After my daughter died, I dragged my half-dead soul away from New York. Until I returned for the Class Reunion, a strange boy bumped into my arms. His brows and eyes were painfully similar to Gavin’s. The homeroom teacher smiled and said: “Is this yours and Gavin’s child? I knew you two had a spark back then.” “I even joked with others. Even though you were always at the bottom of the class, you found a best friend who was second, and a boyfriend who was first!” Just as I was about to explain, my former best friend, Wendy, rushed over and hugged the boy: “Why did you run off by yourself? You scared Mommy to death!” Gavin followed closely behind. He froze when he saw my face clearly. “Sunny, you’re still alive?” Chapter 1 Hearing this, Wendy looked up at me sharply, shock written all over her face. After all, to them, I had been buried at the bottom of the sea five years ago. I smiled faintly and said: “I have a tough life. Just drank a bellyful of water.” Wendy’s reaction was as fast as ever. Her expression returned to normal quickly. She rocked the boy in her arms and said to him: “Leo, this is Auntie Sunny. You should call her Godmother.” We promised back then. If we get married, we catch each other’s bouquet. If we have kids, we be each other’s godmother. The boy timidly called out “Godmother.” I didn’t respond. I turned to the teacher, said I had something to do, and prepared to leave. The teacher had long sensed the turbulence between the three of us and wished to send me away early. But Gavin followed me tactlessly. “Sunny, where are you going? I’ll drive you.” Wendy frowned imperceptibly but said: “Yeah, you can’t drive. It’s inconvenient alone.” I laughed inwardly. After so many years, she still treated me like a useless idiot. But if someone insisted on being my driver, why not? On the way, Gavin kept asking about my recent life. I only answered a few main questions simply. I was saved back then and survived. I lived by selling paintings abroad these years. I came back because a buyer who frequently bought my paintings wanted to meet me. Hearing this, Gavin’s voice suddenly rose: “Male or female? Are you sure he’s reliable? Keep your eyes open.” I mocked mercilessly: “Friends known for years are unreliable. Husbands sleeping in the same bed are unreliable. How can I judge a stranger?” Gavin shut up immediately. Wendy’s face turned iron green. Arriving at my place, I took my things and got out. But suddenly turned back to the boy beside Wendy. The boy named Leo. Upper face like Gavin, lower face like Wendy. Just as I reached out a hand, Wendy hugged the child in terror. “What are you doing? Want my child to pay with his life? He is innocent!” Gavin also called my name warningly. I just picked a fruit pit out of his mouth. “I was afraid he would be like my child. Choking to death while adults were right there.” Their faces turned white. Silence. Back home, I received a message from Mr. Jarvis. He appreciated my work very much. Whenever I had a new piece these years, he would view it even if he didn’t buy it. I came back this time to meet him, and also to settle a matter of the heart. In a quiet cafe, I met Mr. Jarvis. He looked fifty or sixty, with a lean face. “Miss Sunny, I can see many stories in your paintings. I am very curious.” “Do I have the honor to know a thing or two?” After looking around, I nodded. Chapter 2 In high school, I was a carefree rich girl. When classmates were studying hard, I only knew painting and having fun. Gavin was my opposite. Unshakable number one in the grade. Excellent grades, slick social skills. At first, I despised him, thinking he was a poser. Then Wendy came. Her family was poor, but she studied hard. After school, she had to work to subsidize her family. I admired her very much. I asked my dad to set up a scholarship specifically for students like her. I didn’t want to make a noise. But the teacher pointed out the origin of the scholarship in class and asked her to bow and thank me. Thinking back now, Wendy must have held a grudge against me since then. But I foolishly poured my heart out to Wendy, treating her as my best friend. Wendy’s biggest wish was to be first in the grade. However, Gavin was like an insurmountable mountain. Wendy was always second. After failing to take the throne again, Wendy cried loudly. To comfort her, I tried everything: “How about I chase Gavin? Date him and affect his studies!” Gavin, passing by, sneered: “Sunny, you are so dumb. Do you know how to chase me? Want me to teach you?” Later, we really got together. In my senior year, I met the biggest change in my life: My dad went bankrupt and committed suicide. When I was most desperate, Gavin and Wendy stayed by my side. Gavin promised he would take my dad’s baton and be the person who loved me most in the world. Wendy let me live in her house and racked her brains to tutor me. I cheered up and started studying hard. Before the SATs, I was stable enough to get into a good college. But an accident happened. Although I checked repeatedly, I couldn’t find my No. 2 pencils. Leaving the exam hall, I cried and slapped myself, feeling no one was more useless than me. It was still Gavin and Wendy who encouraged me constantly, helping me walk out of the shadow. They both got into NYU, the best university. Convinced I wasn’t cut out for studying, I worked as a waitress near NYU. Gavin came to help as soon as class ended. Over time, customers thought he was the employee. Gavin often told me his plans for our future. He said as soon as he graduated, we would marry. He would work hard to support me, buy me the best brushes, and let me continue to be a carefree rich wife. But I still felt a crisis. I begged Wendy to help me watch Gavin. Wendy looked at me with deep eyes and revealed a stiff smile. I only thought she was jealous of my display of affection, so I urged her to date too. Wendy said: “No need. I have someone I like.” Long later, I understood that smile, and who she liked. It was too late. Chapter 3 After Gavin graduated, we married as promised. Life was not as easy as he imagined. He worked desperately to make money, coming home exhausted every day, falling asleep immediately. To lighten his burden, I learned to cook and clean. I never knew before that there were so many chores. Endless cooking, endless sweeping… Each seemed trivial, but piling up, they drowned me. When the financial pressure eased, our daughter was born. I named her Joy, hoping she would be quiet like Wendy. But she was energetic from childhood, crying and making noise. Every night, I had to walk her around the living room to get her to sleep. When I got into bed, Gavin’s hand touched me. “Wife, we haven’t…” Despite physical and mental exhaustion, I obediently let him do what he wanted. But at the critical moment, the daughter’s cry came. I pushed Gavin away abruptly, jumped out of bed naked to hold my daughter. I didn’t see Gavin’s disgusted face behind me. Life finally ground me from an innocent princess into a disappointing housewife. That birthday, Gavin bought me the most expensive brushes. But I looked at the house and said: “We’re out of diapers. You should have bought diapers.” At that time, Wendy was killing it in the business world. She and Gavin joined the same company. Original intention unchanged, she still liked to compete with Gavin. And still couldn’t beat Gavin. Once she prepared fully, polishing the plan repeatedly, but the leader still chose Gavin’s. Wendy called, crying loudly: “Why can’t I beat Gavin!” “After so many years, can’t I win just once?!” I glared at Gavin, preparing to go out to comfort Wendy. But Joy hugged my leg and wouldn’t let me go. I had to send Gavin: “It’s unsafe for a girl to drink alone in a bar.” “You caused the trouble, you go solve it.” Gavin paused, looking at me intently: “You really want me to go?” “Of course.” Gavin seemed to make a big decision and said “Okay.” Before leaving that day, he looked back at me several times. I felt no premonition, just holding my daughter, telling jokes to coax her. Disaster brewed from there. That day, Gavin didn’t return all night. When he came back the next day, I just got up to cook. He explained a few sentences, saying Wendy was terribly difficult when drunk. He finally got Wendy home and fell asleep on the floor from exhaustion. His tone was natural. Wendy was my best friend. So I believed him easily. In the following days, Gavin worked overtime and traveled more and more. At first, I just thought the company was particularly busy recently. But slowly, I found something wrong. Hair on clothes. Strange perfume smell. Finally, when I found an opened condom wrapper in his pocket, I was sure he cheated. Heartbroken, I ran to Gavin’s company and made a big scene. I cried, screamed, rolled on the floor, demanding he hand over that woman. Gavin looked disgusted. “Sunny, I feed you and clothe you, letting you be a housewife who worries about nothing. Your repayment is framing me with baseless things!” He took out his phone, opened the camera, and aimed at my face: “Look at yourself now! An unreasonable shrew!” Chapter 4 In the phone screen, I saw my messy hair and sallow face. On the outdated clothes, there were many oil stains that couldn’t be washed off. Behind me, a group of female employees with exquisite makeup and decent clothes exuded the aura of career women. They looked at me with pity and contempt. Wendy walked out from among them. “Sunny, stop making a scene. It’s too ugly.” Gavin said sternly: “Let her make a scene! She wants to make me lose my job and let the whole family starve! Fine, go ahead, start a livestream, let everyone know!” Only then did I realize I had no capital to fight Gavin. After marriage, I had been detached from society, staying at home. And I only had a high school diploma. Once divorced, I had no competitiveness in the job market. My daughter would also be snatched by Gavin. I suddenly woke up, climbed up from the ground, and said: “I won’t make a scene. I’m going home.” After that day, I humbled myself, afraid of making Gavin angry. He became more and more brazen, lipstick marks on his shirt. But I was only afraid he would abandon me. What I could do was try to use our daughter to awaken Gavin’s feelings for this family. Fortunately, Gavin did love our daughter. When not busy, he even took her to the company to play. One day, he took our daughter away again. I finished housework and started scrolling on my phone. Accidentally, I stumbled upon a post. Title: “The Hate-Love Saga of the Eternal Second and the First Place.” I clicked in and saw the first sentence: “No one knows, what the eternal second wants most isn’t first place, but the attention of the first place.” My heart skipped a beat, something flashed in my mind, quickly scrolling to the back. “After losing to him at work again, I went to a bar to get drunk. He came to comfort me.” “He asked what I needed him to do. I asked him to kiss me. So he kissed me.” “From high school to now, he rejected my confessions ten thousand times. But the ten thousand and first time, he accepted. I took him home, and we did it until darkness fell.” “The first place I couldn’t reach finally became a subject under my skirt.” I felt like I fell into an ice cellar. So the person Wendy liked was Gavin. So the person Gavin cheated with was Wendy! I lost my reason instantly, ran to Gavin’s company, and barged into his office. Uninhibited moans came immediately from the lounge. I kicked the door open and saw Wendy sitting on Gavin disheveled. Rage attacked my heart. I threw everything I could touch at them. A heavy crystal award hit Wendy’s head. She bled. I burst into tears too. If Gavin’s betrayal chilled my heart, Wendy’s betrayal made me despair. “We are best friends. Why did you do this to me?” Wendy wiped the blood from her forehead and said coldly: “I never considered you a friend.” “A pampered waste. What you are best at is giving charity from high above.” “I hate you. Hated you since the first meeting.” I tried hard to find evidence to deny. “If you hate me, why did you take me in and tutor me back then?” Wendy sneered. “Because I like to fatten the rabbit before killing it. Why do you think you still forgot your pencils after checking so many times? Because I stole them outside the exam hall!” “What?” I was thunderstruck. Wendy shook Gavin smilingly. “There’s a witness here. Gavin, you saw me take the pencils back then, right?” Gavin’s face stiffened, turning his head away. “Don’t be shy. You didn’t tell Sunny then, so I knew you must love me.” In an instant, I felt my blood flowing backward, limbs weak, almost falling directly. “I’m going to re… report you…” Gavin’s face was gloomy, scolding: “Sunny! Enough!” “Think about our daughter!” After speaking, his face changed, looking around. Right, where is Joy? She should be here. Finally, we found our daughter’s body under the table by checking surveillance. Turns out Gavin and Wendy were messing around in the room, leaving Joy alone outside eating dried fruit. Joy choked on a pit, banged on the door for help, but was covered by their voices. She wanted to get the water on the table, but she was too small and couldn’t reach. She died silently, separated from her father by a door.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “389992”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

“I was injured in combat and became sterile. So, whose child is in your belly?” At the military commendation ceremony, my officer husband publicly produced a medical report stamped with a red seal. Every word was an ice pick. The crowd was shocked, then looks of contempt pricked my face like needles. The husband who held my hand last night saying “You’ve suffered” was now shielding the sister of a fallen hero behind him. I finally understood. He wanted to be the hero of loyalty, marrying his comrade’s sister to care for her life. But constrained by his status, he could only make me, his wife, the sinner. “Luke Vance, remember what you said today. This child has nothing to do with you.” I tore up the military housing application in front of everyone and left the hall in the snowstorm. Seven years later, a boy with eyes just like his coldly pushed away the military’s cooperation invitation. When he demanded a paternity test with a green face, the boy said nonchalantly, freezing him instantly: “Uncle, your sterility report was confirmed by the organization. How could you father a genius like me?” Chapter 1 The conference room was so quiet you could hear the sycamore leaves falling outside. The subordinates who came with Colonel Luke Vance all lowered their heads, pretending to read files. Luke slammed the contract on the table, suddenly reaching out to grab Andy’s thin wrist, dragging him out without a word. Just then, a calloused hand firmly gripped Luke’s wrist. I used all my strength, nails digging deep into his skin. Luke looked up and met my eyes, cold as frost. The subordinates behind him also looked up. Time seemed to stop. I saw something crack in Luke’s eyes, then shock, then an absurd scrutiny. “M… Mary?” People behind him gasped. “Mary? The Colonel’s wife who cheated seven years ago?” “Didn’t she disappear at the train station? How…” I knew what they were shocked about. Seven years ago, when I left the military compound, I only had a train ticket. Later, news spread that a pregnant young woman disappeared at the station. Everyone thought it was me. Including Luke. “Mary? You’re alive? How do you have the face to come back?” I ignored him. Taking advantage of his momentary slack, I pulled Andy back to my side. A red circle already formed on Andy’s wrist. I squatted down, gently rubbing the mark. “Does it hurt?” Andy shook his head, eyes fixed on Luke. I straightened up. My tone should be calm, at least I couldn’t hear any waves. “Colonel Vance must be mistaken. I am Dr. L.F. Lee, Technical Director of Deep Blue Salvage.” “L.F. Lee?” A staff officer behind Luke repeated subconsciously. “Yes.” Before the words fell, the door was pushed open again. Scarlett burst in, sweat on her forehead, looking rushed. She glanced at Luke first, then her eyes swept over me, pupils shrinking slightly. “Sister Mary?” She stepped forward, trying to take my hand, but I dodged sideways. Her hand froze in the air, then she smiled again. “It really is you! Where have you been all these years? We were worried to death…” Her eyes turned red as she spoke, acting better than seven years ago. “You left without a word, we thought… thought you did something foolish. Later hearing about the station, Brother Luke couldn’t sleep for days. It’s good you’re back, as long as you’re alive…” Clever words. Every word reminding everyone. I was once an “unchaste” woman, a