A Tale of Two Sisters: Reborn My sister and I were given a second chance at life on the day our parents divorced. Once again, my sister rushed into the arms of our future millionaire father. “Mom’s love is the most precious, I’ll let my sister have it!” she said sweetly. But as I looked at my seemingly gentle mother, who would jump from a high-rise building with me ten years later, I suddenly broke out in a cold sweat. Opening my eyes again, I found myself back on the day of my parents’ divorce. Stella suddenly pushed me aside and threw herself into Dad’s arms. She looked back at me coldly, but her words were sweet and soft: “Mom’s love is the most precious, I’ll let my sister have it.” I instinctively turned around and shuddered at the sight of Mom sitting in the shadow of the sofa. She was wearing a plain white dress, her face unclear, like a merciful Buddha statue. Hearing Stella’s words, she seemed unsurprised and beckoned to me. “Alright, Lily, come here.” Stella and I are sisters. In my previous life, after our parents divorced, I went with Mom, a highly educated violinist, while Stella went with our good-for-nothing father. But unexpectedly, fortunes c ed. The good-for-nothing became the richest man in A City, and Stella transformed into an elegant little princess adored by all. Meanwhile, Mom injured her hand and could no longer play the violin. Our family fell into poverty, and she gradually became mentally unstable. In her delirium, she eventually lost control and jumped from a high-rise building with me— The intense pain of falling from the building was still coursing through my body. Now, Mom’s cold, merciful face alternated in my mind with her disheveled, blood-stained face from ten years later— I couldn’t help but let out a sharp cry of rejection: “No! I want to go with Dad, together with my sister!” Mom’s hand hovered over my shoulder. She froze, asking uncertainly, “Lily, what did you say?” At this time, Mom was still the lead violinist of the A City Orchestra, pursued by countless admirers, while Dad was just a middle school dropout without a job. She couldn’t understand why I would give up going with her to choose that good-for-nothing father. Dad rubbed his hands together, calling out to me excitedly, “Lily? My good girl, come with me, that’s right…” He started walking towards me— “No way!” Stella clung tightly to Dad, shaking his arm and pleading, though her eyes were cold as she looked at me, “I’m Daddy’s little princess, Daddy said he likes me the most!” Dad tried to reason with Stella, “It’s not that I don’t want you, how about both Stella and Lily come with Dad?” “No.” Stella pouted and started crying crocodile tears, “I want Dad’s exclusive love, Dad can only have me…” Stella had always been more like Dad, with the same phoenix eyes and quick wit, while I was more like Mom – quiet but better at studying. Dad had always preferred Stella. Hearing his daughter’s coquettish words, his eyes lit up with pleasure, and he stopped moving towards me. I panicked: “Dad…” But my weak voice was drowned out by Stella’s cries. Dad was busy comforting Stella, holding her in his arms and wiping away her tears. I stood in the corner, enviously watching them, as if seeing through this scene to their flower-strewn life in the next ten years. Stella’s eyes inadvertently met mine, and those eyes showed no childish naivety or innocence, only malicious satisfaction and mockery— “Sister, you still can’t beat me.” This wasn’t right… In the previous life, although Stella had also chosen Dad, she hadn’t been so resistant to me. Her eyes looking at Mom and me had once been full of envy. I watched Stella’s small hand tightly gripping Dad’s clothes, And came to an absurd conclusion— Stella… had also been reborn! Standing at the desolate doorway with a heavy backpack, Mom was frowning as she tried to hail a taxi. I secretly looked back; through the window, I could see the warm light inside. The despised good-for-nothing dad was combing Stella’s hair. His eyes were gentle, his movements careful, afraid of hurting Stella. Even after becoming the richest man in A City, I heard that when it came to matters concerning Stella, Dad always handled them personally. So, as soon as Stella shed a tear, Dad unhesitatingly gave up on me— Still couldn’t manage to go with Dad… I struggled to adjust the shoulder strap of my backpack, my nose tingling. “Lily, get in the car.” Mom’s cold voice interrupted my thoughts. I got into the car. From the corner of my eye, I could see Mom sitting straight. She was always like this; even when we later fell into poverty, her neck was always proudly raised like a swan’s. But a swan’s feathers can’t be eaten. I unconsciously rubbed my palm, feeling a smooth texture, only to remember that I was still a child, not yet having to wash dishes at small restaurants to supplement our income like in my previous life. The cold water in the small restaurant’s kitchen was biting, painfully cold. In my previous life, I had developed thick chilblains. Mom and I moved into her pre-marriage small apartment. The apartment was in disrepair, with a thick layer of dust on the dust covers. Mom pushed a box of instant noodles in front of me, rubbing her temples, looking very tired. “Lily, eat.” I lowered my head and stirred with the disposable spoon. The noodles had been soaking too long, looking pale and unappetizing, with oil floating on the surface making me nauseous. I couldn’t help but think of visiting Dad’s house in my previous life. Dad, wearing an apron, cooking for Stella – braised prawns, cola chicken wings, fish soup, and carefully ar ed fresh fruits. Tears dripped into the instant noodle cup. Why, why couldn’t Dad take both of us? Why did Stella have to drive me away? She had already been a pampered little princess for years, why couldn’t she give me even a little sweetness? The feeling of grievance gradually consumed me. “Lily, I’m starting a tour tomorrow. You’ll stay at your uncle’s house, and I’ll come back to pick you up when it’s over.” Tour? I wiped my tears with the back of my hand and boldly asked, “Mom, can I not go to Uncle’s house? I want to go with you.” Mom glanced at me and sneered. “Didn’t you want to go with your dad? Why do you want to come with me now?” I didn’t know how to answer. “Alright, I’ll only be gone for half a month. I’ll come back to pick you up in half a month.” Before I could respond, Mom got up and went into the bedroom, closing the door with a ” “. In my previous life, for this tour, Mom also said half a month, but in reality, she was gone for a year. When she came back to pick me up a year later, her hand was injured, and she had lost her job. The once favored violinist of the orchestra had become a fallen dog overnight. After that, Mom, who was already lonely and sensitive, became even more unpredictable in her moods. She never allowed anyone to mention that accidental injury and didn’t give me a good face either. If… if that accident hadn’t happened, even if I couldn’t become a little princess like Stella, at least our lives wouldn’t have been so miserable. The violin was Mom’s soul, I didn’t dare to suggest she give up the tour. I paced in the living room, finally wrote a note saying “Be careful”, and slipped it into Mom’s bag. I thought that when I woke up early the next morning, I must plead with Mom face to face again, to take me along. Having an extra pair of eyes watching at the scene would always be an extra hope. 3 I fell asleep in anxiety. In my dream, Mom’s eyes were streaming with bloody tears, staring at me intently, both resentful and relieved. She was crying and laughing, her white long dress covered in filth. But I didn’t expect Mom to leave without saying goodbye in the middle of the night. The next day when I opened my eyes, I heard Uncle calling my name from outside the room, “Lily, your mom has gone on tour, come home with me—” While eating after school, I overheard Uncle and Aunt chatting. Uncle was a police officer and knew a lot of information in his daily life. “I heard that Robert got a big business deal, working for the Walker family’s eldest son.” “He’s probably bluffing. How could someone with such a useless face do big business? If we had known earlier, we wouldn’t have agreed to let Natalie marry him…” Natalie is my mom, Natalie . My mom’s whole family looked down on Robert, that is, my dad. But only I knew that Robert wasn’t bluffing. He really did get a business deal from the big boss of A City. He did this deal very well and became the right-hand man of Mr. Walker overnight. The Robert they despised would cradle Stella in his arms, comb her hair, cook for her, buy her beautiful clothes, and would soon soar to great heights. While Natalie, who was considered “too good for Robert”, left without saying goodbye, abandoning her daughter who had just experienced her parents’ divorce at her uncle’s house. Uncle and Aunt were originally well-off, but they had no children. Over the years, they had been running around trying for IVF, almost emptying their savings, but still couldn’t fulfill their wish. Aunt’s face was long every day, and I was like a little chick living under someone else’s roof, cautious in everything. I lowered my head and angrily poked at the rice in my bowl. This family looks down on some and flatters others, not knowing Dad’s good qualities. I remembered that in my previous life, after Dad’s career took off, Uncle once took me to visit. By then, Mom’s wish to recover as a violinist had become an obsession, but we couldn’t afford the expensive surgery fees. We had no choice but to go to the Lin family for help. When we were invited in by the housekeeper, we only learned that Dad was on a business trip, and only Stella was at home. We wanted the Lin family to lend us some money, considering that they had kept the house when they divorced. I will never forget the arrogant and contemptuous look in Stella’s eyes when she said, “You looked down on my dad, and now you come begging for food. How shameless!” Uncle, who was over fifty, flushed red, and we left in embarrassment. But Dad was still kind. When he came home and heard about this, he sent us a million dollars through someone. He said we didn’t need to pay it back, just to use it. I was so grateful I didn’t know what to say. I excitedly took the money to find Mom, wanting to tell her that we finally had enough money for her treatment— But I was grabbed by Mom, whose eyes were desperate, and she jumped directly from the high-rise building… … After dinner, Uncle patted my head and sighed deeply. “Your mom will be back next week. She… has it tough, you should understand her more.” I remained silent. Uncle sighed again, “Lily, your mom still loves you very much, you’ll understand in the future.” How far in the future? In my previous life, ten years passed, and Mom still didn’t have a good face for me. Occasionally when she was in a good mood, she would speak to me gently for a few sentences, but soon after, she would have an emotional breakdown again. Those days of living with Mom in the apartment were like an endless nightmare, gray, absurd, and long-drawn. At night, the phone in the room suddenly shrilly. I answered groggily, and surprisingly, it was Stella’s voice on the other end— “Lily, find a way to stop Mom from participating in tomorrow’s performance—” 4 Psycho. I instinctively wanted to up the phone. “Lily, Mom can’t participate in tomorrow’s performance!” she repeated. Why? I frowned, trying to remember. The last performance of this tour was in C City, the climax of the entire tour. If I remember correctly, this performance also made a young starlet famous… Autumn . Also Stella’s future stepmother. I found my guess unbelievable, “Stella, are you crazy? You’d rather ruin your own mother’s performance to please your future stepmother?” Indeed, Stella was not only reborn, but she also knew that we both had a second chance at life. She wasn’t surprised at all by what I said, just impatiently repeated once more, “Don’t worry about that, just don’t let Mom participate in tomorrow’s performance. I’ll give you money, is a hundred thousand enough?” I laughed bitterly. How dare Stella, after stealing my life, come to me high and mighty asking for help, wanting me to intervene and stop Mom’s performance to please her stepmother. How shameless. “I won’t do it. If you want to do it, go find Mom yourself. I’m ing up—” “Don’t up!” Stella’s tone carried a hint of barely noticeable anxiety, “Mom won’t answer my calls, I can’t reach her…” “Lily, please help… This has nothing to do with Autumn .” Nothing to do with Autumn ? Then why is she so insistent on not letting Mom participate in tomorrow’s tour? What exactly is going to happen during tomorrow’s tour? In my previous life, Mom had always been secretive about that year of touring, never willing to tell me what happened. Even though I was reborn, I was still in the dark. I paused, “You can’t reach her, and I can’t either. Mom doesn’t like to be disturbed during her performances, you know that.” Disturbing Natalie during her performances and training would result in scolding. She might not even answer our calls at all. Both Stella and I knew this very well. There was silence on the other end for a few seconds, and when she spoke again, there was a hint of pleading in her voice. “You can do it… Pretend to be sick, pretend to be injured, whatever method you use, Mom will answer your call.” “Lily, please.” “You don’t want Mom’s hand to be injured again, do you?” —?!! I took a deep breath and asked with a trembling voice: “Is Mom’s accident tomorrow?” “Yes, so Lily, you must stop Mom.” After ing up the phone, my mind was in chaos. In my previous life, from the day our parents divorced, Stella and Mom never saw each other again. How did she know about Mom’s accident in another city? Can I trust her? But… what if what Stella said is true? Can I save Mom? From a young age, Mom had been traveling between various performances, rarely coming home to accompany us. We saw her more in performance videos than at home. She loved the violin more than her own life. When I was very young, I once had a high fever that wouldn’t break. Mom was called back from Beijing, and in my delirium in the hospital room, I heard my parents arguing. It was a very important apprenticeship opportunity for Mom, and because of me, she had missed it. Mom accused Dad of not taking good care of me at home. Their voices buzzed in my head, too unclear to hear properly, but I did hear Mom slam the door in anger as she left. Dad held my hand, muttering, “Are we, your family, really less important than your violin?” I felt so guilty that my heart ached. My thoughts returned to the present. Thinking about how angry Mom would be if she discovered I was faking illness, I felt uneasy. It’s okay, Lily. I comforted myself. After all… Mom might not even answer your call, and even if she did, she might not come back. “Beep, beep—” In the quiet of the night, I could hear my own clear heartbeat. At two in the morning, Mom answered. 5 “Lily, what’s wrong?” “Mom…” I’m not very good at lying, but thankfully, over the phone, she couldn’t see my panicked expression. I pressed my lips together. “Mom, I don’t feel well, I think I have a fever…” There was a sound of something breaking on the other end of the phone, “When did the fever start? How high is it? Where’s your uncle?” Her tone was quick, accompanied by the sound of high heels hitting the floor, as if she was pacing back and forth. “Probably in the evening… I’m not sure, I woke up feeling very hot on my face.” “Uncle… isn’t here.” I’m sorry, Uncle, I was afraid Mom would entrust me to you and not come back herself. After giving the reason, I immediately regretted it. Were the symptoms too mild? A fever and cold could be cured with some medicine. I felt frustrated, thinking I should have said I accidentally cut my hand, or accidentally broke my leg. “Don’t sleep, I’m calling for an ambulance now. There’s a digital thermometer in the first aid kit in the living room. Can you walk? Go and take your temperature.” I mechanically followed Mom’s instructions, went to the living room to get the thermometer, and only realized after putting it under my armpit— I didn’t have a fever, I was lying to Mom. The phone hadn’t been hung up, probably Mom was using someone else’s phone to call an ambulance. I suddenly felt a surge of absurdity from the bottom of my heart, very scared. Aunt suddenly burst in from outside, “Lily, your mom said you have a fever?” I opened my mouth, but my throat was so dry I couldn’t make a sound. “The ambulance will be here soon, don’t be afraid…” My breathing became a bit rapid, I felt very nervous, my heart pounding. Did I… make a mistake? The digital thermometer beeped. I took it out and looked. 38.1 degrees Celsius (100.6°F). Half an hour later, I was lying in a hospital bed. Five hours later, Mom appeared in front of me, with heavy dark circles under her eyes. She had borrowed a car and driven on the highway all night. Mom looked pale and exhausted, more like a patient than I did. She glanced at me, said nothing, and quickly turned to walk to the doctor’s office. My temperature had gone down by the time I reached the emergency room. I stared blankly at the stark white ceiling. I recognized the emergency room doctor from earlier. It was the same Dr. Wilson from when I had a fever as a child. The moment I saw him, fragments of memory collided violently in my mind, and I remembered some things— Dr. Wilson was Mom’s classmate. In my previous life, after Mom’s hand was disabled, he had come to visit us at home. I had eavesdropped on their conversation through the door crack. “Natalie, there’s a new treatment method from abroad that might be able to cure your hand. You finally have a chance to return to the stage.” “Thank you, but the surgery fee is too expensive, I can’t afford it. Besides, I have more important things…” “One million dollars should be enough for the treatment and follow-up care. I can help you apply for the project.” Back then, my focus was all on the surgery fee. I didn’t pay attention to the more important things Mom mentioned. What were those more important things? The memory seemed to be covered by a layer of frosted glass. My head was throbbing with pain. The thing that had made me so anxious didn’t happen. Mom gave up the second half of the tour and stayed home to accompany me. She didn’t question why I had lied. Until the orchestra called, the voice on the other end was chaotic, “Natalie, there’s been an accident during the performance! The center of the stage collapsed…” My heart was pounding wildly. “How’s your daughter? It’s a pity to give up this opportunity.” “…But it’s also good, you dodged a bullet!” Mom’s voice was faint, exc ing a few casual greetings before ing up the phone. She looked at me, her calm eyes showing no emotion. I was very uneasy, afraid that Mom would be angry because I had disrupted her performance, yet relieved that I had actually saved her. “What are you rolling your eyes about?” she suddenly asked. I blurted out instinctively: “Are you angry with me?” 6 Mom’s expression seemed to blank for a moment. She looked very confused, “Why would I be angry?” “Because I… you interrupted the tour…” Ms. Natalie rolled her eyes slightly, looking like she couldn’t be bothered to deal with me, and got up to the laundry. I sat on the sofa, lost in thought. “Lily, come help me hold the bedsheet.” Pulling at the corner of the half-dry bedsheet, my mind was wandering aimlessly when I suddenly felt this scene was fami . The sunlight slanted in through the window, casting a soft halo on Mom’s profile, softening her usual sharpness. I seem to have… helped Mom laundry many times. But I don’t remember. And Dr. Wilson, why did I only remember him at the hospital? We had met many times before. “Lily.” “…Huh?” Ms. Natalie looked a bit exasperated and impatient. “I’m not angry, and I won’t be angry.” She tugged at the corner of her mouth, shaking the bedsheet forcefully. “Lily, in the future, even if you’re not feeling well, you should call me immediately. Don’t think too much about other things, understand?” I dryly responded, “Oh, I understand.” “Your performance…” Mom interrupted me, “Missing one performance won’t affect my status, don’t worry unnecessarily.” But how did Stella know that Mom would have an accident during this performance? The performance accident from that year hadn’t leaked out at all. Even I, who was by her side, was kept in the dark until Mom came home a year later. I had tried to investigate on my own, but the accident seemed to have been deliberately hidden, and I found nothing. Perhaps only Stella knew what had happened. I called her many times. But st ely, after Mom came home, I could never get through to Stella’s phone again. Dad’s career had taken off, and they quickly moved to a villa in the city center. The person who answered the phone was a middle-aged woman who introduced herself as Stella’s nanny. She said Stella had gone to a closed boarding school. The nanny tactfully told me that Stella was doing very well now, Robert also had a new girlfriend, and asked me not to disturb them anymore. That’s fine then. We ended up living completely different lives, just like in my previous life. Fortunately, Mom was healthy and hadn’t become depressed due to her hand injury. In fact, because she came home early, we had more time to spend together. Thinking of this, my fear of the future temporarily subsided. As for Stella, perhaps there were really some memories I had forgotten that she still remembered. Out of familial affection, she came to warn us. If there’s a chance in the future, I will repay her too. I won’t interfere with the little princess’s life. But four months later, on a deep night, I received another call from Stella. Unlike last time, her voice was very low, sneaky, and it sounded like she was in a very noisy place. “Lily, tell Mom not to go out recently, be careful of cars on the road, and don’t contact me!” “…Stella, what’s going on? Aren’t you at boarding school?” “Just do as I say, I… beep, beep, beep—” The phone suddenly cut off. Stella said not to contact her, so I didn’t dare call back. I had a vague feeling that doing so would cause trouble for her. If the first warning could be explained by retained memories from being reborn, then with the interruption of Mom’s performance, recent events could no longer be predicted through memory. Why would Stella still issue a warning to me? Was the accident really an accident? In the living room, Mom was packing her things to go to work. I jumped down and rushed out. “Mom—” 7

