The Christmas family gathering was in full swing when my aunt Karen started mocking me as I reviewed some work documents on my laptop: “Stop pretending to be so busy. We all know you only make $3,000 a month! My daughter Rachel is a real high-earner – she’s such an important designer that she couldn’t even make it home for Christmas!” Seeing that I wasn’t responding, she encouraged her spoiled son Peter to delete all my files while I was in the bathroom. I was shaking with anger when I returned. “That proposal was due in 10 minutes! If I don’t submit it, I’m done for!” Aunt Karen shrugged nonchalantly. “He’s just a child, how could he know any better? Your job can’t be that important anyway. So what if you get fired? Maybe then you’ll finally settle down and get married so your parents can stop worrying.” I couldn’t help but smirk silently. If only she knew that the proposal was actually her precious daughter Rachel’s work – the one that would determine whether Rachel kept her job or not. And I was the client who would be making that decision!

On the second day of the Christmas break, our family of three returned to my grandmother’s house for the annual gathering. I had barely sat down when I received a text from my cousin Rachel: “Brynn, I just emailed you my proposal. Please, I’m begging you to review it ASAP. My whole career is riding on this!” Rachel currently works as an advertising designer. Her company isn’t doing well financially and is planning layoffs. They’re using this collaboration with my company as an opportunity to have employees compete against each other – whoever’s proposal gets selected gets to keep their job. Before Christmas, all of Rachel’s coworkers had already submitted their proposals. Only Rachel hadn’t finished hers yet. She said she needed to come up with a perfect proposal to outshine everyone else, so she’d been pulling all-nighters for over a month, sleeping only two hours a day. However, my business partner had already seen a proposal he liked and didn’t want to consider any more. It was only after I pleaded with him repeatedly that he agreed to give Rachel one last chance. My partner made it clear that meeting deadlines was also part of evaluating capability. To be fair, he said we must receive the proposal by 8 PM tonight – no exceptions! I reminded Rachel multiple times to submit as soon as possible. But after waiting all day, she only just sent it to me now. It was already 7:45 PM. In our group chat, my other two partners were getting impatient. They said if it weren’t for my sake, they wouldn’t be wasting their Christmas working overtime. I quickly forwarded Rachel’s proposal to the group chat. At least this way, I could say I did my part for her. Just when I thought the crisis had been averted, a red exclamation mark popped up. No internet connection. Sending failed! I looked up to see my 10-year-old cousin Peter waving the unplugged network cable at me and making faces. I sighed and said gently, “Peter, don’t mess around. Please plug it back in!” Before I could finish speaking, Aunt Karen’s shrill voice rang out: “Brynn! How dare you yell at a child?” The whole family turned to stare at me. I was baffled. I forced a smile and said, “I wasn’t yelling. I just asked him to plug the cable back in.” Aunt Karen brushed some snack crumbs off her hands and looked me up and down with disdain. “Working on Christmas Day? You must be SO busy! Even your Uncle John who runs a supermarket isn’t as busy as you! Who are you trying to impress?” I glanced at the time – only 12 minutes left. I didn’t have time to argue with her, so I decided to use my phone to send the email instead. But Aunt Karen snatched my phone away before I could. “Your elder is speaking to you! How dare you look at your phone? I hate you millennials always glued to your screens! It’s a family gathering and you can’t even be bothered to talk to your relatives. You’re just pretending to be busy to avoid us! Who do you think you’re fooling? We all know you only make $3,000 a month, you wage slave!” With that, she turned off my phone right in front of everyone. I couldn’t help but laugh. “Aunt Karen, this is about your daughter’s future!” Aunt Karen burst out laughing. “My daughter is a top designer! Her future has nothing to do with a bottom-feeder like you! You never tell us what you actually do for work. I bet you’re just too ashamed of your pathetic salary to say anything!” “We all know you’re just a regular office drone making $3,000 a month. Stop pretending to be so busy – it only makes you look ridiculous!” My mom could see I was getting upset. She quickly tried to mediate: “Karen, don’t say that. Brynn wouldn’t be working on Christmas unless it was really urgent. Please give her phone back. And Peter, hurry up and plug the network cable back in – we all need to use the internet!” My mom spoke very gently, but somehow it was enough to make Peter burst into tears. He pointed angrily at me and my mom, then stomped his feet and started wailing. Aunt Karen rushed to comfort her son and turned to berate my mom for bullying a child. My grandma, worried about her grandson, grabbed a pair of scissors and threatened to cut the network cable. The scene descended into chaos. I checked the time – only 8 minutes left. Rachel, your job might be ruined by your own mother and brother!

Come to think of it, no one in the family could out-pretend Rachel when it came to putting on airs. She only graduated from community college but told the family she had a bachelor’s degree. She works at a small advertising company but claims to be a designer at a top 100 firm in the country, making $400,000 a year. One lie leads to another. To keep up the charade, she, who only makes 4,500 a month, went crazy enough to borrow 150,000 and give it to her mom, saying it was her year-end bonus. Her mom had been bragging about it in the family group chat for over a month, always putting me down to prop Rachel up. But I understood why Rachel did it. With a status-obsessed, sexist, and overbearing mom like Aunt Karen, she was forced to pretend just to survive! She used to be honest before, but her life was miserable then. The incident that left the deepest impression on me was when Rachel was in 5th grade. She got a 69% on her final exam. I had gotten a 99%. As soon as her mom saw her test paper, she slapped Rachel across the face twice without a word. Rachel was stunned, humiliated, but didn’t dare cry. It didn’t stop there. Her mom grabbed her by the ear, cursing and kicking her, forcing her to kneel in the snow holding up her test paper. She wasn’t allowed to eat dinner. Every time they saw someone, her mom would humiliate her daughter in front of them, calling her useless for not getting top scores. Rachel used to be cheerful and outgoing, but her mom’s abuse gradually made her withdrawn and gloomy. From then on, she learned to alter her grades, only bringing home perfect scores. Aunt Karen isn’t very educated, so she’s easy to fool. When she saw the perfect test papers, she finally started treating Rachel better, buying her gifts and praising her in front of others. Rachel became addicted to her mother’s exaggerated praise, even starting to believe she really was a genius. In this daily self-deception that went on year after year, she could no longer accept her true self. When facing me, who knew the truth, she begged me not to tell anyone, saying she would kill herself if I did. She said that if she could land this deal with my company, she could slowly pay back the $150,000 debt. Her boss had said that after the layoffs, they would focus resources on developing whoever remained. If that was her, she could easily make $20,000 a month and gradually turn her fake persona into reality. The premise was that she had to keep her job. I wanted to help her, but I never expected this scene unfolding before me. There were only 5 minutes left! I strode over, snatched the scissors from my grandma’s hand, and grabbed the network cable from Peter. With a stern face, I said: “Just 5 minutes! In 5 minutes, I’ll be done!” Peter cried even harder, pointing at me and shouting: “You $3,000 loser! How dare you take my things? I’ll beat you to death!” Aunt Karen let go of him, allowing him to charge at me with his fists flying. My dad tried to hold Peter back, but before he could say anything, Aunt Karen yelled at him: “What are you doing?! Peter is just a child! His punches don’t even hurt. He’s just playing with Brynn!” My grandma slapped my arm, cooing at Peter: “Bad Brynn! Grandma hit her! Don’t cry, Peter, don’t cry.” She then smacked my back twice more. It didn’t hurt much, but my parents’ expressions darkened. My grandma, leveraging her seniority, scolded them: “What’s with those faces? You want to hit me or something? Brynn’s just a girl, a few smacks won’t hurt her. But if my grandson cries his eyes out, how will you make it up to him?” Aunt Karen smirked triumphantly at my parents. My parents aren’t ones to cause a scene, so they decided not to make a fuss, given it was a holiday. I had plugged the network cable back in and didn’t bother arguing with them. I rushed to connect to the internet and send the email. My business partners were already raging in the group chat, tagging me frantically, saying they wouldn’t look at any proposals after 8 PM, no matter how brilliant. I understood their frustration at having to work on Christmas. There were only 3 minutes left until 8 PM. I quickly sent the files to the group chat. The internet was a bit slow, but it should be fine. I urgently needed to use the bathroom, so I ran off. When I came out, it was already 8 PM. I thought the proposal had been sent successfully, just in time. Crisis averted. But when I returned to my computer to check my partners’ feedback, I was horrified. Rachel’s proposal hadn’t been sent at all – it had been recalled. Seeing they hadn’t received anything, my partners angrily declared they wouldn’t look at it anymore. I quickly tried to resend, only to find the files were gone. I looked up to see Peter making faces at me again. I asked him, “Did you delete my files?” He stuck his tongue out at me: “That’s what you get for being mean to me! This’ll teach you a lesson. Take that!”

Aunt Karen glared at me hostilely: “Brynn, what’s with that look? Are you going to hit my son? He’s just a child! What’s wrong with kids being playful? You’re an adult – aren’t you ashamed to pick on him?!” She scoffed coldly, then said: “It’s just some files. So what if they’re deleted? Your job that pays a few thousand bucks can’t have anything important. Worst case, you get fired. That’d be great actually – you can come back and get married so your parents can stop worrying.” I closed my eyes for a moment, suppressing my anger. I messaged Rachel on my computer, telling her to resend the files ASAP – there might still be a chance. Unexpectedly, Rachel didn’t seem to be checking her phone and didn’t reply immediately. I panicked and reached out to Aunt Karen for my phone so I could call Rachel. Aunt Karen walked up to me with my phone, saying ominously: “Learned your lesson, huh? If you know you were wrong, apologize properly to me and my son. Then I’ll give you your phone back.” I blurted out: “He’s the one who did something wrong. Why should I apologize to him? Being young is no excuse!” Aunt Karen’s eyes widened like saucers: “Big attitude for someone so useless! What right do you have to yell at me? You make 3,000 a month, you good−for−nothing ! My daughter makes 400,000 a year as a top designer!” As she spoke, she started dragging my mom into it: “Emily, I never imagined you could fail so spectacularly as a parent, raising such a useless and rude girl. How embarrassing!” My mom got angry: “Karen, you can say whatever you want about me, but Brynn did nothing wrong. You’d better watch your mouth!” Aunt Karen laughed coldly: “Why should I be careful what I say to a nobody like her? It’s a fact that your family is useless, isn’t it? You couldn’t give birth to a son, that’s useless. Your daughter can’t make money, that’s useless too. Which part did I get wrong?!” She crossed her arms smugly: “I’m different. I raised a daughter who’s a top designer, and I gave birth to a son to carry on the family name. I’ve got nothing to worry about for the rest of my life!” “That’s enough!” my dad finally lost his temper. At this point, my usually silent second aunt and uncle stood up to mediate, holding my dad back: “It’s Christmas, don’t fight. It ruins the mood. Kids will be kids, no big deal. You know how Karen is – she just speaks her mind. Don’t take it to heart.” Here we go again. Every time Aunt Karen attacked my parents, Aunt Sarah’s family always took her side, leaving my family to swallow our anger. Suddenly, I realized that in a way, I was also partly responsible for my parents being mistreated like this. Thinking of this, I wasn’t in a rush anymore. I shrugged and said to her: “Keep the phone if you want. I’m done working!” I turned off my computer too. It’s Christmas – wouldn’t it be better to just relax, play cards and eat snacks? Why bother with this thankless task that only gets me grief? Aunt Karen didn’t expect me to say that. She suddenly felt like she’d punched cotton – all the fight went out of her. She tilted her head back and yelled at me: “You think I want your crappy phone? My daughter has plenty of money – she can buy me whatever phone I want anytime! I only took your phone to teach you some basic manners on behalf of your parents! “Look, this is the year-end bonus my daughter gave me – $150,000! What about you? How many thousands do you have?” She turned on my phone right in front of me: “Let’s see how much money you have in your WeChat wallet. I bet you don’t even have $300.” As soon as the phone turned on, a message from Rachel popped up: “Sis, what’s going on? Why is our boss saying in the group chat that you guys have made a decision, but my proposal wasn’t even considered?!”

