was starving and had to borrow money from me. He even begged me not to tell our parents, which is the only reason I know about this.” “I’m begging you. I know this isn’t ideal, and I didn’t get my brother’s permission, but as his girlfriend, are you really just going to watch him die?” She bent forward slightly, tugging at the hem of my shirt, her eyes brimming with tears. A heavy silence fell over the crowd. “Wait… I thought Ethan was on full financial aid! Turns out his allowance isn’t that small after all!” “Yeah, he’s always so frugal… I used to think Maya was a decent person, not a gold digger like other girls… So all of Ethan’s money went to her?” “Wow, I always assumed Maya came from a rich family. So she’s been living large off the money Ethan starved himself to save?!” Voices of surprise and suspicion rippled through the onlookers. I frowned and looked around. “You’re all making wild assumptions based on a completely one-sided story?” I turned back to the girl. “I told you, your brother has no money saved with me. Stop making a scene. Everyone is responsible for their own fate.” My voice was cold and flat, lacking any emotional inflection. Clap. Clap. Clap. Just as I finished speaking, the sound of slow, sarcastic applause rang out. Ethan’s roommate, Noah, was clapping, a mocking sneer on his face. “Wow. ‘Everyone is responsible for their own fate.’ What a line.” “Other people might not know, but do you think his roommates are blind?” “I’ve watched Ethan get his allowance every month, and the very first thing he does is open Venmo to send it. So, he was sending it to you all along?” “Look at the clothes and shoes you’re wearing—all designer brands. And what about Ethan? To save money, he buys clearance bin clothes and wears sneakers until the soles literally detach!” “What’s the deal? Now that he’s in an accident and you need to cough up the money, you’re trying to cut ties? Do you think we’re all idiots?” Noah’s words hit like a sledgehammer, leaving everyone stunned. Unlike the crying girl, Noah was our class representative. He was known for being responsible, gentle, and level-headed. No one had ever seen him lose his temper. But right now, his eyes were wide with blazing anger. “Do you even realize that Ethan got into that car crash while heading to an extra shift just so he could buy you a birthday present?!” The classmates who had been on the fence were now entirely convinced. “Holy crap. I never would’ve guessed Maya was this kind of person.” “How does she live with herself? Shouldn’t a relationship be 50/50? This is just pure greed!” Facing the crowd’s accusations, I merely scoffed, turned on my heel, and walked out of the noisy classroom. I didn’t expect my phone to blow up with a barrage of notifications just minutes later. 02 Amidst the sea of vile messages, the first one I noticed was from my college friend, Emma. “Maya, check… check the Campus Confessions page right now. What the hell is going on?” Emma usually never paid attention to college drama. For her to tell me to look at the gossip page meant this was blowing up massively. I opened my feed and was instantly hit with a viral post. “We are Maya’s roommates. We were asked by the people involved to take these photos (Pictures attached).” “We honestly didn’t want to believe that our own roommate could be such a cold-blooded, selfish, and greedy person.” The photo grid showed various designer bags and exquisite gifts. Every single item looked incredibly expensive. They specifically pointed out a small bear keychain. “This keychain right here—we looked it up. It’s smaller than a fist and retails for $800. Maya somehow has five of them.” “From what we know, Maya’s family isn’t wealthy at all.” “So it goes without saying where she got the money to buy these luxury goods. We only found out the truth today. Ethan wanted to save money together with you because he loved you, and this is how you treat your joint assets?” “Especially now that his life is on the line, and you just turn a blind eye. We are exposing all of this today. We refuse to be roommates with you any longer.” The post triggered a massive explosion of comments. People were filling in the blanks of the story, throwing fuel onto the fire of the student body’s outrage. “Holy shit, this girl is a psychopath!” “This is exactly why you shouldn’t mix finances in a relationship.” “God, how could she? That poor guy is skin and bones, and she’s spending money like water. She’s literally a leech…” “Terrifying. I’m scared to even date now, I don’t want to be treated like an ATM.” “Girls have it so easy. If I was a girl and dated ten guys, I’d be a millionaire.” “She has money to buy $800 keychains and thousands of dollars on bags, but no money to pay her boyfriend’s medical bills? She is drowning in her own vanity.” “I heard her boyfriend only got into the accident because of her.” Honestly, compared to my private messages, the comment section was actually tame. It was just some sharp criticism. When I opened my message requests, it was pure, unadulterated filth. Words that couldn’t pass community guidelines were creatively misspelled or swapped with homophones, then viciously hurled at my face. People who had absolutely no idea what the real story was were happily smashing their keyboards. Some of the guys were getting particularly worked up, completely projecting themselves into Ethan’s shoes. Even if they had never experienced anything like this, they were all playing the righteous victims, united in their hatred. By the time I got back to my dorm, my clothes and bags had been thrown all over the floor, covered in dirt. Some of my tulle dresses had mysterious new holes ripped in them, and my leather bags had deep, visible scratches. Meanwhile, my three roommates were just sitting there, playing on their phones or doing their makeup, acting like I didn’t even exist. My face darkened. “You’re destroying private property. I can call the cops for this.” Harper, who was doing her makeup, didn’t even turn around. She just kept checking her reflection in the mirror. “Call them, then. Go ahead. And while they’re here, maybe we can calculate exactly where all these things came from, whose money bought them, and see if we’re the ones paying you, or if you’re the one going to jail.” Her tone was dripping with disdain, completely devoid of any guilt. Another roommate chimed in. “Heh, I was wondering how you always had the money to flaunt this stuff. Turns out you were using someone else’s blood, sweat, and tears. No wonder you treated them like garbage.” She crossed her legs and mocked me openly. The last roommate simply ignored the situation entirely. Watching the three of them act so nonchalant, I didn’t say another word. I just walked straight over to their closets and pulled the doors open. 03 I grabbed a pair of scissors and started snipping their clothes. One piece, two pieces… It wasn’t until the room was littered with ruined fabric that they finally realized what I was doing. “Holy shit! Are you psychotic?! What are you doing?!” “Why are you touching my stuff?! I saved up for a whole month just to buy that dress, you’re paying for that!!!” “What the fuck! That’s my favorite brand, I paid a fortune for that! You bitch!!” They lunged at me, clawing and screaming. I immediately spun around, bolted out of the dorm, and locked the door behind me. Since I couldn’t stay in the dorm, I checked into a hotel near campus. Sure enough, it wasn’t long before I got a call from the Dean of Students, summoning me to her office. When I arrived, I saw my three roommates huddled in the corner. The moment they saw me, their faces twisted into masks of pure victimization. Mrs. Higgins, the Dean, tapped her finger on the desk and took a slow sip of her coffee. Her eyes narrowed behind her thin glasses as she looked me up and down, her gaze full of heavy scrutiny. “Maya, right? I know who you are.” “The girl in the Comp Sci program who’s always dressed to the nines. It’s hard not to remember you.” “But you need to realize that students come to college to learn, not to compete with each other over material things, and certainly not to feed their vanity.” “Regarding the damage to your roommates’ personal property, they have already calculated the exact cost of their losses.” “If you refuse to compensate them, then my hands are tied. I’ll have to put a major disciplinary mark on your permanent record.” “Your fast-track admission to grad school will be completely jeopardized by this.” “As for the scandal that’s been making waves recently, I’ve heard all about