wife who “embarrassed” her husband, a burden who “disappeared.” Disgust deepened in Luke’s eyes. “Mary, I don’t care what you call yourself now. Take that child and leave.” I glanced at Luke and Scarlett sticking together, then looked at the secretary standing by the door, afraid to speak. “Joey, notify everyone.” My voice wasn’t loud, but clear enough for everyone. “Deep Blue is willing to cooperate with the military, but there is a condition. The representative must change. We start talking when the person changes.” “Mary!” Luke’s face turned iron, stepping forward aggressively, “Do you know where you are? How dare you act wild here?! Take this bastard—” “You are the ones who should leave.” I calmly cut off his insult, taking Andy’s hand, walking back to the desk step by step. The leather chair was wide and steady. I sat down calmly, looking up at his burning eyes. “Since seeking technical cooperation, the military should at least send—” I tilted my head slightly, mouth curling into a faint, cold arc, “Someone with clear eyes and basic manners. Don’t you think, Colonel Vance?” Joey was too scared to breathe, looking at Luke, then me, helpless. “See them out.” I said. Chapter 2 Andy stayed in the office waiting for me until I got off work. I led him out of the office. Just reaching the lobby, two figures stepped out from the side shadows. Luke stood there, epaulets removed, jacket on his arm. Scarlett followed him closely. They blocked the way between us and the door. Outside the glass door, the sky darkened, streetlights flickering on. “Mary, two choices. One, let the kid do a blood test with me. Before the result comes out, you go nowhere.” “Two, I don’t mind making you, your adulterer, and this bastard disappear for real this time.” Luke’s last sentence scraped the tenderest meat of my heart like ice mixed with gravel. Scarlett stood behind him, fingers twisting the strap of her worn green bag. Her voice was soft and light as a feather, but carried a chill that drilled into bones. “Sister Mary, even if you don’t think for yourself, think for the child.” She moved half a step forward, looking “pityingly” at Andy behind me. “This place isn’t big. For school, work, everything needs a background check. If his file says his mother has issues, bad conduct…” She paused deliberately, observing my face, voice lower but audible to us three, “The child’s life is ruined. He won’t be able to lift his head anywhere.” “Even if…” She lowered her eyes, showing appropriate difficulty and “kindness,” “Even if back then, Brother Luke’s injury… doctors said there might be a chance, but after so many years, who knows? Sister Mary, I know it’s hard raising a child alone, but you can’t gamble with his future. For the child’s good, just…” Slap—! A crisp, loud slap cut off her “persuasion.” I used all my strength, palm numb. Scarlett was knocked to the side, hair messy, sticking to her instantly swollen cheek. She covered her face, staring in disbelief, tears filling her eyes instantly, hanging on lashes, looking pitiful. Next second, a heavier force slapped my face with wind. My vision went black, ears buzzing, metallic taste of blood in my mouth. Face burning, I stumbled back, hitting the cold rough wall to stand steady. Dust fell on my shoulder. Luke blocked Scarlett like a wall. He shook his hand as if touching something unclean, looking at me with undisguised disgust and cold disappointment. “Mary!” His voice low but heavy, “You dare hit people after what you did? What did Scarlett say wrong? She’s doing this for who?!” Always like this. No matter when or where, no matter the truth, he always stood by Scarlett without hesitation. Seven years ago at the ceremony, in front of the clinic, and now. Even if Scarlett almost killed me and my unborn child, in his eyes, she was always the weak, innocent “sister of a hero” needing protection, and I was the scheming, unreasonable one. “Mom!” Andy rushed out like an enraged little leopard, small fists flying at Luke, “Bad man! Don’t hit Mom!” “Andy! Come back!” Ignoring the pain, I hugged him tight, shielding him with my body. The child trembled in my arms. I felt his rapid breathing and suppressed tears. Can’t let him fight. Absolutely not. He’s too small to be dragged into adults’ dirty wars. I looked up, over Luke’s shoulder protecting Scarlett, at his once familiar, now strange face. Dim corridor light cut cold lines on his face. “Colonel Vance.” My voice hoarse but clear, every word fished from ice water, “Whether you were injured or how bad, you know better than anyone. Why pretend to be confused and force this dirty water on me and my child?” His eyes flickered violently, jaw tighter, but didn’t refute immediately. I straightened up slowly, released Andy, and took his hand. His hand small and cold. I squeezed it, trying to pass some warmth. “Want a blood test?” I met his scrutinizing gaze, tone calm and strange to myself, “Fine. Tomorrow morning at nine, City First Hospital, lab entrance. Be there.” Finished, I didn’t look at his changing face, picked up Andy, turned, and walked out of this suffocating corridor step by step. Pushing the heavy door, cold winter wind hit my face like a sobering slap, dispersing the burning pain and nausea. I carried Andy to the old green Jeep by the wall. Settled him in the back, covered with a blanket, then sat in the driver’s seat. Didn’t start the car immediately. From the canvas bag, I took out the bulky satellite phone. “It’s me.” “If the stuff I wanted is ready, send it to me the fastest way.” Chapter 3 Five days later, Norfolk Workers’ Cultural Palace Auditorium. Red banner: [Military-Civilian Advanced Technology Exchange Conference]. Packed with representatives from the military, research institutes, and factories. Noisy, smell of tea and smoke. I sat by the aisle, Andy quietly looking at a ship catalog beside me. Just then, Luke sat next to me with Scarlett. He lowered his voice. “Mary, the report is out. If you don’t want this report leaked, cooperate with me on the salvage mission.” “And apologize to Scarlett. Or, you don’t want your child to have a mother with a bad background, right?” I closed the catalog, tone nonchalant. “I will cooperate with the mission, but not with you.” “As for apologizing… my way is another slap. Wonder if Miss Scarlett can take it?” Luke looked at me darkly. “Seems you don’t care about your son’s future?” I blinked, changed tactics. “I can agree to your conditions. Destroy the report after the meeting. My child and I will have nothing to do with you, Luke Vance.” Luke sneered mockingly. “Heh, now you know this report can’t see the light?” “Do those two things, and I’ll destroy it.” Meeting halfway, the host announced. “Next, speech by military representative, Colonel Luke Vance!” Amidst applause, Luke walked to the podium steadily. Adjusted the mic, scanned the audience, eyes fixed on me. “Comrades, today is a happy day, but I must speak of something heartbreaking.” His voice spread through speakers, silencing the hall. My heart sank. Luke took a yellow envelope from his briefcase, holding it high. “This is the paternity test regarding the child my ex-wife carried seven years ago.” “As a soldier, I shouldn’t discuss private matters here. But when personal issues affect military image and purity of cooperation, I must clarify!” “Today, I will prove my innocence in front of all comrades!” He moved to open the envelope. Just then, the projector at the back of the hall lit up… A beam cut through the dimness, hitting the screen. The noise stopped instantly. All eyes glued to the image. A familiar face appeared. Dr. Zhang, the military doctor who issued Luke’s disability report. Hair white, sitting on a simple bed, nervous, facing someone unseen. “I… I confess.” Dr. Zhang’s voice trembled through speakers. “Seven years ago, I changed Luke Vance’s medical report. His reproductive system wasn’t damaged. All indicators were normal. It was… Scarlett and Luke Vance who found me, gave me $5,000, to change it to ‘Permanent Reproductive Dysfunction’.” This exploded like a bomb in the hall. Chapter 4 Crowd boiled instantly. Whispers rose. Countless eyes turned to Luke and Scarlett. The video continued. “Scarlett said she’s a hero’s sister, no one to care for her, Colonel Luke is her only reliance.” Dr. Zhang buried his head lower, voice full of regret. “She said Luke’s wife Mary was too strong, not suitable. As long as Luke thought he was sterile, he would break with Mary. Then she could stay by his side legitimately. I was confused, took the money, did wrong. Harmed Comrade Mary, misled Colonel Luke. My conscience was uneasy all these years, finally I can tell the truth.” Video stopped. Beam died. Deathly silence in the hall, only heavy breathing. Just then, Andy stood up. Small figure, under everyone’s gaze, walked to the podium, holding a thick envelope. He handed it to the host, loud voice: “Uncle, please project these for everyone.” Host stunned, looked at Luke, then me, finally followed Andy’s request. First projected were bank transfer records. Clearly showing seven years ago, Scarlett transferred $5,000 to Dr. Zhang in three parts. “This is proof of Auntie Scarlett paying Dr. Zhang.” Andy pointed, speaking clearly. Then, several letters appeared. Scarlett wrote to her cousin in the countryside, detailing how she and Luke plotted against me. Every word piercing. Scarlett and Luke lost all color, paralyzed in chairs. Crowd erupted. Luke swayed. Staring at the evidence, fists clenched, nails digging into palms. Huge regret and anger drowned him. He turned to me, eyes full of pain and guilt. “Mary… I…” I didn’t look at him, gently pulling Andy back. Seven years of endurance and grievance finally found an exit. But I felt no pleasure, only bone-deep coldness. “Colonel Vance, can you look at the report in your hand now?” My voice calm without waves, like a cold dagger, piercing Luke’s last luck. Luke remembered the envelope. Hands shaking, opened it, took out the report. Seeing “DNA comparison confirms Luke Vance and Andy Lee are biological father and son, probability 99.99%”, he was struck by lightning, frozen. Report drifted to the floor. Eyes empty, muttering: “Biological son… Andy is my son… I actually…” Just then, accident happened. Back door kicked open. Men in black jackets, fierce faces, rushed in with iron bars and daggers. Leader scanned the hall, fixing on Scarlett, shouting. “Scarlett, took our money and want to run? Not so easy!” Scarlett screamed, hiding behind Luke. “Brother Luke, save me! They are loan sharks! I… I borrowed to clear connections, couldn’t pay back…” Thugs rushed up, swinging bars at Scarlett. Luke instinctively shielded her, fighting them. But unarmed against many with weapons, he was losing fast. Arm slashed deep, blood gushed. “Mom, careful!” Andy pulled my hand nervously. I shielded Andy, watching the chaos alertly. Crowd fled in panic. Host tried to call police, kicked down by a thug. In the rush, Andy and I were separated. A thug approached Andy. Closest was Luke protecting Scarlett. “Luke Vance! Save Andy!” Luke wanted to move, but stopped by Scarlett’s scream. Subconsciously, he still protected Scarlett. I pushed through the crowd, lunging at Andy, pushing him away. Critical moment, sirens wailed outside. Police rushed in, controlling the scene. Turns out, Andy predicted Scarlett might have backup or trouble. So he contacted police early. Thugs tried to run, subdued. Scarlett was taken away for fraud, bribery, and illegal loans. Crying and struggling, looking at Luke with hate, no longer soft. Luke held his bleeding arm, watching Scarlett taken away, eyes extremely complex. He won the report, but lost everything. Protected Scarlett, exchanged for wounds and endless regret. Police took statements. Medics bandaged Luke. He walked to us, eyes full of guilt and pleading. “Mary, Andy, I know I did many wrongs. I don’t ask for forgiveness, but I want to make up. Andy is my son, I want to see him grow up, do a father’s duty.” I looked at his wound, then Andy, heart unmoved. Silent Andy took out a small recorder, pressed play. Luke and Scarlett’s voices. “Vivian (Scarlett), don’t worry. As long as the report says the kid isn’t mine, I can ruin Mary. She and the bastard will never turn over.” “Brother Luke, what if Andy is yours?” “Even if he is, I won’t recognize him.” Recorded by Andy when following them. Small but remembered my words, keep evidence of harm. Hearing this, Luke turned pale, shaky. Looking at Andy in disbelief: “Andy, you…” “I thought you might have some conscience.” Andy’s voice disappointed. “Now I know, you don’t deserve to be my dad.” I looked at Luke’s desperate eyes, finally speaking. “Luke Vance, seven years ago, for ‘comradeship,’ you humiliated me publicly, put me and my unborn child in desperation.” “Snowy day, I left with a ticket, hiding in a fishing village, almost died in childbirth. Seven years, carrying cargo by day, studying salvage by night, holding up a home. Andy pointed at as a bastard without a dad. You’ll never know how much he suffered.” “You say make up. It’s not just words. You owe us a lifetime can’t repay.” My voice rose, “I tell you, I will never forgive you. Andy doesn’t need a father like you.” Finished, I took Andy’s hand to leave. “Mary, wait!” Luke shouted, despairing. “I know I was wrong! Really! I have nothing now, rank gone, reputation ruined, even fertility…” Before finishing, he coughed violently, blood at corner of mouth. Fighting thugs, his abdomen was hit hard, endured till now. Medics rushed to help. Doctor said gravely: “Severe abdominal impact, reproductive organs likely damaged. Needs immediate surgery.” Luke lay on the chair, watching us leave, eyes full of infinite regret and despair. Finally understood, his biggest mistake was losing Mary and Andy. All caused by himself.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “389990”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

After Stella Xu once again tacitly allowed others to call her sister’s boyfriend “Brother-in-law” in the name of work. I didn’t go crazy. I didn’t make a scene. I even raised my glass generously, echoing the compliments others showered on them. “Yes, they are a perfect match.” Stella looked up sharply, shock unhidden in her eyes. “What did you call him?” I looked at her pale face and smiled faintly. “Brother-in-law.” Chapter 1 Stella’s shock lasted only a second. In a blink, she was cold and indifferent again. “Shawn, do you have to talk like that?” She frowned slightly, her tone impatient. “The day after tomorrow is New Year’s Eve. Tyler and I are going to New York to meet clients.” “Stay home and behave. Don’t try to ruin anything. We are just…” She paused, as if waiting for me to explode. But I just nodded. “Mmhmm. I know. You guys are together just for work.” She narrowed her eyes, scanning my calm face, trying to find a crack. “He’s also the brand ambassador for the company’s new line,” she added tentatively. “You know…” I curled my lips again to show understanding. “I know. Helping Tyler build his career was Nora’s dying wish.” “As her sister, you should fulfill it for her.” She froze again. Hesitating to speak, “Shawn, you…” I smiled calmly. “Don’t worry.” “I won’t disturb you anymore.” Chapter 2 Stella seemed to want to say more, but was cut off by Tyler’s warm, magnetic voice. “Stella, come quickly! Time to cut the cake—” On stage, Tyler acted like the host. He waved at her openly. Under the spotlight, he was tall and handsome, like a well-nourished pine tree. The next second, an intimate photo of them appeared on the big screen. Cheers erupted from the crowd. “Perfect match!” “The boss’s husband is insanely handsome!!” A company gala was turned into something resembling their wedding. The company expanded fast. Few knew I was the real husband of the boss. A few old employees cast sympathetic glances at me. Stella didn’t move, just glanced at me lazily. She was waiting. Waiting for me to lose control, roar, and smash the cake into Tyler’s smug face like before. But I just calmly took out the gold gift box I had prepared for a long time from my pocket. Handed it to her. “A belated gift for the IPO. Congratulations, President Xu.” She was visibly stunned, then her mouth curled into her habitual lazy arc. “How long has it been since the IPO? You just remembered now?” She took the box, fingertips accidentally grazing my skin. “Finally learned some sense.” Under the glittering gold packaging, a divorce agreement lay quietly inside. Thinking about it now. We started with a gift, and ended with a gift. A beginning and an end. “Shawn,” her voice suddenly softened, the warm light plating her with a gentle illusion. “Come up with me.” Is she asking for