Reid despised me. For years, the money that kept my mother alive—the chemotherapy, the private nurses—was nothing but a cash-for-sex arrangement, a transaction fueled by his contempt. Ten thousand dollars a night. All because I, a surgical resident, delivered a diagnosis Phoebe—his newest obsession—didn’t want to hear: infertility. My license had been suspended, pending an investigation he instigated, forcing me to rely entirely on his brutal charity. The only thing of value I owned, my grandmother’s wedding ring, was liquidated just to cover my mother’s final surgical consultation. After that, I’d planned to take her away, out of his orbit, out of his sight. But Reid wanted to prove his devotion to Phoebe. He allowed, even encouraged, her—a ruthless gossip columnist—to leak the sordid details of our marriage. I became the city’s joke, the greedy wife trading her body for rent. On New Year’s Eve, my mother saw the headlines. She jumped from the eighth floor of the hospital. I knelt there on the cold tile, the scent of antiseptic and steel in my nostrils, holding her soft, lifeless body. Her final, whispered breath was the only thing I heard in the room: “Kendall, your father and I didn’t name you to compromise.” I rested my hand on her wrist, feeling the slow, terrible fade of her pulse. Outside, the Manhattan skyline exploded in fireworks—a brutal, dazzling display of Reid’s lavish, romantic gesture for Phoebe. Everyone was looking up, their phones raised to capture his grand love story. I was looking down, losing the last person in the world who loved me. The clock struck midnight. My heart is over him. 1 The New York City skyline always hosted fireworks for New Year’s, but Reid’s bespoke display started half an hour before the ball dropped. Everyone in the elite crowd murmured about the cost, the permits he’d pulled, the absolute certainty that Reid Blackwell was truly in love this time. Just last night, desperate for the five thousand dollars still needed for Mom’s pending surgery, I’d gone to him. He’d humiliated me in a downtown penthouse bar, pointing at the bottle of single malt and sneering, “A thousand dollars a sip, Kendall. Earn it.” Now, for Phoebe, he offered a spectacle with both hands. Reid’s phone began vibrating repeatedly—a desperate attempt, no doubt, to gloat over his televised romance with Phoebe, who was photographed watching the show from his yacht. My mother’s medical debt had always forced my compliance. I ignored the screen, walking past the waiting room and into the clinic. I located the floor plan and booked a termination appointment in the Family Planning department. The eighth floor. I leaned half my body out the narrow window, the frigid December wind snapping around me. It was sobering. A second later, a hand clamped onto my waist, dragging me back inside. The familiar, expensive aroma of his Cuban cigar flooded my senses. It was Reid. His face was a mask of fury. “Are you insane, Kendall? The eighth floor? You think that’s high enough?” He shook me. “You’d just end up a quadriplegic mess I’d have to pay to keep alive in some hellhole nursing home!” He was wrong. The eighth floor was enough. This was the first time he’d been to the hospital in the three years since Mom was confined to her bed. For a brief, insane moment, I thought maybe a flicker of conscience had brought him here. Instead, I got an interrogation. He looked at me with cold certainty. “You tipped off the network about Phoebe, didn’t you? Go apologize to her. Now.” My mother’s death was less important than his mistress’s job. I forced a smile, the muscles in my face protesting. “Lost a job? Maybe she had it coming.” The bitter amusement vanished. “If she had the guts to publish trash journalism about my life, she should be ready to face the consequences.” “What part of the article was a lie, Kendall? Your body, my money—it was a transaction! That’s all it ever was!” His words—a transaction—made my head swim. The heat of tears pressed behind my eyes. I couldn’t help myself; I needed an answer, the final shard of truth. “Then why… why did you marry me?” I whispered. Even after my family’s company, Crestwood Group, went bankrupt and we were drowning in debt, he had sought me out and proposed marriage. Reid’s smile was chilling. “To make it legal, Kendall. Anything else would have been soliciting.” His words were a scalpel, finding the last, desperate sliver of hope in my chest and excising it without anesthesia. He was right. I was the fool who had mistaken a contract for connection. “Her issue has nothing to do with me,” I stated calmly, refusing to take the blame for the sabotage. Just as I refused to take the blame for his mother. Mrs. Lin, my mother’s former nurse, rushed in, tears streaming down her face, apologizing for her lapse in attention. “Your mother specially made cream stew. She told me to go heat them up. She wanted you two to eat them together, a little New Year’s ‘reunion.’” The word reunion seemed to snap something in Reid. The temperature in his eyes dropped to absolute zero. He strode forward and grabbed my throat, his thumb pressing dangerously against my carotid artery. “Reunion? You get a reunion?” His voice was a low, dangerous growl. “You brought down my mother, my family! And you’re hiding in this hospital for a nice, little goodbye? You should have been the one who died in that kidnapping!” In the past, I would have dissolved into frantic explanations and tears. But my tears had been spent in the half-hour since I found Mom. I simply leaned my neck into his grip. The utter finality, the dead calm in my eyes, must have shocked him. Reid abruptly released me. “You want to die? I won’t make it that easy, Kendall.” He stepped back, a predatory look in his eyes. “You’ll stay right here, bound to me, and you’ll be miserable.” I slumped to the ground. He kicked the thermos of cream stew, sending them scattering across the floor. “Since you won’t apologize,” he said, looking amused, “pick them up and eat them. Or maybe I should tell Mrs. Lin’s daughter that her tuition funding is gone. What’s her major again? Columbia pre-med?” 2 He was threatening to ruin Mrs. Lin and her daughter. This was his favorite move—to use the people I cared about to enforce his dominance. Just last month, because I hadn’t moved fast enough out of Phoebe’s path, he’d rammed his SUV into my car. My driver escaped only because of the airbag. He only ever smiled when I compromised. I could walk away now, but Mrs. Lin needed her career in the city. I couldn’t be responsible for her ruin, too. My jaw ached from clenching my teeth. I lowered myself, acknowledging the defeat. One by one, I picked up the lukewarm, doughy vegetables of cream stew scattered on the grimy hospital floor—a floor that had seen countless footsteps and carried God knows what strains of infection. I ate them like an idiot, forcing them down. The salty taste of my tears mixed with the grime, but all I tasted was my mother’s final act of love. I couldn’t waste it. Mrs. Lin turned away, unable to watch. Reid’s face was recognizable from countless society pages. A few passersby paused, their phones coming up, eager to capture the drama. He barked a single, cold command: “Get out.” Then he hauled me up by the arm. “Lowering yourself for a housekeeper, Kendall? You’ve always loved to make a spectacle of me.” He caught sight of the tear tracks on my face and his hand instinctively moved to brush them away. I flinched back. I asked him quietly, my voice utterly flat, “Are you satisfied now?” Was it over? Could he let Mrs. Lin go now? The calm of my voice made Reid’s breathing catch. He looked confused. I had begged him, many times, just to visit Mom. He opened his mouth, probably to accuse me of an elaborate act. Then his phone rang. “Reid, I’m scared.” Phoebe’s soft whimper was enough to snatch his attention away. He stared at me, and for the first time, he offered something that sounded like an explanation. “She isn’t feeling well. I’ll come back later…” I cut him off. “Don’t. Don’t ever come back.” Let the dead rest in peace. Let the lovers have their time. Reid frowned. “Phoebe is suffering from PTSD because she was trying to save you.” When I showed no reaction, he laughed, a cold, brittle sound. “Fine. But if you walk away now, don’t come crawling back to me like a stray dog begging for a place to sleep!” The fireworks outside continued their roar, and his words burned the flesh of my heart until it was raw and useless. I remembered my eighteenth birthday. I’d wished for a firework display over the Manhattan skyline. Back then, Reid had just started at Blackwell Group and every move he made was scrutinized by the board. He promised he’d give me the fireworks the day we married. But before the engagement, his mother and I went shopping for my wedding jewelry. We were both kidnapped. I was released physically unharmed; his mother was brutally assaulted, leading to a complete nervous breakdown. The news was suppressed, but a reporter got the exclusive and ran with it. Unable to cope, his mother swallowed a bottle of pills. His father packed up the remains and left the country, never to return. From that day on, Reid was convinced that I had leaked the story. I’d explained, I’d pleaded, but he never believed me. “Who else could it be, Kendall?” Then, my family’s Crestwood Group went under. Secrets leaked, rivals stole contracts, and my parents were in a fatal car accident while fleeing debt collectors. Mom survived, but was critically injured. When I was truly desperate, Reid was the only one who showed up. He offered marriage and to cover Mom’s medical expenses. No rings, no ceremony—I accepted, foolishly believing there was a shred of true feeling left. Now, he was giving the fireworks he’d promised me to someone else. Phoebe, I realized, was always meant to be my shield. The trauma of his mother’s kidnapping was too great. He often said that by treating Phoebe well, he could somehow atone for the guilt he felt over me. Last year, Phoebe was kidnapped. She was subjected to psychological torture and diagnosed with severe PTSD. Reid found her, holding her tightly as they were evacuated. What he didn’t know was that I was also taken that day. I was kept in a locked storage closet, stashed away in a filthy petroleum drum. My wrists were tied so tightly my hand tendons were severely damaged. No one found me until the police did a second sweep of the site. Since then, Reid had treated Phoebe with a soft, protective tenderness. But I wasn’t blind. I could see the genuine, protective love in his eyes. No major New York media outlet dared run a story on Reid, yet Phoebe, a minor columnist, always got the exclusive. The man who could calmly close a billion-dollar deal was running down the stairs—ignoring the elevator—because his mistress said, “I’m scared.” I slipped the electronic watch from my wrist. A rose tattoo hid the jagged, ugly scar from where the kidnappers had cut into my tendons. Reid never noticed I could no longer hold a surgical scalpel. I was just a doctor of theory now. 3 I returned to Mom’s room to gather her belongings. I pulled open her drawer and saw rows of brightly colored pain medication, all neatly stacked. Too many. I checked the hospital’s automatic payment system. The withdrawal amounts had been noticeably reduced for the last several months. She had been hoarding them, afraid of becoming a financial burden. I remembered her last call to me before the jump: “Kendall, happy New Year. Next year won’t be as painful as this one.” I hadn’t even had the chance to say, “Happy New Year, Mom.” The unsung blessing became a wave of tears that choked my throat. The cremation and memorial were scheduled for three days later. Before that, I needed to see Reid. He despised me; he would welcome the chance to sign the papers. I didn’t even make it through the front door of our Upper East Side penthouse when I heard his voice, laughing. “See? I told you. Pay up. She always cracks.” “Seriously, Reid? You can recognize your own wife’s footsteps?” I froze, gripping my handbag. They were running a pool, betting on how long it would take me to come back and beg. How much was the stake? What was the value of our entire relationship? I no longer cared. I walked in. Phoebe was there, wearing my silk pajamas. My possessiveness was a known quantity. I hated people touching my things, my possessions, my husband. Now, watching her lean half-heartedly against Reid, I didn’t feel the old, hysterical rage. She straightened quickly, offering a faux-apologetic smile. “I accidentally spilled wine, Kendall. Reid made me borrow a clean set.” She looked at me innocently. “You don’t mind, do you, big sister?” I gave her a flat look. “I don’t mind.” I was done with both the pajamas and the man. She could have the leftovers. Reid watched me, a faint frown creasing his brow. Phoebe scanned me head to toe, then covered her mouth in mock surprise. “Kendall, you didn’t even bring Reid a present? Even when you’re pouting, you shouldn’t embarrass him in front of guests.” Confetti and balloons littered the floor, shouting “Happy Birthday.” I’d forgotten. It was Reid’s birthday. For years, I had baked his cake myself, never missing a single one. Everyone was waiting for my answer. Even Reid’s cigarette burned down to his fingers, unnoticed. 4 I managed a slight smile. “I did bring a gift. You could call it a birthday present.” I was giving him his freedom. I was giving myself a new life. He grinned, utterly convinced of his victory. “I figured you couldn’t stay tough for more than twenty-four hours.” I reached into my bag and pulled out a file folder. The word DISSOLUTION was typed clearly on the front. “Happy birthday, Reid,” I said. “My signature is already on it.” Reid’s smile vanished, inch by agonizing inch. He sat back on the plush leather sofa, his gaze dark. His first instinct was the usual: How much money do you want? He picked up the document, his eyes finally landing on the last clause: Zero Alimony / Waiving all Claims. I knew I couldn’t fight the Blackwell Group empire. All I wanted was out. His voice was a strained snarl. “I already had the article taken down! What is this performance? What ridiculous drama are you trying to stir up now, Kendall?” He could retract the news, but could he resurrect my mother? Our relationship was too far gone to save. Reid should have been thrilled to sign. I looked at him, genuinely confused. “Let’s just end this amicably.” Phoebe stepped forward to play the peacemaker. “Big sister, are you really trying to play the tragic heroine to squeeze more money out of him? You’ve used this move so many times. Just apologize. Reid has always forgiven you, no matter what you did.” That phrase—what you did—made Reid’s face shift. He pointed a rigid finger at the front door. “Five hours on your knees,” he said, his voice cold. “I’ll sign then.” The city had been suffering a bitter cold snap. He was certain I would crumble, just as I always did when the smallest hardship struck. But in the last three years, I’d watched my family’s fortune dissolve. I’d sold the family home to pay debts. I drank myself sick at business meetings just to gather enough cash to win it back at auction. I changed my mother’s catheters and dealt with her bedpans myself. Reid’s monthly payment barely covered her palliative care. I picked up every unwanted night shift at the clinic just to earn an extra dime. My mother was my soft spot, the instrument of his control. Not anymore. I placed the agreement on the mahogany table. “I’ll hold you to your word, Reid.” Then I walked out to the patio and knelt down. The mansion sat on a hillside, overlooking a million-dollar coastal view. The wind was relentless. All I cared about was the clock. Five hours. Inside, I heard the crash of breaking glass. Then, Reid rushed out, cradling Phoebe, whose lower leg was bleeding. I glanced at my phone. Four minutes left. I grabbed the hem of his expensive overcoat. “You promised you’d sign the agreement.” My voice was barely a breath. “Just give me five minutes. I can stitch her up.” Reid stopped, his expression hardening. He had anticipated rage, jealousy, and histrionics. Not a surgeon’s clinical calm, not a willingness to kneel and treat his mistress. I swiftly took out my trauma kit. I expertly used the tweezers to remove the glass shards—a superficial wound that looked deliberately exaggerated for effect. Disinfection. Bandage. Done. The rush of final release was close enough to taste. Phoebe’s hand dropped to her side. She spoke softly, but loud enough for me to hear. “Recognize this, Kendall? Reid said it was his apology.” I froze, the ointment tube slipping in my hand. On her wrist was the Jade Bangle—my mother’s heirloom, passed down to me. Even when we were penniless, I’d never considered selling it. I didn’t yell. I didn’t cry. My knees ached with a dull, insistent throbbing. I stood up, slowly, the need to escape now an urgent imperative. This was just another one of their games. I held the divorce papers out to him. “Sign it.” His eyes dropped to my stomach, then back to my face. “You know I hate loose ends, Kendall. Especially a bastard child running around.” He must have found the ultrasound report. That had been the real birthday gift—the one I’d hoped would repair the rift between us. He was waiting for me to break, for me to plead for the life of our child. I managed a small, cruel smile. “You don’t have to worry.” The trouble, the loose end, was already dealt with. He had always expected a perfect wife—dutiful, socially adept, a PR clean-up artist who would give him a quiet heir. I’d done all that. He should have been grateful. Instead, he looked like he’d been slapped. He took the pen and signed the document with a furious, scraping sound. “Get the hell out.” He looked up, his eyes black with contempt. “We’ll meet at the registry in a month.” 5 I didn’t contact Reid after that. He called only once, on the day of Mom’s cremation. He sounded drunk. “Kendall, why won’t you just swallow your pride? Say you’re sorry about the abortion, and I’ll forgive you.” His voice thickened with artificial authority. “Otherwise, your mother’s payment this month isn’t going through.” I laughed, a ragged, hollow sound. He didn’t even know she was dead. His greatest leverage was gone, severed by his own apathy. “Suit yourself, Reid.” A staff member called out, “Window three for the final sealing.” I picked up the small silver marker and approached the smooth, white urn. My mother’s life, and her death, had purchased my freedom. It was effective now. “Never again,” I whispered. The birthday party ended with the sound of a woman screaming and a man’s angry shouts. Reid returned to the penthouse hours later, alone. He went to the bedroom and found that Kendall had taken nothing. The large, vessel he’d received as a wedding gift was the only thing he could focus on. He hated this silence. It felt lonelier than any alleyway. His assistant reported back. Kendall’s surgery had taken place just two hours before she drove to the penthouse. The anesthetic must have barely worn off. He smashed the embroidery into a hundred splinters. “I don’t want to hear another word about her!” he roared at the retreating assistant. He retreated to a bar for three days, confident that when the hospital bill arrived on the 15th, she’d come crawling back. Carter, his childhood friend, tracked him down and dragged him from the velvet booth. “Can you snap out of it?” Carter demanded, punching him in the jaw. “Three years ago, you promised you’d take care of Kendall!” Reid rubbed his cheek, feeling a strange surge of elation. “She called you, didn’t she?” Carter had moved his focus to Europe years ago. He and Kendall had been especially close. Then Reid’s gaze landed on the small, white rose lapel pin on Carter’s jacket. His chest tightened. “What’s with the flower, Carter? Someone in your family?” Carter looked at him, his face a study in chilling pity. “Reid. It was Aunt Marian’s memorial today. You didn’t show, but you could at least recognize the flower.” The room went cold. Reid stared at his friend, his jaw slack. “What… what are you talking about?”