it. We shouldn’t jump to conclusions, but let me remind you: you cannot just take advantage of someone’s love and do whatever you please.” “Being pretty isn’t currency. Kindness and consideration for others are the virtues a young woman should possess. That boy cared for you so deeply, and your actions have truly chilled everyone to the bone.” “It’s no wonder more and more people are criticizing young women today. People like you bring it upon themselves.” The office was quiet. Every single word she said drilled straight into my eardrums. I pursed my lips. “So you just believe whatever they tell you?” “As a faculty member, you should at least aim for fairness. If this is just going to be a kangaroo court, then issue whatever punishment you want. Why even bother calling me in?” Mrs. Higgins didn’t take kindly to my defiance. She slammed her coffee mug onto the desk with a heavy thud. “Aren’t you supposedly rich? I am ordering you to pay for the damages by the deadline, and return the money Ethan left with you. If you don’t, I will call your parents and have them pay it back.” “We have your parents’ phone numbers on file. If you refuse to act like a sensible adult, we’ll find some adults who will.” Even though she was sitting down, her years of authority gave her a condescending, threatening glare. I kept my expression blank. “Call them if you want.” Mrs. Higgins glared at me, her voice dropping dangerously low. “Let me repeat myself. A major disciplinary mark will absolutely destroy your grad school fellowship. Our university does not allow students of your poor moral character to attend our graduate programs.” My chest tightened slightly. They were the ones refusing to investigate. They were the ones jumping to conclusions. Since this whole thing started, not a single person cared about the truth. They just blindly followed the mob. I didn’t expect a university official to be exactly the same. I lowered my eyes. “Oh. Then let it destroy it.” I turned around and walked toward the door. If all my hard work was going to be erased because of this, then to hell with their fellowship. 04 The school organized a fundraiser for Ethan, and afterward, they arranged a group visit to the hospital. Only twenty people from our class needed to go, but for some reason, they specifically dragged me along. When I arrived, I immediately understood why. It wasn’t just students and teachers from our school; there was also a popular campus vlogger with a camera crew. It was obvious they brought me here with malicious intent, trying to manufacture a viral moment. Ethan was out of the woods and resting in bed. His gaze drifted through the crowd and locked onto me. He had always been incredibly skinny. Right now, he looked practically skeletal. Combined with his pale, post-surgery face, he looked exceptionally pitiful. Classmates stepped forward one by one, offering him words of comfort. Standing in the corner was Ethan’s sister, Lily. When she looked at me, her eyes held nothing but loathing and resentment. “Who let you come here? I don’t want to see you.” She pointed at me, looking like she was about to cry. The vlogger smelled prime content and immediately shoved the camera lens in my face. The classmates quickly parted ways, leaving a massive empty space around me. Ethan sighed heavily and grabbed his sister’s sleeve. “Let’s break up.” He looked at me, his eyes completely devoid of light. “Ethan!” His sister stomped her foot in panic. “Even if you break up, you need to make her give the money back first! Why should she get to spend all the money you worked yourself to the bone for!” “I get sick just looking at her. It’s your money, why should it be wasted on someone with no conscience?!” Ethan looked deeply conflicted. He stared at me, his eyes swimming with disappointment. “I never thought you were this kind of person, but we did love each other once.” “I don’t want to drag this out. Just do what my sister said and calculate the money. I won’t ask for extra, just give me half.” “I’ll give you one month to pay me back. After that, we cut all ties.” The classmates were instantly outraged. “Why?! If she owes it, she needs to pay it all back! Are you still hung up on a girl like this?” “She’s just taking advantage of your good heart! You gave her everything, and this is how she repays you!” “Gold diggers like her deserve to rot!” Off to the side, the vlogger was actively telling his livestream chat to stop swearing. My roommate Harper shoved me hard from behind. I lost my balance and stumbled forward violently. “Do the math!!” “Yeah! Let’s do the math right now!!” The voices of pure hatred grew louder and louder. Looking at Ethan’s fake, pained expression, I forced down the urge to vomit. “You want to do the math? Fine, let’s do the math.” 05 I pulled out my phone and opened the shared savings app we had created together. I read aloud in a calm, steady voice. “Ethan: November 2022. Deposited $300. Withdrawn $2,000.” “Ethan: December 2022. Deposited $250. Withdrawn $1,200.” “Ethan: January 2023. Deposited $250. Withdrawn $1,800…” As the numbers I read kept climbing, the murmurs around the room started to die down until there was complete silence. Everyone looked deeply confused. “Wait, how is that possible?” “She’s definitely making it up. Depositing $300 and withdrawing $2,000 is a joke. Did the two of you even have $2,000 between you in a single month?” “Your fake numbers are way too ridiculous. Even if you want to lie and say he spent the money himself, at least make it realistic! Who would believe this crap?” People started chiming in one after another. Not a single person believed I was telling the truth. Ethan looked at me, his tone dripping with disappointment. “It’s come to this, and you’re still trying to frame me?” “Ask yourself honestly, how have I treated you all these years? Why are you doing this to me now?” “We promised we would get married after graduation… Let’s put aside the fact that you left me to die. Now you’re standing in front of everyone, lying and spreading rumors about me…” “What did I do wrong to make you hate me so much?” He tilted his head up, letting his vulnerability show. They say boys don’t cry easily, but right now, his eyes were red, brimming with profound sorrow. His roommate Noah couldn’t watch anymore. He stepped up and shoved me. “If you’re claiming he withdrew all that money, didn’t you guys use the shared savings app?” “Then just show us the actual records on the app! Why are you just reading it out loud? You can’t fake the app interface.” My fingers gripping my phone turned white. Seeing my reaction, Noah immediately snatched the phone from my hand. He scrolled down, swiping through the screen. A moment later, he sneered in disgust. “You didn’t even put effort into faking this. The withdrawals clearly show they were custom categories you added yourself, yet you’re claiming Ethan spent it.” “It’s written right here in black and white. Did you really think anyone would buy this?” Ethan squeezed his eyes shut, and a single tear rolled down his cheek. He was a tall guy, but right now he looked like nothing but a skeleton. His wrist bones protruded, his cheeks were completely sunken. Ethan’s sister rushed over and shielded him, glaring at me furiously. “You are not welcome here. Please leave.” “Ethan hasn’t even fully recovered. Do you really have to come here and torture him right now?” “I already looked into it. You won’t even eat at the dining hall, you only eat at off-campus restaurants. But do you know what my brother eats?” “He’s over six feet tall, and most days he only eats plain white rice and a tiny side of cheap vegetables.” “You used his money to keep yourself glowing and healthy, and now you have the nerve to pin the blame on him?” “Have some basic human decency. I don’t want to see you. Get out.” Seeing his sister’s fierce defense, the classmates started shoving me toward the door. The vlogger’s camera remained locked onto my face, clearly aiming to capture my moment of absolute humiliation. Some of the drama-loving classmates had already peeked at my phone screen and were openly scoffing. “She doesn’t even know how to properly fake evidence. Still claims others are spreading rumors about her, when she’s the one holding the fakest receipts ever.” Seeing that I refused to leave, Ethan’s sister became furious and marched straight up to the vlogger. 