Mom and Dad brought me to the city to buy an apartment. I walked up to a dilapidated, tiny old house and refused to leave. No matter how much they tried to persuade me, I stood my ground. Helpless, Mom and Dad had no choice but to buy it. Three days later, a red “Demolition” sign appeared on the wall of our newly purchased house. Mom and Dad were shocked. 1. Right after dinner, my cousin and I were running around the yard. “Chloe, come here and let me wipe your sweat. Look at your little face, it’s as dirty as a little kitten,” my mom said, smiling as she walked over, hugged me, and wiped my face. Our neighbor, Mrs. Smith, walked by and smiled. “Chloe is such a lucky charm! It’s rare for a little girl to be loved this much.” “But, Sarah,” she continued, “a woman still needs a son to secure her future. It would be great if you and Chloe’s dad had another baby and gave Chloe a little brother.” Hearing Mrs. Smith’s words, my mom looked a bit displeased. While tickling me with one hand, she replied politely, “We are perfectly happy with just Chloe. You don’t need to worry about us.” Seeing me laughing heartily as my mom tickled me, Mrs. Smith shook her head and walked away. My grandmother came out of the house. “Don’t listen to that old busybody. Having Chloe is perfectly fine for our family.” My mom smiled too. “Mom, Chloe’s dad and I are planning to go to the city tomorrow to look at houses. We’ve saved up quite a bit these past two years, and for the sake of Chloe’s future education, we want to move to the city as soon as possible.” Grandma smiled warmly and patted my head. “Alright, as long as you find something you like. I’ve saved up a little bit too; if it’s not enough, I can chip in!” My parents wouldn’t actually take my grandmother’s money. After all, I still had an uncle, and she needed to be fair to both her sons. In rural areas, favoring boys over girls wasn’t uncommon, and my grandmother originally held those views too. When I was first born and she heard I was a girl, she showed obvious disappointment on her face. But from the moment I was born, I loved to smile. Seeing me swaddled like a little white dumpling, grinning widely at everyone, my parents and grandmother couldn’t help but smile too. They held me in their arms, unable to put me down. Add to that my sweet talk, and with this skill, I gained a lot of love in the family. But what truly elevated my status was another incident. When I was a year old, my parents had something to attend to, and my grandmother was watching me at home. After feeding me lunch, my grandmother was working in the yard while I played on the bed by myself. Not long after, I suddenly started crying loudly. My grandmother held me, trying everything to soothe me, but it didn’t work. My cries grew louder and louder, my voice becoming increasingly hoarse. For someone like me, who naturally loved to smile, this was extremely unusual. My grandmother didn’t dare delay and hurriedly carried me to the local clinic. The doctor at the clinic couldn’t find anything wrong with me and just told her to take me home and observe me. My grandmother carried me home, and on the way, she saw black smoke billowing from the direction of our house. “Fire… there’s a fire…” When my grandmother finally ran back carrying me, she found that several nearby houses, including ours, were on fire. The fire was quite large, and the villagers were all helping to put it out. My parents also rushed back, and seeing that my grandmother and I were safe, they finally breathed a sigh of relief. It took the whole afternoon to put out the fire; it wasn’t extinguished until nightfall. Later, we heard that people in several of the nearby houses were severely injured, and even after being saved, they were left disabled. Our family was the only one that didn’t suffer much loss, and no one was hurt. Hearing this news, my parents were silent for a long time. My grandmother held me tightly, her eyes still showing lingering fear. “Thanks to Chloe! Our Chloe is a little lucky charm, Grandma’s sweetheart.” 2. Since that incident, everyone in the family favored me even more. My grandmother and mother even fought over who got to take care of me, making my aunt, who had two sons, green with envy. My parents also gave up the idea of having a son; they only wanted to take good care of me. When I was two, my dad was laid off and started his own business. Unexpectedly, his first venture didn’t lose money; instead, he paid off all the money he borrowed to start the business in just one year. Not long after, my mom also quit her job to help my dad, and a year later, they made a neat little profit. As our family’s life improved day by day, my parents started thinking about moving to the city. After all, the educational and medical facilities in the city were relatively much better. Early the next morning, my mom picked me up from bed. “Chloe, are we going to the city to look at houses with Mommy and Daddy today? Does that sound good?” With my eyes closed, I let my mom dress me and groggily washed my face. After eating the breakfast my grandmother prepared, my parents and I set off. My parents had been making frequent trips to the city for their business over the past few years, so they had some knowledge of the well-known neighborhoods. When my parents brought me to a sales office, I instinctively disliked the place. The houses sold here were considered upper-middle-class in the city, and many people were buying them. While my parents were listening to the sales lady’s introduction, I sat in my mom’s lap, looking around. Just then, I saw an elegantly dressed couple walk in through the door with a little girl. The couple looked very kind; the man was tall and handsome, and the woman was gentle and beautiful. However, the woman looked pale, as if her health wasn’t very good. The little girl with them was wearing a princess dress and delicate white leather shoes, but she looked unhappy. Seeing them, the sales manager hurried out to greet them. “Mr. Sterling, Mrs. Sterling, what brings you here personally today? And this must be your daughter?” The little girl glanced at the sales manager expressionlessly. The man referred to as Mr. Sterling spoke: “Today we want to pick out another villa for ourselves. My wife isn’t used to living in the one we bought previously.” Seeing Mrs. Sterling coughing softly, the sales manager nodded in understanding and personally began showing them around. But the little girl didn’t seem very close to the couple; she just sat impatiently on the side by herself. My parents picked me up, ready to go look at the houses in the neighborhood. As my mom picked me up, the family next to us also noticed us. The woman called Mrs. Sterling froze for a moment when she saw me. Noticing her gaze, the man also looked at us. Seeing my face, the man, like the woman, was stunned for a moment, but soon returned to normal. Both of their gazes lingered on us. It wasn’t until my parents and I left that their line of sight vanished. My parents were very satisfied with the house they viewed. But ever since I walked in, I didn’t like it. I shook my mom’s hand: “I don’t like it here, Mommy. Let’s look somewhere else.” “Chloe, be good. Look how big this bedroom is! You can have your own room from now on.” But I still shook my head, my face showing my reluctance. My parents looked awkwardly at the salesperson and said they would think about it. After going outside, my dad picked me up: “Does Chloe really not like it there?” “I don’t like it!” I immediately replied. “Then we’ll keep looking. There are plenty of houses anyway.” “You just spoil her,” my mom said, smiling and shaking her head. My parents decided to take me to get something to eat first. We came to an alley where the road was full of potholes and very difficult to walk on. My dad, holding me, looked up. There weren’t many houses here, and the layout was scattered. When we reached a certain house, I struggled to be put down. After my dad set me down, I scurried over to the house and took a look. I didn’t know why, but I really liked it here. “Mommy, Daddy, I want to live here!” My parents were shocked by my words: “Chloe, it’s too run-down here. It’s not even as good as our house in the country. Let’s live in a new house, okay?” “No, no, I want to live here!” A “For Sale” sign was posted on the mottled gate of the house. My mom tried to coax me for a long time, but I refused to leave. Having no choice, my dad called the “For Sale” number posted on the gate. Hearing that we wanted to view the house, the owner excitedly said he would be right there. When the gate opened, we could see the yard wasn’t small, but it was piled high with junk. Upon entering the house, the overall appearance was even more dilapidated. My parents really didn’t think much of the place, but since coming in, I found myself liking the house more and more. I hugged my mom’s thigh. “I want to live here. I like it here.” My mom looked at my dad, conflicted. After all, I had been very sensible since I was little and rarely stubbornly demanded anything. My dad looked at my hopeful little face. “Buy it! If my daughter likes it, we’ll buy it! Worst case, we save up and buy another one later!” My dad made the final decision. Hearing this, my mom didn’t object either. Afraid we might change our minds, the owner offered an at-cost price and rushed the transfer of ownership. Looking at the property deed in our hands, our family of three stared at each other in disbelief. 3. There was too much junk here, making it a hassle to clean up. My parents decided to pack up our things from the country and move them over little by little. After returning home, the neighbors heard that my parents had bought an old house and gossiped while snacking on sunflower seeds. “The Davis family must have lost their minds! Listening to a little girl!” “They finally saved up enough money, and they go to the city just to buy a house like that? I wouldn’t live there even if they gave it to me for free!” “Tell me about it! Last time I suggested Chloe’s mom have another boy, she gave me such a dirty look!” Mrs. Smith said, spit flying. “No matter how lucky this girl is, she’s still not a son! Just wait and see! There will come a day when the Davis family regrets it!” My grandmother also disapproved a bit when she heard, but her attitude completely changed when she heard I liked it. “Since Chloe likes it, then we bought it! Don’t listen to their nonsense. At least we own a house in the city now!” My parents felt the same way and started packing up the things at home. The next day, my dad received a phone call and walked home looking like he was sleepwalking. “Richard? What’s wrong with you? Did you lose your soul?” My mom waved her hand in front of my dad’s face. My dad recovered after a while and said, “Sarah, the old house we just bought is going to be demolished.” “What… what nonsense are you talking about?!” My mom looked doubtful. “It’s true, that call just now was from the demolition office!” My mom and grandmother still couldn’t quite believe it, afraid they had encountered a scammer. The family rushed to the city in a panic. It wasn’t until they negotiated with the demolition office, signed the contract, and saw the red “Demolition” sign painted on our newly purchased house that it finally felt real. “Oh my, I told you our Chloe is a little lucky charm!” My grandmother hugged me and happily kissed my cheek. My parents were also smiling, looking at me with absolute adoration. After all, trading the price of a dilapidated house for a massive demolition payout was something they wouldn’t have even dared to dream of. Since the house was going to be demolished, it couldn’t be lived in. Striking while the iron was hot, my parents took the fresh demolition payout, gritted their teeth, and bought a small villa in the city center. Soon, our whole family moved to the city. The villas here were divided into Zone A and Zone B. Zone B was sold to families with a little bit of money, like ours. Zone A villas, on the other hand, were priceless; only the wealthiest and most prestigious people in the city lived there. On our very first day moving in, we ran into the family from the sales office. It turned out their family had also moved here, but they lived in Zone A. Mr. Sterling wasn’t there. Mrs. Sterling still looked pale, but it didn’t detract from her beauty. Mrs. Sterling was holding the hand of the little girl from last time. The little girl was dressed like a little princess, even wearing a small tiara on her head. When she saw our family, she didn’t look friendly and muttered “hicks” under her breath. My parents didn’t notice, and I turned my head away, ignoring her. We found out later that they were the Sterling family. The Sterling family enterprise was a leading corporation in the city. Mr. Sterling was famous for doting on his wife, and they only had this one daughter, Lily Sterling. Lily had been spoiled since childhood; calling her a princess wouldn’t be an overstatement. I thought this was just a minor interlude, never expecting our two families’ fates to be intertwined forever. Not long after moving, I was getting ready to start elementary school. I adapted to the new school pretty well, but I saw Lily Sterling here too. She and I didn’t know each other, so I didn’t approach her. But Lily wasn’t happy about that. Since she was little, wherever she went, she was always the center of attention. Her peers would try their best to please her. And yet I, someone she had disliked from the very first glance, hadn’t taken the initiative to approach her. So, during recess one day, Lily and her little followers came looking for me. “Hey, Chloe Davis, who told you to wear this hairstyle?” I touched the half-up princess style my mom had just done for me that morning, looking confused. Lily stared at me unkindly, as if trying to burn a hole in my face. Seeing that I didn’t speak, another follower next to her spoke up. “We’re talking to you! Are you mute? Who told you to wear this hairstyle?” “Why do I need your permission?” I asked seriously. “Don’t you know Lily is the little princess of our school? Are you trying to steal her thunder by dressing up so elaborately?” Listening to this illogical nonsense, I didn’t want to talk to them anymore and put on a cold expression: “Sorry, I don’t know you guys.” I didn’t expect this sentence to completely infuriate Lily. She ordered her followers to lunge at me and mess up my hair. But having grown up in a village, I was also a little boss no one dared to mess with. Seeing this, how could I just take it? I nimbly dodged their attacks, grabbed firmly, and yanked the hair clip right off Lily’s head. A strand of Lily’s hair was still clinging to the fallen clip. They were completely enraged by me and were preparing to all jump me to teach me a lesson. The farce only ended when the teacher walked into the classroom. After school, both my mom and Mrs. Sterling appeared at the school. Mrs. Sterling recognized me and was clearly surprised to see me. My mom put her arm around me and looked angrily at Lily. I was actually fine, my hair was just a bit messy. But Lily’s hands had several red scratch marks from me. After Mrs. Sterling heard the whole story, she pulled Lily forward to apologize to us. Lily looked incredibly resistant, glaring at me with anger in her eyes. “I’m not apologizing to her, that hick!” Lily refused to cooperate. “Lily Sterling!” Mrs. Sterling gave her a warning look. Lily turned and ran, completely disregarding Mrs. Sterling’s presence. “I’m so sorry, Lily has been spoiled since she was little. How about this, you leave me your address, and we’ll come to your house another day to formally apologize?” My mom didn’t care for her apology and led me away, turning her back on them.