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The moment my skin suddenly fractured, splitting open and bleeding uncontrollably, my father finally admitted that my mother carried the gene for Butterfly Syndrome. He saw the outbreak—he saw me—as a plague. He took my healthy sister and stormed out, abandoning me. My mother, thankfully, seemed heartbroken. She meticulously wrapped every sharp object in the house and stayed by my side, refusing to leave. But a week later, she also vanished. She couldn’t overcome her crippling aversion to blood, or so she claimed, leaving me, who had just begun to rebuild hope, utterly alone. I understood the agonizing burden of caring for someone with Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB). I didn’t blame my parents for leaving. At least they—people of supposedly modest means—had left me their only asset: this old, run-down condo, a roof over my head. I prayed my sister, Eliza, would stay healthy, sparing our already poor family further tribulation. Unable to hold a regular job, I survived by streaming my artwork online. Then, two years later, during a random stream collaboration, I connected with the daughter of a billionaire who also had EB. And on the screen, I saw my sister. She didn’t recognize me beneath the bandages covering most of my face. She simply treated me like a stranger—a fellow patient to commiserate with. The chat exploded, comparing Eliza’s pristine appearance to my own stark, painful reality. “Ugh, average people can’t afford Butterfly Syndrome. Just look at the difference between this woman and the billionaire’s daughter.” “She said she lives alone. No wonder her condition is so much worse than the billionaire’s daughter, who’s been lovingly cared for.” “Imagine having parents who are billionaires and who stand by you even with this disease, caring for you like a normal person. I wish I had parents like that!” It hit me then. I hadn’t been abandoned because of the disease. I had been abandoned because I was unloved. 1 My sister on the screen looked flawless. If it weren’t for the word “EB” in her stream title and the expensive silk compression gloves covering her hands, no one would guess she suffered from this incredibly painful, rare condition. Eliza spoke to me with genuine kindness: “Hi there. What a coincidence to connect with a fellow EB patient. How long have you had it? Why so many wounds? Are you having trouble managing your daily life? If you’re really struggling, you can contact me off-stream. I’d be happy to offer some help.” The sudden, brutal truth had left me paralyzed. I couldn’t utter a word. The prolonged silence made Eliza look awkward. She forced a strained smile. The comments immediately turned hostile towards me: “The heiress is so genuine and kind, why is this girl giving her the cold shoulder?” “I know her type. Thinks the world owes her everything just because she’s sick.” “The heiress is fighting the same disease! Who are you to give her attitude? You deserve to be abandoned by your family!” Seeing the chat call her “the heiress,” and seeing the luxurious, meticulously curated furniture behind Eliza, a paralyzing, agonizing ache shot through my whole body. They were rich. Billionaires. No wonder they could so easily abandon the old, cramped apartment to me—the one they’d used to raise us while supposedly scrimping and saving. It was all a lie, a cruel set-up meant only for me. I trembled, unable to stop myself. Tears gushed out, blurring the insults flashing across the screen. “Stop playing the victim. You ignored the heiress first.” “She’s obviously jealous that the heiress is richer, kinder, and prettier.” Eliza’s worried, gentle voice cut through the noise: “Everyone, please stop arguing on my behalf. I apologize if I was too forward. Please don’t be mean to her.” Then, she spoke carefully to me: “Are you alright? Did I remind you of something painful?” That familiar tone dragged me back to a time we shared: a life of manufactured poverty where we leaned on each other. We would pool months of savings from odd jobs just to afford a cheap takeout meal. We’d stay up late whispering secrets, and comfort each other after a scolding from our parents. But the sister who was so close to me had participated in the deception, keeping the truth of our wealth hidden and abandoning me when I fell ill. She offered a helping hand to a stranger—someone she thought was a stranger. Why did she turn a blind eye to her own sister? If not for this accidental connection, I might have died never knowing I was betrayed by my entire family. I looked at Eliza’s genuinely concerned face and spoke, my voice raw: “Yes. You reminded me of my sister. She and my parents left me behind because they were disgusted by my disease.” A flicker of discomfort crossed Eliza’s eyes. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize you had a sister, or that you’d been through that.” The angry comments paused. “Seriously, lay off the insults. You’re being cruel to a patient.” “I noticed earlier that she looked upset and couldn’t answer. Now you’ve forced her to open up about something tragic.” “Exactly! The heiress streams to help people with EB, and you’ve managed to turn the first collaboration into a bullying session!” That last comment caught my attention. I spoke softly: “Are you new to streaming? When were you diagnosed with EB?” Eliza looked confused by the sudden change of topic but answered honestly: “About six months ago. We’ve been traveling all over to see specialists. My condition has improved recently, so I decided to start a stream to raise awareness.” I clenched my fists so hard my skin instantly tore and bled, but I didn’t feel the pain. 2 The agony in my heart completely eclipsed the physical pain in my hands. My father, Marcus Riley, the one who saw my bleeding body as a source of plague, could spend six months traveling the world and undergoing expensive treatments for Eliza, who suffered from the exact same disease. And my mother, Naomi, who claimed to be so faint-hearted and terrified of blood she couldn’t care for me for more than a week, somehow managed to stop fainting whenever Eliza bled. And then there was my “kind” sister. She knew firsthand how painful EB was, yet in the six months since her own diagnosis, she never once thought to seek me out. She was enjoying high-end, professional treatment while I, the idiot, genuinely believed our family was too poor to care for me and had no choice but to abandon me. My appearance startled Eliza. She didn’t know what she had said to provoke such a reaction. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?” “Oh my God, she’s lost it because the heiress mentioned her family?” “But she asked the question! Why is she even streaming if she’s this fragile?” “If I were her family, I wouldn’t be able to handle her either. Clearly, not everyone can be as strong and optimistic as the heiress. She deserves her parents’ love.” Reading those words, a hysterical, tearful laugh bubbled up in my chest. If they knew that the “heiress” and I shared the same parents, would they still say that? Hearing that his daughter was being upset on her stream, my father rushed into the frame. He looked at me, my face covered in bandages, with pure contempt. “My daughter was trying to help you out of the goodness of her heart, and this is how you repay her? And you have the nerve to claim you look like her sister? These days, every stray cat and dog thinks they can claim to be a Riley! Take a look in the mirror—you don’t deserve to speak our name!” My heart had gone past aching; it was numb. Eliza merely suggested helping, and without knowing anything, he accused me of ingratitude. In his mind, only Eliza was worthy of being his daughter. I’d always known about his unconditional favoritism towards Eliza. They looked strikingly similar. I, on the other hand, didn’t resemble either parent much and had been subject to his low-grade suspicion of being illegitimate. Though a DNA test confirmed I was his daughter—a case of a grandparent’s features skipping a generation—my father remained emotionally distant. Perhaps this was why he invented the whole “poverty test.” He hid his billionaire status, hoping the struggle would either force me to become “outstanding” or give him the perfect excuse to leave me in the dark forever. The test’s result was simple: I failed to meet his approval. And then, my skin began to inexplicably tear. My EB diagnosis provided him with the perfect, respectable justification for abandonment. He hadn’t recognized me, yet his disdain was instinctive. Every word was a laceration. Eliza tried to stop him from speaking to me so harshly, but he sighed dismissively: “Eliza, not everyone is worth helping. This thing—this half-person, half-monster who frightens people on stream—would be better off dead. Look at her attitude when you tried to be kind! I will make sure she pays for upsetting my daughter!” My eyes stung, but I had no tears left. The blood soaking my bandages was practically painting half my face, increasing his disgust. “A streamer with such poor character. I will make sure the platform bans you immediately.” That final declaration filled me with absolute dread. I knew he meant it. Banning my stream—my only means of survival—was a death sentence. Had I endured all this pain for so long, only to be crushed by my own father? 3 After my mother left, I had considered giving up. My impoverished “family” had left no savings for my treatment. The old apartment I lived in wouldn’t sell for much, and if I sold it, I’d lose my final shelter. Why continue a miserable existence with EB? But Kai Jensen, my neighbor and childhood sweetheart, had forcefully taken all the sharp objects from the apartment, his furious voice shattering my despair. “I haven’t given up on you! How dare you give up on yourself!” He’d taken a leave of absence from his university abroad, working tirelessly to save money for my medical bills. No matter how hard things got, he never wavered. I had only helped him a few times after his parents died, a quiet friendship forged in mutual grief. I was damaged by my family’s blatant preference, and he was alone. We were each other’s only friend. I never imagined he’d sacrifice his future for me. Galvanized by his devotion, I pulled myself together. A year ago, I found the art streaming job. With my promise that I’d fight to live, Kai finally felt safe enough to return to school, making me swear to wait for him. For that promise, I silently endured the constant pain of my skin tearing, fighting to stay alive. Now, my one lifeline was about to be cut by my own blood. “Support the billionaire dad! This woman had such a nasty attitude towards the heiress. She’s an absolute viper!” “Just ban her. That bloodied face is horrifying. If you’re sick, stay home, don’t bother people.” “Right! Look how optimistic our heiress is! Unlike this girl—she’s gloomy, depressing, and a buzzkill.” My father’s words had reignited the mob. The stream of abuse seared my eyes, and my sanity began to fray. Should I not have tried to survive? I was just quietly drawing. Eliza was the one who initiated the connection. Why, after all this suffering, after finally finding a way to feed myself, were they determined to shatter my hope? I desperately wanted to keep my promise to Kai. But now, it felt impossible to wait for his return. Ignoring the constant tearing and bleeding of my facial skin, a wave of dizziness washed over me. I self-destructively absorbed my father’s abuse and the chat’s venom, letting the blood drain away. I couldn’t hold on anymore. What was the point of this agonizing life? Kai, I’m so sorry. I’m going to break my promise. Just then, a warm, familiar voice boomed from the other side of the screen: “Stop it! Why are you doing this to her!” 4 I stared at my mother on the screen, frozen. She saw the blood on my body. She merely winced, a brief look of discomfort. She did not clutch her head, go pale, or fall over, as she always did in my memories when my skin tore. She had been lying. All of it. Had all those years of careful instruction, of patient love, the hot milk by the desk, the open arms when I looked wistfully at Eliza in my father’s embrace, the consistent presence of my favorite food on a table full of Eliza’s favorites—had all of it been a performance? I had believed that even if Dad and Eliza left, Mom would never abandon me. Yet she left, and she had helped them perpetuate the lie until this very moment. “She’s an EB patient! Stop tormenting her!” Tears streamed down my mother’s face, her eyes filled with a sliver of guilt as she looked at me. “If we didn’t have a billionaire’s wealth, our daughter could easily look like her! Why are you being so cruel?” Then why did you abandon me, knowing full well this would happen? My tears fell again, mixing with the blood, making my face look even more terrifying. My mother quickly tried to soothe me: “I apologize on behalf of my husband. Please don’t be sad. You can continue streaming your art—the platform won’t ban you. We’ll also cover all your medical expenses for this flare-up, as compensation. Will that be enough?” The gentler her voice, the more nauseated I felt. The pure hatred in my eyes infuriated my father and the comment section once more. “Look at her face! I told you, this ungrateful wretch needs to be banned now!” “This girl is completely unhinged. The Rileys don’t owe her a thing, and they keep trying to help, but she looks at them like they’re the enemy!” “Mrs. Riley, ignore her! She’s just a psycho who was abandoned by her own family and is now jealous of your happy, generous family!” “I pitied her before, but now I think her family leaving her was probably deserved!” Eliza, startled by my expression, joined my father in trying to dissuade my mother: “Mom, I know you feel guilty about… about the gene. But you’ve done everything you can. You don’t owe anyone anything. You have Dad and me. I’m the one who looks like you both. Let’s not worry about this unrelated person. We sacrificed so much during our ‘poverty phase.’ You need to let go of your guilt.” The look of guilt faded from my mother’s face. She sighed. “You’re right. I don’t owe anyone. And I have you, Eliza, who needs my care. There’s no need to concern myself with strangers. Since this young woman doesn’t accept my compensation, then I never offered it. Marcus, do whatever you need to do.” The chat erupted in cheers, eager to see me de-platformed. My father picked up his phone to call the streaming service. Eliza’s and my mother’s words echoed in my mind. The poverty game was a test, but only for me. In my own family’s heart, I was nothing but “an unrelated person.” My fingers brushed against an X-Acto knife lying on my desk. I numbly grasped it. A single voice screamed in my head: Stop fighting. No one wants you to live. I pressed the blade against my wrist, ready to apply pressure, when the apartment door behind me flew open. Kai Jensen rushed over, snatching the knife away, his voice thick with suppressed fury: “Aubrey Riley! You promised me you would live! Why are you being so reckless!” My full name echoed through the microphone. The three Rileys on the other side froze, turning to look intently at me.