peace? No, it’s charity. Giving me a little sweetness in public to keep me leashed. I shook my head. “No need.” After all, last time, I presumptuously stood by her side. And was mercilessly pushed away by employees who didn’t know me. “This is Mr. Tyler’s spot. Who are you to steal the spotlight?” At that time, Stella acted as if she heard nothing, indifferently letting me embarrass myself. Then she intimately pulled Tyler to her side. The past is unbearable to recall. I immediately stopped the memory. Her eyes turned cold instantly. She stepped closer, lowering her voice so only we could hear. “Pretending to be generous? What new trick is this?” Her breath hit my face. “Who was kneeling on the ground begging me not to leave half a month ago? Shawn, who are you performing for?” I looked up, looking at her clearly. “Not pretending.” I said. It’s just that the tsunami in my heart has long subsided. After all the pain, madness, and unwillingness evaporated. I have no reason to stay here. Chapter 3 She turned and went on stage with a tense face, the spotlight chasing her. That graceful back suddenly overlapped with old memories. I almost forgot, she was once the person who held the whole world in front of me. One evening without warning, the doorbell rang. I opened the door, and a distraught figure stumbled, exclaiming, and fell right onto Stella who was about to go out. She supported his arm almost instinctively. I still remember his tearful face, saying something ridiculously unbelievable. “Stella, Nora is gone…” “The things she promised, haven’t been done yet…” “She said you would complete them for her, is it true?” He held the so-called Nora’s long “Bucket List” in his hand. Kissing by Erhai Lake, a wedding on a cliff… Asking my wife to romance her dead sister’s boyfriend? But such an absurd request made Stella silent. Silence like ice, creeping over my chest inch by inch. “You won’t… really date for your sister, will you?” I asked hoarsely, my voice shaking a little. She met my eyes, the coldness on her face disappearing immediately, hugging me gently. “What are you thinking?” “If I chase a husband for Nora, who will spoil my husband?” My suspended heart settled immediately. But later. She flew to Tibet on our wedding anniversary to accompany Tyler on a “pilgrimage hike.” New Year’s Eve, she went diving with him in the equatorial waters. When I realized it later. The simple silver ring on her ring finger had been replaced by a sky-high priced diamond matching Tyler’s. Facing my breakdown and questioning, she said lightly, “Respect the dead.” “It’s just a list. Nora owed him, I have to pay it back.” She started taking him around in the name of work. VP title, million-dollar salary, always together. That moment I understood, there was no dying wish. It was just a woman’s long-planned change of heart, and another man’s justified plunder. And I became the most pathetic joke in this game. Chapter 4 Arguments, questioning, screaming. I tore the upbringing accumulated over twenty years into shreds. Hysterically shouting at the phone screen late at night, “The list says a wedding, are you going to marry him too?!” She didn’t answer. Leaving me with longer silences and later returns. The last breakdown happened at her financing celebration banquet. The champagne tower refracted blinding light. Tyler held her, accepting compliments about being a talented man and beautiful woman. I stared at them dead on. “Homewrecker.” My voice wasn’t loud, but it made the whole venue dead silent instantly. The look Stella turned to me was cold enough to freeze my blood instantly. A week later, I received a dismissal letter from the university and a notification that my platform account was permanently banned. The professional image built over ten years turned to nothing overnight. I rushed into her office like a madman, smashing the documents on her desk. “Clarify! Stella, go tell them clearly—” She leaned back in her chair leisurely, her gaze sweeping over my tear-stained face. As if examining a failed defective product. “Look at yourself,” she curled her lips. “Don’t you look like a lunatic?” “Aren’t you supposed to understand psychology best?” She leaned forward, word by word. “With your behavior, how can you counsel others?” “I told you long ago, Tyler follows me for work.” She sneered, picking up the dismissal letter and tossing it lightly back to my feet. “You insisted on making a scene. Shawn, you deserve this bitterness.”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “389989”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

I saw my own photo on a social media app. The OP’s caption read: [Dated my girlfriend online for a year, but she refuses to meet me. What should I do?] The next second, my roommate suddenly leaned in: “Hey guys, how can I lose 30 pounds in a month?” Confused, she added: “Cynthia, if I get skinny, do you think we’d look alike?” Chapter 1 I stared at the post. The comments below had already built a skyscraper. [Bro, wake up. That’s totally a fake pic. You’re being catfished!] [She won’t meet you because her photos are Facetuned so hard even her mom wouldn’t recognize her.] The OP was still desperately explaining: [Impossible. We’ve video chatted (voice only), and she sends me selfies from all angles every day. It can’t be fake!] My mind went blank. In that photo, I was wearing pajamas. It was impossible for it to be leaked. Just then, Scarlett’s voice drifted down from the top bunk: “Hey guys, how can I lose 30 pounds in a month?” The roommate opposite rolled over laughing. “What for? In love?” “Lose 30 pounds in a month? You might as well starve to death!” Scarlett ignored her. She climbed down, ran to my side. Her gaze fell straight on my face, eyes scanning my features inch by inch. I was creeped out by her staring and took a step back. She suddenly spoke: “Cynthia, tell me the truth.” “If I slim down, would we look alike?” The air froze. I looked up at her round cheeks, voice stuck in my throat. Chapter 2 My heart skipped a beat. I suppressed the surging emotions. Trying to keep my voice calm: “Who’s your boyfriend? Do we know him?” Scarlett lifted her chin, “You know the Sterling Real Estate Empire? He’s the heir!” She pulled a show-off smile, “Last month he sent me a bracelet worth over a grand. Said he’d take me to meet his parents after graduation.” My roommate burst out laughing. “A trust fund baby? He has heavy tastes.” The triumph on Scarlett’s face froze instantly, turning crimson. “What do you mean? He loves my soul!” Her voice was sharp, like a cat whose tail was stepped on. “He says I’m interesting, I get him! I understand him! What do you guys know!” The dorm quieted down, awkward atmosphere. That post was still updating. The OP asked: [I want to surprise her. What kind of guys do girls like her like?] I looked up. Watching Scarlett’s red nose. “Have you met in person? Is it online dating?” The other two roommates looked at her together, waiting for her answer. “Scarlett, he hasn’t even seen you, has he?” “Yeah, don’t be a catfish.” It was meant as a joke, but the blood drained from Scarlett’s face rapidly. Lips pressed tight together. A moment later, she hurriedly left a “My advisor is looking for me” and grabbed her coat, rushing out. Chapter 3 The three of us left in the dorm looked at each other. At night, Scarlett couldn’t help showing off again. “Sebastian knew I was in a bad mood today, so he specially ordered Omakase for me. Four figures per person!” She brought back a takeout box that looked expensive. But I clearly glimpsed my name on the receipt. Roommates exploded. “Holy cow! Sebastian! That campus hunk from the Ivy League next door?” “He’s the prince of Sterling Real Estate? Scarlett caught a golden turtle!” She chuckled lightly, “Of course, my boyfriend loves me very much!” No need for others to probe. Scarlett confessed everything about Sebastian on her own. “My boyfriend likes gentle and considerate girls like me the most.” “Especially girls who love small animals.” She talked non-stop. “He said he likes me best with long hair, wearing dresses, looking clean and fresh.” “But your hair isn’t long…” A roommate questioned. Scarlett choked and stopped talking. Likes long hair and dresses, right? Then I’ll gladly accept this boyfriend. Chapter 4 Weekend. I specially picked a white dress. Long hair loose, only pinned up a few strands with a simple wooden hairpin. In the mirror, I looked my most well-behaved. I waited by the basketball court next door for nearly half an hour. Finally, Sebastian walked towards the court. Simple white T-shirt, gray sweatpants, tall figure. My heartbeat began to speed up, but more of a weird excitement. Took a deep breath, suppressing the nervousness. I quickened my pace, pretending to be inadvertent. Just as he was about to enter the court, I turned sideways sharply. “Oops!” I feigned panic. Bumped into him. Fell precisely into his arms. A faint woody scent hit my nose. Reflexively, he reached out to support my waist. “Ah! I’m sorry!” I exclaimed, still in his arms, long hair cascading down. Sebastian was stunned by this sudden “attack”. Looked down at me, eyes full of surprise. “You…” He just started speaking, but I interrupted. “Sorry, sorry, I was in too much of a hurry, rushing back to class, didn’t watch the road.” I quickly stood firm, head lowered, not looking at his eyes. Hurriedly left a sentence, then turned and walked away quickly. I could feel his gaze from behind, but my steps got faster and faster. Behind me, he seemed to be calling me, but I turned a deaf ear. Chapter 5 I walked fast, heading straight for the school gate. Rapid footsteps and shouts came from behind. “Excuse me!” I didn’t stop, kept walking. “Miss, please wait!” He finally caught up with me, grabbing my wrist. Like a frightened rabbit, I turned back sharply, face showing just the right amount of panic. “What… what are you doing?” I looked at him, eyes full of defensiveness and confusion. Sebastian was panting, a thin layer of sweat on his forehead. He looked at me, eyes holding complex emotions I couldn’t read. “I…” He seemed to be organizing his words. I spoke first, tone carrying a bit of grievance: “I apologized just now, I didn’t mean to.” I lowered my head, voice smaller, “Is there anything else?” A pitiful look of being scared by him. He froze. Brows furrowed tightly, staring at my face, as if confirming something. “You don’t know me?” He finally asked this question. I looked up, blinked blankly, and burst out laughing. The laugh was light, with a trace of helpless amusement. “Should we know each other?” I tilted my head looking at him, eyes clear and open, pure strangeness. “Classmate,” I deliberately dragged the tone, smile adding a bit of teasing, “Is this how you guys pick up girls nowadays?” Finished, I gave him no time to react. Pulled my wrist back, waved at him. “I’m leaving now, bye.” I turned. Walked towards the bus stop without looking back. I could feel his burning gaze, but I dared not look back. Chapter 6 My heart raced all the way, but my face remained calm. Pushing open the dorm door, Scarlett was showing off a brand new Chanel box. “Look, New Year’s gift from Sebastian.” She raised her chin, tone unable to hide her pride, “New bag, Chanel dress, and he transferred me 52,000.” I didn’t speak, silently changed shoes. She glanced at me, making a “tsk” sound. “Look at you, wasting such a face, only knowing how to work part-time jobs, deserve to be tired.” She looked me up and down contemptuously, “Don’t even know how to use your advantages.” I put down my water cup, smiled, didn’t reply. Just then, her phone rang. Seeing the caller ID, a trace of panic flashed across Scarlett’s face. She took the phone to the balcony, lowering her voice. But I could still hear scattered words, tone urgent and fawning. Minutes later, she walked in, face ugly. “Hey,” she spoke somewhat unnaturally, “Send me a selfie of yours, right now.” I understood in my heart. “Sure.” Mouth agreed readily, didn’t ask why. I opened the album, deliberately scrolling past a few ordinary photos. Finally picked one taken before going out today, wearing a white dress, long hair loose, smiling most cleanly and harmlessly at the sun. Scarlett immediately lowered her head and operated her phone furiously. I pretended to organize things, but kept an eye on her. Saw her brows furrowing tighter and tighter, staring at the screen, as if typing fiercely with someone. Finally, she threw the phone on the table in annoyance. Muttering unconsciously: “What’s going on… he’s acting weird today.” I lowered my head, corners of my mouth uncontrollably curling up. Chapter 7 The next day, I went to my part-time job at the cafe as usual. An hour later, Sebastian indeed came. For a young master like him, checking someone’s info is too easy. Footsteps stopped at the bar. I kept a straight face, showing a standard eight-tooth smile. “Hello, what would you like to drink?” He didn’t look at the menu, gaze falling on my name tag, then fixed on my face. “We meet again.” I paused for a moment, then made a realization expression, smiling a bit embarrassedly. “Ah! It’s you, the classmate from yesterday.” He ordered an Americano and sat at the bar watching me work. “You work here?” While I was wiping the table, he asked casually. “Yes.” I pushed the coffee to him, smile frank but with a hint of life’s fatigue, “Family conditions aren’t great, earning some living expenses.” His hand holding the coffee paused. A genuine confusion flashed across his face, brows knitting together. He definitely couldn’t figure it out. After all, just yesterday, he transferred 52,000 pocket money to his “girlfriend” he had never met. Back in the dorm at night, I saw Scarlett pacing around as soon as I opened the door. Clutching her phone, face pale. “What to do, what to do, he wants to see me tomorrow!” I put down my bag, feigning concern, “What’s wrong? Isn’t that a good thing?” She was about to cry, fingers trembling on the screen. I leaned in, clearly seeing the message she sent to Sebastian: [If… if I don’t look as good as in the photos, and not as skinny, would you mind?] The reply was almost instant. [It’s okay, I don’t mind.] Scarlett didn’t relax at all, instead turning her head, leaning close to my face. “Cynthia, you haven’t answered me last time, do we look alike?” I raised an eyebrow, giving her the answer she wanted most. “Hmm… now that you mention it, eyes and features, we really do look a bit alike.” She cheered up almost immediately. Started rummaging through boxes for clothes. “Where are you meeting your boyfriend? Is he giving you a surprise?” I asked seemingly inadvertently. “The ‘Narrative’ Cafe on the street next to school.” Scarlett answered without turning back. This Sebastian, can’t hold back so soon? Chapter 8 The next day, when I woke up, Scarlett was already sitting in front of the mirror. A pile of contouring palettes I’d never seen before was spread on her desk. She was holding a brush, comparing with my photo, sweeping shadows onto her face stroke by stroke. That posture, wishing she could brush off the meat on both cheeks. Seeing me awake, she stopped her movements, asking nervously: “Cynthia, look, do I look thinner like this?” That face in the mirror looked a bit comical due to heavy contouring. I held back my laughter, nodding. “Yeah, face looks smaller.” She breathed a sigh of relief, digging out a brand new white dress from the closet. Style 70-80% similar to the one in my photo, just better fabric. I changed clothes ready to go out, she stopped me. Face with heavy makeup full of unconcealable pride and superiority. “Cynthia, going to work again?” She looked me up and down, tone carrying charitable pity. “Well, we are different. After I meet Sebastian today and officially become his girlfriend, we won’t be in the same world anymore.” She finished, laughing contemptuously. “You carry your trays well, I, am going to live a good life.” “When I marry into a rich family later, I’ll ask if Sebastian’s family needs a girlfriend for any security guards or drivers.” I didn’t speak, just looked at her, smiled. Turned and closed the dorm door, shutting out her voice. I walked slowly to the cafe, changed into my uniform, and wiped the bar carefully. Then, picked the spot with the best view, started adjusting the coffee machine. Chapter 9 An hour later, the door chime rang. Scarlett pushed the door in. Under the soft light of the cafe, her heavy contouring actually looked much more natural. That face carefully modified by shadows did have some resemblance to the contours in my photo. She looked around with a confident smile. Finally, her gaze landed on me behind the bar. Smile froze instantly. She almost rushed to me. “Cynthia? Why are you here?” She lowered her voice, but the shock and anger couldn’t be hidden. Hearing this, I looked up, face full of innocent confusion. “I work here, been a long time.” “You did it on purpose!” Her eyes reddened, voice trembling, “Why didn’t you tell me yesterday!” I put down the cup, tilted my head, expression even more blank. “You didn’t ask me either.” She was so angry her lips trembled, reaching out to pull my arm. “You leave right now! Hear me!” I dodged her hand, smile fading from my face. “Scarlett, I’m working.” I pointed to the name tag on my chest, switching to a wronged voice. “It’s not easy for me to find a job, don’t affect me.” Scarlett’s face turned red then white, she probably feared Sebastian would appear anytime. Threat turned into pleading. She clasped her hands, posture extremely low. “Cynthia, I beg you, leave first okay? I’ll pay your wages for today, double! No, I’ll give you five hundred! Just go!” I looked at her anxious face, puzzled. “Why do you insist on me leaving?”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “389988”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