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1 Working overtime late into the night on New Year’s Eve, I slumped in my cubicle, mindlessly scrolling through my phone to kill time. I stumbled upon a trending thread about how to manage employees, and one comment under it caught my eye. It was glaring. [My husband’s methods are truly brilliant. He specifically targets his most capable female employees for a secret office romance, using emotional manipulation to make them work themselves to the bone for the company.] [That woman is dreaming of becoming the boss’s wife, but in reality, she hasn’t taken a single vacation day in three years. She’s still working overtime at the office on New Year’s Eve. Right after he sleeps with her, she’s kicked out of bed to go make PowerPoint presentations.] [Working like a horse and treated like a whore. A work-whore, if you will.] Below it, someone spoke up for the female employee, cursing the original poster and her husband for being vicious. But she casually replied with a photo, completely unbothered. In the photo, a man wearing an apron was cooking in the kitchen, his back to the camera. He looked sharp and handsome. The caption was a blatant provocation: [What’s the use of cursing me? She’s still pulling an all-nighter at the office right now, unlike me, who just has to wait in our mansion for my husband to cook New Year’s Eve dinner~] My breath caught, and the hand gripping my phone suddenly tightened. I could never mistake that back. The silhouette in the photo was unmistakably my CEO boyfriend, whom I had been secretly dating for five years. … I placed my phone face down on the desk and took a few deep breaths. When I flipped it over again, my fingertips trembled slightly as I zoomed in on the photo, bit by bit. The navy blue apron he was wearing was the New Year’s gift I bought him after saving up my bonuses for three months. His sharp, short haircut was the exact style he got at the barbershop the day after I casually mentioned I liked clean-cut hair last month. Even the tiny red mole behind his right ear was identical to Ethan’s. In the comment section, someone asked, [He’s dating two women at once, and the female employee never suspected anything?] She replied smugly, [Every time I call him while he’s with her, my husband tells her I’m his mom. A few times, he even coaxed that stupid woman into calling me ‘Mom’ a few times. She didn’t even stop to think—is my husband’s mother someone she could just casually talk to?] The cold light from the screen made my eyes sting. A few days ago, after answering a call, Ethan suddenly smiled and turned to me. “Chloe, my mom wants to say a few words to you.” I froze, hurriedly took the phone, and softly called out “Auntie” a few times. The other end of the line remained dead silent. Ethan stood beside me, teasing me with a smile. “My mom wants a daughter-in-law. She’s waiting for you to change how you address her.” Although I felt it was abrupt, I couldn’t withstand his soft coaxing, and finally whispered, “Mom.” As soon as the word left my mouth, an uncontrollable burst of laughter erupted from the other end of the phone, followed by three quick “good, good, good”s before she hurriedly hung up. I felt something was off at the time, but Ethan coaxed me out of overthinking it with just a few words. Only now did I realize that the person on the other end of the line that day was his legal wife. My fingertips trembled uncontrollably as I clicked into that woman’s profile. Her latest post was from two weeks ago: [My husband’s New Year’s gift to me! It was just too expensive, cost a cool seven figures~] But on that exact same day, Ethan told me: “The company isn’t doing well this year. As the future boss’s wife, you shouldn’t ask for a year-end bonus. And your overtime pay… we’ll have to wait until the company recovers to backpay you.” My hand shook even harder as I continued to scroll down. [Heading to the Maldives for a vacation with my hubby! Life without work is just too good!] But during that same period, I pulled three consecutive all-nighters to land a major contract, ultimately ending up with a bleeding ulcer from drinking too much at a business dinner. Even after the contract was signed, I pushed all the credit onto Ethan, who hadn’t lifted a finger, just to help him establish authority in the company. The next post down: [Moving into our new home! Hubby specially bought a riverview mansion for me and the baby.] The photos showed a spacious, brightly lit living room with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking a dazzling river view. And I hadn’t even been assigned a spot in the employee dorms. In a city as expensive as Seattle, I was renting a run-down, tiny studio in a remote suburb, commuting at least two hours a day. It was laughable how much I trusted Ethan before. I gullibly believed his nonsense about the “company not doing well and being on the verge of bankruptcy.” I didn’t spend his money, didn’t ask for a raise, and worked my fingers to the bone, all just so he could have it a little easier. Five years of dedication, and in the end, it was all just paving the way for his happy life with another woman. Tears fell without warning. I hurriedly raised my hand to wipe them away, but accidentally knocked over the cold takeout box on my desk. Leftover food and rice spilled all over the floor, a complete mess. I finally couldn’t hold it in anymore, crouching on the floor and bawling my eyes out. Ethan was in a riverview mansion with his wife and child, eating a New Year’s Eve dinner made of seafood and abalone. Perhaps after eating, they would cuddle by the window to watch the fireworks, or curl up on the sofa to watch the lively New Year’s countdown shows. But I was working overtime in a pitch-black office building. Not only did I not have overtime pay, but even my meal was a cheap ten-dollar combo. I don’t know how long I cried before my phone rang. After I answered, Ethan’s voice came through the receiver. “Chloe, Happy New Year!” “I’m still out of town trying to secure investments. I handle the outside, you handle the inside. Next year, we’ll work together to make the company bigger and stronger!” 2 I sniffled hard, suppressing the bitter lump rising in my throat. “What are you doing right now?” Ethan’s voice carried its usual exhaustion and dependence. “Just finished a business dinner. Drank so much my stomach is killing me.” “If only you were here.” If it were the old me, hearing those words would have broken my heart, and I would have immediately said, “I’m here for you.” And then he would naturally push a pile of even more difficult work onto me. This time, I didn’t reply. The phone was quiet for a few seconds before he spoke up again. “Oh, right, Chloe, you probably still can’t leave tomorrow.” “Mr. Wang from the Apex Group is bringing his wife and kids to Seattle for a vacation the day after tomorrow. I need you to host them for the entire trip.” The train ticket I originally booked to go home before the New Year, I had changed and canceled, canceled and changed. I couldn’t remember how many times my trip home had been delayed. I only remembered my grandmother cautiously asking on the phone several times: “Chloe, can you make it back this year? Grandma cured that bacon you love so much.” My voice trembled uncontrollably as I asked him, “Why is it me again? I haven’t had a day off all year, and I haven’t been home in a long time.” “And Grandma is sick. You know I have to go back and see her.” Ethan’s tone instantly turned several degrees colder, and he started with his usual old rhetoric: “The company belongs to both of us. I’m out here busting my ass to get investments, so of course you have to guard the home front for me.” “Whether this partnership works out entirely depends on this hosting job. You’re the only one I trust with it.” Seeing that I didn’t respond, he softened his tone to coax me again. “Be good. Once we land this partnership, I’ll go back with you.” “Doesn’t your grandmother want to see you settle down more than anything? Once we’re stable, I’ll take you back in style, okay?” Before I could say another word, the call was disconnected. This wasn’t the first time he had made such a promise. In the third year of our secret relationship, after he found out I only had my grandmother left in the world… “Going home with you to see Grandma” became the empty promise he drew for me, one he never intended to fulfill. The summer before last, when he needed me to deliver a contract across town in the pouring rain while I was running a high fever, he said, “Deliver it, and we can sign the contract. Once it’s signed, I’ll go home with you to see Grandma.” During our fourth Spring Festival, when he wanted me to give up my vacation days, he said, “Work some overtime this New Year’s Eve. Once we’re through this busy period, I promise I’ll go back with you.” And even now, he was still saying, “Wait until we work hard enough to buy a house in Seattle and stabilize. Then we’ll go back to see Grandma and bring her here to live with us.” But in reality, he already had a house. A brightly lit riverview mansion. And the woman of the house wasn’t me. My phone buzzed suddenly. A message from Ethan popped up on the screen. [Don’t be unhappy during the holidays. Take this money and buy yourself something nice to eat. I’ll make it up to you when I get back.] [The company’s accounts are tight this year, sorry you have to suffer. I’ll definitely give you more next year.] Then a red envelope notification popped up. I didn’t open it, but I knew the maximum amount was only two hundred dollars. At the exact same time, that woman updated her status: [My husband transferred the company’s entire net profit for the year to my card, not a penny less~] Attached was a screenshot of a bank account balance. Behind the first digit, there were eight neat zeros. A netizen who, like me, had dug into the woman’s profile from the “managing employees” post asked, [Your husband made so much this year, how much did he give that female employee to make her work so hard for him?] She replied mockingly, [Two hundred is plenty. Honestly, I couldn’t bear to watch, so I told him to send it to that work-whore pulling an all-nighter outside, hehe.] 3 I locked my phone screen, wiped the tear tracks from my face, and decided to just go home first. The streets on New Year’s Eve were completely deserted. The subway had stopped running long ago, and the buses were off schedule due to the holiday. I stood by the side of the road for almost half an hour, my hands and feet numb from the cold, before I finally hailed a taxi. The driver rolled down his window and held up three fingers. “Holiday rate. Extra three hundred bucks.” The cold wind bit at my neck. I gritted my teeth and got in anyway. The warmth from the car’s heater brought me back to life a little. I instinctively reached for my phone, wanting to complain to Ethan like I had countless times before. But my fingers stopped in mid-air. Things like this had happened before. Getting price-gouged by a cab driver, getting rudely cut in line, having my takeout order messed up. I would always complain to him, feeling wronged. He would always brush it off with a single, light sentence. “If you can make do, just make do. You should be forgiving whenever possible.” Back then, I always thought it was because he was broad-minded and didn’t like to hold grudges. Until I saw that woman’s profile. She complained about how hard it was to get a cab; Ethan turned around, bought her a car, and hired a dedicated driver. She casually mentioned that the wait at an Instagram-famous restaurant was too long; Ethan directly gave everyone in line ahead of her five hundred bucks so she could go in first. As for takeout… She never had to eat takeout. Ethan thought outside food was unhealthy, so he specifically learned how to cook for her, personally making her three meals a day. All the grievances where he told me to “just make do” became “major issues” that had to be solved immediately when it came to the person he truly loved. The line between love and not love was so starkly drawn. I turned my head to look out the window, watching the city lights blur past. Every household exuded the warmth of reunion. Except for me, displaced and alone. I couldn’t hold back the tears anymore; they fell silently. Later, I actually started crying louder and louder, my whole body trembling. The driver glanced at me through the rearview mirror several times. When he finally stopped at the entrance to my apartment complex, he sighed. “Forget it, miss. It’s the New Year… Keep the three hundred. Hurry up and go home.” Pity from a complete stranger. While the man I had poured my heart and soul into loving for five years, the man I saw as my entire future. Watched me like a fool, draining my youth for the happiness of him and another woman. After returning home and haphazardly washing up, I was so exhausted I collapsed on the sofa and fell asleep instantly. Near dawn, a frantic ringing from my phone yanked me from a nightmare. I answered groggily, but the moment I heard the voice on the other end, I jolted completely awake. It was Mrs. Davis, my grandmother’s neighbor, her voice trembling with anxiety. “Chloe, you need to come back right now!” “Your grandma got up early to use the bathroom, slipped on some ice in the yard that hadn’t melted completely, and fell! We just brought her to the county hospital!” My brain buzzed, and my hands and feet instantly went ice cold. I didn’t have time to think. I hastily threw on a coat, grabbed a few pieces of luggage, and rushed to the train station. The station was packed with people. I squeezed my way to the ticket gate, but my ticket wouldn’t scan at the turnstile. I tried several times, but the machine just coldly repeated the error sound. I panicked and turned to the service desk. “Hello, could you please check my ticket?” The staff member took my ID, typed on the keyboard for a few seconds, and looked up at me. “I’m sorry, ma’am, I don’t see any booking information for you.” I froze, then anxiously leaned in closer. “How is that possible?” “Could you please check again carefully? I just changed my ticket a few days ago! It’s the earliest train today!” The clerk checked again, but still shook his head. “There really isn’t one.” My throat tightened, and I asked, my voice breaking, “Can I still buy a ticket now? Any train is fine!” “I’m sorry, all trains are sold out.” The people in line behind me started getting impatient and urging me to move. I shuffled away numbly, getting jostled back and forth by the crowd. Suddenly, a thought struck me. I pulled out my phone with trembling hands and dialed Ethan’s number. “Ethan… my train ticket… did you cancel it?” 4 On the other end of the line, Ethan seemed to have just woken up, giving a groggy “mm.” “I knew you hadn’t given up on going home.” “So I canceled the ticket for you. Stay in Seattle and focus on the hosting job, that’s what’s important.” My voice cracked with panic, and tears immediately welled up. “Ethan, do you know my grandma fell?! She’s in the hospital right now! I have to go back immediately!” There was a two-second silence on the other end, followed by a short, mocking scoff. “Chloe, since when did you learn to lie to me like this?” “Making up an excuse like your grandma being sick just to go home?” “I’m not lying! It’s Mrs. Davis…” “Enough.” He cut me off impatiently. “Stop making a scene and go prepare for the hosting job. I was drinking until midnight last night and I’m still not fully awake.” But before the call disconnected, I clearly heard a woman’s lazy, soft moan. Tears hit the screen, blurring the display. I paced frantically in the main hall of the train station, opening every single ride-hailing app with trembling hands. A trip back to my hometown county was nearly two hundred miles. I kept increasing the tip, from two hundred, to five hundred, to eight hundred… The system kept showing “No drivers available.” In desperation, I called Ethan again, wanting to beg him to drive me back. But the phone rang twice before being brutally hung up. Immediately following, a message popped up, the tone icy cold. [I have a business meeting later, don’t bother me. Take the hosting job seriously.] But that woman’s latest profile update showed otherwise. Ethan took her to see a blockbuster holiday movie and checked in at an Instagram-famous restaurant that required reservations six months in advance. He catered to her every need. But to me, he offered nothing but neglect. I bit my lip, suppressing the stinging in my eyes. First, I transferred some money to Mrs. Davis, begging her to take good care of my grandmother for the time being. After agonizing until the afternoon, Mrs. Davis video-called me. On the screen, my grandmother was lying in a hospital bed, looking a bit pale, but in good spirits. She tried hard to smile at me, her wrinkles bunching up together. “Chloe, Grandma is fine. The doctor said I can go home in a couple of days.” “You focus on your work, you don’t need to rush back.” Looking at her forced smile, my throat felt sour and blocked. I could only nod vigorously, unable to say a single word. After hanging up the video call, I opened the ticketing app again and unexpectedly managed to book a ticket home for the fifth day of the Lunar New Year. My fingertips paused, and a plan slowly took shape in my mind. On the third day of the New Year, I tucked away all my emotions. Following Ethan’s instructions, I meticulously hosted Mr. Wang from Apex Group and his wife. I kept a smiling face the entire time, was attentive and thoughtful, and didn’t make a single mistake. Ethan was very satisfied with my performance. He proactively sent a message saying he had reimbursed me for my train ticket home. [See, it’s not that I didn’t want you to go back. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have gone out of my way to reimburse you.] [Keeping you in Seattle for a few extra days is all for our company, for our future together.] I didn’t reply with a single word. I just accepted the transfer. On the fifth day of the New Year, ticket in hand, I boarded the high-speed train back to my hometown right on time. Upon returning to the county hospital, I stayed by my grandmother’s side, taking meticulous care of her. Over those few days, Ethan sent a few intermittent messages. On the surface, he was asking about my grandmother’s health, but in reality, he was urging me to return to the company sooner. I treated them all as if I hadn’t seen them. He wasn’t in a hurry anyway. After all, in the past, no matter how bad our fights got, I always ended up running back to him. Unfortunately for him, this time, he miscalculated. It wasn’t until after the Lantern Festival that I returned to the company, following his repeated urging. As soon as I entered the office, he knocked on his desk with a cold face. “Being late for so many days, your perfect attendance bonus for this month is gone. According to company policy, your salary will also be docked.” I smiled, unbothered. I pulled a piece of paper from my bag and slapped it onto the desk with a smack. “I quit.” “Also, I want all my unpaid overtime, performance bonuses, and year-end bonuses from the past few years paid out in full.” He pinched the paper in his hand, making a crisp sound. He stared at the number at the bottom for a few seconds and laughed out loud. “Three million, six hundred and forty thousand? Chloe, there’s a limit to throwing a tantrum.” Seeing my serious expression, his face slowly darkened. “You really want to quit? Fine. Do you think the company will stop running without you?” “But you won’t get a single cent of this money.” Before he finished his sentence, the office door was pushed open, and his assistant ran in, face pale. “Mr. Sterling, this is bad!” “All the partners from last year are saying they want to terminate their contracts! And Mr. Wang, who we met with before the holidays, also said he’s not signing the contract!”

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I am very rich. My dad says there is no problem in this world that money can’t solve. If there is, it just means you don’t have enough money. But my boyfriend, Arthur Vance, was an exception. When I drove my supercar to pick him up, he complained I was too flashy. When I suggested eating at a Michelin-starred restaurant, he said I didn’t understand the hardships of everyday people. To “temper my character,” he forced me to live like an ordinary student. For three years, I wore cheap clothes from street stalls, squeezed onto the subway with him, and ate at the cheapest cafeteria window on campus. But all I got in return was his endless nitpicking. This time, to celebrate him winning a scholarship, I secretly booked a slightly nicer restaurant. I didn’t expect him to publicly reprimand me for “refusing to change my ways.” When he threatened to break up with me again, trying to force me to apologize to his ridiculous ego, I was just tired. “Then let’s break up!” … Hearing my answer, Arthur’s knife paused as he cut his steak, and then he let out a contemptuous laugh. “Chloe, are you serious?” He clearly didn’t take my words seriously. After all, over the past three years, whenever we disagreed on anything related to money, it always ended with my compromise. I would cry and return a newly bought limited-edition bag, or swear I would never eat a meal that cost more than thirty dollars again, just to beg him to take back his cold threat of “breaking up.” But this time, I was truly tired. A while ago, when the class president hinted that there was a spot for me on the need-based financial aid list and told me not to worry, I suddenly realized what a massive joke I had made of myself. The dignified eldest daughter of the Sterling Group had actually lowered herself to the dust for Arthur Vance. I looked up, met his eyes directly, and repeated: “Arthur Vance, I am serious. We are breaking up.” A rare look of bewilderment flashed across Arthur’s face. Realizing what I had said, his voice suddenly turned cold. “Just because I didn’t let you waste money, and criticized you a bit, you’re throwing a tantrum?” “Chloe, I took you on the subway and to street food stalls to cure you of your spoiled, entitled habits, to teach you to be grounded. Your attitude right now is extremely disappointing.” In the past, hearing the word “disappointing” would have made me panic immediately. But now, I only found it laughable. “Yes, I’m very disappointing to you. Since that’s the case, let’s go our separate ways. You find a girlfriend who meets your standards, and everyone will be happy.” I considered myself to be quite reasonable. Since our values didn’t align, it was best to part amicably. The designer watches and sneakers I’d given him over the years added up to at least a few hundred thousand dollars, but I wasn’t planning to haggle over it. Arthur, however, turned red with anger and stood up abruptly. “I always thought you were just a bit spoiled, but I didn’t expect you to be so stubborn, actually using a breakup to threaten me now.” “I was doing this for your own good. Yes, your family has money, but did you earn a single penny of it? I was trying to teach you not to squander your parents’ hard-earned money. If you had even a tenth of Emily’s frugality and simplicity, I wouldn’t have to constantly remind you.” I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. He brought up breaking up, and I simply agreed, yet somehow I was the one threatening him. I shot him a cold look: “Since you think Emily is so simple and frugal, then go pursue her. Why should we make things difficult for each other?” Emily Chen was Arthur’s junior in his major. Ever since she enrolled, Arthur constantly compared me to her. Even taking me to eat at street stalls and squeezing onto the subway during rush hour were Emily’s suggestions, claiming it was to “help the senior rid herself of her arrogant and extravagant aura.” I never wanted to go in the first place. At the mention of Emily, Arthur bristled like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. He aggressively grabbed his backpack, the chair scraping harshly against the floor, drawing side-glances from several nearby tables. “Chloe, you are simply unreasonable!” “Reflect on yourself for this meal today. Don’t come looking for me until you’ve written a five-thousand-word self-reflection and realized your own vanity.” With that, he strode away without looking back. This was the first time I had ever seen Arthur this angry. He was the school’s famous, aloof “Academic God,” and I was the stereotypical “dumb blonde” with a rich family. I had only gotten into the school because my dad donated a building. When I first stepped onto campus, my head was full of sweet romance, and I fell for Arthur at first sight in the crowd. Even though we were dating, he nitpicked everything about me. I felt very wronged. It wasn’t my fault my family had money; being born wealthy was a gift from my parents. Yet he treated it as an original sin, constantly belittling and suppressing me. For the past three years, I walked on eggshells every time I saw him, terrified of accidentally showing my wealth and displeasing him. I used to think his lofty disdain for money was a rare and precious quality in this world. Only now did I see clearly that it was just arrogance born of extreme inferiority. He gained a psychological sense of superiority by suppressing my lifestyle. I had had enough of this kind of life. I unlocked my phone and sent a message to my dad. “Dad, I agree to your previous proposal.” I had fought with my dad plenty of times over these three years because of Arthur. A while ago, my dad cautiously asked if I wanted to meet the young man from the Sinclair family who had just returned from abroad. If I didn’t want to, he would decline for me. At that time, I shouted about “freedom of love.” Thinking back, I was adorably stupid. Instead of lowering my worth and being despised in every way, it’s better to find someone of equal social standing. At least our values would align, and we wouldn’t have to fight to the death over a fifty-dollar dinner bill. My dad’s efficiency was terrifyingly high. Early the next morning, I received a detailed profile of Julian Sinclair, along with an invitation to a charity gala. Following that, my mobile banking app popped up with a deposit notification. A string of zeros so long I couldn’t even count them. My dad’s message was simple and crude: Buy whatever you want. Having unloaded the mental baggage named “Arthur Vance,” the first thing I did was call the housekeeper. I pointed to the pilling hoodies and the ten-dollar jeans bought on group-deal apps in my closet—all the so-called “high-cost-performance, good-value items” Arthur had forced me to buy over the past three years to “temper my character.” “Mary, throw it all away.” For three years, Arthur had subjected me to a comprehensive “poverty transformation.” If I wore something slightly expensive, he called me “materialistic”; if I wore makeup, he called me “vulgar”; even when I took an Uber to school, he would frown and painfully accuse me of being “spoiled.” Afraid of making him angry, I constantly sought to please him, forcibly turning myself from the “Eldest Daughter of the Sterling family” into an “impoverished student.” But now, this lady is no longer playing along. I changed into a limited-edition, current-season Chanel suit and put on the sapphire necklace that had gathered dust in my jewelry box for three years. Looking at the radiant version of myself in the mirror, I smiled in satisfaction. After three years, the pink supercar that had been collecting dust in my garage finally saw the light of day again. The roar of the engine exploded at the school gates, instantly attracting countless stares. Unfortunately, the coolness didn’t last even three seconds. “Chloe Sterling!” It was Arthur! My heart skipped a beat, and I instinctively wanted to run. In the past, whenever I showed my wealth, Arthur would punish me by making me write a several-thousand-word self-reflection, or even give me the silent treatment for days. But on second thought, we were already broken up. Why should I be afraid of him? In the moment I froze, Arthur had already strode over. Behind him was Emily, panting heavily while carrying a tall stack of books. His gaze swept over my dazzling sports car and my outfit, looking at me as if I were some bloodsucking vampire from the exploiting class. “Are you crazy? Dressing like this and driving this kind of car to school?” “Everyone else is walking or biking to school. You driving this thing around is just trying to let everyone know you have a few filthy bucks? Your behavior will corrupt the school’s atmosphere!” I almost laughed out of anger. Just as I was about to retort, I caught sight of Emily behind him out of the corner of my eye. “I didn’t steal or rob, what am I afraid of?” I raised my eyebrows and looked at them meaningfully. “The school rules don’t say dating isn’t allowed, nor do they say driving to school isn’t allowed, right?” Hearing this, Arthur’s face darkened even more: “What nonsense are you talking about!!” Emily also peeked out timidly from behind her stack of books: “Senior Chloe, you misunderstood. Arthur was just helping me because I was too tired carrying these books… I didn’t expect you to think that way.” “Have you caused enough trouble?” Arthur suddenly reached out and grabbed my wrist, his grip so tight it felt like he was going to crush my bones. “Since you’re here, help Emily carry these books to the office. It’ll cure you of your laziness!” A sudden sharp pain shot through my wrist. I struggled desperately: “I’m not going! Arthur Vance, let go! We’re already broken up, why should I listen to you!” “Chloe, this is an order! As the President of the Student Council, I have the right to discipline this kind of toxic behavior from you!” Arthur didn’t back down because of my resistance; instead, he put on an official, authoritative stance, reaching out to forcefully shove that heavy stack of books into my arms. I shook his hand off, rubbing my reddened wrist, and let out an unceremonious, cold laugh. “Student Council President? Arthur, do you really think you got to be Student Council President on your own merits?” “If my dad hadn’t pulled strings with the administration and donated five million dollars, do you think with your abilities back then you had any right to defeat a bunch of more qualified candidates and take this position?” Arthur’s face instantly went deathly pale, as if he had been publicly slapped. His lips trembled, but before he could retort, Emily suddenly rushed forward like a madwoman. “Shut up! You’re not allowed to slander Arthur like that!” Before I could react, she shoved me hard. I was completely caught off guard. In my thin stilettos, I couldn’t keep my balance. My center of gravity shifted, and I fell heavily onto the concrete floor. “Hiss—” A burning, stinging pain instantly radiated from my palm. I looked down; a large patch of skin had been scraped off the palm of my hand by the rough ground. Beads of blood mixed with gravel were eagerly oozing out, hurting to the bone. The sapphire necklace fell to the ground and was crushed under Emily’s foot. Before I even had a chance to get up, she had already preemptively opened her mouth. Looking down at me from above, a flash of imperceptible satisfaction crossed her eyes, yet her mouth cried out in a whining tone. “Senior Chloe, how could you do this? You’re the one who had a change of heart, yet you publicly ruin Arthur’s reputation!” She pointed at the pink sports car behind me and my designer clothes, her voice piercingly sharp, as if she were judging me in the name of justice. “Everyone, be the judge! Chloe used to not even be able to afford the basic meat-and-veggie combo at the cafeteria. How could she suddenly afford a million-dollar sports car overnight?” “Don’t you know where this money came from? Must you force everyone to say it out loud?” “Arthur just didn’t want to see you degenerate. He painstakingly advised you to turn back before it’s too late. Not only are you ungrateful, but you also bite the hand that feeds you just for a moment of vanity!” This statement contained an overwhelming amount of information. The crowd of onlookers, initially just watching the drama, instantly exploded in an uproar. Those probing gazes instantly turned into disdain, and the whispering buzzed into my ears like flies. “Oh my god, so she’s a sugar baby…” “I knew it. How could someone who usually wears street clothes suddenly become rich? So she took that path.” “So shameless. And she has the nerve to show off at the school gates. If I were her parents, I’d die of anger.” The direction of public opinion was instantly skewed, and everyone believed Emily’s nonsense. I trembled with anger, my fingernails digging deeply into my flesh, but I couldn’t feel the pain. I could only stare dead at Arthur. He was the only person in the entire place who knew my true identity. Even if we broke up, even if he hated me, as long as he told the truth, this ridiculous rumor would collapse on its own. “Arthur, say something!” I gritted my teeth, questioning him with red eyes: “Tell them whether my money is clean or not! Did I become like this out of vanity?!” Arthur looked at me sitting pathetically on the ground, a complex struggle flashing through his eyes. But he looked at the surrounding students, and then at Emily, who had stepped forward “to defend him.” Ultimately, the shame of being exposed as someone who relied on a woman overpowered his conscience. He supported the “tottering” Emily and sighed with an expression of deep heartache, as if he were utterly disappointed in me. “Chloe, although Emily’s words are harsh, they aren’t wrong. Vanity is the most terrifying poison in the world.” “Although we have broken up, I really don’t want to see you sell your soul and body for material things, making yourself so dirty.” “Listen to my advice. Return the car, cut ties with that person. It’s still not too late to turn back now.” At that moment, I simply couldn’t believe what I was hearing. To protect his pathetic ego, he actually tacitly agreed to this despicable accusation, and even hypocritically pinned the label of “sugar baby” on me. With the “official seal of approval” from the Student Council President, the look in everyone’s eyes completely changed. Disgust, disdain, loathing—as if looking at some nauseating piece of trash. “Hurry up and take a picture to post on the confession wall to warn others! This kind of gold digger is a disgrace to our school!” Someone shouted, and several phones were shoved in my face, the camera flashes blinding me. Some even started a live stream right there, broadcasting wildly to the camera. “Hey guys, look at this! This is the ‘luxury car girl’ who became a sugar baby for an old man for money. She got exposed on the spot by her ex-boyfriend and even tried to hit people!” “People like this should be expelled! So disgusting!” Sitting on the ground, hearing words like “degenerate,” “gold digger,” and “escort” thrown at me like stones, I only felt it was utterly absurd. Some people even rushed forward trying to get physical with me. “What are you all doing! Gathering and causing trouble, what does this look like!” A booming, angry roar pierced through the crowd. The spectating students seemed to hit the pause button, automatically clearing a path. The Dean of Students, his face dark, strode in with his hands behind his back. Seeing me sitting pathetically on the ground, and that glaring pink sports car, his brows instantly knotted tightly. “What’s going on? Who brought this kind of societal toxicity onto campus?” Before I could open my mouth, Emily, like a frightened little bunny, spoke up first with red eyes. “Dean, you’re finally here. Senior Chloe… she’s bringing so much shame to our school.” As she spoke, she vaguely pointed out my sports car to the Dean. “Senior Chloe, out of greed for pleasure, not only is she being kept by an older man outside of school, but she also brazenly drove this dirty car onto campus to show off.” “Arthur kindly advised her to turn back, but she not only refused to listen but also tried to hit him, and even falsely accused him of getting his position through connections.” This bucket of dirty water was poured flawlessly. It not only solidified my crime of “being a sugar baby” but also kept her and Arthur completely clean. The Dean’s face instantly turned as black as the bottom of a pot, his disgusted gaze scraping over my body like a knife. “A sugar baby? Simply corrupting public morals!”

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At a grand academic conference, I publicly released the laboratory security footage showing my fiancé and his female student. The passionate scenes played out, sending the entire hall into an uproar. A week ago, while lurking on an obscure overseas academic forum, I came across an advice-seeking post: [My professor keeps holding me while we do experiments. Is this normal?] Someone commented below: [What kind of experiments?] She replied: [He guides my hand to use the micropipette, hugging me from behind. His body is so hot I can’t even align the pipette tip with the well plate…] Someone immediately responded: [That’s a bit beyond the scope of normal instruction.] She was quick to defend him: [But he said I’m the most special student he’s ever mentored, not like that block of wood who only knows how to study and has no romance in her.] [His fiancée is also in research. All she cares about are data and papers; she has zero sex appeal. He’s been sick of her for a long time. He said that only when he’s with me does he feel truly alive.] The post included a blurry profile picture. The cuff of the man’s lab coat revealed a silver wristwatch with a tiny scratch on the edge of the dial. It was exactly the same as the one I gave Arthur Vance. 1 He scratched it while setting up the lab, moving equipment himself. At the time, he laughed, ruffled my hair, and said that even with a mark, it was still his favorite watch, our exclusive memento. Even more glaring was the chromatography machine in the background of the picture. The side of the machine still bore the engraved initials of our names. Back then, I traveled to nine different countries just to finalize the model. It was the only one of its kind in the country, my engagement gift to him, which I personally carried to his dedicated lab bench. My blood froze, and even breathing became difficult. Arthur had truly betrayed me. But years ago, I was also his student. With trembling fingers, I refreshed the post. Many netizens were expressing their doubts: [Are you actually seeking advice, or just bragging about your affair with your professor?] She immediately retorted: [What affair? The professor and I have a mutual appreciation for each other. He arranged for me to be in the lab, right under his fiancée’s nose. He even gave me the Chief Scientific Officer’s debut project, helped me publish it, and paved the way for me.] Someone cursed below: [I hate abuse of power the most. And this isn’t called ‘taking’, it’s stealing! Does what you’re doing do justice to that Chief Scientist?] She replied: [What’s there to be sorry about? The professor just loves me more. He needs an understanding flower like me, not a cold, research machine.] Every word was like a poisoned needle plunging straight into my heart. Ten days ago, I received an instruction from Arthur: “Your proposal and experimental approach have already been published by someone else. You need to dig up a new one.” Always the same excuse. I was deceived by him time and time again. I never thought he was taking my blood, sweat, and tears—my experimental project—to use as a stepping stone for the other woman. He used to be the one who followed the rules the most, exuding an aloof and ascetic aura. People in the industry said he was as pure as the purified water in the lab. When I was still his student, he would intentionally maintain an arm’s length distance when discussing experimental data with me. When teaching me how to use a micropipette, he merely steadied my wrist, and his ears turned bright red. He had also said I was his most special and outstanding student. After we secretly developed feelings for each other, he was terrified of people gossiping about me. So, he waited until I graduated, until I stood at a height equal to his, before he dared to hold my hand openly. That restrained tenderness and innate righteousness once made me fall deeply for him. The day he proposed, he said that researchers value sincerity and perseverance above all else, and his sincerity and perseverance were reserved solely for me. Now, looking at the diamond ring on my ring finger, and then at the bodies intimately intertwined in the post’s photo, a cold chill ran down my spine. The words and vows he once spoke had turned into cheap, vulgar pickup lines for his female student. My dedication and persistence to research, which he once treated as a precious treasure, had become what he called an “unromantic block of wood.” It wasn’t until the photos in the post refreshed, and the image of Arthur lowering his head to bite her earlobe suddenly struck my eyes. I couldn’t bear it any longer. My stomach churned, and I vomited until my internal organs ached. But the fiercer the curses in the post got, the more smug and arrogant she became: [I won’t say any more. The professor’s fiancée is sick, and he’s afraid of catching it and passing it to me, so he specifically took me abroad to relax.] And this morning, before Arthur left, he held my sickly self in his arms, his tone gentle and heartbroken: “While I’m abroad attending the seminar, I’ll definitely help you find some new experimental ideas. You stay home and rest like a good girl. Don’t overwork yourself; it makes my heart ache.” He knew perfectly well that this was my last year for a title promotion. Yet he cruelly stole my experimental proposal and gave it to someone else. I was forced to work day and night, racing against time to polish a new project before the end of the year, ruining my health in the process. When I dropped him off at the airport, I was still wiping away tears of guilt, blaming myself for being too sick to accompany him and making him worry and work so hard for my sake alone. I never expected that not only would he stab me in the back, but he would also take his lover on a romantic getaway abroad during my most difficult time. Ring— My phone suddenly rang. It was Arthur. Whenever he traveled, he always called me the moment he landed to let me know he was safe. On the other end of the line, his voice was full of concern: “Chloe, why is your voice so hoarse? Have you not been resting and taking your medicine again?” Seeing that I didn’t reply, he seemed to have made a major decision: “I’ve thought about it. Even if you can’t come up with a new experimental project, I’ll use my connections to guarantee your promotion this time.” Hah, the illustrious Professor Vance is really willing to pay a high price for me. But how could he not know that if he really did that, I would be forever nailed to the pillar of shame as someone who got in through the back door and had no real talent? “Arthur, didn’t you say you didn’t want my talent to be obscured, and even more so, didn’t want me to be gossiped about…” He sighed softly and interrupted me, his tone incredibly sincere: “But I can’t just watch the person I love most struggle. Besides, in my heart, you are the best. Even if people say I’m abusing my power, I accept it!” He spoke with such genuine emotion, but my heart sank inch by inch. A moment later, a soft, coquettish female voice faintly echoed from the other end of the line. I gripped my phone tightly and asked in a low voice: “Who’s outside your door?” He caught off guard, gave a light cough, hiding his panic: “It’s room service. I asked them to bring some paper and pens.” “Alright baby, you must take good care of yourself. There are pastries I bought for you in the fridge. Even if you don’t have an appetite, try to eat a little.” It seemed that his eagerness to report in every time he landed at a hotel wasn’t out of thoughtfulness, but merely out of fear that I would randomly check up on him and ruin the good time he was having with his lover. Five years of being together day and night, my wholehearted devotion, had ultimately turned out to be a massive joke. Late that night, I reopened that post. She had updated her status again: [The aloof flower has finally been pulled down from his pedestal by me. In life, he remembers my tastes; in academics, he guides me hand-in-hand to publish papers. Being with him now is just a natural progression. He said tonight was his most unforgettable night.] I closed my eyes, took a few deep breaths, and closed the post. Suppressing my churning emotions, I opened the fridge. The pastries inside were completely covered in crushed peanuts. And I am allergic to peanuts. The daily logs in that post recorded Arthur’s attentiveness to her; he searched several streets just to buy her peanut rice cakes. These pastries were what that female student loved to eat, not me. In the end, I still sent a message to Arthur: [Arthur, are you really going to use public office for private gain like this?] He thought I was talking about the promotion and replied earnestly: [Chloe, who in the industry doesn’t know you’re my fiancée? Even if I do nothing, it’s inevitable that people will gossip when you get the promotion. It’s better if I actually pull some strings for you, at least you get a tangible benefit out of it.] Yes, even if he did nothing, and I reached the top of the industry step by step through my own efforts, taking the position of Chief Scientific Officer, people would still view me through colored lenses. Just like how he and I only confirmed our relationship after I graduated, but we were still reported by someone with ulterior motives. They claimed I had an improper relationship with my professor while I was in school. The criticism online was so harsh that it became unbearable to read. Over the years, to break free from these shackles, I threw myself into the lab. Working day and night for results and research, I was finally recognized by everyone and recommended as the Chief Scientific Officer of the research institute. He saw all of this; the countless late nights I endured to earn my dignity and confidence bit by bit. And now, he just said it so lightly, crushing everything I fought so hard to protect. The person who once faced layers of investigations from the university, the disciplinary committee, and the petition office for me, yet remained uncompromising in defending me. The person who would rather give up an easily attainable fellowship title than agree to break up with me, no longer existed. All that was left was a sickening and sleazy shell. My computer screen popped up an email notification once again. It was an offer letter from the largest overseas research institute. They kept raising the salary and benefits just to poach me for their core lab. But all I wanted was to stay by Arthur’s side. When Vance Labs was first founded, it relied on the projects I had in hand. In five years, it went from a three-person workspace to being listed on the tech board. His most frequent phrase was: “Chloe, my eyes didn’t deceive me. You truly are the most outstanding, and the greatest contributor to Vance Labs.” Yet he secretly squeezed a female student into the lab, flirted under the guise of conducting experiments, and climbed up by stealing my projects. Those security camera malfunctions that happened at just the right times, and how my experimental concepts always seemed to lag one step behind. All the suspicions now had the most sordid answers. I dragged my sick body to the research institute, only wanting to copy back my original data. But I was stopped at the door of his office area. The secretary stammered: “C… Chief Chloe, this office area is managed by Mr. Vance’s graduate student, Ms. Mia Harper.” It was utterly ridiculous. I couldn’t even enter the office area of the research lab I built from scratch. Unable to bear it any longer, I sent a message to Arthur: [Maybe you should just get a new fiancée. That Ms. Harper by your side seems very suitable.] The message sank like a stone in the ocean, and the calls went unanswered. The gazes of the colleagues around the cubicles were full of probing and sympathy. The bitterness welling up in my heart was wrapped in a chill that seeped straight into my bones. Finally, I received a provocative message from Mia: [It seems Chief Chloe has a premonition that she’s about to become an abandoned wife? Professor Vance is taking a shower, and I have his phone. He has no time for you.] [Oh right, he said you’re nothing noble either, just a slut who seduced her professor while still in school.] [I’m not like you. The professor pursued me actively. He said he didn’t know what uncontrollable love meant until he met me.] A dull pain struck my chest. I coughed violently, and