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Caleb Reed got a girl pregnant after a night of heavy drinking. I didn’t know until the girl was six months along. He told me to let her keep the baby, and we could go back to the way we were. I shook my head, my voice clinging to a single, desperate question: “Me, or that child? Choose.” He stood in silence for a long time that day, unable to give me an answer. But after I vanished, he regretted everything. 1 After five years of marriage to Caleb, I never imagined it would end like this. Outside the hospital entrance, Caleb was carefully helping a young, beautiful woman descend the steps. I stood a short distance away, and my eyes locked with Caleb’s, which were filled with soft concern for her. He flinched, his gaze darting away from mine, a flicker of fear replacing the tenderness. The heavily pregnant woman beside him looked my way, and her eyes instantly welled up with calculated tears. After safely settling the girl in the car and murmuring a few final instructions, Caleb finally walked over to me. His stride was measured and calm, utterly devoid of the panic I expected from a man just caught. He reached for my hand, which was cold as ice, and held it tightly in his palm. “Why are you here? Are you feeling unwell, Ellie?” He spoke with practiced care, even reaching up to touch my forehead. I pulled away. “Who is she?” Caleb didn’t answer. Instead, he pulled me into his arms, attempting to soothe me. “She’s no one important, sweetheart. Let’s go home, and I’ll explain everything. Okay?” His soft, low voice, which had comforted me for years, finally broke my composure, and the tears came. I stubbornly pulled my head back, needing to see his eyes, needing the truth. If he said he was innocent, I would believe him. Caleb sighed softly, then gently wiped the tears from my cheeks. “The baby is mine.” The tears froze on my face. I forgot how to breathe. I bit down on my lip until I tasted copper, then wrenched myself free of his embrace, taking a shaky step back. It was only then that a flash of genuine anger crossed Caleb’s features. He quickly pulled me back to his side, his eyes full of anguish. “Eleanor Stone, you can blame me, but you won’t destroy yourself over this.” I didn’t understand why he was still trying to show me his love when he’d done something so unforgivable. In our silent standoff, the girl from the car walked back toward us. “Get back in the car!” Caleb’s voice was ice, devoid of all warmth. The girl—Erica—looked up at him timidly but didn’t move. A fragile determination hardened her tear-filled eyes. “Ms. Stone, it’s not what you think. It was an accident. This baby was an accident.” She managed a bitter, practiced smile. “If I could, I wouldn’t want him either.” My vision blurred with fresh tears. I couldn’t clearly see the expression on Caleb’s face, but I knew him well enough to feel the coldness draining away, replaced by something close to pity. “Enough! Stop talking!” Jealousy, betrayal, and white-hot rage converged inside me, and I screamed. Erica gasped, her body swaying as she nearly lost her balance. Before she could fall, Caleb grabbed her, pulling her close and cradling her in his arms. I stared blankly at the scene. A thought, sudden and reckless, flashed through my mind. I surged forward. Before I could reach her swollen abdomen, a powerful force slammed into me, knocking me sideways. I landed hard on the asphalt. I looked at my scraped palm, then up at Caleb, and let out a chilling, hollow laugh. Caleb stared at his outstretched hand, the one that had just shoved me. He was stunned, frozen in disbelief at what he had done. That day, Caleb abandoned the six-month-pregnant girl and took me home. But I knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he and I had no future left. 2 Back home, Caleb owed me an explanation. I sat motionless on the bed for hours while he stood on the balcony of my room, chain-smoking through the entire night. I knew he was performing his penance, trying to wear me down, trying to make me pity him. He always knew my weaknesses. As dawn broke, Caleb turned and walked back inside, coming to my side. “You must be hungry. What do you want? I’ll cook.” I stopped him with a hoarse whisper. “Caleb, we need to talk.” His steps faltered. He stood with his back to me for a long time. He knew my nature. This was something I couldn’t overlook. Even if he’d been drunk, even if his encounter with the girl had been a one-night-stand, I couldn’t forgive it. That’s why he had hidden it. But no one—especially not him—could have predicted that the virtual stranger he met that night would turn up pregnant and, due to a special health condition, unable to terminate the pregnancy. That was how we arrived at this moment. Caleb finally left. He couldn’t face the words I was about to speak. I knew he loved me. We wouldn’t have dated for so long otherwise. He wouldn’t have spoiled me into the woman I was—the one who could pout and cry and expect to be indulged. For the next week, Caleb didn’t come home. Yet, he called Maria, the housekeeper, every day, meticulously asking how I was doing. Maria tried to console me. “Ma’am, you and Mr. Reed are the most in-love couple I’ve ever seen. Just talk it out. He’s lost so much weight recently.” Maria had been with us for years and had never seen Caleb and me exchange a single cross word. Even his own mother, Anne, who’d been frosty toward me early on, had come to accept me because of how happy Caleb was. My phone rang. It was Caleb’s friend, Marcus. “Ellie, Caleb is completely wasted. Can you come pick him up?” “Tell him to stay there.” I hung up, but the anger in my chest only intensified. I kept seeing the image of Caleb’s back as he walked away—the defeated, slightly slumped line of his shoulders. I couldn’t bring myself to leave him out there alone. After a long internal fight, I grabbed my keys and headed out the door. 3 The door to the private room was slightly ajar. I stood in the hall, not going in. Caleb was indeed drunk, sprawled across the expensive leather couch, completely devoid of his usual corporate composure. Erica, the pregnant girl, stood before him. Marcus sounded embarrassed. “Erica, Ellie wouldn’t come, and Caleb refuses to leave. I had no choice but to call you.” Erica managed a small, soft smile. She took hold of one of Caleb’s arms, trying to help him up. He roughly pushed her away. A few sharp gasps from the men in the room seemed to shock Caleb out of his stupor. He looked at Erica and managed a painful, distorted smile. “Erica Wells, this is all your fault. Ellie is leaving me…” He repeated the phrase, his voice slurring, then started frantically searching for more liquor. Everyone tried to stop him, but he snatched a bottle and began gulping it down recklessly. Suddenly, Erica snatched the bottle from his hand and violently smashed it on the floor. The room fell instantly silent. Even Caleb, in his drunken rage, stared blankly at her. “Caleb Reed, your shouting is going to scare our baby. Get up. I’m tired, and you’re going to take me home.” Caleb, a man who commanded entire boardrooms and was feared throughout the city, had never been ordered around like this by anyone but me. Everyone held their breath, expecting an explosion. But in the thick, suffocating silence, Caleb said nothing. He slowly rose to his feet, picked up his jacket, and silently followed Erica out the door. I was pressed against the wall, hidden in the shadows, and watched the man and woman walk away. I smiled then, a bitter, heartbreaking curve of my lips. I followed their taxi to a high-rise luxury complex. I watched Caleb get out and escort the girl inside. A light flickered on in the middle of the towering building. I sat in my car and watched all night. Caleb never came out. At seven the next morning, he went back in, carrying a bag of breakfast. I stared at that familiar silhouette, the one that had belonged only to me for years. Then, I quietly drove away. 4 I called Caleb back home but didn’t mention divorce. I looked at the man, who looked gaunt, and quickly looked away. “I didn’t pick you up last night. Where did you stay?” Caleb’s fingers trembled almost imperceptibly. After a moment, he said, “I stayed at the office.” I couldn’t pinpoint the feeling inside me. It wasn’t the searing pain of jealousy, but a much deeper, colder sense of disappointment. When did Caleb start lying to me? The man who promised me a lifetime of uncompromising honesty was gone. I didn’t call him out. It felt pointless now. “How many months is she?” Caleb hesitated, as if reluctant to inflict more pain. “Almost seven.” Then, he dropped to one knee in front of me, burying his head deep into my lap. Tears soaked my designer skirt. “Ellie, I’m so sorry. Don’t leave me.” In all our years together, I had never seen Caleb cry. His grief now was harsh and desperate. Watching him, my own heart ached terribly. But I knew I couldn’t afford to soften. “Arrange a meeting. I want to talk to her.” We met at Erica Wells’s apartment. Caleb waited outside. Erica sat, gently stroking her abdomen, her eyes full of intense, maternal anticipation. “That night, the lights were out, and I was so scared. But when I woke up and saw Mr. Reed beside me, I felt a flicker of hope.” Erica smiled as she spoke. She looked up at me, still appearing sweet and fragile. “Ms. Stone, the CEO’s child is almost here. Won’t you grant us your blessing?” Caleb wasn’t here, and the girl was a completely different person. I wasn’t surprised, though. That night outside the bar, Erica had glanced over her shoulder toward the shadows. I knew she had seen me. She slowly stood up and opened a closed door. Inside was a warm, welcoming nursery. “Mr. Reed personally picked out everything in here, and he decorated the room himself. He isn’t without hope for this child.” I desperately tried to maintain the last shred of my composure in the face of Erica’s smug display of Caleb’s fatherly love. But I was pushed over the edge. It wasn’t just an accident; Caleb wanted this child. He hadn’t been indifferent at all. All the strength drained from my body. I braced myself against the dining table, knocking over a glass of water. The sharp crack as the glass shattered on the tile floor was a sound that echoed the fissures appearing in my heart. Caleb heard the noise and rushed in. What he saw was me staggering, and Erica lying on the floor, clutching her stomach and crying out in pain. I will never forget that moment. Caleb’s first choice was no longer me. Erica flashed me a triumphant, knowing look, certain she had won. As Caleb passed me, he hesitated for only a single, agonizing second. Then, he stepped around me, scooped Erica up, and headed for the hospital. 5 Caleb didn’t look back as he left. I stood there for a long time, slowly accepting the fact that he had abandoned me. I followed them to the hospital. When I arrived, Anne and George Reed, Caleb’s parents, were already there. Everyone knew but me. I was the last to be told. When she saw me, Anne Reed slapped me across the face. “If anything happens to my grandson, you will have hell to pay!” Caleb immediately stepped in front of me, shielding my entire body with his own. Seeing this, his mother grew even angrier. “Caleb! Protect her all you want, but she just tried to hurt your son!” Caleb laughed, a tight, low sound of repressed defiance. “So what? If he’s gone, he’s gone.” If they hadn’t secretly decided to keep the child, Ellie wouldn’t be in pain now. No one knew that when he saw Erica fall, his first reaction was a wave of relief. He was filled with regret about the accidental pregnancy. The doctor emerged from the room, confirming the baby was safe. The Reeds rushed inside, fussing over Erica. She, however, kept looking at Caleb in the doorway, her expression utterly helpless and pitiful. She dared to manipulate me, and I would not let her win. I turned my swollen, red cheek toward Caleb. “I can’t stay here.” He let me lead him away. As we walked out, I glanced back at Erica in the hospital bed and returned her confident smile with one of my own. For now, Caleb still chose me. Even if it was a choice I no longer wanted. In the days that followed, while Caleb believed I was slowly accepting the existence of the child, I was quietly preparing for my departure. I packed my belongings and finalized the divorce papers. I was waiting for one day. Erica’s due date. She wanted me to approve of their little family? I would grant her wish. 6 Lately, I’d been experiencing a strange, persistent discomfort in my lower abdomen. I went to the hospital to get checked out—and ran into them. I rescheduled my appointment and went through the checks. When the results came back, I laughed through my tears. The child Caleb and I had tried to conceive for five years was finally here. And the timing couldn’t have been worse. I stood in the hospital corridor, the positive test results clutched in my hand, staring blankly at the tiny new life inside me. I knew I should terminate the pregnancy, but I couldn’t bear to lose it. The thought was more painful than leaving Caleb. I looked up and instantly saw Caleb and Erica emerging from her final prenatal check-up. In recent weeks, neither of us had mentioned Erica. He interpreted my silence as consent. “Mr. Reed, our baby is perfectly healthy. I’m so happy.” Caleb’s voice was unreadable, but the subtle lift of his eyebrow betrayed his good mood. “Yes, you’re taking very good care of him.” They discussed the baby, neither noticing I had stopped directly in front of them. The moment Caleb saw me, he immediately dropped Erica’s hand, putting a rigid distance between them. The silence stretched. I broke it first. “What a coincidence. I’m in a hurry. I’ll see you both later.” Caleb reached out frantically, grabbing my arm, not letting me leave. “Ellie, let me explain.” I calmly slipped my arm free. I wasn’t angry, just detached. “I’m not angry. I understand this is your responsibility, Caleb.” Erica’s eyes lit up immediately. “Ms. Stone, do you truly agree to let the baby stay?” After the last time we clashed, I had no patience left for her facade. “Ms. Wells, your child is due in a few days. Does my agreement even matter?” Erica instantly burst into fragile tears. “I… I was forced.” It was too late for excuses. Ignoring Caleb’s attempts to follow, I turned and walked back to the doctor’s office. Someone had just helped me make a very difficult decision. 7 Erica went into labor at four in the morning. Caleb was immediately called away. As he was leaving, he whispered in my ear: “Ellie, once this baby is born, we can go back to how things were. I promise.” He knew I was awake. He also knew that the presence of this stranger’s child meant we could never truly go back. I kept my eyes closed, offering no response. But just as he reached the door, I called out to him. I pressed him for the final answer: “Caleb Reed, me or that child? Choose.” When I saw the pained and conflicted look on his face, I shook my head, already knowing the answer, and urged him to go. As I lay back down, Caleb said softly, “Wait for me. I’ll come back, and I’ll fix everything.” I don’t need you to fix it, I thought. I’ll do it myself. After he left, I placed a signed divorce agreement and a USB drive on the bedside table. Without a single word of farewell, I left the house I had once cherished.

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My workaholic wife had finally agreed to spend the holidays with my family. The sheer elation of it had me booking the first flight that night. Seven years of “emergency meetings” and “non-negotiable deadlines” had given way to a sliver of hope, and I clung to it like a life raft. But by midnight at the airport gate, she was still a no-show. Minutes before boarding closed, the familiar text arrived. “Apologies, babe. Emergency exec meeting called last minute with the partners. Non-negotiable. Next year, I promise, we’ll spend the holidays with your folks.” I didn’t get angry. I just felt the familiar, dull thud of disappointment and typed a simple “Okay.” I decided to fly out anyway and pay my respects to her parents, the Martins, in her close-knit, upstate hometown of Pine Ridge. When I arrived that evening, lugging bags full of artisanal cheeses and imported wine, I stood on the Martins’ porch and heard my father-in-law’s booming laugh from inside. “Another round, Son? Come on, my Son-in-Law!” The bags of holiday gifts slammed onto the porch. Crash. The noise must have carried through the door, startling the neighbors who were already milling about. The front door swung open and a young man poked his head out. “What the hell?” His tone was immediately aggressive. He pointed a finger at me, already launching into a tirade. “The hell are you doing lurking around someone’s house on Christmas Eve? Trying to steal something?” I knew him. The face was too familiar. He was a college kid, Travis Stone, that Skylar and I had interviewed when MooreTech was just starting. Skylar wanted to pass on him; his resume was weak. I had argued for him, citing his high emotional intelligence. I’d convinced her to hire him. My father-in-law’s voice echoed again from inside. “Son, who is it? Finish up and get back in here. Dinner’s getting cold.” “Got it, Dad. Be right there.” Travis smiled, turning to answer. I opened my mouth, but the word—Son-in-Law—still rang in my ears. It wasn’t meant for me. It was clearly meant for him. Seeing my silence, Travis grew impatient, stepping forward. “I asked you a question. Do you know whose house this is? Do you know who you’re talking to?” He puffed out his chest, a sickening mix of smugness and arrogance replacing his initial irritation. “My wife is Skylar Moore, CEO of MooreTech! Get lost, or I’m calling the cops!” I had been bracing myself, but hearing her name on his lips still felt like a physical punch. The freezing air burned my throat. My voice was dry, a sandpaper rasp. “You said Skylar Moore is your wife?” “Damn right!” I lifted my head, forcing the boiling rage down into a cold, hard knot. I met his eyes. “What a coincidence. Because I am Skylar Moore’s legal, notarized, seven-years-and-counting husband.” Travis laughed, a sharp, dismissive sound, as if I’d just told a terrible joke. “Who doesn’t know that the Martins’ golden boy, the Son-in-Law, is me, Travis Stone? Where did a scrub like you crawl out of, trying to pull a stunt like this?” His voice was loud, ensuring the cluster of neighbors who’d gathered due to the commotion could hear. They started murmuring. “Who is that guy? Causing a scene on Christmas Eve?” “The Martins’ son-in-law is little Travis, right? He’s here every year, we all know him!” “Unbelievable. Some people will try to exploit the rich any way they can. Impersonating a husband now?” The neighbors’ comments were like needles dipped in ice. For seven years, every holiday, every family event, she’d claimed to be too busy—critical partners, emergency projects. I’d always believed her, felt sorry for her relentless schedule, even poured money into her company to ease the burden. I’d quietly invested at least $15 million, creating and patenting ninety percent of the core technology that built MooreTech. Yet, she was always too busy for me. And now I knew why. She hadn’t been working; she’d been here, playing house with her lover. Travis looked at me with open scorn. “You pathetic wannabe. You think you can swagger around here? I can make one call, and MooreTech will make sure your family loses everything.” My family. For Skylar’s dream, I had put my own life