The maid’s daughter in our house somehow got her hands on three magic chickens that could swap things. The first one, she used to swap my perfectly healthy baby for her own deformed one. The second, she swapped her identity as the maid’s daughter for my identity as the true heiress. The third, she swapped for my husband, the scion of a powerful elite family. Later, I ended up homeless, kidnapped with my deformed child, trafficked overseas, and eventually died a horrific death. When I opened my eyes again, my sister was bringing me chicken soup. I was still recovering from childbirth. I took it with a cold smirk. Once she left, I poured it out for the cook’s dog, who had just had puppies. “Cassie, this is a special free-range chicken I got from my hometown. It’s been stewing for hours. You just had your baby, you’re weak, so you need to replenish your strength.” I looked at Serena, her face full of fawning sincerity, and scoffed internally. In my last life, I misjudged her. I felt pity for her because her father had died young, and she and her mother came to work as maids in our house. I was exceptionally good to her. I let her and her mom live with us, and we even went to school together. Later, I found her and Julian, my childhood sweetheart, in bed together. I even fought tooth and nail to make sure the pregnant Serena married Julian, abandoning my long-standing affection for him just to right what I thought was a wrong. I never imagined that my pity would cost me everything, leading to unimaginable torment and a brutal death in a foreign land. Heaven must have had eyes for me, granting me this chance to be reborn. How could I ever let you steal my life again? I kept the coldness in my eyes hidden, smiling at her. “Just leave it. I finished my postpartum meal. I’ll drink it later.” Serena hesitated. “Okay, but remember to drink it later.” Finally, she left the room, turning back three times. She didn’t doubt my words; after all, we’d been close for so many years. She just wasn’t entirely at ease not seeing me drink it herself. Once she left and closed the door, I picked up the chicken soup and poured most of it into a cup, leaving only about a third at the bottom of the bowl. Sure enough, Serena came back in shortly after. After I nodded my permission, she pushed the door open, casually glancing at the bowl on my nightstand. Seeing the bowl mostly empty, she visibly relaxed, her mood brightening considerably. “Cassie, rest well. I’m heading off.” She finished, then gave a meaningful look at my baby sleeping soundly in the bassinet next to me. A flicker of triumphant glee flashed in her eyes. In my last life, the first thing she stole was my healthy, safe baby. After she got her wish and married into the Lin family, the child she gave birth to was deformed. Julian’s parents already disliked her because she’d used such a dirty trick to marry into their family. With the deformed baby, her position in the Lin family became even more precarious. Almost no one treated her like a legitimate daughter-in-law. Word spread like wildfire in our social circles. No one wanted anything to do with her; they all ostracized her. She had no one to blame but herself. You can’t force your way into a world that isn’t yours, especially when you’re just looking to steal from others. In the end, you’ll reap what you sow. After she left, I got up and put on my robe. I carried the cup of chicken soup to the backyard and poured it into the dog’s bowl. The dog, who had just delivered puppies, sniffed it out immediately. It eagerly lapped it up, and once it tasted the rich flavor, it quickly licked the bowl clean. Back home, Serena stared excitedly at the deformed child in the bassinet. She was waiting for that baby to magically transform into a healthy one without anyone knowing. But time ticked by, minute by minute, and not only did the baby not change, black fuzz began to grow all over its body. Serena gasped in horror, her eyes wide as she watched the baby sprouting fur. The fur grew more and more, thicker and denser, quickly turning the baby into a dark, shadowy figure that looked truly monstrous. In sheer terror, she let out a piercing scream: “Ah—”
The house staff rushed in, saw the baby, and were equally terrified, quickly rushing out to call for help. Serena snapped back to reality, trying to stop them, but it was too late. Her legs gave out, and she fell heavily to the floor. Julian’s parents arrived, and the sight scared them out of their wits. Julian’s mother fainted on the spot. Suddenly, the Lin household was in utter chaos. I was getting a foot massage when I heard about it. My best friend, Chloe, vividly described the scene to me: panicked parents, a shattered and bewildered Julian, and a hysterical, collapsing Serena. Chloe said with some pity, “That poor child, having a mother like that.” Even though the child was born deformed, Julian’s parents and Julian himself were still very good to the baby. They hired a professional team of postpartum nurses and a medical team to care for the child and assess its condition, planning surgery once its health indicators stabilized. It was Serena, the mother, who, despite appearing decent on the surface, ignored the child behind closed doors, unwilling to even glance at it. The house staff weren’t blind; everyone in the family knew. So their poor impression and attitude towards Serena had a reason. Unfortunately, Serena, fueled by jealousy and imbalance, chose a crooked path. She tried to swap my healthy child for a deformed one, so she shouldn’t blame me for giving her a taste of her own medicine. This incident created quite a