My resignation approval just went through. The next second, Simon tagged everyone in the company Slack channel. [@channel Grace is leaving. Tomorrow night, she’s treating the whole company to dinner. Pick any restaurant you want.] I froze, holding my phone. There were over a hundred people in the company, and no one had told me about this beforehand. The channel exploded instantly. Hundreds of replies flooded the screen. “That new Omakase place! $300 per person! Since we won’t work together anymore, might as well rip her off!” “Seafood feast! Lobsters and King Crabs! Let’s eat back her project bonus. Heard she got a lot last month!” “She’s leaving anyway. This last cut must be deep!” Looking at the popping messages, my face was expressionless. My fingers slowly typed the address of the most expensive hotel in the city into the chat box, and hit send. Then I picked up my phone and called the travel agency: “Please book me a ticket to the Maldives for tomorrow morning. As soon as possible.” Hanging up, the chat was already boiling over because of the location I sent. “Holy crap! Grace is going all out!” “She’s usually so quiet. What’s wrong with treating us to a good meal before leaving? It’s only right.” “Exactly! Her commission from those big projects is enough for ten meals!” “@Grace What time tomorrow? I’m skipping lunch!” I ignored the rolling messages, placed my phone face down on the desk, and started packing my cubicle. Chapter 1 For three years, I dedicated countless days and nights to this company. I believed the bright future Simon painted for me. “Grace, only you can carry this project…” “Grace, work a bit harder, it’s for our future…” “Grace, you are the biggest hero by my side…” But after I submitted my promotion application, all I got was a light “need more time to settle.” And the position I longed for was given to Hailey the next day—a girl whose basic spreadsheets were full of holes. That was when I realized my three years of hard work were just paving the way for his favorite girl. And now, they wanted to play me one last time. Forcing me to pay out of my own pocket to treat this couple and these colleagues who kick someone when they’re down to a feast? In that case, I really hope every one of them remembers clearly… exactly what this meal tastes like. “Grace.” A familiar, sticky voice sounded behind me. I knew who it was without looking back. “Not bad.” Hailey crossed her arms, tilting her head to study me, a fake smile plastered on her face. “I thought you’d be in Simon’s office begging him to withdraw your resignation right now.” “Didn’t expect you to hide it so deep. That revolving restaurant… Simon took me there last time. One meal cost thousands.” I ignored her, packing my things one by one. Ignored, she didn’t get angry. Instead, she reached out and pressed her hand lightly on the folder I was organizing. “Grace, don’t rush packing. I have business with you.” She smiled, pushing her laptop in front of me with her other hand. On the screen was a PowerPoint with messy data. “Simon needs to see this quarterly summary report tomorrow morning. Help me with it. It’s a piece of cake for you.” I glanced at the disastrous deck on the screen. “Miss Hailey, my resignation process is complete. What you said is not within my responsibilities.” Hailey’s smile faded a bit. “Grace, you can’t say that. I know you’re leaving and you’re angry, but this report affects the whole department’s evaluation. If Simon finds out, he’ll think you didn’t hand over your work properly, right?” “Whether the handover is clear or not is on the signed checklist.” My tone was cold, eyes sweeping over the glaring errors in the PPT. “Besides, these basic issues have nothing to do with the handover status.” My bluntness made Hailey’s fake smile crack. “Grace! What do you mean?” “I may not be as experienced as you, but Simon is willing to give important work to me, not you…” She got more agitated as she spoke. “Can’t stand it? Too bad. I’m the one sitting in the Project Manager seat now, and I’m the one who will be by Simon’s side in the future! No matter how capable you are, you’re just a stepping stone for me! You are not qualified to judge my work ability!” Colleagues around us looked over. I was too lazy to watch her performance and continued packing. “Time will prove your work ability. No need for my evaluation.” “You!” She choked, eyes turning red instantly, about to say something more. “What are you arguing about?” Simon’s impatient voice cut in. He frowned, his gaze landing first on the teary-eyed Hailey, tone instantly softening by half. “Hailey, what’s wrong? Who bullied you?” “Simon!” Hailey immediately found her backbone, voice crying. “I just asked Grace to help me look at the report… She… she mocked my ability, said my work was trash… and said I took her place… I, I just want to do my job well, didn’t want to disappoint you…” She was incoherent, wronged as if she suffered a great injustice. “Simon, am I really useless? Should I not have taken this position? I made it hard for you…” I have to say, she’s a master at gaslighting. Hearing her words, Simon frowned even tighter, patting Hailey’s back soothingly. “Nonsense. You’re doing great. This position is yours, no one has the right to gossip.” Then he turned to me, face sinking, eyes full of blame. “Grace, what’s wrong with you? Can’t you behave even when you’re leaving? Hailey asked humbly. Even if you don’t teach her, you shouldn’t hurt people with your words! Look how angry you made her! Apologize to her immediately!” His voice was clear in the quiet office area. Everyone looked over, eyes focused on me, waiting for my reaction. I looked at this couple. One acting and accusing falsely, one biased and unreasonable. In the past three years, similar scenes might have ended with my endurance. But not today. “Mr. Simon, I am not the one who needs to apologize.” My attitude was resolute, looking straight into his eyes without backing down. Simon seemed surprised by my reaction. He looked at me for a long time, lowering his voice. “Grace, come to my office.” Chapter 2 Simon closed the door, blocking the view from outside. He leaned against the desk, trying to soften his tone. “Alright, Grace. No one else is here. Stop throwing a tantrum.” “About the dinner tomorrow, I just said it casually to give you an out. How could I really make you pay that much?” “I know, you’re unhappy because Hailey took the position, so you said you’re leaving in a fit of pique. How about this? I’ll raise your salary by $500 a month?” “Stay and be Hailey’s deputy with peace of mind. We’ll be like before. I rely on you, trust you.” “With your ability, you can definitely support the project steadily. This way the team is stable, and the company is assured.” He grabbed my wrist, thumb rubbing the back of my hand, acting like “I’m doing this for you.” Looking at his expression, I only felt nausea. I pulled my hand back sharply. “Mr. Simon, resignation is a decision I made after careful consideration, not a joke.” Simon’s smile froze, tone filled with disbelief. “So, you’d rather pay twenty or thirty thousand dollars out of your own pocket to treat the whole company to dinner than accept my offer?” He sneered. “Grace, who taught you math? Insisting on being a sucker?” My tone was waveless. “Mr. Simon, I’ve calculated clearly. Some investments are total losses and should be stopped in time.” “Stop in time?” Muscles on Simon’s face twitched. He slowly raised his hand to adjust his cuff. “Good. Very good.” “Since you’re so rich, why not do another good deed?” He leaned forward, lowering his voice. “This quarter, count the performance of your project under Hailey’s name. You’re leaving anyway, you won’t get the commission. Might as well do a favor.” I stopped what I was doing and looked at this familiar face. The last trace of hope in my heart was completely shattered. “The SkyCity project took me eight months to sign.” “The contract process just finished last week, down payment arrived yesterday. According to company rules, this quarter’s performance should be mine.” Simon’s smile faded. “Rules are dead, people are alive.” “Hailey will take over all your clients. If her numbers are too ugly, how can she hold the fort? You’re leaving anyway. Leave a good reputation, easier to meet in the industry later.” “Mr. Simon.” I looked up and interrupted him, facing his eyes. “I personally believe my reputation doesn’t need to be exchanged in this way.” My repeated refusals made him unable to maintain that hypocritical mask anymore. His voice was filled with uncontrollable anger. “Grace! Don’t be ungrateful! I’m giving you an out! Who do you think you are without Apex? Who in the industry would want someone who fell out with their former employer?” “What I am, I will know after leaving Apex. No need for you to worry.” “As for that dinner…” I curled my lips imperceptibly. “I sent the address. You guys set the time.” He probably had never been contradicted by me like this. Face changing colors, he squeezed words out through his teeth after a long time. “Grace, you have guts! Then let’s meet tomorrow night! I want to see how generous you can be!” When I walked out of the company gate, it was near dusk. My phone vibrated in my pocket. I took it out. It was a new message from Simon tagging everyone in the group again: [@channel Tomorrow night at 6 PM. Everyone be there on time. Bring family and friends to make it lively. The more people, the more sincerity. Whoever doesn’t come is disrespecting her, and disrespecting me! @everyone] Below was another wave of “Received,” “Thanks Boss,” mixed with excited emojis. I swiped away the notification calmly without replying. I knew, the higher they jump now, the harder they will fall tomorrow. Chapter 3 At 6 AM the next day, I dragged my suitcase into the airport. Passed security, sat at the gate. On the screen lay a self-righteous message from Simon. “Grace, come back now. Apologize to Hailey properly, handle the performance transfer, and I can pretend yesterday didn’t happen.” Tone as bossy as ever. Laughable. My finger hovered over the screen for a moment, then swiped left, deleting the chat. After a ten-hour flight, the plane landed at Malé International Airport. Tropical air hit my face, carrying the salty humidity of the sea breeze and the warmth of the sun. I turned on my phone, switching to the local SIM card I bought in advance. The moment I connected to the network, WeChat messages flooded in like a tide. On the work group icon, the red unread number jumped constantly. “Go go go! I’m on my way. Must eat my worth back tonight!” “Traffic jam! Dying of anxiety, afraid of being late. I want to order the most expensive dish!” “Who arrived first? Send a pic of the wine list? Heard there’s wine worth 80k a bottle?” “Screenshotted! Must eat Grace into bankruptcy today!” Hailey affectedly posted a selfie in the group, background was a vanity. “Dressed up a bit. Can’t embarrass Simon~” Simon replied with a head-pat emoji: “Hailey looks good no matter how she dresses.” Below was a stream of “Simon is lucky,” “Perfect match.” I scrolled down with an amused expression. “Arrived! Holy crap, this place is grand!” “Where’s Grace? Anyone seen Grace?” “Not here yet? Protagonist always arrives last!” “Exactly. Maybe withdrawing cash. Twenty or thirty thousand, cash needs a sack, right?” Simon sent a voice message. Clicking it open, his mocking voice played. “What’s the rush? Grace said she’s treating, she’ll definitely come. Everyone order first. Order whatever you want. No need to save money for her today.” “Boss is mighty!” “Then I won’t be polite! Waiter, ten portions of this top-grade Wagyu!” “Lobster! I want the biggest one!” “Red wine, this one, 88k. Open two bottles first!” The group was flooded with photos of various dishes. Huge King Crabs, exquisitely plated sashimi platters, oily roasted suckling pigs… Hailey didn’t seem satisfied yet, posting a photo with Simon on her Moments. Holding red wine glasses, behind them was the brilliant city night view. “Eating good food with Simon again, super happy~” I looked at my watch. 4 PM Maldives time, exactly 7 PM back home. The latest message in the group stopped at Simon’s question to me. [@Grace Where are you? The whole company is waiting for you.] The corner of my mouth curled up. Still didn’t reply. After all, the show had just begun. Chapter 4 I dragged my luggage to the reserved ocean-view villa. Phone vibrated a few more times in my pocket. I turned a deaf ear. Changed into a light beach dress, applied sunscreen, and waited another hour before leisurely taking out my phone, sitting on the terrace facing the sea. At this time, the style of the group chat began to change subtly. Fewer food photos, replaced by slightly anxious inquiries. “What time is it? Is Grace coming or not?” “Phone still unreachable, turned off.” “She wouldn’t really stand us up, would she?” “Don’t scare me! How much is this table of food plus drinks?” “I just secretly asked the waiter. Current bill is… almost 200k.” Messages in the group started scrolling fast, full of exclamation marks. “Waiter came to ask who’s paying again, look in his eyes was wrong…” “Should we… split the bill? Pay the current bill first?” “Split? Over 200k! How much is my monthly salary?” “Simon said we could eat freely. The money should be paid by Simon…” Gradually evolved into fierce infighting and mutual accusations. The spearhead also started to turn towards Simon. I picked up the iced coconut water the waiter just brought and took a big gulp. Picked up the phone, took a photo of the seaside scenery in front of me, and sent it to the group casually. Then I held the voice message button and said slowly: “Dear colleagues, I’m really sorry. I probably can’t make it to this big meal.” “Simon personally said ‘Pick any restaurant’. I picked it, sent the address. As for who pays…” I paused deliberately for a second. “Whoever ordered, pays.” “Wish everyone a pleasant meal.” The second the voice message was sent successfully, the whole group seemed to be muted. A few seconds later, hundreds of messages exploded on the screen. “This looks like Maldives? Grace, you are in Maldives?” “Grace, what do you mean? You played us like monkeys?” “Grace, you are shameless! You pitted us!” Immediately after, Simon’s voice message rushed in. Background noise was chaotic. Seemed to hear Hailey’s low sobbing and others’ chatter. Monstrous anger made his voice tremble. “Grace! You come back right now and explain clearly! Pay the bill! You think you can run? I tell you, if you don’t pay today, I will make you pay the price!” I finished the last sip of coconut water. No more lingering. Fingertip tapped lightly, exited the group. Smoothly blocked Simon, Hailey, and a few colleagues who jumped the highest. After doing all this, I put my phone on silent, facing the magnificent sea, took a deep breath of free air. Those petty calculations were completely isolated thousands of miles away by me. A week in the Maldives was enough to wash away all fatigue and bad luck. But based on my understanding of Simon, the current ease is just the calm before the storm. The real battle might have just begun.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “389987”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