on hold, refusing to inherit the Graham Group, choosing to work anonymously from our home office, pouring my genius and my capital into lifting MooreTech into a major player. And now this little sneak, a mid-level manager’s kid, was using my company to threaten me. All reason snapped. I lunged forward. My fist slammed into the center of his arrogant face. A sickening thud and Travis cried out, stumbling back and hitting the doorframe. Blood instantly gushed from his nose. “He’s hitting him!” a neighbor shrieked. “He attacked our Martins’ son-in-law! Get him out of here!” Several men who had clearly been drinking their Christmas punch rushed forward, yelling. “Everyone on him! Get this troublemaker out! Protect Travis!” Four or five guys swarmed me. Fists flew, someone grabbed my arm. I was quickly overpowered and pinned to the cold ground. Travis, his eyes red and his face already swelling, grabbed a rusty snow shovel propped against the wall. “You’re going to regret that, asshole!” He raised the shovel high over his head, ready to bring it down. Just then, the commotion brought the rest of the occupants rushing out. The moment Skylar saw me, her face went utterly, terrifyingly pale. “Spencer Graham! What are you doing here?!” That gasp stopped Travis mid-swing. Skylar stood there, frozen. Mr. and Mrs. Martin—my in-laws—stumbled out behind her, faces flushed with wine. I didn’t answer. I just looked at her, then at the stunned faces of her parents. My mother-in-law frowned, studying me critically. “Who is this man, Skylar? Fighting on our doorstep? Do you know him?” My father-in-law, his face suddenly stern, glanced at me, pinned on the ground. His voice was laced with menace. “Some piece of trash causing trouble at the Martin home?” I managed a choked, hoarse laugh. “Seven years. Are you so forgetful, old man, that you don’t recognize your own son-in-law? Did the gourmet holiday baskets I sent you every year just get thrown out with the garbage?” My mother-in-law’s eyes widened, a flicker of memory passing through them, but she quickly masked it with outrage. “Stop your nonsense! We have never met you! Don’t you dare try to claim kin here!” My father-in-law instantly backed her up, pointing at me for the neighbors. “We only have one son-in-law, Travis! He comes every year; you all know him! This man? We’ve never seen him before in our lives!” “Hear that, trash?” one of the men holding me down sneered. “The Martins don’t even know you. You have no shame, man.” Skylar’s face was a mottled mix of red and white. She finally spoke, her voice strained. “Spencer, just leave. We can talk about this later.” “Later?” I wrenched against the men holding me, forcing them to tighten their grip. I stared up at her, my eyes blazing. “Right now. In front of everyone. Tell me the truth. Am I, Spencer Graham, your husband or not?” Skylar’s lips trembled. Her gaze darted everywhere but to mine. She couldn’t speak. The neighbors exchanged nervous glances, their murmuring growing louder. The deadlock was broken by a child’s high-pitched cry. “Bad man! Don’t you dare hurt my Mommy and Daddy!” A little boy, maybe five or six, rushed out of the house, scrambling into Travis’s arms. He turned and spread his tiny arms wide, trying to shield Travis and Skylar. He glared at me. “You’re a bad man! Go away! Don’t touch my Mommy and Daddy!” Mommy and Daddy? I stared blankly at the child, then slowly turned my stiff neck to Skylar. She instinctively pulled the boy tight into her embrace, burying her face in his small shoulder. “It’s okay, baby. Mommy’s here. Mommy’s here…” Skylar had told me she was infertile. That she couldn’t carry a child. Looking at the boy’s face, so strikingly like hers, I let out a cold, hollow sound that might have been a laugh. She wasn’t infertile. She just couldn’t have children with me. The neighbors, emboldened by Skylar’s hesitation, grew bolder in their whispers. “No way. Is Skylar actually cheating? This man tracked her down?” “Must be. Little Travis is a good man, and they have a child! How could Skylar do this?” “The Martin girl always seemed so respectable. Tsk. You never know what people are like behind closed doors.” Hearing the gossip, the Martins’ faces turned the color of bruised plums. Mrs. Martin shrieked, pointing her finger right at my nose. “Silence! What are you all saying?! My Skylar is a respectable woman!” Her chest heaved, and she pointed at me again. “This man is a liar! He’s a nobody! He drives a faded, old Volvo, for God’s sake! My daughter is the CEO of MooreTech. Why would she ever look twice at a loser like him?” Mr. Martin stepped forward, his voice vicious. “Look at this little opportunist. Clearly trying to break up a family. Travis is our real son-in-law—the son of a major MooreTech partner! Young and rich! Nobody would choose this bum over him!” They piled on the insults, tearing me down while elevating Travis to the heavens. But one line snagged in my mind. The son of a major partner? Every major partner MooreTech had was a subsidiary of the Graham Group, my family’s empire. None of them were named Stone. Before I could process the thought, Skylar’s face had reached a fever pitch of panic. The gossip and her parents’ hysterical defense had pushed her to the wall. She suddenly lifted her head, making a clear decision. She thrust the little boy into her mother’s arms, pointed at me, and shouted: “Spencer Graham! Are you done yet?! How many times have I told you? We are finished!” “I have a family now—a husband, a son! Can you stop chasing me around like a crazy ex? Is this pathetic stalking really worth it? Have you no shame at all?” Travis, who had been listening, first looked confused, then a triumphant realization dawned on him. He rushed over, his arm swinging wide, and delivered a sharp, cracking slap across my face. CRACK! My cheek stung with fire, and my ears rang. Travis pointed at my nose, spittle flying. He looked righteous, furious. “So, you’re the pathetic loser Skylar mentioned! The obsessive ex who wouldn’t leave her alone! I heard she had some worthless guy constantly harassing her, but I didn’t know it was this bad! You have the audacity to show up here?! I’ll teach you a lesson you won’t forget!” He was truly enraged now. He lifted his foot and kicked me hard in the ribs. The force of the blow felt like my internal organs had shifted. I coughed, spitting a mouthful of blood onto the ground. I gathered all my remaining strength and struggled, finally breaking free from the men holding me. “Skylar! If Travis is your husband, then show everyone your marriage license! Let’s see the certificate!” To my surprise, Travis didn’t look panicked. He adjusted the collar I’d messed up with my punch, then reached into his car, pulled out a document, and threw it with a slap at my feet. “Open your pathetic eyes and look.” “This is our marriage license. Stamped by the State Registrar. What more do you need to see, huh?” My own marriage license with Skylar was a special issue I’d secured using my family’s influence. I knew it couldn’t be duplicated. That meant this one was fake. I looked up and sneered. “Skylar. You’re willing to forge a state document to keep this lie going?” I gestured to the red booklet. “How about we drive down to the Precinct right now? Let’s have it authenticated on the spot.” “Fine! I’m not scared of you!” Travis shouted, but I saw a faint, fleeting flicker of nervousness deep in his eyes. Just then, the wail of approaching sirens cut through the tense silence. Two police cruisers screeched to a halt outside the gate. A few officers stepped out. The one in charge, Chief Reynolds, frowned at the chaos and the mob of people. “What is going on here? Who called this in? A public brawl on Christmas?” Mr. Martin hurried over, already offering the Chief a cigarette with practiced ease. “Chief Reynolds! Ah, you shouldn’t have been bothered. Nothing to worry about. Just some lunatic causing trouble at our family gathering. A small misunderstanding! Nothing more!” The Chief took the cigarette and looked toward Skylar, his demeanor softening. “Mr. Martin, it’s the holiday season. The brass is making rounds. Keep it quiet.” My heart sank. That familiarity—the relationship was clearly compromised. While the attention was on the police, I gritted my teeth against the pain and fumbled in my pocket. With my non-dominant hand, I quickly tapped out a message with my location to Damon Lewis, my father’s Chief of Staff. A young officer walked over to me. “What’s the problem? Why were you fighting?” I took a shaky breath, trying to sound calm. I pointed to the fake license on the ground. “Officer, I am Spencer Graham, Skylar Moore’s legal husband. This man, Travis Stone, has been having a long-term affair with my wife, forged a marriage license, and just committed assault and battery against me. I demand that you authenticate that document and press charges.” Before I finished, Chief Reynolds ambled over, picked up the license, flipped through it casually, and glanced at Travis. Travis gave him a quick, meaningful nod. The Chief snapped the license shut, tossed it back to Travis, and turned to me, his voice oozing disdain. “Nonsense. I’ve seen enough of these things. It looks genuine. Son, I think you’re the one causing trouble. Trying to shake down the successful CEO for money, aren’t you?” My last shred of hope dissolved. They were bought. “You won’t even follow basic protocol! You determine its authenticity with a glance? That’s corruption!” I spat out. “Watch your tone!” Chief Reynolds thundered, pointing at me. “You’re asking for trouble! Cuff him! Take him back to the station. We’ll figure out what a disruptive individual like you is doing here, stirring up lies!” Two officers moved forward to grab my arms. “Chief, Chief, easy now.” Travis stepped forward, a phony look of concern on his face. “It’s just a domestic issue. No need to bring the full weight of the law on him. We’ll handle it in-house. I’ll stop by the station later to thank you personally.” Chief Reynolds waved his hand dismissively. “Fine. If it’s family business, handle it. We’ll wait down the road.” He gave me a pointed look and, with the other officers, got back into the cruisers. As soon as the police left, the atmosphere in the yard changed instantly. The neighbors, having seen the police confirm the license and side with the man who knew the Chief, looked at me with open contempt. Travis cracked his knuckles and walked toward me. Skylar followed. “Spencer, I warned you. You chose to humiliate yourself. Don’t blame us for what happens next.” Mr. Martin spat on the ground near my head. “Worthless pig. Almost shamed my daughter! Get out of here!” Mrs. Martin chimed in with cruel glee: “Skylar, Travis! What is there to say to him? Just teach him that he can’t cross the Martins!” “Hear that?” Travis seized my collar and dragged me roughly to the center of the yard. “The in-laws have spoken. Today, I teach you respect!” Before I could brace myself, a heavy fist landed squarely in my abdomen. I doubled over in pain, and he brought his knee up, smashing it into my face. Blood sprayed instantly. My vision turned red. “That one’s for Skylar! For harassing and stalking her like a parasite!” “This kick is for me! For daring to lay a hand on me, you bastard!” His blows rained down—brutal but calculated to hurt without killing. “And this one is for my son! For trying to destroy his happy home!” As Travis stepped back, winded, and I tried to push myself up, Skylar walked over. She ground the sharp toe of her stiletto heel down onto my outstretched fingers. A searing, gut-wrenching agony escaped my throat in a strangled cry. “Does that hurt, Spencer?” she asked softly, looking down at me. “For seven years, I watched you pretend to be a homebody doing ‘research,’ acting like you sacrificed everything for me. It made me sick. Love doesn’t pay the bills.” Mr. Martin walked over and spat a thick wad of phlegm next to my head. “Hmph. A man who drives an old Volvo? You didn’t deserve my daughter. You should have been gone years ago!” Travis, exhausted from the beating, signaled the two men who had held me earlier. “Get him on his feet.” They dragged me up, every part of me screaming in pain. Travis stood close, patting my bloodied, swollen cheek with his hand. “See the police? If I say the certificate is real, it’s real. If I say you’re a trespasser, you’re a trespasser. I could leave you broken in this yard, and I’d still walk away clean.” Watching his smug, delusional arrogance, I managed a slow, cold smile. The timing was right. Since the day I was born, no one had dared to be this brazen with me. I was curious to see how many legs he had left to stand on. “What the hell are you laughing at?” Seeing my smile, Travis grabbed my collar and violently slammed the back of my head against the wall. My vision flashed white, then a spreading crimson. “You will regret this…” My voice was weak, but I forced my eyes up to his. Travis looked down with scorn, chuckling. “Ha! I regret? How could I possibly—” He stopped mid-sentence. His eyes went wide as he stared over my head. The rest of his sentence caught in his throat. I smiled again. “Are you sure?”

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I’ve been with this company for eight years, and my salary has been stuck at $3,000. Everyone says I can’t leave and that I’m a simp for my boss, Jennifer Jiang. Today is the 99th time I’ve asked for a raise. Jennifer gave me the same old line: “The company’s performance isn’t great right now. Wait a little longer.” The next day, however, I saw the company publicly recruiting interns online with a salary of $30,000—ten times mine! And on the intern’s first day, Jennifer put him at my desk. Only then did I realize I had been replaced! I turned around and jumped ship to a rival company as a director. Whoever wants to stay in this crappy company can stay! 1 “Ms. Jiang, I’m requesting a raise!” “Who allowed you to come in? Did you get my permission? Don’t think just because you’re an old timer you can do whatever you want! I can fire you anytime!” I softened my tone and repeated myself. This was the 99th time I had asked Jennifer for a raise. “The market is down, and the company isn’t doing well. You dare make demands at a time like this? You should be grateful I haven’t cut your pay. Why don’t you look outside? Where else can you find a boss like me?” “My salary has been $3,000 forever…” I felt ashamed even saying it out loud. “Aren’t you satisfied? So many people are fighting to get into this company, and I haven’t let them in. I kept you off the layoff list every time because you’re a veteran employee. Who do you think you are? Do you think the company can’t function without you?” Jennifer was aggressive, poking my forehead with her finger. I was dizzy from the pain but suppressed my emotions. “Ms. Jiang, I’ve always been grateful to the company and you, but I have to live too. I’m having a hard time right now.” “Chen, sometimes you have to look for the reason within yourself. It’s been so many years, why hasn’t your salary gone up? Is it because you haven’t worked hard enough?” Jennifer’s quote of a “famous saying” made me sneer. I’ve been with this company for eight years, witnessing its growth from zero to one. Even if I’m not a founding member, I’m at least a veteran. How many times have I worked overnight on proposals, even to the point of gastric bleeding? Because of this, I have a certain attachment to the company, and many clients only trust me. And for Jennifer, I also had special feelings. Now her “not working hard enough” chilled my heart. As I was leaving, a sentence floated from behind: “Starting next month, I’ll add $50 to your salary!” $50? Is she dismissing a beggar? Passing the break room, whispers came from inside: “I say Charlie Chen is a coward! Being scolded like that by Ms. Jiang and he doesn’t dare make a peep.” “He just can’t leave the company. I say he’s a dog, Ms. Jiang’s lapdog. comes when called, leaves when waved away!” “How could Ms. Jiang possibly be interested in him? He should take a look in the mirror. A toad wanting to eat swan meat, hahaha…” Indeed, in Jennifer’s eyes, old employees are dogs! I clenched my fists and walked quietly back to my desk. In the early morning, I received a call from Jennifer in my sleep. “I want to see the Starjoy proposal tomorrow!” “Ms. Jiang, the deadline for that proposal is next Monday, and now it’s…” “If you can’t do it, get lost! My company doesn’t keep idle people!” “Ms. Jiang, I can’t help it.” “Chen, do you know how hard it was for me to start this company alone? How much effort I put into it? You should be considerate of me!” Jennifer spoke with a hint of drunkenness. I softened and compromised again. “Ms. Jiang, don’t drink. It’s bad for your health.” Jennifer turned hostile faster than flipping a page. “Charlie Chen, who do you think you are? Bossing me around now! Are you worthy of saying that? Let me tell you, I kept you in the company because I thought highly of you. Believe it or not, I can hire ten or eight people like you tomorrow!” Whether I believed it or not, the next day I saw the company publicly recruiting interns online, with a salary of $30,000, ten times mine! I rushed into Jennifer’s office again. “Ms. Jiang, I need an explanation for the company’s recruitment post.” Jennifer crossed her arms, sneered, her eyes full of disdain. 2 “Since when does the company need to explain its decisions to an ordinary employee? Do you really think the company is yours? What kind of thing are you? Look at yourself!” “Why is the intern position salary $30,000, while I’ve worked for eight years and it’s always been $3,000?” My voice trembled uncontrollably. “What do you know? Salary isn’t matched by length of work. For a company to develop, it must bring in new blood, and conforming to market rules requires higher labor costs. Every company is the same.” Jennifer’s tone softened a bit. “So the costs are deducted from us old employees?” Jennifer slammed the table and stood up, overbearing: “Charlie Chen, don’t be ungrateful! I said, plenty of people are waiting to get in. Do it if you can, get out if you can’t!” “Ms. Jiang, I want a raise. I can’t live like this anymore.” unwilling to give up, I still held illusions about Jennifer. “Didn’t I say I’d add $50 starting next month? Be grateful and don’t push your luck! Only staring at money all day, can you do your job well? Look at what you’ve done? It’s garbage! Take it back and redo it!” Jennifer threw the file forward. I couldn’t dodge in time, and it hit me squarely in the face. I felt a burning pain. I knew she was deliberately finding fault. The proposal for cooperation with Starjoy Group had long been finalized; I just added a few details last night. I pushed open the door, and everyone’s eyes were on me. Jennifer’s assistant, Linda, walked over with a look of superiority: “Ms. Jiang just notified me to rearrange your workstation.” “Where is my new workstation?” Linda smiled insincerely, pointing towards the restroom door. That wasn’t a workstation; it was clearly a temporary table and chair added. “This is the new intern, Julian Zhang. Ms. Jiang wants you to train him first and hand over your work to him later!” Linda’s matter-of-fact face disgusted me. So, I was replaced! “I don’t agree!” I gritted my teeth. “If you don’t obey management, I’ll have Ms. Jiang fire you immediately. Anyway, no one wants you out there. Let’s see what you’ll do then!” Linda was abusing her power. She hadn’t been in the company long, but she always looked down on all old employees, thinking they were wasting company resources. “Hey you, organize all client information for me.” Julian sat at my desk immediately, bossing me around. “Hey! You’re Mr. Xu, right? From now on, I’ll be your contact for your company. Charlie Chen is out of it!” This idiot was eager to prove himself, shouting at clients, not even distinguishing if they were male or female. Just wait to be scolded, moron! I laughed secretly. Sure enough, Jennifer, who received a dozen complaint calls in a row, stormed over angrily. “Do you have a brain? Making such mistakes? I think you’re an idiot! Won’t stop until you ruin the company!” I was stunned for a moment. 