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I never thought my in-laws could be so biased. Three years ago, when I married Silas, they claimed they had no money to buy us a house or contribute to the wedding. So Silas and I just got our marriage certificate and had a simple dinner with friends to celebrate. But the very next year, when Silas’s younger brother Liam got married, it was a different story. My in-laws bought them a spacious three-bedroom apartment and even gave Sarah, Liam’s wife, an expensive gold necklace and a generous cash gift. I was furious. How could they treat their daughters-in-law so differently? When I confronted them, they had the audacity to say, “It’s different. You and Silas fell in love on your own. Liam and Sarah met through an arranged date. If we didn’t provide for them, no one would want to marry Liam.” I was so angry I couldn’t think straight. I had a huge fight with them. Eventually, when they couldn’t argue anymore, they started saying hurtful things. “It’s our money, we can give it to whoever we want. We just love our younger son more. He’s always been more obedient and caring. And you, you’re so shameless, willing to marry our son even without a dowry.” I burst into tears when I heard this. All my efforts to be understanding and accommodating had only made them think I was worthless. I left for my parents’ house that night and didn’t speak to my in-laws again. Silas eventually coaxed me back home with promises. He said we’d live our own life, just the two of us. He promised to make up for everything I didn’t get and ensure I wouldn’t suffer or face any conflicts alone. He vowed to protect and cherish me, never letting me feel wronged again. I was a romantic at heart, so I believed him. Thankfully, Silas kept his word. He truly treated me well, which helped me feel a bit better about the situation. However, I still harbored resentment towards his parents. I didn’t stop Silas from contacting them, but there was no way I would show them any respect or care. Last year, when I gave birth to our daughter, Silas called his parents to inform them. Not only did they fail to show any concern for me, but they also completely ignored their granddaughter. In the end, my mom had to travel from out of town to take care of me during my postpartum period. Later, I found out that Sarah, Liam’s wife, was also pregnant. My in-laws were doting on her, buying the best things for both the baby and Sarah. And of course, they were covering all the expenses. Sometimes, I seriously doubted if Silas was their biological son. How could parents treat their children and daughters-in-law so differently? Eventually, I resigned myself to the situation. I decided that I would treat them exactly how they treated me. 02 But then, my father-in-law fell ill. And to make matters worse, they wanted to stay at our place because it was closer to the hospital. Silas tentatively asked me, “Zoe, we have a spare room. Would it be okay if my parents stayed there?” I refused without a second thought. The house Liam and Sarah lived in was also in the city. The only difference was that their place was an hour away from the hospital, while ours was just half an hour away. Besides, they had a three-bedroom apartment, while we only had a one-bedroom. There was no reason for them to stay with us. Moreover, that spare room was for our nanny. Silas and I both worked full-time, and my parents were too old and not in good health to help with childcare. So we had hired a nanny to look after our daughter while we were at work. If Silas’s parents moved in, where would the nanny stay? And who would take care of our daughter? I certainly didn’t expect them to babysit. I asked Silas, “Doesn’t Liam have space at his place? Why do they have to come here?” Silas hesitated before explaining, “It’s Liam… well, Sarah doesn’t agree. She’s worried about the risk of infection. Their son is only a year old and has a weak immune system.” Little James was Liam’s son. Hearing this, I immediately got angry. “Oh, so their child is afraid of germs, but our daughter isn’t? Silas, don’t forget how they treated us before. Why should we suffer while they enjoy all the benefits? Are we destined to be bullied?” I ranted for a while until Silas begged me to stop and promised he wouldn’t make any decisions without my consent. Only then did I manage to suppress my anger. But I had a feeling this wasn’t over yet. Sure enough, the next day when I got home from work and opened the door, I saw three familiar figures. My father-in-law, mother-in-law, and Liam. At first, I thought I was seeing things. After all, it had been years since I’d last seen them. But upon closer inspection, it really was them. Silas saw me come in and said sheepishly, “Zoe, you’re back. My parents and Liam are here.” I responded with a noncommittal sound, thinking about how to handle this situation. Were they here uninvited? Or had Silas failed to inform me? Should I greet them? As I was pondering, I glanced at my in-laws sitting on the sofa. They looked like royalty waiting for a servant to pay respects. Remembering how they had never shown me any kindness, I turned and went into the side bedroom without a word. Our nanny was trying to put Lily to sleep. When she saw me come in, she started complaining. “Zoe, your in-laws are so heartless. They didn’t even look at their own granddaughter. Lily doesn’t know them and got scared when she saw them. She started crying, and your mother-in-law called her a bad omen. I quickly brought her in here.” “Don’t worry, I’ve disinfected the room,” she added. I hadn’t mentioned my father-in-law’s illness before, so the nanny must have overheard their conversation this afternoon. The nanny looked towards the living room and lowered her voice, “I heard them say they plan to stay here.” Hearing this, I felt even more upset. Just then, Silas opened the door. “Zoe, can you make some dinner? My parents and Liam haven’t eaten yet.” I was already in a bad mood, and hearing that they were waiting for me to come home and cook for them made me even angrier. I snapped, “Let’s just order takeout.” As soon as I said it, I regretted my tone. It did sound impolite. Silas was taken aback for a moment before saying, “Okay.” But Liam wasn’t having it. He started yelling from the living room, “What’s going on? Are we not welcome here? What kind of attitude is this? Coming home with that face, like we owe you something. Is this how a daughter-in-law should behave?” “Bro, you’re too soft. You’re letting a woman walk all over you. No wonder Mom and Dad don’t like her.” I had initially decided not to argue, but hearing Liam’s increasingly disrespectful words, I couldn’t help but confront him. “Who do you think you’re talking about?” I demanded. “You come to our home to stir up trouble? Did I invite you? Who asked you to come? If you don’t want to be here, then leave. Who wants to see you anyway?” Liam got angry. “I’m here to visit my brother’s home. It’s none of your business.” I laughed coldly at his words. “You said it yourself, this is your brother’s home. Your brother’s home is my home. So how is it none of my business?” I was about to say more when Silas intervened. “Zoe, stop it.” Why should I stop? I was about to protest when I saw Silas’s troubled expression and held back. As I was about to return to the bedroom, my father-in-law coughed loudly. “What a disgrace to our family,” he said twice. “Silas, how do you manage your wife? She doesn’t even know how to respect her elders. We’re your parents and brother, not your enemies.” “You clearly don’t welcome us. Fine, we’ll leave,” my mother-in-law said, grabbing her husband’s hand and heading for the door. I was more than happy to see them go and didn’t try to stop them. But Liam was different. He hesitated and said, “Mom, Dad, please bear with it for now. Sarah said the hospital is full of germs. You go there every day, and if you accidentally infect little James, that would be terrible.” “Don’t worry, I’ll come pick you up as soon as you’re better,” Liam promised. With that, Liam left quickly. I watched this scene unfold, finding it ridiculous. Now my in-laws were stuck, unable to move in or leave. In the end, Silas had to drag them back to the sofa. My mother-in-law, playing the victim, said to Silas, “Son, you won’t turn us away too, will you?” She glanced at me as she spoke. Silas quickly assured her they were welcome, and went to comfort them. I turned and went back to the bedroom, out of sight, out of mind. 03 Later, Silas ordered takeout for his parents. I brought a separate meal for our nanny. I had already eaten at the office and wasn’t hungry. Sitting on the bed, I pondered what to do next. I’m not a heartless person. Despite my harsh words, I couldn’t bring myself to turn away sick parents, even if they had treated me poorly. They were still elders, and seriously ill at that. If I forced them to leave, my conscience wouldn’t let me rest, and it might affect my relationship with Silas. Yes, even though Silas’s parents clearly favored their younger son to an extreme degree, and Silas himself felt conflicted about it, blood is thicker than water. He’s soft-hearted and can’t bear to see his parents suffer. But we really didn’t have space in our home. It was only about 800 square feet. We occupied one room, the nanny another. We couldn’t possibly make his parents sleep in the living room. I planned to discuss with Silas about possibly renting an apartment near the hospital for his parents. Of course, we’d split the rent with Liam and his family. I wasn’t going to be the only one footing the bill. But I never imagined that Silas’s father had been diagnosed with kidney failure. I looked it up online. It’s a difficult disease to treat. Time-consuming, labor-intensive, and expensive. He needed dialysis three times a week, four hours each time. And that was just to keep him alive. For a real cure, he’d need a kidney transplant. A transplant would cost at least several hundred thousand dollars, and there was no guarantee of finding a suitable donor. For an average family, it was a catastrophic expense. I had a feeling our peaceful life was about to be disrupted. The day of the diagnosis, Silas was silent for a long time. He smoked on the balcony all night, and finally came to me with red eyes. “Zoe, what should I do? My dad is sick,” he said, tears streaming down his face. It was the first time I’d seen him cry. I didn’t know what to say, so I just held him silently. The idea of renting an apartment for them now seemed unrealistic. I could only discuss with our nanny about coming during the day to look after Lily and going home at night to sleep. 04 After Silas’s father fell ill, he moved in with us. He went for dialysis three times a week without fail. Liam visited a few times at the beginning, but his visits became less and less frequent. He barely showed up after a month. He was clever, though. He’d check in with his parents via SnapChat every day, keeping them happy. But he never mentioned money. His parents didn’t bring it up either. Everyone was pretending not to understand the situation. It had been two months since Silas’s father fell ill, and we had been bearing all their living expenses and medical bills. I calculated that we had spent nearly $100,000. This was basically all the money we had. After all, we had only been married for three or four years, and without any help from family, we had to pay our mortgage, car loan, and the nanny’s salary ourselves. After our daughter was born, we also had to buy formula and diapers. We could barely save any money each month. If this continued, we would soon be penniless. I asked Silas to ask his parents for money, but he was too embarrassed. I told him to ask his brother, but he was still too embarrassed. Seeing Silas’s cowardice, I got angry. “Are you going to ask or not? If you don’t, I will.” “This isn’t right. They left everything to your brother, and now that they’re sick, they come to us.” “Your whole family is playing dumb. Are you all trying to take advantage of us?” Despite Silas’s repeated attempts to stop me, I called Liam. Liam knew I was calling about money, so he immediately started pleading poverty. “Sis, you know our James is only a year old. It’s an expensive time for us. Sarah and I aren’t as capable as you and Silas. Why don’t you cover Dad’s medical expenses for now, and we’ll pay you back when we can afford it?” I had never met such a shameless person. “Liam, that’s not how it works. Your dad has two sons, not just Silas. When you got married, your parents bought you a house and a car. We got nothing. You can’t expect to reap all the benefits and then push all the responsibilities onto us when your dad gets sick.” “Since your dad got sick, you haven’t contributed a penny. It’s always been Silas taking him to the hospital.” “If this is how it’s going to be, I won’t be reasonable anymore. I’ll have Silas drive your dad back to your place tomorrow.” Hearing this, Liam panicked. “No, please don’t, sis. If you send Dad back, Sarah will kill me. Besides, James is still young. Dad goes to the hospital every day, who knows how many germs he’s exposed to. If James gets infected by accident, that would be terrible, you know?” Can you believe what he’s saying? Is this how you talk about your own parents? He’s nothing but an ungrateful brat. And it’s not just their son who matters. My daughter is my precious baby too. Are they saying only their child is valuable? Anyway, my personal principle was clear: if the money didn’t come through, I’d send his father back immediately. Liam had no choice in the end. He transferred $20,000. It wasn’t much, but it helped ease our immediate financial pressure. I thought I had done a great thing. But I didn’t expect to offend Silas’s parents once again. After getting the money, I was quite happy. But Silas’s parents were visibly upset. When I asked why, I found out they were unhappy that I had asked Liam for money. What’s going on here? How did this become my fault? When I got home from work, I saw Silas’s father sitting on the sofa, his face ashen. His mother was muttering beside him. “Oh, poor Liam. He’s already struggling, and now he had to give up $20,000. What will they do?” “They’re not very capable and don’t have stable jobs. Where will they get the money?” “It’s been so long since we’ve seen little James. I wonder how the child is doing.” Hearing her sighs and complaints, I simply ignored them. But my tolerance only made them more overbearing, thinking they could bully me. That evening, because I didn’t have time to go to the supermarket after work, dinner was a bit simple. Two vegetable dishes and one meat dish. Feeling it wasn’t enough, I even cut up a sausage. I thought I had done well enough. But when Silas’s father saw the dishes on the table, he threw his chopsticks away. “If you want us to leave, just say so. No need for this.” I was bewildered. What had I done wrong? “Eating like this every day, there’s no taste in my mouth, no nutrition at all. I think you’re doing this on purpose!”

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The day I finally succeeded in proposing to my childhood sweetheart for the 99th time, news of Jason Gray’s proposal to her also went viral. On the giant screen, my fiancée Evelyn Song covered her blushing face as she shyly slipped on the ring Jason offered. Behind them, our families and friends showered them with blessings. No one knew that Evelyn had also accepted my proposal. Afterwards, she casually explained to me, “Jason has cancer. I’m just playing along to make him happy.” But as soon as she turned away, she wrapped her arms around Jason’s neck and cooed— “My wedding with your brother is in three days.” “I only said yes to you because I wanted to see you crash the wedding. Isn’t that romantic?” This time, I finally gave up and made a phone call— “The wedding’s in three days. Will you come? I need a bride.” On my wedding day, when I appeared before everyone with another woman on my arm, Evelyn suddenly went mad. “Vaughn Gray, can you stop being so unreasonable?” Evelyn snapped at me after rushing back upon receiving my call. She angrily removed her engagement ring and tossed it onto the couch. “Yes, I know you’ve suffered a lot in the past, but what does that have to do with Jason?” she continued, exasperated. “Do you really have to take out all your resentment on an innocent person?” My name is Vaughn Gray. Jason is my half-brother, and Evelyn is my longtime girlfriend and fiancée. When I was born, Jason’s mother, posing as a nanny, switched our identities. I was abandoned in the countryside, becoming a poor orphan, while Jason suddenly became the pampered heir of the Gray family. Perhaps out of guilt, my foster mother wasn’t kind to me. She would often beat me with thorny branches, leaving me covered in wounds. On freezing winter days, she’d force me to stand outside in the snow and ice, refusing to give me even a sip of hot water. During those dark days, Evelyn was my only support. She was the daughter of our neighbors – her mother was a gambling addict and her stepfather an alcoholic. When they fought, they’d take out their anger on her. I can’t count how many times I stepped in to shield her from their blows. In return, Evelyn would often sneak me half a bread roll when I was starving. Supporting each other this way, we made it through our difficult childhoods together. Even after my true identity was revealed and I returned to the Gray family, I never forgot to rescue her from that hellhole. I insisted on making her my girlfriend, supporting her life and education, elevating her from a poor girl to a pampered princess. She once tearfully cupped my face and told me I was the light of her life. If she ever left me, she would surely die. So I could never understand why she always hesitated and made excuses every time I proposed to her before. But now I finally understood— My fiancée had fallen in love with that impostor who stole my place.

Looking at Evelyn’s impatient expression, a dull ache rose in my chest. Instead of answering her question directly, I reached out to brush aside a strand of her hair that had fallen out of place in her anger. “Do you remember what you said to me when I first returned to the Gray family?” I asked softly. Even after reclaiming my true identity, I never truly fit in with the Grays. My parents preferred the son they had raised themselves, so Jason faced no punishment for his deception. They still took him to various social events and served his favorite dishes at dinner – dishes I was allergic to. Back then, Evelyn would hold my hand tenderly and say, “It’s okay. Even if the whole world doesn’t love you, I will. I’ll always be by your side.” But now even this one person had taken Jason’s side. Evelyn frowned and jerked away from my touch. She reluctantly replied, “I remember, of course I do. It’s just…” “Jason’s condition is critical now. We need to prioritize the patient’s needs.” Her tone softened as she tried to reassure me, “Don’t worry, I’ll play along with Jason and go through with this act. I just don’t want him to have any regrets. You’re still the one I’m going to marry.” But Evelyn was lying. Even though her words professed love for me, the impatience and hidden coldness in her eyes couldn’t deceive anyone. She had grown tired of me long ago and no longer loved me. Evelyn’s phone on the table buzzed. Though Jason’s photo flashed on the screen, she nervously tried to hide it from me, saying, “It’s probably my parents asking about the wedding preparations. You should go get ready…” She paused, then added meaningfully, “I’ll definitely give you a surprise on our wedding day.” With that, Evelyn hurriedly left. Frowning, I decided to follow her, still feeling uneasy. Sure enough, I saw Evelyn drive to another location. As soon as she entered the private room, I heard laughter from inside— “Evelyn, Jason, are you two really going to crash the wedding?”

Inside the room, Evelyn and Jason sat side by side. Jason playfully toyed with her fingers, raising an eyebrow. “I always keep my word. What do you think?” he smirked. Their friends burst out laughing, then continued fawning, “We just don’t understand – if you two want to be together, why did Evelyn have to accept Vaughn’s proposal? Isn’t all this back-and-forth a hassle?” Of course, I knew the reason. Because I had taken back Jason’s position as the Gray family heir. So Jason was going to extreme lengths to steal the woman I loved. He might be able to fool our parents with his innocent act and excuses, he might be able to deceive Evelyn, but he couldn’t fool me. But Jason certainly wasn’t going to reveal his true motives. He simply put on a meaningful expression and said, “Crashing a wedding – how romantic is that?” “It’ll be so much more dramatic this way, don’t you think?” The room erupted in laughter again. Someone turned to Evelyn and asked, “What about you, Evelyn? Aren’t you afraid Vaughn will be angry? Running off with Jason on your wedding day is basically cuckolding him in front of everyone. No man could accept that.” Evelyn leaned into Jason’s embrace, looking up at him coyly. “I’ll do whatever makes Jason happy,” she replied. Hearing those words, my heart sank. The laughter from inside, celebrating their public display of affection, felt like the cruelest mockery. I staggered back, my mind foggy, retreating from the scene. All I could think about was the image of Evelyn shyly accepting Jason’s ring, and their scheming plans for the wedding day. The winter wind was frigid, chilling me to the bone as it whipped around me. I closed my eyes, still hearing their final words echoing in my ears: “Mr. and Mrs. Gray know about this too.” “They agreed to it to fulfill Jason’s wishes.” “With the support of your parents, what are you afraid of?” I finally understood why my parents had been present at Jason’s proposal… It turns out, no one truly loved me. In their hearts, I was just a stepping stone for Jason to trample on his way to happiness. My parents felt this way, as did our relatives and friends. I used to think Evelyn was different. But twenty years of feelings, all my devotion and deep love for her, couldn’t compare to that simple phrase – “As long as Jason is happy.” So… why not just give them what they want? A sharp car horn jolted me out of my daze. I realized I had unknowingly wandered into the middle of the road. I sniffled, forcefully pushing down the dull ache in my chest. Finally, I made a phone call— “My wedding is in three days.” “Will you come? I need a bride.”

To satisfy Jason’s desire for a “dramatic” event, my wedding was arranged to be especially lively. My parents specially invited the media to broadcast the event from all angles. Those relatives and friends were also eagerly waiting to witness a shocking wedding crash. Everyone thought they had kept me in the dark. Evelyn arrived early in her wedding dress, sneaking off to be lovey-dovey with Jason backstage for quite a while. When I arrived, she emerged from the room with a flushed face. Seeing me, she jumped in surprise, nervously covering up: “The hotel lights were broken. I was waiting alone and got scared, so I asked Jason to come fix them.” Pretending not to know, I simply nodded. Evelyn smiled and took my arm. She pressed the ring into my palm and said, “During the ceremony, kneel down and put the ring on my finger yourself, okay?” I knew this was part of their plan. When I knelt to propose to Evelyn, Jason would suddenly appear and steal her away for maximum dramatic effect. This was the romance they were after. I nodded, but as Evelyn turned away satisfied, I pulled her back. Looking into her eyes, I asked, “You once said I was the light of your life, and that if I ever left you, you would surely die. Was that true?” Evelyn froze for a moment. After years together, our feelings had long since faded. She had probably forgotten her old vows. To placate me, she forced a smile and said, “Of course. Now hurry and get ready, the ceremony is about to start.” Watching her walk away, I gave a bitter smile. I really wanted to know if Evelyn’s past promises would prove true or false after today.

At the wedding venue, soft music began to play. Under everyone’s gaze, Evelyn walked towards me with anticipation. Unfortunately, her excitement wasn’t about becoming my bride – her eyes never left Jason. As we reached the ring exchange, the crowd held their breath. Jason stared at me intently, ready to rush up and steal the bride. Evelyn extended her hand to me. Even the background music cooperated, switching to a tense, dramatic tune. But I remained motionless. Evelyn grew impatient and urged me in a low voice, “Vaughn, what’s wrong? Hurry and put the ring on me!” I stayed silent. My parents stood up anxiously from their seats. “Vaughn, there are so many people watching!” Seeing that I still hadn’t put the ring on Evelyn, murmurs of confusion spread through the crowd. Evelyn’s face fell as she hissed at me again, “Vaughn, what are you doing? Didn’t you want to marry me? It’s our wedding day, with all our family and friends watching. You’re not going to humiliate me in public, are you?” I let out a sad laugh. So they did realize there were many people present, and that the bride and groom would lose face if anything went wrong. Then why did they plan such a scheme behind my back? After a moment of bewildered chatter from the crowd, I finally spoke: “I’m sorry, but my bride hasn’t arrived yet. Can we wait a bit longer for her?” Evelyn’s face instantly filled with disbelief. The crowd erupted in shocked whispers, unsure what was happening. Just then, the doors of the venue burst open. A familiar figure in a wedding dress rushed in— “Vaughn Gray, I’m here to marry you!”