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By some strange twist of fate, I swapped bodies with the person who bullied me. I became the adored heiress of the Summers family, while she was stuck as the older sister in a family that drained her dry. Later, when she was slapped across the face and left crying on her knees, she begged me to switch back. SMACK! The moment I stepped into the classroom, a slap sent me stumbling backward. “How dare you even show your face here?” Maya Summers stood in the doorway, hands on her hips, glaring at me with pure disdain. “Why didn’t you pass me the answers during yesterday’s test?” I clutched my burning cheek and stammered, “The proctor was watching too closely. I couldn’t get the answers to you.” But Maya didn’t care about my excuses. All she cared about was her grades. How I managed to pass her the answers was my problem, not hers. A growing crowd of students gathered in the hallway, eagerly watching the drama unfold. My cheek throbbed with pain as I lowered my head and muttered, “I’m sorry, Maya. I’ll do better next time.” Hearing my apology, Maya’s expression softened slightly. She scoffed, spun around, and returned to her seat. I tried to follow her into the classroom, but her sidekick, Rainie, blocked my path. Rainie smirked and poked me hard in the forehead with her manicured finger. “You better be grateful Maya let you off easy. If this happens again, you’ll regret it.” Satisfied with her intimidation, she turned on her heel and strutted back to her seat. Only then was I finally able to walk into the classroom. As I passed by, the class representative muttered under her breath, loud enough for me to hear: “Getting slapped like that and still apologizing like a dog. Do you have no self-respect?” My fists clenched tightly at my sides, shaking with frustration. I wanted to fight back. But Maya’s family was filthy rich, and her uncle was the school’s vice principal. And me? I lived in a run-down neighborhood on the outskirts of town. My mom had drilled it into me from a young age: “Keep your head down at school. Don’t cause trouble.” With a deep sigh, I unclenched my fists and returned to my seat. After a long day of classes, the teachers handed out their usual piles of homework. As usual, Maya tossed her worksheets onto my desk. She pulled a $20 bill out of her designer bag and threw it in my face. “You know the drill: do mine first, then do yours.” I nodded, silently gathering her papers into my bag. When I got home that evening, I barely had time to close the door before my mom slapped me across the face—right on the same cheek Maya had hit earlier. The sting of the slap brought tears to my eyes as I felt the fresh handprint bloom over the already swollen skin. “Well, well, Ashley,” my mom sneered, “what kind of trash have you been learning at school? Stealing money now, are we?” My heart sank when I saw the piggy bank in her hand. That was my money, all the cash I’d earned from part-time jobs. I’d hidden it carefully in my room. How had she found it? “Your brother found this while cleaning your room,” she spat. “I didn’t raise you to be a thief!” I glanced toward the living room, where my little brother sat on the couch playing video games. His smug grin made my blood boil. The handheld console in his hands? He’d begged me to buy it for him, and I’d refused. I snatched the piggy bank from my mom and shook it. Sure enough, a large chunk of my money was missing. Pointing an accusing finger at my brother, I shouted, “You stole my money to buy that stupid game!” My mom turned to him, her expression uncertain. But he didn’t miss a beat. “That’s my money from my part-time job. What’s your problem?” he said, feigning innocence. Then he added, “Actually, that money isn’t even hers—it’s yours, Mom! She probably stole it from you!” My mom’s face darkened with fury. She snatched the piggy bank back from me and screamed, “Caught red-handed, and now you’re trying to frame your brother? You’ve really lost it, Ashley!” Reaching behind the door, she grabbed a metal hanger and swung it at my legs. The pain was so intense that my knees buckled, and I collapsed to the floor. My brother, now towering over me, smirked and adjusted his seat so he was sitting directly in front of where I knelt. All I could do was grit my teeth and bury the burning humiliation deep inside.

The Beating Continued Like a Storm of Blows I tried to explain through the pain that the money was mine, earned from working part-time jobs. But of course, my mom didn’t believe me. She’d rather trust my lazy, good-for-nothing brother than me. I don’t know how long it went on, but eventually, she stopped. She took all my money and told me to get up and cook dinner. Dragging my bruised body, I forced myself to finish the chores—cooking, cleaning, laundry—before I finally sat down to do my homework. By the time I finished one set of assignments, it was already 1 a.m. I stared at the two identical stacks of homework on my desk—my own and Maya Summers’. The events of the day replayed in my mind, and I couldn’t help it anymore. For the first time, I wrote my name on the completed assignment meant for her. As soon as I did it, my heart pounded with fear. But… there was also a thrill, a spark of vengeance. The feeling didn’t last long. A few seconds later, I sighed, picked up the second set of blank worksheets, and started working again. At some point, exhaustion overtook me. I must’ve fallen asleep at my desk because the next thing I knew, my alarm was blaring. 6:30 a.m. Panic surged through me as I realized several pages of Maya’s homework were still blank. If she found out I hadn’t finished, I was dead. I grabbed my pen to start writing, but before I could, the door burst open. My brother stood there, arms crossed, barking, “Hurry up and make breakfast! I’m starving!” Behind him, my mom’s dark, angry face loomed. Under their suffocating pressure, I had no choice but to drop everything and head to the kitchen. By the time I finished cooking and cleaning up after them, there wasn’t a second left to spare. I stuffed my things into my bag and sprinted to school, barely avoiding being late. When I entered the classroom, Maya was already glaring at me. “You’re late. What took you so long?” she snapped. Before I could answer, she demanded, “Where’s my homework?” Instinctively, I clutched my bag to my chest, stammering as I hesitated to hand it over. Her eyes narrowed. Without another word, she yanked my bag out of my hands and rifled through it. When she pulled out her unfinished worksheets, her expression darkened into something terrifying. “You’ve got to be kidding me. I paid you, and this is what I get?” She waved the papers in the air, then slapped me across the face, hard. Grabbing a fistful of my hair, she forced me to look at her. “Ashley, I didn’t know you had the guts to pull something like this.” The searing pain in my scalp brought tears to my eyes, but I couldn’t stop them from falling. The classroom fell silent as everyone turned to watch. From the back of the room, a few boys started jeering. “Get her, Maya! Teach her a lesson!” “Yeah, slap her again!” Fueled by their encouragement, Maya’s fury grew. She hit me two more times, each slap harder than the last. Her sidekick, Rainie, joined in by grabbing my homework and ripping it to shreds. I sat there, frozen, as sunlight streamed through the windows. The warmth of the sun felt mocking against the icy chill inside me. This wasn’t just a classroom anymore—it was a living hell. Images of the past few months flashed through my mind: The money I’d worked so hard to save, stolen by my mother. Her baseless accusations. The bruises on my body. I knew she didn’t actually believe I was a thief. She just needed an excuse to take what was mine and claim it as hers. The thought ignited something inside me—a fire that burned hotter and brighter with every passing second. Before I knew it, I shoved Maya away with all my strength. She stumbled backward, her face twisting with shock. At the same time, I saw Rainie raising her hand to slap me again. I braced myself, squeezing my eyes shut. But the blow never came. Instead, I heard a sharp cry of pain. Opening my eyes, I saw something that made my blood run cold. I was sitting on the ground, but Maya—Maya was clutching her face, looking terrified. Even stranger, she was wearing my clothes. And… she looked exactly like me. I glanced down at myself and froze. The short skirt Maya had been wearing earlier was now on me. Rainie rushed to my side, concern etched across her face. “Maya, are you okay?!” Maya? Wait… What the hell just happened?

Rainie Called Me… Maya? I stared at my hands in shock. They were smooth, soft, and unblemished—so different from my own calloused hands, roughened by endless chores like cooking and scrubbing. These weren’t my hands. It hit me like a freight train: somehow, I had swapped bodies with Maya Summers. I looked up and saw Maya—well, my body—staring back at me with wide, horrified eyes. Rainie, oblivious to what had happened, shot her—no, me—a scolding glare. “Ashley, what’s with that look? Do you want another beating or something?” That confirmed it. Instead of fear, a wave of exhilaration rushed through me. I wasn’t the Ashley everyone bullied anymore. The bell rang, and Rainie grabbed my arm—well, Maya’s arm—guiding me back to her seat. “Don’t stress over it, Maya,” she said soothingly. “Your uncle’s the principal. One missed assignment won’t matter. We’ll deal with Ashley after school.” Hearing the words “deal with Ashley,” my body froze instinctively. Rainie noticed and frowned. “What’s wrong, Maya?” I shook my head quickly, pretending nothing was wrong. Sitting in Maya’s seat, I pulled out a mirror from her desk. The face staring back at me was hers—Maya’s. “Ah!” A scream erupted from the front of the classroom. Maya—no, my body—was staring into a mirror of her own. The teacher slammed a ruler onto the desk, glaring at her. “Ashley, stop yelling! If you disrupt my class again, get out!” Maya swallowed her anger and sat down, her lips trembling with frustration. A few minutes later, she scribbled a note and passed it to me. What’s going on? Did you cast some kind of spell on me?! I stared at her words, unsure how to respond. I didn’t have an answer either. When class ended, Maya—still in my body—was called to the teacher’s office. Meanwhile, her lackeys, Rainie and another girl, swarmed around me, excitedly asking how we should “punish” Ashley. I hesitated, unsure of what to say. I didn’t want to accidentally blow my cover, so I mimicked Maya’s usual demeanor as best I could. “Just handle it the same way as before,” I said casually, waving a hand. Their eyes lit up with excitement. Maya returned to the classroom just before the next lesson started. Her face—my face—was swollen and red, her expression full of barely contained rage. It was almost funny watching her try to look menacing with my bruised and puffy features. She glared at me, as she always did. In the past, I would’ve immediately looked away, afraid to meet her gaze. But this time, I stared her down, head held high. Caught off guard, she faltered for a moment before stomping back to her desk. She opened the drawer to grab a book, but instead, her hand pulled out a dead rat. Her scream was ear-piercing. She flung the rat away in a panic—straight onto her deskmate’s lap, who cursed her out for it. Watching her flail around like that was oddly satisfying. Even though she was wearing my face, I couldn’t help but enjoy the moment. All day, Maya—trapped in my body—was berated, humiliated, and bullied. By the time school ended, it was clear she was finally relieved the day was over. But what she didn’t know was that this was just the beginning. Before she could confront me, Rainie and the other lackeys dragged her off to the back alley behind the school. I knew that alley well. It was the place where I’d been beaten and tormented countless times. A few older guys were waiting there—Maya’s “crew.” I recognized all of them. They’d been responsible for most of my bruises in the past. When they saw me, they immediately straightened up, their faces lighting up with fake smiles. “Maya! Glad you’re here,” one said, practically bowing. I nodded coolly and sat on the stone bench they’d wiped clean for me. Maya—still in my body—was held down by Rainie and the others. She thrashed and struggled, finally breaking free and crawling over to me. Her eyes were filled with hatred as she snarled, “What the hell is going on?! What did you do to me?!” Before she could touch my shoes, one of the guys yanked her back. “Whoa, whoa, whoa. What do you think you’re doing? Trying to suck up to Maya now?” Pinned to the ground, Maya looked up at me, her expression a mix of disbelief and rage. I stared down at her, letting a smirk curl across my lips. It was the same look she always gave me—mocking, condescending, and full of disgust. For the first time, Maya Summers was tasting what it felt like to be me.

I Turned Away, Leaving Maya to Her Fate I didn’t want to look at my old, pitiful face for another second. I gave Rainie a signal to handle the situation and turned to leave. Behind me, I could hear Maya—now trapped in my body—screaming like a madwoman. “Ashley! I don’t care what kind of witchcraft you used! You better watch your back!” I paused mid-step, turned around, and crouched down beside her. Grabbing her chin the same way she used to humiliate me, I leaned in close and whispered into her ear: “From now on, you’re Ashley. And I’ll be taking your place, living as the Summers family’s precious little princess.” The words felt like a release, like the weight of years of injustice was finally lifting off my chest. For the first time in forever, I felt light. Even my steps were bouncier as I left the alley. Outside, the Summers family’s chauffeur was waiting by a sleek black car. The moment he saw me, he straightened up and opened the door with a respectful bow. “Miss Summers.” I didn’t immediately head to the Summers estate. Instead, I decided to make a detour. Checking the time on my phone, I instructed the driver to take me back to my old home. When we arrived, I stayed outside, peering through the window. Maya, now stuck in my body, was kneeling on the floor in the middle of the room. In front of her stood my mom, holding a broom in one hand and the $20 bill Maya had thrown at me yesterday in the other. “What, stealing once wasn’t enough for you? Now you’re trying to do it again, huh?!” Maya didn’t even get a chance to explain before my mom began beating her with the broom. The blows rained down mercilessly as Maya screamed and cried, insisting the money was from a classmate. But my mom didn’t believe her—she never did. I watched through the window, feeling a strange mixture of satisfaction and pain. I knew exactly how Maya felt. I’d been through the same thing countless times—falsely accused, beaten, silenced. My body knew this routine all too well: flinching, twisting, trying to dodge the blows, knowing it was pointless to argue. Suddenly, as if sensing my presence, Maya—still in my body—turned her head sharply and looked straight at me. I snapped out of my thoughts and let a small, cold smile curl across my lips. This is what you deserve, Maya. You wanted my life? Go ahead. Enjoy it. With that, I turned back to the car and told the driver to take me to the Summers estate. Living as Maya Summers The Summers family estate was like something out of a movie—a sprawling mansion surrounded by perfectly manicured lawns and a fountain in the driveway. It was the kind of place I never even dared to dream of setting foot in. The moment I walked through the doors, a housekeeper rushed over to help me change my shoes. I wasn’t used to this level of attention and waved her off, insisting I could do it myself. But to my surprise, she immediately dropped to her knees, trembling. “Miss Summers, I’m sorry! Please don’t fire me! I promise I’ll do better next time!” Her panicked reaction caught me off guard. I quickly crouched down, helping her up as I asked, “What’s wrong? Why are you apologizing?” It took a lot of reassurance before she stopped shaking. With her head lowered, she explained, “You always let me help you with your shoes. But now you won’t let me. I thought… I thought you were unhappy with me…” I realized then just how spoiled and cruel Maya had been. Even something as small as refusing help sent the staff into a panic. Just as I was about to reassure her further, a voice from the living room cut through the air. “Go to HR and collect your paycheck. You’re done here.” It was Maya’s father. He hadn’t even looked up from his newspaper as he delivered the cold dismissal. I froze, unsure of how to respond. Part of me wanted to plead for the housekeeper, but I quickly caught myself. If I acted out of character, Mr. Summers might suspect something was wrong. Swallowing my words, I gave the housekeeper an apologetic look as she quietly left, tears streaming down her face. “Miss Summers, dinner is ready,” a young woman called out from the dining room. I recognized her from school. She was Maya’s mom. “Coming, Mom,” I said, trying to mimic Maya’s usual tone. I dropped my school bag onto the couch and walked toward the dining room. But as I entered, I froze. The entire family was seated, their eyes all fixed on me. Especially Mrs. Summers. Her gaze was intense, almost as if she could see through me. A chill ran down my spine, and cold sweat prickled at the back of my neck. Had I done something wrong? Had they already noticed something was off? Sitting at the Dinner Table Mrs. Summers served me a bowl of rice as I nervously ate, my eyes darting around to gauge everyone’s expressions. Mr. Summers seemed to be in a good mood. He even added some food to my plate a few times, telling me to eat more. But Mrs. Summers… her gaze was different. Throughout the meal, she kept staring at me, her expression unreadable, yet heavy with suspicion. It made my skin crawl, like she could see straight through me—as though she knew that despite looking like Maya Summers, inside, I was Ashley. After dinner, Mr. Summers left to work on some business matters, and I stayed behind to help Mrs. Summers clean up. I was carefully carrying the last plate when she suddenly leaned in close, inspecting me from head to toe.