3 Jennifer was pointing at me? The person she scolded was me! Everyone looked like they were watching a good show, and Julian smiled smugly. “Ms. Jiang, Julian made the calls.” “Couldn’t you stop him? What does he know as an intern? Didn’t I tell you to train him well? You ungrateful wretch! The company raised you for so many years, is this how you repay the company?” I was too angry to speak, almost crushing my molars. “Ms. Jiang, Charlie told me to do it.” Julian glanced at me maliciously. “Charlie Chen made a major work error, deduct 50% of this month’s salary! Julian performed excellently, converted to full-time immediately and promoted to Marketing Director.” This is simply turning black into white! “Thank you, Ms. Jiang. I will serve the company well in the future.” “See that? If some old salted fish in the company don’t correct their attitude, not working hard all day but only thinking about raises, I’ll let them go immediately!” Jennifer glared at me fiercely, pointing fingers. Days later, Mr. Wang, the head of Starjoy Group, came to discuss cooperation matters and specified to Jennifer that he wanted to deal with me. “Ms. Jiang, what kind of bird is that Charlie Chen! He has no ability at all. Let me receive Mr. Wang.” Julian volunteered and walked into the reception room arrogantly, only to return dejectedly. “Ms. Jiang wants you to receive Mr. Wang!” “Director, that’s your job. I’m just a errand boy now.” I didn’t even look at Julian. “Do you need Ms. Jiang to invite you personally before you go? Who do you think you are? Not going is dereliction of duty. Do you still want to stay in the company?” I ignored him. “Chen, Mr. Wang is waiting for you, hurry over!” Jennifer appeared behind me. “Ms. Jiang, such an important matter should of course be handled by the Director. I’m afraid I can’t do it well.” “I told you to go, so go! Do you really not want to work anymore? Taking yourself too seriously!” Seeing I didn’t speak, Jennifer got a bit anxious: “If the cooperation with Starjoy falls through, the company will be greatly affected, maybe even go bankrupt.” “That’s your business.” “Chen, can you be considerate of me? It’s not easy for a woman like me. So many people rely on the company for food. I can’t watch it collapse. Since you are an old employee, of course you don’t want this to happen, right?” Looking at Jennifer, my heart softened again. The negotiation with Mr. Wang went smoothly. Mr. Wang was very satisfied with my proposal, agreed to the quote on the spot, and agreed to sign the contract three days later. As soon as Mr. Wang was sent off, Jennifer changed her face immediately. “Is there something wrong with your brain? Just now Mr. Wang said sign in three days, why didn’t you say today?” “Ms. Jiang, I am an ordinary employee with a salary of only 3,000. I have no right to make any decisions.” Julian looked fawning, whispering in Jennifer’s ear: “Ms. Jiang, now only the contract signing is left. I can go then. He’s useless now.” “I think you did it on purpose! I know what’s in your heart. You just don’t want the company to do well, you heartless ingrate!” Jennifer glared at me coldly. Burning the bridge after crossing it, discarding after use! 4 “If I didn’t want the company to do well, I wouldn’t have gone to talk to Mr. Wang just now.” “Really amazing! You think the company can’t function without you, right? Hmph! Don’t flatter yourself! Outside the company, you are nothing!” “I never thought that!” “Don’t think I don’t know what’s on your mind, Charlie Chen. Let me tell you, I will never be interested in you in this life! With your poor look, you’re not even fit to carry my shoes!” Jennifer’s eyes showed obvious disgust. “Do you mean it?” My eyes reddened, asking unwillingly. “In my eyes, you are worse than a dog! I only feel disgusted! The man I want must be rich and powerful. Look at yourself! Even if all the men in the world died, I wouldn’t look at you!” At this moment, my heart for Jennifer died completely, and the affection in my heart disappeared. My face was ashen: “Okay, then I resign.” “As if I’m afraid of you resigning! Let me tell you, if you dare step out of this company door, don’t ever come back!” Jennifer’s face was livid, pointing to the door. “Okay!” I pulled out a sneer. At the peak of anger, I became calm instead. “I warn you, don’t come back kneeling and begging me then. I will never give you any chance!” Jennifer was certain I wouldn’t leave. “Ms. Jiang, he’s threatening you with resignation! He’s been shameless in the company for so many years, how could he leave?” I stared dead at Julian’s villainous successful look. “Who would want such a person outside? Maybe he can’t find a job then and can only sweep streets or guard gates. Isn’t that a watchdog! Hahaha…” Julian laughed more and more rampantly. That night, I called Mr. Fang, the boss of Sunhigh Group. “Mr. Fang, I agree to be the planning director at your company.” “Chen, great. Young people should venture out more, and I value your character and ability. Come over, salary starts at 50,000.” I could hear the unconcealable excitement in Mr. Fang’s tone. “Thank you, Mr. Fang!” At this moment, I felt incredibly relaxed. Early the next morning, my phone kept ringing. It turned out to be a group privately formed by former colleagues, without Jennifer. “Heard Charlie Chen failed to woo Ms. Jiang and got scolded badly. Deserved it! With his loser look!” “Exactly! Dared to go against Julian. He’s Ms. Jiang’s relative. Charlie Chen is a big idiot! Staying in the company for so many years, being nothing!” “Threatening Ms. Jiang with resignation, reckless! But if he really can’t find a job outside, I can point him a way, be a gigolo, sleep with old rich women, hahaha…” I sneered. I used a alt account when joining the group; they thought I wasn’t in it. Suddenly Sarah Shen sent a message: “Charlie Chen is a good person and capable. Don’t say that about him! It’s Ms. Jiang who has eye problems and doesn’t know how to appreciate!” Soon she was attacked by the group. I wasn’t familiar with Sarah Shen. She had always been quiet in the company. Two days later, the company exploded. When signing the contract with Starjoy Group, Julian suddenly demanded a price increase, angering Mr. Wang to flip the table and leave on the spot. Indeed something this idiot Julian would do. He committed a taboo in the industry. I want to see how Jennifer cleans up this mess for him. “Ms. Jiang, Ms. Jiang, good news. Mr. Wang finally agreed to talk to us again, but there is a condition.” “What condition?” Jennifer’s eyes lit up instantly. She was now overwhelmed, having been shut out several times trying to see Mr. Wang.

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According to the plot, I should deliberately fall while going upstairs with my sister, then falsely accuse her of pushing me. Sure enough, as I followed Chloe upstairs, my body fell uncontrollably, rolling down the stairs. My parents and brother looked at me expectantly, waiting to see if I would say the words from my sister’s inner thoughts. But I just calmly got up. “Sorry, didn’t eat enough this morning, just a bit of low blood sugar.” 1 I transmigrated into a novel as the fake heiress of the Thorne Group, Harper Thorne. Because I have the rare Rh-null blood type (Golden Blood), I stayed in the Thorne family as a mobile blood bank for my brother, Archer Thorne. Soon, the protagonist of this world, the real heiress of the Thorne family, Chloe Thorne, was found and brought back. Except for me, the vicious female antagonist, the whole family can hear Chloe’s inner thoughts. According to the plot, I would repeatedly falsely accuse her of bullying me in front of our parents, trying to make them and our brother hate the protagonist. But the protagonist, with the god’s eye view set by the plot, would anticipate my actions and words time and again, making the Thorne family completely lose trust in me. On the first day Chloe returned, my parents asked me to take her to see the room prepared upstairs. I recalled the plot. At this moment, the whole family should have heard Chloe’s inner thoughts. And they were waiting to see if things would develop as Chloe said. I wanted to go against the plot, but my body suddenly fell down the stairs uncontrollably. The moment I rolled down the stairs to the floor, I saw disappointment clearly in the eyes of my parents and brother. They were all waiting for me to speak; no one came to help me up. I could only hold my waist and stand up myself, saying awkwardly: “Sorry, didn’t eat enough this morning, just a bit of low blood sugar.” Chloe asked me in surprise: “Are you trying to say I pushed you, but you don’t know why, and asking Mom and Dad not to be angry?” My parents and Archer also looked at me with scrutiny. I just leaned weakly against the wall and retorted: “Do you have a persecution complex? I said I have low blood sugar.” Then I looked at my brother Archer pitifully: “Sorry, brother, I will take care of my body as soon as possible and won’t let any accidents happen to you.” Hearing this, Archer and my parents came over to help me up distressedly. Eighteen years ago, their daughter Chloe was quietly taken into the mountains by bad people. The old couple was heartbroken. To alleviate their grief, they adopted me, who also had the rare blood type, from the orphanage. For eighteen years, they cultivated and loved me like their own daughter. But at the same time, this cultivation and love had a purpose. Firstly, I could serve the Thorne Group. Secondly, I could act as Archer’s mobile blood bank. Archer likes racing and is a professional racer. Every time he was seriously injured and needed blood, it was naturally provided by me. That’s why the Thorne couple cared for me so much, and Archer treated me like a biological sister. 2 Mother Thorne gently pulled me: “Harper, your health is indeed not good. From now on, you can have the big room on the first floor.” In the original plot, Chloe had just been found, and the family hadn’t had time to tidy up a room. The original owner, to show her magnanimity and sensibleness in front of the family, offered to give her room to Chloe. The original owner herself moved into the utility room to play the victim, wanting to arouse their sympathy. But unexpectedly, Mother Thorne offered the largest room on the first floor, which was also the study for the old couple, to me. Chloe started complaining in her heart: “She will definitely refuse, saying she is an outsider anyway, and insist on living in the utility room to act pitiful.” Hearing Chloe’s inner thoughts, the expressions of my parents and brother were a bit awkward. They looked at my reaction again in unison. I reached out and hugged Mother Thorne, acting coquettishly happily: “Mom, you are the best. Harper likes Mom the most. Then I’ll live in this room downstairs. Not only is it convenient to get in and out, but I can also be closer to brother.” The Thorne couple and Archer’s rooms were all on the first floor. Now I moved to the first floor too, leaving Chloe alone in the room upstairs. Seeing that I didn’t follow the script’s lines, she seemed a bit strange. She grabbed my arm and pressed: “Didn’t you want to refuse and insist on living in the utility room? Why did you suddenly change your mind?” She completely couldn’t understand why I didn’t speak according to the lines in the script. I also discovered this. Only when triggering key plot points would my behavior be uncontrollably following the plot development. But verbal expression, what I said, was completely controlled by myself. “Which ear heard me say I want to live in the utility room? Why would I live in a utility room when there’s a perfectly good room available?” Everyone looked at Chloe strangely too. Unable to bear the pressure, Chloe angrily pushed me down: “No, you are not a Thorne at all. Why do you occupy my identity for more than ten years? Why do you get the biggest room when I come back? You are deliberately humiliating me. Why bring me back?” She sprayed indiscriminately at the Thorne couple and Archer, venting the grievances she suffered over the years. But what did her getting lost have to do with me? I was adopted from the orphanage by the Thorne family later. Archer helped me up from the ground distressedly and shouted at Chloe: “Don’t push your luck. Losing your temper and pushing people at the drop of a hat, where is the upbringing of a girl? In my opinion, you must have pushed Harper just now too.” Chloe grew up in the mountains. Hearing Archer scold her, she unceremoniously sprayed back with profanities. The Thorne couple got a headache listening, especially the head of the family, Arthur Thorne. “Alright, enough!” “It’s most important for Harper to recover. She lives on the first floor. All the rooms on the entire second floor belong to you. You can renovate them however you want. Is this fair?” Archer snorted coldly, and Mother Thorne wiped her tears. Hearing that the whole second floor belonged to her, an area several times larger than mine, Chloe was immediately speechless. Soon the house was going to be renovated again. My room just needed to be arranged simply as before. But Chloe’s second floor was simply a huge project. Not only a separate walk-in closet but also a study, computer room, and separate bathroom. The noisy sound of renovation disturbed everyone’s peace. Except for Archer arguing with her, no one said anything about her. It took half a month of tossing and turning to stop. 3 With the room settled, her wardrobe was still empty, so Mother Thorne gave her a card as pocket money for a year. “Chloe, I used to give Harper and Archer 1 million a year as pocket money. We owed you for the past 18 years, so making up for the past, there is a total of 20 million in this card. You can spend it however you want.” Chloe rejected the card and said coldly: “Lost family affection cannot be made up with money. I don’t want your money.” Archer, looking at his phone aside, snorted coldly: “What fake nobility are you pretending? If she doesn’t want it, give it to Harper.” Stimulated, Chloe started complaining internally: “Give it to her, give it all to her. Do you think this Harper Thorne is a good person? She will soon tamper with Archer’s race. When the car crashes and Archer’s life hangs by a thread, she will use the bitter trick of donating blood to win the complete trust of the Thorne couple.” “When you give all the property of the Thorne Group to Harper Thorne, she will completely dump you. By then, you will all be begging on the streets.” Hearing her say this, Archer hesitated with the card he was handing to me. The Thorne couple also looked at me with some wariness. I calmly took out the card my parents gave me before and handed it to Chloe: “You said I occupied your position for more than ten years. You don’t want what Mom and Dad make up for you. Then do you want my card if I give it to you?” Chloe glared at me and unceremoniously snatched the card from my hand: “It was mine originally. You should return it to me.” Seeing me do this, my parents’ wariness dropped a lot. Archer realized he almost believed her words. Guiltily taking out his card: “Harper, don’t lower yourself to her level. Use my card if you need money. Let’s use it together.” I accepted his kindness with a smile. I really don’t know why the original owner wanted to harm this brother who was partial to her. Isn’t it good to live a happy life as a slacker? Why create trouble! 4 Then Mother Thorne took me and Chloe to the mall. According to the plot, I would initially enthusiastically pick out various luxurious clothes and jewelry for Chloe. But when leaving the mall, I would deliberately hide things in Chloe’s bag to make her lose face. Triggering the key plot, I could only let my body uncontrollably slip an exquisite and expensive watch into Chloe’s bag quietly. I wanted to take it to the counter to pay, but couldn’t move an inch. Seeing my strange appearance, Chloe started complaining internally: “Harper Thorne just looks down on me growing up in the mountains, deliberately hiding unpaid items in my bag, and also slandering me for having no upbringing.” Mother Thorne saw my unusual expression and also became suspicious. Chloe walked closer and grabbed her bag: “Let’s go!” She pulled me and Mother Thorne towards the store exit. Sure enough, the alarm at the door rang. Mother Thorne looked at me in disbelief instantly. The store’s sales clerk also stopped us: “Sorry, please stay. Are there other unpaid items in your bags?” Cold sweat ran down my back, heart pounding. Chloe looked at me smugly and said: “I don’t know. How about checking our bags?” The staff first rummaged in her bag and indeed found a precious watch in the interlayer, with the price tag still on it. Mother Thorne’s eyes couldn’t hide the shock. Her hand pointed tremblingly at the watch: “This watch isn’t…” But the sales clerk interrupted her coldly first: “Sorry, this watch is not from our store. I’ll put it back for you. Please open both your bags for us to check, okay?” The sales clerk put away Chloe’s bag and handed it back to her. Her eyes widened like copper bells. Wasn’t this a stolen watch? Why give it back to her? Until checking my bag, a diamond brooch was found. Turns out the thief was me. The sales clerk couldn’t believe it and said seriously: “Miss, your behavior is suspected of theft. We can call the police.” I lowered my head in shame. Mother Thorne stepped forward to bail me out: “Sorry, this child hasn’t been in good spirits these two days. Must have forgotten to pay. Our family can afford any jewelry, not to the point of stealing.” Mother Thorne and I often came to this store to buy things and knew the sales clerks here. They also didn’t believe such a wealthy family like the Thornes would steal. The sales clerk also said sensibly: “Must be Miss Harper was distracted and forgot, so put it in the bag. I’ll go issue the invoice for you, wait two minutes.” Just as this matter was about to end, Chloe stopped the sales clerk from leaving. She pointed at me and shouted loudly: “She stole it on purpose. Originally wanted to put it in my bag to frame me. Don’t know why she hid it in her own bag again. Don’t be fooled, okay?” The sales clerk looked at our parent, Mother Thorne, looking a bit awkward. Mother Thorne also speechlessly pulled her: “Stop making a scene, Chloe.” But Chloe refused to give up. She took out the watch with the tag still on from her bag: “If you don’t believe, look. She must have stolen this watch from another store and put it in my bag.” When she said this, the people around looked at me unkindly. Chloe took the opportunity to grab my hand: “Are you going to slander me that I stole it? Say it! Can you stop pretending?” Hearing people around whispering: didn’t expect two dignified rich young ladies to steal while shopping. The reputation of both daughters was damaged. Mother Thorne scolded sternly: “Enough, Chloe.”

