My brother and I both had high fevers at the same time. My parents gave me the last three fever reducers, and he turned into a slow, unresponsive kid. When he was bullied, he retaliated against his classmates. When he was ignored, he hurt our parents. Reborn, I shoved all the fever reducers into his mouth. The thick stench of blood clung to my nostrils. In the dim living room, two cold bodies lay still. It was my mom and dad! They had been murdered! They lay on the floor, eyes wide open in death, a sight that sent shivers down my spine. But I was pinned down on the bed, held tight. My hands and feet were tied, leaving me completely immobile. A large, grayish-blue hand gripped my throat, making it hard to breathe. A sharp dagger dripped with blood, wet and cold against the pulse point in my neck. “Sis… Sis…” The person on top of me let out a low, pained sound. Stuttering, broken. This person was my younger brother. Ten years ago, he and I both had persistent high fevers, our temperatures soaring past 104°F. Medicine was scarce back then, almost impossible to find on the market. Our family only had three fever reducers left. After much agonizing, my parents decided to give them to me. My thirteen-year-old brother, after that fever, became what everyone called an “idiot.” He became a target for bullying at school and a transparent, ignored presence at home. And that led to this grim outcome… He’d killed Mom and Dad, and now, he was coming for me. Why was he looking so hurt right now? The man’s hand tightened, and I slowly lost my breath, unable to respond. “Sister,” he called me again, slowly. Perhaps from years of not speaking, he could barely form full words anymore. His voice sounded like it was squeezed from his throat, tinged with a manic eeriness. “Everyone who bullied me at school… I killed them all.” He slowly lowered his head, his warm breath ghosting over my face, raising goosebumps all over my skin. Meeting his bloodshot eyes, I painfully squeezed mine shut. “These two people, I killed them too.” He continued to utter chilling words. I knew he was talking about Mom and Dad. Suddenly, the large hand on my neck loosened slightly. He pressed the knife deeper into my skin. A jolt of pain shot through my neck. With every breath, an icy chill pierced me. He had slit my throat.

He gently rubbed his face against mine, whimpering, “I gave you all the fever reducers. Why did you have to get married?” So, he still remembered what happened ten years ago. Because of a high fever, the clever and lively boy he once was became clumsy and blank. He had lost his promising life. I owed him for that. But he shouldn’t… he shouldn’t have… killed so many people, and he definitely shouldn’t have acted like a monster and murdered our parents. I didn’t quite understand the second part of his sentence. After graduating from college, because of his condition, I worried he wouldn’t be able to take care of our parents in the future. So, I chose to stay by Mom and Dad, marry a gentle man, and together, we’d take care of them and him. I had planned out our whole family’s future… I’d met a decent guy through a setup, and we were getting married next week. “Sister, after you die, I’ll kill him and then come join you.” “Don’t worry.” At this moment, he spoke more than usual, no longer like the silent, slow kid he used to be. I knew he was talking about my fiancé. Tears blurred my vision, and I could only shake my head in agony. As my consciousness faded, I could feel him holding me tightly. And his pained whimpers, like a trapped beast. He must be in pain too, right? Unable to control himself? It shouldn’t have, shouldn’t have ended like this. I seemed to see glimpses of our happy family of four from when I was little. If only, back then, I had given him the fever reducers. If only, back then, I had known his classmates were bullying him, and I had helped him. If only, back then, I had shown him more care at home. Would things not have turned out like this? But alas, it was too late. He killed everyone. And I died too.

It hurt. My head hurt. My whole body ached. My eyes refused to open. In a hazy state, I couldn’t distinguish between dream and reality. It felt like I was being cooked in hot water, excruciatingly uncomfortable. A cool hand pressed against my forehead, followed by the cold beep of a device. Then, a woman’s anxious cry: “What are we going to do? Avery’s temperature is already 104°F!” Hurried footsteps echoed in the room. “Leo’s at 104°F too! We can’t buy medicine, and the neighbors don’t have any to lend. This won’t do!” “Let’s go to the hospital!” “It’s on lockdown! How long will it take to get approval? Plus, with the special circumstances, there might not even be beds at the hospital!” “Why do my children have such a hard life…” A familiar male voice declared decisively, “There are only three fever reducers left. Give them to Avery? She can’t be harmed! Otherwise, we’d never forgive ourselves…” These words felt like they came from another lifetime, instantly clearing my hazy mind. Like someone struggling for survival, I burst out of a steaming cauldron. I opened my eyes! Startling the man and woman in the room, who then erupted in joyful surprise. “Oh, my sweet Avery, you’re finally awake! You scared Mom half to death!” Two much younger faces leaned over me, two living, breathing people, bringing tears to my eyes. My hands trembling, I touched my neck. It was perfectly fine! I shot up, ignoring the damp sweat on the bedsheets. Due to the high fever, my voice was hoarse. “What year is it?” Mom and Dad exchanged glances, their worry evident. “Oh no, the fever made her confused.” “It’s 2022. You and Leo are on winter break. Avery, just take the medicine…” I suppressed my pounding heart, snatched the three fever reducers from Mom’s hand, and jumped out of bed, rushing towards Leo’s room.

When I burst through the door, the young boy on the bed had his eyes tightly shut, his face flushed red, muttering in pain, “Dad… Mom… Sister…” I finally let out a heavy sigh of relief. There was still time. It was good, I’d been reborn, and I had a chance to choose again. I tore open the medicine packet and immediately threw myself onto Leo’s bed, forcefully prying open his mouth. I cried, muttering, “This time you eat it, you eat it! Just take it down…” Perhaps my frantic actions scared Mom and Dad, they rushed over to pull me away. “Avery…” But I yelled, “Don’t move!” I turned to them, my eyes blurry with tears, my voice firm. “Give the medicine to my brother.” Just then, my hand was gently licked, and I froze. Looking down, I met a pair of dark, weak eyes. As if crossing a long decade, and countless bloody, cruel moments, they converged into this handsome young boy before me. “Sister.” He called me. My body stiffened. I didn’t know what expression to show. The terrifying scene before my death made it impossible for me to face him calmly. This was the future killer… Could I really change everything? Thinking of Mom and Dad behind me, I gritted my teeth, making up my mind. This life, I absolutely couldn’t let him feel hurt or ignored. I had to make him happy, had to soothe him. I forced a strained smile, popped the medicine into his mouth, and said softly, “Good boy, Leo. Take your medicine, and you’ll feel better soon.” Mom and Dad behind me seemed to hesitate, as if wanting to say something, but in the end, they just sighed and said no more. Leo blinked his dark eyes, then suddenly smiled, innocent and harmless, his voice hoarse, “Mommy said there were only three left. Sister, you take them.” I didn’t care about anything else, tears streaming down, I clumsily kept shoving the medicine into his mouth. “You take it, you take it…” If you don’t take it, we’ll all die ten years from now. He frowned, reaching out to stop me, and forcibly pulled out two pills, weakly offering them to me. His gaze was calm, his voice still holding the clear tone of a young boy: “Then I’ll take one, and Sister will take two.” I couldn’t refuse again. Because his eyes were terrifyingly bright. Just like they were when he cut my throat. Even though, in this year, he was only thirteen. Perhaps the fever reducers really worked. I don’t know how long I slept in a daze, but when I finally opened my eyes, I was startled.

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When my wife went to shower, I accidentally saw a message from her weight-loss nutritionist. [My ‘protein boost’ was all for you today. Come back tomorrow, let me check those curves.] I initially thought “protein boost” was just some diet jargon. But the next second, I saw a photo from the nutritionist that shattered my whole world. 0 Chloe and I had been married for three blissful years. Our relationship was incredibly strong. We met in college and got married right after graduation. I started my business, and she became a full-time homemaker, even giving birth to our sweet, lively son, Leo. Earlier this year, Chloe, who’d never really cared much about her figure, suddenly told me she wanted to lose weight. She was a little under 5’3″ and weighed almost 190 pounds, so she was definitely overweight. But she’d put on that weight to nurture our child, and I never held it against her. Still, if she wanted to lose weight, I was all for it. She found a dedicated weight-loss nutritionist and communicated with him daily about her meals. As their contact grew more frequent, I admit, I felt a knot of unease in my stomach. But for Chloe’s health, I forced myself to swallow it. After all, it was working; she’d already dropped about 20 to 30 pounds. Then came that day. Chloe went into the bathroom to shower, and her phone, lying on the table, suddenly lit up. I glanced over, and a message popped up. It was from her weight-loss nutritionist. [My ‘protein boost’ was all for you today. Come back tomorrow, let me check those curves.] I just thought they were talking about some new diet protein, so I picked up Chloe’s phone to reply for her. But to my horror, the nutritionist sent another photo, a sickening one. My wife, her face flushed and her eyes dazed with pleasure. And standing in front of her was another man! My mind exploded. My heart hammered against my ribs, and a wave of nausea washed over me. “Chloe, get out here!” I yelled. “What’s wrong? I’m showering,” she called back. “Get out here right now! What is this?” Chloe clearly hated my tone, muttering as she stormed out of the bathroom. “Are you just looking for a fight tonight, Liam?” I held up her phone, pointing at the photo. “Explain this. What is going on?” Chloe leaned in, and when she saw the image on the screen, her face drained of all color. “Why are you messing with my phone? It’s just some harassment text. Give it back!” “Harassment text? Is that not *you* in the picture?” I hated that she was still trying to lie to me, trying to gloss over it. “Liam, listen to me.” “Listen to you? How do you plan to explain this? I’m not blind!” 0

Chloe burst into a torrent of sobs. “No, it’s… I got drunk a few days ago, and he took advantage, he… he did something to me… And since then, he’s been sending me photos, threatening me. I had no choice but to go along with it. I didn’t want to, Liam, but he said if I didn’t cooperate, he’d send the photos to you… I didn’t want to lose you… sniffle, sniffle…” My heart was still pounding. My head felt like it would split open. “If that’s the case, why didn’t you tell me earlier?” Chloe clung to me, weeping loudly. “I was afraid you’d despise me if you knew. I love you too much, I care about you too much. How could I risk telling you something like that?” But seeing her dissolved in tears and snot, I took several deep breaths, then sighed, feeling tears well up in my own eyes. If Chloe was telling the truth… then she was the victim. After all these years, how could I blame her for being a victim? I offered to go with her to the police. After all, a nutritionist is a profession built on trust, someone clients share very personal details with. If someone like that was allowed to get away with this, more women would surely be harmed. But Chloe adamantly refused. She said if word got out, her reputation would be completely ruined. She absolutely couldn’t bear to let this matter become public. In the end, we both compromised. We reported the unethical nutritionist to the agency he worked for. Chloe also got a refund and left that agency, completely severing ties with him. 0

Even though I had forgiven my wife, I was a man. That photo, that image, haunted me relentlessly. It was constantly there, a bitter taste in my mouth. The seed of suspicion had taken root deep in my heart. I couldn’t help but guess… I knew it was wrong, but I simply couldn’t control myself. Every time my wife answered a call, I unconsciously perked up my ears. If she smiled while chatting on her phone, I immediately felt paranoid, wanting to peek. I knew this was the severe psychological shadow left by what had happened, and it would likely take a very, very long time to overcome. Perhaps it was just my paranoia, but Chloe’s behavior seemed to grow stranger. Our son, Leo, was barely two years old. Usually, two nannies cared for him, with Chloe supervising to make sure they were diligent. But lately, Chloe kept leaving Leo with the nannies and frequently running out. Several times, I came home from work and didn’t see her. She explained that after the last incident, she felt terrible and wanted to make it up to me. So she decided to find a job, earn some money, and buy me a gift as an apology. I was touched. I couldn’t believe my wife, who’d never lifted a finger around the house before, was now working so hard to save our family. Compared to her efforts, my earlier suspicions felt truly pathetic. I had to get rid of this distrustful habit; it wasn’t fair to Chloe. However. Just a few days later, my good friend Jake suddenly texted me: [Bro, is Chloe home right now?] [Why? Do you need my wife for something? Can’t you just tell me?] I asked, curious. Jake took a long time to reply: [I saw a woman outside, and I swear she looked just like Chloe. Bro, maybe you should take a look too?] [Really? Where? Send me a picture. Let’s see how much she looks like her.] Jake quickly sent a slightly blurry photo. It showed a woman passionately kissing a man in front of her. I recognized her instantly. The woman in the photo was none other than my wife, Chloe! The bracelet she wore was the Valentine’s Day gift I’d just given her. The bag on her chair was custom-made by the brand, the only one in the world. My breath hitched, and I nearly blacked out, seeing stars. [Where are you right now? Send me the address.] Jake also realized the seriousness of the situation and didn’t dare delay, immediately sending me the address. It was a coffee shop not far from my house. My legs trembling, I stumbled downstairs. In my state, I couldn’t drive, so I frantically hailed a cab to the destination. 0 My mind was a chaotic mess the whole way there, churning with dread, unsure what I would do or say once I arrived. I never dreamed that Chloe, who told me she was working to save our family, had betrayed me.