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My obnoxious roommate recently started dating a “rich boy” and made it her life’s mission to target me. She stole my scholarship and even rallied a mob to harass me online. “Tsk, tsk, the ‘top student of the department’ won’t even donate when a classmate’s family is in need. My boyfriend donated a whole million dollars!” I was speechless. The anonymous $1 million donation… was actually from me. She wasn’t satisfied with just the online harassment and decided to show off her boyfriend to intimidate me. Wait a second—wasn’t that my family’s security guard? And when exactly did he start driving my car to pick up girls? My roommate, Rachel, had been showing off her “rich boyfriend” non-stop lately. “Look at the Cartier bracelet he just gave me,” she said, holding up her wrist so the sunlight reflected off the bracelet like a dazzling beam of light. “Wow, that must’ve cost a fortune! Your boyfriend is so good to you,” one of our roommates exclaimed. “Totally! Rachel, does your boyfriend have any single friends? Hook us up!” The other roommates surrounded her, showering her with compliments until her face bloomed with pride. Rachel, clearly enjoying the attention, casually handed out branded makeup products from her collection to the others. The room was filled with gasps and flattery as they fawned over her generosity. I sat in the corner reading a book, ignoring the commotion. Rachel noticed and frowned. “Chloe, what do you think of my Cartier bracelet? It’s 100% solid gold—not like that cheap silver bracelet you always wear.” I glanced at her bracelet, instantly recognizing it as a knockoff. The “silver bracelet” on my wrist? It was actually a limited-edition Tiffany piece, understated but worth more than her entire outfit. Still, I didn’t want to embarrass her. “It’s nice,” I said calmly. “My bracelet’s nothing special.” Rachel’s mood lifted at my response, and her frown dissolved into a smug grin. She walked over and slammed my book shut. “Seriously, Chloe, you should invest in some real jewelry. Standing next to me with that thing? You’re making me look bad.” I sighed inwardly. Rachel’s family wasn’t well-off. They weren’t even middle-class. Before she met her “rich boyfriend,” she’d been wearing $10 t-shirts with worn-out jeans. Now, she acted like she’d forgotten where she came from. I gave her a polite nod, pretending to agree, while mentally trying to figure out which page I’d left off on. Our other roommate, Lily, looped her arm through Rachel’s and said sweetly, “Rachel, don’t bother with her. You two are on completely different levels. Let’s grab dinner tonight, and you can tell me more about your boyfriend.” Rachel glanced at her, then raised her voice dramatically. “Sorry, no can do. I’m meeting my boyfriend tonight!” A flicker of jealousy flashed across Lily’s face, but she quickly masked it. “Must be at some fancy restaurant, huh? Don’t forget to post pictures on Instagram.” Rachel didn’t respond, too busy applying makeup in front of the mirror. She put on the only dress in her wardrobe that cost more than $100, then strutted out of the dorm like a proud peacock. That evening, as I sat in the dorm happily eating spicy hot pot takeout, Lily suddenly let out a shriek. “Rachel just posted on Instagram! Look—foie gras, caviar, red wine, steak… oh my god!” The other roommates rushed over to see her post, leaving me with my hot pot. Lily glanced at me disdainfully. “Some people get to wear fancy dresses and go on romantic dates with rich guys. Others…” She sneered at my hot pot. “…are stuck eating $5 takeout. Life just isn’t fair, is it?” I paused, chopsticks halfway to my mouth, and looked at her. What’s wrong with eating hot pot? How does it bother her? When I didn’t respond, Lily shoved her phone in my face. “Look! Rachel and her boyfriend are so perfect for each other.” I glanced at the photo, and my interest was instantly piqued. The “rich boyfriend” in the picture? That was my family’s newly hired security guard. Here’s a little backstory: My dad got rich after winning the lottery, using the money to kickstart his first business. Since then, his investments had snowballed, turning him into one of the wealthiest people in Ashbourne City. Growing up, I’d been chauffeured to school in luxury cars, and my school uniform was paired with the latest designer collections. But all that attention came with risks—I was almost kidnapped once. The incident scared my dad so much that he insisted I keep a low profile in college. Even though he bought me a private villa near campus, he told me to live in the dorms to avoid drawing attention. So here I was, wearing plain clothes and pretending to be ordinary. The truth? Even my “cheapest” outfits cost at least $300. When I first arrived on campus, I made the mistake of wearing a designer outfit. My classmates immediately recognized its value. To avoid standing out, I told them it was a knockoff. From then on, I was labeled as someone who liked fake luxury goods. I didn’t mind. I was here to study, not impress anyone. My dad, who hadn’t gone to college, was obsessed with education. “Chloe, we’re poor in everything but money. You better study hard and make me proud!” Our house had an entire wall covered with my awards and certificates—worth only a few dollars each but priceless to my dad. Back to Rachel’s “boyfriend.” A few months ago, one of our security guards quit, recommending his nephew for the job. His nephew seemed hardworking, so I approved the hire. Who would’ve thought he’d turn around and pretend to be a rich kid to date Rachel? As my roommates huddled around Rachel’s Instagram post, I leaned back and thought about what to do next.

Rachel came back from her date decked out in a knockoff Chanel outfit, lugging a pile of gifts. She began unwrapping them one by one, making the rest of the roommates green with envy. “Rachel, your Chanel outfit looks amazing!” “Wow, is that Gucci perfume? Can I hold it for a second? It’s so expensive!” “Rachel, I’m so jealous. You must’ve had dinner at a five-star hotel last night, right?” Rachel’s smug smile didn’t leave her face for a second. She glanced at me out of the corner of her eye before pulling out a bag from her pile of gifts and holding it up. “Chloe,” she said, “didn’t you say you also have this same Hermès bag? Why don’t you take it out so we can compare?” I took out my earbuds, about to respond, but Rachel didn’t give me the chance. She went straight to my closet, opened it without asking, and pulled out my Hermès “picnic” bag. She placed the two bags side by side. I looked at my now messy closet and frowned. Just as I was about to snap at her, Rachel raised her voice deliberately. “Oh wow, Chloe, why does your bag look so different from mine?” The difference was obvious. Rachel’s bag was brighter in color, the edges were thicker, and the texture was unnaturally smooth with fewer grains. As the other roommates gathered around, Rachel put on an exaggerated look of surprise. “How could they be different? My boyfriend got me this as a date gift. And yours? Oh right, you said you brought it from home, didn’t you?” Lily, ever eager to join the drama, chimed in with a smirk. “Remember when Chloe first came to school wearing knockoff designer clothes? It’s no surprise her bag’s fake too. It can’t compare to Rachel’s bag!” “Chloe,” she added condescendingly, “you really shouldn’t rely on fake bags. I mean, you can’t change your family background, but being materialistic and pretending to be rich will only make it harder for you to face reality.” Rachel smirked at Lily approvingly, then turned to me. “I just don’t want a roommate with ‘questionable morals,’ you know?” I looked at the pair of them, their little back-and-forth act, and honestly wanted to throw my purchase receipt in their faces. But then I remembered my dad’s constant reminder to stay low-key, and I forced myself to calm down. “Rachel,” I said, keeping my tone steady, “you think it’s ‘moral’ to go through someone’s closet without permission? And Lily, your shameless flattery is truly impressive.” Rachel let out a mocking laugh, then grabbed the scissors from my desk. “If I hadn’t checked your closet, I wouldn’t have discovered how obsessed you are with fake designer goods. Tell you what, Chloe, since we’re roommates, I’ll help you out and get rid of this counterfeit bag for you.” She raised the scissors, aiming them at my bag. Lily stepped forward, signaling a few other roommates to hold me back. I didn’t flinch, didn’t even blink. My voice remained calm. “Rachel, I don’t really care what you do. But if you so much as scratch that bag, you better be ready to pay up.” “Even if, hypothetically, my bag is a Hermès knockoff, it would still cost at least a couple of thousand dollars. Are you sure you can afford that?” “And you just started dating your boyfriend—you wouldn’t want to ask him for money because you destroyed your roommate’s stuff, would you?” Rachel hesitated, the scissors hovering midair. After a long pause, she lowered them reluctantly, glaring at me as she returned to her seat. The other roommates, seeing Rachel back down, quickly dispersed. I hadn’t expected Rachel to be so easy to handle. Her own “Hermès” bag was clearly a cheap knockoff, probably no more than a couple hundred bucks. I shot her a casual glance. “By the way, Rachel, make sure you clean up my closet.” Lily immediately jumped in, her voice sharp. “Chloe, don’t push it!” Rachel ignored me completely, humming to herself as she stood in front of the mirror removing her makeup. I didn’t raise my voice this time. “Rachel,” I said coldly, “I won’t repeat myself. Clean up my closet.” Rachel clicked her tongue in annoyance and strolled leisurely to the sink to wash her face. Lily shot me a smug look, as if daring me to do something about it. I stood up without a word and, with one swift motion, kicked Rachel’s chair over with a loud bang. “I won’t say it a third time.” The room fell silent. My roommates, all pampered girls who’d probably never experienced real confrontation, froze in place. Even Lily shut her mouth. Rachel flinched, her whole body trembling. She clenched her fists like she wanted to argue but ultimately gave in, gritting her teeth as she started tidying my closet. I heard her mutter a curse under her breath, her voice trembling with tears. I felt nothing. When she finished, I inspected my now-neat closet, nodded in satisfaction, and returned to my desk. I picked up my English textbook and began reading aloud. My clear, deliberate voice echoed through the still, silent room.

I didn’t waste my energy on Rachel’s antics. My focus was entirely on winning the scholarship. This year, I had the highest GPA in the entire department, a perfect score on my fitness test, and I actively participated in every scholarship-qualifying activity. By all accounts, the only national scholarship slot for our department should’ve been mine. But when the scholarship results were posted, I double-checked the list over and over, unable to believe my eyes. Rachel’s name was at the top of the list with the national scholarship. As for me? Not even the third-place school-level scholarship made it to my name. All my hard work—those sleepless nights of studying, the hours of running drills for the fitness test—had become a joke. Furious and confused, I scrolled down to check the detailed scores. Every category was perfect except for one: personal conduct. For that, my advisor had given me a failing grade. Anger surged through me, my chest heaving as I bolted straight to the advisor’s office. “Professor Lee,” I said, barely keeping my voice calm, “I have some questions about the scholarship results.” “Come in.” I pushed open the door and froze. Rachel was already there, sitting with a smug smile as she chatted with the advisor. When she saw me, she gave me a mocking grin. “Oh, Chloe, I had no idea I’d be so lucky to win the scholarship! Such a shame that you, the top student, didn’t get anything.” I ignored her completely, turning to the advisor instead. “Professor Lee, I’d like to ask about the scholarship results.” The advisor adjusted her glasses, her expression cold. “I know what you’re going to say. Chloe, being good at academics isn’t enough. You lack teamwork and moral character. Naturally, I couldn’t give the scholarship to you.” Her words left me stunned. As the class rep, I was known for helping my classmates, even lending out my notes before exams. I couldn’t think of anyone I’d offended… except the girls in my dorm. I glanced at Rachel, who immediately looked away, guilt flashing in her eyes. In an instant, everything clicked. Suppressing the urge to lash out, I took a deep breath and said, “Professor Lee, if you’re basing this decision on one-sided stories, I don’t think that’s fair to me.” She slammed her hand on the desk and stood up, glaring at me. “What are you trying to say? That I’m biased? That I’m unqualified as an advisor?” Rachel seized the opportunity to play the victim. “Professor, don’t get upset. Chloe’s just… not the most polite person. Let’s not stoop to her level.” I glanced at Rachel, then at the bracelet on the professor’s wrist. It was a Cartier bracelet—one I’d seen Rachel showing off just last week. I chuckled. “Professor Lee, that Cartier bracelet you’re wearing… Rachel gave it to you, didn’t she?” The professor’s face turned red, her composure cracking. I didn’t wait for a response. Turning on my heel, I walked out of the office. Pausing at the door, I left her with one final remark: “There’s always someone above you. If I can’t get justice here, I’ll take it to the dean.” As I walked down the hall, I heard her scoff behind me. “Go ahead. I’m not worried.” Back in the dorm, my roommates were already gossiping about the scholarship drama. The moment I entered, the room fell silent—except for Lily. “Well, well, if it isn’t the department’s top student,” she sneered. “All that hard work, and not even a third-place scholarship to show for it?” I didn’t bother responding. Instead, I pulled out my phone and dialed the university president’s office. No one picked up. Frustrated, I turned to my laptop and wrote a detailed email, explaining the situation and attaching evidence. I hit send. Days passed. At first, I was hopeful, checking my inbox constantly. But as the week dragged on with no response, hope turned to disappointment. I should’ve known better. The president probably never even saw the email. Rachel went out on another date, and Lily eventually got tired of mocking me. The dorm was quiet, but I couldn’t shake the sadness and frustration. Then, my phone buzzed. I jumped out of my chair, only to see a message from my dad. “Sweetheart, did you forget about your poor dad in all your excitement over the scholarship? Don’t get cocky—this is just recognition of your hard work. Keep it up!” My chest tightened, tears threatening to spill over. I walked to an empty corner of the hallway and called my parents. The moment my dad’s face appeared on the screen, I burst into tears. Startled, he fumbled for words while my mom glared at him and took over. “Chloe, honey, what happened? Tell us everything.” Between sobs, I explained the scholarship situation. My mom’s expression darkened, and she smacked my dad on the shoulder. “Someone’s picking on my baby?! That advisor clearly doesn’t want her job anymore! Go talk to the president and get this fixed!” I sniffled. “I already emailed and called the president, and nothing happened. What could Dad possibly do?” My dad scratched his head sheepishly. “Well… about that. I may have forgotten to tell you… I’m on the school board.” I stared at him, stunned. My tears stopped instantly, replaced by a loud hiccup. Before I even made it back to the dorm, the university president called me personally. “Chloe, on behalf of the university, I sincerely apologize. I assure you the scholarship list will be corrected, and those involved will be disciplined.” As I walked into the dorm, Rachel had just returned, surrounded by roommates showering her with compliments. I put the president on speakerphone. “President, what will happen to my roommate who was involved in this?” “She will face disciplinary action, and the scholarship will be revoked.” “Thank you.” Before I could hang up, Rachel burst out laughing. “Chloe, you’ve lost it. Did you hire someone to pretend to be the president? That’s hilarious!” Lily chimed in, “Yeah, maybe all this stress messed with her head.” The president’s voice rang out clearly. “Who’s speaking?” I smirked. “That would be my roommate.” “Understood. Chloe, the corrected list will be posted on the university website tomorrow.” The call ended. I glanced at Rachel, who still didn’t seem to grasp the situation, and shook my head. Climbing into bed, I decided to let her figure it out on her own.

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My brother is a male mermaid. I’m a female mermaid. Since we were born with tails, our mom thought we were disgusting monsters and abandoned us without hesitation. Later, through sheer grit and working three jobs each, we became billionaires. Just when we thought we could escape and live our own lives, three domineering CEOs showed up at our door. Facing their overwhelming presence, my brother and I backed away in panic: “We can explain!” 0Our father was a mysterious merman from the ocean. After a random encounter, our mother gave birth to us. Hoping to make our father come back, she decided to keep us, even though she knew we weren’t like regular children. But three years passed, and our father never returned. As time went on, she became more impatient. Every time she saw the tails on me and my brother, her irritation turned into madness. Her hateful gaze would linger on us for hours. Overwhelmed by her growing frustration, she would sometimes lose control, grabbing us and yanking out the scales from our tails. Since we didn’t have legs, my brother and I were forced to stay in a filthy, rusted bathtub. She would scream at us, her voice filled with venom: “Monsters! You ugly little freaks—why don’t you just die already?” “I can’t believe I gave birth to you two. I should’ve strangled you the day you were born!” “You’re just like your useless, good-for-nothing father!” Eventually, she put an overdose of drugs in our food, stuffed us into a bag with rocks, and dumped us into a pond to drown. But she underestimated us. Our merfolk bodies were far more resistant to toxins than humans, and we could breathe underwater. Somehow, we survived. Despite being abandoned, my brother and I managed to grow strong on the fish in the pond and made it to the age of five. One day, we discovered that we could transform our tails into legs. Excited, we climbed onto land for the first time—only to be promptly arrested for wandering around naked. We didn’t know it was inappropriate. After all, no one ever taught us about clothing, manners, or shame. With no family to claim us and no records of our existence, the authorities sent us to an orphanage. We didn’t speak a word until we were five, so everyone thought we were dumb. And since we ate more than any of the other kids, no one wanted to adopt us. So, we stayed in the orphanage until we turned 18. My brother and I shared one dream: to buy a private island where we could live freely without constantly hiding our true selves. To achieve that dream, we each began working three jobs. My brother became a butler, driver, and something else to three separate CEOs. I, on the other hand, became a stand-in for one CEO’s lost love, a shameless simp for another, and a housekeeper for the third—a CEO who happened to prefer men. Yes, you read that right. My brother and I worked as a team. We didn’t care about love—only money. 0