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After graduating from college, I dedicated myself to entrepreneurship. Yet, my best friend, Mike Chen, always seemed to make ten times more money than I did with ease. I made a thousand; he made ten thousand. I made a hundred thousand; he made a million. After working day and night for a whole year, I finally saved up a hundred thousand dollars, but he would turn around and show off a million-dollar balance on Instagram. My wife cursed me for this, despising me as a useless loser. I worked so hard that I slept no more than four hours a day, while Mike could make money just by lying at home. In the end, I died in a car accident due to exhaustion, my death was gruesome. On the day of my funeral, my parents fainted from crying, but my wife, who had always scolded me for being useless, turned around and ran into Mike’s arms. She said happily: “Mike, your system is so good, it really can make so much money easily!” Only then did I understand that all the problems lay with this system. When I opened my eyes again, I was back on the day of the car accident. 1 “Arthur Jiang, can you be a bit more promising? Look at Mike, he makes money just sitting at home!” “How can someone like you afford to support me? Go to work now!” The angry scolding in my ears brought me back to my senses. Looking at Chloe Lin’s angry face, I realized with a start that I had been reborn to the time before the car accident. Seeing me dazed, she became even angrier and actually pinched my arm directly. Her sharp manicured nails dug fiercely into my flesh, making me gasp in pain. “What are you dazing for? If you don’t go to work and make money, I’ll divorce you!” Seeing Chloe about to pinch me again, I shook off her hand. She fell to the ground, shocked and furious: “You, you dare to hit me!” “Arthur Jiang, I want a divorce!” If it were before, hearing the word divorce would make me tremble all over and immediately coax her. As long as she used divorce as a threat, I would be willing to do anything, more obedient than a lapdog! But now, my expression was cold and solemn, and I even had the mood to smile: “Fine, let’s divorce then.” The woman who usually bossed me around suddenly lost her arrogance. She pulled my hand and acted coquettishly: “I was just joking with you, why did you take it seriously?” “I just want you to work hard like Mike and give me a better life.” Chloe had exquisite features, and when she acted coquettishly, men had no power to resist. A soft sentence could make one want to pluck the stars from the sky for her. Among these people, I would definitely not be included now. I slowly pulled her hand away and replied coldly: “I’m going to sleep in the room now, don’t disturb me.” Seeing this, she obviously became more anxious, even dragging me to prevent me from leaving: “Don’t you have a very important client to meet this afternoon? What will happen to him if you don’t go?” In my previous life, I had an accident on the way to meet a client. Because of a month of high-intensity non-stop work, my spirit had reached its most exhausted point. But Chloe didn’t want me to rest. If I rested, I would be scolded by her. It wasn’t until I died that I knew the truth. It turned out that Mike had bonded with a so-called system. As long as I worked hard to make money, he could easily make ten times more money than me. What’s more disgusting is that my health deteriorated because of work, but he could borrow my life to become long-lived and healthy. I worked like a horse for ten years, but in the end, my white-haired parents had to send off their black-haired son, grief-stricken. Mike, however, relied on the system to thrive, building his success on my bones. Since this is the case, why should I work hard? Isn’t Mike capable of making money? I want to see how much money he can make without me! “Of course I’m not going.” “If you want to make money so much, go yourself.” Chloe’s eyes widened, not expecting my temperament to change so drastically. Seeing her hesitate to speak, I directly closed the door and locked it, isolating that disgusting face. I slept until the next afternoon. 2 The house was empty. I transferred all the hundred thousand dollars I got from this cooperation to my parents’ card. After everything was done, I returned to the company. As a result, as soon as I arrived at the company, Mike and Chloe rushed over. The first thing they did when they saw me was to question me fiercely: “What did you do this afternoon? Why is there a hundred thousand dollars missing from the joint account!” “Hurry up and transfer the money back, half of that money is mine.” Seeing my face look bad, Mike quickly came over to smooth things over: “Chloe is just anxious. You didn’t tell her when transferring money, it’s inevitable for her to overthink.” “It wouldn’t be good if it hurts the relationship between husband and wife.” Listening to his high-sounding words, I sneered: “Is it your place to speak when I argue with my wife?” Mike was stunned, and his face immediately became ugly. Seeing this, Chloe felt distressed immediately, raised her hand high to slap me. “Arthur Jiang, how can you talk like that! Mike is doing this for our own good, how can you not give me even this bit of face?” I turned sideways to dodge her slap, and with a casual push, Chloe fell into Mike’s arms. She stared wide-eyed in disbelief, her voice trembling: “You! You can’t make money and dare to treat me like this, Mike is better than you…” I didn’t need to listen to know what she was going to say. Starting from the first year we dated, she had always compared me with Mike. In front of others, she often embarrassed me. Over the years, I was tamed by her to become gradually inferior and cowardly, completely manipulated by her. Therefore, I often felt guilty towards her, thinking I hadn’t given her a better life. Looking back now, all this is bullshit! I glanced at her indifferently: “Since he is so good, then marry him.” “I see Mike likes you quite a bit too, why don’t you two get together and spare me from harm.” Hearing this, Chloe struggled out of Mike’s arms, her tone sharp: “How can you think of me like this? Mike is my benefactor, we just have a pure friendship between a man and a woman.” 3 “Only people with dirty minds like you see everything as dirty.” I didn’t time to banter with her, so I just perfunctorily said: “Think whatever you want, don’t hinder my work.” Chloe had always been arrogant and naturally couldn’t stand this anger. Seeing her turn her head to leave with Mike, I didn’t care at all. But Mike pushed her hand away and turned back to smooth things over for me; “Brother Arthur, don’t be angry, we are really innocent.” “Sister-in-law just can’t think it through for a moment, I’ll persuade her for you, but you should transfer this hundred thousand back quickly. A woman’s heart is like a needle in the sea, don’t hurt the harmony because of this.” I looked up at him and handed him a car key: “Mn, go accompany her to relax, return the car to me when you have time.” He took the key, even more satisfied in his heart, and directly pulled Chloe away. Looking at their backs, the questions in my heart grew. Logically speaking, Mike already had a million, why would he value the hundred thousand in my hand so much? Even not hesitating to make a scene in front of me, emphasizing repeatedly to transfer that hundred thousand back. Is it really that important to him? I leaned back in the chair and opened the dash cam player in the phone app. This is a new car I bought, very cherished, so I thought of buying a better dash cam to avoid unclear disputes in case of an accident. Therefore, the dash cam footage is 4K HD and can record all sounds inside the car. I subconsciously held my breath and leaned closer to listen. “Why didn’t you let him go discuss the contract? Do you know how long I planned for this setup! Only if Arthur Jiang dies can we completely possess this money, do you understand?” Chloe’s voice sounded extremely aggrieved: “Why are you in a hurry? Arthur Jiang refused to go himself, could I force him? Besides, isn’t it good to let him live a few more days and earn more money for us.” Mike sighed faintly, his tone even more resentful for her not meeting expectations: “Greed leads to mistakes. The system has pros and cons. If Arthur Jiang transfers money out, I will be punished ten times.” Hearing this, my heart shook. That is to say, Mike lost a whole million! No wonder, I only transferred out a hundred thousand, but it made them so unsettled. Immediately after, my attention was attracted by the next sentence. “So, we must solve this future trouble quickly, understand? The rest depends on you.” Chloe responded coquettishly. “Alright, when have I not done what I promised you? Give me some time, I’ll make sure he doesn’t return tonight!” Mike then smiled lewdly: “Baby, Arthur Jiang hasn’t come home yet, how about we do it here…” Before he finished speaking, the seat was heavily reclined, followed by waves of wet sounds. I directly saved the video of the two’s illicit affair, a surge of hatred rising in my heart. This bitch Chloe Lin, wasted my years of indulgence and care for her. I could indulge her so much because she was the white moonlight I liked since high school. She had exquisite features and excellent grades, a goddess in the hearts of countless people. I valued her too much, worrying about gains and losses in love for her, so I held her in the palm of my hand and loved her for more than ten years. Yielding to her had long become a habit, fearing she would get tired of me and leave me. If I earned a dollar, I wished I could break it into two for her to spend. Even so, she still felt it wasn’t enough and never gave me a good face. Even when my bones were not yet cold, she ran into Mike’s arms. I will always remember them kissing beside the tombstone as if no one was around: “Hubby, I was with him for more than ten years for you, you have to compensate me well.” 4 “Baby, aren’t you afraid of being seen by Arthur Jiang’s soul? Careful he won’t rest in peace.” Chloe laughed coquettishly, tone helpless: “Why should I be afraid of him? Alive, he was just my clinging dog. Dead, he’s just dead.” “In the next life, if I crook my finger, he’ll still crawl over to be my simp.” Recalling her certain tone then, my heart aches. The questions of two lifetimes finally got an explanation. Mike wanted to kill me, and she personally handed him the knife. Can I still expect any true feelings from such a person? I hated them to the extreme, but at this moment I couldn’t expose myself. Divorcing Chloe, she would inevitably take half of my money. I must plan for myself. What’s more, I also want to know what exactly their conspiracy is. That night, Chloe didn’t come home. It wasn’t until early morning that she called me: “Hubby, we’re having a class reunion at Old Friends Bar tonight, do you want to come?” “Everyone says they miss you.” Listening to the noisy bar sounds on the other end of the phone, I pretended to be worried and said: “Then I’ll come now, pick you up by the way.” Places like bars are full of mixed people. Maybe this is the trap she set for me. But I just wanted to see what medicine she was selling in her gourd, so I contacted another important person before driving. Just pushed open the door of the private room, Chloe leaned into my arms bonelessly. I endured the nausea and didn’t push her away directly. She then blinked her watery eyes and said aggrievedly: “Hubby, it was my fault during the day, can you not blame me anymore?” “The person I love most is only you.” In front of so many classmates, I didn’t want to say much either. Mike smiled on the side: “Everyone toast to Arthur Jiang quickly. He is a big boss now. One word from him can arrange jobs for you.” The remaining few people suddenly became eager and came to toast me one after another. I drank a few glasses. After feeling a bit tipsy, I directly refused the rest of the wine. Resultingly, I felt my body becoming abnormally weak, and my mouth was a bit numb. Realizing something was wrong, I prepared to leave.

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I came from a poor background, but was vigorously pursued by the scion of a wealthy Shanghai family. After we got together, I found out that he had been live-streaming his pursuit of me online for fun. Next, he planned to live-stream our “home run” to his rich second-generation friends. Instead of getting angry, I actively agreed to spend the night with him. That night, standing in front of the hidden camera, I pretended to be drunk and said to him: “I have an even prettier side, do you want to see it?” “Julian.” Julian wasn’t him. It was his best buddy. 1 A week after I started dating Sean Song, a friend suddenly sent me a post. “Yvonne, why does this feel like it’s talking about you…” The post was titled “The Aloof Campus Belle, Nothing Special.” The blogger was a guy who made a bet with his bros on how long it would take to catch the campus belle. He live-streamed the entire pursuit process. Day 1, he said: “Honestly, I have zero interest in this kind of woman. Aloof just means not slutty enough. If it weren’t for winning the bet, I wouldn’t bother with her.” Day 10, he said: “She messaged me first, haha, what aloof campus belle, nothing special.” Day 30, he said: “Confession successful, easy win! Seeing her moved look, I almost couldn’t hold back my laughter.” The attached picture was a pair of holding hands. I was too familiar with this hand. Even the mole on the joint was exactly the same as mine. I was sure this was posted by Sean. At the end of the post, some netizens jeered: “Catching her is nothing, show us the home run if you have the guts.” Sean replied confidently: “Just wait.” 2 Sean was a famous rich second generation in our school. Relying on his money, he had endless girlfriends. But I had no interaction with him. A month ago, he suddenly pursued me with great fanfare. Everyone said Young Master Song was serious this time. I was also deceived by his pretense of deep affection. Among them, my roommate Linda Lin contributed greatly. Like now— Linda returned to the dorm. Seeing me, she immediately showed an ambiguous smile: “Yvonne, Sean asked you out tomorrow, why didn’t you agree?” “Busy.” “Oh, what could be more important than your boyfriend?” She leaned close to me, saying attentively, “Sean likes you so much, you should be more enthusiastic, otherwise I’ll feel sorry for him.” “Feel sorry? Then you date him.” Linda was choked by my words. Don’t think I don’t know, she and Sean are in cahoots. In the post just now, I saw Linda’s ID. Stream Winding Forest: [Pursuing so seriously, I’m going to be jealous~] Sean: [Just chasing for fun, if I date you, what’s left for her?] Stream Winding Forest: [Haha, we’re all bros, what are you saying.] Sean: [Others are bros, you are the ancestor.] She and Sean interacted frequently; those who didn’t know would think they were flirting. Looking back on this month, Linda brainwashed me quite a bit. I didn’t want to talk to Linda, so I turned and went into the bathroom. The door wasn’t closed tightly. Soon, Linda’s voice complaining came: “Sean, your girlfriend has such a bad temper, who is she showing attitude to!” Sean’s voice rang out quickly: “She made you angry? Don’t worry, when I dump her, I’ll definitely vent for you.” 3 I knew Sean had a small clique. Inside were a group of playful rich second generations. Linda was the only girl among them. Every night, they would play games together. Sean never invited me. But I knew the room number. At night, I pretended to sleep but hid under the covers, entering the room invisibly. Inside was chattering. Someone asked: “Sean, you’ve caught her now, what do you plan to do next?” “Find a time to dump her.” Sean’s lazy voice came. “Yvonne is quite pretty, really willing to dump her?” “Her family is poor as hell, I don’t want to do charity.” “Pretty is enough, your family doesn’t lack money.” “What do you know, matching social status is still very important.” Linda suddenly spoke up. To prevent me from hearing, she hid behind the curtain, her voice very low. “Right, Julian?” She suddenly cued this person, her tone becoming fawning. The room instantly quieted down. Seemed everyone was waiting for this person’s instruction. “Mn, important.” An exceptionally pleasant voice sounded. Like electricity running through my scalp. Linda was happy: “That means, Julian, you won’t look for a girl like Yvonne?” After a moment’s pause. Julian said absent-mindedly: “Probably not.” 4 I had heard the name Julian before. He was different from ordinary rich second generations. His family not only had money but also power. Although the small clique was arrogant and domineering, they were quite respectful to Julian. Except for Sean. The two of them always competed with each other. Julian spoke very little. After a while, he excused himself as sleepy and went offline early. Once he left, Sean let out a dissatisfied “Damn.” “Why didn’t you say so earlier, if not for him, I wouldn’t have pursued Yvonne!” “What do you mean?” “Just because he said Yvonne looks okay, I, the young master, pursued Yvonne out of spite.” So, Julian was the fuse. Everyone in the room laughed: “You still hold a grudge?” “A year ago, the girl you liked only had eyes for Julian, and you remember it till now.” “Taking away my love, can I not remember?” “It wasn’t Julian’s fault.” Sean tsked: “Forget it, since I chased her, might as well sleep with her.” Others jeered: “With Yvonne like that, she’s probably boring in bed.” “I feel Yvonne won’t sleep with you.” “Questioning my charm?” Sean smiled contemptuously, “She loves me to death now! Just wait, the day of the home run, I’ll live-stream it for you!” After hearing this sentence, I exited the room. Interesting. I hooked the corner of my lips and sent a message to Sean. “Honey, I changed my mind. “Tomorrow, I want to go out with you.”

