Three years later, my husband taught me to be a mean girl. He always said, “True love doesn’t involve money; it’s about pure feelings.” I believed him. Until the [Absolute Fairness AA System] bound to me. He promised his “platonic friend,” Chloe, a fifty-thousand dollar designer bag? [Ding! Account balanced: $25,000!] He bought my mom two hundred bucks worth of fruit? [Deducted $100!] He secretly used my streaming subscription to watch a movie? [Double compensation: $20!] Every single double standard, the system ripped his facade to shreds. Our marriage became a laughingstock across the entire internet. Liam screamed during a livestream: “What else can you do besides scheme for money, Jade!” [Ultimate Mission: Divorce. Reward: Stripping Liam Carter of marital assets worth $120 million. Compensating Host for three years of domestic labor, emotional labor, and reproductive value.] “Jade, let’s not talk about money, just feelings.” On our wedding anniversary, Liam handed me a prenuptial agreement for shared expenses. I looked at his handsome face and agreed. Three days later, a mechanical voice echoed in my mind: [Absolute Fairness AA System successfully bound.] I thought it was an illusion. Until his “platonic friend,” Chloe Davis, called, crying. “Liam, that fifty-thousand dollar limited edition bag… I can’t afford it.” The speakerphone was on. Chloe’s voice was syrupy sweet. Liam gently cooed, “Why are you crying? Forget fifty thousand, I’d buy you a five-hundred-thousand-dollar bag, sis!” He was using the phone I bought him, wearing the white shirt I’d ironed. Chloe’s tears turned to laughter: “Liam, you’re so good to me!” Liam hung up the phone and smiled at me: “Chloe’s family isn’t well off. As her ‘big brother,’ I should take care of her a little more.” I scoffed inwardly. In three years of marriage, he’d never given me a gift worth more than a hundred dollars. For me, it was always AA: “You pay the HOA fees.” “Let’s split the dinner bill.” “Jade, you need to be independent!” Now, he was ready to splurge a fortune on another woman. I didn’t even have the right to question him. My phone screen lit up: [Your account has received $25,000.00.] The system’s voice simultaneously chimed: [Ding! Detected partner Liam Carter promising to spend $50,000 on a third party, Chloe Davis. This expense constitutes a non-essential emotional investment and should be jointly borne by both parties. The system has automatically balanced the account, transferring $25,000 from Liam Carter’s account to yours.] I looked at the bank message, then at Liam. He was still engrossed in texting Chloe, a wide smile on his face. Completely oblivious that his account had just been drained. This was absolute fairness. I put down my fork and stood up: “I’m full.” Liam didn’t even lift his head: “Hmm, remember to do the dishes.” I walked out of the dining room. Soon, I heard a furious “Damn it!” from behind me. He probably thought it was a scam? No. Every penny of his money should be his to control. Mine too. Wait, sometimes my money was supposed to be his. He’d drink my water but never buy me any. Now, the system was here. It would calculate everything. I went back to the bedroom and closed the door. A notification popped up from Chloe’s SnapChat story: [Best big brother ever. So much love!] The picture showed the fifty-thousand dollar bag. Liam was the first to like it. My phone screen glowed faintly, a silent judge. This marriage, finally, was going to be precisely measured.
The next day was Saturday. Liam offered to drive me to my mom’s place. He even bought two hundred bucks worth of fruit downstairs. He handed them to me with a flourish, playing the perfect son-in-law. “Jade, tell our mom I said hi.” For three years, he’d called my mom “Ma’am.” Now he was playing Mr. Perfect Son-in-Law. Just as I was about to go upstairs, my phone rang. [Ding! Detected Host and partner jointly spending $200 to honor Host’s mother. According to the principle of absolute fairness, this expense should be jointly borne by both parties. $100 has been automatically debited from your account and transferred to Liam Carter’s account.] I looked at the debit message, silent. Liam hadn’t driven off yet. He rolled down his window and waved: “Jade, come back early to make dinner.” I nodded and turned to go upstairs. Absolute fairness. Fair to the point of absurdity. That evening, I got home to find Liam lying on the sofa, on the phone. “Mom, Dad, I’ve transferred ten thousand dollars for your living expenses.” “If you need more, just tell me. Don’t be shy about spending it.” “Work’s going smoothly, and Jade’s doing great.” He hung up and glanced at me. I waited for a moment. The system was silent. I asked in my mind: “He transferred ten thousand to his parents, why no reaction?” [The system replied: Supporting a partner’s parents is considered a unilateral legal obligation and falls outside the scope of shared marital expenses. Therefore, it is not factored into the AA System.] I understood. The system only cared about *us*. And the money he spent on anyone *other* than me. As for his own family, that was his obligation. Nothing to do with me. That was fair. I went into the kitchen to make dinner. Liam followed me, hugging me from behind. “Jade, you worked hard today. Let’s watch a movie tonight and relax.” I felt a bit uncomfortable. After the AA system, we hadn’t been intimate in a long time. After dinner, he smoothly logged into my streaming subscription account. It was an annual subscription I’d bought during the Black Friday sale. He never asked for the password; he must have just tried my birthday. He