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Ten years after my college classmate died, I was dragged into a group chat. The group announcement read: Thirty days from now, welcome back to our alma mater for the class reunion. 1. Please attend with a black rose. 2. Anyone who tries to leave this city will die. 3. Anyone who doesn’t come will die. 4. Anyone who loses their rose will die. Thirty days later would be Rosalie’s tenth death anniversary. **1** I picked up my phone, staring at the cryptic group chat. I figured it was some old classmate’s prank and tried to type a question, only to find that all members were muted. I tapped on the black rose profile picture. “Cannot add user as friend.” I tried to leave the group. “Cannot exit.” What… what kind of tech was this? *Ding-dong.* The doorbell rang. I walked out of my study, standing by the floor-to-ceiling window, looking out at the gate of my mansion. Someone was here, this late? I checked the security feed. At the tall iron gate, a single black rose lay on the ground. “Please attend with a black rose.” The group announcement flashed in my mind. *Beep beep~* A private message popped up. I checked it. It was Marcus Green, that old buddy—he was the only one who still kept in touch with me. He was in the group, too. “Alex, what’s going on with that group?” “Did you get that flower too?” “Is it… is she back for revenge?” He sent a string of frantic voice messages, clearly terrified. I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Don’t overthink it. It’s probably just a prank.” I didn’t take it too seriously, casually arranging my collectible tea set. “Just chill. Let’s see how it plays out.” After a moment’s thought, I called my housekeeper to bring the rose inside. My busy life continued. My company had several big deals to close, so I didn’t have time to focus excessively on this. The group remained silent. None of the busy “elites” seemed to take it seriously either. **2** Ten days later, Marcus suddenly called me, his voice trembling with terror. “Alex, this is bad! Really bad! Liam White is dead!” I frowned, trying to pull up his name from my mental Rolodex of contacts. “Liam White? How did he die?” “He was on a business trip to another city. On his way to the airport, he was hit head-on by a huge truck and died instantly. They say… his head was severed on impact, flying dozens of feet.” This was the first one. Someone who died for trying to leave the city. “Anyone who tries to leave this city will die.” Maybe it was a coincidence. I tried to reassure Marcus, and myself. I opened the group chat. One person was missing—the count went from 21 to 20. Liam White was gone. **3** The next week showed me this wasn’t just a coincidence. Two more people died in the group. A female classmate, Sarah Miller, whose father was critically ill back home and wanted to see her one last time. She definitely had to go back. But as she was heading to the elevator with her suitcase, the elevator malfunctioned and plunged 28 floors. She died instantly. Another male classmate, Kevin Baker, whose mischievous daughter played with the black rose and then presumably lost it. He was electrocuted in the shower at home. The group count dropped from 21 to 18. My irritation flared. I drove back to my mansion, placed the black rose in a safe, and told my secretary to cancel all my business trips. **4** Marcus came over to my place. He was terrified. He wanted to stay with me for the next two weeks, and I didn’t refuse. “Alex! Wow! I knew you were doing well, but I had no idea you were *this* successful!” He parked his car on my private driveway and gaped in amazement. I humbly replied, “Oh, it’s nothing. Everyone’s doing great.” It was true. Everyone pulled into that group chat was now a successful professional in their respective fields. That evening, we drank red wine and talked about old times. “Alex, maybe we should call the police?” Marcus’s dark eyes stared at me intently. I pondered for a moment, then shook my head. “No. If we call the police, they’ll reopen the investigation into what happened ten years ago.” Marcus took a sip of wine and chuckled. “Right. It would be a hassle, especially since Rosalie’s death is linked to all of us…” “Shut up!” I snapped, completely unlike my usual nice-guy persona, cutting him off. Rosalie. She was our classmate who died ten years ago. She was a girl as bright and beautiful as a rose. **5** For the next few days, no one else disappeared from the group, meaning no one else died. Every time I came back to the mansion after work, I saw Marcus on the phone, seemingly contacting the others in the group. Well, he was always a social butterfly back in college. The next day, I saw a petite figure in my mansion—my ex-girlfriend, Valerie Reed. She was in the group too. But we hadn’t had any contact since graduating college. “Alex, Marcus called me. I saw the group, and people dying, I was so scared… Don’t get the wrong idea.” She looked at me with that pitiable expression, a look both familiar and strange. My mansion had plenty of rooms, and having one more person for a few days was no big deal. I shrugged indifferently. Soon, it was time for the reunion at our alma mater. But before we left, my safe was gone—the safe containing the black rose. **6** We had to leave soon, there was no time to check the security footage. I looked at Marcus’s fawning face and Valerie’s gentle smile, a chill running through me. Someone was setting me up. They wanted me dead. **截断点** “Alex, what’s wrong?” Seeing my grim face, Marcus asked with concern. I glared at them both. “My rose is gone. The one in the safe.” “What? Oh no, what are we going to do?” Valerie also sounded agitated. I gritted my teeth. “Let’s just go.” Going would mean death, but so would not going. Might as well go and find out what was going on. The three of us walked towards the parking area. Suddenly, a massive shadow plunged down… “Ah!” Marcus, who was walking behind us, let out a short, sharp cry of pain, then fell silent. The scent of blood filled the air. I turned my head. A thick lamppost had fallen, landing squarely on Marcus. His head was crushed. He died instantly… The mansion’s security quickly ran over, calling the police. I staggered back two steps. It should have been me who died. “Alex, you should thank me. Last night, Marcus stole your safe. Luckily, I found out in advance and swapped his rose into your safe. So, what he threw into the furnace to burn was his own flower.” Valerie smiled, as if seeking praise, her eyes curving sweetly. She casually pulled two flowers from her large bag and handed one to me. **7** There were 17 people left in the group, including the group admin. Valerie and I returned to our alma mater. It was summer break, so the school was empty. Strangely, the main gate was open, and there were no security guards. Having witnessed Marcus’s death, my mood was heavy. “Those four people who died, they all did something terrible to Rosalie, didn’t they? Alex, who do you think is next?” Valerie asked softly, sending a shiver down my arm. This was a revenge plot. Today was Rosalie’s death anniversary. When we arrived at the classroom, it was already full of people. Marcus’s death had delayed us a bit. Dozens of eyes stared at us from the doorway, filled with fear, exhaustion, surprise, or indifference. *Beep beep beep…* Countless phones suddenly chimed. The black rose profile picture appeared. A group message. “Welcome, 16 classmates, to this year’s class reunion, on time.” “Next, let’s play a game of Truth or Dare.” “Each student must confess a wicked deed they committed against Rosalie during college, and others will vote by raising their hands. The person with the least severe offense will die.” 1. Do not lie. 2. Do not attempt to leave. 3. Do not disrupt the game. This was terrifying! We had to tell the truth, confess our gravest sins, and then be judged by others! The person at the bottom, the one whose mistake was deemed the least severe, would pay with their life! Who among us wasn’t someone important, someone with a reputation?! Now, everyone would be forced to confess their absolute worst sins… This was a test of human nature. Who exactly was behind this black rose profile picture? **8** “I’m not playing! I’m not playing! I’m going home!” A skinny guy, Mitch Evans, suddenly stood up and ran wildly out of the classroom. As soon as he ran out the door, a tortured shriek echoed. His throat seemed to be clutched by something unseen. We rushed to the doorway to look. He was writhing, kneeling in the hallway, his hands desperately clutching his own throat, eyes bulging. He actually strangled himself to death! “Ah!” The more timid female classmates screamed. Valerie clung to my arm, trembling all over. Now, no one dared to leave. There were 16 people left in the group. **9** “Are we just going to leave Mitch there?” Back in the classroom, a man with thick brows, Julian North, questioned us unhappily.

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I dated my university girlfriend for four years. It wasn’t until graduation day, the day we broke up, that we finally had our first time. In the throes of our passion, I couldn’t hold back my bitter words. “What is this, Scarlett? Is this your pitiful compensation for four years of my life?” Her eyes welled up with tears, and she shook her head frantically. “You’ll marry me, won’t you?” The next day, I was just about to leave with a ring and flowers. But the police came and took me in. In the interrogation room: “Alright, tell us. What was your motive for killing your girlfriend?” I froze, tears instantly streaming down my face. I stared at them in disbelief. “You suspect *me* of murder?” “I was the one who loved her most in this world, I would have given my life for her! And you suspect me?” “Look at these flowers and this ring I’m holding! I was going to propose to her today! How could I possibly kill her?” The more I spoke, the more agitated I became, my interrogation chair shaking as if it would fall apart at any moment. “What are you yelling about? Do you think we’d arrest you without evidence?” With that, Captain Miller slammed a stack of evidence onto the table in front of me. “1. Your girlfriend died in the hotel room you booked. It was a perfect locked-room mystery. No one else entered or exited that room except the two of you.” “2. Your DNA was found inside your girlfriend, your skin tissue under her fingernails, and your fingerprints covered her body.” “3. Her body was covered in bruises and injuries.” “4. Her cause of death was asphyxiation. The towel, used as the murder weapon, was found nearby. It only had your fingerprints and the victim’s DNA.” “If you’re not the killer, how do you explain all of this?” “You did such a brutal thing to her, yet you claim to deeply love her? You’re a monster!” Captain Miller lost his composure too, pounding the table and shouting at me. “I didn’t! I didn’t!” Under his aggressive interrogation, my mind was on the verge of collapsing. “Then why was your phone off the whole time? It only turned back on right before we caught you?” “My phone battery died. I only realized it when I woke up this morning…” My body suddenly stiffened. Holding those files in my hands, as a crime scene investigator myself, I started trembling. Isn’t this a perfect, closed chain of evidence? With all this undeniable evidence stacked against me. I was the one who killed my girlfriend!

But I wasn’t the killer! I had left the hotel much earlier that day. After that, I never went back. Who knows what could have happened during that long period? Today, Scarlett and I had planned for me to go to her stepfather’s house to announce our relationship. And to propose to her right then and there. I left the hotel to first tell my parents about our relationship. Then, I planned to prepare everything for going to her house today. But instead, she died in the hotel. I was filled with regret. If only I hadn’t left that day. Perhaps this tragedy wouldn’t have happened. Scarlett was dead, and I was in agony. But I had to put my grief aside for now. The police had already prejudged me as the killer. If I sank into my sorrow right now… If I couldn’t defend myself. Then I would become the scapegoat for her murder. And the real killer would walk free! So, I forced myself to suppress my pain, reading through the information on the files, word by painful word. According to the crime scene report: Scarlett’s time of death was between 5 PM and 7 PM yesterday, and the location was the apartment-style hotel where she and I had checked in. The police investigated the hotel’s front desk records and the hallway surveillance footage. From 4:30 PM, when we entered the room together, until 5:30 PM, when I left the room alone. No one else had entered or exited the room during that time. It wasn’t until 5 AM today, when Scarlett’s stepfather, seeing she hadn’t returned all night, showed up. He found the hotel, inquired at the front desk, and, accompanied by the front desk attendant, went to the room. He found the door unlocked, and after calling out with no reply, he entered the room. That’s when he discovered my girlfriend, completely naked, dead on the bed in a strange, contorted position. Based on the crime scene investigation and the autopsy report, the police quickly reached a conclusion. Scarlett died from mechanical asphyxiation. She had been sexually assaulted before her death. The fresh bruises on her body were clearly not from a normal lovers’ encounter. Moreover, her body was in a peculiar position, her limbs bound. … Seeing this, My heart skipped a beat. Because the information described in the report. It perfectly matched what Scarlett and I had done that day. But when I left, I had clearly untied her. If no one entered or exited the room afterward, then who bound her again?

I quickly flipped through the crime scene investigation report. I only remembered there was a window in the room, but Scarlett had drawn the curtains as soon as we entered. I was too nervous throughout the whole process. So I hadn’t paid any attention to what the window looked like. Now, looking at the crime scene photos, the window was entirely covered with security bars. Though there was an escape hatch in the bars, it was firmly sealed with a rusted-shut lock. The room had a window-mounted AC unit, so there were no ventilation shafts either. That meant, to enter or exit this room, assuming no forced entry, the only way was through the main door. But a camera was positioned just down the hallway, directly facing my room. After reviewing the camera footage, the police concluded that no one had entered or exited. All of this was far too bizarre. Two words suddenly jumped out at me: Locked-room! A perfect locked-room mystery. Unlike the plots in other crime novels… This locked-room case pointed all the evidence directly at me. I looked up at Captain Miller and the others. “Captain Miller, don’t you think this is highly unusual? If I were really the killer, why would I leave so many clues?” Captain Miller had regained his calm. “You think there’s a problem? Perhaps it was just a crime of passion? You mentioned earlier that it was your first time together.” “But our autopsy found that your girlfriend was not a virgin. You dated for four years, and she always presented herself as pure and untouched before you, yet she wasn’t. So, in a moment of twisted rage, you brutally murdered her.” “But it was your first time killing, and in your panic, you didn’t think to cover your tracks, fleeing the scene in a hurry.” I was speechless for a moment. “Captain Miller, according to your theory, I fled in panic, so why did I just wait at home for you to come and arrest me?” “I’m a crime fiction expert. If I really killed her, I would have committed a perfect crime, not this shoddy, amateurish job, riddled with holes.” “And besides, I already knew my girlfriend wasn’t a virgin. What kind of era is this? Do I really care about that anymore?” “Moreover, you’re prejudging me as the killer based solely on crime scene photos and my girlfriend’s autopsy! Do you even know what truly happened that day?”