06 “I’m not afraid of making a fool of myself in front of your audience.” “Because my grades were terrible, I actually started working full-time right out of high school.” “Ethan and I are very close. For his junior year birthday, I saved up $3,000. I wanted to buy him a brand new phone and laptop.” “But who would’ve thought my lovestruck brother gave every single penny to Maya.” “Or rather, he saved it all up and deposited it into Maya’s account.” “That was money I lived incredibly frugally for half a year to save.” She pulled out her phone and opened Ethan’s Instagram page. “Look at this timestamp. June. My brother didn’t get a new laptop, and he didn’t get a new phone. He was still using his old one with the shattered screen.” “During summer break, he didn’t rest. He chose to go work shifts at a factory.” “These are his posts. It’s all just his daily factory routine, and his lunch was literally just plain bread and pickles.” “Now look at Maya’s Instagram. During that exact same timeframe, she switched to the newest iPhone, and within a single month, she took trips to four different states.” “She sure had a great time blowing through my money.” “I told Ethan to end things with her so many times. I knew she wasn’t the right girl for him, and now the facts prove it. Not only is she an awful girlfriend, she’s an awful human being.” “I will never understand how she can so comfortably spend someone else’s hard-earned money as if it were her own. Doesn’t she feel any guilt?” The stark contrast between the two Instagram feeds sent shockwaves through the room. No one could have imagined that Ethan’s sister had sacrificed so much for him. The girl had a fragile frame, and the ends of her hair looked dry and yellow. In this moment, she looked incredibly sympathetic. “My heart breaks for that girl. How did her brother end up with someone like that…” “Her brother is an idiot too. All the money his sister broke her back to earn, he just threw away on a gold digger.” “You can’t really blame him. She said she was helping him save money for their future. How was he supposed to know she’d blow it all?” “Yeah, humans are terrible. The person closest to you is always the one who stabs you the deepest. Ethan is a victim here too.” The abuse in the vlogger’s livestream chat escalated rapidly. You didn’t even need to look to know the kind of vile slurs being thrown around. I looked directly at Ethan. “They all question if my transaction records are real. What about you?” “Are you truly going to tell me you don’t know exactly where those massive withdrawals came from?” A brief flash of panic darted across Ethan’s eyes, but he quickly met my gaze, regaining his absolute composure. “Isn’t everything logged in the app? What more do you want me to say? Didn’t you spend almost all the money in there?” “Buying clothes, buying cakes, buying designer bags. It’s all recorded clearly. What are you still trying to spin?” I let out a harsh laugh. I had been an absolute idiot. It took me four full years to see the true face of the man lying in front of me. “Yeah, the app shows that I was the one making the purchases. But don’t you know exactly why I spent that money?” “You kept going on and on about ‘saving money’ and building a ‘future fund’, and I was dumb enough to believe you. That’s how I fell into your trap.” “You relied on the fact that you deposited all your money into the joint app to claim it was all being spent on me. But how many holidays did you conveniently gloss over? Birthdays, Valentine’s Day, anniversaries… Every time we went out, I paid the bill. You claimed the savings app was ‘untouchable’ because it was our safety net for the future.” “But whenever there was a holiday sale, you immediately started playing the victim. You used emotional blackmail to guilt-trip me into buying you this and that—mostly extremely expensive electronics.” I unzipped my backpack, pulled out a thick stack of receipts, and slammed them down onto his hospital bed. “You guys want to know where those massive monthly withdrawals came from? Right here.”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “403341”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

Liam Sterling was famous for his bitter tongue. Because I was prone to gaining weight, when he saw the white lace dress sample sent by a merchant, he mockingly said: “Do you have to wear that and humiliate yourself? It looks like a sow playing bondage.” I don’t know how many times I broke down because of his harsh words, but every time, forced by his handsome face and generosity, I made myself not care. Until the eve of a debate competition, when a junior girl in our club leaked our debate manuscript to the opposing team. Normally, Liam would have sneered and mocked this girl for having an underdeveloped brain. But this time, Liam just threw a pack of tissues at her, turned his face away, and said: “What are you crying for? You look so ugly.” 1. Daisy Miller was sobbing: “I’m sorry, it’s all because I was careless that everyone can’t participate in the competition!” Just five minutes ago, the organizers had disqualified us due to the leaked debate manuscript. We had worked hard for months, only to be disqualified before even taking the stage. The club members were furious. “Careless? I think you did it on purpose, didn’t you? Who accidentally prints out our manuscripts copy by copy and puts them directly at the door of the opposing team’s room?” Daisy choked out, “I’m sorry… I got your room numbers wrong, that’s why it happened…” The members were even more furious upon hearing this: “Aren’t our rooms right next to each other? You don’t remember where we live, did you even forget where you live?” “Enough, stop crying in front of me. Even if you cry yourself to death here today, you won’t drain all the water in your brain!” Liam originally had no intention of speaking, but hearing the guy say this, he clicked his tongue: “Go wash your mouth if it stinks so much. Bullying a little girl like that, aren’t you ashamed?” Liam’s words stunned everyone. After all, not only was Liam the first debater in this competition, but his toxic tongue was also famous. If it were before. If such a low-level, almost intentional mistake occurred around him, Liam would probably have asked about her entire family with a cold face. And casually asked if she was the product of inbreeding. But this time, Liam just took a pack of tissues from his pocket, tossed it in front of Daisy, and turned his head: “Alright, what’s done is done. What’s the use of crying?” Watching Liam’s actions, my heart felt like it was pricked by a very fine needle. It was extremely uncomfortable. Liam had a toxic mouth and didn’t know how to comfort people. Several times I was angered to tears by Liam, and even though he was right beside me, he wouldn’t say a single nice word to me. He would just keep his hands in his pockets, impatiently tapping his foot: “Are you done yet? How long are you going to cry over such a trivial matter?” Everyone was waiting for my reaction as the club president. I suppressed the strange feeling in my heart and said to Daisy: “Whether you did it on purpose or not, you did affect our competition. You don’t need to come to future club activities.” Hearing this, Daisy cried even more pitifully: “Chloe, I know you’ve never liked me, but nobody is perfect. Are you going to strip me of my right to pursue my hobbies just because of this little thing?” The members ground their teeth in anger: “What hobbies do you have? You can’t even write a debate script. Even if the president gives you a chance to show your face and lets you use the script she wrote, you stumble on stage and drag everyone down!” “Not to mention, you know perfectly well how important this competition is to our club. This is the championship match! In your eyes, is this just a little thing?” Before Daisy could speak, Liam shouted in a low voice: “Enough!” Then, he turned to look at me: “Chloe Vance, you call yourself the president, yet you just watch a group of people bully a little girl like this?” Finally, Liam looked me up and down and softly spat out a few words: “Right, I forgot. You’re an accomplice too.” My throat suddenly felt like it was blocked by a wet wad of cotton. The sudden suffocation made me unable to say a word. Fortunately, other members spoke up: “Make yourself clear, how did we bully her?” “The president just told her not to come make a mess next time, and didn’t even plan to hold her accountable. How is she an accomplice?” Daisy sniffled and grabbed Liam’s cuff: “Liam, I know you’re just standing up for me because you care about me, but…” Daisy glanced at me, as if I were some terrible monster, lowered her head, and her voice was full of disappointment: “Maybe it’s