picked the latest pay-per-view movie, ten dollars. He clicked play without hesitation, paying with my account. I watched the screen, expressionless. The movie had just begun when my phone rang. [Ding! Detected partner Liam Carter misappropriating Host’s personal asset (streaming subscription) and incurring a $10 expense. This act of misappropriation constitutes malicious infringement. He has been forced to pay double compensation, totaling $20. $20 has been transferred from Liam Carter’s account to yours.] Almost simultaneously, Liam’s phone received a debit message. His face instantly changed. He turned sharply to look at me. “Did you mess with my money again?” His voice wasn’t loud, but it was full of accusation. I looked at him calmly: “I didn’t.” “Bullshit!” He slammed his phone onto the coffee table. “How did twenty bucks just disappear from my account?!” “Yesterday it was twenty-five thousand, today it’s twenty! Jade, what are you trying to do?” He stood up, towering over me: “We agreed to split everything, no interfering with each other’s finances. What are you doing now?” “Secretly scheming against me? Is that fun for you?” Every word was a jab, sharp as a knife. I didn’t say anything, just quietly opened my phone and showed him the system’s transaction log. Every single entry, crystal clear. [September 15th: Spent $50,000 on Chloe Davis, balanced $25,000.] [September 16th: Spent $200 to honor mother-in-law, balanced $100.] [September 16th: Misappropriated membership and incurred $10 expense, compensated $20.] Liam’s breath hitched. He stared fixedly at the screen, his expression shifting from anger to shock, then to utter incomprehension. “What is this thing?” “The Absolute Fairness System.” I took back my phone. “It automatically calculates all our financial interactions and forces a balance.” “Didn’t you want pure feelings? The system is helping you.” Liam was speechless. The muscles in his face twitched, looking utterly ridiculous. His beloved AA system, the one he was so proud of, was now being executed with ruthless precision by the system. Every double standard and selfish act was quantified into numbers. He couldn’t argue. “Fairness” was *his* idea. After a long silence, he ran an agitated hand through his hair: “What the hell is this damn system? I bet you’re behind this whole twisted thing!” He turned and stormed into his study, slamming the door shut. I was left alone in the living room. The TV was still playing the movie, with the main characters making a romantic confession. Liam and my marriage had become a farce under data surveillance. He was the one orchestrating this entire spectacle. I picked up his phone, which he’d thrown onto the coffee table. The screen was on, displaying his chat with Chloe. The last message was from him: “Jade’s throwing another one of her tantrums today, it’s so annoying.” Below it, Chloe’s reply had just popped up: “Is Sister Jade misunderstanding something? Maybe I should explain it to her?”
The Livestream Incident. Liam was a moderately famous finance influencer. He had millions of followers, cultivating a persona of being “woke, independent, and a strong advocate for women.” Three days after the initial incident, he started a livestream. He called it a discussion about “modern, independent relationships.” Chloe Davis was there as a special guest, sitting beside him. Today, she looked especially innocent, in a white dress with her long hair flowing over her shoulders. On her wrist, she wore a watch. It was the limited-edition couple’s watch from a certain brand that I’d given Liam for Valentine’s Day last year. My matching watch was still in my jewelry box. In the livestream, Liam spoke eloquently: “A good marriage is one where both partners are independent and not reliant on each other.” “Especially financially, the AA system is the best way.” “It filters out material impurities, allowing feelings to return to their purest form.” Chloe nodded vigorously, her eyes full of adoration. “Brother Liam is so right.” “Like Brother Liam and I, we’re the best of friends, with the purest brother-sister bond.” As she spoke, she casually brushed her hair back, revealing the watch on her wrist. “Just like this watch, Brother gave it to me, representing our indestructible friendship.” The comments section instantly exploded: [Wow, couple’s watch?!] [Liam is so sweet to his ‘sister’!] [Isn’t that Liam’s wife’s watch?] [Don’t talk nonsense, up there! It’s a brother-sister bond! Liam said so!] [Where’s the wife? Why isn’t she doing anything?] [She probably can’t control her man, otherwise why would Liam be with her?] [Exactly, independent women understand boundaries. Only women who nitpick drive their men away.] I sat in front of my computer, my fingers icy cold. Liam glanced at the comments. Instead of explaining, he draped his arm over Chloe’s chair, a gesture of intimate familiarity. “Chloe and my relationship doesn’t need to be explained to anyone.” “Those who understand, understand.” Chloe shyly lowered her head, but couldn’t help the slight smirk playing on her lips. It was an open provocation and humiliation. They were using the token of our love to stage a show of “deep platonic friendship.” Then they stood on their moral high ground, implying I was “too nitpicky” and “didn’t understand.” At that moment, my phone suddenly emitted a loud alert. The sound was so loud that it passed through my computer microphone and clearly entered the livestream. [Ding! Detected partner Liam Carter unilaterally gifting a marital asset (couple’s watch, purchased for $32,000) to a third party, Chloe Davis. This action