When I received my $1,000 year-end bonus, I was having dinner with the heads of the company’s 120 most important partners. When they learned that I, the person providing all services to them, only got this much, the atmosphere at the table became very subtle. Meanwhile, my colleagues were flooding the group chat with excitement over their $20,000 bonuses. I finished that meal calmly. Seven days later, my contract expired, and I left gracefully. My boss’s wailing almost burst through the phone: “Why! Why did they all pull their investments!” Chapter 1 Seven days before my contract expired. The dinner was held at “The Grand Hyatt” in the city center. The light of the crystal chandelier scattered like crushed diamonds on every well-dressed face. Sitting here were the heads of 120 partners who determined 90% of “Apex Solutions’” revenue lifeline. And the person responsible for maintaining relationships with all 120 clients was me, Celine. I was raising my glass, navigating effortlessly between tables, exchanging pleasantries with every familiar CEO. Many of them had dealt with me since my first year. Our relationship had long transcended simple vendor-client dynamics. “Celine, for our group’s new project next year, it has to be you. I don’t trust anyone else.” Mr. Warner, the Procurement Director of a well-known group, patted my shoulder, his tone sincere. I smiled and nodded: “Rest assured, Mr. Warner. As long as I’m here, your business is my business.” Just then, the phone in my pocket vibrated like crazy. I excused myself to the restroom, leaned against a quiet corner in the hallway, and tapped the screen. It was the company’s Slack channel, currently flooded with festive red notifications. “Thanks Mr. Sterling! Thanks Apex! $20,000 bonus received! Let’s create glory again next year!” The speaker was Leo, my colleague, whose main job was organizing my project reports and putting his name on them. “Wow! Leo is awesome! I got $20k too!” “Me too! The company is amazing this year!” “Mr. Sterling is generous! Hard work pays off!” … Screenshots of $20,000 transfers slapped my face silently, one after another. Expressionless, I swiped past these blinding reds and opened my banking app. A new transaction lay there quietly. Amount: $1,000.00. No random decimals, no blessings, just a cold round number, like a tip to dismiss an intern. I stared at that number for a full ten seconds. No anger, no disappointment. The last flicker of “expectation” in my heart was completely extinguished at this moment, leaving only numb ashes. I should have known. Returning to the main table, the atmosphere was still lively. I put my professional smile back on, as if nothing had happened. Mr. Warner next to me was clinking glasses with someone. His elbow accidentally bumped my phone. I instinctively lit up the screen to put it away, and the number 1,000 flashed in his peripheral vision. Mr. Warner’s brow furrowed imperceptibly. He put down his glass and asked seemingly casually: “Celine, your company did so well this year, the bonus must be substantial, right? Seeing your colleagues in the group chat so happy.” I met his gaze frankly and calmly spat out: “One thousand.” The noisy main table seemed to have been pressed mute. Within a second, everyone’s voice disappeared. Several CEOs nearby heard this number. Their expressions were colorful, from initial surprise to disbelief, and finally, all turned into a kind of knowing anger. They were all smart people. A core backbone who provided them with 24/7 service and maintained 90% of the company’s lifeline got only a measly one thousand dollars, while those office clerks whose names they couldn’t even recall got twenty thousand. The implication was self-evident. The atmosphere became awkward and subtle, but I acted like nothing happened. I raised my glass, stood up, and smiled decently at the silent table. “Thank you all for your support over the past year. This toast is to you. Cheers.” I drank it all in one gulp. The spicy liquid slid down my throat, seeming to burn away all the forbearance and fatigue of these years. I actively steered the topic to next year’s market planning, forcibly pulling the dinner back on track with my professionalism. But the thorn had been planted in everyone’s heart. No matter how I livened up the atmosphere, that subtle barrier lingered. Clients began to exchange glances frequently. There was sympathy, indignation, and a certain resolution in their eyes. The dinner ended hastily. Guests left one by one. Mr. Warner walked last. Passing by me, he stopped. Those eyes that had seen countless people looked deeply at me. He lowered his voice to a volume only we could hear: “Celine, you’ve been wronged. This place isn’t worth it. If you have any thoughts, contact me anytime.” Warmth surged in my heart. I nodded solemnly: “Thank you, Mr. Warner.” After seeing off the last guest, I returned to my empty home alone. Instead of opening the computer to handle work emails as usual, I made myself a cup of tea. I had no anger, nor sadness. When a person gives up on something completely, emotions become redundant luxuries. I opened the computer, didn’t look at the annoying work, but created a new document titled “Handover List.” I began to methodically list the process of each job, the basic information of each client, and the basic framework of each project. My mind was terrifyingly clear. Then, I looked at the calendar on the wall. A red circle highlighted the date seven days later, marked with two words: Contract Expires. My eyes were calm and firm, like a general about to press the nuclear button. Finally, I opened my phone and found the WeChat of a headhunter I added a month ago. He asked if I had any intention to jump ship. I replied “Stable for now.” Now, I deleted that sentence and typed: “We can talk now.” Chapter 2 Six days before contract expiration. When I walked into the office, an air of joy so thick it was almost sticky hit my face. Everyone’s face was beaming with the excitement of receiving a huge sum, discussing whether to travel to Europe or buy a new car. Leo, wearing a pair of brand-new custom leather shoes and carrying a luxury briefcase with a logo so big it was blinding, walked past me high-spiritedly. He deliberately stopped by my desk, placing the bag “casually” on the corner, complaining exaggeratedly: “Oh, impulse buying yesterday. This bag isn’t that good-looking anyway. Celine, what do you think?” I didn’t even look up, staring intently at the handover document on the screen, and replied lightly: “It’s okay.” Leo’s smile froze for a second, then he raised his voice again, shouting to colleagues around: “Bros, to celebrate our great harvest this year, afternoon tea is on me! Top tier, order whatever you want!” “Wow! Leo is generous!” “Thanks Leo!” A group of people surrounded Leo, ordering happily on their phones. Laughter turned the small office area into a market. From start to finish, no one asked me “What do you want to drink.” I was like a transparent person, automatically isolated from this celebration that had nothing to do with me. At 3 PM, the boss Mr. Sterling, with his signature beer belly, appeared in the office with a glowing face. “Colleagues, quiet down!” He clapped his hands. Everyone quieted down, looking at him with adoring eyes. “This year, our company has achieved unprecedented good results! This is inseparable from the hard work of everyone here!” His voice was loud like a bell. His gaze swept over Leo and other employees who received high bonuses, with an approving smile. “I always say, Apex never treats any striver badly! As long as you work hard, the company will see it! Next year, I hope everyone continues to work hard, and we’ll double the bonus again!” He passionately painted a big picture, but those shrewd eyes perfectly avoided my direction, as if by design. As if I, who brought 90% of the business to the company, did not belong to the ranks of “strivers.” After the speech, Sterling waved at me: “Celine, come to my office.” I stood up calmly and followed him. Closing the door, Sterling’s smile faded a bit, replaced by an earnest expression. “Celine,” he poured me a glass of water himself, “Don’t think too much about this year’s situation. I know your contribution is great, the company sees it all.” I held the water glass, silent, listening to his performance. “But you have to understand, your success relies largely on the company’s platform. Without the golden sign of Apex, how would those big clients know you? Although Leo and others are not as capable in business as you, they have put a lot of effort into internal coordination and process management. Even without credit, there is hard work.” He began his gaslighting speech, “Your bonus is a bit less, but this is the result of comprehensive consideration. You are still young, look long-term. Next year, as long as you maintain this year’s momentum, I guarantee your red packet will be the biggest one!” I nodded, showing just the right amount of gratitude and obedience: “I understand, Mr. Sterling. I will keep working hard.” Sterling was obviously very satisfied with my “sensibility” and “obedience.” He felt that this most useful old ox had been completely tamed by him. He patted my shoulder: “That’s right. Work hard, the company won’t treat you badly.” Walking out of the office, I heard snickers from Leo and a few colleagues in the pantry. “See that? Celine is destined to be an old ox. Doing the most work, getting the least money, and still obedient after being fed a pie by the boss.” “Exactly. Does she really think those clients recognize her? It’s all for our company’s face. Without the platform, she’s nothing.” “Deserved. Who asked her to be so capable, making us look useless.” I walked past the pantry expressionless, returning to my desk. Those malicious words, like the buzzing of flies, could no longer stir any waves in my heart. I opened an encrypted folder containing a 50-page document titled “Core Client Relationship Deep Maintenance Manual.” It recorded not only client contact information and contract details but also complex personnel relationships within each company, decision-makers’ personal preferences, psychological bottom lines in negotiations, and “hidden rules” like where their children went to school. This was the crystallization of my years of effort, the true lifeline maintaining these 120 clients. I calmly encrypted and packed the core part of this manual and uploaded it to my private cloud drive. After doing all this, I felt like a heavy shackle had been removed. At this moment, Sterling walked out of the office and announced high-spiritedly: “Good news everyone! We won another new project! The client specifically asked for our strongest team! Celine, this project is yours. Follow up long-term, strive to make it our benchmark for next year!” Everyone’s eyes focused on me, with jealousy and gloating. I looked up at Sterling’s determined face and, for the first time, rejected him directly. “Sorry, Mr. Sterling.” My voice was not loud, but unusually clear, “My labor contract expires in six days. I cannot guarantee the continuity of this project. For the sake of the client, please hire someone else.” The entire office went dead silent instantly. Chapter 3 Five days before contract expiration. The calm was broken by an urgent phone ring. The company’s largest and longest-partnered client—HuaSheng Group’s system suddenly had a major bug, causing their entire production line to stop. The technical department investigated urgently for two hours, helpless. As the nominal client contact, Leo was scolded bloody by HuaSheng’s technical director on the phone. Apart from saying “we are handling it,” he knew nothing. Finally, HuaSheng called Sterling’s mobile directly. The tone was icy, issuing an ultimatum: “Mr. Sterling, I don’t care about your internal problems. I name Celine to handle it. If it’s not solved within two hours, we will not only terminate cooperation but also sue for breach of contract!” Sterling’s face turned white instantly. HuaSheng’s orders accounted for nearly 20% of the company’s annual revenue. Losing them meant breaking a leg. Sweating profusely, he ignored his dignity and ran to my desk, his tone unprecedentedly humble: “Celine, Celine! Emergency! Quick, HuaSheng’s system has a problem, handle it immediately!” Everyone in the office watched this scene with complex eyes. I didn’t raise any conditions or put on airs, just calmly closed my notebook: “This is the last thing within my duties.” I put on my headphones and started connecting to HuaSheng’s server remotely. In the office, Sterling and a group of technicians surrounded me, daring not to breathe loudly. Leo stood in the outer circle, his face green and white, eyes full of resentment. On the screen, dense code scrolled rapidly. Relying on five years of experience maintaining the client’s system and the plan I wrote privately predicting potential loopholes during the last upgrade, I quickly located the root cause. It was an extremely hidden database interface conflict, a hidden danger left by an irregular operation by HuaSheng’s internal IT staff last time. The technical department couldn’t find this point because they didn’t understand the client’s entire system architecture. My hands flew over the keyboard, modifying code, restarting services, clearing caches… A series of operations flowed like water. An hour later, I took off my headphones and said to Sterling: “Solved.” Almost simultaneously, my phone rang. It was HuaSheng’s technical director personally. “Celine! Thank you so much! You are our savior! The production line has resumed!” He was relieved on the phone, then changed the subject, speaking meaningfully, “Sister, to be honest, a talent like you staying in a company like Apex is a waste. It’s not worth it.” I smiled: “You are too kind.” Crisis averted, Sterling breathed a sigh of relief. But his look at me was no longer grateful, but more fearful and dissatisfied. He realized that this employee he had always manipulated at will actually mastered power he couldn’t control. Seeing this, Leo immediately leaned over to Sterling, whispering poison: “Mr. Sterling, don’t you think this is strange? The tech department was clueless for half a day, and she fixed it as soon as she started. Did she hide a hand on purpose, just to squeeze the company at this time to negotiate terms with you?” These words hit Sterling right in the heart. He would rather believe employees were playing tricks than admit his management and judgment were wrong. He looked at me, his fear deeper. I couldn’t be bothered with their inner drama. Crisis handled, my task was done. I printed a document, walked to Sterling’s desk, and placed it gently. “Mr. Sterling, this is my work handover list. Please review it and designate a successor.” Sterling picked up the list and flipped through a few pages. It only listed the company names, standard contracts, and public contact information of the 120 clients. As for the maintenance manuals, key network maps, and communication skills that were truly core and relied on personal experience and relationships… None. It was a handover list that was procedurally perfect but practically worthless. Chapter 4 Four days before contract expiration. Sterling eventually designated Leo to take over my work. This might be a declaration of power, telling me: Look, your core work can be easily taken over by an employee I like. Holding that dry list like an imperial decree, Leo sat opposite me arrogantly. “Celine, let’s start. Tell me one by one, what special quirks each client has, what they like to hear, what they avoid. Make it clear.” His tone was not like handing over work, but interrogating a prisoner. I opened the list and pointed to the first client: “HuaSheng Group, Procurement Director Wang Jianhua, contact number 139xxxxxxxx. This is public information. Contract terms are here, special requirements are standardized in Annex 3. Next.” “Wait!” Leo interrupted me, “That’s it? Who wants to hear this! I want to hear the ‘hidden rules,’ things not on the document! Like Mr. Warner, what tea does he like? What to note when eating with him?” I raised my eyelids and looked at him calmly: “Sorry, my handover content is limited to standardized information recorded on the list belonging to company assets. As for my private friendship with Mr. Warner and my personal communication experience, that falls under my personal scope and is not within the handover obligation.” “You!” Leo turned red with anger, “You are uncooperative! Celine, don’t think you’re special just because you’re leaving! You are deliberately making things difficult for me!” His voice became sharp, particularly piercing in the quiet office. I leaned back in my chair, looked at him, and for the first time in front of everyone, showed undisguised aggression: “Is there any sentence in my handover document you don’t understand? Or, with your professional ability, you can’t understand these basic client materials?” One sentence poked Leo’s sore spot of incompetence. His face turned pale instantly, lips trembling, unable to refute a word. Colleagues around began to whisper. Some gloated at Leo’s embarrassment, thinking he usually bullied others and finally hit a wall; others thought I was too arrogant, daring to confront the “favorite” publicly just because I was leaving. Seeing the situation getting out of control, Sterling had to come out to smooth things over. “Alright, alright, we are all colleagues, talk nicely.” He cleared his throat, turned to me, and spoke in an elder’s tone, “Celine, be generous. Leo is also doing it for work. Just pass on your ‘experience.’ It’s all for the good of the company.” Looking at Sterling’s hypocritical face, I only found it funny. “Mr. Sterling,” I responded calmly, “Experience cannot be taught; it can only be accumulated personally through solving problems and communicating time and time again. My contractual obligation is to hand over work, not to open a years-long private training class for my successor. If Mr. Leo needs me to teach him hand-in-hand even basic client relationship breaking, I suggest the company re-evaluate whether he is competent for this position.” My words were like a sharp knife, not only cutting Leo’s face but also slicing off Sterling’s peacemaking attempts. Sterling’s face darkened completely. The office fell into a dead silence. In this solidified atmosphere, my phone vibrated lightly. I picked it up. It was a WeChat message from Mr. Warner. Opened it. It was an exquisitely made electronic offer from a new company I had never heard of, named “Value Co-Creation.” On the offer, my position was: Senior Partner. The salary column showed a number I had never imagined. I turned off the phone, looked up, met Sterling’s gloomy gaze, but felt unprecedented relief inside. I’m done with this mess.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “389986”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

