The night my sister Elara returned from dialysis, the house felt suffocating with despair. Curled frail on the sofa, she whispered that I shouldn’t overwork myself at my new job. Dad squatted on the porch, smoking, having sold our family land to pay for her treatments. My fiancé Chris, who’d always protected Elara like a sister, arrived muddy from work and pressed his wages into Dad’s hand. They all mourned how fate targets those who’ve already suffered. Only I knew the truth. Watching my reflection, my nose bleeding again, I washed my crumpled leukemia diagnosis down the sink. At dinner, Dad broke the silence. “Talia, your sister needs a kidney. You’re a perfect match.” I looked at the hope in Elara’s eyes, set my chopsticks down, and said coldly, “No. Having one kidney would ruin my life.” Dad slapped me. Chris called me heartless. I stormed out, renting a cheap place near the hospital—five hundred meters from the organ donation center—just waiting to die. … My rented room was in the sub-basement, two floors down. The air hung thick with the smell of mildew day and night. The only window was a tiny slit near the ceiling, barely big enough to show a sliver of the concrete sidewalk above if I stood on my toes. I looked at myself in the small, cracked mirror. My face was a ghostly shade of white, tinged with blue. A familiar warmth filled my nostrils, and blood began to trickle down again. I tilted my head back on instinct, stuffing a tissue against the flow. This was the fourth time today. The doctor had told me that APL M3, my type of acute leukemia, had a high cure rate with aggressive treatment. But that meant money. A lot of money. Elara’s kidney failure also demanded money. Fifty thousand for the transplant, and then a lifetime of anti-rejection medication. Our family was already broke. The property was sold. Dad was hauling bricks at a construction site, and Chris was working three jobs a day. If I chose treatment, Elara would die. If I didn’t, and gave her my kidney, I could at least save her the cost of buying one from a donor. The math was simple. My phone buzzed violently in my pocket. It was a text from Chris. “Talia, where the hell are you? Your sister just passed out from the pain!” “Are you even human? That’s your sister! It’s just one kidney, it’s not going to kill you!” “Just come back. We won’t force you to donate right away. At least come to the hospital for a final compatibility check. I’m begging you.” I read the words and a bitter laugh escaped my lips. Blood trickled down my throat, its coppery taste making me sick. Compatibility check? The moment they drew my blood, the abnormal markers would expose everything. My kidney would become “defective,” and Elara’s only hope would be gone. I had to be the selfish one. My fingers trembled as I typed a reply. “No money, no kidney. Give me fifty thousand dollars, and I’ll consider it.” I hit send. Less than three seconds later, his call came through. I didn’t answer. I just blocked his number. I didn’t need to hear it. I knew he was cursing me, calling me a soulless, money-grubbing parasite. Good. Hate me. Hating me is better than feeling guilty for me. I curled up on the damp, single mattress, the taste of blood in my stomach churning with nausea. But I couldn’t throw up. If I started, I might not be able to stop. To protect this kidney for Elara, I had to keep my body functioning, however barely. I grabbed the cheap bottle of vitamin B from the table, poured a handful into my palm, and chewed them down dry. They were useless against my disease, but they were a small comfort, a placebo for my fraying mind. This room was only five hundred meters from the organ donation center. I had measured it myself. If I died fast enough, if I could crawl there fast enough, this kidney could be transplanted into my sister’s body while it was still warm. A sudden, violent cramp ripped through my stomach, as if someone were twisting a knife inside me. The pain sent me tumbling from the bed to the floor, my forehead slick with cold sweat. The painkillers were in the drawer, but I couldn’t take them. Most painkillers are toxic to the kidneys. I couldn’t let Elara have a damaged one. “Just hold on, Talia… a little longer… it’ll stop soon…” I bit down hard on the corner of the blanket, curling into a tight ball in the darkness. My phone screen lit up, a notification from a “favorite.” Elara had posted on social media. The picture was of her arm, covered in needle marks from the dialysis. The caption was just one sentence: “I guess blood isn’t always thicker than water. In my next life, I don’t want to be the older sister.” Tears broke free, mixing with the blood on my face. Elara, I’m so sorry. Next life, let me be the older sister. By the third day in the basement, I had lost track of night and day. The bruises bloomed across my skin, purple and angry, as if I’d been beaten in my sleep. I knew what they were. Petechiae. A sign my platelet count was crashing. I took out my concealer and began layering it over my arms. The tube was almost empty by the time I managed to cover the most gruesome of the marks. A frantic pounding echoed from the door. “Talia! I know you’re in there! Open up!” It was Dad’s voice, laced with murderous rage. My heart skipped a beat. How did they find me? I scrambled up from the floor, moving too fast. The world went black for a second. Leaning against the wall for support, I stuffed all the bloody tissues into a garbage bag and tied it shut. I dusted a thick layer of powder on my face until I looked merely pale, not like a walking corpse. Only then did I open the door. The moment a crack appeared, a rough hand shot through, grabbing the collar of my shirt. SMACK! The slap was so loud it made my ears ring, and the world spun. I stumbled backward, knocking over the small table behind me. Dad stood in the doorway, his eyes bloodshot. Chris was right behind him, his face a mask of disgust and disappointment. “You animal!” Dad roared, pointing a trembling finger at me, his spit hitting my face. “Your sister is in the emergency room, fighting for her life, and you’re hiding here?” I licked the metallic tang of blood from my lips and forced myself to stand straight. I couldn’t collapse. Not yet. I smoothed my messy hair and managed a brittle, cruel smile. “You want me to stop hiding? Then pay up.” I held my hand out to Chris. “Fifty thousand. Not a penny less. Money in my hand, and I’ll go to the hospital and let them carve me up.” Chris stared at my outstretched hand, and the last flicker of light in his eyes died. He had held that hand countless times. Now, he looked at it as if it were something vile. “Talia, what happened to you?” he asked, his voice raspy with disbelief. “The Talia who would starve for two days to save a stray cat, where did she go?” “People change, Chris,” I sneered, turning away from him. “A stray cat didn’t ask me to carve out a piece of my body. This is a kidney. I want to get married, have kids. What if my husband resents me for it? Is it so wrong to ask for a little compensation?” Dad was shaking with rage. He raised his hand to strike me again. Chris stopped him. “Don’t, sir,” Chris said, his voice as cold as ice. “She’s not worth dirtying your hands over.” He pulled an envelope from his bag and threw it at me. It hit me in the face, the sharp corner slicing my cheek. “Here’s ten thousand dollars. It was my savings for our wedding. From this moment on, we’re done.” “Someone like you doesn’t deserve to be Elara’s sister. And you sure as hell don’t deserve to be my wife.” The thick stack of bills scattered across the filthy floor. I crouched down, picking them up one by one, blowing off the dust. “Only ten grand? How pathetic,” I scoffed. “Fine. For old times’ sake, I’ll take it. But as for the kidney? Forget it.” “You…!” Dad grabbed a broom from by the door and lunged at me. I slammed the door shut just in time, locking it with a loud click. All their curses and accusations were left on the other side. Outside, Dad kept kicking the door while Chris tried to pull him away. “Let’s go, sir. Begging a piece of trash like this is useless. I’ll sell my blood, I’ll take out a loan from a shark, whatever it takes! I will save Elara!” Their footsteps faded away. I leaned my back against the door, my body slowly sliding down until I was sitting on the cold concrete. Only then did I let myself gasp for air. A mouthful of blood erupted from my lips, staining the cash in my hands. This was the money Chris had saved for three years. For our wedding. I carefully wiped the money clean and tucked it into a small metal box under my pillow. There was already over four thousand dollars in there. Money I had saved over the years from odd jobs, from skipping meals, even from selling my hair. It was still not enough. I’m sorry, Elara. I’m not strong enough. I couldn’t get you the fifty thousand. I looked at my blood-soaked hands and smiled. That slap was a good one, Chris. Forget me now. Marry Elara. She’s kinder than I am. She’s better. Most importantly, she’s about to get a healthy kidney. And I was about to become a rotting corpse. The night after Chris left, a fever took hold of me. My bones ached with a deep, gnawing pain, as if they were being eaten by ants. I knew I didn’t have much time left. I had to get everything in order while I was still lucid. With great effort, I pulled an old backpack from under the bed. Inside was the Organ Donor Designation form. I had secretly picked it up from the Red Cross a month ago. The volunteer there, seeing how young I was, had urged me to think it over. I remember smiling and saying, “I just want to do something good. You never know, I could choke on a glass of water tomorrow. At least this way, I won’t go to waste.” I took out a pen. My hand was shaking so badly that my own name came out jagged and crooked. In the section for “Designated Recipient,” I wrote out “Elara” one careful stroke at a time. I was terrified of making a mistake, as if a single stray mark would cause the kidney to lose its way. After filling it out, I sealed it in a waterproof document pouch and hung it around my neck. This was my passport. My final offering before I went to meet my maker. With that done, I took out my phone. I wanted to leave them something. But I looked terrifying. My face was ashen gray, my lips were cracked and bleeding, and my gums were so swollen they barely covered my teeth. If Elara saw me like this, it would break her heart. She was so smart. She had always understood me best. I rummaged through my things and found the red dress. I’d bought it last month, a painful splurge of thirty dollars. When I brought it home, Dad had yelled at me for being wasteful. Elara didn’t say anything, but I saw the reproach in her eyes. The truth was, I bought it for today. I put on heavy makeup. The reddest lipstick, the thickest foundation. I even put on a pair of oversized, gaudy sunglasses to hide my sunken eyes. I propped my phone up on a cup of instant noodles and started recording. The woman in the frame wore a tacky red dress and smiled like she didn’t have a care in the world. “Hey… Dad, Elara… and you… Chris.”