really because Chloe doesn’t like me that it turned out this way.” 2. That day ended in a bitter argument. Before Liam left holding Daisy’s hand, he glanced at me and finally said coldly: “Chloe Vance, you are too petty. I hope you carefully reflect on your mistakes.” Watching the backs of the two of them walking away hand in hand, my heart fell into a state of blankness. Where did I go wrong? I still hadn’t figured this question out even when I dazedly returned to the apartment Liam and I shared. Looking at the floor the cleaning lady had wiped spotless, I belatedly remembered that Liam was a severe germaphobe. He practically had “keep away” written on his face. But Liam wasn’t just unapproachable; even I, his girlfriend, couldn’t get close to him on regular days. Unless he was willing, let alone holding his hand—he would dodge with a cold face. Even if I wanted to pull his cuff, like Daisy did today. Liam would put on a cold face and, right in front of me, throw the clothes I touched into the trash as if throwing away something dirty. I remember once, when I was working part-time at a food truck, I was bullied by some punks. Crying at the police station, I called Liam to come pick me up. When I saw Liam appear at the station with a cold face, the grievances in my heart could no longer be suppressed. I threw my arms around Liam’s waist and wailed. “You… you’re finally here, Liam. You don’t know, I was scared to death just now.” But Liam first let me hug him for a long time. Only when I had cried enough did he look down at my red and swollen eyes. I thought that even if Liam spoke harshly, he would always comfort me with a few words when something like this happened. But unexpectedly, his thin lips gently spat out a few words: “Chloe Vance, hugging me like this, aren’t you dirty?” Thinking of that incident, tears unknowingly streamed down my face. Coincidentally, Liam came home at this moment. When our eyes met, I didn’t even have time to wipe away the teardrops from the corners of my eyes. Liam impatiently kicked his shoes aside and sneered, turning his head away: “Daisy was bullied by you guys like that and didn’t say anything. You, the instigator, are crying instead. Impressive.” My voice was still choked with sobs: “She ruined everyone’s competition. I just asked her to quit the club. Is that asking too much?” “Besides…” The displeasure I had suppressed all afternoon blurted out at this moment: “Don’t you usually hate stupidity more than anything? Why were you so biased towards Daisy Miller today?” Liam froze for a moment, then spoke impatiently: “Hate stupidity? Chloe Vance, can’t you speak nicer? I couldn’t stand watching you guys bully a little girl to tears, what’s wrong with that?” I wanted to raise my hand to wipe away my tears, but they flowed even more fiercely. “Daisy Miller is an outsider, yet you can’t bear to see her tears.” “What about me? As your girlfriend, do I just have to watch you take the side of an outsider?” Liam sneered: “Here we go again. Chloe Vance, I really admire you, always getting insanely jealous over such trivial things.” Insanely jealous? I laughed and laughed until tears fell again: “You think we bullied Daisy Miller, so you kept defending her?” “But don’t you know, I was counting on the prize money from the debate competition to pay my tuition for next semester. She ruined everyone’s competition. I just asked her to quit the club. Is that asking too much?” Liam showed no emotion at all, merely saying disdainfully: “Playing the victim again?” It’s not like Liam hadn’t seen my desperation when I couldn’t pay my tuition, nor my exhausted appearance when working part-time. I put my heart and soul into winning the debate competition just to use the prize money to cover next semester’s expenses. But all of this, in Liam’s eyes, was just playing the victim. I spent the whole afternoon in a daze, wondering what I did wrong. My only mistake was dating a guy like Liam for three years. Crying for too long made me dizzy for a moment when I stood up abruptly. Liam subconsciously tried to grab my arm, but remembering something, he pursed his lips and withdrew his hand. I smiled bitterly, my voice carrying the numbness that comes after crying too much. “Think whatever you want.” “Liam Sterling, let’s break up.” A trace of disbelief flashed in Liam’s eyes. He asked: “Just because of this little thing, you want to break up with me?” Then, he sneered: “Fine, Chloe Vance. Since you brought up the breakup, don’t regret it.” I said numbly, “I won’t regret it.” I didn’t want to waste any more time on Liam, a cold-hearted man who never treated me as an equal. “I’ll move out of your place as soon as possible. You…” Before I could finish, Liam’s phone rang. Seeing the caller ID, Liam twitched the corner of his mouth, answered the phone, and even put it on speaker. Daisy Miller’s weak voice came through: “Liam, I hurt my leg while running just now. Can you come see me?” Liam’s gaze fell on me, then he smiled and said: “Sure, send me your location. I’ll be right there.” Hanging up the phone, Liam looked down at me and said: “Let me reiterate, I don’t go back to my exes. If you apologize to Daisy Miller, I’ll pretend nothing happened today. Otherwise…” I interrupted Liam, looking him straight in the eyes, and said word by word: “I didn’t do anything wrong to Daisy Miller, why should I apologize?” “Daisy Miller is still waiting for you. Go find her.” Liam looked me up and down, gritted his teeth, and threw down a sentence: “Fine, you’re doing great!” He then slammed the door and left without looking back. 3. After Liam left, I packed my bags overnight. He was very generous to me. After we got together, designer skincare products I had never even seen filled the vanity, and there were quite a few designer bags too. But I was always terrified to accept them. Let alone carrying them, I was careful even when brushing past them while cleaning. I didn’t plan on taking any of these things. I still had a supplementary credit card from Liam in my hand. He had impatiently thrown it at me when he saw me on the sofa, fighting through the pain to disinfect a wound I got from a fall while delivering takeout. “Take this card. My girlfriend, Liam Sterling’s girlfriend, doesn’t need to suffer like this.” I cherished Liam’s sentiment, but I never carelessly spent a single cent on the card. A few times when my grandma’s condition worsened and she was rushed to the ICU, even if I touched this card, I would pay the money back penny by penny afterward. Now, this card lay quietly on the coffee table in the living room. It was already late at night when I returned to the college dorm. Because the debate team had been disqualified, before I even woke up the next day, I was called into the academic advisor’s office. “How are you being the president? You prepared for this competition for so long, why were you disqualified?” Seeing me being scolded, other members of the club righteously spoke up: “This has nothing to do with Chloe. It’s all because Daisy Miller leaked our debate manuscript to the opposing team that this happened!” The advisor frowned and called Daisy Miller over. When they saw Liam coming with Daisy Miller, the members of the debate club all coincidentally looked at me. Daisy Miller looked at the advisor pitifully and said: “Professor, you were looking for me?” Seeing Daisy Miller like this made the advisor furious. Before the professor could speak, Liam said sarcastically: “Wow, Chloe Vance. Was it not enough for your gang to gang up on a little girl yesterday, that today you had to run to the professor to complain?” The advisor frowned and scolded Liam: “Watch your tone. What do you mean Chloe came to complain to me? My students were inexplicably forced to withdraw from the competition. Can’t I even ask a question?” Liam said nonchalantly: “Sure, why not?” Then, he added: “It’s true that Daisy was careless about this, but even if you want to punish someone, you can’t just put all the blame on one person, right?” “Chloe Vance is the president. Even if someone has to take responsibility, her responsibility is the greatest, don’t you think?” I was shaking with anger, but Liam was completely oblivious. He looked at me mockingly and said: “Aren’t some people always pursuing fairness and justice? You’re the president, you have to take the primary responsibility. You admit to this, right?” My fingertips dug deeply into my flesh. Actually, what Liam said was right. No matter what happened, as the president, I did have to take the primary responsibility. But these