I used my savings from working for years to buy a retirement home with a yard for my mom in our hometown. To give her peace of mind, I put only her name on the deed. But the second month, this house was listed online by my sister for $50,000 below market price. Even the furniture I carefully selected was bundled as a free gift. I didn’t make a sound. Instead, I found someone to buy the house directly and signed the contract. Then I called my mom: “Mom, God blessed us! We’re finally rich! We’re going to be millionaires!” Mom was confused: “What?” I deliberately lowered my voice and shouted excitedly: “It’s that house I bought you! Insider news says a huge development project is taking over that area. The buyout compensation will be at least two million dollars!” Chapter 1 Browsing Facebook Marketplace on the weekend, I scrolled past a local house listing. “Owner selling directly! Charming house with a yard in Royal Garden community, 1000 sq ft, 2 bedrooms, near shopping mall. Urgent sale for $100k! Serious buyers only, act fast!” I froze. This community… I just bought a house with a yard for my mom there. I argued with the agent until my mouth was dry to get it down to $150k, excluding renovation and furniture. Same community, same layout, the market price is at least $160k. $100k? Crazy. I clicked into the post, swiped through the photos, and my breath hitched. The living room was modern minimalist, beige sofa, wooden coffee table, a landscape painting on the wall. It was exactly the same as the retirement home I gave my mom. Maybe just a coincidence. I clicked the chat box: “Is there any problem with the house? Why is it so cheap?” The reply came instantly: “Absolutely no problem! The layout and Feng Shui are amazing! Eco-friendly materials used for renovation. If I didn’t need money urgently, I wouldn’t sell it. Title deed available, clear ownership!” Immediately after, a photo of the title deed was sent. Although key information was blurred, I recognized the owner’s name. Susan Zhao. My mom’s name. But my mom doesn’t know how to use these apps at all. So who is selling the house? I took a deep breath, clicked into the seller’s profile, and scrolled down. The content made me cold all over: “Like-new automatic washing machine, mom thinks too many functions, hard to use, $200.” “Brand massage chair, used once, mom says uncomfortable, $400.” “55-inch LCD TV, brand new in box, mom thinks too big and wastes electricity, $500 urgent sale.” Everything I bought for my mom over the past three years. At the bottom was a scarf. Dark gray cashmere, hand-knitted by me over three sleepless nights last winter. When I mailed it home, Mom said on the phone: “This scarf is warm and stylish, I love it, my daughter is so talented.” Now it’s priced at $10 with free shipping, note says: Mom thinks the color is too old-fashioned, told me to sell it. So, this account belongs to my sister, Hailey. I stared at the screen, stomach churning. Just then, the seller sent another message: “Can show the house today. If convenient, let’s schedule a time? My mom wants to deal with this house ASAP.” I stared at this line and suddenly laughed. Laughing and laughing, my eyes got a little sour. Chapter 2 In the three years I’ve been working, the frequency of my mom asking me to buy things was ridiculously high. “Holly, the fridge at home isn’t cooling. Fixing it costs hundreds, why not buy a new one?” “The washing machine keeps leaking, the neighbor downstairs complained several times.” “Aunt Wang’s daughter bought her a skincare set, heard it fades spots. Mom’s face has more and more spots…” Every time, I placed the order instantly. My best friend Chloe half-jokingly said: “Why does your mom only ask you, not your sister? Isn’t Hailey working in your hometown?” I explained with a smile back then: “I’m out of town, can’t take care of the family. Hailey takes care of Mom more daily, so as the older sister, I should spend more money.” Not only that, every month when I got paid, I would transfer $800 to Hailey to help with household expenses. On holidays, the red envelope for my mom was never less than $1,000. But I lived in a shared apartment, ate cheap meals, and couldn’t bear to buy two new pieces of clothing a year. Late last year, Mom hinted that her friends in the village were all moved to the city by their children, and only she still lived in the old house. So I took out all my savings and bought her a small house with a yard in the city. Last month when I went back, I handed the deed to Mom, her eyes were red. I thought she was truly moved. It seems I was flattering myself. Just then, the seller sent another message: “Hey, are you there? If you can decide today, I’ll drop another $5k. $95k and it’s yours!” I exited the chat, called Chloe, and asked her to view the house for me. Half an hour later, Chloe sent a voice message: “Holy crap! It really is your sister! She showed me the house! Kept urging me to sign, saying several groups are waiting!” “What did you say?” “As you taught, I said I have to discuss with my husband and give her an answer tomorrow.” Chloe paused, “Holly, what do you plan to do? Go home and tear them apart?” I was silent for a few seconds. Tear them apart? That’s too cheap for them. I worked overtime, saved money to buy things for the family. My mom always said: “Holly, Mom doesn’t care about your money, just wants you to come home more often.” But every time I took leave to go home, she was at the Mahjong parlor. The food I cooked, she said wasn’t as good as the takeout Hailey ordered. The clothes I bought, she said were old-fashioned, not as tasteful as Hailey’s pick. What about Hailey? Community college grad for three years, changed five jobs, the longest one lasted eight months. Monthly salary $800, but using the latest iPhone, carrying designer bags. I asked where the money came from, she giggled: “Boyfriend gave it.” Now I know, what boyfriend? It was me, the sucker sister. I took a deep breath and told Chloe, “Tomorrow go sign the contract. $95k, I’ll transfer to you.” “Are you crazy? Buying your own house?” “Not crazy.” I said, “I want them to know, some advantages come with a price!” The contract signing went smoothly. After Hailey got the money, the smile on her face couldn’t be hidden: “Sister, you are so straightforward! If I didn’t need money urgently, I wouldn’t sell this house!” Chloe asked her: “Urgent need for money, is there something big happening?” Hailey lowered her voice: “I’m preparing to buy a new house! A new development in the suburbs, the environment is great! This money is just enough for the down payment!” Chapter 3 “What about your mom?” “Oh, my mom loves me the most, she agrees to whatever I say.” Hailey said proudly, “This house was bought by my sister for my mom anyway. Mom said her things are mine, I can handle them however I want.” When Chloe repeated this on the phone, she was shaking with anger: “Holly, did you hear that? Your mom is biased to the Pacific Ocean!” “Heard your sister is pregnant, the guy’s family has no money to buy a house for marriage, your mom is anxious, that’s why she’s selling the house in a hurry!” I held the phone, silent, heart completely cold. I wondered why Mom sold the house at such a huge discount. Turns out she was rushing to cash out for Hailey’s dowry/wedding house. A week later, I found a stock photo of a leaking wall and sent it to Hailey’s account. “Hey? The house is leaking, soaked the neighbor’s wall. Neighbor asks for $5,000 compensation, you have to pay this, right?” Less than three minutes after sending, Hailey exploded. “Are you sick?! The house was fine when handed to you! How could a newly renovated house leak! You must have left the tap on yourself!” “I tell you, the house has been transferred, written clearly in black and white! Now even if the house collapses, it has nothing to do with me! Don’t try to scam me!” After speaking, she blocked me. I smiled. This guarantee was exactly what I wanted. Switching back to WeChat/Messenger, I called my mom. She picked up after seven or eight rings: “Holly? What’s up? Mom is playing cards.” “Mom, are you used to living in the house?” The other end was quiet for a moment. “It’s okay.” Mom’s tone was unnatural, “Just, the first floor is too damp, Mom’s rheumatic legs can’t stand it.” “When buying, didn’t you say you liked the yard for planting vegetables and sunbathing?” “That was Mom not knowing better.” She raised her voice, “Living here I realized, first floor has many mosquitoes and is noisy. Aunt Wang’s daughter bought her an apartment with an elevator, 16th floor, quiet and good view.” I tightened my grip on the phone: “Since you don’t like it, sell it. The market is good now, can sell for over $150k. Sell it and change to an elevator apartment for you.” “Don’t!” She interrupted urgently, “Moved everything in, moving out is so troublesome!” “But aren’t you uncomfortable living there?” “Just make do.” She complained, “Holly, not that Mom wants to scold you, but you are not careful. Buying a house is a big thing, didn’t ask Mom’s opinion. Look at Hailey, bought me Essential Oils, I sleep much better. She buys everything right into Mom’s heart.” I almost laughed out loud. A $150k house can’t compare to Hailey’s cheap supplements. “You’re right.” I softened my tone, “I also feel this house is lacking.” Mom immediately perked up: “Right! I think so too! Mom went to see a house with Hailey two days ago, three-story villa, big yard, only over $800k! First floor living room, second floor me, third floor Hailey, perfect!” “$800k?” I pretended to be troubled, “I don’t have that much money.” “You can get a loan!” She said matter-of-factly, “Your salary is so high, pay it back slowly over 20 or 30 years. Mom is old, just want to live in a better house. Have face when old friends ask. The one you bought now is embarrassing to mention.” The last bit of hope broke completely at this moment. “Mom.” I whispered, “Actually, I bought this second-hand house for a reason.” “What reason?” “I got insider news, this community will be bought out for a government project next year. Compensation based on area, at least two million dollars.” Chapter 4 Mom’s voice trembled: “Two million?” I continued, “Yeah, otherwise why do you think I insisted on buying this house? It’s all for the buyout money. If I knew you didn’t like it, I would have waited until after the demolition to buy you a new one.” A thud came from the other end, like something fell. Followed by Hailey’s suppressed exclamation: “Mom! What are you doing! My new phone!” Mom’s voice was urgent and shaky: “It’s all your fault! If you weren’t in a hurry to marry, would I sell the house?! Now it’s over! Two million gone!” Hailey was anxious too: “How would I know about the buyout! You said yourself this broken house is uncomfortable!” “If I didn’t say that, how would your sister buy me a villa!” I pretended not to hear, asking with concern: “Mom, the house is being bought out, aren’t you happy?” “Happy…” Her voice was dry, “Holly, is this news reliable?” “Insider news, 100% reliable.” I said, “The buyout office is coming next month for survey. Keep the deed safe, can’t sign the agreement without it.” She was incoherent, “Where did I put the deed, have to find it…” “You have to find it quickly.” I urged, “Sign the agreement, money comes down fast. Then, let alone a suburban villa, you can buy a penthouse downtown.” With that, I hung up. Almost simultaneously, a new message popped up on Facebook Marketplace: “Is the house sold to you still available? I’ll buy it back with extra money! $10k! $20k extra is fine!” “Please! That house is very important to my mom!” I typed slowly: “What’s wrong? I’m preparing to move in tomorrow.” Typing indicator flashed for a long time. “To be honest, this house was a retirement home my sister bought for my mom. Lots of furniture inside was carefully selected by my sister. Although not valuable, it’s my sister’s heart. My mom regrets it now, says she’s sorry to my sister, can’t sleep all night.” “If my sister knows I sold the house, she will definitely disown me. Have mercy, sell the house back to me. I’ll add $30k, buy it back for $125k, okay?” My stomach churned. Now you know it’s sister’s heart? Why didn’t you think about it when selling? I deliberately didn’t reply. Three minutes later, Hailey got anxious. “Why are you like this? I added money! If you don’t sell, I’ll make a scene every day! Throw paint! Make your life miserable!” I screenshotted her previous message “Even if the house collapses it has nothing to do with me” and sent it back. “Try throwing paint? I’ll call the police immediately. And print 100 copies of you selling the house for cash to post at your community gate. Let everyone judge who is more shameful.” Hailey typed for a long time, finally squeezing out: “How much do you want to sell?” I thought about it and quoted a number: “$160k. Not a penny less.” I thought she would bargain. Unexpectedly, next second: “Deal! $160k it is! When to transfer title?” I raised an eyebrow. Seems two million dollars is worth them bleeding heavily. The second transfer was also done by Chloe for me. Just finished, I saw Hailey’s post on Facebook. A photo of the villa sales office, caption: “Finally going to have my own little home, thanks to Mom’s love~” Mom commented below: “My daughter deserves the best.” I smiled and called my mom. Rang for a long time before she answered: “Mom, found the deed?” “Found it.” Her voice was guilty, “Holly, Mom likes that house more and more, don’t want to change. Don’t bother anymore.” “But it’s first floor, damp and noisy, drains clog easily.” “Mom isn’t afraid!” She said decisively, “As long as my daughter bought it, Mom likes it!” I could almost imagine her expression. Feigning calm, but eyes full of uncontrollable expectation. Two million. Enough for her to brag for the rest of her life. “Mom.” I said softly, “There’s something I need to apologize to you for.” “What?” “I made a mistake,” I sighed, “The one being bought out is actually the neighboring community. The house bought for you is not in the range.” Silence on the other end for a second. Then, Hailey’s hysterical scream came: “Holly! You dare play us?!”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “389985”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