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During a livestream, I connected with a top celebrity filming in Southeast Asia. He was hiding in his hotel room, looking sickly green, his expression terrified: “Streamer, I think I’ve encountered something unclean!” I pondered for a moment: “Indeed, there is something unclean…” Fans frantically flooded the chat, begging me to save their idol. I dipped my brush in cinnabar, drew a talisman with fluid strokes, and held it up to the camera: “An anti-diarrhea talisman. Screenshot it and use it as your phone wallpaper; it will protect your stomach in Southeast Asia. “The director told you to do a light fast, not to lightly bite off unclean food at the night market, okay?” 1 Hearing me say this, the celebrity visibly tensed up, repeatedly making a “shh” gesture at the camera. “Julian Thorne! “Didn’t you say you went to the gym last night?!” A hand as white as porcelain reached into the frame, expertly twisting Julian’s ear half a turn, making him yelp in pain. “Sis, Sis, I was wrong! “I just went to eat some raw marinated seafood. It didn’t have an ingredient list, and you said if it doesn’t have a label, it’s zero calories!” Julian twisted and dodged, accidentally bringing his sister into the frame. 【Oh my god, my carb-loving idol. Have you guys forgotten how he warned everyone right after debut to cherish the time while he was still thin?】 【Stop laughing, guys. Dieting is really hard. Only our brother knows the spicy and savory joy in that food!】 【Sister Thorne has such an authoritative face! Petition for Julian to switch to mukbang and let Sister Thorne debut!】 Seeing she was also on camera, Sister Thorne resentfully released her grip on Julian. Julian covered his ear with a mournful face and asked me for help: “Streamer, it’s true I ate something bad, but I really encountered something unclean. “Last night, I got up in the middle of the night with diarrhea. The TV was on, the screen full of smoke, and I could faintly hear people screaming. I thought I forgot to turn off the TV before sleeping, and couldn’t find the remote, so I just unplugged it. But when I got up again for the bathroom, the TV was still on, showing the same scene!” I explained: “The south side of your room corresponds to the Li trigram, meaning excessive fire energy, and the Five Elements belong to Wood. Such a building is best balanced by being built near water. But there is no sign of water around you. This kind of hotel location, if it encounters the Flying Star of the year, is prone to ‘fire disasters.’ This place must have suffered a devastating fire in the past, causing great loss of life.” Julian’s face grew uglier as he listened. He took out another phone to search online. “Damn, a tanker truck overturned downstairs before, exploded, and caused a huge fire that burned hundreds of people to death!” Julian’s face turned pale, looking at his sister in disbelief: “Sis, I’m your biological brother. How could you set me up like this?!” Sister Thorne rubbed her forehead, unable to force a smile: “Did you forget we’re filming a horror movie? The director designated this location for shooting! When you were interviewed, didn’t you look forward to staying in a haunted hotel?” Julian clutched his head and wailed: “I thought it was just hype! Other camping variety shows film in the wild but go back to sleep in hotel suites. How was I supposed to know that filming a horror movie meant actually staying in a hotel where a fire happened?! We don’t need to be this immersive!” 【Go! Go! Go! Let’s go, see how strong the ghost hotel vibe is…】 【First time seeing a team not revolving around the artist but playing the artist like a fiddle.】 【You guys really have no heart. Am I the only one worried about my brother’s safety?】 Seeing too many anxious comments, I spoke up to comfort them: “Don’t worry, the fire was many years ago, and the hotel has been renovated. Your Fortune Palace is full, your Yintang is wide and upright without lines, indicating a life of prosperity. If it weren’t for your physical discomfort depleting your Yang fire, you wouldn’t see these things at all. “Use the anti-diarrhea talisman. After a sleep, you won’t be affected anymore. Just place your slippers, one facing forward and one backward, in front of the bed. This indicates you are just passing through, and they won’t disturb you again.” Julian gripped his sister’s arm tightly, shaking his head like a rattle drum: “I won’t listen, I won’t listen. I absolutely refuse to stay in this room tonight!” Sister Thorne was helpless: “Then let’s swap rooms, okay?” The boy nodded vigorously. Sister Thorne broke free from his grip and solemnly thanked me facing the camera: “Thank you so much today. When Julian’s movie is released, we’d like to invite you to the premiere. Is that okay?” As she spoke, a necklace accidentally revealed from her collar caught my attention. 2 “Point the necklace you’re wearing at the camera. Let me take a closer look.” Sister Thorne obediently took off the necklace, held it in her hand, and brought it close to the lens. Two trapezoidal jade pieces formed a rectangular gilded locket, intricately carved with a figure of a shapely woman, with fox tails faintly visible behind her. “You’d better not wear this necklace anymore.” Sister Thorne looked troubled: “I just got it from an Archan (Thai master) yesterday. He said after bonding, I must wear it every day.” I frowned: “Your Career Palace is ruddy and full, indicating career success. Look at you, daring to bring your brother into a haunted hotel for a more perfect horror movie. Such determination and courage confirm this. “But your Marriage Palace is dim and gloomy, indicating separation. Don’t blame me for being blunt, but whenever you fall in love, you inevitably meet a scumbag.” Julian forgot his fear and nodded repeatedly: “Master, you are so accurate. The boyfriends my sister dated… one was a mama’s boy who asked his mom what to wear, one seamlessly moved on to his first love, and the current one… mmm…” Julian, having his mouth covered by Sister Thorne again, started struggling in vain. The chat room was buzzing. 【How pretty do you have to be to be loved?】 【The value of the phrase ‘the result is the same anyway’ is still rising.】 【Am I the only one curious why Sister Thorne shouldn’t wear the necklace?】 “When you requested this necklace, were you told it was a Fox Immortal amulet, a highly spiritual wild nine-tailed fox that would make your love life smooth and your boyfriend devoted to you?” Sister Thorne blushed slightly and whispered “Mm-hmm.” I gave my conclusion directly: “It’s impossible for fox fur to be sealed inside the pendant. Think about it, is the climate in Southeast Asia suitable for wild foxes? If we’re talking about Fox Immortals, Northeast China haven’t even spoken up yet, and somehow Southeast Asia produced a nine-tailed fox?” A faint embarrassment colored her exquisite brows, but she suppressed her temper: “But right after I put on the necklace, he immediately apologized and begged for my forgiveness!” “That’s because the Archan used the method for making Yin amulets. With such heavy evil energy, what’s sealed in the pendant is either the hair of a woman who died tragically unmarried or corpse oil refined from a premature fetus. Either one has the ability to let you feel the effects immediately. “The more effective they are, the bigger their appetite. Ordinary offerings cannot satisfy them at all. You will only sink deeper step by step to meet their demands, eventually reaching a point of no return. Is it worth it for a man?” Hearing this, Sister Thorne took a deep breath, barely controlling her trembling hands, and carefully opened the pendant. Inside rolled a bead filled eighty percent with a brownish-black liquid, in which strands of hair were indeed visible. Seeing this, even I couldn’t help but sigh: “Small workshops really go hard on ingredients. Corpse oil and corpse hair, a double dose.” Fear flickered in Sister Thorne’s eyes, and she flung the necklace away violently. Taking advantage of his sister being distracted, Julian secretly sent me a photo of her boyfriend. I clicked on the photo, scrutinized it for a moment, and shook my head even more: “The person you are dating now has sunken temples, indicating he is often a groom. Even wearing ten necklaces won’t make him loyal to you.” Sister Thorne hadn’t recovered from the shock of wearing a corpse oil necklace close to her body and looked at me blankly. A new message notification popped up on her phone. Julian snatched it before she could react and read the content word by word: “If you trust me, check, check, your boyfriend.” With one shock after another, Sister Thorne calmed down instead, but her voice was icy cold: “Ask the other side—you three, me three?” Julian looked at his sister with some worry before replying as instructed. The other side seemed to be waiting by the phone and replied immediately. “I’m three, you’re four. The eldest is taking care of the kids back home, the fifth is a junior schoolmate.” The chat exploded. 【Hello, I am Netizen Number Six.】 【I know three and four, but together they seem a bit unfamiliar.】 【Anything discovered before marriage should be treated as good news. Cut it off early, grow early!】 【Does this scumbag’s family run an antique shop? Why does he call everyone ‘Baby’?】 At this point, Sister Thorne calmed down a bit more, pressed the angry Julian into the chair in front of the camera, and said to me: “Master, thank you so much today. When our work here is done, we will definitely come to thank you in person.” After speaking, she slapped the back of Julian’s head again. Julian subconsciously put on his business smile: “That’s it for today’s livestream, babies don’t worry. See you in our work in 2025!” 3 【Little Tang, is Sister Thorne’s boyfriend really that scummy?】 As soon as I went offline, my best friend Grape sent a gossipy WeChat message. 【Not only is her boyfriend a scumbag, but the guy chasing you isn’t a good match either.】 Speaking of this, I couldn’t help but lecture her. After I came down from Heming Temple, I briefly set up a stall at a suburban night market. She was my first fortune-telling customer. I was the one who dealt with her scum ex-boyfriend back then. Later, when she came to visit me at Heming Temple, a handsome guy with vertical pupils diligently picked her up and dropped her off. If she hadn’t told me in time that the guy was a professional cosplayer and actually a girl who was just tall and loved wearing unique colored contacts, I would have almost summoned lightning to strike. 【Don’t worry, a relative introduced him. It’s just going through the motions to placate the parents. Little Tang, did you calculate some gossip about him? Tell me quickly!】 I found typing troublesome, so I sent a voice message, concise and comprehensive: “That man claims he studied abroad when he was young, and his parents were lonely so they had a second child. Actually, the little son is his. The child’s biological mother is a hostess at a nightclub who gave birth and dumped the child on him before running away. His parents are getting older and don’t have the energy to raise the child for him anymore. The family then discussed getting married quickly to find a nanny who can take care of both the old and the young.” “Oh my god, that’s great!” “?” “This is a ready-made excuse. I’d like to see who dares to introduce me to a blind date again!” “Don’t worry. When you meet your true love, when the Red Phoenix Star moves, I’ll tell you.” “You’re the best!” … 4 After reciting the morning scriptures, I started the livestream on time. As soon as I went online, a user named “Heaven Rewards Diligence” bought the link. After confirming via private message that he was willing to show his face, we started a video connection. “Hello, what would you like to divine?” “Heaven Rewards Diligence” was a simple and honest middle-aged man, his eyes full of hope: “Streamer, can you help me look at the fruit orchard behind me? I want to contract it.” I carefully examined his face and gave my conclusion: “Your cheekbones are ruddy and your eyes are like stars, indicating your career will gradually prosper. Judging by your age, you should be over thirty. From thirty-five to forty, you rely on your eyes for luck. With your phoenix eyes and high eyebrows, I won’t say you’ll own vast lands, but at least your family will be well-off, with no worries about food and clothing…” Despite the good words, “Heaven Rewards Diligence” seemed increasingly disappointed. Hearing “no worries about food and clothing,” he couldn’t help but smile bitterly, shaking his head to interrupt, showing his lunch to the camera—a plain steamed bun with preserved vegetables. “Streamer, you seem to have misjudged this time.” 【Oi, the famous Daoist Master Fang Tang flipped over? What, ran out of scripts?】 【Actually, taking a step back… taking ten thousand steps back is pretty tiring…】 【Don’t play abstract. Watching Fang Tang’s stream for so long, this is the first time she’s been inaccurate. There must be something strange!】 I ignored the netizens’ doubts and continued: “Your face was originally very good, but that scar on your left eyebrow cuts through the Sun Horn. Coupled with the uneven height of your Sun and Moon Horns, it indicates your father should have passed away. And your chin is round but forehead narrow, meaning you left your hometown for study and work after growing up, unable to show filial piety at your parents’ knees.” A flash of pain passed through “Heaven Rewards Diligence’s” eyes, and he spoke with some shame: “Sorry, streamer, I was rude to say you misjudged earlier. “I indeed left home young to study in Beijing, and stayed there to work and start a family after graduation. I brought my parents to Beijing to live for a while, but they were never accustomed to it, so I paid for them to build a house in our hometown. “After the house was built, I brought my wife and child back for a short stay. Unexpectedly, within half a year, my father… “I couldn’t accept the blow of losing a close relative, living in a daze all day, and accidentally made a big mistake at work, getting fired. My wife, in anger, took the child back to her parents’ home. I thought it would be good for everyone to separate and calm down, so I returned to my hometown.” Several major hardships of middle age pressed on “Heaven Rewards Diligence” simultaneously, leaving him almost breathless. “Can you film the self-built house you mentioned?”