My brother hurriedly changed into his butler uniform while I slipped into the signature white dress of the “lost love” I was pretending to be. We had just rushed back from another gig, and with time running out, we were both scrambling to get ready. The doorbell rang, and my brother immediately put on a stoic expression, standing stiffly to the side. I adjusted my face into a gentle, delicate expression, fully embracing my role. Zane pushed the door open and walked in. My brother greeted him with a straight face: “Welcome home, Sir.” I bit my lip to keep from laughing and pinched my thigh to stay in character. Zane stopped in front of me, his piercing gaze locking onto mine. “What did you do today?” he asked coldly. From the very beginning, Zane had been upfront with me: I was hired because I looked like his ex, his “ture love.” One million dollars a month for the role. My brother, as his butler, earned half that. Facing Zane’s question, I responded with utmost professionalism, my voice soft and tender: “I read some books, cooked a meal, and… thought about you.” Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my brother in the corner, his shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter, his teeth practically bared. Zane sat down beside me, his intense gaze never leaving my face. “Jenna’s coming back soon,” he said abruptly. “You won’t be needed anymore.” My smile froze. It felt like a bucket of money—no, a bucket of gold—was slipping through my fingers. “Wait,” I said, tears welling up in my eyes as I looked at him pleadingly. “Can’t you let me stay a little longer?” If I could just finish out the month, I’d earn another $100,000. Zane mistook my desperation for genuine emotion. “She’s fallen for me,” he thought smugly. But his heart belonged to Jenna. To him, I was nothing more than a replacement. His expression remained cold as he said: “You’re just a stand-in. I’ll never fall for you. I’ve already transferred $1 million into your account as a breakup fee. Disappear before Jenna returns.” My eyes lit up like a stadium under floodlights. This man. This generous, money-throwing man. He was my favorite client by far. But I was a professional. Even at the very last moment, I stayed in character. Tears streamed down my face as I gazed at him with heartbroken devotion. “Okay,” I whispered, my voice trembling. “I’ll do as you say.” Zane nodded, satisfied. He seemed almost reluctant as he added: “You should give up on any feelings you have for me. You can stay in this house—I won’t be coming back.” From his corner, my brother gave me an enthusiastic thumbs-up. This house, in an upscale neighborhood, had to be worth millions. If Zane wasn’t coming back, we could rent it out for a fortune. My brother and I exchanged a glance, instantly reading each other’s thoughts. Sometimes, it felt like we shared a single brain. 0

I brought out the takeout I had already plated and walked over to Zane with a look of heartfelt devotion. “This is the last meal I’ll ever make for you,” I said softly. “Please, Zane, let me watch you finish it, just this once.” Zane sighed inwardly but eventually gave a slight nod. “Fine. Since you like me so much, I’ll eat a little.” Right on cue, my brother chimed in from the side, his voice full of admiration: “It’s been a long time since the young master has eaten this much.” The problem with working alongside my brother is that we know each other far too well. Whenever he acts all serious and composed, it just makes me want to laugh. The moment we make eye contact, neither of us can hold it in. As soon as Zane finished eating and left, I finally let myself burst into laughter. “He’s so clueless! Have you been watching too many CEO dramas? What kind of butler even talks like that?” My brother rolled his eyes and plopped down beside me. “Your acting is too good. Seriously, though, don’t get too carried away. Remember, we’re here for the money, not the romance.” The laughter faded from my face as I nodded, sobering up. “I know. Of course, I know. With bodies like ours, no one would ever truly accept us.” We only had each other. Still, I couldn’t help but warn him in return: “You should be careful too. That sugar daddy of yours doesn’t look like someone you can mess with. Don’t let him swallow you whole.” My brother shrugged, scooping up the leftover food without a care. “Not a chance. I’m just his fake boyfriend to piss off his parents. He doesn’t even like men.” I wasn’t so sure about that. From what I’d seen while working as his housekeeper, the way Peyton looked at my brother was practically predatory. But my brother, blissfully oblivious, was still playing his role with utmost professionalism. After finishing his meal, he started talking about the island again. The one we wanted to buy was a remote, uninhabited paradise surrounded by endless ocean. There, we could finally shed our human disguises, swim freely in the sea, and never have to hide who we truly were again. 0

After tidying up, I listed the mansion online for rent. Every little bit of extra cash helped, and we were still a ways off from reaching our goal. My brother changed into another outfit, this time slipping on a pair of white gloves for his role as a driver. “Let’s go. We’re meeting with Ethan Greyson next.” I nodded. This was our second gig. I played the lovesick admirer, while my brother worked as Ethan’s driver. This job came about by sheer coincidence. When we first arrived in the city, fresh from the countryside, we witnessed a young woman chasing after Ethan, begging him to give her a chance. He humiliated her on the spot, throwing a wad of cash at her before walking away. “Here,” he said coldly. “This should be enough for you. Stop wasting my time.” My brother and I were stunned. We’d never seen such a display of wealth before and were instantly mesmerized. That’s when I decided—I wanted to be a “simp” too. I tracked down Ethan’s whereabouts, orchestrated a “chance” encounter, and confessed my feelings to him on the spot. Predictably, he rejected me without hesitation. But he also tossed a designer jacket at me, muttering something about it being dirty. I couldn’t see a single stain on it, but I sold it online anyway and made my first real profit in the city. As for my brother, he became Ethan’s driver by accident. Desperate to avoid me, Ethan hailed a random three-wheeled taxi—driven by none other than my brother. That was the first time Ethan experienced the thrill of riding in the open air, and he immediately hired my brother as his personal chauffeur. My brother even got his driver’s license out of the deal, saving us the expense. None of the CEOs knew about our connection. To keep up the act, I always got out of the car early, leaving my brother to drop Ethan off alone. This time, I jumped out about 500 meters from the destination and sprinted the rest of the way. When I arrived, Ethan was already walking toward me, surrounded by his entourage. One of his obnoxious friends sneered at me, his tone dripping with mockery. “Here she comes again. Ethan, your charm really is something else. Who would’ve thought she’d show up just because you called her?” Ignoring them, I focused on Ethan with a look of genuine concern. “You shouldn’t be drinking so much. Your stomach can’t handle it,” I said softly. 0

Ethan Greyson grabbed my chin roughly, his voice dripping with mockery. “Luna, is it really that hard for you to live without me?” Tears welled up in my eyes, and I gave him my most pitiful look. “Ethan, I really do care about you,” I said, my voice trembling. Behind him, his friends burst into laughter. “A penniless orphan like you, trying to match up to the Greyson family? Luna, stop dreaming. Ethan has plenty of admirers—you’re nothing.” Ethan chuckled coldly, then shoved me away. He pulled out his wallet, took out a thick stack of cash, and tossed it at my face. “You’re so annoying. Just look at yourself—pathetic.” Right on cue, tears slid down my face as I took on the perfect expression of someone utterly humiliated. “Ethan… I really do like you,” I whispered, my voice cracking. Without sparing me another glance, he got into his car, his back radiating cold indifference. As soon as Ethan drove away, leaving only his friends behind, I caught my brother giving me a thumbs-up from a distance, his grin practically splitting his face. “This was a good haul!” his expression said. I silently wiped my tears, waiting until Ethan’s group of friends left. Then, I immediately crouched down and started picking up the cash. Not bad, not bad at all. Today’s take was pretty decent. I counted the money—$4,500. Sure, it didn’t compare to what Zane had given me, but for us, it was a small fortune. At least now, my brother and I wouldn’t have to worry about living expenses for the rest of the month. My brother wouldn’t be done chauffeuring Ethan for a while, so I decided to treat myself to a nice meal in the meantime. I went to a restaurant Zane had taken me to before. It was a bit pricey, but the food was excellent, and today I felt like splurging. I picked a table toward the back, out of sight, to enjoy some privacy. But no amount of caution could have prepared me for what happened next: I spotted my brother’s “boss” sitting at the table behind me. It was Holden Reid, my brother’s sugar daddy. To my relief, he didn’t seem to recognize me. He sat with a troubled expression, a stunning woman standing beside him. Immediately, I felt a sense of danger on my brother’s behalf. Holden Reid was, in every way, a perfect man. Polite, thoughtful, and kind. He even treated me—the “housekeeper”—with respect. But when it came to my brother? He was next level. Holden was attentive to the point of perfection. If not for the secret my brother and I were hiding, I might’ve even encouraged him to marry Holden. But right now, watching the beautiful woman beside him, I couldn’t help but wonder: was my brother wrong? Did Holden actually not like men? I perked up my ears, trying to catch their conversation. Holden sighed heavily, his tone filled with frustration. “Do you think there’s something wrong with me? It all started because I wanted to piss off my parents, so I found a guy.” He paused, his voice growing softer. “But now, every time I see him, I can’t control myself.” The woman across from him practically jumped out of her seat, her voice bursting with excitement. “Go on! What do you mean?” I leaned in closer, trying to hear every word. Holden’s voice was barely audible, almost embarrassed. “I’m… attracted to him.” My eyes widened, and I nearly bit through my chopsticks. I knew it! I knew it! Holden always looks at my brother like he wants to eat him alive. I swallowed my excitement and continued eavesdropping. The woman, clearly Holden’s sister, clapped her hands together in delight. “Well, that’s great! When are you going to introduce me to your boyfriend?” I let out a quiet sigh of relief. So, she was his sister. Good. Holden’s expression turned bitter. “Forget it. He still thinks I’m just using him as an excuse to avoid marriage. He doesn’t feel anything for me.” I nodded to myself. That sounded about right. My brother definitely believed that Holden was only with him to defy his parents. I wanted to hear more, but suddenly, my phone rang, startling me. I fumbled to answer it, embarrassed. Zane’s voice came through the line, cold and direct. “I have a gala tonight. You’re coming with me as my date. I’ll send someone to pick you up.” I blinked, confused. Weren’t we supposed to be “broken up”? He had even wired me a breakup fee and told me never to show my face again. So why was he calling me now? But hey, only a fool would turn down easy money. I quickly gave him my address. On the other end of the line, Zane stared at the address I sent, his expression smug and self-assured. “She really does love me,” he thought. “She’s so obsessed she can’t even stay away—she’s gone back to the places we shared memories together.”