words shouldn’t have come from Liam. They shouldn’t have come from the person who had dated me for three years. I stopped the members who wanted to speak for me, and word by word, I said to the advisor: “It was my oversight. I failed to stop Daisy Miller from handing the victory to the opposing debaters.” “However you decide to handle this, you have the final say.” The advisor moved his lips, finally sighed, and said: “Since that’s the case, Daisy Miller is expelled from the debate club. As for you… you should vacate the position of president for someone else.” Liam was pleased to see this result. He crossed his arms, chuckled a few times, and said: “Now that you’ve been stripped of your position, let’s see how you can still use your status to stand on the moral high ground and judge others.” I closed my eyes and said to Liam: “Now that official business is over, let’s talk about personal matters.” Liam acted as if he heard some funny joke: “What personal matters do we have between us…” Before Liam could finish, I gathered all the strength in my body and slapped him across the face. The force was so great that it directly snapped Liam’s head to the side! In the past, let alone a slap, I hadn’t even said a harsh word to Liam. In front of him, I had always been gentle and obedient. This slap stunned Liam. After a long while, a bit of hostility gradually gathered in his eyes: “Chloe Vance, slapping me out of nowhere. Explain yourself.” My palm was red and numb, but looking at the handprint on Liam’s face, I felt an unspeakable sense of relief in my heart. “Yesterday, it was clearly your girlfriend who lost her qualification for the competition because of Daisy Miller. You didn’t speak up for me, but instead ran off holding Daisy Miller’s hand.” “I hit you for not understanding boundaries, for bullying your girlfriend for the sake of an outsider.” “With this slap, we’re even!” 4. The news of me slapping Liam spread like wildfire across campus. After all, before this, my reputation at school wasn’t very good. Labels like “simp,” “gold digger,” and “pathetic” followed me like a shadow. Simply because no matter how poorly Liam treated me, I never broke up with him. Hearing that I actually slapped Liam this time, certain bored circles on campus completely exploded. They were all betting. After this incident, how would I clean up the mess to win back Liam’s heart? But I paid no attention to those meaningless rumors. Without the debate competition, the prize money naturally vanished. Lately, I had been busy with part-time jobs to earn tuition and living expenses for the next semester. Until late one night, after I finished my last delivery run, my back aching and legs weak, I received a call from Liam. Liam rarely contacted me proactively unless there was something important. As soon as the call connected, Liam’s lazy voice came through: “You left your stuff at my place. Hurry up and get it, don’t pollute the air in my house.” I was already used to Liam’s cold words. My voice carried a hint of exhaustion: “What stuff?” Liam on the other end of the phone said: “That trashy ring of yours. I’ll give you half an hour to come get it, otherwise I’ll just throw it away.” Thinking of that ring, my mind went into a trance. Custom-made silver rings suddenly became popular during our sophomore year. I didn’t have much money back then, but I wanted to give Liam a gift. So, on a Wednesday afternoon when we had no classes, I dragged Liam along with me to make a pair of rings that belonged only to us. Liam expressed God knows how much disgust while we were there, but after the ring was made, he still put it on his hand, just like I did. My heart was sweeter than honey back then. After making sure I wasn’t dirty, I smilingly threw my arms around Liam’s neck from the side: “How is it, do you like it?” Liam pursed his lips in disgust and said: “No, it’s so ugly.” But that ring, since Liam put it on, he never took it off. Last night, when I took off that silver ring and saw the mark it left on my finger, I was also stunned for a long time, but eventually, I gently slipped it off. Seeing that I hadn’t spoken for a while, Liam’s voice impatiently rang out: “Are you deaf?” My consciousness returned, and I said to Liam: “I don’t want that ring anymore. Throw it away.” Liam seemed to freeze for a few seconds before saying: “Chloe Vance, are you treating my house like a recycling center? You’re just leaving whatever junk you don’t want here?” My lips moved. I wanted to say something, but felt it was unnecessary. “Whatever you say.” 5. I thought I could make a clean break from Liam. I didn’t expect to run into them again when I was working part-time at a karaoke bar. Through the unclosed door of a private room, several familiar and unfamiliar classmates were sitting around Liam. Liam had a cigarette dangling from his mouth. As the flame flickered and the cigarette was lit, someone saw and asked: “Liam is smoking again?” Then, realizing they misspoke, they shut their mouth. Before we got together, Liam was quite a heavy smoker, but I had sinus issues and couldn’t stand the smell of smoke. Liam would call me “squeamish and high-maintenance,” but he still cut down on smoking. The few times he occasionally smoked, he would wait downstairs to let the smell air out before coming home. Hearing the guy say that, Liam paused his motion of putting away the lighter, glaring at the guy: “Got nothing better to say?” The other classmates in the room quickly tried to smooth things over. Someone said: “Recently, that simp Chloe Vance hasn’t been bothering Liam. Liam is enjoying the freedom, what’s wrong with smoking a few cigarettes?” Liam lowered his eyes, his voice carrying a bit of coldness: “Don’t mention her to me.” Everyone looked at each other. They had all heard rumors about Liam’s growing temper lately. Today someone organized a gathering and called Liam over to hang out. Only upon seeing him did they realize the rumors were true. Liam’s good buddy smilingly poured him some alcohol and said: “Who doesn’t know Chloe Vance loves Liam to death, you can’t drive her away no matter how hard you try. I’m guessing, Chloe Vance can only keep this up for two or three days. Once she can’t bear the pain of missing you anymore, she’ll come running back with her tail between her legs.” Liam exhaled a puff of thin smoke: “You talk too much.” But anyone with eyes could see that the subtle irritability between Liam’s brows had dissipated significantly. I don’t know who had sharp eyes and spotted me, but they yelled in surprise: “Chloe Vance, why are you here?” Liam’s buddy immediately said: “What did I say? In less than half a month, Chloe Vance would definitely look for you to get back together.” Liam also looked up at me and asked: “What are you doing here?” As soon as he finished speaking, other classmates started jeering: “What else could she be here for? Of course, she’s here to make up with you, Liam!” “Chloe Vance, how are you planning to coax him this time?” Under everyone’s mocking gazes, I slightly raised my lips and said: “Sorry, you misunderstood. I have no intention of getting back together with Liam Sterling.” Liam’s face instantly dropped. Liam’s buddy pulled me towards Liam, using a peacemaker’s tone on me: “Alright, Chloe, it’s no fun to keep making a scene.” “We all see your feelings for Liam. This time, as long as you apologize to Liam, we’ll let this go.” Liam flicked his cigarette ash and sneered: “Chloe Vance, your intelligence network is pretty good. I just got here, and you tracked me down right after?” I sighed, not understanding why they were so obsessed with this. I showed them my employee badge and said: “I’m just working a part-time job here. I didn’t expect to run into you guys here either.” Everyone looked at the badge on me in silence. I said: “I still have to work. Have fun.” After saying that, I bypassed them and turned to leave. Unexpectedly, someone forcefully grabbed my wrist and pulled me back. Liam pinned me against the wall behind him, making me unable to move. His voice was very low: “You’ve already chased me all the way here, why still play these hard-to-get games?” “Seeing how much you like me, I won’t hold it against you. As long as you apologize to Daisy Miller, we’ll turn the page on this matter.” I was so angry I laughed, and I shoved him away: “Liam Sterling, don’t flatter yourself. It’s really just a coincidence that I’m working here. If I had known I’d run into you here tonight, I definitely wouldn’t have come!” As soon as I said this, the room went quiet for a