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One week before our wedding, my fiancé Theo Lambert told me he had to marry his first love before he could marry me. His first love’s mother had passed away, leaving a dying wish for them to get married. “Megan’s mother always hoped she would marry a good man. I’m just fulfilling the old lady’s last wish. Don’t overthink it,” Theo said. But our company had already decided to launch the True Love jewelry collection on the day of our grand wedding. He impatiently replied, “It’s just a billion-dollar project. How can that compare to Megan’s filial piety? If you really want to earn that money, go find someone else to marry.” Faced with his cold words, I understood everything. I turned and dialed my family’s number. “Brother, help me find a new marriage partner.” My brother asked in disbelief, “You’re calling off the wedding?” “No, he’s marrying someone else,” I said with a bitter smile. To be with Theo, I had fought tooth and nail against my family’s objections to finally get my parents’ approval. We even scheduled the True Love jewelry collection launch for our wedding day. But now, everything had fallen apart. My brother was stunned for a long while before saying, “Then Arlo Shaw is our only option. His family has been pressuring him to get married, and he’s been looking for a partner recently.” I frowned. Arlo Shaw was my sworn enemy. On my engagement day, he had even cursed that my marriage would fall apart. I never expected his prophecy to be fulfilled. Time was tight, so I could only say, “Alright, it’ll be him then. Help me ask about his intentions. If he refuses, I’ll think of another way.” My brother replied quickly, “No need to ask. He’ll definitely agree.” “What?” Before I could ask anything more, a group of people surrounded me. “Are you Theo’s fiancée? You’re so beautiful!” “Are you here to wait for Theo to get off work? He’ll be down soon. You two are so sweet together.” I gripped the steering wheel, lowering my eyes to hide the self-mockery in them. Theo had introduced me to his colleagues and friends early on. In everyone’s eyes, we were an enviable model couple. But who could have guessed that he was about to marry someone else? After saying goodbye to everyone, Theo got into the car and handed me a necklace. “Megan asked me to give this to you. You embarrassed her at the funeral yesterday, so take some time to apologize to her.” This necklace was clearly a free gift that came with a purchase. I had seen it in Theo’s shopping cart a couple of days ago. I said flatly, “I don’t want it.” Theo frowned. “What are you upset about now? You barged into the funeral and said I wasn’t her fiancé, embarrassing her. She didn’t hold it against you and even thought to bring you a gift. How can you be so ungrateful?” The man who once protected me was gone. Now, he cherished someone else. Theo irritably opened the window to let in some air. After a long while, seeing that I wasn’t going to comfort him, he finally said, “Fine, we’re supposed to go try on wedding dresses today. I won’t argue with you.” This was the first time he had backed down this year. When we arrived at the bridal shop, the sales assistant greeted us: “Mr. Lambert, Miss Quinn, the twenty custom wedding dresses and tuxedos you ordered are ready.” But Theo’s gaze wasn’t on these clothes. He was looking down at his phone, his expression somewhat urgent. After noticing my gaze, he quickly put away his phone, his face showing a hint of apology: “Genevieve, something came up with Megan. I need to rush over there right away. Try on the wedding dresses yourself, and just pick a tuxedo for me. I trust your taste.” With that, he hurriedly hailed a taxi and left, leaving me alone. The sales assistant quickly approached me and tentatively asked, “Miss Quinn, would you like to personally select the tuxedo?” I looked away and nodded. Of course I would choose a tuxedo. Just not for Theo. After all, the groom had changed. I drove home, thinking Theo wouldn’t return all night. But he came back before dinner. He strode over to me, holding a takeout box. “I went all over town to buy this for you. It’s from Harry’s Bakery.” I looked at the box of Swiss rolls. There were three fewer than usual, and one of them had a bite mark, obviously having been eaten. Half an hour ago, I had seen Megan’s Instagram post. The photo was of the Swiss rolls in my hand. “Hubby bought me a midnight snack even though it’s so late. Thanks for working so hard, babe! XOXO!” I put down my chopsticks with a self-mocking smile, instantly losing my appetite. “I don’t want to eat it. Just throw it away.” Theo immediately looked at me with displeasure but held back from lashing out. He sat down beside me and complained: “You have no idea how pitiful Megan was today. My parents went to her house and scolded her family for being poor, saying they couldn’t even afford decent jewelry. She was so upset she cried.” “Megan just returned to the country and doesn’t have much money. I was thinking of lending her your jewelry.” His tone left no room for argument, making me feel sick. I looked at him sarcastically. “So I have to provide jewelry for your wife?”

In the past, I cared about Theo so much that I would give him anything he asked for and do anything for him. But now he had personally woken me up. Thinking back, ever since Megan returned to the country, everything he did was for her. He had forgotten that I was supposed to be the one spending the rest of my life with him. My response angered Theo. “What do you mean by that? You’re not willing? You’d better understand this: Megan is my best friend. You’d better make her happy, or I might not marry you!” With that, he slammed the door and left. Feeling frustrated, I went downstairs to jog in the park. After running one lap, I received a call from Arlo Shaw. Thinking of Arlo’s perpetually stern face, I hesitated for two seconds before answering. “Once you’re on my ship, you’re my person. If you dare to run, I’ll tie you up and bring you back!” Arlo’s first sentence was a direct hit. I remained silent, and he continued: “Let’s get the marriage certificate.” “I’m afraid you’ll change your mind.” Arlo Shaw, you’re acting strange. I had already imagined tens of thousands of scenarios in my mind where he would use our marriage to torment me. In the end, I could only muster up a sentence: “See you at the wedding, Mr. Shaw.” As soon as I finished speaking, Theo appeared behind me out of nowhere: “You’re inviting Arlo Shaw to our wedding? I forbid it!” He stared at me as if facing a great enemy: “Genevieve Quinn, didn’t I tell you not to associate with Arlo Shaw? His intentions towards you aren’t pure. If you insist on inviting him to our wedding, don’t blame me for getting upset!” Before I could say a word, he had already laid down his threat. Theo had always disliked Arlo Shaw and harbored an inexplicable hostility towards him. When we first got together, he even became jealous because Arlo and I often bantered on SnapChat. After that, I gradually cut off contact with Arlo. But he actually said… Arlo Shaw had impure intentions towards me? I was about to ask further when Megan suddenly leaned against Theo’s neck. “Theo, you’re hurting me…” Only then did I notice they were holding hands while taking a walk. Theo coughed awkwardly twice but showed no intention of letting go of her hand. Megan looked at Theo with deep affection, then turned to me with a pretense of helplessness: “Sister Genevieve, I’m sorry. Theo and I were just practicing the wedding procedure in advance. Please don’t mind.” “I won’t tell anyone about you hitting me or damaging my mother’s grave. But please don’t hurt Theo. True love can’t withstand tests.” Not wanting to watch her act, I turned to leave: “Since you’re so looking forward to it, I’ll find someone to beat you up tonight and then dig up your mother’s grave!” Slap! Theo slapped me hard across the face. “Genevieve Quinn, how can you be so vicious?!” His brows were furrowed, and his chest heaved. I’m vicious? He believed someone else’s manipulative words, but five years of our relationship couldn’t earn me even a bit of his trust. I suddenly felt a surge of anger and wanted to confront Theo, but Megan stepped in front of him: “Genevieve, please, I’ll return Theo to you as soon as the wedding is over.” “Please have mercy and don’t hurt the people around me, or Theo.” As she spoke, she was about to kneel before me. Theo quickly wrapped his arm around her waist, preventing her from kneeling, while glaring at me angrily. “Genevieve Quinn, stop playing your rich girl bullying games!” “You know I hate that the most. If you still want to marry me, stop making trouble!” With that, he warned me not to appear in front of them during the time before the wedding. Unexpectedly, Theo contacted me the very next day. He started with a barrage of scolding: “Genevieve Quinn, did you really go and dig up Mrs. Lee’s grave?! I never thought you were this kind of person!” Filled with confusion, I called my assistant to investigate, only to uncover an extremely shocking fact. Megan’s mother… wasn’t dead.

No wonder Megan could be so ruthless as to dig up her own mother’s grave to frame me. It turns out death was all a scam. I sent Theo a text message: “Megan’s mother isn’t dead. The truth is in the email I sent you.” Whether he looked at it or not was no longer my concern. The flight was booked for three days later, personally arranged by Arlo. When Theo returned, he saw me packing my things. Half of my clothes were thrown away, with a small portion being shipped to South City. “Why are you starting to pack clothes?” Theo asked with a dubious expression. I casually replied, “Moving.” He fell silent for a moment, not noticing anything amiss, and continued talking to himself: “The Quinn family company is in South City. We’ll settle there after getting married, so it’s good to start packing early.” After saying this, he fixed me with a stern gaze. “Apologize to Megan’s mother as soon as possible. Don’t make things difficult for me. How about on the wedding day? What do you think?” He tossed his phone aside and went to look for his ID card. Today was the day he and Megan were getting their marriage certificate. He didn’t return until late that night. I opened my phone to find a message from Megan pop up. The picture showed Theo and her wearing matching outfits, sharing a bed. I closed my eyes, my heart still aching despite my efforts. I suppressed that feeling and turned off my phone. Late at night, the phone by my pillow started vibrating every hour. Each vibration was Megan sending me videos of her and Theo to taunt me. Until early the next morning, when I received a message from Arlo. “Miss Quinn, the flower has bloomed.” The accompanying image showed a marriage certificate and a pot of vibrant red roses. I was surprised that he had kept the plant I casually gave him years ago. Inexplicably, a strange emotion welled up in my heart. I replied with a single word: “Okay.” I put down my phone and went to pack up my work files on the computer. I didn’t notice when Theo had returned. He was packing his daily essentials: “I’m moving in with Megan for a few days. She’s too busy preparing for the wedding alone. Remember to show up on time for the wedding the day after tomorrow. Don’t be late.” After saying this, he explained at length that he was just going to help normally and told me not to cause trouble again. “Mm, I won’t go,” I said, lowering my eyes. After last night, my last bit of affection for him had completely dissipated. Theo looked at my calm demeanor, and a nameless panic swept over him. He suddenly became hesitant. But thinking of Megan’s cloying clinginess, he loosened his grip on his phone. Genevieve loved him so much, what could possibly go wrong? Thinking this, he breathed a sigh of relief and no longer lingered with me, disappearing from my sight. I watched his departing figure and made a phone call. That evening, a helicopter landed in the square. A man approached me: “Miss Quinn, the helicopter you ordered has arrived. It will safely transport you to South City in half an hour.” I nodded, then handed him an envelope. “Deliver this envelope to the wedding venue tomorrow. It’s my wedding gift for the bride and groom.”

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After my mother passed away, I entangled myself with her lover’s son. In a heated moment, he tightened his grip around my neck and asked, “Is this how you seduced my father?” Later, his half-brother also became infatuated with me. He was consumed with jealousy, “Getting along well with the little bastard, huh?” On the outside, I appeared fearful, but inside, I laughed with satisfaction. Let them go mad, let father and son clash, let brothers turn against each other. How entertaining! My mother fell to her death from a building. For years, she was trapped in a high-rise, treated like a plaything. She was forced to endure it all for my sake. On the day I came of age, her fragile form, as delicate as porcelain, fell from the attic and shattered before my eyes. The one responsible for her death was Gideon Everett. The head of the Everett Family. After my dad died, he took over our family business. He also seized my beautiful mother. Gideon Everett, that beast, fell for his best friend’s wife. To possess my mother, he plotted to kill my father and took away our family’s wealth. Now that my mother is gone, he’s set his sights on me. I need to protect myself, seek revenge, and make Gideon Everett pay in blood. He took everything from my father; I will destroy all he has—wealth, status, even life. I want him to feel the same pain of losing a loved one as I do. The first step in my revenge is to ruin his most prized son. His own son falling for his kept “canary.” Father and son struggling, turning against each other. How amusing, just imagining it makes me eager. Revenge starts tonight.

Wesley Everett, hailed as a business prodigy, is the most promising heir of the Everett Family. At just twenty-four, he founded his own company, becoming Harbor City’s most sought-after elite. I gently traced Wesley Everett’s features with my hand. What would it be like for such a proud and noble man to fall under my sway? I am very curious. Gideon Everett recently went on a business trip to Europe, leaving the family home. This gave me the perfect opportunity to seduce his son. That night, I chose a white lace dress. It had a touch of innocence with just the right amount of allure. I quietly pushed open Wesley Everett’s door. He didn’t have the habit of locking his door. At this hour, he was in the bathroom showering. I slipped under the dark covers of his bed, which carried his cool scent. The bed beside me sank a bit; he got on. I knew Wesley Everett had the habit of sleeping naked. Sure enough, as soon as he got on the bed, he noticed me pretending to be asleep. I knew I looked enticing. With glossy red lips, a face flushed from sleep, and a skirt that had ridden up to my thighs. The sight of my full, unrestrained curves further stirred the nerves of a man inebriated. Feeling Wesley Everett’s intense gaze. I deliberately let out a soft murmur and rolled over to embrace him hesitantly lying beside me. His firm muscles instantly tensed; he was restraining himself. Am I not tempting enough? It seems I haven’t ignited enough desire. I deliberately rubbed against him as if in a dream. Wesley Everett finally couldn’t hold back, gripping my chin with intense eyes, “Are you trying to seduce me?” Suddenly, my lips felt soft as his cold lips pressed against mine. I pretended to be startled awake, looking at him with innocent and naive eyes, “What are you doing?” My sweet, gentle voice carried a hint of desire. The thin strap of my nightgown slipped, exposing my creamy chest, pure yet seductive. Hearing my voice, Wesley Everett paused. Then he overwhelmed me with kisses, “Be good, let me kiss you.” His deep, husky voice carried an irresistible passion. Pinned under him, I struggled frantically, “Brother, you can’t do this.” Just then, footsteps suddenly approached the door. “Click, click, click!” Mrs. Everett was coming.

“Wesley, I made you some hangover soup. Get up and have some.” Fiona Taylor pushed the door open directly, knowing her son went socializing tonight and drank a lot. I shrank back in fear. Deliberately brushing against Wesley Everett’s sensitive, aroused spot. He gently kissed my forehead to soothe me. Then pulled the quilt up to hide me underneath, his dominant presence completely enveloping me. In this position, he completely trapped me in his embrace. Wesley Everett impatiently replied, “Mom, I need to rest.” Fiona Taylor walked in and placed the hangover soup on the desk. “Wesley, why is your face so red?” Of course, Wesley’s face was red. He was naked, pressed against me, even our hearts were beating in sync. If his own mother saw this, how thrilling would it be? The forbidden pleasure made Wesley Everett break out in a thin sweat, droplets rolling down his throat. Fiona Taylor wanted to come closer but was stopped by Wesley Everett. “I’m going to rest now, please leave!” Fiona Taylor knew her son was always proud and didn’t dare defy him, “Remember to drink the soup.” She gave a couple of reminders before turning to leave. Wesley Everett was near the brink, my hot breath brushed against his chest, each pant like a tickle to the heart. I certainly wouldn’t let him off so easily. I deliberately squirmed, my soft lips pressed against his chest. My fingertips accidentally brushed against his almost erupting desire. “Ah!” He let out an unbearable gasp. “Wesley, what’s wrong?” Fiona Taylor, just about to leave, returned with concern, leaning in to check on her seemingly unwell son. “I’m fine!” Wesley Everett grumpily pulled the quilt up, covering himself entirely. Underneath him, I was pinned, unable to move. I propped my hand against his pressing chest. My soft, boneless hand touching his hot, firm chest nearly drove his sensitive nerves to the edge. Fiona Taylor suspiciously glanced at the unusually high bulge on the bed. She seemed to sense something. The shape of the quilt… is there someone else inside?

Fiona Taylor held back and didn’t expose her son. Her son was her only support in the Everett Family; she didn’t want a direct conflict with him. Fiona Taylor suppressed her shock and anger, closed Wesley Everett’s room door, and instructed the servants not to disturb him. After Fiona Taylor left, I pushed Wesley Everett away. I sat weakly on the bed, gulping fresh air. The big movement made my nightgown completely fall off. My graceful figure was fully exposed. Wesley Everett’s drunkenness had mostly faded, and he looked at me with a grim face. Just as he was about to question me. I was a step ahead, getting off the bed, tears in my eyes, and running away in panic. Wesley Everett was stunned, watching me flee. For a moment, he felt a bit annoyed. Was she disgusted by him? After I left, Wesley Everett didn’t sleep. He replayed the scene of me pinned beneath him, releasing again and again. He didn’t know, as he called my name in ecstasy, I was outside the door watching him. …… The next day was a rest day, and I was painting in the studio. Fiona Taylor stormed in with people, “Grab Lydia Kane for me!” “Slut, just as cheap as your mother!” She was furious, dragging me into the conservatory and throwing me to the ground. The conservatory was her domain; she loved using needles on me there. Gideon Everett didn’t allow me to have visible injuries. So, she could only use needles. After pricking my back, she still wasn’t satisfied. She wanted to stab my fingers with needles. I was actually scared inside. Childhood memories of her abuse almost made me faint. I was gambling, betting that Gideon Everett or Wesley Everett would come to rescue me. Sure enough, just before the needle pierced my finger. Gideon Everett kicked open the door to the conservatory. He pulled Fiona Taylor away. “Fiona Taylor, I warn you, don’t forget your place.” Pushed away, Fiona Taylor screamed uncontrollably. “Do you know what she did? She seduced Wesley. Just like her shameless mother. All sluts!” Gideon Everett ignored her. He picked me up and headed straight to the attic. That’s the forbidden area of the Everett Family, where my mother lived before she died. Gideon Everett threw me onto the carpet, standing before me, leisurely unbuckling his belt. He didn’t save me; he just changed the way he tortured me. My hands and feet were tied, unable to move. Gideon Everett drank a lot, and with each sip, he whipped me. The belt lashed my body, burning with pain. Exhausted, he collapsed on the sofa, panting. The opportunity was coming. I silently counted the time, waiting for him to get drunk. Gideon Everett grabbed my hair, forcing me to look up at him, “Lydia Kane, you know very well why I keep you.” With that, he threw away the belt, untied me, and began tearing at my clothes. I struggled desperately, crying out to remind him. “Uncle Gideon, you promised my mom you wouldn’t touch me.” His hands paused briefly, then resumed tearing me apart even more violently. I calmed down, trying hard to imitate my mother’s voice, speaking coldly, “Gideon Everett, are you an animal?” Gideon Everett froze, his eyes dazed as he looked at me… “Sophie, we met first, I loved you first. Why did you…” He tossed aside the belt, freed me from my restraints, and started to pull at my clothes. I struggled desperately, crying out to remind him. “Uncle Gideon, you promised my mom you wouldn’t touch me.” His hands hesitated for a moment, but then he attacked even more ferociously. I calmed myself, trying hard to mimic my mother’s voice, speaking coldly, “Gideon Everett, are you an animal?” Gideon froze, his eyes glazed as he looked at me… “Sophie, we met first, I loved you first. Why…” His voice was thick with emotion. I knew I had succeeded. Gideon mistook me for my mom. I pushed him away, picked up the belt from the floor, and pressed my foot against his fervor. I struck him hard with the belt. He didn’t evade, enduring the pain with a twisted sense of excitement. Gideon Everett, this twisted monster. “Kneel!” I lashed him again, and Gideon trembled as he knelt upright. It seemed he enjoyed it that way. Suppressing my revulsion, I used the handle of the whip to lift his chin. “Gideon Everett, do you realize how filthy you are? You disgusting creature!” He didn’t flinch, his eyes dazed as he looked at me. “Sophie, I just love you too much. Please, give me, give me a child of ours.”