My emotions flared up again. But this time, Captain Miller didn’t interrupt me. Instead, he watched me carefully, seeming genuinely ready to listen. I decided to continue. I even took a moment to steady myself, knowing that when emotions run high, it’s easy to say the wrong thing. That day, Scarlett and I had arranged to go back to the university to pick up our diplomas. For a long-awaited reunion, and to put a definitive end to our four-year relationship. After all, from the moment we started dating, our relationship was different from ordinary couples. What she showed me was more a dependence on an older brother figure. Or, to put it more bluntly, she was seeking the comfort of a father’s love from me. In high school, I was obsessed with writing crime fiction and neglected my studies. I failed to get into university for five consecutive years. In the sixth year, my dad smashed my computer and tablet, burned my manuscripts. He swore that if I didn’t get into university this time, he’d send me to a mental hospital. It was only then, after a year of hellish cramming, that I finally got into this average university. So, compared to Scarlett and her peers, being five years older, I was much more mature than them. The first time I saw Scarlett, a sense of familiarity washed over me. My usually calm heart skipped a beat for her. We were drawn to each other and quickly became a couple. Our bond was something sacred, a mix of profound love, a sibling-like connection, and a deep, almost paternal affection. How could such a bond be fixated on mere physical pleasure? We cared more about a high level of spiritual compatibility. But what would happen to our relationship once we left the campus? Society would ultimately define relationships between men and women by those physical acts. How could our sacred and pure bond be defiled by such things? After discussing it many times, we decided that on the day we picked up our diplomas: we would break up. After getting our diplomas, we walked out of school, holding hands one last time. I was waiting for her to say goodbye. Because those two words, coming from me, would hurt her too much. It wasn’t until we walked out of school that she turned around, her eyes brimming with tears, and looked at me steadily. I took a deep breath, waiting for her to deliver the final verdict. But, to my surprise, what she said was… “Jax, could you… could you take me? Just once?” “You were enraged that she defiled your sacred bond, so you killed her afterward, didn’t you?” Captain Miller suddenly interrupted me, a look of insight on his face.

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When I got my second chance at life, the first thing I did was scatter my husband’s ashes. In my last life, he faked his death, leaving his ‘orphan’—his younger brother’s son—in my care. He told me to treat his family, a supposedly widowed sister-in-law and her nephew, well. I worried my daughter, Lily, wasn’t sharp enough to make her own way, and I thought maybe the nephew could look out for her if she couldn’t find a partner. So, I agreed to his dying wish. For Kyle, I gave up the secure job I’d worked hard and paid so much to get, and I emptied out our family savings to help Kyle and his wife settle in the city. Years passed. They rose through the ranks to become high-ranking officials. I took Lily, hoping they’d give her a stable job. But Dean, my supposedly dead husband, appeared at their office. He ordered Kyle to kick my daughter to the ground. “I thought you’d changed,” he sneered. “That you weren’t the desperate village woman who clung to me for a chance to move to the city anymore. But no, you’re still the same, trying to scheme for that worthless dead weight!” He instantly had us thrown out. To keep up his good name, he even forced Lily into a remote, abusive marriage as a second wife to Old Man Riley, deep in the mountains. I was so enraged, my old illness flared up, and I collapsed and died right there on the street. When I opened my eyes again, I was back—the day Dean faked his death.

“Oh, Dean, what are Lily and I going to do without you?” I dragged Lily, and we scattered all the ashes into the river. I turned to see Melody, teeth clenched, panting with barely controlled fury. She’d been waiting at the hospital for ages, expecting me to take the ashes to a proper burial site. She never thought I’d just come straight to the river, not even letting her see Dean one last time. “Big Brother Dean died because of you! How could you just throw his ashes into the river like that?!” Those were her *ex-husband’s* ashes! Melody had dug them up just to trick me, wanting me to re-bury them. But I’d just tossed them away, and she was livid. Still, she managed to rein in her anger and dragged out her son, Kyle. “Big Brother Dean always said you were such a good wife, but you’d do something like this, throwing his ashes away? How can I possibly trust you with my child?!” Dean hadn’t been able to entrust Kyle to me, so she had to step up herself. She pulled out a will from her pocket and tried to shove it into my hand. I immediately slapped it away. “I can’t read. And Dean never mentioned having any kids while he was alive. Don’t try to play your dirty tricks on me.” I turned to leave, but Melody panicked. She lunged, grabbing a fistful of my hair. “I’m Big Brother Dean’s sister-in-law! And Kyle is the only male heir to the family name! How dare you refuse to care for him? Get out of Big Brother Dean’s house, now!” “Who are you telling to get out? Say that again, I dare you!” Without another word, I rolled up my sleeves, ready to settle all the scores from my past life. But Leo, the man who’d brought Melody to find me, stepped in front of me. “No one jokes about a dead man, Jade,” he said. “Melody really is Dean’s distant sister-in-law. Everyone at the hospital and the factory knows it. Dean didn’t tell you because he didn’t want you to be burdened.” Leo had saved my life once. In my last life, I listened to his every suggestion, raising Kyle by hand until he was an adult. But I never knew he and Dean had been deceiving me for twenty-eight years! “Distant sister-in-law or not, I’m not raising anyone!” I yelled. “I’m a widow just trying to keep my daughter fed, waiting for a job assignment from the county. I don’t have time to babysit some dead man’s dead weight!” Melody’s face went scarlet. “Who are you calling dead weight? I’m a city girl from a sophisticated background! How dare you call me dead weight?!” Just as we were about to start fighting again, Leo pointed a finger at me, scolding, “Jade! You and Dean were married! No matter how tough things are, you can’t let his sister-in-law suffer!” He dragged me to the river, making me look at the ashes I’d just scattered. “Factory Manager Dean always cherished you above all else,” he said, his voice softening. “He’d worked so hard to get those special holiday dessert tickets, but he didn’t keep a single one for himself, making sure you and Lily had all the treats. And every month, he handed over every penny of his hundred-dollar salary the moment he got it. Now that Dean is gone, it’s only right that you look after his sister-in-law.” Leo gently patted my shoulder, speaking earnestly. “I know you adore Lily, but no matter how well you treat her, she’s still a girl. She’ll marry into another family one day. Melody has brought a boy, a son, into your life. If you take good care of him, you’ll honor Dean’s memory and ensure you have someone to rely on in your old age.” Suddenly, a dull thud came from behind me. I spun around to see Kyle squeezing Lily’s throat, his hands wrapped tightly around her neck. “You worthless dead weight! You money pit!” “While you and your mom were hauling sewage on a barge, my mommy, daddy, and I were eating mooncakes on a pleasure cruise! Do you even know what a mooncake is, you pathetic bumpkin who’s never even seen a movie!” I’d worked on boats for years, always slow to hear news from the county. If Leo hadn’t let it slip, I would have spent my whole life never knowing the truth. Dean had told me the factory was struggling, but for years, he’d actually been the factory manager, earning ten of the largest bills every single month. Ten of the largest bills. That money could have kept Lily from going to bed hungry. It could have saved me from wearing rags on the boat, freezing to death in the damp wind. All these years, through two lifetimes, he never told me the truth. Thinking of those days of meticulously budgeting every five dollars, I delivered a stinging slap across Melody’s face.

“Kyle is your and my husband’s bastard, isn’t he?! You shameless homewrecker, you stole my husband’s money and then you have the nerve to ask me to raise your child?! You’ve got some nerve!” I swore I would rip their smug faces apart, but Leo stopped me again. “Jade, Jade, calm down.” I wouldn’t listen. “Give me back my money! That’s my money, and my daughter’s money!” “Dean ate my food, drank my water. I even had to borrow money to buy him underwear fabric! How dare he give all his money to Melody?!” “When my daughter was burning with fever and turned stupid because I couldn’t afford her medicine, that vixen was probably cozying up in the same bed with Dean, you heartless monster! Why didn’t you just die with him?!” The grievances of two lifetimes finally erupted in that single scream. I couldn’t help but sob, expecting Leo to help me get my revenge. Instead, he raised his hand and slapped me twice. “Try cursing Melody again, I dare you!” he spat. “To say such filthy things over a bit of money—how could Factory Manager Dean have married such a selfish lunatic like you?!” Leo’s disgusted tone shocked me. He and I had worked on boats together. Since I was fifteen, he had been my most respected mentor. What was Melody to him? How dare Leo, like Dean, treat me this way for some stranger?! Leo’s face showed no hint of remorse. He turned, picked up Kyle, and placed him in the three-wheeled cart. “Don’t worry, sister-in-law. Dean was my good brother. If this ungrateful wretch Jade won’t help, I’ll look after you for Factory Manager Dean!” Melody smiled and thanked him. Leo helped her into the cart. Before leaving, he tossed a bundle of miscellaneous vouchers and ration coupons down the embankment. “If you won’t even help a dead man, don’t ever call me master again! I don’t have a cold-blooded apprentice like you!” He had thrown away the money and vouchers I’d given him to help me find a job. The official job placement letter he’d secured for me was tucked into Melody’s pocket. He looked at her with doting eyes. “This is the best factory in our county. Dean and I used to work there. If you need anything, everyone will be happy to help.” His words struck me. I suddenly realized that everyone knew. The doctors at the health clinic, the workers at Dean’s old factory—they all knew. They knew Dean was cheating, they knew his death was suspicious, yet they turned a blind eye. Not one of them told me the truth. And here I was, foolishly crying over his death, willing to sell my own blood, just to protect his belongings. Kyle, whom I had raised by hand in my previous life, sat in the cart, laughing hysterically, clutching his stomach as he watched Lily chase after the scattering vouchers, stumbling down the hillside. Melody’s face beamed with triumph. “Trash is trash, no matter how hard they try to climb. You and your daughter, you’ll always be beneath us.” I picked up stones and hurled them at the three-wheeled cart, screaming, “Dean’s crappy factory won’t last! Your worthless son will never amount to anything!” “Melody, just you wait! You and those two monsters from the family—none of you will have a good ending!” “One day, I’ll make you beg me, on your knees, to pick up every single one of those vouchers you threw away today!” I cried, hugging Lily tightly, watching yet another one of my closest friends abandon me. My heart was ripped to shreds. Lily wiped the fresh scrapes on her knees and carefully handed me each retrieved voucher. “I’m here, Mama. Don’t be scared. I’ll never leave you.” Her bright eyes reflected all my cowardice. I held my daughter close, vowing that this would be my last hysterical cry before I succeeded.

After sending Lily to the county boarding school, I brought out all of Dean’s clothes, pants, and the mahogany furniture he’d custom-made. “Half-new, plus a sturdy vintage bicycle! Come take a look!” People were drawn in, but before they could ask too many questions, Leo shouted at them. As the new factory manager, he was trying to make a show of support for Melody, inviting everyone to the most expensive restaurant in the county. “What are you doing here? These are Dean’s things! How dare you drag them out into the street to sell?!” Leo frowned, rummaging through my makeshift stall. He stopped cold when he saw a Hero fountain pen. “You’re selling this pen? Don’t you remember it was a gift Dean gave you on his first day assigned to the countryside?” I stared at the crowd pressing around my stall. For some reason, the bum at the back of the line looked suspiciously like Dean, who was supposedly dead. Was he following Melody to the factory, even in his fake death, just to protect her from potential trouble? I scoffed internally. What a devoted husband. “To put food on the table, I even sent Lily away. What’s so precious about a dead man’s belongings that I can’t sell them?” Many county leaders were nearby. If I blurted out that Dean was having an affair with Melody, she could easily accuse me of slander. I had more important things to do. Lying about selling my daughter would also make them less likely to target Lily. “Dean just died, and you’re already rushing to sell your daughter and his things? Even a brothel madam wouldn’t be as heartless as you!” The bum at the back of the line scoffed, his voice neither too loud nor too soft, making everyone around him start to murmur. “Who acts like this as a wife? Factory Manager Dean just died, and she’s already rushing to divide the property. Does she think she won’t live to see tomorrow?” “The new factory manager said she’s just jealous of her husband and his sister-in-law, that’s why she’s doing this to be spiteful. Such a rotten heart, no wonder she could only give birth to a worthless dead weight.” Leo cleared his throat, waiting for the crowd to quiet down. “You can sell them, but you have to give half the money to Melody.” “She came all the way from the city. Dean is gone, so she’s rightfully entitled to half of the things in his house.” “Exactly,” the bum at the back of the line said. “Anyway, you can’t have any more children, so why don’t you just give all the money to Melody? Let her raise her son properly. Maybe he can even become a top scholar for the family name.” I sneered, picking up a teapot and smashing it on the ground. The crowd gasped. I then picked up the fountain pen and threw that down too. “Don’t you all think I’m disloyal for selling my dead husband’s belongings? Fine then! I’ll just smash it all and burn it for Dean, so he’ll remember how good I was to him down there!” The boisterous crowd instantly fell silent. Melody, having enjoyed the show, came out smiling to smooth things over. “Sister-in-law still hasn’t gotten her job assigned, and Big Brother Dean is gone. She finally had a daughter, but even Lily has been sent away.” “She’s tormented herself into looking like an eighty-year-old just to put food on the table. How could I possibly ask her for money?” She placed her almost-empty jar of vanishing cream in my hand, her fair, soft fingers pulling out a brand new, crisp hundred-dollar bill. “I’m sorry, sister-in-law, I don’t have anything smaller.” “Please, help me clean the pen and figure out how much change you owe me.” I heard the bum behind me let out a mocking chuckle. Without a word, I handed her the pen and the bill. Melody, not getting the reaction she wanted, looked disappointed and walked away with Leo. The bum, who had been dogging their every step earlier, stayed behind. He picked up the suit jacket with red embroidery and examined it closely. “You recognized me, didn’t you? How did you know I wasn’t dead?” He pulled down his scarf and, without waiting for my answer, continued, “While the things haven’t been sold yet, take Melody and Kyle home and treat them well. When I’m done with my business and come back, I might even be magnanimous enough to pay you a nanny fee.” “But if you keep being this stingy, haggling over every penny, then your husband will truly be dead. No matter what happens to you and Lily, I won’t come back to look at either of you again!” I snatched a needle from my sewing kit on the table and jabbed it into his palm. Grabbing his arm, I burst out laughing. “You’d better be dead, Dean! Otherwise, I’ll make Melody pay back every single cent of the money you gave her for five years!”