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My bakery started offering “Lucky Bags” in the late afternoon. Inside, I’d put a random assortment of crepe cakes, cream puffs, and mochi… I thought it would prevent waste and attract more customers, but after a few days, sales hadn’t budged. Upon investigation, I discovered my cousin, whom I had hired as a shop assistant, was secretly hoarding a lot of the pastries. She hid all the ones she liked to eat for herself and stuffed cake scraps and trimmings into the Lucky Bags to give to customers. “If you can’t afford to give benefits, don’t do it! Being stingy like this is disgusting!” Facing the customers’ scolding, my cousin acted all aggrieved: “Our boss made me do it, just for zero-cost publicity. I’m so sorry, customer…” I was furious. Fired! Fired immediately! 1 As the weather warmed up, my bakery launched a Lucky Bag promotion: Every late afternoon, we’d randomly pack some unsold pastries into bags. This way, we wouldn’t waste food, and we could garner good reviews to win repeat customers. It was supposed to be a win-win strategy, but problems arose during implementation. A few days passed; there were no leftover cakes, but negative reviews flooded the platform, and sales hadn’t changed a bit. I’d been busy lately, so my aunt had pushed my cousin, Mia, into the shop to manage sales. I thought the job wasn’t hard, so letting her do it to relieve some of my pressure would be fine, since I couldn’t be in the shop all day every day. But now, sensing something was wrong, I hurriedly finished my product research out of town and rushed back to see what was going on. Pushing open the door, I saw Mia leaning against the counter playing on her phone. Seeing me enter, she hurriedly put away her phone and put on a professional smile. “Hey Sis, you’re here.” I ignored her greeting and walked straight to the surveillance room. Opening the recordings from the past few days, I was more shocked the more I watched. Every day around 3 PM, when there were no customers, Mia would secretly take the pastries meant for the Lucky Bags and put them into food containers she brought herself. Then, she’d take cake scraps and trimmings from the back kitchen, stuff them haphazardly into the Lucky Bags, and place them at the shop entrance. When customers came back to complain, she pushed the blame onto me: “I’m sorry, our boss made me do this for zero-cost publicity. I’m just an employee; I don’t have the authority to make decisions…” Walking out of the surveillance room, Mia was already busy at the counter, as if nothing had happened. “Mia, come here for a sec.” My voice was calm. Mia put down the piping bag, wiped her hands, and walked over: “What’s up, Sis?” “Do you know why I launched the Lucky Bag promotion?” She blinked, looking innocent: “To get rid of stale cakes, of course.” “Who told you it was to get rid of stale cakes?” I stared into her eyes. “The Lucky Bags contain pastries made that same day. They just have a short shelf life, which is why they’re sold at a discount.” Mia’s expression changed slightly, but she quickly put a smile back on. “Oh, I thought it was just to get rid of scraps. I’ll be careful next time.” “Besides… if these pastries aren’t sold today, they get thrown away anyway. Instead of giving them to customers, I might as well take them home to eat. Keep the goodies within the family, right?” “You have the nerve to say that?” I took out my phone and opened a review site. “Look at these comments!” “‘The bakery sells kitchen waste under the guise of Lucky Bags,’ ‘No sincerity at all,’ ‘The boss has a black heart’…” I read out the bad reviews almost word for word. With each one, Mia’s face grew paler. “I…” “And yesterday, that customer who complained—you actually pushed the responsibility onto me? Said I ordered you to do it?” Mia lowered her head, afraid to look at me: “I just panicked in the moment…” “Do you know how much effort I put into opening this shop? Do you know how many good reviews it takes to offset one bad review? Because of your selfishness, these customers might never come back!” Hearing my tone become increasingly severe, she suddenly looked up, defiance in her eyes. “Isn’t it just cheap stuff? Those customers looking for bargains, what good stuff can they expect to get?” I was stunned by her words, a greater anger surging in my heart. “You think customers deserve to be deceived because they spend money on Lucky Bags? Is this your professional ethics?” “I…” “No need to explain.” I took a deep breath. “You’re fired. Pack your things and leave right now.” Mia’s face changed: “Sis, you can’t do this! We’re relatives!” “It’s precisely because we’re relatives that I’m even more disappointed.” I turned and walked toward the office. “Come get your wages in a bit.” 2 Half an hour later, Mia left the bakery with her wages and luggage. Watching her retreating figure, I leaned against the doorframe, feeling incredibly exhausted. My phone rang suddenly. It was my mom. “Hello, Mom.” “Lynn, I heard you fired Mia?” Mom’s tone was full of reproach. “How could you? She’s still a child!” So Mia had already called to complain. “Mom, she’s twenty-three, not a child.” I rubbed my temples. “And what she did has seriously affected the shop’s reputation.” “No matter what, we’re family. Can’t you talk it over nicely?” “I’ve already talked to her nicely. It’s her attitude that’s terrible.” There was silence on the other end for a while, then Mom sighed: “Your aunt has already called me three times, saying you’re too heartless.” “See if you can give Mia another chance? Just do it as a favor to Mom.” I almost laughed out loud: “Mom, she didn’t just make a small mistake. She deceived customers and pushed the blame on me! If I keep someone like that in the shop, how can I do business?” “But…” “No buts. I’ve already decided.” I didn’t want to discuss this topic anymore. “Mom, I have things to do. Hanging up now.” Hanging up the phone, I looked around the empty shop and suddenly realized another big problem— With no staff, how was I going to keep the shop running? 3 Just as I was worrying, the doorbell rang, and a young man wearing glasses walked in. “Excuse me, do you still have strawberry crepe cake?” “Yes, please wait a moment.” I turned to get the cake from the display case. The man looked around and asked, “Only you today?” “Yeah, I just fired the assistant.” I packed the cake into a box. “That must be tough. I come to buy your cakes every week; I’ve always thought they taste great.” “Thank you.” I handed him the cake and took the money. “Welcome back anytime.” He took the cake but didn’t leave immediately. “Actually, I have a cousin who just graduated from college and is looking for a job. If you need an assistant, maybe she could come for a try?” I paused, then smiled and shook my head: “Thanks for the offer, but I’m afraid to hire any more ‘cousins’ for now.” “Huh?” He looked confused. “Nothing, just a joke.” I handed him a business card. “Have your cousin come for an interview tomorrow. If she fits, she can start immediately.” After sending the customer off, I returned to the back kitchen, looking at the pastries prepared for the Lucky Bags. Although firing Mia meant facing family reproach, I knew I did the right thing. … For the next few days, I held up the entire shop alone, preparing ingredients from 5 AM and working until 9 PM. Although it was hard, at least I could ensure everything was up to my standards. The Lucky Bag promotion restarted. This time, I personally selected pastries made that day with shorter shelf lives but still top quality to put into the bags. Each Lucky Bag had at least three types of pastries, priced at only 60% of the original. On the afternoon of the third day, while I was busy at the counter, a customer who had complained last week walked in. She looked at me warily: “Are you still selling Lucky Bags?” “Yes.” I smiled and pointed to the sign at the door. “Buy one get one free right now. You can give it a try.” She hesitated for a while, then took out her phone: “Alright, give me one.” I handed her the carefully prepared Lucky Bag. “I packed this one myself. I hope you like it.” She took the Lucky Bag and opened it right there in the shop. Seeing the exquisite pastries inside, her brow gradually smoothed. “This is completely different from last time.” “I’m very sorry for the bad experience last time.” I said sincerely, “That assistant has been fired. Similar incidents won’t happen again.” She tasted a cream puff and her eyes lit up: “It’s really delicious!” “Thank you. If you like it, please come often.” She nodded: “I’ll rewrite my review on the app.” Seeing the customer off, I let out a long sigh of relief. Although redeeming my reputation would take time, at least I had taken the first step. 4 While closing up shop that evening, I received a text message. It was from my mom: 【Lynn, your aunt keeps saying you’re heartless. Come home for dinner this weekend, let’s clear things up face to face.】 I sighed and replied: 【Okay, Mom.】 Early Saturday morning, I started preparing for the impending “family trial.” Although it was just going home for a meal, I knew this meal wouldn’t be simple. I specially selected a few of the shop’s most popular cakes and boxed them up, hoping to ease the atmosphere. Before leaving, I checked the shop’s setup one more time— Today was the first day my new hire, Xiao Zhang, would be working independently. Everything had to be arranged properly. “Remember, the Lucky Bags must contain these types of pastries. Absolutely no scraps allowed.” I instructed repeatedly. Xiao Zhang nodded seriously: “Don’t worry, Lynn, I’ll definitely do as required.” Seeing her reliable appearance, I felt a bit more at ease. This girl, fresh out of college, was quick and attentive. After a few days of training, I had a very good impression of her. “Call me anytime if there’s a problem.” I picked up the bag full of cakes and walked out of the shop. When I arrived home, the aroma of food already filled the courtyard. Pushing open the door, I immediately saw my cousin Mia sitting on the living room sofa playing on her phone. Seeing me enter, she turned her face away, looking like she had suffered a massive injustice. “Lynn is back.” Mom poked her head out of the kitchen. “Go wash your hands and get ready to eat.” I put the cakes on the coffee table: “Mom, I brought some cakes.” My aunt heard the voice and walked out of the kitchen, her face clearly unhappy: “You’re here, why bring cakes? Can’t your family afford a meal to host us, planning to fob us off with cake?” This setup… looked like they were specifically waiting to interrogate me. I took a deep breath and forced a smile: “Hello Auntie, these are new products from the shop, I wanted everyone to taste them.” My aunt scoffed and turned back to the kitchen. Mom quickly tried to smooth things over: “Lynn is thoughtful, we’ll try them later. Let’s eat first, the food is ready.” At the dinner table, the atmosphere was heavy. Everyone looked down and ate; no one spoke. Until my aunt put down her chopsticks and started her attack. “Lynn, you’re a business person too, you should know how important human relationships are. Mia is your cousin, and you hired her yourself. Even if she did something wrong, you should have taught her properly. How could you just fire her like that?” I put down my chopsticks: “Auntie, what Mia did wasn’t just wrong; it violated basic professional ethics. She secretly withheld pastries meant for customers and pushed the blame on me, causing a string of bad reviews for the shop…” “Young people make mistakes, it’s normal.” Before I could finish, my aunt waved her hand. “Besides, those Lucky Bags are just for getting rid of nearly expired stuff, right? What’s the difference if it goes to customers or the staff?” I held back my anger: “Big difference!” “First, those aren’t ‘nearly expired’ items; they are fresh pastries made that day.” “Second, customers paid money, so they should receive the corresponding goods. That is basic integrity.” Mia suddenly looked up, saying aggrievedly: “Sis, I didn’t think that much, I just thought it was a pity to leave those pastries there…” “A pity?” I interrupted her. “Those were bought by customers, not for you to take home!” “Alright, alright,” Mom hurried to intercede, “don’t talk about this during mealtime. Lynn, your cousin already knows she’s wrong, just give her another chance.” I looked at Mia; a hint of smugness flashed in her eyes. My resolve hardened. “Mom, this isn’t just about personal feelings; it concerns the shop’s integrity and survival. I’ve already hired a new assistant. I don’t need manpower for now.” “What?” Auntie’s face changed. “You’re deliberately not giving Mia a chance!” “Auntie, it’s not that I’m not giving a chance, but Mia’s behavior has seriously affected the shop’s reputation. As the owner, I must be responsible to all customers.” “A tiny cake shop, is it worth being so serious?” Auntie sneered. “It’s not some big corporation!” I took a deep breath: “Precisely because it’s a small shop, it needs to survive on reputation. One bad review might lose me ten potential customers.” “Sis, you’re just too uptight.” Mia interjected. “Aren’t those buying Lucky Bags just looking for cheap stuff? Giving them some scraps is no big deal.” I stared at Mia: “You still don’t understand where you went wrong.” Uncle finally spoke: “Lynn, your cousin doesn’t have a job now, we can’t let her go hungry, right? Just give her another chance, so we elders can have some peace of mind.” I shook my head: “Uncle, we are relatives, but work is work. I can help introduce her to other jobs, but the cake shop is really not suitable.” “You…” Auntie stood up in anger. “I see you just don’t treat us as relatives!” Mom quickly pulled Auntie back: “Don’t be angry, let’s talk nicely.” The atmosphere was tense. I decided not to argue anymore and stood up: “I still have things to do at the shop, I’m going back. Mom, the cakes are on the coffee table, you guys try them.”