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After our company’s successful financing, I had planned to surprise my wife. Instead, I accidentally overheard her whispering with her male assistant. Adam, half proud and half worried, said: “Boss, when you officially announce later, I’ll play a little joke and pretend to be your partner. James won’t get angry, right?” My wife, Cora, affectionately ruffled Adam’s hair and said generously: “He wouldn’t dare. I’ll also squeeze you into his project team. Once you’ve gained some experience, I’ll promote you to department head.” Hearing this, I kicked open the office door. All my colleagues gathered around, waiting to see me make a fool of myself. Instead, I hung the project manager’s badge around Adam’s neck and said coldly: “No need to wait that long. This project is yours now.” Bang! I kicked open the office door. The surrounding employees who were busy working all turned to look, craning their necks with curiosity in their eyes. Inside, Cora was still ruffling Adam’s hair. The next second, she moved to shield Adam behind her and frowned angrily: “James, are you trying to rebel? Damaging company property like that, don’t expect to get your salary this month!” Adam pretended to look pitiful and said: “James, did you overhear Cora saying she wanted to go public with me and arrange for me to join your project? She was just joking with me…” Hearing this, everyone’s eyes widened, and they started whispering: “So the CEO and Adam have that kind of relationship! What’s going on with Manager James making such a scene?” “Are you stupid? It’s obvious James has a crush on the CEO and he’s just lost it. This is going to be interesting.” I had long since gotten used to these rumors and didn’t care anymore. Since Cora was so eager to help Adam climb the ladder, I decided to fulfill her dream! I stepped forward, took off my project manager badge, and hung it around Adam’s neck. I patted his shoulder and said earnestly: “No need to wait until tonight. The project is yours now. Work hard and aim for a promotion to VP soon.” Instantly, all the onlookers were stunned. After all, everyone knew I had worked day and night on this project, even ending up in the hospital on IV drips several times. I was known for my upright character and despised those who got ahead without hard work. But now, the atmosphere was awkward. People could only help save face for their boss by applauding loudly: “James is so generous! No wonder he’s been with the CEO for so many years!” Cora’s face darkened, and she looked at me ominously, as if I had done something wrong. I couldn’t be bothered with her. I packed up my things and said calmly: “If there’s nothing else, I’ll be leaving now. Our partners need to see me.” Without waiting for Cora’s response, I walked straight out of the meeting room. I had worked tirelessly on the project’s core patents, conducting experiments day and night. Recently, we’d made good progress, and our partners were very satisfied. They wanted to help our company with additional investment for our IPO. I had originally wanted to share this good news with Cora, but now it seemed unnecessary. I walked out of the company, looking at the dark alley I had taken for seven years, and couldn’t help but laugh at myself. Cora and I had been secretly married for seven years. To avoid suspicion, she never commuted with me, fearing colleagues would notice our routes were the same. She even made me park far away and take a detour home. Now, I didn’t need to worry anymore. I could drive however I wanted. As I walked towards the parking spot, I took out my phone to use the GPS. On the phone screen, the florist suddenly sent a message saying he had delivered the bouquet to the company’s front desk, along with a photo. I suddenly remembered that Sophia had said she would go public with me once the company was stable. For this day, I had specially bought her favorite roses and booked a private movie screening. How ridiculous that when I rushed to the company, what I heard was her once again showing boundless favoritism towards Adam. But now, none of that mattered. It was like feeding a dog. Just as I was about to leave, someone suddenly blocked my way. It was Adam. Adam fiddled with the badge on his chest, clicking his tongue: “James, Cora was originally going to officially announce your relationship tonight, but you just had to come out and make trouble.” “But you know, she told me that after this project is completed, not only will she promote me to project manager, but she’ll also give me company shares. You won’t be angry, right?” His face was written all over with the words “small victory”. In the past, I was often angered by his private provocations, making Cora mistakenly think I was targeting him, leading to endless arguments. But now, I couldn’t be bothered to deal with him. Sure enough, the next second, I heard the sound of high heels clicking behind me. Adam suddenly leaned back and fell on his butt, then quickly got up, hastily taking off the badge on his chest, and said pitifully: “James, I know you’re not happy. Take your anger out on me if you must, just don’t blame Cora. I just wanted to learn from you. If you don’t want me to, I won’t join this project.” “You’re right, such an important position as project manager can only be handled by you. I’m not worthy!” His tone was humble, his eyes slightly red, as if I had scolded him, carefully handing the badge towards me. Cora walked quickly over, raising her hand as if to slap me. Fortunately, I was somewhat prepared and blocked it with my hand. There was still a dull thud, and my arm felt numb from the impact. She grabbed my collar and scolded harshly: “James, I’ve turned a blind eye to you bullying Adam before, but now you’re actually hitting him. Don’t you know this is workplace bullying!” I smirked sarcastically. Adam was obviously faking it, and only Cora, blinded by concern, couldn’t see through it. I turned and reached out to Adam, intending to push the badge back to him directly. But Adam thought I really wanted to take back the badge. A flash of panic crossed his eyes, and his fingers tightly hooked the ribbon, pulling it back. The next second, he suddenly groaned, clutching his chest and saying his heart hurt. The act was too fake, but some people still fell for it. Cora immediately stopped scolding me and hurriedly supported Adam, then took out some heart medication from her bag and gave it to him. She was flustered and shouted at me: “James, why aren’t you helping? Take Adam to the hospital!” I rolled my eyes internally. How annoying. I should have just taken a taxi and left directly. I walked towards the roadside, raising my hand to hail a taxi. But Cora blocked my way, her expression serious, clearly not letting me go: “He got sick because you scared him. How can you just leave?” Chapter 2 I scoffed coldly. Before, when I drank too much at a business dinner and ended up vomiting blood from a gastric hemorrhage, Cora didn’t care at all and just told me to take some stomach medicine. Now Adam was just pretending to be sick, but Cora, who was usually so commanding in the business world, was completely flustered, standing up for him like a shrew. I frowned and reluctantly called an ambulance. At the hospital, after hearing the doctor say Adam was fine, Cora let out a relieved sigh, her eyes full of gratitude. I didn’t want to watch their melodrama anymore and turned to leave. Cora hurriedly chased after me in the hallway and grabbed me. I frowned, thinking she wanted to scold me again for making Adam sick. I instinctively tried to dodge. The next second, she hung the badge around my neck and gently touched my arm where she had hit me earlier. She said softly: “James, you know Adam likes to joke around. There will be plenty of opportunities to officially announce our relationship. Just wait a little longer, okay?” “The project manager position is too important. Don’t be impulsive with it. I’ll let it slide this time.” I responded with an indifferent “Mm.” Cora looked at me for a while, seemingly reluctantly compromising, and handed me a crumpled box. “Alright James, I saw the roses you bought. I really liked them. Why don’t you put them in the vase at home? Actually, I prepared a gift for you too.” I knew this was Cora’s usual tactic – give a little sweetness after the stick. The box in Cora’s hand looked familiar. I remembered Adam had posted about it on social media half a month ago. At that time, Adam had accidentally stained the tie Cora gave him with oil and had to throw away both the box and the tie. He had sighed and complained, but was actually showing off. Cora had commented that she would buy him ten more. I took the gift box and opened it. Inside was a fake tie. I just touched the edge and the color faded. The receipt was even still inside. She didn’t bat an eye buying Adam luxury brand ties, but now she was just perfunctorily giving me a fake. I couldn’t be bothered to expose her and just casually responded: “I see. If there’s nothing else, I’ll be going.” Turning around the corner, when I saw the trash can, I threw the gift box directly into it without hesitation. Then I took out my phone and called the tech company that had been trying to recruit me: “I accept your company’s invitation.” This tech company was a Fortune 500 company that had never given up on trying to poach me over the past few years. But for Cora’s sake, to realize our dream from back then, I had always politely declined. On the phone, HR kept telling me about their company’s great benefits and how much they welcomed talent like me. As we talked, I unconsciously drove to their front door. Looking at the hour-long call record, I tightened my grip on the phone. Back then, for Cora’s sake, I gave up a high-level management position that was within my grasp, to start from scratch with her. All these years, I had worked tirelessly for the company, exhausting my body and keeping my mind constantly on edge. I was completely burnt out, both physically and mentally. Finally, Cora and I had gone from having nothing to having everything, but Cora’s heart had quietly flown away. From now on, I just wanted to live for myself. I thought for a moment, then sent a message to our project partners, informing them about the change in project manager. The partners approved of me, which is why they invested in this project and even helped the company with financing. Now that I was leaving, I naturally had to let them know. After sending the message, I bought a plane ticket for the next day and started packing my bags. From the bottom of the closet, I took out my coat, not noticing that the photo album pressed at the very bottom had been flipped open. A photo of Cora and me caught my eye. It was a photo from eight years ago, when Cora and I had just gotten together. We looked young and shy, leaning close to each other. I picked up the photo album and flipped through it page by page. Come to think of it, Cora had insisted on taking all these photos, saying she wanted to document our life, record all the hardships we went through, so we could make up for it later. Cora and I had been through thick and thin, living a hard life in the beginning. We used to curl up in a tiny rented room watching pirated movies. On New Year’s Eve, we would argue over who should have the last piece of meat. But those moments of hardship were all happiness to me, and they were my motivation to work hard. Gradually, the people in the photos wore increasingly fancy clothes, the backgrounds became more luxurious, but the photos became fewer and fewer. From one every few days, to one a month, then to one a year. Until Adam appeared, there were no new photos at all. Cora’s interactions with me gradually reduced to just work handovers between superiors and subordinates. I don’t know when it started, but Cora stopped caring if I skipped a meal, if I drank until I had a gastric hemorrhage, or if I got injured during experiments. But she protected Adam very well, canceling business dinners just to eat with Adam who had mild gastritis. It was as if she was trying to make up for something, spoiling Adam to no end. I used to feel wronged and asked her why. She just looked at me coldly and said we had both been through hardships, and she couldn’t believe I was still so sensitive at my age, that I wasn’t as mature as Adam. She said she admired Adam’s pure kindness and didn’t want him to suffer like we did. Coming back to my senses, looking at this photo album that was once filled with Cora’s and my love, I suddenly felt it was meaningless and threw it into the trash without hesitation. I continued folding clothes when my phone in my pocket suddenly rang. It was a call from the cinema: “Mr. Gray, the private screening you booked is about to start. If you don’t arrive within ten minutes, we may have to open the theater to other customers.” Perhaps because we could only curl up in a small room watching pirated movies back then, Cora had an unusual obsession with watching movies in theaters. Even when I proposed, I did it in a movie theater. Today, thinking we could finally go public, I had booked the largest theater in the city to relive old memories with her, but she stood me up in the end. I calmly replied: “I won’t be going. You can give it to someone else.” Just after hanging up, Cora sent me a message: “I have a business dinner tonight. Can’t go to the movie.” This short sentence seemed strange to me. Cora never bothered to inform me before. She would just stand me up directly. But soon I understood why. Just now, Adam suddenly posted on social media. In the photo, Cora was holding popcorn in one hand and feeding Adam soda with the other. The caption read: I like peace and quiet, so the boss rented out the whole theater for me. The soda she fed me herself was so sweet! What a coincidence. So the “other customers” the theater manager mentioned were the two of them. I didn’t ask Cora why she lied about having a business dinner, nor did I feel sad at all. Now my heart was as still as water. I just wanted to get a good night’s sleep. After washing up, I fell into a deep sleep, the best sleep I’d had in years. But in the middle of the night, I was awakened by the sudden bright light in the bedroom. I blinked, finally adjusting to the strong light, only to find Cora standing by my bed. She stared at me with disbelief and exclaimed: “James, you actually fell asleep?” Chapter 3 I was drowsy and looked at my phone screen. It was already 3 AM. This late, and Cora hadn’t stayed out overnight? In the past, whenever Adam had a stomach ache, Cora would stay up all night taking care of him, afraid it would recur. Now, Cora seemed very unhappy, her face dark as she complained: “James, I come home so late, and you don’t even send a message to check on me or wait up for me at home. Isn’t that too much?” I’m too much? I rolled my eyes internally. In the past, when I worried about her safety and called her, she would say I was deliberately checking up on her and didn’t trust her. When I waited for her to come home late at night, prepared a midnight snack for her, massaged her, washed her feet, she would say I was too idle and couldn’t sleep, and that she needed to give me more work. Now that I wasn’t serving her, she was still unhappy. A woman’s heart, unfathomable. I just mumbled a response and was about to turn off the light to continue sleeping. Cora pushed me and leaned on me like she had no bones: “James, I’m so tired today. Aren’t you going to prepare a foot bath for me?” I smelled Adam’s cologne on her. How disgusting. In the past, I would have eagerly served her without her asking, until I saw her fall asleep. Now I just thought she was being troublesome. I pushed her away. I frowned deeply, my tone a bit harsh from being woken up: “I’m very tired. Take care of your own things.” Cora looked stunned, as if she hadn’t reacted to me pushing her away yet. After a long while, her hand gripping her purse strap turned white from the force, and she said through gritted teeth: “James, just because I didn’t have dinner with you, you treat me like this? You’ve really changed!” “You think I want to come home?” With that, she stormed out, slamming my door so hard it shook. I heard the sound of her taking her keys and leaving. In the past, I would definitely have gone out to make up with her, begging her not to leave. Now I just turned off the light and went straight to sleep. The next morning I slept in and woke up feeling refreshed. I had originally planned to make breakfast but was surprised to find Cora was at home. In the past, without me coaxing her, she would give me the cold shoulder until the very end, always leaving early for the company. She was sitting on the living room sofa with an exquisite gift box on her lap, her fingers weaving a butterfly knot. Seeming to hear movement, she turned her head. Cora stepped forward, grabbed my wrist, and fastened the watch from the gift box onto it. The cold touch made my wrist tremble. Cora held my wrist and looked at it again and again, very satisfied, and said: “It’s really nice. The size is just right, and the style is low-key and elegant.” I had seen this watch in a magazine. It was this year’s latest model, worth several hundred thousand dollars. But before I could pull my hand away, she deftly took off the watch, carefully wiped it with a handkerchief. As she put it back in the gift box, she muttered: “It’s a good thing you and Adam have similar wrist sizes. If it fits you, he’ll definitely like it too.” Looking at the top of Cora’s head, I felt it was ironic. Of course, Adam was the one who liked luxury watches. How could Cora possibly turn back? Cora put on her coat, took the gift box, and walked towards the door with light steps. But I reached out and stopped her, taking out the papers I had printed yesterday: “Cora, could you sign these documents?” Cora frowned, not even looking up, somewhat impatiently: “Sign them when we get to the office.” I pushed the documents towards her: “It’s not company business. It’s important and won’t take much of your time.” Cora took a deep breath and grabbed the documents from my hand with a resentful look, muttering: “Always giving me trouble.” Her gaze moved to the documents in her hand, and the next second, her fingers flipping through the papers froze. Because it was a divorce agreement. Chapter 4 Cora was stunned for a moment, then slammed the divorce agreement hard on the shoe cabinet. She sneered: “James, I thought you had something new, but it’s just divorce drama.” “Fine, you think you’ve done a big project and your wings have hardened?” “I’m too busy to deal with your little temper.” I continued to hold the divorce agreement in front of her eyes and calmly said: “I’m not throwing a temper, Cora. I’m setting you free. You can give Adam official status now.” But Cora frowned fiercely, grabbed the divorce agreement from my hand and crumpled it. Seemingly not satisfied, she tore it a few times, scattering paper like snow. She pointed at me, her eyes cold: “You say you’re not jealous, James, but I’m warning you not to bring up divorce again.” “My care for Adam is just because I see our past selves in him. It’s appreciation for talent, not as dirty as you think!” “I was planning to find a chance to officially announce our relationship. You’re really disappointing me like this!” With that, she turned and stormed out without waiting for my response, her high heels clicking loudly on the floor. I had expected this result and wasn’t very disappointed. Since we couldn’t part on good terms, I had a lawyer draft a divorce lawsuit for me. Additionally, I sent my resignation to HR. Soon, HR called, asking me to bring my documents to the company to process my resignation in person. But as soon as I entered the door, I heard my colleagues’ compliments. “Mr. Chen, that watch on your wrist is this year’s latest Patek Philippe model, right? The CEO really cares about you!” “CEO Cora and Mr. Chen make such a perfect couple. With both of you leading, our company will definitely develop better and better!” Adam pretended to scratch his head sheepishly, showing off the brand new watch on his wrist. As soon as he saw me, he quickly walked over, enthusiastically grabbing my hand and smiling: “James, you’re finally here. Cora said I’ll be quite busy with the project coming up, so she wants to treat everyone to milk tea to take care of me. What flavor do you want? Hurry and tell me.” I shook off his hand. But before I could speak, Cora, who had been coldly watching me from the side, stepped forward and shielded Adam behind her. “James, you’re late, and you still dare to ask for milk tea?” “I’ll have HR dock your perfect attendance bonus. Also, how can someone with such poor time management handle the project manager’s job? I think you’d better not get involved in the company’s important projects.” “Start from an intern position and learn the company’s rules properly!” Adam pretended to be surprised, tugging at Cora’s sleeve and advising in a low voice: “Cora, isn’t this a bit too much? The project is almost done. Even if James doesn’t have any merit, he’s put in the effort.” Cora looked me up and down, raising her chin like a proud peacock, and snorted coldly. “If everyone was as petty as him, we couldn’t compare to you at all. It’s his own fault for not being ambitious!” “Adam, from now on, you take over James’s projects. You’re the real project manager now.” Adam’s face was full of greed, but his mouth was still refusing: “Cora, this isn’t right. After all, I’m still young and inexperienced…” The seasoned office workers present saw that Cora was displeased with me and chimed in: “CEO Cora is so wise. Little James has gotten a bit cocky. He didn’t work overtime yesterday and was late today. I think he needs some strict management!” “I’ve always felt that Mr. Chen is very talented. Although James has some experience, he’s no match for the new talent.” Cora raised an eyebrow, looking extremely reluctant, and said haughtily: “If you perform well, I might consider keeping you…” I really couldn’t listen to these people’s back-and-forth anymore and directly interrupted Cora. I frowned and said coldly: “I’m sorry, CEO, but you seem to have misunderstood. I came to the company to process my resignation.” Cora was stunned and exclaimed: “What?” Someone from HR came over and whispered something in her ear. Cora’s face grew darker, the crease between her brows deepening: “James, you’re really making a scene, aren’t you!” “First divorce… resignation, then sarcastic remarks. Don’t forget, the company’s financing was successful, and we’re about to go public!” “When that happens, I’ll give bonuses to all employees. This is a great company that others would kill to get into!” I just looked at Cora indifferently: “I know, CEO. Please approve my resignation request as soon as possible. Otherwise, I’ll have to file for labor arbitration.” Everyone looked at each other, unsure of what was happening. Cora clenched her fists, her fingernails digging deep into her palms. She seemed not to feel the pain, sticking out her neck stubbornly: “Fine, go ahead and leave. I’ll sign it myself! Once you’re gone, I’ll immediately promote Adam to project manager!” She snatched the documents from HR’s hands and made a show of signing, but her eyes were fixed on me, closely observing my reaction. Seeing that I still had no expression, she added a few more sentences: “After the company goes public, I’m not only going to promote Adam and give him a raise, but I’ll also buy him a car and a house. This is how we treat our key contributors!” I couldn’t help but laugh. I knew she was deliberately using Adam to provoke me, wanting me to back down. But she didn’t know that just now, our partners had contacted me, saying they wanted to come to the company to claim compensation. They were already downstairs. Cora stared blankly at my raised corner of the mouth, somewhat annoyed: “What are you laughing at?” I said coldly: “Let him explain it to you.” As I spoke, I smirked sarcastically and stepped aside. The next moment, the representative of our partners walked in from behind me. He looked very serious: “CEO, we will be suing your company for breach of contract and terminating all cooperation!”