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Evan Grant has always had a “first love.” After giving birth to his son, she disappeared, leaving him behind with an incomplete family. To give his son a sense of normalcy, Evan found me—a woman who bore a slight resemblance to her. For three years, I played the role of the perfect woman for their little family: Gentle, kind, resourceful, and most importantly, emotionally stable. But everything changed the day I went to pick up his son from school and overheard something. Miles proudly told his classmates that I was just the nanny and that his real mom was coming back soon. It was Friday, which was supposed to be Evan’s day to pick up Miles from school. Every Friday was their father-son bonding time. Without fail, Evan would take him to a family-friendly restaurant for dinner, a tradition they’d kept for three years. But today, Evan called me last minute to say he had to leave for a business trip—and that I needed to pick Miles up instead. I rushed from the hospital to the preschool. When I arrived, the classroom was nearly empty, with only a few kids left waiting for their parents. Miles was surrounded by a small group of children, all of them admiring the charm bracelet on his wrist. “Wow, Miles, your bracelet is so pretty!” “Where did you get it? I’m going to ask my mom to buy me one too!” Miles puffed out his chest, looking smug. “My mom designed this just for me. You can’t buy it anywhere.” “Wow, your mom is amazing!” “She makes cupcakes and designs jewelry? I wish she were my mom too.” “I want your mom! My mom is so mean.” Under normal circumstances, I was the one who picked up Miles from school. He was more mature than most kids his age, but that also made him a bit withdrawn. To help him make friends, I often brought homemade treats for him to share with his classmates. This little gesture worked wonders—Miles became the most popular kid in his class. Everyone assumed I was his mom, even though he never once called me that. I smiled faintly from the doorway. The cupcakes? Yes, those were my handiwork. The bracelet? Absolutely not. I quietly stepped back, not wanting to interrupt. Sure enough, just as I expected, Miles’ voice—still soft but dripping with disdain—broke through the chatter: “She’s not my mom!” “She’s just my nanny.” “My real mom is a jewelry designer, and she’s awesome!” The kids gasped in unison, their admiration for Miles’ “real mom” growing louder as they bombarded him with questions. I stood at the back door, watching Miles beam as he talked about his mom. Surprisingly, I didn’t feel much of anything. In a way, he wasn’t wrong. Sure, his words were a bit harsh, but they weren’t entirely untrue. From the moment I married Evan, caring for him and Miles had become my only job. And while it was true that my duties often resembled those of a nanny, I wasn’t just any nanny—I was Evan’s legal wife. Technically speaking, I was Miles’ stepmother, not his babysitter. Miles was the son of Evan Grant and the brilliant jewelry designer Mina Scott. But Mina disappeared shortly after giving birth, leaving no legal ties between her and Evan. As Miles grew older, Evan began to notice the cracks in their little family. So, he started looking for a stepmother for Miles, someone who could give him a “complete” home. That’s where I came in. Out of all the candidates, I stood out because I looked just enough like Mina—maybe a 30% resemblance. The day I entered their lives, Miles knew I wasn’t his real mom. And I never intended to replace her. After all, Evan and I had a clear agreement: We were in a contract marriage. Three years, that was all. For those three years, Evan got a stand-in wife. Miles got a stepmother. And I got $3 million. I couldn’t say no. I needed the money—desperately. On the way home, I acted like I hadn’t heard a thing. I chatted with Miles as usual, asking him what he wanted for dinner. I’ve always known my place—I only take what I’m meant to take. Anything outside of that? I don’t concern myself with it. Miles, with his little serious face, rattled off a few dishes. I noticed him swallowing hard, trying to hide his excitement. I had to bite back a laugh. Say what you will, but my cooking skills are top-notch. Over the past three years, both Evan and Miles have filled out quite nicely. When we got home, Miles immediately locked himself in his room. I didn’t pay him any mind and headed straight to the kitchen to start cooking. Once the three dishes and a soup were ready, I went to call him for dinner. But as I raised my hand to knock, I heard laughter from inside his room. Miles was on a video call. Since he had the speakerphone on, I could hear everything clearly. There was Evan’s voice, and then… a woman’s voice. She called Miles “sweetheart,” and he excitedly called her “mom.” Miles was practically buzzing with joy as he told her how all his classmates envied his bracelet. At first, I thought Evan had bought the bracelet for him, just like he had done before to cheer him up. It wouldn’t have been the first time. Even though Mina had been gone for years, Evan had always made an effort to keep her presence alive for Miles—just in case she ever came back. But now, hearing this, it seemed the bracelet really was Mina’s design. After six long years, Evan had finally found her. This “business trip” of his? It was clearly a mission of love. How romantic. Not wanting to interrupt their little family reunion, I quietly returned to the dining table and distracted myself with my phone. When I heard Miles hang up, I knocked on his door and called him to eat. After dinner, I started cleaning up while Miles lingered at the table, looking like he wanted to say something but couldn’t bring himself to. Miles is practically a miniature version of Evan—handsome and refined, with an air of quiet confidence. His eyes, though, are even more striking. Maybe it’s because they’re so pure, so unguarded. They remind me of a pair of eyes I used to know, though they’re not quite the same. Leaning against the table, I smiled and asked, “Do you have something you want to tell me?” Miles pressed his lips together, hesitated for a moment, then shook his head and headed back to his room. I didn’t take it personally, nor did I care to press further. My job is simple: make sure he’s fed, clothed, and taken care of. Anything beyond that? Not my business, and not something I can control. Later that night, I wrapped myself in a blanket and sat on the couch, bawling my eyes out over a movie. When Evan came home, that’s exactly how he found me—face blotchy and swollen from crying. He looked shocked, and I felt embarrassed. I scrambled to stand up, my voice thick with congestion as I blurted out, “Why are you back so early?” He walked over, his gaze soft and steady, and even his tone was unusually gentle. “Why are you still up so late?” I pointed at the TV. “Watching a movie.” He studied me for a moment, sighed quietly, and reached out as if to pat my head. Before I could pull away, his phone rang. The caller ID said “Mina.” He stepped onto the balcony to take the call, while I slipped away into the kitchen to give him privacy. When he finished, I came back out. “Evan, let’s finalize the divorce next week.” Mina was back, and the timing couldn’t have been better—our agreement was almost up anyway. I thought Evan would agree without hesitation. After all, I’d served my purpose, and now that his true love had returned, my role as a stand-in was no longer necessary. But instead, his expression turned cold. “You’re in such a rush to get divorced?” “I’m busy next week.” With that, he walked away, heading straight for Miles’ room, leaving me standing there, completely bewildered. Evan and I may technically be husband and wife, but in reality, our relationship is more like a business arrangement. He pays, I work—it’s as simple as that. Now that the contract is about to expire and he’s reunited with the woman he’s been searching for all these years, shouldn’t we both be happy to part ways? So why is he acting like this? Evan spent the entire weekend working overtime at the office, leaving early and coming home late. I didn’t get another chance to bring up the divorce. On Monday morning, he handed me a small box out of nowhere, saying it was something he’d picked up at an auction. I was busy getting Miles ready for school, so I just tossed it into my bag without a second thought. As usual, I brought some homemade cupcakes for the kids at the preschool. They crowded around me, their sweet little voices ringing out, “Thank you, Auntie!” Miles stood off to the side, watching me quietly. After a moment, he slipped past the other kids and headed into the classroom without a word. Once I dropped him off, I had the driver take me to the hospital. When I got to the room, Sophia was by the window, practicing tai chi. She smiled when she saw me. “What’s on the menu today?” I held up the thermos in my hand. “Your favorite—chicken and mushroom porridge.” We sat on the bed, each with a bowl in hand, eating together. I pulled out my phone, opened the photo gallery, and handed it to her. “This is our house in Windmere. I had someone clean it up already.” “When you’re discharged next week, take Ayden there first, see if there’s anything else we need to add. Once I’m done here, I’ll join you both.” Sophia looked through the photos but didn’t say anything, just nodded quietly. I held my bowl and turned to look out the window. Through the glass, the sky was a brilliant blue. Fluffy clouds floated lazily in the breeze, and willow branches swayed gently in the wind. “Celia, we’ve been such a burden on you,” Sophia said softly. I kept my eyes on the clouds and replied, “Sophia, do you think Ayden would’ve liked that little house?” She froze for a moment, then her gaze softened, a faint smile spreading across her face. “He would’ve loved it. My brother adored windy places.” I smiled too. “That’s good to hear.” Sophia didn’t say anything else, just let out a quiet sigh. We sat there together, watching the clouds drift by, the trees swaying, and the sunlight shifting. On the bench outside, a mother and daughter were replaced by a couple, and later, by an elderly man sitting alone. People come and go in life, just like that—always in a hurry. I broke the silence. “Sophia, there’s no need for us to talk about being a burden.” “Without you and Ayden, there wouldn’t be a Celia in this world.” “We’ve been a family for ten years. That hasn’t changed.” In the afternoon, after finishing some grocery shopping, I went to pick Miles up from school. But when I got there, the teacher told me he had been picked up earlier in the day. She said he’d left with his mom and dad. Back in the car, I debated whether to call Evan to confirm. It was most likely him and Mina who picked Miles up, but when it comes to kids, it’s always better to be cautious. Just as I was about to dial his number, I noticed a notification on my phone—it was from Evan’s social media account. He had just posted something five minutes ago. I opened it. It was a nine-photo collage. The center photo was a shot of the three of them—Evan, Mina, and Miles—smiling brightly on a beach, all dressed in matching family outfits. Miles looked genuinely happy, the kind of carefree joy I hadn’t seen in him in three years. For once, even Evan was wearing something colorful. Standing next to Mina, his usual stern demeanor seemed to melt away, replaced by a softer, more relaxed expression. They looked like the perfect family. Since the post had already confirmed everything for me, there was no need to call. With Evan and Miles gone for a few days, I treated it as a mini vacation. Every day, I cooked meals and brought them to the hospital to eat with Sophia. We’d take walks together, browse the shops nearby, and enjoy the slow, peaceful days. It was a rare bit of leisure. I got Evan’s call in the middle of the night. I had already fallen asleep but was jolted awake by the ringing of my phone. On the other end, Evan’s voice sounded exhausted, and I could hear Miles crying in the background. “Celia, can you come to the children’s hospital?” He explained that Miles hadn’t been sleeping well these past few days, and after spending time in the sea breeze, he suddenly developed a high fever. Now they were at the hospital, but Miles was inconsolable and refusing to cooperate. I glanced at the pitch-black night outside, got up, and started getting dressed. Miles had always been a restless sleeper. When I first came into Evan’s life, Miles would often wake up crying in the middle of the night, and I’d spend hours holding him, singing lullabies to calm him down. He’d gotten much better in the past two years, but he still had his quirks. If he ever had to sleep somewhere unfamiliar, he needed his favorite pillow, bedsheets, and pajamas—otherwise, he wouldn’t sleep well. Whenever Miles traveled with his grandparents, I always packed these things for him in advance. Because I’d always handled it, Evan didn’t know about any of this. As I approached the hospital room, I could already hear Miles’ cries echoing down the hallway. His voice was hoarse from all the crying. I had expected Mina to be there, but when I walked in, it was just Evan and Miles. Evan’s tense expression relaxed slightly when he saw me. “You’re here,” he said, relief evident in his voice. On the hospital bed, Miles’ small face was flushed bright red—whether from the fever or from crying, I couldn’t tell. I told Evan to pick him up. While he held the child, I quickly replaced the hospital bed’s sheets, pillowcase, and blanket with the ones I had brought, then changed Miles into his familiar pajamas. I lay down beside Miles on the bed, holding him close and humming softly until his cries subsided. Gradually, he calmed down, curling up in my arms and clutching the edge of my shirt. Softly, he murmured, “Mommy.” I stroked his feverish cheek, sighing to myself. He was clearly delirious from the fever. I wasn’t his mom. I was just the nanny. After all the chaos, Miles finally fell into a peaceful sleep. The nurse was able to administer the shot without any trouble, and I joined Evan on the sofa to rest. Evan handed me a glass of water and rubbed his temples. “Sorry for disturbing you so late,” he said. I shook my head. “It’s fine. This is part of my job,” I replied. “Next time you take him somewhere, just remember to pack his pillow, pajamas, and bedsheets. It’ll make things easier.” Evan looked at me for a moment before asking, “Have you opened the little box I gave you the other day?” “No, not yet. Is it something important?” I reached for my bag on the other side of the sofa and pulled out the small box. When I opened it, I found a diamond ring inside. Before I could react, Evan covered my hand with his. “Celia,” he said softly, “don’t divorce me, okay?” I didn’t know what happened between Evan and Mina that made him willing to let go of someone he had waited six years for and turn to me with a marriage proposal. But I knew one thing for sure—it wasn’t because he loved me. Evan is the kind of man who’s terrifyingly rational and self-disciplined. Every decision he makes is calculated, weighed carefully to ensure it’s the most logical and beneficial choice. I had no interest in figuring out his motives. I’ve never been one to waste energy on things that don’t matter. I pulled my hand away from his and placed the ring on the coffee table. “Evan, we’re just contract partners. The agreement has expired. It’s time for us to end this.” He sat beside me, as if he hadn’t heard a word I said. Instead, he started explaining. “Celia, if this is about Mina, you don’t have to worry.” “It’s over between us. The only reason I saw her was because she wanted to spend time with Miles. There won’t be any contact between us moving forward.” He paused, then added, “These past few years, having you around has been comforting. Miles relies on you so much. Isn’t this life… good enough?” I looked at Evan, my expression calm. “No, it’s not.” “I don’t know or care what’s going on between you and Mina, but there’s no chance for us.” The only reason I agreed to this contract marriage in the first place was to pay for Sophia’s medical treatment. Now that she’s recovered, we have our own plans, our own lives to live. We’re going to settle down in a place where the wind never stops. Evan clearly hadn’t expected me to turn him down so bluntly. For the first time, I saw a flicker of hurt in his eyes. “Celia, do you really feel nothing for me?” I smiled faintly. “Of course I do—gratitude for a very generous employer.” I meant it sincerely. If it weren’t for the $3 million he gave me back then, Sophia and I wouldn’t have survived. That’s why, for the past three years, I’ve done everything I could to care for him and Miles. For anything related to them, I’ve always been there when they needed me. But that’s as far as it goes. I thought I’d made myself clear, but Evan didn’t seem ready to accept it. “You don’t need to answer me right away. I’m not in a hurry.” “It’s late. Let me have the driver take you home. I’ll stay here and take care of things.” Miles had developed a mild case of pneumonia from his prolonged fever and needed to stay in the hospital for a few days. Evan moved his work into the hospital room and stayed by Miles’ side the entire time. Mina, however, never showed up. Every day, I cooked meals at home and brought them to the hospital. One day, as I was feeding Miles lunch, I suddenly got a call from the hospital. The voice on the other end told me Sophia had suffered a brain hemorrhage and was in critical condition. The bowl slipped from my hands and shattered on the floor, the sound startling Miles. Evan happened to walk in at that moment. He rushed over to me, concern written all over his face. “What happened?” he asked. My hands were trembling uncontrollably, my mind blank, my breath catching in my throat. How could this be happening? I had just seen her yesterday. She was fine. She was supposed to be discharged tomorrow. Everything was supposed to be getting better. How could this happen? Clutching Evan’s sleeve, tears streamed down my face. It took everything I had to force out a single sentence. “Take me to Memorial Hospital.” Evan helped me to my feet and guided me outside. He called for two nurses to stay with Miles and phoned his parents to come to the hospital. Then he drove as fast as he could to get me to Sophia. The doctor told me that Sophia had collapsed while walking in the courtyard. The location of the bleed in her brain was critical, and they advised me to prepare for the worst. Thunder rumbled outside as heavy rain poured down, washing away days of suffocating heat. The air felt damp, thick with the scent of wet pavement. After eight hours of emergency treatment, Sophia was gone. The two lights in my life had both gone out, one after the other, leaving nothing but darkness behind. I quietly handled all of Sophia’s funeral arrangements on my own. Evan offered to help, but I didn’t let him. The day of her cremation, the sun was glaringly bright. I stood on the side of the street, holding her urn. Occasionally, I would catch snippets of conversation from passersby. “After so many overcast days, the sun’s finally out. What a beautiful day.” I looked up at the blazing sun, its rays harsh and unrelenting. It struck me as strange—how could such a bright sun fail to warm me at all? I didn’t know how long I stood there, frozen in place, unable to take a single step forward. Everyone else on the street seemed to have somewhere to go, a destination calling them forward. But I didn’t. Once, I didn’t know where I came from. And now, I didn’t know where to go. “Let’s go home.” I hadn’t noticed when Evan arrived, but he gently took my arm and guided me to the car. When we got back, I lay down and fell into a restless sleep. I dreamed—fragmented, hazy dreams that blurred the line between reality and illusion. At some point, I became vaguely aware of someone sitting by my bedside. A hand reached out to touch my forehead, as if checking my temperature. The room was dark, with no lights on, except for a faint beam of light spilling in from the doorway. The figure sat with their back to the light, their face obscured in shadow. Instinctively, I raised my hand and touched his eyes. He caught my hand, his grip firm but steady. His voice was calm, steady, and low. “Do I remind you of him?” In that instant, I snapped awake. I tried to pull my hand back, but he only held it tighter.

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In my previous life, when zombies overran the city, I went to save my parents and brother, only to be pushed towards the undead by them. Reborn, I decided to no longer care for them, letting them fend for themselves. I watched as my father turned into a zombie and was killed. My brother, in a desperate attempt to survive, even drank our mother’s blood. Finally, my brother knelt at my door begging: “Sister, please save me.” But I only sneered and slammed the door shut, leaving him to be devoured by zombies. “Come on, sis, have you been so immersed in your live streaming that you’ve become confused? You actually believe those ridiculous online news? I think you’ve really lost it,” Tyler’s voice on the phone carried a hint of mockery and dissatisfaction. I was momentarily stunned, trying to recall these familiar words. I… had actually been reborn! This sudden realization left me feeling a bit disoriented. I quickly adjusted my emotions and tried to respond in a casual tone, “Haha, you’re right. I was just being silly for a moment. It won’t happen again.” Tyler snickered on the other end of the line. Then, mom took over the phone, her voice tinged with reproach: “You really need to stop looking at all that nonsense online. Instead, why don’t you spend some time helping your brother find a job!” I absent-mindedly agreed to a few things, trying to end the conversation as quickly as possible. After hanging up, I fell into deep thought. The city I lived in was about to face an unprecedented disaster – a zombie outbreak. In my previous life, I had learned this shocking news from a friend working at a hospital in a neighboring city. He had warned me in advance, allowing me to prepare. At that time, although I was shocked, I quickly sprang into action. I told my family, urging them to prepare essential supplies for any emergency. However, my good-for-nothing brother scoffed at this, believing I was just being alarmist. My parents also believed his words, thinking I was making a fuss over nothing. Since they wouldn’t listen, I could only secure my own place, preparing a series of necessary supplies. But when the zombie outbreak actually happened, they called for help. Softened by their pleas, I decided to save them. I took advantage of noon, when zombie activity was at its lowest, to go to their place. Since my home and theirs were in the same community, separated only by a small garden, I thought there wouldn’t be any problems. However, just as we walked out of the building entrance, a group of zombies surged towards us. We panicked and ran towards my home, but just as we were about to reach my door, Tyler tripped and fell. Seeing the zombies getting closer and closer, I grabbed him and shouted, “Run!” But Tyler, due to his injured foot, was getting slower and slower, and the zombies were about to catch him. At that moment, Tyler suddenly used all his strength to push me towards the zombies. My parents, seeing this, hesitated for a moment, but as the approaching zombies drew near, they finally picked up Tyler and ran towards my home without looking back. I screamed in terror, struggling to break free from the zombies’ grasp, but to no avail… Finally, when they managed to run into my building, they shouted to me from behind the door: “Lena, we’re sorry… but your brother is the only son in our family, we must protect him…” At that moment, my heart felt like it was being torn apart…

The pain of being torn apart by zombies seemed to be imprinted on my soul, but compared to the physical pain, the wounds in my heart were even harder to heal. From a young age, I had lived under the shadow of my parents’ preference for boys over girls. Every bit of warmth and care in the family was prioritized for my brother. When I was little, because my brother loved cake, even on my birthday, the birthday cake that should have been mine was always devoured by him, while I could only watch silently from the side. After starting school, this unfair treatment became even more apparent. My brother could wear expensive brand-name shoes worth over two thousand dollars, showing off his “high-end” lifestyle at school. I, on the other hand, could only wear cheap shoes that cost a few dozen dollars, enduring the embarrassment of my shoes falling apart. Moreover, whenever classmates mocked me for being poor, my brother always pretended not to know me. When it came to the college entrance exam, a crucial moment that determines one’s future, I thought I could change my fate through my own efforts. But my parents, to save money, forced me to choose a ordinary local university that offered scholarships, making me miss the opportunity to enter a top university. As for my brother, even though his grades were terrible, they were willing to spend a huge amount of money and effort to pull strings and find connections, sending him to an expensive private university. After graduation, I made a name for myself in the new media industry through my own efforts and abilities, becoming a highly regarded live-streaming host. I earned my first bucket of gold and bought my own house. But when my parents learned that I had bought a house, their first reaction was not happiness or pride for me, but a demand that I also buy a house for my brother in the same community. They even threatened that if I didn’t meet their demands, they would let my brother move in with me and not leave. Standing by the window, looking at my brother’s home across the street, my heart was filled with complex emotions. Recalling their coldness and heartlessness towards me in my previous life, I decided that this time I wouldn’t care for them anymore, letting them fend for themselves. The threat of zombies was drawing nearer day by day, and I knew I had to act quickly. I initially wanted to leave this city directly, but suddenly realized I didn’t know how many cities this crisis would actually affect. If I went to an unfamiliar city and encountered the same crisis, it would be like going to my death. So I decided to stay. I needed to quickly prepare supplies and equipment to deal with the zombie crisis. Only then would I have a chance to survive.

First, I contacted a renovation company and commissioned them to renovate my home. Previously, due to the requirements of live streaming, my home had already been soundproofed. But in the face of the zombie threat, an ordinary security door obviously couldn’t provide enough protection. I asked the renovation company to install a sturdy bulletproof security door for me, and added an extra iron door behind it as a double safeguard. At the same time, to ensure absolute safety, I also replaced all the windows with bulletproof glass and installed iron bars on the inside. The renovation workers were a bit confused by these requests, so I had to make up an excuse, saying that my address might have been leaked during live streaming, and I needed to enhance security for safety reasons. Meanwhile, I started buying large quantities of daily necessities online. Rice, noodles, oil, toilet paper, mineral water, instant noodles and other supplies were essential. I also purchased enough vegetables and meat to ensure self-sufficiency during the crisis. Considering the limited capacity of the refrigerator, I bought another large freezer, sealed all the meat and vegetables in vacuum bags, and froze them. I also bought some vegetable seeds, planning to grow some vegetables at home for emergencies. To cope with possible power outages, I specially installed solar panels for my home. This way, even if the power was cut off, I could still meet my basic electricity needs through solar power generation. Throughout this process, I remained vigilant and low-key. After all, in a doomsday crisis, the dark side of human nature would be triggered, and I didn’t want my preparatory actions to arouse suspicion from others. I tried to make everything look like part of my daily life as much as possible. Even the delivery guy thought I was just preparing for a live streaming event featuring daily necessities.

When all the preparations were settled, I called my parents. I told them that I needed to go to another city for a business trip for half a month. I knew that once the zombie crisis really broke out, they would definitely come to me for shelter. The experience from my previous life was imprinted in my heart like a brand. At that time, I had earnestly persuaded them to prepare in advance, but they turned a deaf ear. It wasn’t until the shadow of zombies loomed over our city that they started to panic. There were almost no reserves in their home, and in just a week, the food in the house was exhausted. At this time, mom called me, urgently demanding that I go over to pick them up. I suggested they come directly to my place, but they firmly refused, claiming that because of fear, she and dad were already unable to move. I had no choice but to go there myself, but after picking them up, we encountered zombies on the way. As a result, they pushed me towards those terrible creatures without hesitation. At that moment, I understood that they might have planned all along that if they encountered danger, they would use my life to exchange for their safety. To avoid such a tragedy from happening again, I decided to let them think I wasn’t at home at all. Only in this way would they completely give up the idea of seeking shelter at my place. After hanging up the phone, I carefully drew the curtains in my house tightly, ensuring that not a single ray of light leaked out. Because zombies could identify sounds and light sources, I had to avoid exposing myself as much as possible. Moreover, the windows of my house directly faced my brother’s house, so I couldn’t let them see any light from my house. To make them believe I wasn’t at home, I even posted a WeChat Moments visible only to them, showing that I was waiting to board at the airport. After doing all this, I took a deep breath, feeling the tension in my heart ease a little. I knew that the days ahead would be full of unknowns and challenges, but I was prepared to face this doomsday crisis.