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My fiancé was trapped by hundreds of venomous snakes in the exhibition center. A massive python was coiling around him, tightening its grip with each turn. Its slick scales rubbed against his skin as it constricted, causing his veins to bulge and his breathing to become labored. Several starving king cobras had even brazenly slithered up his legs, attempting to crawl into his waistband. His brother Samuel, red-eyed, pleaded with me: “Rachel, you know better than anyone how dangerous these snakes are! You’re the only one who can control them now. Please, go save him!” My best friend Claire, her eyes also red with panic, cried out: “Rach! Those vipers are deadly! Lucas is your fiancé! For the sake of your future happiness, please go rescue him!” I casually opened a bag of chips and a can of soda, watching my fiancé’s struggle with a cold smirk: “No need to get your panties in a twist. Sit back and enjoy the show.” 1 My words exploded like a bombshell among the crowd. “Is that Rachel woman insane? She’s just standing there doing nothing! Two lives are at stake!” “Now I understand why they say women who handle snakes are heartless! She’s not even human!” “What the hell! Lucas must have been blind to fall for such a vicious woman!” Samuel immediately knelt before me, his eyes brimming with tears: “Rachel! I’m begging you! I’ll kowtow to you! Last year, Lucas almost fell off a cliff while collecting snake venom for you. He even gave up an arranged marriage for you. How can you treat him like this?” I stepped aside, letting him fall flat on his face. “Save your groveling. My family’s ancestors would roll in their graves if I accepted that.” Seeing that I wouldn’t budge, my best friend Claire put on a righteous expression: “Sis! If you won’t do it, I will!” “Even if it costs me my life, I won’t let Lucas be in such danger!” With that, she took a deep breath, pulled out a bamboo flute, and started playing as she walked towards the mass of snakes. Surprisingly, the agitated snakes seemed to calm down under her music. Even the python wrapped around Lucas loosened its grip slightly. [Way to go! Now that’s a true heroine! That Rachel doesn’t even deserve to shine her shoes!] [Now this is a damsel saving her knight in shining armor! I’m falling for her already!] Claire couldn’t help but let a smug smile creep onto her face. But in the next second, a king cobra suddenly reared up, letting out an angry, piercing hiss! As if on cue, the entire mass of snakes erupted into chaos again. Countless serpents frantically slammed against the glass enclosures. The glass was instantly covered in cracks, on the verge of shattering completely and unleashing the snakes onto the crowd! “Ahh—!” People scrambled backwards in panic. “W-what’s happening? Why did the snakes go berserk again? Was the music wrong?” Seeing the king cobra lunging towards her, Claire no longer cared about Lucas. She crawled away from the center of the exhibition, tumbling to a stop at my feet like a dead dog. I set down my soda can and nudged her arm with the tip of my shoe, sneering: “Amateur hour’s over. Stop embarrassing yourself.” Claire’s face instantly turned the color of a ripe tomato. Samuel rushed to help Claire up, then turned to berate me in front of the crowd: “Everyone, look! This is the heiress of the Zhou family animal sanctuary!” “Not only does she refuse to save a life, but she’s also mocking her best friend who tried to help!” “She’s deliberately stalling, wanting Lucas to die! She even wants to let the snakes loose and kill everyone here!” His words ignited the crowd’s fury. [You beast! She’s a psychopath! She won’t save him herself and won’t let others save him either. She wants to drag everyone down with her!] [Someone call the police and arrest her! This is attempted murder!] [Mr. Lucas, you can’t marry a woman like that! I feel dirty just looking at her!] Facing the crowd’s condemnation, I didn’t even bat an eye. I just smirked coldly at Claire on the ground. “You want me to step in and save him? Fine.” “Just kneel down, kowtow to me three times, then slap yourself and shout ‘I’m an ungrateful wretch’ three times.” “Then I’ll go save your dear Lucas.” 2 As soon as I said this, everyone looked at me like I was insane. [Is she crazy?! What kind of demand is that?] [A man’s life is at stake, and she’s making her best friend kneel and kowtow? What kind of grudge is this?] [God, how could Lucas fall in love with such a heartless demon! It’s terrifying!] Samuel was stunned for a moment, then shouted with even more indignation: “Rachel! You’ve gone too far! Claire risked her life to save your husband, and she’s even pregnant! How can you treat her like this? Have you no conscience?” I just smirked and settled back into my lounge chair, opening another bag of chips. “The solution’s right here. Take it or leave it.” Claire glanced at Lucas, who was once again surrounded by the snakes. “Claire, save me!” Lucas cried out, his eyes filled with tears. Finally, she gritted her teeth and put on a long-suffering expression. With a loud thud, her knees hit the tile floor in front of me. Then she bent down, slamming her forehead against the ground. “Thud!” “Thud!” “Thud!” Three loud, heavy kowtows left a purple bruise on her forehead. She then raised her hand and slapped herself hard across the face. “Slap!” “I’m an ungrateful wretch! I’ve betrayed Rachel! I don’t deserve her kindness!” “I’m an ungrateful wretch!” “Slap!” “Slap!” Each slap was crisp and loud, filled with humiliation. I watched her swollen cheeks with glee, bending down to pat her face as I laughed so hard tears nearly came to my eyes. “That’s a good girl. See how easy that was?” “If you’d been this obedient from the start, none of this would have happened.” My laughter stung the onlookers, who were furious: [Devil! She’s nothing but a devil!] [I’ve never seen such a vicious woman in my life! Someone record this and post it online! Let everyone see her true colors!] [Mr. Lucas! Listen to us! This woman will ruin you!] But I seemed not to hear their curses. I stood up lazily, stretching and even adjusting my collar. Only then did I put my fingers to my lips and let out a sharp whistle from deep in my throat. “Shhhh—” Instantly, all the frenzied venomous snakes froze in place. A second later, they all turned around, retreating like the tide. In just a few seconds, they cleared a path straight to Lucas. Everyone was stunned speechless by this scene, their mouths hanging open. However, I didn’t even glance at Lucas. I just walked up to Claire, who was still kneeling, and kicked her arm. She stumbled and fell to the ground. Looking down at her, I smirked: “What are you waiting for? Your dear Lucas is scared stiff. Go help him up.” 3 A flash of humiliation crossed Claire’s eyes. Samuel quickly ran over to help her up, glaring at me: “Claire, let’s go! Don’t bother with this narrow-minded bitch! She’s not fit to shine your shoes!” The audience also reacted: [Holy shit! So she could control them all along! She deliberately didn’t step in just to watch her friend kneel and kowtow! ] [That’s disgusting! She had the ability but didn’t use it earlier when lives were at stake. Instead, she used this opportunity to humiliate her own friend! Her heart must be made of stone!] [This kind of woman deserves to be struck by lightning! She’ll meet a bad end!] Claire and Samuel walked into the center of the exhibition hall, humiliated. They supported Lucas on either side and led him out of the venue. Lucas slumped weakly into a chair backstage, his whole body still trembling. Concerned onlookers immediately crowded around, offering water and tissues: [Mr. Lucas, are you alright? Don’t be afraid, we’re all here for you!] [Don’t take it to heart. Marrying a woman like that would ruin your life! You deserve better!] [That’s right! Break up with her immediately! We can all testify today that she’s a complete scumbag!] Lucas shook his head at the crowd, his voice weak but with a hint of magnetism: “Thank you, everyone. Really, thank you all.” “Please don’t blame her. Rachel, she’s… she’s not usually like this…” “She must not be feeling well today, or maybe she was upset seeing Claire rush in, feeling like she lost face…” “She didn’t mean it. She still cares about me deep down.” His “turning the other cheek” attitude further ignited everyone’s anger and sympathy: [Look at that! What a good man!] [Even at a time like this, he’s still defending that vicious woman! Sir, you’re too kind! You’re wasting your love on her!] “It’s not like that, Rachel usually…” Lucas hadn’t finished speaking when Claire beside him let out a sharp scream, her face contorted in pain. Everyone followed his gaze. Large patches of blood were seeping through Claire’s white dress! “My stomach, my baby… my baby…” She went limp, sliding off the chair. The scene instantly descended into chaos. [Oh my God! She’s bleeding! Call an ambulance! It might be too late if we wait!] [She risked her life to save someone while pregnant! If she loses the baby, it’s all that vicious Rachel’s fault!] People scrambled to comfort Claire while Samuel immediately pulled out his phone to call 91

I stood outside the chaos, watching everything unfold with cold eyes. I pulled out the unfinished bag of chips from my pocket and emotionlessly ate another one. As if the woman suffering wasn’t my best friend. Paramedics loaded Claire onto a stretcher and into the ambulance. Samuel immediately started a livestream. The camera focused relentlessly on Claire’s pale face and the blood on her dress. “Everyone, do you see this? Claire might be having a miscarriage!” “It’s all because of that beast Rachel! She deliberately refused to save her own fiancé, forcing Claire to step in. She scared Claire and her baby!” “She’s trying to kill her fiancé and her best friend’s child!” Samuel followed all the way to the hospital, raising his phone in the ward with bloodshot eyes, shoving a miscarriage report in front of the camera. “It’s gone, the baby’s gone…” “The doctor said it was a miscarriage caused by extreme shock to the mother. We got here too late, couldn’t save it…” “Rachel! You don’t deserve to be human!” In an instant, the hashtag #SnakeParkHeiressHeartlesslyCausesFriend’sMiscarriage rocketed to the top trending topic. The entire internet was condemning me. [Scum! Trash! She should be put down!] [Even tigers don’t eat their cubs! This woman is worse than an animal!] [Boycott the Zhou family animal sanctuary! The animals raised by someone like her must be evil too!] [Poor Ms. Claire, poor baby. May there be no pain in heaven, and no such inhuman women either!] [I’m reporting her by name. Relevant authorities must thoroughly investigate! We can’t let such a dangerous person remain in society!] Faced with the torrent of abuse on the screen, I just brushed some chip crumbs off my hands. Then I looked at the camera with a cold smile. “Miscarriage? That’s getting off lightly.” 4 [What the fuck! Did I hear that right? Did she just say she should have killed her best friend and the baby? Is this something a human being can say?] [Viper’s heart! I can’t find words to describe this demon anymore!] [Why doesn’t she just die? This scum living in the world is an insult to all normal people!] [Ban her! Don’t let her appear in public ever again!] Samuel was clearly both shocked and delighted by my self-destructive response. He immediately seized the opportunity, pounding his chest and stomping his feet at the camera: “Everyone, did you hear that? This is her true feelings!” “She doesn’t care at all about Claire and Lucas’s lives! She just wants them dead!” He started frantically tagging various internet celebrities and influencers online, calling for them to come to the hospital. “I call on all righteous friends to come! Use your influence to speak up for poor Claire and the innocent Mr. Lucas!” “We must unite and absolutely cannot let this vicious woman go unpunished!” “What happened to her best friend today could happen to any of us tomorrow!” Soon, a group of influencers wielding selfie sticks rushed to the hospital. They surrounded Claire lying in the hospital bed, with Samuel and Lucas on either side, crying to the camera about my crimes. Lucas held Claire’s hand with a grief-stricken face: “Claire is too kind-hearted. When she rushed in, she was only thinking about saving me, not considering herself or the baby at all…” Samuel had a look of grief and indignation, his fists clenched tight: “My poor sister! She gave her whole heart, but was used by that vicious Rachel, losing her child. I, Samuel, have failed her!” “I truly regret it! I never should have helped Rachel set her up with Lucas!” “If it weren’t for me, Lucas wouldn’t have met a snake-hearted woman like Rachel! Now poor innocent Claire has been dragged into it too!” He finished speaking with tears in his eyes, garnering a wave of sympathy: [Samuel, this isn’t your fault! You’ve been speaking up the whole time! It was that vicious Rachel who stood by and watched!] [That’s right, you just misjudged her character! That witch Rachel was too good at disguising herself. You’re all victims!] “No, it’s all my fault. I failed to protect them. When Lucas was surrounded by snakes and Claire, a frail woman, rushed in, how scared must she have been?” This true brother squeezed out a tear in anguish, while I pushed open the door and walked in. Whoosh—! All the influencers immediately turned their cameras, shoving lenses and microphones in my face. [Rachel! How dare you show your face!] [You murderer! Why did you refuse to save your fiancé?] [Did you plan to kill them all along? Did you want Claire to miscarry?] [Give us an explanation! You owe the whole internet an answer!] Sharp questions flew at me from all sides, but I just smirked: “That’s right, I did hope she’d miscarry.” “Oh my God! Did you all see that? This is her true face. She really did want to kill her own best friend!” Samuel immediately pounced on me like a dog that had caught the scent of blood, while I just picked up the miscarriage report. I smiled, my gaze pointedly sweeping towards Lucas beside her. “I’m very curious.” “Claire, my best friend for ten years, when did you get a boyfriend without me knowing?” “You’re with me every day, not even going on dates. How did you suddenly get two months pregnant?” “This lost child, whose was it really?”