buzz in our circles for a while. Everyone said Serena was getting her just deserts. The next time I saw Serena was at my son’s hundred-day banquet. He was the first grandson of the Thorne family, so my in-laws placed great importance on it, hosting a lavish banquet at a prestigious venue in the city’s most exclusive district. They invited all our relatives and friends from the city’s elite circles. Serena followed behind Julian. In two months, she seemed to have aged significantly. Even dressed up, her憔悴 (weariness) was evident. When she saw me, a flash of hatred crossed her eyes, quickly concealed. She followed Julian to my front. Julian, ever since his marriage, had barely met with me outside of major public events to avoid any awkwardness. Seeing me now, the complex emotions in his eyes were undeniable. He spoke with some difficulty, “Cassie, I wish you and the baby health and peace.” As he spoke, he handed over an exquisite box. I smiled, took it, but didn’t open it directly, instead handing it to my assistant, Maya, who stood nearby. Serena’s gaze at me was full of envy and resentment. I ignored it, greeted them, and then continued to entertain other guests. Julian walked directly to the garden perimeter, leaving Serena standing alone. A few ladies gathered around me, showering me with congratulations and compliments. As we chatted, the topic of Serena’s child came up. “Mrs. Thorne, you wouldn’t believe it, that child is covered in fur, it doesn’t look human at all.” A woman lowered her voice slightly. “More like an animal.” “I heard about it too. How could a perfectly normal child suddenly grow fur? It was already deformed, and now it mysteriously sprouted fur all over. It’s so bizarre.” “If you ask me, it must be something the mother did. Retribution on the child.” The woman glanced at Serena not far away. “Don’t forget how she used such dirty tricks to climb into the Lin family.”
Our conversation wasn’t quiet, or rather, there was no need to avoid Serena. So, Serena heard everything clearly, but she couldn’t react. In a setting like this, she had to swallow her pride, no matter how much it burned. She hung her head, trembling with rage, the hatred in her eyes almost materializing, threatening to pierce us. Too bad. If she had that kind of power, she wouldn’t have been forced to endure this humiliation until now. As the banquet was about to end, Serena stepped out for a while. When she returned, she was carrying a thermal container. I smiled faintly, glanced at my assistant, Maya, and calmly waited for her next move. This time, she disregarded everyone’s stares and walked up to me, a gentle smile on her face. “Cassie, you’ve been so busy taking care of guests, you haven’t eaten anything. This is chicken soup my mom specially made for you. Drink it while it’s hot.” “Don’t think everything’s fine just because you’re out of postpartum recovery. A woman needs to take care of herself for a year or two after having a baby…” She chattered on, smiling, her words full of concern for me and her supposed sincerity. Her earnestness almost made me believe her. Everyone watched Serena showering me with care, personally serving me soup, their expressions varied, their minds buzzing with speculation. Serena didn’t care in the slightest now. She handed me the soup bowl. “Drink it while it’s hot.” “That’s very thoughtful of you,” I said, smiling as I took it, but didn’t drink. I looked at Serena, whose eyes were alight with barely suppressed anticipation, and offered an apologetic smile. “I forgot to tell you last time…” “I can’t drink any more, but as you know, I don’t eat reheated leftovers. So I poured it out for the cook’s dog.” Watching Serena’s expression instantly freeze, I smiled again. “She just had puppies, and she drank it all in one go, not a drop wasted.” Serena nearly lost control of her facade. The hatred and breakdown in her eyes were about to spill over. The people around us were enjoying the show. None of them would think there was anything wrong with me giving the chicken soup to a dog. They just found it hilarious how Serena tried so hard to please me, only to have her efforts literally fed to a dog. Serena knew this too. She was both furious and humiliated, forcing a smile that was uglier than a cry. “It’s fine, if she drank it, she drank it. This time, you really should taste it yourself, it’s truly delicious.” I nodded, slowly bringing the bowl to my lips. My assistant, Maya, was quicker than thought. She snatched the bowl from my hand, steady as a rock, not spilling a single drop, and then drank more than half the bowl in one go. Serena gasped in shock, hastily trying to stop her, only managing to knock over the last bit of soup. Maya saw her reaction and pinned her to the ground. “You really *are* up to something!” A murmur of excitement rippled through the crowd. Their gazes at Serena grew increasingly playful. Serena’s face was pressed to the ground, right into the sticky chicken soup. She knew she had failed again, and she had no idea who Maya truly was. She was close to breaking point. My in-laws and Darian saw the commotion and were displeased. They gestured to their staff, who quickly briefed them. After hearing the summary, my in-laws’ faces darkened further. They immediately ordered the chicken soup to be preserved for laboratory testing and had security restrain Serena. The chicken soup itself wouldn’t be the issue. Serena’s problem, however, was huge. She had caused such a scene, not only humiliating the Lin family but also offending the powerful Thorne family. Already a laughingstock, she had now maxed out all her negative stats.