few seconds. Liam’s tone instantly turned cold: “Chloe Vance, know when to stop. Don’t play yourself.” I said indifferently: “I hope you get this clear: the breakup that night really wasn’t a joke.” After saying that, I turned around and left. From the private room behind me, there suddenly came a huge crash of a bottle hitting the floor. Liam’s buddy asked tremblingly: “Liam, are you okay?” Liam’s voice was full of hostility: “Get the fuck out, all of you!” 6. I don’t know who spread the word about what happened that night. Those classmates at school who were waiting for me to go back crying, begging Liam for forgiveness so they could continue watching the show, only belatedly realized at this point. So the breakup I spoke of was not a joke. But I had no time to worry about the gossip of other classmates. In the academic advisor’s office, I was dizzy with the sudden good news: “The school wants to recommend me as an exchange student to the UK?” The advisor nodded, looking at me with some approval: “Yes.” But I hadn’t been happy for a few minutes before reality pulled me back. I squeezed the hem of my shirt, my tone showing some helplessness: “But my family’s situation, professor, you know it. The cost of studying abroad is too high. I probably can’t afford it.” The advisor smiled kindly at me, then said: “The application for you this time is a full scholarship. Tuition is already included. The school there has also specially arranged a dorm room for you. As long as you work part-time in your spare time, your living expenses will be covered.” Going abroad for further studies had always been my dream. Hearing that the advisor had actually arranged everything for me, my eyes unconsciously welled up with tears. I bowed to the advisor: “Professor, thank you.” Leaving the office, I rushed to start preparing my documents, but no matter how hard I searched, I couldn’t find my ID. It took me a long time to recall that when I went on a trip with Liam last month, I left my ID with him. Actually, I didn’t want to contact Liam, but this wasn’t the time to act out of spite. It took a long time for the call to connect. When I heard Daisy Miller’s sweet “Hello” from the other end of the line… My hand subconsciously gripped the phone tighter, and I said: “Let Liam answer the phone.” Daisy Miller let out a sweet laugh over there, then said: “Chloe, if you need anything just tell me. I reckon Liam probably doesn’t really want to talk to you.” Before I could speak, Liam lazily asked: “Who is it?” A chorus of jeers immediately erupted over there: “Who else could it be? Chloe Vance finally couldn’t hold back and wants to make up with you, Liam!” “Awesome, Liam! You subdued that simp Chloe Vance once again!” Liam finally took the phone and asked me: “Chloe Vance, have I ever told you that I, Liam Sterling, don’t go back to my exes? We’ve already broken up, what are you coming to look for me for?” I suppressed the anger in my heart and told Liam: “My ID is still with you. Where are you? I’ll come get it.” On the other end of the screen, my sentence made the careless smile on Liam’s face freeze instantly. He gripped his phone tighter, and his tone suddenly worsened: “You’re looking for me just for this?” I said: “Yes, exactly for this. Where are you? I’ll go find you.” Liam wanted to swear, but seeing his buddies winking frantically, he took a breath and finally said: “Wanhai Road, Jinyue Karaoke.” Hearing the busy signal of me hanging up without hesitation, Liam’s face didn’t look too good. Liam’s good friend secretly wiped away a drop of sweat. Others couldn’t tell, but he, the good buddy who hung out with Liam every day, saw it clearly. Ever since Chloe and Liam broke up, Liam’s mood had been getting worse day by day. Often, while hanging out, he would suddenly pick up his phone to check his unread messages. When he didn’t see the message he wanted, he would darken his face and place the phone face down on the sofa. And… Liam’s good buddy actually wished his eyes weren’t so sharp. That plain ring the two of us made together, Chloe had already taken it off when she moved out of Liam’s place. But Liam always wore that ring on his hand. Whenever he felt frustrated, he would unconsciously twist the band. Seeing Liam looking very pissed off, he hurried over to Liam’s side and said: “Liam, don’t listen to Chloe’s nonsense. An ID card, not looking for it early, not looking for it late, why did she have to come looking for you exactly when you took Daisy out to play?” “She must be jealous, so she came up with such a clumsy little trick to attract your attention!” Liam’s hand reaching for his wine glass paused: “Really?” His buddy, seeing he had hit the nail on the head, punched his own palm: “Can’t be more real!” Saying that, he peeked at Liam’s expression and cautiously said: “But Liam, I advise you not to push it too far. No matter how much Chloe loves you, she’s a girl and needs to save face. Today, as long as she behaves well enough, just give her a way out.” Liam’s furrowed brows had completely relaxed. He said, “We’ll see.” Actually, Liam was quite annoyed, not understanding why I was always so petty. That night when he went home and saw the empty living room and the lonely ring rolling on the coffee table, for some inexplicable reason, he felt like a piece of his heart was missing. Everyone said I had no temper. But Liam angrily smashed several vases, thinking to himself. What do you mean no temper? Isn’t her temper huge right now? Running away from home over such a trivial matter? When I arrived, the private room was very lively. Liam wasn’t singing; he was sitting in the very middle seat without saying a word, while Daisy Miller leaned intimately against his shoulder. Before I could speak, Liam’s friend greeted me: “Chloe, why are you so late?” Daisy Miller, as if just noticing me, quickly got off Liam, giving a dry, guilty explanation: “Chloe, don’t misunderstand my relationship with Liam, I…” I couldn’t be bothered to listen to Daisy’s nonsense, and just said to Liam: “Where’s my ID?” Liam looked me up and down and asked: “What do you need your ID for?” I took a deep breath and said: “It has nothing to do with you. We’ve already broken up. Give me back my ID.” Liam’s buddy hurried to smooth things over in the middle: “Chloe, don’t be so absolute. Look, you two finally got together, why keep talking in anger?” Liam’s eyes grew cold. He took out his cardholder, casually tossed my ID onto the floor like trash, and it landed right under the sofa. He looked down at me from above and said indifferently: “Sorry, threw it too far. Pick it up yourself.” I resisted the urge to argue with Liam again, just twitched my mouth and said: “Liam Sterling, your aim is as bad as ever.” I crouched down to grope for my ID, but Daisy Miller suddenly moved. Her foot in a high heel stepped precisely on the back of my hand. Then she let out an “Ouch” and said: “Sorry Chloe, I didn’t see your hand. Did I hurt you?” The back of my hand was stepped on so hard it turned red and swollen, but I still blew the dust off my ID first before standing up. “That day I was only focused on slapping Liam, I forgot about you, you bitch.” Daisy Miller hid behind Liam: “Chloe, you…” I delivered a slap right to Daisy Miller’s face: “Stop intentionally doing these blind, dirty things one after another. You disgust me.” Liam grabbed my wrist tightly. When he clearly saw the red and swollen back of my hand, he first frowned imperceptibly, then asked in a deep voice: “Why are you hitting people? Are you here to pick a fight?” I smirked, forcefully broke free from Liam’s grip, and said: “I’m not that free. If possible, I really don’t want to have any more ties with you cheating pair ever again.” After saying that, I turned around to leave. Liam’s voice echoed in the room: “Chloe Vance, apologize.” “If you don’t apologize to Daisy, never come looking for me again from now on.” I turned my head and gave Liam a half-smile: “Who cares.”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “403342”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