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The soup I made for my beloved snake was stolen and drunk by my fiancée’s male assistant’s mother. The old lady vomited blood and died on the spot. The male assistant screamed like a madman, demanding that I pay with my life. My fiancée brutally skinned the snake I had raised for 20 years, splattering its blood all over my face: “Ethan’s mom dies from drinking a bit of your damn soup, and you resort to murder, you useless coward? This vile creature should have been skinned and cooked long ago. You deserve to be tortured for keeping it!” She forcefully made me drink a hundred bottles of pesticide. But I was immune to all poisons. Though blood poured from my eyes, nose and mouth, I just wouldn’t die. My fiancée flew into a rage and cut off my research funding. She even had my colleagues’ legs crippled and sent them to Africa to work in the mines. To save them, I ventured alone to Serpent Island. The horrific sight of me being devoured by venomous snakes was broadcast globally. When I was covered in bloody holes and nearly dead from the venom… My fiancée finally arrived leisurely by private jet, arm in arm with her male assistant: “For killing his mother, you should be chopped to pieces and fed to snakes! It’s only because Ethan begged me to spare you…” But she didn’t know that those who provoked me always ended up dead. As for the mystical bond linking our hearts, it was about time for it to backfire on her. 0

On Serpent Island, I had been tortured to the brink of death. Olivia kicked me contemptuously, her face full of disgust: “Lucas, stop pretending. Hurry up and beg Ethan for forgiveness! He’s kind enough to forgive you for poisoning his mother. What more do you want?” The venom had long since seeped into my bones. Every movement felt like a thousand arrows piercing my heart. I struggled to my feet, instantly drenched in cold sweat. Gritting my teeth, I said: “I’m not pretending! After being bitten by thousands of venomous snakes for three days and nights, it’s a miracle I’m not dead…” Olivia was momentarily stunned. Just as I foolishly hoped she might feel a shred of sympathy, She suddenly let out a light chuckle, her face utterly indifferent: “It’s good you’re not dead. We need to keep you alive so you can atone to Ethan!” At that moment, her bodyguard opened a tablet. On the screen were horrific images of my research colleagues toiling in African mines. Their legs had been crippled. They could only crawl painfully, dragging their useless lower limbs. Their backs were covered in bloody wounds from repeated whippings. Seeing my friends suffer such injustice because of me, My heart felt like it was being sliced to pieces. Tears streamed uncontrollably down my face. Olivia’s eyes flashed with cruelty as she sneered: “If you had known they would be implicated, you shouldn’t have tried to murder Ethan’s mother! Everything today is the consequence of your own actions. It’s all because of your vicious heart!” My heart was in agony. No matter how many times I explained, she refused to believe I hadn’t poisoned anyone. Ethan was a boy she had rescued two years ago. At first, she found him weak and clingy. But later, she made him her personal assistant and often scolded me: “He’s just an innocent boy from the countryside. Stop bullying him all the time!” But it was clearly Ethan who deliberately provoked my beloved snake, then threw himself into her arms crying and slandering me. He even took advantage of Olivia’s favor to destroy the research results my team and I had worked on for years. But in Olivia’s eyes, I became the jealous one secretly bullying him. My voice choked with sobs, tinged with a hint of pleading: “Didn’t you promise me that if I survived three days on Serpent Island, you would let them go?” Before Olivia could respond, Ethan emerged from her arms, his face timid and scared: “Brother Lucas, they’re already crippled for life. At least mining gives them three meals a day. If we release them, who knows if they’ll starve to death.” I laughed bitterly, tears flowing uncontrollably. They were top researchers who could have made huge contributions to society. Now they could only eke out a miserable existence in dark mine shafts, like useless invalids. Seeing them like this was more painful than death! I gritted my teeth and spat out each word: “Olivia, don’t make me hate you.” Olivia’s expression flickered. She was about to speak. Ethan’s tears fell on cue, his voice full of grievance: “Brother Lucas, are you blaming me? Fine, it’s all my fault! I should have died from your poison like my mom, so I’ll never bother Sister Olivia again.” Olivia’s eyes filled with heartache as she wiped away his tears. Her gaze turned icy cold when she looked at me: “Lucas, I see you have no intention of repenting at all! Is this how you beg for mercy?” She dialed a number on her phone: “Cut their arms too! Tell them it’s because Lucas wouldn’t cooperate!” My blood surged in an instant. I coughed up mouthfuls of black blood, frantically begging: “No, please don’t— I’ll do anything you want, just let them go!” Ignoring the excruciating pain wracking my body, I crawled to her feet. A flash of satisfaction crossed Ethan’s eyes. He pretended to be considerate and spoke up: “Sister Olivia, doesn’t the company need a human test subject? It’s a critical time now. Why not let Brother Lucas try?” 0

Olivia’s expression turned hesitant: “But that drug is extremely dangerous. Being a test subject could kill him at any moment!” My pupils constricted in fear, but thinking of my colleagues still suffering, I quickly grabbed her pant leg: “Olivia, I’m willing…” Olivia violently shook off my hand, her eyes blazing with even more anger: “Lucas, if you had just apologized and admitted your mistake, I could have forgiven you easily. But you insist on being so stubborn. Don’t back out at the last minute. This concerns the entire company…” My voice was calm, but heavy with resolve: “I won’t regret it!” Because… if I died, you wouldn’t be able to live either, Olivia. And I needed to get away from here to save my friends. I was shackled with an electronic ankle monitor and forced onto the plane. In the spacious cabin, I could only kneel on the floor. Soon, the black blood oozing from my wounds stained the expensive carpet. Olivia sat comfortably in her seat, tenderly cradling Ethan in her arms. She gently fed him milk and cut his steak for him, like a doting girlfriend. The scene stabbed at my eyes, making them burn with pain. A fiery, twisting pain gripped my stomach. My mouth involuntarily filled with saliva. For three days and nights on Serpent Island, I had survived on dew and wild berries, constantly enduring snake bites. Just as I was about to pass out, Ethan suddenly covered his nose. He knocked over the glass of milk, whining pitifully: “Sister Olivia, it stinks so bad. I feel sick…” Olivia turned to glare at me, her eyes full of disgust: “Lucas, you know Ethan has severe eating disorders. How dare you come here all filthy? Are you deliberately trying to make us sick?” My eyes instantly welled up with tears. My voice was weak but filled with resentment: “You threw me onto Serpent Island with nothing, Starving and sleepless, in constant danger of death by snakebite. How can you expect me to be as clean and tidy as you?” Perhaps my gaze was too direct. Olivia turned away, but couldn’t help exploding in rage: “You’re still alive, aren’t you?! How dare you accuse me of being cruel? Think about the heinous, disgusting things you’ve done!” My heart was numb with pain. I said nothing more. Olivia prodded the floor with her high heel, her face haughty: “Lick up the spilled milk, then go kneel in the bathroom.” A few years ago, she had rescued my amnesiac self during riots in a foreign country. She then nursed me devotedly for months, never leaving my side. But now, for Ethan’s sake, she had forgotten all our shared history. I crawled over in humiliation, about to lower my head. Suddenly Olivia stood up and slapped me hard across the face: “Lucas, you’re lower than an animal!” But what was she so angry about? Wasn’t this all her doing? I staggered to my feet, ignoring her fury, and walked towards the bathroom. Ethan chose that moment to faint dramatically, collapsing weakly into her arms: “Sister Olivia, don’t be hard on Brother Lucas. It’s my fault. Just let me starve to death.” After that, Olivia was too busy fussing over Ethan to bother with me. Time passed. Suddenly, the plane hit turbulence. I was thrown to the floor unexpectedly. I saw Olivia clutching Ethan tightly, his clothes in disarray. She tenderly kissed his forehead, cooing softly: “Don’t be scared, Ethan. I’m here.” I clearly saw the challenge in Ethan’s eyes and the kiss marks on his collarbone. I curled up helplessly in the corner, my bloody nails digging deep into the armrest. Having survived riots abroad, I was extremely sensitive to changes in my surroundings. Olivia used to accommodate me by choosing other modes of transport, even if it took much longer. The plane stabilized after a moment. Olivia finally noticed me covered in filthy blood and snapped impatiently: “Get back in the bathroom and stay there. Don’t dirty Ethan’s eyes.” My gaze darkened in despair. I was about to stand up when everything went black and I collapsed. 0

In my hazy state, I seemed to return to my warm, familiar home. I thought I heard Olivia yelling at the doctor by my bedside: “Why isn’t he waking up yet? You’re all useless quacks!” The doctor explained awkwardly: “Mr. Ye may have an unusual constitution, but he’s still human. No one could endure that kind of torture…” There was a loud crash, like something being overturned. But as soon as I opened my eyes, Olivia’s slap left me dazed: “Lucas, why are you so hell-bent on killing yourself?! Pretending to be asleep, are you happy seeing me go crazy?” I was stunned, my whole body aching too much to speak. So she wasn’t happy to see me wake up after all. Just then, Ethan pushed open the door. He was carrying a bowl of porridge, his voice sickeningly fake: “Brother Lucas, you really shouldn’t pretend to be asleep if you don’t want to be a test subject. You know Sister Olivia was worried sick about you. What’s the point in scaring her like that?” Hearing this, Olivia’s chest heaved with anger. She shouted: “Lucas, you useless coward, always putting on an act! You’re going to be the test subject, and that’s final!” With that, she stormed out without a backward glance. Seeing this, Ethan’s face instantly twisted into a vicious sneer. He violently flung the hot porridge in my face. The scalding liquid made me cry out in pain. Gloating, he took out his phone and played a video. In the video, I was completely naked, my face contorted, writhing among countless snakes. My mind exploded. I lunged at him, roaring: “What is this?! Why does this exist?!” Ethan dodged easily, his smile cruel and malicious: “It’s a gift I prepared specially for you, of course~ Let everyone see how you get off with animals!” I knew it was AI-generated, but others wouldn’t know that! And was Olivia behind this too? As if reading my mind, Ethan let out a cold laugh: “That’s right, Sister Olivia knows! A piece of trash like you is only fit to be a lowly lab rat!” Rage boiled up inside me. I tackled Ethan to the ground, heedless of everything else. But he instantly changed his expression, shrieking in terror: “Sister Olivia, Brother Lucas has gone mad! I was just trying to take care of him, but he said he wants to scald himself to death so you’ll send me away!” Olivia rushed in and kicked me hard, sending me sprawling. I tried to explain: “I didn’t, it was Ethan who—” Before I could finish, she slapped me several times, grinding out each word: “You piece of trash, haven’t you had enough?! Can’t you just get along with Ethan?” My numb heart was torn apart once again. I wiped the filth from my face, my eyes dead and lifeless: “Olivia, you’ll regret this.” All I’ve suffered today will be repaid a hundredfold when the heart-linking curse activates. Olivia’s heart clenched suddenly, but she coldly ordered her bodyguards: “Cut their arms immediately!” Tears instantly poured from my eyes. I gritted my teeth so hard I tasted blood: “No, Olivia, don’t hurt them! It was Ethan who provoked me with that naked video of me, and he—” Olivia cut me off coldly: “Enough, Lucas. You’re forcing me to be cruel!” I wanted to argue more, but could only kowtow frantically. My forehead slammed against the floor repeatedly, soon bloody and bruised. But Olivia remained unmoved, her expression icy: “Even if you kowtow until you die, I won’t change my mind. If you don’t learn your lesson this time, who knows how you’ll hurt Ethan next.” My whole body shook with despair as I howled: “Then I’ll leave your world forever. Just let us go, please?” Olivia suddenly gripped my jaw, her eyes as fierce as a wild beast: “Don’t try to manipulate me. I won’t fall for your tricks. You’re not going anywhere!” With that, she flung me aside and left, pulling Ethan along. I was dragged straight to the lab by the bodyguards. They told the staff emotionlessly: “From today on, he’s the new test subject. Mr. Gu said not to hold back.” I struggled desperately, but mechanical arms clamped down on my limbs. Hundreds of needles pierced my veins. The icy drugs made me swell with pain. It felt like my eyeballs would burst. Every vein in my body throbbed wildly. I could barely breathe from the agony. Ethan walked in wearing a white lab coat. He pointed his phone camera at me, gloating: “Right now people are bidding online to buy your blood and eat your flesh. Wouldn’t it be fun if I auctioned off your organs like mystery boxes?” I shook violently with fury, snarling through clenched teeth: “You, you monster, rot in hell!” But Ethan just laughed wildly: “Hahaha, you piece of trash, you’re almost dead while I’m living the good life. I’ll send you off soon, then Sister Olivia will be all mine~” Ethan’s smile grew increasingly twisted and manic. But hearing Olivia’s footsteps, he quickly shoved some pills in my mouth, whining to her: “Brother Lucas is so mean, he just tried to bite me with his venomous fangs. Good thing I dodged in time.” He showed Olivia a non-existent wound. Olivia glared at me, grinding out each word: “I’ll have all his fangs pulled out. That way he can’t hurt you anymore.” Ethan happily kissed her cheek, looking smug: “Sister Olivia, you’re so good to me.” My heart felt like it was being stabbed. Tears flowed freely down my face. I thrashed violently, making muffled sounds: “No, Olivia…” Save me, please save me, this vicious woman wants to kill me!! Olivia gave me a long, deep look. Her voice was uncharacteristically gentle: “Lucas, when you learn to behave, And stop fighting with Ethan, I’ll let you go.” “No, Olivia don’t leave!” I shook like a dying fish, utterly despairing. But she didn’t look at me again. She left arm in arm with Ethan. Late that night, alarms suddenly blared through the lab. The mechanical arms restraining me abruptly released. I stumbled towards the exit, fighting my weakness. But the chaotic footsteps outside made my heart leap into my throat. Suddenly, a chill ran down my spine. The cold barrel of a gun pressed against my forehead. A mocking voice rang out: “Well hello there, darling. Caught you.”