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My niece was diagnosed with a rare disease, and the hospital’s consultation yielded no solutions. So, seven years after our breakup, I had no choice but to dial Ethan Walker’s number. The top expert in the field was my ex-boyfriend. He was also the boy I personally crushed into the mud on a rainy night seven years ago. 1 “Who is this?” The voice on the phone was cold, tinged with faint exhaustion, as if he had just come out of surgery. “It’s me,” I whispered. Silence fell on the other end. Afraid he would hang up immediately, I quickly explained my reason: “My niece, Lily, has a rare disease and needs surgery. I checked, and you’re the only one in the field who can do it.” “Ethan, she’s only six… Can you, please, help her?” I waited anxiously for Ethan’s answer. I didn’t know how long passed before Ethan’s voice came again. “Send the address and case file to my email. I have another surgery tonight. I’ll come over after I’m done.” He agreed. I let out a huge sigh of relief. After hanging up, I collapsed onto the cot, my palms damp with sweat. For a moment, I wanted to thank all the gods that Ethan still retained a doctor’s benevolent heart after everything he had been through. 2 I thought since Ethan had surgery at night, he wouldn’t come until the next day. Unexpectedly, in the middle of the night, just as I was dozing off, my phone lit up. 【I’m here.】 I was dazed for a moment. Looking up through the glass, I saw Ethan standing outside the ward. There was a girl next to him. I walked out of the ward, closing the door gently so as not to wake the sleeping Lily. Before I could speak, Ethan briefly explained the situation in a few words. “I’ve seen Lily’s case file. We need to wait until tomorrow to have another consultation with colleagues here to further confirm the condition.” “Chloe is my colleague. I might be busy in a couple of days. If I’m not around and there’s something wrong with the patient, look for her first.” Chloe had a high ponytail. Even though there was some fatigue from the long journey on her face, it couldn’t hide her bright and capable aura. She smiled at me, greeted me simply and generously, then turned to Ethan. “Senior, you guys talk. I have to go back first; I have a cat to feed at home.” Ethan nodded. So in the quiet hospital corridor, only Ethan and I were left. I suddenly felt a little nervous. “You…” “Sarah…” We spoke at the same time and stopped at the same time. “You go first.” Ethan took a step back and put his briefcase on the chair. I was speechless for a moment, so I racked my brains to find something to say. “Isn’t Dr. Hart your colleague? How come she lives here and has a cat?” …What a lame topic. Ethan was also silent. Just when I thought he wouldn’t answer, Ethan spoke. “Her parents’ house is here. The cat is a rescued stray. It loves to go out and isn’t afraid of people, so it often follows her around.” My heart trembled suddenly. Because of the natural familiarity with Chloe revealed in his words. “Is that what you wanted to ask?” Under the dim lights of the corridor, Ethan looked at me, his gaze obscure. After seven years apart, he looked steadier and calmer. He was no longer the boy covered in mess the year we broke up. I opened my mouth, not knowing what to say. What happened back then has been over for so long. Is there any point in bringing it up now? So I changed the subject. “You just said Lily’s condition needs to wait for tomorrow’s consultation.” “Are you… confident?” Ethan closed his eyes. When he spoke, his voice was calm and distant, completely dispelling the subtle atmosphere lingering between us. “Rare diseases are classified as rare for a reason.” “I will do my best.” A silent silence spread between us. Ethan gave me a fixed look, turned, and prepared to walk away. I instinctively looked up. My body moved faster than my brain, and I grabbed his hand. Ethan froze. My brain slowly came back online, and I withdrew my hand as if electrocuted. —But he grabbed it. Ethan held my wrist, turned back, his gaze trembling slightly. Then he lowered his eyes, hiding the suppressed emotions, and spoke hoarsely. “Sarah, you dumped me back then. Don’t provoke me now.” “As a patient’s family member, please have some self-respect.” My heart instantly ached like it was being cut by a knife. The moment Ethan let go, I fled. I didn’t look back, so I didn’t know that Ethan stood there for a long time. Nor did I know that he watched my retreating figure, forbearing and restrained, bringing the palm that had held mine to his lips, leaving a very light, very light kiss. 3 I sat by Lily’s bed all night. The first person to come in the next day was Chloe. “You and Senior Walker are old acquaintances, right?” She chatted with me while taking samples from the comatose Lily. “…I guess so.” “No wonder. I was wondering why he dragged me here in such a hurry last night. I’ve never seen him care so much about rare cases before.” “You guys must be very close, right?” She neatly packed up the instruments and handed them to the nurse, then turned around, looking at me with a mix of nervousness and anticipation. “Um… sis, do you know how to pursue Senior Walker?” “What?” I was stunned. Chloe counted on her fingers and added. “You guys are so close, but you don’t seem to interact much usually. I’ve known him for three years and haven’t seen you.” “Senior Walker has always been single. His social media and phone screensaver are clean.” “So you must be childhood friends, the kind with a very strong bond, right?” Her eyes were bright, like sunflowers blooming in summer. “I’ve liked Senior Walker for a long time, but he’s always been cold, and no one can find a breakthrough point.” “Can you tell me about him? Daily hobbies, little things from the past, anything is fine.” My thoughts were in a trance for a moment. Memories sealed for too long were opened by Chloe in a few words, disturbing my long-silent heart. Ethan and I met very early. When I moved to South City for school at eleven, he was the first friend I made. Ethan’s family was very poor. His parents died early, and he only had his grandmother to depend on. He wore a school uniform washed white, and took the first-place scholarship every year without fail. Consequently, the bullying and isolation from the little hooligans in school also never stopped. As a transfer student from outside, after rejecting their bullying invitations twice, I was also classified as an outcast like Ethan. The leader of this group of hooligans was Brad, whose father was a local tyrant in South City. Ethan, worried about his elderly grandmother, wouldn’t fight back even when cornered and beaten. But my parents were alive and well, and I had a sister in the police academy. Growing up, I only caused trouble and was never afraid of it. So when I passed by the alley, I picked up a brick and smashed Brad’s head from behind until it bled. The hooligans scattered, revealing Ethan, covered in dust in the corner. The moment he looked up in astonishment, only one thought remained in my mind. —He’s damn beautiful. No wonder he’s targeted. My whole family is good-looking, and I’m a picky face-judger. So being attracted to Ethan was a matter of course. I cut out the parts about myself and simply told Chloe the story. After listening, the little girl’s eyes turned red. “So Senior Walker had it so hard before…” “Yeah, so when he was in school, he worked really hard.” Making it so that I spent half my life chasing but could never catch up. When Ethan walked over, Chloe had already wiped her tears. She dutifully reported Lily’s condition to Ethan, the conversation mixed with many terms I couldn’t understand. The sunlight spilled in from the window, shining warmly on them. They looked perfectly matched. It hurt me extremely too. My chest felt sour and swollen, nearly suffocating. 4 After their handover, Chloe went to busy herself with other things. Ethan walked into the ward with the treatment plan. He frowned the moment he saw me. “You didn’t sleep last night?” I closed my sore eyes and shook my head at him, unwilling to talk more. “So Lily…” “The treatment plan is out. Is Lily’s guardian here?” “I am her guardian.” I said softly. “What?” Ethan was obviously stunned. Counting back from age, I was only nineteen when Lily was born. It was impossible for me to have given birth to her. But in a moment, he realized something. “Your sister…” “Three years ago, she died in the line of duty with my brother-in-law.” Following the fragmentation of my happy family, my dearest sister also died the year I graduated. I stated calmly with lowered eyes, my fingers clenched tightly where they couldn’t be seen, nails digging into flesh, hurting my palms. “Sarah…” “Ethan.” I interrupted his unfinished words, my voice trembling uncontrollably despite my efforts. The emotions stirred up when talking about the past with Chloe finally lost control upon hitting memories of my family. I looked up at Ethan, my throat terribly hoarse, speaking almost chokingly. “Ethan… I know I wronged you before, but I beg you… no matter what, save Lily.” She is my only remaining relative. Ethan pursed his lips, squatted halfway, and placed his palm gently on my shoulder. He said: “Okay.” “I promise you.” He withdrew the original treatment plan and called back the colleagues for consultation again. I didn’t know what exactly they discussed, but it must have caused quite a stir within the hospital. Even the doctors looked at me with slightly different eyes. But after the plan was finalized, I barely saw him again. Only on the rare occasions when he needed to observe the patient personally would he come, record, and leave in a hurry. Our communication didn’t exceed five sentences, three of which ended with single words like “mm” or “okay”. He said he would be busy, but I didn’t expect him to be this busy. Instead, Chloe spent more and more time with me to follow up on the condition. She worked very seriously, with steady hands and fast movements. Even though Lily was in a coma almost all day, she tried her best to reduce the pain Lily suffered during treatment. She was an excellent person. Perhaps the single ward was too quiet. Chloe suddenly spoke, like chatting but also probing. “Speaking of which, Senior Walker really cares about this case. He never actively used such a radical plan before.” “Radical plan?” I froze on the spot. Chloe seemed to realize something and quickly explained: “Sorry, sorry, you might not understand if you don’t know. Basically, the surgery is effective, but the success rate is relatively low, so the hospital usually recommends more conservative treatment.” “But for a rare disease like Lily’s, the effect of conservative treatment… existing clinical data isn’t very good. It just prolongs it a bit.” Her voice lowered, somewhat regretful. “You are Senior Walker’s friend, so I’m telling you the truth. Even with him as the lead surgeon, only one case of such surgery has been successful.” “But that case… didn’t survive the post-operative complications in the end.” “So…” I opened my mouth, my voice trembling unconsciously. “That’s why many people in the hospital disapprove. If something really happens on the operating table… besides the lead surgeon, they will also be implicated.” “He was already busy enough, and recently he’s been running to other provinces every day to find contacts, begging those retired teachers to help.” No wonder he often disappeared recently, coming and going in a hurry. No wonder his face often showed eraseable fatigue, and the faint dark circles under his eyes never faded. I don’t remember what Chloe rambled about afterward. I only knew that what Ethan did for me could no longer be covered simply by “a doctor’s benevolence.” I leaned over the bed, looking at Lily’s weak face with the ventilator. Tears fell drop by drop, spreading dark marks on the snow-white sheets. Chloe often chatted with me, fantasizing about what Ethan would be like when he was in love. Would he still be so cold? Would he be a straight man who doesn’t even know how to give gifts? Every time I agreed, there was a clear voice in my heart. He won’t. The way Ethan loves someone is sincere and vivid, the brightest stroke in the colors of my memory. He would agree to all my unreasonable requests. When he was a class committee member, he turned a blind eye to my skipping classes, and helped me hide my unwritten homework from the teacher. Everyone in the family knew Ethan was a good student. Whenever they asked about my recent situation at school, I begged him to put in a few good words for me. He agreed to everything, never saying no. Although I loved to play and make trouble, I was smart enough. I finally got into the same key high school as him by just meeting the cutoff score. In high school, his grades were still top-notch, so I pestered him to explain problems to me every now and then. I suffered from math for a long time, so Ethan broke down the problems one by one and explained them to me. We gradually became the two who left the latest after school. At first, the homeroom teacher suspected us of puppy love and wanted to catch us in the act. Unexpectedly, he caught us, but instead of love letters, he found stacks of densely written scratch paper. Ethan explained patiently, and I listened seriously, learning by analogy. My grades improved by leaps and bounds. So much so that when we really got together later, the teachers just mentioned it once and let it go. “Ethan and Sarah? Let them date however they want. It won’t affect their grades. Breaking them up might actually cause trouble.” So throughout high school, we were the only couple in the school who could hold hands openly. Occasionally, a few troublemakers were dissatisfied, but they were all shut down by the teacher’s sentence: “If you can stabilize at either Ethan or Sarah’s score, you can date freely too.” We walked side by side through the hardest winter and welcomed the busy and vibrant summer. My birthday was on the eve of the college entrance exam. That night, Ethan passed me a note for the first time. I remembered the time and place on the note, ignoring the fatigue of finishing the test papers, and quietly sneaked out of the dormitory in the middle of the night. In the midsummer of my eighteenth year, I saw the most beautiful scenery in my memory. It was a sea of blue flowers. In a hidden corner by the playground, Ethan used countless bouquets as a base and caught dozens of fireflies to dance as candles. My favorite blue daisies were woven into the most unique birthday cake by my favorite person, presented on the day I became an adult. The boy stood in the center of the flower sea, his eyes as bright as a thousand stars. He said: “Sarah, happy birthday.” At that time, I thought I was the happiest person in the world. At that time, I thought this moment would be eternal. But I was wrong. After the college entrance exam, I returned home. What greeted me was not the smiles of my parents and fragrant meals. —But bright red, dazzling blood in the stairwell. My sister hugged me tightly, her brand-new police badge hurting my cheek. I pieced together the truth of the story from her tearful narration. Cheating father, mother enduring for my exam, pregnant mistress coming to the door… A slip of the hand during my father’s shoving, my mother rolled down the stairs and hit a sharp steel pipe in the trash pile in the stairwell. A seemingly happy family was shattered in just a few hours. And the call from the hooligan Brad was the last straw that broke me. “My dad knows about your family’s mess.” The hooligan laughed carelessly, his tone disgusting. At eighteen, I gripped the phone tightly, trembling uncontrollably. “Your sister just became a little police officer, right? Is she still an intern?” “Well, I’m not a bad person. Dump Ethan hard, and I won’t mess with your sister, how about it?” “Oh, didn’t that little bastard test out of the province? It’s a long way off, and his old hag at home can’t reach him, right?” “Step him into the mud alone, or let everyone become stray dogs. You choose.” When the phone hung up, I couldn’t tell if I was calm or numb. The Ethan I loved would never give up his grandmother, whom he depended on for life. I only had my sister left as a relative. Besides… I looked up at the gray sky. Fine rain hit my face, rolling down mixed with tears. A doctor with a bright future shouldn’t have a lover born of a murderer. I didn’t want to be the only stain on Ethan. I had an agreement with him, agreeing that we would soar thousands of miles and stand side by side in the clouds. I broke the promise.