Julian’s parents, rushing over, exclaimed as if the sky had fallen. Their disgust for Serena reached its peak. While placating my in-laws with polite apologies, they desperately wished they could disown Serena on the spot. At the same time, Serena’s identity subtly shifted in everyone’s minds. A daughter of a maid in a prominent household, no matter what, had seen some of the world and held a somewhat better standing than ordinary people. But she had chosen *my* assistant. To be honest, I specifically sought out Maya for this purpose. My recruitment criterion was: someone with a truly miserable backstory. Serena was now portrayed as a woman from a rural area, completely unremarkable, who had manipulated her way into Julian’s bed at a party and leveraged her pregnancy to marry into the Lin family. Everyone’s eyes filled with even more scorn and disdain when they looked at her. They even started openly criticizing her, right in front of Julian’s parents. Serena wept uncontrollably, becoming the ultimate laughingstock. A tidal wave of humiliation and hatred swept over her. She forced herself to look up at me, seeing the playful smirk on my lips. She seemed to understand something. Disbelief flickered in her eyes, and something inside her shattered. Julian, who had just arrived, had a grim expression. After apologizing to my in-laws, he looked at me with deep regret. “Cassie, I’m truly sorry.” “It’s fine by me,” I shrugged. “But I can’t say the same for others.” At my words, Julian’s parents’ faces grew even more sullen. The test results came back: the chicken soup was perfectly harmless. But that didn’t change the fact that this banquet had utterly humiliated the Lin family. Serena’s life was about to get much harder. Serena was effectively placed under house arrest by the Lin family, forbidden from leaving to avoid further trouble. She was smart, too. After admitting her wrongdoing, she genuinely stayed put for two or three months, quiet and compliant. Later, without anyone noticing, she was left largely unsupervised. Soon, she found me. She arranged to meet me using Julian’s name. I arrived on time. The restaurant was empty; she had booked the entire place. I wasn’t surprised to see her, just noted that she looked visibly older. I sat across from her and smiled. “Long time no see.” Compared to my calm, she seemed agitated. “You knew all along, didn’t you!” I smiled, offering no reply, silently confirming her words. “Cassandra Thorne! You are so cunning!” Serena glared at me fiercely. “You pretended to know nothing! And you ruined me like this!” “Wrong!” I interrupted her. “You brought this upon yourself!” Serena slammed her hand on the table, standing up, agitated. “Nonsense! What are you pretending to be so high and mighty about?! You just rely on your family’s status to lord over everyone! Why?! We’re all human! Is it wrong for me to fight for a better life for myself?!” I stood up and slapped her across the face. “This is stealing! I was good to you because I’m kind, not because I’m a pushover you can stomp on.” “You want to steal what’s mine,” I squeezed her chin, then violently shoved her away, “you should have asked for my permission first!” Serena laughed, a little crazed. “I will take what’s yours! What can you do about it? Do you think I’m out of options, hahaha—” Serena looked at me meaningfully and slowly said, “I want to swap partners with Cassandra Thorne.”
A memory, not my own, flooded my mind. It was of Julian and me. We were childhood sweethearts, and when we reached marrying age, we got married. And Serena? She became Mrs. Thorne, the young matriarch of the powerful Thorne family. Only Serena and I knew the real truth. Serena, sensing the shift in identities, was ecstatic. While the Lin family was prominent, compared to the Thorne family, they were worlds apart. That’s why she had gone to such lengths, finding a witch and now using her last chance, sacrificing ten years of her life to swap places with me. Now, she was Mrs. Thorne. She had finally surpassed me. But she hadn’t considered what her situation would be like, given her true identity and past actions, even as Mrs. Thorne. And I had no obligation to warn her. I smiled, genuinely congratulating her. “Congratulations, Mrs. Thorne.” Welcome, Serena, to the Thorne family’s hell. Yes, I call the Thorne family’s mansion hell. I was merely a tool my father used to secure a marriage alliance for the Thorne family. They had searched for a long time and finally settled on me.
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