tears fell uncontrollably. Back then, the overwhelming rumors nearly broke me. It was Arthur who held me tightly, guarding and encouraging me day and night. Now, not only did he plunge the knife into my deepest wound, but he also gave the authority to an outsider who had usurped the nest. This was a thorough calculation and defense against me, and an extreme humiliation. I stumbled home to a cold, empty house, never to feel its former warmth again. It wasn’t until the middle of the night that his call finally came. “Chloe, why didn’t you contact me at all today? I’m feeling a bit disappointed.” His tone was sugar-coated, but it only sounded absurd to me. He didn’t even know Mia had texted me using his phone. My voice was exhausted: “I sent you messages and called you; you just didn’t see them.” He paused, then laughed awkwardly: “I must have been too busy today and missed them. But I do have some good news to share with you.” “The graduate student I’m mentoring this time has your style from back then. She spoke eloquently at the seminar, and she’s exactly the person who proposed the same experimental concept as you.” “I plan to make her the Chief Scientific Officer of Vance Labs, and you can be her deputy. This way, you two can complement each other, and she can leave your name as a co-author on the project. With my maneuvering, your promotion this time shouldn’t be a big problem.” “Chloe, are you listening? You really have to thank her this time. Her name is Mia Harper. It is the fortune of my life to have you two as my beloved students…” It’s his fortune, but my disaster. His shamelessness angered me. I gritted my teeth and asked: “Arthur, what if I don’t agree?” He gave an impatient “tch” on the other end of the line. “Stop being stubborn. Besides, the position of Chief Scientific Officer belongs to the capable. You can’t even squeeze out a single project right now, so why humiliate yourself?” I stood on the balcony, letting the cold wind blow over me, reflecting on my contributions to Vance Labs over the years. Every big and small item in the lab, from a small beaker to every instrument, was set up by my own hands. When I worked around the clock to rush projects, I was once so exhausted I was hospitalized for recovery. I poured my heart and soul into it, staying up countless days and nights to lift the lab to the top of the industry. Only to quietly become someone else’s stepping stone. I wiped the tears from my face. I took out my phone, opened that offer letter, and replied accepting the position. A few days later, Arthur finally returned to the country. The first thing he did was eagerly drag Mia to the lab bench for some thrills. Meanwhile, the power outlet of that chromatography machine was flashing a nearly imperceptible red light. I watched the monitor in my hand, found the right moment, and pushed the door open. Arthur’s face changed, and he immediately shoved Mia away. I handed him the documents as if nothing had happened: “The progress of the previous project needs your signature.” He felt guilty, and seeing it was a routine document, he signed it without even looking. Resignation letter, done. I turned to leave. Arthur hurriedly called out to me, walking slowly over with a concerned tone: “Look how thin you’ve gotten. Didn’t I tell you to take time off and rest well at home?” “I heard about you going to my office area. It’s Mia being immature; she forgot to give you access.” I smiled indifferently: “If she’s that immature and you still keep her around, it really must take a lot of your effort.” Just as I was about to leave, I was stopped by Mia again. “Chief Chloe, stop being so passive-aggressive. I was just worried about ungrateful backstabbers in the company…” “Shut up!” Arthur violently pulled her away, placed his hands on my shoulders, and said with utmost sincerity: “Chloe, don’t listen to her nonsense. You are my fiancée, the person I value most.” I curled my lips, only finding it laughable. Arthur continued: “At the 13th Scientific Academic Exchange Conference this time, I decided to personally announce Mia Harper as the Chief Scientific Officer of Vance.” “This is the only way to establish her authority in the institute, to make it easier to manage the team. But don’t worry, I’ll have you co-lead that key project with her.” I raised my eyes and cast a cold glance at him. “Fine, you arrange it then.” It was the first time Arthur had seen me look at him with such an expression. He panicked and tried to make amends: “That day is also our fifth anniversary. Once the exchange conference is over, we’ll go get our marriage certificate!” My footsteps halted. He thought I was overwhelmingly surprised and stepped forward to pull me tightly into his embrace. With a face full of deep affection: “Chloe, from now on, entrust your life to me. I will definitely love you even more.” The fresh scent on the man was still the cologne I had personally blended. But it couldn’t cover the cloying sweetness mixed in from another woman. I frowned and tried to push him away, but he hugged me tighter: “From now on, we’ll share three meals a day and grow old together.” This had once been my dearest wish. Now I’m only thankful that I finally saw his true colors. After returning to my own office, I turned on the monitor. In the lab, Mia buried herself in Arthur’s embrace again, but he dodged her. “Mia, from now on, you are not allowed to run your mouth at Chloe. She will be my wife. She absolutely cannot know about what’s between us. That is a principle.” Mia immediately shed tears of grievance: “Professor, she clearly gave me attitude the moment she walked into the office. She hates me. If she finds out that the Gene Vector Construction project was originally hers, she’ll definitely kick me out.” “When that happens, I’ll leave you and go far away.” Arthur hugged her back tenderly, his tone doting: “Don’t talk nonsense. If you leave, who will be the Chief Scientific Officer of my research institute?” Mia sniffled: “But what if she discovers we plagiarized her experimental project?” Arthur’s voice was certain: “Don’t worry, I made it watertight. I even packaged her original documents for you.” Mia rejoiced secretly: “I heard there are other teams constantly trying to poach her. We definitely can’t let her take any projects away when the time comes.” Arthur scoffed and nodded: “She is utterly devoted to me and won’t leave me. Besides, who in the industry doesn’t know she slept her way to her accomplishments? Now she even has to rely on my backroom deals for her promotion. Once those teams know, none of them will accept her.” After listening to their conspiracy, I gritted my teeth to calm myself down. So he knew clearly what kind of predicament I was facing. He knew that the academic witch hunt against me all those years ago had never stopped. My eyes stung, and the last shred of expectation I had for him vanished into thin air. Mia’s post also updated at this moment: [Soon I will become a rising academic star in the industry, and I have prepared a grand gift for my future mentor’s wife at the academic exchange conference. I’m really looking forward to that day.] I was looking forward to it too. I hoped she could still be this brazen on that day. The grand academic exchange conference took place as scheduled. I stood beside them like a prop, watching Arthur lead Mia around, just as he had led me back then, introducing her talent to various industry heavyweights and major investors. However, as more heavyweight figures arrived, the academic elites raising their glasses to me also increased. Mia walked over to my side and disdainfully bumped my shoulder: “You don’t have much time left in the spotlight. I’ve prepared the main event for you.” As soon as the words fell, a large group of reporters swarmed in. They instantly surrounded me, and sharp questions were thrown at my face: “Ms. Davis, there are reports that you threw your weight around as a senior to force the new scientific genius, Ms. Harper, to give up co-authorship on an experimental project. Is this true?” “Out of all your past experimental projects, how many of the paper authorships did you obtain through such methods?” The crowd continued to press in, and I stumbled back into a corner. With such baseless accusations, any defense would be twisted. I spoke firmly and righteously: “These are all rumors. I advise the media to speak carefully, otherwise, I will definitely pursue legal action to the fullest extent.” But the reporters had no intention of letting me go. They pulled out stacks of paper, and sharp questions rang out again: “We have the love letters you wrote to your professor when you were a graduate student. Did you use an improper relationship with your professor to grab research resources back then? Now you’re plagiarizing a newcomer’s work. Do you deserve to talk about the original intentions of a researcher?” I stared blankly at the yellowed papers, speechless. Every word and sentence on them was in my own handwriting. It was my first awakening of love, what I thought was a mutual pursuit. These love letters, on our first anniversary of marriage, he personally framed, hugging me and saying they were his most precious collection in this life. How did they end up in the hands of reporters now?

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When we went to the impoverished mountain area to sponsor a child, my best friend, Chloe, couldn’t wait to choose the autistic boy. “This kid looks so pitiful. Mia, you have a weak constitution, you should sponsor that genius boy. You’ll enjoy a good life with him later!” Everyone praised my best friend’s loyalty, but only I knew she had been reborn. In our previous life, two children in the mountain area stood out. One was an exceptionally intelligent genius, and the other was a silent, autistic child. Chloe rushed to take the genius boy. But the boy turned out to be an ungrateful wretch. After getting into an Ivy League university, he completely ignored her. When he eventually became a billionaire doctor, he even played the victim, accusing her of molesting and abusing him. My best friend was cyberbullied, lost her job, went bankrupt from lawsuits, and her parents died of anger because of her. Meanwhile, the autistic child I sponsored later became a renowned designer, winning countless international awards. When Chloe had nothing left, seeing the respectful and loving way the boy treated me drove her mad with jealousy. She hit me with her car and killed me. Opening her eyes again, she definitely wouldn’t repeat her past mistakes. But looking at her smug face, I couldn’t help but laugh. Doesn’t she know that autism, when it reaches a certain level, can turn into psychopathy? 1 “Liam has had autism since he was little. It’s not just that he doesn’t speak; his emotions are highly unstable. He hits people over the slightest displeasure. The teachers at the orphanage have been beaten by him several times.” “He also suddenly screams and cries at night, staying awake all night. You really need to think this through.” As she spoke, the orphanage director pushed the straight-A student, Arthur, forward. “This child has been incredibly smart since he was little. Not only are his grades top-notch, but he also knows how to handle things and is very sensible!” Arthur, wearing a white shirt and jeans, smiled brightly at Chloe, looking exactly like the male lead in a campus romance novel. But Chloe backed away repeatedly as if she had seen a ghost. “No!!” “Arthur is so excellent, he should go to Mia. Taking care of Liam is too exhausting, I couldn’t bear to see her suffer.” I rolled my eyes hard inwardly at her hypocritical display. In our previous life, Chloe wasn’t like this at all. Back then, she couldn’t wait to pull Arthur to her side, terrified I would fight her for him. Arthur indeed lived up to expectations: he got into an Ivy League, earned his Ph.D., started a business after graduation, and became a billionaire doctor at a young age. During that time, Chloe showed off to me every chance she got. “Mia, what can the kid you’re raising do besides hit people and scream?” “I guess this is it for you in this life—serving an idiot, with no hope of ever getting ahead.” “Unlike me. Arthur is worth hundreds of millions now. I won’t have to do anything from now on, just lie back and enjoy life.” But no one expected that the glamorous Arthur was actually an ungrateful wretch. He accused Chloe on camera of molesting and abusing him since childhood, and later forcing him to marry her. Overnight, Chloe became a pariah. Netizens photoshopped her pictures into funeral portraits and splashed paint all over her front door. Her company couldn’t withstand the pressure and had to fire her. On her way home, she saw her own parents killed in a hit-and-run. Finally, Arthur sued her for a massive sum in compensation. She emptied her savings but still couldn’t fill the hole, eventually ending up on the streets, begging to survive. Meanwhile, the Liam I sponsored not only stepped out of the shadow of autism but also became a famous designer, eventually gifting all his assets to me. Chloe went mad with jealousy and drove her car straight into me, killing me. Reborn into this life, she naturally couldn’t wait to get rid of Arthur. I looked at Chloe in front of me and asked softly: “If you choose him, aren’t you afraid you’ll regret it?” Chloe immediately waved her hand dismissively, her face full of contempt. “What do you know! Liam looks quiet, but he’s definitely a genius in his bones. Don’t fight me for him!” “Only certain people look like decent human beings but are actually ungrateful, backstabbing wolves. I wouldn’t want that.” I sneered inwardly at her determined look. Fight her for him? I couldn’t wait for her to take him away quickly. No one knew that behind Liam’s glamorous facade was an endless nightmare I endured. After he recovered from his autism, he developed a severe, paranoid possessiveness. He would secretly delete all male contacts from my phone while I was asleep, calling it “afraid you’ll get scammed.” He installed bars on all the windows in the house under the guise of safety, keeping me trapped like a bird in a gilded cage. When I was sick, he stayed by my side constantly. But then he turned around and fired a male doctor who had just handed me a cup of water. He always said: “Only I can protect you.” Yet, when I tried to contact my family, he smashed my phone and roared with red eyes: “You have me, that’s enough! You don’t need anyone else!” The suffocating feeling wrapped in that “gentleness” made me despair even more than his fists did when he was a child. Even if Chloe hadn’t run me over with her car, I wouldn’t have lasted much longer in that kind of life. Since Chloe wanted a paranoid psychopath in this life, I’d let her have him. I absolutely didn’t want to suffer the pain of being imprisoned and abused again! 2 As soon as we got home, Arthur put down his luggage and started studying. But when I woke up from my nap, I found that dinner, with meat and vegetables, was already laid out on the dining table. Looking at the cautious and eager-to-please Arthur in front of me, I felt incredibly comfortable. In my previous life, when I first brought Liam through the door, he suddenly went crazy. He not only smashed everything in the house to pieces but also strangled me tightly. If I hadn’t prepared a sedative in advance, I wouldn’t have survived that day. Now, having an obedient, sensible, and good-looking Arthur, how could I not be happy? Seeing me staring at the food without moving, Arthur lowered his voice even more. “Is it not to your taste? Should I go make something else?” I quickly shook my head, picked up my chopsticks, took a bite, and nodded, saying: “It’s very good, no need to change it.” “If you need anything in the future, just ask me. I will help you with whatever I can satisfy.” Hearing this, Arthur’s eyes lit up. He hesitated for a few seconds before saying, “I want to participate in the National Physics Olympiad…” I instantly remembered that in my previous life, Arthur won the gold medal in this very competition, earning him an exceptional admission to a top Ivy League school. From then on, his reputation as a physics genius spread nationwide, and he only had coldness and disgust for Chloe. I hesitated for a moment, but then thought that sponsoring a child was a good deed to begin with. Cultivating a talent is a good thing; I never expected him to repay me with anything. I nodded immediately. “Of course you can. I’ll help you prepare, and I’ll handle whatever you need.” A bright smile immediately bloomed on Arthur’s face. He turned and headed back to the kitchen: “Then I’ll get you another bowl of soup, drink more to nourish your body.” Looking at his joyful back, I really couldn’t figure out how he turned into the ungrateful wretch he became later. Just after I finished eating, a video call from Chloe popped up on my phone. When connected, the screen showed Liam sitting at a desk, holding a paintbrush. On the paper was a crude drawing, messy lines showing absolutely no talent. Chloe leaned into the camera and said triumphantly: “Mia, look how good Liam is! He can even draw!” “What’s the use of a physics genius? He might just turn out to be an ungrateful wretch. You’ll regret it sooner or later.” “Liam is a true genius. I’ll stick with him from now on and enjoy endless good days.” I rolled my eyes at her incessant chatter. Even though she deliberately angled the camera away from the smashed-up house, the bright red slap mark on her face was still clearly visible. I truly couldn’t endure the “blessing” of being tortured by a psychopath. Besides, she probably didn’t know yet that Liam’s later talent in painting was all thanks to my father, a master of traditional painting, guiding and teaching him bit by bit. Without the guidance of a professional teacher in this life, given his condition, he probably wouldn’t even be able to speak complete sentences, let alone become a famous designer. I couldn’t be bothered to waste my breath on her, just gave a few perfunctory responses, and hung up the phone. 3 In the following days, I used my family’s resources to find many physics experts to tutor Arthur every week, and even managed to get him exclusive competition exercise books. Arthur studied exceptionally hard and became increasingly considerate of me in daily life. He would prepare meals in advance morning and night, remembering I don’t eat cilantro, and even rushed to do chores, never letting me worry too much. Watching him handle everything so thoughtfully, I became even more confused: how could someone so sensible suddenly turn into a backstabbing wretch in the previous life? Before I could sort out my thoughts, my phone suddenly rang. When I answered, Chloe’s heart-wrenching crying instantly came through. “Mia, come quickly to the police station! Save me!” When I rushed to the police station and asked around, I found out that Chloe had insisted on sending Liam to learn painting. The result? On his very first day, Liam went berserk, grabbed an inkstone, and broke two of the teacher’s fingers! The other party demanded a ten-thousand-dollar compensation. Chloe couldn’t come up with the money, which was why she frantically called me for help. I didn’t hesitate much, fronted the medical expenses for her, and told her to take Liam away first. Before she left, I couldn’t help but remind her: “His emotions are completely unstable right now. He’s not suited to interact with the outside world. You need to find a professional for intervention first.” Unexpectedly, Chloe flew into a rage out of humiliation, pointing at my nose and cursing: “Mind your own business! You just can’t stand that Liam is a genius!” “What do you have to be so smug about? That ungrateful wretch Arthur will turn on you sooner or later, and then you’ll taste what it’s like to have your family destroyed!” As soon as she finished speaking, Liam, who had been silent all along, suddenly stepped forward and hugged her waist, rubbing his fuzzy head against her neck. Chloe immediately beamed with joy. “See? Look how clingy he is with me now. His autism is much better.” I shivered, terrified by the fleeting look of resentment I caught in Liam’s eyes. This wasn’t an improvement; it was clearly the onset of twisted paranoia! I was afraid of getting burned, so I didn’t say another word, turned around, and headed home. From then on, every time I heard news of Chloe, it was either her being beaten into the hospital by Liam, or Liam smashing up another art class. I felt she was a total jinx and even avoided walking near her. 4 But I never expected that during Arthur’s first summer break after getting into an Ivy League, Chloe would actually show up at my house uninvited. As soon as she walked in, she raised her chin, her tone full of mockery. “Mia, what did I tell you?” “That ungrateful wretch Arthur stopped contacting you after he started college, didn’t he? He doesn’t even come home; he doesn’t care about you at all!” I froze for a moment, and thinking carefully, it really was as she said. After Arthur reported he had arrived safely at school, there had been no news from him. All the messages I sent were left on read with no reply. Seeing that I didn’t refute her, Chloe grew even more smug. “Liam is much better than him. He sticks to me every day and is completely obedient to me.” “You better watch out. When Arthur needs startup capital in the future, who knows how badly he’ll scam you!” “When the time comes, you’ll become a rat everyone wants to beat. Don’t regret choosing the wrong person when your family is destroyed.” After she finished, she smiled even more triumphantly. Although I never asked for anything in return when I sponsored Arthur, Chloe’s words were like a thorn, making me feel extremely uncomfortable. I took out my phone, wanting to call Arthur to ask about the situation, only to find out when I dialed that he had already blocked me. Clicking on his social media, it was full of photos from college activities. He was smiling brightly, living a very exciting life. And his latest post prominently read: [Getting ready to start a business with my best friend. Let’s go!] I suddenly remembered my previous life. When he first started his business and was short on cash, he smoothly borrowed money from Chloe. But once the money was in his hands, he immediately blocked her. For five years after that, he completely ignored Chloe. And the next time he came looking for her, it was when he had become one of the top, wealthiest doctors in the country. To expand his hospital’s reputation, he wildly proclaimed online that he had been abused and molested by his sponsor. Chloe tried to find him to clear her name, but was blocked in the hospital by reporters he had hired, thoroughly cementing the narrative that she was an abuser. Before I could recover from my shock, my phone suddenly vibrated. Arthur had sent a message. “Sister, I want to start a business, but I’m still a bit short on startup capital. Can you lend me some money?” Chloe leaned over, saw the message on the screen, and instantly burst into uncontrollable laughter. “I told you he was an ungrateful wretch! Asking for money as soon as he starts college; he’s a bottomless pit!” “Who knows what he’ll do to you for money in the future!” I stared at the screen, hesitating for a few seconds, but still replied: “How much do you need?” The smile on Chloe’s face froze instantly, and she stared at me as if I were an idiot. “Are you crazy? You actually believe the nonsense this little animal says?” “He just treats you like a sucker, a walking ATM!” I ignored Chloe’s words. Since I sponsored him, I should fulfill my responsibility. Without saying much, I directly transferred ten thousand dollars. Chloe was stomping her feet in anger beside me. Just as she was about to speak, her phone suddenly rang. When she answered, the art teacher’s voice was loud enough to hear even without speakerphone. “Come pick up Liam immediately! This kid can’t be a genius; he’s a piece of trash!” “He can’t even distinguish basic colors, and he’s always throwing tantrums! No one can teach him!” Chloe’s face instantly turned green. She hung up the phone, glared at me fiercely, grabbed her bag, slammed the door, and left. That same day, I saw on the news that Chloe caused a huge scene at the art institute for Liam, resulting in her being taken to the police station again. Only this time, she couldn’t find me to rescue her. It wasn’t until half a month later that the two were released, looking disheveled.

