I was a Blessed Bearer, chosen by the System. After fulfilling 999 fertility wishes for people, I should have been able to sleep for a century, but instead, a mystic cult leader from the East kidnapped and imprisoned me. He screamed like a madman, raving about adding my skull to his collection. At death’s door, Julian, a powerful magnate from the capital’s elite, casually forked over 9.9 billion dollars and paid a fortune to buy my freedom. Moved, I pledged myself to him. But ten years into our marriage, I delivered nine stillborn babies, one after another. Finally, I was pregnant with our tenth child. Excited, I held the scan results, ready to tell him the good news, when I unexpectedly overheard his conversation with his secretary: “Mr. Sterling, Mrs. Sterling’s uterine wall is paper-thin. If she goes through this again, she might not even survive.” “Every time a baby was born, we’d give them a drug that induced a death-like state, then they were sent off to be processed for Delilah’s ‘health tonic’. What if your wife finds out?” Julian’s voice turned cold. “What? You pity her? Or should I send *you* to be made into her ‘tonic’?” “No, no, Mr. Sterling, that’s not what I meant. It’s just, what if your wife finds out…” Julian sneered, “And what if she does? Being Delilah’s personal supply line is her good fortune.” “Delilah was on the verge of depression because she couldn’t conceive. Giving her nine children was the only thing I could do.” “As for Serena, allowing her to be Mrs. Sterling was my greatest act of charity.” My legs turned to jelly. The ultrasound scan results slipped from my trembling hand and fell to the floor. So, the sweet decade we shared was nothing but a meticulously crafted lie. Every tender gesture, every soft word from him, was just to make me willingly continue to conceive and give birth. My nine children were skinned and deboned alive, stewed into bowls of ‘tonic soup’, and delivered directly to Delilah’s mouth! If that’s the case, this rotten marriage needs to be severed, right here, right now.

Through the door, Julian’s sigh drifted out: “Not being able to be with Delilah forever already wronged her… The only thing I can do is ease her pain of infertility.” He turned, his gaze sharp, to his secretary Chloe: “As for Serena… keep your mouth shut. I won’t let her know.” Chloe felt a pang of pity, her voice trembling, “Mr. Sterling, all these years, I’ve watched you pour everything into Delilah. She gets whatever she wants…” “IVF was an option, yet she specifically demanded your wife’s children for her tonic… This cruel method, she’s clearly doing this on purpose! She just wants to sabotage your relationship with Serena!” Julian’s gaze turned icy. “Have you said enough?” “If this secret ever gets out, Mrs. Sterling might not be able to bear the blow… Those were her own flesh and blood! And if word gets out, the company’s stock would tank…” Chloe bit her lip, gathering her courage. “I don’t care.” Julian’s tone was indifferent. “For Delilah, I’ll do anything. I’m completely willing.” He paused. “Besides, Delilah said that once she gets a perfect ten, once she has her tenth child… everything will be over.” “But… what about Mrs. Sterling? Her body is completely depleted from giving birth to this child… What if she finds out? I’m afraid she won’t be able to cope.” “Her? She’s a Mystic, she’ll be fine.” Julian scoffed. “Even if she finds out, she won’t bear to leave me.” “After all, I was the one who pulled her out of hell with my own hands… She’s hopelessly devoted to me, deeply rooted in her affection.” I stood frozen outside the door, unable to believe what I was hearing. Every word spoken by the husband I’d loved for ten years was like a knife, flaying me alive. Ten years ago, when I was imprisoned by the cult leader, on the brink of death, Julian appeared and rescued me from the darkness. He said he fell in love with me at first sight. I believed him, pledged myself to him, and went home with him… But I never imagined it was all a lie and a trap! I was nothing but a tool for him to curry favor with Delilah… Every sweet nothing whispered in moments of passion, every time he coaxed me into intimacy… I thought it was an expression of his love… In truth, it was all just to make me conceive and give birth again and again… and then for him to personally send my children off to be made into a tonic! It was… utterly ridiculous! Click— The door suddenly swung open. I quickly composed my expression. Julian saw me sitting on the floor, his brow furrowed. He immediately reached out and pulled me up. “Why are you here? You didn’t say anything. I was just about to come get you.” His voice was tender, as if the cold, cruel man from moments ago wasn’t him at all. I forced a smile. “I was afraid of disturbing your work.” He kissed my cheek, then naturally took my hand, but paused. “Your hand is freezing. Are you feeling unwell? Do you need to go to the hospital?” I shook my head, forcing out, “I’m fine…” Julian then noticed the scattered scan results on the floor and bent to pick them up. His eyes lit up with wild joy. “You’re pregnant?!” He pulled me into a fierce embrace, his voice filled with excitement, “This time we’ll definitely keep this baby! Don’t worry, I’ll use all my connections, get the best specialists in the country, to protect your pregnancy!” Suppressing my emotions, I nodded submissively. “Okay…” Julian escorted me back to the room, left a gentle kiss on my forehead, then was hurriedly called away by a phone call. I knew… it must be Delilah. After he left, I slowly got up and walked toward the basement door he never allowed me near.

I stood before the basement door, my fingers trembling slightly on the keypad lock. I tried my own birthday – incorrect. Then I tried Julian’s birthday – still incorrect. An unspeakable chill rose in my heart. I turned and went back to his study, opening his computer, trying to find an answer. On his calendar, a date marked with an asterisk caught my eye. My intuition told me it was Delilah’s birthday. I returned to the basement, my hand shaking as I entered the numbers. Correct. The cold electronic voice ripped my heart to shreds. “Couples need privacy. That’s how a relationship lasts.” Julian’s tender expression when he said those words was still fresh in my mind. Turns out, his so-called privacy was just a shield for secrets he shared with someone else. I pushed the door open, and the sight before me nearly suffocated me. The entire basement was packed wall-to-wall with photos of Delilah, and pictures of them together. Each one was carefully laminated and preserved, neatly arranged in chronological order. In the center of the main wall was a family photo of their eleven-person family, with Delilah in the very middle, smiling radiantly. I could barely stand. He had spent an entire decade weaving a deception under the guise of love, all just to fulfill his idealized ‘white moonlight’s’ wishes. And my children and I? We were nothing but tools for him to achieve his goals. If it weren’t for her, my children could have grown up healthy, instead of becoming ‘nourishment’ for the woman in those pictures. I had doubted myself countless times, filled with self-doubt and guilt. But now, it was clear: I was just a puppet, completely manipulated. He knew I was in agony, struggling, yet for ten years, he never showed me an ounce of pity. The passionate devotion I thought we shared, the gentle warmth of those nights—it was all just a mere echo of another woman. I scanned the room and found an exquisite safe in a corner. I opened it, and inside was a thick stack of documents. The undeniable words printed on those pages completely shattered my world. From being kidnapped and imprisoned by the cult leader to being rescued by him, everything had been a script, a conspiratorial plot they concocted. The only goal was to make me fall hopelessly in love with him. The last page of the document bore his signature. I collapsed to the floor, tears streaming down my face. The man I had always seen as my salvation was the demon who had personally pushed me into hell. After I calmed my emotions, I took photos of all the pictures and documents as evidence. Immediately, I left and went to a private clinic owned by a friend I hadn’t contacted in a long time. She looked at me worriedly. “Extracting the fetus for external incubation is incredibly invasive, like a live dissection. It will cause severe damage to your body, and the baby will also face certain risks.” “Are you really sure?” I held back my tears. “I’m so sorry, my baby… But to save your life, Mama has to do this.” I endured excruciating pain during the procedure, then dragged my still-unstable body home. Julian was already there. I had thought he’d spend the night with Delilah. Seeing my pale face, he immediately came to support me. “Why are you so pale? Where have you been?” I forced myself to stay calm. “I felt unwell this afternoon and went to the hospital… The doctor said… the baby was gone again…” He looked surprised, quickly pulled me into a hug, and gently comforted me. “It’s okay, we can try again.” With that, he scooped me up in his arms and carried me into the bedroom, initiating forced intimacy. “For us to have our own baby soon, we need to try hard, don’t we?” As he spoke, his burning hot hand was already exploring beneath my dress. At that moment, I felt utterly disgusted. I had just supposedly ‘miscarried,’ and he was already impatient to ‘plant seeds’ again. Even though I was weak, my face pale, he was completely indifferent. He never cared about me. I suppressed my rage. “I want to rest… The baby’s gone, I’m heartbroken.” But he was relentless, holding me tight. “Baby, I know you’re sad, but for our love’s fruition, we need to try, don’t we?” I closed my eyes, forcing down the nausea, and let him finish. He immediately fell asleep, while my heart was ashes. He exhausted his energy with Delilah, then came back to play the part of a loving husband, not even bothering to pretend anymore. I put on my bathrobe and walked into the study, silently printing out a divorce agreement. A decade of emotions would finally come to a close. Seven days later, the Sterling family was set to hold a grand ‘recognition ceremony’ for a son. Publicly, it was announced as a way to foster good relations with the Delilah family and strengthen their long-standing family ties. The true purpose of the ceremony was for him to officially enter Delilah’s oldest child into the family lineage. It was to pave the way for Delilah’s children and help her secure the future inheritance of the Sterling empire. I had once been naive, thinking that Julian had ‘adopted’ the child from Delilah because he ‘felt sorry for my infertility.’ He wanted to compensate for my inability to continue his bloodline, which was why he let me raise the boy under the guise of a foster mother. I had actually believed it and was once filled with tearful gratitude. I was almost stupid enough to raise a child for my enemy. He claimed to love me incessantly, yet behind my back, he systematically cleared obstacles and secured status for his cherished ‘white moonlight.’ This farce had to end.

Early the next morning, I walked into the Sterling Corp headquarters with the drafted divorce agreement. As soon as I entered the lobby, I heard whispers behind me. “Is that Mr. Sterling’s wife? She looks so shabby, with no sparkle, no life…” “I heard she used to be that ‘Blessed Bearer’ or whatever. Probably worn out from sleeping with countless men.” “Married to Mr. Sterling for ten years, couldn’t keep a single baby, all stillbirths. Such bad luck.” “I don’t know what kind of good fortune she has, to shamelessly cling on in the Sterling family for ten years.” “That beautiful lady who just left was a feast for the eyes! Heard she has nine kids. Mr. Sterling’s eyes were glued to her when he saw her!” “It’s only natural, isn’t it? The one at home can’t even pop out a single baby. Who could stand that?” These words pierced my eardrums like needles. I fought back tears, refusing to break down in front of people. I looked up at the CEO’s office, gritted my teeth, and walked towards it. As I approached, the voices from inside pinned me to the spot. “Julian, you still have to be all lovey-dovey with that woman every day. I’m genuinely jealous…” Delilah’s voice was filled with unending grievance. Julian immediately consoled her. “I’m doing this for you, aren’t I? As long as she gets pregnant again, next time we’ll have our tenth child.” “Too bad she lost the baby this time. Such a useless woman.” My heart clenched, my fingers stiff on the cover of the divorce agreement. Delilah giggled sweetly again. “Julian, you’re sacrificing so much for me. If it weren’t for you, I don’t know what I’d do…” Suddenly, her voice paused, and she pouted playfully. “Why aren’t you using protection again?” Julian groaned low. “You’re infertile anyway. This way is more thrilling, isn’t it?” I stood outside the door, peering through the crack, frozen. Julian was stripped to the waist, sweat beading on his back as he passionately drove into her again and again. Their bodies were tightly intertwined, the bed frame groaning loudly with their rhythm, mingling with Delilah’s breathless moans. They were lost in their passion in the room, so consumed they didn’t even notice me standing outside. I felt utterly ridiculous at that moment. The first time I miscarried, I cried all night, almost falling into depression. He was the one who gently comforted me, took me traveling to clear my mind, slowly helping me emerge from the shadows.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “297050”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #浪漫Romance #现实主义Realistic

I was a Blessed Bearer, chosen by the System. After fulfilling 999 fertility wishes for people, I should have been able to sleep for a century, but instead, a mystic cult leader from the East kidnapped and imprisoned me. He screamed like a madman, raving about adding my skull to his collection. At death’s door, Julian, a powerful magnate from the capital’s elite, casually forked over 9.9 billion dollars and paid a fortune to buy my freedom. Moved, I pledged myself to him. But ten years into our marriage, I delivered nine stillborn babies, one after another. Finally, I was pregnant with our tenth child. Excited, I held the scan results, ready to tell him the good news, when I unexpectedly overheard his conversation with his secretary: “Mr. Sterling, Mrs. Sterling’s uterine wall is paper-thin. If she goes through this again, she might not even survive.” “Every time a baby was born, we’d give them a drug that induced a death-like state, then they were sent off to be processed for Delilah’s ‘health tonic’. What if your wife finds out?” Julian’s voice turned cold. “What? You pity her? Or should I send *you* to be made into her ‘tonic’?” “No, no, Mr. Sterling, that’s not what I meant. It’s just, what if your wife finds out…” Julian sneered, “And what if she does? Being Delilah’s personal supply line is her good fortune.” “Delilah was on the verge of depression because she couldn’t conceive. Giving her nine children was the only thing I could do.” “As for Serena, allowing her to be Mrs. Sterling was my greatest act of charity.” My legs turned to jelly. The ultrasound scan results slipped from my trembling hand and fell to the floor. So, the sweet decade we shared was nothing but a meticulously crafted lie. Every tender gesture, every soft word from him, was just to make me willingly continue to conceive and give birth. My nine children were skinned and deboned alive, stewed into bowls of ‘tonic soup’, and delivered directly to Delilah’s mouth! If that’s the case, this rotten marriage needs to be severed, right here, right now.