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I was bound to a flattery system – the better I flirted, the more money I made. So I flirted with three men at once. Within six months, I’d earned enough for a villa. Just as I was raking in the cash, all three men suddenly appeared and cornered me. Their faces were grim as they said: “Choose. Who do you actually like? You can only pick one.” I sent a message to “Zane, 6’2″ celebrity heartthrob”: “Missing you.” A few seconds later, Zane replied: “Don’t miss me. I’m taking three girls on a road trip tomorrow. It’s gonna be wild.” Without missing a beat, I quickly responded: “Oh, you’re going on a trip with girls? Please be safe!” Zane: “…” I took a sip of my Earl Grey tea and opened a chat with the second guy on my list, “Finn, 6’1″ CEO”: “Good morning.” Then I started watching a period drama while waiting for a response. By the time I finished the entire show, there was still no reply. As expected. Unfazed, I sent a second message: “I looked it up – your zodiac sign is known for not replying to messages. I totally understand.” Finally, he responded: “If you’re that bored, you should get a job.” I seized the opportunity: “Does Mr. Finn need a secretary? I’m great at polishing desks.” Finn: “…” When he didn’t take the bait, I moved on to the third guy on my list, “Xavier, 6’3″ campus hunk” “Happy birthday, baby!” Then I initiated a money transfer. After a moment’s thought, I added: “Don’t be a party pooper – you have to accept it!” A moment later, the transfer was accepted. Xavier replied: “Thanks sis, you’re the best~” Tsk, college boys really know how to sweet talk. I asked kindly: “How are you planning to celebrate?” Xavier: “With the campus queen~” Smiling, I sent another $520 transfer: “This is for the campus queen’s hard work keeping you company on your birthday in my place.” He probably didn’t expect me to be so magnanimous. After a few seconds of hesitation, he accepted the transfer and sent an adorable cat emoji. “It’s so nice having you, sis~” Having taken care of everything, I tossed my phone aside and let my housekeeper massage my legs and back as I smiled at the floating text in the air. [System calculating rewards…] [3 basic flattery actions completed. Total income 400 , e x p e n s e r e i m b u r s e m e n t 400,expensereimbursement140, total earnings $540 deposited.] Seeing my assets grow a bit more, I stretched lazily. My best friend’s birthday was coming up – maybe I’d buy her a house. Or how about adding a supercar to go with it? If that’s the plan, I can’t slack off. I’ll need to work even harder these next couple days. After some thought, I called Zane: “Bro, which hotel are you staying at tomorrow with those three girls? I want to send you some condoms.” Zane: “?”

As you can see, when it comes to flattery, I’m a pro. It’s not that I want to flatter – it’s just that the system pays too well. The next day, I showed up at the resort carrying a bag of contraceptives, looking shifty. The security guard quickly stopped me: “What’s your business here?” I showed him the contents of my bag and said seriously: “Delivery. Bringing condoms for the boss.” The guard was shocked, but his professional demeanor accepted it all: “Hurry on in then.” When I found Zane, he was doing fancy swim strokes in the outdoor pool. Three bikini-clad beauties of different nationalities were cheering for him on the shore. Seeing me, Zane leisurely got out of the pool, shaking his head in slow motion, letting crystalline water droplets roll joyfully and beautifully down his eight-pack abs. I took half a step back to avoid getting my designer outfit wet from the water on his body. Zane noticed my movement, raising an eyebrow with an amused look: “Playing hard to get? Hazel, your pursuit tactics have improved.” Dude, you’re overthinking it. I shyly bent my swan-like slender neck, a faint cherry blossom pink spreading across my cheeks. I stomped my dainty foot and pouted coyly: “Big bro, you meanie~ Why do you always see right through me?” Zane’s face showed a hint of “I knew it” smugness. Noticing the bag in my hand, he asked: “You really brought them?” “I bought eight boxes,” I said obediently. “Let me know if you need more.” Zane chuckled lightly, magnanimously lifting his chin: “Sit.” Sit? Your sister doesn’t have time to sit with you. I still need to go flatter the next guy to make money. I waved my hand considerately: “I won’t disturb you, big bro. You have so many people here, you’d find me annoying. I’ll be going now…” Zane seemed to want to say something, but the three beauties gracefully surrounded him, blocking his view of me. I slipped away as smoothly as an eel. But as soon as I got in the car, I unexpectedly received a text from Zane. “Accidentally ordered too much for lunch. Stay and eat?” Me: ? What’s going on? I’ve only been flattering him for half a year, he couldn’t have fallen for me, right? When I first chose these guys, I specifically checked – Zane was a playboy by nature but picky about looks. He only liked bombshell 36D types. He had 800 girlfriends for each strand of hair, always recruiting new girlfriends, never long-term ones. Difficulty level: five stars. I chose him without hesitation. He’s one of my money trees. He absolutely cannot fall for me! I didn’t dare reply. Didn’t dare reply at all. I focused on driving, stopping at a red light. A string of messages came in succession. Zane: “Why aren’t you replying?” Zane: “Crying?” Zane: “(helpless facepalm) I told you I was taking three girls out to play. You insisted on coming to see. Now you’ve seen and you’re upset. Silly girl, I really don’t know what to do with you.” Zane: “Alright alright, I’ll transfer you $3000. Go buy yourself a bag.” Two minutes later. Zane: “? Why are you still not saying anything.” Zane: “Don’t tell me you’re crying from being moved again?” Me: Black person sweating awkwardly.jpg I nervously asked the system: “What happens if the target tries to pursue me?” The system’s tone was cold and merciless: “Deductions from your earnings based on severity.” Damn it! I decisively sent back a vicious voice message: “You think a measly $3000 is enough to move me? I spend more than that on a manicure! Keep it for your retirement fund! I’ve been sick of you for a long time, you good-for-nothing dirty cucumber man!” That felt good. Hopefully this voice message will erase any budding interest he had in me and help him return to being that elusive playboy. The phone was quiet for a long time. Just as I was about to breathe a sigh of relief, a message notification buzzed. Nine resolute, earth-shattering words from Zane: “You’re quite cute when you’re jealous.”

The system’s cold voice sounded: [Detected flattery received. $200 deducted.] Damn it all to hell. I immediately blocked and deleted Zane to prevent any more flirty words from costing me money. Not a great start. I frantically dialed Xavier’s number. I remembered he didn’t have class today. The phone rang for a long time before Xavier’s half-asleep voice came through: “Sis?” I put on my best rich lady voice: “I miss you. How about sis takes you for a ride on a private jet?” After a few seconds, Xavier replied with a hint of amusement: “Sure, I’ll get ready.” “It’s a promise then. I’m coming to pick you up now.” I hung up and floored it towards my second money tree. What I lost from one man, I’ll reclaim from another. Xavier seemed to have dressed up a bit today – pure white hoodie, American-style embroidery, giving off a first-kiss-still-intact vibe. I helped him fasten his seatbelt, narrowing my eyes: “You look very handsome today. Sis likes it a lot.” Xavier smiled innocently: “That’s great. I hope she likes it too.” She? Just as I was about to ask who “she” was, a girl got into the car. Matching white hoodie, mini skirt, pure and sexy makeup. Who else but the campus queen. The campus queen smiled sweetly: “Thanks for taking us out, sis~” I looked at Xavier. He smiled calmly: “You don’t mind bringing along one skinny girl, right sis?” I don’t mind at all. Not one bit. As long as the plane can fit them, you could bring eight girls for all I care. Sis just loves guys like you who are already taken. How is this any different from an iron rice bowl? I was so happy I could die. But I made sure to look at Xavier and say sincerely: “As long as you’re happy, that’s sis’s greatest fortune.” That was definitely the truth. Xavier gave me a long look, the corners of his lips curling up slightly without saying anything. The three of us took the private jet to my vacation island. The campus queen “wowed” all the way from the west side of the island to the east, starry-eyed the whole time. I quickly entered money-making mode: “Xavier, what flavor crepe would you like? Sis will make it for you.” “Vanilla, thanks sis.” Xavier glanced at the campus queen. Before he could open his mouth, I already knew what he was going to say. “What flavor crepe does your girlfriend like? Sis will make an even bigger one for her,” I said kindly. The ultimate move of a top-tier flatterer – love me, love my dog. Xavier choked for a moment: “She’s not… never mind.” He seemed to want to say something but held back, turning to ask the campus queen who was busy taking selfies what flavor she wanted. I’m a crepe-making pro. In less than five minutes, I had two ready and delivered to their hands. You ask why I’m so skilled? Because I’ve made them for other men before. Practice makes perfect. After eating the crepes, I took them out on a yacht. Along the way, I fussed over the campus queen, worried she was too hot or too cold, worried she was hungry or too full. When the campus queen got seasick, I fed her medicine. When she took photos, I showered her with compliments. It got to the point where Xavier couldn’t get a chance to show off in front of the campus queen at all. Finally Xavier got impatient. When the campus queen stumbled from drinking too much champagne, he rushed to catch her before I could. He carefully held her, his eyes full of concern. The sun was setting, casting the two of them in a warm orange glow. They looked good together. I tactfully headed towards the cabin: “I suddenly need to use the bathroom. You two carry on.” I flopped onto the bed, watching the total assets in my account jump up by tens of thousands after the system’s calculations. I couldn’t help but cheer: “Woo-hoo!” Then I put on some jazz music and started dancing. Just as I got to the hip-thrusting part, I looked up and met a pair of dark eyes by the door. “Xavier?” I froze, quickly stopping my hip movements. “Weren’t you with the campus queen…” Xavier’s eyes were gloomy and filled with discontent: “You really want us to be together?” Me: ? A bad feeling washed over me. I cautiously said: “Aren’t you already together?” Xavier narrowed his eyes: “No. I bribed her to act. I wanted to make you jealous.” Sis isn’t the jealous type by nature. Is today the end of the world? Why is everyone changing their personalities? On the verge of collapse, I asked: “Why did you suddenly want to do that?” Xavier tugged at his collar. His collarbone was flushed from alcohol as he lowered his gaze and said softly: “It wasn’t sudden. It’s been bothering me for a long time. At first I was just after your money, but you went too far. You love me so excessively. Even my mom expects something in return from me, but you don’t ask for anything.” I slumped onto the round bed. He crouched down, like an obedient tipsy puppy, looking at me with moist eyes. “The internet says love is possessiveness, but you’ve never been jealous over me. I want to know, is it because you love me too much, or because you don’t love me at all?” The last question shook me to my core. His gaze nearly pierced through my eyes to probe my heart. I instinctively held my breath, thinking to myself: “Stay calm, Hazel. You can handle this.” In this critical moment, inspiration struck and I steadily uttered two words: “Loved you.” Xavier: “?” I wiped my face, feeling like a melancholic midnight rose: “Bro, let me be honest with you. Sis did love you, but sis suddenly feels like she doesn’t love you anymore. Sometimes a woman’s heart is just like that.” What young man can accept being dumped so abruptly? None of them can. Self-esteem is an extremely fragile thing, especially for men, and even more so for young men. He would definitely lose interest in me in an instant, viewing me as the person he hates most in this life. Then I could continue flattering him again. Just as I was feeling smug, I was suddenly pushed down onto the bed, my hands tied above my head with a strap. Xavier pressed down on me, playing with a peeling knife that appeared out of nowhere. His eyes held a craziness I’d never seen before. “Sis, you can’t do this.” “You’ve loved me for so long, you can’t just stop loving me. Won’t you fall in love with me again?” “If I don’t have your love, I feel like I’ll go insane. Your love for me died, so why don’t we die together?” His breath fell on my neck, making my whole body break out in goosebumps. Shit, this guy turned out to be a yandere psycho! The system chimed in again: [Detected strong flattery received. $300 deducted.] Xavier slowly traced the back of the knife along my skin, the corners of his eyes tinged red, his voice husky like aged wine: “Didn’t sis say that as long as I’m happy, that’s enough? I’ll be happy as long as sis loves me again.” He gripped my chin, his tone coaxing: “Be a good sis, say you love me.” [Deducting $400.] I blurted out: “Fuck!” Xavier’s whole body trembled, his voice taking on a quivering tone: “Curse at me again, sis. It feels so good.” ? Who can understand this? When crazy opens the door for crazy, crazy comes home. Just as I thought I was going to die at his hands today, there was a loud bang from the sky and the campus queen made a dazzling entrance. Seeing our compromising position, the campus queen let out a “Hi!” and threw Xavier onto the floor, then crawled on top of me. With flushed cheeks and reeking of alcohol, she buried her face in my chest and nuzzled: “Sis, don’t like him anymore. Like me instead, okay?” Me: Uh, miss? The campus queen said passionately: “Only a girl truly understands what another girl wants. I won’t let you get hurt. I only like you, okay?” I looked troubled: “That sounds great, but—” Xavier gritted his teeth and crawled up from the floor. Just as he brought his face close, the campus queen smiled and threw a punch, knocking him out cold back onto the floor. “Learned some Muay Thai,” the campus queen smiled gently. “Please continue, sis.” I swallowed hard: “Well, I suppose it’s not impossible.” The campus queen hugged me contentedly and fell asleep. I struggled with all my might to undo the restraints and fled to shore in the middle of the night. Just as I caught my breath, I received a new message. From Finn. “Come pick me up from work.”