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I worked four jobs a day to save up for my boyfriend’s tuition, while he always “worked his way through school” at the campus swimming pool until late at night. Until I saw him on someone else’s Instagram story, laughing in a Porsche: “Pretending to be poor and tricking her is so satisfying! She actually believes my family owes a million dollars, and transfers all her hard-earned money to me!” I rushed to the swimming pool to confront him, but suddenly, floating text appeared before my eyes like a livestream chat: [The male lead is holding your roommate, hooking up in the swimming pool’s sauna!] [His bro is keeping watch at the door, specifically to block you, the female supporting character!] Sure enough, his bro blocked my path: “There’s no one inside. Go look somewhere else!” The floating text continued to scroll wildly: [Good thing he stopped her, wouldn’t want to ruin the male lead’s good time!] I smiled and casually posted on the university’s anonymous confession board: “Emergency! My boyfriend works at the swimming pool and might be trapped in the sauna!” “The temperature is already 185 degrees Fahrenheit, and I can’t reach him! What should I do?!” 1. The swimming pool was right in front of me. Newly built, very grand, it even had a sauna that was free for students. Suddenly, a few lines of text drifted across my vision: [Holy shit! The male lead’s reaction time is insane! He grabbed the female lead and ducked into the sauna!] [The door is locked from the inside! Spicy! This temperature, this humidity, they really know how to play.] [The male lead pinned the female lead against the wall and kissed her, his hands are already inside her clothes… The female lead’s moans are so slutty.] I stared at the tightly shut wooden door at the end of the corridor. The digital display next to it showed a glaring red number: 176°F. The floating text continued: [Don’t worry, Jake is keeping watch. Once the vicious female supporting character leaves, they can come out.] I looked up and, sure enough, saw the vice president of the swimming club, Jake, walking toward me. He was Ethan’s best bro. The text scrolled rapidly: [Quick! Jake! Hurry up and stop her!] “Chloe? Swimming this late?” His smile was a bit stiff. “Is Ethan in there?” My voice was hoarse. He threw his hands up, but his body firmly blocked the path to the sauna area: “Ethan? Haven’t seen him. Maybe he finished his swim and left? You should check somewhere else.” It felt like my heart was being squeezed. I remembered the photo I saw just a little while ago on the Instagram of a guy I had recently added during a dorm sweep. Ethan was leaning against a black Porsche, the Rolex Submariner on his wrist gleaming coldly. The caption read: “Congrats to Mr. Ethan on the new ride.” Scrolling further down, there was another video. He was in a VIP lounge, laughing with his friends: “Pretending to be poor and tricking her is so fucking entertaining. You guys haven’t seen it, she works four jobs a day just to save money for me.” “Hauling luggage in the morning, sorting packages at lunch, running errands in the afternoon, and sweeping dorms at night.” “Her hands get blistered and bleed, she just wraps them in tissues and keeps going.” He laughed so hard he bent over: “The best part is, she actually believes my family is a million dollars in debt. Every month when her paycheck hits, she transfers half to me first, saying she’s helping me pay off the debt.” “I use her money to buy you guys drinks, and she even tells me to drink less because it’s bad for my health.” I watched that fifteen-second video ten times. My stomach churned. Then my phone vibrated. It was a message he had just sent: “Chloe, I just finished studying and left the library. I’m going to the pool to relax a bit. Go to bed early, don’t overwork yourself.” So I rushed over, wanting to demand why he lied to me. But now, the floating text told me he was holding another woman, hiding in a high-temperature sauna. I stared at Jake: “I thought I heard voices coming from the sauna. Do you hear that?” Jake’s face paled slightly, then he shook his head: “You’re imagining things. It’s the sound of the steam generator working.” I took out my phone and dialed Ethan’s number. I heard the busy signal through the receiver. The floating text provided a real-time commentary: [The male lead glanced at his phone, saw it was the female supporting character calling, and hung up immediately! He looks totally annoyed, then put his head back down to keep kissing the female lead…] I put my phone down and smiled at Jake: “Maybe I am just imagining things. I’ll get going then.” As I turned around, I opened the university’s anonymous confession board. Ethan, Mia. One stole my money, the other stole my trust. You guys like excitement, right? Alright, let me make things a little more exciting for you. 2. My fingers flew across the screen. Post title: “URGENT! Is there a problem with the pool’s sauna? The temperature is terrifyingly high!” “I was just walking past the new pool and noticed the sauna temperature display is hitting 185°F! And there are weird noises coming from inside, like something banging against the door? My boyfriend said he was coming to swim tonight, and now I can’t reach him. I’m really worried he might be trapped inside!! PLEASE SHARE!!!” I attached a photo of the temperature display: 180°F. The floating text: [The female supporting character made a post! Did she figure something out?!] [This is going to blow up! The male lead’s phone buzzed again, it’s a warning message from Jake!] [The temperature is 185°F! The female lead, Mia, is starting to cough, saying she can’t breathe. The male lead is still comforting her, ‘It’s okay, just hold on a little longer, we can go out once she leaves’.] My fingers trembled violently, almost dropping the phone. The person hooking up with my boyfriend was my roommate, Mia! I remembered how she would always link her arm affectionately through mine and say: “Chloe, Ethan treats you so well, you’re so lucky!” Even last night, she told me: “Chloe, working so many jobs is too hard on you. Forget about Ethan, I’m heartbroken for you!” My heart felt like it was gripped by an icy hand, hurting even more than when I saw Ethan’s video. The feeling of double betrayal made me nauseous. Jake’s phone vibrated as expected. He pulled it out, glanced at it, his face instantly turning white. His fingers flew as he typed a reply. “Chloe, you should go back. There’s really nothing going on here. The administrator will be here to check soon, you’re just in the way.” His tone grew urgent, trying to push me toward the exit. I stood my ground, my voice not loud but firm: “I’m not leaving. My boyfriend might be inside. I won’t leave until I see him come out safely.” “You!” Jake was getting desperate. Just then, footsteps approached from the pool entrance. Two guys in basketball jerseys poked their heads in. “Hey, are you the one who posted about the sauna having a problem?” One of the guys asked, holding his phone with the screen glowing, showing the confession board page. Like grasping at straws, I pointed at the temperature display: “Yes! Look, it’s 182°F! And I heard banging sounds from inside!” The two guys exchanged a look and moved closer. The floating text provided a live broadcast from inside the sauna: [Temperature is 182°F! The male lead pinned the female lead on the bench… they’re making a lot of noise.] [The wooden walls are thumping… no wonder it can be heard outside.] [Mia is moaning, can’t tell if it’s from pain or pleasure…] Sweating, Jake blocked the two guys: “Don’t listen to her nonsense! It’s a machine malfunction, the temperature display is wrong! I’ve already called maintenance!” “We still have to see if anyone is inside!” the guy in the jersey frowned. Jake yelled, “I said there’s no one! The sauna is closed at night, the doors are locked!” I seized the keyword: “Locked? Then why did my boyfriend say he was at the pool, but now I can’t reach him? Why are there banging sounds from inside?” Jake choked on his words. The other guy had already walked up to the sauna door and pressed his ear against it: “It seems… there really is a sound? Very muffled, a thud… thud…” A crowd began to form, students who had seen the post and come over. A girl asked me quietly, “Hey, does your boyfriend… treat you really well? You seem so worried about him.” I lowered my head, tears instantly welling up: “His family’s financial situation is really bad, it’s very hard for him. I just want to work a few extra jobs to help lighten his load…” I held up my hands, covered in band-aids and old and new scars. “It’s nothing, really. It’s just that sometimes when I’m too tired, it breaks his heart and he tells me to stop working… even though he’s exhausted himself…” “Oh my god, what happened to your hands…” the girl gasped. “I’ve seen her! She sorts packages at the mailroom, crouching there all afternoon!” a bystander chimed in. “I’ve seen her too! She always eats the cheapest food at the dining hall!” Sympathetic gazes fell on me. Jake, isolated and unsupported, could only stand firmly in front of the sauna door, repeating: “Maintenance will be here soon! Everyone disperse! Don’t crowd around!” The temperature display jumped to 185°F. 3. The crowd kept growing. Over a dozen students gathered outside the sauna corridor, whispering amongst themselves. Some were recording videos, others were calling their friends to come watch the “drama.” The frequency of the floating text surged: [Temperature is 185°F! The female lead is screaming that she can’t take it anymore!] [The male lead is still moving… incredible stamina.] [But they’re both sweating profusely, like they’ve been pulled out of a pool.] “Jake! Move! Let someone check inside!” A tall athlete couldn’t stand it anymore and stepped forward to push Jake aside. Jake stood there like a pillar, his face flushed red: “No! Nobody goes in without the administrator’s permission! That’s the rule! Who takes responsibility if something goes wrong?!” “Then call the administrator!” “I did! They’re on their way!” “By the time they get here, whoever is inside will be steamed alive!” The athlete pointed at the display: 187°F. Jake grew hysterical: “I said there’s no one inside! It’s a machine malfunction!” “If there’s no one, what are you afraid of? What’s wrong with letting us take a look?” During the scuffle, the pool manager and a maintenance worker in uniform finally arrived in a hurry. The manager, a middle-aged man, frowned deeply at the sight of the crowd. “What’s going on? What’s everyone doing here?” Jake looked like he’d found his savior: “Mr. Wang! You’re finally here! This student insists there’s someone in the sauna, says the machine is broken and the temperature is high. I tried to stop them from going in…” Mr. Wang looked at me, then at the display showing 187°F, his face turning serious: “Miss, how can you be sure someone is inside?” I wiped away tears and showed him my chat history, my voice thick with crying and anxiety: “Manager, my boyfriend told me over an hour ago that he was swimming here. Then I couldn’t reach him.” “I really heard banging and faint cries for help from inside just now!” “The temperature is so high, what if… what if he really is in there? Please, open the door and check!” The surrounding students chimed in: “Manager, just open the door and take a look, it won’t hurt!” “Yeah, what if there really is someone? This temperature can kill!” “This girl is so good to her boyfriend, working so many jobs, she wouldn’t make a scene for no reason!” Mr. Wang hesitated, looking at the maintenance worker: “Lee, look at this temperature…” Lee, the maintenance worker, leaned in close to the door to listen, touched the door panel, and his face changed: “Manager, the door is scorching hot! And… there really seems to be movement inside! Like… a body hitting the wall?” The floating text: [Temperature 190°F! The female lead passed out!] [The male lead finally stopped, he’s barely hanging on himself.] [He’s looking for his phone to call for help!] Mr. Wang finally gave the order: “Open the door! Lee, hurry!” Jake still tried to stop them: “Manager! The keys are in the administrator’s office! It’s too late to get them now!” “Then pry it open!” the athlete shouted. Jake spread his arms wide: “You can’t pry it! This is university property! You’ll have to pay for the damage! Wait for the keys!” “Is money more important than human life?!” questions erupted from the crowd. “I said there’s no one inside! What human life?!” Jake’s eyes were bloodshot. I cried even harder, my body trembling slightly: “Manager, if something happens to my boyfriend… I won’t live either! I worked all those jobs just so we could have a future together! If he’s gone, what am I supposed to do…” These words, coupled with my miserable appearance and scarred hands, completely ignited the crowd’s emotions. “OPEN THE DOOR!!!” “If you don’t open it, we’re calling the cops!” “Take pictures! Record video! Post it online! The university is leaving them to die!” Sweat beaded on Mr. Wang’s forehead as he roared at the maintenance worker: “Lee! Get your tools! Pry it! I’ll take responsibility if anything happens!” Lee hurriedly ran to grab a crowbar. Jake’s face was ashen, retreating to the side, muttering: “It’s over… Ethan is finished…” Right at that moment, the university president hurried in, looking stern: “What’s going on? Who’s trapped in the sauna?” 4. The arrival of the president quieted the scene for a moment. Mr. Wang quickly went to greet him: “President, here’s what happened. This student suspects her boyfriend is trapped in the sauna, we’re currently handling it…” The president glanced at the temperature display: 190°F. His brow instantly furrowed. “This is nonsense! With the temperature this high, what are you waiting for?!” He looked at me, his gaze sharp: “Miss, are you certain your boyfriend is in there?” My tears fell even faster, my voice shaking violently: “I’m not sure, but he said he was swimming here over an hour ago, and now I can’t reach him by call or text. I heard sounds coming from inside, and I’m so scared! His name is Ethan, a junior in the law school.” “Ethan?” The president seemed to recognize the name. The floating text rolled frantically: [Temperature is 194°F! The male lead is banging on the door! His hands are red from the heat!] [He turned his phone on! But it shut down immediately due to the heat!] [The female lead is completely unresponsive…] [The male lead is starting to bash his head against the door! He’s gone crazy!] I raised my scarred hands, crying so hard I could barely breathe: “President! I worked all those jobs just so I could help him a little… Nothing can happen to him…” Several girls nearby had started wiping away tears as well. “Director, open the door!” “Yeah, this is terrifying!” The president’s face was grave as he issued the order immediately: “Mr. Wang, open the door right now! Whether there’s someone inside or not, we must confirm it immediately!” “Yes! Lee, the crowbar!” Mr. Wang yelled. Lee finally ran back with the crowbar. The crowd automatically parted to make a path. Jake was pinned against the wall by two guys, his face ashen, still muttering: “Don’t open it… you can’t open it…” “Pry it open!” the president said decisively. Lee forcefully wedged the tip of the crowbar into the door seam. The wooden door was already somewhat warped from the intense heat. Just as he was about to apply force, a guy in a baseball cap at the back of the crowd suddenly muttered in confusion: “Ethan? Wait… that name sounds familiar…” He frowned, seemingly trying hard to recall something. Lee pushed down for the third time. Creak! The door lock groaned under the immense pressure. At the exact same moment, the guy in the baseball cap suddenly slapped his forehead: “I remember now!” He looked at me, his expression bizarre: “Miss, the Ethan you mentioned… is that the rich kid Ethan?” Just then, Lee gritted his teeth and forcefully pried the door completely open.

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I secretly dated my brother’s best friend for three years, until his adopted sister came back. I immediately decided to break up with him and turned around to agree to the blind date my family arranged. We didn’t invite outsiders to the engagement party, just close relatives. Right in the middle of the toasts, my brother’s phone rang. He answered it and laughed jokingly: “You didn’t even come to Chloe’s engagement party? She used to follow you around calling you ‘big brother’ all the time when she was little.” The other end of the line suddenly went dead silent. It took several seconds before I heard Arthur’s hoarse voice ask: “Who is getting engaged?” 1 “What, did you and that mysterious boyfriend of yours split up?” My brother, Liam’s tone was teasing; he was clearly enjoying the show. It’s no wonder. For three years, I stubbornly refused to make my relationship public. He had warned me long ago: “A man who doesn’t even have the guts to come home with you to meet your parents? What kind of responsibility can he take? You guys will break up sooner or later.” I couldn’t hear a word of it back then, firmly believing that true love would last forever. As it turned out, reality slapped me hard in the face. My tone was flat: “Yeah, we broke up.” Hearing how decisive I was, the other end of the phone was quiet for a while. “Did he do something to you?” I had thought I didn’t feel anything anymore, but that single sentence suddenly made my nose sting. I took a breath and shook my head at the empty air: “No, we just parted ways.” “Alright. If he ever dares to bully you, I’ll definitely teach him a lesson.” “Chloe, there aren’t many men you can rely on. If you really want to get married, you’re better off finding someone from a similar background. At least it’s real.” “Okay, you set it up. I’ll be back the day after tomorrow.” I had just hung up the phone. Arthur pushed the door open and walked in: “Who were you on the phone with?” Afraid he’d see I had been crying, I didn’t look back: “A classmate.” “Hmm.” He walked right past me and went into his study. In the three years we’ve been together, he has always been this cold. I always thought it was just his personality, that he couldn’t be warm and affectionate with anyone. Until last night, when I came back early from a business trip. I originally wanted to sneak in and surprise him. The door to his study was usually shut tight, but that day it was slightly ajar. A warm yellow light spilled through the crack. I leaned in to knock, but I saw Arthur inside, looking uncomfortable. His eyes were glued to his phone, one hand moving beneath the desk. I froze on the spot. The person on the screen wasn’t just anyone. It was his family’s adopted sister, Mia. He was so engrossed that he didn’t even hear me open the front door and leave. I sat in a hotel room all night, thinking about a lot of things. I finally understood. Arthur’s coldness toward me these past three years wasn’t because of his personality. His refusal to make our relationship public wasn’t because he was afraid of my overprotective brother causing trouble for him. It was all because— He didn’t like me at all. He just needed a smokescreen to cover up his feelings for that “sister.” So, when I threw myself at him back then, I was the perfect human shield. That night, Mia posted an Instagram story: “Flying back tomorrow! Come pick me up ASAP~” 2 After getting off the phone with my brother, I took a cab back to the villa I shared with Arthur. I still had some things to pack and take with me. He was eating breakfast. When he looked up and saw me, he flatly told the housekeeper to make another portion. “I didn’t know you were coming back at this hour, so I didn’t prep yours.” I nodded: “Okay.” It wasn’t that he didn’t know; he just didn’t care to know, and couldn’t be bothered to ask. Arthur’s movements paused. He looked up from his phone, a flash of confusion in his eyes. Yes, in the past, I would have definitely squeezed in next to him and stolen his breakfast. I would have said, “Who told you not to prep mine? Then I’ll just eat yours.” Or I would have hugged him from behind, pinched his ear, and asked if he didn’t love me anymore since he forgot about me. Arthur is so smart; of course, he could immediately sense the change in me. But he didn’t say anything more. He just nodded: “I’m heading to the office. Take your time eating.” He took the suit jacket the housekeeper handed him. He hesitated for a moment. Just when I thought he might be waiting for me to bounce over and help him put it on like I usually did… He put the jacket on himself. The sound of his footsteps and the door closing vanished together. The housekeeper asked me: “Ms. Hayes, what would you like to eat?” I shook my head: “I’m not eating. Could you help me find a few cardboard boxes? I need them today.” I dragged my suitcase back to the bedroom. When the housekeeper brought the boxes, I packed up all my clothes and daily necessities. Then I went to Arthur’s walk-in closet. Over the years, I’ve given him quite a few ties, cufflinks, clothes, watches, and things like that. But he rarely used them. Unless I insisted he put them on, those things barely saw the light of day. Just like me, his girlfriend, who could only be hidden in the dark. I swallowed the bitterness in my throat and packed the things I gave him into the box, one by one. It took a long time to finish packing. I sat on the edge of the bed to catch my breath. I received a text from Arthur: [I sent the driver to pick you up. He’ll be there in half an hour.] Short and concise. He couldn’t even be bothered to explain why. He took it for granted that I would never refuse him. I laughed self-deprecatingly. It was for the best. It was time to tell him we were done. 3 The lights flashed erratically in the club. This used to be one of my favorite places to hang out. I was spoiled growing up, with a fiery personality. My friends always joked that I was the little firecracker of the New York elite circle. At my brother’s college alumni event, I saw Arthur for the first time and was drawn to his icy demeanor. I beat around the bush asking my brother if he had a girlfriend. My brother rolled his eyes: “With that iceberg face of his, who would dare get close to him?” I rejoiced inwardly. He was cold, I was hot. A perfect match. I started pursuing him relentlessly behind my brother’s back. I even changed my college application choices from New York to Seattle, where Arthur was. When my brother found out, he was so angry he cursed me out. But despite his scolding, he still doted on me. He called Arthur and asked him to keep an eye on me. I secretly rejoiced: everything was going exactly according to my plan. Back then, I thought I was so incredibly smart, manipulating both Arthur and my brother. Only now do I realize how pathetically stupid I was. The waiter led me to the door of the private room. It was lively inside. I heard someone jeering: “Arthur, you keep that little girlfriend of yours hidden away so well, you rarely bring her out to see us guys. Now that Mia is back—and she’s your favorite sister—we gotta ask: who’s more important, the girlfriend or the sister?” I stopped in my tracks. I held my breath, waiting for his answer. Arthur took a sip of his drink and didn’t say anything. Mia stamped her foot and pouted at him: “Arthur!” Only then did Arthur smile faintly. He set his glass down on the marble table with a clink. His cold voice rang out: “A girlfriend can be replaced, but there’s only one sister. Who do you think is more important?” “Oooooh~~ So cheesy!” The group erupted in cheers. Mia stood up triumphantly, pointing her finger at more than half the people in the room: “You, you, and you. You lost the bet, pay up.” Arthur didn’t understand: “What’s going on?” Mia explained: “They made a bet with me on whether you cared more about your girlfriend or me. The losers have to Venmo me twenty grand each.” Amidst a chorus of groans, everyone pulled out their phones to transfer the money. Arthur looked at their exaggerated reactions and chuckled: “Serves you right!” I raised my hand and knocked on the door. 4 The previously lively atmosphere suddenly died. Arthur looked over; there was an empty seat next to him. He didn’t bring me to meet his friends very often. But every time he did, he gave me enough face. Back when I was chasing him to the point of almost giving up, he was the one who suggested bringing me to meet his friends. That time, his friend told me: “Chloe, aside from Mia, Arthur has never brought another girl here.” At that time, I just thought of Mia as his sister. I didn’t think much of it. I even foolishly thought that Arthur was just cold on the outside, but actually cared about me deep down. Thinking about it now, maybe he was just putting on a show, or maybe it was just pure good manners. For him, it was a zero-cost tactic to make me even more devoted to him. Back to reality. I ignored the empty seat next to Arthur. I sat in the corner farthest away from him. Arthur’s face darkened: “Chloe?” I smiled but didn’t say anything. Mia picked up a glass of wine and walked toward me: “You must be Chloe. I’m Mia, Arthur’s…” She paused, as if she didn’t know what to say. Arthur chimed in: “Sister.” Mia frowned, looking a bit impatient. She handed the wine to me, sounding almost petulant: “Right, sister. I just got back to the States. Here’s to you, Chloe.” I didn’t even need to think to immediately sense Mia’s hostility toward me. That was absolutely not the attitude a sister should have toward her brother’s girlfriend. It turned out Mia liked Arthur, too. Thinking about Arthur jerking off to her picture in his study… I just felt it was utterly absurd. I gave a faint smile: “Welcome back, but I’m not feeling well, so I won’t be drinking.” The corner of Mia’s mouth dropped: “Chloe, aren’t you being a bit disrespectful? I came all this way back, and this is my welcome-home party. You won’t even drink the wine I offer you?” “I told you, I’m not feeling well.” Mia grew even more displeased and turned to look for Arthur: “Arthur, does she not like me?” Arthur’s eyes were icy cold, and his tone carried no warmth: “Chloe, stop making a scene. Drink it.” I almost let out a cold laugh: “Did you call me here just to make me drink?” He lifted his eyelids and said flatly: “Mia wanted to meet you.” So, it was just because Mia wanted to meet me. It was just to make both of them wake up and stop having fantasies about each other. Using me as a prop. I stood up: “Now she’s met me. Can I leave now?” Probably sensing that I was exceptionally uncooperative today… Arthur’s gaze darkened. I knew he was angry. But I didn’t want to humor him anymore. “What exactly have you been throwing a tantrum about since morning?!” The atmosphere in the private room turned cold because of his lowered tone. I looked into his eyes and smiled meaningfully. Arthur, I know all about the little game you two are playing. I’m not playing along anymore. I turned to leave, but Mia grabbed my wrist: “Chloe, I’m the main character today. I haven’t agreed to let you leave yet.” I twisted my wrist free and slapped her across the face: “Did your parents not teach you any manners?”

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When I found out my husband had been assigned to work out of state for another seven years, I made the long trek to visit him. Upon arriving at his job site, I was stopped by an older security guard. When he heard I was looking for Arthur, his face drastically changed: “What are you looking for my son-in-law for?” I felt like I had been struck by lightning. Maybe it was just someone with the same name. But a worker chatting nearby laughed: “Mr. Miller, what are you panicking for? Everyone for miles around knows Arthur is totally whipped by his wife.” “Anyone else might fool around, but not your son-in-law.” He jutted his chin toward me: “She’s probably just someone sent from corporate for work.” I feigned composure and pulled up a photo of Arthur on my phone: “I have some business to discuss with him. Is this the Arthur you’re talking about?” The security guard relaxed his guard: “Yep, that’s my son-in-law.” The blood froze in my veins. A short while later, a well-dressed woman approached me with a bright smile: “You’re here to talk business with my husband?” “Let’s go wait at the house. Our son has a fever, so he took him to the hospital in the city.” … It felt like a thunderbolt had struck me. I stared at the woman in front of me, feeling like I was suffocating. Seeing me frozen, the woman enthusiastically beckoned me: “I’m Arthur’s wife, Chloe Miller. Just call me Chloe.” She was very friendly, a constant smile on her face, waving for me to follow her: “It’s all rough guys out here, and every one of them is a creep. It’s not safe for a woman to be out here alone.” “Come wait at my house. He won’t be back for a while.” As she spoke, she familiarly grabbed my arm. As if possessed, I followed her footsteps. I quietly assessed this woman out of the corner of my eye. Her skin wasn’t great, and her makeup skills were poor, with foundation caking around the corners of her eyes. But I could still tell she was easily more than ten years younger than the 37-year-old Arthur. “Oh my, you city folks really are different. Your skin is so good, smooth like a peeled hard-boiled egg.” She stared openly at my face. Her eyes filled with envy: “My husband has skin just like yours, so soft and smooth.” She smiled warmly and casually: “Looks like the city water and environment really do nourish people.” I forced out a strained smile, pretending to be unbothered. She wasn’t wrong. Both Arthur and I had the kind of skin that was naturally clear and smooth. Even though I was significantly older than her, because I took good care of myself, I still looked like I was in my early twenties. I certainly didn’t look like a middle-aged woman who had been married for 12 years. But what did that matter? Even though I was pretty, had a good job, and took care of both the elderly parents and our child… My husband still stabbed me in the back by keeping a second family behind my back. She was very chatty, talking endlessly. A couple riding a motorcycle approached us and stopped when they passed. The woman on the back of the motorcycle handed Chloe a bag of roasted chestnuts: “Look how much your husband thinks about you. He took the kid to the doctor, but still remembered you like chestnuts and asked me to bring you a bag.” Chloe smiled, used to the attention: “He just worries too much.” I deliberately interjected: “Your husband treats you really well.” The woman on the motorcycle chimed in: “He doesn’t just treat her well, it’s beyond that. If she tells Arthur to go east, he wouldn’t dare go west.” “Arthur isn’t afraid of anything, except Chloe glaring at him or shedding a tear!” Chloe’s smile remained casual: “Oh stop teasing me, Mary.” A sour, bitter feeling surged in my heart. It felt like God was playing a massive, cruel joke on me. My highly educated husband, who demanded equality in every aspect of our marriage, was actually acting like a whipped husband for someone else. We arrived at Chloe’s house. Although it was in a rural area, it didn’t look like a typical rural house at all. It was a very chic, modern, country-style villa. “My husband built this. Nice, right? It’s the only one like it in our town. He’s also the first son-in-law to move into the wife’s family home here.” My heart skipped a beat, shocked by the concept of him “moving into the wife’s family home.” Entering the living room, I immediately saw a family portrait hanging on the wall. A family of six, everyone smiling brightly. There was a 5-year-old boy and a girl around 3 years old in the picture. We had a family portrait just like this in our living room back home. Except, we only had one 10-year-old son, no daughter. The year he was assigned out of state by his company, he confidently held my face and said: “Honey, trust me. Two years max, and I’ll find a way to transfer back.” “When I get back, if your health permits, we’ll have a second child. And our family will never be separated again.” But he ended up being gone for 7 years. Aside from coming home for a few days around the holidays, he was practically a ghost year-round. Last year when he visited, I even expressed my regret to him about not having a daughter. Uncharacteristically, he replied: “The economy is bad right now. Smart young people aren’t having kids anymore.” “We have one son, and that’s great. Why put ourselves through the hardship of having a second one?” It turned out his mindset hadn’t changed; he just already had a son and a daughter elsewhere. “We have Wi-Fi. You can connect to it so you don’t use up your data.” “The password is 110913. My husband specially set it as my birthday.” She said this with a smile as she brought me a cup of tea. My heart jolted again. Arthur had told me there was no internet or cell reception in this mountainous area. So every time, it was him finding a way to contact me; I could never reach him. I opened my phone and connected to Chloe’s Wi-Fi. Full signal. Lie after lie was unraveling before my eyes, each one a knife stabbing into my heart. I pretended to be calm and asked: “You guys seem to have a great relationship. I heard he’s an out-of-state transfer. Aren’t you worried he might be transferred back?” Chloe kept her smile: “Not worried. To be honest, my husband almost did get transferred back this time.” My heart tightened as I listened closely to her next words. “My husband called in a lot of favors just to stay here.” “He’ll probably be able to stay for another 7 years. Once all the projects here are finished, my husband said he’d rather quit than go back.” My heart felt like it had been violently thrown to the bottom of a cliff. So it wasn’t the company forcing him to take another out-of-state assignment; he had applied for it himself! Even though he knew his mother was hospitalized with a stroke and his father had broken his leg, and they needed their son by their side. Even though his son had cried time and time again, suffering because he rarely got to see his dad. Even though he knew I, his wife, was exhausted managing both work and the household, to the point of being hospitalized for fatigue several times. He still had the peace of mind to live a carefree life thousands of miles away with another woman. A chill washed over me, making my shoulders tremble slightly. Chloe thought I was cold and immediately turned on the AC: “It’ll warm up in a bit. The AC my husband bought me is a top brand.” Even while she was being accommodating, she always found a way to brag about Arthur’s love for her. “In our town, no one has AC, only my house does. Actually, AC costs a lot in electricity, and I didn’t want to install it, but my husband insisted. He said he was afraid I’d be cold in the winter.” I kept a forced smile on my face and asked indirectly: “I feel like he’s quite a bit older than you. Is this his second marriage?” “He’s 10 years older than me, but it’s not his second marriage. It’s just me scoring a huge catch.” The smile on Chloe’s face grew even more blissful: “God has been good to me, letting someone like me with only an elementary school education find a guy with a master’s degree.” “He’s the project manager sent here to develop the area, practically the boss’s right-hand man. I never dreamed I could be the wife of such a capable man.” “My husband also says the luckiest thing that ever happened to him was meeting me.” She kept chattering on: “Actually, having an age gap is nice. He knows how to take care of me. My husband isn’t just responsible at work; he’s responsible for the family too.” “He gives me every single penny of his salary every month. I only give him two hundred bucks back for cigarette money.” Bitterness churned in my stomach. All these years, Arthur would send exactly three thousand dollars back home every month. He said his room and board were covered here, and a hundred bucks was enough for his personal expenses. Their company’s accountant was my college roommate. I knew for a fact his monthly take-home pay was over thirty-one thousand dollars. I tested the waters: “With his high salary, he can definitely provide a good life for the family.” “Yeah, that’s why I say I found a treasure. Not only is he good to me, he’s even better to my parents.” “My mom has a bad back.” She pointed to the expensive massage chair next to the sofa: “That massage chair cost over two thousand dollars. He bought it without blinking an eye.” “My dad likes to drink. He buys cases of liquor that cost hundreds of dollars a bottle.” “He also gives me five thousand dollars every month to spend however I want.” Hearing this, I was certain Arthur was embezzling and taking bribes. The bitterness in my heart was like raw gall, and my heart ached for his parents. Three months ago, my mother-in-law was critically ill from a stroke. I cried outside the emergency room while calling him: “Arthur, you have to come back. Mom is in resuscitation. She keeps murmuring that she wants to see you.” But he lied to me, saying: “It’s been hard on you, honey. The project is at a critical stage; I really can’t get away.” “Mom will be fine. Heaven protects the good.” There were so many times when I was panicked, helpless, my legs so weak I could barely stand. His phone would either not connect, or he wouldn’t come back. He showed zero concern for his own family, completely ignoring his parents and child. Yet he played the role of a good husband, a good father, and a good son-in-law in another family. It was incredibly ironic and soul-crushing. Chloe’s phone rang. She didn’t try to hide it from me. The volume was loud enough that sitting next to her, I heard every word clearly. He called her: “Honey.” The gentle tone of his voice was exactly the same as when he called me. “Our son’s fever hasn’t gone down yet. The doctor says we need to stay overnight for observation.” “I don’t have enough money on me. Honey, can you transfer me some? Thirty bucks should be enough.” I sneered inwardly. He really is the picture of a dedicated family man. Chloe smiled and said: “Got it. I’ll transfer it to you in a bit.” On the other end, Arthur worriedly reminded her: “I won’t be able to hold you to sleep tonight. You have to be a good girl and go to sleep. Make sure you cover yourself with the blanket so you don’t catch a cold.” “Being away from you for even one day makes my whole body feel off.” These words were like sharp swords stabbing directly into my heart. In our 12 years of marriage, we only had this kind of intimate sweetness in the first few years. Now, he didn’t even show this much care for our own son. Time had turned us into an old married couple. And now it had turned us into the most familiar of strangers, drifting further and further apart. She hung up the phone. Chloe looked at me with a smile. Just as she was about to say something, she remembered: “Oh right, I forgot to ask your name.” “Stella Thorne.” “That’s a beautiful name. City folks really know how to pick names.” She maintained her chatty, enthusiastic demeanor. Up until this moment, I still believed it. That she was highly likely an innocent woman being kept in the dark, just like me. “By the way, my husband won’t be back today. Why don’t you stay over? When he gets back tomorrow, you guys can talk business.” I agreed. That evening, Chloe cooked a table full of delicious dishes, a good mix of meat and vegetables. I met their daughter, whose features strongly resembled Arthur’s. Chloe’s parents weren’t as enthusiastic toward me, just superficially polite. They even looked at me with a bit of wariness, acting slightly strange. At the dinner table, the person they brought up the most was Arthur. In their mouths, Arthur wasn’t a son-in-law; he was a biological son. Chloe was an only child. In this remote area where boys were heavily favored, the old couple had never been able to hold their heads high their entire lives. It was Arthur’s arrival, becoming the son-in-law who moved in with them, and treating them with the filial piety of a biological son. That finally allowed them to straighten the spines they had kept bent their whole lives. Chloe’s mother said: “Arthur is the pillar of our family. Our family couldn’t survive without him.” It felt like a thorn had been lodged in my throat, impossible to pull out. He didn’t support the roof of his own house, instead supporting someone else’s, year after year. When it was time for bed, Chloe put me in the guest room next to her parents’ room. After turning off the lights, I couldn’t fall asleep for a long time. I listened to Chloe’s parents whispering in the next room for a very long time. After much deliberation, I still sent a whistleblowing letter and video to the headquarters of Arthur’s company. I also sent a message to my brother, who was a police officer: “It’s going to be a hassle, but you need to come arrest Arthur. He broke the law.” These two decisions didn’t relieve my anger, but they were the only way to answer for my life. It was also the punishment he deserved. The next morning. Chloe brought me her clothes to wear, afraid I’d mind, she specifically added: “My husband just bought this for me. I only washed it once, haven’t even worn it.” “It’s pretty cold here, and you’re dressed a bit thin, you’ll freeze.” I looked at the down jacket she brought over. A long, pure white, fitted coat from a designer brand, costing nearly six hundred dollars. I had looked at it all winter but couldn’t bring myself to buy it, adding it to my cart and deleting it several times. It wasn’t that I couldn’t afford it, but I had elderly parents and a young child to support. I always had to budget my spending. In the past, I had also complained to Arthur: “Other husbands buy clothes for their wives. I’ve been with you for so many years, and I’ve never seen you buy me anything.” He always smiled warmly and said: “The money is all with you. You can buy whatever you want.” “I’m afraid you won’t like what I pick, and I don’t know how to pick women’s clothes anyway.” It turns out he didn’t lack the ability to pick; he just didn’t want to pick anything for me. “Thank you.” I took the coat and put it on. It was beautiful and warm. She paused, a second of surprise flashing in her eyes, unexpected that I hadn’t politely declined. During breakfast, I listened again to her endless chatter showing off their affection. She also asked me what life was like in the city. She even asked: “How’s your life?” I gave a faint smile and answered truthfully: “It’s alright, just that my man doesn’t know how to dote on his wife as well as yours does.” She grinned happily. Finally, noon arrived. The door was opened from the outside, and Arthur’s familiar voice came through: “Honey, I’m home.” Chloe and I stood up from the sofa at the same time and looked at him. “Which wife are you calling ‘honey’, husband?” I asked him, my face cold.

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Marcus Cole forgot everything. He forgot me. His memory is frozen in the year he was most in love with his ex-wife, Tiffany. No matter how hard everyone around him tried to convince him otherwise, he truly believed I was the homewrecker who came between them. The doctors said there was a chance his memory could return, so I held onto that sliver of hope, refusing to let go. Over the course of three years, we divorced and remarried. We became the laughingstock of the entire elite circle in the city; people were even placing bets on us. Betting on when I would finally give up, betting on when Marcus would remember. Until the news of our eighth divorce went viral on social media. Reporters stormed into my law firm, cameras blazing. They shoved microphones in my face, their words dripping with provocation. “Ms. Harper, as a divorce lawyer yourself, having been divorced eight times now, how does it feel?” My professional reputation was shattered, my personal commendations trampled underfoot. Before I could even respond, my boss fired me on the spot for bringing disrepute to the profession. “Chloe, let me give you a piece of advice: have some self-respect. Stop throwing yourself at Mr. Cole.” I clenched my trembling hands, and suddenly, a profound weariness washed over me. They were right. This time, I really should give up. … It was pouring rain when I left the firm. Clutching the cardboard box filled with things from my desk, I arrived home in a daze. The front door wasn’t fully closed. Laughter—Marcus’s and Tiffany’s—drifted out from inside. I surveyed my surroundings. The place was a total disaster: clothes scattered everywhere, stained carpets… The television in the living room was looping the news about the scene at my law firm earlier today. Seeing me return, the smile on Marcus’s face faded noticeably. “You’ve got a lot of nerve, showing up here again.” His sarcastic words cut through the air, hitting my ears clearly. Tiffany smiled and planted a kiss on the corner of Marcus’s mouth. “Alright, honey. You two were together for seven years, after all. Show a little grace.” Then she looked up, raising an eyebrow at me with an intimate, suggestive smile. “Marcus missed me so much, so I came over. You don’t mind, do you?” Rainwater dripped from my hair onto the floor, drop by drop. A wave of exhaustion rolled through my heart. I didn’t spare another glance at the two of them on the sofa and turned toward the master bedroom. But when I pushed the door open, I froze mid-step. “Oh, right, I forgot to tell you.” “This house is also under my mom’s name. It has nothing to do with you. I threw all your stuff out.” “It should still be in the trash bins by the curb.” Arthur’s lips curled up as he leaned against the wall, watching me. It seemed that seeing me in a wretched state was the only thing that made him happy. A sharp pain shot through my chest. My soaked shirt made me shudder from the cold. “You bought the trending top story today, didn’t you?” “We’re already divorced. Why did you have to make me lose my job too?” Faced with my questioning, Arthur raised his hand and violently knocked the box out of my grip. Files and documents scattered all over the floor. That was nearly seven years of my life’s work. “Chasing after me for three years wasn’t enough? Even if something really did happen between us in the past, I have amnesia now.” “The fact that I forgot you proves you’re completely worthless to me!” These words undoubtedly stabbed right into my old wounds once again. Three years ago, his sudden amnesia caused him to forget everything about me. Just the day before the memory loss, he was enthusiastically helping me decorate the nursery, fantasizing about whether we would have a boy or a girl. But later, he forgot. He only remembered Tiffany. “You just forgot! You have no idea what Tiffany did back then…” Resentment and fury nearly drove me mad. Marcus’s face turned ashen as he forcefully grabbed my hand. He shoved me out the door. The pouring rain soaked me again. “I don’t care what Tiffany did. I only remember that I love her. That’s enough.” I opened my mouth, but all the questioning and resentment seemed utterly pointless. Irritated, Marcus avoided my gaze, reaching out to rip the wedding band off his ring finger. The edge of the diamond ring sliced his hand. He hurled the wedding ring to the ground by my feet. As he slammed the door shut, he threw one last line at me. “Don’t come crawling back, begging me to remarry you again.” I stood there for a long time. Finally, I crouched down and picked up that wedding ring. Marcus had personally designed this before our wedding. He wore it for seven years, never taking it off once. By the trash bins at the curb were our shattered wedding photos, the scarf he had hand-knitted for me. And all the photo albums filled with memories of us. My phone suddenly rang. I looked at the contact name and answered. Marcus’s mother’s excited voice came from the other end. “Chloe, I just got Marcus’s physical exam results. The doctor said his memories are starting to loosen.” “As long as he continues treatment, there’s an eighty percent chance he can be cured!” My knuckles turned white as I gripped the phone. The ‘okay’ that was on the tip of my tongue never came out. Finally, I softly said, “Mom, don’t proceed with the treatment. If he forgot, he forgot.” Chapter 2 The next day, I went to the Cole family estate. I placed those eight divorce certificates on the coffee table in front of Marcus’s mother. “Mom, Marcus and I are divorced again.” Marcus’s mother looked at me with pity and let out a long sigh. “I’m so sorry, Chloe. Arthur has wronged you. You two were so happy back then.” “But this time it really is different. I’ve contacted several doctors, and they all say the chances of a cure are high.” Marcus’s mother pushed a business card toward me, her eyes filled with anticipation. “I’m getting old. I just want you two to live a good life together.” “He’s been remembering quite a few things lately…” Before she could finish her plea, I interrupted. “But he has never remembered anything about me.” I lowered my head, avoiding her pitying gaze. The atmosphere grew silent until she suddenly spoke. “If you leave, and Marcus remembers you but can’t find you, he’ll go crazy.” For these past three years, every time we divorced, Marcus’s mother would say this sentence. And because of this sentence, my heart softened time and time again. We remarried time and time again. Before I could respond, there was a commotion in the entryway. Marcus walked in, his brow instantly furrowing when he saw me. “Chloe Harper, did you come to tattle on me to my mom again?” “I already kicked you out, and you’re still sticking around like a ghost. Can you seriously not survive without me?” Marcus’s mother was so furious her chest heaved violently. She abruptly stood up. Her hand shot out, delivering a resonant slap across Marcus’s face. “Have you caused enough trouble? Just how much further do you want to push Chloe?” “Without her, you would have died long ago.” Sitting on the sofa, my hands clenched into fists. I couldn’t help but think back to seven years ago. His marriage with Tiffany was painful. Tiffany enjoyed all his love, but she already had other men on the side. His wife was cheating; he became the laughingstock among the young elites overnight. When he took people to confront them. Tiffany also made off with ten million dollars, vanishing without a trace. After that, Marcus fell into depression. Just as he was preparing to commit suicide by jumping into the river. I was the one who saved him. “So what? Isn’t she just looking for money?” Marcus still stared stubbornly at his mother. “I don’t care what Tiffany did in the past. I just love her. It’s impossible for me to love anyone else.” “And I won’t regret it.” Marcus’s mother seemed to be drained of all her strength in an instant. She turned to look at me apologetically. Marcus rubbed his temples, finally raising his head as if in compromise. “Chloe, you can remarry me if you want. We’ll just end up divorced later anyway. The one losing face is you, not me.” “Since you seriously can’t leave me, then let’s go to City Hall right now.” “This must be your eighth divorce, isn’t it?” The corner of my mouth twitched. I couldn’t match the person in front of me with the Marcus in my memory. “This time, I came to make things clear to Mom.” “You’re free, Marcus.” Marcus froze. The hand hanging by his side trembled involuntarily. He looked at me in astonishment, then quickly regained his composure. “Playing hard to get, are we? Unfortunately, that doesn’t work on me.” “Fine. You said it. Don’t you dare come back begging me later.” Marcus spoke almost through gritted teeth. Ignoring his mother’s attempts to stop him, he threw his things on the floor. And stormed out. Marcus’s mother was so angry she nearly blacked out. She shouted at Marcus’s retreating back. “You are going to regret this!” Chapter 3 I no longer cared whether Marcus would regret it. After completely giving up on the treatment, my taut nerves relaxed a bit. After leaving the Cole estate, I was preparing to ask Marcus to return my passport and ID. All my identification documents had been with him these past few years. Just as I reached the street corner. A sudden, sharp pain struck my forehead. Hot blood gushed from the wound. Dizzy, I hadn’t even realized what was happening. Before I was aggressively pulled and kicked by a group of people. “It’s her! She’s the homewrecker!” “Marcus and Tiffany belong together. Why do you have to force yourself in as the other woman?” “Spit. You’re a disgrace to the legal profession. Specializing in other people’s divorce cases, but you can’t even get your own house in order.” The commotion instantly drew the attention of passersby. Instead of intervening, they pointed their phones at me, recording continuously. Due to excessive blood loss, I didn’t have the strength to fight back. Seeing that I had no energy to resist, the crowd eventually dispersed with disappointment. They spat on me. “We’re going to beat you up every time we see you!” As my vision blurred, I saw Marcus in the distance. He was holding hands with Tiffany, both smiling sweetly. They looked truly happy. When our eyes met, Marcus’s expression stiffened. His footsteps instinctively ran toward me. “Wh… What happened to you?” The blood flowed unstoppably, staining my clothes red. Marcus’s mind went blank. He seemed to panic. With a trembling hand, he pulled out his phone to call for an ambulance. But Tiffany stopped him. “Don’t get involved. Maybe she directed and acted this whole thing herself just to get your sympathy?” “It just looks scary, she’s fine.” “Didn’t you say you were taking me to pick out a birthday present?” Tiffany pulled him away. Marcus hesitated for a moment, then turned his phone off. He didn’t look at me again. I leaned against the wall, gasping for air. The blood still hadn’t stopped. In the end, I dialed for an ambulance myself. But before the ambulance could arrive, I completely lost consciousness. When I woke up again, it was already a week later.max The doctor said if I had been even a little later, I might have died from excessive blood loss. Upon hearing about this, Marcus’s mother specially came to the hospital to see me. She covered all the medical expenses. “Chloe, those people’s aggressive behavior… Mom has already handled it for you.” “Marcus, he…” “He just forgot that you have a blood clotting disorder.” Marcus’s mother tried to advise me again, but looking at my pale face. The words that were on the tip of her tongue were swallowed back down. I gave a faint smile. “Mrs. Cole, I’m divorced from him, and I won’t be staying in the city.” “I’m never coming back.” Hearing the change in address, Marcus’s mother’s eyes instantly turned red. Ultimately, she just nodded. “Chloe, whatever you want to do, I’ll help you.” Chapter 4 Over the course of a month, I tried to contact Marcus. After all, all my identification documents were with him. But he was busy preparing for Tiffany’s birthday and had zero time to attend to me. It wasn’t until the day before Tiffany’s birthday that he hurriedly returned. Marcus had forgotten about the incident a month ago. “Tiffany’s birthday is tomorrow. She likes things lively and invited you to go racing.” I paused, remembering that Tiffany was a professional racer before her retirement. Inviting me to play with them was clearly to establish her dominance over me. “I’m not going.” I calmly refused. Marcus seemed prepared for this. He pulled my identification documents from his bag, waving them in front of me. “Aren’t you looking for these? Be a good girl and listen, and I’ll give them back to you.” “Otherwise…” My gaze darkened. I knew Marcus meant what he said. I had no choice but to agree. The racing event Tiffany organized mostly included playboys from the elite circle. When they saw me, it was like they were looking at a monkey in a zoo. They giggled and made sarcastic remarks. “Marcus, why is your ex-wife still so persistent, chasing you all the way here?” Before Marcus could speak, Tiffany hooked her arm through his, her lips curled in a smile. “I invited Chloe. The more people, the livelier, right? Besides, she knows how to drive too, so I thought we could all race.” The fragmented taunts of the crowd fell unmistakably on my ears. “Just a disbarred divorce lawyer. Racing against her is beneath us.” “Who knew the eighth divorce drama would actually manifest in reality.” I sighed inwardly, thinking about those passports and ID cards. Finally, I closed my eyes. “How do you want to race? Say it.” The corner of Tiffany’s mouth turned up, and she bent down into the driver’s seat. “Very simple. Whoever reaches the finish line first wins.” “However… if something happens and you lose your life, you can only blame your own bad luck.” Tiffany spoke the last few words extremely softly. My heart skipped a beat, and I instinctively gripped the steering wheel. Everything went smoothly at the beginning of the race. Until halfway through a turn, Tiffany’s wheels suddenly slid. My brakes were unresponsive, and I slammed straight into her, flipping the entire car. The screams and cries for help from the crowd rose one after another. My legs were trapped in the driver’s seat. Shards of glass had pierced my thigh. I wasn’t sure if an artery had been severed. The blood flowed without ceasing. The racetrack had its own medical team. They rapidly provided emergency care to both me and Tiffany, sending us to the hospital. It wasn’t easy for the doctor to help me stop the bleeding. Marcus approached me, his eyes red. He violently slapped me across the face, gripping my collar as if he were tearing it apart. “Chloe Harper! You did it on purpose, didn’t you? Do you know Tiffany is still in emergency resuscitation right now? If anything happens to her, you and I are done!” But clearly, she was the one who crashed into me. My vision was still very blurry. I only saw several doctors suddenly walk out of the operating room. “The patient is hemorrhaging and needs a blood transfusion, but the blood bank resources are limited…” “Draw from her! Use her blood! Please, you must save my wife…” Marcus violently yanked my hand. The force was so great it nearly caused my wounds to rupture again. The doctor responsible for me immediately intervened. “She can’t. She has a blood clotting disorder. She nearly severed an artery just now; we barely got the bleeding stopped.” “If you insist on drawing blood, something might happen.” Marcus couldn’t hear a word. He continued to roar. “Just draw it! Who cares if she dies? I just want Tiffany to live.” I raised my head, looking at Marcus’s back. “Chloe, I only want you to live.” I vaguely heard Marcus’s voice from the past. Because of the blood clotting disorder, in Marcus’s eyes, I was like a porcelain doll. Once when we went mountain climbing, we encountered a mudslide. He had said that to me too. As long as I lived. With bloodshot eyes, Marcus ignored all interventions and directly drew my blood. Bag after bag of blood was sent into the operating room. Marcus threw the passport and documents by my hand. I struggled with all my might to keep from passing out. Ignoring the nurse’s attempts to stop me, I took my passport and left the hospital. This time, Marcus and I were completely and utterly finished.

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When we went to the impoverished mountain area to sponsor a child, my best friend, Chloe, couldn’t wait to choose the autistic boy. “This kid looks so pitiful. Mia, you have a weak constitution, you should sponsor that genius boy. You’ll enjoy a good life with him later!” Everyone praised my best friend’s loyalty, but only I knew she had been reborn. In our previous life, two children in the mountain area stood out. One was an exceptionally intelligent genius, and the other was a silent, autistic child. Chloe rushed to take the genius boy. But the boy turned out to be an ungrateful wretch. After getting into an Ivy League university, he completely ignored her. When he eventually became a billionaire doctor, he even played the victim, accusing her of molesting and abusing him. My best friend was cyberbullied, lost her job, went bankrupt from lawsuits, and her parents died of anger because of her. Meanwhile, the autistic child I sponsored later became a renowned designer, winning countless international awards. When Chloe had nothing left, seeing the respectful and loving way the boy treated me drove her mad with jealousy. She hit me with her car and killed me. Opening her eyes again, she definitely wouldn’t repeat her past mistakes. But looking at her smug face, I couldn’t help but laugh. Doesn’t she know that autism, when it reaches a certain level, can turn into psychopathy? 1 “Liam has had autism since he was little. It’s not just that he doesn’t speak; his emotions are highly unstable. He hits people over the slightest displeasure. The teachers at the orphanage have been beaten by him several times.” “He also suddenly screams and cries at night, staying awake all night. You really need to think this through.” As she spoke, the orphanage director pushed the straight-A student, Arthur, forward. “This child has been incredibly smart since he was little. Not only are his grades top-notch, but he also knows how to handle things and is very sensible!” Arthur, wearing a white shirt and jeans, smiled brightly at Chloe, looking exactly like the male lead in a campus romance novel. But Chloe backed away repeatedly as if she had seen a ghost. “No!!” “Arthur is so excellent, he should go to Mia. Taking care of Liam is too exhausting, I couldn’t bear to see her suffer.” I rolled my eyes hard inwardly at her hypocritical display. In our previous life, Chloe wasn’t like this at all. Back then, she couldn’t wait to pull Arthur to her side, terrified I would fight her for him. Arthur indeed lived up to expectations: he got into an Ivy League, earned his Ph.D., started a business after graduation, and became a billionaire doctor at a young age. During that time, Chloe showed off to me every chance she got. “Mia, what can the kid you’re raising do besides hit people and scream?” “I guess this is it for you in this life—serving an idiot, with no hope of ever getting ahead.” “Unlike me. Arthur is worth hundreds of millions now. I won’t have to do anything from now on, just lie back and enjoy life.” But no one expected that the glamorous Arthur was actually an ungrateful wretch. He accused Chloe on camera of molesting and abusing him since childhood, and later forcing him to marry her. Overnight, Chloe became a pariah. Netizens photoshopped her pictures into funeral portraits and splashed paint all over her front door. Her company couldn’t withstand the pressure and had to fire her. On her way home, she saw her own parents killed in a hit-and-run. Finally, Arthur sued her for a massive sum in compensation. She emptied her savings but still couldn’t fill the hole, eventually ending up on the streets, begging to survive. Meanwhile, the Liam I sponsored not only stepped out of the shadow of autism but also became a famous designer, eventually gifting all his assets to me. Chloe went mad with jealousy and drove her car straight into me, killing me. Reborn into this life, she naturally couldn’t wait to get rid of Arthur. I looked at Chloe in front of me and asked softly: “If you choose him, aren’t you afraid you’ll regret it?” Chloe immediately waved her hand dismissively, her face full of contempt. “What do you know! Liam looks quiet, but he’s definitely a genius in his bones. Don’t fight me for him!” “Only certain people look like decent human beings but are actually ungrateful, backstabbing wolves. I wouldn’t want that.” I sneered inwardly at her determined look. Fight her for him? I couldn’t wait for her to take him away quickly. No one knew that behind Liam’s glamorous facade was an endless nightmare I endured. After he recovered from his autism, he developed a severe, paranoid possessiveness. He would secretly delete all male contacts from my phone while I was asleep, calling it “afraid you’ll get scammed.” He installed bars on all the windows in the house under the guise of safety, keeping me trapped like a bird in a gilded cage. When I was sick, he stayed by my side constantly. But then he turned around and fired a male doctor who had just handed me a cup of water. He always said: “Only I can protect you.” Yet, when I tried to contact my family, he smashed my phone and roared with red eyes: “You have me, that’s enough! You don’t need anyone else!” The suffocating feeling wrapped in that “gentleness” made me despair even more than his fists did when he was a child. Even if Chloe hadn’t run me over with her car, I wouldn’t have lasted much longer in that kind of life. Since Chloe wanted a paranoid psychopath in this life, I’d let her have him. I absolutely didn’t want to suffer the pain of being imprisoned and abused again! As soon as we got home, Arthur put down his luggage and started studying. But when I woke up from my nap, I found that dinner, with meat and vegetables, was already laid out on the dining table. Looking at the cautious and eager-to-please Arthur in front of me, I felt incredibly comfortable. In my previous life, when I first brought Liam through the door, he suddenly went crazy. He not only smashed everything in the house to pieces but also strangled me tightly. If I hadn’t prepared a sedative in advance, I wouldn’t have survived that day. Now, having an obedient, sensible, and good-looking Arthur, how could I not be happy? Seeing me staring at the food without moving, Arthur lowered his voice even more. “Is it not to your taste? Should I go make something else?” I quickly shook my head, picked up my chopsticks, took a bite, and nodded, saying: “It’s very good, no need to change it.” “If you need anything in the future, just ask me. I will help you with whatever I can satisfy.” Hearing this, Arthur’s eyes lit up. He hesitated for a few seconds before saying, “I want to participate in the National Physics Olympiad…” I instantly remembered that in my previous life, Arthur won the gold medal in this very competition, earning him an exceptional admission to a top Ivy League school. From then on, his reputation as a physics genius spread nationwide, and he only had coldness and disgust for Chloe. I hesitated for a moment, but then thought that sponsoring a child was a good deed to begin with. Cultivating a talent is a good thing; I never expected him to repay me with anything. I nodded immediately. “Of course you can. I’ll help you prepare, and I’ll handle whatever you need.” A bright smile immediately bloomed on Arthur’s face. He turned and headed back to the kitchen: “Then I’ll get you another bowl of soup, drink more to nourish your body.” Looking at his joyful back, I really couldn’t figure out how he turned into the ungrateful wretch he became later. Just after I finished eating, a video call from Chloe popped up on my phone. When connected, the screen showed Liam sitting at a desk, holding a paintbrush. On the paper was a crude drawing, messy lines showing absolutely no talent. Chloe leaned into the camera and said triumphantly: “Mia, look how good Liam is! He can even draw!” “What’s the use of a physics genius? He might just turn out to be an ungrateful wretch. You’ll regret it sooner or later.” “Liam is a true genius. I’ll stick with him from now on and enjoy endless good days.” I rolled my eyes at her incessant chatter. Even though she deliberately angled the camera away from the smashed-up house, the bright red slap mark on her face was still clearly visible. I truly couldn’t endure the “blessing” of being tortured by a psychopath. Besides, she probably didn’t know yet that Liam’s later talent in painting was all thanks to my father, a master of traditional painting, guiding and teaching him bit by bit. Without the guidance of a professional teacher in this life, given his condition, he probably wouldn’t even be able to speak complete sentences, let alone become a famous designer. I couldn’t be bothered to waste my breath on her, just gave a few perfunctory responses, and hung up the phone. In the following days, I used my family’s resources to find many physics experts to tutor Arthur every week, and even managed to get him exclusive competition exercise books. Arthur studied exceptionally hard and became increasingly considerate of me in daily life. He would prepare meals in advance morning and night, remembering I don’t eat cilantro, and even rushed to do chores, never letting me worry too much. Watching him handle everything so thoughtfully, I became even more confused: how could someone so sensible suddenly turn into a backstabbing wretch in the previous life? Before I could sort out my thoughts, my phone suddenly rang. When I answered, Chloe’s heart-wrenching crying instantly came through. “Mia, come quickly to the police station! Save me!” When I rushed to the police station and asked around, I found out that Chloe had insisted on sending Liam to learn painting. The result? On his very first day, Liam went berserk, grabbed an inkstone, and broke two of the teacher’s fingers! The other party demanded a ten-thousand-dollar compensation. Chloe couldn’t come up with the money, which was why she frantically called me for help. I didn’t hesitate much, fronted the medical expenses for her, and told her to take Liam away first. Before she left, I couldn’t help but remind her: “His emotions are completely unstable right now. He’s not suited to interact with the outside world. You need to find a professional for intervention first.” Unexpectedly, Chloe flew into a rage out of humiliation, pointing at my nose and cursing: “Mind your own business! You just can’t stand that Liam is a genius!” “What do you have to be so smug about? That ungrateful wretch Arthur will turn on you sooner or later, and then you’ll taste what it’s like to have your family destroyed!” As soon as she finished speaking, Liam, who had been silent all along, suddenly stepped forward and hugged her waist, rubbing his fuzzy head against her neck. Chloe immediately beamed with joy. “See? Look how clingy he is with me now. His autism is much better.” I shivered, terrified by the fleeting look of resentment I caught in Liam’s eyes. This wasn’t an improvement; it was clearly the onset of twisted paranoia! I was afraid of getting burned, so I didn’t say another word, turned around, and headed home. From then on, every time I heard news of Chloe, it was either her being beaten into the hospital by Liam, or Liam smashing up another art class. I felt she was a total jinx and even avoided walking near her. But I never expected that during Arthur’s first summer break after getting into an Ivy League, Chloe would actually show up at my house uninvited. As soon as she walked in, she raised her chin, her tone full of mockery. “Mia, what did I tell you?” “That ungrateful wretch Arthur stopped contacting you after he started college, didn’t he? He doesn’t even come home; he doesn’t care about you at all!” I froze for a moment, and thinking carefully, it really was as she said. After Arthur reported he had arrived safely at school, there had been no news from him. All the messages I sent were left on read with no reply. Seeing that I didn’t refute her, Chloe grew even more smug. “Liam is much better than him. He sticks to me every day and is completely obedient to me.” “You better watch out. When Arthur needs startup capital in the future, who knows how badly he’ll scam you!” “When the time comes, you’ll become a rat everyone wants to beat. Don’t regret choosing the wrong person when your family is destroyed.” After she finished, she smiled even more triumphantly. Although I never asked for anything in return when I sponsored Arthur, Chloe’s words were like a thorn, making me feel extremely uncomfortable. I took out my phone, wanting to call Arthur to ask about the situation, only to find out when I dialed that he had already blocked me. Clicking on his social media, it was full of photos from college activities. He was smiling brightly, living a very exciting life. And his latest post prominently read: [Getting ready to start a business with my best friend. Let’s go!] I suddenly remembered my previous life. When he first started his business and was short on cash, he smoothly borrowed money from Chloe. But once the money was in his hands, he immediately blocked her. For five years after that, he completely ignored Chloe. And the next time he came looking for her, it was when he had become one of the top, wealthiest doctors in the country. To expand his hospital’s reputation, he wildly proclaimed online that he had been abused and molested by his sponsor. Chloe tried to find him to clear her name, but was blocked in the hospital by reporters he had hired, thoroughly cementing the narrative that she was an abuser. Before I could recover from my shock, my phone suddenly vibrated. Arthur had sent a message. “Sister, I want to start a business, but I’m still a bit short on startup capital. Can you lend me some money?” Chloe leaned over, saw the message on the screen, and instantly burst into uncontrollable laughter. “I told you he was an ungrateful wretch! Asking for money as soon as he starts college; he’s a bottomless pit!” “Who knows what he’ll do to you for money in the future!” I stared at the screen, hesitating for a few seconds, but still replied: “How much do you need?” The smile on Chloe’s face froze instantly, and she stared at me as if I were an idiot. “Are you crazy? You actually believe the nonsense this little animal says?” “He just treats you like a sucker, a walking ATM!” I ignored Chloe’s words. Since I sponsored him, I should fulfill my responsibility. Without saying much, I directly transferred ten thousand dollars. Chloe was stomping her feet in anger beside me. Just as she was about to speak, her phone suddenly rang. When she answered, the art teacher’s voice was loud enough to hear even without speakerphone. “Come pick up Liam immediately! This kid can’t be a genius; he’s a piece of trash!” “He can’t even distinguish basic colors, and he’s always throwing tantrums! No one can teach him!” Chloe’s face instantly turned green. She hung up the phone, glared at me fiercely, grabbed her bag, slammed the door, and left. That same day, I saw on the news that Chloe caused a huge scene at the art institute for Liam, resulting in her being taken to the police station again. Only this time, she couldn’t find me to rescue her. It wasn’t until half a month later that the two were released, looking disheveled. By that time, Arthur’s company was already somewhat famous, and major newspapers were rushing to report on it. That evening, I had just finished washing up when I heard my front door being violently banged on by Chloe. “What are you doing?” She smiled sinisterly, and I backed away in fear. “Why? Why does everything go smoothly for you no matter what you choose?” “I can’t wait to see that ungrateful wretch Arthur trample you under his feet and ruin your reputation! I want you dead right now!” As soon as she finished speaking, she grabbed my neck like a madwoman. Just as I was about to struggle, she sprayed something blindly in my face, and my vision went black as I fainted. When I woke up again, the living room was packed with people. Camera shutters clicked continuously, and the flashes blinded me. “Are you a psychopath? Did you sponsor a genius boy just to satisfy your own desire for control?” “I heard you forced Arthur to work like a slave, and even beat and scolded him. Is it true?” “Does a woman like you deserve to be called human? You sponsored a child just to vent your dark thoughts!” My mind was completely blank. Before I could even react, my phone started vibrating like crazy. My mom’s panicked voice rang in my ear. “Mia, what is going on? So many people came to the house.” “They are smashing and looting… Honey, what’s wrong with you…” Before my mom could finish, the call disconnected. I turned my head stiffly and looked at Chloe, who was standing among the reporters. She triumphantly waved her phone at me. Only then did I realize that Chloe had used my account to post a long article. In it, she not only detailed fabricated accounts of me abusing Arthur but also wrote about many perverse fantasies I supposedly had about him. The comments underneath were already unbearable. [Trash like this should be arrested and shot!] [A demon cloaked in kindness. That poor child!] [I’ve already doxxed her address. I’m going to go ask her parents how they raised such an animal!] I felt a chill all over and practically roared: “These are all lies! Where is Arthur? He knows the truth!” Chloe smiled even more triumphantly, leaned close to my ear, and said in a voice only we could hear: “Where do you think those fake injury photos came from?” “As long as Arthur sues you, he’ll have all the money he needs for his startup. Do you think he’ll help you?” Hearing this, my heart sank heavily. Does it really mean that even if I poured my heart out for Arthur, it was all for nothing? Right at that moment, a voice suddenly rang out from the crowd. “Everything she said is true.” Chloe and I turned our heads at the same time. When we saw who it was, Chloe and I both widened our eyes, faces full of disbelief. Seeing this, the reporters all swarmed forward, almost shoving their microphones into Arthur’s mouth. The clamor of overlapping questions instantly drowned out the surrounding noise. “Mr. Vance, regarding Ms. Chloe’s previous statement that you suffered long-term suppression and mistreatment from Ms. Mia, is that true?” “Are you wearing a lab coat because you just came from the lab? Did Ms. Mia interfere even with your work?” “Ms. Chloe said you once asked her for help, accusing Ms. Mia of atrocities. Now that you’ve suddenly appeared, were you coerced by Ms. Mia?” “Ms. Mia has been silent this whole time. Does that mean she admits to all the allegations? As the person involved, can you detail the specific things Ms. Mia has done to you?”

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