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I was in a rush to fly overseas to negotiate a billion-dollar project with European royalty when my private jet was suddenly grounded before takeoff. A man in a suit stormed onto the plane, shouting: “Who gave you permission to touch my plane? Don’t you know this thing is worth more than your lives?” Thinking he had mistaken the hangar, I tried to explain calmly: “Sir, please check again. This is hangar 25, and this plane belongs to me.” My explanation only made him more aggressive. “My plane is parked in hangar 25. My wife just gave it to me last month. You think I’d forget that? Get your people off my plane now, or you’ll regret it!” Seeing how unreasonable he was being, I had no choice but to ask the airline staff to check the plane’s registration documents. Just as I was confidently preparing to put this arrogant young man in his place, I heard the airline staff deliver a shocking revelation. “Mr. Carter, please disembark immediately. This plane does indeed belong to Mr. Parker.”

“All systems go, ready for takeoff!” “Wait, we have a situation on the ground!” Just as the captain was preparing for takeoff, he suddenly received a warning from ground control. I instructed the flight attendant to open the cabin door so I could see what was happening. “What are you idiots doing? How could you let someone mess with my plane when I’m paying millions in annual hangar fees? Are you feeding that money to the dogs?” Through the cabin door, I saw a young man in an impeccable suit yelling at the hangar manager. Behind the suited man was a group of young men and women, all looking at the manager with disdain. The flustered manager pointed at me standing in the doorway and shouted, “This… this really isn’t my fault! When the plane was registered, it only listed the owner as Mr. Parker.” “That gentleman came in saying he was the plane’s owner and that his name was Carter, so I let him in.” Hearing this, the young man’s eyes flashed with anger as he charged up the stairs, bellowing at us: “Who gave you permission to touch my plane? Don’t you know this thing is worth more than your lives?” My crew members, whom I had hastily recruited from the flight base, all looked at me uncertainly. “Mr. Carter, what’s going on?” I waved at them to stay calm. I turned to examine the young man in the suit. He was handsome, but reeked of alcohol. Most likely some drunk rich kid who had mixed up the hangar numbers. Not wanting to cause a scene and delay my important meeting, I patiently tried to explain: “Sir, please check again. This is hangar 25, and this plane definitely belongs to me.” “Why don’t you look at the hangar next door? I bet that’s where your plane is parked.” Hearing my suggestion, the group of young people behind him started mocking him: “Ethan, you kept bragging about showing us your private jet, and this is what we get?” “You really oversold yourself this time. Sure, your family has some money, but do you have any idea how much a Gulfstream G700 costs? Your dad’s net worth of less than $100 million can’t afford this!” “Let’s just leave before we embarrass ourselves any further.” Faced with his friends’ doubt, Ethan started panicking. He grabbed the hangar manager’s collar: “You were there when my wife gave me the plane, right? Tell them!” The manager looked uncomfortable: “Well, I do remember something like that happening, but…” Before the manager could finish, Ethan eagerly turned to his friends: “See? Didn’t I tell you I have a private jet? Didn’t I?” Hearing that Ethan really did have a private jet, his friends quickly changed their tune. “Our boy Ethan has really made it big, even got himself a private jet. You’ve got to take us along on your road to riches, bro.” “Thanks to Ethan, I finally get to experience what it’s like to ride in a private jet.” “Are there any more rich ladies out there giving away planes as gifts? Hook a brother up, will you?” Basking in his friends’ praise, Ethan became even more smug. He yanked on the manager’s collar again: “I’m supposed to take my friends to my wife’s birthday party today. Get these idiots off my plane now.” “If you make me late, I’ll end you.” “And have the plane thoroughly inspected. If there’s even a scratch, they’ll pay for it!” Seeing how serious he was, I started to doubt myself. I even wondered if I had mixed up the hangars. After double-checking with my assistant, I confirmed that I hadn’t made a mistake. Now I realized this guy wasn’t just a drunk who mixed up hangars. He was trying to use my plane to show off to his friends. And of all times, he had to do it when I was in a rush to get to Europe for an important meeting. Just as I was about to step forward and chase them off, the hangar manager approached me with an accusatory look. “Sir, impersonating the owner of a private jet is a serious offense. Please leave immediately, or else…” “Are you kidding me? He says the plane is his and you just believe him?” “I bought this plane from England last year for $70 million. You’re telling me it changed owners just because he said so? Is this how your airline operates?” The manager looked conflicted: “Well… you both claim to be Mr. Parker, so which one of you is really…” “Of course it’s me! This plane is mine!” Ethan cut in before the manager could finish. Seeing this shameless freeloader continue to disrupt my travel plans, my anger started to rise. “Listen, there’s a limit to showing off. You’ve repeatedly interfered with my travel plans. I’m warning you, I’ll sue you if you don’t stop!” “Get off my plane now!” Faced with my challenge, he arrogantly shoved me: “I should be the one suing you for stealing my plane, and you have the nerve to try and kick me off? You must have a death wish.” “Take your people and get the hell off my plane, or I’ll make you regret it!” My assistant stepped forward to confront him when he saw how rudely he was treating me, but I held him back. Time was of the essence, and I couldn’t afford to waste it arguing with this freeloader. So I asked him directly: “You claim this plane is yours. Then tell me, what’s the aircraft’s registration number?” Only the plane’s owner would know the registration number. By asking this question, I intended to expose him in front of everyone and see if he’d keep up his act. The crew members and Ethan’s friends all turned to look at him, eager to see if he could answer. I stood by coldly, waiting to see him make a fool of himself. But his next words completely shocked me. “The registration number is N9527, it’s a Gulfstream G700, and it cost $73.4 million. Did I get that right?” “Now get lost!” Looking at Ethan’s smug face, I was completely stunned. Not only could he recite the plane’s registration number, but he even knew its exact price. This was bizarre. While the base price for Gulfstream jets is around $60 million, the final price varies for each customer based on interior customization. So each plane has a unique price. How did he know the exact price of this plane? What was going on here? 3 Hearing Ethan recite the correct registration number, the crew members gathered around me worriedly. The captain spoke first: “Mr. Carter, is this plane really yours? Don’t get us all in trouble. This jet is worth hundreds of millions. We could end up in prison if there’s an investigation.” “Mr. Carter, you offered a high price, but this job is too risky. I’m out.” The maintenance engineer demanded to quit. Realizing we were about to miss our important meeting, I quickly tried to reassure everyone: “Don’t panic. I don’t know how he got the plane’s registration number, but I can guarantee this plane absolutely belongs to me.” “Look, here are the emails between me and Gulfstream when I purchased the plane.” The crew members calmed down a bit after seeing the communication records on my phone. “I’ve already sent someone to push the airline to pull up the plane’s ownership records as soon as possible. That will prove this plane belongs to me.” “When that happens, not only will I kick this imposter off the plane, I’ll also pursue legal action against him.” Hearing this, the crew members returned to their posts. When Ethan heard I had sent someone to check the ownership records, he burst out laughing. “You’re quite the actor, aren’t you? Checking ownership records? I bet you’re just buying time so you can make a run for it.” I ignored the freeloader, waiting for the airline staff to return with proof of ownership so I could deal with him properly. Seeing that I was ignoring him, he started taunting the crew: “You people are really stupid, aren’t you? Can’t you see he’s a total fraud and a thief?” “He stole my plane and is trying to drag you down with him. How can you not see that?” His friends chimed in to back him up: “You guys really have no sense, do you? Do you think just anyone can own a Gulfstream?” “Look at our man Ethan here. He’s wearing Armani, sporting a Rolex. Only high-class people like him deserve a plane like this.” “Now look at that guy. His clothes don’t even have a logo. They look like they came from a street market. Someone like that probably can’t even afford a toy plane, let alone a private jet.” My assistant James couldn’t stand hearing them mock me and snapped back. “You ignorant fools! You have no idea what true luxury is.” “My boss’s suit is made from French vicuña wool. It took the top luxury brand Loro Piana half a year to custom make it. Just the jacket alone is worth $3 million. And you mistake it for cheap clothes? With your level of taste, you don’t deserve to be anywhere near a private jet.” Stung by my assistant’s retort, Ethan’s group turned red with embarrassment. Trying to save face, Ethan angrily pointed at me and yelled: “Who are you calling ignorant? Who doesn’t deserve a private jet?” “When the airline staff comes back and proves this plane is mine, you two better get on your knees and apologize. Otherwise, you’re not leaving here!” I gave a cold laugh: “We’ll see about that. It’s not clear who’ll be kneeling when this is over!” Just then, the airline staff arrived. I confidently asked him: “Have you confirmed who owns the plane?” The airline employee nodded solemnly: “Yes, we’ve figured it out.” I glanced smugly at the arrogant Ethan and said with satisfaction: “Now that it’s been cleared up, get these uninvolved people off my plane.” I gestured at Ethan’s group, indicating for the staff to remove them from the aircraft. But the employee didn’t move. Instead, he looked at me earnestly. After a moment, he said something that made my jaw drop: “Mr. Carter, please take your people and disembark immediately. The true owner of this aircraft is Mr. Ethan Parker.” 4 Hearing the staff say this, I was completely dumbfounded. This was clearly my plane. How could it suddenly belong to someone else? I grabbed the employee’s collar and anxiously asked: “You must have made a mistake. I bought this plane for $70 million. How could it suddenly become his?” The employee stumbled from my sudden movement but patiently explained: “Mr. Carter, please trust our professionalism. We didn’t make a mistake. This plane does indeed belong to Mr. Ethan Parker.” “However, there was a change in ownership. Last month, the previous owner, Ms. Olivia Reed, gifted the plane to Mr. Ethan Parker at no cost.” Hearing his explanation, I suddenly remembered that I had given this plane to my wife Olivia as a wedding gift last year. But Olivia had apparently re-gifted it to this pretty boy. Realizing this, I was overwhelmed with anger. My legs went weak, and I started to fall backwards. Fortunately, my assistant and the airline employee caught me before I hit the ground. At this moment, Ethan swaggered over with a smug look on his face. “Well, now that we’ve confirmed the plane is mine, get on your knees and apologize!” His friends joined in: “Yeah, kneel and apologize to our man Ethan!” The thought that this arrogant man might be involved with my wife made my blood boil. I broke free from my assistant’s grip and rushed over to slap Ethan hard across the face. “Kneel to your mother! I’ll kill you, you bastard!” Seeing Ethan get hit, his friends swarmed me, raining down punches and kicks. My assistant tried to intervene but was knocked to the ground as well. Ethan had his people pin me down and slapped me hard: “You try to steal my plane and then hit me? I’ll teach you a lesson you won’t forget!” Just as he was about to kick me again, his phone rang. He paused and checked the caller ID, then grinned at his friends: “It’s my sugar mama. Hold on a sec.” To show off, he put the call on speakerphone. As soon as the call connected, Olivia’s coquettish voice came through: “Honey, why aren’t you here yet? I can’t wait any longer.” Hearing Olivia urge him like this, Ethan winked at his friends, showing off. His friends all gave him thumbs up in admiration. Basking in their praise, Ethan smugly replied: “I would have been there ages ago, but some idiot tried to claim your gift to me was his plane. When I confronted him, he even hit me. I’m just teaching him a lesson.” “What? Someone dared to hit you! Honey, teach that person a good lesson. Make sure they never forget it!” “But don’t keep me waiting too long, okay? I’ve already booked us a hotel room in Bay City. I’m just waiting for you to get here.” Hearing Olivia say this, Ethan hung up with a satisfied smirk. His friends whooped and hollered. As for me, I was shaking with rage. My blood felt like it was boiling. I wanted nothing more than to castrate these animals, but they had me pinned down tightly. They continued to mock and beat me until they tired themselves out. Then they threw me and my assistant off the plane. As they were about to take off, they couldn’t resist one last taunt from the cabin door: “You broke loser, trying to act like a big shot in front of me. If my wife wasn’t in such a rush, I’d teach you a real lesson today!” Watching the plane disappear into the sky, murderous thoughts filled my mind. I took out my phone and called my executive assistant: “Buy out all flight routes from Bay County to Bay City immediately. Prohibit N9527 from landing at any airport along the way!”