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I received a confession for my boyfriend on the university’s “confession wall” page that I run. At first, I was happily thinking he was quite a catch, but the next day the girl commented, “Thanks Wall, we’re together now.” I looked at my boyfriend beside me and fell into deep thought. 1 I manage our university’s confession wall account because I find it interesting to watch others confess their love. I didn’t tell anyone that I was the one behind this account because I was worried it would lose its sense of mystery, and also worried about missing out on gossip about my friends. But I never expected that one day I would receive a confession from another girl for my boyfriend. That confession was very simple, roughly saying: “Senior Liam from X College, I like you very much, and I’ve liked you for a long time.” And attached a photo of his back. I would recognize that back even if it were burned to ashes; it was definitely my boyfriend. I originally felt smug, thinking that I had good taste and that the man I chose was actually a hot commodity. Then I didn’t take it seriously and forgot about it. Who would have thought that the next day, this girl would message me privately again. “Thank you, Wall, we are together now. Just came to give feedback, no need to post it.” ??? I looked at my boyfriend who was eating with me and fell into deep contemplation. “Liam, how have you been lately?” He looked up at me slightly blankly, “Huh? Aren’t I with you every day?” Yes, that’s why I’m even more confused. The reason I didn’t take that confession seriously was that in my heart, Liam was absolutely the kind of person who would not cheat. He would report his whereabouts at any time, be on call, and his phone had no password for me to check at any time. We have been together for almost six years, from high school to junior year of college, and even agreed to get married after graduation. I absolutely wouldn’t believe such a person would cheat. So I decided to give him a little trust first and start with that girl to see if she mistook someone or if it was just a misunderstanding. So I created a fake account to add that girl, with the note “Friend of Liam.” Unexpectedly, she accepted very quickly, but the girl seemed very vigilant and just sent a question mark. “It’s okay, Old Liam asked me to add you, he can’t talk right now.” The girl still didn’t say anything, just sent an “Oh.” But it was this “Oh” that made me suspicious. Normally, hearing such strange words, one would at least ask a question. But she didn’t question it, just replied “Oh.” I don’t know what happened, maybe it was a girl’s intuition. I suddenly had a flash of inspiration and thought of two things from a long, long time ago. About a year and a half ago, the photography club Liam belonged to seemed to have a girl as a model. I remember after the photos came out, I even praised, “Cute little girl.” A year ago, Liam suddenly hung a little duck on his backpack. Because it was cute, I noticed it. “Liam, I remember you didn’t like small dolls before.” He just pinched it, “I saw it that day and thought it was quite cute, so I hung it. You like it? Then I’ll give it to you?” “If you think it’s cute, just hang it.” Two very simple things suddenly appeared in my mind. I still remember that girl was his direct junior, and we occasionally bumped into her on campus, and she would greet both of us. When I looked carefully at the little girl’s social media, I found it very clean, without any information, also like a fake account. After saying goodbye to Liam, on the way back to the dormitory, I went through their club’s Instagram. I looked through all the posts from one to two years ago and finally found the one where that girl was a model. I found the account of the girl’s classmate through the comments section, and then found the girl’s own account from the like records. I found out that the girl seemed to have a boyfriend??? This boyfriend looked more and more familiar to me. Wasn’t this Liam’s classmate??? I began to suspect if I was overthinking, maybe it wasn’t this girl. But I scrolled through her homepage and found that she had posted a photo of a little duck identical to Liam’s doll?? “Playing so big?!” 2 Once suspicion arises, everything seems suspicious. Liam and I are in different departments, so our schedules are different. We shared our schedules and always chose times when both were free to meet. This day, I picked an unimportant elective class of his and sneaked in. I wore a mask and a hat, sitting early in the corner of the last row of the lecture hall. As class time approached, students came in one by one. I stared almost unblinkingly, but I didn’t see Liam walk into this classroom. At first, I still held onto hope, wondering if he skipped class. Ten minutes into the class, the professor took out the roster and started roll call. Surprisingly, his name was not there! I swear I didn’t miss any name, but there was no Liam Walker. Originally, I just had a curious gossip mentality, and even always felt like an outsider watching this farce. Until this moment, I felt my heart cool inch by inch. This matter is nine out of ten true. Being together for five years, we experienced so many things, thousands of days and nights that I thought were full of love. When I smiled and planned the future with him, he was probably watching coldly and planning how to leave. Thinking about it, I couldn’t help crying. Because I was in class, I couldn’t make a sound, so I could only bury my head and wipe away the tears that welled up bit by bit. “Classmate? Are you okay?” I was startled, looked up and waved my hand, “Sorry, sorry, I’m fine.” He handed over a pack of tissues, “Wipe it.” When thanking him, I seriously looked at the person next to me. It was actually that girl’s boyfriend. He didn’t seem to recognize me as Liam’s girlfriend. He just politely handed me the tissue and turned back to listen to the class. “Um, classmate, I’m also in this class. Can I add you on WeChat? We can form a group and do homework together.” Actually, I wasn’t sure he would agree, after all, he had a girlfriend. Adding a girl on WeChat might feel inappropriate. He indeed hesitated for a moment, showing a thoughtful expression on his face. Just when I thought he would refuse me, he said, “Okay.” The boy looked delicate and fair, seemingly introverted and quiet. What the hell, blind eyes, having such a good-looking boyfriend and insisting on snatching a piece of shit from me. After class, we politely said goodbye and agreed to save seats for each other next time. I browsed the boy’s Moments, set to three days visible, signature and background were blank, not looking like he was in a relationship. Walking into the campus following the flow of students after class, I walked aimlessly, my mind full of bits and pieces of the past with Liam. I began to doubt if those happy moments were fake. If every vow he made was fake. If from the first moment he saw that girl, I was no longer the number one person in his heart. Walking, I couldn’t help crying again, but there were too many people around, so I had to hide in a small path and walk all the way to a corner of the secluded artificial lake. Then I happened to see two people holding hands on a bench, the girl smiling very happily. Just as I was about to leave, I heard Liam’s voice, “Your hands are so soft.” Being some distance away, the girl blocked his face, but I remembered his voice. Talking on the phone every day for five years, how could I not recognize it. Then I stood there dumbfounded, watching the boy reach out and stroke the girl’s head. The two of them were kissing. At that moment, I wanted to rush over and slap each of them. Then loudly question, why can you be so shameless! The fire in my chest almost broke through my reason. But, not enough, not enough! Going over to break the window paper and break up like this would be directly giving up my seat, letting this pair of dogs be together without any psychological burden. Except for a few seconds of physical pain and a few words of insult, they are deeply in love, how can they empathize with half of my pain today. I will never let them off so easily. So an evil thought quietly arose in my heart: you cheated on me, then I’ll cheat on you too. The pain of cutting flesh must be experienced personally to be bloody enough. I will use all means to stay by Liam’s side, letting your relationship remain underground forever. Then get your boyfriend, every one of your boyfriends. Liam Walker, I want your heart to never get a moment of peace from now on. 3 I took photos of them, uploaded them to a private album in my cloud, and then cleared the traces on my phone. After crying heavily, I carefully reviewed the bits and pieces of the past. I couldn’t be sure at all, and dared not be sure, at which moment a third person appeared in our relationship. After crying enough, I returned to the dorm, looking at the person in the mirror, examining carefully. Messy hair, plain and yellowish face, wearing a large unisex hoodie, baseball cap always pressing half the face. Since falling in love, except for special occasions or when in a good mood, I rarely put on makeup. Bought many beautiful dresses, but because I didn’t like washing my hair and felt the style didn’t match, the tags were never removed. I thought we had been together for so long, we knew each other’s looks by heart even with eyes closed, why bother with these fancy tricks. I put down the mirror and moved all the clothes out of the closet. Cleared out a small pile of tattered T-shirts, black, white and gray baggy jackets, unisex knee-length shorts. Folded them one by one into a clean bag and put them into the recycling bin downstairs. After throwing away the clothes, I carried my shower basket to the school bathhouse, thinking of washing away the bad luck and regrouping. Who would have thought I would meet that girl here again. The bathhouse in the north is public. After undressing, everyone meets honestly under dozens of shower heads. The bathhouse was steamy, blurring everyone’s faces. I was opposite her, rubbing foam on my head. Glanced twice, slender and tender girl, flat abdomen, curvy like a flower bud. I looked down at myself; my tummy was quite magnificent. For a second, I was a little discouraged, even mocking myself secretly, does a girl like me deserve to be dumped by a man. She turned around to scrub her back. I looked up and saw a patch of crimson turning purple under the hair on the back of her neck. It was a hickey. These two poor losers, can’t afford a room? My fighting spirit soared again instantly. Why should my worthiness of love be judged by such animals? After washing, I went straight to the hair salon and spent twenty bucks to straighten and volumize my hair. Back in the dorm, I dug out a slim-fitting misty pink long dress, put away my frame glasses, wore small diameter colored contacts, and put on light makeup. My roommates clicked their tongues in wonder, “What big day is it today?” While applying makeup, I messaged Liam, “Liam, miss you, walk with me later.” The message came back quickly, “Okay, I miss you too.” I looked at that message, lost in thought for a long time, eyeliner almost drawn into my scalp along the eyelid. Can a heart really be split into two mutually non-interfering parts to love different people separately? When I went downstairs, he had already arrived, sitting on the steps with his head down playing games. He always waited for me in advance, no matter how long he waited, he wouldn’t be anxious. I couldn’t help wondering, are you like this when waiting for her too? “Liam, sorry, I came down late.” Seeing him, I put on a smile to pull his hand, sticking to his shoulder and looking up at him. Seeing me, he raised his eyebrows, “Why is baby so beautiful today?” In the past, he would hold my hand, but today he put his arm around my waist, buried his head in my hair and shook it, “You smell so good.” Saying this, he leaned in to kiss me. Looking at that mouth, I felt nauseous inside, so I reached out to cover him, pinching my voice and asking coquettishly, “Are you angry that I made you wait?” In the past, I would directly grab his hand and walk forward carelessly, rarely asking him warmly and coquettishly. He was a little puzzled, but enjoyed it very much, “No, how could I be angry with my beautiful baby.” We walked hand in hand, “Do you have a night class later?” “Yes.” “Then I’ll accompany you?” I’m someone who is lazy even attending my own classes, so I never mentioned accompanying him to class, and would even refuse if he proposed. “Anyway, we are in the same school, we can meet anytime, not missing this moment.” I used to say this. He was silent for a while after listening, then said calmly, “Forget it, the night class is small, bringing you along is a bit conspicuous.” Oh, something fishy, but it doesn’t matter. “Okay, then I’ll pick you up after evening self-study.” The hand on my waist tightened secretly, then gently let go, “What’s wrong today? You’re acting a bit strange, baby.” I grinned, climbing up his arm and clinging, “My mom said she wants to buy me a house, asking what size you like, and whether to add your name.” Baby, sister has plenty of money. Even if you don’t care about old feelings, I don’t believe you don’t like money. Sure enough, he stammered, “Ah, is that so, then I’ll see if I have anything to do during evening self-study later, if not I’ll call you over okay?” Tsk tsk tsk, looks like it’s just so-so. “It’s okay, since you are busy, forget it, another day.” 4 I registered a new fake Weibo account, found some fake daily selfies, posted a few daily updates, actively followed that girl, and made my presence known in her comments. After a few times, she noticed me, “Hello, do we know each other?” “Hello senior, I saw the photos you took before one day and thought you look so good, wanted to get to know you.” After all, she is a young girl, direct praise is easiest to make one elated. Because I supported everything and often flattered her, finally one day I added her WeChat. Our netizen relationship was officially established. After I mailed her a small gift once, she officially recognized me and treated me as a good friend. On the other hand, I spared no effort to coax Liam, and gradually discovered some things I hadn’t noticed before. This day I carried a lot of snacks and went directly to the place where their photography club held activities. They often organized activities, portrait exchange, ID photo exchange, PS course teaching. Today was a mutual free activity, anyone who wanted to take photos could come as a model and get three free refined photos. As soon as I pushed the door open, it was a simple studio, men and women talking and laughing. Seeing me, most people inside looked confused, only Liam was stunned with some surprise, then came over slightly guiltily, “Why are you here?” I looked at him and smiled, then bypassed him and walked straight in, “Hello everyone, I am your President Liam’s girlfriend, entrusted by him to comfort everyone, you’ve worked hard.” Several boys reacted first, hurriedly welcomed me, shouting sister-in-law in unison. The girls didn’t know why, but were also happy to have free snacks. Only a few scattered people whispered to each other, looking at me with dodging eyes, reluctantly stood up to give me a smile. Among them was that girl. When I came in, she was wearing a suspender gauze dress laughing and playing with Liam. What was her name again? Bella, yes, Bella Kong. I smiled and walked in, holding the bag, handed a popsicle, “Bella has worked hard as a big model, so beautiful, the club’s recruitment, thanks to our Bella.” The expressions of the two boys next to her were awkward, busy winking at Liam. But Bella didn’t change her expression, picked up her phone to send a message, smiling still very sweet, looking at me frankly, “Thank you senior, what are you saying, it’s all President Liam’s credit, I didn’t do anything.” Liam hurried over to pull me, smiling awkwardly and nodding to everyone, “This is Sarah Xiang, Senior Sarah, these snacks were bought for you by the senior.” Even though it was obvious, he didn’t mention a word that I was his girlfriend. He pulled me to sit aside, half squatting in front of me, “Sarah, wait for me here, there are many people coming for the activity today, I may not be able to attend to you, if you are in a hurry, go back first, I’ll find you for dinner tonight.” I nodded, watching him trot back, re-greeting Bella and others to stand up and start shooting. There were dozens of people in the photography group, a dozen boys, fewer girls, and mostly came as models. But Bella’s photographer was always Liam. He held up the camera, “Bella, look here, light brighter, hey, very good, beautiful smile.” I originally came with the mentality of embarrassing them, fully armed, fully psychologically constructed and prepared, I thought I would be the one showing off. But I felt like I was the one embarrassed. Bella was laughing, carrying her skirt hem, standing under the spotlight, the reflector hitting her face, shining like an angel. Liam bent over, staring at the lens, uncontrollable smile on his face. The look in his eyes at the lens was not only appreciation but also thick affection. He wasn’t looking at the work, he was looking at her. Although there was almost no dialogue or physical contact between them. But I was still so sour that I couldn’t speak, nails digging deep into my palms, painful to numbness. Because the person in front of that lens used to be me. The person looked at by that gaze countless times used to be me, and only me. Because I was loved, I know what he looks like when he loves someone else. I took a deep breath, stood up ready to say hello and leave. At this time, a second person came in, surprisingly Bella’s boyfriend. The two looked at each other, waved hello, and the boy found a corner to sit down, right next to me. I sat down again, looked at him and smiled, “What a coincidence.” He was stunned for a moment, looked at me for a few seconds, then revealed a smile, “It’s you, what a coincidence.”