I stared at those words, lost in thought. In the past, I would voluntarily go pick him up from work every day, since each time earned me $500. But given the two mishaps today, to be on the safe side, I called him. I cut straight to the chase: “You’re not planning to transfer me $3000, are you?” Finn: “?” Me: “You don’t have any other women around to make me jealous, do you?” “…” Finn was silent for three seconds. “Hazel, did you take the wrong medication?” Hearing him scold me as usual felt warm and reassuring. I sighed: “Wait for me, I’ll be right there.” At the bottom of Finn’s office building, Finn stood in the wind. He was cupping his hands to light a cigarette. Seeing me get out of the car, he immediately put it out. My voice was so gentle it could squeeze out water: “Let’s go, Finny. Let’s get in the car.” Finn raised his chin, gesturing for me to look at the Porsche Cayenne nearby. Oh, Mr. CEO is tired of my Maybach. No problem, I can drive any car. I scurried over and pulled open the driver’s door, saying to the driver inside: “Brother, get out. Shift change.” The driver was dumbfounded: “Miss, you?” Finn seemed to sigh, walking over to open the back door: “Get in.” “Huh?” I was a bit confused but did as he said. Finn also got in and the car started driving smoothly. I asked: “Finny, where are we going?” Finn said: “You’ll know when we get there.” An ominous feeling vaguely rose in my heart. Thirty minutes later, the car pulled into an amusement park that had already closed for the day. What’s going on? Amusement park horror night? As soon as I got out of the car, I heard Finn snap his fingers coolly. In an instant, lights came on all over the amusement park, as if a dormant fairy tale world had suddenly come to life before our eyes. I understood. I grinned widely: “If you wanted me to accompany you to the amusement park, you could have just said so.” Finn held my wrist through his sleeve and led me inside, stopping in front of the carousel. Golden neon lights flickered, dreamy music enveloping us. Fragments of memories flashed through my mind, briefly making me lose focus. I sniffled and pulled out my phone, patting his butt: “Go on, go on. I’ll take photos for you.” Finn was first shocked by me patting his butt, but eventually held back and snatched my phone: “You go. I’ll take the photos.” “?” I flew into a rage. “Why don’t you just rob me directly?” Does this guy know how much money this will cost me? Finn: “?” After a two-second standoff, Finn pressed his lips together: “I like watching people ride the carousel.” “?” I suddenly understood. So he brought me here because he has that kind of fetish. I patted his shoulder understandingly: “You should have said so earlier. Sis will satisfy you.” I happily ran towards my favorite horse. The music turned romantic and beautiful, the lights around us slowly rising and falling, a gentle breeze caressing my face. In the past, I had only watched others ride. So this is what it feels like to ride a carousel. After going on several rides together, my stomach growled as we got off the mini train. He suddenly asked: “What flavor crepe do you want?” I was stunned for a moment. No one had ever asked me that question before. It was always me asking others. I thought seriously: “I want durian flavor.” Finn nodded and rolled up his sleeves, walking into a crepe truck. I was dumbfounded again. I thought he would just buy me one at most. I didn’t expect him to make it himself. He skillfully spread out the batter, the aroma wafting out with the heat. When handling the durian flesh, his facial expression was very stiff, most likely holding his breath. Watching him concentrate on plating under the lights, I suddenly felt my heartbeat become more noticeable in my left chest. He brought the plate over, a hint of anticipation hidden beneath his calm expression: “Try it.” I took a bite. Wow, it tasted better than mine. He asked: “How is it?” I was about to say “Super delicious” when a harsh female voice sounded in my mind: [Mid-level flattery received. $500 deducted.] Anger burst out of my mouth: “It’s okay. Just okay.” Based on my judgment of Finn, he would definitely get angry, grab my neck and growl “Woman, you’re playing with fire.” But he didn’t.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “295297”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #现实主义Realistic #浪漫Romance #励志Inspiring #惊悚Thriller #魔幻Magic #校园School #狼人Werewolf

The company distributed a box of oranges, so sour they could make your teeth ache. My pregnant coworker loved them, so I handed them over without hesitation. When my mother-in-law heard about this, she stormed into the company and made a scene, demanding my coworker return the oranges. Shaking with anger, I asked her, “Don’t I have the right to give away my own things anymore?” She sneered, “You belong to our family now, let alone your possessions!” Suddenly, it dawned on me. I had treated them as family, but they saw me as a slave. It seemed some accounts needed to be settled. I was shaking with anger as I asked her, “Don’t I have the right to give away my own things anymore?” She sneered, “You belong to our family now, let alone your possessions!” Suddenly, it dawned on me. I had treated them as family, but they saw me as a slave. It seemed some accounts needed to be settled. 0 I had just finished lunch when I saw my mother-in-law, Linda, walk into the office carrying a thermal lunch box. As soon as she entered, she started looking around suspiciously. I quickly stood up to greet her, “Mom, what brings you here?” “I brought you lunch,” Linda said, slamming the lunch box on the table with a loud thud that startled my coworkers. After living together for half a year, I had come to understand her a bit. Her hands were shaking slightly – a sign she was suppressing her anger. Besides, she had never brought me lunch before. I opened the lunch box to find only some sandwiches, which I disliked. Clearly, bringing lunch was just an excuse. “I heard your company gave out oranges?” Linda got straight to the point. Our company often gave out things as perks, so it wasn’t unusual. This time, the oranges they bought were organic and sugar-free, but they were so sour they could make your teeth ache. My pregnant coworker, Olivia, who was dealing with morning sickness, actually found them appealing. I gave her my oranges to avoid wasting them. Was Linda here for such a trivial matter? Olivia was sitting right across from me; it would be awkward if she overheard this. “The oranges were sour, so I gave them to my coworker. If you want some, I can buy you some after work,” I said in a low voice. “How dare you! You just give things away without asking me?” Linda slammed her hand on the table and shouted. The entire office went quiet, all eyes turning to us in shock. Olivia had just gone to get water and was now waddling back, sensing something was wrong. “Mom, please don’t make a scene. It’s not a big deal. I’ll buy you two boxes, okay? Please go home now,” I tried to calm the situation, feeling utterly embarrassed for the first time in my life. “I’ve never seen such a disrespectful daughter-in-law! What do you take our family for? You just give away things without consulting us?” Linda’s voice grew louder, ignoring my pleading looks. She kept glancing at Olivia, probably guessing from her belly that she was the one I had given the oranges to. I was breaking out in a cold sweat. Olivia’s pregnancy was hard-won, and she had been on bed rest. What if this upset her? “Stop it! Leave now!” I was trembling with anger as I tried to drag Linda towards the door. “Look everyone, this is my wonderful daughter-in-law, beating her mother-in-law!” Linda cried out dramatically as my grip on her arm tightened. My coworkers stood awkwardly to the side, unsure whether to intervene. “Was it really necessary to come here and make a scene over such a small thing? Don’t I have the right to give away my own things?” I asked, my voice shaking with anger. “You belong to our family now, let alone your possessions!” Linda’s words ripped away all pretense between us. So this was how it was. The harmonious family life I thought we had was just my own delusion. “I didn’t take the oranges home, I only opened the box and ate two. Here, take them back, please don’t be angry!” Olivia, also frightened, hurriedly pulled out the box from under her desk. Her coworkers quickly stopped her and went to help. “Emma, come here for a moment,” my manager, Ms. Smith, beckoned to me. My coworkers got the hint. Two of them led me to the manager’s office, while three or four others gently pushed Linda out the door, along with the box of oranges. Linda left clutching the orange box. She had probably come just to humiliate me, and her goal was achieved. Ms. Smith had always been kind to me. She poured me a glass of water and handed me some tissues. Only then did I realize how disheveled I looked. “I’ve been a daughter-in-law and now I’m a mother-in-law myself. I understand this game. It’s an obedience test,” Ms. Smith said. Her words hit me like a revelation. So that’s what it was! 0

I met Ryan at the hospital where he was my father’s attending physician. To be honest, Ryan was quite a catch. A 32-year-old medical PhD, he was the youngest chief of cardiothoracic surgery at their hospital. He was handsome and kept himself in great shape. That period was my lowest point. When my father was suddenly hospitalized, our world fell apart. My mother and I had been so sheltered by my father that we had little life skills. I was running around with a stack of papers, completely lost, when I literally bumped into Ryan. He helped me pick up the scattered papers and patiently guided me through each counter, being gentle and kind. I followed him obediently, tears in my eyes, afraid of losing him even for a moment. From that day on, whenever we had any issues, my mother would remind me, “Ask Dr. Zheng.” Soon after, my father passed away. Ryan helped me handle the funeral arrangements, taking care of everything personally. Our relatives even mistook him for my boyfriend. Later, we naturally got together. He had a clean dating history, being a studious man focused solely on his career. Despite his good looks and no shortage of admirers, he never gave them a second glance. “I feel like I’ve been waiting for you to come along,” he would say. His romantic lines were cheesy, but I loved them. When we were preparing to get married, my mother had a serious talk with me. “You’re my only daughter, and all our family assets are yours. Ryan’s family is from out of town, and he hasn’t been working for long, so he probably doesn’t have much savings. We’ll contribute more financially. You have a long life ahead, and I believe he can give you a happy life.” My mother was heartbroken after my father’s passing, seeing his memory everywhere. She decided to move south to stay with my aunt for a while. We held our wedding at my family home. At that time, Linda was still living in the countryside and hadn’t moved in with us. Linda still maintained the image of a hardworking rural old lady. She had made an appearance when my father was critically ill, bringing some farm-raised chickens at Ryan’s request. After my father passed away, she would occasionally send me some homemade health supplements. In my mind, she was a simple and kind old woman, lacking in education but honest and sincere. After we got married, we were both busy with work. Ryan had a sensitive stomach that needed care, and I didn’t know how to cook, so we hired a housekeeper. But Ryan was extremely picky about the housekeepers, so eventually, we decided to have Linda move in with us. We gave Linda $1,500 a month for groceries, and whatever was left over was her pocket money. At first, she was diligent and uncomplaining, but recently I felt she had changed. Whenever Ryan wasn’t home, she would just throw together something simple for me to eat. I didn’t think much of it at the time. It wasn’t until today, when she pointed her finger at me and scolded me, that I saw her true colors. I spent the rest of the day feeling dejected, constantly reflecting on my marriage with Ryan, wondering where things had gone wrong. Ms. Smith was right, my mother-in-law was testing my obedience. But was this her idea, or Ryan’s? 0

I called Ryan several times, but his phone was off. I understood this, as he couldn’t answer calls during surgery. Some things couldn’t be said over text, so I wanted to talk face-to-face. Just before leaving work, I noticed I had missed a message from Ryan saying he had back-to-back surgeries and wouldn’t be home for dinner. Before entering the house, I took a moment to prepare myself mentally. After what happened earlier, it would be awkward for anyone to face each other. Hearing the door open, Linda poked her head out of the kitchen. Seeing it was just me, her face darkened. “Where’s Ryan?” she asked. “He’s not coming home for dinner,” I replied. Hearing this, Linda turned back into the kitchen. After I finished showering, I found the house unusually quiet. The lights in the kitchen and dining room were off, and there was no food on the dining table. I could have sworn I smelled something delicious when I first came in. Curious, I walked into the kitchen. The stove was clean, and there was only half a sandwich left. Was this an open challenge? Well, fine then. It’s not like I don’t have hands of my own. I took out my phone and ordered a steak dinner set. Luckily, a new restaurant was offering a 12% discount, so the single-person set was only $14. After placing the order, I lazily scrolled through my phone on the bed until the doorbell rang. I have to say, the service from the new restaurant was excellent. The set I ordered came with extras, filling the entire table. I don’t know if it was the aroma wafting into Linda’s room or if she was trying to monitor me, but she suddenly opened her door and came out. Seeing me heartily digging in, she was stunned. “What… what are you doing?” Linda stammered. “Eating. Can’t you see?” I replied without even looking up. “What kind of daughter-in-law are you, indulging like this every day?” Linda angrily slammed the table again. “What kind of daughter-in-law doesn’t need to eat?” I retorted, not even bothering to lift my eyelids. “Didn’t I leave you a sandwich? That’s what I ate too. What are you complaining about?” “If you want to eat that, go ahead. I don’t like it,” I said. I had already finished eating. I stood up and packed the leftover food, then threw it straight into the trash. Linda’s face turned green. “How much did this meal cost?” Her eyes were sharp. She picked up the receipt on the takeout box, looked at it, and cried out as if she’d been bitten by a snake, “14 dollars! You spent 14 dollars on one meal?” “Yes, and it was on discount. Usually, it costs 20,” I said with a smirk, looking at her. “But the taste is really good. I might order it more often!” “You wasteful thing! You’re going to be the death of me! This is unbearable!” Linda exclaimed. Just as Linda finished speaking, there was a sound at the front door. Ryan was home. “Weren’t you working overtime? You’re too late to see how impressive your dear wife is. She ordered a whole table of steak just for herself!” Linda rushed to tattle. “You didn’t make dinner?” Ryan frowned, asking Linda. Linda didn’t answer, lowering her head and retreating to the kitchen. In no time, a feast was laid out on the table, and she called Ryan to eat. “If you’re not coming home, this food isn’t for me. Half a sandwich is all I get,” I said, looking at the mother and son pair with my arms crossed, waiting to see what would happen next. “You didn’t ask me if there was food. By the time I came out, you had already ordered,” Linda lied, her expression unnatural. “Can you two please stop? I’ve had a long day, my legs are so stiff I can barely bend them. Please…” Ryan slammed his plate on the table and headed upstairs. Linda glanced at me, then ran back to her room crying. I felt like there was a stone pressing on my chest, making it hard to breathe. Were they ganging up to bully me now? 0

I decided to go upstairs and have a proper talk with Ryan. Ryan came out of the shower to find me waiting sternly in the bedroom. Seeing my expression, he sighed. “Emma, I’m really tired today. My mom’s getting old, just ignore her,” he said. “Do you know what she did today? She came to my office and made a scene,” I said coldly, staring at him. He froze for a moment, then threw up his hands and paced around the room. “God, just kill me now. Can’t I catch a break today?” “You need to understand, it’s not me causing trouble, it’s your mother. It’s not me making your life difficult, it’s her making our lives difficult!” I was at my breaking point. I’m a victim here too, you know? “I get it, I’ll talk to her. She’s just bored. Come on, let’s make love. Let’s give her a grandchild to keep her busy,” Ryan said, leaning in towards me. “What are you thinking? We’re having conflicts without a child, and you think having a baby will solve them?” I pushed him away, clear-headed. “Then what do you want me to do?” Ryan was clearly impatient now. Suddenly, my phone rang. Seeing it was my mother, I quickly answered. “Emma, I’m downstairs. Can you come help me? I have too much luggage to carry up myself,” my mother said. “Mom! You’re back? Why didn’t you tell me in advance?” I said, rushing out. Ryan hesitated for a moment before following. My mother was standing downstairs with two large suitcases. The taxi that dropped her off had already left. “Mom, is everything okay?” I asked worriedly. “I’ve got a minor health issue. I wanted to come back to recover, but I didn’t want to worry you, so I didn’t tell you in advance.” It turned out my mother had developed some skin problems due to the change in environment. Back at home, Linda was also alerted by the commotion. She stood at the door in her pajamas, giving my mother a cold look as she entered. “Sorry for the intrusion,” my mother said with an apologetic smile. She then pulled out a gift for Linda from her suitcase. “You didn’t need to bring anything from so far away,” Linda said, quickly accepting the gift and exchanging a few pleasantries. “It’s too late today, let’s go to the hospital tomorrow. Mom, you must be tired from the flight. Get some rest first,” I said, noticing my mother’s weary face. That’s when I saw Linda and Ryan exchange a glance, and I suddenly remembered the room situation. Linda was staying in what used to be my mother’s room, and the other spare room was occupied by Ryan’s younger brother. He was about to graduate from college and was supposedly staying temporarily. On the second floor, apart from our bedroom, there was a small study, but it had no bed and was quite cramped. Linda exchanged a look with me, then turned her face away. “She can stay in the small room for now,” I said decisively, walking towards Ryan’s brother’s room. He was away at school for exams these few days. Opening the door, I was shocked. A foul odor hit me. I usually didn’t go into his room, and I never imagined a nice room could turn into such a pigsty. The room was a complete mess, with garbage, takeout boxes, and crumpled tissues everywhere. The desk and shelves were cluttered with action figures, and there was barely any space to step. “We’re not allowed to touch Kevin’s room. Last time I tried to clean it, he got angry and chased me out,” Linda said loudly. It was too late to clean the room now, so I turned my gaze back to Linda. “Mom, my mother has bad knees and can’t climb stairs easily. Could you sleep in Kevin’s room for now and let my mother have the bigger room?” “What if Kevin gets angry? I can’t afford to upset him!” Linda immediately refused. “I’ll go find a hotel then. I didn’t mean to cause trouble,” my mother said apologetically. “What trouble? This house is yours, you shouldn’t be the one staying at a hotel,” I said. My words were directed at my mother, but my eyes were fixed on Ryan’s face. His face tightened, and he bit his lip before pulling Linda aside. They whispered something, and Linda reluctantly took her bedding into Kevin’s room. I quickly helped my mother settle in. I hadn’t seen her in a while and missed her terribly, so I insisted on sleeping in the large bed with her that night. Next door, Linda was making some noise, with occasional loud thumps startling us. My mother looked like she wanted to say something, but held back. I knew what she wanted to ask, but I didn’t want her to worry while she was still unwell, so I put on a brave face. 0