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When we got our marriage license, Ethan Blackwood told me he didn’t know how to love. So, for five years of marriage, he gave me everything—sex, desire, loyalty—except his heart. It was an arranged marriage between families. I knew I couldn’t be greedy, and I thought what he gave was enough. Until the night of our fifth anniversary. I broke his “bedroom rules” and secretly took off the blindfold for the first time. Only to inadvertently see a name tattooed on the small of his back. In that moment, I realized. Ethan Blackwood wasn’t incapable of love. He had just hidden it all away, saving it for my adopted sister. We had a huge fight, wishing each other dead. Unexpectedly, words became prophecy. We both plummeted off a cliff in a car accident. Before dying, Ethan, his face covered in blood, looked at me and begged: “Serena, if there is a next life, let’s not be husband and wife, okay?” I stared at him and laughed miserably, like a madwoman. When I opened my eyes again, I saw Ethan kneeling straight-backed on the floor: “Uncle, Auntie, I cannot marry Serena. The one I love is Layla.” I froze. But relief quickly followed. Coincidentally, I didn’t want to choose him this time either. 1 “Are you really sure about marrying Julian?” Mrs. Blackwood looked at me with some reluctance, but I calmly exchanged the betrothal documents with her. Confirming the name on the paper was Julian Sterling, I smiled faintly. “I’m sure, Auntie.” Mrs. Blackwood tried to persuade me again, her tone earnest. “The fortune tellers say Julian won’t live past thirty. You…” “Serena, even if Ethan doesn’t agree to the marriage, you don’t have to choose a husband only from the Blackwood family.” In my past life, Julian Sterling did die at thirty. Mrs. Blackwood fainted from crying, and Mr. Blackwood aged overnight. Everyone mourned his passing. He was formidable, becoming the head of the Sterling family at a young age. Beneath his sickly body lay the most steadfast heart. Before he died, I intended to see him one last time. Instead, I heard him say, “I like Serena Jiang.” “She doesn’t need to know what I’ve done. I only hope she is well.” He said not all love needs to be spoken, nor does all love beg for a return. So year after year, no one but his assistant knew. His love was hidden so deep that I never noticed a trace of it until the final moment he left this world filled with regret. So, even if just for that “I like you.” I wanted to help him. At least to let him leave without regrets. After a long while, I raised a smile and gently patted the back of Mrs. Blackwood’s hand. “Auntie, Julian will live a long life, to a hundred years old.” 2 After Mrs. Blackwood left, my mother also came to ask me, “Are you really not just doing this out of spite toward Ethan?” She knew how much I liked Ethan Blackwood. Childhood sweethearts, when love first blossomed, no other boy could enter my eyes. I thought he felt the same, never imagining it was unrequited love from beginning to end. In my past life, when Ethan and I got our marriage license, he told me: “I grew up amidst schemes and calculations. I don’t understand how to love, nor can I love. But whatever I can give, I will give to you.” For five years of marriage, we were the model couple in our circle—talented man, beautiful woman, seemingly deeply in love. To maintain this marriage, I was willing to teach Ethan how to love me. I could even indulge his occasional willfulness. Even his bedroom quirks, I could endure. In my past life, before intimacy, Ethan would always hand me a blindfold or use a tie to cover my eyes. He said: “Serena’s eyes are too beautiful. I’m afraid I’ll lose control and hurt you.” Every time, I blushed to the tips of my ears. Later, once or twice, he forgot to blindfold me. I joyfully wanted to see him overcome with passion, but he just coaxed me into changing positions, then ingratiatingly kissed my back inch by inch. We almost never faced each other. I took it all as Ethan’s habit. Until our fifth anniversary. I secretly took off the blindfold for the first time and accidentally discovered the name tattooed on his lower back. Humiliation and betrayal hit me simultaneously. In that moment, I felt like I had fallen into an ice cave. I went crazy, smashing everything in the bedroom, grabbing an ashtray and hurling it at Ethan. We hurled vicious words at each other, wishing the other dead. Cursing him to eternal hell. But doing it all over again, I found I didn’t want to do anything except stay far away from him. Thinking about it carefully. Ethan treated me well, he just didn’t love me. 3 The engagement party was set for next month. Mrs. Blackwood said the Blackwood family would handle everything; I just needed to wait peacefully. She gave me the chance to back out anytime. I replied with a helpless smile, “That wouldn’t be fair to Julian.” He was just sick. I messaged my assistant at the research institute to prepare the lab equipment. In my past life, after Julian’s heart transplant, I locked myself in the lab researching antibacterial drugs for a while. Later, the drug was ready for production, but he had already died from infection. I hope I can make it in time this life. Suddenly, Ethan sent me a message: “Come to The Ninth Night Club. I need to discuss something with you.” I refused directly. The first thing Ethan did after his rebirth was come to my house to cancel the engagement and confess his love to my adopted sister, Layla. To make Layla happy, he set off fireworks all night. They had been trending at number one, with everyone saying they were a perfect match. Paparazzi caught videos of them walking by the sea. Layla seemed tired and coquettishly asked Ethan to carry her. I thought he would refuse. But he didn’t. He smiled dotingly, knelt on one knee, gently rubbed her ankle first, then carried her on his back. His movements were smooth, gentle, and affectionate. A netizen commented: “Young Master Blackwood really loves Layla to death.” During this time, he stayed by Layla’s side, dutifully pleasing her, spoiling her like a little princess. He was trying his best to make up for the regrets of his past life; he wanted a different life. I didn’t object, as long as it didn’t involve me. But in the end, I went to The Ninth Night Club, though not for Ethan. I wanted to see Julian. His assistant called me back: “Miss Jiang, Mr. Sterling is discussing business at The Ninth Night. If it’s urgent, you can come directly.” I subconsciously frowned and couldn’t help teasing, “Drinking even when sick? Is he afraid he won’t die fast enough?” The assistant on the other end went silent. After a long silence, only a faint cough was heard. Finally, the assistant hurriedly left a room number and hung up. 4 Unexpectedly, Ethan seemed certain I would come and had sent people to watch for me early on. As soon as I showed my face, two bodyguards at the door forcibly took me to Ethan’s private room. After pushing the door open, they pressed down hard on my shoulders, forcing me to kneel. The cold from the floor seeped into my knees. The feeling of humiliation swept over me again. I clenched my fists and stared at the man in front of me: “Ethan Blackwood, are you sick?” The lighting in the room was dim. Ethan took a cigarette from a pack, lit it, took a drag, and exhaled white smoke. “I didn’t want this either.” “It’s you who won’t cooperate. If you’re unwilling to cancel the engagement, don’t blame me for playing dirty.” My mind went blank. The engagement with Ethan had clearly been canceled long ago. Did he not know? I struggled instinctively, opening my mouth to explain. Ethan had already walked up to me. Holding a glass of wine, he pinched my chin: “Serena, don’t blame me.” “I just want to live the life I want for once. As long as you’re ruined, they won’t force me to marry you.” I stared at Ethan, endless sorrow bursting from my eyes. My heart ached convulsively. Childhood friendship, five years of marriage, truly as cheap as dirt. “So you’re going to drug me and send me to whose bed?” For a moment, Ethan seemed dazed. His thin lips pressed tight, his hand pausing for two seconds. But in the end, he forced the wine into my mouth. “The Blackwood family has been busy with our engagement party for the last two days. I really can’t wait any longer.” “I found a young master of equal status for you. He will take responsibility; he will marry you.” “Ethan, you’re crazy, you’re really crazy…” I desperately tried to break free, but the two bodyguards behind me were too strong to resist. The wine poured fiercely down my throat. The intense stimulation made me cough uncontrollably. My face turned red, and spilled wine ran down my chin, wetting the shirt on my chest. Clinging tightly to my skin. “Serena, be good.” His tone was very light as he reached out to wipe the wine stain from the corner of my mouth. The bodyguards had let go of me by now. I panted heavily, my face still showing signs of distress. My hands propped weakly on the floor, physiological tears welling up in my eyes. My red lips curled into a self-mocking arc: “Ethan Blackwood, I didn’t want to marry you, and I won’t marry you.” Hearing this, he smiled contemptuously: “Really? Serena, I know you too well.” “I know how much you like me, so I had no choice but to do this.” He was so confident, so certain. Suddenly, Layla appeared at the door of the private room. She clutched the corner of her dress tightly, her gaze fixed straight on me. Voice trembling: “Sister, Ethan, you…” Ethan’s body stiffened instantly, his smile freezing on his lips. “Layla, why are you here…?” “Who brought you here? It’s so dirty here; you shouldn’t have come.” He walked helplessly to Layla, his voice gentle, movements soft and obedient. At this moment, he was like a devout believer, his eyes filled with sincere love. It was a look I had never seen before. Sure enough, love and lack thereof are truly distinct. I stared at Ethan for a long time, an indescribable sourness surging up. People are truly strange. In my past life, after Ethan and I got married, Layla went abroad and never came back. He regretted the past now, but back then, if he had wanted to marry her, who could have stopped him? If he really loved her that much, a plane ticket to the US… Cost a few hundred dollars. But did Ethan ever go to see Layla? No. Sometimes I didn’t know whether to be glad he was loyal enough to me in my past life, or glad he was cowardly. Ethan coaxed Layla to go home. She pressed her lips together and didn’t say much, looking at me with unclear emotions. Finally leaving me alone in the same spot.

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On my way to the airport, a Porsche tried to cut me off. I didn’t let him in. As a result, after he overtook me, he kept brake-checking me. Because I was in a rush, I didn’t want to get into it with a road rager, so I chose to tolerate it. Unexpectedly, my patience only encouraged him to escalate. In less than a hundred yards, he brake-checked me five times. I reached my limit and decided to call the police. While I was reading his license plate number to the dispatcher, blood rushed to my head, and I slammed on the gas, ramming right into him. Because, while reading his plate, I realized this Porsche was the birthday gift my wife had asked me for just last week. …… 1 Bang! My Volkswagen Phaeton slammed directly into the rear of the Porsche. A man in sunglasses with a cigarette dangling from his mouth got out of the Porsche. He stormed arrogantly up to my car and kicked my door: “You broke ass, did you see the badge? PORSCHE!” “A crappy VW dares to hit a Porsche? Did you eat a leopard’s heart for courage?” When I saw a man get out of the car, my heart sank. Things were exactly as bad as I thought. I rolled down the window and sized him up coldly, trying to glean a clue from his words and actions. “Three million! Not a penny less, or I’ll make sure you can’t handle the consequences!” He held up three fingers and shouted at me through the window. I suppressed the urge to get out and slap him, deciding to wait and see what his relationship with my wife was. 2 A collision between luxury cars in a busy downtown area quickly gathered a crowd of onlookers. “This is gonna be good. That Porsche looks like it costs millions. This VW owner is going to pay through the nose.” “This is the price of being willful. Enduring a moment brings peace; why try to show off? Now look, he’s going to lose everything.” Encouraged by the crowd, the sunglass-wearing man became even more arrogant. He kicked my door again, his eyes fierce. “Driving a crappy VW, you didn’t yield to a Porsche? Look at you acting tough!” “Now you’re scared, hiding in the car like a turtle? Too late!” “This is the new car my wife bought me, a whole three million dollars! Pay up now, or I’ll send you to jail!” Wife? Sure enough, there’s something fishy. That damned bitch, let’s see how you end this today! After thinking it over, I slowly pushed open the car door, looked coldly at that arrogant and slightly immature face, and said indifferently: “If anyone is paying, it’s you paying me. I was going straight; you changed lanes to overtake. You are fully responsible!” “Also, speaking of jail, those two kicks to my door just now count as intentional damage to property. Those two kicks alone are enough to send you to jail.” “I don’t know the law, don’t talk law to me! I only know I drive a Porsche, so you have to make way!” “Jail? The jail that can hold me, Chris Hall, hasn’t been built yet!” 3 Seeing his reckless face, I couldn’t help but sneer. Some onlookers, seeing the sunglass man driving a luxury car and speaking dominantly, assumed he was some young master from a wealthy family. Wanting to curry favor, they started chiming in for him. “This VW driver talks big. Hit someone else’s car and wants them to pay? Someone gets mad and kicks his door once, and he wants to send them to jail? He thinks just because the other guy is young, he’s easy to fool!” “Young man, don’t be afraid. Add my number; uncle can testify for you if needed!” “Yeah, bro, I studied some law too. Damage to property only becomes criminal over five thousand. That kick just now scratched a little paint at most. How could a little paint on his crappy VW be worth five thousand?” The already arrogant Chris Hall got even more pumped up listening to the crowd’s instigation. He slapped the hood of my car hard and yelled at me: “Today, not only will you pay for my car, but you also have to kneel and apologize to me, or don’t think about leaving!” I sneered and pointed at the approaching traffic police: “Ask the officer who should pay! As for kneeling, you better find a spot for yourself in advance!” 4 “I’ll slap…” Enraged, Chris rushed over trying to get physical, but I kicked him to the ground. He got up wanting to continue the tussle, but was stopped by the arriving traffic police. “Stop, or you’re all coming to the station!” “Officer, this pauper hit my car and beat me up. Arrest him quickly.” Chris held his waist, pointing at me and complaining to the officer. The officer ignored his wild accusations and instead asked us to provide dashcam footage. I pulled up the dashcam video on my phone for the officer to see. After watching my footage, the officer looked coldly at the arrogant Chris: “It’s clearly entirely your fault. How do you have the nerve to shout for others to pay?” “You’d better settle the compensation with the rear car as soon as possible, or we can only take you back to the station for dangerous driving.” “Do you cops know how to judge? Look clearly, I’m driving a Porsche, and my wife is a big shot. You can’t afford to offend her…” “I don’t care what car you drive or whose husband you are. We are only responsible for enforcing the law impartially. I warn you, if you refuse to accept the penalty again, we will take you back to the station.” Chris complained indignantly at first, but seeing the officer’s stern expression, he dared not act rashly and chose to call for help. I glanced at the number; sure enough, he was calling my wife, Sophia Reed. 5 Although I couldn’t hear the content of their call, from the playful smile on Chris’s face and his intimate tone, I knew they were flirting while solving the problem. After the call, Chris regained his swagger, pointing at his car and saying arrogantly: “Pay up then, big deal!” “My Porsche has three million in insurance coverage. It’s more than enough to pay for your crappy VW. I won’t short you a penny, you pauper!” I sneered internally. With your measly insurance, you want to pay for my limited edition Phaeton? Besides, act recklessly like that, and you’re not even covered by insurance. I’m going to force you two adulterers to show your true colors today. Soon, the insurance company rep arrived. The claims adjuster seemed to know cars. One look at my car and his face went pale. When he finished reading the accident report in the sunglass man’s hand, he let out a long breath. “Sir, this accident was caused by your malicious brake-checking. It is not within the scope of our company’s coverage. Please negotiate compensation with the other party yourself, thank you!” Hearing he had to pay himself, Chris’s face changed instantly. He pointed at the adjuster and cursed: “What kind of broken insurance company are you? Accidents aren’t covered? Isn’t this cheating us of our money?” The adjuster didn’t want to tangle with him, waved his hand, and walked away. “So, pay up or go to jail?”

