I received fifty billion dollars for helping a stray dog. If I could spend all this money, my liver cancer would be cured without medication. I looked at the balance on my phone and wiped away my tears fiercely. At least I could spend lavishly before I die, that’s worth something! The day I was diagnosed with liver cancer was Christmas. Christmas carols played in the streets, creating a joyful atmosphere. I walked down the street in a daze, holding my test results. The words “late-stage liver cancer” stood out starkly on my medical record. The doctor’s words still echoed in my ears. “If there’s anything you want to do, do it soon.” “Treatment won’t do much for you now, you’ve only got a few months left.” I had sensed something was wrong with my body for a while, so the results didn’t surprise me. It was more of an “Ah, so that’s it” feeling. Maybe it was the long-term overwork. Maybe it was the frequent business dinners and drinking. Maybe it was the aftermath of malnutrition during my teenage years. My phone screen lit up. My boyfriend Lucas sent a message. [Babe, I have to work overtime today, so I can’t spend Christmas with you.] I looked at the embracing couple not far away. So this was his overtime? In the face of life and death, even being cheated on didn’t seem to matter much anymore. But he shouldn’t have brought his sword-selling to my doorstep! I walked up and pulled apart the two who were kissing passionately. I slapped Lucas hard across the face. “Overtime?” He was stunned by the slap. He turned to see my hand still raised and was about to explode in anger. I slapped him again on his right cheek. “Is this what you call overtime? Making out with a girl?” I had initially fallen for Lucas’s face – gentle, refined, and elegant. Although he looked like a weakling with a bunch of issues, I couldn’t help but like him. So I played the innocent rabbit for three years. Who knew he’d turn out to be such a jerk! I still felt unsatisfied, so I slapped him again. This time he was thoroughly agitated, panting heavily and clenching his fists as he rushed towards me. I kicked him in the chest. He staggered back two steps and shouted, “Aria Anderson, are you fucking crazy?” I laughed coldly, “Yeah, crazy sick. Dying, in fact.” I kicked him again, knocking him to the ground. Lucas gasped in pain, unable to form coherent words. I stepped on him, grinding my foot, then turned to look at the people around us. A crowd was gathering, some taking out their phones to record. “I’m dealing with a cheating scumbag. Does anyone want to beg for mercy for him, or take a beating in his place?” As soon as I finished speaking, the crowd dispersed quickly. Soon, only the pale-faced young girl was left. She looked young, probably just out of college. “How long have you been dating?” The girl answered softly, “Less than six months.” “Did you know he had a girlfriend?” The girl nodded, “I know now.” “Are you still planning to continue with him?” The girl shook her head frantically, “No, no, I’m breaking up with him! Right now!” I nodded in satisfaction, “Then why aren’t you leaving?” “I’m going, I’m going. I wish you both—” I impatiently cut her off, “Don’t bother with wishes, I don’t have a habit of recycling scumbags.” After she left, I grabbed Lucas by the collar and threw him against the railing. I was naturally strong and had learned martial arts for a few years, so dealing with Lucas was a piece of cake. “Now, let’s talk about us.” “We’ve been dating for three years. How much money have I spent on you?” Lucas, with his face swollen like a pig’s head, no longer looking refined or elegant. “Thirty thousand, no, no, fifty thousand.” “Are you sure?” “And, and the thirty thousand I borrowed from you, a total of eighty thousand.” “No interest?” Lucas quickly changed his tune, “A hundred thousand! A total of hundred thousand!” I stuffed the medical record into my coat pocket, “Pay it back then. Cash or bank transfer?” “Tr-transfer,” he stuttered. I coldly watched him, “Don’t forget to add a note.” Lucas’s body trembled, and he immediately added a note and shakily entered the password to transfer the money. My phone vibrated once, a hundred thousand credited, with the note “repayment”. As I was leaving, I kindly asked him. “Do you want me to call the police for you?” Lucas trembled like a sieve, completely cowed. “No need, I just fell by accident, I didn’t see you today!” I felt somewhat empty, “Alright then.” “I quite liked those hands of yours, it would be a shame if they got broken for not behaving.” “Okay, get lost now.” Lucas stumbled to his feet and ran away pathetically. Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through my body, making me almost unable to stand straight. Beads of sweat formed on my forehead as I crouched down, hugging my knees. It took a while for the pain to subside. I slowly walked back, receiving a call from my mom on the way. “Aria, you haven’t sent this month’s money yet.” My heart sank to the bottom. I suddenly realized how worthless my years of contributions to the family had been. I was dying. Yet my family only cared about why I hadn’t sent money this month. These were the family members I had been thinking of leaving my inheritance to! “What, isn’t five thousand dollars a month enough for you and dad to spend?” “It’s enough, but your brother just graduated, he needs to rent a place and pay car loans, he’s short on cash.” I coldly replied, “So he’s short on cash and comes to me for money, am I an ATM?” “Am I his father or mother? Since when does an older sister have to support her adult brother?” My mom’s voice suddenly rose. “Aria Anderson, how dare you talk like that, don’t you remember your brother saved you when you fell into the river as a child!” Saved me? Alex was two years younger than me but much stronger due to better nutrition. Just because I refused to let him ride on my back, he pushed me into the river from the bank. Sophia actually knew about this. But for her son’s benefit, she always used this to guilt-trip me, treating me like a fool. Out of familial affection, I never spoke up about it. But now, there was no need to hold back anymore. I interrupted her, “Do you think I don’t remember because I was too young?” “Why don’t you ask Uncle Wang who actually saved me?” Sophia fell silent. She was about to start yelling as usual, but I didn’t give her the chance. “I have bank records of all the money I’ve sent you every month, as well as the down payment and mortgage for the house.” “Not only have I paid back the cost of raising me, but I’ve also covered your living expenses until you’re both eighty.” “If you’re not thinking straight and still want to make a fuss, I’ll beat your precious son to death!” “See who cares then!” Sophia’s vicious curses immediately erupted. I promptly hung up the phone and blocked all contact information for their entire family. My heart was completely calm. The past grievances and resentment seemed trivial in the face of death. In the last few months of my life, I just wanted to be good to myself. As I passed through a small alley, a rustling sound came from behind. In the dim light, a burly man with a scruffy beard stood there, holding a knife. Despite his efforts to control it, his hand was shaking. A novice? Me: “Robbery?” The man: “Yes, ah, you’re not scared—” I interrupted him, “Is five thousand enough? Give me your phone number, I’ll transfer it to you.” I’d rather give this five thousand to this robber than let Sophia have it! The man was a bit dazed. I pried open his hand, took out his phone from his pocket, pulled up the QR code, and transferred him five thousand. The man still hadn’t come to his senses. I frowned, “Is five thousand not enough? Any more would be impolite.” “You, why are you so cooperative?” To be honest, the man looked a bit silly, hunching like a big bear. I took out my medical record and showed him, “See this? Late-stage liver cancer, I’m beyond saving.” The man’s face paled, and tears suddenly streamed down his face. He wiped his tears messily and transferred the money back to me. Then he emptied all his pockets, taking out a handful of cash and stuffing it into my hands. “I’m so sorry, sis. My grandpa has cancer too, I really had no choice.” “Listen to me, sis, get good treatment, there’s always hope!” With that, he left, wiping his tears. I clutched the crumpled bills in my hand, my eyes moistening. Even a stranger could be so kind, yet my own blood relatives were so cold. Near the garbage bins at the entrance of my apartment complex, I found a stray dog with dirty fur. I felt a pang of compassion. I took off my down jacket, wrapped the stray dog in it, and went to a nearby pet hospital. Fortunately, we arrived in time to save its life. On the way home with the dog, I felt someone following me. Another robber? I turned around. It was a middle-aged man with graying hair, looking tired and travel-worn. His eyes were fixed on the puppy in my arms, a mix of heartache, sadness, and a bit of relief. This person seemed strange. “Young lady, can you give me back my grandson?” I held the puppy tighter, “How can you prove it?” The middle-aged man made a strange gurgling sound in his throat, unlike any sound a human could make. The next second, the weak puppy perked up a bit. It opened its eyes and gently pawed towards the middle-aged man. The man took it and patted its head. “Young lady, let me give you some money for your trouble.” I waved my hand in refusal, “No need, I’m dying soon, money is useless to me.” Hearing this, the man’s eyes instantly changed color. His black eyes turned green, and he looked me up and down, making my hair stand on end. The middle-aged man: “Good deeds are rewarded. You saved my grandson, our entire clan will be grateful to you.” “If you spend all this money within three months, your illness will be cured.” Me: ? My phone vibrated once, and when I checked, a new bank card was linked to my account. I counted the zeros, 5 billion? When I looked up again, the middle-aged man and the puppy who were just in front of me had disappeared. Something heavy dropped into my pocket, I reached in and felt a bank card. Is this real? I tried clearing out my shopping cart, and the interface showed payment successful, waiting for merchant shipment. That middle-aged man wasn’t lying to me! I hailed a taxi and went straight to the city center. Even if the cancer doesn’t get better in the end, it’s worth it to spend lavishly before I die! In the Gucci store. My face was as pale as a ghost, and my clothes were smeared with dirt from holding the puppy. The sales assistant was a young girl with a fresh face, speaking timidly, probably a new employee. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been sent to serve me. She was nice though, seeing I wasn’t wearing a coat, she even poured me a cup of hot water to warm my hands. I pointed at two coats and asked her to ring them up. “Miss, don’t you want to try them on?” I shook my head, “Just bill them directly.” After the payment was completed, I took out my phone and checked, the balance on the new bank card had changed. At the same time, a small progress bar appeared on my phone’s desktop. It read 99.98%. I called over the sales assistant who had been looking down on me since I entered, her attitude disdainful. “Excuse me, can I…” She directly rolled her eyes, her tone contemptuous. “We don’t accept returns once items are sold—” I rudely interrupted her, “Can you move aside? You’re blocking my view.” Then I waved over the new employee, little Chen. “Come here, young lady.” “What can I do for you, miss?” “See those three rows of bags? The second one in the first row, the first one in the second row, and the fourth one in the third row.” Chen scurried over to get those bags, “Shall I wrap them up for you?” “No.” The onlooking sales assistant was about to say something. I continued, “Except for these three, wrap up all the others that can be packaged, and put them all on your bill.” Chen was stunned for a moment, then her face lit up with joy as she repeatedly agreed. Except for the items that needed to be specially ordered and a few I really didn’t like, I almost emptied the entire store. The manager smiled broadly as she saw me out, promising to deliver the goods to my home tomorrow. I put on my new coat, and unwrapped the sunglasses and handbag. Just as I was about to leave, I caught sight of that disdainful, arrogant sales assistant out of the corner of my eye.

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“Anna, I’ll be on a business trip for a month. Can you go to my place and feed my cat? Oh, and the mango juice in the fridge is about to expire.” At 2 AM, I was awakened by the vibration of my phone. I picked up my phone and saw it was a message from my best friend. In the next second, I was wide awake, breaking out in a cold sweat. First, she was a freelancer, there was no such thing as a business trip for her. Second, she didn’t have a cat. Third, she was allergic to mangoes. “Anna, I’ll be on a business trip for a month. Can you go to my place and feed my cat? Oh, and the mango juice in the fridge is about to expire.” At 2 AM, I was awakened by the vibration of my phone. I picked up the phone on my nightstand and saw it was a message from my best friend, Claire Thompson. I’m a light sleeper. No exaggeration, if a pin drops on the floor at night, I’d wake up immediately. Claire had always known this, so she never sent me messages in the middle of the night. In the next second, I suddenly realized something, and all my sleepiness vanished, replaced by a cold sweat. Claire and I had known each other for over a decade. She was my best friend, and no one knew her better than I did. First, she was a freelancer, there was no such thing as a business trip for her. Second, she didn’t have a cat. Third, she was allergic to mangoes. A while ago, Claire and I watched a movie about the safety of women living alone. There was a plot where two best friends agreed on a code word to alert each other if they were in danger. “Anna, if I ever send you a strange message like that, you must come to save me.” I was panicking, instinctively wanting to call Claire. But I quickly realized that she used these abnormal words to hint at me, rather than directly telling me what happened, which could only mean that the culprit was right beside her, watching her every move. At 2:30 AM, it seemed like there was a power outage outside, everything was pitch black. In the darkness, it felt like countless eyes were secretly watching me. My heart was pounding so hard that I could clearly hear it in my ears, as if it was about to burst out of my chest. I hurriedly took some pills from the drawer and swallowed them dry. It took a while before I calmed down. After calming down, I first called Ryan, then reported to the police. Ryan is my boyfriend. He’s smart and tall. Whether it’s dealing with the police or going to find Claire, I always feel more secure with him by my side. As soon as I saw Ryan, I threw myself into his arms and started crying uncontrollably. “Don’t be afraid, Anna. I’m here. No one will hurt you anymore.” Ryan patted my back, comforting me softly. Smelling the faint fragrance on him, the fear in my heart gradually dissipated. Thankfully, I still had Ryan. About five minutes later, the police arrived too. I sat on the sofa, listening to Ryan talk to them. “Anna Johnson?” The police’s surprised voice rang out. I finally raised my head and looked towards the door. Seeing the familiar face of the lead officer, I was also surprised. It was Lucas Chen. It’s quite a coincidence. Lucas and I were old acquaintances. We were middle school classmates, and if I had to say, he was even my first love. However, the scene when we broke up was truly devastating, unforgettable to this day. We were young and didn’t know any better back then. That kind of puppy love couldn’t be taken seriously. Even so, meeting Lucas in this situation made me feel somewhat awkward. Lucas was quite professional, though. He had no intention of catching up with me. He said in a businesslike manner, “We understand the situation. We’ll go to Claire’s house now.” “I’ll go with you,” I mustered up the courage to say. Lucas glanced at me disapprovingly, his eyes seeming to suggest that I would be a nuisance. Ryan also tried to persuade me, “I know you’re worried about Claire, but this kind of thing should be left to the police.” I bit my lip and stubbornly said, “Claire is my best friend. I won’t be able to rest easy until I see with my own eyes that she’s safe. Besides, I have the key to her house. I can help.” Seeing my insistence, Ryan and Lucas had no choice but to compromise. They both knew that when I set my mind on something, I would always persist. With no other option, Lucas had to take Ryan and me along. As a standard rich kid, Claire lived in a high-end townhouse with a very comprehensive security system. Lucas immediately sent his subordinates to retrieve the surveillance footage, while he followed Ryan and me straight to Claire’s townhouse. As soon as we reached the door, we smelled the scent of blood. I couldn’t help but shudder, a sense of foreboding welling up inside me. My breathing became rapid, and I reached into my bag for the keys. The more nervous you are, the harder it is to do anything right. The keys that I usually keep in the outer pocket of my backpack were nowhere to be found today. Seemingly noticing my fear, Ryan gently hugged me from behind and whispered, “Anna, don’t be afraid. I’m here.” I took several deep breaths, barely maintaining my composure, and finally found the keys. I handed them to Lucas. Lucas looked at me with displeasure, probably thinking I was too slow. He didn’t say anything, just turned to open the door. Claire’s house was dark, and the pungent smell of blood in the air made it hard for me to breathe. I stared at that tightly closed door, inexplicably panicking, as if the next second, a man-eating monster would rush out from that dark doorway. I tightly held onto Ryan’s arm, as if this could make me feel secure. The door opened, and Lucas went in first, fumbling to turn on the living room lights. I looked towards the center of the living room with trepidation. This scene, I will never forget for the rest of my life. Claire was dead. In her own living room, in an extremely brutal manner. She was nailed to a cross in a kneeling position, her face slashed, her body stabbed countless times, blood everywhere. I screamed in terror, almost falling to the ground. Thankfully, Ryan caught me in time and took out the pills he always carries with him, handing them to me. After taking the medicine, my emotions improved a lot, but I was still crying uncontrollably. “It’s all my fault. I came too late. If only I had come earlier.” Lucas stood not far away, glaring at me impatiently, “This killer is extremely cruel. If you had come earlier, there would just be one more corpse.” I felt embarrassed. Lucas’s mouth was as nasty as before. That’s good. The police quickly surrounded the place and put up police tape. The officer who went to retrieve the surveillance footage returned empty-handed: “The cameras around have been destroyed.” I sat numbly on the steps at the entrance, feeling lost. My best friend had died so brutally in her own home. Anyone would find it hard to accept. As I was lost in thought, a furry head suddenly appeared in front of my face, scaring me out of my wits. Thankfully, Ryan was always by my side and pulled me into his arms. “Dog Egg! Come back!” Lucas called out sternly. Only then did I realize it was a police dog. “I’m sorry, Anna is afraid of dogs. Please keep the dog under control,” I heard Ryan’s displeased voice. Lucas held the dog leash, looking at me thoughtfully. I guess he was probably wondering when I became afraid of dogs. After all, when we were dating back then, we even adopted a puppy together. But people change. I was the one who reported the case, so Lucas questioned me separately as per procedure. “What’s your relationship with the deceased, Claire Thompson?” “She was my best friend.” I thought to myself, Lucas should know the answer to this question without asking. After all, the three of us were middle school classmates, and Claire and I had been closest since then. Rather than saying she was my best friend, it would be more accurate to say she was my only friend. My dad was a gambling addict who never paid his debts, and my mom ran a massage parlor in town. Yes, that kind of disreputable one. Somehow this news spread, and the whole school knew about it. No one wanted to hang out with me, except for Claire. My entire youth only seemed less gloomy because of Claire’s companionship. To me, she was more important than the parents I had long since cut ties with. “What was her job? Did she have any enemies?” “She was a food vlogger. She rarely had conflicts with people. I really can’t think of anyone who would hate her so much to kill her so brutally.” As I spoke, I choked up again and lowered my head, covering my face. “Did she have any relationship issues?” I thought carefully for a while, then shook my head in confusion, “I don’t know. I didn’t really ask about her love life.” “Weren’t you best friends?” Lucas narrowed his eyes slightly. I felt a bit awkward, “Even best friends don’t tell each other everything, right?” Lucas made no comment and continued asking, “What about you? What do you do now?” I was taken aback for a moment, then answered truthfully, “I just quit my job recently. I’m unemployed now.” “Why did you quit?” “Officer Chen, do the questions you’re asking now have anything to do with Claire’s death? Or are you suspecting that I’m the killer?” I was very angry, but Lucas continued coldly, “Claire died in her home. There were no signs of forced entry on the doors or windows. The killer might be someone Claire was familiar with, someone she opened the door for, or someone who had a key to her house.” “You said you received a strange text from Claire when you reported the case, but we didn’t find Claire’s phone at the scene.” He had said this much, and of course I understood. He really was suspecting me. I laughed bitterly, “So you think that because I don’t have a stable job or income, I killed my best friend out of jealousy because she was living better than me?” “Answer my question.” His voice was devoid of any warmth. I gave in, “Fine. I quit my job because I have neurasthenia and can’t live and work normally.” I lowered my head, not wanting to see pity and sympathy in his eyes. To be honest, I felt quite disappointed that he didn’t trust me. But thinking about it, when we were together back then, he wasn’t that firmly convinced of me either. To him, I was at most a familiar stranger. Why should he believe what I say? Lucas stared at me intently, as if trying to see guilt and panic on my face. We looked at each other in silence for a long time. Suddenly, he took out an evidence bag and gently placed it on the table. “This phone, it’s yours, right?” It was an outdated old phone. The phone screen was lit up, showing a selfie of me. With Claire’s family background, she would never use this kind of off-brand phone. Her phone had always been the latest model of a certain fruit brand. I stared at that phone for a long time, then nodded, “Yes, it’s mine.” “Can you explain why your phone appeared at the crime scene?” Lucas asked. Only then did I notice that the back of the phone was stained with blood. I shook my head, “I don’t know either. To be honest, I lost this phone three years ago. The phone I’m using now was given to me by Claire.” I think my expression must have been quite ugly now.

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I overheard him telling his friend that he didn’t want to get married anymore. Coincidentally, I didn’t want to get married either. It was pouring rain outside as I left the hospital, feeling elated. The doctor had just told me I was pregnant. As if by telepathy, my phone rang. It was Tyler calling. I quickly answered, planning to share the good news, but before I could speak, he beat me to it. “Chloe, I’m drunk. Come pick me up,” he said, his voice languid. “Oh, okay. Where are you?” “I’ll send you my location.” He hung up after just a few words. I opened the umbrella and checked the location he shared. It was nearby. I was filled with joy, thinking I’d tell him the good news in person.

As soon as I entered the restaurant, I saw Tyler’s back. The person facing him spoke. “Tyler, it’s raining outside. You’re making your girlfriend come alone?” “She can’t make it today,” Tyler said definitively. I was curious why he thought I couldn’t come. His friend was also curious and asked the question I wanted to ask: “Why not?” “It’s her time of the month.” I suffer from severe menstrual cramps that can cause me to faint. Tyler knows this. Was he doing this on purpose? The smile froze on my face, all joy of sharing the news gone. I stood there stunned as their conversation continued. “If that’s the case, why did you ask her to come?” “You don’t understand. Ariana’s coming back tomorrow. She called and asked me to pick her up. I want to break up with Chloe.” “But aren’t you two about to get married?” Tyler was silent for a moment before responding firmly: “That’s why I don’t want to have any regrets.”

Ariana was Tyler’s dream girl. She had left him three years ago to pursue her career. That day, I left without meeting Tyler and took a cab home. He came back around midnight. Hearing the door open, I sat on the couch. As soon as Tyler entered, he immediately scolded me: “Didn’t I tell you to come pick me up? Why didn’t you come?” I sat motionless on the couch, wanting to see what else he would say. Tyler’s dark eyes swept over me, flashing with impatience. “If you didn’t want to come, you shouldn’t have agreed. Do you know how long I waited?” “I called you, but your phone was off,” I said. “My phone died,” Tyler replied without even checking his phone. I hadn’t actually called him, I was just guessing. I didn’t expect to guess correctly. I felt a wave of indifference, disappointed in him for the first time. The air suddenly became quiet. I moved my lips: “Is Ariana back?” He looked at me with some shock, unable to hide a flash of guilt across his face. He was probably surprised I would ask so directly. “Don’t be ridiculous, how would I know she’s back?” He was pretending so well. If I hadn’t overheard it myself, I might have believed him. “We’re supposed to take wedding photos tomorrow. You remember, right?” “I have something to do tomorrow. We can take wedding photos anytime, let’s do it in a few days.” For Tyler, he indeed had something very important tomorrow, more important than taking our wedding photos. No, I should say, he no longer wanted to marry me. That’s fine, I no longer wanted to marry him either. I stood up from the couch, looking composed. “Tyler, if you don’t go tomorrow, our wedding is off.” I looked at him firmly, brooking no argument. Tyler gazed at me intently. I guessed he was overjoyed inside but couldn’t show it. It must be very difficult to hold back, right? “Can you stop making a fuss? We’ve already met each other’s parents. If you want to cancel the wedding, you go tell them yourself,” he said, furrowing his brow as if reluctant. But I knew he wasn’t reluctant. Rather… He still had reservations. Otherwise, he would have brought this up directly. He remembered my period and knew I wouldn’t go out late at night during my period. He deliberately called to have me pick him up in the pouring rain, hoping I would feel he was unbearable and propose to break off the engagement myself, right? As he wished. I wanted to see if after breaking up with me, he could be with his beloved dream girl. “Tomorrow at 10 AM. I’ll wait for you,” I said calmly, turning to go to the bedroom.

I shut Tyler out of the bedroom. He wouldn’t be coming in tonight. I started packing my things. I didn’t have much actually, as most of it had already been moved to our new house. It was just one small suitcase. After packing, I opened the door and went out. Tyler had just come out of the bathroom, his body exuding moisture, wearing thin pajamas that showed off his tall figure. His eyes fell on the suitcase in my hand. “Where are you going? It’s still raining outside, you…” I seemed to detect a hint of concern in his words. This must be an illusion. How could someone who knew how severe my period was, yet still asked me to pick him up in the pouring rain, possibly love me? “Hmm, I called a car. I’m going to the new house tonight. Think carefully about what I said tonight. See you tomorrow.” I closed the door and left. The car had just about arrived. Our current place was only about 15 minutes from the new house. On the way, I recalled everything between Tyler and me from the beginning until now. We went to the same school, including Ariana. Tyler and I were in the same club. I often heard Ariana’s name from others’ mouths. She was the most graceful dancer, a perfect match for the school heartthrob Tyler. They were the golden couple at school. I carefully hid my feelings for Tyler in my heart, never overstepping. I always thought my secret crush would fade away quietly. But unexpectedly, when we were about to graduate, Ariana decided to go abroad. Tyler begged her to stay, but couldn’t change Ariana’s mind about leaving. They broke up. During that time, Tyler was devastated and became increasingly dejected, as if he had lost the whole world. He drank heavily every day, finally making himself so sick he was hospitalized with a stomach bleed. I liked him and couldn’t bear to see him like that, so I made porridge and went to visit him in the hospital. Tyler actually drank the porridge I brought him. He allowed me to visit him often and make porridge for him. We gradually became closer. When he was discharged, he held my hand and asked if I liked him. I admitted it frankly, since Tyler was single at that time. We naturally got together. We were together for three years. Tyler was a gentle and caring person who treated me well. He remembered my period and would make brown sugar water for me. He would hold me in his arms and gently rub my stomach. On my birthday, he would prepare surprises. When he proposed, there were fireworks in the sky. But in the end, I couldn’t compare to his dream girl. As beautiful as everything was before, looking back now it just seems laughable. Now I can’t even remember why I liked him in the first place. “Miss, why are you crying?” The car stopped and the driver called out to me. I came back to my senses, wiped the tears from my face, then took my luggage and got out of the car.

The next day, I was at the wedding dress shop, wearing the dress I had picked out before, quietly waiting. My palm rested on my lower abdomen, where a little life was unknowingly growing. Last night, I had planned to tell Tyler this good news. But he gave me such a big “surprise” instead. I waited until now, not for Tyler, but to give my child’s father a chance. If he came today… If he chose me over Ariana, then perhaps I could give him a chance. When the clock struck 10, that tiny bit of hope in my heart completely disappeared. A post appeared on social media, from Ariana. She looked even more beautiful and radiant than in school, her skin as white as a swan’s. Her caption read: “After all these years of twists and turns, you’re still by my side.” Soon, a group of people replied to her. “Congratulations, congratulations!” “The lovers are finally together.” “The ship I’ve been sailing for years has finally come true.” I didn’t have the courage to keep reading, but I still liked her post. The wedding shop staff finally came over, looking a bit troubled: “Miss, our photographer is ready. What should we…” I stood up, feeling a bit guilty: “I’m sorry, my fiance may have been in a car accident and is dying in the hospital, so we probably can’t take wedding photos today. But don’t worry, I’ll pay the full amount.” I said this calmly and went to change out of the wedding dress. The sales girl initially looked sympathetic when hearing about my fiance’s accident, but seeing how calm I was about changing, she muttered under her breath. I didn’t look like someone whose fiance was dying at all. But Tyler was already dead to me in my heart.

I went to the hospital. The child was mine alone, I didn’t need Tyler’s consent to arrange an abortion. I had once looked forward to this child’s arrival, but now I was clear-headed. I couldn’t take care of a child, nor could I give them a complete family. So I chose to remove it. Before the surgery, I called my best friend Julia. She arrived just as the surgery was finishing. Although I had the best and most advanced surgery, and the fetus was small, minimizing the harm to me, I still felt a pain in my heart. When I saw Julia, I couldn’t help but hug her and cry silently. She patted my back: “Chloe, I know everything! We don’t need that scumbag anymore. Come stay with me for now.” Julia said I needed to rest after the abortion, I must recuperate properly. I only had her as a friend in this city, so she wanted me to move in with her. I agreed. First, Julia and I were very close, we always helped each other and were inseparable. Second, I didn’t plan to tell my parents about this yet, afraid they would worry. I wanted to wait until I was better before telling them about this properly. At Julia’s place, she volunteered to buy me a bunch of supplements. After resting for a full week, I finally received a call from Tyler again. On the phone, his voice was still full of impatience: “Chloe, where did you go?” “Do you need something?” “Didn’t you say you moved to the new house? Why aren’t you back so late?” I looked at the time. Oh, it was already 11 PM. I’m a very disciplined person. I never go to bars or clubs. It’s already a miracle for me to not be home by 10 PM. “I’m planning to sell the new house. Tomorrow there will be an agent bringing people to view it. Don’t move in.”

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My husband was rushed to the emergency room in an ambulance in the middle of the night due to a penile fracture. When I asked him about it, he said he was imitating a male lead from a Korean drama out of curiosity, practicing some stretches, and accidentally got injured. I sneered. He had always only watched the news broadcast. Since when did he start watching Korean dramas? In late August, my husband Harry, who was on a business trip, was rushed to the emergency room by ambulance due to intense physical activity – a muscle strain in his inner thigh. I wasn’t home that night as I was visiting my parents, and our baby was at a mother-and-child care center. When I turned off the “Do Not Disturb” mode on my phone early the next morning, I saw over thirty missed calls from Harry and Dr. Kim. Dr. Kim, an old classmate of mine who happened to be on duty that night, told me: “Lily, what’s going on with your husband? At his age, he shouldn’t be having herniated discs, let alone exerting himself so much. In his condition…” I understood her unspoken implication. Anger immediately flared up inside me. I called Harry and demanded to know if he had been fooling around with other women. “Lily, what are you talking about? I’m in such a terrible state, and instead of showing concern for your husband, you’re accusing me…” He sounded quite upset, but it wasn’t enough to dispel my suspicions. “I was trying to get in shape for you. I suddenly remembered an exercise scene from that Korean drama and got carried away.” He even sounded a bit wronged. I could only wonder what kind of irresistibly charming woman could make a middle-aged man push himself to the point of muscle strain. Harry and I weren’t high school sweethearts who went from uniforms to wedding gowns. There wasn’t much excitement before or after our marriage; we fell into the pattern of an old married couple right after tying the knot. Back then, I was focused solely on my studies and missed out on many romantic opportunities. It wasn’t until I was older that I agreed to an arranged marriage under my parents’ urging, thinking the conditions were suitable. However, after giving birth, my entire mindset changed. Perhaps due to a lack of confidence in my postpartum body, I became increasingly concerned about his activities outside the home. To maintain my figure, I didn’t breastfeed. Not wanting the baby to drink formula, I hired a full-time wet nurse and nanny. “It hurts… Nurse, when is my wife coming?” A man’s groans could be heard from the hospital room as I pushed open the door. Harry was lying on the hospital bed, his face pale and his lips colorless. There was no air conditioning in the temporary ward, and a thin layer of cold sweat had formed on his forehead. He looked quite pitiful. However, thinking about the possibility that he had spent a passionate night with another woman, any sympathy I might have felt vanished. “Honey, I didn’t bring any money. Can you pay the hospital fees for me?” Harry asked pitifully. I glanced at him coldly without responding, lowered the curtain, and went to find the attending physician. Seeing me arrive, Dr. Kim mysteriously pulled me aside and told me that the muscle strain was just a cover story to avoid embarrassing my husband. I raised an eyebrow. “Is there something more serious?” “Acute penile fracture. It means… that part is broken. If he doesn’t take proper care and continues to be so sexually active, it might affect your plans for a second child,” she said with a troubled expression. A second child? I smiled mirthlessly. “Who’s having a second child with him? Let him have kids with a dog for all I care.” After hearing my response, Dr. Kim finally realized that Harry must have been fooling around, either with a prostitute or having an affair. A man who doesn’t respect himself is like rotten vegetables. Just then, Dr. Kim suddenly slapped her thigh in surprise: “Now that you mention it, I remember! That night, the ambulance actually brought in two people.” She secretly told me that the woman was likely brought in with Harry. Her symptom was a ruptured corpus luteum, also due to excessive physical activity. I clenched my fists, almost laughing through gritted teeth at the same time— His penile fracture, her ruptured corpus luteum. What a perfect match they made. “Where is she?” Dr. Kim nodded towards the next room. “She’s in that room. They came in together yesterday. Just by her appearance, you could tell she’s no good.” I slowly walked towards that hospital room, lifting the curtain with a nervous heart, only to suddenly discover— The bed behind the curtain was already empty. Just as I was puzzled, my phone rang. It was Rachel, the nanny, calling, accompanied by the sound of a baby crying. “Lily, I’ve picked up Joy from the care center, but she’s throwing up her milk again. What should I do?” I was in a foul mood and snapped at her impatiently: “Can’t you handle even this small task? Didn’t I tell you to learn the patting technique from that tutorial? What’s the point of paying you if you won’t learn anything?” She timidly replied, “I understand, Lily. I’ll pat the baby’s back some more.” Rachel wasn’t a professional childcare worker. Given our family’s financial situation, we shouldn’t have needed to hire such an inexperienced and uncertified nanny. The day we went to the agency, it was Harry who saw her standing there shyly all day, just hoping for a cleaning job. He felt sorry for her struggling alone in the big city and suggested we hire her. Rachel wasn’t particularly thin. Her slightly childish round face was quite pleasing to look at – the type that would be stunning with makeup but looked innocent and pure without it. She said she was nineteen, from a rural background, with a vocational school diploma in nursing. “Do you have any special skills?” I frowned, clearly reluctant. “I… I’m currently lactating. For one salary, I can do two jobs – wet nurse and nanny. I have a health certificate,” she said shyly, brushing aside the hair falling over her chest. Only then did I notice her slightly bulging top, which even had some damp patches. I couldn’t help but be surprised. She had a child at such a young age? Rachel explained in a low voice that she was young and naive when she got a job at an electronics factory and started dating a guy there. He got her pregnant and then ran off. After she gave birth, the man’s family took the baby away. Her own family refused to take her back, so she came to the city alone to find work. I felt a twinge of sympathy. It worked out well for me since I didn’t want to breastfeed. Getting a young, healthy wet nurse and nanny for the price of one seemed like a good deal. So I nodded and hired her, preparing a small bedroom for her to live in. Harry needed to stay in the hospital for another week. When I got home, Rachel, noticing I hadn’t eaten dinner, quickly went to make me some lotus root powder drink. “Where have you been? You look exhausted,” I couldn’t help but ask, noticing her usually neat hair was a bit messy. “Lily, where could I go? I’ve been at home taking care of the baby,” she replied with a surprised expression, her pale lips slightly chapped. “Drink more water. You spend a lot of time caring for the child, but don’t let your own health suffer,” I said, taking the lotus root powder drink she handed me. As I did, I inadvertently noticed some hickeys on her neck and questioned her: “I thought you weren’t dating anyone? What’s this about?” “It’s just a mosquito bite. I’ll go put some ointment on it,” she quickly covered her neck, her voice as soft as a mosquito’s hum. Since our first meeting, Rachel had always been timid and cautious, rarely speaking much and following rules strictly. She never ate the fruit left on the table by the owners and didn’t join us at the dining table, instead taking her portion to eat in her small room. For a moment, I suspected that Harry’s affair might be with her. The enemy within is hard to guard against, after all. But she was standing right in front of me. How could that be? Harry was in a hotel in the neighboring city when this happened, and that woman was diagnosed with a ruptured corpus luteum at the hospital today, which should be quite painful. But if she hurried from the hospital to home, it might be possible to make it without a gap in time. Was that why she seemed nervous and rushed to bring the baby home to feed, causing the baby to throw up from overfeeding? After giving birth, I became quite emotionally volatile, to the point where Harry often said I was paranoid. Thinking about all this, after enduring for a few days until Harry was discharged, I stubbornly confronted him. “Tell me the truth, were you really having an affair that day? Who were you with that night?” He looked bewildered and insisted that he really was imitating the male lead’s stretching and weightlifting exercises from a Korean drama. “Don’t you usually only watch sports and the news? You even said the Korean dramas I watch are soap operas and a waste of time.” Harry sighed, rubbed my head affectionately, and said: “Since you’re asking, I’ll be honest. I was trying to understand your interests. Ever since you finished your postpartum confinement, you’ve seemed distracted. I thought if I watched some of the shows you like, we might have more to talk about.” He showed me his video viewing history. “Isn’t Lee Min-ho your favorite? That’s whose drama I was watching.” I twitched the corner of my mouth, momentarily at a loss for words to refute him. Because everything sounded so normal and reasonable. “Then… the woman who was admitted to the hospital with you that day…” Harry interrupted me, “She was just picked up by the ambulance on the way. She had abdominal pain from sitting on the toilet too long and found out it was a ruptured corpus luteum. I don’t know her.” I stared at him blankly. Later, I asked Dr. Kim who that woman was, but she told me they weren’t in the same department and she didn’t have access to the patient’s information. The day Harry was discharged, Rachel prepared a big meal for us. After cooking, she obediently retreated to her room. I was about to start eating when Harry stopped her and actually invited her to sit down and join us. My face immediately turned cold, and I dropped my chopsticks onto my bowl with a clatter. She looked a bit awkward, glancing at me. “It’s okay, Harry. I’ll just eat the leftovers from lunch. There’s still plenty.” “When have I ever made you eat leftovers? Since Harry invited you, sit down and eat with us,” I said coldly. I barely ate a bite during that dinner. Before bed, Rachel brought us hot milk. Suddenly, on a whim, I wondered if she might treat us differently. I took Harry’s cup, intending to drink from it. But I unexpectedly smelled a strange milky odor, unlike regular milk. She clearly panicked a bit. “Lily, don’t you have germaphobia? That’s Harry’s cup…” “I know. We’re married, what’s wrong with me taking a sip from his cup?” I immediately retorted. She lowered her head and didn’t dare say anything more. I took a sip and only tasted a faint fishy flavor. It wasn’t sweet either. I said in surprise that the milk must have gone bad. Harry didn’t seem to notice anything unusual. “You’re making a fuss over nothing. It tastes normal to me. I’ve been drinking it for a long time.” Then, to my astonishment, he grabbed the cup of milk and drank it all in one go. I drank my cup half-believing, half-doubting, and it tasted like normal milk. “I’m sorry, Lily. Maybe that cup was from the carton that’s been open for a while. Your cup is from a newly opened carton,” Rachel explained in a soft voice. Back in the bedroom, our three-month-old daughter was sleeping soundly in her crib. Harry went to sleep later than me. As I was drifting off to sleep, I suddenly heard the heavy sound of a door being pushed open. Startled awake, I saw the intruder and angrily shouted, “What are you doing coming in here in the middle of the night? Don’t you know how to knock first?” She looked a bit surprised, a hint of grievance flashing across her features: “Lily, it’s time to feed the baby.” The baby in the crib started crying loudly, frightened by my outburst. Right, this was the routine nightly feeding, wasn’t it? I felt a bit disoriented and patted my head. To my surprise, the next moment, Rachel crouched down and directly lifted her shirt, preparing to breastfeed the child. Harry consciously turned away to scroll through his phone, not glancing in this direction at all. “There, there, baby. Don’t suck too hard,” she said softly, her voice as delicate as it could be. Coming to my senses, I urged her to go feed in the living room, not in the bedroom. She responded with a soft “Mm,” but because of her squatting position while holding the baby, she struggled to stand up. She tried for a while without success, beads of sweat forming on her forehead from the effort. Drawing on years of married life experience, I glanced over and sensitively noticed something off about my husband. “Honey, what’s wrong?” He casually let his phone drop to his lap as he stood up, his expression evasive as he coughed lightly and said: “I’m going out to watch some soccer. Messi should be playing soon.”

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The Day My Daughter Celebrated Her Birthday I received photos of my husband Ryan cheating on me. Ryan couldn’t come home due to a company dinner. After putting our daughter Mia to bed, I kept scrolling through the photos on my phone. [Buzz—] A text message vibrated. Unknown number: [Interested in talking?] I typed a reply with trembling fingers. [Who are you?] Unknown number: [We can meet and talk about your husband’s affair.] Then, they sent me an address for a coffee shop. I looked at the address information and tried to calm myself down. When Ryan came home reeking of alcohol, I pretended nothing was wrong as I helped him take off his coat and brought his slippers. He hugged me from behind as usual, smiling and asking if I had missed him. If it were before, I might have flirted back a bit. But now I had no interest in entertaining him. Because I needed to know if my husband was really cheating on me. While washing up, I checked his clothes in the laundry basket, not missing a single item from his shirt to his socks. When I saw the lipstick mark on his pants zipper, I felt sick to my stomach like I had swallowed a dead fly. I took out my phone and replied to the message. [I’ll be there at 3 pm tomorrow.] Within three minutes, they replied “OK.” That night I lay awake clutching my phone, with only one thought in my mind. Divorce! But I wouldn’t let Ryan get away with any benefits! I wanted him to leave with nothing, and I wanted this sponging cheater to be utterly disgraced! To be honest, I never thought Ryan would cheat. Because when Ryan proposed to me, he had nothing. It was only by marrying me that he gained a foothold in the expensive city of New York. His friends all thought he had scored big by marrying me. Even his mother, my difficult mother-in-law, thought so. At 3 pm the next day, I arrived at the coffee shop as agreed. At a table by the window, I met the stranger who had texted me. It was a woman, not particularly beautiful, but with a good figure and mature charm. She said her name was Lily and told me to call her Lily. As soon as I sat down, Lily pushed an envelope towards me. Lily said: [Take a look at these first. You’ll need them if you file for divorce.] Although her words seemed helpful, the certainty in her tone about me getting divorced was unsettling. I didn’t open it, but asked her: [Why are you helping me?] [No reason, I just don’t want him to get away with it.] She glanced at me and continued: [Also, you were the other woman back then, interfering in our relationship.] Lily stirred her coffee casually as she answered, but I nearly spilled my coffee on her. The other woman? You must be joking! I had never interfered in someone else’s marriage. Ryan and I were legally married. How could I possibly be the other woman?! [Don’t misunderstand, you were unknowingly the other woman.] Lily explained with a smile, [Ryan and I were college sweethearts. He made up an excuse to break up right after graduation. I only found out later it was because he had hooked up with you.] My nails dug into my palm as I gripped the coffee spoon, my mind filled with images of Ryan’s sweet words to me back then. I wanted to rush to his office and strangle him. Using the word “hooked up” was indeed accurate, because besides the car and house, even Ryan’s position at the company was arranged through my family connections. But arguing about this now wouldn’t do me any good. It might even play right into that scumbag’s hands. [So why are you contacting me only now?] I took a deep breath and questioned her, [Is it because he’s in touch with you again, or because you’re not willing to let him go and want to win him back?] Lily lit a cigarette, smiling and giving me a meaningful look. She said: [You can guess more boldly. For example, maybe he’s been secretly involved with multiple women behind our backs. Or maybe this time I’m just one of the women interfering in your marriage.] I let out a cold laugh. It was pretty much as I had guessed, otherwise Lily wouldn’t have suddenly sought me out. But what I felt more was sorrow. The marriage I had maintained for five years turned out to be just a joke.

Lily told me that Ryan wasn’t just cheating with her, but that the private investigator’s photos showed at least three women. She hoped I could work with her to deal with Ryan and not give a scumbag like him any chances. That afternoon we added each other on SnapChat, agreeing to join forces. As I was leaving the coffee shop, Ryan happened to call. He first asked what I was doing, then sweet-talked me for a while. But he probably didn’t know I was standing right next to his mistress. Fighting the nausea rising in my stomach, I only told him I was having coffee with a friend. [Alright then, you go ahead. Mom bought a ticket and will arrive tonight. She wants to see Mia.] Ryan said: [She can be a bit temperamental at her age, so try to be patient with her.] I rolled my eyes without responding. Because his mother was no saint either. She claimed to be coming to see Mia, but in reality she came asking for money every time. I was already being polite by not chasing her out with a broom. And he wanted me to be patient? How thick-skinned could he be? Before leaving, Lily said she would give me the private investigator’s contact. I neither refused nor agreed. I didn’t refuse because this private investigator who could take photos must have some skills. I didn’t agree because the situation now felt like a game of Werewolf, and I might be the next one to be eliminated. At 6:30 pm, I picked up my daughter from school. My mother-in-law was already squatting by the door with her bags, her face darker than a pot bottom when she saw me return. [Always running around outside, what’s wrong with staying at home properly?] My mother-in-law glared at me angrily, [A little girl that big doesn’t know the way? You still need to pick her up? If you’re so free, hurry up and give me a grandson!] I kept a cold face and didn’t respond, just taking Mia into the room. This made my mother-in-law even angrier. She started yelling through the door: [What kind of attitude is this? I’m your mother! Who are you giving attitude to?!] If I hadn’t confronted Ryan yet, I definitely would have gone out and torn her mouth off. But my mother-in-law was quick to tattle. Just as I opened WeChat, a message from Ryan came through. Ryan: [Honey, don’t be upset with my mom. She’s your mother-in-law after all. Apologize to her later.] I almost sent back “Fuck off!” Damn it! One eating from multiple women outside, one freeloading off me – did they think I was the Buddha blessing all beings? But Ryan didn’t notice my change, still sending sweet messages as usual. Unfortunately, in my eyes now, those words were just nauseating. If I hadn’t seen the photos, I probably would have believed his bullshit and thought he was a good father and an even better husband. I held back my anger and typed: [Are you coming home for dinner tonight?] Ryan: [Not coming back. I have a work dinner tonight.] Work dinner? Those two words disgusted me the most now. Who knows who he was really “dining” with? Though I knew he was lying, I still replied out of habit. [Be careful and come home early.] After I put Mia to bed and helped her with homework, I opened the door only to find my mother-in-law eavesdropping right outside. She stumbled and almost fell, but still started cursing. [What are you doing closing the door! We’re all family, what is there that I can’t hear? Were you talking bad about me behind closed doors? Have you ever seen a daughter-in-law like you, not even knowing to bring slippers for her mother-in-law when she visits?] I frowned and looked down. Sure enough, my mother-in-law was wearing the new slippers I had just bought for Mia, stretching them out of shape. [Mom, there are slippers prepared for you in the shoe cabinet…] I had told her this at least four or five times, but it was always the same result. But this time I didn’t back down, and continued coldly: [These slippers are Mia’s. What will she wear if you take them?] [So what if they’re Mia’s? I’m her grandmother! Everything in this house belongs to my son, why can’t I use or wear it?] My mother-in-law rolled her eyes and scolded shrilly: [You know there are slippers in the shoe cabinet, why didn’t you take them out for me to change into? What, you think I’m dirty?] My mother-in-law was a typical rural woman, but I had never looked down on her for that. But ever since finding out about Ryan’s affair, I felt disgusted with their whole family. Thinking that Mia still hadn’t had dinner, I couldn’t be bothered to argue further with her. After washing my hands, I started preparing to cook. Just as I opened the refrigerator door, my mother-in-law started yelling again. [Oh my god! You really are a wasteful woman! You don’t treat the money my son earns as money at all! Buying so much fruit, can you eat it all by yourself? What a waste!] I clenched my fists and said, [I bought this fruit with my own money. It has nothing to do with Ryan.] But my mother-in-law kept nagging and following me, [What? Your money isn’t my son’s money? There’s only three of us for dinner tonight, why are you taking out pork ribs? Put them back! Just stir fry a couple small vegetable dishes and that’s enough!] [You’re really pampered, eating pork ribs so late at night? My son works so hard every day but can’t even eat this well. You sure know how to enjoy yourself.] She kept muttering while trying to grab the pork ribs from my hand. I slammed the ribs hard on the counter. [What kind of attitude is this? I can’t even say anything to you now?] I said nothing and took out the cleaver.

I started chopping the ribs, putting all my strength into each cut! [Can’t you hear me talking to you!] My mother-in-law shouted, [I’m calling my son right now. What use is a daughter-in-law like you? Only knows how to spend money, not how to save for my son. It’s been years and you still can’t give birth to a son. It’s still me, his own mother, who cares for him most!] If murder wasn’t illegal, I really wanted to give this old lady a chop. But reason prevailed over anger. I held back my temper and smiled sweetly at her: [Mom, I was wrong just now. I won’t cook these ribs. Why don’t you go rest in the room first?] My mother-in-law snorted disdainfully, but looked quite pleased with herself. She thought she had me under control, and went to rest in the guest room with a victorious air. I quickly blanched the ribs in boiling water to remove the blood, ignoring the constant buzzing of my phone on the counter. I said I wouldn’t stir fry them, but I never said I wouldn’t stew them. Rather than let Ryan and his mother continue to walk all over me, I might as well become a saint right here and now. At dinner time, my mother-in-law almost flipped the table in anger. I ignored her and first ladled a bowl of rib soup for Mia, before leisurely opening my WeChat. 99 unread messages. All from Ryan. Probably trying to coax me into apologizing to his mother again. I pretended not to see and smiled as I called out to my mother-in-law: [Mom, why aren’t you eating? This rib soup smells so good.] My mother-in-law glared, [Eat? I’ll eat your mother’s X! Cooking such a good meal when there’s no man at home, who has such a greedy mouth like you? Aren’t you ashamed!] She finished cursing and reached out to take away the soup pot. I immediately smacked her hand with my chopsticks! I used to put up with her because I didn’t want to fight too early, but now that she’s bullying my daughter and me in front of Mia, how could I still tolerate her? My mother-in-law’s voice nearly broke from yelling, [You dare hit your mother, have you lost your mind!] I ladled myself a bowl of rib soup right in front of her, deliberately scooping up the biggest pieces. My mother-in-law’s face turned red with anger. I smiled and said: [Mom, if you’re full and have nothing to do, why don’t you go for a walk downstairs? Mia and I still need to eat. I bought these ribs with my own money, so how I eat them is my business. Don’t worry about it.] But of course she wouldn’t give up. In her eyes, no one deserved to eat well except her son Ryan. In this family, I was just a freeloader spending Ryan’s money, including Mia. My mother-in-law was used to throwing her weight around before, and couldn’t swallow this. She reached for the soup pot again. This time I didn’t stop her, because the pot base was still heating. She yelped in pain when she touched it. Seeing that bullying didn’t work, my mother-in-law resorted to playing the victim. She slapped her thigh and sat on the floor wailing, [There’s no justice! What kind of daughter-in-law is this, even daring to hit her own mother-in-law!] I couldn’t be bothered to pay her any attention. But Mia was scared and ran to her room to do homework without finishing her meal. I listened to her howling dramatically as I slowly cleaned up the dishes and went to my room. I knew exactly what my mother-in-law was like. She would definitely go complain to Ryan next. As soon as I opened WeChat, Ryan’s video call popped up. I hung up immediately. But Lily suddenly sent me a message, along with several photos. The photos showed Ryan drinking with his buddies. Sitting next to him was an unfamiliar but pretty young girl. Lily: [Didn’t he tell you he had a work dinner and couldn’t come home tonight?] I replied with a “Mm.” Lily typed quickly. Lily: [Haha, he told me he was at home. Said you and his mom were fighting and he was complaining that you don’t know how to behave.] I didn’t respond to that, just asked where she got the photos. Lily said the private investigator took them. Right now he was following them at the SOHO bar. [What about this young girl?] Lily: [New intern at his company. Poor family background, but pretty and sweet-talking. See how she’s the only woman at the table?]

With Lily’s explanation, I finally noticed the oddity in these photos. I have to say, Ryan is quite photogenic. Otherwise I wouldn’t have fallen for him and been willing to support him financially. Lily sent several more messages in quick succession. I didn’t reply, switching to Ryan’s message window instead. Looking at the messages he sent, I didn’t even have the urge to sigh. This mama’s boy who likes to eat from multiple bowls, how could he be any good? I thought for a moment, then typed and sent: [Honey, are you tired from the work dinner tonight?] He was probably looking at his phone, or maybe replying to someone else. Ryan: [It’s alright. This boss kept making me drink for him. I’ll probably be too drunk to come home tonight, might have to crash at a colleague’s place.] Oh, he’s already got an excuse ready for not coming home tonight. I held back my anger and sweet-talked him for a bit like usual before getting to the point. [Drinking so much, I bet there are female colleagues there you want to impress?] Ryan: [Haha, what are you saying? It’s just a bunch of guys, how could there be women?] Seemingly afraid I would get suspicious, he immediately sent a photo. One look at the photo and I knew I had him. The background and number of people were the same as in Lily’s photos, but his side of the table wasn’t shown. [Then drink less and take care of your stomach.] Ryan sent another message, basically just saying how tired his mom was and telling me to apologize, etc. I didn’t even look before closing his chat window. I was afraid if I kept chatting I would throw up. Simply put, this mama’s boy was just trying to mediate, stopping just short of listing all his mother’s great deeds in raising him over the years. I scrolled through my social media feed in frustration for a bit, then sent Lily a message. [Are you free tomorrow? I’d like to meet you.] [Yes.] She replied quickly. [Same place.] I sent the message and didn’t look again. It’s not that I wanted to ally with someone like Lily, because a woman who could be a mistress wouldn’t be a good person either. Not everyone has morals. Or principles. Ryan didn’t come home until nearly dawn. I heard his mom complaining about me to him. She might as well have used a megaphone to declare war on me. [Honey.] The covers were lifted and hands started roaming my body. [Did you miss me?] I almost couldn’t hold back from cursing. I never realized before how selfish Ryan was, but ever since his affair came to light, I became more and more aware of his flaws. Like disturbing my rest right now. I pushed him away. [Stop it.] But Ryan quickly pressed close again, grinning as he tried to take off my clothes. At that moment, three words popped into my head. Marital obligation. But obviously I didn’t want to disgust myself, much less give him a chance. I turned over stiffly. [Your mom is eavesdropping outside.] Sure enough, he stopped moving. I continued asking: [When is your mom planning to leave this time?] Ryan didn’t say anything. But his shocked expression clearly conveyed his thoughts. Yeah, I used to treat the old lady like royalty, how come I’m fighting and trying to get rid of her now? Before he could answer, the door was banged loudly! [This is my son’s home, I’ll stay as long as I want!] My mother-in-law raised her voice, [You hurry up and give me a grandson. My son can’t end up without an heir!] I couldn’t help but laugh. [Did you hear that? Your mom wants you to give her a grandson. The throne in your family needs an heir after all.] This was the first time I had ever mocked Ryan, but it definitely wouldn’t be the last. [Honey, my mom didn’t mean…] [Go to sleep.] I cut him off. The next morning, I used the excuse of taking Mia to tutoring to go out. My mother-in-law followed behind, making cold remarks. She just couldn’t stand me spending so much money on my daughter. In the car, I contacted Lily and asked about the private investigator she had introduced to me, inquiring if he could get evidence of my husband’s affair. My requirements weren’t high: First, I wanted to know how many women Ryan had cheated with, for how long, and I needed photos and recordings if possible. Second, whether Ryan had any financial dealings with these women, or if he had given them any expensive gifts. As long as I had this evidence in hand, I would essentially have the leverage to make Ryan leave with nothing in the divorce. The private investigator Lily introduced charged quite a lot, but I could afford it. However, I’m not an idiot. I didn’t trust Lily, nor did I trust him. It was the same coffee shop as last time, but this time I met a young man in a trench coat. To be honest. The moment I saw this private investigator, a woman’s sixth sense told me something was off. He reeked of perfume, and his mannerisms were nothing like a real private investigator’s. He first enthusiastically ordered me a coffee, and when he handed it over, he seemed to deliberately brush my fingers. Years of housework and taking care of my daughter had taken their toll, and despite spending money on skincare, my hands were no longer like a young girl’s. In contrast, this “investigator’s” hands were truly white and delicate. Either he was very young, or he had never done a day of manual labor in his life.

[Mrs. Gao, you really don’t look like you’ve had a child. So young and beautiful.] He complimented me, but I didn’t respond. He then started discussing my husband Ryan’s affair with me. I listened for a while before interrupting him, [How do you know Lily?] He was taken aback for a moment, but quickly composed himself with a smile, [Miss Lily? She was referred by another client.] With just that one sentence, I smiled and put down my coffee, understanding most of the situation. Every time the “private investigator” said something to me, his phone buzzed with a notification. In the less than three minutes we had been talking, his phone had gone off seven or eight times. I glanced over and saw that all the chat avatars were colorful and feminine. In other words, they were all women’s profile pictures. [Business is good? All female clients? I guess they’re all hiring you to catch cheating spouses?] I asked with a smile. He put away his phone and nodded hurriedly, [Yes. Mrs. Gao, I suggest you prepare for divorce in advance. I’ve seen many cases like your husband’s. With a new flame by his side, how could he remember what his old lover looks like?] I nodded, [I understand. How long will it take you to get the photos and recordings to me?] He didn’t expect me to end the conversation so quickly and stammered, [T-two… two weeks.] [Alright, we’ll be in touch in two weeks then.] I picked up my bag and stood up. [Mrs. Gao, don’t you want to chat more?] [Chat?] I looked at him, [Chat about what? Haven’t we already discussed everything?] My attitude was probably too cold. He stood there for a moment, not saying anything more. I stared at his fairly handsome face, tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, and smiled. Interesting, very interesting. The person Lily introduced to me was almost certainly not a real private investigator.

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Maggie was our housekeeper. She was quiet and seemed honest and simple. 22 years older than my husband. I thought everything was fine. But these past few days, I noticed something fishy – money was disappearing from our home… 0″Maggie, why are you washing my husband’s underwear again?” Maggie was the housekeeper we hired. She was 48 years old this year and rarely spoke except when working. She seemed honest and hardworking. The clothes she wore were all hand-me-downs from her daughter-in-law. Every month, she would send her salary back home to support her 2-year-old grandson. Even if she washed my husband’s underwear, I wouldn’t suspect anything between her and Jack. I couldn’t even imagine it, given that she was old enough to be his mother. At most, I would just remind her not to do it next time. Maggie hesitated for a moment, putting down what she was doing. She stammered, “I was tidying up the bedroom this morning and saw some dirty underwear on the bed, so I just grabbed it to wash. I’ll be more careful next time.” Maggie apologized sincerely. I didn’t want to make things difficult for her. She had a tough life – her husband was paralyzed, her two sons were good-for-nothing, and her only daughter had gone missing. She had to support the whole family on her own. It was a hard life indeed. “Mm,” I nodded. Since I got pregnant, Jack had been hand washing our underwear. I didn’t like other people touching our intimate clothing. I was 6 months pregnant. In a few months, I would become a mother. I said casually, “Maggie, I’m hungry. Let’s have dinner.” Maggie asked, “Aren’t we waiting for Jack to come home?” Jack was my husband. He usually got home at 7 pm. It was only 4 pm now. We normally had dinner at 6. I felt I treated Maggie well. I only asked her to cook three meals a day, not eight like some employers. When I got hungry at night, I always asked Jack to cook for me. I didn’t want to bother Maggie, considering her age. I didn’t expect her to ask this question. Did it mean I couldn’t eat if my husband wasn’t home? I replied irritably, “No need to wait. Cook now, I’m hungry.” I really couldn’t understand what was going on in Maggie’s head. I was pregnant. We hired her to take care of me, not my husband. If I wanted to eat, she should just cook. Why ask about other things? I could take care of my own husband’s meals, couldn’t I? Maggie’s words made me uncomfortable. Maybe it was because pregnancy made me more emotional and sensitive. Maggie nodded, saying somewhat reluctantly, “Alright… I’ll cook now.” Maggie went to the kitchen while I went to the living room. She made me mushroom stir-fry with pork, century egg tofu, pork ribs with green beans, and winter melon soup – all my favorites. I liked that Maggie cooked delicious and clean meals efficiently. After eating, I lay on the couch playing with my phone when suddenly I smelled pork trotters cooking. I was confused – I had already finished dinner, so why was she cooking pork trotters now? I couldn’t help asking, “Maggie, are you cooking pork trotters? It smells so good.” Maggie’s voice came from the kitchen, “Yes, I’m pressure cooking them.” The smell was really enticing. I rubbed my belly, feeling I could eat some more. The pork trotters in the fridge were specially bought by my mom from a farm. She told me the pigs there were raised on natural grains, and the meat was freshly butchered. The broth would definitely be more delicious than store-bought pork. A few hours passed and Jack came home from work. As soon as he entered, I sat up from the couch and smiled, “Welcome home, honey.” Jack was holding a box of my favorite strawberries. “You’re back. Change your shoes quickly, dinner is ready.” I had just put on my slippers, intending to go hug Jack at the door, when I saw Maggie appear in front of him. She thoughtfully took his coat and hung it up, then bent down to get his slippers. After doing all this, Maggie turned and went to the kitchen as if nothing had happened. That idiot Jack just grinned and walked towards me, saying loudly, “Honey, strawberries!” “What’s wrong? I came home on time.” Jack asked with a smile. He put his hand on my shoulder, noticing I was upset but definitely not guessing the reason why. What was wrong with me? How could I be jealous of a 48-year-old woman? Was Maggie really interested in Jack, or was I being overly sensitive? 0

I said flatly, “It’s nothing. Let’s eat.” Maggie brought the dishes to the table – kung pao chicken, pork trotter soup, stir-fried pork with wood ear mushrooms, and sweet and sour fish. “Wow, such a feast! I’ll go wash my hands,” Jack kissed me on the cheek before heading to the bathroom. He didn’t know I had already eaten. I sat at the table looking at the dishes, feeling uneasy. I asked, “Maggie, why are these all newly cooked dishes? What about the leftovers from my meal?” Maggie chuckled awkwardly, “Oh, I ate the leftovers from your meal.” Just as Maggie finished speaking, Jack came out of the bathroom. He said, “Maggie, don’t eat leftovers in the future. Eat with us.” “Oh, that doesn’t seem right,” Maggie glanced at me, then looked up at Jack. Jack sat down next to me and smiled, “What’s not right about it? Let’s eat together.” I put down my chopsticks and asked coldly, “Jack, what do you mean by that?” Seeing I was angry, Maggie laughed nervously and said, “I’ll go wash the dishes in the kitchen. Call me if you need anything.” Maggie closed the kitchen door. She was quick to escape. Jack was stunned for a few seconds. He picked up a piece of fish roe and put it in my bowl. “Honey, what did I do wrong? Don’t be mad. Tell me and I’ll definitely change.” Jack looked at me with a silly grin, tugging at my arm. My husband was such an idiot. He never knew why I was angry. Even if I told him to reflect on it himself, it wouldn’t help. I’m a straightforward person, so I said, “When did I ever make Maggie eat leftovers?” After Maggie cooked, she would serve herself a bowl of food. She ate at a small table in the kitchen. How could that be called leftovers? I was actually confused why Maggie ate the food left on my plate. That was meant for Jack. I thought Maggie would just reheat it when he came home. “My mistake, my mistake. It’s my fault.” Jack raised his hand and lightly slapped his own mouth. “Honey, you’re pregnant. Don’t be angry.” Looking at the table full of food, I had no appetite. I was already full from anger. I lowered my voice and said, “And you’re telling Maggie to eat with us? What are you thinking?” Personally, I felt it was better to maintain some distance and not get too close or friendly. Otherwise, it would be awkward to bring up certain issues. My cousin was a cautionary tale. She got along well with her housekeeper, but when it came time to let her go, the housekeeper refused to leave. She even cursed my cousin for being ungrateful, saying she had taken such good care of her during the postpartum period. She completely forgot she was paid to do that job. No good deed goes unpunished. My cousin told me not to get too close, just maintain a normal working relationship. Jack put down his chopsticks with a furrowed brow. He raised his voice, almost shouting, “What am I thinking? Maggie works hard taking care of you. What’s wrong with eating together?” “Jack, you bastard!” I raised my hand and shoved Jack’s shoulder hard, then turned and went into the bedroom, locking the door behind me. Jack stood outside knocking, “Honey, open the door. I was wrong, okay?” I sighed. When I married Jack, my parents were against it. They thought his family was poor and he was an outsider whose background they didn’t know. But I still chose to marry Jack. After the wedding, my parents reluctantly accepted him, but Jack always felt a barrier, thinking my parents looked down on him. Maybe in Jack’s eyes, not letting Maggie eat with us meant looking down on her, just like he felt my parents looked down on him. It touched on his sensitive self-esteem. At 10 pm, Jack knocked on the door again. “Honey, open up. I really was wrong.” I grabbed Jack’s pillow and blanket, opened the door and said, “You’re sleeping on the couch tonight.” I was in a terrible mood and just wanted to be alone. Jack was about to speak, but I gave him a cold look, leaving no room for discussion. Jack took the blanket and pillow, saying resignedly, “Fine. Make sure you close the windows when you sleep so you don’t catch a cold.” I nodded and closed the bedroom door. I lay in bed thinking about what happened during the day. We can’t choose the circumstances we’re born into. If I had grown up in Jack’s environment, would I be as sensitive and insecure as him? Jack’s mother ran off with another man when he was 6. My father-in-law was a truck driver who didn’t have time to take care of Jack, so he was raised by his grandmother. Jack did well for himself, getting into college and then landing a job at a big company after graduation. He became a manager in just 3 years. Forget it. Jack has work tomorrow and the couch won’t be comfortable. I got out of bed and checked the time – 1 am. I opened the bedroom door and went out. I turned on the living room light and saw Maggie lying on the couch covered with Jack’s blanket. I clenched my fists tightly. “Jack, where are you?” 0

As soon as I spoke, Maggie opened her eyes. She seemed startled and sat up abruptly, looking at me. I don’t usually get up at night. Once I fall asleep, I sleep through till morning. Maggie rubbed her eyes hard. She came over to me and said softly, “Emily, don’t shout. Jack is sleeping in my room. He has to work tomorrow.” Maggie lived in the guest room while Jack and I had the master bedroom. Giving up her bed for Jack to sleep in while she took the couch – Maggie was certainly being very nice to him. Unusually nice. Jack came out of the guest room, rubbing his eyes. He was shirtless, wearing only underwear. Jack looked sleepy as he asked casually, “What’s wrong, honey?” “Who said you could stay in Maggie’s room? Put some clothes on.” I grabbed a throw pillow from the couch and threw it at Jack. Jack grinned, “I was in a rush and forgot to get dressed.” Jack asked tentatively, “Honey, can I come to our room now?” He picked up the pillow and blanket from the couch and turned towards the master bedroom, closing the door behind him as if staying in Maggie’s room was perfectly normal. Judging by Maggie’s reaction, she also seemed very calm, without any hint of awkwardness. It was like I was the one overthinking things. Looking at Maggie’s honest face, I really didn’t know what to say. Tell her to stay away from my husband? Not to be so attentive to him? After a while, I managed to say, “Maggie, you should go to sleep. Don’t worry about issues between me and my husband.” “I understand. I’ll be more careful next time,” Maggie nodded. I went into the bedroom, slamming the door shut. Jack was lying in bed grinning at me. He said, “Honey, come to bed.” I got into bed and grabbed my pillow, hitting Jack hard. “Who told you to stay in Maggie’s room? What’s going on between you two?” Jack looked at me with confusion, his eyes full of helplessness. He sighed deeply and stroked my belly. “Honey, I know pregnancy makes you moody and irritable. But you can’t wrongly accuse people. Maggie is old enough to be my mother, and she’s not even attractive. I’m not blind.” “Then why did you stay in her room? And let her use your blanket and pillow? Maybe you don’t have feelings for her, but what if she has feelings for you?” I deliberately lowered my voice, glaring at Jack. Jack burst out laughing. He said casually, “Our couch is too small. My legs were dangling off the edge. Maggie just offered to let me use her room for the night. How could anything happen between us? If Maggie bothers you that much, we can fire her and hire a new housekeeper.” Jack’s words were exactly what I wanted to hear. “Good, then let’s fire Maggie.” Jack froze for a moment, his smile becoming visibly stiff. “Honey, it’s not easy to find a good housekeeper. Think about it – Maggie cooks well, works efficiently, doesn’t talk much, and she’s older. Do we really want to fire her?” I said coldly, “Jack, what do you mean? You’re the one who suggested firing her and now you’re backtracking so quickly?” Jack’s attitude made me suspicious. Maggie had to go. I was already 6 months pregnant and didn’t want anyone affecting my mood. Jack frowned slightly and tugged at my hand. “Honey, good housekeepers are hard to find. Why don’t you think about it some more?” “Get out! Go sleep on the couch.” I didn’t want to argue with Jack anymore. I just didn’t want to see him. Jack spoke with a hint of resignation, nodding reluctantly. “Fine, fine. We’ll fire her. I’ll tell Maggie tomorrow.” 0

The next day, I slept until noon. Maggie brought the prepared meals to the table. Her eyes were a bit red, as if she had been crying. I had just sat down at the table when Maggie spoke up, “Emily, why do you want to fire me out of the blue? If I did something wrong, tell me and I promise I’ll change.” Maggie stood beside me, her eyes fearful and her tone very humble. It was clear this job was very important to her. Maggie suddenly grabbed my arm. “Emily, please let me stay. I promise I’ll take good care of you.” I came up with a reasonable excuse, “Maggie, my mom is coming to take care of me. You know I don’t work, and Jack’s salary isn’t that high. We want to cut expenses.” Maggie blurted out, “I can accept a pay cut. Please don’t let me go, okay?” A pay cut? Housekeepers like Maggie could easily find work. There was no need to accept a pay cut to stay. I started to have doubts – did Maggie really have feelings for Jack? Seeing I didn’t respond, Maggie forced an awkward smile. “Emily, today is the 23rd. Can you let me stay until the end of the month? I want to earn a few more days’ wages and look for a new job in the meantime.” There were 7 days left until the end of the month. Maggie’s request seemed reasonable, but I had a feeling something bad would happen if she stayed those 7 days. I was pregnant, carrying a child. With just the two of us at home, I was afraid of accidents. I smiled and said, “Maggie, you’re such a good person and efficient worker. You won’t have trouble finding a job. You’ve taken such good care of me. Consider these 7 days paid vacation – I’ll give you a full month’s salary without deductions. Go ahead and pack your things. My mom will be here soon.” My mom actually had no idea I was firing Maggie. Jack didn’t get along well with my parents, so I hadn’t asked my mom to come take care of me. On one hand, I was afraid they would argue. On the other hand, my mom was getting older and I didn’t want her to work too hard. Maggie looked at me with a complex expression, as if she wanted to get angry but was holding back. “Fine, I won’t overstay my welcome then. I’ll go pack my things.” Maggie went to pack in the guest room. After half an hour, she came out with a black bag and two large sacks. “Emily, why don’t you give me my salary today?” We normally paid Maggie on the 10th of each month. Since she asked, I agreed. “Okay, I’ll transfer it to your PayPal.” I transferred a full month’s salary to Maggie. After receiving the money, Maggie snorted coldly at me, immediately changing her attitude. She said, “Emily, you have too many bad habits. Just because you’re pregnant doesn’t mean you’re so precious. Be nicer to Jack in the future. You’re lucky he tolerates your bad temper. If this was back in my hometown, your in-laws would have beaten you to death by now.” I was stunned for a few seconds. I couldn’t believe such nasty words came out of Maggie’s mouth. You really can’t judge a book by its cover. She seemed so honest and simple before, but her words were so vicious. I regretted giving her an extra 7 days’ salary. Maggie wasn’t hired through an agency, but directly introduced by Jack’s friend. Even if I wanted to file a complaint, there was nowhere to do it. Maggie cursed again, “And you wouldn’t even let me eat at the table with you. Looking down on people like a snob.” Keeping someone like this around, who knows when she might secretly do something bad if provoked. I said coldly, “Get out of my house.” Maggie glanced at my belly and snorted. “That baby is definitely a girl. You don’t have the fortune to bear a son.” “Maggie, if you don’t get out of my house right now, I’m calling the police.” Maggie was her real name. I didn’t want to stay with this crazy woman any longer. Maggie’s wrinkled face broke into a smile.

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My usually innocent wife suddenly had many sexy lingerie pieces, with obvious signs of being grabbed. She explained they were her sister’s, which was confirmed, and I breathed a sigh of relief. Until that night, when I saw a message: “Kevin, are you asleep? I’m drunk and miss you so much.” I was furious. I’ll show them that even a nice guy isn’t to be trifled with! That day, while Mia was showering, I had to rush into the bathroom due to a bad stomachache. Mia was startled, but I laughed it off, “We’re married, don’t be shy.” As I sat on the toilet, trying to relieve myself, I couldn’t help but admire Mia’s body. She’s a part-time dance instructor with a hot figure – 5’7″ tall with a seductive face that gets your blood pumping. I couldn’t resist grabbing her hand, “Babe, you smell so good.” “Stop it! I’m tired. Let’s get some rest early.” Seeing Mia’s reaction, I got a bit angry. Without even wiping, I stood up and demanded, “Are you cheating on me?!” Mia got angry too. She turned the showerhead on me, soaking me completely, and yelled, “Jack Wilson! Have you no shame?!” Seeing Mia upset, I quickly tried to calm her down, “Don’t be mad, I was joking. But it has been a month since we…” Mia ignored me, dried herself off, and put on her underwear. I narrowed my eyes at her underwear choice – it was clearly a pink sexy lingerie set that I’d never seen her wear before. “Mia! Where did this underwear come from?” Mia looked down, then playfully pushed my head, “Isn’t this a surprise for you?” But this lingerie had clearly been worn many times, with visible signs of being grabbed. “This is obviously old!” I exclaimed, my face red with anger, feeling like a fool. Mia grabbed my arm, pouting, “Don’t be mad, honey. This afternoon I went to my sister’s place. Their faucet broke and soaked me completely, even my underwear. So I borrowed a set from my sister’s closet.” I immediately said, “I’ll call your sister right now!” I took out my phone, exchanged pleasantries, then got to the point: “Emma, Mia said she got soaked at your place this afternoon. Hope it wasn’t too much trouble.” “Yeah, my husband gave Mia a set of clothes to change into. Why, are you here to complain?” “No, no, just checking in.” I chatted a bit more before hanging up. Now it was Mia’s turn to be angry. She said I didn’t trust her and wouldn’t talk to me. I quickly tried to appease her: “Honey, don’t be mad! I was wrong to doubt you. I’m an idiot. What can I do to make it up to you?” To my surprise, Mia changed the subject: “Only if you add my name to the deed of the property.”

The property Mia mentioned was actually a large apartment I had bought from my previous business earnings. It was vacant and not rented out. Only my name was on the deed. Recently, the local government announced development plans, and with the lifting of purchase restrictions, the property value had tripled. Since the house wasn’t in her name, it was considered my premarital property. Although I had made a down payment on our future home in Mia’s name, with only her name on it, I had thought about adding Mia to the deed of the large apartment. After all, she was about to marry me, and I didn’t want to shortchange her. So I decided to use this opportunity: “No problem, baby. We’ll go to the property office this week.” I loved Mia so much that I was willing to give her everything. Mia was overjoyed. She hugged me tightly and kissed me frantically, “You’re the best, honey!” I smiled and kissed Mia back, then turned off the bedroom light. Afterwards, I sat on the bed smoking a cigarette while Mia went to shower. Her phone was charging on the nightstand. Looking at it, I felt a sudden urge to check it out. I knew Mia’s password, but we never looked at each other’s phones. Since we were about to get married, I figured it wouldn’t be a problem for spouses to check each other’s phones. Opening Mia’s SnapChat, there wasn’t a single chat history, including our conversations. It was all blank. This was Mia’s habit. She would delete all chat records after each conversation. But this didn’t stop me. I went into her PayPal to check for any suspicious transfers. Besides the $700 I sent her for each holiday, I found that Mia had received another $700 from someone else. Mia had saved the contact as “K,” I didn’t know what it meant. The profile picture was a tiger head, clearly a man, and probably an older one. I quickly took a photo of the transfer record with my phone, feeling a surge of anger and my hands shaking slightly as I put Mia’s phone back. I never imagined Mia would do this to me. If my guess was right, Mia must be cheating. Why else would someone send her special transfers on holidays? My blood was boiling. I wanted to burst into the bathroom with my phone and confront Mia, but I took a deep breath and buried my anger. Mia had never mentioned adding her name to the large apartment before. Why would she suddenly bring it up today? I suspected it had something to do with Mia’s affair partner. Perhaps they not only cheated on me but also wanted to get my property through Mia. Realizing this, I broke out in a cold sweat. I had to figure out who this person was. Just as I was thinking, suddenly a message came through on my SnapChat. “Jack, are you asleep? I’m drunk and miss you so much.”

Seeing this message, my hand trembled involuntarily. I had only met this woman a few times. She was Mia’s best friend, with a sexy appearance. During our previous dinners, she would flirt with me when Mia wasn’t looking, even rubbing her foot against mine under the table. But I never reciprocated. After all, my fiancée was prettier than her. But I never expected her to message me like this. To avoid any misunderstanding with Mia, I quickly deleted the message and decided not to respond. Mia said she was going to sleep, so I didn’t disturb her. I lay awake, pondering the contents of Mia’s phone. I suspected Mia was cheating. But the only clue I had was a tiger head profile picture. I needed to find out who this person was. I thought about following her, but I was afraid of being discovered. However, this didn’t stump me. I immediately thought of a foolproof method. From my previous business dealings, I knew a programming expert. The next day, I contacted the expert and asked if he could add a location tracking function to a phone. The expert said it was no problem and asked for the phone model. He then sent me the installation package and instructions. While Mia was showering, I found an opportunity to install the software on her phone. Now her location would be transmitted to my phone in real-time. However, to my surprise, Mia’s locations were very consistent. After work, she would go to the dance studio for an hour, then stop by her sister’s place on the way home, staying for an hour before returning. Was I being too sensitive? Maybe Mia wasn’t cheating after all? No, perhaps the affair partner was meeting Mia at the dance studio. I decided to follow Mia personally to see who she was meeting. Wearing sunglasses and a hat, I rented a car and disguised myself. After making sure I was unrecognizable, I took a day off work and followed Mia to her company. Mia was a company secretary. I had suspected she might be involved with her boss, but Mia’s boss was a woman, so that was impossible. But she could be involved with other colleagues. Office romances weren’t uncommon. So I spent the whole day wandering outside Mia’s company, occasionally seeing her print documents at the printer or interact normally with male colleagues. Maybe the affair partner wasn’t in the company? Just before the end of the workday, Mia walked out of the office building. I was sitting in the rented car, watching her from a distance. To my surprise, a black Lincoln pulled up silently beside her. Mia said something to the driver and got into the passenger seat. I immediately followed the car, which stopped at Mia’s dance studio. Not only did Mia get out, but also two of her female colleagues. So it turned out to be colleagues giving her a ride.

I waited outside the dance studio for a long time. There was a large glass window that allowed me to see inside clearly. Through the window, I could see Mia clearly. Her body was graceful as she taught a K-pop dance class in her sportswear. To be honest, I wasn’t surprised that such a beautiful woman might catch someone else’s eye. But after watching for a long time, no man approached Mia. After the dance class ended, Mia packed up and went straight to her sister’s place. Mia and her sister were very close, and Mia often visited her. I saw Mia enter the elevator, which stopped at her sister’s floor. After following her all day, it seemed Mia had no opportunity to cheat. I stood at the elevator, feeling foolish. Maybe I was wrong and too suspicious. As I stood there, a woman’s voice came from behind: “Jack, what are you doing here?” I turned around to find it was Mia’s sister, Emma. “Emma, uh, I came to find Mia. My phone’s broken and I forgot my keys, so I couldn’t call her. I figured she might be visiting you, so I came here to find her.” I quickly lied. Emma smiled and pressed the elevator button, “Mia is indeed here. Let’s go up together.” I smiled and followed Emma into the elevator. “You’re usually busy with work, so Mia usually has dinner at our place before going home. How come you’re off work so early today?” Emma asked. “Not much to do today,” I casually replied as Emma opened the door. “Honey!” A man’s voice came from inside as soon as the door opened. It was Emma’s husband and Mia’s brother-in-law, Kevin. Emma responded with a smile, “How did you know I was back? Jack’s here tonight, make enough dinner for one more.” Kevin came out, looking slightly surprised, but quickly recovered and said with a smile, “Oh, Jack’s here. Come on in.” “Where’s Mia?” Emma asked curiously as she hung up her bag. “Mia’s taking a shower inside. She said she was all sweaty from dancing.” “Control your wife, she’s been coming to our place to shower every day,” Emma joked. However, I found it strange because Mia always showered again when she got home at night. Just as I was thinking about this, Mia came out of the room, her hair still wet. She was drying her hair with a towel and asked curiously, “Why are you here?” I repeated the lie I told Emma. Mia nodded thoughtfully and then said, “Let’s go home then.” “Why not stay for dinner?” Emma asked curiously. “It’s okay, we need to…” Before Mia could finish, Emma smirked and said, “Oh, I get it. You’re rushing home for some alone time? Go on then, I won’t keep you.” “Shouldn’t you two be getting married soon?” Kevin suddenly asked, looking at me. I was taken aback for a moment, then nodded and replied, “Yeah, Mia and I are making preparations.” Kevin smiled and said, “Mia is a good girl. You better treat her well.”

Back home with Mia, I had followed her all day and found nothing suspicious. I began to wonder if I had been overthinking things. Maybe someone had a crush on Mia and sent her money. The chances of Mia cheating seemed slim. As we were getting ready for bed, Mia brought up adding her name to the property deed again. I truly loved Mia, and feeling guilty about my suspicions, I promised her, “We’ll go add your name this week.” Mia was thrilled, and that night she was very passionate. The next day, I didn’t follow Mia but went to work instead. Unexpectedly, I received a call at noon from the programming expert. He cautiously asked, “Are you alone? Can we talk?” My heart tightened, not knowing what he wanted to say. So I left my desk and went to a secluded corner, asking, “What’s the matter?” We didn’t usually have much contact, except for when I asked him to make the software. Was he calling to ask for more money? I became a bit wary. To my surprise, he said, “Brother, I didn’t want to tell you this, but I think you’re being taken advantage of. I feel I should let you know.” “What is it?” “I have a recording. I’ll send it to your SnapChat. Listen to it. The software I gave you has an automatic voice recording function. It recorded your girlfriend’s conversation.” I checked my SnapChat and sure enough, the expert had sent me an audio file. “It’s best to listen to it somewhere private,” he advised. Although I didn’t know what he was getting at, I clicked on it anyway. The recording was of passionate moaning, and I could clearly recognize Mia’s voice. “Don’t get handsy yet, let me tell you something…” Before Mia could finish, I heard the sound of passionate kissing. After a while, Mia spoke again, “Kevin, be gentle, you’re hurting me.”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “294794”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #现实主义Realistic #惊悚Thriller #重生Reborn #魔幻Magic #励志Inspiring #浪漫Romance #擦边Steamy

My husband’s family-sponsored girl calls him “daddy”. She claims she can’t bear to see me being kept in the dark by my husband. She deliberately left her underwear in Adrian’s car, trying to lure me into catching him cheating. Afterwards, she even said: “Girls help girls.” It was 8:30 PM, and I was still working overtime at the company. I received a friend request on SnapChat from someone with the username “Microsoft”. The verification message read: “Adrian’s little sister.” Adrian Chen is my husband of two years, whom I’ve known for ten years. I don’t remember him having a sister. Puzzled, I accepted the request. “Mrs. Chen?” The message popped up on my screen. I frowned at the “Mrs.” part. Though I had taken a gap year before college due to poor exam scores, I was still the same age as Adrian. Having just finished my master’s degree and not yet had my birthday, I was only 25. Being called “Mrs.” made me feel like I was already in my thirties or forties. Before I could type “Hello, who is this?”, Microsoft sent another message: “I just met Adrian’s parents! Are you home? We’re on our way back now.” What the hell? My husband took another woman to meet his parents and now they’re coming to our home? “Who are you?” I asked. “I’m Wendy. Oh, Mrs. Chen doesn’t know about me? Does that mean you haven’t prepared a room for me?” I raised an eyebrow. The name Wendy sounded familiar. Glancing at how she added me, I realized Adrian’s mother had sent her my contact. Then it dawned on me. Adrian’s parents had sponsored many students over the years. Wendy was one of them. She got into a prestigious university and became Adrian’s junior. She was now a senior. A few days ago, I heard from my mother-in-law that Wendy was about to start an internship and wanted to visit Adrian’s parents to express her gratitude for years of support. Originally, my mother-in-law had invited both Adrian and me to go back. But since Wendy and I had no connection, and I had just started at the company and wanted to keep up with my colleagues’ progress, I decided to stay behind and work overtime on the project. So tonight, only Adrian went back. But I never expected Adrian to bring her out, let alone to our home. Forget a room, I hadn’t even prepared a sleeping mat. But since she was already here, I couldn’t just turn her away. “I’m working overtime at the company. Ask Adrian to make arrangements for you,” I replied. She quickly responded: “Oh… but Adrian is a guy. Is it appropriate for him to do household chores like making a bed?” “Why don’t I ask him to pick you up from work? He doesn’t seem to be planning to pick you up.” The tea-scented jealousy oozing from the screen stung my eyes. I couldn’t help but wonder if Wendy on the other side of the screen was truly a green tea bitch or just genuinely naive. But since we had never met, I couldn’t jump to conclusions about her. Maybe the young girl was just innocent and straightforward, speaking without thinking. Besides, Adrian indeed wasn’t going to pick me up today. So I directly refused Wendy’s offer. To my surprise, Wendy misinterpreted my intentions. “Are you mad at Adrian?” “He didn’t mean to forget to pick you up. It’s probably because I’m with him, so he forgot about it!” I sent a string of ellipses. “No, he knows I drove.” Adrian’s call came at just the right moment. After explaining tonight’s situation, he asked me to come home. After that, Wendy stopped replying. To be honest, after our earlier conversation, I was also curious about Wendy. So I immediately drove home. As soon as I entered, I saw a short-haired girl sitting on the couch. She turned her head and smiled sweetly at me. “Mrs. Chen, you’re back! Don’t be shy, come sit down.” Her tone and posture made it seem like I was the guest. I scanned the living room and asked, “Where’s Adrian?” Just then, the sound of a door unlocking came from the hallway. Adrian walked out of the room. Seeing this, Wendy suddenly stood up. She ran over and clung to Adrian’s arm. Her voice carried a hint of coquettish complaint: “Adrian, you left me alone in the living room for so long, long enough for Mrs. Chen to come back!” Adrian’s usually cold face was suddenly clouded with a layer of dark annoyance. He shook off Wendy’s hand. “Don’t you know better?” “You’ve been giggling non-stop since we got in the car. It’s annoying as hell.” Back in high school, Adrian had been nicknamed the “Mute Groom.” With an extremely cold and aloof face, he rarely spoke. He was once considered the unapproachable flower of our year. But whenever he did speak, 80% of the time it was to scold someone. I knew this all too well. As Wendy was being scolded, I even gave her a sympathetic look. Wendy pouted. Her watery eyes blinked twice. It seemed like something was about to fall from her eyes. “I… I was just so happy to be living with you, Adrian. Did I cause you trouble…?” Adrian crossed his arms and stepped back against the wall. “Don’t you know better?” “You were too scared to stay at a hotel, insisted there were ghosts and you didn’t have the guts, then changed your tune once we got in the car. If you’re not tired of it, I sure am.” I couldn’t help but cover my mouth and laugh. How did Adrian manage to rhyme while scolding her so seriously? Wendy tearfully looked down. “That’s because I’m scared to stay alone… If you don’t stay with me, that’s why I…” In all the years I’ve known Adrian, I’ve never called him “honey” or any pet names. Not only is it sickening, but there’s also a high chance of getting scolded. But Wendy obviously didn’t know this. She kept calling him “honey” non-stop. Meanwhile, I sat on the couch watching the show, even snacking on some sunflower seeds. Finally, he couldn’t take it anymore and grabbed a blanket from the guest room. He tossed it onto the long couch. “You’re sleeping here tonight, and first thing tomorrow morning, you’re going out to rent your own place.” With that said, Adrian glared at me resentfully, then angrily turned and went into the room. Wendy lowered her head and looked at me tearfully. “Mrs. Chen, are you just going to watch Adrian bully me like this?” “Adrian wants to kick me out, aren’t you going to talk him out of it?” “We’re both girls, aren’t you going to help me?” I paused in my sunflower seed snacking. What does this have to do with me? But since she brought it up, I had no reason not to help her. I grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds and put them in her hand. She blinked in confusion: “What does this mean?” While continuing to eat sunflower seeds, I said, “These are sunflower seeds from Adrian’s home. Take them with you tomorrow. Whenever you miss him, just eat some seeds. That way you’ll feel like he’s by your side.” Wendy’s mouth twitched visibly. Then she quickly regained her composure. She turned and said, “Then… can I sleep with you tonight?” I shrugged. Gladly accepting. I didn’t mind Wendy sleeping with me. But when she stepped into the room, she froze in place. I turned and asked her why she wasn’t coming in. She gave me a questioning look. “Mrs. Chen… don’t you sleep with Adrian?” Oh, so she wanted the three of us to sleep together. Too bad. Although Adrian and I have been married for two years, I went abroad for my master’s degree right after getting our marriage certificate, and only returned last month. Because the change in our relationship status was so sudden, and we rarely saw each other during that time, we didn’t know how to get along, so we’ve been sleeping in separate rooms. Wendy’s expression froze for a moment. Then she immediately put on a relieved smile. “Oh, so Adrian doesn’t sleep with Mrs. Chen.” I was just watching all this for entertainment. But her constant passive-aggressive meddling all evening was starting to annoy me. I casually covered myself with the blanket, keeping my head still but glancing down at her standing by the bed. Deliberately putting on a creepy cold face, I asked her: “Do you know why?” “Why?” I said lightly: “I have an aunt on my body that he can see after midnight.” As soon as I said this. Wendy froze in place. I decided to quit while I was ahead. “But don’t worry, you should be fine if you’re asleep.” No matter what Wendy was thinking. I didn’t have the energy to tease her anymore. After saying that, I started feeling drowsy. But at 3 AM. A loud crashing sound suddenly came from outside. It sounded like a door slamming into a wall, startling me awake. I instinctively reached under my pillow for a knife, but grasped at nothing. Then I remembered I was in China. Next, a woman’s crying voice drifted in from outside the door. “Waaah… Adrian, why did you push me? You didn’t lock the door, doesn’t that mean you left it open for me on purpose?” This logic would be considered explosive even in the world of arguments. When I came out. Wendy was sobbing non-stop, hunching her shoulders and trying to grab Adrian’s sleeve. Adrian was rubbing his brow, clearly struggling to contain his anger. “I don’t need to explain to you why I didn’t lock the door.” “If an armored truck’s door is open, are you going to go explore inside?” “If a hearse’s door is open, are you going to lie down in it?” I leaned against the wall. As they remained at an impasse, I yawned sleepily. Wendy’s little tricks were obvious even to Adrian. Let alone to someone like me who had pursued Adrian for years. The reason I couldn’t be bothered to deal with this mess Wasn’t just because I trusted Adrian wouldn’t cheat. More so, I was still upset with him. The reason I chose to go abroad for my master’s degree back then Was because of something he said. “Don’t rely on me too much, you need to learn to be independent. Your life belongs to you, not as an appendage of mine.” At the time I thought it was just an excuse for him to push me away. Later when my world expanded, I finally understood what he meant. I really was boy-crazy back then. Ever since my father who raised me passed away when I was in 9th grade, and I moved in with Adrian’s family. He became like a second father to me. His parents treated me like their own daughter too. So I continued on with my usual stupidity, being foolish and short-sighted. Thinking that as long as I could be Adrian’s wife, my life would be complete. But friends in college made me realize the world wasn’t like I had imagined. Women don’t have to rely on men, and I don’t have to rely on Adrian. So I gradually started trying to reduce my dependence on him. And when he said those words, it hit me right in the heart, making me think he really didn’t want me around. I gathered the courage to leave him. Who knew that after I got my grad school acceptance letter. He would drag me to the civil affairs office in the middle of the night to wait. We stayed up all night to get our marriage certificate. When I boarded the flight to Philadelphia that day. I still hadn’t recovered from the shock of suddenly being married. So not only did we not have a married life. We didn’t even have a dating process. It was as hasty as my 48-point math score on the college entrance exam. Even after I understood his intentions. Most of the reason I was still upset was just because I felt my past self was so embarrassing, and now I couldn’t back down. Wendy followed me back to the room. As soon as she came in, she wiped away her tears and looked up at me with a smile. “Mrs. Chen, how was my performance just now?” I was stunned. Seeing her very self-satisfied expression, I frowned. I don’t understand, is there a PhD who can interpret this? Wendy smiled smugly, Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “Mrs. Chen, you may be older, but you’re not as experienced as me.” “For a man like Adrian, if you want him to be interested in you, you have to learn to control his emotions.” “See, I’ve already made him have an emotional reaction to me.” Her words Were enough to make my expression turn into “subway, elderly, cell phone”. Even a PhD couldn’t interpret her meaning. We need a post-doc to explain. I was a bit speechless. But my phone buzzed just then. Adrian had sent me a message. “Come over, don’t sleep with her.” When in Rome, do as the Romans do. I was happy to comply. I thought Adrian called me over to lecture me. But to my surprise, the first thing he asked was: “Sorry, did I make you unhappy?” His sudden display of manners caught me off guard. I shook my head. Adrian continued: “She wasn’t like this before.” Wasn’t like this before? I don’t remember them knowing each other before. Adrian explained that years ago, he had accompanied his father to visit some of the sponsored students’ homes. Wendy was one of them. But Wendy wasn’t called Wendy back then. Her personality was also lively and cheerful. Before she turned 18, her name was Xiaojuan Wu. After 18 she changed her name. For some unknown reason, she became like she is now. I wasn’t very interested in Wendy’s past. Although she had been passive-aggressive towards me all night, verbal attacks couldn’t cause real harm. She was just a young girl who hadn’t entered society yet. Wasn’t I just as annoying to Adrian back then? Why should I bother with her? Besides, she was leaving tomorrow. She was supposedly going to intern at Adrian’s company. As long as she didn’t cause any trouble, I would try my best to ignore her. However, reality proved me wrong. On Wendy’s first day at work. She parachuted in as an executive assistant, causing a stir in the project department. Olivia, who sat next to me, nudged me with her elbow. “Zoe, did you hear? The new executive assistant was pushed in by the CEO’s office.” “Do you think she might be a big shot’s daughter coming to experience working life?” I was busy working on sketches for a new project and didn’t look up as I said I wasn’t sure. Olivia sighed softly. She was about to say something else when someone tapped her. She immediately turned her head and started gossiping in a low voice. After just a few minutes, she turned back to me and leaned in close. Lowering her voice, she said: “Zoe, I just heard some big gossip, but don’t tell anyone!” “The new executive assistant is actually Adrian’s fiancée!” Wait. What did she say? My interest was piqued, and I put down my stylus. “Which Adrian?” “THE Adrian! Adrian Chen!” Speechless. The gossip had come to my own doorstep. No one at the company knew about my relationship with Adrian. Even if I said it, no one would believe it. The wife of Adrian Chen was just a regular employee in the project department, not even a team leader. But everyone in the company knew Adrian was married. I tried to gently correct her, attempting to shake off the hat on my head. “Fiancée? But I heard he’s already married?” But as soon as I said this. The situation suddenly developed in an even more ridiculous direction. “Oh right! I forgot about that!” Olivia had a sudden realization: “So that means… the new executive assistant is Adrian’s wife!” I stared at her for a few seconds. I had zero desire to explain. When I looked back, I saw the door of the project department being pushed open from the outside. Wendy walked in carrying several bags of coffee. She smiled as she distributed coffee to her colleagues. However. I noticed her actions were very strange. Olivia noticed too. She leaned over and whispered to me: “Isn’t that the executive assistant?” “Why is she being picky about who gets coffee?” “Except for Manager Lee, she didn’t give any to the technical staff.” It’s not that we were craving her coffee. But in a row of workstations, everyone got coffee except for one person. This scene was inevitably awkward. But Wendy didn’t seem to think so. When she came to my and Olivia’s workstations, she had already given out all the coffee. She had clearly checked the number of people in the project department beforehand. She stood in front of me. Placing a stack of Starbucks paper bags on my desk. “Mrs. Chen, please throw these away.” ? I looked at her in bewilderment. “Why?” Wendy relaxed her shoulders, crossed her arms, and smiled with pursed lips. “Input and output should be proportional.” “Mrs. Chen has a high salary, so of course you should do more than others!” How did she know my salary was high? Oh. She’s the executive assistant to the project department manager, so she would have access to see the department staff’s pay stubs. Before I could speak. She put on a fair and just expression. Looking around at everyone, she said: “The technical staff have high monthly salaries, which other colleagues can’t compare to.” “So there’s no coffee for you today!” “Oh, and for fairness, to create a good work atmosphere and promote relationships between colleagues, I propose—” “From now on, the technical staff should pool money every afternoon to buy afternoon tea for the office colleagues.” Is this human speech? Even capitalists would be ashamed of themselves. Does Wendy have any emotional intelligence? Not only is she openly flaunting salary differences in the office. She also wants to exploit the technical staff. Does she think the computer will automatically generate our final draft that we’ve revised 800 times just by sitting in the chair? The whole industry knows. Us concept artists, 3D modelers and other technical staff earn hair transplant money. $3000 is what I deserve. I even think Adrian is paying me too little. I stood up and stuffed the stack of bags back into Wendy’s hands. “Miss Wu, you’re so kind.” I gratefully grabbed her arm. Taking advantage of her showing a smug smile, I blurted out: “Then please lead by example and buy afternoon tea for a month. I’ll definitely send you a banner calling you one of China’s most touching philanthropists.” As soon as I finished speaking. The previously quiet office erupted in a wave of murmurs. Probably seeing the tension between Wendy and me, Olivia tugged at me gently, signaling me not to offend her. At the impasse, a sudden booming male voice broke the deadlock. “I support Miss Wu’s proposal! I’ll be the first to do it!” The speaker was Manager Lee. Getting support, Wendy immediately puffed out her chest. “You—” she pointed at me: “Come to my office.” With that, she turned and left. Anyone with eyes could see the situation. The nail that sticks out gets hammered down. This Miss Wu was going to make things difficult for me. Her arrogant attitude really made it hard for me not to wonder who exactly gave her such great power. It was outrageous that as an intern, she shamelessly acted like an unscrupulous capitalist. I followed her into the secretary’s office. Wendy sat in the swivel chair, looking down at me haughtily. “Zoe Chen, I called you Mrs. Chen earlier out of respect for Adrian.” “But now I’m your superior, you’d better apologize to me in front of everyone before I get angry.” I couldn’t help but smile. I casually found a chair to sit down, looking her in the eye, and brought up another topic. “I’m very curious, why does everyone say you’re Adrian’s fiancée?” Wendy snorted lightly. “You still don’t know what my relationship with Adrian is, do you?” “I’m his child bride~” “What?!” I couldn’t help but exclaim in disbelief. “If not, then why would his family keep giving me money, let me go to school, and even help me get into Adrian’s company?” “Isn’t that basically acknowledging my relationship with Adrian?” ? By her logic. Anyone who was sponsored would be a child bride. Then Adrian would have a sea of “child brides”. She didn’t seem to realize at all that there was a problem with what she was saying. She looked me up and down. “Hurry up and apologize, or else when Adrian and I get married, you’ll be in for it!” I didn’t understand. I asked her back: “You know we’re married, so do you know what this behavior is called?” She shrugged, looking nonchalant: “You want to say I’m the other woman, right?” “But let me tell you, love doesn’t care who came first. The one who isn’t loved is the other woman.” “Adrian marrying you was a long time ago when he was young and didn’t know any better. He chose the wrong person. Besides, he’s realized now that I’m the best.” She leaned forward, smiling provocatively: “Just wait, soon you’ll be the other woman.” Life has taught me one thing. Education level, zodiac sign, etc. cannot determine a person’s character and personality. Some people are smart and hardworking, but their brains have problems. Because of Wendy’s past, Adrian and I had been trying hard to tolerate her. But she was getting more and more outrageous. When she said “I’m a dream girl”, I even doubted my own ears. But at this moment, I suddenly understood. So, she’s Adrian’s… delusional fan? When I told Adrian about this. He suddenly looked at me with clear yet stupid eyes. “You’re not a dream girl?” “…If it’s a fictional character, why would I be a dream girl? Moreover, you’re not a fictional character.” After I finished speaking

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I Woke up in a novel where everyone loves the heroine A business tycoon for the eldest brother, a medical genius for the second, and a Hollywood star for the third. I thought I was the beloved heroine. But it turns out… I’m just a side character? Wait, why are my brothers doting on me every day? Could it be… I’m actually the real heiress? I found myself transported into a popular online novel where the heroine is loved by everyone. My parents were wealthy and pampered me with the best of everything. I thought I could just sit back and enjoy the easy life, but then one day, a woman showed up claiming to be the real daughter. She pointed at me, accusing me of being an imposter, and demanded a DNA test. The kicker? My so-called parents actually believed her and agreed to the test! Great, so I really am the fake one. What the hell? Then it hit me – I remembered the title of this book: “All the CEOs Love Me: The True and False Heiress”! Oh God, I only read the beginning of this story because it was too ridiculous to continue. So I’m actually the fake heiress! This is not how it’s supposed to go… “Mom, Dad, I’ve missed you so much…” I sat to the side, watching as the “real daughter” Chloe Winters cried her eyes out, constantly throwing herself at her mother while recounting all the hardships she’d endured over the years. “Life in the orphanage was so hard! sob If only…” She glanced at me, her eyes full of resentment, but her tone unchanged, still dripping with pathos that would melt anyone’s heart. “If only you hadn’t picked up the wrong baby back then… But I don’t blame you. I’m just so happy to have found you. I’ll get along well with my sister from now on.” The two quickly embraced, crying together. Her mother kept apologizing and promising to make it up to her. Before I knew it… I felt like I’d been hit by a truck. Watching the mother and daughter bond like they’d never been apart, I quietly slipped out to clear my head. Little did I know, when I returned, my adoptive parents’ attitude had completely changed. “Aria, what your birth parents did was utterly selfish! To think my daughter was left to suffer for so many years because of them.” Huh? I glanced at Chloe smirking behind them, and I had a pretty good idea of what had happened. They were blaming my birth parents, weren’t they? I wasn’t sure how the plot would develop from here, so I just listened quietly. My adoptive mother steeled herself and waved her hand dismissively. “We’ve been mother and daughter for so many years, so let’s just leave it at that. I’ll contact your birth parents to come pick you up.” I understood, so I sincerely thanked these adoptive parents and volunteered to leave on my own. Unexpectedly, my calm acceptance gave Chloe an opportunity to further manipulate the situation. She started poisoning my adoptive parents’ minds with veiled comments, saying I was just like my birth parents – heartless and ungrateful. Sure enough, my adoptive mother got even angrier and immediately had someone contact my birth parents. Me: …

According to Chloe, my birth parents were just farmers. Because they were poor, they switched me with her right after we were born, which led to my adoptive parents taking the wrong baby home, while she was sent to an orphanage. I was dumbfounded, thinking to myself that it wouldn’t be a proper novel if it wasn’t this ridiculously dramatic. But based on my years of reading experience, there had to be more to the story. Who knows, maybe there’d be a huge plot twist later? Besides, since I’d already transmigrated into a novel, living on a farm didn’t sound so bad! So I waited patiently. My adoptive mother worked quickly, and within a few hours, my birth parents had arrived. Without wasting a moment, she packed up my more valuable belongings and threw me out along with them. “Your parents are waiting outside. You can go now.” She slammed the door shut without even looking at me. No wonder they say women change their minds quickly. Just this morning, she was still the image of a gentle, loving mother. I smiled wryly, picked up my things, and headed out. Well, it’s money after all. Might as well take it. Outside the main gate, in front of a Bentley, stood a man who looked like a bodyguard. Next to him was an anxious-looking wealthy woman who rushed up to me as soon as she saw me. “Aria! Are you Aria?” I nodded, “You are…?” “I’m your mom!” She wiped away tears and hugged me tightly. “Have you been living here all this time? You must have suffered so much all these years!” I paused and glanced back at the mansion behind me. Umm… “What’s all this junk you’re carrying? Were they mean to you? They didn’t even come out to see you off!” This mom was something else. She really despised the stuff, huh? On the way, my birth mother acted just like my adoptive mother when she first found her daughter. She told me about the mix-up at the hospital years ago that had made it impossible for them to find me, and promised to make it up to me from now on. I thought to myself that I might have hit the jackpot again. When I saw the castle-like estate, I finally understood why she thought I’d been suffering out there. A line of servants and butlers stood at attention, all chorusing, “Welcome home, young miss!” My birth mom explained that although they were farmers, they owned modern, high-tech farms and were extremely wealthy landowners. We had barely sat down when a deep, urgent male voice came from outside, “Where’s my daughter? Where is she?” My birth father was incredibly well-preserved, tall and handsome, not looking old at all. After a round of emotional reunions, my mom told me, “The good news came so suddenly today. Your brothers are already on their way back home.”

Just before dinner, we finally had our big family reunion. Seriously, I was this close to becoming a fangirl. My eldest brother, Charles Pierce, stood at over six feet tall with an imposing presence that seemed even bigger. He was the epitome of a domineering CEO. My second brother, Colin Pierce, was known to others as a “medical genius.” He had a gentle demeanor, and his smile was like a spring breeze. As for my third brother, Christopher… well, he hadn’t arrived yet. Apparently, he was still on the plane. In short, this whole family was rich, good-looking, and impressive. I bet I’d be grinning even in my dreams. No, wait! Don’t let me wake up! What kind of fairy tale plot was this? I absolutely loved it! “By the way, Aria, you’re studying at Ashton University now, right? I’ll arrange for you to transfer to a prestigious private academy. And we’ll change your last name tomorrow too.” As soon as Dad spoke, Charles efficiently moved to make a call, but I quickly stopped him. “It’s okay, Dad. I’m fine where I am. There are only two years left anyway. Let’s keep a low profile.” “Our Aria wants to keep a low profile? Alright, we’ll do as you wish. But from now on, we’ll take care of the food services at Ashton. You need to eat well.” “Thank you, Mom and Dad.” Charles smiled coolly as he elegantly rolled up his sleeves. “I approved the proposal Ashton sent over a few days ago.” “Thank you, Charles.” Colin, seemingly not wanting to be outdone, raised an eyebrow. “In that case, the medical facilities should be upgraded too. I’ll send two of my best students to oversee it.” “Thank you, Colin.” I was on a winning streak. But it didn’t end there. After dinner, Charles gifted me a limited edition Rolls-Royce. Colin pulled out a women’s watch worth millions, while Christopher, who hadn’t even arrived yet, sent ahead a designer gown that even A-list celebrities would struggle to get their hands on. I was dazzled, utterly thrilled. As for Mom and Dad, well, they gave me several credit cards, put my name on various property deeds, and told me to ask for anything I wanted. That night, lying in the princess bedroom they had prepared for me, I couldn’t even bring myself to sleep. Who could understand this feeling!

The next day, I got up early. Sticking to my principle of keeping a low profile, I left the car Charles gave me in the garage and had the driver take out a less conspicuous one. As for the watch Colin gave me, it was just too beautiful. I figured not many people would recognize it anyway, so I happily wore it to school. Just as I reached the classroom door, I overheard someone talking about a new transfer student who had arrived very ostentatiously this morning. I wasn’t particularly interested, as this was quite common at Ashton University. But suddenly, someone’s gaze fell on me. “Hey, Aria, I heard the new transfer student is the Winters’ heiress. Is she your sister or something?” With this setup, I wasn’t too surprised when I saw Chloe Winters. Coincidentally, she was even in the same class as me. “Hello everyone, I’m Chloe Winters. Please take care of me from now on.” She quickly charmed the class with her sweet girl-next-door image. After class, she came up to me and affectionately called me “sister.” This school was like a miniature society, where people always tried to cozy up to those from powerful families. If she wanted to let others know she was a Winters, it would’ve been simple. But this “sister” act really threw me for a loop. What was this girl up to? She seemed determined to play out this charade of sisterly affection, asking me if I was tired from studying lately, if anyone was bullying me, and so on. I gave her a quick once-over, my eyebrow involuntarily arching. From the side came a confused voice, “Aria, how come we never heard you had a sister? You two seem so close.” Chloe jumped in to answer, “Because I only just came home recently.” I watched with an amused smile, pretty much guessing what she was trying to do. Sure enough, the next moment, Chloe put on an expression of hesitation. “Sis, you… never mind. You must be feeling out of sorts after leaving the Winters family, right?” As she spoke, she took out a credit card from her bag and handed it to me. “Mom and Dad told me not to help you, but I still want to do what I can for you, sis. Don’t think it’s too little, okay?” I looked at her, suddenly breaking into a smile as I took the card. “How could I think it’s too little? This is my dear sister’s heartfelt gift.” With all this “sister” talk back and forth, I was starting to wonder if I’d transmigrated into some period drama. After all this drama, someone finally asked the question Chloe had been waiting for. “What’s going on here?” Chloe pursed her lips, feigning regret. “Actually, my sister isn’t the Winters’ biological child. Her birth parents are just farmers who used some tricks to get her into the Winters family when she was little. But it’s all worked out now. I’ve finally returned to my rightful place, so I don’t blame her anymore.” I casually played with the credit card in my hand, looking at her with a smile that didn’t quite reach my eyes as she put on her little act. “Aria… is this true?” The onlookers’ expressions changed as they looked at me. I nodded without hesitation. “My birth parents are indeed farmers.”

After getting my confirmation, everyone clearly gravitated towards Chloe. What’s the deal? I transmigrated into a novel where everyone loves the heroine, not some court intrigue story. Did they have to be so obvious about sucking up to the powerful and looking down on the weak? “Alright, everyone, settle down. We’re having a brief meeting,” our faculty advisor bustled into the classroom. “Today, we have a very important signing ceremony,” the advisor said, looking pleased with himself. “This concerns the school’s development, so we need to choose a student representative to give a speech.” After saying this, the advisor’s gaze swept across the classroom. “Let’s have Chloe Winters do it.” Me: ??? Chloe had just transferred to Ashton University. What qualifications did she have to represent the entire student body? “Thank you for your trust, sir. I know my sister used to be the student representative, but I’ll definitely do better than her. I won’t let everyone down,” Chloe said as she gracefully stood up to face the class. “There’s one more thing I’d like to ask of everyone.” Chloe raised her eyes to look at me. I had a bad feeling about this. Sure enough! “I hope that after learning about my sister’s background, you won’t look down on her. After all, she’s lived with the Winters family for so many years. She’ll always be my dear sister.” Stop with all this “sister” nonsense! This isn’t some period drama! Internally, I only had four words – Don’t get involved with me! Chloe’s manipulative behavior had thoroughly angered me. She wanted the spotlight? Fine. Don’t worry, I absolutely won’t let her have her way! “Charles.” I made a call to my eldest brother. The school had prepared quite elaborately for the afternoon signing ceremony. Chloe had put on exquisite makeup and was wearing an evening gown, standing in the school’s auditorium looking a bit out of place. “What? Mr. Pierce, you…” The dean seemed flustered. “May I ask, why…”

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On my wedding day, the groom ran away. So I turned around and married his dad instead. If I can’t be the bride, I’ll be your mom. When he came back, he saw me still in his house and thought I was shamelessly refusing to leave. He pulled out a pure, innocent girl from behind him, declaring she was his true love, and told me not to delude myself. I smiled slightly and held the hand of the man beside me. “Son, daughter-in-law, why don’t you call me Mom?” I’m the heiress of the Brown Group. Today was supposed to be my wedding day with the Yale family’s son, but the groom who should have appeared at the wedding was nowhere to be seen. “You’re saying Lucas ran away?” My voice was ice cold. “That seems to be the case…” The maid trembled as she reported. My parents were furious too. The Brown and YaleYale family families had been preparing for this wedding for months. All the top socialites in New York had received invitations, and the media was reporting on it extensively. If Lucas had any objections to the wedding during this time, he could have brought them up at any point. To run away on the wedding day was simply slapping the Brown family in the face publicly. After comforting me, my parents hurriedly left to discuss countermeasures. As I huddled in a corner, contemplating how to proceed with this engagement party, there was a commotion at the entrance. I instinctively looked up and saw a man in a black suit with strikingly handsome features. This man was Adrian Yu, the current head of the Yale family and Lucas’s nominal father. At 35 years old, he still looked like he was in his early twenties. Adrian rarely appeared at large events. Even I had only seen him a handful of times. The moment this man appeared, people from various families at the banquet rushed over. Watching Adrian politely decline everyone and stride towards me, a crazy idea suddenly popped into my head. “Uncle Adrian.” I put on a polite smile, but there was a hint of grievance in my voice. Next, Adrian’s voice, deep and melodious like a cello, rang out. “Miss Ming, I’m sorry for the trouble this has caused you. I’ve already sent people to catch him. You can deal with him as you see fit when he’s brought back.” “I’ll explain the situation to everyone. The wedding will be postponed, and the Yale family will bear all losses from this incident.” This was indeed a perfect solution, but I now had an even better choice. “Uncle Adrian, I’ve been engaged to the Yale family since childhood, but the groom doesn’t necessarily have to be Lucas, right?” “What?” The situation changed so quickly that Adrian was momentarily caught off guard. After he realized what I meant, his gaze became profound. “Of course. So who do you want to choose?” I flashed a sweet smile, then without hesitation reached out my hand towards Adrian. “Would you like to be my groom?” Although Adrian was Lucas’s nominal father, he wasn’t Lucas’s biological father. There were rumors that Adrian was impotent and had never married. At 25, he had adopted a child from a branch family – that child was Lucas. Impotence didn’t matter much to me. With modern medicine being so advanced, I believed it could certainly be cured. If it really couldn’t be cured, being childless seemed fine too. Adrian looked at the girl’s radiant smile and raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure?” “Of course.” I replied without hesitation. Compared to Lucas, Adrian was at least twice as handsome. Even if he was impotent, just looking at his handsome face every day would be satisfying. It was certainly better than being cheated on by that ugly Lucas behind my back. Adrian stared at me intently. “Alright.” As his large hand with distinct knuckles clasped my small, delicate one, my heart skipped a beat. The wedding simply swapped out the main characters. We didn’t even need to change clothes. The elegant white wedding dress paired perfectly with Adrian’s tailored black suit, as if the two were always meant to be bride and groom. Everyone at the wedding banquet was shrewd. Lucas’s escape was too sudden and hadn’t been deliberately concealed, so most guests knew about it. Reporters had caught wind of the gossip and were eagerly raising their cameras towards the stage, waiting to see the drama unfold between two of New York’s most powerful families. When they saw me walking up arm-in-arm with Adrian, many people’s jaws dropped in shock. They had to admire this move of directly swapping out the groom. The officiant very professionally introduced the new bride and groom with a freshly printed script. “The bride and groom will now exchange rings…” Adrian took out a ring and put it on my finger. I also took out a ring and put it on Adrian’s finger. As I was putting the ring on Adrian, I noticed it didn’t fit well. My eyes showed an apologetic look. This ring was sized for Lucas. There wasn’t time to make a new one on such short notice. It’s good that it could still be used, even if it was a bit tight. After exchanging rings, it was time for the groom to kiss the bride. I couldn’t help feeling nervous. Adrian’s public image was one of keeping himself pure and aloof. Even on the rare occasions he attended events, he never had a female companion. Would he be willing? I was starting to regret dragging Adrian into this on a whim. Just as I was lost in thought, I suddenly felt a soft sensation on my lips. I opened my eyes in disbelief to see Adrian’s flawless face up close. Seeming to sense my shock, Adrian placed his hand on the back of my head to deepen the kiss. I slowly closed my eyes as the guests’ congratulatory applause rang out around us. My parents were unaware of my sudden choice, but they could only smile and respond to the congratulations from those around them. They couldn’t publicly embarrass their daughter, after all. Taking advantage of the toast, my mom pulled me into a room. My dad was there too. She locked the door. “Olivia, what’s going on? How did you suddenly end up with Adrian?” “Because he’s handsome…” I didn’t know how else to explain my impulsive decision. “Handsome?” My mom thought about Adrian’s face. He was indeed very handsome. “But he’s over 10 years older than you. He was almost done with elementary school when you were just born.” “So what? Don’t they say older men are more caring?” I brazenly replied. “But… I heard he’s impotent…” My mom’s brow remained furrowed. Ah, this… Just as I was wracking my brain trying to find a way to gloss over this, there was a knock at the door. Knock knock knock. My mom opened the door. Adrian was standing there. It wasn’t clear if he had just arrived or had been there for a while. My parents quickly put on gracious smiles, as if they hadn’t just been questioning him. “Mr. Yu, is there something you need?” “I have some things I’d like to discuss with you.” Adrian chatted with my parents about who knows what. In just a short while, they were no longer opposed to this marriage and actually seemed quite approving of Adrian. “Adrian is good too. Capable and skilled.” My dad acknowledged Adrian’s abilities. Though he was older, this kind of man could truly protect his precious daughter. Lucas, who ran away at the last minute, wasn’t worthy of his daughter. After the wedding, I moved into Adrian’s mansion. This place was Adrian’s personal residence. It was my first time here. The interior decor was minimalist, best described as black, white and gray. A day of busy socializing left us smelling of alcohol and sweat. Adrian went to freshen up first. I sat on the couch to rest. The sound of running water could be heard from the bathroom. Through the frosted glass, I could vaguely make out the figure inside. My face flushed red with embarrassment, and I stopped looking. After a while, the water stopped. I instinctively looked up. Adrian walked out of the bathroom wearing a bathrobe. The open neckline revealed his muscular chest and hints of abs. I was a bit dazed. Wow, I didn’t expect this man to have such a great body! Seeing me staring at him, Adrian’s lips curled into a faint smile. “Olivia, go take a shower.” His deep, magnetic voice rang out. Realizing I had been staring at him in a daze, I shyly retreated to the bathroom, took off my clothes, and let the water run over me. My ears were still ringing with Adrian calling me “Olivia”… How had I not noticed before how alluring he was? After showering, I suddenly realized I hadn’t brought any clothes in with me… I had no choice but to carefully open the bathroom door a crack, poking out half my face. “A-Adrian, I forgot to bring clothes. Could you please hand them to me? They’re in the bag on the couch. Just pass the whole bag to me.” There was no response from outside for a while. I was a bit confused. Had Adrian gone out? Just as I was about to ask again, a response came: “Okay.” That pleasant voice had a hint of huskiness to it. Then I heard footsteps and the rustling of a bag outside. Soon after, Adrian came to the bathroom door. “Here you go.” I carefully opened the door a crack and stuck out my arm. The clothes were placed in my hand. “Thank you.” As I closed the bathroom door, I accidentally made eye contact with Adrian. Those deep eyes seemed to be burning with flames. Looking at the intimate apparel in my hands, my face turned completely red. Ahh, I clearly told him to pass the whole bag to me. After dawdling in the bathroom for ages, I eventually had to come out. I steeled myself and pushed open the door. Adrian had already changed into pajamas and was sitting on the bed reading some documents. Seeing me come out, he closed the documents. Seeing no teasing expression on his face, I let out a sigh of relief. I actually had some serious matters I wanted to ask him about. “How do you plan to deal with Lucas?” As if he had anticipated I would ask, Adrian handed me the documents he was just reading. “Take a look.” I walked over and took the documents. Inside was the process of Lucas meeting a girl, similar to the cliche rich young master falling for a pure, innocent girl in old romance novels. There was even a photo of this innocent girl helpfully attached. She really did look pure and innocent. Without my knowledge, these two had gone through cycle after cycle of angst and reconciliation… Until last night, when the innocent girl learned Lucas was getting married. She called Lucas in tears. Lucas’s heart ached. He regretted it and abandoned his bride-to-be to elope with his pure, innocent love overnight. Wow, if I wasn’t the abandoned bride myself, I’d really want to congratulate them. But unfortunately, I was that unlucky bride. Damn it, what were these two doing before? Looking at the timeline in the documents, the two had been in an angsty relationship for two months. That was even longer than the wedding preparations. If Lucas had revealed even a hint of this information, I wouldn’t be so angry. “Lucas has already taken his little girlfriend abroad for a vacation. I’ve sent people to bring him back. If you’re willing, our wedding can be annulled.” Adrian said flatly, seeming to have noticed my anger and thinking I regretted it. After all, we hadn’t officially registered our marriage, just held a wedding ceremony. But how could I regret this? I lost some trash and gained a treasure. This was simply my good fortune. “We’re married now. I’m your wife. Let’s go register our marriage tomorrow.” I was very serious. Adrian saw that my words came from the heart. He became serious too. “Alright.” “You said before that I could deal with Lucas as I see fit. Does that still stand?” I suddenly flashed a mischievous smile. “As you wish.” Very good. “I want you to freeze his cards!” Without funds, let’s see how comfortably Lucas can vacation abroad with his pure, innocent girl. Adrian saw through my wicked intentions. Not only did he not stop me, he fanned the flames. “Starting today, I’ll take away all the funds under his name. What do you think, my dear?” The sudden “my dear” caught me off guard. After I realized, my face couldn’t help turning red again. “I think that’s great.” Naturally, I was even happier if we could make him suffer more. With the scumbag dealt with, it was time for the next step. “Let’s rest then.” Adrian seemed to truly be tired. He reached out to turn off the lights. Everything went dark. I lay stiffly on the bed, not daring to move. This was my first time getting married, so I wasn’t quite sure about the procedures. What should I do next? Consummate the marriage? Just as I was wondering if I should take the initiative… “Sleep. I won’t touch you until you’re willing.” I let out a sigh of relief, but then remembered the rumors I had heard before… Could Adrian really resist with a beautiful young woman next to him? Was he really impotent? “?” Adrian, who had just closed his eyes, opened them again. I then realized I had accidentally said my thoughts out loud. I quickly tried to save the situation by pretending to be asleep. However, before I could even close my eyes for two seconds, I felt a body on top of me. Long-fingered hands rested on my slender waist as warm breath tickled my ear. “Why don’t you test it out yourself, my dear?” As it turned out, one should not provoke a man who has been abstinent for many years. Otherwise, be prepared to face the consequences. When I woke up the next day, the sun was already high in the sky. The bed beside me was cold. Adrian wasn’t there. Well, a big CEO is very busy after all. I was so hungry my stomach was growling. I went downstairs to forage for food. To my surprise, Adrian was sitting at the dining table, holding a magazine. “My dear, you’re up. Did you sleep well last night?” Today Adrian wasn’t wearing a suit. He had on a simple white shirt with the collar slightly open, faintly revealing the marks underneath. Remembering yesterday, my face flushed red again. But I refused to back down verbally: “I slept very well, darling!” Hearing this pet name, Adrian’s smile grew even more unrestrained. “It seems my dear was very satisfied with last night. That puts my mind at ease.” Who’s praising him? This old man is so shameless. I can’t compete, I really can’t compete! I grumbled as I sat down at the table. “I’m hungry!” Adrian smiled indulgently and went to the kitchen to bring out the food he had been keeping warm. “You just woke up, so you can’t eat anything too greasy.” The breakfast on the table was simple – a plate of steamed buns, two small side dishes, and a bowl of porridge. I was starving and didn’t care about the details. I eagerly picked up a bun and took a bite. My eyes immediately lit up. It’s delicious! “This is so good. Who made these buns?” Adrian smiled without saying anything. A thought flashed through my mind. “Don’t tell me you made them!” Adrian casually confirmed it with a light comment: “I’m glad they suit your taste.” I wanted to say something snarky, but the flavor really was excellent! One can’t go against their conscience. Seeing me eat happily, Adrian was very satisfied. His efforts in learning to cook weren’t wasted. By the time I finished dawdling over breakfast, it was already quite late. I went upstairs to change clothes. The decision to marry Adrian was so sudden that I hadn’t prepared in advance. There were no women’s clothes in the mansion. The clothes I had were still from my parents’ home. Adrian’s brow furrowed slightly. He went out to make a phone call. When he came back, I was already done getting ready. “Let’s go, darling.” “Alright.” Adrian was wearing a white shirt paired with light jeans today, looking like a fresh-faced college student at first glance. But… I blushed as I looked at the exposed collarbone peeking out from his shirt collar, as well as the red marks below. “Are you really going out like that?” Adrian looked confused. “Is there a problem?” I could only step forward to adjust his collar, then took Adrian’s arm and walked out. Adrian chuckled softly, his large hand grasping my small one. With our wedding photos freshly printed, Adrian and I were truly husband and wife now. Saying goodbye to single life so suddenly, I still felt a bit unaccustomed. But looking at the handsome couple in our wedding photos, tsk tsk, we really were a perfect match. I have such good taste! Lucas had gone abroad to vacation with that innocent girl. With his cards frozen, he’d come crawling back in at most two days without money. I was really looking forward to seeing Lucas’s reaction when he came back and saw me become his mom. Adrian was truly thoughtful. After we got back home from registering our marriage, I saw the previously empty closet stuffed full of various clothes and jewelry, all new releases from top brands this season. “It was too rushed to have anything custom made. Please make do with these for now,” Adrian said. Although I already owned many of these clothes, I was still very pleased with Adrian’s thoughtfulness and rewarded him with a kiss. Just as I had predicted, with all his cards frozen, Lucas was having an extremely difficult time abroad. As the young master of a major corporation, he had never carried cash in his pockets. Fortunately, he had his innocent girl with him. The girl hadn’t worked since getting together with Lucas, but luckily she still had some savings from before. If it weren’t for the innocent girl, he probably wouldn’t even be able to get back. The innocent girl’s real name was Lily. She gently comforted Lucas: “Lucas, don’t worry. Maybe something happened. Let’s buy tickets back to check.” “Lily, thank you.” Seeing Lily use her own savings to buy the tickets, Lucas was deeply moved. He vaguely guessed what might have happened with his cards being frozen. His cards had unlimited credit limits. The bank wouldn’t dare freeze them without good reason. It must be that Olivia woman who said something! Anyway, the wedding was over and it was time to go back. Lily had been by his side for so long. They were truly in love, and it was time to give her proper status. After all… she had even given him her first time. Thinking this, Lucas’s face broke into a blissful smile. Once they got back, the two of them would get married. Then he would take over Yu Corporation from Adrian, and no one would be able to control him anymore. He could already envision his happy life in the future. So the two of them rushed to catch a flight back that very night. After a seven-hour flight, they arrived at the mansion early the next morning around 8am. Lucas knew Adrian usually didn’t stay at the old family home, so he headed straight for Adrian’s villa. At this time, I was lazily curled up on the couch watching TV while waiting for Adrian to make breakfast. These past few days of being around Adrian constantly, I realized his previous cold and aloof image was all an act. He was actually quite the charmer, an expert at seducing people. To enjoy our time alone together, Adrian had even given all the servants in the villa a short vacation. Only the cleaning lady came every few days. So the responsibility for three meals a day fell to Adrian. Well, what can I say? I’ve never lifted a finger to do housework. Fortunately, Adrian was happy to do it. Every time he saw me eating with my cheeks puffed out, he would mischievously poke them a couple times. Just then, a mechanical voice sounded: “Master, someone is knocking at the door.” I shuffled over in my slippers to check the outside monitor. Seeing the travel-worn Lucas and Lily, I couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. They were quite fast. “Your big son is back.” I walked into the kitchen and leaned against Adrian’s back, watching him fry a perfect sunny-side up egg. Tsk tsk, people really can’t be compared. “Mm, deal with him as you see fit.” Adrian didn’t even bother to look up. That’s just what I was waiting to hear! I left Lucas and the innocent girl waiting outside while I leisurely went upstairs to change clothes before opening the front door. The villa was very large, with a huge yard outside. This place could even be called a small estate. Previously, guests would drive in, but unfortunately the driver was on vacation too. I was too lazy to drive out to pick them up, so they had to walk in themselves. Lucas and Lily had rushed over to the villa right after getting off the plane, without even eating anything. Now they were starving and thirsty, but for the sake of the cards they could only wait stiffly at the door. After finally waiting for the main gate to open, they still had to walk in on their own two feet. “This place is so big!” Lily’s eyes flashed with envy and jealousy. “When we get married, I’ll buy you one just as big,” Lucas declared grandly, naturally unable to bear seeing his woman admire someone else’s home. “That must be very expensive. Lucas, there’s no need. As long as I can be with you, I’m already very happy no matter where we live.” Lily’s completely dependent demeanor fully satisfied a man’s inflated ego. “What’s the big deal? I’ll buy you several villas in the future, so you can switch between them!” Though he talked big, when they actually reached the front door, Lucas became a bit timid. As a child, Lucas hadn’t taken his nominal father Adrian seriously. But after seeing how Adrian dealt with disobedient people, he learned to behave. As he grew older and gained a deeper understanding of Adrian’s methods, he became even more fearful. However, Adrian rarely meddled in family affairs. This was also why Lucas dared to run away from the wedding. He believed Adrian absolutely wouldn’t bother with such trivial matters. Moreover, as the heir to Yu Corporation, Adrian couldn’t deal with him the same way as those other people. With these thoughts in mind, Lucas gave himself a pep talk. “Dad.” He pushed open the door, but instead of Adrian, an unexpected person appeared before his eyes. I flashed a friendly smile at Lucas standing in the doorway. “Hello~” “Y-y-you, why are you here?!” Lucas instinctively took a step back. “Ah!” Lily was standing right behind him. Unable to dodge in time, Lily’s foot was painfully stepped on. Her eyes filled with tears. Hearing Lily’s voice, Lucas came to his senses and quickly turned to check on her. “Are you okay, Lily?” “I’m fine as long as you’re alright, Lucas.” Lily gritted her teeth and said weakly. Lucas spent a good while comforting Lily in front of me, then – “Olivia! I never thought you could be so vicious!” ? What did I do? How bizarre. I’ve been standing in the same spot this whole time without moving. Don’t try to frame me! Lucas also realized this accusation was a bit nonsensical. He changed tack and redirected his anger. “I never thought you could be so shameless. Our wedding didn’t even happen – how dare you stay here! I don’t like you. We have no future together. This is my girlfriend Lily. We’re getting married soon.” “What gave you that delusion?” I was confused and speechless. Wow, this kid didn’t even look at the news reports from that day. But why would he think I would cling to him? Had I ever been clingy? I went through all my interactions with Lucas in my mind and was certain – I hadn’t! Lucas must be an idiot. “Sister, I know you and Lucas were engaged before, but you weren’t married yet… And Lucas and I are truly in love. Please, just let us be together.” Lily had already started her performance. Her eyes were like faucets, continuously dripping tears. She cried as if terribly wronged. Anyone who didn’t know better would think she had suffered greatly. Lucas’s heart ached. He shouted at me: “Olivia! You’re going too far!” ??? How is this related to me at all?! Damn, I somehow can’t keep up with these two’s mental gymnastics. They must be sick. I said sympathetically, “Is the mental hospital so full they let you out to run wild?” It took Lucas a while to react. “You’re the one who’s sick.” Seeing the completely unbothered expression on my face, Lucas doubted the possibility that I didn’t like him. But he thought about where they were – this was the Yale family home, not the Brown family home. If Olivia wasn’t here for him, why would she be here at all? It must all be an act to get his attention. Lucas softened his tone: “Olivia, I have someone I love now. We have no future together. Hurry up and apologize to Lily. We can still be friends after this.” Who wants to be friends with you? Idiocy is contagious! Just as I was about to retort, a deep, magnetic voice came from behind me: “What’s going on?” Everyone turned to look. Adrian was wearing a tailored black shirt that accentuated his perfect physique. Paired with his stunningly handsome face and aloof aura, every movement as he set the bowl on the dining table was incredibly alluring. Lily was a bit dazed looking at him. “Dad, we’re back. Why is this woman here?!” Lucas eagerly asked Adrian. Adrian ignored him and beckoned to me. “Come eat breakfast.” Because I was standing with Lucas and Lily, when Adrian gestured, the two of them thought he was talking to them. “Dad, you even made breakfast for us.” Lucas was very touched. He started to pull Lily over, and Lily followed with a red face. But before they could touch the table, Adrian stopped them. “Dad?” Lucas was confused. Adrian reached out his hand to me again. “Darling, I’m coming~” I immediately ran over and grabbed Adrian’s hand right in front of the two of them. Looking back at Lucas and Lily’s wide eyes and gaping mouths, I flashed a brilliant smile. “Son, why don’t you call me Mom?” Lucas and Lily stood frozen in place, their mouths hanging open. Adrian paid them no mind. He simply took my hand and sat down at the dining table. “Eat up, it’ll get cold and upset your stomach.” The two standing there were stunned for a full two minutes before they reacted. Lucas even forgot to lower his voice, shouting in disbelief: “What? You, when did you… How is this possible?!” “On the wedding day, of course~” Seeing the previously arrogant and narcissistic Lucas now with his mouth hanging open wide enough to fit an egg, I was delighted. Haha, serves you right for being so full of yourself. How’s that slap in the face feel? “Dad, how could you marry her?!” Lucas couldn’t help exclaiming. Seeing my smug expression, he jumped to the worst conclusions. “She must have done this on purpose! Dad, she did it on purpose! Besides, there’s over 10 years’ age difference between you. How can you be together?!” I admit that initially choosing Adrian had a bit of a revenge motive, but only a bit. The bigger reason was that as a member of the Brown family, I couldn’t let the Brown family lose face in front of so many people. For people like us, we don’t expect love. I chose Adrian because of his status. Moreover, Adrian was truly much better than Lucas in every way – looks, physique, intelligence, everything. The key was that he was also willing to dote on me. “What’s wrong with an age gap? Love knows no age!” I raised an eyebrow, then kissed Adrian’s cheek right in front of Lucas. “Revenge by getting married? Are you worth that much?” “Hurry up and call me Mom, son! Otherwise I’ll have your dad replace you with another son.” I threatened. Lucas pointed at my smug look and angrily said: “Dad, aren’t you going to do something about her?!” Hearing this, Adrian finally deigned to look at him. Just as Lucas thought Adrian was going to scold me, Adrian affectionately ruffled my hair. “How can I control her? Besides, Olivia married me, so you should rightfully call her Mom.” Seeing that Adrian was on my side too, Lucas felt extremely stifled. He had been the young master for so many years. When had he ever suffered such grievance? He turned to leave on the spot. Just then, he felt his hand being squeezed. It was Lily. He looked down at Lily’s aggrieved little face. Fine, for the sake of his and Lily’s beautiful future, he would endure! “Mom!” Lucas gritted his teeth and squeezed out the word. “Aww, my good son is so obedient! Hahaha!” The smile I had been holding back finally burst out, and I laughed uncontrollably. “Olivia!!” Seeing me laugh so happily without giving him any face, Lucas’s expression darkened further. “You have to call me Mom. Come on, son. Mom even prepared a red envelope for you.” I didn’t care at all and cheerfully walked up to Lucas, taking out a red envelope from my pocket and placing it in his hand. Lucas didn’t even want to accept it. He didn’t need this bit of money as a young master. At this moment, Adrian said flatly: “Take it properly. Don’t throw it away.” I… I’ll endure. Lucas accepted it through gritted teeth, feeling like his teeth were about to break. “Thank you, Mom.” “You’re welcome, you’re welcome.” I flashed a big grin showing all my teeth.

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