The next day, I took a day off to take my mother to the hospital. In the morning, we rode in Ryan’s car. Ryan’s face was gloomy, and my mother kept smiling and trying to make small talk, but he remained cold. Finally, when my mother went to the bathroom to provide a urine sample, Ryan and I were alone. “What are you doing? Keeping that sour face, as if someone owes you something,” I said, almost bursting with anger. “You’re asking me? Yesterday was so awkward. Did you consider my mother’s feelings at all? This is all because you didn’t plan well…” I was about to retort when I saw my mother pushing through the crowd. I quickly shut my mouth. Ryan also stopped talking, playing along. After a morning of tests and consultations with specialists, we learned that my mother had a weakened immune system, and the dampness at my aunt’s house had triggered her condition. “With your constitution, you’ve adapted to the local environment all these years. Don’t change locations. Come back and take good care of yourself,” the senior specialist said kindly, out of respect for Ryan. But as soon as he said this, Ryan’s face darkened. He made an excuse about having surgery and left us. I called a taxi to take my mother home. Linda was sitting in the living room watching TV. When she saw us come in, she immediately turned off the TV and came over. “How did it go? I told you it wouldn’t be anything serious.” “It’s not too serious. The specialist said she just needs to rest and recover,” I said. My mother had been quiet on the way back, and now she looked so tired she could barely sit up. “Mom, why don’t you go lie down in your room?” I suggested quickly. “Yes, get some good rest. It must have been tiring coming all this way,” Linda said, her words loaded with meaning. My mother stiffened, then slowly walked towards the bedroom. “My mother is not leaving,” I said, lowering my eyes as I walked past Linda. “Not… not leaving? Where will she stay?” Linda exploded. I stopped my mother from coming out of the room, gave her a look, and firmly closed the door. “I shouldn’t have come back so suddenly. I’ll book a hotel,” my mother said, panicking. “Mom, this house was given to us by you. At the very least, there should be a room for you. Why should you be the one to leave?” I said. “That’s true, but I came so abruptly,” my mother said with a bitter smile. “Mom, have you thought about this? If I give in to them on everything, what will happen in the end?” I said. “Mom, you need to think about this. If I always give in to them, what will happen in the future? If you can’t be my support, they’ll torment me to death. Mom! Dad is gone, you need to live well and protect me!” I said, bursting into tears. “Alright,” my mother’s voice became firm. I couldn’t count on Linda now, so I went to the kitchen to toast some bread and ordered takeout. Linda seemed to be on the phone in her room. I couldn’t hear what she was saying. I took my mother’s dirty clothes and went to the balcony to put them in the washing machine. To my surprise, when I opened it, a rancid smell hit me. Looking closer, I saw that Linda had washed Kevin’s clothes and forgotten to take them out. Just then, Linda hurriedly came out of the inner room. Seeing the situation, she forcefully pushed me aside and took out the clothes. “Kevin is coming back to stay tonight. I can’t stay in his room anymore. Find a hotel for your mother,” she said, not even looking at me. “Why should my mother go to a hotel?” I felt anger rising. “Then where am I supposed to stay? Your mother is a mother, but am I not a mother too? She can’t climb stairs because of her knees, but what about my knees? Why can she not climb, but I have to?” Linda put her hands on her hips and started yelling at me, spitting as she spoke, forcing me to take a couple of steps back. “This house was given to us by my mother to live in. How can she not even have a room when she comes back?” I said. “That’s not how it works. That was the condition when you and Ryan got married. That was given by your family! You’ve married into our family now, what does it have to do with your family anymore?” Linda’s words made me laugh bitterly. “Oh really? So I’ve given you such a big house? Then what did your family give?” I asked. “Look at your conditions. Are you worthy of my Ryan? You should be grateful he even married you!” Linda said. I suddenly realized that marrying for love was the biggest lie. I had always considered their family’s interests, but was I wrong? In her eyes, Ryan was too good for me, and I had actively bought the house. If it weren’t for this house, Ryan might not have even wanted me. Just then, the doorbell rang. It must be the takeout arriving. I brought the takeout in, and the toast was ready too. I took it all to my mother’s room. My mother wasn’t lying on the bed but sitting up straight. She must have heard the argument earlier. “Mom, eat first. Don’t listen to that dog barking,” I said. I had just finished speaking when my phone rang. It was a call from the company. There was an important contract that had to be signed in the afternoon. I told my mother to eat well, and that I would go to the company for a while and come back soon. 0

I got busy as soon as I arrived at the company, and it wasn’t until after 6 PM that I finally had some free time. “I’m so sorry, you guys work overtime first. I really can’t get away from home. I’ll make it up to you later!” I thanked my team members with my hands clasped. They all expressed understanding and told me to go quickly. As I was leaving, I ran into Ms. Smith. Seeing me about to call a taxi, she lowered her car window and offered to give me a ride. “I remember you have a car. Why haven’t you been driving these days?” she asked. “My brother-in-law borrowed it. He’s about to graduate and has a lot of errands to run. It’s not convenient for him to take taxis,” I explained with a bitter smile. “Your in-laws are quite problematic, aren’t they? Is the whole family ganging up to try and tame you?” she said. I fell silent. Looking at it now, it did seem that way. Only my mother’s arrival had suddenly disrupted their plans. I told her about what happened last night. Ms. Smith listened and got so upset her breasts felt clogged. “I shouldn’t interfere in other people’s family matters. But in your case, I can’t keep quiet. I’m afraid you and Ryan won’t be able to continue like this,” she said. We had reached my neighborhood. I wanted to buy some fruit to take up, so I thanked Ms. Smith and got out of the car. As I entered the elevator with my bags, I noticed the neighbors looking at me strangely. I didn’t know what was improper about me, so I secretly adjusted my dress. When I got to my door, I still felt something was off. The welcome mat at the entrance was crooked. I opened the door to see Linda cleaning the house, with a pile of garbage by the door that hadn’t been bagged yet. I was too lazy to deal with her now and strode towards the ground floor bedroom. I pushed open the door and froze. My mother wasn’t there, and even her suitcase was gone. I quickly turned back to ask Linda, “Where’s my mother?” “Oh, her? She’s got such a good son-in-law, she’s gone to a nursing home,” Linda said with an eye roll. I was completely confused. I called my mother’s phone, but it was turned off. I had no choice but to ask Ryan. “A colleague came to my place today on business, and I mentioned Mom’s condition. He said they have a specialist there, and even special medication. He suggested Mom stay there for a while,” Ryan said slowly and calmly, making me feel at ease again. “Why is my mother’s phone always off?” I asked. “Maybe it ran out of battery? I’ll give you a number, you can call and ask. It’s the number for the nurse on duty,” he said. “Never mind, I’ll go see for myself. Give me the address,” I said. I was still uneasy. Even if my mother was going to stay in a hospital, I needed to see it with my own eyes to be reassured. “I’ll go with you tomorrow. It’s about to rain, and the nursing home is in the suburbs, too far away,” Ryan said kindly, back to his patient self from before we were married. I ignored him and focused on checking the address he sent. It was indeed far, halfway up a mountain in the suburbs. The environment looked nice, but the transportation was very inconvenient. Suddenly, my phone started ringing. It was a video call request from my mother.

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My mother was stunningly beautiful. But during the years my father was abroad, she was long abused by another man. On the day my father returned home, he accidentally discovered this. I thought he would be shocked, enraged. Instead, he simply closed the bedroom door quietly. Coldly locking my mother’s humiliation and tears behind that door. Mother’s body was discovered by the maid the next morning. Sinking to the bottom of the crystal-clear swimming pool. It took quite an effort to retrieve her, as a huge rock was tied to her body. The corpse was laid out by the pool. Her white dress was stained with blood, all crumpled. Burns, whip marks, and rope burns covered her entire body. The wounds were soggy, the flesh turned over and blurred, a horrifying sight. I saw that terrifying scene from afar and turned to bury my face in my nanny Rose’s embrace. She gently patted my back: “Don’t be afraid, Miss. That’s your mother.” “That’s not my mother!” I cried urgently. “I don’t want such a scary mother. You’re my mother!” Rose smiled gently: “Alright, alright, good girl, don’t cry.” As she carried me away, she said: “What a sin. With such a heavy stone tied to her body, she really didn’t want to live anymore.” I looked over Rose’s shoulder, staring fixedly at my motionless mother on the ground. How could such a delicate and beautiful person turn into a pile of rotting flesh in the blink of an eye? She had given me a sweet kiss just last night. The soft lamplight outlined my mother’s graceful silhouette as she leaned down and, for the first time ever, placed a goodnight kiss on my cheek. It was the first time I saw a glimmer of light in her beautiful but vacant eyes. It was also the first time I received a kiss from my mother. She turned off the lamp and left, but I was too happy to fall asleep. In the middle of the night, I vaguely heard a woman’s muffled sobs from outside the door. It sounded like Mother. So I got out of bed barefoot, following the sound along the dark hallway towards my grandfather’s bedroom. To my surprise, my father, who had just returned earlier that day, was standing at the bedroom door. “Robert…” Mother’s trembling cry came from the crack in the door. “Save me…” In the darkness, Father’s back was ramrod straight. I thought this was a sign of his anger about to explode. But he just slowly raised his hand and gently locked the door. … That year, I was six years old. The same age as when Grandfather George brought Mother and me home from the orphanage. That year, I didn’t understand what Grandfather and Father had done to Mother. But I knew Mother was dead. The only person in this world who loved me was gone.

Suddenly, many construction crews entered the estate. Rose said the swimming pool where Mother died was to be turned into a flower garden, on Grandfather’s orders. She also said all the ponds and shallow depressions on the hundred-acre estate were to be filled in, leaving not a single body of water deeper than an ankle. I was just a six-year-old child. Hearing that Grandpa wanted to build a flower garden, I couldn’t help but feel a bit happy. Rose pinched my nose and asked with a smile: “Your mother just passed away like that. In life, she was the lady of the Turner family, but in death, she didn’t even get a funeral.” “No coffin, no grave, and no one will remember her in the future.” “Aren’t you sad at all?” I asked innocently in return: “Why should I be sad?” “You raised me. I don’t recognize that crazy woman as my mother.” Mother was crazy. —I had heard this more than once from the servants, including Rose. Mother was spotted by the wealthy George Turner when she was six years old and became his child bride. After coming of age, she married the third young master, Robert. Two years later, Robert went to France to study. After that, Mother became mentally unstable. During the day, she would arrange flowers, read books, and brew coffee, looking ethereally beautiful, breathtaking to behold. But when night fell, she became a different person. She would cry, get angry, and smash things for no reason. I once tried to approach her, but she pointed a knife at me and yelled: “Filthy thing, don’t come near me, get away!” No one could control the young mistress when she went crazy, except for the Turner family patriarch, George. When Grandfather returned home late from social engagements, he would carry the out-of-control Mother into his bedroom. Once the door closed, it would be for the whole night… I didn’t know how Grandfather “comforted” Mother, but the next morning, she would be docile beyond belief. This cycle repeated day after day. Until recently, when a letter arrived saying Father would soon return from abroad, Mother’s mental illness suddenly improved, and she became radiant. She waited eagerly for a full month before Father finally returned in his suit. Mother had waited for her savior, but it couldn’t change her fate. That night after dinner, Grandfather still led Mother into his bedroom—right in front of Father, me, and all the servants. That night, she had desperately sought help from Father. But Father’s indifference extinguished her hope of survival. And so she hastily ended her short life. George Turner’s renovation of the garden at this time was nothing more than an attempt to bury Mother’s remains on the spot. They wanted to cover up Mother’s death. How could I let them get away with it? While everyone was busy, I secretly instructed Leo, the son of a servant, to sneak out and report to the police. Leo was the same age as me and could come and go freely without anyone noticing him. I waited anxiously at home. As it was getting dark, the police really came, and it was even a chief. Leo was brought before Father Robert with his hands tied behind his back. Father politely shook hands with the chief: “This child needs discipline. He filed a false police report. I’m sorry for the trouble, Chief Johnson.” Leo struggled a bit and shouted defiantly: “I didn’t file a false report! The young mistress really did die! I saw it with my own eyes!” “Tired of living!” Robert kicked Leo, then took out a thick stack of bills from his suit’s inner pocket. Chief Johnson accepted it, smiling from ear to ear. “No worries, Mr. Turner. If you encounter any trouble in the future, just let me know.” A young police officer suddenly interjected: “Sir, I noticed some suspicious traces around the pool. May I investigate further?” “Have you lost your mind!” Chief Johnson knocked the officer’s head hard, “Don’t you know whose estate this is? How dare you investigate casually?” Hidden behind a beaded curtain, I witnessed this entire process of collusion between officials and businessmen, and I remembered the face of that young police officer. As they were about to get in the police car, I ran out of the house and smiled as I handed candy to Chief Johnson: “Uncle, you’re so impressive. This is chocolate my father brought back from France. Please try some.” Robert patted my head approvingly, and Chief Johnson happily accepted the candy. The young police officer stared at me for a few seconds, then pulled me over and asked seriously: “You’re the Turner family’s young miss, right? Did something really happen to your mother?” His eyes were frighteningly bright. I grinned at him: “Uncle, have some candy.”

After the police left, Father interrogated Leo: “Tell me, who put you up to this?” Leo gritted his teeth and said: “No one put me up to it.” Father waved his hand, and the servants dragged Leo to the outer courtyard. Soon after, the sound of punches and kicks mixed with Leo’s wails echoed in the courtyard. I had been raised on the estate since childhood and had no friends. Only Leo, who was the same age as me, was willing to play with me. I cried and begged Father not to beat him, but Father coldly pushed me away. I rushed into the courtyard, trying to shield Leo with my small body, but Rose forcibly carried me back into the house. A boy not yet seven years old was beaten to death like this. Two young lives, gone just like that. Just because they were born humble, their lives were as cheap as grass. This resentment pressed on my chest, enough to make a child breathless, and enough to make a child grow up in an instant. The swimming pool was filled in. Many blooming flowers were transplanted to the estate. The hundred-acre estate became even more beautiful than when Mother was alive. After Leo was beaten to death in public, no servant dared to mention Mother’s matter again. Mother disappeared from this world without a sound, without a trace, as if she had never existed. In the blink of an eye, another six years passed. I learned to hide my hatred and learned how to survive in the Turner family. One day when I was twelve, I was alone in the flower garden, fiddling with the white chrysanthemums that Mother loved most in life. Suddenly, I overheard a conversation between Rose and Father. “I’ve been with you for ten years now. When are you going to give me a proper status?” Ten years? It turned out that even before Mother passed away, someone had already coveted the position of the Turner family’s mistress. Father pinched Rose’s fat bottom: “Tonight, okay?” This scene stung my eyes. It seems that being two-faced is a hereditary skill of Turner men. Soon after, I really did have a new mother. Rose, having turned her fate around, became the mistress, her triumphant expression obvious. Even her tone when speaking to me was no longer as gentle and patient as before. She eagerly took possession of Mother’s jewelry and even secretly wore Mother’s clothes, forcibly squeezing her stout body into the form-fitting dresses. When the dress split, she angrily tore the entire wardrobe of dresses to shreds. I happened to see it and wanted nothing more than to tear her to shreds as well. But a second before she noticed me, I quickly suppressed my hatred and hugged Rose’s thick waist like I used to when I was little. “Aunt Rose’s tummy has so much meat, it’s so soft and comfortable. Not like my mother who died early, she was like a willow branch, trembling in the slightest breeze.” Rose, upon hearing this, suddenly pushed me away, put on her loose clothes, and stormed off in a huff. At dinner, I deliberately put oily braised pork in Rose’s bowl. “Aunt Rose, this is delicious.” Rose swallowed: “I’m not eating it.” Father glanced at her: “No appetite?” I laughed out loud: “Aunt Rose burst Mother’s dress today, her butt was showing. Auntie must not be eating meat because of this, haha!” Father glared at me: “How can a young lady speak so rudely?” Grandfather hurried to support me: “A child her age is straightforward. Why bother arguing with her?” I stuck out my tongue playfully. But as soon as I said that, everyone unconsciously glanced at Rose… and the fat around her waist. Rose’s face, which wasn’t very fair to begin with, became even darker, but she didn’t dare lash out at me because of George’s presence. Seeing her frustrated look, my appetite grew, and I didn’t forget to sweetly please Grandfather. “Grandpa, have some vegetables.” George was so happy that he drank a few more glasses of wine. When I was sending him back to his room to rest, he suddenly grabbed my hand. Staring blankly at my face, he murmured softly: “Yvonne…” I froze. Yvonne had become a taboo word in the Turner family over the years. If George hadn’t suddenly mentioned it, people might have forgotten that it was my mother’s name.