Sure enough, the disaster came quickly. The neighboring city had officially announced the outbreak of the zombie crisis, and our city followed suit, urgently calling on citizens to prepare in advance. But by the time everyone realized the seriousness of the situation, supermarkets and shopping malls had already been looted empty. Looking down from upstairs, I saw dad, mom, and Tyler hurriedly going out, only to return with two packs of instant noodles and a bag of rice. This scene made me feel sad for them, as it foreshadowed the difficult days ahead. Soon, mom’s call came through, her voice full of anxiety: “Lena, have you heard? There’s a zombie outbreak in the neighboring city!” I pretended to be unaware, exclaiming in surprise, “What? Wasn’t that just fake news before?” Mom urgently said, “It’s not fake! Signs are starting to appear here too. The community has already issued a warning, telling everyone to stock up on necessities. Where are you now? When can you come back?” My voice was filled with helplessness: “I’m still in City B. Work hasn’t finished yet. The earliest I can come back is next week.” After hearing this, mom’s voice revealed disappointment: “Alright, we’ll try to figure something out ourselves then. Let us know when you’re coming back.” After hanging up the phone, I let out a deep sigh. Although I knew clearly that they had no place for me in their hearts, the fact that mom didn’t even say a word about staying safe at this critical moment made me feel even more heartbroken. I turned on the surveillance camera I had previously installed in their living room. At this moment, the whole family was gathered in the living room, nervously discussing what to do next. Tyler was still indifferent, curled up on the sofa playing games. Mom and dad, on the other hand, looked anxious and uneasy. Mom was fiddling with the meager supplies in her hands, while dad kept rummaging through the refrigerator, trying to find more usable food. I put down my binoculars and turned back to my room. I decided not to worry about them anymore. I took out my small electric pot and started to prepare for a hot pot meal. My supply reserves were abundant, with enough food to last me for at least half a year. Now, without their burden, I could also enjoy this rare moment of tranquility.

After a hearty meal, I took out the plastic buckets I had prepared earlier and began my water storage plan. In this period full of uncertainties, I couldn’t predict whether the water supply would suddenly be cut off, so I decided to store some water for myself every day, just in case. Next, I brought out the vegetable seeds and flower pots that I had prepared from the storage room. I sowed the seeds one by one in the soil, hoping that they would grow strong under my care and face the future crisis with me. As night gradually fell, I composed myself and stepped into my workroom. I pulled the newly bought backdrop behind me, creating a live streaming environment that looked like I was in another city. Although I was very limited in what I could do under these circumstances, I still managed to arrange a special live streaming session for daily necessities and food through my studio. I knew that this crisis might affect more cities, and I hoped that through my live streaming room, more people would realize the importance of stockpiling supplies. During the live stream, I noticed that viewers from different cities had started appearing in the comments, sharing the current situation in their cities. “Host, express delivery has completely stopped in our area. They say it’s because of a virus spreading…” “It’s not a virus, it’s zombies! We’re already forbidden to go out here, the streets are empty.” When this comment about zombies appeared, it was immediately blocked by the system. This shocked me, realizing that this crisis was no longer just a problem of one or two cities, but multiple cities had fallen into chaos. In the live streaming room, I tried to remind everyone in a subtle way: “Dear viewers, the situation is indeed a bit special recently. I suggest everyone should try to prepare more daily necessities and food, so that we can be more composed when facing the unknown.” After the live stream ended, it was close to midnight. I opened the surveillance of my brother’s house again and saw that the living room was empty, presumably they had all gone to rest. I thought they probably hadn’t realized the severity of this crisis yet, simply thinking that hiding at home for a few days would return everything to normal. However, I knew that things were far from that simple.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “295911”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #现实主义Realistic #浪漫Romance #魔幻Magic #校园School #重生Reborn #励志Inspiring #惊悚Thriller

On Valentine’s Day, my flower shop was bustling with business. One customer sent me a picture through DoorDash, asking if I could make the popular cash bouquet that was trending online at the time. I quickly counted, and the bouquet required 52 one-hundred-dollar bills to be stacked. However, he had only paid me 50 dollars. “I want it exactly like the picture, or I’ll leave you a bad review!” I patiently explained that the cash needed to be paid for separately, but all my messages remained unread. As the scheduled time drew nearer, and not wanting to damage my shop’s reputation, I reluctantly decided to use training banknotes as a substitute. The next day, to my surprise, the customer showed up with people to smash my shop. “You fucking bitch! I’ve been so nice to support your business, and you try to fool me with training banknotes? Now my crush won’t even talk to me! “I’m telling you, if you don’t pay me 50,000 dollars for emotional distress, I’ll make sure you regret this!” Robert Morales stepped on the fresh flowers and gestured with his hands. “Pay up! If you don’t, I’ll destroy your flower shop!” Many customers around stopped picking flowers and looked over. I felt heartbroken seeing the blue hyacinths crushed under his feet. This variety had just arrived at the shop. I loved them and had planned to keep a few for myself. A regular customer, Clara Jones, spoke up for me, “There must be some misunderstanding. We’ve been regulars here for a long time. She’s not the kind of person to do this.” Robert immediately pointed a finger at Clara and cursed, “You fucking bitch! None of your damn business!” Then Robert turned to me, his face full of anger. “If it hadn’t been for her using training banknotes in the custom-made cash bouquet for my crush, my crush would have been touched by my sincerity and would have agreed to be with me already!” As soon as he said that, people around started to think I had taken money for nothing, and began to criticize me. An older man’s face darkened, and he cursed at me, “As a business owner, how could you do something so unethical? “You took the money but didn’t deliver, and now you’ve ruined their relationship! How could you, a young girl, be so greedy for money? “Aren’t you going to return the money and compensate him?” Other customers didn’t directly shout at me, but they were all gossiping about me. I glared at Robert’s smug face and remembered why I had used training banknotes for the bouquet. It turned out that the night before, he had only paid 50 dollars and asked me to make a cash bouquet that needed 52 one-hundred-dollar bills stacked inside. I sent him many messages explaining that I was just running a small business. I asked him to bring cash to my shop or transfer the money to me. But he didn’t reply to a single message. According to DoorDash’s rules, if the order wasn’t delivered on time, the shop’s reputation score would drop. I had worked hard for years to maintain an excellent reputation score with no negative reviews. As the deadline approached, I had no choice but to use training banknotes to make the cash bouquet and deliver it. That evening, I received a negative review and a refund request. The reason was that the product didn’t match the picture. My DMs were flooded with angry texts. [You fucking bitch! Who allowed you to use training banknotes?] [How dare you try to fool me with these training banknotes? I guess you’re thinking of closing your shop, huh?] [My crush won’t even talk to me. According to DoorDash’s rules, you must compensate me ten times the amount, that’s 52,000 dollars. If you don’t, you’ll regret it.] He requested a refund only. Looking at those messages, my head was spinning. I immediately appealed on DoorDash, and his refund-only request was rejected. He was hopping mad and left some threatening messages in the chat. [You’ll regret this!] But I didn’t expect that he would show up at my shop this morning to pick a fight. I pulled out my phone and showed everyone the entire chat history. “I didn’t take money for nothing. The chat history can prove it. “He wanted a cash bouquet made from 52 one-hundred-dollar bills, but only paid me 50 dollars. How can this even be possible? I’m just running a small business. I can’t afford to deal with this kind of hassle. “And I also told him I couldn’t do it. I called him multiple times, but he never answered.”

This was absolutely ridiculous. I couldn’t believe something like this happened to me. I felt wronged and wanted to cry. The customers gathered around to look at the chat history. Clara comforted me, “I always said Ms. Wilson was an honest person. How could she do something like this?” Robert sneered, contemptuously smashing a vase on the floor. “You old hag, who asked you?” He then stomped his foot on my beloved fabric sofa, leaving a big black footprint. He pretended to be the one in the right. “She promised the bouquet would look exactly like the picture, that’s why I gave this order to her. “But she even messed up the most important part of the bouquet. Isn’t it normal for me to ask for compensation?” My flower shop promised that if a customer provided a picture, the finished bouquet would have no more than a 5% difference. The bouquet I made, compared to the picture he sent me, was exactly the same, except for the training banknotes. “If you didn’t want this order, I could have gone to another flower shop. Since you took it, you should have made it exactly like the picture!” I had never encountered such an unreasonable thug, so I was at a loss for words. “I sent you many messages saying I couldn’t do it, but all remained unread. I tried calling you, but you didn’t pick up. DoorDash doesn’t allow merchants to issue refunds without reason, so I had no choice but to use training banknotes. “For a flower order, after the platform takes its share and I cover the costs, I only get a few dozen dollars. Do you expect me to pay out of my own pocket for you? Is that even possible? “You think you can get a bouquet worth 5,200 dollars for just 50 dollars? No wonder she blocked you!” I was furious. This was clearly extortion. Everyone around me felt sorry for me and stood up for me. “You’re a grown man, and you actually think you can get a bouquet worth 5,200 dollars for just 50 dollars? Where in the world does something like that even happen?” “You must be nuts! Ms. Wilson isn’t running a charity. She’s going to lose money on your order.” “Exactly. Ms. Wilson is the real victim here, dealing with a customer like you. What you’re doing isn’t business. It’s robbery!” The customers were all defending me. Hearing this, Robert got even angrier. He jumped off the sofa, pointed a finger at me, and cursed. “Stop spouting nonsense. She’s the reason my crush won’t talk to me anymore. That’s the truth, right? “Am I not entitled to ask for some compensation for mental distress? “And then…” Suddenly, he changed his tone and stared at me. “With such a tiny profit, how can you even run a flower shop? “Who knows how you even manage to keep this shop open? “Every day, you dress all fancy, and men are coming in and out. Who knows what kind of shady business you’re running!” Robert’s friend immediately chimed in, grinning lewdly. “Exactly! I’ve seen men going in and out of her flower shop at night. “I kept thinking this girl looked familiar. Turns out she’s a call girl, only charging 200 dollars for the whole night!” Robert laughed loudly. “Well, that’s definitely a small business.” He picked up one of the potted roses I had planted, threw it on the ground, and stomped on it. “With a private life like that, how can you still buy flowers from her? Aren’t you afraid of catching something?”

They spread rumors about me, causing my customers to drop the flowers and leave. I was so furious that my hands were shaking. I was shocked by his shamelessness. The flowers in my shop were delivered every night, carefully arranged by me for sale the next day. Yet, this guy spread rumors, claiming that I had an inappropriate relationship with the delivery workers. My flower shop had been running for almost five years. I worked hard every day. Not only were my prices lower than most other shops, but my flowers were air-shipped fresh every day, so fresh that you could literally see the water dripping off them. I had been running this shop with integrity, but he slandered me with lies. I clenched my fists, telling myself not to show weakness. “Everything needs proof. If you’re spreading rumors, I’ll take legal action.” Today was Valentine’s Day, one of the most profitable days of the year. I had hoped to handle this privately, avoiding the time-consuming police report. But this guy, Robert, clearly wasn’t going to let it go. I pulled out my phone and called the police. He tried to grab my phone, but I dodged him. When the police arrived, his attitude was still arrogant. They stepped over the flowers and vases scattered on the floor and took both of us to the station. Once at the station, his arrogance quickly deflated. He no longer had that thug-like attitude. “This lady reports that you damaged her shop’s property and spread rumors about her shop’s illegitimacy,” the officer said, taking notes. Robert’s face changed immediately. “This is a misunderstanding, officer! “If it weren’t for her using training banknotes that my crush found out about, my crush and I would’ve been together! “She’s the one who destroyed my relationship! I was just giving her a little lesson!” Of course, he didn’t mention the part where he tried to get a bouquet worth 5,200 dollars for just 50 dollars. He conveniently skipped that part. I interrupted, “Why don’t you mention how you tried to get a bouquet worth 5,200 dollars for just 50 dollars? Dream on! Your crush just blocked you, and that’s already too much for you! She blocked you but didn’t even insult you.” He was angered by me and shouted, “You fucking bitch! Officer! She’s admitting that she ruined my relationship! I’m so angry. I have a headache and stomach pain. I need to go to the hospital, and she owes me compensation for emotional distress!” He was throwing a tantrum on the ground. “Stay quiet!” He forced a smile. “Yes, sir.” The officer turned to me. “Can you explain what happened?” I presented the chat history and security footage, showing that he had attempted to extort me and then damaged my shop’s facilities. “He also spread rumors about my shop being involved in illegal activities. “I’m going to sue him for defamation.” Robert, now frantic, shouted, “Look at how well-dressed you are, and with all those men coming in and out of your shop, it’s hard not to suspect something! I just said a couple of things. Why are you suing me for that?” The officer tapped the table with his pen. “Stay quiet.” He finally stopped talking. The officer looked up at him and said, “You really think you can get a bouquet worth 5,200 dollars for just 50 dollars? Why don’t you just go rob her? Your actions are clearly illegal.” “And you spreading rumors about me being involved in illegal activities has damaged my reputation,” I added. The officer nodded. “That’s right. You’re guilty of provoking trouble and will be detained for four days. You need to compensate the shop owner for the damages. “As for spreading rumors, you’ll be detained for five days and fined 500 dollars…”

As soon as Robert heard that he had to pay such a large sum of money, he immediately backed down. I demanded legal action. The compensation I was entitled to was absolutely going to be received. After handling everything at the police station, I returned to the shop. I looked at the mess all over the floor and felt incredibly frustrated. This flower shop… I had spent five years building it up, little by little, into what it was today. The small chandelier hanging from the ceiling was something I had installed with my own hands. The fabric on the sofa was cut and sewn by me, piece by piece. The flowers and plants in the shop had been taken care of by me for a long time as well. In past years, I would usually make a little extra money on Valentine’s Day. But today, with the mess that Robert had caused, I couldn’t even make a profit—forget about earning money; I was losing everything. This couldn’t go on. I had to pull myself together. So, I began cleaning up the mess. I sold off the remaining fresh flowers at a low price. The next day, I noticed that there were noticeably fewer customers in my shop. But a few days later, a large order suddenly came in. The customer said it was for a birthday party. I couldn’t help but feel a little relieved, thinking that the loss caused by Robert might finally be recovered through this big order. I took a quick look at the recipient’s name—Jameson Cox. Robert’s incident had made me extra cautious. I decided to call the customer to confirm everything. It was a big order, and if the customer canceled at the last minute, I’d lose a huge amount of money again. The customer replied politely, so I felt a bit more at ease. Robert had been detained, so I assumed he would have learned his lesson. But I still felt a little uneasy inside. When I finally delivered and set up all the flowers, my previous unease turned into reality. Robert appeared with a group of people, grinning lecherously at me. “Hey, isn’t this the owner of Daily Blossom?” he mocked. I quickly realized that he was nothing but a thug—how could he possibly let this go so easily? “What do you want?” I asked, feeling both frustrated and unwilling to back down. I had worked so hard to run this flower shop. What did I do to deserve this? Was it just because I didn’t let him take advantage that he wanted to get back at me? Seeing my furious expression, Robert laughed loudly, but then his face turned dark. “I was locked up for ten days because of your call to the police, and I had to pay thousands of dollars in compensation. How could I just let you off the hook? No way!” He spat, spreading his hands wide. “One hundred thousand dollars in compensation, not a penny less. Otherwise, you’ll regret it!” To my surprise, just a few days later, even the amount of the compensation had gone up. One hundred thousand dollars—this was almost half a year’s profit from my flower shop. How could I possibly pay him that much? “That’s impossible! I won’t give you a single penny!” I said firmly. I dropped the flowers and walked out. He had a lot of people with him, and I was afraid of what they might do to me, so I left quickly, my palms sweating. I kept my guard up, thinking I would call the police if anything went wrong. But they didn’t do anything. Fortunately, they had already paid in advance. And since I believed there was nothing wrong with the flowers, I thought that even if they came up with all kinds of excuses, I was confident they couldn’t just get a refund. I kept reassuring myself. But when I got home and checked the messages on DoorDash, I was stunned.

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Jacob’s first love got pregnant and came to our house asking him to take her in. I refused. That night, she jumped off a bridge, killing herself and her unborn child. Later, Jacob asked me to go bungee jumping with him. The moment he pushed me off, he whispered in my ear, “If you hadn’t been so heartless and turned Lily away back then, she wouldn’t have taken her own life. You owe her this life.” He took out scissors and cut the cord. I fell to my death. When I opened my eyes again, I was back to the day his first love came to our house pregnant, asking for help. I smiled and said, “What a coincidence, I’m pregnant too. Let’s take care of our pregnancies together.” “Knock knock knock—” A series of knocks came from outside the door. I woke up startled from my nightmare. The nightmare left me feeling cold all over. I dreamed that Jacob took me bungee jumping, and the moment he pushed me off, he took out a pair of scissors. His face filled with hatred as he said, “Olivia, if you hadn’t been so heartless and turned Lily away, she wouldn’t have taken her own life. You owe her this life.” “Go to hell!” Jacob cut the cord with the scissors, and I fell to my death. The knocking outside continued, accompanied by a familiar voice: “Jacob, are you home?” I suddenly came to my senses. It was Lily’s voice. Lily was Jacob’s college crush. In my previous life, six months into our marriage, Lily showed up at our door. She said she was pregnant, and the father of the child didn’t want to acknowledge the baby or marry her. But she wanted to keep the child, and in desperation, she came to ask Jacob to take her in. At that time, I was also pregnant, and naturally, I didn’t want Jacob’s first love moving in. So, I politely refused her. Lily left disappointed, and that day, Jacob gave me the cold shoulder. Although he didn’t say anything, his actions told me he blamed me for not taking Lily in. That night, Jacob received a call from Lily. Lily told him on the phone: “Jacob, are you abandoning me too? I have nothing left to live for in this world. I’m on the bridge now, goodbye forever!” “Lily, don’t do anything stupid, wait for me!” Jacob was in the middle of dinner, but he immediately put down his chopsticks, grabbed his car keys, and rushed out. I watched Jacob leave the house in a hurry, driving to the bridge Lily mentioned. My heart sank. Jacob didn’t return until dawn the next day. He sat dejectedly in the living room, smoking. I came out of the bedroom and asked him, “How’s Lily?” “She’s dead, along with her unborn child.” Jacob’s eyes were red, filled with regret and remorse. “Olivia, you shouldn’t have turned her away. We had plenty of room in our house, why were you so heartless?” I retorted, “Jacob, you think it’s my fault? There are plenty of hotel rooms, why did she have to stay at our house?” He didn’t respond, just kept smoking. From then on, we had a cold war for a while. As the baby in my belly grew bigger, he started to reflect on his behavior. He realized it wasn’t my fault. He bought a car full of flowers to apologize to me. He held my hand and said, “Olivia, I was wrong. It was Lily who couldn’t cope, I shouldn’t have blamed you.” For the sake of our unborn child, I forgave him. From then on, he never mentioned the incident again and focused on our life together. He made healthy smoothies for me every day, but I still miscarried. I was devastated, and he comforted me: “Olivia, don’t be sad. We’ll have children in the future. Let me take you bungee jumping, they say when you jump from a high place, all your worries disappear.” I went bungee jumping with him to try and relieve my depression. But he gave me a fatal blow. It turned out he had never gotten over Lily, he had been resenting me all along, to the point of pushing me off from a great height. Before pushing me, he cruelly told me: “Do you know why you couldn’t keep the baby? Because I added ingredients harmful to pregnancy in the smoothies I made for you.” Recalling these past events, I trembled with anger. He had actually harmed his own flesh and blood for Lily’s sake. I got out of bed and pulled open the curtains to look outside. I had been reborn, back to the day Lily came to our door pregnant, asking for help.