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I’m obsessed with voices. I started an online relationship. The day we were supposed to meet up, my roommate found out. She tried to persuade me earnestly: “Guys with nice voices are all ugly. Besides, what if you encounter danger going out alone? Why don’t I go for you instead?” Just then, comments flashed across my vision: “The female lead is so smart, stealing the perfect male lead just like that.” “Tsk, who told the supporting female character to be so indecisive? She didn’t dare go, so our female lead got the upper hand~” “Hahaha, the clown supporting female regretted it after seeing how handsome her boyfriend was, making a scene asking for him back, but the male lead ignored her completely. So funny!” Looking at my roommate’s determined expression, I silently sent a message to my online boyfriend: “Change of plans, come tomorrow instead.” 1 “Baby, I’ve already booked the ticket.” My online boyfriend suddenly sent me a message, Attached with a flight ticket arriving near A University this afternoon. “Baby, remember to pick me up.” I clicked on the voice message. A man’s deep, seductive voice instantly traveled from my left ear, tingling and rushing straight to my brain. So nice to listen to. Liam’s voice was just too good. My face heated up unconsciously. I ran to the bathroom and washed my face with cold water. The moment I looked up, I saw my ordinary face in the mirror. Not ugly. Just not pretty, very average looking. My heart suddenly tangled. Would Liam… despise me? Think I’m not good-looking? Instinct told me he wasn’t that kind of person. But thinking of his superior voice, I felt unworthy. For a moment, I hesitated. I didn’t reply to Liam’s message immediately. Usually, we replied to each other’s messages instantly. Never let things go overnight. So, Liam easily sensed something wrong. He asked tentatively, “Baby, are you not ready yet?” “It’s okay.” “Like this is fine too, don’t be afraid.” Afraid I’d feel guilty, Liam immediately added a sentence. Coincidentally, my roommate Chloe walked into the dorm carrying a pile of gifts. The moment our gazes met, sparks flew, I knew she heard it. “Sophie, didn’t I tell you online dating is unreliable and ask you to break up early?” Chloe frowned her beautiful brows, staring at me unhappily. She deserved to be the department beauty. Even when angry, she looked so good. But unlike her, who had many, many suitors, I had severe social anxiety and was afraid to go out. Thinking of Liam’s goodness, I subconsciously wanted to argue, “Liam is…” “Do you know how many female students get trafficked because of online dating? Besides, a guy with a nice voice isn’t necessarily handsome. Why are you so obsessed?” She interrupted me impatiently. The next second, as if thinking of something, she blinked her pretty eyes, “How about this? I’ll go meet him for you today and see if he’s a man or a ghost!” Actually, no matter what Liam looked like, I wouldn’t break up with him. But I wasn’t sure if he would accept me. After all, not everyone is obsessed with voices. While I was pondering the credibility of her words, text suddenly flashed before my eyes, “Tsk, this supporting female is so pretentious. Dating online but afraid to meet up, isn’t that playing games?” “Hehe, doesn’t matter, doesn’t matter. The female lead is very smart. After meeting him for her, she falls in love with the male lead at first sight. Catching the male lead so easily~” “Who let our female lead be a heartthrob~ Even the campus hunk bows down under her skirt, let alone a small streamer.” “Laughing to death. The supporting female regretted it immediately after knowing the male lead was so handsome, pestering the female lead to return her boyfriend. Result: the male lead ignored her completely. What a clown!” Seeing those comments full of negative emotions appear, I couldn’t help but freeze in place. My mind was a mess. 2 Half an year ago. I met Liam in a game. That day, I lost seven games in a row and had my role stolen. I was crying and cursing at the same time. I just didn’t notice that the voice chat was automatically set to “Team.” Everyone listened to me cursing for the whole game. “Wuwuwu, can’t you see I already pre-selected? What are you stealing for?” “So eager to die, need my help?” There were many more ugly words like these. But when the mid-laner was in danger, my hands were faster than my brain. The retreat signal from teammates was almost worn out, But I subconsciously rushed over to save him. The mid-laner immediately counter-killed five opponents. I suddenly fell silent and stopped cursing. He turned on his mic and chuckled lightly, “Support, your voice is quite nice.” “Can I add you as a friend?” At that moment, I just wanted to post on Reddit asking, What to do if I fall in love with my nemesis? Liam’s voice was inexplicably alluring, I agreed to the friend request as if possessed, and added his WeChat. From then on, he would flirt from time to time. “Can I invite you for a game?” “I just sang a song, want to listen?” “Don’t misunderstand, it’s a song exclusively for you.” “The weather is nice today. I mean, how are you? Or rather, let me be your boyfriend, okay?” Later, I learned he was a faceless voice streamer on TikTok. Over ten thousand followers. Many people liked him. I was almost transparent at school, with only Chloe as a good friend. How could I withstand such blatant pursuit? Fell in love instantly. It wasn’t that I hadn’t thought about meeting up, but in Liam’s moments, his university was top-tier, Attending academic competitions every month. He was too excellent. Always made me feel unreal. Until today, I finally learned everything. This is a romance novel with a heartthrob protagonist. The female lead is my roommate Chloe, who can captivate people with every gesture. My existence is just a bridge for her to meet Liam. Because of my inferiority and cowardice, Chloe will go for me this afternoon, Then fall in love at first sight with the pure-love male lead Liam, using all her charm to win the handsome guy. And I, out of jealousy, will cyberbully the female lead, making a scene for her to return Liam to me. Constantly jumping around, courting death. Finally ending up hated by everyone and dying miserably. “Why is the supporting female pretending to be aloof? Didn’t the female lead say she’d go check out the male lead for her first?” “Relax~ Our female lead is so pretty, naturally she’s afraid her boyfriend will be snatched away~” “Deserved. Giving up the meet-up herself, letting others pick up a huge bargain.” “The moment the supporting female gave up meeting, the male lead was already in our female lead’s bag~” I lowered my eyes, staring at these words. My hands clenched tightly suddenly. The next second, I tried hard to curl my lips, speaking naturally, “Okay, then you go for me!” “Have fun~” 3 I didn’t give up on Liam. The person who spent hundreds of days and nights with him was me. The person who won thousands of games with him was still me. Such a long relationship, Couldn’t collapse overnight. Similarly, I wouldn’t give up my love because of a few unwarranted sentences in the comments. Watching Liam send the rescheduled ticket with my own eyes, a warmth slowly flowed through my body. No matter how unreasonable or grumpy I was, he could always comfort me immediately. Quietly waiting for my reasons. He was so good, I really shouldn’t hesitate. Thinking about it, I turned to look at Chloe changing dresses in front of the mirror. She hummed softly, matching one dress after another. Finally, she put on a pure white long dress that matched her makeup. Without any decorations. It made Chloe look even more elegant and holy. A silver necklace barely covered the red hickey on her collarbone. The comments were all praising, “Female lead baby is so beautiful~ drooling.jpg, no wonder she can take down the aloof male lead!” “This heartthrob female lead is so cool! All excellent men should be hers!” “Handsome guys should be with beauties, right? With her looks, how dare the supporting female dream of our male lead?” “Haha, the supporting female was afraid the male lead was ugly and didn’t dare go, turns out she’s the ugliest one.” Hearing these familiar remarks, there were no waves in my heart. Usually, I had no friends, Only Chloe was willing to approach, radiating kindness. But I knew clearly, she just wanted to highlight her own kindness and beauty. Walking with her, everyone would subconsciously look at the more beautiful Chloe. My secret crush would also be attracted by her, becoming one of her many suitors. I could yield everything to her. Except Liam. Before going out, Chloe’s gaze fell on me seemingly inadvertently, mixed with disgust. Her voice was soft and gentle, “Sophie, don’t say I didn’t give you a chance. I’ll ask you one last time, want me to go for you?” I sat up, pressing the lit phone screen, “Of course not. You are so beautiful, Liam will definitely be stunned when he sees you!” “By the way, forgot to tell you, I never told Liam my real name. When you pick him up, shout my online name loudly~” “Tsk.” A flash of annoyance passed through Chloe’s beautiful eyes. She rolled her eyes, “You online daters are trouble. Dare not say real names, afraid he’ll secretly look up your photos?” “Most annoyed by you online dating people, waving the banner of pure love looking for soulmates, actually become ‘no such person’ as soon as photos are sent.” Just as I was about to open my mouth to explain something, she forcibly interrupted, “Alright, alright, I’m leaving. Don’t delay my good thing.” 4 Watching Chloe leave with my own eyes, I continued to click on WeChat. On the white chat background, The man’s skin was cold white, features exquisite, beautiful peach blossom eyes faintly red at the ends. This was the only photo Liam actively sent. My phone wallpaper was also this picture. So, I was very sure, The comments saying Chloe fell in love with Liam at first sight were fake. Because she had seen Liam long ago. Today’s scene was just acting for me. Pushing all the blame on me, starting a new romance with my online boyfriend openly. But I didn’t want to let her wish come true. “Baby, remember to pick me up tomorrow.” Liam sent another voice message, tickling the heart. I blushed unconsciously, stammering back, “Kn… know.” Then, we opened the game together. About five rounds later. The sunset outside the window disappeared, dyed with dots of black. Roommate Chloe finally pushed open the door in a rage. Her exquisite hairstyle was now a mess, very wretched. She seemed crazy, “Sophie! You dare to play me?!” “I waited all afternoon, there was no online boyfriend you mentioned!” Saying so, she stretched out her hand with new manicure, pretending to pull me. I backed away in fear, eyes quickly squeezing out a few tears, “Sorry, I didn’t know it would be like this either.” “Liam’s flight was delayed. I just found out too. Look, I called you.” I forcibly placed the phone in front of her. Accidentally touching Chloe’s earrings worth thousands. She swatted it away irritably, “Fine, fine, fine. So when exactly does he arrive?!” I thought for a moment and replied, “Tomorrow.” “Liam said tomorrow noon.” “Okay.” Chloe returned to bed. Just about to rest a bit, she suddenly thought of something again, staring at me gloomily. “This time, you won’t stand me up again, right?” “No, no.” Comments appeared again, “Is the supporting female stupid? Said she’d let the female lead go for her, but didn’t tell her the flight was canceled? Did she prank the female lead on purpose?” “Impossible? The supporting female is so stupid, only our female lead baby plays her. We can eat meat tomorrow, just endure a bit more~” “The supporting female is really speechless, making the female lead wait all afternoon for nothing. The meeting of male and female leads is delayed again. Can’t sacrifice the female lead baby just for her own love, right?” “Such double standards. When will the dead supporting female go offline?!” Ignoring these sour comments, I lay down listening to the love song Liam recorded specially for me. Slept beautifully.

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As the projected top scorer, I took the college entrance exam twice. The first time, I got into Harvard. The second time, I got into Yale. Each time, my score was no less than 700, but neither of these schools dared to admit me once they saw my name. I thought it was because I failed the background check, so the schools were afraid to accept me. But my parents are honest migrant workers. Let alone committing a crime, they don’t even dare to kill a chicken. Until I took the exam for the third time. This time I still scored over 700. I applied to Stanford, thinking this time it was a sure thing. But the admissions officer from Stanford, who came happily to recruit students, was dumbfounded upon seeing my name and immediately declared that Stanford couldn’t accept me. I couldn’t figure it out no matter what. What was wrong with my name? Why did everyone dare not admit me once they saw my name, even though I scored so well? …… 1 “You are this year’s provincial top scorer, Chloe Chen.” “We at Stanford won’t admit you. We can’t accept a student like you!” The admissions officer from Stanford confirmed my household registration information in front of me and finally shook his head. My heart full of joy fell empty, and a sense of helplessness swept over me. I desperately wanted to know the reason and couldn’t help asking him. “Why can’t you admit me? I’m the top scorer!” “Even if I die, let me die knowing why!” Facing my inquiry, the admissions officer just glanced at me lightly. He said: “No school will accept a student like you!” I tried hard to think about the meaning of this sentence. But I racked my brains and couldn’t figure anything out. Devastated, I collapsed on the ground, trembling and crying with my head in my hands. My mind was full of doubts. Why have I been the top scorer three times, yet still no school is willing to admit me? The first time I took the exam, I was the top scorer with 730 points, and I got into Harvard. Just when I was joyfully waiting for the acceptance letter, what came was the news that my application was rejected. I didn’t believe it and called the admissions office to ask. But when the leader heard my name was Chloe Chen, he didn’t investigate further, only saying: “We won’t accept you.” The second time I took the exam after repeating a year, I was the top scorer with 735 points, and I got into Yale. I thought Yale would definitely admit me. But the result was the same; my application was rejected again. When I called to investigate again, the leader of the Yale admissions office was the same as Harvard’s. After hearing my name, they didn’t admit me. 2 I couldn’t figure out why my scores were getting better each time, but Harvard and Yale dared not admit me. At first, I thought there was a problem with the background check, so I specially checked if my parents had committed any crimes. But the result was that our family had been clean for three generations. Moreover, my parents are honest farmers who usually don’t even dare to kill a chicken. I couldn’t find the truth and didn’t believe in bad luck, so I resolutely took the exam for the third time. This time I scored 738 points, still the top scorer. Thinking of the previous two experiences, I didn’t choose to apply to Harvard or Yale, but put Stanford as my choice. With my score, I could easily get into Stanford. When the Stanford admissions officer came to my house, I confidently thought the result was secure this time, and I would definitely be able to go to college. Unfortunately, the admissions officer dealt me a heavy blow. After seeing my name, he immediately declared that Stanford wouldn’t want me. I still wasn’t admitted. After suffering the blow of failing to get in three times, I was in absolute despair. My parents looked at me crying bitterly and shed tears too. “How could this happen?” “My daughter is clearly the top scorer, why wasn’t she admitted?” The old couple couldn’t believe this result either. 3 My mom’s eyes were red, and with a thud, she knelt directly in front of the Stanford admissions officer. She begged cautiously: “Teacher, I beg you, let my daughter go to school. We’ll find a way to give whatever amount of money you need!” The admissions officer ignored her. My mom simply kowtowed directly. She knocked her forehead until the skin broke, reaching out to grab the admissions officer’s pant leg. She cried snot and tears, her voice choked: “Teacher, the child can’t have no school to go to. Her father and I have farmed hard all our lives. Our biggest wish is to cultivate our daughter so she can live a good life and not repeat our mistakes of suffering. I beg you to have mercy!” My dad knelt too. Hunched over, he took out a pack of cigarettes costing one dollar and fifty cents from his pocket, pulled one out, and handed it to the admissions officer. “Teacher, although I’m uneducated, I know my daughter is the top scorer. She must go to school!” “If she doesn’t go to college, the rest of the child’s life will be ruined. I beg you to help!” To support my schooling, my dad could only smoke cheap cigarettes costing one dollar and fifty cents a pack. Watching my parents, who had never bowed their heads, humble themselves to beg others for me, my heart ached in waves. Although our family are farmers, my parents have never been so aggrieved no matter how hard or tired they were. They say a man has gold under his knees, but at this moment my dad knelt to beg for a way out for me. Unfortunately, it was all useless. The admissions officer wasn’t moved in the slightest. 4 He still said the same thing: “Don’t be like this. We won’t accept your Chloe Chen!” My dad thought his sincerity wasn’t enough, pulling his sleeve to wipe the leader’s shoes. He wiped shoes while begging, even kowtowing. Even so, the admissions officer still didn’t relent: “Don’t play these sympathy cards. It’s useless. We won’t accept a student like Chloe Chen no matter what you say.” The admissions officer spoke with certainty. No matter how my parents pleaded, the admissions officer was unwilling to pay attention to us anymore. After the admissions officer left, Stanford rejected my first choice application. I, the person involved, was completely confused. I tried to find the reason in myself. What does “a student like me” mean? What mistake did I make exactly? But in my memory, I didn’t have a single stain. I have been a model student with good character and academic performance since childhood, a student model in the mouths of other parents. Seeing me in such pain, my parents gathered around to comfort me. My dad patted my head. “Chloe, it’s okay. If this school doesn’t want you, we’ll choose another school. There are so many universities in the country, there must be one that wants you!” My mom helped wipe my tears, echoing him. “My Chloe is the top scorer, there will definitely be a school to go to. No matter what, mom and dad will fight for you!” Because I didn’t get into college after three exams, my parents’ hair turned much whiter.