Through the door, Julian’s sigh drifted out: “Not being able to be with Delilah forever already wronged her… The only thing I can do is ease her pain of infertility.” He turned, his gaze sharp, to his secretary Chloe: “As for Serena… keep your mouth shut. I won’t let her know.” Chloe felt a pang of pity, her voice trembling, “Mr. Sterling, all these years, I’ve watched you pour everything into Delilah. She gets whatever she wants…” “IVF was an option, yet she specifically demanded your wife’s children for her tonic… This cruel method, she’s clearly doing this on purpose! She just wants to sabotage your relationship with Serena!” Julian’s gaze turned icy. “Have you said enough?” “If this secret ever gets out, Mrs. Sterling might not be able to bear the blow… Those were her own flesh and blood! And if word gets out, the company’s stock would tank…” Chloe bit her lip, gathering her courage. “I don’t care.” Julian’s tone was indifferent. “For Delilah, I’ll do anything. I’m completely willing.” He paused. “Besides, Delilah said that once she gets a perfect ten, once she has her tenth child… everything will be over.” “But… what about Mrs. Sterling? Her body is completely depleted from giving birth to this child… What if she finds out? I’m afraid she won’t be able to cope.” “Her? She’s a Mystic, she’ll be fine.” Julian scoffed. “Even if she finds out, she won’t bear to leave me.” “After all, I was the one who pulled her out of hell with my own hands… She’s hopelessly devoted to me, deeply rooted in her affection.” I stood frozen outside the door, unable to believe what I was hearing. Every word spoken by the husband I’d loved for ten years was like a knife, flaying me alive. Ten years ago, when I was imprisoned by the cult leader, on the brink of death, Julian appeared and rescued me from the darkness. He said he fell in love with me at first sight. I believed him, pledged myself to him, and went home with him… But I never imagined it was all a lie and a trap! I was nothing but a tool for him to curry favor with Delilah… Every sweet nothing whispered in moments of passion, every time he coaxed me into intimacy… I thought it was an expression of his love… In truth, it was all just to make me conceive and give birth again and again… and then for him to personally send my children off to be made into a tonic! It was… utterly ridiculous! Click— The door suddenly swung open. I quickly composed my expression. Julian saw me sitting on the floor, his brow furrowed. He immediately reached out and pulled me up. “Why are you here? You didn’t say anything. I was just about to come get you.” His voice was tender, as if the cold, cruel man from moments ago wasn’t him at all. I forced a smile. “I was afraid of disturbing your work.” He kissed my cheek, then naturally took my hand, but paused. “Your hand is freezing. Are you feeling unwell? Do you need to go to the hospital?” I shook my head, forcing out, “I’m fine…” Julian then noticed the scattered scan results on the floor and bent to pick them up. His eyes lit up with wild joy. “You’re pregnant?!” He pulled me into a fierce embrace, his voice filled with excitement, “This time we’ll definitely keep this baby! Don’t worry, I’ll use all my connections, get the best specialists in the country, to protect your pregnancy!” Suppressing my emotions, I nodded submissively. “Okay…” Julian escorted me back to the room, left a gentle kiss on my forehead, then was hurriedly called away by a phone call. I knew… it must be Delilah. After he left, I slowly got up and walked toward the basement door he never allowed me near.

I stood before the basement door, my fingers trembling slightly on the keypad lock. I tried my own birthday – incorrect. Then I tried Julian’s birthday – still incorrect. An unspeakable chill rose in my heart. I turned and went back to his study, opening his computer, trying to find an answer. On his calendar, a date marked with an asterisk caught my eye. My intuition told me it was Delilah’s birthday. I returned to the basement, my hand shaking as I entered the numbers. Correct. The cold electronic voice ripped my heart to shreds. “Couples need privacy. That’s how a relationship lasts.” Julian’s tender expression when he said those words was still fresh in my mind. Turns out, his so-called privacy was just a shield for secrets he shared with someone else. I pushed the door open, and the sight before me nearly suffocated me. The entire basement was packed wall-to-wall with photos of Delilah, and pictures of them together. Each one was carefully laminated and preserved, neatly arranged in chronological order. In the center of the main wall was a family photo of their eleven-person family, with Delilah in the very middle, smiling radiantly. I could barely stand. He had spent an entire decade weaving a deception under the guise of love, all just to fulfill his idealized ‘white moonlight’s’ wishes. And my children and I? We were nothing but tools for him to achieve his goals. If it weren’t for her, my children could have grown up healthy, instead of becoming ‘nourishment’ for the woman in those pictures. I had doubted myself countless times, filled with self-doubt and guilt. But now, it was clear: I was just a puppet, completely manipulated. He knew I was in agony, struggling, yet for ten years, he never showed me an ounce of pity. The passionate devotion I thought we shared, the gentle warmth of those nights—it was all just a mere echo of another woman. I scanned the room and found an exquisite safe in a corner. I opened it, and inside was a thick stack of documents. The undeniable words printed on those pages completely shattered my world. From being kidnapped and imprisoned by the cult leader to being rescued by him, everything had been a script, a conspiratorial plot they concocted. The only goal was to make me fall hopelessly in love with him. The last page of the document bore his signature. I collapsed to the floor, tears streaming down my face. The man I had always seen as my salvation was the demon who had personally pushed me into hell. After I calmed my emotions, I took photos of all the pictures and documents as evidence. Immediately, I left and went to a private clinic owned by a friend I hadn’t contacted in a long time. She looked at me worriedly. “Extracting the fetus for external incubation is incredibly invasive, like a live dissection. It will cause severe damage to your body, and the baby will also face certain risks.” “Are you really sure?” I held back my tears. “I’m so sorry, my baby… But to save your life, Mama has to do this.” I endured excruciating pain during the procedure, then dragged my still-unstable body home. Julian was already there. I had thought he’d spend the night with Delilah. Seeing my pale face, he immediately came to support me. “Why are you so pale? Where have you been?” I forced myself to stay calm. “I felt unwell this afternoon and went to the hospital… The doctor said… the baby was gone again…” He looked surprised, quickly pulled me into a hug, and gently comforted me. “It’s okay, we can try again.” With that, he scooped me up in his arms and carried me into the bedroom, initiating forced intimacy. “For us to have our own baby soon, we need to try hard, don’t we?” As he spoke, his burning hot hand was already exploring beneath my dress. At that moment, I felt utterly disgusted. I had just supposedly ‘miscarried,’ and he was already impatient to ‘plant seeds’ again. Even though I was weak, my face pale, he was completely indifferent. He never cared about me. I suppressed my rage. “I want to rest… The baby’s gone, I’m heartbroken.” But he was relentless, holding me tight. “Baby, I know you’re sad, but for our love’s fruition, we need to try, don’t we?” I closed my eyes, forcing down the nausea, and let him finish. He immediately fell asleep, while my heart was ashes. He exhausted his energy with Delilah, then came back to play the part of a loving husband, not even bothering to pretend anymore. I put on my bathrobe and walked into the study, silently printing out a divorce agreement. A decade of emotions would finally come to a close. Seven days later, the Sterling family was set to hold a grand ‘recognition ceremony’ for a son. Publicly, it was announced as a way to foster good relations with the Delilah family and strengthen their long-standing family ties. The true purpose of the ceremony was for him to officially enter Delilah’s oldest child into the family lineage. It was to pave the way for Delilah’s children and help her secure the future inheritance of the Sterling empire. I had once been naive, thinking that Julian had ‘adopted’ the child from Delilah because he ‘felt sorry for my infertility.’ He wanted to compensate for my inability to continue his bloodline, which was why he let me raise the boy under the guise of a foster mother. I had actually believed it and was once filled with tearful gratitude. I was almost stupid enough to raise a child for my enemy. He claimed to love me incessantly, yet behind my back, he systematically cleared obstacles and secured status for his cherished ‘white moonlight.’ This farce had to end.

Early the next morning, I walked into the Sterling Corp headquarters with the drafted divorce agreement. As soon as I entered the lobby, I heard whispers behind me. “Is that Mr. Sterling’s wife? She looks so shabby, with no sparkle, no life…” “I heard she used to be that ‘Blessed Bearer’ or whatever. Probably worn out from sleeping with countless men.” “Married to Mr. Sterling for ten years, couldn’t keep a single baby, all stillbirths. Such bad luck.” “I don’t know what kind of good fortune she has, to shamelessly cling on in the Sterling family for ten years.” “That beautiful lady who just left was a feast for the eyes! Heard she has nine kids. Mr. Sterling’s eyes were glued to her when he saw her!” “It’s only natural, isn’t it? The one at home can’t even pop out a single baby. Who could stand that?” These words pierced my eardrums like needles. I fought back tears, refusing to break down in front of people. I looked up at the CEO’s office, gritted my teeth, and walked towards it. As I approached, the voices from inside pinned me to the spot. “Julian, you still have to be all lovey-dovey with that woman every day. I’m genuinely jealous…” Delilah’s voice was filled with unending grievance. Julian immediately consoled her. “I’m doing this for you, aren’t I? As long as she gets pregnant again, next time we’ll have our tenth child.” “Too bad she lost the baby this time. Such a useless woman.” My heart clenched, my fingers stiff on the cover of the divorce agreement. Delilah giggled sweetly again. “Julian, you’re sacrificing so much for me. If it weren’t for you, I don’t know what I’d do…” Suddenly, her voice paused, and she pouted playfully. “Why aren’t you using protection again?” Julian groaned low. “You’re infertile anyway. This way is more thrilling, isn’t it?” I stood outside the door, peering through the crack, frozen. Julian was stripped to the waist, sweat beading on his back as he passionately drove into her again and again. Their bodies were tightly intertwined, the bed frame groaning loudly with their rhythm, mingling with Delilah’s breathless moans. They were lost in their passion in the room, so consumed they didn’t even notice me standing outside. ———-此处为截断点———- I felt utterly ridiculous at that moment. The first time I miscarried, I cried all night, almost falling into depression. He was the one who gently comforted me, took me traveling to clear my mind, slowly helping me emerge from the shadows.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “297049”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #浪漫Romance #现实主义Realistic

The day after my sister Olivia gave birth to her child, she was ready to quit her job to focus on taking care of her family. I advised her to return to work after her maternity leave, telling her that financial independence gives women strength and confidence. But during her first week back at work, her husband Jack fell in love with Alice, the single mother living next door, and insisted on getting a divorce. Jack blamed Olivia for not knowing how to take care of their child or how to comfort her husband, calling her a useless trophy wife. Even their baby rejected Olivia, only drinking Alice’s breast milk. Olivia blamed everything on me. In her fury, she broke into my house and threw me into the swimming pool to drown me while I was unconscious from sleeping pills. When I opened my eyes again after death, I had somehow returned to the past – specifically, to the day I advised her not to quit her job. It was as if I had been given a second chance at life, a chance to change the course of events. The house was a mess. Olivia sat dejectedly on the sofa, sighing. When she saw me come in, she finally smiled: “Thank God, Lydia, come help me quickly! Since having the baby, the housework has been growing like weeds. It’s driving me crazy!” Meanwhile, her husband Jack was sitting in a chair, leisurely enjoying his breakfast. He was still complaining: “It’s just some trivial housework. How hard can it be? Do you have to whine about it every day?” Their baby was lying on the floor, wailing loudly and persistently demanding his mother’s embrace. If this were before, I swear I would have helped her without hesitation. But now, with the knowledge of what was to come, I just stood calmly in place, pretending not to hear what she said. “Lydia! Why are you just standing there like an idiot? The dirty dishes in the kitchen are calling your name. Can’t you hear them?” Olivia complained to me in frustration. But I remained standing in place: “Sis, isn’t this the life you love? How could I possibly interfere with your plans and interests?” Olivia was shocked that I would treat her this way. She stared at me with reddened eyes: “I’m your own sister! It’s bad enough that you won’t help me, but how can you say such hurtful things!” “If you came here just to laugh at my misery, then get out!” Jack put down the newspaper in his hand and spoke up in displeasure: “I never imagined you were this kind of person, just standing there like a statue to gloat over your sister’s suffering.” So he was aware of Olivia’s pain. Yet he chose to do nothing and was now scolding me instead. How hypocritical! I looked at Olivia’s face: “I hurt myself rock climbing yesterday. The doctor advised me not to do any housework. Sorry sis, you’ll have to handle this on your own.” I took out the fake medical report I had prepared in advance. With this proof, she couldn’t keep demanding that I help with the chores. Olivia put down the broom in her hand. “Why didn’t you say so earlier, silly girl! Of course your sister cares about you! In that case, come back and help me tomorrow instead.” I couldn’t help but smile. If she truly cared about me, she wouldn’t have killed me in my previous life. I looked at her face. After all, this was the sister who had loved me when we were young. I still couldn’t help but speak up: “Sis, family and career don’t have to conflict. Maybe you could find a job first to gain some financial…” “Lydia! Is this how you help your sister? Taking care of the family is her job!” Jack angrily stood up and interrupted me. The baby on the floor also started crying loudly: “I don’t want mommy to leave! Mommy has to stay home with me!” This chaotic environment was giving me a headache! But Olivia smiled happily: “See, Lydia? They both need me so much!” “I can understand your cold-heartedness. Sometimes you’re just jealous of my happiness.” Seeing her satisfied smile, I felt a chill run through my body. I made an excuse to leave this hellhole. But halfway out, I realized I had left my purse behind. When I returned to the doorway, I was shocked to find Jack passionately kissing Alice next door. The two were inseparable. And my nephew Tommy was hugging Alice’s leg: “Mommy! You’re my real mommy! That other woman is just our free nanny!” This scene completely stunned me!

“What are you doing?!” I rushed over to pull them apart. Jack saw me but showed no guilt. Instead, he became furious: “You again! You’re nothing but a troublemaker!” Little Tommy grabbed my wrist and bit down hard: “Troublemaker! I’ll bite you to death! How dare you ruin my daddy’s fun!” I was so angry. I kicked open the door and rushed to Olivia. I recounted everything I had just witnessed. But not only did my sister not believe me, she questioned me instead: “Lydia! Why are you telling such lies?! How could you slander my husband and son like this?!” I stomped my foot in frustration: “I swear, every word I said is true!” “Lydia! Do you really have to destroy my family? My son and I love my wife so much!” Jack walked in and pushed me aside, pulling Olivia into his arms. He kissed her forehead: “My little angel, you are the light of my life. How could I ever betray you?” Olivia smiled sweetly: “See, Lydia? He loves me so much. My family is so happy. Why are you always so determined to ruin everything?” This scene made me want to vomit! He was kissing another woman just seconds ago! “Mommy! I don’t like Aunt Lydia! Please don’t let her come to our house anymore!” Tommy whined. Tommy was Olivia’s puppet master. She immediately pointed a broom at me: “Lydia! Get out! We don’t need you here!” I was so angry I saw red: “Fine! I don’t want to stay here either!” After leaving, I still couldn’t bear to let Olivia be deceived. I spent a lot of money to obtain the security camera footage from that day. I sent it to Olivia. Olivia was furious. She had a huge fight with Jack at home, even smashing all the furniture. She called me crying late that night: “Lydia! Can you come pick me up? I don’t want to stay in this house for another minute!” I was so happy that Olivia had finally come to her senses. On that stormy night, I drove for two hours to finally reach Olivia’s house. I will never forget! The moment I knocked on the door with my soaking wet body! Olivia was actually cuddling in Jack’s arms, acting coy! I stood there and shouted: “Sis! How can you be so intimate with him?!” Olivia heard my voice and looked displeased: “Lydia! This is your brother-in-law!” “I admit we had a misunderstanding earlier, but he’s explained everything to me! We’ve made up. Aren’t you happy for me?” Oh God! I had driven at top speed on the road, nearly getting into an accident. All to rescue her from this hell. But now she said she wasn’t leaving! “No! Sis! Have you forgotten he kissed another woman?” I still wanted to save her. But she frowned and lectured me: “He was just helping blow a bug out of her eye! Your brother-in-law is such a kind person!” I wanted to say more, but she pushed me out the door: “Thank you for your concern! But it’s late now, we need to rest! Please don’t disturb us!” I was actually locked out! Alice happened to be taking out the trash. When she saw me, Alice smirked smugly: “Idiot!” On that rainy night, my heart was completely broken.