“Grandpa, I’m Fiona, your darling granddaughter.” George came to his senses: “Fiona has grown up. Grandpa is old now, my eyes are failing me.” I giggled coquettishly, casually withdrawing my hand. Back in my own room, I pulled out an old photograph hidden in a secret compartment of my wardrobe. On the yellowed photo paper, a young woman was holding a baby in swaddling clothes, smiling serenely and happily at the camera. It was a photo taken on my full-month birthday, and the only photo of me and Mother together. At that time, Mother was still immersed in false happiness, her smile untainted. Rose had once told me some old stories about Mother. Mother was malnourished as a child and had a weak constitution. She nearly lost her life due to massive bleeding when giving birth to me. Because of her postpartum weakness, she could hardly produce any milk. And I was a particularly greedy baby, often sucking Mother until she bled, refusing to let go even then. To avoid starving me, Mother carefully selected Rose from among a hundred wet nurses. Rose told me these things intending to boast about herself. But what I cared about was how difficult it was for Mother to give birth to me, and how much it hurt when I sucked her raw. My thoughts returned to the present. My gaze slowly moved from the photo to the dressing table mirror. I hadn’t noticed that I was looking more and more like Mother. Looking at that overly delicate face in the mirror, only twelve years old. Thinking of the way Grandfather held my hand and called me “Yvonne.” I finally understood what Grandfather had done to Mother every night during those years Father was abroad.

Rose was determined to lose weight. At first, she just didn’t eat rice at each meal. Later, it evolved into not eating anything after noon each day. She did visibly lose weight, but her originally rosy and healthy complexion also turned sallow. But I thought this wasn’t enough. So I deliberately provoked her by buying posters of popular movie stars and bringing them home. I would say in front of her: “Aunt Rose, look, why are these celebrities all so slim nowadays? Do they not eat or drink at all?” Hearing this, Rose really stopped eating and drinking. Half a year later, Rose was transformed, having developed a waistline. I exaggeratedly exclaimed to the sallow and thin Rose: “Aunt Rose, did you secretly take diet pills? You’re even more beautiful than movie stars!” Rose became overconfident and intensified her dieting, almost to the point of fasting. At one dinner, Rose only chewed a few lettuce leaves before saying she was full. Robert asked: “Have you been feeling unwell lately?” “No, I’m fine.” “You’ve lost so much weight, and your appetite is so poor. Are you sick?” “You’re the one who’s sick!” Rose’s face darkened, and she put down her chopsticks. In the past, Rose wouldn’t have dared to speak loudly to Robert. Father looked at Rose in disbelief: “Have you gone mad?!” “I said I’m full, I’m full. Why do you suspect I’m sick?” Rose completely lost control of her emotions and started yelling. Robert, after all, was the young master and had never been yelled at by a woman before. He raised his hand and slapped Rose. Rose was stunned by the slap. I really wanted to continue watching the show, but I heard George’s car driving into the courtyard, so I had to quickly join the act. “Father, Aunt Rose doesn’t want to eat much because she’s afraid of getting fat. Isn’t it normal to want to look beautiful?” I smiled, smoothing things over, and added a large bowl of rice to Rose’s bowl, packing it down firmly. “Aunt Rose, you’re too thin. It’s okay to eat a proper meal occasionally.” George walked into the dining room just in time to see this thoughtful and caring side of me. “Grandpa, you’re back so early? We thought you wouldn’t be home for dinner tonight.” I enthusiastically welcomed Grandfather to the dining table. “My sweet Fiona, Grandpa missed you, so I canceled my social engagements to come back and have dinner with you.” The family started eating again. Rose stared at the rice hesitantly for a moment, then began shoveling it into her mouth like a starving dog. During the meal, I chatted wittily, making Grandfather laugh heartily. Rose, however, didn’t seem to be feeling so well, as I heard her retching in the bathroom. “Father, is Aunt Rose pregnant?” I mischievously winked. “Is that so?” Robert got up and walked towards the bathroom. As soon as he opened the bathroom door, he saw Rose kneeling by the toilet, using chopsticks to make herself vomit. There was filth everywhere. “Oh!” I covered my mouth dramatically. “You crazy woman!” Robert cursed in disgust and slammed the door shut. Crazy woman. Six years ago, people had talked about my mother the same way. Now, it was Rose’s turn. Looking at the shocked and disheveled Rose, I fanned my nose: “How disgusting.”

At sixteen, I was of college age. I pleaded with George, holding his hand: “Grandpa, all my classmates are going to college. I want to go too!” George looked at me indulgently, his eyes revealing emotions that were clearly more than just a grandfather looking at his granddaughter. “Fiona, how can other people’s children compare to you?” “If you want to learn something, can’t Grandpa just invite teachers to teach you at home?” He wanted to keep me caged, just like Mother had been years ago. “What can I learn at home? Those teachers you hire only teach simple things. The professors at university are ones you can’t hire even with money!” I pretended to be angry and shook off George’s hand. “Grandpa doesn’t really love me.” “Oh, my precious darling!” George wrapped his old hand around my shoulder, “Grandpa promises you, whatever you want, Grandpa will give you!” At the same tender age. Mother chose to get married, while I chose to go to school. I majored in medicine. The medical knowledge I had accumulated since childhood, combined with cutting-edge Western medical theories, led to a qualitative leap in my understanding. I also found an internship at a private clinic through a professor. When I didn’t have classes at school, I would help out at the clinic. One day, I saw a familiar figure sneaking into the consultation room. I put on a mask and followed, peeking through the door crack. It really was Rose. “Doctor,” Rose said, “I haven’t had my period for a long time.” The doctor adjusted his glasses: “How long?” “Six months.” “Are you pregnant?” “That’s the problem…” Rose said embarrassedly: “I don’t seem to be pregnant, but…” How could she keep her period when she wasn’t eating to lose weight? “Lie down and let me take a look.” The doctor examined her while asking: “You’re married, right?” “Yes.” “Have you had children before?” “No.” I was suddenly shocked. Never had children? Then how did she breastfeed me before?

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The company demanded our team work overtime to meet a deadline, causing everyone to forget to clock out. I went to HR, who told me to talk to the boss. I went to the boss, who told me to “learn my lesson.” Seriously? The company makes money, the client gets their project on time. And I, just a lowly worker, pull an all-nighter, damage my health, and lose my monthly attendance bonus? Am I some kind of doormat? I quit! I hate working on projects for Indian clients. The Indians messed up the timeline, demanding our security platform – originally scheduled to launch in two weeks – go live 10 days early. In just 5 days, we have to complete performance optimization, bug fixes, security audits, OS compatibility testing, comprehensive testing, gather user feedback and make improvements. I’m exhausted. I feel like jumping out the office window. At 3 AM, to meet the deadline, all 12 members of the “Cloud Shadow Intelligent Security Defense Platform” project team are still working in the office. Everyone knows we’re on a tight schedule, so no one has gone home. As the project lead, I’m truly grateful for everyone’s dedication. But little did we know, our conscientiousness in staying to work overtime without leaving the office even once would backfire. It caused our entire team to be marked as leaving early the previous day for not clocking out, and absent today for not clocking in. When Emma came to me with the attendance records, I thought it was a minor issue that could be easily fixed by talking to HR. After all, the office security footage would prove we all stayed in the office working overtime. Even the usual slackers cut down on their bathroom breaks. I immediately grabbed my phone and headed to HR, planning to sort it out and get some fresh air. My fingers were practically turning to stone from coding for so long. Entering the HR office, I found three women chatting away. One was showing off her new manicure, another complaining about her mischievous kid, and the third laughing hysterically at some TV show. I felt a pang of envy. When would I get to enjoy such a relaxed workday, gossiping during office hours? Seeing me, the happy atmosphere in the office instantly evaporated. The three women froze, clearly not expecting anyone to come to HR so early. They silently returned to their desks. I wondered if I’d come at a bad time and ruined their fun. The woman closest to the door, with an elaborate updo and full makeup, was the manicure lady. She rolled her eyes, glanced at me, and asked coldly: “What do you want?” I showed her my attendance record: “Can you remove these early departure and absence records? Our project team got notified yesterday that we need to launch the platform 10 days early. Everyone stayed late last night, so we didn’t…” “Hold on,” Manicure Lady raised her left hand, her right hand tapping away at the keyboard. My unfinished sentence got stuck in my throat. I could only wait silently. Manicure Lady’s brow furrowed, then relaxed, then looked suspicious: “Tsk, what’s going on with your team? 12 people, all without clock-outs yesterday, and all absent this morning.” When asking for a favor, you have to be polite: “We were working overtime yesterday and forgot to clock out. We even slept in the office. If no one had reminded me this morning, I wouldn’t have realized we missed clocking in twice.” Manicure Lady kept staring at her computer screen, clicking her mouse incessantly: “Ugh, so annoying.” She suddenly slammed her mouse on the desk, leaned back in her chair, looking very irritated: “I can’t remove this. There’s not even a leave request. How am I supposed to fix it?” I stood there stunned, not expecting such an attitude from Manicure Lady. Lack of sleep, plus all the coffee I’d been drinking like water these past two days, made my temper flare up quickly. Before I knew it, I slammed my hand on Manicure Lady’s desk, pointing at her nose: “What’s with your attitude? Who are you giving attitude to?” The three HR women looked at me in horror. Looking at the three of them, I suddenly regretted my outburst. Our company’s HR department was nicknamed the “Wives Club” because it was staffed by the wives or female relatives of company executives. I’d gotten bold today and actually yelled at the Wives Club. The HR ladies were used to throwing their weight around, but Manicure Lady clearly hadn’t expected me to be so forceful. She deflated a bit. She muttered: “Why are you getting angry? If it can’t be fixed, it can’t be fixed. If you’ve got a problem, go talk to the boss.” I grabbed my phone and practically ran out of the HR office. Oh no, I’m in trouble now. Who knows which executive’s wife Manicure Lady is. But after leaving the office, I calmed down. What am I afraid of? I’m a tech backbone of the company, doing real work and making money for them. Surely no brain-dead executive would fire me, right?

The more I thought about it, the more I felt I could still hang on at the company. After all, the value I create for the company is much higher than the Wives Club. But I’ll probably face some trouble. If they don’t teach me a lesson, where would those self-important executives put their faces? I sighed, resigning myself to my bad luck. This society was never fair. If my husband outranked their husbands, I bet Manicure Lady wouldn’t have dared use that attitude with me. The boss’s office was on the top floor. I’d been there once before for a project report, but rarely had the chance to go to the executive level. Outside the boss’s office was a slightly smaller office for his secretary. As I was about to knock, the secretary’s door opened a crack. A woman in a gray suit poked her head out, asking coldly: “Who are you?” I recognized this secretary – she was often seen following the boss. I couldn’t afford to offend her. I quickly replied: “I’m Rachel, the project lead. I’m here to see the boss about removing some absence records.” Understanding my purpose, the secretary frowned slightly: “For such a small matter, you should just go to HR. Why bother the boss?” I explained: “HR said they can’t remove it without a leave slip.” The secretary’s frown deepened. After a few seconds of silence: “The boss isn’t in the office now. He usually comes in around 3 PM.” What? The boss doesn’t come in until 3 PM? I almost blurted out in surprise but managed to hold it in. After thanking her, I prepared to come back at 3 PM and turned to leave. “Wait,” the secretary called out, “Come register and I’ll make an appointment for you.” “Huh? Do I need an appointment even though I’m an internal employee?” I must have looked very foolish, as I really don’t interact with upper management. I couldn’t believe our crappy company required appointments just to see the boss. The secretary gave me an annoyed look: “Of course. The boss arrives at 3 PM and leaves promptly at 5:30 PM, not a second later. Even directors and managers can’t always get on his schedule. How could a team lead like you not need an appointment?” As she spoke, the secretary tapped on her tablet: “I’ve scheduled you for 5:20 PM. You only have 5 minutes. When time’s up, you have to leave whether you’ve finished or not.” I nodded numbly, indicating I understood. This boss puts on airs like an ancient emperor. If I didn’t need this money to live, I would have quit long ago! Let whoever wants to serve him do it. Is it easy for us working folks to earn money? As soon as I got back to the office, everyone crowded around asking if I’d gotten the absence records removed. I told them we didn’t have leave slips, so it couldn’t be removed. As soon as I finished speaking, Emma exploded. She’s a young girl who just graduated and joined our company 6 months ago. Emma shouted: “That’s ridiculous! We pulled an all-nighter to meet the deadline, and end up with absence records. We might as well have let the project be delayed. It’s not like it’s coming out of my pocket anyway.” Emma started packing up her things: “Since I’m marked absent anyway, why should I stay at this crappy company? I’m going home to sleep!” Several others also looked like they were thinking of packing up and going home. I tried to calm everyone down: “I’ll definitely get the boss to approve removing everyone’s absence records this afternoon!” After much persuasion, Emma finally put down her half-packed bag and sat in her chair sulking. Olivia is a middle-aged woman like me, with elderly parents and young kids to support. She never thinks about her own feelings, only money! After I promised to talk to the boss about removing the absence records, Olivia was still worried: “You must explain it well to the boss this afternoon. The monthly perfect attendance bonus is $300, and the year-end bonus is also tied to this. Without perfect attendance, we could lose thousands of dollars.” I reassured Olivia: “Don’t worry, the boss should have that much perspective.”

At 5:10 PM, I was waiting outside the boss’s office 10 minutes early. Time ticked by second by second. The wall clock soon showed 5:25 PM. I got anxious. Why hasn’t the previous person come out yet? I asked the secretary. Without looking up, she replied: “Mr. Davis is discussing a project with the boss. If you want to listen in, you can go in.” How could I dare? A big boss and an operations director. I’m just a nobody. I could only wait patiently. Soon the minute hand reached 35. Voices came from the door. The boss and Mr. Davis walked out chatting and laughing. I hurriedly stepped forward. Respectfully: “Hello, boss. Hello, Mr. Davis.” Mr. Davis’s face flashed with displeasure. He still wanted to chat more with the boss, but I’d interrupted. After saying goodbye to the boss, Mr. Davis left. The boss didn’t linger either, heading straight for his private elevator. I followed behind the boss like a tail: “Boss, I’m Rachel, the project lead for the Cloud Shadow Intelligent Security Defense Platform. Our project was originally due in two weeks but suddenly needs to be completed in 5 days.” Seeing we were just steps from the elevator, I sped up: “The team members have all been working overtime. Last night no one went home, causing us to miss clocking out last night and in this morning. Because we don’t have leave slips, it can’t be removed. HR said we need your approval.” I finished in one breath, feeling a bit short of air. But I’d finally seen the boss. With just one word from him, our absence records could be removed. We reached the private elevator. The secretary had already pressed the button, and the elevator was quietly waiting. The boss walked in and turned to look at me: “Rules are rules. If I make an exception for you today, what about when others ask me tomorrow? Do I help them or not?” The boss looked at his secretary: “Sarah, just handle these things yourself in the future.” The secretary nodded in acknowledgment. I was about to say more, begging the boss to be lenient, when the elevator doors slowly closed in front of me. The secretary left without lingering, turning back towards her office. I was left alone, staring at the closed elevator doors, feeling lost. Everyone on the project team sacrifices their time for money, staying late at the office. But what’s the result? The company’s project is successfully delivered, money goes into the boss’s pocket. Employees work diligently for a month, then lose the $300 perfect attendance bonus at month-end, and thousands in year-end bonus. Even someone like me with a thick skin is thinking of quitting. How am I supposed to face the people on the project team? I’d made such confident promises this morning, only to have reality slap me in the face. I don’t remember how I got back to the project office. In the blink of an eye, I was surrounded by everyone. “Rachel, did the boss agree?” Olivia asked anxiously. Looking at everyone’s expectant faces, I didn’t know how to answer. I just shook my head. This simple gesture seemed to drain all my energy. The hopeful looks in everyone’s eyes instantly dimmed. Olivia’s eyes reddened with urgency: “How can this be? Why didn’t the boss agree? Rachel, did you not explain it clearly?” Looking at Olivia, I suddenly felt we were all so pitiful. We do the work, but don’t get a share when it comes to the money. This world is truly absurd. I smiled self-mockingly, feeling I’d learned another important lesson. “I explained it clearly to the boss. He said ‘rules are rules’ and told the secretary to handle these things herself in the future, not to bother him.” Olivia’s hand resting on the desk was shaking. The color drained from her face at my words: “Why? How can this be?” Seeing Olivia like this, Emma, who had been holding back, finally exploded. She pulled over a chair, stood on the desk, and waved her arms: “Look at this everyone! We give our all to the company, and the company treats employees like slaves! How can they bully us like this?” Suddenly, Emma turned to look at me, her eyes red: “I’m going home today. Whoever wants to work this crappy job can work it. Don’t try to stop me!” For some reason, I also felt the urge to follow Emma, abandon the project, and go home for a good sleep.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “295294”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #现实主义Realistic #浪漫Romance #励志Inspiring #惊悚Thriller #魔幻Magic #校园School #狼人Werewolf