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Kidnappers had taken both my son and my wife’s beloved dog hostage. They told Olivia she could only choose one to save. My eyes were bloodshot as I fell to my knees, shouting, “Save Leo! Save our son! He’s only five years old!” But Olivia was agonizing between our child and the dog. Lucas’s face was pale as he spoke with a trembling voice, “Olivia, don’t worry about Snowball. It’s just a dog. But… it’s my only emotional support now…” She glanced at me, her eyes filled with complexity. “I’ll decide with a dice roll,” she said. The kidnappers laughed and agreed to her proposal. Odd numbers would save our son, even numbers would save the dog. The dice landed on three. I instantly felt relief wash over me, my body going limp. But Olivia shouted, “That doesn’t count! My hand slipped. I demand another roll!” The kidnapper sneered, “One finger buys you another chance to roll.” Without hesitation, Olivia broke her own pinky finger. I watched in horror as she rolled the dice again with her shaking hand. This time… it landed on four.

“Even number! It’s an even number!” Olivia exclaimed with relief, shouting at the kidnappers. The kidnapper grinned, his voice dripping with mockery, “Hahaha! Mrs. Quinn, you’re fucking hilarious!” “You could have saved your son on the first roll, but you chose to save a damn animal instead. Mrs. Quinn, you’re truly one in a million!” Olivia’s face flushed red, but she didn’t argue back. She just stubbornly repeated, “This is fate!” My heart sank to the bottom of an abyss. My whole body was shaking, blood and tears blurring my vision. Olivia carefully walked over to Lucas, opened the cage, and took the terrified Samoyed into her arms. “It’s okay now, Snowball is safe,” she cooed. Lucas ran to her side, crying uncontrollably. Meanwhile, my son Leo had a pale face, his mouth taped shut, crying so hard his body was turning purple. I rushed over to embrace Leo. His tiny body trembled in my arms. Only then did Olivia seem to remember us and walked over. “Is Leo okay?” she asked casually, her eyes never leaving the dog in her arms. My throat was too constricted from shock to make any sound. Suddenly, Lucas cried out, “Olivia, Snowball is dying! We need to get him to the hospital right away!” “Okay, let’s go now!” Olivia said anxiously, turning to leave with the dog in her arms without sparing us another glance. She only threw a cold sentence to the kidnappers: “The money will be transferred to you. Release my son.” With that, she hurried away supporting Lucas. The iron door of the warehouse slammed shut, cutting off everything outside. I held my son, my body ice-cold. The kidnapper squatted down in front of me. He had a cigarette dangling from his mouth as he sneered at me, “I’ve never seen such a heartless wife. Where did you find this piece of trash?” I stared at him blankly, unable to utter a word. The kidnapper blew a puff of smoke in my face, bringing me back to reality and making me cough. “Tell you what, I’m in a good mood today. I’ll give you one more chance,” he said. He held his phone out to me. “Call your wife.” “If she’s willing to turn back now, I’ll let you and your son go.” “How’s that? Pretty merciful, right?” He laughed at his own words. My hands were shaking so badly I could barely hold the phone. I dialed Olivia’s number. The phone rang for a long time before it was answered. “Hello?” It was Olivia’s voice. In the background, I could clearly hear Lucas’s anxious voice. “Olivia…” I sobbed, “Save Leo… please come back…” From the other end came her impatient voice. “Gabriel! I’m in the middle of getting emergency treatment for Snowball. He’s in shock!” “Leo is my son. The kidnappers won’t dare do anything to him once they get the money. Don’t make trouble for me now!”

With that, she hung up without hesitation. The kidnapper listened to the dial tone and took back his phone. He shrugged and said with a cold smile, “I gave you a chance. Mrs. Quinn is a busy woman, and she hasn’t even transferred the money to me yet.” “You can’t blame me for what happens next.” He gestured to his men behind him. One of them with dyed yellow hair roughly snatched Leo from my arms. “No!” I let out a heart-wrenching roar, crawling on all fours to try and stop him. Another thug kicked me hard in the chest. I slammed against the wall before crumpling to the ground. Blood flowed from my forehead, obscuring my vision. My son’s cries echoed in my ears. “I want Mommy! Mommy, come save me!” “Daddy! Daddy, save me!” The next second, both Leo’s terrified screams and my cries were abruptly silenced. I saw Leo’s tiny body collapse softly to the ground, motionless. I kept shaking my head, my jaw trembling, as I slowly supported myself up and staggered over to my son. My hand caressed Leo’s face, which had been so full of life just hours ago. The blood on my hands smeared his face, and I frantically tried to wipe it away, but there was more and more blood. I picked up my son and finally broke down in loud, uncontrollable sobs. When I had cried myself out, I looked up to find myself surrounded by a group of men who weren’t the original kidnappers. Before I could react, they swung the clubs in their hands, striking my legs and arms. I heard the sound of bones breaking and was nearly driven unconscious by the pain. In the last second before I passed out, I heard their malicious laughter. “This bastard can’t take a beating at all. Brother Lucas said to just break his arms and legs, leave him barely alive.” … I woke up in the hospital. My whole body ached as if I had been torn apart and haphazardly put back together. The doctor said I had suffered comminuted fractures in my left arm and right leg, and they had barely managed to save me. I stared blankly at the ceiling, feeling a twinge in my heart, but I had no more tears left to cry. Why didn’t they just let me die along with Leo? A nurse came in and asked me in a low voice, “Is that little boy’s body in the morgue your son?” “The forensic examination is complete. The family can come claim the body now.” My heart was stabbed again. Just then, Olivia pushed open the door to the hospital room. She was holding Snowball in her arms, with Lucas following behind her, his eyes red and puffy. Seeing that I was awake, Olivia’s face broke into a smile. She was about to show me the dog when I spoke. Her voice held a hint of relief: “Snowball was in critical condition, but luckily we saved him.” I remembered the doctor saying I had nearly died too. A dog’s life, a human life… Hah, this was my wife. I stared vacantly at the wall without speaking. After a long silence, just as Olivia was starting to get impatient, I spoke in a hoarse voice. Each word felt like a knife scraping my throat. “Olivia, the doctor said they issued twenty-five critical condition notices for me. I almost died.” “I barely managed to survive, but Leo will never come back!” I practically shouted the last sentence, tears falling in large drops onto the bedsheet. Olivia was taken aback, then sighed, “You know dogs are more fragile, of course we had to save Snowball first.” “You’re fine now, aren’t you? You have good recovery abilities, unlike Snowball who still needs months of care.” Then, as if just remembering something, she frowned and asked me. “What happened to Leo? Did the kidnappers release him?” I looked at the face I had loved for ten years, suddenly feeling it was very unfamiliar. I opened my mouth, my voice raspy: “Leo… is dead.” “You killed him!” My emotions suddenly collapsed, and I began to scream hysterically. “You killed him! Olivia, you’re a murderer!”

Olivia’s face instantly turned ugly. Lucas quickly came forward to hold her back, gently persuading, “Olivia, don’t be angry. Gabriel just woke up and is emotionally unstable.” Olivia shook him off, pointing at my nose and scolding, “Gabriel Gray, have you had enough? What kind of madness are you spouting?!” “Lucas has already contacted the kidnappers. They said they received the money and released Leo long ago!” “Where did you take Leo? What kind of father are you? You can’t even watch your own child!” I looked at her in disbelief. She didn’t believe our son was dead. I stared at her with wide eyes, my lips trembling slightly, “The kidnappers killed him because you didn’t transfer the money immediately…” Olivia let out a cold laugh, “Gabriel Gray, I know you hate me for choosing Snowball, but how can you make up such lies just to make me feel guilty!” “How could Leo possibly be dead? The kidnappers just wanted money!” “You must have lost him and are too afraid to admit it, so you made up this nonsense to trick me!” “Hurry up and find Leo! Stop being so unreasonable!” With that, she left holding the dog and pulling Lucas along, without looking back. I shouted and threw everything I could reach onto the floor. The sudden movement caused my freshly sutured wounds to burst open, blood soaking the sheets. I collapsed to the ground, my chest aching violently. On the day I was discharged, Olivia came to pick me up. I sat in a wheelchair as she pushed me out of the hospital. She didn’t mention Leo again. Lucas told her I had accepted the fact that I had “lost” our son, but the shock was too great and I needed time to recover. She believed it. After returning home, I started having nightmares every night, often waking up crying. In my dreams, I always saw Leo dying before my eyes. That night, I was again awakened by a nightmare and went to the kitchen for water. As soon as I turned on the light, I saw a dog’s body by the sink. I went over and found it was Lucas’s Snowball! Before I could react, Lucas cried out behind me. “Gabriel, you actually… you actually killed Snowball!” The sound drew Olivia, who immediately pinned the blame on me without asking what happened. She looked at me with disgust and scolded harshly, “Gabriel Gray, how could you be so vicious?! Even if Leo’s disappearance broke your heart, Snowball was innocent!” “Besides, it was your failure as a father. How can you make an innocent dog bear the consequences of your own mistakes?!” I shouted back with red eyes, “So Leo deserved to bear it all, to the point of death?!” Olivia looked at me with disappointment, “You’ve really gone mad, completely mad! I’ve told you Leo just went missing. Why do you keep cursing him dead?!” I didn’t want to argue anymore. I rushed out of the house, ignoring Olivia’s angry shouts behind me. I ran to the hospital barefoot, my soles already bloody and raw. At the entrance to the morgue, I couldn’t take another step forward. I crouched down covering my face, sobbing. Olivia caught up behind me. She roughly pulled me up from the ground, her scolding raining down on me. “Gabriel Gray, what the hell are you doing?!” “Running to a place like this in the middle of the night, are you sick?!” “I haven’t even settled the score with you for killing Snowball, and you ran away because you feel guilty!” I looked at Olivia’s contorted expression, the anger in my heart finally erupting. I lunged forward and grabbed her throat. The next second, I was violently kicked away by her, my head hitting the wall. My broken leg couldn’t support me and I fell to the ground, blood dripping down. I looked up to meet Olivia’s bloodshot eyes. She pointed at me, “Gabriel Gray, wasn’t killing Snowball enough? Now you want to kill me too?!” I laughed, laughing so hard tears streamed down, laughing until the wounds on my chest ached sharply. I wiped the blood from my face and struggled to stand up on shaky legs, the pain like walking on knife edges. But it was nothing compared to the pain in my heart. “Didn’t you say Leo just went missing?” “He’s lying in there right now. Do you dare to go in with me and see?!” “See what your choice has done to your five-year-old son?!”