constitutes an infringement on Host’s property. Account automatically balanced: $16,000 transferred from Liam Carter’s account to yours.] The mechanical, emotionless electronic voice echoed in the livestream watched by tens of thousands of people. Liam and Chloe’s smiles froze. The comments section, silent for three seconds, then absolutely erupted! [Holy cow! A system voice?!] [Marital asset? Sixteen thousand? The wife bought the watch?!] [Hahahahahahaha, epic public humiliation! One second it’s pure sibling love, the next it’s slammed by a system!] [What is this system? So smart! “Absolute Fairness System”?! I’m dying!] [So Liam’s persona was all fake? Using his wife’s money to buy things for a ‘tea-girl,’ then calling his wife nitpicky?!] [Chloe’s face just went green, hahahaha, is that stolen watch comfortable to wear?] [“Millionaire Mr. AA,” Liam Carter! I’ve seen it all now!] Liam’s face flushed from red to white. He frantically tried to end the livestream but couldn’t tap the button. Chloe fidgeted, the watch on her wrist now burning like a branding iron. Eventually, the livestream was forcibly terminated by the platform. On the black screen, the last few comments still lingered. [Wife is awesome! Share the system link!] [This is what a truly independent modern woman looks like! No shouting, just transferring money!] [Liam, apologize now!] I closed my laptop and leaned back in my chair. On my phone screen, the bank deposit message and the system notification lay side by side. Outside the window, night deepened. I knew that the war between Liam and me had just begun. He wouldn’t let this go. Sure enough, not long after, my phone rang. It was Liam. I didn’t answer. He called again and again. Finally, a text message popped up: “Jade, you’re going to pay for this.”
The livestream incident turned Liam and Chloe into a nationwide laughingstock. “The Millionaire Mr. AA” and “The Watch Girl” trended on social media for a whole day. Chloe was barraged by online hate. Her social media was flooded with ridicule and curses. She called Liam, crying, saying she’d been fired by her company and her career was ruined. Liam was devastated. He believed it was my fault. It was my “damn system” that had ruined his image and dragged down his “most important” platonic friend. He swore he would teach me a lesson. A lesson I’d never forget. He used all his knowledge and connections as a finance influencer. I ran a small online store selling handmade jewelry. It was my passion project from college, my only emotional outlet and source of self-worth. The shop was on a niche e-commerce platform. Liam teamed up with several investment firms to maliciously short-sell the platform. Three days later, the platform’s servers, under a surprise attack, crashed completely. All data, completely wiped. My online store, overnight, vanished into thin air. All my design drafts, customer information, order history, years of hard work… gone. I stared at the 404 page on my computer, feeling utterly hollow. It wasn’t just a store. It was my only escape from this suffocating marriage. My only way to prove my worth. Now, it had been personally destroyed by the man I was closest to, my husband. Liam came home, his face alight with vindictive satisfaction. He threw a news article about the platform’s bankruptcy liquidation in front of me. “Jade, do you see this?” “This is what happens when you cross me.” “I told you long ago, don’t test my limits.” “That pathetic little shop of yours means nothing to me.” He expected me to cry, to become hysterical. But I didn’t. I looked at him calmly, eerily so. My heart, at that moment, utterly died. My phone rang at that inopportune moment. [Ding! Detected partner Liam Carter maliciously destroying Host’s personal business, causing direct economic loss and emotional distress to Host. Loss assessment in progress… Assessment complete. Comprehensive evaluation of store revenue, brand value, future earnings, and emotional damages totals $200,000. Forced account balance executed: $200,000 transferred from Liam Carter’s account to yours.] A bank deposit message followed immediately. [Your savings account ending in 6688 received $200,000.00 on September 20th at 21:05. Current balance: $231,265.00.] Liam also received a debit notification. He glanced at his phone, his triumphant expression instantly vanishing, replaced by furious rage. “It’s that damn thing again! Jade! You freaking…” His curses abruptly stopped. He saw my expression. I looked at the $200,000 deposit information, my heart felt utterly calm, eerily still. What could money possibly compensate? It couldn’t compensate for the countless nights I’d toiled. It couldn’t compensate for my shattered dreams. It couldn’t compensate for the dead silence in my heart right now. Liam seemed to sense something was off with me. My calmness disturbed him more than any violent reaction would have. “You… what’s with that expression?” I didn’t answer him. My only emotional outlet had been crushed by his own hands. The last thread connecting us had completely snapped. Just then, that cold mechanical voice in my mind rang out again. Unlike any time before, this electronic voice seemed to carry a hint of… excitement? [Detected Host’s emotional link to partner is completely severed.] [Hate value has accumulated to peak.] [Resilience has reset to zero, initial expectation value has turned negative.] [Ultimate Mission: Trigger Conditions Met.] [Generating Ultimate Mission…] The mechanical voice in my mind carried an unprecedented solemnity. [Ultimate Mission: Divorce.]
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