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I awakened the Green Serpent bloodline of my family. Upon reaching adulthood, I must choose my gender once again. In my past life, to be with my boyfriend, I resolutely chose to remain a girl. I supported him and raised our children, accompanying him from a small business owner to the richest man in the capital. I raised our son and daughter to attend top universities. But on my fiftieth birthday, after eating the cake my husband made himself, I vomited black blood. My children watched from the side, with no intention of calling an ambulance. “Mom, just go peacefully. Auntie Jasmine will take care of us and Dad.” “Yeah, being your child is really embarrassing.” They relied on me for everything they had, yet they pushed me into the abyss without hesitation. When I opened my eyes again, I was standing in the ancestral hall. The patriarch handed me the yellow paper for choosing my gender. “Yingying, make your decision.” 1 I took the yellow paper from the patriarch’s hand and wrote down my name stroke by stroke. Once the last stroke fell, this decision could never be changed. The patriarch looked at me in surprise. “Have you really thought this through? You want to be a man from now on?” “What about your boyfriend? Can he accept you changing your gender?” As he said this, Ethan was standing outside the door, looking at me eagerly. He was an outsider, couldn’t enter the ancestral hall, and couldn’t hear what we were saying. I devoutly lit the yellow paper and smiled at the patriarch. “Grandpa, I’ve thought it through. Before I completely change my gender, please keep it a secret for me.” “Alright, it’s your own business, you decide.” “The ceremony ends in a week. Your new ID will be sent over then.” A week. I silently repeated these two words. In a week, I would have a brand new life, beautiful as a dream. Before that, I must deal with Ethan. After walking out of the ancestral hall, the man immediately grabbed my hand. “Yingying, you’ve sacrificed so much for me. I won’t let you regret it.” “Are you willing to form a bond with me?” I was stunned for a moment. Ethan never mentioned this in my past life. Is he also reborn? I asked tentatively. “Forming a bond isn’t just marriage. Once the contract is effective, we can never be separated in this life.” “Will you really love me forever and never fall in love with anyone else?” “Of course.” The man looked at me affectionately, but I easily saw the familiar ruthlessness and ambition in his eyes. Exactly the same as when he poisoned me with his own hands in my past life. “Yingying, the thought of you possibly leaving me makes me feel like dying.” “I beg you, promise me, okay?” My stomach cramped. As if the poison crossed time and was tearing my internal organs apart again. I suppressed all the bitterness and smiled brightly at Ethan. “Okay, I promise you.” “I don’t want to be separated from you either. Let’s form the bond now.” I cut a lock of his hair, entwined it with a lock of mine, and asked Grandpa Patriarch to burn it in the ancestral hall. “I, Ethan, tie the knot with you today as husband and wife, loving each other without suspicion.” The patriarch hesitated: “Yingying, but aren’t you…?” Thinking of my instructions, he looked at us with complex eyes, and finally just sighed deeply. 2 I watched the hair turn to ash in the brazier. Finally, I revealed a sincere smile. That night, Ethan discussed the wedding details with my parents. He had lost his gentle and refined appearance from the day, sitting at the head of the table, asking without looking up. “Auntie, when will you transfer the house and car to my name?” My mother’s face darkened. “What do you mean?” “Let me be straight. My family has no money. Your family might have to cover the wedding expenses.” “If you care about money, we don’t have to have a wedding. I don’t mind.” “But after marriage, Qing Ying is my wife. Her house and car will be mine sooner or later. Isn’t it the same whether transferred early or late?” Saying this, he put a chicken leg in my bowl and asked me triumphantly. “Right, Yingying?” My parents’ gazes also focused on me. They knew this matter still depended on my opinion. “Yingying, you heard him. You haven’t even married yet, and he already wants to seize our family property.” “If you marry him, how will you live? Even if you continue being a girl, Mom and Dad can find you a good husband. Just nod, and we’ll kick him out right now.” My dad silently picked up a stick. Ethan hurriedly shouted. “We’ve already formed a bond! You can’t go back on it! If Qing Ying doesn’t become my wife, she can only die!” My parents were struck by lightning. Seeing my silence, they scolded me for being so muddled, so angry their heart conditions were about to flare up. I held my mother’s shoulders to comfort her. They haven’t seen Ethan’s true viciousness and shamelessness yet. God let me live again to make me realize what the abyss truly is. I turned to Ethan. “My family’s assets, except for this house my parents live in, are all under my name.” “There are a total of sixteen villas, two courtyard houses, seventy shops, thirty-four cars, and six hundred million in savings.” “If you want, I’ll transfer them all to you. This one stays for my parents’ retirement. Do you agree?” Ethan’s eyes burned with greed. In the past life, he became the richest man solely relying on my support. He knew I had money, but didn’t know I had this much money. He agreed immediately. “Deal.” “But your parents have to write a will now. After they die, this house can only be under my name.” I wasn’t surprised by his greed. I did everything he said. When the last deposit was transferred to Ethan. A snake scale appeared on his left arm. “What is this?” “The token of the bond. When three snake scales appear, the contract will be completely effective.” “Why wasn’t it there before?” He muttered in confusion, then quickly shut his mouth. Seeing me penniless yet still looking at him calmly. Ethan turned his head somewhat guiltily. “You don’t have to be unhappy. Isn’t my money your money? I won’t treat you badly. Only when money is in the man’s hands can the family stand.” In the past life, I initiated the bond. When he swore to treat me well, it was much more sincere than now. But what did he do in the end? A glass of poisoned wine sent me to the West. 3 With money, Ethan first bought himself his favorite heavy motorcycle. Then he swiped the card crazily, buying a pile of jewelry, designer clothes, and skincare products that only women like. Consumption records flowed to my phone like water. What he gave me was a gold-plated bracelet for 9.9 on Pinduoduo. I accepted it with a smile. Not a single word of complaint. Four days before the ceremony was complete, Ethan suddenly dragged me out of the room in the middle of the night. Wearing only pajamas, I was dragged to the hospital by him. “My sister was in a car accident. You have the same blood type as her. You must donate blood to her.” Entering the emergency room. I knew, his so-called sister was Jasmine. Auntie Jasmine in my son’s mouth. The woman Ethan and the children truly loved. The man grabbed the nurse about to enter the operating room. “Draw her blood. Save Jasmine no matter what.” The nurse drew 400ml from my arm. Ethan frowned fiercely. “Wasn’t it supposed to be 1000ml? Why stop?” The nurse looked at him troubledly. “More than 400ml is dangerous. 1000ml will cause this lady to go into shock. Besides, the patient inside isn’t seriously injured, and the blood we ordered is on the way.” “I don’t care. Her blood is good, draw hers.” “She’s my wife. Don’t I know her body? It’s just 1000ml of blood, what’s wrong with drawing it?” Onlookers whispered. “This man is really not a thing, treating his wife as a blood bag?” “Exactly, blood is blood, is there high and low grade? I think he just wants to kill his wife.” “Sister, don’t agree. It’s not worth hurting yourself for others.” I smiled and extended my arm to the nurse. “Draw it.” “Ethan asked me for it, I must give it to him.” The nurse looked at me in astonishment, as if saying I was crazy. The people who were fighting for me just now also turned their heads and cursed me for having no brain, saying good words can’t persuade a ghost determined to die. I was unmoved. Watching the blood flow out of my body. How did Ethan know my blood was good? In the past life, he entered ICU with pneumonia, doctors said he wouldn’t live. It was me who let my own blood to make medicine for him. That’s how he survived. So in this life, even if the hospital didn’t lack blood, even if Jasmine just lost some blood and wasn’t in danger. He still insisted on draining all my blood to save his white moonlight. I lost consciousness drowsily, waking up with Ethan by my bed. I lifted his sleeve and saw the second snake scale on his left hand. Ethan saw that snake scale, eyes full of complexity, comforting me softly. “Yingying, I didn’t expect you to love me so much. It’s my fault this time, I’m sorry.” “The doctor said you lost too much blood, miscarried, and couldn’t keep your uterus. You can never have children again.” I smiled. “Is that so? Let it go then, I don’t care.” “You’re not angry?!” Seeing my indifference, Ethan’s eyes were filled with anger. “That was our child! Why aren’t you sad it died?! Why didn’t you tell me earlier you were pregnant!” Would he have given up drawing my blood if I told him earlier? 4 And what’s worth cherishing about Ethan’s children? I raised them painstakingly, giving them the most luxurious life and the best educational resources. The son was smart but rebellious. The daughter was dull and obedient, but low IQ. Sending such two people to top universities, did it rely on their own efforts and talents? Everything relied on my ancestral bloodline and my support. But did these two ingrates have any gratitude towards me? Watching their mother struggle on the floor. Ten fingers scratching blood from the pain. They were still happily discussing where to take Jasmine for a trip. Thinking of this, I held Ethan’s hand. “Ethan, it’s already happened, what can we do?” “Fortunately, sister is saved. She is safe and sound. If you want children in the future, we can just adopt hers.” “Is… is that so?” Ethan was shocked by my reasonableness. He seemed unable to figure out how I could sacrifice myself to this extent. But my proposal did no harm to him. So the man pulled me into his arms. “Yingying, how lucky am I to have a wife like you.” “We will adopt Jasmine’s children in the future. If you teach them well, they will definitely be successful.” “When the time comes, let the children be filial to you. If they dare not listen, I will definitely teach them a lesson.” He spoke sweeter than a song. But in his imagination, the one being taught a lesson would definitely be me.