I was the billionaire CEO’s tragic first love who died young. Fifteen years after my death, the System resurrected me and told me to save the kid standing on the edge of the rooftop. “He is your flesh and blood. If you don’t help him, he’ll truly have nothing left in this world.” But I grew up with a fiery temper and a spoiled personality. I was used to people serving me, not the other way around. So, I marched over in my stilettos, grabbed him by the collar, and pulled him back. “Stop acting like you’re going to jump. You’re just as pathetic and useless as your father.” “Where is he, anyway? Doesn’t he know I’m back? Why isn’t he here to pick me up?” 01 The teenage boy looked at me quietly. For a split second, a look of bewilderment crossed his face, but he quickly recovered, his expression returning to a stagnant, ripple-less pool of water. He tilted his head slightly, lost in his own world. I clicked my tongue impatiently and gave him an order. “Call Arthur Sterling.” It took him a long while to pull out his phone and dial a number. The phone rang for thirty seconds before the automated voicemail prompt kicked in. I narrowed my eyes. “Arthur dares to ignore calls? He’s got some nerve!” Leo seemed used to it. He was just about to put his phone away. I snatched it right out of his hand and dialed the number three or four more times in a row. Finally, the call connected, but it was a crisp female voice on the other end. “I’m sorry, Mr. Sterling is currently in a meeting. Please do not interrupt.” She hung up before I even had a chance to speak. I almost smashed the phone against the wall, but suddenly remembered it wasn’t mine. I forced my raised hand down, grinding my teeth in anger. “Alright, just you wait!” Leo tugged at my sleeve. When I looked over in confusion, he stared at me with those clear, glass-like eyes and softly said two words. “Go back.” 02 On the ride back, I confirmed with the System one more time: “Is this silent kid really my son?” I told Leo the cab’s seats were uncomfortable; he just said, “Mm.” I told him I didn’t like the driver’s heavy breathing because the rhythm was too messy and annoying; he just said, “Mm.” I told him the clothes he was wearing were painfully ugly and dragging down my aesthetic; he still just said, “Mm.” Eventually, I got so mad I started cursing, demanding to know where that bastard Arthur had rolled off to. He finally raised his eyes to look at me, his eyelashes trembling slightly, and whispered two words. “Business trip.” I almost died of anger. Getting a single word out of him was like pulling teeth. He didn’t seem like my son at all. When he was two, he used to scream so loud he’d keep Arthur awake all night. He clearly had my exact fiery temper back then. How did he turn into this silent, closed-off shell? [Host, please try to be a little understanding. The child suffers from severe psychological trauma. Communication barriers are just one of the symptoms.] I pursed my lips, looking at Leo’s thin, frail silhouette and his dull, lifeless eyes. My chest physically ached with anger. In the fifteen years I was gone, how the hell did that bastard Arthur raise our kid?! 03 After getting home, I did a quick tour of my own bedroom. Good. The layout was exactly the same as it was fifteen years ago, and not a single one of my belongings was missing. However, in the shoe cabinet by the door, there was an extra pair of pale green women’s slippers. I glanced at them. They fit my personal style, so I didn’t overthink it. By the time I finished my inspection, I realized that kid Leo had disappeared. His bedroom door was locked. I frowned, grabbed a spare key, and opened the door myself. The room was pitch black. The lights were off, and the heavy blackout curtains were drawn tight, blocking out every sliver of sunlight. As the light from the living room spilled into the room through the open door, I saw a lonely, desolate figure sitting by the window. I stomped over, flipped the light switch with a loud click, crossed my arms, and sat down right in front of him. Leo just sat there blankly, staring unblinkingly in one direction, lost in his own thoughts. His eyes were completely dull and devoid of light. I stared at him and spat out three words. “I am hungry.” Leo finally seemed to register my presence. Hearing my words, he looked down, pulled out his phone, and opened UberEats. “I don’t eat takeout!” “Is this how Arthur lets you resolve your three meals a day?!” Leo put his phone down, lowered his head, and stopped responding to me entirely. I ran my hands through my hair in frustration, turned around, and walked out, unable to stop myself from complaining to the System. “With a mess like this, you might as well have let me stay dead.” Behind me, Leo looked up, his eyelashes trembling slightly. 04 I called the System out and demanded a full rundown of what Leo had been through over the last fifteen years. The System told me that after I died, Arthur grew more depressed by the day. There were times he completely neglected his own company, let alone taking proper care of Leo. Once, Arthur got blackout drunk and slept for two days straight. During that time, Leo didn’t eat a single bite of food. He cried from hunger until he passed out, and had to be rushed to the ER to be resuscitated. After that incident, Arthur dumped Leo on a nanny and threw himself entirely into his work. The nanny saw that Arthur didn’t pay much attention to the kid, so her attitude toward Leo was terrible. She rarely cooked for him and occasionally even hit or scolded him. It wasn’t until Leo fainted from starvation again that Arthur rushed back and discovered what was happening. By then, Leo was already severely ill, to the point where he couldn’t even go to school. Arthur fired the nanny, but struggled to find someone suitable to care for the boy. His executive assistant, Sylvia Thorne, volunteered to take on the task. “Sylvia?” I recalled the woman who had answered Arthur’s phone earlier. It had to be her. [Leo hates her very much. Because of her, he had a massive falling out with your husband.] [Three years ago, Arthur planned to marry Sylvia to balance his work and family life. Leo vehemently opposed it. He held a knife to his own wrist and forced Arthur to swear he would never marry Sylvia, or else he would kill himself.] I couldn’t believe my ears. “Arthur actually wanted to marry someone else?” [Please don’t worry, Host. In the end, he didn’t marry Sylvia. To this day, their relationship remains strictly boss and subordinate.] [However, ever since that incident, Sylvia has harbored deep resentment toward Leo, and her attitude toward him is no longer what it used to be.] I frowned. “What did she do?” [Learning from the previous nanny’s mistakes, she didn’t dare do anything too obvious. Instead, she just tells Leo every single day that his mother is never coming back. She tells him he needs to be obedient and not be a burden to his father. She constantly reminds him that Arthur needs a capable wife who can be his right-hand woman, not the ghost of a dead first love.] I let out a cold laugh. “Oh, really? A right-hand woman, huh?” [Host, what do you plan to do next?] “Arthur clearly has water in his brain. I’ll just have to beat it out of him,” I smiled playfully. “And as for this Sylvia… using those kinds of psychological tricks on my son? She’s about to get what’s coming to her.” 05 But even I didn’t expect the confrontation with Sylvia to happen so quickly. The next morning, I was still sleeping in my room when I was abruptly woken up by a loud commotion. I pulled the blanket over my head, intending to go back to sleep. Then I heard the argument outside my door. A female voice, dripping with blame, said, “Leo, how could you just bring a stranger home? And a woman of unknown origin at that?” “I know you’ve always hated me being by Mr. Sterling’s side, but you don’t have to retaliate against him like this. Where does this put Mr. Sterling? And what do you think you’re doing?” But no matter what Sylvia said, Leo’s attitude was resolute. He refused to let her in. Sylvia raised her voice slightly. “Leo, you are being so disobedient. It is truly disappointing.” “Do you want me to tell Mr. Sterling that you brought some shady woman home and let her sleep in your mother’s bedroom?” I didn’t catch what Leo said, but Sylvia’s tone suddenly shifted, becoming incredibly severe. “If that’s the case, then I have no choice but to have Mr. Sterling come back and discipline you personally.” I played with my manicured nails, chuckled to myself, and opened the door. Seeing me step out, Leo frowned slightly. “Did she… wake you?” “It’s fine. It was about time to wake up anyway.” Sylvia looked me up and down. “You are certainly pretty. No wonder you managed to seduce Leo like this.” “But as long as I am by Mr. Sterling’s side, I will never allow someone like you to step foot in the Sterling household. Leo is naive and isolated from the world. You’re just taking advantage of that to manipulate him…” SMACK! A crisp, resounding slap echoed