The doctor said I have six months to live, at most. When my mom found out, she cried and said: “Scarlett, Mom will accompany you on this last journey.” Then she moved into my apartment, cooking different meals for me every day. Until I saw the chat history between her and my brother on her phone: “Mom, how long does Sis have?” “Doctor said six months tops. Keep your girlfriend steady. Once she dies, the apartment is yours.” “Why serve her then? No one washes my socks anymore.” “Silly boy, we have to put on a full show. By the way, bring some gifts tomorrow to see her. Remember to cry miserably, make her offer the house to you herself.” I put down the phone and walked into the kitchen. “Mom, good news.” “The doctor just called. It was a misdiagnosis. It’s benign.” The ladle in her hand fell into the pot with a loud CLANG. Chapter 1 Mom froze in place, her face white as a sheet. “Aren’t you happy I’m not sick?” I asked. “Happy! Of course, I’m happy!” She snapped back, her voice high and floating, eyes dodging mine: “This hospital is too unreliable! How can cancer be misdiagnosed? No, we have to go to a big hospital to check again! Tomorrow! Cancer can’t be fake!” “No need to check. The doctor was very clear on the phone. It’s benign.” “Benign?!” “He says benign and you believe him? You’ve always been stubborn since you were little. Can you joke about life and death?! Did I raise you for nothing? So worrisome!” I looked at my mom calmly. My eyes grew colder. “Scarlett,” her voice softened, coaxing, “Mom doesn’t distrust you, Mom is scared! What if… the disease comes back? Better safe than sorry! You’re fine now, but what about the future? You’re alone, how can Mom be at ease?” She approached, holding my hand. “Listen to Mom. Your apartment, and your savings… put them with Mom. Mom will keep them safe for you.” “If, Mom says if, something happens to your health again, Mom can take out the money immediately to treat you! Better than you falling ill alone with no one around and money stuck in the bank, right?” This is my mom. She is waiting for me to die. Since childhood, she never liked me. I’m dying, and she’s plotting for my little property. This is the “motherly love” I secretly craved for so many years. I slowly withdrew my hand. “No need, Mom. I can manage my money and house.” “Manage yourself?” She sneered. “What can you manage? Huh? Look at you, over thirty, no marriage, no man, busy with your broken business all day! Now you almost can’t even manage your own life!” She got agitated, finger almost poking my face: “The proposal with Old Man Miller back then, what a good family! Owned three factories! Older, yes, but older men know how to care for people! If you listened to me and married him, you’d be a rich wife now, not working yourself to death and ending up sick?” “Mom,” I interrupted her, “Miller is two years older than Dad, and three wives died before him.” “So what?!” She glared. “He has a tough fate, brings fortune to the family! You? You bring bad luck! Refusing good fortune, insisting on struggling alone! Now look, an old maid, no one, no home, no one to collect your corpse when you die!” “Do you want this ‘fortune’?” She froze. “Finished? If finished, leave.” I walked to the door and opened it. “I’m tired.” “You’re kicking me out?!” She screamed in disbelief. “Scarlett! You’re rebelling! I’m your mother! I came to take care of you, and you treat me like this?!” “I don’t need your care.” “I won’t go!” She sat on the sofa, playing rogue. “This is my daughter’s house, why should I leave! Call the police if you can! Let everyone see how you abuse your own mother!” Her voice was so loud the whole floor could hear. I nodded, said nothing more, and picked up my phone to call building security. “Hello, security? I’m the owner of Unit 2801. There’s a mentally unstable person in my house harassing me, claiming to be my mother. Please send two guards to handle it.” Chapter 2 “Scarlett! You dare!” Mom bounced up from the sofa, lunging to grab my phone. I dodged sideways, pushed her out the door, and locked it behind her. She pounded and kicked the door like crazy, crying and cursing. “Ungrateful wretch! I raised you with shit and piss, now you have money and don’t want your mom!” Sounds of neighbors opening doors came from the hallway, cautious inquiries. Her crying rose immediately, every word bloody: “My daughter has cancer, I quit my job back home to serve her, cleaning shit and piss… now she’s cured, thinks I’m a burden, kicking me out!” I turned and yanked the door open. The couple from across the hall stood there, eyes complex. Mom sat on the floor, hair messy, slapping her thighs, acting the part. “I called security. Are you leaving yourself or waiting for them to escort you?” “What security!” Mom scrambled up, pointing at my nose. “Let everyone judge! Am I your mom? Did I come to take care of you?” “Care for me until I’m dead, discussing how to split my house with your son?” Her expression froze. The neighbors exchanged glances. “You, you nonsense!” Her voice got louder, fierce but weak inside. “I was… keeping it safe for you, since you were dying anyway.” “But I told you, it was a misdiagnosis, I’m not sick. Why do you still want me to give the house to Caleb?” “Do you want your daughter dead that much?” Her face turned pale. Ding. Elevator arrived. Security came. Two young guys looked at the scene helplessly. “It’s her!” Mom lunged first, grabbing the guard’s sleeve. “Comrade, this is my daughter, she’s sick, brain confused! Kicking me out, how can I live at my age!” Guards looked at me awkwardly. I took a breath, looking at them: “I don’t know her. Take this crazy woman away.” Seeing this, Mom collapsed on the floor, wailing: “God! Open your eyes! Daughter doesn’t recognize mom—” Crying echoed in the hallway. Mr. Lee from across the hall finally spoke: “Um… Auntie. Why don’t you get up first, crying won’t solve anything.” He turned to me, “Miss Scarlett, we shouldn’t interfere in family matters, but it’s not good for her to sit there crying.” His wife pulled his sleeve gently. “Don’t meddle, you don’t know the truth.” “Security,” my voice clear, “She has mental issues, harassing me for a long time. If she continues, I’ll call 911.” Hearing “911,” the guards hesitated no more, lifting Mom by her arms. “What are you doing! Let go! I’m her mom! Real mom!” She kicked, glaring at me venomously. “Scarlett! You dare! You will die badly! This house will be my son’s sooner or later! Just wait!” Chapter 3 Growing up, the phrase I heard most was “Money-loser.” When I was six, I tiptoed to hang clothes and accidentally tore Caleb’s shirt. Mom grabbed a belt and whipped my calves until they were swollen for two weeks. On my eighth birthday, there was a small bowl of braised pork, oily and shiny. While they talked, I quickly snatched the smallest piece. Before I could swallow, a slap landed. Mom dragged me by the hair to the yard. “Starving ghost! Daring to steal brother’s meat?” Her spit sprayed on my face. That night, I was stripped of pants, kneeling on a washboard. Caleb squatted in front of me with his bowl. He threw a half-eaten piece of meat on the ground, stomping it into the mud. “Money-loser, only fit to eat this.” Later I got into the best high school in the county. Dad smoked, saying after a long time: “Girls, what’s the use of studying? Go work early, save tuition for your brother.” My homeroom teacher came, banging the table: “It’s a waste if this kid doesn’t study. I’ll figure out the tuition.” Only then did I barely step into high school. I spent all free time washing dishes in the back of a small restaurant. Half the money earned had to be handed over as “food money.” What about Caleb? Grades a mess, fighting, parents called to school. Mom smiled apologetically there, came back and gave me a cold face: “It’s all you! Bad example! If you weren’t so useless, would your brother be bad?” Dad raised his hand to hit. That slap landed solidly on my face. I washed his socks, cleaned his room. He caused trouble, I got scolded. Meat in his bowl, leftover soup in mine. He could act spoiled for new sneakers. I got scolded for “being insensible” just asking for a textbook. “You’re the big sister, yield to your brother.” “Brother is the only male, the family depends on him.” “Girl, studying is useless, you’ll belong to another family.” 高考 scores came out, I was second in the county in science. Dad said: “What’s the use? Money-loser! Marrying early for a bridal price is the right way!” At night, I overheard them discussing. “Old Man Miller, over fifty, wife died, willing to pay $18,000.” “$18,000! Enough for a down payment for son in the city!” “Just a bit old…” “Older men know how to care! The girl read too many books, heart went wild, marry her off quick!” I went cold all over, got up in the dark, and ran. When the bus started, I had only one thought: Run. Run out even if I die. Never come back. Chapter 4 The day I was diagnosed, I was alone in the hospital. The doctor said gently: “Best notify family.” I shook my head: “None.” Really none. Cut off contact for ten years. Blocked numbers, deleted social media. Doctor advised hospitalization. I refused. Don’t want to treat it. Since I’m dying, I want to die beautifully. Crowded hospital, others had someone to share joy and sorrow. Me? I sat in the hallway, covering my face, tears flowing through fingers. A cleaning lady stopped in front of me, patting my shoulder: “Girl, what’s wrong?” “Auntie,” I looked up, “I’m dying.” She was startled, then hugged me: “Nonsense! Treat it if sick!” “It’s true. Dying.” “No one cares about me.” I buried my face in her faded uniform, voice muffled. “No one loves me. My dad, mom… only like my brother.” “Should I not have been born…” “Silly child, what nonsense. Parents love daughters. Misunderstanding?” She sighed, “Tell family. Blood is thicker than water. If you are really sick, won’t they come? Won’t they hurt for their own daughter?” I shook my head, then nodded, mind a mess. Maybe? Maybe if I die, they will regret, will hurt? I’m so cheap. Decided never to contact, why miss home when dying? I called my mom. Rang many times before connecting. Mom’s voice, impatient from nap: “Hello? Who?” “Mom…” My throat tight, “It’s me.” Silence for seconds, voice spiked, sharp: “Scarlett?! You know to call?! You—” “I’m sick.” I interrupted, fearing she’d hang up. “Cancer. Late stage. Doctor says… maybe three months.” Dead silence. Then, I heard her gasp. Tone changed completely. “Scarlett? Where are you? Which hospital? Child, why didn’t you say earlier!” Voice trembling, like crying. “Don’t be afraid, daughter, don’t fear… Mom is here. Tonight… come home tonight, Mom cook your favorite braised fish, okay? Don’t think about anything, come home.” “Why didn’t you contact Mom for so many years, you don’t know how worried Mom was…” Holding the phone in the busy hospital lobby, I cried like an idiot. Suddenly felt lucky. The disease didn’t seem so scary. At least Mom finally willing to look at me. Two days later, she appeared at my door with a big suitcase, dusty. Hugged me immediately, tears on my neck: “My poor daughter… Mom is here, Mom will take care of you.” She really started “taking care” of me. Up early late to sleep, cooking soups, forcing me to eat folk remedies. Tucking me in at night. In school, I hated talking. Classmates always talked about family. Parents took me to the park. Mom made celery dumplings I hate, we fought. Dad picks me up, give you a ride? … I envied, jealous, then hated my birth. If back to school days, I could say, my mom tucks me in after lights out. That night, I cried hugging the quilt. Later, I saw the chat between Mom and Caleb. Heart leaked a big hole, unpatchable.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “389984”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

The “West Coast” style video I filmed of my son went viral. But the one who got famous wasn’t me. It was my son. Netizens instantly recognized the child as a miniature version of Julian Vance. The boss of Vance Enterprises, the famous Crown Prince of the business world. Netizens dug deeper and deeper. They even dug up the video of Julian and me breaking up, convinced I was the ex-girlfriend who ran away pregnant. I sighed. They really misunderstood. Julian and I… we were actually married. Chapter 1 I never expected the West Coast hip-hop video to blow up. Originally, I just wanted to record my daily life with my child in the last period of my life. But it went viral. In the video, my son wore seven or eight pairs of sagging pants, playing along with my nonsense with a cold little face. He carried a calmness that didn’t fit his age. Netizens commented spicily: “This is the West Coast vibe! Pee one pair, wash eight pairs!” “This is the West Coast vibe! Pants bitten to shreds!” Under more and more comments, a particularly eye-catching one suddenly appeared. “Doesn’t this kid’s cold face look exactly like my big boss, Julian Vance?” “That’s Julian Vance, the CEO of Vance Enterprises.” “No way, I saw her at a shabby hospital near my house two days ago, treating her illness alone… If she knows your big boss, why would she come here?” “To the person above, I often see her coming alone for IV drips at the hospital near my house. Doesn’t look rich.” “Not lying to you guys, here’s a comparison pic!!!” So a photo was actually released. When my son had a cold face, his profile was identical to Julian’s. Seeing this photo, I hurriedly took down the video. But a step too late. That sentence still exploded me onto the trending search. Netizens dug deeper, directly identifying me as Julian’s ex-girlfriend. Our breakup video was posted online. I’ve seen it. It’s true. This was the first time I knew from a third-person perspective. Julian looked back for me, and stopped for a long time for me. He stood in the snow, a cigarette burning at his fingertips, long enough for a thin layer of snow to fall on his shoulders. But I was busy escaping the sea of misery, walking away decisively, without staying a bit. At that time, words were too heavy, specifically aiming at his heart. I said in this life, I never want to be related to him again. Even in death, I don’t want his name on my tombstone. But five years later, I still got involved with him. Netizens asked me to respond to this relationship. I didn’t respond at all. Simply deleted the account. I was still afraid Julian would come to snatch the child. Chapter 2 Julian still made it to the trending search because of my son. Vance Enterprises, whose PR was always strong, did not issue any statement. As if instructed, they stood still. Long enough for the Lin Group to sit still no longer, actively issuing a statement. Lyla Lin even posted a photo of her and Julian on the platform, admitting she was Julian’s fiancée. She said generously: “We are all adults, just an ex, I don’t care.” “But the child, purely a rumor.” “I want to ask Miss Hazel, what child needs to be carried for two years?” Julian and I have been separated for five years. The child is three. Obviously not much to do with him. So a group of people ran over to scold me as a “scumbag woman,” abandoning my boyfriend on the front foot and getting pregnant with someone else’s child on the back foot. Some netizens pointed at the child and called him a bastard. I cursed in a low voice. If possible, I wish the child wasn’t Julian’s. In this life, I don’t want to be related to him again. Turning around, my son stood outside the door with a glass of milk. His fair little face was expressionless. Eyes were dark and bright. Seemed dissatisfied with my swearing. “Mom—” He kept a straight face, serious and proper. Seeing he was about to nag, I quickly took the milk from his hand and swallowed a handful of pills. “Baby, thank you.” “Goodnight, Mom is sleepy.” I quickly burrowed into the quilt, closing my eyes to fake sleep. My son watched for two seconds, pursing his lips. After all, he was still small and couldn’t hide things. He stood by my bed for a long time: “Mom.” “Hmm?” “Is that man online Dad?” He saw that comparison picture too. Their features were almost identical, even the look of coldness towards people. I sat up and rubbed his fluffy head. Guiding patiently like a gentle mother: “Hayden.” “You are a little man now.” “So when Mom tells you this sad news, you must be strong, okay?!” He nodded, eyes full of seriousness. “That’s not your dad.” I lowered my voice, “Your dad turned into a dog and went wandering.” Visibly, my son’s eyes widened. “Alright baby, go digest it yourself.” “It’s very late, Mom has to work tomorrow.” He lay on my quilt, hugging my neck tightly, warm. “Mom, don’t be sad.” “I will always be with you, I won’t run.” “Mom, goodnight.” He kissed my side face. A warm little boy. I often sigh at my courage to give birth to him despite everyone’s opposition. Accompanying him to grow up stumblingly, I never regretted it. Chapter 3 The next day, I rode my E-bike to send Hayden to kindergarten. Then turned to the hospital. A morning passed, I came out of the hospital pressing a cotton swab. Winter is good, thick clothes wrap everything, needle holes and bruises are invisible. Saving Hayden