A few days later, I received a call from Olivia: “Lydia! There was a thief in the house! I’m so scared right now!” “All my money was stolen! I really need you!” My tone was cold: “Don’t you have your beloved husband? Why are you calling me?” Olivia sobbed: “He’s been working overtime for many days. I don’t want to trouble him further.” “Please, all my money and jewelry are gone! I feel like dying!” When I drove over, she was sitting on the steps outside crying. Seeing me, her eyes lit up with joy: “Thank God! Lydia! You finally came!” “I was wrong last time. I’ve been wanting to apologize to you. Please forgive me!” I didn’t accept her apology. Instead, I went inside to check. There were no signs of anything being ransacked. “Are you sure there was a thief? Why is everything still perfectly in place?” Olivia became more anxious: “If there was no thief, then where did all my money and jewelry go? That was all my savings!” Looking at her face, a bold idea formed in my mind! “Maybe… your husband took the money!” Olivia immediately shook her head: “It definitely wasn’t him! He would never steal my money!” I suggested Olivia call him. At that moment, Alice came out of her house. I was shocked to see Olivia’s necklace around her neck! I grabbed her wrist and shouted at Olivia: “Sis! I found the thief who stole your things!” Olivia angrily slapped Alice. The two quickly got into a physical fight. A kind neighbor called the police. Jack arrived with the officers. Alice’s face was covered in marks left by Olivia. She was crying pitifully. Olivia threw herself into Jack’s arms: “Darling! I’ve been so wronged… Ah!!” Jack actually slapped Olivia! “You crazy woman! What have you done?! How could you treat our neighbor like this?!” Jack pushed her away and rushed to check Alice’s injuries. Olivia sat helplessly on the ground, crying loudly: “Why did you hit me?! She’s a thief! She stole my necklace!” Jack was furious: “I gave that to her voluntarily! You’re so stupid!” “She helps take care of our child when we’re not home. Doesn’t she deserve some thanks?” Olivia’s face turned red: “Darling! I didn’t know that was the truth!” Jack was still yelling at her. Olivia suddenly pointed at me: “It’s all Lydia’s fault! She tricked me into thinking Alice was a thief, that’s why I hit her! Blame Lydia!” I stared at her in disbelief: “Sis! How can you push all the responsibility onto me?!” “He clearly stole your things and gave them to Alice! How can you not understand something so simple?!” Olivia ignored my explanation. She started throwing things at me: “You deliberately made me fight with someone else to make my husband hate me! How can you be so vicious?!” “Get out! I don’t have a sister like you!” Between me and her husband, she chose that man again! “Don’t regret this!” I turned to leave. Behind me, she was still explaining to him: “Please, darling, I’ll never see her again! I can’t live without your love!”

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Ryan, my brother-in-law, was bitten by a venomous snake while collecting firewood in the woods behind our house. His life hung by a thread. The local hospital was short on antivenom, and the key to the office storing it had been taken by my wife, Sophia Thompson. I begged her to come back and save Ryan, but she wouldn’t believe me. “Jack, stop making things up! I just video called my brother an hour ago!” “Being bitten by a snake? What kind of ridiculous lie is that?” She hung up on my plea for help. By the time we got the antivenom, Ryan had already died from the venom. When Sophia saw Ryan’s body, she lost her mind. That weekend, Ryan had insisted on taking me to his mother’s house in town for dinner. He wanted to help his mom by collecting firewood from the woods behind the house. Half an hour later, he came back limping, telling me he’d been bitten by a snake. As soon as he finished speaking, he vomited all over the ground. I panicked and immediately called Sophia. But she didn’t believe me: “Jack, it’s just dinner. How can you come up with such an excuse?” “I just talked to William for a bit, and you’re making a fuss!” I grew desperate, “No, it’s real this time. Your brother is throwing up!” “I’m not lying to you!” Ryan could barely speak beside me, sweating profusely from the pain. Just then, Mrs. Thompson returned and started wailing when she saw the situation, “Sophia, something’s wrong with your brother. Come back quickly!” “Mom, you’re a grown woman. Stop playing along with them!” “I’m watching a movie with my friend. I’m hanging up!” She abruptly ended the call. I was at a loss. Ryan’s wound wasn’t swollen or red, but he could no longer stand. With no help from Sophia, I could only borrow an electric tricycle from a neighbor and rush Ryan to the hospital. But we were told that antivenom for this type of snake was rare and kept in a separate office. “Dr. Thompson took the key with her. There’s nothing we can do.” I panicked and immediately called Sophia again. “Sophia, this is a matter of life and death. Your brother really was bitten by a snake!” “Come back now. The antivenom is locked up, and you have the key!” Hearing this, Sophia was silent for a few seconds. Then, a male voice came through the phone: “Sophia, didn’t your brother say they sprinkled snake repellent around your house? How could he get bitten by a snake?” “Could it be that your husband doesn’t approve of us watching a movie together, so he’s deliberately making you go back?” “Let’s just call it a day.” Hearing this, Sophia grew even more irritated, “Jack, I can see right through you. Stop bothering me!” She hung up and blocked my number when I tried calling again. My legs went weak with anxiety. I used Mrs. Thompson’s phone to call her. “Sophia! The only antivenom in the city is at your hospital. Come back and save your brother now!” To make her believe me, I sent her a photo of Ryan. Sophia was furious and sent a voice message: “Jack, when will you stop? I’ve told you, William and I are just friends. We haven’t seen each other in a long time and just met up!” “You just can’t stand it, can you? Do you have to make a scene every day?!” “Bitten by a venomous snake? Look, does that wound look like it’s from a snake? There’s not even any blood!” I was livid, “Sophia, that’s your own brother!” Sophia had been spending a lot of time with William lately, and we’d argued about it many times. But Ryan was always good to me, often helping to persuade Sophia that she should be faithful now that she was married. In this situation, I couldn’t just stand by and watch him die. I couldn’t get through to Sophia, so I had no choice but to kneel on the ground and beg the doctors: “Please, break down the door!” “I’ll take full responsibility for any consequences!” “Saving a life is what matters most!” Mrs. Thompson was crying uncontrollably beside me. The doctors were also anxious, frantically trying to call Sophia, but she wouldn’t answer. At that moment, someone came in from outside. “Stop calling. They’re not really patients. They’re here to cause trouble!” “That man is Sophia’s husband. He suspects Sophia is cheating on him and has made a scene several times before!” “Sophia just called me to let you all know.” Hearing this, I was dumbfounded. The person who came in was Steve, Sophia’s friend and William’s childhood friend. He stood there with his arms crossed, looking at me with contempt, “Don’t look at me like that. Sophia said you’re just being paranoid!”

The emergency room was full of onlookers. Hearing Steve say this, they couldn’t help but look down on us. “What kind of person does this? Don’t waste public resources!” “Coming to the hospital to make a scene out of jealousy? Don’t you know where you are?” “This whole family is crazy!” Faced with their accusations, I was furious. I turned to Steve, “You’re a doctor too. Can’t you see the patient is in serious pain?” “His wound is real. My brother-in-law said he was bitten by a snake. Please save him quickly!” Mrs. Thompson cried out, “That damn Sophia! This is her own brother!” Steve scoffed: “Dr. Thompson said you’d make a scene, but I didn’t believe it. Now I see she was right…” He looked me up and down, his eyes full of disdain. It made my blood boil, but now wasn’t the time to argue with him. Mrs. Thompson was crying beside me, and Ryan had already passed out. I knelt on the ground: “Please, open the door. I’m begging you!” I kowtowed to them repeatedly. Steve quickly stepped back, “Jack, are you trying to emotionally blackmail us?” “This isn’t emotional blackmail. I’ll take responsibility for any consequences. Whatever Sophia wants to do to me afterward, even if she wants a divorce, that’s fine.” “I just beg you to open that door and get the life-saving medicine out. Please!” I kept kowtowing to them: “Please, I’m begging you!” Seeing this, Steve seemed to soften a bit. He took out his phone and called Sophia. “Sophia, it looks serious. Your brother really was bitten by a snake. The situation is very critical. You should come back quickly!” Hearing this, Sophia scoffed on the other end, “Steve, why are you playing along with them?” “I’ve told you, Jack gets along great with my mom and brother at home. The three of them often gang up on me!” “Don’t get involved in this!” She hung up abruptly. Even Steve was stunned, not expecting Sophia to be so stubborn in her disbelief. At this point, the police had arrived. After hearing about the situation, they made a decisive call to break down the door! Steve tried to stop them, but I grabbed him, “Steve, if anything happens to my brother-in-law, I will hold you responsible!” “I won’t let a single person involved in this incident off the hook!” Steve was taken aback, then retorted defiantly, “Just because you say it’s snake venom doesn’t mean it is! We need to wait for the test results!” The emergency department doctors had already taken blood for testing, but the results would take 40 minutes. Ryan was unconscious, and they couldn’t make a definitive judgment because the wound was just two small red dots. I quickly took a photo and posted online for help. “My brother-in-law was bitten by a venomous snake. The local hospital can’t determine the type. Please help identify if it’s really from a venomous snake.” “Help! Urgent request!!!” Kind netizens helped boost my post. Soon, a snake expert called me. “Hello, I’ve looked at your photo and can confirm it’s from a venomous snake. The golden window for treatment is only four hours. Based on your location, only City General Hospital in your area has the antivenom.” “Even if you get the antivenom and inject it, there may still be after-effects.” “Time is of the essence. You must get treatment immediately!”

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I turned away after witnessing my childhood friend, drugged and burning with desire, drag the principal’s daughter into the bathroom. In my past life, I had rushed in to stop his violent act. But that only put me in danger. By the time the police arrived, my school uniform was torn to shreds. Photos of me disheveled in the bathroom went viral online. “So much for being the cold, top student. She’s just a sl*t who can’t control herself.” My reputation was ruined, and I was expelled from school. My childhood friend married me to save his own reputation. But our marriage was my true hell. I fell into severe depression and mental instability, losing eight pregnancies in ten years. People gossiped that I was promiscuous, that my body was worn out from being used by too many men. My parents, trying to make amends to my husband, poured all their efforts into supporting him. But the first thing he did after gaining full control of my family’s company was to frame my father for financial crimes. My father died of a heart attack in prison. My mother, unable to bear such a huge blow, died in a car accident. When I heard the news, I was devastated beyond words. But my husband of ten years appeared before me, arm in arm with a transfer student: “You b*tch, if you hadn’t interfered back then, Lily and I would have been together long ago. She wouldn’t have been forced by her parents to abort our child.” I coughed up blood and died with my eyes wide open in disbelief. When I opened my eyes again, I had returned to the day my childhood friend was drugged.

After school, there weren’t many people left in the building. I took deep breaths of fresh air, trying to calm my emotions after being suddenly pulled back from the hatred and fear of my death. Lily was handing Zack a bottle of water. It contained an aphrodisiac that would inflame his desires. In my past life, I had accidentally discovered Lily pouring an unknown white powder into the water. I exposed her on the spot. But Zack didn’t believe me. He insisted on drinking the water anyway. He even asked if I was jealous because Lily was prettier than me, and that’s why I was always targeting her. This time, I didn’t try to stop him. After taking the water, Zack instinctively looked at me. “You’re not going to try to control even my drinking water, are you?” “Do whatever you want,” I said with a wave of my hand. Lily couldn’t miss any opportunity to attack me. She immediately chimed in: “Natalie, your possessiveness over Zack is too much. Doesn’t he even have the freedom to make friends?” With those words, the few classmates who hadn’t gone home yet gave me strange looks. Zack’s face darkened even more. “She’s nothing, just a bookworm,” he muttered. I gripped my pen tightly, hatred surging in my eyes. “Are you two done? I haven’t said anything from start to finish, have I?” I retorted. Zack was taken aback and fell silent, his face stony. Lily continued to stir up trouble. “You might not have said anything, but your face looks very unhappy. I just said a few words to Zack, and you’re already scowling.” Hearing this, Zack shot me an annoyed glare. As if to spite me, he drank the entire bottle of water. In my past life, I had knocked the bottle away, so he only took one sip. But even that one sip was enough to make him lose control. I couldn’t imagine what would happen now that he had drunk the entire bottle. I found myself looking forward to it, in a twisted way. Seeing him finish the water, Lily could barely contain her excitement. She grabbed Zack’s hand. “Zack, walk me home?” Of course, Zack wouldn’t refuse. The two of them left the classroom hand in hand. Ten minutes later, Penny, our class monitor, burst into the classroom, her face flushed red. By then, I was the only one left in the room. Penny stammered, clearly struggling to say something difficult. “What’s wrong? Did something happen to Zack and Lily?” I asked proactively. Penny grabbed my hand: “Yes, yes, it’s them… they… they…” “What happened?” I asked, looking directly into Penny’s eyes and pretending I knew nothing. I used to trust Penny implicitly. She wasn’t just our class monitor, but had been my desk mate for all three years of high school. I thought we were best friends who could tell each other anything. But I never imagined she would stomp on me so hard after the incident. She told everyone that I had a crush on Zack and drugged him myself. She even started a livestream to denounce my actions. “I was her desk mate for three years, I always knew she liked Zack. I just never thought she would actually do something like this.” “Natalie is a sex addict. She… she once called ten male escorts in one night.” “I tried to advise her, but she wouldn’t listen. She also had an unclear relationship with the old widower next door…” This livestream pushed the whole incident to its climax. I was completely cast into the abyss, and the school persuaded me to drop out. Later, I ran into her by chance. By then, she had already climbed to a high position. “Thank you. If it weren’t for your incident, I wouldn’t have been able to take your spot for early admission to the top university and end up where I am now.” As the memories flooded back, I stared hard at Penny. In my past life, she and I had discovered Zack dragging Lily into the bathroom together. I rushed in to stop him, while Penny said she would go call for help. But she just hid to the side to watch and record videos… Seeing that I wasn’t in a hurry, Penny became flustered and incoherent. “Zack dragged Lily into the men’s bathroom. Lily kept crying, Zack… Zack is trying to assault Lily.” “But don’t they like each other? How do you know Lily isn’t willing?” I asked. Hearing me say this, Penny was stunned. Everyone in our class knew that Zack and Lily were flirting, just short of making it official. Penny anxiously grabbed my wrist. “But they’re still students, they can’t do this!” “Come on, let’s go take a look. We can’t just ignore this.”

The calculation in Penny’s eyes was about to spill over. She just wanted to ruin me to get the early admission spot to the top university. I didn’t say anything more and followed her downstairs. On the way, I secretly sent pre-written SOS messages to the principal and other school leaders, as well as contacting some influencers who were livestreaming nearby. Lily was the principal’s daughter, after all. In my past life, when persuading me to drop out, the principal had utterly humiliated me, saying I was damaged goods that had been ridden by thousands. This time, I wanted the principal to get a good look at the show her daughter was putting on. As we approached the bathroom, we could hear ambiguous sounds coming from inside. “Zack, baby, more, I want more.” “Zack, you’re so good.” The woman’s moans and the man’s grunts were nonstop. Penny’s eyes darted around: “Natalie, you go in first to stop them. I’ll go find someone to help.” “No, I can’t go in. Let’s just wait here for the teachers,” I said, shrinking my neck and pretending to be scared. Penny glared at me in annoyance. She forced down her temper and lowered her voice: “If you don’t go in now, they’ll go all the way. Do you really want to let Zack go to Lily?” The bathroom’s outer door wasn’t fully closed. Through the crack, I could see Zack pressing Lily against the wall. Lily was half-undressed, exposing herself. Zack was frantically tearing at Lily’s uniform, biting all over her body. Lily pretended to struggle, but wasn’t actually using any strength. Her coy resistance only made Zack more uncontrollable. I pressed my lips together tightly, pretending to be conflicted: “Okay, you’re right. I’ll go in now.” Just as I was about to push the door open, I turned back to Penny and said, “Hurry and find a teacher. I can’t hold out for long.” Penny nodded eagerly. She turned and ran. But after rounding a corner, she came back. She gleefully took out her phone, started recording, and wedged it into the door crack. Inside was chaotic, with lewd sounds coming out unabashedly. After doing this, Penny finally went to find teachers and security guards, feeling very pleased with herself. When a group of people rushed to the teaching building, the couple inside were still going at it vigorously. Penny covered her face and cried, blocking the principal. “Teacher, I… I don’t know why they’re doing this!” The principal’s face was dark with anger. She didn’t know her daughter Lily was inside. Penny hadn’t clarified who exactly was in there. Penny wanted to ruin not just me, but Lily as well. After all, in her eyes, we were both her competitors. Today, education bureau officials happened to be visiting for an inspection. Now, a group of education officials were following the principal to “catch people in the act”. The scene couldn’t be more dramatic. The principal was shaking with rage. With education officials watching, it seemed her chances for promotion were likely ruined. I guessed the principal probably wanted to kill the adulterous couple inside right now. The principal tried to move forward. Penny blocked the principal again, crying and wailing, “Principal, inside is… is is…” She pretended to be reluctant. The principal grabbed her shoulders, “Who is it?” Penny acted like she had been frightened to tears, and said between sobs, “It’s Natalie.” The principal naturally knew who I was. My grades were always top of the year, and I was the most promising candidate for early admission to the top university. The principal’s eyes bulged with rage. “That sl—” She abruptly cut off the insult she was about to hurl. The education officials were still watching, so the principal couldn’t speak too harshly at this moment. The people inside were still lost in their passion, completely unaware of the commotion outside. The lewd sounds coming from inside grew even more unbridled. Penny covered her chest and cried: “Natalie, how could you be so foolish! Why can’t you control yourself? Are you really that desperate for men?” With those words, the education officials’ expressions turned extremely unpleasant. They considered themselves respectable people and didn’t want to barge in at a moment like this. A group of people with varying expressions waited downstairs, looking at each other awkwardly. “Me? What about me?” I finally emerged from my hiding place in the shadows.

“Why are you here?” Penny cried out in shock. The principal eyed me suspiciously, “It’s not you? Then who’s inside?” I shrugged, “I don’t know. I didn’t see clearly who it was.” Since Penny deliberately concealed it, I naturally had no reason to expose it. At this moment, several influencers who had received my message barged in, ignoring the school security guards trying to stop them. “Wow, the students at your school are so open, having sex in broad daylight.” “Yeah, Principal, aren’t you going to take us for a look?” “Principal, what are your thoughts on this? Chat with the viewers in our livestream.” The principal’s face turned ashen. She clenched her jaw and said nothing. Penny stared at me intently, finally losing it. She grabbed my hand: “Didn’t you go in? Then who went in just now?” “I was scared and didn’t dare go in,” I said, trying hard to squeeze out tears and acting like a coward. Penny was so angry she raised her hand to slap me. Just as her palm was about to hit my face, she stopped herself abruptly, glaring at me fiercely. The influencers’ cameras zoomed in. Comments in the livestream were scrolling rapidly. [666, this is so exciting.] [You can tell how intense it is just from the sounds.] [Streamer, hurry up and go in to record. Let us bros feast our eyes.] The influencer chuckled, “I wouldn’t dare. If I went in, my stream would get banned immediately.” I turned away from the camera and flashed a smile at Penny. She stared at me in shock, her eyes wide. “You…” “What’s wrong, class monitor?” I asked innocently. An education bureau official’s face had turned red. He pointed at the bathroom: “Old Lin, go talk some sense into your students!” This incident could no longer be covered up. The principal was so angry her face was twitching. “Good, good, good. These students are really something.” As the principal charged towards the bathroom, I ran over crying and grabbed her. “Teacher, you’d better not go in.” The principal shoved me away forcefully. “Get lost! Why are you all trying to stop me? What are you up to?” Everyone frowned as they looked at me. Penny had finally reacted by now. She hid in the crowd, staring at me unblinkingly. She must have thought of something, because she suddenly ran over. “Natalie, stop interfering with them. I know you like Zack, but he deserves this,” she said. She acted like she was looking out for me as she pulled me away, her voice full of pain: “We’re just students. We shouldn’t get involved in the teachers’ business.” Seeing that I still wanted to block the way, the principal pushed me aside forcefully. I cried my heart out, wailing to the livestream cameras: “But there are so many people here. If this gets out, what will happen to the people inside?” I pretended to be very concerned about the people inside. On camera, of course I had to act like I cared about my classmates. This time, I was the only one occupying the moral high ground. Hearing this, the principal paused. The education officials also looked troubled. On camera, they couldn’t just barge in to “catch people in the act” like this. If it caused the students involved to do something drastic, they couldn’t bear that responsibility. So the group of people hesitated about 30 meters away from the bathroom in the teaching building. We weren’t very close, but we could still clearly hear the sounds from inside. The influencers tried to get closer to film, but were blocked by the security guards. And so, the group waited outside like cats on hot bricks. It took a full two hours before the noises inside finally died down. The bathroom door opened. But to everyone’s surprise, the satiated-looking man who walked out wasn’t a student from our school. The man was burly and strong, with a scar on his face. Seeing so many eyes staring at him, he spat in disgust. “What are you looking at? Keep staring and I’ll gouge your eyeballs out.” Seeing it was some thug, the principal visibly relaxed. As long as it wasn’t students involved, it would be easier to handle. But then someone cried out in shock, “Holy sh*t, inside…”

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My father gave me a choice between inheriting the family’s $30 billion trust fund or receiving a $1,500 monthly allowance. Without hesitation, I chose the $1,500 allowance. I wasn’t panicking, but my rich roommate was going crazy. In my previous life, after I chose to inherit the $30 billion, my roommate stole my family’s trust fund card and invited the entire class to Las Vegas. Overnight, the $30 billion was squandered, the family business went bankrupt, and my father, in a fit of rage, died of a heart attack. When I confronted my roommate about repaying the money, he hid behind my girlfriend with a pitiful expression. “Jack, you can’t blame me just because your family went bankrupt,” he whined. My girlfriend even kicked me, breaking my ribs, and accused me, “Jack Wilson, you’re the one who spent recklessly and got addicted to gambling. How dare you accuse Tyler! Have you no shame?” When I was about to hire a private investigator, our class president ran me over with his car. My girlfriend and the entire class testified for him, insisting that I had intentionally thrown myself in front of the car because I was suicidal after going bankrupt. When I opened my eyes again, I had returned to the day I was to inherit the family fortune. 1 On the eve of graduation, someone in our class suggested going to Las Vegas to celebrate. “Hey everyone, let’s go to Vegas for a graduation trip. I’ll cover all the expenses!” Tyler’s words sent a shiver down my spine, the pain of broken bones still fresh in my memory. Suddenly, I realized I had been reborn! As soon as Tyler made the suggestion, the whole class erupted in cheers. “Tyler, you’re the man! That’s what being a rich kid is all about!” “If we’re going to Vegas, we have to hit the casinos! I’ve only seen them in ads, never been there myself!” Tyler grinned, “Sure, let’s go to the casinos then!” He then turned his gaze towards me and walked over. “Jack, I heard your family has VIP status at the casinos. Can I borrow your VIP card? Let the class enjoy some top-tier service.” My face turned cold. In my previous life, the tragedy of losing everything began when Tyler asked to borrow my card. Back then, under the pretense of borrowing the card, he secretly took the bank card for my family’s $30 billion trust fund from a Swiss bank that my father had left me. When the court called my phone to inform me that the company had gone bankrupt, I realized that the money Tyler had used to treat the entire class was my family’s trust fund. When I went to Tyler’s house to demand repayment, he hid behind my girlfriend with a pitiful expression. “Jack, you can’t blame me just because your family went bankrupt,” he said. My girlfriend, Olivia, even kicked me, breaking my ribs, and accused me, “Jack Wilson, you’re the one who spent recklessly and got addicted to gambling. How dare you accuse Tyler! Have you no shame?” When I was about to hire a private investigator, Tyler deliberately ran me over with his car, repeatedly crushing me until I was dead. Afterward, Olivia and the entire class testified for Tyler, claiming that I had become suicidal after going bankrupt and intentionally threw myself in front of the car. My father also died of a heart attack due to extreme emotional distress. I mechanically reached into my backpack, my fingertips touching the cold metal card, gripping it tightly. Seeing no response from me, Tyler smiled and hooked his arm around my neck. “Come on, Jack, just let everyone use it. It’s not like you’ll lose anything!” “Sorry, that card belongs to my father. I can’t lend it out casually,” I said, stuffing the VIP card back into the deepest part of my backpack. Hearing my words, Tyler’s face showed displeasure. “You’re going to inherit your father’s company anyway. Why be so particular about what belongs to who in a family?” Olivia suddenly grabbed my backpack and dumped all my belongings out. My phone, game console, and tablet scattered on the ground. Olivia immediately spotted the golden card and picked it up, handing it to Tyler. “Here it is. Just take it and use it!” As Tyler took it, he meaningfully caressed Olivia’s hand. “Olivia’s so sensible. Jack, you should learn from your girlfriend.” Suddenly his eyes lit up, fixating on the game console on the ground. “Oh, isn’t this the latest Switch 2? I heard it’s sold out everywhere. I’ve been trying to get one but couldn’t!” Noticing Tyler’s eager gaze, Olivia bent down, picked up the game console, and stuffed it into Tyler’s arms. “Take this too. Jack’s probably bored with it anyway.” “Thanks, Olivia,” Tyler’s face beamed with a smile. I frowned and snatched back my game console and VIP card. “Sorry, I’m not lending either of these!” Olivia immediately looked furious, grabbing me and scolding, “Jack Wilson, when did you become so stingy?!” “Me, stingy?” I angrily slapped her face. 2 Slap! The crisp sound of the slap echoed in the classroom. Olivia staggered back two steps, holding her face, her carefully styled bangs in disarray. Her eyes widened in disbelief, the tiny diamonds on her manicured nails flashing irritatingly in the sunlight. “Jack Wilson! How dare you hit me!” Her scream was like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. I shook my tingling hand, sneering, “This slap is to teach you about boundaries. What right do you have to give away my things to others?!” The classroom instantly erupted. “Jack Wilson, have you gone mad?” “It’s just a game console, what’s the big deal?” “You even hit your own girlfriend!” “Think you’re all that because you’re rich, huh?” Tyler quickly helped Olivia up, then turned to glare at me angrily. “Jack, Olivia was just trying to do something nice for everyone. What’s with your attitude!” I bent down to pick up my scattered belongings, calmly putting the VIP card back in my pocket. “My attitude is very clear. I’m not lending anything!” Olivia suddenly broke free from Tyler’s grasp and charged at me. “Jack Wilson! You give that card back to Tyler right now and apologize to us, or we’re breaking up! I don’t want my boyfriend to be such a narrow-minded person!” “Give it back? It’s my stuff to begin with, who am I giving it back to?” I dodged her claws, a smile tugging at my lips. “If you want to break up, fine. Saves me the breakup fee.” This comment was like poking a hornet’s nest. Olivia trembled with rage. “You… you think I care about your money?” “You don’t?” I raised an eyebrow, looking at the Cartier watch on her wrist. “Then give back the birthday gift I gave you last week?” Her face instantly turned pale, instinctively covering her watch. The expressions of the surrounding classmates immediately became awkward. Mark, the class president, suddenly stood up angrily, slamming the desk. “Jack Wilson, you’re too selfish! Tyler is kindly inviting everyone to Las Vegas, can’t you think about the group for once?” “That’s right,” the study representative chimed in, “You always act so easy-going, but when it really matters, you show your true colors.” I looked around at these familiar yet strange faces. In my previous life, it was they who unanimously claimed in court that I had attempted suicide by throwing myself in front of a car. “If Tyler is inviting you to Las Vegas, go ask him. Why are you coming to me?” Tyler stepped forward again. “We’re using your VIP card, so won’t that raise your VIP status at the casino when we spend money there? It’s a win-win situation!” Olivia snuggled up to Tyler, the pain on her face seemingly gone. “You’re so considerate. Even after Jack has been so awful, you’re still thinking of him.” “Since you all want to go to Las Vegas so badly…” I slowly pulled a card from my wallet, “I’ll lend it to you then?” Tylerend it’s eyes lit up, reaching out to take it. I flipped my wrist, revealing the full card—it was my student cafeteria card. “You’re mocking me?!” Tyler’s face turned ashen. “Pot calling the kettle black.” I twirled the cafeteria card between my fingers. “Aren’t you all trying to guilt-trip me too?” Olivia suddenly grabbed the chalk box from the podium and threw it at me. “Jack Wilson! I must have been blind to be with you!” I dodged to the side, chalk scattering across the floor. 3 Seeing that I wouldn’t hand over the VIP card, Tyler’s face instantly darkened. He gave a look to the surrounding classmates, and several guys immediately surrounded me. “Jack, don’t push your luck,” Tyler lowered his voice, his eyes sinister. “It’s just a card. Do you really want to make this ugly?” I let out a cold laugh, holding my backpack in front of me. “What, planning to rob me if I won’t lend it?” “Rob? We’re just going to help you ‘come to your senses’!” Mark suddenly pushed me from behind. I stumbled a few steps, hitting a desk. My backpack fell to the ground with a thud, its contents scattering once again. Olivia stood to the side, a mocking smile on her lips. “Serves you right.” A few guys kicked my textbooks aside. One of them deliberately stepped on my game console, the screen cracking with a loud snap. “What are you doing?!” I stood up abruptly, but someone firmly pressed down on my shoulder. “Jack, don’t be so stingy,” Tyler said with fake sincerity, reaching for my pocket. “We’re all classmates. What’s wrong with borrowing a card?” I slapped his hand away. “Get lost!” This completely enraged Tyler. His face darkened as he suddenly grabbed my collar. “You want to do this the hard way, huh?” The surrounding classmates, instead of stopping him, started egging him on: “Beat him up! Think he’s all that because he’s rich?” “Stop putting on airs. It’s just a stupid card!” Seeing that I wouldn’t back down, Tyler swung a fist at my face. I dodged to the side, grabbing his wrist and twisting it hard. “Ah!” He cried out in pain, stumbling backward. Seeing this, Olivia screamed, “Jack Wilson! How dare you fight back?!” She rushed forward to claw at my face. I pushed her away and quickly pulled out my phone, dialing 91

“Officer, I’m at XX University, 3rd floor of the teaching building. Someone is trying to rob me, deliberately damaging my property, and assaulting me.” Olivia’s face changed dramatically. She lunged at me. “Are you crazy?!” She snatched my phone and, without even looking, threw it out the window. Crack! The phone shattered on the concrete below. The classroom fell silent for a second. But to their surprise, in less than ten minutes, police sirens were heard outside. When the police entered the classroom, Tyler and Olivia’s faces instantly turned pale. “Who called the police?” the lead officer asked, looking around. “I did,” I raised my hand. “They tried to rob me and smashed my phone.” The officer looked at the scattered items on the floor, then at my broken game console and the smashed phone outside the window. He frowned. “What happened here?” Tyler immediately put on an innocent act. “Officer, it’s a misunderstanding! We were just joking around!” Olivia quickly chimed in. “Yes, yes, it was just a prank between classmates!” Other classmates also started testifying. I coldly scanned the room. These people were exactly the same as when they gave false testimony in my previous life. The officer let out a cold laugh. “Smashing phones and hitting people, you call that a joke?” Mr. Johnson, our counselor, rushed in, his face ashen. “What’s going on here?! Causing such a scene at school?!” The officer briefly explained the situation. After listening, Mr. Johnson glared at Tyler. “You again!” Tyler tried to argue, but the evidence was irrefutable. In the end, under the police’s mediation, Tyler and Olivia had to compensate me for my phone and game console, and apologize publicly. As we left the office, Olivia lowered her voice, gritting her teeth, “Jack Wilson, you just wait!” Looking at her twisted expression, I suddenly smiled. “Sure, I’ll be waiting.” While packing my things in the dorm, I felt like someone had gone through my stuff, but nothing was missing, so I didn’t think much of it. Just as I walked out of the school, a black Maybach stopped in front of me. “Young Master Wilson, the old master has important matters to discuss. He needs you to come home immediately.” Mr. Wang, the butler, didn’t let me speak, just pulled me into the car. That evening, my father pushed two documents in front of me, his gaze sharp behind his gold-rimmed glasses. “Jack, this is your last chance to choose. The $30 billion family trust fund inheritance rights, or a monthly allowance of $1,500.” “The $30 billion has already been deposited into your Swiss bank card. As soon as you sign, you can access that money and take over the family business.” The crystal chandelier behind my father refracted blinding light. I squinted, momentarily seeing that car rushing towards me again, hearing the crunch of bones being crushed. Tyler’s vicious grin from my previous life’s death still echoed in my ears. “I choose the $1,500 monthly allowance,” I said.

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I gave up my identity as the heir to a multi-million dollar corporation, all to live a simple life with my wife. Then, my five-year-old son collapsed at kindergarten, his nose bleeding uncontrollably. At the hospital, he was diagnosed with “Advanced Hemolytic Syndrome.” My wife immediately demanded a divorce. She said she didn’t want our son to be a burden on me. My heart swelled with an overwhelming sense of gratitude. I was so touched, I decided right then and there to reveal my true identity and face this challenge with her. To save our son, I agreed to return home and inherit the family business. I wanted to negotiate with my parents to get him the best possible treatment. My dad advised me, “You can keep your identity a secret for now. Tell her that even after the divorce, you’ll share the medical costs. Just see how your wife reacts.” I didn’t quite get it, but I did as he said. That night, my mother-in-law, Brenda, rushed to the hospital. She started yelling, calling me a monster, and insisted I walk away with absolutely nothing. I was just about to enter my son’s hospital room when I overheard my wife, Chloe, talking with her father, Frank. “Don’t bother saving this dead weight. We can keep it a secret from him, though, and make him pay all the medical bills.” Chloe chuckled, a chilling sound. “I never planned to save him. I just wanted to trick him into giving me everything in the divorce.” “I’ve been sick of living with that poor guy for ages. A son born from such inferior genes is just as useless!”

I stared at them, my wife and her father, in utter disbelief. Chloe used to just run a small nail salon out of a tiny storefront. If I hadn’t been secretly propping them up all these years, they’d never have lived such a comfortable life. I pushed the door open and quickly strode to Liam’s bedside, my voice thick with emotion. “Chloe, let’s take Liam to the best hospital in the city, the capital! I’d sell everything I own, go broke trying to save him! My company… I can sell it!” Chloe and Frank exchanged a quick glance, clearly not expecting me to burst in like that. They were about to speak. But then Brenda, as if on cue, stormed in. She pointed at Chloe and started tearing into her. “You fool! What more do you want? Are you seriously going to sacrifice your entire life for this sick child? This kid is a lost cause, do you hear me! Divorce Alex, right now!” What a perfectly coordinated act between mother and daughter. They played it so well. Chloe immediately lowered her head, wiping away fake tears. She looked like a poor victim, forced by her mother. Then, she turned to me. “Alex, let’s get a divorce. You walk away with nothing, that way… that way you can start a new life without any burdens.” I’d already seen through their whole charade, but I pretended to be heartbroken, unable to believe what I was hearing. I looked at her, my voice strained. “Chloe, you… you really think that too? Tell me, do you genuinely want to get our son treatment?” Frank immediately stepped forward, looking pained as he pointed at me. “Alex! How can you even think that about Chloe? How much has she sacrificed for you, for this family? She’s doing this for your own good, afraid you’ll lose everything, financially and emotionally! And you dare question her noble intentions?!” I scoffed inwardly. This was the true face of their family. I decided to give her one last chance. I looked at Chloe, speaking each word slowly and deliberately. “I’m not afraid of losing everything. Chloe, as long as you’re willing, we can work through this together, face it head-on. We can definitely cure Liam’s illness.” A flicker of panic crossed Chloe’s eyes, but she quickly hid it. She shook her head with a chilling finality. “No, I can’t do it. I can’t accept that outcome.” After saying that, she turned and collapsed onto the bed, staring at our unconscious son. Her tears instantly gushed, and her sobs turned into a heart-wrenching wail. “Alex, don’t push me… I don’t want to hold you back. Liam doesn’t want to be a burden on you. The only reason I want these assets is because… I just want to cling to that last shred of hope. What if, what if there’s a new treatment method in the future? I could still use that money to save my son’s life! This is all for Liam!” She delivered that speech with such passion and emotion, as if she were the long-suffering, sacrificing mother. It was laughable. Beyond ridiculous. My heart, at that very moment, withered and died. Every last shred of warmth, gone. I looked at her, my face devoid of emotion, my voice as cold as ice. “Chloe, I’m asking you one last time. Are you truly set on this divorce?” Seeing how calm I was, Chloe paused, then nodded firmly. “Fine, I agree to the divorce.” I stated flatly. “The house, the car, the savings. I want nothing. I can walk away with absolutely nothing.” The eyes of Chloe’s family instantly glinted with greedy satisfaction. Then, I changed my tone, adding coldly, “But, I will have sole custody of our son, Liam.”

Chloe’s smile froze. She immediately shot back, “No way! Liam is the apple of my eye! I can’t bear to let him go!” Can’t bear to let him go? You mean, you can’t bear to let go of your cash cow, right? I was tired of playing their games. I cut straight to the chase. “Stop the act. I heard everything you said that night by the patient room. I walk away with nothing, you get all the assets, and I get custody of our son. That sounds fair to me.” Chloe and her family’s faces instantly turned chalk-white, then twisted with furious indignation. They realized their original plan was blown, but they immediately seized on my new “weakness”—my love for my son. Frank cleared his throat, speaking in a sneering, condescending tone. “Since you heard everything, let’s lay all our cards on the table. You want custody? Fine, but you’ll have to compensate Chloe for all these years she spent with you, right? Hand over half a million dollars, and we’ll agree.” “Deal.” I agreed without hesitation. My quick acceptance immediately made the shrewd Chloe realize I had far more money than they’d imagined. Her eyes gleamed with even greater greed. She subtly signaled to her parents. Brenda caught on instantly and began to wail dramatically. “Oh, my heavens! My husband and I emptied our retirement savings to pay for our grandson’s medical bills! We even sold our house back home! Where are we supposed to live now? You can’t be so heartless!” Frank chimed in, “That’s right! You need to buy us, the old couple, a house, and give us another two hundred thousand for our retirement! Otherwise, you can forget about taking the child!” “Are you even human?!” I finally exploded, trembling with rage. “Liam is your own grandson! How can you use him like this?!” Frank shot a disgusted look at my son, whose nose was still plugged with tissues, lying in the hospital bed. He pointed at him and snarled, “Just like his father, useless!” Then, Brenda glared at me. “It must be your bad genes! Our Chloe is young, she can still have more kids! Get the divorce over with, don’t hold her back!” Before our son was diagnosed, Brenda used to come to our house every day, holding Liam for hours. Now, she looked at him like he was the plague. Seeing such a stark contrast, I sighed, feeling both helpless and utterly cold. I still held onto a sliver of hope for my wife. I looked at her, pleading, “Chloe, can we please let the doctor check on Liam first?” “No! What if you go back on your word?!” She said, then threw the divorce papers directly at my face. Hearing that, my heart sank completely. I couldn’t believe my wife was so materialistic. I didn’t want to believe she had absolutely no feelings for me. So, almost begging, I said, “I can’t get that much money right away. Can you just let Liam get treatment first?” Brenda’s face contorted into a hideous sneer. “We’ve looked it up online! This ‘Advanced Hemolytic Syndrome’ thing is incurable! It’ll even consume his heart in the later stages! All that talk about treatment rates is just doctors scamming you, believe me. You’ll just end up losing everything, financially and emotionally!!” Brenda, who I once thought was kind, now looked utterly repulsive. Liam, wiping away his nosebleed, started to cry. “Daddy, Mommy, please don’t argue! I don’t want treatment if it makes you mad!” My heart ached as I looked at him. “Don’t worry, son. Daddy will save you, no matter what.” “Tch… what a useless little brat.” Brenda came over, tugged Liam roughly to the side, looking disgusted. “Come here! Don’t get in your mom’s way!” Liam was yanked off the hospital bed. I picked up the divorce agreement, pleading, “Don’t touch him! I’ll agree to everything!”

Watching Chloe act so cold and heartless, I suddenly felt like the woman I’d been married to for ten years was a complete stranger. She used to be so different. Back when I was broke, I’d hand over my entire paycheck to her, thinking I’d ask her for money every time we ate out. But she never took a single cent. I’d just finished signing the papers when Frank grew impatient. “Why hasn’t the money arrived yet?!” “Just give me a little more time. It’ll be in your account today.” But Chloe pulled out a promissory note and made me sign it. As soon as I did, she kicked Liam towards me with a disgusted look. I clutched my son, my heart aching, and immediately called for a doctor. Chloe pulled Brenda’s arm. “Alright, alright, Mom. I’ll talk to him nicely.” When the doctor came in, Brenda reined herself in a lot, but her face still looked menacing. Chloe gently wrapped an arm around Liam, pressing a soft kiss to his cheek. But Liam recoiled, pulling away. Seeing that, I let out a cold laugh. Even Dr. Evans added, “The patient’s condition is quite unstable right now. This condition is extremely rare, perhaps only one case in a million. Please try not to agitate him.” After a quick treatment, Liam’s nosebleed finally slowed. He spontaneously threw himself into my arms, listening quietly. Chloe’s forced smile faltered a bit. She gave a strained laugh. “Liam is my son too. Of course, I wouldn’t just stand by. If you need help, I’ll certainly come and look after him!” “It’s just… I can’t accept the thought of my own son passing away before me. If you can’t accept such a reality, I can understand. I’ll try my best to leave you with all the best resources, so you don’t have to face such a heavy blow alone.” Brenda chimed in, “See how considerate Chloe is of you? Why can’t you be the same? Are you even a man, being so petty?” I persisted, “Why can’t we face it together?” Chloe sighed dramatically. “Not everyone can afford to waste their life like that. Dr. Evans just said Liam’s condition is one in a million! What if our future children have the same condition? What if you have a child with someone else outside of our marriage?” I challenged her, feeling utterly powerless. “You don’t trust me?” I honestly couldn’t believe my wife would suspect me to such an extent. From the day we started dating to our ten years of marriage, I had never once given her cause for concern. I’d never been involved in anything even remotely ambiguous with another person. Yet now, she was even imagining me having children with someone else… It chilled me to the bone. I was about to argue further when, at that moment, Dr. Evans rushed over, looking frantic. He said he needed to speak with me privately about Liam’s condition. Seeing the doctor’s urgency, Chloe assumed our son was beyond saving. She quickly grabbed her parents and hurried out of the room. I followed Dr. Evans into his office, my heart pounding with dread. But the doctor immediately bowed deeply to me, apologizing. “Mr. Miller, I am so terribly sorry! Your son’s diagnosis was a mistake, a grave oversight on our hospital’s part.” Once I understood the situation, I returned to Liam’s room and let out a long, shaky breath, looking at my son on the bed. Dr. Evans respectfully handed me a medical report.

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For our graduation trip, my boyfriend Jake chose South Korea, the country where Chloe, his first love, the one he always looked up to, was studying. I had my reservations, obviously. He just shrugged it off. “I’m just dropping by to say goodbye to her.” But once we landed, he completely abandoned me, sick and miserable from the foreign climate. He rushed off to deal with some “mistake” Chloe made at her part-time job. And then, he brought her back to our hotel. “Chloe is so amazing, and just because of a small mistake—using the wrong medicine on a client—her salon is firing her,” he explained, totally oblivious. “She can’t deal with that kind of injustice. So, Lily, you’ll just have to put up with finding another hotel for tonight.” I grabbed my luggage and walked. He had no idea. This trip was my way of saying goodbye to him too. Because when it came down to just love, the chasm between his community college and my Ivy League aspirations was simply too vast to cross. After Jake told me to find another place to stay, Chloe Price, clearly afraid I’d object, bit her lip and chimed in, “Lily and I are different. I’m not some delicate girl who can’t handle hardship.” “It’s just that I can’t go back to the salon’s staff dorm right now, and it’s too late for the university’s international student dorms, they have a curfew. I literally have nowhere to go.” “And it’s peak vacation season, hotels are so hard to find. Otherwise, I wouldn’t bother you guys.” I was about to say there was an empty room right next door. A couple had just checked out. But before I could even open my mouth, Jake, looking annoyed, cut me off. “Enough! Stop making things difficult for her. She’s all alone here!” “Her parents passed away years ago, her family background wasn’t as fortunate as yours.” “Now she’s having trouble in a foreign country, and I’m all she has left to rely on.” Chloe seemed deeply touched by his words. She turned away, secretly wiping tears from her eyes. Jake looked at her, his eyes filled with such heartache. So, having a happy family background was a crime now? What else could I possibly say? Besides, from the moment we landed this evening until now, since Jake had ditched me and rushed off to play the hero, I’d thrown up multiple times due to the change in environment. Now I was freezing, dizzy, and utterly drained. I just didn’t have the energy to argue with them. I packed my bag, pulled my suitcase, and started to leave. Jake must have sensed my mood. He took two quick steps, grabbed my arm, and sighed deeply. “It was just a moment of emotion getting the best of me.” “When I think about Chloe, and how she, like me, suffered from outsiders’ cold stares because of a tough family, I just lose it a little.” “You’ll understand, right?” All I wanted was to end this conversation and find a bed. So, I just nodded vaguely. His expression softened. “Okay, then you go find a new place. Chloe’s pretty shaken up, so I’ll stay and comfort her for a bit.” “Oh, and leave the spare medicine kit we brought. “Some unreasonable client splashed water on Chloe, and I’m worried she might catch a cold tonight.” I frowned, annoyance bubbling up. “Did you forget I’m the one who’s sick from the trip? I need those meds.” Just then, Chloe let out a very deliberate sneeze. “Jake, it’s fine, really.” “Like you, I’m not some delicate, pampered person. A little cold or fever is nothing.” Her words precisely hit Jake’s ego. His face turned cold. He yanked my suitcase open, rummaging through it until he found the medicine kit. “It’s just a few pills. Why are you being so petty?” “You already took your medicine, didn’t you? I’ll buy you new ones when I come find you later.” Watching his rough actions, I remembered something my mom once told me. She said, “You and Jake are from completely different worlds.” “You’re a confident, sunny rich girl, and he’s a dark, insecure poor kid.” “And extreme insecurity can make a person incredibly rude.”

I don’t know if it was my mom’s words finally sinking in, or if I had already made up my mind to give up on Jake. But suddenly, his once charmingly arrogant and wild personality now just felt irritating. At that moment, I was simply fed up. Once Jake had taken the medicine, I casually zipped up my messy suitcase. And hurried away. My mind was a blur, drowsily recalling the past. I remembered when I first transferred to a new high school in Portland my freshman year. Unfamiliar with the area, I accidentally stumbled into local thugs’ territory. Just as they were about to drag me into an alley, Jake appeared. Tall and lean, with the hood of his black hoodie pulled up, he stood at the alley entrance, radiating a casual arrogance. A fierce fight ensued. Afterward, I emptied my pockets and offered him a hundred dollars. Jake lifted his bruised eyelids, batting away the money. “What do you take me for? Get lost!” “Think your money makes you special?” From then on, like many girls who always played it safe in their youth, I found myself deeply drawn to that type of rebellious bad boy. When I found out Jake was not only at the same school but in the same class, I used the excuse of “repaying a favor.” I revolved around him like a little sun. Not only did I bring him coffee and snacks, but because of a single comment from him, I, who never cooked, ignored my onion allergy to make him his favorite braised beef dish. But no matter how much I did, Jake’s gaze always lingered on Chloe, a year older than him. Until the end of junior year, when Chloe ignored Jake’s desperate pleas and went abroad for college. Jake spent the entire summer in a slump. I was the one who stayed by his side, took care of him, and slowly, step by step, helped him out of his funk. When senior year started, Jake asked me to be his girlfriend. I happily agreed. I knew he might have been doing it out of gratitude, or perhaps to forget Chloe. But none of that mattered. Because I was so confident. I believed Jake would fall in love with me someday. But the truth proved me terribly wrong.

When I woke up again, I was in the empty room that couple had checked out of. I thought a good night’s sleep would help me adjust. But I woke up in the middle of the night with a high fever, feeling utterly miserable. I forced myself out of bed and went to knock on the next door for help. The hotel manager, who happened to be passing by, spoke in Korean, which I didn’t understand. I just kept shaking my head and waving my hands, indicating I couldn’t understand. In a strange city, unfamiliar with the surroundings, and unable to communicate, plus the vulnerability of being sick, I was on the verge of tears. Finally, I resorted to a translator app. The hotel manager told me the young couple staying there had already left to go sightseeing. The resentment and bitterness in my heart made me dial Jake’s number. But no matter how many times I called, it wouldn’t go through. “Do you need any more help?” the hotel manager asked through the translator. After the tenth call went unanswered, I numbly spoke. “Please take me to the hospital.” I spent that night in a hospital in a strange city. I almost forgot to mention. That day was also my eighteenth birthday. Originally, Jake and I had planned to climb to the top of Namsan Tower in Seoul at night. We were going to hang a lock on the love lock wall. And there, I’d make my eighteenth birthday wish. But now, that plan was ruined. My phone, lying by my bed, vibrated. It was birthday wishes from family and friends back home, trickling in. Among all those greetings, there wasn’t one from my official boyfriend. I swallowed the bitter ache in my heart. And scrolled through Ins. My body stiffened when I saw Chloe’s latest video post. I’d added her on SnapChat back in junior year when Jake asked me to take turns visiting Chloe in the hospital after she broke her leg. My fingers trembled as I tapped into her post. Chloe had posted a video of her and Jake climbing Namsan Tower at night. The caption read: [Role-playing, being a K-drama lead today.] In the video, Jake, with the mountain wind blowing through his hair, shouted at the night sky. “Chloe Price, you are my bride, and my first love. For 939 long years, I never waited for death, but for this moment, to meet you!” It was even set to the classic OST from ‘Goblin’—‘Stay With Me’. The entire video was both romantic and filled with a fated connection. Even passersby were offering their well wishes. My throat tightened. Tears silently slipped from my eyes, tracing paths down my cheeks. They then dropped, precariously, onto the two laughing faces on my phone screen. I should have known. No matter how hard a doormat tries, they can’t compare to the power of a first love. Especially since Jake and Chloe had known each other since middle school. They had seen each other’s vulnerable sides, witnessed each other’s growth. They were two broken souls recognizing and cherishing each other, a symbiotic relationship. I, a mere supporting character, couldn’t easily intrude. After realizing this, I no longer held any lingering feelings for Jake. I opened my phone. And rebooked my flight home.

I changed my flight from a week later to two days from now. All travel plans with Jake were canceled. But since I was already in South Korea, I couldn’t miss out on the aesthetic treatments I’d booked. The next day, after being discharged from the hospital and feeling better, I returned to the hotel to shower. But I discovered my silk nightgown was missing. It occurred to me that Jake might have pulled it out when he was rummaging for the medicine last night. I got dressed and went to knock on his door. However, the person who opened it was Jake, shirtless. He froze when he saw me. Before I could even ask anything, he stammered, clearly flustered. “Chloe was upset last night, so I took her hiking to clear her head.” “We were just too exhausted when we got back, and you didn’t send me your new address, so I just crashed on the couch.” I sneered internally. He said all those lies without even bothering to wipe off the lipstick marks on his neck. “Jake, is that the housekeeper? “How inconsiderate of them to come now. We’re still in bed.” Chloe’s sweet, complaining voice floated from inside. She skipped over like a little bird, looking bashful. I saw the familiar purple silk nightgown on her. My anger instantly flared. I pushed past Jake and strode in, grabbing the hem of her gown. “Are you a beggar? So poor you can’t even afford clothes?” “How dare you wear my clothes without asking!” She shrieked, clutching the hem of her gown and looking at Jake for help. Jake, who had just moments ago looked apologetic toward me, came over, his face dark. “It’s just a nightgown! And I bought it for you!” “Do you have to say such nasty things? Who are you looking down on?!” I knew the words “beggar” and “poor” stung him just as much. When we were together, I was always so careful, weighing every word for ages before speaking, mindful of Jake’s deep insecurity and fragile ego. This kind of spoiled rich-kid mentality (of a poor kid). I was now too lazy to deal with it. I let go of the gown’s hem, about to tell her to pay for it, when I noticed my palm was sticky with a white, gooey liquid. Chloe’s face flushed, and she stammered, “It’s a milk tea stain. I accidentally spilled it.” “My bad. I shouldn’t have been drinking milk tea in bed.” The more she spoke, the more wronged she sounded. And the more certain I became that it was absolutely not milk tea. It was something *they* had produced. It was so disgusting! So filthy! The moment I realized what it was, I rushed to the bathroom and threw up.

I didn’t want the nightgown anymore. Even if it was the first gift Jake ever bought me from his part-time job. Even if I had never dared to wear it. I just didn’t want it. After leaving their little love nest of deceit, Jake sent me a SnapChat message. Asking where I was. Then explaining he’d forgotten his phone last night, which was why he couldn’t answer my calls. He even apologized. And asked why I’d called so many times. I didn’t plan to reply. A little while later, Jake sent another message. [Did you come looking for trouble this morning because you’re jealous, and you’re mad I didn’t come to find you last night?] [But what happened with Chloe was for a reason. I can explain everything later. Don’t be angry.] [Today is your birthday, I haven’t forgotten. I already scoped out Namsan Tower last night.] [We’ll go up tonight. Before that, come to this address. I have a birthday gift for you.] I only skimmed Jake’s rambling message, not paying attention to the address he sent. So, when I arrived at the beauty clinic I’d booked, based on online recommendations, I ran into Jake and Chloe. Chloe’s eyes flashed with a hint of jealousy. But on the surface, she came over and warmly took my hand. “Lily, it’s great you still came. “I thought with your temperament, you wouldn’t bother with us anymore.” “I’ve felt so guilty. Luckily, Jake mentioned you wanted to get some work done while in South Korea, so I shamelessly asked my former boss for a discount for you.” I pulled my hand away, rolling my eyes. “Getting a facial counts as plastic surgery? Then what about all that Botox on your face, is that genetic modification?” Her eyes instantly reddened. She looked like she’d said something wrong and didn’t dare to speak again.

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Caleb, the billionaire who’d pretended to be dirt poor for seven years, crashed his Maybach, killing my mom and my daughter. A month later, the man finally realized something was off. He asked his assistant, “After I ran over those worthless deadbeats, the old woman and the kid, didn’t their family raise hell for compensation?” Ms. Davies, his assistant, looked grim. She whispered, “Sir, you *are* the victims’ family.” Caleb was completely baffled. “What do you mean?” “That night, when you were drunk, you ran over the old lady and her granddaughter. Your wife tried to stop you, demanding an explanation, but you were so inebriated you didn’t recognize her. You kicked her aside and drove off.” Before she finished, Caleb jolted, his face turning ashen. It all came rushing back to him: how he’d faked bankruptcy and a severe illness, how our family had worked day and night, pouring every penny into supposedly paying off his billion-dollar debt. To buy his life-saving medicine, my mother and daughter had worked themselves to the bone. But during a shift in the rich district, he, in his luxury car, had slammed into them. Their bodies were mangled, their lives extinguished instantly. I cremated Mom and Chloe’s remains in a daze. Afterward, I got a call from my husband’s assistant. His tone was as cold as a debt collector’s: “How much do you want? Name your price!”

“I know my boss ran over your mom and daughter. But they were just two worthless lives, what are they worth? A million dollars is more than enough for two cheap lives.” “My boss will meet you in person the day after tomorrow, at 2 PM.” Listening to the contemptuous male voice on the other end, I felt my blood rush to my head. The lock clicked. Caleb walked in, wearing a jacket that had been fashionable years ago. He smiled, waving a steaming thermos at me. Every cell in my body trembled. Finally, I managed to say to the person on the phone, “Okay.” Caleb didn’t notice anything amiss. Seeing me hang up, a gentle smile touched his lips as he walked towards me. “Harper! I bought you your favorite chicken noodle soup! Come, try it!” He wrapped his arm around my numb body and sat us down on our scavenged couch. He carefully broke apart the forks and handed them to me. A pained expression crossed his face. “My boss raised the price by two bucks again. That’s enough to buy Chloe a drawing book.” Caleb looked around. “Why aren’t Mom and Chloe here? Where did they go? I bought Chloe some desserts with today’s wages. Doesn’t Chloe love sweets? But you need to keep an eye on Mom; she can’t have anything sweet with her condition!” Where are Mom and my daughter? Suddenly, as Caleb’s words sank in, a chilling image flashed in my mind: Mom and Chloe being flung into the air by that Maybach that sped into the market. “Mom— Chloe—” I watched as their bodies, like discarded rag dolls, arced through the air and hit the ground with sickening thuds. Their warm blood splattered on my face. My screams and the horrifying sound of cracking bones were drowned out by the piercing screech of brakes. “What… what the hell? Where did these… beggars come from?” The blinding high beams gradually dimmed. A slurred, drunken voice drifted over. I stared blankly at the driver’s seat. The next second, I saw Caleb, his hands on the steering wheel, frowning as he peered through the window at me, sprawled in a pool of blood. My entire body froze. How could it be Caleb? Wasn’t he at the hospital? How could he be here? He rolled down the window and vomited, the pungent smell of alcohol mingling with the metallic scent of blood, assailing my nose. His eyes unfocused, he looked at me. “Who’s the idiot? Get lost!” I struggled to my feet. “Caleb!” But Caleb didn’t recognize me. He turned the car around and drove out of my sight. Disoriented, I was taken away by the police officer who arrived shortly after. He didn’t show me the accident scene footage. Instead, he sighed and advised me, “The person who hit your mother and daughter is Caleb Shen, the Shen heir. Our suggestion is to settle this privately.” Caleb Shen! The Shen heir? A choked sob escaped my throat. I pressed him, “Officer, can you tell me about… this Mr. Shen?” “Ms. Lin, I know what you’re thinking, but I still advise you not to pursue a lawsuit. The Shen family holds so much power, they could make the whole city shake with a single word. And this particular Shen heir is the most notorious playboy this city has seen in twenty years.” The officer’s eyes held a sympathetic helplessness. Then I heard him sigh deeply. “Instead of wishful thinking, you should try to get as much money as you can when Mr. Shen arrives.” No sooner had he finished speaking than a voice came from outside. “Mr. Shen, this way, please.” As the words fell, two figures emerged from the automatically opening doors. I had never seen Caleb like this. He was wearing an expensive, high-end suit from a luxury boutique, looking distinguished from head to toe. He even had a Labrador on a leash. Victoria, in a striking red dress, walked beside him. “…Caleb!” I instinctively moved forward, wanting to demand an explanation for everything. “Victoria! My bet about pretending to be poor expires next month. If you keep clinging to me then, I won’t be so polite!” What ‘pretending to be poor’ bet? Caleb’s words brought me to an abrupt halt. Victoria shrugged indifferently. “Why are you angry at me? Isn’t this *your* bet with your family?” “I don’t necessarily think you’ll win. Maybe you’ll get tired of playing house with Harper and obediently come home to marry me?” Caleb scoffed. “You’re dreaming! My wife will only ever be Harper!” I stared at Caleb in shock, but his gaze didn’t waver. Even though I stood right in front of him, he could have simply turned his head slightly to see me, the ‘only wife’ he spoke of. But he didn’t spare me a single glance. He held his head high, walking past me with an air of haughty superiority I’d never seen from him before. Soon, Caleb and Victoria entered the glass partition just a few feet from me. Their conversation in the office drifted clearly into my ears. “Mr. Shen, the victims’ family is here. Do you want to meet them?” I couldn’t help but look at Caleb. He had his legs crossed on the coffee table, eyes closed, rubbing his temples. “No need! These poor people, once they latch onto you, they’re like leeches you can’t shake off! Can’t you even handle this small matter?” Caleb’s dismissive attitude instantly ignited my fury. Just as I was about to burst in and confront him, Victoria’s voice floated into my ears. Her red lips curved into a slight smile. “Caleb, I actually have a good idea. Why don’t you have Harper pay this money? If she doesn’t help you, then you lose the bet.” Caleb opened his eyes and glanced at Victoria, sneering. “Don’t dream. Harper has stuck by me all these years I’ve been pretending to be poor and sick. I don’t want to bother her with this kind of thing!” Victoria wasn’t annoyed. She just chuckled. “I wonder if you’re scared. Could it be that Harper won’t cough up a million for you?” I couldn’t listen anymore. But as I took a step forward, a metallic taste filled my throat. I coughed up a mouthful of blood and instantly blacked out. Caleb’s voice pulled me back to reality. He held me in his arms, speaking softly. “Harper, I accidentally ran over someone while delivering goods last night. They’re demanding a million dollars, threatening to send me to jail if I don’t pay.” I stared at him, my eyes bloodshot. “You don’t even know how to drive, do you? How could you hit someone?” Caleb’s eyes darted away, his voice tinged with guilt. “I didn’t want to always be stuck in bed, burdening you. I wanted to earn some money to send Chloe to her after-school classes.” Tears instantly welled in my eyes, but I forced them back. I abruptly pulled closer to Caleb, pressing him. “Caleb! Then I ask you, do you know who you ran over?” Caleb frowned, displeased. “What’s wrong with you? Why are you so emotional?” Watching the nonchalant expression on his face, the anger in my heart burned fiercely. In that moment, I began to doubt myself. Did I truly know the man I shared my life with?! “Caleb!! I’m asking! Do you know who you ran over?!” By now, my emotions were completely out of control. Unstoppable tears mixed with my trembling voice. “It was an old lady and a little girl, I think. They just seemed like they wanted to extort money from me.” I didn’t miss the fleeting look of disdain in his eyes. My strength drained from me in an instant. I said weakly, “Caleb, I don’t have money for you.” This was the first time I had ever refused Caleb’s request. His face visibly darkened. He suddenly stood up. “You’re really that unwilling to part with a million dollars? You’d just stand there and watch me go to jail?! I’m your husband!” In that moment, I suddenly wanted to tear off his disguise. The Shen family was one of the top elite families in the city. A mere million dollars, what was that to him? “Caleb, my mom…” Before I could finish, Caleb impatiently cut me off. “It’s always your mom! How tired could your mom possibly be? She sits there embroidering all day! Selling to rich people, plus her pension, a million should be easy, right?” Watching Caleb storm out, slamming the door in a fit of rage, all my strength was sapped. I collapsed to the floor, silently sobbing, biting my lip. Tears mingled with the blood at the corner of my mouth. All I could see were images of my mother and daughter lying dead in pools of blood, merging with fragments of my seven years of life with Caleb. For a moment, I couldn’t distinguish truth from illusion. Not long after, the doorbell rang.

Mrs. Henderson, who lived next door, showed obvious delight when she saw me open the door. “Harper! Not working today? Where’s Chloe? Look what I brought for your little girl!” “This paint set is a reward for Chloe! Chloe loves to draw, doesn’t she!” “Oh, right! Where are your mom and Chloe?” Mrs. Henderson held a back brace in her hand, peering into the house, looking for my mom and Chloe. My throat tightened. I bit down hard, refusing to let the tears fall. “What’s wrong? Harper, why are you crying?” Mrs. Henderson’s smile slowly faded. As if sensing something, her eyes reddened instantly. She looked at me, incredulous, seemingly hoping for a different answer from my words. “Mrs. Henderson, my mom and Chloe already…” I closed my eyes for a moment, finally uttering the answer. “They’re gone.” “What happened?!” Mrs. Henderson gasped in horror, the gift in her hand falling heavily to the ground. Hearing Mrs. Henderson’s cries, my own tears couldn’t be held back. I choked out, “A car accident.” I dared not look up, my shoulders trembling as I quietly sobbed. A pair of warm arms enveloped me. Mrs. Henderson cried loudly, cursing, “That murderer! Your mom hadn’t even enjoyed life yet, and Chloe was still so young…” “Oh, by the way, does Caleb know?” Those words were like a sharp knife, piercing my heart. Under Mrs. Henderson’s concerned gaze, I slowly shook my head. “He doesn’t know.” To this day, Caleb doesn’t know that he, drunk, killed my mom and Chloe. Thinking about it, I could no longer control the sorrow in my heart. I burst into tears like a child. After seeing Mrs. Henderson off, I buried my face in the covers and cried for a long while, until I received a text message from the cemetery. Five hundred thousand dollars. Looking at that astronomical figure and my bank account balance, I felt utterly desperate. Where was I going to find five hundred thousand dollars for Mom and Chloe’s burial? As I scrolled through my phone book, trying to find someone I could borrow money from, Caleb’s call came in. “Don’t let Mom and Chloe go out to set up their stall tonight. I’ll be home early tonight to celebrate Chloe’s birthday.” My mind was still on the five hundred thousand. I hesitated for a moment before asking, “Caleb, do you have five hundred thousand dollars?” There was a long silence on the other end of the line. Finally, he spoke. “Harper, are you kidding me? Where would I get that kind of money? Haven’t all my wages gone to buying things for Chloe and Mom?” There wasn’t a hint of guilt in Caleb’s voice. He’d told the lie for so long, he even believed it himself. Tears brimmed in my eyes. Suddenly, I cried out loudly, “Caleb!! You’re lying to me! You do! You clearly do! You just don’t want to give it to me!” Caleb’s voice rose several pitches. He snapped, enraged, “Harper! What are you doing?! What kind of person do you think I am? If I had money, would I be unwilling to give it to you? Who have you been listening to, spreading nonsense?!” “Please! Can you just stop making things difficult for me!” ‘Stop making things difficult for me’! What a line! With that, he hurriedly hung up. To gather enough money for Mom and Chloe’s burial plot, I couldn’t afford to wallow in grief. I rushed to the agreed-upon workplace. I squeezed into a heavy mascot costume and was led into a private room. I awkwardly swayed my limbs to the music. After the performance, laughter erupted around me. “So, Caleb, how about this early birthday gift I got for Chloe?” “Caleb dotes on his daughter like she’s the apple of his eye. He stoops so low to earn money, all for his mother-in-law and daughter.”

Inside the mascot costume, it was stifling hot, but I felt as if I were plunged into an ice-cold abyss. It was then that I saw him: in the spacious room, Caleb was sprawled lazily on the sofa, casually swirling the drink in his glass, looking every inch the aristocratic young master of incomparable status. “Looks decent. I’ll call my daughter and ask her if she likes it.” As Caleb picked up his phone, my daughter’s unique ringtone chirped beside me. But soon, he frowned, his eyes instantly filling with confusion and worry, because Caleb had called Chloe several times, and each time, it went straight to voicemail. My body trembled, tears streaming down my face. Caleb, you killed our daughter! You’ll never be able to reach that number again! Victoria was close by. Hearing my fingernails scratch against the mascot costume with a tearing sound, she glanced at me. “Caleb! You truly have incredible patience. Pretending to be poor and sick for seven years, tricking Harper, a graduate from a top-tier university, into selling her eggs for you. It must have been such a sacrifice for a young master like you to play house with them.” Caleb scoffed. “Once I win the bet, I’ll bring them back to the Shen family. They won’t have to suffer anymore.” Catching the hint of guilt in Caleb’s voice, I looked at him sharply. “Now you’re putting on an act of being a good husband and father. Why didn’t you give Harper money when she asked for it just now?” “Mind your own business. She probably asked for my help because my mother-in-law’s condition worsened.” Caleb’s tone was certain. “Next month, I’ll find the best doctors to cure my mother-in-law!” “How could her mom help you pay if she’s sick?” Victoria’s laughter was grating. Caleb felt humiliated. “She’ll definitely help me! If you don’t believe me, I can call her right now and ask her for the money!” My mind went blank. I instinctively raised my clumsy arm, trying to find my phone. It wasn’t until I heard a busy signal that I realized I had left my phone in my bag before work. “Damn it! What time is it? She’s not picking up my call!” Victoria casually glanced at me. “That’s why I say poor people are all the same. When money’s involved, what’s love? There are plenty who’ll sell their dignity.” Caleb’s eyes grew colder and colder. Suddenly, he stood up and walked over to me. The next second, his cold eyes stared directly at me, as if piercing through the bulky mascot costume to see me. Had he finally recognized me?! Just as tears streamed down my face and I prepared to lift my headpiece to demand who I was to him, he suddenly spoke. “Would you sell your dignity for money?” My hand slowly dropped. I didn’t speak. Caleb took a stack of money from a box beside him and threw it at my face. “Kneel for me!” He yanked my arm, coldly laughing as he tipped the entire box of money over my head. Under his icy gaze, I slowly bent down, kneeling before him to pick up the scattered bills on the floor. I had no reason to refuse this money. With this money, I could buy Mom and Chloe a decent burial plot. “Figures, poor people. They grab money as soon as they see it! Hey, tell me, if I gave you money to die, would you obediently go and die?” “But Harper isn’t like you! She’s with me purely because she loves me, not for money. So whatever I say, she’ll believe it!” I looked up, meeting Caleb’s gaze through the headpiece. I laughed self-deprecatingly. “You’re right!” I am one of those poor people you talk about! For money, I too can sell my dignity! Caleb’s pupils constricted the moment he heard my voice. He instinctively reached to pull off my headpiece. But I didn’t dodge. I even felt a strange anticipation of his reaction when he saw me underneath. Victoria pressed his hand down, mockingly saying, “Caleb, even if Harper upset you, you shouldn’t get angry at a mascot, right?” Caleb flung Victoria’s hand away in disgust and glared at me. “Now get lost.” Caleb didn’t come home that night. It wasn’t until early the next morning that I received a text from him. “Harper, my illness relapsed yesterday, and I passed out and was sent to the hospital. I just woke up.” “How’s Mom’s condition? And have you gathered enough money for me?” This wasn’t the first time Caleb had used this excuse to explain his staying out all night. I expressionlessly packed all my belongings and shipped them away, then headed to the address Caleb’s assistant had given me. As soon as I entered the upscale restaurant, I spotted Caleb’s familiar back from afar. In my pocket, Chloe’s phone watch was still buzzing. Caleb had been calling it incessantly since last night.

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My billionaire wife, who’d been pretending to be poor for seven years, ran over my mom and daughter with her Maybach. A month later, it finally dawned on her that something was off. She asked her assistant, “After I ran over those worthless nobodies, that old woman and child, did their family not kick up a fuss about compensation?” Marcus, her assistant, his face grim, replied in a low voice, “Madam, *you* are their family.” Seraphina looked completely lost. “What are you talking about?” “That night, when you were drunk, you ran over the old woman and her granddaughter. Mr. Julian tried to stop your car, demanding answers, but you were so intoxicated you didn’t recognize him. You kicked him away and just drove off.” Before Marcus even finished, Seraphina stiffened, her face draining of all color, ghostly pale. It was then that she remembered. Back then, she’d faked bankruptcy and a severe illness, forcing our family to work day and night, spending every last penny of our savings to pay off imaginary billions in debt. To buy her life-saving medicine, my mother and daughter worked tirelessly. But while working in a wealthy neighborhood, Seraphina, driving her luxury car, had plowed into them, their bodies mangled beyond recognition, instantly killed. Numb with grief, after my mother and daughter’s bodies were cremated, I received a call from my wife’s assistant. His tone was like a debt collector’s. “How much do you want? Name your price!”

“I know my boss ran over your mom and daughter, but they were just two worthless lives. How much could they possibly be worth? A million is more than enough for a couple of cheap lives.” “My boss will meet you in person the day after tomorrow, at 2 PM.” Listening to the disdainful male voice on the other end of the line, I felt all the blood rush to my head. The lock clicked. Seraphina walked in, wearing a dress I’d bought her years ago, her eyes curved into a smile as she waved a steaming-hot insulated container at me. Every cell in my body trembled at that moment. Finally, I spoke into the phone, “Alright.” Seraphina didn’t notice anything off about me. Seeing me hang up, a gentle smile played on her lips as she walked toward me. “Julian! I got you your favorite gourmet burger and fries! Come on, try it!” She wrapped her arms around my stiff body and guided me to sit on our thrifted couch. She carefully broke open the forks and handed them to me. A pained look about the price crossed her face. “The boss hiked the price up another two bucks. That could have bought Chloe a new drawing book!” Seraphina glanced around. “Why aren’t Mom and Chloe here? Where did they go? I bought Chloe some sweets with today’s wages. Doesn’t Chloe love sweets the most? But you need to keep an eye on Mom, she can’t have anything sweet with her condition!” Where did Mom and Chloe go? In that instant, as Seraphina’s words landed. My mind was flooded with the image of my mom and Chloe being thrown into the air by that Maybach that plowed into them on the street. “Mom—Chloe—” Watching them tossed in an arc like rag dolls, hitting the ground with sickening thuds. Their warm blood splattered on my face, my screams and the chilling crunch of bones swallowed by the screech of tires. “What… what’s going on? Where did that… pauper come from?” The blinding high beams slowly dimmed, and a drunken voice drifted over. I stared blankly at the driver’s seat. The next second, I saw Seraphina behind the wheel, her brow furrowed as she glared through the window at me, sprawled in the pool of blood. All the blood in my veins froze. How could it be Seraphina? Wasn’t she in the hospital? How could she be here? The next moment, she rolled down the window and vomited, a thick stench of alcohol mixed with blood invading my nostrils. Her eyes blurry, she looked at me. “Who the hell is in my way? Get lost!” I struggled to my feet. “Seraphina!” But Seraphina didn’t recognize me. Instead, she turned the car around and sped out of my sight. Devastated, I was taken away by the Officer who arrived shortly after. He didn’t show me the accident footage. Instead, he sighed and advised me, “The person who ran over your mother and daughter was Miss Seraphina Sterling, the heiress. Our recommendation is to settle this privately.” Seraphina Sterling! The Sterling heiress? A choked sob caught in my throat. I pressed on, “Officer, can you… tell me about this Miss Sterling?” “Mr. Julian, I know what you’re thinking, but I still advise you against suing. The Sterling family could make this city crumble with a snap of their fingers, and this Miss Sterling is the most notorious for her wild antics in the last twenty years.” The next second, I saw pity and helplessness in the Officer’s eyes, then heard him sigh heavily. “Instead of dreaming big, you should try to get more money when Miss Sterling arrives.” As soon as he finished speaking, a voice came from outside. “Miss Sterling, this way, please.” As the words fell, two figures emerged from the automatic sliding doors. I had never seen Seraphina like this. She was dressed in an expensive haute couture dress from a luxury boutique’s display window, every inch of her radiating nobility. She held the leash of a pampered poodle, and Dominic stood beside her, strikingly conspicuous. “…Seraphina!” I instinctively moved forward, desperate to demand what was going on. “Dominic! My ‘poor girl’ bet expires next month. If you keep clinging to me then, I won’t be so nice!” What ‘poor girl’ bet? Seraphina’s words froze me in my tracks. Dominic shrugged nonchalantly. “Why are you mad at me? Isn’t this your family’s bet?” “I don’t necessarily think you’ll win. Who knows, maybe once you’re tired of playing with Julian, you’ll come home and fulfill your engagement to marry me?” Seraphina scoffed. “Delusional! Julian will always be my only husband!” I stared at Seraphina in shock, but her gaze didn’t shift an inch. Even if someone stood directly in front of me, she’d only need to turn her head slightly to see me, the “only husband” she spoke of. But she didn’t spare me even a glance. Instead, she walked past me, chin held high, with an arrogant demeanor I’d never seen from her before. Soon, Seraphina and Dominic entered the glass-walled office just a few feet from me. Their conversation inside was clearly audible. “Miss Sterling, the victim’s family is here. Would you like to meet them?” I couldn’t help but look at Seraphina. Her legs were crossed, propped on the coffee table, her eyes closed as she massaged her temples. “No need! These poor people, once they get involved, they stick to you like superglue! Can’t you even handle this small matter?” Seraphina’s dismissive attitude instantly ignited my fury. Just as I was about to burst in and confront her directly. Dominic’s voice drifted into my ears. A slight smirk on his lips, he said, “Sera, I have a great idea. Let Julian pay the money back. If he doesn’t help you, you lose the bet.” Seraphina opened her eyes and glanced at Dominic, scoffing. “Don’t dream about it. Julian has stayed by my side all these years, even when I was faking poverty and illness. I don’t want to bother him with something like this!” Dominic didn’t get angry, just clicked his tongue. “I wonder if you’re just scared. Is Julian really incapable of coming up with a million dollars for you?” I couldn’t listen anymore. But as soon as I took a step, a sweet, metallic taste filled my throat, and after spitting out a mouthful of blood, I passed out cold. Seraphina’s voice pulled me back to reality. She held me in her arms, speaking softly. “Julian, I accidentally ran over someone last night while making a delivery. They’re demanding an exorbitant sum, saying if I don’t pay, they’ll make me go to jail.” I stared at her, my eyes bloodshot. “But you can’t drive, can you? How could you hit someone?” Seraphina’s eyes darted away, her voice tinged with guilt. “I didn’t want to stay in bed, being a burden to you. I wanted to earn some money to send Chloe to enrichment classes.” Tears instantly welled up in my eyes, but I swallowed them back. I abruptly pulled Seraphina closer, pressing her. “Seraphina! Then I ask you, do you know who you hit?” Hearing this, Seraphina frowned, displeased. “What’s wrong with you? Why are you so emotional?” Looking at the indifferent expression on Seraphina’s face, a raging fire burned in my chest. At this moment, I began to doubt myself, wondering if I had ever truly known the woman I married! “Seraphina!! I ask you! Do you know *who* you hit?!” My emotions were completely out of control now, unstoppable tears bursting forth with my trembling voice. “I think it was an old woman and a little girl. I figured they just wanted to extort money from me.” I didn’t miss the fleeting look of disdain that flashed in her eyes. All my strength drained away in an instant. I said weakly, “Seraphina, I don’t have the money for you.” This was the first time I had ever refused Seraphina’s request. Her face instantly soured, visibly hardening. She stood up abruptly. “Are you really that unwilling to part with a million dollars? Are you just going to stand there and watch me go to jail?! I’m your wife!” In that moment, I suddenly wanted to rip off her disguise. The Sterling family was one of the wealthiest and most influential families in the city. A mere million dollars, what did that amount to in her eyes? “Seraphina, my mom…” Before I could finish, Seraphina impatiently cut me off. “It’s always your mom! How tired could your mom be?! She sits and does intricate needlework all day! She sells it to rich people, adds her pension, and a million should be easy, right?” Watching Seraphina storm out, slamming the door, all the strength drained from my body. I collapsed onto the floor, biting my teeth, silently sobbing. Tears mingled with the blood at the corner of my lips. Before my eyes, I saw my mother and daughter’s tragic deaths, lying in pools of blood, intermingling with seven years of my life with Seraphina, making me question what was real and what was false. Not long after, the doorbell rang.

Mrs. Henderson, our next-door neighbor, saw me when I opened the door, and a look of pleasant surprise crossed her face. “Julian! Not working today? Where’s Chloe? Look what I brought for your little one!” “This paint set is a reward for Chloe! Chloe loves to paint, doesn’t she?” “Oh, and where are your mom and Chloe?” Mrs. Henderson held a back support belt, peering into the house, searching for my mom and Chloe. My throat tightened, and I bit down hard, fighting back tears. “What’s wrong? Julian, why are you crying?” The smile slowly faded from Mrs. Henderson’s face. As if sensing something, her eyes instantly reddened. She looked at me in disbelief, as if hoping for a different answer from my words. “Mrs. Henderson, my mom and Chloe already…” I closed my eyes for a moment, finally uttering the answer. “…are gone.” “What happened?!” Mrs. Henderson cried out in alarm, the gift in her hand falling heavily to the floor. Hearing Mrs. Henderson’s sobs, my own tears couldn’t be held back. I choked out, “A car accident.” I couldn’t bring myself to look up, my shoulders shaking as I quietly wept. A pair of warm arms wrapped around me. Mrs. Henderson wailed, cursing, “That heartless monster! Your mom never even got to enjoy life, and Chloe was so young…” “Oh, does Seraphina know?” The question felt like a sharp blade piercing my heart. Under Mrs. Henderson’s concerned gaze, I slowly shook my head. “She doesn’t know.” Even now, Seraphina had no idea she’d gotten drunk and killed my mom and Chloe. Thinking of this, I could no longer control the grief in my heart and sobbed like a child. After Mrs. Henderson left, I buried my head in my pillow and cried for a long time, until I received a message from the funeral home. Five hundred thousand. Looking at that astronomical sum and my bank account balance, I felt utterly desperate. Where was I going to find five hundred thousand dollars for my mom and Chloe’s burial? As I scrolled through my phone book, trying to find someone I could borrow money from, Seraphina’s call came in. “Don’t let Mom and Chloe work late tonight. I’ll be home early to celebrate Chloe’s birthday.” My mind was still on that five hundred thousand dollars. After a moment of hesitation, I asked, “Seraphina, do you have five hundred thousand?” A long silence on the other end of the line. Finally, she spoke. “Julian, are you kidding me? Where would *I* get money? Didn’t all my wages go to buying things for Chloe and Mom?” There wasn’t a hint of guilt in Seraphina’s voice. She’d told the lie so many times, she even believed it herself. Tears brimmed in my eyes. Suddenly, I cried out loudly, “Seraphina!! You’re lying to me! You do! You clearly do! You just don’t want to give it to me!” Seraphina’s voice rose several octaves. She snapped angrily, “Julian! What are you doing?! What kind of person do you take me for? If I had the money, do you think I wouldn’t give it to you? Who’s been feeding you lies?!” “Please! Can you stop making things difficult for me?!” Oh, “stop making things difficult for me,” indeed! With that, she hastily hung up the phone. To gather enough money for my mom and Chloe’s burial plot, I couldn’t afford to wallow in my grief. I had to rush to the agreed-upon workplace. Encased in a thick mascot costume, I was led into a private room, clumsily swaying my limbs to the music. After my performance, laughter erupted from around the room. “How’s it, Sera? The birthday gift I prepared for your Chloe in advance, pretty good, right?” “Sera dotes on her daughter like the apple of her eye. All the money she earns by humbling herself, she spends on her mother-in-law and daughter.”

It was stiflingly hot inside the mascot suit, yet I felt as if I’d plunged into an ice bath. It was only then that I saw her. In the enormous room, Seraphina was sprawled lazily on the couch, carelessly swirling the wine in her glass, like an untouchable queen. “Looks alright. I’ll call my daughter and ask if she likes it.” As Seraphina picked up her phone, my daughter’s unique ringtone sounded in my ears. But soon, her brows furrowed, and her eyes instantly filled with confusion and worry, because Seraphina had called Chloe several times, but the calls went straight to voicemail. My whole body trembled, tears streaming down my face. Seraphina, you killed our daughter! You’ll never reach this number again! Dominic was close to me. Hearing my fingernails scratch against the mascot suit, he glanced at me. “Sera! You have such incredible patience, pretending to be poor and sick for seven years, tricking Julian, a brilliant graduate from a top university, into slaving away for you, while you, an heiress, condescended to play house with them.” Seraphina scoffed. “Once I win the bet, I’ll bring them back to the Sterling estate. They won’t have to suffer anymore.” Catching the hint of guilt in Seraphina’s voice, I looked at her sharply. “Now you’re putting on the act of a good wife and mother. But why didn’t you give Julian money when he asked you for it just now?” “Why are you meddling in my affairs? If he’s asking for my help, it must be because my mother-in-law’s condition has worsened.” Seraphina’s tone was assertive. “Next month, I’ll find the best doctors to cure my mother-in-law!” “His mom is sick, how could he possibly help you pay?” Dominic’s laughter grated on my ears. Seraphina looked embarrassed. “He *will* help me! If you don’t believe me, I can call him right now and ask him for the money!” My mind went blank. I instinctively raised my clumsy arm, trying to find my phone. It wasn’t until I heard the busy signal that I realized I’d left my phone in my bag before work. “Damn it! What time is it, and he’s not answering my calls!” Dominic casually glanced at me. “That’s why I say, all poor people are the same. What’s love in the face of money? There are plenty of people who would sell their dignity.” Seraphina’s eyes grew colder and colder. Suddenly, she stood up and walked over to me. The next second, her cold eyes stared directly at me, as if piercing through the bulky mascot suit to see my face. Had she finally recognized me?! Just as tears streamed down my face and I prepared to rip off the mascot head to demand what I meant to her, she suddenly spoke. “Would *you* sell your dignity for money?” My hand slowly dropped. I said nothing. Seraphina pulled a stack of money from a nearby box and slapped it against my face. “Get down on your knees!” She yanked my arm, a cold smile on her face, and dumped the entire box of money over my head. Under her icy gaze, I slowly bent down, kneeling before her to pick up the scattered banknotes. I had no reason to refuse this money. With this money, I could buy a better burial plot for my mom and Chloe. “See? Typical poor people, they pick up money the moment they see it! Hey, let me ask you, if I gave you money and told you to die, would you just obediently do it?” “But Julian is different from you! He’s with me only because he loves me, not for money, so whatever I say, he’ll believe it!” I lifted my head, meeting Seraphina’s eyes through the mascot head. I chuckled self-mockingly. “You’re right!” I *am* one of those poor people you talk about! For money, I can also sell my dignity! The moment Seraphina heard my voice, her pupils constricted, and she instinctively reached to pull off my mascot head. But I didn’t dodge. In fact, I was almost looking forward to seeing her reaction when she saw who was under the mask. Dominic pressed down on her hand, scoffing playfully, “Sera, Julian might have upset you, but you shouldn’t take it out on a mascot, should you?” Seraphina angrily yanked her hand away from Dominic’s grasp and glared at me. “Now get lost.” Seraphina didn’t come home that night. It wasn’t until the next morning that I received a text from her. “Julian, my condition relapsed yesterday, and I fainted and was taken to the hospital. I just woke up.” “How’s Mom’s condition? And have you collected enough money for me?” This wasn’t the first time Seraphina had used this excuse for staying out all night. Expressionless, I packed all my belongings and shipped them away, then headed to the address Seraphina’s assistant had given me. As I walked into the high-end restaurant, I immediately spotted Seraphina’s familiar back in the distance. Chloe’s phone watch in my pocket was still buzzing. Seraphina had been calling it incessantly since yesterday evening.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “297041”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #浪漫Romance #现实主义Realistic