through the hallway. Sylvia covered the bright red handprint on her cheek, staring at me in absolute disbelief. “You actually hit me?” I smiled. “You’re exactly the person I intended to hit.” Sylvia took a deep breath and spoke into her phone. “Mr. Sterling, you heard all of that. Leo has truly gone too far this time, letting this woman run wild in your home…” “Hold on.” Arthur’s voice came through the speakerphone, carrying a trace of undetectable agitation and uncontrollable, overwhelming joy. “Turn on your camera. Let me see her face.” Sylvia froze for a second, but she obeyed Arthur’s command, switching to a video call and pointing the camera right at me. “Get out.” A voice laced with icy hostility rang out. Leo stepped in front of me, blocking the camera lens with his hand, refusing to let Arthur see my face. Before anyone could react, he pulled me back into the room and locked the door behind us. Sylvia banged on the door from the outside, berating him. “Leo, why are you being so rebellious now? Going against your father for some woman—you’re going to disappoint him deeply…” Leo’s tone was indifferent and entirely calm. “None of your business.” Sylvia tried using both soft pleas and harsh threats through the door, but nothing worked. Even when she threatened to complain to Arthur, Leo treated it like white noise. She wasted almost an hour at the door before finally giving up and leaving. Inside the room, I stared at Leo, deep in thought. “Why didn’t you want Arthur to see me?” Leo’s actions were incredibly abnormal. It wasn’t just a kid throwing a tantrum. He seemed withdrawn and antisocial, but his mind was delicate and sensitive. There had to be a reason he did that. Leo slowly looked up and met my gaze. He suddenly reached out and grabbed my wrist, a faint tremor in his voice. “Don’t. Leave.” My heart swelled with warmth. I gently wrapped my arm around his back, softly stroking the top of his head. My voice was gentle. “Don’t be afraid. I won’t leave.” Leo buried his face in my embrace for a few seconds before pulling back slightly. He pulled out his phone and showed me a document. The more I read, the deeper my frown became. “What the hell is Arthur thinking? He actually agreed to this?!” The document detailed ten top-performing students Arthur had sponsored over the years. According to the proposal, he was going to select one of these ten to adopt as his stepson and heir. I was so furious I wanted to call Arthur and curse him out immediately. “Is his brain filled with water? Did his brain cells shrink as he aged? What an absolute idiot.” Leo tugged at my hand. “It’s… cousin’s arrangement.” “Don’t… trust him.” I froze for a second. Leo’s “cousin” was Richard Hayes, my own cousin who had grown up with me. Richard and I had a pretty good relationship. Back when I insisted on marrying Arthur, my grandfather vehemently opposed it, and Richard was the one who helped me convince him. I forced myself to calm down and looked at Leo. “What else do you know?” He shook his head. “It’s okay. I’ll handle this.” I made a phone call to my grandfather’s executive secretary. I briefly explained the situation and asked him to investigate Richard Hayes, as well as Arthur’s current whereabouts. “Understood. I’ll send people to investigate immediately. You’ll have the results in three hours.” “Wait. One more thing.” “…Miss Chloe, does the old Mr. Vance know you’re back?” “I haven’t told Grandpa yet. Don’t rush to tell him. By the way, is Grandpa’s health doing okay?” “The old man is strong and healthy. He just misses you very much. He talks about you all the time.” I blinked rapidly, my throat tightening. “I miss Grandpa too.” 06 The secretary informed me that Arthur had just flown back into the country. The moment he stepped out of the airport, he was heading straight to corporate headquarters for a board meeting to announce his chosen heir. I told Leo to stay put at home and changed the front door passcode. Then, I drove straight to the highway to intercept Arthur. In the years I was gone, this was how he took care of Leo. He was doing a fantastic job. Following the location data the secretary sent, I tailed Arthur’s car. I was just about to overtake them and force them to pull over when I realized something was wrong. This wasn’t the route to the corporate headquarters. I slowed down, trailing them from a safe distance, wanting to see exactly what he was up to. To my surprise, the car drove straight out into the deserted suburbs. I followed closely behind. Suddenly, the car’s trajectory became erratic, swerving wildly before slamming on the brakes, scraping against the guardrail, and coming to a screeching halt. The car doors flew open, and two men tumbled out, violently brawling with each other. Arthur was clearly losing. He was grabbed by his collar, slammed against the car window, and took a brutal punch to the gut that made him double over and drop to a crouch. The driver pinned Arthur to the ground, picked up a heavy rock, and aimed it right at Arthur’s head, ready to smash it down. I slammed on my brakes, jumped out of the car, and sprinted over in my stilettos. I grabbed a heavy steel wrench I had grabbed from my trunk and brought it down hard on the driver’s head. The driver’s grip on Arthur loosened. He stumbled sideways, turning toward me in a daze. Before he could fully turn around, I delivered a swift, brutal kick, sending him sprawling to the dirt. Arthur looked like an absolute wreck. His custom suit was filthy, and his hair was plastered messily across his forehead with sweat. He gasped for air, squinting as he looked up at me. His attempt to stand up suddenly froze. He stayed frozen in that position, staring at me intently, muttering to himself as if he were sleepwalking. “Chloe? Is it you?” “I haven’t seen you in so long… I thought you’d never want to see me again…” Confirmed. This man’s brain was definitely not functioning properly. I didn’t have the patience to waste time with him. I raised my leg and delivered a solid kick right to his thigh. He let out a muffled groan, and in the next second, he reached out and grabbed my ankle. “Such a familiar force…” Arthur chuckled softly, his eyes never leaving me for a single second. “Chloe. It really is you.” I let out a cold laugh, wrenched my ankle out of his grasp, and slammed my stiletto heel down squarely onto his chest, grinding it in. “Alright, let’s hear it.” “In the fifteen years I was gone, exactly how did you bully my son?” Arthur stared at me in a daze, letting out a confused, “Ah?” I straddled his waist and delivered a stinging slap across his face. “Who gave you permission to dump Leo with a nanny? Who allowed you to let Sylvia Thorne walk all over him? And who agreed to adopt some random kid as your heir?! You think just because I died, you can bully my son?! Do you even have me in your heart? Do you even care about Leo?!” Arthur grabbed my hands, his eyes turning red. “I’m sorry, Chloe.” “The first few years after you left, every time I looked at that child, he reminded me of you… There were so many times I just wanted to end it and go find you. I really… I had no other choice but to entrust him to someone else’s care.” “Later, when he grew up a bit, he completely refused to get close to me. And I was overwhelmed with company affairs…” SMACK! Another resounding slap. I grabbed Arthur by his collar, gritting my teeth and enunciating every word. “What does any of that have to do with him?! Why should a two-year-old child have to bear the burden of my death?!” “He was only two when I left! He was so small, what did he know?! He lost his mother at such a young age, and you just neglected him. Are you even human, Arthur? Do you have a conscience?!” Arthur obediently took the slaps without fighting back, then stealthily reached over to hold my hand. Tears were welling in his eyes, threatening to spill over. His refined, handsome face bore the bright red marks of my fingers. He looked thoroughly victimized. “I was wrong, Chloe. I swear I’ll never do it again.” “What the hell are you and Richard playing at? And what’s going on today? Explain it to me clearly!” “It’s a long story. Chloe, why don’t you let go of me first…” I slowly released his collar, my voice freezing cold. “You’d better have your own master plan, because if you don’t, I won’t spare you today.” Seeing me let go, Arthur leaned in, nuzzling against me as he held my hand. He pushed up his half-rim glasses and flashed me a smile. “Don’t worry, Chloe. I know exactly what I’m doing.”

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