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To avoid inheriting the family conglomerate, I endured my teacher’s blatant favoritism. To avoid an arranged marriage with another wealthy heir, I endured bullying from certain classmates. Until, that is, the bully stole my guaranteed university admission. I instantly stopped acting. At the pre-exam assembly, I took the stage as the representative of the board of directors. The principal fell to his knees on the spot. 1 I made a bet with my parents. As long as I could secure a guaranteed admission spot on my own merit, I wouldn’t have to follow the path of a corporate heiress and could choose a life I loved. To achieve the freedom I desired, I burned the midnight oil and studied like my life depended on it. In the final joint exam before the college entrance exam… I didn’t let myself down; I ranked first in the entire city. But the admission spot that should have been mine was given to my homeroom teacher’s daughter, Chloe Chen. I couldn’t hold back anymore. I stood up from my seat. “Teacher, I was the one who ranked first in this joint exam!” My voice was resonant and powerful, without a trace of my usual feigned weakness. My homeroom teacher, Mrs. Chen, probably didn’t expect such a big reaction from me. After all, over the past semester… There were so many times she had controlled things single-handedly. The class monitor was supposed to be elected by votes. She still gave the position to Chloe. The top scorer of the midterms was supposed to give the speech at the assembly. She still gave the speech opportunity to Chloe. These were all trivial honors; I didn’t care who Mrs. Chen gave them to. So I never argued with her. But now, this was my guaranteed admission spot! She dared to openly give it to Chloe? Mrs. Chen clicked her tongue slightly, a flash of coldness crossing her face, before saying amiably in front of the whole class, “I was quite surprised too, but this admission spot for Harvard was designated for Chloe Chen by the university itself.” I stared into her eyes and asked, “Are you sure Harvard specifically designated Chloe for admission?” Mrs. Chen felt a chill under my gaze, her lips moving slightly. “I said yes, so of course it is.” Chloe also stood up from the best seat in the classroom, retorting angrily, “Lily Vance, is it so hard to admit others are excellent? Harvard values my extensive extracurricular experience, so they specifically asked for me. Look at yourself. Besides good grades, you have no hobbies or interests. Why would they want a nerd?” A nerd? Me? Heh! I’ve been learning violin, piano, ballet, ice hockey, speed skating, and golf since I was little. I’ve reached the top professional levels in all of them. Not to mention my specialty, martial arts. I’m a nationally certified first-class female martial artist! And what Chloe learned were just interest classes paid for with a little money… Let alone professional level, she probably wasn’t even qualified to take the grading exams. With her half-baked skills, Harvard would specifically ask for her? What a joke. I didn’t speak. I directly took out the phone I rarely used. Spent three seconds finding the number for the Harvard Admissions Office. Spent another three seconds dialing it. Three seconds later, it connected. I turned on the speakerphone and asked in front of all my classmates, “Hello, is this the Harvard Admissions Office?” The moment the call connected, Mrs. Chen and Chloe glared at me. 2 “Yes, this is the Harvard Admissions Office. How can I help you?” I asked word by word, “May I ask how many guaranteed admission spots your school has given to Hua Xin First High School this year?” The person replied, “One.” “Are you sure?” “Of course. Based on Hua Xin First High’s past performance, our school didn’t intend to give them any spots. But this year is special. A student from Hua Xin ranked first in the city in this joint exam. After discussion, we gave the spot to this student.” “Then may I ask, is this student named Chloe Chen?” The person hesitated. I heard the sound of a mouse clicking on a computer. Then they replied, “No, it’s Lily Vance.” When my name came out of the phone, the whole class went into an uproar. All the students’ eyes were fixed on Mrs. Chen and Chloe’s faces. And the voice from the Harvard Admissions Office continued. He said, “This student, Lily Vance, not only ranked first in total score in this joint exam but also ranked first in every subject. Especially in the final bonus question in Physics, she used a theory recently proposed by international physicists to solve it, which shocked our grading teachers. That’s why Harvard specially named Lily Vance for admission from Hua Xin First High.” “Thank you, teacher. Thank you for Harvard’s recognition.” “You? You are Lily Vance?” The voice on the other end became excited. “Did you already know you were admitted to Harvard, so you called to verify? Haha, we were actually afraid you wouldn’t come…” “No,” I interrupted him. Then, I explained, “My homeroom teacher said the Harvard admission spot was designated for a student named Chloe Chen. They said Harvard values overall quality more, and wouldn’t look at a nerd like me who only knows how to study.” The person was surprised. “Chloe Chen? Who is that? Harvard never intended to recruit this student. Besides… this name seems to have been disqualified from the joint exam for cheating!” Mrs. Chen and Chloe’s faces were already beet red. Especially Chloe. As arrogant as she was just now, she was that ashamed now. But she was still quibbling, “He’s lying! I-I didn’t cheat! I didn’t…” The classmates looked at each other, and various voices arose. “It’s one thing for Mrs. Chen to favor Chloe usually, but daring to openly steal an admission spot is shameless enough.” “Cheater. If someone like that can be admitted to Harvard, Harvard must be blind.” “Exactly. What is Chloe? If she weren’t the teacher’s daughter, she’d be nothing.” “Disgusting. If Chloe really got the Harvard admission, I’d report it to the Education Bureau immediately. There’s no justice.” Whispers ran rampant. I wasn’t sure if the person on the phone heard them. But his voice clearly became serious. He said, “Student Lily Vance, as an admissions officer, I promise you today that no one can take away your admission qualification. If they do, then that person, and the student you mentioned who was ‘admitted,’ will definitely receive appropriate punishment.” “Okay, thank you.” The call ended. I looked at Mrs. Chen again. Mrs. Chen couldn’t keep her composure, but the class was still going on. With so many eyes watching her, she could only bite the bullet and say, “Lily, there might be some misunderstanding here. What’s yours is definitely yours. I’ll clarify with the school later. Maybe I read it wrong.” “Really? My name doesn’t look like Chloe Chen’s.” I narrowed my eyes. Mrs. Chen coughed lightly twice. “Maybe I heard it wrong.” I didn’t let this opportunity go and pressed on, “Heard it wrong, huh? Then why don’t you just leave the mistake as is?” Mrs. Chen was stunned. “W-what do you mean leave it as is?” I smiled and said, “I don’t want this admission spot anymore. Give it to whoever you want! Anyway…” anyone other than me who gets the spot will be punished accordingly! 3 Mrs. Chen immediately understood what I meant. She was startled, her face changing color. “Lily, don’t cause trouble!” Cause trouble? Who caused trouble first? Weren’t you quite self-righteous at the beginning? Weren’t you lying without blushing or skipping a beat? I sneered and ignored her. I simply picked up my schoolbag and walked out. Mrs. Chen shouted from behind, “Lily Vance, if you leave here today, don’t even think about coming back!” Come back? Unless you kneel and beg me! Chloe looked at me resentfully, gritting her teeth hard. As I walked out the classroom door, I saw her mouth shape seem to say: “Bitch, I’m going to kill you”! Chloe’s mother was the homeroom teacher. Chloe’s father was the school principal. Chloe’s arrogance was entirely due to the contributions of these two. I was actually a little expectant to see how Chloe would “kill” me! I walked out of the school without looking back. In a short while, I arrived home. This was a two-bedroom apartment I bought casually with my pocket money. Because I moved in hastily, I directly used the old furniture left by the previous family. The whole house looked small and old, but it had a strong family atmosphere. After taking a shower, I lay in bed and received a call from my dad. “My darling baby, do you miss me?” “I miss you.” Then I asked, “Dad, aren’t you in Siberia discussing nuclear energy supply with their king? How do you have time to call me?” “Oh, we ran into a technical problem, so I wanted to ask you.” Then, my dad handed the phone to the project’s technical staff. It took the technician half an hour to explain their problem clearly. I thought about it carefully and checked a certain detail with him. He suddenly exclaimed, “Right, that’s it! I didn’t notice the parameter in this place, that’s why the problem occurred. Oh my god, Miss Vance, you are a genius!” “Uh…” I didn’t know how my two sentences touched him. But anyway, the problem was solved. After the conversation with the technician ended, my dad asked about my life. I sighed slightly and said, “Dad, life for ordinary people is really restricted everywhere. I suddenly understand why Shawn was like that back then.” Shawn was the child of our family’s servant. He was upright and smart. I could see almost all the beautiful qualities of humanity in him. But such a well-behaved and sensible child was eventually forced to jump from the 30th floor. Shawn… Thinking of him always made me a bit sad. He once said that if I hadn’t grown up in such a family, I would be like him, only able to suffer the injustice of this world. And the reason I chose this experience was to verify the injustice Shawn spoke of, to see to what extent it could be unfair. “If you want to give up experiencing the life of ordinary people, Dad has no objection. Dad just wants his baby to be happy. Shawn’s case was just an exception; you don’t need to prove anything for this society.” I nodded. After hanging up, I prepared to rest for a while. But messages from the class group chat kept bombarding my phone. I opened the group, intending to mute it. But I found they were discussing my stolen admission spot. Through my classmates’ chat, I learned that after I left school, the teachers from the Harvard Admissions Office came with leaders from the Education Bureau. They threw a huge temper tantrum in the principal’s office. And they pointed out that if it wasn’t me being admitted, Harvard wouldn’t accept anyone who got the spot. As for Chloe, who replaced me this time, she was blacklisted by Harvard. The Harvard Admissions Office would never allow a student who cheated to enter the school. This was the first time Harvard University had targeted a student with such fanfare. “Harvard is the top of the Ivy League. If Harvard doesn’t want Chloe, other colleges definitely won’t want her either. Chloe’s parents have accompanied her to the end of the road for the college entrance exam.” “Hehe, she usually struts around, wishing she could walk sideways in school. This time she ran into a tough one in Lily.” “To be fair, it’s because Lily has real skills. A robber who only knows how to snatch deserves this ending.” Watching these messages, the knot in my heart loosened a bit. Just then, I received a call from an unknown number. I hesitated for a moment and answered. I heard Mrs. Chen’s voice on the other end: “Student Lily, um, can you come to the principal’s office now? We… we have something to discuss with you…” I chuckled lightly: “Teacher, didn’t you tell me not to go back?” Mrs. Chen choked, then lowered her voice: “Lily, you know I’m your teacher. Come back quickly, or you’ll be waiting for…” I didn’t wait for her to continue. I hung up the phone with a “snap.” Then I blocked the number and went to sleep. They were already being roasted over the fire, yet they were still so arrogant in front of me. If I continued to spoil them, I would really be letting down the classmates who spoke up for me. 4 When I woke up again. It was already dark outside. The messages in the group had scrolled to 999+. I opened the messages and skimmed through them. It said that Mrs. Chen and the principal both received punishments from the Education Bureau. Mrs. Chen was fired. The principal was demoted. And the Harvard Admissions Office was looking everywhere for my address, determined to give me an explanation. It was also at this time that I noticed hundreds of missed calls on my phone. Mostly from unknown numbers. I guessed there should be calls from the Harvard admissions teachers in there. Just as I was about to call the admissions office proactively, another call came in. I answered, and the other party asked if I was Lily Vance. I gave an affirmative answer. “I’m very sorry, Student Lily. I am the director of the Harvard Admissions Office. I know this incident has hurt you greatly. We would like to meet with you to see if there is anything we can do to make it up to you.” I have to say, Harvard is truly magnanimous. A few sentences made me feel embarrassed. After some pleasantries, I agreed to their request to meet. We agreed to meet at a restaurant near my apartment complex. I tidied myself up and headed over, not realizing anything was wrong. Until I walked into the restaurant. The restaurant was empty. Several female delinquents walked out from the back kitchen holding iron rods. I frowned and became alert. Then, I saw Chloe hiding in the crowd. I realized that the phone call just now was a lie from Chloe. Chloe said to the blonde leader, “Sister Ma, it’s this damn girl who caused my parents to be reported. Teach her a lesson. My parents will definitely get you the high school diploma you want. Whether you want to continue school or go out to work, it will be useful.” At this moment, I had already pressed the recording button on my phone. Successfully recorded what Chloe said. The person called Sister Ma glanced at Chloe disdainfully: “Your parents have stepped down. Are you sure you can get me a diploma?” Chloe said firmly: “Of course. Even if my parents stepped down, a starving camel is still bigger than a horse. Without power, they still have money. Did you forget when you messed with Shawn? Whatever amount you said, my parents sent it to your house. This diploma is a small matter. Besides, even if I can’t get the diploma, I won’t short you on the money. Ten thousand dollars takes a long time to earn by working.” Sister Ma listened, her expression moved, and the iron rod in her hand moved up and down. And I focused on the name they mentioned… Shawn. I narrowed my eyes and asked: “What do you have to do with Shawn?” Sister Ma sneered: “What else? Didn’t we drive him to death?” Chloe tilted her head back, with the pleasure that I was about to meet my doom: “Shawn won first prize in the Math Olympiad and got a guaranteed admission to Harvard. I asked him to give the spot to me, but he refused and proved his will with death. So I could only fulfill his wish. But he didn’t die further away; he had to jump from my building. Bad luck… caused my house price to drop by a million.” Chloe walked out from the crowd, arms crossed, proud as a peacock. “Do you want to know how Shawn was driven to death by us? We, well, dragged him into the toilet every day after school, sprayed him with cold water, slapped him, pricked him with needles. I even asked Sister Ma to find thugs to force themselves on him. Shawn was good-looking; some perverts like his delicate skin.” She sized up my face. Then she said to me: “Your face looks ugly at first glance, but looking closely, your features seem even more correct than Shawn’s. Maybe throwing you to those thugs would let them have a good time too!” Listening to her voice, I had already clenched my fists. I had an impulse to tear her mouth apart. “Your phone is recording, right?” Chloe looked at me and smiled. A seventeen-year-old girl looked like a devil at this moment. She reached out and took my phone from my pocket, saw the recording interface, and laughed wildly and arrogantly. “Want to take this to the police station? Hahaha, dream on!” She casually smashed the phone on the ground, shattering it into pieces. I slowly raised my eyes and looked at the person who had been bullying me all along. She stole the speech hosting spot, the Math Olympiad qualification, the honors that belonged to me… I didn’t care. Because those medals and trophies already filled a wall in my home. Having more would just take up space. But not only did she feel no guilt towards me, she wanted to suppress me to death because of her dominance. She said in front of classmates that I was promiscuous; I ignored it. She said my family were garbage-picking paupers; I didn’t bother to argue. She said I started getting plastic surgery at a young age; I found it laughable. Even this time, when she snatched my admission spot, I just treated her as a stupid clown. She shouldn’t have, absolutely shouldn’t have let me know the truth about Shawn’s jump. So, it was she and Sister Ma who drove Shawn to death.

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