Jacob had left for work early this morning and wasn’t home. I took out the pregnancy test result from the drawer. At this point, I was also two months pregnant. I thought, if only I had been reborn before marrying him, that would have been so much better. I would have called off the engagement without hesitation. This child came at the wrong time. Lily called out from outside the door: “Jacob, are you there? Olivia, are you home? Open the door quickly.” I put away the pregnancy test result and leisurely went to the bathroom to freshen up. I heard Lily take out her phone and call Jacob: “Sob sob, Jacob, are you busy? I’m at your front door now, Olivia won’t let me in.” “What happened? Don’t cry.” Jacob replied on the phone, “Wait for me, I’m coming back right away!” Lily waited outside the door for a full twenty minutes before I opened it and looked at her: “Can I help you?” Lily had a suitcase beside her feet. She touched her belly and said to me, “Olivia, I’m pregnant. The baby’s father doesn’t want this child. I have nowhere to stay now, can you and Jacob take me in?” I wasn’t close to Lily, we had only met once before. She came to our wedding. At that time, I didn’t know she was Jacob’s college crush. If I had known Jacob had a first love he couldn’t forget, I wouldn’t have married him. Jacob was on his way back. I pulled Lily into the house and smiled, “What a coincidence, I’m pregnant too. Let’s take care of our pregnancies together.” Lily looked at my belly and asked, “How many months along are you? Does Jacob know?” “Just over two months, he doesn’t know yet. I don’t plan to tell him for now.” As soon as I finished speaking, footsteps were heard outside the door. Jacob was back. He saw Lily and me sitting on the sofa, first looked surprised, then relieved. He went to pour water for Lily, his tone revealing his concern for her: “Lily, why are you here? What happened?” “I’m pregnant, and I have nowhere to go. I was hoping to stay at your place for a while.” Lily said, then glanced at me and added, “Olivia has already agreed.” Jacob was a bit surprised. He pulled me into the study, closed the door, and asked me: “Olivia, did you really agree to let Lily stay?” I generously replied: “Yes, she has nowhere to go now. If we don’t take her in, what if she does something desperate? Besides, we have three rooms, one more person won’t make a difference.” “Olivia, you’re so generous.” Jacob’s eyes lit up with joy, and he hugged my waist, about to kiss me. I felt disgusted but subtly pushed him away. He smiled and said: “You’re right, we have plenty of room. Let her stay for a while then!”

Jacob went to the living room and warmly greeted Lily. Lily said she hadn’t had breakfast yet. Jacob immediately put on an apron and went to the kitchen to make breakfast for Lily. He also said he would go to the supermarket later to buy chicken to make smoothies for her. He even asked Lily what fruits she liked. Lily coyly said: “You know, I like cherries, strawberries, and durian, preferably Musang King durian.” Jacob generously agreed: “Alright, I’ll buy them all for you later!” In the room, I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. Cherries are so expensive now, I can’t even afford them myself. And Musang King durian, several hundred dollars each, how dare she? Jacob cleaned out the guest room for Lily to stay in. He came over to say goodbye to me: “Olivia, I’m taking Lily to the supermarket, want to come?” I tried my best to contain myself: “No, you two go ahead.” Jacob nodded: “Okay, then tidy up the house a bit, I’ll buy your favorite oranges back for you.” “Go on.” I coldly watched Jacob and Lily leave. After they left, I quickly packed some luggage and dialed a long-forgotten number: “Ryan, are you free now? Can we meet?” Ryan agreed without hesitation: “Sure, where are you? I’ll come pick you up.” “No need, let’s meet at the coffee shop. I’ll go there myself.” Ryan cheerfully replied: “Okay.” I took a taxi to meet Ryan at the coffee shop. Ryan was my college classmate, once the campus heartthrob. He had pursued me before, and when he heard the news of my marriage, he, who never went to bars, got drunk at a bar that night. We hadn’t been in contact since my marriage, but I learned from mutual friends that he was starting a business in this city and was currently single. At the coffee shop, Ryan was already waiting for me. It had been a long time, and he looked more mature than before. At 6’4″, sunny and handsome, sitting by the floor-to-ceiling window, he attracted quite a few glances. After some small talk, I said to him: “Ryan, I have a favor to ask.” “Olivia, whatever it is, just ask.” I confessed: “I had a fight with my husband. I was wondering if I could stay at your place for a few days?” If the events of my previous life hadn’t happened, I definitely wouldn’t have asked a male friend to stay at his place. However, my mindset was different now. Jacob thought it was okay for Lily to stay at our house. Well, I wanted to see how Jacob would react to me staying at the house of a male classmate who once pursued me. Ryan was stunned for a moment, then nodded: “Sure, you can stay as long as you want.” And so, I moved into Ryan’s home. After shopping at the supermarket, Jacob took Lily to the mall and maternity store, buying her many sets of maternity clothes and daily necessities. They returned home carrying bags of all sizes. Jacob peeled Musang King durian for Lily, washed cherries and strawberries, and brought them to her. Then, he went into the master bedroom to call me out to eat fruit. The master bedroom was empty. Jacob noticed the suitcase in the corner was gone, and when he opened the wardrobe, my most frequently worn clothes were also missing. He dialed my number. I was eating fruit that Ryan had cut for me. Jacob asked angrily: “Olivia, where are you? Why is your suitcase gone?” I calmly replied: “The house was a bit crowded, so I moved to Ryan’s place.” Jacob knew Ryan and was aware that he had pursued me before. He had always seen Ryan as a rival. Upon hearing this, Jacob exploded, shouting: “What are you doing at Ryan’s house? Don’t you know it’s improper for men and women to live together? Come back home right now!”

I mocked: “Oh, so you do know it’s improper for men and women to live together? I thought you didn’t.” Jacob realized that I was doing this because I was unhappy about him letting Lily stay at our house: “Olivia, can you stop being dramatic? You were the one who agreed to let Lily stay, and now you’re the one who moved to Ryan’s house. What exactly do you want?” “I pretended to agree as a test for you, and unfortunately, you failed the test.” I didn’t want to say more to him, just added, “That’s all. Ryan has cut some fruit for me, I’m going to eat now.” The last sentence was clearly meant to mock him. Jacob grabbed his jacket, intending to come to Ryan’s house to find me. As he passed through the living room, Lily called out to him: “Jacob, I heard everything just now. It seems Olivia doesn’t welcome me. How about this, I’ll pack my things and leave now.” Jacob stopped and explained to her: “Don’t take it to heart, Olivia is just throwing a little tantrum. I’ll go get her, she’ll come back with me.” “I don’t want you two to fight because of me, I should leave.” Lily said as she went to the guest room to pack her luggage. Seeing that she wasn’t joking, Jacob quickly put down his jacket and went to comfort her: “Don’t you have nowhere else to stay right now? Even if you want to leave, there’s no rush. I’ve bought so much fruit for you.” “Jacob, you’re so kind. If only I had chosen you back then…” Lily sighed, her eyes revealing a hint of regret. Jacob’s ears turned red, and he asked eagerly: “Lily, why didn’t you choose me back then?” Lily smiled lightly and said: “There were too many people pursuing me back then, and sometimes people make the wrong choice. Let’s not talk about the past.” Perhaps Lily’s words gave Jacob hope. He decided not to go to Ryan’s house to find me. He solemnly said to Lily: “Don’t leave. This isn’t your fault, it’s Olivia’s. She’s too petty.” “You stay here. If she wants to stay at Ryan’s house, let her.” After saying this, Jacob asked Lily to go to the living room and continue eating fruit. Lily then said: “By the way, can you accompany me to my prenatal check-up tomorrow?” “Of course, tomorrow is Saturday. Even if it wasn’t, I could take time off to accompany you.” Jacob agreed without hesitation, revealing his true nature as a devoted admirer. “You’re such a good man, Olivia is so lucky.” Lily praised Jacob, then went on to criticize me, “You’re so good to her, yet she still picks fights with you. I feel like you deserve better.” “Ah, her temper is indeed a bit much, unlike you who’s so understanding.” Jacob sighed, looking at Lily with newfound interest. Lily smiled coyly, and the two exchanged meaningful glances.

The next day, I went to the hospital early in the morning. Coming out of the operating room, I ran into Lily and Jacob. Jacob was surprised to see me in the obstetrics department. He pulled me to the end of the corridor and asked in a low voice: “Olivia, what are you doing here?” My face was pale, my voice cold: “Didn’t Lily tell you I was pregnant too?” Hearing the news of my pregnancy, Jacob wasn’t very excited, just a bit surprised: “What? You’re pregnant too? Did you come for a check-up today?” I shook my head: “No, I came for surgery. I’ve already terminated the pregnancy.” Jacob was furious: “Olivia, you terminated our child without asking me? What’s the meaning of this?” “Jacob, let’s get a divorce. I wish you and Lily happiness.” I turned to leave. Ryan came from afar, he had gone to get medicine for me. Seeing Ryan, Jacob rushed over and punched him, shouting angrily: “Ryan, did you persuade my wife to terminate the pregnancy? You’re asking for death!” Ryan punched Jacob back, and nurses came forward to separate them. Lily came over to comfort Jacob: “Don’t be angry, we can talk about this when we get back.” I pulled Ryan away, leaving Jacob and Lily behind. Jacob, grinding his teeth in anger, shouted at my retreating back: “Olivia, think carefully! If you leave with him, our marriage is over!” I had thought it through clearly. Divorce, we must divorce! After returning from the hospital, I rested at Ryan’s place for a few days. When I was able to get out of bed, I moved out of Ryan’s house and into a hotel. I had originally stayed at his place to anger Jacob, which was a bit impulsive. After calming down, I knew I shouldn’t have done that. I proposed divorce to Jacob. He was also angry and agreed immediately. However, when it came to dividing the assets, some disagreements arose. We had a house, a car, and 300,000 in savings under our names. Originally, we planned to sell the house and car and split the marital assets equally. But Lily persuaded Jacob: “Olivia’s salary isn’t as high as yours, how can she get half? Giving her a third is already generous.” Jacob thought Lily made sense, so he proposed that he keep the house, I get the car, and of the savings, he gets 200,000 and I get 100,000. Of course, I didn’t agree. Although my base salary wasn’t as high as his, my year-end bonus could match his entire annual salary. That car was bought with my year-end bonus. When we bought the house, my family also contributed half. When we didn’t have enough money for renovations, I used most of my pre-marriage savings. I had originally planned to live a good life with him, but I never expected I had misjudged him so badly. Now that we couldn’t continue our life together, splitting the assets 50-50 was already generous to him. Since we couldn’t reach an agreement, we had to file for divorce in court.

While I was preparing the materials for the divorce lawsuit, Lily was still living in my house. And I was living in a hotel. The master bedroom in my house had a large bathroom with a bathtub. The bathtub was connected to an app on my phone that could remotely control the water temperature and massage frequency. That night, my phone app popped up a message showing the bathtub was in use. Water temperature: 40°C. I immediately became alert. This bathtub was exclusively mine, Jacob hardly ever used it. He only liked showers. Moreover, he didn’t like water that was too hot when bathing, 38°C at most. I suspected Lily was using my bathtub. My house clearly had two bathrooms. Besides the one in the master bedroom, there was a public bathroom next to the guest room. To confirm my suspicion, I dialed a video call to Jacob. Jacob took about ten seconds to slowly answer the video call. He was working in the study, looking at me in the video with a cold face: “What? Realized you were wrong? I won’t forgive you.” I didn’t answer his question, instead asking directly: “Is Lily taking a bath in the master bedroom?” Jacob was nonchalant: “So what if she is? There’s no bathtub in the guest room, she’s just taking a bath in the master bedroom. We’re about to get divorced anyway, do you still care?” “I can’t believe this!” I switched the video call to a floating window, opened the app controlling the bathtub, turned up the water temperature, and randomly pressed the massage buttons. From the other end of the phone came Lily’s scream: “Ah—” Jacob quickly got up and walked to the master bedroom door, calling out: “Lily, what’s wrong?” “Why is the water getting hotter and hotter? And it’s spraying everywhere.” Lily scrambled out of the bathtub. “Be careful, come out first, don’t soak anymore.” Jacob said this and returned to the study, picking up his phone to question me: “Olivia, are you controlling the bathtub? Can’t you be less petty?” I frowned: “No matter how generous I am, I can’t accept another woman using my bathtub. Tell her to get out!” “You’re sick.” Just as Jacob was about to scold me, another scream came from the master bathroom: “Ah—” Jacob, without even hanging up the video call, rushed into the master bedroom with his phone. The camera swept across Lily lying naked on the bathroom floor, her body wet. Lily said tearfully: “Jacob, come help me up quickly. I slipped when I got out of the bathtub.” Jacob went over, took a towel to cover Lily, and helped her up. He probably forgot that I could still see everything on my end. How entertaining. I promptly pressed the record button.

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I Died Three Years Ago, But My Husband Wants to Marry His First Love Three years after my death, my husband was preparing to marry his terminally ill first love. He came to my house and asked my mother to sign the divorce papers. My mom told him I was already dead. But my husband impatiently retorted: “What nonsense is this? She’s still playing these childish games!” “Olivia is dying. What’s wrong with me wanting to be with her in her final days? Why is Emily being so selfish?!” “Tell her if she doesn’t come out, I’ll cut off your medical expenses, old woman!” He was trying to use me to force my mother to reveal my whereabouts. Little did he know, my mother had already given up on treatment long ago. She was holding on only to see my husband’s regret. Three years after my death, Jack finally remembered me. But now he was a celebrated business tycoon, while I was just a cursed spirit, unable to move on. He stood at my family’s doorstep, scanning the empty room, and coldly said to my mother, “Tell Emily to get out here!” My mother’s frail body trembled as she replied numbly, “My daughter is dead.” Hearing this, Jack sneered, “Dead? How could someone as selfish as Emily possibly die?” “I get it now. It’s because Olivia is terminally ill and I want to be with her, so Emily’s putting on this act?” He laughed coldly and barged in, searching every room. But he couldn’t find any trace of me. My mother said, “Emily really is dead. If you want to find her, go look in her grave.” Jack’s face darkened. “You think these tactics will work? Let me tell you, if your daughter doesn’t come out and divorce me, don’t blame me for cutting off your medical expenses, old woman!” Seeing my mom remain silent, Jack laughed angrily and threw down the divorce papers: “Stubborn, aren’t you? But it’s useless.” “Make her sign within three days, then contact me immediately to finalize the divorce at the registry office. If you can’t do that…” At this point, Jack’s eyes showed a coldness I’d never seen before, “You might as well be dead.” He slammed the door as he left, leaving my heart in pieces. To divorce me, he would even threaten my mother’s life. But in my mother’s eyes, I saw a tenderness I’d never witnessed before. She calmly watched Jack leave, then turned and took out my childhood photos from a drawer. As she caressed my young face in the picture, I heard her whisper, “Emily, dear, Mommy will be with you soon.”