from chasing behind me every day asking, “Mom, what’s wrong?” I put on my helmet to ride, looked down, and saw a pink thermos and apricot gloves in the small basket under the windshield cover. Both new. The thermos contained warm water. I finally understood why Hayden kept picking up plastic bottles and cardboard boxes home these days. Silly child. I put on the gloves, warm. The simplest style. But I couldn’t get enough of looking at them. Cold wind blew, eyes stung. I often wonder, if one day I leave. What about Hayden? Let him grow up alone? I can’t bear it. Actually, I could go to Julian, beg him for some money. Maybe my illness could be cured. It’s just, guessing he still hates me. A stingy person like him wouldn’t even give me a dollar. I was distracted. On the way home, at the traffic light, accidentally scraped a black luxury sedan. The moment the owner rolled down the window. I froze for several seconds, even forgetting the scrape on my palm. Until I snapped back, I quickly put my hand in my pocket. The man in the car got out, glanced lightly at the scrape, then looked at me. Looking at his familiar brows and eyes. My fingertips rubbed helplessly, throat felt like stuffed with cotton, sour and swollen. Tears almost fell. “Miss Hazel, long time no see.” His voice was low. The look in his eyes was a bit cold. Gaze sweeping over my scraped hand, he said nothing. After looking at the car scrape quietly for a few seconds, he lifted his eyelids to look at me: “How does Miss Hazel plan to compensate?” Tone cold as treating a stranger. Like he said back then, I left, he would never forgive me in this life. Meeting later, just treat as strangers. I was quiet for a few seconds because I really couldn’t take out money. His phone rang timely. In front of me, he had no avoidance. “I’m outside, you eat well first.” “Don’t fuss, will go back to accompany you tonight.” “Bring you strawberry cake, okay?” He coaxed patiently, looked up and returned to coldness. Eyes written with scrutiny: “Miss Hazel, how exactly to compensate?” He repeated. Then took out his phone and opened the QR code. I looked twice, didn’t scan. Just reached out to untie the jade pendant on my neck, the only valuable thing on me. I put it in my palm, voice very light: “This as mortgage to you, I can’t take out any more.” Chapter 4 Julian frowned, didn’t take the jade pendant. His tone was cold: “Hazel, you are this poor? The money you took when divorcing, spent in five years?” He didn’t know. That money, not enough. Far from enough. I nodded, voice very light: “After remarrying, my husband gambled, I paid a lot of debts for him.” Julian looked up at me, frowning. I paused, voice very light: “The child also had a bad heart due to premature birth, cost me a lot of money back and forth.” “Julian, I’m quite miserable.” The first sentence was made up. The latter was true. I didn’t remarry. But the child was indeed premature, stayed in the incubator for more than forty days. The tube inserted from the nose, long, reaching the heart. At that time, I, dragging a body just after surgery, stood in front of the incubator. Eyes almost went blind from crying. He was so small, so thin. Wearing an oxygen mask, the small body even breathing was difficult. During that period, the doctor issued critical illness notices countless times. Every time, I signed. That month gambling with the God of Death was unspeakably bitter. Because of premature birth, Hayden spent his first year in the hospital. Fever, vomiting milk were common. The most fatal thing was the doctor said the child had heart problems. At five months old, he had his first surgery. Pushed out covered in tubes. So small a ball, trapped in white bedding, almost invisible. Only seeing countless tubes. Going down from the nose, coming out from the mouth, wrapped around the chest, connected to hands and feet. I wanted to hug him. Afraid of hurting him. Could only hold his cold little hand carefully, telling him to be strong over and over again. Thinking of those past events, my eyes were a bit wet. Julian looked at me, fingers clenched, ripples in his eyes. Quickly converged the moment I looked up. “You don’t have children, may not know how much money it costs to raise a child.” I pinched my fingertips to hold back tears and said. Julian’s Adam’s apple rolled, dark eyes looked at me, voice low: “How do you know I don’t?” Oh. He has a child. I saw photos on his phone before. At that time, he held a newborn baby, gently kissing the baby’s wrinkled face, eyes soft. Their child is so happy. Born in the best hospital. Sleeping in the softest cradle. Wearing the warmest clothes. These, my child didn’t have. I gritted my teeth, suddenly didn’t want to continue entangling. So turned and walked away. “Hazel, I give you a chance.” “Fifty thousand, apologize to me, I return the thing to you.” Tone exactly the same as five years ago, calm to the point of being cool. He didn’t understand, how could someone be so short of money? Short to the point of not even wanting dignity. I exploded like a cat whose tail was stepped on. “Don’t want it! Don’t want it even if you give more.” Blood all over the body flowing backward. I picked up the thermos on the ground, turned to leave. Julian pulled my arm, fingers clenched: “Hazel, calm down, think clearly.” “You used the child to get on the trending search to force me to appear, isn’t it for money?” Heh. Who has nothing better to do than to get involved with him. I suppressed my anger, finally couldn’t hold it back. “That’s better than you having a bastard with someone else during marriage!” One sentence, the air stagnated. Chapter 5 Julian looked up at me, eyes deep. His Adam’s apple rolled, dark eyes fixed on me, with a threatening meaning: “Hazel, I say it for the last time, she isn’t.” How much he loves their child. Even denial, he couldn’t bear to use that vicious, dirty word. I couldn’t bear it anymore, threw off his hand fiercely, eyes full of hate: “Child born with someone else during marriage, if not a bastard, what is it?” Julian’s jaw was tight, didn’t speak for a long time. Suppressing emotions extremely. “Hazel.” He called me, voice heavy like absorbing water, suffocating, “Matters between us have nothing to do with the child.” “You can hate me, but not the child.” Why nothing to do? Why can’t hate their child? Why? Questioning words stuck in throat, I clenched my fists tightly, but tears surged out. So forced myself to turn around, didn’t want to cry in front of him. Atmosphere deadlocked. I inhaled cold air to relieve the pain in my heart. Looking up, I saw my son holding a chicken cutlet bigger than his face standing opposite the traffic light. Quietly. Little face frozen red. Don’t know how long he waited. Julian also saw the child. So called me when I turned to leave, voice a bit hoarse: “Hazel, how do you explain the son?” What’s there to explain? Did he tell me when he had a child with another woman? I glared at him with red eyes, word by word: “Julian Vance, I gave birth to the child, nothing to do with you.” “Don’t disturb our life.” “Person like you, deserves to die alone.”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “389983”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel

After overtime, my boyfriend drove me home. But his little assistant walked right past me and sat directly in the passenger seat. “Director Tessa, I adjusted this seat to my height. I was afraid you wouldn’t be used to it.” She apologized while buckling herself in. I didn’t speak, just glanced lightly at the back seat, piled high with a young girl’s bags and clothes. Sensing the atmosphere was off, Lucas tried to smooth things over. “She’s a new intern, just a kid. Don’t be petty with her.” I nodded thoughtfully, a hint of realization in my tone. “How can a child come out to work? Go to HR tomorrow and process her resignation.” Chapter 1 As soon as these words came out, both of them looked at me in unison. The little assistant huffed and got out of the passenger seat. “Director Tessa, I’m a Management Trainee officially hired this year. What right do you have to fire me just like that?” “It’s just sitting in the passenger seat. Are you that petty?” Looking at her flustered appearance, I couldn’t help but find it funny. “So you do know the passenger seat isn’t where you should be. I thought you were really just a child who didn’t know anything.” Indeed, she had a child’s temper. Blowing up after just two sentences, face flushing red, unable to squeeze out a word of rebuttal for a long time. Lucas finally reacted, smiling and putting his arm around my shoulder to mediate. “Mia is just my assistant, a kid fresh out of college. She can’t understand when you’re joking.” When he hugged me, there was a smell of very cheap perfume on him. I guessed the owner of the perfume was Mia, who was currently clenching her hands tightly, staring at us through the rearview mirror. I leaned against Lucas with a smile, but my eyes scanned Mia up and down. “But I wasn’t joking. Do you really need an assistant like this? No wonder you work overtime every day.” Hearing this, Lucas’s body stiffened for a moment, and his smile faltered. “Tessa, Mia is a bit rash, but if you fire her directly, people will say we treat new employees harshly. It doesn’t sound good.” Saying that, he signaled Mia with his eyes. Mia, who was still puffing up with anger, immediately softened her attitude and apologized to me pitifully. “Sorry Director Tessa, I’ve been with Brother Lucas for so long, I got too relaxed. I’ll give the seat back to you, please don’t mind.” She even stuck out her tongue playfully. Director Tessa, Brother Lucas. Tsk. Seeing no reaction from me, Mia seemed possessed by a drama queen. “Director Tessa, I will definitely, definitely, definitely pay attention next time~” Every sentence addressed “Director Tessa,” but her eyes only revolved around Lucas. I withdrew from Lucas’s arm and looked at Mia. “Next time? What do you want to pay attention to next time? Tell me.” Chapter 2 “Tessa, it’s late. Let me take you home.” Lucas spoke again. Every time he opened his mouth tonight, it was to defend Mia. This made me very unhappy. It’s true we agreed to have our own fun in this arranged marriage, but who allowed you to dance in front of me with your little lover and use me as a shield? Mia didn’t notice the undercurrent between us and spoke again. “Brother Lucas, I’ll go with you to drop Director Tessa off. It’s too late, I’m afraid you’ll be tired driving at night. I can keep you company.” “Keep him company? Miss Mia is such a thoughtful assistant. Brother Lucas, don’t you think?” I smiled and pulled Lucas’s tie. Caught off guard, he staggered towards me. He held my wrist pulling his tie, not too hard nor too light, with a hint of helplessness. “Mia, take a taxi back tonight, okay? Tessa and I have something to handle.” Mia caught the gentleness in Lucas’s tone and saw the seemingly intimate but actually confrontational posture between us. She bit her lip. “Is Director Tessa unhappy because of me? If so, I can apologize until she cools down.” I interrupted her performance, pointing to the pile of personal items in the back seat. “Save the apology for HR tomorrow. Now, pick up all your stuff, or wait to find them in the trash tomorrow.” “Hey! Aren’t you deliberately making things difficult for me? How can I take all these things?” Angry now, not even calling me Director Tessa anymore. I ignored her, picking up those clothes with two fingers and throwing them out one by one. Mia couldn’t pick them up in time and screamed in breakdown: “What do you want!” “I should be asking you that, right? Don’t you have a closet at home? Need to keep everything in your boss’s car?” “Don’t overthink it! I just left them temporarily when I was out on field work with Brother Lucas and forgot to take them.” She was a bit guilty, lacking confidence in her speech. I couldn’t be bothered to expose her, just smiling at her. “Perfect then. Today is the last day of ‘temporary’.” Mia’s eyes turned red instantly. She glared at me fiercely, almost diving into the back seat, scrambling to hug those bags and clothes, stuffing them into her arms. Too many things, she couldn’t hold them steady. A shiny hair clip fell to the ground. She squatted to pick it up, hair falling to cover her face, but I could see her shoulders trembling gently. After picking up her things, she left without looking back. Chapter 3 As Mia’s figure faded into the distance, only the two of us remained in the car. Silence reigned for a long time until Lucas finally couldn’t help but speak. “Mia is just a young girl after all, thin-skinned. You went a bit too far today.” I was leaning back with my eyes closed, resting. Hearing this, I sneered. “Her face matters, but my rules don’t?” Lucas tugged at his tie irritably. “Don’t push your luck. You know we…” He didn’t finish, but I knew what he meant. We were in a commercial marriage, the kind where we hadn’t even met before the engagement. No feelings whatsoever. Both our families’ companies had been declining in recent years and urgently needed transformation. Marriage meant we would prosper or decline together. We were the closest partners. The first time Lucas saw me, he said that for a commercial marriage, keeping up appearances was enough. I nodded lightly and stated my bottom line: “Since we’re married, we must maximize the value of this engagement. I accept playing separately, but if you make outsiders laugh because of private affairs, don’t blame me for turning hostile.” Lucas laughed indifferently: “As long as you have this awareness. Don’t worry, no matter how many flags flutter outside, they won’t be an eyesore to you.” Guessing he remembered his bold words back then, he spoke dryly after a long while. “I will make it clear to Mia.” “Good.” I closed my eyes again. “But my patience is like this passenger seat. There is only one. You’d better remember that.” Chapter 4 Our communication wasn’t pleasant, and coupled with busy work, we hadn’t seen each other for over half a month. Tonight there was a meeting with Mr. Sterling, the Chairman. Lucas sent someone to deliver a gown matching his suit. Mr. Sterling was a key figure both our companies wanted to win over. Half of the commercial value of this marriage depended on this. Lucas and I stood side by side, exchanging pleasantries with Mr. Sterling. Just as the conversation cut to the main topic, a figure inserted itself abruptly. It was Mia. Perhaps it was her first time attending such a cocktail party. exquisite makeup couldn’t hide the forced composure. The ill-fitting white dress made her look like a little girl stealing adult clothes. I narrowed my eyes slightly. In her glass, it seemed to be… juice? She trotted over in high heels, target clear: Mr. Sterling. “Hello Chairman Sterling! I’m Mia, a Management Trainee specially recruited this year. Just joined Mr. Lucas’s team not long ago. Please guide me in the future!” Mia held the cup with both hands, squeezing out what she thought was the most decent and obedient smile. I could clearly feel she emphasized “Mr. Lucas” and “Specially Recruited,” tone rising slightly, with undetectable showing off. In such an occasion, an intern introducing herself so abruptly and trying to chat was simply rude. The scene quieted for a second. Mia was oblivious, perhaps taking the silence as encouragement. She raised the orange juice in her hand, smile sweeter, voice crisp: “Chairman Sterling, I’m young and can’t drink, so I’ll toast you with this juice! Wishing you good health and prosperous business!” This time, even the surrounding conversations seemed to lower. The gazes of several nearby guests swept over subtly. I had no time to care about Lucas’s expression. I was so angry I wanted to kick Mia myself. What is your status? What is Mr. Sterling’s status? Toasting with juice? Do you deserve it? Lucas pulled Mia, who was still naively waiting for Mr. Sterling to clink glasses, behind him. He picked up a glass of champagne, squeezing out a near-fawning smile. “Sorry Chairman Sterling, I didn’t discipline my subordinate well. I apologize on her behalf with this glass.” He drank the champagne in one gulp, but Mr. Sterling didn’t even lift his eyelids. “Let’s talk about the cooperation another day. I have something to do.” Mia simply slapped his face in front of everyone. Mr. Sterling left the venue with his subordinates without even saying goodbye, leaving only his back to us. Lucas’s arm holding the glass froze in mid-air, face turning from green to white, then flushing with embarrassment.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “MotoNovel” app 🔍 search for “389982”, and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel