I’ve become the antagonist in this story, but I’ve stopped trying. The reason? The novels in this world are just too good. After being transported into this classic CEO romance novel, I became addicted to reading and couldn’t stop. I never bothered the main couple again. But after I gave up, everyone else seemed to follow suit. The passionate CEO and the innocent girl only talked about sex, not love. The evil mother-in-law decided to mind her own business and went on a shopping spree around the world… Even the devoted second male lead became a big shot and got married young. And guess what? I’m his wife. Oh boy, the plot has completely fallen apart. When I arrived in this world, the future CEO Jasper Sinclair, in his early twenties, had just started to fall for the stubborn and pure-hearted Dahlia Frost. He was constantly trying to impress her. My first scene as the antagonist, Seren Thorne, was supposed to be confronting Dahlia, looking down on her and taunting, “You have nothing to offer. You’re not good enough for Jasper. Stay away from him in the future…” This was meant to trigger Dahlia’s rebellious nature, pushing her and Jasper together. But now that I, Seren Thorne from the real world, was in this body, I couldn’t bring myself to taunt anyone! To hell with the original plot! “Seren, when are we going to confront Dahlia and warn her to stay away from Jasper?” one of my sidekicks asked. Ah, the classic brainless followers of the antagonist had appeared. “Confront her for what? If Jasper likes her, how is that her fault?” I rolled my eyes and retorted. My two sidekicks were stunned. One of them asked, “Seren, don’t you like Jasper? How can you stand this?” “Who said I liked him?” Hearing my question, they looked even more confused. After all, I had been revolving around Jasper my entire life. “My parents are always traveling, and my sister is so domineering. I just wanted to find a brother figure who could spoil me. How does that count as liking him?” That’s right, Seren Thorne was just a self-centered young lady. I wasn’t going to break character. “But… aren’t we going to do anything about Jasper pursuing Dahlia?” the other sidekick hesitated before asking. “Do what? Should I write him a love letter and buy roses to help him chase her?” I said sarcastically. “Pfft.” A stifled laugh came from behind us. “Who’s eavesdropping? Come out!” I was startled. A tall, handsome young man stepped out from behind a large willow tree. His skin was fair, with defined brows and bright eyes. Despite his striking features, his demeanor was gentle and non-threatening, creating an intriguing contrast. Callum Reeves? The legendary second male lead who was supposed to be constantly at odds with me and in love with Dahlia? I had always preferred the gentle, refined type of male characters, whether before or after being transported into this novel. Callum was the epitome of this type. Now that he was standing under the tree, he looked like a perfect 2D character come to life. The sunlight filtering through the branches cast a dappled pattern on him. He only needed to stand there silently to outshine everything around him. My heart involuntarily began to beat faster. “Miss Thorne, I wasn’t eavesdropping,” he said with a slight smile. “I’ve been here since early morning. You’re the ones who came later.” “I’m sorry, we didn’t mean to disturb you,” I apologized reflexively. As soon as the words left my mouth, I felt the atmosphere freeze. Looking around, I saw their surprised expressions and felt dumbfounded. Oh, my misplaced politeness. It seemed that I hadn’t fully adjusted to this arrogant young lady’s identity yet, causing my character to crumble so unexpectedly. Feeling my face heat up, I quickly excused myself and dragged my two sidekicks away from this awkward situation. In my haste to leave, I completely missed the intrigued look in Callum’s eyes as his smile faded.

The entertainment industry in this world was highly developed, with web novels flourishing in particular. There were all kinds of genres, including mature content. Many well-written stories had excellent character development and plot twists that kept me hooked. As an avid reader arriving in this world, I felt like a mouse that had fallen into a rice bin. I had money, free time, and even a housekeeper to take care of me. My parents were always traveling, and my sister lived near her company. As for me, I was unsupervised. Whenever I didn’t have classes, I would rush home, sprawl on my bed, and stay up all night following various authors’ works. Especially “Thousand Mountains” on the Storylove platform. In an era dominated by exaggerated styles, she upheld the banner of traditional romance novels. Her character development, plot progression, sweet moments, and heart-wrenching scenes had me constantly oscillating between feeling giddy with happiness and crying my eyes out. I became her die-hard fan, not only showering her with all the virtual gifts I could afford, quickly becoming her top supporter, but also breaking my usual habit of only focusing on the text itself—I joined her fan group and chatted enthusiastically there. After staying up late for a long period, immersing myself in the online world, I looked quite haggard when I finally returned to reality. It was Jasper who dragged me out to drink with him. “You refuse to see me and end up looking like this. She’s been avoiding me more and more these days,” he said, downing glass after glass of alcohol in confusion. “What are you girls thinking? I really can’t understand either of you.” It seemed that without me, the villainess, stirring up trouble, Jasper and Dahlia’s relationship had become quite rocky. It had been two months, hadn’t it? They still hadn’t officially become a couple. Thinking back to the original story, they were supposed to be madly in love after about a month, envied by everyone around them. “Stop, stop, stop, Jasper. I really only see you as a brother. I didn’t end up looking like this because you’re having relationship troubles,” I said. I didn’t want to drink, so I poured myself a soft drink instead. “I just found your dating situation interesting, and after hearing some classmates discuss the plot, I went to read some web novels. Who knew I’d get so hooked that I couldn’t climb out of that hole?” “I stayed up late for a long time reading, so I look a bit haggard. It really has nothing to do with you two.” “As for what Dahlia is thinking, I really don’t know, but I wholeheartedly support you two dating.” My stance on not interfering with the main couple’s love story had to remain firm. As the official couple, they would surely end up together, so there was no need for me to be the villain. “What dating? It’s been so long, and no matter what I do, she still won’t accept me,” he said, becoming more dejected as he spoke, continuing to drink glass after glass. His words became fragmented, with only Dahlia’s name occasionally being clear. I wasn’t sure what their current issue was, and I didn’t dare to speak carelessly. I just sat quietly beside him, keeping him company. He was the only son of the Sinclair family, and he had genuinely treated my original self like a sister for so many years. I couldn’t just abandon him at a time like this. His phone rang, flashing Dahlia’s name. “What? Dahlia has a high fever and is in the hospital? I’ll be right there.” Seeing that he wasn’t very sober, I took his phone, asked for the location, and then drove him there. The call hadn’t been hung up, and I could faintly hear Dahlia repeatedly calling Jasper’s name. The comforting voice coming from the phone was clear and low—it must have been Callum. Jasper, sitting in the passenger seat, was quite drunk and kept calling Dahlia’s name. It was ridiculous. They were just one with a fever and one drunk, yet they were acting like star-crossed lovers, like Romeo and Juliet torn apart. They truly lived up to their roles as the protagonists of a passionate CEO romance novel. After sending him into the hospital room, watching them calm down as soon as they embraced each other, Callum and I looked at each other awkwardly, the uncomfortable atmosphere continuing to build. We barely knew each other, yet neither of us could leave at a time like this. We were literally two third wheels, helping to build up someone else’s love story. He poured a glass of water and handed it to me, nodding slightly as he introduced himself in a low voice, “Callum Reeves.” I took the water, smiled at him, and replied, “Seren Thorne.” This could be considered our formal introduction. He returned my smile before walking to the hospital bed, wringing out a towel to wipe Dahlia’s face. His expression was very calm, and he didn’t seem to mind Jasper’s status as a love rival, taking care of him just as attentively. The bedside lamp cast a soft halo of light around him. That calm and serious expression kept drawing my gaze to him. I said I would stay to help take care of them, but in the end, I just assisted him a bit. Later on, I couldn’t stay awake and fell asleep on the hospital table. When I woke up, I found a thin blanket draped over me. I have to say, Callum really knows how to take care of people. Whether it’s his words or actions, he’s always gentle and appropriate, truly deserving of the title “gentleman.” I couldn’t help but wonder, with such a childhood friend by her side, how could Dahlia fall for the domineering and moody Jasper?

After that night, Jasper and Dahlia officially got together. Their relationship caused quite a stir in our elite university. After all, it was like a Cinderella story come to life, naturally attracting attention. However, I, who originally had quite a significant role in their love story, completely gave up. I never actively approached them anymore. Because those two were synonymous with trouble. Unexpectedly though, Callum and I became closer. Because there were many conflicts between Jasper and Dahlia, but they always reconciled in a strange way, I found it quite astonishing. Sharing my thoughts with Callum, who had a similar position in this relationship, became a rare pleasure. Moreover, Callum was about to graduate, had extensive knowledge of various web novels, had contact with many authors, and was even starting his own web novel publishing company. This gave us even more topics to discuss. I had subtly asked him about “Thousand Mountains” several times, but each time he just smiled without saying anything and changed the subject. I had no choice but to give up. From any perspective, getting along with Callum was an extremely relaxing thing. He had high emotional intelligence and was always gentle and polite, almost never letting my words fall flat. How could there be such a gentle person in this world! My days passed leisurely between attending classes, reading novels, and chatting with Callum. But these beautiful days didn’t last long. Suddenly one day, my parents who had been traveling around the world and my sister who had been so busy at work that she was barely visible, all appeared at home, giving me a big shock when I entered the door. “Dad, Mom, Sis,” I complained, “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming back?” “You little brat, do we need to report to you when we come home?” My mom, who was still charming despite being in her fifties, rolled her eyes at me. I went over and hugged her arm, swaying it gently as I called her “Mom” in a sweet voice, but she immediately pushed me away. “Don’t try that with me.” “Seren,” my always serious father spoke up, and I immediately became serious too. “It’s been a few months now, have you figured out your true feelings for Jasper?” When Jasper was pursuing Dahlia, I had shut myself away for two months reading novels, and my haggard appearance had scared them terribly. Fortunately, I later adjusted my schedule and returned to a normal appearance, which finally convinced them that I had just found a new hobby, rather than being lovesick over a boy. “I’ve figured it out, Dad,” I replied seriously. “I’m very sure that I only see him as a brother, with no romantic feelings. We should cancel that engagement.” That’s right, Jasper and I had a childhood engagement. Although we had only exchanged tokens, we had both acknowledged it. Now that we felt it wasn’t suitable, we needed to meet with both families face-to-face to dissolve it. Jasper was never a detail-oriented person. Even though he was already in a relationship, this hidden danger still needed me to take the initiative to eliminate. My sister, Celeste, came to my side and stroked my head, “No matter what choice you make, we will always be your strongest support.” The tip of my nose tingled a bit. Before my transmigration, my parents had died early, and for so many years, I had been drifting alone, even unfortunately dying suddenly at my advertising copywriting workstation. I had never had this feeling of having someone to back me up. Now that I had suddenly transmigrated and gained it from them, I naturally couldn’t be as reckless as the original owner. The original Seren had constantly brushed against the law for the sake of so-called love, eventually dying in a foreign land, causing a good family to fall apart. The two families set the time for this Saturday evening. After saying goodnight to my family, I returned to my room. I opened my phone and saw that Thousand Mountains had updated. In addition to the consistently updated angst novel “Eastern Mountains and Rivers,” her recently started randomly updated “Falling into the Trap” was surprisingly sweet. The fan group was all guessing that the author had started dating in real life. Because she had never written two books at the same time before, and they were all set to update at fixed times. This time there was such a big exception, it must be because she had met someone she really liked. Ah! After reading her update and sending some virtual gifts, I hugged my pillow and rolled around on the bed a couple of times. I also want to have a sweet love like Thousand Mountains. After silently indulging in my fantasy, I lay on the bed ready to sleep. Somehow, Callum’s face, always wearing that gentle smile, appeared before my eyes. I suddenly woke up, sitting bolt upright, and started to question my life. Oh no, could it be that I’ve talked to him so much that I’ve actually fallen for him?

Time flew by, and soon it was Saturday evening. My family and Jasper’s had always been close friends. Although they were a bit regretful about not becoming in-laws, they still politely annulled the engagement. After all, you can’t force these things. However, after everything was settled, Jasper’s mother’s face visibly darkened. But this anger was clearly directed at Jasper, not really related to me. Alright, no matter what, from now on I was completely out of their tumultuous love story. The anxiety that had been buried in my heart since I arrived in this world finally dissipated. I was no longer the villainess in someone else’s love story, but myself—Seren Thorne. They were still inside exchanging pleasantries, so I excused myself to use the bathroom and went out for some air. I hadn’t been standing by the window for long when Jasper also came out, standing beside me and lighting a cigarette. The smoke swirled, blurring his expression. “I should thank you this time,” he spoke first. “If I had brought it up, and my family found out about Dahlia, it probably would have turned into a huge mess.” “No need to thank me,” I replied, “I’m doing this for myself too.” Seeing the questioning look on his face, I added, “I think I like someone too.” He raised an eyebrow and smiled, “The little girl has grown up. Do I know this person?” I felt a bit embarrassed by his question, “Oh come on, I don’t even know if he likes me yet!” “When I actually catch him, you’ll know.” “If you like someone, you should chase them quickly. Otherwise, you might miss your chance forever,” he said, ruffling my hair and smiling, “I’ll be waiting for your good news.” I nodded. After all, Jasper was a childhood friend who had grown up with me like a brother. Without the major conflict of drugging and kidnapping Dahlia from the original plot, he still retained that affection for me as a sister. “Let’s go back, or they’ll start to worry,” he said. Feeling that enough time had passed, I followed him back to the private room. Just before I entered, I thought I caught a glimpse of Callum’s profile. Was he here today too? I was puzzled for a moment before pushing the thought to the back of my mind. His publishing company had just started, so he probably had a lot of social engagements. It wasn’t strange for him to be here. The dinner finally ended, and having accomplished something big, I didn’t want to do anything when I got home. After washing up, I just sprawled on the bed reading novels. “Eastern Mountains and Rivers” updated punctually at 7 PM. I hadn’t had a chance to read today’s new content yet, but it seemed like it was approaching the end. In just 3000 words, it made my heart ache. After sending the usual virtual gifts, I quickly went to read “Falling into the Trap” to soothe my emotions. Who knew that after I reread the previous chapters, a random update suddenly dropped. I excitedly continued reading, but ended up feeling sour to my teeth. What’s going on? Although it wasn’t abrupt, the style had changed drastically. I quickly ran to the fan group to check, and found everyone “hahahahaha”-ing. I couldn’t help but laugh too. They were all as sour as I was. “Wah, who exactly is this person?” “So sour, so sour. I can smell the vinegar from the author all the way from overseas!” “I’m envious. The author is really putting her heart into it.” “What should we do? The author has finally tasted the bitterness of love, but I just want to laugh hahaha…” “I advise that person to be sensible and come out to explain clearly. Don’t let the author keep feeding us vinegar!” “Give us back our sweet author!” I also followed the trend and posted. Just then, Callum sent me a message.

“Are you asleep?” he asked. “Not yet,” I replied. “I saw someone who looked a lot like you at Ming Fu Restaurant tonight.” “That was probably me. I was there tonight too.” “I see.” I stared at that “I see,” not knowing how to respond for a moment. Did he want to chat with me or not? He must want to, right? But I couldn’t guess what he wanted to say to me. So I sent a cute emoji and didn’t say anything more. After switching back to the fan group chat, I continued to chat with them, joining in their dramatic pleas for the author to update more, although it usually never worked. I had just typed a few messages when an account named “Thousand Mountains” popped up. The group instantly exploded, and I quickly took a screenshot for posterity. After the group calmed down a bit, Thousand Mountains posted a question: What should I do if the person I like seems to still have feelings for their childhood friend who’s now in a relationship? “Ah! Is this why your update today was so sour?” “Although it’s not very nice, I really can’t help laughing.” “Now it’s your turn!” In other types of novels, being extremely objective and calm in narration might be a good thing, but in traditional romance novels, it inevitably made the author seem a bit cold and detached. Thousand Mountains had always positioned herself as an outsider, analyzing this world in her writing. Since her debut a few years ago, she had always maintained that composed demeanor. But recently, she suddenly seemed to have become a bit love-struck, with a drastic change in style. The fan group had been speculating that she had tasted the bitterness of love, suddenly being pulled into the mortal world. Today’s question seemed to confirm these rumors. “Have you confessed?” someone asked. “No,” Thousand Mountains replied quickly. “Why don’t you confess first?” I chimed in.

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My two-faced sister-in-law manipulated my brother to steal my property. She even used her unborn child as a threat, saying if she didn’t get the house, she’d have an abortion. My brother kept telling me to give in for the sake of the child. Why should I? You’re just an adopted son! My brother got a girl pregnant out of wedlock. She’s already three months along, and the girl is crying and making a fuss, so they have no choice but to prepare for the wedding. My brother, Jasper Blackwood, is a not-so-bright playboy, at least that’s what I’ve always thought. To maintain good relations, I brought some local specialties and fruits for my soon-to-be sister-in-law, Jade, when I returned from a business trip. I had originally planned to buy her a handbag, but my mom said she would take us both to get custom-made bags when she returned. If I really wanted to give a gift, I could just order one from the store later. I thought about it and agreed, so I just brought some simple welcome gifts. As soon as I walked in the door, I saw Jade sitting on the couch watching TV shows, wearing my pajamas. I really don’t like other people touching my clothes, but I thought maybe my brother had given them to her to wear, so I couldn’t say anything. I smiled and put the things in my hand in front of her, “Sister-in-law, just a small token. I hope you like it.” Jade glanced at the gift boxes on the table and enthusiastically held my hand, saying there was no need to spend money. “It’s okay, as long as you like it,” I said. After I finished speaking, Jade started rummaging through the gift boxes on the table. In the end, it seemed she didn’t find anything she liked, but she still managed to keep a smile on her face. “Thank you, Aria. I really like them.” Then Jade pulled me close and asked where I worked, how much my monthly salary was, how much I gave to the family, and if I had a boyfriend. A bunch of questions that made me feel awkward and gave me a headache. If it were my old self, I would have slapped her for being so shameless. Out of politeness, I only answered the last question, “I don’t have a boyfriend.” A moment later, my brother came out of the kitchen carrying a plate of fruit. He told me to take the fruit to Jade. Jade started picking through the fruit again, and after reluctantly eating a couple of pieces, she told my brother she didn’t like fruit. Suddenly, I remembered I had two boxes of cherries in my car. When Jade saw the cherries, her eyes lit up, and she immediately devoured a whole box. Seeing them chatting happily in the living room, I didn’t want to be a third wheel, so I took my luggage back to my room. As soon as I entered my room, I was stunned.

The closet door was wide open, and everything inside was a mess. Clothes were strewn all over the bed and floor. Even the things on my dressing table were in disarray. If I didn’t know better, I’d think my room had been robbed. “Jasper!” I called out. It must have been Jade who did this! Jasper quickly ran upstairs. I pointed at the clothes scattered on the bed and floor, demanding to know what was going on. Jasper was holding his phone, playing a game. He glanced around and casually said, “Oh, I forgot to tell you. You’re living downstairs now. This room gets good sunlight, which is suitable for pregnancy. Jade and I are living here now.” I frowned at Jasper. “Why didn’t you tell me before you moved in? And who told her she could mess with my things?” “Don’t make such a fuss,” Jasper said dismissively, sitting on the edge of the bed and continuing his game. “It’s just a room. If your sister-in-law wants to live here, just let her. Besides, you have plenty of these things, and you’re not using them anyway. What’s wrong with letting your sister-in-law use them?” I was speechless. Sure, I didn’t use them often, but they could have at least told me. I might have been willing to let them use my things if they had asked. I angrily shooed Jasper out of the room, feeling a bit hurt. I called my mom to complain. My brother was still standing at the door, saying, “Remember to pack up and move downstairs. This room belongs to Jade now.” I laughed bitterly. She hasn’t even married into the family yet, and she’s already using her name to arrange things in our house?

Recently, my parents have been busy preparing for their engagement, often not coming home. To give their future daughter-in-law a satisfactory wedding, my parents flew directly to Paris to choose a wedding dress for her. However, from the time they started preparing for the engagement until now, Jade’s parents haven’t shown up. Every time we ask Jade about it, she just says her parents are doing business abroad for a long time, and that it’s fine for our family to make decisions about the engagement. My parents didn’t say much about it. Instead, they felt sorry for Jade, thinking her family didn’t care about such an important event as her wedding. So they paid even more attention to the preparations. When my mom heard my complaint on the phone, she was clearly taken aback. It seemed she didn’t know about this either, but she didn’t want to say much. After all, Jade hadn’t married into the family yet, and as parents, they naturally wanted to consider their future daughter-in-law’s feelings more. So my mom just comforted me: “Aria, don’t be upset. When I get back, I’ll buy you more pretty dresses. Just put up with living in the downstairs room for now, okay?” “But…” I hadn’t finished speaking when my dad transferred $5,000 to my account. My mom said I must be exhausted from my business trip and told me to go out to eat and relax for a while. Since they had gone to such lengths, I didn’t want to trouble them anymore. A moment later, there was a knock at the door. I thought it was my brother, so I grumbled as I went to open it, “What now? I’m packing up to make room for you two!” But when I opened the door, it was Jade. I could see she deliberately touched her belly, as if to remind me she was pregnant. Jade spoke in a gentle tone, or more accurately, in a sickeningly sweet voice: “Aria, I’m sorry for taking your room. Jasper said this room faces the sun and is good for the baby’s growth, so we…” At that moment, I understood. She was clearly just a green tea bitch, wasn’t she? Jasper had always been careless and simple-minded. How could he have considered so much? It was obviously her who wanted to occupy my room. When my parents bought this house, they specifically gave me this room because I studied painting and the lighting was good. Jasper didn’t have any objections. To make it up to Jasper, my parents prepared a gaming room for him. Since she was playing the green tea bitch, it would be easier to deal with her. No need to be polite anymore. I picked up the clothes from the floor and smiled politely at Jade, “If you feel so bad about it, why are you still occupying it?” I deliberately emphasized the word “occupying.” “I didn’t mean it like that…” Jade’s voice was sickly sweet. Men might fall for this act, but I certainly wouldn’t. I snorted and asked, “Forcibly moving in without my knowledge, isn’t that occupying?” “Aria Blackwood, don’t go too far! You’re not pregnant, what’s wrong with living downstairs?” Just as I said this, my brother came up from downstairs. The moment Jade heard my brother’s voice, her eyes instantly turned red. With a thick nasal voice, pretending to be a frightened little rabbit, she pulled on Jasper’s arm, “Jasper, maybe we should move back to your room.” This act of hers made me roll my eyes. Seeing Jade like this, Jasper got even angrier. He pointed at my nose and started yelling, “What’s yours or hers? She’s a girl who will eventually marry out of the family. Jade, you can live in whichever room you want.” As he said this, he pulled Jade into the room and pushed me out by the arm. As the door closed, he said in a fierce tone, “Live there or don’t, I don’t care!” Jasper had never been like this before. Although our relationship had always been lukewarm, it had never been as heated as today. He must be bewitched by Jade! I angrily went downstairs. As I passed through the living room, I glanced at the gift boxes on the table. Well, well, Jade had turned the QR codes on the products towards where she had been sitting, making sure people could see she had scanned them to check the prices. What’s even funnier is that she had taken the most expensive gift box. I was about to go over and take the remaining box of cherries when Jasper stopped me. “Jade wants to eat those cherries. If you want some, go buy your own.” How shameless can they be? These were mine to begin with, and now I have to buy my own if I want to eat them? I ignored Jasper, took the cherries, and went back to my new room. As I closed the door, I muttered in Jasper’s direction, “Buy your own if you want to eat! I’m not here to serve you!”

Over the next few days, Jade started acting up in various ways. When Jasper went to work during the day, she would order me around and even lecture me! She was completely two-faced compared to when Jasper was around. One moment she wanted cake, but only from a specific bakery ten miles away. I wasn’t going to indulge her, so I bought cake from somewhere else. She could take it or leave it! What’s even worse is that she actually threw her and Jasper’s intimate clothes at me, telling me to hand wash them. She even said this was what girls in the family should do, that I was inconsiderate and didn’t know how to share the family’s burdens. I had never been treated like this in my entire life. I immediately threw their intimate clothes back in her face and told her to get lost! Every time this happened, she would start saying I was abusing her, that she was already being mistreated before even marrying into the family, and who knows what would happen in the future. I laughed and retorted, “You’re ordering your sister-in-law around before you’ve even married in. After you marry in, are you going to expect my mom to listen to you too?” Every day when Jasper came home from work, the first thing he did was ask Jade if I had bullied her. What an idiot! I couldn’t be bothered with these two anymore. I just rolled my eyes at them and went straight back to my room, closing the door.

Suddenly one day, Jade said her sister was coming to stay at our house. I had heard Jade mention her sister Emily before. Like me, she studied painting and was still in school, I think. I don’t know if that’s true, as not much of what comes out of Jade’s mouth can be trusted. Of course, I wouldn’t agree to Emily staying at our house. Who knows what her sister would be like, given how Jade is. But Jasper immediately agreed. Two days later, Emily arrived. The young girl looked much more pleasant than Jade, and she was carrying a drawing board. As soon as she saw me, she greeted me with a smile, “Hello, Aria!” After my experience with Jade, I was wary of such enthusiastic girls. I just nodded at her coolly, “Hello.” Later, I overheard Jade quietly telling Emily several times, “Use whatever you want in the house. It will all belong to your brother-in-law in the future.” At first, Emily seemed a bit embarrassed and asked her sister in a low voice, “Won’t Aria be unhappy? She doesn’t seem to like getting close to us.” “Hmph!” Jade snorted, looking smug. She patted her belly and said, “What are you afraid of? Your sister is carrying the Blackwood family’s child. Even if she doesn’t like it, she’ll have to put up with me!” Jasper would never imagine that the woman he cherished so much was actually scheming to get his family’s property. Listening to the conversation between the two sisters, I found it a bit amusing. The sister who still had a conscience would soon be taught to be just like Jade.

One evening at dinner, Jade suddenly threw down her fork, crossed her legs, and brought up the topic of the wedding gift money. Jade spoke to Jasper with an air of entitlement: “My parents are doing business abroad. My family’s financial situation is no worse than yours, so both families are respectable. Naturally, the gift money can’t be too little. But my parents said this is just for show, what really matters is how well you treat me.” I could tell this was all just a setup before she made her outrageous demands. I crossed my arms and asked her sarcastically how much she wanted. Jade turned to look at Jasper, smiling and clinging to his arm coquettishly, “How about $50,000 for the bride price? Also, we need to buy a house and put it in my name. After all, it will belong to our baby in the future. Oh, and my dad said it would be best to throw in a car too. The house should preferably be fully furnished.” “Okay, no problem,” Jasper agreed without a second thought. Did he think our parents’ money grew on trees? I couldn’t help but laugh. Jade glared at me and said in a coquettish tone, “What are you laughing at?” I said, “I’m laughing at how delusional you are. Who do you think you are to demand a house and a car? My brother already has a house, which our parents prepared as your marital home. It’s already furnished, and you can move in anytime. As for the car, my brother has one too. Whether he transfers it to your name is between you two. Stop trying to calculate how to get my parents’ money!” Hearing my words, Jade immediately became unhappy. “Jasper, what did you promise me before? Now you can’t even handle this small matter of the bride price?” Small matter? Let’s not even talk about the car and the house. Just that $50,000 alone would take my brother ages to earn without relying on our parents. Moreover, Jade, who supposedly only had a high school diploma, would be lucky if a factory even considered hiring her, yet she had so many demands. It made me wonder if her parents were really legitimate businesspeople. What kind of proper parents would be so indifferent to their daughter’s marriage? Jasper hurriedly tried to appease Jade and told me to keep quiet. But I insisted on speaking, “It’s better for both sets of parents to meet and discuss such important matters as marriage. We young people can’t make these decisions. Right, brother?” Jasper was well aware of how our parents handled things. Although they were usually easy-going, there were some principles they stuck to. Even though they hadn’t forcefully requested to meet Jade’s parents, the two elders were still concerned about it. Jasper had nothing to say to that. Jade then promised that once her parents returned to the country, she would arrange for both sets of parents to meet. After dinner, Jade surprisingly brought a plate of fruit to my room. Seeing her smiling face, I knew without thinking that she must be up to no good! I couldn’t be bothered to look at her and continued sitting at my easel, working. I had an art exhibition coming up, so I was quite busy with work. Jade sat down next to me with the fruit, enthusiastically trying to feed me, but I refused. She looked around my room and started trying to get close to me, “Aria, I heard from your brother that you own a riverside apartment, is that right?” I frowned at her, “I advise you, if you don’t want to get cursed out, don’t even think about that apartment!” She laughed awkwardly and continued, “We’re all family, what’s the big deal? Oh, by the way, didn’t you say you don’t have a boyfriend? I have a cousin about your age. Why don’t I introduce you two? He just started working here…” I quickly interrupted her, “I’m not at the point where I need you to introduce me to a boyfriend.” The expression on Jade’s face immediately froze. I ignored her, and seeing that I wasn’t paying attention to her, she left the room cursing, saying I didn’t know what was good for me as she left. I thanked her sarcastically. Did she really think her cousin would be any good, given what she was like? … For the next few days, Jade was unusually well-behaved and even went out occasionally. I felt something wasn’t right. Sure enough, while I was preparing for my art exhibition, I received a call from the property management office. It was about the apartment under my name. They called to say that my place was very noisy at night, often playing music until two or three in the morning. I told them I would go check it out immediately. But when I got home, I couldn’t even open my own front door! The lock had been changed.

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The day after finalizing my divorce, my ex-wife appeared on a reality dating show with the man she’d been cheating with. They were all lovey-dovey, and the whole internet was buzzing about them being a “first love” couple. Could I let that slide? No way! I found a beautiful woman and went straight onto the show to expose them! First love? I’ll turn it into a toxic relationship! On my birthday, I saw a trending topic on Twitter about my wife Sienna and the popular young actor Finn. In the video, they were both wearing masks and hats, but their eyes were full of deep emotion as they looked at each other. Their hands were full of shopping bags as they entered a hotel together. In the room with unclosed curtains, the two of them stood by the window, embracing and kissing. How romantic. That night, Sienna didn’t come home. I lay in bed, replaying the five years of my relationship with Sienna from start to finish. I couldn’t sleep all night. Early the next morning, the trending topic had been completely deleted, as if it had never existed. I called Sienna and asked her to come back home for a bit. Sienna sounded impatient: “Can’t you just tell Mrs. Chen whatever it is?” Mrs. Chen was the housekeeper Sienna had hired specifically to take care of my health. She said that with Mrs. Chen around, she could also learn how to care for me. But at some point, Sienna started saying that with Mrs. Chen here, I shouldn’t bother her. I tried to stay calm as I said, “I saw the trending topic.” There was silence on the other end for about ten seconds. I took the opportunity to continue, “Come home for a bit. Let’s discuss the divorce.” Not giving Sienna a chance to speak, I hung up the phone. I knew she would come back. While waiting for Sienna to return, I contacted a lawyer I often worked with and immediately drafted a divorce agreement. At the same time, I also started packing up my things in the room. I had lived in this home for three years and had quite a few possessions. I decided to take the clothes, cosmetics, and accessories I had bought myself, leaving behind everything Sienna had bought for me. Mrs. Chen saw me coming downstairs with my suitcase and was startled. Just as she was about to say something, the door lock beeped. Sienna was back. She was still wearing the dress she had left in yesterday, looking a bit wrinkled. Seeing me like this, Sienna asked impatiently, “Callum, what are you up to now?” After a sleepless night, I was too tired to waste any more words with her. “I’ve already had the lawyer draft a divorce agreement. It will be sent to you directly.” Mrs. Chen still wanted to keep me from leaving, but Sienna shouted, “Let him go! See where he can go without me!”

Hearing these words, I felt a sharp pain in my heart, and tears unconsciously welled up. Five years ago, I had already won the Best Actor award in the entertainment industry. Later, my father passed away due to illness, and my mother followed two years after. My mental state had been declining, and there were even rumors online that I was using drugs. I had considered suicide at one point, but Sienna found me. Actually, we had only met briefly at an event. She said, “I’ve been your fan for a long time. I wanted to get your autograph at that event back then.” She said, “I’m actually an orphan too, with just an empty house.” She said, “If possible, Callum, we could turn our two homes into one. That way, neither of us would be lonely.” I didn’t agree, and I didn’t dare to agree. How could I trust someone after just one brief encounter? But she kept accompanying me. Whenever I was feeling down, she would call me out to ride bicycles, going round and round on the seaside bridge. In summer, after I finished filming, she would hand me an ice cream cone. In winter, after I attended an event, she would pull a still-warm roasted sweet potato from her pocket. Sienna’s eyes were bright, her ears red, shy yet sincere. She said, “Callum, I will give you a home and always protect you.” But now she was saying, “See where he can go without me?” I gripped the doorknob tightly, waiting for the surge of emotions to subside before asking, “How did you become the CEO back then?” Sienna’s voice dropped, “What do you mean?” I didn’t bother to respond and left the villa.

Three years ago, after dating Sienna for a year, she founded Bright Jade Entertainment Company. To support her, I used the connections and resources I had accumulated in the industry for years to turn this company into a new milestone in the field. Sienna transformed overnight, becoming a CEO that everyone had to respect. She wanted me to sign with their company, but my old agency had been good to me, so I refused. Sienna didn’t insist, and remembering my help, she gave me half of the shares. She said, “You just need to stay at home and count the money.” At that time, I did want to focus on managing our little family, unable to divide my attention. So I found an opportunity to announce my retirement from the entertainment industry. At that time, the comments section was full of reluctant farewells. But now, she was flirting with employees in the company and kissing in hotels. I randomly found a hotel and checked into a suite. Forcing myself not to think about the past, I took out my phone and found my agent Zack, who was now a top agent in the industry. When I first entered the industry, Zack was with me. We were both newcomers, fumbling and struggling in our respective fields to achieve our current success. Not just colleagues, we were also friends who encouraged each other. He was my best man. But after marriage, I devoted myself entirely to family life and hadn’t been in contact with him for a year. As I was hesitating whether to send a message, Zack’s message popped up. Zack: [What’s the deal with last night’s trending topic? Did Sienna cheat?] Sienna and I had kept our relationship and marriage very low-key. I wanted to go public, but she was busy with company business and just said, “As long as we know we’re happy, why bring it to the public and let them judge? ” It made sense, and I had seen many celebrities become paranoid after involving too much of their private lives in public. So only a few old friends and the two senior shareholders of the company knew about our relationship and marriage. The trending topic disappeared quickly, and Zack only knew because he had many channels in the industry. I didn’t deny it and replied with an “Mm.” Zack called immediately, and I answered right away. The voice on the other end was filled with anger. “Damn it, Sienna seemed so proper before, how could she do something like this.” Yes, at the wedding, Sienna’s eyes were red, filled with sincere and shy emotions, just like at the beginning. I took a deep breath and said softly, “It’s been so many years, everything has changed.” Zack was silent for a long time. He said, “I’m always here for you, buddy.” We talked until midnight before falling asleep. When I woke up at noon the next day, Zack had sent me over a dozen messages. The last message said: [Sienna and Finn have decided to participate in a dating reality show!] I felt my breath catch, unable to believe how quickly Sienna was moving. We hadn’t even gotten our divorce certificate yet! Moreover, due to various property disputes, our divorce was bound to be complicated. How could she be so impatient? I slapped my face twice, forcing myself to calm down, and sent a message to Zack: [I want to participate in this show too.] I wanted to see what gave Sienna the right to be so brazen. I also called the assistant I had personally trained and told him to keep an eye on the company’s movements.

Participating in the show was easy. Even without Zack’s connections, the production team wanted to sign the contract as soon as they heard my name. The difficult part was where I would find a woman to participate in the dating show with me. Zack invited me to a coffee shop he owned and said, “My cousin just came back from studying abroad. She’s incredibly beautiful, definitely someone to be proud of.” He showed me a photo, and even though I had seen all kinds of beautiful women in the industry, this woman still caught my eye. “This photo was taken at her high school graduation ceremony four years ago. Quite a few people wanted to take photos with my sister then,” Zack said proudly. I silently calculated in my mind – 22 years old, five years younger than me. “Is your cousin willing?” I asked. Zack gave a sly smile, but the sound of the door chime interrupted our conversation. I instinctively turned my head and saw a woman walking towards us. I recognized her as the girl from the photo at a glance. She nodded slightly when she saw me. Gone was the innocence and shyness from the photo, replaced by a more mature and composed demeanor. Zack introduced, “My cousin, Phoebe. When I found out she was back in the country, I contacted her immediately. She agreed, and that’s why I arranged this meeting.” “You really want to do this?” I was a bit surprised, worried that she might not understand the entertainment industry here after being abroad. I was about to explain the situation in detail. Phoebe smiled and said, “I’m willing. Mr. Callum is quite famous abroad too. I often saw your work in the film appreciation classes I took. My cousin has explained the specific situation to me, and I’m happy to help you.” Hearing this, I knew the agreement was reached.

The show wouldn’t start filming for another two weeks, and Zack said it was a good time for us to get to know each other. So from time to time, Phoebe would invite me out for meals or shopping, and we learned about each other’s likes and habits. Occasionally, Zack would join us, and the three of us would go for walks on the beach together. There were some kids playing beach volleyball in front of us. Suddenly, a volleyball flew in our direction. I instinctively pulled Phoebe into my arms, saw the volleyball rolling by our feet, and frowned, “Are you okay?” Phoebe’s face was a bit red, and she shook her head. The kids also ran over, apologizing several times. We kept saying it was fine until they left. Zack was grinning mischievously, and I didn’t understand why. That night, after I got back, Zack sent me a photo. It showed me and Phoebe. I was looking up slightly at Phoebe, while she was looking down at me. The blurry night scene also blurred the expressions of the two people. There was an inexplicable sense of intimacy. I replied: [Don’t be ridiculous.] Although we had a special agreement, Phoebe was like a sister to me in my heart. With one week left, the production team started promoting the show, revealing the silhouettes of one couple each day. Phoebe and I didn’t have a photo together. Suddenly, I thought of the photo Zack had sent. I scrolled through the chat history, saved it, and sent it to the production team. I have to say, this promotional strategy really caught people’s attention. There were four couples in total. Apart from two couples who had been public in the entertainment industry for years, the silhouettes of the remaining two were subject to all kinds of speculation. In the last two days, the official account of the show surpassed a million followers. I also started packing my luggage and went with Phoebe to the city where we would be live streaming.

The theme of the show was set as the daily life of couples traveling. We would be touring several cities within the country. After each trip, there would be two or three days of rest. To better adapt, the production team suggested we arrive a day early. By the time Phoebe and I arrived, the other two couples were already there. Jace and Lucy; Charlie and Mia. They were all couples who had gone public with their relationships during their career upswings and had weathered years together despite many doubting voices. When the four of them saw me, they were all stunned. Jace stood up immediately, “Mr. Callum?” I nodded, smiling and greeting each of them. They surrounded me, surprised that my return to the entertainment industry would be through a dating reality show. They then looked up at Phoebe, with a somewhat scrutinizing gaze. I wasn’t worried about Phoebe faltering in this situation, as she always maintained a calm and composed demeanor. Finally, Lucy said, “She’s very beautiful, just looking at her is pleasing to the eye.” It seemed the first impression was good. By the time Sienna and Finn arrived, it was already 7 PM in the evening. The production team was confirming the final details with us. “Sorry we’re late,” I heard a voice and looked over. The woman was wearing a white spaghetti strap dress, looking sweet and innocent. Behind her, Sienna was carrying two pieces of luggage, though she didn’t seem to be struggling. She nodded lightly at us. When she saw me, her expression froze. I curled my lips into a smile, “It’s okay, we’ve just started.” Finn, upon seeing me, was very excited: “Wow, am I seeing things? It’s actually Mr. Callum! I’m your fan! I’ve bought merchandise for all your movies.” I smiled politely, “I’m also following your new TV series.” Finn was thrilled: “Really? Hehe, it’s my first time acting. If there’s anything not good, please be understanding, Mr. Callum.” “No need to keep calling me Mr. Callum, that’s ancient history. Just call me by my name,” I said. Finn carefully called out, “Callum.” Sienna coughed behind him, “Finn, you can fanboy later. Let’s go in and put down our luggage first, don’t delay the important stuff.” Finn apologized again, and when they came back down, Sienna formally introduced him to each of us. Although they were late, everyone had a good impression of them, especially Sienna. They didn’t expect a boss to be so down-to-earth. Only I knew that Sienna was just a piece of trash in human skin.

After all matters were discussed, the production team officially announced all the guests at 9 PM sharp. Five minutes later, Phoebe and I dominated the trending topics. [Who is Callum?] [Callum returns with girlfriend] [Callum in love] [Who is Callum’s girlfriend?] The comments under the official announcement quickly exceeded ten thousand. The director was obviously very satisfied with this level of attention, smiling happily and telling us to rest well for the night. We had just gotten into the car back to the hotel when Sienna appeared out of nowhere, clinging to the window. She asked me coldly, “Who is this woman?” I raised an eyebrow, “I’m here for a dating show, who do you think she is?” “Callum, how dare you?” Sienna’s expression grew increasingly cold. I just found it amusing. So she still knew we weren’t divorced. “What about you bringing Finn onto the show?” I asked. Sienna understood, “We’re just doing it for the company’s benefit. Callum, you’ve always been sensible, how can you be so petty about this?” Phoebe in the back seat let out a light laugh upon hearing this, her beautiful face full of mockery. “Ms. Sienna, your hotel video with Finn was in 1080p high definition.” Sienna was about to say something when I directly raised the window. She was startled and quickly withdrew her hand. After the window was completely closed, Sienna reacted and started banging on the window, trying to yell something, but the car had already driven away. When we gathered the next day, the live stream had already started. Phoebe and I were the third couple to arrive. Sienna looked at me and Phoebe with an unfriendly expression. I deliberately ignored her, pulling Phoebe by the wrist to sit on the other side. After sitting down, I glanced at the display screen. There were already many comments. [Finn and Sienna are so sweet!] [First love forever!] Catching the key point, I frowned. Just as I was about to speak, Jace eagerly said, “We were just talking about how we met and fell in love. I wonder how Mr. Callum and Ms. Phoebe met?” As soon as he finished speaking, I noticed the comments skyrocketing. After a few minutes, the number of viewers had surged. After all, I had been out of the industry for many years, and now I was back with a girlfriend. Not only were the netizens curious, but everyone present was also looking at me. Sienna, knowing that I had been revolving around her for so many years, curled her lips into a smile upon hearing this. I casually said, “At an event five years ago, but I don’t remember much from that time. Phoebe told me about it later.” Upon hearing this, Sienna’s expression turned cold.

The others had already been hooked by curiosity. Jace asked, “So Ms. Phoebe pursued you?” Phoebe took over the conversation, nodding and looking at me with eyes as gentle as water. “It was love at first sight for me when I saw Callum at that event.” Her voice was very pleasant, and the content of her words made my ears heat up. Finn suddenly got excited, “I remember Callum retired from the industry three years ago. Could it be…?” “She pursued me for a year, and then we were busy dating,” I said, gently hooking Phoebe’s arm, performing the sweetness of being in love. “This time coming back, I also wanted to tell everyone that I’ve been living well during my retirement,” I added. I said the last sentence neither too lightly nor too heavily, then looked at Sienna, whose eyes held a threat. I leaned close to Phoebe, noticing her body stiffen for a moment before I half-supported myself to create a little distance. “How did Finn and Ms. Sienna meet?” I asked. Finn recounted their love story again. They had met at an event a year ago, and it was actually love at first sight for both of them. I was stunned, because it was also a year ago that Sienna’s attitude towards me had become increasingly irritable. Finn continued, saying that neither of them had dated before, so they cautiously tested the waters for half a year before confirming their relationship. Finn said, “I still remember it was July 16th, my birthday. She personally made a cake for me.” My heart was suddenly gripped. How coincidental – July 16th was also my wedding anniversary with Sienna. She had called me saying there was an emergency meeting at the company. But in reality? [Listening to this, it seems like Finn and Mr. Callum’s love stories are quite similar] [Yes, both met at an event and fell in love at first sight, both were pursued by the woman] [Can’t two equally excellent men be pursued by excellent women? Who says only men can pursue women?] Sienna had clearly noticed the comments and steered the conversation in another direction. After everyone had arrived, the production team announced that we could set off.

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[Oakwood High School Student Code: Boys’ bangs must not cover eyebrows, girls’ hair must not extend past shoulders. Violators will die!] [Inspection countdown: 30 seconds.] This announcement suddenly blared through the school’s speakers during the morning class. The voice sounded strange, like a synthesized computer voice. Everyone thought it was some prankster from another class who had snuck into the broadcasting room. The classroom erupted in laughter. Suddenly, the girl sitting in front of me violently convulsed. The next second, her head exploded. Blood mixed with brain matter splattered across my face. The thick, pungent smell invaded my throat. I was completely stunned, my body frozen and unable to move. What… just happened? Before I could regain my senses, A wave of explosions triggered a tide of panic. Screams and wails, these piercing sounds made me feel dizzy. In less than fifteen seconds, Nearly half of the people in the classroom were dead. The white walls were covered in blood stains. Headless corpses lay scattered across the floor. I felt my breathing become difficult. Out of fear, my body began to tremble. However, the explosions hadn’t stopped. A boy with messy hair screamed. He pushed aside the people next to him and ran towards the classroom door. The moment he opened the door, his head exploded. Like petals blooming and withering, it splattered across the walls and floor. Wait… it seemed that all those who exploded had violated the rules just announced over the speakers. Those whose hair exceeded the specified standard would die. I touched my long hair hanging over my shoulders, sinking into deep despair. Death had never been so close to me. The desire to survive made me instantly clear-headed. Girls’ hair couldn’t be past their shoulders. I had already violated the rule, I was about to die! At that moment, Chloe, who sat next to me, handed me a hair tie. “Quickly, tie it up!” I didn’t hesitate, immediately taking the hair tie and pulling my long hair into a high bun. As the countdown ended, The explosions finally stopped. I had saved my life at the last moment. [This inspection has concluded. Thank you for your cooperation, students.] [Current death toll: 628 people.] The voice on the speakers calmly reported.

In just thirty seconds, over six hundred people had died. That was about a quarter of the total number of students in the school. Our class had lost almost half its students. Those who survived were either already compliant with the hair standards, Or, like me, a few girls who had tied up their hair at the last critical moment. “Is this… a terrorist attack?” the class monitor, Miles, asked while counting the survivors, his face pale. I looked at the classroom windows. They were all intact and unopened. To make people’s heads explode, Apart from remote sniping, there didn’t seem to be any other way to achieve this. “I guess it might be related to the rules we just heard,” said Chloe as she helped wipe the blood off my face, her expression tense. Although the classroom was now a scene of hell, She remained relatively calm. For safety, those of us girls with longer hair, All chose to cut off the excess with scissors. Led by Miles, we nervously left the classroom. We had planned to go to the office to find teachers. But unexpectedly, all the offices were already empty. The corridor was crowded with students. Some were crying and shouting, others collapsed on the ground as if they had lost their souls. After witnessing such a horrific scene, how many people could maintain their sanity? In the dean’s office, we found a few phones. We wanted to call the police, But the signal was completely blocked, we couldn’t make any calls. While passing through the corridor, I saw a sea of people rushing towards the school gate. The gate wasn’t closed. In the blink of an eye, hundreds of people had escaped from the school. [Oakwood High School Student Code: During school hours, all departures from campus are prohibited. Violators will die!] After a brief burst of static, the broadcast announced a new rule. Those who had run out of the school gate, Exploded one after another. This time, not just their heads, but their entire bodies. They died without even having time to scream. The scattered flesh at the school gate stopped those who wanted to escape. But quite a few people were still forcibly pushed out. They died on the spot. [This inspection has concluded. Thank you for your cooperation, students.] [Current death toll: 1,477 people.] Amidst a light and cheerful melody, the broadcast reported the new death toll. So far, nearly half of the students had died. The shadow of death loomed over the entire school. No one dared to take a step out of here anymore.

After witnessing the consequences of violating the rules, many people were scared out of their wits. Next, the broadcast reminded everyone, All students had to return to their classrooms in an orderly manner within ten minutes, or face certain death. When we followed Miles through the crowded hallways to return, Of the more than twenty people who had left earlier, only eight came back. Outside was already in chaos, with a stampede occurring on the staircase. After the countdown ended, the broadcast reported the results of this round. [This inspection has concluded. Thank you for your cooperation, students.] [Current death toll: 1,941 people.] This news was like a thunderbolt. In just twenty minutes, only about 500 people were left in the school. And those who didn’t make it back to their own classrooms in time, or went to the wrong classroom, also lost their precious lives. Everyone cowered, some crouching in corners. Others hid under desks. One girl had already had a mental breakdown, violently banging her head against the wall. If Miles and others hadn’t stopped her, she probably would have died too. Before the survivors could catch their breath, music played over the speakers again, and that terrifying synthetic voice began once more. [The official rule game section will now begin.] [To maintain the school environment and build a harmonious and beautiful campus, students must abide by the following rules.] [Games and rules will be announced every two hours on the hour.] [Personnel who violate the rules will be immediately eliminated.] [Leaving your classroom without permission is prohibited.] [Those who obey all rules and survive until dismissal time may safely leave campus.] As the music ended, the broadcast fell silent. The corpses and bloodstains in the classroom also gradually dissipated into black smoke. At this moment, we finally realized that everything that had happened couldn’t possibly be man-made, but some kind of mysterious force that defied scientific laws. It was now just past 9:10 AM, which meant that before the 7:30 PM dismissal, we would face five rounds of rule challenges.

According to the previously announced rules, No one dared to leave the classroom, we could only stay here waiting for time to pass minute by minute. How did all this happen, and why did it happen? No one knew. But the bloody reality had already awakened all those still alive. If you don’t follow the rules, you will definitely die. But death could have been avoided. Those rules in the broadcast were originally part of the school rules. If everyone had followed them from the beginning, Perhaps so many people wouldn’t have died. Unfortunately, it’s hard for people to maintain rationality in extreme panic. Oakwood High School had a total of twenty-seven school rules. Using just two of them had killed over a thousand people. If all of them were thrown out, I’m afraid even fewer people would survive. In the previous broadcast content, there was one point that caught my attention. It mentioned games related to the rules. And the rules were inextricably linked to the school rules. But according to the broadcast, the games would only last until dismissal. So at most, we only had five rounds of games to challenge. “Could it be…” I muttered to myself. Chloe patted my shoulder, her expression still serious. “Hazel, what have you thought of?” I cleared my throat, then walked to the podium. Picking up a piece of chalk, I wrote five big words on the blackboard: “Morality, Intelligence, Physical, Aesthetic, Labor.” “I think, since the rules are all related to us students, the subsequent games are likely to be of the same nature,” I said. The classmates were all attracted by my words and looked over. Schools are places for education, and the five points I mentioned are also the goals of education in human society. It’s possible that the games will be related to these factors. Just as I was about to continue discussing with everyone, The melodious music started again. “Amen, amen, a grape vine in front~ Tender and green, just sprouting~ The snail carrying its heavy shell, ah, Step by step…” The music stopped abruptly with a burst of static. I held my breath, not daring to move a step. From the speakers, the familiar voice slowly slid into my ears.

[Strengthen and improve aesthetic education in the new era, construct an educational system for all-round development in morality, intelligence, physique, aesthetics, and labor.] [Cultivate talents for the country, lay the foundation for children’s happy lives.] [Next, we will begin the first round of games:] [To cultivate students’ labor concepts and skills education, please ensure that each classroom is clean and tidy within the specified time. Those who fail to meet the assessment standards will die!] Again, the familiar phrasing. Today, I had already heard the word “die” several times. But what were the standards? The rules didn’t mention a word about it. Just as everyone was confused, The fluorescent tubes on the ceiling emitted a yellow light. [Class 3-2’s sanitation conditions have not yet met the standards. Please clean up immediately!] The broadcast also reminded us that our class had sanitation issues. “Quick! Everyone get moving!” Miles shouted, startling everyone into a cold sweat. That’s right, not only were the desks and chairs in the classroom disorganized, but there was also a lot of visible garbage on the floor. And there was a lot of dust that needed to be cleaned. [Countdown two hours, starting now.] The clock hands rotated rapidly. We had no time to dawdle. Under Miles’ arrangement, the eight of us were assigned clear tasks. We arranged all the desks and chairs properly. We cleaned up garbage and dust, and even the windows needed to be wiped. This round of game rules wasn’t too difficult. We only used half of the allotted two hours to complete the cleaning task. [Class 3-2’s sanitation conditions have met the standards. Well done, students!] Hearing the prompt from the broadcast, we all breathed a sigh of relief. This round seemed too simple.

After finishing, Chloe and I collapsed on our desks, large beads of sweat on our foreheads. Being able to complete it successfully also meant that we could temporarily preserve our lives. The originally heavy and suffocating atmosphere eased a bit. In the time that followed, we successively heard clearance reminders from other classes on this floor. “Great, finally no more deaths,” Chloe said with tears in her eyes. I felt a twinge in my nose too. [Current number of classes cleared: 48. Number of survivors: 562.] [Please note, students, this round of games only retains 30 class clearance spots. If the number exceeds this, half of the excess classes will be randomly eliminated. Please cooperate.] The broadcast suddenly sounded. The announced rule sent a chill through my heart. This round of games actually had a limit on the number of people? But 48 classes had already completed the task, exceeding the limit by 18. If random elimination occurs, it means 282 people will die. What does this mean? Does it mean that in this round, no matter what, half of the people must die? [Students, it’s break time now. You can leave your classroom and move around a bit!] The broadcast continued to play light and cheerful music. But I felt like I had fallen into an ice pit. “Looks like we’re in big trouble,” Miles said with a dark face, looking out of the classroom. After that deliberate broadcast reminder, not just us, I believe the people in other classes also understood the hidden meaning. Hearing the footsteps outside the classroom, Everyone’s hearts were in their throats. This was clearly meant to make us harm each other, to damage the sanitation of other classes, so that the number of clearances would decrease! “No! This is harming others, we can’t do this!” I stood up suddenly, wanting to dissuade other classmates who were getting restless. “Hazel, at a time like this, you’re still trying to be a saint? It’s either them or us, don’t waste time!” A male classmate picked up the trash can on the desk, about to run out of the classroom. Others also started to criticize me, only Chloe was helping me speak. “There must be another way, let’s not rush,” she said. But we didn’t have much time left. The atmosphere in the classroom became tense. Just then, the window glass was shattered. Bang! Fragments scattered on the ground. The broadcast also issued a warning: [Class 3-2’s sanitation conditions have not yet met the standards. Please clean up immediately!]

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On the day of our divorce, my ex-husband held our chubby son tightly and pointed at me, snarling, “Don’t even think about getting custody of our son!” I calmly replied, “Of course not.” After all, he wasn’t my biological child. My biological daughter, whom I had carried for ten months, was waiting for me at home with my new boyfriend. When I was eight months pregnant, I discovered that my husband was having an affair with our former nanny. To outsiders, we appeared to be a perfectly happy family. I believed this too, which is why I had followed our plan and gotten pregnant soon after our marriage. Now, Caleb was snoring beside me. I looked at the SnapChat message on his phone screen: “Caleb, our baby kicked me again today.” The profile picture of the sender looked familiar. When I opened it, it was indeed someone I knew – Fiona, who had worked as our live-in nanny for a year. Silently, I marked the message as unread and exited SnapChat. Sure enough, Caleb’s phone had two systems, and he must have forgotten to switch before going to sleep. I put the phone back on his bedside table and laid down, but sleep eluded me. The next morning, I said to Caleb, “I’m planning to visit my dad today. I’ve been worried about him since mom passed away.” “Alright, honey. Be safe,” Caleb replied, not even looking up as he tied his shoelaces, let alone offering to drive me. “I might have to work late today, so I’ll be back late. If it’s convenient, why don’t you have dinner at your dad’s place?” I agreed and left the house. The first thing I did was call my father’s housekeeper. “James, could you please find some trustworthy people to keep an eye on Caleb tonight? It would be great if they could get photos of whoever he meets.” After hanging up, I felt some of the heaviness in my heart lift. Since becoming pregnant, I had given up my work to focus on the baby and our home. I had almost forgotten my decisive days in the business world. Caleb, if you dare to betray me, be prepared to face the consequences. When James heard I was coming home, he insisted on sending a car to pick me up, despite my protests, and even waited for me at the door himself. “James, you really didn’t have to. I’m pregnant, not made of glass,” I said as I walked in. “Is Dad in his study?” “The master has been waiting for you since he heard you were coming back,” James replied cheerfully, escorting me to the study before heading to the kitchen to arrange lunch. “Lyra, what’s wrong? Why such an urgent visit?” Dad asked before I could even sit down. “Dad, I want to divorce Caleb. He’s cheating on me,” I said, my voice trembling without me realizing it. How pathetic, getting worked up over such an unworthy man. I mocked myself internally. “Okay,” to my surprise, Dad didn’t ask any questions. “I heard you asked James to have someone tail Caleb. Is there anything else you need help with?” Dad’s decisive response helped me regain my composure. I shared the plan I had formulated during my sleepless night: “The baby is already eight months along, so termination is out of the question. Besides, this is my child too, so I’ve decided to give birth, but I absolutely cannot let Caleb have custody.” “For now, I don’t want to deal with anything else. I just want to focus on having a healthy pregnancy and delivery. Once I’ve recovered, I’ll find the right moment to file for divorce.” “I don’t believe Caleb only started his affair with Fiona after she came to work for us, so I’d like to borrow a few of your people to investigate Fiona’s background.” “Also,” I took a deep breath, “once I’ve recovered, I want to return to work at the company immediately.”

Days passed uneventfully as I focused all my energy on myself and the baby. I silently reminded myself that any revenge could wait; maintaining a stable mindset was crucial. I couldn’t let two despicable people ruin my life and my baby’s. On my due date, I was awakened by contractions. I knew it was time. I looked at the other side of the bed; Caleb had left at some point. Pushing aside the feeling of irony, I dialed for an ambulance. The delivery process was unexpectedly difficult. Perhaps the baby knew she would face her parents’ separation upon arrival and was reluctant to leave my body. I was nearly broken by a pain I had never experienced before. Disregarding everything else, I screamed, “I don’t want to give birth anymore.” All the resentment I had suppressed for months was unleashed by this pain, and tears streamed down my face. Through the haze, I thought I heard the delivery room door open. A man stood beside me. Is it Caleb? I wondered hazily. Is he worried about the baby? “Lyra, I’m a friend of your father’s. My name is Dr. Lachlan Frost,” came a steady male voice, completely different from Caleb’s. “I’m here, and you’ll be fine.” Dad was really thinking ahead, arranging a doctor for me in advance. In a daze, I followed Dr. Frost’s instructions and pushed. Finally, after an intense bout of pain, I heard a baby’s cry. “Look at your baby,” Dr. Frost said, holding up the cleaned infant. “It’s a little princess.” I gazed hungrily at my daughter’s bewildered face, the pain seemingly vanishing. I’m sorry, baby. Mommy will settle accounts with your father soon. Although the delivery wasn’t easy, both the baby and I were in good condition and were moved to a regular ward. Exhausted, I fell into a deep sleep after the nurse assured me my daughter was healthy. In the middle of the night, I was awakened by the sound of footsteps. Opening my eyes, I saw a woman standing by my daughter’s crib. I was about to call for help when the moonlight illuminated her face – it was Fiona. I immediately fell silent, curious to see what she was up to. She lifted my daughter out of the crib. Then, carefully, she took a baby boy out of the carrier she was holding and placed him in the crib. After that, she wrapped my daughter securely and prepared to leave the room. That beast! Rage surged through me, and I wanted nothing more than to flay her alive. How dare she try to switch my daughter! Thinking back to those SnapChat messages she sent Caleb, I realized the baby in the crib must be her son. I wanted to stop her but held back. Fiona wanted her son to take my daughter’s place, to live a life of comfort and adoration. If I exposed everything now, she would face at most a few days of administrative detention. No, that would be too easy for her! Realizing this, I forced my still-aching body to follow Fiona after she left with my daughter. Fiona skulked around, eventually reaching the entrance of the Infectious Diseases Department. When no one was around, she placed my daughter in a hidden corner. I could barely contain my hatred for Fiona. The Infectious Diseases Department? What kind of place was that? Patients with tuberculosis, syphilis, even HIV were treated in that ward! Fiona’s intentions in leaving my daughter there were clear! Just as I was about to rush over and retrieve my daughter, a hand held me back. I turned to see Dr. Frost. “Go back and rest. I’ll handle this,” he said. He must have been following me and understood the situation. “I’ll take your daughter directly to another ward and have someone trustworthy look after her.” I collected myself, realizing this was the only way to avoid alerting Fiona. I made my way back to my room, avoiding people. Back in the room, I looked at the baby boy sleeping soundly in the crib, and a chill crept into my heart. The child was innocent, but since his mother was willing to give him up, I wouldn’t feel guilty about using him to torment her.

That night, I received a message from my father. He said my daughter had been checked and was fine, and he was with her in another room. I named my daughter Isla. Caleb finally showed up at the hospital on the second day after I gave birth, claiming he had an urgent business trip. I neither complained nor showed enthusiasm, making him think I was still angry about his absence. He was attentive during my hospital stay. A few days later, the nurse informed me that both the baby boy and I were in good health and could be discharged. It was then that Caleb remembered, “We haven’t named our son yet.” “You choose. I’m fine with anything,” I said, showing little interest. Caleb, however, was enthusiastic: “Then let’s call him Zander. We can call him Zan for short.” I nodded, wondering if Caleb knew that Fiona had switched our babies. Back home, I said, “Honey, let’s hire a nanny like before. I’m still not feeling well after giving birth, and the baby needs care. I think Fiona, our previous nanny, was quite good.” Caleb looked at me in surprise: “Hiring a nanny is fine, but why suddenly insist on Fiona?” “It’s not that I insist on her, but she worked here for a year, so she’d be better than other nannies,” I said matter-of-factly. “But I heard from other families she worked for that she recently had a miscarriage. I’m not sure if it’s appropriate for her to take care of you,” Caleb explained. I felt reassured. It seemed Caleb had been fooled and didn’t know about the baby switch. “Well, honey, why don’t you send her a message and ask? If she’s willing, let her come. If not, we can’t force her,” I said. Watching Caleb agree and take out his phone, I knew Fiona wouldn’t pass up this opportunity to care for her own son and be close to Caleb. Sure enough, just as I had predicted, Fiona arrived the next day with her bags packed. As soon as she entered, before even taking off her shoes, she picked up Zander, cooing lovingly, “This baby is so sturdy, and his features are so handsome.” “Yes, it took me a long time to give birth to him,” I replied casually. I saw Fiona’s face freeze for a moment. I felt a secret thrill. I said directly, “Please help me take care of the child. I’m going to visit my father, and I’ll be having dinner there too. Would you mind making dinner as well?” After getting out of the car at home, I saw James coming to greet me as usual and went straight to the point: “Where’s Isla?” “Dr. Frost and the master are both with her,” James smiled kindly. What’s Lachlan doing here? I had some questions. Still, I followed James to the bedroom. In the bedroom, Dad and Lachlan were looking at the baby in the crib. Dad was muttering, “She looks exactly like my Lyra when she was little…” “Dad, Dr. Frost,” I greeted as I entered, then looked at my dad, clearly asking: What’s Lachlan doing here? “Lyra, Lachlan comes from a medical family, and he’s a skilled doctor. I trust him, so I asked him to come check on Isla occasionally,” my dad explained cheerfully. He then said to me, “Isla is asleep. I’ve asked someone to watch her here. Let’s talk in the study.” “No need, sir. I’m fine staying here,” Lachlan replied. I gave him a curious look: This man was being overly attentive, wasn’t he?

After sitting down in the study, my father took out a stack of documents. “I was worried about your emotions fluctuating too much in late pregnancy, so I didn’t show you these investigation reports earlier. They were all done by people from the company, so you don’t need to doubt their authenticity.” He spread the documents on the table. “After you’ve read them, I’ll support whatever decision you make.” I picked up the investigation report and started reading quickly. Sure enough, Fiona and Caleb had known each other since high school. They were from the same rural area, and had maintained contact even during the period when I was dating and married to Caleb. Caleb had even been sending Fiona a substantial amount of money every month. The night I discovered his affair, when he said he had to work overtime, he was actually going to see the pregnant Fiona. After finishing, I thought I would be furious, but I felt surprisingly calm. I asked, “The money he gave to Fiona, was it his own or from his company?” Caleb currently worked as a financial director at a foreign company. Although his position wasn’t very high, everyone treated him with respect because of my father’s influence. “He’s not bold enough to do that. It’s all his own money,” my father replied. “Then it’s malicious transfer of marital property,” I said, putting down the evidence. I told my father, “I want to recover first, then start working at the company. If I don’t have a source of income when we divorce, Caleb might try to take Isla away.” “Alright,” my father agreed immediately. “Tomorrow I’ll have my secretary find someone to mentor you at the company. By the way, I heard from James that Fiona has returned to your house as a nanny? Is Caleb really that brazen?” “I suggested it, not him,” I said, smiling genuinely. “Dad, I think it’s better for a child to be cared for by their birth mother.” The days that followed at home were incredibly satisfying. I not only refused to get up at night for breastfeeding, citing discomfort as an excuse, but also had Fiona prepare formula for Zander. I didn’t bother with any of the baby’s needs, simply enjoying my days eating and drinking to my heart’s content. I would occasionally visit my father’s house to see Isla, growing more and more attached to her as her features became more defined. I also often encountered Lachlan when he came to check on Isla, and we gradually became familiar with each other, even adding each other on SnapChat. A month passed, and I was glowing with health and vitality.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “294685”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #重生Reborn #现实主义Realistic #励志Inspiring #浪漫Romance #玄幻Fantsy #惊悚Thriller #魔幻Magic #校园School #擦边Steamy

During my internship after graduation, a petite pregnant woman moved in next door. I kindly shared my freshly bought mangoes with her and offered her rides to prenatal check-ups on my way to work. However, she lured me to her place and allowed her husband to assault me. “Claire, don’t blame me. You fresh college graduates are perfect for my husband to release his urges on.” Afterwards, they pushed me off the rooftop and spread rumors that I had seduced her husband during her pregnancy, leading to my accidental fall when she caught us. When I opened my eyes again, I found myself back on the day the neighbor first visited my apartment. Once again, I stood in my rented apartment, holding a plate of freshly peeled mango slices. Sitting in the living room was my neighbor from apartment 1622, her eyes gleaming as she stared at the fruit in my hands. The mango I had chosen this time was particularly juicy and fragrant. Before I could react, Mia eagerly grabbed two large pieces and started devouring them. She took the two biggest slices, which accounted for almost half of what I had prepared. “I’m not eating much, just these two pieces will do,” she said. “Claire, the fruit you bought is so delicious. My husband says we need to save money for the baby’s formula, so he won’t let me buy such expensive things.” Hearing her tone, identical to my previous life, I finally realized I had been reborn. I was a resident at the city hospital, having just started my internship and rented this apartment closest to the hospital. The woman before me was my new neighbor. She said her name was Mia and that she was nineteen years old. When Mia first greeted me, I was shocked by how thin she was. She wasn’t tall, with an obviously protruding belly, but as a pregnant woman, her face was sallow, clearly malnourished. Her husband was always out early and back late, rarely seen accompanying his wife. Yet she seemed content, often posting pregnancy vlogs on TikTok. “Ugh, being fertile is such a pain. Accidentally got pregnant after some fun with hubby. He’s so happy, can’t wait to see what our little one will look like!” “It’s 9 PM now, and my husband just got off work. He works so hard! I made him a bowl of noodles, feeling so blessed!” The picture showed her making a peace sign next to a bowl of noodles. In reality, living next door, I could hear her husband yelling at her drunkenly almost every night before bed. In my previous life, concerned about her thinness, I asked and learned that her diet consisted mainly of vegetables, with little meat or fruit. This was because her husband said eating those things could lead to gestational hypertension and diabetes, making childbirth more difficult. When she told me this, Mia’s face was full of shyness and happiness. As a doctor, I kindly reminded her that pregnant women should have a balanced diet for the baby’s healthy development. Her husband, however, was very impatient. “Isn’t there fruit? Eating one type is enough. Why waste more money?” But the “fruit” he mentioned was just a bag of bruised apples he had bought for his wife. “Men have it tough out there. It’s not like you women who can make money so easily, just by spreading your legs.” I couldn’t stand it and argued with him, only to receive his contemptuous mockery. “You’re so young, how did you get into the city hospital? Who knows what methods you used?” Even Mia, with teary eyes, tried to persuade me, “Claire, just listen to my husband. We women should know our place.” I was bewildered and cut off contact with this bizarre couple afterwards. But on a rainy night, Mia knocked on my door, crying about abdominal pain. “Please, save my baby. I’m in so much pain. Can you take me to the hospital…” As a doctor, I couldn’t ignore someone in need, so I finally opened the door. However, as soon as I helped her sit down, her husband rushed out and covered my mouth, forcibly dragging me into their apartment. Mia remained indifferent, allowing me to be assaulted by him. “I’m pregnant now, so it’s inconvenient for me to have sex with my husband. You fresh graduates are clean, perfect for satisfying my husband’s urges.” “It’s just sex, you won’t die from it.” After the assault, seeing my fierce resistance, they feared I would report to the police and even threw me off the balcony of the 16th floor. When I died, I was naked, lying in a pool of blood. Facing the police and reporters, Mia still defended her husband, crying: “I wanted to be friends with her, but she seduced my husband. When I discovered them, she ran away and fell from upstairs.” Suddenly, public opinion overwhelmingly mocked me, saying I deserved it. At this moment, I gritted my teeth and quickly took away the plate of mangoes I had put on the table. She immediately pouted. “What are you doing? It’s my baby who wants to eat, not me.” I smiled and said, “If you want to eat, let your husband buy it for you. Whoever does it should be responsible.” Mia became anxious, “How can you be like this? It’s just a bit of your food, why are you being so stingy?” In the next second, I snatched away the two pieces she was holding and eating, and threw them into the trash without hesitation. “Then don’t eat these two bites either.”

Mia’s face turned red with anger. “I thought you might find it inconvenient living alone as a woman, so I came to check on you. I didn’t expect you to be so stingy! You really don’t appreciate kindness!” I retorted, “Am I stingy? Even if I am, it’s with my own things. It’s none of your business. Unlike you, shamelessly taking things that aren’t yours.” She clearly hadn’t expected my reaction to be so intense. But in the next moment, I grabbed her handbag and emptied its contents onto the floor. Several mint sprigs mixed with soil fell out. These were the mint plants she had plucked from my windowsill flowerpot while I was in the kitchen opening the mango. In my previous life, for the sake of neighborly harmony, I hadn’t made a fuss when I discovered about ten of my mint plants had been plucked after she left. But now, I didn’t want to tolerate it anymore. I brought over the planting box that she had ravaged and smiled as I grabbed her hand. “Come on, how did you pull them out just now? Plant them back for me, one by one.” Mia’s face turned pale, but the soil under her fingernails left her with no defense. I stood there, watching her plant them back one by one, until she angrily left my apartment. The tense emotions finally eased a bit at this moment. Remembering the tragic fate of my previous life, I immediately contacted the rental agency to apply for a transfer to another internship hospital, wanting to get away from this couple. However, when arranging the transfer, the agent introduced me to another nursing student who was also about to start her internship. [Senior, thank you for wanting to sublet at a lower price. We even went to the same university for our bachelor’s degrees.] Hearing her excited voice message, my heart suddenly sank. How was she any different from me? After thinking about it all night, I decided not to move. At least I couldn’t let my experience be repeated with another girl. And simply running away wouldn’t work. To make up for my pain, I had to make them pay an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. I bought a series of self-defense tools, added a hidden camera at my door, and set up a one-click alarm function to ensure my safety. The next day during lunch break, someone started banging on my door. I impatiently opened it, “Who is it?” I saw Mia’s frowning face. She clutched her stomach, saying she had been feeling unwell, nauseous and wanting to vomit ever since eating a few bites of mango at my place yesterday. I folded my arms, “I ate that mango too, how come you’re the only one feeling sick and I’m fine?” This time, her husband Jack stepped out, righteously saying: “Words mean nothing. How can you prove you really ate it? You clearly disliked my wife yesterday, who knows if you deliberately poisoned her?” He tilted his head back, his nostrils flaring as he spoke, his nose hair clearly visible. “I don’t care, my wife only started feeling sick after seeing you. You must take us to the hospital for a full check-up of our baby!” The moment I saw Jack, my scalp tingled as I recalled everything I had endured in my previous life. But he thought I was intimidated by him, and in front of his wife, he grabbed my hand greasily. “You’re a doctor, so let’s go to your hospital. As long as you sincerely apologize and make amends, we can still be good neighbors.”

I immediately shook off his hand and said coldly: “What, trying to get someone else to pay for your wife’s prenatal check-up? What kind of useless man comes up with such a despicable idea just to save money?” Mia beside him became anxious. “Don’t talk nonsense! My husband loves me the most. You clearly offended us first, don’t try to shift the blame!” The smile disappeared from Jack’s face as he tightly gripped my wrist, not letting me leave. Since that’s the case, then come with me to work. I smiled and turned to bring them to our department. After explaining the situation to my supervising attending physician, she personally received them and asked where Mia felt uncomfortable. Mia stammered, hesitating for a long time. “I, I ate something wrong, my stomach doesn’t feel good.” But when the attending asked her to lie on the examination bed and pressed a few times, she pretended to cry out in pain, yet her answers about symptoms were still inconsistent. The attending and I exchanged glances, and she calmly said: “Look how you’ve made your neighbor so upset over some fruit. You meant well but it backfired.” Jack became a bit anxious, “Doctor, just give my wife all the usual prenatal tests. We’ll feel at ease once everything’s checked.” But the attending shook her head and prescribed a series of gastrointestinal tests for them. “Didn’t you say you ate something wrong? We need to take it step by step. Whether it’s food poisoning or something else isn’t clear yet. Let’s draw some blood for tests first, then we’ll consider how to treat it with medication.” Hearing about medication, Mia and her husband’s faces changed dramatically. They whispered to each other, probably discussing how pregnancy prevents taking medication and drawing so much blood. They looked at the series of blood tests prescribed and finally waved their hands. “Never mind, I suddenly don’t feel that uncomfortable anymore…” In the end, she glared at me and left reluctantly with her husband. As Mia was leaving, her earrings flashed under her short hair. I suddenly noticed that the style looked familiar, seemingly the earrings I had lost last week. I turned and quietly thanked the attending, “Thank you for helping me out of that situation.” She held a cup of hot tea and smiled without speaking, “It’s nothing. That man is your neighbor? He’s actually a security guard at our hospital. What a weirdo.” Over the past two weeks, things had often gone missing from my bag, mostly personal items like earrings and lipsticks. Before, I thought I had just misplaced them and didn’t pay much attention. Until I just saw my lost earrings hanging on Mia’s ears. I didn’t know Jack’s job before, only that he left early and returned late every day. I never expected the devil to be so close to me.

That noon, the courier station suddenly called, saying someone had taken my package, claiming to be my neighbor helping me. I laughed coldly, as expected. After discovering this couple always stole my things, I deliberately bought something good. Since they like stealing, I’ll let them steal to their heart’s content. It was horse manure I had bought. Soon, the property management group chat started buzzing. [Who’s cooking shit in the middle of the day?! I can smell it from the 15th floor!] [In this 104°F weather, the smell is overwhelming. I can smell it upstairs too.] I frowned and quickly put on a mask. As soon as I stepped out of the elevator, I came face to face with Mia, who was holding a ladle and looking panicked. She pointed at my nose and started cursing, “Did you do this on purpose? Are you sick? What kind of stuff did you buy? Is it even edible?” I coldly pointed at the packaging. “That’s horse manure I bought for research. Did I tell you to take it and cook it?” Mia was speechless for a while, “I was just trying to be nice and help you get your package. I wanted to see what good food you bought and cook it for us to eat together when you got off work!” She angrily pointed at another opened package. “And this one, are you some kind of psycho? You actually bought live cockroaches?” I looked up at the cockroaches crawling all over their dark apartment, examining them left and right, extremely satisfied. Seeing me laugh with joy, Mia couldn’t hold back anymore and rushed to the bathroom to vomit. At this time, Jack also rushed back after hearing the news. Seeing Mia crying as she threw herself into his arms. “Honey! I was just trying to be friends with her, but she bullied me again and even deliberately released cockroaches to scare me.” Jack’s eyebrows furrowed: “My wife is pregnant, can’t you be a little more considerate? If something happens to the baby in her belly because of this scare, can you take responsibility?” I laughed coldly, “Be considerate of her? How should I be considerate? My package was stolen by your wife. You tried to steal but failed and ended up losing more. Even if the police came, I have surveillance footage from the courier station as proof.” Jack was choked by my words. He hugged his wife, who was crying pitifully with horse manure smeared on her face, and said in a sinister tone: “Dr. Chen, why don’t you understand the principle of harmony? …” His voice was very low, but it felt like a poisonous snake crawling up my calf. I didn’t respond further, just waved my hand. “Remember, I don’t care how lovey-dovey you two are, but I have a bad temper and I’m not easy to mess with. Don’t even think about offending me in the slightest.” Then I coldly turned and left. I thought that after such an incident, they would quiet down for a while. But unexpectedly, when I returned to the community after work that day, people along the way gave me strange looks and pointed at me. I felt uneasy, wondering what was going on, until I saw an anonymous person had uploaded an indecent video in the group chat. The male lead in the video was blurred out, but the female lead’s face was actually mine! The title was maliciously set as: #Leaked first-person footage of innocent female doctor from certain hospital being coerced# The video clearly used AI technology to swap faces and blurred the quality to make it look very realistic. It even included all my personal information and workplace. People in the group were discussing: [Wow, she’s so young but already got into the city hospital. I knew there must be some inside story.] [Tsk tsk, no wonder they say women can’t be in charge. They just use their bodies to get ahead.] I was shocked. The anonymous person was still proudly boasting: [That female doctor from 1621, I’ve already had her. Don’t be fooled by her act, she’s actually very eager.] Besides this, that person also sent me a separate message with a clearly enlarged nude photo of me. [Claire, aren’t you so capable? Now everyone in the community knows you’re a slut.]

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “294684”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #重生Reborn #现实主义Realistic #励志Inspiring #浪漫Romance #玄幻Fantsy #惊悚Thriller #魔幻Magic #校园School #擦边Steamy

In the kitchen, Lachlan pressed against my back, trapping me against the counter. He reached one hand under my apron while casually feeding me a strawberry with the other. My face flushed red. He chuckled suggestively, “Stepsister, you sure know how to bite.” Mom turned to look at me from the dining room across the way, asking with concern, “Avalon, are you cold? Why are you shaking?” I never imagined the person I had a crush on for three years would become my stepbrother. The day I moved into the Harrison house with my mom, I was standing at the doorway when a bucket of water was dumped on me, soaking me from head to toe. Water dripped steadily off my clothes. Lachlan sauntered over with the empty bucket, looking me up and down with a nasty smirk. “Oops, my hand slipped. But…” He paused, “You’re barely wearing anything, so I’m sure you wanted to cool off anyway.” I looked down and realized my white shirt had gone completely see-through, revealing the color of my bra underneath. Horrified, I quickly crossed my arms over my chest. Lachlan’s laughter grew even more unrestrained. He must have seen everything! The thought made my face burn with embarrassment. “Lachlan!” His brother Callum rushed over. A jacket with a faint soapy scent fell over my shoulders as Callum stepped in front of me, ushering me inside. “Avalon, go change first. I’ll deal with him later.” He pushed me into the downstairs bathroom, where I stood in shock. My heart was still pounding. I had finally seen Lachlan in person. He was just as handsome as before, unchanged. Except… he didn’t seem to welcome me. I suppose that makes sense, given that my mom had broken up his family. Bang bang bang! Loud knocking on the door made me jump back several steps. As I hesitated nervously, Lachlan’s voice came from outside: “I brought you some clothes.” My heart, which had just calmed down, started racing again. I looked at my soaked, disheveled reflection in the mirror and didn’t dare open the door. But Lachlan started turning the doorknob. Thank goodness I had locked it. When he couldn’t open it, he threatened, “If you don’t open up, I’m going to kick the door down.” “Don’t think I won’t. I’ll count to three – one, two…” Of course I knew he would do it. Lachlan always followed through on his threats. I looked around frantically and grabbed a towel to wrap around myself. Just as he reached “three,” I rushed to the door and opened it. Lachlan was leaning casually against the doorframe with my clothes draped over his arm. He was very tall, looking down at me with his striking features – high cheekbones, a sharp nose with a small mole at the tip. His eyes swept over my chest and he smirked disdainfully. “Why are you covering up? Weren’t you trying to show off and seduce someone?” “No, I wasn’t,” I protested quietly, my voice thick with hurt. I had never intended to seduce anyone. “Avalon, don’t play innocent. Your mom’s a homewrecker and you’re just a little seductress. Your mom seduced my dad, and now you’re here to seduce my brother.” He frowned with obvious irritation. “Take off my brother’s jacket!” I froze, not daring to move. If I took it off he would see everything. But if I didn’t listen to him, he would get angry. “Take it off!” he repeated. Nervously clutching the towel around me, I glanced at the clothes on his arm and said, “Give me the dry clothes first.” Lachlan held up the clothes in his arms. I immediately reached out to take them, but he quickly pulled them back. “You want them? Beg me for them.” Lachlan tilted his head, smiling slightly as he looked at me. “Give them to me!” I lunged forward. Lachlan was quick, raising the clothes high above his head. I jumped but still couldn’t reach them. How tall was he exactly?! I had to jump even higher. This time I used more force, but I was still just short. Not only did I fail to grab the clothes, I lost my balance when I landed and stumbled forward into Lachlan. “Tsk.” I heard his mocking laugh. “Are you trying to copy your mom’s tricks and seduce me?” Lachlan taunted. I suddenly realized my entire body was pressed against him, especially my upper half which was squished right against his arm. Even worse, in the commotion the towel I had wrapped around myself had nearly fallen off, barely covering anything. I quickly clutched the towel tighter and turned away from him. “What’s wrong? Not going to continue?” Lachlan said. “Those weak moves won’t be enough to seduce my brother, you know.” That’s not it, I never intended to seduce anyone. But at this point, no matter what I said, he wouldn’t believe me. My heart was full of hurt, tears threatening to spill from my eyes. I knew Lachlan hated me and my mom. After all, his mother had only passed away recently, and now my mom had moved in with me, taking his mother’s place. I understood why he hated me. But he shouldn’t misunderstand me like this. “Lachlan!” Callum’s voice rang out. “What are you doing? Blocking a girl’s way to the bathroom is incredibly rude!” “Brother, why do you always take her side?” “Avalon just moved in, you should be more considerate. Besides, she’s older than you, so she’s your stepsister. Don’t be so disrespectful. Give her the clothes.” Lachlan quickly retorted, “I don’t have a stepsister like her.” “Give her the clothes!” Callum ordered firmly. Lachlan glared at me before finally handing over the clothes, gritting out, “Here you go, stepsister.” Callum sighed and said to me, “Avalon, I’m sorry. He’s always been ill-mannered. Go ahead and change.” I took the clothes and whispered a thank you, then closed the door. Soon after, I heard them walk away. Alone in the bathroom, I hugged the clean clothes and finally broke down crying. I had a crush on Lachlan for three years, but in the end, I became his stepsister, hated by him.

After changing and coming out, Callum said the whole family would have dinner together later. I already knew Callum before moving in – he was my teacher’s star student. I never expected that connection would come into play here. He was following my teacher’s wishes by looking out for me. At the dinner table, my mom’s eyes were glued to Uncle Harrison, barely noticing me. I didn’t want to draw attention to myself either, so I ate quietly. But Uncle Harrison brought me up anyway. “I hear Avalon is Callum’s junior at school. What a coincidence!” Uncle Harrison looked at me approvingly. “If you ever need anything, just ask Callum. He’s very reliable.” “I understand, Uncle,” I said in a small voice. Uncle Harrison was clearly pleased, praising me: “Such a good girl.” Just as he finished speaking, someone scoffed loudly. Lachlan stabbed his chopsticks into his bowl, saying, “What an act.” Uncle Harrison’s face immediately darkened as he scolded, “Lachlan, don’t be rude.” Callum also gave him a warning look. He said, “Avalon just joined our family and she’s a girl. You should take better care of her.” I thought Lachlan would argue back, but he said, “Fine, I’ll take good care of my stepsister from now on and bond with her.” Then he smiled at me. I shuddered, sensing that smile wasn’t as innocent as it seemed. With him behaving, we managed to finish dinner without further incident. After dinner, I didn’t dare linger in the living room and went straight to my room. I was unpacking when someone knocked on the door. Thinking it was my mom, I quickly put down what I was holding and went to open it. But when I looked up, I saw Lachlan instead. I froze for two seconds, instinctively trying to close the door, but Lachlan wedged his foot between the door and the frame. “You…” I had only said one word before he forcefully pushed his way in. Bang. He closed the door behind him. “What… what are you doing?” I backed up two steps. Lachlan scanned the room with interest before saying, “You like my brother?” What kind of strange question was that? I quickly shook my head. “Why are you shaking your head? Isn’t my brother the reason you moved into our house?” he said. “No, he’s not,” I denied again. Lachlan moved closer, looking down at me. “Then why did you move in? Your mom said you originally didn’t want to move here.” I was at a loss for words. It was true that I initially didn’t want to move in with my mom, but when I found out Lachlan was back home, I agreed. How could I tell him that I moved in because of him? When I didn’t answer for a long time, Lachlan took my silence as confirmation and warned me through gritted teeth: “You little seductress, don’t you dare try to seduce my brother!” I couldn’t explain myself, so I just said, “Get out!” Lachlan glared at me, about to turn around when someone knocked on the door again. This time, it was his brother Callum. “Avalon, it’s Callum. Do you have a moment?” I was about to speak when the person in front of me suddenly covered my mouth. My eyes widened in shock as I tried to pry his hand away. Lachlan smirked and pressed me against the door, releasing his hand. He leaned down and kissed me, once again silencing me. In that moment, my mind went blank. He actually kissed me! How could he kiss me? “Avalon, are you there?” Callum’s voice snapped me back to reality. We were kissing with just a door separating us from his brother. This realization made my blood boil with shame. I quickly pushed Lachlan away. But he leaned in even closer, pinning my hands above my head as he whispered, “Stepsister, better not make a sound. You wouldn’t want my brother to hear.” Then he kissed me even more fiercely. “Avalon, are you alright?” Callum sounded worried after getting no response for so long. I couldn’t push Lachlan away, so I steeled myself and kicked him hard. Lachlan hissed in pain. “Ouch, stepsister, that was mean. Are you that eager to open the door for him?” I glared at him, not daring to speak for fear I would start crying. Lachlan smirked and said, “Fine, let’s let my brother see what you look like right now.” “He doesn’t know you like him, right? “I wonder what he’ll think if he finds out you like him but are also kissing his brother in your room? “Stepsister, I’m so curious to know.” I looked at him in horror, whispering, “What are you going to do?” Lachlan didn’t answer. His hand silently reached behind me and grasped the doorknob. I realized what he was about to do and softened my voice to plead with him: “No, don’t open the door.” At this moment, I was still in his embrace, our position intimate. If the door opened and Callum saw us like this, I wouldn’t be able to explain no matter how hard I tried. I didn’t know what the consequences would be. But Lachlan was like the devil as he pressed down on the doorknob. Click. “Lachlan…” The door opened and I thought it was all over. In the next second, I was spun around and a hand on my waist pushed me forward. I stumbled a few steps and steadied myself at the doorway. The door closed behind me. I carefully looked back but didn’t see Lachlan. My heart finally settled down. “Avalon, what’s wrong? Why are your lips so red?” Callum asked curiously. I turned my head, instinctively covering my lips with my hand. I hadn’t noticed before, but now my lips felt like they were on fire. “It’s nothing,” I said, quickly changing the subject. “Callum, what did you want to see me about?” Callum said, “It’s nothing major. I wanted to apologize for earlier today. Lachlan isn’t a bad kid, he just has a temper. Please don’t take it personally.” I shook my head and said, “I didn’t take it to heart.” Callum smiled gently. “I know you’re good-natured and won’t mind, but if he bullies you in the future, you have to tell me.” I nodded in agreement. “Mm.” Callum said a few more things before handing me a glass of milk and leaving reassured. As soon as he left, I quickly opened the door. Lachlan stood by the door with his arms crossed, expressionless as he stared at me. “You…” I didn’t dare go in. Lachlan smirked coldly: “You sure listen to my brother well.” After speaking, he took the milk from my hand and drank half of it in one go, his Adam’s apple bobbing. I stared at him blankly. The next second, Lachlan grabbed my chin and suddenly poured milk into my mouth. I was caught off guard and choked badly. When I looked up again, Lachlan’s face held a hint of a smile, as if somewhat satisfied. Long after he left, I still couldn’t calm down. It seemed I had thoroughly provoked him. By the time I lay in bed, my mom finally came to see me. I thought she had come to check on me, but she told me to endure it and not provoke the two young masters of the Harrison family, especially Lachlan. “Mom has no choice. I just arrived in this family and it’s not easy. Your Uncle Harrison won’t even agree to marry me yet…” I bit my lip and nodded. “I understand.”

After a night of tossing and turning, I woke up late the next day. When I came out, they were already eating breakfast. Callum wasn’t there, he must have gone out. My mom saw me and gave me a reproachful look. Uncle Harrison seemed quite happy though. After some small talk, he told me to quickly sit down and eat breakfast. As soon as I sat down, Lachlan said, “Stepsister, Mom said your soup is delicious. I really want to try it.” My mom immediately chimed in, “Yes, it’s her specialty.” Then she said to me, “Avalon, go to the kitchen and make some soup for Lachlan.” Seeing the mischievous glint in Lachlan’s eyes, I knew he was doing this on purpose. But I had no choice. I could only obediently go to the kitchen to make soup for him. It’s not actually difficult, just takes some time. At least this way I didn’t have to eat at the same table as them. But just as I was halfway through, Lachlan also came into the kitchen. He said he was there to help me. For just one pot of soup, what help did I need? He was probably here to tease me. But he had already come in and was taking a bowl of strawberries out of the fridge. “I heard you like strawberries.” He put the strawberries in the sink. “I bought these especially for you.” Every time he called me “stepsister,” I felt like he was up to no good. “Stepsister, try one and see if they’re good.” He held out a strawberry to my lips. I instinctively took a step back, looking at him apprehensively. He smiled and asked in a low voice, “Why are you running away?” Then he quickly stepped forward, pressing against my back. “You…” I had just opened my mouth when he grabbed my hand and continued, “Stepsister, teach me. Once I learn, I can make soup for my dad.” He was really too close, and this was an open kitchen with the dining table right across from us. My mom must have heard because she laughed and said, “Avalon, go ahead and teach Lachlan. You’re stepsiblings now, one family. There’s nothing to hide.” I nodded in agreement and shifted forward a bit, not wanting to touch Lachlan behind me. At the same time, I reminded him, “You can just stand to the side.” “Stepsister, I prefer to learn from behind,” he said as he squeezed even closer. I was practically bent over the counter. Suddenly Lachlan reached around and grabbed my waist, pulling me back against him. “Stepsister, that position was dangerous,” he said in a low voice by my ear. I was startled and my hand shook, dropping the spoon into the pot. “Lachlan, you…” I wanted to tell him he was too close. But unexpectedly, his hand on my waist continued to wander. My whole body froze. “Stepsister, if you don’t get the spoon soon it’ll be too late,” he reminded me. I hurriedly picked up the spoon and continued stirring the soup. My other hand reached down to where the counter blocked the view, grabbing Lachlan’s wandering hand. But Lachlan caught my hand instead, gently kneading it. I widened my eyes in shock. He was just trying to take advantage of me! “Stepsister, isn’t it time to add sugar?” he asked. I quickly pulled my hand away to add the sugar. Taking advantage of this moment, Lachlan actually slipped his hand under my apron. And I was wearing a dress today! I immediately panicked, not knowing what to do. “Lachlan, don’t… please don’t do this…” I quietly begged him. He chuckled and picked up a strawberry, saying, “Stepsister, don’t let your hand shake. If you add too much sugar it won’t taste good.” My hand holding the spoon was trembling badly. I didn’t dare put it down, and it shook even more. He was really going too far! I wanted to escape, but my whole body was trapped against the counter. Across from us, my mom and Uncle Harrison were eating breakfast, occasionally glancing over. “Mmm…” Just as I was about to make a sound, Lachlan stuffed a strawberry in my mouth, muffling my voice. “Stepsister, the strawberries are big today, aren’t they? Make sure to eat it all up.” I bit down hard, and sweet juice immediately flowed out, dripping all over his hand. Lachlan lowered his voice, his tone ambiguous: “Stepsister, you sure know how to bite.” He grabbed a napkin from the side and wiped my mouth, feigning exasperation: “Seriously, you’re dripping everywhere.” At that moment, my mom happened to look over from the dining table. In an instant, she frowned and asked, “Avalon, are you cold? Why are you shaking?”

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “294682”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #重生Reborn #现实主义Realistic #励志Inspiring #浪漫Romance #玄幻Fantsy #惊悚Thriller #魔幻Magic #校园School #擦边Steamy

I’m a psychic, but I was arrested by the police because I looked exactly like a wanted fugitive on a poster. To prove my identity, I did a fortune telling for the police officer. “Officer, your first love was at 18, you dated for two years, but in the end your girlfriend got together with your best friend at the time. Am I right?” Lucas James flushed with anger and embarrassment. “Shut up!” I pointed at the wanted poster on the telephone pole. “Wanted for telecom fraud… Oh my god, why does this person look so much like me?!” As soon as I said that, the gazes of several onlookers around me fell squarely on my face. The next second, a passerby dialed a number: “Hello, 911? I have a tip for you…” Only then did I realize the seriousness of the situation and tried to explain. “You’ve got it all wrong. This person on the poster is definitely not me. I’m a psychic. I’ve been studying the mystical arts in the mountains and today is my first time out!” The passersby gave me looks of disdain. “Can’t make it as a scammer anymore, so now you’re pretending to be a psychic to con people?” “Young lady, couldn’t you find something better to do than this?” “Everyone keep an eye on her, don’t let her run away. Wait for the police to come deal with her!” I was at a loss for words. To prove my identity, I could only point to the few people in the crowd who had been yelling at me the loudest. “Your father is 75 this year and is insisting on getting you a young stepmother. Your family has been arguing non-stop about this for the past few days…” “Your luck has been terrible lately. Think carefully about what bad deeds you’ve done recently. Once you resolve that, your luck will naturally return!” “And you, have you been feeling low on energy lately, with back and waist pain? Your mother-in-law passed away not long ago. She suffered abuse from you before she died, and now she’s perched on your back watching you!” “Do you believe my identity now?” There was dead silence all around. The first two men who had been pointed out looked at each other, their expressions sheepish. The middle-aged woman who was pointed out last held back for a long time, then suddenly burst into tears. “Psychic, I know I was wrong. Please save me!”

This was the scene the police saw when they arrived. “Psychic, can you tell me when my son will be able to get married?” “Psychic, will I be able to get into grad school this year?” “Psychic, can I get your contact info?” A tall, handsome police officer made his way to the front of the crowd and showed his badge. I saw the name clearly – Lucas James. “Hello, you’re suspected of involvement in a telecom fraud case and… promoting superstition. Please come with us.” Despite my efforts to explain that this was just a coincidence and I had no idea why I looked identical to the person on the wanted poster, I was still taken to the police station.

“Name?” “Willow Winters, a psychic.” Lucas James looked up at me, his expression somewhat impatient. “Age?” “266 years old.” Lucas James could no longer contain himself. He frowned and glared at me. “This is a police station. Please be serious and cooperate with our work!” I suddenly remembered that before I left, my master had stuffed an ID card into my small bag. I quickly took it out and handed it to him… After a round of questioning and information gathering, a young police officer handed several reports to Lucas James. “Captain, the fingerprints, blood type, and height don’t match at all. We seem to have arrested the wrong person…” Thank goodness, I was finally cleared of suspicion. “Captain James, can I go now?” Lucas James quickly denied my request. “No, although you’ve been cleared of the telecom fraud suspicion, I personally witnessed you promoting superstition, so I’ve decided you need to undergo some education and training.” I couldn’t stand this injustice. I took out a small booklet from my bag and slapped it down in front of him. “Look here, this is my certified psychic credential. How is that promoting superstition? Do you want me to do a reading for you too?” “Your first love was at 18, you dated for two years, but in the end your girlfriend…” Before I could finish, Lucas James angrily cut me off, his face red with embarrassment. “Enough! If you really have ability, why don’t you tell me where that fugitive who looks like you is right now?” I drew a tarot card. “She’s already left the city. You won’t find her on the roads. You might want to check the waterways…” Lucas James frowned and whispered to the police officer next to him: “Go check it out…”

Leaving the police station, I wore my mask properly this time to avoid being mistaken for the fugitive again. I took a taxi, planning to find a place to stay first. “To a hotel.” I sat in the back of the taxi and looked up, making eye contact with the driver in the rearview mirror. I immediately noticed something was off. The driver’s eyes were lifeless, his forehead dark, and he spoke with a weak, listless voice. All these signs indicated he was plagued by bad luck and likely to encounter misfortune soon. After arriving at the destination, I took out a protective charm and placed it by his hand. “Sir, you may encounter bad luck in the coming days. If you face danger, just hold this charm and it will keep you safe.” “Get lost, you scammer! Say one more word and I’ll beat you up!” The driver thought I was cursing him. His face turned black as if he was about to hit me. After chasing me out of the car, he drove away.

At my destination, I first called my master to report that I was safe, then walked around the area near the hotel. After learning about the prices in the city, I let out a deep sigh. With the little money I had, I’d be sleeping on the streets in less than 10 days. I needed to start making money fast! Said and done, I found a random street corner to sit down on. I took out my crystal ball, tarot cards, and wand from my bag, and placed a torn cardboard sign in front of me. It had a few large words written on it – Fortune Telling, $100 per reading. The sky was getting a bit dark, and most passersby hurried by without stopping. Occasionally someone would pause, but they just pointed and stared. So I simply closed my eyes to rest and wait for a destined customer to arrive. I don’t know how much time passed before I sensed two people stop in front of me. I slowly opened my eyes. “Greetings, destined ones. Would you like…” Before I could finish, the person in front impatiently cut me off. “Don’t you know begging isn’t allowed here? That’s a $200 fine, and we’re confiscating all this stuff…” This wouldn’t do! The $200 fine was bad enough for my already tight finances, but the items in my bag were magical tools passed down by my master. I couldn’t just let anyone take them! In desperation, I blurted out: “Do you know who I am?! I know Lucas James. My phone’s dead, but call him and tell him to come pick me up!” “Oh, and tell him I’m the psychic!” I took a chance, and it seemed Lucas James was quite well-known. The officer who had just been so aggressive hesitated for a moment, then actually went aside to make a phone call. After hanging up, the officer’s attitude towards me softened considerably. I sensed an opportunity! Not long after, Lucas James appeared in my line of sight, wearing plain clothes. The two officers immediately put on fawning expressions. The speed of their change in attitude left me dumbfounded. Lucas James said something to the two officers, and they left without confiscating my things. I was so moved that I decided to use what little money I had left to treat him to a meal as thanks. Lucas James declined. “No need, I have something to do later. Begging is strictly prohibited on this street now. Don’t set up shop here again.” He then took out a business card from his jacket, handed it to me, and left. “My number’s on here. You can contact me if anything comes up.” I nodded vigorously while clutching the card. Look at that, Lucas James really does help when there’s trouble, as expected of a police officer!

I lay on the hotel bed and video called my master for advice. “Master, times have changed. They don’t allow fortune telling on the streets anymore. Maybe I should just go back. In a few days I won’t even have money for the return trip!” My master, ever the internet savvy one, quickly came up with an idea. “Why don’t you do live streaming fortune telling? I see those pretty female streamers on TikTok get tons of viewers every time they go live. Their top fans shower them with gifts too. It’s super lucrative!” I pondered for a moment and realized this wasn’t a bad idea. Given that I currently look like a wanted fugitive, it’s not suitable for me to appear in public often. If I stream fortune telling online, I can use a filter to cover my face, which would avoid a lot of unnecessary misunderstandings. The next day, I downloaded a live streaming app and registered an account. Username: Psychic Willow. I set up my phone, chose a dog face filter to cover my face, and officially started streaming. After several minutes, a few people finally trickled into the live room. [Is this a new streamer? Why aren’t you showing your face?] [Streamer, show your face and I’ll send you gifts!] [Oh, the streamer is actually doing fortune telling. If you want to get popular, I suggest changing to a different category. The dance section has higher viewership, you could try that…] I looked at the comments floating across the phone screen and replied one by one. “The streamer can’t show her face for some special reasons. Please don’t mind.” “Thank you for your suggestion, but I’m a real psychic.” “If you want a fortune telling, you can ask me. One ‘Cupid’s Heart’ gift for one reading.” [You’re lying, right? Scammers these days are really keeping up with the times…] [I haven’t seen this type of live stream before, it’s kind of interesting…] [One Cupid’s Heart costs $100, that’s way too expensive for a fortune telling. Whether it’s a scam or not, I’m out.] After a few minutes, more people gradually joined the live room. But obviously they were all just here to watch the show. Not a single person was willing to spend $100 to try it out. I wasn’t in a hurry. I casually chatted with the viewers in the comments. Suddenly, one comment caught the attention of all the viewers in the live room. [Everyone quick, look at the news from New York just now. Could the psychic the taxi driver is talking about be this streamer?!] [Wow! The streamer’s IP address is in New York too!] [The news wouldn’t lie! Is the streamer really that amazing?] [I just saw it too! The streamer is actually legit!] Curiously, I found the news article the viewers were talking about and clicked on it. “A car accident occurred at the intersection of New East Street in New York City tonight. It was caused by a taxi driver falling asleep at the wheel. The vehicle was severely damaged, but miraculously, the driver emerged completely unharmed. Here’s the detailed report…” In the video, a reporter holding a microphone was conducting an interview. “How do you feel after this brush with death?” A middle-aged man, holding a half-burned protective charm, spoke excitedly and incoherently. “The psychic saved me! Thank you, psychic! I met a real miracle worker!” The accident scene in the video looked extremely gruesome. It seemed impossible that anyone could have survived. Yet the person involved was giving an interview completely unharmed. This middle-aged man was the taxi driver I had ridden with that afternoon. It seems the protective charm I left him really did save his life in a critical moment. Everything was within my expectations, but the viewers in the live room went wild. Suddenly, a fancy special effect appeared on the screen – someone had sent a Cupid’s Heart gift! A user named “Heartbroken Cilantro” posted a comment. [Streamer, I just sent the Cupid’s Heart. Can you do a reading for me?] I directly invited Heartbroken Cilantro to join a video call. Soon, a young woman in her early 20s appeared on the screen. “Hello Heartbroken Cilantro, thank you for trusting me. What would you like me to read for you?” Heartbroken Cilantro looked like she was outdoors. Her eyes were red, as if she had just been crying. “Hi streamer, I sent you my birth time in a private message. Can you take a look at my fortune for the year?” I found her private message and began the reading. “You must have grown up pampered by your parents…” Hearing this, Heartbroken Cilantro’s expression turned disappointed. “Forget it, you really are a fraud…” She was about to end the call. I quickly stopped her. “Wait, I haven’t finished… Although this seems to be your fate, from what I can tell this destiny was only valid until you were 8 years old. After that…” Heartbroken Cilantro paused, stopping her action. I hurriedly continued. “After you turned 8, your relationship with your parents suddenly broke down. They either beat or scolded you. After graduating, you chose to work far away from home to escape the trauma from your original family. But reality hasn’t been as you wished, am I right?” Having her innermost thoughts exposed, Heartbroken Cilantro silently began to cry. “Streamer, you’re right.” She had once felt the warmth of family, but her mother’s parents were very superstitious. When she was 8, they found an unreliable psychic to do a reading for her. The psychic said she would harm her parents and declared that she would definitely cause her parents’ death when she turned 25. From then on, her relationship with her parents became more and more distant. Even worse, whenever anything unpleasant happened in the family, they would blame it on her, feeling that what the psychic said back then was starting to come true. Starting from age 12, countless beatings and scoldings made her increasingly want to escape this family. When she became an adult, she gave up her studies and went to work in another city. Although her parents often asked her for money, she still felt life had become a little better. A few years ago, after her parents had another child, a little brother, they simply treated her as if she had never existed as their daughter, apart from regularly asking her for money every month. Now, she was 24 years old. In less than a week, it would be her 25th birthday. To avoid being killed by her, her parents decided to completely sever ties with her and never contact her again. She had thoroughly become an orphan that no one wanted. At this point, Heartbroken Cilantro completely broke down. “Streamer, do you know how I’ve endured all these years just because of a casual remark from psychics like you!” “Is it only if I die that they can finally feel at ease!” She cried hysterically, her phone shaking along with her emotions. I wiped my crystal ball and divined her current location, getting a shock. She was standing on the edge of a rooftop at that moment. If her emotions remained this agitated, she could easily fall off with one misstep! With a life at stake, I quickly sent a message to Lucas James on my backup phone, then hurried to comfort her while buying time for Lucas to come to the rescue. “Don’t be sad, your life isn’t just about them. I’ve divined that in the near future, you’ll have a happy and fulfilling family. You’ll have a husband who loves you wholeheartedly, give birth to adorable twins, and have in-laws who treat you like their own daughter. Your good days are yet to come!”

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It was midnight when my childhood friend, who had been missing for a year, sent me a message. [I want to get married] I hastily replied: Go ahead. The next day, I received a staggering sum of $1 million. Note: Wedding gift. Olivia James was my childhood friend. Her dad was in business while mine was in medicine. Some twist of fate brought us together. From holding hands crossing the street in kindergarten, to being deskmates for six years in elementary school, and sitting in front and back rows for three years in middle school. I thought I’d finally escape her in high school, but who knew we’d end up sharing the same taxi on registration day. I frowned: “Miss James, did all your family’s drivers die or something?” She yawned: “I’m just going the same way.” Yeah right, I thought. But it turned out to be true – she entered the International Baccalaureate program at our school.

Being in the same school was one thing, but at least she’d go abroad for college. That’s what I thought, until one day at lunch when I ran into her again. “Nathan, which building is your class in?” she asked softly, her voice lilting. I grabbed my friend: “Let’s go.” Her friend chimed in: “You’re ignoring a pretty girl who’s trying to talk to you?” I shot her a cold look: “You go away too.” … From then on, I decided never to eat in the cafeteria again. Surely I wouldn’t see her anymore now, right? I was happily doing homework in my dorm when my roommate sent me a message. Mike: Bro, what should I do?! Me: What’s up? Mike: I think I’ve fallen for that pretty girl we met in the cafeteria today! Mike: Nathan, help me pursue her, please~ Me: Add an S. SOS!

For the first time at school, I stayed up all night, unable to figure out what part of Mike’s brain had malfunctioned. Okay, I admit, the only thing I agreed with was that Olivia was pretty. Skipping evening study hall, Mike and I hid in the bushes by the basketball court to spy on her. “If you like her, just go for it. Why all this sneaking around?” I asked. “Who’s sneaking around?” I looked down and made eye contact with a bug in the bushes. It said: Good evening. I said: Ahh, get lost! Then something even more terrifying than the bug appeared. “Why is it you two again?” Olivia’s best friend spoke up. I gritted my teeth: “Can’t we admire the moon in peace?” Thunder rumbled in the overcast sky, completely out of place. Olivia snickered: “More like admiring the lightning.” I came to a conclusion. Mike must not have a brain at all to like Olivia. No, anyone who likes Olivia must not have a brain! That night back in the dorm, I ranted under my covers. Then deleted it all. I left one post on the campus forum: Whoever likes Olivia James, I’ll laugh at them for life. The day after I posted that, I experienced both cyberbullying and real-life bullying. During class, a note fell on my face out of nowhere. It was covered in different handwriting. The gist was: Who’s the person with the username “Thor’s Hammer”? I pursed my lips and quietly destroyed the evidence.

My identity was exposed that afternoon. Now the whole school knew that Nathan Scott from Class 5 was a great critic. And I, I apologized to my buddy. Under the threat of complete alienation and another condition. I agreed to help him deliver a love letter to Olivia. For a second, I wished I could die on the way to the IB building. “Please give this to Olivia James in your class.” “Who?” That girl pretended not to hear. “Olivia James,” I repeated slowly. “Oh,” she flicked water off her hands, “she’s behind you.” “…” She raised an eyebrow and pulled the pink envelope from my hand, laughing for a while. “Thor, you even write love letters?” “Can’t you see clearly, I didn’t write this.” Olivia just glanced down at it and said: “I don’t believe you.” This idiot brushed past me. I turned and yelled after her: “Olivia James, what’s wrong with you?” Her friend passed by me, leaning in to whisper: “You’re surrounded by pink bubbles.” “…” I’ll give you a pink snot bubble. … This incident spread like wildfire through the school. Everyone I passed in the halls was talking about: Thor from Class 5 wrote a love letter to the school beauty. I scrolled through the campus forum posts, unfazed. A message popped up that instantly shattered my calm. From my homeroom teacher: Have your dad come to school tomorrow. I was speechless, nearly replying: Don’t you have a dad? Why do you need mine?

I’d always been a top student, even in high school. I’d cultivated an image of the aloof academic genius. In my life, I’d never hit anyone except Olivia. Getting my parents called in was a first. I later heard my dad had canceled a whole morning of surgeries to rush to school. I just kept my head down, not daring to speak. It was so unfair. A crowd had gathered outside the office, including that troublemaker Olivia. The homeroom teacher lectured my dad about the dangers of puppy love for nearly an hour, from 7:30 to 8:30. When she finally finished, I got up to leave, but met my dad’s gloomy face. It felt like lightning struck me. Sure enough, my dad called me to the car. “I’m really not dating anyone,” I weakly explained. He let out a long sigh. “Nathan, Dad will allow you to date as long as your grades don’t slip.” I looked at him in disbelief as he added: “But it can’t be Olivia James.” I was about to ask why when Dad cut me off. “Your mom and I have to go on a business trip this month, so you’ll have to stay in the dorm for now.” “But…” “No buts, it’s already decided. Go back to class now.” Dad could be so forceful sometimes. After getting out of the car, I didn’t return to the classroom. Today was a review day, all self-study. I hadn’t taken the love letter thing too seriously, and I didn’t really care even if it was real puppy love. What bothered me was how they just dumped me at school without a word. I sat down on the stadium steps. They said I was a good kid, so they indulged me. They said I was a good kid, so I could live independently. They said I was a good kid, so I could be left behind. But even good kids want lots and lots of love. I just sat there spacing out, trying to forget everything by emptying my mind. Until a figure appeared in front of me. “Why aren’t you in class?” she asked. I didn’t answer. She stood there for a moment, then apologized. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know this would blow up so much. I’ll explain on the forum and to your dad…” “What did your dad say to you?” She crouched down and poked my head. “Are you really mad?” I finally looked up to meet her gaze, only then feeling tears run down my cheeks. She seemed to freeze for a moment, then reached out to wipe the tears from my face. “I said I’d fix it, what are you crying for?” I lowered my head and choked out: “It’s nothing, my stomach just hurts.” … At the breakfast shop, Olivia rested her chin on her hand, watching me. “It wasn’t that simple, was it?” I bit the straw, playing dumb. “What wasn’t simple?” “When you broke your arm as a kid and went to the hospital, that little girl next to you fainted from crying, but you didn’t shed a single tear.” I froze for a moment and looked up. For a second I was sure she froze too. Until a napkin brushed across my lips. I stared at her wide-eyed, and her hand stopped. “Or do you want to wipe it yourself?” “…” “My parents are going out of town this month.” “And?” “And what?! Can I stay at your place or something?” She nodded. “It’s settled then.” She got up and grabbed her school jacket, leaving. I slapped the table and stood up. Damn, Olivia didn’t pay!

Mike has inexplicably gotten into social media lately. His first sponsored post was for some hickey-making device. Of course, not the “hickey” you grow in a garden. This was the fifth time today he’d peeked down at me from his top bunk. “Nathan, you have the best collarbones in the whole dorm. Let me take a photo?” “No way.” “I’ll split the ad money with you.” “Deal.” The money wasn’t really important, I just wanted to help a friend out. After taking the photos, I didn’t pay much attention to that thing. I didn’t even think about packing my bags. I thought she was just joking that day to get out of paying. But on Friday afternoon, I was caught off guard and dragged into a private car. Damn, I thought I was being kidnapped for a second. Olivia entered and casually tossed her keys on the table. I walked right in like I owned the place. “I knew your family wouldn’t be home either.” The person looking down nearby chuckled. “Did you ever consider this might be my own house?” Sorry, poverty limited my imagination. “…You don’t usually come back, so you just let an empty house collect dust?” She seemed to move closer. “What else, Mr. Scott? Is your name on the deed or something?” “If you want to give me a free mansion, I wouldn’t mind.” I shot back at her. “Where’s the bathroom? I need a shower.” … In less than five minutes, I suddenly felt like I wouldn’t be able to use this house even if she gave it to me. “How do you adjust the water temperature in your bathroom?” “There’s a remote in the waterproof bag hanging on the side.” I hadn’t even found the remote when Olivia came in. “I threw out the instructions. Left is hot, right is cold, bottom row controls the heat settings.” Her clear voice echoed in the bathroom. The cool white bathroom light fell on her profile, and under the faint shadows of her eyelashes, I saw those almond eyes staring at me. I was sure I was fully clothed. But why was she looking at me? No, she wasn’t staring at my face. But at… I looked down at that spot. It hadn’t faded after three days. This hickey-maker was definitely worth recommending. She looked at me questioningly. I returned the same questioning look. The atmosphere was tense for a second. Until Olivia walked out of the bathroom without a word. Warm air filled my nostrils. Why had I forgotten to breathe? No, I’d seen her in all states before, why get nervous now? … After leisurely washing away a week’s fatigue, I left the bathroom. Olivia sat on the couch with her arms crossed, watching TV. From when I came out to when I walked over, it took five seconds. And she stared at me for those five seconds. “Olivia, do I look like a soccer ball or something?” She didn’t answer my question. Instead, she raised her hand and turned off the TV. Okay, I’d never seen her with such a serious expression before. “Nathan, you can’t date other girls.” I opened my mouth to argue, but thought it over and realized something was off. If I don’t date girls, am I supposed to date guys? Channeling my dad’s righteous speech from this morning, I said: “My dad allows me to date, it’s just…” “That’s not allowed either. I don’t allow it.” I stopped talking and just looked at her with a “are you a sore loser” expression. After a long moment, I got up to leave. “Nathan, aren’t you going to tell me who it is?” I gave her a cold shoulder: “Guess if you want. No prize though.” … The next day I was woken up by Mike’s call. I looked at the clock. What the hell, bro, it’s only 7 AM! “Give me one good reason why you’re bothering me this early.” He shouted “Nathan” and then started barking excitedly. I was sure he’d lost his mind, so I put down the phone and pulled the covers back over me. Until I heard “Olivia James” among his stream of “Ahhh”s, which made me open my eyes. “What did you say?” “I said Olivia James just added me on Snapchat!!” “Did she see my love letter and fall for me?! Is she going to confess to me? Is she…” “No, she must be out of her mind.” I sat up cross-legged and put him on speaker, about to say something. When the person who’d been leaning on my doorframe for who knows how long entered my line of sight. “Who’s out of their mind?” she asked. If I had another chance, I’d definitely remember to lock the door. The voice on the other end clearly paused: “Nathan, why is there a girl’s voice there?” My gaze didn’t leave Olivia’s cold face. “No one, just my childhood friend.” “Alright then Nathan, I gotta go. If we end up together, you’ll be the MVP!” Click- “Why did you add Mike on Snapchat?” She said coldly: “Guess if you want. No prize.” I raised an eyebrow and smiled. “You’re not actually into him, are you?” “Modern civilized high school students don’t date, unlike some people.” I chuckled twice. “Then why are you harassing him?” “I…” “You’re not crushing on someone in our class, are you?” She laughed angrily, looking like she wanted to say “How could that be?” or “I said I’m not dating.” But she just stared at me for two seconds. “Yes, I like someone in your class.” That sentence fried my brain. We’d been split into arts and science classes after the first week of school. We were an all-science class with only ten guys. Excluding Mike, Olivia had barely even seen the others. Could it be… “I respect your choice.” “?” “Don’t worry about what society thinks. We’re in an open-minded era now.” She looked at me like I was an idiot and said “Nathan, you really have brain damage” before turning to leave. After she left, Mike sent me a screenshot. It was a message Olivia had sent him. [Are there any girls prettier than me in your class?]

For some reason, after finding out Olivia’s secret, I didn’t run into her at school for a while. Rich people play more openly, I guess that’s normal. The next time I saw Olivia was around New Year’s. We weren’t really relatives, but our families always visited each other for the holidays. But this time we weren’t the only guests. The adults said they needed to discuss high-level matters and shooed me to Olivia’s room. When I went in, the room was eerily quiet. Something wasn’t right. Usually when I came over, she’d be gaming or watching anime. I checked the time. It was only 10 PM, surely she wasn’t asleep this early? I knocked twice: “I’m coming in.” As soon as I said that, a voice from inside hit me like a ton of bricks. I heard Olivia curse under her breath, then get up from her gaming chair. “I just got this little ancestor to fall asleep…” My hand was still on the doorknob as my gaze followed Olivia to the baby on the bed. “Why is he sleeping in your room?” “How should I know? He started crying as soon as I walked in.” Olivia picked up the baby, imitating an adult as she rested the baby’s head on her shoulder. I walked over and looked at the baby behind her. “Aww, such a good baby.” I reached out and gently pinched the baby’s cheek. Olivia’s body suddenly stiffened. “Does this baby really have to cry?” She seemed to be asking me. “What else would you call a baby? What did your mom call you when you were little? Livvy? Liv? Or Baby Liv?” “You… you call your child ‘baby’, so what do you call your wife?” “We’ll figure that out later.” Olivia turned to face me, holding the baby: “Then what do you call your girlfriend now?” My hand froze in mid-air, then dropped. “I’ve been single for 16 years, where would I get a girlfriend?” She stared at me intently, looking a bit angry. “Oh, you mean this!” I belatedly remembered the hickey. I pulled down my shirt a bit: “It’s gone, see?” “What good is it being gone? Can’t you get another one?” “Tch, you want to give me one?” “Go ask your girlfriend to give you one.” She gently laid the baby back on the bed and pulled up the covers. What a good wife and mother. “I’m really not dating anyone. If I were to date, it’d be with physics.” She turned her head, her face in shadow: “Who is it?” “…” “What about you? Which guy in our class do you like?” I couldn’t see Olivia’s expression, but I felt like her face darkened. “I’m not gay!” Great, with that shout, the baby started crying again. Later it seemed like Olivia really did start dating someone. According to the campus forum, not only was Olivia the school beauty, her grades were also top of the IB program. No wonder she had so many followers. She usually acted completely uninterested in guys. I guess that’s why she got labeled as aloof, which was quite the contrast. The first time I heard Olivia had a boyfriend was from a post on the campus forum in our second year. The photo showed Olivia walking with a guy, just their backs, but they were extremely close. She’s dating? I don’t believe it. I lay in bed, eating melon seeds in the comments section.

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After three years of secret marriage to movie star Olivia, I gave up hope. I released albums, acted in TV shows, and appeared on variety programs. My career was on fire. Later, Olivia cornered me in my car and demanded to know why I wouldn’t acknowledge her status. I asked her back: “What status?” Olivia was trending again. A blurry photo showed two people holding hands and running in the rain. I would have called it beautiful if the woman wasn’t my wife. And if I hadn’t recognized the man as my wife’s ex-boyfriend. I switched to my main Instagram account and commented: “What a handsome couple.” Soon after, some of my old fans from my reality show days welcomed me back. One fan with the username “WillCrashWallsForBrother” caught my attention with their reply: “Isn’t Olivia my brother’s girlfriend? How could she do this to him!” This comment immediately sparked hundreds of question marks from others. Confused, I replied to them: “She’s not.” Indeed, she wasn’t my girlfriend – she was my wife. “WillCrashWallsForBrother” stopped replying publicly and sent me a private message instead: “Brother, did you break up with Olivia? That’s great! I never liked her. She was always flirting around despite having such a good boyfriend like you. She’s pure trash! What are your plans now? If you don’t mind, why not join our family’s Pinnacle Entertainment? You’re so talented, with great musical sense, good looks, and a nice personality. You’ll definitely become famous! Plus, my sister… I really like you, brother!” They rattled off a long string of messages, not waiting for my reply. They even said they had already contacted a manager for me, just waiting for my agreement. I chuckled, thinking it was a prank. I just replied “Thank you for your support” and logged off. After all, Pinnacle Entertainment was the biggest entertainment company. They had countless A-list celebrities and swept awards across all categories. It was the place everyone in showbiz was dying to join. And I was just a nobody who debuted through a reality show years ago, only to immediately retire. I didn’t even have 10,000 Instagram followers. I picked up my polished bass guitar and started tuning it. Twang— “What I want is tomorrow, it can’t fit in an email, memories stranded by time, should we still meet…” “Just forget it, just let go, in those rejected emails, in those days waiting for dawn, I only have myself, not yet doubting…” With a pencil in one hand and plucking strings with the other, I immersed myself in my own world. By the time it was completely dark outside, I finally put down my pencil and massaged my shoulders, taking a deep breath. For three years, I never gave up on music for a moment. Whenever I had free time, I wrote songs, composed, and practiced singing. Music accompanied me through three years of lonely waiting. When I checked my phone again, Olivia’s manager Mei had called me over 30 times. But Olivia herself hadn’t contacted me at all. That’s right – even though we were married, I couldn’t even call her directly. We could only communicate via email as a married couple. Because she didn’t want me to enter her life in the slightest. It turned out my reply this morning had led people to dig up the connection between Olivia and me. “Rising movie star suspected of secret marriage, yet spotted strolling in rain with internet celebrity.” In an instant, Olivia became the target of criticism. The Instagram comment sections of both our accounts were filled with fans arguing. Although I had few fans, my status as the victim led many bystanders to speak up for me. I was puzzled – they were actually pretty nice. Mei called again. I answered but didn’t put the phone to my ear. “Jack! What are you doing?! You don’t reply to emails, you don’t answer calls. Do you know how swamped I am here? Now, immediately, delete that comment! And post a statement saying you have no relationship with Olivia!” The other end was furious, her tone condescending, as if I had to do what she said or else. Although I hadn’t meant to cause this, I wasn’t some pushover anyone could bully. “If Olivia has anything to say, she’ll tell me herself. Who are you?” “I’m Olivia’s manager! I can make decisions about everything for her! Do as I say quickly!” “Oh really? Then how come you couldn’t decide when Olivia married me?” I sneered and hung up the phone, then opened my email. I deleted the pile of emails from Mei without reading them. Olivia still hadn’t contacted me. I counted the emails between us. I had sent her the most – over 20,000 in my inbox, excluding the ones I had deleted early on. Most of the time she didn’t reply. When she did, it was just simple “Mm”, “Okay”, “Fine”, “Whatever”. A new email notification popped up from Olivia. “Jack, just listen to her. I’m sorry.” I smiled bitterly and sent a tentative reply: “Let’s get divorced.” While waiting for her response, I made a bet with myself.

“Okay.” Something crumbled inside me. I wanted to laugh, but found I couldn’t even force a smile. Slowly, something slid down my face. In the three years I’d been married to Olivia, I’d gone from being full of love to feeling numb and cold. I knew she married me to prove to Mei that she wasn’t a puppet, that she didn’t want to be controlled. I knew she married me because I resembled the person she loved but couldn’t have. But I still married her. Because I liked her – the person who gave me a coat during my darkest time. Even though I was very reluctant to leave the stage. I logged into Instagram, deleted my previous comment, and posted a statement confirming I had no relationship with Olivia. How could two people who hadn’t appeared together once in three years possibly be married? The trending topic cooled down and disappeared at an extremely fast speed, as if someone had pressed a retract button. Mei was quite capable. I sighed, about to log off, when that fan “WillCrashWallsForBrother” sent another private message. “Brother, you’re online! Come on, join us! As a fan, I really don’t want to see you buried. You should be shining on stage! Are you worried we’re not legitimate? Wait, I’ll have someone call you. Make sure to answer!” I was infected by this person’s lively mood, and felt a glimmer of anticipation growing inside me. No call came. For a long time. Just as I was dozing off waiting, my phone finally rang. I eagerly answered and put it to my ear, nearly blowing out my eardrum. Mei snapped “Smart choice” and hung up. I threw my phone away and cursed. Early the next morning, as dawn was just breaking, my phone rang again at an ungodly hour. “Hello? Brother, this is ‘WillCrashWallsForBrother’ from Instagram. It was too late last night after I contacted Aunt Kim, so I didn’t call you. Quick, check Pinnacle Entertainment’s official Twitter now!” A clear, sweet female voice came through, instantly soothing my grumpiness at being woken up. I opened Instagram and found Pinnacle Entertainment in my new followers list. I clicked on their profile. The pinned post read: “Welcome brother @Jack to Pinnacle Entertainment.” Top industry manager Kim Ming commented below: “Nice to meet you, looking forward to working together @Jack”. It was the official account! I was so excited I lost my words, my hands shaking as I held my phone. I rolled around on the bed in joy. “Brother? Brother? Are you still there? Aunt Kim wants you to add her contact info.” “Oh, oh okay, got it. What’s your name?” I snapped back to reality, trying to calm my excitement. “I’m Lily! Brother, I originally contacted someone else to manage you, but my sister insisted on Aunt Kim… Aunt Kim is just a bit serious, don’t be scared. I’ll protect you!” After finishing the call with Lily, I specifically searched for information on Pinnacle Entertainment’s owner. Surname Lin, in his 50s, happily married with one son. I felt slightly relieved. You can’t blame me for being so cautious. I had been badly burned during my reality show days and didn’t want to get involved in any shady business again. Kim Ming asked me to post on Instagram responding to Pinnacle, confirming I had officially joined and would release a new song within a week. “I don’t care who you were before or what you did. Now that you’re with me, your career comes first. If anything happens, come to me immediately. I can solve everything. Don’t try to be clever on your own.” Kim Ming handed me a stack of documents right off the bat, speaking coldly before disappearing. She was indeed serious, but that was exactly what I needed. I didn’t want to be held back by love anymore. I wanted to become a huge star, the center of attention. Standing in a recording studio again after three years, my heart was racing. I didn’t know what lay ahead, but I was certain that every step I took from now on would not be in vain.

“I start to put you behind me, trying to return to the time before you, I stand at the other end of time, smiling goodbye, actually not in love…” Kim Ming handed me some water, nodding slightly – a rare show of approval from the usually stern woman. My nervous heart felt reassured, but her next words sent it racing again. “It’s passable. But I demand the best. This only proves your talent is still there. The company will promote your new song. For the next three months, you’ll be filming a drama.” “Acting? I…” “You’ll have an award-winning actress guiding you, what are you afraid of? Don’t be timid. If you want to stand on stage, don’t hesitate. Opportunities don’t wait for anyone.” Kim Ming patted my shoulder, cutting me off impatiently. “You’re right.” That competitive spirit inside me was instantly ignited. Compared to love, putting in effort for my career was much more likely to pay off. Then, Kim Ming waved her hand. A sweet-looking girl with a bun hairstyle ran in from outside, smiling and winking at me. “This is Lily Lin, the assistant the company arranged for you. You can go to her for anything from now on. I have other business, so I’ll be leaving.” Lily circled around me several times, her eyes sparkling. She immediately latched onto my arm. “Brother, I’m Lily! The one who’s ‘WillCrashWallsForBrother’! Brother, you were so great just now. I cried listening to you. You wrote it so well! I have a feeling this song will definitely be a hit!” I burst out laughing, my nervousness around strangers dissipating. “Well, thank you in advance then.” “Hehe, just give me a signed copy of your single album when it comes out. Oh right, you start filming tomorrow. It’s in a pretty remote location. Do you want to go home and pack first?” Back home, I couldn’t help opening my email again. Even though I knew Olivia would never initiate contact, I still felt a spark of hope. I loved her so much that letting go would be a gradual process of detachment. To my surprise, Olivia had actually sent me an email! My heart started racing. I opened it: “Jack, how did you join Pinnacle? And Kim Ming is managing you? Since that’s the case, can you help Ethan? You know how much Ethan wants to enter showbiz, but Mei won’t let me help him. Ethan is a good kid, he can’t keep wasting himself as an internet celebrity. Besides, we owe him.” Ethan Song, Olivia’s ex-boyfriend. An internet celebrity who had been on the same reality show as me. She sent me more words for his sake than she had in the past three years. My excitement died instantly. “He has plenty of ways to get in if he wants. I’m not Pinnacle’s owner, I can’t help him. And I don’t owe him anything.” This time the great Olivia replied quickly, not with her usual “I’m busy, don’t contact me unless it’s important.” “Jack, how can you talk like that! You know how dirty the entertainment industry is. Ethan is so timid, what’s wrong with protecting him a bit? If you don’t help him, we’ll have nothing more to say to each other. Who knows how you managed to get into Pinnacle anyway!” “Olivia, are you serious?” I felt sick to my stomach. For three years, I had guarded this empty house, hoping time and again, only to be disappointed time and again. But I had never felt as disgusted as I did now. She said she was busy with work. She was a movie star after all, I understood. She said she had to play along with others for show. She was a movie star after all, I understood. But she absolutely should not have tried to manipulate me morally or make assumptions about me. You’re a big star, are you? I’ll make you fall from grace.

During the three months of filming, I turned off my phone and focused solely on learning from the award-winning actress, oblivious to the outside world. “Your gaze – it needs desire. You’re trying to climb the ranks, not commit murder. Why so cold!” “Your movements – don’t be so stiff. You’re trying to seduce the female lead. Be alluring, have that relaxed feeling of being in control. You’re not playing a corpse!” “Thank your face, or I’d be scolding you to tears!” … Thanks to the actress’s uncompromising standards for acting, I was berated constantly and had to reshoot countless times before barely passing muster. Lily pouted for a long while nearby. When “Cut!” was finally called, she jogged over. “Brother, I didn’t know beforehand that the female lead was my sister. Otherwise I wouldn’t have let her guide you. My sister is a demon king, even stricter than Aunt Kim. With her around, I don’t dare say a word.” Lily looked around furtively before whispering in my ear, sticking her tongue out at the actress afterwards. I put on the down jacket she handed me, smiling as I ruffled her round face teasingly. “Not protecting me anymore?” Lily shook her head vigorously like a rattle drum, denying it repeatedly. “No no, Brother, just you wait. I’ll get revenge for you!” “I’m just kidding. I’m grateful the award-winning actress is willing to guide a nobody like me! I really feel like I’ve learned so much.” I demonstrated the seductive moves I had just learned for Lily, draping one arm over her shoulder and stroking her hair bun with the other. Lily burst out laughing. The actress waved me over, indicating I should come look at something. “You, come watch this. Isn’t your little gesture here a bit off? Wouldn’t touching the ear be better?” “You need to immerse yourself in the character’s emotions, let the character guide your actions.” For three months, I was run ragged on set. Besides the award-winning actress playing the female lead, the rest were also veteran actors – all heavyweights in the industry. So to better hone my acting skills, I not only focused on my own scenes, but also carefully observed others’ performances. Even though I was only playing a bit part with less than three minutes of screen time total. Finally, filming wrapped. Kim Ming came to pick me up. I clutched my notebook filled with three months of notes like a precious treasure, grinning stupidly in the car from time to time. “Good news and even better news. Which do you want to hear first?” Kim Ming glanced at me in the rearview mirror as she drove. “The good news?” “Getting even an ‘acceptable’ from Linda Lin is pretty good. Your acting has improved. I dare to give you this S-class production I have on hand now.” “Then what’s the even better news?” My expectations soared. I set down my notebook and listened attentively. “You’re famous! To be precise, your song ‘Email’ is a hit! Why don’t you check Instagram?” “Actually, for me right now, the S-class production is the better news. Haha, but they’re both good news.” After spending time together, I discovered Kim Ming was someone who valued ability above all else. As long as I did my job well, she was quite pleasant to work with. So I felt comfortable joking around with her now. I happily turned on my phone and logged into Instagram, but my face instantly went pale when I saw the trending topics. Kim Ming noticed something was wrong and turned to ask what happened. I was about to speak when Lily called. “Brother, have you… logged into Instagram yet? Don’t be afraid, it’s okay. It’ll be dealt with quickly. You don’t need to do anything. Is Aunt Kim with you? Go home first, don’t come to the company.” The usually bubbly Lily was carefully trying to soothe me while calmly arranging things. Kim Ming took the phone and inquired about the situation. “It’s nothing major, we’re already handling it. I’m just worried it’s Brother’s first time facing such malice, he might feel upset. Aunt Kim, please take care of him for me.” Then Lily hung up. I scrolled through my phone screen, tears falling without me realizing. “#The truth behind a male singer’s reality show debut!” “#Is ‘Email’ about love or transactions?” I was instantly transported back to that dark night. Three years ago, Ethan Song and I were the twin stars of the stage. He was the lead vocalist, I was the bassist. One night, Ethan asked me to go with him to meet some big shots. He said just meeting those people once would guarantee our debut. I went. But I didn’t expect it was a trap, a trap specifically set for Ethan. And I was forced to take Ethan’s place. Those people made me drink bottle after bottle, grabbing my hair to stop me from leaving. I huddled in the corner, secretly hiding a fruit knife up my sleeve. Someone approached me. I shook my dizzy head and stabbed out with the knife. It was a suit jacket. I vaguely heard those people rush over, calling her “Miss Yang”. At that time, Olivia had just won an award for playing a female mob boss. When I sobered up, I cut ties with Ethan and threatened him to leave the industry using evidence of his dealings with those people. Fearing the so-called evidence I had, Ethan never dared enter showbiz. But as time passed, Ethan was getting restless again. The post had over a million views. The comment section was a mess. “So white and sexy!” “Ugh, I’d pay anything for ears that haven’t heard ‘Email’. Wuwuwu—” “Why did you do this to me! I just became a fan and now this happens! Ahhhhh—” I clicked to open the photos, but got a message saying they had been deleted. At the same time, Pinnacle Entertainment posted supporting me, along with a police report they had filed. To my surprise, Linda Lin, who rarely used social media, also spoke up for me. “Stupid but resilient @Jack. Looking forward to having you in the new drama.” I felt a warmth in my heart and replied to Linda. “Stupid people have stupid luck @Linda @PinnacleEnt” I was about to dig up the evidence of Ethan’s dealings with those people, but Pinnacle had already released it. It was even more complete and explosive than what I had. In an instant, public opinion online did a 180. “I knew it. Someone who could write a song as good as ‘Email’ couldn’t do those things.” “Case closed, folks. Jack is still the only good guy in showbiz!” “Haters speak up! Let’s hear you now!” … Kim Ming tossed me some tissues, smiling. “It’s nothing. The internet is like this – some people like you, some hate you. No need to pay them any attention. Remember, never put others’ opinions before your own, at least not until you become powerful enough.” I clutched the tissues tightly and opened the email Olivia had sent.

🌟 Continue the story here 👉🏻 📲 Download the “NovelMaster” app 🔍 search for “294679”, and watch the full series ✨! #NovelMaster #重生Reborn #现实主义Realistic #励志Inspiring #浪漫Romance #玄幻Fantsy #惊悚Thriller #魔幻Magic