Naturally, I couldn’t divorce Jack. As expected, a few days later, he cut off all of my mother’s medical expenses. My mom was elderly with serious heart problems, along with high blood pressure, diabetes, and various other ailments. With continued treatment, there was still hope for improvement. But only I knew that three years ago, my mom had stopped using Jack’s money entirely. And her illness had already progressed beyond hope. Mom had wanted to join me long ago, but she couldn’t let go. She couldn’t bear the thought of her daughter, who had given her whole heart, being abandoned and trampled upon. So, until the moment Jack showed regret, she was determined to keep living in this world. A week passed, and my mom showed no signs of backing down. Jack finally lost his patience. He called my mom and sneered, “Your daughter is really heartless, isn’t she? To avoid divorcing me, she’s even using you in this ploy.” “I’m warning you, even if you die, I won’t feel an ounce of sympathy! Tell Emily to sign the divorce papers obediently!” My mother looked at my photo in her arms, her fingers digging into her palms, “Jack, I’ve already told you, my daughter is dead.” Jack scoffed, “Looks like you’re asking for trouble. You think your daughter can hide from my search? If she won’t come out, I’ll find her myself!” A bitterness spread through my heart. You want to find me, Jack? I really wish you could find me. But I hope you won’t regret it when you do. Just then, a weak female voice came through the phone, accompanied by some coughing, “Jack, dear, is there any news about Emily?” “Is she angry? Does she want to wait for me to die?” Jack quickly put down the phone to comfort her, “Rest easy, don’t worry. I’ll definitely divorce her and marry you.” But Olivia shook her head, her voice choked with emotion, “I know Emily must feel wronged and probably resents me now. I understand. I’m not trying to steal you from her, I just want you to be with me in my final days.” Her words were full of sincerity, but every sentence pointed the blame at me. As if I were the homewrecker. And I knew that Jack would never take my side. “Olivia, how could you think that? I love you. What right does Emily have to compete with you? Don’t worry, even if I have to search to the ends of the earth, I’ll dig up her bones to sign the divorce papers.” He seemed to deliberately raise his voice, making sure my mother could hear on the other end of the line, before hanging up abruptly. Listening to the dial tone, I could feel my mother’s heart turning to ice. She struggled to her feet, wiping away a tear. With a smile, she said, “It’s alright, daughter. Mommy will be with you soon.”

To find me, Jack mobilized all his connections in the city. I laughed bitterly to myself. This was probably the most attention I’d ever received from him. But it was useless. I watched as he turned the city upside down, even filing a missing persons report with the police, only to be told there was no record of me. Before I died, my mother had transferred my household registration to our hometown. I no longer had any official ties to this city. In his office, Jack flew into a rage. “Useless idiots! You can’t even find one person! Have you all been eating dog food?” His secretary stood trembling nearby, finally mustering the courage to speak, “Mr. Zhao, we’ve looked everywhere possible. Miss Emily is no longer in the city.” “Her mother is still here, where else could she have gone? She couldn’t survive without me and this city!” Jack furiously swept everything off his desk. Watching his self-important display, I couldn’t help but smirk. So he always saw me as a parasite in their family. No wonder he looked down on me and my mother. “Perhaps… we could check the hospitals. Miss Emily was hospitalized after a car accident three years ago. There should still be records,” the secretary suggested quietly. Jack’s mind cleared for a moment, but he quickly realized something was off. “Hospitalized? When was Emily in a car accident? Why don’t I know about this?” The secretary was about to continue when Jack’s phone rang. “Jack, my heart feels uncomfortable. I think I’m having a rejection episode. Can you come see me?” Olivia’s voice was urgent and helpless, and Jack’s heart melted. He immediately dropped everything, sending the secretary to investigate my situation, and rushed to Olivia’s side. My eyes stung with unshed tears. Once upon a time, Jack and I had shared such loving moments too. But now, none of that belonged to me anymore. Perhaps these things were never meant to be mine, and I shouldn’t have coveted them. In truth, Olivia had my heart. After three years in her body, it had likely adapted to its new host and wouldn’t have any rejection episodes. She just didn’t want Jack to be distracted by my affairs, taking away the love that belonged solely to her. Jack hurried to the hospital, and hearing from the doctor that Olivia was fine, he breathed a sigh of relief. Olivia’s eyes lit up when she saw Jack, “Jack, you’re here.” Seeing Olivia in good spirits, Jack realized she wasn’t in any real danger. He had been irritable lately due to not being able to find me, and Olivia’s constant demands were starting to grate on him. He couldn’t help but feel a bit annoyed. “Next time, if it’s not serious, it’s better to check with the doctor first.” His tone was still restrained, but the displeasure was evident. Olivia was stunned for a moment, but quickly put on a tearful expression, “Jack, I was just so bored in the hospital and missed you terribly. You’ve been so focused on finding Emily lately, you rarely come to see me.” “I don’t have many years left to live. I just wanted to see you as much as possible while I’m still alive.” This tactic always worked on Jack. He immediately felt guilty, “I’m sorry for not considering your feelings. I’ve let you suffer alone in the hospital.” “It’s all Emily’s fault. Even at this point, she’s still playing hide-and-seek. She’s completely heartless!” I smiled wryly. I truly was heartless. My heart had been given to Olivia three years ago. Finally, Jack’s secretary found my hospital records from three years ago. [Emily Johnson, female, 27 years old, died from injuries sustained in a car accident despite resuscitation attempts.] When he submitted this information to Jack, Jack’s entire body began to shake.

He flipped through the pages with bloodshot eyes, refusing to accept the reality. “This is all nonsense! It must be fabricated by the hospital!” Like a madman, he tore the documents to shreds, but the news of Emily’s death in a car accident was already deeply etched in his mind, impossible to erase. “How could this happen? Why did I never know about her car accident?” Jack tightly gripped his secretary’s collar, shaking him violently, “Why didn’t anyone tell me?!” The secretary reluctantly informed him, “Miss Emily was already on the brink of death when she was brought to the hospital. That day, you were busy preparing blood supplies for Miss Olivia. The hospital called you several times, but you didn’t answer any of them.” “The hospital said that due to a lack of suitable blood, Miss Emily died from excessive blood loss.” “How could there be no suitable blood source?! Doesn’t the hospital have a huge blood bank? Did they feed it all to dogs?!” Jack shouted angrily. The secretary could only reveal the cruel truth to him, “Miss Emily and Miss Olivia both have Rh-negative blood. You had taken all the Rh-negative blood from the hospital’s blood bank, so there was no blood available for Miss Emily. She could only wait for death.” Jack’s pupils constricted sharply. He painfully covered his ears and curled up on the ground, “How could this happen?!” “I didn’t mean to take all the blood from the bank. I didn’t know Emily had been in an accident that day. I didn’t mean to take all the blood! I didn’t!” The secretary sighed, “Mr. Zhao, what’s done is done. Please try to accept it and grieve.” He was about to help Jack up when Jack suddenly stood up as if remembering something. “Emily’s mother! She knew everything! It was her! She deliberately concealed it from me! You’re all lying to me. Emily can’t be dead. I must confront her!” Jack’s frenzied state made me feel both unfamiliar and amused. I never thought that one day, my death would drive him to this state. But even at the moment when the truth was revealed, he was still constantly shifting blame. Truly beyond help. Jack found my mother in our hometown. In the vast countryside, my mother had built a grave for me with her own hands. She was piously burning incense for me when Jack violently interrupted, knocking the incense from her hands. He stared in disbelief at my memorial tablet, angrily questioning my mother, “What are you doing?! Tell me what you’re doing?!” My mother ignored his shouting and calmly picked up the broken incense, placing it back in the incense burner in front of my grave. She spoke evenly, “Can’t you see?” “I’m burning incense for my dead daughter – your wife, Emily.”

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Tommy, my stepson, was being held hostage by drug dealers. They demanded to negotiate only with my wife. Meanwhile, she was at an amusement park with Daniel, her crush who had just returned from abroad, and his daughter. She accused me of putting on an act. “Chuck, I finally got a day off after cracking a big case. I’m at the amusement park with Daniel and Lila. Can you stop this act? Using our son to threaten me? Are you even a man?”Kara hung up before I could explain. When I called again, her phone was switched off. That day, my stepson was held by a drug dealer who jumped off a building with him. Tommy died on the spot. … “Chuck, the situation is critical. Contact Captain Thompson immediately! The drug dealer is unstable and could harm the hostage at any moment!” Officer Mike shouted desperately from the doorway, his gun aimed at the drug dealer. “Ask the captain where she is. If she doesn’t come to negotiate soon, it’ll be too late!” Panicking, I quickly dialed my wifeKara’s number. Fortunately, she picked up this time. “Chuck, aren’t you tired of this? I finally get a day off, and you won’t stop bothering me?” I hurriedly explained, “Tommy’s been taken hostage. They say they’ll only negotiate with you…” Before I could finish, the line went dead. I tried calling again, but her phone was off. My eyes turned bloodshot as I frantically dialed her number over and over. Off. Still off. Tommy is my wife’s biological son and my stepson. In the years since our marriage, I’ve always treated Tommy as my own. I couldn’t bear to see his life threatened. I clenched my fists so hard that my nails dug into my palms, drawing blood. The pain forced me to stay calm. My wife had mentioned that Daniel, her crush, lived in M District, and there was an amusement park nearby. When I arrived, I found my wife and Daniel playing with his daughter. They sat side by side, with Daniel’s daughter on their laps, looking like a happy family of three. The situation was dire, so I had no time to dwell on it. I rushed over in a few quick strides. Emma’s face darkened when she saw me approach. “Chuck, are you stalking me?” “Don’t you know what I do for a living?” She scolded me harshly, her eyes full of disgust. It was as if I shouldn’t have appeared here, interrupting their family time. “Our son is being held hostage by drug dealers. Come with me quickly. The dealers specifically asked to negotiate with you. Otherwise, our son will die!” She blocked my hand and looked at me with contempt and impatience. “I dropped our son off at kindergarten half an hour ago. If you’re going to lie, at least make it believable.” Emma didn’t believe me at all and thought I was making a fool of myself. Daniel smiled and stood betweenKara and me, chuckling lightly: “Emma, it’s okay. It’s normal that Chuck doesn’t want you to accompany my daughter. After all, we’re just outsiders.” “You should go back. I’ll comfort Lila later.” Emma frowned, glaring at me coldly. “There’s no need. I’m here for Lila. Even if she’s not my daughter, what’s wrong with using my day off to provide psychological counseling for a child I saved?” She glanced at me and continued: “Chuck, you’re beyond help. How dare you use our son’s life as a prop for your act. Get out of here right now!” I didn’t care how my wife saw me. I just wanted to save our son. “Every word I’ve said is true. Our son was taken hostage right after you left. He’s on the rooftop now, in a standoff with your colleagues! If you don’t believe me, call Officer Mike and you’ll know!” Thinking of our son crying out, my heart felt like it was being cut by a knife. I just wanted to dragKara to the scene. Daniel frowned and pretended to persuade me: “Chuck, I’ve been there. It’s normal for couples to have conflicts, but it’s going too far to joke about a child’s life. Even if Tommy isn’t your biological son, there’s no need for this, right?” “Listen to me, talk it out withKara properly. Any conflict can be resolved through communication, rightKara?” As he spoke, he took my wife’s hand and patted it gently. Seeing this, I almost exploded with anger and finally couldn’t hold back: “Let go of her, you bastard! Say that again if you dare!” Daniel retreated a step, hiding behind my wife. “I’m just telling the truth. There’s no need to react like this, is there? Look, being selfish is one thing, but there should be limits. What if something really happens to Tommy?” Emma’s face darkened, and she slapped me hard. “What are you trying to do? Are you jealous of Daniel and have to drag our child into this? Is there no end to this? Have you lost all sense of decency?” My voice was hoarse as I clenched my fists without retaliating. “Emma Thompson, think carefully. Tommy is your flesh and blood. He’s in the hands of drug dealers right now, his life hanging by a thread. Only you can save him!” “Are you really going to ignore your own son’s life just to play with someone else’s daughter at an amusement park?” Emma’s face turned cold. She was about to say something when Daniel suddenly spoke up: “Emma, it’s our turn for the next activity. Didn’t you say you wanted to do the parent-child game with Lila? Leave the observation to me. I’m her father, so I’m more attentive to these things.” My wife’s fleeting doubt instantly vanished. She said decisively: “No need to pay attention to him. Let’s go find Lila. I’ll observe the child’s psychological state myself.” I grew desperate and grabbed my wife’s arm, begging, “Emma, I’m begging you. Our son’s life is really in danger. He’s the child you carried for ten months. You can’t just watch him die…” Daniel pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses, his eyes mocking as he said: “Looks like Chuck is determined to see this act through. We don’t need to expose him.Kara, you should go back with him. I’ll be fine here.” I was so angry I nearly ground my teeth to dust. Thinking of our son’s life hanging by a thread, I made up my mind and fell to my knees with a thud. “Emma Thompson! Come with me! I’m begging you! If you don’t go, our son will die. He’ll really die!” Emma was stunned, a flicker of hesitation crossing her face. Seeing this, Daniel became truly anxious. “A man’s knees are worth their weight in gold. I can’t believe I called you ‘Chuck’. How embarrassing!” “It’s one thing to lose face for the sake of an act, but kneeling in public? Who are you trying to pressure? Don’t you care aboutKara’s reputation? Even I, an outsider, can’t stand to watch this!” He pointed at me self-righteously and continued to rebuke me, “We’re both men. I understand you might not care for your stepson, but that’s no reason to use a child’s life as an excuse to deceive people!” Daniel spoke with such conviction that people around us started to look over. Seeing the gazes of onlookers, my wife’s eyes filled with disappointment and disgust. “Chuck Wilson, get out of here. I don’t want to see you again. This is an amusement park. Don’t scare the children.” With that,Kara took Daniel’s hand in one hand and his daughter’s in the other, turning to walk deeper into the amusement park. My heart sank, and I felt my vision darken. Before I could catch my breath, Officer Mike called. “Chuck, where’s Captain Thompson? The drug dealer is losing patience. Where are you guys?!” My hands and feet turned ice-cold. I scrambled to my feet and drove straight to the scene. Just as I arrived at the building, I heard a gunshot. The drug dealer fell from the building, holding my son. I rushed over like a madman, kneeling in the pool of blood and holding my son. “Tommy, you’ll be okay. Daddy’s here, daddy’s here.” Tommy raised his small hand, his face pale, breaking my heart. “Daddy, don’t blame mommy. Mommy is a great hero. She must be catching other bad guys. Tommy won’t cry. Tommy is the bravest.” I watched his little hand fall lifelessly and held my son tightly, opening my mouth in a silent roar, unable to make a sound. Blood stained my chest red. I was like a walking corpse, my body convulsing from the immense pain. I was taken to the hospital by other police officers, then went to the funeral home in a daze with the death certificate. When I came out of the funeral home holding my son’s urn, the once lively and talkative Tommy was now contained in this small box. I didn’t know how to explain to Tommy why his mother hadn’t come. I couldn’t forgiveKara, nor could I forgive myself. I took the urn home and sat on the sofa all night. For the entire night,Kara didn’t come back. I silently got up and changed into a black suit. Tommy died at the age of five. According to our hometown customs, he should be buried in the southeast direction. I needed to find a burial plot. Just as I went downstairs, I saw Daniel’s car parked at the entrance. Emma got out of the car. Seeing me standing there, she walked towards me with a cold face. “Chuck, you…” She was about to scold me when she saw the urn in my hands. “What is that?” I looked at my wife’s face, my vision blurring. I seemed to see the person she once was. We were middle school classmates, then happened to be in the same class in high school. You could say we went from school uniforms to wedding dresses. Back then, my family had an accident. My parents died in a car crash. I couldn’t accept it and became withdrawn.Kara was always there to help me. I felt the world had no meaning, and she told me to make her my reason for living. I took it seriously, and she told me she would definitely try to be my reason for living. Even when we met again after college graduation and she had a child, I still chose to stay with her without hesitation and married her. I thought our family of three would live happily ever after, but everything changed when her crush Daniel returned from abroad. She often didn’t come home at night, saying she was too busy with work. But I knew it was because Daniel was in a bad mood and drinking, so she kept him company. She couldn’t make it to our wedding anniversary because Daniel wanted to watch the sunrise on a mountain. I didn’t confront her, but she became even more blatant. Because ofKara’s indulgence, Daniel even dared to call my wife in front of me, asking her to leave. No matter what she was doing, she would drop everything and rush over. I still didn’t say anything, just became more and more disappointed in her. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to speak up, but because of our son Tommy, I kept enduring. Even though Tommy wasn’t my biological son, I always treated him as my own. I thought that as long as Tommy was here,Kara would eventually come to her senses. I even thoughtKara’s existence was to lead me into this family, to make Tommy and me father and son without blood ties. After marriage,Kara was no longer my only reason for living. Tommy was too. As long as Tommy was here, we had a home. Now, Tommy, who wasn’t my biological son but was as good as one, had died. She had destroyed my other reason for living with her own hands. I came back to my senses and looked at her face, feeling waves of hatred surging in my heart. I raised the urn and sneered: “Emma Thompson, how can such a capable police captain not recognize this? How can you not guess?” She was stunned for a moment, then stared intently at the urn in my hands. Her gaze then fell on my face, as if observing those criminals, trying to see any flaws or traces of lying on me. Unfortunately, I disappointed her. The expression on my face was as still as the air around us, like a dead pond without a single ripple. After a while, she couldn’t help but ask, her expression angry: “Chuck Wilson, even if I didn’t come home last night, you shouldn’t use our son’s life to make a point. You’re getting more and more disgusting. How dare you bring out an urn to curse our son!” Emma pushed me aside and hurried towards our son’s room. “Tommy, Tommy…” Her calls were met with dead silence. Of course, Tommy wouldn’t run out laughing and hug her, calling her mom anymore. Our son had become this small box in my hands. WhenKara didn’t hear Tommy respond, she simply pushed the door open and rushed in to search. But what could she find? A moment later, she finally panicked, grabbing my arm and shaking it, demanding: “Chuck Wilson, where’s our son? Tell me, did you send him to play in the park?” I didn’t want to answer her self-deceptive questions. Thinking that our son was indirectly killed by her, the anger in my heart couldn’t be suppressed. I directly raised the urn and shouted: “Our son?Kara Thompson, are you blind or is your heart blind? Our son is right here, open your eyes and look carefully! Can’t you really see?”

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