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Olivia Sullivan, the Oscar-winning actress and my girlfriend of five years, was caught spending a night with a mysterious man. To protect Marcus Shaw’s reputation, she quickly posted intimate photos of them on Twitter, publicly acknowledging their relationship. The caption read: “Waiting for falling leaves, cold winds, autumn fireworks, and a better us. From beginning to end, I’ve only loved one person.” Looking at the man in the photo whose face was 50% similar to mine, a chill gradually enveloped my entire body. So for all these years, I had always been someone else’s stand-in. Olivia called soon to explain: “Marcus just returned to the country and can’t afford any damage to his reputation. I did this for work reasons, don’t take it seriously.” I only replied calmly: “It’s fine, I understand.” Seeing that I had no reaction, Olivia sounded confused on the other end: “Why aren’t you jealous today?” Less than half an hour after hanging up, Olivia came back. I thought she would continue her explanation from earlier, but she didn’t. Acting as if nothing had happened, she handed me a prepared gift: “Take a look, do you like it? I picked it out especially for you.” It was a Patek Philippe watch, quite expensive, I’d heard of it. In the past, she would always bring me small gifts when she came back, but never anything this expensive. Maybe she also realized that this time was different from before. In the past, a cake, a hug, or even a simple smile would have been enough to appease me. But today, even with this million-dollar watch in front of me, my expression remained indifferent, without any emotion. I just said a bland “Thank you.” Disappointment flashed across Olivia’s face. She could clearly sense that something was off with me. But she didn’t dare to bring up her public announcement with Marcus, because she felt guilty. She could only deliberately change the subject: “Aiden, I’m hungry. Can you make me some chicken soup noodles?” The noodles were pre-packaged, but the chicken soup had to be freshly made. Every time she said she wanted to eat something, I would rush to prepare the ingredients for her without complaint, no matter how troublesome it was. But today, I didn’t want to do anything. “There’s bread in the fridge. If you’re hungry, just eat some yourself.” “Aiden!” Seeing that I still maintained an indifferent attitude, Olivia finally lost her temper: “Can you stop being moody? Do you know how many interviews I canceled to come back and comfort you! Can’t you be more understanding of my work?” “No!” I interrupted her. Looking up, my eyes still like a midnight lake, without any ripples: “Olivia, let’s break up.” Even after so many days of self-healing, when I saw the one I once loved deeply, my heart still uncontrollably ached, the pain blocking my chest, making it difficult to breathe. But I still said those words stuck in my throat. This ridiculous underground relationship had lasted for five years. My feelings for her had long since reached their end. I no longer wanted to wait in an empty house for her return, no longer wanted to watch her various scandals, and no longer wanted to love her. I was tired. When she heard the words ‘break up’, Olivia’s face turned pale, showing unprecedented panic and shock. Before she could speak, I opened the door and left.

After getting together with Olivia, except for work hours, I stayed at home waiting for her all day and hadn’t hung out with friends for a long time. This time when my friends invited me out, I reluctantly agreed. After a few drinks, they noticed I was distracted, so I had to tell them about the breakup. “Breakup? When did you start dating someone that we didn’t know about? How did you meet?” My friend’s rapid-fire questions instantly took my memory back to middle school, that summer when I first met Olivia. I was locked in the bathroom by bullies for getting the top score in the school, and I met her who was in an equally miserable state. At that moment when equally miserable state the gears of fate turned, two hearts with the same destiny were tightly bound together… After graduating from middle school, she followed her divorced mother to another city, but we never lost contact. It wasn’t until five years ago when I graduated from college and came to her city to support her that we finally became a couple. But she clearly knew. Marcus Shaw was the boy who bullied me back then! My friends’ noisy voices pulled my drifting thoughts back. I casually pointed at the poster on the wall and smiled bitterly: “She’s the girlfriend I’ve been dating for five years.” On the poster was a promotion for Olivia and Marcus’ new movie. She had also fought for the male lead role for Marcus. The two were pressed tightly together, gazing into each other’s eyes, their expressions full of affection. What a perfect pair. My friends burst into laughter, thinking I was joking. “You must be drunk. How could the famous Oscar winner Olivia Sullivan be your girlfriend!” The laughter around me was a bit harsh. With three parts drunkenness, looking at that poster also made me feel a bit dazed for a moment. I didn’t explain further, just raised my head and drained the glass in one gulp. The burning sensation swept down my throat, bringing melancholy and also calmness. As I lowered my head, the door of the private room was pushed open. Even though the newcomer was tightly pressing down her baseball cap, wearing a mask and sunglasses, I still recognized Olivia at a glance.

Amidst everyone’s shock, Olivia nodded slightly in greeting, then pulled out a chair and sat down quietly next to me. Except for me, she always had an innate sense of aloofness towards everyone. “What are you doing here?” My voice was polite but distant, instantly pulling our relationship far apart. She frowned in dissatisfaction, but her tone was gentle: “I rarely have free time, so I wanted to spend more time with you.” I coldly replied: “You don’t need to do this. We’re breaking up anyway.” “I won’t agree to break up.” She took a deep breath, interrupting me, “You’re just jealous and want to make our relationship public, right? Fine, I’ll satisfy you.” After saying this, she reached for my glass and stood up, her tone returning to its usual haughtiness: “Hello everyone, I’m Aiden’s girlfriend.” “Due to work reasons, I’ve been hiding my relationship with Aiden. Please don’t mind.” As she finished speaking, she raised the glass amidst everyone’s shocked gazes. Before it could touch her lips, I snatched the glass away. “Enough, Olivia.” “We’ve already broken up.” The glass slammed heavily on the table, rolling twice before coming to a stop. After saying this, I ignored her slightly reddened eyes and turned to leave directly. I stumbled out drunkenly, the dark night road dim and bleak. The darkness mixed with the smell of alcohol, surrounding me tightly. My thoughts were a bit chaotic, making me recall the scene of Olivia raising her glass. My chest suddenly felt tight and I couldn’t breathe. Olivia never drank alcohol, saying she hated the taste. But I had once seen her drunk in a video leaked by paparazzi, half of her body leaning against Marcus’ embrace, raising her glass to please the producers at the table: “I hope everyone can give Marcus a chance, he will definitely perform well.” For Marcus’ sake, she who never touched alcohol downed three glasses of whiskey in one go, finally falling drunkenly into Marcus’ arms. And that day was my birthday. I sat in front of the cake waiting all night, but she never came back. Later she called to explain: “There were many producers and directors at the wrap party for the new drama, I really couldn’t get away. When I have time to come back, I’ll definitely make it up to you with a proper birthday celebration.” But Olivia, I don’t need it anymore.

From the moment I saw her falling into Marcus’ arms, all the feelings I had built up over the years were shattered, leaving my heart as cold as ashes. Olivia quickly chased after me. “Aiden, don’t be angry. Marcus and I really are just work partners…” Her voice was pleading in front of my friends. I just calmly replied: “I’m not angry. It has nothing to do with me anymore.” “Stop denying it, Aiden. You’re breaking up with me because you’re jealous of Marcus.” “I’ve explained many times that those rumors are just part of my work. If you mind, I can clarify them right now. Please don’t talk about breaking up anymore, okay?” She was still rambling on, always using work as an excuse for her unavoidable actions. She would never admit that she had ever divided her heart in our love. I suddenly felt that her desperate clinging and lies were extremely ugly. I shook off her hand and hailed a taxi, leaving without looking back. Just as I got home, I suddenly received a dismissal notice from the HR department. “Aiden, this is a decision from upper management. I couldn’t do anything about it,” the HR staff said apologetically. “I heard someone deliberately set you up. Did you offend anyone?” I had always been kind to others and never offended anyone. But since the company fired me for this reason, I didn’t care. After all, I wasn’t relying on that salary to make money anyway. After hanging up, an unknown number called immediately. When I answered, a man’s voice came through: “How does it feel to be fired, Aiden?” I immediately recognized the voice. It was Marcus. So the person behind this was him. My fists clenched tightly, nails digging into my palms. The pain mixed with hatred swept through my entire body. “You’re just a useless piece of trash who can’t even earn $5000 a month now. What right do you have to cling to Olivia? I advise you to get lost quickly.” “With me around, I’ll make sure you can never find a job again, haha.” He laughed arrogantly, completely different from his gentle and elegant image on TV, like a devil devouring people from hell. Just like how he was in middle school. But no matter what he looked like, in my eyes, he was disgusting. I sneered coldly, interrupting his ugly laughter: “Is that so? Then you’re bound to lose.”

Marcus was destined to lose this bet miserably. For me, the 9-to-5 job outside was just a daily pastime to kill time. It didn’t matter whether I worked or not. Back in college, my anonymously published original novel was selected by a famous director who bought the film and TV rights. From that first book, I embarked on my journey as a screenwriter. Several hit TV dramas in recent years were all written by me. However, at my request, my real name was always hidden, only using the pen name ‘Fallen Angel’ instead. Except for a few top directors I’ve been working with, no one knows about this identity of mine. Not even Olivia. The next day, I went to the company on time to handle the resignation procedures. When I arrived at my workstation, I found all my personal belongings were gone. The entire desk was empty. My gaze shifted to the trash can beside it, where I saw my things lying quietly inside. I didn’t need to guess to know who did this. I smirked coldly, grabbed a vase nearby and walked towards the director’s office. Amidst the terrified gazes of all my colleagues, I kicked open the door and smashed the vase at the director’s feet with a loud ‘crash’. He shouted angrily and stood up: “Aiden, don’t go too far.” “If you want to blame someone for this, blame yourself for being so lowly and offending Mr. Marcus Shaw. He specifically said he doesn’t want to see you. We had no choice.” The company had chosen Marcus Shaw as the spokesperson for their new product. It was time to curry favor with him, so naturally they wouldn’t offend Marcus over a small employee like me. I couldn’t be bothered to say anything more. After all, losing me was the company’s loss. Smashing the vase was enough to vent my anger. Just as I was about to leave, the director’s secretary rushed in anxiously. “Director, we just received a call from Oscar winner Olivia Sullivan. She expressed interest in endorsing our new product, but she has one condition…” At this point, the secretary gave me a complicated look. The director’s eyes lit up, urging: “Whatever the condition is, we must do everything possible to satisfy her.” The opportunity to work with an Oscar-winning actress was rare and precious. He naturally couldn’t wait. “Miss Sullivan’s only requirement is that her boyfriend Aiden be fully responsible for all her work.” When this was said, everyone was stunned. Even I was momentarily taken aback.

After Olivia and I confirmed our relationship, she said we couldn’t reveal our relationship in public to avoid suspicion. For three whole years, Olivia and I never appeared together in anyone’s sight. My family and friends knew nothing of her existence. She never attended any of my friend gatherings either. Even last year when my grandmother was critically ill and wanted to see my girlfriend before she passed away, I called Olivia in tears, hoping she could spare some time to see the old lady. Even though she heard the choke in my voice, she only hesitated for a few seconds before firmly refusing. “Aiden, you know my current status. It’s not convenient for me…” After that, I never again made requests to introduce her to my family and friends. I just didn’t expect that today, for the sake of my job, she would step in as my girlfriend for the first time. But I no longer needed it. Olivia’s status was not something Marcus could match. Hearing her make such a cooperation request, the director changed his ugly attitude from earlier and apologized to me with a smile: “Aiden, why didn’t you say earlier that you had such a connection with Miss Sullivan?” “I was wrong before, please don’t mind. How about this, I’ll make an exception and promote you to project manager, fully responsible for this cooperation. Your year-end bonus will be tripled.” But I just threw my work badge on the table expressionlessly and refused directly. “Sorry, I quit.” After saying that, I turned around coolly. The surrounding colleagues were dumbfounded, all shocked by my actions once again. The colleagues in the hall had already exploded into discussion. When they saw me come out, they swarmed around me. “Wow Aiden, you’ve really been hiding your talents! We never imagined the famous actress Olivia Sullivan would be your girlfriend.” “Olivia Sullivan just updated her Twitter. Not only did she clarify the previous rumors with Marcus Shaw, but she also announced her relationship with you. She’s already changed into a wedding dress and is preparing to come propose to you!” Before I could react, a colleague shoved their phone into my hands and played a video. In the video, Olivia was wearing a pure white wedding dress. Her exquisite makeup was cold yet noble. She stared at the camera, her deep gaze seeming to penetrate the screen and look into my eyes. She said: “Aiden, are you ready to marry me?”

It turned out that half an hour ago, Olivia had posted a clarification on Twitter, publicly revealing our five-year underground relationship. She also released candid photos of me cooking and several life photos. The nine-grid post was full of love, accompanied by a 500-word caption explaining that her previous admission of a relationship with Marcus Shaw was a joke because she lost a bet. She said from beginning to end, she only had one boyfriend. That was me. My breath caught, my heart filled with mixed emotions. Marcus also immediately replied to this tweet: “Sister Olivia’s willingness to admit defeat in a bet is admirable. It was all a misunderstanding. Brother-in-law, please don’t be angry.” The comment section exploded instantly, with a flood of criticism. Many accused Olivia of taking the joke too far and treating her fans like fools. Some even continued to say that only Marcus was a good match for her. Only a handful of people expressed their blessings. I don’t know how Olivia persuaded Marcus to act out this farce with her, but while everyone else was moved to tears, I remained exceptionally clear-headed. I once eagerly looked forward to the day when we could make our relationship public, fantasizing about being able to walk hand in hand with her on the street openly, receiving everyone’s blessings. But at this moment, apart from a full sense of helplessness, there was only indifference after disappointment. In just a few minutes, the video of the famous actress proposing to an ordinary man online instantly went viral across the country, squeezing to the top of the trending list and the headlines of major media outlets. Many bloggers and reporters started live streaming, following Olivia as she ran towards my location holding a bouquet of flowers. Everyone was driven crazy by her courage and sincerity. Many fans had already gathered at the entrance of my company to clear the way for her. For a moment, this live broadcast in the name of a proposal was watched by hundreds of millions of viewers across the country. While I was still in a daze, a cheer suddenly erupted outside the company. Olivia had arrived.

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