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I disguised myself as a man and successfully seduced a wealthy heiress from New York’s elite circle. She spread rumors about how “big” I was down there, trying to make her childhood sweetheart jealous. But the sweetheart remained indifferent, so angry that the heiress blurted out that she was pregnant, and the baby was mine. Only then did the sweetheart panic. And I panicked too. 1 “Victory.” I lowered my voice naturally as the wisps of smoke from my fingertips curled before the screen displaying the victory message. “Thank you, Jim. You’re really different from other game companions.” The female voice coming through the headphones was gentle and shy: “You never try to please me deliberately, but instead often mock my terrible gameplay…” “Just stating facts.” I glanced at the billing time, ash falling onto my faded boxer shorts: “Another round?” “Jim, actually, I like you—” She paused in a misleading spot: “Your straightforward and generous personality.” She paused again, “By the way, speaking of generous…” These little flirting tricks were like teaching a fish how to swim in front of me. I simply put the cigarette in my mouth, tucked the phone in my pocket, and got up to boil water for instant noodles. Seeing I didn’t speak, the other side obviously panicked: “Are, are you angry? Those are actually just some internet memes, I was just learning to play with them.” I put out the cigarette butt, cherishing words like gold, “No.” Who told internet male gods to be like this? Handsome profile pic, good skills, and most importantly, few words. High and cold enough to freeze people to death. The more airs you put on, the better the business. But unlike other male game companions, my profile pic wasn’t stolen from the internet. It was my selfie. My gaze jumped over the cramped rental room to the broken mirror pasted on the door. Short black hair, slightly upturned phoenix eyes, ink-black pupil color, straight nose bridge. As a girl from a small town, I was born with a good face. “Jim, I’ve been thinking about something for a long time…” The female voice on the other end took a deep breath, as if making up her mind: “Let’s meet, offline.” I raised my eyebrows slightly, about to refuse, when I heard her continue: “Meet once, I’ll give you $150,000.” “Pretend to be my boyfriend, and I’ll give you another $1.5 million.” 2 A New York night in late March, a paper-drunk gold-迷 night in late March. I stood outside a luxury store on Fifth Avenue, looking at the “young man” reflected in the glass— Black hoodie on top, jeans and sneakers below. This shabby outfit didn’t look like an “internet male god” at all. Fortunately, the face was my core equipment. The high-quality modeling made it so that even if I wore split-crotch pants, no one would notice my crotch was open. Plus good genes, as a girl my net height was already 5’9″ (175cm), adding 2 inches of internal lifts and 1 inch of external lifts. Making up a pleasing 6 feet (183cm) was more than enough. Even so, while I looked steady as a male model on the surface, my heart was pounding. It was easy to fake a male voice online, but in reality… could I really fool them? The other party was a wealthy heiress, knowledgeable and experienced. What if she saw through me at a glance and sued me for fraud? That $150,000, and the promised $1.5 million… Whatever, let’s gamble first. At this moment, I was awkwardly adjusting the eggplant tied to my waist for the third time. “Jim Gu?” A female voice, softer and sweeter than in the headphones, suddenly sounded from behind me. My body stiffened, and my right hand moved away from the eggplant in my crotch as if nothing happened. Then I looked back with feigned coldness. But I saw a woman behind me with long ink-black hair loosely tied up, a few strands of stray hair casually falling by her slender neck. And my gaze quickly swept over her Chanel dress, Hermes belt, Van Cleef & Arpels clover bracelet, and Roger Vivier square buckle heels. My brain went blank, only the “cha-ching” sound of a cash register constantly starting up. Chloe Lu was also stunned, her gaze lingering on me: “You in person… seem a bit different from the photo.” My heart almost stopped. Then a blush appeared on her fair cheeks: “Even more handsome than the photo.” …Miss Heiress, please stop reciting cheesy internet flirting lines, okay? I pursed my lips and lowered my eyes: “Thanks.” “Cough, I booked a table at Speak Low, my friends are waiting there.” Chloe reached out to me, the pearlescent polish on her manicured nails shining under the neon lights, “Go together?” I noticed the stiffness of her movement, hesitated for a moment, and still didn’t hold her hand: “Okay.” Facing my detachment, Chloe relaxed a bit instead, chuckling lightly: “You’re just as aloof as online.” I didn’t speak, just slowed down my pace all the way, silently matching the rhythm of her high heels. So this counts as… passing the test? But this was only the first level. Not long after arriving at the bar, just the way of entering was a trick I had never seen before. Walking inside, the lights were slightly dim, jazz music flowed softly, and the sound of ice cubes colliding was pleasant. “Chloe!” Several fashionably dressed young people sat in the central booth. Seeing Chloe enter, they waved immediately. “Damn, is this the internet boyfriend you talked about?” One of the girls with short hair looked me up and down, her eyes lighting up again and again. “This is too good-looking! Pretty enough to be a girl! Chloe, you good girl hid a ‘golden house beauty’ quite deep!” —Pretty enough to be a girl. That unintentional remark tightened my heart, unconsciously pressing my tongue against the roof of my mouth to keep my expression calm. Facing her friend’s winking, Chloe became more embarrassed, “Linsey, stop it.” She then turned around and introduced me softly, “Jim, this is Linsey Lin, my good friend, that’s Ryan, Linsey’s brother, that is…” I silently memorized the names, occasionally nodding in greeting. At the same time, I noticed “Ryan” with trendy red hair, who had been staring at me since I entered—with a suspicious gaze. “Heard you’re still in school.” He asked, “Which university?” “Rivertown University.” I made up a school name from my hometown. “Never heard of it.” Ryan said immediately, “Third-tier or community college?” I didn’t answer, nor did I appear angry. Instead, Chloe beside me bit her lip slightly. Linsey slapped her brother, “Alright, Bro! Not everyone has to go to Columbia like you.” Fortunately, the waiter brought a round of drinks, slightly diluting the awkwardness in the atmosphere. Chloe considerately handed me a glass, while she ordered a glass of warm milk herself: “Jim, this is their signature, you can try it.” I took the glass and took a sip. Spicier than beer, not as sweet as iced tea. I really can’t get used to high-end stuff. “So, how did you two meet?” Linsey leaned forward with a bad smile, looking gossipy. “Cough… I ordered Jim’s game companion service.” Chloe smiled, her fingers resting on my wrist, “Found his skills particularly good, and he’s a nice person, so we gradually got familiar.” The slightly cool temperature of her fingertips transmitted through my skin; obviously, she was also nervous about lying. “Game companion?” Ryan sneered, his fingertips pressing against the rim of the glass, making a slight scraping sound, “Chloe, when did you start playing with this kind of stuff?” “Is there a problem?” Chloe’s tone remained gentle, but I heard a trace of uncomfortable tension. Ryan looked away and shrugged: “Nothing, I just feel you’ve changed, ever since last time Julian Shen…” Chloe’s expression froze instantly, like being frozen: “I don’t want to talk about this.” “…Sorry.” Ryan raised both hands, then glanced at me, “I’m just worried you’ll be cheated by a scumbag.” Ice cubes melted slowly in the amber liquid. My gaze moved from the ice in the glass to Ryan’s face. At an angle Chloe couldn’t see, I smiled provocatively at him. Ryan was stunned, then almost flipped the table, “What are you laughing at!?” Linsey got impatient, “Bro, why are you always startled tonight? If you hadn’t sworn you weren’t interested in Chloe, I would have thought you were jealous.” “You didn’t see!” Ryan stood up, pointing his right hand at me, “He’s a green tea boy!” Chloe looked at me subconsciously. And I had already returned to calm, tilting my head slightly, eyes full of innocent confusion, “What?” “Fuck! He’s acting!” Ryan gritted his teeth in anger, “Chloe, you can’t be with this kind of person…” “Enough!” Chloe raised her voice for the first time: “This is my choice, Ryan, I hope you can respect it.” Ryan opened his mouth but was speechless. Finally, he sat back without a word, grabbed his glass, and downed a large gulp. “Oh my, Bro, drink less, your alcohol tolerance isn’t good…” Linsey tutted beside him. At this moment, I felt the eggplant at my waist loosen a bit, and busily adjusted my sitting posture while sipping wine, trying to prevent a disaster. But the eggplant slid down uncontrollably, the cloth strip completely loose. Damn it, knew I shouldn’t have been greedy for small bargains and bought a professional fake one instead. Seeming to notice my small action of frowning, Linsey asked with concern, “Are you okay? Uncomfortable? Newbies might not be used to the alcohol here.” “I’m fine.” I answered briefly, then turned to Chloe, “Where is the restroom?” “I’ll take you.” Chloe wanted to get up. “No need, just point the direction.” I stopped her immediately to prevent her from seeing more awkward arcs in awkward places. “Over there! Turn right out the door, at the end.” Linsey pointed the direction actively. I nodded in thanks, stood up as naturally as possible, one hand pressing inconspicuously on my waist, and headed straight for the restroom. Quick, quick, quick. And another problem came, should I go to the women’s or men’s room? I hesitated for half a second, looking at my appearance in men’s clothing in the mirror, and finally pushed open the door to the men’s room. No one. I breathed a sigh of relief, feeling the cloth strip tying the eggplant completely loose, hurriedly pulled my belt with both hands, rushing towards the stall. However, just as I pushed open the stall door, the main door of the men’s room was pushed open again, making a dull sound. Ryan strode in, wrapped in a slight smell of alcohol, “Hey.” My back paused, but only for a moment, stepping straight into the stall to lock the door. Ryan grabbed my arm from behind: “Hey! I’m talking to you, what are you pretending to be deaf for!?” “What is it?” I stiffened, the other hand clutching my waistband. Ryan sneered, “Chloe’s family is very rich, richer than your impoverished poor imagination can imagine, do you understand?” “…Understood, can you let go of me now?” My voice was tense. Dying, dying, the completely freed eggplant started sliding down my thigh, if it falls out of the pant leg, it’s over. “You don’t understand, Chloe has never been in a relationship, very innocent, she recently experienced some… things, that’s why she’s acting out.” Ryan’s tone suddenly softened a bit, “So if you approached her just for money, you’d better stop now.” “This is between me and her.” I said irritably, trying hard to break free from his shackles, “Now I need to use the restroom, can you not block the door like a pervert?” Hearing this, Ryan was like a fire sprayed with alcohol, grabbing my wrist again, nails digging into my flesh. “Fuck! You’re just a somewhat good-looking hillbilly, what are you arrogant about!” Ryan exerted force suddenly, pulling me to face him, distance momentarily close enough to feel each other’s breath, “You…” In this instant, the eggplant on my thigh finally couldn’t bear the burden, sliding towards the pant leg with the sound of fabric friction. Ryan’s gaze moved down, seeing that abnormal protrusion, his expression went blank, “Your…” Anxious, I simply pulled the eggplant out of my pant leg and smashed it on his head: “Die gay, get lost!” 3 When I washed my hands and returned to the booth, Chloe was turning sideways chatting with Linsey. But she was obviously absent-minded, her amber eyes drifting towards the bar entrance from time to time, as if waiting for someone. —Waiting for that Julian Shen, I guess. Seeing me return, Chloe was stunned for a moment, seeming to almost forget me, her “boyfriend.” She hurriedly withdrew her gaze, squeezing out a slightly stiff smile: “Jim, you’re back, are you okay?” I shook my head. Linsey also looked behind me, “Where’s my brother? He didn’t make things difficult for you, did he? Just now after you went to the restroom he insisted on going, and I couldn’t really tie him to the seat not letting him go…” I still shook my head. Linsey sighed again, “Sigh, my brother isn’t bad at heart, always treating Chloe as a biological sister, just too protective.” “Jim, did Ryan say anything to you?” Chloe asked, eyes flickering. “Not much.” I sat back beside her, “Just some conversation between guys.” Before Chloe’s face looked more worried, I continued lightly: “But he drank too much, when I came out he was still puking in the toilet, hope he’s okay.” —Hope he’s okay after being knocked out by my eggplant and having a baby-like sleep. Hearing me say this, Chloe and Linsey looked at each other, both appearing surprised. Linsey rubbed her forehead, obviously feeling embarrassed for her brother, “What did I say earlier, trying to be brave with that terrible alcohol tolerance, hey, I’ll go check on him in the restroom, don’t want him to drown in the toilet, then I’ll be an only child.” After saying that, she grabbed another male friend as a helper, not forgetting to wink at Chloe: “The night is still long, you young couple chat slowly~” Caused to blush by her hint, Chloe didn’t know what to say, so she handed me another drink. Blue, very beautiful. Chloe then picked up her glass of milk, gently touching mine: “Jim, thank you for coming to see me.” I sipped that beautiful blue, ice-cold and sweet, much better than the previous one. “No need to thank.” I couldn’t help taking another sip before continuing, “I’m also just doing it for money.” Seeming not expecting me to be so direct, the blush on Chloe’s face faded a little, corner of her mouth stagnating. But immediately after, her gaze suddenly crossed my shoulder, fixed in the distance. Chloe’s expression changed instantly, tense like a freshly dried sculpture. I looked back, seeing a man and a woman walking in from the main entrance, like a cold wind blowing into the warm bar. The boy wore a simple but textured white shirt, looking outstandingly clean, his temperament even having a kind of aloofness incompatible with this luxurious environment, brows furrowed tightly, looking like he was forced to come. And the girl beside him with long wavy hair dyed milk tea color, wearing an off-shoulder pink dress, looked charming and cute. At this moment looking around curiously, eyes unable to hide amazement. “Eh, isn’t that Julian Shen whom the Lu family sponsored since childhood? The girl beside him is…” Someone whispered, gossiping eyes glancing at Chloe. And Chloe just lowered her head to adjust her already very neat skirt. Sitting for a few more seconds, she stood up, movements still appearing somewhat hasty, “Julian, over here.” Julian Shen’s gaze fell over, sweeping over everyone in the booth, thin lips pursed tight, walking over slowly. Looking exactly like reluctantly forced into prostitution. Seeing this, I raised my eyebrows slightly, sizing him up from a distance. Not as handsome as me, not as tall as me after lifts, just temperament more… aloof than me. When the two approached, I noticed that Julian Shen was also carrying a small bag. “…Happy birthday.” He handed out the gift. Chloe’s eyes brightened instantly, taking the small bag with both hands: “Thank you! Julian, I like it very much!” Then, as if realizing her overreaction, Chloe’s cheeks blushed slightly, coughing lightly. She turned to me as if making up for it, “Jim, this is Julian Shen, Julian, this is Jim Gu, my… boyfriend.” The word “boyfriend” floated lightly from her mouth, but carried a subtle weight. Julian briefly looked at me for a few seconds, then looked away. Showing no emotion change— Until a small fist hit his arm next to him. “Senior Shen, you are too much!” Now not only Julian was stunned, Chloe’s smile also froze. “How could you forget to tell me today is Miss Lu’s birthday, causing me to prepare nothing, coming with you empty-handed! How rude this is!” The girl hit Julian a few more times, then bowed to Chloe repeatedly, “Sorry sorry! Hello Miss Lu, my name is Yola You, I really didn’t know today is your birthday, I will definitely make up the gift next time…” That timid appearance, as if she would cry from being scolded by Chloe in the next second. “No need to apologize, not something important anyway.” Julian frowned unhappily, stopping Yola, “She won’t mind.” He didn’t care about the place Yola hit either, tone carrying some helplessness and doting, as if comforting an ignorant child. And I noticed Chloe’s fingers pinching the gift bag tightened, knuckles slightly pale. That sentence “She won’t mind these”, was both an excuse for Yola and a definition for Chloe. —He made the decision for Chloe, yet didn’t even look at her. Now I probably understand why Chloe hired me to pretend to be her boyfriend. I stood up: “You’re right.” Then my right hand gently rested on Chloe’s shoulder. “Our Chloe indeed won’t mind those unimportant people.” Chloe’s shoulder trembled slightly, those beautiful amber eyes looking up at me in surprise. I pursed a shallow smile at her, taking the opportunity to put my arm around her and sit back down. Taking money to do work, value for money. In our line of work, nothing else matters, protecting the master comes first. True in games, even more so in reality. Julian finally cast his gaze on me, brows furrowed tighter, while Yola widened her eyes, a flash of amazement in her eyes looking at me. This was also the first time Chloe saw me smile, she was stunned for a moment, then remembered to say, “Julian, and this… Miss You, you sit too, just friends gathering casually tonight, no need to be restrained.” Julian pursed his lips straight, didn’t respond to Chloe, just pulled out chairs for Yola and himself. But his straight back and tense jawline exposed his discomfort. The waiter came over to ask for orders timely, Yola swept over the expensive prices on the drink menu, timidly said: “Um, I don’t quite understand these…” “She wants a glass of orange juice.” Julian said simply, expression neither humble nor arrogant, “I just want lemon water.” This plain choice actually gave me some sense of intimacy. I couldn’t help looking at Julian more, while he completely ignored me. “Julian, you can order something else, I’m paying tonight…” Chloe couldn’t help speaking. Her voice was very soft, carrying a trace of habitual fawning and humbleness. “Thanks, no need, I didn’t want to come here originally, so no need to spend.” Julian interrupted indifferently, this detachment, even wrapped in politeness, was still sharp. Chloe’s shoulders trembled slightly, seeming finally unable to bear it, she covered her mouth and stood up abruptly, “Sorry… I’m going to the restroom.” “I’ll go with you!” Yola immediately followed enthusiastically. For a moment, this corner of the booth only had me and Julian left. Others seemed to smell the gunpowder of the Shura field (intense conflict), pretending to chat devotedly to avoid being involved. And since the heiress wasn’t there, I didn’t need to put on airs anymore, leaning back relaxed, tasting the small wine, just short of a cigarette. Julian’s peripheral vision therefore stayed on me for a moment, with some scrutinizing meaning. I simply turned my face, letting him see clearly, “Good looking?” Caught off guard meeting my full face and gaze, Julian stiffened, like a rabbit blinded by high beams in the dark night. “…” “You don’t speak, I’ll take it as your default.” Defaulting he didn’t recognize I was actually a girl. “…How long have you been dating?” Julian asked suddenly. Cup rim against lips, I lifted my eyelids, answering quickly: “What does it have to do with you?” Julian’s brows were cold as frost, finally a ripple in his eyes: “Your etiquette and upbringing are really as cheap as your clothes.” I slowly drank the wine in one go, alcohol leaving a burning touch in my throat. “Male students sponsored by rich people are indeed different.” I finally laughed casually, “Even cursing is gentle.” Julian’s gaze finally turned completely to me, like a blade across glass: “The male game companion Chloe ordered frequently a while ago, is you right.” “Guess.” My tone calm with provocation, “Any opinion?” “I don’t.” Julian stared at me, “But the Lu family will. The Lu family is not an ordinary family, how far do you think you, a companion pleasing women by playing games, can go?” The light cast a shadow on his slightly tightened jawline, outlining a sharp boundary. I hooked a mockery: “This question should be asked to yourself.” A trace of annoyance flashed in Julian’s eyes: “Don’t change the subject, do you think Chloe really likes you?” His voice was cold, “She is just using you to make me jealous.” “Oh, so you know very well.” I raised my eyebrows, “Since you know, why did you bring that junior sister? Want to prove you don’t care that much?” Julian’s expression froze slightly, then returned to calm: “Yola and I are just in the same lab, today she asked me to bring her to see…” “Yeah yeah yeah.” I was too lazy to listen. Thinking I didn’t believe, Julian’s displeasure increased: “Listen, I don’t care who you are, nor what deal is between you and Chloe, but I advise you to stop early.” “Or else?” “Or else you will regret it.” Julian said coldly, “The Lu family is not something people like you can climb.” I chuckled lightly: “What about you? Aren’t you climbing too?” Julian’s expression instantly became cold as ice: “What do you mean?” “Literal meaning.” I looked straight into his eyes, “I guess, you also have feelings for Chloe, but refuse to admit due to self-esteem, now seeing her with someone else, starting to get restless again.” Julian’s face turned iron blue, ten fingers clenched: “What do you know?” “Know more than you imagine.” I looked towards the restroom. “For example, Chloe has been sad enough for you.” Julian was stunned. After a moment, just as he was about to speak again, footsteps came from the direction of the restroom. But saw Linsey holding pale-faced Chloe returning, Yola following behind, looking frightened. And behind the few people, the male friend grabbed by Linsey was carrying a red-haired guy with unsteady steps. So I looked up, exactly meeting Ryan’s eyes dyed with drunkenness but unusually clear. My expression froze slightly. What the hell, that guy I knocked out with an eggplant, why woke up at this time?

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